Do enough off-season draft prep and you’ll undoubtedly come across fantasy analysts hyping a 2022 fantasy football contract year players list. The theory is that players, especially those coming off their rookie deals, are extra motivated to perform well this season and break the bank on the open market.

While it does seem like some players do indeed show up to training camp in the shape of their life and there is certainly some precedence to wanting to maximize their offseason value, there is no real corollary evidence that indicates there is a notable increase in output in contract years.

Of course, there are exceptions to that. Undoubtedly plenty of players set to enter unrestricted free agency in 2023 will have standout performances this season. But it just might be us looking for this to happen that makes it just seem more common than it actually is.

Regardless, targeting contract-year players in fantasy football drafts can lead to the occasional breakout performance, but it should just be viewed as a small piece of the draft puzzle. Perhaps used as a tie-breaker between two players who are similarly ranked.

Here are some of the key skill-position players to keep in mind that are currently set to be unrestricted free agents after the 2022 NFL season. For a complete list, bookmark the FullTime Fantasy Contract Year Players tab.

The ages listed are how old players will be in March.

WHAT CONTRACT YEAR PLAYERS STAND OUT IN 2022?

To view the players to target and avoid 

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