Updated 2022 NFL Rookie Dynasty Rankings for Fantasy Football (Pre-NFL Draft)

April 27, 2022

NFL rookie rankings updated after the NFL Combine for dynasty fantasy football leagues in 2022. Pierre Camus reviews the top RB, WR, TE, and QB by tier.

Speed or size? College production or growth potential?

These are some of the questions that go into the evaluation process for incoming rookies at skill positions but there's more to the story. Certain players may fit an offensive system better and some may show a greater understanding of the game than what shows up on tape. Our dynasty rankers (Andrew Lalama, Brandon Murchison, Phil Clark, and myself) take all of this into consideration when coming up with our pre-draft rookie rankings.

The NFL Draft will bring about a great deal of movement but we wanted to give you a snapshot of how we value these players before we know where they will be playing in the pros. So much of a player's predicted outcome becomes inextricably tied to their team context that we often forget what we thought about the player before the draft. That said, here is the RotoBaller staff's pre-draft fantasy football rankings for the 2022 rookie class at the skill positions.

2022 Dynasty Rookie Fantasy Football Rankings

A Clear Favorite at RB

Three of our four rankers have Hall as the top overall rookie in this class and there are many good reasons for that. He established an NCAA record with 24 straight games scoring a touchdown. He accumulated 23 touchdowns and over 1,700 yards from scrimmage in each of the last two seasons at Iowa State.

Even before the 2021 NCAA season got underway, I had Hall as the top prospective rookie RB and his junior year simply reinforced what we suspected - he is a downright stud. His numbers at the combine were just the cherry on top, as he posted an elite Speed Score in the 98th percentile. Think Joe Mixon but slightly faster and without the character concerns entering the league. Read a full breakdown of Hall's potential as a pro prospect here.

Another thing that matters in dynasty leagues - Hall isn't even 21-years-old yet. The only high-end RB prospect younger than Hall is Isaiah Spiller. There are no holes in his game and zero good reasons to pass on him with the 1.01 in upcoming rookie drafts. Unless maybe he gets selected by a certain team...

The Great WR1 Debate

There isn't a clear-cut WR1 in this year's class as there was with Ja'Marr Chase in 2021 and it's still anybody's guess as to who will be off the board first. Some mocks have Drake London going to the Jets at 10, while others think Garrett Wilson is the pick. Yet others don't have a receiver being selected until pick 15 to Philly and there are even rumblings that Jameson Williams will be this year's franchise WR. Landing spot will go a long way to determining fantasy value but we can't forget how these players are being valued right now and what we thought of them before the NFL Combine changed perceptions.

Speaking of different perceptions...  Treylon Burks was getting buzz during the season as one of the top receivers of this rookie class, potentially in play for the top spot once Jameson Williams was injured. After his "disappointing" 4.55 time in the 40 at the NFL Combine, he's suddenly too slow for many dynasty managers and evaluators. It's anyone's guess as to where he'll be selected and how he'll be used (Let's please stop the Deebo Samuel comps - and that goes for any other player in the NFL or NCAA). He played out of the slot quite a bit at Arkansas but may not fit the prototypical mold of this in the pros. It's up for debate whether he has the ability to be a true 'X' either. Opinions are split on Burks but count me as a believer in his all-around game and ball skills.

.@TreylonBurks is going to be a BIG problem in the NFLpic.twitter.com/X1k1gaQagB

— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) April 25, 2022

Chris Olave was not only a member of the long watch list for the Biletnikoff Award, he was PFF's preseason favorite. While he didn't win it and was surpassed in both production and draft hype by teammate Garrett Wilson this season, don't be surprised if Olave is selected first. He's drawn rave reviews from scouts, had an impressive combine, and has been declared the most complete receiver in terms of route-running by Matt Harmon, creator of Reception Perception.

Jameson Williams nearly came away with the Biletnikoff and was in play to win a national championship in his junior year. Instead, he came away with neither and couldn't finish the College Football Championship because of a torn ACL suffered against Georgia. If not for that unfortunate play, perhaps the outcome of that game might have been different considering the way he torched the Dawgs in the SEC Championship. It doesn't look like Williams' draft stock will change much, if at all, though. He is on schedule to be ready by the start of NFL training camps and could be the first receiver taken.

