He was well on his way last year, catching 18-of-20 targets, but a broken bone in his foot changed everything. DOMINATE YOUR DRAFT: Ultimate 2022 fantasy cheat sheet. If you're interested in more help while drafting, check outRotoBaller's premium "Who To Draft?" And his good luck continued in the second round, as Najee Harris tumbled to the 17th overall pick nearly a round later than his 6.84 ADP in NFC drafts, though over the past week, Harris' price has fallen to 8.41, so it might not be as outlandish as it seems. Don't let the fact he battled through injury in 2021 throw you off of what is the glaringly obvious: Henry remains atop the mountain of best running backs in the NFL. 2 overall, and things mostly continued the way you expect for the next few picks, with one exception; Cooper Kupp kept falling. . #ForTheShoe @JayT23. 2022 RANKINGS TIERS & DRAFT STRATEGY:QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | D/STs. Coming off of last weeks loss to the Bengals, the Steelers team seems defeated. Henry was on pace to rush for over 1,990 yards last season before going down with an injured foot. He was a top-5 runner last season before suffering a knee injury that had him running in quicksand in the second half. 1 running back, has seen his stock rise substantially. Jonathan Taylor is the better back but Najee Harris has shown steady improvement the last two weeks. CMC has played just 10 games total over the past two seasons. After scoring a combined 33 TDs through his 1st two seasons, Taylor scored just four rushing TDs in 2022. McKissic, Cook, Hines and Carter will no doubt be used as a pass catcher for their their respective teams. But I'd expect a bounce-back effort from Taylor in 2023. He should lead the backfield in touches, but there are too many talented backs in that room, all of whom could steal touches, especially around the goal line. For the Steelers this game marks his seventh career start as he continues to develop as Pittsburghs future franchise signal caller. That left me with Taylor as my pick at No. (2022) | FantasyPros By accessing this site you agree to our privacy policy and terms of use. He had higher grades on Wisconsin's Jonathan Taylor and LSU's Clyde Edwards-Helaire last year than the 2021 class. You could absolutely argue Christian McCaffrey or Dalvin Cook should be in the top tier both backs have demonstrated their elite skills profiles through the years but both backs also have injury histories. Taylor's carried the rock 20-plus times in both games since Jeff Saturday took over as interim head coach, but the offense might have more success through the air this week as Taylor could be. It's the reason the Dallas Cowboys awarded Ezekiel Elliott a historic contract not so long ago, and why you then saw Christian McCaffrey financially blow the roof off -- with Derrick Henry likely resetting the market in the near future. How To Get Started, Tips, and More. Michael Carter is a solid pass-catching RB, and the Jets could be throwing a lot in the second half this season. Mixon averaged 18 ppg last year, but there is talk of a further reduction in his third-down role, which limits his ceiling. Harris should dominate. Harris will see goal-line work, though, making him a low flex. Get insight into every teams' depth chart to see all the backups and sleepers you need to know with our 2022 RB . That said, there are enough obvious risks here to preclude Ekeler from going ahead of Taylor. Taylor played all 17 regular-season games in 21 and looked fine despite the massive usage. When Taylor first returned from injury (Weeks 10-13) he ranked as the RB3 overall. Thats the reason hes not among my RB1s heading into drafts. Regardless of format, you should be pretty pleased if you land Henry in the middle of the first round. We are predicting the Steelers go into Lucas Oil Stadium ad come away with the upset in a low-scoring, physical battle. The RB5 last season, Conner will likely experience touchdown regression even though his role in Arizona projects to increase a bit without Chase Edmonds. He finished with a whopping 20 scores and 1,558 all-purpose yards. Dillon led the Packers in carries and rushing yards and figures to see a bigger role in 2022, but Jones will limit him to mid to low RB2 value. Henry was on pace to rush for over 1,990 yards last season before going down with an injured foot. (2021) | FantasyPros Jonathan Taylor or Najee Harris Who Should I Draft (Keeper / Dynasty)? Yet, we have limited knowledge of what this offense will look like or how Kamara will be utilized following Sean Paytons retirement. Both of these teams went into the 2022 season hoping to be competitive in their respective divisions. Barkley is sort of hovering between the two tiers, and given the glimpse of the old Barkley that we saw in the first week of the preseason, he could even sneak up into the tier above by Labor Day weekend. Whether on the ground or through the air, JT has proven hes the most all-around dominant player at the position. Meanwhile, McCaffrey is the most prolific fantasy RB since LaDainian Tomlinson. Four of the Panthers 5 wins last season came when CMC was active and playing. RBs perform a little better than their average vs CLE, The Good Old Boys Fantasy Football Podcast, No, I'm a California resident looking for the California Consumer Privacy Act form, Finally looked healthy down 2022 stretch, could be huge rebound candidate. Facebook; Twitter; . Most Fantasy Football drafts tend to follow a relatively similar pattern, especially early on. Taylor is a threat to take it the distance from anywhere on the field, and has shown to