Team-By-Team Dynasty Roundup: AFC South (2022 Fantasy Football)

Boasting both the lowly Jaguars and Texans and the defense-first Titans and Colts, the AFC South isn’t a stimulating division for fantasy football. Sure it houses arguably the top two rushers in the league in Jonathan Taylor and Derrick Henry, but the collection of QBs and WRs leave a lot to be desired.

The 2022 NFL Draft was impactful for the AFC South as the Jaguars and Texans held top-three picks, and the Titans completed a blockbuster trade of A.J. Brown to the Eagles.

Let’s take a look at how the NFL draft changed the landscape of the division for fantasy football.

• Team-By-Team Dynasty Roundup: AFC North
• Team-By-Team Dynasty Roundup: AFC East
• Team-By-Team Dynasty Roundup: AFC West
• Team-By-Team Dynasty Roundup: NFC North
• Team-By-Team Dynasty Roundup: NFC South
• Team-By-Team Dynasty Roundup: NFC East
• Team-By-Team Dynasty Roundup: NFC West

Houston Texans Draft Results

Houston Texans 2022 Draft Recap

Dynasty Stock Watch

• QB: Davis Mills (QB – HOU) Stock: Up
• RB: Rex Burkhead (RB – HOU) Stock: Down
• RB: Marlon Mack (RB – HOU) Stock: Down
• WR1: Brandin Cooks (WR – HOU) Stock: Neutral
• WR2: Nico Collins (WR – HOU) Stock: Down
• TE: Brevin Jordan (TE – HOU) Stock: Up

Bold 2022 Dynasty Prediction: Davis Mills outperforms expectations and the Texans win more games than expected. The Texans bypass a first-round QB in 2023 and roll with Mills as the team’s starter.

After a drama-filled season that watched Deshaun Watson miss the entire year and be subsequently traded to the Cleveland Browns, the Texans look to reshape their franchise. The team prioritized defense at the top of the draft selecting the top DB in LSU’s Derek Stingley Jr. and followed that up by selecting OL Kenyon Green from Texas A&M with their other first-round pick at 15. In the second and fourth rounds, the Texans drafted fantasy-relevant players John Metchie and Dameon Pierce.

Metchie and Pierce should see early opportunity as the position groups they join are not what one would consider deep. Brandin Cooks is the only receiver of note, with second-year wideout Nico Collins flashing at times as a rookie. The RB group of Rex Burkhead and Marlon Mack is probably the worst in the league. Pierce should crack this rotation quickly.

Second-year players Davis Mills and Brevin Jordan, who looked good as rookies, enter this season as starters and will look to cement their roles as cornerstone pieces for the organization.

Indianapolis Colts Draft Results

Indianapolis Colts 2022 Draft Recap

Dynasty Stock Watch

• QB: Matt Ryan (QB – IND) Stock: Up
• RB1: Jonathan Taylor (RB – IND) Stock: Neutral
• RB2: Nyheim Hines (RB – IND) Stock: Neutral
• WR1: Michael Pittman Jr. (WR – IND) Stock: Up
• WR2: Parris Campbell (WR – IND) Stock: Down
• TE1: Mo Alie-Cox (TE – IND) Stock: Down
• TE2: Rex Burkhead (RB – HOU) Stock: Down

Bold 2022 Dynasty Prediction: Matt Ryan reminds us why he’s a future Hall of Famer, leading the Colts to a division title.

The Colts are a quality NFL Franchise, but Peyton Manning has been gone for a long time, and Andrew Luck’s retirement is pretty far in the rearview. The Colts still haven’t found a QB to replace those guys. The Colts will have a different opening-day starting QB for the sixth straight season. Fortunately for them, this time around, it is the eighth all-time leading passer in NFL history, Matt Ryan.

Ryan has had an impressive career in Atlanta, but this Colts offensive line may be the best he’s ever played behind. Pair that with a running game led by Jonathan Taylor and a big-bodied WR like Michael Pittman Jr., and Colts fans have a reason to be excited.

Taylor is joined in the backfield by pass-catching specialist Nyheim Hines while Pittman receives some help in the WR room in the form of rookie Alec Pierce. Parris Campbell also returns from injury, looking to put together a healthy season for the first time in his career.

