Lamar Jackson is entering his fifth season in the NFL (all with the Baltimore Ravens). The former Louisville quarterback and the Ravens have thus far failed to reach an agreement on a new contract (here is how the Kyler Murry contact could affect Jackson’s). While Jackson expects to spend his career in Baltimore, him not having an agent, at least in the traditional sense, being a quarterback unlike any other in the league, and the Cleveland Browns giving Deshaun Watson a huge contract all play a part in a deal not yet having been reached. It is possible the aspect the two sides cannot agree on is money, as alluded to by the change Jackson recently made to his Twitter banner. Time will tell if Jackson can indeed be Baltimore’s long-term answer at quarterback. But how should fantasy managers view Jackson heading into the 2022 season? Here is a 2022 fantasy football outlook on Lamar Jackson.
2022 Fantasy Football Outlook: Lamar Jackson
2021 Recap
In 2021 Jackson missed some time but in 12 games he threw for 2,822 yards and 16 touchdowns. He also rushed 133 times for 767 yards and two touchdowns. While Jackson was named to the Pro Bowl last season, despite playing behind a subpar offensive line and Baltimore dealing with a litany of injuries, he and the Ravens had a down year. Baltimore went 7-5 in games Jackson started and 8-9 overall. The Ravens finished the season in last place in the AFC North. Their struggles in 2021 can largely be attributed to them experiencing a number of injuries, including to Jackson. He played in only 11 complete games and finished the season as the QB16.
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2022 Outlook
There are concerns about Jackson, including the number of hits he has taken, the fact that signs point to the Ravens being more run centric in 2022, and that his touchdown numbers have decreased since his 2019 campaign, while his interceptions and number of sacks have increased during that time. The Ravens also play in what should be a difficult AFC North (especially if Watson somehow does not receive a lengthy suspension this season).
That being said, based on his production in the past, his dual-threat ability, and a hopefully healthy Ravens roster, it is likely that Jackson will make fantasy managers happy in 2022. Baltimore also made moves to fortify their offensive line and added pieces at the tight end position which could help Jackson regain the MVP form he had in 2019.
If the Ravens do become more run centric in 2022 fantasy managers will hope that means Jackson has rushing numbers similar to his 2019 MVP campaign. In 2019 the former Louisville standout rushed for 1,206 yards and seven touchdowns. If he can come close to duplicating those rushing numbers, get back to throwing 20+ touchdowns and limit the interceptions, he could easily be a top-5 fantasy quarterback in 2022.
Average Draft Position
According to fantasypros.com Jackson is currently rostered in 99% of Yahoo and ESPN leagues. Per footballdiehards.com the ESPN Average Draft Position (ADP) for Lamar Jackson in fantasy football leagues is QB4 and 48th overall. The three quarterbacks being taken before Jackson are Josh Allen (here is his fantasy outlook for 2020), Patrick Mahomes, and Justin Herbert (here is his 2022 fantasy football outlook).
Time will tell how Jackson’s contract situation plays out and if he can indeed be the Ravens long-term answer at quarterback for the next decade or more. But in 2022 Lamar Jackson should have a good season for fantasy football managers.
Main Photo
https://twitter.com/NFLonCBS/status/1549108743811596290/photo/1
