With the conclusion of Week 18, comes the end of another NFL season. Like every season that has come before it, 2022 has it’s ups and downs, winners and losers, and unforseen outcomes.
The Best of 2022 Fantasy Football, reviews the highest scorer, the best draft day value, (utilizing Fantasy Pros ADP), the best waiver wire add, Mr. Consistency, (most top-12 weeks), and the fantasy Rookie of the Year at each of the four skill positons.
Quarterback
Highest Scorer: Patrick Mahomes – Kansas City Chiefs
Kansas City Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes finished atop the QB scoring mountain in 4 point/passing touchdown scoring leagues with 429.4 points. 2022 marks the second time that Mahomes has finished as the top scoring QB. In 2018 Patrick Mahomes posted 417 points in 16 games.
Best Draft Day Value: Jalen Hurts – Philadelphia Eagles
Jalen Hurts was drafted as the QB6 in mid 5th round. He finished the 2022 season as the highest scoring QB based on Points per Game Scoring. Hurts aveaged 25.6 points per game, .40 more on a game by game basis than Patrick Mahomes.
Mr. Consistency: Patrick Mahomes – Kansas City Chiefs
Mahomes finished the season as a top-12 QB 14 times, one more than both Josh Allen and Jalen Hurts.
Best Waiver Wire Add: Geno Smith – Seattle Seahawks
The off-season trade of Russell Wilson to the Denver Broncos, opened the door in Seattle for a new starting QB. Geno Smith won the job in preseason and based on his ADP of QB35, (241st overall) nobody seemed to care. Smith went on to finish as a top-12 QB on 7 occassions and finished the year as QB5.
Rookie of the Year: Kenny Pickett – Pittsburgh Steelers
2022, was not the year of the rookie QB. After a total of nine Quarterbacks were slected in Round One the previous two seasons, Kenny Pickett was the lone QB drafted in Round One in 2022. He started 12 games and finsihed as the highest scoring rookie QB coming in at QB28 overall. 2022 marked the first season since 2013 not to feature a rookie QB in the top-24.
Runningback
Highest Scorer: Austin Ekeler – Los Angleles Chargers
Austin Ekeler scored 18 touchdowns and led the postion in targets, (127) and receptions, (107). The Chargers leaned on Ekeler early in the season with Mike Williams and Keenan Allen missing extensive time, and Ekeler took advantage on route to 372.7 PPR points.
Best Draft Day Value: Josh Jacobs – Las Vegas Raiders
Josh Jacobs was drafted as the RB20, smack dab in the midst of the “running back dead zone”, (48th overall). I was even lower on Jacobs ranking him outside my top-24 backs. Jacobs surprised us all aand proved me wrong finishing the season as RB3 with 328.3 points.
Mr. Consistency: Christian McCaffrey – San Francisco 49ers
Christian McCaffrey finished the season as a top-12 RB 11 times, one more than Austin Ekeler, and two more than Derrick Henry. CMC was a top-12 RB in four of his six starts with the Carolina Panthers and seven times as a member of the San Franciso 49ers.
Best Waiver Wire Add: Tyler Allgeier – Atlanta Falcons
Atlanta rookie RB Tyler Allgeier entered the season with an ADP of RB52 coming off the board 18st overall. Allgeier started slow but finished stong when it mattered the most for his fantasy managers. He finished the season as RB29 with a total of 159.4 PPR points.
Rookie of the Year: Kenneth Walker – Seattle Seahawks
The Seattle Seahawks selected Michigan State RB Kenneth Walker in the second round of the 2022 NFL Draft, making Walker the second back selected. He was a non factor for the first four weeks of the season playing behind Rashaad Penny. When Penny went dwon in week 5, Walker came in and totaled 88 yards and a touchdown on 8 touches. From Week 6 thru Week 18, Waler was the RB9 aveaging 15.9 PPR points a game. 2022 marks the first time since 2019 that a rookie RB has not fiinshed in the top 12.
