Fantasy Football Forecasts

Justin Jefferson Fantasy Outlook: A Young Star Continues To Rise In The North

Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson had a remarkable rookie season in 2020. After 88 receptions, 1,400 yards, and seven touchdowns, the pressure was one for him to improve. And improve, he did. While playing in all 17 games, Jefferson had 108 receptions for 1,616 yards and 10 touchdowns. He was the main target for quarterback Kirk Cousins and was able to keep the offense afloat during weeks when Adam Thielen missed games due to injury. Coming into year three, but under a new head coach, it will be essential for him to keep things going. It is good to know his new head coach Kevin O'Connell was the offensive coordinator for the Los Angeles Rams and Cooper Kupp last season. So, there is the potential for an even better season in 2022 than he ever had in 2021. Although Dalvin Cook is there and Thielen is now healthy, Jefferson has taken over as the main cog of the offense in Minnesota. When the team needs a big play, they know where to get it. Jefferson. Finding a place to select him in fantasy drafts will be difficult. If you have an early first-round pick, this is too early to select him. On the other hand, he will likely not get back to you in the second round. If you want him, you will need to grab him there. This said, he is not worth more than the elite running backs. Wide receivers are more readily available. Your best bet of getting Jefferson is to have a late pick in the first. You can grab a running back and then get Jefferson early in the second. Or even reverse the order and select Jefferson in the first. While Kupp and Davante Adams are the number one and two wide receivers to be drafted, Jefferson should be in a fight with the likes of Tyreek Hill and Stefon Diggs for the next man up. You cannot go wrong with either one of these players. But with the offense surrounding him and the potential of Jefferson under a new head coach, he could and possibly should be your choice as the number three receiver in fantasy drafts.

Ja'Marr Chase 2022 Outlook: Second-Year Stud Set For Encore

Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase met all expectations and then some in his 2021 rookie season after being the No. 5 overall pick in the draft. Chase finished with 81 catches for 1,455 yards and 13 touchdowns while also setting the single-game rookie receiving record with 266 yards in Week 17. Chase is primed to build upon his debut season success in 2022 on a Bengals offense that is set to explode this upcoming year. Cincinnati invested significant resources into fixing an offensive line that struggled in 2021, bringing in La'el Collins, Ted Karras, and Alex Cappa to protect star quarterback Joe Burrow. An improved offensive line will allow the Bengals to play faster on offense and give Burrow more time to find his pass catchers down the field. Chase is being selected towards the end of the first round in fantasy drafts and is worth a look even earlier than that if fantasy managers want to build around star pass-catchers in 2022.

Christian McCaffrey 2023 NFL Player Outlook: Building On A Resurgent Season

Forget about reaching the 1,000-rushing-yard mark last season. More importantly, San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey is finally healthy. That milestone alone should give fantasy owners the confidence to consider adding him early. Since being dealt to the 49ers last October, the 26-year-old rushed for 984 yards on 199 attempts, caught 64 of 79 targets for 525 yards, and scored 13 total touchdowns in 14 games (including the playoffs). Before 2022, CMC had back-to-back injury-riddled seasons from 2020-21, as he was limited to 10 games due to ankle and hamstring injuries. Spending the offseason with the San Francisco 49ers will help his game. They play a style that suits his skill set, which sets him up for a dominant campaign. Learning more about Kyle Shanahan's offense will earn him Pro Bowl and All-Pro selections. His passing ability can also catch opposing defenses off guard. Therefore, he will be a steady source of fantasy points through yards and receptions. Barring any injury, McCaffrey will be among the top 10 in rushing yards in 2023, especially when he plays behind one of the league's best offensive lines. He also allows San Francisco to fool opponents by having a wide receiver lined in the backfield. Meanwhile, his versatility makes them the top draw in fantasy football this year. Fantasy managers with the No. 1 pick in PPR leagues must select him immediately. Christian McCaffrey will be a difference-maker, regardless of format.

