One of the things I love about PPR leagues is that they bring attention to productive NFL players who don’t get much Fantasy attention in Standard formats. In today’s NFL, most teams have either a slot receiver or a third-down back who serve as a safety valve for the Quarterback if the play breaks down. These guys generate a ton of targets and receptions over the course of the year, and as a result, can be valuable pieces for your Fantasy team.
Great players are good in all Fantasy formats, but as you build out your roster, it is nice to have a few guys on your bench who have high floors that you can plug in to cover bye weeks, injuries, and bad matchups. Below are six such players, three wide receivers, and three running backs, that are worth considering for the 2022 season.
Average Draft Position referenced is our consensus ADP for PPR scoring.
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Tyler Boyd (WR – CIN): ADP WR38
Tyler Boyd has averaged 5.4 receptions per game off of 8.1 targets over the past 3 seasons. He was WR #29 in PPR leagues last year despite missing 1 game and playing only 11 snaps in another due to a concussion in Week 15. Many people are scared that Ja’Marr Chase (WR – CIN) will steal targets from him this season, but most forget that A.J. Green (WR – ARI) was still with the team last year and led all Bengals receivers in snaps. Boyd’s role shouldn’t change that significantly this year and he’s a good bet to generate a ton of targets and receptions once again. The return of Joe Burrow (QB – CIN) should only help.
Jarvis Landry (WR – CLE): ADP WR41
Since joining the Browns in 2018, Jarvis Landry has averaged 5 catches and 8.3 targets per game. He’s also been incredibly durable in his career, missing only one game due to injury (which wasn’t even an injury – it was COVID-19 related last season). 2020 was arguably his worst season, but he was coming off of off-season hip surgery and the Browns had to endure several bad weather games which made it difficult to throw. There’s not a lot of competition on the Browns for what Landry does, so his floor in PPR leagues should remain high.
Cole Beasley (WR – BUF): ADP WR58
Cole Beasley has emerged as one of the preferred targets for Josh Allen (QB – BUF) the past 2 seasons since joining the Bills. He was targeted over 100 times both seasons with an average target share of 21%. He runs his routes almost exclusively out of the slot, and Josh Allen threw to his slot receivers 63% of the time in 2020. The only change that the Bills made in the offseason that could affect Beasley is the addition of Emmanuel Sanders (WR – BUF). However, it is more likely that Sanders takes over the role of the departed John Brown (WR – LVR) than it is that he will cut into Beasley’s role.
Nyheim Hines (RB – IND): ADP RB45
Last season, Nyheim Hines was RB #15 in PPR leagues. He did much of his damage in 4 games, but other than Week 2 when he only played 9 snaps due to the Colts having a huge lead, he had a floor of 5 pts. In his 3-year career, Hines has averaged 4.8 targets and 3.9 receptions per game. His role should be similar this year as a 3rd down back in pass-catching situations and back-up to starter Jonathan Taylor (RB – IND). Though his production may be a bit game-script dependent, he should continue to be a factor in PPR formats again this season.
James White (RB – NE): ADP RB51
James White is the definition of a PPR running back. In his career, spanning 7 seasons now, he has more receptions than rushing attempts. He’s basically been a receiver out of the backfield for the Patriots, and a pretty good one at that. At his best, he was RB #7 in 2018 and RB #18 in 2019. Last year, his production dropped a bit as he dealt with personal tragedy and a change in QB from the ageless Tom Brady (QB – TB) to Cam Newton (QB – NE). Even so, he still averaged 4.4 targets and 3.5 receptions per game. His current ADP is RB #50 – so there’s not much of a risk-taking a late-round flier on him in case the Patriots’ offense turns it around this season.
J.D. McKissic (RB – WAS): ADP RB46
Unlike Hines and White, J.D. McKissic really only has a one-year track record as a PPR star. That season was last season though when he generated a monster 110 targets and hauled in 80 catches. Not bad for a backup Running Back! These numbers were good enough to make him RB #17 in PPR leagues. The change in QB from the dink-and-dunk Alex Smith (QB – RET) and the inaccurate Dwayne Haskins (QB – PIT) to Ryan Fitzpatrick (QB – WAS) could cut down on the targets a bit. But even if they do, it’s clear that Washington values him and he should be a useful bench piece in PPR leagues once again in 2022.
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Scott Youngson is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Scott, check out his archive and follow him @FantasyMutant.
