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Cam Akers is RB6 on dynasty rankings right now, which is fair considering he is the workhorse on one of the best offenses in the league. Darrell Henderson averaged 13.6 (No. 19 among qualified running backs) Fantasy Points Per Game last season in Akers absence, showing a high floor for Akers in 2022. Sony Michel is probably gone for good as well. Assuming Akers can stay healthy, he should have a solid bounce back season in 2022.

Kenneth Walker has landed on a solid team for RBs, and will have the chance to showcase his athletic profile often since their QB will either be Geno Smith or Drew Lock. The running game should be leaned on heavy, but also has the potential to be abandoned early if the Seahawks fall behind. But a RB who ran for 1,636 yards against Big Ten defenses in only 12 games should be efficient in that offense.

The San Francisco 49ers finished No. 6 in the league in total rushing attempts last season. Their 499 carries were almost 50 more than the NFL average. Kyle Shanahan loves his running game. San Francisco has been a run-heavy team nearly every year of his tenure, regardless of personnel or in-game situation. We should expect that to continue going into 2022.

His current cost is palatable, but I’m still divesting out of Elijah Mitchell and taking cheap shots on Tyrion Davis-Price. Trey Sermon might not be dead either. The main thing is that nobody knows what’s happening in this backfield year-to-year, so treading carefully is the move.

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Russell Gage has averaged 11.0 Fantasy Points Per Game in back to back seasons with the Falcons and now will join Tom Brady in Tampa Bay. He will be the WR3 on the offense, but that’s still great fantasy potential. Antonio Brown averaged about 9.0 targets per game in 2021. Gage probably won’t demand that many, but even five targets per game from Brady is enough to get excited about.

In the first round of the draft, the Saints traded up for their next franchise WR: Ohio State WR Chris Olave. His Best Comp is Stefon Diggs, but he’s also faster. He’s a great route runner who will benefit from Jameis Winston’s gun-slinging mentality. With Michael Thomas coming back, Olave shouldn’t receive CB1 coverage, at least to start. He averaged at least 14 yards per reception every year at Ohio State, proving his efficiency. The Saints bet big on him in the draft, and it should work out.

The Cowboys’ RB timeshare will continue as both Tony Pollard and Ezekiel Elliott are under contract through 2022. What should change though, is an increased Snap Share for Pollard. In 2021, Pollard had a 33.7-percent (No. 60 among qualified running backs) Snap Share, but still finished with over 1,000 all purpose yards. It’s clear that Pollard deserves an increased role in the offense. His receiving prowess makes him an even more valuable fantasy asset as well.

I will give a hot take here and say that Devonta Smith probably benefits the most from this A.J. Brown trade. Brown’s arrival only makes Smith’s job easier since he will now take on the CB2 most of the time. He already has the chemistry with Hurts. And while Brown is a stud, Smith will likely remain Hurts’ main read.

Every process is different. And there is likely no perfect one. But the existence of a repeatable process by which you make decisions helps you avoid bias. It lets you organize data or film in a way that fits within your broader strategy for Dynasty Rookie Drafts.

However you evaluate prospects, keep in mind their current and potential market values, draft archetypes of player who can maximize fantasy ceilings, and always make market-efficient choices.

Justin Fields averaged 11.4 (No. 31 among qualified quarterbacks) Fantasy Points Per Game, an abysmal season for the No. 11 overall pick. Because of that, basically any improvement at all would be a breakout year for him. Fields’ rushing prowess alone makes him an exciting fantasy prospect. If he takes a step forward he could provide solid value, and also increase the value of the players around him.

Jared Goff now has an arsenal of Amon-Ra St. Brown, D.J. Chark, Jameson Williams, T.J. Hockenson, and D’Andre Swift. Goff has had two years where he averaged in the top 10 of Fantasy Points Per Game. He averaged 19.9 (No. 9) FPPG in 2018, and 17.5 (No. 8) in 2017. He’s not with Sean McVay anymore, but his receiving corps is certainly better. His dynasty ranking is QB30, which provides excellent value for a potential QB1 season with a fairly safe floor as well.

Trey McBride will have to compete for playing time as a rookie, especially after the Cardinals signed Zach Ertz to a healthy contract in free agency. But the news that DeAndre Hopkins will miss the first six games of the season should open up opportunities for McBride, as well as the newly acquired Marquise Brown, behind Ertz in the Cardinals’ passing attack. I’m not saying he’s going to be this year’s Kyle Pitts. But could he be this year’s Pat Freiermuth? It’s possible.

Greg Dulcich’s workout metrics were OK without being exceptional. He was above the 63rd-percentile in all the major Workout Metrics, including a 99.1 Speed Score. With Okwuegbunam, Courtland Sutton, Jerry Jeudy, Tim Patrick, and Denver’s desire to run the ball, it would be astonishing if Dulcich was a major contributor as a rookie. But his being drafted as early as he was should serve as a check against going overboard on Albert O in fantasy circles.

Saquon Barkley was a slight worry in the pre-draft process. New coaching staffs can take teams in new directions, but it appears to be another chance for Barkley. This new coaching staff is intent on using him as a receiver. Barkley participated in mini-camp, and looks to be back to full health. The Giants made no actions during the NFL Draft that show they are anything less than fully confident in him.

Buffalo passed on Breece Hall in the first round, but added James Cook in the second with the No. 63 overall pick. The younger brother of Vikings star RB Dalvin, Cook will have an immediate role as a receiver out of the backfield. Last season, he had 27 receptions and four receiving TDs for a loaded Georgia offense and averaged over 6.0 yards per carry. Singletary is in the final year of his contract, and it is easy to see Cook as a player who will gain a lot of value throughout the season.

Sometimes we need law and order to be restored. Workhorse backs with size, speed, athleticism and pass-catching ability are to be unleashed as league-winners. Undersized, slow satellite backs are to be left on the benches of fantasy and NFL teams respectively. Michael Carter had moments last year, but those drafting a day three change-of-pace back as their RB2 were whistling past the graveyard.

Rashaad Penny was an efficiency monster in 2021, and is first-hand evidence of Seattle’s ambivalent approach to draft capital. I expect Kenneth Walker to take over lead back duties as the modal outcome, but a messy committee or even Penny remaining lead back is within his range of outcomes. The question marks in Walker’s profile, along with the rest of the class and their limited draft capital, make me cautious of all running backs beyond Breece Hall.