Catching up on what happened since the Super Bowl
Eric Moody discusses the NFL offseason moves that fantasy managers should be aware of before their drafts. (2:06)
Fantasy football can be a year-round pursuit for some. For others … well, you may know that the Rams won the Super Bowl and you might even have heard who your team took in the first round of the NFL draft, but you’ve been too busy with other things to follow the NFL offseason closely. That’s all right, we have you covered and can catch you up quickly. Here are 12 offseason headlines you need to know about.
Just days after Aaron Rodgers and the Packers came to terms on a contract extension, the team’s top receiver — who led the league in receptions (238) and receiving touchdowns (29) over the past two seasons — asked for a trade and promptly received one to Las Vegas. Raiders QB Derek Carr and Adams played college ball together at Fresno State where, from 2012 to 2013, they combined for 39 touchdowns and 3,037 yards. The NFL isn’t college and Carr isn’t Rodgers, but this is an interesting pairing nonetheless.
Meanwhile in Green Bay, Rodgers’ No. 1 receiver looks to be Allen Lazard, who is no Davante Adams, but also creates an interesting pairing with the defending league MVP.
This was the other shocking trade this offseason. Patrick Mahomes lost his top wide receiver, but he still has Travis Kelce and the team added JuJu Smith-Schuster and Marquez Valdes-Scantling, so he’s still got plenty of guys who can catch his passes. Hill is still a WR1 in fantasy despite the downgrade from Mahomes to Tua Tagovailoa. Since 2010, there have been 15 wide receivers who changed teams after having 1,000 yards the previous season, and nine times that receiver had another 1,000-yard season. Hill is skilled enough to do it, too.
Listen: The Fantasy Focus Podcast is back with Field Yates, Mike Clay and Daniel Dopp taking a look at the biggest off-season moves including trades, rookies drafted and free agent signings that will impact your fantasy drafts. Plus, advice on how you should approach the 1st Round in your league.
He was the Titans’ No. 1 receiver for three seasons, and now Brown will play the same role for the Eagles. Philadelphia acquired Brown in order to help its young quarterback, Jalen Hurts, who has known Brown since high school. After signing a four-year, $100 million extension with Philadelphia, Brown could set career highs in targets and receiving yards now that he’s playing for a team which doesn’t force-feed the ball to Derrick Henry 23 times per game.
The Broncos have been searching desperately for a replacement for Peyton Manning since the end of 2015 and may have finally found him in Russell Wilson, who since 2016 has been a top-10 quarterback despite playing for a Seahawks team that ranked 31st in pass attempts. In the high-scoring AFC West, Wilson has a chance to finish as the top fantasy quarterback since the Broncos should be a pass-first offense with an abundance of receiving playmakers to catch the ball.
So who is the quarterback in Seattle now? We’re not really sure and you don’t really need to worry about it for your draft.
After spending 14 seasons as the Falcons’ starting quarterback, Ryan is now with the Colts. Since the start of the 2016 season, he leads the league in passing yards (26,978). Ryan also ranks fifth in passing touchdowns (165). With a robust running game featuring Jonathan Taylor and with Michael Pittman Jr. as his new No. 1 receiver, we haven’t heard the last of Matty Ice just yet. That said, he’s still more of a quality backup than a top-10 guy right now.
Last year, the Browns went into the season with Odell Beckham Jr. and Jarvis Landry as their top two receivers. Beckham ended up winning a ring with the Rams and Landry is now a Saint, so Cooper, who averaged 15 fantasy points per game over the last four seasons with the Cowboys, arrives as the unquestioned top target and firmly on the radar as a WR3 regardless of the quarterback uncertainty in Cleveland. What uncertainty, you ask?
Ready for kickoff? Sign up now to play with friends and family. Get started >>
Watson didn’t play last season after he asked for a trade from the Houston Texans before allegations were made in 25 civil lawsuits of sexual misconduct during massage sessions. Watson is still facing one civil suit after settling 23 and one being dropped following a judge’s ruling, and he was suspended six games by an independent arbitrator. Watson and Josh Allen are the only players with at least 100 touchdown passes and 15 rushing touchdowns in their first four seasons. Until Watson gets on the field, Cooper will be catching passes from Jacoby Brissett. Last season’s Browns starter, Baker Mayfield, is now a Carolina Panther.
Ridley was suspended indefinitely — but definitely for the entire 2022 season — for betting on NFL games. If you’re not in a keeper league, that means you can forget his name for now and learn this one instead: Drake London. London was selected eighth overall in this year’s draft after being a star receiver at USC. Atlanta will need him to be a big part of its offense right away, though how good an offense it will be with Marcus Mariota as the quarterback is … debatable.
Hopkins tested positive for a trace amount of Ostarine, which violated the NFL’s performance-enhancing drug policy. Hopkins claims he doesn’t know how the banned substance got into his system, but his suspension is set. The Cardinals, who also lost Christian Kirk to Jacksonville in free agency, traded for the Ravens’ No. 1 receiver, and quarterback Kyler Murray’s former Oklahoma teammate, Marquise Brown. During Hopkins’ time with the Cardinals, he has averaged 8.62 targets per game, so Brown should see similar volume and be a deep ball threat right away. You shouldn’t overlook him in fantasy drafts as he is an excellent WR2.
Meanwhile, Rashod Bateman is Lamar Jackson‘s top receiver in Baltimore. Although Mark Andrews is expected to lead the Ravens in targets, fantasy managers should keep Bateman on their radar as a flex option.
The Super Bowl champion Rams are retooling for another run and Robinson, coming off one of the worst statistical seasons of his career with the Bears, gets a major step up in quarterback play with Matthew Stafford throwing him the ball instead of the quarterbacks he played with in Chicago (Mitch Trubisky, Nick Foles, Justin Fields, Chase Daniel and Andy Dalton). Robinson is a solid flex option with the Rams, where he is expected to be a clear No. 2 to No. 1 Cooper Kupp. Woods, meanwhile, landed with Ryan Tannehill and the Titans, ostensibly replacing A.J. Brown.
Wentz is on his third team in three seasons, but there is a lot to like about his landing in Washington, where he joins wide receiver Terry McLaurin and running back Antonio Gibson in a fantasy-friendly offense. Wentz can be regarded as a low-end QB2 from a fantasy perspective, but this should really bode well for McLaurin, in the same way that the quarterback upgrade bodes well for Allen Robinson.
Former Ohio State star receiver Wilson is projected to see a ton of targets from second-year quarterback Zach Wilson, while former Iowa State standout Hall, who has the potential to become a three-down back at the NFL level, could be leading the team in carries as early as Week 1. NFL team wins don’t matter in fantasy, so don’t overlook talented players who will get a chance to play right away, even if the team might struggle.
What to read next: Refresh yourself on the basics of drafting with Field Yates’ 10 essential rules for fantasy football drafts
Ready for the advanced course? Mike Clay’s Fantasy Football Playbook takes you step-by-step through how a fantasy expert prepares for his draft.