Dynasty Players to Buy Before the 2023 NFL Draft

The 2022 fantasy football season flashed by before our eyes. While the Super Bowl is over and NFL teams have moved on to the off-season, fantasy football players have been in off-season mode for over a month. Our dynasty fantasy football content is in full swing and we’ll have you covered with rookie profiles, rankings, and ADP all off-season long.

Plenty will change during the off-season, as players will get traded and sign with new teams in free agency. Furthermore, the main event of the offseason is the 2023 NFL Draft, as over 250 new players will join the NFL family.

With an off-season full of changes ahead of us, now is the best time to make dynasty trades. Fantasy managers should acquire these six players before the upcoming NFL Draft in dynasty fantasy football leagues.

Russell Wilson, QB, Denver Broncos

When the Broncos traded for Russell Wilson last off-season, everyone had high expectations. Unfortunately, the star quarterback averaged only 14.7 fantasy points per game with Nathaniel Hackett on the sidelines. However, Wilson was the QB2 over the final three weeks of the season without Hackett, averaging 20 fantasy points per game. Furthermore, the former Seattle Seahawk averaged 20.1 fantasy points per game over his final four games last year, scoring 23 or more points three times.

More importantly, Denver has the pieces in place for Wilson to succeed. Courtland Sutton and Jerry Jeudy had bright moments in 2022 and have shown a lot of promise at times. Meanwhile, Tim Patrick will return after missing the entire year with a torn ACL. With the addition of Sean Payton, fantasy managers should expect a bounce-back season from Wilson in 2023 and consider buying low on Wilson.

Trey Lance, QB, San Francisco 49ers

We’ve barely seen Trey Lance on the field two years into his NFL career. He started two games as a rookie and played the entire second half of the Week 4 matchup against the Seahawks. In those 2.5 games, Lance averaged 18 fantasy points per game. However, adjusting for only playing 10 quarters of football instead of 12, the former No. 3 overall pick would have averaged 21.6 fantasy points per game in those three contests. Furthermore, he had 31 rushing attempts for 161 yards in those three matchups.

Unfortunately, Lance’s first year as a starter was a disaster. He completed only 46.4% of his pass attempts in Week 1 in a rainstorm. However, the young quarterback had 54 yards on 13 rushing attempts and scored 10 fantasy points despite not having a touchdown. The following week he had only three pass attempts before suffering a season-ending ankle injury. While we have barely seen Lance play, he has shined when on the field. More importantly, the 49ers have the best set of weapons in the NFL. Take advantage of everyone having a crush on Brock Purdy and trade for the actual starting quarterback in San Francisco.

Cam Akers, RB, Los Angeles Rams

One of the most polarizing players in fantasy football is Cam Akers. Despite heading into his fourth NFL season, we haven’t seen the running back as the lead running back yet. The former Florida State star had a wild 2022 season. After the failed trade request, the Rams released Darrell Henderson Jr. While many thought Kyren Williams might take over the backfield, Akers finished the year on fire.

Over the final six weeks of the year, the former second-round pick was the RB4 in half-point PPR scoring, averaging 16.8 fantasy points per game. Akers would have been the RB5 on a points-per-game basis last year with that fantasy average. While he took advantage of some appealing matchups, Akers should have at least a lead role next year. More importantly, he is entering the final year of his rookie deal and will be motivated to have a career season.

AJ Dillon, RB, Green Bay Packers

Green Bay heads into the off-season with several critical decisions, starting with Aaron Rodgers. Once he returns from his darkness retreat, many expect the future Hall of Famer to get traded. If the team turns the page to the Jordan Love era, Aaron Jones will also be on his way out the door. Green Bay can create up to $16 million in salary cap space by releasing the veteran running back this off-season.

Moving on from the veteran will give AJ Dillon the opportunity for a featured role. Despite playing less than half of the offensive snaps in 2022, the former Boston College star was the RB25 in 1/2-point PPR scoring, averaging nine fantasy points per game. Furthermore, he averaged 0.73 fantasy points per opportunity this season on 214 touches. While the Packers will likely bring in someone to replace Jones, Dillon will be the lead running back and have the first crack as the starter. If he had earned only 25% of Jones’ work from last season (68 touches), Dillon would have been the RB14, averaging 12.1 fantasy points per game.

Jahan Dotson, WR, Washington Commanders

The 2022 NFL Draft class produced several excellent wide receivers. While Garrett Wilson won the Offensive Rookie of the Year award and Chris Olave had a 1,000-yard season, Jahan Dotson quietly led all rookies in receiving touchdowns. Furthermore, he had seven receiving touchdowns despite missing five games. Dotson ended his rookie season as the WR50, averaging 9.4 1/2-point PPR fantasy points per game. However, he was a star when on the field.

Removing the first three games back from a nagging hamstring injury, Dotson averaged 12.1 fantasy points per game in 2022. He would have been a top-12 wide receiver over a 17-game pace with that fantasy average. The former Penn State star receiver would have totaled 10 receiving touchdowns over a 17-game pace, the sixth-most in the league. Curtis Samuel could be a cap casualty this off-season, opening more snaps and targets for the rookie. Even if the veteran returns, Dotson is the clear-cut No. 2 wide receiver for the Commanders.

Cooper Kupp, WR, Los Angeles Rams

While the Rams had an awful year coming off their Super Bowl victory, Cooper Kupp was still a fantasy football superstar. Despite missing the final eight games this year, the former Super Bowl MVP was the WR24 in half-point PPR scoring, averaging 18.2 fantasy points per game. On a points-per-game basis, Kupp would have been the WR1 in 2022, averaging a full point per game more than any other wide receiver not named Justin Jefferson. Furthermore, the superstar receiver averaged over 20 fantasy points per game if you remove the Week 10 matchup, where he suffered the season-ending ankle injury.

Some might call Kupp’s 2021 season an outlier. However, that really isn’t the case. Before Kupp suffered the ankle injury, he was on pace to put up similar numbers in 2022 to his 2021 season. The superstar receiver would have totaled 153 receptions on 197 targets for 1,727 receiving yards, 13 touchdowns, and 345.1 fantasy points over a 17-game pace last year using his first eight games averages.

By comparison, he had 367 fantasy points in 2021, only 1.3 more fantasy points per game than his 17-game pace in 2022. While he will turn 30 years old this off-season, Kupp has plenty of gas left in the tank. Take advantage of the drop in price on a wide receiver who could easily end up being one of the best wide receivers in fantasy football for another couple of seasons.