Post by Pittsburgh Steelers (Malachi) on Sept 8, 2022 22:06:29 GMT -5
Peyton Manning Division Preview: 2 seasons, 2 division winners, 2 AFC Championship game participants. The Peyton Manning division has been a brutal one, but a fun one both seasons thus far. Questions coming into 2022 will be, can the rookie Nathan make it back to back rookies in the league winning the division, can Jordan repeat as division champion and fend off 3 hungry opponents, can Jacob reclaim the division crown after losing out on it last season, and can Garrett break through and win the division after finishing 2nd in both seasons to this point? With a division that has sent a team to the final 4 both seasons, there is a lot of expectation put on the shoulders of all 4 teams in this division to do that again this season and take it a step further and be 1 of the Super Bowl teams this season. I believe the winner of this division won't be decided until the last week of the season and it very well could be a 3 team race to that spot. All 4 teams have a real shot to win this division, it will just rely heavily on who gets things to break their way and who can find consistency. The division is also offensively loaded so the difference here might be who can put together the best defense and separate from the pack.
Denver Broncos (Nathan): 2021 Record: 6-7
First up in our list of write ups, a rookie to LHL and from what I know a rookie to dynasty. Some of you in the league know Aaron (Dallas in Canton), well Nathan is the younger brother of Aaron and is taking over the Broncos here to hopefully stabilize a team that is on its FOURTH owner in just this off-season. The first two guys that left will never be allowed back, Ryan, however I totally respect his decision and would welcome him back any time he feels ready. Now onto this Broncos team. The team finished 3-9 in year 1 and 6-7 in year 2, so can Nathan continue the 3 win upward trajectory for a 3rd straight year and make the Broncos a contender this year? For this team to be a contender it will start at the QB spot, Kyler will be a top 10 candidate if not top 5 at the position so that will be the biggest plus on this offense this season. Behind QB, it will be WR that is the next best position as the team has Jerry Jeudy, who gets a boost from the arrival of Wilson, Gallup, once he comes back will see a bigger share of targets with the WRs that are not around in Dallas this season, DeVonta Smith, KJ Osborn, who is the solidified #3 in the Vikings offense this season, Tyler Johnson, and rookies Jalen Tolbert and Calvin Austin III. It is a young group, but one that has plenty of potential and upside. The TE spot will be manned by Kyle Rudolph unless someone else is brought in, so that will be the weakest link in the offensive unit by far as the only unit left is RB and they have a potential top 10 guy in Leonard Fournette, Gus Edwards, when he comes back, and the rookie Isaiah Spiller. Not many teams will lead their defense off with the DL, but when you have the best player at the position then another top 10 guy in Aaron Donald and Cam Jordan respectively, the unit will be consistent and trust worthy all season long, then add in Gregory Rousseau behind them, those 3 will keep that position on lock. The LB group is a solid one as well and will be led by Eric Kendricks, Isaiah Simmons, Josey Jewell, and Drue Tranquill. It will be rounded out by K’Lavon Chaisson and Mack Wilson to give the team 6 solid options. The question mark on defense will be DB as the team has Chidobe Awuzie, Patrick Surtain, and Greedy Williams as the players there. It is a risky strategy to rely on just CBs at DB, but that is how Denver will roll out to open the season. By finishing in last place in the division last season, the Broncos will have the easiest schedule of the 4 teams in the division, so Nathan will hope that helps this team climb the standings to a potential playoff spot.