be much better at catching passes than most had thought when he was coming into the league. Harris has coughed up the ball 3 different times in his career and his longest rush is 25 yards. Harris finished with 1,200 rushing yards and seven touchdowns. Brown) Mike Mike Mike Mike . Thats the main reason he has yet to make a Pro Bowl appearance or receive any high NFL honors. Jonathan Taylor underperformed as the RB30 in 11 games averaging 12.6 fantasy points as the RB18 when healthy. Finally looked healthy down 2022 stretch (was RB5 over last 10), could be huge rebound candidate. Indianapolis starts veteran Matt Ryan at quarterback who has never beaten the Steelers in three tries. Etienne is also returning from major injury, and James Robinson is still expected to play a significant role in the Jaguars backfield. He caught just 19-of-31 targets in 2019 and averaged only six yards per reception. In his absence, Zack. Fantasy managers looking for some late-round running backs should consider the likes of Ingram, White, Allgeier, Hilliard, Williams and Ingram, who could all see bigger roles if injuries occur to the starting running backs ahead of them. Jonathan Taylor is the better back but Najee Harris has shown steady improvement the last two weeks. The 27-year-old played just 10 games in 20 and has been dinged up countless times throughout his three prior years as a pro. How do PFN's fantasy football RB tiers for 2022 shape up as fantasy managers head into their drafts over the coming weeks? We should expect something closer to his 332 rush, 1811 rushing yards, 18 TD season in the next few years. $48 Jonathan Taylor ($50) $46 Christian McCaffrey ($41) . Some might even suggest hes the third-best or fourth-best option in PPRs despite a limited pass-catching history. Penny, who popped at the end of last season, is the favorite to start in Seattle, but can he avoid injuries? VIEW ADVICE | Edit Players Summary. All of this, and more, becomes deathly clear when attempting to identify the best in all of football at the position. For Barkley and McCaffrey, however, it's time to become what they once were, or be pushed aside entirely. We are inching closer to the start of the 2022 NFL season, and with that were seeing an obvious increase in the number of fantasy drafts. At No. Even if his workload carrying the ball is not as high as others, he could see a significant enough target share to push for a top 24 finish at the position. He is among the most talented backs in the league, but he needs to rebound from a fantasy season that saw him tally 861 rushing yards, 143 yards receiving, and 4 TDs. College Alabama. Brown (A.J. Andrew Erickson, After weekly for no fluke injuries: pic.twitter.com/DLw3CZlFW6. 2023 ABG-SI LLC. Dillon, but he should see more work as a pass catcher in a new-look Packers offense that no longer has Davante Adams. The ultimate Jonathan Taylor 2019 HighlightsA two-time Doak Walker Award winner and two-time unanimous first-team All-American, Taylor will go down as one of. 9,423 views Sep 7, 2021 101 Dislike Share The Rich Eisen Show 412K subscribers Rich Eisen. Najee Harris Highlights (2020)alabama heisman running back college football jukes trucks hits NFL Preview Preview Week 10 Running Back Rankings for Fantasy Football: Nick Chubb, Travis Etienne, Jonathan Taylor, Najee Harris After a flurry of running back injuries early in the. The former two-time NFL rushing champ was off to a blazing start to the 2021 season that saw him as fast, quick and decisive as he's ever been, but he was slowed by injury in the back half of the season that made many forget what he was doing prior to that point. The former Volunteer is continually volunteering to punch defenses in their mouths, but with what can only be described as an electric finesse. Swifts upside is hampered by the continued presence of Jamaal Williams. In his rookie season, Harris led the NFL with 381 touches, and his 1,667 scrimmage yards trailed only Taylor among RBs. Ken Walker, SeahawksMelvin Gordon, BroncosJames Robinson, JaguarsJames Cook, BillsJ.D. The Dawg-turned-Dawg has been a dynamo since landing in Cleveland by way of Georgia, being the steady hand for a roller coaster of a ride with former first overall pick Baker Mayfield and, in the absences of Mayfield due to injury, whomever else took the QB reins in the moment. There's a reason he won this league last year. Were not talking PPR here that will be discussed a little further down this column but receiving yards still count for points in standard leagues. I've compared him to Nick Chubb since he was a rookie, but Taylor has the backfield to himself. Hes rushed for 33 touchdowns with the longest carry being for 62 yds. Already a premium subscriber? The Panthers recently traded for Baker Mayfield, so the Carolina offense could be in for some major positive regression this season. No surprises here, as Jonathan Taylor was the No. Taylor, who finished second in the NFL behind only Pittsburgh's Najee Harris is forced missed tackles per touch with 76 last season, somehow finished outside of the top 10 at No. It feels like Montgomery doesn't get the praise he should on a national level, and that's very odd. and NFL rushing leader -- Jonathan Taylor at 42.9 snaps per . All of these backs will likely be in committees in 2022, making it tough to trust them as more than flex options. David MontgomeryBreece HallTravis EtienneCam AkersAJ DillonJosh Jacobs. I side with . Akers is already dealing with preseason injuries, and he struggled for explosiveness after returning from an Achilles injury. 