Here are 23 things I will watch for in 2023 fantasy football.
The 2022 NFL season had several moments to remember. Tom Brady retired – Again. Also, Aaron Rodgers didn’t retire – Again. Michael Jordan had his flu game but Patrick Mahomes had his ankle game. There were new rules. New exciting rookies. We saw Mr. Irrelevant take over for the 49ers and go 6 and 0. The Vikings pulled off the largest comeback in NFL history.
Now that we are just a few weeks away from the start of a new season I thought it would be a good time to look at what I will be watching for in 23.
2023 Fantasy Football: 23 Things to Watch For
1. Tua Tagovailoa staying healthy. No QB had a better QB rating, and only three had more yards passing per game than Tua in 2022. But none had the gut-wrenching concussion issues he had. Here is hoping for a healthy season.
2. Bijan Robinson – Most fantasy drafts have him as a round-one pick. If can live up to the hype this will be fun to watch.
3. Russell Wilson & Sean Payton – All the pieces are there now. Can the Super Bowl winning coach and a Super Bowl winning QB bring excitement back to Denver?
4. Houston Texans – The Texans have a new coaching staff and just completed a great draft, getting their QB and what some say was the best defensive player in the first round. Is this the season we see them finally becoming a team on the rise?
5. Pete Carroll and the Seattle Seahawks – The Seahawks, by adding a great RB and another WR, should win more games this year. If they win the Super Bowl, could this be the year that Pete Carroll retires?
6. Dak Prescott – How will Prescott perform with Mike McCarthy as his play-caller? He has no Ezekiel Elliott and no Dalton Schultz as his security blanket. Last year he had more interceptions than he ever had even though he only played 12 games.
7. Mike Evans – One of the league’s most underappreciated receivers has never had a season in which he has had less than 1,000 yards receiving. With no Tom Brady will this be the first?
8 – Detroit Lions – The Lions have not won an NFL playoff game since the 1991 divisional round. Maybe this year?
9. Jordan Love – After being Aaron Rodgers’ backup for years it’s finally his team. Will it have been worth the wait or will the Packers be looking for a QB by the end of the year?
10 Mike Tomlin – 16 years with the Steelers and has never had a losing season. Here’s hoping it continues.
11. Patrick Mahomes – In 2013 Payton Manning set the single-season passing record with 5,477 yards. Last year Mahomes led the league with 5,250 yards. Can he squeeze out another 228 yards and break the record?
12. John Metchie III – Houston’s second-round draft pick was diagnosed with Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia and missed all of last year. No matter what his fantasy numbers are, I just hope he comes back strong.
13 Trevor Lawrence – How good can Lawrence be this year? Another year with Doug Peterson and a shiny new receiver in Calvin Ridley, are we looking at this year’s MVP?
14. Philadelphia Eagles – We know how good their offense was last year and they had a top-five defense. After adding to the defense, is this the year we see a team have both the No. 1 offense and the No. 1 defense at the same time?
15. Rookie Quarterbacks – C.J. Stroud, Bryce Young, and Anthony Richardson should all be starting for their teams this year. Also, Clayton Tune could be starting until Kyler Murray comes back if McCoy loses the job. Will Levis, Hendon Hooker, and Stetson Bennett ll are all just an injury away from becoming starters.
16. Justin Fields – The consensus is that Fields could be this year’s Jalen Hurts. That is a bit much to expect. Last year Hurts had Miles Sanders, AJ Brown, Devonta Smith, and Dallas Goedert to throw to. Fields will have Foreman/Herbert, DJ Moore, Darnell Mooney, and Cole Kmet. I will, however, be watching to see if he can run for 63 more yards than last year and break Lamar Jackson’s single-season rushing record for quarterbacks.
17. Justin Jefferson and Tyreek Hill – In 2012 Calvin Johnson locked down the single-season receiving record with 1964 yards. Last year Jefferson led the league with 1809 yards and Hill was right behind him with 1,710. Hill has recently come out and said he will break the record. I would love to see a Sammy Sosa and Mark McGwire like chase for the record with both Jefferson and Hill going for it this year.
18. Second-Year Quarterbacks – Three quarterbacks will probably be the starters after starting just a few games last year. Desmond Ridder, Kenny Pickett, and Sam Howell were all rookies last year. Will any of these three be fantasy relevant?
19. Damar Hamlin – The whole nation was glued to the Monday Night Football game as we saw Hamlin collapse from cardiac arrest in Cincinnati against the Bengals. Miraculously, he has been working out with the team and expects to return this year. The first game for the Bills is on 9/11 but the game to circle on your calendars though is on November 5. It will be the Sunday night game on NBC and will be his return to Cincinnati. Talk about your must-see TV.
20. Lamar Jackson vs. the Cincinnati Bengals – Anther game involving the Bengals. On December 26th, 2021, Joe Burrow broke the record for most combined yardage by a quarterback in a game with 536 passing, rushing, and receiving yards. He did that against Baltimore. On 9/17 the Ravens will visit Cincinnati. How much fun would it be to see a revenge game and Jackson break Burrow’s record?
21. Quarterbacks that changed teams – Arron Rodgers is now with the Jets, Derrick Carr to the Saints, Jimmy Garoppolo to the Raiders, and Baker Mayfield to the Buccaneers. Which QB will have more fantasy points at the end of the year?
22 Bill Belichick – Belichick’s seat is getting hotter. The last three years have not been kind to the Patriots fans. Is this the year that Belichick finally turns things around and if not, which Belichick will be gone? Belichick the GM, the Coach, or both?
23. San Francisco 49ers Quarterback – There is an old saying: If you have two quarterbacks then you don’t have any. If you have three you might just have a bigger problem. Fantasy QB rankings as of today have Purdy ranked at QB25, Lance is QB33, and Darnold is QB36. I will be watching to see if one of these QBs takes hold of the starting position.
For more great rankings and analysis, make sure to check out our 2023 Fantasy Football Draft Kit!
GIVEAWAY ALERT! 🚨🏈
We are excited to be launching another giveaway, where ONE lucky winner will receive an Official NFL Travis Kelce Signed Jersey!
Giveaway Details Below 👀 pic.twitter.com/9SOB29Q3yp
— Fantrax (@Fantrax) July 4, 2023