With the 2023 fantasy football season right around the corner, there is no better way to get ready for the season than the team preview series from Sharp Football Analysis.
Each preview includes advanced stats, the fantasy football outlook for every notable player, and in-depth analysis of each team's coaching staff, passing game, and rushing attack.
Every single preview and more is available in the Sharp Fantasy Football Draft Kit, which you can get for just $1 thanks to our friends at Underdog.
Arizona Cardinals Fantasy Football Preview:
- Without Kyler Murray for the final four games last season, Marquise Brown struggled to a 1.04 yards per route run mark, a stunningly low 5.3 yards per target, and caught just 51.9% of his targets.
- Michael Wilson appears poised to open the season as the No. 2 receiver after playing all but one snap with the starters in the second preseason game.
- James Conner dominated the backfield work when he was active last season, seeing 72.6% of the running back carries and earning an 11.6% target share.
Atlanta Falcons Fantasy Football Preview:
Highlights:
- Among receivers to run at least 200 routes last season, Drake London ranked 14th in yards per route run (2.07), fifth in target rate per route (28%), and third in target share (29.3%).
- 28.8% of Kyle Pitts’ targets were 20 air yards or more last season, second among qualifying tight ends. He caught just two of those 17 targets.
- Bijan Robinson led the rookie class by creating 1,006 yards after contact in 2022 and forced a missed tackle on 32.2% of his attempts.
Baltimore Ravens Fantasy Football Preview:
Highlights:
- To this point in his career, only 58.2% of Lamar Jackson’s fantasy points have come via passing. Only Justin Fields had a lower percentage of his fantasy points come from passing last season. The Ravens finally invested in receiver this offseason, signing Odell Beckham and drafting Zay Flowers in the first round. Jackson will also get back Rashod Bateman from injury. Along with Mark Andrews, that group represents the best pass-catching unit the Ravens have provided Jackson.
- Andrews has dominated targets over the last four seasons. He has been targeted on 26.6% of his routes and has handled 24.1% of Baltimore’s targets overall since 2019. Those numbers would have ranked third and second among tight ends who ran at least 100 routes last season.
- While he only carried the ball 92 times last season, J.K. Dobbins averaged 5.7 yards on those carries and for his career has averaged 5.9 yards on 226 carries. Among backs with at least 90 carries last season, Dobbins ranked first in EPA per rush (0.09), second in success rate (44.6%), and first in rate of 10+ yard runs (17.4%).
Buffalo Bills Fantasy Football Preview:
Highlights:
- Stefon Diggs turned in an outstanding 2022, finishing with 108 catches for 1,429 yards and 11 touchdowns in 16 games. He was seventh among qualifying receivers in target share (27.9%), eighth in target per route rate (26.9%), and fifth in yards per route run (2.50). Diggs has been a top-24 scorer in 32 of his 49 games since joining the Bills in 2020.
- Gabe Davis had a solid final line (48-836-7) and was second among qualifying receivers in yards per reception. As has been the case with his career, though, he struggled to consistently earn targets. He was targeted on 16% of his routes (69th) and earned 1.44 yards per route run (50th).
- James Cook was near the top of the league in efficiency in his rookie season. His 6.2 yards per touch were fourth among running backs with at least 75 touches. He averaged 5.7 yards per carry (2nd) and 1.44 yards per route run (16th). Unfortunately, he finished with 110 total touches, had one game with more than 12 touches, and was the RB55 in per-game scoring.
Carolina Panthers Fantasy Football Preview:
Highlights:
- Among 106 receivers to run at least 200 routes, Adam Thielen finished 90th in yards per route run (1.06), 74th in target rate per route (15.9%), and 86th in yards per target (6.7).
- Jonathan Mingo did not top 379 yards in a season until his senior year and averaged just 52 yards per game at Ole Miss. On the bright side, he did average 15.7 yards per catch.
