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Adam Azer
Making a new hire can be a nerve wracking experience. You want someone who gets your business and cares about the work as much as you do. And that's why you should turn to LinkedIn jobs. As a small business owner, you never really clock out. And LinkedIn jobs, it gets that when you're off the clock, it's still working. Finding quality candidates fast LinkedIn can help you write a job post that actually attracts the right kind of people. It can share it within your network and even add the hashtag hiring Back badge to your profile. Before you know it, you'll be sifting through qualified candidates, not just resumes. You can post your job for free or boost it and get three times more qualified applicants. No matter how you use it, LinkedIn delivers. 72% of small businesses say that LinkedIn helped them find high quality candidates. And I can vouch that the LinkedIn jobs platform gives you a lot of high quality candidates. Post your job for free@LinkedIn.com cbspods that's LinkedIn.com cbspods to post your job for free. Terms and conditions apply.
Dave Richard
Member week is here at Lowe's. Don't miss your chance to get up to 40% off hundreds of items like paint, outdoor and home essentials and more. Shop our exclusive deals happening in store and online now through May 14th. Not a rewards member. Join for free today and get ready to save more Lowe's. We help you save loyalty programs subject to terms and conditions. Details@lowe's.com terms subject to change. This is Fantasy Football Today from CBS Sports.
Heath Cummings
What a play.
Adam Azer
Can you believe this?
Heath Cummings
No, I can't.
Dave Richard
It's time to dominate your fantasy league.
Heath Cummings
Off to the races and he stays at his feet.
Adam Azer
Chris is gonna go the distance.
Dave Richard
Now here's some combination of Adam, Dave, J. Damien Heath.
Adam Azer
Well, welcome to the show on Thursday, May 8th. Devonte Smith. We're going to talk about the Eagles passing game. Devontae Smith has averaged about 17 and a half PPR fantasy points per game in 16 games regular season without Dallas Goddard. But with A.J. brown that is really, really good. That's top 10 material there with both of them on the field. He's closer to 13 fantasy points per game which is, you know, not so great. Borderline number two three receiver, top 30 maybe. So anyway, we welcome you. We're going to talk about that with Dallas. Guide her back. We kind of brushed breeze past that yesterday. We got fantasy superlatives. Who is this year's CJ Stroud? Who is this year's John who Smith? Who is this year's Dave Richard, Fantasy hall of Famer. That's going to give great advice. Dude, I don't know. Any new idea? Yeah, I don't know. Hey, Dave, what's up?
Heath Cummings
We know who the most awkward podcast host of the year is going to be.
Adam Azer
Why can't that be a category? I would have had so many of those. I would put them on my mantle.
Heath Cummings
They would just call it the Azer Award.
Adam Azer
Heath, what's on the mantle in your house? You have a mantle?
Dave Richard
No, we don't have a fireplace.
Adam Azer
Right, we.
Dave Richard
I have had a mantle in my last house and I have an award right here over my shoulder. It says best podcast. Oh, I believe. Or maybe it's best video show. I'm not sure which one, but.
Adam Azer
Oh, well, how about that?
Heath Cummings
Yeah.
Adam Azer
Okay.
Heath Cummings
Why don't you let us know.
Adam Azer
Our email address is fantasy footballbsi.com, hope to get some of your questions today and your Apple podcast questions as well. Leave us a five star review on Apple podcasts. Ask us a question. It will get read on the show. All right, so I have a few quick questions before we get into the superlatives. With Dallas Goddard staying in Philadelphia. Heath, why should I draft devonte Smith?
Dave Richard
Because he falls into wide receiver three territory and he has displayed a proven contingent upside that if either A.J. brown or Dallas Goddard misses time, he could be a borderline wide receiver one. And he's a solid wide receiver three. When those guys are healthy. I. This is like just kind of combining yesterday's news with today's news. Before yesterday, I had devontae Smith ahead of DK Metcalf in the rankings. As of today, I have DK Metcalf ahead of devonte Smith in the rankings.
Adam Azer
Yesterday's news being the Pickens trade. Today's news being the Goddard signing.
Dave Richard
You're right. Well, we talked about.
Adam Azer
Yeah.
Dave Richard
One on yesterday and one today.
Adam Azer
Okay. Just making sure. All right. Dave, why should I draft devonte Smith? He went in the sixth round after DJ Moore, Jameson Williams, Cortland Sutton, Chris Godwin, just before Jerry Judy in our most fifth round. Fifth round, Sorry. That's a big difference.
Heath Cummings
I think he's hit on it. This is a. This is a receiver that you can always use as a number three. He is good enough to be a number two if you're in a pinch. And he could potentially be a number one if he's playing a game without AJ Brown or Dallas Goddard. Last year there were 10 games where Brown Goddard. They didn't play. He averaged 17.3 PPR points per game in those 10 games. That's awesome. So the contingency upside, there's that buzz term. I, I think it's in play with him. The problem is how many games will there be where Both Goddard and A.J. brown? And let's not forget about the run game that Philadelphia has. When all that's cooking, it does hurt the potential for devonte Smith. At which point he's just a boomer bust wide receiver. I think round six is the perfect time to get him.
Adam Azer
Yeah. Just to put one more number on it. It's. I've got over the last three seasons without Goddard, but with A.J. brown, Devonte Smith has been on pace for 1353 yards and 12 touchdowns. That would make him a top nine wide receiver per game in any format and even better in non PPR and half ppr. So that's what I've got. And, but, but with Dallas Goddard, it's more like 13 PPR fantasy points per game, which is like wide receiver 30. I said that at the top of the show. I'm just wondering, do you think it's that simple? Do you think it is just. He's a stud when someone's out and he's a flex. We just accept that at this point.
Dave Richard
Not a flex.
Adam Azer
A flex when some. Okay. A wide receiver 3. When. Yeah, when Goddard's healthy. All right. Because I just feel like, I wonder if Goddard, he's not old. I think he's gonna be 31. Yesterday we said he had the second highest yard per out run rate among tight ends. Is he really. That is really that big of a difference or is it a coincidence? All right, if we can just. I guess we'll just accept it at face value. My next question is. Oh, wait, Thomas, actually, sorry to put you on the spot. Do we have Dave's fancy charts available for graphics?
Dave Richard
Yeah, give me one second.
Adam Azer
All right, you know what? We'll go back to that. We'll go to question number two would be, should we talk about Pittsburgh wide receiver Roman Wilson, third round pick in last year's draft?
Heath Cummings
I would love to talk about Pittsburgh wide receiver Roman Wilson.
Adam Azer
Yeah. He missed most of the season with injury. Is he a sleeper for you right now, Dave?
