Many rookie drafts are about to begin, so let’s look at my rookie tier breakdown for fantasy football. Let me help you master your league’s draft!
Watch the video below for my full breakdown of tiers:
The 2022 NFL Draft is over and now we know where every player ended up. With the landing spots now known, I have updated the rankings of each position on the offensive side of the ball. So, before your rookie drafts, let’s take a look at how my new rankings and how the rookie tier breaks fall.
Rookie Tier One
This year’s NFL Draft class does not have the top elite prospects as in years past, but it does have a group of 10 players that I am very high on. Even though Kenny Pickett has a limited ceiling, he still has first-round capital and, in Super Flex leagues, a starting QB is so valuable.
There are a few players (James Cook, George Pickens, and Christian Watson) in tier two who have been going too early in rookie drafts. In a couple of drafts, I have dropped down from pick six to pick eight or nine. I still get one of the top 10 players I want and pick up an additional pick later in the draft.
Rookie Tier Two
I think there is a pretty big break between tier one and tier two. So, if you’re not in the top 10, I would possibly try to, move up. Offering a second-round pick with your last first-rounder is worth it this year. I believe in round two of rookie drafts there is a drop-off after pick five. So another option would be to possibly drop back in the draft and pick up a 2023 pick where the class should be more talented.
I believe Matt Corral would be the only QB I would select in this tier. Also, RB-wise, only James Cook and Dameon Pierce have enough upside to go in the second round of rookie drafts. I like all the WRs in this tier, but Pickens and Watson are the only ones I think could one day elevate to top 12 WR territory.
Rookie Tier Three
In my opinion, there is an even bigger drop-off when you get to tier three but there is still some good value. This is the section where I have three RBs who all will most likely play complementary roles. Both Desmond Ridder and Malik Willis are developmental but I think they are both worth the risk in the last second or early third round.
I personally would rather wait to the third round to get a good TE prospect like Greg Dulcich than have to reach for Trey McBride at the end of the first round. The three WRs in this tier do not have as high of a ceiling but could turn into solid top 36 WRs on your fantasy team.
Thanks for checking out my article on Rookie Tier Breakdown for the 2022 draft class. Let me know on the linked youtube video what you think of the tiers. You can read all my work on my IDP Guys Author Page and find me on Twitter @hayeb3.
