Fantasy
8/23/23
9 min read
2023 Yahoo Fantasy Football Strategy, Tips, Targets, Fades
This article contains everything you need to dominate your 2023 fantasy drafts on Yahoo. Josh Larky and Ryan Reynolds walk through a few targets and fades for each round, along with a few strategy notes. Players' average draft position (ADP) is in parenthesis.
Targets are players we are actively drafting on this platform. Values are players who go rounds later on Yahoo compared to other fantasy draft platforms.
Yahoo is a half-PPR (half a point per reception) platform and our FREE color-coded, downloadable PDF Top-160 Cheat Sheet is designed for half and full PPR formats. If you want a more in-depth strategy guide that walks you through roster construction tips, we’d recommend the Fantasy Football Game Plan.
Yahoo Targets by Round
Round 1 (Picks 1-12)
Value Picks: WR Ja’Marr Chase (3)
Ja'Marr Chase is our No. 1 ranked player overall, so getting him with a top-three pick is enticing. When looking at the overall running back landscape on Yahoo, they go extremely early collectively. We usually like our teams better overall when we take a running back like Bijan Robinson or Christian McCaffrey in Round 1.
Round 2 (Picks 13-24)
Targets: WR Amon Ra St. Brown (18), WR Garrett Wilson (19), WR Jaylen Waddle (21)
We love this round because we can get one of three high-end wide receivers at a value. In the case of Amon-Ra St. Brown, we’d be willing to take him with the 10th overall pick.
If you haven’t already, make sure you join our FREE Discord. Start-sit and trade advice in-season, along with player prop betting picks, can all be found within. We will be hosting some listener leagues soon, and joining Discord is the best way to draft with Josh Larky, Ryan Reynolds or Jordan Vanek.
Round 3 (Picks 25-36)
Values: WR Tee Higgins (31), TE Mark Andrews (36)
If you like to go early-round tight end or are open to it, Mark Andrews is screaming with value here.
Round 4 (Picks 37-48)
Values: WR Calvin Ridley (38), QB Lamar Jackson (44)
We’re interested in Calvin Ridley’s upside, but we can get a number of quality wide receivers in later rounds. Running backs, on the other hand, are starting to dry up in this range. From a roster construction standpoint, you might want to target a running back in the fourth round.
Round 5 (Picks 49-60)
Targets: WR Keenan Allen (51), WR Jerry Jeudy (59)
Values: WR DeAndre Hopkins (55)
Keenan Allen and Jerry Jeudy are two players we are actively targeting and ones we can get at a tremendous value on Yahoo. As things stand now, we are building our Yahoo draft plans around getting one of these two wide receivers in the fifth round.
Round 6 (Picks 61-72)
Targets: WR Marquise Brown (72)
Values: WR Christian Watson (63)
Marquise Brown was a high-end fantasy WR1 through the first six weeks last year with Kyler Murray, and before DeAndre Hopkins returned from suspension. By midseason, Brown will again have Murray at quarterback, and Hopkins is now on the Tennessee Titans. Think of Brown as a hammer for the second half of the season and into the fantasy playoffs.
Christian Watson is usually gone by the end of Round 4 on other platforms and is another great selection.
Round 7 (Picks 73-84)
Targets: QB Justin Herbert (75), RB Alvin Kamara (77), TE Darren Waller (78)
Values: WR Mike Williams (74)
If you don’t have a quarterback yet, Justin Herbert is an excellent way to get a player with a high floor and a top-five ceiling. The Los Angeles Chargers should lead the NFL in pass attempts. Mike Williams is the skill player option if you want access to their offense in Round 7.
Alvin Kamara makes an excellent RB2 or RB3 for any team, and Darren Waller should be a difference-making tight end who can keep pace with T.J. Hockenson or George Kittle.
Round 8 (Picks 85-96)
Targets: QB Deshaun Watson (94)
If you don’t have a quarterback to this point in the draft, we are interested in Deshaun Watson’s upside. If you were able to get Herbert or another premium quarterback option before this point, we’re looking to fill a roster need at running back or tight end in this spot.
Round 9 (Picks 97-108)
Targets: WR Michael Thomas (108)
Start Michael Thomas in Week 1 against a Titans defense that allowed the most passing yards per game last season. He’s a major health risk but should be fantasy viable any time he sees the field, and last year’s 14.4 fantasy points per game in limited action are enticing. With Kamara out the first three weeks, expect the New Orleans Saints to lean on Thomas and their pass game early on.
If you don’t need a receiver here or are afraid of his injury history, a younger player like Elijah Moore is a good alternative.
To get our in-depth thoughts on our top 160 players, this article is the place to go. Search a player’s name within it to read multiple paragraphs on that player’s 2023 fantasy outlook.
Round 10 (Picks 109-120)
Targets: WR Skyy Moore (117), WR Quentin Johnston (120)
We’re willing to take these talented wide receivers tied to elite offenses several rounds earlier in drafts, so Round 10 feels like a steal.
