Here are players our experts are targeting in early fantasy football drafts. You can find our full fantasy football rankings below, along with those that the analysts are higher and lower on compared to the FantasyPros Expert Consensus and Best Ball ADP.
Here are players our experts are targeting in early fantasy football drafts. You can find our full fantasy football rankings below, along with those that the analysts are higher and lower on compared to the FantasyPros Expert Consensus and Best Ball ADP.
Fantasy Football Draft Targets
Lamar Jackson (BAL)
Drafters might get a slight discount on Lamar Jackson this year after a second consecutive season in which injuries limited him to 12 games. In 2021, it was bone bruise in his ankle that prematurely ended Jackson’s season. In 2022, it was a sprained PCL in his knee. Jackson has been a lethal running threat throughout his career, averaging 63.4 rushing yards per game over his five NFL seasons. Jackson will be playing for new, pass-friendlier offensive coordinator Todd Monken after the Ravens parted ways with Greg Roman. Even with the uncertainty and the recent injuries, Jackson is still an upper-echelon fantasy quarterback capable of a QB1 finish.
Jonathan Taylor (IND)
2023 was a year to forget for the consensus 1.01 in last year’s fantasy football drafts. Jonathan Taylor underperformed as the RB30 in 11 games played averaging 12.6 fantasy points as the RB18 when healthy. JT’s usage was that of a top-8 running back – 8th in expected points per game, 4th in touches per game (20) – but a lack of touchdowns decimated his fantasy stock in the Colts’ anemic offense. After scoring a combined 33 TDs through his 1st two seasons, Taylor scored just four rushing TDs in 2022. From an efficiency standpoint, I’d expect a bounce-back effort from Taylor in 2023. He will be healthier in 2023 and rookie quarterback Anthony Richardson‘s mobility under center should increase JT’s yards per carry. When Taylor first returned from injury (Weeks 10-13 in the 2022 season) he ranked as the RB3 overall. And he should experience some positive TD regression entering the final year of his rookie deal. Although it should be noted that with Richardson under center, Taylor won’t cannibalize all the goal-line carries. However, a mobile quarterback didn’t stop Shane Steichen’s running back Miles Sanders from scoring 13 TDs in 2022. Considering the wide talent gap and proven production from Taylor compared to Sanders, I’d bet Steichen’s new RB1 will reach double-digit scores even if his rookie QB runs in a few himself.
Chris Olave (NO)
Chris Olave had a magnificent rookie season as a target vacuuming wide receiver with alpha potential. Olave finished as the WR25 in fantasy points per game, which doesn’t do any justice to his sparkling efficiency metrics. Olave was 15th in target share (26.7%), third in air yard share (40.8%), and tenth in target per route run rate (29.3%). He was seventh in open rate (ESPN analytics), immediately behind Stefon Diggs, and tenth in yards per route run. With Michael Thomas back, Olave will fight Thomas tooth and nail for the WR1 role in this offense. If he can improve on his 11 red zone targets (40th) and four total touchdowns (37th), he could easily finish as a WR1 in 2023.
David Njoku (CLE)
David Njoku‘s first five seasons in Cleveland were a mixed bag, but the uber-athletic tight end had a strong 2022 campaign, with 58 catches for 628 yards and four touchdowns in 14 games. Njoku hauled in 72.5% of his targets and averaged 44.9 yards per game. Although he’s been in the league since 2017, Njoku will only be entering his age-27 season, so he’s squarely in the prime of his career. With his massive wingspan and above-average speed, Njoku might still be able to take up his game another notch.
Fantasy Football Draft Rankings
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