The non-first-round running backs -Joe Mixon,D'Andre Swift,Alvin Kamara,Aaron Jones,Nick Chubb,Saquon Barkley,Leonard Fournette,James Conner, Javonte Williams and Cam Akers- provide enough production for a roster's RB1 slot. When attempting to put together the perfect fantasy football draft in 2022, Baltimore Ravens TE Mark Andrews, who led all tight ends in fantasy points last season, is a great Round 2 option. That player is the hero or anchor of your team. Do Not Sell My Personal Information, Next Up - FantasyPros Football Podcast: Must-Draft Rookies Instant Contributors, Dynasty Holds & Late-Round Sleepers, 189 K. Are you looking to contact Customer Support about a subscription or account related question? DOMINATE YOUR DRAFT: Ultimate 2022 fantasy cheat sheet. It's great to have a fourth starting-caliber RB, but you shouldn't do so at the cost of having a low-end starting receiver. Brown, Mike Evans. Keep in mind, many of those RBs don't need to be drafted in Round 2. Allgeier doesnt carry great draft capital (Round 5), but the Falcons backfield depth chart is soft outside of. , including the penalties and the playoffs. Also, the middle rounds are chock-full of wide receiver talent, which should be the primary focus. The 2022 NFL season is approaching, which means its time to prepare for your fantasy football draft. In the past four seasons, his 25.6 PPR fantasy points per game is by far the most by any . Make sure to follow Michael on Twitter and Instagram. Chris Godwin, Gabriel Davis, Russell Gage, Rob Gronkowski, James Cook, Rachaad White and Jamison Crowder all make friendly game stack options with Higgins and are draftable in spots that dont require reaching way past ADP. Sep 04, 2022, 01:31 PM EDT Download App Entering the biggest draft weekend of the year, we have you covered. Follow your fantasy team and watch every week during the 2022 NFL season on Sling TV. Of course, theres no better way to do that than to practice drafting with our free mock draft simulator! Okwuegbunam is in a crowded offense but should see a career-high in routes this season, and his underlying YPRR (1.94) and TPRR (24%) comp favorably to the best tight ends in the game. FANTASY DRAFT STRATEGY: Mocks can also help you craft the right early-round draft plan. The quarterback position in fantasy is so deep that it is a disservice to draft one early in leagues that you only start one. First place is $500K, which I have just missed three times. 10 overall -- followed by picking between No. Take kickers in the last round (if your league still uses them). This strategy is also referred to as Anchor RB. With Team 1 only rostering two receivers to this point, I felt confident he would turn two with his picks, so I prioritized the receiver over the backs. For example, Taylor and the Indianapolis Colts are on bye in Week 14 this year. Thats where well find the next breakout at the position. Taylor is about as safe as a running back can be. Samuel began the offseason as a late-first to early-second second-round selection but recently slipped down boards thanks to a potential holdout and concerns over a crowded receiving room on a run-heavy offense. Pierre Strong Jr. provides another young back to monitor heading through preseason, where a lot can happen. The Big three wide receiver tier Justin Jefferson, JaMarr Chaseand Cooper Kupp are strong bets to meet Round 1 production without the cost. With this strategy, fantasy players want to draft a running back with their first-round pick. Running backs are back in a major way. However, unlike in some previous years, when the strategy was hyper-focused on grabbing a workhorse running back no matter what, 2022 presents us with a different approach in the second half of the first round. Targets: RB Tier 1A, WR Tier 1A and Christian McCaffrey. We're down to one week remaining in the 2022 NFL preseason. The Jets high second-round pick demonstrated every-down ability throughout his collegiate career and is an excellent fit for the wide-zone scheme. Starters:1QB, 2RB, 2WR, 1TE, 2FLX (RB, WR, TE), 1K, 1TDST If you miss out on a certain tier of receivers, you think there will be more talent to choose from later. plus matchups against the Buccaneers and Bills in the championship round. However, he is on bye during Week 14 in the league championship game, which is worth $1,500 and could be necessary to advance to the championship points race if your team is a 3- or 4-seed. If injury strikes with Lamar, Lance is one of the few options that make it worth drafting a second signal-caller, and he creates a stack with Deebo Samuel. Targets: Rob Gronkowski, Zach Ertz, WR Tier 4A/4B, RB Tier 3D. So get your studs early and wait till the later rounds to take shots on backs in ambiguous backfields. all make friendly game stack options with Higgins and are draftable in spots that dont require reaching way past ADP. Advance rate ranking. The Big three wide receiver tier Justin Jefferson, JaMarr Chaseand Cooper Kupp are strong bets to meet Round 1 production without the cost. Home. If you have a flex position, having up to seven backs would be acceptable. 