The NFL season is only around the corner, so it’s time to start getting overly excited about Fantasy, rookies, potential breakout stars and lots lots more. If you’re looking for some quality Fantasy advice for your upcoming draft, this is not the place for you. But, if you’re looking for amateur hour guidance on who might breakout in the upcoming season, then this is the place for you. Have fun, amigos.
Note: most of this article was written before preseason started.
QB:
Jalen Hurts
I know, I know… I predicted Hurts as a breakout star last year, and while he was, I think he could take another leap this year. Hurts finished as the ninth overall QB in fantasy last year, finishing with 321.2 points. He had ten rushing TDs to go along with 16 passing. Their receiving group was inexperienced and somewhat unimpressive, but this year it will be different. DeVonta Smith is going into year two and the signing of AJ Brown is massive. Hurts also has Dallas Goedert at TE to give the Eagles a solid receiving attack. If he can maintain his rushing stats and utilize his improved receiving weapons, Hurts will be a top five fantasy QB and stud in general NFL terms.
Trey Lance
Lance is one of the biggest unknowns heading in to the 2022 regular season. HC Kyle Shanahan has committed to Lance as their starting QB (bye bye Jimmy G) but his performances in 2021 were a mixed bag. Lance played three meaningful games, logging four passing touchdowns and 199 yards passing per game average. He also had an average of 53.7 yards per game on the ground. In that three-game span, he racked up 20.4, 15.6 and 20.1 fantasy points. Nothing amazing, but still decent given the fact he was generally stepping in on a game for game basis. This year he is the chosen one and will be lining up under centre on the reg. Lance is a clear dual threat and if he can build his confidence with some strong early performances, he can definitely end up as a top ten QB in fantasy and a solid starter in general terms. His 2022 ceiling could be 2021 Jalen Hurts and his floor could be Taysom Hill. But if there is anyone who can make life easy for a raw QB, its Kyle Shanahan. Shanahan is an offensive genius who can leverage their strong receiving group of Deebo, Aiyuk and Kittle, as well as using the ground game to take the pressure off of Lance. It could also go tits up for San Fran who have mortgaged their future on the North Dakota State product. Only time will tell.
Davis Mills
My boy, Millionaire is going to sling the pigskin into another dimension this year. The Texans 2nd year QB had a very impressive rookie season in 2021 and will look to make a big leap in 2022. Mills is being criminally underrated, as Zach Wilson, Trevor Lawrence and Justin Fields are getting all the hype even though Mills had the more impressive rookie season. Mills had a higher completion % (66.8%) than all rookie QBs except for Mac Jones (67.6%), had more touchdowns (16) than all rookie QBs except for Mac Jones (22), who he played four games less than, and a far superior TD/INT ratio than all other rookie QBs, except for jones, who he had a similar ratio to (~1.6/1). Mills has been building a solid connection with Brandin Cooks, so look for that relationship to grow further in 2022. Now, I am not saying draft Mills in your fantasy drafts, but he could be a useful addition off the waivers as the year goes on. I also think that Brandin Cooks is going to be a very productive WR, so could be a bit of value in the middle rounds.
Keep an eye on:
Daniel Jones
I can’t believe I am writing this, but training camp reports have been really good about Daniel Jones (minus that viral throw). Stumbling Stephen has not lived up to his draft investment, but things seem to be looking up for the fourth year QB. Former Bills OC, Brian Daboll is now the HC of New York and will look to unlock the athletic potential of Jones. Daboll unleashed Josh Allen over the last few years after building the superstar QB from an average starter to one of the NFL’s best. Jones has similar athletic traits to Allen and with an improved O-Line and a returning Saquon, he could be in for a big leap in 2022. Jones will have to learn a completely new playbook under Daboll, which means he could start slowly but really pick up as the year goes on. One to keep an eye on as the year goes on for sure.
WR:
Elijah Moore, Brandon Aiyuk, Jerry Jeudy
I referenced these three buckos in my 2021 breakout stars, so not going to give them a full preview again, but they should all make a good leap in 2022. Here is a quick point on each.
Moore – he is Zach Wilson’s guys in training camp according to reports. He had a slow start to the year, but he finished 2021 as an absolute stud, logging five touchdowns in his final five games. He also had a 141-yard game and two games over 75 yards in that five-game stretch. I am all over him again this year to make another leap. Wilson is out for a few weeks, but Moore logged that 141 yard game with Flacco under centre.
Aiyuk – I thought it would be Aiyuk that would break out in 2021, but it turned out to be Deebo. Aiyuk still had a decent second half of last season, logging four games +85 yards receiving in his final eight games, along with three touchdowns. His performance in 2022 will be determined by Trey Lance’s progress, but he should be in line for a lot of targets, with Deebo staying in his hybrid running back/wide receiver role.
