Sports. Honestly. Since 2011

2023 Fantasy Football Mock Draft 2.0

This fantasy football mock draft sees two running backs early and a lot of wide receivers in the middle rounds.
Fantasy Football Mock Draft

With training camp just a few weeks away, the fantasy football season is almost here, and there is no better way to prepare than by doing some mock drafts. Every single pick is included below, with my picked bolded.

Note that this fantasy football mock draft was performed on Sleeper with one-quarterback PPR settings.

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Fantasy Football Mock Draft: Version 2.0

First Round

1.01 – Justin Jefferson
1.02 – Christian McCaffrey
1.03 – Austin Ekeler
1.04 – Ja’Marr Chase
1.05 – Cooper Kupp
1.06 – Bijan Robinson
1.07 -Travis Kelce
1.08 – Jonathan Taylor
1.09 – Saquon Barkley
1.10 – CeeDee Lamb
1.11 – Davante Adams
1.12 – Tyreek Hill

This fantasy football mock draft kicks off with a player that is, at worst, the third-best running back prospect to enter the league in the past 15 years. Bijan Robinson is a truly special talent, and he landed on a run-obsessed team with one of the best blocking units in football. Don’t overthink this – Bijan Robinson will be the engine of the Atlanta Falcons offense and could easily be the RB1 overall when all is said and done.

Second Round

2.01 – Patrick Mahomes
2.02 – Stefon Diggs
2.03 – A.J. Brown
2.04 – Derrick Henry
2.05 – Amon-Ra St. Brown
2.06 – Josh Jacobs
2.07 – Nick Chubb
2.08 – Jaylen Waddle
2.09 – Tony Pollard
2.10 – Josh Allen
2.11 – Garrett Wilson
2.12 – Jalen Hurts

For years, the average fantasy football player ignored the data and selected running backs early and often in their mock drafts. The community has overcorrected, as a player as good as Nick Chubb should not be available midway through the second round. The running back was the RB6 in PPR leagues last year and has arguably the best situation of his career. Deshaun Watson should be an upgrade on Baker Mayfield and Jacoby Brissett, and Kareem Hunt is no longer around to steal passing work. The sky is the limit for Nick Chubb, and as long as he stays healthy, he should be able to replicate his top-six finish in 2023.

Third Round

3.01 – Mark Andrews
3.02 – Breece Hall
3.03 – Rhamondre Stevenson
3.04 – D.K. Metcalf
3.05 – Travis Etienne
3.06 – Chris Olave
3.07 – Devonta Smith
3.08 – Lamar Jackson
3.09 – Tee Higgins
3.10 – Joe Mixon
3.11 – Najee Harris
3.12 – Jahmyr Gibbs

Garrett Wilson stole all the headlines last year, but there is a strong case to be made that Chris Olave was the best rookie receiver in football last year. The wide receiver dominated in predictive metrics like yards per route run and air yards, and he could take a major leap with Derek Carr at quarterback.

Fourth Round

4.01 – T.J. Hockenson
4.02 – Joe Burrow
4.03 – Deebo Samuel
4.04 – Kenneth Walker
4.05 – Aaron Jones
4.06 – Justin Fields
4.07 – Keenan Allen
4.08 – Amari Cooper
4.09 – Calvin Ridley
4.10 – George Kittle
4.11 – Justin Herbert
4.12 – Terry McLaurin

Keenan Allen is getting up there in age, and while injuries are a concern, he’s still one of the most reliable fantasy football wide receivers when on the field. Last year, Allen finished with 2.35 yards per route, the 13th-best mark in the league, to go along with a 27.8% target rate and a 28.4% air yards share. He has the volume, an elite quarterback in Justin Herbert, and a real offensive coordinator in Kellen Moore.

Fifth Round

5.01 – Dameon Pierce
5.02 – DeAndre Hopkins
5.03 – J.K. Dobbins
5.04 – Drake London
5.05 – D.J. Moore
5.06 – Chris Godwin
5.07 – Miles Sanders
5.08 – Alexander Mattison
5.09 – Christian Watson
5.10 – Kyle Pitts
5.11 – James Conner
5.12 – Jerry Jeudy

This is one of the easier selections in the fantasy football mock draft. Going from Tom Brady to Baker Mayfield is a serious downgrade, but the market is overreacting to this bit of news. At his best, Godwin is a target machine that originally broke out with a subpar Jameis Winston under center. Now that he’s completely recovered from an ACL injury that clearly bothered him last year, he should return to being one of the best in the league.

