The Facts: Adams' dream pairing with his old college pal evaporated in less than a full season. What was once a reunion with Derek Carr gradually became a trudge toward a hopeless end to 2022 for the Raiders, complete with the quarterback's benching in favor of Jarrett Stidham and departure from the team in early 2023. Adams remains in Las Vegas, where he'll have a new quarterback throwing to him in Jimmy Garoppolo this season. But as Adams recently told The Ringer's Mirin Fader, in his opinion, the passer doesn't matter. His first-team All-Pro nod earned in 2022 proved this. "It proved that I am me," Adams said. "A quarterback doesn't make me. ... I make me. And I can do it consistently at this level."

Diehards Line:Because of Las Vegas' overall struggles to field a competitive team in 2022, Adams' 1,516-yard, 14-touchdown season didn't make nearly as much noise as the numbers would suggest. Adams led the league in touchdown receptions, yet most everyone overlooked his production in favor of highlighting the performances of Philadelphia's A.J. Brown, Buffalo's Stefon Diggs and others. Add in Carr's late-season benching, and Adams' first season with the Raiders unfairly landed with little more than a thud, at least in terms of perception. Adams admitted that while he's largely become numb to the emotional impact of player movement, Carr's benching and departure was "a little bit different when it's one of your good friends." That move and the disappointment of 2022 has left Adams feeling rather uncertain about the Raiders' future. He doesn't necessarily agree with the decisions GM Dave Ziegler and HC Josh McDaniels have made to this point, telling The Ringer "we don't see eye to eye on what we think is best for us right now," but knows he's already signed up for whatever is ahead. "I'm going to have to buy into this and try to be as optimistic as possible," Adams said. "It's not what I expected to happen, but it's something that's the reality now." What's next, though, is paramount. Adams acknowledged he's "closer to the end than I am the beginning," and feels a sense of urgency to produce while he's still capable. And that's good news for fantasy managers,