Dynasty Startup Mock Draft: 12-Team, PPR (2022 Fantasy Football)

The 2022 NFL Draft has come and gone, and that means it’s time for dynasty rookie and startup drafts to really take off. We’ll have you covered throughout the draft season. You can find our full dynasty startup, dynasty rookie, and dynasty superflex rookie rankings that will be updated through draft season.

You can also practice and prepare for your dynasty rookie and startup drafts using our FREE dynasty mock draft simulator. Let’s take a look at a dynasty startup mock draft.

1.6 Ja’Marr Chase (CIN)
Ja’Marr Chase broke Justin Jefferson’s record for most receiving yards by a rookie, finishing 2021 as the WR5 in fantasy points per game and the WR22 in expected fantasy points per game. Only Deebo Samuel scored more fantasy points above expectation (+74.3) than Chase – a testament to his home-run hitting ability. Chase’s 18.0 yards per reception ranked second-best in the NFL behind only Samuel. The Bengals’ wide receivers’ dominance continued in the postseason with back-to-back 100-yard games in the first two rounds of the playoffs. Chase commanded a 27% target share when it mattered most during postseason play, a 5% increase from his regular-season target share.

You can also practice and prepare for your dynasty rookie and startup drafts using our FREE dynasty mock draft simulator. Let’s take a look at a dynasty startup mock draft.

2.7 Mark Andrews (BAL)
Last year, Mark Andrews was the early-round tight end who drove rosters to fantasy championships. The Baltimore Ravens’ fourth-year TE led the position with a 25% target share, 28% air yards share, and 17.5 fantasy points per game. He ran a route on 84% of offensive dropbacks, which also ranked first. With Marquise Brown traded to the Cardinals, Andrews has solidified himself as clear TE1 with a still unproven second-year wideout as his main competition for targets. However, be aware that even if Andrews does repeat his efforts as TE1 it may not be to the extent that it was in 2021. His 623 routes run were 209 more than he had in 2020 and fueled the career year. Andrews’ increase in route running was tied to the Ravens’ boosted pass-play rate (56%). From 2019-2020, Baltimore passed on fewer than 46% of their plays. Because Baltimore’s increase in passing was due out of necessity in 2021, I’d project it to regress closer to the 2019-2020 rate for this upcoming season.

3.6 DJ Moore (CAR)
Despite a smattering of atrocious quarterback play on his plate, D.J. Moore has been a model of consistent fantasy production. In fantasy, Moore has hit at least 1,157 receiving yards in each of the last three seasons as the WR14, WR23, and WR28. Moore has remained an efficient player despite his signal-caller quality, ranking 23rd in yards per route run (minimum 50 targets per PFF) and 16th in receiving yards per game. The issue capping his ceiling has been touchdowns, but unless he gets more usage near pay dirt in 2022, he’s no more than a mid-WR2. Since 2019 Moore has ranked 29th, 60th, and 25th in red-zone targets.

4.7 Michael Pittman Jr. (IND)
Pittman got the true WR1 treatment from the Colts coaching staff in 2021, running a route on 96% of offensive dropbacks – third to only Cooper Kupp (WR1) and Ja’Marr Chase (WR4) through 17 weeks. He also finished the season tied for the league’s eighth-highest target share (24%), which was 11 percentage points higher than the next closest Colt, Zach Pascal, at 13%. He also made 18 highlight-reel contested catches – fourth-most in the NFL. And his 31% target share from Weeks 13-18 cemented his place in Indy’s WR1 chair heading into 2022. With Matt Ryan under center Pittman has the volume potential to be a top-12 fantasy option. Ryan has a history of fueling top-end fantasy WRs like Julio Jones and Calvin Ridley, making a top-five finish not all that crazy for Big Mike in 2022. Don’t forget that last season, Ridley as the Falcons’ No. 1 receiver owned the sixth-highest target rate per route run and ranked second among all wide receivers in expected fantasy points per game (16.5).

5.6 Travis Etienne Jr. (JAC)
Travis Etienne Jr. was a standout college football running back for the Clemson Tigers from 2017 to 2020 and was selected by the Jaguars in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft -25th overall. However, his rookie season was cut short by a preseason Lisfranc injury. Some NFL personnel reported that Etienne could have come back towards the end of the year had the Jaguars been in playoff contention instead of being the league’s laughing stock. Etienne is expected to be fully cleared by training camp, giving him a leg up on the RB1 role as the Jacksonville Jaguars install a new offense under new head coach Doug Pederson. With James Robinson attempting to come back from a torn Achilles injury suffered on December 26th, Etienne figures to be the featured back during this spring/summer. Do not forget what this guy did at Clemson with Trevor Lawrence (QB – JAC) as his quarterback. During his final season as a Clemson Tiger, he led the country in receiving yards and ranked second in receptions among running backs. Etienne also racked up the most rushing attempts of 20-plus yards (40) from 2018 to 2019 while only carrying the ball 20-plus times once since 2018.

6.7 Leonard Fournette (TB)
Workhorse Uncle Lenn is back to trigger the haters in 2022. In Weeks 4-14, Leonard Fournette played less than 61% of the team’s snaps in only two games. Over that stretch, he averaged 19.7 touches and 103 total yards per game as the RB5 in fantasy. Fournette was also fantastic in the passing game. In that sample, he led all running backs in targets (63) and was fourth in receiving yards (344). Rachaad White might be his heir apparent, but Tampa Bay has Super Bowl aspirations, and it’s difficult to envision Tom Brady trusting a rookie in the backfield to protect him.

7.6 James Conner (ARI)
James Conner will be the Cardinal’s dependable workhorse again in 2022. In Weeks 9-14, he never played less than 77% of the snaps averaging 21.8 touches and 114.4 total yards per game. He was the RB2 in fantasy behind only Jonathan Taylor in that five-game span. His 18 total touchdowns seem hard to replicate at first glance, but it isn’t. Last season Arizona was eighth in red zone rushing rate. Conner has minimal competition on the depth chart that could take him off the field on passing downs or near paydirt.

8.7 Dak Prescott (DAL)
Dak Prescott rebounded nicely from a lost 2020 season (due to injury) as the QB9 in weekly fantasy scoring. Prescott’s former rushing floor evaporated as he finished with the lowest rushing yardage total (146) for a full season of his career. Despite losing Amari Cooper this offseason, the Cowboy’s passing attack should be fine as the team retained Michael Gallup and Dalton Schultz and added Jalen Tolbert and James Washington. Dallas led the NFL in neutral pace last season. With heightened play volume helping his passing numbers, Prescott should have no issues compensating for the lost rushing production as a locked-in top ten fantasy quarterback.

9.6 Miles Sanders (PHI)
Miles Sanders opened the year playing 60-83% of snaps in the first six games but only averaging 9.5 rushing attempts per game. He did see 3.8 targets per game. He then sustained an ankle injury that landed him on the injured reserve. When he returned from the ankle injury, he was the Eagles’ clear lead back (Weeks 11-15), averaging 16.8 carries per game, although his pass game usage dried up (1.8 targets per game). Despite seeing 23 touches inside the 20, he failed to get into the endzone in 2021. While Sanders will see touchdown regression this season, he will still have to deal with Jalen Hurts near the goal line and the looming specters of Boston Scott and Kenneth Gainwell. He could return RB2 production this season, but there’s the risk with his injury history and how high-value touches could be divided up in 2022.