- Over the last three years, Miles Sanders has averaged 0.57 yards per route run, 3.9 yards per target, and 5.9 yards per reception.
Chicago Bears Fantasy Football Preview:
Highlights:
- The Bears finished 29th in neutral pass rate and dead last with a pass rate over expected of -14.1%, the lowest figure since at least 2015. The offseason addition of D.J. Moore suggests they will try to pass more moving forward, but they have a long way to go to even get back to an average pass rate.
- Justin Fields will need to do a better job avoiding negative plays if the Bears plan to pass more. He had easily the highest sack rate last season among qualifying quarterbacks and the second-highest interception rate.
- Khalil Herbert has averaged five yards per carry thus far in his career and ranked first in rushing yards over expected per attempt last season. The problem is the Bears brought in D’Onta Foreman and Roschon Johnson, muddling a backfield that will already lose high-value carries to Fields.
Cincinnati Bengals Fantasy Football Preview:
Highlights:
- The Bengals changed their approach in the passing game last season. Their average depth of target fell from 7.92 in 2021 to 6.81 last season. Cincy’s percentage of passes 15 yards or further down the field fell from 19% to 15.7%, and their yards per attempt dropped from 8.7 to 7.4.
- Joe Burrow’s rushing bounced back in 2022. He averaged 16.1 yards per game and scored five touchdowns, right around his expected total given his usage.
- Joe Mixon was dreadfully inefficient despite leading the league in the percentage of carries against light boxes. He was 34th out of 42 qualifying backs in yards per carry (3.9), 20th in success rate (38.6%), and 36th in yards after contact per rush (2.6).
Cleveland Browns Fantasy Football Preview:
Highlights:
- Deshaun Watson had a completion rate 3.9 percent under expected in his six starts last season, was 1.6 yards under his career air yards per attempt average, and was 2.4 yards under his career average in adjusted yards per attempt.
- Amari Cooper was 15th among qualifying receivers in yards per route run (2.07) and 11th in target share (26%) last season. He finished as the WR17 in fantasy points per game.
- Nick Chubb has now gained at least five yards per carry every season of his career. He was fifth among qualifying running backs in EPA per rush despite ranking 14th in the rate of his runs against heavy boxes.
Every fantasy football team preview is available in the Sharp Fantasy Football Draft Kit, one of the best resources to get you prepared for the 2023 fantasy football season.
Click here to get the Draft Kit for just $1!
Dallas Cowboys Fantasy Football Preview:
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Highlights:
- Mike McCarthy says he wants to “run the damn ball,” but the Cowboys already had the seventh-highest run rate in neutral situations last season and were 25th in pass rate over expected. It will be tough for them to run the ball more than they already have.
- Dak Prescott’s rushing numbers did bounce back from the 9.1 yards per game he averaged in 2021, but he still managed just 15.2 yards per game in 2022. He only had three carries on goal-to-go downs, 23rd among quarterbacks.
- Tony Pollard dramatically outshot his expected touchdown total last season thanks in part to three touchdowns of at least 50 yards and another two from 30 yards out. That will not be a concern moving forward if his touch total grows, especially since Pollard has proven he can retain elite efficiency as his workload increases.
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Denver Broncos Fantasy Football Preview:
Highlights:
- Sean Payton was known for his high-volume passing attacks in New Orleans, but that was not what we saw over his final couple of years there. With Drew Brees fading and then retiring, the Saints were five percent under their expected pass rate during the 2020 and 2021 seasons.
- Returning from injury in Week 13, Jerry Jeudy was the WR8 in per-game scoring over the final six weeks. That number was inflated by a three-touchdown game against the Chiefs, but he would have been the WR16 even without those scores.
- Samaje Perine showed well when asked to start for the Bengals last season, averaging 5.2 yards on 48 touches. He was the RB9 and the RB6 in his two starts. If Javonte Williams misses any time, he should be a fantasy starter.
