Fantasy Football 2022: Full Position-by-Position Rankings, Creative Team Names

With the NFL preseason in full swing, fantasy football draft season is upon us. Over the next three weeks, friends will be gathering (either in person or online) to kick off the most exciting time of the year for fantasy football leagues.

Every manager is 0-0, and for those who are in redraft leagues, it's an even playing field. You'll soon be getting an opportunity to construct your roster for the 2022 season, but now is the time to prepare and do the necessary research to ensure your team will have a strong core to build around throughout the fall.

It's important to assemble your own personal rankings and tiers to follow while drafting, but it's also beneficial to analyze as many sources as possible before doing so. And, of course, now is a great time to brainstorm some potential team names that you'll want to see represent you in the standings (and possibly even get engraved into a league trophy).

So with fantasy drafts now frequently occurring, here are some team names to consider for the 2022 season, followed by positional rankings following one week of preseason action.

Brady Gaga

Dak Side of the Moon

Work from Mahomes

Return of the Mac

Cobra Kyler

Mr. Rodgers' Neighborhood

Tuafinity and Beyond

Fresh Prince of Helaire

Catalina Wine Mixon

Zeke and Destroy

McLaurin F1

Silenced by the Lamb

Pop Lockett Drop It

I Gotta Thielen

1. Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills

2. Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs

3. Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers

4. Kyler Murray, Arizona Cardinals

5. Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens

6. Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia Eagles

7. Tom Brady, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

8. Russell Wilson, Denver Broncos

9. Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals

10. Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys

11. Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams

12. Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers

Some fantasy managers may consider Allen in a tier of his own at the top, and that's a justifiable opinion. The Bills' QB is not only among the best in the league with his arm, but he also frequently makes an impact using his legs.

Allen passed for 4,407 yards and 36 touchdowns last year, and he also ran for 763 yards and six scores. He's the only quarterback who should be taken as early as the third round in fantasy drafts (though it's also important to not reach any higher than that for him, despite his talent).

Among the top 12 projected QBs, one to keep an eye on is Wilson, who will be leading the Broncos' offense for the first time after spending the past 10 seasons with the Seattle Seahawks. His numbers were down a bit in 2021, but he'll have some strong players to throw the ball to in Denver (such as wide receivers Courtland Sutton and Jerry Jeudy), so he could be in store for a solid year.

1. Jonathan Taylor, Indianapolis Colts

2. Christian McCaffrey, Carolina Panthers

3. Austin Ekeler, Los Angeles Chargers

4. Derrick Henry, Tennessee Titans

5. Dalvin Cook, Minnesota Vikings

6. Joe Mixon, Cincinnati Bengals

7. Alvin Kamara, New Orleans Saints

8. Najee Harris, Pittsburgh Steelers

9. Aaron Jones, Green Bay Packers

10. Leonard Fournette, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

11. D'Andre Swift, Detroit Lions

12. Ezekiel Elliott, Dallas Cowboys

Taylor and McCaffrey are likely to be the first two players to come off the board in most fantasy drafts this year. They are the running backs with the highest ceilings, and it's always important to land a stud RB or two early before there are no longer any available.

Although McCaffrey has the potential to be the top fantasy player of the season, there are injury concerns with him after he's been limited to 10 games over the past two years. So Taylor is a safer choice at No. 1, but McCaffrey could end up being the RB1 if he can stay healthy (like he did from 2017-19).

One running back getting overlooked in quite a few fantasy drafts is Fournette. He may have only run for 812 yards and eight touchdowns last season, but he also had 69 catches for 454 yards and two scores, increasing his value in points-per-reception leagues. Also, Ronald Jones is no longer in Tampa Bay, so Fournette's workload could go up a bit in 2022.

1. Cooper Kupp, Los Angeles Rams

2. Justin Jefferson, Minnesota Vikings

3. Ja'Marr Chase, Cincinnati Bengals

4. Stefon Diggs, Buffalo Bills

5. Davante Adams, Las Vegas Raiders

6. Mike Evans, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

7. Deebo Samuel, San Francisco 49ers

8. CeeDee Lamb, Dallas Cowboys

9. Tyreek Hill, Miami Dolphins

10. Michael Pittman Jr., Indianapolis Colts

11. Courtland Sutton, Denver Broncos

12. Tee Higgins, Cincinnati Bengals

There are three wide receivers who have the talent and potential to be considered in the top 10 of fantasy drafts this year: Kupp, Jefferson and Chase. It could be another special season for each member of this trio, which is why they're all getting selected so early.

Kupp, the reigning NFL Offensive Player of the Year, is likely to be the first WR to come off the board, but there's an argument to be made for Jefferson. The Vikings' top receiver has only gotten better throughout his first two seasons, and he's always putting up big numbers. If he raises that to another level in 2022, he could overtake Kupp as the WR1.

It will be interesting to see how Adams and Hill perform with new teams, but they should both still provide strong fantasy value. That's especially the case for Adams, who already has a connection with Raiders quarterback Derek Carr, his former Fresno State teammate.

1. Travis Kelce, Kansas City Chiefs

2. Mark Andrews, Baltimore Ravens

3. Kyle Pitts, Atlanta Falcons

4. Dalton Schultz, Dallas Cowboys

5. George Kittle, San Francisco 49ers

6. T.J. Hockenson, Detroit Lions

7. Darren Waller, Las Vegas Raiders

8. Dallas Goedert, Philadelphia Eagles

9. Zach Ertz, Arizona Cardinals

10. Dawson Knox, Buffalo Bills

11. Cole Kmet, Chicago Bears

12. Hunter Henry, New England Patriots

Some fantasy managers may consider drafting Kelce or Andrews in the first round, but that's a bit of a reach. Still, those two are the clear top tight ends heading into the season, and they're both likely to get selected in either the second or third round.

Kelce's consistently strong production has put him in a tier of his own in recent years. But Andrews had a stellar 2021, and he's now in the conversation as the top TE to target in fantasy.

Even if you don't land Kelce or Andrews, though, there are some sleeper options near the bottom of these rankings who will be available much later in the draft. Kmet could be a great player to target past the midway point, as he should be one of the top receiving options on the Bears' offense this year.