NFC West
Jun 24, 2019 1:16:15 GMT -5
Carolina Panthers (Justin) and San Francisco 49ers (Nate) like this
Post by Cincinnati Bengals (Chris) on Jun 24, 2019 1:16:15 GMT -5
NFC WEST
Welcome to this the sixth-straight year I will be handling the Divisional Previews. When I took over writing them, they were done arbitrarily by division, skipping from one to another with no rhyme or reason. That’s why this year, at Jordan’s suggestion, I will be publishing the Divisional Previews in the order of easiest to predict to hardest. Therefore, I’m starting with the division that has the biggest runaway team—The NFC West.
The NFC West experienced a banner year in 2018—for one team, the most dominant year in the history of the league, and for another, his first playoff berth. Another team, ARI, earned a playoff berth in 2017, and is looking to get back in the playoff saddle, as is SF (For the first time). Can Nate continue to build something for the future? Can Mett leapfrog his brother and get back into 2nd place/the playoffs? Can Trey build on his 2017 and 2018 seasons and make a run? Or will everything come up roses again for Cecil? Let me know what you think about my projections and post you own comments. Also, DON’T FORGET to vote in the poll, as that’s the whole point.
Arizona Cardinals (Mett)
Last year’s finish: 26th (Division: 3rd)
Outlook: Despite his successes in 2017, 2018 was a bleak year for the Cardinals, who finished below the 5-7 threshold for the first time since Mett’s entry into the league in 2014. He’s once again attempted to fortify his team, but so far this offseason, it’s hard to say if those have paid off. Nick Foles, who he acquired for basically nothing, is a reasonable one that looks to pay off, but unfortunately, it appears trading for Jordan Howard to give Arizona a bell cow RB, but his stable of Howard and Royce Freeman should both at least be fantasy relevant to have a weekly startable option between the two, and could even improve upon his 2018 production there. At WR, Mett did an excellent job drafting Danny Amendola a full round after I projected he would pick him, and added perhaps the draft’s best WR in Marquise “Hollywood” Brown—though his landing spot was less than ideal. Alongside Taylor Gabriel, that threesome could be good. If Dawson Knox wins the tight end job as a rookie in Buffalo, he could be the safety valve to one of the league’s most safety-averse QBs, catching his wayward passes—but it could also make this unit a top-half one if all goes right. Defensively, the Cardinals project to be much better at LB, after Fred Warner’s breakout performance, and the trade to acquire the Redskins’ unquestioned #1 ILB now, Mason Foster. Jordan Poyer and Damarious Randall headline what should be an improved DB corps, but there isn’t a lot of quality high-end depth anywhere on the bench. Ultimately, health is a huge consideration for this unit’s success.
X-factor: Running Back. If one of the two of Howard or Freeman emerges as a starting quality option, it should be considered a huge success, and Arizona will be in the playoff race. If not, it may be a repeat of last year’s disappointment.
Projected division finish: 3rd
Los Angeles Rams (Trey)
Last year’s finish: 14th (Division: 2nd)
Outlook: Trey had his best season in the league in 2018 (6-6), his second-consecutive one PB, finishing second in the division and nabbing a playoff spot. He sported one of the best defenses in the league, and made a swing-for-the-fences trade this offseason, nabbing him promising (When it comes to running the ball) young quarterback Lamar Jackson, and entrenched Colts’ starting RB Marlon Mack, as well as a nice ancillary option in Tyrell Williams, to add to an otherwise middling receiving corps. Also, Gerald Everett is an okay TE option when Cooper Kupp is not on the field. On defense, Cory Littleton came out of nowhere to be one of the truly elite IDP options, and should fill that role again. Jabrill Peppers could also be a productive player on a Giants’ defense that figures to get torched. All the other players seem to be good but not great, so expect some regression to the mean for this unit, though it’s a high floor group, given that they almost all will have significant roles with their perspective teams.
X-factor: Receivers. Outside of Williams, there’s not much this side of average. Being able to supplement the offensive talent that Trey brought in this offseason will likely be the tale of the tape for the Rams’ 2019 fortunes—that and the ability of its quarterback to stay healthy despite likely resetting the record for number of QB rushes this year.
