AFC East 2022 Season Preview
To me, this is the Bills division to lose. The hype around them entering this season is real. They are the current Super Bowl favorite, and deservedly so. Josh Allen is as strong of an MVP candidate as you can find. They seemed to have found something in their ground game, outside of Allen, as last season went on. They definitely found something in Gabriel Davis as a complement to superstar Stefon Diggs. Their already stout defense added Von Miller. Over 11.5 wins should be a lock as they try to secure the AFC top seed entering the playoffs. The AFC East belongs to the Bills this season, and likely for many to come.
The Dolphins made a huge splash this offseason in adding Tyreek Hill, a truly one-of-one type of a player. Hill and Jaylen Waddle make up a top-3 WR duo in the league that they hope will offset their question marks at QB and in the ground game. Their defense doesn’t blow me away nor concern me. All signs to me point towards this team being competitive, but not spectacular. Of all the futures out there, Tua under passing yards seems like the best bet out there. I hate taking overs when it comes to futures player props (a missed week or two can make achieving an over nearly impossible). This number seems way too high to me.
The Patriots, mainly Mac Jones, made me look absolutely foolish last season as they made the playoffs in a season I truly expected them to struggle through. While I can admit being wrong last season, I can’t picture this team making a strong playoff push this year in a top-heavy AFC. They’ll be competitive of course (they still have Belichick and Mac Jones is clearly a capable QB). But Matt Patricia and Joe Judge apparently will be having important roles in…wait for it…the Patriots offense, and that is terrifying to hear. Middle of the pack seems right for this team. I like Rhamondre Stevenson to become a focal point of this offense, and since I can’t find any futures on him (nor would I take any since I don’t like overs on futures player props), I’ll take the under of Damien Harris’ rushing yards. This isn’t a slight on Harris, who I also like. I can just see a few different ways this under hits, which makes it appealing.
And then there’s the Jets. They had an exciting offseason, mostly via the draft. On paper, it looks like they nailed it. But people often forget that that means nothing until these players actually see the field. In true Jets fashion, Zach Wilson going down in their first preseason game, with what appeared to be a very serious non-contact injury to his leg, was shockingly the second worst thing that came out of that game. In his first drive of that game, right before the injury, Wilson threw a pass directly to the linebacker for a frighteningly bad interception. Their win total is low to begin with, but I’m still taking the under (yes I’m aware I have them getting 6 wins, which is over). The main reason for this is their start to the season appears to be very difficult, which could lead to a hedge opportunity (if you’re into that). I also just don’t like many of the futures on them.
