Fantasy Football Mailbag: Pre-Training Camp Questions Answered! (07/08 Fantasy Football Podcast)

Summary

Fantasy Football Today (CBS Sports)

Episode: Fantasy Football Mailbag: Pre-Training Camp Questions Answered!
Date: July 8, 2026
Host: Adam Aizer
Analysts: Dave Richard, Jamey Eisenberg, Dan Schneier, Eric

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Episode Overview

This packed mailbag episode sees the FFT crew tackling a range of fantasy football questions sent in by listeners and #AskFFT Twitter followers before NFL training camps kick off. The hosts break down tough draft choices, clarify tricky backfield strategies, dive into team stacking, debate positional roles, and sprinkle plenty of classic banter and off-topic tangents into the discussion. If you're preparing for your fantasy draft, this episode offers nuanced player takes, strategic insight, and plenty of laughs.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Mike Evans Outlook vs. Younger WRs (04:25)

• Listener Question: Why do analysts hold Mike Evans’ down-year against him but excuse poor stretches from younger WRs like Emeka Egbuka?
• Dave: Explains it comes down to age and context. “Evans is way older…he certainly didn’t move as well all season long… He’s changing teams, new quarterback, new system. We are drafting Evans a little later. I’m not going to call him a bust, but expectations have to be lowered.” (05:09)
• Dan: Highlights that Evans should benefit from better QB play with Brock Purdy in San Francisco and could have a high TD ceiling in the Jauan Jennings role, though volume is a concern. (07:00)
• Jamie: Emphasizes Evans’ pedigree: “Mike Evans is a Hall of Famer…if he stays healthy, he’s easily going to be a superstar.” (08:50)
• Rankings Debate: Each analyst ranks Evans alongside David Montgomery, Jameson Williams, and Joe Burrow for PPR leagues (10:42).

2. RB Backfield Pairing – Is “locking up” ambiguous teams wise? (14:19)

• Listener Scenario: Is there merit in drafting both RBs from strong rushing teams (e.g., Swift & Manangai in Chicago) and starting them both weekly?
• Jamie: Generally doesn’t like it—too much risk unless injury creates opportunity. Considers Rams and Bears as possible exceptions. Recommends only doubling up if you unintentionally end up with both (16:26).
• Dave: Approves more for deep leagues, warns against purposely stacking ambiguous backfields but would keep an eye on the second RB if he drafts the first (17:20).
• Consensus: Fine for deeper or best ball leagues, risky as a core strategy. Value comes in injury upside and cost.

3. Guillotine League Tactics & Fair Play (21:45)

• Listener Issue: End-of-season collusion concerns—one manager with remaining FAAB blocks players from opponents by continuous add/drops.
• Dan: “It’s part of the strategy…but feels unsavory.”
• Dave: “Legal for your league, but unsavory conduct.” (23:16)
• Jamie: That’s the design, since the person with most money late usually wins, but heavy-handed add/drop manipulation is a gray area.
• General Take: Not ideal, but not strictly against the rules; league could set specific guidelines if abuse persists.

4. Jameson Williams Value & Lions Passing Offense (26:10)

• Listener Challenge: Why is Jameson Williams ranked below exciting but unproven WRs like Luther Burden after finishing top-12 in total points?
• Dave: Williams’ hot finish required perfect circumstances (Laporta hurt, Campbell calling plays, ARSB missing time). “If we’re going to count on Jameson Williams continuing to ascend, then we’re all wrong on not only Sam Laporta, but Amon-Ra…” (27:46)
• Jamie: “He’s the perfect number three fantasy receiver…when he hits, he’s going to hit huge. When he misses, you’re frustrated.” (31:07)
• Dan: Adds that a more run-heavy, multiple-TE system and improved defense could hurt all Lions WRs’ volume in 2026.

5. Bench Stashes That Could POP Week 1 (33:39)

• Listener Prompts: Name a likely waiver-wire hero who could break out Week 1 and become impossible to add.
• Dave: Greg Dulcich if healthy, due to matchup and opportunity.
• Jamie/Dan: Ryan Flournoy (CHI) or ambiguous Packers/Eagles WRs named as deeper shots; Jalen McMillan (TB) if Chris Godwin falters. (36:01)
• Theme: Target ambiguous receiving corps for breakout potential; don’t chase just a one-week explosion without sticky opportunity.

6. Team Stacking – How Many Players Is Too Much? (44:25)

• Listener Example: Is drafting 3-4 players from one team (e.g., Chargers) too risky?
• Jamie: Only defendable for truly elite offenses with a concentrated attack (e.g., Bengals, Cowboys). For the Chargers: “That’s probably not a team…that I’d want to be all-in on. Herbert gets hurt, it’s completely downhill.” (44:48)
• Dave: Warns it caps upside: “How often in a given year does the quarterback, running back, two wide receivers, a tight end, etc., all have great weeks?” (45:40)
• Eric: Counter-argues that it can boost your floor, and in rare cases can win a league if offense surges. Advises moderation and careful ADP value.

7. Deep Dive: Lions & Falcons O-lines for 2026 (51:34)

• Lister Insight: Lions fan expects much improved Detroit O-line in 2026, benefitting players like Jameer Gibbs.
• Dave: Slightly prefers the Lions’ new-look O-line over the Falcons’. (52:15)
• Dan: Points to the import of coach Drew Petzing’s run schemes making up for lesser talent; likens Cade Mays’ signing as “one of the oddest” steals of free agency and a huge win for Detroit run blocking. (54:15)
• Jamie: “Sometimes we think of names more so than what they are right now,” warning not to overrate ex-star linemen now past prime. (53:08)

8. Dallas Cowboys RB2 Mystery (61:13)

• Randy (Vancouver, WA): Who’s the “real” RB2 in Dallas?
• Dave: “Coaches want it to be Jaydon Blue for a speed element, but I don’t know if that’s who it’ll be.” (61:22)
• Jamie/Dan: Suggest veteran additions like Kamara or Conner make sense and would impact Javonte Williams’ upside. (61:28)
• Eric: Offers stats showing just how explosive Jaden Reed has been versus vets like Alvin Kamara, suggesting the need to pay attention to younger depth options as well for in-season upside. (62:24)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Dave on fantasy double standards: “Maybe you got me on that one. I think that goes without saying that you can’t say that one is one without the other being the same thing.” (06:13)
• Jamie on Evans & Aging Stars: “The great ones tend to still perform as they get older…if this was Mike Evans first contract leaving Tampa Bay…we’re talking about a top-10 guy…” (08:50)
• Dan on old perceptions: “A lot of times we just rely on a player’s name or what he’s done in the past—not realizing some of these injuries just completely reshape who they are.” (37:01)
• Eric on team stacking trade-offs: “At the end of the day, you just want to get the best players…if you had Stafford, Puka and Devante Adams, you’re probably singing a different tune right now.” (47:08)
• Classic banter: Ongoing debates about fruit salad components (13:07), diner food choices (58:19), and Adam’s steamed broccoli order.

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• [04:25] – Mike Evans vs. Young WRs/Context in Player Analysis
• [14:19] – “Locking” RB Backfields: Pros, Cons, and Best Backfields
• [21:45] – Guillotine League Fair Play & Tactics
• [26:10] – Jameson Williams, Lions Offense, and Target Share Fears
• [33:39] – Potential Week 1 Waiver Wire Heroes/Deep Bench Picks
• [44:25] – Team Stacking: How Many Is Too Many?
• [51:34] – Lions O-Line Preview: Why This Year Could Be Even Better
• [61:13] – Who Is Really Dallas RB2? Blue, Free Agent, or…?

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Signature Tone & Style

• Originality & Camaraderie: True to form, the show is lively, informal, argumentative, and irreverent—with food tangents (fruit salad, diners, cheesesteaks), pop culture quizzes (Simpsons, Sopranos), and even travel logistics debates.
• Expertise: Player takes are sharp with adamant, clear attribution—debates center on process as much as outcome.
• Listener-Focused: Most content is directly listener-driven, with panelists rapidly fielding tough hypothetical draft dilemmas, trade grades, and format-specific questions.

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Summary Takeaways

• Don’t force “handcuff” or double-up RB strategies unless value and depth make it sensible.
• Be wary of overstacking your teams—even on cheap offenses, it raises floor but may cap upside.
• Downgrade aging stars with new roles, but don’t fall into double standards when excusing young breakouts’ bad stretches.
• Watch ambiguous depth charts and ambiguous O-lines for late-round hits.
• Expect the Lions’ run game and O-line to improve, but don’t over-project passing volume if defense takes a step up.
• Always check the latest camp and signing news for best-in-league backfield ambiguity and emerging RB2 candidates.

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For anyone prepping a fantasy draft, this episode delivers not only answers to nuanced fantasy dilemmas, but also a perfect example of the analytic, competitive, yet friendly approach that trademark FFT.

Transcript

[Adam]

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[Narrator]

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[Dave]

This is Fantasy Football TODAY from CBS Sports.

