Green Bay Packers Fantasy Preview

by
Lukas Kacer
July 2, 2019

2018 Stats (Rank)

Total Offense: 5,905 yards (12th)
Offensive Touchdowns: 41 (18th)
Offensive Plays Per Game: 64.1 (8th)
Pass Attempts + Sacks: 693 (2nd)
Rush Attempts: 333 (32nd)
Run/Pass Split: Run – 32% | Pass – 68%
Unaccounted for Targets: 120
Unaccounted for Carries: 27

Projected Win Total

The Green Bay Packers over/under currently sits at 9.5, after they went 6-10 last season. The Packers are expected to improve for the 2019 season due to the new coach in Matt LaFleur, an entire offseason for Rodgers to build chemistry with his sophomore wide receivers and addressing the defense in free agency and the NFL Draft.

Strength of Schedule

SOS is measured by calculating the fantasy points allowed by each team’s opponents to determine who has the easiest and most difficult fantasy schedules (rank #1 has the easiest schedule).

QB: 25th
RB: 28th
WR: 19th
TE: 15th

Passing Game

QB: Aaron Rodgers, DeShone Kizer
WR: Davante Adams, Equanimeous St.Brown
WR: Geronimo Allison, Jake Kumerow
WR: Marquez Valdes-Scantling, J’Mon Moore
TE: Jimmy Graham, Jace Sternberger

The Packers passing game is, and will continue to be, good, as long as Aaron Rodgers is under center. He is being selected as QB3, on average. For the 2019 season, I expect another top-five total in pass attempts.

You know what you are getting when you draft a top wide receiver for Rodgers, and that is reflected in ADP, as Davante Adams is going as WR2 in PPR drafts, which is where he finished last season. A battle to keep an eye out for this offseason will be the battle for the WR2 spot. Will it be Geronimo Allison or Marquez Valdes-Scantling? Either way, the winner is going to have great value in fantasy. Currently, Allison is being drafted as WR47, while MVS is shortly behind, at WR52.

At tight end, Jimmy Graham had a disappointing first year in Green Bay, but McCarthy is known for not using his tight ends well. The revamped offense will use plenty of two tight end sets, which will feature Graham and rookie Jace Sternberger as the receiving threat. Currently, Graham has an ADP of TE18, while Sternberger is TE40. Both should outperform their current ADP.

Running Game

RB: Aaron Jones, Jamaal Williams, Dexter Williams
2018 OL Run Rank: 7th

The Packers run game seemed invisible last year, as they were last in the league in run attempts. However, with a top-10 offensive line and the addition of Billy Turner, I believe that new head coach Matt LaFleur is planning on using the run game a lot more. Aaron Jones is going to have great fantasy value regardless of if the team runs more, but if they choose to even out the passing and rushing game, then I expect for Jones to have a great season behind a solid offensive line. He will also be useful in PPR leagues, with LaFleur mentioning he wants to use the backs in the passing game more. Jones currently has an ADP of RB16, while Jamaal Williams is being selected as RB57, making him a great value, as he will see around 150 touches, with red zone work.