Welcome General Managers to the 2023 season and hope you all had a great 4th of July holiday. We are just a month away from officially entering draft season and I look forward to seeing you all on August 20th for our live in person draft. I hope you all had great summers and are starting to ramp up on your fantasy research going into the new season. Please take a minute to read up on our two part Summer Preview special where we will go into new rules going into effect, free agent round up from this past off-season as well as previewing my top 10 rookies heading into this fantasy season.
The Draft, Schedule and Elections
1.) Our first announcement is the schedule has been set! Please review your schedule to make sure everything looks in order and you are not repeating any divisional opponent more than two times and any other opponent more than one time. The week 1 matchups are as follows:
Sacramento Wolfpack at Lin Sanity
Philippines Garbage Dumps at Elk Grove Spartans
Korriban Warriors at Isla Sorna Raptors
Jedi Knights at Pool of the Dead
Da Moon’s Huge Craters at Doctor Jenious
Uur UPS at Bruce Almightys
SLAM BALL 2K23 at Gandalf the Goat
How I Kmet your Mother at Mahomies’ Deezflated Nuts
In addition to playing your divisional opponents two times this season, the remaining eight weeks will be used to each opponent in two other divisions. This year the FFC North plays the FFC South and West. The FFC East plays the FFC West and South. The FFC South plays the FFC North and East. And finally the FFC West plays FFC East and North.
2.) Secondly I would like to present the tentative draft day agenda. We got excellent participation in the doodle poll and the draft date has been selected for Sunday August 20th. While it may be early to draft, it is the only way to ensure maximum participation and accommodate everyone’s busy schedules.
Tentative Draft Day Agenda (08/20/2023)
| Time | Activity |
| 11:00-11:05 AM | Introduction and championship announcement |
| 11:05-11:15 AM | Elections |
| 11:15-12:15 PM | Voting on rules and open floor |
| 12:15-12:20 PM | Envelope selection |
| 12:20-12:55 PM | Break & Lunch (more time allowed if needed for lunch) |
| 1:00-5:00 PM | Draft |
3.) With another season comes another round of elections. The open seats this year are for FFC West & FFC South (terms expired) and the League Manager (term expired).
| Position | Holder | Term Remaining |
| League Manager | TBD (formerly Bali) | 3 Years |
| Assistant League Manager | Christian | 1 Years (2 year term) |
| FFC North CC Member | Nick | 1 Years (2 year term) |
| FFC East CC Member | Casey | 1 Years (2 year term) |
| FFC West CC Member | TBD (formerly Kushal) | 2 Years |
| FFC South CC Member | TBD (formerly Bryce) | 2 Years |
Free Agent Round Up 2023
With all the movement in free agency this season, I thought it would be a good opportunity to review some of what I deem the fantasy-relevant transactions that took place. Without further ado, here are the big free agent movers from this past off-season:
New York Jets add QB Aaron Rodgers, WR Allen Lazard, WR Randall Cobb, WR Mecole Hardman. The prize gem of 2022 free agency, the 4-time MVP quarterback Aaron ROdgers finds a new home and will look for a late career resurgence in search of a second Superbowl ring. Stacked with a talented roster around him, Rodgers finds himself again with inexperienced young receivers but is reunited with some familiar weapons in Lazard and Cobb and OC Nathaniel Hackett. I’m far more interested in a year 2 Garrett Wilson than Rodgers himself but if everything falls in place, Rodgers could be a tremendous steal in the middle rounds of the draft.
Detroit Lions add RB David Montgomery. The Lions replace Jamaal Williams with a familiar face in the NFC North in Montgomery who has been about as steady and consistent in fantasy the last couple of seasons as you can get. While both Detroit running backs (Gibbs and Montgomery) may be limited in their upside due to competition with each other, this offense has shown there is enough opportunity to feed two running backs. Rookie Jahmyr Gibbs brings all the sizzle and will be an exciting rookie running back to draft but it’s important to remember Montgomery is not here strictly in a backup role. We saw former RB D’Andre Swift lose a lot of goalline work in 2022 to Williams, so now will that role be occupied by Montgomery or will he just be a change of pace back to complement Gibbs.