[Dan]

What a play. Can you believe this?

[Adam]

No, I can't.

[Dave]

It's time to dominate your fantasy league.

[Dan]

Off to the races and he stays at his feet. Now here's some combination of Adam, Dave, Jamie and he.

[Eric]

It's mailbag time. And it's not Friday, it's a Tuesday. Although this may not air on Tuesday for you audio people. Welcome to fantasy football today with a busy mail, a jam packed mailbag. Cause Dan's here. Hey, Dan.

[Dan]

What's going on, guys?

[Eric]

Jamie, of course is here wearing a hat. Hey Jamie.

[Jamie]

Good morning.

[Eric]

Thank you for not wearing a hat that is giving me epilepsy like the one you wore yesterday. And Dave is here. What's up, Dave?

[Dave]

Let's get to the emails.

[Eric]

Oh, come on, Dave.

[Dave]

No one cares how I'm doing. They want their questions answered.

[Dan]

People care about you, Dave.

[Eric]

People do care. Yeah. We have questions about Mike Evans. We have questions about fruit salad. We have questions about drafting both running backs in the same backfield. We have a guillotine league settings question. We have, oh, a good question about Jameson Williams and. And more. All right, so let's get what? Fine, Dave. The email address is fantasy football cbsi.com. that's the letter I. Fantasy football cbsi.com first one is from

[Dan]

Rusty.

[Jamie]

Here.

[Eric]

The first one is from Eric.

[Jamie]

There we go.

[Eric]

He says, hey, Michael, Jalen, Mike and AJ

[Dave]

Receivers.

[Eric]

Michael Jalen feels that way.

[Dave]

Jalen waddle, Mike Evans, A.J. brown.

[Dan]

But what are they? What do they have in common?

[Jamie]

I don't know.

[Dave]

They're receivers, dude.

[Jamie]

Say the names again.

[Eric]

Michael. Michael, Jalen. Jalen with a Y. Yeah, J, A, L, E, N, Y. Just kidding. Mike and A.J.

[Jamie]

they're all receivers who change teams this offseason.

[Eric]

Oh, Jamie with the win.

[Dan]

Nice.

[Eric]

All right, when Dave was talking about Mike Evans recently, part of his negative opinion was Evans poor performance last year causing Dave to be lower on Evans this year. Is that you, Dave, or is he talking about Heath?

[Dave]

That sounds like something I'd do.

[Jamie]

Okay.

[Eric]

However, when it comes to a Mecca, Buka's poor end of the year, we say, well, he was hurt. The O line was banged up, Baker was hurt. I'm curious if we dock Evans and excuse Ibuka despite them playing under the same circumstances. I also wonder if there's any situation where we're doing a similar thing. Just look at these numbers for one guy. But. Yeah, but excuses for the other guy. And then we have a PS about fruit salad that I'll get to. But Dave, since you've been sort of called out here, what would you like to say to Eric?

[Dave]

I would say that some context is needed when we talk about using the poor play and injury tag for Evans, knowing that he's way older than a book. I don't have it in front of me, but he might be a decade older than a Mecca Buka. And so when I. I Excuse Abuka because he played through a hamstring injury. But he's young, he's in the same offense for the second year in a row. He's well, mostly the same offense, certainly the same quarterback, same team, all that stuff. And we saw at the beginning of the year that he's still an ascending player. We've seen Mike Evans play great for years and years, but last year his efficiency tanked. He, he certainly didn't move as well all season long. Not just after the collarbone injury and the hamstring injury and the concussion, but he just, he didn't move quite as well. He certainly wasn't anywhere near as productive as he has been in years past. And he's changing teams, he's changing his roles. New quarterback, new system that he's in. That being said, we are drafting Evans a little bit later. I'm not going to go as far as to call him a bust, but I think expectations have to be lowered for him. Whereas I feel like the ceiling is higher for a Mecca Buka. As for making excuses for a Buca's injuries and not for Evans, maybe you got me on that one. I think that goes without saying that you can't say that one is one without the other being the same thing.

[Dan]

We just did an episode or two episodes on beyond the box score on Evans earlier this off season. Then Igbuka these 20 minute player deep dive. So I do have two stats I want to put out there that are on the top of my mind. The first one was for an Igbuka podcast but I think it applies to the Evans podcast or to the Evans outlook on throws that were 10 plus air yards last year. Where do you think Baker Mayfield ranked in accuracy?

[Eric]

Terribly last or second to last? Jacob just Jacob is just on and talked about this and is your other stat about how Mike Evans was like number one in separation score on Fantasy points status suite?

[Dan]

Yeah, correct. So I think the the BL end all of it is do we expect Brock Purdy to put a more accurate ball placement on Evan specifically in the red zone? And the answer at based on last year's tape would be yes. So that's my Evans stat. And then as for Buka, I think it's really just the role I watched we went back and watched a ton of tape to do that podcast and it's like they used him as a sacrificial ex receiver that sacrificial lamb x receiver last year. They're not going to do that this year. They've already talked about not Doing that this year they're talking about moving him more inside, using him as the Z, the move Z. And to me, that's what gets him going in the way that Ohio State used him and the way they used him to begin here when he was really productive. Igbuka then kind of at the end of the year, he's running these like vertical routes, these double moves and Baker's missing him. He's off time, he's off target. I just think the role for a book is going to be better this year within that offense for sure.

[Dave]

What did you guys see for the role? What are you projecting for a role for Evans this year? Because there's some things historically about the 49ers that make me nervous. And then a lot of people are just kind of saying, well, he's just going to slide into what Juwan Jennings was doing. And Jennings had nine touchdowns last year, which was awesome, but he didn't even average 12 PPR points per game. And that's kind of what Evans did last year. Are you projecting him to be in that role and maybe even seeing greater volume than what he had, than what Jennings had? Evan's in the Jennings role, but with more volume than what Jennings had.

[Dan]

No, I think you're 100 right, that there is at least for me, some nervousness around that. Like is there going to be enough volume for him to be good enough for fantasy? The problem for like the issue for that for me is it's like I don't know how much volume I need if he is in that role. Because like you said, Jennings scored nine times and Evans is a better player. So if Evans gets into that double digit touchdown range, he'll pay back that ADB pretty easily. It's similar to devonte Adams bet last year, I think.

[Eric]

Jamie, anything to add?

[Jamie]

I think if you're concerned about Evans, it's really mostly because of age more than anything else and, and the injuries that he suffered last year. I would just hope that the, the nice thing about Kyle Shanahan, he's been so good at adapting to his personnel, more so than making his personnel adapt to him. And I think that's the biggest plus is that they obviously mutual. Evan said he wanted to change and clearly wanted to be in San Francisco. San Francisco, obviously realizing they needed to find some help knowing that Juwan Jennings to me is just a guy, you know, I think he's a good player. I don't think he's a great player. Mike Evans is a Hall of Famer, you know, Adam You've talked about this in, in regards to how wide receivers age and the great ones tend to still perform as they get older in some way, shape or form. And as, as Dan just alluded to, devonte Adams did that last year, even though it wasn't great across the board, he scored 14 touchdowns. Like Mike Evans, if he stays healthy, is going to be a very good fantasy wide receiver if he struggles and gets hurt. Based on what we've seen the last two years, 31 years old now, you know, like there's, there's reasons for red flags. I think if this was Mike Evans first contract leaving Tampa Bay based on what he showed, we're talking about a top 10 guy. You know, like in going to this offense, going to the system, being everything that he could be, he's clearly not that player anymore. So I mean the upside favor is a buka, not that we're comparing the two. And as Dan said, like they're, they're going to move him around and change his roles and give him different opportunities. I think just in the case of Mike Evans, like the pro Mike Evans people are or fantasy managers are going to say, okay, he's got this track record and now he's the number one guy in San Francisco. You have Ricky Piercel can't stay healthy. George Kell is coming off an achilles injury. Christian McCaffrey's 30 years old. Like, if Evan stays healthy, he's easily going to be a superstar.

[Dave]

All right, so that's the, that's a great bull case for Evans. I want to name some players. Can you guys rank these guys? And then if you want, Adam, we can move on.

[Eric]

Yes.

[Dave]

Evans, David Montgomery, Jameson Williams, Joe Burrow, PPR league. Who are you taking? First, second, third, fourth?

[Eric]

Evans, Montgomery, jmo.

[Jamie]

Evans, Montgomery Burrow. Jmo.

[Dan]

Yeah, I'm in Jamie's camp there.

[Eric]

Oh, what a shock. Took eight and a half minutes for those.

[Dave]

I've got, I've got Burrow. I've got Burrow, Montgomery, Evans, jmo. And Evans is ahead of all those names in our adp.

[Jamie]

Okay.

[Dan]

Yeah.

[Eric]

Hey, what's up, dad? Team Jamie over there.

[Dan]

It's not Team Jamie. It's just if he ranks it the way I rank it, I'm just gonna, I'm not gonna, for the sake of ranking it differently, give you a different answer. Adam, don't rile me up this early. We've got a long way to go. We've got a long drive ahead of us. We do, we do.