Projected Division Finish: 4th
Indianapolis Colts (Jordan): 2021 Record: 10-3
Jordan really made his mark on this Colts team in his first season in the league. The previous owner led the team to a 3 win season, then Jordan saw his iteration only lose 3 games last season and made it to the AFC Championship game against Buffalo. In a division that looks as tough as this one does, it was impressive work by Jordan to win the division in his first season, given where the team finished the year before, but a trade for Saquon, among other numerous moves during the season really helped this team explode. As Jordan heads into his sophomore season here, the team is set up to be competitive once again and should be the favorite to win the division. Coming into the 2022 season the QB spot will be manned solely by Tom Brady this season, where last season, Matt Ryan was still around. For Jordan in 2022, the success of this team will likely live and die by the dynamic duo of CMC and Saquon at RB. The duo will either both be in the top 3 or 4 spots in the RB position for the season, or both will play a combined 8 games, I don’t see a scenario where it is anywhere in between. Those 2 will be backed up by Raheem Mostert, who will need to establish himself in a crowded Miami backfield. On offense, it would appear that WR will be the most consistent position for the Colts as they have Chris Godwin, Laviska Shenault, Tyler Boyd, and Jarvis Landry leading the way. Josh Reynolds and Zay Jones will be the veteran depth behind those 4 with rookies Danny Gray and John Metchie, who will unfortunately miss the season, rounding out the unit for a very deep unit. If there is a position that Jordan will worry about on offense this season, it will likely be TE. Hunter Henry will be the starter, but Jordan will have Cameron Brate and rookie Greg Dulcich on the roster as well, so there is depth, but the quality will need to be proven as the season goes on. Unlike numerous teams in the league, Jordan will be strong at DB with 4 very solid options. Jayron Kearse, Amani Hooker, Nasir Adderley, and Adrian Amos give the team a shot at having the best DB group in the league here in 2022. The 2nd best group on the defense here will be the LB group and it is thanks to Bobby Wagner leading the way. With Wagner moving to the Rams, he will continue to be a top LB both in real football and fantasy football. David Long looks like he is gonna be leaned on in Tennessee more and more this season, so he will be a fantastic 2nd option with Kamu Grugier-Hill behind him. If Baron Browning can break out in the Broncos defense it will give this defense a quartet of very good options at LB. Like offense with TE, there is a spot on defense that will worry Jordan this season and that is DL. Javon Hargrave and Emmanuel Ogbah are very solid options there, but only 2 guys on NFL teams will not hold up all season, so Jordan will need JPP to sign with a team or Jordan will need to sign some depth for the position. Thanks to being in a brutal division and also winning the division last year, Jordan has the toughest schedule headed into the season, so will that be a reason the rest of the division catches him or is this Colts team talented enough to not worry about that?
Predicted Division Finish: 1st
Las Vegas Raiders (Jacob): 2021 Record: 7-6
After a successful season in 2020 where the Raiders won the division, they came into the 2021 season with a much tougher schedule and a target on their back from the rest of the division and a 7-6 third place division finish showed just as much. Despite the regression in year 2, the Raiders still made the playoffs as the 6 seed and were able to come out on top of their first round matchup with the Titans. The win put them in the divisional round where they squared off with the eventual 2021 LHL Super Bowl Champion, the Buffalo Bills. Jacob has shown more of a build with what you have type of plan with his roster and this past off-season the most notable change for his team was the fact that Rusell Wilson moved from Seattle to Denver and also Robert Woods moved from LA to Tennessee. The offense did add rookies Tyler Allgeier and David Bell, but is running it back with the same players he had a year ago. The defense is a slimmed down version of the 2021 iteration as some aging veterans were allowed to leave and so were some RFAs like Austin Johnson and Jarren Reed on the DL. Damone Clark was the rookie added to the unit as the sole addition to the defense. As Jacob looks to reclaim the top spot in the division he will rely on Russell Wilson to get rolling in Denver quickly this season. Of the skill positions for the Raiders, it'll be WR that does the most damage this season as they have Keenan Allen, Robert Woods, and Brandon Aiyuk to lead the way there. Jacob will see if one of his Browns WRs, Peoples-Jones or David Bell, can break out this season and will also have Aaron Rodgers favored guy Randall Cobb to provide depth at the position. With only Tyler Higbee on the roster, TE will be a cause for concern for Jacob this season, but Higbee has big point potential in a potent Rams offense. At RB Jacob has some interesting options. Cordarrelle Patterson will be the lead back for the group, but Elijah Mitchell and Kenneth Gainwell have high end upside, especially if they start to see the bulk of the work on their offenses. Tyler Allgeier is behind Patterson, but should see work in Atlanta so he could be useful as the season progresses. As we switch to the defensive side of things, the LB group will be the key unit as Jordan Hicks, Matt Milano, Josh Bynes, Jamin Davis, and rookie Damone Clark will be a very solid unit this season. They will need to lead the way for this defense to be competitive week to week. Next up would be DB. Minkah clearly leads the way there, but Darnell Savage and Elijah Molden should be helpful behind Minkah if they play well this season. Jimmie Ward will be back at some point this season to give the DB unit some much needed depth. At DL, the Raiders currently only have 2 players on the roster with Buckner and Robert Quinn, while strong options at the position the zero bit of depth behind them will be an issue this season. Overall the defense lacks depth and Jacob will need to sign some guys or hope his guys perform and stay on the field all season. Can Jacob benefit this season from finishing 3rd in the division last year and beat the other teams that finished there across the league? He will need to, to make a playoff run in a division as strong as this one will be.
