All-NFC South Fantasy Lineup

As the NFL season nears, fantasy football leagues are beginning to spin up. Training camps usually begin to get fantasy players inspired to scout and begin ranking players. The NFC South has a plethora of fantasy football talent. There are veteran fantasy superstars like Alvin Kamara and Chris Godwin along with newcomers like Bijan Robinson and Bryce Young. What would a complete fantasy lineup look like if it were taken exclusive from the NFC South? This could not only help with upcoming drafts but also see where players rank on the rival teams. This is the All-NFC South Fantasy lineup for the upcoming 2023 NFL regular season.

NFC South starting fantasy lineup

Quarterback: Derek Carr

One of the weakest positions in the NFC, and especially in the NFC South, is at quarterback. QB1 from the division just falls by default to the New Orleans Saints new starter Derek Carr. Carr has been a relevant fantasy starter for much of his career, even though he normally sits at the back of the QB1 rankings. Last season was a down year, likely due to the tumultuous Las Vegas Raiders situation. Carr has top-12 potential, especially with his new weapons and strong offensive line in New Orleans. Carr getting this nod is also due to the other quarterbacks in the division just not being fantasy starter worthy. Baker Mayfield has had a rocky career and is likely to go undrafted in standard 12-team leagues. Desmond Ridder and Bryce Young have yet to prove themselves, but are likely worth bench spots if taken late in the draft.

Starting Running Back

1. Bijan Robinson - 2. Rachaad White

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These selections could potentially upset some Saints fans but volume and being on the field are hugely important for fantasy production. The Atlanta Falcons did not draft Robinson as high as they did to not use him early and often. The Falcons rushed the ball more than any team in the NFL last season, an astounding 559 times. They finished third in total rushing yards on the year with Tyler Allgeier and Cordarelle Patterson splitting carries. Neither of these players have the makeup of Robinson though, which is why he was a first-round selection. Robinson will immediately take over this backfield and be productive in this offense.

The RB2 position is in a similar situation, where he should see the majority of touches out of the backfield. Rachaad White was a third-round selection in the 2022 NFL draft but was behind Leonard Fournettte on the depth chart. With Fournette gone in free agency, White goes into this season as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers primary running back. When given the chance to play in the Bucs last eight games, White produced. White averaged four yards per carry on 91 rushes. He also added four receptions per game, which is pure points in most fantasy leagues. White should not be threatened by the other running backs on the team either. Journeyman Chase Edmonds and Ke’Shawn Vaughn are backups and will remain so as long as White is healthy.

Starting Wide Receiver

1. Mike Evans - 2. Drake London

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Being available is king fantasy football. Mike Evans is the epitome of this as he has never played under 13 games in his career and that few games happened just once in nine years. Evans scored just six touchdowns last year but had double digits the previous two years. He actually had more yards last season than his previous two seasons with roughly the same amount of receptions. Remarkably, Evans has never had less than 1,000 yards in his nine-year career. Evans has been Mr. Consistency, except when playing Marshon Lattimore.

The veterans kneel to the young after Evans though. Drake London started slow last season but really came on at the end. In the last five games of the season, London had a whopping 48 targets that he turned into 31 receptions. Four of these games were after Desmond Ridder took over as starter so expect Ridder to key on London early and often this year as their rapport has likely grown. London is ranked this high due to there being no other viable wide receiver on this Atlanta Falcons team as well. Even though London and the upcoming Flex roster spot had very similar stats last season, London just is just far more likely to be littered with targets all season, elevating his value well above the rest of the NFC South receivers.

Wide Receiver 3/Flex: Chris Olave

Olave was outstanding with bad quarterback play last season. He had 119 targets which turned into over 1000 yards. Olave should be even better with Carr under center, even if his targets go down. Olave only caught 72 of those 119 targets, many of which can be attributed to the rocky situation at quarterback last year. Michael Thomas’ return, Rashid Shaheed’s emergence, and the tight end duo of Juwan Johnson and Foster Moreau could all take targets away from Olave though, which is why he is slotted as a flex. The receivers in this division could likely rival many other divisions, so narrowing it down is difficult.

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Tight End: Hayden Hurst

Tight end is already one of the weakest positions in fantasy leagues, and the NFC South follows this trend. Kyle Pitts from the Falcons had the most hype last season but did not live up to his potential yet. Hayden Hurst should be the most reliable selection at the position. Hurst is not great, but he is the best and reliable going into this year’s drafts. Hurst averaged eight yards per catch last season with the Cincinnati Bengals on 52 receptions. With rookie quarterback Bryce Young, Hurst could see his receptions rise on a team lacking proven pass-catchers.

Defense and Special Teams: New Orleans Saints

This is one of the easiest selections for our All NFC South fantasy team. The Saints allowed the fewest points per game in the NFC South last season. They were a full point better than the Buccaneers who are likely going to be worse this season after their turnover. It should be noted that the Saints defense was good last year with a very bad offense that was not able to sustain drives most the year. If this offense is even a little better, the defense is easily the best in the NFC South. Last year, the Saints had 48 sacks, tied for fifth most in the NFL which equates to fantasy points. The Saints did lose three players who totaled 13 sacks from last season; however, they reloaded in free agency and the NFL Draft. Bryan Bresee and Isaiah Foskey were drafted while they added Nathan Shepherd and Khalen Saunders in free agency.

Photo by Todd Rosenberg/Getty Images

Kicker: Younghoe Koo

This is another easy selection. Koo has turned into one of the most reliable starters in the NFL. Koo did miss two extra points last season but was perfect on three-point field goals from under 40 yards. Additionally, Koo missed just one field goal the entire year between 40 and 50 yards. If your league still plays with kickers, Koo is likely one of the best selections at the position and especially the NFC South.