RADIO
For all the offseason talk of defenses playing 2-high safety and soft-shell coverages to eliminate big plays, we've still seen plenty of offensive explosion this season. 21 teams are averaging over 20 points scored per game and three teams are averaging over 30 points per game. Ironically enough, the top 5 teams in points scored so far in 2023 are the 5 teams who have been selected for this article.
The Kansas City Chiefs do not make the list despite having fantasy football juggernauts in QB Patrick Mahomes and TE Travis Kelce. Right now their backfield and wide receiving corps are currently muddied, but there could be room for RB Isiah Pacheco and rookie WR Rashee Rice to both breakout and have big seasons the rest of the way. The Chiefs along with the Los Angeles Chargers and Los Angeles Rams deserve honorable mention as offenses who could have massive value going forward, the Chargers especially since their bye week is over and done with.
The five teams listed in these rankings are based on the upside seen out of these offenses for the rest of 2023. The team who finishes at No. 1 has the most upside. Now let's dive into the rankings, shall we?
Featured Promo: Looking for some fantasy football action? Join a dynasty startup league over at FFPC. Sign up today and get $25 off any FFPC league. FFPC is the leader in dynasty leagues and has standard, superflex and best ball formats. Dynasty not your thing? No worries, FFPC has Best Ball leagues as well. Join A League Today!
5. Buffalo Bills
Bills quarterback Josh Allen has picked up right where he left off in 2022. Through 5 games of 2023, Allen is the QB1 on the season averaging 24.7 fantasy PPG. The Bills are 3-2 after being upset by the Jets in Week 1 and by the Jaguars in London last week, but their offense has still looked like the high-powered unit of old. The Bills rank 3rd in the NFL in scoring (31.8), 4th in passing yards per game (274.2), and for the first time in a long while have a relevant fantasy running back in James Cook.
Cook is currently the RB16 on the year and has shown some signs of life. While he had a down game in Week 5, Cook has been more regularly involved in the offense and the only concern is whether or not he will continue to see enough goal-line carries to be viable for fantasy. WR Stefon Diggs is also the WR3 on the season at 19.9 fantasy PPG in half-PPR formats. Where the Bills are struggling is at tight end where neither Dawson Knox or rookie Dalton Kincaid have been viable.
Nonetheless, it's hard to be disappointed with the Bills offense. WR Gabe Davis has provided a few decent weeks and sits at WR18 on a points per game basis in half-PPR and as the WR12 in season long. The hardest part about starting Gabe in managed leagues is that he isn't always consistent week-to-week and is better in best ball.
The highest upside player on the Bills is still QB Josh Allen. He has a top 3 fantasy ceiling at his position in any given week and always has a chance to go superman and win you a week all by himself. WR Stefon Diggs is not far behind.
Most Upside: Josh Allen
4. Detroit Lions
Detroit has certainly lived up to the hype after they finished 2022 on an 8-2 run. Combined with their 4-1 start, the Lions are 12-3 in their last fifteen games. QB Jared Goff has been slinging it, WR Amon-Ra St. Brown has been outstanding, and rookie TE Sam LaPorta is in the Top 3 in tight ends. It's hard not to be excited about where the Lions currently stand. Detroit is 4th in points scored (29.6), 9th in passing (243.4 yards per game), and 7th in rushing (141.0). Talk about a perfectly balanced offense!
The fantasy community has been burned pretty badly with how little the Detroit Lions have used rookie RB Jahmyr Gibbs despite drafting him at No. 12 overall, but RB David Montgomery has been an amazing value for fantasy this year. Despite missing one game, Monty ranks as the RB5 on a PPG basis at 19.6 in half-PPR formats. The Lions offensive line is one of the best in the league and HC Dan Campbell loves to keep feeding his bellcow RB.
WR Amon-Ra St. Brown is currently the WR16 in half-PPR formats at 14.1 per game and TE Sam LaPorta is the TE3 on a PPG basis at 11.9 per game. Amon-Ra may not have the weekly upside of a Tyreek Hill or Ja'Marr Chase where he could go for 40-plus in any given week, but as far as managed leagues are concerned he is consistent as they come. St. Brown always seem to be around 8 receptions for 80 yards with a TD scored every other week, that's pretty good. WR Jameson Williams is back from suspension and has homerun ability with his deep speed.
QB Jared Goff is quietly the QB11 on the year at 19.2 fantasy points per game. While he isn't an ideal QB1 in most leagues, he is a massive value as your QB2 in Superflex formats. Goff may not have the weekly upside of a Josh Allen or Jalen Hurts since he doesn't use his legs, but he has been steady for fantasy this year and has been cutting back on some of his mistakes. Outside of fantasy, Lions fans have to be over the moon with how good this team is looking through 5 games.
Most Upside: Sam LaPorta
3. San Francisco 49ers
It's hard not to continue to be impressed with what head coach Kyle Shanahan and GM John Lynch have built in San Francisco. Their defense is elite and their offense is stockpiled with skill players. QB Brock Purdy continues his Cinderella-like run as the steady hand guiding the 49ers ship each week. RB Christian McCaffrey has been unstoppable and the 49ers offense is 2nd in points scored (33.4 PPG), 3rd in rushing yards per game (156.4), and 8th in passing yards (246.2)! This offense is seriously a juggernaut.
