By Brandon Funston, Nando Di Fino and more
Sep 5, 2023
The Athletic has your Fantasy football rankings week 3: Sleepers, projections, starts, sits
Hello friends, and welcome to the 2023 fantasy football season!
In this draft kit, you’ll find everything you need to prep for Draft Day (or… “auction afternoon”?): rankings, projections, auction values, mock drafts, dynasty advice, player profiles from The Athletic’s NFL writers, and the jewel of our yearly preseason coverage — The Cheat Sheet, a fully customizable tool that allows you to input your league rules and settings and get a personalized set of rankings and point projections, all from the mind of the award-winning Jake Ciely, one of the most accurate prognosticators in all of fantasy sports.
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One important thing to remember — this draft kit is a living and breathing monster, and columns will be added regularly as we get closer to the start of the season. If you check it on a Tuesday, come back Friday to see what’s new; last year we had over 120 columns to help with your prep.
So dig in and enjoy! And be sure to drop any questions or concerns below in the comment section.
Thank you for reading! Let’s now hold hands and begin our journey to a title…
(And one quick note: Our NFL Proper colleague Mike Sando has done more for fantasy than anyone may realize — tutoring Laghezza on TruMedia, for instance, so he can spit out all these stats. His book, “The Football 100” would make a wonderful early-purchase holiday gift!)
Rankings, Projections, Cheat Sheets
Jake Ciely’s Cheat Sheet: Create your own customized ranks and projections
Jake Ciely’s 2023 fantasy football rankings
Fantasy football rankings winners/losers: Jake’s 20 biggest preseason movers
Jake Ciely’s dynasty rankings
The Footbal Scientist’s QB draft guide: Detailed breakdown of the Top 25
Fantasy football QB tiers: Elite 8, the also rans and the streamers
Fantasy football RB tiers: From Christian McCaffrey to a trio of Dallas backups
Fantasy football WR tiers: From Justin Jefferson to Khalil Shakir
Ranking the fantasy kickers: It’s good to be lucky
Top 100 IDP rankings for 2023: From Roquan Smith to Jordan Hicks
Big Board: Top 100 fantasy picks for 2023, from Justin Jefferson to Anthony Richardson
Fantasy football 2023 rankings fight: 6 experts reveal the process behind their picks
Sleepers, Breakouts, Stock Up, Stock Down
‘Our Guys’ for fantasy football 2023: Staff’s favorite picks inside the Top 100
17 endgame fantasy football draft picks who could be league winners
Draft breakdown: How 12 rosters were constructed in a high stakes league
Fantasy football 2023 All-Fade team: Jahmyr Gibbs, Gabe Davis and more
All-Value All Stars: Daniel Jones, Brandon Aiyuk and more
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Jake Ciely’s projections vs. ADP: The 19 biggest differences
ADP stock watch: Raheem Mostert, Gabe Davis and more late-preseason movers
Regression candidates: Four outliers from 2022 who are likely to fall back to earth
Football Scientist’s ‘Do Not Draft’ list: Christian Watson, Dameon Pierce, more
Volatile ADPs by round: Bijan Robinson, Derrick Henry, more polarizing picks
Late-round PPR running back targets: Jerick McKinnon, Tank Bigsby, more
Fantasy football fliers: Four deep sleepers to consider late in your drafts
Fantasy football IDP sleepers: Josh Sweat, Denzel Perryman and more
Fantasy football 2023 breakouts for all 32 NFL teams
Bounce-back candidates: Diontae Johnson, Jonathan Taylor and more
Life after pick 120: Best fantasy lineup of players outside the top 10 rounds
ADP trends: James Cook, Jahmyr Gibbs flying up fantasy draft boards
Best value pick in each draft round: Tee Higgins, Terry McLaurin and more
Undervalued/overvalued ADPs: A.J. Brown, Christian Watson and more
Depth charts in doubt: 9 players who could emerge from down in the ranks
2nd-year WR primer: Finding the breakout before the breakout happens
Mid-round draft targets: Drake London, AJ Dillon and more
3 up, 3 down: James Cook, Jahan Dotson, more expected ADP movers
ADP fails: Cooper Kupp is too high, Amari Cooper is too low, and more
Stock watch (Aug. 6): Buying low on Jonathan Taylor and more
The Athletic staff sleepers: Deuce Vaughn, Elijah Moore and more
The Athletic staff sleepers: Jahan Dotson, Samaje Perine and more
Top surprise breakout candidates: Next Geno Smith, Brandon Aiyuk
Sleeper of the Week (Aug. 28): Zay Flowers, WR, BAL
Sleeper of the Week (Aug. 21): Brandin Cooks, WR, DAL
Sleeper of the Week (Aug. 12): Malik Davis, RB, DAL
Sleeper of the Week (July 31): DeVante Parker, WR, NE
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ADP report: Brock Purdy, Skyy Moore and more early movers
ADP comparison: Underdog best ball vs. NFFC redraft
Projecting helium: Early fantasy draft values who are set to rise
Jake Ciely’s TE breakouts: Chigo Okonkwu, Greg Dulcich and more
Jake Ciely’s WR breakouts: Jahan Doston, Treylon Burks and more
Jake Ciely’s RB breakouts: Rachaad White, Khalil Herbert and more
Jake Ciely’s QB breakouts: Jordan Love, Sam Howell and more
Fantasy football QB sleepers: Aaron Rodgers, Sam Darnold and more
Stepping it up: Three players who will take it to the next level in 2023
Discount DSTs: Early streamers, upside targets and more budget defense