[Eric]

We have a lot of an hour and a Half drive together. So I brought this up yesterday on the. At the end of yesterday's show, and I'd like to get your thoughts on it. Good. Good etiquette and bad etiquette from Dan. Number number one. Good etiquette by going to your. Your parents house and shortening drive. Great.

[Dave]

And modesty, too.

[Eric]

Terrible etiquette by not offering to drive the second leg.

[Dan]

Like, oh, I will drive the whole thing if you want.

[Advertiser]

You didn't offer.

[Dan]

I was gonna offer.

[Jamie]

I think. I think, honestly. Hold on. I think honestly, it's actually better if. If Adam drives simply because this is probably what's gonna look like.

[Dan]

Yeah, I should make him show for me.

[Jamie]

I should go right to the backseat.

[Eric]

Is that dumb and Dumber? Am I by Lloyd or something? Who is that? That is great. All right. Also in this email.

[Jamie]

Dan, get the reference.

[Dan]

No, I don't. I've never seen dumb and dumber.

[Eric]

No, also in the email.

[Dan]

Sorry.

[Eric]

Eric says fruit salad. Why are we putting whole cherries with the pits in them in our fruit salad? We cut up all the other fruits before we put them in. Can we not cut a cherry in half? A lot of work.

[Dave]

Sure.

[Eric]

But can we make a cherry easy to eat? If you really want to. I have a cherry pitter. It's the best. Six at a time. How many?

[Dan]

I've had at least 100 fruit salads in my life at parties or bought them. I can't remember more than two having cherries in them.

[Jamie]

Yeah, I mean, cherries is probably not the. The smartest thing to put in fruit style.

[Dan]

Never in there.

[Jamie]

Because it's. It's more challenging to.

[Dave]

Yeah.

[Jamie]

To make it happen. But I mean, if you're gonna eat cherries, just use a cherry pitter.

[Dan]

I actually think that's stupid.

[Jamie]

Yeah, we have both. We have grapes.

[Dan]

Don't belong in this fruit out as good as grapes are. No, they're as good as they are. They don't work with the fork. They really are not fork friendly.

[Dave]

Do you guys put watermelon in your fruit salad?

[Dan]

I would hope.

[Dave]

Yeah, there's seeds and watermelon.

[Eric]

Yeah, you can eat those seeds, though. They're not pits.

[Dave]

Yeah, I understand, but it's. Come on, Dave. Still a nuisance.

[Eric]

Dave, come on. You gotta step up your mailbag game. Coming at me with watermelon seeds. Dan, fruit salad is a. Is a hand. Hand meal anyway. You can eat hand meal. No, eat it with a fork. I mean, you could.

[Jamie]

And Rick, Ricky in the chat's a big fan of your take.

[Eric]

What did he say, oh, my gosh, get profanity.

[Dan]

Tell us how you really feel.

[Eric]

All right, let's get one more email in here. I'm gonna give you guys three minutes on this because we're up against the break. But this is another one from a guy named Eric. And Eric says, I'm workshopping a strategy where I grab both running backs at an ambiguous backfield on a team that's good at running and starting them both each week. Swift and Manangai, for example. Do you like it? If so, which teams do you like best?

[Jamie]

Jamie? Oh, boy, I don't like it. But that's probably a good one. The Rams obviously are a good one with Coram and Kyron. I hope, I hope, I hope it's not going to be like Arizona, New Orleans situation where they're still giving work to the veteran guys where that could matter. Where you don't get the best of Jeremiah Love and you still potentially get some of James Connor. You don't get the best of Travis Hn and still Alvin Camara. Like, those type of things would be awful. There's not really a team I could think of off top of my head that would be like, oh, this is, this is great.

[Eric]

I would say maybe. What do you think about this? Maybe in a shallower league, do it where you can start Kyron or Swift. You don't have to start. You might have better options. So you don't have to start Menangai or Corum. But man, if someone gets injured in one of those backfields, well, now you've guaranteed yourself probably like a top eight ish running back.

[Jamie]

Yeah. But I guess the question would be, is if you're, if you're doing this, you know, so, like, this is obviously something that you're targeting. You're not drafting Kyron and Corum back to back. Like, what did you do in between Chiron and Quorum that you couldn't get somebody else that could be still a potential starter for you?

[Dave]

Sure.

[Eric]

Yeah. So. So, you know, again, I mentioned this on yesterday's show or Monday's show like this, the last 11 games of the season for both Menangai and Quorum, that's when they started going. Now manangai, it was 12, but he had one game without Swift. So he take the 11 games with Swift, the 11 games with Corum for, with. With Kyro Williams for play.

[Jamie]

Corum.

[Eric]

Kyron Williams was about RB14 per game in that stretch. And, and Deandre Swift was about RB18 per game in that stretch, which is pretty similar to their adp. So if you think they can replicate that and you draft them at cost and they're, you know, roughly RB 15 through 18 and ADP, that's not bad. I don't know that you're going to enjoy starting the other guy.

[Jamie]

I. I think, like, if. If you're. If you fall into this unintentionally, like, the way you want to do it is you take a standout running back, early hero rb, whatever approach you do, and then it's like you take the Jacksonville backfield or the Pittsburgh backfield or something like that, and you don't have to start both of those, but you have them. And then to your point, Adam, if it works out where or it doesn't work out, but obviously if somebody gets hurt, then you're. You're in. In a good spot. But you didn't spend a lot of cost on those second and third guys while you still have a stud. So, like, if I was gonna really, like, purposely do this, I would say, like, I would take Kyron and then probably in the middle rounds, like Jalen Moore and Rico Dowdle play Corum, and now I have both backfills locked up and I'm starting probably week one, Jalen, Warren and. And Kyren, and then if it works out where Corum is that much better than both Pittsburgh guys, then I'll play both.

[Dave]

The deeper your league is, the more I like that idea. And I would. I would never go into a draft with the intention of drafting an ambiguous backfield, but if I got one of the running backs from such a backfield, I'd keep the antenna up for the other. And I've been saying it since the off season. And Dan, it's up to you if you want to back me up on this one or not. But I think if you draft Cam Scatterboo, getting Tyrone Tracy is like, beyond a handcuff. There's a chance they both end up working a lot. But I think your team, the Giants, are going to end up being a little more run friendly than we'd like to admit. And that means that getting both those running backs on the same team, you should have a starter each week. I think if you get Warren and Dowdle, I think you're going to have a starter each week. And Scatterboo will be expensive, but the other running backs that we're talking about, not nearly as expensive. When I look at the Rams and I look at the Bear situations, I kind of feel like they're a little bit more, well, maybe not the Bears, but the Rams. A little bit more handcuffy and a little bit less ambiguous because I still think at the end of the day, Kyron isn't. Kyron would have to do some bad things to lose more of his role. I still think he's the clear one. A just corm's gonna have a sizable role that will be annoying but not necessarily crushing for Kyron's week to week value. Whereas if Chicago really does split drive versus drive with Swift and Manangai, there will be weeks where Swift gets a lot of work, just does nothing with it. Mananga gets the same amount of work. He just happens to break a couple of long runs, he's on the field at the right time, he scores a touchdown. They don't necessarily have designed roles, whereas I think there are design roles on the Rams with their running backs to a degree.

[Eric]

All right, let's take a break and get to the rest of your emails when we come back on Fantasy Football today. Hey, before we jump back into the show, let's take a quick break. But not just any break. This is a refreshing break with Snapple. We all know about Snapple's iconic real facts, so let's take a minute to go over some of my faves. Snapple RealFact 1983 the first player drafted to play pro football never played in the league. Snapple Real Fact 11:19 the Grand Canyon could hold about 900 trillion footballs. Snapple Real Fact 20:64 the first college football game broadcast on TV was on September 30, 1939. Snapple Real Fact 1-896-the tradition of playing football on Thanksgiving originated with college football in 1876. So grab a Snapple, take a second and enjoy the moment because let's be honest, this might be the most refreshing part of your day. Snapple make your break more interesting. All right. Now let's get back to the show. As a young adult, finding the right path to your future can feel overwhelming. It starts with Year up United's tuition free job training program Career Pathways. If you're without a Bachelor's degree but have a high school diploma or ged, you can get skills first training to succeed in the industries you're passionate about, all while earning a weekly educational stipend to offset basic expenses. From there, you'll have access to internships and hands on experiences with Fortune 500 companies and with Europe United's job placement services and personalized coaching and mentorship. You can put your knowledge, skills and most importantly confidence into into practice. Apply to Europe United today and take the first step toward achieving the career you want. Visit europe.org to learn more.

