7 NFL breakout players at WR in the AFC for the 2022 season
By Sean Basile
NFL breakout WR no. 6: Tee Higgins, Cincinnati Bengals
Scouting Report. Pick Analysis. Bengals. 56. WR. Tee Higgins. 6. player
Ja’Marr Chase had his coming-out party last year as the Bengals’ MVP…..yeah I said it…….going for 1,455 receiving yards, 81 catches, 13 touchdowns, and 651 yards after the catch (3rd best in football last year). But here’s the thing, Tee Higgins is pretty damn good himself and I think 2022 is going to be HIS year on this Bengals offense to break out.
What separates him from Chase is his catch percentage and his ability to go over the top to grab passes.
Chase put up the big numbers last year, but he did only catch 63.3% of his passes while Higgins caught 67.3%.
Yes, I saw a lot of big plays from Ja’Marr Chase reeling in passes and going for major yards after the catch for scores. But I also saw a bunch of plays where Higgins went up in the end zone and brought down tough balls for those same 6 points.
I don’t know if it’s accurate to say Higgins is the “better athlete” per se, but…………he may just be.
Tee Higgins is a top 10 receiver in football right now as far as I’m concerned, and I think he’s going to be a major surprise in 2022 to a lot of non-believers.
NFL breakout receiver no. 7: Michael Pittman Jr., Indianapolis Colts
Michael Pittman Jr.. 46. Colts. Pick Analysis. WR. 7. player. Scouting Report
Finally, let’s end this article talking about the Colts’ horse in the receiving core.
Matt Ryan is better than Philip Rivers, at least in terms of when both guys came to Indy. So, as far as that’s concerned, Pittman is going to have an upgrade at the quarterback position in 2022.
I’d personally like Pittman to have more of a gunslinger as his quarterback because I believe he’s got the capability to be what Keenan Allen is to Justin Herbert- aggressive pass thrower throwing to an aggressive pass catcher. But Ryan is still better than half the quarterbacks in the league right now, so I’m not too worried about the USC standout’s target share.
Here’s why I think Pittman breaks out in 2022: Matt Ryan loves his number one receivers.
Every number one target Ryan has goes off in any given season. Last year, Kyle Pitts led the Falcons with 110 targets, 68 catches, and receiving 1,026 yards. In 2020, Calvin Ridley led the Falcons with 143 targets, 90 catches, 1,374 receiving yards, and 9 touchdowns.
In 2019, Julio Jones led the Falcons with 157 targets, 99 catches, and 1,394 receiving yards. In 2018, Jones once again led the Falcons with 170 targets, 113 catches, 1,677 receiving yards, and 8 touchdowns.
His leading pass catcher’s targets have been going down every year, but regardless, Matt Ryan’s number one receiver goes buck wild every year and in 2022 that number one target should rightfully be Michael Pittman Jr.