Opportunity and weekly usage are key in fantasy football. For some players, however, those two critical factors don't always present themselves right away. Maybe they're stuck behind a proven veteran on the depth chart or playing in a committee role in the backfield. And there's always the training camp battles for starting spots.
Below are six players who have the game-ready traits, but need that opening to generate fantasy production in your lineups. So, let's take a look at this year's "have skills, need opportunity" squad heading into the 2022 NFL season.
Joshua Palmer, WR, Los Angeles Chargers
It's all about the usage with Palmer, who has the route-running traits and ball skills to produce consistent fantasy numbers in a Chargers offense that ranked fourth in pass rate last season. Think about this: Palmer scored a touchdown in each of the three games in which he ran 25 or more routes last season. And, in those games, Palmer logged at least 14 PPR points per game. The foot quickness is there to separate, and Palmer does bring a playmaking element to the field with his 6-foot-1, 210-pound frame.
Now, if Palmer can lock down the No. 3 role behind Keenan Allen and Mike Williams in camp, then I do see the second-year pro as a late-round pick in deeper leagues. And if Allen or Williams was to spend some time on the shelf this season, Palmer would vault into your starting lineup given his upside and the pass-game structure in L.A. with quarterback Justin Herbert.
Rhamondre Stevenson, RB, New England Patriots
I'm still a little old-school when it comes to studying the running back position. Yeah, give me the downhill hammers with the frame to punish defenders at the point of attack. And that's Stevenson, the Patriots' 6-foot, 230-pound back who averaged 2.29 yards after first contact last season, fifth best in the league. Stevenson can go in the open field, too. In '21, he logged 133 rushes, with a 15% explosive-play rate (rushes of 10 yards or more). The only other running backs to do that last season? Nick Chubb and Jonathan Taylor. Pretty good ball players there.
We know Damien Harris will also get touches in the New England run game this season. But if Stevenson can emerge as the lead back, plus see an uptick in receiving targets with James White retiring, he has serious fantasy potential in an offense that ranked fourth in red zone rush rate last season. The skills are there. And so is the physical profile. Stevenson just needs consistent deployment to produce as a weekly starter in your lineup.
K.J. Osborn, WR, Minnesota Vikings
Watch the tape on Osborn from Weeks 13-18 last season, when he saw an increase in both reps and targets with Adam Thielen dealing with an injury. The schemed shot-play concepts are there, the deep overs, the isolation routes. Osborn caught 19-of-35 targets during that span -- with five scores -- and five explosive-play receptions (reception of 20 or more yards). He also posted four games with 14 or more PPR points.
Yes, Osborn will enter the season as the No. 3 behind Justin Jefferson and Thielen in Minnesota. But given the production and the vertical ability we saw last season, Osborn would quickly climb the ranks as a solid flex option -- in all scoring formats -- if Jefferson or Thielen was to miss time. And that new offense in Minnesota under head coach Kevin O'Connell, which will lean on three-WR sets and the passing game, would set the table for Osborn as a volume target.
Khalil Herbert, RB, Chicago Bears
In the four games when Herbert was the lead back for the Bears last season, he averaged more than 4.4 yards per carry. And he can give you something in the pass game, too. In '21, there were five running backs who had a stretch with 18 carries and two receptions in three consecutive games: Najee Harris, Jonathan Taylor, Derrick Henry, David Montgomery ... and Herbert. Think targets on swings, screens and unders here, with Herbert's ability to handle volume in the run game.
Remember, Herbert is very a decisive runner -- with good vision -- in zone schemes, which we will see from new offensive coordinator Luke Getsy in Chicago this season. If Montgomery, who accounted for 81.2% of Chicago's running back touches last season, was to miss time again with an injury, Herbert's scheme fit and running style would put him in a position to post consistent RB2 numbers in both PPR and non-PPR formats.
Jerick McKinnon, RB, Kansas City Chiefs
McKinnon's usage and pass-game deployment, was elevated last season from Week 18 through the Chiefs' three playoff games, where he posted at least 12 PPR points in each game while catching 17 of 20 targets from quarterback Patrick Mahomes. For his career, McKinnon has averaged 14.7 PPR points per game when getting 15 or more touches.
Yes, the Chiefs have a starter in Clyde Edwards-Helaire. The team signed Ronald Jones II, too. So, we know the running back room in K.C. is crowded. If I'm playing in a PPR format, however, McKinnon is on my radar as a late add. The tape from the end of last season tells us how he can be schemed up in Andy Reid's screen package or as an underneath target. He ran with juice also, showing the short-area speed to get through the second level. And he's playing in an offense that ranks third overall in red zone trips since Mahomes took over as the starter in '18, which creates more scoring upside.
The dual-threat traits are there. So is the system fit. And if McKinnon can see 12-15 touches a game, then he can find a spot in your lineup as a flex with PPR upside.
Isaiah McKenzie, WR, Buffalo Bills
A sudden mover with the ability to run away from man coverage and carry the ball on manufactured touches, I'm in on McKenzie as a slot player in an explosive Bills offense. Last season, McKenzie saw run-game touches in each of his final four games of the regular season, with three carries in both of the Bills' playoff games. Jet sweeps, backfield alignments and more. And we can go back to the Week 16 tape -- versus Bill Belichick's secondary -- when McKenzie cooked the Patriots' defense for 11 receptions (12 targets) for 125 yards and a touchdown.
McKenzie's fantasy upside, however, hangs on his ability to win the slot receiver spot in camp over veteran Jamison Crowder. Let's see how this plays out over the next couple of weeks and through the preseason schedule. Because if McKenzie wins the job -- or sees extended time this season given Crowder's availability concerns due to injury -- he can produce in multiple ways with quarterback Josh Allen and a pass-heavy script in Buffalo.