Don't have an account? Join the Best Live Fantasy Chat Community!
Already have an account? Log In
Speed or size? College production or growth potential?
These are some of the questions that go into the evaluation process for incoming rookies at skill positions but there's more to the story. Certain players may fit an offensive system better and some may show a greater understanding of the game than what shows up on tape. Our dynasty rankers (Andrew Lalama, Brandon Murchison, Phil Clark, and myself) take all of this into consideration when coming up with our pre-draft rookie rankings.
The NFL Draft will bring about a great deal of movement but we wanted to give you a snapshot of how we value these players before we know where they will be playing in the pros. So much of a player's predicted outcome becomes inextricably tied to their team context that we often forget what we thought about the player before the draft. That said, here is the RotoBaller staff's pre-draft fantasy football rankings for the 2022 rookie class at the skill positions.
Three of our four rankers have Hall as the top overall rookie in this class and there are many good reasons for that. He established an NCAA record with 24 straight games scoring a touchdown. He accumulated 23 touchdowns and over 1,700 yards from scrimmage in each of the last two seasons at Iowa State.
Even before the 2021 NCAA season got underway, I had Hall as the top prospective rookie RB and his junior year simply reinforced what we suspected - he is a downright stud. His numbers at the combine were just the cherry on top, as he posted an elite Speed Score in the 98th percentile. Think Joe Mixon but slightly faster and without the character concerns entering the league. Read a full breakdown of Hall's potential as a pro prospect here.
Another thing that matters in dynasty leagues - Hall isn't even 21-years-old yet. The only high-end RB prospect younger than Hall is Isaiah Spiller. There are no holes in his game and zero good reasons to pass on him with the 1.01 in upcoming rookie drafts. Unless maybe he gets selected by a certain team...
There isn't a clear-cut WR1 in this year's class as there was with Ja'Marr Chase in 2021 and it's still anybody's guess as to who will be off the board first. Some mocks have Drake London going to the Jets at 10, while others think Garrett Wilson is the pick. Yet others don't have a receiver being selected until pick 15 to Philly and there are even rumblings that Jameson Williams will be this year's franchise WR. Landing spot will go a long way to determining fantasy value but we can't forget how these players are being valued right now and what we thought of them before the NFL Combine changed perceptions.
Speaking of different perceptions... Treylon Burks was getting buzz during the season as one of the top receivers of this rookie class, potentially in play for the top spot once Jameson Williams was injured. After his "disappointing" 4.55 time in the 40 at the NFL Combine, he's suddenly too slow for many dynasty managers and evaluators. It's anyone's guess as to where he'll be selected and how he'll be used (Let's please stop the Deebo Samuel comps - and that goes for any other player in the NFL or NCAA). He played out of the slot quite a bit at Arkansas but may not fit the prototypical mold of this in the pros. It's up for debate whether he has the ability to be a true 'X' either. Opinions are split on Burks but count me as a believer in his all-around game and ball skills.
.@TreylonBurks is going to be a BIG problem in the NFLpic.twitter.com/X1k1gaQagB
Chris Olave was not only a member of the long watch list for the Biletnikoff Award, he was PFF's preseason favorite. While he didn't win it and was surpassed in both production and draft hype by teammate Garrett Wilson this season, don't be surprised if Olave is selected first. He's drawn rave reviews from scouts, had an impressive combine, and has been declared the most complete receiver in terms of route-running by Matt Harmon, creator of Reception Perception.
Jameson Williams nearly came away with the Biletnikoff and was in play to win a national championship in his junior year. Instead, he came away with neither and couldn't finish the College Football Championship because of a torn ACL suffered against Georgia. If not for that unfortunate play, perhaps the outcome of that game might have been different considering the way he torched the Dawgs in the SEC Championship. It doesn't look like Williams' draft stock will change much, if at all, though. He is on schedule to be ready by the start of NFL training camps and could be the first receiver taken.
