Fantasy Football Recap: NFC East Post Draft
With the dust settled from the NFL Draft, now is the perfect time to look at the post-draft values of each NFL division. We will take a look at each new fantasy-relevant addition and I will also give my current rankings for all of the startable fantasy options on each team. The NFC East is up first! Make sure you are following me on Twitter at @JGalt93 as well as the podcast @TheHateful8FF!!!
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys had a solid draft but it included little fantasy relevance. The Cowboys added Luke Schoonmaker(TE) in the 2nd round and Deuce Vaughn(RB) in the 6th round. There may not be much value in year 1 for either player but both offer some upside going forward in fantasy. I am higher on Schoonmaker though, as the TE position is wide open for the Cowboys and I like his chances at taking the TE1 spot as a rookie. If he has anywhere near the kind of target share that Dalton Schultz has had over the years, he is certainly worth a late-round add-in redraft this year. Schoonmaker is currently a low-end TE2 with plenty of upsides. Vaugn on the other hand doesn’t offer a ton of upside. He could be the backup for Pollard but I would believe his chances at being the RB3 or 4 on the team is much higher. Vaughn’s stature is the biggest concern for most people and I think that is fair considering he is 5’5’’ and 176lbs. Now we have seen smaller-sized running backs such as Darren Sproles have success, but we don’t know if Vaughn has that capability just yet. For the time being Vaughn is better off being on your bench in dynasty leagues and on the waiver wire in redraft. The Cowboys are primed for a solid season, especially from a fantasy perspective.
Current redraft rankings:
Dak Prescott- QB10
Tony Pollard- RB7
CeeDee Lamb- WR5
Brandin Cooks- WR41
Michael Gallup- WR67
Luke Schoonmaker- TE24
New York Giants
The Giants only had two fantasy-relevant draft picks in the 2023 NFL draft. Those two picks were Jalin Hyatt(WR) in the 3rd round and Eric Gray (RB) in the 5th round. I am not terribly excited about either player heading into the 2023 season but both have value in dynasty and the future. Hyatt has plenty of talent but enters a very overcrowded receiver group. The Giants have several “slot” receivers on the roster, because of that I am hesitant to put my chips on Hyatt until we see him separate himself from the group. Hyatt is a low-end flex in 2023 and Gray is purely a high-end backup RB that should be left on your waiver wire/bench for the time being. The offense has improved during the offseason and this should be the best Giants offense that we have seen lately.
Current redraft rankings:
Daniel Jones- QB11
Saquon Barkley- RB4
Wan’dale Robinson, WR66
Darius Slayton, WR71
Jalin Hyatt, WR75
Isaiah Hodgins, WR80
Darren Waller- TE8
Philadelphia Eagles
I may be biased as an Eagles fan but I believe they had one of the best drafts that I can remember in 2023. That being said, they only had one fantasy-relevant offensive pick in the entire draft and that was Tanner McKee, QB, Stanford in the 6th round. McKee will be competing for their 3rd stringer, so there is no point in talking about him for the 2023 season. The Eagles did make a mid-draft trade for DeAndre Swift, which should certainly make the Eagles running back group interesting in 2023. I currently have Swift ranked as a high-end flex for this season. Other than some minor touches, the Eagles offense should produce similarly to last season.
Current redraft rankings:
Jalen Hurts- QB1
DeAndre Swift- RB26
Rashaad Penny- RB38
AJ Brown- WR6
DeVonta Smith- WR13
Dallas Goedert- TE6
Washington Commanders
Similar to the other teams in the NFC East, the Commanders chose to fortify their defense in the 2023 draft and only made one fantasy-relevant draft pick. That pick was Chris Rodriguez Jr, RB, Kentucky. Rodriguez does not offer any immediate value in fantasy in 2023 as the Commanders have at least 2 running backs that will be ahead of him in the pecking order this season. The good news for all of the running backs is that the Commanders have made it a point to add to the O-line, so hopefully that will keep them all healthy and more productive in 2023. The main question heading into this season is whether or not Sam Howell will be the answer for the Commanders at the QB position. Only time will tell, but I do like the Washington wide receivers this year much more than in previous seasons.
Current redraft rankings:
Sam Howell- QB27
Antonio Gibson- RB39
Brian Robinson Jr.-RB32
Terry McLaurin- WR19
Jahan Dotson- WR33
Logan Thomas- TE32
