NFC North Fantasy Football Breakdown
The NFC North is arguably the best division in the NFL. There has been a lot of transition in the division this year with Ben Johnson taking his talents to Chicago and Aaron Rodgers ‘rumor’s circulated for weeks that he was going to sign with the Vikings. The NFC South has a lot talent, but the NFC North has even more of the best players in the NFL in the division.
Minnesota Vikings
Notable players: J.J. McCarthy, Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, Aaron Jones, T.J. Hockenson
J.J. McCarthy has yet to take a snap in a regular season NFL game, but he is one of the more polarizing prospects in the NFL this season. Kevin O’Connell is one of the best offensive play callers in the league and he has shown what he can do with the likes of Kirk Cousins and Sam Darnold under center. I believe McCarthy is set up for success and can be a very good quarterback in the NFL. He has some really impressive throws on tape in college. I believe he can be a high-end QB2 with low-end QB1 upside.
Justin Jefferson is the best wide receiver in football and a locked and loaded WR1.
Below are his 10 receiving touchdowns from last season.
Jordan Addison was the WR18 in FPPG last season. He is also a locked and loaded WR2 that has weekly WR1 upside. I think that McCarthy can still support two top 24 receivers in KOC’s offense.
T.J. Hockenson was the TE15 last season. Hock only played nine games last season as he was recovering from a torn MCL and ACL. I expect him to bounce back this year and be a top 10 option that has top five upside of McCarthy plays up to his full potential.
The Vikings traded for Jordan Mason this offseason but this is Aaron Jones backfield. I believe he will get at least 65% of the touches and will see another 60+ targets this season. Last year he was the RB19 in FPPG and I believe he will be an RB2 again this season. Mason is someone that could be a fringe RB3 and is not someone I would feel comfortable starting weekly unless it is a very deep league and you are desperate in the flex position.
Green Bay Packers
Notable players: Jordan Love, Josh Jacobs, Tucker Kraft, Matthew Golden, Jayden Reed, Romeo Doubs, Christian Watson
Jordan Love was the QB13 in FPPG last season after being the QB6 in 2023. He had 154 less passing attempts in 2024 compared to 2023 and that is because the Pack leaned on Josh Jacobs and their wide receivers couldn’t catch a cold. Love is a solid QB1 option this season.
Below is a PFF grading and adjusted quarterback efficiency chart
Josh Jacobs showed that he is one of the most underrated running back in the NFL last season after he rushed for 1,329 yards and 15 touchdowns and had 346 receiving yards on 36 receptions. Jacobs was the RB7 in FPPG last season and he is an easy RB1 this season in this Packers offense. He is a wrecking ball with the football in his hands.
Jayden Reed, Romeo Doubs, Christian Watson, and Matthew Golden all could see 60ish targets each this season and I wouldn’t be surprised. I have no idea how this wide receiver room is going to shake out, but it is going to be fascinating to watch. There isn’t anyone I feel completely confident in rostering this season, but if I had to choose one it would be Romeo Doubs, who was on pace to lead the group in targets last year.
Tucker Kraft was the TE14 last season and the community loves him, but he isn’t someone I am looking to roster this season either. I’d rather take a shot on Luke Musgrave who you can get for much cheaper. Kraft’s current ADP is TE14, while Musgrave’s is TE44.
Detroit Lions
Notable players: Jared Goff, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams, Jahmyr Gibbs, Sam LaPorta
The Detroit Lions not only lost one of the best offensive play callers in the league last year, they also lost two offensive lineman this offseason. Jared Goff delivered a 62% catchable ball rate under pressure last season, which ranked 6th in the league, so if the offensive line struggles early on I believe the passing game should be solid, but the run game may struggle a bit. Goff was the QB7 in FPPG last season and even with the key losses on the offensive side of the ball, I believe he can still be a solid QB1 this year.
Amon-Ra St. Brown is one of the best receivers in the NFL and he helps his quarterback, as you can see in the post below. St. Brown was the WR5 last season and while I don’t know that he will be a top five receiver for fantasy again this upcoming season, I do believe he will be a low-end WR1 with sky high upside.
Jameson Williams had his best season as a pro last year. I did a deep dive on Williams in a recent article that you can find here, along with a video of every target he received last season. Williams was the WR21 last season in FPPG. The Lions offense averaged a league best 33.2 points per game last season. I believe they can still be a top ten unit, but I am not convinced they will lead the league in points per game this season. Williams is a good WR2 that will have WR1 spike weeks.
Sam LaPorta was the TE8 last season in FPPG and he is a solid TE1 this season. LaPorta had 83 targets last season in 16 games and 120 targets in 17 games the year prior. I believe he will hover around the 80 target range again. He has top 5 upside at the position if he can steal some touchdowns from ARSB and Williams.
Jahmyr Gibbs solidified himself as one of the top running backs in the league last year. He averaged 19.8 FPPG over the season and weeks 16-18 when Montgomery only played in one of the games Gibbs averaged 32.6 FPPG, which led the league in that span. He’s a lock to be a top three running back at the position this season. David Montgomery will surely be in the fold again this season but I believe it is now Gibbs backfield. I think Monty is likely to be a fringe RB2 option for fantasy.
Chicago Bears
Notable players: Caleb Williams, D’Andre Swift, Rome Odunze, D.J. Moore, Luther Burden III, Colston Loveland
Going into the season it looked like Caleb Williams was going to be in one of the best case scenarios for a rookie quarterback, but that did not pan out well. Williams was the QB17 in FPPG. I believe Williams will be a QB1 this season with Ben Johnson calling plays. This offense is ready to takeoff and Williams is a pilot that I trust in with Johnson as his co-pilot.
D.J. Moore, Rome Odunze and Luther Burden III form one of the best wide receiver trios in the league. Burden III is likely to get off to a slow start as he hasn’t been on the field at OTA’s because of an injury. Odunze and Moore could both likely be over 1,000 yards receiving this season.
I believe Odunze could overtake Moore as the WR1, but it will be fun to see how it plays out this year. I think those two are likely to be WR2s this year with weekly WR1 spikes. I would rather roster Odunze because he is being drafted as the WR35 while Moore is being drafted as the WR23. When I am close on two players I always like to go for the cheaper option.
D’Andre Swift was with Ben Johnson on the Detroit Lions in 2022 and he had 70 targets and he is now line to be the starting running back for the Bears. During the 2022 season Jamaal Williams led the team in rushing attempts and had 17 rushing touchdowns. While I think Roschon Johnson will be involved I would be surprised if it was to the extent. Swift is a solid RB2 option for fantasy this season.
Colston Loveland has also not been on the field for a portion of OTA’s because of an injury so he could also be off to a slow start this season. I wouldn’t be surprised if Cole Kmet has more targets than Loveland this year. I honestly don’t want to roster either of these tight ends this season, but Loveland is a great long-term dynasty option.
NFC North Standings Prediction:
Minnesota Vikings
Green Bay Packers
Detroit Lions
Chicago Bears
*I wouldn’t be surprised if the Bears are last in the division with 10 wins because of how good this division is going to be once again this season*