Field Yates Fantasy Favorites 🔥 | Fantasy Focus 🏈

Summary

Fantasy Focus Football: Field Yates’ Fantasy Favorites 🔥 (August 20, 2025)

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Overview

In this episode, ESPN’s Field Yates is joined by Daniel Dopp and Stefania Bell to deep-dive his annual "Field’s Fantasy Favorites" list—a curated set of players he consistently finds himself drafting thanks to their value, upside, or unique circumstances. The discussion focuses on draft strategy, value picks, changes in player situations, and late-round quarterback flyers, with Stefania providing medical and injury analysis throughout.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

What Are "Field’s Favorites"? (01:41)

• Not Sleeper Picks: This is not a sleeper or “deep cut” list, nor is it a ranking of the top fantasy players (“not trying to outsmart you…These are not sleepers. These are not the most obvious candidates. It is not, you know, Bijan Robinson and Jamar Chase and Justin Jefferson and Saquon Barkley.” – Field Yates, 01:58)
• Repeated Draft Value: These are players Field has gravitated towards (50-60 real/mock drafts), those who offer recurring value or an edge for where they’re being selected in drafts—even if their ADP has shifted.

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1. Malik Nabers, WR, New York Giants (03:36–07:15)

Why He’s a Favorite:

• Nabers is being drafted at the back/high-second round, about a full round later than other “Tier 1” wide receivers (Jefferson, Chase, Lamb).
• Last season: 170 targets (2nd most in NFL) with poor QB play. Expecting improved quarterback situation this year (Russell Wilson, Jackson Dart, Jameis Winston now in the room).
• Giants didn’t add serious pass-catching competition.

Quotes & Moments:

“Malik Nabers, to me, is a Tier 1 wide receiver this year but is being drafted later than everybody else who is in that Tier 1. … It doesn’t matter if you know they’re going to him. And I love guys like that.”
— Field Yates & Stefania Bell (04:12 & 05:34)

“If you told me I could potentially still get the wide receiver one and… at the end of the first round… I love the ability to get this guy.”
— Daniel Dopp (06:44)

Timestamp: Detailed discussion begins at 03:36.

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2. Jalen Hurts, QB, Philadelphia Eagles (07:15–12:03)

Why He’s a Favorite:

• Of the “big four” QBs, Hurts is going a full round later in ADP despite a similar ceiling.
• Bankable rushing touchdowns (at least 10 for four straight seasons), Tush Push remains a huge floor elevator.
• Passing volume isn’t necessary for fantasy return—rushing “is the floor.”

Quotes & Moments:

“Jalen Hurts is one of the steadiest players in all of fantasy football. The Tush Push being back this year—gigantic for Jalen Hurts.”
— Field Yates (08:29)

“Over the last four years, the player that has led the entire NFL in rushing touchdowns is… Jalen freaking Hurts.”
— Daniel Dopp (11:17)

Timestamp: Segment begins at 07:15.

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3. Jaylen Waddle, WR, Miami Dolphins (12:03–16:10)

Why He’s a Favorite:

• Waddle’s ADP has slipped to WR32 (as of recording), offering large return if Tyreek Hill drama escalates or injuries occur.
• Versatile and talented, with three 1,000-yard seasons out of four.
• Draft narrative: Peak upside for Waddle might be higher than WRs taken around him (e.g., Zay Flowers, Rashee Rice, Devonta Smith).

Quotes & Moments:

“The possibility of him being wide receiver one of the Miami offense… is too good to ignore.”
— Field Yates (12:56)

“He’s much closer to the first two seasons guy [WR14, WR11] than I do the last two seasons guy [WR33, WR50].”
— Daniel Dopp (15:57)

Timestamp: Segment begins at 12:03.

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4. TreVeyon Henderson, RB, New England Patriots (18:43–21:57)

Why He’s a Favorite:

• Henderson’s ADP has soared (from 82.2 to 60.2 in two weeks), reflecting buzz over his preseason performance (including a 100-yard kick return TD).
• Offers explosive upside, though monitoring for how much work Ty Montgomery and Rhamondre Stevenson might siphon.
• Value line: If he climbs above backs with “guaranteed” roles, the risk may overtake reward.

Quotes & Moments:

“He is hashtag very good… You’re constantly looking for the upside players… At some point this is going to get too high for TreVeyon Henderson.”
— Field Yates (19:42, 20:23)

Timestamp: Segment runs 18:43–21:57.

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5. Isaiah Pacheco, RB, Kansas City Chiefs (22:24–27:01)

Why He’s a Favorite:

• Pacheco’s “boring but bankable” as Chiefs’ clear lead back, with little real backfield competition.
• Returned from fibula fracture mid-2024, but full health and role project much closer to his RB12-15 pre-injury form.
• Stefania emphasizes returning RBs regain burst after a year of recovery—compared to Tony Pollard.

Quotes & Moments:

“He seems like kind of a boring option… But when he is good to go, he seems to be pretty clearly the Chiefs lead back.”
— Field Yates (23:13)

“Broken bones heal really well… It makes it actually stronger…”
— Stefania Bell (25:22)

Timestamp: Starts at 22:24.

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6. Tony Pollard, RB, Tennessee Titans (27:04–29:39)

Why He’s a Favorite:

• Pollard’s ADP (up to 86.1 from 100.3) is still depressed compared to workhorse peers.
• Last year was a volume RB: “6th in rushing attempts, 9th in touches, 12th in yards…top 20 RB in 9 of 16 games.” Offers weekly floor, not just volatile ceiling.
• Thin competition (Taj Spears, Khalil Mullings) means strong, dependable workload at an ADP discount.

Quotes & Moments:

“This is a guy who, when my RB2 goes down… I’ve got Tony Pollard waiting in the wings… I can probably count on 12 to 16 points.”
— Field Yates (29:04)

Timestamp: 27:04–29:39.

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7. Tyrone Tracy Jr., RB, New York Giants (29:39–32:35)

Why He’s a Favorite:

• Entering the year as Giants’ likely starter, seeing uptick in ADP as Cam Skattebo (rookie) deals with injury.
• Strategy: At his draft slot (end of 10th), Tracy only needs to produce for ~4–8 weeks for the pick to pay off; then you pivot as roles change.

Quotes & Moments:

“If you can get four, six, maybe eight games of Tracy being the guy that you want to start… it’s just flat worth it.”
— Field Yates (30:57)

Timestamp: Segment starts at 29:39.

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Three Late Round Quarterback Flyers (32:37–38:57)

• Drake Maye (New England Patriots): Moving up ADP, projects for rushing upside (7.8 yards/carry last year); potential for red zone/rushing TDs could spike value if he wins starting job.
• J.J. McCarthy (Minnesota Vikings): Vikings’ QB1 track record under Kevin O’Connell is stellar (top 12 production for multiple QBs); Stefania notes improved confidence, athleticism, and opportunity due to early camp competition.
• Jordan Love (Green Bay Packers): Thumb surgery (non-throwing hand) shouldn’t threaten season start. Packers confident, Stefania explains timeline/impact.

