NFC Fantasy Football Draft Outlooks - Players to Target, Avoid Including James Conner, Darnell Mooney, Aaron Jones, more

August 25, 2023

Mike Fanelli analyzes the fantasy football outlook in only a few sentences for every team in the NFC. Which players should you target and which should you avoid in 2023?

The 2023 NFL regular season is almost here. August is arguably the best time of the year for fantasy football players, as there is never more information out there than this month.

However, the mountains of information can be overwhelming, especially for fantasy players with dozens of drafts to complete between now and opening night.

Therefore, I’ve broken down every NFC team from a fantasy perspective in only a few sentences. While fantasy players should take in as much information as possible, sometimes having a simple outlook is more beneficial.

Arizona Cardinals

The Cardinals won’t win many games this year, but they have some appealing fantasy players. James Conner was the RB4, averaging 17.8 half-point PPR fantasy points per game in the four contests he played without Kyler Murray last season. Meanwhile, Marquise Brown could finish top five in target share.

Atlanta Falcons

Bijan Robinson will be a fantasy superstar. He is worthy of a top-five draft pick. Drake London and Kyle Pitts are underrated at their ADP simply because Marcus Mariota isn’t around anymore. While Desmond Ridder won’t be a top-12 quarterback, the second-year player is an underrated option in superflex leagues.

Carolina Panthers

Carolina’s offensive line has looked awful during the preseason. However, that’s not a reason to avoid Miles Sanders. The veteran running back will have a featured workload and won’t be splitting red zone rushing attempts with his quarterback like he did last season. Adam Thielen, D.J. Chark, Jonathan Mingo, and Terrace Marshall Jr. are intriguing late-round options.

Chicago Bears

Last year Jalen Hurts was a popular third-year breakout candidate after getting A.J. Brown. Now it’s Justin Fields’ turn. Furthermore, DJ Moore is prime to have a career year. Darnell Mooney and Chase Claypool are solid late-round options but not must-have guys. Khalil Herbert is the guy to target early in the season, while Roschon Johnson will be the lead back before Halloween.

Dallas Cowboys

Tony Pollard was the RB7 last season, averaging 14.3 half-point PPR fantasy points per game despite Ezekiel Elliott leading the backfield in rushing attempts and total touches. Now that the veteran is gone, Pollard has the overall RB1 upside this season. CeeDee Lamb is a top-10 wide receiver, while Brandin Cooks should bounce back after a poor 2022 season with the Houston Texans. Dak Prescott is an excellent low-end QB1/high-end QB2.

Detroit Lions

Last year Jamaal Williams and D’Andre Swift were both top-24 running backs. Fantasy players should expect a similar outcome for David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs. The Detroit backfield had 509 touches and 459.8 half-point PPR fantasy points last year, meaning there are plenty of opportunities for both running backs to have top-15 seasons. Meanwhile, Amon-Ra St. Brown is a top-six wide receiver pick, and Sam LaPorta is arguably the most underrated sleeper tight end this year.

Green Bay Packers

While Aaron Rodgers is gone, Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs still have second-year breakout potential. Aaron Jones remains one of the most underrated running backs in fantasy football, while AJ Dillon has RB3 value with upside. Meanwhile, Jordan Love and Luke Musgrave likely won’t get drafted in most standard-size 1QB leagues. Yet both could be early season waiver wire targets.

Los Angeles Rams

Unfortunately, the Rams lack the fantasy firepower they had just two years ago. However, Cooper Kupp is worthy of a top-five pick and arguably the 1.01 selection in PPR leagues. Cam Akers ended last season on fire. He was the RB2 over the final four weeks, averaging 18.3 half-point PPR fantasy points per game. Tyler Higbee, Van Jefferson, and Matthew Stafford have streaming appeal. Keep an eye on Puka Nacua. The rookie could have a consistent role sooner rather than later.

Minnesota Vikings

Justin Jefferson is the near consensus 1.01 pick. Meanwhile, T.J. Hockenson has lofty expectations but is overrated as the third tight end off the board. Fantasy players should instead wait a round or two for Darren Waller or Kyle Pitts. Jordan Addison and Kirk Cousins have league-winning upside if the Vikings turn into a crazy pass-happy team because of their poor defense.

New Orleans Saints

Last year Chris Olave joined Garrett Wilson as the only rookie wide receivers with over 1,000 receiving yards. Now that he has Derek Carr instead of Andy Dalton, the former Buckeye is a prime second-year breakout candidate. Michael Thomas is hard to trust, given he’s played 10 games over the past three years. Fantasy players looking for an under-the-radar sleeper tight end should draft Juwan Johnson. He finished third in the NFL among tight ends in receiving touchdowns last season (seven), only behind Travis Kelce and George Kittle.

New York Giants

There are two players on this team worth drafting outside of the final 2-3 rounds – Saquon Barkley and Darren Waller. Barkley was outstanding last year. Meanwhile, Waller could be the overall TE1 this season if he plays all 17 games. There isn’t a Giants wide receiver worth drafting in standard-size leagues. However, Paris Campbell or Isaiah Hodgins could be an early season waiver wire target.

Philadelphia Eagles

Jalen Hurts was the QB1 on a points-per-game basis in 2022. Yet, he has even more upside this season without Miles Sanders on the team. A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith should get drafted as top-15 wide receivers, with the former Ole Miss star a top-eight target. Dallas Goedert is an underrated tight end option once again. Meanwhile, good luck figuring out the backfield. I’m avoiding it.

San Francisco 49ers

Welcome to the Brock Purdy show. The last pick in the 2022 NFL Draft averaged more fantasy points per game in his five starts (18.6) than Justin Herbert during the same five-week period (14.4). Christian McCaffrey is the favorite to be the RB1 this year if he stays healthy again. Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk, and George Kittle each need one of the other two to miss significant time to become a fantasy superstar.

Seattle Seahawks

Are you still mad at Pete Carroll for drafting Zach Charbonnet? Yeah, me too! Kenneth Walker III and Charbonnet are both solid draft picks at their ADP but need the other to miss significant time to become a league winner. DK Metcalf is vastly overrated at his current ADP, while Jaxon Smith-Njigba might miss the first few weeks with a wrist injury. Tyler Lockett is a good value at his ADP. Meanwhile, Geno Smith is the quarterback you want to target as your QB2 in superflex leagues.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Baker Mayfield won the starting job over Kyle Trask. However, that doesn’t mean Mike Evans and Chris Godwin are top-10 wide receivers again. However, don’t overreact to Tom Brady’s retirement. Both Tampa Bay veterans are top-36 wide receivers, with Godwin getting the edge in half-point of full-point PPR scoring. Rashaad White might have a featured role, but he was inefficient as a rookie, and the Buccaneers’ offensive line has struggled in the preseason.

Washington Commanders

While it was a preseason game, Sam Howell was impressive in the Week 2 matchup against the Baltimore Ravens. Unfortunately, Terry McLaurin injured his toe but should be ready for opening weekend. The backfield is near an even split, but Antonio Gibson gets the edge in any type of PPR scoring system. More importantly, Jahan Dotson will have a sophomore-year breakout. He is worthy of a top-30 wide receiver ranking and arguably should get drafted ahead of McLaurin.

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