Top 3 Waiver Wire Additions From The 2022 Fantasy Football Season

The 2022 fantasy football season was full of twists and turns resulting in one of the wildest fantasy football seasons ever. If this fantasy football season taught us something, it’s that anything can happen. We saw many players who were an afterthought in fantasy drafts end up being near the top of their positions and having multiple games over 20+ points on the year which is a remarkable feat. We’re breaking down the top 3 who in almost all leagues were not rostered to start the year and then eventually becoming some of the top players in all of fantasy. 

Geno Smith – Seattle Seahawks

The Seahawks traded Russell Wilson in the offseason and in a surprising move, they did not draft a quarterback in the 2022 NFL Draft. The Seahawks instead opted to start a veteran Geno Smith who spent most of his career as a backup after a rough patch in his early years. Smith was quiet during the first 3 weeks of the season, but exploded after that and finished as the #6 fantasy quarterback on the year. There was no reason anyone would have Smith during those first 3 weeks unless in a dynasty format, but those who snagged him on the waiver wire after he exploded in week 4, got one of the best pickups to their team that they could have asked for. Smith finished the year higher than quarterbacks like Justin Herbert, Tom Brady, Russell Wilson, Aaron Rodgers, and many more as he capped off his great fantasy football year with his first ever pro bowl nod and is one of the top candidates to win comeback player of the year. 

Jerrick McKinnon  – Kansas City Chiefs

Through the first 12 weeks of the season, Jerrick McKinnon was fantasy running back #50 in ½ PPR formats. Upon completion of the season, he cracked the top 25. In large part over the course of weeks 13-17 which is prime fantasy football playoff season, McKinnon was the #2 fantasy running back behind only Christian McCaffrey as he had 7 receiving touchdowns during this time solidifying his spot at #2. McKinnon was a huge addition for the playoffs if you were in a PPR format. 

Evan Engram – Jacksonville Jaguars

After 4 straight seasons of being let down by Evan Engram after a solid rookie campaign, Evan Engram broke out for the best season of his career in 2022. Engram had career highs in receptions and receiving yards. Engram found a connection with sophomore quarterback Trevor Lawrence in the young Jaguars offense. After the let downs of Evan Engram, Engram went undrafted in most leagues but finished as a top 6 tight end in what is one of the weaker fantasy positions proving how even more valuable his fantasy value was on the year.