Fantasy Football Sleepers 2023

The PlayerProfiler Staff has put together their list of fantasy football sleepers for 2023. In this article, they cover the quarterback position. Which late round quarterbacks can help YOU win your fantasy league in 2023? There might be a double endorsement from our staff!

Anthony Richardson

Theo Gremminger

Imagine Vernon Davis with a Cannon. Fantasy Points’ Scott Barrett came on First Class Fantasy earlier this offseason and made that comparison for Indianapolis Colt’s Rookie QB Anthony Richardson. There is no other choice here. Richardson is my pick for Breakout QB.

Anthony Richardson Advanced Stats & Metrics

Richardson’s electric NFL Combine is already the stuff of legends: a 4.43 40-yard dash, a 40.5-inch vertical, and a 129-inch broad jump. He did all this while weighing in at 244 pounds. Draft capital concerns were alleviated when he was selected with the No. 4 overall pick in this year’s NFL Draft. He will start his NFL career in an offense with productive WR Michael Pittman Jr. and a former fantasy RB1 Overall in Jonathan Taylor. Richardson will also be under the tutelage of new head coach Shane Steichen. Steichen not only oversaw the meteoric rise of Jalen Hurts in Philadelphia, but he also coached Justin Herbert in Los Angeles. With Richardson, he will go three for three with young QBs producing at a high level in fantasy.

There will be a learning curve for any rookie QB, and there will be games that Richardson will struggle in. But the combination of elite rushing ability with an incredible deep ball is music to fantasy managers ears. We do not play regular NFL football, we play fantasy football, and QBs with rushing upside are fantasy gold. Expect Richardson to challenge for top 10 numbers and leap into the elite QB tier in year two.

Jordan Love

Matty Kiwoom

Karen Rodgers is no longer a Green Bay Packer. The Jordan Love era has officially begun. The franchise has gone from Brett Favre to Rodgers and now Love. There will be a lot of pressure. The million dollar question is: will he be ready to take the reins? I believe so. Love is a talented young player, he will have weapons to operate with, and the Packers have a soft schedule for QB’s. That is the reason why the former first round draft selection is my quarterback candidate to breakout in 2023.

In 2020, Green Bay decided to use their No. 26 overall pick to take the heir apparent at quarterback. They had an aging QB that would have welcomed some extra help trying to win in the short term. However, Love was talented enough for the Packers to bring him aboard. After throwing for over 8,500 passing yards at Utah State, Love impressed throughout the draft process. He went down to the Senior Bowl and performed so well, he drew similar praise that Justin Herbert received due to his arm strength and athleticism. Then he went to the NFL Combine and ran a 4.74 40-Yard Dash (73rd percentile) and produced a 121.1 Burst Score (87th percentile). At the time the landing spot blocked Love from getting on the field but fast forward to 2023 and the offense is his.

Weaponry

Love will not be asked to perform without having weapons. Christian Watson is big, fast, and very talented. Watson is poised to have a second-year breakout after putting up seven touchdowns in his rookie season. Aaron Jones and AJ Dillon make up one of the most dangerous backfields in the NFL. Jones has been one of the best receiving backs in the sport. Dillon provides the skills that help inexperienced signal callers. Green Bay decided to bolster their offensive unit by selecting Jayden Reed, Luke Musgrave (Jack’s tight end breakout candidate), and Tucker Kraft in this year’s NFL Draft. There is no question that the offense is young, but the upside is extremely exciting.

The Packers are projected to have a soft 2023 schedule. According to the “World Famous” Draft Kit, Green Bay’s schedule is compiled of 56-percent easy matchups. They only have two tough matchups on the docket. Not only is the 2023 season projected to be soft for the Packers, but is it the easiest for quarterbacks based on opponents’ 2022 fantasy points allowed per game. Big shout out to Ian Hartitz for posting this research in May. The season starts easy for Love and ends easy for Love. Jordan Love is going after pick 225 and will provide drafters with some incredible late QB production. That is why he is my quarterback breakout candidate for 2023.

Brock Purdy

Seth Diewold

Brock Purdy might be the best kept secret that’s not really a secret. By most accounts, Purdy is the clear favorite to land the starting quarterback job for the San Francisco 49ers once he is completely recovered from offseason elbow surgery. While there is a world where Trey Lance gets some starts at the beginning of the season and wows the coaching staff, that world is not likely. Also, consider the fact that Purdy is currently being drafted at pick No. 308.5 in FFPC leagues and pick No. 170.2 in Underdog drafts. At that price, he’s likely the QB 2 on your fantasy roster who has a great chance at being an everyday starter on an offense with Christian McCaffrey, Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk, and George Kittle.

Also, Purdy did the most with the opportunity he was give last year. From the point when he took over as starting quarterback in Week 13 against the Miami Dolphins, Purdy finished as a top 10 QB in fantasy points per game three times to close out the regular season. In fact, he finished no lower than QB 18 in fantasy points per game, and that came in his first career game as the full-time starting quarterback.

Upside

The truth is there are few quarterbacks with the amount of upside of a Brock Purdy that you can draft as late as Purdy is going currently. Once more news comes out about his recovery, we will start to get a clearer picture of what his Week 1 availability will be. However, at his current price point, I’m willing to take a calculated risk that Purdy winds up being the full-time starter sooner rather than later. At his price point, I can draft a quarterback a little bit higher with a safer floor.

