Going into my first draft of the season, I had an idea of the position I wanted to land and whom I would draft.
By chance, I ended up with the turn for the first time in my fantasy football career in this 8-person league, which just so happens to be owned by fellow TK staff member Johnny B. Briles.
Now, I know, I know, lots of people don’t like smaller leagues, but it’s got an authentic strategy of its own that forces you to lend even more of your success to luck. On top of that, our 8-person leagues are our leagues with friends. We want everyone to have fun.
If 10 or 12 person leagues are more your speed, stay tuned! As we finish our final drafts this weekend, we’ll be sharing our results and strategies. For now, though, let’s check out my start to the 2022 season.
Round 1-Alvin Kamara
Kamara initially fell to number 10 on my preseason running back rankings, but without the suspension looming over his head, Kamara is a league winner. Even if something happens and the suspension is tacked on, he is a league winner in fantasy playoffs. Kamara looks to continue his historic run in New Orleans, and I think there’s going to be plenty of work coming his way. Getting him at 1.8 is a steal.
Round 2-Joe Mixon
If you want to see a more in-depth analysis of mine for Joe Mixon, check out our 4 Running Backs To Reach For article on the site. An upgraded O-line and an expected increase in the passing game, look for Mixon to be clutch in many games for you this year. Also a great RB1 to hold the team down if Kamara’s suspension happens. Regardless, a no brainer coming back on the turn at 2.1.
Round 3-CeeDee Lamb
In the last few days, we’ve gotten word that Lamb’s foot laceration shouldn’t force him to miss any time. With Michael Gallup and James Washington both missing an unexpected amount of time, CeeDee should be an elite option for your WR1. Unless we find out this injury is something more severe, don’t be scared to snag him, especially if he’s sitting there at pick 24.
Round 4-Tyreek Hill
While I do really like Tyreek’s teammate Jaylen Waddle, the news of the latter’s injury should give Hill time to separate himself as the definite WR1 in Miami. I understand that he got a downgrade at QB, but Tyreek’s still are undeniable, so you can’t keep this guy down. He’ll again be among the elite this season, with 1,000 yards almost guaranteed and long touchdowns on the horizon. Tyreek Hill is an absolute snag at pick 25.
Round 5-Justin Herbert
With Herbie being my QB3 in preseason rankings, I couldn’t let him sit two more rounds. Snagging him here means I get a QB that has an MVP ceiling on a team with a ton of weapons. He’s also a big QB that can get yards on the ground if forced. Great grab for the end of the fifth round, and certainly one of the few QBs worth drafting this high.
Round 6-Dalton Schultz
This is the one pick of my draft that I will look back on, no matter what my results are. I may have reached. I got a little nervous after the TE run started and Kelce, Andrews, and Pitts all went consecutively. After making it to round 7 and 8, I noticed the same TEs around Schultz. I could have potentially grabbed another elite RB or WR to use in the FLEX, but the scarcity of the TE position led me to make an executive decision.
Going into the 7th Round, we’re sitting nice with guys ranked pretty high in our preseason rankings. QB3, RB4, RB10 (we were assuming Kamara suspension), WR7, and WR8. Now I’ll focus on grabbing our potential FLEX players for a few rounds, then focus on grabbing guys with high upsides. I’ll wait a while to draft D/ST and K, but in an 8-person league, that’s no issue.
Round 7-Terry McLaurin
I was a little hesitant to draft McLaurin, but that was due to recent seasons. He ended up being my WR1 on a team last season and I struggled. That being said, if you can grab him as your WR2 or FLEX, I think he’s got potential to be a Top 15 WR this season. Wentz being the QB is a little worrisome, but let’s hope they play from behind and air it out this season.
Round 8-Amon-Ra St. Brown
I’ll be honest when I say I missed the hype of Amon-Ra last season, but I didn’t want to miss out this season. I think this Lions team is better than people think and will surprise many teams in the league. If you check our NFC Predictions post, you’ll find your way to our podcast where I have the Lions finishing 7-10. The connection of Goff to St. Brown will be a big reason for that. High ceiling, low risk.
Round 9-Kareem Hunt
I spent the next two picks bolstering my running back core. While Chubb is the number one guy in Cleveland, Hunt has more receiving potential and will have lot of play in multi-back systems. I don’t mean to discount his rushing game, either. The big downside for Hunt is the mystery at Quarterback in Cleveland, but I’m confident he’ll be a big enough part of the offense.
Round 10-Elijah Mitchell
We’ve gotten news as of September 1st that Trey Sermon is being waived by San Francisco, so expect Mitchell’s workload to increase a bit. Deebo may take some of his reps, but Mitchell should still get the majority.
Now the rest of the picks.
Round 11-Adam Thielen
Round 11 for a guy who before Justin Jefferson got there would be going probably Top 10 WR.
Round 12-Cordarrelle Patterson
Did Atlanta finally figure out how to use Patterson where so many have failed?
Round 13-Zach Ertz
See our TE article for why I love Ertz! Especially in Round 13.
Round 14-Kirk Cousins
See Justin Jefferson and Adam Theilen why Cousins is a safe back-up.
Round 15-Harrison Butker
You want a kicker with a lot of opportunities. Are there going to be more anywhere else than KC?
Round 16-Chargers D/ST
Y’all sleeping on the Chargers D, blinded by Herbie!
Week 1 Starting Lineup
QB-Justin Herbert
RB-Alvin Kamara
RB-Joe Mixon
WR-Tyreek Hill
WR-CeeDee Lamb
TE-Dalton Schultz
FLEX-Terry McLaurin
D/ST-Chargers
K- Harrison Butker
And that’s that. After waiting so long, my first draft of 2022 is in the books. How did I do? What’s your prediction on my final record? Let me know below! Or Tweet me @TheTailgateKid