2023 Dynasty Fantasy Football – 1QB Startup Draft

The dynasty off-season is in full swing with the Senior Bowl and NFL Combine quickly approaching. Additionally, one of the most popular things to do during this time is dynasty startup mock drafts. Startup mocks are great because they allow you to prepare for a real future startup draft and help you gauge the value of certain players and picks. 

In this mock, we draft in a 1QB format which decreases the value of the quarterbacks significantly. We used a basic format with PPR scoring, starting just one quarterback, and 4 points for quarterback touchdowns. In a 1QB league, wide receivers and running backs are pushed up the board compared to a Superflex. This mock draft was done with several fantasy football experts in the Faceoff Sports Network and many experienced dynasty players. Below I show the draft board of this 1QB mock along with the best values and reaches of the draft. 

• 1.01 @DoubleHFantasy1
• 1.02 @SteveBradshawFF
• 1.03 @sbrownholtz1
• 1.04 @Mike_NFL2
• 1.05 @CrowfootSports
• 1.06 @dropthemikeFF
• 1.07 @RyanMiner_FFB
• 1.08 @Byronchenko
• 1.09 @DynastyDorks
• 1.10 @riesser14
• 1.11 @ZaragozaAnthony
• 1.12 @aaron_schill

Best Values

4.06 – Kyle Pitts

This past offseason season Kyle Pitts was drafted in the first to the mid-second round of dynasty startups. Despite having an atrocious year and tearing his MCL, Pitts should be going higher than this. Unfortunately, this past season Pitts was put in one of the worst possible situations as the Falcon’s passing attack was a mess. While Pitts wasn’t amazing, he was getting open and being targeted a decent amount. 

The issue was that Marcus Mariota was one of the most inaccurate quarterbacks in the league. Drake London also failed in this offense, as there wasn’t enough passing volume to produce any fantasy-relevant pass-catchers. To give you an idea of how bad this offense was, the Falcons averaged 158.8 passing yards per game, the second-worst in the league. 

While I’m not expecting the Falcons to become a top-10 offense next year, I do expect that they will progress to the median. The Falcons starting quarterback next year has to be better than Mariota, whether it’s a quarterback via the NFL draft, free agency, or even Desmond Ridder. 

Many people are quick to forget the generational talent Pitts is and the success he found in his rookie year. With Pitts, there’s no doubt that the talent is there; he’s a 6’6 and 247-pound tight end who runs a 4.4 40. The upside is off the chart for Pitts, who had a record-breaking rookie year. 

Pitts was the only tight end ever besides Mike Ditka to record a 1,000-yard season in his rookie season. In a 1QB league, I prefer Pitts over guys like D. J. Moore, Joe Mixon, Nick Chubb, and even Travis Kelce. At only 22, Pitts is still well below the average age for when tight ends breakout. In a dynasty league where you’re playing for the long term, I’m willing to bet on Pitts’s talent, and I love the value at the 4.06

5.02 – TJ Hockenson

I love the value of getting an elite young tight end in the later rounds, especially in a 1QB league. TJ Hockenson is an excellent talent who had a fantastic rookie profile. Hockenson was the 8th overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft and was a fantastic prospect coming into the NFL. 

Early in his career, Hockenson had a few decent years averaging 6.7,11 and 12.1 PPG. However, I expect Hockenson’s value to increase even more as he is about to hit the tight-end breakout age at 25 and had 12.7 PPG this past season. Heading into a new Vikings offense, Hockenson looked tremendous and was flooded with targets in the ten games he played with them. 

In Weeks 9-17, Hockenson averaged 9.4 targets per game and had a few big games scoring 16,15.3, and 35.9 points. I expect Hockenson to be much more consistent next year with this amount of targets in a great offense.

I love the youth and talent of Hockenson, which makes him a fantastic pick at the beginning of the 5th round. I would rather have Hockenson than the players mentioned above, as well as Christian Watson and Tony Pollard. Grabbing an elite tight end in this range is a major positional advantage for your team in the long term. Getting Hockenson at the 5.02 is phenomenal value, as I expect his value to increase even more this upcoming season.

6.10 – Zach Charbonnet

At the end of the 6th round, I’m taking my 10th overall rookie prospect for this 2023 draft class,  Zach Charbonnet. When trying to grab an RB2 or RB3 in the late 6th round, I would be ecstatic about grabbing a young rookie running back with the upside to be a three-down back. While this is subject to change after the NFL Combine and NFL Draft, I love Charbonnet’s profile. 

Charbonnet has a ton of elite running traits, such as his power, agility, and footwork. To go along with this, Charbonnet was a very solid pass catcher with the potential to be even better at the next level. What sells me on Charbonnet is his great projected draft capital in the second round.