Heath Cummings
He is in the late round range. Certainly a top 200 player. If you're drafting 15 rounds, you could pick him up. Who's blocking him for playing time and targets in that offense? They signed Robert Woods, They've got Calvin Austin. I don't know if either of those guys are really going to Be more than like 4 target per game guys, max. It's Pat Friarmuth that in my mind is going to block him along with a slow pace offense that's going to run the ball a lot. But he's a really good route runner, perfect type of slot receiver. Depending on who the quarterback is, Aaron Rodgers, I think we could see some decent numbers from Roman Wilson, but he certainly qualifies much more as a sleeper who you draft. You begin the season with him on your bench. Maybe after he shows a flash or two, you get the, the, the guts to start him. Not a breakout type of wide receiver. I think there are too many other guys at that position that would qualify ahead of Roman Wilson. But he is talented, he's got great hands and I, I think the Steelers are going to give him an opportunity if he earns it. Everybody's got to earn it when you're unproven. But if he earns it in training camp, yeah, he could, he could be okay.
Dave Richard
Yeah, like I, I don't, I don't want to give up on Roman Wilson, but I just don't know that one person. Hey, there was. Oh, now Adam's gone. You man, you guys should watch on YouTube. That was fun. I just don't know that one person being removed from this situation is enough. Like it's just an extremely run heavy offense with a bad quarterback. And even if they get Aaron Rodgers, he's probably going to throw like seven passes all season to Roman Wilson. I'm not drafting him in a standard CBS draft. Like maybe if you're in a best ball draft that goes 20 rounds or something, then sure, there could be some weekly pops, but If I get 13 roster spots, not counting defense and kicker, I, I don't think so.
Heath Cummings
Would you like some names of wide receivers I have ranked ahead of Roman Wilson or should we just accept that he's probably not going to get drafted outside of those leagues that Heath's talking about? Unless people just want to take a shot.
Dave Richard
Is he in your top 60 wide receivers?
Heath Cummings
He is not.
Dave Richard
Okay.
Adam Azer
Did you want to give some names?
Dave Richard
I was gonna say we. If he's not in Dave's top 60, then we agree on where he was, right?
Heath Cummings
Marvin. Cedric Tillman, Xavier Legate, Keenan Allen, who currently doesn't even have a team.
Adam Azer
Okay, here are. Here's Arthur Smith's run rate in six seasons as a head coach or offensive coordinator. 4th, 3rd, 25th. 2nd. 4th. 4th. One year where he had Matt Ryan at quarterback and he had Mike Davis and Cordell Patterson at Running back Arthur Smith was 25th in run rate. Otherwise he's been top four every year. All right, third question. Actually, this was a surprise here, Dave. It's Dave's fancy charts. Let's bring them up, Dave, and you can describe to the listeners and tell the viewers what we're looking at here. This is chart number one. And this is CD Lamb. So what are we looking at?
Heath Cummings
So we are looking at CD Lamb's targets from Dak Prescott in 2024. And you can see every red dots of completion. Obviously there's going to be a ton of completions, but. But I want you to really focus on, you can focus on between the numbers. Okay? For those who are just listening, it's a chart. It's a plot point chart of a football field with all the dots of where CD Lam was targeted between the numbers, a ton of dots, lots of red dots for completions, blue for incompletions. But also when you look toward the sideline, there's some dots, but not a ton of them. And that just goes to show that CD Lamb gets targeted all over the field. But a lot of middle of the field stuff from dak Prescott in 2024. I would imagine this will continue to be the case for CD Lam for as long as he's playing in the National Football League.
Adam Azer
Okay, so we've got a chart here with dots everywhere, but a lot over the middle of the field, as Dave was saying. Now let's take a look at George Pickens chart here. And what are we seeing here, Dave?
Heath Cummings
We see plenty of dots down the sideline, both sidelines, but more so the left sideline than the right sideline, and nowhere near as many dots between the numbers. So this is in Pittsburgh and we don't know how Dallas is going to view George Pickens, but I would guess that they see a chart like this in Dallas and they'll say, okay, this is a guy who can win on the sideline, sideline, one on one contested catch situations. We've seen George Pickens make some outstanding catches in those situations and I, I think that that's what Dallas is going to try and really hammer Pickins with. And that makes him a really good complement to CD Lamb. So when they're attacking teams that are weak over the middle, maybe they play a lot of zone coverage. This is a really a great opportunity for CD Lamb to win in those spots when they're playing more man coverage. Absolutely, George Pickens can put up some big numbers, but I think these two charts kind of show an Example of what these two receivers do and how well they can complement each other. The one issue I would just caution everybody with is that it's much, much easier for a quarterback to hit those middle of the field shots rather than those sideline shots. So the next step is to see how does Dak Prescott do throwing to, let's call it inside of three yards to the sideline. So imagine the sideline. If you're looking at the chart, picture three little spaces in your mind from the sideline in, it's not going to be anywhere near the numbers. How does Deck Prescott do on those types of throws? If he's done well over his career, that's a good thing for George Pickens. If he doesn't do well on those, it's a bad thing for George Pickens.
Adam Azer
Well, I don't know that, but I did look at Dak Prescott and his past attempts of 20 or more air yards over the last four seasons. And I looked at yards per attempt and I looked at completion percentage. They're pretty good. He's. He's got very good numbers on those types of passes. I don't, you know, I've seen a lot of quarterbacks where that fluctuates and it might be more about the receivers. It's kind of a smallish sample size, you know, but, but not really. So I, my point is, I don't know how predictive that is, but for what it's worth, Dak Prescott has been pretty good throwing the ball downfield, 20 or more air yards. Last year, Dak Prescott's receivers had four drops out of 31 pass attempts of 20 or more air yards, a 13% drop rate, which is incredible, incredibly high. So his numbers suffer because of that. Wasn't I watched those drops weren't necessarily all on the receivers. They were some tough plays. But he has been good throwing the ball downfield. And again, if you didn't see it, I think it's really important just to see how well Lamb and, and Pickens can complement each other. With Lamb being used all over the field. And Pickens, of course, his strength is, is the go routes, the deep balls, those types of things.
Heath Cummings
May I give a quick answer to the question that I posed, which is how does Dak Prescott do on those.
Adam Azer
Sideline throw to talk long enough for you to look it up. It looks like I succeeded.
Heath Cummings
Last three seasons, he has attempted 62 of these throws. That's not a lot. Over 37 games, it's like two a game less than that. He'll correct My Math, he's completed 40% of these throws. 5.9 yards per attempt, four touchdowns, two interceptions. The A dot is 17. The passer rating is 68.4. This is George Pickens. Now, I could also expand this so it's not just the sideline. We can do it to the numbers and let's see what we get.
Adam Azer
But here's the thing. I don't know how that compares to other quarterbacks. You know what I mean? We got it.
Heath Cummings
If you really want to know if that's.