Quotes & Moments:

“If the rushing really hits… you could see some major, major rushing upside.”
— Field Yates on Drake Maye (34:39)

“I want whatever Kevin O’Connell… this is how you mentor and develop a QB.” — Stefania Bell on Vikings’ coaching (40:22)

Timestamp: Quarterbacks covered from 32:37–38:57.

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Injury and Depth Chart Updates (Throughout)

• Stefania breaks down return-to-play timelines for various RB injuries (Pacheco’s fractured fibula, Pollard’s leg injury, soft tissue vs. bone), rookie RB situations (Cam Skattebo’s hamstring), and situational awareness for WRs dealing with injuries (Justin Jefferson, Chris Godwin).
• Stefania’s “favorite” surprise pick: Emeka Egbuka (Tampa Bay) as a potential early-season breakout if Godwin isn’t ready to return.

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Notable Quotes, Humor & Memorable Moments

• On Hurts’ rushing TDs:
  “Six…is more than four.” — Stefania Bell, (11:44)
• Stefania’s favorite unheralded player:
  “I didn’t know. Mecca Igbuka… I think he could really be a nice surprise for fantasy managers out of the gate.” (43:23)
• Bouncing segment ideas:
  “Doods or something like that.” — Daniel Dopp (01:09), joking about making his own “favorites” list.
• Catching Rohan Davey’s passes:
  “It was like catching a Randy Johnson fastball in every playoff… the skin would, like, tear off.” — Field Yates (37:11)
• On preseason bias:
  “There’s such recency bias for the population in general when it comes to preseason football.” — Stefania Bell (31:53)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• Introduction, premise discussion: 00:43–02:58
• Malik Nabers: 03:36–07:15
• Jalen Hurts: 07:15–12:03
• Jaylen Waddle: 12:03–16:10
• TreVeyon Henderson: 18:43–21:57
• Isaiah Pacheco: 22:24–27:01
• Tony Pollard: 27:04–29:39
• Tyrone Tracy Jr.: 29:39–32:35
• Late round QB flyers: 32:37–38:57
• Coaching & NFC North context: 40:33–41:36
• Stefania’s favorite pick: 43:23–45:25

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Conclusion

This episode serves as an energetic and detailed run-through of “Field’s Favorites” for the 2025 fantasy football season. The picks are all about draft value, roster construction, and anticipating shifts in player roles. Injury context from Stefania enriches the analysis, while Daniel supplies perspective and banter. The late-round quarterback flyers segment and listener Q&As close out the show—leaving listeners equipped for savvy, adaptable drafting.

For the complete list and more in-depth player notes, listeners are encouraged to check the written version at ESPN.com.

Transcript

[Field Yates]

You've seen the headlines, heard the debates.

[Stefania Bell]

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[Field Yates]

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[Daniel Dopp]

I decided I wanted to have one of the most organized goodbyes in history.

[Field Yates]

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[Daniel Dopp]

What's good, friends? Welcome into another edition of the Fantasy Focus Football podcast alongside Stefania Bell and Field Yates. My name is Daniel Dopp. We are diving deep into Field's favorites today. That's right. We're going to get a number of players. Field is targeting the team you enjoy in drafts, guys that have caught your eye. You want to make sure that not only we, but all of our audience knows about this. Stefania, do you have a Bell's boys that is going to come out anytime soon? I was thinking about bringing out doods or something like that.

[Stefania Bell]

You mean for the show?

[Daniel Dopp]

Yeah. Okay. Okay, hold on.

[Field Yates]

All right, Well, I don't know where.

[Daniel Dopp]

To follow with that. If you guys want to take over from here, that'd be great.

[Field Yates]

Hard pivot. Yes, hard pivot.

[Stefania Bell]

Walked right into it, my friend. But I. I'm excited about this show because fun for me is guessing how many of these I know because I spend quite a bit of time.

[Daniel Dopp]

Yes, we do.

[Stefania Bell]

With a certain field date. So I've watched some where he, you know, people trending up for him, people.

[Daniel Dopp]

He'S drafting, people he's talking about.

[Stefania Bell]

You can guess along. Kids.

[Field Yates]

So a couple things here. I don't think the names will be a surprise to either of you guys or probably those that listen every single day. Thank you very much. You look lovely as always. It's a day that ends in Y, so. Of course you do, Daniel. You look great.

[Daniel Dopp]

Thank you. I appreciate it. Thank you, Phil.

[Stefania Bell]

Uniform.

[Field Yates]

So the conceit of this just to be very clear because I'm sure if I when actually I have tweeted this because the article went up yesterday on ESPN.com so you can read this article in full on ESPN.com completely free for you to read. People don't understand Twitter for some reason, but these are not a. The best players in fantasy football. These are not guys that you have never heard of. I'm not trying to outsmart you here and give you a Keandre Lambert Smith in round 18 because he could. I could with Deandre Lambert Smith. But the point is these are not sleepers. These are not the most obvious candidates. It is not, you know, Bijan Robinson and Jamar Chase and Justin Jefferson and Saquon Barkley. The idea is these are players that over the course of probably somewhere between 50 and 60 mock drafts slash real drafts that I have done so far, I thought to myself I really like the value of this player understanding that a couple of those guys have seen their value spike or dip during the during the course of a process that's really been months long because we did the mock draft project all the way back starting in May.

[Daniel Dopp]

I do have two questions before we start.

[Field Yates]

Fire away.

[Daniel Dopp]

One, where did Keandre Lambert Smith go to college?

[Field Yates]

He went to Penn State for four seasons and then Auburn.

[Daniel Dopp]

Okay.

[Field Yates]

Has the most 80 plus yard catches in Penn State history.

[Daniel Dopp]

I love this. I just want to do like field trivia every day if it's what it's worth.

[Field Yates]

Important knowledge.

[Daniel Dopp]

These are guys though that field hopefully can help you bring home in championship. And if you're looking to be able to add a little bit to your championship, check out our friends over at Trophy smack. Go to trophysmac. Do get 10% off using the promo code focus10 to be able to get a belt or a chain or you know what, maybe something for your last place finisher in the league as like a loser punishment. Go check out our buddies over at Trophy Smack. We love them.

[Field Yates]

Malik Neighbors is my first pick here. Daniel, he is from LSU and Malik Neighbors right now is going basically at the back end of the first round or even the top of the second round in 10 team leagues. I don't think anybody needs to explain needs to have it explained to them why Malik Neighbors is awesome. We saw last year he had one of the greatest rookies regardless of position we have ever seen. So the greatness is established.

[Daniel Dopp]

And he did that with who at quarterback?

[Field Yates]

With bottom of the barrel quarterback Clay last year.

[Stefania Bell]

Correct.

[Field Yates]

The reason why I like Malik Neighbors, why I like him so much that he made fields favorites is that the first week of the show we did tears, right?

[Daniel Dopp]

Yep.

