NFL training camps are underway. That means the fantasy football draft season has finally arrived! Our annual Flagship Feature is called Preseason Pro. This 2023 Preseason Pro: Jody Smith serves as an introduction to the exclusive insight you can find only at FullTime Fantasy.
Here at FullTime Fantasy, we’ve assembled the very best high-stakes players in the world; 5 of the Top 10 World-Ranked players, and one of the top RANKERS in the country — to help you win your Fantasy Football league.
Nobody else in the industry can bring you this type of information. Also, we host the Fantasy Football World Championships and these players are gracious enough to lend us a hand to help promote the very best content in the industry.
Each of them is putting their reputation on the line for all to see and is providing us with their:
ONE Top Sleeper, ONE Breakout, ONE Bust
ONE Comeback, and ONE late-round Stash & Cash.
to help you with your upcoming draft. However- it’s only one per category! They don’t know what anyone else has submitted so you’re getting the unvarnished gut check from the very best players in the world. High rollers have offered some of them literally hundreds of dollars for this kind of private advice. And that’s just for just one opinion. Here you’re getting no less than SEVEN, and Preseason Pro continues to be the elite product of the fantasy season.
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What makes their opinion so worthy? Simple. They win. Year in and year out they’re winners. While some may ask, “Why would they help me?”, there is no question that when their pride and integrity are on the line, they step up and make bold calls to help others. When we have questions on Sunday, this is who we call. We’re essentially bringing our high-stakes connections to FullTime Fantasy.
When your league is on the line, who do you trust? A magazine that contains out-of-date news? No. Those days are over. Not all experts are considered equal.
Starting with Jody Smith who has more than 12 years of content experience. Jody was also previously Fantasy Pro’s Most Accurate Rankings Expert. Also, Jody topped the betting leaderboards in 2020 and submitted the 8th-most accurate draft rankings in 2021!
Finally, Jody was way ahead of the consensus last season on Travis Etienne and Evan Engram. Let’s see what he forecasts this year with our 2023 Preseason Pro: Jody Smith.
— BREAKOUT —
Rachaad White (RB) Tampa Bay Buccaneers – It’s a new era in Tampa. Without Tom Brady, the Buccaneers are projected to be one of the worst teams in football. However, that doesn’t mean that there won’t be fantasy production in Tampa Bay.
Last year’s overall RB12, Leonard Fournette, is no longer wearing pewter. That means sophomore running back Rachaad White is this unquestioned starter in 2023. Plus, the Bucs didn’t add any competition via the 2023 NFL Draft.
This is White’s backfield and he fared well with an extended look to ramp up his rookie campaign. In his final eight games, White averaged 11.3 touches and 65 scrimmage yards per contest. Even splitting touches with Fournette, White still posted RB35 numbers as a rookie.
A large part of that production came from targets. White ranked 11th among running backs with 50 receptions. However, Fournette ranked third with 73. The vast majority of those targets will now be intended for White.
Rachaad White saw a target on 12.4% of his snaps in 2022, the 4th highest among RBs with 300+ snaps and just between Christian McCaffrey (12.5%) and Rhamondre Stevenson (12.2%)pic.twitter.com/N7cYbhJaCR
— Scott Spratt (@Scott_Spratt) July 20, 2023
Of course, the Bucs won’t throw as much with Baker Mayfield under center. However, Mayfield has a history of peppering running backs with targets. Tampa Bay should see plenty of favorable game scripts for the passing attack. White is a dark horse to lead running backs in targets.
That gives him real breakout potential in season two.
— SLEEPER —
Jahmyr Gibbs & David Montgomery (RB) Detroit Lions –
The rebuilt Lions are no longer pushovers in the competitive NFC North. Fresh off a 9-8 campaign, Detroit is poised to make the playoffs for the first time since 2016. The biggest part of the turnaround was from the club’s offense. Detroit ranked fourth overall in yards and fifth in points scored.
They also rushed for 22 touchdowns a year ago- third-most in football. And after spending the 12th overall pick on electric Alabama RB Jahmyr Gibbs, the 2023 Lions could be even more potent. In fact, the club was so enamored with Gibbs that they sent D’Andre Swift to Philadelphia. Swift posted RB17 numbers in PPR points per game last season. However, Gibbs is actually a better NFL prospect.
Gibbs posted an elite 99th percentile 4.37-second 40-yard dash. He also forced a ton of missed tackles and showcased superlative footwork. PFF graded Gibbs as a top-10 pass-catching running back last season. I envision Dan Campbell and Ben Johnson utilizing Gibbs in a similar fashion as Swift. However, Gibbs is more explosive and less likely to be felled by the nagging injuries that hampered Swift throughout his Detroit tenure.
Dating back to 2006, 10 of the 13 running backs selected inside the top 12 posted RB2 numbers or better in Year One. Also, Gibbs has already impressed with first-team reps this summer. He has a very good shot at posting top-10 numbers right away.
As for David Montgomery, this staff proved last year that there is plenty of room for two backs. Detroit rushed for 2,179 yards and 23 scores. “No. 2” back Jamaal Williams ran for 1,066 yards and an NFL-high 17 touchdowns. Montgomery is a better receiver than Williams and also weighs 225 pounds.
