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Welcome Back to Fantasy Football: A Recap of the 2022 Offseason

Ryan Weisse's Welcome Back to Fantasy Football: A Recap of the 2022 Offseason
By Ryan Weisse, August 10, 2022

Welcome Back to Fantasy Football: A Recap of the 2022 Offseason
Photo: USA Today Sports

It was a long and dark six months, but fantasy football is finally back. We understand that not everyone follows NFL news in the offseason, which is precisely why you're with us at Footballlguys. We put in the work to help you win more at fantasy football.

In that spirit, here is a quick rundown of the essential fantasy-relevant news you may have missed from all 32 teams this offseason. This brief information should get you up to speed before you dive into drafts on the Draft Dominator app!

If you want the most in-depth information possible on every team, we have you covered there too.

But you're here for the basics, so let's get at them.

2022 Offseason News

Arizona Cardinals

  • While most of this offense will be the same, there are changes in the receiver room.
  • DeAndre Hopkins is suspended for the first six games.
  • Marquise Brown is here via trade with Baltimore.
  • Christian Kirk is now a Jacksonville Jaguar.
  • Rondale Moore will look to take over the slot role in his second season.

Atlanta Falcons

  • Matt Ryan is no longer the quarterback. He is now in Indianapolis.
  • Marcus Mariota will get the first shot to replace Ryan.
  • The team drafted Desmond Ridder in the third round of the NFL Draft.
  • Wide receiver Calvin Ridley is suspended for the entire season.
  • This year, there are many new names in the wide receiver corps, including first-round draft pick Drake London.

Baltimore Ravens

  • Running backs J.K. Dobbins and Gus Edwards are back, but both are still recovering.
  • Neither is guaranteed to be ready for Week 1.
  • Last year's first-round pick Rashod Bateman will take over as the top receiver, with the team trading Marquise Brown to Arizona.

Buffalo Bills

Carolina Panthers

  • Christian McCaffrey is back from last year's rash of injuries and should start the season healthy.
  • Sam Darnold remains.
  • But the team traded for Baker Mayfield.
  • While Mayfield is the favorite to start, the two will have open competition this preseason.

Chicago Bears

  • Justin Fields will begin the season as the unquestioned starter at quarterback.
  • Otherwise, this roster will look almost identical to last season, but without Allen Robinson.
  • They have replaced their coaching staff. Matt Eberflus comes over from Indianapolis, where he was the defensive coordinator, and Luke Getsy will call the offense.
  • Getsy was a part of the Green Bay staff last year.

Cincinnati Bengals

  • No significant changes to report for last year's AFC champions.
  • They improved their offensive line, enhancing the fantasy value of all others in this offense.
  • C.J. Uzomah signed with the Jets. Hayden Hurst is the new starting tight end in Cincinnati

Cleveland Browns

  • Baker Mayfield is gone, traded to the Carolina Panthers after Cleveland made a big move to land Deshaun Watson.
  • Watson's legal troubles linger, and he could miss anywhere from six games to the entire season.
  • When Watson cannot play, Jacoby Brissett will be the starting quarterback.
  • Jarvis Landry was released in the offseason.
  • The team's new top receiver will be Amari Cooper, acquired in a trade with the Dallas Cowboys.

Dallas Cowboys

  • Outside of Ceedee Lamb, it will be a new group of wide receivers in Dallas to start the season.
  • Amari Cooper was traded to Cleveland.
  • Michael Gallup is unlikely to be ready for Week 1.
  • James Washington will miss two months with a foot injury.
  • As a result, rookie Jalen Tolbert has a clear path to becoming Dak Prescott's No. 2 wide receiver.

Denver Broncos

  • A new coach and a new quarterback headline the news in Denver.
  • Most importantly, the team traded for Russell Wilson at quarterback, which will help every member of this offense in fantasy.
  • Expect a scheme similar to what we've seen in Green Bay, as their new head coach, Nathaniel Hackett, formerly called the Packers' offense.
  • Unfortunately, wide receiver Tim Patrick suffered a knee injury early this preseason and will miss the entire year.

Detroit Lions:

  • The wide receiver group was the focus of the offseason.
  • On top of adding free-agent D.J. Chark, the team selected Jameson Williams in the draft's first round.
  • Unfortunately, Williams is still recovering from a late-2021 ACL injury. Still, he should be a significant factor for this offense later in 2022.

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

  • Regarding player personnel, they kept everything the same, an odd move for one of the worst offenses in the league last year.
  • The new head coach, Lovie Smith, and the new offensive coordinator, Pep Hamilton, were with the team last season in different roles.
  • The only meaningful changes here are Marlon Mack and rookie Dameon Pierce at running back.

Indianapolis Colts

  • No move was more important than the addition of Matt Ryan at quarterback.
  • Even before that addition, the team traded Carson Wentz to Washington.
  • Furthermore, T.Y. Hilton was let go, and Jack Doyle retired.
  • Rookie Alec Pierce is likely among the team's top three receivers.

Jacksonville Jaguars

  • Urban Meyer is gone after one rocky season.
  • Doug Pederson is the new coach.
  • The team added wide receiver Christian Kirk and tight end Evan Engram to bolster the passing game.
  • At running back, both Travis Etienne and James Robinson are back to start 2022.
  • Robinson is recovering from a late-season Achilles injury but was not held out of the start of training camp.

Kansas City Chiefs

Los Angeles Chargers

Los Angeles Rams

  • Cam Akers says he is 100% healthy after his July 2021 Achilles tear.
  • He returned late last season but did not look great.
  • Odell Beckham is no longer on the team, but rumors circulate that he may sign after he recovers from his Super Bowl knee injury.
  • Allen Robinson left Chicago and will be the Rams' No.2 receiver.