[Field Yates]

And we said that tiers are important because it shows that there are players who all fall into a similar level of value even though one of them has to be ranked as the best and the second best and the third, et cetera. Yeah. Malik Neighbors to me is a Tier 1 wide receiver this year but is being drafted later than everybody else who is in that tier one. Jamar Chase, Justin Jefferson, guys of that nature. Right. And CD Lamb CD Lamb I like those guys more in a vacuum.

[Daniel Dopp]

Yep.

[Field Yates]

But not so much more that I am willing that I'm. That I don't love the value I'm getting which is basically a full round discount on Malik neighbors who reminder in 170 targets last year that was the second most in the NFL behind only Jamar Chase bottom of the barrel quarterback play. As I just referenced it moments ago, he has to me better. I don't know if it's going to be League average 20th best quarterback play in the NFL this year but I do know this. He's got three guys on the roster this year that I trust more than any of the quarterbacks last season in first, Russell Wilson, Jackson, Dart, Jameis Winston, whatever the order ends up being. So wouldn't surprise me at all this year if he leads the NFL in targets the Giants not at anybody this off season. That should be a real threat to that.

[Daniel Dopp]

Yeah.

[Field Yates]

The only question mark I have for Malik Neighbors is as we talked about on Monday show a little bit health crops up Stefania. But otherwise I think this player is of ridiculous value at the back of the first or the top of the second.

[Stefania Bell]

I think he's going to continue to be one of those players that he might miss practice, you know, on a semi regular basis. And if you recall last year there was a bit of that and then comes out and plays and lights the world on fire when he plays. Uh, I was reading, I was trying to find it. Just now I, I can't find it but there was some interview with a cornerback who had to go up against him and it was just talking about like everything that he does. Right. Like he can beat you with everything that does. It's not just the routes, it's when he breaks, it's how he adjusts his speed and that it is really, really difficult to cover him. And I think that is a point well taken because we all know if you look at the Giants pass catchers, the only one who really stands out to you is Malik Neighbors. You all know that everybody that they're going to him like he's the target and yet he's still able to produce. It doesn't matter if you know they're going to him. And I love guys like that.

[Daniel Dopp]

Me too. I have two things that I want to say here. One. And I say it too. But when we say he lit the world on fire, is that a reference to Billy Joel's we didn't start the fire by any chance?

[Field Yates]

It actually comes from, from. From deary. It's a thing. It's like falconry but it's just like that.

[Daniel Dopp]

Okay.

[Field Yates]

Back in the medieval times.

[Daniel Dopp]

That's what it is.

[Field Yates]

Medieval times Shout out to Monday show I do not know I will say this.

[Daniel Dopp]

I love Malik Neighbors for everything that you just described field because if you told me that I could potentially still get the wide receiver one and I don't think it's crazy to say he could finish as the number one wide receiver in fantasy, but I don't have to spend that early first round pick. I can get him at the end of the first round and still get that same value. I love the the ability to be able to get this guy, especially with the improved quarterback play. Russell Wilson had a beautiful moonshot over this last weekend. Jackson dart looked really good and I don't need to see Jameis Winston to know how good he is for our fantasy wide receivers. So I am all in on Malik Neighbors as well. Love this argument.

[Field Yates]

I'm going to read these players in terms of where their overall ADP is right? So this is not like, hey, this is absolutely my favorite and this is like my least favorite of the favorites, but it goes in adp. Next up for me is Jalen Hurts and I mentioned this on like one of the very first shows that we did. So the point for those that were paying a lot of attention is probably not a surprise. But we all keep talking about how there are at least four of the elite quarterbacks. You and I feel like Joe Burrow deserves to be mentioned in that conversation. Mike is less convinced on it, but let's just talk about the four that are going very, very close right now in overall adp Lamar Jackson, Josh Allen, Jaden Daniels, and Jalen Hurts. I think there's a real chance that any of those four could finish as quarterback one right now. What you're getting though is basically a full round discount on whoever that fourth quarterback is. It turns out it's Jalen Hurts who what's his live adp. And these things change literally every minute. So just don't, don't get mad if what Daniel says right now is not what you see when you go and check on your own computer.

[Daniel Dopp]

Josh Allen, average pick is 20, Lamar is 22. Jaden Daniels is 28, which I think he's coming off the board usually ahead of that when I see it. And then Jalen Hurts is 29.7, so almost a full round behind Josh Allen.

[Field Yates]

Again, it's nothing against anyone, any of the three quarterbacks ahead of him. It is a Simple matter that Jalen Hurts, who is money in the bank, who is going to run for 10 plus touchdowns this season if he stays healthy, who doesn't need to throw up for even 3,000 yards because that's where he was. He was under 3,000 last year. He did miss the last few games because of injury. But the bottom line is that Jalen Hurts is one of the steadiest players in all of fantasy football. The Tush push being back this year, gigantic for Jalen Hurts huge. So to me, getting potentially quarterback one a full round cheaper than another guy who has a very similar profile, great, great value based drafting.

[Daniel Dopp]

I love that. And when you look at that rushing upside, I mean if the Tush push had gone somewhere, I would maybe feel differently. Given that low volume passing offense.

[Field Yates]

Saquon might be RB1 if the tush push seriously, because not that they can't run the football still, you can still quarterback sneak without the Tush push. But they might say, hey, we feel as though the Tush push is a safer version of the quarterback sneak. We're not going to quarterback sneak with Jalen. Instead we're going to have Saquon Barkley do that job for us because he's very capable of that.

[Daniel Dopp]

I just want to say that Jalen Hurts has been so good on the ground. You mentioned he's going to have 10 rushing touchdowns. You say that because he's done it for four straight seasons. Yes. So that's. It doesn't feel like that volume is going to go anywhere.

[Field Yates]

The player, he's the most successful play in the league. Right.

[Daniel Dopp]

Who has the most rushing so successful.

[Stefania Bell]

That people tried to get the rule changed.

[Daniel Dopp]

Literally, they tried to ban it. We can't do it as well as the Eagles do, so we don't want them to be.

[Stefania Bell]

And that failed miserably. But you know, it's funny too is I forgot what I was going to say. I know because I was so thinking about the rule change being there. But it's kind of another thing where you know this guy is going to do it and he's still able to achieve it. Kind of like we were talking about.

[Field Yates]

There'S no mystery when it's coming.

[Stefania Bell]

Like everybody knows the lineup is the same. But I actually think that the, you know, the worry with quarterbacks in a sneak is always that they're going to get hurt. It's really interesting. Tom Brady was one of the best at doing that. Whenever they needed first down, right? Fourth and short, Tom Brady would do. They would do the sneak. He would get it? They were never worried. Do you guys remember when Patrick Mahomes.

[Field Yates]

Did a quarterback Broncos Thursday Night Football. Yeah.

[Stefania Bell]

And we were all together watching it and all of a sudden massive alarm bells. Right? Patrick Mahomes is hurt. Subex's kneecap. You know, that was the last we saw of that.

[Field Yates]

Like, he and Kyler Murray do not quarterback.

