Hey Fantasy Footballists!,
The off-season in fantasy football does not exist. Those who excel in this game pay close attention during the offseason – especially if you are playing in a keeper/dynasty league.
I have about a decade of fantasy football experience, and consider myself a relative-expert at the esport. In this article, I’ll be taking a look at a recent list of 2022 PPR rankings from FantasyPros.com, and diving deeper into a few players who may be mis-ranked, based on my personal opinion.
Overrated Players for 2022
- A.J Brown | WR | Philadelphia Eagles | Ranked WR10, OVR26.
A.J Brown was traded during the NFL draft in exchange for a first round pick and more. Brown is a good player and produced some highlight reel moments in 2022. His situation gets worse in 2023 with the Eagles, a team that ran the ball in 2022 more than any other.
Jalen Hurts will continue operating as he feels confident – in a run-first offense with occasional play-action and deep shots to Brown and to DeVonta Smith. With both receivers sharing minimal targets, neither looks to perform exceptionally well from a fantasy perspective.
Brown finished last season as the 32nd ranked WR as the go-to target in Tennessee. In 2022, Brown will see fewer targets, from yet another average QB, in the only offense in the NFL that throws the ball less than Tennessee. Stay away from Brown in 2022.
- Tyreek Hill | WR | Miami Dolphins | Ranked WR9, OVR24.
Tyreek is a difficult player to analyze before we see the 2022 Miami Dolphins hit the field. On paper they look great – adding offensive line depth and Tyreek Hill to help Tua Tagovailoa live up to his potential in 2022.
The problem is, no one is sure what “potential” Tua truly has. He has a weak arm and is a lefty, both of which do not bode well for his receiving core in 2022. It is true Tyreek is a generational talent, but without Travis Kelce to draw defenders, and Patrick Mahomes to launch nukes, will Tyreek be able to generate WR1 fantasy numbers? I do not believe he will.
- Najee Harris | RB | Pittsburgh Steelers | Ranked RB7, OVR7.
This ranking is ludicrous to me. Are you really going to pick Harris over Cooper Kupp? Harris played OK as a rookie last year, but even if he progresses in 2022, he will be playing behind Mitchell Trubisky, who is absolutely horrible.
The Steelers will have a hard time moving the ball, and will likely be put in situations where they need to force big plays in games, rather than chewing off the clock in close games. Big Ben may have been at the end of his career, but he was still a better physical talent than Trubisky, and his leadership allowed the Steelers to compete against anyone they played.
Harris is still a good fantasy value for 2022, but I wouldn’t take him as early as it is being suggested here. I may be wrong, but I can’t see the Steelers being ahead enough in games to warrant a big workload for Harris.
- Leonard Fournette | RB | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Ranked RB12, OVR21.
Fournette is actually a stud, and proved down the stretch and in the playoffs for the Buccaneers this past season that sometimes he just refuses to take no for an answer when running the ball. He also has the trust of Tom Brady, so why am I saying he is overvalued?
To start, injuries. Fournette is big and runs big, He runs hard and he runs violent. This inevitably leads to injuries and Fournette has had quite a few in his NFL career.
Racchad White, whom the Buccs drafted in the third round of the 2022 NFL Draft, will take away some targets from Fournette given his inherent role as a 3rd-down back. The Buccs also throw the ball a ton, limiting Fournette’s upside.
Underrated Players for 2022
- Amon-Ra St. Brown | WR | Detroit Lions | Ranked WR29, OVR67
Amon-Ra picked it up like crazy to end the 2021 NFL season, finishing the final four regular season games with a minimum of 8 receptions, 90 yards, and a touchdown in each of those games.
He is a stud – a small, shifty receiver who can both slash across the field and run deep routes on the seams. Jared Goff is not a horrible quarterback, and he can get the ball down the field if given the time. Given Amon-Ra caters to both the short and long passing games, Goff will have no trouble finding him often in 2022.
I could see Amon-Ra finishing top 5 in WR points in 2022. The Lions will be playing from behind a lot – this is important.
- Allen Robinson | WR | Los Angeles Rams | Ranked WR28, OVR62
Allen Robinson will finish the year higher than WR28. He will take a ton of pressure off of Cooper Kupp, and Matthew Stafford has proven to be able to feed the ball to multiple receivers.
In both 2013 and 2017, Stafford threw two receivers to 1000-yard seasons in both years. 2022 will be no different in terms of yardage, only with more total TDs to be spread amongst the offense.
Keep in mind that if Kupp goes down, or misses any time at all, Allen Robinson moves into a top 5 WR for that week regardless.
- AJ Dillon | RB | Green Bay Packers | Ranked RB28, OVR62
AJ Dillon is the perfect RB to compliment Aaron Rodgers. He is big, he can block, and he does not turn the ball over. Regardless of whether Dillon wins the starting RB spot outright, he will undoubtedly play a big role in the Packers offense.
Without Davante Adams, the Packers will be dishing the ball all across their offense, and Aaron Jones may be forced to line up in the slot given their lack of depth at the WR position.
Dillon should score the majority of goal-line carries as well as early-down carries. He simply continues to gain the trust of Rodgers and the Packers staff; 2022 could be the year he truly breaks out.
- David Njoku | TE | Cleveland Browns | TE22, OVR160.
Njoku is in an interesting situation. Njoku just received a contract ranking fifth amongst Tight Ends in terms of AAV (average annual volume), but is ranked a mere 22nd by FantasyPros and most other major publications.
I am not saying this signing is justified – it is ludicrous. However, if Njoku is taking $13M from the Browns cap this year, he is going be given every chance to have a successful season.
If Watson plays in 2022 and the Browns know something about Njoku that we don’t (or he even simply progresses a tad) he could be in for a solid if not spectacular 2022 NFL season.
