X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Weekly Rankings
Compare Any Players
Stats & Leaders
Starts and Sit
Daily Fantasy
Who To Pickup
24x7 News and Alerts

How Every Rookie RB Impacts Their Backfield in 2022 Fantasy Football (Round 4 Picks)

Isaiah Spiller fantasy football rankings NFL draft rookies draft sleepers

Each year we see a handful of incoming rookie RBs finish as a RB2 or better in fantasy football. While the best rookies are typically those who are drafted on Day 2 or earlier (Najee Harris, Jonathan Taylor), there are also some recent examples of Day 3 picks and UDFA RBs who had great rookie seasons (Elijah Mitchell, James Robinson). 

In this article, I’ll be covering the RBs that were drafted in round 4 of the 2022 NFL Draft.

To read my article about each of the Day 2 picks (Breece Hall, Kenneth Walker, James Cook, and more), you can check it out here.

Be sure to check all of our fantasy football rankings for 2024:

 

Houston Texans: Dameon Pierce (Pick #107)

Dameon Pierce landed in the perfect spot, a wide-open backfield in Houston. Heading into the 2022 season, the Texans re-signed 32 year-old Rex Burkhead and career backup Royce Freeman on one year deals. The Texans also brought in Marlon Mack, who is two years removed from an Achilles tear, on a one year deal. Now, the team spent a very early fourth-round pick on Florida RB Dameon Pierce. Pierce’s talent could’ve seen him drafted on Day 2, but he only had to wait until the second pick of Day 3 to hear his name called.

At Florida, Pierce was used sparingly, earning just 106 and 100 carries in his final two seasons. He also earned 17 and 19 receptions in each of those seasons. While Pierce never saw a huge workload, this allowed him to stay healthy, only missing one game in four seasons with an apparent head injury. Nonetheless, Dameon Pierce was great whenever he was on the field, with 5.5 YPC throughout his collegiate career. Furthermore, in his senior season, Pierce scored a touchdown on an absurd 13% of his carries (Breece Hall 8%, Rachaad White 8%, Kenneth Walker 7%). He also made this highlight-reel play:

Dameon Pierce is an explosive running back with no tread on his tires and a nose for the end zone who is now joining a backfield with numerous questions. While I still expect Marlon Mack and Rex Burkhead to split the starting reps to begin the season, there is an immediate opportunity for Pierce to win the starting role in Houston. Once he inevitably wows the coaching staff with a big play that their other RBs are incapable of making due to their injury history and age, it becomes Pierce’s job to lose. Royce Freeman will remain a backup barring injuries to the rest of the group.

 

Las Vegas Raiders: Zamir White (Pick #122)

Zamir White (6-0, 215lbs) was a solid bruiser prospect coming out of Georgia. However, he landed in a spot that does’t seem optimal for immediate fantasy success. This is a new offensive scheme in Las Vegas that is being run by Josh McDaniels, a coach that historically loves rotating between different RBs for their specific roles in the offense and keeping them fresh. Taking a look at the Raiders decisions this offseason, it is clear that McDaniels wants to continue this trend in his first year as the team’s head coach. 

First, the Raiders declined Josh Jacobs’ fifth-year option, meaning he will likely sign elsewhere after this season. This is great news for White’s success in the future, but Jacobs will continue to be the workhorse for 2022. Next, the team signed Brandon Bolden, the pass-catching specialist that played in New England with McDaniels, to a two-year deal. This contract is worth about half as much as Kenyan Drake’s, who will also become a free agent after this season alongside Jacobs. These offseason moves indicate to me that the Raiders will mainly use Jacobs and Drake this season, as the team has no future ties to the two. Whenever they may need a breather, White will fill in for Jacobs and Bolden will fill in for Drake, but none of the bunch will have outstanding fantasy value barring injuries to the rest of the group. 

It is worth noting that Jacobs has played between 13-15 games each season throughout his NFL career, and is a safe bet to miss a few games again in 2022. During those weeks that Jacobs may miss, White will likely play a meaningful role, earning ~15 carries/game. If you remember from last season, Jacobs missed time with an injury, and Peyton Barber was able to put up a 23-111-1 statline alongside Kenyan Drake.

 

Los Angeles Chargers: Isaiah Spiller (Pick #123)

Isaiah Spiller comes into the NFL as the youngest RB this season, as he will be just 21 years old when the season begins. Spiller was projected to be a top-three RB drafted in this class by many, but ended up falling to an already high-powered offense in the Los Angeles Chargers in the fourth round. After performing poorly at the combine, Spiller’s draft stock plummeted. Nonetheless, the talent that everyone had seen pre-combine still exists, and Spiller could play an immediate role in this offense.

