Coach: John Harbaugh 6 PPG
QB: Matthew Stafford 31 PPG
The Cooper Kupp living on a prayer throw over Sean Murphy Bunting in the NFC Divisional Round against the Bucs will live in the laurels of Rammie fans for generations. It was simply perfection and there’s no other way to slice this cake – it was the moment that changed the legacy of Matthew Stafford forever. It’s likely that Stafford would go down as a Matt Ryan-esque footnote in the laurels of good, but not great QBs that never got a ring because of Tom Brady. Because of SMB and all-world Cooper Kupp, that’ll never happen and Rammie fans everywhere enjoyed an all-time moment in their fandom.
Matthew Stafford delivered on his potential to supercharge the Rams’ offense into a Super Bowl winning squad. Time after time, he delivered in clutch situations and was a top 7 fantasy QB to boot. His 2021 season was one of his best seasons to date, with 38 TDs (2nd most of his career) and over 4600 yards (3rd most of his career). While he’s not the flashiest QB, he finds himself in an offense that is orchestrated by one of the brightest minds in the NFL – Sean McVay. The man hasn’t even hit 40 yet and his coaching tree spans over half a dozen teams in the NFL. Back onto Stafford, 2022 should be more of the same. He’ll slide right into mid-range QB1 status and is the perfect option for a championship contender to start on a weekly basis. He’s a dying breed of pocket passer QBs with zero rushing ability for fantasy purposes.
RB/WR/TE: CeeDee Lamb 20 PPG, Mark Andrews 19 PPG, Dawson Knox 17 PPG, Rondale Moore 14 PPG, Tyler Boyd 13 PPG 6th men: Corey Davis 13 PPG, Mecole Hardman 12 PPG, Marvin Jones 11 PPG, James Cook 10 PPG, CJ Uzomah 10 PPG, Deonte Harty 10 PPG
It’s time for CeeDee Lamb to produce as the #1 wide receiver for America’s Team. Amari Cooper was jettisoned to Cleveland for a 5th (LOL), resulting in Lamb picking up the scraps of an already formidable offense. Dallas hasn’t exactly been an elite offense without Amari in their lineup so Lamb cementing himself as an elite option is a bit of a projection. The biggest uptick needs to occur in the redzone department. If he’s to become an elite WR, he needs to rank much higher than 41st from within the 20. As you know by now, TD opportunity is the name of the game in fantasy and Lamb hasn’t seen much of it in his first two years in Dallas. Targets wise, Lamb should see an excess of 130, ranking him near the top 10 in one of the elite offenses in the NFL. At only 23, the best is yet to come with CeeDee. Fingers crossed in 2022 we see liftoff.
Mark Andrews’ 2021 was incredible. The name of the game in fantasy football is opportunity and boy howdy did Andrews get fed. His total targets ranked 9th in the NFL with 153 (19 ahead of Kelce) and hit other career highs with 99 receptions (35 more than any other year), 1276 yards (424 more than any other year). What’s most wild about Andrews’ 2021 season was that he went supernova after Lamar went down week 14, finishing as the overall #5 offensive player the rest of the way. Alllll that being said, regression is almost guaranteed. The rushing attack should be back in full force with JK Dobbins and Gus Edwards expected to be 100% come week 1. It can’t be expected for Andrews to continue to finish in the top 10 in targets in the NFL’s most run-heavy offense. We are only one year removed from Andrews being bust prone, with 5 of his 14 played games finishing under 9 points in 2020. He is still very much a quality option, but more of a great #4 on a championship team versus a 1 or 2.
It took a couple of years, but Dawson Knox very much broke out in an elite Buffalo offense. The 25-year-old registered a career-high 46 receptions, 538 yards, and a quality 9 TDs. From all indications, the breakout is set to continue as the targets should only increase as he missed two games last season and he still ranked in the top 10 in redzone looks with 22 targets. Being tethered to an MVP-level quarterback in a pass-happy offense is what you look for in a viable fantasy tight end. Knox is my pick to slide into the top 5 options at the position in 2022.
