Rising stock in fantasy leagues
A look at three players whose stock is rising in 2022 fantasy football leagues:
Dameon Pierce, RB, Houston Texans: At this stage of the game, the Texans are splitting first-team reps across the board between Pierce and veterans Marlon Mack and Rex Burkhead. The team’s Week 1 starter remains a bit of a mystery, but Pierce’s rapid rise as a rookie fourth-round pick feels like a “when” not “if ” situation in terms of when he gets a full-time workload.
Pierce has presented the most upside of that group for a Texans team with minimal weapons and low expectations. At the same time, Lovie Smith is an old-school coach who could value the trust and reliability of his older guys, at least to open the season. That’s the only real threat to Pierce’s bid to start, which might be moot anyway when he presumably outproduces Mack and Burkhead.
In fantasy, the Texans are far from the
sexiest offense to invest in its players, but it’s not a wasteland, either. Pierce has the look of a do-it-all back and a key piece of the future of the Texans offense, right alongside second-year quarterback Davis Mills. Pierce could very well sneak into the RB2 conversation, the timing of which depends on Smith’s ability to move on from his vets.
Kenny Pickett, QB, Pittsburgh Steelers:
Pickett is “coming on,” according to ESPN insider Adam Schefter, which seems to be shortening the leash for projected starter Mitchell Trubisky. The rookie first-round pick “seems to get better at practice every single day” and figures to hear his name called at perhaps the first sign of a Trubisky stumble.
Schefter is stating from NFL sources what most people around Steelers camp have seen through Pickett’s first two preseason games. The rookie is now 19-of-22 passing for 171 yards with three touchdowns, zero interceptions and a team-best 138.6 passer rating. While much of that work has been done against reserve players, Pickett has made it
clear that he’s improving and could be ready for primetime early in the season.
While it’s hard to imagine that Pickett will generate the kind of numbers to make him worth drafting in fantasy, he is a quality target in deep dynasty leagues because of his weapons and his rushing ability. It’s also worth noting that the position has some upside and that Pickett could help bring more production to established fantasy starters Diontae Johnson, Chase Claypool and Pat Freiermuth, along with another potential sleeper in rookie wideout George Pickens.
Gabriel Davis, WR, Buffalo Bills: Limited time this preseason or not, Davis has still found a way to inspire confidence that he can pick up this season where he left off last postseason, when he caught five touchdown passes in two games, including a four-touchdown game in a loss to Kansas City in the AFC Divisional round. Davis finished the regular season with 35 catches on (on 63 targets) for 549 yards and six touchdowns, then nearly matched that scoring total in his two postseason
games.
Davis also had 32 targets in his final four regular-season games, which tempers any thoughts of flukiness from his postseason outburst. He also averaged 15.7 yards per catch and seemed to have a knack for busting open in the deep part of the field. Josh Allen, one of the strongest-armed quarterbacks in the NFL, has clearly started to prefer targeting him in those situations, which is unlikely to change this season. If late-season and postseason trends hold up, Davis could be on his way to 100 targets, many of which come in the deep game.
The Bills offense should be more explosive than ever with superstar receiver Stefan Diggs, combined with the emergence of Davis, wide receiver Isaiah McKenzie and tight end Dawson Knox. The arrivals of talented pieces such as second-round running back James Cook and veteran free agent tight end O.J. Howard also bring a new dynamic to the attack, but Davis’ role as an end-zone threat looks to be a near-certainty. His value will simply come down to the consistency of those opportunities.