Fantasy football: George Kittle, 4 others who bounce back big in 2022
By Peter Panacy
Fantasy football bounce-back player No. 3: RB Saquon Barkley, Giants
Sticking with Big Blue here, we’ve probably reached that point where fantasy football owners aren’t going to hold much stock in oft-injured running back Saquon Barkley.
That’s OK. With the exception of only a handful of powerhouse tailbacks, such as the Tennessee Titans’ Derrick Henry, using an early pick on a rusher isn’t exactly top-notch fantasy advice.
Yet that means Barkley, who was banged up in 2021 but still managed to appear in 13 games, is essentially a low-risk target in the middle rounds and someone who can easily fill a void as an RB2 with the potential upside of being the first running back added in deeper leagues.
Barkley’s 3.7 yards per attempt and 45.6 yards per game last season weren’t great, and it’ll be fair to worry about him beating out the “meh” 148.6 ESPN fantasy points he had over the course of the year.
However, take into account the upgrades New York made for its offensive line during the offseason, hopefully opening up better rushing lanes for the former No. 2 overall NFL Draft pick, while Brian Daboll’s dynamic play-calling skills should create more opportunities and chances for Barkley to finally revert back to his pre-ACL tear self.
It’d be wise to have a contingency plan and handcuff to guard against yet another injury setback for Barkley, but he’s certainly worth a mid-round pick.