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The summer is rolling along into Training Camp and the fantasy football prep is about to ramp up big-time. Player ADPs and positional rankings are changing by the day, which means it’s never been more important to have a solid draft strategy before you’re on the clock. Draft success is determined by how much value you can extract at the lowest cost, which is why it’s crucial to have a familiarity with players whom managers are underrating or overrating based on current draft stock and realistic performance expectations. So, 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 undervalued options 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 undervalued candidates from a few of our experts with full analysis for why these studs could return worthwhile fantasy numbers at some point this season. To see all of them, make sure you get your copy of the Draft Guide right here.
Have a look:
2022 FANTASY FOOTBALL UNDERVALUED PLAYERS
Cam Akers, RB, Rams
The disrespect for Cam Akers is very real, and I won’t stand for the nonsense. It’s almost as if he’s being punished for his miraculous comeback from a torn Achilles’. Many will tie his future outlook to his four-game postseason run in which he only tallied 172 yards on 67 carries. Those are awful numbers, however, Sony Michel and Darrell Henderson did not fare better. The Rams faced three of the NFL’s top seven defenses during the postseason (Bucs, 49ers and Bengals). What people should have recognized was Sean McVay’s willingness to immediately use Akers as the workhorse. Akers is a top-10 fantasy back just waiting in the wings to be unleashed now a full year removed from a major injury. – Lawrence Jackson
JuJu Smith-Schuster, WR, Chiefs
Personally, I like drafting the wideout who is going to draw the most 2022 receiver targets from the best football player on the planet. It can feel impossible to project the Chiefs’ post-Tyreek Hill receiver corps, but I feel safe in assuming Smith-Schuster will see more looks than any Mahomes pass catcher not named Travis Kelce. We know it’s not going to be Marquez Valdes-Scantling. We should know it won’t be Mecole Hardman, though some can’t resist making the case one final time. That leaves second-round slot man Skyy Moore. Talented though Moore is, is there any real reason to believe he will be more frequently targeted than one of the league’s most experienced slot receivers, one the Chiefs tried to sign in 2021 before sealing the deal this spring? We know how Smith-Schuster fared in tough situations the past three seasons: Poorly. We also know how he produced before Ben Roethlisberger’s arm went kaput and Antonio Brown forced his way out of town. Smith-Schuster has a boatload of Mahomes attempts coming and he is going to know what to do with them. – Patrick Daugherty
Marquise Brown, WR, Cardinals
I suppose a lofty ADP inside the top 20 receivers could take some of the shine off Brown in redraft formats, but with DeAndre Hopkins out for the season’s first six weeks and Brown profiling as Arizona’s lone deep threat – with downfield passer extraordinaire Kyler Murray – he should have plenty of opportunity in an efficient Cardinals offense. After a career season in which Brown showed he can function as a short-area pass catcher as well as an effective deep ball weapon, I think he has a chance to out-target Hopkins even when the latter returns from suspension. Murray in 2021 had the NFL’s highest completion rate (49.3%) on deep attempts. Pro Football Focus graded Murray as the league’s best downfield thrower. That fits Brown’s receiving profile quite well. – Denny Carter
See the rest of our experts’ undervalued and overvalued fantasy options with the revamped 2022 Football Draft Guide!
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