Yeah, I think that ~40 more teams + a bit more seasoning on how to pick a good team + Olympics will probably make for a more exciting and tight race (although last year was fun to follow my own team later in the season, even if it was only from 50th to 20th).
I'm also thankful for last year's learning experience re: 'shockers' - after Ricco dashed my hopes pretty much before the season started, I shied away from picking such expensive riders. Losing Offredo's 295 points (which I still hope doesn't happen somehow) is much less of a blow than losing Ricco's 756 points last year (obviously I mean 'points' as last year's points, with the thought of doubling them). Actually, I didn't notice consciously, but for me last year's big lesson was 'don't spend big', because of my big buys, Kreuziger (839), Boonen (777) and Ricco (756) were busts, and only Cunego paid off. This year, my most expensive pick is 532, and I don't think that's an accident, even if I didn't consciously intend it.