The second and third round of the NFL Draft can be a full of landmines for Fantasy players. It's full of big name prospects worth getting excited about, and there's huge upside to be found here, as we saw with, among others, Breece Hall, Christian Watson, and Kenneth Walker last season.
But there are also plenty of roster cloggers to be found. Guys like Wan'Dale Robinson, Tyquan Thornton, Alec Pierce, Skyy Moore, and James Cook, whose hoped-for upside can trick you into keeping them around despite getting little production from them. And that was just from the second round!
It's best to think about Day 2 of the NFL Draft as the day for your late-round dart throws in Fantasy. As a general rule, you don't want to invest too much in anyone drafted outside of the first round, and that seems especially true this season, where there weren't any obvious starting running backs taken. But, if you can snag a few Day 2 picks in the later rounds as bench stashes with upside, you only need one of them to hit for it to be worth it.
We covered Round 1 of the NFL Draft yesterday with the biggest winners and losers, but today I'm going to do things a little bit differently today. I'll have a big winners and losers recap for the entire draft tomorrow, but for today, I've got a rundown of every Fantasy-relevant player taken, along with links out to the prospect profile pieces from the rest of the Fantasy Football Today team where relevant -- and make sure you check out the FFT pod for Jamey Eisenberg, Heath Cummings, and Adam Aizer's takeaways from Day Two here.
Let's meet the Day 2 upside picks:
NFL Draft Day 2 Recap
33. Titans select Will Levis, QB, Kentucky
Levis is going to get a real chance to be the Titans QB of the future, and as an organization very much in flux, he could get a chance in 2023 if things go sideways early.
Draft him? Not in one-QB leagues, but maybe in two-QB leagues with a late-rounder.
34. Lions select Sam LaPorta, TE, Iowa
CBS Sports NFL Draft writer Chris Trapasso says LaPorta "gave me George Kittle vibes," which really makes me excited, even if I know it's an unfair comp. Athletic tight ends who can make plays with the ball in their hands are my favorite types to bet on, and there's an opportunity here for an immediate starting role. Rookie tight ends rarely make an impact for Fantasy, but LaPorta could be an exception.
Draft him? Maybe with a final-round pick if you don't go with an early-round TE.
35. Raiders select Michael Mayer, TE, Notre Dame
I'm less interested in Mayer, who isn't quite the premium athlete LaPorta is, but this isn't a bad landing spot – there's an opportunity after the trade of Darren Waller, and Jimmy Garoppolo is most comfortable throwing to the middle of the field. He's another tight end who could be starting in Week 1.
Draft him? Again, if you want to use a late-round pick on Mayer for your bench, I don't hate it.
39. Panthers select Jonathan Mingo, WR, Mississippi
Mingo has the size and athleticism we're looking for from a premium wide receiver, but not the production profile. There's probably an opportunity in Carolina, and you love the potential to grow alongside Bryce Young in the long term, but I have a hard time getting too excited about a guy who wasn't the most productive receiver on his own college team.
Draft him? The opportunity and athletic profile make him a decent late-round flier, but I'll prefer other rookie WRs.
42. Packers select Luke Musgrave, TE, Oregon State
The Packers value athleticism in their pass catchers, and Musgrave certainly brings that to the table, ranking 88th percentile in both 40-yard time and speed score, per PlayerProfiler.com. He had 633 yards in four seasons, though in fairness, 27% of them came in just two games before his senior season ended with an MCL injury. He looked good at the Senior Bowl and the combine, and could be a late bloomer.
Draft him? In re-draft leagues, Musgrave probably doesn't need to be drafted, but he's an interesting late-round target in Dynasty.
50. Packers select Jayden Reed, WR, Michigan State
Reed took a step back in his senior season, which is always a bit of a red flag for me. But he may fit a niche for the Packers alongside (or between) the bigger Christian Watson/Romeo Doubs combo. There's a pretty clear path to Week 1 playing time here.
Draft him? Probably not in most re-draft leagues, but we'll be watching the reports out of training camp to see what kind of role he can carve out.