Las Vegas Raiders

  • After a turbulent 2021, the Raiders hired Josh McDaniels away from New England to be the new head coach.
  • In an even more significant move, they traded for Davante Adams, giving Derek Carr a true No.1 receiver.

Miami Dolphins

  • It will be a new offense in Miami, starting with head coach Mike McDaniel coming over from San Francisco.
  • The team traded for star wide receiver Tyreek Hill to implement McDaniel's scheme.
  • They also signed Chase Edmonds, Raheem Mostert, and Sony Michel at running back.

Minnesota Vikings

  • Other than the return of Irv Smith at tight end, the offensive personnel is the same.
  • However, Kevin O'Connell, formerly of the Rams, will be the new head coach.
  • This is exciting for Justin Jefferson, who will play the Cooper Kupp role in this new scheme.

New England Patriots

  • There were no major changes other than the loss of offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels.
  • Bill Belichick elected not to name an offensive coordinator; instead, Matt Patricia, a defensive coach, will help call the plays.
  • Former Dolphin DeVante Parker will compete to be the No.1 receiver.

New Orleans Saints

  • Head coach Sean Payton retired in the offseason.
  • New coach Dennis Allen is from the Payton staff and kept offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael. So things won't change much.
  • However, Jameis Winston got some new weapons.
  • Michael Thomas should finally return from injury.
  • The team signed Jarvis Landry.
  • The Saints drafted Chris Olave in the first round.

New York Giants

  • While the primary pieces of the offense are the same, Buffalo's former offensive coordinator, Brian Daboll, is the new head coach.
  • Wide receiver WanDale Robinson was added in the second round of the NFL Draft and should play early.
  • Sterling Shepard is not yet healthy enough to join the team.

New York Jets

  • Looking to build on the foundation they established last season, the Jets spent early picks on weapons for Zach Wilson.
  • In the first round, they added wide receiver Garrett Wilson.
  • They picked up running back Breece Hall in the second round.
  • At tight end, Tyler Conklin and C.J. Uzomah will compete for the top spot.

Philadelphia Eagles

  • Not much change in Philadelphia, but they got Jalen Hurts a new weapon
  • During the draft, the team traded for Titans' wide receiver A.J. Brown

Pittsburgh Steelers

Seattle Seahawks

  • Seattle will run out basically the same team they did in 2021 with one glaring difference: No more Russell Wilson.
  • Geno Smith or Drew Lock will start at quarterback with Wilson in Denver.
  • Noah Fant is the new tight end.
  • Rookie Ken Walker will play alongside Rashaad Penny at running back.

San Francisco 49ers

  • Trey Lance is the new starting quarterback.
  • But Jimmy Garoppolo is still on the roster at this writing.
  • It remains to be seen how much the scheme will change.
  • The rest of the offensive personnel is the same as last season.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Washington Commanders

Photos provided by USA TODAY Sports
Tags Analysis Offseason Players Arizona Cardinals Atlanta Falcons Baltimore Ravens Buffalo Bills Carolina Panthers Chicago Bears Cincinnati Bengals Cleveland Browns Dallas Cowboys Denver Broncos Detroit Lions Green Bay Packers Houston Texans Indianapolis Colts Jacksonville Jaguars Kansas City Chiefs Los Angeles Rams Miami Dolphins Minnesota Vikings New England Patriots New Orleans Saints New York Giants New York Jets Oakland Raiders Philadelphia Eagles Pittsburgh Steelers San Diego Chargers Seattle Seahawks San Francisco 49ers Tampa Bay Buccaneers Tennessee Titans Washington Redskins Davante Adams Cam Akers Rashod Bateman Cole Beasley Odell Beckham Jr Jacoby Brissett A.J. Brown Antonio Brown Marquise Brown Treylon Burks Derek Carr D.J. Chark Jr Randall Cobb Tyler Conklin Jared Cook James Cook Amari Cooper Jamison Crowder Sam Darnold J.K. Dobbins Jahan Dotson Romeo Doubs Jack Doyle Chase Edmonds Gus Edwards Austin Ekeler Evan Engram Travis Etienne Jr. Gerald Everett Noah Fant Justin Fields Russell Gage Michael Gallup Jimmy Garoppolo Chris Godwin Rob Gronkowski Breece Hall Derrick Henry Tyreek Hill T.Y. Hilton DeAndre Hopkins Hayden Hurst Jalen Hurts Justin Jefferson Julio Jones Ronald Jones II Christian Kirk Cooper Kupp Trey Lance Jarvis Landry Allen Lazard Drew Lock Drake London Marlon Mack Patrick Mahomes II Marcus Mariota Baker Mayfield Christian McCaffrey Isaiah McKenzie Sony Michel Rondale Moore Raheem Mostert Chris Olave DeVante Parker Tim Patrick Rashaad Penny Kenny Pickett Alec Pierce Dameon Pierce Dak Prescott Desmond Ridder Calvin Ridley Allen Robinson II Brian Robinson Jr James Robinson Wan'Dale Robinson Aaron Rodgers Ben Roethlisberger Matt Ryan Khalil Shakir Sterling Shepard Devin Singletary Geno Smith Irv Smith Jr. JuJu Smith-Schuster Isaiah Spiller Ryan Tannehill Michael Thomas Michael Thomas Jalen Tolbert Mitch Trubisky C.J. Uzomah Marquez Valdes-Scantling Ken Walker III James Washington Sammy Watkins Christian Watson Deshaun Watson Carson Wentz Jameson Williams Garrett Wilson Russell Wilson Zach Wilson Jameis Winston Robert Woods

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