Outlook: After a disaster of a rookie season and a regime change in Chicago, there was legit talk of the Bears moving on from Fields. They eventually stuck with the inexperienced Ohio State product and watched him literally run circles around the NFL in his second season. Finishing seventh in the league with 1,143 yards rushing, Fields was very likely a league winner waiver wire pickup for more than a few fantasy squads. But while he dazzled as a runner there still is much work to be done as a passer.

While not exactly flush with receiving talent, Fields still did have some decent weapons in Cole Kmet, Darnell Mooney and Chase Claypool. Yes, those three pale in comparison to the talent he threw to as a Buckeye, but Fields continued to be incredibly raw as a passer. In his 588 NFL attempts he's struggled to complete 60% of his throws, and while he remains an elite athlete that is in desperate need of more reps, my concern is that he might be developing pocket habits that will be hard to break. His 160 rush attempts from 2022 were second only to Jalen Hurts, but many of Fields' attempts were out of self-preservation. Unable to get to his 2nd or 3rd reads because of pressure (perceived or real), Fields didn't spend much time in the pocket. His 318 passing attempts were over 400 fewer than league leader Tom Brady!

It's unlikely that Fields will be able to replicate the rushing totals from 2022, so he's going to have to take the next step as a passer to remain a top-10 fantasy option. Chicago has put a clear emphasis on upgrading around him, as they dealt for receiver D.J. Moore, drafted o-lineman Darnell Wright 10th overall, and added guard Nate Davis in free agency. The Bears have committed to developing Fields, and in his defense, he did improve his efficiency in the 2nd half of 2022. He's locked in as the franchise signal caller and an incremental increase in his passing numbers to go with his elite rushing floor, make him a clear QB1 going forward.

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Outlook: After nearly a decade with Derek Carr under center, the Raiders are set to turn the starting job over to Garoppolo, who went 38-17 as a starter during a six-year run with the 49ers. He also won four playoff games, though San Francisco ultimately fell short of a championship. The issue with Jimmy G, of course, is durability, as he played a full season just once during his time there. That includes 2022, when he suffered a foot injury in early December that kept him sidelined for the rest of the year.

Beyond the medical red flags, Garoppolo has another serious problem, at least for fantasy owners: he's pretty much just a game manager. Outside of 2019, when he threw for 3,987 yards and 27 TDs, the veteran has never thrown for more than 20 TDs in a season and just once has he topped 2,500 yards. Garoppolo is a pure pocket passer as well, rushing for just 225 yards in 74 career games. While he's never had anyone as singularly talented as Davante Adams, that's not enough to elevate Jimmy G beyond borderline top-25 status at the position.

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Outlook: The Lions entered Week 8 last season limping to a 1-6 record. Having led the team to only six points total and multiple turnovers in losses to New England and Dallas, it seemed Goff's grip on the starter job was tenuous at best. With their season slipping away yet again, the Lions were at a crossroads. Goff and this team showed something down the stretch, as they went 8-2, barely missing a wild card slot in Week 18.

Roaring back (pun intended) the way Goff and the team did last season has now created something not seen in Detroit for a long while, expectations. Goff, now the undisputed steady handed leader of the "Goffense" is playing for a big contract extension. I definitely missed on him in this spot least year, as a porous defense, and lack of consistent run game led to 587 pass attempts (2nd most of his career) and making Goff a consistent fantasy asset during the 2nd half of the year. This coaching staff seems to know exactly what he does best, and have tailored an offense that is both creative and aggressive when necessary. They added Jahmyr Gibbs in the 1st round, as a receiver-like back to create mismatches, and Goff seems to understand the importance of getting the "free yards" that defenses will concede. He was able to protect the ball, yet still be explosive, throwing for the 2nd most touchdowns in his career (29) and throwing only one interception in the final ten games, while still finishing 8th in the NFL in air yards, and tying Mahomes for the third-most pass attempts of 50+ yards.

Goff definitely overachieved on the field and for your fantasy squad last season, but I don't know another top-10 finish is in the cards. Missing Jameson Williams for the first six games is going to hurt the explosiveness of the passing game, and with an improved defense, shootouts and 2nd half comebacks shouldn't be as frequent. Look at Goff as more of a high-end fantasy backup as a good bye week fill in or short-term starter.

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Outlook: After passing for 5,014 yards and 38 touchdowns in his second season, Herbert appeared poised to enter the upper echelon of fantasy quarterbacks alongside names like Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen. Instead, the Oregon product experienced significant statistical regression across the board, posting 4,739 yards passing, 25 TDs, and 10 INTs. He also stopped running, dropping from a two-year average of 268 yards and 4 TDs on the ground to a paltry 147 yards and no scores.