Tyreek Hill 2023 Outlook: Cinch WR1 Aims To Match Career Season In Year 2 With Well-Schemed Attack

Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill silenced skeptics concerning his ability to transition from catching passes via the cannon-armed Patrick Mahomes to weaker-armed Tua Tagovailoa in 2022. Hill unequivocally meshed with his new quarterback, assembling career highs in targets (170), receptions (119), and receiving yards (1710) over 17 games. The 29-year-old achieved an outstanding seventh straight Pro Bowl selection in the process. Hill ended as fantasy's overall WR2 in full-PPR settings, placing first among WRs in target rate (33.6%), deep targets (36), and fantasy points per route run (0.69). The superstar wideout exhibited a remarkable floor by recording at least 13 FP in 15-of-17 contests. Hill also showcased one of the game's strongest weekly ceilings, registering at least 21 FP during eight outings. The four-time All-Pro has finished as the WR7 or better in FPPG in five of the past six seasons. After seeing a slight dip in ADP last summer with his new team, Hill is justifiably back in the first-round mix this time around. However, the polarizing Hill is facing assault charges stemming from a June 18 altercation. The situation remains fluid as the veteran is unofficially being investigated by the NFL. In terms of a possible suspension, these situations generally tend to drag out until the legal process concludes; Alvin Kamara is yet to be disciplined by the league for an alleged February 2022 battery incident as of 16 months later. For the sake of Hill's 2023 outlook, the top-tier WR1 should be one of first four at his position off the board across all formats as a weekly matchup-proof, set-and-forget fantasy play.

Stefon Diggs 2023 Outlook: Fantasy PPR Machine Signifies Rare Floor Play In Pass-Happy Offense

Buffalo Bills wide receiver Stefon Diggs has firmly ingrained himself as a top-notch fantasy choice since being traded to the team in 2020. It wasn't long before the former fifth-round pick distinguished himself as an upper-level option in his Minnesota Vikings career, but Diggs has evolved into a superior play in Buffalo. The 29-year-old has vacuumed at least 155 targets and 103 receptions during each of his three years in Orchard Park. Over this span, Diggs has totaled 484 looks and 338 catches, trailing only fellow superstar Davante Adams in targets, but matching him in receptions for the league lead. Diggs got off to an absolutely torrid start in 2022, stockpiling 8.0 catches for 109.4 receiving yards per game with seven total touchdowns over nine games from Weeks 1 to 10. The three-time Pro Bowler cooled off a bit to wrap up the campaign, hauling in 5.1 passes for 63.4 yards per day with four aggregate scores across seven contests from Weeks 11 to 18, excluding a Week 17 no-contest. Regardless, Diggs' 11 end-zone visits marked the most of his career for a single campaign. The All-Pro wideout remains Josh Allen's undisputed No. 1 weapon in a Bills offense which has seen no key receiving-corps additions entering 2023. Buffalo was also third in the NFL in pass rate over expectation (6.0%) in 2022. Diggs is expected to be at late-July training camp after appearing frustrated with the squad earlier this offseason. The high-floor WR1 selection comfortably resides on the Round 1/2 borderline in 10-team fantasy drafts this summer.

Travis Kelce 2023 Player Outlook: Full Speed Ahead At Age 33

Kansas City Chiefs Tight End Travis Kelce owns many records among tight ends in NFL history. Some of them are 71.8 receiving yards per game average (1st), 7 seasons with 1k-plus yards (1st), and 35 games with 100+ yards (1st). While the Chiefs drafted Rashee Rice in Round 2 of the 2023 NFL Draft, there is no viable threat to Kelce regarding being the alpha in the KC passing game for 2023. He averaged 12.2 YPC in 2022 and hasn't shown any signs of slowing down. Given Kelce's elite talent and relatively minimal injury history, we should expect him to age more gracefully than other players. Even at age 33, it doesn't seem logical to fade a first-ballot HOF player attached to arguably the best QB in football in Patrick Mahomes. In PPR - TE premium formats, Kelce provides a nearly insurmountable advantage based on past production.

Joshua Kelley 2023 Player Outlook: Strictly A Handcuff For Austin Ekeler

In his first two seasons in the NFL, Los Angeles Chargers running back Joshua Kelley didn't have much of a role, combining for 144 carries for 456 yards (3.2 yards per attempt) and just two rushing touchdowns in 24 games (zero starts). He added 28 receptions on 29 targets for 186 yards. The 25-year-old was much more efficient in his third year in 2022, finishing with 69 carries for 287 yards (4.2 yards per attempt) and two TDs while catching 14 of his 25 targets for 101 additional yards in 13 games (one start). He was second behind only Austin Ekeler in touches, yards and TDs among Chargers RBs. And he did it despite missing four games with a sprained MCL. The former fourth-rounder out of UCLA will have to hold off second-year back Isaiah Spiller in a new offensive scheme under Kellen Moore, but if he does, he should once again be Ekeler's primary backup for the Bolts. Kelley won't have standalone fantasy appeal in that role, but he'd become a plug-and-play option right away in the event Ekeler misses any time due to injury.