52. Seahawks select Zach Charbonnet, RB, UCLA
Charbonnet brings a solid combination of athleticism (4.53 40-yard time, 72nd percentile speed score) and three-down skill set (1,359 rushing yards, 37 catches in 10 games as a senior) to the table, but the obvious limitation here is the presence of Kenneth Walker. The key question to answer here is whether the selection of Charbonnet represents some frustration with Walker from the Seahawks' perspective. Unfortunately, the next time Pete Carroll says a negative word about a player on his roster will be the first, so we aren't likely to get many hints here. I wrote about the suddenly crowded Seahawks backfield and why this pick represents some real risk for Walker's RB1 status for 2023.
Draft him? Charbonnet will likely get drafted inside of the top-100 picks in all leagues, and should be a priority zero-RB target in case he comes for Walker's job.
55. Chiefs select Rashee Rice, WR, SMU
Rice lands in a somewhat crowded WR room, though there aren't exactly a lot of proven contributors here. Rice is more of a physical receiver than the guys already on the Chiefs roster, and that skill set could make him stand out from the crowd. Kadarius Toney and Skyy Moore barely played in their first season with the Chiefs, so there's some risk here of Rice being a Year 1 bust, so we'll want to keep an eye on training camp reports.
Draft him? Probably outside of the top 100, after Toney and Moore, but positive reports out of camp could certainly push Rice higher.
58. Cowboys select Luke Schoonmaker, TE, Michigan
Schoonmaker is another TE prospect who is more of an athlete than a proven producer, but he landed in a nice spot, in an offense that has used their tight ends a lot and certainly has a need. His primary competition on the depth chart is Jake Ferguson, which feels more like a speed hump than a road block.
Draft him? If we get positive reports out of camp that Schoonmaker is pushing for a starting job, he could enter that late-round discussion.
58. Jaguars select Brenton Strange, TE, Penn State
Strange has a pretty interesting athletic profile and showed some after-the-catch skills in college, but had just 70 catches over four seasons, so we didn't see much of it. Evan Engram is playing on the franchise tag, so this could be more of a 2024 pick.
Draft him? Only in deeper Dynasty leagues.
63. Broncos select Marvin Mims, WR, Oklahoma
Mims has elite speed and put up big numbers as a junior in Oklahoma's offense, but he probably needs the Broncos to make a trade to have a chance to get on the field on offense. He'll contribute on special teams, but if Jerry Jeudy, Courtland Sutton, and Tim Patrick are all there in Week 1, there probably won't be much room for him.
Draft him? Not as things currently stand. He might just be a special teams weapon for now.
68. Lions select Hendon Hooker, QB, Tennessee
In some ways, this is an ideal landing spot – coming back from a torn ACL, Hooker can sit behind Jared Goff while he gets up to speed. However, he's also already 25, so if Hooker is going to be the long-term guy in Detroit, he'll probably need to prove it sooner or later. From a Fantasy perspective, the ideal outcome might be something like a 4-6 start for the Lions, who then turn things over to him down the stretch, where he could be a legitimate Fantasy star in this offense, a la Jalen Hurts a couple of years ago. Of course, Hooker is already seven months older than Hurts.
Draft him? Not in one-QB leagues, but I'd take a late-round flier on the upside in a two-QB league, and I'd rank him ahead of Levis for both re-draft and Dynasty.
69. Texans select Nathanial Dell, WR, Houston
Dell brings a very different look to the Texans offense, and he's got a chance to grow alongside C.J. Stroud. Nico Collins, Noah Brown, and Robert Woods probably aren't keeping anyone off the field if Dell pops in camp.
Draft him? Right now, no. But keep an eye on reports this offseason to see if he can push for a starting role.
71. Saints select Kendre Miller, RB, TCU
With Alvin Kamara's lingering legal issues, there certainly could be an opportunity for another back to make an impact here besides Jamaal Williams. I'm just surprised they didn't take a more accomplished pass catcher here.
Draft him? There's a path to playing time here, but it's cloudy until we have a better sense of Kamara's availability. He'll get drafted late in most leagues.
73. Giants select Jalin Hyatt, WR, Tennessee
The Giants have 14 wide receivers on the depth chart right now – no, seriously, 14 – but not many of them have Hyatt's downfield skills. Darius Slayton is probably the biggest competition for playing time here, but given how Slayton has gone in and out of the rotation throughout his career, that may not be a big obstacle.
Draft him? Given how wide open the Giants' WR depth chart is, Hyatt deserves to be drafted in most leagues for the potential of Week 1 contributions.
