Fantasy Football 2023: PPR Rankings Cheatsheet and Expert Reaction

Who doesn't love that time of year when NFL teams turn the page from training camp to the preseason? Every team is undefeated, almost every player is poised to become a star, and the league is filled to the brim with optimism.

While it's easy to get caught up in all of the late camp positivity, seasoned fantasy football managers know that, for some players, the hype train will soon come to an abrupt stop. It's important to know which glowing reports are worth buying and which are merely the product of preseason fluff.

Below, you'll find a look at some of the latest camp reactions from fantasy experts and NFL analysts around the web. We'll examine what the latest buzz means for the fantasy world and how it should impact draft strategies.

First, though, you'll find a quick positional cheatsheet for point-per-reception (PPR) scoring drafts.

Running Backs

1. Christian McCaffrey, San Francisco 49ers

2. Austin Ekeler, Los Angeles Chargers

3. Saquon Barkley, New York Giants

4. Nick Chubb, Cleveland Browns

5. Jonathan Taylor, Indianapolis Colts

6. Bijan Robinson, Atlanta Falcons

7. Derrick Henry, Tennessee Titans

8. Tony Pollard, Dallas Cowboys

9. Aaron Jones, Green Bay Packers

10. Rhamondre Stevenson, New England Patriots

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Wide Receivers

1. Justin Jefferson, Minnesota Vikings

2. Ja'Marr Chase, Cincinnati Bengals

3. Tyreek Hill, Miami Dolphins

4. Davante Adams, Las Vegas Raiders

5. Cooper Kupp, Los Angeles Rams

6. Stefon Diggs, Buffalo Bills

7. A.J. Brown, Philadelphia Eagles

8. CeeDee Lamb, Dallas Cowboys

9. Garrett Wilson, New York Jets

10. Amon-Ra St. Brown, Detroit Lions

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Quarterbacks

1. Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs

2. Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills

3. Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia Eagles

4. Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens

5. Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals

6. Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers

7. Justin Fields, Chicago Bears

8. Aaron Rodgers, New York Jets

9. Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys

10. Tua Tagovailoa, Miami Dolphins

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Tight Ends

1. Travis Kelce, Kansas City Chiefs

2. Mark Andrews, Baltimore Ravens

3. George Kittle, San Francisco 49ers

4. T.J. Hockenson, Minnesota Vikings

5. Darren Waller, New York Giants

6. Kyle Pitts, Atlanta Falcons

7. Dallas Goedert, Philadelphia Eagles

8. Evan Engram, Jacksonville Jaguars

9. Pat Freiermuth, Pittsburgh Steelers

10. Dalton Schultz, Houston Texans

Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins simply being at training camp is noteworthy. Entering the final year of his rookie deal, Higgins could be sitting out and angling for a new deal—though naturally, he'd be subject to fines for doing so.

Higgins is trending as a high-end WR2, though the fact that Joe Burrow is dealing with a calf injury is potentially problematic. However, ESPN's Liz Loza believes that Higgins is set to have another strong fantasy campaign:

"Higgins presence at training camp—and his QB's recent remarks—suggest the 24-year-old's role on the Bengals is secure. Even with Joe Burrow (calf strain) potentially missing the rest of the preseason, Higgins' high floor and potential ceiling make him a solid pick in the third round of 12-team leagues."

I'd expect the Bengals to do everything they can to keep Higgins in 2024, so they won't be auditioning replacements this season. The 24-year-old should be locked into Cincinnati's No. 2 role behind Ja'Marr Chase and should be in store for another strong campaign.

In each of the past two seasons, Higgins has caught 74 passes, topped 1,000 yards and scored at least six touchdowns. He's definitely worth a third- or fourth-round pick, depending on the size and scoring parameters of the league.

Miami Dolphins rookie running back De'Von Achane has been looking like a special player during training camp, according to Palm Beach Post Dolphins journalist Joe Schad.

"Achane is electric out of the backfield and can catch," Schad said in a tweet of camp reactions.

It's not hard to get excited about Achane, who brings 4.32 speed to a Miami offense that doesn't lack for home-run hitters. However, managers shouldn't be overly eager to scoop up the Texas A&M product on draft day.

The Dolphins still have the tandem of Raheem Mostert and Jeff Wilson Jr. Both played under head coach Mike McDaniel when he was with the San Francisco 49ers, and both should see sizeable workloads in 2023.

I like Achane as a late-round target with flex-starter potential, specifically in PPR leagues. He's a terrific handcuff for either Mostert or Wilson, and if either misses significant time due to injury, Achane could see a big jump in production.

However, managers should view Achane as a pure sleeper who should be targeted around the 10th or 11th round in 12-team leagues.

Managers hoping to land a sleeper quarterback in the middle rounds may want to target Indianapolis Colts rookie Anthony Richardson.

While Richardson, the fourth overall pick in the draft, is competing with Gardner Minshew II for the starting job, Richardson has recently been taking the first-team reps, according to NFL Media's Ian Rapoport.

FantasyPros' Ari Koslow believes that Richardson is now trending as the Week 1 starter.

"This report comes after Richardson reportedly took second-team reps in practice behind Gardner Minshew last week. It would be quite a surprise if Richardson does not start for the Colts in Week 1," Koslow wrote.

I'm not as sold on Richardson being the Week 1 because the Colts aren't going to throw him out there before he's ready. However, I do believe that Richardson will see the field within the first few weeks.

I also believe that Richardson's scrambling ability could make him a viable starter by midseason in leagues that reward QBs for rushing.

Richardson shouldn't be targeted as a starter in fantasy drafts, but he's the perfect backup for managers who don't land a top-10 quarterback and are seeking a player who may eventually have top-10 scoring potential.