So you got the number one pick in your 2023 fantasy football league, huh? Proud of ya!
But you’re not sure who to take, right? And most importantly, you’re not sure what you will do when it comes back to you for back-to-back picks in rounds two and three. If this sounds familiar, this article is for you. Even if you think you know exactly what you’re doing, this article is probably still for you.
One key piece of my Draft Plan article each year is the exercise I undertake to mock draft myself teams from the various draft positions while using the most current ADP. This year, I’ll do this exercise for all 12 draft slots with an accompanying podcast, and then I’ll update the drafted teams within my full Draft Plan article for subscribers once a week starting in early August.
Let’s start from the #1 spot.
Team drafted using the Fantasy Points Generator
Listen to the accompanying Hansen’s Hints Podcast on Drafting from #1!
Round 1
As you can see from the screenshot below, even though Justin Jefferson is projected to score more points this year, the Fantasy Points Generator recommended Ja’Marr Chase when “Hansen’s Hints” mode is checked. That’s because I hard-code specific recommendations for those looking to mimic or see what I would do. You’re not actually in my brain for all your picks, but you’re close, and I would take Chase at #1 overall.
Round 2
Let’s move on to our second-round selection, and for this round the Fantasy Points Generator did all the number-crunching and determined that RB was the way to go. The software recommended Rhamondre Stevenson, but only one point separated Rhamondre and Josh Jacobs, and I liked Jacobs more, so I went with him. Obviously, the Jacobs station with his contract is worrisome, but the solution for both sides has been mapped out with Saquon Barkley. We’ll see, but so far, I think this is a pretty sexy start:
Round 3
In Round Three, I faced a tough decision because I do like Mark Andrews this year, and Mandrews would give me a stud at WR, RB, and TE, which is nice. But I also like some other TEs down the board, and WR is about to fall off noticeably, so I opted to get another stud wideout while I could. I’m not a big DK Metcalf guy, but he did stand out because I saw a drop-off at the position after DK (Calvin Ridley as the next WR drafted). Also, I did seriously consider Deebo Samuel, and I wanted to take him, but I’m actually eyeing his teammate a couple rounds later, so I passed on Deebo.
Round 4
Now in Round Four, I’ve got another tough decision because I’m not really loving the WRs available to me (Christian Kirk, Chris Godwin), nor do I love the RBs (Ken Walker, Joe Mixon, Aaron Jones). I love Kyle Pitts this year, but if I do not take him with the 48th or 49th picks in Rounds 4-5, I would not have a crack at him in the sixth (missed him by three picks). Taking Pitts in the fourth would have been bad value, so I “settled” for our #3 ranked TE:
I can’t say I’m head over heels for this start, but it’s about attacking areas I need to attack (WR) and also focusing on forming the best starting lineup possible.
Round 5
In Round Five, I’m ready to hit WR yet again because I’m greedy, and I want three studs. Picking up a “good” receiver later in the draft or on the WW isn’t that hard, but studs don’t grow on trees, so they’re not easy to acquire cheaply, so I’ll pay up:
The Fantasy Points Generator recommended JK Dobbins for this fifth-round pick above, but I overrode it because of his bizarre situation and because I love Aiyuk. I also know I can get my guy in Tampa as my RB2, so I waited.
Rounds 6-7
For my next two selections, the picks were clear because the WR talent has dropped off, and I already have my TE. My two biggest holes, and this was by design, are at QB and my RB2 spot, but we’ll quickly fill those holes:
It was a little frustrating to be almost placed out of the running for Kyle Pitts based on my first overall pick and the flow of the ADP. But overall, things have set up very well for optimal roster construction here in 2023:
- Hitting WR hard.
- Laying off RB, but still having a legit RB1 and, thanks to his low ADP, a good (possibly great RB2).
- Taking care of TE but avoiding a premium cost.
My starting lineup is almost filled already, which is ideal and a sign that it’s well-balanced. Now I need only my two flexes and my starting lineup is complete.
Round 8
I could certainly use some RB depth, so I’ll hit the position again for my next pick and grab a boring but potentially sneaky asset in DC:
Round 9
Now I just need one more starting spot filled, and it can be anything but QB. I’m feeling good, so I’m inclined to get aggressive. There were boring veterans like Michael Thomas and Courtland Sutton on the board, but I can’t help myself from being aggressive, especially since I played it safer than usual in rounds three and four. I’m still very high on a young receiver in Kansas City, so I’ll bring him into the fold. If he hits, this team is loaded:
I’m definitely the biggest Skyy Moore apologist out there, but I’m also not afraid to be wrong, especially because I still believe I’m right about Moore.
Rest of the Draft
Now I’m just adding quality depth wherever I can, and I’m trying to resist the urge to take all young breakout types, but it’s hard. As you can see with my final four picks, I’m focusing on depth, especially at RB/WR/TE, but it’s hard not to go young because I like the sexiness of the unknown. I needed a strong TE2 with upside, and I got that. I also got a breakout WR pick, and a solid RB depth option:
Team Wrapup
Projected starting lineup:
QB: Trevor Lawrence
RB1: Josh Jacobs
RB2: Rachaad White
WR1: Ja’Marr Chase
WR2: DK Metcalf
WR3: Brandon Aiyuk
TE: TJ Hockenson
Flex1: Brian Robinson
Flex2: Jerrick McKinnon/Skyy Moore/Rashid Shaheed
Conclusions: The ADP data will get tighter and tighter as Week 1 draws near, but drafting at the very top of Round 1 is easier than usual this year. That’s partly due to the RBs being devalued, so we have a guy like Josh Jacobs, a young, versatile, and durable player who crushed it last year, routinely available in the third round. You can expect Rachaad White to be critical to my plan this year because getting a player with his profile 80+ picks into a draft is fairly absurd. And I will probably get a RB with one of the two picks on the turn in rounds 2-3, but it’s not a requirement because quality backs are available in Rounds 4-7 this year.
This team checks all the boxes for me for 2023, which include:
- A very strong trio at WR for my starting lineup
- Good value at QB with a likely top-5 guy in the sixth round
- At least one legit stud RB
- Rachaad White
- No worse than a tier 3 TE (top-5-6)