The hype surrounding Rondale Moore was quelled after a quiet start, but his athleticism was apparent with his limited opportunity. Kliff Klingsbury stated he’d like to get Moore involved to a higher degree, but the targets can only go so far with Hollywood Brown, Ertz, AJ Green and eventually DeAndre Hopkins. While Moore will progress, he’s best viewed as a bye-week filler until he climbs the target totem pole. He’s only 22 and there’s plenty of time to grow. The progression to watch for this year is in the touchdown category, with only a pathetic one through 15 games.
The Tyler Boyd hype train was chugging along just fine until Ja’Marr Chase showed up and derailed it off the tracks. In fantasy, it’s virtually impossible to have 3 startable receivers, but the Bengals do a pretty damn good job trying. While Boyd won’t wow you with his opportunity, he did most a respectable 93 targets, 67 receptions, 828 yards and 5 TDs. If he continues to post similar numbers in the slot, he’ll be a fine bye-week filler with a worthy floor. There’s no reason to expect regression in one of the NFL’s best offenses and his ceiling is a top 20 receiver should anything happen to Higgins or Chase.
PK: Matt Gay 10 PPG
PN: Blake Gillikin 9 PPG
DT: Grady Jarrett 13 PPG
While Grady Jarrett’s pass-rushing production is virtually nonexistent, he still posted a DT11 finish with 50 total tackles and only 1 sack. While Jarrett has quietly become one of the most overrated players in the NFL, his prestige from the 3-sack Super Bowl will forever make him an Atlanta legend. The DT point boost certainly raised Jarrett’s stock, but at this time it’s looking like a good time to sell high on the 29-year-old. He’s locked in with Atlanta through the 2023 season with an insane $28 million dead cap. On a team that’s setting a record this year with the most dead cap in NFL history, it’d be a surprise if they move on.
DE: Rashan Gary 17 PPG, Travon Walker 11 PPG
Don’t look now, but it’s time to start paying serious attention to Rashan Gary. He took a major step forward in his third year, finishing tied for 4th in total pressures with Micah Parsons. (47) Gary’s 9.5 sacks led the Packers’ defense resulting in the team being comfortable moving on from Za’Darius Smith. Gary has overall #1 EDGE upside should he ever bump up his tackle numbers. The pressures are there and by season’s end, we could be looking at Gary as a fringe top 5 EDGE asset.
Perhaps the least hyped #1 overall pick since Eric Fisher in 2013 (I bet one of you had to look that name up), Travon Walker is still slated to be a quality EDGE. His opportunity to produce in Jacksonville opposite the talented Josh Allen is apparent. The biggest question is what Walker will be tasked to do in Dave Caldwell’s 4-3 scheme. I hope he can produce enough tackles to be statable from the get-go and I wouldn’t be surprised if he ends up in the top 3 behind Thibodeaux and Hutchinson. Walker’s an athletic freak without stats to back those measurements up, but that was a product of his usage at Georgia rather than his talent. (At least the Jags think so.)
LB: Rashaan Evans 16 PPG, Tae Crowder 15 PPG, Zach Cunningham 12 PPG, Devin Bush 12 PPG (Kenneth Murray 12 PPG)
There were two full-time linebackers in Arthur Smith’s scheme last year and Rashaan Evans knows it all too well from their time together with the Titans. From the outside looking in, this seems like a match made in heaven. The Titans seemed ready to move on from Evans by the end of the year, with his diminishing snap share displaying their discontent. He was a full blown bust for fantasy, finishing with a lowly 10 PPG and never exceeding 20 points at any point all season. Evans is the quintessential volume eater, who provides little to no big plays. In Atlanta, it’s very likely he starts out the year as a starter, but past 2022, he’s a dicy bet. He’s an excellent bounce back candidate and he’s a near lock for 100+ tackles.
Tae Crowder’s stock has been shooting up with the recent news of his full-time playing status in the preseason. It appears that he’ll be playing the vast majority of the snaps this season regardless of Blake Martinez’s availability. Last year after Martinez tore his ACL, he was an inefficient backer, but he still averaged 15 PPG. His role is still up for debate truth be told, as is Martinez’s. He could play 50% of the snaps or could supplant Martinez. Week 1 will be telling.
