With fantasy football, we spend the summer researching and building our tiers in each position to ensure we draft the best players at the best average draft position (ADP). Another battle we must look into is the battle between teammates that can either win our fantasy leagues or sink our dreams of being champions in 2023.

Below we will break down a few teammates who will eat into each other competition, with only one being the player worth their weight in gold regarding fantasy value. Let’s enter the fantasy courtroom as our first battle of teammates brings us to Pittsburgh.

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Team Positional Battle: Which Player Should You Draft (2023 Fantasy Football)

Diontae Johnson (WR – PIT) vs. George Pickens (WR – PIT)

The Pittsburgh Steelers will be our first positional coin flip as the Steelers provide us with multiple pass-catching options that could allow our fantasy team to sink or swim in 2023. Both players are talented. However, we need to break down the facts to understand who can bring us to the promised land of our championship.

First up, Diontae Johnson, who currently sits at 60th overall in ADP, enters this season after being unable to score a single touchdown in 2022. This anomaly was a regression unlike any other, as Johnson had scored at least six touchdowns before last season. When you break down the stats, the issue is the play of then-rookie quarterback Kenny Pickett.

He ranked 13th in target share and 10th on red zone targets in 2022. Talented players see more chances to provide value for their team than non-talented players. This rule seems too simple to be accurate, but the acronym of KISS reminds us Dwight Schrute says, “Keep it simple stupid, great advice… hurts my feelings every time.”

With Diontae Johnson able to win route at an elite level in the NFL (top 15), we now move into his height and weight to see if his frame can allow us to trust his red zone usage. In these metrics, Johnson struggles as he is only 5-foot-10 and 183 pounds.

Does this mean we want to draft George Pickens instead? Let’s break down his case for the courtroom.

George Pickens, in 2023 has an ADP of 76 overall, allowing us to build more value in our fantasy team that is relying on the quarterback Kenny Pickett, who is building off an underperforming rookie season. Pickens also hits the height metrics (six feet or taller) we prefer and comes close to the weight numbers (215 pounds) we love to see in a red zone target as he stands at six feet tall and weighs over 201 lbs.

The issue with George Pickens was his ability to be a boom/bust player for your lineup. Although he posted six weeks of fantasy finishes inside the top-24, Pickens also provided eight weeks of WR50 or lower fantasy production.

Verdict

This courtroom determines that although George Pickens can have ceiling games throughout the season at a lower ADP, Dionte Johnson provides safer production with a positive regression in the touchdown department. Johnson should be your targeted wide receiver in the Pittsburgh Steelers passing attack, and George Pickens should be saved for usage in DFS formats instead of your redraft leagues.

Our next case in the courtroom brings us to Philadelphia, as the Philadelphia Eagles have brought in two high-profile names to enter their backfield. Which running back should we target? Let’s break it down below.

D’Andre Swift (RB – PHI) vs. Rashaad Penny (RB – PHI)

Anyone on the offense in Philadelphia is an Intriguing option after the explosion of Jalen Hurts and the gang in 2022. Last season Miles Sanders recorded 11 touchdowns in this offense. However, with Sanders leaving for Carolina, 259 Carries are up for grabs in this potentially explosive offense. Let’s break down the cases for each side.

D’Andre Swift, at the moment of this article, is sporting an ADP of 77 overall. Within this new offense, combined with his talent, Swift can finally reach the potential we have discussed for years. His most significant issue is staying healthy and receiving goal-line touches.

Remember that in 2022 Jalen Hurts and Miles Sanders both had 44 rushing attempts inside the 20, with Miles Sanders only receiving four more Carrie’s inside the five-yard line.

This year with Jalen Hurts’ mobility and the arrival of Rashaad Penny, Swift may be relegated to passing downs back more often than we would like for a team that doesn’t utilize their running backs in the passing game. Andrew Erickson explained that “the Eagles finished dead last in RB target share last season (12.1%) and total RB targets.”

Now let’s discuss Rashaad Penny. Penny is two inches taller (5-foot-11) and five pounds heavier than D’Andre Swift. He also sits at 116th overall, according to FantasyPros ADP. Before Penny was hurt in 2022, he played five games. In those five games, he averaged over six yards per carry, which should give him access to the early down-running plays within this offense.

Although the Eagles opened up their offense in 2022, they want to keep the title of “the best running attack” that came with their 2021 campaign. The Eagles can use Penny’s efficient style of running in tandem with the mobility of Jalen Hurts to create an elite level of RPO packages.

Penny’s hindrance will come at the expense of his injury-filled past, and Jalen Hurts at the goal line. However, between Penny and Swift, Penny should be the back in those situations more often than not due to his ability to plow forward and get positive yards.

Verdict

Both running backs possess the ability to reach their fantasy potential in this offense; however, with Rashaad Penny’s lower ADP, the risk is mitigated, and we get our team an explosive running back who has scored 11 of his 14 touchdowns on 10-yard-plus plays (with seven of that total coming on 30-yard-plus plays).

Our final battle brings us to Washington. No, we are not battling over which name should be used for the team. However, we will discuss which Washington Commanders wide receiver should be on our fantasy team. Should it be Jahan Dotson, or should it be Terry McLaurin? Let’s break it down below.

Jahan Dotson (WR – WAS) vs. Terry McLaurin (WR – WAS)

Our final courtroom battle brings us two talented wide receivers dealing with question marks at quarterback (a problem Washington has dealt with for most of their presence in the NFL). This battle is challenging as one player is a savvy veteran that always gives us floor production value and can grant us boom-style weeks; the other was a touchdown machine that struggled with injuries in his rookie season. Let’s break down the two talented wide receivers.

Terry McLaurin has an ADP of 44 this season. McLaurin had a tale of two seasons as his target share, air yard share, and yards per route run were dismal underneath Carson Wentz. With Taylor Hinicke, he jumped 13% in target share, 18% in air yard share and over 1.0 in yards per route run. McLaurin still has the skills to dominate the game; the question is can he do it with presumed starter Sam Howell?

Well, in Week 18, McLaurin saw a 33% target share which, if translated to 2023 at the same clip, could make McLaurin a steal for your fantasy teams, as his name has soured in fantasy drafts in 2023. With McLaurin standing at six feet tall and 210 pounds, his size demands targets in challenging positions and within the red zone.

Now, Jahan Dotson is a later pick in fantasy football drafts as his ADP sits at 95, allowing us to build a stronger team earlier and take a shot on the risky Washington Commanders later. When looking at Dotson, you must look at his return from injury from Weeks 13-18. Jahan Dotson ranked 20th, third in end zone target share, and 13th in yards per route run.

Remember that Jahan Dotson has a substantial draft capital of 16th overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft. The Commanders believe that Dotson and his second half of the season could lead to a breakout sophomore season.

Verdict

The Washington Commanders are not a team that I want to invest early fantasy draft capital into; due to that, my player to pick in this battle would be Jahan Dotson. Both players are talented at their position. However, in fantasy, a rule of thumb is to draft players from good teams.

Another rule is you can’t win your draft in the first few rounds, but you certainly can lose the draft in those rounds. Drafting a talented player in Jahan Dotson while abiding by the above rules makes him the safer play with a trace of upside in the later rounds.

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Remember to read all our fantastic work here at FantasyPros. If you need more help with your fantasy leagues, don’t hesitate to get in touch with me on Twitter at @jpep20. Good Luck in 2023!