Fantasy football: 5 players who’ll be overdrafted in 2022
By Peter Panacy
There’ll be plenty of hot names in fantasy football heading into 2022, but you’ll want to avoid the temptation of overdrafting these five standouts.
While there are plenty of rules for winning in fantasy football, a couple of them stand out.
First, fantasy isn’t won in the first two or three rounds, rather in the middle and late rounds, also with home-run waiver-wirer adds.
Second, you can derail your fantasy football season by overdrafting players.
Granted, overdrafting a player can turn into a good thing, especially if that player winds up being a top performer that season. More often than not, though, you’re left wondering if you could have used that pick on someone else and got similar production out of another player later in a fantasy draft.
With the 2022 NFL season just around the corner, you’ll want to be wary of some players who may likely wind up being selected way too soon.
Let’s break down five, including one prominent San Francisco 49ers player, who are likely to be overdrafted in fantasy football drafts this season.
All average draft positions (ADPs), courtesy of Fantasy Football Calculator in a 12-team, PPR format unless otherwise indicated.
Overdrafted fantasy football player No. 5: WR Deebo Samuel, 49ers
2022 ADP: 2.07
Fantasy owners who grabbed Niners wide receiver Deebo Samuel last year certainly struck gold with his 1,770 all-purpose-yard season with 14 combined touchdowns. In terms of fantasy output, that’s certainly in the elite category.
What was more special is Samuel’s 2021 ADP sat at 8.06, likely influenced by his injury-plagued 2022 campaign.
Samuel is still an elite player, no questioning that. But reports surfaced that his current contract dispute with San Francisco might have less to do with money and more about his usage, that combined receiving-rushing ability that earned him the “wide back” moniker.
Read More: Why you should pass on Deebo Samuel in fantasy football this year
Provided the 49ers lessen Samuel’s prowess as a running back, combined with the fact second-year quarterback Trey Lance could have some growing pains in his first year as a starter, Samuel will probably fall well short of the numbers he posted a season ago.
Keep Samuel on your radar, of course, but it’s likely wise to save that Round 2 pick for someone else.