Consensus PPR Top 12 (Part One)! Who Are Our Top Six Players? (06/23 Fantasy Football Podcast)

Summary

Podcast Summary: Fantasy Football Today – Episode: Consensus PPR Top 12 (Part One)! Who Are Our Top Six Players? (06/23 Fantasy Football Podcast)

Release Date: June 23, 2025

In this engaging episode of Fantasy Football Today, hosted by Adam Aizer and featuring analysts Dave Richard, Jamey Eisenberg, and Heath Cummings, the crew dives deep into the Consensus PPR Top 12 Rankings, focusing primarily on the Top Six Players. This comprehensive discussion offers valuable insights, thorough analysis, and spirited debates to help fantasy managers make informed decisions for their upcoming drafts.

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1. Introduction to Consensus PPR Top 12

The episode kicks off with the hosts setting the stage for an in-depth analysis of the top twelve players in PPR (Points Per Reception) leagues. The focus is on identifying who made the cut, debating the rankings, and discussing the potential impact of each player on fantasy teams.

Jamie Eisenberg outlines the current Top 12 PPR Rankings:

1. Bijan Robinson
2. Jamar Chase
3. Justin Jefferson
4. Saquon Barkley
5. CD Lamb
6. Jameer Gibbs
7. Malik Neighbors
8. Puka Nacua
9. Devon Achane
10. Ashton Genti
11. Aman Ross
12. Christian McCaffrey

He notes the balance between running backs and wide receivers in the top six, emphasizing the strategic considerations for fantasy managers.

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2. Debate Over the Top Six Players

The heart of the episode revolves around a spirited debate among the analysts about the Top Six players, addressing their performance, potential, and ranking justifications.

a. Jamar Chase vs. Bijan Robinson

Dave Richard and Heath Cummings place Jamar Chase at number two in the consensus rankings, recognizing his outstanding performance last season where he scored 40 more PPR points than any other non-quarterback.

• Heath Cummings remarks at [04:57]:
  "Chase is just as… Just has just as much upside... he has a chance to repeat as number one non-quarterback and have another dominant season."

Jamie Eisenberg supports this by highlighting Chase's consistent high performance and the reliance on his quarterback, Joe Burrow, emphasizing the lack of a strong defense in Cincinnati that benefits Chase's production.

• Jamie Eisenberg at [08:39]:
  "Chase leads that group. And so if you're a fantasy drafter that wants to get in on those seven to nine wide receivers, then I think you really do have to lean toward Chase."

Conversely, Adam Aizer favors Bijan Robinson as the number one running back in his personal rankings due to his impressive usage and production in the Falcons' offense.

• Adam Aizer at [25:05]:
  "I think people see what Saquon did last year and average 23 PPR points per game, and they gravitate toward it. ... Bijan's just awesome."

Heath Cummings counters by prioritizing Chase’s consistency and potential over Robinson’s upside.

• Heath Cummings at [25:11]:
  "I would much rather have Chase and Kyron and Chase Brown than bijan and McConkey and rushy rice."

b. Christian McCaffrey vs. Saquon Barkley

The discussion then shifts to Christian McCaffrey and Saquon Barkley, two top-tier running backs with differing risk profiles.

Adam Aizer expresses concerns about McCaffrey's workload with the 49ers potentially limiting his usage to preserve him for playoff runs.

• Adam Aizer at [07:42]:
  "I'm a little bit nervous about getting him [McCaffrey] on my team as fast as possible... I don't think the 49ers are going to scale back his workload."

Dave Richard concurs, highlighting the historical decline in performance for running backs with heavy workloads.

• Dave Richard at [08:39]:
  "He's 29 years old, coming off a really disappointing year... he's possibly getting relegated to a touchdown or bust type of fantasy running back."

On the other hand, Jamie Eisenberg argues for McCaffrey's higher career floor compared to Barkley, citing McCaffrey's consistent production despite injuries.

• Jamie Eisenberg at [56:31]:
  "I think McCaffrey has more upside and a higher floor than Barkley."

c. CD Lamb and Jameer Gibbs

The analysts also delve into the rankings of CD Lamb and Jameer Gibbs, discussing their roles in their respective offenses and potential for fantasy impact.

Heath Cummings praises Lamb’s versatility and the addition of George Pickens, enhancing Lamb's value without significantly impacting his target share.

• Heath Cummings at [42:25]:
  "Pickens is not the type of guy that you worry about infringing on an alpha number one's target share."

Jamie Eisenberg underscores Lamb's consistent performance when healthy, projecting a strong floor for his fantasy points.

• Jamie Eisenberg at [41:17]:
  "Over the last three years, CD Lamb averaged 18.3 PPR points per game... potentially a top five overall pick."

Regarding Jameer Gibbs, opinions vary. Adam Aizer lauds Gibbs’ upside and potential increased usage as Montgomery ages, positioning him as a top-six pick.

• Adam Aizer at [47:17]:
  "He is absolutely in the conversation of being a top six pick, if not a top four pick. I’m going to bank on his upside and his usage going up."

Dave Richard remains slightly more cautious, concerned about the consistency of Gibbs' production when sharing the backfield with Montgomery.

• Dave Richard at [48:57]:
  "The first 13 games... 233 carries and 44 catches for Jameer Gibbs... that’s just what I wanted to bring up."

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3. Statistical Insights and Rankings Justifications

The hosts present data to support their rankings, comparing Average Draft Position (ADP) with actual performance metrics over the past four seasons.

Jamey Eisenberg shares his analysis showing that top running backs in ADP are slightly safer picks compared to wide receivers, with 56.3% of running backs drafted in the top 12 finishing in the top 12, versus 52% for wide receivers.

• Jamey Eisenberg at [17:40]:
  "Running backs drafted as top 12 guys have a higher hit rate than wide receivers... So that’s why I thought that the data showed that running backs were better were safer than wide receivers."

However, Dave Richard suggests re-evaluating the study based on end-of-season performances, considering injuries and missed games.

• Dave Richard at [19:08]:
  "People believe running backs miss more games due to injury... but that’s why you have to look at end-of-season standings."

Jamie Eisenberg emphasizes the importance of considering both raw performance and consistency, arguing against the notion that wide receivers are inherently safer picks.

• Jamie Eisenberg at [19:42]:
  "I just think that we should get out of the mindset that wide receivers are safer than running backs."

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4. Special Focus: Jamar Chase and Justin Jefferson

The episode dedicates significant discussion to Jamar Chase and Justin Jefferson, analyzing their performance trends and future prospects.

Dave Richard lauds Chase's remarkable season, questioning why he isn't the consensus number one pick, considering his impressive stats.

• Dave Richard at [27:59]:
  "If he does what he did last year, then he should be the number one pick."

Justin Jefferson is scrutinized for his slightly lower PPR average, but Heath Cummings and Jamie Eisenberg defend his ranking by highlighting his unique role and the dynamics of the Lions' offense.

• Heath Cummings at [34:11]:
  "Justin Jefferson is on pace to have another huge year... he’s thrived in the system to such a level that it’s hard to overlook."

• Adam Aizer at [35:07]:
  "We’ve seen Bijan play well against Tampa... Justin Jefferson has consistent high-volume receiving which makes him an appealing third pick."

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5. Overarching Themes and Strategic Takeaways

Throughout the episode, the hosts emphasize the importance of balancing risk and reward, considering factors such as player health, offensive systems, and positional depth. They debate whether to prioritize running backs with high upside or wide receivers with safer floors, providing listeners with nuanced perspectives to tailor their draft strategies.

Key Takeaways:

• Bijan Robinson and Jamar Chase are at the forefront of their rankings, each offering unique strengths.
• Christian McCaffrey presents a high risk-reward scenario, with potential for massive points but concerns about workload and injuries.
• Saquon Barkley remains a strong contender but carries risks related to his heavy usage and age.
• CD Lamb and Jameer Gibbs offer solid options with differing degrees of stability and upside.
• The debate between running backs and wide receivers in terms of safety and upside continues to be a pivotal theme.

