Brock Purdy: Mr. Irrelevant is the term given to the final pick of each NFL draft, but Purdy, the last pick of the 2022 NFL Draft, was anything but irrelevant in his rookie season. From December through his final snap of the playoffs, Purdy completed 151-of-224 pass attempts (67.4%) for 1,877 yards (8.38 Y/A), 16 touchdowns (7.1%) and only three interceptions (1.3%). There appear to be no lingering concerns following his offseason UCL surgery.
Sam Darnold: Excluding a terrible performance (2.8 passer rating) in 2022's season finale with the Panthers, Darnold was playing really well before that last year. In fact, he threw for 1,100 yards, seven touchdowns and one interception with a 105.4 passer rating in his other five games started last season while adding 74 rushing yards and two touchdowns. Since Kyle Shanahan took over in 2017, the 49ers rank second in the NFL in passing yards per attempt (7.4), per Stathead.
Christian McCaffrey: After two injury-plagued seasons, McCaffrey played a full 17-game slate in 2022 split between the Panthers and 49ers. If there's a concern (albeit only a slight one), it's the potential for the 49ers to scale back CMC's workload to preserve his health for a full season including the playoffs, especially given their talented supporting cast when at full strength.
When healthy, however, few, if any, running backs have a higher floor and ceiling due to his ability as a runner and receiver. From Week 7 (when SF traded for him) through the end of the season, he tied Tennessee's Derrick Henry for the most fantasy points per game (half-PPR). McCaffrey has a minimum of 80 catches in each of his four full seasons, and he's averaged 113.1 yards per scrimmage per game over his career.
Elijah Mitchell: Mitchell won't offer much stand-alone value, but he would have enormous upside if Christian McCaffrey were to miss any time during the 2023 season. While CMC deserves to be considered at pick 1.01 in fantasy drafts, we've seen how productive non-CMC backs (including Mitchell) have been when given the opportunity.
Deebo Samuel: Samuel has missed multiple games in two of the past three seasons, and his physical play style increases his durability risk. Playing in 13 games and describing his own play as "awful" last season, Samuel finished with 56 receptions for 632 yards and two touchdowns and added 42 carries for 232 yards and three touchdowns. At a minimum, a motivated Samuel should be better on a per-touch basis in 2023 than he was last year.
Brandon Aiyuk: Aiyuk had the best season of his young career in 2022 with 78 catches for 1,015 yards and eight touchdowns, all career highs, and he was a top-15 fantasy wide receiver (half-PPR scoring). The only concern with Aiyuk, and other San Francisco skill-position players, is the competition for touches with so many talented pass catchers on the roster.
George Kittle: Compared to his elite talent, Kittle is often under-targeted. Even so, he has finished as a top-four fantasy tight end in four of the past five seasons. The exception was when he missed eight games in 2020, but he finished third on a PPG basis that season behind Travis Kelce and Darren Waller. The other concern with Kittle is he has missed multiple games in four consecutive seasons (and he's dealing with an adductor strain heading into Week 1), but he has averaged 70.4/947.8/5.8 per 17 games over the past five years.
Brock Purdy: Mr. Irrelevant is the term given to the final pick of each NFL draft, but Purdy, the last pick of the 2022 NFL Draft, was anything but irrelevant in his rookie season. From December through his final snap of the playoffs, Purdy completed 151-of-224 pass attempts (67.4%) for 1,877 yards (8.38 Y/A), 16 touchdowns (7.1%) and only three interceptions (1.3%). there appear to be no lingering concerns following his offseason UCL surgery.
Sam Darnold: Excluding a terrible performance (2.8 passer rating) in 2022's season finale with the Panthers, Darnold was playing really well before that last year. In fact, he threw for 1,100 yards, seven touchdowns and one interception with a 105.4 passer rating in his other five games started last season while adding 74 rushing yards and two touchdowns.
Christian McCaffrey: After two injury-plagued seasons, McCaffrey played a full 17-game slate in 2022 split between the Panthers and 49ers. If there's a concern (albeit only a slight one), it's the potential for the 49ers to scale back CMC's workload to preserve his health for a full season including the playoffs, especially given their talented supporting cast when at full strength.
When healthy, however, few, if any, running backs have a higher floor and ceiling due to his ability as a runner and receiver. From Week 7 (when SF traded for him) through the end of the season, he tied Tennessee's Derrick Henry for the most fantasy points per game (half-PPR). McCaffrey has a minimum of 80 catches in each of his four full seasons, and he's averaged 113.1 yards per scrimmage per game over his career.
