• Don’t get cute early.
• There are more potential running backs in the early rounds than ever.
• Round 6 or later is the right time to draft a quarterback in traditional formats.
The final week of fantasy football draft season is upon us. Lives will change for better or worse for the next four months based on the decisions we make during a 90-minute fantasy draft. Why do we do this to ourselves? Good question, but heck, we’re already here: Let’s boogie.
What follows are my top 10 fantasy football draft picks for 2022.
1. Don’t get cute early
Fantasy drafts are kind of like the NFL draft in terms of average draft position (ADP): Many can logically predict a good amount of early rounds (especially the first), but things get a lot more random and difficult to be called in later stages. . This is largely due to the increased attention paid to top-20 players at each position; Early ADPs are sharper and better to follow than the ones you get in the mid to late stages of drafts.
That doesn’t mean you can’t draft your RB7 ahead of the guy the public has considered the RB6. On the contrary: Don’t make a habit of going after players with an average draft position far below (more than 12 spots) where you are currently selecting in the early rounds. Getting “your guy” is great; there’s a better chance you won’t have to reach to secure the player you want in the third round than in the 13th.
2. There are more potential running backs in the early rounds than ever
As co-host of PFF Fantasy Football PodcastDwain McFarland likes to say, “Every season is different and every draft is a dynamic, living organism.”
It is possible to start a WR-WR-WR draft and leave feeling good. However, I’ve found that walking away with at least one, if not two or three, running backs within the first four rounds is ideal. There are simply a plethora of backs that check a lot of boxes in terms of anticipated workload, offensive environment, and personal ability:
- Round 2: The legal concerns that looked much more like a potential 2022 issue at the start of the season are gone Alvin Kamara as a bargain second-round pick. More friendly back like D’Andre Swift AND Aaron Jones are also quite applicable here. Also, don’t forget about Saquon Barkley AND Leonard Fournette: my two top-10 favorite values in ADP this season considering their second-round (and sometimes third!) price tags despite having a first-caliber workload. until Nick Chubb Is one fade for me in the 2nd round, it’s always possible that the NFL’s arguably best real-life running back continues to make the most of his relatively heavy workload. Throw in the upside potential boom Javonte Williamsand I’m usually much happier to get one of these running backs after the first six or seven wide receivers are off the board.
I don’t have a Do Not Draft List. Any player can be a target at the right ADP, but the “RB Dead Zone” fable basically starts at the end of Round 4 and probably continues until Round 6 or 7. Don’t be afraid to lean on some workhorses early and embrace what the kids like to call the “Hero RB” or “Superhero RB” draft before taking higher priced wide receivers, tight ends and quarterbacks in the middle rounds.
3. If it’s close: Get the player with the best case scenario
When I join my fantasy football rankingsthe one question I keep coming back to: Which player has the most upside overall if everything goes right?
This idea led me to ask a question to fantasy twitter: What should we call backup running backups that have great handcuff potential AND Do you have enough of a role to provide a weekly value? Luckily, The legend of the fantastic football player, Mike Wright, came out and nailed it: Bow with benefits.
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