Fantasy Football 2022: Six Players Worth Drafting After Changing Teams

The NFL landscape is going to look a whole lot different in the 2022 season.

On the heels of arguably the craziest offseason in league history, countless well-known players are set to play in their debut campaigns for new teams. Russell Wilson now is throwing passes in Denver, while Davante Adams is out in Las Vegas working with Derek Carr.

From a fantasy perspective, a switching of jerseys isn’t going to dramatically change the appeal of players like Wilson and Carr. No one will hesitate to draft the likes of the Miami Dolphins’ Tyreek Hill or the Philadelphia Eagles’ A.J. Brown either.

In this story, we’re going to identify six under-the-radar players who are worth selecting in your fantasy draft this year after changing teams.

Jamison Crowder, WR, Buffalo Bills
Crowder managed to put together a pair of pretty productive seasons for the Jets despite all of the dysfunction going on in the Meadowlands in recent years. Now, the veteran wideout is about to catch passes from the best quarterback with whom he’s ever played. Stefon Diggs obviously is the unquestioned No. 1 pass-catching option in Buffalo, but Crowder figures to fill a void left behind by Cole Beasley. Josh Allen does a good job of spreading the ball around, so Crowder could prove to be a great FLEX option in your lineup.

Chase Edmonds, RB, Miami Dolphins
There’s a lot of excitement surrounding Miami’s offense entering the season, even with the unproven Tua Tagovailoa under center. First-year head coach Mike McDaniel is heralded as a terrific offensive mind, and he has enough weapons to make this unit truly dynamic. Included is Edmonds, who came over from the Arizona Cardinals and should start the campaign as the Fins’ feature back. The fifth-year RB is a very capable pass-catcher — 96 combined receptions in the last two seasons — and he could thrive in an option-style offense. Tagovailoa isn’t built to sling it all over the field, so count on Edmonds seeing a lot of screen passes and check downs.

Evan Engram, TE, Tennessee Titans
Engram, a 2017 first-round pick, largely disappointed over five seasons with the Giants, but the young tight end deserves some slack. The Ole Miss product experienced routine turnover under center and at the helm in New York, which is tough for any offensive player to handle.

The 27-year-old joined the Jaguars in free agency and the future seemingly is bright for Engram in Jacksonville. Between a mediocre WR corps and a young QB’s tendency to rely on tight ends, targets should be there in abundance for Engram. Furthermore, you can look back at recent seasons in Philadelphia to see what tight ends are capable of doing in a Doug Pederson-led offense.

Austin Hooper, TE, Tennessee Titans
Yes, Hooper is coming off a season in which he only caught 38 passes for 345 yards with three touchdowns. But that low level of production might have had more to do with the Browns’ underwhelming quarterback trio of Baker Mayfield, Case Keenum and Nick Mullens. Ryan Tannehill isn’t a worldbeater by any means, but he’s better than all of those three.

Tennessee’s offense obviously goes through All-Pro back Derrick Henry, but the Titans might need to rely on Hooper in the passing game. Newcomer Robert Woods is coming off a serious injury and you only can expect so much from rookie Treylon Burks. Looking back on Jonnu Smith’s productive 2020 campaign in Nashville, Hooper could be in store for a similar type of season.

Julio Jones, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Jones, meanwhile, did not thrive in Tennessee. In his first season away from the Atlanta Falcons, the 33-year-old only caught 31 passes for 434 yards with one touchdown. The 12th-year pro probably doesn’t have much left in the tank, but arguably no one can get the most out of a pass-catcher’s final years than Tom Brady. With Chris Godwin coming off a torn ACL injury, the Bucs might need Jones to play an important role in the offense. Perhaps that’s primarily as a red-zone target, as Tampa Bay will need someone to step up in wake of Rob Gronkowski’s retirement.

Sammy Watkins, WR, Green Bay Packers
This suggestion might be more of an indictment on the Packers’ receiving corps than it is an endorsement for Watkins. Adams and Marquez Valdes-Scantling both left Green Bay over the offseason, which vaulted the incoming Watkins into the WR2 spot. The 29-year-old’s best days probably are behind him, but Aaron Rodgers seemingly can make it work with anyone. We’re certainly not going to doubt the two-time defending NFL MVP.