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2023 Fantasy Football Tiers

By Matt Schauf | Updated on Wed, 30 Aug 2023 . 12:26 PM EDT

Rankings Don't Tell the Whole Story

You've seen our fantasy football rankings for your format.

You should already have your cheat sheet in your Draft War Room.

You might have already noticed the fantasy football tiers on the positional rankings tabs in that war room. But in case you didn't (or are new here), we wanted to present a different way to look at the rankings.

Fantasy Football Tiers

Our projections drive the most accurate rankings you'll find anywhere, and they'll adjust to your scoring to give you customized rankings to fit your format.

But rankings paint an incomplete picture. Just because two players sit back to back doesn't mean they're separated by the same amount as each successive set of players.

Sometimes there's basically no difference between those two guys in your rankings. And sometimes that gap is wide.

That's why we break them into tiers -- which you can find below. Along with some explanation of those breaks ...

Fantasy Football Tiers: Quarterback (QB Tiers)

QB Tier 1

Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills

In just about any scoring format, you’ll find separation between Allen and the second QB in our rankings. It doesn’t mean you need to draft him. It does make him more likely to lead your pick recommendations at some early point.

QB Tier 2

Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia Eagles
Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs
Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens

The next scoring gap likely comes between Jackson and the fifth QB in your rankings. And Jackson actually leads Mahomes in projected points per game in our default scoring format. Rushing remains a big QB value booster.

QB Tier 3

Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers
Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals

Burrow would probably sit higher on this list if not for his early-camp calf injury. Of course, this entire tier could be titled “guys who can jump a tier or two.” Herbert finished second among fantasy QBs just two years ago. Burrow finished fourth last year and has increased his fantasy points per game each of the past two seasons.

QB Tier 4

Justin Fields, Chicago Bears
Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville Jaguars
Deshaun Watson, Cleveland Browns

Fields’ ADP sits more than a round ahead of Lawrence’s and about three rounds ahead of Watson’s (depending on your format). That’s why you’re not likely to see the Bears QB in any of our Fantasy Football Draft Guide articles – or at the top of your Draft War Room recommendations.

QB Tier 5

Tua Tagovailoa, Miami Dolphins
Daniel Jones, New York Giants
Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys
Anthony Richardson, Indianapolis Colts
Geno Smith, Seattle Seahawks
Kirk Cousins, Minnesota Vikings

Note the size of this tier as much as the names. If you play in a league that snaps up the first nine QBs in these rankings, don’t panic and reach for the next guy. There’s simply not much separating this group.

If you are selecting from this group, consider pairing two of them. And give a long look at Richardson being one of those guys. He’s the one QB in this range we have no NFL regular-season data on. That means we don’t yet know his ceiling … or floor … or even his baseline.

But we know he can run and throw the deep ball. That’s an exciting fantasy combo.

QB Tier 6

Jared Goff, Detroit Lions
Aaron Rodgers, New York Jets
Russell Wilson, Denver Broncos

QB Tier 7

Kenny Pickett, Pittsburgh Steelers
Kyler Murray, Arizona Cardinals
Bryce Young, Carolina Panthers
Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams
Sam Howell, Washington Commanders
Jordan Love, Green Bay Packers
Brock Purdy, San Francisco 49ers
Mac Jones, New England Patriots
Ryan Tannehill, Tennessee Titans
Derek Carr, New Orleans Saints
C.J. Stroud, Houston Texans
Baker Mayfield, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Jimmy Garoppolo, Las Vegas Raiders
Desmond Ridder, Atlanta Falcons

You don’t really want your top QB coming from either of these tiers in a league of 12 teams or fewer. Even in a 14- or 16-team league, we’d prefer someone higher. But you can justify waiting to this level in such cases.

The main difference between Tier 6 and Tier 7 might just be how proven the QB is. We wouldn’t be shocked to see one or more of Pickett, Young, Howell, and Love outplay the tier by the end of the season.

Murray, of course, resides this low only because of the uncertainty tied to his ACL recovery. He’s a nice QB2 stash – unless it’s a multi-QB format where you need that guy right away.

Check out the half-PPR QB rankings.

Fantasy Football Tiers: Running Back (RB Tiers) – Non-PPR

Non-PPR RB Tier 1

Nick Chubb, Cleveland Browns
Derrick Henry, Tennessee Titans
Bijan Robinson, Atlanta Falcons
Saquon Barkley, New York Giants
Jonathan Taylor, Indianapolis Colts

Does Taylor belong in this tier right now? That depends more on risk tolerance than any value calculation. It’s fine if you want to pass on him, though.

