2025 Top 12 RBs! (01/15 Fantasy Football Podcast)

Summary

Fantasy Football Today: Episode Summary – "2025 Top 12 RBs!"

Episode Information

• Title: 2025 Top 12 RBs! (01/15 Fantasy Football Podcast)
• Release Date: January 15, 2025
• Hosts/Analysts: Adam Aizer, Dave Richard, Jamie Eisenberg, Heath Cummings
• Description: Hosted by Adam Aizer along with analysts Dave Richard, Jamie Eisenberg, Heath Cummings, and others, Fantasy Football Today from CBS Sports provides comprehensive insights to help fantasy managers dominate their leagues. The podcast covers strategic segments like Start or Sit, Waiver Wire, Buy or Sell, Grade the Trade, and includes listener interactions through Fantasy Cops and mailbag episodes.

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Introduction to the Top 12 Running Backs

[01:20] Adam Aizer kicks off the episode by introducing the main topic: the Top 12 Running Backs (RBs) for Fantasy Football in 2025. The discussion is geared toward helping fantasy managers make informed decisions for their draft strategies.

Team and Coaching Changes Impacting RB Performance

Before diving into individual rankings, the hosts discuss significant NFL team and coaching changes that could influence RB performances:

• Dallas Cowboys:
  [03:24] Adam Aizer announces that Mike McCarthy will not be returning as head coach. The departure of McCarthy, who led the Cowboys to top fantasy scoring with a heavy play-running strategy, raises questions about the future offensive dynamics. Dave Richard adds, “They know how to get the best price for your home. And with a listing fee as low as 1%, Redfin charges half of what others often charge.” (Note: This quote appears to be misattributed and likely part of an advertisement segment.)
  The potential retirement of defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer also looms, adding uncertainty to the Cowboys' strategic approach.

• Cleveland Browns:
  [07:06] Adam Aizer highlights that Tommy Reese has been promoted to offensive coordinator. With Reese’s background at Alabama and Notre Dame, expectations are high for a more offensive-minded strategy that could boost the performance of Browns' RBs.

Ranking the Top 12 Running Backs

The core of the episode revolves around the detailed ranking and analysis of the top 12 RBs for 2025. Here's a breakdown of the rankings and key insights discussed by the hosts:

1. Bijan Robinson (#01)

   • [13:19] Jamie Eisenberg emphasizes Bijan's consistency: “He was well past 20 points per game from week six on... 22.8 PPR points per game.”
   • [14:31] Dave Richard anticipates Bijan taking a significant step forward, citing his performance: “He had at least 16 touches in every single game... That's the guy who could do it.”

2. Saquon Barkley (#02)

   • [14:51] Jamie Eisenberg praises Barkley’s heavy workload and efficiency: “He had 345 regular season carries... 5.8 yards per carry, which was a career high.”
   • Concerns about Barkley’s age (28) and potential for decreased performance due to workload are discussed, with Dave Richard noting, “He’s still got the opportunity to be around 30 to 40 receptions per game.”

3. Ja'Marr Gibbs (#03)

   • [12:05] Adam Aizer and others agree on Gibbs' high-floor performance, even with the presence of teammate David Montgomery.

4. Christian McCaffrey (#04)

   • [23:40] Jamie Eisenberg and Dave Richard Debate McCaffrey’s upside given his injury history and current performance, stressing the importance of monitoring his offseason health.

5. Breece Hall (#05)

   • [40:35] Jamie Eisenberg positions Breece as a top contender with significant touchdown potential and a youthful profile.
   • Dave Richard expresses caution due to Hall’s split roles and inconsistencies: “This was arguably the biggest bust of the season.”

6. Derrick Henry (#06)

   • [25:56] Jamie Eisenberg acknowledges Henry’s impressive touchdown count but raises concerns about limited receiving opportunities: “He has such a low catch count... 19 catches in 17 games.”
   • Dave Richard highlights Henry’s potential decline due to age (31) and workload: “He’s in a crappy situation right now.”

7. Kyren Williams (#07)

   • [36:16] Discussed as a rising star with potential, though historical trends on RB longevity are considered.

8. Chase Brown (#08)

   • [37:01] Jamie Eisenberg and Dave Richard delve into Brown’s usage and future role with the Bengals, debating his catch potential and workload sustainability.

9. Josh Jacobs (#10)

   • [40:35] Evaluated based on consistent performance despite team offensive inconsistencies.

10. James Cook (#11)

    • [45:27] Noted for his high touchdown count (18) but potential regression is a concern due to changes in team dynamics.

11. Christian McCaffrey (#04) (Possible Misplacement)

    • [25:08] Jamie Eisenberg and Dave Richard discuss McCaffrey’s fluctuating performance and potential as a high-upside draft pick if health permits.

12. Additional RBs (#09 - #12)

    • Discussions include players like Deonte Houston-Wray, Chris Jones, and others who have shown promising performances but are evaluated against team and coaching changes.

Fantasy Football Implications

The hosts emphasize the strategic considerations for fantasy managers:

• Draft Strategies:
  Emphasis on balancing high-floor RBs like Ja'Marr Gibbs with high-upside but riskier picks like Christian McCaffrey and Breece Hall.

• Injury Risks and Workload Management:
  [21:12] Dave Richard points out the importance of monitoring RBs' health and their role within their team's offensive schemes to mitigate risks associated with injuries and overuse.

• Team Offensive Dynamics:
  Changes in coaching staff, such as the Cowboys' new leadership and Cleveland's promotion of Tommy Reese, are highlighted as pivotal factors that could significantly impact RB performances and their fantasy value.

Notable Quotes

• Adam Aizer on Cowboys' Coaching Change:
  “The difference is I could see it with James Cook, you know, or was it Jason, you go right ahead and not sweat the full PPR thing.” [07:06]

• Jamie Eisenberg on Breece Hall's Touchdowns:
  “He totaled 18 touchdowns. That's the most by any running back in the Josh Allen era by 10 touchdowns.” [46:36]

• Dave Richard on RB Longevity:
  “Maybe it's now age 29, maybe it's now age 30. We have to just continue to look at it.” [25:09]

Conclusion

The episode wraps up with a recap of the top 12 RBs, followed by brief discussions on other fantasy topics like DFS (Daily Fantasy Sports) strategies and listener interactions. The hosts encourage engagement through their Facebook group and tease upcoming episodes that will delve into wide receiver rankings and weekend previews.

Final Rankings Snapshot:

1. Bijan Robinson
2. Saquon Barkley
3. Ja'Marr Gibbs
4. Christian McCaffrey
5. Breece Hall
6. Derrick Henry
7. Kyren Williams
8. Chase Brown
9. Josh Jacobs
10. James Cook
11. [Open for further discussion]
12. [Open for further discussion]

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Note: This summary captures the core discussions and analyses presented in the podcast episode, omitting advertisement segments and non-content interactions to focus on the strategic insights valuable to fantasy football enthusiasts.

Transcript

[Adam Azer]

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[Dave Richard]

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[Adam Azer]

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[Dave Richard]

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[Adam Azer]

This is fantasy football today from CBS Sports.

[Dave Richard]

What a play.

[Adam Azer]

Can you believe this?

[Dave Richard]

No, I can't. It's time to dominate your fantasy to the races.