[Stefania Bell]

Not happen. And so it's not something that translates to every single quarterback. And I also think you remember back when people said, well, because Jalen and Saquon, when Saquon was coming over to the Eagles, they didn't believe Saquon would perform as well as he ended up doing because they thought Jalen was going to steal all the goal line touchdowns and Saquon would never get touchdowns. Wasn't that cute?

[Daniel Dopp]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Stefania Bell]

Remember how that was a word?

[Daniel Dopp]

Things still worked out there.

[Stefania Bell]

It's not a word.

[Daniel Dopp]

I will say this. Over the last four years, the player that has led the entire NFL in rushing touchdowns is not Derek Henry. It's not Josh Jacobs. It's not Jonathan Taylor. It's Jalen freaking Hertz. He has more rushing touchdowns over the last four years than any other player in the NFL. And one of the reasons why we love that is because even though it's a low volume passing offense, rushing touchdowns are worth six points. Passing touchdowns are worth four points. I know that's a really basic and obvious thing, but that elevates his floor in a major way.

[Stefania Bell]

Dude. For those who struggle with math, six. Great.

[Daniel Dopp]

It's more than four.

[Field Yates]

Yep. I'm looking at basically 120 points minimum from Jalen Hurts as a runner every season.

[Stefania Bell]

Yeah.

[Field Yates]

600 plus rushing yards and 10 plus rushing touchdowns. That's sort of the baseline that I think is the low end of where Jalen Hurts ends up.

[Daniel Dopp]

Agreed.

[Field Yates]

All right, so I'm keeping it Jalen. This is segment because I am next going. Jalen Waddle, who I think you guys probably have heard some of my recent affinity for it. There are some questions I have about this Miami offense. Like I think this team a bit of house of cards, this Dolphins team right now. It feels like if there was a team that just like the chemistry falls apart and this just becomes a weird season, this could be, this could be on the short list of teams that I feel that way about. But the upside's pretty obvious, right? He has three 1000 yard seasons. Does Jalen Waddle in his just five year career? He's a really, really talented guy. One of those seasons was tons of volume and a low average yards per catch. One of those seasons was not as much volume at a very high average yards per catch. He's a really, really versatile and talented player. But the part that I think is worth mentioning and again, I'm not, let me know if I'm using this properly. Eschewing Tyree Kill entirely in drafts.

[Daniel Dopp]

That's right.

[Field Yates]

But the reason why I'm a bit more nervous about Tyree Kill, it's just because it seems like him and the organization are in a bad place right now. And if he is in a bad place with the Dolphins and Jalen Waddle steps in and builds off of this preseason hype that we have seen from him, even taking preseason hype with a grain of salt, the possibility of him being wide receiver, one of the Miami offense, which is a potentially very good offense to me, is too good to ignore. And his core, his current ADP is like way down there is like wide receiver 28.

[Daniel Dopp]

I feel that's what I was just going to say to you is that one of the reasons why I love your Jalen Waddle call is because vibes don't seem super high right now. And the reason for that feels like it's Tyreek. Like if I'm building a narrative, it's like, okay, like I still am drafting Jalen Waddle as a guy that can be at least a wide receiver three for my squad. But if anything does happen where like this team does sort of fall apart because of all these issues that are going on, that seems like it would be a Tyreek Hill thing more than anything else, which would just propel Jalen Waddle to being a better option for us and fans.

[Field Yates]

I'm going to give you guys a couple of players and there's really no way to prove this because we can't go through every player season and guarantee the highest level of upside. I personally would argue that the peak upside for Jalen Waddle, by the way, he's dropped down to wide receiver 32 too low field.

[Daniel Dopp]

We got. We got to pump that.

[Field Yates]

To me, the peak upside of Jalen Waddle this season is higher. And this is just my opinion. People can certainly disagree than the upside of, say, Flowers.

[Daniel Dopp]

Yep.

[Field Yates]

Rasheed Rice because of the very likely suspension he's going to have.

[Stefania Bell]

Agreed.

[Daniel Dopp]

Agreed.

[Field Yates]

Cortland Sutton.

[Daniel Dopp]

Yep.

[Field Yates]

And amongst others, Devontae Smith. Yeah, those guys are all really talented players. I just think if you hit the absolute apex value of this player, I think there's a better season in Jalen Waddle's repertoire than those guys. Now Is it a guarantee that any of them hit their peak season? Of course not. But this is why we are talking about draft strategy. And my strategy leans towards a guy like Jalen Waddle.

[Daniel Dopp]

I feel like in this situation, a lot of this. I mean, yesterday we. Yesterday, last year, we just watched this offense be so bad without TUA that I just. It makes me want to know even if something happened there again, the backup quarterback situation. There's. There are more moving parts here, I guess, is what I'm thinking. More moving parts because of that. So I've been in on Jalen Waddle. I have a bunch of. In my best ball drafts because I think that the ADP is too good. Like where he's falling.

[Field Yates]

Yeah.

[Daniel Dopp]

And with the upside that he can have. Have loved to see him do something more. He's kind of been inconsistent throughout his career with the way that the Dolphins have utilized him.

[Stefania Bell]

That's what I was going to say. It's a function of that offense, not a function of him.

[Daniel Dopp]

Yeah. So anyways. But he's still only 26 years old. I mean, the dude can be a beast. Field. I. I like this call a lot.

[Field Yates]

All right. So.

[Stefania Bell]

Yeah. And no John Smith anymore, you know, And I know they have Darren Waller, which we don't really know what we're going to get with. Darren Waller is the tight end in Miami, but John Smith was a pass catcher who took some volume away. And I agree with you with the Tyreek Hill situation. There could be more of this merging of the Tua and Jaylen Waddle.

[Daniel Dopp]

First two seasons of his career, Jalen Waddle was wide receiver 14 and wide receiver 11. Last two seasons of his career, he's been wide receiver 33 and wide receiver 50. I think he's much closer to the first two seasons guy than I do the last two seasons guy.

[Field Yates]

I said, by the way, earlier five seasons for Waddle. I am aging him by a year. Just four. As Daniel reference. No, that was on you. That was good correction by you. And bad.

[Daniel Dopp]

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[Field Yates]

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[Daniel Dopp]

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[Field Yates]

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[Stefania Bell]

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[Field Yates]

Podcasting by Meatus Thurk. All right, peek behind the curtain here. We get our summer slate of stuff that we need to do early in the summer. Keith Lips give us a great job being very, very attentive to here's what it's going to look like, here's the rollout, here's when we need these various things. So I'm the kind of person that sometimes chips away, chips away at things. I don't necessarily just like, sit down, get it done and move forward with my life. This was a piece that I was chipping away on for a little while. I started doing this in early August. Check this. When I initially wrote up Travion Henderson, his ADP was 82.2.

[Daniel Dopp]

82.2.

[Field Yates]

His ADP right now is 60 points. 2.

[Stefania Bell]

Wow.

[Field Yates]

Wow. Full 22 spots over two rounds since I started writing this up early in August. Now, since that time, there's been a lot, a lot of coverage of the Patriots because they've been in training camp. He had a 100 yard kickoff return for a touchdown. And they're.

[Stefania Bell]

People have seen him.

