The ESPN Fantasy Football crew is counting down the days until the season begins! This summer, we've looked at each NFL division with a focus on what is new, old and perhaps quite a bit in between!
Click below to check out your favorite division:
AFC East | AFC North | AFC South | AFC West
NFC East | NFC North | NFC South | NFC West
NFC South
Key fantasy offseason movement
--The defending Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers were rather quiet, keeping just about every impact player on the roster, but interestingly enough, a pair of future Hall of Famers have left the division. The New Orleans Saints have not had to name a new starting quarterback since Drew Brees arrived in 2006, but he has retired and they seem to be taking their time naming a new one! Brees won 142 regular season games for the Saints and a Super Bowl, and just as with Peyton Manning, we will probably keep seeing Brees on our TV sets for a while, just not accruing relevant statistics.
--Meanwhile, the Atlanta Falcons, also with a tight cap situation, traded wide receiver Julio Jones to the Tennessee Titans for draft picks, ostensibly replacing their all-time leading receiver (848 catches, 12,896 yards, 60 TDs) with Florida tight end Kyle Pitts, the No. 4 choice in the draft. Hey, this could work out nicely. Pitts is a fantastic talent. Matt Ryan can still sling it. Calvin Ridley is great. The Falcons also ditched running back Todd Gurley II after one disappointing season, bringing in journeyman Mike Davis, and it may be an upgrade. Pitts is going to be great.
--The Carolina Panthers also have a new starting quarterback, moving on from former Saints backup Teddy Bridgewater after one rough season, and trading for New York Jets disappointment Sam Darnold. What could go wrong? Darnold, with 39 interceptions versus 45 touchdown passes in a spotty, underwhelming, three-year career, gets to play with the best running back in fantasy (assuming health) and reunites with wide receiver Robby Anderson. His new tight end is another former Saint in Dan Arnold, and his name sounds a lot like Sam Darnold, right? Try saying "Dan Arnold-Sam Darnold" five times fast. Dare ya.
Something to prove
--As for the alluded to running back in Carolina, Christian McCaffrey, after producing a ridiculous 2,392 yards from scrimmage and 19 touchdowns in 2019, averaged even more PPR fantasy points per game in 2021! The problem was he participated in a mere three regular season contests, succumbing to various injuries that tortured fantasy managers. The Panthers drafted Oklahoma State star Chuba Hubbard in the fourth round, and McCaffrey investors may want to practice the fine but often overrated art of drafting insurance here, but really, we just want McCaffrey to dominate for four months again.
--Whichever direction the Saints go at quarterback, that fellow has something to prove. Athlete Taysom Hill won three of four starts last season, relying on his legs and not quite his throwing arm, while Jameis Winston, the Buccaneers quarterback pre-Tom Brady, desires to throw on every play and only occasionally knows where the football is going. Very different players. Fantasy managers can win either way. Hill rushed for eight touchdowns in 2020, half of them coming in his starts. Winston barely played, throwing a mere 11 passes, but nobody had more passing yards (5,109) and interceptions (30) in 2019. This will be interesting!
--Saints wide receiver Michael Thomas, much like McCaffrey, delivered a record-breaking 2019 campaign (149 catches, 1,725 yards) and fantasy managers invested quickly in Round 1 for 2020. Then Thomas suffered a high-ankle sprain in Week 1 and ... that was mostly it. He played in seven games, and a few of them in the second half of the season went statistically well, but he scored nary a touchdown. With the latest news Thomas could miss several regular season games recovering from offseason surgery, his potential bounce-back is on hold. He still has something to prove but nobody should assume WR1 production even when healthy, either. [Editor's Note: This paragraph was updated July 23 based on this report.
--As for the Buccaneers, Brady sure proved himself in his age-42 season, tossing 40 touchdown passes, a figure he reached only once with the New England Patriots. The skill players around him, however, dealt with the offense's noteworthy depth, affecting all their stats. Running backs Leonard Fournette and Ronald Jones, either of whom would be a nice RB2 in fantasy if the other was somewhere else, now have to compete with pass-catching Giovani Bernard as well. Mike Evans and Chris Godwin shared targets with Antonio Brown, compromising them all a bit, and tight end Rob Gronkowski really needed touchdowns to save his fantasy value. It is crowded.
Whose fantasy stock may fluctuate?
--Everyone loves the rookies, most entering the league with worlds of promise and fantastic college numbers, and they tend to swiftly rise in summer ADP, deserving or not. Pitts may really deserve it. Fantasy offers three top options at tight end, and then things are a tad problematic. Pitts likely ends up fourth at the position in drafts and I actually think that is just fine.
--Whomever wins the quarterback job in New Orleans seems unlikely to infiltrate QB1 status in drafts, but many leagues enjoy multi-QB formats or allow the position at flex. Winston is a more proven option than Hill, obviously, and if the former starts, the latter would remain involved in the offense. That would not be the case if roles reverse. In addition, star running back Alvin Kamara saw his role drastically diminished, albeit in a small sample, when Hill started in 2020, and that may scare fantasy investors if Hill wins the job. By the way, for those in dynasty formats, Notre Dame's Ian Book, a fourth-round selection, may actually be the organization's future at quarterback.