[Adam Azer]

And he stays at his feet. This is going to go the distance. Now here's some combination of Adam, Dave, Jamie and Heath. Yo, what's up everybody? Welcome to the show. It is Wednesday, January 15th. Adam Azer, Dave Richard and Jamie Eisenberg going to spend some time today on the top 12 running backs for 2025 as we welcome you to fantasy football Today presented by BetMGM, the sportsbook. Born in Vegas, four games this weekend. Rate them on a scale of 1 to 10 on the excitement meter or excitementometer. Houston at Kansas City.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

5.

[Dave Richard]

10.

[Adam Azer]

Get at it. You're such a liar.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

Washington every game.

[Adam Azer]

Washington at Detroit, 10. Say 8. Dave.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

I said 8.

[Adam Azer]

Rams at Eagles 10.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

7.

[Adam Azer]

See, this is just cheapens. Baltimore, Buffalo. Jamie, now like you're equally 1 billion.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

Yeah, yeah, I knew that was coming.

[Adam Azer]

There you go.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

Oh, yeah. One and a half billion. So there.

[Adam Azer]

And guess what? That's the only one on CBS this week. So we got the good one. Baltimore at Buffalo. Very excited.

[Dave Richard]

We hope, we hope.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

You think they would get us tickets if we wanted tickets to the game.

[Dave Richard]

They definitely wouldn't get us tickets to Detroit. You see how much those tickets are going for?

[Jamie Eisenberg]

Yeah.

[Adam Azer]

Oh, no. How much?

[Dave Richard]

$900 a pop.

[Adam Azer]

Oh, my goodness.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

That's the get in.

[Dave Richard]

I saw Albert Brewer, I think sounds fine.

[Adam Azer]

Let me see. Let me see how much Bill's tickets are going. Maybe we'll go up. I'll. You guys fly up here. I'll drive us. Oh, they're only $188. Wow, that's great. They're the cheapest ones, it seems. Okay, that's great. All right, well, I'll go. All right. So anyway, welcome to the show News and Notes. Let's get you some news and notes for the weekend. We'll talk about the coaches, too. Mike McCarthy not coming back, and it wasn't Albert Beer.

[Dave Richard]

Sorry.

[Adam Azer]

And also, Cleveland will have a new offensive coordinator. David Montgomery is going to play this week. We're going to talk about the top 12 running backs and where Jameer Gibbs ranks. And obviously the. We mentioned it, I think, last Monday, but the staggering difference between his points per game with him without Dave Montgomery. Tyler Higby left last week's game with an injury. He was having a pretty good game, too. And he will play. He is expected to play at Philadelphia on Sunday, which Jamie says it's a 10 out of a billion, I guess for him. On.

[Dave Richard]

Sorry, it was. It was field Yates of ESPN. $991.

[Adam Azer]

Really?

[Dave Richard]

Average purchase price.

[Adam Azer]

Oh, average purchase price.

[Dave Richard]

Yeah.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

Okay, so I'm gonna tell you right now what the get in is.

[Dave Richard]

588. 597 for getting.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

I see. 527.

[Adam Azer]

Me too.

[Dave Richard]

Wow.

[Adam Azer]

Let's get. Those are cheap. We should get.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

That's a car payment.

[Dave Richard]

Yeah.

[Adam Azer]

That's a lot of money. Deontay Houston Wave. Deontay Johnson. I don't know, man. Come on. Deontay Johnson. And Chris Jones, Chiefs defensive tackle. He practiced in full. Lions cornerback Terry and Arnold. He practiced in full Green Bay qb. Coach Tom Clements is retiring. The guy has had an amazing career mentoring or coaching some fantastic quarterbacks. All right, so then the big news is that Dallas not bringing back Mike McCarthy, also defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer may retire. Dallas has been really good for fantasy under Mike McCarthy with this year being an exception. But the previous three seasons, they were top four in scoring. They're always running a lot of plays. They've been top five in plays in four of his five seasons or four. I think he's been there five years. Right. For the last five seasons and they're, they usually throw the ball a lot. They were third in past attempts this year. So it's been good for fantasy. People might not like that, but they may not kind of see it that way. But it's been prolific, I'll say that. Jamie, what are your thoughts on the Cowboys going in another direction?

[Dave Richard]

We got to see how they hire. I mean that's the biggest thing is, you know who's going to come in and replace McCarthy? Is it going to be an offensive minded head coach or you know, what we really don't love all the time as a defensive minded head coach. But then the offense coordinator will be the key. I think you know what you're getting with Dak Prescott. He'll be a low end starting quarterback if he's healthy. I don't think he's going to get drafted that way, but he will be one of the, the first few number two quarterbacks off the board, especially if you draft an uncertain number one fantasy option. So CD Lamb I think will still be a top tier wide receiver. You know, whether he goes in round one or round two will, will probably determine, you know, who the coach is and then we got to see what they do with their backfield. Rico Dallas a free agent. So the biggest thing is rebuild the offensive line or continue to build on the offensive line because that's been such a strength of what McCarthy had when he inherited the job. And it's just, you know, continually as those guys gotten older and you know, Tyron Smith for example, falling apart and then getting, you know, leaving the team, Zach Martin and his, you know, injuries and struggles this year. So, you know, a few of the stellar standouts there have, you know, gone away. But I mean, clearly there's still a lot to like about this team. So hopefully the right coach is in place.

[Adam Azer]

Yeah, the offensive defensive head coach thing is interesting. This is the second year in a row, I'm just looking at this right now where almost exactly half of the top 10 teams in pass rate have an offensive head coach and the other half has a defensive head coach. So Cleveland and Cincinnati, their numbers 1 and 2 in pass rate this year. Offensive head coaches Raiders, Jets, Seahawks, defensive head coaches Cowboys, Giants offensive, Bears defensive, Texans defensive, Chiefs offensive. So that is five and five offensive.

[Dave Richard]

Bears was, Bears were half.

[Adam Azer]

That's fine, I guess. I didn't break it up like that but last year I remember it being pretty much 50, 50 also. So the coordinator is obviously what matters.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

There and game script obviously matters. A lot of the teams that you Mentioned were teams that were losing a lot, trailing in the second half. When a team's trailing in the second half, they're throwing a lot.

[Adam Azer]

Yeah. And then Cleveland named Tommy Reese their tight end coach and pass game specialist. He's been promoted to offensive coordinator. He's previously been an offensive coordinator at Alabama and Notre Dame. We'll mention that Cleveland has led the league in plays each of the previous two seasons, but usually when we have a, a head coach who's an offensive guy and usually calls the plays, we don't typically care too much about the coordinator. So I don't know, do you guys care about this? Tommy Reese being promoted for Cleveland sounded.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

Like he was on his way to New England to be the OC for Mike Vrabel before Cleveland swooped in and made him the oc. So maybe this is somebody who could become an offensive minded head coach someday. Certainly on the trajectory for that. And he's got a lot of connections. He's a younger guy. I want to say he's in his like early 30s. So getting this type of opportunity in your early 30s, that's usually a sign that you know what you're doing. Probably has a lot of good connections to current prospects that are coming out in the draft now because I know he used to coach at Alabama once upon a time. So this is someone who's, you know, paying his dues, could become a future star as far as play calling goes in the league.