Predicted Division Finish: 3rd
Los Angeles Chargers (Garrett): 2021 Record: 9-4
So far in the 2 seasons of LHL, Garrett and the Chargers have been the bridesmaid and never the bride in the division as the team has had to settle for 2nd both seasons. Going into both seasons it looked like the Chargers were lined up to win the division and be a Super Bowl threat in the AFC. Last season it was a divisional round exit as they lost to the team that beat them for the division, the Indianapolis Colts. As Garrett goes to remount for a charge at the division this season, he will do it with a new QB as he moved on from Wentz and brought in Matt Ryan. He also moved on from a duo of veteran RBs this off-season and replaced them with a trio of rookie RBs. The offense will be the better side of the ball this season for the Chargers and it starts with a loaded WR room. The unit is led by arguably the best WR in the league, in his new home of LV, Davante Adams. Not to be outdone by Adams, Amari Cooper and Ceedee Lamb are there as well and will produce as the WR1s on their teams this season. Then Parris Campbell looks to get a boost from his new QB. Speaking of Campbell’s QB, it is the Chargers new QB this season Matt Ryan, can Matty Ice make the Colts an NFL Super Bowl contender and the Chargers an LHL Super Bowl contender this season? As mentioned, the RB room is virtually brand new with the only returning man being James Conner, who will lead the group. Dontrell Hilliard will be the veteran depth at the position. Garrett will look to see which RB of the trio Rachaad White, Tyrion Davis-Price, and Hassan Haskins will pan out this season to provide needed depth at the position. Mike Gesicki will lead the 3 man rotation at TE this season, with Josiah Deguara and Adam Trautman spelling him when need be. The defense has lost some depth since last season, but will be led by the dynamic DB duo of Jeremy Chinn and Antoine Winfield. They will be backed up by rookie Jaquan Brisker. While probably the 2nd best unit, the LB spot is not also without some question marks heading into the season. The unit is led by JOK and Deion Jones, once he comes back from injury. The questions begin with the 5 guys behind those two as Jayon Brown, Micah McFadden, Jermaine Carter, Malik Harrison, and Justin Strnad all have various reasons for them to not be trusted this season, whether it be playing time, being a rookie, or just being a FA. Demarcus Lawrence seems like a safe play at DL for Garrett and Jerry Tillery will likely be as well, but Payton Turner as the only depth makes the unit as a whole a big question mark this season. Maybe the 3rd time's the charm for Garrett and winning the division. Will playing the other 2nd place finishing teams, while his biggest competitor plays a harder schedule benefit Garrett this time around?
Predicted Division Finish: 2nd
Denver Broncos (Nathan): 2021 Record: 6-7
First up in our list of write ups, a rookie to LHL and from what I know a rookie to dynasty. Some of you in the league know Aaron (Dallas in Canton), well Nathan is the younger brother of Aaron and is taking over the Broncos here to hopefully stabilize a team that is on its FOURTH owner in just this off-season. The first two guys that left will never be allowed back, Ryan, however I totally respect his decision and would welcome him back any time he feels ready. Now onto this Broncos team. The team finished 3-9 in year 1 and 6-7 in year 2, so can Nathan continue the 3 win upward trajectory for a 3rd straight year and make the Broncos a contender this year? For this team to be a contender it will start at the QB spot, Kyler will be a top 10 candidate if not top 5 at the position so that will be the biggest plus on this offense this season. Behind QB, it will be WR that is the next best position as the team has Jerry Jeudy, who gets a boost from the arrival of Wilson, Gallup, once he comes back will see a bigger share of targets with the WRs that are not around in Dallas this season, DeVonta Smith, KJ Osborn, who is the solidified #3 in the Vikings offense this season, Tyler Johnson, and rookies Jalen Tolbert and Calvin Austin III. It is a young group, but one that has plenty of potential and upside. The TE spot will be manned by Kyle Rudolph unless someone else is brought in, so that will be the weakest link in the offensive unit by far as the only unit left is RB and they have a potential top 10 guy in Leonard Fournette, Gus Edwards, when he comes back, and the rookie Isaiah Spiller. Not many teams will lead their defense off with the DL, but when you have the best player at the position then another top 10 guy in Aaron Donald and Cam Jordan respectively, the unit will be consistent and trust worthy all season long, then add in Gregory Rousseau behind them, those 3 will keep that position on lock. The LB group is a solid one as well and will be led by Eric Kendricks, Isaiah Simmons, Josey Jewell, and Drue Tranquill. It will be rounded out by K’Lavon Chaisson and Mack Wilson to give the team 6 solid options. The question mark on defense will be DB as the team has Chidobe Awuzie, Patrick Surtain, and Greedy Williams as the players there. It is a risky strategy to rely on just CBs at DB, but that is how Denver will roll out to open the season. By finishing in last place in the division last season, the Broncos will have the easiest schedule of the 4 teams in the division, so Nathan will hope that helps this team climb the standings to a potential playoff spot.
