The 2022 season isn’t over yet with the NFL playoffs about to begin, but we’re already looking forward to next year. We want to make sure you’re more than ready for the Fantasy Football 2023 campaign.
With that in mind, here’s an early look at PPR’s top 12 fantasy games of 2023, and they’re subject to change often. We know a lot is going to happen between now and the start of training camp — coaching changes, free agency, the NFL Draft, etc. — and we’ll adjust our rankings accordingly.
But for now, here’s our first look at the top 12 running backs for 2023 from Adam Eiser, Heath Cummings, Dave Richard, Chris Towers and myself. Start your prep work now – and hopefully, you’ll win a championship this season.
Adam Ezer
1. Christian McCaffrey
2. Austin Eckeler
3. Jonathan Taylor
4. Saquon Barkley
5. Joe Mixon
6. Derek Henry
7. Travis Etienne
8. Kenneth Walker III
9. Josh Jacobs
10. Dr. Andre Swift
11. Bryce Hall
12. Javonte Williams
Heath Cummings
1. Christian McCaffrey
2. Saquon Barkley
3. Jonathan Taylor
4. Austin Eckeler
5. Joe Mixon
6. Kenneth Walker III
7. Travis Etienne
8. Josh Jacobs
9. Derek Henry
10. Bryce Hall
11. Nick Chubb
12. Dalphine Cook
Jamie Eisenberg
1. Christian McCaffrey
2. Austin Eckeler
3. Jonathan Taylor
4. Saquon Barkley
5. Kenneth Walker III
6. Travis Etienne
7. Joe Mixon
8. Josh Jacobs
9. Derek Henry
10. Bryce Hall
11. Tony Pollard
12. Ramondri Stephenson
Dave Richard
1. Christian McCaffrey
2. Austin Eckeler
3. Jonathan Taylor
4. Saquon Barkley
5. Kenneth Walker
6. Derek Henry
7. Josh Jacobs
8. Nagy Harris
9. Bryce Hall
10. Joe Mixon
11. Nick Chubb
12. Travis Etienne
Chris Towers
1. Austin Eckler
2. Christian McCaffrey
3. Jonathan Taylor
4. Saquon Barkley
5. Josh Jacobs
6. Derek Henry
7. Bryce Hall
8. Joe Mixon
9. Nick Chubb
10. Tony Pollard
11. Dalphine Cook
12. Ramondri Stephenson
Welcome back, Christian McCaffrey. For the past two seasons, we’ve been waiting to see what McCaffrey can do when he’s healthy, and he’s shown us in 2022 – with two different teams. For the season, McCaffrey averaged 21.1 PPR per game, which was second only to Ekeler (21.9). But McCaffrey was amazing with 49erswhich gives us hope for another strong campaign in 2023.
He averaged 22.2 PPR points per game in his last 10 games in San Francisco, including five games with at least 25 PPR points. He also had 50 catches during that span. While he may share touchdowns with Elijah Mitchell next season, McCaffrey must get plenty of work to justify being drafted as the All-Tournament MVP and potential No. 1 overall pick.
Now, Chris has Eckler 1 in a row – it’s 2 for Adam, Dave and I and 3 for Heath – and Eckler has to be great again. This is the second year in a row that he’s averaged at least 21.5 PPR points per game, and hopefully that will continue in 2023. The only concern may be his age (28 in May), and a potential drop could be in play. The opposite of that is that he hasn’t been a great sprinter until 2021, so I hope he doesn’t have too much wear and tear on his body.
Taylor is the consensus #3 running back for all of us, and hopefully he’ll bounce back in 2023 after a down year in 2022. He’s been around him this season and averaged just 13.3 PPR per game. He’s only 24 years old, we expect him to be colts For the upgrade in coach, quarterback, and offensive lineman this off-season, which is why we’re all for Taylor again.
Barkley is a top four running back for all of us (he’s No. 2 for Heath), and it was great to see him rebound in 2022 after two seasons down. He averaged 17.8 PPR per game, his best season since 2019. Barkley is heading into free agency this offseason, so his fantasy value could change dramatically if he leaves. giants. But if he stays, which is ideal, he’ll be with a great coach in Brian Dabul and an offensive line on the rise. He’ll also only be 26 years old, so another season of stellar production is within reach.
When we get to the fifth position, things start to change in our rankings. Adam and Heath have Mixon there, Dave and I have Walker and Chris has Jacobs.