[Field Yates]

You know, I took part in the second preseason game. This guy is good. He is. Hashtag very good is Treveon Henderson. So you can make the case that Henderson should be excluded from this list because he's not the same level of value as he was when I first got started. But I'm going to continue to be a part of the problem rather than the kind of person that's going to suppress his value by not drafting him or taking him, you know, convincing my league to let him go where he was at the beginning of August. You know, you're constantly looking for the upside players in fantasy football and at some point this is going to get too high for Travion Henderson because there are just really, really good running backs that I am seeing him fall behind now in drafts, but in a relatively thin position. Right. Like he has now entered the territory just for data points about who is being drafted just ahead of or right around Travy and Henderson just behind him. James Conner.

[Daniel Dopp]

Yep.

[Field Yates]

Breece Hall, DeAndre Swift, David Montgomery. Those are the guys that are like right in that same vicinity as him. You could make the case that the upside is the highest here because he's the most explosive player out of those guys. Breece hall, maybe a. Maybe right there as well. But hall, there's the uncertainty of how much of a role is he going to have now. It's possible that if Henderson keeps crawling and next thing you know he's ahead of the likes of Alvin Camara and. And Chuba Hubbard, guys who have really, really solid roles like guaranteed. Then maybe it's like too much. But upside really matters in fantasy football. We have seen Trevion Henderson continue to go extremely high in drafts.

[Daniel Dopp]

You mentioned this, and I'm curious what you guys think. You know, one of the reasons why Trayvon Henderson, even though he's been climbing that. I just have a little bit of pauses. I don't know how the Patriots are going to address Ramon Ray Stevenson. If we knew that he just had this backfield to himself. I mean, similar to David Montgomery. Right. He's coming off the board at 22. If there was no Jameer Gibbs in that offense, he'd be a top 12 running back. Top 15 running back for us if there was no Ramon Dre Stevenson and they just decided to give him the full workload. Trevian henderson, like is RB is RB12 too high?

[Field Yates]

It's probably in that range. It's somewhere in like that 12 to 15 range. Because I do think unlike some of the backs that are definitely top 10 backs, I would want to see a little bit of committee because this is a player who was at his best during his final college season.

[Daniel Dopp]

Gotcha.

[Field Yates]

As part of a committee with the. I was going to say the Cleveland Browns. Quincha Judkins who is now a Cleveland Brown at Ohio State. Yeah, love that. Henderson number four. Again, this is based off adp so he has now jumped Jalen Waddle from from when I wrote the piece but I am using the list as it was when I actually submitted to Keith Lipscomb.

[Daniel Dopp]

I'd like to think that you were the reason the and not because of the hundred yard touchdown run back the kickoff and not his play on the field. Like this is all you feel James.

[Field Yates]

Yes. I'll take all the credit I can get for it. Next up here, potentially this year's version of Tony Pollard. Isaiah Pacheco like it's a good starting running back. Same injury, hiding in play sight. Is that right?

[Stefania Bell]

Really fractured fibula, week two of last year, if you recall was a question whether he'd come back and you know, I can't tell you how many people I've heard say he didn't look as explosive or you know, he wasn't the same guy.

[Field Yates]

Well, right.

[Stefania Bell]

He broke his leg and came back in the same season. And you do that sometimes you make those decisions because you're a team that's pursuing a championship all the way to the Super Bowl. So why not allow the player to play if medically he's clear to play. But what do we always say? Return to play, return to performance. Right. Not enough time for him to get back fully from that injury. And so I think people are sleeping on Isaiah Pacheco this year.

[Field Yates]

Yeah, he seems like kind of a boring option. Perhaps too boring for some to be taking. But we look at the Chiefs backfield right now this offseason. I've referenced this previously. The two additions were Elijah Mitchell on a very low risk contract, formerly of the 49ers and then also a seventh round pick on Brashard Smith. Player who began his college career at Miami as a wide receiver, finished up as a running back at smu. He's a good player. I liked him as a prospect he also went in the seventh round. Mike has tracked like historical trends on how much of an impact Day three running backs make and there's not a ton of guys that have broken through that mold and been big factors. So Pacheco in two games prior to the injury last year handled 40 opportunities including seven catches. Like when he is good to go, he seems to be pretty clearly the Chiefs lead back for an offense that we think will be better. He's an objectively talented player and I should note for those that are like Wade, who's to say Burchard Smith can't be a factor when Isaiah Pacheco himself was a factor. Fair point. That being said, these are unlikely things to continue to happen, especially in the same backfield on the same team. I just don't view Kareem Hunt slash Elijah Mitchell slash Burchard Smith as a major threat. And Isaiah Pacheco's current ADP is 80.8. Yes. End of the eighth round, beginning of the ninth round depending on your league size. And that by the way, is is a full round leader than David Montgomery who's going as RB22 versus Pacheco is RB23.

[Daniel Dopp]

And the difference there is we are a little bit, I don't want to say worried but like cognizant that David Montgomery has Jameer Gibbs in front of him. Yes, Isaiah Pacheco doesn't have anybody. He is actually Pacheco is my favorite hero RB second running back. If I grab a guy at the beginning or an anchor running back to start the draft, I don't mind filling out all the rest of my positions and then trying to grab Pacheco as my second running back because last year he was RB12 to 15 for us in the preseason. Now he's all the way down at running back 25 or later in a lot of drafts. So I'm all in on Pacheco. Stefania, when you come back from an injury like that, it's just like different I feel like broken bones versus like ligaments and tissue and stuff like that is there. Am I being crazy when I think.

[Stefania Bell]

That it's so broken bones heal really well. People broken bones sounds bad, right? They think, oh, ankle sprain, that's not so bad. Broken bone, that's terrible. Well, broken bone very painful. But bone heals incredibly well most of the time. Unless you're it's a place where it's not as inclined to heal. That's a different conversation. But broken bones heal well and when bone heals it's it makes it actually stronger the site of the fracture because it lays down more bone. Soft tissue injuries, they're a little bit harder to predict. And especially when you have injury down low, like around the ankle, for example, there can be scar tissue, you can have instability issues, you might have a joint related cartilage issue. So it's hard to predict how players gonna look coming off of any of those kind of injuries. And when you have what Isaiah Pacheco had, you have not only the bone issue, but you also have the soft tissue injuries around it that often don't get mentioned because the quickest thing to say is the fracture. So what that means is it's not just a matter of the bone healing. It's a matter of getting your ankle back to normal, getting the strength of all your muscles around it. And for a running back who runs, we talk about the way angry, stomps his foot into the ground, digs his foot into the ground to make those hard cuts and pivots. People are like, why isn't he as explosive? Well, you're coming off a major injury, you wouldn't be as explosive either. You'd be tentative when you first start to hit the ground. You'd have to get confidence back in your leg. That's what we see. And that's why people like Tony Pollard, who had struggles in that first year back with the Cowboys, then goes to Tennessee and gets a new lease on life and looks like he's running like his former self.

[Daniel Dopp]

New lease on life, and yet he's coming off the board after Isaiah Pacheco Field.

