Post-Draft Team Outlooks: NFC West

Potential star QB holdouts, star WR PED suspensions, reigning Super Bowl Champions, QB controversies, and more. If you’re into drama and uncertainty, the NFC West has all you could ask for. Let’s take a look at the post-draft team outlooks for each team in the NFC West, to help you prepare for the upcoming fantasy season. Let’s get into it!

Post-Draft Team Outlooks: NFC West

Arizona Cardinals

QB Depth Chart:

1. Kyler Murray
2. Colt McCoy
3. Trace McSorley

Kyler Murray is the guy in Arizona. Pay no mind to the public posturing with “pay me or trade me” messaging by his agent and his Twitter. They will pay him, or they will trade him, but neither of the two will happen this year. Last year, Kyler finished as the QB10, but I have him ranked as the QB3. People don’t realize just how important Hopkins has been for his progression, and with him healthy this year, you can expect a return to elite form. McCoy and McSorley will likely both make the team, but I’d only be interested in McSorley if there was an injury (more mobile than McCoy).

RB Depth Chart:

1. James Connor
2. Eno Benjamin
3. Keaontay Ingram (2022 6th round pick)
4. Jonathan Ward

James Connor has found his home. The Cards let Chase Edmonds walk, and James Connor and his 18 TDs finished RB5 last year. This year, he likely won’t be an every-down back, but I think he’ll have drives where he’s the every-down back, and still be deployed as the red-zone/goal-line TD machine. I have him ranked as my RB13 this year, and would happily grab Eno Benjamin as his handcuff, if there’s an injury. James Connor is being criminally undervalued this year. Ward and Ingram will be battling for depth spots on the roster.

WR Depth Chart:

1. DeAndre Hopkins, Hollywood Brown, AJ Green
2. Rondale Moore, Antoine Wesley, Andre Baccellia
3. Greg Dortch, Andy Isabella

Hopkins will take much of the target share in the wide receiver room. He’s that good. I have him ranked as my WR7 in my rankings so far (this is probably too high, considering he’ll miss the first 6 games of the season for PEDs), but if he’s available in the 5th round or later, you should probably take him. Considering what the Eagles gave up to get AJ Brown, the Cards probably paid too much to get Hollywood Brown from the Ravens, but it’s reuniting old college teammates that helped make a name for each other. I think they’ll have much better chemistry than Lamar and Brown had, and the Cards will pass much more than the Ravens did. He’s consensus WR42 right now, and I think that’s low, considering he was WR23 last year. AJ Green is tough because his name has fantasy history, but I don’t know how much he has left in the tank. I think Rondale Moore and AJ Green will be battling for the WR3 on this team. Watch closely.

TE Depth Chart:

1. Zach Ertz
2. Trey McBride (2022 2nd Round Pick)
3. Maxx Williams
4. Stephon Anderson

Maxx Williams was the TE1 before he tore his ACL, then he dropped to TE2 when Ertz and Kyler started linking up. Now the team has drafted Trey McBride in the 2nd Round (!!!). To me, this indicates Maxx Williams isn’t expected to be the same player and/or they’re going to bring him along slowly. The two tight ends to have are Ertz and McBride, and I lean Ertz heavily, as rookie TEs tend to have a steeper learning curve. I have Ertz ranked as my TE10.

Los Angeles Rams

QB Depth Chart:

1. Matt Stafford
2. John Wolford
3. Bryce Perkins

Super Bowl Stafford is what we all need to call him now. Whatever happens to this team from here on out is gravy. They already won a Super Bowl and justified the trade for Stafford. He was QB6 last year, and I have him as the QB9 this year. I expect some regression after losing Robert Woods and OBJ. He’ll still be a dependable fantasy asset.

RB Depth Chart:

1. Cam Akers
2. Darrell Henderson Jr.
3. Kyren Williams (2022 5th round draft pick)
4. Jake Funk

I’ve never quite understood the Cam Akers hype train, and perhaps the Rams are getting off the train as well, drafting Kyren Williams in the fifth round. I’m probably alone in thinking this, but I think this is an open competition for first string running back. Henderson performed relatively well while Akers was injured, but not to the point where they didn’t rush Cam Akers back to 1st string when he made a miraculously quick recovery from his ACL injury. If Kyren Williams is getting a lot of preseason snaps and performs well, there’s no doubt in my mind the workhorse out of Notre Dame can become the starter. Watch this battle closely. Remember, what the Rams did with Todd Gurley? They have no problem with rolling out the “what have you done for me lately” strategy. Last year’s stats don’t matter.

WR Depth Chart:

1. Cooper Kupp, Allen Robinson, Van Jefferson
2. Ben Skowronek, Tutu Atwell, Brandon Powell
3. Landen Akers, Warren Jackson, JJ Koski

Cooper Kupp was the WR1 last year in fantasy, and he’ll be the WR1 this year, with the absence of OBJ and Woods. I expect Stafford to lean on Kupp even more with a new WR2 in the receiving room (Allen Robinson). Allen Robinson should also be thought of as a fantasy asset. He’s WR39 in consensus rankings, but I don’t believe that’s high enough considering he was WR12 in 2019 and 2020. Even the WR3 in Van Jefferson is worth a fantasy pickup in this offense. Stafford is a shoo-in for 4000+ yards, so treat these WRs as the assets that they are.

