Round 7-9 Running Backs: Evaluating The Best Value! (07/06 Fantasy Football Podcast)

Summary

Podcast Summary: Fantasy Football Today – “Round 7-9 Running Backs: Evaluating The Best Value!”

Date: July 6, 2026
Host/Panel: Adam Aizer (host), Dave Richard, Jamey Eisenberg, Heath Cummings
Main Theme:
An in-depth analysis of running backs being drafted in Rounds 7-9 in PPR leagues (according to FantasyPros ADP), discussing values, ceilings, floor, team situations, and best strategies for maximizing return from these mid-round picks.

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Overview of Episode's Main Theme

The episode is dedicated to dissecting the running back landscape in Rounds 7-9 for 2026 fantasy drafts—historically a tricky, often volatile group. The aim is to determine which backs provide the ideal blend of safe floor, injury upside, or true breakouts, and how to approach them within different roster-building strategies (Hero RB, Zero RB, etc.). The show features group chat-worthy stats, nuanced Tier breakdowns, and team situation context to guide drafters through this high-risk, high-reward range.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Round 7-9 RB Group Context & Strategy (01:08–04:00)

• Historical Trends & Hit Rates:

  • WRs historically “pop” more frequently than RBs in these rounds, but past groups have produced hits (e.g. Travis Etienne, Chuba Hubbard, J.K. Dobbins, Jalen Warren, Caleb Johnson).
  • Adam: "Usually round seven through nine...better at wide receiver than running back...But still we can get some good players at the running back position." (01:30)

• Current Candidates (2026):

  • Round 7: Tony Pollard, Chuba Hubbard, Rhamondre Stevenson, RJ Harvey
  • Round 8: Kenneth Gainwell, Rico Dowdle
  • Round 9: Blake Corum, Kyle Monangai, Jonathan Brooks, Rashad White, J.K. Dobbins

• Strategic Implications:

  • Dave: If you like this RB group’s upside, you might wait and lean “Hero RB;” otherwise, it’s better as a source of depth/RB3 targets with a focus on players who can at least hit a 10 PPR point floor.
  • Dave: "I'm looking for my RB3 and other depth pieces...Who’s got a floor of 10 PPR points per game? I don’t think that’s asking for too much." (02:45)

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2. Ceiling & Floor Analysis: Highest Potential in the Group (04:50–06:00)

• Who Has Highest Ceiling (non-injury)?

  • Heath: "I would guess it's either Pollard or Hubbard" (05:04).
    • Pollard’s late 2025 form cited ("averaged 100 rushing yards per game on the nose in his last five games").
    • Chuba Hubbard positioned to benefit from uncertain competition (Jonathan Brooks' questionable health after two ACLs).

• Offensive Line Context:

  • Carolina's OL called potentially underrated, with PFF grading their run-blocking highly, despite ESPN disagreement (06:00-06:03).
    • Jamie: "PFF had them...as a top seven run blocking team...Carolina could be a very good offensive line in that regard."

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3. Detailed Stat Nuggets (Group Chat Stats Section) (09:38–13:01)

• Actionable RB Tidbits:

  • Rhamondre Stevenson & TreVeyon Henderson nearly identical YPC (4.4) in 18 games together; Stevenson with far more goal-line carries (8 vs. 1).
  • Tony Pollard has finished RB22–RB30 per game (all formats) each of past 3 seasons: "Right now he's RB28 in PPR ADP." (09:53)
  • Chuba Hubbard’s longest run on 134 carries: only 14 yards (10:43).
    • Jamie: "That's terrible."
  • Coach Track Records: Dave Canales’ teams (3 years) never above 20th in scoring/22nd in plays—suggesting caution with optimistic RB splits in low-volume offenses.

• Comparing Similar Backups: Manangai vs. Corum (14:52–18:02)

  • Nearly identical usage/goal-line work when operating with the lead back; Manangai (Bears) slightly more involved in passing game than Corum (Rams).
    • Dave: Slight edge to Manangai due to demonstrated drive-by-drive rotation.

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4. Round 7 RBs: Pollard, Hubbard, Stevenson, RJ Harvey – Tiers & Preferences (21:11–32:46)

• Ranking & Reasoning:
  • Pollard vs. Hubbard: Jamie and Dave both vacillate, acknowledging both have limited but clear upside/floor based on volume and circumstances.
    • Dave: "Chuba's first...I go back and forth between Chuba and Pollard" (22:41)
    • Pollard has strong workload history but "no better than 13.1 PPR PPG," typically a solid RB3/flex.
  • Rhamondre Stevenson: Split backfield with TreVeyon Henderson limits ceiling, but a lock for role/usage due to trust and goal-line favor.
    • Jamie: "I don't see myself drafting Rhamondre Stevenson...he had 8 of 9 goal-line carries between the two of them."
    • Heath: "I think Stevenson Round 7 is a little early for me, but I think Stevenson is still in this range of guys."
  • RJ Harvey: Generally lower upside than others unless depth chart shakes up; possible passing down lead but at major risk from rookie competition (Jonah Coleman).

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5. Team/Offense Context & Schematic Concerns (32:46–33:46)

• Chuba Hubbard’s edge: Less competition in-depth chart and likelihood of lead role if Brooks isn't ready.

  • Dave: "His backfield mate has torn his ACL on the same knee twice...we know the coaching staff loves him."

• Tony Pollard’s role more complicated by the likelihood of a full-blown committee with Tyjae Spears and perhaps others.

  • Heath: "Potential of three guys [in backfield] vs. two, because I think the addition of Singleton could be a problem for Pollard." (33:46)

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6. Round 8-9: Backups, Pass-Catchers, & Lottery Tickets (39:42–46:08)

• Round 8: Kenneth Gainwell (TB), Rico Dowdle (PIT)

  • General consensus: Dowdle's situation with McCarthy in PIT could yield a real split, but Jalen Warren likely still dominates passing downs.
  • Jamie: "I think Gainwell and Rashad White are very similar...probably going to catch a lot of passes."

• Round 9: Blake Corum, Kyle Monangai, Jonathan Brooks, Rashad White, J.K. Dobbins

  • These are more direct handcuffs or conditional lottery tickets with real injury upside. If they get a shot, top-15 upside possible, but without injury, likely little to no standalone value.
  • Jamie: "If the running backs don't get injured, Gainwell and Dowdle should be going ahead of Corum and Monangai..."

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7. Rashad White, J.K. Dobbins, Jonathan Brooks: Standalone or Role-Driven? (48:13–54:57)

• Rashad White: Tentpole pass-catching RB in WAS; 3 years of 50+ catches, probably clearest pathway to guaranteed passing down work—his value (RB37) could rise rapidly if he is named three-down back.
• J.K. Dobbins: Safe, non-explosive, and unlikely to catch passes but first crack at early downs in Denver.
  • Dave: "He's a touchdown-reliant running back...but when he's played, he's been pretty good and I would imagine that he's going to be the lead back for Denver until he’s not." (52:51)
• Jonathan Brooks: Big health question; extreme upside if fully ready, but drafting him in Round 9 is pure speculation until training camp confirms status.

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8. Philosophy: Build & Draft Approach (29:22–31:14, 37:17–38:18)

• Team Build Impact: The appeal of these RBs depends highly on earlier picks:

  • Hero/Zero RB: You may need to pile up a few of these for RB2/3.
  • If you’ve taken two RBs early, little incentive to play for these floors—focus on league-winning lottery tickets instead.

• General takeaway:

  • “If you’re squeamish about drafting these RBs, congratulations, you’re an early RB drafter.” (Dave, 37:17)
  • Jamie: “I think it's easier to find wide receiver late than a running back, personally.”

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Highlighted Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Chuba Hubbard’s 2025 stat:
  Jamie (10:43): “Chuba Hubbard had 134 carries in 2025. Without looking at my notes, what was his longest carry? ... 14 yards. That’s terrible.”
• On Toni Pollard’s role:
  Dave (22:41): “I've looked at Pollard's last three seasons...I don't think he's any better than like 13.1 PPR points per game, which for round 6 or 7—that's pretty dang good—but last year he was not very good. He had two games last year where he was awesome, and other than that it was just nothing doing.”
• On the “Spider Man meme” RB comparables:
  Heath (15:59): “This is the definition of the Spider man meme because everything is almost identical. If an injury were to happen, either one, there’s top 10 upside for the other guy.”
• Draft Philosophy Summed Up:
  Dave (37:17): “If you've heard us over the last 20 minutes or so talking about these running backs and you're squeamish...congratulations, you’re an early RB drafter.”

