2022 Fantasy Football: Start of camp PPR mock draft just misses Julio Jones, Chris Godwin altering Bucs

The moves look great for Tom Brady but not as much for Russell Gage

By Jamey Eisenberg

Jul 27, 2022 at 10:59 am ET • 3 min read

USATSI

Tuesday was a big news day as every NFL team reported for the start of training camp. Among the headlines were Joe Burrow having surgery to remove his appendix, Chris Carson (neck) retiring and Clyde Edwards-Helaire being placed on the active/PUP list with an undisclosed injury.

But the biggest news came from Tampa Bay where the Buccaneers signed free agent receiver Julio Jones, along with Chris Godwin (ACL) avoiding the PUP list. This is great for Tom Brady, who has the chance to repeat as a top five Fantasy quarterback again this year, but leaves us with questions in the receiving corps.

Mock draft survey: Steals, reaches, more

We held our latest 12-team, PPR mock draft prior to the moves in Tampa Bay, and Mike Evans went in Round 2 at No. 18 overall as the No. 7 receiver off the board. I had Evans in that range prior to Tuesday, but now he's my No. 9 receiver. And I dropped him down to the end of Round 2 with Godwin healthy and Jones now on the roster.

Evans should still be considered the No. 1 PPR receiver in Tampa Bay, at least until Godwin proves he's 100 percent. Godwin was drafted in Round 4 here, and I like him in this spot. He went after Diontae Johnson and Terry McLaurin, but I would rather have Godwin now with the hope he's fine for Week 1. Godwin should still lead Tampa Bay in targets and receptions.

Russell Gage gets the biggest downgrade among the Buccaneers receivers because he's no longer in line for a big role. He could still be a valuable weapon for Brady, especially if Godwin is limited, or Gage could fall behind Jones on the depth chart.

Gage was drafted in Round 7 here, but the earliest I would draft him now is Round 9. Jones went undrafted in this mock, but he should also be a Round 9 selection. It's exciting that he signed with Tampa Bay to play with Brady, but Jones is 33 and struggled to stay healthy in Tennessee last season. He could be washed up, but he could also go through the Buccaneers car wash and revive his career -- for at least 2022.

Brady went in Round 8 as the No. 8 quarterback off the board, but he should rise a spot or two. He should remain a tremendous bargain given his upside.

I drafted Russell Wilson ahead of Brady in Round 8, but I moved Brady ahead of Wilson in my rankings following Tuesday's news. Brady, with his robust receiving corps, has the chance for 5,000-plus passing yards and 40-plus touchdowns again like he did last season, and I don't know if Wilson has that upside.

I had the No. 12 overall selection in this draft, and I started my team with Stefon Diggs and D'Andre Swift. I followed that up with Cam Akers and Brandin Cooks, and I was thrilled with these first four picks.

I targeted receivers next with Darnell Mooney and Rashod Bateman, and those are two of my favorite breakout candidates. Having locked up my starting running backs, receivers and flex through Round 6, it was easy to focus on players with upside for the rest of my draft, especially after selecting Wilson and Zach Ertz (Round 10) to cover quarterback and tight end.

The majority of my final picks were on running backs with high upside, including Chase Edmonds (Round 7), Rhamondre Stevenson (Round 9), Tyrion Davis-Price (Round 11), Darrell Henderson (Round 12) and Brian Robinson (Round 14). My biggest flaw was not getting more depth at receiver -- with only Jakobi Meyers (Round 13) behind Diggs, Cooks, Mooney and Bateman -- but I still love the construction of this roster in PPR.

In this league, all touchdowns are worth six points, and we award one point for every 10 yards rushing and receiving and one point for every 25 yards passing. We also award one point for every reception. We feature a starting lineup of QB, 2 RB, 3 WR, TE, K and FLEX (RB/WR/TE) with six reserves for a 14-round draft.

Our draft order is as follows:

1. Dave Richard, Senior Fantasy Writer
2. Tera Roberts, FFT Podcast Contributor
3. Daniel Schneier, Fantasy Editor
4. Chris Towers, Senior Editor, Fantasy Sports
5. Meron Berkson, CBS Sports HQ Producer
6. Adam Aizer, FFT Podcast Host
7. Thomas Shafer, FFT Podcast Producer
8. Jack Capotorto, CBS Sports HQ Producer
9. George Maselli, Fantasy Editor
10. Frank Stampfl, FBT Podcast Host
11. Robert Thomas, FFT Facebook Moderator
12. Jamey Eisenberg, Senior Fantasy Writer