Adam Azer
I think maybe let's. Let's maybe do it off the air and come back and give us a big fancy takeaway.
Heath Cummings
It's much better if it's just inside, outside the numbers.
Adam Azer
There you go.
Heath Cummings
Completion rates, better. Yards per attempt is better. Yeah, all of it's better. Quarterback ratings, better.
Adam Azer
And then I was thinking about it, Heath, the other last night, just thinking about how George Pickens could be. Because I was a little excited about this. I mean, I would much rather him be second, you know, second. The number two wide receiver on Dallas than Pittsburgh. But then I thought, like, man, I think he's the only player that I can think of that I feel this way about. I'm worried about his non football stuff.
Dave Richard
Oh, he's not even the only wide receiver.
Adam Azer
Who else would you say that about?
Dave Richard
Fairy Kill.
Adam Azer
Yeah, okay, but at least I know that Tyree Kill is like a dog, right? He goes out there, he practices hard, he. He plays hard. He wants to. He wants to be great. I don't know where George Pickens head is at. I hate talking about stuff like that because I don't, you know, I'm not in the team locker room or anything like that. But it is quite obvious the Steelers have said it themselves that he needs to grow up. I don't know if he's grown up. So you have to be a little cautious buying into that.
Heath Cummings
I guess sometimes things like this will make a person grow up a little bit. Sometimes it makes them a little bit more frustrated. It varies from person to person. We're probably not going to know until we know. Until there's reports and stuff like that that come out. Here's what I would tell you. What do. What do Antonio Brown. Deontay Johnson. Chase Claypool.
Dave Richard
Mike Wallace.
Heath Cummings
Mike. Well, to a degree, Mike Wallace. But sure, Heath already knows where I'm going with this. And most longtime fantasy managers know too. Which means, Adam, you probably know as well. These are former Steelers wide receivers and how did they do after they left Pittsburgh?
Adam Azer
Mixed results I mean, Antonio Brown was. Was terrific. But he was at the end of his career and yeah, I. Not great.
Heath Cummings
I mean, it makes me think like if, if you can't make it with the Steelers, it's a. It's a problem.
Adam Azer
He. He did kind of make it like he had. He was good. I don't want to act like George Pickens wasn't good. He was very good with Russell Wilson until he got hurt. Then he came back and he stunk. Anyway, also a little longer.
Dave Richard
I think that Antonio Brown was fantastic thing is probably worthy of a little bit of debate.
Adam Azer
I shouldn't have said long in the tooth. That was a stupid expression he used. Yeah, fine.
Dave Richard
He had, he had a few good games.
Adam Azer
Oh, he was very good. I thought in like eight games his first year with Tampa Bay and he didn't have a suspension or injury or something.
Dave Richard
Eight games, 45 catches, 483 yards, four touchdowns as the number three.
Adam Azer
Then they have Gronk Godwin. Right.
Dave Richard
But that's an enormous drop off from what he'd done the last seven years in Pittsburgh.
Adam Azer
I bet on a per route basis he was probably terrific. I. All right, listen, you know what? Bottom line is, Heath, we got to go to break. We're going to take a break. We have something very exciting to promote when we come back and we'll get into quick, some quick news items and oh, it's Kyle Pitt season and some superlatives will be right back. 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 quote@ethos.com FFT that's E T H O S.com FFTball or Lonzo.
Heath Cummings
Ball for buzzballs ready to go.
Dave Richard
Cocktails take 12 buzzballs just dropped their biggest blue balls.
Heath Cummings
Script says Biggie's blue balls. Lonzo, take 13 blue balls just dropped.
Dave Richard
Their biggest buzz balls.
Adam Azer
Ugh.
Heath Cummings
Let's try a vocal exercise. Buzz balls Biggies Blue balls buzz Biggie's blue balls. Big balls just dropped. Get blue balls this season with buzz balls.
Dave Richard
Available in spirit, wine and malt 15 alcohol by volume.
Adam Azer
Buzzballs LLC, Carrollton, Texas welcome back. Okay, Dave has something very exciting to tell our audience. Dave, tell us about our only fans draft.
Heath Cummings
Sure. For the second year in a row, we are inviting all of our listeners, all of our viewers, all of everybody to join us as we build our customers off season adp. And we can't do it without you. It is mock draft season for you guys and so when you're interested in doing a mock draft, send an email. Should I give the podcast email Adam or my email?
Adam Azer
If it's okay with you? I'd prefer it. Go to your email.
Heath Cummings
D. Richard cbs.com just send a note saying that you're interested in being part of one of our fan mock drafts. It'll be you and other fans of ours participating in a mock draft on CBS Sports. You'll need a CBS Sports id, but it's free and it's super easy to sign up. And you'll help us put together our average draft position for the off season. And it's something that no one else does. It's something that's perfect for the die hard fantasy managers. And you can tinker with draft strategies and see where players that you love end up going in draft. And I'll be on some of them. So if you have questions, I'll answer them. Adam will be on some. Dan Schneier will be on some.
Adam Azer
We won't be drafting. And we won't be drafting. We won't be drafting. It's only fans drafting.
Heath Cummings
What do you mean?
Adam Azer
We're going to be actually taking part in the drafts?
Heath Cummings
No, the fans will be the ones drafting.
Adam Azer
Yeah, exactly.
Heath Cummings
Yeah. I don't want this isn't. This is for us to answer questions.
Adam Azer
Oh, okay.
Heath Cummings
Not for us to compete against the fans in a mock draft. No. So if you want to do a mock draft, do it with other diehard hashtag ask FFT fans. Send an email saying I'm interested or whatever you Want to Drichard cbs.com first one is Friday at 2pm Eastern. If you can make it, let me know.
Adam Azer
Okay, let's get to the news and notes Atlanta offensive coordinator Zach Robinson expects a big jump from Kyle Pitts. Heath. What?
Dave Richard
Yeah, I mean, I think one of the things that you're going to ask later in the show is who is this year's John O. Smith? And I thought he was like most of these. There may not be somebody who exactly fits the profile, but he could have definitely been someone that was suggested for that title.
Adam Azer
Okay. Tyreek Hill had screws removed from his wrist. This was all part of the plan. And according to espn, the Giants like Cam Scatter Boo's ability as of a piece pass catcher. He's very good in college, not as a pass protector but as pass catcher. Cam Scatter Boo can, can make it happen. All right, let's get to our superlatives. Who is this year's C.J. stroud? A second year quarterback who lets us down. I left off Anthony Richardson, he could have been also the, you know, but the second year quarterback who let us down. But Stroud had a very good rookie year, looked like a terrific player, really good environment. They bring in Stefan Diggs, he was QB6, maybe in ADP, something like that. Don't worry about that because I don't know that we're going to find a second year quarterback other than Jaden Daniels that high in adp. But who is this year's CJ Stroud a second year quarterback that lets us down?