Elijah Mitchell: Mitchell won't offer much stand-alone value, but he would have enormous upside if Christian McCaffrey were to miss any time during the 2023 season. While CMC deserves to be considered at pick 1.01 in fantasy drafts, we've seen how productive non-CMC backs (including Mitchell) have been when given the opportunity.
Deebo Samuel: Samuel has missed multiple games in two of the past three seasons, and his physical play style increases his durability risk. Playing in 13 games and describing his own play as "awful" last season, Samuel finished with 56 receptions for 632 yards and two touchdowns and added 42 carries for 232 yards and three touchdowns. At a minimum, a motivated Samuel should be better on a per-touch basis in 2023 than he was last year.
Brandon Aiyuk: Aiyuk had the best season of his young career in 2022 with 78 catches for 1,015 yards and eight touchdowns, all career highs, and he was a top-15 fantasy wide receiver (half-PPR scoring). The only concern with Aiyuk, and other San Francisco skill-position players, is the competition for touches with so many talented pass catchers on the roster.
George Kittle: Compared to his elite talent, Kittle is often under-targeted. Even so, he has finished as a top-four fantasy tight end in four of the past five seasons. The exception was when he missed eight games in 2020, but he finished third on a PPG basis that season behind Travis Kelce and Darren Waller. The other concern with Kittle is he has missed multiple games in four consecutive seasons, but he has averaged 70.4/947.8/5.8 per 17 games over the past five years.
Some teams have already played their final preseason game and as the NFL preseason winds down, we are that much closer to the Kansas City Chiefs hosting the Detroit Lions on Thursday Night Football.
That also means that we are in the thick of fantasy draft season.
To help you prepare for your fantasy football drafts, we will continue to keep our fantasy football rankings updated until the start of the 2023 NFL season.
While age (turns 34 in October) is still a potential concern, he's shown no signs of slowing down after posting his seventh consecutive 1,000-yard season. Without Tyreek Hill, he posted either his best or second-best numbers across the board — 152 targets, 110 receptions, 1,338 yards and 12 touchdowns.
Absolutely dominant compared to other tight ends, Kelce (15.4) averaged more than double the half-PPR fantasy points per game than the last TE1 (Dalton Schultz, TE12, 7.6 PPG). In fact, if Kelce were a wide receiver, he'd rank ahead of all but five wide receivers in fantasy PPG last season.
Andrews missed a couple of games in 2022, and his year-over-year production declined to 73/847/5. Even so, Andrews scored the fourth-most half-PPR fantasy points (third on a PPG basis). The additions at wide receiver creates greater competition for targets, but he remains the clear top fantasy option in Baltimore's passing game.
Hockenson was traded midseason within the division, and he averaged 8.6 targets and six receptions per game after the trade to the Vikings. Despite the midseason trade, he finished as fantasy's TE2, but part of that was aided by two monster games — 8/179/2 for the Lions in Week 4 and 13/109/2 for the Vikings in Week 16. Other than those two huge games, he had double-digit (half-PPR) fantasy points in only two other games.
A couple of seasons removed from back-to-back 1,100-yard campaigns, Waller is clearly the top weapon in New York's passing attack. While he has been limited to only 20 games over the past two seasons, his 17-game pace is 71/895/4 during that stretch.
Compared to his elite talent, Kittle is often under-targeted. Even so, he has finished as a top-four fantasy tight end in four of the past five seasons. The exception was when he missed eight games in 2020, but he finished third on a PPG basis that season behind Travis Kelce and Darren Waller. The other concern with Kittle is he has missed multiple games in four consecutive seasons, but he has averaged 70.4/947.8/5.8 per 17 games over the past five years.
Goedert missed five games last season, but he finished with 55 catches for 702 yards and three touchdowns. His 58.5 YPG average was a career high and he had 60-plus yards in eight of 12 games. In addition, he had a minimum of three catches in all but one game last season.
A knee injury prematurely cut his second season short, but Pitts eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark as a rookie (68/1,026/1) in 2021. If it weren't for the lack of touchdowns (one), his rookie season would have been viewed as a smashing success. Before his injury last year, his production dropped significantly (12.7 Y/R, 35.6 YPG, 47.5% catch rate and 1.69 Y/RR) compared to 2021 (15.1 Y/R, 60.4 YPG, 61.8% and 2.01 Y/RR). That said, the upside remains high going into his age-23 season.
