We asked our top analysts to weigh in on every NFL team’s biggest fantasy football question. Andrew Erickson, Pat Fitzmaurice, Derek Brown, Ryan Wormeli and Joe Pisapia offer their insights on many of the questions that you have been asking heading into draft season.

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Biggest Questions for 2023 Fantasy Football

Jacksonville Jaguars

Will Calvin Ridley return to his pre-suspension form?

We haven’t seen Calvin Ridley play football since the 2021 season when he was apparently playing with a broken foot. Ridley describes his injury and mental health in a piece in the Players Tribune, which I highly recommend reading. But long story short, he was in a horrible head space in 2021. That contributed to his fallout during the season and his subsequent year-long suspension in 2022.

Despite all that going on, he was borderline elite at commanding targets. As the Falcons’ No. 1 receiver, he owned the sixth-highest target rate per route run and ranked second among all wide receivers in expected fantasy points per game (16.5). He’s being drafted/ranked as a fantasy WR2 with easy fantasy WR1 upside, just three years removed from a 90-catch, 1300-yard and 9-TD 2020 campaign, which he did mostly with a broken foot. So, although the poised question is “Will Ridley return to his pre-suspension form,” maybe the better question to ask is, “How great can a 100% healthy and dialed-in Ridley be in an up-and-coming offense led by third-year quarterback Trevor Lawrence?” We know that Ridley is the only Jags WR who profiles as a true alpha. We’re excited about this offense that saw two WRs – Christian Kirk and Zay Jones – rank top-15 in routes run per game. Not to mention, Per FantasyPros’ strength of schedule tool, the Jaguars boast the No. 1 SOS for fantasy quarterbacks and fantasy WRs. The 2023 calendar is great for Ridley to not only return to form but perhaps best his 2020 campaign. After all, Ridley has set the bar high for himself: 1,400 yards a season in Jacksonville.
-Andrew Erickson

Can Quentin Johnston break out in his rookie season?

Quentin Johnston’s breakout path could be forged in several ways, with injuries to Keenan Allen or Mike Williams or with Johnston’s talent asserting itself in this offense. Johnston offers inside/outside versatility, and a YAC element neither Allen nor Williams has at this stage of their careers. With Kellen Moore directing the offense, the play volume should be present for all three big receivers to earn plenty of volume this year.
-Derek Brown

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Can WRs Mike Evans and Chris Godwin maintain their fantasy value with Tom Brady gone?

In Tom Brady’s three seasons as the Buccaneers starting quarterback, Chris Godwin averaged 16.8 PPR fantasy points per game, and Mike Evans averaged 15.7. It’s fair to wonder whether Evans and Godwin will be able to maintain the same sort of fantasy value with Baker Mayfield or perhaps Kyle Trask manning the QB position for the Bucs in 2023. From 2019 through 2021, D.J. Moore averaged 14.5 PPR fantasy points per game. In Mayfield’s six starts for Carolina last season, Moore averaged 8.7 PPR fantasy points per game. Trask hasn’t started an NFL game and has played 10 snaps in two seasons.

Evans turns 30 in August. Last year, he endured an 11-game touchdown drought. It’s too early to say Evans carries age-related risk, but perhaps his superpowers aren’t quite what they were a few years ago, and a drop-off in QB play could exacerbate any minor age-related slippage. Godwin, whose average depth of target last year was just 5.7 yards, might have less fragile fantasy value than Evans since Godwin targets generally require less from a quarterback than Evans targets. Still, it seems unlikely Godwin’s fantasy value will escape a QB downgrade completely unscathed.
-Pat Fitzmaurice

Kansas City Chiefs

Who is the wide receiver to target in this offense?

Last year, Patrick Mahomes proved what most already figured: He could succeed without Tyreek Hill. But can a Chiefs WR other than Hill actually step up into a significant role for fantasy? We know the true No. 1 target in the Chiefs’ offense will continue to be Travis Kelce, but how about the young receivers? We’ve yet to see another wide receiver truly step up in the Mahomes era, with JuJu Smith-Schuster‘s 2022 season (933 yards and 3 TDs) probably the most successful non-Hill year yet. There are plenty of options to step up this year, including the oft-injured but uber-talented Kadarius Toney, last year’s favorite rookie sleeper Skyy Moore, or this year’s Day 2 rookie Rashee Rice. Will any of them become impactful fantasy receivers? Or will this continue to be the Mahomes and Kelce Show, with not much consistently left over for the rest of the passing game?
-Ryan Wormeli

Houston Texans

Is any WR from the Texans worth rostering this season?

The answer is no in redraft this year, outside of deeper leagues. Nico Collins has his supporters, and Robert Woods doesn’t look totally dusted, but the biggest concern for these pass catchers has nothing to do with the depth chart. What will the passing volume in Houston look like in 2023? That’s my biggest worry for this group as I project the team to lean heavily on their ground game as C.J. Stroud gets his feet wet in the NFL. With this replaceable gaggle of wideouts, look for Houston to be top 5-7 in neutral rushing rate and the receiver group to be weekly waiver wire fodder.
-Derek Brown

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