Detroit Lions Fantasy Football Preview:
Highlights:
- Amon-Ra St. Brown followed up his great rookie campaign with an even better sophomore effort. He finished eighth among qualifying receivers in yards per route run (2.41) and behind just Tyreek Hill in per-route target rate (30.3%).
- In addition to the six-game suspension, there is some concern about Jameson Williams’ fit with Jared Goff. Goff has not traditionally thrown down the field – 9.6% of his career passes have traveled at least 20 yards downfield – and his off-target rate on those throws was 33.3% last season, 22nd of 33 qualified quarterbacks.
- The question for Jahmyr Gibbs is how many touches will he get right out of the gate? Since 2010, nine running backs have been drafted No. 15 or higher. Those players averaged 252 touches in their rookie seasons, but C.J. Spiller is the only back on that list that feels like a solid comp for the 199-pound Gibbs. Spiller touched the ball 244 times total in his first TWO seasons in the league.
Green Bay Packers Fantasy Football Preview:
Highlights:
- Green Bay leaned more into the run in 2022 – 50.9% neutral pass rate – and that trend could continue with Jordan Love at quarterback. They also have been one of the slowest offenses in the league, finishing 28th, 31st, and 32nd in situation-neutral pace according to Football Outsiders. It is unlikely they speed things up with an inexperienced quarterback.
- Christian Watson has a profile that can hit even if the Packers struggle on offense. He is a good bet to see over 20% of Green Bay’s targets, has big-play upside (25.8% of his targets were 20 air yards or more last season), and Love has the arm to connect on those deep targets.
- The offensive environment is a concern for everyone, but Aaron Jones remains one of the most efficient backs in the league. He was second among qualifying running backs in yards per carry (5.3), fourth in yards per touch (5.6), fourth in EPA per rush (0.03), 11th in rushing yards over expected per attempt (0.69), and ninth in yards per route run (1.25).
Houston Texans Fantasy Football Preview:
Highlights:
- Starting 25 games the past two seasons at Ohio State, C.J. Stroud threw 85 touchdown passes to just 12 interceptions.
- 19.8% of Nico Collins‘ career targets have been deemed inaccurate including 25.8% last season. 35.7% of his targets on throws 10 yards or further were inaccurate and 55.6% of his deep targets were inaccurate last season.
- Dameon Pierce averaged just 0.86 yards per route run and 4.2 yards per target despite catching 30 passes in 13 games last season. He ranked 43rd and 48th among 60 qualifying running backs in those two metrics.
Indianapolis Colts Fantasy Football Preview:
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- Among all 15 2023 Combine invites, Anthony Richardson was 14th in pressured on-target rate, 15th without pressure, 15th inside of the pocket, and 13th outside of the pocket.
- With a career-low 7.0 air yards per target, Michael Pittman averaged just 6.6 receiving yards per target (74th among qualifying receivers) and 1.44 yards per route run (49th) last season.
- Jonathan Taylor will miss at least the first four games of the season after landing on the PUP list.
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Jacksonville Jaguars Fantasy Football Preview:
Highlights:
- After the bye in Week 11, Trevor Lawrence completed 67.8% of his passes, averaged 7.5 yards per attempt, and threw 12 touchdowns (5.1%) to just two interceptions (0.8%).
- Back in 2020, Calvin Ridley finished seventh among qualifying receivers in yards per route run (2.44) and 10th in target rate per route (25.4%) while playing with Julio Jones. He was 14th in yards per target (9.6).
- Even after James Robinson was traded, Travis Etienne saw 6.5% of the team’s targets, which was actually behind fellow running back JaMycal Hasty.
Every fantasy football team preview is available in the Sharp Fantasy Football Draft Kit, one of the best resources to get you prepared for the 2023 fantasy football season.
Click here to get the Draft Kit for just $1!
