PREMIUM

Players to Target in Dynasty Rookie Drafts (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.

Let’s take a look at players our analysts are targeting in their dynasty rookie drafts.

Jameson Williams (WR – DET)
Expert Consensus Ranking No. 6 overall – WR4

Jameson Williams‘ talent is inevitable but I am not overly convinced about his landing spot with the Detroit Lions for the year 2022. The Alabama wide receiver is most likely going to start the year on the PUP, and the rebuilding Lions have no reason to rush their prized-first rounder back from his torn ACL.

Let’s take a look at players our analysts are targeting in their dynasty rookie drafts.

Jameson Williams (WR – DET)
Expert Consensus Ranking No. 6 overall – WR4

Williams may not hit the field until October, making him a tough guy to stash in redraft formats. Furthermore, Williams’ vertical ability cannot be capitalized with Jared Goff under center.

Goff’s average depth of throw has decreased over the last four seasons, with his most recent 2021 mark (6.8) ranking dead last among 38th qualifying quarterbacks. He has also averaged just 13 completions of 20-plus air yards the last two seasons. Williams finished top-seven among all college wide receivers in receiving yards on 20-plus air yard throws in 2021.

However, Williams does also possess top-tier YAC-ability so he should be able to salvage some production when he returns from injury. Goff also probably isn’t the Lions’ long-term answer at quarterback, meaning Williams could be in for a major upgrade in 2023 or 2024.

I’d be hesitant to be overly bullish on Williams in redraft formats, but maintain a high ranking on him in dynasty leagues. Nobody will be shocked to see him out-produce the combination of Amon-Ra St. Brown and T.J. Hockenson once he is fully acclimated into the offense. I’ll also take the draft day discount on Williams based on the landing spot, knowing that I am betting on the talent long-term. That’s the move to make at WR in dynasty.

His current rookie ADP is 1.06 as the WR4 off-the-board.
– Andrew Erickson

Skyy Moore (WR – KC)
Expert Consensus Ranking No. 8 overall – WR6

Skyy Moore was a small school baller. The landing spot in Kansas City was just icing on the rookie draft cake. One general misconception about Moore is that he is a slot-only option, but this couldn’t be farther from the truth. Moore played outside on 65% or higher snaps in two of his three seasons, including his final one at Western Michigan, where he ranked eighth in yards per route run (minimum 50 targets, per PFF). He posted a strong 3.05 yards per route run against man coverage, ranking 30th (minimum 15 targets, per PFF) immediately ahead of Garrett Wilson. Moore has the talent to assert himself as the number two target behind Travis Kelce in year one.
– Derek Brown

Zamir White (RB – LV)
Expert Consensus Ranking No. 22 overall – RB7

Zamir White isn’t getting enough love. Well … he got plenty of lovers from NFL Network’s Maurice Jones-Drew, who compared White to Adrian Peterson, but the fantasy community seems less bullish. So does the FantasyPros analyst consensus — we have the rookie from Georgia 26th overall in our rookie superflex rankings. White is arguably the most physical runner in this year’s RB class and profiles as an early-down battering ram. That’s not always the most appealing profile to dynasty managers, but White has a 96th percentile speed score, a 95th percentile burst score, and a wealth of experience running against tough SEC defenses. The Raiders spent fourth-round draft capital on White and just declined Josh Jacobs‘ fifth-year option, so there’s a clear path to significant usage for the Z-man. White has torn both of his ACLs, which will scare away some investors, but we’ve seen a host of running backs return from ACL tears to have productive careers, including another former Georgia running back, Nick Chubb.
– Pat Fitzmaurice

Dameon Pierce (RB – HOU)
Expert Consensus Ranking No. 15 overall – RB5

Pierce wasn’t a hot name during rookie mock drafts during the pre-draft process. However, everything changed when the Texans passed on Spiller for Pierce, making him the biggest winner of the NFL Draft.

The Texans have two meaningful veterans on their team: Marlon Mack and Rex Burkhead. Yet, neither should stop Pierce from earning and running away with the starting role. Mack has 37 touches over the past two years, while Burkhead had one game with over 47 rushing yards last season. Furthermore, Mack and Burkhead aren’t locks to make the final roster. Both running backs have one-year contracts and limited guaranteed money protecting them. Pierce went from my RB6 pre-draft to RB3 post-draft and a borderline late first-round pick in rookie drafts.
– Mike Fanelli