It’s never too early to prepare for your 2022 fantasy football draft. What better way to do so than to mock draft against the top experts in the fantasy football industry! You can use our FREE mock draft simulator to do just that. Let’s take a look at our latest mock draft and player notes.
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Mock Draft Picks: 12-Team, Half-PPR, No. 5 Pick
Round 1, Pick 5: Dalvin Cook (RB – MIN)
Same old song and dance for Dalvin Cook in 2021. The Minnesota Vikings running back was a workhorse when healthy, averaging 22 touches per game (5th) and 15.2 fantasy points per game (RB11). But the market seems to have soured on the consensus No. 2 pick from a season ago because he missed four games and his production didn’t align with his usage.
His ADP has fallen to the back of Round 1, and it’s unwarranted based on the impending touchdown regression Cook will experience in 2022. His 15 goal-line carries ranked fourth in the NFL last season, but he converted just three into scores. Considering Cook averaged 16 TDs from 2019-2020, his meager six TDs from last season look like a blip on the radar.
Round 2, Pick 8: CeeDee Lamb (WR – DAL)
The engines are ready for ignition. CeeDee Lamb’s rocket ship to the moon is prepped for launch. Last season Lamb was 13th in yards per route run in the regular season (minimum 50 targets per PFF) while excelling as a bully after the catch. He was fifth in missed tackles forced among wide receivers. With Amari Cooper gone and Michael Gallup likely to start the season limited, Lamb can take another step forward as an ascending alpha wide receiver.
Round 3, Pick 5: Tyreek Hill (WR – MIA)
Heading into 2021, Tyreek Hill was a consensus top-three receiver option. But he came in slightly under expectations. The ‘Cheetah’ wrapped a bow on the year as the WR6 overall and in points per game (14.2).
It’s worth noting that Hill posted a career-low in yards after the catch per reception (4.3, 42nd) and yards per route run (2.14, 11th). Hill’s aDOT also dipped dramatically to 10.6, which was the lowest it’s been since his rookie season.
And It’s undeniable that going from Patrick Mahomes to Tua Tagovailoa is a massive downgrade for Hill. Tagovailoa has yet to show that he can properly fuel a fantasy WR1, so it’s hard to expect Hill to deliver a top-5 season with a lesser passer. Especially with Tagovailoa’s lack of a confident deep ball, a prominent running game, and Jaylen Waddle also heavily involved in the offensive game plan. Sure, Hill will have his weeks when he is peppered with low-value targets in PPR formats, but the massive downfield touchdowns will happen much less frequently.
Round 4, Pick 8: Travis Etienne Jr. (RB – JAC)
Travis Etienne Jr. was a standout college football running back for the Clemson Tigers from 2017 to 2020 and was selected by the Jaguars in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft -25th overall. However, his rookie season was cut short by a preseason Lisfranc injury. Some NFL personnel reported that Etienne could have come back towards the end of the year had the Jaguars been in playoff contention instead of being the league’s laughing stock.
Etienne is expected to be fully cleared by training camp, giving him a leg up on the RB1 role as the Jacksonville Jaguars install a new offense under new head coach Doug Pederson. With James Robinson attempting to come back from a torn Achilles injury suffered on December 26th, Etienne figures to be the featured back during this spring/summer.
Do not forget what this guy did at Clemson with Trevor Lawrence (QB – JAC) as his quarterback. During his final season as a Clemson Tiger, he led the country in receiving yards and ranked second in receptions among running backs. Etienne also racked up the most rushing attempts of 20-plus yards (40) from 2018 to 2019 while only carrying the ball 20-plus times once since 2018.
Round 5, Pick 5: Allen Robinson II (WR – LAR)
Allen Robinson slots in alongside Cooper Kupp as the Rams’ number two receiving option after a down year with the Bears in 2021. In his final season in the Windy City, Robinson’s yards per route dipped to a career-low of 1.13, which ranked 79th out of 90 qualifying wide receivers with 50 or more targets. Even pigeonholing Robinson in the Odell Beckham role from last season isn’t as lucrative as it seems. In Weeks 12-18 last year, Beckham saw an 18.7% target share which would have ranked 44th among wide receivers. He also averaged 12.0 fantasy points per game which placed him as the WR31 in weekly fantasy production among wide receivers that started three or more games in that span. If his efficiency bounces back to previous levels, Robinson is a WR3 with WR2 upside.
Round 6, Pick 8: Jalen Hurts (QB – PHI)
In his first full season, Jalen Hurts was the QB6 in fantasy points per game as the Eagles’ starting quarterback. An ankle sprain dropped his rushing numbers from 57.9 to 29.7 yards per game over his final three contests. Without that ding, his full-season numbers could have been even better. With another season in this offensive system incoming and A.J. Brown now on the roster, Hurts has “the QB1 overall” fantasy quarterback upside in 2022.
Round 7, Pick 5: Gabriel Davis (WR – BUF)
Gabriel Davis averaged 19.8 fantasy points per game (PPR) and 16.0 expected fantasy points per game in his last six games while running a route on 88% of dropbacks as the Bills finally emphasized his playing time in the offense.
As a strong bet to earn the No. 2 wide receiver job come opening day, Davis has a legitimate shot to be a reliable fantasy option in a Josh Allen-led offense in 2022.
