Top Value Picks After 2022 NFL Draft | Fantasy Football Implications

NFL fantasy football season is around the corner now that the 2022 Draft is complete. Season long and best ball draft seasons start now!

Let’s break down three players at each fantasy position that I really like, who may fly under the radar a little bit. Sure, we have to get a little injury luck, have to hit on our top draft picks, as well as a plethora of other happenstances in order to win a fantasy league with your buddies; but, you will notice that a bunch of league winners year in and year out find value in the middle rounds of the draft (and whether it is luck or not is irrelevant).

Everyone knows who a lot of the top players are, and you all will see a whole bunch of “expert power rankings” out there over the coming months; as well as maybe come up with your own, which is great, but I’m just here to slip some names to think about that could potentially win a league.  I’m not here debating Ekeler vs Mixon, Hopkins vs AJ Brown, or Waller vs Andrews; if you are interested in that join the DFSarmy and enter our Discord (or DM me).

Quarterbacks

Jalen Hurts – Maybe his rushing upside and the addition of AJ Brown makes Hurts a little sexier of a pickup; but, there are so many QB’s in this league that people probably have ranked ahead of him, including guys like Russell Wilson, Justin Herbert, Deshaun Watson, and the other elite guys; that could make Hurts available in the middling rounds. He has rushing upside, 2 solid WR’s in Brown and Smith, and a solid TE in Dallas Goedert as well, which makes him an excellent pick.

Derek Carr – Similar tier of QB as Hurts here, obviously the Raiders picked up Davante Adams which makes Carr even more viable; and, the AFC west is full of dogs, so the Raiders should remain throwing all game for a large chunk of the year. Carr has previous chemistry with Adams, and they both signed contract extensions. Waller is Waller, and Carr has a report with him; as well as Renfrow. So, the chemistry with 3 very solid pass catchers and a bunch of arm talent, results in high upside in the later rounds.

Trey Lance – A little bit of a wildcard here, and some people love him, so don’t over-draft him, if someone in your league is overly excited to draft him. We don’t really know what this guy is capable of in the NFL, but, we do know that he is super talented and athletic. The Deebo Samuel trade should happen soon, so we will see how that plays out; I am assuming the 49ers will receive a pass catcher in a return package for Samuel. If not, they still have Brandon Aiyuk in a nice fantasy football bounce back spot, and George Kittle, as well as a creative head coach.

Fantasy Football Running Backs

AJ Dillion – It still should be Aaron Jones’s backfield, but Jones has had a bit of an injury history with the volume he has received over the years, and the Packers may get creative and play both of their backs at the same time with how limited they are at WR. Dillion may vulture TD’s from Jones this year, and in my best guess, could see a very good amount of work in general. The Packers are going to have to get tricky at times, and I think they will rely on running the ball more this year than in years past.

Devin Singletary – The Bills are a very good team, and they hate Zack Moss for some reason; so, enter Devin Singletary. We saw bell-cow Devin Singletary at the end of last year, and he showed the capability of being a productive back. Also, the Bills should be winning a lot of games in the 4th quarter and should be trying to salt away games on the ground. We all know who the stud RB1’s are, and Singletary does not crack that list; so, we are going to grab him in the middling rounds.

Rhomandre Stevenson – Another one of the Patriots RB’s that everyone hesitates to draft, but I really like this kid. Stevenson is an absolute unit, and I think he will get a solid amount of work this season, and will get more as players get hurt. James White has to be a fossil by now, and Damien Harris got banged up several time last season, which paves the way for Stevenson. Dude has the capability of being a horse, and it depends on everyone’s favorite coach BB to get the job done.

Wide Receivers

Allen Robinson – The new Robert Woods is in town, and Robinson may be a better down-field pass catcher than Woods; with Woods being more of a ball in the hands type of weapon. What Cooper Kupp did last year seems unsustainable, and Matt Stafford is an elite QB when it comes to pushing the ball down the field.

Christian Kirk – Sure, the contract is going to be the topic of conversation when it comes to Kirk; but, the fact still stands that he is a damned good slot receiver, even for fantasy football. The Jaguars lost DJ Chark, and Marvin Jones is an old man now that is a downfield WR. The Jaguars are wasting Laviska Shenault, and Zay Jones is just a decent player. The Jaguars paid Kirk to pepper him with targets, and that is what I expect,

Elijah Moore – Sure, the draft was fun, and Garrett Wilson is going to be a high upside rookie that everyone is going to want to pick; but Moore is highly touted by his peers and is feared and respected by his opponents. This kid is super talented, and Zach Wilson taking his rookie lumps last year is why he didn’t explode. Also, Jamison Crowder is gone, the Jets should be down in games and throwing throughout each game. I love Moore this year, and should be available later in the draft.

NFL Tight Ends

TJ Hockenson – Ok, I get it, he is one of the better TE’s in the league and the book is out. with that being said, Hockenson should still be available in like the 4-6 type rounds of the draft. Kelce, Waller, Kittle, Andrews, Pitts, should be some of the guys taken ahead of Hockenson, and people hate taking TE’s early. Hockenson is a guy that can anchor your team and produce 15 points consistently.

David Njoku – It is officially Njoku season in the land, and Deshaun Watson showed in Houston that he did not need much talent around him to be productive. Njoku is a great athlete who has run after the catch ability, and the Browns are fairly average at the WR position; also, Auston Hooper is gone. The Browns running game should open up the intermediate passing game, with a much more dangerous QB than Baker Mayfield slinging the pigskin.

Auston Hooper – Didn’t I just mention this guy? Yep; he is out of Cleveland, and is now a Titan. The Titans just traded AJ Brown, right? Yes they did. Also, Julio Jones is basically fantasy football irrelevant now, and Robert Woods is coming off a major injury, and has zero WR help. Hooper sucks at football, but, he may get peppered with targets, and should be a somewhat reliable safety valve for Ryan Tannehill.

Defense/Special Teams for Fantasy Football

Commanders – Great front 7 headed by Chase Young, Montez Sweat, and Jamin Davis. The primary strategy for me this year is to draft an NFC defense, that has a few playmakers on it. The NFC east is booty.

Buccaneers – Same stud defense in another crap division. TB will get 6 total games against Jameis Winston, Sam Darnold, and/or Marcus Mariota/Desmond Ridder. Vita Vea, Lavonte David, and Antoine Winfield Jr should have fun with that.