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July has arrived which means we’re in the thick of fantasy football research season. Whether you’re months into prep or looking for a fresh place to start, you’ve come to the right place. This year’s fantasy landscape is packed with stars and it’s the perfect time to form an understanding of player ADPs and identify round-by-round targets ahead of your own drafts. Fresh off arguably one of the most eventful offseasons in NFL history, it’s never been more important to be fully prepped for your time on the clock.
Our 2022 Football Draft Guide is loaded with the tools you need to ace your summer drafts, filled with rankings, mock drafts, sleepers, hundreds of player profiles and so much more - we’re confident this year’s edition is among the finest we’ve ever produced. Plus, you’ll find exclusive feature columns from our experts on a range of important topics ahead of the season. If you’re looking for positional tiers, projections for a variety of formats and even individual defensive player analysis, then our Draft Guide could be just what you’re looking for.
Today we’re sharing a piece from Patrick Daugherty’s Top 25 Offseason Transactions column. From trades, signings and more, Pat documents the biggest moves from the offseason, ranks them accordingly and discusses the impact they’ll have on the upcoming season, along with their fantasy repercussions. Have a look at the Top 10 below:
1. Russell Wilson finally frees himself from Pete Carroll
After years of stalemate, Wilson got his wish – a ticket out of Seattle. It came at a low ebb. Wilson struggled through an injury-marred 2021, only rediscovering his form once the Seahawks rediscovered the run. That irony was surely not lost on Carroll, but it could have been a blessing in disguise for Wilson. Carroll thinks his system works, regardless of who is under center. Wilson had long since earned the right to be the system. He will finally have that chance in Denver, though it is worth noting he will be playing for a coach in Nathaniel Hackett who is coming from a Packers offense predicated on balance. The Pack run smarter not harder, of course, and put the quarterback in position for splash moments, Wilson’s specialty. Boasting another great skill corps, Wilson has the supporting cast and enhanced offensive philosophy to finally win his long-running debate with Carroll.
2. Browns overlook Deshaun Watson’s serious legal issues
Accused of sexual assault by 22 different women, Watson served a de facto suspension for all of 2021. That was no matter to the Browns, who surrendered one of the biggest draft pick and contract hauls in NFL history for the right to upgrade Baker Mayfield. That they have done, but at what cost? Watson remains subject to NFL discipline and has never convincingly explained why 22 different women have decided to put their word against his. He did clear his biggest legal hurdle when a Harris County, Texas grand jury declined to recommend criminal charges. One of the three to four best players in the NFL the last time he took the field, there is no questioning Watson’s ability. There is also no doubt he will spend the rest of his career playing under a cloud, and clouding the rooting interests for Browns fans typically amongst the most diehard in football.
3. Seeming Packers lifer Davante Adams forces his way to Vegas
We knew Wilson and Watson wanted out. We had no inkling with Adams, a receiver where it was hard to tell where he ended and his quarterback began. But if Adams had a telepathic connection with Aaron Rodgers, it was only after he had one with Derek Carr. A lifelong Raiders fan who posted bonkers college numbers with Carr, Adams wanted to come home more than he wanted to rewrite the record book with Rodgers. It won’t be the same in fantasy, though it also won’t be enough to dislodge Adams from the top five. He’s an elite player leaving behind one special connection for another.
4. Tyreek Hill takes his talents to South Beach
Hill’s trade was the point at which the offseason truly went supernova. Seemingly inspired by Adams’ move — and his new contract — Hill decided he would prefer moving to the beach than playing with the best quarterback on the planet. Unlike Adams and Carr, Hill and Tua Tagovailoa have never played together. Unlike Carr, Tagovailoa has also never supported a WR1 during his brief time in the big leagues. Hill’s down-field skill-set was already changing in Kansas City and will further evolve in Mike McDaniel’s YAC–focused attack. It won’t be the same as playing with Patrick Mahomes — nothing is — but it should be close enough in fantasy with McDaniel calling the shots.
