5. EAGLES – JALEN HURTS AND A.J. BROWN
After a Super Bowl appearance, a QB3 finish for Jalen Hurts and a WR4 finish for A.J. Brown, some may be wondering why they are not higher on this list. This might not be the answer you want or expect to hear, but I just like the stacks above them a little better, and they may be more attainable in the draft.
The reasoning is, while I expect great upside from the duos that ranked above these two, it is almost like last season was their upside. There is no denying they could pull it off again, but in my mind, 13 rushing touchdowns for Hurts is not sustainable. Brown catching 11 touchdowns on only 88 receptions may also be hard to replicate.
Furthermore, the departure of many players from last season could see this team regress, and the ascension of DeVonta Smith could help or hurt Brown’s production. Their new offensive coordinator was Hurts’ quarterback coach the last two seasons, but an OC switch is always worth noting — just look at the fall of the Rams’ offense after winning the Super Bowl but losing their OC Kevin O’Connell.
But that is enough with the negativity. This stack is an extremely valid one for any league. Hurts’ rushing upside is enough to keep him in the top tier of fantasy QBs as long as he’s in the league. I’d like to see him improve from 26 passing touchdowns last season, but if he can replicate his legs from last year, it wouldn’t really matter.
When it comes to A.J. Brown, his talent and frame are undeniable. He is an obvious alpha receiver and fending off Smith for target share should not be too much of a concern. As it sits currently, Smith’s gravity likely helps Brown keep doubles away from him, but it is a fine line. If they passed more often it might not be so much of a problem, but they broke the record for the most rushing touchdowns in a season last year, a record that stood for 99 years. I have confidence he will get the touches he deserves, though.
I expect this duo to be spectacular this year, especially Hurts. Over the others on this list, it is the first to feature both a top-tier quarterback and a top-tier position player. It takes a big commitment, though, as A.J. Brown is being drafted at the start of the 2nd round and Hurts is going at the start of the 3rd.
4. RAVENS – LAMAR JACKSON AND MARK ANDREWS
I know I’m going to hear something like, “How are Lamar Jackson and Mark Andrews above Jalen Hurts and A.J. Brown when both Eagles are better than their Raven counterparts?” The answer to that is two things: positional value and potential.
Let’s start with positional value. Mark Andrews, when healthy, has been one of the best tight ends in the league. And right now, the TE position is broken. You can find similar receiver value to top receivers later in the draft, but this is just not true for tight ends. There are a few, rare, superstar tight ends that will consistently outscore all other tight ends by a large margin and I believe Andrews to be one of them. Just check out the tight ends in fantasy from two years ago, when Andrews had a healthy Jackson:
- Mark Andrews – 194.1 points
- Travis Kelce – 170.8 points
- Dalton Schultz – 130.8 points
The top two outscored the rest and it was not particularly close. Tight ends are simply more valuable than other positions and can give you a huge advantage when playing an opponent with a waiver pick-up in their TE slot. Andrews regressed last year but Jackson only played five games. Additionally, he had no other players to lighten the game plan against him: Demarcus Robinson and Devin Duvernay were the next best receivers, two players who a year ago I would have said, “Who?”
Now the potential. With the addition of Odell Beckham Jr. and the assumed health of former first-round pick Rashod Batemon, the pressure should be a little lighter and open up Andrews a little more. Not to mention this year’s first-round pick Zay Flowers, who has been doing very well from recent coverage. That’s all he really needs, as his 107 catches for 1,361 yards in 2021 is enough to say.
I am counting on his return to glory.
Speaking of returning to glory, are we forgetting Lamar Jackson’s unanimous MVP run in 2019? The man was damn-near unstoppable, with five touchdowns through the air in Week 1; it seemed like he already had the MVP in his hands. He might not be at the level again, but the upside is undeniable. He finally has some help and a (hopefully) competent offensive coordinator with the resignation of Greg Roman and his “run-run-pass-punt” philosophy.
In my opinion, these are two players being extremely slept on. Travis Kelce going before Mark Andrews makes sense, but two full rounds before? That seems steep. I feel the same with other quarterbacks like Joe Burrow and Jalen Hurts going a full round or two before Lamar Jackson. It’s time to stop the slide and pair these studs for a great season.
3. BENGALS – JOE BURROW AND JA’MARR CHASE
This is the start of the top three and also the start of where there is little question of the success of these stacks. Ja’Marr Chase’s health proved to be a problem last year, but when he played, he was elite. Coming off of a historic rookie season, Chase played just 12 games, but still managed over 1,000 yards and nine touchdowns. In fact, many people have him as a consensus No. 1 overall pick. I do not think I would go that far, but he is undoubtedly a great option in either of the top-3 spots.
Chase’s ability to impact a game is bigger than just stats. It happens with players like Tyreek Hill or Randy Moss. With speed like these guys, taking three plays off in deep coverage means three deep touchdowns. The entire game has to be dedicated to watching and making sure they do not get behind the defense.
Chase fits this category. Many people wonder why he consistently outperforms his expected fantasy points, and it is because of his big-play ability. That skill will always have a place in fantasy owners’ hearts: watching your player catch a 60-yard bomb and change the entire script of your matchup.