In terms of our rankings, the difference between Burks, Olave, and Williams is so minuscule that it's basically splitting hairs. I have the feeling that whoever gets drafted by Green Bay, if they indeed take a receiver early, will shoot up the rankings across the fantasy landscape, while anyone landing in Philadelphia or Atlanta will get a downgrade, and rightfully so.
Christian Watson is sure to be a fun player to watch throughout this coming season. Putting up modest numbers (801 receiving yards on 43 receptions) on North Dakota State caused him to be overlooked but an explosive combine workout resulting in a Speed Score in the 98th percentile thrust him on the map. His sheer athleticism and pre-draft buzz that the Chiefs are interested in him have caused me to move him into the top-10. Our resident film analyst, Andrew Lalama, isn't fully buying in just yet and has him ranked down at 23. He much prefers Boise St. product Khalil Shakir, ranking him 14th.
Here's a funky set of metrics. Calvin Austin posted one of the best 40 times at the combine, running a 4.32 yet he has a subpar speed score. Check his PlayerProfiler page:
When you stand all of 5'8", you better be fast. He put up big numbers at Memphis but didn't breakout until the age of 21.5 in his junior season. The best-case scenario is that he's the next Marquise Brown, but there is an equal chance that he is more like Tutu Atwell. That's probably why Brandon has him down at 35 in his rankings. I'm cautiously optimistic that he can prove to be an occasional home run hitter in the pros but he'll need to land in a favorable situation.
Maybe I'm missing something on Wan'Dale Robinson. He was extremely productive in the SEC last season, gaining a 39% target share and posting 1,445 scrimmage yards for Kentucky. That's impressive but he piled up a lot of yards early in the year and then had a mediocre five-game stretch where he averaged 60 yards per game against conference competition, including just 39 yards against Georgia. He lacks size and doesn't have superior speed relative to his stature (see Austin, Calvin above). I have doubts about his ability to stand out in the NFL, as does one other ranker who joins me in placing him outside the top-30 skill players entering the draft. On the flip side, our other two rankers have him 13th overall.
Turns out Phil is a non-believer in Jerome Ford, ranking him all the way down at 68. The main concern with Ford is whether he has the pass-catching chops to be more than a committee back who plays on early downs. I'm giving him the benefit of the doubt but, once again, the landing spot will be a huge factor in his ultimate value.
Ty Chandler isn't high on anyone's radar but he could stand out given the chance. He filled the void left behind by Javonte Williams and Michael Carter at UNC last season, rushing for 1,092 yards. The knocks on him are a lack of signature games/plays and limited pass-catching prowess. Bear in mind that he played on an offense with a running quarterback in Sam Howell with a terrible defense that often forced the team into a negative game script. I believe Chandler could be the equivalent of Carter.
Velus Jones made a statement at the NFL Combine by running a 4.22 40. He had several highlight-reel moments despite playing on an anemic Tennessee passing offense. He enters the league at the advanced age of 25, which knocks him down a few pegs in dynasty circles but could make him one of the more pro-ready WR prospects for short-term outlooks.
While this year's wide receiver class is deep, the TE class is conspicuously thin. Not only is there no prospect near the talent level of Kyle Pitts, there may not even be a Pat Freiermuth in this bunch. Trey McBride is the consensus TE1 but he's not guaranteed to be a starter from Week 1. Beyond that, projections vary wildly.
For fantasy purposes, Greg Dulcich and Isaiah Likely are the players most, ahem, likely to make a fantasy splash beyond the first tier. Dulcich was a walk-on at UCLA and turned into a productive receiver, catching 42 balls for 725 yards in his junior year. Likely was a standout in his senior year at Coastal Carolina with 912 yards and 12 touchdowns but that came against lower-level competition and he posted unimpressive workout metrics. Both can be considered projects who will have no choice but to turn into productive receivers in order to stick in the NFL.