Freiermuth followed up a strong rookie season (60/497/7) with 63 catches for 732 yards and two touchdowns. Despite scoring only twice in 2022, Freiermuth finished as fantasy's TE8 (half-PPR scoring). He had at least three catches in 13 of 16 games played.
The Jaguars designated Engram with the franchise tag, but the two sides reached agreement on a three-year extension. While Engram missed 14 games in his first three seasons (2017-19), he has missed only two games over the past three years. He posted career highs in receptions (73), yards (766) and catch rate (74.5%) in 2022.
Higbee set career highs in targets (108, fourth-most among TEs) and receptions (72, fifth) in 2022. While Cooper Kupp missed nearly half of the season, Higbee's per-game numbers were actually better with Kupp (4.9/43 on 7.2 targets) than without Kupp (3.5/29 on 5.4 targets). At a position where volume is inconsistent outside of the elite options, there is value in the consistency of Higbee's volume.
Njoku missed three games in 2022, but it was otherwise a career year for the athletic tight end. He averaged 4.1 receptions and 44.9 yards per game, both of which were career highs. Njoku finished ninth in half-PPR points per game in 2022.
Schultz has a minimum of 89 targets in each of the past three seasons, and he has averaged 4.1 receptions and 41.7 yards per game over that span. While he may get a tick less in terms of volume, he has the potential to lead the Texans in receptions in 2023.
Dulcich had 33 catches for 411 yards and two touchdowns in 10 games as a rookie in 2022. Sean Payton said Dulcich has "a unique skill set. He's got traits. In the passing game we use the term, 'Joker' where you can get matchups."
A lengthy adjustment period for rookie tight ends typically leads to modest fantasy impacts for the position. That said, Kincaid was arguably the most talented pass catcher (wide receiver or tight end) in the 2023 NFL Draft, so there is potential for him to utilized more than a typical rookie tight end as a mismatch in the passing game.
Okonkwo finished second on the team in receiving yards last year to Robert Woods, who is no longer on the roster. The rookie ended the year with 32 receptions for 450 yards (14.1 Y/R) and three touchdowns. There is some breakout potential (albeit less following the DeAndre Hopkins signing) heading into the athletic (4.52 40-yard dash) tight end's second year. Among tight ends with 30-plus targets in 2022, Okonkwo led the position in YAC per reception (7.8) and yards per route run (2.61), per PFF stats.
Everett either set or tied career highs across the board — 58 catches for 555 yards and four touchdowns — in 2022. Despite a career season, Everett ended the year as fantasy's TE15 in half-PPR scoring. Assuming better health from Keenan Allen and Mike Williams and given that the Chargers drafted Quentin Johnston in the first round, however, it's possible that Everett is targeted less than he was last season (87 targets).
Targeted much less in 2022 (69) than in 2021 (93), Kmet's receptions (50) and yardage (544) dropped only modestly due to improvements in catch rate (64.5% to 72.5%) and yards per target (6.6 to 7.9). Held scoreless in 2021, Kmet had seven touchdowns in 2022 including six scores from Weeks 8-17. Adding a talented receiver (D.J. Moore) to the mix within a run-dominant offense may limit Kmet's opportunity to take a major step forward from his 2021-22 production levels.
Hurst has missed four games and averaged only 8.5 yards per reception (or less) in back-to-back seasons, but he averaged a career-high four receptions per game last season. Given the relative uncertainty at wide receiver, it's possible that Hurst comes close to his averages from last year.
Other than the typical learning curve for tight ends transitioning to the NFL, there is a lot to like about LaPorta. In fact, it wouldn't surprise me if we're talking about him as one of the top 6-8 fantasy tight ends this time next year, but the question remains how quickly he'll move into the top-12 mix as a rookie.
Johnson had a career season with 42 catches for 508 yards and seven touchdowns in 2022. Depending on how much the Saints get from Michael Thomas, it may be difficult to repeat those numbers this season.
Knox's 2022 numbers (48/517/6) were similar, albeit slightly less, than his 2021 production (49/587/9). It's unlikely that Knox will produce as a top-12 option in 2023, and his touchdown dependency is high given his relatively low volume. Knox exceeded 50 receiving yards in only three regular-season games last season.
