2022 Breakouts

Trey Lance, QB

It is Trey Time in San Francisco and the Jimmy G era is done. With the Niners giving up so much to draft this kid in 2021, it makes sense to hand over the keys to the young guy. The biggest reason I am picking him out of any other young QB is his running ability. We saw it last year with Jalen Hurts. There were mixed emotions on how Hurts would do last year and although I would not pencil him in as a top QB in the NFL, his running ability makes him a QB1 easily in fantasy. Any QB that has a chance to rush for 700 yards while adding TDs on the ground will be a QB1 every season. There will be down games for Lance, but the weapons he has around him plus his massive rushing upside, we could see the next Jalen Hurts for 2022. I even have him ranked outside the top 12 QBs, but I know there is a chance he can destroy his ADP. (Scott Miln)

Travis Etienne, RB

After an injury spoiled his true rookie year, Etienne is back with a vengeance and all reports seem to indicate he is tearing it up at camp. HOWEVAH, other reports have James Robinson taking snaps with the first team. So there is certainly some cause for hesitation when it comes to the young RB Etienne. We’ve never seen him on an NFL field. He wasn’t drafted by this coaching staff. He isn’t a bell-cow back and has the former stud RB breathing down his neck. But with all of this being said, I think his versatility will keep him on the field, and he will capitalize when they call his number. And over time, I think he grows into a back who can line up all over the field, as well as run between the tackles when asked to do so. We also know the Jags need a 3rd down back, so there is a lot to like about his situation, even when you account for all the risks/threats to it. Overall though, I think it’s realistic to expect Etienne to finish the season as a high end RB2 (I’m thinking like, HIGH… RB14 or better), and after his non-performance in 2022, I think this qualifies as a massive breakout. (Cory Dows)

A.J. Dillon, RB

Dillon is primed for a breakout season, last year he finished RB23 with 10 fantasy points per game, and his snap share rising throughout the season. Dillon has been so good it forced the Packers to play him in a 50/50 split with Aaron Jones, and while the season long snap percentage was closer to 60/40, the last 8 games of the season last year it was nearly 50/50 on the dot. Dillon is an extremely explosive back, as we all know based on his quadzilla nickname, and has shown he has receiving ability hauling in 34 receptions last season. Now this year the receiving numbers should grow as Davante Adams is leaving a massive gap in production in the passing game, and some of those targets will trickle down to the running backs. Dillon was also 4th in the league in break tackle percentage and 12th in yards after contact (2.7). This year, Dillon is the premier zero running back strategy target as he is going in the 5th round and should return 2nd or 3rd round value based on almost any projection out there. (Craig Penney)

J.K. Dobbins, RB

Last year we were all excited for Dobbins to build off his strong rookie season, but a knee injury forced him to miss the entire season. This was a tough blow for someone like me who had him in multiple dynasty and redraft leagues before the injury. He was able to rush for 805 yards on only 134 carries his rookie season (6.01 YPC) and, if healthy, he should be able to see well over 200 carries while adding to his receiving totals from his rookie year. With Gus Edwards unlikely to play Week 1, this backfield should be all Dobbins as I do not expect Mike Davis or Tyler Badie to push him at all. He was one of the best RBs coming out of college in 2020 and we should finally see him able to produce like we all expected him to in 2022. The injury history is a concern for sure, but almost all RBs in the NFL have injury history, so I am not going to knock Dobbins for that all too much. The Ravens love to run the ball and there is not much competition behind him, especially with Gus Edwards not ready to sta the season. Expect a big year out of the third-year RB. (Scott Miln)

Jerry Jeudy, WR

I am going to will this into existence, just watch. This will be the second year in a row I take Jeudy as a breakout pick. But guess what, this year we add a legitimate QB into the mix, and Russell Wilson has all the juices flowing. Last year I was pinning my hopes on Drew Lock’s growth… but now, I’m pinning them to a bonafide Pro Bowl caliber QB. Much safer bet. Atop that, Tim Patrick was the looming threat to Jeudy’s targets, but he was injured in camp and will now miss the whole season. So we’re right back to Wilson’s bread and butter, supporting two WRs at a high level (DK Metcalf/Tyler Lockett are now Courtland Sutton/Jerry Jeudy). The upside here is easy to see and undeniable, we just need to see it on the field. Because through two seasons, we have seen Jeudy struggle to produce on any sort of regular basis, and we’ve also seen him bitten by the injury bug multiple times. So we shall see, but if he remains healthy, the upside with Wilson under center is enough for me to stake my reputation on Jeudy FINALLY breaking out in 2022. (Cory Dows)

Rhamondre Stevenson, RB

Welp… here we are folks. I’m scraping the button of the barrel and actually taking a TE as my breakout player. But to be fair, Irv Smith is a more than fine selection. He should see a greatly increased role with the departure of Kyle Rudolph, and depending on the severity of Justin Jefferson’s shoulder injury and pending any potential setbacks or complications, he could be in line for even more. In any case, right now I would view him as third in the receiving pecking order for targets (Jefferson, Thielen, Smith) and fourth overall when you consider Dalvin Cook probably leads the pack over all of them. With that level of opportunity and his dynamic athleticism, he should not only be on the field often, but he should find himself in a position to make plays on a weekly basis. We saw last year he was often used in flexed out positions, which resulted in him drawing coverage from corners or nickel safeties, but if he is lined up on the line as a true TE (the role Rudolph usually filled), he should draw a lot more matchups with linebackers, and those are mismatches he should expose to great success. I’m very interested to see if they can get him more involved, and to do what I mentioned above he will have to improve as a blocker, but I think he is more than capable of accomplishing that. Additionally, Rudolph has always been a red zone TD vulture, and with that aspect removed from the offense, Smith may have more utilization in close yardage than in years past. TE22 in 2020 becomes TE12 or better in 2021 or I shotgun a brewski for all of you to watch on twitter. (Craig Penney)