Non-PPR RB Tier 2

Christian McCaffrey, San Francisco 49ers
Austin Ekeler, Los Angeles Chargers
Josh Jacobs, Las Vegas Raiders
Tony Pollard, Dallas Cowboys

The reliance on receptions for value with McCaffrey and Ekeler knocks them down the rankings here and makes them shaky picks in Round 1.

Non-PPR RB Tier 3

Joe Mixon, Cincinnati Bengals
Kenneth Walker, Seattle Seahawks
J.K. Dobbins, Baltimore Ravens
Travis Etienne, Jacksonville Jaguars
Cam Akers, Los Angeles Rams
Rhamondre Stevenson, New England Patriots
Najee Harris, Pittsburgh Steelers

This tier includes clear lead backs for their teams, though there might be two or three who will have that clarity tested this season.

Non-PPR RB Tier 4

Dameon Pierce, Houston Texans
David Montgomery, Detroit Lions
Alexander Mattison, Minnesota Vikings
Miles Sanders, Carolina Panthers
Breece Hall, New York Jets
Javonte Williams, Denver Broncos
Aaron Jones, Green Bay Packers
Rachaad White, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
James Conner, Arizona Cardinals
Isiah Pacheco, Kansas City Chiefs
Jahmyr Gibbs, Detroit Lions

The size of this tier should keep you from feeling like you need to reach for the top guys in it.

Non-PPR RB Tier 5

James Cook, Buffalo Bills
Alvin Kamara, New Orleans Saints
Brian Robinson, Washington Commanders
Khalil Herbert, Chicago Bears

This is the final tier of lead backs.

Non-PPR RB Tier 6

AJ Dillon, Green Bay Packers
D’Andre Swift, Philadelphia Eagles
Dalvin Cook, New York Jets

And here’s the real start of No. 2 backs with contingent upside – but also some standalone fantasy value.

Beyond this range, you’ll find a large mix of styles. How you navigate them should depend not only on the players themselves, but also how you’re building your roster.

If you’ve secured a couple of high-floor workhorses, then you might want to take more risk to chase boom-bust options. If you waited a little on RB or already drafted a boom-bust starter, maybe you want a sturdier floor option in this range.

The Draft War Room will help you with recommendations whatever the situation. And Upside Mode will kick in for the second half of your draft to highlight the players with the most attractive ceilings.

Fantasy Football Tiers: Running Back (RB Tiers) – PPR

PPR RB Tier 1

Austin Ekeler, Los Angeles Chargers
Christian McCaffrey, San Francisco 49ers

PPR RB Tier 2

Saquon Barkley, New York Giants
Bijan Robinson, Atlanta Falcons
Nick Chubb, Cleveland Browns

You could argue that these shouldn’t be separate tiers by our numbers – or that Barkley belongs in the tier above. But it doesn’t really matter. Your Draft War Room is likely favoring WR over RB at most spots throughout Round 1.

We’d bet on your top PPR scorer at the position for the year coming from this pack of five.

PPR RB Tier 3

Tony Pollard, Dallas Cowboys
Derrick Henry, Tennessee Titans
Jonathan Taylor, Indianapolis Colts

Of course, it wouldn’t be shocking to see one of these three challenge for that spot. Pollard seems especially attractive for the format. The lone holdup with him is just how much workload he can handle. It looks like Dallas plans to test that.

Taylor would belong right with Chubb if he weren’t a contract no-show all summer.

PPR RB Tier 4

Josh Jacobs, Las Vegas Raiders
Joe Mixon, Cincinnati Bengals
Rhamondre Stevenson, New England Patriots

Mixon has been high in our PPR fantasy football rankings since the outset. Stevenson has moved down a bit since the Ezekiel Elliott signing.

PPR RB Tier 5

Jahmyr Gibbs, Detroit Lions
J.K. Dobbins, Baltimore Ravens
Travis Etienne, Jacksonville Jaguars
Aaron Jones, Green Bay Packers
Rachaad White, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Alexander Mattison, Minnesota Vikings
Kenneth Walker, Seattle Seahawks
Dameon Pierce, Houston Texans
Breece Hall, New York Jets
James Conner, Arizona Cardinals
Cam Akers, Los Angeles Rams
Miles Sanders, Carolina Panthers

The size of this tier makes it easier to pass on a RB a round or two ahead and target multiple guys in this range of your draft. White is a particular favorite target of ours.

