Dynasty Fantasy Football: 2023 NFL Rookie Wide Receiver Rankings

2023 Fantasy Football: Rookie Wide Receiver Rankings

Published: May 11, 2023

Updated: May 11, 2023

The 2023 NFL Draft is in the books. And it once again reminded us that we will never know exactly what these teams are going to do before the draft. There were smoke screens. There were trades. Fantasy hopes were dashed (looking at you, Jahmyr Gibbs and Zack Charbonett). While new hope was found on a lot of guys (hello, Sam LaPorta). It’s our job now to sort through the post-draft rubble and square away some dynasty rookie rankings for your dynasty rookie drafts. No more mocks - now is the real deal.

We’re going to start with the dynasty rookie wide receiver rankings and hit on all the positions this week before you draft this weekend. We’ll do a little write-up for the big dogs in the top-10 and include rankings for the top 25. If you have any further questions about what specifically to do based on YOUR rosters, your settings, and your league, always feel free to post a question in the Fantasy Alarm Discord channel. You can post it under the NFL > Dynasty tab or drop it in Coop’s Corner if you want to hear specifically from me.

Without further ado, here are the top rookie wide receivers from the 2023 NFL Draft!

Rookie Wide Receiver Ranks Top-10:

1. Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Seattle Seahawks

I picture his trajectory similar to Chris Godwin. Godwin played a partial snap share behind Mike Evans and DeSean Jackson early but, once he was a full time player, it was wheels up. JSN is the best WR in this class but might be third fiddle behind DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett early on. Lockett turns 31 in September.

2. Jordan Addison, Minnesota Vikings

If this were a list for “best ball” or 2023 alone, we might have Addison at 1. Because the opportunity is there for him immediately in Kevin O’Connell’s offense. And the 2021 Fred Biletnikoff Award winner could push TJ Hockenson for the second target behind Justin Jefferson right away.

3. Quentin Johnston, Los Angeles Chargers

Johnston reminds us a lot of DJ Chark. One of the big knocks on him is that he doesn’t “play as big as he is” and can body catch balls at times. But the physical ability and upside are hard to ignore. And he’s going to play with Justin Herbert.

4. Zay Flowers, Baltimore Ravens

Flowers was easily one the biggest risers during the draft process as he added 20 pounds of muscle. And former Ravens offensive coordinator Greg Roman is gone in favor of Todd Monken’s Air Raid offense so we should see more passes thrown. Lamar Jackson could have a hard time supporting multiple fantasy relevant pass catchers though and, for now, he’s competing with Mark Andrews, Rashod Bateman, and Odell Beckham

5. Jonathan Mingo, Carolina Panthers

Another late riser in the process and a guy who got a lot of Twitter buzz. We were cautiously optimistic about him as one of the few guys who offered size at 6’1” 226. The second round draft capital for us confirmed that he’s a guy we want in dynasty.

6. Jayden Reed, Green Bay Packers

It’s not always easy to judge some of these guys from lower powered offenses like Michigan State. PlayerProfiler comps him to another guy from a less flashy school - Stefon Diggs. There are targets available right away in Green Bay who took a shot on Reed in the second round. That’s worth a shot from us.

7. Marvin Mims, Denver Broncos

He was picked to a crowded situation with Jerry Jeudy, Courtland Sutton, Tim Patrick, Greg Dulcich etc. But things can change pretty quickly in this league, especially with a new coaching staff coming in for their first year. We’re going to trust the talent on this one and hope that Sean Payton and company shake things up sooner rather than later.

8. Josh Downs, Indianapolis Colts

When we spoke to Brandon Huffman of 247Sports, he mentioned two guys that just knew how to play ball. Bryce Young from Alabama. And Josh Downs. This guy is a slot monster that offers a pretty high floor though he needs to find his way to playing some flanker too so he doesn’t come off the field for two WR sets.

9. Rashee Rice, Kansas City Chiefs

At this stage of the game it does feel like a trap to a certain degree, chasing wide receivers drafted by Kansas City. Especially since they have similar profiled guys like Skyy Moore and Kadarius Toney already. But the upside of hitting on a Patrick Mahomes receiver is simply too great to ignore.

10. Jalin Hyatt, New York Giants

Jalin Hyatt is a big time speed guy which we love to see but the concern is he could end up more of a “field stretcher” at the next level. That’s valuable in real life but not so much in fantasy. He did win the award for the best receiver in college football though and here are the most recent Fred Biletnikoff Award winners. Pretty solid company.