Fantasy Football Rankings 2022: Sleepers, breakouts, busts from top simulation that called Taylor’s huge year

Austin Ekeler might not be as dominant of a force with the ball in his hands as Jonathan Taylor and Derrick Henry, but his versatility out of the backfield has made him a Fantasy football goldmine over the years. In 2021, Ekeler rushed for 911 yards and 12 touchdowns on the ground, while adding 70 receptions for 647 yards and eight receiving touchdowns to finish as the No. 2 running back in standard PPR Fantasy football leagues. But now that the secret is all the way out on Ekeler he has an early 2022 Fantasy football ADP of 2.56 and it’ll be interesting to see if his productivity holds up.

His 20 total touchdowns led the NFL last year, but he scored just three times in 10 games in 2020. Any falloff could leave owners wondering if they wasted a top-five pick in their 2022 Fantasy football drafts. But a reliable set of 2022 Fantasy football rankings can help you figure out exactly where to target Ekeler, and also identify the 2022 Fantasy football sleepers, breakouts and busts that you need to know. Before setting your 2022 Fantasy football draft strategy, be sure to check out the 2022 Fantasy football cheat sheets from the proven computer model at SportsLine.

Last year, the model accurately predicted that Colts running back Jonathan Taylor was being dramatically undervalued. Taylor was being drafted behind running backs like Aaron Jones, Ezekiel Elliott and Austin Ekeler last season but the SportsLine projection model predicted that he’d outproduce all of those backs and be a fixture in your Fantasy football lineups. The result: Taylor led the NFL with 1,811 rushing yards and 18 rushing touchdowns to finish as the overall RB1 in 2021.

The same model has a proven track record providing Fantasy football tips, also identifying A.J. Brown as another sleeper in 2020 and players like Julio Jones and JuJu Smith-Schuster as Fantasy football busts last season. Additionally, it’s called past Fantasy football sleepers like Derrick Henry in 2019, Christian McCaffrey and Alvin Kamara in 2018, and Davante Adams in 2017. Anybody who banked on players like those made a run at their league title.

The model is powered by the same people who generated projections for all three major Fantasy sites, and it beat human experts last season when there was a big difference in ranking. The projections update multiple times daily, so you’re always getting the best Fantasy football advice.

Now, SportsLine has simulated the entire NFL season 10,000 times and released its latest Fantasy football rankings 2022, along with plenty of sleepers, breakouts and busts. Head to SportsLine now to see them. 

Top 2022 Fantasy football sleepers

One of the 2022 Fantasy football sleepers the model is predicting: Detroit running back D’Andre Swift. The Lions did not have a good 2021 season, but Swift had a breakout year. He rushed for more than 600 yards and added 452 receiving yards, scoring seven total touchdowns. Two of his best performances came last November when he rushed for 125-plus yards on two occasions.

Swift will now be looking to establish himself as a starting running back after splitting carries over his first two seasons in the league. He is an excellent option in Fantasy football leagues due to his pass-catching ability. SportsLine’s model expects him to take a big step forward in 2022, making him one of the 2022 Fantasy football sleepers that you should be drafting. 

Top 2022 Fantasy football breakouts

The model is also projecting 49ers quarterback Trey Lance as one of its top 2022 Fantasy football breakouts. San Francisco hasn’t yet traded Jimmy Garoppolo, and there isn’t a guarantee that it will between now and the start of the season, but the franchise simply has too much invested in Lance to not hand the reins over at some point. His incredible upside makes him the sort of player that you’ll want on your Fantasy football roster in 2022.

Lance played in six games last season and averaged 8.5 yards per pass attempt with five touchdowns and two interceptions, while also rushing for 168 yards and a score. And in his final start (of two) during Week 16 against the Texans, Lance threw for 249 yards and two scores while adding 31 yards rushing on eight carries. If Lance wins the starting role, he’ll be a significant part of San Francisco’s rushing attack and that will make him of value even if there are growing pains within the pocket. That’s a big reason why the model ranks him as its No. 15 quarterback for 2022.

Top 2022 Fantasy football busts

As for players to avoid, the model lists Falcons running back Cordarrelle Patterson as one of its biggest 2022 Fantasy football busts. Patterson spent the majority of his first eight years in the NFL being poorly utilized offensively, but showing incredible potential with the ball in his hands as a kick returner. Atlanta finally cracked the code on how to get productivity out of Patterson, featuring him as a running back and using him to isolate linebackers unable to cover the former wide receiver in space. The result was a season where he put up 1,166 yards from scrimmage and scored 11 touchdowns, but there are some reasons for concern that he won’t be able to match that productivity.

Patterson only averaged 4.0 yards per carry, which isn’t exactly lead back material and he turned 31 in March. He doesn’t have the mileage on his body that most running backs would at that age, but there will come a time where his sprinter’s speed might fail him and he’ll face some stiff competition for touches this year from Damien Williams and Tyler Allgeier. That’s why the model ranks him behind backs like James Robinson and Tony Pollard, who are going a round earlier on average.

How to find proven 2022 Fantasy football football rankings

SportsLine is also extremely high on a surprising quarterback you aren’t even thinking about being taken in the middle rounds of 2022 Fantasy football drafts. This quarterback is listed as a shocking top-five option ahead of superstars like Patrick Mahomes and Lamar Jackson. You can only see who it is, and the 2022 Fantasy football rankings for every player, at SportsLine.

So which 2022 Fantasy Football sleepers, breakouts and busts should you target and fade? And which QB shocks the NFL with a top-five performance? Visit SportsLine now to get 2022 Fantasy Football cheat sheets for every single position, all from the model that called Jonathan Taylor’s huge season, and find out.