That left me with Taylor as my pick at No. At just 23, he was the focal point of the Steelers otherwise-dreadful offense, garnering 307 rushing attempts (second) and 94 targets (tied for first among all RBs). No running back was more dominant than Henry in the 2.5 seasons between 2019 and Week 8 of '21. 2. He has been placed on IR and won't return in 2022. When it comes to Taylor, we are just scratching the surface on what he is capable of in . In 2021, Taylor enjoyed a massive breakout. When hes on the field, hes still one of the very best dual-purpose backs in football. To see the full results of our draft, you can find it at this link. 9:54 am ET. Brown traded away to the Philadelphia Eagles during the 2022 NFL Draft, the Titans will depend more than ever on Henry, which isn't exactly a stretch when considering that's mostly what they've been doing to this point in his career anyway; as evidenced by his 2,141-yard season (!!) NFL combine QB measurements: Bryce Young's size, more, NFL free agency: Ranking top 25 defensive free agents, 2023 season lookahead: Storylines, odds, teams to watch, NFL free agency 2023: Top 25 players available, NFL free agency 2023: Team-by-team offseason primer, 2023 NFL offseason and free agency: Top FAs, team needs, Ranking NFL's top 10 running backs for 2022, Mock Draft: Panthers, Colts trade up for QBs, Rodgers' trade value, logistics, best fit, Pascal robbed at gunpoint, assaulted; WR 'doing fine', Bryce Young measures similar to former No. 1 in standard leagues before getting into whether any other RB -- maybe Austin Ekeler or Najee Harris -- should go over Taylor in PPR formats. Only Jonathan Taylor of the Colts had more carries (332) than Harris (307) last season, and the Steelers sophomore is expected to carry a heavy workload again in 2022. Despite having massive needs all over their . Health was an issue in 2022. It's easy to look at the success of the Bengals in 2021 and forget what it took for them to get there, which is to say what Mixon had to fight through to keep the team relevant and to ultimately still be around in Cincinnati for it. He was a top-5 runner last season before suffering a knee injury that had him running in quicksand in the second half. Ekeler finished second with 343.8 PPR points in 2021. 3. DOB Mar 9, 1998 Age 24.9. This tier spans just over 10 spots in our overall PPR rankings. There's a reason he won this league last year. There are a number of ways to value players when deciding who to draft for fantasy football, but utilizing tiers has become a more common approach in the last 10 years. Fantasy football draft season is upon us, and the predominant top-two picks in most standard drafts have been Jonathan Taylor and Derrick Henry. And though his numbers took a slight dip from his 1,900-yard (from scrimmage) season in 2020, he was still able to mount a third consecutive 1,000-yard rushing season and averaged less than 11 yards per game shy of a 100-yard per game average. For the Steelers this game marks his seventh career start as he continues to develop as Pittsburghs future franchise signal caller. 1 WR in this particular draft. 2004-2023 CBS Interactive. Jonathan Taylor, Derrick Henry favorites for 2022 rushing title Kevin Hickey May 18, 2022 9:16 am ET During the second half of the 2021 regular season, Indianapolis Colts running back. Following him are many viable heroes to anchor your roster as an RB1. Taylors 42 carries inside the 10-yard line were 12 more than the next-closest back (Damien Harris, 30). Harris still operated as a pseudo-workhorse ranking 6th in opportunity share (70%) and 8th in total touches through the first 17 weeks of the season. Taylor also led the NFL in red-zone touches (92), which was not that surprising considering he ranked fifth in that category as a rookie. He also separated himself from the field in total carries (332) and average yards per game (106.5). 2, well go with Harris by a nose-hair over Ekeler just because of volume and injury history. section: | slug: 2022-fantasy-football-draft-prep-cooper-kupp-najee-harris-fall-unexpectedly-in-flex-league-12-team-ppr-draft | sport: football | route: article_single_fantasy | Hero RB Strategy & Targets: Jonathan Taylor, Christian McCaffrey, Najee Harris (2022 Fantasy Football) | FantasyPros Draft Wizard My Playbook Premium Log In NFL Home Tools In-Season My. It was Kamara who helped keep the Saints' offense relevant in 2021 -- absent All-Pro wideout Michael Thomas and any sort of consistent production at QB following a torn ACL suffered by Jameis Winston -- and it's neither the first nor last time he'll be tasked with being the bulk of the production. With each reception counting for a point or even just a half-point, a strong three-down receiving back jumps way up in value. Pollard carries increased value in a PPR format, especially with injuries to the Cowboys RB group. Are you looking to contact Customer Support about a subscription or account related question? He rarely coughs up the rock, posting just five total fumbles over his first 640 touches. You don't currently have any notifications, Get