Lance's 2022 Fantasy Sleepers: Wide Receivers
I’m including this explanation for everyone that likes to pick and choose which articles of these they want to check out, if you’re someone that reads all them you can probably skip this area and jump down to my sleepers. The rules for my “top” pick and my “3 others” remain the same, they have to actually be sleepers. But I would like to elaborate on the rules behind my rookie and dark horse pick, for better understanding. For the rookie it has to be someone that wasn’t taken in the first round, and isn’t actively being hyped up by analysts. For the dark horse it has to be someone so far down most people's boards that they forgot that player even exists, or at least that’s the case for RBs, WRs and TEs. For QBs, Kickers and Defenses it just has to be someone you’ll typically find in the 20-32 range, and if they’re name isn’t being talked about, or if they are being talked about it negatively then that’s a bonus!
I’d consider it a successful pick if my “top” pick finishes top 20, my 3 others finish top 30, and my rookie and dark horse finish top 48. Last year I hit on my Darnell Mooney pick, and killed it with my Jakobi Meyers dark horse pick. Alright, enough of that, here are my WR sleepers:
Top: Marquise Brown (Arizona)
Last year, for the first time in Brown's young career, he eclipsed 1,000 yards receiving. And that was buoyed by Baltimore having to throw the ball (611 times in fact) because they were playing from behind quite a bit. But when you look at the stats as a whole, Baltimore averaged just 486 attempts over the three years Brown has been in the league. In that same span the Cardinals have averaged 573 attempts. Brown is going to a much more pass happy offense, with a Quarterback he already knows, and the team needs a playmaker since they're without DeAndre Hopkins for the first six games of the season.
3 Others: Gabriel Davis (Buffalo), Chase Claypool (Pittsburgh), Robert Woods (Tennessee)
Davis should've been given the WR2 role last year, but the Bills had different plans for the spot opposite Diggs. Then Davis went out in the playoffs and did exactly what he did during the 2020 playoffs and now Buffalo seems ready to hand him the role full time. He's got good size, good hands, and a knack for making plays near the sideline. During the 2020 playoffs I remember remarking that he reminded me of Cris Carter, one of my all-time favorite Receivers to watch.
Claypool's stock took a hit last year, but the reason is obvious *whispers so the Pittsburgh fans don't hear me and get mad* it was Big Ben. Roethlisberger averaged 6.2 YPA, which is why his favorite target was Diontae Johnson. Claypool's skillset is better suited for a passer who can go downfield. This year he'll either have Trubisky or Pickett tossing him the ball. Trubisky, for all his faults, can push the ball downfield when given the opportunity (deep accuracy could hurt him though), and Pickett picked up his average by throwing for 8.7 YPA in his final college season. Claypool should be in much better hands.
Woods is returning from a torn ACL he suffered back in November, so there's a chance his start date in Tennessee ends up delayed. He's the most talented veteran Tennessee has on the roster. Treylon Burks and Austin Hooper's presence should help prevent double teams shifting toward Woods, and of course Derrick Henry's return will open up the pass once again. And for those saying, "Ok, but what about Tannehill?" I'd say if the man can average 88.7 receptions and 1096.3 yards between 2018 and 2020 with Jared Goff tossing him the ball I think he'll be fine with Tannehill.
Rookie: Romeo Doubs (Green Bay)
Randall Cobb and Sammy Watkins are good veteran presences to have, but both are well past their primes. Allen Lazard has shown plenty of potential, but he's also struggled to stay on the field. Enter Green Bay's 2022 rookie Receiver class, which features Christian Watson (2nd round), Romeo Doubs (4th round) and Samori Toure (7th round). Watson is the one who will have all the hype heading into the preseason, and rightfully so given the round they drafted him in, but Doubs is a sneaky one to watch. He offers downfield playmaking, solid size, and he was very productive at Nevada.
Dark Horse: K.J. Hamler (Denver)
Denver's Receiving corps is pretty stacked and Hamler's name is 4 to 5 deep on the list of targets depending on how you rank him compared to Tim Patrick. But Hamler is built very similar to Tyler Lockett both in size and play style. In fact, he reached out to Lockett after Russell Wilson was traded in order to get some tips. If Hamler can get himself on the field he could have a surprisingly explosive season.