Projected division finish: 2nd
San Francisco 49ers (Nate)
Last year’s finish: 29th (Division: 4th)
Outlook: Nate’s year two, unfortunately, looks likely to go a lot like his first. Short on talent, and in the division which boasts the league’s most-talented team, and another playoff team that likely got better, there’s not a lot of upward movement that can be done in the near term. However, several moves that Nate made should start paying dividends soon: Chiefly, Josh Rosen likely moving to a more functional offensive system (Couldn’t be worse than what he was thrust into in 2018), and offensive skill players Dante Pettis, Keke Coutee, Trey Quinn, and Irv Smith Jr., who form a quad of receiving options that, should things go right for the 49ers, may accelerate their growth curve and show us signs of contention by the end of the year. Lamar Miller, provided he keeps the lion’s share of carries in Houston, should be an adequate starting RB as well. But there is virtually no quality depth behind the first unit as of now. And while Nate added Clelin Ferrell and Montez Sweat to a defense in much need of some reinforcements, much work must be done here, as outside of Denzel Perryman, there is not a single player who projects to have a starting role at a premium IDP fantasy position (ILB and S)
X-factor: Defense/Depth. The defense must be brought up to a competitive level if the Niners want to compete, but Nate has been doing a tremendous job of identifying talent at a value in the draft. A couple more of the drafts like he’s had the last two years, and SF will start ascending the totem pole in this division and the league.
Projected division finish: 4th
Seattle Seahawks (Cecil)
Last year’s finish: 5th (Division: 1st)
Outlook: Coming off the most dominant season in league history by a million miles, Cecil enters 2019 on a four-year NFC West Champion winning streak, and at present, nothing seems likely to change that. Though Mett (ARI) was the last to topple him in this division in 2014, it would take some crazy unlikely circumstances to make that happen again. On offense, back are 2018 #1 overall fantasy option Patrick Mahomes, his stable of starting RBs in Gurley, Melvin Gordon, Chris Carson, and Tarik Cohen, all-world WRs Julio Jones and Mike Evans, and up-and-coming TEs O.J. Howard and Mike Gesicki. While he did trade away Travis Kelce, Mahomes may come back to Earth without his #1 weapon for some portion of the year, and with Gurley dealing with a degenerative knee injury, there is so much high-end talent that it would be hard not to finish as the #1 offense again. But despite some retooling by drafting a few skill players to wait in the wings, there’s not much behind the guys at WR and TE. Defensively, it’s a similar scenario. Injury woes hurt Seattle’s defense a year ago, and though Cecil added top-projected IDP Devin White in the draft, it still appears that there is very little in the way of impact reserves at present. But provided health and a better second DL, there’s nothing to keep this from being a top-notch defensive unit again.
X-factor: Depth/Health. As outlined above, if he’s completely healthy, there’s no catching him within this division, or possibly otherwise. But this team (Outside of RB and possibly DB) is currently constructed to kill with it’s frontline talent, and as long as they’re on the field, that’ll do pig.
Projected division finish: 1st
Remember to watch out for the second of our divisional previews, this time the AFC South, which should drop later this week. Thanks again guys.
Welcome to this the sixth-straight year I will be handling the Divisional Previews. When I took over writing them, they were done arbitrarily by division, skipping from one to another with no rhyme or reason. That’s why this year, at Jordan’s suggestion, I will be publishing the Divisional Previews in the order of easiest to predict to hardest. Therefore, I’m starting with the division that has the biggest runaway team—The NFC West.
The NFC West experienced a banner year in 2018—for one team, the most dominant year in the history of the league, and for another, his first playoff berth. Another team, ARI, earned a playoff berth in 2017, and is looking to get back in the playoff saddle, as is SF (For the first time). Can Nate continue to build something for the future? Can Mett leapfrog his brother and get back into 2nd place/the playoffs? Can Trey build on his 2017 and 2018 seasons and make a run? Or will everything come up roses again for Cecil? Let me know what you think about my projections and post you own comments. Also, DON’T FORGET to vote in the poll, as that’s the whole point.
Arizona Cardinals (Mett)
Last year’s finish: 26th (Division: 3rd)
Outlook: Despite his successes in 2017, 2018 was a bleak year for the Cardinals, who finished below the 5-7 threshold for the first time since Mett’s entry into the league in 2014. He’s once again attempted to fortify his team, but so far this offseason, it’s hard to say if those have paid off. Nick Foles, who he acquired for basically nothing, is a reasonable one that looks to pay off, but unfortunately, it appears trading for Jordan Howard to give Arizona a bell cow RB, but his stable of Howard and Royce Freeman should both at least be fantasy relevant to have a weekly startable option between the two, and could even improve upon his 2018 production there. At WR, Mett did an excellent job drafting Danny Amendola a full round after I projected he would pick him, and added perhaps the draft’s best WR in Marquise “Hollywood” Brown—though his landing spot was less than ideal. Alongside Taylor Gabriel, that threesome could be good. If Dawson Knox wins the tight end job as a rookie in Buffalo, he could be the safety valve to one of the league’s most safety-averse QBs, catching his wayward passes—but it could also make this unit a top-half one if all goes right. Defensively, the Cardinals project to be much better at LB, after Fred Warner’s breakout performance, and the trade to acquire the Redskins’ unquestioned #1 ILB now, Mason Foster. Jordan Poyer and Damarious Randall headline what should be an improved DB corps, but there isn’t a lot of quality high-end depth anywhere on the bench. Ultimately, health is a huge consideration for this unit’s success.