The Chargers do not want to give Austin Ekeler (who’s only 200 lb) the second-most red zone carries in the league again. Hence, why they drafted a 6-1, 215lb RB in Isaiah Spiller to handle the short-yardage duties in this offense. Spiller is a more than capable receiving back, handling 20+ receptions and ~200 receiving yards in every season at Texas A&M, but the team will continue to let Ekeler handle that work.

Meanwhile, the Chargers have been trying to use Joshua Kelley (36 carries) and Larry Rountree (33 carries) to handle short-yardage situations, and they are nowhere near as talented as Isaiah Spiller, despite his low draft capital. Spiller will have no issues beating out those two RBs in training camp, regulating each of them to backup duties. I still expect Ekeler to see a majority of redzone opportunities between the 5-20 yard lines this season, but we’ll likely see Spiller on the field once they are inside the 5. If he can earn 6-10 carries/game and score a couple goalline touchdowns, Isaiah Spiller could be a great value in 2022 fantasy football drafts.

 

New England Patriots: Pierre Strong Jr. (Pick #127)

Pierre Strong (5-11, 205 lb) was an interesting prospect with conflicting prospect grades, but nonetheless landed on a New England Patriots team that has historically used a slew of different running backs on their offenses.

Firstly, this pick shouldn't affect James White too much. If he can return to full health, White will likely continue to command his pass-catching work. Next, Patriots current backup RB Rhamondre Stevenson has a similar “bruiser” skill set to their starter, Damien Harris. Meanwhile, Pierre Strong is looked at more as a threat out in space, and could be used for completely different purposes than the combination of Harris and Stevenson. This gives Strong standalone value, without needing an injury in the backfield. This also means Rhamondre Stevenson will likely maintain his backup role from last season, since Strong will be used separately. Either way, you must always remain hesitant with running backs in New England, as there will always be some sort of split between the entire group.

While I expect Pierre Strong to have an immediate role in the offense as a rookie, I don’t see it being more than 5-6 carries/game, and his upside is capped unless every other RB in the offense gets injured. This team doesn’t typically like to feed one RB, as Harris only saw 20+ carries twice last season, and this would not be the running back you’d hand workhorse duties to.

 

Tennessee Titans: Hassan Haskins (Pick #131)

Hassan Haskins is a raw bruiser back (6-1, 220 lb) coming out of Michigan and in my opinion was drafted to the perfect spot, as Derrick Henry’s backup in Tennessee. There is no chance for Haskins to beat out Henry for the starting role any time soon, but he will serve as his immediate backup if Henry happens to go down with injury again. As Henry heads into his age 28 season and is coming off his first serious career injury, it’s not unreasonable to expect him to miss a few games again in 2022.

Hassan Haskins, who’s coming off a senior season with a line of 270-1300-20, will have no issues beating out Dontrell Hilliard for the backup role in Tennessee, and could have great late-round stash value in this run-heavy offense with little competition behind Derrick Henry.



Download Our Free News & Alerts Mobile App

Like what you see? Download our updated fantasy football app for iPhone and Android with 24x7 player news, injury alerts, rankings, starts/sits & more. All free!

More Fantasy Football Analysis




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Weekly Rankings
Compare Any Players
Stats & Leaders
Starts and Sit
Daily Fantasy
Who To Pickup
24x7 News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