Amon-Ra St. Brown 2022 Outlook: Can Spectacular Finish to 2021 Season Carry Over?

Amon-Ra St. Brown started off slow in his rookie season, but from Week 13 on he was the overall WR2 in fantasy football, behind just Cooper Kupp and tied with Davante Adams. That's some impressive company. From Week 1 through 10, St. Brown had just a 64.7% snap share. From Week 11 on, that snap share increased to 86.2%. Interestingly, however, the routes run per game didn't increase all that much, going from 27.5 in the first nine games to 29.1 in the last eight. But the targets, and subsequently the targets per route run (TPRR) increased significantly. St. Brown's TPRR increased from 17.7% all the way up to 32.2%. Coincidently, T.J. Hockenson didn't play from Week 14 on, while D'Andre Swift didn't play between Weeks 13 and 16. Hockenson averaged seven targets per game, while Swift averaged 6.3 targets per game. The receiver depth chart behind St. Brown in the final six games of the season was as such: Kalif Raymond, KhaDarel Hodge, Tom Kennedy, and Trinity Benson. Nobody can take away the incredible production he sustained down the stretch, but one must question whether he was targeted at such a high rate because there was just nobody else for Jared Goff to throw the ball to. It's clear St. Brown has what it takes to be a great receiver in the NFL, but can he even come close to being even a top-20 WR in 2022 with a healthy Hockenson, a healthy Swift, and newcomers D.J. Chark and Jameson Williams in the mix? That remains to be seen, but one should set realistic expectations about his ability to command targets with a healthy stable of more talented skill players on offense. Consider him more of a WR3 than a WR2 this season.

CeeDee Lamb 2022 Outlook: Less Target Competition Could Yield Elite WR1 Numbers

CeeDee Lamb improved a bit in his sophomore campaign, but not by a whole lot. As a rookie, he averaged 4.6 receptions for 58.4 yards on 6.9 targets per game. Last season, he averaged 4.9 receptions for 68.9 yards on 7.5 targets per game. He scored five touchdowns in 2020 and six in 2021, but overall, the "breakout" people expected didn't really happen. Maybe expectations were too high for Lamb a season ago playing alongside Amari Cooper. But with Cooper now in Cleveland and Michael Gallup likely not ready for the start of the season as he recovers from a torn ACL, Lamb should command an enormous target share in his third season. His playing time was a bit lackluster his first two seasons as the Cowboys would take him out of the game often in 3WR sets, but that is likely to change without Cooper and with Gallup on the sidelines. As a rookie, Lamb played on over 70% of the snaps in just four games. He saw double-digit targets in just two games. Last season he saw a snap share of over 70% in 12 games and saw double-digit targets in four games. He was also ninth in yards after the catch (YAC)/reception last season while having the sixth-best receiving grade, per PFF. The breakout is on the horizon.

Saquon Barkley 2023 NFL Player Outlook: Set To Carry The Offense Again

New York Giants superstar running back Saquon Barkley was the lynchpin of their offense in 2022, carrying them to the playoffs, including a wild-card victory over the Minnesota Vikings. The 26-year-old overcame questions about his health and durability, playing in 16 games en route to an RB6 finish with 295 carries for 1,312 yards and 10 touchdowns on the ground, plus 57 receptions for 338 yards through the air. While his underlying metrics were average among starters, 16th in missed tackles forced, 18th in yards after contact per attempt, and 19th in efficiency, he was still explosive, accounting for the second-most breakaway (15-plus yards) runs and sixth-highest rushing yards over expectation. The team franchise tagged the Penn State product but recently reached a one-year pact that will enable him to earn incentives, ensuring he'll take the field in Week 1. The 2022 Pro Bowler remains their most deadly option, plus the ascension of quarterback Daniel Jones could result in more scoring opportunities. Currently ranked third in RotoBaller's rankings, Barkley has the potential to finish as the overall RB1 in 2023.