Dynasty, Keepers, Rookies
Jake Ciely’s dynasty rankings
Dynasty league start-up mock draft: 12-team, 1QB, half-PPR format
Dynasty league three-round rookie-only mock draft
Training camp dynasty story lines: Deep-dive rookies, dissed veterans, more
Dynasty league trade targets
Deep dive into Round 1 rookie WRs (and why you should draft more of them)
Dynasty league mailbag (Aug. 13)
Dynasty league mailbag (Aug. 2)
Dynasty league mailbag (July 26)
Dynasty league mailbag (July 6)
Dynasty league mailbag (June 26)
Dynasty league mailbag (May 3)
Dynasty league strategy: Why it’s time to take a RB-light draft approach
Don’t do it! The 7 mistakes dynasty league managers should strive to avoid
2023 NFL Draft: Jake Ciely’s analysis of every skill position pick
Reviewing the past 15 years of dynasty league rookie drafts, Part I
Reviewing the past 15 years of dynasty league rookie drafts, Part II
How to set up a dynasty league: Rules, format, roster size and more
Dane Brugler: College players to watch for your 2024 dynasty drafts
Player Profiles, Observations, Injuries
Burning fantasy football questions: 1 key item to know for all 32 teams
Scouting notebook: Notable preseason Week 3 performances
Scouting notebook: Notable preseason Week 2 performances
Scouting notebook: Notable preseason Week 1 performances
Beat writer inside info: Need-to-know fantasy tidbit for each NFL team
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Beat writer inside info: Cam Akers, Laviska Shenault and more
Broncos beat: Javonte Williams is “rolling” in his recovery
NFL injury mailbag (Aug. 23)
NFL injury mailbag (Aug. 21)
NFL injury mailbag (Aug. 17)
NFL injury mailbag (Aug. 9)
NFL Injury mailbag (Aug. 1)
NFL injury mailbag (June 20)
Returning from injury: 2023 outlooks for Cooper Kupp, Breece Hall, more
How the Eagles’ backfield distribution could shake out in 2023
Can Trevor Lawrence, A.J. Brown and more 2022 stars repeat?
Can Falcons rookie Bijan Robinson live up to the hype?
Justin Fields likely to run less, pass more in 2023
Our model has Garrett Wilson as a Top 5 WR with Aaron Rodgers
Chris Olave will go as far as Derek Carr can take him
Is Miles Sanders back to being a three-down RB in Carolina?
Roundtables, Mailbags, Mocks and More
NFL Survivor pools: Understanding Survivor rules, strategy, how to win
32 fantasy football roster moves to make before Week 1 arrives
John Laghezza’s perfect 8-round “auto” draft starts in Atlanta
Hacking the draft room: Finding value with Sleeper ADP
Hacking the draft room: Finding value with Yahoo ADP
Advanced run blocking metrics: Rating NFL O-lines and running backs
6 bold predictions from Jake Ciely: Dameon Pierce a Top 10 RB and more
Fantasy football roundtable: Vetting top 2 rounds, emerging WRs, more
Strategy roundtable: Auction bidding, when to take a QB and more
Drafting a top-tier QB with an early-round pick is not worth it
The No. 5 spot is where you want to draft in fantasy football 2023
Fantasy football roundtable: Early draft regrets, player predictions and more
QB roundtable: SuperFlex targets, Anthony Richardson love and more
WR roundtable: Veteran faces in new places, rookie ROI and more
Draft analysis: What we liked and didn’t like from the FLEX drafts
Mock draft using the most popular strategies: Hero RB, late-round QB, more
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Mock draft No. 5: 12-team, 1QB, half-PPR dynasty league start-up
Mock draft No. 4: 12-team, SuperFlex, PPR format on ESPN
Mock draft No. 3: 12-team, 1QB, PPR format on Sleeper
Mock draft No. 2: 12-team 1QB, half-PPR format on Sleeper
Mock draft No. 1: 12-team SuperFlex, half-PPR format on Yahoo
TD-only league strategy: Stacking, Vegas win total correlation and more
Positional priorities: Why you should draft 3 WRs in the first 4 rounds
Building the perfect fantasy football league: Ideal scoring, roster formats
How to ace your snake draft: Mining the RB middle class, QB double tap, more
How to ace your auction draft: Travis Kelce, jump bidding and more
The 25 stats you need to know before your fantasy football draft
Why the third-down RB specialist is a dying breed in today’s NFL
Need to know 2022 second-half player stats for all 32 NFL teams: NFC | AFC
2QB strategy guide for 2023: Draft advice, targets and more
Fantasy football roundtable: Sleeper QBs, what to do with Calvin Ridley, more
Fantasy football mailbag (Aug. 29)
Fantasy football mailbag (Aug. 15)
Fantasy football mailbag (Aug. 10)
Fantasy football mailbag (July 25)
Fantasy football mailbag (July 13)
Fantasy football mailbag (July 6)
Fantasy football mailbag (June 28)
Fantasy football mailbag (June 13)
Fantasy football mailbag (May 30)
One-man mock draft for the first round of 2023 fantasy football drafts
Fantasy football astrological outlooks for Aaron Rodgers, Tua Tagovailoa, DeAndre Hopkins
Fantasy football astrological outlooks for Calvin Ridley, Michael Thomas, Kyle Pitts
Where should I host my fantasy league: Pros and cons of Yahoo, CBS, ESPN and more
Best fantasy football team names 2023: “Sam Howell At The Moon,” “Purdy Smart” and more
Our blank printable roster page
(Getty Images: Michael Hickey; Michael Owens; Scott Taetsch; Leon Halip; Cooper Neill; Michael Reaves; Grant Halverson; Nick Cammett/Diamond Images)
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