CMC has been on tear through 5 games averaging 24.8 points scored in half-PPR formats which ranks him as the RB1. It's pretty clear from the injuries suffered to WRs so far that McCaffrey should have been the 1.01 in just about all fantasy drafts. WRs Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk have been banged up a bit to start the season, but both have performed well. Deebo is currently the WR16 in season-long and Aiyuk is the WR17, although Aiyuk has averaged 15.1 fantasy points per game (half-PPR) to Deebo's 12.1. The only thing holding both of them back is just the consistent volume and the fact that they are both surrounded by phenomenal skill players. There is only one football to go around after all.
TE George Kittle had a 3 TD performance in Week 5 and currently sits as the TE6 on the season at 9.6 fantasy points per game. There is only so much of the passing pie to go around, so it's hard to imagine Kittle can finish as a Top 3 TE on the season, but he can have a monster game at any time. The same goes for Aiyuk and Samuel, who are both very good WRs and would see a massive boost in scoring should any of the other starting skill players on the offense miss time.
That leads us to the QB in the center of it all: Mr. Brock Purdy. He sits as the QB8 on the year at 19.8 fantasy points per game. Credit to the 49ers for moving on from QB Trey Lance, eliminating all distractions related to a QB controversy and moving forward with the guy who gives them the best chance to win. The 49ers offense is great for fantasy, but CMC is the one with the biggest upside for now. It is Super Bowl or bust for this team.
Most Upside: Christian McCaffrey
2. Philadelphia Eagles
For all the talk about the dreaded Super Bowl hangover, the Eagles are having none of it in 2023. They are currently 5-0 and have all the look of a complete team from top to bottom. Right now, Philly is 5th in scoring (28.2 PPG), 2nd in rushing (164.0), and 10th in passing (240.4). While the backfield situation seemed a little murky to start the season with Rashaad Penny, Kenneth Gainwell, D'Andre Swift, and Boston Scott all in the mix, Swift appears to have won the job and has been an awesome value for fantasy this season. Is the team disappointed with Penny or just hoping to keep him fresh for the second-half of the season just in case they need him?
QB Jalen Hurts has been awesome for fantasy and currently sits as the QB3 on the year at 22.6 fantasy PPG. Swift is currently the RB13 in half-PPR on a PPG basis (14.1) and the RB9 on a year-to-date basis. As things currently sit, he is looking like one of the best values of the entire fantasy season provided that he is able to remain healthy. There is always the risk of being vultured by Hurts in the red zone, but it's hard to feel disappointed as a Swift drafter right now.
WRs A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith have been solid for fantasy as well. Brown currently ranks as the WR8 on the year at 16.7 fantasy PPG in half-PPR and Smith is currently the WR27 in season-long at 10.5 per game. Due to the reality that this offense is loaded with pass catchers and it's bread and butter is running the ball, it is very possible that Smith could see plenty of spikes and dips in his weekly fantasy performances. TE Dallas Goedert is the TE10 on the year and while he hasn't exactly been a disappointment, he has struggled to find the end zone. All of these players are incredible talents, but will sadly likely produce more for fantasy if any one of the others should miss time.
While we can definitely make the case for A.J. Brown, it's pretty clear that having Hurts as your fantasy QB is a massive cheat code. He comes with such a safe weekly floor from rushing alone that is very difficult for him to completely bust for fantasy.
Most Upside: Jalen Hurts
1. Miami Dolphins
It would be a tragedy not to have them as No. 1 on this list due to the reality that the Dolphins offense has already broken NFL records through the first 5 weeks of the 2023 season. Miami is currently 1st in scoring (36.2 PPG), 1st in rushing (185.8), and 1st in passing (327.8). That's the triple crown of NFL offense! They also rank 1st in total yards per game (513.6) while the next closest team (Philadelphia) only has 404.4. Some of this is skewed from the Dolphins hanging a 70-burger on the Broncos earlier in the year, but it's still hard not to be impressed with what they've accomplished.
QB Tua Tagovailoa has remained upright after several concussions plagued him in 2022, and currently sits as the QB6 on the year at 20.7 fantasy PPG. Tua is leading the league in passer rating on play-action and with how balanced Miami's offense has been it's become very difficult for defenses to stop. He might not have Top 3 upside, but if you have Tua in fantasy this year you have to be over the moon.
Sadly, rookie RB De'Von Achane has landed on Injured Reserve for the next 4 games, but he was on a torrid pace to win NFL Rookie of the Year and had some of the best RB efficiency ever sitting as the RB3 on the year on a PPG basis at 24.3. The good news is that veteran RB Raheem Mostert should pick up the slack and he has been great for fantasy as well ranking as the RB6 on the year at 19.5 fantasy points per game.
WR Tyreek Hill has just been incredible and has the chance to take one to the house with any given touch. Hill is the WR1 on the season at 22.9 fantasy points per game. He's so good that he just makes all the other defenders out there look like they're in slow motion trying to defend him. Fellow WR Jaylen Waddle has been banged up with injury, but should rebound to have a big rest of the season. If you are rostering Waddle, now is not the time to worry. Miami's offense doesn't feature much with the tight ends, but Durham Smythe could become an option if any of the pass catchers were to miss any time. Hope you enjoyed this article and stay tuned here at RotoBaller all season long for plenty of fantasy coverage!
Most Upside: Tyreek Hill
Download Our Free News & Alerts Mobile App
Like what you see? Download our updated fantasy football app for iPhone and Android with 24x7 player news, injury alerts, rankings, starts/sits & more. All free!
Win More With RotoBaller
Be sure to also check out all of our other daily fantasy football articles and analysis to help you set those winning lineups, including this new RotoBaller YouTube video:More Waiver Wire Pickups and Advice
