WR Jerry Jeudy, Denver Broncos
The Broncos’ offense was a shit show last year, and it definitely affected Jeudy - he was inconsistent, he was banged up at points throughout the year, but he had his games –especially towards the end of the year.
If you just count his full games played last year, he averaged 17 PPR points/game, which would’ve a top-12 fantasy finish. And according to FantasyLife, Jerry Jeudy had the 10th highest yards/route run among all WRs with 100 or more targets. That’s right behind Amon-Ra, Stefon Diggs, and CeeDee Lamb.
Now the Broncos have brought in Sean Payton to spearhead what should be a more functional offense, and Jeudy will be featured more than he was last year. The fact that he’s coming off the board as the WR20 on Underdog and the WR25(!) on Sleeper makes him a significant value in drafts.
RB J.K. Dobbins, Baltimore Ravens
I think he’s going to be THE breakout RB of 2023. I love the fact he’s a year removed from a bad injury, I love his price at the 4/5 turn - I’m happy with him as my RB2, but I do think he has RB1 upside and that he’s a dark horse candidate to lead the league in rushing.
He has the talent, a great offensive line, and is averaging 5.9 yards/carry so far over his career – the stars could realistically align to make it happen.
Dobbins feels like the discount version of RBs like Jonathan Taylor, Nick Chubb, and Derrick Henry – guys who get a ton of volume on the ground and are efficient while doing it.
I think a lot of people are going to ask, “well, what about Gus Edwards?” Are Gus and JK are on the same level? Probably not. This timeshare might have left the station with Greg Roman.
It’s also worth mentioning that Nick Chubb got his high receiving totals with Todd Monken, the Ravens new OC, when he was OC in Cleveland: he used his RBs in the receiving game at Georgia, and Dobbins himself had 71 catches through his three seasons in Ohio State.
I know we don’t love rushing QBs throwing to their RBs, but if it’s dialed into the scheme a little bit, we could see Dobbins pick up 40 receptions this year. People forget the type of talent Dobbins is, and the truth is that he was really efficient his rookie year - yards after contact, forced missed tackle rate, big plays all checked out.
We even saw the big plays with Dobbins running on one leg last year - and now that he’s over the bad injury, and he’s trying to get paid, I don’t really want to leave drafts without him.