Today, I’ll be highlighting some potential breakout candidates for the 2023 NFL and fantasy football season. Recently, we covered some popular bust candidates for 2023. Obviously, we will likely get some of these calls wrong. However, that’s what happens in fantasy football and it’s up to you to ultimately decide who will and will not boom or bust in fantasy football from year to year. Here, I wanted to discuss my process and why some veteran and second-year players who I expect to break out for fantasy football in 2023.

Garrett Wilson

As this is being written, the Jets are actively trying to recruit Aaron Rodgers. If the Jets pull this trade off, Garrett Wilson becomes an immediate star. Right now, he is around an early third-round pick on NFC. Give him Rodgers and we could be talking borderline first-round fantasy football value.

Last season, Wilson saw four different quarterbacks take a snap for the Jets. He was still able to haul in 83 catches for 1,103 yards and four touchdowns. On top of that, he won Offensive Rookie of the Year honors. I am all in on Wilson this coming season, and you should absolutely be as well. He’s an up-and-coming wide receiver in the NFL and could break out in a big way in 2023.

Chris Olave

Chris Olave just got a big boost in his ADP as Derek Carr signed with the Saints. Now Olave will have a major upgrade at quarterback. In his rookie season, Olave caught 72 passes for 1,042 yards and four touchdowns. Olave at this moment on NFC is going at the end of the third round, early fourth. This could go up as we get closer to the season. All in all, he makes for a nice low-end WR1 or solid WR2 at that range.

Jameson Williams

Next up is another second-year wide receiver, Jameson Williams. As expected, he missed most of his rookie year from his torn ACL and returned toward the end of the season. He only caught one pass for 41 yards, and that was a touchdown.

With a full offseason coming for Williams, he has the chance now to show why he was drafted so high. Despite his torn ACL, he was considered one of the best wide receivers in the 2022 rookie class. Now, with more time to heal and September 2023 still six months away, he’s trending up. You can expect Williams to be a big part of the Lions’ offense, and his ADP to rise as we get closer to the Summer.

Cam Akers

Running Back, Los Angeles Rams

Last season, Cam Akers was nearly traded from the Rams. Despite those rumors, he remained a Ram and went on to have a great string of games at the end of the 2022 season. Last year, Akers rushed 188 times for 786 yards and seven touchdowns. Additionally, he averaged 4.2 YPC. As we look ahead to 2023, Akers will head into the season as the starting running back for Los Angeles.

In his final three games of the 2022 season, Akers rushed for 118, 123, and 104 yards. He saw 19 rushes as his minimum attempts and had rushes of 20 yards or more in his final three games. On NFC, Akers is going at the end of the fifth round, early sixth. That makes him a great addition to your fantasy football teams as an RB2. Furthermore, he could even be a low-end RB1 if you go the zero-running back route.

Khalil Herbert

David Montgomery is officially out of Chicago and signed with the Lions. Now we can look at a full workload for Khalil Herbert. Last year, Herbert rushed 129 times for 731 yards and four touchdowns. Additionally, he averaged 5.7 YPC and is averaging 5 YPC for his career. According to NFC’s ADP, he is nearly being drafted in the double-digit rounds.

While he is not primarily a receiving back, Herbert has done the most with his opportunities when Montgomery missed time in the past. Furthermore, let’s not forget that the Bears have a lot of cap space. They also have the potential to trade down from the number one pick to acquire more talent to build around.

George Pickens

George Pickens had a great rookie season with the Pittsburgh Steelers last year. Not only did he look the part, but he caught 52 passes for 801 yards and four touchdowns. Now, heading into year two with Kenny Pickett, Pickens will look to crack 1,000 yards. From a talent perspective, he has the ability to win contested balls very well and this plays obviously a huge factor in his skill set.

As far as average draft position goes, Pickens is currently going on NFC at the end of the seventh round, early eighth round. All things considered, that seems just right for him. Pickens is one of those picks that could double his ADP with a strong performance this season. Finally, the talent is there and he absolutely has the ability and potential to break out in 2023.

Drake London

Next up is the first wide receiver taken in the 2022 NFL Draft, Drake London. After being drafted by the Atlanta Falcons, he went on to catch 72 passes for 866 yards and four touchdowns. That was despite the Falcons playing Marcus Mariota and Desmond Ridder at quarterback. While it seems there is a chance Ridder is the 2023 quarterback, there were rumors about Lamar Jackson getting traded to Atlanta. However, now it sounds like the Falcons aren’t going to pursue Jackson after all.

On NFC, he is a late fifth or early sixth-round pick, and that could absolutely go up. There is always the chance Atlanta could draft a quarterback, but unless someone falls, it seems like Ridder should be the quarterback in 2023. If the Falcons do in fact make a move for a better quarterback in the 2023 NFL Draft, London’s ADP will rise even further.

Tyler Allgeier

Next up is another Falcon who had a fantastic rookie season, running back Tyler Allgeier. Early on he took a back seat to veteran Cordarrelle Patterson, but Allgeier played great when given the chance. In total, the BYU rookie rushed 210 times for 1,035 yards and three touchdowns. In his final four games, twice he rushed for over 100 yards, and the other two games were over 70 yards.

Now, Allgeier enters 2023 still splitting with Patterson. That being said, he should be considered the lead back in Atlanta. Currently, on NFC he is going around the end of the seventh round, or early eighth round. This is a great spot to draft him as he offers plenty of upside and fantasy football breakout potential.

Greg Dulcich

Looking at the tight end position, one breakout candidate is Greg Dulcich of the Denver Broncos. Sean Payton is now the new coach of the Broncos and a Russell Wilson bounce-back season is going to be a popular take as the 2023 season approaches. Additionally, there have been some quiet rumblings of Courtland Sutton or Jerry Jeudy potentially being on the block. I don’t see it, but if either of them is on the move, Dulcich’s target share will obviously get a boost.

Last season, Dulcich caught 33 passes for 411 yards and two touchdowns. While these numbers aren’t overly impressive, he is a name to keep an eye on this summer as a breakout candidate. At a position where things drop off pretty quickly, Dulcich could make for a nice value and potential breakout candidate for the 2023 NFL season.

Elijah Moore

I started off with a Jets wide receiver and now I’ll end with another. Elijah Moore is another wide receiver who would benefit greatly from an Aaron Rodgers trade. That, or just a quarterback upgrade in general. Moore is entering his third season in the NFL, which is typically when breakouts occur. Needless to say, a quarterback upgrade would only help, after the mess we saw in New York last year.

Moore’s rookie campaign was great, but season two was one to be forgotten. He now has caught 80 passes for 984 yards and six touchdowns in his two years in the NFL, with the majority obviously coming in 2021. Five of those six touchdowns came in his rookie season. On top of that, Moore requested a trade last season and did not see eye-to-eye with offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur. Now Nathaniel Hackett is calling the plays and has a potentially massive quarterback upgrade looming. Overall, Moore could be a very sneaky pick at the end of your fantasy football drafts this year.