Scott Engel's Draft Favorites And Fades - 2022 Fantasy Football Targets and Avoids

Here is the King’s featured list of the players to target and avoid at their current draft values this season. After participating in several drafts this preseason and observing many others, a lengthy rundown of guys to add to your rosters or avoid altogether on draft day has been finalized.

The favored players are the ones that are eagerly taken when available or will be pushed up in the preferred queue order when my time to make a pick is approaching. The ones we recommend to fade are usually taken before they get consideration.

The Favorites and Fades are based on PPR scoring formats. You may disagree with some of my takes, but they can also help you make a call when faced with tight decisions on draft day.

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The King’s 2022 Fantasy Football Draft Favorites

-Austin Ekeler proved himself as a strong and dependable source of rushing TDs in 2021. You should be willing to take him as soon as second overall.

-A suspension no longer seems to be a concern for Alvin Kamara. He is a potential top 5 RB this season and is being drafted late in the first round or early in the second round. Kamara is a prime value RB target in the first two rounds.

-Travis Etienne may prove to be a spectacular all-around fantasy performer this season and he is one of my top targets at RB in the third round.

-The path has been cleared for Chase Edmonds to be a true No. 1 RB for the first time in his NFL career. Edmonds is a dual threat with true upside who can be drafted as a value fantasy RB3.

-If Kenneth Walker III gets a chance to be a featured RB for the Seahawks any time this season, he could deliver at least high-end RB2 fantasy production.

-Kenneth Gainwell will be the best fantasy RB for the Eagles this season. Miles Sanders is an injury concern and he is not a scoring threat. Boston Scott is an admirable plugger when needed but he is too small to play a large role in the Philadelphia offense. Gainwell can be a goal-line option and he also catches passes.

-Dalvin Cook’s shoulder is a legitimate concern, and Alexander Mattison has the potential to start some games in what may be an improved Minnesota offense.

-A.J. Brown is being taken at the end of the second round in many drafts and is headed for a career season. He is the biggest offensive threat on the Eagles’ roster and must be heavily featured.

-Allen Robinson is a very strong fantasy WR2 pick. Working with Matthew Stafford, he should finish with his best numbers since 2015, when he had 1,400 receiving yards. Robinson won’t quite hit that mark but he is one of my preferred WR targets outside of the top 12.

-Courtland Sutton is going to be Russell Wilson’s Denver version of DK Metcalf. He is big, fast, and a major downfield threat. Sutton is a candidate to perform at a fantasy WR1 level in 2022.

-Gabriel Davis had four TD catches in a playoff game last year. That was an amazing performance at the most important time of the season in the NFL. It was also resounding proof that Davis is about to leap into fantasy stardom. He is a significant upside fantasy WR2 target and a major fantasy luxury as a WR3.

-JuJu Smith-Schuster had 97 receptions and nine TDs two seasons ago working in an undesirable passing game in Pittsburgh. Now he will be the No. 1 WR for Patrick Mahomes. He is a very good fantasy WR3 pick.

-Allen Lazard is the approved No. 1 WR for Aaron Rodgers. That should give him a fantasy WR3 floor.

-Alec Pierce is an underrated rookie WR. He has the potential to be a sneaky fantasy WR3 starter in 2022.

-I am expecting Jalen Hurts to improve as a passer this year, which means Dallas Goedert is on the verge of a career season.

-Cole Kmet is a surefire fantasy TE1 for 2022. It’s easy to see his path to heavy targets, and Kmet learned under Jimmy Graham over the last two seasons.

-Austin Hooper will be an important part of a Tennessee passing game that will need a few guys to effectively replace A.J. Brown. He will be a preferred pass-catcher on third downs.

-Hurts has the supporting cast to succeed this year. He has a true No. 1 WR in Brown, a rising star in DeVontae Smith, and a proven quality TE in Goedert. We already are well aware of his outstanding rushing production. Now Hurts will improve as a passer with a strong playmaking crew and he can be a top 5 fantasy QB.

-Derek Carr has been presented with the best receiving group of his career and will produce the best fantasy numbers of his career.