Round 8, Pick 8: Kareem Hunt (RB – CLE)
Kareem Hunt’s been rumored to be on the trade block this offseason. His contract expires in 2023, and the Browns have a mighty stable of backs behind Nick Chubb including D’Ernest Johnson, Jerome Ford and Demetric Felton.
If no deal is reached by the time the season starts, it would be much less likely that Hunt stays in Cleveland, making him a primed trade target for any team that suffers an injury at running back through training camp/preseason.
Last year Hunt was limited to just eight games due to a calf injury – but he maintained his effectiveness when healthy through the first six weeks of the season. He was a top-10 running back in PPR averaging 17 fantasy points per game averaging just south of 15 touches per game.
Hunt’s true upside will always be capped in a backfield as the Robin to Chubb’s Batman. But should an injury occur to Chubb or another star running back, Hunt would easily flirt with league-winning upside if he is awarded the requisite volume to do so.
His sixth-ranked yards after contact per attempt (3.54), sixth-ranked yards per route run (1.81) and 26% target rate suggest he’s not slowing down entering his age 27-season. All he needs is a change of scenery to recapture his rookie year accolades when he led the NFL in rushing yards.
Round 9, Pick 5: Kadarius Toney (WR – NYG)
Kadarius Toney is a wild card. With offseason rumblings that he could be dealt and an offseason knee surgery to pile on top, Toney is a boom or bust type proposition for 2022. When Toney was on the field last year, there’s no denying that he flashed immense upside. In 2021 among all wide receivers with 100 or more routes, only Cooper Kupp, Davante Adams, A.J. Brown, Antonio Brown, and Toney finished with a 29% target per route run rate (or higher) and at least 2.20 yards per route run.
Round 10, Pick 8: Dallas Goedert (TE – PHI)
Dallas Goedert was an efficiency monster last season. He ranked first in yards per route run, seventh in YAC per reception, second in fantasy points per route run, and third in fantasy points per target (minimum 20 targets, per PFF). The arrival of A.J. Brown does hurt his ceiling, but he’s still a locked-in top 12 option at his position.
Round 11, Pick 5: J.D. McKissic (RB – WAS)
In fantasy, J.D. McKissic has stacked back-to-back seasons of top 36 running back production (RB25, RB28). The Commanders are hell-bent on capping Antonio Gibson‘s ceiling, but you can’t fault them because McKissic remains one of the best receiving backs in the NFL. Last season he ranked fourth in target share and yards per route run among running backs. McKissic could see a hit to his raw volume and touchdown expectations (which were already low) if Brian Robinson gets involved on early downs and even a smidge in the passing game. Because of this, McKissic is best viewed as an RB4 with some upside.
Round 12, Pick 8: DJ Chark Jr. (WR – DET)
D.J. Chark is likely a better NFL signing than an addition to your fantasy squad. Chark has eclipsed 1.50 yards per route run in only one season (2019), so expecting him to enter this target tree and contend for the top option is asking a lot. His ability to stretch the field is real, as he’s finished with a 119.4 or higher passer rating on deep throws in two of the last three seasons. If the Lions sustain injuries to their depth chart, Chark has shown the ability to lead a passing attack, but outside of that scenario, he’s best viewed as a matchup flex play.
Round 13, Pick 5: Julio Jones (WR – TB)
Julio Jones might not be the same player he was during his prime, but he’s definitely not washed up. Last year Jones ranked 25th out of 90 wide receivers (minimum 50 targets, per PFF) in yards per route run (1.84). For added context, this was immediately ahead of Stefon Diggs and Diontae Johnson. Yes, this was also his career’s lowest yards per route run, but even a watered-down version of Jones isn’t a scrub. Now add that he’s being air-dropped into one of the league’s fastest, most pass-happy, and highest scoring offenses, and Jones becomes a magical upside ticket depending on where the market settles on him.
Round 14, Pick 8: Gerald Everett (TE – LAC)
Gerald Everett was solid during stretches of the 2021 season, particularly after Russell Wilson returned from injury. The ex-Rams tight end ranked as the TE9 in fantasy points per game (PPR) from Weeks 10-16 while running a route on 74% of dropbacks.
Everett proved he can be a featured No. 1 tight end for the Chargers coming off a career year. He achieved career-highs in receptions (48) and receiving yards (478) and wreaked havoc with the ball in his hands, forcing 11 missed tackles after the catch – sixth-most among tight ends.
His peripheral metrics in Seattle’s offense – 12% target share, 63% route participation and 17% target rate per route run – were nearly identical to Jared Cook on the Chargers’ offense last season.
Cook finished as TE16 overall which seems like Everett’s fantasy floor heading into 2022. The tackle-breaking tight end finished the 2021 season just .4 points per game short of Cook’s average (8.3 versus 7.9) despite playing in an offense that ranked dead last in pass attempts per game (29.1).
L.A. ranked third in that category last season (39.6).
Breakout tight ends are generally athletic players who earn above-average route participation in high-powered offenses. Everett fits the profile of next season’s star at the position.
Mock Draft Results and Analysis
FantasyPros Staff Consensus 2022 Redraft Fantasy Football Rankings
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