Round 11 (Picks 121-132)
Targets: TE Tyler Higbee (122), TE Dalton Kincaid (123), WR Zay Flowers (127)
Zay Flowers is a tremendous value on Yahoo, so he’s our primary target in this round. However, Tyler Higbee and Dalton Kincaid warrant consideration for teams that need a tight end. Higbee is the stable option, while Kincaid is more of a bet on upside.
Round 12 (Picks 133-144)
Targets: RB Raheem Mostert (138), RB Jaylen Warren (143)
This is a great round to draft a guy like Raheem Mostert, who may again be the Miami Dolphins’ starting runner. If you’re already set with your running back starters, Jaylen Warren is one injury away from posting similar fantasy production to Najee Harris.
We wrote up 11 of our favorite sleepers here to help you ace the later rounds of fantasy drafts.
Round 13 (Picks 145-156)
IR Consideration: WR Jameson Williams (148)
You can go in a few different directions in the 13th round. If the San Francisco 49ers defense is still available, and it might be, we target them here in our own drafts. If you have an injured reserve (IR) spot, Jameson Williams is a former first-round pick who will miss the first six games. He’s worth consideration if you can stash him on IR.
Round 14 (Picks 157-168)
Values: WR Zay Jones (164)
Zay Jones had more receptions per game than Christian Kirk last season and may start ahead of him in two-receiver sets in 2023. At worst, Jones is a Calvin Ridley or Kirk injury away from replicating last year’s production.
Round 15 (Picks 169-180)
Values: WR Jonathan Mingo (188), RB Tyjae Spears (189)
IR Consideration: QB Kyler Murray
Talented rookies like WR Jonathan Mingo and RB Tyjae Spears are great options at the end of your draft. You’re not taking a player here to start Week 1, and both these players have a path to force their way into your starting fantasy lineups by October.
If you have an IR spot and don’t have an elite quarterback, Murray is a solid stash.
For more comprehensive defense analysis, make sure you read through Ryan Reynolds’ top-15 fantasy defenses, along with which weeks he’s excited to play each one based on matchups.
Yahoo Fades
RB Jonathan Taylor (18)
We have Jonathan Taylor ranked 22nd in a round we want to target value receivers.
RB Josh Jacobs (20)
After Josh Jacobs led the league in opportunities last season, we are fading him unless he slides.
RB Najee Harris (22)
This is an egregious misprice we wouldn’t even consider.
RB Aaron Jones (26)
This is also an egregious misprice we wouldn’t consider.
RB J.K. Dobbins (39)
J.K. Dobbins often goes Round 5 or Round 6 on other platforms and has never been a workhorse back.
RB Dameon Pierce (42)
We like Dameon Pierce as a player but would prefer to get him closer to Pick 60 in a half-PPR format that rewards touchdowns.
RB Miles Sanders (46)
Miles Sanders has been a two-down running back the past three years and now goes from the Philadelphia Eagles elite offense to a subpar Carolina Panthers environment. His RB16 per game finish last year is almost certain to drop down significantly.
RB Alexander Mattison (48)
Alexander Mattison is a career backup who has been lucky in limited opportunities. He’s had a snap share above 50 percent in five career games: three were against the Detroit Lions and one was against the Seattle Seahawks. In those years, Detroit and Seattle were in the top three in most fantasy points allowed to runners. Mattison, at best, will face Detroit fewer times in 17 games this season than during his five spot starts.
RB James Conner (56)
The Arizona Cardinals may be the NFL’s lowest-scoring team until Murray returns. James Conner is second in the NFL in total touchdowns over the past two seasons, and he won’t have those scores as a fantasy points crutch in 2023. He should go in Round 6 or 7.
RB James Cook (65)
James Cook is an undersized back who catches passes. That’s not a great skill set for half-PPR, and Josh Allen has never supported running back fantasy production for extended periods.
RB Dalvin Cook (79)
We’d like Dalvin Cook a round later because he should be taking a backseat to Breece Hall by October. We’re thinking of Hall as Aaron Jones and Cook as AJ Dillon for the New York Jets backfield behind Aaron Rodgers. Long-term, we’re worried Cook will become more of a handcuff for the fantasy playoffs.
Yahoo Sample Draft
Round 1: RB Bijan Robinson (ATL)
Round 2: WR Amon-Ra St. Brown (DET)
Round 3: TE Mark Andrews (BAL)
Round 4: RB Breece Hall (NYJ) or RB Jahmyr Gibbs (DET)
Round 5: WR Keenan Allen (LAC)
Round 6: WR Marquise Brown (ARI)
Round 7: QB Justin Herbert (LAC)
Round 8: RB D’Andre Swift (PHI)
Round 9: WR Michael Thomas (NO) or RB Zach Charbonnet (SEA)
Round 10: WR Quentin Johnston (LAC)
Round 11: WR Zay Flowers (BAL)
Round 12: RB Jaylen Warren (PIT)
Round 13: San Francisco 49ers Defense
Round 14: RB Tyjae Spears (TEN)
Round 15: K Riley Patterson (DET)
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