PPR RB Tier 6

Javonte Williams, Denver Broncos
David Montgomery, Detroit Lions
Alvin Kamara, New Orleans Saints
James Cook, Buffalo Bills
Najee Harris, Pittsburgh Steelers
Isiah Pacheco, Kansas City Chiefs

PPR RB Tier 7

D’Andre Swift, Philadelphia Eagles
Khalil Herbert, Chicago Bears
AJ Dillon, Green Bay Packers
Brian Robinson, Washington Commanders
Antonio Gibson, Washington Commanders
Dalvin Cook, New York Jets

The primary difference between these two tiers is that the group in Tier 6 comprises lead ball-carriers for their teams. Some of the guys in Tier 7 will be so as well, but they arguably bring lower floors.

Both tiers look good for grabbing a RB3 – or especially a RB4.

PPR RB Tier 8

Samaje Perine, Denver Broncos
Jerick McKinnon, Kansas City Chiefs
Jeff Wilson Jr., Miami Dolphins
Raheem Mostert, Miami Dolphins
Zach Charbonnet, Seattle Seahawks
Jaylen Warren, Pittsburgh Steelers
Jamaal Williams, New Orleans Saints
Rashaad Penny, Philadelphia Eagles
Damien Harris, Buffalo Bills
Kenneth Gainwell, Philadelphia Eagles
Tank Bigsby, Jacksonville Jaguars

Note the two-tier separation between Perine and McKinnon and their backfield mates. Consider that not only a gap in our projections, but also in expected weekly usability.

This is a good range for usable RBs who sit No. 2 on their NFL teams – guys who might present some standalone fantasy value while carrying substantial handcuff upside.

Beyond this tier, you can go in many different directions rather than sticking to tiers. Let your specific roster construction as well as “Upside Mode” guide your selections. That, of course, more heavily incorporates our player-ceiling projections into your DMVP recommendations.

Check out the half-PPR RB rankings.

Fantasy Football Tiers: Wide Receiver (WR Tiers) – Non-PPR

Non-PPR WR Tier 1

Justin Jefferson, Minnesota Vikings
Ja’Marr Chase, Cincinnati Bengals

There’s a bit more separation between Chase and the next two wideouts when you take away reception scoring. Whether that puts him with Jefferson or in Tier 2 by himself is arguable.

Non-PPR WR Tier 2

Tyreek Hill, Miami Dolphins
Cooper Kupp, Los Angeles Rams

Regardless of format, there’s a clear top 4 at WR this year.

Non-PPR WR Tier 3

Stefon Diggs, Buffalo Bills
CeeDee Lamb, Dallas Cowboys
A.J. Brown, Philadelphia Eagles
Davante Adams, Las Vegas Raiders

Brown replaces Amon-Ra St. Brown in this group when you take away reception scoring.

Non-PPR WR Tier 4

Amon-Ra St. Brown, Detroit Lions

You’ll find it the other way round for PPR, with ARSB in the tier above and A.J. Brown standing alone here. We’ll see whether St. Brown can convert his red-zone buzz from training camp into TD production that makes him underrated here.

Non-PPR WR Tier 5

Garrett Wilson, New York Jets
Tee Higgins, Cincinnati Bengals
Deebo Samuel, San Francisco 49ers
Jaylen Waddle, Miami Dolphins
Chris Olave, New Orleans Saints
Calvin Ridley, Jacksonville Jaguars

This tier includes some young wideouts who have already staked claim to the position lead for their teams. We’ll see whether their 2023 production can vault them to a different tier.

Ridley doesn’t meet the “young” threshold here, but he seems clearly ahead of Jacksonville’s incumbent WRs in expected role (i.e. target share).

Non-PPR WR Tier 6

D.K. Metcalf, Seattle Seahawks
DeVonta Smith, Philadelphia Eagles
Mike Williams, Los Angeles Chargers
Amari Cooper, Cleveland Browns
Christian Watson, Green Bay Packers

Non-PPR WR Tier 7

Tyler Lockett, Seattle Seahawks
Keenan Allen, Los Angeles Chargers
Jerry Jeudy, Denver Broncos

Non-PPR WR Tier 8

D.J. Moore, Chicago Bears
Terry McLaurin, Washington Commanders
Drake London, Atlanta Falcons
Mike Evans, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Chris Godwin, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Christian Kirk, Jacksonville Jaguars
DeAndre Hopkins, Tennessee Titans
Gabe Davis, Buffalo Bills
Brandon Aiyuk, San Francisco 49ers

The separation of players across those tiers comes down to either talent or situation. London in another offense would likely sit higher. Hopkins with more passing volume might as well.

Mike Williams and Keenan Allen move past each other as you change the points allotted to reception scoring. More points per catch, the better for Allen. And vice versa.