74. Browns select Cedric Tillman, WR, Tennessee
Tillman went one spot after his college teammate, but he landed in what is probably a tougher depth chart to crack in Cleveland. Tillman was productive in college, but he might be a guy who has more value to the Browns in real life than Fantasy, at least at first.
Draft him? Tillman is a little older and may not have a clear path to Week 1 playing time in an offense that might not be very good anyway. I'm gonna pass.
78. Packers select Tucker Kraft, TE, South Dakota State
Kraft struggled as a senior against lower level competition, though an ankle injury played a role in that disappointing showing, to be certain. He'll be competing with Musgrave for the starting tight end role here.
Draft him? Given that Musgrave went earlier, you have to consider him more likely to carve out a significant role, but if Kraft leapfrogs him on the depth chart, he could be a late-round target.
79. Colts select Josh Downs, WR, UNC
At 5-foot-9, Downs is six and seven inches shorter than his new teammates, Michael Pittman and Alec Pierce, and he could step right on the field as the Colts' Parris Campbell replacement. The Colts offense could be explosive with Anthony Richardson at QB, but given his rushing ability and how much he lies looking down the field, Richardson may not look Downs' way very often.
Draft him? Probably not in re-draft leagues.
81. Titans select Tyjae Spears, RB, Tulane
Spears was an explosive player in college, averaging 6.9 yards per carry, but he ran a disappointing 40-yard time, which likely cause his stock to fall. He'll have a chance to open the season as Derrick Henry's backup and a potential third-down option, and backing up a 29-year-old with 1,249 carries over the past four seasons isn't a bad place to be.
Draft him? Spears will be drafted in every single Fantasy league as Henry's handcuff.
84. Dolphins select Devon Achane, RB, Texas A&M
Achane is such a hilariously on-brand pick for the Dolphins, who went all-in on speed on offense last season. He ran a 4.32 40 and was productive as both a pass-catcher and a runner in college. He's undersized at 185 pounds, but he's got a real chance to emerge as a weapon for the Dolphins.
Draft him? With Raheem Mostert and Jeff Wilson (and their lengthy injury histories) ahead of him on the depth chart, Achane is well-positioned to emerge rather quickly as a Fantasy asset. Don't be surprised if he's the No. 3 rookie RB off the board.
88. Jaguars select Tank Bigsby, RB, Auburn
Bigsby showed three-down skills in college, and he's got enough size and athleticism to think he could do it at the NFL level. The problem? Travis Etienne isn't going to cede too many looks to a rookie as long as he's healthy.
Draft him? Bigsby will be drafted outside of the top 100 as a pure handcuff, albeit to a guy who missed a whole season with a foot injury just two years ago.
93. Steelers select Darnell Washington, TE, Georgia
Washington is going to see the field immediately because he can serve as a de facto extra offensive lineman. However, he's also a very good athlete, having run a 4.64 40 at 264 pounds. He's a rare type of player, and it's not clear how he fits in as a Fantasy option.
Draft him? Washington has massive upside, and it's possible he's so overwhelming that he starts to push Pat Freiermuth for playing time immediately. But in re-draft leagues, he's probably not going to be worth drafting.
94. Cardinals select Michael Wilson, WR, Stanford
Wilson is big and he's a decent athlete, but he also played just 14 games over his final three college seasons and didn't exactly put up huge numbers consistently. If DeAndre Hopkins is traded, there could be an opportunity here, but even then, it's a bet on a guy who hasn't really produced before, who may be playing with a backup quarterback to open the season.
Draft him? Probably not in re-draft leagues.
100. Raiders select Tre Tucker, WR, Cincinnati
Tucker may have to wait a bit to get an opportunity, but this isn't a terrible landing spot for him in Dynasty, at least. He's a classic slot receiver who could thrive playing between Jakobi Meyers and Davante Adams, but the presence of Hunter Renfrow makes it unlikely he makes an impact in 2023
Draft him? Not in re-draft leagues.
101. 49ers select Cameron Latu, TE, Alabama
Latu is 23 and ran a 4.83 40-yard dash after having just two games in college with more than 60 receiving yards. Even if he didn't land on a team with George Kittle, I wouldn't be interested.
Draft him? That's a no from me.