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[Eric]

need help with a Guillotine League, Ace writes Last year we ran into an issue. By the way, I think this is beyond just guillotine leagues, okay, this is a this is a problem in a lot of leagues. I could play the fantasy cops music, but I'm not going to, Ace says. We ran into a problem last year toward the end of the Guillotine league. We had one player with money left and a few players with zero. The player with money left would add the top waiver claim players for $1 and drop the others. He would then put in a claim for the players he dropped originally with other players on his bench and continue this cycle. So none of his players or waiver wire top players could clear waivers in time for games. I am torn on what to do this year. Is this just the benefit of keeping money or is it against the spirit of the rules? So it's just using all of your remaining fab to add drop players, put them on waivers and you know, screw your your opponents. Dan, you're a Guillotine League guy. What do you think about that?

[Dan]

This is tricky. I don't think I was thinking in my head, I don't think I've ever run into this problem in my redraft leagues, my home league, or in the guillotine leagues. I on one hand I want to say it's part of the strategy of keeping your money and you deserve the benefit of that. But on the other I feel like there might be an easier solution as far as like what your rules are with players and waivers, right? Like if can you drop a player and pick up the same player within A certain period of time. And some leagues, I know that's not legal, but it's different because it's not a free pickup. It's a. You're paying for the pickup, again, with waiver money. I'm not sure on this one.

[Dave]

File this one under legal for your league, but unsavory conduct.

[Jamie]

I think the. The one thing though, with guillotine leagues, I think this is kind of where Dan was going is like the. The strategy is getting money at the end, is having money at the end. And that's part of. As part of the. The game is like, you know, can you make it to the end and still have the biggest bank? Because then you control the rosters. Now. This is obviously something that's not the best way to do it because typically these things come back to bite you. But I do think that that's part of the strategy, you know, is that whoever has the most money at the end, typically is going to be the one that has the best control of the board. And the difference between guillotine leagues and. And other leagues, you know, you get this probably in a fantasy championship, maybe the semifinals, but, like, the rosters are so stacked. Like, you know, that's the. The biggest thing is like, you may have this superstar roster and you can manipulate how the other team is gonna. Is gonna go. So there's really. No. I don't think there's anything you could really say to make a rule in place. You know, add drops and. And stuff like that. It's. It really comes down to, you know, can. Can you. Do you see. Are you going to see this every year where there's somebody just doing that consistently? It's hard to say.

[Eric]

Yeah, yeah, it's tough. I think if you. I think if you have a lot of fab. Kind of can do what you want with it, especially if you're not adding and dropping the same players. Let's say you, you know, you drop two of two bench players for waiver guys on Tuesday, and then you drop. And then you drop those waiver guys on, like, Friday.

[Dan]

Right.

[Eric]

And the. And then they are stuck on waivers, like. And no one can. I'm fine with that. As long as you're picking up two different players, I guess, than the ones you originally dropped, I think I'm okay with that.

[Jamie]

The thing. The thing with guillotine leagues is, like, you're gonna have, you know, Joe Burrow, Lamar Jackson, Josh Allen. Like, you know, somebody's gonna have one of those guys. Somebody's gonna have the other one. And everybody else gonna be available to you. So you, you may look at it and say, okay, I'm gonna ride with Josh Allen because he's been my quarterback all season long. But I don't want this other guy to have Joe Burrow because he's playing the Browns and they stink. And I'm just going to add Joe Burrow, but I don't need Joe Burrow. So I'm gonna drop like it's just gonna have those type of scenarios that you don't see in any other format.

[Eric]

Question do you guys have zero dollar bids in in guillotine leagues?

[Jamie]

The ones that I've played in and I've done several different sites is you typically do a first come first serve after.

[Dan]

Yeah.

[Jamie]

Waivers or fabric.

[Eric]

All right, here's a question from Jake in Clayton, California. Dear Rod, Rod, Todd and Mod Dan.

[Jamie]

Oh wow.

[Dan]

This is obviously a movie reference.

[Eric]

No, Jamie.

[Jamie]

No idea.

[Eric]

Oh, I knew Dan wasn't gonna get it.

[Dave]

Wait, aren't you gonna ask me?

[Eric]

I know you know it.

[Jamie]

Wrestling?

[Dan]

No.

[Eric]

Buenos Ding dongs.

[Dave]

Far more high brow than Russell.

[Eric]

It's the Simpsons. Can you explain why a 25 year old wide receiver with this profile is ranked so low? Okay, he was wide receiver 22 in PPR in 2024. He was wide receiver 12 last year. Three straight years of increases in targets, receptions and yards entering his age 25 season. This player is Jameson Williams and I already know the response will be. But Drew Petzing's offense only focuses on tight ends. Anyway, he's got some other thoughts there. But tell me how someone unproven like Luther Burden is ranked ahead of Jameson Williams. Wouldn't Burden's best case scenario this year just be what Williams did last season? And again Williams was 12th overall last year. But this is why I don't. This is why I prefer per game, just FYI because he was like outside the top 25 per game. 21 per game. Sorry, I've got him at 19 in full PPR. But you in a normal year, 12.9 PPR. Fantasy points per game is more like not even top 30 anyway.

[Dan]

Well, this is the new normal.

[Narrator]

Probably.

[Eric]

I don't know. We. We tend to do this a lot with positions and overreacting to one year. Let's. Let's see it happen again before we call it the new normal. But anyway, yeah, like Jameson Williams. Are we underrating him?

[Dave]

I think we're baking in his floor a little bit more into his where we're ranking him because we remember how the year started for Detroit and He didn't even average 10 PPR points per game until the Lions made a big decision to have Dan Campbell call plays. And then Sam Laporta got hurt. And that context is really important because if you just look at the raw numbers, yeah, sure, but Jamo had a great second half and the top 12 in total points, whatever. A lot of it had to do with what the situation was in Detroit. And unless you're saying that Sam Laporta is going to completely not be a factor or he's going to get hurt again, I don't know if we can count on that same type of year from Jameson Williams. I also think that if we are going to count on Jameson Williams continuing to ascend, then we are all wrong on not only Sam Laporta, but a Monroe St. Brown. And that would be problematic for those who are taking St. Brown with a first round pick. I. I think Jamo is a fantastic player. I love the talent so much, but I think people are reaching for him. I think his ADP is just a little bit too high because there's such a consistent track record of him not putting up the same type of numbers when Laporta and St. Brown are there. And last but not least, the question about whether or not Petzing is a tight end guy or whether he's just using the strength of his players. I looked into that and on one hand I think there's a case that can be made that Petsing does adjust to his players. And you can look at what they did with the run game over the last year, year and a half in Arizona, and you can see that they did make changes to that run game, not necessarily in terms of personnel, but how they decided to run that made those running backs more James Connor in 2024 than anything in 25. But he did adjust to what their strengths were and he went forward that way. Would he do that again if Laporta struggled or got hurt? Yeah, I think he would. But this dude used multiple tight end formations so much that you can't help but think that it's part of the reason why he was hired in Detroit. And I think we're going to see that play out again. Doesn't mean Williams won't be on the field. There's going to be a lot of two receiver sets, but I do think tight ends are going to be a big part of what the Lions do this year.

[Jamie]

Okay.

[Dan]

Yeah, I really think Dave nailed this with Petsing. And it's not just that we're going to see more LaPorta I know you mentioned at the beginning, Adam, you don't want to hear that argument. We're going to see more of his. He was on 13 personnel before McVeigh was on it. If you look at the numbers and you go back a couple seasons and he was using that to generate action in the run game, what I really think we're going to see is a more run heavy approach. And that is going to be aided by the fact that the Lions had a worst case scenario situation play out with their defense last year. From a production standpoint and mostly from an injury standpoint, that defense is going to be better off almost definitely this year. The game script is going to be way different than it was for the Lions this year. So I think the passing in general is just going to come down. So now it's similar in my mind to. Okay, well he brought up the case in the email. Jameson Williams scored X amount of points this year and he's supposedly taken this jump last year in 2025. Well, if Laporta is back on the field and their game script is better and they're running more, we're probably going to see more of that version of Jameson that we saw a couple of years ago from a lack of volume standpoint.

[Eric]

Jamie, I'll throw out some names, by the way, I'll throw out some names for you.

[Jamie]

Jamie.

[Eric]

You got James, Jameson Williams, Mike Evans,

[Jamie]

DJ Moore, all over Jameson Williams. I think just the, the case of.

[Advertiser]

Over.

[Eric]

Wait, I'm sorry, he's last there.

[Jamie]

Jameson Williams last year. Yeah. I think just in the case of, of Williams, it's. He's the perfect number three fantasy receiver that you want to have on your team because when he hits, he's going to hit huge.

[Dan]

Yeah.

[Jamie]

And when he misses, you're going to be frustrated. But you take the hits because of what he can give you.

[Dan]

Right.

