As the NFL season approaches, millions of people are turning their attention to fantasy football. Well, just like every year, we at PFN have been researching more than 350 players, trying to identify which ones are overrated, underrated, and priced right. With that in mind, here are Green Bay Packers QB Jordan Love’s fantasy projections for 2023, as well as insights into whether he should be drafted at or before his ADP.
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Jordan Love’s 2023 Fantasy Projection
If you were a football fan in the 1980s and ’90s, you know what Joe Montana and Steve Young meant to the San Francisco 49ers.
Across 18 consecutive seasons — 10 for Montana, followed by eight for Young — these two quarterbacks led this franchise to a combined 16 playoff appearances and five Super Bowl titles.
In what would be Montana’s final year in San Francisco — in the midst of missing nearly two straight seasons with a severe elbow injury — a new era was beginning about 2,200 miles away in Green Bay, where Brett Favre took the reins of the storied Packers offense. Followed by Aaron Rodgers, this tandem led Green Bay for 31 consecutive seasons. Yes, 31.
Consider the pressure Jeff Garcia faced when the Niners named him their starter in the aftermath of the Montana-Young era. It was nearly impossible to come close to mirroring that level of excellence.
Now consider that it was “only” 18 years in the making. But in Green Bay, it’s 31 years in the making. The last time the Packers faced uncertainty at the quarterback position was when Favre got his shot in 1992. This city is not accustomed to patiently waiting for their QB to find his footing.
The pressure on Love must be enormous. And augmenting that pressure is the draft capital Green Bay used to get him three years ago. With Tee Higgins, Michael Pittman Jr., Jonathan Taylor, and a litany of remaining talent on the table, the Packers selected Love with the No. 26 overall pick. Joe Burrow went first. Tua Tagovailoa and Justin Herbert went shortly after.
Love was a surprise of sorts. And the fact that he went 28 picks before Jalen Hurts only compounds the stakes. Love cannot realistically become one of the greatest young quarterbacks in decades (Hurts). As a result, this franchise might be in a state of “what if?” for years.
Understanding Love’s fantasy outlook requires one to understand this context. No doubt, he possesses the offensive personnel to deliver as a top-24 QB in his first full campaign, and he could surprise with a top-18 showing.
Christian Watson, Romeo Doubs, and rookie Jayden Reed form a strong, young WR nucleus. Rookie TE Luke Musgrave might be the best Packers tight end since Jermichael Finley. Aaron Jones and AJ Dillon remain one of the league’s top backfield duos, with Jones likely to earn a larger share of touches to help carry more weight.
Love has thrown only 83 passes in two seasons, but apparently, Green Bay has seen enough. They bypassed taking Will Levis in the first round and instead reached for 25-year-old Sean Clifford in the fifth round.
In other words, they’re set on turning the keys of this offense over to Love, who should have all year to develop.
That’s good news for patient fantasy managers, and of course, it’s good news for Love and this team, which desperately needs stability at a position where they’ve long expected it.
Should You Draft Jordan Love This Year?
Underdog Fantasy currently lists Love with a QB21 ADP. Our PFN Consensus Rankings place him at QB21, too. Those are entirely reasonable projections for a mostly unknown commodity with little risk of getting benched.
In one-QB leagues, he’ll certainly be waiver fodder until bye weeks hit. And in two-QB/Superflex leagues, he’ll be a nothing-to-lose selection for those who miss “safer” starters like Russell Wilson, Jared Goff, or Derek Carr.
To be clear, Love was a boom/bust prospect and brings that same boom/bust potential in fantasy. Aggressive fantasy managers looking for the next breakout star could do worse than take a flier on Green Bay’s new franchise quarterback. Unlike highly touted rookie Bryce Young, Love has the playmakers to hit the ground running in Week 1.
If you recall what Love looked like in 2021, put that in the back of your mind. He’s invested the last two years preparing for this moment, and the team is doing everything possible to help him succeed. That should keep him in the top 24, making him a solid buy at his ADP.