It’s never too early to prepare for your 2022 fantasy football draft. What better way to do so than to mock draft against the top experts in the fantasy football industry! You can use our FREE mock draft simulator to do just that. Let’s take a look at our latest mock draft and player notes.
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Mock Draft Picks: 12-Team, PPR, No. 9 Pick
Round 1, Pick 9: Joe Mixon (RB – CIN)
Joe Mixon was an absolute steal in the second round of fantasy drafts in 2021 based on his easily projected large workload within an ascending offense. The Bengals running back finished the season third in total touches (334) and sixth in touches per game (20.9).
Mixon also ranked third in goal-line carries (16) and tied Jonathan Taylor and James Conner in red-zone touchdowns. 2021 was the perfect storm for the fantasy RB3 in half-point scoring coming off a truncated 2020 campaign, and there’s reason to believe the positive production will continue in 2022.
The Bengals’ offensive line has been revamped entirely, ensuring that Mixon will be able to repeat his top-10 PFF rushing grade from a season ago. He also flashed upside as a receiver down the playoff stretch for the Bengals, averaging nearly six targets per game while running a route on 57% of offensive dropbacks through six games. That route participation would have ranked third among all running backs during the regular season.
Mixon fits all the criteria that a fantasy manager would want as a mid-range first-round selection in fantasy football. However, he owns the RB7 ADP at 12th overall in early best ball drafts.
Round 2, Pick 4: Aaron Jones (RB – GB)
Aaron Jones finished last season as the RB11 in fantasy points per game despite ceding more work to A.J. Dillon as the year moved along. In Weeks 14-17, Jones saw 38 carries, three red zone opportunities and ran 76 routes. In that same sample of games, Dillon gobbled up 45 carries with 13 red zone looks and 54 routes run. With Davante Adams gone, Jones could save his fantasy scoring with a heavier target load. Since 2019 in the seven games Jones has played without Adams on the field, he’s seen his targets bump from 3.9 per game to 6.7. His receiving yardage also increased from 21.6 to 55.4 per game. While he might not have top 3-5 upside anymore if Dillon remains involved, Jones could still be a low-end RB1 or high-end RB2.
Round 3, Pick 9: Mike Evans (WR – TB)
Mike Evans’ consistency in fantasy football is astounding. Over the last eight seasons, he’s hit 1,000 or more every year. He’s finished as a top 20 wide receiver in weekly fantasy scoring in every season but one. Last season he ranked 11th in red-zone targets and second in total touchdowns at the receiver position. With Tom Brady back in the fold, Evans is a locked-in top 12 option at the receiver position that could crest the top five if Chris Godwin is slow out the gate or starts the season on the PUP.
Round 4, Pick 4: Michael Pittman Jr. (WR – IND)
Pittman got the true WR1 treatment from the Colts coaching staff in 2021, running a route on 96% of offensive dropbacks — third to only Cooper Kupp (WR1) and Ja’Marr Chase (WR4) through 17 weeks. He also finished the season tied for the league’s eighth-highest target share (24%), which was 11 percentage points higher than the next closest Colt, Zach Pascal, at 13%.
He also made 18 highlight-reel contested catches — fourth-most in the NFL. And his 31% target share from Weeks 13-18 cemented his place in Indy’s WR1 chair heading into 2022.
With Matt Ryan under center Pittman has the volume potential to be a top-12 fantasy option. Ryan has a history of fueling top-end fantasy WRs like Julio Jones and Calvin Ridley, making a top-five finish not all that crazy for Big Mike in 2022.
Don’t forget that last season, Ridley as the Falcons’ No. 1 receiver owned the sixth-highest target rate per route run and ranked second among all wide receivers in expected fantasy points per game (16.5).
Round 5, Pick 9: Marquise Brown (WR – ARI)
Marquise Brown seems slated for a massive target share in the Arizona Cardinals’ pass-heavy offense.
Brown posted a top-12 target share last season (23%) with Baltimore. The speedy wideout also commanded a whopping 27% target share back in 2018 at Oklahoma — the last time he played with Murray. Christian Kirk was WR12 during the last four weeks without Hopkins in the lineup.
The Cardinals paid a premium to acquire Brown, so fantasy managers should expect them to use him plenty. Brace yourself for Brown to skyrocket up 2022 best-ball rankings as a top-20 fantasy WR option.
Round 6, Pick 4: Lamar Jackson (QB – BAL)
Lamar Jackson had a season to forget in 2021, as he dealt with a plethora of injuries/illnesses and regressed immensely as a passer. Two key metrics at PFF that are important to analyze for QBs are performance in a clean pocket and throwing at the intermediate level.
Jackson ranked 28th in passer rating from a clean pocket (90.4) and 22nd in PFF passing grade at the intermediate level (70.0). Despite all his shortcomings as a passer, Jackson still finished the season second in expected fantasy points per game (23.8) and seventh in fantasy points per game (21.3).
His expected fantasy point per game output marked the highest of his career thanks to the Ravens’ willingness to throw more in 2021. From 2019-2020, Jackson had 37 or more passing attempts in a game only four times. He did so five times in 2021, with Baltimore throwing at a 60% clip.
However, I would not anticipate the pass-heavy approach to continue into 2022. Their philosophical change on offense was forced out of necessity based on the injuries. But a lack of passing doesn’t impact Jackson the way it does most other QBs with his greatest fantasy asset being his legs.
Jackson may never recapture his 2019 rare MVP form when he averaged north of 28 fantasy points per game, but a 22-point per game average seems like his norm based on his last two years of fantasy production. In 2020, he led all QBs in fantasy points per dropback. That cements him as a clear-cut top-5 fantasy QB.