Kansas City Chiefs Fantasy Football Preview:
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Highlights:
- Patrick Mahomes was easily first in EPA per dropback (0.27) and per pass attempt (0.31) and just beat out Josh Allen in success rate (51.6%) in 2022. He has been the QB6 or better in per-game scoring every season since taking over the starting job.
- Kadarius Toney’s rate stats looked amazing after he joined the Chiefs last season. He averaged 2.63 yards per route run and was targeted on 26.2% of his routes. Unfortunately, he only ran 65 total routes in seven games, was inactive for three weeks, and never played more than 44% of the offensive snaps in a single game.
- Isiah Pacheco emerged midway through his rookie season. From his first start in Week 7 on, he handled 139 carries for 681 yards and four touchdowns. Over that span, he was 12th among qualifying running backs in yards per carry (4.9), 14th in success rate (42.4%), and first in the percentage of his runs that resulted in zero or negative yards (8.2%).
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Las Vegas Raiders Fantasy Football Preview:
Highlights:
- Bringing in Jimmy Garoppolo hints at an offensive shift. Garoppolo has averaged 7.22 air yards per attempt in his career. Derek Carr was at 9.13 last season.
- Davante Adams’ usage took a big turn in his first season with the Raiders. After averaging under 10 air yards per target over his final two seasons with the Packers, Adams averaged 11.8 air yards per target in 2022. He was 10 or more yards down the field on 45% of his targets last season. His average in Green Bay was 36.3%.
- Josh Jacobs was seventh among qualifying running backs in EPA per rush (0.02), 11th in explosive run rate (12.1%), and averaged 5.2 yards per touch. He finished as the RB4 in per-game scoring. He was a top-10 scorer in nine of his 17 games and a top-20 scorer 12 times.
Los Angeles Chargers Fantasy Football Preview:
Highlights:
- On throws that travel at least 15 yards, Justin Herbert has averaged 0.62 expected points added per play with a 47.7% success rate, 13 yards per attempt, and an 8.6% touchdown rate in his career. Those numbers would have ranked 4th, 12th, 9th, and 9th among qualifying quarterbacks last season.
- Healthy from Week 11 on, Keenan Allen caught 60 passes for 675 yards and four touchdowns in eight games. He was the WR7 in per-game scoring over that span despite going well under his expected touchdown total.
- Austin Ekeler followed up his 20-touchdown performance in 2021 with an 18-score campaign last season. Over the last two years, Ekeler has scored 12 more scrimmage touchdowns than the next closest player.
Los Angeles Rams Fantasy Football Preview:
Highlights:
- Matthew Stafford‘s yards per attempt average fell from 8.1 in 2021 to 6.9 in 2022, his touchdown rate fell from 6.8% to 3.3%, and he averaged 56 fewer passing yards per game.
- Cooper Kupp averaged 2.41 yards per route run over the first nine games, saw a target on 29.1% of his routes, and was targeted on 30.9% of the Rams’ pass attempts.
- Cam Akers returned to the starting lineup in Week 12. From that point on, he carried the ball 16 times a game, caught another 1.6 passes per game, and scored six touchdowns.
Miami Dolphins Fantasy Football Preview:
Highlights:
- Miami was fourth in EPA per play in the weeks Tua Tagovailoa started and sixth in points per drive. They led the league in yards per play during those 13 weeks.
- The targets in this passing game were dominated by Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle last season. That pair combined for a 51% target share. No other Dolphin saw more than 10% of the targets. The next two highest target shares belonged to Mike Gesicki and Trent Sherfield, who are no longer on the team.
- In 2022, Waddle played only 19% of his snaps in the slot after playing 54% of his plays there as a rookie, his average depth of target jumped up from 7.1 to 12.1, and he averaged 18.1 yards per catch after gaining 9.8 yards per reception in 2021.
Minnesota Vikings Fantasy Football Preview:
Highlights:
- Kirk Cousins led qualifying quarterbacks in fourth-quarter fantasy points per game. He was the QB23 per game in the first three quarters.
