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The 2023 NFL Draft is over and it’s time to assess the damage or lack thereof. With later round wide receivers, there’s upside, but also a lot of players who are going to hope to stick with the team by playing special teams. But, there are some winners and one loser that stick out directly after the draft. Let’s take a look.
Fantasy winners
Treylon Burks, Titans
The Titans needed wide receiver help, but they did not take one until the seventh round when they grabbed Colton Dowell. Burks is lined up to be the No. 1 receiver and showed well when healthy last year.
Jonathan Mingo, Panthers
The Panthers don’t have much at wide receiver after trading D.J. Moore to the Bears. Coming into the draft their No. 1 was Adam Thielen and No. 2 was Damiere Byrd. Thielen is still ahead of Mingo, but there is plenty of room for Mingo to earn a starting job and targets come Week 1.
Puka Nacua, Rams
The Rams have Cooper Kupp locked in as the No. 1 receiver, but after that it’s a barren wasteland. Nacua has the ability to be a possession receiver over the middle and gobble up receptions. His upside isn’t high by any means, but without competition, he can see work and PPR points early in his career.
Fantasy loser
Tyler Boyd, Bengals
There weren’t many fantasy losers at the wide receiver position, but Boyd might have just had his replacement drafted in Charlie Jones. Boyd is a good player who the Bengals would likely keep, but they also have to pay JaMarr Chase, Tee Higgins and Joe Burrow. Getting Jones in the slot on a rookie contract would help them out when Boyd becomes a free agent next off-season. From there, a lot depends on where he goes and it’s going to be tough to find a quarterback as good as Joe Burrow.