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
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.
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.
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.
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.
James Cook (Buffalo Bills) – Zach Moss 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.
Isaiah Spiller (Los Angeles Chargers) – Spiller slipped all the way down to the 18th pick of the fourth round as the 9th running back to be selected. Playing behind a stud PPR back like Austin Ekler isn’t ideal, but with Justin Jackson currently a free agent, Spiller should be able to claim LA’s weekly RB2 role. That job averaged nine touches per game last season, so Spiller has a shot at being relevant even as a back-up and offers RB2 upside if Ekeler, who has missed one game in four of his five seasons, is forced out of action.
Mid-Draft Potential
Zamir White (Las Vegas Raiders) – Despite his production, the Raiders declined the fifth-year option for RB Josh Jacobs. Backfield mate Kenyan Drake is also set to be a free agent after this season. White is built like a tank and ran a 4.4 40 while posting the 7th-highest SPARQ of any running back in the last five seasons. White has a real path to a starting role as soon as next season.
Tyler Allgeier (Atlanta Falcons) – After releasing Mike Davis, Atlanta’s backfield is more unsettled. Allgeier might already be the best bet to emerge as the Falcons’ main power back and can also hold his own in the passing game. We expect Atlanta to employ a committee but Allgeier should command enough touches to be fantasy-relevant as early as 2022.
Brian Robinson (Washington Commanders) – Robinson was probably over-drafted but the Commanders still seem to be unwilling or unable to trust Antonio Gibson in a featured role. J.D. McKissic also re-signed with Washington to return to his change-of-pace role. Robinson, however, is huge (6-2, 225) and brings a tackle-breaking and short-yardage ability that the club’s other backs lack.
Pierre Strong (New England Patriots) – Strong led the FCS with 1,673 rushing yards and ranked 2nd with 18 scores for North Dakota State. His 113.5-speed score ranked in the 95th-percentile and he looks like he could develop into a real big-play threat in the pros. Unfortunately, landing in New England’s already crowded backfield was less than ideal.
Jerome Ford (Cleveland Browns) – Ford flashed some real game-breaking ability at Cincinnati after transferring away from Alabama and posted solid speed scores at the Combine. But Ford also lacked agility and is highly unlikely to make much of a fantasy impact as long as Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt are ahead of his on the depth chart. Hunt is set to hit free agency after this season.
Tyrion Davis-Price (San Francisco 49ers) – Perhaps no back improved their fantasy stock more than Davis-Price, who went from late-round fodder to surprising third-round pick by RB whisperer Kyle Shanahan. Shanahan certainly knows what to look for in mid-to-late round running backs and that should put Davis-Price on all dynasty manager’s radars.
Late-Round Fliers
Hassan Haskins (Tennessee Titans) – When it comes to rushing power and size, Haskins can be considered a solid back-up to Derrick Henry. But unlike Henry, Haskins isn’t going to break a ton of breakaway runs and was rather limited in pass-catching opportunities at Michigan.
Kyren Williams (Los Angeles Rams) – Throughout the draft process I was a fan of Williams. Yes, he had an extremely disappointing 40 time, but I thought his versatility and pass-catching prowess would warrant a Day Two pick. Williams slid all the way to 5.21 but the Rams did trade up to nab him, so there is some upside. He won’t play much in 2022 but view Williams as a dynasty hold to target in the third or fourth round.
Ty Chandler (Minnesota Vikings) – Chandler posted an electric 4.38 40 at the Combine and projects to be a decent change-of-pace option in the pros. He lacks the strength and vision to be much of an inside runner, so Chandler will probably spell Dalvin Cook and Alexander Mattison, who will be a free agent following the 2022 campaign.
Kevin Harris (New England Patriots) – Another solid college prospect who had the misfortune of landing in New England, Harris ran a sluggish 4.61 40 and lacks agility, but offers solid power and some pass-catching ability. Harris shouldn’t play much in 2022 but is a decent dynasty hold.
Snoop Conner (Jacksonville Jaguars) – The Jaguars traded up to snag Conner in the fifth round. Conner has excellent size for a running back and boasted 25 reps on the bench press but never commanded more than 130 carries at Ole Miss and will only be relevant in 2022 if either Travis Etienne or James Robinson is not ready for action by the season opener.
Tyler Badie (Baltimore Ravens) – Considering the rampant injuries Baltimore’s backs went through last season, Badie should certainly be on fantasy radars. But the Ravens throw few passed to their backs and the undersized Badie is likely going to be pigeon-holed into a change-of-pace, passing specialist role.
Keaontay Ingram (Arizona Cardinals) – The Cardinals don’t have much depth behind James Conner, who has a long history of injuries. Ingram had an 80th-percentile speed score and looked good as a receiving option at both Texans and USC. If he wins the Cardinals’ backup gig this summer, Ingram could stand to move up several spots on this list.
Isaih Pacheco (Kansas City Chiefs) – Andy Reid now has two disappointing fantasy backs on this roster after signing Ronald Jones to compete with Clyde Edwards-Helaire. It’s not inconceivable to think that Pacheco could earn a handful of touches as early as his rookie year, which makes him a decent speculative late-round target.
JOIN OUR MAILING LIST! GET THE LATEST ARTICLES & UPDATES