Round 7, Pick 9: Miles Sanders (RB – PHI)
Miles Sanders opened the year playing 60-83% of snaps in the first six games but only averaging 9.5 rushing attempts per game. He did see 3.8 targets per game. He then sustained an ankle injury that landed him on the injured reserve. When he returned from the ankle injury, he was the Eagles’ clear lead back (Weeks 11-15), averaging 16.8 carries per game, although his pass game usage dried up (1.8 targets per game). Despite seeing 23 touches inside the 20, he failed to get into the endzone in 2021. While Sanders will see touchdown regression this season, he will still have to deal with Jalen Hurts near the goal line and the looming specters of Boston Scott and Kenneth Gainwell. He could return to RB2 production this season, but there’s the risk with his injury history and how high-value touches could be divided up in 2022.
Round 8, Pick 4: Brandon Aiyuk (WR – SF)
Fantasy managers are still trying to figure out what went wrong with Brandon Aiyuk during the first half of last season. He was hyped up after an impressive rookie campaign but suffered a hamstring injury during training camp that made him unreliable in the starting offense. Through Weeks 1-7, Aiyuk had just one weekly finish inside the top 25. He also averaged an abysmal 0.63 yards per route run — a mark that ranked 98th out of 102 qualifying WRs. Woof.
But give credit to Aiyuk for turning his season around during the second half. His yards per route run increased substantially (2.16, 13th) and he averaged 13.1 PPR fantasy points per game as the WR24.
If Aiyuk can roll over his second-half production into 2022, he could end up a smashing fantasy value in a similar way that Deebo Samuel was viewed in 2021.
Round 9, Pick 9: Russell Gage (WR – TB)
Russell Gage walks into the comfortable WR3 role in one of the league’s fastest-paced and pass-happiest offenses. If Chris Godwin gets off to a slow start or begins the season on the PUP, Gage could get bumped up to Brady’s second option. Gage has the talent to handle that after what he showed in 2021. He was 17th in yards per route run (minimum 50 targets, per PFF) and 12th in route win rate (per Playerprofiler.com). Brady has proven that he can support a bevy of pass-catchers in fantasy, and Gage could be the latest beneficiary to the Brady bump.
Round 10, Pick 4: Rhamondre Stevenson (RB – NE)
Rhamondre Stevenson experienced a very successful rookie season that should not be overlooked. After fully escaping the Bill Belichick doghouse in Week 9, Stevenson earned top grades across the board.
He was PFF’s third-highest graded running back (84.2). Stevenson also ranked 13th in rushing yards and in yards per route run (1.41). For fantasy, the rookie running back was the RB25 in total points scored, eight spots behind his backfield teammate Harris.
There’s a high ceiling for Stevenson, especially if you ask former Patriots linebacker Rob Ninkovich. The ESPN analyst went as far as saying that Stevenson “…will be one of the better, if not one of the top three, running backs in the league based on what I saw with his strength, explosion and catch-and-run ability.”
Round 11, Pick 9: Zach Ertz (TE – ARI)
The stage is set for Zach Ertz to volume hog his way to another top-12 tight end season. With DeAndre Hopkins missing a chunk of the season, Ertz should get off to a fantastic start. Last season without Hopkins in the lineup (Weeks 9-11, 15-18), Ertz saw a 23.7% target share and finished as a top-10 tight end in 71.4% of his games. Arizona adding Marquise Brown and Trey McBride will muddy the target waters some, but Ertz’s role in the offense and Hopkins’ missing time should allow him to get off to a fast start and propel him to another TE1 season.
Round 12, Pick 4: Darrell Henderson Jr. (RB – LAR)
Through the first 12 weeks of the 2021 season, Darrell Henderson was functioning as a fringe RB1 in all scoring formats. He ranked as the RB13 overall and RB16 in fantasy points per game (14.3) in half-point scoring, operating as Sean McVay’s bellcow back with Cam Akers sidelined due to injury.
Los Angeles would likely turn to Hendo as their pseudo-workhorse if Akers suffers another injury in 2022. And he’s likely to be productive based on this projected three-down volume and beneficial offensive environment.
Just be wary that Henderson may not offer the tantalizing league-winning upside based on his own inability to stay healthy throughout his NFL career. He’s never started more than 11 games in a season and is already dealing with a soft tissue injury in OTAs.
Round 13, Pick 9: Mecole Hardman (WR – KC)
Mecole Hardman will see an expanded role after the Tyreek Hill trade, but too often he has failed to fire when asked to take a step forward in the No. 1 WR’s absence.
The Chiefs adding a plethora of WRs in free agency along with second-rounder Skyy Moore in the NFL Draft hints they aren’t expecting a massive leap for Hardman.
My advice is to not get overly aggressive drafting a player that has yet to rid the role of a gadget player since entering the league. Because although the thought of a speedy wide receiver attached to Patrick Mahomes is enticing, the on-field production really has not been there for Hardman even from a spiked-week perspective.
Case in point, he has finished as a top-18 weekly WR in PPR once in three years to go along with a handful of 18-20th overall finishes.
Round 14, Pick 4: Noah Fant (TE – SEA)
There was hope that a QB upgrade in Denver could take Fant to the next level. Unfortunately, Fant was part of the trade package that enabled the Broncos to acquire Russell Wilson. Fant is athletic and has demonstrated his pass-catching chops, but Seattle’s bleak QB situation is going to be a limiting factor.
Mock Draft Results and Analysis
FantasyPros Staff Consensus 2022 Redraft Fantasy Football Rankings
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