2022 CONSISTENCY RATINGS:Quarterback | Running back | Wide receiver | Tight end. Copyright 2010- FantasyPros.com 15 overall,. 1 WR in this particular draft. Jonathan Taylor Nick Chubb Rhamondre Stevenson 1. 1 overall pick, as Eric Young took Christian McCaffrey instead of Jonathan Taylor a pick I've been advocating for the entire offseason, so maybe we're going to see it a bit more often over the final month of drafts. Click here to confirm your accessLogin Now. 1 RB Jonathan Taylor IND 14 $39. Jonathan Taylor suffered an injury on the opening drive of Saturday's game after catching a short pass and running for 13 yards. Harris scored a touchdown in three of his last four games. SPORTS ILLUSTRATED is a registered trademark of ABG-SI LLC. During his 17 games this season, Najee Harris is averaging 61.1 yards per contest and has crossed the goal line 7 different times on the ground. His longest run this season is 36 yds. Despite having massive needs all over their . Taylor and McCaffrey are a slight step ahead in this tier compared to Ekeler, but all are extremely close, especially in PPR. Among rushers w/ 125 or ^ rushing attempts (per @FTNData), 76.5% of his rushing yds have come after contact pic.twitter.com/uxFU4uiSPy, Derek Brown (@DBro_FFB) January 13, 2022, Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts | Stitcher | SoundCloud | iHeartRadio. Jonathan Taylor or Najee Harris | Who Should I Draft in Dynasty? Colts RB Jonathan Taylor can be a dynasty building block. 6 or 7 -- and even then he's a risk. . That makes it more important than ever to put your players into positional tiers. Unlike my regular player rankings, which you can also find on Sports Illustrated, tiers group players of similar value together. If he does get the trade he wants, then his value could skyrocket this offseason. His sheer all-purpose yardage numbers and TD volume make him a cant-miss pick, especially considering his age (23) and his health (he played all 17 games last season). 5 overall in PPR drafts. Weve already seen Sanders saying he doesnt get enough usage this offseason. PRO CAREER. Saquon BarkleyAaron JonesJavonte WilliamsNick ChubbEzekiel ElliottJames Conner. So, if you miss out on a particular player you can see others on his tier. I like that the Panthers are already putting him in preseason bubble wrap to make sure hes full-go for Week 1. No quarterback targeted running backs more than new Colts quarterback Matt Ryan did in 2021 8.6 targets per game. Click here to read all his articles here on SI Fantasy. No matter what team build approach you choose, you're going to be making some kind of sacrifices. In standard leagues, these two are the creme de la creme. However, he's got a stronger WR2 in Michael Pittman and RB2 in David Montgomery to make up for the gap there. Copyright 2010- FantasyPros.com Of course, the elephant in the room is going to be health. How Pittsburgh's offense responded after Najee Harris' exit. 2 overall seems like a damn good option, and it's tough to blame anyone who ranks Pittsburghs back over Ekeler. 3. Cook had a tough season in 2021 and does not have the best history in terms of health. He has phenomenal vision, burst, and cutting ability. Are you looking to contact Customer Support about a subscription or account related question? Cheetahs Always Prosper (Tyreek Hill) Adams' Family (Davante Adams) Diggs In A Blanket (Stefon Diggs) Ridley's Believe It Or Not (Calvin Ridley) Nuk If You Buck (DeAndre Hopkins) Downtown A.J. 1 running back for Week 9. Compare that to the likes of other first-round backs in Jonathan Taylor (3.6%), Dalvin Cook (2.7%), and Saquon Barkley (2.6%). Kamara led all backs with a 20.2% target share last year. Jonathan Taylor or Najee Harris | Who Should I Draft? Furthermore, the former BYU star had 13 career rushing touchdowns entering the year. Start free trial today. Taylor also scored 20 all-purpose TDs last season, while Henry maxed out at 17 in 20 and 18 three years ago. Click here to confirm your accessLogin Now. Kamara, who has looked great in camp, should be a top-10 fantasy runner as long as he isnt faced with an in-season suspension for an off-field issue. For while he hasn't cracked his way into the 1,000-yard rushing club as of yet, he's produced more than 1,500 yards from scrimmage in two of his last three seasons, and all he has to do now is remain healthy to see if the powder blue sky in Los Angeles is truly the limit. McCaffrey lands in the honorable mention category only for the sheer magnitude of his talent, one that is arguably unmatched when healthy, but he's only played in 10 games since signing his mega deal in 2020. For a franchise that has always prided themselves on establishing the run, 2020 was abysmal. Translation: They matter, and in a major way. So, that worked out nicely for Jamey from the No. He has more rushing touchdowns than Jonathan Taylor, Najee Harris, and James Conner combined. He also led the league in carries and was second to the Steelers' Najee Harris with . For all these reasons, he maintains an automatic edge over everyone else in this tier. If he can do all of that on a bum knee, imagine what he can do on two good ones, as was the case early on last season. Williams ceiling got lowered with the return of Melvin Gordon. Hes young, healthy, super-skilled, and has very little competition for touches both on the ground and through the air. Copyright 2023 Sporting News Holdings Limited. He also added 467 receiving yards and three touchdowns through the air. 1 pick, Commanders rip 'blatantly false' team sale report, Richardson logs colossal measurements at combine, Top QB in draft has one team he doesn't want to play for.