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6. Closing Remarks and Teasers for Upcoming Episodes

As the episode concludes, the hosts tease the continuation of the Consensus PPR Top 12 Rankings, promising further exploration of players ranked 7 through 12. They also hint at upcoming segments on waiver wire pickups, trade evaluations, and listener mailbags, ensuring that listeners remain engaged and informed throughout the fantasy football season.

Adam Aizer wraps up with excitement for future discussions:

• Adam Aizer at [37:47]:
  "We'll be right back on FFD... talking about the rest of the top 12."

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Notable Quotes:

• Heath Cummings [04:57]:
  "Chase is just as… Just has just as much upside... he has a chance to repeat as number one non-quarterback and have another dominant season."

• Adam Aizer [25:05]:
  "I think people see what Saquon did last year and average 23 PPR points per game, and they gravitate toward it... Bijan's just awesome."

• Jamie Eisenberg [19:42]:
  "I just think that we should get out of the mindset that wide receivers are safer than running backs."

• Dave Richard [27:59]:
  "If he does what he did last year, then he should be the number one pick."

---

Conclusion:

This episode of Fantasy Football Today offers a thorough and dynamic exploration of the Consensus PPR Top 12 Rankings, providing fantasy managers with the necessary insights and debates to navigate their drafts effectively. With a balanced mix of statistical analysis and expert opinions, listeners are well-equipped to make strategic decisions to dominate their leagues in the upcoming season.

Transcript

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[Dave]

This is Fantasy Football today from CBS Sports.

[Heath]

What a play.

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Can you believe this?

[Adam]

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

[Jamie]

To the races. And he stays at his feet. This is going to go the distance.

[Dave]

Now here's some combination of Adam, Dave, Jamie and Heath.

[Jamie]

Really looking forward to today's show as we talk about the top 12 in the consensus PPR rankings. Who made the cut? Did Christian McAffrey make the cut? Did Ashton Genti make the cut? Who's number one? Is it a running back or a wide receiver? Who should it be? Talk about that with the three guys who do the rankings. Dave, Jamie and Heath. Guys, we're having a heat wave up here in New York. Where do you think it's hotter? My. My place or your place?

[Heath]

You're not wearing long sleeves today, so I'm going to guess your place.

[Jamie]

It is hotter.

[Dave]

Go ahead.

[Adam]

Do you have like crazy humidity where you walk outside and immediately your back begins to sweat?

[Jamie]

I don't have been outside yet but to today is going to be 95 tomorrow. 97. It's really crazy up here.

[Dave]

I was gonna say at 10am I would guess it's hotter in Florida because it's just not cooling off here. But I wouldn't be surprised if three or four that's the thing that I realized when I moved down here is it doesn't actually get as hot in South Florida as it does in Kansas City.

[Jamie]

Right.

[Dave]

Like Kansas City will have a week of 100 degrees or more almost every year. Here we got the nice sea breeze.

[Jamie]

It's.

[Dave]

It's just beautiful.

[Jamie]

Okay, well, you know what's hot? PPR rankings, baby. Yes. Okay, so a few quick questions about the consensus top 12 and I'll go ahead and read that top 12. Right now. It's Bijan Robinson, Jamar Chase, Justin Jefferson, Saquon Barkley, CD Lamb, Jameer Gibbs. So in the top six, you have a nice little split of three running backs and three receivers. Bijan Chase, Jefferson, Barkley, Lamb Gibbs. Neighbors is seventh, Puka is eighth, Devon Achan is ninth, Ashton Genti is 10th, Aman Ross, St. Brown 11 and Christian McCaffrey 12th. That is six running backs and six wide receivers. Again, seven through 12 are neighbors. Nakua, Achan, Genti, St. Brown, McCaffrey. Not in here, but just behind would be Nico Collins, A.J. brown, Brian Thomas Jr. Derrick Henry, and the tight ends, etc. First question. Jamar Chase scored 40 more PPR fantasy points than any other non quarterback last season. How much? How much does that matter? He's number two in the consensus rankings. But Jamie, you actually have him first.

[Heath]

I mean, it matters. I think he showed, you know, last year how good he is, how good he is when Joe Burrow is healthy. And, you know, as we've talked about quite a bit, I know Dave has certainly been adamant about how bad the Bengals defense will be once again. So there's a lot to love about the entire situation for the Cincinnati offense and especially the Cincinnati passing game. And so I know we're all in agreement that Bijan's the number one running back. I think the fantasy community is split, if not more in the favor of Saquon Barkley. For me, Chase is just as. Just has just as much upside. And as we know, I think historically, you know, Adam has sort of found some research that maybe suggests otherwise, but receivers a little bit more safer than. Than running backs from a health standpoint. In any event, I think Jamar Chase has a chance to repeat as number one non quarterback and have another dominant season. And now he's pissed off after this whole plane thing. Like, I mean, there's going to be another huge season coming for Jamar Chase.

[Jamie]

So you're mentioning research that, that wide receivers being safer than running backs didn't have anything, anything really to do with health Specifically, it was just. I looked at the top. No, it was just finish. I looked at the top 12 in ADP and did they finish top 12 and this is over. I don't know. Six years. I don't know that I have it updated. But last year running back was so much better than receiver. Running backs drafted as top 12 guys have a higher hit rate than wide receivers. Over. Gosh, I'll see if I can find it. Six, seven years, I think at this point. So that's what it was. It wasn't necessarily injuries. It was just either injuries or performance. Running backs had been safer picks. I don't have it broken down as, you know, the very first one or the top five picks in the, in the draft, but basically through the first two rounds or so. Sorry. Okay, so Jamar Chase is number one for Jamie. He's number two for Dave and Heath. And overall he is number two in the consensus ranking. Second question, Heath, who was the toughest player to rank in the top 12 for you? I'll get all of you guys on this one.

[Dave]

I mean, it's probably Ashton Genti because we've never seen him play football and we're just anointing him as a top 12 pick immediately. And I think I'm the highest on him. But it's a. It's not just Genty and translating his skill set to the NFL, but it's also a brand new offensive system in Las Vegas that we at least haven't seen this iteration of yet. And so I think between the questions about Chip Kelly and the questions about the Raiders offensive line and the questions about coming into the NFL, there's plenty of reason to have a wide range of places to rank Genti. It's just that that range is probably from 5 to 15, which is still really awesome because he's really awesome.

[Jamie]

Dave, toughest player to rank for you in the top 12.

[Adam]

Genti is outside of my top 12, and I don't know how long I can keep it that way because the guy who is in my top 12 that's tough to rank is Christian McCaffrey, 29 years old, coming off of a really disappointing year where we were taking him as the 101. If he were easy to rank and we were so confident in his ability and so confident in his workload and what he could do, he wouldn't be toward the back end of round one. It's a miracle he's in round one because of what he did to fantasy managers last year and what he's done to Fantasy managers in the past. I, I'm a little concerned that the 49ers are going to scale back his workload at least through the first half, if not the first 2/3 of the season because they want to have him ready to go for a playoff run or when they need them. Maybe they're fighting for a wild card spot. Who knows how the season will unfold for the 49ers, but they're going to want to save him for when they really, really need him. And it just, it makes me a little bit nervous about getting him on my team as fast as possible. Adam, I know you've talked about taking him as soon as third overall. I, I don't, I don't. I A, I don't want to take him that early because I'm worried about the downside and the floor being potentially zero. And B, I don't think I have to because there are other players, especially at wide receiver, that are safer and have maybe not the same upside as Christian McCaffrey, but still good enough upside where I won't feel like my first round pick is a loss. If they go out there, these receivers go out there, these other running backs go out there and they average in the neighborhood of 18 PPR points per game. That's not McCaffrey ceiling. We know McCaffrey's ceiling is higher, but we know his floor is lower, particularly because of how frail he might be at this point in his life.

