10 Must-Have Players to Draft (2023 Fantasy Football)

10 Must-Have Players to Draft (2023 Fantasy Football)

Greetings, fellow fantasy football aficionados! Whether you’re a seasoned veteran or a newcomer to the world of virtual gridiron battles, I’m thrilled to be your guide on this exhilarating journey into the heart of the 2023 fantasy football landscape. I’m Andrew Erickson, and I’m about to unveil my personal holy grail – the top 10 absolute must-have players for your upcoming drafts. These are the players that I’ve meticulously studied, crunched the numbers for, and watched countless highlight reels of to determine that yes, they are the ones you should be aiming to snatch up. So, buckle up and prepare to meet your fantasy roster’s future cornerstones, your ticket to gridiron glory.

These aren’t just players; they’re MY GUYS, and I’m excited to share them with you all.

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Erickson’s 10 MUST-HAVE Players to Draft

Deshaun Watson (QB – CLE)

Watson is by far the cheapest QB that can finish inside the top-5 you can draft in fantasy football. He has been a top-5 fantasy QB every single year he has played at least 15 games.

The Clemson product averaged nearly 30 rushing yards per game last season and has flashed rushing prowess thus far in the preseason.

Among the 7 QBs who rushed for at least 30 yards per game last season – Justin Fields, Lamar Jackson, Jalen Hurts, Daniel Jones, Josh Allen, Marcus Mariota, and Kyler Murray – only Murray failed to crack the top 10 in fantasy points per dropback. Five finished inside the top-5 fantasy scoring QBs on a per-dropback basis.

And as bad as Watson was as a thrower in 2022, there’s a glimmer of hope from one particular metric. He showed he could still be a very effective passer throwing at the intermediate level (10-19 yards) which tends to be a sticker statistic year after year. His 68.4% completion rate on those throws ranked second-best in the NFL. His yards per attempt (12.9) also ranked second. Joe Burrow ranked first in both those categories in 2021.

Rachaad White (RB -TB)

Rachaad White’s rookie season saw him flash his legitimate 3-down upside in the Buccaneers’ offense. Despite working in a timeshare with Leonard Fournette, White was able to average 11 fantasy points per game as the RB26 and operate as the 1A back in the second half of the season despite averaging just four yards per carry.

In his one spot start without Fournette in the lineup, Week 12 versus Cleveland, White went 14 for 64 rushing and 9 for 45 on 9 targets receiving. He totaled a 90% snap share on offense. List of rookie RBs to earn a 90% snap share in a game last year: Rachaad White. That’s the list. The last rookie RB to see a 90% snap share under a Bruce Arians team? David Johnson.

White also started every game from Week 10 onward even with Fournette active in all but one game. The Buccaneers back posted a 62% RB2 finisher rate as a starter over the rest of the season.

Additionally, during his limited preseason action, we got more elite bell-cow usage; 100% of the snaps with the starters. White is the easiest click in later rounds of fantasy football drafts. Even in games where the Buccaneers are getting stomped, be confident that White will vacuum up targets with his pass-catching skillset. Mayfield threw to RBs at 19.1% target frequency last season…top-10 among QBs

Diontae Johnson (WR – PIT)

Diontae Johnson is slated for a massive bounce-back campaign. He didn’t score last season – likely a fluke – and that’s being held against him. Even though DJ ranks: 5th in total targets (460), 7th in receptions (281), and 9th in target share (25%) over the past three seasons. Johnson’s ability to command targets based on his 28% target share and seventh-ranked 137 targets in 2022 suggests he is a prime candidate for positive regression in many facets. His combined downfield targets and red-zone targets were the most of any player not to score in 2022. Those trends don’t tend to carry over from year to year. Buy-low on the WR14 in expected fantasy points per game from last season.

His WR33 ADP is insulting.

Darren Waller (TE – NYG)

By far, my favorite tight end to draft Darren Waller. He is my No. 3-ranked tight end because becoming the No. 1 pass-catching option for a team as tight end is a rare feat. There’s only a handful of teams that feature such a player, with the Giants being the newest to join the list after their acquisition of the ex-Raiders tight end.

Waller showed that when he was healthy he could still deliver, ranking second in the NFL in yards per reception (13.9) and 10th in yards per route run. Waller “the baller” still has plenty left in the tank.

If preseason usage is any indication of his ceiling, the only thing stopping Waller from being the TE1 is health-related. With Daniel Jones, Waller posted a 50% target rate per route run.

Four targets on nine Daniel Jones passes. He got the first 3 passes from the get-go. 44% target share. Wheels up.

DK Metcalf (WR – SEA)

Why draft DK Metcalf? More like why NOT draft a 25-year-old WR with a body sculpted like a Greek god? Over the last two seasons, Metcalf ranks 6th in target share at 27%. He has missed a grand total of zero games during his four-year career. His 25 end-zone targets led ALL WRs last season. 10th in expected fantasy points per game and 7th in expected fantasy points overall per FantasyPts.

Last year: career highs in…targets, and receptions. Has averaged nearly 9 TDs per season…

He has an insane ceiling that not enough people are talking about because of how ‘underrated’ Tyler Lockett is. Well, Lockett is entering his age 31-season.