custom advice with our Draft Assistant. Najee Harris, Pittsburgh Steelers. Taylor Made (Jonathan Taylor) Hot Chubb Time Machine (Nick Chubb) Best fantasy team names for top wide receivers. Jonathan Taylor is the better back but Najee Harris has shown steady improvement the last two weeks. All Combine and Draft-Related Analysis, News, Video, and Biographical Information for Jonathan Taylor The fact the Colts laid an egg in a win-and-get-in against the lowly Jacksonville Jaguars last season was much more attributable to the ghastly play of the now-traded (again) Carson Wentz and not Taylor, who was the heart and soul of the team's offense the entire season. Its also imperative to pay attention to injury risks and the age factor. Don't let the fact he battled through injury in 2021 throw you off of what is the glaringly obvious: Henry remains atop the mountain of best running backs in the NFL. While Taylor was dominant last season, Henry was arguably even better in 20. Najee Harris definitely has upside in this offense, but other players being drafted around the same time as Harris, such as Jonathan Taylor and Saquon Barkley, definitely bring more. Both teams are looking to establish the run, keep the game simple and let their defenses do their jobs. He has carried the ball 272 times to the tune of 3.8 YPC. Taylor missed six games this year and finished under 5.0 yards per rush (4.5) for the first time in his 3-year career. So, that worked out nicely for Jamey from the No. Austin Ekeler, Chargers Najee Harris, Steelers Derrick Henry, Titans. The ultimate Jonathan Taylor 2019 HighlightsA two-time Doak Walker Award winner and two-time unanimous first-team All-American, Taylor will go down as one of. I like that the Panthers are already putting him in preseason bubble wrap to make sure hes full-go for Week 1. Dillon saw an increase in usage down the stretch last season, especially in the red zone. Compare Najee Harris and Jonathan Taylor careers through the years of your choosing. When Taylor first returned from injury (Weeks 10-13) he ranked as the RB3 overall. Walker's (hernia) status for Week 1 is in question, but he's still very draftable as a No. Pollard should see enough touches to have stand alone value in Dallas. My highest-graded team was team 7, who took Jonathan Taylor in the first round and ended up with another potential RB1 in Rhamondre Stevenson, to go along with an elite bounce-back candidate in Mark Andrews. Dillon, Packers. If you want to dive deeper into fantasy football, be sure to check out our award-winning slate of Fantasy Football Tools as you navigate your season. Barkley is sort of hovering between the two tiers, and given the glimpse of the old Barkley that we saw in the first week of the preseason, he could even sneak up into the tier above by Labor Day weekend. In his rookie season, Harris led the NFL with 381 touches, and his 1,667 scrimmage yards trailed only Taylor among RBs. 1 pick in our first mock draft of 2022. Stevenson should split the workload with Damien Harris in New England, and Edwards-Helaire will share touches with Jerick McKinnon in what looks like a committee in Kansas City. That said, there are enough obvious risks here to preclude Ekeler from going ahead of Taylor. The Dawg-turned-Dawg has been a dynamo since landing in Cleveland by way of Georgia, being the steady hand for a roller coaster of a ride with former first overall pick Baker Mayfield and, in the absences of Mayfield due to injury, whomever else took the QB reins in the moment. You can follow Michael on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Instagram for your late-breaking fantasy news and the best analysis in the business! Pittsburgh Steelers rookie Najee Harris is my No. The tiers below are formed from a consensus ranking between PFNs Fantasy Football Director Ben Rolfe, Senior Fantasy Analyst Tommy Garrett, and Fantasy Analyst Jason Katz. All of them will have more value in PPR formats, of course. Use discount code "SPORTING" to become a RotoBaller subscriber and get access to all their award-winning, game-changing tools, stats, and analysis. As such, he's cascaded from near the top of this mountain to the valley below, and needs to prove himself in a major way in 2022. The former two-time NFL rushing champ was off to a blazing start to the 2021 season that saw him as fast, quick and decisive as he's ever been, but he was slowed by injury in the back half of the season that made many forget what he was doing prior to that point. Harris topped 20 rushing attempts for the third time in his. tool, which they've made available to SN Fantasy readers forfree. Hero RB is receiver-centric. He's now amassed more than 3,700 yards from scrimmage and 24 touchdowns in his three years with the team, and he's done it in spite of abysmal quarterback play that led to the Bears using a first-round pick on Justin Fields. Jonathan TaylorChristian McCaffreyAustin Ekeler. Henry was on pace to rush for over 1,990 yards last season before going down with an injured foot. Last season, he was 27th in snaps at just 49% amongst RBs a number that will undoubtedly increase in 2021. The hope is that new head coach Brian Daboll will be able to resurrect the Barkley we knew when he was a rookie. After scoring a combined 33 TDs through his 1st two seasons, Taylor scored just four rushing TDs in 2022. 