In terms of our rankings, the difference between Burks, Olave, and Williams is so minuscule that it's basically splitting hairs. I have the feeling that whoever gets drafted by Green Bay, if they indeed take a receiver early, will shoot up the rankings across the fantasy landscape, while anyone landing in Philadelphia or Atlanta will get a downgrade, and rightfully so.

Split Opinions

Christian Watson is sure to be a fun player to watch throughout this coming season. Putting up modest numbers (801 receiving yards on 43 receptions) on North Dakota State caused him to be overlooked but an explosive combine workout resulting in a Speed Score in the 98th percentile thrust him on the map. His sheer athleticism and pre-draft buzz that the Chiefs are interested in him have caused me to move him into the top-10. Our resident film analyst, Andrew Lalama, isn't fully buying in just yet and has him ranked down at 23. He much prefers Boise St. product Khalil Shakir, ranking him 14th.

Here's a funky set of metrics. Calvin Austin posted one of the best 40 times at the combine, running a 4.32 yet he has a subpar speed score. Check his PlayerProfiler page:

When you stand all of 5'8", you better be fast. He put up big numbers at Memphis but didn't breakout until the age of 21.5 in his junior season. The best-case scenario is that he's the next Marquise Brown, but there is an equal chance that he is more like Tutu Atwell. That's probably why Brandon has him down at 35 in his rankings. I'm cautiously optimistic that he can prove to be an occasional home run hitter in the pros but he'll need to land in a favorable situation.

Maybe I'm missing something on Wan'Dale Robinson. He was extremely productive in the SEC last season, gaining a 39% target share and posting 1,445 scrimmage yards for Kentucky. That's impressive but he piled up a lot of yards early in the year and then had a mediocre five-game stretch where he averaged 60 yards per game against conference competition, including just 39 yards against Georgia. He lacks size and doesn't have superior speed relative to his stature (see Austin, Calvin above). I have doubts about his ability to stand out in the NFL, as does one other ranker who joins me in placing him outside the top-30 skill players entering the draft. On the flip side, our other two rankers have him 13th overall.

Turns out Phil is a non-believer in Jerome Ford, ranking him all the way down at 68. The main concern with Ford is whether he has the pass-catching chops to be more than a committee back who plays on early downs. I'm giving him the benefit of the doubt but, once again, the landing spot will be a huge factor in his ultimate value.

Fantasy Football Sleepers to Watch

Ty Chandler isn't high on anyone's radar but he could stand out given the chance. He filled the void left behind by Javonte Williams and Michael Carter at UNC last season, rushing for 1,092 yards. The knocks on him are a lack of signature games/plays and limited pass-catching prowess. Bear in mind that he played on an offense with a running quarterback in Sam Howell with a terrible defense that often forced the team into a negative game script. I believe Chandler could be the equivalent of Carter.

Velus Jones made a statement at the NFL Combine by running a 4.22 40. He had several highlight-reel moments despite playing on an anemic Tennessee passing offense. He enters the league at the advanced age of 25, which knocks him down a few pegs in dynasty circles but could make him one of the more pro-ready WR prospects for short-term outlooks.

While this year's wide receiver class is deep, the TE class is conspicuously thin. Not only is there no prospect near the talent level of Kyle Pitts, there may not even be a Pat Freiermuth in this bunch. Trey McBride is the consensus TE1 but he's not guaranteed to be a starter from Week 1. Beyond that, projections vary wildly.

For fantasy purposes, Greg Dulcich and Isaiah Likely are the players most, ahem, likely to make a fantasy splash beyond the first tier. Dulcich was a walk-on at UCLA and turned into a productive receiver, catching 42 balls for 725 yards in his junior year. Likely was a standout in his senior year at Coastal Carolina with 912 yards and 12 touchdowns but that came against lower-level competition and he posted unimpressive workout metrics. Both can be considered projects who will have no choice but to turn into productive receivers in order to stick in the NFL.

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