As the 2023 Fantasy Football season heats up, crafting a solid draft strategy is one of the keys to winning your leagues. One essential tactic is figuring out which players you’re going to target in the middle rounds of your draft, which can be the difference between a decent roster and a championship-winning lineup. With that in mind, we asked our featured experts for their favorite mid-round running targets ahead of the 2023 season.
- Snake Draft Pick Strategy: Early | Middle | Late
- Draft Targets for Every Round: Early | Middle | Late
- Fitz’s Draft Primers: QB | RB | WR | TE
- 2023 Fantasy Football Draft Kit
Fantasy Football Draft Advice: Mid-Round RB Targets
Which RB with a half-PPR ADP between RB25-48 are you targeting the most in your drafts and why?
Samaje Perine (RB – DEN)
“Consider me one of the people that isn’t buying Javonte Williams being ready for the start of the NFL season, despite what he’s been saying. Should that be the case, Samaje Perine is the obvious beneficiary, as the Broncos gave him $3 million guaranteed this offseason, and is the only other Broncos running back with relevant experience. In the four games last year that Perine was given double-digit opportunities, he averaged just under 18 half-PPR points per game. He’s a more than capable back, especially in a Sean Payton system that has produced several great fantasy running backs over the years. ”
– Sam Hoppen (FantasyPros)
“Samaje Perine. In previous years, Perine served as an almost top-tier handcuff RB to Joe Mixon and now finds himself in Denver behind Javonte Williams, who is returning from an early-season ACL tear. Williams appears ahead of schedule in his return, but that doesn’t mean Perine won’t have involvement in the offense – New HC Sean Payton has a history of effectively dividing backfield duties, as seen with the success of Alvin Kamara and Mark Ingram in New Orleans. I’m not expecting identical results, but I am expecting Perine’s consistent involvement in the Broncos offense, and as the RB35 off the board, I’m happy with that value.”
– Kyle Krajewski (First Seed Sports)
James Cook (RB – BUF)
“James Cook. By the end of 2022, it was apparent the team was going to hand Cook the main backfield duties moving forward. The Bills took care throughout last season, preserving Cook in his rookie season. Despite the acquisition of Damien Harris on the Bills, Cook still has the inside lane for the featured role. In addition, taking the top running back in one of the best offenses in the league can only mean good things for a fantasy team. Even spending a reach pick for Cook is a steal you won’t regret.”
– Richard Savill (Fantasy Six Pack)
James Conner (RB – ARI)
“James Conner is a true bell cow back on a Cardinals offense with a new offensive philosophy that will feature the run more prominently. Combine that with uncertainty surrounding Kyler Murray‘s availability, and Conner will command 20+ touches per game in the Cardinals’ offense. Conner is the only back on the Cardinals’ roster with any significant NFL production. He will provide plenty of value and rise to be a fantasy star with plenty of receptions via checkdowns while also being the featured and goalline back. Getting Conner as your RB2 with a Flex draft capital equals league-winning upside. ”
– Dennis Sosic (Fantasy Six Pack)”
Crazy to think you can get a massive workhorse like James Conner in Round 7 or later as the RB25 because he is the ideal first RB to draft on a zero-RB squad. He played essentially six games last year without Kyler Murray and averaged over 21 fantasy points per game. Conner never finished outside the weekly top-15 running backs over that same span.”
– Andrew Erickson (FantasyPros)
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts | Stitcher | SoundCloud | iHeartRadio