We’ve been drilling down on player value all offseason, making predictions about which players will delight or disappoint you in 2022. But now, with the start of the NFL regular season just days away, let’s widen the focus and look at teams.

We asked our featured analysts for some team-based predictions. Read on to see which teams they’re feeling especially bullish and bearish about for this season.

If you want to dive deeper into fantasy football, be sure to check out our award-winning slate of Fantasy Football Tools as you navigate your season. From our Start/Sit Assistant – which provides your optimal lineup, based on accurate consensus projections – to our Waiver Wire Assistant – which allows you to quickly see which available players will improve your team, and by how much – we’ve got you covered this fantasy football season.

Q. Which team do you think will win the Super Bowl and why?

Green Bay Packers
“The Green Bay Packers. Disclaimer: I’m a Wisconsin native and lifelong Packers fan, so I’m not completely unbiased here. But I do think the Packers are in excellent shape for a title run. The defense is stacked and will probably be Green Bay’s best since Reggie White and LeRoy Butler roamed Lambeau Field. The offensive line is strong and deep, the running game will be brutally effective, and Aaron Rodgers is still playing like a walk-in Hall of Famer, so he should be able to overcome the loss of WR Davante Adams. The Packers also have a much easier path to the Super Bowl than any AFC team, since the NFC is relatively soft.”
– Pat Fitzmaurice (FantasyPros)

Buffalo Bills
“I think Buffalo is the most complete team on all sides of the ball. The AFC is a tougher road to the SB, but I think that battle test will prove useful to whomever emerges from that conference, and that’s the Bills, in my opinion. Especially because I think they will be the team with the bye playing in that softer division, and that week off is huge now, as is home field in Buffalo that time of year. That was the special sauce for those old Bills teams, going to the Super Bowl four years in a row thanks in part to all those home January playoff games.”
– Joe Pisapia (FantasyPros)

Tampa Bay Buccaneers
“According to the BettingPros consensus NFL Super Bowl Odds, The Buffalo Bills open the 2022 season as the favorites to take home the Lombardi trophy. I’m going in a different direction, though. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are the favorites in the NFC, and they’ll have an easier path through the playoffs than the Bills or any team in the AFC. Tom Brady unretired because he sees the same thing the rest of us do: This version of the Buccaneers is better on paper than the squad that won the Super Bowl a couple of years ago, and there isn’t much standing in their way in the NFC compared to what teams in the AFC will have to go through in January.”
– Mike Maher (FantasyPros)

Los Angeles Chargers
“Los Angeles Chargers I’m all in on the Los Angeles Chargers. An elite defense paired with an offense heralded by MVP candidate Justin Herbert has me convinced they can run the table not just in the AFC West but in the entire conference. Whichever team emerges from the AFC West will be battle-tested, and one that should be able to make a Super Bowl Run. In the words of fearless leader Matthew Freedman, “The Chargers are one offensive lineman (Zion Johnson), one decent linebacker (Kenneth Murray, Kyle Van Noy) and one third-year quarterback leap from a Super Bowl.”
– Andrew Erickson (FantasyPros)

Q. Which team do you expect to be this season’s most pleasant surprise and why?

New Orleans Saints
“The Saints are better than people think. They have one of the best defenses in the league, and their offense should be above average as long as QB Jameis Winston doesn’t revert to his YOLO-ball, INT-heavy days with the Buccaneers. And speaking of the Bucs, I’m betting on New Orleans to bypass Tampa Bay and win the NFC South.”
– Pat Fitzmaurice (FantasyPros)

Los Angeles Chargers
“I think the Chargers really stepped up on the defensive side this off-season, adding J.C. Jackson and Khalil Mack. Although that division is super competitive, I think Justin Herbert is up for the challenge and the Chargers could be a dark horse SB contender. The 2021 season ended on a sour note where they basically learned the hard way about how to manage tight situations. That’s an opportunity to learn and grow as a team and coaching staff.”
– Joe Pisapia (FantasyPros)

Jacksonville Jaguars
“I think Doug Pederson got a raw deal in Philadelphia, and I think the Jacksonville Jaguars made a rare good choice in hiring him. I also think he’s the perfect person to fix the mess that Urban Meyer left behind. Pederson is a players’ coach who runs a quarterback-friendly offensive system, and I think he instantly fixes the culture AND Trevor Lawrence. He won a Super Bowl in Philadelphia with a backup quarterback because of culture and coaching, and I think he puts the Jaguars in the playoff picture in his first season for those same reasons.”
– Mike Maher (FantasyPros)

Philadelphia Eagles
“The Philadelphia Eagles got run out of the playoffs last season. But with upgrades across the board on offense and defense plus Jalen Hurts improving entering Year 3, they should be the favorites to win the NFC East. And that gives them a chance to run the table in the NFC just based on the lack of elite QBs in the conference.”
– Andrew Erickson (FantasyPros)

Q. Which team do you expect to be this season’s biggest disappointment and why?

Tampa Bay Buccaneers
“I’m smashing the under on the Buccaneers’ win total of 11.5. Tom Brady may be the GOAT, but no quarterback in the Super Bowl era has ever started a game at age 45, and we’ve seen other great quarterbacks (Peyton Manning, Brett Favre) tumble over the age cliff at younger ages. The middle of the Bucs’ offensive line has been decimated by injury, retirement and free agency. Tampa’s defense is solid but not fearsome. I don’t think it’s a lock that the Buccaneers will win their division — watch out for the Saints — and I wouldn’t be shocked if the Bucs missed the playoffs entirely.”
– Pat Fitzmaurice (FantasyPros)

New England Patriots
“The Patriots will always have a well-coached defense, but the lack of definition surrounding the offensive play calling to me is a red flag. Mac Jones is a smart QB who had a great rookie season, but he’s still a second-year guy. and I don’t think the brain trust surrounding him this season is up for the task. They could even finish behind Miami if that Dolphins offense clicks. The Pats are not explosive and continue to lack playmakers.”
– Joe Pisapia (FantasyPros)

Baltimore Ravens
“People seem to forget that the Baltimore Ravens lost their last five games in 2021 and looked quite bad in the process. They moved on from their defensive coordinator and traded Marquise Brown, and this offense looks worse on paper now than it did at this time last year. Lamar Jackson wants a new contract, and things could get interesting if he doesn’t get one before the start of the season. Jackson runs more than any quarterback in the league, and he has to in order for that offense to be successful. But will he be as willing to run and risk a serious injury if the Ravens don’t commit to him financially? Things could get messy in Baltimore, especially if the Ravens get off to a slow start.”
– Mike Maher (FantasyPros)

Dallas Cowboys
“The Dallas Cowboys. I am trying to paint a picture in my mind of how this team improved versus last year … and it’s just coming out extremely blurry. This team has taken a step back in nearly all facets, and relying on the defense to get an absurd number of turnovers is not a sustainable formula for success. They might be in the running just based on their schedule, but it will take an unbelievable season by Dak Prescott to carry this squad to Jerry Jones’ standard. Head coach Mike McCarthy is as good as gone.”
– Andrew Erickson (FantasyPros)

Thanks to the experts for sharing their advice! For more of their insight, be sure to follow each pundit on Twitter (click their names above) and visit their respective sites.

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If you want to dive deeper into fantasy football, check out our award-winning slate of Fantasy Football Tools as you navigate your season. From our Start/Sit Assistant – which provides your optimal lineup based on accurate consensus projections – to our Waiver Wire Assistant, which allows you to quickly see which available players will improve your team and how much – we’ve got you covered this fantasy football season.