Download Our Free News & Alerts Mobile App Like what you see? Download our updated fantasy football app for iPhone and Android with 24x7 player news, injury alerts, rankings, NFL rookies & more. All free! Win Big With RotoBaller Be sure to also check out all of our other daily fantasy football articles and analysis to help you set those winning lineups, including this new RotoBaller YouTube video:
More Fantasy Football Analysis ADP Risers at Running Back - James Cook, Nyheim Hines, Miles Sanders DraftKings USFL DFS Lineup Picks for Semifinals: Daily Fantasy Football Advice Fantasy Football Dynasty Targets and Avoids - FFPC Startup Draft ADP Report Fantasy Football Breakouts, Busts, and Locks - Denver Broncos 2022 Outlook Matt Corral NFL Rookie Profile - Fantasy Football Quarterback Outlook Surprising Winners From The NFL Draft - Running Backs FFPC Best-Ball Tournament Stacks - Going All-In for Championship Week Tight End Risers for 2022 Fantasy Football Drafts - ADP Analysis Michael Pittman Jr.: 2022 Breakout Candidate for Fantasy Football Fantasy Football Offseason Impacts: Ep. 88 of The Operating Room
Welcome back RotoBallers to another week of starting pitcher starts and sits! The weather is hot and run scoring is up, so we need to be a tad bit more careful with the pitchers we roll out there. We'll keep that in mind this week. For every week of the fantasy baseball season, we are... Read More
We have completed another week of MLB action, making it time to make more waiver wire moves. However, things will be slightly different for our weekly look into the high-stakes NFBC landscape. For those who do not know, in the NFBC, there are no IL spots and trades, making waiver moves a bit different. Also,... Read More
So are those of us who deemed Boston Red Sox right-hander Tanner Houck as a sleeper to target this draft season taking our victory laps yet? If so, we certainly shouldn’t be. He hasn’t become the savior of the Red Sox rotation we were hoping for. Instead, he’s helped save the Red Sox in a... Read More
It was a mixed bag of results for me yesterday, but I had enough Aaron Nola and Jeffrey Springs on the hill to offset some terrible performances by the White Sox and Cardinals. You only needed a few Dodgers, but cash lines were low enough that you also didn't need full stacks of any team... Read More
Several clubs have multiple off days in the coming week so the number of choices for two-start streamers is limited. Fortunately, there are still a few good options out there even in deeper leagues. As a reminder, each week this fantasy baseball waiver wire pickups column will identify starting pitchers expected to make two starts... Read More
Right now, the quality of baseball appears to be at an all-time high. Playoff races are heating up, and this week especially, that's leading to highly-contested matchups between premier teams. More of this to come, please! Fantasy baseball teams are built through the draft, but an argument can be made that leagues are won through... Read More
When we ran the first installment of this piece back in April, we were hoping to identify some hot-hitting minor leagues who may not be on our radars. Yes, we had some big names like Nolan Gorman and former trendy prospects like Luis Garcia, but the first installment also pointed us to Jack Suwinski and... Read More
June is coming to a close already and July starts at the end of this coming week. The baseball season is now picking up speed. Division races are starting to take shape and so are the races in our fantasy leagues. Offenses continue to surge with the warm weather. Also with the warm weather comes... Read More
There is no more time to keep a close eye on bullpens than right now. We are just a little over a month away from the trade deadline and this is around the time we start to see some trades being made. I have emphasized this weekly for well over the last month, but no... Read More
It's now officially summer and after maybe one more hockey game, baseball will be at the center of the sports stage all by itself! Fantasy baseball is already more than in full swing, with last place teams starting to worry and first place teams starting to get comfortable. But hey, there's still plenty of time... Read More
Over the last couple of weeks, we have seen the returns of some big-name starting pitchers that fantasy baseball managers have been stashing all year. Lance Lynn, Jack Flaherty, and Shane Baz have all come back from lengthy IL stints. While there was a considerable amount of excitement for these returns, the results haven’t quite... Read More
Saves are an important component for many fantasy baseball leagues. Closers are one of the most volatile positions in fantasy baseball, and one of the highest turnover positions in MLB. Each year, closers drop like flies and many MLB teams make in-season changes due to injuries or poor performance. In addition to closers and saves, relief... Read More
