By: Jake Rajala

The fantasy football landscape is heating up as Week 1 of the 2022 NFL season approaches. With that said, I’m going to discuss the underrated wide receiver position and untwine seven fantasy WR sleepers heading into the 2022 season.

KJ Hamler

As widely enunciated, the Denver Broncos WR Tim Patrick is out for the season with an ACL injury. I certainly foresee KJ Hamler stepping up to the plate at the Broncos WR3 spot. PFF predicts that Hamler will be an “elite deep threat” with Russell Wilson in the upcoming season. Hamler ousted 381 receiving yards and 3 TDs in his rookie campaign, but he suffered a season-ending ACL injury after a Week 3 victory in 2021. He is being drafted as the WR99, but he should absolutely keep climbing the ladder.

Isaiah McKenzie

The Bills WR Isaiah McKenzie is looking to shine in the Cole Beasley-less WR room. Per Joe Buscaglia of The Athletic, McKenzie is the strong favorite to be the Bills top slot WR to start the 2022 season. Matt Warren of Buffalo Rumblings noted that McKenzie is the biggest standout of the first half of the Bills training camp. McKenzie notched a career-high five receiving TDs in 2020.

Tyler Boyd

The Cincinnati Bengals WR3 Tyler Boyd may be in the shadow of Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, but he still has a seat with the loaded Cincinnati Bengals offense. Boyd has recorded 800+ yds in each of the past four seasons. Furthermore, he has ousted 90+ targets in each of the prior four seasons. He is being drafted as WR51, but his experience and role with an improved Joe Burrow via improved pass protection should allow him to shine in 2022.

Sammy Watkins

Christian Watson may have sky-high potential, but let’s not forget about the explosive Sammy Watkins. He has certainly shined in training camp, to say the least. Per Packers.com, Watkins stated, “I feel like I have stacked good days on top of good days, but at the same time, I’m not there. I can’t get complacent. I’ve still got to be humble, I’ve still got to understand that I’m not there mentally.” Watkins might be a bit of a deep sleeper, but I expect him to really defy expectations with Aaron Rodgers.

Quez Watkins

The Philadelphia Eagles may have brought in the shiny, gifted WR A.J. Brown to pair with the stud wideout DeVonta Smith. However, let’s not forget that the Eagles have an up-and-coming WR in Quez Watkins. He recorded 647 yards in 2021 (including a miraculous 91-yard TD reception). He has repeatedly flashed as a superb deep-threat WR this summer.

The post 5 Fantasy WR sleepers in 2022 appeared first on Pro Football Mania.

By: Jake Rajala

The Green Bay Packers famously shipped away Davante Adams to the Las Vegas Raiders, but they still have a talented and young wide receiver group. The Pack features Allen Lazard, Christian Watson, Randall Cobb, and Sammy Watkins. Lazard had a monster eight touchdown receptions last season. He will aspire to have a touchdown count similar to James Jones’s TD figure in 2012: 14 TD receptions. Lazard recently inked his restricted tender — which means he will earn $3.986 million in the 2022 season.

They will anticipate Watson making a splash impact in his first season. Chris Simms of Pro Football Talk believes Watson could even be the best rookie WR. Simms expressed that his combination of size and speed could help him dominate and follow in the steps of DK Metcalf, AJ Brown, or Chase Claypool as the next second-round WR stud.

Watkins might be regarded as a Week 1 legend, but he should feel confident in seeking lots of splash plays with A-Rod moving forward. He ousted nine touchdowns in 2015 and eight TDs in 2017, but he hasn’t been able to unveil more than three touchdown receptions since 2017. Rodgers should look to help Watkins burn opposing defenses deep down the field in the MVS-less offense.

Of course, Cobb will also look to help A-Rod ride off into the sunset. He recorded five touchdowns (his most since 2016) in his return to Green Bay last season. PFF even gave Cobb a stout 72.0 grade for his 2021 performance.

Rodgers may not have Tae, but he will still stride for his third straight MVP trophy with his current crew of WRs. Perhaps Watson can win OROY and Cobb will score a game-clinching touchdown against the Vikings or Bears next season.

The post Green Bay Packers wide receiver outlook right now appeared first on Pro Football Mania.

By: Jake Rajala

The Green Bay Packers aren’t exactly known for drafting wide receivers early in the NFL Draft. Zach Kruse from Packers Wire nicely pointed out how Christian Watson was the highest draft pick at WR for the Packers since 2002. Let it be known that many cheeseheads may have made statues of him because the Packers finally picked a WR early in the draft.

With that said, I’m going to untwine why the rook can live up to high expectations and even unleash an OROY-caliber season in 2022.