Sixth Round

6.01 – D’Andre Swift
6.02 – Dalvin Cook
6.03 – Trevor Lawrence
6.04 – Cam Akers
6.05 – Mike Williams
6.06 – Michael Pittman
6.07 – Brandon Aiyuk
6.08 – Dallas Goedert
6.09 – Alvin Kamara
6.10 – Diontae Johnson
6.11 – Tyler Lockett
6.12 – Javonte Williams

Brandon Aiyuk is the San Francisco 49ers wide receiver you want to own in fantasy football. The former first-round pick is a star in the making, finishing 2022 as PFF’s WR19 with a 23.5% target share, 32.5% air yard share, and 2.09 yards per route run. With a more aggressive Brock Purdy (presumably) under center, Aiyuk is in prime position to break out in 2023.

Seventh Round

7.01 – Marquise Brown
7.02 – Rachaad White
7.03 – Jaxon Smith-Njigba
7.04 – Mike Evans
7.05 – Isiah Pacheco
7.06 – Pat Freiermuth
7.07 – George Pickens
7.08 – David Montgomery
7.09 – Christian Kirk
7.10 – Jordan Addison
7.11 – James Cook
7.12 – A.J. Dillon

Outside of quarterback, tight ends might have the hardest adjustment from the college game to the pros. So, with this in mind, it’s pretty impressive that Pat Freiermuth has recorded 123 receptions for 1,229 yards and nine touchdowns through his first two years in the league while working with a washed-up Ben Roethlisberger and a rookie Kenny Pickett. Freiermuth should be even better in 2023 and could establish himself as one of the few useful fantasy football tight ends if Pickett takes the Year 2 leap.

Eighth Round

8.01 – Treylon Burks
8.02 – Darren Waller
8.03 – Antonio Gibson
8.04 – Jahan Dotson
8.05 – Kadarius Toney
8.06 – Michael Thomas
8.07 – Dak Prescott
8.08 – Anthony Richardson
8.09 – David Njoku
8.10 – Quentin Johnston
8.11 – Brandin Cooks
8.12 – Brian Robinson

We’re buying low on Dak Prescott in this fantasy football mock draft. The Cowboys passer led the league in interceptions last year, but breaking down the tape shows that a good chunk of those turnovers were not his fault. He’s still the same top-10 quarterback he’s always been, and now he has Brandin Cooks and a healthy Michael Gallup to complement superstar CeeDee Lamb.

Ninth Round

9.01 – Gabriel Davis
9.02 – Evan Engram
9.03 – Zay Flowers
9.04 – Deshaun Watson
9.05 – Zach Charbonnet
9.06 – Rashaad Penny
9.07 – Tua Tagovailoa
9.08 – Juju Smith-Schuster
9.09 – Kirk Cousins
9.10 – Dalton Schultz
9.11 – Jamaal Williams
9.12 – Damien Harris

D’Andre Swift might be the bigger name, but I’m performing this fantasy football mock draft under the impression that Rashaad Penny will be the starter as long as he’s healthy. The former first-round pick was one of the most efficient running backs in the league for Seattle, and he could destroy worlds running alongside Jalen Hurts and Philadelphia’s elite offensive line.

10th Round

10.01 – Courtland Sutton
10.02 – Samaje Perine
10.03 – Devon Achane
10.04 – Khalil Herbert
10.05 – Rashod Bateman
10.06 – Cole Kmet
10.07 – Odell Beckham
10.08 – Elijah Moore
10.09 – Geno Smith
10.10 – Javonte Williams
10.11 – Aaron Rodgers
10.12 – Dalton Kincaid

By the time you get to the 10th round in the fantasy football mock draft, just about every player selected is far more likely to fail than to succeed. So, with that in mind, you might as well swing for the fences and select someone with a high ceiling. Odell Beckham has a wide range of outcomes in 2023, but if he can play like his 2021 self, then he will be a steal this late in the draft.

