Jahmyr Gibbs' fantasy outlook: Should you draft Lions RB in 2023? 

Jahmyr Gibbs is one of the most exciting rookies to watch ahead of the 2023 fantasy football season. He was selected by the Detroit Lions in the first round of the 2023 NFL draft, despite their deep needs on the defensive side of the ball.

This demonstrates how highly the Lions think of Gibbs and also indicates that they plan on giving him a large role in their offensive scheme.

Just like in the real NFL, selecting rookies in fantasy football drafts always comes with a higher level of risk than most veteran players. This is due to the unknown of how their skillset and effectiveness will transfer to the NFL level, as well as what their workload will look like with their new teams.

Some NFL teams choose to ease their rookies into game action, while others throw them right into the fire.

In the case of Jahmyr Gibbs for the 2023 fantasy football season, he's one of the safest rookies to bet on in the draft. His skillset appears to be ideal for the NFL game, including his explosiveness and pass-catching abilities.

He also enters an excellent situation with the Lions to potentially thrive. They already showed last season that they can support two fantasy-relevant running backs.

The Lions featured both Jamaal Williams and D'Andre Swift in their offensive game plan during the 2022 season. Williams led the entire NFL with 17 rushing touchdowns, while Swift showed off his dynamic dual-threat contributions when he was healthy.

Both running backs moved on to other teams during the free agency period of the 2023 NFL offseason.

The Lions restructured their backfield by signing David Montgomery and drafting Jahmyr Gibbs. While both are solid fantasy targets, Gibbs holds significantly more upside. His athleticism gives him a high ceiling and the fact that the Lions used such a high draft pick to select him likely means they have big plans for him.

After Bijan Robinson, Jahmyr Gibbs is by far the safest rookie running back to target in 2023 fantasy drafts. He's also much cheaper. Robinson is being selected in the first round of most drafts, according to his current ADP, while Gibbs is likely to be available in the fourth round.

Given his skillset and team situation, Gibbs makes for an excellent high-upside pick at his current ADP.

How fast is Jahmyr Gibbs?

Jahmyr Gibbs

Speed is one of the few weapons that can't be taught in the NFL. In general, a player either has speed, or they don't.

Jahmyr Gibbs has it. He ran a scorching time of 4.36 seconds in the 40-yard dash at the 2023 NFL combine, ranking him second among all running backs. This played a major role in the Detroit Lions selecting him 12th overall in the 2023 NFL draft.

It also factors into why he's such an exciting rookie for the 2023 fantasy football season.