Cincinnati Bengals add OT Orlando Brown. Any offensive line that can help Joe Burrow remain upright is a huge addition that should help the overall Bengals offense in 2022. Burrow is my early preseason favorite for MVP odds and I think he will have a stellar year with a fully healthy Ja’Marr Chase whose numbers with a full 17 game slate could overtake Justin Jefferson.
Kansas City Chiefs add OT Jawaan Taylor. Similar to the Cincinnati Bengals analysis above, adding a strong offensive line option will only help strengthen the defending champions and help keep Patrick Mahomes upright. Anything that helps Mahomes will exponentially lift the ceiling of all offensive players.
Denver Broncos add RB Samaje Perine, OG Ben Powers, OT Mike McGlinchey. Denver has been busy in free agency bolstering the offensive line. Sean Payton will be the prize addition of the 2022 free agency to breathe life into this dead offense. Samaje Perine will be an interesting name to monitor. The latest news on Javonte Williams indicates he will be brought back into the rotation slowly monitoring his workload and health after a devastating knee injury in 2022. Williams’ current ADP in July sits at 28 while Perine’s value has shot up to RB39 which tells me he will start the season and have some real value early on. Having a starting RB early in the season for dirt cheap will be a tremendous value and may be a great trade asset depending on Williams’ return.
Miami Dolphins add CB Jalen Ramsey. Adding another elite corner to pair with Howard will make this defense more formidable. Also recall they added Bradley Chubb late last season. This team is not afraid to spend up to add talent and they think this is a Superbowl ready roster. Expect this defense to be one of the trendier picks in 2023 to pair with an elite high flying offense and a defense that will be opportunistic on sacks and interceptions.
New Orleans Saints add QB Derek Carr, RB Jamaal Williams. Two fantasy impact players who will be drafted in 2023 with high hopes. Jamaal Williams carries incredible upside as a high end RB2 possible low end RB1. With Alvin Kamara’s looming legal troubles, Williams could be in line to be the starter. Williams led the league with 16 rushing touchdowns last season and has established a role as a goalline specialist. Follow the money: even if Kamara plays all 17 games, Williams is still in line to have a significant role in the offense. Keep your eye on rookie Kendre Miller who could emerge as a darkhorse riser for running back, especially in the weeks of Kamara’s suspension. Derek Carr at this point is a middling pocket QB who offers very little value as a rusher, which is a commodity for everyone outside of the elite tier.
Las Vegas Raiders add QB Jimmy Garoppolo, WR Jakobi Meyers. Similar to Carr, Jimmy is a middle to lower QB who will probably find himself as a high quality backup on someone’s bench in fantasy this season. He has a talented offense around him and is reunited with Josh McDaniels who is familiar with Jimmy’s capabilities as a passer. Meyers is an interesting signing but I find it hard to see what role he carves out as he occupies a similar role as Hunter Renfrow.
Carolina Panthers add RB Miles Sanders, WR DJ Chark, WR Adam Thielen, TE Hayden Hurst. Sanders enjoyed a career year in 2022 setting career high marks in yards (1269) and touchdowns (11) and now finds a new home on a rebuilding Carolina Panthers. The downgrade in overall team quality, offensive line and offensive upside will clash with his 2022 performance so it will be interesting to see where his ADP lands in August. I could see both scenarios of someone overpaying or getting a tremendous bargain on him in fantasy but I think we’ve seen the career peak in 2022. Giving some veteran receiving options to Bryce Young will be tremendous for his development and Thielen will be a rookie QB’s best friend.
