The Worst Fantasy Football Draft from 2023

For many people, the fantasy football draft is the best part of fantasy football. But just as easily as the draft can lead to a memorable season, it can lead to a forgettable one.

That said, let’s see what the worst possible fantasy football draft from 2023 would have looked like.

Worst Pick in Round 1

Nick Chubb, RB, Cleveland Browns

Nick Chubb looked primed to be a monster once again after he racked up over 100 rushing yards and added four receptions in his season-debut. Unfortunately, injuries are a huge part of bad luck when it comes to drafting, and Chubb sustained a season-ender in Week 2 against the Steelers.

Worst Pick in Round 2

Garrett Wilson, WR, New York Jets

With Aaron Rodgers at quarterback, it was practically consensus that Garrett Wilson would have a huge year, and plenty of people believed he could make the leap into the upper echelon of NFL and fantasy wide receivers. Sadly, Rodgers tore his Achilles and Garrett Wilson was dragged down by Zach Wilson and a few other backup QBs. The former Rookie of the Year finished inside the top 12 just once compared to his seven finishes outside the top 40 at the position.

Worst Pick in Round 3

Rhamondre Stevenson, RB, New England Patriots

Expectations were high for Rhamondre Stevenson a year after he finished as the RB11, but he severely disappointed managers, finishing as the RB36 in 12 games. Injuries were a part of the disappointment, but when Stevenson was healthy, he averaged just a shade over 10 points per game and finished outside the top 30 five times.

Worst Pick in Round 4

Trevor Lawrence, QB, Jacksonville Jaguars

After the big three quarterbacks were taken in the first few rounds of fantasy drafts, a handful of second-tier quarterbacks went off the board closely together. By September, Trevor Lawrence’s ADP climbed to the back of the fourth round. Despite being in his second season with Doug Pederson and incorporating Calvin Ridley into the offense, Lawrence struggled. He finished the season as the QB17 in points per game, so taking him in the fourth round meant passing up on a number of viable starters at other positions and missing out on other late-round QBs that put up similar numbers.

Worst Pick in Round 5

Darren Waller, TE, New York Giants

Breaking news: Darren Waller missed time with injury. The tight end’s first year with the Giants was one to forget, as he played in only 12 games and scored just seven fantasy points on average when he did play, including only three double-digit fantasy performances.

Worst Pick in Round 6

Cam Akers, RB, Los Angeles Rams

Not much needs to be said about Cam Akers, whose career arc has been maybe as confusing and sad as anyone’s currently in the NFL. After finishing last season on a high note, Akers was afforded 22 carries in Week 1, then he never played another game for the Rams. He found the bench for fantasy managers after Week 1, but his season officially ended after he tore his left Achilles two seasons after tearing the right one.

Worst Pick in Round 7

Jahan Dotson, WR, Washington Commanders

Jahan Dotson was a popular breakout candidate this offseason thanks to a strong finish to 2022, the general second-year bump for wideouts and the arrival of offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy. Despite the Commanders’ love for airing the ball out all season, Dotson had an absurd eight finishes outside the top 70 at the position. His performances week-to-week were practically unusable except for a two-week stretch in the middle of the season during which he was firmly planted on most benches.

Worst Pick in Round 8

Antonio Gibson, RB, Washington Commanders

It’s hard to believe Antonio Gibson was going in the eighth round of fantasy drafts considering how much of an afterthought he was in 2023. Brian Robinson was the clear top back in Washington, and Gibson’s role as a change-of-pace back and pass-catcher simply wasn’t large enough to warrant fantasy consideration. When Robinson missed three games at the end of the season, Gibson still finished 31st, 30th and 48th.

Worst Pick in Round 9

Jamaal Williams, RB, New Orleans Saints

Jamaal Williams was drafted in the ninth round thanks in large part to Alvin Kamara’s suspension. Fantasy managers who took a zero-RB approach were hoping for some spot-duty from Williams, but he finished 39th and 55th in the first two weeks before missing the next several games. When he returned, he just didn’t have a role in the offense with Kamara dominating touches and Taysom Hill stealing goal-line opportunities.

Worst Pick in Round 10

Treylon Burks, WR, Tennessee Titans

Treylon Burks, like Jahan Dotson, had a super disappointing Year 2. It was another year marred by injury, but when he was healthy, he wasn’t even second fiddle to DeAndre Hopkins. Burks didn’t demand targets and failed to haul in most deep balls thrown his way, resulting in one single finish inside the top 50.

Worst Pick in Round 11

Kadarius Toney, WR, Kansas City Chiefs

This one is almost comical in hindsight, and not because the 11th round is expensive, but just because of how unpredictably disastrous Kadarius Toney’s highly anticipated season was. Dropped passes, untimely penalties and inconsistency plagued Toney all season, and he was likely sitting on waiver wires for the last few months.

Worst Pick in Round 12

Quentin Johnston, WR, Los Angeles Chargers

What makes the Quentin-Johnston-in-the-12th pick so much harder to swallow is that things seemed to break his way. Keenan Allen and Mike Williams failed to stay healthy, which was the only thing standing in Johnston’s path to relevance. With both receivers missing time, Johnston had chances to step up and be fantasy-relevant. Still, he bookended the season with four finishes outside the top 90 and three outside the top 60.