The 2022 fantasy football season is upon us, and for those of us who have already drafted one or all of our teams, hitting the waiver wire before the inevitable breakouts of the names below can make a huge difference. We have included a ‘names to consider’ section this week for those in deeper leagues, but none of the names listed below should come as a surprise. These are all names that should be rostered in all competitive leagues with IDP. Let’s dig in.
Linebackers
Bobby Okereke (LB – IND): 23% rostered
The 23 percent number suggests that Okereke is rostered in most competitive IDP leagues, but this number should be higher. Healthy, he is all but certain to post LB2 numbers over the course of the season with many weeks in which he produces as an LB1. It’s true that he does not provide much in the sack and tackle for loss departments, but when it comes to racking up tackles, he is as consistent as they come as he ranked in the top-10 (ninth) with 89 solo tackles in 2021. His rostered numbers should soar within the first two weeks of the season, so if you happen to find yourself in one of the leagues where he is somehow still floating on the wire, add him immediately.
Nick Bolton (LB – KC): 19% rostered
Despite solid 19 percent rostered numbers, Nick Bolton is being slept on in fantasy. While he was just 29th in the league with 70 solos, he did so while playing just 60 percent of the snaps. While there should still be some sort of rotation in Kansas City with Leo Chenal forcing his way onto the field, it is highly likely that Bolton leads the linebacker room in snaps and tackles. His 70 solos put him on par with the likes of Tremaine Edmunds and Isaiah Simmons. With increased snaps this season, he should push closer to the 90 mark, making him a name fantasy managers should consider more on the LB1 periphery than that of a high-floor LB2.
Tremaine Edmunds (LB – BUF): 19% rostered
Edmunds has disappointed relative to his immense talent in recent years, but some of that is due to how exceptional he was in his rookie season. He has been within 10 solos of his career-high every year and increased his tackles for loss and interceptions versus his 2020 numbers. While few still view him as a locked-in LB1, if he can get back on the sack sheet, he can push for that level of production (if he can make it through the season healthy). There is no reason for someone as talented as Edmunds to be available in so many leagues. Rectify that immediately.
Myles Jack (LB – PIT): 9% rostered
Myles Jack has been the most impressive of the Steelers linebackers in camp and should be locked into a near everydown role for the Steel Curtain. He peaked at 75 solos back in 2018 but should easily surpass that total on his way to a rock solid LB2 season for Pittsburgh. Gamescript and playing in a division with elite running backs and quarterbacks who can scramble, Jack should get all the work he can handle in the middle of the field. He should finally put up the type of numbers fantasy gamers had been hoping for during his tenure in Jacksonville.
David Long (LB – TEN): 8% rostered
Gone are Jayon Brown and Rashaan Evans, leaving Long to assume the mantle of LB1 for the Titans defense. He played that role when healthy last year due to Brown and Evans dealing with injuries of their own and averaged a strong 4.6 solo tackles per game. Over a full 17 games, that would add up to 78 solos, which would have put him ahead of someone most consider elite in Shaquille Leonard. Zach Cunningham should soak up tackles as well, but Long should log more snaps and end the season with a higher solo and total tackle count. It should surprise absolutely no one if Long develops into an LB1 for fantasy purposes this year, so he should be rostered in far more than just eight percent of Yahoo leagues.
Others to consider: Devin Lloyd (LB – JAX): 6%, Quay Walker (LB – GB): 5%, Jamin Davis (LB – WAS): 3%, Nakobe Dean (LB – PHI): 3%, Divine Deablo (LB – LV): 0%
Defensive Backs
Jevon Holland (DB – MIA): 15% rostered
Jevon Holland is poised for a breakout season now that he is locked into a starting safety role. He averaged four solos a game once he started seeing regular snaps and showed the ability to make plays in the backfield. He is an ascending name in fantasy and is a DB2 who could be your DB1 and a DB1 overall by the end of the season. Holland should be rostered in every league with a starting S or DB slot.
Kyle Dugger (S/LB – NE): 14% rostered
As his rostered numbers suggest, he is already one of the most rostered defensive backs, but there is no reason at all that he should not be among the 12 most rostered at his position. He battled injury and some inconsistency in 2021 but was among the top-12 in solos overall and top-10 in solos per game. If he manages to play a full 16 or 17 games, Dugger should end the season as a DB1. Add him accordingly.