Let’s start with Mixon, who averaged 17.1 PPR points per game for the season but has surpassed 17 PPR points just twice, including 54 in Week 9. (60) yards and (441) receiving in just 14 games. But he went from 16 total touchdowns in 2021 to just nine in 2022, and his yards per carry dropped to 3.9. I anticipate Mixon’s touchdown rebound in 2023 because he plays on an explosive offense, and if his receiving totals stay in that range, he deserves to be drafted as the No. 5 running back.
I’ll take Walker before Mixon, and I love what Walker did as a rookie. He averaged just 13.5 PPR per game for the season, but in his last 11 healthy games, he averaged 17.2 PPR per game. the Seahawks They have plenty of experimental capital to improve their offensive line, which should be a strength in 2023, and Walker will get plenty of work under head coach Pete Carroll. I’m surprised Chris isn’t in the top 12.
As for Chris, he goes with Jacobs in fifth, and he just led the NFL in rushing yards with 1,653. He also averaged 19.3 PPR points per game and was exceptional. He’s a free agent this off-season, so we’ll see where he ends up, and his fantasy outlook could change dramatically with a new team. We also have to see who the quarterback ends up with RaidersAnd there’s a lot to see with Jacobs over the next few months.
Henry ranks sixth behind Adam, Dave and Chris, and had another standout season in 2022 at 19.0 PPR points per game. That’s now four consecutive seasons at 19.0 PPR points per game or better, and we’ll see if he can do it again in 2023. It’s hard to bet against Henry, but he’s 29 and uptime coming. He also has a poor offensive line, questionable quarterback placement and titans Offensive coordinator Todd Downing was fired this week. Heath and I are most worried about Henry, who is ninth for both of us.
I’d rather gamble on the upside of Etienne than Henry, and Etienne could be a star in 2023 with Jaguar increasing. He averaged 12.1 PPR points per game, but had four games with at least 18 PPR points over the last 10 healthy games after James Robinson was traded for the game. Planes. We’ll see what Jacksonville does to complement Etienne next season, but he’s running on an explosive team, making him someone to covet in the second round.
The final consensus back for all of us is Hall, and I’ll move him if he’s ready for week one. He suffered a torn ACL in Week 7, but was a star before he got hurt, averaging 16.4 PPR points per game. That includes his scoring 13 PPR points in the game he hit in Denver when he had just four carries for 72 yards and a touchdown. I hope the rehab goes well and we get positive reports each season.
Adam got Swift and Williams on his first 12 and hopefully Williams will be ready for Week 1 after coming off a torn ACL in Week 4. Before he got hurt, he only had one game over nine PPR points, but he has plenty Of potential if he can get back to full strength at the start of the season. And Swift could be a star if he was black This made him an outstanding running back. He had three games in 2022 in double figures at carriers, scoring at least 20 PPR points in all of them. Jamal Williams is a free agent this offseason, so maybe Swift will finally have a surprise campaign in 2023.
Heath and Chris have Chubb and Cook in the top 12, and Dave has Chubb in #11. Chubb had another standout season in 2022 at 16.6 PPR per game, and he could get a value boost if Kareem Hunt leaves for free. agent. CHEP is just outside the top 12 for me. I’m more concerned about Cook, who will be 28 and has just come into the 2022 season at 14.0 PPR per game. This is his worst season since 2018, and it’s hard to count on him returning to a much higher level in 2023.
For Chris and I, we have both Pollard and Stephenson in the top 12. They both have a high ranking based on some contingencies. With Pollard, who averages a career-high 15.6 points per game, I hope he re-signs with Dallas as a free agent and Cowboys Moving on from Ezekiel Eliot. If that happens, Pollard has a high five in all of the leagues. And Stevenson could benefit greatly if Damien Harris leaves New England as a free agent. Stephenson had a breakout season in 2022 at 14.7 PPR points per game, and could do better if he Patriots Upgrade their offense this off season.
The final difference for either of us is Dave and Harris in eighth place. It was a bust of the season, going from 17.7 PPR points per game in 2021 to 13.2, but he finished the year high with four runs in a . A row with at least 14 PPR points. The biggest difference for Harris from his rookie season was his role in the passing game, which broke out, going from 74 passes made on 94 goals to 41 catches on 53 goals. I’m not sure his receptions will rebound in 2023, which is why he’s just outside the top 12 for me.