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Fantasy Football Mock Draft: 12-Team, PPR, No. 12 Pick (2022)

Fantasy Football Mock Draft: 12-Team, PPR, No. 12 Pick (2022)

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.

Mock Draft Picks: 12-Team, PPR, No. 12 Pick

Round 1, Pick 12: Travis Kelce (TE – KC)

After finishing as the fantasy TE1 for three straight seasons, Travis Kelce was finally de-throned by Mark Andrews in 2021. The Kansas City Chiefs tight end posted his worst points per game average (16.6) dating back to 2017 while also posting a career-low in yards per route run (1.84) and PFF grade (81.8).

It seems logical that Kelce’s reign as the perennial consensus TE1 has come to a conclusion as he enters his age-33 season in 2022. However, it’s impossible to ignore the high-end target share that Kelce will command in the Chiefs’ offense after they traded Tyreek Hill. His 20% target share ranked second-best at the position in 2021. However, it was a slight fall-off from his 23% average target share from 2019 and 2020.

Round 2, Pick 1: 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/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 3, Pick 12: 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 — the 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 4, Pick 1: Jaylen Waddle (WR – MIA)

Jaylen Waddle looked primed to make the leap into the top-12 conversation after a stellar rookie season. Along with breaking Anquan Boldin’s rookie reception record, Waddle commanded a 22% target share and 24% target rate per route run – 18th-best in the NFL.

But with the expensive addition of veteran Tyreek Hill, it is less likely that Waddle is the clear-cut No. 1 receiver in Miami. Hill is coming off a season where he commanded the league’s seventh-highest target rate per route run (27%). The trade moves Waddle down from a fringe WR1 to mid-range fantasy WR2 after seeing almost zero target competition last season.

Round 5, Pick 12: Jerry Jeudy (WR – DEN)

Entering Year 3, it looked like Courtland Sutton was on the cusp of true elite fantasy WR1 production, but his 2020 season was lost due to a torn ACL in Week 2. It was unclear how productive Sutton would be returning from the devastating knee injury.

But to start the 2021 season, the Broncos wide receiver looked like his old self. He averaged 13.8 fantasy points per game (17th) and had a 27% target share in Weeks 2-7 during the regular season.

It wasn’t until Jerry Jeudy’s return from injury that Sutton — and the rest of the Broncos’ pass catchers — became obsolete in a crowded, run-heavy offense led by a combination of Drew Lock/Teddy Bridgewater. Nevertheless, Sutton finished the season as the fantasy WR46.

However, even in the anemic offense, Sutton still finished seventh in air yards (1,756), cemented in between Tyler Lockett and DK Metcalf, in 2021.

Sutton has a real chance to recapture his elite form another year removed from his ACL injury. It also helps substantially that he has received an ultra upgrade at the quarterback position with Denver’s trade for Russell Wilson.

Wilson has always been an elite downfield passer — he had the sixth-highest passer rating on throws of 20-plus air yards last season — which plays heavily into Sutton’s strengths as a vertical threat.

Round 6, Pick 1: Elijah Mitchell (RB – SF)

Elijah Mitchell ran away with the job last season en route to finishing as the RB14 in fantasy points per game. He was third in opportunity share, but his underlying rushing metrics were a lackluster ball of meh. He was 36th in juke rate, 30th in breakaway run rate, and 34th in yards created per touch. With his 7.0% target share and 25th ranking in route participation, he doesn’t have the pass game usage to save him if the rushing volume and efficiency aren’t there. It’s still possible that the 49ers roll it back in 2022 with him as the primary rusher, though, as long as he doesn’t face plant in camp.

Round 7, Pick 12: 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 RB2 production this season, but there’s the risk with his injury history and how high-value touches could be divided up in 2022.

Fantasy Football Redraft Draft Kit

Round 8, Pick 1: Dak Prescott (QB – DAL)

Dak Prescott rebounded nicely from a lost 2020 season (due to injury) as the QB9 in weekly fantasy scoring. Prescott’s former rushing floor evaporated as he finished with the lowest rushing yardage total (146) for a full season of his career. Despite losing Amari Cooper this offseason, the Cowboy’s passing attack should be fine as the team retained Michael Gallup and Dalton Schultz and added Jalen Tolbert and James Washington. Dallas led the NFL in neutral pace last season. With heightened play volume helping his passing numbers, Prescott should have no issues compensating for the lost rushing production as a locked-in top ten fantasy quarterback.

Round 9, Pick 12: Allen Lazard (WR – GB)

Aaron Rodgers trusts Lazard after they have spent the last four seasons together, and their chemistry was on full display over the final 5 weeks of the 2021 regular season. Lazard was the WR8 in PPR scoring on the back of 21 receptions for 290 receiving yards and five touchdowns. Someone on Green Bay will have to replace Davante Adams‘ elite red-zone production, and Lazard looks to fit the mold at 6-foot-5.

Round 10, Pick 1: Jakobi Meyers (WR – NE)

Jakobi Meyers is easily the most slept-on wide receiver in fantasy football. The former undrafted free agent has been the Patriots’ target leader for the past two seasons, with his most recent accomplishment finishing top-12 in target share (23%) in 2021.

The high-end target share also aligned with Meyer’s deployment in the Patriots’ passing attack, where Meyers was running a route on 92% of team dropbacks – the sixth-highest mark in the league.

New England’s No. 1 receiver just needs to cash in on more touchdowns to unlock his fantasy ceiling. He has been extremely underused in that category; his 866 receiving yards resulting in two touchdowns were the lowest of any WR in 2021.

Round 11, Pick 12: J.D. McKissic (RB – WAS)

In fantasy, J.D. McKissic has stacked back-to-back seasons of top 36 running back production (RB25, RB28). The Commanders are hell-bent on capping Antonio Gibson‘s ceiling, but you can’t fault them because McKissic remains one of the best receiving backs in the NFL. Last season he ranked fourth in target share and yards per route run among running backs. McKissic could see a hit to his raw volume and touchdown expectations (which were already low) if Brian Robinson gets involved on early downs and even a smidge in the passing game. Because of this, McKissic is best viewed as an RB4 with some upside.

Round 12, Pick 1: 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 12: Rondale Moore (WR – ARI)

Rondale Moore is entering his second season with a straightforward path for an expanded role in the Cardinals’ offense. He flashed his potential early on for Arizona in 2021, with 182 receiving yards in his first two NFL games. But Kliff Kingsbury never opted to go back to Moore with the likes of A.J. Green and Christian Kirk playing solid roles. We should see Moore — and his dead-last 1.3 aDOT — experience significant growth in Year 2 especially with DeAndre Hopkins suspended for the first six weeks of the season.

Round 14, Pick 1: Tim Patrick (WR – DEN)

Pairing Tim Patrick with Russell Wilson is the best way to find fantasy value in the later rounds of drafts. Patrick is seriously underrated despite the fact that he has out-produced Jerry Jeudy in the fantasy points column the last two seasons and has seen a featured role as a red-zone threat.

His production over the last two seasons earned him a three-year, $34.5 million contract extension. Like it or not, Patrick will be on the field as much — if not more — as Jeudy in 2022 as the boundary receiver opposite Courtland Sutton. And their two ADPs couldn’t be more different.

CTAs

Mock Draft Results and Analysis

FantasyPros Staff Consensus 2022 Redraft Fantasy Football Rankings

2022 Fantasy Football Rankings powered by FantasyPros

 


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