The 2023 NFL season is approaching, and that means it’s time to prepare for your fantasy football draft. What better way to do that than to practice drafting with our free mock draft simulator! Beyond our tools, we’re also going to have you covered throughout the draft prep season with our content.
One of the most important aspects of completing a successful fantasy football draft is knowing who to target. Sure, there could be ‘value’ that presents itself through the draft, but it’s important to know which players you should not only target as values but also those you need to circle on your cheat sheets and prepare to reach for if needed. Here are my top players to target in 2023 fantasy football drafts. And here is a free closer look at a few of my top picks.
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Andrew Erickson’s Players to Target
Here are players I’m targeting.
If Rhamondre Stevenson experiences positive TD regression with the red zone role all but his in New England, he will build off a strong sophomore season as PFF’s 11th-highest graded rusher. It’s his backfield with little competition for touches in an offense that should be substantially better than last season. Damien Harris has been replaced by human meat shield James Robinson on a monopoly money and heavily incentive-based contract making him no lock to make the roster.
The low commitment suggests that Stevenson’s role in 2023 will be more of what we saw from Weeks 5-16 when he was the RB13 in points per game as the Patriots’ No. 1 RB. Stevenson has a sky-high fantasy ceiling that is worth buying into. His combined size and pass-catching props are a fantasy manager’s dream for the running back position.
Stevenson finished as RB1 in 44% of his games last season, which tied Chubb for 6th-highest at the position.
3 of my favorite early-round RBs to draft
In 2023 fantasy football leagues
— Andrew Erickson™ (@AndrewErickson_) June 5, 2023
Breece Hall burst onto the scene in 2022, showcasing his talent and proving that he has the potential to be one of the NFL’s best running backs. Unfortunately, his season was cut short due to a torn ACL, but Hall is expected to make a strong recovery and be ready for training camp. In just seven games played, Hall was the RB6 in half-PPR points per game, averaging an impressive 5.8 yards per carry as a rusher and ranking fourth in yards after contact per attempt (4.13). He also made an impact as a receiver, ranking fourth in RB receiving yards with an elite 34.4% target rate per route run.
For his elite efforts, he posted the second-highest top-24 finisher rate at 86% — second to only Christian McCaffrey.
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