4 Fantasy Football Takeaways From Expert Rankings (2023)

June is a great time to unwind and catch up. With virtually no sports on the calendar (sorry, baseball), the beginning of summer serves as my time to meet up with friends and enjoy the nice weather. I read books and watch TV shows and movies that I didn’t have time to consume during the peak sports months.

June is also a great time to take stock of the fantasy football landscape. And that’s exactly what we’re doing here. I examined our Expert Consensus Rankings and gathered some thoughts on several players and positions.

More Fantasy Football Advice
Snake Draft Pick Strategy: Early | Middle | Late
Expert Consensus Fantasy Football Draft Rankings
Fantasy Football Mock Draft Simulator

Four Thoughts on the FantasyPros Expert Consensus Rankings (2023 Fantasy Football)

Bijan Robinson (RB – ATL)

I understand why Bijan Robinson is the No. 4 player in half-PPR leagues in our consensus rankings. He’s a prodigious prospect coming into the league at a time when there’s serious uncertainty at the top of his position. I just don’t agree with taking him this high in drafts.

At a position where injury is a risk for anyone at the top, I’m riding with more proven commodities such as Saquon Barkley, Austin Ekeler, Jonathan Taylor and Nick Chubb ahead of Robinson. My rationale is simple: I’d simply prefer to see it from Robinson before investing a top-five pick in him. Maybe my prove-it mentality will put me behind the curve, and there’s no denying that Robinson has the talent to deliver on this lofty draft price. But in the first round of drafts, I go with what I know.

That being said, I still have Robinson as seventh on my draft board, and he’s someone I’m willing to take in the back half of round one.

Sell the Top-Four TEs

If I’m advising against drafting Robinson fourth overall, you know I’m not taking Travis Kelce eighth overall. While Kelce is spectacular, I wonder how much longer he can play at such an elite level. And Kansas City’s receiving corps around him isn’t as strong as it’s been in past seasons. Kelce might be unstoppable, but you won’t see me spending a round-one pick on him.

I won’t just pick on Kelce here, though. I think our consensus rankings grossly overvalue all of the tight ends. Mark Andrews is a really good player and elite for his position, but I don’t think we’ll ever see numbers quite like his 2021 season again. I can’t justify taking him over players like Travis Etienne, Tee Higgins or Chris Olave.

What exactly has T.J. Hockenson done to warrant being a top-4o player? I get he’s a top option in a good passing game. But 80-900-5 might be his ceiling. That’s great for a tight end, but something Amari Cooper – ranked one spot behind Hockenson – does in his sleep. And while I love George Kittle, his health concerns and uncertainty at quarterback make him too risky to be a top-50 pick.

If you’ve read me long enough, you know my spiel about the tight end position. It’s one that I’m fine with addressing late like I did last year with Evan Engram.

Value Players To Target

Here are some players who I’m higher on than the market:

J.K. Dobbins (BAL): While I don’t understand J.K. Dobbins’ logic for being frustrated with his contract situation, I do expect we finally get that breakout campaign from him in 2023. He closed the year rushing for 397 yards in his final four games and appeared to be fully recovered from his ACL injury suffered in 2021. Our rankings have him as the RB18, while I’ve got him at RB16.

Cam Akers (LAR): This is another player who closed the year impressively, especially when considering how battered the Rams’ offense was by injuries toward the end. Cam Akers has little resistance on the depth chart and should benefit from better health for Matthew Stafford and Cooper Kupp, along with the offensive line. Akers is my RB17, four spots higher than the consensus.

D’Andre Swift (PHI): D’Andre Swift might be the player I pound the table for the most this summer. He’s an electric talent who just fell out of favor with the Lions’ coaching staff because of his injuries. But I believe this trade to Philadelphia will only help him. He joins a better offense with a coaching staff that will know how to use him wisely. Swift doesn’t need 20 touches a game to be a fantasy factor, especially in Philadelphia. He’s my RB21, four spots higher than the consensus.

Diontae Johnson (PIT): Despite having 86 receptions on 146 targets, Diontae Johnson has zero TDs last season. This one’s a simple tale of regression. If Kenny Pickett improves at all, Johnson should be back in the weekly WR2 conversation. He’s my WR25, despite the consensus ranking him as the WR34.

My Quarterback Gameplan

Last year, if you waited on quarterback you got burnt, as it was a terrible year for the position. Entering the 2023 season, I’m willing to budge on my “wait on quarterback” mantra.

I’m still probably not going to take players like Patrick Mahomes, Jalen Hurts or Josh Allen around their ranking or ADP. Lamar Jackson, as a late fourth-round pick, would earn at least some consideration. But there’s a trio of QBs I’m comfortable taking at their current rankings a bit later than Jackson.

Justin Fields (64), Justin Herbert (71) and Trevor Lawrence (75) are all players I’m in agreement with as it pertains to their rankings. If anything, I’m slightly higher on all three. If I can come out of each draft with one of these players, I’ll be thrilled.

Fantasy Draft Advice NFL Rankings Bijan Robinson Saquon Barkley Austin Ekeler Jonathan Taylor Nick Chubb Travis Kelce Mark Andrews Travis Etienne Tee Higgins Chris Olave T.J. Hockenson Amari Cooper George Kittle Evan Engram J.K. Dobbins Cam Akers Matthew Stafford Cooper Kupp D’Andre Swift Diontae Johnson Kenny Pickett Patrick Mahomes Jalen Hurts Josh Allen Lamar Jackson Justin Fields Justin Herbert Trevor Lawrence