Jack Doyle’s retirement ascends Mo Alie-Cox and Kylen Granson up the depth chart, right? Not so fast; the Colts used a third-round pick on athletic TE Jelani Woods from Virginia. Woods is a superior prospect to either of the incumbent TEs, and that Day 2 draft capital suggests the team will likely involve him early.

Jacksonville Jaguars Draft Results

Jacksonville Jaguars 2022 Draft Recap

Dynasty Stock Watch

• QB: Trevor Lawrence (QB – JAC) Stock: Up
• RB1: Travis Etienne (RB – JAC) Stock: Up
• RB2: James Robinson (RB – JAC) Stock: Down
• WR1: Christian Kirk (WR – JAC) Stock: Up
• WR2: Laviska Shenault (WR – JAC) Stock: Neutral
• TE1: Dan Arnold (TE – JAC) Stock: Up

Bold 2022 Dynasty Prediction: The coaching change doesn’t change much for the Jaguars. The team struggles yet again as doubts set in on the ceiling of QB Trevor Lawrence.

The 2021 Jaguars season was certainly an adventure. The Urban Meyer saga is baffling and was a disaster for the franchise. Fortunately, it’s over, and former Super Bowl champion head coach Doug Pederson is the new sheriff in town.

The one season under Meyer left a bad taste in fantasy managers’ mouths. Highly touted rookie QB Trevor Lawrence was terrible, throwing for just 12 TDs with 17 interceptions. Rookie RB Travis Etienne’s season was over before it started, and D.J. Chark‘s season lasted only three games due to injury. Toss in Laviska Shenault not breaking out and the season concluding with James Robinson tearing his ACL, and you’ve got a good ole fashioned horrendous season.

Pederson’s arrival comes with the hope that Trevor Lawrence can reach his potential with the new coaching staff. The team spent some money, bringing in free agent WR Christian Kirk on a monster contract, among other minor signings. Will a coach with Super Bowl lineage, a healthy Etienne, and a new No. 1 WR take Trevor to the next level? Let’s hope so.

Tennessee Titans Draft Results

Tennessee Titans 2022 Draft Recap

Dynasty Stock Watch

• QB: Ryan Tannehill (QB – TEN) Stock: Down
• RB: Derrick Henry (RB – TEN) Stock: Neutral
• WR1: Treylon Burks (WR – TEN) Stock: Up
• WR2: Robert Woods (WR – TEN) Stock: Up
• TE: Austin Hooper (TE – TEN) Stock: Up

Bold 2022 Dynasty Prediction: Derrick Henry wins the NFL rushing title again, but the Titans’ passing game struggles with the loss of A.J. Brown and the continued declining play of Tannehill.

Does anyone remember that the Titans were the AFC’s No. 1 seed last year? Well, they were, and they were eliminated at home at the hands of the Bengals. The Titans’ run through the conference was unbelievable, given the quality of teams in the AFC and the fact that they didn’t have star RB Derrick Henry for half the season. QB Ryan Tannehill looked atrocious in the playoff loss and admittedly has not felt the same since.

The Titans come into 2022 with a healthy Derrick Henry, who should continue to be the league’s best rusher of the football. Henry was on pace for his second straight 2,000-yard season before going down to injury in Week 8 against the Colts.

Where the Titans will look completely different in 2022 is the pass catchers. The Titans shook the NFL landscape during the NFL draft when they traded star WR A.J. Brown to the Eagles and selected Arkansas WR Treylon Burks with the pick they received. This move came after the team landed WR Robert Woods via trade with the Rams. In addition to the new WRs, the Titans also brought in TE Austin Hooper from Cleveland to upgrade a position that was a negative for them in 2021.

One dynamic to watch is that the team drafted Liberty QB Malik Willis in the third round. Tannehill’s performance has declined in addition to losing a portion of the fanbase due to his playoff performance against Cincinnati. His comments about the team drafting Willis haven’t helped his cause either. If the Titans struggle, could we see a QB controversy?

• Team-By-Team Dynasty Roundup: AFC North

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