1 (Jonathan Taylor) and No. In this mock, for example, bell-cow backs like Jonathan Taylor, Christian McCaffrey and Derrick Henry kick off the first round. If you don't tap into the upper half of TE1s before you draft your starters elsewhere, you can be smart by waiting until the ninth round or beyond for a upside sleeper such Cole Kmet. There are plenty of resources available to you, from player rankings to statistical analysis to FantasyPros' fully customizable mock draft simulator. There's always one defense that has a ridiculous season and becomes a team-lifting fantasy force. They obviously carry more top-24 weight in PPR-leaning leagues, but they are also standard-league stars. If you went with a running back in Round 1, consider whoever remains from the Tier 2 wide receivers Stefon Diggs, Davante Adams, CeeDee Lamb, A.J. Justin Jefferson, Cooper Kupp and Ja'Marr Chase would be the other players to make up the first six picks of a draft for me (in that order). McCaffrey has missed time due to injuries, but none were major injuries that would have long-lasting effects. Sure, you will have a tough go of it that particular week, but you will be in great shape the rest of the season. The best running backs might seem to have the ultimate relevancy in fantasy football, but the league's passing boom has brought standout wideouts to a whole new level. Brown, Mike Evans, and Tee Higgins. The Broncos back is another pick within the tier framework that also provides significant upside in Weeks 15-17, with the Broncos facing off against the Cardinals, Rams (against Kupp) and Chiefs. PFFs Fantasy Strength of Schedule (SoS) metric provides a league-wide, season-long view of opponent matchups for each fantasy position. If you want to dive deeper into fantasy football, be sure to check out our award-winning slate of Fantasy Football Tools as you navigate your season. 1 options. They include Tom Brady, Russell Wilson, Dak Prescott, Matthew Stafford and Aaron Rodgers. This was less about an Edmonds handcuff and more about adding a playmaker in an offense that could be much better in 2022. Marcas Grant and Michael F. Florio are back for another edition of the NFL Fantasy Football Podcast! Hall was a slam-dunk selection for the squad as the 22nd back off the board at pick 47. Some RBs I like in the double-digit rounds: Michael Carter, Nyheim Hines, Isaiah Spiller, Darrell Henderson, Kenneth Gainwell, Isiah Pacheco, Raheem Mostert and D'Ernest Johnson. Washington Commanders rookie running back Brian Robinson started over veteran Antonio Gibson in Week 2 of the preseason. Go to my 2022 Fantasy Football Defense Rankings for details. But their odds of returning value increase dramatically in the PPR-scoring format. You're not taking a player because you like his name or where he went to college. Right now, get half off your first month, plus SHOWTIME, STARZ, AND EPIX -- first month on us! and gets a matchup in Week 17 against my QB (Jackson). "Barkley should be more involved in the passing game this season, and there isn't much depth behind him. Last year New England led the NFL in gap run concepts (72%), but there is a chance that evolves as their roster changes. In 2022 four of the top six quarterbacks in ADP had positive advance rates on Underdog, where 16% is the baseline. You must be strong at the flex, and tight ends matter more than ever. My targets were. Of course, theres no better way to do that than to practice drafting with our free mock draft simulator! Robbie Gould wasnt my primary option, but Team 11 accidentally took a second kicker. My favorite target in that range is Cole Kmet, but others I like include Irv Smith and Albert Okwuegbunam. Targets:Courtland Sutton, Mike Williams, Jerry Jeudy and Josh Allen. The non-first-round running backs Leonard Fournette, James Conner, DAndre Swift, Alvin Kamara, Aaron Jones, Nick Chubb, Saquon Barkleyand Cam Akers provide enough production for a rosters RB1 slot. Leonard Fournette, RB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 10. And the middle rounds are where you want to round out your starting lineup. Targets:Edmonds, James Cook and Albert Okwuegbunam. His 20% target share ranked second-best at the position in 2021. 