[Jamie]

Jamie, toughest player to rank.

[Heath]

It's more from a placement than he's. He's obviously going to be the top 12, but it's Barkley, you know, just knowing that he was amazing last year and should have the chance if he stays healthy, to be amazing. But I mean the, the, the numbers that he's working against are just so scary. The total touches the history of 2000 yard running backs. The fact is a year older coming off all that workload and so the environment is still great. You know, aside from the missed touchdowns, what do you lose 11 rushing touchdowns last year because Jalen hurts stole them from him. So you know that there's the potential for that if he gets a few more opportunities or falls forward another foot or two for him to maybe increase his touchdown total. But you know, over 450 total touches. When you factor in the playoffs, there's been nine 2000 yard rushers. The average decline in yards has been over 500. The following season. Two of those eight. Oh, he's the ninth. Two of those previous eight got hurt in Terrell Davis and Derrick Henry. And so I'm just so concerned about Barkley finishing the season. And I hate to think that way because you never want to factor in, okay, if this guy gets hurt, especially he's not coming off an injury, but it's just so much on his body for him to have to do that again and do it at that level again. And so, you know, I'm obviously taking a risk not having him as the number one running back. I think, again, we're all in the same boat. But even not having him as a top three, top five overall player, I think six for me. So, yeah, it's a. It's. It's not fun when you see everybody draft Saquon Barkley, in some cases, first overall, second overall, and you know that you're basically out on him for as good as he was last year.

[Jamie]

Yeah, saquon Barkley. So fourth overall in our consensus rankings in full PPR, and he only had 33 catches in 16 games. And I figure if the Eagles throw a little bit more, that should make everyone have some more catches. But yeah, what was I going to say? Oh, yeah, you know, he is RB1 in. In. I'm looking at fantasy pros, PPR rankings, PPR, ADP. Their PPR, ADP right now on fantasy pro says Chase, 1, Jefferson 2, Saquon Barkley 3B, John Robinson 4, then Lamb and Gibbs. It is the same top six. In fact, it's the same top eight, but just a different order. Same eight players, different order. Okay, nobody said Jameer Gibbs. I think you can make the case that he is tough to rank because he averaged 18 8. What did he average 18? Something like 18.8 ppr. Fantasy points per game. Before the David Montgomery injury, he was RB6 per game in full PPR. After the Montgomery injury, he was obviously incredible, but that's two years in a row where we have that kind of data. Malik Neighbors being seventh overall ahead of Pukinakua. One spot ahead. Really? What, are you kidding me? That's what.

[Adam]

Targets and touchdowns, baby.

[Jamie]

Targets and touchdowns. Yeah.

[Dave]

Yeah, I think. I mean, Neighbors might have probably gonna say this and then see somebody else, but like the biggest quarterback upgrade of any wide receiver in the top 20.

[Jamie]

He still doesn't have a quarterback as good as what Pukinaku has. And by the way, if you take out. If you look at the games where Nakua had a snapshare of 75 or higher, Nakua was on pace for 189 targets. If you just want to remove week one where Nakua left with an injury. He was on pace for 173 targets. Yes, neighbors was on pace for more than that. But I can't, I can't guarantee you that Neighbors is going to be on pace for more than 173 targets. I don't know that. I know they're back to back, but that was to me.

[Dave]

So the difference between the Daniel Jones, Drew Locke, Tim Boyle and who's the other one told me to Tommy DeVito and what they have now is not worth one fantasy point per game.

[Jamie]

Oh, I would hope so.

[Dave]

Well, he was less than a fantasy point per game behind Puka last year.

[Jamie]

Yeah, but Puka left. He left one game early with an injury. He left one game early with us with an ejection.

[Adam]

He Neighbors leave a game with a.

[Jamie]

Concussion in the late in the fourth quarter. And Pukas. Puka had a better rookie season than Neighbors. Puka's amazing. Puka, I don't know. That one just jumped out. I just wanted to have this little argument here.

[Adam]

So the Giants fan is going to take Puka over Neighbors.

[Jamie]

Pukinakua had the second highest yard per route run in like the last 12 years or something like that. He also had a much higher target. I mean, I'll talk about targets. Malik neighbors was second in the NFL. Target per route run rate 31%. Pukinakua was 38.3%. That will not happen again.

[Dave]

But if he runs more routes.

[Jamie]

No, it won't. It won't happen. He will not be that high. So. But I'm just, I just want to point that out that even if you look at Neighbor's best stat, which was target per out run rate, Puka, Nakua is seven points better, seven percent better than him in that. So. All right.

[Heath]

Anyway, I think that's the fun part of the draft though. Like the debate that you're going to have with Neighbors, Puka and I think it's going to be St. Brown, you know, probably more so than the Nico or A.J. brown. You know, just what fantasy manager is going to debate the consistency of what stuff St. Brown has done versus the new addition to the Rams offense, Devonte Adams maybe lowering the value for Puka a little bit and obviously Malik Neighbors. And then you have the potential. I, I just. Potential the, the, the Bijan Barkley debate, you know, to when you know who's gonna go maybe first overall of those guys. And then you throw in probably The H&McCaffrey Derek Henry debate that people are going to have to, you know, Decide on, you know which of those. You know Genti as well. Those four running backs. You know which. Which one do you like the best? It's fun. You not like. It's a clear cut. Like, these guys should go 1 or 2, 3 or 4, 5 or 6. Like, I think once you get past probably the consensus 6, then it becomes a lot of question marks. But even in those first six, you might have a question or two.

[Adam]

I think we should do a podcast about this.

[Jamie]

No, I mean, right. I don't think there's an easy. I don't think there's one non debatable pick. It's not like the years where Christian McCaffrey was coming off a year where he scored 28, 29 fantasy points per game. It was so obviously the number one pick. You can make a case how many players. This will be my last question. Bonus. Fourth question. How many players would you make the case for as the number one? They say. Oh, I could see the reason why you would take him number one overall in full ppr.

[Adam]

Two.

[Heath]

Two.

[Jamie]

Just say two. Heath, don't be difficult.

[Dave]

Sure. I didn't hear the question.

[Adam]

Okay.

[Heath]

You're still a Barkley guy though, right?

[Jamie]

Well, let me say the Heat question for you. The question was how many players could you justify as the number one overall pick?

[Dave]

Oh, I think you could justify Bijan Chase. You could justify Barkley if you just want to disregard the workload from last year. So three. And that's. That's probably it.

[Jamie]

Okay. Okay.

[Heath]

We've got obviously one quarterback.

[Jamie]

See, we had a couple of polls in here. We had who Was your number one overall pick in PPR for 2025? Chase has 67% of the vote. Bijan, 20%. Barkley, 8%. Jefferson, 3%. Had 121 votes there. Now we have a new poll. Who are you taking in ppr? Puka, Nukua or Malik Neighbors? I'm going to vote for Puka. And it is 50. 50 right now. Oh, it is 7 votes, 15 votes puka. Slightly ahead. All right, let's take a quick break here. Just a few news items and then we'll start debating even more. The top 12 in full PPR. Hey, everyone, I want to talk about something really important. Life insurance and ethos.com FFT is the place to go to get affordable life insurance. When I became a father, it made me pause and think, if something happened to me, would my family be okay? Would they be financially prepared to handle everything from mortgage payments to everyday bills? This weighed on me. I need affordable life insurance and you can get that through Ethos. And I love that. Ethos makes it simple. No medical exam required. You just answer a few health questions online. I got an instant rate and it took less than 10 minutes to get my free quote. It's all 100% online and you can even get same day coverage. Life insurance helps provide that financial cushion so your family can keep up with mortgage payments, college tuition, whatever life throws at them. And with Ethos, it's way more affordable than I thought. Some policies start at just $2 a day billed monthly. Protect your family with life insurance from Ethos. Get your free [e-mail] FFT that's ethos.com FFT Summer on the south side of Chicago is heating up. You planning revenge? The shy's back on Paramount. Plus it's a season of the women Women. This is our chance. It's time to get to work. But the men aren't giving up without a fight.