[Jamie]

So the, the petsic part of this is he's never had players at this caliber, as many good ones as he's going to have with Detroit. But you also look at like Michael Wilson was pretty damn awesome last year as a wide receiver, as a fantasy receiver. So the receivers are going to be fine. I just think if you just look at Jameson Williams, like you have to just put him in, in the context and, and the guys I think that he belongs in like I think Mike Evans is a good one because you're chasing touchdowns a little bit with Mike Evans. Obviously Evans has a potential to do more. Christian Watson's a good comparison. You know, just because we're Expecting him to take a leap as the number one receiver in Green Bay. But you saw what he was capable of doing last year. Sort of just as big play threat was a top 20 wide receiver. But Jameson on another team would be amazing to me. He's what Devonte Smith has been the last couple of years. Like a good complimentary receiver. A guy that's going to have some big weeks and a guy that' be average at times just because he's surrounded by so many good players like Jameer Gibbs. If we think he's going to be as good as he is, is going to hurt everybody else. If Sam Laporta takes a step forward or performs like he did in his rookie season, he's going to hurt. Jameson Williams. The, the safe one to me is always going to be a Monroe St. Brown just because his numbers have been consistent. He's a guy that Jared Goff's going to lean on and he plays at the part of the field where I think it's just easy to say these things are replicable no matter who's calling the place.

[Dan]

Right.

[Jamie]

I just think Jameson Williams is. You gotta, you gotta know what you're getting. If, if the pro Jameson Williams people want to take him around or two earlier and maybe Laporta gets hurt again or maybe God forbid, Amara say Brown gets hurt. Like it. It could be absolutely amazing, but there's going to be weeks when everybody's healthy that he's just going to disappear. Yep. All right.

[Eric]

And also keep in mind his best game of the year scored 27 fantasy points against the Packers. Not only was Laporta out in that game, but Amon Ross St. Brown left in the first quarter and Whit Jamo had a 37% target share that game. We know what he can do when he gets the targets, but he clearly benefited from laporta being out last year. And then that one game he benefited from St. Brown being out.

[Jamie]

I think. Again, what have we been saying all off season about Devontae Smith? Oh my God, those three games when A.J. brown was out. Now he's got this opportunity to be this, that and the other thing. Like that's what we'd be saying if. If Amara St. Brown decided he wanted out of Detroit.

[Eric]

All right, this is from books. Could you each name one bench player who could come out and have a crazy first game making him nearly impossible to get off the waiver wire in Week 2? Non injury related but.

[Dave]

But somebody who's going to be good the rest of the season or just someone who, because you could pull a big physical Bills wide receiver from last year who was amazing in week one and then you know what happened after that.

[Jamie]

So.

[Dave]

Yeah, I'm assuming you want somebody who can at least be good the rest of the way. If Heath were here, he would already be screaming Greg Dulcich and I would co sign that. Especially because he's taken on the Raiders in week one. That should be a good opportunity. And if there's a Raiders receiver you like, they're taking on the Dolphins in Week 1. One of those guys can end up being a good.

[Jamie]

Does he mean bench player? Like bench player on his own team?

[Dave]

No, I think he's meaning somebody that's just not getting drafted. That would be the hot name that we would talk about off the waiver wire. Yeah, I don't know. I don't remember who the Commanders play in week one. You can look it up. But Okonkwo might not get drafted in every league. His ADPs in round 12, so maybe it's a late pick. I think.

[Jamie]

Yeah. You had two good scenarios. Dolches or a Dolphins receiver. A Raiders receiver is good. I could also see Naylor and Tuck are going to get drafted. Jack Bash is probably the one that.

[Dave]

Jack who?

[Dan]

Bash.

[Dave]

Adam Jaku.

[Eric]

You're Bash.

[Dan]

What?

[Jamie]

I could see somebody like just somebody who's getting some hype this, this off season is like Ryan Flournoy.

[Dan]

I was gonna say. Right. I was just about to say Ryan Flora Knife he has against the Giants in week one. Yeah, he just goes off.

[Dave]

Oh, that would piss off everybody if

[Dan]

he had a game.

[Eric]

There's no way. I, I couldn't buy into it.

[Jamie]

Like, you know, with also it's got to be like seven for 90 and. And a touchdown and like he's getting eight targets and they're just throwing the ball all over the place.

[Dan]

There's also like a scenario where it's like, oh, well, we expect the packers got rid of all these guys, Wicks and Dobbs. We expect it's just going to be Matthew golden and Christian Watson and then it's like some one of their other guys goes.

[Jamie]

I think you're onto something there because we could see Makai Lemon dealing with an injury now and in Philly like

[Dan]

and then Hollywood Brown or Hollywood Brown. Yeah. It's really those ambiguous receiver situations where I think it's going to happen.

[Eric]

I got my guy.

[Dave]

The problem is that are you naming guys that are going to have a good Week one and then not be there?

[Dan]

Correct.

[Dave]

They're going to fool us in week two, three, all the way through.

[Eric]

No, I'm going to name a guy that I think I. I'm going to name a guy that I think could be the number two option on his team and better than the guy who's going like 60 picks ahead of him. I'm going to say Jalen McMillan, because if Chris Godwin has. If Chris Godwin looks how he looked last year when he was coming back from a very, very serious injury. Chris Godwin was a, in my opinion, a terrible football player last year. Like, just had no speed. His metrics were bad. He was barely targeted.

[Jamie]

I'm hoping based on that 80 yard touchdown that you saw.

[Eric]

Yeah, no, based on he ran 40 yards in like Adams. By the way, McMillan looked a lot better than. So weird McMillan. I, obviously I'm taking Godwin ahead of him. But if, if McMillan, like, if the game. If they were played under the same circumstances last year, like, let's say there was no Evans and Godwin was still that bad. McMillan would crush him.

[Dan]

Right.

[Eric]

If Godwin comes back to being himself, he could be one of the steals of, of the draft, but McMillan would be a guy.

[Dan]

I think that's the biggest flaw we have in fantasy. We. A lot of times we just rely on a player's name or what he's done in the past. Realizing, not realizing. Like, some of these injuries just completely reshape who they are moving forward as a player. Like, he is Chris Godwin. That's his name, and he was something great. He's had multiple injuries. Is he still that player with this version of himself? Like, that's something I think we miss all the time in fantasy.

[Jamie]

Oh, that's a great call in the chat tank, though.

[Dan]

I think that was a good one.

[Dave]

He's the same guy.

[Dan]

I like the 80 Mitchell call even better by gridiron gamer.

[Dave]

So I saw that one, too. Mitchell has a good matchup in Week 1 against Tennessee. There's a chance he could have a deep touchdown, but he's. He's the guy I think about that fools us that has a big week one and then.

[Dan]

Oh, yeah, it doesn't.

[Dave]

And, and just super inconsistent the rest of the way.

[Dan]

Oh, yeah.

[Eric]

All right, guys, next. Next question is from Steve Polychronopoulos.

[Dan]

What's the best and what's the Polycarnomy?

[Eric]

Your besh is.

[Dave]

Don't tell him Polycarna. Play Polychronopoulos on your road.

[Eric]

Okay, yeah, I'll play Steve Polycarnopoulos.

[Dave]

You can tell him best in the car.

[Jamie]

No, you're playing the other movie he has to see.

[Dave]

The Polytronopoulos song is three minutes. He can get through that.

[Eric]

It's Sean Connery talking about talking to Nick Cage in Nicolas Cage in the Roc.

[Jamie]

Him. Nick Cage?

[Eric]

Yeah. Nicholas Cage in the Rock where he's like, trying my best. Your best Losers whine about their best, and then I. I can't say the rest of the quote. All right, this one's from Steve, and Steve says Dan loses all credibility if he doesn't know this one.

[Dan]

Oh, God.

[Eric]

Dear. Sal, Ralph, Richie, and Phil.

[Dan]

Are these Sopranos characters? No. Hey, I don't think so. Sal, Ralph, Richie and Phil. I really. These are Italians, obviously. Damn. This is devastating. I'm gonna lose all my credibility. Look, I've already lost it anyway on this show. I can't go any lower. Sal, Ralph. Oh, was it just Richie?

[Jamie]

April, you're cheating. I mean, look how bad you're cheating. He's not cheating.

[Dan]

I'm not cheating at all.

[Dave]

No.

[Dan]

I'm going through Sopranos characters in my head.

[Eric]

It's Sopranos, right?

[Adam]

Yeah.

[Dave]

Yeah.

[Narrator]

All right, good.

[Jamie]

It looked like your hands went to the keyboard and you started looking up at this.

[Dan]

This is when the hands go to the.

[Eric]

At least you didn't say Gabe of Thrones. You got to see this grade.

[Dan]

I knew it was Sopranos. I just had to get there. Richie, April, come on.

[Eric]

Here's the question.

[Dave]

We don't. We don't need the history of the Sopranos.

[Eric]

Gray, the trade dynasty, PPR1 quarterback league. Give up Ricky Piersoll, get Isaiah. Likely wide receiver is solid. My tight ends are weak with grade. The trade in Dynasty. Give up Pierce. I'll get Likely.

[Dan]

What were the settings? Did we get? Is a tight end premium or anything like that or.

[Eric]

No, it's ppr.

[Jamie]

It's just straight one for one.

