Fantasy Football Rankings 2022: Sleepers, breakouts, busts from the model that called Taylor’s huge year

After the Green Bay Packers moved longtime top wide receiver Davante Adams to the Las Vegas Raiders, Fantasy players are left to speculate who will become Aaron Rodgers‘ top target in a potent passing attack. Allen Lazard had been in the conversation as one of the 2022 Fantasy football breakouts after effectively serving as the second wide receiver in the offense for the past few seasons, but he is searching for a long-term deal. Rodgers will certainly throw the ball this season, but without Adams in the fold, which Packers pass-catcher should you target first in your 2022 Fantasy football rankings?

Green Bay drafted North Dakota State wide receiver Christian Watkins in the second round of the 2022 NFL Draft and Amari Rodgers in the third round the year before. The Packers also signed Sammy Watkins in the offseason, but there are still plenty of unknowns when it comes to the pecking order. Before setting your 2022 Fantasy football draft strategy, be sure to check out the 2022 Fantasy football cheat sheets from the proven computer model at SportsLine.

Last year, the model accurately predicted that Colts running back Jonathan Taylor was being dramatically undervalued. Taylor was being drafted behind running backs like Aaron Jones, Ezekiel Elliott and Austin Ekeler last season but the SportsLine projection model predicted that he’d outproduce all of those backs and be a fixture in your Fantasy football lineups. The result: Taylor led the NFL with 1,811 rushing yards and 18 rushing touchdowns to finish as the overall RB1 in 2021.

The same model has a proven track record providing Fantasy football tips, also identifying A.J. Brown as another sleeper in 2020 and players like Julio Jones and JuJu Smith-Schuster as Fantasy football busts last season. Additionally, it’s called past Fantasy football sleepers like Derrick Henry in 2019, Christian McCaffrey and Alvin Kamara in 2018, and Davante Adams in 2017. Anybody who banked on players like those made a run at their league title.

The model is powered by the same people who generated projections for all three major Fantasy sites, and it beat human experts last season when there was a big difference in ranking. The projections update multiple times daily, so you’re always getting the best Fantasy football advice.

Now, SportsLine has simulated the entire NFL season 10,000 times and released its latest Fantasy football rankings 2022, along with plenty of sleepers, breakouts and busts. Head to SportsLine now to see them. 

Top 2022 Fantasy football sleepers

One of the 2022 Fantasy football sleepers the model is predicting: Cardinals wide receiver Marquise Brown. He had been a target monster in the Ravens‘ offense last season and was Lamar Jackson’s favorite option outside of tight end Mark Andrews. Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury loves explosive plays, and Brown has built his reputation in creating them.

Arizona’s receiver room is getting crowded, but veteran A.J. Green is aging, DeAndre Hopkins is coming off of an MCL tear and will be suspended six games, and Rondale Moore didn’t prove to be the weapon many thought he would be in his rookie season. Brown has had his own struggles with nagging injuries, but he played in 16 games for the Ravens last season and set a career-high for receiving yards before the catch with 620. In an offense that looks to pass often and play receivers into space, Brown has high upside, and the model predicts he’ll have a bigger year than others drafted ahead of him like Jerry Jeudy, Darnell Mooney, and Adam Thielen.

Top 2022 Fantasy football breakouts

The model is also projecting 49ers quarterback Trey Lance as one of its top 2022 Fantasy football breakouts. San Francisco hasn’t yet traded Garoppolo, but the franchise simply has too much invested in Lance to not hand the reins over at some point. His incredible upside makes him the sort of player that you’ll want on your Fantasy football roster in 2022.

Lance played in six games last season and averaged 8.5 yards per pass attempt with five touchdowns and two interceptions, while also rushing for 168 yards and a score. And in his final start (of two) during Week 16 against the Texans, Lance threw for 249 yards and two scores while adding 31 yards rushing on eight carries. If Lance wins the starting role, he’ll be a significant part of San Francisco’s rushing attack and that will make him of value even if there are growing pains within the pocket. That’s a big reason why the model ranks him as its No. 15 quarterback for 2022.

Top 2022 Fantasy football busts

As for players to avoid, the model lists Bills wide receiver Gabriel Davis as one of its 2022 Fantasy football busts. Many expect a breakout this season after the departure of Emmanuel Sanders, even with the addition of Jamison Crowder and Tavon Austin.

Davis took a step back in production last year after recording 35 catches for 599 yards and seven touchdowns as a rookie. He finished with one less score than he had in 2020 and 50 fewer yards on the same number of receptions in 2021. Davis took just 10 percent of the Bills’ total targets last season, but even in a prolific passing attack like Buffalo’s, it will be a toss-up as to who will be viable in the offense outside of Stefon Diggs and Dawson Knox. That’s why the model predicts that other players being drafted after Davis like Robert Woods, Amon-Ra St. Brown and Christian Kirk will all have more productive Fantasy seasons in 2022.

How to find proven 2022 Fantasy football football rankings

SportsLine is also extremely high on a surprising quarterback you aren’t even thinking about being taken in the middle rounds of 2022 Fantasy football drafts. This quarterback is listed as a shocking top-five option ahead of superstars like Patrick Mahomes and Lamar Jackson. You can only see who it is, and the 2022 Fantasy football rankings for every player, at SportsLine.

So which 2022 Fantasy Football sleepers, breakouts and busts should you target and fade? And which QB shocks the NFL with a top-five performance? Visit SportsLine now to get 2022 Fantasy Football cheat sheets for every single position, all from the model that called Jonathan Taylor’s huge season, and find out.