Dave Richard
I think the most obvious answer if you're looking for someone who was actually good last year is Bonix.
Heath Cummings
Yes.
Adam Azer
Why do you say that? That's how I felt too, I guess.
Dave Richard
But I don't because I don't think Jaden Daniels is going to let us down. And if we're basing on what they did last year, it would be difficult for Caleb Williams to let us down. So Bo Nicks like again, as I think Dave will agree with oftentimes there's not a perfect one to one comparison for these unique categories that you've selected. And we don't have a rookie quarterback who lets us down every year. But if you're just looking at the profile of a quarterback who performed better than we thought he would as a rookie, we had higher expectations for in his second year and then he let us down. Bo Nick seems like the obvious candidate.
Adam Azer
Okay. One of the things that these rookie quarterbacks, second year quarterbacks have that Stroud doesn't is more running ability. The four that played last year, Caleb Nicks, May and maybe Jay Daniels, they all run a lot more than Stroud did, so that helps. I'll go ahead and nominate Caleb Williams because obviously he didn't have a great season, but he's going to be drafted pretty high. Say somewhere around QB12. He'd be drafted as a low end starter or high end backup. And yeah, he was, he was. He had some very concerning things. 28.2% sack per pressure, 10.8% sack per sack per drop back among the worst in the NFL. Really like just struggled with his accuracy on intermediate throws. You know, I'm a little concerned. A little concerned. So I'll just, I'll go ahead and nominate Caleb Williams. People could invest a lot in him and definitely a chance for disappointment here.
Dave Richard
Yeah, I would just not invest a lot in him. He's a great pick as a low end UV one with upside. I'm ranking and drafting Knicks higher than Caleb.
Heath Cummings
It's a safer way to go.
Adam Azer
Okay, how about who is this year's Jamar Chase? A first round pick who finally has a truly elite season. A first round fantasy pick who finally has a truly elite season. Who is this year's Jamar Chase?
Dave Richard
I don't know if Dave wants to go first half the time. I've got one for each answer but I can go second this time.
Heath Cummings
I have multiple answers for, for each of these because I am an overachiever. I First of all, why can't it be a repeat from Jamar Chase?
Adam Azer
Because he's already done it. He's already.
Heath Cummings
What has changed Cincinnati?
Adam Azer
No, no.
Dave Richard
We're talking about guys who've not done it yet who are going to it as a first rounder. My answer I thought was a very good like one to one comparison was Bijan Robinson.
Adam Azer
That's where I was going.
Dave Richard
He was RB3 last year. Chase had a wide receiver three season in 20, 22 per game could absolutely be a 25 fantasy point per game worthy of the number one overall pick this year.
Heath Cummings
From week six on he averaged 23.3 touches per game, 22.8 PPR points per game, 20 plus touches in all but two games. I think you'd expect that 365 total touches. Atlanta's defense should be certainly they'll have a better pass rush this year. If they're better overall, it could mean much more competitive games. They've got a second year quarterback that doesn't have a lot of experience playing the NFL. This could easily be a formula where Bijan Robinson has a massive breakout and I, I go back and forth between him and Jamar chase as my 101. I think in non PPR it's easy. But in full PPR as we sit here today, it's. It's Bijan because I think he's got that upside, whereas we just got it from Jamar. And yes, jamar could get 20 plus PPR points again this year on a per game basis. Can he get to 22, 23, 25? I'm not quite 100% sure it's going to be as easy for him as it could be for Robinson.
Adam Azer
It was about 23 fantasy points. It was basically what Chase averaged last year. And that's basically, as Dave said, what Bijan averaged down the stretch last year. What'd you say Was the last 10 games?
Heath Cummings
Week 6 on. So this isn't just down the stretch. This is when the coaching staff realized, hey, wait a minute, we've got this awesome dual threat running back that we can just lean on because our quarterback is old and crummy. And that's what they did.
Adam Azer
Yeah, the. The problem is that Tyler Algier also had a lot of cares. Like in those last 12 games, Tyler Algier actually was on pace for 147 carries. They just ran the ball so much. So I really want to see less of a split, but that was my answer as well. I don't think he's going to be RB1 and ADP Bijan, but I do love this statistic. If Bijan were RB1 and ADP, he averaged overall, not just the last 12 games, the full season, he averaged 19.9 PPR fantasy points per game. If he were RB1 and ADP, that would be the lowest amount of PPR fantasy points per game for next season's RB1 in ADP in at least eight years. So you're taking a little bit of a leap of faith if you, if you have Bijan Robinson as your number one running back, and all of us do so. All right, let's go to our next one. Who is this year's John who? Smith? A tight end who comes out of nowhere. Heath, you're going Kyle Pitts.
Dave Richard
No, I thought he was my. He was. My second best answer, My first answer was Mike Kasicki.
Adam Azer
Oh, wow.
Heath Cummings
Oh, wow.
Dave Richard
Okay, tell me more like John. Ooh. A tight end that the fantasy football community has generally thought was better than his NFL coaches have. We saw a little bit of a stretch without T. Higgins last year where he performed like an elite tight end. One of the best pass offenses in the NFL with a lot of yards and touchdowns to go around. Mike Gasicki.
Adam Azer
Dave, who's this year's Johnny. Sorry, what'd you say?
Heath Cummings
I said I hate to play with matches and that's what I feel like I'm doing anytime I even think about putting Mike Kosiki in my lineup.
Dave Richard
Well, what would you have said about John O. Smith?
Heath Cummings
Yeah, I, I would have said the exact same. I, I, I'm not even touching the matchbook. Who uses matches anymore? What am I talking about? How old am I? I wouldn't start the automatically. I don't smoke. I don't know what people used to.
Adam Azer
Like, are you doing?
Heath Cummings
Yeah, I don't know. When I rub two sticks together, I, I think about how likely I am to get burned by them. And with Kasicki and certainly with Johnny last year, I thought that the six could catch fire and incinerate my fingertips. I don't, I don't want to start somebody that I'm worried about that happening.
Adam Azer
Thank you for that. Who is your Dadu Smith?
Heath Cummings
I like Tucker Kraft. I think that Tucker Craft could end up being one of the better tight ends in fantasy in 2025. He's he had a great year, efficiency wise, while averaging 4.1 targets per game in Green Bay he was top 10 in yards per catch, touchdowns, explosive receiving rate, yards after catch per reception. He was second. And right after the season Matt LaFleur lamented, We didn't use Tucker Craft enough. And this is the same type of offense that San Francisco's been using. This is maybe their version of George Kittle getting ready for a breakout. I, I really love the idea of waiting on tight end, getting Tucker Craft, adding a second tight end, maybe one of the rookies just to go along with them and taking two shots at tight end, hoping that one of them breaks out and one of them being Tucker Kraft in the double digit rounds.