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• [01:08] – 2025/2026 Round 7-9 RB Overview and Strategy
• [04:00] – Highest Ceiling/Floor Debate (Pollard, Hubbard, etc.)
• [09:38] – Notable “Group chat” RB stats
• [14:52] – Manangai vs. Corum: Spider-Man meme territory
• [21:11] – Round 7 RBs: Discussion & Rankings (Pollard, Hubbard, Stevenson, Harvey)
• [29:22] – Patriot RB Split/Team Build Discussion
• [32:46] – Offensive Scheme Concerns (Panthers, Titans, Steelers)
• [39:42] – Round 8-9 RBs: Gainwell, Dowdle, Lottery Tickets
• [48:13] – Rashad White, Dobbins, Brooks: Floor vs. Ceiling
• [54:00] – Chuba Hubbard, Brooks, and changing team outlook
• [61:13] – Favorite Round 9 RBs: Rapid Fire
• [37:17] / [38:18] – Summing up Draft Philosophy, RB/WR late round strategies

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Final Takeaways

• Ceiling vs. Floor: Rounds 7-9 RBs offer minimal standalone upside unless injury or depth chart changes break their way. Prioritize those with clear paths to passing-down work (Gainwell, Rashad White), or those who could emerge as league-winners with a single injury (Corum, Manangai, Brooks).
• Pollard & Hubbard remain best bets for floor/volume; team context and competition are critical to track in camp.
• Build Impact: Value of these mid-round RBs rises for Hero/Zero RB structures but remains limited if you have two early RB anchors.
• Monitor Camps: Many RB outcomes in this range are contingent on health reports and depth chart clarity in August.
• Pass-catching RBs in ambiguous backfields are particularly valuable in PPR formats.

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(For full positional coverage and further player-specific mailbag, tune into the next episode covering Rounds 7-9 WRs and submit questions for the team!)

Transcript

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[Dave]

This is fantasy football today from CBS Sports. Wanna play? Can you believe this?

[Jamie]

No, I can't.

[Dave]

It's time to dominate your fantasy league. Off to the races and he stays on his feet. Chris is gonna go the distance. Now here's some combination.

[Jamie]

Adam, Dave, Jamie and Heath. Monday, July 6 welcome to Fantasy football today. Hope you all had an amazing July 4th weekend. 250 yeah. And Jamie is very patriotic today. Sporting red, white and blue and big game tonight. Big game tonight.

[Dave]

Big game.

[Heath]

Yeah.

[Jamie]

You're talking about my tennis match at 8 o' clock that I will be missing the soccer game.

[Heath]

What?

[Jamie]

Yeah.

[Ad]

What?

[Jamie]

Bummer. I know, bummer, Bummer. Yeah.

[Heath]

You didn't cancel it?

[Jamie]

I can't cancel it. What do you mean? No, it's a league match.

[Heath]

So what?

[Jamie]

I can't cancel.

[Heath]

What kind of league is this? Belgium.

[Jamie]

Anyway, I was suspended for the tonight's match but you know the commissioner called up and made a plea and I'm back in. Anyway. Yeah, really excited for, for soccer. Really excited to talk about this group of running backs because last year in round seven through nine you had really, you know, Caleb Johnson and. And Jordan Mason. Actually it's pretty good group. You had Tyrone Tracy Jr. Caleb Johnson, Jalen Warren, good pick. Travis Etn, amazing pick. Jordan Mason, not a bad pick. Jecory Crosby, Merritt had his moments. Cam Scatter, Boo. Great pick. And J.K. dobbins, really good pick. So very solid strong group. Usually round seven through nine, I would say over the last nine years or so. I have the data. Better at wide receiver than running back in terms of guys that just like pop. Chris Olave for example last year. But still we can get some good players at the running back position. You are of course going to get some really bad players too. But Dave, when you look at the the group we're talking about today, round seven through nine, Fantasy pros, overall ppr, adp. The running backs are Pollard, Chuba Hubbard, Ramandre Stevenson, RJ Harvey. Then round seven, Kenneth Gainwell and Rico Dowdle in round eight and then you got a lot of backups. Manangai, Jonathan Brooks, Blake Corum, Rashad White and J.K. dobbins. Not all of them are backups in round nine. What do you think? What should your running back position look like before you get to this group?

[Dave]

Well, if you like the names in this group and you could see yourself starting three plus members of this group, then maybe you should be a hero. RB strategy. But if you're like me and you look at this group and you don't see too much upside, you're going to want to get a couple of running backs before you hit round seven. This is a group where I'm looking for my RB3 and other depth pieces. Potentially. I'm looking for guys when I'm drafting in round seven through nine, who's got a floor of 10 PPR points per game. I don't think that's asking for too much from a running back. Obviously, if it's ppr, you want somebody who's going to catch the ball a little bit that'll help you get to that floor. But obviously the ones that have ceilings attached to them, you look at Pollard, you look at Chuba, you can make the case for a couple of other running backs in this group. If they've got the ceiling of 12 to 13 PPR points per game and that floor, of course you're going to go after them first.

[Jamie]

Ceiling of 12 to 13?

[Dave]

Yeah. I don't think you're going to get many running backs that did what Travis ETN did last year. You might. There might be one in this group. Somebody's on the clock. I heard. I don't know how many of these guys. You can make the case for a couple of these guys, but I don't think there's a lot of high ceiling running backs in round seven through nine.

[Jamie]

And, and just, you know, I think Dave said 12 to 13 PPR points per game. That's where. Where. That's where RJ Harvey was 12.3, but he of course was backloaded when Dobbins got hurt. Dobbins was 11.6 PPR points per game, but he only had one catch per game. Tony Pollard, 11.3 PPR fantasy points per game. And that's going to make you somewhere around RB26ish. Let's just say.

[Heath]

Where's Crosby Merritt in round six?

[Jamie]

No, he's. He's on this. Oh, oh, where is.

[Heath]

Let's see.

[Jamie]

He was on last year's list. Sorry. Right now he's going 127th. So he's round 11.

[Dave]

That's crazy.

[Heath]

But Joshad White's going ahead of Cross. Yes.

[Dave]

Crossing Merit's going 98th on CBS. That's just past round eight.

[Jamie]

Jamie, when you look at this group, who's got the highest ceiling? And obviously there's a big difference between the running backs going in round seven and the ones going in round nine. But who's got the highest non injury ceiling. Non injury to a teammate ceiling.

[Heath]

I would guess it's either Pollard or Hubbard. You know, if they both hit to their potential of what we've seen them. You know, Pollard has been great at times and if you just look at the last five games of last season, like that's a pretty good running back that you're getting around seven. And then Chuba, I mean I know there's a lot of Jonathan Brooks hype. I get it. It. You know, there's. There's certainly an opportunity for him to, you know, lead the position and win the job and be the best running back in Carolina. But he is coming off consecutive ACL tears in the same knee and sitting out a full season, you know, after doing that. So I think if you just look

[Dave]

at,

[Heath]

I think still the Carolina offensive line is very underrated and has an opportunity to be one of the better running offenses in in the NFL if Hubbard or Brooks or both can take advantage of it.

[Jamie]

Yeah, interesting. You said that PFF had them the last two years as a top seven run blocking team. Carolina, ESPN had them 10th two years ago, but but 28th last year.

[Heath]

So weird.

[Jamie]

They were. They were 4th according to PFF and run blocking and 28th according to ESPN. But yes, Carolina could be a very good offensive line in that regard. And Chuba Hubbard is RB 29 and ADP. Okay, so we'll get again. The names are Pollard, Hubbard, Stevenson, Harvey, Gainwell, Dowdle, Manangai, Brooks, Corum, Rashad, White and Dobbins. Get back to that in a moment. We have a lot of other podcasts that you'll find interesting, including some soccer podcasts. Go to CBSSports.com podcasts get the full list. Obviously that includes FFT Dynasty. It includes beyond the Box Score. It includes Fantasy Baseball Today, Ion College basketball. Call it what you want, which is a soccer podcast. The early edge for your gambling needs. Inside College Basketball now, you know, cover three for college football. Pushing the pile for the NFL. Great stuff. And of course with the first pick, in case Ryan Wilson's listening. I don't want to offend him. We did hear a sound.

[Heath]

Who does Ryan do the podcast with? Let's see if you do.

[Jamie]

Oh, come on. And I ran.

[Heath]

There you go.

[Jamie]

JB.

[Heath]

They posted their 2027 draft prospects at running back on Instagram. I texted both of them because ran as a gator and they have Boss the number one running back for next or 2027 and I said, oh, you just did this because you're a homer. And they were just thrilled to get the attention. So they give them more publicity. They deserve it.

[Jamie]

And Jamie, we heard a sound on your computer earlier because you made a draft pick. Is today the official start of fantasy football?

