Fantasy Football Player Notes
2022 Draft Rankings
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3.
Austin Ekeler
RB - (at DEN)
Austin Ekeler isn't used as a true three-down workhorse, but it's hard to tell based on the actual amount of touches he sees in the Los Angeles Chargers offense. At 5-foot-10 and 200 pounds, Ekeler finished 8th in the NFL in total touches (276) and 14th in touches per game (17.2).
But the raw touches hardly showcase the fantasy value Ekeler possesses, because he often commands an extremely high-share of high-value targets ie. targets and red-zone opportunities. His 13.9% target share and 70 receptions ranked second behind only Najee Harris. Ekeler's 18 red-zone touchdowns and 63 red-zone touches ranked first and second respectively. With such a secure role as a receiver out of the backfield and as a featured red-zone weapon in a high-powered offense, it's hard to imagine a healthy Ekeler not returning at least top-5 fantasy status in 2022. He wrapped a bow on the 2021 season as the RB3 in points per game and RB2 overall in half-point scoring. |
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32.
Keenan Allen
WR - (at DEN)
The 2021 season represented the latest installment of Keenan Allen just being straight a baller and one of the most perennially underrated wide receivers in the NFL. He caught 100-plus passes for the fifth straight season and finished as the WR14 overall and in fantasy points per game (12.8).
The Chargers slot receiver remained Justin Herbert's go-to option as his 17th-ranked 22% target share led the Chargers. But it's worth noting that Mike Williams out-scored Allen in half-point scoring in the season's totality, and that Allen posted his lowest yards per route run (1.78) since 2014. |
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48.
Justin Herbert
QB - (at DEN)
Justin Herbert finished third in touchdowns and fifth in PFF passing grade (91.8) from a clean pocket in 2021. The Bolts quarterback also wrapped up the season as PFF's third-highest-graded quarterback overall, third in fantasy points per game (22.7) and fifth in expected fantasy points per game (21.7)
The Los Angeles Chargers signal-caller is a certified stud - a top-five, elite-tier fantasy quarterback in 2022. Only Tom Brady and Josh Allen posted as many top-5 weeks as Herbert did last season. He and Brady led the NFL with nine 300-yard passing games. Since entering the NFL in 2020, Herbert has thrown for 300-plus yards in 53% of his games played. Even if his rushing doesn't stack up with the league's elite, Herbert's cannon provides almost everything he needs to close the gap. |
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52.
Mike Williams
WR - (at DEN)
Mike Williams had the opportunity to take his talents elsewhere this offseason in free agency, but decided to stay in Los Angeles with quarterback Justin Herbert. Hard to argue with the choice to sign a three-year deal worth $60M attached to a young superstar quarterback, especially when that quarterback fueled a career-year.
He stormed out the gate in 2021 as the WR2 in fantasy through the first five weeks of the season, averaging 94.2 receiving yards and 1.2 receiving touchdowns per game. Big Mike finished the season as the WR23 in fantasy points per game despite cooling off considerably in the later weeks in addition to leaving a boatload of touchdown production on the table. He finished sixth in end-zone targets (16) but caught only five for touchdowns. With positive TD regression on his side, Williams looks like a sneaky candidate to repeat his WR12 overall finish in the half-point scoring format. |
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145.
Isaiah Spiller
RB - (at DEN)
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167.
Gerald Everett
TE - (at DEN)
Gerald Everett was solid during stretches of the 2021 season, particularly after Russell Wilson returned from injury. The ex-Rams tight end ranked as the TE9 in fantasy points per game (PPR) from Weeks 10-16 while running a route on 74% of dropbacks.
Everett proved he can be a featured No. 1 tight end for the Chargers coming off a career year. He achieved career-highs in receptions (48) and receiving yards (478) and wreaked havoc with the ball in his hands, forcing 11 missed tackles after the catch - sixth-most among tight ends. His peripheral metrics in Seattle's offense - 12% target share, 63% route participation and 17% target rate per route run - were nearly identical to Jared Cook on the Chargers offense last season. Cook finished as TE16 overall which seems like Everett's fantasy floor heading into 2022. The tackle-breaking tight end finished the 2021 season just .4 points per game short of Cook's average (8.3 versus 7.9) despite playing in an offense that ranked dead last in pass attempts per game (29.1). L.A. ranked third in that category last season (39.6). Breakout tight ends are generally athletic players who earn above-average route participation in high-powered offenses. Everett fits the profile of next season's star at the position. |
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206.
Los Angeles Chargers
DST - (at DEN)
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207.
Joshua Palmer
WR - (at DEN)
Mike Williams' return to the Chargers in free agency puts a slight damper on the sophomore breakout for Josh Palmer. But, there's still fantasy appeal to rostering the No. 3 option in a Justin Herbert-led offense.
As a rookie, Palmer averaged over seven targets per game and scored a touchdown in his three games with a 60% snap share. He was also extremely efficient in the end zone, catching three of his five total end-zone targets for TDs. |
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262.
Dustin Hopkins
K - (at DEN)
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317.
Joshua Kelley
RB - (at DEN)
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354.
Donald Parham Jr.
TE - (at DEN)
His 2021 season ended prematurely with a frightening concussion. The 6-8 Parham is expected to make a full recovery for 2022.
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372.
Jalen Guyton
WR - (at DEN)
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489.
Tre' McKitty
TE - (at DEN)
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530.
DeAndre Carter
WR - (at DEN)
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