Can you smell that? What an intoxicating aroma. The NFL season is only a couple of months away, and I’m floating toward the scent of opportunity like a Disney character to pie on the window sill. Opportunity smells like hope. We’re all hopeful of building a fruitful roster free from the poison of disappointment. That wicked witch, face pocked with warts and a deathly complexion, cursed a lot of us last year.

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Bounce-Back QBs (2023 Fantasy Football)

The poison apples at the QB position alone were enough to warrant a side-eyed look at those players going forward. What if their story isn’t finished yet? What if the next chapter to be written turns them into Prince Charming? It would be a great plot twist, especially when those QBs can be acquired for mere farthings at this point.

New opportunities beget new results. Not every NFL QB is a perennial standout. Whether due to injury, poor coaching, or dreadful on-field performance, it’s not against the rules to bounce back. Every NFL player is trying to get better. Most of them do improve and take the next step forward. I have identified a handful of QBs who would love to put 2022 in the rearview and lead us to the promised land instead of the cauldron.

Lamar Jackson (BAL)

Although Lamar Jackson is assuredly not flying under anyone’s radar, there is still misplaced doubt about his availability. There is, after all, no such thing as “injury-prone.” Jackson is an elite rusher on designed runs and scrambles alike, but his last two major injuries happened while passing. The Baltimore front office and coaching staff had done literally nothing to support their QB since his unbelievable MVP run in 2019. That is, until now.

The most tangible difference for Jackson will be with the offensive system. Greg Roman’s scheme should have died with the empire. Todd Monken is an offensive genius with a more contemporary approach to extracting the best results from the talent on the field. Speaking of the talent, Jackson will finally have a stable of receiving weapons worthy of having the NFL shield on their jerseys. Mark Andrews and Rashod Bateman are still here.

Zay Flowers is a superstar first-round talent from Boston College. Odell Beckham Jr., with no knees, is still plenty capable of making big plays and getting open for his QB. Monken will also deploy his RBs (namely JK Dobbins) in the passing game, a clean departure from Roman’s rambling wreck. Jackson will be the QB1 this season.

Russell Wilson (DEN)

Coaching matters. Russell Wilson wasn’t pleased with Seattle’s reluctance to give him the reins of the offense. The dominoes fell in a massively favorable way for the Seahawks, who saw their former franchise QB look hapless in Denver last season. That was until Nathaniel Hackett was given his walking papers late in the season. In Weeks 17 and 18, Wilson was QB5 and QB2, respectively. He finally looked like the Danger-Russ of old instead of the ultra-cringe “Mr. Unlimited.”

The 2023 season ushers in a completely new look for the Broncos and Wilson. New head coach Sean Payton is one of the most respected offensive minds in league history. The offensive line was middling last season and also very young. Wilson was terrible at taking unnecessary sacks, which also pushed some blame on Hackett’s lack of preparation in the game plan.

The receiving corps is also improved with the team’s selection of Marvin Mims from Oklahoma. Jerry Jeudy and Courtland Sutton are decent players in their own right, with talented young TE Greg Dulcich looking to take another step. Javonte Williams‘ return to health after ACL repair will be the cherry on top for Wilson’s bounce-back.

Matthew Stafford (LAR)

I keep checking the obituaries for Matthew Stafford. After nearly cracking 400 fantasy points during the Rams Super Bowl run, Stafford and most of his offensive cohorts were bitten by the injury bug last season. He has been left for dead at 35 years old. To be fair, concussions, spinal contusions, and a balky elbow don’t exactly instill confidence in his return to form in 2023.

The offensive line was atrocious last season. The receiving corps without Cooper Kupp wouldn’t even see the field down the road at USC. I still believe in Matthew Stafford this year.

Stafford is a gutsy son of a bee with legendary instincts and a keen eye for details at the line of scrimmage. He still has Kupp and Sean McVay’s raspy timbre in his ear before every play. Steve Avila was an outstanding pick to bolster the line. Puka Nacua is a Robert Woods clone and will be a force from the word “go.” The fall from championship grace was precipitous, but Stafford’s ascent to the field from the grave can be trekked.

Trey Lance (SF)

Not much can be gleaned from Trey Lance’s time on the football field. There hasn’t been enough of it. It was Lance who was named the starter out of camp last season. That was Kyle Shanahan’s preference over Jimmy Garoppolo and certainly over Brock Purdy. Week 1 was a slog at Soldier Field. Lance made big plays through the air and on the ground in that game despite the biblical conditions.

Lance broke his leg during the first possession of Week 2. Garoppolo took over and went down himself in Week 13 versus the Dolphins. Purdy’s unlikely run left a nice sugary taste in the mouths of fans and fantasy managers alike. Some would say that everything has changed. In reality, nothing has.

The 49ers are an awesome football team. They are well-built and tend to come to most games prepared to win. Whereas they certainly haven’t needed a good QB to win games and make playoff runs, they are exactly one good QB away from running through the league and winning the Super Bowl. Lance can do everything Purdy can, with many of his attributes much more beholden to a professional QB. Lance is also an imposing physical presence, both with his arm and his mobility.

The team smartly kept Purdy in the snow globe last season to conceal his limitations. They had envisioned unleashing Lance in such a manner that would obliterate opposing defenses, similar to what Josh Allen does for Buffalo.

Stress them horizontally, break them vertically and gut them north and south. It remains to be seen who will start for the 49ers this season. With Lance, the 49ers can win it all. Purdy keeps them spinning their wheels, one QB away from the ultimate goal.

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