The 2022 Sports Illustrated Invitational Experts League draft was held on August 30, and it includes some of the best and brightest names in the world of fantasy football analysis. This 12-team league utilizes a superflex format with one point rewarded for all receptions (PPR). The starting lineups are as follows: one quarterback, two running backs, two wide receivers, one tight end, one superflex (QB/RB/WR/TE), one flex (RB/WR/TE), one kicker and one defense and special teams unit.
As you'll see in the breakdowns, many managers put a much greater emphasis on quarterbacks due to the superflex format, while others either fully or partially passed on the position in the first three to four rounds. No matter what your strategy might be in your superflex leagues, this draft can give you an idea about how your roster might look based on leading with a quarterback or waiting for a round or two. Nelson Sousa, FTN Fantasy 1.
1. Josh Allen, QB, Bills 2. 24.
Saquon Barkley, RB, Giants 3. 25. D’Andre Swift, RB, Lions 4.
48. Tyreek Hill, WR, Dolphins 5. 49.
Kyle Pitts, TE, Falcons 6. 72. Gabe Davis, WR, Bills 7.
73. Rashod Bateman, WR, Ravens 8. 96.
DeAndre Hopkins, WR, Cardinals 9. 97. Mac Jones, QB, Patriots 10.
120. Marcus Mariota, QB, Falcons 11. 121.
Darrell Henderson, RB, Rams 12. 144. Rachaad White, RB, Buccaneers 13.
145. Treylon Burks, WR, Titans 14. 168.
Eno Benjamin, RB, Cardinals 15. 169. Jalen Tolbert, WR, Cowboys 16.
192. Colts defense 17. 193.
Mike Davis, RB, Ravens 18. 216. Matt Prater, K, Cardinals Sousa took the best quarterback in fantasy football, landing Allen with the No.
1 overall pick. Rather than grab another signal-caller, however, he went with a mix of running backs, wide receivers and a tight end with his next seven picks. That gave him a stout backfield, a wide receiver corps with upside and a top-five tight end in Pitts.
He eventually landed Jones and Mariota, who will likely be used on a weekly basis based on the matchup. If Jones or Mariota really pops, Sousa will be the team to beat. Regardless, this is a strong roster with good balance, depth and upside.
Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports Richard Christy, The Howard Stern Show 1. 2. Jonathan Taylor, RB, Colts 2.
23. CeeDee Lamb, WR, Cowboys 3. 26.
Trey Lance, QB, 49ers 4. 47. Baker Mayfield, QB, Panthers 5.
50. Deebo Samuel, WR, 49ers 6. 71.
Breece Hall, RB, Jets 7. 74. Dalton Schultz, TE, Cowboys 8.
95. Devin Singletary, RB, Bills 9. 98.
Adam Thielen, WR, Vikings 10. 119. Melvin Gordon, RB, Broncos 11.
122. Cordarrelle Patterson, RB, Falcons 12. 143.
Alexander Mattison, RB, Vikings 13. 146. Jacoby Brissett, QB, Browns 14.
167. Jahan Dotson, WR, Commanders 15. 170.
Skyy Moore, WR, Chiefs 16. 191. Albert Okwuegbunam, TE, Broncos 17.
194. Harrison Butker, K, Chiefs 18. 215.
Eagles defense Christy went against the grain and ran back and wide receiver with his first two picks, landing Taylor and Lamb. He was still able to land one of my top sleepers/breakouts in Lance, though his No. 2 quarterback (Mayfield) does bring a few question marks.
Still, his offensive skill positions are solid, especially at wideout with Samuel and Thielen behind Lamb. He also got Hall, Singletary and Patterson behind Taylor at running back. Christy also took a few Chiefs (his favorite team).
With a top-8 tight end in Schultz also in the lineup, this team should be a competitor. Bob Harris, Football Diehards/SiriusXM 1. 3.
Justin Herbert, QB, Chargers 2. 22. Davante Adams, WR, Raiders 3.
27. Derek Carr, QB, Raiders 4. 46.
Ezekiel Elliott, RB, Cowboys 5. 51. Elijah Mitchell, RB, 49ers 6.
70. Diontae Johnson, WR, Steelers 7. 75.
Brandin Cooks, WR, Texans 8. 94. Darnell Mooney, WR, Bears 9.
99. Clyde Edwards-Helaire, RB, Chiefs 10. 118.
Carson Wentz, QB, Commanders 11. 123. James Robinson, RB, Jaguars 12.
142. David Njoku, TE, Browns 13. 147.
Dawson Knox, TE, Bills 14. 166. DeVante Parker, WR, Patriots 15.
171. J. D.
McKissic, RB, Commanders 16. 190. Saints defense 17.
