Welcome to the 2022 Fantasy Football Rookie Rankings, post NFL draft update.
These rankings are based upon a PPR dynasty league format and could change based on your league settings, especially if your league is a super flex or has premium scoring for tight ends.
The top 50 offensive players (QB/RB/WR/TE) have been ranked in this article. There will be future articles that are more positional rankings driven, but for the purpose of this article, we ranked the rookies in one overall list.
The positional breakdown for the top 50 is as follows:
- 6 QB
- 18 RB
- 21 WR
- 5 TE
For access to our full rankings below be sure to become an All-Access Member or login.
This is a very wide receiver-friendly draft that should yield plenty of fantasy potential.
Quarterback
A reminder that @desmondridder had the fastest 40 time of any active QB at the Combine 👀
📺: NFLN pic.twitter.com/NuN9CYjlsh
— Atlanta Falcons (@AtlantaFalcons) May 2, 2022
Desmond Ridder, Atlanta Falcons & Malik Willis, Tennessee Titans
I am lumping Ridder and Willis together because I do think they could have some long-term fantasy value, but I think that it will be at least a year or more before they are fantasy assets. This makes them more of a draft and stash.
Riddler landed in Atlanta where he should compete for a job early, but the weapons around him, including the O-Line, are very lacking.
Willis finds himself in Tennessee but behind longtime starter Ryan Tannehill. Without an injury to Tannehill, it will be very hard for Willis to win the job for Week 1.
Both Ridder and Willis bring a lot of fantasy upside to the table, but these are two prospects that owners need to be patient with.
Kenny Pickett, Pittsburgh Steelers
Pickett may have landed in the best spot to succeed on day one. Despite there being questions about his hand size, Pickett has good overall size (6'3, 217) and the tools to be a quality pro. He has good arm strength to get the ball downfield and is agile enough on his feet to extend plays when they break down.
One of his biggest assets is he rarely turns the ball over, never having double-digit interceptions in a season. He also had a 42:7 TD to INT ratio his final season. Pickett has to beat out Mitch Trubisky, but if he does, he has solid weapons around in Najee Harris, Pat Freiermuth, Dionte Johnson George Pickens and Chase Claypool to have a productive year one.
Running Backs
Everyone is talking about Breece Hall and Kenneth Walker, and rightfully so. They are going one and two respectably in most rookie drafts, and both could be productive out the gate. For that reason, I am not going to talk about them in-depth.
The ability to motion James Cook from the backfield to the slot or out wide should be utilized in the 2022 Buffalo #Bills offense
Christian Harris follows him out wide and Cook shows why that’s an easy mismatch for him on the go ball#BillsMafia
pic.twitter.com/VD9B6Mme5D— Kendall Mirsky (@MirskyKendall) May 7, 2022
James Cook, Buffalo Bills
This may be a match made in heaven. Cook has the ideal skill set that matches the offense of the Bills. He should line up at both the RB and WR positions throughout the year. Cook is a bonafide home run threat on any play and is a good enough pass-catcher to line up outside or in the slot.
The Bills were lacking a weapon with this type of speed and I imagine Josh Allen is chomping at the bit to get his hands on him. I expect him to catch a ton of balls this season and be a very reliable PPR player for fantasy owners.
Dameon Pierce, Houston Texans
Drafted by a team that is likely not to compete for the playoffs this season, Pierce may end up with a lot of playing time so the Texans can gauge the type of prospect he is. They did the same thing last season with Davis Mills, so this would not be out of the ordinary for them to do again. Marlon Mack, Rex Burkhead are really the only thing that stands between him and a featured back roll.
Wide Receivers
Wide receiver was the marquee position for this NFL draft with 13 being drafted in the first two rounds. I was really hoping that landing spots would make ranking the WRs easier, but that was wishful thinking. For me, it is all about personal preference when it comes to this WR class.
.@ChristianW2017 showing the hands. 🙌🏈#GoPackGo pic.twitter.com/VYmpzX0tDU
— Green Bay Packers (@packers) May 6, 2022
Christian Watson, Green Bay Packers
Watson has some big shoes to fill with the departure of Davante Adams. The Packers traded up to get Watson in the second round giving Aaron Rodgers a legitimate weapon in the passing game. He is the perfect combination of size and speed and was one of the most explosive WRs in college football last season. The targets will be there early and often for Watson.
Skyy Moore, Kansas City Chiefs
Watson is not the only one with some big shoes to fill as Moore was drafted to replace Tyreek Hill. Moore does not possess the blazing speed that Hill does and projects more of a slot WR at the NFL level. That being said, Moore should see his fair share of targets in an up-tempo pass-first offense. Moore has really quick feet with allows him to create space and get open in coverage.
Drake London, Atlanta Falcons
London was the first WR drafted and arguably went to the weakest receiver core in all of football. London instantly is the Flacons WR1 and only has to worry about Kyle Pitts eating into his target shares. The only thing that may hold him back is who will be throwing him the ball. Either Marcus Mariota or Desmond Ridder will be the signal-caller for the Falcons which could hamper London's year one output.
Quick Hitters
Khalil Shakir: Only WR in College Football to record 85+ grades in each of the past three seasons👀 pic.twitter.com/KPIEPoo9ve
— PFF BUF Bills (@PFF_Bills) May 5, 2022
Khalil Shakir, WR, Buffalo Bills
Two facts: Jameson Crowder is only signed to a one-year deal. So come the 2023 season, Shakir could be the starting slot WR for the Bills. Cole Beasley caught 82 balls in back-to-back seasons in the slot for the Bills, so Shakir could be a PPR monster come 2023.
Zamir White, RB, Las Vegas Raiders
Keep an eye on this one. Similar to Willis and Ridder, he is a very good draft and stash. The Raiders did not pick up the fifth-year option on Josh Jacobs, making White and Kenyan Drake the only running backs under contract next season.
Jelani Woods, TE, Indianapolis Colts
Second TE off the board, Woods goes to the Colts who love to run multiple TE sets. Mo Alie-Cox is the only other TE that Woods will compete with. He is a big, lengthy, agile tight end who Matt Ryan should find easy to throw to.
2022 Fantasy Football Rookie Rankings
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