2023 Dynasty Fantasy Football Rookie Drafts: Late-Round Lottery Tickets

‘Late-round dart throws’ have increased in popularity in recent years and have become all the rage in dynasty leagues. With so many players going from a day three obscurity to a relevant fantasy football asset, there has never been a greater demand among fantasy managers for the diamonds in the rough of the NFL Draft.

In 2022 alone, we had several day three picks who far exceeded their investment cost:

• Dameon Pierce, RB HOU (Round Four)
• Romeo Doubs, WR GB (Round Four)
• Isaiah Likely, TE BAL (Round Four)
• Chigoziem Okonkwo, TE TEN (Round Four)
• Tyler Allgeier, RB ATL (Round Five)
• Isiah Pacheco, RB KC (Round Seven)
• Brock Purdy, QB SF(Round Seven)

This list is nothing to scoff at, to say the least. Despite their limited draft cost, all the players on this list were valuable to their fantasy managers to varying degrees.

We see several tight ends as well as a quarterback and a wide receiver on this list but, by far the most valuable draft day steals were the three running backs. The trio of running backs all finished top 40 at the position. Pierce was RB28, while Allgeier finished as RB29 and Pacheco as RB37.

That may not seem like a huge hit but, when you consider that fantasy managers basically got a free RB3, it’s a huge win. In fantasy leagues, running backs do not grow on trees and in the event of an injury to a starting running back we see fantasy managers blowing their entire FAAB on the backup running back, so to get these players with a late-round rookie draft pick could be a potentially league-winning opportunity.

While the other positions all produced a valuable late-round asset in 2022, I will be focusing on mostly running backs and the occasional wide receiver since the tight ends and quarterbacks are largely unpredictable and extremely situational.

So, with that in mind let’s take a round-by-round look at some potential late-round lottery tickets for the 2023 fantasy football season.

Round Four

Roschon Johnson, RB CHI

I’ve been pounding this drum all off-season and I have no intention of stopping now. Johnson was an excellent talent at Texas and showed just how good he could be in his rookie season. Had he not been behind Bijan Robinson on the depth chart, it is entirely possible he would be the RB2 in this class.

I had hoped that he would secure day two draft capital but instead he fell to round four. Despite falling a round lower than expected, he lands in an excellent spot to produce. Johnson spent three years challenging the generational talent Robinson for touches, and I see little reason to believe the duo of Khalil Herbert and D’Onta Foreman will hold him off for more than a few games.

It’s only a matter of time before this is Johnson’s backfield. He is considerably better than Herbert and Foreman and when he finally gets the chance to prove it, he will never give the job back.

Round Five

Israel Abanikanda, RB NYJ

Abanikanda was not as high on my pre-draft list as Johnson and his situation is certainly not as optimal however, he should see his fair share of opportunities to produce as a rookie.

He was another running back I had hoped would find his way into day two but ultimately, he fell to the New York Jets in round five. Abanikanda also found himself in the unfortunate position of being buried on a very deep depth chart.

The Jets boast a running back room that contains the likes of Breece Hall, Michael Carter and Zonovan Knight but Hall is recovering from an ACL injury in the 2022 season and isn’t anticipated to be ready for the start of the season.

If Hall starts the season on the injured reserved, that would leave an opening at the top of this depth chart. Carter profiles to be the third-down pass catcher in the group which leaves a potential battle for the early down workload between Zonovan Knight and Israel Abanikanda.

If that scenario plays out, Abanikanda is the faster and more talented of the two running backs and could easily prove to be a league winner. This is a situation to monitor as the season approaches.

Round Six

Kayshon Boutte, WR NE

As a freshman at LSU, Boutte was among the top prospects in college football. Had he been able to enter that draft after that season he would have been a sure-fire first-round draft pick.

In his final season at LSU, Boutte saw his draft stock plummet. His play and compete level were inconsistent leading to a dip in his production. A mere two years later and he would find himself taken as a day three pick in round six.

He isn’t a huge receiver but given the size of the rest of this draft class he is on the bigger side; he also does not possess elite speed which also factored into him dropping in the draft.

Over the past few seasons, I tend to stick to running backs in the late rounds of drafts as they are far more likely to return solid value on your investment. The receivers I was able to cash in on were receivers who were once highly touted prospects and who fell for either medical or character concerns. Boutte is a mix of both. Throughout his time at LSU he battled frequent injuries as well concerns in his work ethic.

If ever there was a coach who could turn around a player with character concerns, it would be Bill Belichick. It may be a long shot but as far as dart throw receiving options go, Boutte is the best of the bunch.

Round Seven

DeWayne McBride, RB MIN

McBride was a little-known running back out of the University of Alabama Birmingham, so it’s no surprise that he isn’t on anyone’s radar. He is big, strong, and fast and if given the chance could explode onto the scene in the NFL.

He was selected in round seven by the Minnesota Vikings and while he currently sits as the RB3 on the depth chart there are plenty of scenarios in which McBride could become the Vikings running back of the future.

Rumors have swirled that long-time Vikings starter Dalvin Cook will be traded or released once he is healthy, which leaves only McBride and Alexander Mattison to battle for the position of starting to run back.

If this position battle comes down to Mattison and McBride, the rookie would win in every way. He is bigger, stronger, faster, and more explosive. The seventh-round running back is legitimately one domino away from being a potential star.