RotoBaller has assembled a list of daily MLB injury updates to help you prepare both your seasonal and daily fantasy baseball (DFS) lineups, every day of the MLB season. Below is our updated list of injured MLB players for June 25th, 2022. Only players on teams that are scheduled to play today will appear below... Read More
Ah, our old friend, ADP. Average Draft Position indicates the mean position where a player is drafted over more than one fantasy football draft. You can consider it as the price you have to pay to draft and get a player on your team. A high ADP (that is actually a low-numbered ADP) means that a... Read More
There is nothing like the progressive thrill and march to glory that comes with owning a dynasty fantasy football team. Hard work and consistent diligence are rewarded with a great sense of fantasy accomplishment. Startup dynasty league drafts against the best players in the game await you in the Fantasy Football Players Championship (FFPC), a... Read More
The Denver Broncos finished the 2021 season ranked 19th in pass production and 23rd in points per game (19.7). That resulted in the firing of head coach Vic Fangio and the hiring of offensive guru Nathaniel Hackett for head coach while also acquiring quarterback Russell Wilson to steer a once anemic offense towards the playoffs.... Read More
With the 2022 NFL Draft in the rearview mirror, it's time to think about how various rookies are going to fit with their new teams. The Panthers used the 94th pick in the 2022 NFL Draft on Ole Miss quarterback Matt Corral, making him the fourth quarterback drafted. Corral joins a team whose incumbent starter... Read More
As an NFL player, it’s always inspiring to hear when your team has faith in you. After all, things like the draft are meant up to grab some young and rising talent, meaning veterans may get pushed down the depth chart or maybe off the team. This past draft, many RBs were drafted in order... Read More
The FFPC Best Ball Tournament is live with a prize pool of over one million dollars and a grand prize of $200,000. As if you needed the motivation to draft more best-ball teams... You're likely familiar with how a best-ball league works by now but the FFPC Best Ball Tourney is slightly different. A huge... Read More
Ah, our old friend, ADP. Average Draft Position indicates the mean position where a player is drafted over more than one fantasy football draft. You can consider it as the price you have to pay to draft and get a player on your team. A high ADP (that is actually a low-numbered ADP) means that a... Read More
As NFL offseason activities begin and fantasy football drafts are right around the corner, it’s time to identify the under-the-radar players that could win fantasy leagues in 2022. Some breakout candidates are universally recognized by the fantasy football community, while others are and will be slept on until the breakout begins to appear in the... Read More
Kev Mahserejian (@RotoSurgeon) is joined by TheGameDay's Frank Ammirante (@FAmmiranteTFJ) and RotoBaller's Adam Koffler to discuss every important offseason NFL transaction along with the fantasy implications that come along with it. Be sure to also tune into RotoBaller Radio on SiriusXM (channel SiriusXM 87) - every weekday morning between 6-7 AM ET, Saturdays from 3-5 PM,... Read More
Fantasy football is a game of probability so logically selecting the players with the highest probability, also known as the players who will score the most points, would be the best strategy. The other primary consideration though is the cost or investment required to draft that player, also known as their average draft position (ADP).... Read More
There are good surprises and bad surprises. The 2022 NFL Draft did not disappoint in both regards. The New York Jets surprised us by actually making solid choices throughout the draft. Others make picks that were simply puzzling. How will these choices affect our fantasy football season? That is the important question we'll address here.... Read More
In this series, I’ll highlight players at each skill position seeing significant fluctuation from mid-May to mid-June using data from FFPC drafts. We've already evaluated ADP fallers at wide receiver, running back, and quarterback. Today, it's time to look at three tight end fallers.Featured Promo: Join an FFPC Dynasty league startup for standard, best ball... Read More
Welcome to our fantasy football Breakouts, Busts, and Locks, where we identify key players on each NFL team and project their fantasy value ahead of draft season. Today, we're going to look at the Las Vegas Raiders. There is a lot of change in store for the silver and black this season. Not only did... Read More