The NFL preseason is regularly overrated when it comes to its impact on fantasy football rankings. However, there are always a few important pieces of information we can use to adjust our evaluations and ranks. With that in mind, I found the 20 most important movers from the start of August until now.
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You can see all of my 2023 fantasy football rankings here, including non, half and full-PPR with tiers for half.
And for customizable projections (change them to your heart’s desire) head here.
RUNNING BACKS
Keaontay Ingram, ARI
POS RK CHANGE +27
The Cardinals are in contention for the worst offense in the league, and James Conner doesn’t have a full season under his belt. Ingram looks to have gotten some of his quickness back and is the likely backup plan, who could be in the RB2/3 range if Conner gets hurt (again).
Ty Chandler, MIN
POS RK CHANGE +15
DeWayne McBride has power, but after starting fourth on the depth chart, Chandler nabbed the second spot behind Alexander Mattison. Chandler is an intriguing backup to stash — he might even have some half/full-PPR value if the Vikings give him 5-10 touches a week.
Dameon Pierce, HOU
POS RK CHANGE +12
Devin Singletary (below) came in as a free agent, and the concern was that Singletary would share the backfield as the complementary pass catcher. Turns out, Singletary is the backup plan if Pierce gets hurt. Pierce has seen plenty of third-down work and is primed for a big year as one of the few remaining — and young — bellcows in the NFL.
Khalil Herbert, CHI
POS RK CHANGE +10
Roschon Johnson and D’Onta Foreman could have turned this backfield into a true committee. However, the Bears know what we knew from last year — Herbert has Top 15 upside without David Montgomery. No, I’m not ranking him as such, but as a solid RB2? Heck yeah!
James Cook, BUF
POS RK CHANGE +7
Damien Harris is a legitimate worry for Cook’s touchdown upside, particularly when you factor in how much Josh Allen takes already. That said, Harris missing time until this week and the Bills’ comfort with Cook seeing 15+ touches regularly deserves a boost. That said, I still can’t get Cook into the RB Top 24.
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Devin Singletary, HOU
POS RK CHANGE -15
See: Pierce, Dameon.
Breece Hall, NYJ
POS RK CHANGE -13
I was already lower than most on Hall, and yes, I still see potential RB1 value in the second half of the season… that’s if Hall gets back to 100%, significantly outperforms Dalvin Cook, and if the Jets want to risk it with Hall coming off a major injury. They didn’t give Cook $7 million guaranteed to play change-of-pace.
Ken Walker, SEA
POS RK CHANGE -12
Zach Charbonnet is a real threat to create a 50/50 split, quite similar to Javonte Williams with Melvin Gordon. Yes, that could turn into two Top 25 running backs, and Walker could still get 60-65% of the work, but an injury means he’s riskier.
J.K. Dobbins, BAL
POS RK CHANGE -10
Initially, I was quite high on Dobbins coming off a ridiculous five-game finish to 2022. Since then, we had the holdout, which seemed like it was contract-related. What is concerning is there have been rumblings — though, with no real proof — that the knee is a concern and something Dobbins will have to continually deal with all year.
Rashaad Penny, PHI
POS RK CHANGE -8
The Eagles are set to keep all four running backs, which means this will be the ultimate definition of a committee. I had hoped D’Andre Swift and Penny would be like the KW3/Charbonnet situation, but this is as messy as it gets with the weekly frustration of trying to determine who might hit.
WIDE RECEIVERS
Marvin Mims, DEN
POS RK CHANGE +34
First, it was Tim Patrick, whose injury opened up the No. 3 role, and then it was Jerry Jeudy — hamstring, questionable for Week 1. Mims is a great talent whose pathway to early success keeps getting clearer.
Josh Downs, IND
POS RK CHANGE +22
After the draft, I mentioned how Downs’ style is a better fit for Anthony Richardson than Alec Pierce, and now we have reports that the two rookies are developing an early rapport. If Richardson has any rookie-season passing success, Downs will be a part of it.
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Jonathan Mingo, CAR
POS RK CHANGE +20
Just like Mims, the path to targets is wide open now with only Adam Thielen in the way. D.J. Chark and Terrace Marshall are nursing injuries, and Mingo was already making noise before that.
Zay Jones, JAX
POS RK CHANGE +17
A problem for Christian Kirk turned into a boost for Jones. Kirk has been coming off the field for a decent chunk of two-receiver formations, and while the result will be Kirk and Jones seeing similar snap counts, Jones jumps up a bit after being an assumed backseat No. 3 receiver.
Gabe Davis, BUF
POS RK CHANGE +10
This is one part no receiver for the Bills stepping up to threaten Davis or cement their status as the No. 3 and one part going back and seeing that Davis has room to improve. Davis wasn’t as bad as perceived last year thanks to his lofty preseason expectations and regular WR2 ranking.
George Pickens, PIT
POS RK CHANGE +5
It’s the smallest of the significant movers, but Kenny Pickett’s impressive preseason gives me a bit of hope for Pickens and Diontae Johnson. I still don’t love Pickett as a fantasy quarterback, but even with a run-heavy approach — especially near the goal line — any improvement from Pickett can get both Steelers receivers into the Top 35.
Isaiah Hodgins, NYG
POS RK CHANGE -30
The only Giants receiver with guaranteed production is actually a tight end. Hodgins was the best option many times last year, but the Giants have treated Darius Slayton and Parris Campbell as the No. 1 and 2 options — well, No. 2 and 3 behind Darren Waller.
Kadarius Toney, KC
POS RK CHANGE -14
He just can’t stay healthy. Toney was already a bit overvalued due to his immense upside on any given play, but the depth chart looks to be Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Skyy Moore, then a battle of Richie James, Rashee Rice, Justyn Ross and Toney.
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Elijah Moore, CLE
POS RK CHANGE -11
I still think there is plenty of upside and talent here for a Moore bounce back. The problem is the Browns have used him primarily as the slot receiver and in 11 set. A snap count limitation is enough of a concern to slide Moore back a few spots.
Brandon Aiyuk, SF
POS RK CHANGE -8
Pure receiver talent, I’d take Aiyuk over Deebo Samuel. As a complete threat, give me Samuel. Mix in all three top options (Aiyuk, Samuel, and George Kittle) and you have someone likely left out from top-end production. With talk of Samuel being 100% and getting a bit more 2021 use versus 2022, I moved them closer together. Initially, this felt like a 1-2 punch of Aiyuk and Kittle with Samuel the clear No. 3, which would still be quite good. Now, it looks to be an Eagles-like scenario with less of a quarterback guarantee.
(Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports)
Jake Ciely is rankings: Fantasy Football, Fantasy Baseball, candy, movies, video games, cereal... anything! Truly, Jake is a ranking prodigy. Oh, he's also the senior fantasy writer for The Athletic, an award-winning analyst and loves DuckTales. Make sure you #CheckTheLink and #BanKickers ... woo-oo! Follow Jake on Twitter @allinkid
