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: 10-Team, PPR, No. 1 Pick
Round 1, Pick 1: Jonathan Taylor (RB – IND)
After playing just a 70% snap share once in 2020, Jonathan Taylor surpassed that number in nine contests in 2021, including eight weeks during the team’s last eight games. Taylor also led the NFL in red-zone touches (92), which was not that surprising considering he ranked fifth in that category as a rookie. That elite goal-line usage helped separate Taylor from the pack as the bonafide No. 1 running back in fantasy football. No player came close to sniffing his amount of volume near paydirt. Taylor’s 42 carries inside the 10-yard line were 12 more than the next-closest back (Damien Harris, 30).
Round 2, Pick 10: Mark Andrews (TE – BAL)
With Marquise Brown traded to the Cardinals, Andrews has solidified himself as clear TE1 with a still unproven second-year wideout as his main competition for targets. Be aware that even if Andrews does repeat his efforts as TE1, it may not be to the extent that it was in 2021. His 623 routes run were 209 more than he had in 2020 and fueled the career year. Andrews’ increase in route running was tied to the Ravens’ boosted pass-play rate (56%).
Round 3, Pick 1: Josh Allen (QB – BUF)
Allen took a step back in 2021 as a passer but had a better year running the football and finished with 4,168 yards passing, 34 passing TDs, 700 yards rushing, and 6 rushing TDs in the fantasy season. He is as good as it gets in fantasy football at quarterback.
Round 4, Pick 10: Brandin Cooks (WR – HOU)
Brandin Cooks has finished worse than the fantasy WR20 only once since 2015, and that was due to injury. He has eclipsed 1,000 receiving yards six times with four different teams during that span.
Round 5, Pick 1: Elijah Mitchell (RB – SF)
Elijah Mitchell ran away with the job last season en route to finishing as the RB14 in fantasy points per game. He was third in opportunity share, but his underlying rushing metrics were a lackluster ball of meh. He was 36th in juke rate, 30th in breakaway run rate, and 34th in yards created per touch. With his 7.0% target share and 25th ranking in route participation, he doesn’t have the pass game usage to save him if the rushing volume and efficiency aren’t there. It’s still possible that the 49ers roll it back in 2022 with him as the primary rusher, though, as long as he doesn’t face plant in camp.
Round 6, Pick 10: Elijah Moore (WR – NYJ)
Elijah Moore ranked as the fantasy WR2 over his last stretch of six games played. His 16.1 fantasy points per game would have ranked fifth had he continued the production for the remainder of the season. Unfortunately, his season was cut short due to injuries and COVID-19 implications. The addition of Garrett Wilson makes Moore’s second-year ascension less certain as he did not have much target competition during his scorching finish outside of veteran Jamison Crowder.
Round 7, Pick 1: Adam Thielen (WR – MIN)
The 32-year-old wideout has made his hay in fantasy because of his “ability” to find the end zone 24 times since the start of 2020, but it’s something that just isn’t sustainable in the long term. Based on Thielen’s targets and yardage totals, his total TD number should be closer to 16.
Round 8, Pick 10: Devin Singletary (RB – BUF)
With a proven track record and two years of bell-cow 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 that emerges from a high-octane ambiguous backfield.
Round 9, Pick 1: Tony Pollard (RB – DAL)
Tony Pollard is coming off a career-high in rushing attempts (130) and targets (46). Pollard was one of the most efficient running backs in the NFL. Last season he was fourth in yards after contact per attempt behind only Rashaad Penny, Nick Chubb, and Jonathan Taylor (minimum 100 carries, per PFF). He was also first in yards per route run at the position. Pollard offers stand-alone RB3 production as he was the RB30 in fantasy points per game last season. If anything happens to Ezekiel Elliott, Pollard has league-winning upside.
Round 10, Pick 10: Skyy Moore (WR – KC)
Western Michigan WR Skyy Moore is being undervalued versus other Round 1 rookie WRs because he was a second-round pick as the 13th wide receiver selected in the draft. But Moore has a chance to hit the ground running in the post-Tyreek Hill era, competing for targets with fellow newcomers Juju Smith Schuster and Marquez Valdes-Scantling. His impressive YAC ability – tied for first with 26 forced missed tackles in 2021 – and ability to play both inside/outside helps him stand out from the other Chiefs’ WRs. With Patrick Mahomes as his quarterback, Moore could smash his current ECR into the stratosphere. It’s not that outlandish to think a second-rounder can make an immediate impact considering six of the 12 highest-scoring Round 1 & 2 rookie WRs selected since 2017 were second-rounders.
Round 11, Pick 1: DeVante Parker (WR – NE)
His acquisition by the Patriots helps shore up the need for a big-bodied wide receiver on the perimeter that can make plays downfield. But the extent of how high a target share Parker will command remains to be seen. If anything, he probably has the most touchdown upside of the New England Patriots WRs.
Round 12, Pick 10: Kirk Cousins (QB – MIN)
Kirk Cousins is the ugly duckling fantasy quarterback who found his way inside the top 12 producers (QB11, QB12) in back-to-back seasons. Cousins did so last season by directing a surprisingly up-tempo and more pass-heavy Vikings offense. Last year Minnesota was eighth and 12th in neutral pace and passing rate. With Kevin O’Connell at the controls this season, the passing rate could continue to be healthy (LAR, seventh), but the neutral pace could decline (LAR, 16th). If this happens and Adam Thielen takes a step back entering his age 32 season, Cousins will be rendered as a mid QB2.
Round 13, Pick 1: Kenneth Gainwell (RB – PHI)
Taking a flier on Kenneth Gainwell is a bet on his pass-catching chops in the Eagles’ offense. The Memphis product finished sixth in yards per route run, hauling in 38 of his 50 targets for 302 receiving yards. And in 5 games where he played at least 35% of the snaps, Gainwell averaged 17.5 fantasy points (PPR) and 4.2 catches per game on just 12.4 touches per contest.
Round 14, Pick 10: Corey Davis (WR – NYJ)
Davis probably will be a starter to open the season, and he showed chemistry with Zach Wilson before he got hurt in 2021. The former Titan was the WR25 in half-point scoring with a 21% target share. He never played a game with fewer than 5 targets through his first six games.
Round 15, Pick 1: San Francisco 49ers
Round 16, Pick 10: Younghoe Koo (K – ATL)
Younghoe Koo’s top-12 ADP is based on his merits during an outstanding 2020 campaign, not necessarily based on his 2022 projection. Because based on the outlook of the Falcons offense — not great, 24th in RZ efficiency last season — we should be ranking/drafting him more like he was last season. He was the K18. Admittedly though, I’d expect Koo to regress positively closer to his 2020 form after finishing the season as PFF’s second-highest graded kicker with the 5th best FG% (93%). Doesn’t hurt either that he plays predominately in a dome.
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If you want to dive deeper into fantasy football, be sure to 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 by how much – we’ve got you covered this fantasy football season.