-Tua Tagovailoa now has Tyreek Hill to pair with Jaylen Waddle, and Cedrick Wilson and Mike Gesicki as viable secondary targets, plus Edmonds catching passes out of the backfield. Tagoviloa has the potential to function as a fantasy QB1 this season.

The King’s 2022 Fantasy Football Draft Fades

-Others are willing to, and that is fine, I hope it works out for them. But I am not taking Christian McCaffrey as a top 5 pick this season when Jonathan Taylor, Ekeler, Justin Jefferson, and Ja’Marr Chase have no concerns about their health heading into the season. Cooper Kupp’s QB has a seemingly minor injury issue to monitor, but Kupp is not a durability risk on his own, so I also give him the nod over McCaffrey.

-Aaron Jones’ production is going to be threatened by the continued emergence of A.J. Dillon. I prefer to pass on Jones as an RB2 in the second round.

-Cam Akers may get off to a slow start this season, as he might not display his best form just yet after last season’s Achilles injury. I don’t want to start Akers in the first few weeks and regret it.

-This is likely the final season for Josh Jacobs as a Raider, and I will be watching for the eventual rise of Zamir White in 2022. They will at least operate in a timeshare, so I don’t want to draft Jacobs as an RB2.

-I want no part of Miles Sanders this year. He is going to be nothing more than an occasionally flashy part-time RB who will never be a comfortable fit in my lineups even as a flex player.

-There is a lot of backing of Tony Pollard as a possible breakthrough player. But I still expect Ezekiel Elliott to get a lot of work and Pollard will be totally unreliable for fantasy purposes.

-I don’t want to be down on DK Metcalf, but he is going to be a really frustrating fantasy player in 2022. When you start him, he will fizzle, and when you sit him, he may sizzle. Metcalf won’t see his fantasy appeal totally plummet this year, but he will be maddeningly inconsistent.

-I don’t want to draft Marquise Brown as a fantasy WR2. He never emerged as the true No. 1 WR Baltimore needed, and he will be overmatched in a similar role with Arizona while DeAndre Hopkins is out for the first six games. Brown should be more comfortable as the Cardinals’ No. 2 WR when Hopkins returns, and then he can provide ample fantasy WR3 production. I don’t hate Brown as a fantasy player this season, but I also do not view him as a fantasy WR2 option.

-Although he can possibly come through with some impressive fantasy outings, I just cannot bring myself to hit the “draft” button and officially move Amari Cooper from my queue to my roster. It’s obviously because of Jacoby Brissett starting a good chunk of games for the Browns this year.

-I don’t want No. 1 WRs from Baltimore as fantasy starters. Opportunity does not always lead to the desired production, and I will be avoiding Rashod Bateman when others are expecting a breakthrough season.

-The Jaguars totally overpaid for Christian Kirk. He is not a true No. 1 WR in the NFL and might even turn out to be a disappointment as a fantasy WR4.

Chase Claypool may be held back by the Pittsburgh QB situation again. He would be better off on another NFL team, as Claypool might fare better elsewhere as a regular TD target for a more prolific passer.

-I am not wasting my fantasy time with Marquez Valdes-Scantling. He already is a proven bust from a high-powered passing game.

-I usually avoid drafting George Kittle when others target him among the top 5 TEs in the earlier rounds. He has left a hole in my lineups too often.

-Gesicki is an important member of Tagovailoa’s supporting cast, but I view him as a better NFL player than a fantasy player this season.

-Tyler Higbee had only two outings in which he totaled more than 55 receiving yards last season, and he had one TD reception in his eight games played from Weeks 7 through 17.

-Maybe Matthew Stafford’s elbow issue won’t flare up this season, but why take the chance on him when I can take at least 12 other QB starters that are more comfortable options?

-Trevor Lawrence should improve as a pure NFL QB this season, but his WR group is mediocre and the offensive line is still shaky. I would rather take my second QB earlier instead of starting Lawrence as a QB2 in a superflex league.

Scott Engel's fantasy and betting analysis is also featured at The Game Day.

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