Proceed with Caution 2023: Quarterbacks
For those wondering how I did last season, I'll explain here. For those who don't care, I remind you that this is titled "Proceed with Caution" because I'm not telling you to avoid drafting them outright, I'm merely suggesting you don't throw all your eggs into their baskets. I'd consider my pick successful if they finished below the top 10 for QB, TE and D, and below the top 20 for RB and WR. Last year I went 2 for 3 (Tua Tagovailoa and Aaron Rodgers finished outside the top 10). To be fair, Tagovailoa missed the top ten due to injury, but that was part of the concern with all the hype going into last season.
Dak Prescott (Dallas): Three years ago Dak lit up fantasy land before getting hurt in week 5 and missing the rest of the season. Since then he's gotten progressively worse (based on his Fantasy PPG). The kicker is, going into each of these last three years his strength of schedule was on the easier side. This year he has one of the toughest schedules. I wouldn't count on Prescott to average above 18 PPG (I'm currently projecting him to average 15, but I think that's on the conservative side).
Aaron Rodgers (NY Jets): I'm absolutely listing him again because he's still getting a bunch of buzz. Garrett Wilson is a rising star; he's not Davante Adams. Cobb is still washed up. Lazard is more of a WR3 than a 2. Hardman didn't blow-up like he was supposed to with Mahomes throwing him the ball, so how is this a better situation? In other words, Rodgers landed in the exact same system, with a VERY similar receiving group, and a worse O-Line. Yet people expect him to have a better year? Sorry, but you can count me out.
Brock Purdy (San Francisco): I love the story, as I'm sure most of you do too: from Mr. Irrelevant, to starting in the NFC Championship game! However, you can't let that cloud your judgement. In the five games he started he averaged about 18.2 fantasy PPG. That's solid fill-in numbers, not the kind you want out of a starter. Add in the elbow injury and there's a bigger cause for concern. I can definitely see him being one of those guys that's an excellent starter on the pro field, but someone you use sparingly in fantasy football.
