Heading into last season, the slot receiver in the New York Jets‘ offense wasn’t leading anyone’s Fantasy football rankings, but by the end, owners were familiar with Braxton Berrios. Berrios played all but one game in 2021-22 and ended the year fifth on the team in receiving yards (431) and second in receptions (46). He finished the season without a single drop and was third on the team in targets with 65. Berrios gave those who picked him up an added boost with his ability as a kick returner.
While return yards don’t typically provide Fantasy points, return touchdowns often do, and Berrios had one against Jacksonville in Week 16. Berrios finished as a first team All-Pro kick returner, but can he build on last season and finish as one of the 2022 Fantasy football sleepers? Before setting your 2022 Fantasy football draft strategy, be sure to check out the 2022 Fantasy football cheat sheets from the proven computer model at SportsLine.
Last year, the model accurately predicted that Colts running back Jonathan Taylor was being dramatically undervalued. Taylor was being drafted behind running backs like Aaron Jones, Ezekiel Elliott and Austin Ekeler last season but the SportsLine projection model predicted that he’d outproduce all of those backs and be a fixture in your Fantasy football lineups. The result: Taylor led the NFL with 1,811 rushing yards and 18 rushing touchdowns to finish as the overall RB1 in 2021.
The same model has a proven track record providing Fantasy football tips, also identifying A.J. Brown as another sleeper in 2020 and players like Julio Jones and JuJu Smith-Schuster as Fantasy football busts last season. Additionally, it’s called past Fantasy football sleepers like Derrick Henry in 2019, Christian McCaffrey and Alvin Kamara in 2018, and Davante Adams in 2017. Anybody who banked on players like those made a run at their league title.
The model is powered by the same people who generated projections for all three major Fantasy sites, and it beat human experts last season when there was a big difference in ranking. The projections update multiple times daily, so you’re always getting the best Fantasy football advice.
Now, SportsLine has simulated the entire NFL season 10,000 times and released its latest Fantasy football rankings 2022, along with plenty of sleepers, breakouts and busts. Head to SportsLine now to see them.
Top 2022 Fantasy football sleepers
One of the 2022 Fantasy football sleepers the model is predicting: Cowboys running back Tony Pollard. Many had seen flashes of Pollard’s ability over the past few years, but he simply hadn’t had enough of a role in the offense to be a Fantasy contributor before last season. Although his opportunities in 2021-22 were still spotty, he finished with career-highs in rushing yards (719), receptions (39) and receiving yards (337).
Pollard missed two games last season, but had double-digit carries in eight other games. Starting running back Ezekiel Elliott appeared to lose some of his luster and the team may dial back his usage even further. Pollard also proved to be a weapon on special teams and returned a kickoff for a touchdown in Dallas’ 36-33 win against Las Vegas to give Fantasy owners a spike in production in Week 12. See more Fantasy football sleepers 2022 here.
Top 2022 Fantasy football breakouts
The model is also projecting Bears tight end Cole Kmet as one of its top 2022 Fantasy football breakouts. A 2020 second-round pick, Kmet started all 17 games a year ago and produced a 60-612-0 stat line. Kmet ranked second among all NFL players in both receptions and receiving yards for players with no TD catches.
However, Bears tight ends accounted for six of the team’s 14 receiving touchdowns last year, and all of those who found the end zone are no longer on the team, including Jimmy Graham. Also, quarterback Justin Fields had his highest adjusted yards per attempt (6.1) when targeting Kmet, so the two already have a rapport. Even if Kmet’s yardage stays the same but he finds the end zone at a league-average rate for his position, he would be on the TE1 radar. The model loves Kmet as one of the Fantasy football breakouts 2022 and ranks him ahead of fellow NFC North tight ends, Irv Smith Jr. and Robert Tonyan. See more Fantasy football breakouts 2022 here.
Top 2022 Fantasy football busts
As for players to avoid, the model lists Falcons wide receiver Drake London as one of its 2022 Fantasy football busts. He was the first skill player off the board in the 2022 NFL Draft, as Atlanta took a stab at him with the eighth overall pick. London will step in immediately to help tight end Kyle Pitts shoulder the load offensively.
The Falcons have questions at quarterback following the departure of veteran Matt Ryan, who is now with the Colts. Marcus Mariota could be a downgrade from Ryan, and his ability to scramble should mean less passing volume as well. London is getting plenty of credit in most Fantasy football rankings 2022, but the model has more than 15 wide receivers ranked ahead of him with a worse 2022 Fantasy football ADP, making the rookie a bust candidate this season. See more Fantasy football busts 2022 here.
How to find proven 2022 Fantasy football football rankings
SportsLine is also extremely high on a surprising quarterback you aren’t even thinking about being taken in the middle rounds of 2022 Fantasy football drafts. This quarterback is listed as a shocking top-five option ahead of superstars like Patrick Mahomes and Lamar Jackson. You can only see who it is, and the 2022 Fantasy football rankings for every player, at SportsLine.
So which 2022 Fantasy Football sleepers, breakouts and busts should you target and fade? And which QB shocks the NFL with a top-five performance? Visit SportsLine now to get 2022 Fantasy Football cheat sheets for every single position, all from the model that called Jonathan Taylor’s huge season, and find out.
