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| Friday, April 14, 2023 |
| Happy Friday, hope you're well. It's Heath Cummings here with another Dynasty Download. As excited as I've been the last two weeks to share YouTube happenings, I'm starting with it today because it was such a big week. |
| On Tuesday we had Matt Waldman of Rookie Scouting Portfolio on Fantasy Football Today Dynasty. Waldman broke down his quarterback evaluation methodology as well as the 2023 quarterback and tight end classes. Waldman gave his take on Anthony Richardson versus Bryce Young versus C.J. Stroud and pronounced a clear No. 1. He also gave us a wild card for his QB4, and told us just how low he has Will Levis ranked. |
| The very next day we had CBS Sports' own Ryan Wilson of the With the First Pick Podcast join us on FFT to give us his thoughts on the quarterbacks and running backs in the 2023 NFL Draft class. He had a different QB1, and some very interesting thoughts on the running backs who will be taken after Bijan Robinson. |
| It was awesome to hear these draft experts break down the class. So much so, that after talking to Waldman and Wilson, I released my top 25 rookies. Let's start there: |
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| Top 25 rookies |
| My pre-draft top 25 tells you more about my first impression of the draft prospects than where they'll be ranked in a few weeks. Well, at least outside of No. 1. I've resolved not to change Robinson's ranking even if another RB goes first. I also wrote up my uncertainty about the quarterbacks in the write-up I linked. Here, I'll give you a few words on the other eight who landed in my first round: |
| 2. Jaxon Smith-Njigba, WR |
| Smith-Njigba is the clear WR1 in this class for both me and the consensus. Assuming the NFL agrees, and he's a top-15 pick in the NFL Draft, he'll also be the consensus No. 2 pick in any one-quarterback league. Dave Richard had Houston as his favorite landing spot for Smith-Njigba in his Draft Profile, and that would be all the more fun if he joins his former teammate C.J. Stroud there. |
| 3. Jahmyr Gibbs, RB |
| As of right now I view Gibbs as a pretty clear RB2 in this class and this is just about where my clarity ends. Gibbs caught 44 passes in his final season at Alabama and has drawn plenty of comparisons to Alvin Kamara. Dave prefers to comp him to Jamaal Charles in his Draft Profile. |
| 4. Jordan Addison, WR |
| Dan Schneier called Addison a top-five Dynasty asset in his Draft Profile and clearly I agree. Addison is a very good, maybe elite, route runner. We expect him to be a first-round pick in the NFL Draft. He could climb as high as No. 2 if he's the first WR off the board, as long his 173-pound frame doesn't scare you away. |
| 5. Zay Flowers, WR |
| At 5-foot-9, 182, Flowers is another undersized wide receiver in a class full of them. Dan wrote in his Draft Profile that Flowers would be WR1 in the class if he was 3 inches taller, and that may be true. Dan also comped Flowers to Tyler Lockett, which is just about the fastest way to my heart. |
| 6. Zach Charbonnet, RB |
| Charbonnet aced the athletic testing at the combine and has already proven he can work in the passing game, catching 37 passes in his final season at UCLA. He also averaged 7 yards per carry last year. Give him second round draft capital and he'll be locked into this spot. Put him on the Eagles as Dan suggested in his Draft Profile, and he'll go even higher. |
| 7. Quentin Johnson, WR |
| I've gotten in trouble chasing big/fast receivers the past couple of years, and Johnson is that if nothing else. The fact that Dan gave him a Kevin White body-type comp in his Draft Profile seems rude, but there have been a lot of receivers in this mold who have busted as of late. As with everyone in this range, draft capital is going to be key. If Johnson lands in Round 1 in a good situation, he'll crack the top five. He could also fall out of the first round if things go wrong on Draft Day. |
| 11. Marvin Mims, WR |
| I don't know how many WRs have put up 2,300 receiving yards and 20 TDs in three years with a receiving average over 19 yards per catch at a Power Five school, but I know Mims did. He led the Sooners in receiving as a true freshman and he has 4.3 speed. I think I'm a little higher than consensus having him in Round 1, but if the draft capital is right, the consensus will join me. |
| 12. Kendre Miller, RB |
| Miller rushed for 1,399 yards and 17 touchdowns in his final season at TCU. This was a year after he led the nation in yards per carry at 7.5 yards per rush. He's expected to be drafted on Day 2 and be a part of a committee in Year 1. There are a half-dozen running backs who could occupy this spot, and I expect the second round of rookie drafts to be littered with backs like Miller, but he's my favorite before we get landing spots. |
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| Coming soon |
| Next week on FFT Dynasty we'll have Emory Hunt on to break down this running back class. As always, that episode will air on the Fantasy Football Today YouTube page at 11 AM ET. We'll talk a little bit about Robinson and Gibbs, but mostly we want to know what Emory thinks of the giant mass of talented backs behind the top two. |
| We'll also unveil our NFL Draft position previews next week, which should be of interest to all Dynasty managers. Jamey Eisenberg will kick those off on Monday with running backs, I will cover wide receivers on Tuesday, Dave has QBs on Wednesday and Dan is lucky enough to write about the tight ends on Thursday. |
| Of course, there should also be some new names popping up for NFL Draft Profiles as well. |
| Remember, you can find all of these things, as well as all of our 2023 Dynasty content, on our Dynasty Landing Page, which will be updated later on Friday. |
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| In other news |
| Odell Beckham signed with the Baltimore Ravens. Beckham is a 30-year-old wide receiver who hasn't topped 1,000 yards since 2019, so we don't care too much about him in Dynasty. If anything, I'll be looking to move Beckham, I'd be pretty happy to get a 2024 second for him. What we hope this means is that Lamar Jackson is getting a new contract to stay in Baltimore. Beckham says he received no such assurances, but Jackson was involved in the recruitment. Jackson is currently my QB7 in Dynasty but a new contract would push him up at least one spot. |
| Saquon Barkley reportedly will not be signing the franchise tag and therefore will not be eligible to participate in the Giants' offseason program. The Giants also reportedly don't have much interest in signing Barkley to a long-term deal. It's very likely this doesn't matter come August, but it's something to keep in the back of your mind. If Barkley is holding out in August, the temperature will get turned up on contenders who are rostering him. Wan'Dale Robinson and Sterling Shepard are reportedly PUP candidates for the Giants. This isn't a big surprise. Thankfully, the Giants have seven of the same guy on their roster, so they can handle it. If anything, this should speak to increased target share for Darren Waller and Isaiah Hodgins early in the year. Breece Hall looks fantastic and is expected to be ready for Week 1. Again, we'll see. One thing I'm doing in redraft this year is downgrading guys who aren't cleared to play football and so if Hall is a full go at camp, he'll skyrocket in my redraft rankings. For Dynasty, Hall is RB2 right now and will be RB3 when Robinson is drafted. If Hall is truly ready to roll in August, he'll push Jonathan Taylor for RB2. Criminal charges have been refiled against Joe Mixon for a February incident. The Bengals have been non-committal about Mixon's status on the team for 2023. I've dropped him just outside my top 20 at running back but there is a chance the floor falls all the way out and Mixon doesn't give you another startable season. He'll be 27 in July, if the Bengals cut him and he has an active court case, he may not find another starting job. After all, Ezekiel Elliott, Leonard Fournette, and Kareem Hunt are all still out there. |
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