There were plenty of fantasy football winners and losers from the 1st Round of the NFL Draft. That’s hardly surprising as teams bring in fresh talent. What was surprising were some of the players traded during the opening 32 picks.
A.J. Brown heading to Philadelphia and Hollywood Brown being shipped to Arizona definitely impacted some of the fantasy football winners and losers from the 1st Round of the NFL Draft. But there was a lot more happening across the league that also makes the cut here.
With that in mind, here are three fantasy football winners and three losers from the 1st Round of the NFL Draft.
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Fantasy football winners and losers from the 1st Round of the NFL Draft
Loser: A.J. Brown and all Eagles pass catchers
In 11 of his 15 starts last season, Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts completed 20 or fewer passes. And while his receiving core wasn’t great, it is hard to see this offense sustaining three viable pass catchers on a weekly basis. That means trouble for Brown, DeVonta Smith and Dallas Goedert barring Hurts making a huge leap as a passer in 2022.
Winner: Rashod Bateman
The Baltimore Ravens offloaded Hollywood Brown to Arizona making Rashod Bateman their lead receiver in the process. While injury hampered his rookie season, he did seem to have a connection with Lamar Jackson. More importantly, a whole lot of targets just opened up.
Loser: Aaron Rodgers
It has become perfectly clear that the Green Bay Packers are going to focus on running the ball and playing good defense. Aaron Rodgers will be called upon to make magic happen from time-to-time, but his days of shouldering the load look to be over. Not even a trade for Deebo Samuel or D.K. Metcalf is changing that.
Keep Reading: How does Aaron Rodgers fare without Davante Adams?
Winner: Packers running backs
This is the Aaron Jones and AJ Dillion show in Green Bay. Matt LaFleur likes getting both running backs involved and with no one to throw to, this should mean plenty of work on the ground and in the pass game.
Loser: The Pittsburgh Steelers
In our look at where you should draft the 2022 rookie QBs in dynasty fantasy football leagues, we made the following case against Kenny Pickett:
Three seasons of middling production as a starter at Pitt are very troubling. Had he not been granted the extra season of COVID eligibility for 2021, the quarterback probably isn’t playing football right now. Of course, he did get that extra year and made the most of it.
Despite having a dynamic core of offensive talent, the Steelers are now banking on two quarterbacks with long track records of failure. It’s hard to see either Pickett or Mitch Trubisky turning this into a high-powered attack. Especially considering just how bad the offensive line is.
Winner: Christian McCaffrey & Saquon Barkley
Both the Carolina Panthers and New York Giants drafted offensive linemen which is good news for Christian McCaffrey and Saquon Barkley. Of course, that won’t help them overcome worrisome injury issues or uneven quarterback play. But it does improve their outlook should they be able to stay on the field.