Pedestrian competition

The former NDSU WR will be glad to know he faces mediocre NFC North pass defenses. In 2021, the Lions ranked 31st in PPG allowed, the Vikings were 24th in PPG allowed, and the Bears ousted a 21st place in PPG allowed. Each of the NFC North defenses didn’t exactly make massive strides on paper this off-season and I surely expect each of the Packers divisional opponents to still have growing pains moving forward.

Sammy Watkins

Watson will have to be fairly involved in the vertical passing attack given the absence of MVS (regardless of Sammy Watkins). Although, I believe that there is a realistic outlook that Watkins continues to suffer from the injury bug. I expect him to be more efficient with A-Rod than any previous QB he played with, but he may face more minor injuries, as he missed three games in 2021 and six games in 2020. Since his rookie season, he’s only ousted one season with 15+ games. With that said, I believe Watson may be more involved in a potential Sammy Watkins-less offense.

Aaron Rodgers

Watson certainly had a moment of bliss when he heard that he was going to play with one of the most gifted quarterbacks of all time. Aaron Rodgers did a fantastic job of helping the former second-round WR Jordy Nelson develop into a rockstar for his offense. Nelson recorded three seasons of 1,200+ yards and two seasons of 14+ touchdowns for the Pack. The former third-round pick James Jones also made special performances with Rodgers. The current NFL analyst notched a whopping 14 touchdowns in 2012. It’s time for another non-first-round WR in Watson to be elite in a receiving category (such as touchdowns or yards) or evolve into a Packers legendary WR with A-Rod.

The post 3 reasons why Christian Watson could win OROY appeared first on Pro Football Mania.

By: Jake Rajala

The Green Bay Packers are a juggernaut football franchise and they should continue to be a Super Bowl contender with burning man Aaron Rodgers for another season. The Packers fan base delights in sitting on aluminum benches with cheese on their heads, but they also enjoy witnessing under-the-radar players ascend into household names. With that said, I’m going to simply untwine three Packers that can burst onto the scene next season.

Sammy Watkins

I really like Sammy Watkins’s fit as a deep-threat in the Packers offense. Outside of Tae’s absence, he should absolutely excel with the old deep-threat MVS out of town against pedestrian NFC North defenses. The former fourth overall pick is still 28 years old and he has actually been somewhat healthy in recent memory, as well (13+ games played in two of his past three seasons). He might be a lock to explode in Week 1, but I believe he can still certainly have more consistent, high-level production in 2022 than his 2019 season (673 yds in 14 games).

Elgton Jenkins

The Packers swiss army knife at OL Elgton Jenkins is the second OL returning from an ACL injury. It’s unclear where Jenkins will start next season, but he should excel at any starting spot on the OL. Jenkins did grab a Pro Bowl spot in 2020, but I expect him to really shine against elite edge rushers from the RT spot in his fourth season/contract year in 2022.

Christian Watson

I might be cheating by adding another WR to this list, but the ceiling of Christian Watson’s career is quite underrated. His combination of size (6’4, 220) and 4.30 speed should help him translate to being a star at the professional level. Most importantly, there is a large void of targets after the exit from Adams and MVS, so the rook should have a nice opportunity to be very involved early on. Freddie Boston from Lombardi Ave also projects Watson to turn heads in 2022.

The post 3 breakout candidates on the Green Bay Packers appeared first on Pro Football Mania.

By: Jake Rajala

The Cleveland Browns recently made the blockbuster trade to acquire the elite, controversial quarterback Deshaun Watson. The Browns will surely not take their foot off the pedal, as they aim to win a Super Bowl with Watson, Myles Garrett, and Nick Chubb (in his prime).

The Browns will also be an attractive destination for free agents as they showcase the gifted Watson at QB. With that said, here are a few free agents that Andrew Berry could soon lure to Cleveland.

• Odell Beckham Jr. (jealous ex)

The polarizing OBJ is reportedly interested in joining the Browns, according to Bleacher Report. Beckham Jr. would look to exploit defenses with the crisp wideout in Amari Cooper. If the Browns showcased Chubb, Cooper, Hunt, and OBJ, the Browns would look a lot like the 2021 LA Rams.

It would be a risk for the cap-strapped Browns to cough up money for the injured OBJ right now, but a potential mutual agreement on a cheaper than expected agreement from OBJ might make the Browns feel more comfortable with his injury.

• Sammy Watkins

There has been speculation that the Browns could target a deep-threat for Watson. I’d love to see the Browns ink the speed-demon Sammy Watkins on a “prove-it deal” rather than sign Will Fuller for a more expensive contract. Watson could help Watkins potentially bounce back and unveil a career season in 2022. He would absolutely be an interesting WR3 with Cooper and OBJ, as he would offer a unique skill set.

