The 2022 fantasy football season is officially in the rearview mirror, and what a wild ride it’s been. We saw the utter collapse of the quarterback position, as the likes of Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers, Russell Wilson and Matthew Stafford (to name a few) saw their numbers decline. Overall, just four signal-callers averaged more than 20 points this season. That’s down from the nine who hit that mark last year.
Tight end was also a disaster, as just one player (Travis Kelce, of course) put up an average of more than 15 points per game. What’s more, Kelce was the lone player at the position to post more than 210 points. After this season, tight end is certain to be even more devalued in 2023 drafts and beyond (unless his name is Kelce).
Running backs saw some major movers, and it wasn’t always a good thing. The top overall pick in most leagues, Jonathan Taylor, missed five games and finished 18th on a points-per-game basis among backs who played in at least 10 games. Overall, Taylor wasn’t even a top 25 runner. Many other big-name runners, such as James Conner, Alvin Kamara and Cordarrelle Patterson (to name a few) saw their totals fall compared to last season. On a positive note, we also saw the emergence of a few young backs, including Rhamondre Stevenson, Breece Hall and Ken Walker.
Wide receivers continued to thrive, led by Justin Jefferson, Tyreek Hill and Davante Adams, each of whom scored over 300 fantasy points in PPR leagues. Cooper Kupp would have hit that mark but he missed eight games due to injuries. A number of young players such as Jaylen Waddle, DeVonta Smith and Garrett Wilson have also added depth to what will be a talented position next season.
With the running back position seeing more question marks at the top, fantasy fans should expect to see more wide receivers drafted in the first five rounds. That sounds strange coming from a running backs truther like me, but it’s very true.
With that said, let’s take a way-too-early look at the top 50 fantasy players for next season. This list is based on full-point PPR scoring. You’ll notice a change in how I value the running backs and wide receivers. And if you’re wondering where all the tight ends have gone, well, I’ll be waiting a lot longer to fill that position in 2023.
1. Austin Ekeler, RB, Los Angeles Chargers2. Justin Jefferson, WR, Minnesota Vikings3. Christian McCaffrey, RB, San Francisco 49ers4. Cooper Kupp, WR, Los Angeles Rams5. Ja’Marr Chase, WR, Cincinnati Bengals6. Tyreek Hill, WR, Miami Dolphins7. Jonathan Taylor, RB, Indianapolis Colts8. Saquon Barkley, RB, New York Giants9. Josh Jacobs, RB, Las Vegas Raiders10. Stefon Diggs, WR, Buffalo Bills11. Derrick Henry, RB, Tennessee Titans12. Davante Adams, WR, Las Vegas Raiders13. A.J. Brown, WR, Philadelphia Eagles14. CeeDee Lamb, WR, Dallas Cowboys15. Travis Kelce, TE, Kansas City Chiefs16. Amon-Ra St. Brown, WR, Detroit Lions17. Breece Hall, RB, New York Jets18. Joe Mixon, RB, Cincinnati Bengals19. Nick Chubb, RB, Cleveland Browns20. Patrick Mahomes, QB, Kansas City Chiefs21. Tony Pollard, RB, Dallas Cowboys22. Josh Allen, QB, Buffalo Bills23. DeAndre Hopkins, WR, Arizona Cardinals24. Jaylen Waddle, WR, Miami Dolphins25. Jalen Hurts, QB, Philadelphia Eagles26. Rhamondre Stevenson, RB, New England Patriots27. Ken Walker, RB, Seattle Seahawks28. Travis Etienne, RB, Jacksonville Jaguars29. Aaron Jones, RB, Green Bay Packers30. Javonte Williams, RB, Denver Broncos31. Tee Higgins, WR, Cincinnati Bengals32. DeVonta Smith, WR, Philadelphia Eagles33. Dalvin Cook, RB, Minnesota Vikings34. Chris Godwin, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers35. Keenan Allen, WR, Los Angeles Chargers36. Mark Andrews, TE, Baltimore Ravens37. DK Metcalf, WR, Seattle Seahawks38. Deebo Samuel, WR, San Francisco 49ers39. Najee Harris, RB, Pittsburgh Steelers40. Joe Burrow, QB, Cincinnati Bengals41. Mike Evans, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers42. Lamar Jackson, QB, Baltimore Ravens43. Amari Cooper, WR, Cleveland Browns44. Justin Fields, QB, Chicago Bears45. Garrett Wilson, WR, New York Jets 46. Tyler Lockett, WR, Seattle Seahawks47. Mike Williams, WR, Los Angeles Chargers48. Dameon Pierce, RB, Houston Texans49. Christian Kirk, WR, Jacksonville Jaguars50. James Conner, RB, Arizona Cardinals
Michael Fabiano is an award-winning fantasy football analyst on Sports Illustrated and a member of the Fantasy Sports Writers Association (FSWA) Hall of Fame. Click here to read all his articles here on SI Fantasy. You can follow Michael on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram for your late-breaking fantasy news and the best analysis in the business to help you win a fantasy championship!
