7 Must-Draft Fantasy Football Players for 2022

August means the final push for fantasy football drafts, and 4for4 is here to arm you with the most information possible for the 2022 season. The following is a list of seven players who should find their way onto rosters everywhere based on potential upside, floor, and draft capital.

Justin Jefferson, WR - Vikings (Underdog ADP: 3.2, WR1)

You have to be in the right spot to be able to select Jefferson this season, but if you're in the front quarter of your draft and are taking a wideout, he's the guy you want. The Minnesota WR started his career with 196 catches for 3,016 yards and 17 touchdowns in his first two seasons. Those are the most catches and yards by a receiver in his first two seasons during the Super Bowl era. There is a new coaching regime in Minnesota and early indications are that the team will be more pass-heavy than in the Mike Zimmer era. If that’s the case, Jefferson could exceed the 1,616 yards (and WR5 finish) that he posted last season.

Jefferson has a massive ceiling in both standard and PPR formats and has legitimate potential to blow all the other WRs away in fantasy output in 2022. He is pricey but should be well worth it.

Aaron Jones, RB - Packers (Underdog ADP: 18, RB10)

It’s not often that you find a player later than Round 1 that has the upside to finish as the top overall scorer of their position. This season, however, we’re lucky to have Aaron Jones.

The Packer RB has been a touchdown machine, totaling double-digit touchdowns in each of the last three seasons, and there's really no reason that his workload should get that much smaller. Plus, with a lack of elite receiving threats after Davante Adams was traded to Las Vegas, Jones could easily top his career-high 52 receptions in a season as we currently have him projected for a whopping 72 receptions (second most behind Christian McCaffrey). He has the ceiling that many of the first-round running backs have.

Stepping in as the unquestioned focal point of the offense with a leg-up in the timeshare, Jones received a new contract in the offseason, only cementing Green Bay’s commitment to the dual-threat running back. Going in the middle of the second round on Underdog Fantasy, Jones has overall RB1 upside for a discount.

Mark Andrews, TE - Ravens (Underdog ADP: 21, TE2)

Andrews ended Travis Kelce’s five-year streak and was the TE1 last season, racking up over 150 targets and 1,300 receiving yards despite Lamar Jackson missing five games. With Jackson healthy and Marquise Brown out of town, Andrews is the clear top option in the Ravens' passing game and should be great once again. Paying up for the tight end position may feel painful, but you’ll feel much better in Week 6 when your opponent can’t decide whether to start Mike Gesicki or Gerald Everett against you. Andrews’ positional advantage makes him well worth it in the late-second round.

Michael Pittman, Jr., WR - Colts (Underdog ADP: 28, WR12)

As a sophomore, Pittman had a breakout season, catching 88 passes for 1,082 yards and six touchdowns despite so-so quarterback play from Carson Wentz. He’s entrenched as the Colts WR1 and should enjoy a quarterback upgrade now that Matt Ryan is in the fold. The Colts averaged 30.6 pass attempts in 2021 but averaged 34.5 with Philip Rivers at quarterback in 2020 and 40.3 with Andrew Luck in 2018. Ryan averaged 32.9, 39.1, and 41.1 pass attempts in his past three seasons. If HC Frank Reich opens up the passing game now that he has a good quarterback (again), then Pittman and the other pass-catchers will surely benefit.

His profile is of a player that can handle as much volume as any player in the league, as noted in Matt Harmon’s Reception Perception: “Pittman fits the bill of a true No. 1 wide receiver ready to rocket up league-wide rankings. He’s a do-it-all player who doesn’t present any real weaknesses in his game. Not only is he in line for a huge 2022 season but should be set for an excellent career as an underrated great wideout.”

Allen Robinson, WR - Rams (Underdog ADP: 40.3, WR18)

ARob was a huge disappointment last year, never scoring more than 10 fantasy points in any given week. However, there’s reason to believe he’s due for a bounce-back year. With the Rams, he has far and away the best QB of his career in Matthew Stafford and fits in nicely as the WR2 next to Cooper Kupp. He will likely play a role similar to what Odell Beckham did last year and be used as a red zone and deep ball threat. Given his prior production with absolutely horrible quarterback play, we're confident last season was a blip on the radar.

Being drafted as the WR18 in Underdog drafts, Robinson has the chance to outproduce his ADP and return to his near-elite form on a high-scoring Rams team in 2022.

Russell Wilson, QB - Broncos (Underdog ADP: 79.1, QB9)

There are many viable fantasy QBs this season, but we chose Wilson based on the combination of weaponry, dual-threat ability, and draft capital. He's finally free from the shackles of Pete Carroll in Seattle and gets a young, talented offensive-minded head coach in the Mile High City. Wilson is surrounded by pass-catching talent in Courtland Sutton, Jerry Jeudy, and Albert Okuegbunam, with his backfield manned by sophomore talent Javonte Willams and a returning Melvin Gordon.

The last two major veteran QBs to change teams later in their career, Tom Brady and Matthew Stafford, hoisted the Lombardi Trophy for their new organizations, is Wilson next? That is saying a lot, but the 33-year-old has never finished lower than QB13 in fantasy points per game in his NFL career and is set up for success on his new team. He's currently being drafted as the QB9 as a seventh-rounder and has legitimate potential to outproduce in 2022.

Chase Edmonds, RB - Dolphins (Underdog AD): 91.9, RB29)

Our own Connor Allen wrote a great breakdown about why Edmonds is a “massive” value this season. The Dolphins gave him six times as much money as their next biggest free agent signing (Raheem Mostert) and Edmonds is particularly effective in a zone-blocking run scheme which is what new HC Mike McDaniel is likely to run after working for Kyle Shanahan the last few years.

Edmonds may not see the goal line work (though he might) but should see the vast majority of the backfield receptions since his primary competition is Mostert and Sony Michel. Throw in an improved offensive line and Edmonds should outperform his ADP. He makes for a great choice in the eighth round as your RB2 if you've loaded up on the other positions earlier in the draft.