ROOKIE STATUS
Prior to the 2022 NFL Draft the upcoming class was looked at as being a down year as far as fantasy prospects go. Through 7 games so far in the season the class has exceeded expectations but in particular, the wide receivers. They have shown how much depth and promise this class had at wide receiver when everyone had their blinders on, including myself. The running backs of this class were not as deep but as far as impact goes for fantasy? Three backs have not only made an impact on your fantasy rosters but to their NFL franchises as well. Without further ado, let’s dive into the numbers through the halfway point of the fantasy season.
Quarterbacks
•2022 Rookie QB Statline
The QBs of the class so far have obviously been the most underwhelming. With only Kenny Pickett and Malik Willis getting playing time. Pickett only started 4 games so far and Willis came in relief in a blow out against the Bills.
The statistics show that when called upon, they haven’t been exactly lighting the NFL on fire. I will say as a Steelers fan, Pickett has shown some promise despite his stats. I believe he will be a much better start in 2023 when hopefully the Steelers bolster the team up in the draft and free agency. The other QBs, well time will tell if they ever get a shot in the NFL. I do believe the Falcons will soon hand the reins over to Desmond Ridder. The team needs to see what they have in him before what is perceived as a QB heavy draft.
-Matt Corral couldn’t have gotten hurt at a worse time. Pre Draft I thought Corral was the best QB in the class but the NFL said otherwise being drafted as the 4th QB off the board and in the 3rd round. Carolina has had a continuing QB carousel dating back to when they moved on from Cam Newton, the first time. The point is, Corral had such a great opportunity to showcase his talents this season but his season ending injury has derailed his career in my opinion. The Panthers being a dumpster fire this season, they are gonna have a chance to draft one of the top two QBs of the 23 class, setting Corral even further back.
RUNNING BACKS
•Breece Hall
Breece Hall SPEEDY TD vs. Broncos – YouTube
Of all the bright spots of this rookie class, Breece was the brightest. The workload was just taking off. Week 1 Breece was splitting the workload a lot more with a 44.3% snap share compared to his Week 6 snap share at 68.6%. Breece was on pace to have a similar rookie season to Saquon Barkley and most likely win the OROY.
Breece was never going to reach an 87.9 % snap share due to the fact that the quadfather was selected 2nd overall and the franchise had no choice but to play him that much. The fact of the matter is, Breece was efficient and was slowly getting ramped up to have the full workload.
Quick Outlook
It’s gonna take Hall at least a year to two years to be back to full health after tearing his ACL. He might not miss a game but also like Saquon, it took him a full two years to be back to the generational talent that we knew and loved. My opinion, go acquire Breece in dynasty. ESPECIALLY if your team doesn’t have the juice right now.
•Dameon Pierce
DAMEON PIERCE BEASTMODE! – YouTube
Just like Beastmode, Pierce runs like a bull. Showing a quick first step and the determination to run through five brick walls. After week 1, snap share has risen around 60-70%. His 106 carries ranks 7th in the league. So volume will not be a problem for him moving forward. Rex Burkhead is gobbling up the passing work but that doesn’t seem to be a problem for Pierce being RB13 so far.
Quick Outlook
I personally think it’ll be hard for Pierce to sustain the efficiency for the rest of the season, being that the Texans offense is just bad. Their offense ranks 31st in total yards per game and 29th in total points per game. Without getting the passing work, I think he’ll finish the season as a mid to backend RB2.
•Kenneth Walker lll
KENNETH WALKER 69 YARD RUN FOR FIRST CAREER TD
As Breece Halls’ season got derailed, Kenneth Walkers’ season is just getting on track. Since the injury of Rashaad Penny, Walker has started weeks 6-7 and he hasn’t disappointed. Totaling 44 carries for 264 yards and scoring 3 of his 4 TDs. 45.7 fantasy points total for those games. All aboard the Kenneth Walker train! Hop on while you can. IMO, he is now the front runner for OROY.
Quick Outlook
Walker is a must start for the foreseeable future. Don’t overthink it. He’s an RB1 for the rest of the season and for dynasty.
Honorable Mentions
•Isiah Pacheco- Pacheco hasn’t done much as far as the box scores go, but he is averaging 4.9 yards per carry on 39 rush attempts but IMO he’s clearly the best back in the Chiefs backfield and is worth monitoring. Fast and runs hard every time he gets the ball. He just needs the opportunity at this point to take over.
•Brian Robinson- After recovering from a terrible situation in the off-season, Robinson instantly came in and started taking the majority of the carries. He’s not much more than a between the 20s grinder but it says a lot about the player/human that Washington wanted to give him carries so quickly and can always use him in a pinch for the rest of the season.
Wide Receivers
•Drake London
Drake London is making plays – YouTube
London started off the season guns blazing averaging 17.1 fantasy points per game in the first three games.