[Adam Azer]

Go back to Dallas real quick because we have a comment in the chat and it's from Jack and he says, I'm interested to hear about Rico Dowdle if the Cowboys don't add an RB one. I took Rico Dowdle with the 11th pick of round six and a half PPR draft that we did yesterday. He went just after Aaron Jones and just before for Ramandre Stevenson. That was the next. And Brian Robinson. Those are the next running backs off the board. Jamie, what do you think about Rico dowdle going into 2025 if the Cowboys don't add an RB1 again, it'll come.

[Dave Richard]

Down to the coach, but you know, we saw some really good things from Dowdle down the stretch once he became the featured guy. You know, he had a nice little run there of 100 yard games. I think he was the first undrafted running back in however many years to get three straight 100 yard games. When he had that going for him toward the end of the season, you'd like to see a little bit more work in the passing game, but I think that would come With Prescott back under center. Again, depending on who the coach is. So it'd be very surprising if they don't add to this backfield because I don't think this is the, the MO of what this franchise wants to be is necessarily relying on somebody who's unproven. I mean, they've usually spent a lot of capital in the position. So if this is status quo because of money and you know, whatever they, they can get by with paying Dowdle and not paying somebody else or not drafting somebody in the first round because I think everybody's looking at Genti and saying he's going to be a cowboy. It could be a real good situation for him. So this is the range he'll go. You know, I think if he's the starter for Dallas, you know, in that round, five plus range of low end number two running backs, but could be still solid starter.

[Adam Azer]

Who was that last running back before Rico Dowdle? Yeah, Aaron Foster, 2014 was the last undrafted running back to rush for 300, to rush for 100 or more yards in three straight games. All right, hey, listen, go to our Facebook page because I have not done it yet, but I will do it today. I'm going to put up the polls and you can vote for our superlatives. That would be mvp, biggest bus, comeback player of the year, Rookie of the year. There was one more. I'm going to put them all up today on the Facebook page. Just go to Facebook search for fantasy football today. Join our Facebook group. You get some nice discussions with, you know, with many of our list. It's a pretty big popular Facebook group and you know, you're not going to be able to ask us questions and get them answered all the time. So bring them up with other FFT listeners and viewers. Talk about the show. Mostly it's questions about start, sit and right now keepers and NFL draft stuff like that. But yeah, anyway, join the Facebook group and I'm going to post those polls. I need you to vote so we can get our winners for the superlatives. All right. Why don't we take a quick break and we'll come back. Nah, it's too early for a break. Let's get to RBs 1 and 2 in our top 12 running backs. So what do you guys both have? Bijan1 Barkley too?

[Jamie Eisenberg]

I do.

[Dave Richard]

Yep. I can tell you the other four people who have their rankings if you need it.

[Adam Azer]

Yeah, that's fine. I want to bring this up because I, you know, when we did the rankings a couple weeks ago, whatever I wasn't really thinking about it. Dove into the numbers. I don't know, I, I might be leaning more wide receiver early. We don't really have in my opinion the profiles of league winning running backs at the top. Like guys who could flirt with 24 points per game or something.

[Dave Richard]

Yeah, how dare those guys average just 20. I mean they suck.

[Adam Azer]

Well that's not really what you want from the number one overall pick.

[Dave Richard]

I just want a guy to stay healthy at this point.

[Adam Azer]

Yeah, well that, that's true. Like so Bijan average right around 20 and we have him basically he just shares a lot with Tyler Algier. I mean we know he's great but shares a lot. Barkley have a lot to say about him. But I don't know like how are you guys leaning with. With your overall more wide like top 5? How many running backs, how many receivers in your top five?

[Dave Richard]

If you recall Chase Jefferson and Puka in the top five and Bijan and Barkley.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

Sounds about right.

[Adam Azer]

And how do you feel about the running back? It was such a good year for running back but there wasn't one guy oh, you know, this is the best take I ever had. The best take I ever had was 2023 when I said I didn't want that one amazing player that was so much better than everyone else was the most obvious like great take and you guys just killed me for it. I don't know why. We've had two years in a row like that. Two years in a row where we have not had that McCaffrey esque player.

[Dave Richard]

McCaffrey wasn't like that in 23.

[Adam Azer]

No, he wasn't. He was great, but he was not that great.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

He wasn't 24 and a half PPR points per game.

[Adam Azer]

Yeah, very good, but not someone that you couldn't overcome. I guess you could say the CD Lamb was like that for the last half of 2023. But it's my best take. I'm not, I'm not leaving really putting this up to debate. But yeah. Anyway, what was. I don't know what my question was.

[Dave Richard]

Totally forgot it was better than your Derek Henry comeback player of the year take.

[Adam Azer]

Slightly.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

It's definitely better than what you want to eat on Sundays before games start.

[Adam Azer]

Take I. Maybe I'll have that today. I haven't had the, the football Sunday in a while.

[Dave Richard]

Yeah, but at least be a man and order it in person.

[Adam Azer]

I will as long as no one else is in the restaurant.

[Dave Richard]

If you showed up and you're. This is what you're ordering, you know you're getting it and you see people standing in the, in the deli line the counter. You're not going to do it?

[Adam Azer]

No.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

You're afraid of being judged by strangers for a sandwich?

[Adam Azer]

Yes, I am. It's such a weird sandwich. It's. I'm worried about being judged by the people making the sandwich. That there's the strangers we have to throw in there. Here's my question about running back. Do you see anyone who's got 24 point potential next year.

[Dave Richard]

With, with their current situation being the same?

[Adam Azer]

Yeah.

[Dave Richard]

So like not, not Jameer Gibbs losing David Montgomery.

[Adam Azer]

Right? Same.

[Dave Richard]

Right.

[Adam Azer]

Yeah.

[Dave Richard]

I can see Bijan taking a step forward. I mean he was while still sharing, pretty impressive down the stretch. I know it was just hovering around 20 points, but it was, it was a, it was a pretty impressive stretch.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

He was well past 20 points per game from week six on. He had at least 16 touches in every single game. He averaged around 23 touches per game. This is week six to the end of the year. 22.8 PPR points per game. 20 plus touches in all but two games. That's the guy who could do it. It wouldn't take that much more for him to jump from almost 23 to 24. And that's why he's my top running back. That and he's, you know, five years younger than Saquon Barkley. The offense isn't changing. I don't think they're changing. Coordinators in Atlanta should get better. I do want them to address their depth on the offensive line a little bit. But I see the passing game being better with Penix and I think Bijan Robinson's absolutely in position to challenge for the one on one.

[Adam Azer]

All right, let's take a break now and come back and we'll talk about Barkley and everyone else. So Bijan's number one, Barkley's number two. We'll tell you the rest of our top 12 after this. On Fantasy football today, ready to level up. Jumbo Casino is your playbook to fun. It's free to play with no purchase necessary. Enjoy hundreds of casino style games. Games like bingo, slots and solitaire anytime, anywhere. With fresh releases every week. Whether you're at home or on the go. Let Shumba Casino bring the excitement to you. Plus get free daily login bonuses and a free welcome bonus. Join now for your chance to redeem some serious prizes. Play Chumba Casino today. No purchase necessary. VGW Group void. We're prohibited by law. 18 TNC Supply Pluto TV is the place for movie fans like me and TV fans like me.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

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[Dave Richard]

Barkley.

[Adam Azer]

Barkley.

[Dave Richard]

This year he had six since 2012.