- From Week 9 on – when he joined the Vikings – T.J. Hockenson was second among all tight ends in targets and the TE4 in half-PPR fantasy points per game.
- Alexander Mattison has averaged 3.7 yards per carry and 2.78 yards per carry after contact over the last two seasons. Those numbers would have ranked 39th and 27th out of 42 qualifying running backs last year.
New England Patriots Fantasy Football Preview:
- Mac Jones has averaged 7.5 rushing yards per game so far in his career and has a single rushing touchdown in 31 starts.
- JuJu Smith-Schuster posted his highest yards per route run since 2018 and once again was able to create after the catch while playing out wide on a career-high percentage of his snaps last season.
- On 18 goal-to-go touches, tied for 10th among running backs, Rhamondre Stevenson scored just four touchdowns last season.
New Orleans Saints Fantasy Football Preview:
Highlights:
- Derek Carr finished below Andy Dalton in completion rate over expected last season, and Dalton’s 78% on-target rate easily outpaced Carr’s 71.8%.
- Chris Olave‘s 2.42 yards per route run as a rookie was almost identical to Ja’Marr Chase’s in 2021, the exact same as A.J. Brown’s in 2019, and just behind Justin Jefferson’s in 2020.
- Over the first four seasons of his career, Alvin Kamara averaged 5.0 yards per carry and 6.2 yards per touch. Over the last two, he has averaged 3.9 yards per carry and 4.8 yards per touch.
New York Giants Fantasy Football Preview:
Highlights:
- Daniel Jones improved in his first year with coach Brian Daboll. He was the QB8 in per-game scoring among qualified quarterbacks after finishing as the QB15, QB29, and QB15 in his first three seasons. He was the QB6 in per-game scoring after Week 10.
- Darren Waller was behind just Kyle Pitts in air yards per target (13.4) last season. His career average was 8.1 air yards per target heading into 2022. Jones ranked 29th out of 33 qualifying quarterbacks in the percentage of his passes that traveled at least 10 yards down the field (27.3%) last season.
- One of the few workhorses in the league, Saquon Barkley handled 81% of the running back carries in the 16 weeks he was active and saw 20.2% of New York’s targets. He was not as efficient as he was early in his career (4.7 yards per touch), but he was 13th in rushing yards over expected per attempt according to Next Gen Stats.
Every fantasy football team preview is available in the Sharp Fantasy Football Draft Kit, one of the best resources to get you prepared for the 2023 fantasy football season.
Click here to get the Draft Kit for just $1!
New York Jets Fantasy Football Preview:
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Highlights:
- Aaron Rodgers‘ on-target throw percentage was actually higher last season than it was in 2021, and PFF calculated his 2022 adjusted completion rate as roughly the same as it was the year before. That is not a surprise considering Rodgers tied for the league “lead” with 40 dropped passes, easily the highest number of his career.
- Garrett Wilson caught 83 passes for 1,103 yards and four touchdowns on his way to Rookie of the Year honors despite 16.3% of his target being deemed inaccurate.
- Breece Hall was impressive on a per-touch basis last season. He averaged 5.8 yards per carry (1st), 6.9 yards per touch (1st), and 2.02 yards per route run (2nd). 18.8% of his carries went for at least 10 yards (1st).
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Philadelphia Eagles Fantasy Football Preview:
Highlights:
- Jalen Hurts finished 23rd among all quarterbacks in second-half dropbacks and 31st in fourth-quarter dropbacks. He had fewer fourth-quarter dropbacks than Joe Flacco, who played five games.
- A.J. Brown was targeted 61 times in the second half of games (19th among receivers), and DeVonta Smith was targeted 56 times (22nd).
- Brown, Smith, and Dallas Goedert handled 75 percent of Philly’s targets when all three were healthy last season.
