Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

2021 record: 7-10

Notable coaching and system changes

When Denver dismissed Vic Fangio and tabbed Green Bay Packers offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett as the new head coach, speculation ran wild that it was paving the way for the acquisition of Aaron Rodgers. While that never materialized, the Broncos pulled the trigger on adding a franchise quarterback in longtime Seattle Seahawks QB Russell Wilson.

Hackett hired Packers tight ends coach Justin Outten to be the new OC, so we’ll see if we get some variant of the Matt LaFleur system in Mile High this year. Los Angeles Rams defensive backs coach Ejiro Evero was hired as defensive coordinator.

Key free-agent additions

• QB Russell Wilson (acquired from Seattle Seahawks)

Key free-agent departures

• QB Teddy Bridgewater (Miami Dolphins)
• QB Drew Lock (traded to Seattle)
• TE Noah Fant (traded to Seattle)

Key draft additions

• TE Greg Dulcich (Round 3)

Quarterback preview

After winning the Super Bowl in 2015, the Broncos have spent six seasons in quarterback purgatory, failing to finish above .500 or qualify for the postseason during that stretch. The acquisition of Russell Wilson is meant to change that. Wilson has been viewed as an elite quarterback for most of his NFL career.

Outside of the short-lived “Let Russ Cook” phase in 2020, he’s spent much of his time operating as Plan B with Seattle preferring to lean on the ground game. Wilson steps into a good situation with talent around him. He should deliver midrange QB1 value.

Running back preview

Although it might not quite be the equal of what Hackett had to work with in Green Bay, the backfield combination of Melvin Gordon (203-918-8) and Javonte Williams (203-903-4) is still rock solid.

Despite being the less explosive of the two in 2021, which was especially noticeable after a Week 14 knee injury, Williams has the brighter future. The second-round pick in last year’s draft proved to be a hard runner, and he showed better hands than expected by adding 43 receptions out of the backfield — that was fourth-most on the team.

A year ago, you could’ve called the then-rookie 1b to Gordon’s 1a, but this season look for Williams’ workload to tick up with fantasy value as a strong RB2.

That’s not to suggest Gordon won’t have a significant role. Denver re-signed him just before the draft, and he should get plenty of snaps alongside fellow former Badger Wilson in the backfield. Now 29, Gordon still has the speed to take it to the house and is a quality receiver. Inopportune fumbles continue to dog his steps, however, and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Williams get more of the short-yardage/goal-line work. Gordon is an RB3/flex.

Wide receiver preview

There might not be anyone on DK Metcalf’s level here, but on paper this is the best depth of talent Wilson has worked with. The question is who will emerge as his favorite(s)? The top candidates are Courtland Sutton, who led Denver in receiving in 2021, and Jerry Jeudy, who enjoyed a strong rookie year before his sophomore season was derailed by a high-ankle sprain in Week 1.

Many viewed Jeudy as the top receiver in the 2020 draft thanks to his deft route running and ability to work the entire field. He hasn’t had the impact of Minnesota Vikings WR Justin Jefferson, taken seven spots later, but at 23 years old, there’s still plenty of time.

At this point, Jeudy is a strong WR3 with upside; his May 12 arrest raises questions, though it’s too early to know what, if anything, will come of it.

Sutton broke through in 2019, but a torn ACL cost him nearly all of 2020, and he wasn’t as productive last year. While how much of that speaks to any erosion from Sutton versus shaky quarterback play is unclear, he feels better suited as a midrange WR3 with a lower ceiling.

Tim Patrick (53-734-5) has been a nice find, but he lacks the physical upside of the pair listed above. Still, Patrick could be targeted as late-round depth.

Speedy slot man KJ Hamler returns from an ACL tear of his own suffered in Week 3 and could be utilized more as a third-down outlet than a featured target. Outside of DFS and best-ball, he has no draftable value.

Tight end preview

Last season, Noah Fant led the team in receptions with 68. He was part of the price Denver paid to acquire Wilson, however, so the Broncos will be counting on third-year pro Albert Okwuegbunam (33-330-2) to take another step coming off an encouraging performance in 2021. He’ll be joined by third-round pick Greg Dulcich, who has the speed to make things happen up the seam.

Okwuegbunam is an intriguing TE2 type who warrants late-round consideration in deeper formats.

Sleeper/breakout candidates

In 2021, the Williams/Gordon split was as close to 50/50 as you can get. In 2022, look for something closer to what Hackett had with Aaron Jones and Jamaal Williams where, in two seasons together, Jones had a 66/34 edge. Williams has very real RB1 potential.

