Fantasy Football 2022: Early Mock Draft and Rankings Before Training Camps

The beginning of NFL training camp accelerates the fantasy football debates about which players should be first overall and which ones will land in the first round.

Most of the casual fantasy football players will dive into draft research over the next few weeks, while diehards already have their 12-round mock drafts prepared.

No matter what your skill level is, the prevailing thought in fantasy drafts is that running backs should be taken early and often.

Jonathan Taylor is the most-coveted running back in fantasy football circles, and he will be the No. 1 overall pick in a good amount of drafts.

Derrick Henry, Christian McCaffrey, Austin Ekeler and Dalvin Cook fill out the list of potential top selections at running back. All of those players could have 1,000-yard seasons with a double-digit touchdown total.

Cooper Kupp and Travis Kelce will be among the top non-running backs chosen, and as always, one of them could be chosen a few picks earlier than expected because there is always one person in your league who does not abide by any normal draft strategy.

Fantasy Football Mock Draft

Cliff Hawkins/Getty Images

MIAMI GARDENS, FLORIDA - NOVEMBER 28: Christian McCaffrey #22 of the Carolina Panthers during their game against the Miami Dolphins at Hard Rock Stadium on November 28, 2021 in Miami Gardens, Florida. (Photo by Cliff Hawkins/Getty Images)

First Round

1. Jonathan Taylor, RB, Indianapolis

2. Christian McCaffrey, RB, Carolina

3. Derrick Henry, RB, Tennessee

4. Austin Ekeler, RB, Los Angeles Chargers

5. Dalvin Cook, RB, Minnesota

6. Najee Harris, RB, Pittsburgh

7. Nick Chubb, RB, Cleveland

8. Joe Mixon, RB, Cincinnati

9. Cooper Kupp, WR, Los Angeles Rams

10. Travis Kelce, TE, Kansas City

11. Ja'Marr Chase, WR, Cincinnati

12. Justin Jefferson, WR, Minnesota

---

Second Round

13. Aaron Jones, RB, Green Bay

14. Javonte Williams, RB, Denver

15. Mark Andrews, TE, Baltimore

16. Davante Adams, WR, Las Vegas

17. James Conner, RB, Arizona

18. D'Andre Swift, RB, Detroit

19. Deebo Samuel, WR, San Francisco

20. Stefon Diggs, WR, Buffalo

21. CeeDee Lamb, WR, Dallas

22. Saquon Barkley, RB, New York Giants

23. Tyreek Hill, WR, Miami

24. Alvin Kamara, RB, New Orleans

Jonathan Taylor Should Be Top Selection

Don Juan Moore/Getty Images

JACKSONVILLE, FL - JANUARY 9: Running back Jonathan Taylor #28 of the Indianapolis Colts rushes against the Jacksonville Jaguars at TIAA Bank Field on January 9, 2022 in Jacksonville, Florida. The Jaguars won 26 -11. (Photo by Don Juan Moore/Getty Images)

Jonathan Taylor has 2,980 rushing yards and 29 touchdowns in his two-year NFL career.

Taylor led the NFL in both categories in 2021, and he also led the league with 106.5 yards per game.

Taylor's back-to-back 1,000-yard, double-digit touchdown seasons make him the best fantasy football player going into the 2022 NFL season.

The Indianapolis Colts running back should be in line for similar totals in his third season since the Colts passing offense has plenty of question marks.

Matt Ryan came over from the Atlanta Falcons, but he is in the latter stages of his career and he has one top-tier wide receiver to work with in Michael Pittman Jr.

Taylor could be asked to shoulder more of the offensive load early in the season as the Colts figure out which wide receivers will emerge behind Pittman at wideout.

Four of the first six games of the season could be beneficial for high rushing totals out of Taylor. Indianapolis plays the Jacksonville Jaguars twice, the Houston Texans in Week 1 and the Denver Broncos in Week 5.

Indianapolis has to play the Kansas City Chiefs and Tennessee Titans in Weeks 3 and 4, but after that, the schedule does not appear to be too difficult.

Taylor should be on a path to a 1,000-yard season by the halfway point of the campaign. The schedule, his reliability and his large role in the Indianapolis offense make him the clear-cut top selection in fantasy football drafts.

Derrick Henry and Christian McCaffrey could be considered as alternatives to Taylor, but both players have had injury concerns, and that is the last thing you want to have attached to your No. 1 overall pick.

Nick Chubb's Fantasy Ranking Could Rise

Nick Cammett/Diamond Images via Getty Images

BEREA, OH - JUNE 14: Nick Chubb #24 of the Cleveland Browns laughs during the Cleveland Browns mandatory minicamp at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on June 14, 2022 in Berea, Ohio. (Photo by Nick Cammett/Diamond Images via Getty Images)

Nick Chubb's fantasy football value could rise in the coming weeks.

Chubb and the Cleveland Browns face uncertainty going into training camp regarding a potential suspension for quarterback Deshaun Watson.

A Watson suspension would put Jacoby Brissett in line to start for the AFC North side. Brissett is a solid backup, but he is not a high-quality starting quarterback who will throw for 250-300 yards every week.

Chubb may be shouldered with more rushing attempts in the first half of the season, and that may lead to him being selected over other top-tier running backs.

The Browns' situation is one of the many reasons why you should wait until the third or fourth week of preseason to do your fantasy drafts. Injuries, suspensions and other factors will change between the start of training camp and the end of preseason.

Chubb has three straight 1,000-yard rushing seasons, and he has at least eight ground touchdowns in each of his four professional seasons.

An argument could be made that Chubb is a top-five fantasy football selection even with Watson in the Browns starting lineup.

Chubb should be a first-round selection in 12-team leagues, but his positioning in the first round could change if any news of a Watson suspension breaks during training camp and before most fantasy football drafts take place.