The 2022 fantasy football season is officially in the rearview mirror, and what a wild ride it’s been. We saw the utter collapse of the quarterback position, as the likes of Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers, Russell Wilson and Matthew Stafford (to name a few) saw their numbers decline. Overall, just four signal-callers averaged more than 20 points this season. That’s down from the nine who hit that mark last year.
Tight end was also a disaster, as just one player (Travis Kelce, of course) put up an average of more than 15 points per game. What’s more, Kelce was the lone player at the position to post more than 210 points. After this season, tight end is certain to be even more devalued in 2023 drafts and beyond (unless his name is Kelce).
Running backs saw some major movers, and it wasn’t always a good thing. The top overall pick in most leagues, Jonathan Taylor, missed five games and finished 18th on a points-per-game basis among backs who played in at least 10 games. Overall, Taylor wasn’t even a top 25 runner. Many other big-name runners, such as James Conner, Alvin Kamara and Cordarrelle Patterson (to name a few) saw their totals fall compared to last season. On a positive note, we also saw the emergence of a few young backs, including Rhamondre Stevenson, Breece Hall and Ken Walker.
Wide receivers continued to thrive, led by Justin Jefferson, Tyreek Hill and Davante Adams, each of whom scored over 300 fantasy points in PPR leagues. Cooper Kupp would have hit that mark but he missed eight games due to injuries. A number of young players such as Jaylen Waddle, DeVonta Smith and Garrett Wilson have also added depth to what will be a talented position next season.
With the running back position seeing more question marks at the top, fantasy fans should expect to see more wide receivers drafted in the first five rounds. That sounds strange coming from a running backs truther like me, but it’s very true.
With that said, let’s take a way-too-early look at the top 50 fantasy players for next season. This list is based on full-point PPR scoring. You’ll notice a change in how I value the running backs and wide receivers. And if you’re wondering where all the tight ends have gone, well, I’ll be waiting a lot longer to fill that position in 2023.
Kirby Lee/USA Today Sports
Top 50 Fantasy Players for 2023
1. Austin Ekeler, RB, Los Angeles Chargers
2. Justin Jefferson, WR, Minnesota Vikings
3. Christian McCaffrey, RB, San Francisco 49ers
4. Cooper Kupp, WR, Los Angeles Rams
5. Ja’Marr Chase, WR, Cincinnati Bengals
6. Tyreek Hill, WR, Miami Dolphins
7. Jonathan Taylor, RB, Indianapolis Colts
8. Saquon Barkley, RB, New York Giants
9. Josh Jacobs, RB, Las Vegas Raiders
10. Stefon Diggs, WR, Buffalo Bills
11. Derrick Henry, RB, Tennessee Titans
12. Davante Adams, WR, Las Vegas Raiders
13. A.J. Brown, WR, Philadelphia Eagles
14. CeeDee Lamb, WR, Dallas Cowboys
15. Travis Kelce, TE, Kansas City Chiefs
16. Amon-Ra St. Brown, WR, Detroit Lions
17. Breece Hall, RB, New York Jets
18. Joe Mixon, RB, Cincinnati Bengals
19. Nick Chubb, RB, Cleveland Browns
20. Patrick Mahomes, QB, Kansas City Chiefs
21. Tony Pollard, RB, Dallas Cowboys
22. Josh Allen, QB, Buffalo Bills
23. DeAndre Hopkins, WR, Arizona Cardinals
24. Jaylen Waddle, WR, Miami Dolphins
25. Jalen Hurts, QB, Philadelphia Eagles
26. Rhamondre Stevenson, RB, New England Patriots
27. Ken Walker, RB, Seattle Seahawks
28. Travis Etienne, RB, Jacksonville Jaguars
29. Aaron Jones, RB, Green Bay Packers
30. Javonte Williams, RB, Denver Broncos
31. Tee Higgins, WR, Cincinnati Bengals
32. DeVonta Smith, WR, Philadelphia Eagles
33. Dalvin Cook, RB, Minnesota Vikings
34. Chris Godwin, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
35. Keenan Allen, WR, Los Angeles Chargers
36. Mark Andrews, TE, Baltimore Ravens
37. DK Metcalf, WR, Seattle Seahawks
38. Deebo Samuel, WR, San Francisco 49ers
39. Najee Harris, RB, Pittsburgh Steelers
40. Joe Burrow, QB, Cincinnati Bengals
41. Mike Evans, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
42. Lamar Jackson, QB, Baltimore Ravens
43. Amari Cooper, WR, Cleveland Browns
44. Justin Fields, QB, Chicago Bears
45. Tyler Lockett, WR, Seattle Seahawks
46. Mike Williams, WR, Los Angeles Chargers
47. Garrett Wilson, WR, New York Jets
48. Dameon Pierce, RB, Houston Texans
49. Christian Kirk, WR, Jacksonville Jaguars
50. James Conner, RB, Arizona Cardinals
Michael Fabiano is an award-winning fantasy football analyst on Sports Illustrated and a member of the Fantasy Sports Writers Association (FSWA) Hall of Fame. Click here to read all his articles here on SI Fantasy. You can follow Michael on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram for your late-breaking fantasy news and the best analysis in the business to help you win a fantasy championship!