Adam Azer
I think Pat Frymuth would have been a good answer for this too. We talked about him a little earlier, but Friarmuth has an opportunity and I would say Hunter Henry, Hunter Henry was pretty, pretty solid last year, you know, maybe better than people realize.
Dave Richard
I feel like Craft and Henry have been too good lately to qualify as John Ooze. But I guess John, who had that year rescore all the touchdowns with Arthur Smith.
Adam Azer
Let's see, Henry, Craft and Henry were.
Heath Cummings
Both top 16 in PPR points per game among tight ends. Friarmouth was a step ahead of them. Kasiki was a little bit behind them.
Adam Azer
And Kasiki basically became a must start when, when it, you know. Yeah, when Higgins was out. Yes. Okay. All right, moving on. Who is this year's Zamir White, a mid round pick who completely flops.
Dave Richard
First off, I want to thank the NFL and the NFL Draft and the fantastic 2025 running back class for not putting us in the position of having somebody like a Zamir White to project for 250 touches. Maybe we should, maybe in past years we would have done that with Dallas, but we're not really doing it right now and they're all being drafted so late. I don't think they count. I had two, I'll give my first one. And it's just kind of a guy that I'm not sure how good he is and I'm not sure what his touch share is going to be in the backfield, but he's going to be drafted in round seven probably. And that's Brian Robinson Jr.
Adam Azer
Okay, I don't, I don't feel quite that way. I think he'll be solid. I think he'll be like what he was last year. He's gonna have to score touchdowns, but he, but he will. What's your concern? That he doesn't score the touchdowns?
Dave Richard
Well, yeah, that he, I mean he. Last year he was RB 30 with eight touchdowns. I, I'm concerned that Austin Eckler keeps his role. Maybe that Jacori Crosky Merritt moves in a little bit on the RO role and maybe that Jaden Daniels just takes.
Adam Azer
More.
Dave Richard
Takes more rushing touchdowns this year.
Adam Azer
Okay, Dave, who's your, who's this year's Zamir White? A mid round pick who flops it.
Heath Cummings
Have to be a running back?
Adam Azer
No.
Heath Cummings
Okay. The first name I wrote down, which breaks my heart is Chris Godwin. Oh, wow. We don't know how healthy he's going to be. If he's slow to recover and he's not 100 to begin the year, then Thor is wide open for a Mecca Buka to take some work off his plate. We know what Mike Evans can do. We saw glimpses of Jalen McMillan. I'm a little bit worried about the targets not quite being there. Maybe the playing time isn't quite there for Chris Godwin. And so we, we can talk all day about how he started last year. He was healthy, he was in great shape, he was targeted a lot. It's a different play caller this year and it makes me nervous that we could all kind of gravitate toward God. I've started to move him down and there was one point this year, this off season, where I was in love with Godwin, wanted to take him ahead of Evans and I can't do that now. Too many reports about him not being at 100. Abuka is a perfect slot receiver for any team. Now they the Bucks just drafted one to potentially move Godwin to the outside. He's not as effective when he's on the outside, it pains me to say because he's awesome, but it makes me nervous that he could end up being a big flop. I also think any of the rookie running backs not named Janty or Hampton, and maybe even Hampton could be a little flopish, where we get way too excited about them and we end up over drafting them and then NFL reality kicks the teeth in on NFL fantasy and these guys don't play as much and get as much work. I'm especially worried about that with Travion Henderson. I love that talent. The track record of running backs with Josh McDaniels is is not the type of running back that Henderson is. So unless McDaniels makes a real change, and maybe he did, he took a year off of football. If he makes a real change in how he calls plays or how he deploys the running back in his offense, I'm a little bit worried that he won't get the type of volume and certainly the short yardage goal line opportunities that would make him a big time breakout running back.
Dave Richard
Okay. My other one was Isaiah Pacheco.
Adam Azer
Oh, man. Boo this, man.
Heath Cummings
No, no, no. That. That does make sense.
Adam Azer
Yeah. All right, well, we're gonna take a break. We got four more superlatives coming up after this. On Fantasy football today, find mom's best gift at Target.
Heath Cummings
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Dave Richard
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Adam Azer
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Dave Richard
Very good show. Which one was that show really happy face.
Adam Azer
Happy face.
Dave Richard
Really, really enjoyed it. Happy face killer. Yeah, very good.
Adam Azer
Don't know it scary or what?
Dave Richard
No, it's. It's a true crime type show based. Based on a true story. Just one of dozens of shows on Paramount plus that everybody should watch.
Adam Azer
I agree. Yeah. Oh, I have watched. I watch everything on Paramount. Plus, obviously my fault. All right, so so far, who's this year? CJ Stroud, a second year QB who lets us down. Bo Nix was the answer there. Now these are just. It's not like we actually really necessarily feel that way.
Heath Cummings
They're candidates. They're not.
Adam Azer
Right? Candidates. Candidates. Who is this year's Jamar Chase, the first round pick who finally has a truly elite season? Bijan Robinson. Who is this year's John who Smith, a tight end who comes out of nowhere. Micah Sicki, Tucker Crafts were some of the names you heard. Who is this year's Zemir White, a mid round pick who completely flops? Chris Godwin, some rookie running backs. Maybe Brian Robinson Jr. All right. Who is this year's Tampa Bay Buccaneers? An offense that wildly exceeds expectations. The bucks went from 20th in scoring to fourth in scoring from 2023 to 2024. Dave, who is this year's Tampa Bay Buccaneers?
Heath Cummings
The. The most obvious answer is Jacksonville because of the addition of Travis Hunter, Trevor Lawrence coming back and Liam Cohen. I mean, that might be the biggest addition of all. Hello. He's the guy that moved Tampa from 20th to fourth in scoring last year and now everybody's hoping that he can do the same thing in Jacksonville. But there are other contenders. I want to give Keith a chance to answer before I run through my list.
Dave Richard
Yeah, I thought the Bears were the most obvious answer. They were 28th in scoring last year, added Luther Burden and Colston Loveland and Ben Johnson and made the offensive line better.
Adam Azer
Okay. Yeah, that's fair. Those are great candidates.
Heath Cummings
Probably a better answer than Jacksonville, but they're like going to be the two most obvious answers.
Adam Azer
Okay. Anything else? Dave, Is that what you were.
Heath Cummings
Any other teams.
Adam Azer
I thought you had other. Okay, that's fine. Jacksonville and Chicago.
Heath Cummings
I do.
Adam Azer
Oh, okay. Yeah, go ahead.
Heath Cummings
The Panthers, they've done a nice job of adding talent to their offense. I think the Raiders have obviously added a lot of talent to their offense, certainly over the last two drafts. Patriots, do we count the Cowboys?
