The 2023 fantasy football season is finally here! After months of anticipation, rookie drafts, rankings, sleepers, and busts, it’s finally time to put the roster you drafted to the test. That is, if you’re done drafting. For many, the opening week of the NFL season is the perfect time for a fantasy football draft because everyone has as much information as possible to draw from via injury lists, depth charts, etc. So let’s get some last-minute fantasy football draft advice in, shall we?

I fielded the best questions from both the TDN Premium Discord and on X to try to be as helpful as possible for everyone with burning questions heading into their final fantasy draft(s). Let’s dive in.

Fantasy Football Draft Advice

Q: WTF do we do with Cooper Kupp?

This has been the biggest fantasy football draft question asked over the last couple of weeks and for good reason. Kupp was a consensus first-round pick despite his hamstring injury all summer, but a setback has his Week 1 (and September) status in doubt. You should no longer take Kupp in the first round, but even if he still plays 13 games (my current projection) he’s worthy of a mid-to-late second-round pick. Risk-averse fantasy managers may just avoid him entirely, but Kupp does have weekly WR1 potential whenever he suits up. I get if you want to avoid him entirely, but the bolder fantasy managers may get a nice reward if they take the risk.

Q: Aside from the top 5 TEs, is there a point in drafting any TE in the top 130?

Regular listeners of the Prospects and Props Podcast know that I am completely avoiding what I call the “middle class” of TEs in my fantasy drafts. There are a number of later picks like Jake Ferguson, Sam LaPorta, Luke Musgrave, Chigoziem Okonkwo, etc. who I’m perfectly fine going into the season with as my TE1 relative to what I can stack at other positions earlier in fantasy football drafts. The elite TEs do offer a nice weekly advantage, but paying up for the next tier of Kyle Pitts, Evan Engram, and David Njoku just isn’t something I’m willing to do. Give me the additional value I can add at RB or WR instead.

Q: How much do you prioritize stacking in redraft leagues?

I don’t consider stacking at all in redraft leagues. If it happens naturally, that’s great! If not, I don’t give any extra weight (positively or negatively) to players who play for the same team. Stacking makes sense in DFS formats where you’re looking to max out on production one time, but in season-long leagues, it’ll force you to ride the wave more often than not. Draft players based on where you have them ranked regardless of which team they play for.

Side note: This also goes for weekly lineups when it involves your opponent’s players. I don’t suggest playing or not playing someone based on who the other team rosters. For example, don’t play Adam Thielen over Christian Watson just because your opponent is starting Bryce Young. Play your best players… always.

Q: Any last-round fliers you’re intrigued by?

I’ll give you two for each position:

QB: Sam Howell, Kyler Murray
RB: Jerome Ford, Trayveon Williams
WR: Puka Nacua, Michael Wilson
TE: Hunter Henry, Jelani Woods

Q: How do you evaluate a supposedly healthier Alvin Kamara who is suspended to start the year?

I’m pretty bullish on Kamara given his ADP this season. He’s currently coming off the board as the RB28 in the sixth round of fantasy football drafts. While he is suspended for the first three games of the season, I expect him to maintain a high-volume, high-production role with the Saints upon his return. Even factoring in a potential injury down the line—I have him projected to play 12 games this season—Kamara should provide low-end RB1, high-end RB2 production when he’s on the field. I have him ranked as my RB15 heading into the season and have grabbed a bunch of shares of him in best ball leagues. I have a sneaking suspicion that he’ll be ranked as a top-12 RB by most fantasy experts each week once his suspension ends, even if those same people are a bit more skittish with their draft rankings of him.

Q: On that note, is Jamaal Williams a starter while Kamara is suspended?

Yes, as a low-end RB2 or flex play. I don’t see the touchdowns translating from last season (look below for how many 1-2 yard runs he had), but he should still get plenty of work over the first three weeks of the season to be fantasy-relevant. He’s ranked as a top-25 RB for me for Week 1.

Here are Williams’ 17 touchdown runs from 2022: