Welcome to round 2 of my team by team breakdown for seasonal leagues.

A couple updates regarding my previous post:

• In the Jets 1st preseason game, MILF lover Zach Wilson did his best Francis from Platoon imitation and attempted to take himself out of action for the season with a self inflicted leg injury. He is going to have surgery on a torn meniscus and bone bruise on his right knee. I don’t know how he does this and not miss time, so we are likely to see Joe Flacco and/or Mike White in the first few weeks of the season. I don’t really think this changes much in terms of expected Jets fantasy output as Wilson is still unproven. I’m still interested in their top 2 wideouts and Hall.
• The Patriots did some weird shit in their 1st game. I know, we are all shocked by that. They did not start their starters but rotated them in later, including presumed RB1 Damien Harris. Doesn’t matter to me, I’m still not drafting any in seasonal.

Today, like the Donner Party, we are going West. I’m looking at the Western divisions before the Norths or Souths because…well, I feel like they usually come last and I feel bad for em.

Also…a current look at my relationship with NFL West Football Teams:

AFC West

Denver Broncos

Coaching Notes: What happens when a coaching group intentionally splits an RB workload 50/50 between one of the best young backs in the league and an aging veteran? They get replaced, that’s what. (My apologies as I have strong feelings about Javonte Williams.) HC Nathaniel Hackett, OC Justin Outten, and DC Ejiro Evero are all new here. Hackett last served as GB’s OC and has helped them become the best scoring offense 2 seasons ago. Outten comes with Hackett as he served as GB’s TE coach for the last 3 seasons so they should be on the same page. Evero will be a DC for the first time, but he actually served under Vangio and is fresh off a SuperBowl as the Rams’ Safeties Coach. Additionally, the Broncos have resurrected Dom Capers to be an assistant to Evero. Combine all that with the trade for Russell Wilson and the free agent signing of Randy Gregory and hopes are high, pun intended, in Denver this year.

O-Line: Coach Butch Barry is also new as he replaces veteran line coach Munchak. Barry comes over from SF, which had a good O-line while he was there. This Denver line was one of the most improved in the league last year and all but one starter are returning. T Compton specifically had a fantastic year. Between the new coaches and the progress that this group had last season, the potential is there for this Denver offensive line to be top 10. 

Thoughts: It will probably take some time for this offense to get fully rolling, but the major beneficiaries here should be Russell Wilson and Javonte Williams. RW3 could return to being a top 12 fantasy QB now that he can stand upright again, but I have a couple issues. First, I don’t think that “Russ is gonna cook” in Denver. I expect his passing attempts to be near or under 30 a game as the offense is not expected to play at a fast pace, will be featuring its run game, and won’t be trailing in many games. Secondly, I honestly can’t tell you which WR(s) you should draft, I don’t think we’ll have a strong sense of usage until after the first week or two. I will say though that this WR group is facing one of the better CB schedules on paper. The injury to Tim Patrick likely puts Sutton and Jeudy in better spots as well. Javonte Williams is in line for a huge year. Some are worried about the continued presence of MG3, but the previous coaching staff is gone and Gordon couldn’t get a contract beyond the hometown 1 year discount that Denver was offering. Also, he’ll get injured this year. 

My Interests: Williams, RW3, Sutton, Jeudy and the DST as it is quite possible that edge rushing linebacker Randy Gregory becomes the most impactful addition to this team.

Kansas City Chiefs

Coaching Notes: Most of the coaches are the same. There is one wrinkle here…Matt Nagy is back as offensive assistant. OC Eric Bienimy replaced Matt Nagy in 2018 after Nagy left to coach the Bears. Seems odd to me that Nagy was brought back is all. Also, I find it funny that Nagy gets to work with Mahomes now after dealing with Trubisky, the higher 2017 first round pick, for multiple seasons.

O-Line:

2 years ago the Chiefs began to restructure their line and the rookies they brought in last season were great additions to the group. O-line coach Andy Heck is in his 9th year with the organization, so HC Reid must really like what he brings, and his coaching does seem to be effective. Last year they were 6th in pass blocking and 3rd in run blocking. They have arguably the best C in the league in Creed Humphrey and 3 other players in the top 25. This group also has some very capable backups as well. The KC offense is going to be just fine again even without Tyreek. 

Decisions: I’m avoiding MVS in seasonal, but his deep threat ability will probably pay off in DFS at some point. There is a ton of talk out there about 2nd round rookie Skyy Moore. I love and hate this landing spot for Moore. On paper it looks great, and the long term investment is probably worth it. However, in year 1 Moore will have to contend with JuJu, MVS, Hardman, and Kelce is basically a WR too. Year 1 might just not be the year for Moore. Less than a year ago, Mecole Hardman was widely considered as Hill’s direct understudy, but now people are writing him off for Skyy Moore. The RB1 in Andy Reid offenses are usually both clear and high fantasy producers, but clarity has been an issue in recent years due to injuries. The CEH experiment is probably in its last year if it doesn’t take off this season. Additionally, after 1 preseason game it seems the fantasy world wants to drop its collective panties for 7th rd pick Isiah Pacheco at RB. Pacheco has CEH, RoJo, Gore and McKinnon ahead of him on the depth chart. Tread lightly.

My Interests: Mahomes, Kelce, JuJu, and Hardman. Moore for sure in dynasty. I am typically very interested in the RB1 in an Andy Reid offense, but it’s just too unclear at the moment for me to invest in for seasonal.

Los Angeles Chargers

Coaching Notes: This is year 2 for the trio of HC Brandon Staley, OC Joe Lombardi, and DC Renaldo Hill. Year 1 was impressive as the Chargers put up the 5th most points in the NFL. Many speculated that Staley and Lombardi would install the type of offense that Sean Payton and the Saints used, and they did just that, even playing at the fastest pace in the league. The new face here is O-line coach Brendan Nugent.

O-Line: In coach Nugent, the Chargers went out and grabbed another piece of the Saints’ coaching tree that helped Brees & Co. enjoy some huge fantasy success. Nugent has some nice numbers to show for himself, particularly with the run game. The Chargers already have a real good group here, especially on the left side of the line. Adding Nugent should only help this entire offense. 

Easiest Team to Analyze: They’re really isn’t much to dissect here, they’re going to be good. Josh Palmer looks to be WR3 over Jalen Guyton and is a Keenan Allen or Mike Williams injury away from being one of the best values in any draft. Gerald Everett could have a good year as well, but a top 12 TE return is questionable. Many are jazzed up about Isaiah Spiller being Ekeler’s understudy, which may end up happening, but it appears for the moment that both Josh Kelley and Larry Rountree are ahead of him on the depth chart. I will monitor this situation though.

My Interests: QB Herbert is looking more and more like a perennial top 5 QB and arguably the best QB in dynasty leagues. Like the Bills, you probably want a piece of this offense this year. I am interested in Herbert, Ekeler, Allen, Williams, and Palmer.

Las Vegas Raiders

Coaching Notes: It will forever baffle me how the Colts and McDaniels couldn’t consummate their marriage in 2018, leading to McDaniels’ return to NE to be OC for the Patriots until taking this HC job in 2022. Don’t say he was holding out for Vegas because it is nice there now, I was just there, it isn’t. Speculation is that McDaniels and OC Mick Lombardi, whom McDaniels brought along from NE, will incorporate a similar style of attack that the Patriots used in the Brady years. Multiple different looks with multiple different players in various spots on the field to keep defenses on their toes. DC Patrick Graham is also from the Bellichick coaching tree who has recently worked with the Giants and Dolphins and has familiarity with McDaniels. 

O-Line: HC McDaniels brought Bricillo in with him to coach this group. Briscillo has 3 years of NFL coaching experience. This line has some really good parts, some bad parts, and some unknown parts. McDaniels does have a long track record of having a good O-line in NE, so I’m sure he’ll coach them well. It’s basically a mediocre unit at the moment.

The RB Issue: Josh McDaniels didn’t pick up Jacobs’ 5th year option, which has led to speculation that Zamir White will eventually be the starter. Some say he’s already NFL ready. Jacobs, however, should still get every opportunity to be the RB1 and early down back in this offense, and I can see the strategy of running the wheels off a car that you do not plan on keeping. However, based on McDaniels track record of featuring multiple RBs, I am out on this untrustworthy backfield. 

The Passing Game: Adams, Renfrow and Waller should all still be effective fantasy producers….well, as long as they are all healthy; the jury is definitely out on Waller who has yet to even practice this preseason. Assuming everyone is healthy, I would expect the fantasy output of both Adams and Waller to go down from previous years, but for both to still be pretty good. Renfrow may end up being worth a little more in PPR leagues as he likely fully steps into an Edelman/Welker role, which would also come with less TDs. The WR3 in this offense is up for debate, but I’m hearing Tyron Johnson getting a good amount of hype. Enigmas Keelan Cole and Mack Hollins are here too, so I’m not in the mood for taking a leap of faith on any questionable WR3 in a new offense. Foster Moreau would be quite interesting should a Darren Waller not be able to go…

My Interests: Adams, Renfrow, and Carr as a backup. I can’t commit to Waller with his health up in the air.