Non-PPR WR Tier 9

Marquise Brown, Arizona Cardinals
Treylon Burks, Tennessee Titans
Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Seattle Seahawks
Jahan Dotson, Washington Commanders
Jordan Addison, Minnesota Vikings
Michael Pittman, Indianapolis Colts
Diontae Johnson, Pittsburgh Steelers
George Pickens, Pittsburgh Steelers
Elijah Moore, Cleveland Browns

Non-PPR WR Tier 10

Courtland Sutton, Denver Broncos
Zay Flowers, Baltimore Ravens
Quentin Johnston, Los Angeles Chargers
Allen Lazard, New York Jets
Nico Collins, Houston Texans
Brandin Cooks, Dallas Cowboys

These tiers feature a mix of veterans and young players. There are also murky situations for either target distribution or QB play – and sometimes both.

Drafting into either situation can present upside if you pick the right player. But it also includes some risk. Obviously, the latter decreases as you move further into your draft.

Drafting beyond this level will mean catering some to what you’ve already rostered. Maybe you want safer insurance behind some higher-risk starters. Or perhaps you already drafted safety and want to follow the ceiling recommendations that drive Upside Mode in your Draft War Room.

Fantasy Football Tiers: Wide Receiver (WR Tiers) – PPR

PPR WR Tier 1

Justin Jefferson, Minnesota Vikings

PPR WR Tier 2

Ja’Marr Chase, Cincinnati Bengals
Tyreek Hill, Miami Dolphins
Cooper Kupp, Los Angeles Rams

Sorry if you’re reading this, Mr. Chase, Mr. Hill, or Mr. Kupp. But he’s kinda earned it these past two years.

You’ll be in good shape with any of these guys as your top PPR draft selection.

PPR WR Tier 3

Stefon Diggs, Buffalo Bills
CeeDee Lamb, Dallas Cowboys
Amon-Ra St. Brown, Detroit Lions
Davante Adams, Las Vegas Raiders

This is the group you can expect to see recommended throughout the second half of Round 1. Target hogs all.

PPR WR Tier 4

A.J. Brown, Philadelphia Eagles

Brown doesn’t quite join the previous group in target volume. But he sits ahead of the next group in at least displayed upside.

PPR WR Tier 5

Garrett Wilson, New York Jets
Tee Higgins, Cincinnati Bengals

PPR WR Tier 6

Calvin Ridley, Jacksonville Jaguars
Chris Olave, New Orleans Saints
Jaylen Waddle, Miami Dolphins
Keenan Allen, Los Angeles Chargers
D.K. Metcalf, Seattle Seahawks
DeVonta Smith, Philadelphia Eagles

The separation between these tiers is debatable. Wilson seems to have the upside to join a higher tier if he becomes a true target hog with a more efficient QB this year. Higgins benefits from playing in about as good a situation as he could for maximizing his upside – even as the Bengals’ No. 2 WR.

PPR WR Tier 7

Deebo Samuel, San Francisco 49ers
Amari Cooper, Cleveland Browns
Mike Williams, Los Angeles Chargers
Tyler Lockett, Seattle Seahawks

These guys are or could be the lead fantasy wideouts for their teams. All have upside beyond these initial rankings, but also some target-share downside risk.

PPR WR Tier 8

Christian Watson, Green Bay Packers
Chris Godwin, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Jerry Jeudy, Denver Broncos

PPR WR Tier 9

Drake London, Atlanta Falcons
DeAndre Hopkins, Tennessee Titans

PPR WR Tier 10

D.J. Moore, Chicago Bears
Terry McLaurin, Washington Commanders
Christian Kirk, Jacksonville Jaguars
Marquise Brown, Arizona Cardinals
Brandon Aiyuk, San Francisco 49ers
Mike Evans, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Diontae Johnson, Pittsburgh Steelers
Michael Pittman Jr., Indianapolis Colts

These tiers see less separation in the projections. They also include a couple of guys dragged down by August injuries. We’ll see about Jeudy (hamstring) and McLaurin (toe) come Week 1.

PPR WR Tier 11

Jordan Addison, Minnesota Vikings
Jahan Dotson, Washington Commanders
Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Seattle Seahawks
Treylon Burks, Tennessee Titans
Gabe Davis, Buffalo Bills
Elijah Moore, Cleveland Browns

Plenty of upside in this range at WR. JSN and Burks carry injury questions into the season, but that’s also likely to lower their draft-day price tags.

