2022 NFL Draft: Best Rookie Landing Spots for Dynasty Fantasy Football
The 2022 NFL Draft is just days away! Millions of mock drafts have been done, and we’re all on the edge of our seats waiting to see where our favorite rookie prospects will go. While some of these spots could be great in a real-life NFL setting, landing spots can drastically affect a rookie’s success in a fantasy football sense. For example, last year, Najee Harris went to the Pittsburgh Steelers where, even with a bad offensive line, he had no competition for carries and finished the season as RB3 in PPR leagues. On the other hand, Javonte Williams, the second-ranked dynasty running back prospect behind Harris, went to the Denver Broncos where he competed for touches with Melvin Gordon. Williams ended the season as RB15 in PPR formats. Fantasy football is all about opportunity, and we hope the NFL Draft is kind to our favorite rookies. Here are some of the best landing spots where these rookie prospects could immediately produce in fantasy football.
2022 NFL Draft: Best Rookie Landing Spots for Dynasty Fantasy Football
Seattle Seahawks
After a stellar showing at the combine, Malik Willis put his name at the top of the list of quarterback prospects in the 2022 NFL Draft class. His arm strength is insane, and he has the ability to scramble out of a broken play. The Seattle Seahawks are arguably the most quarterback-needy team in the league this season after trading Russell Wilson for Drew Lock, and Willis could be an immediate starter.
Pairing Willis with big speedy receivers like D.K. Metcalf and Tyler Lockett would be a thing of beauty to watch, as they can stretch the field and allow Willis to air out the football for big plays. While a place like Detroit or New Orleans may be ideal for a developmental perspective, Seattle is clearly the best spot for Malik Willis to land for immediate fantasy value.
Buffalo Bills
Breece Hall has all the traits you want out of an NFL running back, and he also possesses elite speed that makes NFL scouts salivate. Hall led the FBS in rushing yards in 2020 and finished in the top ten in 2021. He is also a capable receiver, racking up over 300 yards in the air in 2021. Since he’s such a desirable prospect, Hall’s landing spot could be anywhere, but where would he be the most productive in fantasy football?
The Buffalo Bills have been searching for their bell-cow running back, drafting Devin Singletary and Zach Moss in consecutive drafts, but neither of them has a firm grasp on the role. Buffalo ran the third-most plays per game in 2021 at 67.1, with nearly 41% of these plays being run plays. They also made improvements to their offensive line by signing guard Rodger Saffold III in free agency, a substantial upgrade over Jon Feliciano and Daryl Williams. Hall could immediately slide in as the lead back with Singletary picking up the complementary duties. The kind of workload Hall could command in Buffalo would be fantasy gold at the position.
Philadelphia Eagles
Much has been made of Kenneth Walker’s ability, or lack thereof, to catch passes, leaving many fantasy football aficionados concerned about his value in both dynasty and redraft formats. You can argue that he just wasn’t used that way in Michigan State’s system, but for brevity’s sake, say he can’t catch.
Where could he make an immediate impact? The Philadelphia Eagles are the first team that comes to mind that would be an ideal landing spot for a pure runner like Walker. Although at first glance it seems like the Eagles have a crowded running back room, Miles Sanders has dealt with his fair share of injuries, missing nine games over the past two seasons, and Boston Scott and Kenneth Gainwell are primarily used in a pass-catching role. The Eagles also run the ball at the highest rate in the league, utilizing the rush on just under 50% of their offensive plays. Walker is two inches shorter than Sanders, but weighs the same and runs faster, so it’s conceivable he could take over the starting job sooner rather than later.
Green Bay Packers
After the departure of Davante Adams, the Green Bay Packers are in serious need of wide receiver help. They signed Sammy Watkins and retained Allen Lazard and Randall Cobb, but they are still in need of a true WR1. Treylon Burks is the kind of receiver who would automatically be a productive playmaker on this offense, and he would have fantasy value in spades. Having a multi-MVP in Aaron Rodgers is obviously a huge plus, but Burks offers positive traits in his own right. He led the SEC in receiving in 2021 with a primarily run-first team at Arkansas, and at 6’2” and 224 pounds, he has a similar body type to Adams. Burks is extremely good at creating yardage for himself, averaging 9.3 yards after the catch in 2021, and with his on-field speed, he could put up similar, if not better, numbers in Green Bay. There really isn’t another team in the NFL with such a clear path to immediate playing time and offensive efficiency as Green Bay, and Burks would put up monster fantasy numbers in this system.