NFC West

Arizona Cardinals

Coaching Notes: HC Kingsbury continues to be overrated and continues to be a coach who has really never won anything at any level. Dude had Mahomes at Texas Tech and couldn’t make it happen. At the NFL level he has the pleasure of dealing with a crybaby QB who decides on a week to week basis whether or not he’s going to do his job…or his homework. Those things being said, there is some fantasy value to be had in this organization, especially early in the season. The Cards play at a fast pace, often going no huddle. To do this as frequently as the Cardinals do, players need to be at another level in terms of physical shape. The last 3 seasons the Cardinals offense has gotten worse as the season has gone on. I wonder why.

O-Line: They were one of the worst in the league last season, which again could be due to the style of play, and Arizona has not done much to address the problem. Murray has, at times, hidden the flaws of this group by running. Therefore when Murray does not run as much, the Cardinals typically don’t win. 

Assessment: Many people throughout fantasy football circles are pumped about Hollywood Brown being reunited with Murray as the two played together and enjoyed success in college. This isn’t college, and apparently Hollywood never learned to drive either. I believe this to be a subpar coach and a subpar offensive line, as well as a team that will become fatigued as the winter approaches, so I’m not too keen on anyone in this offense. Will Hollywood and Murray have their weeks? Sure. Will it be consistent? I highly doubt it. I am excited about what Conner did last year, and with Chase Edmonds gone, it looks like Conner’s backfield. I could see taking him as an RB2 purely based on volume, but injury concerns would constantly be in the back of my mind. Deandre Hopkins is getting up there in age, but he is still one of the best WRs in football. He’ll be suspended for 6 weeks, almost half of the fantasy season, so draft wisely if you’re targeting him and make sure you have a plan for those 6 weeks. I’d Zach Ertz as well, especially if I need a TE in later rounds or at cheap auction dollars, but again, less than ideal. 

My Interests: Conner depending on price and my team’s needs, and DHop if I’m getting him at a crazy good value…like last pick in a draft value.

Bold Prediction: Kingsbury is fired within the next 9 months.

Interesting Situation: If DHop and Hollywood are both out, AJ Green and Rondale Moore are WRs 1 & 2 here.

Los Angeles Rams

Coaching Notes: I’ll admit that Sean McVay winning a SuperBowl pisses me off. I don’t like this pain in the ass, but I will do my best not to let that bias cloud my judgment. I have been personally financially burned by the lies that come out of this dingus’ mouth and therefore just have a general disposition that he is not to be trusted. I will say though that he schemes quite well and has proven to be ahead of other coaches in weekly chess matches. Since McVay assistants keep getting offered jobs elsewhere, like OC Kevin O’Connell absconding to Minnesota, so the Rams needed a new OC for 2022 and tapped Liam Coen to become a first year NFL OC. He previously spent time as a Rams QB and WR coach, but most recently served as Kentucky’s OC.  

O-Line: Based on what I’ve been telling you, I’m sure you can guess that last year’s Rams O-line was quite good, 1st in pass blocking actually. However, they lost 2 key pieces to their group in the offseason. The replacements and returning players are capable, but many are unproven, especially the backups, so a major injury to any of the starters could really cause problems. The Rams offense should still be good though. 

Rams RBs: Sony Michel was quite effective for this team in the red zone. Sony Michel is now gone. There are plenty of touches available for whomever is the RB1 for the Rams. Sean McVay is not to be trusted though so it’s tough for me to use draft capital on any Ram RB because the Week 1 starter may not be the starter come Week 8. 

Passing Game: Stafford, Kupp, and ARob should all be fine, but I would also temper expectations on Kupp repeating his numbers from last season. Van Jefferson tweaked his knee last week and had minor surgery on it. I don’t like drafting injured players. Higbee is a fringe TE who may or may be a top 12 TE on the season. There were reports out there recently about Stafford having a lot of elbow pain. 1. He’s had it his entire career. 2. That news has really made Stafford a value this year. 

My Interests: Stafford, Kupp, ARob, and the DST.

