NFC fantasy winners/losers

By: Josh Frey-Sam

It will have to be the CeeDee Lamb show again, and that’s not ideal for anyone.

The Dallas Cowboys felt like one of the easier teams to mock draft this spring. Sure, there was always a chance they threw fans a curveball — like they did by selecting guard Tyler Booker in the first round — but everything pointed to them bringing a new receiver to North Texas.

And it made sense.

The Cowboys lived and died by the Dak Prescott-to-CeeDee Lamb connection until the former went down with a season-ending injury in Week 8. Lamb still ended with 152 targets and 24.4% of the team’s target share.

But without a legitimate No. 2 receiver in the fold again this season, it makes it a bit easier for teams to hone in on stopping the Cowboys' top threat.

The Cowboys obviously believe Jalen Tolbert can rise into that calibre of player and take some of the weight off Lamb.

Don’t get me wrong, Lamb will still eat next season — his target share won’t allow him to be a complete bust — but I do question whether we’ll get the optimal fantasy output from him.

There’s no doubt he was a loser in the draft process.

I have some other winners and losers that emerged from last month’s draft.

James Connor (ARI), winner: The Cardinals didn’t really do much to affect the offence in the draft so it’s tough to single out a winner or a loser, but I suppose if you were going to look at one, it could be Connor. He’s entering his age-30 season, but clearly the Cards believe in him and Trey Benson to lead the rushing attack. We’ll see if Connor can maintain his hold on the lion’s share of touches.

Bijan Robinson (ATL), winner: Similar to Arizona, the Falcons didn’t do much offensively. I’ll go with Bijan as a winner because Atlanta’s defence should improve, which could, in turn, lead to more fourth-quarter leads and a few more rushing attempts.

Bryce Young (CAR), winner: I’m not the highest on Tet McMilan, but adding one of the top weapons in the draft is only good news for Young, who will look to take another step this season. The Panthers offensive weapons are rounding into shape on paper.

Caleb Williams (CHI), winner: The Bears used their first three picks on two weapons and an offensive lineman. Williams might be the biggest winner of the offseason.

Tim Patrick (DET), loser: Not sure anyone had Patrick high on their fantasy radar, regardless, but the addition of Isaac TeSlaa will hurt his value in deeper formats, and even limits his appeal if there’s an injury.

Romeo Doubs/Dontavion Wicks (GB), losers: This Packers WR room just got a whole lot tighter. It was Mecole Hardman before the draft, and Matthew Golden and Savion Williams during the draft. There are a lot of mouths to feed on this roster, and it makes for a tough decision on which one to take a chance on.

Kyren Williams (LAR), loser: Williams still has a firm grip on the starting job, but I just wonder if the Rams are looking at this as a year where they can lighten his workload to preserve him a bit for the playoffs. Blake Corum enters his second year, and now they’ve added a capable runner in Jarquez Hunter. Williams is coming off a year in which he logged 350 touches. Maybe that decreases with more depth behind him.

Aaron Jones (MIN), winner: Looking at the Vikings RB room, would anyone have been surprised if the Vikings drafted a back high in the draft? Maybe a bit, considering they only had five selections, but the fact that they left the RB room alone is a major vote of confidence for Jones.

New Orleans Saints offence, losers: Listen, I’m as high on Tyler Shough as anyone, but this is a bad Saints team. I’m just not sure who, outside of Alvin Kamara, emerges from this offence as a dependable asset. The loss of Derek Carr hurts.

Tyrone Tracy Jr. (NYG), loser: There were already questions about the Giants’ loyalty to Tracy Jr., who fumbled five times last season. Cam Skattebo, a third-round pick, only adds to the murkiness. I presume this will be Tracy Jr.’s backfield to start the year, I just wonder about the longevity.

Philadelphia Eagles offence, winners: Eagles didn’t touch the offence until the fifth round when they added a centre. They’re running this thing back. Expect more goodness.

George Kittle (SF), winner: This is more of a post-draft winner, but the Niners not drafting a TE or trading away Kittle amid contract negotiations — ultimately getting a deal done last week — suggests they’re committed to him being a big part of their offence going forward.

Sam Darnold (SEA), winner: Darnold needs to be protected to have a shot at being successful. The Hawks addressed that in the first round by selecting Grey Zabel. More weapons never hurt either. The Hawks did that too with second-round TE Elijah Arroyo and fifth-round WR Tory Horton.

Baker Mayfield (TB), winner: He’s got his full complement of weapons, plus a first-round WR now in the mix. Baker’s in line for another awesome season.

Brian Robinson Jr. (WAS), winner: There was a lot of smoke around the Commanders taking a RB in the first few rounds. They didn’t draft one until the seventh round. Robinson Jr. is once again a sleeper in 2025-26.

Thanks for reading and, as always, have a great day.

Josh