Last year saw Travis Kelce’s three-year reign as the top Fantasy tight end come to an end after he finished runner-up to Mark Andrews. Still, Kelce has finished among the top two in the Fantasy football TE rankings the last six years and is likely among the top two grabbed with 2022 Fantasy football picks. Some may prefer Andrews, George Kittle or Darren Waller in the 2022 Fantasy football rankings, but Patrick Mahomes’ primary target isn’t lasting long in drafts. Where do young guns like Dawson Knox and Dalton Schultz belong in the Fantasy football rankings 2022, and who are the 2022 Fantasy football sleepers you can target? 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: Dolphins wide receiver Jaylen Waddle. He had a breakout campaign in 2021, breaking Anquan Boldin’s rookie reception record with 104 catches for 1,015 yards and six touchdowns. Waddle is playing in a new-look offense under head coach Mike McDaniel and third-year quarterback Tua Tagovailoa.
He is also playing alongside speedy wide receiver Tyreek Hill, who will get plenty of attention from opposing defenses. Waddle commanded a 22% target share and a 24% target rate per route run last year, which ranked inside the top 20 in the NFL. SportsLine’s model has Waddle ranked ahead of Hill, Michael Pittman and Allen Robinson, who are all being selected before him in most drafts. See more Fantasy football sleepers 2022 here.
Top 2022 Fantasy football breakouts
The model is also projecting Ravens wide receiver Rashod Bateman as one of its top 2022 Fantasy football breakouts. Bateman made the most of his opportunities during his rookie season, and after he missed the first five games (groin), he finished with 46 receptions for 515 yards and a touchdown. He comes back healthy and ready for a big sophomore season.
The Ravens traded away former No. 1 wide receiver Marquise Brown in the offseason, which made Bateman the top receiver in the offense. He’ll compete with tight end Mark Andrews as the top target overall on the team. Bateman had four receptions that went for at least 30 yards last season, just two behind Brown, and has a chance to even make more big plays should he be able to stay on the field all year. The model projects he’ll be able to do that, and he’ll finish level with other receivers commonly drafted in front of him, like Jerry Jeudy, JuJu Smith-Schuster and Adam Thielen. See more Fantasy football breakouts 2022 here.
Top 2022 Fantasy football busts
As for players to avoid, the model lists Patriots tight end Hunter Henry as one of its 2022 Fantasy football busts. Most of Henry’s Fantasy stats in his first year in New England were in line with his years as a Charger, save touchdown receptions. His nine TD grabs were as many as he had the two previous years combined and he’s likely due for a regression in that department. Among tight ends, Henry finished 17th in receptions (50) and 13th in yards (603), but his nine TD grabs ranked first at the position.
With New England trading for DeVante Parker and using a second-round pick on a receiver, Henry shouldn’t be as big a factor in the red zone as last year. Additionally, fellow tight end Jonnu Smith is expected to be a bigger contributor this season after participating in the team’s offseason program. The model has Henry as the TE14 in its 2022 Fantasy football TE rankings after he finished seventh at the position during last year’s outlier of a 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.
