• What to expect from Leonard Williams: Interior defender production is often volatile, but Williams’ 2.5 sacks in 2022 were far from his norm. His underlying pass-rush metrics point to a much better 2023 season.
• Fresh starts on new teams could be key: For Marcus Davenport and Devin Bush, can a change of scenery help resurrect their fantasy value?
• Bouncing back from injury: Several names on this list missed significant time in 2022 but, assuming they're healthy, should be in great spots to produce once again.
Estimated Reading Time: 7 mins
Injuries and inefficiencies are the plagues of the fantasy football world, but for the fantasy managers who are willing to forgive and forget, several options are ready to make things right in 2023.
Listed below are seven players who fantasy managers have depended on in the past but are coming off down years. Not included are names such as T.J. Watt and Aaron Donald to avoid some of the more obvious options.
LB De’Vondre Campbell, Green Bay Packers
Campbell has typically been a picture of health in his NFL career, having played at least 16 games in five straight seasons before he missed four contests this past year. While not a significant chunk of time, it was enough to hamper his overall production and keep him from performing at the same high level that allowed him to finish in the top five at his position in overall grade (84.7), run-defense grade (82.0) and coverage grade (81.5) in 2021. As a result, Campbell missed the 100-tackle mark after posting 146 in 2021 and didn’t record a sack for the first time in five seasons.
The only thing that changed for Campbell this past year was missing time, which took away from his opportunity to put up typical LB1 tackle numbers. The Packers' defensive scheme ranks as a tackle-friendly scheme for linebackers, and with his expected every-down role, Campbell should have no problem getting closer to his 2021 production as long as he’s healthy.
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