Green Bay Packers 2020 Fantasy Football Outlook

Here is a look ahead to which Green Bay Packers’ players could have the biggest fantasy football impact in 2020.

Fantasy football has been around for decades. But it’s still one of the fastest-growing industries in sports, and for good reason. It’s a blast! Between dynasty, DFS, and the hundreds of season-long league types, the options are limitless. But all the leagues have one obvious thing in common; get productive players.

It’s very early. Rookie mini-camp hasn’t even started yet. But I expect the Green Bay Packers to have plenty of productive fantasy footballers for the 2020 season. This roster boasts a solid No. 1 receiver, a stable of tight ends and running backs, and a Hall of Fame quarterback.

Wide Receivers

Davante Adams is one of the most valuable players in the league. His touchdown production from 2016-2018 was the best for receivers over that time. That took a dip last year, due to a turf toe injury that forced him to miss four games. But I see him rebounding, and once again hitting double-digit touchdowns.

With the likely change to a double tight end, run-heavier scheme, Adams may never again produce as he did in 2018.  That year, he caught 111 passes for 1,386 yards with 13 touchdowns and he was the second-ranked wide receiver, per FantasyPros.

But even so, he is still going to be one of the more productive receivers in the NFL and Rodgers will once again lean on his favorite target.

From a fantasy standpoint, Adams is an easy WR1. ESPN ranks him as the 3rd WR, and 7th player overall. I expect Adams’ production to be very close to that projection. But he isn’t the only Green Bay Packers’ receiver that I’m interested in.

Allen Lazard has the inside track to being wide receiver #2. His run blocking skills and ability to win contested catches will win him that role. He’ll be pushed by Marquez Valdes-Scantling and Equanimeous St. Brown. Not to mention that newcomer Devin Funchess has had success in the past as well, highlighted by his 2017 season where he caught 63 passes for 840 yards and 8 touchdowns. Some value Funchess even more than Lazard, but players need to be on the field to get opportunities.

With the Packers set to run plenty of two-WR sets, Lazard will get his opportunities. I expect him to take another step forward this year, expand his route-tree, and earn more of Aaron Rodgers’ trust. If he can do that, he has potential WR3 value.

However, ESPN experts don’t see it that way. They currently rank him as the 66th WR. I think they’re underestimating Lazard’s role in this offense. He’s worth targeting as a top 50 WR. While I don’t question his fantasy value, I can’t say the same for this tight end group.

Tight Ends

Simply put, there is no tight end on the roster that I currently trust to make a consistent fantasy impact. It looks as though the Green Bay Packers will keep four tight ends; Jace Sternberger, Marcedes Lewis, Robert Tonyan, and Josiah Deguara. As for the roles they’ll play, well, it’s kind of up for grabs.

Marcedes Lewis is one of the best blocking tight ends in the league but offers little fantasy value. Robert Tonyan hasn’t expanded on the potential that excited us a few years ago but he is probably destined for a depth position. However, this is where it gets interesting.

Sternberger was a third-round pick in 2019. He was inactive for most of the regular season but showed flashes in the postseason. Many believe that Sternberger will make an impact as a  receiver this year and ESPN ranks him as the 25th tight end.

However, Deguara was a third-round pick a few weeks ago. He seems to have been hand-picked for this new offense and he’s a perfect fit for it. If Deguara can be the man the Packers are hoping for, I believe he’ll end up taking some of those opportunities away from Sternberger.

All told, I see a solid share of passing downs between Deguara and Sternberger. It’s worth rostering both, and seeing how the situation plays out. And Tonyan will certainly have his opportunities. Balance will be a keyword for this tight end group and I think that’ll spell success for the Green Bay Packers, but not necessarily for your fantasy team.

Running backs

There’s potential that the running back position will also be defined by balance. Aaron Jones is coming off a career year that is going to earn him big money next offseason. Then there is A.J. Dillon who was the team’s 2nd round pick and, of course, Jamaal Williams has been a great complementary back.

Jones isn’t an elite talent at the running back position. Only Barkley and McCaffrey can claim that. But Jones has made an argument to be included in that next tier of running backs. He’s as valuable in the passing game as he is in the running game, and led the NFL in touchdowns last year, with 19. He ended the year as the 2nd RB in PPR scoring.

For this year, ESPN ranks Jones as the 9th RB, and 14th overall for PPR leagues. For non-PPR leagues, Jones is ranked as the 7th RB, but still 14th overall. But those projections are based on his 2019 production. LeFleur’s offenses have a history of splitting touches between running backs. I believe we’ll see that in Green Bay. Don’t expect Jones to be a top ten RB again, in 2020. But he’s a good bet to finish as an RB2.

Dillon will be one of the backs splitting touches with Aaron Jones this year. He will, without a doubt, steal early-down work. But he doesn’t offer much value in the passing game. He’s only worth a late-round flier in PPR leagues, where ESPN ranks him as the 58th RB.

In non-PPR leagues, however, Dillon is an intriguing option. He may take some time to adjust, but towards the end of the year, I expect the Green Bay Packers to start handing more responsibility over to Dillon, so stash him and wait until he’s worth starting, or trading.

As a second-round pick, Dillon will spend a lot of the year competing with Jamaal Williams for that RB2 role. I expect the early goings to look a lot like 2019, with Williams spelling Jones. If Williams is available late, draft him. But sell high. The future may be closer than we think.

Quarterback

As for the quarterback position, the future is still some time off. As long as Aaron Rodgers is with the Packers, it’s his team. He’s one of the best in the game, and shouldn’t be written off. Rodgers’ worst (healthy) fantasy season came this past year, when he finished 9th in scoring.

The 2019 season was his first year with a new head coach, with his top target only playing in 12 games, and a transition to a more run-oriented scheme. Not to mention that the young receiving core didn’t take the step forward that we had hoped for, except for Lazard of course.

The additions of Funchess and Deguara might bring some life to this young group. And a healthy Adams only helps Rodgers. Add an entire season of experience with a new play-caller, and the fire lit under his butt from the surprising acquisition of Jordan Love in the first round, and I think we see a version of Rodgers that more closely resembles the glory days.

ESPN currently ranks Rodgers as the 12th QB. I’d be surprised if he finishes any worse than he did last year (9th). I believe he’s a solid bet to finish as a top ten QB.

Rodgers, Lazard, and Deguara are three players that I believe will give you a solid return on investment. I’d love it if all of our Packers to offer the same value, but that’s not realistic. I’d err on the side of caution with Funchess, Sternberger, and Aaron Jones, however. They will all have their own levels of success, but I don’t think the stats will add up to their current rankings.

That being said, this team is still under construction. Some Green Bay Packers players will end up surprising us and also keep in mind that you win fantasy football during the season, not in the draft. So keep your eyes peeled. Good luck with your teams and stay tuned for more news and projections.