Bust potential/overvalued players

When Jeudy was injured for six weeks early last season, Sutton averaged 6.2 receptions for 87.5 yards and scored twice. In his other 11 games, Sutton caught 1.9 passes for 22.8 yards per game and didn’t score. Those are concerning numbers for anyone considering Sutton on draft day. It is not to say he will be a total flop, because the QB upgrade should be obvious, but don’t assume he automatically rebounds.

Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

2021 record: 12-5

Notable coaching and system changes

Considering that the Chiefs have gone a combined 50-15 over the past four seasons with two Super Bowl berths and two other losses in the AFC Championship Game, it’s quite incredible that they’ve maintained continuity across the top levels of the coaching staff. Andy Reid enters his 10th season as head coach, while Eric Bieniemy is in his fifth year as offensive coordinator. Steve Spagnuolo is set for Year 4 in charge of the defense. Expect more of the same in KC.

Key free-agent additions

• RB Ronald Jones (Tampa Bay Buccaneers)
• WR Marquez Valdes-Scantling (Green Bay Packers)
• WR JuJu Smith-Schuster (Pittsburgh Steelers)

Key free-agent departures

• RB Darrel Williams (free agent)
• WR Tyreek Hill (traded to Miami Dolphins)
• WR Byron Pringle (Chicago Bears)

Key draft additions

• WR Skyy Moore (Round 2)
• RB Isaih Pacheco (Round 7)

Quarterback preview

Ever since becoming QB1 in KC, Patrick Mahomes has had the benefit of throwing to the tandem of Travis Kelce and Tyreek Hill. That changes in 2022 after the Chiefs shipped Hill to the Miami Dolphins for a boatload of picks. They’ll try to replace the speedy Hill with a combination of wideouts, but the offense is certain to evolve in some fashion.

This is still an Andy Reid offense, though, and that means passing … a lot of passing. Despite some hiccups midway through last season, Mahomes remains an elite passer and a top-tier No. 1 fantasy quarterback.

Running back preview

Surely the Chiefs were looking for more out of Clyde Edwards-Helaire when they drafted him 32nd overall in 2020, but a combination of injuries and underutilization have conspired to see the LSU product account for a modest 1,746 total yards and 11 TDs in two seasons combined. Perhaps the loss of Hill will thrust CEH into a more substantial role, though even in such a scenario the durability concerns would persist. The talent gives Edwards-Helaire a decent amount of upside. The production says RB3.

Darrel Williams led the Chiefs in rushing last year, but he remains unsigned, and his role is likely to be absorbed by free-agent addition Ronald Jones. After four uneven years with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, RoJo will be looking to get his career pointed in an upward direction — he amassed 1,143 total yards in 2020, but he fell behind Leonard Fournette last season and posted just 492.

Jones carries some injury risk as well and is a low-end RB3/flex candidate. If either player misses time, Derrick Gore (51-256-2) should get some action.

Wide receiver preview

With Hill gone, there’s no clear No. 1 receiver in Kansas City. The top holdover is Mecole Hardman (59-693-2), who is cut from the same cloth as Hill in terms of size (5-foot-10, 180 pounds) and speed. He’s always a threat to take one to the house, though his production has been middling in his three seasons.

You could say many of those same things about Marquez Valdes-Scantling (26-430-3), who was the designated deep threat in Green Bay. At 6-foot-4, 206 pounds, MVS is a much bigger target, but he’s never been a sustained producer, either, following up a big game with two or three weeks of nominal output. Based on his contract, however, the Chiefs view him as more integral to their offense than fellow newcomer JuJu Smith-Schuster.

That’s quite a fall for Smith-Schuster, who was considered the successor to Antonio Brown with the Pittsburgh Steelers following a 111-1,426-7 campaign in 2018. He has 1,512 yards combined in three years since, though, and is hoping to reset his market on a one-year, prove-it deal.

You’d be throwing darts with any of the three, but only one of them has delivered a fantasy-relevant season, and that’s Smith-Schuster. He’s a viable third receiver who could shine in the red zone playing from the slot. Hardman is a No. 4 with room for much more if everything clicks.

That brings us to rookie Skyy Moore, whose game has fantasy owners salivating to draft him with the anticipation of an instant success story on their hands. He’ll be overvalued in single-year leagues but still can help out, albeit irregularly. Target him as a fourth and don’t be disappointed if someone reaches ahead of you for him.

Tight end preview

No matter who emerges from the quagmire outside, Travis Kelce (92-1,125-9) figures to be the true No. 1 receiver for Mahomes. The veteran has put together six consecutive 1,000-plus-yard campaigns, and he has averaged 8.75 TDs per season since No. 15 took over from Alex Smith in 2018.

Heading into his age-33 season, Kelce has yet to show any sign of slowing down and is a top-two fantasy tight end for 2022.

