Every NFL offseason, we see tons of players across the league change teams via NFL free agency and NFL trades while impacting fantasy football ADP. This year is no different with plenty of Old Faces in New Places to know as you prep for 2023 fantasy football drafts. Aaron Rodgers is the big headliner as he moves from the Green Bay Packers to the New York Jets. We also have some top skill position players switching teams ahead of the 2023 NFL season, like Miles Sanders to the Carolina Panthers, DJ Moore to the Chicago Bears, and Darren Waller to the New York Giants. Let's take a closer look at the most notable players changing jerseys this past offseason as you fine-tune your 2023 fantasy football draft rankings and take part in fantasy football mock drafts.

 

Fantasy Football Quarterbacks

Aaron Rodgers, QB, New York Jets

Following a months-long saga, the New York Jets eventually got the deal done to trade for Aaron Rodgers. The 39-year-old quarterback departs the Green Bay Packers in dramatic fashion and now heads to NY with plenty of hype. His mere presence in the Big Apple has vaulted the Jets into Super Bowl and AFC East contention. As for fantasy football drafts, Rodgers is going off the board as the QB15 in fantasy football ADP circles. Rodgers threw for 3,695 yards with a 26:12 TD:INT ratio last season for the Packers. Although he took a slight step back in fantasy production, this is still the 2021 MVP we’re talking about. Rodgers will have a top young talent in Garrett Wilson headlining the Jets receiving corps. Plus, the team added Allen Lazard, Mecole Hardman, and Randall Cobb in the offseason. 

Derek Carr, QB, New Orleans Saints

After nine seasons with the Oakland/Las Vegas Raiders, we’ll now see Derek Carr on a new squad. The veteran quarterback signed a four-year, $150 million contract with the New Orleans Saints this offseason. The Raiders-Carr marriage didn’t end well as he was benched at the end of last year and subsequently released in February after declining to waive a no-trade clause. Maybe a change of scenery will bring some career resurgence for Carr? The 32-year-old QB can be a decent QB2 or a streaming option in New Orleans and he’s being drafted as QB19 in the current fantasy football ADP. Carr finished last season with 3,522 passing yards and a 24:14 TD:INT ratio across 15 games. The season prior, though, he tossed a career-best 4,804 yards while leading the Raiders to a 10-7 record. 

Honorable Mentions:

Fantasy Football Running Backs

Miles Sanders, RB, Carolina Panthers

It’s not often we see a team move on from its leading rusher, especially when that guy racked up 1,269 yards and 11 TDs like Miles Sanders. However, that’s exactly what the Philadelphia Eagles did this offseason and Sanders has landed with the Carolina Panthers. Sanders will presumably step right into a lead-back role in Carolina. Last year’s top rusher, D’Onta Foreman, is gone and Chuba Hubbard hasn’t proven to be a true RB1 in the NFL. So, it’s Sanders being the main man and likely taking on a big workload with the Panthers starting a rookie QB in Bryce Young. We’re seeing Sanders being drafted just inside the top 20 running backs in current fantasy football ADP. The offensive downgrade from the Eagles to the Panthers has to be factored in here, but Sanders is now going to be the clear lead back after opening in a semi-committee in Philly. 

D’Andre Swift, RB, Philadelphia Eagles

When the Detroit Lions selected Jahmyr Gibbs in the first round of this year’s NFL Draft, it seemed like a foregone conclusion that D’Andre Swift would be on the move. A day later, the Philadelphia Eagles swooped in and acquired Swift for a fourth-round pick. There are plenty of backfield touches up for grabs in Philly with Miles Sanders leaving in free agency. The Eagles also brought in Rashaad Penny this offseason and still have Boston Scott and Kenneth Gainwell on the roster. Last year for Detroit, Swift put up 542 rushing yards (5.5 ypc) and added 48 receptions for 389 yards while scoring eight total TDs. The fourth-year running back split time with Jamaal Williams and was never a clear lead back for the Lions. It figures to be a similar situation in Philly as the Eagles backfield will likely be a committee, for the most part. Even with Penny getting some early-down work, Swift should be a top-20 fantasy RB in PPR leagues as a dynamic pass-catching back. 

