Best Ball Plays & Strategy

Najee checks all of the boxes in order to qualify as a contender for the RB1 crown. First, his 91st-percentile speed score (110.2) qualifies him as having an elite trait. Secondly, Najee has proven to be dominant in both the NFL and in college. Last season, Najee posted a dominator rating of 30.1-percent, which ranked him No. 5 in the NFL amongst running backs. Thirdly, Najee has multiple paths to fantasy points- both in the rushing and receiving game.

Only the New York Jets ran the ball fewer times than the Tampa Bay Buccaneers did last season. Tampa finished almost 70 rushing attempts below league-average. The year prior, they had the fourth-fewest attempts in the league. They smartly took advantage of the arm of Tom Brady in his two seasons with the team.

Everyone wants the new, flashy thing. It could be a car or a gaming console. It could also be young, rising NFL player looking to make a name for themselves for their fantasy teams. Sometimes, old reliable can get the job done, and that’s the case with these five players.

If you’re reading this I’m sure you’ve had a disappointing season from one of your fantasy players that you either drafted early or paid handsomely for in a trade. For me, after not being able to get my hands on Christian McCaffrey for three years I finally received the 1.01 in one of my redraft leagues in 2020. Of course, once I finally got him he battled injuries all year and only played in 3 games. Another example would be Trey Lance in 2021 who was drafted over Jimmy Garoppolo in most leagues and expected to at least start at some point.

Free agency and the draft have passed, and the only Bills additions were Khalil Shakir and Jamison Crowder. Both players are replacing losses of Cole Beasley and Emmanuel Sanders. Luckily for Davis, neither profiles as the split-end receiver Davis is. We should have confidence in Davis as a full-time option in 2022. The question is how high of upside he presents in that role.

If you’re reading this I’m sure you’ve had a disappointing season from one of your fantasy players that you either drafted early or paid handsomely for in a trade. For me, after not being able to get my hands on Christian McCaffrey for three years, I finally received the 1.01 in one of my redraft leagues in 2020. Of course, once I finally got him he battled injuries all year and only played in three games. Another disappointing player would be Calvin Ridley. He was averaging 14.2 fantasy points per game in five games before sitting out the rest of the year with mental health issues.

The 2022 Falcons Backfield Breakdown is part of an offseason series in which I take a deep dive into one NFL team’s backfield and examine the respective rushing performances of the players in it. In doing so, I hope to gain insights into key players from a talent evaluation standpoint, and using that evaluation as a baseline, from a dynasty valuation standpoint.

If you’re reading this I’m sure you’ve had a disappointing season from one of your fantasy players that you either drafted early or paid handsomely for in a trade. For me, after not being able to get my hands on Christian McCaffrey for 3 years I finally received the 1.01 in one of my redraft leagues in 2020. Of course, once I finally got him he battled injuries all year and only played in 3 games. Another example would be Mike Davis last season who was picked up by many with the expectation he would be the Falcons starting running back. Unfortunately for Davis and his fantasy owners, Cordarrelle Patterson was finally allowed to truly showcase his talents and took hold of the most productive carries. In no particular order, here are 5 running backs to avoid as they have some valid red flags that may lead to disappointment in 2022.

The Las Vegas Raiders didn’t have this problem in 2021 when it was the Hunter Renfrow and Darren Waller show. There was no third target in Las Vegas that demanded Derek Carr’s attention. Nothing could be further from the truth going into the 2022 campaign – not with the acquisition of Davante Adams, who is arguably the best receiver in the NFL. 

Dalvin Cook has never played a full season, and he doesn’t necessarily need one to produce great numbers. 2021 wasn’t necessarily a bad year, averaging 15.9 (No. 9 among qualified running bacs) Fantasy Points Per Game in 13 games played. He finished with 1,159 (No. 5) rushing yards, but only scored six (No. 27) TDs. In 2020 he scored 17 times, and in 2019 he scored 13 times. Look for positive regression in the TD department next season, as well as more receptions.

2022 could be both a breakout and bounceback season for Cam Akers. While he hasn’t technically produced a great fantasy season yet, he has shown flashes of what he’s capable of. With Sony Michel gone, and a full offseason, he will look to return to form and finish as a top RB. He is the dynasty RB6 for a reason. He should be the main running back on the defending Super Bowl Champ Rams, which provides tons of upside.