195. Wil Lutz, K, Saints 18. 214.
Curtis Samuel, WR, Commanders Far be it from me to compliment Harris (kidding), but he has one of the most well-rounded teams in the league. His quarterback duo of Herbert and Carr is strong, and he even landed Adams at wide receiver as a stack. His receivers look great, with Johnson, Cooks and Mooney in the mix.
Elliott isn't the best No. 1 fantasy back these days, but it's not bad when you consider he didn't take a back until Round 4. If Zeke and Mitchell play at a high level, Harris will have a fine pair of runners.
He maybe showed a little too much faith in the Commanders' offense in the selections of Wentz, McKissic and Samuel, but none of them were more than 10th-round picks, so there wasn't a ton of risk. Overall, this looks like a top-5 team. Julio Cortez/AP Jason Smith/Mike Harmon, FOX Sports 1.
4. Christian McCaffrey, RB, Panthers 2. 21.
Stefon Diggs, WR, Bills 3. 28. Dak Prescott, QB, Cowboys 4.
45. Davis Mills, QB, Texans 5. 52.
Mike Evans, WR, Buccaneers 6. 69. Chase Edmonds, RB, Dolphins 7.
76. Jaylen Waddle, WR, Dolphins 8. 93.
Elijah Moore, WR, Jets 9. 100. Miles Sanders, RB, Eagles 10.
117. Cole Kmet, TE, Bears 11. 124.
Chris Olave, WR, Saints 12. 141. Jimmy Garoppolo, QB, 49ers 13.
148. Rondale Moore, WR, Cardinals 14. 165.
Tyler Higbee, TE, Rams 15. 172. Jamaal Williams, RB, Lions 16.
189. Matt Gay, K, Buccaneers 17. 196.
Ravens defense 18. 213. Isaiah Spiller, RB, Chargers Smith and Harmon also went with non-quarterbacks in their first two rounds, landing McCaffrey and Diggs.
They did grab Prescott in the third stanza, though the selection of Mills in the fourth is eye-opening. If he outplays his projections, he could be a steal. But that's a big if, folks.
I love their wide receivers, however, with Evans, Waddle and Elijah Moore joining Diggs at the position. Their running backs have a few question marks, though I do like Edmonds as a low-end No. 2 back.
Sanders comes with risk but drafting him in Round 9 wasn't a bad choice. Kmet is one of my top sleepers, and he'll need to pan out for this team to have a dependable tight end. Andy Behrens, Yahoo 1.
5. Lamar Jackson, QB, Ravens 2. 20.
Najee Harris, RB, Steelers 3. 29. Kirk Cousins, QB, Vikings 4.
44. Keenan Allen, WR, Chargers 5. 53.
Michael Pittman Jr. , WR, Colts 6. 68.
Terry McLaurin, WR, Commanders 7. 77. Antonio Gibson, RB, Commanders 8.
92. Dallas Goedert, TE, Eagles 9. 101.
Ryan Tannehill, QB, Titans 10. 116. George Pickens, WR, Steelers 11.
125. Tyler Lockett, WR, Seahawks 12. 140.
Tyler Allgeier, RB, Falcons 13. 149. Brian Robinson, RB, Commanders 14.
164. Jarvis Landry, WR, Saints 15. 173.
Khalil Herbert, RB, Bears 16. 188. Geno Smith, QB, Seahawks 17.
197. Daniel Carlson, K, Raiders 18. 212.
Browns defense Behrens started this superflex draft with a quarterback in Jackson who has 1,000-yard potential as a runner. He also landed Cousins in Round 3, making for a nice duo. Harris leads his backfield, but there are some questions behind him in Gibson, Allgeier, Robinson and Herbert.
It was a good idea to grab both Washington backs, though, especially with Robinson being placed on the reserve/non-football injury list. However, his wide receivers are strong, with Allen, Pittman, McLaurin and a deep sleeper in Pickens at the position. With Goedert at tight end, Behrens has a team that will compete for a postseason berth this season.
Mike Dempsey, Football Diehards/SiriusXM 1. 6. Jalen Hurts, QB, Eagles 2.
19. Derrick Henry, RB, Titans 3. 30.
Alvin Kamara, RB, Saints 4. 43. Mark Andrews, TE, Ravens 5.
54. A. J.
Brown, WR, Eagles 6. 67. Rashaad Penny, RB, Seahawks 7.
78. Christian Kirk, WR, Jaguars 8. 91.
Jared Goff, QB, Lions 9. 102. Amari Cooper, WR, Browns 10.
115. Ken Walker, RB, Seahawks 11. 126.
Daniel Jones, QB, Giants 12. 139. Chase Claypool, WR, Steelers 13.
150. Marquez Valdes-Scantling, WR, Chiefs 14. 163.
Evan Engram, TE, Jaguars 15. 174. Evan McPherson, K, Bengals 16.
