RB

Elijah Mitchell

San Francisco 49ers

Elijah Mitchell posted 963 rushing yards, 5 TDs, and 149.2 fantasy points in 9 games played in 2021 which was good for the RB12 mark on a per-game basis. He had 12+ points in 7 of his 9 games. If you pace out Mitchell’s numbers over a full 17-game season, would equate to a 351-touch, 1817-yard, 11-TD season good for the RB5 finish. Elijah Mitchell should get the bulk of the carriers out of the 49ers backfield this season due to the departure of RB Raheem Mostert to the Miami Dolphins in free agency.

RB

Travis Etienne

Jacksonville Jaguars

In 2020 at Clemson Travis Etienne posted 914 rushing yards with 14 rushing touchdowns. He also posted 48 receptions for 588 receiving yards with 2 receiving touchdowns. Etienne missed all of the 2021 season with a Lisfranc injury (broken foot) to his foot. He was a top-35 NFL Draft Pick so the Jags have a lot invested in Etienne so they have a big reason to use him often. Etienne is the best player on the Jaguars offense which means he should be busy when they have the ball. Etienne has a clear path to 50+ receptions as Jags QB Trevor Lawrence throws the ball short to his RB a lot. Etienne also has a great rapport with Trevor Lawrence as they were teammates in college at Clemson. James Robinson’s status for the start of the season in question due to an Achilles injury. Robinson’s status to start the season means Etienne will not have much competition for carries down in Duvall County.

WR

KJ Hamler

Denver Broncos

KJ Hamler posted 5 catches (10 targets) for 74 receiving yards and 0 touchdowns in 3 games in 2021. Tyler Lockett has been Wilson’s favorite WR since 2015 with 208 more targets than any other Seahawk. KJ Hamler profiles out to be Wilson’s new Lockett in Denver. Lockett wins deep with speed and KJ Hamler has Top-1% speed of all-time. Plus, he ranked Top-10 in separation as a rookie. Hamler’s Deep Speed Combined with Wilson’s deep ball rate equals a match made in heaven.

WR

Rashod Bateman

Baltimore Ravens

Rashod Bateman returned in Week 6 from injury( sports hernia surgery) and posted 46 catches for 515 receiving yards and 1 touchdown for a WR70 finish in points (WR39 when active) and a WR64 finish in PPG in 2021. The departure of Marquise Brown via trade to the Arizona Cardinals opened up a near 25% target share in the passing game. The Ravens lost 45% of their total targets this offseason 267 targets are now up for grabs in 2022. The remaining WRs have a combined 72 NFL catches. Due to the trade of Marquise Brown this has made Rashod Bateman the clear top WR in Baltimore.

TE

Albert Okwuegbunam

Denver Broncos

Albert Okwuegbunam posted 33 catches (40 targets) for 330 receiving yards and 2 touchdowns in 6 games in 2021. In 2 games as a starter in 2021 Albert Okwuegbunam saw a 47% target rate. In 2021 Albert Okwuegbunam finished Top-5 in: Target Rate, Points per route and Yards per route. And he was #1 in yards after the catch per route. In the last six seasons, Russell Wilson has averaged 21% of his passes to his tight ends – that number jumps to 27% in the red zone. TE target share with Russell Wilson 21% and TE target share in Nathaniel Hackett offense 16.7%. Wilson and Hackett have both worked with TE Jimmy Graham (SEA 15-17 and GB 19). In those seasons Graham averaged 81 targets in a season with Wilson or Hackett.

TE

Kyle Pitts

Atlanta Falcons

Kyle Pitts posted 110 targets (3rd-most in rookie TE history), 68 catches (3rd-most in rookie TE history), 1,026 receiving yards (2nd-most in rookie TE history), but had just 1 touchdown. Pitts was the TE6 in points and the TE12 in PPG during his rookie year. He was not touchdown dependent as just 3.4% of his production came from TDs and he was the 11th-most consistent TE in fantasy football. Pitts was the first 1,000 yard season by a rookie TE and had the most fantasy points by a rookie TE in over 30 years (3rd-most all time). This season Pitts is going from Matt Ryan to Marcus Mariota as his QB which may actually be a good thing for him. As the Titans' starter, Mariota produced the TE2, TE5, and TE4 in 2015-2017 while placing 1st, 7th, and 2nd in percentage of team targets going to the TE. Pitts should be a target monster this season as the Falcons do not many pass catcher on offense.