The NFC North was a wild roller coaster in the offseason.
With the Detroit Lions winning the division for the first time since 1994, seemingly everyone is panicking. The Bears went through an extensive overhaul on offense, the Packers revamped their running back and offensive line rooms, and the Vikings will see a new face under center. It seems like the Lions were the only tame team in the NFC North.
But all this movement only enhances the fun of predicting them.
Make sure to check out our other Fantasy Football Bold Predictions.
Jayden Reed is a top-25 receiver
Reed was a top-25 receiver as a rookie, but somehow, he’s slipping past that significantly in drafts. He’s the WR1 for one of the most explosive offenses in the league. When Jordan Love got going late in the season, Reed was his right-hand man. Reed averaged 17.3 fantasy points per game from Week 10 and on. With Love and Reed getting more experience, their connection on the field will only grow stronger.
D’Andre Swift doesn’t finish as a top-28 running back
Swift finally enjoyed a breakout season in 2023. Now that he heads to an exciting offense as the clear RB1, managers are heedlessly jumping to draft him. However, Swift’s situation isn’t all birds and bees. Swift is forced to go from the best offensive line in the league to an unproven one. He’s also on a revamped offense that includes DJ Moore, Keenan Allen, Rome Odunze, and Cole Kmet. Those players could push Swift down to the fifth option on offense. Another part of the revamp was the hiring of offensive coordinator Shane Waldron, who doesn’t work in Swift’s favor, either. The Waldron-led Seahawks offense ranked 31st in rush attempts in 2023, 22nd in 2022, and 27th in 2021.
Jordan Addison isn’t a top-40 receiver
With Justin Jefferson getting hurt, Addison thrived as the Vikings’ WR1 for most of last season. However, now that Jefferson is healthy, Addison is pushed back to WR2 where he averaged 5.5 targets per game compared to the 7.6 targets he averaged without Jefferson. With Hockenson also returning and the addition of Aaron Jones, Addison could be repressed to the fourth option on offense. Additionally, Addison had a beneficial relationship with Kirk Cousins. He is now gone. With Cousins, Addison averaged 15.8 fantasy points. That number went down to 11.7 after Cousins got injured.
Justin Jefferson finishes as a top-three player in fantasy
It seems like everyone’s memory of a healthy Justin Jefferson is beginning to get foggy. After an injury-plagued season, Jefferson reminded everyone how good he was to finish it. Despite only playing 10 games (eight healthy games), he still managed to hit 1,000 yards. Even without Kirk Cousins, Jefferson put the offense on his back. Jefferson’s numbers with Cousins were 21.6 fantasy points per game and 10.6 targets. Without Cousins, his numbers went up to 22 fantasy points and 11 targets per game. In every game Jefferson played from start to finish, he had at least nine targets. With his volume and talent, Jefferson will continue to dominate no matter who’s throwing him the rock.
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