Fantasy Football Rankings 2022: Sleepers, breakouts, busts by model that called Taylor’s big year
Written by ABC Audio ALL RIGHTS RESERVED on September 4, 2022
It’s now just a matter of days before the 2022 NFL schedule kicks off, so plenty of drafts are going on the clock. A reliable set of 2022 Fantasy football rankings can give owners a good starting point for making their 2022 Fantasy football picks. With over 150 players set to go off the board in most drafts, there’s plenty of data to consider as you try to sort through who the 2022 Fantasy football sleepers, breakouts and busts will be. Which players should you target in the early rounds with your 2022 Fantasy football draft prep? Who are the players being undervalued at their current 2022 Fantasy football ADP who can give your team a huge edge? Before setting your 2022 Fantasy football draft strategy, be sure to check out the 2022 Fantasy football cheat sheets from the proven computer model at SportsLine.
Last year, the model accurately predicted that Colts running back Jonathan Taylor was being dramatically undervalued. Taylor was being drafted behind running backs like Aaron Jones, Ezekiel Elliott and Austin Ekeler last season but the SportsLine projection model predicted that he’d outproduce all of those backs and be a fixture in your Fantasy football lineups. The result: Taylor led the NFL with 1,811 rushing yards and 18 rushing touchdowns to finish as the overall RB1 in 2021.
The same model has a proven track record providing Fantasy football tips, also identifying A.J. Brown as another sleeper in 2020 and players like Julio Jones and JuJu Smith-Schuster as Fantasy football busts last season. Additionally, it’s called past Fantasy football sleepers like Derrick Henry in 2019, Christian McCaffrey and Alvin Kamara in 2018, and Davante Adams in 2017. Anybody who banked on players like those made a run at their league title.
The model is powered by the same people who generated projections for all three major Fantasy sites, and it beat human experts last season when there was a big difference in ranking. The projections update multiple times daily, so you’re always getting the best Fantasy football advice.
Now, SportsLine has simulated the entire NFL season 10,000 times and released its latest Fantasy football rankings 2022, along with plenty of sleepers, breakouts and busts. Head to SportsLine now to see them.
Top 2022 Fantasy football sleepers
One of the 2022 Fantasy football sleepers the model is predicting: Seahawks wide receiver Tyler Lockett. He has been one of the most reliable Fantasy wide receivers during his career, but he is being selected in the 10th round of most Fantasy football drafts. There will be a dip in production at quarterback for Seattle after veteran Russell Wilson went to Denver, as he is being replaced by Geno Smith in Week 1.
However, that does not mean the Seahawks’ passing game is going to be non-existent. Lockett has four top-five Fantasy football finishes during his career and will face the fifth-easiest schedule for wide receivers this season. SportsLine’s model expects him to finish ahead of Robert Woods, Amon-Ra St. Brown and Brandon Aiyuk, even though they are all being picked before him in most drafts. See more Fantasy football sleepers 2022 here.
Top 2022 Fantasy football breakouts
The model is also projecting Bills wide receiver Gabe Davis as one of its top 2022 Fantasy football breakouts. The third-year pro out of UCF has put up modest numbers through two seasons with 70 catches for 1,148 yards during that span. He’s been an effective red-zone target, however, scoring 13 combined touchdowns.
With Cole Beasley and Emmanuel Sanders gone, Davis appears to be the clear-cut WR2 in one of the league’s most explosive offenses. He’s going off the board in the seventh round in Fantasy drafts, on average, but SportsLine’s model says he’ll outperform sixth-rounder D.J. Moore. He’ll also produce more than Marquise Brown, Michael Thomas and Jerry Jeudy, all receivers being picked at around the same time, making Davis one of the breakouts who needs to be in your draft plans. See more Fantasy football breakouts 2022 here.
Top 2022 Fantasy football busts
As for players to avoid, the model lists Raiders receiver Hunter Renfrow as one of its 2022 Fantasy football busts. After finishing with 1,261 yards in his first two seasons in the league, Renfrow busted out for 1,038 with nine touchdowns. However, the offensive landscape in Las Vegas will look different this season with the addition of Davante Adams and new head coach Josh McDaniels.
Slot receivers have traditionally done well in McDaniels’ offenses in New England, but it remains to be seen if new Raiders offensive coordinator Mick Lombardi will follow suit with that philosophy. Part of Renfrow’s success last season was a result of Henry Ruggs’ departure from the team midseason. Renfrow also has to compete for targets with tight end Darren Waller this season, and all those factors contribute to why the model projects others with lower 2022 Fantasy football ADP like Michael Gallup, Drake London and Brandon Aiyuk will have better seasons. See more Fantasy football busts 2022 here.
How to find proven 2022 Fantasy football football rankings
SportsLine is also extremely high on a surprising quarterback you aren’t even thinking about being taken in the middle rounds of 2022 Fantasy football drafts. This quarterback is listed as a shocking top-five option ahead of superstars like Patrick Mahomes and Lamar Jackson. You can only see who it is, and the 2022 Fantasy football rankings for every player, at SportsLine.
So which 2022 Fantasy Football sleepers, breakouts and busts should you target and fade? And which QB shocks the NFL with a top-five performance? Visit SportsLine now to get 2022 Fantasy Football cheat sheets for every single position, all from the model that called Jonathan Taylor’s huge season, and find out.
The post Fantasy Football Rankings 2022: Sleepers, breakouts, busts by model that called Taylor’s big year first appeared on CBS Sports.