Cleveland Browns wide receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones is heading into his third NFL season without much to show for it. The deep-ball specialist is hoping to evolve into a more complete receiver this season. But what does Peoples-Jones’ fantasy football outlook look like for the 2022 season, and should managers target him at his ADP in fantasy drafts?
Donovan Peoples-Jones’ fantasy outlook for 2022
Peoples-Jones’ name has surfaced in the fantasy community as a trendy late-round sleeper pick. His downfield ability can be tantalizing. Peoples-Jones’ 14.7 average depth of target was fourth amongst wide receivers last season, and his 17.6 yards per reception ranked third.
DPJ has flashed considerable weekly upside with games of 17.2 PPR fantasy points, 26.6, and 16.6. Of course, these games are the exception, not the rule. Peoples-Jones scored 3 fantasy points or fewer in six games last season and failed to reach double digits in nine of his 14 games played.
As a sixth-round pick in 2020, Peoples-Jones was immediately fighting an uphill battle to be fantasy-relevant. His 304 receiving yards as a rookie was yet another strike against him. But if we’re going to chase outliers, DPJ is the archetype we want to chase. He’s 6’2″, 212 pounds, and runs a 4.48 40-time with elite burst.
How the Browns’ depth chart impacts Donovan Peoples-Jones’ fantasy projection for the season
The Browns’ depth chart looks very different entering the 2022 season than it did in 2021. Gone are Odell Beckham Jr. and Jarvis Landry. Baker Mayfield has been dispatched in favor of Deshaun Watson, but Peoples-Jones will be catching passes from Jacoby Brissett while Watson is serving his suspension.
The good news for DPJ is that the Browns’ WR2 role is wide open. Amari Cooper is locked in as the WR1, but the only threats to DPJ as the WR2 are rookie third-rounder David Bell and 2021 third-rounder Anthony Schwartz. Part of the reason Peoples-Jones is viewed as a nice late-round target is the potential opportunity.
Peoples-Jones is unlikely to be more than he’s been
I admit this heading doesn’t say much but allow me to elaborate. Through two seasons, we know who Peoples-Jones is. He’s a situational deep threat. DPJ saw a 14.8% target share last season, and I struggle to see him improving upon that much, if at all.
Peoples-Jones will see a couple of targets each week, most of them downfield. Occasionally, he’ll catch a bomb for a touchdown and be fantasy relevant. This type of player is very useful in Best Ball. However, in seasonal leagues, you’re never going to know when to start him.
Jacoby Brissett cannot support two fantasy-relevant receivers
Let’s hop in our Deloreans and travel back to 2017. Star wide receiver T.Y. Hilton was coming off an overall WR7 finish, averaging 17 ppg. Andrew Luck got hurt and was forced to miss the season. Brissett replaced him, and Hilton averaged just 11 ppg that season.
In 2018, Luck returned, and Hilton went back up to 17.1 ppg, proving that Hilton wasn’t done — it was Brissett. Then, in 2019, Luck shockingly retired, forcing Brissett to start once again. As a result, Hilton averaged 12.5 ppg.
The obvious takeaway here is that this is a problem for Cooper. If Brissett can barely support his WR1, what hope does his WR2 have? In 2019, Zach Pascal was the Colts’ second-highest scoring wide receiver, averaging 8.5 ppg. Donte Moncrief averaged 6.4 ppg in 2017 behind Hilton.
Peoples-Jones’ ADP for 2022
Peoples-Jones’ ADP is well outside the top 200 players. He’s being drafted as the WR82, which is right in line with our consensus ranking of WR83.
As you may have gathered, I don’t see any plausible upside in Peoples-Jones this season. In standard-sized 12-team leagues, he should go undrafted.
