-2022 NFL Schedule -Strength of Schedule
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Ask the Commish.Com 2022 Draft Kit
Despite the ups-and-downs of the KC Chiefs offense as a response to the Cover 2 defense, Patrick Mahomes was as a stellar as ever from a fantasy perspective. The former MVP ranked fourth in fantasy points per game (22.0) tying Justin Herbert with 12 weekly top-12 QB finishes. Still, Mahomes averaged fewer fantasy points per game than in 2020 (25.2). Additionally, the loss of Tyreek Hill cannot be ignored heading into 2022. The duo ranks second in combined passing touchdowns (41) since 2016 - despite Mahomes not becoming the starter until the 2018. Mahomes can't totally be written off as a top-five fantasy option - .QB4 without Hill through the first five weeks of 2019 averaging 25 fantasy points per game - but there's real concern about his top-tier weekly ceiling without Hill. Especially coming off a season where he posted a career-low PFF passing grade (77.5) and career-high in interceptions (16). He's likely being overvalued as the QB2 in early best ball drafts on name recognition alone.
Allen was the No. 1 Fantasy quarterback in 2021, and he will look to repeat as the top quarterback again this season. He's our consensus No. 1 ranked quarterback this year, and he should be the first quarterback off the board in the majority of leagues. In one-quarterback leagues, the earliest Allen should be drafted is Round 2. And in two-quarterback and Superflex leagues, Allen is a Round 1 selection and could go No. 1 overall. For the past two seasons, Allen has averaged at least 27.9 Fantasy points per game. He has consecutive years of at least 4,400 passing yards and 36 touchdowns, and he has at least 420 rushing yards and six rushing touchdowns in every year of his career. The Bills changed his receiving corps this season with Cole Beasley and Emmanuel Sanders gone, but Jamison Crowder, Khalil Shakir and O.J. Howard are in, as well as pass-catching running backs like James Cook and Duke Johnson. And Allen has Stefon Diggs, Gabriel Davis and Dawson Knox still on his side. Allen is a star, and he should have another standout campaign in 2022.
Lamar Jackson had a season to forget in 2021, as he dealt with a plethora of injuries/illnesses and regressed immensely as a passer. Two key metrics at PFF that are important to analyze for QBs are performance in a clean pocket and throwing at the intermediate level. Jackson ranked 28th in passer rating from a clean pocket (90.4) and 22nd in PFF passing grade at the intermediate level (70.0). Despite all his shortcomings as a passer, Jackson still finished the season second in expected fantasy points per game (23.8) and seventh in fantasy points per game (21.3). His expected fantasy point per game output marked the highest of his career thanks to the Ravens' willingness to throw more in 2021. From 2019-2020, Jackson had 37 or more passing attempts in a game only four times. He did so five times in 2021, with Baltimore throwing at a 60% clip. However, I would not anticipate the pass-heavy approach to continue into 2022. Their philosophical change on offense was forced out of necessity based on the injuries. But a lack of passing doesn't impact Jackson they way it does most other QBs with his greatest fantasy asset being his legs. Jackson may never recapture his 2019 rare MVP form when he averaged north of 28 fantasy points per game, but a 22-point per game average seems like his norm based on his last two years of fantasy production. In 2020, he led all QBs in fantasy points per dropback. That cements him as a clear-cut top-5 fantasy QB.
DeAndre Hopkins is being suspended six games for violating the NFL's Performance Enhancing Drug policy. This penalty has massive fantasy football repercussions for the Arizona Cardinals offense starting with quarterback Kyler Murray. Murray's production dipped last season without Hopkins in the lineup over the final four weeks of the season. He averaged 18.8 fantasy points per game and 6.3 yards per pass attempt. Murray averaged 24.9 fantasy points per game and 8.7 yards per attempt in the nine games with Hopkins fully healthy. He also posted the No. 1-ranked PFF passing grade (90.5). Losing Hopkins for six games cannot be ignored, but the addition of Marquise Brown figures to make up for some of the lost production.
Justin Herbert finished third in touchdowns and fifth in PFF passing grade (91.8) from a clean pocket in 2021. The Bolts quarterback also wrapped up the season as PFF's third-highest-graded quarterback overall, third in fantasy points per game (22.7) and fifth in expected fantasy points per game (21.7) The Los Angeles Chargers signal-caller is a certified stud - a top-five, elite-tier fantasy quarterback in 2022. Only Tom Brady and Josh Allen posted as many top-5 weeks as Herbert did last season. He and Brady led the NFL with nine 300-yard passing games. Since entering the NFL in 2020, Herbert has thrown for 300-plus yards in 53% of his games played. Even if his rushing doesn't stack up with the league's elite, Herbert's cannon provides almost everything he needs to close the gap.
He un-retired after little more than a month and will play at age 45. Can he continue to defy Father Time? It seems silly to bet against him at this point.