2023 BOLD Prediction Review

What’s up everyone?! How is everyone doing? The playoffs are going strong and we are in the thick of the Super Bowl race. My Browns’ magic ended in a great ball of fire but I am happy for the Texans. They’ve got a great thing going with CJ Stroud and company, and I hope to see many Trevor Lawrence/Stroud duels in the future.

As for fantasy football, we are in the offseason. We’re going to take a few weeks to review what all happened during the 2023 season, position by position, before transitioning to 2024 and looking ahead to rookie drafts and dynasty leagues. Some great stuff is coming down the pipeline, don’t you worry!

Before we get into a review of some bold predictions I had made in the preseason, let’s recap some NFL news that broke since we last saw each other.

Football News and Notes

• Bill Belichick is out as the Patriots head coach and was immediately replaced by Jerod Mayo who formerly played for the New England and was on the coaching staff for several years. Expect their defense to stay solid under this new head coach, but more than likely 2024 will be about rebuilding their sputtering offense.

• 🐻 Caleb Williams declared for the NFL Draft. Dynasty players with the 1.01 in their rookie drafts are all very excited now. Ok Chicago, what’s your move?

• 🦁 The Lions won their first playoff game since the 90’s. Sadly Matthew Stafford never could get over the hump while in Detroit and happened to be the opposing QB when the Lions finally broke the cold streak.

• For those who can’t wait to look at the incoming rookie class for fantasy football, I was involved in a “way-to-early” 2024 rookie mock draft with a great crew of analysts, check it out!

• Updates to follow as coaching vacancies are filled and more news breaks!

Bold Prediction Review

🎖️ Brian Robinson goes for 1400 yards and 10 TDs

I looked like a genius for the first few weeks of the season. Through the first three games, Brian Robinson was on pace for 1502 yards and 17 touchdowns. And then the wheels fell off. He wasn’t bad, with a 17-game pace of over 1200 yards and 11 touchdowns. He ended the year with 1,101 scrimmage yards and 9 scores after missing a few games with injuries. I’ll take it.

🔵 🟡 Diontae Johnson returns to PPR WR1 territory 🔴 

Soo, the 2023 Steelers offense was, well, not good. Diontae was the most reliable of the Pittsburgh pass-catching options, but his 47 reception, 628 yard, and 4 touchdown season was far from spectacular. In fact, it was hardly solid, as he was the WR44 in half-PPR points per game. Big miss here.

🤠 Jake Ferguson will be a top-8 fantasy TE

In half-PPR, this snuck in, just barely. Ferguson finished as the TE8 in fantasy football as the top short-area option for Dak Prescott with the departure of Dalton Schultz in the 2023 off-season.

🐏 Tyler Higbee will have a 90 reception, 7 TD season

Yet again, a big ol’ miss. I figured with Cooper Kupp out Tyler Higbee would be the man for at least a few weeks. I didn’t see Puka Nacua coming. I thought he’d be ok, but I didn’t see a record-breaking rookie incoming. Higbee ended the season with two touchdowns on 47 receptions, a far cry from what I had put out in the bold prediction.

🎖️ Sam Howell will be a QB1 in 2023

Last but not least, I said Sam Howell would be a QB1 in fantasy football. Through the majority of the season, it was a smashing success. From weeks 1-13, he was the QB4. THE QB4 overall! He averaged more points per game than Tua, Lamar, Lawrence, and Fields.

But eventually, the mounting sacks and hits behind his Swiss cheese offensive line got to him and he fell from grace. The tenacity to work through adversity was gone, and the early season “shake it off and get back at it” left him. He was benched for Jacoby Brissett several times, but he did just enough to finish as the overall QB12 in 2023.

That’s all I have for now! Take care and I will see you next week!