187. Cowboys defense 17. 198.
Ameer Abdullah, RB, Raiders 18. 211. Mark Ingram, RB, Saints Dempsey loves Hurts (he has his ranked third among quarterbacks), and he took him ahead of Patrick Mahomes.
He then loaded up on other positions, grabbing Henry, Kamara and Penny at running back, Brown at wide receiver and an elite tight end in Andrews before he took his second quarterback (Goff). If Goff and Jones combine to produce decent numbers at the superflex position, this strategy will undoubtedly pay off. Dempsey also grabbed an upside wideout in Kirk and two veterans in Cooper and Claypool.
The defending champion, Dempsey, has built a contender. Howard Bender, Fantasy Alarm/SiriusXM 1. 7.
Patrick Mahomes, QB, Chiefs 2. 18. Joe Mixon, RB, Bengals 3.
31. Trevor Lawrence, QB, Jaguars 4. 42.
Travis Etienne, RB, Jaguars 5. 55. Mike Williams, WR, Chargers 6.
66. JuJu Smith-Schuster, WR, Chiefs 7. 79.
Darren Waller, TE, Raiders 8. 90. DK Metcalf, WR, Seahawks 9.
103. Damien Harris, RB, Patriots 10. 114.
Kadarius Toney, WR, Giants 11. 127. Zach Wilson, QB, Jets 12.
138. Isiah Pacheco, RB, Chiefs 13. 151.
Garrett Wilson, WR, Jets 14. 162. D.
J. Chark, WR, Lions 15. 175.
Bills defense 16. 186. Mecole Hardman, WR, Chiefs 17.
199. Brandon McManus, K, Broncos 18. 210.
Tyrion Davis-Price, RB, 49ers Bender landed Mahomes after Dempsey passed on him, and taking Mixon in Round 2 gave him a solid No. 1 back. He did take a huge chance in the third round, drafting Lawrence ahead of quarterbacks like Aaron Rodgers, Matthew Stafford and Tua Tagovailoa.
His backfield looks good behind Mixon with a breakout candidate in Etienne and Harris as his No. 3 option. While Bender doesn’t have a true No.
1 wide receiver, the group of Williams, Smith-Schuster and Metcalf all have No. 2 wideout potential. The selection of Waller means he’ll have a top-5 tight end, and the Bills have one (if not the top) defensive unit in fantasy football this season.
Jamey Eisenberg, CBS Sports 1. 8. Kyler Murray, QB, Cardinals 2.
17. Travis Kelce, TE, Chiefs 3. 32.
Aaron Jones, RB, Packers 4. 41. Justin Fields, QB, Bears 5.
56. Dameon Pierce, RB, Texans 6. 65.
Chris Godwin, WR, Buccaneers 7. 80. Marquise Brown, WR, Cardinals 8.
89. Michael Thomas, WR, Saints 9. 104.
Allen Lazard, WR, Packers 10. 113. Nyheim Hines, RB, Colts 11.
128. Deshaun Watson, QB, Browns 12. 137.
Nico Collins, WR, Texans 13. 152. Zamir White, RB, Raiders 14.
161. Kenneth Gainwell, RB, Eagles 15. 176.
K. J. Osborn, WR, Vikings 16.
185. Tyler Boyd, WR, Bengals 17. 200.
Broncos defense 18. 209. Greg Joseph, K, Vikings Eisenberg compiled one of the more balanced teams in the league, which is always a good approach.
He started with Murray as his QB1, and Fields could be a nice No. 2 in the fourth round. I'm usually not a fan of drafting a tight end in the top 50, but grabbing Kelce didn't hurt this roster in other positions.
In fact, Pierce in the fifth round could be a godsend for his backfield. While there are questions about Godwin and Thomas, Eisenberg's group of wide receivers could be pretty strong in a best-case scenario. Landing Watson feels icky, but he will be picked in all superflex and two-quarterback leagues moving forward in the draft season.
Jen Piacenti, Sports Illustrated 1. 9. Cooper Kupp, WR, Rams 2.
16. Russell Wilson, QB, Broncos 3. 33.
Leonard Fournette, RB, Buccaneers 4. 40. Matt Ryan, QB, Colts 5.
57. Tee Higgins, WR, Bengals 6. 64.
A. J. Dillon, RB, Packers 7.
81. Jerry Jeudy, WR, Broncos 8. 88.
J. K. Dobbins, RB, Ravens 9.
105. Rhamondre Stevenson, RB, Patriots 10. 112.
Zach Ertz, TE, Cardinals 11. 129. Michael Carter, RB, Jets 12.
136. Russell Gage, WR, Buccaneers 13. 153.
Julio Jones, WR, Buccaneers 14. 160. Raheem Mostert, RB, Dolphins 15.
177. Van Jefferson, WR, Rams 16. 184.
Rams defense 17. 201. Taysom Hill, TE, Saints 18.