San Francisco 49ers

Coaching Notes: Like the Patriots, there is no OC here as HC Kyle Shanahan has not named one and will be the offensive play caller to start 2022. There’s a bunch of new assistants here as Saleh left for the Jets after the 2020 season and took a few coaches with him, and McDaniel peaced out to Miami after last season. On a personal note, one good thing for Monday Night Football viewership this season is that Brian Griese won’t be part of the broadcast team anymore as he is now Shanahan’s QB coach. Griese has never been a coach, and one could argue that he was never really a NFL QB so good luck Lance!

O-Line: This typically predictable and solid situation is murky at best this season. Presumed starting RG Daniel Brunskill suffered a knee injury in preseason game 1, and RT Mike McGlinchey has a knee irritation which is potentially concerning because he was lost for the season last year with a quadricep/knee tendon issue. The issue, which happened in week 9, was that the tendon that connected the quad to the knee was left only 5% attached, which apparently was good news because a full 100% detachment would have sent the quadricep muscle recoiling up the leg…

The Niners do have who many believe to be the best LT in the game in Trent Williams, but after that it’s tough. There’s a lot of inconsistency from the experienced players on this line, and the others don’t have much experience at all. Line coach Chris Foerster is returning for a 2nd season and last season his group was 8th in run blocking and 2nd in pass blocking. While the line does have question marks, this coaching staff can produce very relevant fantasy players, so we should acknowledge that before writing off this unproven group. 

Run Game Issue: HC Shanahan has a history of implementing good running games, but getting the RB1 right here feels like it’s been a problem for a decade. Is it Elijah Mitchell? Trey Sermon has been looking better in camp? Is it the new 3rd round pick Davis-Price? Wait, Jeff Wilson and JaMycal Hasty are still here!?!? Deebo is going as a 1st round pick in fantasy drafts and rightfully so, and he will likely eat into the RB workload as well. I would not assume that Mitchell is the starting RB, and I’m further concerned by his injury risk as he is already dealing with a hamstring issue. 

My Interests: Deebo, but will definitely not reach for him if he’s overpriced. Same with Aiyuk. I’d take Kittle as the TE in this offense is integral but prefer not to given his injury history. Given the oft injured nature of SF RBs, 3rd round pick Tyron Davis-Price is someone I might have interest in for dynasty leagues or a late round flier because apparently I like pain.

Defensive Note: This secondary might be the team’s Achilles Heel. I will be targeting this group when pass heavy offenses come to town. (eyeballs schedule.) Shit, that’s like every other week!

Seattle Seahawks

Coaching Notes: He may be 70, but he ain’t stopping yet. Carroll is back for his 13th year as HC. He has a new DC in Clint Hurtt and OC Shane Waldron is in his 2nd year. There’s speculation that Waldron is the reason why RW3 wanted out, as the offense he was trying to install did not jive with Russ. The focus of the group will be running the ball, something they actually were able to do at the end of last season with Rashaad Penny. 

O-Line: First year line coach Andy Dickerson has been serving as an assistant for the Seahawks. He helped out as run game coordinator toward the end of the season and has 9 years of NFL coaching experience. There is a lot of turnover here from last season as the Seahawks welcome in free agent C Austin Blythe, who was injured last year, and they made 2 picks in the draft including 1st round LT Charles Cross. The other projected starters grade out in the bottom half of the league per Pro Football Focus, so I’m not expecting much, especially with either Smith or Lock at QB. 

Penny or Walker? The Hawks should have a run first mentality this year. There’s a lot of buzz around Kenneth Walker, and rightfully so, but I’m not sure how successful he will be as a fantasy asset in year 1 with Penny still there, along with Travis Homer and Deejay Dallas Multipass.

Many think that Walker will eventually be the RB1 here and are even of the belief that it will happen sooner rather than later. Penny has largely been unreliable thus far in his NFL career, and his ability to carry a full season load of snaps as an RB1 is definitely in question. Penny is a former 1st round pick and flashed at the end of last year, so I do not think they are ready to give up on him completely. He is definitely on thin ice though, and the 41st pick that the Hawks spent on Walker further suggests that. Walker does arguably fit into Dickerson’s blocking scheme, as well as Waldron’s wide zone rushing scheme, better than Penny does. Just be careful as apparently Walker is dealing with a ” little hernia thing,” according to Carroll. 

My Interests: Out of this rookie class, Kenneth Walker is probably my #1 pick for dynasty leagues, though hernia reports certainly give me pause. Metcalf and Lockett are definitely draftable at their current ADP; someone has to catch the ball in this offense. Keep an eye on Dee Eskeridge, who may end up being the starting slot receiver now. However, the bottom line is that the QB play in Seattle will have a significant downgrade this season.

Norths or Souths next?