As you can see he tailed off the last 4 weeks of the 7 game stretch. The Falcons have relied heavily on the run to manage games and Drake Londons’ (and Kyle Pitts for that matter) statistics show that. Atlanta is first in the NFC South surprisingly, and that means they’re not gonna change something that’s working. Any chance of seeing Ridder this season to maybe up that volume in the passing game is dwindling as the Falcons continue to win games. This could lead to more inconsistent fantasy play from London for the rest of the season.
Quick Outlook
London will have some spike weeks here and there but he will probably be stuck in that backend WR3 area for the rest of the season due to the run heavy offense and QB play from Mariota.
•Chris Olave
Every Chris Olave catch in 147-yard game | Saints Panthers Week 3 …
Olave has been the best rookie receiver thus far and it’s not close. Olave has averaged 15.6 fantasy points per game in the 7 game stretch. Coming in as WR19 to this point and probably would be higher if not for missing a game due to injury. Scoring double digit fantasy points in 5 of his 6 games played. Whether it’s Winston or Dalton at QB, it doesn’t matter. The Saints are doing everything they can to target Olave consistently downfield which will lead to a cornucopia of fantasy points.
Quick Outlook
The Saints are a great spot for the rookie for the season and for the foreseeable future. The Saints are just good enough to stay in games and keep feeding him the rock. With Michael Thomas and Jarvis Landry past the age apex and unfortunately constantly battling injuries, Olave is set up for success.
•Garrett Wilson
EVERY GARRETT WILSON RECEPTION VS BROWNS – YouTube
Like London, Garrett Wilson started off hot averaging 17.1 fantasy points per game for the first 3 games. Actually very similar numbers to London those 3 games.
Unlike London, Garrett Wilson has had a change of QBs after week 3. Change to worse QB play…And that QBs’ name rhymes with Schmack Schmilson. Zach Wilson coming back from injury was the worst thing that could happen to Garrett Wilson this season. Garrett commanded a 21.6% target share the first 3 games with Joe Flacco at QB.
Quick Outlook
Although Zach was bad for Garrett once he returned, I do think it gets better for Garrett. Elijah Moore has been upset about his role and Robert Saleh isn’t catering to him. Actually quite the opposite, telling the media they need to get Garrett the ball more. Wheels up for my WR2 of this class moving forward!
•George Pickens
The numbers behind George Pickens’ incredible one-handed catch …
I will say if you haven’t seen the catch above yet….GO WATCH IT NOW. One of the greatest catches I have ever seen. Anyways…Even though the Steelers season has been a dumpster fire so far, Pickens has been fun to watch every Sunday. Since the Steelers switched to Pickett at QB, Pickens has scored double digit fantasy points 3 out of the 4 games with Pickett at QB.
Quick Outlook
It’s hard to trust any Steeler player this season but the good news is that it looks like Kenny Pickett might have a different WR1 in mind on the team and that bodes well for Pickens in dynasty.
Honorable Mentions
•Jahan Dotson- Only played the first 4 games but averaged 13.1 fantasy points per game.
•Romeo Doubs- One of Rodgers’ go to targets but he’s only averaging 8.6 fantasy points per game and the offense runs slow.
•Treylon Burks- Burks snap share started to really ramp up (week 1- 36.7 to week 3- 67.3). 65 of his 115 yards were all YAC. Should be back soon after suffering turf toe and missing 3 games. I still believe he’s the best receiver in this class. Hopefully he can prove me right when he comes back.
Tight Ends
•Daniel Bellinger
Bellinger has been a solid option for Daniel Jones and the Giants for his rookie season. Even letting him score a rushing TD in week 5 against Green Bay. You rarely see a team put that kinda trust in a rookie TE. His snap share was ramped up to 96.8% before getting injured in week 6.
Quick Outlook
Bellinger is gonna miss some time due to his injury and could miss the rest of the fantasy season. Moving forward though, Bellinger will be an interesting streamer in dynasty. When you’re reaching for a TE on some teams, it’s never a bad thing to select a TE that the staff has the courage to hand the ball to around the end zone.
•Greg Dulcich
To be honest, I wasn’t even gonna mention Dulcich for this but in a crapshoot of a position group from fantasy, Greg’s first two games in the NFL are worth noting. In the offseason I was a big AlbertO guy and that he was gonna breakout. Only because he was an athletic TE and Russ always loved throwing to TEs. Russ even made guys like Will Dissly and Jacob Hollister fantasy relevant some weeks in the past. I was wrong. Greg is the guy. Scoring a TD in his first game. It’s not just a fluke either. The Broncos are making him a feature part of their offense.
Quick Outlook
If you can go get him in a league that you need a TE, go get him. I have a feeling by the end of the year, he will be in the conversation as a top 5 dynasty TE.