Ertz played only 10 games last season before tearing his ACL. Like Marquise Brown, Ertz was especially good when DeAndre Hopkins was suspended. Ertz had double-digit targets in four of the six games that Hopkins missed. He averaged 5.8 catches on 8.5 targets during that stretch. Ertz is on track to play in Week 1.
Smith has appeared in only eight (23.5%) of 34 games over the past two seasons. With Hayden Hurst now in Carolina, Smith slots in atop Cincinnati's depth chart. Hurst had 52/414/2 receiving in 13 games last season, and Jets tight end C.J. Uzomah had 49/493/5 for Cincinnati in 2021. Provided his health cooperates, Smith has a chance to finish as a fringe TE1.
Henry finished last season with 41 catches for 509 yards and two touchdowns, the lowest numbers of his career when you exclude 2016 (his rookie campaign) and 2018 (missed entire season). After ranking only 25th in 12-personnel usage (one running back and two tight ends) in 2022, it's expected that the Patriots will increase their usage of 12 personnel significantly in 2023.
Like Henry, Gesicki is coming off non-rookie lows in receptions (32), targets (52) and yards (362). The uber-athletic tight end will get an opportunity to reset in an offense that should be more likely to fully utilize his skill set. Gesicki suffered a mild dislocated shoulder at practice, although the hope is he's back for Week 1.
Otton had 42 catches for 391 yards and two touchdowns on 65 targets as a rookie in 2022 and he had four catches for 58 yards on seven targets in their playoff loss to the Cowboys. Even if his numbers are better in his second season, he's not much more than a fantasy TE2 in 2023.
The Cowboys used a second-round pick on Luke Schoonmaker, but I expect Ferguson to pace the position group in receiving now that Dalton Schultz is in Houston. Even so, it's unlikely that Ferguson, Schoonmaker or any Cowboys tight end becomes fantasy-relevant in standard-sized leagues in 2023.
Woods is an outstanding athlete (4.61 40-yard dash) for someone his size (6-7, 259) and he heads into his second season with some sleeper appeal. Shane Steichen is less likely to spread tight end snaps around the way that Frank Reich has in the past, and Woods should be the biggest benefactor. As the IndyStar notes, "Woods is the only Indianapolis tight end who's shown he has the athleticism to stretch the field the way [Dallas] Goedert can."
With Robert Tonyan now in Chicago, it will be a pair of rookie tight ends — Musgrave and Tucker Kraft — that top the depth chart. Musgrave is an extremely athletic tight end that can be used to create mismatches against linebackers and safeties.
Hill will throw a few passes and catch a few, but most of his fantasy production will come from his rushing production. Over the past three seasons, he has a total of 253 carries for 1,406 yards (5.6 Y/A) and 20 touchdowns.
Brock Purdy: Mr. Irrelevant is the term given to the final pick of each NFL draft, but Purdy, the last pick of the 2022 NFL Draft, was anything but irrelevant in his rookie season. From December through his final snap of the playoffs, Purdy completed 151-of-224 pass attempts (67.4%) for 1,877 yards (8.38 Y/A), 16 touchdowns (7.1%) and only three interceptions (1.3%). Firmly entrenched as the starter going into 2023, there appear to be no lingering concerns following his offseason UCL surgery.
Sam Darnold: Excluding a terrible performance (2.8 passer rating) in 2022's season finale with the Panthers, Darnold was playing really well before that last year. In fact, he threw for 1,100 yards, seven touchdowns and one interception with a 105.4 passer rating in his other five games last season while adding 74 rushing yards and two touchdowns.
Trey Lance: Lance has immense dual-threat upside if he gets the opportunity to make starts in 2023 and reaches his full potential, but it's possible that Sam Darnold would get the nod ahead of him if Purdy were to miss any time.
Christian McCaffrey: After two injury-plagued seasons, McCaffrey played a full 17-game slate in 2022 split between the Panthers and 49ers. If there's a concern (albeit only a slight one), it's the potential for the 49ers to scale back CMC's workload to preserve his health for a full season including the playoffs, especially given their talented supporting cast when at full strength.
When healthy, however, few, if any, running backs have a higher floor and ceiling due to his ability as a runner and receiver. From Week 7 (when SF traded for him) through the end of the season, he tied Tennessee's Derrick Henry for the most fantasy points per game (half-PPR). McCaffrey has a minimum of 80 catches in each of his four full seasons, and he's averaged 113.1 yards per scrimmage per game over his career.
