Host Bobby LaMarco is joined by Fantasy Coach JB, Jacob Charnow, and Donkey Teeth to discuss their must-have NFL wide receivers for 2022 fantasy football. Tune into the podcast or check out the article below on the eight must-have wide receivers for 2022 fantasy football. Don’t forget to check out where all these players are currently being drafted over on the Razzball ADP tool.
Razzball Writer: Donkey Teeth
Must Have Player: D.K. Metcalf
Current ADP: 48th Overall
I might be the only person left on the planet that actually believes in Geno Smith. Smith started three games last season while Russell Wilson was on the shelf, and D.K. caught three touchdowns in the last two starts. With Metcalf’s physical gifts he has a chance at producing fantasy WR1 numbers with any QB.
Razzball Writer: Donkey Teeth
Must Have Player: Romeo Doubs
Current ADP: 146th Overall
It’s hard to be more excited about a 4th-round rookie than I am about Doubs. It’s a perfect storm brewing in Green Bay with Davante Adams gone, Christian Watson behind schedule, and Doubs clicking on all cylinders with Rodgers this preseason. A quick googling of “Romeo Doubs news” will have you drafting him on every team alongside me.
Razzball Writer: Bobby LaMarco
Must Have Player: Isaiah McKenzie
Current ADP: 148th Overall
Earning the slot role in Buffalo could mean big things for Isaiah McKenzie in 2022. In his three seasons in Buffalo, Cole Beasley’s 17-game pace for targets was 120. When Beasley has missed time, McKenzie has shown he could dominate in this role as well. In the two games without Beasley, McKenzie has put up ridiculous 6-65-2 and 11-125-1 stat lines. We won’t sit here and say McKenzie will play at that level all season but knowing that he could put up these types of performances makes him an ideal pick in round 12.
Razzball Writer: Bobby LaMarco
Must Have Player: Allen Lazard
Current ADP: 75th Overall
When reviewing Allen Lazard’s potential for this season we should first look at how he’s performed in the past with an expanded role. In the nine games he played without one of the other top three WRs on the team in 2021 (Cobb, MVS, and/or Adams), Lazard averaged a solid 11.5 PPG in half-PPR. That PPG would have made Lazard the WR24 last year. This bump in production includes a strong finish to the 2021 season. Over the final five regular-season games he averaged nearly six targets a game. With that additional targets share, Lazard didn’t disappoint. Over that stretch, he averaged 14.5 half PPR PPG and was the WR7. Currently being drafted as the WR39, Lazard clearly offers plenty of upside in the middle rounds making him an ideal pick in that range.
Razzball Writer: Jacob Charnow
Must Have Player: Chris Olave
Current ADP: 103rd Overall
Currently going as the WR44, Chris Olave feels like the perfect candidate for a rookie breakout season. Before Jameis Winston got injured in 2021, he was utilizing Marquez Calloway as his deep threat. Now, with the Saints trading up to draft Chris Olave, fantasy players should expect Olave to be used right away. A combination of speed and hands will turn Olave into Winston’s favorite target. Every offense Winston has played on has had the WR1 as the team’s primary deep threat, and that trend should continue with Chris Olave in 2022.
Razzball Writer: Jacob Charnow
Must Have Player: Allen Robinson
Current ADP: 50th Overall
For his whole career, Allen Robinson has had to catch the ball from bottom-of-the-barrel NFL QBs. All the way from Blake Bortles to Justin Fields, Robinson has certainly had to compensate for inaccuracy from who was throwing him the ball. Now, he has a real QB in Matthew Stafford who will spread the wealth more than he did in 2021. Expect Robinson to be used as a red zone threat and so much more. If you want more reason to believe in Robinson, look no further than the WR2 on the Rams’ offense the last few years. Whether it was Robert Woods or OBJ, both were viable fantasy options even with Cooper Kupp’s monstrous 2021 season. If he can stay on the field, Allen Robinson could be a high-end WR2.
Razzball Writer: JB Barry
Must Have Player: Michael Thomas
Current ADP: 67th Overall
I decided to use this “must have” prompt to discuss players whom I find myself saying that I must have at their current ADP. Michael Thomas is coming off the board as the WR31 in NFFC ADP in August. The recency bias is real, and you need to think back further than last year to remember how great Thomas can be. Prior to last year when he missed most of the season due to injury, Thomas was regarded as one of the best wide receivers in football. If you look at the 3 seasons before last year, Thomas averaged 126 receptions for 1,458 yards and had 23 touchdowns in that span, including 2 seasons with 9 touchdowns. If you can get even 80% of “the old” Michael Thomas this season, he will be a tremendous value where you can get him in the 5th or 6th round of your fantasy football drafts.
Reports from training camp say that Michael Thomas is looking like his old self and looks to be healthy. With some additional weapons added to the passing game in rookie Chris Olave and veteran Jarvis Landry, some of the pressure comes off Thomas as well. While Thomas gets a downgrade at QB going from Drew Brees to Jameis Winston, the “crab leg killa” will certainly be passing the ball frequently for New Orleans this season. If Thomas is the target hog in a high-octane passing offense, I expect him to get around 150 targets and turn it into a very productive season. With the upside of a WR1 in the 5th or 6th round of your draft, Michael Thomas is a must-have wide receiver for me!
Razzball Writer: JB Barry
Must Have Player: D.J. Chark
Current ADP: 141st Overall
Another player that is a must-have for me at their current ADP is DJ Chark. An old face in a new place, Chark finds himself in a great position landing in Detroit. Remember that Chark is only 2 years removed from a thousand-yard receiving season where he established himself as the WR1 in Jacksonville while catching passes from Gardner Minshew. If he can get over 1,000 yards from the gun-slinging mullet man, he can certainly do it again in Detroit with Jared Goff. Last year, the Lions’ passing game was led by 4th-round rookie Amon-Ra St. Brown who caught 90 passes. As much of a fantasy darling that St. Brown became, I don’t see lightning striking twice in the same place. Detroit was dealing with several injuries last year and the rookie took advantage of being the only real option in the passing game. With injuries to Swift and Hockenson, there was nobody else to throw to. The options were putrid – Kalif Raymond was the wide receiver who ended the season with the second most receptions on the team… Kalif Raymond!
Looking at NFFC ADP for the month of August, Chark is a guy whom you can draft in the 11th round of your fantasy football draft. As the WR58 off the board, he is being drafted among players like Jakobi Meyers, Kenny Golladay, Jarvis Landry, and Josh Palmer. Some of the players I just mentioned in that range are guys who are the WR3 on their own team where Chark can legitimately be the WR1 in Detroit. With Chark as the primary outside target on a team that is likely to be playing from behind often, the upside is tremendous. At his current ADP in the 11th round, DJ Chark is an absolute must-have wide receiver for me and I’m even comfortable reaching up to get him in the 9th or 10th.
Sources: Razzball.com, PFF, Football Outsiders, FFToday, Pro Football Reference and Sharp Football Stats.
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