3 Early-Round Fantasy Football Draft Values Targets (2023)

The NFL season is quickly approaching! There are many players who are going to fluctuate in value between now and the season starting.

Snake Draft Pick Strategy: Early | Middle | Late
Draft Targets for Every Round: Early | Middle | Late
Fantasy Football Draft Strategy
2023 Fantasy Football Draft Kit

ADP Player Values for the Early Rounds (Fantasy Football 2023)

Round 1: Cooper Kupp (WR – LAR)

Cooper Kupp was the WR2 in points per game last season, despite playing on a terrible Rams offense, but that wasn’t enough for fantasy managers who are now letting him slip to the middle of the first round. While Ja’Marr Chase and Justin Jefferson face competition from very good players on their offenses, Kupp has to compete with the likes of Van Jefferson and Tyler Higbee. Last year Kupp was one of three receivers to boast a 30% target share across the league, and it wouldn’t be surprising if he led all receivers in that metric and many others this year.

every time Cooper Kupp falls to 1.05 pic.twitter.com/LRfkmqCSUM

— John Daigle (@notJDaigle) June 17, 2023

Round 2: Tony Pollard (RB – DAL)

Tony Pollard was the RB7 in 2022, averaging 16.5 PPR points per game on only 15.0 touches per game, which was the 26th most touches among all backs. Pollard was ridiculously efficient and will no longer need to be quite so efficient, with Ezekiel Elliott‘s 17.1 touches per game now vacant. We’ve seen Pollard be explosive and efficient, now we can see him become truly dominant.

Round 3: Rhamondre Stevenson (RB – NE)

People will point to the Patriots’ propensity for leaning on multiple running backs as a way to talk down Rhamondre Stevenson. It is true that in the last 22 years, there have been only seven instances of a Patriots running back having a 50% opportunity share or higher. Yet, in that period, there has also been a total of 13 running backs to average 15 or more touches per game, and that would actually be a regression for Stevenson from last year’s 16.8. The Patriots have very little behind Stevenson and nobody who can steal a large workload from him. Even if Stevenson has to give up a few touches to another back, there’s a good chance this offense allows him to score more than the six touchdowns he had in 2022.