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[Dave]

I think you should redo the study based on end of season because the reason that people say running backs aren't safer is because rightly or wrongly People believe running backs miss more games due to injury and the per game would not factor that in.

[Jamie]

Yeah, okay, but. But the finishing top 12 would and running backs had a slight edge over wide receivers there. I, I just think that we should get out of the mindset that wide receivers. Wide receivers are safer than running backs. I don't really see any data except the 2023 season which was horrible for running backs to support that really.

[Heath]

Standpoint or production standpoint.

[Jamie]

From the standpoint of drafted in as a top 12 player at the position, finishing as a top 12 player at the position. I don't have a breakdown of injuries. I do think running backs get hurt a little bit more. But I mean why would the other.

[Dave]

Side of it is. Was like the old. The argument hasn't just been that running backs are more likely to get hurt, but also more starters emerge at running back off the waiver wire than wide receivers.

[Heath]

Yes.

[Jamie]

Yeah, that. That could. Yeah, I mean that could be true. Also you, you do get some kind of league winning wide receivers drafted in rounds, I want to say 7 through 9. This is all research that I have done for previous years. I don't know if I've updated it, but every year we get wide receivers in that range that kill it. Who would it have been last year like two years ago it was like Brandon Iuk and Mike Evans. Sorry to say that again.

[Adam]

McConkey was one of those guys.

[Heath]

Oh, Brian Thomas, Jerry Judy.

[Jamie]

I mean I think they were even later than that.

[Adam]

Right. But that's the point is that we. You can draft wide receivers later on. You can draft any position later on and hit on them. Bowers at tight end, Jaden Daniels at quarterback. We can find examples at every single position. It's easier wide receiver partially because every team uses three wide receivers week in and week out. So you just have to find the team that's got that wide receiver that's kind of overlooked on draft day who has the upside to be, you know, Brian Thomas Jr. Lad McConkey. Exactly who we were talking about.

[Jamie]

Okay, let's go to the news and notes. Anthony Richardson. His name. Sorry I stumbled through his name there. His name is Anthony Richardson. Said he'll be available for training camp after hurting his shoulder. Brian Dable not concerned about Malik Neighbors available availability for training camp. Meanwhile, third year wide receiver Jalen Hyatt suffered a minor leg injury for the Giants. And Tayshawn Reed. I'm sorry if I'm saying that. Name writer for the athletic. I'm sorry if I'm saying it Wrong. I did say the name writer for the athletic thinks the Raiders will use Raheem Mostert as the primary third down back. Does that mean anything to you guys?

[Heath]

Not really, no.

[Jamie]

Okay, Heath, what's coming up on FFT Dynasty?

[Dave]

Well, on Friday, we did Guys that I hate. I think today, tomorrow we're gonna do Guys that I Love. Just another way to talk about guys that I'm lower and higher than on consensus. But I decided to lean into what everybody says when I talk about being lower on somebody. So we just called it Guys I Hate.

[Adam]

Will the thumbnail for the guys you love be just as amusing as the thumbnail for the guys you hate?

[Dave]

We'll see. I have to see. Have to see what Harry can work up. He did a fantastic job on Friday.

[Jamie]

He didn't.

[Dave]

Jamie, you guys should go look at that thumbnail and then click it on.

[Adam]

The YouTube page and photoshopping Heath's eyebrows and giving him. What is that on your. Your forehead? Is that like a tattoo?

[Dave]

I'm not. I'm not sure.

[Adam]

Like an angry.

[Jamie]

It's pretty funny.

[Adam]

I'm just very amusing.

[Jamie]

I'm just happy it wasn't a picture of me as the thumbnail for that episode.

[Heath]

Oh, what's today's thumbnail? So you have to talk about.

[Jamie]

Oh, today's thumbnail is Tyreek Hill. Now it's Bijan Robinson. Let's get right to Bijan Robinson, who's in the top 12 as number one in the consensus rankings. So, Dave, why do you think B. John Robinson is the CBS RB one and he's. And Saquon Barkley is for the industry or the drafters at large?

[Adam]

I think people see what Saquon did last year and average 23 PPR points per game, and they gravitate toward it. Not to mention, like, how hyped everybody was for Saquon last year as he made this awesome run with Philadelphia. Wasn't even, like, a huge factor in their super bowl win. But the hype around Saquon is what's pushing the public toward taking Saquon at number one. I'll go Bijan. I love how he was used from week six on. He averaged almost 23 PPR points per game. He had a ton of games with, I want to say, like, 17 touches per game. I can look it up and double check it for you. But the Falcons finally figured out it took Arthur Smith leaving and it took Zach Robinson putting two and two together. They figured out to give this guy a lot of the work, and they need to Continue doing it. I don't think the offensive line is going to take that big of a step back this year. I know they lost their center and I know that they're older. They've got one of the older offensive lines in the league. Dude, Bijan's just awesome. And the reason why I've got him at number one ahead of Chase is because I'm comfortable with the receivers that will be left for us. When we get to the 2, 3 turn, it's going to be T. Higgins, it's going to be lad McConkey. It might be Rasheed Rice getting into that group. There are a lot of good wide receivers that I'm okay with saying, all right, not one of the top nine guys, but absolutely guys that are top 12 guys. You can have two top 12 wide receivers and arguably the best candidate to be the number one running back on a per game basis in PPR leagues, all on your fantasy team. By taking Bijan. I don't have a problem if you take Jamar Chase first. If you, if you love wide receivers, you want the safety of that position. You think Chase can repeat what he did last year. Take Chase first. They're going to be good running backs. When you get to the 2, 3 turn as well, I, I'd rather have Bijan knowing the receivers that are left I'm gonna like better than the running backs that are left.

[Heath]

Oh, I, I couldn't disagree more with that. Based on the running back talent that's available versus who do you see there.

[Adam]

At the 2, 3 turnover?

[Heath]

Oh, I mean, just looking at the fantasy pros, ADP 25 is Kyron Williams 27 is Chase. You want to go, you know, a little bit before that, it's Jonathan Taylor and Bucky Irving, which we tend to see in that range. Like, I would much rather have Chase and Kyron and Chase Brown than bijan and McConkey and rushy rice.

[Jamie]

Okay, so I think it's a great point. And CBS ADP is pretty similar. Bucky Irving's 25th or 20, 23rd highest ADP 20. His ADP is 26th, if that makes any sense. Kyron Williams, Jonathan Taylor, Chase Brown, they're all there. But so are JSN Mike and T. Higgins for that. For what that's worth, McConkey might make it there. So let's just say at the 2, 3 turn, you're going to go with one receiver and one running back, and therefore you're not really playing that game. You don't care who's available at the 2, 3, turn. So then you just say, all right, I want my best player available at 101. Not, not giving a crap about 24 and 25. You're going Bijan or you're going Chase?

[Heath]

Chase.

[Adam]

I think in that case, Chase makes a little bit more sense. But I would add. How many receivers are you starting? How many flexes are you starting?

[Jamie]

Yeah.

[Adam]

Format obviously matters. If this is a non PPR or half PPR league, there is no conversation. It's Bijan.

[Jamie]

Yeah. Okay.

[Adam]

No conversation.

[Jamie]

Okay. So I don't know that we need to spend too much time on them. Bijan was RB4, tied for RB4 per game last year. Nice tie with RB3. Sorry. Our tied is RB3 and full PPR with Derrick Henry. And hopefully the Falcons stay very run heavy like they were at the end of last year, I guess. Final question here. Are you worried about Atlanta's offense? They, I think were 13th in points per game last year. Are you worried about them having a. A bad year offensively?

