With mandatory camp on the way and the biggest fantasy stars getting back on the field, there is always a ton of buzz surrounding players with the upcoming season around the corner. This leads to players being overvalued in fantasy leagues given the hype that their coaches or other players may give them following their potential as NFL talents. In this article, I analyze four players that are being over-drafted on MyFantasyLeague’s (MFL) draft platform for the upcoming fantasy season.
QB19: Justin Fields (QB – CHI)
There is no question about the talent that Justin Fields has following the historic college run he had as Ohio State’s quarterback. However, the Bears simply have not surrounded Fields with enough talent to sustain solid quarterback play, and this should come as a concern to fantasy managers. In his rookie season, it seemed Fields was rushed on nearly every drop back due to the lack of talent along his offensive line and within his receiving corps. This led to Fields constantly trying to escape the pocket and trying to make a play, leading to his lackluster performance and large turnover numbers. While Fields showed signs of fantasy QB potential with 420 rushing yards, he had 22 turnovers with only nine total touchdowns in the 12 games he played in. With the Bears losing Allen Robinson and not bringing in any significant offensive players to help him, it is hard to trust Fields as being a consistently viable fantasy QB. Fields’ ADP has since dropped compared to his QB16 price tag at the beginning of the summer, but his situation in Chicago remains unfriendly for a QB that struggled the way Fields did in his rookie year.
RB12: Aaron Jones (RB – GB)
Like Fields, there is no denying the talent that Aaron Jones has as a lethal weapon in the Packers’ offense. While Jones was an elite receiving option for QB Aaron Rodgers, ranking 10th in receiving yards and seventh in targets amongst RBs on a per-game basis, Jones only rushed for 799 yards in 2021 (21st amongst RBs). The lack of rushing could hold Jones back as an elite fantasy RB in 2022, especially with fellow RB A.J. Dillon expecting a larger workload following his emergence in the Packers’ offense during his first two years in the league. Jones’ ADP has fallen to a reasonable price since June, however it is still a steep price to pay for a running back sharing a backfield with an emerging star in Dillon.
The Philadelphia Eagles broke the internet when they traded for WR A.J. Brown during the NFL Draft, as he is arguably a top 5 talent amongst wide receivers in the league. However, the Eagles had the highest rush rate amongst all teams after Nick Sirianni gave up his playcalling duties to offensive coordinator Shane Steichen. Additionally, QB Jalen Hurts only threw for 3144 yards and 16 touchdowns, which was below the top 20 QBs across the rest of the NFL. With Steichen still calling plays and Hurts under center, it will be difficult for Brown to live up to his WR11 ADP given his situation in Philadelphia.
TE6: Dalton Schultz (TE – DAL)
There were many questions of which Cowboys tight ends would emerge in their offense, and Schultz stepped up to that role and finished as an elite tight end option. He finished as the TE3 with 808 yards and 8 touchdowns. You could make the argument that he deserves the TE6 ADP he currently holds, however he is being drafted in the late 5th round of 12 team league drafts. While Schultz has a good shot of finishing as a top 5 TE option, his upside does not equate to players being drafted around him. He is currently being drafted ahead of Marquise Brown, Courtland Sutton, Brandin Cooks, and Rashod Bateman who all have a higher chance of leading their respective teams in targets than Schultz.
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