From the top down, here are 15 players that will help you win your fantasy championship in 2022.
#1 Najee Harris
Consensus Rank: RB5
ADP: #7 OVR
Najee Harris has everything going for him. He's in his second year, a time when most prospects start to shine, he was a top 5 back last season, he commands an insanely high percentage of snap share, and he doesn't play for a prolific quarterback. All of this points to Harris having a career year and with his ADP of RB6...you can get him on your roster from any draft position except the 9-12 spots generally.
#2 Alvin Kamara
Consensus Rank: RB11
ADP: #17 OVR
Alvin Kamara will likely face a suspension due to some legal issues in the off-season, but with the court case getting postponed til December it’s more than likely that suspension is levied next season. With that in mind, Kamara’s falling draft stock should play to our advantage, as his ability in the run and pass game has led to Kamara being a top 10 back in every season he has been healthy.
#3 Mike Evans
Consensus Rank: WR10
ADP #27 OVR
Mike Evans is not a target hog, yet somehow manages to eclipse the 1000-yard mark regardless of who is throwing him the ball. Add in Tom Brady and their QB/WR chemistry is perhaps the best in the league. With Chris Godwin not reliably at 100% until after the season has started, Evans will see the bulk of Brady’s important targets, which means touchdowns, which means fantasy points. Bold prediction? Mike Evans breaks Randy Moss’ receiving touchdown/season record of 23 this year.
#4 Travis Etienne Jr
Consensus Rank: RB17
ADP: 36th OVR
Travis Etienne is my early round luxury pick for 2022. Last year it was Ja’Marr Chase. Guys you literally know nothing about going in other than extrapolating their college success and hoping it translates to the NFL. In Chase’s case, it did in spectacular fashion, but Etienne suffered a season-ending camp injury before he even got started. A year later, Etienne is still the rush/pass threat he was at Clemson, and he is playing with his college QB who noticeably missed his former favorite target last year. Much like Chase, the importance of familiarity between QB and position player is very important and shaves off the time needed to build chemistry. Etienne is going a little higher than I would like to take him for this very reason, but if you build a solid RB core early Etienne could be the catalyst to a championship run for your fantasy team.
#5 Courtland Sutton
Consensus Rank: WR20
ADP: 36th OVR
Courtland Sutton managed to put together some top 15 seasons with a revolving door or mediocre QBs and a play-caller determined to throw as little as possible. Now he has Russell Wilson and a play-caller who wants Russ to cook. In general you always want to draft the WR1s on their team over the WR2s, and Sutton is prime example. While Jeudy may have a solid year, it is Sutton who is getting the highest target volume in camp and drawing Jerry Rice comparisons from Russ at press conferences. Available in the third round, Sutton is prime candidate to be your team WR1 if you (wisely) go RB-RB early.
#6 Kyler Murray
Consensus Rank: QB5
ADP: 64th OVR
Kyler Murray was the overall QB2 in fantasy before suffering a combo of injuries that limited him most of the season. He still pulled off a top 10 finish and I believe if we can get a healthy 17 games out of him Kyler Murray has all the potential to lead the entire league in scoring in 2022. Last year his PPG average put him squarely in 4th behind only Allen, Herbert, and Mahomes. Add that to his availability as late as the 6th round and you have yourself a league winner that allows you take 4-5 prime position players before looking at the QB slot.
#7 Elijah Mitchell
Consensus Rank: RB20
ADP: 45th OVR
Why is there not more love for Elijah Mitchell? He clearly stole the starting job in SF last year, and despite dealing with injuries practically all season he amassed nearly 1000 yards and 5 touchdowns as a rookie. Entering his second year, he has a new QB in Trey Lance and a healthy RB room. Camp has shown Mitchell taking almost all of the first team reps, and the addition of Lance creates a need to lean on the RB position in big ways to limit the damage Lance can do with his arm. Available in the fourth round, Mitchell is a solid plan at RB2 but probably shouldn’t be your first RB off the board, as the uncertainties in the SF offense could hamstring him a little as far as fantasy is concerned.
#8 Chris Godwin
Consensus Rank: WR28
ADP: 65th OVR
Chris Godwin missed 3 full games and still had a top 15 finish in fantasy at the wideout position. He may miss some time to start the season while finishing his recovery, but his chemistry with Tom Brady in the highest passing volume offense in the league makes him a sure bet in your lineup once he’s back to 100%. Because of the early availability concerns, Godwin has fallen in drafts to WR28, all the way back in the 6th round, which is crazy for a guy who commanded a 21% target share and was 4th in fantasy wideout scoring through 14 weeks last year.
#9 Michael Thomas
Consensus Rank: WR30
ADP: 68th OVR
Michael Thomas has disappeared from fantasy the last few seasons, dealing with extended recovery from a multitude of injuries that required surgery and then rehab and then more surgery…but he’s back now, and according to him he’s ready to break some records. Jameis Winston has the type of arm that can exploit what Thomas does best, get open. Recency bias is the only reason Thomas isn’t being drafted higher and if you employ the RB-heavy strategy, he provides you with a capable WR2 at insane draft value.
