Davante Adams has shown he is an elite receiver, but he hasn’t done so without the help of Aaron Rodgers, and that will be the focal point of this season. In eight seasons with the Packers, Adams caught 669 passes for 8,121 yards and 73 touchdowns. He earned Pro Bowl selections every year from 2017 to 2021 and two first-team All-Pro selections, in 2020 and 2021 respectively. In the former, he led the league with 98.1 yards per game and 18 receiving touchdowns.
Last year, Adams put up the most receiving yards in a season in Packers history with 1,553, surpassing Jordy Nelson’s 2014 total of 1,519. He scored seven less touchdowns than his 2020 campaign (11), and his average yards per game dropped by a singular yard, but he did catch eight more passses. He finished the 2021-22 season as the second ranked wide receiver with the third highest fantasy points per game (13.8). Adams has been one of the most productive receivers over the past four years thanks to a hefty target share that leads all receivers (27.6%) and yards per route run, in which he ranks fifth. Last season his target share jumped up to 32%, which was second in the league behind Cooper Kupp.
The question surrounding Adams heading into 2022-23 is will he have the same chemistry with Raiders quarterback Derek Carr? The two played together at Fresno State in college and were very successful. In 26 games with Carr as his quarterback, Adams caught 233 passes for 3,031 yards and 38 touchdowns.
“As far as talent and ability, it’s really similar, if I’m keeping it real,” Adams said about the comparisons between Carr and Rodgers. “They throw the ball a lot different. Derek’s gonna fire it in there, and you gonna know that thing’s coming quick. Aaron’s got the ability to tighten that core up and flick that ball to you. So the release is a lot different, but being able to get the ball to you late, if they see you coming out of a break, not many quarterbacks can get it to you before you get to the sideline if you’re outside the numbers already. Having two guys like that with really strong arms, and understand the game, the mental part of it, is another similarity that they have. They both obsess over it and they know everything that’s going on out there.”
Health Analysis – Through eight NFL seasons Adams has never played fewer than 12 games, so he has managed to avoid significant injury. He still comes with some risk, though, as his calculated IRC is 21%. His Health Performance Factor is better at 83%, which is Peak. His most notable injuries have to do with his hamstring, as he’s had a mild strain each of the last two seasons. Despite coming with some risk, he is a solid option late in the first round or early in the second round of drafts.
| REC | YDS | TD | REC/G | YDS/R | YDS/G |
| 123 | 1553 | 11 | 7.7 | 12.6 | 97.1 |