We’ve officially hit the halfway point in the month of August, and as the NFL preseason rages on, fantasy drafts are that much closer from kicking off. Countless hours of research, player analysis, and mock drafts will soon pay off when it’s your time to draft a fantasy squad destined for the promised land. Now is the time to understand the consensus on a number of players you may have your eye on, and today, we will be highlighting some of those players from our experts’ rankings.
Our 2023 Fantasy Football Draft Guide is packed with industry expert analysis, positional tiers, mock drafts, player profiles, rankings for multiple scoring formats, and so much more. The array of tools at your disposal will surely help you dominate your fantasy drafts this year, and our experts will continue to provide insight on crucial topics ahead of the season. If you’re looking for that additional edge on draft day, you’ve come to the right place.
Here at Rotoworld, our experts have combined their rankings across every positional group to create an average. While there may be a general consensus across the landscape, not every player’s ranking can be agreed upon. We are highlighting five outliers total across QBs, RBs, WRs and TEs with personal analysis on why that player is either too high or too low.
Take a look!
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Lawrence Jackson has Lamar Jackson 1. His consensus rank among the writers was 4.
The stars are aligned for Jackson to have his best season yet by finishing as the top quarterback in fantasy and it’s a shame more people don’t see it coming. The Ravens’ new offensive coordinator is going to work wonders for Jackson and the offense. Add in the fact that he’ll have presumably healthy receivers in Rashod Bateman and Odell Beckham to accompany with first-round rookie Zay Flowers, it’s bound to be one of the elite units in the NFL. The ever so reliable Mark Andrews remains at tight end along with Isaiah Likely, giving Jackson the best group of pass catchers he’s ever had since coming into the league. Despite the offense’s shortcomings last season, Jackson was still QB6 on a points per game basis in fantasy. In 2023 you’ll get to see “Louisville Lamar”. If he could win an MVP with the likes of Willie Snead, Miles Boykin and a rookie Marquise Brown, what do you think he’s going to do now? I’m betting on getting the best version of Jackson we’ve ever seen.
Denny Carter has Justin Herbert 7. His consensus rank among the writers was 10.
A lowly 3.6% touchdown rate in 2022 made Herbert one of the league’s unluckiest quarterbacks. Just one year earlier, Herbert had thrown a TD on 5.8% of his attempts. A TD bounce-back puts him in the top-5 quarterback conversation. Eighth in completion rate over expected but plagued by an offense predicated on check-down passes, Herbert should benefit from a new approach under new offensive coordinator Kellen Moore. Only Matt Ryan had a lower air yards per attempt than Herbert last year – a mind-numbing stat considering Herbert’s stellar arm strength. I’m betting Moore can get the most out of Herbert, who has more passing yards (14,089) than any QB in league history after three seasons.
Kyle Dvorchak has Calvin Ridley 19. His consensus rank among the writers was 24.
It’s been a while since we’ve seen Ridley. Still, he was elite the last time he played. In his last 20 games, Ridley averaged six catches for 83 yards on a whopping 10 targets per game. He was the engine of Atlanta’s offense despite working as a downfield option, giving him massive weekly upside. Now he joins a team that was top-10 in pass attempts in 2022 with a quarterback who ranked 11th in EPA per dropback. In their first year under Doug Pederson, the Jaguars’ offense jumped from 14.9 points per game to 23.9 points per game. Jacksonville is next in line to join the ranks of perennial offensive powerhouses and Ridley could easily step into the WR1 chair for them. He’s a risky bet, but the payoff is worth the downside.
Patrick Daugherty has Isiah Pacheco 12. His consensus rank among the writers was 24.
Pacheco is the lead back for the league’s best offense. Why was he being treated as a fringe RB2 in spring drafts? The No. 5 overall rusher from Week 10 onwards last season, Pacheco is the unquestioned No. 1 for a team that passed on RB fliers in the draft and didn’t re-sign Jerick McKinnon until May 2. Yes, it would have been nice if Pacheco had caught more passes as a rookie, but of the 13 he corralled, nine came in his final six contests. He caught six in the AFC Championship Game. I’m not going to pretend Pacheco’s stretch-run pace of 26 receptions is elite, but there is real room to grow here, especially with the Chiefs’ McKinnon indifference this spring. Even if the catches don’t materialize, Pacheco is bound to improve upon last year’s touchdown total of five. The Chiefs can’t keep passing this much in the red zone. (Famous last words.) Pacheco has strong odds of finishing inside the top 18 at running back.
Kyle Dvorchak has Dalton Kincaid at 20. His consensus rank among the writers was 15.
Dawson Knox signed a $53.6 million extension last year and he isn’t going anywhere in 2023, meaning Kincaid will be relegated to slot duties in Buffalo. He ran the majority of his routes from the slot at Utah and he should excel in the role as a rookie. However, running less than a full complement of routes is crippling for a tight end’s fantasy value, and that is all but certain to be Kincaid’s fate this year. The Bills used multiple tight ends on just seven percent of their offensive snaps last year and only one team - the Ravens - crossed the 50% threshold. Given the graveyard of rookie tight ends who were billed as the exception to the rule of young tight ends struggling, I see Kincaid as an easy fade in the sea of borderline TE1s.
If you want to see the rest of the outliers from each positional group, click here and use code BERRY20 for 20% off.