New Orleans Saints
Michael Thomas is set to return to the field this season, but let’s face it, he hasn’t been fantasy relevant since 2019. There is room for a new WR1 in New Orleans, and Drake London is a perfect fit. He’s a physically imposing receiver at 6’4” and 213 pounds, and Jameis Winston has a history of developing quick chemistry with big body receivers a la Mike Evans. London was number one in the country in contested catches in 2021, and although there are questions about his ability to separate, he’s clearly shown that he can come out on top in 50/50 balls. The Saints did rank 30th in passing plays per game last season, but that was likely due to the personnel they had at the wide receiver position rather than an offensive philosophy. London showed he could produce with sub-par quarterback play at USC, and he has a path to putting up more impressive numbers with the Saints.
New York Jets
Despite drafting Zach Wilson as the second overall pick in last year’s NFL Draft, the Jets neglected to surround him with weapons. Any receiver would be an immediate starter on the team, but Garrett Wilson would be the best fit in this system. Jamison Crowder departed in free agency, and Corey Davis was often hurt, so Wilson could become the WR1 on the team rather quickly. He is an elite route-runner with 4.3 speed along with separation ability, and he produced from all over the field. The Jets played from behind a majority of the season, causing them to throw the ball over 63% of the time, so there will be plenty of opportunities for Wilson to produce for fantasy football.
Related Links
- 2022 Dynasty Fantasy Football Rankings: Wide Receiver Tier Breakdown
- 2022 Dynasty Fantasy Football Rankings: Quarterback Tier Breakdown
- Dynasty Player Rankings
- Dynasty League Strategies
- 2022 Fantasy Football ADP
Player News
Panthers released TE Jordan Matthews.
Matthews converted to tight end a few years ago and hasn’t made much noise at the position. The change has, however, likely kept him in the league for a few more seasons. He appeared in four games with the Panthers last year but didn’t record any stats on offense. The Panthers also released or waived WR Dax Milne, C Andrew Raym, and TE Colin Granger.
Dolphins released LS Blake Ferguson.
The team also waived CB Ryan Cooper Jr., DT Neil Farrell and OL Chasen Hines. Ferguson has been the team’s long snapper for five seasons and earned a three-year contract extension just before the 2023 season. He should be able to find work snapping footballs farther than the average snap elsewhere in the league.
DetroitLions.com’s Tim Twentyman believes rookie WR Isaac TeSlaa “could make his earliest impact on special teams.”
It’s not much of a surprise, as most rookies cut their teeth with special teams duties. Twentyman mentioned return duties as a possibility, though the former Razorback never returned kicks or punts in college. At 6'4/212 with 4.43 wheels, TeSlaa is an explosive athlete who never translated his physical traits to on-field production at Arkansas. The Lions clearly saw potential for him to do so in the pros and traded two future third-round picks to move up to No. 70 overall for him. It’s going to be a slow burn for TeSlaa in the pros, making him a dynasty-only fantasy option.
Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell said the team does not “have any feelings on competition” when asked about the quarterback room.
O’Connell was asked about a potential quarterback competition on the Rich Eisen Show Wednesday and was unclear on whether J.J. McCarthy would have to compete to start. He said, “we’ve got an obligation as coaches to put our players in position to attack that competition phase.” O’Connell discussed first putting Brett Rypien and the newly acquired Sam Howell in a position to play before any competition would occur. He continued that McCarthy is “owning it” this offseason and is taking snaps from starting center Ryan Kelly. After missing last season with a torn meniscus, McCarthy has been ramping up workouts in the offseason and is the front-runner to start for the Vikings in 2025. As of now, Howell looks to be reinforcement at the backup spot in case it turns out McCarthy is not ready to start.
Texans re-signed DT Foley Fatukasi.
Fatukasi initially joined the Texans last offseason on a one-year contract. The 30-year-old was a rotational defensive lineman, tallying four tackles for loss and one sack. He returns to Houston for 2025, where he will be a part of a deep Texans front seven.
NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reports Tyreek Hill’s second wrist surgery was part of the original plan and his timeline remains unchanged.
Hill announced the second surgery on social media and Pelissero quickly added some context to the situation. The speedy receiver suffered the wrist injury just before the start of the season and it lingered throughout the year, though he never missed a game because of it. If the second surgery truly is a non-story, an offseason to recover might be what Hill needs to return to form after a down 2024 season. On the other hand, Hill is 31 years old, played his worst football last year, and his offense prioritized targets for Jonnu Smith and De’Von Achane. As it stands, Hill might have the highest risk-reward split in fantasy drafts.