Adam Azer
Yeah. I mean, they could bounce back, but I don't think it would be a huge surprise for people if they were that good.
Heath Cummings
Okay, so throw them out. But they could be certainly much Better than they were. You know, they just played a season where two thirds of it was without Dak.
Adam Azer
No one wants to say the Giants. It's just. Just breaks my heart, you know, they got a. They got.
Heath Cummings
They'll be better. Will they be top?
Adam Azer
They've got three quarterbacks now. That's never a bad thing. They've got. You had four to veto. I guess they have four. All right. Who is this year's Sam Darnold? A quarterback that we gave up on who becomes a fantasy starter.
Dave Richard
I'm gonna make you so angry.
Heath Cummings
Do it. Do it.
Dave Richard
Anthony Richardson.
Adam Azer
How he's gonna be one of my most drafted players. That's not gonna make me angry at all.
Dave Richard
Yeah, I mean, he's. I see more stuff on. I hope it's Daniel Jones that wins the job for Josh Downs than I do. The possibility that Anthony Richardson just stays healthy, takes a small step forward as a Passer, and averages 25 fantasy points per game. He has far more upside than whatever Darnold did last year or what. And I think that's probably his best case scenario and. And could be a league winner available in round 10. He's featured in my Sleepers 1.0, which just dropped yesterday. You should go to CBSSports.com and check that out.
Heath Cummings
Dave, there's already from beat starting that he's. He's gotten better. He's got a more compact release. I've seen very few clips of him from minicamp, and he's throwing against air, so take that with, you know, a giant case of salt. But his footwork looks a little bit better from what I can tell. I mean, these are like glory videos of. Of Colts in practice wearing shorts and no pads. So I don't know how much of this will translate, but any improvement that he makes as a thrower will, A, give him the nod over Daniel Jones, and B, make him a much better fantasy asset because he's not turning the ball over or throwing the football five yards over, you know, Michael Pittman's head. So as long as we continue to see that progress, he might not make it to round 10. People will get excited about Anthony Richardson, and they'll take him sooner than that. I don't think he'll reach where he was last year, but they're. They're good. There's a chance he's showing it, and that's good. Along the same lines, Justin Fields. We gave up on him pretty quickly, and I know he's not a winner. He doesn't win games as a starter. But one of my biggest concerns about Justin Fields when he went to the jets was replaced. The jets could add another quarterback along the way and Fields, when he loses too many games, will get benched. The jets didn't do that. They didn't add anybody. So I. I'm kind of thinking that this is Justin Fields gig now and you can roll out of bed Sunday morning and get yourself a minimum of 20 fantasy points from Fields just based on the rushing prowess. So it looks like I'm going to have to move up Justin Fields in my rankings. I already have. And now he's absolutely worth taking as a top 12 quarterback, but not a top 10.
Adam Azer
I'm not there yet, I gotta say. Trevor Lawrence. Right. Hopefully he's of course part of that.
Dave Richard
But nobody's given up on him.
Adam Azer
No. Not anymore.
Heath Cummings
Why are we. The reasons why we've come back to him are because Liam Cohen and Travis Hunter. It's not anything that he's done. He's done nothing to evoke more confidence.
Dave Richard
I think there's just something attractional about him. It might be the hair gravitational about him that, that we, from my experience, fantasy analysts and fans alike just search for a new reason or two every year to continue believing in Trevor Lawrence.
Adam Azer
He's got the look.
Heath Cummings
My reasons are I don't know how good the running game is going to be. I don't know how good their defense is going to be. I think they're going to throw a ton.
Adam Azer
I still think he's recovering from Urban Meyer, but I'll just give one more name. One more name. A quarterback. You know, he's kind of getting older. I think, you know, people probably should at this point give up on him. He hasn't been very good the last couple of years, but. But I just think Patrick Mahomes might have one good season left in him. Okay, so just don't give up entirely.
Dave Richard
You know, you might as well just keep the bit going. I don't know why you didn't say Russell Wilson.
Adam Azer
Oh, yeah, that's true. No, he stinks. All right. Who is this year's Chase Brown? A number two running back in a backfield. Who emerges as the best option?
Dave Richard
Dave, do you want it or you want me to take it?
Heath Cummings
Oh, you're gonna take it.
Dave Richard
Okay, well, let's just think of a second year running back who really didn't do anything as a rookie. Maybe gets off to a slow start because he's playing behind a veteran. And then that veteran suffers an injury and all of a sudden he turns into one of the best running backs in all of fantasy football. How about Trey Benson?
Heath Cummings
Benson wasn't on my list.
Adam Azer
I thought it was like Jalen Wright. I couldn't figure out where you were going with that. But okay, Trey Benson.
Heath Cummings
But it makes perfect sense that he could be that guy. I'm trying to think more about running backs that can overtake a starter without an injury, where the starter just doesn't give the team what he wants. Maybe the backup is a better fit for their offense and the. The backup becomes the starter. And I think that it's possible that that happens in Seattle. And Zach Charbonnet, who was a better fit for that offense last year, they've changed playbooks and, and it's a new coordinator. It's a West coast offense now. Could very easily see Charbonnet be the. The more efficient running back ahead of Kenneth Walker iii.
Dave Richard
You know, I was thinking about that when I was looking at Chase Brown's game log from last year before the Week 9 injury to Zach Moss. There was one game in the first eight that Brown played more than 60% of the snaps and only two games in the first eight that Brown played MORE than 50% of the snaps. Yeah, I just wonder how that season goes differently if Zach Moss doesn't get hurt.
Heath Cummings
You don't think they would have made that switch anyway?
Adam Azer
I don't know. They were. It was taking them way too long. It was ridiculous. And I talk about this. It's one of the things I just don't understand. It's like the Cowboys waited too long with Rico Dowdle. The, the, the Bengals waited too long. There was another example. I thought the Patriots used Ezekiel Elliott two years ago way too much instead of Ramandre Stevenson. I don't understand why these coaches, I mean, you're gonna tell me pass protection, this analyst. I still think they're making big mistakes, not getting their more talented players on the field. And they do it with running backs too often.
Dave Richard
I will say it was interesting with Brown, like the last two games he played before the Moss injury. I'm not sure he was actually earning more playing time. He had 27 carries for 75 yards and his two prior games was below 3 yards per carry in both games.
Adam Azer
Was he doing.
Dave Richard
And it turned six targets into 11 yards in those two games.
Heath Cummings
Right. It didn't look good. I remember putting them on my buy low list right before the breakout because I, I just thought to myself, there's no way he's as, as bad as Zach Moss. And the Bengals have to do something to try and change things up. They. They started the year losing a ton of games, so I. It just made sense that they would turn to Chase Brown, and it was like the best thing they could have done for their offense.