[Heath]

Scott Fishbowl, baby.

[Jamie]

Yeah.

[Heath]

You excited to finally meet Scott in person?

[Jamie]

Yes, I'm going to meet Scott in person in Philadelphia this week. By the way, if you're a listener of the show and you live in Philadelphia, I don't know, DM me or tweet at me or something. Or email me, email me. Fantasy football side calm. It's fine. And Dan Schneier and I will be there.

[Heath]

Are you picking him up?

[Jamie]

I am picking him up.

[Dave]

Yes.

[Jamie]

The conference is nice day. And Thursday. I don't know how much free time we'll have, but we'll be there. And we're going to meet a lot of people from the fantasy industry, including Scott Fish. But Scott Fishbowl has started. It's sort of the unofficial launch of the fantasy football season. Crazy scoring in this league. But who did you take second overall?

[Heath]

I took Gibbs. A lot of. A lot of internal debate of. Because Jamar Chase was first of Josh Allen, Jameer Gibbs, and Pukinakua. But I'm just going to stick with the guy I think is going to be the best player in fantasy this year, and that's Jimmy Gibbs.

[Jamie]

Okay. And it's a super flex league. That's why Jamie was considering Josh Allen. There's also a lot of bonuses for big plays, including more bonuses for receiving big plays. And then tight ends have. Have a lot of bonuses as well.

[Heath]

Can I answer Jeff's question in the chat? Jeff Sills, 134 about.

[Jamie]

Will Dan be ready?

[Heath]

Because. No, the other one, because you guys are the two biggest mushes I've ever met in my life. Adam and I were just sailing along, maybe the best record in. In the league, certainly top three. And I was like, man, this our team's great. I haven't done anything. It's just fantastic. And I think we've lost like six of seven since. And then Dave text me after we got to first place. He was like this, oh, we're doing great. This is awesome. And we've lost to a row.

[Jamie]

Yeah. Jamie shares the team with me and with Dave, except I don't do anything. And Dave, I barely do anything. Yeah.

[Heath]

So, no, Dave's a very active participant. Adam is. Is a minority owner. Silent minority owner.

[Jamie]

All right. Jamie shamed Me for. For. I didn't really steal it, but jokingly stealing the term water cooler stats. So now we have group chat stats. Jamie, these are stats that you're going to text your fantasy football group chat because they're so interesting.

[Heath]

Okay?

[Jamie]

Ramandre Stevenson and Travion Henderson played 18 games together, including the playoffs. In those 18 games, they both average 4.4 yards per carry. Stevenson, though, had eight goal line carries and Henderson had one. Tony Pollard has finished between RB22 and RB30 per game in all formats three straight seasons. Right now he's RB28 in PPR ADP. He also averaged 100 rushing yards per game on the nose in his last five games of the season. This one is amazing. Chuba Hubbard had 134 carries in 2025. Without looking at my notes, what was his longest carry? How many yards For Chuba Hubbard, 134 carries. His longest carry went for how many yards?

[Dave]

14.

[Heath]

11. Screw you, Dave.

[Jamie]

You looked at my notes.

[Dave]

I did 14 yards.

[Jamie]

That's terrible.

[Dave]

It's not good.

[Jamie]

You know what else is a good? I don't know if it's his fault, but Dave Canales, his track record. He's got three years as a coordinator or a head coach. His teams, Dave Canalis, his teams have never finished higher than 20th in scoring or 22nd in plays. So if you're going to have a committee, you know, you need like high. I don't know if it's going to be committee, but if you're going to have a committee and someone's going to be successful, think about the Bears and the Rams, right? You need a high scoring team that runs a lot of plays. The Panthers were not that.

[Heath]

No, I think it's kind of built into their adp. Right. Because you're not drafting either one of these guys to be a starter. I do find it interesting though, what the personnel moves that they made by letting Rico Dowdle go and not really addressing the position. So either they're really confident in Tuba, really confident in Brooks that he's going to, you know, be healthy and, you know, play to the level of what they thought he was when they drafted him, or both and hopefully that the committee is strong enough to be successful.

[Dave]

They love Chuba, like as far as like locker room presence, high character guy. Like he's. He embodies what the Panthers coaching staff wants their players to be. And so he's going to get plenty of opportunities. And even if Jonathan Brooks gets through training camp and he looks good and all that stuff, Chuba is going to have a role. I'm I as to the Canalis stat that you gave, he's not calling the plays anymore this year. He's handing it over to his buddy Brad Idzik and he is the, he is the play caller that I am most worried about because there isn't a track record with him. He. He doesn't come from any kind of super special tree. That's the thing. It's still Canalis offense on top of it. So it's somebody else calling from Canalis playbook. I'm nervous about what it's going to mean for Carolina and their chances to take a step forward offensively. And then you talked about the offensive line. I don't know if their best tackles can even play this year.

[Heath]

True.

[Jamie]

Ikea Kwano yeah, this is a funny comment that I didn't get until just now. Will Dan see the group chat stats? Probably not. All right.

[Heath]

Isn't he the one that's usually left off?

[Jamie]

What's that?

[Heath]

Isn't he the one that's usually left off?

[Jamie]

Heath gets left off the group chats. Dan just ignores them. Yeah, a few more group chat stats in full PPR. JK Dobbins was RB18 per game in 2024 and 27 per game in 2025. By the way, full PPR. His worst format. Last year he's RB38 in ADP. So based on the last two years it looks like a discount. But the next group stat. Group chat stat. Beware of that statistic because Rashad White was RB10 per game in 2023 and RB21 per game in 2024. And last year Rashad White was RB45 per game. These are all players who are we're going to talk about today. Dobbins, Rashad White, Chuba Hubbard and Brooks. And then finally how about just the comparison? I think so coincidental almost. Blake Corum and Kyle Menangai, they both started getting more work in week seven. They're both, they're going almost back to back in ADP right now. Corum and Manangai Coram played 11 games from week seven through 18. Menangai played 12 games but one of those 12 was with DeAndre Swift. So he played one of those without Swift. So they both played 11 games with the other guy in the backfield and Corum in his last 11 games was on pace for 179 yard carries, 179 carries, 912 yards, eight touchdowns. He had 40% of the running back carries. That's Corum 179 carry pace, 40% of the running back carries. Manangai his last 11 games with DeAndre Swift on pace for 187 carries. That's eight more, 99 fewer yards and also eight rushing touchdowns. They both were on pace for eight rushing touchdowns. He had 44% of the running back carry. So their stats were so similar. Except Corum was more efficient. Manang Guy though was on pace for 17 catches. Quorum was only on pace for eight catches. Manangai at least was used a little bit in the passing game but man they were so similar and and both of their teams averaged 25 or more running back carries per game those 11 games which is, you know, going to be at or near the top of the league. So do you guys have a preference between Corman because they were pretty damn similar last year.

[Dave]

Manang Guy by a nose simply because I think we've already seen him work in a drive by drive rotation with DeAndre Swift. It makes it a lot harder to predict who's going to do what from game to game, but it makes it easier to predict just how much work a guy's going to get. And I just, I'd rather have the running back behind DeAndre Swift than the running back behind Kyron Williams. Williams has the better track record over the last few years, but it's that close. And if you want to say that the Rams offense is a little bit better than the Bears and therefore you'd rather have Corum, I get it.

[Heath]

I mean this is the definition of the Spider man meme because everything is almost identical. It's like if an injury were to happen, either one, there's top 10 upside for the other guy. They both, like you said, started getting work at the same time. They both have opportunities to still be successful even if the other guy is healthy. I think the biggest difference is for me, and I agree with David's Menangai slightly, they're back to back in my rankings though is Kyron Williams did not lose his role on the important touches which was passing down work and goal line opportunities. And I could see DeAndre Swift maybe losing those chances if Ben Johnson wants to go a different direction. Plus the commitment to Kyron Williams is a little bit stronger based on where these two guys are in their respective franchises. So I think just looking at the two players like Manangai could potentially steal the job if he gets off to a good start and Swift struggles. I don't expect that to happen. That's not remotely close to how I have it ranked. I think Kyrad Williams have to completely fall on his face or get injured and then Blake Corum runs away with the job before he loses any opportunities.

[Dave]

Do either of these guys in either of your minds have 10 ppr point per game potential as long as their co starter or starter ahead of them. However you want to phrase the. The veteran backs stay healthy.

[Jamie]

Yeah, yeah, I think that would be probably close to the ceiling. There'll be some really good weeks. But like looking at Menangai's game log from, you know, he scored 19 points in week 13, then 8.7, 3.3, 12.3, 7.7, 5.9, then we get to the playoffs. Jamie, I just want to say one thing actually. In those last 11 games, Corum and Kyron Williams both had eight goal line carries.

