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.
Bateman began his rookie year injured and hardly played with Lamar Jackson, leading to 515 receiving yards and 8.6 (No. 53) Fantasy Points Per Game in 12 games. Now, he will be the No. 2 receiving option behind Mark Andrews heading into the season. Bateman was used as a possession receiver, constantly gaining first downs, and boasting a 63.6-percent (No. 5 among qualifying receivers) Contested Catch Rate. His 82nd-percentile arm length will continue to help him be a consistent target for Jackson on the outside. Now the Ravens’ WR1, expect Bateman to see an increase from a 15.8-percent (No. 61) Target Share to a Target Share in the 20s, and his red zone opportunities will come with that volume.
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. An example from last year would be Robert Tonyan who was drafted as TE8 on average. He only played in eight games, and only two of those were double-digit performances. In no particular order, here are five tight ends to avoid as they have some valid red flags that may lead to disappointment in 2022.
Stefon Diggs has had back-to-back seasons of 160+ targets and 100+ catches. Back-to-back seasons with 1,225+ yards and 8+ touchdowns. His quarterback is Josh Allen and he plays in one of the most pass-heavy offenses in the NFL. The lack of target competition in Buffalo, combined with his role in the Bills’ offense will result in Stefon Diggs being this year’s No. 1 fantasy receiver.
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.