TE Depth Chart:

1. Tyler Higbee
2. Kendall Blanton
3. Brycen Hopkins
4. Jacob Harris

Higbee finished TE20 last year, and I have him around there as well. They didn’t draft a TE, so I assume they’re happy with what they have. Higbee got hurt, and Blanton and Hopkins split time. Preseason performance might determine who will be the starter, if someone particularly outperforms Higbee, but this is Higbee’s 1st string to lose.

San Francisco 49ers

QB Depth Chart:

1. Jimmy Garrapolo
2. Trey Lance
3. Nate Sudfeld
4. Brock Purdy (2022 7th round draft pick)

Look… I thought Jimmy G would’ve been gone by now. The team drafted Brock Purdy for depth because Jimmy G could be gone soon. However, with Jimmy G on the roster, he’s the best QB available to them. Point blank. If he’s on the team, he will start, and Purdy will be a practice squad guy. I’d prefer to roll with Lance in fantasy, because he’s got rushing upside, and Jimmy G is a better real-life QB than a fantasy QB. I think if you have an opportunity to draft Lance in late rounds of fantasy, you should jump on that. Otherwise, I think you should look elsewhere for your fantasy QB.

RB Depth Chart:

1. Elijah Mitchell
2. Jeff Wilson Jr.
3. JaMycal Hasty
4. Trey Sermon
5. Tyrion Davis-Price (2022 3rd round draft pick)

You’re always going to want a piece of a Kyle Shanahan running scheme. The top two running backs in this offense are viable fantasy assets. Mitchell was RB23 last year and Wilson Jr. is going to have a valuable role, too. Think Eliot and Pollard on the Cowboys. If you have them both as a handcuff you’re elated. If you have one or the other, you’ll still be happy. I don’t know what to expect from Sermon, who was their high draft pick last year, since they drafted another running back with a 3rd round pick this year. Hasty has also had his moments. I think all of these backs make the team, but you’re only going to want Mitchell and Wilson Jr.

WR Depth Chart:

1. Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk, Jauan Jennings
2. Ray-Ray McCloud, Danny Gray (2022 3rd round draft pick), Malik Turner
3. Marcus Johnson, Keesean Johnson, Austin Mack, Connor Weddington

Deebo and Aiyuk are the players to roster in this wide receiving room. If Jimmy G is the QB, both are restorable. If Trey Lance is the QB, Aiyuk loses some value, because he’s not as good of a passer at the moment, and his rushing upside takes away from his passing reps. Deebo finished WR2 last year, and whether he gets traded or not, he’ll stay an elite fantasy asset. Aiyuk has finished WR33 and WR36 in his first two years as a pro. Expect similar production if Jimmy G is at the helm.

TE Depth Chart:

1. George Kittle
2. Ross Dwelley
3. Charlie Woerner
4. Tanner Hudson

George Kittle does everything. He blocks. He runs. He catches. He finished TE3 last year, and I have him at TE3 in my rankings this year. He’s as consistent as they come. Book it.

Seattle Seahawks

QB Depth Chart:

1. Geno Smith
2. Drew Lock
3. Jacob Eason

Yuck. Pete Carroll and his boys are tanking this year. They weren’t sold on any of the QBs in this draft, so they passed on all of them, traded away Russell Wilson, and opted to get the rebuild going. I actually respect it. Look elsewhere for your fantasy QB.

RB Depth Chart:

1. Rashaad Penny
2. Chris Carson
3. Kenneth Walker III (2022 2nd Round Pick)
4. DeeJay Dallas
5. Travis Homer

Chris Carson’s neck has given me enough pause to never draft him again. Necks and backs are two things that are hard to repair for regular people. I can’t imagine the lifestyle for a person who plays NFL football wanting to keep playing with a neck issue. The Seahawks drafted Ken Walker with their second round pick. In the NFL an RB going in the second round is the equivalent of taking a QB in the first round. If they aren’t the starter immediately, the plan is for them to be the starter eventually. Penny and Walker are the backs to own in this offense. I lean Walker, because Penny will be drafted higher, as he finished RB41 last year on an abridged season. Walker is better value.

WR Depth Chart:

1. Tyler Lockett, DK Metcalf, Freddie Swain
2. Dee Eskridge, Bo Melton (2022 7th Round Draft Pick), Dareke Young (2022 7th Round Draft Pick)
3. Penny Hart, Aaron Fuller, Cody Thompson, Matt Cole, Cade Johnson

I might draft DK Metcalf, on the chance that he gets traded this preseason, but other than that, if you don’t love the QB, you shouldn’t try and guess right on a WR. Just accept this isn’t going to be a winning football team, and look elsewhere for a WR you can have confidence in.

TE Depth Chart:

1. Noah Fant
2. Will Dissly
3. Colby Parkinson
4. Tyler Mabry

Copy and paste my advice on Seahawks WRs. Avoid Fant’s name brand. Be a realist with what is likely lower production from Geno Smith and Drew Lock.