Fantasy Football 2023: Early Mock Draft and Rankings Before Training Camps

With NFL rookies beginning to report to training camp this week, the calendar has officially flipped from the offseason to the preseason. The Hall of Fame Game will open exhibition action on August 3, and from there, the regular season will be just over a month away.

For casual football fans, this means that the wait for meaningful games is almost over. For fantasy enthusiasts, it means that draft season has arrived.

Ideally, those in season-long leagues won't draft until late August, when the risk of preseason injuries is lower and positional situations are clearer. However, this doesn't mean that managers can't get an early start on their prep work now.

Mock drafting is a tool that can significantly benefit managers before their actual drafts take place. Below, you'll find some tips and strategies for successful mock drafting, run through a mock draft of our own and look at our updated point-per-reception (PPR) rankings.

Round 1

1. Christian McCaffrey, RB, San Francisco 49ers

2. Justin Jefferson, WR, Minnesota Vikings

3. Ja'Marr Chase, WR, Cincinnati Bengals

4. Austin Ekeler, RB, Los Angeles Chargers

5. Saquon Barkley, RB, New York Giants

6. Tyreek Hill, WR, Miami Dolphins

7. Cooper Kupp, WR, Los Angeles Rams

8. Rhamondre Stevenson, RB, New England Patriots

9. Tony Pollard, RB, Dallas Cowboys

10. Jonathan Taylor, RB, Indianapolis Colts

11. Bijan Robinson, RB, Atlanta Falcons

12. Travis Kelce, TE, Kansas City Chiefs

Round 2

1. Stefon Diggs, WR, Buffalo Bills

2. Nick Chubb, RB, Cleveland Browns

3. Derrick Henry, RB, Tennessee Titans

4. CeeDee Lamb, WR, Dallas Cowboys

5. A.J. Brown, WR, Philadelphia Eagles

6. Amon-Ra St. Brown, WR, Detroit Lions

7. Josh Jacobs, RB, Las Vegas Raiders

8. Jahmyr Gibbs, RB, Detroit Lions

9. Davante Adams, WR, Las Vegas Raiders

10. Garrett Wilson, WR, New York Jets

11. Najee Harris, RB, Pittsburgh Steelers

12. Jaylen Waddle, WR, Miami Dolphins

Mock drafts can be valuable if executed correctly. They can help managers test draft strategies, learn where to target specific players and provide an idea of where certain players are going.

Tools like FantasyPros' Mock Draft Simulator can offer a fairly accurate picture, as they tend to be powered by consensus average-draft-position (ADP) rankings from a number of experts.

This is important because it allows managers to gauge where players are trending. New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley, for example, has hinted that he could hold out into the regular season after receiving the franchise tag but no long-term deal.

"You want me to show you how valuable I am to the team? I won't show up. I won't play a down.' And that's a play I could use," Barkley told The Money Matters podcast (h/t Bleacher Report's Joseph Zucker).

How does Barkley's stance affect his fantasy stock? Mock drafts can help provide an answer.

This is also a valuable tool for players who are coming off of a significant injury too. If you love New York Jets running back Breece Hall but are worried about taking him too highly because of last season's torn ACL, mocks can help you establish a draft range with which you are comfortable.

Mock drafting can also help managers try out different approaches. Running multiple mocks can give a glimpse of which ones are viable.

If, for example, you're set on starting your draft with two running backs, run a few mocks to get an idea of how the rest of your roster might shake out by using that approach. If you're constantly finding yourself with third-tier wide receivers in your starting lineup, it may be time to try a different route.

What if you're eager to land Cincinnati Bengals wideouts Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins along with quarterback Joe Burrow? Mocks can let you know if that sort of single-team stack is realistic.

Managers can even take notes or screenshots of their mock-draft results to help construct a personalized big board. The trick to creating a championship lineup, after all, is often to identify value where others aren't seeing it.

To get the most out of your mocks, make sure to set the parameters as closely as possible to what your season-long league is running. If you're in a 12-team PPR league, running an eight-team standard draft isn't going to provide a lot of value.

Conversely, mocks can help managers who haven't already joined a league decide which format best suits them.

Most major fantasy sites, like Yahoo and ESPN, allow managers to run through mock drafts with customizable parameters. FantasyPros even has the option to sync your league settings to ensure that your practice drafts mirror the real thing.

When it's time for your actual fantasy draft, it's important to stay flexible. Other managers may make some wildly unexpected selections that throw your preferred strategy out the window. Mock drafts can help you prepare for the unexpected by crafting backup plans for when a draft goes sideways.

1. Christian McCaffrey, RB, San Francisco 49ers

2. Austin Ekeler, RB, Los Angeles Chargers

3. Justin Jefferson, WR, Minnesota Vikings

4. Ja'Marr Chase, WR, Cincinnati Bengals

5. Jonathan Taylor, RB, Indianapolis Colts

6. Bijan Robinson, RB, Atlanta Falcons

7. Travis Kelce, TE, Kansas City Chiefs

8. Cooper Kupp, WR, Los Angeles Rams

9. Tyreek Hill, WR, Miami Dolphins

10. Stefon Diggs, WR, Buffalo Bills

11. Saquon Barkley, RB, New York Giants

12. Nick Chubb, RB, Cleveland Browns

13.. Derrick Henry, RB, Tennessee Titans

14. Davante Adams, WR, Las Vegas Raiders

15. Tony Pollard, RB, Dallas Cowboys

16. CeeDee Lamb, WR, Dallas Cowboys

17. Rhamondre Stevenson, RB, New England Patriots

18. A.J. Brown, WR, Philadelphia Eagles

19. Josh Jacobs, RB, Las Vegas Raiders

20. Amon-Ra St. Brown, WR, Detroit Lions

21. Garrett Wilson, WR, New York Jets

22. Travis Etienne Jr., WR, Jacksonville Jaguars

23. Aaron Jones, RB, Green Bay Packers

24. Breece Hall, RB, New York Jets

25. Mark Andrews, TE, Baltimore Ravens

26. Jaylen Waddle, WR, Miami Dolphins

27. Tee Higgins, WR, Cincinnati Bengals

28. Najee Harris, RB, Pittsburgh Steelers

29. Patrick Mahomes, QB, Kansas City Chiefs

30. Chris Olave, WR, New Orleans Saints

31. DeVonta Smith, WR, Philadelphia Eagles

32. Josh Allen, QB, Buffalo Bills

33. Jalen Hurts, QB, Philadelphia Eagles

34. Jahmyr Gibbs, RB, Detroit Lions

35. Joe Mixon, RB, Cincinnati Bengals

36. Lamar Jackson, QB, Baltimore Ravens

37. DK Metcalf, WR, Seattle Seahawks

38. Keenan Allen, WR, Los Angeles Chargers

39. Kenneth Walker III, RB, Seattle Seahawks

40. T.J. Hockenson, TE, Minnesota Vikings

41. Deebo Samuel, WR, San Francisco 49ers

42. Chris Godwin, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

43. Amari Cooper, WR, Cleveland Browns

44. D.J. Moore, WR, Chicago Bears

45. Joe Burrow, QB, Cincinnati Bengals

46. George Kittle, TE, San Francisco 49ers

47. Drake London, WR, Atlanta Falcons

48. Calvin Ridley, WR, Jacksonville Jaguars

49. Miles Sanders, RB, Carolina Panthers

50. Mike Williams, WR, Los Angeles Chargers