[Heath]

Again, taking into account who they played? The three games that Michael Penic started, they averaged over 32 points per game.

[Adam]

They will also play the Panthers twice, the Saints twice. The Bucks defense is pretty good, so that, that could be tough. But we've seen Bijan play well against Tampa. I will have a full grade for what I think of their schedule. I don't think it's going to be so bad. Not a first place schedule. It's not going to be bad that we're gonna say, oh, we better watch out for Saquon here or Saquon Bijan here. Bijan's schedule is not going to be a deterrent to drafting Bichon.

[Dave]

I expect him to be average.

[Adam]

Just fair. Yes.

[Jamie]

Right. Just real quick on Jamar Chase, just so we don't shortchange him. Heath, what is it about Jamar Chase that separates him that makes him number one for you?

[Dave]

Well, yeah, I think it's. It's less like that seems like an easier argument because he just got 127 passes for 1700 yards and 17 touchdowns. And we thought before he did that he might be the best wide receiver in football. He has Joe Burrow. He's on a team with a terrible defense. The question more is like, why is he not number one? It's just how much off of those? Like, it was a very abnormal year in terms of scoring 17 touchdowns and how much does that regress? If he does what he did last year, then he should be the number one pick. I don't, I Don't really in the projections have anybody that close to him.

[Adam]

Who is close? Who's number two?

[Dave]

Like, Lamb's a point per game behind him, so maybe that's close, but it doesn't seem as close when you look at the wide receiver 20 through 40, and they're. They're all separated by one point per game. But then there's another point after Lamb before you get to anybody else in my projections. So he's two points per game better than any wide receiver not named Lamb.

[Adam]

Okay, so. And then on top of that, we've talked about this already, Adam, that we all. We all seem to have a tier of somewhere between seven and nine wide receivers that we put on this shelf ahead of everybody else at that position, and it's not even close. And Chase leads that group. And so if you're a fantasy drafter that wants to get in on those seven to nine wide receivers, then I think you really do have to lean toward Chase. I just wouldn't expect him, just like with Saquon, I wouldn't expect him to repeat what he did last year, but I think he's got. If, if I had to put a percentage on it, like, Maybe there's a 40% chance he repeats versus Saquon, who I'd say has like a 15% chance to repeat what he did last year.

[Heath]

You're saying repeat the. Stay in the same range, numbers wise, or repeat as number one.

[Adam]

Repeat as far as points per game is where my mind's at.

[Heath]

Well, yeah, I mean, that's, that's obviously a tougher, tougher ask. He's the only receiver ever to go 17. 17 touchdowns, and he's a triple crown winner, which is what, four of those guys in NFL history? Like, it's. It's hard, but it's hard to do that. I think the, the case would be, is like, can he get to the numbers that you're looking at from the projection standpoint, which is a slight downgrade, but it's still amazing. And so, like, that's what I'm hoping for is that he's in the range, not exactly the same, you know, level.

[Adam]

Of production, points per game. Wouldn't you.

[Heath]

I'm sorry, Dave.

[Adam]

You'd be thrilled with 20 points per game.

[Heath]

Yeah, I mean, as we talked about last week, I think any. Anytime you're taking a player in the first round and they're giving you that level of production, so it's a slight decrease from what he did last year, but he's still over that plateau. Sure.

[Jamie]

Right.

[Heath]

Adam will call him a bus, but yeah, I.

[Jamie]

My argument against Chase, if I had to make one, would be T. Higgins. And typically, when you see a wide receiver finish as the number one overall wide receiver, they don't have a running mate that good. And so in the last nine seasons, there have been 19 pairs of wide receivers who have finished both of them in the top 16 in full PPR. I don't think we've ever had one of those guys finish as wide receiver one overall. You know where Higgins finished last year? He finished his wide receiver 17. So, I mean, Tyreek, so, so sorry, Tyreeko was almost one of these. But Jamar Chase basically had the best season for a wide receiver that had a, you know, a running mate as good as T. Higgins, you know, in the last decade, basically. But, you know, Jordy Nelson was. Is basically the gold standard there. I don't remember if it was a Randall Cobier or Devonte Adams season, but Higgins finished as wide receiver 2 overall in full PPR, wide receiver 1 and non PPR with another receiver having a huge year for the Packers. But usually the number one guy is miles ahead of everyone on his team. And remember, T. Higgins missed five games last year. But if you just look at the games Higgins played, Chase was unbelievable in those games. Wide receiver one per game, kind of, you know, stats in those games, so whatever.

[Adam]

Well, his best game came with Higgins out the ball.

[Jamie]

That was. But, yeah, but even with. Even including that or even with that factored in, he was on pace for even better numbers than his full season. 128, 128 catches, 1771 yards, 18 touchdowns on 177 targets with T. Higgins. Okay, so Chase is great. Let's go to number three in the consensus rankings. It's Justin Jefferson, who finished as wide receiver six per game last year. It is a little deceiving because two guys who were ahead of him were Chris Godwin and Rashi Rice. And then he was basically tied with Pukinakua and T. Higgins per game. So he was almost wide receiver two per game. Justin Jefferson, unfortunately, you know, it. It look, it goes down as wide receiver six per game, but very, very close. Jamie, your thoughts on Justin Jefferson? I was surprised looking at the consensus rankings that he was wide receiver two personally, the third overall.

[Heath]

I mean, it's a wild card with the quarterback situation. Right. Because J.J. mcCarthy could be as good or better than Sam Darnold. I would hope he's better, you know, for what I'm expecting for Jefferson and Addison. If there's no suspension and Hawkinson, you know, you're moved from his ACL. But there's clearly a scenario unfolding where McCarthy runs a little more, doesn't have the same success throwing the ball. Jefferson maybe doesn't have as much, you know, high end production as let's say CD Lamb or Puka or, or neighbors, any of those guys that are going to be right behind him. But then you go back to what Kevin OConnell's quarterbacks have done. You know, the, there's the Josh Dobbs games, there's the Nick Mullins games, there's the obviously Sam Darnold and the resurrection that he had there and you know, clearly what he did with Kirk Cousin. So, you know, you're hoping that J.J. mcCarthy comes in and can keep this generational talent and you know, starting to hear I think somebody did all decade team, I think or something recently. I don't remember what it was. He was on, on the same roster as Calvin Johnson and Randy Moss and Terrell Owens. Like, you know, he was the fourth receiver of that group. Like this kid is special.

[Jamie]

Oh yeah, it was. That was the all century quarter century team.

[Heath]

Quarter century team. Yep.

[Jamie]

Yeah.

[Heath]

So like he's, he's amazing, you know, and he's thrived with different quarterbacks and he's thrived in the system to such a level that it's, it's hard to overlook. So I have no problem if, if, you know, Lamb is drafted ahead of him. Lamb obviously was amazing 2023 with a healthy Doc Prescott and I hope Dak is back and you know, however you think of George Pickens and, and maybe taking away from Lamb, you know, I go back and forth with those two guys myself, you know, so I haven't really, you know, completely finalized that Jefferson should be ahead of Lamb. But it's just so hard to, you know, bet against what Justin Jefferson has done, what Kevin o' Connell system has done and produced. And you know, what my expectations are for Jaden McCarthy, which is to come in and, you know, kind of thrive in the system. You know, even though he may not be the, the most polished prospect coming out of Michigan, you know, there's still a lot of questions to be answered about him as a passer, but I'm, I'm extremely confident in the coach, the system and the player.

[Jamie]

Well, I'll ask a broader question because we're already at 32 minutes, so I know we're not going to have time to go super in depth on every one of these players. So if 1 and 2 are Bijan and Chase in some order for you guys and consensus it's Bijan 1, then Chase 2. You got Jefferson, Barkley, Lamb at 345. Jefferson had 102 catches last year, 103 catches last year. Barkley had 33 in 16 games. Lamb had 101 in 15 games. With Dak Prescott, just the Dak Prescott games the first seven games of the year before Prescott got hurt in the eighth game of the year. He's on pace for 109 catches. So you know, Dave, how do you kind of balance that? Looking at Jefferson, saquon lamb at 3, 4, 5 and going? Might be a 70 catch difference here between the wide receivers and the running.