[Field Yates]

And for those reasons, Tony Pollard also makes the list this year.

[Daniel Dopp]

Look at that.

[Field Yates]

Tony Pollard. Who? I said that Isaiah Pacheco may be this year's version of Tony Pollard, or Tony Pollard might be this year's version. That being said, both Pacheco and Pollard are moving up right now. Pollard's been one of the biggest movers over the past seven days. He's up to 86.1. When I submitted this to Keith, he was at 100.3. So basically 14 spots for Tony Pollard moving up already, as I think probably influenced in part by the Taje Spears injury. It was just a reminder to people that it's a thin backfield. But to quote Mike Clay, check this out. Tony Pollard finished the 2024 season sixth in the NFL in rushing attempts, ninth in the NFL in total touches, 12th and rushing yards. And he was a top 20 running back in nine of his 16 games played. That last part is important because what the takeaway is for me on Tony Pollard is that this isn't a guy who's got this crazy massive upside week in and week out, but his floor is better than I think other running backs that are being drafted a little bit ahead of him and certainly right behind him. You and I talked about roster construction a ton so far this preseason. Is that like it's great if you can take three big swings and they all hit like it will be awesome if you drafted Travion Henderson early and you take Travis Hunter and you take Tetaro McMillan and all three of those guys reach what we think is the potential ceiling for the them. There's also a chance that one or two out of those three guys don't return value. Tony Pollard should return decent value going in the ninth round because you're not drafting a player in the ninth round who you understand what the baseline is of his skill set and his opportunity and expecting him to be, you know, the fifth scoring running back in fantasy football this year. This is an identity play. Like, this is a guy who, when my RB2 goes down due to injury or is on a bye week. I've got Tony Pollard waiting in the wings and while he may not have 25 point upside that week, I can probably count on 12 to 16 points. And that is way more comforting than some of the backs you're going to find on the waiver wire around the season because there's all kinds of volatility at running back past like 25 good options.

[Daniel Dopp]

Yeah, I'm just trying to tell me if this, if you feel like this depth chart is wrong field, but we're talking Tony Pollard and then Taj Spears and Khalil Mullings.

[Field Yates]

Khalil Mullings, yes.

[Daniel Dopp]

And then Julius Chestnut. Do I like. None of those names are like, should I be more worried than I am right now because I. It doesn't feel like Tony Pollard has. Has any competition.

[Field Yates]

Yeah, he feels like he's probably the guy once again this season. Yeah, one more pick here before we get to some late round quarterback flyers. There's so many good ones.

[Daniel Dopp]

Oh, I like that.

[Field Yates]

The last one though is Tyrone Tracy Jr. Running back for the New York Giants, who has also seen his ADP go up nearly around over the past week. He's up 9.2 spots is Tyrone Tracy Jr. And again you're going at the end of the 10th round basically is Tyrone Tracy. He definitely saw his value take a hit this offseason because the Giants not only drafted a good player in Cam Scataboo, very notable Player. Right. College football fans know Cam Scatterboo. He was awesome for Arizona State last year. He's been banged up. He's been dealing with the hamstring injury. Right. Stefania for Scottaboo. So we haven't seen a lot of him during training camp, which has given us a reminder that Tracy is still good. And he had 829 yards, I believe it was in the ground last year. He had 1,123 yards as a rookie. Did Tyrone Tracy Jr. And that included the beginning of the season when we did see a healthy amount of Devin Singletary. I think that Tracy is going to be the starter to begin the season. And when you're taking a running back who is going the back end of the 10th round, you don't need him to hold that value all year long. Right. Right. If you can get four, six, maybe eight games of Tracy being the guy that you want to start out of the Giants backfield, it's just worth it. It's just flat worth it.

[Daniel Dopp]

And if you. I mean, ideally, the way that I look.

[Field Yates]

That spot of the draft too.

[Daniel Dopp]

Yeah, at that. At that spot of the draft, when I look at who else he's coming off the board around and I say, all right, can I get potential bi week fill in for my two starters from this guy? That to me automatically is like, all right, I feel comfortable with that. And then there's still upside for more just based on how this backfield shakes out. We love the story and idea of what Cam Scatterboo can be. He's still a rookie. Like he'll have a role at some point.

[Field Yates]

I feel good about that and I.

[Stefania Bell]

Just, I enjoy drafting him because I'm scattered. Yes. And especially now that his draft stock has fallen a little bit with the hamstring injury because I feel like that's somebody I can look forward to in the second half of the season.

[Daniel Dopp]

The only reason you like drafting him is because he's the oldest running back in this rookie class. That's why at 23 years old, he's old for a rookie.

[Field Yates]

Stefania, I would say this. It is so Scatterbu was dropping like crazy. He's down, down to his current ADP, is 127 overall. And there was a time where it was like closer to 100.

[Stefania Bell]

Right. And when we were doing our mock draft project, we all started. You could see that he actually flip flopped with Tracy for a little bit there late in those mock drafts. And I think if we saw a lot, there's Such recency bias for the population in general when it comes to preseason football. Don't you think it's like, oh, yeah, okay. Haven't seen him. No. You know, he's not here. Out of sight, out of mind. Injury, like immediately. Just file him away. But you wait. I think Cam Scatter is going to prove to have value for you later in the season. And for me it's if somebody gets hurt, you know, this is a guy that I want on my bench. I'm comfortable taking him as a flyer pick. Late, late, late.

[Field Yates]

So those are the seven that made the list.

[Daniel Dopp]

Okay.

[Field Yates]

Right. Yep. And then I want to give you three quarterback flyers here. And none of them will be a surprise because we've talked about each one extensively throughout the preseason. But quarterback flyers that I think have. And there's. There are. By the way, I could have named eight quarterback flyers. I felt like the segment lost some punch. If you gave eight, that's fair because it's like it's basically quarterbacks that are going way late. And how many quarterbacks are going way late? The answer is probably like 15 total. So half the league, if you're taking half of that half, is not quite as notable. Here's three. Drake May, who like his teammate Trayvon Henderson, has seen his ADP move up. Let me get May's current live adp. It is now up to. Let's see. Drake May is at 138.7. So he continues to rise. There was a time where Drake May was around 166 on ESPN ADP. That's quarterback 16 for Drake May. To me, it's actually pretty obvious here with Drake May is that if the rushing really hits, which it did last year to a degree, he averaged nearly 8 yards per carry, 7.8 yards. To be specifically for Drake May. None of that was designed until the very end of the season running for his life. Yes, it was. Yes. And so scrambles do help us in fantasy football. But I think what will be even more helpful for Drake May is if he gets five goal to go opportunities this year, which I think is possible by the way, you could see some major, major rushing upside. Not too far behind him is actually J.J. mcCarthy. He's going just 0.7 spots on average behind Drake May. So 138.7 to 139.4. I don't need to belabor this one a whole lot. This is. Mike has laid this out brilliantly many times before that. Basically Kevin O' Connell churns out top 12 he just does Kirk Cousins. Last year it was Sam Darnold. Of course, even the year that Cousins was banged up, there was like a smorgasbord of Josh Dobbs and Nick Mullens and those types of. I think it was Jaren Hall, Josh Dobbs and a couple of other ones that found their way. Nick Mullens cumulative, like top 12 season for the Vikings. So very, very productive offense. And then the third one. This was not how things were when I submitted the piece, but he's going just 1.4 spots behind JJ McCarthy. McCarthy is Jordan Love, who is of course right now dealing with that non throwing thumb issue. But the packers seem very confident he'll be fine for.