CJ McCollum23 mins ago

Remains Unavailable On Friday
Rashod Bateman36 mins ago

Added To Week 12 Injury Report
Vince Dunn39 mins ago

Could Be An Option For Kraken Next Week
Cade Cunningham44 mins ago

Ruled Out For Saturday
TOR48 mins ago

Alexander Nylander Joins Maple Leafs On One-Year Deal
George Kittle51 mins ago

Cleared For Week 12
Joel Embiid51 mins ago

Considered A Game-Time Decision
Jason Dickinson54 mins ago

Expected To Play On Saturday
Jerami Grant1 hour ago

Tagged As Questionable For Friday
Cam York1 hour ago

Expected To Return Saturday
Al Horford1 hour ago

Unavailable On Friday
San Francisco 49ers1 hour ago

Nick Bosa Won't Play Against Packers
Mason McTavish1 hour ago

Remains Out On Friday
Brock Purdy1 hour ago

Ruled Out For Week 12
Tage Thompson1 hour ago

Continues To Sit On Friday
Kevin Hayes1 hour ago

A Game-Time Call Friday
Kris Letang2 hours ago

Might Return On Friday
Ladd McConkey2 hours ago

Returns To Practice On Friday
CeeDee Lamb2 hours ago

Cleared To Play In Week 12
Sam LaPorta2 hours ago

Off The Injury Report, Cleared For Week 12
Jake Ferguson2 hours ago

Ruled Out With Concussion
DeVonta Smith3 hours ago

Ruled Out For Week 12
Brock Purdy3 hours ago

Not Seen At Friday's Practice
T.J. Hockenson3 hours ago

Expects To Be More Involved In Week 12
Alexander Mattison3 hours ago

Zamir White Doubtful To Face Broncos
Nico Collins3 hours ago

Set For Increased Workload Against Titans
Mike Evans3 hours ago

Officially Listed As Questionable
Malik Nabers4 hours ago

Questionable For Week 12, Intends To Play
Coby White4 hours ago

Listed As Probable On Friday
Jordan Hawkins4 hours ago

Set To Return On Friday
Sam Darnold4 hours ago

Cleared For Sunday
Brandon Ingram4 hours ago

Available On Friday
Stephen Curry4 hours ago

Probable On Friday Against Pelicans
D'Andre Swift4 hours ago

Gets Questionable Tag For Week 12
Keenan Allen4 hours ago

Lands On Injury Report, Questionable For Week 12
Isiah Pacheco5 hours ago

Ruled Out For Week 12
CeeDee Lamb5 hours ago

Practices Friday, Expected To Play Sunday
Tyjae Spears5 hours ago

Ruled Out For Week 12
Cam Thomas6 hours ago

Available Against 76ers
Shohei Ohtani6 hours ago

In Early Stages Of Recovery From Shoulder Surgery
Joel Embiid6 hours ago

Added To Injury Report On Friday
Tabatha Ricci6 hours ago

Looks To Extend Her Win Streak
Yan Xiaonan6 hours ago

Looks To Get Back In The Win Column
Nicolas Claxton6 hours ago

Now Listed As Probable Against 76ers
Dorian Finney-Smith6 hours ago

Upgraded To Probable On Friday
Muslim Salikhov6 hours ago

A Favorite At UFC Macau
Chris Sale6 hours ago

To Have Normal Offseason
Garrett Crochet7 hours ago

Drawing Plenty Of Interest
Song Kenan7 hours ago

Looks To Win Back-To-Back Fights
Zhang Mingyang7 hours ago

Set For His Second UFC Fight
Ozzy Diaz7 hours ago

An Underdog At UFC Macau
MacKenzie Weegar10 hours ago

Notches Three Assists Against Rangers
Macklin Celebrini10 hours ago

Tallies Two Assists In Thursday's Loss
Nikita Kucherov10 hours ago

Comes Up With Three Assists Versus Blue Jackets
Sean Monahan10 hours ago

Finishes Thursday's Win With Four Points
Zach Werenski10 hours ago

Enjoys Career Night With Five Points Against Lightning
Jack Hughes10 hours ago

Posts Three Assists Versus Hurricanes
Joonas Korpisalo11 hours ago

Records 21-Save Shutout Versus Utah
Wendell Carter Jr.21 hours ago

Out Against Lakers
Anthony Davis21 hours ago

Available Versus Magic On Thursday
Rui Hachimura21 hours ago

Unavailable Thursday
Carlos Ulberg22 hours ago

Looking To Cement Himself As A Title Contender At UFC Macau
Volkan Oezdemir22 hours ago

Eyes Another Knockout At UFC Macau
Gabriella Fernandes22 hours ago

A Big Underdog At UFC Macau
MMA22 hours ago

Cong Wang Puts Undefeated Record On The Line At UFC Macau
Deiveson Figueiredo22 hours ago

