Playoff teams pushing for more
San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers are a team that had a fantastic season last time out, making it all the way to the NFC Championship game only to lose the game to divisional rivals LA Rams in the last 2 minutes of the game. If you start with San Francisco, you have a team that will probably be expected to make the playoffs, but they are in the toughest division in the NFC with the Los Angeles Rams and the Arizona Cardinals both finishing ahead in the division last season. You also have the decision to make when it comes to who is going to be your starting Quarterback. Do you pick the experienced option in Jimmy Garoppolo, a player who is very injury prone but someone who has a very good win loss record in the league, or do you go with Trey Lance, the young Quarterback who barley played in his rookie season after being drafted 3rd overall. You also have fun players like George Kittle, Nick Bosa, Deebo Samuel too name a few. The 49ers start with a 86 overall and are ranked as the joint 7th best team.
Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos finished last season bottom of the division with a record of 7 and 10. On the outside, you’d think that they’d be delighted to just make the playoffs and even though that is true, The Broncos have traded arguably one of the worst starting quarterbacks in Drew Luck for one of the best in Russell Wilson. Wilson has been a star for nearly a decade now and has already made the Seattle Seahawks a threat so there is no reason why he can’t do so again. Probably the best part about picking the Denver Broncos is because you are in the hardest division in the NFL, with the three other teams all playoff contending teams, some of them are even Super Bowl contenders. If you are someone who enjoys playing the top teams in big and important matches, Denver is a great team to pick as playing the Raiders, Chiefs and Chargers twice as well as the Rams, 49ers, Cardinals, Ravens and Titans means that only a few games will be easily won. The Broncos start with an 84 overall and are ranked as the joint 12th best team.
Playoff Contenders
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots are the type of team that nobody wants to see do well unless you are a Patriots fan. However, the Patriots are not a dominant team with the GOAT at Quarterback anymore. The Patriots are now a team that have a young quarterback in Mac Jones who now enters his second season in the NFL after arguably having the best season of any rookie quarterback and has a lot off potential to improve. The Patriots start with a 81 overall and are ranked as the joint 20th best team which is a little concerning. They are also ranked third in their division so if you want a challenge in the first season but a potentially winning team in future seasons, then the Pats are a good option for you.
Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are a very good team to pick if you want a dark horse team. The Eagles made the playoffs last season with a 9-8 record, but you should be aiming for more with this year's line-up. The Eagles VS Cowboys for the number 1 team in the NFC East would be a fun battle to take part in with the Cowboys having an 86 overall compared to the Eagles 85 rating. Jalen Hurts is also a fun QB to play with. The Eagles are the joint 10th best team.
New Orleans Saints
The New Orleans Saints were frustrated last season after missing out on the playoffs due to their head-to-head record with the Philadelphia Eagles. If you start with the Saints, you will hope to make the playoffs, but it will be tough, particularly when you are in the division with the highest rated team in the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (92 OVR). Saints’ QB is Jameis Winston who is a decent Quarterback but at 76 overall, you will probably want to look for someone else if you want to become a serious super bowl contender. The Saints are 82 rated and are ranked as the joint 17th best team.
Aiming to improve
Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jacksonville Jaguars have been the worst team in the NFL for the past 2 seasons which surely means it can only get better. The fact they have had the number 1 pick in the draft means that if you pick the Jags, you will have a bunch of players who have very good potentials. Trevor Lawrence is a quarterback that you can build your teams future around as he should get better and better the more seasons you do. The Jaguars also play at Wembley Stadium this season so if you want to play in a different stadium, then the Jags are an option. Jacksonville have a 77 overall and are ranked as the joint 28th best team.
Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions were the worst team in the NFC last season and need to improve. The Lions have finished bottom in their division for the past 4 years so managing to not finish bottom this year will be a positive result. The Lions have also never made it to the Super Bowl so that’s the incentive needed to build the Lions into a dominant force. You probably won’t be able to do that with Jared Goff at QB so you should probably look for a new starting QB, either by trading for someone or waiting a year and seeing if there’s a future franchise QB in the draft. The Lions are 78 rated and a ranked joint 26th.
Teams in a new era
Pittsburgh Steelers
This will be the first season since 2003 that the Pittsburgh Steelers are without Ben Roethlisberger as the QB retired at the end of last season after 19 years in the league. This leaves you to take the Steelers into their new era and that starts with choosing your starting Quarterback. Do you start 69 rated Mitch Trubisky or put the 20th pick in this year's draft Kenny Pickett, who is only 1 lower rated at 68. You could even go out and trade in a current backup QB, Jimmy G and Teddy Bridgewater are good options for this role. You would also be in a pretty tricky division with the Ravens, Bengals and Browns all comfortably higher rated. The Steelers have an 80 Overall and are ranked in joint 22nd.
Seattle Seahawks
The Seattle Seahawks are in a completely different realm compared to previous years. They’ve always been one of the highest rated teams, but they come into this year's game as one of the worse. If you are someone that likes rebuilding teams, Seattle are a great option for you. The Seahawks still have good players, Jamal Adams is 90 rated and Wide Receivers Tyler Lockett and D.K. Metcalf combined total is 179. The problem is, Bobby Wagner isn’t there to knock the ball out of people’s hands when you need it, and Russell Wilson isn’t there to get you out of trouble. The fact that Seattle’s highest rated Quarterback is 66 rated tells you all you need to know about just how hard it will be to win games at the start of your save. The Seahawks are 76 rated and are ranked 30th in the league. For context, the next closest team in their division is 8 ratings higher at 84.
Washington Commanders
The Washington Commanders are the perfect pick if you want something new in this year's game. A new name, new logo and new kits are reasons to excite many a player, me included. The Commanders are in a tough division with the Cowboys and Eagles but are not at all a poor team with an 81 overall. Carson Wentz isn’t the best quarterback, but he also isn’t the worst. If you look at their games this season, 8 of them are definitely winnable so if you can manage to pull of some shocks elsewhere, playoffs aren’t out of the question.
LETS GO GENO!!