The first NFL game of the 2022 season is just days away and that means fantasy football draft season is here! FullTime’s Fantasy Football Roster and Rankings Update catches you up on all the recent player movements and their impacts on 2022 fantasy football rankings.
There was a whirlwind of activity as NFL teams trimmed their rosters down to 53. Some of those trades and releases will impact our 2022 fantasy projections. After spending 10 hours tracking those cuts and adjusting our outlooks, I wanted to recap some of the fantasy-relevant outcomes.
Yesterday I kept the FullTiime Discord updated on the roster cuts. Here is a more detailed look at the fantasy impact of cut-down day.
Player Movement
Hundreds of players were released or sent to IR yesterday. Inevitably, many of those cuts impacted fantasy football teams that have already completed their drafts. Here are some of the fantasy-relevant players that were impacted this season.
Sony Michel (RB) – One of the more surprising cuts, Miami moved on from Michel just a few months after signing him. The Dolphins chose to keep Salvon Ahmed, but Michel shouldn’t stay unemployed long. Michel quickly signed with the Chargers, which resulted in the release of Larry Rountree.
Marlon Mack (RB) – The Houston Texans will surge forward with fourth-round rookie Dameon Pierce as their starter. Mack averaged a solid 4.3 yards per carry in the preseason but simply wasn’t as explosive as Pierce. Mack could wind up re-signing with the Texans and will resurface again in 2022 somewhere.
Trey Sermon (RB) – Last year at this time, Sermon was considered one of the hottest sleepers to target as a potential breakout. Not so much. Sermon made it through San Francisco’s initial wave of cuts but was unable to last past Day Two.
Tyler Johnson (WR) – There weren’t enough targets left of the Bucs to keep Johnson on the roster but he was quickly claimed by Houston. The Texans surprisingly waived Chris Conley, but Johnson could move into Conley’s old WR3 spot.
Freddie Swain (WR) – Swain was Seattle’s incumbent WR3 but had a disappointing preseason and was ultimately cut. Swain will get another shot with Seattle or another club but he’s well off the fantasy radar.
O.J. Howard (TE) – Dynasty managers still aren’t ready to give up on Howard as a viable NFL tight end but it appears that NFL clubs don’t have that same problem. Howard was cut by the Bills just five months after he signed. Rumors are that Howard could join the Bengals but it’s been four years since Howard has made any notable fantasy impact.
Keelan Cole (WR) – Cole was considered the favorite to take over WR3 duties in Vegas but that job went to Mack Hollins instead. Cole snagged 28-of-51 targets for the Jets last year but being unable to crack the Raiders’ rather thin receiving corps is quite telling.
Jalen Reagor (WR) – Minnesota acquired Reagor from the Vikings for a 2023 7th and conditional late-round pick in 2024. It’s a precipitous fall for Reagor, who was (in)famously selected right in front of Justin Jefferson. Now, the duo gets the chance to play on the same team.
JaMycal Hasty (RB) – Hasty was released by the 49ers but claimed off waiver by the Jaguars. Jacksonville doesn’t have much depth behind Travis Etienne and James Robinson, who are both recovering from significant injuries.
Dez Fitzpatrick (WR) – A fourth-rounder just last season, Fitzpatrick was one of Tennesse’s final cuts. He could re-sign with the Titans’ practice squad but there’s not a lot of fantasy appeal even in deep dynasty formats.
Tyler Badie (RB) – A sixth-round pick by the Ravens in the 2022 NFL Draft, Badie was a surprising cut by Baltimore. The recent signing of Kenyan Drake likely played a big part in Badie’s demise. The rookie re-signed with the Ravens and will open the season on Baltimore’s practice squad.
Kevin Harris (RB) – Another sixth-round rookie rusher, Harris was waived by the Patriots, making the former South Carolina rusher yet another blown pick by Bill Belichick.
Anthony Firkser (TE) – Firkser played well throughout the preseason but the Falcons elected to go full-on youth movement. He’ll probably latch on somewhere as a dependable veteran backup.
Anthony McFarland (RB) – Undrafted free agent Jaylen Warren supplanted all of the Steelers’ veterans to win the club’s RB2 job. This left no role for McFarland, who only had four touches in 2021.
Kellen Mond (QB) – Minnesota cut ties with Mond, who was the previous regime’s third-round pick in 2021. Mond was claimed by the Browns and should slot in as Cleveland’s QB3 until December.