[Heath]

Yeah, but what I'm saying is like Kyron didn't lose the job.

[Jamie]

He didn't lose the job. But, but I think it was the same thing with, with the Bears. Like those guys split that role pretty evenly in both. It is unbelievable how similar the profiles are of these two.

[Heath]

Run Spider man, me.

[Jamie]

So maybe if you drafted, you know, if you drafted Swift or you drafted Kyron, it might influence your decision. But we're going to take a break and give you some news and notes on the Chargers and some other teams and then we'll dive into these running backs a little bit more when we come back. All right, news and notes. Not much. Still the quiet time of the year right now, but Daniel Popper of the Athletic thinks he called lad McConkey the number one option in the passing offense. He also said that Quentin Johnston's going to benefit from this offense because of his yak skills. That's the, the second Chargers reporter or, or writer who wrote that. But he favors McConkey over Quentin Johnson. Daniel Popper. He also said that Omarion Hampton could be one of the best running backs in the NFL if he stays healthy. Okay, Nick.

[Heath]

Agreed. Cosign.

[Jamie]

Cool. Yeah, it's funny because I. I believe he was pretty low on Quentin Johnston once upon a time. And I like America. Yeah, exactly. I shouldn't say that because I could be wrong about that and I shouldn't have forget. Scratch that. Just in case I'm wrong, I don't want to misspeak for someone. Nick Cosmetre of the Athletic thinks that RJ Harvey could make a big jump in year two if he's more efficient running in between the tackles. But I read the article. I didn't really think it was so Painting an optimistic picture for RJ Harvey.

[Heath]

Cosign.

[Jamie]

Yeah, Woody Marks is going to play on third down. He split with Dario Gumbawale last year. Gumbawale is not on the Texans now, so Marks could have an expanded role on third down. Both of those players had exactly nine targets and exactly six catches on third down last year. And the athletic reports that Kirk Cousins took all of the Raiders first team reps in camp recently. We had a question from the chat. Who do we think had the most hot dogs this past weekend?

[Dave]

Oh, come on.

[Jamie]

Was you?

[Dave]

Well, it wasn't, but I'm pretty sure everybody would guess me.

[Jamie]

I think I was talking up hot dogs though on the show. I can't remember because I have this new recipe I wanted to try and I tried it and it was really good.

[Heath]

Yeah?

[Jamie]

Yes. I boiled them in. They told me that my brother in law told me to boil it in beer. So I had a 12 ounce can of Modelo. You don't want like an IPA, apparently. I don't even know what that is.

[Heath]

But that's the closest you've ever gotten to getting drunk? Yes.

[Jamie]

So 12 ounces of beer, but I did like seven, eight water and then one can of beer. Boiled the hot dogs for like two minutes. I don't have a grill. Then you're supposed to put them on the grill. I put them on the stove for like a minute, then turn off the, turn off the boiling water, throw the hot dogs back in, let them sit there for a little bit and then eat them. It's pretty good. It's pretty good. So I had two hot dogs that I win. Two hot dogs and a sausage.

[Heath]

I'm guess Heath probably won though.

[Jamie]

I don't think he eats hot dogs.

[Heath]

No.

[Jamie]

I'm going to text him. All right, round seven through nine. What'd you say?

[Heath]

I think he's a fourth of July hot dog guy.

[Jamie]

I think he's more of a pulled pork guy.

[Dave]

Right, right, right. He's. He's eating. He's more refined than that when it comes to his meats.

[Jamie]

All right, round seven through nine. Let's start with the four running backs in round seven. Jamie, it's Pollard, Chuba Hubbard, Ramandre Stevenson and RJ Harvey. Is that how you have them? Rank, Pollard, Hubbard, Stevenson, Harvey for those guys?

[Heath]

Yes. No. Yes, I think so. I go back and forth with Pollard and Hubbard, but yes, Stevenson. I do not have Harvey in, in this with these other three guys though. I, I think Harvey. I have Dobbins over Harvey. I'd Rather take the chance on Dobbins staying healthy forever long years. I just think Jonah Coleman's presence is going to be a problem for Harvey if Dobbins misses time. Harvey should lead the backfield in receptions, but I just don't see the same path to success for him unless both guys get hurt. Because I just think we're going to see Coleman getting those rushing opportunities even if Dobbins misses time. But Pollard and Hubbard are great picks in Round seven. Stevenson is fine in this range. You know, this is just one of those scenarios with Stevenson where he may end up being better than Chevy on Henderson. Once again. I think we're all hoping that Henderson is the better of the two because he's so much more explosive. But obviously what we saw at the end of last season, into the playoffs, through the super bowl, the Patriots were definitely in the Ramandre Stevenson camp and I don't see that changing dramatically barring an injury.

[Jamie]

Dave, again, it's Pollard, Hubbard, Ramandre Harvey. How do you rank them?

[Dave]

Chuba's first. I'm with Jamie though. I go back and forth between Chuba and Pollard. I think they're both going to end up splitting. I just think that Chuba maybe just has a little bit of an edge. I do think back to 2024 and what he was able to do and I've looked at Pollard's last three seasons and some of them have been okay. He's gotten a lot of work each of those three years, at least 16 touches per game in each of those seasons and I don't think he's any better than like 13.1 PPR points per game, which candidly for round six, around seven, that's pretty dang good. But last year he was not very good. He had two games last year where he was awesome and other than that it was just nothing doing. I, I don't have Harvey or Stevenson on the same tier for now in full ppr. I do have Harvey over Stevenson. I am not a big fan of Ramandre because I, I just, I, I water cooler the stats out from his last three regular season games and the dude didn't even average 10 PPR points per game for the majority of the regular season. And if not for a garbage time touchdown, the playoffs, he wouldn't have had good numbers for the postseason either.

[Jamie]

You're talking about Ramandre.

[Dave]

Ramandre is actually last on this list in full.

[Jamie]

People behind Harvey.

[Dave]

Behind Harvey. And that's not an endorsement of Harvey either. It's, it's more of an me worried about Ramandre Stevenson having a very low ceiling.

[Jamie]

Oh man, I texted you over the weekend. I did a, like, I did all this Ramandre research and it was just so boring. But it, you know, he's got, but it was also kind of fascinating. He, he had a really good year and he finishes RB22 per game and he did that with only nine touchdowns in 14 games. And what I think is, is most interesting here is that we know what Travion did in the three games that Henderson missed. But right before Henderson got hurt, he was starting to have a huge role. That was weeks five through seven and he played over 70% of the snaps Ramondre did in all three games. So like the first four weeks, everything was pretty even between the two guys. Weeks five through seven, Ramandre Stevenson dominated the snaps, not necessarily the touches, but he dominated the snaps. And then he got hurt. And then after that it was pretty even again. And in the playoffs I think it was pretty even with a slight, slight favor to Ramon Dre. I think it's funny when you look at what these coaches tend to do in the playoffs at the Rams, you look at the Bears, you look at the Patriots, they tend to go back to their veteran running backs a little bit more. Of course, that doesn't mean it's going to happen again the following regular season, but, but he was starting to, to really dominate that, that, that role. I don't know, does that even matter, Jamie? Or does this, the way the rest of the season played out, matter more, which was a fairly even split Again,

[Heath]

I think that when you look at the Patriots backfield, there's, there's hope and there's reality. And the hope is Treveon Henderson can be the focal point. I don't think they're, if they're both healthy, that we're going to get a significant split in playing time because they clearly trust Stevenson to do a lot of things and I think that will continue. But when you look at the two play, obviously, you know, we talk about this a lot, Adam. This is where, you know, your, your eyes have to tell you the one player is, is much more explosive than the other. So if you watch the Patriots and you watch Henderson, you know what he's capable of doing, then that's the type of guy you want to see. You want to see him in a featured role. And okay, yeah, he may not take the, the two or three yard run, but there's 50 yard run potential there on almost every play. And so hopefully that's the next evolution and you know, can be a little bit better in pass protection. So that gets him more involved in the passing game and can benefit from a better passing attack because now AJ Brown and Romeo Dobbs are there and that's a huge upgrade in the receiving corp. So I would rather take the chance on Henderson. Now I'm, I don't know where, where Dave is and, and Heath comes out on this but like I'm not going all in on, on Henderson. He's not a top 24 guy for me. He's just barely ahead of Stevenson because the reality is that as long as Stevenson's healthy he's going to get work. And if the workload. There was only two games last year when both were healthy where Stevenson played less snaps than Henderson or Henderson played more snaps than Stevenson. And so clearly there is at least a 50, 50 split going on here. Still probably a 60, 40 split in favor of Stevenson. And what level of goal line opportunities continue to go his way? Important playing time, snaps, pass blocking, all those things continue to go his way because he's more trusted by the coaches. And so Henderson needs those injury or needs an injury to become a potential top 10 guy. So again you're, you're taking the chance like best ball, it's Trevion Henderson without question redraft, it's closer. But again I would just take the chance on the upside of what Henderson can be. So I think Stevenson Round 7 is a little early for me, but I think Stevenson is still in this range of of guys. I would take him over Harvey just because I don't really trust RJ Harvey at this point.

