Fantasy Football 2022: Creative Team Names and Early Keeper Advice

Many fantasy football leagues don't hold their draft until August, and some not even until September. So you may not be thinking about your fantasy squad for the 2022 NFL season quite yet.

However, it's time to start pondering important decisions for your team. That includes what to use for a name, and for some fantasy managers, who you'll be bringing back as keeper players from last season.

The preseason is just as important as the regular season when it comes to fantasy football. There may not be any games taking place, and you may not be earning any points. But the research and preparation done now can set you up for success down the road.

And of course, it's always important to have a funny team name to induce some laughs and chuckles from your leaguemates.

So here's an early list of names to consider for your 2022 fantasy team, followed by some keeper advice as drafts get closer.

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Potential Team Names for 2022 Season

Brady Gaga

Dak Side of the Moon

Work from Mahomes

Return of the Mac

Cobra Kyler

Mr. Rodgers' Neighborhood

Tuafinity and Beyond

Fresh Prince of Helaire

Catalina Wine Mixon

Zeke and Destroy

McLaurin F1

Good JuJu

Silenced by the Lamb

Pop Lockett Drop It

I Gotta Thielen

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Keeper Advice

Not every keeper league operates the same way. But for many, you're likely going to have to give up a draft pick in order to retain a player from the previous year's roster. And that may or may not be worth it.

When contemplating keepers, it's important to consider the alternatives you're likely to find on the board early in your league's draft. That's why if you have an elite running back, you need to hold on to him, even if that means you'll no longer have a first-round pick.

Among the running backs who need to be kept this year are the Indianapolis Colts' Jonathan Taylor, the Carolina Panthers' Christian McCaffrey and the Cincinnati Bengals' Joe Mixon. It's also wise to keep the Pittsburgh Steelers' Najee Harris, who is young and coming off an impressive rookie season.

The same strategy should be implemented for the top tier of wide receivers. Ja'Marr Chase was the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2021, putting up huge numbers for Cincinnati. He's likely going to have a long and successful career and needs to be kept.

The Minnesota Vikings' Justin Jefferson, the Los Angeles Rams' Cooper Kupp and the Dallas Cowboys' CeeDee Lamb are among the other top wide receivers who should remain on rosters in keeper leagues moving forward.

There are plenty of other RBs and WRs who should be in keeper consideration. But again, it may depend on how your league operates on whether you should hold on to those players or not.

For example, in leagues where you forfeit a draft pick from the round in which you selected that player the previous year, it could be easy to bring back some late-round gems from 2021. Steal a player in the late rounds last year? It should be an easy decision to make them a keeper in 2022.

Some leagues have a limit on the number of players who can be kept, though. In that case, make sure to prioritize star running backs and youngsters who could potentially be scooped up and retained for many years to come.

As always, one of the most important pieces of advice in fantasy football is to trust your gut. Have a strong feeling that a player you had last year is in store to have a huge 2022 for whatever reason? Keep him and see what happens.

However, also make sure to do plenty of research, break down the stats and potentially get advice from strong sources. Fantasy managers who put in the time are most often rewarded, and that should be the case with who makes the best keeper selections, too.