Quarterback: Anthony Richardson (Colts) (ADP: Yahoo!: 121.6 ESPN: 135.0)
Despite him being named the Week 1 starter over Gardner Minshew, Richardson's fantasy draft stock has remained more or less stable due to the concerns over his passing ability and the general status of the Colts offense with all of the drama surrounding Johnathan Taylor and his availability at the moment. As valid as those concerns are, similar problems didn't derail Justin Fields from being a QB1 last year-who only ended up throwing for 2,224 YDS and 17 TD's as part of a bottom 3 passing offense in football. Richardson has a better collection of pass-catchers surrounding him in Indy (Michael Pittman Jr., Alec Pierce, Josh Downs, Isaiah McKenzie, Jelani Woods, Mo Allie-Cox) this year than Fields did in Chicago in 2022 and an offensive coach with a good track record in Shane Steichen, which gives him a great chance of producing better passing numbers. Add his potentially lethal rushing skills into the mix and you haver yourself a potential top 5-10 overall fantasy QB going at a high-end QB2 price in the 10th-11th round.
Honorable Mentions: Geno Smith (Seahawks), Jared Goff (Lions), Kenny Pickett (Steelers)
Deep Rookie Sleeper: C.J. Stroud (Texans)
Running Back: Rachaad White (Buccaneers) (ADP: Yahoo!: 82.7 ESPN: 61.3)
Running back is such a revolting mess in fantasy this year that I'm opting to wait until the middle rounds to take an RB2 in most situations that don't involve picking at the tail-end of the round or an unexpected tumble down the draft board for a guy like Bijan Robinson, Nick Chubb or Saquon Barkley. My favorite player going in this range right now is White. The 2nd-year pro out of Arizona State took the starting RB job from Leonard Forunette in the back-half of last season and showed show promise (129 CAR/481 YDS/1 TD, 50 REC/290 YDS/2 TD's) as a dual-threat back despite some positng blah yards-per-touch numbers (3.7 yards per carry, 5.8 yards per reception). With either Baker Mayfield or Kyle Trask set to be their starting quarterback and a not particularly daunting group of backs sitting behind him on the depth chart (Chase Edmonds, rookie Sean Tucker), his usage and pass-catching upside should be high in an offense that seems primed to feature a heavy dosage of runs, short passes and RPO's.
Honorable Mentions: Dalvin Cook (Jets), Khalil Herbert (Bears), Javonte Williams (Broncos)
Deep Rookie Sleeper: Tyjae Spears (Titans)
Wide Receiver: George Pickens (Steelers) (ADP: Yahoo!: 97.3 ESPN: 87.6)
Kenny Pickett has been turning heads with his performance throughout camp and in the 1st 2 preseason games. If Pickett's passing ends up considerably improving in year #2, Pickens stands to have the most to gain. The 22-year old mustered up a pretty respectable line (52 REC/801 YDS/4 TD's) in a rookie season where his splash playmaking ability was routinely held back by the erratic play of the Steelers quarterbacks and the connection he showed with Pickett down the stretch as he put together 6 50+ YD performances in the final 8 games of the season could end up being retroactively viewed as a QB1/WR1 tandem laying down the framework for a special on-field relationship.
Honorable Mentions: Skyy Moore (Chiefs), Jahan Dotson (Commanders), JuJu Smith-Schuster (Patriots)
Deep Rookie Sleeper: Cedric Tillman (Browns)
Tight End: Chigozem Okonkwo (Titans) (ADP: Yahoo!: 124.4 ESPN: 160.4)
Unless DeAndre Hopkins gets cloned, somebody else on the Titans is going to need to catch some passes this season. Especially now that Treylon Burks has managed to get himself hurt again, Okonkwo is the clear leader to fill this obligatory supporting role. He was an effective player once he entered the starting lineup late last November-notching 24 REC, 278 YDS and 2 TD's in the final 7 games and his YAC ability makes him standout in a passing attack that is mostly made up of jump-ball/possession wideouts.
Honorable Mentions: Dalton Schultz (Texans), Sam LaPorta (Lions), Tyler Higbee (Rams)
Deep Rookie Sleeper: Michael Mayer (Raiders)
Defense/Special Teams: Miami (ADP: Yahoo!: 115.8 ESPN: 124.7)
Losing Jalen Ramsey indefinitely is an unfortunate early bad break for this retooled Dolphins defense. However, I don't believe it's a death kneel by any means. Vic Fangio has rapidly and radically transformed every group he's coached in the past decade and there's still enough talent (Xavien Howard, Christian Wilkins, Jaelan Phillips, Bradley Chubb, Jevon Holland, David Long Jr., Jerome Baker, Kader Kohou) among the Dolphins ranks to be a high sack/high takeaway/low points allowed unit that flat-out terrorizes their opponents and delights their fans and fantasy owners.
Honorable Mentions: Green Bay, Washington, Carolina
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