X-factor: Running Back. If one of the two of Howard or Freeman emerges as a starting quality option, it should be considered a huge success, and Arizona will be in the playoff race. If not, it may be a repeat of last year’s disappointment.
Projected division finish: 3rd
Los Angeles Rams (Trey)
Last year’s finish: 14th (Division: 2nd)
Outlook: Trey had his best season in the league in 2018 (6-6), his second-consecutive one PB, finishing second in the division and nabbing a playoff spot. He sported one of the best defenses in the league, and made a swing-for-the-fences trade this offseason, nabbing him promising (When it comes to running the ball) young quarterback Lamar Jackson, and entrenched Colts’ starting RB Marlon Mack, as well as a nice ancillary option in Tyrell Williams, to add to an otherwise middling receiving corps. Also, Gerald Everett is an okay TE option when Cooper Kupp is not on the field. On defense, Cory Littleton came out of nowhere to be one of the truly elite IDP options, and should fill that role again. Jabrill Peppers could also be a productive player on a Giants’ defense that figures to get torched. All the other players seem to be good but not great, so expect some regression to the mean for this unit, though it’s a high floor group, given that they almost all will have significant roles with their perspective teams.
X-factor: Receivers. Outside of Williams, there’s not much this side of average. Being able to supplement the offensive talent that Trey brought in this offseason will likely be the tale of the tape for the Rams’ 2019 fortunes—that and the ability of its quarterback to stay healthy despite likely resetting the record for number of QB rushes this year.
Projected division finish: 2nd
San Francisco 49ers (Nate)
Last year’s finish: 29th (Division: 4th)
Outlook: Nate’s year two, unfortunately, looks likely to go a lot like his first. Short on talent, and in the division which boasts the league’s most-talented team, and another playoff team that likely got better, there’s not a lot of upward movement that can be done in the near term. However, several moves that Nate made should start paying dividends soon: Chiefly, Josh Rosen likely moving to a more functional offensive system (Couldn’t be worse than what he was thrust into in 2018), and offensive skill players Dante Pettis, Keke Coutee, Trey Quinn, and Irv Smith Jr., who form a quad of receiving options that, should things go right for the 49ers, may accelerate their growth curve and show us signs of contention by the end of the year. Lamar Miller, provided he keeps the lion’s share of carries in Houston, should be an adequate starting RB as well. But there is virtually no quality depth behind the first unit as of now. And while Nate added Clelin Ferrell and Montez Sweat to a defense in much need of some reinforcements, much work must be done here, as outside of Denzel Perryman, there is not a single player who projects to have a starting role at a premium IDP fantasy position (ILB and S)
X-factor: Defense/Depth. The defense must be brought up to a competitive level if the Niners want to compete, but Nate has been doing a tremendous job of identifying talent at a value in the draft. A couple more of the drafts like he’s had the last two years, and SF will start ascending the totem pole in this division and the league.
Projected division finish: 4th
Seattle Seahawks (Cecil)
Last year’s finish: 5th (Division: 1st)
Outlook: Coming off the most dominant season in league history by a million miles, Cecil enters 2019 on a four-year NFC West Champion winning streak, and at present, nothing seems likely to change that. Though Mett (ARI) was the last to topple him in this division in 2014, it would take some crazy unlikely circumstances to make that happen again. On offense, back are 2018 #1 overall fantasy option Patrick Mahomes, his stable of starting RBs in Gurley, Melvin Gordon, Chris Carson, and Tarik Cohen, all-world WRs Julio Jones and Mike Evans, and up-and-coming TEs O.J. Howard and Mike Gesicki. While he did trade away Travis Kelce, Mahomes may come back to Earth without his #1 weapon for some portion of the year, and with Gurley dealing with a degenerative knee injury, there is so much high-end talent that it would be hard not to finish as the #1 offense again. But despite some retooling by drafting a few skill players to wait in the wings, there’s not much behind the guys at WR and TE. Defensively, it’s a similar scenario. Injury woes hurt Seattle’s defense a year ago, and though Cecil added top-projected IDP Devin White in the draft, it still appears that there is very little in the way of impact reserves at present. But provided health and a better second DL, there’s nothing to keep this from being a top-notch defensive unit again.
X-factor: Depth/Health. As outlined above, if he’s completely healthy, there’s no catching him within this division, or possibly otherwise. But this team (Outside of RB and possibly DB) is currently constructed to kill with it’s frontline talent, and as long as they’re on the field, that’ll do pig.
Projected division finish: 1st
Remember to watch out for the second of our divisional previews, this time the AFC South, which should drop later this week. Thanks again guys.