Zach Cunningham had a roller coaster of a year. He was released by the tanking Texans after a bit of a soap opera season. He joined a great situation with the Titans, who elected to rotate their linebackers. Between David Long, Rashaan Evans, Jayon Brown, and Cunningham, none played over 75% of the snaps from week 15 on. (Even in the divisional round.) This year, Long, Cunningham and Monty Rice are the three vying for snaps. As it stands, Cunningham will play on run downs and be taken out in pass-heavy situations. Unfortunately, that isn’t conducive for the IDP world and he’s best treated as a bye-week filler/LB4. The days of him as an elite IDP asset are hanging on a thread. He must receive those coverage snaps.
Devin Bush is holding onto a starting role by a thread. He’s in a heated battle with Robert Spillane for the 2nd linebacker job in Pittsburgh. The Steelers declined his 5th-year option, pointing to divorce after the season. Bush just hasn’t been able to translate his athleticism to the NFL level and has been inconsistent in every facet of the game. It’s not like the Steelers didn’t want to give him every opportunity to succeed after trading up for him in 2018. He’s just no good. Sell him for whatever you can before it’s too late. Fingers crossed he can reclaim some value in 2022 and perhaps be a near full-time backer. At a bye-week filler 12 PPG, I’m not holding my breath.
CB: L’Jarius Sneed 13 PPG, Denzel Ward 11 PPG
L’Jarius Sneed benefits from being the CB1 on the team with Patrick Mahomes at cornerback. He is a tackle-heavy delux corner, whose floor is incredible. While he missed a couple of weeks last season, he only posted 4 of 14 weeks under 10 points. (and none under 6) That puts Sneed in top 5 corner conversation. In his first two seasons, he’s also posted an annual sack or two and provides 2-3 INTs. He is the epitome of a CB1.
It doesn’t feel like Denzel Ward is only 25. The former 4th overall pick has played in the NFL for a decade and has been a fixture for the terrible Browns defense for a generation. It wasn’t the best fantasy season for Ward, who couldn’t exceed 50 total tackles, but did sprinkle in a few INTs and 10 PDs. The three prior years were all more productive, so I’m willing to give him a pass, but if he’s reaching “corner avoidance’ status, it may be time to look in another direction. Ward is your typical, full-time corner who’ll have his bust weeks. Just can’t expect him to provide many elite moments, but if you want 8-10 points, Ward is your man.
S: Johnathan Abram 15 PPG, Marcus Maye 14 PPG (Terrell Edmunds 12 PPG)
We talk about Derwin James being injury-prone, but Johnathan Abram certainly fits that bill. The guy plays with his hair on fire and he’s almost guaranteed to miss time. Last season finally saw him play in most games, resulting in a very high floor effort and S13 finish. Of course, he couldn’t finish out the year, but 15 games ain’t bad when you’re used to much less. Sadly, Gus Bradley has taken his talents to the Hoosier state, but Abram will still be playing most of his time in the box under Patrick Graham. You can safely keep him in your lineups as a top 16 option, but he’s one of those guys you probably want to handcuff. Also, this might be his last year for fantasy relevancy as the Raiders declined his 5th-year option. (Best to plan ahead!)
Marcus Maye was a box safety delux last year before injuries derailed his season and tore his Achilles. He signed a deal in New Orleans so we’re likely not going to see him produce at what his ceiling was in New York. At 14 PPG, that’s still startable mid-range S2 numbers. There are some concerns about what he looks like after such a debilitating injury. There’s an opportunity for Maye here, as Malcolm Jenkins posted numerous S1 seasons in recent years.
Off: Dallas Cowboys 14 PPG
PPG: 303
W-L: 5-12
It’s been a tough offseason for Shayne, who was used and abused by Titus for Kyle Pitts + his 2023 1st for CeeDee Lamb, and lost Joey Bosa for nothing. The team has largely deteriorated since a quality initial dispersal draft and it’s clear a major roster overhaul is needed for future contention. There are potential quality long-term options with Desmond Ridder, James Cook, CeeDee Lamb, Dawson Knox and Travon Walker.