David Montgomery, RB, Detroit Lions

The Detroit Lions’ backfield has essentially undergone a complete makeover since last season. D’Andre Swift and Jamaal Williams are gone with rookie Jahmyr Gibbs and free-agent signee David Montgomery taking over. The Lions used the RB-by-committee approach last year with Swift/Williams and it seems like Gibbs/Montgomery will be a similar split. Since Detroit used first-round draft capital on Gibbs, he’ll be plenty involved on the offense – especially as a pass-catcher in the Swift role. Montgomery, though, should be the early-down rusher and goal-line back. He could emerge as a solid RB2, much like Williams last year in this Detroit attack. Montgomery rushed for 800+ yards in all four seasons with the Chicago Bears and even put up 1,500+ total yards in 2020.

Damien Harris, RB, Buffalo Bills

The Buffalo Bills are another team that made some key changes to its backfield for 2023. Devin Singeltary, the Bills’ leading rusher from each of the past four seasons, is now on the Houston Texans. Singletary has been a decent fantasy option as the lead guy in a prolific Buffalo offense, even if he was never a true RB1. The Bills still have second-year back James Cook on the squad, but the door is open for Damien Harris to carve out early-down work. Harris lost his lead RB role to Rhamondre Stevenson last year with the New England Patriots, but the former third-round pick ran for 929 yards and 15 TDs as recently as 2021. Cook might be getting more hype and being drafted earlier in fantasy football, but Harris might end up leading the team in rushing yards and rush TDs this year. Of course, we have to worry about Josh Allen vulturing some scores. 

Honorable Mentions:

 

Fantasy Football Wide Receivers

DJ Moore, WR, Chicago Bears

Back in March, DJ Moore headlined one of the biggest offseason NFL trades when the Carolina Panthers dealt him to the Chicago Bears. After catching passes from Baker Mayfield, Sam Darnold, and PJ Walker last season, Moore is now penciled in as Justin Fields’ top target in Chicago. It’s a clear QB upgrade and he’s being drafted as a top-30 WR according to current fantasy football ADP. Moore led the Panthers in every major receiving category last year and could now easily get back to being the 1,000-yard pass-catcher he was for three straight seasons from 2019 to 2021. The Bears also brought in Chase Claypool and rookie Tyler Scott to boost the WR corps, but Moore may quickly emerge as Fields’ go-to receiver. 

Calvin Ridley, WR, Jacksonville Jaguars

This trade actually happened last fall, but it’s still a new team for Calvin Ridley for the 2023 season. While serving his indefinite suspension for gambling last year, Ridley was traded from the Atlanta Falcons to the Jacksonville Jaguars in November for a pair of draft picks. His suspension lasted all of last season, but Ridley is back after being reinstated in March. There’s a ton of hype for the speedy wideout now that his suspension is up and he’ll be catching passes from Trevor Lawrence in an up-and-coming Jags offense. Ridley is going off the board as a top 20 WR in fantasy football drafts, ahead of both Christian Kirk and Zay Jones from the Jacksonville WR corps. It remains to be seen how the targets and receiving production shake out for the trio, but there’s a clear upside for Ridley. Don’t forget that he racked up 90 receptions for 1,374 yards and nine TDs in his last full season with the Falcons in 2020.  

Brandin Cooks, WR, Dallas Cowboys

Brandin Cooks is now on his fifth NFL team after the Houston Texans traded him to the Dallas Cowboys this offseason. The veteran wideout led the Texans in receptions (57) and receiving yards (699) last year and has six 1,000-yard receiving seasons over the past eight years. Cooks is going from one of the league’s worst offenses in Houston to one of the best in Dallas. However, he’s no longer the No. 1 wideout on his own team. The Cowboys, of course, have CeeDee Lamb and Michael Gallup back as Dak Prescott’s top targets. Cooks could step into the vacated targets of tight end Dalton Schultz, who’s now in Houston, ironically. Cooks is being drafted as WR43 according to the current PPR fantasy football ADP. Even though Lamb and Gallup are there, there’s a chance he exceeds value. 