[Adam]

Back in a full PPR league, you want to gravitate toward that. The only way a running back can come back from that is by scoring 10 more touchdowns or, you know, having a ton more total yards than the wide receivers get, which is what Saquon did in his amazing year last year. But it's tough to fathom him doing that again. It's easy to see Justin Jefferson being a high volume receiver with good production. You know, Jamar had nine games last year with 20 plus PPR points. Jefferson had eight. You're counting on Jefferson to try and keep that going again this year with JJ McCarthy. So far the reports on McCarthy are positive. You read any beat reporter that's watched them in minicamp and it's just minicamp. But McCarthy is, is slinging it. He's attacking the middle of the field. There's velocity on his throws. These are the things that we want to see if he's got good command of this o' Connell offense. I'm kind of living where Jamie is on this. You trust the scheme, you trust the play caller. You hope the quarterback is at least on the level of Sam Darnold. We should see Justin Jefferson have another huge year. And so it feels a little safe to take him as the third guy off the board. I don't need to take that risk with Saquon taking a big step back. We've seen that happen to him before when he's had a lot of work, when he's had over 350 touches in a year. His numbers regressed the following year. We've seen that twice now from him. CD Lamb with Pickens, man, there's going to be an effect there. Seen Jefferson play with Jordan Addison being a red zone threat. Guess what? He's still awesome. So I'm happy to take Justin Jefferson.

[Jamie]

3Rd all right, we'll take a break and finish up with with Barkley and lamb at 4 and 5 and we'll be right back. And obviously we'll do the rest of the top 12. We'll be right back on FFD.

[Adam]

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[Dave]

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[Adam]

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[Jamie]

For the heck of it. It's dark, there's no road signs. We need the help of Air1.

[Adam]

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[Jamie]

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[Adam]

We go where the evidence takes us.

[Dave]

We got this 88 fresh on rotten tomatoes. You don't see folks trying to affect change, but here you are.

[Heath]

Got a body waiting for us.

[Adam]

Gives welcome to the team. NCIS Origin season one, now streaming on Paramount.

[Jamie]

Plus Saquon Barkley is fourth in our consensus rankings and PPR Heath, give me 30 seconds on Saquon Barkley. Up to 30 seconds.

[Dave]

He should be. He would be the number one player without a doubt, if it wasn't for concerns about him having way too many touches last year and being 28 years old. And is there risk of a breakdown like we have seen from a relevant percentage of running backs who have touched the ball that much in the past? But if you take those concerns away, and one of the reasons I think that you might favor a running back over a wide receiver in that range. You talked about the receptions that are certainly going to favor the wide receivers. If you talk about just total yards, there have been 36, I think, in the last 10 years, NFL players that have had 1700 yards. So played 17 games and averaged 100 yards per game just from scrimmage. And 75 of them are running backs. Like running backs just get more yards. And generally running backs score more touchdowns and Barclays in one of the best situations you could imagine for producing a lot of yards and touchdowns.

[Jamie]

It's a great point. Jamie, give me quick 30 seconds on CD Lamb. And by the way, speaking of yards, total yards, CD Lamb has been on pace for, I think seven, yeah, 79 or more rushing yards in four of his five NFL seasons. It's an underrated aspect of CD Lamb's game. Jamie, 30 seconds on Lamb, Dak hopefully.

[Heath]

Back at 100% and plays the entire season. You saw what that was for the back end of the 2023 season. Mentioned what he was on pace for in 2024 before Dax suffered the hamstring injury and missed half the year. The addition of George Pickens is probably the best running mate that he's had since, I guess, what, Mark Cooper, maybe. I don't remember who the other guy was when Lamb started his. It was his tenure with Dallas, but clearly since he's had this breakout, you know, year plus, this is definitely the best running mate that he's had. Although Brandon Cooks did have seven or eight touchdowns in 2023. So Pickens can certainly score a bunch and still not impact CD Lamb in. In a way that it's a tremendous negative. So again, Lamb could easily be the number two wide receiver off the board. He could easily be the number three overall pick off the board, depending on how you view Bijan or Barkley, whoever those guys. But I think he's a top five overall pick and can and should be a top four overall selection, factoring B John with the other two receivers.

[Jamie]

Okay. Yeah, the. If you want to show Thomas. One of the things that it's held Lamb back a little bit, and that's funny saying that because he finished his number one wide receiver in 2023, is that Dak Prescott's missed 14 games over the last three years. But here are the fantasy points per game for CD Lamb with a healthy Dak Prescott. So that is removing Week 5 in 2020 when Dak left with an injury. It's removing Week 9 last year when Dak left with an injury. You can see the sample sizes on the bottom. But over the last three years, it's 18.3 points per game, 23.8 and 19.2. And I would look at that 18.3. He had a horrible week one. Prescott missed the next, I want to say, six games. And then after that week one, like the last 11 games of the year, Lamb averaged 19.4 or 19.6 fantasy points per game. So I could make a pretty easy case that his floor is 19 PPR fantasy points per game, which is really good. However, all of this is before George Pickens, Right. So that needs to be mentioned here. You know, it doesn't seem like any of you are all that bothered by it.

[Dave]

Yeah, yeah.

[Jamie]

I just.

[Dave]

I. It's hard for me with Pickens. Like, I think he's really good at what he does and could really help Dak out, but he's first off, not played with anybody like CD Lamb, and he's still never been a really consistent high target earner. I just don't think George Pickens is the type of the guy that goes out on the field and all of a sudden you start throwing the ball to him instead of Lamb. Pickens is the guy you take advantage of the matchup downfield when it's there. And maybe he gets six targets a game, and they were throwing those six targets a game to a couple other guys that weren't as good as George Pickens. But I don't. I don't know, think George Pickens is the type of guy that you worry about infringing on an alpha number one's target share.

[Jamie]

Okay, let's move on to.

[Heath]

It's just, you know, in. In looking at it like, is Pickens any better or worse than Jordan Addison? Is Pickens any better or worse than T. Higgins? Like, you know, all these guys have another player.

[Jamie]

Yeah, but I, I think CD Lamb. I think people would say. I would say CD Lamb is a great player. He's not as good as Justin Jefferson or Jamar Chase.

[Heath]

That is fair. And. And again, Higgins is obviously better than Pickens, and I would say Addison as a town is probably better than Pickens, but you get the point. Like, there's somebody else that these guys have to share with. And then, you know, again, the sliding scale of, okay, is. Is Puka situation better than Lamb situation.

[Jamie]

I keep making the. I'm sorry, I keep making the case about Jefferson, though, just to your point, nobody seems to factor it in. I feel like he had. His. His targets were down last year, and his target per out run rate was down, and it was only half the year to TJ Hawkinson play. So, you know, that doesn't.

[Adam]

He was still an amazing fan.

[Jamie]

He was amazing. But. But you got him as number two.

[Heath]

And, and this is, this is where the, you know, we're telling you publicly, as we always do, how we feel about this. This is when you're making your draft, you know what decision you have to make in regards to. Okay, do. Do I buy into Dak Lamb, Pickens as a negative Dax injury history as negative that coming off an injury as negative versus Jefferson, what he's done, the guys he shares the field with in Addison and Hawkinson, and an unproven quarterback. Like, there's. There's huge questions. There's huge questions, you know, and this may be why you pivot to Bijan at 2 if Chase goes 1 or Barkley still there or Gibbs still there, you know, or, you know, what I would do. And, you know, we had this discussion, you know, like, okay, you build out your first couple rounds, and this is where ADP comes in, because you can't clearly predict it entirely. But, okay, these. If I, if I do this with the receiver in round one, and as Dave said, there's. There's nine. You know, I'd probably say 10 if for me at least Drake, London, but, like, there's those guys, like, the, these guys. I'm, I'm. I want to get one of them, but if I don't, okay, that round three receiver range starts to get a little questionable, especially if you're, you know, like 27, 28, 29, you know, rice is now gone, Higgins is gone. You know, JSN is, you know, starts to get where the tipping point is. For me at least, you know, like, I would want to guarantee myself the opportunity to take a Jefferson or Lamb, you know, maybe more. So just again, if you're building out with those running backs, they're going to be there versus the receivers.

