Sophomores You Need to Draft

More RB Drama and Some Fresh Looks

Author

Jen of Deep Dive Fantasy
August 03, 2023

Welcome to the Deep Dive Fantasy Newsletter, a now twice-weekly fantasy football publication coming to your inbox all summer long.

While the fresh-faced rookies are fun to follow and we pray for a hot start when drafting them, it's the sophomores who are primed for breakouts in the fantasy football realm. Here are a few of my favorite second-year targets heading into the 2023 season. I’m excluding the gimme guys like Chris Olave, Garett Wilson, Drake London, and Breece Hall because you’re drafting them already.

🏴‍☠️ Rachaad White, RB (TB) 

It was a slow burn for Rachaad White to start his NFL career, but from Weeks 10–17, he was the RB29 in half-PPR points per game, forcing a timeshare with Leonard Fournette. White’s appeal in 2023 aside from little competition is his pass-catching prowess. As a rookie, he saw 4.7 targets per game from Weeks 10–17 which was the 12th most among RBs, and that was with Fournette in the fold getting 5.5 air balls in that time frame. As the team’s clear RB1 (at least for now), White has the potential to outproduce his current Yahoo ADP of RB26 in the late-sixth round.

🎖️ Jahan Dotson, WR (WAS)

It was an inconsistent rookie campaign for Jahan Dotson, as not only did he miss a chunk of the season with an injury, but he was catching balls from Carson Wentz and Taylor Heinicke with Scott Turner in charge of the offense. Despite the disadvantages, Dotson showed us what he can be in the final six weeks of the season, posting WR15 numbers in half-PPR points per game from Weeks 13–18.

The 23-year-old should benefit from the addition of assistant head coach and OC Eric Bieniemy’s more creative playcalling with fellow sophomore Sam Howell confidently at the helm. His ceiling is that of a fantasy WR2 in Washington’s new-look offense, but Dotson is being drafted as a WR3 right now in early Yahoo leagues. He’s leaving draft boards as the WR35 in the seventh round.

🦬 James Cook, RB (BUF)

Cook also came on late in his rookie season. From Week 13 on, he posted more half-PPR points per contest than backfield mate Devin Singletary, earning RB28 honors in half-PPR points per game, with the veteran checking in as the RB36 in that category. Cook also pushed Singletary for work down the stretch, seeing 11 touches per game with his teammate earning 12 in that same six-week timeframe.

The former UGA RB showed dual-threat ability in 2022, averaging 5.8 yards per attempt which ranked fifth among all RBs with 30+ carries, with 21 catches on 32 targets for a total of 180 receiving yards on the season. Buffalo added Damien Harris to replace Singletary so Cook won’t see a bellcow role, but he makes for a great value pick as an RB3 for those implementing a zero RB or anchor RB strategy. Yahoo drafters are currently taking the sophomore as the RB37 at spot 8.09.

🐶 Jerome Ford, RB (CLE)

It was a very quiet entrance into the NFL for Jerome Ford, primarily because he was buried on the Cleveland depth chart behind Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt. The sophomore is now Chubb’s primary backup, a role that was fruitful for Hunt over the last four years, garnering several fantasy RB2 finishes in half-PPR points per game and an overall RB10 ranking in 2020 in half-PPR points.

Ford is similar in build to Hunt and if he assumes a comparable workload, the 23-year-old can smash his RB60 ADP and emits league-winning vibes if anything were to happen to Chubb.

⚜️ Rashid Shaheed, WR (NO)

Chris Olave is getting all the sophomore love in New Orleans heading into 2023. While he’s worth the draft capital as a second-rounder, we can’t forget about the success former UDFA Shaheed achieved as a rookie. It’s a very limited sample as he only saw 34 targets, but Shaheed had 28 catches for 488 yards and two touchdowns with an insane 17.4 yards per reception. He earned a starting role down the stretch and was a fantasy WR1 once with two fantasy WR2 performances over his last five contests.

With a shaky Michael Thomas in the WR2 role and an upgrade at the QB position to Derek Carr, Shaheed is sitting pretty for a breakout year and will only cost you a 13th-round selection.

We may finally get some clarity when drafting the New Orleans running backs as Alvin Kamara will meet with the powers that be to discuss a possible suspension for the 2023 season.

There’s plenty of drama surrounding Colts’ RB Jonathan Taylor. First, multiple reports surfaced saying he would be put on the non-football injury list due to back pain. Taylor proceeded to refute any back issues via Twitter.

Taylor has been present at Indy camp - though on the PUP list from his ankle surgery- despite not receiving a contract extension which led to a request for a trade. It appears Colts owner Jim Irsay and Taylor are at a standstill as they do not want to trade him per Ian Rapaport below and Taylor is clearly not happy.

With Zack Moss suffering a broken forearm in practice the other day, the Colts are in need of some insurance at the RB position if Taylor actually decides to hold out in 2023. Let the tryouts commence.

This first one isn’t exactly showing off a heightened physique, but the clear consensus fantasy TE1 Travis Kelce showcased a new look at Chiefs’ camp on Wednesday.

What a difference one year and new ownership makes for the Washington Commanders and their fan base. Here’s an interesting look at the situation from Washington beat writer Nicki Jhabvala.

Detroit Lions HC Dan Campbell is not only jacked himself, but he actually approached Lions ownership and the NFL to have a live Lion on the sidelines for the 2023 season. Owner Sheila Ford Hamp was allegedly alright with the idea but the no-fun league wasn’t into it via Pardon My Take.

YouTube Video of the Week: 10 Stats to Know

For more videos like this one be sure to subscribe to YouTube.com/@4FOR4!

Here are some of the latest articles to post on 4for4.com. There’s always something new so be sure to keep dropping by.