Dynasty Draft Primer: AFC East Roundup & Trade Advice (2023 Fantasy Football)

Dynasty Draft Primer: AFC East Roundup & Trade Advice (2023 Fantasy Football)

Did anything newsworthy happen in the AFC East? Oh, that’s right, the New England Patriots signed wide receiver Juju Smith-Schuster. Otherwise, it was a pretty tame offseason in this division…

Oh, wait. Sorry, I forgot. The New York Jets acquired Aaron Rodgers and his merry men, Allen Lazard and Randall Cobb. How could I forget?

The AFC East is going to be one of the most exciting divisions to watch in 2023. The Bills are still the top dogs, but the Jets and Miami Dolphins are armed with plenty of talent to give the reigning champs a run. Beyond that, you can never count out a Bill Belichick-coached team either, even if I might be counting out his quarterback.

But what does this division look like from a dynasty standpoint? We’ll break down each team below.

Dynasty Rookie Draft Kit

AFC East Fantasy Football Roundup & Trade Advice

Let’s dive into the dynasty outlook for the AFC East.

Buffalo Bills

DRAFT PICK CHART

Bold Dynasty 2023 Prediction: Allen and Diggs are the only players you can count on as weekly starters.

The Bills on paper look like an offense that will be great in real football, but not as fruitful from a fantasy perspective.

I suspect Cook will be the most coveted dynasty asset not named Allen or Diggs entering the summer. However, I also suspect Cook will take fantasy managers on a bumpy ride on a weekly basis. Damien Harris will surely mix in as the team’s primary between-the-tackles runner, but Hines and Murray could also factor into the mix enough to make this a really messy timeshare. Additionally, if Cook isn’t effective early on, I could see the Bills’ coaching staff turning to the veteran options on the depth chart.

The Davis breakout that was anticipated in 2022 didn’t exactly come to fruition and while he will be a viable WR3, he feels like more of a boom-or-bust option on a weekly basis. Also, while I like Shakir, I’m not sure I view him as anything more than an upside bench option.

Buffalo’s tight end situation is also murky, as the rookie Kincaid could eat into Knox’s opportunities. Knox was never a great fantasy tight end option to count on, but he at least offered some red zone upside. Kincaid’s presence could put a dent in that.

Miami Dolphins

DRAFT PICK CHART

Bold Dynasty 2023 Prediction: Achane emerges as Miami’s primary running back by the end of the 2023 season.

The Dolphins are pretty stable from a fantasy perspective. Tagovailoa is a low-end QB1 with upside. Hill and Waddle are slam dunks.

Where the uncertainty and opportunity lie with this offense is in the running back room. Achane is an explosive runner and despite his small stature runs fearlessly between the tackles. Achane could be a great scheme fit in Miami’s outside zone run scheme and while he’ll have to prove he can hold up from a durability standpoint, he doesn’t have a ton of resistance in his way. He may never be a true do-it-all back, and probably never should be, but Achane is someone worth targeting in all rookie drafts as he could be Miami’s lead guy of the future.

New England Patriots

DRAFT PICK CHART

Bold Dynasty 2023 Prediction: Rhamondre Stevenson finishes the year as a top-five running back in fantasy.

Stevenson finished as the RB11 in half-PPR formats last season, and that was with Damien Harris still serving as a pesky threat to his touches. Trusting the Patriots to rely on a bell cow back is always a sketchy proposition, but I can’t see a scenario where Stevenson doesn’t dominate the workload. Robinson could serve as a somewhat annoying backup, but his upside is clearly capped.

In fact, Stevenson is the only Patriot I’ll be looking to have on my dynasty and redraft rosters in 2023. I’m not a believer in Jones, who seems to have some qualms with the organization. Additionally, Smith-Schuster was one of the players who burnt me most in 2022, and I don’t expect him to suddenly return to WR2 status with a worse quarterback, even if he is the best option in the receiver room. If you ask me, New England’s best receiver is now in Las Vegas, as Jakobi Meyers was the only real weapon worth respecting in that passing game.

If JuJu falls to a point where I can’t pass up on his potential volume, I’ll take the bait. Otherwise, there isn’t much excitement to this offense aside from Stevenson.

New York Jets

DRAFT PICK CHART

Bold Dynasty 2023 Prediction: Garrett Wilson enters 2024 as a top 3 dynasty wide receiver.

It’s hard to find a lot of bold angles with this Jets offense. Rodgers is a known commodity and gives New York the best quarterback they’ve had in franchise history. I love Hall, but I worry his season could resemble what we saw from J.K. Dobbins last season. If anything, I have a hard time seeing him start the season strong.

The rest of the ancillary weapons really don’t impress me much. Lazard is a good red zone weapon, but he’s not much of a viable threat anywhere else. Also, if Hardman couldn’t thrive with Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid, I don’t suspect a change of scenery will suddenly make him a viable fantasy weapon even if he gets an extended opportunity as New York’s slot receiver.

However, Wilson is the guy I’m willing to bet big on in 2023. He finished as a top-20 wide receiver last season with Zach Wilson, Joe Flacco and Mike White throwing him the ball. Now he gets to work with a top 5 all-time QB and the sky is the limit. I almost wrote he would be the top dynasty receiver entering 2024, but unseating Justin Jefferson and Ja’Marr Chase seems a bit lofty.

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