Top 10 fantasy football dynasty running backs heading into 2023
. . . Travis Etienne. 9. player. 52
An electric running back that gets the ball from his college teammate who is now in the NFL. Travis Etienne had a great season last year and still finished in mid-RB2 land.
In a division that is theirs to lose, the Jacksonville Jaguars should be able to jump to immediate success early in the season and not have to look back at the end of the season thinking “What if?” Etienne had a rocky start because of the production the Jaguars had early.
Etienne was able to pick up in the middle of the season with a few top-10 finishes. Look for an increase in production as the running back makes another large leap in 2023.
With 45 targets through the air, he’s not the top pass-catching back that I’d take in a draft, but he’s certainly valuable considering he caught 35 of those targets.
The Jaguars running back finished in the top 10 last year in yards per carry with 5.1. Additionally, he finished in the top 5 in missed tackles forced per attempt. These are good stats to consider even if the Jaguars also added Tank Bigsby in the 2023 draft.
Kenneth Walker III. 8. player. 36. . .
There was a highway robbery for Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2022 because Kenneth Walker III should have won that with his performance starting in week five. For a rookie to have four top-10 finishes to really kick off his career, that’s incredible for fantasy football.
Walker III is a very valuable pickup in fantasy football and is a borderline RB1 in your lineup. Considering he’s just 22 years old, he will have years of success for your lineup and has plenty of opportunity before his second contract.
Generally, there is a decline in a player’s effectiveness after the second contract, but with Walker III only entering his second year, you still have time to get what you need out of him. There is a good probability that he finishes closer to RB5 status than RB10 status by the end of 2023.
Many might be concerned with the addition of Zach Charbonnet through the NFL draft, but that’s Seattle picking up an insurance policy more than them not liking what Kenneth had to do on the field. Charbonnet will take some carries, just like Travis Homer, DeeJay Dallas, and Rashaad Penny did.
The NFL has started leaning towards having two serviceable running backs to keep your main back fresh. Don’t regret not taking him because Walker III is the top back in Seattle.