Teammates Who Could Both be Fantasy WR1s in 2022

During the 2021 season, both Keenan Allen (WR11) and Mike Williams (WR12) finished as WR1 options for fantasy football. They were the only pair of teammates to accomplish that feat in 2021, but we have seen at least one pair finish as top-12 wide receivers in three of the last four seasons.

There is a very good chance that we see a new pair here in 2022. Today, let’s take a look at which duos stand out as the most likely candidates.

Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, Cincinnati Bengals

Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins are already one of the best receiving duos in the NFL. Chase was unbelievable in his rookie season, hauling in 81 passes for 1,455 yards and 13 touchdowns. He and Joe Burrow picked up right where they left off during their time at LSU, forming one of the best deep passing connections in all of football. This duo led the league in vertical touchdown passes a season ago, as Burrow’s 13 passing touchdowns of 20 yards or more led the NFL. Because Chase was second in the league in yards per reception (18.0) and third in yards per target (11.4), he doesn’t need to see an elite target share in this offense to repeat as WR1 in fantasy football. He finished the year 17th among all wideouts in targets (128) and 23rd in target share (23.7%), so it is possible that there is room to grow for Chase in the volume department.

As for Higgins, he was a bit overshadowed by Chase’s brilliance, but the sophomore from Clemson still had nearly 1,100 yards himself, whale hauling in 74 balls. He also missed three games, but still finished as the WR24. But on a per-game basis, Higgins was the WR13. And despite missing three games, Higgins still saw 11 end zone targets, good for 10th in football. But despite how high-powered their offense was, the Bengals ranked just 17th in red zone scoring trips per game (3.1). Two huge reasons behind this: They had so many drives ended by sacks, and they also scored plenty of plays from long distance. In fact, only the Rams scored more touchdowns of at least 40 yards than the Bengals last year (16). With Burrow under center and improvements being made to the offensive line, this offense should rank at least top-10 in scoring chances, which will help Higgins, who has been the top red zone target for this team when all three wideouts are healthy.

Cooper Kupp and Robert Woods, Los Angeles Rams

We obviously saw Cooper Kupp put together one of the most incredible seasons from a wide receiver ever last year, catching 145 balls for 1,947 yards and 16 touchdowns. He caught 145 passes for 1,947 yards and 16 touchdowns, finishing just 18 yards shy of Calvin Johnson’s single-season record (though he did play 17 games). His 145 catches were the second-most in the history of the league and if you were facing Kupp in fantasy, it was legitimately terrifying. Kupp averaged over 25 PPR points per game, while scoring at least 20 fantasy points in all but three games. He also recorded 100 receiving yards in 11-of-17 contests, as he and quarterback Matthew Stafford were on the same page throughout the entire season. After years of Davante Adams being the consensus top receiver in fantasy drafts, Kupp may have become the new WR1. Barring injury, he is guaranteed to finish as a top-12 wide receiver again in 2022.

However, don’t forget about Robert Woods. Sure, it may have seemed like he was a massive fantasy bust, but that was more due to the fact that Kupp and Woods were being drafted right next to each other during the summer and Kupp went on to immensely outperform his teammate. But if you look at the numbers before Woods suffered a season-ending injury ahead of Week 10, the veteran was actually the WR12 in fantasy, averaging a very solid 15 PPR points per game. Woods should be back in time for Week 1, and with Odell Beckham to miss a lot of the season even if he returns to the Rams, Woods will easily slide right back into his WR2 role on one of the best offenses in all of football.

Justin Jefferson and Adam Thielen, Minnesota Vikings

Justin Jefferson has already arrived as one of the best wideouts in all of football, coming off a successful sophomore campaign that resulted in 108 catches for 1,616 yards and 10 touchdowns. He finished as the WR4 in PPR leagues, as Jefferson reached the 100-yard mark in seven different contests. Since entering the league two seasons ago, Jefferson has recorded 14 100-yard games and now holds the NFL record for most receiving yards in NFL history through a player’s first two seasons (3,016), while his 196 receptions during that span are tied for the most in history. Like Kupp, Jefferson will easily finish as a top-12 fantasy wideout as long as he stays healthy.

That, of course, is something Adam Thielen struggled with a bit in 2021, as the veteran missed four games, leaving a fifth early. Of course, Thielen still found the end zone like he always does, scoring 10 touchdowns in 13 games. Lately, Thielen has been one of the most targeted players in all of football from inside the end zone. In fact, he led the league in end zone targets in 2020 (20), while seeing eight such looks in 13 games this past season. Jefferson has clearly emerged as the top receiver in this offense, while Thielen has become more touchdown dependent. However, we’ve seen him operate as one of the league’s best touchdown-scorers for two straight seasons now and when healthy, he projects to be among the league leaders in end zone and red zone targets. Touchdowns can make up for lack of receiving yardage, which can help push him into back-end WR1 numbers.