[Adam Azer]

Yeah, it's almost every single year the running back who leads the NFL and carries of 50 or more yards has three. And there may be multiple guys, but Jonathan Taylor. No, Barkley did it in 2024. He had six. And there was one other guy since 2012 and it was 2018, if that helps. And his name rhymes with Maquon Markley. Barkley's done it twice. He's the only guy since Peterson to have more than three 50 yard carries in a season. And he's done it twice. And he had six both years. Isn't that crazy? But he just had a 2000 yard season. I remember doing this research when Henry did it. Every running back who has a 2,000 yard season sees a huge decrease in yards per carry. Like over a yard, I think. I think 1.3 yards or more if I remember. Every single time Barkley just averaged 5.8 yards per carry, which was a career high. Do you think Barkley can get any better than what he did this year? 22 points per game.

[Dave Richard]

And the, the, if I'm not mistaken, he's the oldest to go for 2,000 yards.

[Adam Azer]

Ooh, I don't know. I mean, Henry had to be right around that age, but I'm honestly not sure.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

I'll tell you, certainly he's up there.

[Dave Richard]

Yeah. Yeah. The history is not good for these guys coming off the 2000 yard season because clearly they get a lot of work and you know, that's the fear. Can he get better? No. Can he stay in a relatively similar range? I think that depends if the Eagles keep their offensive line healthy and you know, together, I mean it's such a great group. And so that's the thing that we were excited about for Barkley was he was this environment change was going to just be such a better situation for him that it was going to. Okay. How will it all come together? You know, will the tush push just completely crush his touchdown potential? Well, it hurts, but I don't think crushed it especially you know, when Jalen hurts got hurt toward the end of the season. So I think in terms of, you know, why he's second for me. Is he. He's still got the opportunity to be a 1500 plus yard rusher, still has an opportunity to be 10 plus touchdowns, if not 15 plus touchdowns, still has an opportunity to be around 30 to 40 receptions per game. And that's the upside. Now we have to see how this postseason run finishes if he still continues to get a lot of work. Again, what the offseason holds, do they bring in somebody else to maybe ease the burden, especially if they win the super bowl and feel like they have a chance to repeat. So there are still some questions we have to see. But I mean again when you start to stack them up to Jameer Gibbs with David Montgomery and Devon Hn and the situation in Miami and then you know, the sliding scale of these other running backs of Josh Jacobs and you know, Kyron Williams and Derrick Henry and his age, you know, so there's a lot of, you know, I think still in Barkley's favor. But we have to see how this, you know, season finishes and where the off season leads for Barkley and Eagles.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

He had 345 regular season carries. He tacked on 25 more in their first playoff game against Green Bay. So here's another candidate for 400 touches for sure, but maybe 400 carries entering his age 28 season. And if you take the splits of just his games with 20 plus touches, he had 13 of those last year. Adam, it's 23.5 PPR points per game. It's exactly the number that you're looking for. Can he have another season where he the majority of his games are 20 plus touches with hyper efficiency like he had this year. And coming off of a season where, you know, minimum 370 carries but potentially 400 carries, I'd bet against that. And now I'm starting to think that maybe Saquon is a top five overall pick, could be A little bit of a mistake.

[Dave Richard]

So I think the one thing that we have to sort of do a little bit as, you know, science and medical and all these things get better. And the way that the NFLPA has adjusted the off season work for these guys and practices for these guys is we probably have to move the goalpost a little bit when it comes to age 27, 28 year old running backs. As we saw this past season, you know, it was a fairly good year for these guys as they were approaching 30. I mean, you know, Barkley not. He was on the cusp of this, obviously. Alvin Kamara had a really solid season until the end with the groin injury. Derrick Henry was a monster at age 30 going 31. James Conner was amazing for the majority of the season. Aaron don't stay healthy. I know he didn't finish strong, but had a really good year. And the other part of it is, you know, Dave keeps referencing the carries, which is, you know, the football outsiders did a great job. You know, I don't remember the date when they, when they published it. First of 370, you know, which we've referenced time and time again is that's based on a 16 game schedule. You know, we have to adjust it with a 17 game schedule and then the postseason, all that stuff, you know, it may be, it may be just a different evaluation of these guys and how they approach year over year. You know, and so maybe it's not age 28 when the breakdown happens. Maybe it's now age 29, maybe it's now age 30. You know, we have to just, I think just continue to look at it. And obviously it's individual players, right? Yeah. Barkley coming off of these, this workload, again, I think it'll be more. How did he manage himself in terms of health? He's been great. And how does the Eagles offensive line and ecosystem look, you know, coming off of this year? You know, does everything come back in the same regard?

[Adam Azer]

Cool. All right, let's. So one and two are Bijan and Barkley who are running backs three and four. By the way, this is full PPR. Who are three and four for you guys?

[Dave Richard]

Gibbs is three and Devon a chance four.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

I have the same two guys, same order.

[Adam Azer]

I have Gibbs and Christian McCaffrey. I have HN five. McCaffrey will be 29 in June. But Jamie, what do you think about just reevaluating all the running backs? I'm just kidding. Yeah, I mean, no, when you were talking about that, I thought, well, that applies to Christian McCaffrey and I still think that he has the most upside of any running back in fantasy. Yeah, I just do. He had 19 targets in three and a half games. And I don't have to get into McCaffrey.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

I think every wind the clocks back 11 months. I remember saying this a couple of times. Not 11 months ago, certainly six, seven months ago. Just a warning on McCaffrey who we already said last year, 24 and a half PPR points per game. You were, we were drafting him based on that and based on the upside of him getting even as high as like 28 PPR points per game, he had that sky high upside. But after last season, 28 years old, 417 touches, 400 plus touches in 2019, he missed 23 games over two seasons after that. Now we're a season past the 417 touch year. We all know how bad of a year it was from health wise. Can we, can we fully expect Christian McCaffrey to just bounce right back into being that upside guy and then take them with a first round pick? I think that that's a little bit of too far of a stretch to make. However, once we get to July and August, if he has an issue free off season and he's practicing normally in training camp, I think fantasy managers will say, okay, I can take McCaffrey in round one, but I better get the guy behind him in round seven, eight, nine, somewhere in that range just to, you know, protect the investment. And I know that's not something that people really want to do, but in that offense, and we've seen it now time and again, whoever the backup is, when they get that opportunity, they have the potential to be not as good as Christian McCaffrey, but certainly good enough to start in fantasy.

[Dave Richard]

Yeah.

[Adam Azer]

All right. He'll be an interesting one for sure. We all have Gibbs at three and it's an interesting one because Gibbs, if David Montgomery just were not on the team, probably be the number one pick for, you know, I would guess consensus number one running back. He'd be up there for sure. But with Montgomery, he was. He averaged 18.2 fantasy points per game. That's fine. That's nowhere near a top five overall pick. He was the number five running back per game in, in half ppr, number six running back per game in full ppr. Yeah, it is what it is. You know, at least he's going to have a high floor, but Montgomery could cap his ceiling. All right, let's go to five and six running backs. Five and six.

[Dave Richard]

Jamie, for me, five is Bucky Irving and six is Derek Henry.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

As of now, I've got Kyron Williams at 5 and I almost feel the same way as you do about Derek Henry. He's in at six, but that's definitely in pencil.

