NFC South Fantasy Football Rankings: Grades for all four teams
Fantasy football analyst Matt Harmon hands out grades to every NFL team based on their fantasy juice for 2023. Check out the NFC South grades below — go here for his full NFC rundown.
Carolina Panthers: D+
The Panthers have lost a ton of talent since the start of last season but did acquire a franchise quarterback prospect in Bryce Young. Counting on rookie quarterbacks to be high-level starters in Year 1 is usually a bad bet, but Young has a great coaching staff and solid offensive line to work behind.
The skill-position room is another story.
Miles Sanders is the best player here. He’s a good runner and should be a bit more utilized in the passing game in Carolina than he was recently in Philadelphia. Hayden Hurst is an acceptable tight end but not a difference-maker. If you squint at the receiver room, you can see guys who will fit in solid roles — Adam Thielen the savvy vet chainmover, D.J. Chark the vertical threat — but these free-agent adds haven’t played at their peaks in years and players such as Terrace Marshall Jr. and Laviska Shenault have flopped. Unless Jonathan Mingo (I am a fan) is a starter out the gate, this unit is an issue.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: C
The Bucs are a tough unit to grade because they’ve had one of the best wide receiver duos in the NFL in Mike Evans and Chris Godwin but severe questions everywhere else. It’s also fair to say that neither Evans nor Godwin is coming off his best season. Godwin can easily bounce back one year removed from an ACL tear, but it’s at least worth wondering if we’re in the early stages of Evans’ decline. 2023 free-agent signing Russell Gage struggled with injuries last year but is a great WR3 option.
Beyond that, the Bucs don’t have a proven quality starter at tight end or running back. Rachaad White wasn’t consistently effective as a runner last year but has a clear runway to the starting job in 2023.
And then there’s the quarterback question. I just cannot bring myself to believe in the Baker Mayfield/Kyle Trask room the Bucs will field. Mayfield has sunk pass offenses with similar talent to this crew. Trask is a complete unknown.
Atlanta Falcons: B-
I love what the Falcons have going on offense. The Desmond Ridder uncertainty is the only thing holding them back from an A. I think Ridder can be functional, at least, but I’m sure about the talent surrounding him.
Drake London proven himself to be a star-caliber X-receiver prospect in Year 1, and Kyle Pitts is a dynamic tight end. Bijan Robinson will add juice to the run game, and it sounds like they want to use him in multiple facets. Tyler Allgeier might be too good to be a simple backup running back and was an efficient runner as a rookie. The receiver depth is an issue, but overall, the high-end talent on this team is too desirable to ignore.
New Orleans Saints: B-
I really like what the Saints have going, and it starts with Chris Olave. The 2022 rookie was absolutely sublime when viewed in isolation last year. He’s already a star-caliber route runner and can shred defenses in the vertical game. Everything about Olave’s game screams superstar No. 1 wide receiver. He could be the next Justin Jefferson. While the Raiders unceremoniously dumped Derek Carr, he’s an above-average quarterback who can lift Olave to a mega-season.
The rest of the roster has quality players as well. Michael Thomas is a wild card and looked like a declining player last year, but he could be a WR2 behind Olave. If not, I am very intrigued by Rashid Shaheed as a John Brown-type of receiver. The tight-end tandem is quite good. The running back room has both a solid option in Jamaal Williams and a high-upside bet in rookie Kendre Miller if/when Alvin Kamara is suspended.