Elijah Mitchell: Mitchell won't offer much stand-alone value, but he would have enormous upside if Christian McCaffrey were to miss any time during the 2023 season. While CMC deserves to be considered at pick 1.01 in fantasy drafts, we've seen how productive non-CMC backs (including Mitchell) have been when given the opportunity.
Deebo Samuel: Samuel has missed multiple games in two of the past three seasons, and his physical play style increases his durability risk. Playing in 13 games and describing his own play as "awful" last season, Samuel finished with 56 receptions for 632 yards and two touchdowns and added 42 carries for 232 yards and three touchdowns. At a minimum, a motivated Samuel should be better on a per-touch basis in 2023 than he was last year.
Brandon Aiyuk: Aiyuk had the best season of his young career in 2022 with 78 catches for 1,015 yards and eight touchdowns, all career highs, and he was a top-15 fantasy wide receiver (half-PPR scoring). The only concern with Aiyuk, and other San Francisco skill-position players, is the competition for touches with so many talented pass catchers on the roster.
George Kittle: Compared to his elite talent, Kittle is often under-targeted. Even so, he has finished as a top-four fantasy tight end in four of the past five seasons. The exception was when he missed eight games in 2020, but he finished third on a PPG basis that season behind Travis Kelce and Darren Waller. The other concern with Kittle is he has missed multiple games in four consecutive seasons, but he has averaged 70.4/947.8/5.8 per 17 games over the past five years.
Trey Lance: The assumption all offseason and training camp was that Jimmy Garoppolo would play elsewhere in 2022. While the 49ers and Jimmy G. agreed to a restructured contract, he goes into the season as the team's No. 2 behind Lance (and the league's highest-paid backup). If things go right, Lance has enormous upside given his dual-threat skill set. If things don't go as well as expected, however, how long of a leash will Lance get before the team makes a quarterback change?
Elijah Mitchell: Mitchell missed six games as a rookie, but he was the clear lead back when he was on the field. Counting three playoff games, Mitchell had a minimum in 17 carries in 11 of 14 games in 2021. (Mitchell had 68.3% of the non-QB carries in those other three games.) ESPN's Nick Wagoner noted earlier this offseason that the 49ers "injury concerns about Mitchell are real" and he missed the preseason with a hamstring injury.
Jeff Wilson: Given that a different player has led the 49ers in rushing in each of Kyle Shanahan's five seasons as head coach, it's never a bad idea to throw a late-round dart at the team's projected RB2. Perhaps Tyrion Davis-Price, the team's third-round pick, moves up the depth chart, but it was Wilson that started the team's preseason finale with Mitchell sidelined.
Deebo Samuel: After missing nine games in 2020, Samuel had a breakout campaign (77/1,405/6 receiving and 59/365/8 rushing) in 2021. With a new contract extension in hand, the versatile wideout said he's not opposed to his hybrid "wide back" role. Samuel's physical play style and role puts him at increased risk for injury, but the do-it-all talent is a top-five receiver whenever he's on the field.
Brandon Aiyuk: Aiyuk exceeded 15 receiving yards in only two of his first six games last season and totalled only 9/96/1 receiving during that span. That said, he was much more productive and consistent from Week 8 on, as he closed the season with 47/730/4 over the final 11 games of the season. The upside is there for Aiyuk to vastly outperform his current ADP.
George Kittle: Since his second season (2018), Kittle has averaged a 17-game pace of 95/1,299/6. While he's missed at least two games in three consecutive seasons, he's averaged 86.1, 75.2, 79.3 and 65.0 yards per game over the past four seasons, respectively. Given that he's arguably the most talented all-around tight end in the league, Kittle has had a relatively high share of duds (example: 2/21, 1/29 and 5/10 over the final three weeks, respectively) to go along with some monster outings (9/181/2 and 13/151/1 in back-to-back weeks last year). Despite some week-to-week volatility and shaky durability history, he's a top-five fantasy option, at worst.
Trey Lance: The (continued) assumption is that Jimmy Garoppolo will play elsewhere in 2022, even though he's still on the roster (as of early August), but Lance will be the starter either way. Currently being drafted just outside fantasy's top 12 quarterbacks, Lance offers fantasy managers enormous upside given his dual-threat abilities.