2022 FANTASY SLEEPERS: The same approach works for quarterbacks. The cleverly coined Superhero RB approach sets you up nicely with two locked-and-loaded studs in your two starting RB spots. You don't currently have any notifications. With Burks currently slotted as one of my flex options, I decided to beef up my receivers with more upside by taking Claypool. Every fantasy football draft is unique, but one things for certain running backs are the drivers behind fantasy-winning teams. Quarterback | Running back | Wide receiver | Tight end. RB: Javonte Williams, Breece Hall, Chase Edmonds, Tyler Allgeier, Raheem Mostert, Keaontay Ingram, Pierre Strong Jr. If not, I will wait even longer. My preferred targets were Leonard Fournette, Aaron Jones and Williams, with the latter being the most likely to make it back. If you can get all three early to have a loaded wide receiver corps, you would do it. Christian McCaffrey, RB, Carolina Panthers, 4. Stream Sling Orange or Blue for $35/month, or both for $50/month. Austin Ekeler, RB, Los Angeles Chargers, 8. , who could spend more time outside at receiver in 2022. However, a dual-threat quarterback like Jalen Hurts or Trey Lance could provide similar value in the middle rounds. The risk in this strategy is that getting a legitimate WR1 in Round 3 isn't guaranteed. The second-year back crept into the late-first round before the Broncos brought back. The 2022 NFL season is approaching, which means it's time to prepare for your fantasy football draft. Aug 4, 2022 You just wrapped dinner and plopped down on the couch to catch up on the latest binge-worthy TV series. So get your studs early and wait till the later rounds to take shots on backs in ambiguous backfields. You won't want to miss a moment of the 2023 season! 2022 Two-Round Fantasy Mock 1 of 4 Colts RB Jonathan Taylor will kick off many drafts in 2022. Like with every position, talent reigns, but volume is just as important. However, I thought I had a good shot at him falling back to me with his ADP of 169. Teams:12 Targets: Smith, Tyler Allgeier, Isaiah Spiller, Khalil Herbert. Running back is the most complicated fantasy position in 2022, like it always is. However, if you do not want to wait that long on tight ends, Dalton Schultz and Zach Ertz are two names to target in the middle rounds. 3. They say you can't win your draft in the first round but tell that to those who got Jonathan Taylor last year. Fantasy managers should feel comfortable taking an elite wideout in Round 1 because Round 2 is filled with a plethora of running back talent. You can dive into all of our content, including rankings, projections, sleepers, busts, mock drafts, strategy and opinion from our award-winning staff of fantasy football analysts in our 2022 . QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | D/STs | Kickers | Top 200 | Superflex. Grabbing one of the last tight ends in Tier 1C was a priority, but Team 4 (@Hilow) sniped Gronkowski right in front of me, causing me to shift my focus back to WR and RB. To make things even more interesting, this wasnt your typical draft; it is nicknamed The Hard Way because it is chock-full of some of the industrys best high-stakes fantasy drafters (shoutout to. Its an even better strategy in best ball formats, where waiver wire RBs cant be added to your roster once the season starts. If you do your preseason research and take part in some mock drafts, you'll be primed for a finish in the money. Having already completed more drafts than I want to admit, I have crafted my 2022 fantasy football strategy. So, if you are debating between two players and one is on a new team or has a new play-caller or QB, and the other is in the same situation as last year, going with the proven situation could be beneficial. Tight end Travis Kelce is also an option in Round 2, with his 2022 point projection just shy of Cooper Kupp. is one spot ahead of Jackson in my tiers, but the Cardinals Week 13 bye (league playoffs) was enough to swing me to Jackson in this format. Instead, they were common RB injuries. It helps to know where you're going to select in your real-world draftif that information is availableand, of course, your scoring format. Most likely this position will be addressed on the wire once McManus is cut. Those safe floor players are also harder to drop, since they do just enough to hold on to. 78d ESPN Fantasy. The late rounds were where to target positional depth, potential sleepers and, of course, get your defenses and kickers. This was the most challenging draft selection I was torn between Smith and an elite quarterback. Strike a balance between being obsessed with an absolute stud and getting nonchalant about what's still a key fantasy position, even with only one lineup spot. From 2018 to 2020, in PPR scoring, wide receivers have the highest percentage of top-12 finishes (55%). Andrew Erickson (@AndrewErickson_) June 27, 2022. Make sure you use your gut and make every draft your own. With Mike Williams already on the team, I leaned to Burks over Smith, thanks to a Week 15 matchup between the Titans and the Chargers. This is less so the move in half-PPR formats because receivers cant make up ground versus running backs as easily without being rewarded a full point per reception. This week, I entered my first Footballguys Players Championship (FPC) drafts at theFFPCto put all of mydraft strategies and tier articlesinto an actionable format. It's the best time of the year with fantasy football draft season is in full swing! Christian. Aug 7, 2022 The 2022 NFL season is approaching, which means it's time to prepare for your fantasy football draft. Being able to find RB value like that after the first round is just more of a reason to grab one of the elite wideouts in the first round. Thats where well find