[Jamie]

I gotta say I personally I don't see myself drafting or mondre Stevenson. The only thing, the only thing that makes me want to draft him is that he had again in the, in the 18 games that they played together, Stevenson and Henderson, he had eight of the nine goal line carries between the two of them. And that is enticing from a team that should have a pretty good offense. But I don't buy how efficient he was as a receiver. That was insane. He's not going to do that again.

[Heath]

But as, as you've noted time and time again, Patriot schedule is much harder. Probably going to be more offensive snaps, probably going to be more passing opportunities. And I think we see some chances for Ramandre Stevenson to not be as efficient but be a little bit more, have a little bit more, you know, volume.

[Jamie]

Well so I, yes, I see your point. On the other hand, his target per hour run Rate was a lot higher when Stefon Diggs was off the field compared to when he was on the field. And I think A.J. brown's going to be on the field a lot more than Stefan Diggs was. But also I think Trayvon Henderson, look, when he came out of college, his reputation was he's a great pass blocker. Obviously it didn't play out that way last year, but I just think another year in the system, I think Henderson's going to take some of that role away from Ramandre Stevenson. It looks like a split and then, yeah, like, we all can acknowledge that Trayvon has more explosive playmaking ability, more upside. I just don't know. I think it had to be to round nine. Like you said, too early for you, Jamie. I think it has to be round nine for me, maybe late round eight for me to take Ramon Dream.

[Heath]

I think when, like, you're building your team, it comes down to what did you start with and what do you need, you know? So like, if you go with a hero RB approach and you took that one running back in the first or second round, and then you're taking a bunch of guys to be that second running back for you, like some combination. Let's just say the ADP is, it stays in round seven and you go Stevenson, Dowdle or Gainwell and any one of the guys in round nine back to back to back, like, that's fine. If you're taking the, the, the, the shots on Gamewell or Dowdle being the best running back in their backfield or anybody in round nine, especially if it's Manangai, Quorum, Brooks, you know, one of those guys that could be huge if they get that starting opportunity. So I, I think it depends on your build, you know, like, so if you take two running backs early, taking Ramandre Stevenson as your third running back probably doesn't make much sense. But if you do the hero or zero RB build, then, you know, this is the range where you're taking somebody who's going to get you guaranteed carries and not have the huge ceiling, but certainly has a safe floor.

[Jamie]

I should say that I mentioned it was kind of an even split after Stevenson got back from injury. But I think I'm sort of underselling Henderson's role because, you know, he came back in Week 12, he didn't really play that much. So Weeks 13 through 18, Travion Henderson had 21 more carries than Ramondre. Some of that was they blew out a couple of teams by 28 or more points in consecutive weeks and, and Treveon had some of the work later in the game, but not really. He just got more carries. It was really weird. And Stevenson got more catches. All right, so there's that. And then I guess the last question I'd have for the Patriots backfield is Dave, I talked about you want to have a successful guy in a split situation. You need a team that's going to run a lot of plays, run a have a ton of running back carries like the Rams and the Bears last year. Could the Patriots fit that mold?

[Dave]

I think they'd be a half notch behind that mold, but a lot of that spake into what how I believe in Drake May and what he's capable of doing. And the additions, Jamie brought it up. A.J. brown, Romeo Dobbs being added to that receiving core tack on the, the schedule being tougher. There could be a lot of game scripts that are great for Drake, May and A.J. brown and even Romeo Dobbs a little bit and maybe not as good for the running backs. I don't know how comfortable I am with Trayvon Anderson being ranked As a top 60 player for me, but I do expect him to take a step forward in terms of workload and if he, if he has a clean training camp and I'm sort of banking on this, I guess with my rankings, then I could see him leading the way. And Ramandre still owning the goal line, which is important, but not necessarily doing as much in the passing game. I mean, let's face it, Travion had some really bad moments last year and they really brought him along slowly. We talked to Damien Harris about it and, and he said that like doing the little things is a big deal in Josh McDaniels offense and Travion didn't do a good job on the little things. And that's why Ramanre played more. And those last three games for Ramandre totally spiked his fantasy production. If you look at those first 11 games or so that he played, he had three touchdowns, he averaged two and a half targets per game and I don't want to get stuck with that in round seven. I'm with Jamie. There's no way I'm taking Ramondre Stevenson where his ADP is right now.

[Jamie]

What separates Chuba Hubbard from Tony Pollard, if anything,

[Dave]

his backfield mate has torn his ACL on the same knee in consecutive seasons and we just don't know how ready he's going to be. And we know the coaching staff loves him. That's the start. The continuation is that Brian Dable's track record generally is using multiple running backs until he has one that he's in love with. I don't know if Tony Pollard's going to be the one that he's in love with, which means we're going to continue to see Pollard and Spears split. It could lead to Pollard being pretty decent. He could have that goal line role. Obviously, I don't know if he's going to work a lot of passing downs. I think he's just going to be okay. And I think Chupa has a little bit more upside. Unless slash until Jonathan Brooks really shows that he's A durable and B, just as explosive as he was when he played at Texas.

[Jamie]

Jamie, same question. What separates Chuba Hubbard and Tony Pollard?

[Heath]

Really, for me, it's the potential of three guys versus two, because I think the addition of Singleton could be a little bit of a problem for Pollard. Whereas as Dave said, you know, Hubbard is basically operating as the featured guy with the potential and the hope. And listen, I think we all would love to see Jonathan Brooks come out, be the dynamic running back that he was in Texas and show that he's 100 healthy. But that's such a huge if. And so, you know, this is one of the biggest storylines to follow in training camp. You know, he's certainly a player that could see a huge spike in adp. Like if he looks explosive and you're getting more and more positive reports like the, the drum beat is already there, you know, based on what we've heard out of minicamp and just this entire off season. And so if we get to camp and it's Brooks and Hubbard are splitting the first down reps and Brooks just looks so much more dynamic and so much more explosive. Like it's easy to take Pollard over Hubbard at that point, you know. Again, Pollard quietly finished the season very strong, you know, despite the fact that the team was not playing very well. Cam Ward started to look better, Tony Pollard started to look better. You have an upgraded offensive coach, you certainly have an upgraded receiving core and Pollard I think still has the potential for one more good season where he can surprise some people. So I don't think he's like. And I think these two guys fall in the category, but I. So I'll just lump them both together. I don't know if either of these two guys could be Javante Williams of just, hey, opportunity is there because the offense I don't think is as dynamic in, in these two teams as it is in Dallas, but I favor the offensive line for The Panthers. I favor the situation slightly for Hubbard again, just because even though Singleton really hasn't gotten a lot of hype, they did draft a running back. Whereas again, Carolina let somebody walk and didn't necessarily make a huge attempt to replace them. So Spears isn't really so much a concern because I don't know, he'll definitely play and he obviously is going to take some playing time away from Pollard, but he's had such a strong hard time staying healthy and I just don't know if like he's the type of player that's going to ruin Tony Pollard. Like Jonathan Brooks can absolutely crush Chuba Harbor.

[Jamie]

Sure. Yeah. And I think with Pollard, I mentioned he's finished between 22 and 30 per game the last three years. Two of those have been with Tennessee and there is, I think, you know, 2024, especially 2024, 13.9 carries when Taji Tajie Spears was healthy, 13.9 per game when Spears was healthy, 19.3 without Spears being healthy. Whether that was missing a game or barely playing 2025, it wasn't quite as dramatic. It was 16.4 carries without Spears or with him playing 25% or less of the snaps and 14.5 carries per game with Spears. That is a pretty big deal if that's going to continue. I don't really think Pollard has big upside. I still think he could hit at RB28 and ADP, but if you look at the last five games of the year when he averaged 100 rushing yards per game, Tony Pollard was getting 71% of the running back carries. He, he, he's not going to play on passing downs that much, so he probably needs to really dominate the carries and 71% would be pretty close to that. And then obviously you just need their offense to improve and get some more goal line carries. He's been kind of like Breeze hall in that regard. He just hasn't had a lot of chances to score. All right, so I guess those are some questions you'll have to ask yourself. Will the Titans offense be good enough and will he. Hopefully we'll get some reporting on it. Will he really start to just be the true lead running back and not even be in a 65, 35 kind of split? Probably needs a bigger split than that.

