CeeDee Lamb is primed to have a breakout season in 2022. The talented wide receiver is entering his third season in the NFL and he will be the primary target in one of the most high-powered offenses in the league. After the Dallas Cowboys dealt Amari Cooper to the Cleveland Browns, Dallas will lean heavily on their young star from the University of Oklahoma. With his potentially-massive target share, CeeDee Lamb is poised to possibly be one of the best wide receivers in the NFL and fantasy football in 2022.
2022 Fantasy Football Outlook: CeeDee Lamb
2021 Season Recap
Lamb had a great sophomore season in 2021 with 1,102 receiving yards and six touchdowns. The young slot receiver shined all season long even though he missed a few games due to injury, including entering the concussion protocol against the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 11. Last season CeeDee Lamb had over 1,000 yards and Amari Cooper had 865 yards with Dak Prescott under center (here is Prescott’s fantasy outlook for 2022). If Lamb can stay on the field he could be in line for his biggest season yet.
2022 Outlook
Lamb had 120 targets last season with Cooper opposite him in 15 games. Cooper is now in Cleveland which leaves 104 vacated targets to largely be divvied up between Lamb and Michael Gallup. Other wide receivers snatching targets will include rookie Jalen Tolbert and James Washington while Dalton Schultz, Tony Pollard, and Ezekiel Elliott will likely continue to be a big part of the passing game as well.
Lamb has been one of the most productive players out of the slot the last two seasons with over 2,000 yards in his young career. Lamb’s sole concern is his drops totaling 16 for his first two seasons. Lamb needs to become more dependable with his hands in order to solidify his position in the top tier of pass-catchers in the NFL.
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Lamb is sure to reach the upper echelon of receivers this season, especially with the inevitable uptick in targets. The former Sooner has failed to produce an elite season thanks to his 48th and 36th ranked target-share thus far in his career. With Cooper in Cleveland, Lamb is being projected to have over 130 targets in 2022, 10 more than last season.
CeeDee Lamb in Year 3 🚀🚀🚀 pic.twitter.com/fkQWGlgQhQ
— PFF (@PFF) June 9, 2022
Prime Games
The star wideout will have plenty of opportunities against poor defenses (here are their easiest games and here are their hardest games). The Cowboys open up the season with a home game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers; last season’s shoot-out was one of the best games of 2021. The Cowboys also play against the Detroit Lions, Minnesota Vikings, Cincinnati Bengals, and Washington Commanders, and all of those teams were in the bottom 10 in defending receivers. Lamb will have to capitalize against all of these teams in order to secure his position as a top-eight fantasy football wide receiver.
Amari Cooper & CeeDee Lamb combined tonight:
🔹 29 targets
🔹 20 REC
🔹 243 yards
🔹 3 TDs pic.twitter.com/DK6RXr7bam— PFF (@PFF) September 10, 2021
2022 Average Draft Position
Lamb’s average draft position (ADP) is 17th overall and the eighth wide receiver being taken as of right now. But it is still early so Lamb has an opportunity to climb higher. However, fantasy owners will likely be faced with a tough decision at this point in their draft. Lamb’s projected numbers are 87 catches, 1,123 yards, and seven touchdowns (according to ESPN). Fantasy owners likely will want more out of their stud at wide receiver, especially when drafting him in the second round.
Lamb’s ADP is tough, as it may be difficult for some fantasy owners to acquire the star slot wide receiver at his ADP; he is currently being taken in the middle of the second round. After fantasy managers have hopefully drafted a running back in the top five, they will have a difficult choice. They may have to choose between Lamb or a second top-tier running back. Lamb’s ADP will likely make him a boom or bust type of player. He could be a league winner or the reason a fantasy team misses the playoffs.
Main Photo
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