Montgomery should be able to parlay that same role into another solid fantasy campaign. Last season, Montgomery ranked 14th among all running backs with 17 touches (6 TDs) inside his opponent’s 10-yard line. He has also averaged 43.3 receptions over his past three seasons.
Now running behind an elite offensive line and splitting reps with Gibbs, Montgomery is a sneaky bet to deliver double-digit scores and post RB2 numbers in 2023.
— BUST —
D.J. Moore (WR) Chicago Bears –
For the record, I love D.J. Moore. I think he is an outstanding player with whom I roster in a TON of fantasy leagues. That includes 2023. However, with an ECR of WR20, Moore is set up to disappoint many fantasy managers due to circumstances out of his control.
Volume is king in fantasy football. And the lack of opportunities in this Chicago passing attack is what is likely to cap Moore’s 2023 potential. The Bears ranked 31st in plays per game (58.4) last season. They were even slower (53) in the final three games.
Plus, Chicago’s passing attack ranked dead last in interception rate, sack rate, and total passing yards (2,219) while ranking first in rushing (3,014). That 130.5 passing yards per game figure was the lowest the NFL has seen in 11 seasons.
QB Justin Fields made strides as a passer but the Bears will remain a run-first squad. Top 20 fantasy wideouts typically need north of 130 targets or double-digit touchdowns. However, Moore, who averages just four TDs per season, will be hard-pressed to approach those numbers in this offense.
Moore should be good enough to be a fantasy starter, but I think his upside is capped. Last year’s 118 targets and overall WR36 finish in fantasy points per game seem like a more realistic forecast than his current ADP. However, if Moore is still on the board at WR30, feel free to pull the trigger.
— COMEBACK —
Russell Wilson (QB) Denver Broncos –
The Broncos paid a hefty price to acquire Russell Wilson’s services ahead of the 2022 season. And that marriage got off to a rough start. Denver was ravaged by injuries. Wilson was among those hurt. Plus, the offense was saddled with poor play-calling and awful clock management.
That resulted in a lousy season for Wilson and the dismissal of head coach Nathaniel Hackett after only 15 games. However, there was a small glimmer of hope at the tail-end of the lost 2022 season. Wilson posted top-5 fantasy QB numbers in three of his last four games. Without Hackett, Wilson ran the ball more effectively and had his only outings with multiple TD strikes.
Also, the hiring of Sean Payton and offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi should be massive upgrades for the entire Denver offense. Plus, the team’s pass-catchers enter training camp fully healthy. We still don’t know about the health of RB Javonte Williams. That should lead to even more pass attempts.
Finally, Denver has the league’s eighth-easiest schedule per FullTime Fantasy’s Strength of Schedule Tool. Also, Denver’s fantasy playoff slate (Weeks 14-17) ranks as the third easiest.
I fully expect Russell Wilson to rebound in 2023 and have him as my QB11 currently. That is a full seven spots ahead of his consensus ADP. That makes Danger Russ one of my favorite signal callers to target this season, and my pick for Comeback Player of the Year.
— STASH & CASH —
Richie James (WR) Kansas City Chiefs – The NFL preseason has not started and Kadarius Toney is already hurt. Toney’s absence has led to unheralded free-agent addition Richie James getting some run with Kansas City’s first-team in three-wide sets. And, the fifth-year pro has been making the most of his opportunities to impress teammates and, most importantly, QB Patrick Mahomes.
Kansas City has the sixth-most vacated targets in their receiving corps. They also lost Juju Smith-Schuster this offseason. Overall, the Chiefs have 387 slot snaps available. James excelled in that role for the Giants last season, racking up the seventh-most slot targets (66).
Also, he boasted the ninth-highest QB rating when targeted for the Giants in 2022.
WR w/ highest QB Rating when targeted (>30)
Mecole Hardman 142.3
Rashid Shaheed 138.4
Marquise Goodwin 124.6
Stefon Diggs 124.3
Christian Watson 123.3
Isaiah Hodgins 123.3
Jaylen Waddle 122.6
Richie James 122
Tee Higgins 121James now gets Patrick Mahomes at QB. ADP 214 (WR91)
— Jody Smith (@JodySmithNFL) July 2, 2023
Mahomes is adept at exploiting defenses and finding the smallest crease to get the ball into his playmaker’s hands. James was adept versus man coverage (109.7 QB Rating when targeted) and zone (105.9) in New York. He is just the kind of player that should continue to build a rapport with his All-Pro signal caller.
Additionally, James is going undrafted in many leagues. His FFWC Advanced ADP is currently WR92. The Chiefs should remain one of the NFL’s most potent passing attacks. That makes Richie James, Deneric Prince, and Skyy Moore awfully appealing late-round draft targets. Also, their depressed ADP values mean they offer nothing but upside. That’s the perfect formula for a successful stash & cash pick.
Recommended Reading: Ian Ritchie’s PreSeason Pro
These high-stakes fantasy legends put their reputation on the line just in time for your big draft!
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Plus, all summer long, these high-stakes players will be releasing their picks. Stay tuned as the PreSeason PRO Hub comes to life for the 2023 season and you’ll see who the very best of the best are taking in their fantasy drafts.
Lastly, If you have time to prepare, make sure you mock in our Mock Draft World Championships. No better way to practice for the real thing.
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