We know that coaches try to create an environment for their players to succeed. We also know that coaches have tendencies and preferences for how they utilize their players. Yet, in the fantasy world, these tendencies tend to be unaccounted for, overlooked, or spoken about in terms of personal anecdotes that may or may not be true.
This article contains charts and information to give you a stronger understanding of the impact coaching can have on your fantasy players from the NFC East for the 2022-2023 season.
Dallas Cowboys
Mike McCarthy (Head Coach)
Kellen Moore (Offensive Coordinator)
Notes
- Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy has a concerning history with his running back room both in terms of usage and production. If he takes on more of a role in offensive play-calling duties, it could limit the upside of Tony Pollard & Ezekiel Elliott.
- McCarthy’s teams have generally gotten good production out of the wide receiver room…great news if you plan on drafting CeeDee Lamb or one of the other Cowboys receivers.
- McCarthy’s tight end room has generally been slightly below average in the production department. It’s not a deal-breaker, but you really have to believe in the talent of Dalton Schultz if you expect him to take the next step.
- Dallas Cowboys offensive coordinator Kellen Moore has gotten slightly above average fantasy production out of his running back room…if you are rostering Ezekiel Elliott or Tony Pollard you are glad he’s the primary play-caller and not Mike McCarthy.
- Much like McCarthy, Moore has liked to feature his wide receivers heavily in the passing game. This will raise the floor and the ceiling for the Cowboys’ wide receivers in 2022.
Washington Commanders
Scott Turner (Offensive Coordinator)
Notes
- Washington Commanders’ offensive coordinator Scott Turner does a great job utilizing and getting production out of his running back room – particularly in the passing game. This bodes well for J.D. McKissic and Antonio Gibson.
- On the flip side, Turner doesn’t seem to prioritize his wide receiver room as much as other coaches do…it’s unlikely that this team produces a fantasy-relevant wide receiver outside of Terry McLaurin.
- Turner has seen mediocre production out of his tight end room… Logan Thomas should probably be viewed as a streamer going into 2022.
New York Giants
Brian Daboll (Head Coach)
Mike Kafka (Offensive Coordinator)
Mike Kafka Coaching Career
Notes
- In his past career as an offensive coordinator, New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll generally didn’t get much production out of his running back room in comparison to other coaches. Saquon Barkley is the most talented running back he’s had by a large margin, so it’ll be interesting to see if Daboll takes a drastically different approach (like he did with the WR usage in Buffalo once the team acquired Stefon Diggs).
- With his wide receivers, Daboll has shown two different sides. Early on in his career, his wide receiver rooms struggled, but in the 2020 season (after the Bills acquired Stefon Diggs) everything started to click and the production was off the charts. While he probably won’t be able to get the 2022 Giants wide receiver room to perform at the level of the 2020-2021 Buffalo Bills wide receiver room, it is likely that he sticks with the more WR-friendly approach given how many decent receivers are on the team. This cast includes Kenny Golladay, Sterling Shepard, Kadarius Toney, Darius Slayton, and Wan’Dale Robinson.
- Daboll’s tight ends have generally struggled…it’s unlikely that Ricky Seals-Jones breaks out all of a sudden this year.
- This will be the first time that Mike Kafka (New York Giants offensive coordinator) will be an offensive coordinator at the NFL level. Because we don’t have too much data from the past to go off of with him, it’s better to just focus on Brian Daboll’s data – especially since it’s more likely that Daboll ends up calling the plays for the team.
Philadelphia Eagles
Nick Sirianni (Head Coach)
Shane Steichen (Offensive Coordinator)
Notes
- Jumping to the Eagles, both head coach Nick Sirianni and offensive coordinator Shane Steichen have historically done a good job of getting their running backs involved in the offense…could we see a bounce-back season for Miles Sanders after he scored zero touchdowns in 12 games in 2021?
- Both Sirianni and Steichen have seen below-average production from their wide receiver rooms over the course of their individual careers. It will be interesting to see if this trend changes for the Eagles in 2022, as they have a borderline elite wide receiver duo on paper in A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith. If the team can’t figure out a way to get above-average production out of the position with those two in the fold, you have to wonder how much job security the Eagles’ offensive coaching staff and starting quarterback Jalen Hurts will have going forward.
- Sirianni and Steichen have seen their offenses frequently feature strong tight end production in the past…Dallas Goedert should be a solid TE1 for the 2022 season as long as he’s healthy.
Feature image by Michael Packard (@CollectingPack on Twitter)