Hello and welcome to the fourth installment of my annual Top 100 Rookies series, 2022 edition! If you’re new to the series, every year I put together 100 rookies entering the NFL and rank them based on the impact I believe they’ll have for fantasy football purposes. So no, this is not a “how good this player will be for real football game impact” conversation. This is specifically designed for you to use as an initial data set in building your own rookie rankings for all sorts of fantasy football drafts. And of course, it’s here to help you learn a few fun things to help you sound smart talking football with your friends.
Yes, you’re going to disagree with some of these rankings. And that’s okay! The goal here is to give you a baseline ranking to cross-reference with your own research. And believe me when I say this list has been a work in progress for at least three years. Thanks to college fantasy and devy leagues, I’ve been following most of these players since they were in high school. It’s a blast for me to finally see them land in the NFL, live their dream, and help you (the reader) win fantasy championships.
I used to keep things limited to offensive players, but for those of you who are super nerds like me, having some individual defensive players (IDPs) included definitely helps.
Some things to note as you read:
- The position listed is where I believe they will play most frequently in the NFL
- “EDGE” players are typically 3-4 outside linebackers or pass-rushing 4-3 defensive ends
- “DL” are typically DTs and DEs that will work exclusively between the 0 and 5 techniques on the defensive line
- “LB” are the playmaking off-the-ball linebackers
- Scoring format assumed is Superflex (can start 2 QBs), PPR and a balance between tackle-heavy and big-play (for the IDPs)
- “S” are going to be players who will likely see some sort of mix in deployment between free safety, strong safety, box defender, and slot corner.
- There won’t be any strictly outside cornerbacks found on this list. We’ll have some featured in the post-draft edition, but even then that position is completely replaceable week to week in nearly every fantasy football format.
So without further ado, here are the players currently ranked No. 21 to No. 40 in the fourth installment of the RotoViz 2022 Top 100 Rookies series!