Perhaps a Jared Goff, Kirk Cousins, Geno Smith, or Russell Wilson is the first quarterback that you select. These are all players going later in drafts that have stable positions within their organizations. Pairing Purdy with one of these safer quarterbacks is a plan that provides the upside of a top 8-10 QB without the price tag of a top 8-10 QB.

Brock Purdy

Jack Cavanagh

Brock Purdy only started eight NFL games last year but were it not for a torn UCL Brock Purdy would be everyone’s favorite breakout quarterback entering the 2023. The unexpected hero of the San Francisco 49ers entered the starting lineup in Week 14 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, dropped three touchdowns, and never looked back. After claiming the starting role, Purdy went on to complete 67.4-percent of his passes with a 14-2 TD-INT ratio while averaging 235 yards per game in the contests he started and finished. Purdy’s completion percentage as a starter would have had him ranked No. 6 among QBs between Justin Herbert and Jimmy Garoppolo, and his passing yardage would have put him No. 15, right between Dak Prescott and Russell Wilson.

While it is a small sample, Brock Purdy showed that he is an above average quarterback in real life, with the capability to put up massive fantasy totals. Purdy threw multiple touchdown passes in seven straight games, including back-to-back three TD games against the Cardinals and Seahawks. The game against the Seahawks was the finest of Purdy’s young career, dropping 332 yards, three passing TDs and one rushing TD for a whopping 34.9 fantasy points. Purdy averaged 19.63 fantasy points per game across the seven contests he started and finished, which would have been good enough to be the QB7 in PPG, right between Lamar Jackson and Kyler Murray.

Clubhouse Leader

The 49ers have made it clear throughout the offseason that Brock Purdy is the leader in the clubhouse to be QB1 when healthy. As of this writing the uncertainty at QB has scared exactly zero people away from the 49ers offense. Christian McCaffrey is currently being drafted at the 1.03 over at the FFPC. Deebo Samuel and George Kittle are being drafted in the mid-fourth round, and even Brandon Aiyuk is being drafted in Round 6.

The fantasy community believes that the 49ers will succeed on offense. The 49ers are telling us that Brock Purdy will be the quarterback to lead this fantasy success. Yet his ADP is outside the top-300 players at the FFPC. This does not add up. Brock Purdy may not finish as a top-12 QB in overall fantasy points if/when he misses Week 1. But when Brock Purdy re-enters the lineup he will be a weekly QB1.

Desmond Ridder

Jason Allwine

Sometimes betting on a player doesn’t mean betting on a player. In Desmond Ridder‘s case- this is a bet on personnel. We’ve seen QBs succeed because they have good weapons time and time again. The Falcons have surrounded Ridder with not only a top tier offensive line, but also some serious studs. Top 10 pick Drake London, top 10 pick Kyle Pitts, and top 10 pick Bijan Robinson. It’s the perfect supporting cast to test if a QB has what you need him to have.

In 2022, just Drake London and Kyle Pitts was enough to make Marcus Mariota a top 18 QB in PPG. Desmond Ridder profiles similarly to Mariota and only had Drake London as Pitts was out due to injury in 2022. Add Bijan Robinson and bring back Kyle Pitts and you have a recipe for success. In his four starts, Ridder didn’t throw a single interception. He also looked best in the fourth start, throwing for 224 yards and 2 TDs and showing that he had improved in his limited action. His 98th percentile 40-yard dash and 94th percentile burst combined with averaging four carries per game provide some rushing upside as well.

It’s a risk worth taking as not only is their pretty decent upside, there’s also almost zero risk. He’s one of the last QBs being taken in redraft formats carrying an ADP of 336.6 in FFPC. He also falls all the way down at QB29 in our dynasty rankings. Desmond Ridder is essentially an unscratched lottery ticket that you found in the parking lot.

Kenny Pickett

Matt Babich

Despite failing to record a 20-point fantasy performance in his rookie season, Kenny Pickett provided plenty of evidence that he’ll be the league’s next breakout QB. The rookie out of Pittsburgh quickly earned the rep of a highly accurate passer, delivering an 83-percent (No. 2) Catchable Pass Rate. He excelled in deep-ball and pressured situations, showing incredible touch and poise in the pocket.

His poor fantasy performance came in large part to a lack of touchdowns. Pickett and the Steelers’ offense were adept at moving the ball deep into enemy territory, but struggled to cross the goal line, converting only 52-percent of their Red Zone drives into touchdowns. These situations, as we know, generally course-correct the following season.

Pickett also possesses a sneaky rushing upside. He has the athleticism, boasting 83rd-percentile speed, and is visibly mobile. He scored two rushing touchdowns in his first NFL appearance, and finished No. 12 among quarterbacks in total rushing attempts to end the season.

With a season as a starter under his belt, the game will slow down and his connection with his talented trio of pass catchers will deepen. Further, he’ll have more time in the pocket after adding two new offensive lineman. Playing in a division with three strong offenses, Kenny Pickett will be in position to throw often and put up a healthy amount of fantasy points this season. You can currently draft him in the 16th round of your drafts.