Jeudy – I was so high on Jeudy before the 2021 season, but unfortunately it didn’t work out for the Alabama product. The talent wideout had poor QB play sprinkled in on top of an injury that kept him out for six games. This year, it has to be different. Russell Wilson is now under centre for the Broncos and will likely bring the best out in Jeudy.
George Pickens
Training camp/preseason is just one big hype machine, and George Pickens is the main man this year. Pickens was drafted by the Steelers in the second round of the 2022 NFL and out of all the articles I have read about rookies and their progress so far, Pickens is by far the guy with the most hype. Videos of the Georgia Bulldog are circling on social media, and he looked to be dominating training camp over the last few weeks. Trubisky is happy with his progress as well, stating, “Definitely, George has stood out. The type of catches he’s made, his ability to separate and go up and catch the football”. Could he slot in behind Diontae Johnson as their wide receiver two? Steelers have this insane talent of finding sleepers in the draft and developing them into WR1 talents. He’ll have to beat out Claypool for touches, but the hype train is rolling and I’m onboard for now. He looked very good in their preseason game and will look to continue that good form into the regular season.
Note: Pickens suffered a torn ACL in his final year at Georgia, which will have affected his draft position this year. He would have likely been a first-round pick had he not got injured.
Gabe Davis
Some of the guys on this list may be a bit of an odd choice, but Gabe Davis is not one. Josh Allen’s number two man was in pretty decent form in the second half of 2021, logging 416 yards and four TDs in his last eight games. The Bills 2020 4th round pick also scored in both of the Bills’ post season games, including four in that overtime thriller against the Chiefs. Allen and Davis are off to a hot start in 2022, having already connected for a TD in their preseason game against the Broncos. Josh Allen will make a big push for MVP this year and if he comes close to it, he will elevate his receiving group and the team itself. Expect Davis to be a major factor in the Bills’ passing game in 2022.
Drake London
The Falcons have a minor QB battle on their hands, as Marcus Mariota and rookie QB Desmond Ridder fight it out for the QB1 spot. Mariota is the locked in starter for week one, but Ridder put in a really good performance against the Jets, the other night, throwing for 10 of 13 and 143 yards. Regardless of who is under centre for the Falcons, Drake London is going to profit. London will be their WR1 and target number two after star TE Kyle Pitts. The USC Trojan was drafted eight overall this year and is an absolute man mountain. The 100kg 6ft-5in receiving threat gives off DK Metcalf vibes, but with slicker route running. He was the Pac-12 offensive player of the year in 2021, logging the most yards and receptions by any receiver. He is coming back from a broken ankle but looks set to line up against the Saints in week one.
Keep an eye on:
Chris Olave
A fully healthy Michael Thomas should be New Orleans WR1, but rookie Chris Olave has a real opportunity to make a stand for their second receiving threat. Thomas is currently nursing a new hamstring injury but should be back by week one. Either way, Olave is a first-round pick in this year’s draft and has been drawing attention and targets at practice and during the preseason.
Allen Lazard/Christian Watson/Romeo Doubs
Who will take over the mantle of the Packers WR1, now that Davante Adams is gone? Lazard is the logical selection, given the fact he has played with Rodgers before, but I wouldn’t rule out either of the rookie WRs garnering a significant number of targets. Watson was Green Bay’s second round pick in the 2022 draft but by training camp reports, 4th round pick Romeo Doubs has been the most impressive player of the two.
Kadarius Toney
Heavily linked to the success of Daniel Jones, Kadarius Toney has the opportunity to put down a strong year in Brian Daboll’s offence. Toney had a fairly quite year in his rookie season, but he did flash in their away game against Dallas, logging a whopping 189 yards from ten receptions. Joe Judge was the Head Coach last year, so it will be interesting to see if Daboll can unleash Toney’s potential.
RB:
Breece Hall
Breece Hall is being talked about as a generational RB talent. I’m not going to pretend I know anything about college football, so this one is purely on analysing the amount of reports and content produced by proper analysts and noting how well Hall performed statistically against his peers last season. Hall’s potential upside is clearly down to his talent, but also around how well the Jets O-Line could be. The Jets invested a first-round pick in Alijah Vera-Tucker in last year’s draft, and the big man has hit the ground running. According to analysts, they also have a stud in George Fant who is actually now covering the left tackle position while Mekhi Becton recovers from his season ending injury. A running back’s performance is heavily determined by the strength of his o-line, so Breece Hall should be licking his lips at getting in behind the big dawgs. The Jets will also likely lean heavily on Hall to give second year QB, Zach Wilson an easier time, when he comes back from injury. This is a very exciting time for Jets fans and Breece Hall is one of the main factors of that excitement.