[Dave]

And if you've heard us over the last 20 minutes or so talking about these running backs and you're squeamish, draft any of them, congratulations, you're an early RB drafter.

[Jamie]

Yeah, you should be. I mean, looking at how often Running backs drafted in the first two to three rounds, specifically two rounds, finish top 12. I don't, I don't really think you should go without a running back in the first three rounds. Personally, I shouldn't say that, but it's, I think it's easier to find wide receiver late than a running back, personally. At least I think that's what the, that's what the stats would tell us.

[Heath]

That group of receivers that we're starting to see in rounds three, four and five are solid.

[Jamie]

Yeah, you like it, right?

[Heath]

That's, they're, they're obviously not top five caliber players unless a lot of things go right. But I think just looking at it like where the running back tier drops off is pretty startled.

[Jamie]

You know who I'm really starting to like, by the way? We'll go to break after this. Really starting to like Travis. Etnh. Starting to feel it.

[Dave]

You should be.

[Jamie]

Well, not everybody feels that way. See? All right, topic for another day.

[Dave]

Gonna be a good offense.

[Jamie]

Rounds eight and nine when we come back on fantasy football today, it's always

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[Jamie]

Two running backs going in round eight, Kenneth Gainwell and Rico Dowdle. Dowdle is the new Gainwell in some ways,

[Dave]

sort of.

[Jamie]

Who do you like better, Dave Gainwell or Dowdle? This is PPR that we're talking by the way, but you can say any format.

[Dave]

Rico Dowdle.

[Jamie]

Why?

[Dave]

Because I think he's got potential to still catch passes and won't be to the same level as Kenneth Gainwell. I love the connection that he's got to Mike McCarthy in Pittsburgh, Jalen Warren and he should split carries. It could be annoying, it could be just like how it is in Chicago between Swift and Manung Guy. But we've seen him play well, we've seen him lead all fantasy running backs in a given week at times. And the Steelers, I still think they've got a solid offensive line. I think they're going to lean on both running backs. I don't think it's, it's. I would say it's probably going to happen where Jaylen Warren plays more on passing downs and Rico Doddle. But they've both seen similar target per game averages over the last two seasons and so I think there's some potential for Dowdle to win at the goal line, still catch the ball a decent amount, still play a decent amount and have a solid if not startable role for fantasy managers.

[Jamie]

Jamie Bucky Irving or who's you know, sharing with Bucky Irving or Rico Dowdle.

[Heath]

So I don't want to overvalue Kenneth Gainwell after what he did last year and there is the chance that Dowdle could be the best running back in Pittsburgh. I think for Gainwell to have that opportunity it would take Buck Irving getting hurt. So I think Gainwell is to me Gainwell and Rashad White are very similar type of gambles in that in PPR they're probably going to catch a lot of passes. There is the chance because of the guys they're playing behind Irving more so injury than Crosby Merritt. But there, there's chances for those guys to, to, to be the best running backs on their team. In the case of Dowdle like he could be because of what Dave alluded to, you know, the connection to McCarthy, the fact that Jalen Warren has really doesn't have the track record. I think he was fine last year but doesn't have the track record of being a featured guy that Dowdle can come in and be that at least first and second down option. Now you saw with gamewell last year and I think will be the case with Aaron Rodgers is that there's going to be a lot of passes to the running back and I don't know if Dowdle necessarily wins that role per se or has those opportunities compared to Jalen Warren. So if Dowdle doesn't have that then he could be a trap back because he's going to probably need a lot of touchdowns to return value of even in round seven. But again you're taking the gamble on that. He's Got the chance to be the best running back in Pittsburgh. So I think if you're just, you know, hoping for a 60 catch, a 60 plus catch season for Kenneth Gainwell, then you're drafting him ahead of Dowdle until I guess again we get to camp. Now if Bucky Irving continues to struggle with the shoulder injury and we get again 1A, 1B, well, that now becomes 1 and 1A or, you know, even gain. Well, is better than. Than Bucky Irving, then there's easily. You're going to take gamewell over Dowdle. But this Pittsburgh backfield is another big storyline. And just in. In terms of like, who's going to be the lead running back and probably more importantly, who's going to play on pass downs. Now Rico Dowdle gets that role and still can. You know, if he. If he pushes Jalen Warren to the side because of the McCarthy relationship, then it's easily doubt and there's not even a question.

[Dave]

No. All right. I would. I would be shocked if that happened. By the way,

[Jamie]

this is a crazy take. I'd rather have Kyle Menangai or Blake Corum than either Gainwell or Dowdle. Even though if there are no injuries to, you know, to Bucky or Warren or Swift or let's just say any.

[Dave]

Or yeah, sure, no injuries.

[Jamie]

No injuries to any running backs ever in the football. Well, in that the difference in ADP

[Dave]

is like one round.

[Jamie]

Yeah, sorry. I'm trying to articulate this. If the running backs don't get injured, I feel like Gainwell and Dowdle should be going ahead of Corum and Manangai because those guys have the chance to catch passes and Menangai and Corum probably don't. But if the running backs do get hurt, the starting running backs, Bucky, Jalen, Warren, if he's a starter, and then the guys in Chicago and Los Angeles, if they get hurt, I think Menangai and Corum would be a lot better than Gainwell and Dowdle. Do you agree with that? Especially Gainwell. Because Sean Tucker, right, is still there. I don't know. But like, if it's possible, Dowdle could be awesome in Pittsburgh if Warren were out because he'd catch like a ton of passes. But thoughts on that, like, who's got the most injury upside?

[Heath]

Again, that comes down to, I think how you build your team and how you draft, you know, so if, if you're taking like, who's got league winning upside, you're 100. Right. Because if Manangay or Cora never get those starting opportunities, as I said, before there's top 10, it's really top 15 potential for either one of those two guys. Like it's very difficult to see that on those offenses. That being said, if there's not an injury, then Gainwell's going from what he did in Pittsburgh last year. And, and let's not undersell, he did run the ball well too. It wasn't just, he was just catching passes, you know, when he got the chance to be a rusher, you know, we saw the, the ability I think that you know, Philly was hoping to see once upon a time. Dowdle obviously coming off a season where he just had two 200 yard games, you know, so there's huge upside for him as well. But in their respective offenses with who they're sharing with, like who knows how this is all going to play out. Whereas again Mananga or Quorum, like they may do nothing for you for 10 games and maybe two or three, they're absolutely those league winning type of guys. So I think in the case of Gainwell, like Zach Robinson just gave his running back, granted it was Bijan Robinson, but just gave his running back, you know, 100 plus targets. And so now you have this weapon that you're utilizing behind a guy who is very much a wild card, you know, fantasy and reality. And Buck Irving, like he could be awesome as we saw in his rookie season. He could be an absolute, you know, fall in his face bust as we saw last year at times, you know, so gamewell could be the best running back in Tampa Bay. So I would still take gamewell over him non guy in Quorum. But I certainly understand if that's the way you want to draft and take the upside of what Mananga or Quorum can be.

[Jamie]

It's weird to talk about Gainwell and apply it to Dowdle. It might get a little confusing because they're, you know, the two running backs going in round eight. But Kenneth Gainwell scored 16.2 or more PPR fantasy points in six of his last eight games last year. He was based and Jayla Warren played in all those games. He was basically a league winner. He now Rico Dowdle goes to Pittsburgh, probably will play a different role because so much of that was receptions. But also I should point out that Jalen Warren missed one game. Remember that London game, right where he was surprised, inactive and and Kenneth Gainwell had had 19 carries, 99 yards, two touchdowns, six catches for 35 yards. He scored 31.4 fantasy points. So maybe Rico Dowdle has huge upside and maybe Jalen Warren has huge upside if one of the guys in that Pittsburgh backfield gets hurt or maybe Caleb Johnson spoils the party or something.

[Dave]

I just think it's a mistake to assume that everything's going to stay status quo in Pittsburgh when so much has changed in Pittsburgh. Arthur Smith is gone. Mike McCarthy is here. Michael Pittman Jr. Is there. Jeremy Bernard is there. There was a report this past week about Pat Friarmuth having a role in the passing game. This change a little bit. Yeah, Heidenreich is there too. He's fun. I don't know how many weeks he'll be active, but you know he was compared to Randall Cobb on draft day so that can tell you how Mike McCarthy thinks about Heidenreich. There are a lot of moving parts that are going to change how that offense operates and I have a feeling that that Aaron Rodgers will throw a little more north south than east west this coming year.