[Adam Azer]

Okay, so top four were the same for you guys. Bijan, Barkley, Gibbs and Achan. And then five. Five was Bucky for Jamie and six was Henry. And for Dave, it was Kyron Williams and Derrick Henry. Before we get into that, I just needed to remind you all that if you have not signed up for BetMGM yet, please use the bonus code Fantasy and you'll get up to a fifteen hundred dollar first bet offer on your first wager with BetMGM. So here's how it works. Download the BetMGM app and sign up using the bonus code Fantasy. Deposit at least ten dollars and place your first wager on any game and you'll receive up to fifteen hundred dollars in bonus bets. If your bet loses, just make sure that you use the bonus code Fantasy when you sign up. So just going back now, they both have Henry six, but number five, Bucky for Jamie, Kyron for Dave. Jamie, where do you have Kyron Williams?

[Dave Richard]

I have him seven.

[Adam Azer]

Okay, and Dave, where do you have Bucky irving?

[Jamie Eisenberg]

He is 11th.

[Adam Azer]

All right, so let's get into that a little bit. Jamie obviously much higher on Bucky Irving. My favorite thing about Irving, last four games of the year, including the postseason, Rashad White had 10 carries, so they just completely phased him out. And Bucky averaged I think 18 carries in those four games. And Dave, you have him 11th. Why are you a little bit lower?

[Jamie Eisenberg]

He had two games all year where he played 60 plus percent of the snaps. That includes one in week 18 when most fantasy managers were packed in for the year. Final seven games was good, 18.2 ppr points per game. That includes a game he left early, by the way. So if you take that one out, you azer stat that he's probably closer to 19 PPR points per game. That's the upside. I think that there's absolutely potential for him if things go right this off season in Tampa Bay for him to be right back there. And if that's the case, then I can't justify having him this low. But I don't know if this coaching staff fancies Bucky as a, as a feature back. And he split so much over the course of the year and in toward the end of the regular season and I don't know what the split was in their playoff game. I can look that up.

[Adam Azer]

He really didn't split that much. He averaged 18 carries per game in their last four games. Rashad White averaged two and a half.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

Okay, and listen, obviously that board out in the board out in the numbers and I think he's a talented guy. It's just a matter of is he going to be in the position to have that much work again or was that just the byproduct of he's hot right now? We don't really have anybody else who can, you know, work with him. Could it be something like that? So right now I'm a little bit hesitant to put Bucky Irving in my top six. I get it. We all saw it at the end of the year. But I just want to see how the off season rolls for Tampa before I lock in with him that high.

[Dave Richard]

I think what, you know, extremely small sample size. We've done two drafts and we've seen him go in the first round in.

[Adam Azer]

Both different formats, half and full ppr. Jamie, can I ask you this? Maybe Kyron Williams put this debate to bed, but the History of Day 3 Running backs who have had really good rookie years is not good. Guys like James Robinson, guys like Damien Pierce.

[Dave Richard]

So he's. Heath brought this up with Isaiah Pacheco last year. I believe in regards to not just day three running backs, but in the James Robinson Pacheco, undrafted free agent guys too, that the coaching change has mattered. So the guys that have stayed with the same coach have had success. The ones that have seen a coach come in and change system, bringing their own guy, draft a guy, you know, that's where it's kind of been, the failure. And so I think with the, the guys that have had the same coaching staff, but he's had, you know, the guys who have success with this and not success with this. So maybe next week when he's back we can ask him the names. But I remember him bringing this up in regards to Pacheco. But I, I do think the way that the NFL and that may change again, you know, as, as we're seeing how successful the season has gone for running backs and the teams that have, you know, are advancing and still advancing, you know, in the playoffs because of the run games, do we start to see more capital on the position, you know, or is it I don't have to spend cap, you know, it goes both ways. Because of the season that Bucky Irving just had, for example, and you know, Tyrone Tracy having a thousand yard rookie season, you know, they, you don't necessarily have to invest heavily on these players and still have success. You know, clearly it's case by case again. But I think in, in terms of what Bucky Irving has done, it's a pretty good, pretty good indication that you don't have to be a first round pick to be a star.

[Adam Azer]

All right. And my five and six, by the way, were Devon H.N. and Bucky Irving. So we all have, we all have Bijan Barkley, Gibbs H&HN in our top five. You guys both have Derrick Henry as RB6. I don't, I have McCaffrey in the top six. You don't. Jamie and I both have Bucky Irving in there. And then Kyren Williams is going to be top eight for everybody. But let's go to running backs.

[Dave Richard]

He's just, just, I'm just looking at everybody else's. Heath has Kyron Williams fourth.

[Adam Azer]

Oh, wow.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

Where does he have Bucky Irving?

[Dave Richard]

He has Bucky 11th also. That's Adam's rankings. Dan has the same top four as we do. He has Derrick Henry five. He does not have Bucky Irving in his top 12. And he calls him. We did in, in the store. You can read on cbsports.com the player who just missed the cut and that's who it is for. Dan. And Jacob has Bucky Irving at 6, also with Henry at 5. And wow.

[Adam Azer]

Yeah, I am super low on Derek Henry. I have an 11th, Dan has Henry.

[Dave Richard]

Fifth and Heath has Henry six.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

I think he's probably the easiest guy to make the case against.

[Adam Azer]

But he's what, three years older than McCaffrey? How old is Derrick Henry?

[Jamie Eisenberg]

Age? 31 season. McCaffrey 29.

[Adam Azer]

Okay, two years older. I feel like eventually it's gonna catch up to him. And then I, I kind of feel like with Henry, we saw what everyone feared for a stretch. Like, yeah, from weeks 10 through 15, that was five games he had to buy. He didn't score more than 14.1 PPR points in any game. He's such a low catch guy. 19 catches in 17 games kind of defied the odds a little bit. But yeah, I just. In a full PPR league, I don't think I can take 19 catches as a top eight running back.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

But how do you feel about 15 touchdowns?

[Adam Azer]

He had 18 touchdowns, so I know.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

But in 14 games where he had at least 14 or more touches, he had 15 touchdowns.

[Adam Azer]

Yeah, he's amazing. Just at some point it's going to stop for him.

[Dave Richard]

So it's, it's, it's funny you say that. I don't know how you guys feel about this, these, these, these running backs, but you have Henry, Kyren Taylor and James Cook who aren't going to be high volume receiving options.

[Adam Azer]

I think the difference is I could see it with James Cook, you know, it wouldn't shock me if he had a 50 catch season.

[Dave Richard]

I can see it with Cook.

[Adam Azer]

I can see it with Kyren Kyron. Right. At least that potential is there. There's no chance of that with Henry and very, very little with, with Taylor. I mean, if they had Flacco for the full season or something. But yeah, that's, that's just like there's just no chance of receiving upside for Derrick Henry.

[Dave Richard]

But then again, when you talk about Cook and Henry and Kyron, I think they all scored 16 rushing touchdowns.

[Adam Azer]

Wow. Yeah.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

When you think about drafting them, if you think that they're just, you know, or was it Jason, you go right ahead and not sweat the full PPR thing.

[Adam Azer]

They were all in the same range.

[Dave Richard]

Kyron School, three guys had 16 rushing touchdowns to lead the league.

[Adam Azer]

Okay, so it was Cook. I'll tell you right now, it was Cook, Henry and Jamir Gibbs. Jamir Gibbs.

