The Packers might be the most fortuitous team in the NFL as they have managed to go from elite QB to elite QB for over two decades.  The jury is still out on whether Jordan Love (QB5) is in the same category as Brett Favre or Aaron Rodgers, but there is no doubt that Love is the real deal and has only scratched the surface of his potential.

The Packers had a tremendously uneven season as they seemed to take two steps forward only to stumble back to the starting blocks.  They couldn’t even start the season healthy as prized sophomore WR Christian Watson was hurt with a hamstring injury and perennial RB workhorse Aaron Jones (RB36) hurt his own hamstring scoring a massive TD in Week 1.  The Packers managed to survive in spite of their health woes and that only further burgeoned the reputation of Love who kept the team afloat despite starting the season 2-5.  The Packers managed to make the playoffs as Love made the leap into a star, finishing second in the league with 32 passing TDs and throwing multiple TDs in each of his last six games to lead his team not only into the playoffs, but also knocked out the Dallas Cowboys.

It’s impossible to underscore how successful Love was as he was saddled with an unproven receiving core and a running game that finished 22^nd in attempts and 23^rd in TDs.  The emergence of Romeo Dobbs (59 catches for 674 yards) along with Jayden Reed (64 grabs for 793 yards and eight TDs) gives the Packers a improving receiving unit that was originally supposed to be built around the deep threat of Watson (28 grabs for 422 yards in only nine games).  Do not sleep on the Packers as an offense that could blow up this season as Love is going to be significantly more comfortable with several dangerous weapons that are going to grow with him.

Gone is longtime workhorse Aaron Jones and in his place is newly signed Josh Jacobs (RB25), who left the Raiders for hopefully greener pastures.  Jacobs got inked to a big deal that could end up being just a one-year rental if last season repeats itself.  While Jacobs is only 26, this will be his seventh year in the league and for RBs, he might be past his prime.  He averaged a career-low 3.5 YPC after beasting two seasons ago with 4.9 YPC.  Jacobs only really has one great year on his resume and as a bruising tail back, he will either make AJ Dillon redundant or they will split the coveted goal-line carries.  Either way the Packers are once again a team built around airing the ball out and on the ground whether it’s Jacobs, Dillon or the new shiny thing, MarShawn Llyod, when it comes to fantasy Love is in the air.

Writer’s Season Win Prediction: 9-8

It’s said that clothes make the man, well in football the QB makes the receivers.  The Packers had on paper a terrible receiving unit prior to last season and once Watson went down, it was downright scary.   Love turned water into wine and all of a sudden Jayden Reed and Romeo Doubs were the talk of the fantasy waiver wire as each got nearly 100 targets and split 16 TDs right down the middle.  Reed is more of jack-of-all-trades wideout who can be used out of the backfield or put in motion and really is going benefit from a healthy Watson stretching the field.  Watson led the Packers with a 15.6 ADOT (average depth of target) and was nearly four yards ahead of Doubs (11.7).  It’s scary to think that Love was able to dominate without any chemistry between his receivers and now he will have three legitimate weapons to throw to, all of which complement each other.  This isn’t even factoring in TE Luke Musgrave (TE34), who was only able to play 11 games before getting hurt.  He showed serious promise and while he isn’t quite on the fantasy radar as a TE1, he’s definitely a name to monitor once the season starts.

As much potential as the receivers possess, it all comes back to Love, who as great as he looked last season only has a one year track record under his belt.  It wouldn’t be the first time a QB simply got hot and rode the wave, only to flame out after defenses were able to adapt and adjust.  While that is certainly on the table, it doesn’t seem like the way it’s going to play out.  If anything, it was Love who figured out opposing defenses and once it clicked, he became unstoppable.  Over his first nine games, Love averaged 223 passing yards per-game, with 14 TD passes and 10 interceptions.  Over the back-half of the season, Love started seeing plays before they happened and finished with 268 passing yards per-game, 18 TD passes and only one interception.  Love never had the signature moment where he put the league on notice and instead simply went about his business each week.   He wasn’t bad to start the season and scored at 20 points fantasy in each of the first three weeks (19.6 in Week 4).  There is still so much unknown about Love and it will be telling to see how he reacts if things don’t start out well again or if his receivers start dropping balls.   The future post-Rodgers has never looked so bright, but expectations bring on whole new set of pressures and problems and Love has simply gotten out of the frying pan and into the fire.

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