[Heath]

That would help. I I think one thing just to keep in mind with Jalen Warren, if you go back to last year when they signed Gannett Gainwell those two guys were making a bet they were two of the highest ranked pass blockers at their position. And who is going to be better?

[Jamie]

Which two players?

[Heath]

Warren again two of the highest Jalen Warren and Kenneth Game one game will sign with Pittsburgh and so Jalen Warren is a very good pass protector and I don't know where Rico Doll comes out in that but I don't think

[Jamie]

he's I remember talking about the guy that isn't passed now I think in the last two years Dowdle's been a lot better than Warren one year according to PFF and Warren's been a lot better than Dowdle one year. It's hard they both have played on third down. I mean I I lean toward Warren as the third down back just kind of makes sense to me. But Daddle has a case our Gainwell and Dowdle all that different than Rashad White who is five running backs after them. You know they're 32 and 33. Rashad Wright is running back 37 being drafted in round nine. Jamie is is game our game will endow all that different from Rashad White.

[Heath]

No I think Gainwell and White again another Spider man meme, you know type of player. You know just because you do have some uncertainty about the lead running back probably feel a little bit more comfortable Bucky Irving clearly because of what his resume is but Jacori Krasky Merit is not going to be the passing downs guy. Rashad White is going to be the guy they use in that regard. He's got three seasons on his resume of 50 plus catches. So, you know, playing in an offense right now that has Terry McCorn and maybe Checo conquo and maybe this and maybe that and a lot of question marks in terms of the pass. Catchers like Rashad White does have an opportunity to definitely play a role in the passing game and can easily overtake Crosby Merit if he struggles. Now you look at the way that, that Bill finished the season last year, he was pretty special for, for the commanders at times and so hopefully that carries over to this year and that he's the guy that plays on first and second down. So the only way they say that is because then it keeps Rashad White in this range and allows you to take somebody that still has huge potential. Now again, we get to camp and it's, you know, Rashad White's playing on first, second down. He's also working in passing downs. He's going to be a three down back, blah, blah, blah. Like this is going to drive up his adp, understandably so. And you know, probably put him in the round six range. So I think just in the case of, of Rashad White, Kenneth Gainwell, Rico Dowdle, you know, I would put RJ Harvey in that conversation and then almost everybody in round nine, like you're looking at what should be qualified as number two running backs and case by case for who can be in the, in the conversation to be the lead running back there. And Rashad White fits that, you know, category. So I, I love the opportunity for him. I, I do think that the new offense will benefit him. I think it was a great move. You know, this was, you know, something that I, I think was like an easy pairing and, and was even discussed the minute that we got to the end of the season and it was okay, they're not going to bring back Rashad White. He's going to Washington. You know, I, I think he's, he wanted to go play with Jane Daniel.

[Dave]

So it's just, they play together at Arizona State, right?

[Heath]

Yeah, it's just, it's just an easy, easy pairing for, for these two guys and hopefully, you know, especially with this Brandon Iuk situation unfolding before our eyes the way it is, they may, you know, pivot and go to Stefan Diggs who's got, you know, ties to the area, went to Maryland. That's the rumor you're hearing now. I don't even think that impacts Rashad White. I think you're looking at a guy that can get that 50 cash mark again and just huge upside for him in the round nine range.

[Jamie]

Okay, so that's Rashad White. Some thoughts on him, Dave, Compare Rashad White to J.K. dobbins. These are the so I think with Manangai, Brooks and Corum, we talked so much about Manangai and Corum. They're, you know, very, very similar. I'm a little surprised to see Brooks in this range right now. Does that feel a little premature to you guys? We'll get to Dobbins in a second. Does that feel a little premature to you guys?

[Dave]

It does, Yep. It's based on upside, which is important and it's something that you should always keep in mind when it comes to drafting players in the middle rounds. Who has more upside because chances are like you ran through the list of running backs at the beginning of the show that were drafted in round seven through nine last year. There was one guy who averaged over 14 PPR points per game in that whole list and a lot of dudes who sucked. And so there's a pretty decent chance that you're going to draft somebody who sucks in this range. Therefore, looking at the upside that Jonathan Brooks offers, of course that's tantalizing. We don't know if it's even going to be remotely close to happening because we don't know what he's going to look like by the time training camp rolls around. So it's just pure speculation at this point. And there isn't a ton of upside with J.K. dobbins, who averaged 11.6 PPR points per game and 10.5 non PPR points per game last year. He's a touchdown reliant running back. He's not going to work on passing downs, but when he's played he's been pretty good and I would imagine that he's going to be the lead back for Denver until he's not, which could be week three, could be week 12. But he's somebody that I think you're just looking for a safe running back that doesn't have much upside but probably doesn't have too much downside either. You're. You're going to gravitate toward him in

[Jamie]

this range and Dobbins is a guy you might take a little earlier in non or half ppr than you are in full ppr.

[Dave]

Definitely.

[Jamie]

I guess what I was saying with Brooks is I feel like I just. I personally need to see a little bit more reporting on where he is physically before I take him in round nine and what kind of role he's going to have. But.

[Heath]

Well, it kind of goes back to what I heard somebody smart say that Chuba Hubbard's longest run last year was 14 yards. So that's kind of why you're looking at Brooks and like again, chance to be the lead guy there with as much as Dave said, they, they like Chuba Hubbard. They're not cutting Chuba Hubbard. He could still be the same locker room guy. He doesn't need to get the work to be a good teammate and a good player. If Jonathan Brooks is the guy Jonathan Brooks gonna play.

[Jamie]

I don't know what happened to Chuba Hubbard last year. You know, he, he did have an injury fairly early in the season. Maybe he just wasn't healthy coming back.

[Heath]

That was better.

[Jamie]

But not just that, but I mean, Chuba Hubbard in 2024, he was the number 13 running back per game he averaged 4.8 yards per carry. He, he barely played in weeks one and two and then from weeks three through 16, he was the number eight running back per game, you know, and he was on pace for 306 carries and 51 catches. He was a full time workhorse running back.

[Heath]

What'd you say about him last year?

[Jamie]

That I didn't draft him in any leagues.

[Heath]

Because you thought he was just a guy?

[Jamie]

I did. I, I and I. My point on Chuba Hubbard was they signed Rico Dowdle. They drafted Jonathan Brooks.

[Heath]

Well, they drafted Brooks in 24.

[Jamie]

Yeah, they did all these things that, that suggested to me that they never really believed Chuba Hubbard was their guy, even though they gave him a contract extension. But the fact that we already talked about it, the fact that Jonathan Brooks is his backup and I don't even know how good Jonathan Brooks is. He barely played in college and he's got like 15 carries in the NFL or something like that, and two torn ACLs. He, Chuba Hubbard could just fall into 330 touches or something like that and, and just blow away everybody in this range.

[Heath]

Do we have to call him Trevor Hn too?

[Dave]

I think so, yeah. Travis is little play.

[Jamie]

He could, I mean I haven't been in the big burger dynasty league, so I'm hoping.

[Dave]

But before he got hurt, there wasn't a game where Chuba didn't have any less than 9.6 PPR points per game. So he got off to a solid start. He had a couple of good games and a couple of just okay games. After he came back from injury, he had one game with more than 9.6 PPR points. It was a big one. It was 20 points. It was right toward the end of the regular season in fantasy. But he was really just not the same last year, and he didn't get the same type of work. And I wonder if it's due to injury. And then you've got to think about how the Panthers have moved forward this off season. They must. They must know that Chuba is healthy, and they're ready to say, all right, he's the. He's the backstop at running back. We know we've got Brooks, he's got upside, but we've got Chuba, and he can handle the Rock if need be.

[Heath]

See, you say that, though. I almost feel it's the. It's the more Brooks than Chuba, because they know what they have in Chuba. They don't know what they have in Brooks. They have what they hope they think is. Is a stud in Brooks, which is why they drafted him in round two in 2024. And if that guy is healthy and if that guy can do what he's capable of, Chuba Hubbard's going to have a similar situation to what he had last year.

[Dave]

If not sit on the bench a lot more.

[Jamie]

Yeah. And I think all of this whole conversation, to me, kind of relevant for Tedro McMillan, because I think. I think the Panthers want to be a slow pace, run heavy offense, and that's not going to be good for Tedro McMillan, but if they can't run the ball and Dowdo's like a big dude. Daddle was. Daddle was a guy who smashes the ball in between the tackles over and over again. Do they have that on their roster? I don't know.

[Heath]

They do. I don't think they trust him, though. That's A.J. dylan.

[Jamie]

Okay. Yeah.

[Dave]

Or they might trust him for just that role. They give him the Sean Tucker treatment.