[Dave Richard]

Oh, Jamir Gibbs.

[Adam Azer]

Jacobs had 15. Yeah.

[Dave Richard]

Gives with the the week 18 performance.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

How many catches did Saquon have? Didn't he average like two per game?

[Adam Azer]

33 in six, 10 games. Yeah. 278 yards and two touchdowns on those carries on those catches for Saquon Barkley. All right, so seven and eight for you guys. Tell me after this quick commercial break on fantasy football today and then we'll find out the back half of our top 12 at running back after this.

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[Adam Azer]

Rated R. Now playing. All right, welcome back, running back seven and eight. Who do you have, Dave?

[Jamie Eisenberg]

Josh Jacobs, the seventh, and this is where I put in McAffrey again using pencil.

[Adam Azer]

He's at eight, Josh Jacobs and Christian McCaffrey. How about you, Jamie?

[Dave Richard]

Kyron Williams is seven and Chase Brown is eight.

[Adam Azer]

And for me, it was Chase Brown seven and Kyren Williams eight. So I'm with Jamie there. And Dave, I'm sorry, you're Jacobs and McCaffrey. Okay.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

Right.

[Adam Azer]

All right. So I got a little nervous about the Chase Brown. I think, like, maybe I felt like I was too high on him at 7. If he comes back with the same role, then he's, he's perfectly fine there. We just. Bengals starting running back is a great thing to be. Last eight games, Chase Brown was the number three running back per game in full ppr, number five per game and.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

Half ppr, six ppr points per game.

[Adam Azer]

What'd you say, Jamie?

[Dave Richard]

That's through week 18, right?

[Adam Azer]

No, through week 17.

[Dave Richard]

Oh, because week 17 and 18, he was at 13 points per game in both those games in play.

[Adam Azer]

Week 18.

[Dave Richard]

He played week 18.

[Adam Azer]

No, he, he.

[Dave Richard]

I'm sorry, he didn't play. I'm sorry. 16 and 17.

[Adam Azer]

Yeah, yeah, he, he was through his last eight games. He missed week 18. Khalil Herbert started. Chase Brown was the number, his last two.

[Dave Richard]

I'm sorry, week 16 and 17 were not his best.

[Adam Azer]

Yeah, he was on pace for 81 catches, which is really. That's a lot. I don't know if we can expect that again. But why, why do you have him in your top eight, Jamie?

[Dave Richard]

Exactly what you said. You know, once he took over for Zach Moss, he was a superstar. You know, it was, I think going into week 18, he was like at 18 points per game, 18 plus points per game when he was the starter or the featured guy, you know, so you, you saw what this is. You saw what Joe Mixon was. This offense, you know. You know, this offense is going to be explosive. It may be a better role in the passing game if Dee Higgins doesn't come back. You know, and they may have to use him a little bit more in that regard. So they're going to score a lot of points. And I, I do think there's going to be somebody else there, whether it's Moss coming back or, you know, a Khalil Herbert type. But if it's a Khalil Herbert type of a guy that's not going to play very much, then Chase Brown could be just a star and eight might be too low.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

Herbert's a free agent. Zach Moss could be a cap casualty. They'll save about 3 million bucks by letting him go. I'm a little bit worried that they draft somebody and they really just focus on using a two man rotation like they did to begin the year. Now, unlike bookie Irving, chase Brown played 80% or more of the snaps in every game from week nine through 17. And it might have been just because they, it might have been out of necessity. They, they acquired Khalil Herbert. They didn't really like him fitting in, or it could have just been, hey, Chase Brown's awesome. Let's just let him do his thing. If they let him stay in that role and it's, you know, a day three running back that's behind him. This, this is a top five running back. This isn't a top ten, top eight, wherever we have them. This is somebody that you'll see pushed up in the top five and a definite first rounder because it's a great offense. It'll be an offensive line that I think can improve just simply by everybody getting healthy. They add depth to it as well. And I, I think they're a long way from really fixing that defense and making it stronger. And that'll just mean more high scoring shootouts for the Bengals to play in and for their running back to participate in.

[Adam Azer]

Yeah, I think what made me nervous, I believe I drafted him in both of our recent drafts, and I drafted him yesterday with the second pick of round three, which I was thrilled about. But I feel like, yeah, I don't want to be, obviously we're so far away. I don't want to be overexposed on a guy that I'm just not convinced is big enough. I drafted him in round three in both leagues. Second pick and fourth pick of round three. I don't know that he's big enough. I, I don't know that they're going to view him as a workhorse. I, I feel like they did, they did out of necessity, basically. I, I think they're gonna add someone. Obviously we'll see how significant it is and we'll reevaluate. I love him on a per touch basis, but also I can't project him have 80 catches. That's just kind of silly.

[Dave Richard]

No, but 60, I mean, what mixing. Mixing was a 50 catch guy twice.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

Right. I think that's where you shoot for is 50 catches.

[Adam Azer]

It's a huge difference though. All right, maybe he does get to.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

60 if they don't replace T. Higgins with anybody of significance.

[Adam Azer]

Yeah. Arby's nine and ten. Jamie, who do you got at nine and ten?

[Dave Richard]

Nine is Jacobs, ten is McCaffrey.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

Jake is a McCaffrey higher than that. My nine is Breece Hall. My ten is Chase Brown.

[Adam Azer]

All right, that's the high. Anybody higher than Dave on Breeze Hall? Jamie? I had him 12th.

[Dave Richard]

He's not in my top 12. So he is. Let's see, he has him not ranked. Dan has him 10th and Jacob has himself. So me and Heath do not have Breeze on the top 12.

[Adam Azer]

Okay.

[Dave Richard]

He was the player that I put in the category of just missed the cut.

[Adam Azer]

You. You can justify. You are the high guy. On Breeze hall at number nine when.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

He had 15 or more touches this year, there were 10 of those games. He averaged 19.3 PPR points per game. He averaged 14.8 non PPR points per game. That's the Breeze hall that we know. And this offense, which is such a mess and it's going to get uprooted, it's going to be a new play caller, new system. Hopefully they get a little younger on the offensive line, probably going to get younger at quarterback. As long as it's not a total disaster back there. I think Breeze hall can be the focal point. I don't think he'll share that much. I think he'll still be in line to get those 15 plus touches week in and week out. And he's only 24, he may, he.

[Dave Richard]

May share as much, if not more than anybody on this list so far. If, if the new coach likes Braylon Allen, who did some nice things at points during the season, I hope it's not Isaiah Davis as well because he also did some things at the end of the season that somebody could, you know, find somewhat attractive to use. It's just so many question marks right now with this team. And you know, the thing that cratered for him with Aaron Rodgers back was his role in the past game, which was such a selling point for Breeze hall coming into the year last year, which is why he was the second overall player drafted, not the second Running back drafted. His average draft position in PPR was number two. So this. This was arguably the biggest bust of the season. Non injury, finished as RB16. So do they give a shared role to Breece Hall? Does he have the quarterback in place? Because you could see Aaron Rodgers back there. Again, it was. It was ugly, and we'll see what happens with this team going forward, but.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

Really it was 57 passes for 483 yards.

[Dave Richard]

But he had 72 the year before. I mean, you know, that six he did do.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

He was much better the year before. I think he was playing hurt. I think that's part of the reason why he didn't have like 15.