The Chargers noticed the dip in production, and doubtless it helped lead to the dismissal of offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi, who was replaced by former Dallas Cowboys OC Kellen Moore. How well Moore meshes with Herbert figures to go a long way in determining how strongly the newly minted "highest paid player in the NFL" bounces back. Dak Prescott put together some strong years under Moore, and it certainly appears that Herbert has a higher ceiling than his Dallas counterpart.

There aren't many teams out there that offer more offensive weapons than the Chargers, and LA spent a first-round pick on Quentin Johnston, giving the Bolts one of the NFL's most talented top-four receiver groups. There is all manner of upside with Herbert, but coming off a disappointing 2022, you should view him as more of a midrange QB1 rather than a top-tier selection.

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Outlook: At this point, Washington is a perennial "not-quite-good-enough to be contender / not-quite-bad-enough to have a high draft pick" franchise, and that, along with some ancillary personnel decisions, has really hurt the team's ability to land a true difference-making quarterback. The Commanders' 2022 quarterback situation was all over the place, with three different quarterbacks starting games, two of whom are no longer with the franchise after the team moved on from Carson Wentz and Taylor Heinicke.

Now heading into his second professional season, Sam Howell appears most likely to be the Commanders' Week 1 starter despite having only started one game as a rookie in 2022. Howell threw for 169 yards, a touchdown, and an interception in that start, a Week 18 victory over the Cowboys who were headed to the playoffs. Notably, Howell also added 35 yards on the ground, which is certainly in line with how he played during his final season at North Carolina prior to being drafted, in which he rushed for 828 yards and 11 touchdowns. That season, however, was a far stretch from what we saw from him as the Tar Heels' starter in both his freshman and sophomore seasons, which saw him rush for a total of just 181 yards and six scores in those two seasons combined.

Howell should be in line to start this season, but head coach Ron Rivera has seemingly taken steps back in declaring Howell as the official starter despite the fact that he is operating as the team's QB1 thus far. Rivera has stated that it is an open competition and that he would be comfortable if veteran Jacoby Brissett came out on top. We've seen this situation play out many times throughout recent history and teams almost always end up going with the younger, higher upside option as long as it's not a complete landslide victory in the veteran's favor, but fantasy managers should beware that the Commanders have shown a propensity to move on from their quarterbacks - even young ones - if they're not performing at a satisfactory level. That could mean a shorter-than-expected leash for Howell if things don't go well out of the gate.

On a positive note, Howell does step into an offense that is better than many casual fans believe, with some truly impressive pass-catchers at just about every level. His under-the-radar rushing upside makes him an interesting late-round dart throw in two-QB and SuperFlex leagues. He's unlikely to deliver high-end fantasy production, but a campaign like Daniel Jones' 2022 season is not out of the question.

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Outlook: 2022 was a magical season for the Philadelphia offense, led by quarterback Jalen Hurts. They led the NFC in both total yards and total points and the team really hasn't changed much this offseason, so there's a good chance that they're among the top of the league in those categories once again. One thing that did change, however, was that they lost offensive coordinator Shane Steichen, who has now been replaced by Brian Johnson. Johnson spent the past two years as the Quarterbacks coach for the Eagles, so he should have an excellent rapport with Hurts and a strong understanding of what has worked for this offense in the past.

Hurts enters 2023 playing alongside one of the best overall supporting casts in the league, behind arguably the NFL's best offensive line and an explosive, dynamic group of skill position players. His completion percentage was quite high this past season, at 66%. He surprised even some of his most vocal supporters, as well, when he threw for over 3,700 yards - a feat which is impressive for a quarterback who also has rushing ability.

Last season, Hurts averaged 8.0 yards per attempt, which means he's able to make big plays downfield - a valuable attribute for fantasy football. Another area where he excels is in touchdown percentage. Last season, he threw 22 touchdown passes, which is a 6.0% touchdown percentage. That's above average and indicates that he's able to find the end zone with his throws.

His touchdown passes are really the main area where Hurts hasn't yet reached his ceiling. He threw just 22 touchdowns in 2022 and that came after tossing just 16 in 2021. We've seen some mobile quarterbacks like Lamar Jackson take big strides in passing touchdowns in the past and that's certainly a possibility for Hurts, who should have plenty of opportunities in the red zone this season.

Hurts has proven himself to be one of the few true difference-making players at the position and that makes him a player who's absolutely worth reaching on in drafts. He's currently being selected around the 2nd/3rd round turn in normal redraft leagues, but don't hesitate to take him as an early-to-mid-first-round pick in SuperFlex and 2QB formats.

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