Deciding which top wide receivers to invest in during your fantasy football draft can drastically impact your chances of hoisting your league’s championship trophy in 2023. Is it better to invest in WRs in a complimentary role on high-scoring offenses… or do you select a receiver that projects to be the top pass-catching option in a low-scoring offense?
Well, I’ve crunched the numbers… watched the tape… and have decided on my four WRs that you shouldn’t leave your draft without for 2023.
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Top WRs To Draft in Fantasy Football in 2023
There were 32 running backs who scored more than 150 fantasy points in PPR formats last season.
Do you know how many wide receivers hit that 150-point threshold in 2022? 47.
MORE: Must-Have Players — QB | RB | TE | DST | K
The WR position is arguably the deepest it has ever been and represents fantasy value from the very first pick of your draft… all the way to the very last.
Without further delay, let’s take a closer look at some of the WRs I’m targeting heavily heading into the 2023 NFL season.
Amon-Ra St. Brown, Detroit Lions (ADP: WR10)
When you are tied with Justin Jefferson and Michael Thomas for the most receptions in NFL history through your first two seasons, you’re already a made man in the world of fantasy football.
Amon-Ra St. Brown made the jump to a top-10 fantasy WR in his second season with a stat line of 106-1,161-6 while being one of the most efficient receivers in the league with a 72.4% reception rate when targeted.
MORE: 2023 Fantasy Football WR Rankings
To start the season, Jameson Williams will be missing the first six games due to suspension, and Detroit will be starting a rookie TE alongside veteran WR Marvin Jones Jr.
ASRB is slated to see north of 100+ targets again this season and could be a viable threat to finish inside the top five at the WR position if he continues to improve.
Christian Watson, Green Bay Packers (ADP: WR21)
Many are still skeptical about Christian Watson‘s strong finish to his rookie year continuing into the 2023 season. Well, some of the advanced receiving metrics from his rookie campaign certainly include some of the symptoms of second-year breakout WRs.
Yards After Catch Per Reception: 6.7 (4th among WRs)
Average Depth of Target: 13.8 (12th)
Yards Per Route Run: 2.4 (12th)
Watson also happens to boast one of the most athletic WR profiles to come into the league over the past decade. Sure, the change under center means there could be a drop in efficiency, but his projected target share and upside as a big-play threat and yards-after-catch producer means he possesses rare top-five upside at the position in the middle rounds.
DJ Moore, Chicago Bears (ADP: WR18)
During his five seasons in a Panthers uniform, Carolina had seen eight different starting QBs, but DJ Moore still managed to produce fantasy finishes of WR39, WR16, WR23, WR18, and WR24 in PPR formats.
In case you forgot, Moore reminded everyone during his Chicago Bears debut that he’s still a very dangerous run-after-the-catch threat.
DJ MOORE FOR SIX
📺: #TENvsCHI on @NFLNetwork
📱: Stream on NFL+ https://t.co/bBFpXevVUR pic.twitter.com/FLD23yTXeZ— NFL (@NFL) August 12, 2023
Moore joins a revamped Bears WR room, which should help him not to be among the league leaders in seeing double coverage for a second straight season.
Regardless of your feelings about Justin Fields as a pure passer, Moore is going to see a ton of volume in what should be an improved offense. He has legitimate top-10 upside at the position if Fields takes a big developmental step in 2023.
Zay Flowers, Baltimore Ravens (ADP: WR42)
Zay Flowers is a vertical threat who ran every route from every position in the formation and won on all three levels of the field with his route-running savvy and playmaking ability after the catch during his days at Boston College.
Flowers’ versatility and explosiveness instantly give Baltimore’s passing offense the juice to capitalize on the multitude of deep-shot opportunities they’ll have when defenses load up to slow down the rushing attack.
New offensive coordinator Todd Monken and former league MVP QB Lamar Jackson have both had very positive things to say about Flowers during training camp and the preseason.
MORE: WR Fantasy Football Values Include Rashod Bateman and Marvin Mims Jr.
If the Ravens throw the ball far more often than they have over the past four seasons, then there’s going to be a receiver to emerge from this group as a top-25 fantasy WR.
If you want to keep waiting on the impending Rashod Bateman breakout season that is entering its third year while he battles a lingering foot issue — or hold onto the fantasy glory days of Odell Beckham Jr. while ignoring both of their durability concerns — then be my guest.
My money is on Flowers being the highest-scoring fantasy WR in Baltimore this season.