[Dave Richard]

Definitely was playing. I mean, missed the game with a knee injury.

[Adam Azer]

Yeah, I mean, look, but obviously it was. It was. The Devonte Adams trade really changed his targets. I mean, we can do the math if you want, but I mean, look, 6, 8, 5, 5, 4, 6. Those were his targets before the Adams trade. And then after that he had a few spike games, but he also had three games with one to two targets. That was it. So I would. I think he was probably on a pretty ridiculous catch pace. And in fact, in the first six games of the year, he scored 18.3 or more points in four of them and had four more catches in four of them. So I think it was just the Adams trade that really changed things for Breeze Hall. I. I thought about him as, you know, Jamie said he could share as much or more as anybody on the list. Dave doesn't think he's going to share a lot. I think he could. I think could go any way. And my concern with Breeze hall is that he's kind of like Ken Walker now. He has so many negative carries, zero or negative carries. And it drives me crazy. And that's why I'm going to say, are they going to. Are they gonna get tired of that? Because, yeah, he has some explosive plays, not like what we saw as a rookie, but too many bad carries for him. Is that on him? Is that on his line? I don't know, but that. That concerns me.

[Dave Richard]

That was the debate. Remember those two guys came out in the same class. Who was the best running back there, huh?

[Adam Azer]

Ken Walker and Breeze Hall. Yeah. Yeah. All right.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

70 of the snaps in 12 of his games this year. So he. He's splitting, there's no question. But he's still dominating in terms of playing time, and that's obviously the first step forward toward being a feature back and you know, the type of workhorse.

[Adam Azer]

That we want on pace. For 96 targets and 74 catches before the Adams trade. On pace for 53 catches and 71 targets, which is basically what he had for the year after the Adams trade. All right, let's go to running backs. 11 and 12. Who are my 9 and 10? My 9 and 10 were James Cook and Josh Jacobs. James Cook basically finished here overall and a little bit worse per game and full PPR. It was 11th per game, which is not great now that I think about it. Like, for him to have been 11th per game in full PPR with 18 touchdowns, that's not great. But I had, I had Cook 9 and Jacobs 10. Who's 11 and 12 for you guys? Jamie, you can go first.

[Dave Richard]

Taylor is 11 and Cook is 12. And I might flip flop that just based on how things go this off season, but Cook was awesome. You know, including this, this 100 yard game that he had against Denver, it's now three of his last five with over 100 yards rushing and a touchdown. And he, you know, again tied for the NFL lead with 16 rushing touchdowns. So like you said, he has the potential to be a significant pass catcher. You know, you look at what he did at the end of 2023 when Joe Brady took over, he was much more involved in the passing game. But that just didn't carry over to this year, probably by design. So can he share as well? I mean, you know, Ray Davis said a very, you know, productive rookie campaign and Ty Johnson was a factor too. You know, so there's, there's other guys there and clearly Josh Allen with his rushing touchdowns. But I think when you still look at, you know, the, the age, the offense, everything that sort of factors into it. There's a lot to like about James Cook.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

Okay, so Cook is my 12. Bucky Irving is my 11. We already talked about Bucky. Listen to these numbers. On James Cook, first and foremost, he totaled 18 touchdowns. That's the most by any running back in the Josh Allen era by 10 touchdowns. Can you name who was who had the second highest mark?

[Adam Azer]

Latavius Murray?

[Jamie Eisenberg]

No.

[Adam Azer]

Frank?

[Jamie Eisenberg]

No. Devin Singletary had eight. Eight. And now he had 18. I know that that was one of my big worries about James Cook coming into the year is, yeah, he's great and he's fast. Just how many touchdowns could he get? Well, he got a ton of them. Eighteen touchdowns, that's pretty good. I talk about playing time and, you know, percentage of snaps. He had one game during the regular season with more than 60% of the snaps. It's just, it's. It's crazy. Now listen, it means that he was efficient. He had plenty of games where he had a lot of work. Nine games with at least 15 touches. Eight of them were wins for Buffalo. He only had three games where he scored and didn't get 15 PPR points. In fact, he had under 12 in those games. This is another running back where if you think that they're going to continue to put up touchdowns, by all means go grab them. Probably should be a lot higher than the 12th running back off the board. But if you think that there's some regression coming in that category, then you shouldn't go crazy for James Cook.

[Adam Azer]

Yeah, that's a good point. He. They. They played so many blowout games, wins and losses. I wonder if that affected his playing time. But you can see he never played more than 61 of the snaps. That's incredible. Even their playoff game was a blowout too. But I mean, gosh, look at their. Look at it. Reminded me of the Cowboys a couple years ago. This never so rarely had a normal game script. All right, I left Jonathan Taylor out of my top 12 even though he finished his RB6 per game in full PPR. That may be a mistake on my part. Jamie, you had him 11th, I think.

[Dave Richard]

Yep.

[Adam Azer]

Dave, you didn't have in your top 12 either.

[Dave Richard]

He's.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

He's gonna end up being 13th. For me, it'll either be him or Camara. And he's younger than Camara.

[Adam Azer]

I mean, are we overlooking him? I just to think about how crappy of a of quarterback situation he had last year and for him to average 17.6 fantasy points per game. Same as Josh Jacobs, same as Devon. Hn. Hn though, averaged much more than that with Tua. Jamie, you have him in there. You have him 11th. I'm curious if the other three guys had Taylor in the top 12.

[Dave Richard]

So assuming Shane Steichen keeps the job as the coach, which sounds like he's going to. I'm going to ask him to have Jonathan Taylor play at least one preseason game, drop the ball right before the end zone on a touchdown run, and then let that motivate him for the rest of the season. Because what he did after that play was insane. To carry a lot of fantasy managers in the playoffs, I wish the Colts defense would have done the same as well, but in any event, the. The workload is not going to change for him. You know, I don't think that they're going to bring in competition for him. The biggest thing is Anthony Richardson in the passing game and I Don't think we've ever really seen, even in the year that he was number one, a guy that was going to profile as a 50 plus catch guy. Now you want him to be around Barkley, right? 30 catches and that's what he was that 20, 21 season. So can you do that? I think if you assume Richardson, whoever is going to be, you know, working with him this off season, give him the opportunity to have some easy throws to a guy that can make plays in space, I hope that can sort of be the next evolution of, of what Richardson does. And then just keep in mind, look, Richardson's probably going to miss some time, you know, whether he gets hurt or gets benched, you know, so whoever the backup is there will probably lean on Taylor a little bit more in the passing game. So I think 30 catches is realistic, but he's going to be one of these guys that has an opportunity to challenge for the rushing league. He's going to be around 1500 total yards, if not more and I think around, you know, 12 plus touchdowns. So to me that's a borderline number one running back in most formats.

[Adam Azer]

He averaged over 28 carries per game in his last five games. Jonathan Taylor, that's. That's pretty good. And yeah, all right. But, but right. Like comparing him to Alvin Camara where there could be a 50 catch difference in full PPR, that's. It's tough.

[Dave Richard]

And it's a touchdown difference too.

[Adam Azer]

The other way, definitely. So that, then that's fun. It's almost the same amount of points. It's 10 more. If Taylor scored 10 more touchdowns than Camara and Camara had 50 more catches, then Taylor would have him on by 10 points.