9,423 views Sep 7, 2021 101 Dislike Share The Rich Eisen Show 412K subscribers Rich Eisen. Jonathan Taylor puts the @Colts ahead! Cook had a tough season in 2021 and does not have the best history in terms of health. Facebook; Twitter; . Tier 12 Low HandcuffsDamien Williams, FalconsMark Ingram, SaintsZamir White, RaidersD'Onta Foreman, PanthersBrian Robinson, Jr., CommandersTyler Allgeier, FalconsDontrell Hilliard, TitansJoshua Kelley, Chargers. So, you're probably thinking there is one or two honorable mentions (listed below) who deserve this spot over Jones, but if I agreed with you, they'd be in this spot. McCaffrey has hovered around a 90-percent catch rate over the past two seasons, and he averaged 4.5 yards per carry and 9.0 yards per catch over seven games last year. Coming off of last weeks loss to the Bengals, the Steelers team seems defeated. . Jamey's start to the draft worked out just about perfectly, making it just a little easier to make the tradeoffs he did at QB and TE. Are you looking to contact Customer Support about a subscription or account related question? Click here to confirm your accessLogin Now. Akers is already dealing with preseason injuries, and he struggled for explosiveness after returning from an Achilles injury. Steelers 20, Buccaneers 18: Najee Harris wasn't overly impressive (with 49 total yards on 16 touches and a receiving TD), but consider the matchup. 1 or No. 2 overall seems like a damn good option, and it's tough to blame anyone who ranks Pittsburghs back over Ekeler. Head Coach Mike Tomlin. 2 rusher last season (Nick Chubb) and over 600 yards more than Joe Mixon at No. The others on this list are all talented, but workload questions are prevalent. He enters his . All Rights Reserved. Najee Harris' fantasy outlook for 2021. A case can be made for either Taylor at Henry as first off the board but passing on either of them for a wild card with health risks could have dire consequences. However, health concerns combined with talented players around him limits his ceiling. He scored 10 touchdowns last season and averaged 4.4 yards per touch last season. For all these reasons, he maintains an automatic edge over everyone else in this tier. 2 overall, and things mostly continued the way you expect for the next few picks, with one exception; Cooper Kupp kept falling. Robinson and Gordon are projecting as the second options in their respective backfields. Picking Harris at No. I took Mark Andrews with the second pick of the third round, only because Josh Allen was taken a pick before me I'm a firm believer in taking an early QB this season, though if it's not Allen around the second/third-round turn, my preference is to wait a little longer for the next tier. Indianapolis starts veteran Matt Ryan at quarterback who has never beaten the Steelers in three tries. I went the opposite direction, locking in more guaranteed high-end production with my tight end and quarterback. discount code "SPORTING" to become a RotoBaller subscriber. Jonathan Taylor vs. Derrick Henry: Which top-tier fantasy RB should go No. Dillon led the Packers in carries and rushing yards and figures to see a bigger role in 2022, but Jones will limit him to mid to low RB2 value. Hes locked into massive volume behind one of the best run-blocking offensive lines in the league. He played in four games in 2021 with at least a 50% snap share and his PPR fantasy finishes were RB1, RB3, RB4 and RB3. The scoring format for the tiers below is PPR and is correct as of Aug. 16, 2022. in 2020. He will be healthier in 2023. We also expect Jacobs to have a significant number of touches, but Kenyan Drake and Zamir White could just eat in enough to dampen his ceiling. Still, Ekelers injury history could make drafters squeamish. During his 17 games this season, Najee Harris is averaging 61.1 yards per contest and has crossed the goal line 7 different times on the ground. Chubbs fantasy value in PPR is severely limited by his lack of targets in the past two years. Andrew Erickson, I have seen Najee Harris slander on the timeline in recent weeks. No player came close to sniffing his amount of volume near paydirt. Hes being drafted as a low RB2 or flex in most leagues. Even if his workload carrying the ball is not as high as others, he could see a significant enough target share to push for a top 24 finish at the position. section: | slug: ranking-nfls-top-10-rbs-for-2022-christian-mccaffrey-plummets-with-injury-concerns-jonathan-taylor-soars | sport: football | route: article_single.us | Christian McCaffrey, Najee Harris, . Hey, remember this guy? He did haul in 18-of-20 targets last season before getting hurt, but thats still a pretty small pre-injury sample size. Jonathan Taylor vs Najee Harris Stats Taylor is running for 89.3 yds on the ground per game so far in his career. 