There are times and places in life when it makes sense to be conservative, but fantasy football doesn’t make the list. As legendary racecar driver Ricky Bobby would say, “If you’re not first, you’re last.” When it comes to fantasy football draft strategy, it often pays to be aggressive. That can mean a number of things, but it primarily means finding upside in players compared to where they’re being drafted. If you hit on enough high-upside players, you’ll find yourself in the fantasy playoffs with a shot at a coveted championship.
We asked our featured experts for their running backs, wide receivers and tight ends with the most upside at their current ADP along with players they’re passing on in that same range.
- AFC Busts & League Winners: East | North | South | West
- More Fantasy Football Advice
- Fitz’s Draft Primers: QB | RB | WR | TE
- 2023 Fantasy Football Draft Kit
High-Upside Players for Fantasy Football Drafts
Skyy Moore (WR – KC)
“If you’re searching for wide receiver upside, look no further than Skyy Moore with an ADP in the late WR50s. His rookie season was hardly impressive, but Moore drew rave reviews in Chiefs minicamp and could vault to the top of the WR pecking order in KC with the departures of JuJu Smith-Schuster and Mecole Hardman in the offseason and the oft-injured Kadarius Toney already missing time with a knee issue. I’m passing on Deebo Samuel as a fourth-round pick and top-20 fantasy receiver. The San Francisco quarterback situation is unsettled as Brock Purdy tries to return from UCL surgery, and there are simply too many mouths to feed in the 49ers passing game. Plus, with Christian McCaffrey (and even Elijah Mitchell) in the backfield, Deebo isn’t getting anywhere close to the 59 carries and eight rushing touchdowns that buoyed his fantasy value in 2021.”
– Jason Willan (Gridiron Experts)
Greg Dulcich (TE – DEN)
“He was a top-30 TE despite playing in just 10 games. Now Sean Payton gets to play with this athletic beast. He is a low-risk/high-upside play as TE15 right now, and I’d much prefer him over Cole Kmet, who should see TD regression in a run-heavy system.”
– Kevin Roberts (Breaking Football)
“Greg Ducich flew under the radar a bit as a rookie, missing the first five games of the season with a hamstring injury. By the time he got going, Denver’s season was already floundering. He did, however, finish as a TE1 in six of the ten games he played to end the season. Tight ends naturally progress in their second season, and with Sean Payton already tagging Dulcich as the “Joker” in his offense, Dulcich has all the upside you look for in a late-round tight end. I prefer him over Dalton Schultz and Cole Kment, who may be safer but lack the upside I’m shooting for at the position.”
– Aaron Larson (FantasyPros)
Christian Watson (WR – GB)
“The guy is an athletic freak with the size and speed to score from anywhere on the field, but supposed TD regression has everyone running for the hills. The pace he was on isn’t sustainable, but nearly every other metric had CW impressing greatly as a rookie. I prefer him over DJ Moore, who enters a run-heavy system.”
– Kevin Roberts (Breaking Football)
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