[Eric]

Yep.

[Dan]

I don't hate it. I don't love it.

[Jamie]

Yeah, I think if you need a tight end, then it's fine.

[Dan]

And the thing is, Likely is signed to a decent sized contract. Pierce hall is coming to the end of his rookie contract and he's been injured the entire time, so I think I like it though. Peirce doll is an interesting candidate this year for fantasy football redraft. I don't know where I stand on him given the injuries, but I feel like there is some upside. Jacob kind of convinced me on it last show just because of how late he's being drafted. I'm kind of surprised by his adp.

[Jamie]

Yeah.

[Eric]

I mean, especially when everyone on his team has including him has a lot of injury history. All right, break time. And, oh, let's, let's say hello to a friend in the chat. Brad Maisie is a big CD Lamb fan. He's also my tennis coach. Gonna help me kick dance in a month.

[Dan]

Yeah, we've talked to Brad. Look, Adam, you're in a lot of trouble. We'll see in the practice match. I feel bad for you. You have a fake tendinitis injury that you're kind of using to kind of bake in. But I hope for your sake you get it closer. So we have a more anticipated match. That's all I'll say.

[Eric]

Yeah, me too. You know, played last night, played doubles, was fine.

[Dan]

We'll see about from a health stand. Okay, good.

[Eric]

Yeah. Singles? I don't know. All right, we'll be right back after this on Fantasy football today.

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[Eric]

Wayfair Every style, every home. Another one from a guy named Steve. A lot of Steves. And Eric's today he has two points. Point number one, Adam's impressions of Dan are spot on.

[Narrator]

All right.

[Jamie]

I like that.

[Dan]

And they are pretty good.

[Jamie]

Give us your impression of Dan asking you for a ride to Philadelphia.

[Eric]

And what am I going to do? I drive myself. I don't really. I'm not really feeling it right now, but I'll try. I'll try. I'll cut. Obviously, I'm going to spend a lot of time with him.

[Dan]

So we got to figure out a little car ride plan.

[Eric]

And by the way, Dan, I've gotten two. Two listeners who have emailed and said they want to meet up with us.

[Dan]

I'm 100% down for that.

[Eric]

I'm thinking.

[Dan]

Remember what happened the last time we met up with listeners?

[Eric]

Oh, when they agreed that. What was it? It was like something about Oreos.

[Dan]

One thing. Somehow you found that. I'm pretty sure you planted. You found the two people who agreed with you that the Oreo cookie is better than the cream.

[Jamie]

Really the worst.

[Dan]

It's just unfathomably bad. Take. I don't even. A cram cracker esque. Just. Just chocolate crappy.

[Jamie]

I mean, you've had the last month that are pretty bad, too.

[Eric]

You're. You're. You're wrong about this, Dan. If there was a full bag of cookie and a full bag of cream.

[Dan]

I need the cream.

[Eric]

Yes, you would get so sick you'd vomit.

[Dan]

No, you're going to get just as sick from the Oreo cook. They're both horrifically, chemically. I shouldn't be saying any of this, but they're both bad for you. From a stand from that just in case. Both bad for you.

[Jamie]

Let's get to the question here.

[Eric]

How many guys from one NFL team are too many to draft? Is it unreasonable to take Hampton in round two? McConkey at the three, four turn? Herbert in round seven? Quentin Johnson, and he says round six. But I think you can get Johnson a little later than that. Like round seven or eight.

[Dave]

Yeah.

[Eric]

Gadsden in round 12. Jamie, you love the Chargers, but in general, how many players on one team are too many?

[Jamie]

I think you got to be pretty sure that they're going to all hit or have a track record of things like the Bengals if you want to take a chance on if you can still manage it at this point. But Jamar Chase, Chase Brown, T. Higgins, Joe Burrow, like if those guys all hit, you know what you're getting. I think if you can get the Cowboys, you'd be pretty happy about that. Knowing that Dak and Lamb and Pickens and even Javante Williams at this point have a chance to be, you know, pretty special. The Chargers could be awesome. I mean, you know, we, we have a lot of high expectations because Mike McDaniel there and the two tackles being back. But that's probably not a team, as much as I like them, that I'd want to be all in on because, you know, Justin Herbert gets hurt, it's, it's completely downhill from, from there. And as we saw him with the tackles get hurt, it was pretty downhill for them last season. But you know what, it's one of those things like when it works, it's going to be great and when it doesn't, it's going to be awful, mostly

[Dave]

because of injury and it's not going to work most of the time. I think you kneecap your upside when this happens, when you're taking too many players from the same team. Think about it. How often in a given year does the quarterback, the running back, two wide receivers, a tight end, etc. All have great weeks? And it doesn't happen very often.

[Eric]

But how often do all of your players have great weeks?

[Dave]

At least you give yourself a chance for it to happen when they're all on different teams.

[Eric]

But aren't you? Aren't you?

[Dave]

I don't think there's a hard and fast number and there's no rule for it, but I, I think two is okay. It just depends on which two. And maybe before you make it happen, two players on the same team go back and see if there's a track record, if there's a history.

[Jamie]

I mean, like if you being good

[Dave]

in the same week six times out of the year, the whole point is to go and get as many players from different.

[Eric]

Jamie, go ahead.

[Jamie]

You have to deal with the inconsistencies week to week. But like, you know, we just got an email about Jameson Williams and where he finished. So whether it was 12th overall or 19th overall points per game, total points, obviously Jared Goff was, was a borderline top 12 quarterback. Jameer Gibbs was the top three running back and Amara St. Brown was a top five wide receiver. So if you had that offense at the end of the season, the numbers look great. The week to week part of it is probably going to be a little frustrating.

[Eric]

I, I think Dave, you make a good point though. Like maybe you're capping your upside, but are you also boosting your floor because it's pretty unlikely that like, none of those guys are going to have a good. Are going to have a good week.

[Jamie]

Right.

[Eric]

If you started Three Lions, I've got,

[Dave]

I've got five weeks from last year where golf was over 20 points per game and both ARSB and JMO had at least 13 PPR points per game.

[Jamie]

And that.

[Dave]

I think that's rare. I don't think this happens very often.

[Eric]

Yeah, I. I agree. I think it's a good point. Although I would say if you had Stafford, Puka and Devonte Adams, you're probably singing a different tune right now. And Kyron. Yeah, I think the key is like, look for teams that you think are going to have sneaky good offenses. You know, for example, I think sneaky good.

[Jamie]

I think outstandingly good.

[Eric]

Yeah, no, but I mean based on concentrated targets, but based on ADP, because there are three Cowboys players going in the top 36.

[Charles Barkley]

Six.

[Eric]

So that's expensive. Whereas the, the Chargers are cheap.

[Jamie]

You can make that work, though. You could take Lamb at the end of round one and just have to reach for Pickens in round two. And then you're taking Javonte Williams round three and Dak Prescott round five or six.

[Eric]

But that's so much more draft capital than if you were doing that with the Chargers.

[Jamie]

I mean, but you're still going. You're still going. Hampton round two and McConkey round three. And then you still have to probably go get in early on. Herbert.

[Eric]

Still, it's still a lot less.

[Jamie]

Oh, it's better. Yeah, for sure it's better.

[Eric]

Go ahead, Dave.

[Dave]

How many weeks did both Rams wide receivers have 13 or more and Stafford have 20 plus.

[Eric]

No, I would say at least seven.

[Jamie]

I was gonna say seven or eight.

[Dave]

Six.

[Jamie]

Yeah.

[Dan]

Devonte. Gotta hurt. That's part. Part of why.

[Dave]

Right? Sure. So it's a high percentage of the time when all three of them were on the field. But it's still.

[Dan]

That's also in a crazy outcome where stats.

[Dave]

That's good too. That's an outlier.

[Jamie]

But you're also talking about, though, comparing that to how many weeks did your number, your quarterback, your number one receiver and your number two receiver also hit those numbers.

[Eric]

Exactly. That's what I'm saying. At the end of the day, you just get the best players.

[Dan]

Sure. Just think you're capping your touchdown upside no matter what if you take them all from the same team.

[Dave]

Agreed.

[Dan]

It's the same reason they used to tell you in fantasy. It was like a tried and true rule. Don't draft the quarterback and the receiver from the same team. People have kind of gone away from that because we just don't. We have so many bad offense in the NFL. You kind of have to. But back in the day, that was always the rule of thumb.

[Narrator]

Right.

[Eric]

Oh, you saw that tweet. You, you quote, tweeted it from Dwayne McFarland, I believe, about the amount of. What was it like the 25 yard

[Dan]

passing average, passing yards, teams per game or.

[Dave]

I'm sorry, how many were there?

[Dan]

So there were 17 just five years ago. Last year, two years ago, for the first time, it dipped under double digits. There were just nine teams that averaged 250 yards passing game. And last year was eight teams that average 250 yards passing. That's not even a lot. We're not talking about 300.

[Jamie]

275.

[Dan]

250 is nothing.