Sleeper/breakout candidates

It’s easy to point at Valdes-Scantling’s modest numbers and conclude he hasn’t developed. That would be unfair. Green Bay’s passing game revolved around getting Adams the ball. Everyone else was secondary. MVS has the physical tools to excel, and his hands have improved. There’s sizable upside here.

Bust potential/overvalued players

There’s much to like about Moore’s long-term prognosis in KC. He’s quick off the line of scrimmage and has the speed to get deep. Could he leapfrog one of the wideouts ahead of him? Sure, but the Chiefs want to win now, and they won’t rush Moore into action if he isn’t showing out in the summer.

Credit: Katie Stratman-USA TODAY Sports

2021 record: 10-7

Notable coaching and system changes

Despite righting a listing ship and guiding the Raiders to the playoffs as interim coach last year, Rich Bisaccia will spend 2022 as the special teams coordinator in Green Bay. Instead of hiring Bisaccia, the Raiders chose longtime New England Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels to succeed Jon Gruden in Las Vegas. McDaniels brought wide receivers coach Mick Lombardi with him as offensive coordinator, though the head coach will call the plays. Patrick Graham will be the DC, a role he previously held with the Miami Dolphins and New York Giants.

Key free-agent additions

• WR Davante Adams (acquired from Green Bay Packers)

Key free-agent departures

• WR Zay Jones (Jacksonville Jaguars)
• WR DeSean Jackson (free agent)
• WR Bryan Edwards (traded to Atlanta Falcons)

Key draft additions

• RB Zamir White (Round 4)

Quarterback preview

Despite losing his head coach and No. 1 receiver under, let’s say, “less than ideal” circumstances, Derek Carr just buckled up his chinstrap and went to work. The results: 4,804 yards passing, 23 TDs, 14 INTs, and the franchise’s second postseason appearance in the last 19 years.

Things improved markedly during the offseason as well with the hiring of a respected offensive mind (McDaniels), and the acquisition of arguably the NFL’s top receiver (Adams), who happens to be one of Carr’s closest friends. Even with those additions, Carr still belongs on the QB1/QB2 border.

Running back preview

When the Raiders ponied up $11 million to lure Kenyan Drake to town, there were visions of he and Josh Jacobs forming a dynamic duo at the RB position. Instead, Drake (63-254-2) played sparingly before breaking his ankle in Week 13, and Jacobs (217-872-2) showed so little explosiveness that the team declined his fifth-year option.

The club is still set to roll with the Alabama product as their lead back, however, and if there’s one thing Jacobs has shown in three seasons it’s the ability to carry a heavy load. That puts the fourth-year back on the cusp of top-20 RB status.

Drake’s breakthrough with the Arizona Cardinals looks to have been short lived, and it was painfully obvious that the team was less than thrilled with what they paid for — Drake averaged nearly 18 touches per game with the Cardinals in 2020 versus 7.8 with Las Vegas last year. Perhaps McDaniels can find a way to reinvigorate Drake. Optimists can justify a late-round flier on that possibility.

If Drake falters or Jacobs once again gets dinged up, Zamir White could get an extended look. The rookie is a tough runner with good size. Expect White to be in the running to replace Jacobs in 2023.

Wide receiver preview

Following the Henry Ruggs incident, the Raiders pieced their receiving corps together with Hunter Renfrow (103-1,308-9) as the primary possession target from the slot along with a revolving cast of characters on the outside, most notably Bryan Edwards (34-571-3) and Zay Jones (47-546-1), who signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars. Edwards was traded to the Atlanta Falcons on May 13.

This year, the group will be led by Davante Adams (123-1,553-11), a five-time Pro Bowl selection, who is one of only a handful of reasonable answers to the question, “Who is the NFL’s best wide receiver?” He may not be quite as dynamic pairing with Carr instead of Aaron Rodgers, but Adams is still a surefire WR1.

With Adams in town, expect Renfrow to take a hit statistically as a chunk of those 128 targets that went his way in 2021 are sure to go elsewhere this season. Then again, perhaps the additional coverage that Adams demands will allow Renfrow to be more productive on a per-catch basis — in other words, doing more with less. But he’ll still have to contend with losing looks to a healthy Darren Waller. Renfrow should still hold midrange WR3 appeal.

Tight end preview

There were rumblings around the draft that the Packers were making (or had made) a play for Darren Waller, even going as far as including him in the original compensation package for Adams.

Waller (55-665-2) remains in the Silver and Black, however, and will be looking to recapture the form that saw him post back-to-back seasons of more than 1,100 yards prior to last year’s injury-shortened effort. Waller deserves legit TE1 status to be sure, but he turns 30 in September and isn’t without some level of risk.

Backup Foster Moreau only enters the fantasy picture if Waller once again misses time via injury.

