We are just days away from the start of the 2022 NFL season, which means we are also in the middle of the heavy fantasy football draft season. For some of us, that includes many industry analyst drafts, where some of the best minds in the world of fantasy compete against each other for bragging rights. I was involved in one such draft, the FLEX (Fantasy League of Experts), which was created by Jake Ciely.
This 12-team, 0.5 PPR league requires a starting lineup that includes a quarterback, two running backs, three wide receivers, two flex positions (RB/WR/TE), a tight end and a defense/special teams unit.
The scoring system is standard (no bonuses).
With so many folks drafting this week, I thought I’d give you an inside look into how I approached this draft round by round. That includes rounds where I had to call an audible – Omaha! – because the players I would have chosen were drafted ahead of me and I had to make a last-second alteration in my approach.
Here’s my round-by-round thoughts during a draft chock full of fantasy “sharps.” You can check out the entire 16-round draft board at the bottom of the article.
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ROUND 1
1.4. Najee Harris, RB, Steelers: Jonathan Taylor, Christian McCaffrey and Austin Ekeler were the first three players off the board, so I went with Harris at No. 4. He’s going to see another huge workload, including targets from Mitchell Trubisky and/or Kenny Pickett, and I’m not concerned about the Steelers offensive line (it wasn’t great last season, either). I’m expecting another major season.
ROUND 2
2.21. Aaron Jones, RB, Packers: Just seven wide receivers were selected to this point, so I decided to go with another running back knowing I’d get a good wideout in the third round. That back was Jones, who will remain a major playmaker in the Packers offense. Even while in a projected backfield committee with AJ Dillon, I can still see him catching 50-plus passes with double-digit touchdowns.
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ROUND 3
3.28. Keenan Allen, WR, Chargers: Tyreek Hill, A.J. Brown and Mike Evans went ahead of me, but I was fine landing Allen in this round. I actually have him ranked ahead of Brown and Evans at the position, and catching passes from the best young quarterback in the league in Justin Herbert makes Allen that much more of an asset. A virtual target hog, I’m banking on the veteran to see 150-plus looks.
ROUND 4
4.45. Brandin Cooks, WR, Texans: I was definitely going with a wideout here, and Cooks was the best option on my board. He might not be the sexiest pick in fantasy drafts, but he’s reliable, consistent and the top option in the Texans offense. He’s recorded 1,000-plus yards in all but one season since 2015, and his 90 catches last year was a career best. Davis Mills will continue to look to Cooks often.
ROUND 5
5.52. David Montgomery, RB, Bears: With two runners and two receivers on the roster, I was going with the best player on the board at either position. That ended up being Montgomery. He was the RB21 a season ago, but he ranked tied for 12th in points per game among backs with at least 13 games played.
ROUND 6
6.69. T.J. Hockenson, TE, Lions: I don’t need to get an elite tight end in drafts, but I also don’t want one who’ll drive me nuts on a week-to-week basis. With the top six tight ends on my board already taken, I decided to grab Hockenson. He was seventh at the position last season in points per game (minimum 11 games played), and he averaged seven targets for the Lions. pass attack.
ROUND 7
7.76. Hunter Renfrow, WR, Raiders: I was hoping that DeAndre Hopkins would fall to me here (I’ll eat the six games and have a stud wideout when I really need him), but he came off the board two picks before me. Knowing that I needed to go with a wide receiver, I took Renfrow. Is he going to be the WR10 again like he was a year ago? Nope. But slot men have often done well in coach Josh McDaniels’s offense.
ROUND 8
8.93. Tyler Lockett, WR, Seahawks: I was going with the top wideout on the board here, and that happened to be Lockett. I realize 1,000-plus yards and eight scores is unlikely with Geno Smith under center, but Lockett should still be second in targets behind DK Metcalf and he’s the No. 4 receiver on my team. I’ll play the matchups and sit him down if Smith is really stinking up the joint this season.
ROUND 9
9.100. Antonio Gibson, RB, Commanders: I have to start out by saying that this draft occurred before Brian Robinson was involved in a shooting over the weekend. Of course, our thoughts and prayers are with the talented rookie to make a quick recovery and hopefully he’ll be back on the field sooner than later. That being said, Gibson being on the board in Round 9 shows how his stock had fallen.
ROUND 10
10.117. Matthew Stafford, QB, Rams: When you’re in a one-quarterback league with a bunch of sharps, you can always wait on a quarterback and still get a star. I was hoping Tom Brady would fall to me, but he was selected six spots before my turn. As a result, I audibled to Stafford. The QB6 from last season, the veteran is going to throw the ball a ton (again), and he now has Allen Robinson in the mix.
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ROUND 11
11.124. Rondale Moore, WR, Cardinals: My plan in this round was to search for an upside player at either running back or wide receiver, and Moore was the best option on my board. He’s certainly a playmaker, and reports suggest the Cardinals want to get him more touches (at least until Hopkins is back from suspension).
ROUND 12
12.141. Aaron Rodgers, Packers: My quarterbacks might not be spring chickens, but Stafford and Rodgers both finished in the top six at the position last season. I do expect some regression from the latter of course, as he’ll be without Davante Adams in what will be a less-productive pass attack. But Rodgers is still a low QB1.
ROUND 13
13.148. Tyler Allgeier, RB, Falcons: I feel pretty good about my running backs, so Allgeier was well worth a roll of the dice. The Falcons backfield is looking a bit crowded with Cordarrelle Patterson and Damien Williams, but they’re both in their 30s. As a result, Allgeier could get a few more touches than projected.
ROUND 14
14.163. Cowboys defense: Allow me to be a bit of a Cowboys honk! This defense was the best in the fantasy football world a season ago, and it better step up if the team has any chance of duplicating its 12 wins from last year. With playmakers like Micah Parsons and Trevon Diggs, I’m banking on Big D to be a top-10 unit.
ROUND 15
15.170. Albert Okwuegbunam, TE, Broncos: Okwuegbunam might have some deep sleeper appeal in the Broncos offense, so he was worth a late-round flier in the draft. The team has already lost Tim Patrick for the season, and Okwuegbunam is a good pass catcher in the offense for Russell Wilson.
ROUND 16
16.187. Van Jefferson, WR, Rams: This was a dart throw (at this point they all are), but why not throw that dart into an offense that’s very likely to score a ton of points? Jefferson will open as the Rams’ No. 3 wideout, and he’ll retain that role unless the team re-signs Odell Beckham Jr. (knee) at some point later in the year.
Round by round FLEX draft:
- 2022 Fantasy Football Draft Kit
- 10-Team PPR Mock Draft Review
- Preseason Week 3 Fantasy Takeaways
- ADP Fallers
- Training Camp News on Waller, Pierce and Edwards
- Best and Worst Draft Picks in Round 1
- Fantasy Tiers: QB | RB | WR | TE
- Draft Strategies: Picks 1-3 | Picks 4-6 | Picks 7-9 | Picks 10-12
- Early Look at 2023 QB Carousel
Michael Fabiano is an award-winning fantasy football analyst on Sports Illustrated and a member of the Fantasy Sports Writers Association (FSWA) Hall of Fame. Click here to read all his articles here on SI Fantasy. You can follow Michael on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Instagram for your late-breaking fantasy news and the best analysis in the business!