And if you’re worried about him not getting the touches he needs with Tee Higgins, Joe Mixon, and Tyler Boyd all in the mix, consider this: Chase came into the league his rookie year garnering 24% of the team’s target share. Last season, despite his time spent injured, still achieved a game-breaking 29% of the Bengals’ target share, good for 4th in the league. They want to give him the ball and Joe Burrow will do it.
Fans were worried about a training camp injury that saw Joe Burrow reaching for his calf, but reports say it is just a strain and he should be all good to go. Phew. With that out of the way, we can talk Joe “Brrr.”
Let’s play a game. Who are each of these players? Well, you can probably guess the furthest right is Joe Burrow, because why else would it be significant? What you might not have been able to guess is that the middle is Josh Allen and the far left is Peyton Manning. The start to Joe Burrow’s career has been very impressive and I expect him to build on that.
This is a duo that could easily blow everybody else on this list out of the water. These are two young players who are only getting better on a team that recently found its identity. You can only get Ja’Marr Chase very early in the first, but Burrow can be found a few rounds later once the QBs start rolling out.
2. BILLS – JOSH ALLEN AND STEFON DIGGS
Just barely edging out Burrow and Chase, Josh Allen and Stefon Diggs are rolling into this season with something to prove. For the last couple of years, they have entered the season as near Super Bowl favorites and left with a sour taste in their mouth. Allen himself has been an MVP favorite but has not been able to bring home the hardware.
To us fantasy owners, that success is not needed for our fantasy championships, but the motivation they have will indeed help. In the last three seasons with the Bills, Diggs has finished as:
- WR3 with 201.6 points in 2020
- WR8 with 182.5 points in 2021
- WR5 with 211.2 points in 2022
What is there to doubt about this guy? Over that same span, he finished with the second-most targets since 2020 with 484 and the most receptions with 338. Long story short, this dude gets volume like a $10,000 subwoofer. In fantasy, that is what you are looking for — the guys who provide the most opportunity to get points.
Let’s take a similar look at Josh Allen over the last three seasons:
- QB1 with 405.1 points in 2020
- QB1 with 417.6 points in 2021
- QB2 with 412.2 points in 2022
Sheesh, Josh Allen can ball. The combination of his big arm and his rushing ability makes for an overpowered player – like Cam Newton levels. There is potential here to combine a top-3 QB with a top-5 WR on your fantasy team. I wish I could think of a reason not to do it, but I cannot. Josh Allen is single-handedly carrying this offense with Stefon Diggs single-handedly carrying the receiving load.
Vegas seems to support this duo too, as Diggs finds himself with top-6 odds to lead the NFL in receiving yards and Josh Allen has top-3 odds to win MVP. If we have learned anything from sports betting, it is that Vegas knows better than any of us and I’d trust them here.
It seems they have also moved past the drama, which I believe was blown out of proportion anyway. These two guys are some of the toughest competitors in the entire NFL, so there was bound to be some butting-of-heads when they could not get the job done in the playoffs.
Look for Diggs to go off the board somewhere around the first-to-second-round turn and Josh Allen in the early-to-mid third round. With that, it could be challenging to acquire them both, but if your league trades draft picks or you can acquire one during the season, it could be a great opportunity.
1. CHIEFS – PATRICK MAHOMES AND TRAVIS KELCE
You cannot say “Kansas City Chiefs” without thinking of these two. This is likely the most effective and famous stack over the last four seasons or so. These two have won Super Bowls together, led the league together, and made plays that ‘wow’d us all. I’ll go over the few doubts I have about them before I get into the overwhelming positives.
Age is always a factor and I would not want to be the one caught drafting a player too high right before they fall off. This is the case with Travis Kelce, who is turning 34 at the start of this next season. Father Time is undefeated and it will hit Kelce at some point. It is just a question of when.
This is not the year I would predict it, though. Even as he ages, there are no statistical signs he is regressing. If anything, he seems to almost be getting better over the last few years. He has only finished as worse than a TE3 in six weeks since 2018, which is absolutely absurd to think about. With Andy Reid’s offense, even with nobody to take the pressure off of him last year, he managed to blow the league out of the water as TE1. I just discussed the value of tight ends with Lamar and Andrews, but that point still stands. His positional advantage is crucial to his high draft stock.
JuJu Smith-Schuster also left this year, which should open up the short routes more for Travis, a good sign for him. Although there is not much help, it should not be a reason for concern. The recipe worked last year, obvious by the Lombardi Trophy they earned, so Kelce should continue to be a massive factor.
Then there is Patrick Mahomes. The best QB in the league (ever?) will make his return for his 6th year as the starter. It is crazy to think in that short of a span he has managed two Super Bowls and two MVP awards along with an entire docu-series with him as a main character. With Mahomes, you know what you’re getting.
He is a top-tier quarterback with some rushing upside, which becomes negligible anyway with his mind-boggling passing ability but is still a nice bonus. There is little risk of injury, as he has been mostly healthy all of his years in the league. There is no off-the-field risk, no contractual issues with his massive 10-year contract locked down, and no risk of aging. More importantly, there is an extremely small chance of any regression or bad play.
Mahomes has been so consistently spectacular it is almost inhumane. The things he does to these defenses should be documented in his criminal record. From a 50-TD season in 2018 to a 5,250-yard passing year this past season, he is unstoppable. All he needs to do is keep throwing the ball to good ol’ Travis Kelce and this duo will be the elite stack it’s proven to be since Mahomes took over the pocket.
