Fantasy Football Rankings 2022: Breakouts from unbiased model that nailed Jaylen Waddle’s big year

NFL training camps have opened, and with the preseason underway, owners are running out of time to craft their 2022 Fantasy football rankings. After being released by the Titans in March, seven-time Pro Bowler Julio Jones signed a one-year contract with the Buccaneers. That gives Tom Brady another trio of veteran wide receivers in Jones, Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, which could prime him for another massive season.

Brady is coming off a year in which he led the NFL in passing yards (5,316) and touchdowns (43), but where does the soon-to-be 45-year-old belong in the Fantasy football rankings 2022? Who are the 2022 Fantasy football breakouts you should target who can outperform their 2022 Fantasy football ADP? Before putting together your 2022 Fantasy football draft strategy, be sure to check out the 2022 Fantasy football cheat sheets from the proven computer model at SportsLine.

Last year, SportsLine’s model accurately predicted that Dolphins rookie wide receiver Jaylen Waddle was being dramatically undervalued. He was being drafted around the same time as receivers such as Corey Davis, Tyler Boyd and Will Fuller, but the model predicted that Waddle would outproduce all of them and be a key breakout for Fantasy football lineups. The result: Waddle put together a strong 104-1015-6 receiving line and was a top-20 Fantasy receiver. 

The same model has a proven track record providing Fantasy football tips, also identifying A.J. Brown as a sleeper in 2020 and players like Julio Jones and JuJu Smith-Schuster as Fantasy football busts last season. Additionally, it’s called past Fantasy football sleepers like Derrick Henry in 2019, Christian McCaffrey and Alvin Kamara in 2018, and Davante Adams in 2017. Anybody who banked on players like those made a run at their league title.

The model is powered by the same people who generated projections for all three major Fantasy sites, and it beat human experts last season when there was a big difference in ranking. The projections update multiple times daily, so you’re always getting the best Fantasy football advice.

Now, SportsLine has simulated the entire NFL season 10,000 times and released its latest Fantasy football rankings 2022, along with plenty of sleepers, breakouts and busts. Head to SportsLine now to see them. 

Top 2022 Fantasy football breakouts

One of the 2022 Fantasy football breakouts the model is predicting: Texans running back Dameon Pierce. The Florida product was a fourth-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft and run alongside veterans Marlon Mack and Rex Burkhead in Houston. Pierce was part of a backfield committee in his four years at Florida, rushing for 1,806 yards and 23 touchdowns while adding 45 receptions for 422 yards and five scores through the air.

He has a compact build that helps him maintain balance through contact and takes care of the football, going the entire 2021 season (119 touches) without fumbling. He’s not a dynamic receiver, but looks comfortable catching the ball away from his body and is extremely capable in pass protection, which gives him the upside of being used on all three downs. That’s why the model ranks him ahead of backs like A.J. Dillon and James Robinson, who are being drafted at least four rounds earlier on average.

Another breakout that SportsLine’s Fantasy football rankings 2022 have identified: Seahawks running back Kenneth Walker III. He was arguably the best pure rusher in the 2022 draft class after putting together a stellar season at Michigan State. Walker had limited opportunities in the passing game with the Spartans, but he should get more chances during his pro career.

He will battle for the backup role in the Seattle offense this season, but an injury to Rashaad Penny could mean plenty of carries. Seattle head coach Pete Carroll is expected to utilize the rushing attack as much as any team in the NFL following the departure of star quarterback Russell Wilson, providing additional upside for Walker. SportsLine’s model expects him to have a breakout rookie season with the Seahawks. See which other Fantasy football breakouts 2022 to target here.

How to find proven 2022 Fantasy football rankings

SportsLine is also extremely high on a surprising quarterback you aren’t even thinking about being taken in the middle rounds of 2022 Fantasy football drafts. This quarterback is listed as a shocking top-five option ahead of superstars like Patrick Mahomes and Lamar Jackson. You can only see who it is, and the 2022 Fantasy football rankings for every player, at SportsLine.

So which 2022 Fantasy Football breakouts should you be targeting? And which QB shocks the NFL with a top-five performance? Visit SportsLine now to get 2022 Fantasy Football cheat sheets for every single position, all from the model that called Jaylen Waddle’s huge season, and find out.