Zane Gonzalez (PK) – Carolina placed Gonzalez on season-ending IR with a core muscle injury. The Panthers signed Eddy Pineiro to take over kicking duties in 2022.
Player Stocks Up
With all the players changing teams or being outright released, it necessitated myriad changes to our 2022 projections. Here are players that moved significantly, up or down.
Dameon Pierce (RB) Houston Texans – Already one of the fastest risers of the entire summer, Pierce will now contend for RB2 status after the release of Marlon Mack. The fourth-rounder has routinely churned out big-gainers and made an impact after contact all preseason. He won’t see a lot of positive game scripts, but the door is open for Pierce to receive 200-plus carries and perhaps chip in 30 or more catches. He’s firmly inside RB2 range and makes an intriguing #Zero-RB target.
Chris Godwin (WR) Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Approach with caution but Godwin has been practicing. He’s way ahead of schedule as he recovers from a torn ACL. Godwin was not placed on IR and by all accounts could legitimately be on the field in Week 1. It remains to be seen just how healthy the star wideout is but this all bodes extremely well for his overall 2022 status.
Antonio Gibson (RB) Washington Commanders – Just as we moved Gibson outside of our top-30, he’s back in the RB2 discussion thanks to the attempted carjacking of Brian Robinson. Robinson was shot in the leg and rear but is expected to be fine. For now, he may miss some time. This opens the door for Gibson to secure his role as the lead back. At least for September.
Mike Davis (RB) Baltimore Ravens – Gus Edwards will miss at least four games and the outlook for J.K. Dobbins is still very cloudy. That means Davis could open the season with a notable role for the Ravens, who led the league in rushing in 2019, 2020, and ranked 3rd in 2021. Davis has gone from undrafted to a solid late-round draft target, while newly-signed Kenyan Drake could also factor in.
Jaylen Warren (RB) Pittsburgh Steelers – An undrafted free agent out of Oklahoma State, Warren won Pittsburgh’s RB2 role in August. Warren was completely off the fantasy radar but now offers some dynasty potential as a hand-cuff to Najee Harris. But keep in mind Harris played 1,010 snaps last season and is expected to be among the most heavily-utilized RBs in football once again in 2022.
Malik Willis (QB) Tennessee Titans – The release of Logan Woodside makes Willis the only backup QB in Tennessee. He’s not expected to play much but could mix in for some Wildcat or goal-line snaps. Willis is well off the redraft radar but still offers some solid Superflex dynasty appeal.
Player Stocks Down
Jaylen Waddle (WR) Miami Dolphins – If you’ve been reading FullTime Fantasy for any amount of time you probably don’t have Waddle in any redraft leagues. We’ve written numerous times that the sophomore standout is a fade. Now, Waddle is dealing with an undisclosed injury that has sidelined him for three weeks. These soft tissue leg injuries are trouble, not to mention the guaranteed loss of target share. Waddle hasn’t moved down our rankings, he just remains way lower than consensus.
J.K. Dobbins (RB) Baltimore Ravens – Felled by a season-ending knee injury last summer, Dobbins is still a volatile pick. If we knew Dobbins would be in the backfield in Week 1, he would be a solid RB2. But reports indicate that his Week 1 availability is in doubt. Additionally, the team just signed Kenyan Drake and Mike Davis to potentially take some of the load.
Kadarius Toney (WR) New York Giants – Toney is a popular breakout candidate but he missed most of the preseason with yet another leg injury. The intriguing sophomore has spent way too much time on the sidelines so far, which is a troubling sign. We’re still interested in him as a mid-round target but were forced to subdue our projections.
Clyde Edwards-Helaire (RB) Kansas City Chiefs – With Ronald Jones making KC’s 53-man roster, the Chiefs appear to be utilizing a committee backfield. I still think CEH is the back to have but he’s been underwhelming. Hard to project the rotation at this point and we still like Isiah Pacheco as a late-round weapon.
Trey Lance (QB) San Francisco 49ers – I made minor adjustments to Lance’s overall projections and it dropped him behind Kirk Cousins and Matt Ryan on my personal board. Lance has been rather underwhelming this summer and now that the club re-signed Jimmy Garoppolo, there’s more risk involved. Lance has top 5 overall upside due to his athleticism but just understand selecting him as a QB1 is a risk/reward play.
Greg Dulcich (TE) Arizona Cardinals – Denver placed their third-round rookie TE Greg Dulcich on IR with a hamstring injury. That means Dulcih will miss at least the first four games of the season.
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