Projected Division Finish: 4th
Indianapolis Colts (Jordan): 2021 Record: 10-3
Jordan really made his mark on this Colts team in his first season in the league. The previous owner led the team to a 3 win season, then Jordan saw his iteration only lose 3 games last season and made it to the AFC Championship game against Buffalo. In a division that looks as tough as this one does, it was impressive work by Jordan to win the division in his first season, given where the team finished the year before, but a trade for Saquon, among other numerous moves during the season really helped this team explode. As Jordan heads into his sophomore season here, the team is set up to be competitive once again and should be the favorite to win the division. Coming into the 2022 season the QB spot will be manned solely by Tom Brady this season, where last season, Matt Ryan was still around. For Jordan in 2022, the success of this team will likely live and die by the dynamic duo of CMC and Saquon at RB. The duo will either both be in the top 3 or 4 spots in the RB position for the season, or both will play a combined 8 games, I don’t see a scenario where it is anywhere in between. Those 2 will be backed up by Raheem Mostert, who will need to establish himself in a crowded Miami backfield. On offense, it would appear that WR will be the most consistent position for the Colts as they have Chris Godwin, Laviska Shenault, Tyler Boyd, and Jarvis Landry leading the way. Josh Reynolds and Zay Jones will be the veteran depth behind those 4 with rookies Danny Gray and John Metchie, who will unfortunately miss the season, rounding out the unit for a very deep unit. If there is a position that Jordan will worry about on offense this season, it will likely be TE. Hunter Henry will be the starter, but Jordan will have Cameron Brate and rookie Greg Dulcich on the roster as well, so there is depth, but the quality will need to be proven as the season goes on. Unlike numerous teams in the league, Jordan will be strong at DB with 4 very solid options. Jayron Kearse, Amani Hooker, Nasir Adderley, and Adrian Amos give the team a shot at having the best DB group in the league here in 2022. The 2nd best group on the defense here will be the LB group and it is thanks to Bobby Wagner leading the way. With Wagner moving to the Rams, he will continue to be a top LB both in real football and fantasy football. David Long looks like he is gonna be leaned on in Tennessee more and more this season, so he will be a fantastic 2nd option with Kamu Grugier-Hill behind him. If Baron Browning can break out in the Broncos defense it will give this defense a quartet of very good options at LB. Like offense with TE, there is a spot on defense that will worry Jordan this season and that is DL. Javon Hargrave and Emmanuel Ogbah are very solid options there, but only 2 guys on NFL teams will not hold up all season, so Jordan will need JPP to sign with a team or Jordan will need to sign some depth for the position. Thanks to being in a brutal division and also winning the division last year, Jordan has the toughest schedule headed into the season, so will that be a reason the rest of the division catches him or is this Colts team talented enough to not worry about that?