Sleeper/breakout candidates

If there’s one skill position a midround rookie can excel it’s running back. As such, fourth-rounder White bears watching. Neither Jacobs nor Drake covered themselves in glory last season, and both are in the final year of their deals so Las Vegas’ commitment to them is minimal.

Bust potential/overvalued players

Even though the Raiders didn’t exercise Jacobs’ contract option, the expectation remains that he’ll be the top back in 2022. Don’t be too sure. Only five of Jacobs’ 490 carries the past two years went for at least 20 yards, and there’s a new coaching regime. He could underdeliver.

Credit: Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports

2021 record: 9-8

Notable coaching and system changes

For much of 2021 it seemed LA’s first-year coach Brandon Staley was the toast of the town, and yet when the smoke cleared, the Chargers found themselves in the same place they’d been in three of their four seasons under Anthony Lynn, out of the playoffs. The trio of Staley, offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi, and defensive coordinator Renaldo Hill returns intact within what looks like a hyper-competitive AFC West. We’ll see if last season’s experience helps get the Bolts over the hump.

Key free-agent additions

• TE Gerald Everett (Seattle Seahawks)

Key free-agent departures

• RB Justin Jackson (free agent)
• TE Jared Cook (free agent)

Key draft additions

• RB Isaiah Spiller (Round 4)

Quarterback preview

A look back at Justin Herbert‘s second season effectively bears out the concept that progress isn’t a straight line. The burgeoning superstar had some brilliant games, but he also had some real stinkers in losses to lesser opponents that had a lot to do with the Chargers missing the playoffs. There is so much talent there, though, and his overall production was impressive: 5,014 yards passing and 38 TDs.

The deceptively athletic Herbert is already entrenched as a QB1, but he could be the No. 1 overall fantasy quarterback by season’s end.

Running back preview

When healthy, Austin Ekeler is one of the best all-around backs in football, able to excel as a runner and a receiver out of the backfield. He finished 2021 with 1,558 total yards and 20 TDs. That’s high-end RB1 production.

The problem is at 5-foot-10, 200 pounds, Ekeler is on the small side, and his 206 carries last year blew past his previous career high of 132. While he hasn’t dealt with a ton of injuries, he’s the type of player you need to be careful not to overwork, lest you marginalize what makes him such a weapon. He’s a top-five fantasy back, but it feels like the clock is ticking.

LA hasn’t had any success finding a complementary back since Melvin Gordon departed. Justin Jackson was a notch above Joshua Kelley and Larry Rountree III, but the oft-injured Jackson hasn’t been re-signed, and it certainly appears that the Chargers will give rookie Isaiah Spiller a chance to fill that role. Spiller is a tough runner and capable receiver, but he’ll need to clean up some ball security issues he dealt with in college. He could be a final-round flier.

Wide receiver preview

One would be hard pressed to argue that Keenan Allen (106-1,138-6) isn’t the Chargers’ top receiver, but the team’s offense often rose and fell with the play of Mike Williams (76-1,146-9) last season. Williams started and ended strong in 2021 with some real lean times in between. LA thought enough of his play to hand him a $60 million contract before free agency opened, and they’d doubtless like to see more consistency for that kind of coin.

Until he shows it, though, you can’t bank on it. That makes Williams a low-end WR2 or high-end WR3.

Circling back to Allen, he belongs amongst the league’s steadiest producers at the position. Over the past five seasons, Allen has caught 100 passes or more four times (he had 97 in 2018) and topped 1,000 yards four times (he had 992 receiving yards in 2020). Of equal importance, the durability woes from early in his career never followed him from San Diego. He’s a fringe top-10 fantasy option who’d be an ideal WR2 in PPR.

While neither is worth drafting outside of deep leagues, Jalen Guyton (31-448-3) and Joshua Palmer (33-353-4) have shown enough that they’d be speculative adds if either Williams or Allen were set to miss time.

Tight end preview

Jared Cook was uneven for the Bolts last year and won’t return, replaced by Gerald Everett, who signed a two-year deal after posting a 48-478-4 line with the Seahawks in 2021. That’s on brand for what he did in four seasons with the other Los Angeles franchise, and there’s no reason to expect a big jump in Year 6. He’s a shaky TE2.

Sleeper/breakout candidates

Given the lackluster results from Kelley and Rountree, coupled with durability concerns about Ekeler, it stands to reason Spiller could emerge. He is a risky commodity, and there are no guarantees here, but gamers should take a late-round stab at him, especially if Ekeler is on their roster.

Bust potential/overvalued players

Don’t conflate the fact that Ekeler hasn’t missed many games with the idea that he hasn’t been hurt because the sixth-year pro has taken a pounding. Entering his age-27 season and coming off a career-high 276 touches, there are reasons to balk at making Ekeler your first-round pick.