The NFL season is upon us once again, which means people all over the country are engaging in fantasy football, and it is no different here at Parker. If you play fantasy football, you know every week matters, which means you always have to be on the waiver wire and carefully select your lineup each week. If you’re unhappy with your team so far this year, I’ve got you covered. Here are my biggest sleepers and busts for the 2022 fantasy season.

In week one, we saw a lot happen, which of course included injuries. These allowed backups to take over the starting job. San Francisco 49ers running back Elijah Mitchell sprained his MCL on Sunday (9/11) against the Bears, and he won’t return until at least week nine. Jeff Wilson will take over the starting job in the backfield for San Francisco. After Mitchell left the game, the 49ers heavily relied on the run. I expect them to continue to do so in the weeks to come with an inexperienced QB under center in Trey Lance. Deebo Samuel has specifically requested in his contract that he run the ball less often, which will allow Wilson to get the majority of the carries. If he is still on your league’s waiver wire, I would pick him up right away.

Another sleeper is backup running back for the Chiefs, rookie out of Rutgers, Isaiah Pacheco. In week one we saw Pacheco score a rushing touchdown in a blowout win against the Cardinals. However, Kansas City’s starter in the backfield, Clyde Edwards-Helaire, got two touchdowns both by way of the pass. I expect Edwards-Helaire to get most of his rushes in open field situations, and for him to be used as a passing back in the red zone and in the goal-line, which will allow Pacheco to get more touches in opposing team’s territories, which will create opportunities for him to get in the endzone. I am not at all expecting or suggesting that Pacheco will become the lead back in Kansas City, however due to his expected increase in workload, he should be a nice piece to pick up for your bench. 

My final sleeper for your fantasy teams is Bills wide receiver Isaiah McKenzie. The Bills have plenty of options for Josh Allen to throw to including both Stefon Diggs and Gabriel Davis, however I expect McKenzie to get a good amount of targets as well. In week one against the Rams, we saw McKenzie get in the endzone. Buffalo has McKenzie lining up the slot, which goes perfectly with his lightning fast speed. Expect McKenzie to get a lot of down field targets, as with his speed  and Josh Allen’s arm strength, I believe that Buffalo will often look to throw the ball deep over the middle.

In week one we saw a lot of players show a lot of promise that you should look to get on your fantasy roster, however we also saw players severely disappoint. There are players that you should be cautious of putting into your lineups going forward, one of which is Saints running back Alvin Kamara. During the offseason, Kamara dealt with some personal issues that forced him to take his focus off of football and miss a lot of training camp. In week one, we saw Kamara show a lot of rust, as he was unable to get in the endzone, and he is the number one weapon in New Orleans both in the backfield and in the passing game. I do expect Kamara to still have a solid season as he is one of the most talented running backs in the league. However, when setting your lineups in the weeks to come, be careful of just automatically throwing Kamara in there. 

Another player I would be cautious of just throwing in your lineup is Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott. In the past few years, we have seen Elliott’s production significantly decrease, and the trend continued in week one. Dallas quarterback Dak Prescott broke his thumb in week one against the Buccaneers. This will decrease the Cowboys production in the passing game and lead to Elliott getting more carries in the backfield. That is good news, however, due to this, defenses will start to key in on Elliott which will force the Cowboys to throw the ball with sub-par backup quarterback, Cooper Rush.

My last player to stay away from in the weeks to come is Cowboys wide receiver, CeeDee Lamb. This one is fairly simple. With Prescott injured, and Cooper Rush taking snaps in Dallas, you cannot rely on any of the Cowboys receivers to produce. Lamb’s production will most likely decrease to the massive drop in caliber of play coming from the quarterback position. Be aware of the situation in Dallas when looking to put any Cowboys in your lineup.

Good fantasy players are consistently checking the waiver wire and picking up players with high upside, as well as being aware of the situation for every player on their roster. I hope I could be of help to all of you fantasy players out there, and I wish you good luck the rest of the season.