The Patriots strengthened their running back depth by signing veteran Ezekiel Elliott, but how will his role in New England affect the 2023 Fantasy football rankings? Projected starter Rhamondre Stevenson is coming off his best season as a professional, recording 210 carries for 1,040 yards and five rushing touchdowns in 2022. Elliott, meanwhile, has scored 10 or more rushing touchdowns in three of his last four seasons and his presence could make Stevenson among the 2023 Fantasy football busts. Should you target Elliott or Stevenson in Fantasy football 2023 drafts or avoid New England’s backfield? Which running backs could be among the Fantasy football busts 2023 this season?
As you begin your 2023 Fantasy football draft prep, be sure to check out the 2023 Fantasy football cheat sheets from the proven computer model at SportsLine.
Last year, the model accurately predicted that Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott would fail to live up to his Fantasy football ADP. Elliott was coming off the board in the fourth round on average but produced a career-low 986 scrimmage yards on 248 touches. He finished as the No. 22 running back in PPR leagues. The model projected that he’d finish outside the top 20 running backs for the season and helped owners avoid an early-round mistake.
The model has a proven track record providing Fantasy football tips, calling Tony Pollard a sleeper last year and also identifying A.J. Brown as a sleeper in 2020, along with players like Julio Jones and JuJu Smith-Schuster as Fantasy football busts last season. Additionally, it’s called past Fantasy football sleepers like Derrick Henry in 2019, Christian McCaffrey and Alvin Kamara in 2018, and Davante Adams in 2017. Anybody who banked on players like those made a run at their league title.
The model is powered by the same people who generated projections for all three major Fantasy sites, and it beat human experts last season when there was a big difference in ranking. The projections update multiple times daily, so you’re always getting the best Fantasy football advice.
Now, SportsLine has simulated the entire NFL season 10,000 times and released its latest Fantasy football rankings 2023, along with plenty of sleepers, breakouts and busts. Head to SportsLine now to see them.
Top 2023 Fantasy football busts
One of the 2023 Fantasy football busts the model is predicting: 49ers receiver Brandon Aiyuk. In his third season, Aiyuk had the breakout year many were hoping for with career-highs across the board. He had 78 grabs for 1,015 yards and eight touchdowns as the one constant in San Francisco’s lineup. He benefitted from George Kittle and Deebo Samuel missing multiple games, as well as Christian McCaffrey not arriving until Week 7.
However, those three are all higher than Aiyuk in the Niners’ pecking order and his Fantasy owners can’t count on them all missing more time in 2023. The 49ers still operate a run-first offense, as they ranked 26th in pass attempts last year, and there’s uncertainty about who will be under center once the season starts. Aiyuk cracked the top 15 in positional Fantasy points in 2022, but the model has him outside the top 30 wideouts in its 2023 Fantasy football WR rankings.
Another bust that SportsLine’s Fantasy football rankings 2023 have identified: Rams running back Cam Akers. He produced 408 yards from scrimmage and three touchdowns in his final three games of last season, proving he can be a reliable Fantasy football running back.
However, Akers has dealt with numerous injuries in his career and will be part of an offense that averaged just 280.5 yards per game last season, which ranked dead-last in the league. Akers is also limited as a pass-catcher, recording just 27 receptions thus far in his career. You can also get similar value from players going off the board later such as A.J. Dillon (10th-round Fantasy football ADP) and Rashaad Penny (10th), making Akers one of the 2023 Fantasy football busts to steer clear of. See which other Fantasy football busts 2023 to avoid here.
How to find proven 2023 Fantasy football rankings
SportsLine is also extremely low on a wide receiver who is being drafted as a top-15 player at his position. The model ranks him outside its top 24 wide receivers for 2023 and expects him to see major regression. You can only see who it is, and the 2023 Fantasy football rankings for every player, at SportsLine.
So which 2023 Fantasy Football busts should you avoid, and which receiver will fail to live up to expectations in 2023? Visit SportsLine now to get 2023 Fantasy Football cheat sheets for every single position, all from the model that told you to avoid Ezekiel Elliott in 2022, and find out.
