The 2023 Pigskin Premier League draft weekend is officially in the books, and what a weekend it was! As expected, this year’s iteration of the draft proved to be absolute must watch entertainment, featuring similar levels of drama, intrigue, surprise, and cutthroat maneuvering as seasons 1-6 of Game of Thrones. Of course, based on the level of managerial talent and experience throughout the league, it should come as no surprise that all twelve clubs are expected to compete at the highest level for the PPL crown. 

However, that does not mean that each and every manager does not have question marks surrounding their roster, and potential snags on their way to claiming the mantle of champion. So without further ado, let’s take a closer look at these rosters and identify one pivotal question that could make or break each team’s season.

Heaven’s Heroes: Can Alexander Mattison Approach Dalvin Cook Production? 

Keeping Up With the Joneses: Can Garrett Wilson and Travis Kelce Buy Enough Time for Adcock’s RBs?

With the benefit of a year of PPL experience under his belt, Keeping Up With the Joneses manager Keaton Adcock is looking to take a big step forward as a franchise in 2023. If he is able to do so this season, it will be thanks to a highly unorthodox draft day strategy involving Adcock selecting three different running backs who are in line to be unavailable to start the season. 

Unphased by the possibility that he may not be ready for Week 1, Adcock selected New York Jets running back Breece Hall 30th overall. While Hall’s ACL recovery has been on track for the most part, recent reports state that the second year standout has yet to participate in contact drills and may operate on a reduced workload to begin the season. 

Adcock followed this move by selecting Saints rusher Alvin Kamara in the 6th round, and free agent running back Dalvin Cook in the 7th round***. With the former slated to serve a three game suspension to begin the season and the latter still in search of an NFL contract, Adcock finds himself in the unenviable position of featuring three running backs unlikely to contribute up to their usual standards in the first month of the PPL season. 

In the meantime, Adcock is set to rely heavily on second year wide receiver Garrett Wilson and fantasy football phenom Travis Kelce for production as he looks to weather the storm. Wilson, who turned 23 last month, oozes breakout potential with future Hall of Famer Aaron Rodgers now dealing targets his way. Barring an injury, the former Buckeye should have no trouble besting the 1,103 yards and 4 touchdowns he produced last season. 

With Kelce, it should be business as usual once again as the boisterous tight end is set to line up as Patrick Mahomes undisputed top target once more. While the Mark Andrews’ and TJ Hockenson’s of the world may take a step up towards Kelce’s level of production this season, the Chiefs pass catcher remains the most obvious lock in fantasy football lineups across the league. 

If Wilson and Kelce can hold down the proverbial fort while Adcock’s running backs work their way back into the lineup, this roster could make a strong run at the playoffs this season. However, a few off weeks from those foundational pieces, and Adcock’s group could be packing their bags for Cancun early this season. 

*** Disclaimer: Shortly after this piece became generally available, Dalvin Cook signed a 1 year deal with the New York Jets. Frankly this does not change the tough running back outlook for Adcock, as he now rosters two Jets running backs, both of whom were selected in the first half of the PPL Draft. 

Frosty Flights FC: Will Any of the WR2 Options Pan Out?

After missing the playoffs last season, it appears that Frosty Flights FC manager Hunter Tormey is at least attempting to learn from mistakes made last year. After struggling for production at the quarterback and running back positions for much of 2022, Tormey invested significant draft capital to shore up last season’s weak points by bringing in Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow along with star running backs Nick Chubb and Travis Etienne Jr.

However, heavy investments at one position require sacrifices at others, and for Tormey, the position group left up in the air this season appears to be wide receiver. To that end, Tormey added last season’s WR6, AJ Brown, with the 15th overall selection. Outside of Brown however, guaranteed production at receiver might prove difficult to come across this season for Tormey.

The prime candidates to win the WR2 job on Tormey’s roster include 5th round selection Chris Godwin, 6th round choice Drake London, and 8th rounder George Pickens. Of those three, Godwin has operated at a higher level for longer, having topped 840 receiving yards and 60 catches in every season of his six year career other than his rookie year. However, with Baker Mayfield and/or Kyle Trask at the helm of the Buccaneers offense in 2023, there is plenty to suggest that Godwin may be unable to live up to his typical high floor this season. 

London and Pickens are both second year prospects who showed big flashes of potential in year 1. However, both are also at the mercy of an inconsistent second year quarterback in a run-first offense. In addition, both struggled to find the end zone in 2022, with each player snagging only four touchdowns on the season. 

If Godwin, London, or Pickens can consistently provide WR2 numbers in support of AJ Brown, Tormey finds himself in charge of a unit full of potential that could cause real problems for nearly any team. However, it is just as likely that his WR2 position remains an underwhelming carousel of mediocrity throughout the season. 

Very Mad: What If Cam Akers Underwhelms?

Last season, Very Mad manager Sam Dunegan was widely accused of having the worst draft in the league, a proposition that Dunegan did little to disprove based on his finish in the final league table. However, this season Dunegan put off drafting a defense until the 15th round and focused his attention on crafting a robust receiver room and acquiring dynamic playmakers such as Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes and Chargers running back Austin Ekeler. 

