ASK THE EXPERTS appears weekly from training camp through the Super Bowl with answers to a new question being posted Thursday morning. How the guest experts responded when we asked them: Which player who changed teams are you most interested in for the upcoming season?
JASON WOOD
Darren Waller. The Giants showed impressive progression in Brian Daboll's first season, but the offense was still problematic. Daniel Jones only threw 15 touchdowns, and the team lacked any difference-makers in the passing game. Waller steps into a situation where he's guaranteed a massive target share, and the Giants front office did little to improve the wide receiver group; leaving Waller as the de facto No. 1 wide receiver, but eligible at tight end. Daboll is a creative play-caller who builds the game plan around his playmakers. In an era of Travis Kelce or bust, Darren Waller could go neck and neck with him but comes off the board after a half dozen other tight ends.
Wood is Senior Editor at Footballguys.com and has been with the company since its start in 2000. For more than 20 years, Footballguys has provided rankings, projections, and analysis to help fantasy managers dominate their leagues.
SAM HENDRICKS
This is not quite the answer you are looking for, but I'm thinking about Sean Payton with Denver. I know he is not a "player" but I am intrigued to see how his intensity and attention to detail can boost the Broncos. Let's face it, they were not very focused last year under Nathaniel Hackett. The Broncos paid a King's ransom for Payton; can he make it worth it for them to have done so? Time will tell but a bounce back year from Russell Wilson and company and an already strong defense could see them back in contention. If you insist on a traditional player, I pick Aaron Rodgers. Cannot wait for the "Hard Knocks" episodes and to see how he gels with the Jets. The connection between him and Garrett Wilson will be critical.
Hendricks is the author of Fantasy Football Guidebook, Fantasy Football Tips and Fantasy Football Basics, all available at ExtraPointPress.com, at all major bookstores, and at Amazon and BN.com. He is a 30-year fantasy football veteran who participated in the National Fantasy Football Championship (NFFC) and finished 7th and 16th overall in the 2008 and 2009 Fantasy Football Players Championship (FFPC). He won the Fantasy Index Open in 2013 and 2018.
BOB LUNG
Irv Smith has been tremendously underwhelming in his career so far. However, the offseason move to the Bengals gives me much hope in the Bengals using him like they did Hayden Hurst last season. Hurst missed four games and if he played in all 17 games, he would have been close to the top 12 in total points. Smith’s ADP is 27th, so he’s basically free if you have the bench to store him early. Don't hesitate to grab him late as your backup tight end, because he may be your starter or flex player sooner than you think.
Lung is the founder of Big Guy Fantasy Sports and the author of the Fantasy Football Consistency Guide. He can be found on Twitter @bob_lung.
IAN ALLAN
Aaron Rodgers will be the most interesting to observe, with the potential for him to elevate New York’s offense while simultaneously saying all kinds of crazy things. But in terms of constructing a fantasy roster, David Montgomery is the guy I have my eye on. I think he’s going to be Detroit’s best running back. He’s bigger and more experienced than Jahmyr Gibbs. Jamaal Williams scored a league-high 17 touchdowns in that offense last year, and I think Montgomery is better than Williams.
Allan is the senior writer for Fantasy Football Index magazine. He is a member of the FSGA’s Fantasy Sports Hall of Fame and the Fantasy Sports Writers Association Hall of Fame. He is an avid runner, swimmer and cyclist.
KEN HOLIZNA
The quarterbacks that moved would be interesting if it were five years ago. The running backs that moved are mostly in committees and the wide receivers have bad landing spots. I was doing mental gymnastics over choosing Darren Waller or Miles Sanders. With that said I’m in on the Waller wagon this year. I think things went south for him with the Raiders when he battled knee and ankle injuries in 2021 and missed a lot of training camp and games in 2022 with hamstring and contract issues. He should get back on track with a Giants team who not only wants him but needs him. Waller will be the top target for Danny Dimes and the Giants if he stays healthy, at worst No. 2. With his ADP between 62-76, the 7th tight end off the board, he represents some good value. I look for him to get back to his 2019-2020 form with an improved situation and opportunity. Keep in mind he is three years younger than Travis Kelce!