#10 Allen Robinson II
Consensus Rank: WR23
ADP: 53rd OVR
Allen Robinson has been dealing with lingering hamstring injuries that have (literally) hamstringed his seasons since 2019. Working with a combo of Mitch Trubisky, Andy Dalton, and Justin Fields didn’t help, and he has all but faded into obscurity. Well, obscurity be damned, A-Rob plays for the Rams now, lining up across from Cooper Kupp. Last season Robert Woods benefitted from the extra looks Kupp drew on the way to being a top 15 fantasy wideout before tearing his ACL in November. This year Robinson will fit nicely in that role that also saw OBJ light up in previously. Basically whoever the WR2 in LA is, you want him, because that role produces fantasy points in bunches. Allen Robinson is a supreme talent that will be realized once again as the Rams make another championship push.
#11 Dawson Knox
Consensus Rank: TE12
ADP: 110th OVR
I try not to overthink tight ends. It’s a fairly low scoring position, and even the elites are not insulated from the occasional 5-point outing. That’s why it’s hard to spend too much on them, rather I opt to find the diamond in the rough in later rounds. This year, I’m looking at Buffalo’s Dawson Knox. He exploded last year with a few multi-TD games, and is a prime candidate to do so again in the high-powered Buffal offense that lost Emmanuel Sanders in the off-season.
#12 Rashod Bateman
Consensus Rank: WR29
ADP: 67th OVR
Rashod Bateman came out of college highly touted, only to miss the first five weeks due to injury. His rookie season familiarized “Shoddy B” with the NFL enough to allow the Ravens to trade away Marquise Brown and open up the WR1 role for Bateman. Mark Andrews is Lamar Jackson’s favorite target, but with about 22% of the receiving targets freed up with the absence of Brown, Bateman is the guy who will step up and fill that role. Solid WR2 with unlimited ceiling and great current draft value. Not many team WR1s are falling down into the 6th/7th rounds.
#13 Tom Brady
Consensus Rank: QB8
ADP: 81st OVR
Tom Brady consistently gets docked for his lack of mobility in fantasy drafts, and consistently proves you don’t need to run if you throw 400+ and 4 TDs each week. There is the age factor, basically wondering when Tom’s arm will start to decline, but we haven’t seen that yet and no reason to think it starts now. Tampa will always be one of the pass-heaviest teams in important situations as long as they have Brady, and with his draft stock landing him in the 7th-8th round you can build a solid roster knowing you can get Brady later. Brady is also a great starting plan for people looking at Trey Lance and Trevor Lawrence, you can roll Brady until we see what the young QBs can do.
#14 Rhamondre Stevenson
Consensus Rank: RB34
ADP: 90th OVR
Rhamondre Stevenson was a huge sleeper for me last year and apparently he did enough to carve himself out a starting role in the New England offense. It was always going to be a 1-2 punch with Damien Harris in the backfield, but with the larger Stevenson proving he can pull his weight in both the rush and pass attack…there are rumors that Harris is on the trade block. Whether or not Harris stays in New England, Stevenson’s role is cemented and each time he exceeds his coaches expectations…he gets more first team reps wile Harris watches from the sidelines. This is being reflected in Harris’s falling ADP, but as of now Stevenson isn’t really flying up draft boards and provides an excellent flex/RB2 option from the later rounds.
#15 Skyy Moore
Consensus Rank: WR48
ADP: 117th OVR
Skyy Moore was taken in the second round of the 2022 NFL draft with expectations to help fill the void left by Tyreek Hill. Rookies rarely hit the ground running and lead the league in fantasy scoring their first year, so expectations have to be metered a little, but if you look at the landing spots of the top rookie receivers…Moore and Christian Watson are the only highly-drafted receivers paired with elite-level QBs. Add on the fact that Moore had the HIGHEST rating for WRs by PFF his senior year of college and beat zone coverage in the top 1% of all college receivers, and you have the makings of a fantasy goldmine from the “throw a dart” rounds later in the draft. Oh, and he has been lighting up training camp already with his shifty route running, all signs that he will be Mahomes’ go-to receiver in important situations if Travis Kelce isn’t open.
Honorable Mentions:
Allen Lazard, WR Green Bay
Christian Kirk, WR Jacksonville
Darnell Mooney, WR Chicago
Christian Watson, WR Green Bay
Isiah Pacheco, RB Kansas City
Drake London, WR Atlanta
Kenneth Gainwell, RB Philadelphia
Handcuffs
Alexander Mattison, RB Minnesota
Tony Pollard, RB Dallas
Josh Palmer, WR LAC
Rachad White, RB Tampa Bay
Tyler Boyd, WR Cincinnati
QB2 Options
Derek Carr, LV
Jameis Winston, NO
Matt Stafford, LAR
Trey Lance, SF
Kirk Cousins, MIN
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