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Ahh, the age-old fantasy football term sleepers. Nobody quite knows what it means! We all have some semblance of an idea, but the definition might be a little different for each De'Aaron Fox Jersey owner. To some, it means lower-tier, late-round picks who end up being startable a sets. To others, it simply means players whose value and production will vastly outperform their preseason rankings and ADPs. Either way, heading into 2022, RB sleepers are once again the hottest commodities heading into drafts, as everyone wants to hit on this years big running back breakout.But, again, the true definition of sleeper seems as ambiguous as the true meaning of MVP.2022 PPR RANKINGS: | | | | | | | The truth is, it doesnt matter whatsoever how you define sleeper. It does, however, matter very much that you get early- to mid-round production from mid- to late-round draft picks. Fantasy championships are rarely won in the first few rounds. It obviously doesnt hurt to nail your first three picks, but its also not the only thing that needs to happen to win it all. Top-heavy teams dont win in fantasy football.2022 STANDARD RANKINGS: | | | | | | | A sleeper could be a rookie your leaguemates havent taken the time to research (Tyler Allgeier or Dameon Pierce, anyone?); it could be an undervalued stud who recently recovered from a major injury (remember Travis Etienne Jr.?); or maybe its just a player who seems destined for a bigger role, whether because of talent or the departure of a teammate (see Khalil Herbert, AJ Dillon).2022 FANTASY SLEEPERS: | | | | Sometimes, a sleeper is just an extremely valuable handcuff or a back who vaults into RB1/RB2 status the moment the lead back in his offense gets hurt. And plenty of running backs will get hurt. Were looking at you, Christian McCaffrey, Ezekiel Elliott, and Aaron Jones! These studs injuries have paved the way to fantasy relevance for the likes of Chuba Hubbard, Tony Pollard, and the aforementioned Dillon. Those guys werent nece sarily league-winners, but they certainly helped win a lot of weeks for a lot of teams.2022 RANKINGS TIERS & DRAFT STRATEGY: | | | | Again, everyone is free to have their own rules and parameters for the term sleeper, but theres one thing we can all agree on: The more sleepers you research, draft, and turn into week-winning starters, the better your chances of achieving fantasy glory this winter. You dont have to enjoy vocabulary to comprehend the science of winning.2022 AUCTION VALUES (Standard & PPR): | | | | | | Lets get to our sleepers. The following 12 RBs stand out to us as potential X-factors who seem to be too low on most rankings lists, mock drafts, or ADPs.DOMINATE YOUR DRAFT: Dameon Pierce, Texans. A bruising beast of a 5-10, 220-pound back, Pierces highlight reel at Florida makes him look like a distant relative of Marshawn Lynch. He obviously doesnt have the downhill speed or between-the-tackle abilities of Beast Mode, but he could certainly be good enough to surmount Marlon Mack and Rex Burkhead on the Texans depth chart. (And even if Houstons offensive line has another terrible campaign, Pierce should get the majority of whatever goal-line snaps the Texans rack up.Travis Etienne Jr, Jaguars. After an outstanding college career at Clemson, Etienne was selected No. 25 overall by the Jaguars in the 2021 NFL Draft. Expectations were high for his reunion with Jags QB and former Clemson teammate Trevor Lawrence, but a Lisfranc injury in Etiennes left foot sidelined him for the entire season. Etienne should be ready for Week 1 while fellow Jacksonville RB James Robinson recovers from a torn left Achilles sustained last December.At 5-10, 210 pounds, Etienne has the size, speed, and hands to be an immediate impact-player in Doug Pedersons brand-new offense. He has 4.45-speed and elite pa s-catching skills, owning all sorts of NCAA records. In 55 career games with the Tigers (1,852 snaps), Etienne rushed 686 times for 4,952 yards with 70 rushing touchdowns, and caught 102 pa ses for 1,155 and eight receiving touchdowns. Hes a stud with RB1 upside in what should be a revamped offense, but most owners are leery after the injury. Take advantage.2022 FANTASY DRAFT STRATEGY: | | | | Rachaad White, Buccaneers. Heres another rookie who should walk right into the No. 2 RB role for a strong offensive team. Leonard Fournette seems to have a good season every other year, and last year was a good year for the five-year back (its science!). Plus, the 27-year-old has played just 63 games over five NFL seasons (12.6 games per season). !White might not profile as a highlight-reel guy, but he has decent speed and vision for a 6-0, 214-pound back, and Tom Brady should get the most out of him. White showed his all-around skills during his final season at Arizona State when he ran for 1,000 yards (5.5 yards per carry), caught 43 pa ses for 456 yards, and scored 16 total TDs. For a late-round flier, youre better off with White than with another Darrel Williams dart throw.AJ Dillon, Packers. With Packers lead back Aaron Jones seemingly always getting dinged with injuries, Dillon serves as one of the most intriguing handcuffs in fantasy. The 6-0, 250-pound BC product known as 'Quadzilla' scored 109.5 non-PPR fantasy points between Week 1 and Week 14 of '21 (25th among RBs), and 144.5 standard points through Week 17 (20th). That puts him in RB2/flex territory!Also worth consideration, Jones scored just four TDs in 32 red-zone attempts last season, while Dillon scored five TDs in just 21 attempts inside the opponents 10. Theres also the po sibility Green Bay simply runs more given the lo s of Davante Adams. Dillon this NFL season as he continues his ascent in the Packers backfield, but his price tag still is that of a mere high-usage handcuff.James Cook, Bills. Another talented rookie RB, Cook could supplant Devin Singletary and Zack Mo s on the Bills depth chart by Week 3. The Georgia product might not have the vision of the aforementioned Walker, but he makes up for it with 4.4-speed and phenomenal pa s-catching skills. Cook averaged 6.4 yards per carry and 10.5 yards per reception in his senior season with the Bulldogs, and he could be an instant-impact player in Josh Allens electric offense. Cook in the late middle rounds would be quite the get.2022 CONSISTENCY RATINGS: | | | Tyler Allgeier, Falcons. Allgeier has great instincts for a back with a 5-11, 224-pound frame. Hes a good cutter and very tough off tackles, but he lacks elite burst. Either way, the cupboard is pretty barren in the Atlanta RB room, as 31-year-old converted WR Cordarrelle Patterson is still the leader. Allgeier could pave his way to a decent role in a Falcons offense that doesnt have much to lose.We have a tough time envisioning Patterson recreating the magic run he enjoyed in 2021, Mike Davis has moved his mediocrity to Baltimore, and Damien Williams never poses much of a threat to the playing time of any halfway-decent back. After running for 1,601 yards (5.8 yards per carry), catching a respectable 28 pa ses for 199 yards, and scoring 23 total TDs during his final season at BYU, Allgeier seems ready to take the next step. Hes bound to be undervalued in drafts.Khalil Herbert, Bears. Herbert made the most of his 103 carries and 16 targets in his rookie season, netting 4.2 yards per carry and hauling in 14 catches. He only scored one touchdown, but touchdown dances are pretty rare for guys getting eight total red-zone attempts. Chicago (6-11) averaged just 1.4 red-zone touchdowns and just 18.3 total points per game last season, so theres plenty of room for positive offens Robert Woodard II Jersey |
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发表于 2026-4-24 12:26:57