PHASE 6 Season Preview and Roster Breakdown
Odell’s Rusty Hip
2022 Champion
ESPN Rank: 8th
FantasyPros Rank: 8th
Projected Record: 5-8
What did it cost? Everything. Was it worth it? Absolutely. She may not have needed to bolster her roster any further with trades, but hindsight is always 20/20. King Valkyrie saw her chance at glory and left no stone unturned in securing her first championship.
She has some elite options to hold her team together despite the lack of overall depth on her roster, which is a concern, albeit natural given the number of selections she forfeited in 2022. Being competitive will be a challenge, but she’ll get to shine her trophy and enjoy the reflection in 2023. If her Top 12 QB Duo paired with consensus Top 3 RB/WR combo can return their investment, she may be a sneaky playoff team.
Commish’s Pick: Tyreek Hill. He’s not exactly a sleeper, but a player nearly guaranteed to hit 300+ points and finish as WR1 overall, it’s a great value to take him in the late 2nd round.
TEAM G-MEN
ESPN Rank: 7th
FantasyPros Rank: 7th
Projected Record: 5-8
2022 was a true rise from the ashes moment for the GMEN. Ultimately, he came up just short in the clash of the Medinas. A truly epic finale with the most loaded rosters we’ve seen in a playoff series since the 2020 Finals. The G-Men have, without question, one of the most stable QB rooms in football, which should keep him afloat with an elite tight end. The questions begin with his other positions. His RB1 is scheduled to miss the first month of the season at minimum and he does not have a suitable replacement. His WR duo has serious talent, but so does every roster he’ll face.
The road ahead will be difficult, but that hasn’t stopped him before. If he gets some resoundingly positive answers for some of those question marks, he’s got a good squad given the floor his QB stable provides. If not, he’s projected to have a significant fall from grace.
Commish’s Pick: Keenan Allen. If he can stay healthy, the G-MEN got a serious discount on a Top 12 receiver.
SLEDGE HAMMER
ESPN Rank: 6th
FantasyPros Rank: 2nd
Projected Record: 6-7
Entering the 3rd year removed from his last championship victory, we may see a new age dawning on the league. With the quality of play from all managers rising with their continued experience, it’s unlikely we will ever see such a dynasty exist again. Though his reign was fierce, every hero needs a villain; and Thanos has played his role well. We’re not sure what the future holds for the Mad Titan. We do know one thing; never count him out.
His 2023 draft outlook is mixed, to say the least. He may have secured the best QB, and in turn the best fantasy player in the draft. To add on to that, he has 2 Top 10 upside receivers to add, along with a staple workhorse in Nick Chubb. The rest of his draft remains rather murky, with a lot of sleepers providing a wide range of outcomes, illustrated by his inconsistent assessment across all 3 ranking tools. If his Flex and Bench players do not bear fruit, this could prove to be a tumultuous season for the former dynasty. However, his top options may be enough to lead him to a 6th straight playoff appearance. Like all managers outside the top 3, he’s projected as a fringe playoff contender.
Commish’s Pick: Amon-Ra St. Brown. With his massive target share and proven do-it-all ability, the Sun-God has Top 5 upside.
IS THIS SOCCER?
ESPN Rank: 3rd
FantasyPros Rank: 6th
Projected Record: 6-7
Despite the immense draft capital acquired in 2021, he was unable to turn it into any real success in 2022, backing into the playoffs after dropping 4 of his last 5 games. After limping his way into the postseason, he was ceremoniously decimated within the first half of the opening slate of games in Week 1 by the eventual champion.
In 2023, he has massive potential in Lamar & Bijan added on from his first selection with overall WR1 upside in Ja’Marr Chase. His QB2 and backup situation as a whole remain difficult to project. A few injuries would seriously derail his entire lineup due to this overall lack of quality starters on the bench. If he manages to put together a healthy squad with his range of outcomes staying high, he can certainly become a playoff team. If his aforementioned stars miss time, he could see other managers quickly pass him by without impressive depth to sustain it. The playoffs will be a fight, but a 3rd trip to the dance is in the cards.
