WR – Drake London
Out of every rookie receiver drafted I don’t know if any of them have as many targets available to them, being drafted in the first round to the Atlanta Falcons Drake London has an open path to exceed expectations. The Falcons offense turned a new leaf this season and with the suspension of Calvin Ridley the only other dominant competition is Kyle Pitts, along with a new QB under center leads to an opening in creating chemistry, currently being taken around the 9-10th round in 12 team leagues London is properly valued, not someone I want in my starting lineup but a good matchup play.
WR – Garrett Wilson
These stats assume Wilson plays all 17 games this year and should only be used as a baseline. It is hard to project rookie wideouts not having amazing seasons with the recent success of Ja’marr Chase and Justin Jefferson but this is realistically not the norm. Chase and Jefferson were huge outliers among the rest of the field and my projections reflect that feeling. The bottom line is that Zach Wilson was awful last year and it is hard to see him going from 2300 yards passing and 9 TDs to 3500 yards and 30 TD’s. Garrett Wilson will be hindered by his QB but overall will have a good season for rookie wideout standards. This along with the fact that the team still has Elijah Moore, Corey Davis and Braxton Berrios to compete for targets will keep Wilson from an otherworldly season. For reference, if Garrett scored 95.4 points last year he would have finished as the WR61 behind Laviska Shenault and Braxton Berrios while ahead of Deonte Harty and Quez Watkins. Garrett Wilson is currently being drafted as the WR52 which is an overdraft due to his limited upside. I would rather target a guy like Rondale Moore who is very close in ADP since they have a much better quarterback.
WR – Chris Olave
Chris Olave is entering a possibly crowded situation in New Orleans, with Michael Thomas’ return becoming more visible a large chunk of Olave’s possible targets get eaten up. Talent will be the only way Olave can be fantasy relevant this season and I think he can fit the bill. The Saints believe that at least, trading up to select him at 11th overall. Olave’s opportunity is capped with the amount of receiver talent around him but he will be able to stay competitive in half-ppr leagues.
RB – Breece Hall
These projected stats for Breece Hall are based on the amount of times the Jets ran the ball last year and how many times they threw the ball to their running backs. This should not be taken as an end all be all but an example of a plausible way Hall’s season could play out. These stats assume Hall plays all 17 games in the season. After looking at the Jets offense and team as a whole I feel these stats are reasonably expected from such a talented runner. I do believe he takes over the backfield but does not become a workhorse due to the presence of Michael Carter. Hall is very skilled as a runner and could use his elite speed to score more touchdowns than I am currently giving him credit for but this gives a good base. If Hall had these stats last year he would have finished as the RB16, in front of Derrick Henry and Javonte Williams while behind Dalvin Cook and Josh Jacobs. Currently Hall is being drafted as the RB23 on average across all fantasy football sites. This means that at that spot, Hall is a very good value as a mid to high end RB2 on your team and can be a great pick in the late third/early fourth round (in 12 team leagues).
RB – James Cook
The penultimate pick in the second round has an interesting new home, James Cook joins a young RB core Buffalo, looking to be the RB2 on the team behind Devin Singletary it’s tough to see Cook taking over the RB1 role without an impressive breakout. While the Bills are an impressive offense to be a part of their running game has been a bit lackluster in recent years, relying more on the passing game as a source of offense, Cook is looking at a medium level of about a fringe flex player.
RB – Kenneth Walker
The stud RB out of Michigan State has made his way out to Seattle, backing up RB1 Rashaad Penny It’s hard to see Walker carving out a role big enough to be a top 100 draft pick. While Penny will command the majority of the touches, Seattle wouldn’t have drafted him in the second round if they didn’t plan on using him to some capacity this season. Without Russell Wilson on this offense there is a possibility we see an increase in run plays in Seattle, I don’t like Walker at his adp but don’t think it doesn’t mean he won’t have his moments this season, a good best ball player.
WR – Treylon Burks
The Tennessee Titans selected Treylon Burks with the 18th overall pick in this year’s draft. With the departure of Titans’ star wideout A.J. Brown and teammate Corey Davis, the door is wide open for Burks to take WR1 duties. His only competition? A 30-year-old Robert Woods coming off a torn ACL after being traded from the Las Angeles Rams. Ryan Tannehill has averaged 506 targets in two full seasons with the Titans, and A.J. Brown hauled in an average of nearly 21% of those targets. With Burks coming in to replace Brown and a recovering Robert Woods, I can see him commanding a 19-20% target share. With that said, we can’t forget that even if Burks does take WR1 duties, the offense will still run through Derrick Henry, meaning Burk’s TD opportunities may not be enough for breakout fantasy numbers. His current ADP in half PPR leagues sits near round 12 of drafts. This is a great late-round value considering Burks’ may be a potential WR1.
WR – Skyy Moore
The Kansas City Chiefs selected Skyy Moore in the second round of this year’s draft. Luckily for Moore, Tyreke Hill is no longer there, leaving behind a 25% target share. There is plenty of opportunity in KC with one of the best QBs in the league, Patrick Mahomes, who has thrown for at least 37 TD in three of his four years as a starter. Moore will have to compete with wide receivers Juju Smith-Schuster, Mecole Hardman, and MVS for stating WR duties. Fortunately, none of those receivers have an established/guaranteed role leaving the door wide open for Moore to take on a starting role. My concern is that if he doesn’t become the WR1, which I don’t think is likely to happen in his first year, he may be non-existent in fantasy because history shows that Mahomes’ WR2 behind Hill has not been very fantasy relevant. Additionally, most of the offense will be run through Travis Kelce, minimizing even the WR1 at times. I don’t have high expectations for Moore in 2022. His current ADP in half-PPR leagues is round 15, which is reasonable on the off-chance he does become the WR1.