Adam Azer
He said that that might not be good, but in Zach four games, he had 26 carries for 30, 55 yards. He averaged 2 yards per carry, basically in his last four games. He was horrible. All right, last one, actually, you know, I wanted to talk more about so a running back who could take over, just kind of, you know, win the job eventually. I mean, other than the rookies who we expect to do that. Like, how about Tank Bigsby? Could he just get even more of a role? Like, what could happen in Jacksonville?
Dave Richard
Bigsby was also on my sleepers list. I think it's just as like. Like, seems like there's a lot more people who are willing to say that Tootin is gonna. May take over this backfield than Bigsby.
Heath Cummings
Yeah.
Dave Richard
And I'd much rather draft Bigsby if he's the third one to be drafted.
Adam Azer
Yeah. Okay. All right, let's go to ours.
Heath Cummings
I might fire the dart at Tooton.
Adam Azer
Last one here. Who is this year's Garrett Wilson? A popular breakout candidate who doesn't quite break out?
Heath Cummings
Marvin Harrison. I mean, everybody's going to predict a bounce back for him, and the very first thing that we saw from him this offseason is that he added weight. So what. What. What's the point of that? So he can win more contested catches and he can, you know, out muscle defensive backs. That. That, that could lead certainly to a better catch rate and. And better numbers overall, just in general. But, I mean, I. I just don't know how they're gonna scheme him that any differently than last year. And it certainly doesn't make him more explosive. So that makes. That makes me a little nervous about Marvin Harrison.
Dave Richard
Hopefully it helps him break a few tackles.
Heath Cummings
That would.
Dave Richard
That would be nice, maybe. He had literally zero broken tackles last year, according to Pro Football Reference, and aver yards after the catch per reception. I. I went a little different angle. I went with Xavier Worthy.
Adam Azer
Okay.
Heath Cummings
He's on my list, too.
Dave Richard
And speaking of Garrett Wilson. Well, first off, I think that, like, Dan was in our most recent draft saying, I think he has a new hashtag for Rushy Rice. It's hashtag, you're not worthy, which I thought was very clever. But then Dan passed on worthy three rounds after Rice was taken, so I'm not sure exactly what he meant by it. Still, I think there's a lot of people who think that Worthy could make that leap and be the number one wide receiver for the Chiefs. And there's a chance that Travis Kelsey's target share doesn't really go down from last year. It was still pretty high. And that Rashi Rice is the number one wide receiver and that Worthy is more of just a. A gimmick, deep threat guy in year two. I will say just on this same note of Garrett Wilson and the Chiefs wide receivers and Dan. I made a dynasty trade offer to Dan this morning. And so I have two questions for you guys. How long will it take him to respond and will he accept it? I offered him Garrett Wilson for Rashi rice and a 2026. Second.
Adam Azer
He will.
Heath Cummings
It'll take a month.
Adam Azer
He will say no. He will say in two days. Two days he'll say no.
Heath Cummings
No.
Dave Richard
Two days he'll say no.
Adam Azer
I have faith in him because in the. In our big burger dynasty league, I sent a note out to everybody. Do not make trades right now.
Dave Richard
Right.
Adam Azer
And he made a trade offer to someone. So I know he's active, you know, not paying attention. I think. I think there were a lot of.
Dave Richard
Trade offers made after you sent that note because I received a trade offer shortly after that as well.
Adam Azer
Oh, geez.
Dave Richard
It was. I give up Adam Azer as commissioner and I receive a new commissioner.
Adam Azer
I accept. I accept immediately. Would love to. All right, let's get to.
Heath Cummings
You're gonna talk talk yourself into being a commissioner in multiple dynasty leagues.
Adam Azer
Do you want to be the commissioner? Oh, my gosh, Heath, what an opportunity this is for you.
Dave Richard
Yeah, you're gonna have to clean up some of your mess first.
Adam Azer
Fair. All right, grade this trade. This is From Wake Up 23 on Apple Podcast. It's a dynasty trade. Caleb Williams and Calvin ridley plus my first round pick, which is 111. So he gives up Caleb Williams, Calvin Ridley and 111. He gets JSN and Bryce Young. I don't know if this is Super Flex. His other quarterback is Jaden Daniels.
Heath Cummings
I like it.
Dave Richard
So let's assume it's one qb.
Adam Azer
Yeah.
Dave Richard
And I'll just put it on the trade chart here.
Adam Azer
So Caleb Williams, Calvin Ridley and 111 for.
Dave Richard
I think my 111 is Caleb Johnson. So a couple. Caleb's there. So nine. Ridley is worth one and Johnson is worth 12. So what's that? 22 total value for a Monroe St. Brown.
Adam Azer
No, for Jackson, Smith and Jigba.
Dave Richard
Three names too.
Adam Azer
And Bryce Young.
Heath Cummings
Yeah. I'm taking JSN and Brush?
Dave Richard
Yeah, I think so. I would too.
Adam Azer
B plus if it were a super flex league. You would not. Right.
Heath Cummings
Quarterback category. As someone who grossly outperforms expectations. He finished last year strong. He's got a new receiver in the offense. It's a good offense. Just overall. See that little man step up.
Adam Azer
Yeah. All right. This is a rate my team from Sports Nerd 07. It's from a month ago, so I hope I haven't read this yet. I don't think I have 10 team PPR one quarterback. He's got Jaden Daniels, Bo Nicks, Michael Penix and Geno Smith. So let's just say he has Jane Daniels and Bonix. He has Achan Tracy and Jerome Ford. 10 team PPR league. He has Chase, Garrett, Wilson, DK Metcalf, Jordan Addison, Devonte Smith, Quentin Johnston, Xavier Legate and he has McBride and Kraft.
Dave Richard
So I think he should draft some running backs in the rookie draft.
Adam Azer
Yeah, he's got Daniels, McBride, HN, Chase, Garrett, Wilson, DK Metcalf, Jordan, Addison, Tyrone, Tracy is pretty damn good.
Heath Cummings
But yes, the right year to draft the running backs too. So excellent coincidence.
Dave Richard
I'd call it a solid B. It's an A plus if you don't have to start any running backs.
Adam Azer
All right, everybody, thank you very much. I owe you all a mailbag. We'll do maybe do a mailbag next week. Send in your emails@fantasy footballbsi.com keeper emails.
Heath Cummings
In my inbox, Adam, from mock drafts.
Adam Azer
Great.
Heath Cummings
Keep sending them. Really appreciate everybody stepping up for the fans only mock. I even know Mr. Popinski's real first name now.
Adam Azer
Really? Soda. It's soda.
Heath Cummings
It's Mr.
Adam Azer
There we go. All right. For Dave and Heath and Thomas, I am Adam. We will talk to you on Monday. Have a great weekend. Happy Mother's Day to everybody celebrating and we'll talk to you Monday on fantasy.