Pittsburgh Steelers Fantasy Football Preview:
Highlights:
- Kenny Pickett ranked 23rd among all quarterbacks in the number of his passes that went at least 15 yards downfield last season, but he had the eighth-best off-target rate on those throws according to PFF.
- In the five games Mitch Trubisky played at least 85% of the snaps last season, Diontae Johnson averaged 10.2 targets a game. He averaged eight in his other 12 games.
- Among running backs with at least 100 touches last season, Najee Harris ranked 48th out of 51 in yards per touch (4.0). He was 45th in yards per carry (3.8), 37th in yards after contact per rush (2.74), and 45th in the percentage of his runs that gained at least 10 yards (7.4%).
San Francisco 49ers Fantasy Football Preview:
Highlights:
- Kyle Shanahan is a wizard. Despite three starting quarterbacks including Mr. Irrelevant himself Brock Purdy, the 49ers remained one of the most effective attacks in the league, finishing sixth in points per drive. They were even better after adding Christian McCaffrey, finishing second overall in EPA per play over the final 11 weeks.
- Including the playoffs, Deebo Samuel finished 2022 with 1,109 yards from scrimmage and six touchdowns in 16 games. His 13.1 PPR points per game including the playoffs would have ranked 27th among wide receivers last season.
- Christian McCaffrey joined the 49ers in Week 7. From that point on, he averaged 21.7 PPR points per game (1st among qualifying running backs), 5.7 yards per touch (2nd), and scored 11 total touchdowns (2nd).
Seattle Seahawks Fantasy Football Preview:
Highlights:
- Seattle was eighth with a 1.5 percent pass rate over expected and had the fifth-highest neutral pass rate last season. They were 18th and 24th in those metrics in 2021.
- After being targeted at least 20 yards down the field on over 20% of his opportunities each of his first three years in the league, DK Metcalf was targeted 20 yards or more down the field on 12.1% of his chances in 2022.
- Ken Walker was third in the NFL in carries (205), fifth in rushing yards (904), and tied for fifth in rushing touchdowns (8) despite missing a game from Week 6 on last season.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers Fantasy Football Preview:
Highlights:
- Baker Mayfield finished 33rd out of 33 qualifying quarterbacks in EPA per dropback and 29th in off-target rate last season.
- Chris Godwin finished as the WR19 in points per game last season but was the WR69 in fantasy points per target.
- 39.1% of Mike Evans’ career targets have come at least 15 yards downfield. Over the last two seasons, Mayfield has been inaccurate on 31.2% of his attempts that travel at least 15 yards.
Tennessee Titans Fantasy Football Preview:
- Ryan Tannehill’s rushing yards per game was down to a career-low 8.2 last season, and he was the QB23 in points per game among qualifying quarterbacks.
- Among tight ends who ran at least 150 routes, Chig Okonkwo ranked first in yards per route run (2.65), second in target rate per route (27.1%), and second in yards per target (9.8).
- Derrick Henry has now scored at least 10 touchdowns in five straight seasons, averaging 13.6 over that span.
Washington Commanders Fantasy Football Preview:
Highlights:
- It would be reasonable to assume Eric Bieniemy brings a pass-heavy, high-paced offense similar to the Chiefs’ attack with him to Washington, but that does not appear to be what Ron Rivera and the front office want. GM Martin Mayhew said he wanted the team to be “two to one run pass.”
- Terry McLaurin has not finished better than the WR24 in per-game scoring thus far in his career, but that is not really his fault. He ranked 16th among all receivers with at least 50 targets in yards per route run last season despite finishing 60th among 85 qualifying receivers in inaccurate target rate.
- Antonio Gibson’s routes per game jumped from 13.9 when J.D. McKissic was healthy last season to 18.1 without McKissic. The targets per game did not follow, but routes are what matter for a player who has consistently been targeted on around 23% of his routes throughout his career.
Every fantasy football team preview is available in the Sharp Fantasy Football Draft Kit, one of the best resources to get you prepared for the 2023 fantasy football season.