College Fantasy Football 2022: Mock Draft, Cheatsheet and More Strategy Tips
The Ohio State Buckeyes lost two wide receivers as first-round picks in the NFL draft, but they will still have the most explosive offense during the 2022 college football season.
Quarterback C.J. Stroud, running back TreVeyon Henderson and wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba are three of the best players at their respective positions, and they should be off the board in the first few picks of college football fantasy drafts.
The volume of yardage and touchdowns from the trio may not be matched by any set of teammates. Each player will make a push to be the top fantasy point scorer at their position.
College football's other marquee programs have fantasy football stars as well, starting with Alabama quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner Bryce Young. The USC Trojans' pass connection of Caleb Williams and Jordan Addison will get plenty of attention as well.
You will have to search beyond the big-name programs to round out your roster and there are a few fantasy gems on rosters of teams expected to finish in the middle or bottom of their conferences.
College Fantasy Football Mock Draft
1. Jaxon Smith-Njigba, WR, Ohio State
2. C.J. Stroud, QB, Ohio State
3. Bijan Robinson, RB, Texas
4. TreVeyon Henderson, RB, Ohio State
5. Bryce Young, QB, Alabama
6. Deuce Vaughn, RB, Kansas State
7. Caleb Williams, QB, USC
8. Jahmyr Gibbs, RB, Alabama
9. Xavier Worthy, WR, Texas
10. Jordan Addison, WR, USC
11. Malik Cunningham, QB, Louisville
12. Zach Charbonnet, RB, UCLA
Go After Ohio State Trio at Top of Drafts
Ohio State returns a 4,400-yard passer, a 1,600-yard receiver and a 1,200-yard rusher for the 2022 season.
The C.J. Stroud, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, TreVeyon Henderson trio is expected to put up huge numbers inside the Buckeyes offense for the second straight season.
Ryan Day's program will be expected to produce a ton of points throughout the season and that could lead to each of his three star players landing in the first three picks of college football fantasy drafts.
Ohio State has a path set up for it to run rampant on offense during the first half of the 2022 season.
After their Week 1 clash with the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, the Buckeyes have four straight home games. They have one true road game before October 29 and only play away from Columbus on four occasions this season.
Two of Ohio State's road games are against the Northwestern Wildcats and Maryland Terrapins, both of which are expected to be at the bottom of the Big Ten again.
As a result, Stroud, Smith-Njigba and Henderson could put together Heisman-worthy resumes while leading Ohio State back to a Big Ten title.
If you have a high first-round pick, you need to select one of these players so that your fantasy team has a strong base for scoring points each week.
Alabama and USC Should Be 1st-Round Targets
The Alabama Crimson Tide and USC Trojans rank second and third, respectively, when it comes to fantasy football potential.
Bryce Young should be the second quarterback chosen in most fantasy formats because he is the reigning Heisman winner and the leader of an Alabama offense loaded with five-star players.
Simply put, the 21-year-old has the most talent around him in college football and should excel at the helm of that offense over a 12-game season.
The second Alabama player off the board in fantasy drafts should be a running back, and he is one you may not have heard of.
Jahmyr Gibbs transferred to the Crimson Tide after producing 1,206 rushing yards over two seasons with the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. He also had 773 receiving yards on 60 catches in the ACC.
The 20-year-old could be a 1,000-yard rusher behind Alabama's offensive line and should be one of the top running backs chosen in all fantasy formats.
Speaking of transfers, let's discuss the USC duo of Caleb Williams and Jordan Addison.
Williams followed head coach Lincoln Riley to Los Angeles in the offseason, while Addison was a late addition through the transfer portal from Pittsburgh.
Williams threw for 1,912 yards and 21 touchdowns after he was given the starting job at Oklahoma last season, and Addison won the Biletnikoff Award as the country's best wide receiver.
There are some unknowns about how USC will look as a whole, but expect Williams and Addison to be at the center of the offensive production.
The talent displayed at their previous stops makes them clear-cut first-round picks and a nice consolation prize for fantasy players who could not draft any member of the Ohio State trio.
Look to Returning Stat Leaders
Some of the best college fantasy football players do not play for powerhouses of the game.
If you look at last season's passing, rushing and receiving yard leaders, you will find a few gems that you may not think of right away.
Syracuse running back Sean Tucker headlines the list of top returners that you should pay attention to. He had 1,496 rushing yards, the fourth-best total in the FBS, despite playing for one of the worst Power Five conference teams.
Central Michigan's Lew Nichols was the FBS' top rusher and should be considered as a first- or second-round pick in leagues that have roster availability from the Power Five and Group of Five. Some fantasy leagues focus on the Power Five and nothing else.
Young, Stroud and Williams are all great choices at quarterback, but none of them are the returning leader in passing yards from 2021. That title belongs to Mississippi State's Will Rogers, who was second in the FBS with 4,449 passing yards.
The 20-year-old should again put up a high passing yard total inside Mike Leach's offense, and he may put up even better stats now that the SEC West program has more familiarity with the third-year head coach's system.
At wide receiver, North Carolina's Josh Downs and Nathaniel Dell of the Houston Cougars could be the best options outside of the first round. They were each inside the top 20 in receiving yards in 2021.
Other breakout stars will emerge throughout the season, but using the returning stat leaders as a base is a good strategy to follow if you don't know everything about the FBS programs.