11th Round

11.01 – Allen Lazard
11.02 – Chigoziem Okonkwo
11.03 – Jerick McKinnon
11.04 – Elijah Mitchell
11.05 – Daniel Jones
11.06 – Kendre Miller
11.07 – Adam Thielen
11.08 – Tyler Higbee
11.09 – Russell Wilson
11.10 – Jakobi Meyers
11.11 – Jared Goff
11.12 – Tyler Allgeier

Alvin Kamara will probably serve a lengthy suspension at some point in 2023, which means that Jamaal Williams and Kendre Miller will be battling for the starting job. This is a battle Miller can win, as Williams is not nearly as good as his 2022 touchdown total would imply.

12th Round

12.01 – Darnell Mooney
12.02 – Greg Dulcich
12.03 – Rondale Moore
12.04 – Devin Singletary
12.05 – Tyler Boyd
12.06 – Romeo Doubs
12.07 – D’Onta Foreman
12.08 – Rashee Rice
12.09 – Jonathan Mingo
12.10 – Raheem Mostert
12.11 – Skyy Moore
12.12 – Bryce Young

One of the Chicago Bears running backs will be a fantasy football bargain, and I’m betting on D’Onta Foreman in this mock draft. The veteran proved over the past two seasons that he can handle a high early-down workload, and his aggressive style of running should pair well with Justin Fields as his quarterback. While Foreman doesn’t catch passes, Chicago’s reluctance to actually throw the ball makes this a moot point.

13th Round

13.01 – Nico Collins
13.02 – Ezekiel Elliott
13.03 – Roschon Johnson
13.04 – Sam LaPorta
13.05 – Gerald Everett
13.06 – Kyler Murray
13.07 – Tank Bigsby
13.08 – Michael Mayer
13.09 – Zay Jones
13.10 – Jeff Wilson
13.11 – Rashid Shaheed
13.12 – C.J. Stroud

Dak Prescott is already the quarterback in this fantasy football mock draft, so we can afford to take a late-round flier on Kyler Murray. At his best, Murray is a dual-threat cheat code that can singlehandedly win you a matchup. While he’ll probably need some time to get up to speed, he could be a league winner when he’s 100%.

14th Round

14.01 – Jaylen Warren
14.02 – D.J. Chark
14.03 – Jordan Love
14.04 – Jalin Hyatt
14.05 – Matthew Stafford
14.06 – Isaiah Ford
14.07 – Chase Brown
14.08 – Tyjae Spears
14.09 – Clyde Edwards-Helaire
14.10 – Juwan Johnson
14.11 – Leonard Fournette
14.12 – Chuba Hubbard

Joe Mixon is still on the Cincinnati Bengals, but that might not be the case for long. The team is reportedly still considering parting ways with the veteran, and if that happens, Chase Brown could fight for the starting job. Even if the Bengals sign a cheap veteran to replace Mixon, Brown will still be one of the top handcuffs in the league.

15th Round

15.01 – Kareem Hunt
15.02 – Michael Gallup
15.03 – K.J. Osbourne
15.04 – Gus Edwards
15.05 – Cordarrelle Patterson
15.06 – Ty Chandler
15.07 – Kenneth Gainwell
15.08 – Dawson Knox
15.09 – Irv Smith
15.10 – Pierre Strong
15.11 – Jayden Reed
15.12 – Donovan Peoples-Jones

The Minnesota Vikings believe Alexander Mattison can be their starting running back, and that faith could be justified. However, if the former third-round pick isn’t up for the job, then Ty Chandler is next in line. Chandler isn’t exactly the second-coming of Barry Sanders, but he has a clear path to touches, and that’s enough to justify the final pick in this fantasy football mock draft.

Main Photo: Dale Zanine – USA Today Sports

David Latham, Managing Editor

David Latham, Managing Editor

David joined LWOS as an NFL writer in 2017. A passionate fan of Boston sports, Latham covers the Patriots, fantasy football, and breaking news across the league.

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