Our analysts are here to share a few players they are targeting this fantasy football draft season. And be sure to check out their full list of players to avoid as part of our 2022 Fantasy Football Draft Kit.

• Matthew Freedman’s Players to Target
• Derek Brown’s Players to Target
• Andrew Erickson’s Players to Target
• Pat Fitzmaurice’s Players to Target
• Joe Pisapia’s Players to Target

Rankings noted using FantasyPros half-PPR Expert Consensus Rankings (ECR) and Consensus ADP.

Fantasy Football Players to Reach For

Jalen Hurts (PHI)
ECR QB6 | ADP QB8

Jalen Hurts has league-winning upside again this year. Last season before dealing with an injury, he was the QB6 in fantasy points per game. Before getting dinged up, he averaged 57.9 rushing yards per game, pacing toward a 1,000-yard rushing season (985). After the injury, he dipped to 29.7 rushing yards per game. The final part of the equation to push him over the top will come through the air with a full season of Hurts getting freaky in the open field.

With the arrival of A.J. Brown, the ascension of DeVonta Smith and the Eagles leaning more pass-heavy in 2022, Hurts could reach the hollow ground of top three quarterback status in fantasy. In Weeks 1-7, he averaged 245.1 passing yards per game (4,166 pace) before the team swerved and became run-centric. Along with the passing yardage boost, he could see touchdown regression. Last year among 33 quarterbacks with 200 or more pass attempts, Hurts was 23rd with a 3.7% passing touchdown rate. The runway is clear. The wheels are up. It’s time for Hurts to fly.

– Derek Brown

Travis Etienne (JAC)
ECR RB21 | ADP RB24

Sometimes, you have to take a leap of faith, despite obvious concerns about an offense. Travis Etienne was an outstanding back in college, and his familiarity with Trevor Lawrence does matter in my opinion. He can handle a three-down workload if asked, but his pass-catching ability is enough to make him fantasy worthy even if that workload eludes him. Like A.J. Dillon, he has an excellent opportunity to outperform his RB24 rank, and those are the kind of backs I want to invest in, saving early picks for stud wide receivers who tend to stay healthy when compared to early-round running backs.

– Joe Pisapia

James Conner (ARI)
ECR RB15 | ADP RB19

With a new contract in tow, James Conner should reprise his bell-cow role from 2021. Conner didn’t hold that do-it-all usage the entire season, but he was ultra-productive when utilized in that manner. In Weeks 9-14, he played 77% or higher snaps in every game as the RB2 in fantasy points per game. He averaged 21.8 touches and 114.4 total yards per game. Darrell Williams will spell him occasionally, but he’s nowhere close to the same rushing talent. Last season Conner was 18th in yards created per touch and 14th in evaded tackles. Williams is a plus receiving back, but so is Conner. Last season he was ninth in yards per route run (minimum 20 targets, per PFF). Conner’s a locked-in top 12 running back in 2022.

– Derek Brown

Allen Lazard (GB)
ECR WR45 | ADP WR47

Allen Lazard is not a highlight reel WR talent, but he’s the last man standing in the Packers’ WR corps, and the quality volume will be there for the taking in 2022. In addition, he has familiarity with Rodgers, and Rodgers has expressed confidence in him. That’s enough for me to spend that draft capital on him as a WR3/flex play.

– Joe Pisapia

Courtland Sutton (DEN)
ECR WR21 | ADP WR27

Entering Year 3, it looked like Courtland Sutton was on the cusp of true elite fantasy WR1 production, but his 2020 season was lost due to a torn ACL in Week 2. It was unclear how productive Sutton would be returning from the devastating knee injury.

But to start the 2021 season, the Broncos wide receiver looked like his old self. He averaged 13.8 fantasy points per game (17th) and had a 27% target share in Weeks 2-7 during the regular season.

It wasn’t until Jerry Jeudy‘s return from injury that Sutton — and the rest of the Broncos’ pass catchers — became obsolete in a crowded, run-heavy offense led by a combination of Drew Lock/Teddy Bridgewater. Nevertheless, Sutton finished the season as the fantasy WR46.

However, even in the anemic offense, Sutton still finished seventh in air yards (1,756), cemented in between Tyler Lockett and D.K. Metcalf, in 2021.

Sutton has a real chance to recapture his elite form another year removed from his ACL injury. It also helps substantially that he has received an ultra upgrade at the quarterback position with Denver’s trade for Russell Wilson.

Wilson has always been an elite downfield passer — he had the sixth-highest passer rating on throws of 20-plus air yards last season — which plays heavily into Sutton’s strengths as a vertical threat.

Based on the receiver’s track record of commanding targets near the pylon, I fully expect Sutton to emerge as Wilson’s go-to red-zone target. He led the Broncos in red-zone targets in 2021 and led all WRs in target rate inside the 10-yard line in 2019.

Wilson has an affinity for attacking receivers in the red zone; a Seattle WR has finished top five in red-zone targets for three straight seasons.

Simply put: The fit between Wilson and Sutton could not be better for 2022. And I’m not afraid to go all-in and declare that Sutton will be this year’s Cooper Kupp — a wide receiver drafted in the middle rounds of redraft leagues who takes a massive leap. The similarities between the two situations are uncanny.

Major quarterback upgrade, wide receiver entering Year 5, another season removed from an ACL injury, history of commanding red-zone targets, and high-end past production were all reasons why you should have bought into Kupp before the start of the 2021 season. And they are all reasons to be aggressive in drafting Sutton before this season kicks off.

He’s still reasonably affordable because of how strong the Jerry Jeudy hype is, even though the latter has still yet to do anything worthwhile in terms of fantasy two years into his NFL career.

The Broncos also open the season with a favorable schedule against suspect secondaries like Seattle, San Francisco, Atlanta, and Detroit. It’s the exact start for my Courtland Sutton to be this year’s Cooper Kupp prediction to be realized.

Denver’s playoff schedule also features potential shootouts against Kansas City, the Rams, and Arizona, further bolstering the case for heavy exposure of their players in summer best ball drafts.

– Andrew Erickson

Dalton Schultz (DAL)
ECR TE6 | ADP TE7

Before the TE drop-off, Dalton Schultz offers the best combination of value and upside. Schultz will see plenty of targets in the Cowboys’ offense, especially with Michael Gallup out early. He has red zone appeal, and clearly, Dak Prescott has had faith in him since he emerged from the shadows after Blake Jarwin went down early two seasons ago. As a result, he’s a top-five fantasy TE outside the top five in draft capital.

– Joe Pisapia

FantasyPros Staff Consensus 2022 Redraft Fantasy Football Rankings

If you want to dive deeper into fantasy football, check out our award-winning slate of Fantasy Football Tools as you navigate your season. From our Start/Sit Assistant – which provides your optimal lineup based on accurate consensus projections – to our Waiver Wire Assistant, which allows you to quickly see which available players will improve your team and how much – we’ve got you covered this fantasy football season.