There is a lot of buzz around taking Justin Jefferson with the first overall draft pick in 2023 fantasy football leagues. Apparently, none of those experts rostered him last season when he completely disappeared in week 17, costing scores of managers a championship in the process. Anyway, taking a wide receiver as the first player off the board is undoubtedly a bold move.
During his three seasons in the NFL, Jefferson has finished as the 14th, 6th and 3rd highest-scoring non-quarterback in fantasy football. On the surface, some may assume he is trending toward the number one spot, although it rarely works out like that.
Ultimately, the talk of selecting Justin Jefferson with the first overall draft pick in 2023 has more to do with the Minnesota Vikings wideout’s perceived stability more than anything else. After Jonathan Taylor and Christian McCaffery disappointed as top picks, it appears the fantasy football community is looking for safety.
That is something no other candidate to be taken first overall provides. Austin Ekeler is awesome but has a new offensive coordinator who may not lean so heavily on him. Saquon Barkley and McCaffery have injury concerns. Taylor looks to be in a brutal Colts offense. Josh Jacobs is, well, Josh Jacobs.
While Jefferson probably won’t finish as the leading point scorer this season, there is every reason to believe he’ll be in the top five. More importantly, he is the only potential early first rounder who doesn’t enter this season with a major question mark.
The only real issue with drafting Justin Jefferson with the first overall draft pick in 2023 is that it locks you into going RB0. Either that or you start reaching for running backs like Nick Chubb or Dalvin Cook who don’t offer great value there.
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Should you really draft Justin Jefferson with the first overall draft pick in 2023?
Yes. Look, you will need to go into your draft with a clear teambuilding strategy if you go this route. But no other player comes into 2023 with the high floor of Jefferson. That is vital for those drafting in the top spot because things get shaky by the time you are on the clock again.
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