2023 Half PPR Mock Draft: Cooper Kupp Jumps Up the Board

It’s never too early to get prepared to win your fantasy football league, and that’s exactly what we’ll be aiming to do today. Through the DraftHero mock draft simulator app on 4for4, I’ve run a 12-team half PPR mock draft to get a broad idea of player values and what types of macro-level strategies we can see forming ahead of the NFL season.

Today we’ll be using Yahoo!-specific scoring settings, with a single quarterback and half-PPR scoring. The full 2023 fantasy football mock draft board will be inserted at the end of the article, showcasing the likes of Atlanta Falcons RB Bijan Robinson, Los Angeles Rams WR Cooper Kupp, and Dallas Cowboys RB Tony Pollard helping control the beginning of this 0.5 PPR draft.

You’ll notice we’ve skipped D/ST in this mock, but we will revisit team defense later in the offseason.

Roster Settings: 1QB, 2RB, 2WR, 1 TE, 1 FLEX, 1K, and 6 Bench Spots

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Jonathan Taylor certainly has plenty of outs to replicate an exceptional 2021 season that saw him lead the league in rushing yards. With that said, there are also plenty of dings against him heading into the 2023 season. We currently have no idea who the Colts QB is going to be, he’s coming off of an injury, and Indianapolis was one of the worst offenses in the league last year. In addition, it’s clear that a once-dominant offensive line has taken a step back.

Taylor still has a chance to be a very productive back this season, but he should be coming off the board in the RB10 range, not the RB5.

A great pick in any format, Rhamondre Stevenson could absorb a vast majority of the running back targets this season, in addition to a monster early-down role. Half-PPR or not, Stevenson should be a target in your redraft leagues. He has the ability to build on a great 2022 season as a pass-catcher, and with some further touchdown upside, he’s a real option to become an RB1 for fantasy managers this year.

The quarterback position has been pushed way up boards compared to in years past. In Standard and Half-PPR fantasy football leagues, a majority of the top 12 options go in this range, and are practically done with by the double-digit rounds. A huge departure from recent history. Josh Allen kicks things off all the way back in Round 2 and the 12 teams typically have all of their QBs by the time we get out of these middle rounds.

The 2023 NFL season will have to be incredibly top-heavy for all of these options to hit. Once we’re talking in the range of 1-2 fantasy points per game separating whole tiers of players, we may want to zig into the RBs and WRs while other fantasy managers fight during a run of QBs.

After the long run on wide receivers in the middle rounds, teams are left scrambling for options later on, and this is the outcome. Both of these options are on extremely run-heavy offenses and are very unlikely to be target hogs. They can both have explosive games from time to time, but in a PPR league, they are especially inconsistent fantasy producers.

Depending on your particular league settings, you are either forced to leave your draft with a kicker and a defense, or you are not. I decided not to enforce that rule in this draft and let the D/ST sit on the draft board until we have a more firm grasp on projections closer to the season. If your league does force you to leave the draft with both, I prefer to select my D/ST and my kicker in the final two rounds. Some of my favorite D/ST picks so far have been the San Francisco 49ers, Los Angeles Chargers, New York Giants, Los Angeles Rams, and the Kansas City Chiefs.

As a late-round dart throw, Jaylen Warren is one of the better choices you could go with, especially if your running back room feels light. Warren continued to gain usage throughout his rookie campaign and arguably looked better in the running and passing game than Najee Harris. He could push for a bigger chunk of the split in the 2023 season.

*Check out the full set of 4for4’s award-winning Rankings, customized for your Yahoo! league here.

This is the first mock draft of 2023, but we will be doing fantasy football drafts throughout the NFL offseason now that the NFL Draft is in the rearview mirror. We will have full-PPR mock drafts, 10-team mocks, and everything in between throughout the fantasy draft season.

Half PPR stands for half point per reception, which means that for every catch a player makes in a game, they will be awarded half of a point in addition to standard scoring points. This scoring system is increasingly popular in fantasy football leagues, as it allows for a more balanced approach to drafting players. Mock drafts are a great way to practice drafting strategies and optimize your team before the real draft. The Fantasy Football Half PPR Mock Draft FAQs provides answers to commonly asked questions to guide fantasy football enthusiasts in their mock drafts and overall gameplay.

A fantasy football mock draft is a simulation of an actual fantasy football draft, allowing participants to practice mock drafts in preparation for the real thing.

In a Half PPR scoring format, players receive half a point per reception in addition to their normal scoring points.

Before participating in a fantasy football draft, it is important to research the draft rankings, understand your league’s scoring system and rules, and monitor updates on NFL players and positional players.

The difference between a 12-team and 14-team fantasy football mock draft is the number of teams participating in the draft. A 12-team draft will require draft participants to select players from a pool of 144, while a 14-team draft will consist of 168 players.

In a fantasy football draft, each participant will take turns selecting players in each round. The draft order is typically randomized before the start of the draft with each participant selecting their preferred position for their draft slot.

Some tips for drafting a successful fantasy football lineup include monitoring updates on player performance and injuries, diversifying your lineup with a mix of players from different teams, and selecting players with favorable matchups.

In fantasy football, a rookie is a player who has just entered the NFL and has not played any professional games while a veteran is an experienced player who has already participated in several seasons.

Fantasy football rankings are typically updated daily by fantasy staff and analysts based on player performance and changes in the NFL landscape.

Spend more time winning, less time guessing. Stay ahead with accurate rankings, advanced tools, and data-driven content.

Justin has been playing fantasy sports since he booted up a Sandbox Fantasy Football league on his Gateway computer in Middle School. After nearly two decades in the restaurant industry, he's focusing his attention on making a living in the sports industry.