Predicted Division Finish: 1st
Las Vegas Raiders (Jacob): 2021 Record: 7-6
After a successful season in 2020 where the Raiders won the division, they came into the 2021 season with a much tougher schedule and a target on their back from the rest of the division and a 7-6 third place division finish showed just as much. Despite the regression in year 2, the Raiders still made the playoffs as the 6 seed and were able to come out on top of their first round matchup with the Titans. The win put them in the divisional round where they squared off with the eventual 2021 LHL Super Bowl Champion, the Buffalo Bills. Jacob has shown more of a build with what you have type of plan with his roster and this past off-season the most notable change for his team was the fact that Rusell Wilson moved from Seattle to Denver and also Robert Woods moved from LA to Tennessee. The offense did add rookies Tyler Allgeier and David Bell, but is running it back with the same players he had a year ago. The defense is a slimmed down version of the 2021 iteration as some aging veterans were allowed to leave and so were some RFAs like Austin Johnson and Jarren Reed on the DL. Damone Clark was the rookie added to the unit as the sole addition to the defense. As Jacob looks to reclaim the top spot in the division he will rely on Russell Wilson to get rolling in Denver quickly this season. Of the skill positions for the Raiders, it'll be WR that does the most damage this season as they have Keenan Allen, Robert Woods, and Brandon Aiyuk to lead the way there. Jacob will see if one of his Browns WRs, Peoples-Jones or David Bell, can break out this season and will also have Aaron Rodgers favored guy Randall Cobb to provide depth at the position. With only Tyler Higbee on the roster, TE will be a cause for concern for Jacob this season, but Higbee has big point potential in a potent Rams offense. At RB Jacob has some interesting options. Cordarrelle Patterson will be the lead back for the group, but Elijah Mitchell and Kenneth Gainwell have high end upside, especially if they start to see the bulk of the work on their offenses. Tyler Allgeier is behind Patterson, but should see work in Atlanta so he could be useful as the season progresses. As we switch to the defensive side of things, the LB group will be the key unit as Jordan Hicks, Matt Milano, Josh Bynes, Jamin Davis, and rookie Damone Clark will be a very solid unit this season. They will need to lead the way for this defense to be competitive week to week. Next up would be DB. Minkah clearly leads the way there, but Darnell Savage and Elijah Molden should be helpful behind Minkah if they play well this season. Jimmie Ward will be back at some point this season to give the DB unit some much needed depth. At DL, the Raiders currently only have 2 players on the roster with Buckner and Robert Quinn, while strong options at the position the zero bit of depth behind them will be an issue this season. Overall the defense lacks depth and Jacob will need to sign some guys or hope his guys perform and stay on the field all season. Can Jacob benefit this season from finishing 3rd in the division last year and beat the other teams that finished there across the league? He will need to, to make a playoff run in a division as strong as this one will be.
Predicted Division Finish: 3rd
Los Angeles Chargers (Garrett): 2021 Record: 9-4
So far in the 2 seasons of LHL, Garrett and the Chargers have been the bridesmaid and never the bride in the division as the team has had to settle for 2nd both seasons. Going into both seasons it looked like the Chargers were lined up to win the division and be a Super Bowl threat in the AFC. Last season it was a divisional round exit as they lost to the team that beat them for the division, the Indianapolis Colts. As Garrett goes to remount for a charge at the division this season, he will do it with a new QB as he moved on from Wentz and brought in Matt Ryan. He also moved on from a duo of veteran RBs this off-season and replaced them with a trio of rookie RBs. The offense will be the better side of the ball this season for the Chargers and it starts with a loaded WR room. The unit is led by arguably the best WR in the league, in his new home of LV, Davante Adams. Not to be outdone by Adams, Amari Cooper and Ceedee Lamb are there as well and will produce as the WR1s on their teams this season. Then Parris Campbell looks to get a boost from his new QB. Speaking of Campbell’s QB, it is the Chargers new QB this season Matt Ryan, can Matty Ice make the Colts an NFL Super Bowl contender and the Chargers an LHL Super Bowl contender this season? As mentioned, the RB room is virtually brand new with the only returning man being James Conner, who will lead the group. Dontrell Hilliard will be the veteran depth at the position. Garrett will look to see which RB of the trio Rachaad White, Tyrion Davis-Price, and Hassan Haskins will pan out this season to provide needed depth at the position. Mike Gesicki will lead the 3 man rotation at TE this season, with Josiah Deguara and Adam Trautman spelling him when need be. The defense has lost some depth since last season, but will be led by the dynamic DB duo of Jeremy Chinn and Antoine Winfield. They will be backed up by rookie Jaquan Brisker. While probably the 2nd best unit, the LB spot is not also without some question marks heading into the season. The unit is led by JOK and Deion Jones, once he comes back from injury. The questions begin with the 5 guys behind those two as Jayon Brown, Micah McFadden, Jermaine Carter, Malik Harrison, and Justin Strnad all have various reasons for them to not be trusted this season, whether it be playing time, being a rookie, or just being a FA. Demarcus Lawrence seems like a safe play at DL for Garrett and Jerry Tillery will likely be as well, but Payton Turner as the only depth makes the unit as a whole a big question mark this season. Maybe the 3rd time's the charm for Garrett and winning the division. Will playing the other 2nd place finishing teams, while his biggest competitor plays a harder schedule benefit Garrett this time around?
Predicted Division Finish: 2nd
