There will be plenty of rookies from the first three rounds of the 2023 NFL Draft who will be fantasy relevant this season. You can’t count out the day-three players, though (rounds 4-7), as they can have an impact on your fantasy rosters, too. Dameon Pierce (fourth round), Chigoziem Okonkwo (fourth round), Tyler Allgeier (fifth round) and Isiah Pacheco (seventh round) all found a way into your fantasy lineups in 2022. Rashid Shaheed even sparked interest after going undrafted last season. In 2021, we found Elijah Mitchell, Rhamondre Stevenson, Khalil Herbert and Amon-Ra St. Brown, who were all selected on the last day of the draft. These players are often hard to identify for most, but injuries and performance enable these players to rise to the top of depth charts. To get a feel for which late-round picks can emerge this season, I looked at their talent and potential opportunities based on who’s already on their respective rosters. I’m not saying any of these guys will be stars out of the gate, but you win fantasy leagues by starting the right players who aren’t superstars.
Roschon Johnson - RB, Bears
Some talent evaluators wouldn’t have been shocked if Johnson was a day-two pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. With Khalil Herbert and D’Onta Foreman already in the running back room, it makes for a messy situation fantasy-wise. Foreman is on a one-year deal and Herbert’s contract is set to expire after the 2024 season, so Johnson will have every chance to get in the mix and prove he’s the guy. In fact, from a redraft perspective, the best strategy when dealing with this type of backfield in fantasy is probably to go with the back who has the most upside (if you feel like that’s Johnson in this case). Keep in mind that Bears’ quarterback Justin Fields is coming off a season in which he ran for 1,143 yards and eight touchdowns. Nevertheless, Johnson should be in consideration for a spot on your fantasy roster this season.
Xavier Hutchinson - WR, Texans
I beg you not to sleep on Hutchinson. Nathaniel Dell may have been the receiver that the Texans selected in the third round, but Hutchinson (sixth round) may very well be the Houston rookie WR you want on your 2023 fantasy rosters. The role of the Texans’ top receiver is wide-open at this point. Nico Collins has yet to make a major impact coming into his third season and while Robert Woods is still solid, he’s an aging veteran. John Metchie figures to have a big role after he missed his rookie season, but Hutchinson will get every chance to compete on a young team looking for playmakers. C.J. Stroud has to find his guy. It should be noted that Dell will compete for the slot role having played there on 60.8% of his offensive snaps in 2022. Hutchinson, however, is a receiver who can get the job done in every facet. Despite working primarily as an outside (X) receiver, he played 25.7% of his offensive snaps in the slot and was consistently productive in his three seasons at Iowa State (254/2929/15). Look out for Hutch.
Deuce Vaughn - RB, Cowboys
Don’t let the feel-good story of Vaughn and his father (who is a scout for the Cowboys) distract you from the fact that he is a certified baller. Pound for pound there may not be a more talented running back in the 2023 draft class (including Bijan Robinson), but because of his “pounds” (or lack thereof), Vaughn wasn’t selected until the sixth round. In fact, he graded out at 85 in Emory Hunt’s Football Gameplan Draft Guide and is his number three-ranked running back. At 5-foot-5 and 179 pounds, Vaughn was a terror to Big 12 defenses to the tune of 4,884 yards and 43 touchdowns from scrimmage in his three seasons at Kansas State. Hall of Fame running back LaDainian Tomlinson called Vaughn a “matchup nightmare” due to his ability to produce from anywhere in the formation. It’s no secret that Tony Pollard will lead the Cowboys’ backfield in a major way, but Vaughn has a clear path to the backup role. Furthermore, if the Cowboys decide to close the door on Ezekiel Elliott, you will have Vaughn in your fantasy lineups at some point during the 2023 season. I refuse to believe that Malik Davis, Ronald Jones or Rico Dowdle will keep that from happening.
Puka Nacua - WR, Rams
Nacua is in an interesting situation because he’s in a wide receiver room devoid of great NFL talent outside of Cooper Kupp. After being selected in the fifth round, he’ll likely start out behind Ben Skowronek (a former seventh-round pick) who has yet to score a receiving touchdown in his first two seasons (on 50 receptions for 509 yards). That spot will certainly be up for grabs as Kupp mans the slot with Van Jefferson occupying the X role. If Nacua has a good offseason and camp, he could fill the much-needed WR2 role for Sean McVay‘s offense. Nacua wasn’t overly productive as a receiver in his four college seasons (107/1749/14), but he also possesses skills as a runner having been used on jet sweeps, reverses and even out of the backfield (25/209/5 in 2022). He’ll be a good asset to the Rams and possibly your fantasy teams.
Israel Abanikanda - RB, Jets
Abanikanda will have a tough hill to climb as he currently sits behind the proven group of Breece Hall, Zonovan Knight and Michael Carter, but the Jets didn’t draft him for no reason. Hall’s timetable to return from his ACL is still in question so all of the backs will battle it out. While not the shiftiest of runners, the Jets saw in Abanikanda what I saw on film - a quick burst runner who gets his foot in the ground and can go. Even when Hall is healthy and leading the Jets’ backfield, the team has been known to use multiple backs in coach Robert Saleh‘s tenure. The Jets’ RB2 role could come down to a matter of who is healthy/available and who is not.
Antoine Green - WR, Lions
It’s not often a seventh-round rookie receiver is important enough to be talked about as a potential fantasy contributor. With Jameson Williams suspended for the first six games and no solidified target hog behind Amon-Ra St. Brown, Green is a name to watch. He graded out at 79.5 in Emory Hunt’s Football Gameplan Draft Guide and is his No. 4 ranked receiver (at the X position). It’ll be tough for him to unseat veterans like Josh Reynolds and especially Marvin Jones, but when a younger player performs equally to the vet in camp, the rookie gets the nod. For a Lions’ team that was 10th in passing attempts last season, being the receiver behind St. Brown will be a golden opportunity. If you feel like I’m just blabbing, consider this - remember when you had to pick up Reynolds and Kalif Raymond off waivers last season? Exactly.
