Getting a huge return on investment is how you win drafts, and the deeper you go in drafts, the higher the potential return compared to your cost. As such, the middle rounds are where drafts are won, as most fantasy football breakouts reside in this range. Every player taken here has too much risk to go in the first few rounds, but each has enough skill or should see enough opportunity to carry value throughout the season. The middle rounds are rife with traps that can sink those who decide to take on too much risk. That’s why our featured experts are here to offer some suggestions on the guys you should focus on in this range. Each one has chosen one running back and wide receiver who offer league-winning upside. Read on to see which mid-round picks can help you dominate your draft.
Q1. Which RB with a half-PPR ADP between RB25-48 are you targeting the most in your drafts and why?
Tony Pollard (DAL): Consensus ADP – RB32 | 86th Overall
“Tony Pollard is a swing-for-the-fences type of pick who might still be a ground-rule double if Ezekiel Elliott stays healthy. Pollard is an elite talent at the running back position, and while that might sound hyperbolic in a vacuum, the numbers illustrate it perfectly. Pollard was the only running back in the NFL last year to finish top five in yards after contact per attempt (fourth) and yards per route run (third). With Michael Gallup questionable to start the season and the Cowboys with unproven receivers outside of CeeDee Lamb, Pollard could get more usage from the slot this year. Last season he was 10th in yards per route run and seventh in YAC per reception among all wide receivers, running backs and tight ends (per PFF).”
– Derek Brown (FantasyPros)
Rhamondre Stevenson (NE): Consensus ADP – RB37 | 100th Overall
“Rhamondre Stevenson. A 231-pound running back with nifty feet and pass-catching ability? Yes, please. Stevenson landed in the doghouse last season after coughing up a fumble in his first NFL game. He was a healthy scratch the next three games but then worked his way back into Bill Belichick’s good graces. Despite Belichick’s historical reluctance to give substantial workloads to rookie RBs, Stevenson averaged 12 carries over his final 11 regular-season games. He could split early-down work with Damien Harris, and he could also play on passing downs if James White isn’t fully recovered from a hip injury. The Patriots’ offense ranked seventh in percentage of running plays last year and should be run-heavy again in 2022.”
– Pat Fitzmaurice (FantasyPros)
Devin Singletary (BUF): Consensus ADP – RB29 | 78th Overall
“Devin Singletary is one of my favorite late-round running backs to target. He was unleashed down the stretch for the Bills, finishing as the RB3 in PPR scoring over the final six weeks of the season, averaging 17 fantasy points per game. He also ranked first in the NFL in routes run and third in the NFL in red-zone touches (29), more than double that of quarterback Josh Allen. With the most proven track record in the Bills’ backfield and two years of bellcow back usage in spurts, don’t be surprised when PFF’s fourth-ranked running back in rushes of 15-plus yards and seventh-ranked player in forced missed tackles in 2021 is the highly sought-after RB breakout who emerges from a high-octane ambiguous backfield. ”
– Andrew Erickson (FantasyPros)
AJ Dillon (GB): Consensus ADP – RB27 | 60th Overall
“Everybody is talking about the value of Miles Sanders, and I really like it, but AJ Dillon’s value is close to Sanders’ and he’s not getting enough love. Dillon averaged 13 touches, 2.2 targets and 10 half-PPR fantasy points per game in 2021 with a healthy Aaron Jones on the team. Without Davante Adams, both RBs will benefit from the available targets vacated by Adams, which will translate to enough fantasy points to make Dillon a solid RB2. That could probably make this RB duo the most prolific committee in fantasy football.”
– Adrian Alpanseque (Estadio Fantasy)
Chase Edmonds (MIA): Consensus ADP – RB35 | 95th Overall
“Although he’ll be more valuable in full PPR leagues, Chase Edmonds should be a weekly fantasy RB2 who can be drafted as an RB3 at his ADP of 95 overall (RB35). The fact that the Dolphins inked him to a two-year, $12 million deal compared to chintzy one-year deals for Raheem Mostert and Sony Michel shows who they expect to be the lead back. He won’t be pulled on passing downs, as he’s the most effective receiver in the backfield. With RB coordinator from 49ers, Mike McDaniel, now head coach, he’ll make the most of Edmonds’ talents.”
– Pierre Camus (RotoBaller)
Q2. Which WR with a half-PPR ADP between WR25-55 are you targeting the most in your drafts and why?
Courtland Sutton (DEN): Consensus ADP – WR27 | 65th Overall
“Courtland Sutton at WR27 is just too easy. Based on Sutton’s track record of commanding targets near the pylon, I fully expect him to emerge as Russell 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. The fit between Wilson and Sutton could not be better for 2022, and I’m not afraid to declare that Sutton will be this year’s Cooper Kupp en route to ranking No. 1 in the league in red-zone targets.”
– Andrew Erickson (FantasyPros)
“I’m willing to ride or die with Courtland Sutton this year. He’s a WR3 with the possibility of becoming a WR1 in 2022. I believe Russell Wilson will soon realize that Sutton is by far the best receiver of the bunch. Sutton was 10th in air yards, 11th in deep targets, and seventh in red-zone targets among all WRs, all while finishing as the WR19 with a plethora of bad QBs. Sutton will have DK Metcalf‘s role, and Jerry Jeudy will have Tyler Lockett‘s.”
– Adrian Alpanseque (Estadio Fantasy)
Rashod Bateman (BAL): Consensus ADP – WR38 | 93rd Overall
“Down where you see many teams’ second and third receiving options in the draft, around pick 100, lies Rashod Bateman — WR1 for Baltimore. He will help take a big chunk of the 136 targets vacated by Marquise Brown since the team did not invest in any other receivers either through the draft or free agency. The Ravens want to be a run-first team, but their defense is still suspect and their running back situation is in question, which is why they were top-10 in pass attempts last year. It’s hard to imagine a scenario where Bateman doesn’t massively outperform his ADP, which is why his ECR is up at 65.”
– Pierre Camus (RotoBaller)
“Rashod Bateman is going to have abundant target opportunity for the Ravens, who traded away Marquise Brown in the offseason and need a new No. 1 receiver to step up. But Bateman’s appeal isn’t based solely on the state of the Ravens’ WR depth chart. A first-round pick in 2020, Bateman has no real flaws in his game. He’s a good route runner, feisty on contested catches, dangerous after the catch, and he has terrific hands. Bateman’s rookie season was mildly disappointing, partly because he battled a groin injury early in the season, partly because QB Lamar Jackson missed time after Bateman got healthy. But with better health and abundant opportunity ahead, Bateman is poised for a noisy 2022 breakout.”
– Pat Fitzmaurice (FantasyPros)
Russell Gage (TB): Consensus ADP – WR42 | 113th Overall
“Make it make sense. Please. Russell Gage is still being massively undervalued. Gage has been airdropped into an offense that was second and first in neutral pace and passing rate last year. The Buccaneers lost pillar pieces in the passing game with the departures of Antonio Brown and Rob Gronkowski. Gage has proven he’s an efficient player capable of commanding targets after finishing 17th in yards per route run last season. Yet, he’s still being lumped into rankings as a low-end WR3 or high-end WR4. ”
– Derek Brown (FantasyPros)
Thanks to the experts for sharing their advice! For more of their insight, be sure to follow each pundit on Twitter (click their names above) and visit their respective sites.
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