2022 Dynasty Rookie WR Rankings

When the NFL Draft concludes, fantasy football dynasty draft season begins and it is a glorious time. After months of watching film, breaking down analytics, and measuring up potential fits, we now know where all the coveted NFL rookies were selected and it is time to see the fantasy fallout and recap my 2022 Dynasty Rookie WR Rankings.

After ranking the 2022 dynasty rookie RBs, I’m now presenting my picks for the top 2022 Dynasty Rookie WRs. The more I’ve watched this class the more I’ve liked it. It might lack depth, but there’s plenty to like in this first-year crop.

Here are my 2022 rookie wideout rankings and how I’ll be approaching rookie-only drafts this season.

FullTime Fantasy’s 2022 Dynasty Rookie Rankings.

Immediate Impact Starters

Drake London (Atlanta Falcons) – As the draft drew closer, it became apparent that London had a real shot at being the first widout selected and that’s exactly what transpired. London is huge (6-4, 219) and has the wheels to be a formidable downfield threat. He also walks into a situation where he’ll undoubtedly be Atlanta’s No. 1 wide receiver and should be peppered with targets from Day One. While the Falcons are projected to be one of the five worst squads in football, London should capitalize with massive volume and has major red-zone appeal. He’s my No. 1 rookie wideout and should contend for weekly WR2 status.

Garret Wilson (New York Jets) – A versatile weapon from Ohio State, Wilson has the twitchy moves and route running to be a dangerous threat around the line of scrimmage but also has enough jets (4.38 speed) to be a dangerous downfield weapon from the perimeter or inside. Wilson’s 91.8 PFF grade against single coverage was the second-highest in FBS and he’s also adept at going over the middle to reel in tough catches. He’s a complete receiver and gives the Jets an intriguing group of skill-position talent to support sophomore QB Zach Wilson.

Treylon Burks (Tennessee Titans) – The shocking draft-day trade of A.J. Brown to Philadelphia opens the door for Burks to potentially emerge as Tennessee’s No. 1 perimeter wideout as early as 2022. The ironic thing in that trade is that the explosive Burks was often comped to Brown as a sizable downfield weapon who has the size and strength to create a ton of yards after catch and break tackles. He’ll get the opportunity to shine right away in Brown’s old spot and should benefit from the presence of a healthy Robert Woods.

Jameson Williams (Detroit Lions) – A torn ACL suffered during the national championship game may have impacted Williams a tad but the Lions were still impressed enough with the dynamic Georgia playmaker to trade up to nab Williams at 12. A fluid route runner with dynamic speed, Williams ranked 2nd in FBS with 10.6 yards after contact per attempt and has experience in the return game. He has the profile to develop into a consistent big-play weapon and should be fully healthy in time for Week 1.

Chris Olave (New Orleans Saints) – Perhaps the Lions saw the Saints trade up to 11 with Washington to snag Chris Olave and that necessitated the move up to grab Williams. The rebuilding Saints had a pretty thin receiving corps, with even presumptive No. 1 Michael Thomas posing a big question mark after sitting out the entire 2020 campaign. Olave is a route technician who stands out as a potentially dominant possession receiver with outstanding downfield speed. He’ll start immediately and is a dark horse candidate to lead all rookies in targets if QB Jameis Winston carries over his 2021 momentum.

Skyy Moore (Kansas City Chiefs) – After the Tyreek Hill trade, no team had more WR vacated targets or available air yards than the Chiefs. I loved watching Moore play and his advanced metrics really stood out. Moore accrued PFF’s No. 4 overall wide receiver grade in 2021 and posted top-10 rankings versus both man and zone coverage. There are, of course, questions about level of competition, but Moore has terrific hands, solid versatility, and walks into a starting gig with one of the best offenses in football. What Moore could you ask for?

Jahan Dotson (Washington Commanders) – Dotson closes out my top tier due to landing spot. The Commanders…sort of….got better at quarterback but Dotson walks right into a perimeter starting spot opposite of Terry McLaurin. I think Curtis Samuel will man the slot, but Dotson is also capable of lining up and making an impact inside. A smooth route runner with good speed and RAC ability, Dotson has a first-round pedigree and is a terrific bargain in the second round of rookie-only drafts.

High-Value Starters

Christian Watson (Green Bay Packers) – We should have known better than to think this was finally the year the Packers would get Aaron Rodgers some weapons in Round One. Even the shocking trade of Davante Adams still couldn’t make that happen, but Watson was still a terrific selection and Green Bay liked him enough to trade up to 34 to select the former North Dakota State pass-catchers. Watson posted phenomenal speed and burst scores and also had a 97th-percentile catch radius. He’s a player to watch intently this summer and has outrageous upside if he immediately clicks with Rodgers.

George Pickens (Pittsburgh Steelers) – Outstanding blend of size (6-3, 200) and speed (4.47), Pickens overcame a torn ACL and still managed to get selected with the 52nd overall pick. Pickens has dependable hands and profiles as an explosive all-around receiver who will win in contested-catch situations. His presence gives the Steelers two similar options to line up outside with Chase Claypool.

David Bell (Cleveland Browns) – Bell was a polarizing prospect after looking like a well-established, complete receiver at Purdue but testing poorly in Indy. Not only did Bell run a sluggish 4.65, but his burst and agility scores were also in the bottom 20th-percentile and his catch radius was also critically low. Still, Bell landed in Cleveland which has plenty of open targets and should be a much better offense when Deshaun Watson is able to line up under center.

