New York Giants RB Saquon Barkley was a big name in contract extension talks throughout the offseason as players throughout the league expressed displeasure with how RBs are treated by organizations. After having a career year last season, Barkley is poised for another big year as he hopes to lead the Giants to their 2nd-straight playoff birth.
Below, we look at Saquon Barkley’s 2023 fantasy football average draft positions (ADP) and where you should draft him.
There were many questions last year about Barkley’s ability to be a consistent and healthy RB in the NFL, after 2 years of battling injuries. Barkley silenced all his critics with his 2022 campaign, posting career highs in rushing yards and attempts, and nearly eclipsing his career numbers for rushing TDs average yards per carry.
This season Barkley is looking to prove why he is worth all the money he has been seeking. As the Giants look to build off their Wild-Card playoff win, their offense will rely heavily on the production of Barkley.
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Saquon Barkley’s ADP: 13.95
(ADP data courtesy of MyFantasyLeague.com; last updated at time of this publishing – ADPs continually change as more drafts occur)
Barkley’s current ADP has him as a late 1st-round or early 2nd-round pick in all leagues Barkley is always a bit of a concern because of his injury history, but after last season he is a great option for your RB1. He finished in 4th in rushing yards, 9th in rushing TD, and 4th in rushing yards per game.
Barkley’s ADP has him as the 4th-ranked RB to be taken off the board in most leagues. The 3 backs ahead of him are San Francisco 49ers’ Christian McCaffrey (5.08), Los Angeles Chargers’ Austin Ekeler (8.24) and Atlanta Falcons’ Bijan Robinson (8.69). I would select all of those backs ahead of Barkley as Ekeler and McCaffrey will get more receiving looks and red-zone looks, and Robinson is expected to eclipse 300 rushing attempts this year.
Saquon Barkley’s 2022 stats
Games: 16
Carries | rushing yards: 295 | 1,312
Rushing touchdowns: 10
Receptions | receiving yards: 57 | 338
Receiving touchdowns: 0
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Where should you draft Barkley?
I understand if you feel like taking backs like Tennessee Titans’ Derrick Henry (19.75) or Nick Chubb of the Cleveland Browns (15.28) over Barkley, but Barkley is a very elite RB1 option. Last year Barkley got a lot of yards, but didn’t get as many TDss or receiving targets as some other backs.
Barkley’s receiving looks will likely take an even bigger hit as additions to the Giants’ passing game like rookie WR Jalin Hyatt and TE Darren Waller. Barkley is still the best option in the Giants’ run game and will see a vast majority of those carries and will be a cornerstone of that offense.
If you trust Barkley to stay healthy you should feel very confident drafting him late 1st round or early 2nd round. He is a top-5 RB1 heading into this season so if you can snag him you should be very happy.
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