Fantasy football draft: Overlooked players to give your team an edge

We are weeks away from the NFL’s 2023 season and that means fantasy football drafts are only days away.

Everyone is looking for an edge and yours is here — welcome to a new weekly fantasy football feature that will give you smart, playable information to narrow the margin of error for your team and bring you closer to drinking from the chalice of champions by season’s end.

This column will deliver a list of players who are not only ripe for exploding stats but ones your competitors will likely overlook. Last year we were bullish on Daniel Jones (ninth in QB scoring) and encouraged you to keep the faith with oft-injured Christian McCaffrey (second in RB scoring) as breakout players.

Let’s look at the solid and below-the-radar choices for 2023.

▪ Jordan Love, Packers quarterback. Now that his love-hate relationship with Aaron Rodgers is over, all you need is Love. Rodgers took Allen Lazard and Randall Cobb with him to the Jets, but he left better receivers behind in Green Bay. The triumvirate of Christian Watson, Romeo Doubs (Love’s favorite target in camp thus far), and rookie Jayden Reed should ease Love’s learning curve to put up some solid stats in the weak NFC North. And don’t forget his pedigree. Love was the 10th pick in the 2020 draft after throwing for 6,969 yards and 59 TDs in his last two seasons at Utah. He had three years of apprenticeship under Aaron. Let’s hope Love was paying attention.

▪ Mac Jones, Patriots quarterback. In fairness to Jones’ horrific 2022 season, his offensive coordinator was former defensive coordinator Matt Patricia. That’s like asking Willie Nelson to sing an opera. Jones’ last game of the season was apparently the last straw, and lip-readers could discern his profanity-laced diatribe at play-caller Patricia on the sidelines in Buffalo. Jones regressed in every statistical column his sophomore season, throwing for 800 less yards and seven fewer TDs. There’s nowhere to go but up. The much-improved AFC East is a high-scoring division that requires a lot of passing. Jones will have to throw. The Pats upgraded their receiving corps with the additions of TE Mike Gesicki and WR JuJu Smith-Shuster. Underrated WR DeVante Parker finished the season strong and should help Jones return to his Pro Bowl 2021 form.

▪ Malik Davis, Cowboys running back. Between running backs Ezekiel Elliott, Tony Pollard and Malik Davis, Dallas wasn’t big enough for the three of them. The Cowboys did not re-sign Elliott. He’s home on the range because there’s a younger, faster sheriff in town. Davis averaged a healthy 4.2 yards per carry in limited action last year, good enough to make him the RB2 behind Pollard. His gliding, low-to-the-ground running style has similarities to Herschel Walker, who also wore No. 34 for Dallas. Watch Malik’s 23-yard TD run against the Colts from last year and you’ll see why he’s one to watch.

▪ Javonte Williams, Broncos running back. Having avoided the PUP (physically unable to play) list and apparently running at 23 mph in camp signaling that he is fully recovered from the torn ACL, LCL and PLC that ended his season. Miraculously there was no nerve damage to the knee, so it healed all the quicker. Gone is Javonte’s “person of mass obstruction,” Melvin Gordon, who stunted Williams’ growth for two years. Cincinnati transfer Samaje Perine will be a complementary runner, but Williams will be the workhorse. Sean Payton produced a top 10 Fantasy RB in his last six years with the Saints. Can Javonte play the Alvin Kamara role? He’s the best bet in Denver. I’m bustin’ out this Bronco by Round 4.

▪ Rashod Bateman, Ravens wide receiver. The first three games of 2022 started off spectacularly for Bateman, averaging a ridiculous 29 yards per reception for 226 yards and 2 TDs. His 15.3 points per game average put him in the same echelon as Jaylen Waddle and Keenan Allen. Bateman’s dream season ended after six games with a Lisfranc injury. But Bateman is in training camp and projected to start opposite Odell Beckham Jr. in an improved Ravens passing attack. It would not be a surprise to see the explosive Bateman lead Baltimore in receiving despite the presence of the aging Odell, who’s been out of football since the 2022 Super Bowl. Bateman is currently rehabbing on the PUP list, so track his progress before your draft.

▪ Rondale Moore, Cardinals wide receiver. I really don’t want any Cardinals this year, but Moore intrigues me. He’s a yardage compiler. In his limited 2022 action, Moore compiled 414 yards on 41 catches over seven games. Extrapolate those numbers over a full 17-game season and it’s 100 catches for 1,005 yards. In comparison, last year’s No. 13 WR Tyler Lockett had 84 catches for 1,03yards. I don’t care that QB Kyler Murray will miss the first half of the season. Backup Colt McCoy has a better completion percentage (68% vs. 66%) and throws from the pocket, unlike the scrambling Murray. Less is Moore if you steal him in the 14th round

▪ Gerald Everett, Chargers TE. If you saw Everett’s playoff performance last year at Jacksonville, you would have sworn you were watching Travis Kelce in a Chargers uniform. Everett was unstoppable with six receptions for 109 yards and a touchdown in Los Angeles’ crushing 31-30 loss. If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, I think the Chargers will flatter the Chiefs by emulating the best tight end in the NFL. I consider Everett to be Kelce-West for 2023. He’s my number one breakout player this year.

Falcons quarterback to keep an eye on

The Falcon’s fortunes are in the capable hands of quarterback Desmond Ridder. As a rookie he started the last four games of the season and acquitted himself well with a 2-2 record. More importantly, he did not throw an interception. Coach Arthur Smith doesn’t ask his QBs to throw a lot, (the Falcons passed the second fewest times in the NFL last year), but with incredibly talented targets like tight end Kyle Pitts and receiver Drake London, it begs the question, why not?

Panthers new running back is turning heads

Running back Raheem Blackshear was a standout for Buffalo in the 2022 preseason, and the Bills hoped nobody noticed. Unfortunately for them, the Panthers were watching. They stole him from the Buffalo practice squad, and now coach Frank Reich has a fast, elusive receiving back that reminds him of Nyheim Hines. Blackshear caught 123 passes in his college career (Rutgers and Virginia Tech), which could translate to third-down back opportunities for the Panthers. Hines averaged 47 catches per season when Reich was coaching the Colts. If given the opportunity, I can see Blackshear matching that total.

Next Week: Sleepers and Busts

Bill Reinhard is a member of the Fantasy Sports Writers Association and contributes this column weekly.