The wait is finally over, everybody! After seven long months, the 2022 NFL season is underway, and if you’re a football fanatic, then you must be excited for some Fantasy Football! I mean, come on, who else misses the stressful yet exhilarating rush of checking matchups, changing lineups, and seeing recent updates of your team’s players? Well, I most certainly do!
What’s so unpredictable about fantasy football is, of course, having some of your starting players score atrociously low while some of your bench riders score an unpredictable yet impressive amount of points. Well, if you’re still contemplating this problem, maybe you should take a look at these players to grab, or heck, even start for this NFL season! Here are some of the top players to keep your eye on.
QB: Kirk Cousins, Minnesota Vikings
I’m still baffled as to why no one starts Cousins for their fantasy team. It seems like the Vikings’ offense drastically improves every year, including the stacked offensive roster (Adam Thielen, Dalvin Cook, Justin Jefferson). Looking back to Week one’s win over the Packers, Cousins had a 118.9 passer rating with 277 yards and 2 touchdowns. But beware that the odds will not be in your favor if there’s a notable zone coverage defense matching up against him.
RB: Antonio Gibson, Washington Commanders
After the first week, everyone can already tell that the 24-year-old stud is going to be a strong reliance on the Washington Commanders. Gibson collected 14 carries rushing for 58 yards, averaging 4.14 yards per carry. But what made Gibson stand out so much was his spectacular receiving stats, catching seven passes for 72 yards. Since Brian Robinsons’ unfortunate injury before the regular season, we’re probably going to be seeing more of Antonio Gibson, and his importance play out for a good majority of the first half of the season.
RB: D’Andre Swift, Detroit Lions
Swift had one of the best performances of any running back during Week 1. Despite the loss against the Philadelphia Eagles, Swift rushed for 144 yards and 1 touchdown with 15 attempts, averaging 9.6 yards per carry! The 2022 Lions are quickly becoming a bigger, better, and stronger team, especially under head coach Dan Campbell and new offensive coordinator Ben Johnson. It’s safe to say we will see more receiving targets from Swift and have him become a returning resource for the Lions offense.
WR: A.J Brown, Philadelphia Eagles
The superstar wide receiver is so far Jalen Hurts favorite target in Week 1 against the Lions. Brown gathered 10 catches for 155 yards, averaging 15.5 yards per reception. Although Brown had over 76.9 percent of catch receptions by target, it seems like the Eagles are playing pretty conservatively with their rushing. But that’s not a concern for you fantasy owners out there because we’ll be seeing a lot more highlights from A.J this NFL season.
WR: Mike Williams, Los Angeles Chargers
In my honest opinion, I believe that Williams is a very unexpected player for fantasy. I’m not strongly suggesting you start him for your lineup, but I’m not opposed to it either. Despite Kennan Allen’s hamstring injury, I still believe that Williams will have a fair share of receiving yards for this season. But keep in mind that there will be some games that Williams will only award you a few points.
TE: Darren Waller, Las Vegas Raiders
Last year, Waller was ranked ninth in the tight end position, having around 17 percent of the target share. To list the flaws first, the Raiders grabbed DeVante Adams, who will be a consistent target for Derek Carr. And there’s Hunter Renfrow, who was a household name for fantasy football in 2021. But Waller received 79 yards against the Chargers last week, who is one of the top-ranked defenses in the league. All I’m saying is that Darren Waller is going to still be a salient option, regardless of the stacked receiving corps.
Hopefully, this information helps all of you fantasy owners out there! I know that sometimes fantasy football is a little challenging, no matter where the player’s value stands. But stay tuned for next week for another update on what players to spot for at the beginning of this 2022-23 season! Good luck to all of you fantasy fanatics, I hope the best for your team.