Holizna is a 29-year fantasy football enthusiast and founder of Faith-Family-Fantasy Football in 2019, a family-friendly, faith-based, G-rated fantasy football platform. Rankings contributor to the 2023 Fantasy Index magazine. Find him on Twitter @holihandicapper
MICHAEL NAZAREK
It will certainly be interesting to see if Aaron Rodgers can finally make the New York Jets relevant again with a playoff berth!
Nazarek is the CEO of Fantasy Football Mastermind Inc, celebrating 25 years online! His company offers a preseason draft guide, customizable cheat sheets, a multi-use fantasy drafting program including auction values, weekly in-season newsletters, injury reports and free NFL news (updated daily) at its web site, www.ffmastermind.com. He has been playing fantasy football since 1988 and is a four-peat champion of the SI.com Experts Fantasy League, a nationally published writer in several fantasy magazines and a former columnist for SI.com. He's also won nearly $30K in recent seasons of the FFPC High Stakes Main Event. Nazarek can be reached via email at miken@ffmastermind.com.
SCOTT SACHS
While DeAndre Hopkins and Aaron Rodgers are getting the ink, under-the-radar Jamaal Williams in New Orleans is really intriguing. Let's assume Kamara is going to get suspended for multiple weeks at a minimum. Rookie running back Kendre Miller has been highly touted this offseason as fantasy relevant due Kamara's unsettled situation. However, the Saints picked up 28-year-old ex-Lion Williams, who flashed an out-of-nowhere 17 rushing TDs in 2022. New Orleans looks like a strong contender in a weak division, so it may be that it's the veteran Williams getting most of the red-zone touches starting Week 1, not Miller, and certainly not Kamara.
With 2 perfect seasons and multiple league championships to his credit, Scott Sachs runs Perfect Season Fantasy Football, featuring LIVE Talk & Text Advice. He is a 3-time Winner of the Fantasy Index Experts Auction League, as well as a previous Winner of the Fantasy Index Experts Poll.
PAUL CHARCHIAN
New Giants' tight end Darren Waller has the upside to be the No. 2 fantasy tight end. We know Waller is as physically gifted as any tight end. And he's the most proven receiver in the Giants' offense. If he stays healthy, Waller is the kind of player whose upside can push a team into the playoffs and beyond.
Charchian is the CEO at GuillotineLeagues.com. Guillotine Leagues are a new way to play in which the lowest-scoring team each week gets chopped from the league, and all the players go to the waiver wire. Charchian was inducted into the Fantasy Sports Hall of Fame in 2013.
DAVID DOREY
I'd go with Miles Sanders, who ends up in Carolina, a team which was already top-8 in rushing attempts and yards last year. The Panthers want to rely on Sanders not only as a runner, but also as a receiver with a rookie quarterback in Bryce Young needing a quick outlet until he learns the pro game better. (But the reality is that the question has to have an asterisk on it since Dalvin Cook, Ezekiel Elliott, Leonard Fournette, and even Kareem Hunt have yet to sign with a new team and yet all should produce fantasy relevant stats, if not significant for at least Cook.)
Dorey co-founded The Huddle.com in 1997. He's ranked every player and projected every game for the last 23 years and is the author of Fantasy Football: The Next Level. David has appeared on numerous radio, television, newspaper and magazines over the last two decades.
ANDY RICHARDSON
The guy who left the Bears, David Montgomery, is probably the best bet for significant value among running backs. But I'm intrigued by the sleeper potential of D'Onta Foreman coming to Chicago. He had a really nice season for Carolina last year, yet the Panthers weren't interested in keeping him and the Bears aren't paying him big money. I haven't seen enough out of Khalil Herbert to assume he's going to seize the starting job; why not Foreman? He won't be coveted in drafts, but could be a solid starter and main running back, and one that's available with a much later pick than the bigger-name guys.
Richardson has been a contributing writer and editor to the Fantasy Football Index magazine and www.fantasyindex.com since 2002. His responsibilities include team defense and IDP projections and various site features, and he has run the magazine's annual experts draft and auction leagues since their inception. He previews all the NFL games on Saturdays and writes a wrap-up column on Mondays during the NFL season.