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USATSI

It's a fun time for us as our CBS Sports staff is doing all the player outlooks for the upcoming season. Those are the blurbs you read on each player's page and, more importantly, the information you see in the draft room.
 
We put a lot of time into these outlooks and do plenty of research. The goal, as always, is to help you prepare for your draft -- and win your league.

With that in mind, we wanted to break out some of the best research items we found on each player so you can start preparing now. When your draft is happening, especially if it's live, you might remember something you read here and don't have to panic when you're on the clock.

I have the NFC South outlooks, and here are some of the interesting things that stood out to me about the Buccaneers, Falcons, Panthers, and Saints. For example, Chris Godwin was better than Mike Evans last year, Bijan Robinson outscored Saquon Barkley down the stretch, Bryce Young closed the season as a Fantasy star, and Rashid Shaheed was better than Chris Olave in 2024.

What will happen in 2025 with these teams? Let's find out. Here are five interesting notes on each roster.

BUCCANEERS

1. Did you know: Bucky Irving averaged 14.4 PPR points per game as a rookie in 2024, but he was dominant to close the season, scoring at least 16.3 PPR points in seven of his final nine games, including the playoffs.

Our view: Irving has top-10 upside in all formats, and he will hopefully pick up where 2024 ended and play like that all season. He should be drafted in all leagues as early as Round 2.

2. Did you know: Rachaad White has at least 50 receptions in three years in a row. And last year, White also averaged a career-best 4.3 yards per carry and matched his career high with nine total touchdowns.

Our view: White might be trending in the wrong direction because of Irving, but don't be surprised if White is a significant contributor for the Buccaneers and Fantasy managers this year. He's worth a mid-round pick in all leagues.

3. Did you know: Mike Evans just had his 11th season in a row with at least 1,000 receiving yards (1,004), and he scored double digits in touchdowns (11) for the sixth time in his career in 2024. He also averaged 17.2 PPR points per game.

Our view: Evans turns 32 in August, and Tampa Bay has a crowded receiving corps with Chris Godwin back and the addition of first-round rookie Emeka Egbuka joining Jalen McMillan. It's hard to bet against Evans given his track record, but you should draft him in Round 4 as a mid-range No. 2 Fantasy receiver.

4. Did you know: Prior to hurting his ankle in Week 7 last year, Godwin was having a career season and averaged 19.7 PPR points per game. He was on pace for 121 catches, 1,399 yards, and 12 touchdowns, and he was better than Evans (14.3 PPR points per game through Week 7) during that stretch.

Our view: Godwin can still be an elite Fantasy receiver, but he has to prove his health in training camp. And he has to hold off Egbuka, who could take Godwin's role in the slot. The earliest you should draft Godwin is Round 5 in the majority of leagues.

5. Did you know: Last season, Baker Mayfield set career highs in passing yards (4,500), touchdowns (41) and rushing yards (378). He also rushed for three touchdowns and finished with 16 interceptions and two fumbles.

Our view: Mayfield got upgrades this offseason with the return of Godwin and the addition of Egbuka. It might feel weird to call Mayfield an elite Fantasy quarterback, but he's close. He should be drafted soon after the top six quarterbacks of Lamar Jackson, Josh Allen, Jayden Daniels, Joe Burrow, Jalen Hurts and Patrick Mahomes come off the board.

FALCONS

1. Did you know: Michael Penix Jr. started three games for Atlanta in 2024, and the Falcons averaged 32 points per game over that span against the Giants, Commanders, and Panthers. His Week 18 outing against Carolina was by far his best with 28.9 Fantasy points.

Our view: Penix has standout weapons with Drake London, Darnell Mooney, Kyle Pitts, and Bijan Robinson, and there's plenty of potential for Penix to be a quality Fantasy quarterback. We need to see him be consistent with his production, and if that happens then he'll be a popular waiver-wire addition in all one-quarterback leagues during the season.

2. Did you know: Robinson averaged 17.2 total touches per game in his first six outings last year. But over his final 11 games, Robinson averaged 23.9 total touches per game. He also was one of three running backs last year with at least 60 catches, and only Saquon Barkley (2,283), Derrick Henry (2,114) and Jahmyr Gibbs (1,929) had more total yards than Robinson (1,887).

Our view: Robinson averaged 22.5 PPR points per game in his final eight outings. That was better than what Barkley (22.2) and Gibbs (21.4) did last season, and a big reason for Robinson's strong ending was his workload. He should be drafted as early as No. 1 overall in all leagues.

3. Did you know: In three starts with Penix, London had 22 catches for 352 yards and two touchdowns, and he scored at least 17.6 PPR points in two of those outings.

Our view: London had a career year in 2024 with 100 catches for 1,271 yards and nine touchdowns on 158 targets, and he should continue to dominate targets. He has the upside to be a top-five Fantasy receiver, and we would draft him in Round 2 in all leagues.

4. Did you know: Mooney had 64 catches for 992 yards and five touchdowns on 106 targets in 16 games last year. He had eight outings with at least 13.2 PPR points, and in one healthy game with Penix in Week 16 against the Giants, Mooney finished with five catches for 82 yards on six targets.

Our view: There's a lot to like about Mooney as a Fantasy receiver this season, especially his value, and he could be a weekly starter in three-receiver leagues with top-30 upside. He's an easy receiver to draft after Round 7 in all formats.

5. Did you know: In 2024, Pitts started out the season playing well with 29 catches for 419 yards and three touchdowns in the first eight weeks of the season, and he scored at least 10 PPR points in five games over that span. But over the final nine games, Pitts had 18 catches for 183 yards and one touchdown and scored double digits in PPR just once.

