The 2022 NFL season is approaching, so it’s time to prepare for your fantasy football draft. What better way to do that than to practice writing with our free draft simulator! Beyond our tools, we’ll also have you covered throughout the draft prep season with our content.
To help you dominate your fantasy football draft, we’re sharing our 2022 fantasy football rankings, tips and cheat sheets.
This cheat sheet is a handy version of the cliff notes from our approach to fantasy football 2022 drafts. Our in-depth strategies for the early, environmentand later rounds can be found in our fantasy football draft kit.
And you can find cheat sheets from all of our analysts below.
Fancy Draft Cheat Sheets
Andrew Erickson’s overall fantasy football strategy for 2022
For a full breakdown of my perfect draft strategy, check out the critically acclaimed articles “Andrew Erickson’s Perfect 2022 Fantasy Football Draft Strategy: Round-By-Round” which explains precisely what to do round-by-round for the season of Fantasy football 2022. It will be updated throughout the summer.
But for those looking for the fast version of SparkNotes, here’s the recap. Get your running backs early (1 or 2), save early-middle rounds (3-6) for drafting breakout WR candidates, and stay out of the middle to wait longer for a tight end draft . Be open to taking a Big 3 tier WR – Justin Jefferson, Ja’Marr Chase and Cooper Kupp – to the top of Round 1 in full PPR formats, knowing there’s a solid crop of RBs coming your way during your next choice. Avoid running backs in the “RB dead zone” and expensive target hog WRs who plan to play in bad offenses. Stock your bench with ball carriers upside down.
And as always, follow a late QB approach unless you can get Jalen Hurts in round 6.
Andrew Erickson’s 2022 fantasy football cheat sheet
QB sleepers:
Trey Lance (QB – SF), Justin Fields (QB – CHI), Trevor Lawrence (QB – JAC), Daniel Jones (QB – NYG), Jameis Winston (QB – NO)
QB busts (relative to where drafted):
Patrick Mahomes II (QB – KC), Aaron Rodgers (QB – GB), Tua Tagovailoa (QB – MIA)
RB sleepers:
Devin Singletary (RB – BUF), Kareem Hunt (RB – CLE), Melvin Gordon (RB – DEN), Rhamondre Stevenson (RB – NE), Tyrion Davis-Price (RB – SF), Rachaad White (RB – TB), Khalil Herbert (RB – CHI), Rex Burkhead (RB – HOU), Sony Michel (RB – MIA), Chris Evans (RB – CIN)
RB busts (relative to where they are written):
Javonte Williams (RB – DEN), Ezekiel Elliott (RB – DAL), Antonio Gibson (RB – WAS), JK Dobbins (RB – BAL), Elijah Mitchell (RB – SF), Kenneth Walker III (RB – SEA), Damien Harris (RB–NE)
WR sleepers:
Joshua Palmer (WR – LAC), Jalen Tolbert (WR – DAL), Brandon Aiyuk (WR – SF), Kadarius Toney (WR – NYG), Russell Gage (WR – TB), Allen Lazard (WR – GB), Skyy Moore (WR – KC), Tim Patrick (WR – DEN), Jahan Dotson (WR – WAS), Jameson Williams (WR – DET)
WR Busts (relative to where written):
Deebo Samuel (WR – SF), Tyreek Hill (WR – MIA), Diontae Johnson (WR – PIT), DK Metcalf (WR – SEA), Amon-Ra St. Brown (WR – DET), Adam Thielen (WR – MIN ), Robert Woods (WR–TEN), Michael Gallup (WR–DAL), DJ Chark Jr. (WR–DET)
TE sleepers:
Cole Kmet (TE–CHI), Irv Smith (TE–MIN), Albert Okwuegbunam (TE–DEN), David Njoku (TE–CLE), Gerald Everett (TE–LAC)
TE busts (relative to where they are written):
