Fantasy Football 2022 Cheatsheet: Draft Rankings and Sleepers to Target

We're now only days away from the start of the 2022 NFL season. The Los Angeles Rams and Buffalo Bills will kick off the festivities next Thursday, and that's when this year's fantasy football season will begin.

While many season-long leagues have already held their 2022 drafts, there are always a few late holdouts. Drafting in the days before Week 1 is far from a bad idea, as injuries, surprise roster moves and cuts can impact a fantasy squad.

Managers now know who the starters are likely to be for each team, and they have a clearer picture of what to expect than they did even a few weeks ago. Still, it's never too late to do a little homework, and we're here to help.

Below, you'll find a look at the latest point-per-reception (PPR) draft rankings and a look at some sleepers to keep in mind for the later rounds.

1. Christian McCaffrey, RB, Carolina Panthers

2. Jonathan Taylor, RB, Indianapolis Colts

3. Austin Ekeler, RB, Los Angeles Chargers

4. Dalvin Cook, RB, Minnesota Vikings

5. Justin Jefferson, WR, Minnesota Vikings

6. Cooper Kupp, WR, Los Angeles Rams

7. Najee Harris, RB, Pittsburgh Steelers

8. Derrick Henry, RB, Tennessee Titans

9. Travis Kelce, TE, Kansas City Chiefs

10. Joe Mixon, RB, Cincinnati Bengals

11. Ja'Marr Chase, WR, Cincinnati Bengals

12. D'Andre Swift, RB, Detroit Lions

13. Stefon Diggs, WR, Buffalo Bills

14. Davante Adams, WR, Las Vegas Raiders

15. Saquon Barkley, RB, New York Giants

16. Alvin Kamara, RB, New Orleans Saints

17. Aaron Jones, RB, Green Bay Packers

18. Leonard Fournette, RB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

19. CeeDee Lamb, WR, Dallas Cowboys

20. Mark Andrews, TE, Baltimore Ravens

21. Mike Evans, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

22. Tyreek Hill, WR, Kansas City Chiefs

23. Javonte Williams, RB, Denver Broncos

24. Deebo Samuel, WR, San Francisco 49ers

25. Keenan Allen, WR, Los Angeles Chargers

26. Michael Pittman Jr., WR, Indianapolis Colts

27. Nick Chubb, RB, Cleveland Browns

28. A.J. Brown, WR, Philadelphia Eagles

29. James Conner, RB, Arizona Cardinals

30. Kyle Pitts, TE, Atlanta Falcons

31. Tee Higgins, WR, Cincinnati Bengals

32. DJ Moore, WR, Carolina Panthers

33. Josh Allen, QB, Buffalo Bills

34. Ezekiel Elliott, RB, Dallas Cowboys

35. Travis Etienne Jr., RB, Jacksonville Jaguars

36. Jaylen Waddle, WR, Miami Dolphins

37. David Montgomery, RB, Chicago Bears

38. Diontae Johnson, WR, Pittsburgh Steelers

39. Mike Williams, WR, Los Angeles Chargers

40. Courtland Sutton, WR, Denver Broncos

41. Terry McLaurin, WR, Washington Commanders

42. Breece Hall, RB, New York Jets

43. Justin Herbert, QB, Los Angeles Chargers

44. Patrick Mahomes, QB, Kansas City Chiefs

45. Brandin Cooks, WR, Houston Texans

46. Allen Robinson II, WR< Los Angeles Rams

47. AJ Dillon, RB, Green Bay Packers

48. Lamar Jackson, QB, Baltimore Ravens

49. DK Metcalf, WR, Seattle Seahawks

50. George Kittle, TE, San Francisco 49ers

You might have heard, but Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Derek Carr will have a new but familiar receiver in 2022. The Raiders went out and traded for All-Pro pass-catcher and Carr's former Fresno State teammate Davante Adams.

Though he's no longer playing with Aaron Rodgers, Adams is still trending as a borderline first-round fantasy pick, and for good reason. He and Carr had a tremendous amount of chemistry in college, which resulted in Adams racking up 38 touchdowns in two seasons.

Yet Carr hasn't been getting a ton of fantasy love despite the new addition. He has an average draft position (ADP) of only 106, which suggests that most managers aren't targeting him for a starting role. They should be.

Carr was a serviceable fantasy starter last year, finishing with 4,804 yards and 23 touchdowns. He doesn't add a ton on the ground—just 108 rushing yards last season—but it's not outlandish to think that Carr could reach 5,000 passing yards this season.

With Adams joining a talented receiving corps that already had Hunter Renfrow and Darren Waller, Carr could also see a significant jump in touchdowns. It's worth buying low on Carr, especially for those managers who miss/pass on the top quarterbacks and end up eying streamers in the middle rounds anyway.

Other quarterback sleepers to consider include Trey Lance (104 ADP) and Matt Ryan (162 ADP).

You've probably also heard that Houston Texans rookie running back Dameon Pierce is a rising fantasy prospect. With the Texans cutting Marlon Mack and Royce Freeman (Mack is back on the practice squad), Pierce looks to be the bell-cow back. His ADP of 68 is still too low.

Fellow rookie and Seattle Seahawks ball carrier Kenneth Walker III may not be an every-down back this season. However, he's still undervalued with an ADP of only 91.

With Chris Carson heading to retirement, Walker is set for a significant role alongside late-2021 breakout Rashaad Penny. With Geno Smith at quarterback instead of the departed Russell Wilson, Seattle should have a very run-heavy offense as well.

Walker is obviously unproven as a pro, but he showed that he can handle a large workload at Michigan State. Last season, he tallied 1,636 rushing yards and 18 touchdowns. Walker is also working back from abdominal surgery and may not be ready to go early in the season.

"He feels way better, he's moving around," head coach Pete Carroll said, per Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk. "It's just going to be one day at a time."

However, Walker could be the lead back by midseason. Penny has a notable injury history and only a small stretch of impressive play on his resume. Consider Walker a prime draft-and-stash late-round candidate.

Other RB sleepers to consider include Melvin Gordon III (99 ADP) and Darrell Henderson Jr. (113 ADP).

Buffalo Bills receiver Gabriel Davis has been a fine—and consistent—complementary target over the last two seasons. As a rookie in 2020, he caught 35 passes for 599 yards and seven touchdowns. Last year, he caught 35 for 549 and six touchdowns.

Davis should be in store for a larger role this season now that Emmanuel Sanders and Cole Beasley have both departed. The plan is for Davis to be the new No. 2 opposite fantasy star Stefon Diggs.

"When I was in Bills camp, I was told with certainty that his four-TD performance in the playoff loss at Kansas City was the start of something big, not a fluke," Peter King of ProFootballTalk wrote. "He's a worker, and Josh Allen sees him as a great complement—not a distant number two—to Diggs."

Managers should expect a big jump in production from Davis this season, and yet, his ADP is still 62. He's not a deep sleeper by any means, but the 23-year-old is poised to significantly outperform his draft market.

A 1,000-plus-yard, 10-touchdown season is far from unrealistic for Davis. His floor should be along the lines of what we saw the last two years—a viable flex streamer. This makes Davis a low-risk, high-reward middle-round target.

For a true deep sleeper, consider wideouts like Chris Olave (105 ADP) and George Pickens (112 ADP).

---

*Average draft positioning from FantasyPros.