Gross Bombs: NFL Props for Week 16
Josh Gross
Week 1 of the 2022 fantasy football season is here, and it could not have come soon enough, but as a dynasty fantasy football manager, most of us have been making moves all offseason. However, it is never too late to make those last-minute trades and additions to your roster to put it over the edge. With this in mind, I want to turn your attention to a few players who may be available in your league at an affordable value that will push your roster over the edge.
Rashod Bateman, WR, Baltimore Ravens
Targeting Ravens wide receivers has not traditionally been a path to massive fantasy success. Last year, with Lamar Jackson dealing with injury, Marquise Brown saw a career-high 146 targets (120 on first read), 1,008 yards and 91 receptions. He did that on a 24% target share (barely behind Mark Andrews for the team lead), and even with that he only reached WR22 for the season. Jackson’s absence was a big factor here, as the passing offense dropped by 60 yards per game when he was out.
Heading into 2022, Jackson is healthy, and that should help the passing offense return to form. And with Brown now in Arizona, that means Rashod Bateman is in line for a significant workload. He’ll be a key piece for this offense in all areas of the field. That should include the red zone, where Andrews has been the default weapon for the last few years. Bateman should help the offense diversify when in close. There’s a path to Bateman being a top-20 finisher this year, and he’ll still be only 23 when next season starts, so he could be a big fantasy contributor for years to come.
Chase Edmonds, RB, Miami Dolphins
For most of the offseason, the general consensus was that this Dolphins backfield would be a committee and therefore a fantasy quagmire, thanks to the additions of Chase Edmonds, Raheem Mostert and Sony Michel to go with holdovers Myles Gaskin and Salvon Ahmed. But that has changed lately — Michel was released, and Edmonds’ preseason usage seemed to indicate he’s in store for a big-time workload. New Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel brings over a blueprint from San Francisco that leans on a perimeter zone rushing attack — Edmonds has seen the majority of his career attempts (199 of 333) from such an offense. On top of that, he is one of the league’s better pass-catching backs in the league, with 921 career receiving yards and 5 touchdowns. Edmonds is 26 (compared to the 30-year-old Mostert), which means he should have a few years of production left in him.
Jakobi Meyers, WR, New England Patriots
It may have taken until the second half of his third season in the league to finally find the end zone, but Jakobi Meyers has been a budding PPR star for a while now. He finished as the WR29 last year despite only scoring twice. He was Mac Jones’ clear favorite target, with 98 first read targets, 25% of the team’s first read target market share. He also led the team in targets (126), receptions (83), yards (867) and air yards (1,153). The offseason additions of DeVante Parker and (before he was injured) Tyquan Thornton had Meyers going somewhat overlooked this draft season, but that was a mistake.
It was clear throughout training camp that Meyers is still the guy in this passing game, which means he should command a similar market share. If he can stumble into even a little more touchdown luck, he could easily repeat a WR3 finish with room for even better.
Darrell Henderson, RB, Los Angeles Rams
Darrell Henderson has gone largely overlooked in fantasy this offseason amid all the Cam Akers hype and attention, but he’s still going to be relevant. Last year, Henderson produced 864 scrimmage yards and 6 touchdowns on 178 touches with Akers missing almost the entire year to a torn Achilles, finishing as the PPR RB27. Per the FTN Fantasy advanced rushing stats, Henderson force 24 missed tackles and amassed 365 yards after contact. He also had 20 runs of at least 10 years, displaying some nice explosiveness. And he did that despite splitting with Sony Michel for a lot of the season.
Heading into the 2022 season, Henderson is the 1B to Akers’ 1A — Sean McVay said, “I look at it as we’ve got two starting backs” and “Those guys are great complements to one another, but I see them as both starting-caliber players.” In other words, counting on Akers to be a bell cow in this offense is a bad idea, and we will see more Henderson than many Akers investors have hoped. Henderson is very affordable right now, and he should see his stock rise as the season goes on.
Parris Campbell, WR, Indianapolis Colts
Parris Campbell may be the riskiest player on my list, but he also possibly carries some of the highest upside. Since entering the league, Campbell’s talent has never been questioned; his problem has been staying on the field, as he’s only played 15 total games in three seasons, never more than seven in a season. He’s been productive when on the field, with 360 receiving yards (and 50 rushing) and 2 touchdowns. Last year, on 20 targets, he produced a 94.2 passer rating when targeted.
Heading into 2022, Campbell is a forgotten man in this Colts offense, but there’s still room behind Michael Pittman for him to produce, especially with a significant QB upgrade in Matt Ryan, who brings exceptional ball placement. With Ryan throwing it, Campbell, if he can stay healthy, can use his after-the-catch ability to amplify his ceiling. A healthy Campbell can easily sneak his way into the top 36 PPR receivers, especially on a wide-open depth chart after Pittman.