Johnathan Abram (S – LV): 8% rostered
Abram will have to contend with Duron Harmon and Divine Deablo pushing for snaps at safety but is more talented than both and benefits from the snaps Debalo will see at linebacker. He should open the season as the starter alongside Tre’von Moehrig, but Harmon should see the field as well. Abram tends to go 100 percent on every play, so periodic snaps off may help him maintain high-level play and production.
Kamren Curl (S – WAS): 6% rostered
Curl is set to solidify himself as an elite DB1 option this season. He has been putting his wares on display for the past two seasons and now finally has an everydown role sewn up. He has been a steady DB2 producer, but the third-year man should take the next step with another offseason of seasoning. Like all of the other names on this list, you can add him as your DB2 (or DB3) and watch him produce like a DB1 more often than not.
Tracy Walker (S – DET): 3% rostered
Tracy Walker had a bounce-back season in 2021, ranking eighth among safeties with 74 solos. He was not used in the box as much as he was under Matt Patricia, but it did not hurt his production. Now in his second year under Aaron Glenn, Walker should hit the ground running, something that should help him post-career numbers in the tackle department. Add Walker wherever available as your DB2.
Others to consider: Nick Cross (S – IND): 2%, Lewis Cine (S – MIN): 2%, Jaquan Brisker (S – CHI): 2%, Grant Delpit (S – CLE): 1%, Chauncey Gardner-Johnson (S – PHI): 1%
Defensive Linemen
Robert Quinn (DE – CHI): 16% rostered
Fresh off an All-Pro season that saw him register 18.5 sacks, Robert Quinn is currently not among the 12 most rostered defensive ends on Yahoo. This may make sense if he was listed as an LB only, but with dual eligibility, Quinn needs to be rostered universally. Yes, he will receive more double teams with Khalil Mack out of town, but his return to elite play was not a fluke, and the return to an even front should only help him continue to produce at a high level. Add him to your roster and make a decision on him before the byes if he is not playing up to expectations.
Brian Burns (DE – CAR): 16% rostered
Brian Burns is an elite IDP option but appears on fewer rosters than Rasheem Green and Yetur Gross-Matos. Burns posted nine sacks last season, but since many expected even better numbers, he is being treated as coming off a down season. He matched his career high in sacks despite moving to the right side and made the Pro Bowl. Yes, it took 17 games to hit numbers he hit in 15 the season before, had fewer pressures, and lost running mate Hasson Reddick to the Eagles, but talent is talent. Burns has the production, talent, and pedigree to hit a sack total in the mid teens, and with the young secondary expected to make a leap this year, there could be more coverage sacks in the offing. This should go without saying, but add Burns wherever available.
Montez Sweat (DE – WAS): 9% rostered
With Sweat, we once again have a case of one of the top edge talents in the league going under-rostered and underappreciated. Yes, he plays for the mess of an organization known as Washington, but we don’t avoid Chase Young (when healthy), so we should not be doing it here. Sweat had five sacks in 10 games last season and had to deal with a struggling defense that performed well below expectations and the absence of the aforementioned Young, a fellow game wrecker that makes everything easier for Montez. Add Sweat as a DL2 who could very well outproduce all but the most elite at his position.
DeMarcus Lawrence (DE – DAL): 10% rostered
It is true that Lawrence has not been the dominant sack artist he was in his back-to-back Pro Bowl seasons of 2017 and 2018 and that his pressures per game have been down, but he remains one of the highest upside edge options in IDP fantasy. He is more of a DL2 at this point but has proven DL1 upside and should benefit from a full season of opposing offenses keying on stopping Micah Parsons instead of him. Add him where needed as a high upside DL2 or DL3.
Yannick Ngakoue (DE – IND): 5% rostered
Yannick bounced around the league since leaving Jacksonville but has finally found a home in Indianapolis. Coming off a 10 sack season and playing alongside DeForest Buckner in front of All-Pro level players in the linebacking corps and secondary, the stars are aligned for Ngakoue to have a career season. However, Amare Barno appears on more rosters. Barno should prove to be a sixth-round steal who has a productive career, but Ngakoue is among the very best at his position. His rostered numbers suggest that IDP gamers may not have noticed that Yannick has at least eight sacks every season of his career. He is a DL2 with DL1 upside who should be rostered in all competitive leagues. Add him where available.
Others to consider: Aidan Hutchinson (DE – DET): 16%, Kayvon Thibodeaux (DE – NYG): 14%, Travon Walker (DE – JAX): 7%, Chase Young (DE – WAS): 10%, Jonathan Greenard (DE – HOU): 3%
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Raju Byfield is a featured writer for FantasyPros. For more from Raju, check out his profile and follow him @FantasyContext.