Given how open the NFL game is with its rules geared towards points, it’s now a trend that teams are feeling like they need three solid receivers rather than just two, which traditionally has been the standard. Running backs that can catch are more critical than ever, and we are seeing more tight ends built like receivers. With these trends, I looked at each team’s playmakers and gave them a phrase to describe them.
NFC East
Philadelphia Eagles: Very Good
With acquiring AJ Brown, this team has solid playmakers surrounding Hurts, as Devonta Smith will be an overqualified number 2 receiver if he isn’t already. Miles Sanders is solid, as is Dallas Goedert. It’s a little shaky after the top two receivers, but Quezz Watkins has shown flashes to step up. It’s TBD whether they pay Sanders, which I would not.
Dallas Cowboys: Shaky but manageable
Losing Amari Cooper will hurt but expect CeeDee Lamb to continue to rise towards superstardom. With Gallup recovering from a torn ACL, we don’t know if he will be the same. Aside from those two, their receivers are not very good. Their tight end Dalton Shultz is solid and produced well at the end of the year. Pollard and Zeke are a good duo.
Washington Commanders: Meh, outside of McLaurin
Aside from Scarry Terry, this team’s weapons are doable. Gibson and McKissic at RB are ok. It’s to be seen if Jahan Dotson will be the stud he was drafted to be. Curtis Samuel needs to stay healthy. Logan Thomas tore his ACL in December, and how he returns will be seen. If he doesn’t start, there’s no other notable TE on the roster.
New York Giants: Decent, Deep at Reciever
If Saquan stays healthy, he is a fantastic talent. However, that has not been the case. Breida might be an excellent second RB. The receivers they have are alright, as Golladay had a horrible year. Toney showed promise, and the drafting of Wan’Dale Robinson was one I liked. Aside from those three, they still have very serviceable guys behind them in Sterling Sheppard and Darious Slayton. At tight end, it’s bare as losing Evan Engram could hurt them. Aside from the receiver being deep, there’s not too much certainty.
NFC North
Green Bay Packers: Empty Reciever Room
Aside from a nice RB combo of Jones, the Packers don’t have much. Robert Tonyan is an ok TE. Hopefully, their 2nd round pick Christian Watson breaks out. Going from FCS to the NFL will be interesting to monitor. Hopefully, Rodgers can turn one of their guys into a stud because it’s terrible at almost every level.
Chicago Bears: Worst in the League, maybe
The job the Bears are doing at giving Justin Fields weapons is terrible. Aside from David Montgomery, they have no solid playmakers. Mooney has shown little flashes, but that’s about it. Cole Kmet has some hype surrounding him, which I don’t understand.
Minnesota Vikings: Starpower without depth
Having Jefferson and Cook might form the best RB-WR duo in the league. Adam Thielen is still solid, and Irv Smith is young and inconsistent. Aside from their main guys, the depth behind them is not very good.
Detroit Lions: Sneaky Decent
This team has good sneaky weapons. Swift has been generating buzz this offseason, and Jamaal Williams is a serviceable backup. Amon-Ra St. Brown showed flashes of being a possible Pro Bowler. When Jameson Williams comes back, he should be a good player. DJ Chark isn’t a horrible third option, and TJ Hockenson is an excellent tight end.
NFC West
Arizona Cardinals: Old, but not bad
Given Hopkins is suspended to start the season, some of these guys might be exciting plays. Hollywood Brown was a nice pickup, but acquiring him was a steep cost. AJ Green is getting old, and either Rondale Moore or Andy Isabella needs to step up. Zach Ertz now has an entire offseason to build chemistry with Murray and should be a crucial part of their offense. I’m not as high on James Conner as others, but he played well last year.
San Francisco 49ers: Two superstars
With Kittle and Deebo, the Niners are solid as those are two superstars. Elsewhere, they are meh as Brandon Aiyuk was disappointing last year based on expectations. Kyle Juszcyk is an exciting player to watch. Their RBs are meh.
Los Angeles Rams: Solid but not spectacular
Cooper Kupp is a stuff receiver, and I expect Allen Robinson to be an overqualified number 2. Aside from those two, it’s not great, as Van Jefferson is not great as a number 3 guy, and Tutu Atwell has not shown to be worth a 2nd round pick. Their Rb situation isn’t great, as hopefully, the playoffs weren’t an indicator of what Cam Akers will be like post-injury. Tyler Higbee is an average tight end.
Seattle Seahawks: Surprisingly not bad
They have two proven guys with Metcalf as the WR 1 and Lockett as WR 2. Aside from that, it’s just nothing. If one of them gets hurt, things will be ugly. Noah Fant, at tight end, is a good player with potential, and Rashaad Penny showed at the end of the year why he had the talent to be a first-round pick.
NFC South
New Orleans Saints: Love their receivers
In a deep receiver room, Michael Thomas should bounce back. Hopefully, Chris Olave was a first-rounder who I expect to be good. Jarvis Landry, as a WR 3, is good. Kamara is a fantastic RB, and they also have Taysom Hill.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Brady has weapons
Quite possibly the deepest receiver room in the league. They have nothing to worry about while Godwin recovers from injury as either Julio Jones or Russel Gage should fill in and be at least serviceable. Mike Evans is a guaranteed 1,000 yards receiver. Fournette at RB is good. I don’t love Cameron Brate as my TE 1, but they also have Kyle Rudolph, who isn’t the worst backup TE to have. Aside from Fournette, the RB room is not good.
