For dynasty fantasy enthusiasts, the NFL Draft is the highlight of the entire season. All that hard work put into scouting, film, and
rookie profiles finally play out and we get to see the results take place at the draft.
Now that we know the final landing spots of all the 2022 NFL rookies, it’s time to adjust our rankings and rank the 2022 rookie class of running backs.
Following up on my pre-draft rookie rankings, here is my updated approach to how I will be approaching rookie-only drafts in 2022 and how I value the next crop of rookie rushers.
Early-Round Targets
1. Breece Hall (New York Jets) – The pre-draft 1.01, Hall was the first running back selected but wasn’t targeted until the fourth pick of Round Two. Hall’s landing spot was fine, as the Jets seemed to walk away with an impressive draft haul. However, New York also has sophomore Michael Carter on the roster, who was a popular sleeper pick in early ADP.
Expect Robert Saleh to employ a full-blown backfield by committee, with Hall as the 1A to Carter’s change-of-pace and pass-catching role. While not ideal from a fantasy perspective, Hall’s size, speed, and three-down ability should give him the edge in an ascending offense.
2. Kenneth Walker III (Seattle Seahawks) – Speaking of committee backfields, the Seahawks have three capable runners in the fold and will be a tough team to handicap. Chris Carson is expected to be fully healthy and the club also re-signed Rashaad Penny, who single-handedly won many a fantasy league with his late-season performance last year.
Walker may not have an expansive role right away, but he also boasts three-down ability and finished second in this class in explosive rush rate. Regardless of Walker’s 2022 role, both Carson and Penny are in the final year of their contracts, which opens the door for Walker to possibly be the undisputed starter in 2023.
3. Dameon Pierce (Houston Texans) – As we say often, opportunity is everything in fantasy football. And when it comes to opportunity, Pierce appears to have the best shot at opening 2022 with a starting role. All that stands in the way of the fourth-rounder from starting is aging Rex Burkhead and Marlon Mack.
Pierce flashed dynamic upside, ranking second in FBS in missed tackles forced and fourth in yards created per attempt. He was also PFF’s top-graded receiving back in all of FBS and has a pretty clear path to immediate playing time.
4. Rachaad White (Tampa Bay Buccaneers) – Leonard Fournette re-signed with the Bucs but Tampa has little established depth behind their workhorse. White is an outstanding pass-catcher who could start contributing right away. At USC, White showed up outstanding versatility by lining up all over the field. He also has good size (6-0, 218) and boasted an 89th-percentile speed score.
Fournette is likely to remain Tampa’s lead dog but White was one of the top pass-catching options in this class and will give the Bucs a legitimate weapon that offers more three-down ability than Ronald Jones.
5. James Cook (Buffalo Bills) – Zay Jones truthers should be concerned because Cook is an excellent pass-catcher and Jones had clearly fallen out of favor by December. While Devin Singletary remains entrenched as the starter, he’s entering the final year of his rookie deal. Cook is actually bigger than Singletary and ran a 94th-percentile 4.42 40-yard dash. The former Georgia Bulldog has a good shot at being fantasy-relevant quite early on.
WHAT OTHER PLAYERS MADE JODY’S TOP-20 ROOKIE RB RANKINGS?
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