-2023 NFL Schedule -Strength of Schedule
MOCK DRAFT
Ask the Commish.Com 2023 Draft Kit
The first quarterback taken in the 2022 NFL Draft, Kenny Pickett had mixed results in his rookie season, averaging 184.9 passing yards per game and 6.2 yards per attempt, and throwing more interceptions (9) than touchdowns (7). Pickett did get less interception-prone and sack-prone as the season went on, and he guided the Steelers to victory in his final three starts. We should probably expect more below-average passing numbers from Pickett in 2023, but he offers value as a runner, having run for 237 yards and three touchdowns as a rookie.
Sam Howell rode the bench for the first 16 games of his rookie year before the Commanders gave him a Week 18 start. Howell was functional if unspectacular, completing 11-of-19 passes for 169 yards, one touchdown and one interception in a 26-6 win over Dallas. Commanders head coach Ron Rivera says Howell has a chance to open the 2023 season as Washington's starting quarterback. A fifth-round draft pick in 2022, Howell had strong freshman and sophomore seasons at the University of North Carolina before regressing somewhat in his third and final year. Howell doesn't have exceptional arm talent, but his above-average mobility could boost his fantasy value.
The Falcons didn't make any significant moves at quarterback during the offseason, so Ridder is expected to remain Atlanta's starter. He was predictably uneven in his four regular-season starts as a rookie, completing 63.2% of his passes, averaging 6.2 yards per attempts, and throwing two TD passes and zero interceptions. But Ridder is a good runner, and his ability to contribute with his legs makes him a potentially stream-worthy quarterback for 2023.
The last pick of the 2022 NFL Draft, Brock Purdy was hardly "Mr. Irrelevant" as a rookie. After Trey Lance and Jimmy Garoppolo sustained season-ending injuries, the 49ers turned to Purdy as their starter, and he obliged with smart, mistake-free football, guiding the 49ers all the way to the NFL Championship Game before a torn UCL ended his season and torpedoed the 49ers' title hopes. Assuming Purdy's recovery goes smoothly, he'll likely compete with Lance for a starting role in 2023. The 49ers traded up to draft Lance No. 3 overall in 2021, but head coach Kyle Shanahan could decide that Purdy is simply a better distributor and a better candidate to fully leverage San Francisco's abundant skill-position talent.
Zappe will open the season as the No. 2 quarterback in New England, but if Mac Jones struggles, Zappe could get the chance to start this year. Zappe appeared in four games in 2022, and he had 23 Fantasy points at Cleveland in Week 6. To put that in perspective, Jones had four games with more than 20 Fantasy points in 13 starts. Zappe could find himself as a waiver-wire addition if he gets the chance to start in 2023, but he's not worth drafting in one-quarterback leagues. In deep Superflex and two-quarterback leagues, you can take a flier on Zappe as a reserve just in case he replaces Jones at some point.