[Stefania Bell]

Yeah, he should be fine. He had a surgical procedure and injury on his left thumb. And the thought was, if you get it taken care of now, if you didn't get it taken care of, any kind of instability or issue in the thumb could create trouble, especially with ball security. Things like that that you worry about now, you get it fixed, he should be fine. And also, you know, people are like, well, it doesn't matter at all. Well, it does, because taking snaps, you know, your thumb can affect you, how you set the ball. That all matters. But he'll have plenty of time to be able to get that back field.

[Daniel Dopp]

When you played college football, you were a safety.

[Field Yates]

Mostly bench, but yes. Okay, so did you know they actually let me on the field? It was safety.

[Daniel Dopp]

Did they ever. Did you ever get under center to feel what it feels like to take a snap?

[Field Yates]

I've taken a snap before, but I did not ever play quarterback in my life. I actually. I have a funny story. I did start one game in college because the two seniors who normally started skipped like Friday walkthrough or practice.

[Daniel Dopp]

Stop. I was hoping it was one of those Rudy moments where, like, the team came in and put their jerseys down on the coach's desk.

[Field Yates]

We want fieldy. I think they were just like, Jesus. Like.

[Daniel Dopp]

Yeah, well, I've always wondered, like, when you get a snap from a center, like right before he's about to smash someone in the face, like, how quickly it comes back and hits you in the hands. Like, I can only imagine it's actually more jarring than you think.

[Stefania Bell]

You're talking. It's much more jarring than you think, which is why there's, you know, people say it's no big deal, but when you have a hand injury, that's actually a problem for quarterbacks.

[Field Yates]

Actually, the most jarring thing is to me is the way Quarterbacks throw. So during my time working in both, you know, sort of scouting, it was, you know, part of your job when you're sort of on the lowest rungs is like, sometimes I'll just be like, an extra ball boy. And you see quarterbacks and it looks, of course, amazing on tv. Like, you know, when quarterbacks on the sideline, they'll have someone catch for them. It's because no quarterback is capable of throwing the ball. Like, right, right, right, right.

[Stefania Bell]

How do you like to be assigned that job for, like, Anthony Richardson or somebody?

[Field Yates]

Here's a deep cut back in the day. So Rohan Davey, who was this incredible quarterback out of lsu, he was gigantic, and let's just say that he was not exactly in the best of shape. This is actually funny. Bill Belichick, in a very funny moment, made Rohan Davey, he came out to practice for, like, three weeks in number 72 jersey. Stop. Because he was so out of shape.

[Daniel Dopp]

Stop.

[Field Yates]

Belichick was like an offensive lineman, so he had to wear 72. It was, like, motivation to get him out and get him down to his playing shape. But he somehow. I would always be the person that had to catch Rohan, and I swear to God, it was like catching a Randy Johnson fastball in every playoff. Please don't. Like, my hands were pink.

[Daniel Dopp]

Were you wearing gloves when you would do it, or did you go, I.

[Field Yates]

Wisened up after the first day. Yeah, I'm gonna wear gloves. Like, I just wore gloves, like, around the town at that moment going forward. Like, let me just wear gloves at all times in case of Rohan Davey. Football comes thrown my way.

[Daniel Dopp]

That's incredible.

[Field Yates]

I swear, like, it was like the skin would, like, tear off. It was coming so fast, dude.

[Daniel Dopp]

All right, anyways, we got totally got off track here, but I appreciate this.

[Field Yates]

Really good options, one of which is Jordan Love.

[Daniel Dopp]

And I want to say this. I like, if I had to pick one of these guys, I love Drake. May as well. I think J.J. mcCarthy is the quarterback that I'm the most excited about, because what you saw Kevin o' Donnell do last year with Sam Darnold, he's brilliant, man. He had over 300 fantasy points. He finished as quarterback nine. And this was a quarterback that no other NFL team seemingly wanted. The way that. That Kevin O' Connell is able to scheme up an offense and make sure that you're finding ways to get your people involved. I still think it's a really good offensive line. J.J. mcCarthy should have enough time to be able to throw the ball. I love the idea of if we Saw Sam Darnold do that last year and I don't want to take a shot at Sam Donald pump for the story. Hopefully he does really well in Seattle. But if Sam Darnold can do that, then first round pick JJ McCarthy and all the intangibles that he brings to the table, I'm really high on what he can do this year as well.

[Field Yates]

Totally. Yeah. I mean, the big question with JJ I think that opens up a different level of security for fantasy football is that if he isn't like this super prolific, refined passer right at the gates is how much rushing ability is there. He's a good athlete. He is a, he was a runner in college. We just haven't seen a ton of design runs from a Kevin oconnell offense because they haven't needed to and they also haven't had the quarterbacks that are always the archetype to do it.

[Stefania Bell]

But he did make an interesting comment after JJ had a scramble one of the preseason games like, and that Kevin o' Connell remarked about it, that he liked it. He liked his, his decision making there. He liked that he, I mean he had, he had to move to get that first down and he did so. So that showed a couple things. Number one, J.J. mcCarthy coming off a meniscus repair, which is a big deal because it cost him an entire season. These are not small surgeries. But I think the fact when I went, I was at Vikings camp last year And Darnold and McCarthy were basically splitting their reps with the ones. And even during that practice I saw that happen. It was they were getting equal time. O' Connell was not really showing his hand as to who was going to be the number one. And then J.J. mcCarthy got hurt in that subsequent preseason game. So it was never, there was never a decision that had to be made. I can only imagine how much that boosted the confidence of J.J. mcCarthy, who thought he was in contention for that starting role last year and got all that practice with the team and then stayed with them and grew even though he couldn't play physically. And so I think if you saw I just a little bit I've watched in the preseason, there is a confidence in J.J. mcCarthy's game that I think will allow him to make some of those runs in addition to succeed. I, I want whatever Kevin Okan like. I wish you could bottle that and give it to half these coaches around the league.

[Field Yates]

Oh, man.

[Stefania Bell]

This is how you mentor a quarterback. This is how you develop a quarterback. This is how you build the confidence of a young player. Who has yet to play in the NFL and you want them to have success.

[Daniel Dopp]

I've actually been really frustrated as a Lions fan that, yeah, like we finally got good. Dan Campbell came in and just totally turned the culture on him and Brad Holmes. And then it's like. But of course we have Kevin o' Connell in this same, you know, division that we have to deal with. I do want to say Stefania Johnson. I know, I know. I don't even, don't even get me started. And Malaflor is not a scrub either. I know. The NFC north is.

[Field Yates]

Is loaded. Loaded. Yeah.