4 back with upside. Barkley has high RB1 potential, but hes failed to meet expectations the past few years. Taylor also scored 59.3 more fantasy points on the season than the second-best fantasy RB, Austin Ekeler. (Don Juan Moore/Getty Images) Round 1 1. Accept Draft Wizard My Playbook Premium Log. Mitchell is also expected to lead the backfield in San Francisco. 8 pick. Despite being drafted in the first round of fantasy football, Jonathan Taylor, Alvin Kamara, Najee Harris, and Dalvin Cook have all struggled substantially. 2022 RANKINGS TIERS & DRAFT STRATEGY:QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | D/STs. Harris should dominate. Hall should lead the Jets backfield in touches, though Michael Carter will camp his ceiling in the receiving categories. Lets examine our updated consensus tiers as managers enter their 2022 fantasy drafts. Singletary and Gibson are both in intriguing situations. He was on pace for 90 catches and 1,906 scrimmage yards before the injury bug once again reared its ugly head. Pittsburgh has clear issues at QB (moving from retired Big Ben Roethlisberger to either Mitchell Trubisky or Kenny Pickett) and offensive line (ranked the third-worst line by PFF). No team will mortgage their short-term playoff success or long-term outlook by overusing a stud back coming off a major injury sustained less than one year ago. Najee Harris, on the other hand, enters the NFL at 23 years-old and is already an established pass-protector. Thats the reason hes not among my RB1s heading into drafts. In one fewer game Henry had 46 more carries and averaged almost 20 more rushing yards per game (126.7). Still, the issue with Harris pertains to his true upside potential in a potentially capped offense led by a rookie quarterback. PFF ranks the Colts line No. Start free trial today. Steelers 17, Colts 14, Sign up for the Steelers Wire newsletter to get our top stories in your inbox every morning. He's rushed for 33 touchdowns with the longest carry being for 62 yds. If he does get the trade he wants, then his value could skyrocket this offseason. If Henry is healthy, his volume pushes him to the top of this tier, but hes now 28 with a heavy volume history. Aaron Jones, RB, Green Bay Packers 14. Jacobs was the RB12 a season ago, but the selection of rookie Zamir White and a potential committee has caused his stock to decline a bit. Combined with 40-reception upside, Taylor is a locked-in first-round RB in fantasy football drafts. The Chargers have a top-12 offensive line according to PFF and a top-five offense according to 21 stats (scoring and yardage), so the fantasy goodness should carry over to 22 as long as Professor Ek stays healthy. He has a pre-athletic testing score of a 96.5 overall prospect score RBs who had a 90 or above in past years: Jonathan Taylor, Saquon Barkley, Breece Hall, Najee Harris, Travis Etienne, Derrick Henry, Zeke, Fournette. Taylor at No. No surprises here, as Jonathan Taylor was the No. 2, get a good pair of noise-canceling headphones to block out the unlimited heckling your leaguemates will subject you with throughout the season. If you think he isnt elusive or breaking tackles youre crazy. . No player in fantasy football has a higher ceiling if he can stay healthy. A myriad of variables determine how successful a running back will be at the NFL level, and the bottom line is not all of them are created equal, with some being forced to produce with much less of a supporting cast for much of their career to this point, e.g., Joe Mixon. You will rarely see Ekeler being taken above the other two, but if you have the third selection in drafts, hes a strong player to start your draft with. The most notable deletion from this list entirely is Saquon Barkley, who has lately seen injury derail his potential to be a generational talent, and McCaffrey is treading dangerously close to falling victim to the same dark entity. The Titans have a better schedule ranked a four out of five but a much worse offensive line. Gainwell could even push Sanders for touches, and Mostert would see more work if Edmonds were to go down, but he's clearly in the top two in Miami's backfield rotation. Taylor had the most elite skills, the gaudiest stats, the best health, and the highest usage last season. Montgomery could easily see one of the biggest workloads in the entire league, but the Bears offense is among the worst in the NFL, limiting his ceiling. For while he hasn't cracked his way into the 1,000-yard rushing club as of yet, he's produced more than 1,500 yards from scrimmage in two of his last three seasons, and all he has to do now is remain healthy to see if the powder blue sky in Los Angeles is truly the limit. He added one catch for 10 yards. Williams ceiling got lowered with the return of Melvin Gordon. CMC has played just 10 total games over the past two seasons, while Cook has never played more than 14 games. Elliott is ranked at his lowest point since he entered the NFL, but that could make him a bargain in drafts. Despite his current ADP ranking below those of both Najee Harris and Jonathan Taylor, Gibson arguably presents the most upside of the three backs this season.