Predictions for the AFC South, West and NFC West
AFC South
1. Tennessee Titans 11-5
I think everyones sleeper teams this year have been the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Tennessee Titans. After this season, I think it'll be safe to change that name from sleeper to contender. I think this team is extremely talented and will have a ton of breakout players. I think this team will have at most 2 losses inside the division as they crush the AFC South.
Team MVP
QB Marcus Mariota
ROY
WR Taywan Taylor
BPOY
S Jonathan Cyprien
Fantasy MVP
QB Marcus Mariota
2. Houston Texans 9-7
Last year, everybody (except for me) thought this team was the real deal... then Brock Osweiler happened. I think this defense is the best in football and will have the most sacks out of any team this upcoming season. I'll give you a bold prediction... In all of the Texans wins this season, not one of those losing teams will have scored more than 21 points. For the Texans I think they will bench Tom Savage around week 5 or 6 and Deshaun Watson will come in and BALL OUT! I think Deandre Hopkins has a bounce back year and the Texans have a pretty good season.
Team MVP
DE Jadeveon Clowney
ROY
QB Deshaun Watson
BPOY
WR Braxton Miller
Fantasy MVP
WR Deandre Hopkins
3. Indianapolis Colts 7-9
The Colts quarterback situation right now is a mess. They just traded for QB Jacoby Brissett who isn't a quarterback known for his arm and needs to learn the playbook, they have struggling backup quarterback Scott Tolzien, and Andrew Luck who is most likely going to be out for the first 3/4 games. Their WR's are solid and Defense is improving, I think this year is more of a rebuilding/reevaluating stage.
Team MVP
TE Jack Doyle
ROY
RB Marlon Mack
BPOY
TE Jack Doyle
Fantasy MVP
QB Andrew Luck
4. Jacksonville Jaguars 3-13
The Jaguars have one missing piece to the puzzle, and that one piece is at the quarterback position. Besides that Marquise Lee is looking really good and Allen Robinson is finding ways to get open. In the running game, the Jags drafted Leonard Fournette with a top-5 pick but he's been out with a foot injury for the final 3 games of preseason. They have a fast young defense led by Jalen Ramsey but I see the Jags struggling this year...
Team MVP
CB Jalen Ramsey
ROY
OT Cam Robinson
BPOY
WR Marquise Lee
Fantasy MVP
WR Allen Robinson
AFC West
1. Oakland Raiders 12-4
Before Derek Carr got injured last season the Raiders were very much Superbowl Contenders, now that they have him back, I think Carr picks up from where he left off. The Raiders have an improved running game with Mr. Oakland himself (Marshawn Lynch) and still have great wide outs. The Raiders defense is trending towards a positive direction and I think this team is the real deal.
Team MVP
QB Derek Carr
ROY
S Obi Melifonwu
BPOY
TE Jared Cook
Fantasy MVP
QB Derek Carr
2. Los Angeles Chargers 8-8
Surprise! I know most of you are scratching your heads with this pick, but I really like what the Chargers are doing; I love the hiring of Anthony Lynn, reestablishing a strong offensive line, and everything they did in the draft. I think by the time this season ends, the Chargers will have the same potential the titans do this year. I think their defense surprises everyone this year and dominates, they have a great front-7 and elite CB's and solid safety.
Team MVP
DE Joey Bosa
ROY
S Desmond King
BPOY
LB Kyle Emmanuel
Fantasy MVP
RB Melvin Gordon
3. Kansas City Chiefs 7-9
It happened again! Alex Smith loses his job to the younger sexier quarterback in Patrick Mahomes... I think this year the Chiefs take one step back to move 10 steps forward. This year we will see if Tyreek Hill is the real deal or not and if Travis Kelce is really the best tight end in the NFL. I think Marcus Peters proves he's a top tier corner in the league but their defense struggles more than years past. In the run game, I think Kareem Hunt will have around 1,000 yards in his rookie campaign (if he plays the full 16 game season) but their offensive line will have some trouble with pass protection.
Team MVP
CB Marcus Peters
ROY
QB Patrick Mahomes
BPOY
RB Kareem Hunt
Fantasy MVP
RB Kareem Hunt
4. Denver Broncos 5-11
I cannot tell you want is going on in Denver right now, their QB situation is in my opinion the worst in the league... they have the "newly" signed quarterback Brock Osweiler, the first round potential guy who is turning out to be a bust in Paxton Lynch, and the "pretty good" Trevor Simeion. I think CJ Anderson should be "the guy" in that Broncos back field and their offensive strength will be in the run game. In my opinion their defense is on the decline especially with the loss of TJ Ward. Chris Harris is a beast and that is who will benefit most in Vance Joseph's defensive scheme.
Team MVP
CB Chris Harris
ROY
RB Deangelo Henderson
BPOY
WR Jordan Taylor
Fantasy MVP
RB CJ Anderson
NFC West
1. Arizona Cardinals 10-6
I think this team will have a bounce back season this year in a final year performance for both Carson Palmer and Larry Fitzgerald. My gut tells me Larry Fitzgerald will have a legendary type season this year. I think Tyrann Mathieu returns to probowl form coming off of injury and Patrick Peterson locks up the NFC West. I think RB David Johnson will have 1000-1000 yard season and will be an MVP candidate this year.
Team MVP
RB David Johnson
ROY
S Budda Baker
BPOY
WR Larry Fitzgerald
Fantasy MVP
RB David Johnson
2. Seattle Seahawks 10-6
This year, I think Seattle is going to struggle a whole ton with the run game and be known as a pass-first offense. If I said this 2 years ago, there's no way you'd believe me but yes, I'm saying it. Their receiving corp is DEADLY, they are led by Doug Baldwin and have both Paul Richardson and the rookie Amara Darboh. On defense they just traded for Sheldon Richardson to add to a stacked front-7 and still have the legion of boom.
Team MVP
LB Bobby Wagner
ROY
RB Chris Carson
BPOY
WR Paul Richardson
Fantasy MVP
WR Doug Baldwin
3. San Fransisco 49ers 6-10
Call me biast, I really think that the 49ers are finally moving in the right direction. In my opinion, they had the best draft out of any team this season. They have building blocks on offense and I think they're going to have a top-15 defense. I think Carlos Hyde and Pierre Garçon show consistency on the offense and Marquise Goodwin is a stud and has a Taylor Gabriel type of season. On Defense I think Reuben Foster wins rookie of the year and Eric Reid goes to the probowl under DC Robert Saleh's defensive scheme. I have a feeling that Rashard Robinson establishes himself as a top-3 CB in the west.
Team MVP
S Eric Reid
ROY
LB Reuben Foster
BPOY
CB Rashard Robinson
Fantasy MVP
WR Pierre Garçon
4. Los Angeles Rams 6-10
In 2 years, I think the bottom half teams in this division will be the two teams on the top. Jared Goff will take a step up this season and Todd Gurley will become a huge receiving threat out of the backfield. I think Cooper Kupp will turn out the number 1 WR in the rams offense and Derek Carrier earns that number 1 tight end role. I have a feeling they struggle defensively and it takes a little bit longer for Aaron Donald to return than the Rams thought. Next year, I think the Rams will have one of the top offenses in the NFC but need a year to get used to Sean Mcvay's system.
Team MVP
RB Todd Gurley
ROY
WR Cooper Kupp
BPOY
QB Jared Goff
Fantasy MVP
RB Todd Gurley
