Did we accurately peg the 10 hardest players to trust in Fantasy Football in 2023?

The conclusion of the NFL season gives all football fans some time to pause and reflect. We're going to do the same by revisiting the players we thought would be hard to rely on in fantasy football during the 2023 season. We nailed some calls, and others were slightly embarrassing. All statistics are sourced from Football Reference.

The San Francisco 49ers used Samuel in a myriad of ways in 2021, deploying the wide receiver as a part of their running back rotation. That utilization changed in 2022, as his yards per catch and rushing attempt numbers decreased notably. Those numbers aren’t surprising given Christian McCaffery’s arrival last season, but it means Samuel will need to make the most of his touches in 2023.

Despite concerns that Samuel would continue to be phased out of running back touches, the 49ers actually re-installed some of those plays for their wide receiver. He scored five touchdowns on the ground in 2023 on 37 carries, and had another seven touchdowns through the air.

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Cookie-cutter analysis is often frowned upon, but the Tampa Bay Buccaneers figure to experience a marked drop-off in quarterback production in 2023. Going from Tom Brady to Baker Mayfield or Kyle Trask is going to affect the offense noticeably. Evans’ downfield reception skills might not be called on as much as a result.

Baker Mayfield actually had a solid year filling in for Tom Brady, and Evans posted his 10th consecutive 1,000 yard receiving season. In fact, Evans might have been the best bargain in all of fantasy football in 2023.

It’s almost unfair for Moore to leave the Carolina Panthers to join a team which has legitimate passing question marks. Justin Fields is a sensational athlete, but the jury is still out about his throwing ability. Moore has proven to be a very good NFL receiver, but might have some roller coaster outputs in fantasy football this year.

Moore finished the season with 1,364 yards through the air and eight touchdowns, which fantasy managers would've signed up for in a heartbeat. However, as we predicted, Moore had weeks where he ran circles around defenses, and others where his statline was barely a blip on the radar.

Everyone in the fantasy community wants Pitts to become the dominant tight end everyone thinks he can be. Due to volume, ineffectiveness and scheme, it hasn’t happened yet. Pitts is still only in his third NFL season, but the wide variety of outcomes he’s produced in fantasy has made him one of the most polarizing players to draft.

We were skeptical of Pitts' volume and track record heading into the year, and it was more of the same in 2023. In fact, former head coach Arthur Smith utilized backup tight end Jonnu Smith more than anyone would have guessed. It'll be interesting to see if Pitts' fortunes change under new head coach Raheem Morris.

When he’s healthy, Kittle is right up there as one of the best tight ends in the game. Unfortunately, that qualifying statement about his ability to play hampers how much fantasy managers can trust him. After logging pedestrian numbers for most of the season, Kittle caught seven touchdowns in his final four games last year.

Kittle had similar fantasy production to D.J. Moore this year from a consistency perspective. Fantasy managers would gladly sign up for the final numbers, but the season mixed in boom and bust games for the San Francisco tight end.

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From a fantasy perspective, Pittman has had the good fortune of playing with pocket passers during his first three NFL seasons. That’s not the type of profile rookie quarterback Anthony Richardson brings to the able though, and that should give Pittman enthusiasts some pause. It remains to be seen how accurate or how willing Richardson will be in his first NFL campaign.

Anthony Richardson only ended up playing four games in his rookie season due to injury, before veteran Gardner Minshew took over. Pittman probably benefitted from playing with a traditional pocket passer most of the year, but wasn't bad in fantasy when Richardson was under center.

The hype train reached significant speeds for Davis ahead of the 2022 season, but the reality never lived up to the anticipation. His average depth of target reached career-high metrics in 2022, meaning that Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen primarily looked for Davis when larger chunks of yards were needed. That formula can yield some inconsistency over the course of the season.

Davis matched a career high in touchdowns with seven in 2023, but also posted fewer yards this year than he did in 2022, which was also considered a disappointment. Successful fantasy teams simply could not trust Davis in their lineup on a week in, week out, basis.

Along with most Denver Broncos offensive players last year, Jeudy’s output left a lot to be desired. Mentally, it’s going to be difficult for fantasy managers to move past that turbulent experience. However, it does mean that Jeudy has his Denver teammates can be had at a discount in fantasy drafts, which might make the potential headache a bit more digestible.

Denver's offense took a step forward in 2023 under new head coach Sean Payton, but Jeudy's production didn't jump off the page. Russell Wilson seemed to have a better connection with Courtland Sutton through the air than Jeudy, which only allowed the latter to post two receiving touchdowns in 2023.

Everyone remembers just how prolific Watson was when he last played a full season with the Houston Texans. That was back in 2020 when he threw for a league high 4,823 yards. He’s dealt with a lot of controversy as he’s worked his way back to playing football, and will need to prove that he can get back to the elite form he once had.

Watson was 5-1 as a starter for the Browns in 2023, before a shoulder injury knocked him out for the remainder of the year. In those six games, he showed flashes of the old player fans saw in Houston, but the production wasn't consistent.

Opinions about Smith-Schuster have been all over the map. It was once believed that he would be an heir apparent to Antonio Brown with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Fans also thought he could be a number one option with Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs. He now finds himself with the New England Patriots, and it’s anyone’s guess as to how things will turn out for him in 2023.

Smith-Schuster wasn't relevant in fantasy football this year on the Patriots. New England's offense was amongst the worst in the NFL, and he wasn't a featured target of their struggling passing attack.

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