Looks To Extend Win Streak At UFC Macau
Petr Yan22 hours ago

A Favorite At UFC Macau
Yves Missi22 hours ago

Listed As Questionable For Friday
CJ McCollum23 hours ago

Not Likely To Play Friday
Brandon Ingram23 hours ago

Questionable For Friday
Shohei Ohtani23 hours ago

Named National League MVP In 2024
Aaron Judge23 hours ago

Wins American League MVP Award
Ja'Kobe Walter23 hours ago

Ready To Go Thursday
Donte DiVincenzo23 hours ago

Available Thursday
Alex Ovechkin1 day ago

To Miss 4-6 Weeks With Fractured Fibula
Zach Hyman1 day ago

Expected To Miss 4-7 Days
Kent Johnson1 day ago

Back For Blue Jackets Thursday
Yaroslav Askarov1 day ago

Makes Sharks Debut Thursday
Mikael Granlund1 day ago

Good To Go Thursday
Alexandar Georgiev1 day ago

Returns To Action Versus Capitals
Cody Bellinger1 day ago

Cubs Looking To Trade Cody Bellinger?
1 day ago

Blake Snell Has Met With Red Sox, Dodgers
Chris Sale2 days ago

Wins National League Cy Young Award
Tarik Skubal2 days ago

Wins 2024 American League Cy Young Award
Austin Eckroat2 days ago

Heads To The RSM Classic After Win
Harris English2 days ago

Finding Form Heading To The RSM Classic
Ben Griffin2 days ago

Continues Playing Well Heading To The RSM Classic
Denny McCarthy2 days ago

Returns to The RSM Classic
Ludvig Aberg2 days ago

Looks To Defend RSM Classic Title
Si Woo Kim2 days ago

An Intriguing Option At RSM Classic
Maverick McNealy2 days ago

In Solid Form Ahead Of RSM Classic
Eric Cole2 days ago

Chasing First Tour Victory At RSM Classic
3 days ago

Guardians' Stephen Vogt Named AL Manager Of The Year
Milwaukee Brewers3 days ago

Pat Murphy Named NL Manager Of The Year
3 days ago

Nick Pivetta Declines Boston's Qualifying Offer
Jose Siri3 days ago

Mets Acquire Jose Siri From The Rays
3 days ago

Phillies To Meet With Juan Soto
3 days ago

Luis Severino Rejects Qualifying Offer From Mets
3 days ago

Willy Adames Declines Brewers Qualifying Offer
3 days ago

Teoscar Hernandez Declines Qualifying Offer From Dodgers
3 days ago

Juan Soto Declines Yankees' Qualifying Offer
Luis Gil4 days ago

Wins AL Rookie Of The Year Award
Paul Skenes4 days ago

Named 2024 NL Rookie Of The Year
Brady Singer4 days ago

Reds, Royals Discussing Jonathan India, Brady Singer
Charles Oliveira4 days ago

Gets Back In The Win Column
Michael Chandler4 days ago

Gets Dominated At UFC 309
Karine Silva4 days ago

Suffers Her First UFC Loss
Viviane Araujo4 days ago

Gets Back In The Win Column
Mauricio Ruffy4 days ago

Extends His Win Streak To Six
James Llontop5 days ago

Loses Clear-Cut Decision In Thrilling Fight At UFC 309
Paul Craig5 days ago

Loses Decision At UFC 309
Bo Nickal5 days ago

Remains Undefeated With Lackluster Performance At UFC 309
Stipe Miocic5 days ago

Retires After UFC 309 Loss

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

MORE RECENT ARTICLES

 

Video: Week 12 Booms, Sleepers, and Streamers - 2024 Fantasy Football Start 'Em Analysis

And here...we...go... The YouTube team is dropping fresh fire content for the weekend ahead with our top Week 12 booms, sleepers, and streamers! NFL Network and RotoBaller contributor LaQuan Jones gives in-depth fantasy football advice, breaking down some of his high-upside, sleeper, and value plays as we head into Week 12 of the new fantasy […]


RotoBaller NFL Betting Picks Stock

2024 NFL Week 12 Betting Picks (Premium Content)

All other Premium Tools and Content can be accessed on the premium dashboard. To see ALL of Jamie's bets (and others from RotoBaller experts) then head over to the RotoBaller Discord. You'll find every bet and prop in the #NFL-BETTING-PROPS channel there!   Background My name is Jamie Calandro (@jac3600 on X) and I have […]


DeVon Achane - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL DFS Picks, Injury News

Fantasy Football Start 'Em, Sit 'Em - Week 12 Matchups Analysis

Welcome back, RotoBallers, to another start'em and sit'em piece as we look ahead to Week 12! There will be a whopping six teams on bye this week (Atlanta Falcons, Buffalo Bills, Cincinnati Bengals, New Orleans Saints, Jacksonville Jaguars, and New York Jets), so that means fantasy managers might need to look deeper on their benches. This Week 12 matchups […]


Josh Downs - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

WR/CB Matchups to Upgrade and Downgrade - Fantasy Football Week 12 (2024)

Welcome back to our WR/CB Matchups for Week 12 of the 2024 fantasy football season. For those unfamiliar, this weekly series looks at fantasy football matchups for wide receivers versus the cornerbacks who are projected to cover them. The data we access for offensive and defensive players continues to skyrocket. Though we mainly focus on offensive […]


