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 West for the 2022-2023 season.

Los Angeles Rams

 

Sean McVay (Head Coach)

 

Liam Coen (Offensive Coordinator)

 

Notes

 

• Rams head coach Sean McVay’s running back room has generally gotten a below-average amount of work in the passing game, so Cam Akers, Darrell Henderson, and the rest of the Rams backfield may be less valuable in PPR formats.

 

• Despite seeing below-average usage in the passing game, McVay’s running back room has put up above-average fantasy production in general.

 

• McVay’s wide receivers have had a lot of success over the course of his career…Cooper Kupp and Allen Robinson II are both solid options at their current ADPs.

 

• The Rams will have a new offensive coordinator in 2022 with Liam Coen. Coen has only been an offensive coordinator at the college level, and McVay will be calling the plays anyway, so it is unclear how much stock you should put into Coen’s numbers.

 

• If you were to take away one thing from Coen’s college numbers, it would be that his running backs get a lot of usage on the ground.

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Arizona Cardinals

 

Kliff Kingsbury (Head Coach)

 

Notes

 

• Arizona Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury’s running back room has scored a lot of rushing touchdowns in each season that he’s been a head coach. This is especially important because he generally provides a below-average number of carries to his running backs.

 

• The Cardinals’ wide receivers are lucky to have Kingsbury as their offensive play-caller, as he’s done a very good job of getting his wide receivers involved. There should be room for multiple Arizona wide receivers to be fantasy relevant in 2022, so keep that in mind when deciding where to draft Marquise Brown, DeAndre Hopkins, A.J. Green, and Rondale Moore.

 

• Kingsbury’s tight end room has generally seen below-average usage in the passing game. While this did change a little bit when Zach Ertz got traded to the team, his upside may be more limited than we would hope.

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San Francisco 49ers

 

Kyle Shanahan (Head Coach)

 

Notes

 

• San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan has generally preferred to take a hot-hand approach to the running back position over the course of his career.

 

• Shanahan’s running back room as a whole has received a below-average number of targets and has been fairly mediocre in terms of fantasy points per game. Downgrade this backfield in PPR formats.

 

• Shanahan’s offense typically gives fullbacks and wide receivers more carries than nearly every other coach…if you are watching the games live and roster a 49ers running back like Elijah Mitchell, it could be a little frustrating at times.

 

• In terms of usage in the passing game, Shanahan’s wide receiver room is fairly average. This team probably maxes out at two fantasy-relevant wide receivers (likely Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk), so don’t go chasing more than two in your fantasy drafts.

 

• Kyle Shanahan’s tight end room has been a little above average from a fantasy perspective in terms of both usage and production…good news if you plan on drafting George Kittle this year.

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Seattle Seahawks

 

Shane Waldron (Offensive Coordinator)

 

Notes

 

• Shane Waldron has only been the Seattle Seahawks offensive coordinator for one season thus far, so you should put a little less stock into his numbers than the other coaches in this article. A lot can change in year two.

 

• During Waldron’s one year as an offensive coordinator, his running back room saw a below-average number of targets at 3.94…it’s only one year, but this is not the usage you would like to see if you plan on rostering the Seahawks’ primary pass-catching back.

 

• Waldron’s wide receiver room’s fantasy performance last year was pretty reliant on receiving touchdowns (targets were below average). With Russell Wilson no longer throwing the ball in Seattle, this could lead to their receivers’ fantasy values cratering.

 

• Waldron provided below-average usage to his tight ends in 2021…if you are a Noah Fant fan, this is a little concerning for his fantasy value.

 

 

Feature image by Michael Packard (@CollectingPack on Twitter)