Who is the No. 1 Overall Pick for 2023 Fantasy Football? Making The Case for Saquon Barkley

March 4, 2023

Is Saquon Barkley the No. 1 overall pick for 2023 fantasy football? Should I pick Saquon Barkley as the first pick in 2023 fantasy football drafts? Read the fantasy football outlook here.

Saquon Barkley was a nerve-wracking fantasy pick this past season. Barkley's 2020 season ended in Week 2 with a torn ACL and his 2021 season was putrid, finishing as the RB30. He was a homerun pick this year, going in the late second round of most drafts and finishing as the RB5.

The most eager owners are getting ready for next year's fantasy football drafts and are beginning to assemble data to determine who some of the top picks and players might be.

Does Saquon Barkley possess enough upside to warrant drafting him as the first pick in 2023? Let's examine this further.

How Did Saquon Barkley Perform in Fantasy Football This Season?

The 25-year-old from Pennsylvania carried the ball a career-high 295 times for a career-high 1,312 yards behind a much improved New York offensive line.

Barkley averaged over 100 scrimmage yards per game and found the end zone 10 times, all of which came on the ground. The former Penn State Nittany Lion led an injury-riddled Giant offense with 76 targets and tied Richie James for the team lead with 57 receptions.

Saquon topped 17 full-PPR points in ten games this year, including six of the first seven weeks. He scored under 15 points in just four games in the 2022 season. Barkley never scored multiple touchdowns in a game this year, providing his fantasy owners with a consistently great season.

Is Saquon Barkley The No. 1 Pick For 2023 Fantasy Football?

With more than seven months to go before fantasy owners decide who their top pick will be in 2023, there will be plenty of ongoing debates about who deserves the top crown. The elite names included in these discussions for the 2023 draft are Justin Jefferson, Tyreek Hill, Christian McCaffrey, Cooper Kupp, Austin Ekeler, Ja'Marr Chase, and even tight end Travis Kelce.

But which one should be chosen before all else? Depending on your league's format, there may be different answers to that question. Barkley turns 26 this offseason and hits free agency, though following the Giants' first playoff berth in six years, many expect number 26 to stay in the Big Apple.

Saquon Barkley's career has revived from the dead. Many were ready to write him off a year ago, but following a top-five campaign, Barkley is certain to soar up draft boards this offseason. The Giants were the fourth-youngest team this past year and have a bright future under Brian Daboll. Saquon handled the ball over 350 times this year, hopefully a sign that his injury woes are past him. Few can match his game-breaking upside, he's sure to be near the top of 2023 draft boards.

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