[Eric]

Yeah, I don't even know if it was that many. I. I feel I, I went and looked. Maybe I had it wrong because I. Yeah, no, there were five, there were four.

[Jamie]

Changed everything.

[Eric]

His stat, I think was right until last year. And there was only four last year. Rams, Cowboys, Lions, Patriots. You say the kickoffs.

[Jamie]

The kickoff.

[Dan]

Kickoff's part of it, Jamie.

[Adam]

Yeah.

[Eric]

The lot of people and how they

[Dan]

play defense, I think it's just teams can't pass the ball straight up.

[Eric]

It's a. You know what though? It probably depends on what you're looking at, because when I look at yards, it includes sacks. You got to look at the gross.

[Dan]

Oh, no, I doubt this included that.

[Eric]

Yeah, I think I could be wrong about that.

[Dan]

But not including sacks.

[Eric]

250. Yeah. Seven last year. Seven.

[Dan]

Okay.

[Eric]

And the year before that was. Was only also 7 and 2023 was 11. Right. So why shouldn't I double up on the teams that actually are going to throw for 250 or more yards? It's not the worst strategy. And by the way, it's a better strategy. Those teams last year were the Rams, Cowboys, Lions, Cardinals, Patriots, Bengals, 49ers.

[Dave]

But you said double up. Difference between doubling up, tripling up, quadruple all in.

[Dan]

Yeah.

[Charles Barkley]

Yeah.

[Dave]

All right.

[Eric]

This is. I remember my. What I wanted to do was somehow draft chase. Yeah. Unfortunately, Burrow got hurt.

[Jamie]

Right.

[Eric]

It would have. You would have won the league if Burrow had stayed.

[Dan]

Oh, they were really big for the playoffs too.

[Eric]

You would have won the league. All right, here's a sub. Brian and Charlotte. Subject is Gibbs, Jake Jacob Gibbs, Jameer Gibbs. Offensive line in 2025 versus 20, 26.

[Charles Barkley]

Yep.

[Eric]

Dave, we were talking about this on a previous show and, and this Lions fan Brian wanted people to know that in his mind. He says Lions fans and O line ball knowers expect the Lions to be much better at four of five spots on the offensive line this year. Penny Sewell will move to his left tackle spot, which will be an upgrade, but a downgraded right tackle. But he thinks that overall other spots online will be better this year than it was last year. So I think we talked about like what could go wrong for Gibbs and he's saying the online wasn't really that good last year. It's going to be better this year. What do you think, Dave?

[Dave]

I think both of their offensive lines have question marks. I'm especially concerned. Well, I'm concerned with both, but I've got a little bit more faith in the Lions offensive line than I do the Falcons offensive line. I don't like the, the depth of the Falcons offensive line, especially since they just added two cast offs from Kansas City, one of whom had so many false start penalties. Joanne Taylor. It was comical. And so I don't, I don't know if it's a discernible edge to give the offensive line, you know, a better mark in Atlanta than it is for Detroit.

[Eric]

Yeah, I, Okay. Dave is referencing the conversation that started this or that created this email which was comparing the Falcons to the Lions, but.

[Dave]

Right. And you want to know about there being less weapons.

[Eric]

No, I want to know is the Lions offensive line going to be better than it was last year?

[Dave]

I think I'm gonna say yes.

[Jamie]

I think to Dan's previous point about like Chris Godwin, like sometimes we think of names more so than what they are right now. So like Taylor Decker, for example, may not have been the same player, but you hear his name, you're like, oh wow, he's been awesome. So like they have to be much better. So this could be one of those situations where like. And it also goes back to petsing. Like they're, they're changing things for a reason, you know, so they're, they're changing their personnel up front because they weren't thrilled with how it looked last year. At times they're changing their play caller because it didn't go well last year. And so I think that speaks to, okay, how do we protect Derek Goff? How do we run the ball a little bit better? Like this is, you know, to go back to tying your, you know, to tying yourself to one team, like the Lions could be amazing once again. And I think the offensive lines can

[Adam]

be a big one.

[Dan]

And that's the thing. If you look at his history, Drew Petzig, he had really bad quote unquote talent on the Cardinals offensive line and they're generating massive big plays in the run game. I think I saw something with their explosives. Was up there in top four in the league despite having James Connor, who's not the most explosive back per se. And more importantly, just not a lot of talent on the offensive line. That's scheme, you know, that's scheme related and we saw that with Jacksonville last year as well. Not a lot of talent on the offensive line. Great run blocking scheme, generated a lot of big plays in the run games at times. So you take that, you bring it to the Lions and you add Cade Mays, who my mind was one of the big reasons the Carolina Panthers run game turned around the second half of last season. I really don't even know why they let him go. I thought that was one of the oddest things of the entire free agent like period. To let Cade Mays go. If you're the Panthers. And then the Lions snatched him up immediately and they fixed their biggest flaw last year, which was losing Frank Ragnow to retirement and trying to put Graham Glasgow in at center. So I'm with the, the emailer, the, the listener here. I think he's right. The lines have actually make made a markedly improvement just from a scheme standpoint and from a talent standpoint, while the Falcons are the opposite. For me, not only have question marks about the personnel, more so I have question marks about them losing leadbetter, like getting away from that wide zone scheme that was clearly like they were winning based on scheme in the run game. And now in my mind at least, and they have some good players on that line, but not at the Lions level. And now you're bringing in a brand new run scheme. And I have some concerns about that for sure with Atlanta.

[Eric]

Okay, last question is from Randy in Vancouver, Washington.

[Narrator]

Hey.

[Eric]

And he says, hey, Randy. Ed Harvey.

[Dan]

That's Pacific Northwest, right?

[Eric]

That is, yeah. Northwest.

[Dan]

I still think Northern California is the Pacific Northwest and I stand by that.

[Eric]

Yeah, San Francisco is definitely not the Pacific Northwest.

[Adam]

No.

[Dan]

Because when you drive the Pacific north, have you ever done the drive down from Seattle and the coast and Oregon, you get through to Northern California and you're into like the redwoods and all those, like that awesome, you know, the trees. That's Northern California. When I get down to la, that's a totally different landscape. That's right. Isn't there.

[Eric]

Yeah, but that's not.

[Dave]

That's like northwest. I know.

[Jamie]

I'm in the northwest.

[Dan]

Yeah, Jamie, I did.

[Dave]

You don't see the Hollywood sign up there. You just see a bunch of lumber.

[Dan]

You just feel like you're in nature. You feel like you're in the beautiful part of the Pacific Northwest. You don't feel like you're down into that nitty gritty la.

[Jamie]

Here's. Here's what I think should happen, Adam. You should let Dan drive when you pick him up, whoever's car. But no. No gps, no maps, no nothing.

[Dan]

You know, screwed we would be.

[Eric]

Figure it out. Oh, my gosh. They're not letting him drive my car, and I don't really want him to drive anyway.

[Dan]

I'll drive. I'll drive. I'll drive either both ways or one leg. I don't care. I like driving.

[Eric]

Maybe I will let you drive. Why wouldn't I let you drive?

[Dan]

Yeah, I mean, we could do either.

[Jamie]

I want to die offended. Yesterday, Dan, that you didn't offer to drive.

[Eric]

You should have offered.

[Dan]

I was gonna offer just something. You don't offer right away. You can offer when you get into the car, hey, I'll do the leg home. You know, you don't have to just. It's not a pre offer.

[Eric]

No, I think it's a pre offer. I think it's absolutely a pre offer, Adam.

[Dan]

A lot here.

[Eric]

Listen.

[Jamie]

All right, here's what happened.

[Dan]

Drive out of my way to my parents so, like, you can have a Sue Shorter drive there. I'm getting us a t. I'm getting. Not a tea time. I'm getting us a court time at a nice club to play at on Friday. Like, what more do you want? You want me to, at the time, offer to drive?

[Eric]

I would offer because you don't understand. I have to depending on whether or not I'm driving all the way. I have to. To take a different car, which means moving car seats around. So you need to let Dan sit

[Jamie]

in the car seat.

[Eric]

No, it's about.

[Dan]

I'm willing to drive. Let's just put it out there. I will drive either or both ways. Yeah, your car.

[Jamie]

Here's that. You guys have to know GPS from Dan's house. No, you got to pick up one hitchhiker.

[Dan]

I will say this, though, Adam. If we don't leave that city in the days we're there without having one of the cheesesteaks that we need to have, which I know you're not a huge fan of this kind of food, but you're going to have to step up.

[Eric]

Fan of cheesesteaks.

[Dan]

Adam, I went to a diner with you which had the greatest menu in the history of the world. I had. I had a sandwich that had, like, mozzarella sticks, chicken cutlet, vodka sauce, and you had steamed broccoli and, like, chicken. Literally, like a rice bowl.

[Eric]

It came with broccoli. It was delicious. You'll be 41 day too.

[Dan]

You saw what was on the options that were on that menu, and you saw somebody ordered broccoli chicken bowl.

