2023 Dynasty Fantasy Football – Superflex Startup Draft

With your fantasy championships winding down and hopefully tons of successful seasons in the books, we approach one of the best times of the year. The dynasty fantasy football off-season.

One of the most enjoyable things is joining a new league and getting a fresh start to go along with your existing dynasty rosters. In order to prepare for this, joining some dynasty startup mock drafts is a great way to understand the value of players heading into the off-season.

In this mock draft, I joined one of the most popular fantasy football creators, Fantasy Flock. The Fantasy Flock is one of the most prominent fantasy football channels on YouTube. Below is a recap of my draft with one of the top fantasy experts and many experienced dynasty players. Picking next to Fantasy Flock, I show the draft board along with the best values and reaches of the draft.

Note: Kickers are rookie picks. The first kicker taken = rookie 1.01, second kicker 1.02, etc.

Best Values

3.02 – Kenneth Walker

One of my favorite early-round picks in this mock draft is Kenneth Walker at the beginning of the third round. Drafted as the 5th running back off the board when he is my RB1 in dynasty rankings is a fantastic pick here. While running backs like Bijan Robinson and Breece Hall are great, they have risk built in where I would be much more comfortable taking Walker 1-2 rounds later.

In his rookie year, Walker averaged 14.6 PPG since becoming the starter and made great strides in his overall game. Walker has jumped in my dynasty rankings after showing he is a much better pass catcher than many originally thought. After taking over the starting job, Walker has seen a substantial number of targets averaging 3.5 per game. With excellent 2nd Round draft capital and the fact that Walker is going into an even better situation with the Seahawks next year, I have him as my RB1 in dynasty rankings. 

After trading Russell Wilson to the Broncos, the Seahawks now have the projected 3rd and 12th overall picks. They also have multiple second and third-round picks on top of a ton of cap space in the offseason. This will allow them to build a better offense around Walker, increasing his value. Overall, drafting Walker in the 3rd round as the fifth running back off the board is fantastic value.

5.06 – Cooper Kupp

A great value depending on your team build is Cooper Kupp at the 5.06 pick. Kupp is a fantastic value for most teams, as anyone would love a top-10 fantasy wide receiver to make a playoff push in the next 1-2 years. 

Nonetheless, Kupp is being overlooked due to the high ankle sprain he suffered and the fact that he is 29 years old. Despite all this, Kupp is being drafted as a top-10 player in redraft and will give you elite-level production for the next 2-4 years.

Many people are quick to forget how dominant Kupp has been, averaging 18 PPG throughout his entire NFL career. Unfortunately, Kupp is no longer an elite-level dynasty asset due to his age, but if you can get him in the middle of the 5th round, that’s an excellent pick for almost every roster.

7.06 – Nick Chubb

Nick Chubb at the 7.06 is an excellent pick by our host and a fantastic running back to own for the next few years. When looking for a running back in the 7th round, Chubb is an amazing pick.

Chubb finished as the RB 12 and RB 8 on a PPG basis in 2021 and 2022. Subsequently, Chubb looks to step into an even better situation in 2023, with Deshaun Watson looking to take major steps forward and elevate the offense. On top of this, Kareem Hunt is not under contract for next season, and with trade rumors surrounding him earlier this year, it is very likely he won’t return. Chubb is an incredible option for the next 1-2 years, and it’s possible he can be a viable option for longer. It’s without a doubt that Chubb has some Derrick Henry tendencies to the point where he could be productive even after he hits the historical age decline for a running back. In the middle of the 7th round, Chubb is a great pick.

Biggest Reaches

2.12 – D’Andre Swift

One of my least favorite early-round picks is D’Andre Swift. In this mock draft, Swift was the fourth running back off the board ahead of guys like Travis Etienne and Kenneth Walker. I would much rather have these younger running backs coming off great years and stepping into very good situations in 2023.

While many are quick to chalk this season up as a failure due to injury, I don’t buy into this completely. One of my biggest concerns is Jamaal Williams being used as the goal-line back and scoring 14 touchdowns this year. While Williams isn’t under contract for 2023, I don’t see why the Lions wouldn’t bring him back and use him in a similar role after his last year’s success.

All that being said, Swift absolutely has the potential to be an elite dynasty asset. He is a great pass-catching running back in a much-improved offense and is still young. On the other hand, there are still many concerns for Swift, and it’s hard to make a case for him to be a late 2nd round startup pick and the 4th running back taken with these red flags. All in all, the upside is there, but he’s a risky pick. 

4.10 – Jahan Dotson

While Jahan Dotson is a solid player, the end of the 4th round is too early to draft this rookie wide receiver. To take him above guys like Treylon Burks, Javonte Williams, or George Pickens is confusing. 

Dotson has had a solid rookie year averaging 11.4 PPG through week 16; however, he entered the NFL as one of the most Pro-ready rookies with the least room to grow. Furthermore, he isn’t in a good situation either, fighting for targets with Terry McLaurin, Antonio Gibson, and Curtis Samuel in an already bad offense. Taylor Heinicke will not equate to fantasy success, and it’s hard to see this situation getting better for Dotson in the future. I am not fond of this pick at all, as Pickens and Burks are better prospects and are in much better situations going forward. 

5.02 – Cam Akers

Cam Akers is a player I’m looking to target in the late rounds of these startup drafts, but taking him at the 5.02 is way too aggressive. Akers is worth a later-round selection but taking him over guys like Rhamondre Stevenson, Dameon Pierce, Rachaad White, and Josh Jacobs, in my opinion, is too aggressive.

While Akers is only 23, he is coming off a horrendous season, averaging 8.6 PPG through Week 16. Although this may be due to a horrible Rams offense, I don’t see this situation improving soon. It should be noted that running backs are more likely to succeed a full season after an injury.  Even so, there are too many red flags around Akers to warrant drafting him this high.

Full list of notable values and reaches:

Best Values

1.12 – Justin Fields

3.02 – Kenneth Walker

5.06 – Cooper Kupp

6.06 – Josh Jacobs

7.06 – Nick Chubb

7.07 – Chris Godwin

9.02 – Tony Pollard

12.02 – Khalil Herbert

Biggest Reaches

1.08 – A. J. Brown

2.09 – Kyle Pitts

2.12 – D’Andre Swift

4.08 – Russell Wilson

4.10 – Jahan Dotson

5.02 – Cam Akers

6.05 – Aaron Rodgers

7.08 – Calvin Ridley

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