Houston Texans Defense D/ST Streamers, Rankings, Waiver Wire - Derek Stingley Fantasy Football IDP

D/ST Strength of Schedule: Best Fantasy Football Defense Streamers and Matchups (Weeks 12-17)

Ahh, the good old Defense/Special Teams (DST) position in fantasy football. It is a controversial inclusion in fantasy lineups for some fantasy players, but strategizing around DSTs is one of my favorite aspects of the in-season fantasy football experience. In the article below, I will present the strength of schedule (SOS) for the fantasy Defense/Special […]


NFL DFS: FanDuel Daily Fantasy Football Picks for Week 12 - Top Lineup Plays Include Jayden Daniels, Jahmyr Gibbs, Jared Goff, Puka Nacua

It’s already Week 12, although the end of the 2024-25 campaign can’t come soon enough for teams like the Jaguars, Raiders, Giants, and Panthers, to name a few. On the other hand, clubs like the Bills, Chiefs, and Lions are only a few weeks away from officially punching their tickets to the postseason.   In […]


Braelon Allen - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

Best/Worst Fantasy Football Playoff Schedules: Streamers and Starts To Win A Championship (2024)

Planning too far in advance to align your fantasy football players for an optimal playoff performance comes with many pitfalls. However, positioning yourself for good fortune in Weeks 15 through 17 should be a key piece of your strategy if you're in line to make the bracket. Fantasy players still have time to trade for […]


Bo Nix - Fantasy Football Rankings, QB, NFL Rookies, Draft Sleepers

The King's Week 12 Lineup Rankings and Analysis (Premium Content)

RotoBaller senior writer Scott "The King" Engel shares his Week 12 fantasy football lineup rankings for PPR, half PPR, and standard scoring league participants. He also provides an analysis of the rankings at every skill position. Regular starting options are included to highlight that some of your must-start players have a good chance of supplying […]


Courtland Sutton - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

Week 12 DraftKings NFL DFS Picks - Main Slate (2024): Anthony Richardson, Brian Robinson Jr., Courtland Sutton, and more

How's it going, RotoBallers? Welcome back to our DraftKings Main Slate article. Known around the fantasy football world as "Bye-Mageddon," Week 12 certainly offers up some unique challenges from a DFS perspective. Don't worry, we'll work through those difficulties to find the best plays we can on this slate. These DraftKings lineup recommendations are based […]


Brian Robinson Jr. - Fantasy Football Rankings Running Backs, Waiver Wire Sleepers, NFL DFS Picks

Bold Predictions for Fantasy Football Week 12: Tua Tagovailoa, Rhamondre Stevenson, Brian Robinson Jr., Ladd McConkey, Will Dissly

Week 12 is here, and I’m back with another edition of fantasy football bold predictions. This week’s list of bold predictions will include Tua Tagovailoa, Rhamondre Stevenson, Brian Robinson Jr., Ladd McConkey, and Will Dissly. Every week, I will provide some fun and bold fantasy football predictions. While these bold predictions aren’t the most likely […]


Ladd McConkey - Fantasy Football Rankings, Rookies, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

Booms and Busts - Fantasy Football Starts and Sits for Week 12 Lineups Include Tua Tagovailoa, J.K. Dobbins, Ladd McConkey

Week 11 was pretty kind to us in this space. We correctly labeled Justin Herbert as a boom pick. He threw for 297 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 65 yards on the ground. It culminated with a QB8 finish. We also nailed Kirk Cousins and Tony Pollard as busts. Cousins and the Falcons […]


Chuba Hubbard - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, Waiver Wire Pickups

Week 12 Fantasy Football Busts? Players Who May Disappoint Include D'Andre Swift, JK Dobbins, Tank Dell, Chuba Hubbard, Mark Andrews, Jakobi Meyers

Welcome back, RotoBallers, to our Week 12 fantasy football busts, or players who may disappoint for fantasy lineups this week. It's a strange week in the NFL with six teams taking their bye week. That could mean lineups are gridlocked and fantasy managers don't have the luxury of analyzing matchups to decide their starters. Potential […]


Josh Downs - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

PrizePicks NFL DFS Prop Picks - Over/Under Props for Week 12 (Sunday Main Slate)

Hello everybody, and welcome to our PrizePicks NFL DFS prop picks for Week 12 - Sunday Main Slate! The 2024 NFL season is now past the midpoint, and our friends over at PrizePicks have a TON of great DFS plays we can look to take advantage of. Our partners at PrizePicks offer some of the […]