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Every year there is at least one player that no one saw coming. That player gets completely overlooked during the draft season and becomes the popular waiver wire pickup that propels teams to championships. But what if you could draft that player before he breaks out? Before he becomes that guy that everyone is trying to add to their roster? What if you already had them on your team when they break out?
If you had read this column from me last offseason (or paid attention to me at all last offseason), maybe you would have drafted 49ers running back Elijah Mitchell? Here’s this year’s “All Un-Drafted” team…
QB1: Jared Goff (QB – DET) QB28/190 Overall
Goff is never a sexy choice to have as your QB1. Still, if we are looking at quarterbacks that are going completely undrafted, I’d trust Goff over some of the other names on that list — names like Daniel Jones, Davis Mills, Marcus Mariota, and Mitch Trubisky. If you squint hard enough, there are some things to like about Goff for the 2022 season.
First off, Goff was without his main weapons for a lot of last season. D’Andre Swift and T.J. Hockenson missed a total of 11 games; rookie WR Amon-Ra St. Brown was their leading receiver last season, but he didn’t really start to make an impact until Week 12, and the Lions running game was in the bottom half of the league.
This season, we hope Swift and Hockenson can stay healthy, the Lions added a rookie WR in the 1st round in Jameson Williams, and St. Brown will look to build on his phenomenal rookie campaign. If those things can pan out, and those are some big ifs, Goff can put up some good fantasy numbers as he did over his final four games of 2021 when he averaged nearly 18fppg.
RB1: Isiah Pacheco (RB – KC) RB70/209 Overall
The buzz around this kid may force me to remove him from the “All-UnDrafted” team before the season starts, but as it stands now, he is still outside of the top 200 players and very much belongs on this list. It is within the realm of possibilities that Pacheco is the RB1 in Kansas City at some point this season, and maybe even as early as Week 1.
Pacheco started to turn heads at the NFL Combine, where he ran the fastest 40-time among running backs, posting a 4.37, and PlayerProfiler.com has his speed score at a 98th-percentile 118.5. Speed score takes into account the player’s weight, which at 5-foot-10 216lbs, a 4.37 40 time is elite-level speed.
Pacheco, by all reports, is turning heads in Chief’s camp and getting reps with the first team. The Chief’s backfield is far from impressive, with disappointing third-year RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire and journeyman Jerrick McKinnon the only two players ahead of Pacheco on the depth chart. Head coach Andy Ried will play the best guy, and if that guy is Pacheco, he could end up a steal in your redraft leagues.
RB2: Tyler Badie (RB – BAL) RB97/287 Overall
With the news that Gus Edwards was going to miss the first part of the season, Badie saw a little bump in ADP, but not a big enough bump in my opinion. With J.K. Dobbins trending to play Week 1, there is still a chance he is limited early in the season, and while everyone expects Mike Davis to assume the role of the No. 2 on this team, Badie offers significantly more upside.
Mike Davis, despite playing in all 17 games for Atlanta last season, had only two games in which he rushed for 50 or more yards in a game — both coming in the first five weeks with exactly 50 yards in Week 3 and 53 in Week 5. His receiving numbers weren’t much better with only five games with five or more targets, and four of those five were all in the first seven weeks. Davis faded dramatically as the season progressed. For a team like the Falcons that lacked weapons, I take that as a sign he is not the running back we remember filling in for Christian McCaffery a few seasons ago.
Now that I’ve torn down Mike Davis, let me build up Tyler Badie. At 5-foot-8, 197lbs, and a 4.45 40 time, Badie’s speed and elusiveness are two things he brings to the table that Davis does not. Badie also offers tremendous upside in the passing game, having caught 54 passes on 74 targets in college in his final season at Missouri. Badie has looked good in limited action in the preseason, and watching these highlights has me excited to see him on the field in some meaningful snaps:
All of Tyler Badie’s touches.