Dave Richard
Football Today.
Adam Azer
Paramount podcasts streaming on Paramount plus.
Dave Richard
Everyone who comes into this clinic is a mystery.
Adam Azer
We don't know what we're looking for.
Dave Richard
Their bodies are the scene of the crime. Their symptoms and history are clues.
Adam Azer
You saved her life with doctors and with detectives. I kind of love it, if I'm being honest.
Dave Richard
Solve the puzzle, save the patient. Morris Chestnut is Watson. Now streaming on Paramount plus and new episodes Sundays on C.
Podcast Summary: Fantasy Football Today – "Fantasy Superlatives! Who is This Year's Chase Brown/Jonnu Smith/Ja'Marr Chase/CJ Stroud?" (Released May 8, 2025)
Hosted by Adam Aizer with analysts Dave Richard, Jamey Eisenberg, Heath Cummings, and the CBS Sports Fantasy Football team, this episode delves into fantasy superlatives, evaluating standout players and predicting breakout performances for the upcoming NFL season. The discussion covers player rankings, sleeper picks, trade evaluations, and listener interactions, all aimed at helping fantasy managers dominate their leagues.
Adam Aizer kicks off the episode by introducing the concept of "fantasy superlatives," aiming to identify players who fit specific standout categories for the season. Key topics include evaluating CJ Stroud, Jonnu Smith, Ja'Marr Chase, and others to determine who best fits these roles.
Notable Quote:
"We're going to talk about fantasy superlatives. Who is this year's CJ Stroud? Who is this year's Jonnu Smith? Who is this year's Ja'Marr Chase?" – [02:01]
The panel discusses Devonte Smith and his role in the Philadelphia Eagles' passing game. With the addition of Dallas Goddard and A.J. Brown, Smith's fantasy value fluctuates based on his position in the receiving hierarchy.
Dave Richard explains how recent signings have affected Smith's rankings:
"Before yesterday, I had Devonte Smith ahead of DK Metcalf in the rankings. As of today, I have DK Metcalf ahead of Devonte Smith." – [04:31]
Heath Cummings highlights Smith's potential as a flexible WR option:
"He is good enough to be a number two if you're in a pinch. And he could potentially be a number one if he's playing a game without AJ Brown or Dallas Goddard." – [04:55]
Adam Aizer adds statistical context, noting Smith's impressive PPR points per game when key teammates are inactive:
"Devonte Smith has been on pace for 1353 yards and 12 touchdowns. That would make him a top nine wide receiver per game in any format." – [05:38]
The conversation shifts to Roman Wilson, a third-round pick for the Pittsburgh Steelers who missed much of the previous season due to injury. The panel assesses his potential as a sleeper pick for the upcoming season.
Heath Cummings considers Wilson a late-round value:
"He is in the late round range. Certainly a top 200 player. If you're drafting 15 rounds, you could pick him up." – [07:13]
Dave Richard expresses skepticism about Wilson's immediate impact:
"It's just an extremely run-heavy offense with a bad quarterback. I'm not drafting him in a standard CBS draft." – [08:45]
The analysts agree that while Wilson has talent, his role within a run-focused offense may limit his fantasy upside initially.
A detailed analysis compares CD Lamb of the Dallas Cowboys and George Pickens of the Pittsburgh Steelers, focusing on their target distributions and how they complement each other in their respective offenses.
Heath Cummings breaks down Lamb's targeting patterns:
"CD Lamb gets targeted all over the field, but a lot of middle of the field stuff from Dak Prescott." – [10:35]
In contrast, he explains Pickens' sideline usage:
"We see plenty of dots down the sideline for George Pickens, but not a ton between the numbers." – [11:32]
Adam Aizer discusses the implications for fantasy managers:
"It's important to see how well Lamb and Pickens can complement each other. With Lamb being used all over the field and Pickens specializing in sideline routes, they can create diverse scoring opportunities." – [13:10]
The core segment revolves around identifying players who fit specific fantasy superlative categories.
A second-year quarterback who lets managers down.
Dave Richard nominates Bo Nix:
"Bo Nix seems like the obvious candidate... if you're looking at a quarterback who performed better than we thought he would as a rookie, and let us down." – [23:19]
Heath Cummings counters with Caleb Williams:
"Caleb Williams had a tough season with concerning sack rates and accuracy issues." – [25:13]
A first-round pick who finally has a truly elite season.
Dave Richard selects Bijan Robinson:
"Bijan Robinson could have a truly elite season, averaging 25 fantasy points per game worthy of the number one overall pick." – [25:43]
Heath Cummings agrees, emphasizing Robinson's breakout potential compared to Chase:
"Bijan could be the number one wide receiver, easily matching Ja'Marr Chase's performance." – [26:12]
A tight end who emerges unexpectedly.
Dave Richard points to Mike Kasicki:
"Mike Kasicki performs better than expected in a high-scoring offense." – [29:00]
Heath Cummings expresses reluctance to start Kasicki, favoring alternatives like Tucker Kraft:
"Tucker Kraft could become one of the better tight ends in fantasy in 2025." – [30:21]
A mid-round pick who completely flops.
Heath Cummings cautions about Chris Godwin:
"Chris Godwin may not get sufficient targets due to shifts in team dynamics and rookie additions." – [33:29]
Dave Richard adds concerns about Godwin's health and target share:
"If Godwin isn't fully healthy or if his targets decrease, he could flop as a mid-round pick." – [35:27]
Other superlatives discussed include:
The panel reviews listener-submitted trades and team evaluations, providing grades and strategic insights.
Heath Cummings introduces the "Only Fans Draft," encouraging listeners to participate in mock drafts to help shape average draft positions (ADP).
Dave Richard discusses the potential of trading for Garrett Wilson, evaluating a hypothetical trade scenario involving multiple players and future picks.
Notable Quote:
"How does Dak Prescott do throwing to inside of three yards to the sideline? If he's done well over his career, that's great for George Pickens." – [13:10]
The episode wraps up with the hosts addressing listener questions and providing final recommendations for the fantasy season. Adam Aizer encourages fans to continue sending in feedback and participate in upcoming segments.
Notable Quote:
"We will talk to you on Monday. Have a great weekend. Happy Mother's Day to everybody celebrating." – [54:09]
This episode of Fantasy Football Today offers comprehensive insights into player performances, strategic draft picks, and potential breakout stars. By dissecting player roles, team dynamics, and trade scenarios, the panel equips fantasy managers with the knowledge needed to excel in their leagues. Engaging discussions, backed by statistical analysis and expert opinions, make this episode a valuable resource for both novice and veteran fantasy football enthusiasts.
Key Takeaways:
For detailed player charts and ongoing fantasy advice, listeners are encouraged to visit CBS Sports Fantasy Football.