Leader of the Village of the Den Heads to the Bayou
Jamaal Williams had a great 2022 season and put up the best fantasy numbers of his entire career. Jamaal was a red zone machine scoring 17 TDs for the Lions and rushing for just over 1,000 yards. He even had several viral interview moments throughout the year and was seen as wone of the hearts and souls of the Lions offense. However, the Lions let him walk this offseason and he headed down to New Orleans to now pair up with running back Alvin Kamara for a 1-2 punch. The question that fantasy owners need to be aware of this season is how Kamara will affect William's fantasy production. Williams produces the most in the red zone, but Kamara is also a big-time red zone threat. It is something all fantasy owners should be cautious about when drafting Williams.
Reuniting with the Bulldogs
D'Andre Swift has had an incredibly weird NFL career so far in the NFL. He always seems to get Injured any time large levels of production start to happen which is bad for fantasy owners. This offseason he was traded to the Eagles now so the receiving back will now have a fresh start to try and prove himself worthy of his 2nd round selection. He joins an electric offense that is loaded with weapons, and he will have a much better O-line to run behind as well. The Eagles can tend to do running backs by committee, but Swift has the potential to take the lead role that Miles sanders has held for the last several years.
Lions New Bell Cow
With Swift and Williams both headed out of Detroit the Lions were in need of a new running back, so they picked up David Montgomery in free agency. Montgomery has had several good years of production now for the Bears. He has never rushed under 800 yards and has had one season go over 1000. Keep in mind that the Bears O-line has been pretty terrible for most of that time so often times Montgomery would have to make guys miss in the backfield and fight for every yard on even his shorter runs. He now joins a Lions team that has revamped their O-line and has a much better offense compared to the bears struggling unit. However, it should also be noted that the Lions took a 1st round pick on Alabama running back Jahmir Gibbs to add to the RB room. Fantasy owners need to pay attention to the headlines coming out training camp as I expect Gibbs to compete for the starting job on the offense. More than likely, it will become a split backfield between the two, but Gibbs was known for his pass catching in college so look for him to be the more valuable asset in PPR leagues.
Bears Finally have a No. 1
Speaking of a Bears offense that has been struggling they have now added a weapon in wide receiver D.J. Moore and expect him to immediately take over the WR1 role for the team. Moore has been paired up with struggling QB play for multiple years now at Carolina so if Justin Fields can be an improvement over them it could mean big numbers for Moore's fantasy production. Moore was able to put up a few 1,000-yard seasons with the Panthers. His QBs throwing to him were the likes of Cam Newton, Kyle Allen, Baker Mayfield, Sam Darnold, P.J. Walker, Taylor Heinicke, Will Grier, and Teddy Bridgewater. All of these quarterbacks are now either out of the league or in back up roles for various teams. The Bears invested a lot into the former first round pick including their own no. 1 overall pick so expect him to get heavy use on his new squad.
The Shark is Headed back to the Coast
With the departure of D.J. Moore the Panther were in full reset mode and needed some weapons for their No. 1 overall pick Bryce Young. The Panther turned to D.J. Chark fora deep threat in their new offense. The former Jaguar and Lion has always done a great job in his deep threat role in both offenses and Frank Reich will now try to use him similar to that in Carlina. Young will more than likely be the most talented QB Chark has played with so he could make a deadly pairing in their first season together.
In Search of a Renaissance
Adam Thielen finally left his childhood team to move and help the coast and young QB Bryce in his rookie season. Thielen had primarily ran the number 2 Wide out position for years first behind Stefon Diggs then behind Justin Jefferson. He put up several thousand-yard seasons before inevitability beginning to show his age this past season. The Vikings opted for young talent through the draft with Jordan Addison who already has a significant speeding charge to deal with prior to minicamp. Thielen will be looking to have a bit of a career and statistical renaissance with the Panthers, but if he doesn't it may be looking towards the twilight of his career.
A Brand-New Scene
Miles Sanders was the lead in a run game that felt unstoppable at times in the 2023 season with the combination of Hurts, Gainwell, Scott, and Sanders the unit only seemed to not show up in the Superbowl. The Eagles were looking for some change of scenery for 2023 and didn't want to pay a running back any big money so Sanders walked. The Panthers were in search of a running back following Chrisitan Mcaffreys departure and tried out Chubba Hubbard, but they were missing a true no.1 running back in the system. Miles Sanders answered and will now be the lead back in Frank Reichs system that oftentimes favors running backs heavily. Watch out for Sanders to have a big year and to connect with Bryce Young a bunch throughout the season.
Looking for Some Good JuJu
Juju Smith-Schuster was looking for a bounce back following his departure from the Steelers prior to last season. The Chiefs were able to get him under contract for 2022 and Smith-Schuster was the main wide receiver for the offense in their way to a Superbowl victory. He was on his way to a 1,000-yard season for the Chiefs prior to being knocked unconscious by a Jags defender during the regular season however he still managed to put up over 900 yards for the season. He played a critical role in the Chiefs offense last season, but the Chiefs let him walk to worry about other positions. The Patriots were in dire need of help in the WR position after Jakobi Meyers left for the Raiders, so they picked up Juju this offseason. Hiring former Texans head coach Bill O'Brien will make their offense very interesting to watch next season. Its crunch time for Mac Jones this year so for him to stay in the league Juju will also need to perform well.
A Whole New Orleans
Derek Carr had struggled for years to make the playoffs with the Raiders even though he was putting up decent numbers with the team for years. The main problem for Carr has always been the team around the Raiders never put much draft capital into receiver outside of Henry Ruggs who is serving time following a drunk driving incident. Derek Carr is now headed down to the bayou where he will be paired up with Micheal Thomas, Chris Olave, and Alvin Kamara for what Saints fans are hoping will be the revival of the offense that has struggled since Drew Brees Departure. Carr is more than likely the most talented they've had since, and the team is in a division that is incredibly weak so expect some fireworks form the Saints.
Another Weapon for Dak
Brandin Cooks has been bouncing around the league for several years now yet always seems to keep producing at a consistent high level no matter who is put at QB. Following his departure from the Rams Cooks joined the Texans in hopes of providing Deshawn with another weapon. However, none of Cooks career with the Texans could seem to go his way. this included Deshawn parting ways with his team following a sexual assault scandal. This left Cooks with a depleting Texans roster that struggled for the remainder of his time with the team. Following a down year Cooks will now look to regain his footing for the 2023 season.
Song of the Day: Runnin' With The Devil - Van Halen
This song is one of my favorite classic rock songs of all time. Like with any great Van Halen song it features the incredible work of Eddie Van Halen himself. This song was also on their debut album and was the first song listed on the album. You could tell the Band was a hit from the start. Hopefully EVH is in a better place now, but man was he talented when he was alive.
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