[Dave Richard]

Yeah, Camara really scares me just with what the offensive environment and team is going to be for the Saints, you know, so we'll see what they do at coach. But at his age, with everything else happening, you know, it's like if Derek Henry had stayed in Tennessee, you know, like that's just what it feels like. Just everything around him is crappy right now.

[Adam Azer]

It'd be nice though, is if Taysom Hill's not stealing touchdowns from him next year. Probably won't happen. What did he have? He had. Did he have a torn ACL? Yeah, he tore his ACL. Taste him.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

And he's 34.

[Adam Azer]

Yeah, he'll probably still like six touchdowns for him. All right, that's our top 12. If you guys want to read them in order, I'll just. If you want to queue them up.

[Dave Richard]

I'll go Well, do you want, I mean, now let me read the article.

[Adam Azer]

Let him read the article.

[Dave Richard]

Well, I'm just looking at whoever's like. So Heath does have Kamara in his top 12 of just anybody who's different. Dan has Joe Mixon and James Connor in his top 12.

[Adam Azer]

Oh, Connor I think is, I can't justify that. But Mixon is definitely one that is he old? I mean, he's the same age as that these guys have been having success and when he has, he's had terrible matches. Like we knew he had terrible playoff matchups and he stunk. But when he didn't have terrible matchups, he was phenomenal. So that was a tough one for me to leave out too.

[Dave Richard]

So he turns, I think it's 29.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

Before, he'll be 29 next season.

[Dave Richard]

And then Jacob had one, which we had a little discussion in the draft room yesterday, because Chuba Hubbard in his top 12 and I drafted him in round four as my first running back. I did a similar approach. If you remember our last draft, which we discussed on the air. I took three receivers and then my first running back in round four. Last time it was Ken Walker. This time it was Chuba Hubbard who I like better than Ken Walker. I felt that was a little bit of a steal. Jacob was making the case that he should be a second round pick. Like he really loves Chuba Hubbard.

[Adam Azer]

You know, I, I, as we've done these two drafts, I don't know if you guys feel like there's been a true steal, but to me it's been Pacheco. He went with the 10th pick of round four yesterday and he went with the sixth pick of round four. Oh, same guy. Jake took him in both leagues. Like right before I was going to. Basically I could see. Could you guys see Pacheco having a top 12 ADP?

[Dave Richard]

If he has a strong playoff run, which will start for him this week, then absolutely. If they don't add to their backfield, you know. So if you just think about what he was last year, you think about what he was in their first two plus games this year, you think about what Kareem Hunt did at his age and lack of, you know, playing over the last couple of seasons, being thrust into the featured role. I mean, we were all excited about Isaiah Pacheco having a potentially great season this year. This offense could be ridiculous with, you know, Kelsey back, not Kelsey back. I mean, there's gonna be so much speed on the field, you know, that they have now that Pacheco is, is part of that, you know, he came out of the combine fast running back that year, and as we've seen, you know, so much. So much upside. So top 12 is probably. I don't want to say it's a stretch, but, you know, depending on how things go with a few guys, like, he'll. He'll probably be in my top 15, you know, so. Won't be far off from that.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

Wouldn't you bet against it, though? Because when he did come back, we were all hoping, all right, once he gets his legs under him, he'll be good to go. He'll be the workhorse. In the Chiefs run game, he had one game with more than 15 touches. He didn't even play the snaps in any of his games.

[Dave Richard]

That's. That's. That's a guy coming off a broken leg. Like, you know, we kept having this conversation of when, when should the Chiefs bring him back. And I know for me it was they. They want him now. Like, they.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

They want him for now.

[Dave Richard]

Yeah, this. That was his training camp again.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

I agree.

[Dave Richard]

So it's. It's going to be again. What. What does he do from this point forward? You know, do they get three more games? And if they get three more games and he is 15 plus touches in every game and looks like the explosive player that we know he's capable of being and doesn't show any setback. Remember, we had two guys coming off a similar situation in Pollard and Tank Dell. Pollard said it didn't take him, it didn't feel right until week 11 of the following season. And for Tank Dell, who knows if he ever felt right, you know, maybe until the game he got hurt when.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

He didn't look like the same guy.

[Dave Richard]

So, you know, we may not see the best of Pacheco until next season. So I think when you start to stack him up to mixing and Connor and Camara and Walker, like, he'll be for me, probably at the front of that group, you know, just the Breece hall as well, you know, so right in that mix, you know, so RB's, RB 13 through 20. You know, I think that's kind of where he'll settle. And if he has a strong playoff run, maybe he does creep into Tata.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

I'm hoping for the strong playoff run, and I think that that's absolutely right. If they use him like a workhorse and that'll give you optimism for next year, I am almost certain that they will draft a running back and that they will have somebody younger and more explosive than Kareem Hunt. Samaj P. Ryan, Carson Steele working and ready to go behind Pacheco in the event that Pacheco doesn't recover his game or gets hurt again. They need some insurance there. That might be the running back that I would target in Kansas City to have on my bench to begin the year.

[Adam Azer]

Okay. I was gonna do some fantasy Cops, but we are out of time. I will save that for a different show tomorrow. We will talk about the four games. We'll talk about our top 12 wide receivers. Not as much in depth because we got to give you a weekend preview and give you some DFS help. Oh, I wonder if, I wonder if I cashed on FanDuel. Let's, let's see. What do you guys think? Remember I, I was.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

If you're just now checking to see if you cashed, I'm going to guess that if you did cash, it'll be for the minimum.

[Adam Azer]

I was in the money going into Monday night and I was like, oh man, I'm not going to do it. All I have left is the Rams dst.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

Oh, right. So you probably made some money. You probably got enough money to pay for a side of Russian dressing for your bagel sandwich.

[Adam Azer]

I won 25 on a five.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

Wow, that's a lot of Russian dressing.

[Adam Azer]

I came in 32nd out of 1666. People.

[Dave Richard]

Like in the diner you like in South Florida.

[Adam Azer]

Oh, bagel land. Yeah.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

That's ridiculous. That that's all you get for 32nd out of 1600. That's how, let's see was the buy in a penny.

[Adam Azer]

Five dollars.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

Oh, that makes even worse.

[Adam Azer]

Let's see. Maybe I just missed $50. How many people you gotta up your units, man? I just use that 25 and do a bigger pool this week. Maybe it's only $20 in profit. You know, I think I just missed $40. All right, well, I'm happy. Good for me. All right, so we'll give you dfs. These spreads, by the way. Six, nine and a half for the Lions over the Commanders. That's a lot.

[Dave Richard]

I mean, that's a seven seat. Six seat.

[Adam Azer]

Yeah, we completely counted them out last week. I was like, yeah, they haven't beaten anyone good. The Buccaneers are beating all these good teams. Buccaneers definitely gonna win. They got a great quarterback. Great quarterback. I don't know. That seems like a lot. Eagles minus 6. This Rams defense is really good.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

Woo.

[Adam Azer]

It's gonna be. I think it's gonna be enough.

[Dave Richard]

Eagles are beat up too.

[Adam Azer]

Low scoring game. And then Ravens, Bills, Bills one point. Dogs at home.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

Wow.

[Adam Azer]

Chiefs eight and a half point favorites. I think the Chiefs should be bigger favorites than Lions. Surprised? Can't wait to talk about it tomorrow. Have a great day everybody. We'll talk to you there.

[Dave Richard]

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[Adam Azer]

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