the next breakout at the position. Those spots are best suited for trying to find a gem that can change the landscape of your teams. The Kansas City Chiefs traded No. If you miss out on the Tier 1/high-end Tier 2 crop of running backs Jonathan Taylor, Christian McCaffrey, Austin Ekeler, Dalvin Cook be open to drafting an elite wide receiver in the second half of Round 1. Treat them just like the WRs and RBs from which you're deciding to draft. It is highly recommended that you use the latest versions of a supported browser in order to receive an optimal viewing experience. The last piece of draft advice I would give is that with there being more changes and unknowns than ever, it could be a good idea to avoid as much unknown as possible. However, after JT and CMC, it is fair game to select an elite wideout. NFL and the NFL shield design are registered trademarks of the National Football League.The team names, logos and uniform designs are registered trademarks of the teams indicated. In Week 17, I will have a Kupp vs. Williams game stack if I can make it through to the championship round. Mock Draft Lobby. The key here is knowing your tiers across positions. Fantasy football cheat sheets, mock drafts, projections. It's lucky to win with your kicker and frustrating to lose because of your opponent's kicker. Jonathan Taylor, RB, Indianapolis Colts, 2. For those unfamiliar with the FPC format, it is one of my favorites because the tight-end-premium scoring (1.5 PPR) and dual-flex spots allow for deploying many strategies. The Jets high second-round pick demonstrated every-down ability throughout his collegiate career and is an excellent fit for the wide-zone scheme. With Adam Thielen heading into his age-32 season and declining across YPRR and TPRR data points, there is a chance the No. There are a few durable rushers at the top, but there tends to be a lot of attrition tied to both fading veterans and injuries. Meyers isnt getting enough love for a player who has already flashed WR2-level talent in PFF receiving grade and TPRR for consecutive seasons. This FantasyPros staff member is an excellent contributor to our site who brings excellent analysis and content. After months of waiting, we finally know where the 2023 NFL Draft class will land. Those guys should dominate touches and key opportunities through the red zone, but they will go down different paths to get their numbers with running and receiving yardage plus touchdowns. That means you can draft a defense solely based on the Week 1 matchups. This pick is loaded with upside and provides another Week 16 game stack against Kupp. That group includes Lamar Jackson, Jalen Hurts and Kyler Murray. Note that in this mock, tight ends Travis Kelce and Mark Andrews are valued as traditional No. I like taking Trey Lance in the eighth round, since his upside is sky high, and the position is deep enough to get a strong backup like Derek Carr or Kirk Cousins in the double-digit rounds (and Ryan even later than that). However, seven backs were taken, including. League Playoffs: Weeks 13-14 ($1,500 to first) If you want to dive deeper into fantasy football, be sure to check out our award-winning slate of Fantasy Football Tools as you navigate your season. Let's learn more about the first of two Falcons seventh-round . Unlock all tools and content including Player Grades, Fantasy, NFL Draft, Premium Stats, Greenline and DFS. Six tight ends came off the board before it was my turn again. 2022 Fantasy Football rankings update: Running back tiers plus Dave Richard's positional draft prep strategy Dive into draft prep with RB tiers for both PPR and non-PPR leagues The following browsers are supported: Chrome, Edge (v80 and later), Firefox and Safari. They provide comparative value to a deep WR2, mid QB1 or an RB3. The best values in Round 2 are the running backs with names like Barkley, Leonard Fournette, Aaron Jones, Alvin Kamara, D'Andre Swift and Nick Chubb. This is a solid plan for PPR leagues, but it requires focusing heavily on running backs over the next couple of rounds. 2022 RANKINGS TIERS & DRAFT STRATEGY: Winning a fantasy football league requires three things: a well-prepared fantasy draft strategy, careful attention to waivers, and luck. 15 and No. That lack of a no-doubt option makes this spot potentially less appealing this year unless you come in with a solid draft strategy. Fantasy RB15 12th in receptions (53) 13th in targets (67) 11th in routes run, Andrew Erickson (@AndrewErickson_) August 3, 2022, Andrew Ericksons 2022 Redraft Fantasy Football Rankings, Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts | Stitcher | SoundCloud | iHeartRadio. What better way to do that than to practice drafting with our free mock draft simulator!. That was true in both PPR and half-PPR scoring. Six tight ends came off the board before it was my turn again. But this offseason the entire league was flipped on its head! You can't coach luck and attention to waivers just requires time. While you want to somewhat follow a script early, be prepared