Fantasy Football

If you’re reading this I’m sure you’ve had a disappointing season from one of your fantasy players that you either drafted early or paid handsomely for in a trade. For me, after not being able to get my hands on Christian McCaffrey for three years, I finally received the 1.01 in one of my redraft leagues in 2020. Of course, once I finally got him he battled injuries all year and only played in three games. Another disappointing player would be Calvin Ridley. He was averaging 14.2 fantasy points per game in five games before sitting out the rest of the year with mental health issues.

The 2022 Falcons Backfield Breakdown is part of an offseason series in which I take a deep dive into one NFL team’s backfield and examine the respective rushing performances of the players in it. In doing so, I hope to gain insights into key players from a talent evaluation standpoint, and using that evaluation as a baseline, from a dynasty valuation standpoint.

If you’re reading this I’m sure you’ve had a disappointing season from one of your fantasy players that you either drafted early or paid handsomely for in a trade. For me, after not being able to get my hands on Christian McCaffrey for 3 years I finally received the 1.01 in one of my redraft leagues in 2020. Of course, once I finally got him he battled injuries all year and only played in 3 games. Another example would be Mike Davis last season who was picked up by many with the expectation he would be the Falcons starting running back. Unfortunately for Davis and his fantasy owners, Cordarrelle Patterson was finally allowed to truly showcase his talents and took hold of the most productive carries. In no particular order, here are 5 running backs to avoid as they have some valid red flags that may lead to disappointment in 2022.

The Las Vegas Raiders didn’t have this problem in 2021 when it was the Hunter Renfrow and Darren Waller show. There was no third target in Las Vegas that demanded Derek Carr’s attention. Nothing could be further from the truth going into the 2022 campaign – not with the acquisition of Davante Adams, who is arguably the best receiver in the NFL. 

Gibson is a controversial figure in dynasty these days.  He has been efficient in his first two NFL seasons after converting from wide receiver at Memphis. His Box-Adjusted Efficiency Rating was the No.11-highest mark among lead backs last year. This came in higher than those of guys like Joe Mixon and Nick Chubb. He was even more impressive in that area in 2020, with a BAE Rating of 125.0-percent.

Dalvin Cook has never played a full season, and he doesn’t necessarily need one to produce great numbers. 2021 wasn’t necessarily a bad year, averaging 15.9 (No. 9 among qualified running bacs) Fantasy Points Per Game in 13 games played. He finished with 1,159 (No. 5) rushing yards, but only scored six (No. 27) TDs. In 2020 he scored 17 times, and in 2019 he scored 13 times. Look for positive regression in the TD department next season, as well as more receptions.

2022 could be both a breakout and bounceback season for Cam Akers. While he hasn’t technically produced a great fantasy season yet, he has shown flashes of what he’s capable of. With Sony Michel gone, and a full offseason, he will look to return to form and finish as a top RB. He is the dynasty RB6 for a reason. He should be the main running back on the defending Super Bowl Champ Rams, which provides tons of upside.

In 2020, we saw Zach Ertz go from TE4 to TE31 due to injury and the emergence of Dallas Goedert. In 2021, Ertz would be traded to the Arizona Cardinals where he would become a favorite target and finish the year as TE5. Like any other year, 2022 should have some players bounce back from a poor season in 2021. Let’s take a look at five potential tight end bounceback candidates for 2022.

Have you drafted the wrong running back in the past? Are you tired of the Clyde Edwards Helaire’s of the fantasy world letting you down? Want to find yourself the next Alvin Kamara or Jonathan Taylor? Well, you’ve come to the right place. Consider this article dating advice for finding the right running back in your fantasy leagues. This article asks, what qualities make up the RB1 in fantasy football? This is part one in a series of articles that will be breaking down this topic, so stay tuned!

In order to be an RB1 in fantasy football, their Dominator Rating needs to be at least 34.0-percent. This was what Alvin Kamara’s was the year he became the RB1 in 2020. This was the lowest mark of any RB1 over the last five seasons.  It’s fair to say, this is a mark any potential RB1 should be able to hit.

The Lions added Jameson Williams in the draft and D.J. Chark in free agency. Two excellent options to pair with Amon-Ra St. Brown, T.J. Hockenson, and D’Andre Swift. Look for Jared Goff to utilize his weapons in year 2 with the Dan Campbell Lions. And for some added entertainment this offseason, watch Hard Knocks which will follow the Lions this year.

Russell Wilson has only missed three games in his career, all in 2021 due to the tendon rupture. Providing that heals, he should have no setbacks in 2022. He is even more valuable in fantasy due to his ability to scramble for extra yards. He has averaged over 20.0 Fantasy Points Per Game in five different seasons, look for him to do it again next season. It’s possible the Matthew Stafford/Tom Brady trend continues with Wilson just as much as it does Matt Ryan.

I saw Mark Andrews as an efficient target hog who operates down the field with a top-five fantasy finish already on his resume. Looking back, I regret not pounding the table for him more. However, we can’t simply ignore the effects of preseason injuries to J.K. Dobbins and Gus Edwards that certainly influenced Baltimore to air out the football more often.

Rondale Moore was barely old enough to vote and produced 1,471 yards of offense. I’m far from a film grinder, but his freshman tape is beyond impressive. I learned not to buy into purely the landing spot and especially not to obsess over coach-centric analysis. I already knew better than that, but I fell into the trap anyway. No matter what I believed about Moore, his 9.4 (1st-percentile among qualified wide receivers) College Yards Per Reception should’ve been a red flag.