AFC West Divisional Podcast Recap for 2022

Andy, Mike, and Jason are back with another Divisional breakdown on Training Camp day! Get ready for all the reports and the silly information coming out while the guys promise to stay objective. A reminder we are back to five shows a week starting in August –  tune into The Fantasy Footballers Podcast on any and all of your devices!

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Let’s Get Divisional – AFC West

A quick reminder that this is a general overview of the teams in this division. Andy, Mike, and Jason will be talking about off-season changes from 2021-2022 and giving a basic overview of the offense last year and how it might function in 2022. The guys will also share their takes on who could win the division. Want more detail? Head over to the website and check out the UDK, brimming with tools like consistency charts, market share, and team opportunity.

Kansas City Chiefs (12-5)

The Chiefs lost to Cincinnati in the AFC championship game and, no doubt will come into the 2022 season with a bit of a chip on their shoulder. They were first in third down conversion rate, and per Warren Sharp, they also were first in both points per drive and yards per drive. The most significant change in Kansas City was the loss of Tyreek Hill. The team added RB Ronald Jones, WRs JuJu, and MVS and drafted Skyy Moore. Mike is bullish on MVS, who got the largest contract from the team. Patrick Mahomes, the QB1 through week seven, will have to find a solution for the loss of Hill. This might prove a challenge since QBs who lose their WR1s on average scored 2.5 fewer points per game the following year – that would still put him in the QB8-12 range, but his yards per attempt have dropped three years in a row. RB-wise we still have good ole CEH who only had two third-down targets last season. Joining him in the backfield is Ronald Jones, who, if he gets goal-line work, might be a value. Replacing all 4 WRs is something a bottom-feeding team does in an off-season, which is why it looked so odd when Kansas City did it. Losing Tyreek, they lose 25% of their air targets, and it should be intriguing to see where they are allocated. Do not forget about good ole Travis Kelce, who might just catch every ball this season. So much is unknown with this team, and Jason reminds us to watch them in the pre-season.

Vegas predicts the Chiefs to win 10.5 games this season.

Las Vegas Raiders (10-7)

The Raiders had a crazy 2021, trailing at some point in 15 of 17 games, but still making the playoffs. New head coach Josh McDaniels joins the squad along with their big acquisition Davante Adams. The Raiders also lost WRs Zay Jones, and Mike’s number one dude Bryan Edwards, but Adams should compensate nicely. Andy mentions that their defense is not good enough to put them in a position not to throw the ball frequently. The PFF low-ranked O-Line has not improved this season, and it is up in the air if they can protect Derek Carr, who failed to have a three-passing TD game last year. He started off hot last year as a top 12 QB in the first three weeks, and the million-dollar question is if the acquisition of Davante Adams can help him stay there. Adams is being drafted as the WR4 and has a clear connection with Carr as they were teammates in college, where Adams led the nation in multiple stats, and Carr did the same on the QB side. Jason feels he will command the targets but is uncertain if the TDs will be there. Last year’s fantasy darling Hunter Renfrow and TE Darren Waller remain to battle for the remainder of the targets. RB-wise, the solid Josh Jacobs still leads the backfield and only had one bust game in 2021. With Kenyan Drake, Brandon Bolden, and Rookie Zamir White it might end up being a New England-esque committee approach.

The Vegas win total for the Raiders is 8.5 games.

Los Angeles Chargers (9-8)

The Chargers liked what they did last season – how can you blame them – and they decided to ride that continuity into 2022. The HC, OC, WR1, WR2, and RB1 all return as well as a massively improved offensive line to help protect Justin Herbert, who finished the season with eight straight top-12 weeks. He is going as the third QB of the board in the late third round. Rookie Isaiah Spiller joins friend of the show Awesome Excellent in the backfield, and we wait to see if Ekeler will have any TD regression. Mike mentions that with their actions and words, the Chargers have shown that they want to find a compliment to Ekeler. The team also added WR Josh Palmer to the roster, who seems to be building a potential Fro-yo friendship with Justin Herbert. WR Keenan Allen gives you consistency, whereas Mike Williams can provide you some boom or bust weeks as well as an ulcer while watching him land on his shoulder every time he catches the football. In weeks 1-5, he was WR1, and for the rest of the season, he was WR40. In losing TE Jared Cook, the Chargers added Gerald Everett, who might be a sneaky late-round target or streamer on an offense that will throw and put-up points. Check out the article on the website, going deeper into Everett’s potential upside.

The Chargers are predicted to win ten games in 2022.

Denver Broncos (7-10)

It was uncomfortable to watch Denver play last season, but new head coach Nathaniel Hackett has a new chef in town, and it is QB Russell Wilson. Big hopes abound for the QB with the most 20+ yard TDs since 2020, and he brings a potential powerhouse offense to this team. He is being drafted as the QB9, and the guys seem comfortable with this current ADP. The RB twins Javonte Williams and Melvin Gordon remain, and the guys feel there is room for both to be great fantasy assets. In the seven times that there were two RBs with 200+ touches over the last decade, all of these RBs ended up inside the top-24, and the second RB drafted outperformed their ADP every time. The WR room is filled to the brim with options – Courtland Sutton, Jerry Jeudy, and Fireball Jones Tim Patrick and it come down to the best value. Everyone has been invited to the Russell Wilson party, and Mike is the highest on attendee Courtland Sutton. TE-wise, there is Albert O., and the Broncos also drafted Greg Dulcich.

The Denver Broncos are predicted to win ten games this year.

Wrap-Up

In what seems to be the toughest division to predict so far, Jason and Mike say Denver wins the division. Andy begrudgingly sides with the Kansas City Chiefs. Jason’s most challenging player to project is RB Zamir White, and Mike says Hunter Renfrow. Finally, Andy says that Jalen Guyton could be a sneaky player for 2022, with all the excitement centered on Josh Palmer. Mike says TE Greg Dulcich is a sneaky player as well.