[Dave]

I know I should probably say. I do. Like, I, I, maybe I already said it, but I have Lamb a point ahead of Jefferson, so I.

[Adam]

You did.

[Dave]

Like, I do think Liam should be out of Jefferson.

[Jamie]

Okay. Yeah, yeah. Right now I just want to bring this stuff up because these guys are great and, but just I, I love what, I love this show, by the way, right now. I love being able to spend all this time on one or two players, I think to bring up all the research that we've done and all these different angles, and maybe the people listening go, oh, I never thought about that. Or, oh, just reinforces something I already thought about. So we're going to do today, calling an audible here. We're just going to do the top six, and we'll end with Jameer Gibbs, talk about him, and then we'll do. So we had four shows planned for this week, and the one through 12 is going to be today. 13 through 24 was going to be tomorrow, Tuesday. But we're going to do those two topics over four days. So I think we'll be able to spend more time instead of me rushing you guys along like I always do. So let's go to Jameer Gibbs. And yeah, we know if David Montgomery were won the lottery, Dave, maybe Jameer Gibbs would be the consensus 101, because he's just incredible when Montgomery's out. But when Montgomery's there, it's not, you know, you know, this Might be a little bit rich of a. Of a ranking at number six. Might be. So what do you say about that criticism of Jameer Gibbs?

[Adam]

Adam, in 14 games with David Montgomery last year, Jameer Gibbs averaged 18.9 PPR points per game. He is absolutely in the conversation of being a top six pick, if not a top four pick. I'm gonna bank on his upside and his usage going up. I think there's more for him to accomplish there as a pass catcher. And because this offense just on paper, talent wise, what they have, it's impossible for defenses to totally focus on the run game in Detroit. They've got to have their safeties back because of not just Jameson Williams speed, but also what, what what LaPorta can do, what Saint Brown can do. Even Tim Patrick is respected, at least by opposing defensive coordinators. Not that they're going to double Tim Patrick, but you know what I'm saying, There are threats that are out there that are going to force defenses to say, okay, we need to really take it easy and not necessarily stack the box or blitz Jared Goff time after time. They've got to be a lot more selective with those decisions. That plays into Jameer Gibbs favor. I think his workload could potentially rise. I also think the Lions will be in more competitive games this year than they were last year. This is a player I want to have on my team. Just absolutely ascending can do it all. Montgomery's getting older. He might be relegated to a touchdown or bust type of fantasy running back who doesn't get the same type of work week in and week out. It's just easier for an offensive coordinator that's not as talented as Ben Johnson to lean on Jameer Gibbs because of the talent that he's shown the world over his first two seasons. I'll take him ahead of Saquon Barkley.

[Dave]

And just again to offer the where I'm different. I think I'm the low guy on Gibbs at the seventh pick. And it, it the only concern I have on the low guy on the Lions basically is how much does the absence of Ben Johnson, the absence of Ragnow matter? Like a big reason that Jameer Gibbs was as incredible as he was last year as he scored 20 touchdowns on the team that scored more points than anybody else. And I think there's probably a little bit offensive aggression coming for the Lions. So I'm not quite as excited about taking Gibbs at high.

[Heath]

Yeah, I think the one thing that's interesting with your Lions take like and it makes sense, you know, again, they'll change offense, coordinator, change the center. Everything that they did was such a high level last year. Plus the defense was awful at the end of the season, and they had to be. So I don't say more offensive minded because I think every team should be offensive minded, but you get the point, like, they had to, you know, sort of compensate for their lack of, of defensive players who were there, especially some of the stars. Like, this is the one guy as good as St. Brown has been, as good as the rookie season was for laporta, like, his arrow, I think, is still pointing up and there's still room to get better. If to Dave's point, you know, they do sort of maybe relegate Montgomery to somewhat more of a specialist role. I don't see that, you know, dramatically happening, but it could. And there's another wild card. You know, it's not just the, the, the loss of those two guys. It's what does, you know, John Morton do and what does, you know, as the new play caller there. And is it a benefit to Gibbs or is it the other way? Is it a negative to Gibbs that maybe they don't want to put more work on his plate and they want to continue this balance of these two guys sharing the backfield. And, and as we saw, Adam points this out all the time in the beginning part of the season, Montgomery was the better pass catch.

[Jamie]

Well, so pretty much even Gibbs had more targets. I, I, I've always, I've always, I'm sorry, I just, I wanted to clarify because I've always been giving this stat, and I think I might be giving the wrong stat because I've been giving the first 14 games, but I probably should be doing the first 13 games because Montgomery got hurt in that 14th game. But in the first 13 games before Montgomery got hurt, they had the same amount of touches. Montgomery had what, two more carries, I think, and Gibbs had two more catches. It's pretty crazy. The same amount of. But it's not that many touches. It's a pace of 233 carries and 44 catches for Jameer Gibbs. That is not what you want from a top six overall pick. Heath has him seventh. Dave and Jamie have him top five because we respect how good he is with those touches and how many touchdowns he scores, but just, just that number. Like, if you want to be, if you want to be nervous, that's why. 233 carries, 44 touches. That's what he was on. 44 catches. That's what he was on pace for. Almost identical numbers to David Montgomery's pace. So that's just what I wanted to bring up.

[Heath]

Heath, I think it's a fair concern, you know, if you're worried about Gibbs and, and the, you know, not living up to you, just off you're watching on YouTube the, the sports line projection of the number one running back that they have, you know, ahead of Bijan and ahead of Barkley. You know, that's, that's pretty lofty, you know, expectations given what those other two guys showed last year as well. But you also have the wild card of Montgomery's missed time each of the last two years, and Gibbs has dominated in those games.

[Jamie]

Yeah, Yeah.

[Dave]

I think the big question for me is that 56 catches, because he was on pace for 44 last year when Montgomery was healthy.

[Adam]

Yeah, I'll say. He can get over 50 catches again. And he was 10th in targets per game at running back last year. He was the most consistent running back for fantasy managers last year. 13 of 17 games with at least 15 PPR points.

[Jamie]

Yeah. Okay, well, so that. Just to get a glimpse inside my crazy mind, do I include that Buffalo game with Montgomery? He played 30% of the snaps. That's low, but it's not that low for him. Montgomery usually plays about 4, 40, 40 of the snap. So you could include the game. Whatever. It's not. Doesn't change things that much. The point is, Gibbs is a different player when Montgomery's on the field. He has been for the first two seasons. He's been a different player when Montgomery's on the field. We're hoping that they recognize, man, this guy is so special, get the ball in his hands more often.

[Adam]

But even if he, if they don't, I'm just going to go back to the very first number I spewed.

[Jamie]

Yeah.

[Adam]

Which is 18.9, which is still really damn great.

[Jamie]

But he's going to have to score a touchdown a game. He's going to have to average a touchdown a game.

[Adam]

Yeah, I think this guy's capable of doing.

[Jamie]

Capable of it. Yeah. It's just, it's tough to bank on that right. When you're splitting goal line carries evenly. You know, that's the argument against him. I'm just, I'm playing devil's advocate. I mean, I think he deserves to be that, that high. Heath has him seventh. I don't think he's going any lower than that. Can't wait to talk about Puka nakua. Most at 8th overall. He is the most underrated player.