The Chiefs gave the former Browns WR Josh Gordan a shot and now it might be time for the Browns to give the former Chiefs WR the golden ticket.

• Carlos Dunlap

It may be poetic to see Jadeveon Clowney return to the Browns, but I don’t expect them to be able to afford Clowney at this point. Clowney, who was in Cleveland shorter than OBJ, will likely get an astronomical contract elsewhere in my opinion.

I believe it would be smart to add a veteran edge rusher cheaper than Clowney and then draft a pass rusher early in the 2022 or 2023 NFL draft. Dunlap might be 33 years old, but he had 8.5 sacks last season. Dunlap may be more productive and even more reliable than Clowney, as he’s only missed three games since 2013.

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By Calvin K (Twitter: @Calvin_SGF)

The early and afternoon slate of Sunday NFL games has come to a close, and as usual, there are a ton of storylines to think about. Below are five early Week 4 waiver targets who could help your fantasy team.

NOTE: These players are rostered in 40% or less of ESPN leagues.

Chuba Hubbard (RB, Carolina Panthers)

Hubbard is the obvious home-run waiver add of the week, as his fantasy value could skyrocket with Panthers starting RB Christian McCaffrey out multiple weeks. When McCaffrey left in the second quarter of Carolina’s matchup with Houston, Hubbard stepped up, ending up with 11 carries for 52 yards along with three catches for 27 yards in the receiving game. This was a very encouraging stat line for Hubbard, a fourth-round rookie seeing his first meaningful NFL action, and it was clear that the coaching staff favors him over veteran backfield mate Royce Freeman.

Hubbard’s schedule over the next few weeks is also very favorable, with matchups against Dallas, Philadelphia, the Vikings, and the Giants on tap. Hubbard is a player worthy of a good portion of your season-long FAAB budget, and RB-needy teams should consider going all-in on the rookie out of Oklahoma State.

Kirk Cousins (QB, Minnesota Vikings)

Don’t look now — Cousins, who was the fantasy QB11 through the first two weeks of the season, is currently sitting as the QB6 on the week with two games left to play. The Vikings were able to secure their first victory of the season against Seattle, and with it came another good performance for Cousins, who passed for 323 yards and three touchdowns with a stellar 78.9% completion percentage. With three straight games of 22+ fantasy points, Cousins has officially left the streaming category, and he now becomes a player who should be rostered in most leagues, as well as someone who can be played with confidence in a favorable matchup.

Sammy Watkins (WR, Baltimore Ravens)

Watkins produced solid numbers in Weeks 1 and 2 of this year, and today was no different, as he caught four passes for 68 yards on seven targets against the Lions. Watkins has received at least seven targets in every game so far this year, and he’s had 26.8 half-PPR fantasy points so far despite not yet scoring a touchdown.

Fellow WR Rashod Bateman, who has missed the start of the year with a groin injury, has an unclear status for Week 4, but even if he does play, he may not be heavily involved, due to it being his first career NFL game. Bateman, who was a first-round pick, will eventually get acclimated into this offense, making Watkins best as a short-term pickup, but for now, Watkins’ target share means that he is certainly worth a stash on your bench.

Tim Patrick (WR, Denver Broncos)

Patrick has been quietly productive for a long stretch dating to the middle of last year, and his future outlook looks much more favorable with the news of fellow WR K.J. Hamler’s knee injury. Hamler left Sunday’s game against the Jets early with the injury, and his status is unknown, making Patrick well worth a waiver pickup.

Patrick has 12 catches and two touchdowns so far this year, and he’s scored double-digit fantasy points in all three weeks so far, piling up 98 yards on five catches in Week 3. With Jerry Jeudy also out for the foreseeable future, Patrick will have an opportunity to take a consistent starting WR role with this team, which could end up paying major dividends for his fantasy value.

Zach Pascal (WR, Indianapolis Colts)

It was another week with a solid target share for Pascal, but unfortunately, he couldn’t capitalize, reeling in just two of his seven targets from QB Carson Wentz. Despite his poor showing in Week 3, Pascal still totals 34.7 half-PPR points on the year, and he’s been helped by red zone targets, with three touchdowns already in 2021. That’s not bad for the former undrafted free agent. Pascal has 18 targets through the first two weeks of the season, and he should continue to be involved in the future, making him worth an add for those who need WR help.

The post Fantasy: Five early waiver wire targets for Week 4 appeared first on Pro Football Mania.