[Dave]

You would have the name of the diner.

[Eric]

The Battle Kisco Diners. The best.

[Dan]

I think it's honestly the best diner I've ever been to.

[Eric]

It is.

[Dave]

I'm looking up their menu.

[Dan]

Look up their menu. You're going to see about 15 things you'd rather have before you get to the rice chicken.

[Dave]

You wait till you say, I'm gonna have. I'd rather have everything.

[Dan]

Pretty much everything on the menu.

[Eric]

Chicken teriyaki rice bowl. I didn't order steam. Hey, can I have some steamed broccoli with chicken?

[Dan]

That broccoli did not look fried.

[Jamie]

Adam, you go there often?

[Eric]

Yeah, I go there, like, once or twice a month, probably.

[Jamie]

So it's understandable that he would get something that is a little different than

[Eric]

exactly if I were a tourist.

[Dan]

But Adam offers orders that every time he told me or his wife.

[Eric]

No, I don't. I usually get the chicken parm sub, which is. Which is fattening and greasy and delicious with french fries. It's a big. You know, that's what I get. It's amazing.

[Dave]

They have a section on their menu dedicated to deep fried wrap wraps.

[Dan]

I had to try a deep fried wrap.

[Dave]

Which one did you get? The chicken cutlet.

[Dan]

Yeah, but it had so much on it. I don't know. It was insane.

[Dave]

And the Frankie G wrap has breaded chicken cutlet and angel hair Alfredo wrapped in deep fried, served with fries.

[Eric]

Dude, they have where the taco shell are, like, fried chicken patties.

[Dan]

Yeah, they got a lot of stuff going on there. And then Adam got the chicken teriyaki rice bowl. I mean, either way, you're gonna have

[Jamie]

a Philly cheesesteak with me.

[Dan]

And we're gonna have to go to the Knicks. I have to see if you feel the way I feel about the Knicks. I think it's the best sandwich in America.

[Eric]

Oh, I thought the Knicks. I was like, what?

[Dan]

No, it's called the Nicks.

[Eric]

Oh.

[Dan]

In our reading terminal. The Knicks roast pork.

[Jamie]

You can't judge sandwiches after a public Stick.

[Dan]

No, the public take was really good. I never said it was a bad place. Publix is solid. You know, you go there, you get some, like, it's better than like a regular deli or shoprite type sandwich you're gonna get. But it doesn't compare to a Fiori. It doesn't compare to these delis on the east coast. And it really just doesn't. Like, I want homemade chicken cutlet. I don't want these, like chicken tenders that have been freeze, freeze, frozen for months and then they defrost them. You know, these, these preservative chicken tenders you get at Publix. Oh, I'm gonna get a chicken. Some buffalo sauce. Oh, God. I could do that at home, dude. I'll buy a bag of Purdue and I'll buy some buffalo sauce. They make them there.

[Dave]

What are you talking about?

[Eric]

Yeah, what are you talking about?

[Dan]

They make those buffalo chicken tenders there fresh. Yes. Daily.

[Charles Barkley]

Yes.

[Dave]

The fryer is two feet away from the cow.

[Dan]

No, no, but I mean, they're just breaded. They're not breaded daily. Like, I'm talking about an Italian deli where you get chicken breast in the breadcrumbs.

[Eric]

Let's answer this last question here.

[Dan]

This is a freshly made per day.

[Eric]

Let's answer this last question from Randy. He says, dear Randy, Ed, Harvey and John, I never would have gotten this.

[Dave]

The Cowboys defenders.

[Eric]

Yes.

[Dave]

Randy White, Ed2 Tall Jones, Harvey Martin. I'm blanking on John. Gil would kill me.

[Eric]

John Dutton.

[Dave]

John Dutton. Yes.

[Jamie]

Okay.

[Eric]

Who is the real RB2 in Dallas?

[Dan]

Good question.

[Dave]

I'd love to know. I know who the coaches want it to be. I just don't know if that's who it's gonna be. They want it to be Jaden Blue. They want a speed element.

[Dan]

I don't know if it's gonna be

[Dave]

in blue, but I don't know if it's going to be him.

[Dan]

I think it could be somebody they sign. I'm standing.

[Jamie]

Yeah. Like, these are teams where Camaro or Conor makes so much sense.

[Dan]

Yeah, right.

[Dave]

I think if they went there, how much would it sour you, if at all on Javante?

[Jamie]

A little bit.

[Dave]

I. I think if it's Connor, I'd be a little sour. If it's Gamera, I'm. I'm not so sure I'd be soured.

[Eric]

I mean, Connor from a roster stand,

[Jamie]

but forget about fantasy from a roster standpoint, like, that's the type of move this. These are the type of players like a team like that should go get because they're going to be cheap, and it just makes you a little bit better.

[Eric]

You want to hear a stat I'm about to give on the next podcast we're about to record which, yes. Is the wide receivers round seven through nine. Jaden Reed has six carries over the last three years, which is his career. Six carries of 20 or more yards. Jaden Reed, that's twice as many as Alvin Camara in the last three years. 34 carries.

[Dan]

You love bringing up this Camaro. Lack of explosives.

[Eric]

Actually, one of the biggest takeaways from the research I've done last 24 hours in preparation for this show is that Jaden Reed has been one of the most efficient players in football. He is second in fantasy points per target among wide receivers over the last three seasons. He's so good per route run. He averages 9.1 yards per carry on 34 carries. You know, obviously you think get more targets, more like the efficiency will go down. But there's a huge. I wasn't even thinking about drafting Jaden Reed. When you see the numbers get the man on the field, more things could really change. He could be pretty impactful for.

[Jamie]

And they paid him like it, right?

[Dave]

Yeah, I think it's going to happen. Yeah.

[Eric]

Pretty cool stuff. All right, Dan, thank you. I'll see you in a few hours.

[Dan]

Yeah, it's going to be good.

[Eric]

I'm going to let you drive.

[Charles Barkley]

Okay.

[Dan]

I'm down.

[Eric]

I'll be really excited about that.

[Dave]

Breaded chicken, honey sriracha, drizzled Mac and cheese, french fries, and chipotle mayo. Wrapped and deep fried and served with fries.

[Dan]

That's the Mount Kisco Diner.

[Charles Barkley]

All right.

[Jamie]

One hitchhiker each way.

[Eric]

Oh, gosh.

[Dan]

Wow. Can you imagine if we picked up a hitchhiker?

[Eric]

I feel like hitchhiker, kind of. I saw, like, a probably lady in her, like, 60s hitchhiking yesterday.

[Dan]

Wow.

[Eric]

And I thought this would be the only scenario where I would pick up a hitchhiker like this. She's probably gonna kill me.

[Dan]

There are no scenario where I'm picking up a hitchhiker.

[Jamie]

All right, go find her and take her to Philadelphia.

[Dan]

She had her thumb up. Up this woman.

[Narrator]

Yeah.

[Dan]

Oh, my God. Okay.

[Jamie]

Yeah.

[Eric]

It's weird. You don't see Hitch.

[Dan]

That's the first time I see that. I haven't seen that in so long.

[Jamie]

If one hitchhiker and no gps, and if you end up in the trees, you know,

[Dan]

I'm gonna have Adam eating the worst food in the world to get him prepped. For that Friday match.

[Dave]

No, I think I found it, though. Chopped cheese, chopped prime burger, chopped fries, chopped onion rings, mozzarella sticks, brown gravy, mayo drizzle on a garlic hero.

[Eric]

Yeah, that's right. They can't just give it to you on bread. I think I ordered that one.

[Dan]

I actually think I ordered that one.

[Eric]

No, you didn't order that one. You ordered something similar. You ordered a chicken parm sub with vodka sauce, a fried ravioli.

[Dan]

Oh, yeah.

[Eric]

On garlic bread.

[Dan]

Yes.

[Dave]

I have a sandwich called the Terminator. The Terminator. It's gonna kill you.

[Eric]

All right, everyone, we'll talk to you later.

[Dave]

Chicken fingers and cheesesteak and mozzarella sticks on the same sandwich.

[Dan]

So this is. In some ways, they copied the grease trucks and Rutgers. I don't know if you guys know about that.

[Eric]

Yeah, no, it's obviously they copied something from New Jersey. 100%.

[Dan]

Okay, look it up, look it up. Look up. The grease trucks and Rutgers. That's what they were doing. They were doing subs with, like, chicken tenders, cheesesteak mozzarella sticks.

[Jamie]

They're loading goals. Your three goals for this trip are one hitchhiker, no gps, and go get cheesesteaks in Philly.

[Dan]

Not just cheese sticks, but the Knicks roast pork.

[Jamie]

There you go.

[Eric]

Yeah, I know.

[Jamie]

Definitely take the hitchhiker to the cheesesteak place.

[Eric]

Definitely going to get some good food. Have a good day, everybody. We'll talk to you tomorrow or whenever. On Fantasy Football Today,

[Narrator]

Paramount Podcasts.

[Eric]

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