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The summer is rolling along and the fantasy football prep is only heating up. Player ADPs and positional rankings are changing by the day, which means it’s never been more important to be fully prepared before you’re on the clock. This year’s fantasy landscape is packed with established superstars, middle-round contributors and of course, potential late-round values. It’s the perfect time to form an understanding of who some of these value picks could be, which is why we’re highlighting our 2022 Fantasy Football Draft Guide’s sleepers today.
Our 2022 Football Draft Guide is loaded with the tools you need to ace your summer drafts, filled with rankings, mock drafts, sleepers, hundreds of player profiles and so much more - we’re confident this year’s edition is among the finest we’ve ever produced. Plus, you’ll find exclusive feature columns from our experts on a range of important topics ahead of the season. If you’re looking for positional tiers, projections for a variety of formats and even individual defensive player analysis, then our Draft Guide could be just what you’re looking for.
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This preview features three sleeper picks from a few of our experts with full analysis for why these respective players could return legitimate fantasy value at some point this season. To see all of them, make sure you get your copy of the Draft Guide right here.
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2022 Fantasy Football Draft Guide | Expert Sleeper Picks
Tua Tagovailoa, QB, Dolphins
Tua Tagovailoa has a chance to be the biggest fantasy value in 2022, even as a QB. In 2021 he operated behind PFF’s worst-rated offensive line and with a coach who seemingly did not want him. Even so, Tua was able to put together four weeks last season in which he finished as a QB1. The Dolphins invested heavily in their offense this offseason, adding Tyreek Hill, Chase Edmonds, Terron Armstead and more to give Tua his best chance at success thus far in the NFL. The additions on offense and head coach Mike McDaniel certainly won’t hurt him. The tides will turn for Tua in 2022. - Lawrence Jackson
Tyler Allgeier, RB, Falcons
The bar for touches is lower in Atlanta than you might think. Mike Davis had 196 combined attempts and targets last season while delivering 3.6 yards per carry and 4.5 yards per target. Cordarrelle Patterson isn’t going away, but Atlanta managed his touches to close 2021, and he’ll leave plenty of room for another back. Also, fifth-round rookie Allgeier isn’t just a candidate to handle Davis’ early-down work after averaging 1.11 yards per route run in college, more than Breece Hall, Isaiah Spiller and Dameon Pierce. He won’t displace Patterson but he should be more than capable of handling check-down duties as needed. Of course, the rookie’s main appeal comes as a rusher. Tyler Allgeier is a 224-pound one-cut runner. He lacks elite speed, running a 4.6 40-time, but he was an efficient breakaway runner at BYU because he’s hard to bring down once he gets going. If anyone knows how to use a back like this, it’s Arthur Smith. I’m not saying Allgeier is Derrick Henry – he very much is not – but it’s not exactly hard to decipher how the Falcons are building their offense. They have Marcus Mariota at quarterback; they have Anthony Firkser at tight end; they’re going to sign Corey Davis when the Jets cut him after the season (probably). If the Falcons are the junkyard Titans, Allgeier can be the junkyard Big Dog. – Pat Kerrane
Jameson Williams, WR, Lions
The 2022 case against Williams is simple. He is questionable for Week 1 as he completes his recovery from a torn ACL and he will be catching passes from Jared Goff upon his return. If those are re-draft dealbreakers, no one will hold it against you. But the positive case is just as compelling. The No. 12 overall pick, Williams’ draft capital will put him on the fast track to targets once healthy. Even if the looks don’t come hot and heavy, Williams has the kind of skill-set that can flip matchups on only one to two catches. The Alabama product is not just fast. He is fastest-man-in-the-building fast. That is the sort of trait not even Goff can screw up. And it must be said, even though Goff is famous for his foibles down the field, the Lions actually had an effective 2021 deep game once head coach Dan Campbell took over as play-caller. That was with waiver claim Josh Reynolds playing the role. There is a chance Williams’ rookie year will end up lost as he rehabs and runs Goff-ian wind sprints, but this is the kind of upside profile where you want to place your WR5/6 bets. – Patrick Daugherty
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