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Indianapolis Colts WR Parris Campbell is a fantasy football sleeper and breakout candidate for the 2022 NFL season. Dan Fornek explains why Campbell is a great draft value in fantasy.
Training camps are underway which means it is finally time to start getting ready for fantasy drafts for the 2022 NFL season. One of the best advantages you can have in a fantasy season is correctly identifying late-round sleepers that provide fantasy value throughout the season. These are typically players that have concerns or questions that pay off in a big way be it in your lineup or as a trade chip to upgrade your team.
One player that meets this designation in the 2022 season is Parris Campbell. The Colts selected Campbell in the second round of the 2019 NFL draft after a productive career at Ohio State. Campbell was seldom used during his first two seasons with the Buckeyes (17 total touches, 175 all-purpose yards and one touchdown) before gradually growing into a key role in the offense. In his final season with Ohio State, Campbell developed into the focal point of the offense, leading the team with 90 receptions, 1,063 receiving yards, and 12 scores.
Unfortunately, his professional career hasn’t gone as well nearly since being drafted by the Colts, which is highly suppressing his value in fantasy drafts. Check out why he’s one of the big sleepers to keep an eye on late in your fantasy drafts this season.
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Parris Campbell Career Overview
There isn't too much to say about Parris Campbell's NFL career up to this point. The biggest issue for Parris Campbell during his three years in the NFL has been his ability to stay healthy.
Campbell has played in just 15 of 49 possible games through his first season in the league. He has just 53 career targets, leading to an underwhelming 34 receptions, 360 yards, and two touchdowns in three professional seasons.
In three NFL seasons, Campbell has suffered a broken foot, fractured hand, and a knee injury which have kept him off the field. Fantasy managers have been burned by Campbell’s laundry list of injuries the last three seasons, so it's fair to wonder why we should trust him now.
Parris Campbell - 2022 Fantasy Football Sleeper
The determining factor of being a fantasy “sleeper” always comes down to the cost it takes to draft him. Parris Campbell easily checks that box, going off the board as the WR76 (pick 200) in NFC drafts over the past month.
An extensive injury history and the possibility of a run-first offense have suppressed his value in fantasy drafts immensely, making him a player that is available in the last few rounds of fantasy drafts.
That trend will likely continue throughout the summer. However, there are reasons that Campbell is an excellent sleeper target in that pick window.
For one, despite his reputation as a frail player, Campbell is pretty well put together.
Based on his page on PlayerProfiler, Campbell has a compact body type that suggests that he can take a hit, even if the evidence points to the contrary. He is also extremely explosive for a player his size, running a 4.31 40-yard dash at the NFL combine in 2019.
Campbell has had awful injury luck, but two broken feet and a knee injury on a low hit aren’t necessarily predictors of future injuries.
And he’s avoided any damage to his ACL in his professional career, so we don’t need to worry about a lack of elusiveness. When healthy, the Colts have tried to give him the ball. He just hasn’t always held up when that happens.
So why should we draft Campbell this season? For one, he is healthy and regularly making plays down the field during training camp.
Can’t quit. Won’t Quit. Parris Campbell.pic.twitter.com/1dxnWJQbKS
— Derek Brown (@DBro_FFB) July 31, 2022
But beyond that, he will have ample opportunities to provide plays downfield if he is healthy this season. The Colts upgraded the quarterback position this season, trading for Matt Ryan after the Carson Wentz experiment fell apart at the end of the 2021 season.
Ryan isn’t the quarterback he used to be, but he can still deliver accurate timing passes in places where Campbell can make plays. The Colts' profile as a run-first team with Jonathan Taylor which should open up big opportunities in the play-action game (especially on crossing routes) that will allow Campbell to catch the ball in space and get upfield.
Additionally, the Colts’ passing attack is in desperate need of playmakers. Michael Pittman is a lock to be their WR1, but there are questions around him. The team let T.Y. Hilton walk in free agency and drafted a second-round rookie (Alec Pierce) in the 2022 NFL Draft.
Parris Campbell 2022 Fantasy Football Outlook
Campbell has earned plenty of reps with the first team offense throughout training camp and will move into the slot in 3WR sets this season. Behind those three, the Colts’ wide receiver depth chart is littered with late-round draft picks and UDFAs.
The only thing holding back Campbell from making a significant impact in the passing game (and likely finishing second on the team in targets) is health.
There is also a chance the Colts need to pass the ball more this season. The secondary struggled throughout last season and most of a very good defensive coaching staff moved on to Chicago when Matt Eberflus was named head coach.
The Colts may be in more shootouts than we realize, which means more passing. Parris Campbell is a very cheap way to get an explosive wide receiver who will likely finish top-2 in targets in fantasy drafts. At WR76, he’s an excellent value that can provide boom weeks as long as he stays on the field.
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