Devin Singletary’s dynasty value is at an all-time high entering the 2022 season. After a stellar conclusion to the 2021 season, how should dynasty fantasy football managers value Singletary going forward?
Devin Singletary’s dynasty profile for 2022
Entering the 2021 season, it sure looked like the Buffalo Bills were out on Singletary. Despite drafting Singletary in the third round of the 2019 NFL Draft, they spent another third-round pick on Zack Moss the very next season. Moss had overtaken the lead role in 2020 and looked poised to continue that in 2021.
Instead, Singletary had the best season of his young career. He totaled 1,098 yards from scrimmage and scored 8 touchdowns. Most importantly was Singletary’s close to the 2021 season, including the playoffs. He was a top-five running back in fantasy over the final six weeks of the season and completely took hold of Buffalo’s primary RB job. Heading into 2022, he is the lead back in one of the best offenses in the NFL.
Fantasy projection for Singletary
In preparing PFN’s initial dynasty fantasy rankings for 2022, BJ Rudell, Tommy Garrett, and I were in complete agreement on Singletary. It certainly doesn’t always work out that way, but we respectively ranked Singletary 21, 22, and 22.
Beginning in Week 14, Singletary became a near every-down running back, averaging an 83% snap share including the postseason. In the Bills’ thrilling loss to the Chiefs, Singletary played every single snap. There is zero doubt as to his status entering 2022.
It’s always risky to prioritize a small stretch of games over a player’s entire career. With Singletary, I think it’s warranted. While I don’t expect him to log an 80% snap share over the course of a full season, I do expect him to dominate touches. Look for Singletary to average around 14 carries a game and be active in the passing game. He saw 50 targets in 2021. That number can easily get to around 65-70 in 2022.
Fantasy managers should view Singletary as a potentially undervalued RB1. Yes, I said RB1. Singletary’s lack of production over the first 2.5 years of his career is going to depress his value a bit. However, I completely buy into what we saw over the latter part of the 2021 season.
What is Singletary’s future beyond 2022?
The difficulty in evaluating Singletary’s dynasty outlook is after 2022. We know Singletary will be the Bills’ lead back in 2022. However, he’s set to be an unrestricted free agent in 2023. Will the Bills re-sign him?
Singletary’s future likely rests on how well he performs in 2022. But it’s a double-edged sword. If Singletary has an unspectacular season, he’ll be easy to re-sign, but he won’t be a desirable fantasy asset. If Singletary continues to progress and has a great season, fantasy managers will want him to remain in Buffalo, but he may be too expensive.
What can fantasy managers expect from Singletary?
Singletary should at least be a high-end RB2 in 2022, if not a low-end RB1. Tethered to Josh Allen and an elite Bills offense, Singletary is well-positioned to succeed.
As for Singletary’s future, dynasty managers looking to win now should try and acquire Singletary from a manager concerned about his future. Even though Singletary may be on a new team in 2023, it’s unlikely his fantasy value will completely crater.
Singletary will be 26 years old in 2023. At worst, he should maintain RB2 value for the next two or three years. At best, he could be an RB1 that wins you a championship.