PPR WR Tier 12

Zay Flowers, Baltimore Ravens
Courtland Sutton, Denver Broncos
George Pickens, Pittsburgh Steelers
JuJu Smith-Schuster, New England Patriots
Nico Collins, Houston Texans
Brandin Cooks, Dallas Cowboys
Quentin Johnston, Los Angeles Chargers
Allen Lazard, New York Jets
Zay Jones, Jacksonville Jaguars
Skyy Moore, Kansas City Chiefs
Tyler Boyd, Cincinnati Bengals
Rondale Moore, Arizona Cardinals
Kadarius Toney, Kansas City Chiefs
Rashod Bateman, Baltimore Ravens
Jakobi Meyers, Las Vegas Raiders
Michael Thomas, New Orleans Saints
Odell Beckham Jr., Baltimore Ravens
Adam Thielen, Carolina Panthers

Even within this tier, you can find players who differ quite a bit in fantasy outlook and range of outcomes. Upside Mode will help to highlight our favorite bets for ceiling potential in the second half of your draft.

Check out the half-PPR WR rankings.

Fantasy Football Tiers: Tight End (TE Tiers) – Non-PPR

Non-PPR TE Tier 1

Travis Kelce, Kansas City Chiefs

Reception scoring or no, he’s the clear leader.

Non-PPR TE Tier 2

Mark Andrews, Baltimore Ravens

Andrews sits clearly behind Kelce. But the gap between Andrews and No. 3 T.J. Hockenson is larger than the projection gap between Hockenson and No. 10 Evan Engram.

Non-PPR TE Tier 3

T.J. Hockenson, Minnesota Vikings
Darren Waller, New York Giants

Waller has closed the ADP gap on Hockenson here. Without reception scoring, though, our Draft War Room isn’t likely to let either top your recommended picks at cost.

Non-PPR TE Tier 4

Kyle Pitts, Atlanta Falcons
Dallas Goedert, Philadelphia Eagles
George Kittle, San Francisco 49ers
David Njoku, Cleveland Browns
Pat Freiermuth, Pittsburgh Steelers
Evan Engram, Jacksonville Jaguars

Let the size of this tear tell you that you don’t have to reach for any specific member.

Non-PPR TE Tier 5

Dalton Kincaid, Buffalo Bills
Chig Okonkwo, Tennessee Titans
Tyler Higbee, Los Angeles Rams
Greg Dulcich, Denver Broncos
Dalton Schultz, Houston Texans

If you’re seeking a starter in this range, then you should probably also draft a second TE as insurance – then drop whichever starts slowly.

Non-PPR TE Tier 6

Juwan Johnson, New Orleans Saints
Luke Musgrave, Green Bay Packers
Sam LaPorta, Detroit Lions

Beyond this range sits backups and/or clear TE2 players. The trio in this tier all have a chance at returning top-12 scoring for the season.

Fantasy Football Tiers: Tight End (TE Tiers) – PPR

PPR TE Tier 1

Travis Kelce, Kansas City Chiefs

Duh.

PPR TE Tier 2

Mark Andrews, Baltimore Ravens

There’s actually more separation between Andrews and the next guy than there is between Andrews and Kelce. We like buying pieces of the Baltimore offense this year.

PPR TE Tier 3

T.J. Hockenson, Minnesota Vikings
Darren Waller, New York Giants

Despite big moves up the ADP board throughout draft season, Waller’s still going more than a round behind Hockenson in nearly all formats. Waiting for him seems a better move than reaching for Hockenson.

PPR TE Tier 4

Kyle Pitts, Atlanta Falcons
Dallas Goedert, Philadelphia Eagles

PPR TE Tier 5

George Kittle, San Francisco 49ers
David Njoku, Cleveland Browns
Pat Freiermuth, Pittsburgh Steelers
Evan Engram, Jacksonville Jaguars

Kittle seem too low? His scoring surge with Brock Purdy last year was driven by a TD rate out of line with the rest of his career and the position in general. At the same time, Kittle’s target share fell. We’re not betting on him at cost in drafts this year.

PPR TE Tier 6

Tyler Higbee, Los Angeles Rams
Dalton Kincaid, Buffalo Bills
Chig Okonkwo, Tennessee Titans
Dalton Schultz, Houston Texans
Greg Dulcich, Denver Broncos

PPR TE Tier 7

Hayden Hurst, Carolina Panthers
Sam LaPorta, Detroit Lions
Luke Musgrave, Green Bay Packers
Juwan Johnson, New Orleans Saints
Irv Smith, Cincinnati Bengals
Gerald Everett, Los Angeles Chargers

You could argue the actual line between these tiers is blurred. At this point in your draft, you should be guided more by how you’re building your roster and by the ceiling projections highlighted in Upside Mode on your Draft War Room.

Check out the half-PPR TE rankings.

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