[Heath]

Is he your favorite?

[Jamie]

He's probably he might be my wide receiver too.

[Heath]

Wow.

[Adam]

Wow.

[Jamie]

Yeah.

[Heath]

So what's your. What's your top six?

[Jamie]

Yeah, I don't know. Do I have to do this?

[Heath]

Yes.

[Dave]

Are you not worried about Adams?

[Jamie]

I am worried about Adams, but I think that we kind of forget how good Cooper cup was last year. Until the last three games of the season, Cooper cup had a combined nine targets, but there was this stretch where they both came back against Minnesota. They both came back in the same game after missing a big chunk of the first half of the season. And cup cup average weeks 8 through 14 cup average 9 targets per game and scored 18 PPR fantasy points per game. Nuku averaged 10 targets per game and scored 20.5 PPR fantasy points per game. Adams is 32 years old. Puka is entering his prime. Like I said, the second highest yards per out run for any wide receiver over the last 12 years. And he was elite in that. He was really good in that as a rookie as well. I just think he's amazing. I. Yeah, the touchdowns are weird. So, you know, if he just scores 10 touchdowns, it's just going to crush it. I'm not all that worried about Devonte Adams. My top six would be Jamar Chase in full PPR. Jamar Chase 1. Bijan Robinson 2. Christian McCaffrey Christian McCaffrey 3. Puka 4. Lamb 5. Jefferson 6.

[Dave]

It's really interesting, though, just like, and I'm not even arguing against it, but the fact that we're more worried about Saquon Barkley because he stayed healthy for 20 games last year and had too many touches than we are about Christian McCaffrey, who missed most of last year hurt and has missed a lot more games over his career due to injury than Barkley.

[Jamie]

I wouldn't say I'm worried about. I wouldn't say it like that that I'm more worried about Barkley than McCaffrey. I just think Barkley had a perfect season last year. He averaged 5.7 yards per carry, I think. Don't see that happening again. You know, he's not a huge factor in the passing game. Just looking at their entire careers, you know, McCaffrey laps Saquon Barkley. It's just not even close. So I just. If I'm getting injury risk out of there, even with how great Barkley was last year, that was the height of Saquon Barkley. What did he average last year? 20, 23 points?

[Adam]

23 and a half, I think.

[Jamie]

Yeah, the height of Christian McCaffrey is actually. That's not fair. He's not going to catch 119 balls again or anything like that. But I've got more upside to me.

[Adam]

22.2 for Saquon last year.

[Jamie]

Yeah, I think Caffrey has more upside. And non injury floor. I think McCaffrey has a higher floor than Barkley. It's just.

[Heath]

Would you really say that he's lapped him?

[Jamie]

Yes. In his career? Yes, I would. Personally, when he's been on the field as a fantasy asset like Barkley before last year, I think Barkley was one of the most overrated players. You just look at it like he never lived up to that rookie year. He was horrible.

[Heath]

How many seasons who McCaffrey's played how many seasons?

[Dave]

Eight.

[Jamie]

Seven. Eight.

[Dave]

He's played one more year than Barkley.

[Heath]

One more year than Barkley and has.

[Dave]

1300 more yards, which seems. Yeah, because he's pretty much like one.

[Jamie]

Year he gets hurt.

[Heath]

Two of those seven were definitely in Barkley's favor.

[Jamie]

His rookie year and last year.

[Heath]

Yes.

[Jamie]

Huh.

[Heath]

I don't know.

[Jamie]

Actually. Actually, no. What was Barkley's rookie year? No, they were tied that year.

[Heath]

They were essentially tied versus McCaffrey's rookie.

[Adam]

Right. McCaffrey wasn't fully unleashed his rookie year.

[Jamie]

Okay. But in. In Barkley's best season until last. No, his best season Overall, he averaged 24 points per game. McCaffrey averaged 23.8 that year. They were 1 and 2 overall. Okay. Hey, we got something to show here. Let's get this.

[Dave]

There we go.

[Jamie]

Get something good here. What do we got? Look at that. Champions. I see the word champions there. Jamie. What are we looking at?

[Heath]

This was the sectional championship for our Boca raton Little League 13U. All Stars. And what an unbelievable day it was Saturday. We had to win two games to advance the state tournament. So we're going to states and boys played great. This was the second game. We were down seven to three in the fourth inning of seven. Had to rally back and win the game nine. Seven was a very proud moment for me. My son drove in the game winning rbi. We still scored another run on top of it. He put us ahead eight to seven. And the entire team really contributed in the. In the second game. First time that we've been trailing. So this is our fifth game together. First time that we've been trailing. And just amazing to see them, you know, come back and to win the game was special to advance to the. To the state tournaments. Now we go to states on Friday and it's a eight team tournament. So we'll see if we can win there. And we're hoping that our, our best pitcher, Joey Wagner, I could say a lot about the entire team, but our, our stud pitcher, Joey Wagner, hear me mention him a couple times on the show. Appreciate you guys, you know, talking about it so, and getting some responses, you know, via social media. So our best pitcher, Joey Wagner, he may not be with us this weekend. We're trying to make a last second plea. He's got another commitment with another team. But we're trying to make a last second plea for Joey to come pitch with us because again, just so awesome watching this kid pitch 16 1/2 innings. He has 40 strikeouts in the 16 plus innings. I mean he's just been absolutely dominant and has a chance for little league immortality if he's with us for this state, state tournament run. So I think we have a good chance to win it. I know I was a little bit pessimistic going into the district tournament when we came out of the district tournament and the kids got on me about that. So I think we have a really good chance to win it. I hope Joey's with us and hope the rest of the team shows up and does what they're capable of doing because it's been a fun ride so far. Heath knows as, as, as a coach and I know Dave and Adam have had their experiences with their kids. When you get a good group, good group of kids and a great group of parents, it makes everything so much better. And this group has been so, so amazing, you know, really, really enjoying this run. Hope it continues and I hope our whole team is there with us. So, you know, appreciate you guys, you know, bringing it up and showing this. And I'm glad you didn't show the other photo up. There it is.

[Dave]

Yes. That's great.

[Adam]

Was that your punishment for being pessimistic?

[Jamie]

You got it. You got to give, you got to give a little play by play. What are we looking at for the listeners?

[Heath]

So the first photo you show, you showed was the entire team photo under the scoreboard and, and the whole team posing. This was afterwards, you know, they got me pretty good. Like, hey, we gotta talk to you real quick. You know, the other coach, one of the coaches pulled me aside. The other coach snuck up behind and dumped the ice, ice water, shower, Gatorade, you know, bath that you would typically see, but thankfully wasn't Gatorade. And it was cold, but it was worth it. It was a hot day as we talked about with the temperature. So I, I, I enjoyed it. I hope to get another one this coming weekend and, you know, appreciate you guys again that I've asked about it on. On social media and hopefully we keep it going for one more. One more run. And then after that, who knows? We get a regional tournament in North Carolina and a national tournament in. In California if we keep this going.

[Jamie]

Wow. Okay, I have something to share with you guys. Did some, some quick math over their careers. I've got Saquon Barkley, 18.3 PPR points per game. Christian McCaffrey, 22.1. That's a pretty big difference. That's not a lap. That's a lap. That's a quarter of a lap.

[Heath]

A lap would be like Dan laps. You in tennis?

[Dave]

Yep.

[Jamie]

Man, they might cancel my tennis match tonight because of the heat and I'm gonna be pissed.

[Dave]

I thought you were playing at some indoor facility.

[Jamie]

Now it's a road game today. We have a road match in the heat.

[Adam]

No one's coming to drop a bucket of water over your head.

[Dave]

Hydrate, hydrate.

[Jamie]

All right, thank you so much. 7 through 12 in the. In the PPR consensus rankings tomorrow. We will talk to you then.

[Heath]

See you later.

[Jamie]

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[Adam]

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[Heath]

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[Jamie]

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