Atlanta Falcons: Pitts and London watch party
Aside from Kyle Pitts and Drake London, it’s not good in Atlanta. Cordarrelle Patterson played well last year, and we will see how that continues. The rest of the weapons are very bad, and if London isn’t ready to be a WR 1, this team might struggle to move the ball.
Carolina Panthers: Shaky
If CMC could stay healthy, he would win fantasy leagues. DJ Moore is a consistently great receiver, and Robby Anderson is not a horrible WR 2. Aside from that, the team’s tight end room is awful. Hubbard is a serviceable backup.
AFC East
New England Patriots: Depth in areas
An interesting set of weapons. We see that they have strong RB and TE depth. Two young promising players in Damien Harris and Rhamondre Stevenson will be interesting in fantasy. Not many teams have a deeper tight end room highlighted by Hunter Henry and Jonnu Smith. The receiver room is shaky as it has depth, but no real starpower. Having Jakobi Meyers as a WR 4 is awesome for many teams, but the guys ahead of him are not quite qualified.
Miami Dolphins: Speed and more Speed
Highlighted by Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle, and Raheem Mostert, this offense will be fast. Along with Mike Gesicki they return some decent weapons surrounding Tua. Not crazy deep as a team, but the organization has done a decent job at giving Tua some help to see if he is the guy or not.
Buffalo Bills: Allen will elevate
A lot of the hype is surrounding Gabriel Davis following the team’s last playoff game. Diggs is maybe a top 5 receiver and Dawson Knox is serviceable. I expect James Cook to take reigns as the team’s RB 1 by the end of the year rather than Singletary and Moss haven’t taken the reigns.
New York Jets: Young, Exciting, and Inexperienced
They have a very tantalizing receiving core in Elijah Moore, Garrett Wilson, Corey Davis, and Denzel Mims.The tight end room is weak with C.J. Uzomah as their starter. The RB room is headlined by two young guys in Michael Carter and Breece Hall.
AFC South
Indianapolis Colts: Taylor and Questions
Aside from the NFL’s best RB last year, the Colts have questions with their weapons. After Michael Pittman, they don’t have a receiver who excites, and the same with the tight end room. Ultimately, this team is lucky they are in the division they are in because their weapons are mediocre to be nice.
Jacksonville Jaguars: Improved, but not strong
The main headline of this team’s weapons was about the overpay Christian Kirk received this offseason. I think Travis Etienne will be a beast, as I think he was criminally underrated in college. A change of scenery may help the talented Evan Engram as the team’s TE 1. The rest of the receiver room is mostly secondary options of other teams who are stepping up in potential usage.
Tennessee Titans: Lots of Answers needed
Assuming Derrick Henry comes back strong, they will be a running team, per usual. The receiving core has questions and not strong depth. Woods is coming off a major injury, and Treylon Burks was more of an athlete than a receiver in college, it is TBD if that will work in the NFL. Austin Hooper at the tight end leaves room to be desired.
Houston Texans: Cooks and Question Marks
Aside from Brandon Cooks, this team has no proven talent. Dameon Pierce could be an exciting rookie running back. Aside from those two, there is no one worth mentioning for this team.
AFC North
Cincinnati Bengals: One of the best
We know this team’s receivers. Chase, Higgins, and Boyd are all awesome. Mixon is as well. Hayden Hurst at tight end has upside given his talent. If Mixon were to get hurt, I don’t love Samaje Perine as the team’s backup. Funny enough, they shared a backfield at Oklahoma in college as well.
Pittsburgh Steelers: Wishing they had a good QB
The receivers are good, as the young trio of Diontae Johnson, Chase Claypool, and George Pickens is exciting to think about. Najee Harris led the league in touches last year and showed promise. Pat Freiermuth is getting buzz heading into the season.
Baltimore Ravens: Andrews and Dobbins show
When healthy, JK Dobbins was a beast and hopefully can return to that. Mark Andrews was statistically a top 2 tight end. As far as a receiver, Rashod Bateman is expected to be the team’s number one receiver because they don’t have many great options after.
Cleveland Browns: Not great, could be worse.
Having two awesome running backs in Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt will aid the suspension of Watson. Amari Cooper is a nice receiver but maybe not a WR 1. David Bell could be sneaky solid, as he was an absolute monster at Purdue. David Njoku just got a hefty contract extension, so expectations are high.
AFC West
Kansas City Chiefs: Who replaces Hill
With Kelce at the tight end, they have the league’s best who puts up amazing numbers for a receiver as a TE. Clyde Edwards-Helaire is an interesting running back who still has a ceiling to hit. Between Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Juju Smith-Schuster, Mecole Hardman, and Skyy Moore, the hope is that one of them becomes a serviceable number one receiver. Someone should see vast improvements, given they have Mahomes.
Los Angeles Chargers: A strong Big Three
With Austin Ekeler, Keenan Allen, and Mike Williams, the team has an awesome big three. If Ekeler were to get hurt, Isaiah Spiller could potentially be an interesting backup option, as he was fun to watch at Texas A&M.
Denver Broncos: Solid
The running back situation is enviable, as having Javonte Wiliams with Melvin Gordon as a backup is nice. At receiver, losing Tim Patrick hurts, but they have depth with Jeudy, Sutton, and KJ Hamler.
Las Vegas Raiders: Two Superstars
With Davante Adams and Darren Waller, the team has solid players at the WR1 and TE1. The running back is deep with Josh Jacobs, Zamir White, and Kenyan Drake. With another pro bowl receiver in Wes-Welker clone Hunter Renfrow, Derek Carr has nice weapons.