Our view: We're done hyping Pitts as a No. 1 Fantasy tight end given his track record, but he's still worth a late-round flier in all leagues. If -- and it's a big if at this point -- he does hit then you'll be thrilled you drafted him. But he's also an easy Fantasy option to move on from if he starts out the season struggling once again.

PANTHERS

1. Did you know: In 2024, Bryce Young ended the season with three games in a row with at least 20.9 Fantasy points, including two outings over that span with at least 31.1 points. Prior to that, he had one game with more than 20 Fantasy points all season, and he was also benched early in the year for Andy Dalton before getting his job back.

Our view: Young has sleeper appeal this season, especially since the Panthers added a first-round rookie receiver in Tetairoa McMillan to join Xavier Legette, Adam Thielen, Jalen Coker, Chuba Hubbard and Ja'Tavion Sanders. But let Young prove himself first in one-quarterback leagues, and then you can add him off the waiver wire.

2. Did you know: Hubbard played at least 74 percent of Carolina's snaps in 11 of 15 games last season and finished with 250 carries for 1,195 yards and 10 touchdowns and 43 catches for 171 yards and a touchdown on 54 targets.

Our view: Hubbard had an amazing year in 2024, and he scored at least 17.5 PPR points seven times. We'll see if he can repeat that level of dominance, but the Panthers added two running backs who could take touches away from Hubbard in Rico Dowdle and Trevor Etienne. Hubbard is still worth drafting in Round 4 in all leagues, but he could be a disappointment if Dowdle and/or Etienne have a prominent role.

3. Did you know: McMillan scored 26 receiving touchdowns in three seasons at Arizona. Over the past three seasons, the Panthers receivers have combined for 38 touchdowns.

Our view: McMillan can easily be the No. 1 receiver for the Panthers ahead of Legette and Thielen, and hopefully Young will lean on McMillan quite a bit. Fantasy managers should view McMillan as a high-end No. 3 Fantasy receiver in the majority of leagues, and the earliest he should be drafted is Round 6.

4. Did you know: Legette had eight games last season with at least six targets, but he scored double digits in PPR just three times. For the year, he had 49 catches for 497 yards and four touchdowns on 87 targets in 16 games.

Our view: Legette is only worth a late-round flier in the majority of leagues. The addition of McMillan, along with the presence of Thielen, makes it tough to trust Legette coming off a disappointing rookie campaign. Most likely, Legette could be a waiver-wire addition during the season.

5. Did you know: After missing seven games with a hamstring injury last year, Thielen returned in Week 12 and scored at least 15.3 PPR points in four of his final seven games.

Our view: Thielen is worth drafting with a late-round pick in deeper leagues. Even though he'll be 35 in August, Thielen showed a great rapport with Young in 2024. The addition of McMillan should impact Thilen in a negative way, but we still expect him to make plenty of plays as long as he's healthy.

SAINTS

1. Did you know: Kamara has at least 68 receptions in each of the past two seasons and at least 57 catches in all but one year of his career. He also has at least 1,300 total yards in all but one season.

Our view: Kamara turns 30 in July, and the quarterback situation in New Orleans could be a mess with Derek Carr (shoulder) retired. That said, Kamara's role in the passing game should remain constant, and he's worth drafting as a No. 2 Fantasy running back in all leagues, especially in PPR, as early as Round 4.

2. Did you know: Chris Olave played in just eight games in 2024 due to multiple concussions, and he scored at least 16.7 PPR points in three outings last year. In 2023, he averaged 14.5 PPR points per game.

Our view: We keep waiting for Olave to have a breakout campaign, and maybe it will happen this season. But it's hard for that expectation to become a reality given his level of play, as well as the quarterback concern in New Orleans with Spencer Rattler or Tyler Shough as the likely starter. We recommend waiting for Olave on Draft Day and selecting him no sooner than Round 6 in the majority of leagues.

3. Did you know: Last year, Rashid Shaheed got off to a hot start with at least 15.7 PPR points in four of his first six games, and he was playing better than Olave over that stretch. But then Shaheed injured his knee and was out from Week 7 through the end of the year.

Our view: Keep an eye on his health in training camp, and Shaheed has plenty of sleeper appeal if the quarterback play for the Saints isn't awful. Shaheed is a great receiver to stash on the end of your bench, even though New Orleans added Brandin Cooks to compete for playing time opposite Olave this season.

4. Did you know: Rattler appeared in seven games as a rookie in 2024 with six starts, and his best outing was 16.7 Fantasy points in Week 18 at Tampa Bay. He completed just 57 percent of his 228 passes for 1,317 yards, four touchdowns, and five interceptions, along with 146 rushing yards on 18 carries.

Our view: Rattler will compete with Shough for the starting job, but neither one has enough upside to warrant drafting -- or likely even rostering -- in one-quarterback leagues. We'll see what happens in training camp and who starts for the Saints, and maybe that quarterback could be a reserve in Superflex and two-quarterback leagues.

5. Did you know: Juwan Johnson closed 2024 on a high note with at least 12 PPR points in four of his final seven games. He also had a strong finish in 2023 with at least 11.8 PPR points in three of his final four outings over that span.

Our view: If we could get Johnson to start this season the way he's finished the past two then we might have a standout Fantasy tight end, but we need to see it first. He could be a solid addition off the waiver wire during the year, but Johnson is not worth drafting in most Fantasy leagues.