WR Questions That Will Define Dynasty and Redraft

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Take a look at quarterback questions here.

The 2023 season will provide answers to some of the biggest questions in fantasy football. Eight teams are defined by their wide receiver questions.

Can Cincinnati keep their Big 3 together?

NFL teams have recently had a difficult time keeping high-priced wide receivers with high-priced quarterbacks. The Kansas City Chiefs (Tyreek Hill), Tennessee Titans (A.J. Brown), Minnesota Vikings (Stefon Diggs), and Baltimore (Marquise Brown) all chose to trade their wide receivers instead of paying the wide receiver along with a veteran-level quarterback contract extension. Joe Burrow will be extended this offseason, while Ja'Marr Chase will be eligible for a contract extension in 2024. Meanwhile, Tee Higgins is in the final season of his rookie contract and scheduled to be a free agent in 2024. Of the eight teams with the highest average annual contract spending on wide receivers, four have a quarterback on a rookie contract (Miami, LA Chargers, Washington, and Pittsburgh), and three have veteran quarterbacks on the cheaper side of the contract scale (Seattle, Las Vegas, and Tampa Bay). Only Dallas, who ranks seventh in wide receiver annual value, has a quarterback on a contract worth more than 40 million dollars a year. If Cincinnati tries to keep its Big 3 together, how Cincinnati protects Burrow and structures its defense will be major questions.

What does the passing game outside of Amon-Ra St. Brown look like?

Amon-Ra St. Brown has become the clear WR1 in the Detroit offense. What does the rest of the offense look like? Jameson Williams had his rookie season shortened to only 41 routes and now will serve a six-game suspension for gambling. The team brought Marvin Jones back in free agency and has situational deep threat Khalif Raymond, but Williams should be able to return to a clear opportunity. The team drafted Sam LaPorta and Jahmyr Gibbs, who are options that could limit the size of the opportunity for Williams when he returns.

How does Carolina support Bryce Young?

The Panthers traded up for the first pick of the NFL Draft to select Bryce Young, but in doing so, the team sacrificed their supporting cast. The team included both D.J. Moore and their 2024 first-round pick, which limits their ability to surround Young with receiving talent. To fill the hole left by Moore's departure, the team signed Adam Thielen and D.J. Chark in free agency and drafted Jonathan Mingo in the second round of the draft. Thielen has been on the downslope of his career for multiple years, Chark has struggled to say healthy, and Mingo was not the type of elite producer in college that would predict early NFL success. The team also has Terrace Marshall and Laviska Shenault, along with Hayden Hurst at tight end, but there is not a clear go-to option in the offense. Without a quality receiving corps, Young's development could be held back, so the storyline warrants monitoring.

What is the effect of Aaron Rodgers?

The Jets acquired Aaron Rodgers from the Packers in April. What effect will Rodgers have on the offense? Unquestionably, Rodgers is historically much more efficient than the team's Zach Wilson/Joe Flacco/Chris Strevler/Mike White experience from 2022. However, Rodgers is coming off arguably the worst season of his career, transitioning to a significantly weaker offensive line, and runs the offense at a much slower pace than the Jets did in 2023. Rodgers can be difficult to predict, so making bold assumptions about high-level target shares for Garrett Wilson are risky.