The future is now, and the stage is set for Metcalf to go NUCLEAR with rookie Jaxon Smith-Njigba slated to miss time to start the year.

We saw Metcalf’s weekly ceiling with Geno Smith in the wildcard round…when he WENT off for 136 yards on 10 catches with 2 TDs on 13 targets. Draft alphas.

Travis Etienne Jr. (RB – JAX)

The Jags’ RB1 proved himself to be a great fantasy asset during the 2022 season, averaging 15 fantasy points per game from Weeks 7-17 (RB8 in points per game) and finishing tied for 5th in carries inside the 10-yard line (23) despite only scoring four touchdowns on those carries. ETN ended the year with over 1,400 yards from scrimmage averaging 5.1 yards per carry in 19 games played.

He finished fourth in total forced missed tackles, trailing only Josh Jacobs, Nick Chubb, and Derrick Henry. All that was despite Etienne suffering a foot injury that knocked him out of a Week 12 contest versus the Baltimore Ravens. Simply put, ETN posted a Jonathan Taylor-esque rookie season in his first NFL season. Head coach Doug Pederson thinks his stud rusher hasn’t even hit his ceiling, suggesting he could rush for 1600-plus yards in 2023…

He is a super explosive rusher WHO shouldn’t be ignored due to the presence of third-rounder Tank Bigsby. In the Jags’ final preseason game, Etienne played 65% of the snaps and saw 100% of snaps on third down, fourth down, and in short yardage. He scored from inside the 3-yard line after Bigsby fumbled on an early drive in the end zone. Fantasy football doesn’t have to be hard. Draft Etienne in Round 4 and win your league.

Lamar Jackson (QB – BAL)

Lamar Jackson has the chance to absolutely BREAK fantasy football in 2023 if the added WR weapons and new passing game under OC Todd Monken take flight.

Remember, when Jackson played with a healthy Rashod Bateman last season, he averaged nearly 27 points per game. That average would have ranked first among QB scoring over the last three seasons.

However, it STILL wouldn’t have been as good as Lamar was during his MVP season. He scored more points per game than any other fantasy QB ever. I give you permission to draft Lamar Jackson at the Round 3/4 turn.

Amon-Ra St. Brown (WR – DET)

The Sun God is one of my other favorite draft targets in Round 2. His 32% target rate per route run trailed only Tyreek Hill in 2022.

With no Jameson Williams and a slate of favorable defensive matchups, there will be no stopping the burn from the Sun God himself. From Weeks 8-18, St. Brown averaged 80.5 receiving yards, seven receptions, and 17 PPR points per game.

Since Week 12 of the 2021 season Amon-Ra St. Brown ranks first in target rate per route run, second in total receptions, 3rd in first downs, and 5th in overall targets. Get this man a life jacket because is going to be DROWING in targets.

Tony Pollard (RB – DAL)

With Ezekiel Elliott no longer on the roster, Tony Pollard will have the opportunity to take over as the team’s lead back. Last season, he finished as the RB7 in fantasy despite ranking outside the top 25 in touches per game. He was a top-12 running back in 40% of his games which ranked 8th best. Pollard’s efficiency was on full display as he averaged 5.3 yards per carry and was the third highest-graded running back by PFF. From Weeks 7-16, Pollard was the highest-scoring running back in fantasy with 19.3 points per game while playing at least 53% of the team’s snaps. He also has little-to-no established RB competition in Dallas between the likes of Deuce Vaughn, Rico Dowdle, and Malik Davis. Additionally, the fears of Ezekiel Elliott returning to Dallas have been erased with his signing in New England. Pollard is also playing on the franchise tag…which means the team can run him into the ground with zero long-term investment in him.

Nick Chubb (RB – CLE)

Nick Chubb quietly amassed an impressive 1,500+ rushing yards and 13 touchdowns in 2022, finishing as the RB6 overall with a top 10 running back rush share at 57%. From Weeks 1-12, he was the RB4 overall and in points per game.

With Deshaun Watson expected to raise the ceiling of the Browns’ offense with a full offseason back to football, Chubb’s fantasy production should remain more consistent throughout the 2023 season, making him a near-bust-proof draft pick. He’s played in 75 of 82 games during his five-year NFL career. Best ability…IS AVAILABILITY.

Last season alone, Chubb was just one of three running backs to finish inside the top 36 in every single game along with Christian McCaffrey and Austin Ekeler.

The Browns RB is currently the betting market’s favorite to lead the NFL in rushing yards and he runs behind an elite offensive line. Additionally, with the departure of Kareem Hunt, Chubb could see an increase in targets. He demonstrated his ability in this area with a strong Week 18 performance, playing a season-high 75% snap share, running a route on 71% of dropbacks, and catching 5-of-6 targets for 45 yards (22% targets share). Chubb finished Week 18 as the RB1 overall. Unproven 2022 fifth-rounder Jerome Ford is currently pegged as the No. 2 RB, but he has missed most of the preseason with injury.

Just missed the cut

Dynasty Rookie Draft Kit


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Andrew Erickson

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Andrew Erickson is a fantasy football analyst at FantasyPros.

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