Elijah Mitchell: Mitchell missed six games as a rookie, but he was the clear lead back when he was on the field. Counting three playoff games, Mitchell had a minimum in 17 carries in 11 of 14 games in 2021. (Mitchell had 68.3% of the non-QB carries in those other three games.) While the 49ers used a third-round pick on Tyrion Davis-Price, that says more about the team's view of Trey Sermon, last year's third-round pick, than Mitchell's. Even so, ESPN's Nick Wagoner notes that "injury concerns about Mitchell are real" and "it wouldn't be a surprise" if the team's other backs are "involved early and often."
Tyrion Davis-Price: Given that a different player has led the 49ers in rushing in each of Kyle Shanahan's five seasons as head coach, it's never a bad idea to throw a late-round dart at the team's expected RB2.
Deebo Samuel: After missing nine games in 2020, Samuel had a breakout campaign (77/1,405/6 receiving and 59/365/8 rushing) in 2021. With a new contract extension in hand, the versatile wideout recently said he's not opposed to his hybrid "wide back" role. Samuel's physical play style and role puts him at increased risk for injury, but the do-it-all talent is a top-five receiver whenever he's on the field.
Brandon Aiyuk: Aiyuk exceeded 15 receiving yards in only two of his first six games last season and totalled only 9/96/1 receiving during that span. That said, he was much more productive and consistent from Week 8 on, as he closed the season with 47/730/4 over the final 11 games of the season. The upside is there for Aiyuk to vastly outperform his current ADP.
George Kittle: Since his second season (2018), Kittle has averaged a 17-game pace of 95/1,299/6. While he's missed at least two games in three consecutive seasons, he's averaged 86.1, 75.2, 79.3 and 65.0 yards per game over the past four seasons, respectively. Given that he's arguably the most talented all-around tight end in the league, Kittle has had a relatively high share of duds (example: 2/21, 1/29 and 5/10 over the final three weeks, respectively) to go along with some monster outings (9/181/2 and 13/151/1 in back-to-back weeks last year). Despite some week-to-week volatility and shaky durability history, he's still a top-five fantasy option, at worst.
Trey Lance: If Lance isn't named the Week 1 starter, fantasy managers will look to the team's bye (Week 6) as the next logical point to potentially hand the reigns over to the rookie signal-caller. Not only is Lance making a big jump from the FCS level to the NFL, but North Dakota State played only one game in 2020. Once Lance takes over, however, the dual-threat talent has the potential to make a similar fantasy impact as Josh Allen and RG3 did as rookie quarterbacks.
Jimmy Garoppolo: Jimmy G. may begin the season as the starter, but it's only a matter of time before the (starting) gig is up. Even when Garoppolo played a full 16-game season in 2019 and finished as fantasy's QB14, he only ranked 22nd in fantasy points scored per game.
Raheem Mostert: Missing half of the season, Mostert finished the year with 677 scrimmage yards (84.6/G) and only three touchdowns on 120 touches (15/G). Mostert has career averages of 5.6 YPC and 10.0 Y/R, but it's possible that Trey Sermon emerges as the team's top fantasy running back at some point this season.
Trey Sermon: Not only does Sermon have the highest draft pedigree (third round) among the team's running backs, but the Niners traded up to draft him. Given his frame, balance and vision, the team could look to make him their featured back sooner than later (as much as Kyle Shanahan will feature an individual back, that is).
Brandon Aiyuk: Selected by the 49ers in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft, Aiyuk missed four games as a rookie, but he finished with 60 receptions for 748 yards and five touchdowns while adding 77 rushing yards. Excluding missed games, Aiyuk was especially good during the six games in which he appeared from Weeks 7 to 15. During that span (Weeks 7-15), he had a minimum of 73 yards per game, averaged 94.7 YPG and scored the third-most fantasy PPG (17.1, half-PPR).
Deebo Samuel: Foot and hamstring injuries (plus the COVID-19 list) limited Samuel to only seven games in 2020. Samuel played only one snap (his final snap of 2020) against WFT in Week 14, but he had 65-plus yards in each of the final four games in which he appeared before that. Due to his physical playing style, he's always a threat to miss time, but he's a viable WR3 in the weeks that he's on the field.
George Kittle: Missing exactly half of the 2020 season, Kittle had 48/634/2 in eight games, comparable to a 96/1,268/4 (16-game) pace. In the previous two seasons, Kittle had 85/1,053/5 in 2019 and 88/1,377/5 in 2018. As long as his health cooperates, Kittle should approach another 1,000-yard campaign even if the team transitions to rookie Trey Lance early in the season.