Mark Andrews (TE-BAL)
First round value choice (rounds 1 to 5):
Dalvin Cook (RB – MIN), Joe Mixon (RB – CIN), Stefon Diggs (WR – BUF), CeeDee Lamb (WR – DAL), Leonard Fournette (RB – TB), D’Andre Swift (RB – DET), Aaron Jones (RB – GB), Mike Evans (WR – TB), AJ Brown (WR – PHI), James Conner (RB – ARI), Michael Pittman (WR – IND), Saquon Barkley (RB – NYG), Courtland Sutton (WR – DEN), Marquise Brown (WR – ARI), Cam Akers (RB – LAR), Breece Hall (RB – NYJ), Mike Williams (WR – LAC), Travis Etienne Jr. (RB – JAC)
Mid-term value choice (Rounds 6-10):
Jalen Hurts (QB – PHI), Tom Brady (QB – TB), Brandin Cooks (WR-HOU), Darnell Mooney (WR – CHI), Allen Robinson (WR-LAR), Gabriel Davis (WR – BUF), Dalton Schultz (TE-DAL), Rashod Bateman (WR – BAL), Elijah Moore (WR – NYJ), DeVonta Smith (WR – PHI), Devin Singletary (RB – BUF), Kareem Hunt (RB – CLE), Christian Kirk (WR – JAC), Melvin Gordon (RB – DEN), Rashaad Penny (RB – SEA), Trey Lance (QB – SF), James Cook (RB – BUF), Zach Ertz (TE – ARI), Russell Gage (WR – TB ), Allen Lazard (WR – GB), Kadarius Toney (WR – NYG)
Choice of value at the end of the round (round 11 or later):
Rob Gronkowski (TE-TB), Cole Kmet (TE-CHI), Joshua Palmer (WR-LAC), Darrel Williams (RB-ARI), Gerald Everett (TE-LAC), Justin Fields (QB-CHI), Trevor Lawrence (QB – JAC), Marquez Valdes-Scantling (WR – KC), Kenny Golladay (WR – NYG), Tim Patrick (WR-DEN), Jarvis Landry (WR-NO), Jakobi Meyers (WR-NE), Kendrick Bourne (WR-NE), Jalen Tolbert (WR – DAL), Van Jefferson (WR – LAR), Robert Tonyan (TE-GB), Gerald Everett (TE – LAC), Darrel Williams (RB – ARI), Jamison Crowder (WR -BUF), Sony Michel (RB – MIA), Austin Hooper (TE -TEN), KJ Osborn (WR – MIN), Robbie Anderson (WR-CAR), Brevin Jordan (TE-HOU)
Deep League Value Picks:
Rex Burkhead (RB – HOU), Chris Evans (RB – CIN), Derrick Gore (RB – KC), Abram Smith (RB – NO), Tyler Badie (RB – BAL), Justyn Ross (WR – KC), Parris Campbell (IND – WR), Kyle Philips (TEN – WR), Deonte Harty (NO – WR), Hayden Hurst (CIN – TE), Tyler Conklin (NYJ – TE), Mo Alie-Cox (TE – IND), Jonnu Smith (TE-NE)
Save RBs to Target:
Alexander Mattison (RB – MIN), Rhamondre Stevenson (RB – NE), Melvin Gordon (RB – DEN), Khalil Herbert (RB – CHI), Sony Michel (RB – MIA), Darrel Williams (RB – ARI), Derrick Gore (RB–KC), D’Onta Foreman (RB–CAR), Chris Evans (RB–CIN)
Backup RBs to Avoid:
Tony Pollard (RB – DAL), Ronald Jones II (RB – KC), Tyler Allgeier (RB – ATL), Michael Carter (RB – NYJ), James Robinson (RB – JAC), Raheem Mostert (RB – SF), Samaje Perine (RB–CIN)
Recruits to target:
Breece Hall (RB – NYJ), Treylon Burks (WR – TEN), Skyy Moore (WR -KC), James Cook (RB – BUF), Jahan Dotson (WR – WAS), Jalen Tolbert (WR – DAL), Dameon Pierce (RB – HOU), Isaiah Spiller (RB – LAC), Rachaad White (RB – TB), Tyrion Davis-Price (RB – SF), Hassan Haskins (RB – TEN)
Recruits to Avoid:
Kenneth Walker III (RB – SEA), Christian Watson (WR – GB), Tyler Allgeier (RB – ATL)
D/ST to target:
San Francisco 49ers, Denver Broncos, New Orleans Saints, Cleveland Browns, Baltimore Ravens, Miami Dolphins
D/ST to avoid:
Dallas Cowboys, Buffalo Bills, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Indianapolis Colts, Kansas City Chiefs
Draft tip in 5 words: Draft guys on good offenses.
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