Fantasy Football Draft Targets – Parallel Profiles
Every fantasy player has his unique persona when it comes to analyzing and drafting fantasy football players. Everyone has their likes and dislikes. Rookies, pass-catching running backs, rushing quarterbacks, consistent performers, etc.
Here are some players who I believe share “similar profiles”. No, they don’t necessarily match up perfectly, and some of these are more for fun than anything. However, if you like one player, then the other might be someone who you should target as well in your fantasy football drafts.
Check out where we have these players ranked in our latest 2023 fantasy football rankings.
Chris Godwin and J.K. Dobbins
The timetable for tearing an ACL is supposed to be eight to nine months. Both Chris Godwin and J.K. Dobbins returned last year coming off an ACL tear and were pedestrians in fantasy football.
However, the actual timetable for tearing an ACL is close to two years before a player returns to full form. We saw it last year with Saquon Barkley who had a resurgence in the second year following an ACL injury.
Because of their performances last year, fans have been turned off from each of the two players. Godwin and Dobbins are going as low-end twos in their positions. In other words, they’re roughly RB20 and WR20, respectively.
Overall, these two are easy picks if you want to bet on a year two resurgence then look at these two players. Both of who I believe could be valuable fantasy football assets this year.
Justin Herbert and Darren Waller
In 2022, Justin Herbert finished as the QB2. As for Darren Waller, he finished as the TE2 back in 2020. Both have shown top three upsides at their position but had down years last year due to injury. Furthermore, Herbert suffered broken ribs and Waller had issues with his hamstring.
Because of this, their average draft position has fallen to QB7 and TE7 according to FantasyPros. There is hope, however, that both can improve this coming season. Additionally, the hope lies past just recovering from an injury.
Waller finds himself in New York with no other real threats around him to steal targets. Ultimately, I’d bet he will finish as the target leader for the Giants this year.
As for Herbert, he gets a new offensive coordinator, Kellen Moore. He has had a top 6 offense every year with quarterback Dak Prescott in Dallas. His main two wide receivers from last year are fully injury-free while also adding a new wide receiver, rookie Quentin Johnston in the 2023 NFL Draft.
Needless to say, they have both proven they can finish top three in their position. Additionally, they have both greatly improved situations looking forward.
Cam Akers and Jerry Jeudy
Next up are two fantasy football darlings who just haven’t put it together yet. Both players were drafted quite early in dynasty football rookie drafts back in 2020. Despite this, we have seen other players around them in their class perform at a high degree.
At one point in time, Jerry Jeudy was considered more talented than Justin Jefferson. However, that clearly hasn’t been the case since the two entered the NFL. However, at the end of last year, we saw both players put it together for a string of games.
Last year, Jeudy finished as a top 15 wide receiver three times in his final five games. As for Akers, he finished as a top-15 runningback in four of his last six games.
Overall, both players showed a glimmer of hope to the fantasy community that they could finally be the players we once thought them to be. According to the current ADP, Jeudy is going as the 59th player off the board while Akers is the 57th. If you still want to believe in the talent of two relatively young players poised to take over their team’s position, then these are the two for you.
Geno Smith and Amari Cooper
With an ADP of QB15, Geno Smith is being fairly overlooked, despite his 2022 success. As for veteran wide receiver Amari Cooper, he’s the WR20 right now. Last year, Smith finished as the QB5, depending on the scoring of your fantasy leagues. Additionally, Cooper finished as the WR9.
The most powerful indicator of future fantasy point performance is the number of fantasy points scored in the previous season. Despite this, both Smith and Cooper, who outperformed expectations last year, are being severely undervalued in this year’s draft. Personally, I believe the only explanation for this is the fact their names aren’t the sexiest in fantasy football.
Overall, both players’ situation has improved over the off-season. Smith adds the highest-drafted wide receiver, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, and Cooper will get Deshaun Watson for the entire season. Don’t overthink it. Both players were great last year and will be again this year.
James Conner and Michael Pittman Jr.
What is the best way to score fantasy points? Being on the field. As they say, the best ability is availability. Last year Michael Pittman Jr. was on the field for an astonishing 97% of his team’s snaps. As for running back James Conner, he was on the field for 71%, good for fifth among all running backs.
Do they have the best of situations? Not necessarily. Pittman has an incoming rookie as his quarterback and not only that but an incoming rushing rookie quarterback, Anthony Richardson. Conner is losing his star quarterback at the start of the season. Both will be playing for a predicted bottom-five team.
But the situation doesn’t always dictate fantasy performance. It’s already baked into their ADP as both are going outside the top 24 running backs and wide receivers.
If you are looking for safe bets later in drafts who will perform at a consistent rate, then these are a couple of good targets for your fantasy football teams.
Jahan Dotson and Christian Watson
Wrapping it up, we have two rookie wide receivers last year who both made an impression on the fantasy football community. Both were injured for parts of the season only to blow up a few games late.
With little opportunity, both rookies Jahan Dotson and Christian Watson scored seven touchdowns last year. Both had the highest receiving touchdown rate in the league besides Mecole Hardman. Is this the case of overwhelming talent or looming touchdown regression?
Furthermore, the quarterback situation is similar for both players. Jordan Love will finally get his chance to show what he’s got and Sam Howell will play more than just one game.
If you want to take a chance on two very talented players with a lot of touchdown upside, then both are worth targeting in your fantasy drafts. However, Dotson is going a bit lower in drafts as the WR41 in ADP compared to Watson’s WR27 price tag.
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