Commish’s Pick: Lamar Jackson. Taking Lamar in the Mid-3rd may have been the robbery of the entire draft. He’s a former MVP and the 2019 QB1. If he can play 17 games, he’s a playoff team.
BRADSHANK REDEMPTION
ESPN Rank: 5th
FantasyPros Rank: 5th
Projected Record: 7-6
Well, here we are again. This clever girl has another chance at the #1 Overall selection. Bradshank has put together a solid roster the last 4 seasons, yet injuries continue to decimate her stars, resulting in 2 first-round exits followed up by 2 narrow postseason misses. If her team can manage to stay mostly healthy through the regular season, this should finally be the year she returns to the serious contending status of 2019 & 2020.
She’s supplemented the lowest projected QB duo with the previous #1 scorers at their respective positions at RB and WR. Additionally, the depth throughout the starting lineup is rather solid, with the bench pieces ranked in the middle of the pack. Her 8th place ranking in the most valuable position (QB) could limit her regular season ceiling. If both manage to defy expectations, she’s sure to become a playoff team. She’ll need to sharpen those claws, but the postseason is well within her range of outcomes.
Commish’s Pick: Garrett Wilson. As Aaron Rodgers new primary target, Wilson could see Davante Adams-like numbers in 2023 and a Top 10 finish feels like his floor. Expect great things from him this season.
SUH-TANG CLAN
ESPN Rank: 4th
FantasyPros Rank: 3rd
Projected Record: 8-5
A promising rookie season gave a lot of hope to future seasons for the new manager. He nearly fought his way back to the postseason after a rocky start. Instead, he secured an additional Top 25 draft pick for his troubles. He’s proven himself to have excellent draft acumen already, successful use of his early and extra selection may make him a playoff team.
He continued to prove this in the 2023 draft, selecting arguably one of the most balanced rosters in the league. The high-end talent is nearly unmatched, being a pound-for-pound favorite in most categories, especially flex. He projects as a playoff team in 2023, with championship potential.
Commish’s Pick: Joe Mixon. Given the insane volume alone he might see, Mixon has serious Top 6 RB upside at a 4th Round price.
PEYTONS FOREHEAD SHINER
ESPN Rank: 2nd
FantasyPros Rank: 1st
Projected Record: 11-2
What was a lost season for Peyton in 2022 was turned into a reload in 2023. Can Iron Man be reborn and fight his way to a 3rd championship in 4 seasons? He’ll certainly have the ammunition to do so.
Moving back in the 2nd round proved productive, securing two elite QB options, though he passed on a Top 3 receiver in favor of a fan favorite in CeeDee Lamb, making up for it by putting together a string of quality starters down the board. While other managers faded RB’s in favor of receivers, Peyton took advantage of the limited surefire starters and secured himself 3 backs projected inside the Top 8. With an ensemble of running backs, he has the firepower to take over the league in 2023. He heads into Phase 6 as the favorite and a championship contender.
Commish’s Pick: Josh Jacobs. There’s a few names you could throw in here. However, getting the RB3 who averaged nearly 20 PPG in the 4th round is quite the steal. He may not see the workload he did previously, but he’s an elite starter that is still only 25 years old.
2022 was…well, we’ll pull the lever on that season and pretend it didn’t happen. There’s nowhere to go but up in 2023. She made a smart move early in realizing that her season was doomed. Her savviness to pivot into 2023 provides her with an additional first round draft pick.
With that, she’s secured undoubtedly the best Wide Receiver corp the SFI has ever seen, managing Kupp, Diggs, Adams, Higgins, all topped of with Mahomes leading the charge. The second half of her draft left much to be desired. Ultimately, it will be the high-end starters that send her near the top of our projection model. If they can hold together, it’ll be enough to send her to a 2nd postseason appearance.
Commish’s Pick: Securing the #3 overall receiver in the 3rd round is a great steal. Despite his age,