2022 fantasy football sleeper no. 2: Dameon Pierce, RB, Houston Texans
Current ADP: 124 overall (RB44) – Round 10
The last time I can recall a Houston Texans rookie running back being so hyped going into a season was Arian Foster way back when. Go figure, Foster would end up thriving in Gary Kubiak’s offense and is now the Texans’ all-time rushing leader.
Now, it’s Dameon Pierce’s turn for the unreal preseason hype. In the first week of the preseason, Pierce definitely lived up to the hype and Houston Texans fans have to be elated. They have a young QB in Davis Mills worth putting some investment into, and now they might have a featured back that they stole in the fourth round of the 2022 NFL Draft.
If you’re a fan of the “Zero RB” fantasy strategy, Dameon Pierce is sort of the ideal mid-to-late-round target for you. I know I took this strategy in my only redraft of the year and I was elated to get Pierce with one of my final picks before going after kicker and special teams.
He has the potential to be the featured back in Houston, even ahead of free agent acquisition Marlon Mack.
2022 fantasy football sleeper no. 3: Noah Fant, TE, Seattle Seahawks
Current ADP: 159 overall (TE17) – Round 13
The Seattle Seahawks don’t have a solidified quarterback situation at the moment, but especially if Drew Lock ends up winning the job there, I think Noah Fant is a steal coming in as the 159th player overall and the TE17, basically an afterthought in most leagues with that average ranking and draft positioning. Fant comes over from the Denver Broncos with the following rankings in his first three NFL seasons among NFL tight ends:
Noah Fant rank at TE in average points per week (PPR formats)
- 2021: 9th
- 2020: 8th
- 2019: 16th
Over the last two seasons, Fant has clearly been a top 10 option and in his rookie season, he was among the NFL’s best in yards after the catch per target. Even if Seattle has one of the worst QB situations in the NFL, Fant has proven that he can rack up fantasy points regardless, and there’s no way Seattle’s scheme is going to be worse for him compared to Pat Shurmur’s offense the last two years.
Fant led the Broncos in receptions last season and obviously he’ll have to compete for targets with DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett, but he should be the clear third option in that offense with a chance at a third straight top-10 finish at the position.