Check out a few of my must-have fantasy football players that I’m targeting in dynasty startup drafts. And you can find all of my must-have dynasty startup targets in this article.
- Dynasty Trade Value Chart
- Dynasty Startup Draft Primers: QB | RB | WR
- Dynasty Rookie Primers: QB | RB | WR | TE
- Dynasty Draft Simulator
Must-Have Dynasty Startup Targets
Here are the fantasy football players I’m targeting in my dynasty startup drafts.
Rookie quarterbacks are a lousy bet for supporting viable fantasy WR production. That was my main argument against drafting Diontae Johnson last year, which turned out to be the correct approach. Johnson was disappointing with Kenny Pickett all season, failing to top more than 65 receiving yards or a weekly finish better than WR37. But in the case of Johnson for 2023 and beyond, I’d expect a major bounce back with Pickett entering Year 2 surrounded by a majorly upgraded offensive line.
Johnson’s ability to command targets based on his 28% target share and 137 total targets in 2022 suggests he is a prime candidate for positive regression in many facets. His combined downfield and red zone targets were the most of any player not scoring in 2022. Those trends don’t tend to carry over from year-to-year so buy low on Johnson, who was the WR15 in expected fantasy points per game. Per ESPN’s FiveThirtyEight WR model, Johnson finished with the No. 1 open rate among all WRs in 2022.
Guys like Johnson don’t post back-to-back seasons with 26% or better target shares by accident. The Steelers’ WR ranks sixth in target share since 2021 and yet he’s WR32 in dynasty ADP/WR33 in the value chart and he is currently my WR27 in my dynasty rankings. Get the 27-year-old with two more years on his contract while George Pickens remains a darling in the fantasy dynasty community.
Trade Pickens, Kadarius Toney, or Christian Kirk straight up for him.
Christian Watson could experience a sophomore slump if Jordan Love can’t deliver as the full-time starter for the Packers. However, I’d remain a buyer of Watson regardless because Watson was absolutely dynamite as a rookie.
His 26% target rate per route run is nothing but impressive ranking 17th among all WRs with at least 400 snaps. Watson’s 2.47 yards per route run ranked inside the top 10 and tied with superstar Davante Adams.
And in a must-win Week 18 contest vs. the Lions, he was once again the target leader (23% target share), going for 104 receiving yards on a team-high five catches. From Week 10 through Week 18, Watson ranked first in yards per route run (2.78). Over the same span, Watson was the WR9 in both total points and on a per-game basis in PPR.
If Watson takes over the downfield and red zone looks that Allen Lazard saw the majority of in 2022, prepare for a massive second-year leap.
The WR21 in ADP is the clear alpha in the Packers’ passing game with the current depth chart listed as Watson, Romeo Doubs, Jayden Reed, Dontayvion Wicks, Grant DuBose and Samori Toure. I’d happily gift Deebo Samuel or Michael Pittman Jr. for Watson.
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