5. Eagles add YAC demon A.J. Brown to receiver corps
Tired of drafting receivers, the Eagles let someone else do the leg work. Tired of Brown’s contract demands, the Titans decided he would be a good fit in Philadelphia. The bold move could end up a lose-lose situation if the Eagles implement their offense the same way they did in 2021. The most run-heavy team in the league after October, the Eagles had few targets to go around in a skill corps that included DeVonta Smith and Dallas Goedert. That is to say nothing of Jalen Hurts’ less–than–stellar passing. Either Brown needs to be the big fish in a little pond or he will have trouble rebounding in fantasy from a down 2021. As for the Titans, they drafted Brown knockoff Treylon Burks in the first round, but needless to say, “being A.J. Brown” is not the most likely rookie outcome. Fantasy managers are the ones stuck in the middle as the Eagles and Titans explore whether the grass is greener on the other side.
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6. Browns take Amari Cooper off the Cowboys’ hands
The offseason receiver roar began as an echo, with the wideout-desperate Browns surrendering a fifth-rounder and change for Cooper’s services after his latest baffling campaign. Coming off his first sub-1K effort since 2017, Cooper arrives with plenty of questions but is a serviceable answer to “just who is going to catch passes for this offense?” Even if Deshaun Watson is penalized with a heavy suspension, Cooper will see WR2 volume due to the Browns’ lack of alternatives. Although Cooper has proven allergic to taking “the next step,” where he is remains just fine.
7. Cardinals counter DeAndre Hopkins’ suspension with Marquise Brown acquisition
As Arizona fans and fantasy managers unaware of Hopkins’ impending ban sat in confusion — a first-round pick for Marquise Brown? — the Cardinals killed two birds with one stone. Not only will Hollywood serve as the No. 1 receiver during Hopkins’ six-game sabbatical, he will also work to placate an unhappy Kyler Murray. The two played together at Oklahoma, which was also the last time Murray had a deep receiver who could win with more than hand fighting. Hopkins boxes people out, but it takes a physical toll. Brown simply runs by defenders, a skill that was not always rewarded in Baltimore since Lamar Jackson’s deep shots were more schemed than spontaneous. It is up for debate if Brown’s arrival will solve the conundrum of Arizona’s horizontal offense, but the logic is clearer now than it was on April 28.
8. Colts turn to Matt Ryan as latest Andrew Luck replacement
Ryan will be Indy’s fourth different full-time starter in four years since Luck’s stunning retirement. “Impressive” probably isn’t the right word, but it’s not hard to stand in awe of such a revolving door under center. The Colts’ latest bet is their best. 37-year-old Ryan’s biggest issue during his final few years in Atlanta was a comical lack of protection. That will not be a problem in Indy. With a career-best offensive line and running game and his smartest coaching staff since Kyle Shanahan roamed the sideline in Atlanta, expect Ryan to have more left in the tank than it appeared in 2021.
9. Colts offload Carson Wentz onto the Commanders
Wentz did not just fail in 2021, he failed with his self–professed mentor Frank Reich calling the shots. Reich and his bosses could not wait to move on from Wentz after the season, all but announcing there was no way he would be back under center in 2022. It was in that context that Washington still decided it was a good idea to surrender a few Day 2 picks for a player whose trajectory has been going only one direction - down. Is Wentz better than Taylor Heinicke? Probably. Is he better than Baker Mayfield and Jimmy Garoppolo? Unlikely. Why he was prioritized, only Washington knows. The odds that Commanders OC Scott Turner succeeds where Reich failed are slim to none.
10. Jaguars stun the football world with Christian Kirk’s contract
You may have overpaid a player if his deal creates a wave of contract disgust so pervasive that three of the league’s top 12 wideouts forced trades or pay increases within six weeks of the ink drying. Kirk did not ask for this, but he certainly got it. All the Jags are asking is for Kirk to be what he never was during four years in the desert: A legitimate No. 1. He at least clears the bar of being better than DJ Chark and Laviska Shenault. He might be better than Marvin Jones. Despite the upgraded contract, Kirk does not have upgraded WR2 odds as he migrates from Kyler Murray to Trevor Lawrence.
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