Alec Pierce (Indianapolis Colts) – Another darling of the metrics community, Pierce is big, fast, and has the ability to line up anywhere on the field. Early reports out of Indianapolis predict Pierce is the favorite to earn starting duties opposite of Michael Pittman, which would give Matt Ryan a pair of sizable downfield threats. That spot was long manned by T.Y. Hilton but Pierce could be a solid replacement who has a decent shot at being fantasy-relevant in redraft formats for a Colts’ offense that looks underrated.

John Metchie (Houston Texans) – I’m still not sold on Houston’s offense overall but they made some improvements. There is little in the way of Metchie having a significant role right away for the Texans, who have little depth behind Brandin Cooks and (maybe) Nico Collins. Metchie looked like a potential complete wideout at Alabama before tearing his ACL in the SEC Championship.

Jalen Tolbert (Dallas Cowboys) – With Amari Cooper in Cleveland, there’s an open role in Dallas’ 3-wide sets and Tolbert looks like a good bet to be an instant contributor. A 6-1, 194-pound vertical threat, Tolbert was the SunBelt Player of the Year in 2021 after snagging a school-record 82 passes for 1,474 yards. Dallas also lost Cedrick Wilson this offseason and Tolbert’s third-round pedigree will put him in the driver’s seat to start opposite of Michael Gallup.

Wan’Dale Robinson (New York Giants) – There’s a significant portion of the fantasy community that feels Robinson is an excellent prospect but I’m less excited about his landing spot. I don’t believe Daniel Jones is a viable starting quarterback and that leaves little confidence in Robinson emerging in any significant way in Year One. That said, Robinson was awfully productive at Kentucky and looks like a potential difference-maker with the ball in his hands. The biggest question is, do the Giants have anyone who can consistently deliver the ball?

Mid-Round Values

Tyquan Thornton (New England Patriots) – New England traded up to grab Thornton with the 50th pick in Round 2, which turned heads as a surprising move, particularly with George Pickens, Skyy Moore, and Alec Pierce still available. Not to mention, Bill Belichick’s troubling history of identifying and developing young wideouts and the team had recently acquired DeVante Parker from Miami. However, Thornton did run a blistering 4.28 in Indy and had very good metrics to go along with a second-round pedigree.

Velus Jones (Chicago Bears) – No truth to the rumors that Jones has a son who is a sophomore at Louisville but Jones is less than one month younger than D.J. Moore, who is entering his fifth NFL season. Jones blistered a 4.31 40 and had an impressive 116.6-speed score but has below average burst and one of the lowest agility scores of any wide receiver at the Combine. The good news- he is walking right into a desolate Chicago receiving corps and could easily enter the 2022 season in the starting lineup, so Jones is woth a cautions dynasty investment.

Khalil Shakir (Buffalo Bills) – Shakir will probably move inside full-time, but with Jamison Crowder in Buffalo on a one-year deal, Shakir looks destined for WR4 duties in 2022. That’s not necessarily a bad thing as the Bills have one of the top offenses in football. Adept at creating space and making an impact in a variety of ways at Boise State, Shakir is a very good dynasty hold to target in the third round or rookie-only drafts.

Danny Gray (San Francisco 49ers) – Kyle Shanahan coveted more speed in his lineup and that’s precisely what he got with the 105th pick of the 2022 NFL Draft. Danny Gray is a downfield burner who knows how to create space off the line of scrimmage and turn innocuous short passes into big gains. Gray’s 98th-percentile downfield speed was something missing from San Francisco’s passing game last season and matches up quite well with Trey Lance‘s big arm.

Best of the Rest

Calvin Austin (Pittsburgh Steelers) – If Austin was 2-3 inches taller he would have been a good bet to contend for first-round billing. Austin is highly athletic and fast but measured a diminutive 5-foot-8 and 170 pounds. There will always be questions about his ability to stand up to NFL punishment but Austin was such a pleasure to watch at Memphis that I find myself rooting for him to succeed more than any other skill-position player in this class. Landing in Pittsburgh was certainly advantageous for his pro potential and his ADP is low enough that there isn’t a ton of downside towards targeting Austin in the fourth round of dynasty rookie drafts.

Romeo Doubs (Green Bay Packers) – Doubs has good size ( 6-2, 201) but is a bit of an unknown in the speed department. His last official 40 time was a pedestrian 4.72 ran back in high school. On tape, he showcases enough speed to be a solid vertical threat with good hands and plus contested-catch potential. His stock should be on the rise after being selected by the Packers, who have precious little depth at the receiver position.

Justyn Ross (Kansas City Chiefs) – A bulging disk led to spinal fusion surgery which torpedoed Ross’s once-promising NFL draft stock. Ross has impressive size (6-4, 210), inside/outside flexibility, and excellent hand. He also stood out against some of the best programs in the country and by many accounts is completely healthy. There’s a bit of risk here, but Ross has a ton of potential and has an open door to an immediate role in one of football’s top passing attacks. He’s an excellent low-risk target in rookie drafts.

Late-Round Targets

There is a noticeable drop-off in viable wideouts after the last group. I generally find myself attacking other positions at this point but some dynasty leagues dig deeper. I wanted to include a handful of those names to consider as late-round draft targets.

Samori Toure (Green Bay Packers)

Erik Ezukanma (Miami Dolphins)

Kyle Phillips (Tennessee Titans)

D’Vonte Price (Indianapolis Colts)