[Daniel Dopp]

I do want to say this with the Vikings. I just think it's worth noting Jordan Addison is going to miss the first three games of the season. TJ Hawkinson, he did return last year. He had that MCL ACL injury in 2023. Didn't look like he was fully back.

[Stefania Bell]

I'm very much hoping, very excited about TJ Hawkins.

[Daniel Dopp]

Me too. One of the guys that I'm buying the dip on. And then, and then Justin Jefferson has been dealing with some hamstring issues as well. So there are a few things in that offense just to be able to keep an eye on. I don't know if there are any updates on Justin Jefferson since we last.

[Stefania Bell]

No. But I like it's. This is another one where it's just a little of the gut and really good medical staff who is going to build everything around prepping for week one. Don't forget Justin Jefferson had a hamstring issue previously.

[Daniel Dopp]

Okay.

[Stefania Bell]

That cost him games in the season. I think everyone's mindful of that. So you have to have a combination of getting a player ready to play football. Because we've talked about this before, you don't get enough reps in the preseason. Your ramp up is too fast, that leads to injury. We know hamstrings have a high rate of recurrence. So how do you balance coming off something that's reportedly minor but still be ready to. To. To take on the season, if you will, and take on the volume of work that it will be. It's a bit of a dance. I think this stuff is going to be as good at it in prepping Justin Jefferson as anybody else. Look at how they navigated Aaron Jones. People were worried about his health and he has been pretty fantastic with the Vikings. So I'm not worried about Justin Jefferson. But you can't say there's zero risk just knowing there was a little something to start this season.

[Daniel Dopp]

Do you have a field? I'm so Sorry, it's. It's Field's favorites. Stefania, when you look at my question.

[Field Yates]

You guys, do you have one that you like or hate?

[Daniel Dopp]

Yes, that's what I was going to say. Do you have a favorite out of this list?

[Stefania Bell]

Out of this list? Well, I've already kind of been saying some of the ones I love along like I love J.J. mcCarthy as a flyer. That's huge for me. I agree on the Jaylen Waddle. I probably haven't been as vocal as Field, but I certainly see him emerging and then Isaiah Pacheco, like, just. I love Isaiah Pacheco and I think he has a chance to show people that they were sleeping on him.

[Daniel Dopp]

I agree with that. I've been using the term buying the dip on Isaiah Pacheco coming back. Obviously we saw him last year, but I think there's a lot of recency bias with the idea that, like he returned and didn't look good. And that wasn't.

[Stefania Bell]

Asked me if I had a favorite. Like that wasn't here because his Field's favorites, but just for fun.

[Daniel Dopp]

Oh, Stefania's favorites.

[Stefania Bell]

No, no, I don't want a whole column. I thought you might ask me if I had one because I have one for you.

[Daniel Dopp]

Do you have one? Okay. All right. Who's your favorite? Stefania Bell. Look at that.

[Stefania Bell]

I didn't know. Mecca Igbuka.

[Daniel Dopp]

Okay.

[Stefania Bell]

I think, you know, people are starting to catch on. I think we. Wasn't it Adam on our fantasy draft marathon who said or maybe on NFL Live at some point. Yeah, high praise. They love him in camp and I think there's a reason they picked this guy in the first round. I think he's a talent. I think he's shown that he can be effective out of the gate. We talk about wide receivers taking a year to acclimate. You know, maybe don't expect much, but if Chris Godwin isn't ready to go. And here I just. A little sidebar on. Chris Godwin won't get all into the injury. You've heard me talk about other places. But if he. Even if he's ready to play, I'm not sure he's ready to play at the level he was performing at before or the volume of work out of the gate. He's still not practicing, missing. You know, this is this. His injury was really nasty. When you look at fractured dislocations of the ankle, they're terrible. You don't just step back on the field and all of a sudden move the way you used to and and it's no big deal, you know, so once you're cleared, there's getting back into that football shape. And if you recall, when he came off the ACL mcl, he looked pretty good. Had a hamstring injury that cost him a couple games, but came back. And it wasn't until this year that he really looked great this past year, like the Chris Godwin that we'd come to know and love. And it was such a shame when he got hurt because he was having what could have been a career year for him. All of that said, they've invested in him for three years. I've said this a million times. You. You would think they want him to achieve as much of that contract as they can. He's beloved in the community, so it all makes sense that you don't crush him at the beginning. And even though they're saying all the right things about where he's at in terms of his progression, it may not be enough to be what we think of as Chris Godwin's role in that offense right away. Enter Emeka Igbuka, who I think could really be a nice surprise for fantasy managers out of the gate.

[Daniel Dopp]

Did I. And please correct me if I'm wrong, I should have been more up to date on this. But didn't Jaylen McMillan get hurt this last weekend as well?

[Field Yates]

Yeah.

[Daniel Dopp]

Or is that something that we don't.

[Stefania Bell]

Yeah, we don't know. A lot of information, details.

[Daniel Dopp]

Okay.

[Stefania Bell]

Yes.

[Daniel Dopp]

All right. Well, that's just one more chip, I guess.

[Stefania Bell]

Anyway, I just thought. I just brought one to the party because I thought maybe I should have a party.

[Field Yates]

Wow. I show up empty handed to a party.

[Daniel Dopp]

I guess if I'm going to bring one to the party, I'll be real quick about this. Isaiah Pacheco was one of my guys. I would have said him, but Ricky Piersoll is a wide receiver. I continue to be the Drunk Four.

[Stefania Bell]

Not me. Because everybody thinks I'm.

[Daniel Dopp]

Well, one of us is a 49ers fan. That's right.

[Field Yates]

Yeah.

[Daniel Dopp]

But I'm in on Ricky Pearsall, especially coming off the board.

[Stefania Bell]

You watch any of that Niners preseason game? Who were like the first three completions to Pearsall. Pearsall. Pearsall.

[Field Yates]

You know, that's the only wide receiver they have right now, too.

[Stefania Bell]

I know. I mean they. That a couple other guys make a couple catches out there, but he is clearly the wide receiver one right now.

[Daniel Dopp]

It seems that way. Coming off the board at 1:18. Nice value round. Like that's where you're looking at him, which is not too bad. Like, it feels a pretty good list. If you want to, you can go check it [e-mail] I'll take fine.

[Field Yates]

Yeah, I'll take fine. Totally good with it.

[Daniel Dopp]

Honestly, I mean, we. I say so many nice things about Field that I kind of got to, like, knock him down a peg every once in a while.

[Stefania Bell]

It's his favorite. You gave it a pretty good.

[Daniel Dopp]

Yeah, that's pretty good. It's sort of like where your play does his grades at the end of drafts, like, and we all just get B's or C's. Like. Yeah, it's pretty good. Pretty good. For what it's worth. All right, that's going to do it for us today. We got more for you later on this week. Potentially coming from an island. Yeah, that's right.

[Stefania Bell]

Oh, yeah.

[Daniel Dopp]

So make sure you stay with us. We love you guys. Don't forget to love each other. And we will see you guys next time you're in the whole 6, 010.