Hall’s College Stats and Awards:
- Most rushing attempts in NCAA & Big 12 – 2020
- Most rushing yards in NCAA & Big 12 – 2020
- Most rushing touchdowns in Big 12 – 2020 & 2021
- Most plays, yards, touchdowns from scrimmage in Big 12 – 2020
- Offensive Player of the Year in Big 12 – 2020 & 2021
- Consensus All American – 2020 & 2021
Travis Etienne
The 25th pick in the 2021 NFL Draft missed all of last season with a nasty Lisfranc injury. Although, that was probably for the best given how bad the year went under Urban Meyer. Prior to the 2021 draft , Etienne was being hyped as a dominant home-run hitter after his powerful years at Clemson in 18, 19 & 2020. Bleacher Reports scouting profile says, ‘Etienne will be a premier home run hitter in both the running and passing games as soon as he gets to the NFL.’. unfortunately for us, we have had to wait an extra year to see him get to the field. Reports from training camp are looking really good and according to Jags beat reporter, John Shipley ‘arguably the star of Jaguars training camp so far’. And that’s a camp with Trevor Lawrence and a completely reworked roster. I’m an upside type of guy so won’t be afraid to reach a little in my fantasy draft to get this potential stud.
Damieon Pierce
Not much to say on this nut case. The Florida Gator was drafted this year and will likely be the lead back for the Texans this season. He has got some serious juice. Check out the video below for why you want this guy on your team and fantasy roster.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jkuQey1wc7c.
James Cook
Dalvin’s younger brother was drafted by the Bills with the 63rd pick in the draft this year and training camp reports have only being positive about the young man. Pro Football Focus is predicting a big year for Cook, predicting that he will be taking the bulk of the work by the end of the year. He will likely have to share reps with Singletary and Zach Moss to begin with, but Head Coach, Sean McDermott shared the other day that ‘he’s a young player that’s opened some eyes’ in training camp so far. Cook was the lead running back on Georgia’s National Championship winning team earlier in the year. His individual stats don’t compare to Breece Hall, but he has been part of a winning team in college and goes into a dominant Buffalo team who are going to be hell bent on winning a chip this year. Scouts are also saying that he could be a better pass catcher than his older brother, so he is definitely looking like some value in half-point and full-point PPR leagues.
Javonte Williams
Another big-time player who I tipped in last year’s version of this article. He is my favourite player at the moment and will likely take over the major share of Denver’s running game from Melvin Gordon. Williams is the ultimate power back who looks for the contact and generally gets through it with relative ease. Hopefully Russell Wilson will unlock some of his pass catching ability as well.
Keep an eye on:
Tyler Allgeier
Allgeier was drafted in the fifth round this year by the Falcons. The Falcons are in rebuild mode but have some good players on offence, so could move the ball relatively well this year. Cordarrelle Paterson was the lead back last year, but who knows what HC Arthur Smith’s plan is with the utility back this season. If Allgeier impresses in camp he could be in line to gain some reps in the regular season. Definitely one to be keeping an eye on.
Ken Walker
Ken Walker was drafted 41st overall by the Seahawks in the 2022 NFL draft. The high draft position signals an intent to prominently use the promising running back and with Chris Carson retiring due to injury, the door is even more open for the Michigan State prospect to step through. Currently, it is him and Rashad Penny splitting reps, but how much has Pete Carroll ever used Penny? Penny has a stellar finish to the year, but Ken Walker has been flourishing in camp. Seahawks beat writer, Gregg Bell says Walker ‘is putting on a show’ at camp, so things are looking good for fantasy managers interested in him. To add to his potential fantasy value, the Seahawks are going to be all about pounding that rock this year with either Drew Lock of Gino Smith under centre. Pete Carroll wanted to run the rock even with Russell Wilson under centre, so imagine what he is going to be like with two of the worst QBs as his gunslinger.
TE:
Pat Freiermuth
In 2021, the Penn State product finished his rookie season as TE12 in the standard format, finishing ahead of Noah Fant, Tyler Higbee, TJ Hockenson, Jared Cook, CJ Uzomah and many others. And this was with Big Ben or Mason Rudolph under centre. He will now have either Mitch Trubisky or rookie first-round pick, Kenny Pickett throwing to him, which isn’t amazing, but it’s better than old Ben. Freiermuth was highly touted coming out of college but was overshadowed in the draft by Kyle Pitts. He also has a real chance to shine this year with Eric Ebron out of the picture and will likely surpass his 500 yards and seven touchdowns he logged in 2021. If you aren’t taking one of the out and out studs early, I would be happy to take Patty F and hope for him to hover around the TE6/7/8 position.
Keep an eye on:
Isaiah Likely
The Raven’s fourth round pick in the 2022 draft has made the most of his preseason opportunity. Described by Lamar Jackson as ‘Baby Mark Andrews’, the Coastal Carolina product has been in dazzling form in the preseason, hauling in eight receptions from eight targets for 100 hundred yards and a tuddie in his last game against the Cardinals. On a team with a fairly week receiving group, Likely could make a strong case for being their second or third receiving option. Interesting indeed.
May the odds be ever in your favour…
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