NFC North Fantasy Football Rankings: Grades for all four teams
Fantasy football analyst Matt Harmon hands out grades to every NFL team based on their fantasy juice for 2023. Check out the NFC North grades below — go here for his full NFC rundown.
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Chicago Bears: C-
The DJ Moore trade was huge for the Bears, but this grade is a reminder of just how far they have to go. Moore is a true No. 1 as a vertical X-receiver who can win on in-breaking routes. That’s exactly what the Bears needed. Darnell Mooney would be better as a WR3, but that would require Chase Claypool to step up and be consistent. Not sure we will get that.
Cole Kmet is a solid starting tight end, and there is a bevy of options at running back to form a good committee, but there just isn’t a star in either room. Justin Fields made massive leaps as a rushing threat, to the point that he needs to be considered one of the best mobile quarterbacks in the game. There is still much progress to be made by him through the air, however.
Green Bay Packers: C
The Packers are so young. Their top three receivers are two second-year wideouts and a rookie, and they’ll likely start another rookie at tight end. And of course, Jordan Love is a massive unknown at quarterback.
Right now, the Packers have a great starting running back in Aaron Jones and a good change of pace in AJ Dillon. It gets dicey after that. Youth does equal potential, though. If Christian Watson takes another step, Jayden Reed is ready to be a high-volume slot receiver right away and Luke Musgrave bucks the trend of slow-developing rookie tight ends, this unit can be quite good.
All of those “ifs,” however, lead me to go a little conservative with this grade.
Detroit Lions: B-
The Lions have a good offense, but I have concerns on the margins. They’re counting on a rookie tight end to play a big role, and while their running back room should be better in 2023, it’s likely only a marginal improvement from last season’s output. Amon-Ra St. Brown is one of the best power slot receivers in the game and continues to make strides. But this team has zero proven high-quality outside receivers, and I am unsure whom they’re throwing the ball to 20-plus yards downfield while Jameson Williams is suspended.
Ben Johnson has crafted a great ecosystem, and Jared Goff is an above-average starter at quarterback. There are just a few more holes here than the members of the Lions hype machine want to admit.
Minnesota Vikings: A
The Vikings have one of the best players in the NFL in Justin Jefferson. That goes a long way in this exercise. He’s a transformative talent who makes the entire operation go. He is far from alone on this unit, too. Jordan Addison should bring some juice and separation skills to the WR2 spot. T.J. Hockenson is a top-five tight end, and Alexander Mattison is ready to assume the role of a top back.
Kirk Cousins gets plenty of flack, but he’s a top-12-level quarterback in the league. He’s a nice fit in this offense.