Wide Receiver
Highest Scorer: Justin Jefferson – Minnesota Vikings
Justin Jefferson flirted with Calvin Johnson’s receiving yardage total this season and did eclipse the Vikings record previosuly held by Randy Moss. In two seasons in the NFL, Jefferson has totalled 324 catches, for 4825 yards, and 25 touchdowns. He finished 2022 as the league leader in targets, catches and yards, making up for a somewhat disappointing touchdown total. If I am drafting today, JJ is my 1.01 in all redraft formats.
Best Draft Day Value: DeVonta Smith – Philadelphia Eagles
Smith entered the season as WR37 coming off the board in the late 7th round. Smith went on to finish his second season with 254.6 PPR points, good for a WR9 finish.
Mr. Consistency: Justin Jefferson – Minnesota Vikings, Stefon Diggs – Buffalo Bills
Justin Jefferson and Buffalo Bills WR Stefon Diggs both finsihed the 2022 season with 9 weeks inside the top-12. The duo finished two games ahead of Davante Adams and Tyreek Hill who both posted 7 top 12’s in 2022.
Best Waiver Wire Add: Zay Jones – Jacksonville Jaguars
Zay Jones went undrafted for the mostpart in 2022. The Jaguars free agent entered 2022 with an ADP of WR87, 299th overall. He proceeded to finish his first searson in Duval as WR26 with a total of 198.1 PPR fantasy points.
Rookie of the Year: Garrett Wilson – New York Jets
This one was a tight race, as it came down to Garrett Wilson and Saints WR Chris Olave. In the end Wilson finsihed his rookie season as the WR21 comapred to Olave’s WR25 finish. Olave appeared in two less games that Wislon this season another factor in giving the award to Wislon. Depite shaky QB play, Garrett Wilson was avaialbe for you each and every week this past season.
Tight End
Highest Scorer: Travis Kelce – Kansas City Chiefs
Travis Klece finishes atop the TE scorong race once again in 2022. After five straight TE1 finsihes from 2016-2020, Kelce finished as the TE2 behind Baltimore TE Mark Andrews a season ago. Not only was Kelce the top scoring TE, his 316.3 PPR points were good enough for a WR5 finish. One of the best TEs in leafgue history should enter the 2023 draft season as a late first early second round draft selection once again.
Best Draft Day Value: T.J. Hockenson – Minnesota Vikings
Hockenson entered the season as TE8 coming off the board in the mid to late 5th round. He was selaected after Travis Kelce, Mark Andrews, Kyle Pitts, George Kittle, Darren Waller, Dalton Schultz and Dallas Goedert. Hock beat all those drafted agead oh him with the exception of Kelce. It was a rough season at the TE postion, but if you landed T.J. Hockenson at his APD you should be very happy with the results.
Mr. Consistency: Travis Kelce – Kansas City Chiefs
Kelce finished the season as a top-12 TE 14 times, equalling terammate Patrick Mahomers for the most top 12 finihses this season. In addition to his 14 top 12 TE finishes, Kelce also finsohed as a top-12 WR XXX times. Pittsburgh Steelers TE Pat Freiermuth posted the second most top-12 TE finishes this season with 9.
Best Waiver Wire Add: Evan Engram – Jacksonville Jaguars
Evan Engram fisninhed the season as TE5, and was drafted at an ADP of TE20, (186th overall). It took a while for Trevor Lawrence and the Jacksonville Jaguars to figure out what they had in Engram, but once they did he rewarded both the jags and his fantasy Managers in a big way.
Rookie of the Year: Chigoziem Okonkwo – Tennessee Titans
As noted it was a rough seaon for the TEs in 2022. Typically its a rough go for rookie TEs every year, and 2022 was no differnt. Okonkwo was the best of the rookie class and he finished the season as the TE25 aveaging 6.1 PPR points per game. Despite the lackluster results this season, Chigoziem Okonkwo looks like a nice asset to roster in Dynasty formats entering 2023.
Thank you for reading The Best of 2022 Fantasy Football
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