DeVante Parker (WR, NE) - 2022 Fantasy Football Draft Values

BALLER MOVE: Target Around ~126 Overall

CURRENT ADP: ~149

ANALYSIS: Parker’s fantasy value is at the low point after back-to-back mediocre, injury-riddled campaigns, but I think Parker should flourish and be a fantasy sleeper with New England in 2022:

New England’s roster is stocked with solid-but-not-spectacular receivers. Agholor had one superb season with the Raiders but has otherwise been a disappointment throughout his career. Bourne has proven he can be a No. 2 or No. 3 WR, but he does not have the skill set to be a No. 1. The same can be said about Jakobi Meyers. Second-round pick Tyquan Thornton is flashy and speedy, but rookie receivers do not usually produce major fantasy points in Belichick’s complicated offensive systems.

Parker was Miami’s No. 1 WR for many of his years there, so he knows how to handle it. He does not have to be Randy Moss or Julian Edelman in the Pats offense. As long as he is surehanded and makes the tough catches over the middle and the clutch catches inside the red zone, Belichick will have confidence in him and keep having plays designed for him by the team’s play-callers, Joe Judge and Matt Patricia.

Parker was mired in a Miami soap opera the past few years that was a dynasty of dysfunction. The Dolphins were awful more often than they were a playoff contender during his time on the team. Wide receivers’ fantasy values can get dragged down by the bad teams they are on and the mediocre quarterbacks they play with. That happened to Parker many times when he was a Dolphin.

New England is well-coached and a better-run organization than Miami. If Parker shows his stuff, he will be utilized to the best of his ability and will play for an organization with a culture of winning. That can only mean good things for his fantasy value.

Another thing that will be good for Parker’s fantasy value is having Jones steadily improve as his signal caller. Jones was used more as a game manager than a Tom Brady type during his rookie season, but the restraints should come off more during his sophomore season.

The Patriots might still employ an offense that revolves around a power running game, but Jones should not be stuck anymore as a conservative quarterback who only throws passes of 10 yards or less. Parker should step up and be someone Jones can count on early and often.

Would it be surprising if Parker finished the season with 600 receiving yards, three touchdowns, and a half-dozen missed games due to injury? Hardly. Would it be surprising if he finished with 1,000 yards and eight touchdowns? Hardly. If Jones develops, Parker stays healthy, and New England’s two-heads-are-better-than-one play-calling plan does not doom the offense, look for Parker to be a solid sleeper that will give WR 2/WR 3 value when he is drafted as a WR4 or WR5.

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