I hope you are doing 10 mock drafts a day, if not, that is ok I did the work for you. I do at least 10 mocks a day, and in each draft, I have five players that are a must-draft in all your leagues. I do play in PPR format, but these players will still be a factor.
However, after a whole month, I’ve narrowed it down to these five players that are a must-draft. The beauty of it is, that at their ADPs all these players will land on your team. So, let’s go into it.
My 5 Must-Draft Players for 2022
Mike Williams, LAC
No matter what, Mike Williams is going to be my number one receiver. The Chargers have one of the most promising offenses and Kennan Allen is only getting older. If Williams didn’t get hurt during that stretch last season, he would have blown Allen out of the water.
Williams had more yards than Allen, despite those four weeks he was dealing with an injury. We all say Williams is the new guy for Justin Herbert. But, Allen is going to the end of the second round or early third round. And Williams is going in the fourth.
It is a no-brainer, go hard on running backs early and you will still end up with a WR1 in the fourth round. Who knows you could pair Justin Jefferson up with Williams and have the best wide receiver duo in your league.
Also another thing. The AFC west is so stacked. So, every game is going to be a shoot-out, which means more fantasy points. Hence why Williams is a must-draft player for 2022.
Saquon Barkley, NYG
I know it is hard to take the risk on Saquon Barkley. But the Giants improved their offensive line this year and Barkley looks as healthy as ever. We saw spurts of greatness last year, with Daniel Jones under center. Brian Daboll is the new head coach and will be his offensive mind in this system.
Barkley is going in the third round in some leagues, but I’ve seen him consistently going in the middle of the second round. Barkley has no competition this year and looks the be the biggest bounce-back player this season. Fantasy is all about taking risks and in the second round, Barkley is capable of finishing in the top five.
AJ Dillon, GB
AJ Dillon is one of my top breakouts for the 2022 season. I know Aaron Jones is the clear number one, but Dillon is slowly making his way into splitting the carries. Dillon is a red zone god, and with Davante Adams gone, I assure you Dillon will have the red zone touches this year.
His ADP has him going around the sixth round. The other players in that round are Josh Jacobs, Marquise Brown, Jerry Jeudy, and Darnell Mooney. All of whom have question marks or haven’t produced in games. We know Dillon can produce and is highly efficient. He is a high-end RB2 that can be used at the flex.
Green Bay needs scoring options and I see the two running backs taking in a lot of fantasy points this year.
Trey Lance, SF
Trey Lance is officially the starting quarterback. I love Lance because he is going in the 10th round. Lance has all the upside as a late-round quarterback this year. In three games last year when Lance had the ball under center he had 161 rushing yards.
If you think about it, Lance only needs to rush for 40 yards and that is equivalent to one touchdown. So if he rushes for 40 and throws a touchdown along with his other stats, he is easily going to average close to 20 fantasy points a game.
Also, Kyle Shanahan is a quarterback guru. I have all the trust in Lance this season. Also, remember when Lamar Jackson took over and had little reps before his MVP season? Yeah, Lance will have the same breakout opportunity. And worse to worse, you can always stream a quarterback, but Lance will finish in the top seven this year.
Rhamondre Stevenson, NE
Rhamondre Steven rounds out my top five must-draft players for 2022. I know New England is the worst when it comes to knowing who to start at running back. But, I’m sure Stevenson will take over this backfield. He is the better pass catcher, so in PPR he will be a solid start.
He is going around the ninth round, so this is when you need to take risks on players. Stevenson has all the upside in the passing game. We saw his upside when Damien Harris was injured. Also, James White is gone, so it is just Harris and Stevenson.
Great picks. Read my mind about a couple of them and especially the thought of going hard on rbs early. Also, Fantrax is the best site for leagues without a doubt. No other comes close. I came across Fantrax about 4-5 years ago and it is the only one I use for my sports leagues, and I have converted dozens of friends and family to Fantrax users. All others can suck on deez!!