Houston Texans add WR Robert Woods and RB Devin Singletary. Adding a 30 year old injury prone wide receiver doesn’t really make any fantasy headlines. It depends on what happens with Brandin Cooks (traded away after I wrote this), the draft (franchise QB at 2 after I wrote this) and the QB position going forward but Woods could be had for dirt cheap late in the fantasy draft and may provide some WR3/4 upside. I don’t foresee Singletary being a major factor cutting into Dameon Pierce’s workhorse role and will be limited as a high upside backup given how much the Houston offense may struggle. I am a firm believer of “follow the money” and a 1 year deal for 3.75 million just further illustrates the declining RB market and Singletary’s value stashed far on someone’s bench in 2023.
New York Giants add TE Darren Waller, WR Jamison Crowder, WR Parris Campbell. The two receiver signings here are not sexy but provide some solid depth for an ascending Giants team who looks to build on their turnaround in 2022 and go forward with providing Daniel Jones adequate support to make a jump. This team was anchored by Saquon Barkley’s dominant 2022 season but they will need to add in a legitimate receiving threat in the passing game. This is where Darren Waller comes in. Currently going as TE6, Waller is one of the more high risk, high reward tight end prospects as he battles age and injury but will instantly be the best receiving option on a young Giants team who needs veteran leadership.
Baltimore Ravens add WR Odell Beckham and WR Nelson Agholor. Adding Beckham and Agholor as third and fourth options to Rashod Bateman, first round pick Zay Flowers and elite tight end Mark Andrews makes this the most formidable receiving crew that Lamar Jackson has ever played with in his career. When you combine this with the departure of Greg Roman, it’s possible we are in line to see a Lamar Jackson career year as a passer. Adding his elite running into the mix and I think Jackson is a lock to be a top 5 option at fantasy QB this season. New offensive coordinator Todd Monken will bring a fresh new outlook on the offense and we are yet to see how this limits, if at all, the rushing upside of the overall offense. With so much investment in receivers, you have to imagine there will be a much greater balance to the passing/rushing attack and make the offense less predictable.
Philadelphia Eagles add RB D’Andre Swift (trade) and RB Rashaad Penny. After a great Miles Sanders season with a massive touchdown upgrade, he was signed for big money to Carolina. Meanwhile the Eagles got even stronger at the position adding a dynamic dual threat running back in Swift who was had for a decent price and adding an injury prone but dynamic runner in Rashaad Penny. Even if Penny misses time, he will bring great value to one of the dominant NFC contenders and have a role in fantasy in 2023.
Chicago Bears add WR DJ Moore (trade), RB D’Onta Foreman. Adding Foreman on a 1-year, 3 million dollar contract has to be one of the biggest steals in free agency this year given how good Foreman looked in a limited role last season. Losing Montgomery will give Herbert the keys to the car, but Foreman will be a great fantasy asset as a high upside backup running back to secure on your bench. The most important signing for this team however was DJ Moore, giving third year QB Justin Fields a true number one option and will provide an avenue for a massive year 3 breakout adding decent passing numbers to an already elite profile as a running quarterback following the model of a Josh Allen (who also broke out in year 3 once Diggs was added). Much like Jalen Hurts last year, Fields will be the trendy QB riser on 2023 draft boards.
Buffalo Bills add RB Damien Harris and Latavius Murray. One of the biggest curses of investing in this magnificent offense is how versatile Josh Allen is at the QB position as both a passer and runner and how deadly he is in the red zone to sap rushing touchdowns from your fantasy running backs. In five years at QB, Allen has 38 rushing touchdowns which will ultimately cap the RB upside at the position. While Harris profiles as a great north to south running back who will help complement James Cook whose strength as a pass catcher will help. I would imagine Buffalo will mostly stay in positive game scripts and running backs will have an opportunity with late leads in the fourth quarter to rack up yards.
New England Patriots add WR Juju Smith-Schuster. Still on the hunt for prized FA WR DeAndre Hopkins, the Patriots did add a veteran Smith-Schuster who will bring a quality receiver alongside DeVante Parker and the younger options. I am not a believer in Mac Jones to develop as an elite passing option and I personally think this team will win games on rushing, special teams, defense and superior coaching.
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