In the 12th of a 32-part series, we are featuring all National Football League teams with a prediction of where each team will finish within their division, key off-season acquisitions and their top fantasy stars. Here are the Green Bay Packers.
Key Off Season Acquisition
The Packers’s most significant off-season acquisition was long snapper Matthew Orzech of San Diego, California. He signed a three-year deal worth $3.675 million on March 15. Orzech is joining his third NFL team as he was with the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2019 and the Los Angeles Rams in 2021 and 2022. In 50 games, Orzech had four solo tackles. He was also on the Rams team that won the Super Bowl in 2022.
Fantasy Star
Running back Aaron Jones of Savannah, Georgia is ranked 10th in fantasy football. Last season he had 213 rushes for a career high 1121 rushing yards, but only two rushing touchdowns when he had 16 rushing touchdowns which led the NFL in 2019. Jones also had 59 catches for 395 receiving yards and another five touchdown catches in 2022. Expect Jones’s fantasy value to drop significantly with Green Bay no longer having Aaron Rodgers as a quarterback. It would not be shocking to see Jones traded by the deadline.
Projected Finish
There are definitely low expectations for the Packers in 2023. Instead of battling for a NFC North division title, Green Bay will be battling Chicago in avoiding the basement. The Packers are in a rebuilding mode as the franchise is not only moving on from the Aaron Rodgers era, but said goodbye to wide receivers Allen Lazard and Randall Cobb, and defensive ends Jarran Reed and Dean Lowry.