[Jamie]

But that'll would do that 15, 20 times a game. You know, at times, I'm saying, do they end up throwing more that would really benefit Teterella McMillan. Or they could just be really bad

[Dave]

offensively, or they could add another running back before the end of the preseason because they realize they need some depth there.

[Jamie]

Yeah, maybe. All right. Is there anything that we did not say about any of these guys that you want to say?

[Heath]

I think you said we're going to come back to Dobbins.

[Jamie]

We talked a little bit about him, but sure. Jamie, I don't think you talked about Dobbins. You like him better than Harvey?

[Heath]

Yeah, again, I. I think that Harvey is in a spot where he scored a lot of touchdowns last year, 12 touchdowns last year. The bulk of that came after Dobbins was hurt in week 10. And I'm sure if you, Sean Payton, you're hoping that Dobbins is Mark Ingram and Harvey is Camara, and you have that recreated again that you had that magic with the Saints. But Dobbins has a hard time staying healthy and Harvey has a hard time running between the tackles. And so it almost is like if you want a piece of the Broncos backfill, maybe just wait until the end of your draft and take Jonah Coleman and see how this all unfolds. Because he could end up being the one that works at the goal line, which would clearly be a problem for Dobbins. Then again, as Dave alluded to, Dobbins has a hard time staying healthy, as we're well aware. Then does Harvey get those opportunities again or does it go to a split backfield? So I think taking a shot on the Broncos backfill in this range is fine. I just don't know if RJ Harvey's ever going to be that type of fantasy option that we saw last year. If there's a Dobbins injury and that's really what made his season last season asterisk.

[Dave]

If training camp goes and there's some positive reports about Harvey being more efficient as a runner. This goes back to the report you referenced earlier. Adam. Yeah, then that would encourage me on Harvey and to take him over Dobbins, but for now I'm not going to the commanders. There's a report that they're trying to get Crosby Merritt to bulk up. And that's usually not something that we like seeing in the in the fantasy world. We don't want our running backs getting bigger. We want them to be lean or at least as, as whatever size they are when they're at their fastest. And if he puts on too much weight and isn't as fast as he once was, that could be problematic for Crosby Merritt. White fits into the gap scheme runs that Anthony Lynn prefers. That's who's been on the coaching staff for Washington for a while. And crossing merit's better in zone. And so if they're going to do a mix of those two, then you might see White more in situations and gapskin runs where he's way more efficient, way more explosive. And you don't think of those two words when you think of Rashad White as a runner, but he could end up in a role where he's the third down back and the goal line back and maybe even sneaking a few carries away from Crosby. Merritt White is one of the running backs I'm looking at trying to put on my bench in PPR leagues.

[Jamie]

And I don't think you have to draft this guy, but I'm just going to throw Catron Allen's name out there in that Washington backfield. He was. Was he the. I get him confused. He was the five star recruiter. No.

[Dave]

I'd have to go back and look. But he and Nick Singleton.

[Jamie]

Singleton was Singleton.

[Dave]

Singleton might have been that guy. But they split reps at Penn State and by the end it was. Singleton had some injury issues, but by the end it was Katron Allen who was doing better things. And Allen was the one who I thought was better at the Senior bowl and probably slightly better prospect. But it's day three draft capital for both of them.

[Heath]

Yeah.

[Dave]

So at this point, I'm not drafting either one in redraft. They're going to be names you pick up off the waiver wire if they get an opportunity. I think you're going to need some injuries to happen for either of those guys to get a chance.

[Jamie]

I think a decent amount of the running. I'm sorry, one last time. Thomas, can you throw that list up one last time? I think a decent amount of these running backs were Day 3 picks. Gosh, Ramandre definitely was. I think Gainwell definitely was.

[Dave]

Harvey was round two.

[Heath]

Dado was.

[Dave]

Donald was undrafted.

[Heath]

Right.

[Jamie]

Rashad White was.

[Dave]

Who signed him again?

[Ad]

Who?

[Jamie]

Sound. Who signed him?

[Heath]

McCarthy.

[Dave]

Mike McCarthy.

[Jamie]

Oh, oh, right, right. So a lot of these guys. Interesting.

[Heath]

Round two. Quorum was round three, I think three.

[Jamie]

Pollard was what, three or four?

[Dave]

I'll double check.

[Jamie]

But yeah, these guys. These guys have made pretty good careers, some of them as being day three picks. All right. Oh, I don't think I asked you

[Dave]

this, but fourth round for Pollard, 128th overall by Dallas.

[Jamie]

Who's your favorite of these five running backs going in round nine? Manangai, Brooks Corum, Rashad White, J.K. dobbins.

[Dave]

Brooks, wow.

[Jamie]

Okay.

[Dave]

I think I have Dobbins ranked the highest of the bunch.

[Jamie]

Okay.

[Heath]

Oh, no, I'm sorry. I have Dobbins. Right, guys?

[Dave]

Right.

[Jamie]

All right.

[Dave]

Certainly does not have the most upside.

[Jamie]

Can I just. Sarah, an update on Dan. Listen to this. Your thoughts on this etiquette here. So we're going to Philadelphia together. I live like two and a half hours away. He asked me if I would pick him up on the way, which would add about 20 minutes to my trip basically cut it in half though. And like an hour and a half would be without Dan, an hour and a half would be with Dan. So I decided to pick him up. Now, good etiquette from Dan. He is going to go to his parents house, which is more on the way for me apparently, and cut down on some driving time. But if you say to someone, hey, you've got like a two and a half, two hour, 40 minute drive, I'm halfway there, can you pick me up on the way? Isn't the most obvious thing to do to say I will drive the second leg, I will drive the rest of the way? Like why would I drive him? I should drive to him and he should drive me.

[Heath]

Well, if you weren't picking up Dan, are you driving the whole way?

[Jamie]

Yeah.

[Heath]

And you were planning on driving anyway?

[Jamie]

Yeah.

[Heath]

And you offered to pick him up?

[Jamie]

No, he asked me if I would pick him up.

[Heath]

So pick him up would imply you driving.

[Jamie]

Yeah, but he should drive. He should drive.

[Dave]

Pitching him for gas or what?

[Jamie]

I doubt he might. I'm not gonna make a bite. I'm not gonna make him pay for gas. Gas is so cheap these days.

[Dave]

Moneybags Azer over here with his fancy hats. I've got a hybrid, unlimited gas.

[Jamie]

I think he should have offered to drive. I would have said, no, I'll drive. But I think he should have offered. It's like when you go out to

[Heath]

dinner now, we should not offer to drive. What's wrong with you?

[Jamie]

What are you talking about? Oh, I wish we had done this earlier. We get a YouTube poll going. I think if I'm driving the full way, he should, he should offer to drive that half.

[Heath]

No, he shouldn't really.

[Jamie]

He's getting everything, he's getting me to pick him, he's getting a shorter drive, a shorter ride and he doesn't even

[Heath]

have the whole point.

[Jamie]

Yeah, but he should. I wouldn't make you drive. You, I wouldn't make you drive two and a half hours. I would, I would tell you to pick me up and then I'd drive. I don't know.

[Heath]

But if he drives your car.

[Jamie]

Yeah. He could say, I'll drive your car, that's fine. I mean, I'm not gonna let him no chance and let Dan drive my car.

[Dave]

Who knew that? Who knew that Dan played you to be his chauffeur.

[Jamie]

Exactly, that's what I'm saying.

[Dave]

All weekend long. What if he calls you at like 11 o' clock at night, is like, hey, I want to go to this restaurant.

[Heath]

Are you guys doing with horsey stuff in Philly?

[Dave]

Are we?

[Jamie]

He says he's gonna take me like some food places he likes. I think it's a really jam packed schedule. I don't think we're gonna really have time.

[Heath]

I think you gotta run the Rocky steps.

[Jamie]

Oh, my God. He's not allowed to run the Rocky steps. He's never seen the movie.

[Heath]

Oh, that's what you do while you drive. You play. Make sure Rocky's playing in the car.

[Jamie]

That's a great idea. Like make him talk to them. Make him stream it.

[Dave]

Then you don't have to talk to dance.

[Jamie]

All right, last comment here. Adam looks like he's on three Benadryls and a gummy.

[Dave]

Really?

[Jamie]

I think I look spry. I don't know. I'm not on any of that. Thank you all for for your comments and your questions and your participation in today's show and we'll talk to you tomorrow. Oh, we have two shows to tomorrow. We're doing round seven through nine wide receivers and we're doing a mailbag as well. So we'll talk to you tomorrow. 9:30am Eastern. We're getting started. See you later on fantasy football.

[Heath]

Today, Paramount podcasts.

[Jamie]

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