Fantasy Football Mock Draft: Receivers Lead the Charge in Round 3
We’re starting to see some roster construction come into play during Round 3.
Four straight receivers went off the board to kick things off. Three of those experts already had receivers on their teams. The NFL has changed and so has the way fantasy football is approached. This is a traditional PPR-scoring mock draft, so receivers are predictably valuable.
Two more quarterbacks went in the third round as Chris Prince snagged Lamar Jackson 31st overall, while yours truly took Justin Fields two picks later at 33.
Josh Jacobs was finally picked up by Charlie Wright who said he had to stop the slide at 3.6.
“I get the skepticism with Jacobs given his contract situation, but I’d be shocked if he actually missed any games. He led the position in PPR scoring last season, so getting him in the 3rd round is a steal,” Wright said.
“I was planning on going WR here before my queue was wiped out. Would’ve been tough to pass on Smith/Higgins/Ridley if they made it to me.”
Missed the last round? Check out the results from Round 2 here!
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2023 Fantasy Football Mock Draft: Round 3 Results
Pick 3.1 – Chris Olave (Derek Farnsworth)
Pick 3.2 – Calvin Ridley (Andre Alford)
Pick 3.3 – Devonta Smith (Keith Eyster)
Pick 3.4 – Tee Higgins (Erik Beimfohr)
Pick 3.5 – Najee Harris (Nick Galaida)
Pick 3.6 – Josh Jacobs (Charlie Wright)
Pick 3.7 – Lamar Jackson (Chris Prince)
Pick 3.8 – Rhamondre Stevenson (Dean Shavelson)
Pick 3.9 – Justin Fields (Justin Carlucci)
Pick 3.10 – D.K. Metcalf (Justin Van Zuiden)
Pick 3.11 – Jahmyr Gibbs – (Kyle Murray)
Pick 3.12 – Deebo Samuel (TJ Zwarych)
Round 3 Fantasy Football Mock Draft Expert Analysis
Pick 3.3 – Devonta Smith (Keith Eyster)
“Higgins was the top player on my board here. But having already selected Chase at 1.03, plus the uncertainty surrounding Joe Burrow calf injury, I opted for Smith. I’m still getting an elite WR in an elite offense. I am still getting plenty of upside here without putting all of my eggs in the Bengals’ basket.” – Keith Eyster
Pick 3.5 – Najee Harris (Nick Galaida)
“Across his last nine games played in 2022, Harris averaged over 20 touches per game. His explosiveness limits his upside, but the lack of competition on the Pittsburgh depth chart makes him a high-floor option at this point in the draft.” – Nick Galaida
Pick 3.6 – Lamar Jackson (Chris Prince)
“Jackson is one of my preferred targets in the third round when Tee Higgins and DeVonta Smith are off the board. I considered another RB here and this next tier of wide receivers is pretty closely bunched in my opinion. With Ekeler already on board, I can stock up on running backs later in the draft. This Baltimore offense is set to explode under new OC Todd Monken and I think we see Lamar return to his MVP form with the best weapons he’s ever had (and you get about a one-round discount off the “big three” at QB). I would not be surprised at all to see Lamar finish as QB1 this season – happy to snag him here in the third.” – Chris Prince
Pick 3.9 – Justin Fields (Justin Carlucci)
“It might be a reach in terms of ADP, but I think we’re going to see a big leap from Fields this season. It may not be a Jalen Hurts-type leap, but it could be significant. My best seasons are when I have the confidence to go off the draft board a bit when I have conviction on a player. Fields had a full offseason with D.J. Moore and I really like what I saw from Cole Kmet last season. In my opinion, there is a huge tier break (aside from the injured Joe Burrow) with the remaining quarterbacks and I am going to take the next best receiver on the board with my next pick (unless Jahmyr Gibbs is still available – then I’ll have a tough decision). Fields flashed monster upside last season. He tallied two games of 40-plus fantasy points, thanks to his unique ability to score points with his legs. Fields scored 20+ fantasy points in seven of the last nine weeks of the regular season. The second-year QB will be one of the few players that can single-handedly win you a couple of head-to-head matchups in 2023. His opponents during the final two weeks of the fantasy playoffs are Arizona and Atlanta – two games that should be fantastic environments for scoring.” – Justin Carlucci
Fantasy Football Takeaways – Round 3
Biggest Reach: Justin Fields: Sleeper ADP: 45.1, Underdog ADP: 49.2
This pick could make or break my draft. Fields will likely need to take at least half of the leap I’m predicting for my roster to hit its ceiling. I feel pretty good about the lack of defense in that division and the tier gap between the rest of the quarterbacks that were remaining at that point of the draft.
Biggest Fall: Josh Jacobs: Sleeper ADP: 20.4, Underdog ADP: 30.7
Underdog is a best ball site and the volume of drafts that take place over there is incredible. The public is pumping the breaks on Jacobs (on Underdog) right now until that situation plays out. I like what Charlie did – there is serious value in that pick and he bough the dip. At least it’s not as dicey as the Jonathan Taylor situation! Jacobs clearly has RB1 upside – the question is, will he play a full season – or at all?
Round 4 Bold Prediction: Keith Eyster takes Joe Burrow to pair up with Ja’Marr Chase. Burrow suffered a calf injury and it’s unknown exactly how much time he will miss. My glass is half full with Burrow, and my best guess is that he plays most of the season. Let’s see how far he falls and if Mr. Eyster will target him if he’s available.