Coming off a career season in which he posted a stat line of 915 rushing yards, 722 receiving yards, and 18 total touchdowns, Ekeler’s ceiling may well be the ceiling itself as new offensive coordinator Kellen Moore is set to take over a rapidly ascending offense. 

However, significant questions remain as to whether Dunegan has sufficient running back reinforcements behind Ekeler to make a serious run at PPL glory. Presently, Dunegan rosters only LA Rams running back Cam Akers and newly signed Patriots running back Ezekiel Elliott behind the all-purpose Ekeler. 

With Elliott needing time to get comfortable in his new NFL home, Akers, a fourth year pro out of Florida State, is under immense pressure to produce for Dunegan’s squad. A third round pick in last season’s fantasy draft, Akers topped 10 fantasy points only twice through the first 14 weeks of the season last year, and at times fell completely out of favor with wonderkid coach Sean McVay. 

However, toward the end of the season Akers came on strong, commanding over 15 touches and scoring just under 17 fantasy points per game over the last six contests of 2022. Without significant competition for a role in the Rams backfield, Akers should be in line for a healthy dose of touches in 2023. 

 If Akers can regain his 4+ yards per carry level of efficiency in 2023, he should prove to be a rock solid RB2 for Dunegan’s club this season. However, if Akers should get hurt or if his production dips, this Very Mad team may find itself hard pressed to acquire suitable RB2 production. 

It’s Okay I’m Just In Her Bert: Can Justin Fields Maintain His Rushing Production While Staying Healthy?

One of the more well rounded teams assembled in the 2023 PPL draft belongs to It’s Okay I’m Just In Her Bert manager Stephen Clines. Bijan Robinson and Tony Pollard lead a solid group of running backs, while Devonta Smith, Jerry Jeudy, TJ Hockensen, and Mike Evans serve as above average starting receiving options.

Under center for Clines’ squad is Chicago Bears quarterback Justin Fields, who burst onto the fantasy football scene last season after Week 6, rushing for an astounding 1,143 yards and 8 scores. As a passer, Fields saw his touchdown numbers jump from 7 in his rookie season, to 17 in year two. 

With the addition of DJ Moore in the off-season, a case can certainly be made that Fields’ passing numbers will continue to climb in year 3, but at this point what sets him apart is still his unbelievable rushing ability. If Fields can replicate last season’s ground production and throw 5-6 more touchdowns, he has a real chance to finish as a top 3 quarterback in 2023. 

But as impressive as Fields has been running the football up to this point in his NFL career, one has to question when (not if) it will begin to take a toll on him physically. Last season, Fields missed time with a separated shoulder, and his campaign was ultimately cut short by a hip injury. While neither injury is cause for concern heading into this season, they represent the type of knocks that run-first quarterbacks can pick up over a season that begin to add up over years of NFL play. In addition to getting dinged up on rushing plays last season, Fields also tied the league high with 55 sacks taken last year, and little has been done to correct that issue from a protection standpoint at this time. 

If Fields is able to maintain his elite rushing floor and improve his passing, Clines will be extremely difficult to beat this season. However, if the Bears playmaker ends up on the shelf for an extended period of time, Clines will have to resort to the waiver wire or give up contributors at other positions to right the ship.

Cobra FC: Can James Cook and David Montgomery Provide Enough RB Production?

Few Pigskin Premier League managers know how to find depth at running back better than San Angelo based manager Coby Evers, whose selection of Saquon Barkley in the third round of last year’s draft strongly contributed to his team’s impressive regular season success. This season however, critics of Evers’ squad once again allege that the experienced coach waited too long to get into the running back market in the draft. 

After forming a top tier pass catching trio of CeeDee Lamb, Amon-Ra St. Brown, and Keenan Allen, and grabbing an elite quarterback in Lamar Jackson, Evers selected running backs James Cook and David Montgomery with back to back selections at the 5-6 turn. 

In selecting Cook, Evers seems to be banking on the youngsters potential as a pass catcher coming to fruition this season. In 2022, Cook struggled to earn touches in a backfield timeshare with Devin Singleterry and Zach Moss, finishing the season with the only three games of double figure fantasy scoring, and the same number of games with less than 1 fantasy point. However, the second-year player out of Georgia showed promise with the touches he did receive, and reports from training camp suggest he may be heavily involved as a three down, pass catching running back this season. 

With Montgomery on the other hand, Evers is hoping to cash in on Detroit’s top tier offense and strong tendency to run the ball around the goal line. Last season as the Lions goal line back, Jamaal Williams scored a league high 17 rushing touchdowns, a role which Montgomery seems poised to fill in 2023. However, promising rookie Jahmyr Gibbs looks to be the back to have in the Motor City, and has looked far more explosive and shifty than Montgomery in camp thus far. 

There are definitely upside cases to be made for both Cook and Montgomery heading into the 2023 season, with consistent starting caliber production a possibility for both backs. However, both players come with little to no guarantees as far as usage is concerned, and without strong showings from both on a routine basis, Evers will struggle to match the RB production of other clubs.