At the end of the 6th round, it’s hard to find another running back with the youth and upside that Charbonnet provides. Compared to the players drafted ahead of him, I would rather have Charbonnet than guys like Derrick Henry, Dalvin Cook, Josh Downs, and Marquise Brown. For the most part, running backs are a risky long-term bet, but historically rookie running backs have been a safe bet to produce immediately. If you get a young running back, who can give you solid production in the late 6th round, that’s fantastic value. 

Looking for a dynasty league to join? Get $25 off your first FFPC entry with the promo code ‘FACEOFF’.

---

Biggest Reaches

4.01 – Joe Mixon

One of the biggest reaches in this draft was Joe Mixon at the 4.01. Even in a 1QB draft, I hate drafting older running backs, especially this early. Mixon is turning 27 this upcoming season, and even though he put up 17.1 PPG this past season, Mixon showed some signs of regression. 

Nevertheless, Mixon had a solid season, but some of his stats were boosted by a 55-point five-touchdown game. Even though Mixon has been an RB1 for the past few years, I expect his value to decline drastically after this next season, when he’ll be turning 28. Some players I would rather have than Mixon are Kyle Pitts, Trevor Lawrence, Jahmyr Gibbs, TJ Hockenson, and Jordan Addison. 

Instead, I would invest in these young players at other positions rather than running back. This is because running backs have the shortest career of any position, so investing in a back that is almost at that historical age cliff of 28 is a bad idea. There was one running back mentioned, but that’s a rookie in Jahmyr Gibbs, who will be productive for the next five-plus years. Overall I don’t like investing in running backs early, but if you’re going to do so, they can’t be 26 to 27 years old, which Mixon is.

After completing this draft, we also got the news that Mixon had a warrant out for his arrest. Obviously, you can’t plan for things like this, but it’s worth mentioning since we’re talking about Mixon right now. “Sources tell me a warrant has been issued in Cincinnati for RB Joe Mixon’s arrest on a count of Aggravated Menacing” reports @PFF_Mike.

4.05 – DJ Moore

In the middle of the 4th round, I don’t like this DJ Moore selection at all. Even though Moore is a 25-year-old wide receiver, this is too early to take him due to his horrible situation. Moore is a very good talent; however, he has never been a top-tier wide receiver, averaging 15.4 PPG in his best season. 

This past season Moore had an extremely underwhelming season averaging 11.7 PPG. To make matters worse the Panther’s offense and quarterback room is gross, and it’s hard to see it getting better in the future. It doesn’t look like the Panthers have the capital to draft a solid starting quarterback, and all the quarterbacks on their roster right now are terrible. On top of this, there are rumors that the Panthers could take a wide receiver early instead, which would give Moore some additional target competition.

I would much rather have the players mentioned above, Pitts, Trevor Lawrence, Jahmyr Gibbs, Hockenson, and Jordan Addison. I don’t expect the Panthers to be able to figure things out until Moore is on the decline, which is why I don’t like this selection. With that being said, Moore is a solid talent, but I would much rather have these other players mentioned above.

5.12 – Alvin Kamara

Alvin Kamara is a player I don’t mind on a contending roster; however, this is way too early to take him compared to the other talent still on the board. Kamara had a solid season averaging 14.1 PPG, but this was way below his expected projections. On the other hand, Kamara looked very good, but he was weighed down by bad quarterback play and a terrible offense. 

Unfortunately, similar to DJ Moore, I don’t see this issue being fixed any time soon. To make matters worse for Kamara, he’ll be turning 28 next season, the historical dropoff for running backs. By the time the Saints improve their situation, Kamara will be a running back with little to no value. 

Around the 5.12 range, I would much rather have guys like Treylon Burks, Josh Downs, Cam Akers, Zach Charbonnet, Sean Tucker, or Dallas Goedert. All these players are much younger players with high upside. 

Even if Kamara has a good season next year, his value will never increase significantly due to his age. More than likely, this Saints offense will be awful again, and Kamara’s value will drop. On the other hand, all of these other players are significantly younger with a ton of talent, and I foresee their value increasing in the future. Kamara is a fine piece to have if you’re winning now, but this feels a bit early. 

Full list of notable values and reaches:

Best Values

4.06 – Kyle Pitts

5.02 – TJ Hockenson

6.07 – Brandon Aiyuk

6.10 – Zach Charbonnet

6.11 – Sean Tucker

8.03 – Jahan Dotson

8.10 – James Cook

Biggest Reaches

2.07 – Davante Adams

3.05 – Najee Harris

4.01 – Joe Mixon

4.05 – DJ Moore

5.12 – Alvin Kamara

6.06 – Derrick Henry

6.08 – Dalvin Cook

First 13 Rounds:

Full Results

Trending Now

• Free NFL Picks

• 2023 Dynasty Rookies

Dynasty Content

• • ADP (1QB)
  • ADP (SF/2QB)
  • Rankings
  • 2023 Class Preview
  • Top 10 Quarterbacks
  • Way Too Early Mock Draft

New to Underdog Fantasy? If you are a new user and make your first-time deposit, get a 100% deposit match of up to $100. Take advantage of this terrific offer here.