JuJu Smith-Schuster, WR, New England Patriots

After winning a Super Bowl in his lone season with the Kansas City Chiefs, JuJu Smith-Schuster signed a three-year, $33 million deal with the New England Patriots this offseason. It’s possible we see JuJu step right into most of the vacated targets of Jakobi Meyers, who’s now on the Raiders. Last year, Meyers led the Patriots in targets (96), receiving yards (804), and receiving TDs (6) while finishing second in receptions (67). As for Smith-Schuster, he had 78 receptions and 933 yards on a whopping 101 targets for the Chiefs. Of course, the KC offense is much more prolific than the New England attack – especially when it’s Patrick Mahomes throwing you the ball instead of Mac Jones. Still, the opportunity is there for JuJu to be the Patriots’ top receiver and put up similar numbers as Meyers last year. 

Allen Lazard, WR, New York Jets

When the rumors of Aaron Rodgers to the New York Jets first started swirling, we knew he’d pine for some familiar faces in the receiving corps. Allen Lazard followed his QB from the Green Bay Packers and should be one of the top targets in the Jets' offense. Garrett Wilson expects to be the top fantasy football WR on the squad, but Lazard’s familiarity with Rodgers should prove to be a major factor. Lazard posted 60 receptions, 788 receiving yards, and six TDs last year with the Packers and we can assume similar production in 2023. He’s currently being drafted among the top 60 wideouts in fantasy football drafts. 

Adam Thielen, WR, Carolina Panthers 

It feels weird to be talking about Adam Thielen on a different team than the Minnesota Vikings, but that’s where we are in 2023. The nine-year vet was released by the Vikings in March and subsequently signed a three-year deal with the Carolina Panthers. He enters an offense that has a ton of new pieces, headlined by rookie QB Bryce Young. It remains to be seen which wide receiver or pass-catcher emerges as Young’s favorite target. Thielen could very well be that guy, especially with DJ Moore now gone. The Panthers also signed DJ Chark Jr. this offseason, drafted Jonathan Mingo in the second round, and have Terrace Marshall returning from last season. Then there’s Jayden Hurst and Ian Thomas at the tight end spots. We’ll see who Young locks onto as his top target early on, but Thielen could wind up being a steal as the 60th wide receiver off the board in current fantasy football ADP.

Honorable Mentions:

 

Fantasy Football Tight Ends

Darren Waller, TE, New York Giants

There weren’t many top tight ends changing teams this offseason, but Darren Waller definitely tops the list. The Las Vegas Raiders traded Waller to the New York Giants back in March and the move has plenty of fantasy football implications. The 30-year-old tight end only put up 388 receiving yards, 28 receptions, and three TDs last year in nine games while missing time due to injury. The big question is whether Waller can get back to being a 1,000-yard receiver like he was in 2019 and 2020 with the Raiders. He’s being drafted among the top 10 tight ends in fantasy football right now and has the opportunity to emerge as a top target for Daniel Jones in New York. The Giants still have Darius Slayton, Sterling Shepard, Isaiah Hodgins, and Wan’Dale Robinson in the WR room and drafted speedy wideout Jalin Hyatt as well. Still, Waller may be a top red zone weapon in the Giants offense if he stays healthy. 

Dalton Schultz, TE, Houston Texans

After emerging as a legit fantasy football tight end with the Dallas Cowboys, Dalton Schultz signed with the Houston Texans this offseason. It’s tough to project Schultz’s fantasy value right now because of all the uncertainty in the Houston offense. The Texans drafted QB C.J. Stroud and who knows which pass-catcher becomes his favorite. We all know that tight ends usually end up being a rookie quarterback’s best friend. So, the door is open for Schultz to replicate or better his career-best stats from 2021 that saw him put up 78 receptions on 101 targets, 808 yards, and eight TDs. Since the Texans lost their top receiver from last season (Brandin Cooks), there are plenty of targets and receiving production up for grabs. Schultz is being drafted just outside the top 10 tight ends in current fantasy football ADP, and he could easily rise up those rankings during the season. 

Honorable Mentions: