2023 Fantasy Football Predictions: Why Miles Sanders Will Be a Bust
Next up for SI Fantasy’s 2023 staff predictions is SI Fantasy/Betting analyst Bill Enright:
Top Sleeper: Skyy Moore, WR, Chiefs
The hype for Moore leading into his rookie season went hyperbolic. The second-round pick playing with the best quarterback and a brilliant offensive coach quickly went from being a late-round flyer to an early sixth-round pick and those lofty expectations became out of reach. But the Chiefs wide receiver room a year ago was much more crowded. JuJu Smith-Schuster and Mecole Hardman both left via free agency this offseason, as did their 135 targets, 103 receptions, 1,230 yards and seven touchdowns. That’s a lot of opportunity ripe for Moore’s taking. Sure, Kansas City drafted Rashee Rice but, as we saw with Moore during his rookie campaign, first-year receivers might not get a lot of playing time. Moore’s current average draft position is 143 overall (60th wide receiver) -- that’s 55 picks after teammate Kadarius Toney. Pick up a potential WR2 in the league’s best offense in the 11th round and thank me in December when he’s helping you bring home a championship.
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Top Bust: Miles Sanders, RB, Panthers
It took Sanders four years, the best offensive line in the NFL and defenses simultaneously focusing on Jalen Hurts’s rushing ability to crack 1,000 yards and score double-digit touchdowns. Now his situation is dramatically different. Rookie Bryce Young will likely be the starter for the majority, if not the entire season and if it isn’t Young, it’s Andy Dalton. Sanders will finish as a low-end RB2 with minimal upside. Add in his fifth-round average draft position and I’ll be passing on the former Eagles rusher while laughing at everyone that takes him in every single draft.
Top Rookie: Anthony Richardson, QB, Colts
The Colts rookie has a cannon for an arm and out-of-this-world athletic ability. Even if his passing stats are mediocre, Richardson will make up for it with what he does on the ground and any shrewd fantasy manager knows a rushing QB = fantasy points galore. Indianapolis head coach Shane Steichen orchestrated an offense for the Eagles last year that resulted in Jalen Hurts rushing for 13 touchdowns. Richardson is coming off the board in the double-digit rounds of fantasy drafts, making him an ideal candidate for anyone that subscribes to the draft-a-quarterback-late strategy.
Comeback Player: Cooper Kupp, WR, Rams
I’m a follower of the principles outlined by Occam’s razor, and thus I’m shocked Kupp isn’t the selection for every contributor to this list. He’s the most obvious choice and instead of playing coy, I’m going all in on the Offensive Player of the Year from 2021. I don’t care about the Rams being upset with Matthew Stafford. I don’t care how bad their offensive line is. I only care about getting as many studs on my fantasy team as possible and Kupp is in the upper echelon of the stud wide receiver group. If you pick anywhere after fourth overall, Kupp should strongly be considered as your selection.
Late-Round QB: Jared Goff, Lions:
Fantasy football managers must have an issue with short-term memory loss, because Goff coming off the board as the 16th quarterback in the double digit rounds, is blasphemy. He finished as QB10 in 2022, finished in the top five on four occasions and threw two or more touchdowns in nine games. Armed with a dynamic wide receiver corps and protected by one of the best offensive lines in the game, Goff is once again primed to finish in the Top 10 at the position, but comes at an extreme discount. Current ADP value: 10th round
