Leveraging fantasy football default rankings: Kincaid, Burks stand out

It's the best time of year. Fantasy drafts are in full swing, regular season NFL action is days away and a long summer of draft prep soon comes to a close. Whether you've already made your picks or are prepping for your turn on the clock, it's a good time to compare rankings. That's why we're previewing our draft guide's exclusive column, Leveraging the Default Rankings. With the ability to compare rankings across platforms, it's a worthy companion for every fantasy manager.

Our 2023 Fantasy Football Draft Guide is packed with industry expert analysis, positional tiers, mock drafts, player profiles, rankings for multiple scoring formats, and so much more. The array of tools at your disposal will surely help you dominate your fantasy drafts this year, and our experts will continue to provide insight on crucial topics ahead of the season. If you’re looking for that additional edge on draft day, you’ve come to the right place.

Don’t miss any of our 2023 Draft Guide previews! Follow along throughout the summer and see all of them here.

We have once again reached home league season, folks. That’s right. Gather the family, enjoy some food and drinks, and get ready to avenge the seventh-place finish that saw you on the outside looking in on the crazy playoff season. Hard to believe grandma stashing Jarrett Stidham for all 17 weeks paid off, but that's the way it goes, right? Maybe you had some bad luck. Or maybe you just needed somebody to highlight massive values that existed within your draft room. That’s where we come in.

In our draft guide's full Leveraging the Default Rankings column, Zachary Krueger highlights notable discrepancies between Rotoworld's rankings and the default rankings of ESPN, Yahoo and NFL.com. You'll find out why he likes some of these players and how you should target them in your drafts. Plus, the column maps out a few players to keep in mind in the final rounds who are off the radars of these sites. In today's preview, we'll be looking specifically at players Rotoworld likes vs. Yahoo in half-PPR drafts. You'll see Roto and Yahoo's ranks, the difference between them for each player and detailed analysis.

Let’s look at the biggest takeaways.

Players Rotoworld likes vs. Yahoo

Fade Kenny Pickett. Fade Pat Freiermuth. Draft Diontae Johnson. Johnson’s zero-touchdown performance in 2022 was a complete anomaly, and one that we don’t expect to be replicated this year. I love him as a strong bounce-back candidate in the touchdown department this year, and expect his target volume (147) to remain largely intact. Johnson’s 2022 season disappointed, but we can’t ignore the fact that he was the WR9 in expected fantasy points last season. If you’re loading up on running backs early, Johnson is a nice WR2/WR3 to add to your roster.

Treylon Burks’ disappointing 2022 can’t be totally ignored, but the second-year receiver has had mostly positive reviews in camp, and the addition of DeAndre Hopkins will take some pressure off him this season. Burks is nursing a knee injury that he suffered in camp, and his Week 1 status is somewhat in doubt, so approach him with caution. Still, I like Burks as a breakout candidate once he’s healthy. Another breakout candidate I like is Skyy Moore. You know the drill. Moore plays in an elite Chiefs offense and is projected as the starting slot receiver. I recently mentioned him as one of my favorite late-round targets based on his expected role and the way Patrick Mahomes has targeted slot receivers over the last two years.

Now, for the tight ends. I bring to you a rookie first-rounder who is expected to see a lot of snaps in the slot (Dalton Kincaid) and a rookie second-rounder who could be the No. 2 target on his team’s offense out of the gate (Sam LaPorta). Kincaid was expected to be used primarily as a pass-catching tight end, and he was a surprise selection by the Bills this spring. Kincaid is a sure-handed tight end who caught 3-of-4 targets for 45 yards in his second preseason game and should see plenty of looks in a Bills offense that is among the most pass-heavy in the league.

Recent reports on LaPorta suggest he has a chance to be the No. 2 target in the Lions’ offense after Amon-Ra St. Brown. Jameson Williams is suspended, and receivers Marvin Jones and Josh Reynolds are by no means target hogs. The Lions finished fourth in points per game last season, and have a defense that’s expected to give up its fair share of points again. LaPorta being a key player in an offense that could see its fair share of shootouts is very enticing. I love that both of these tight ends can be had for free in Yahoo leagues.

If you want to see the full column and more players to target and fade in drafts, click here and use code BERRY20 for 20% off.