New Orleans Saints wide receiver Jarvis Landry is looking for a bounce-back season in 2022. Can Landry prove to be an option for fantasy football managers? What is Landry’s fantasy outlook, and where does his current ADP sit heading into 2022 fantasy football drafts?
Jarvis Landry fantasy outlook for 2022
Some stars fade overnight, while others seem to break down over the course of several years. At 29 years old, Landry is trying to evade the pathway of decline that hits most playmakers around his age. Never known for his speed or explosiveness, Landry is coming off easily his worst season as a pro as he dealt with injuries and poor quarterback play in 2021.
Cleveland couldn’t justify keeping Landry around at his monstrous cap number. After spending some time on the free agent market and getting little interest, Landry signed with the Saints on a one-year, $3 million deal with another $3 million possible through incentives. The possession receiver is hoping for the best in a situation with several major question marks.
Fantasy managers haven’t been able to rely on Landry since his first season in Cleveland back in 2019. From 2015 through 2019, Landry landed between WR14 and WR22 in each season and was a solid second receiver/flex option.
With five or fewer touchdowns in all but two seasons of his eight-year career, Landry’s biggest value comes in PPR leagues when he’s force-fed the ball. However, Cleveland finally stopped that trend after 2019 as more explosive options presented themselves. It’s unlikely we ever see Landry see that type of volume again, but it’s possible he sees a boost with Jameis Winston.
Landry can finish strong through contact as a sure-handed slot option. He’s shown promise in the red zone throughout his career. Until 2021, Landry boasted gaudy numbers within the 20s. Last season, he caught 6 of 10 passes for 42 yards and one score in the red zone.
With Winston’s more aggressive mindset than both quarterbacks Landry has played with previously — Ryan Tannehill and Baker Mayfield — fantasy managers can expect a return to red-zone relevance in 2022. The question is whether he can get back to his 2019 usage when he caught 12 of 21 targets for five scores. Only four receivers had more targets within the 20s that season.
If he can get back to that type of relevance, Landry is rosterable as a depth piece. If not, he’ll be a waiver wire option for bye weeks and injuries. He’s a relatively low-upside piece in an offense loaded with better options.
How the Saints’ depth chart impacts Jarvis Landry’s fantasy projection for the season
The Saints will unleash a new set of starting receivers in 2022 after 2021’s passing attack was an eyesore. The addition of first-round receiver Chris Olave brings a new element of speed and route running to the unit. The return of star Michael Thomas is as big an acquisition as this team could have made, as long as Thomas proves healthy.
The worst case for Landry is for him to become a check-down option for Winston. Olave is more than just a deep threat but doesn’t have the ball-dominant profile of Thomas. There is a natural pecking order that could even see Landry fall behind Alvin Kamara.
The last time we saw Thomas in 2020, he averaged eight targets a game. But that was also with Drew Brees. If he’s still going to see that volume and Kamara remains a major threat to steal catches, Landry has little chance of being rosterable.
Offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael is still in place as the play-caller for this team. It’s hard to know what exactly to expect without Brees since the trio of Thomas-Carmichael-Brees were together for the recent past. The Saints didn’t have a second relevant fantasy receiver in their time together.
Landry’s ADP for 2022
Landry has always been a peculiar fantasy player because his talent has never fully justified the volume he’s often earned within offenses. Does he fall behind Olave this year as he should? If Thomas suffers an extended injury, will Landry become the de facto No. 1?
If he does, he’s in line for a solid output relative to his No. 135 overall and WR55 ADP. But that’s a lot of “ifs” that shouldn’t happen. I’d much rather take a gamble on George Pickens, DJ Chark, or Jalen Tolbert for the cost. Landry doesn’t have the upside even Kenny Golladay and Marquez Valdes-Scantling have, even if he’ll be more consistent.
But for a WR4 or WR5, I don’t want a receiver consistently producing a low amount, I want someone who could give me a flurry of points. I’d take Landry considerably lower than his current ADP.