Fantasy Football All-Boring Team: Which veterans can we actually trust in 2022 drafts? – Yahoo Sports

I understand that fantasy football is generally a young-mans game on the field, and we like to engage possible breakout players and the hot new rookies. But sometimes a boring but reliable veteran player is a preferred fantasy jam, and today I want to offer five of those boring but useful vets for you to consider on draft day.

Why hes boring: Hes entering his age-32 season, and hes clearly the second-most talented receiver on his own team (Justin Jeffersons upside is the moon). Thielen missed four games last year, and had the lowest YPC of his career. He hasnt topped 1,000 yards since 2018.

Why hes a value: Thielen is an outstanding space receiver who excels in the red zone hes scored 24 times over his last 141 catches, covering the last 28 games. And while Jefferson might eventually cut into some of Thielens goal-line workload, its unlikely Kirk Cousins will completely ignore the red-zone chemistry he has with Thielen. The Vikings also have an exciting new coaching staff in place, which should be more creative in the passing game. Throw in a narrow Minnesota passing tree and Im plenty interested in Thielen at his Yahoo ADP of 84.7.

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Why hes boring: Hes been well-traveled, paling with four different franchises over eight years. The Texans are one of the NFLs most struggling franchises, at the front stages of what could be a lengthy rebuild. Cooks has been a steady performer for his career, but seldom a star hes never made a Pro Bowl. He has a modest 19 touchdown catches over his last four years.

Why hes a value: Houston QB Davis Mills is likely better than the public realizes. And the Texans passing game is going to route through Cooks he absorbed a juicy 134 targets last year. In some markets, the crowd is hip to Cooks hes percolated into the Top 50 of NFFC drafts in August. But his overall Yahoo ADP still rests outside the Top 70; if you can land that ticket, or anything reasonably close, youve done well.

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Houston Texans wide receiver Brandin Cooks has bounced around in his career, but has always been a reliable fantasy performer. (Photo by David Rosenblum/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Why hes boring: Hes low-key, not a glamour guy, with a quiet but reliable work ethic, seldom in the headlines or society pages. Carrs fantasy placement the last five years has been respectable but never outstanding starting with last year, hes checked in at QB14, QB13, QB16, QB18, QB19. And Carrs been around a while, stepping into his age-31 campaign.

Why hes a value: Carr finally gets to work with a dynamic receiver in Davante Adams, his old running mate from Fresno State. The Raiders also have two other plus targets in slot machine Hunter Renfrow and tight end Darren Waller. And the Vegas offense might need to be pass-heavy for 2022, as a shaky offensive line is likely to limit the running game. When you dont have faith in the beef up front, its usually easier to mask problems by proactively throwing the ball. If you like to take a value-driven approach at quarterback, Carr makes sense as the 14th quarterback off the board in Yahoo leagues.

Why hes boring: Shultz was merely a fourth-round pick in the 2018 Draft, coming into the league with modest expectations. His Player Profiler comp is Austin Hooper, not a slam but not a glowing recommendation either. Schultz did very little in his first two seasons, and over his four-year career he averages an ordinary 10.0 YPC.

Why hes a value: Schultz posted a snappy 78-808-8 breakout season last year, and slotting him as the TE3 in the end-of-year ranks. And yet hes still available as the No. 6 tight end in Yahoo drafts, behind George Kittle (dealing with a young QB; seldom scores touchdowns) and Darren Waller (a good player, but perhaps the No. 3 option in the Raiders passing game). Schultz looks like hes in the catbird seat, important in the Dallas offense but seldom to be the primary focus of defenses, given the skills of WR CeeDee Lamb. Schultz has an excellent chance to beat or at least meet his current ADP of 56.5.

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Why hes boring: Hes not heavily used in the passing game, and hes merely a good touchdown source, not a dominant one (39 spikes in 58 games). The Browns have quality backs complimenting Chubb (Kareem Hunt, DErnest Johnson), and the offense wont have Deshaun Watson for 11 games, forcing Jacoby Brissett (or perhaps Jimmy Garoppolo) to hold down the fort. The Browns use Chubb liberally but seldom force the ball to him; hes averaged 17.4 touches per game over the past two seasons.

Why hes a value: In some rooms, Chubbs ADP is falling notably. Over the past three weeks in NFC leagues, hes carrying an ADP of 25. If youre going to let me take Chubb late in the second round or early in the third, his sturdy floor calls to me. Chubb has taken an earlier pick in the Yahoo world (overall ADP of 15.1), but again I want you to target him if he slips to the late-second or early-third round, as perhaps he will now that the Watson suspension length has been solidified (hurting overall Browns stock). Im still willing to bet on Nick Chubb.

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Fantasy Football All-Boring Team: Which veterans can we actually trust in 2022 drafts? - Yahoo Sports