to pivot and freelance a little once you see your early draft results develop. I decided to go with Kupp for two reasons: Targets: RB Tiers 2A/2B, WR Tiers 1C/2A and Kyle Pitts. Three yards after contact per attempt Allen was also in play here as value past ADP, but there are just too many quarterbacks that I love remaining on the board. Coming away with a running back in the first two rounds isnt an issue that has to be forced, but it is my preferred option because it provides flexibility in the coming rounds. CeeDee Lamb can also be thrown into that late first-round mix. For the backfield, the same goes for drafting say, Nick Chubb and Saquon Barkley, both also off in Week 9. There are many breaks involved with a unit's defensive scoring from year to year. The first basic rule of fantasy drafting, which we've already touched on, is to target high-floor, high-volume players early. Introduction 2. Last season that group was the Cowboys, whose big turnover spike with Micah Parsons and Trevon Diggs spiked them up into the value of a mid-WR1. He is another easy cut should things not go his way in camp. However, its impossible to ignore the high-end target share that Kelce will command in the Chiefs offense after they traded Tyreek Hill. Considering Swift only earned 26 red-zone touches last season - outside the top 30 - there's room for his touchdown potential to grow. The goal of every fantasy football manager is to complete the perfect draft. Of course, there's no better way to do that than to practice drafting with our free. Does it matter that CeeDee Lamb, Deebo Samuel and Diontae Johnson are all off in Week 9? The second-year back crept into the late-first round before the Broncos brought back Melvin Gordon but has since drifted to the back-end of Round 2. Be aware of ADP based on where you are drafting. The last time CMC stayed healthy for a full season he had the second-greatest fantasy season ever and still possesses similar upside. Fantasy Football 5th Pick in 12-Team Leagues The fifth pick in 2022 fantasy football drafts is where things start to get interesting. It wouldn't hurt to have a starting running back who isn't on bye that week as a fill-in. Expect Allen, Herbert and Mahomes to go earlier than expected in many drafts. This FantasyPros staff member is an excellent contributor to our site who brings excellent analysis and content. One strategy that has worked for us is to spend one half to two thirds of our budget early on a few stars, making sure the money is going to difference-makers, then waiting in the mid-game for people to catch up to (and often surpass) our spending before cleaning up with bargains late. My co-host of the Fantasy Football Hustle, 1QB, 2RB, 2WR, 1TE, 2FLX (RB, WR, TE), 1K, 1TDST, PPR for all positions except TE, which receive an additional .5 per reception, Four teams advance to the league playoffs, and the 1-seed (best record) and 2-seed (most remaining points) automatically go to the, championship round from Weeks 15 to 17 versus the top seeds from all other leagues, . Solidifying running backs in Rounds 1 and 2 also helps you avoid reaching on running backs in the upcoming RB Dead Zone, where your primary focus should be pounding WRs poised for significant leaps in 2022. There is a lot of randomness with kickers, so I tend to take one tied to a good offense. Through the first seven weeks of the year, Swift posted 22 red-zone touches (53-touch pace over a 17-game season). The explosive playmaker flashed immense potential in his first two seasons before his 338 PPR points (WR3) in 2021. Just keep in mind that it was a slight fall-off from his 23% average target share from 2019 and 2020. Josh Allen and Patrick Mahomes will come off the board early. Participate in mock drafts with your pick and league specifics to know what combinations of talent you can get so when you're on the clock for real, you know your best options and how you can audible if a pick doesn't fall as you expected. If you end up with one of those QBs, I like pairing them with an upside QB2. It's a good idea to handcuff your top backs or even someone else's, depending on the injury history of said backs atop a team's depth chart. (Michael Hickey/Getty Images), High-volume receivers like Justin Jefferson are solid first-round targets. While running fantasy mock drafts won't tell you who to select, they can provide insight into where players are going. Draft some who have well-defined roles for early in the season and some who have massive upside for the second half. Looking back, I could have waited and landed the Jackson arbitrage play in, Grabbing one of the last tight ends in Tier 1C was a priority, but Team 4. ) Although there's nothing wrong with believing all three will live up to their recent past production, savvier drafters will look for a bigger return in relation to investment. But the craziest offseason creates many possible strategies in fantasy football. The Chargers play the Titans, Colts and Rams over that stretch all playoff or contending teams from 2021.