NFL Preseason Week 3. pic.twitter.com/8yp3cfH0UX— Zareh Kantzabedian (@ZKantzFF) August 22, 2022
WR1: James Proche (WR – BAL) N/A
Proche is so far off the redraft radar he doesn’t even appear in the top 400 on FantasyPros, but I think he has an opportunity to surprise some people. Everyone assumes Devin Duvernay is the WR2 in this offense, but I believe that Proche, not Duvernay, will have more targets and catches this season. Proche has proven to be a playmaker in camp and has routinely made some highlight catches.
We have yet to see Proche in a preseason game, so there is no game film on him from this season, but there have been some clips from camp where he and Lamar Jackson are showing some good chemistry in passing drills. Like this one from early in camp:
Lamar Jackson’s 💣 to WR James Proche pic.twitter.com/wHOvnGKSP7
— Kyle Phoenix Barber (@KylePBarber) August 4, 2022
Proche is a long shot to have huge fantasy relevance. Still, if he can get some decent volume from the slot to go along with his big play ability, he could be someone you use during bye weeks or to cover injuries in 2022, and that’s worth a late-round flier in deeper redraft leagues.
WR2: Isaiah McKenzie (WR – BUF) WR71/177 Overall
McKenzie and Jamison Crowder are expected to split time in the slot role that was vacated when Beasley was released this offseason. Still, with McKenzie’s speed, big play ability, and versatility, I don’t see how the Bills can take him off the field. Crowder’s production has dropped in each of the last two seasons, and he hasn’t been able to stay on the field — missing four games in 2020 and five games last season.
We’ve seen glimpses of what McKenzie can do when given the opportunity, none bigger than his 11-catch, 125-yard, one touchdown performance last season against the New England Patriots. He also had a six-catch, two-touchdown game at the end of the 2020 season, so he is more than a flash in the pan.
If McKenzie were to win the full-time slot role over Crowder, he’d be stepping into the 100-plus targets that were vacated with Beasley’s departure. I don’t know about you, but if I can get a player in the late rounds that will get 100-plus targets on the season, I’m drafting him every time.
TE: Austin Hooper (TE – TEN) TE25/197 Overall
People forget just how good Hooper was in his last season in Atlanta. He finished that season with 97 targets, 75 catches for 787 yards, and six touchdowns. He was the TE6 in PPR leagues, and now he steps into an offense that has limited options in the passing game. Tannehill targeted the tight end position 107 times in 2021, with Anthony Firkser and Geoff Swaim getting 43 and 40 targets, respectively. Hooper is a significant upgrade over both of them and will absorb a lot of those targets.
The reports coming out of camp were that Hooper has been the most targeted player on the field and has had great chemistry with Ryan Tannehill. If you are a “wait on TE” drafter, Hooper might just be the best option at the end of your drafts. Stack up on those runnings backs and wide receivers, and grab Hooper in the last round before drafting kicker and defense.
Flex: Jeff Wilson Jr. (RB – SF) RB83/263 Overall
If you follow me at all, you will know how big of an Elijah Mitchell fan I am. Still, even as his biggest supporter, I cannot deny that he has had some issues staying healthy — in fact, his Week 1 availability is in question due to a hamstring injury. The 49ers running backs have always been productive under head coach Mike Shanahan, the issue has always been who’s getting the bulk of the carries. If Elijah Mitchell were to miss time, I believe Jeff Wilson Jr. is that guy.
Wilson Jr. has been in this offense longer than any of the other running backs, and he has shown that he can be successful when given the opportunity. I don’t like drafting a player with the expectation that the guy in front of him would need to get hurt before he had any value. However, Wilson Jr. is someone I would definitely keep an eye on as the season progresses. If there are any signs of Elijah Mitchell wearing down, scoop up Wilson Jr. before your league mates — you will thank me later.
If you want to dive deeper into fantasy football, be sure to check out our award-winning slate of Fantasy Football Tools as you navigate your season. From our Start/Sit Assistant – which provides your optimal lineup based on accurate consensus projections – to our Trade Analyzer – which allows you to instantly find out if a trade offer benefits you or your opponent – we’ve got you covered this fantasy football season.
