Not everyone blessed with extraordinary talent can fully realize their potential. Greatness nearly always requires an opportunity in order to become great.

With this in mind, the writers here at RotoViz have named their favorite backup or second-stringer that most people should have on their radar. A player who is waiting for an injury / or suspension to hit the player ahead of them on the depth chart. Once they are out of the way, they can stake a claim for greatness on their own.

Let’s see who we are waiting to emerge from the shadows in 2022.

The Guy Behind the Guy – 2022 Edition

Curtis Patrick – K.J. Osborn

Under new Head Coach Kevin O’Connell, the Vikings (like the Rams in his prior tenure) should be near the top of the league in use of 11 personnel. As the team’s WR3, Osborn is an obvious candidate for increased snap share in 2022.

Beyond this team context, there’s a reason for fantasy football optimism based on his play in 2021.

• He posted five WR2 weeks and had seven games with over 14.0 PPR.
• He amassed an impressive 22.1 fantasy points over expectation, which ranked 26th at the position.
• He was really productive when Adam Thielen missed time. Our world-famous Game Splits App makes it clear.

The Fantasy Points Summary Tool reminds us that Justin Jefferson and Thielen were both top-seven wide receivers in PPR scoring through Week 12 in 2021. If Thielen misses time (four games in 2021, one game in 2020, six games in 2019) then Osborn would potentially be set up to crush, becoming a start-able flex or WR3 in managed formats.

Osborn finished 2021 as WR40, but fantasy manager memory recall can be short. His price across various formats is essentially free.

• Underdog Best Ball ADP 145.3 (WR67)
• FFPC Best Ball Tournament ADP 167.2 (WR68)^[1]The two round differential between FFPC and Underdog ADP makes sense; FFPC requires fewer starting WRs and also boosts lower tier TEs due to premium scoring
• FFPC RotoViz TriFlex Dynasty ADP 174.5 (WR68)

Osborn should provide value at these prices, and there’s room for exciting upside in the not-so-unlikely event that Thielen misses games.

Neil Dutton – Kenneth Gainwell