Five Biggest Fantasy Football Mysteries of 2025! (04/07 Fantasy Football Podcast)

Summary

Fantasy Football Today: Five Biggest Fantasy Football Mysteries of 2025!

Podcast Information:

• Title: Five Biggest Fantasy Football Mysteries of 2025! (04/07 Fantasy Football Podcast)
• Release Date: April 7, 2025
• Hosts: Adam Aizer, Dave Richard, Heath Cummings, with occasional input from Jamey Eisenberg and others.
• Description: A comprehensive dive into the most pressing questions and uncertainties in the 2025 fantasy football landscape, offering insights and predictions to help listeners dominate their leagues.

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1. Introduction

The episode kicks off with a brief, energetic introduction by Adam Aizer, setting the stage for an in-depth exploration of the five biggest mysteries looming over the 2025 fantasy football season. Heath Cummings mentions that their colleague Jamie Eisenberg is attending the national championship game, hinting at the collaborative nature of the podcast team.

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2. Revisiting Last Year’s Mysteries ([02:31] - [04:35])

Before diving into the new mysteries, the hosts reflect on the previous year's questions, examining their accuracy and insights:

• Can we trust older quarterbacks coming off torn Achilles?

  • Dave Richard: "No." ([02:39])

• How high will rookie wide receivers get drafted?

  • They correctly anticipated that three top wide receiver picks would hold their ground.

• Will a rookie running back finish top 12?

  • Again, the hosts were spot-on in predicting that no rookie RB would break into the top 12.

• Will the quarterback position look like it did in 2023 and 2024?

  • Heath Cummings: "A little more elite." ([03:10])

• Were Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb’s second halves legit?

  • They affirmed the recent performances of these players as legitimate.

Reflecting on their success in forecasting, the team sets a high standard for tackling this year's new questions.

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3. This Year’s Five Biggest Mysteries

Mystery 1: Which New Coach or Coordinator Will Have the Biggest Impact? ([11:39] - [16:17])

The discussion centers on the potential influence of newly hired head coaches and offensive coordinators across the NFL. Key candidates include:

• Ben Johnson for the Bears: Adam Aizer: "Optimistically, it's Ben Johnson. Pessimistically, it's the guy replacing Ben Johnson." ([11:39])

• John Morton for the Lions: Replacing Ben Johnson, Adam Aizer expresses concern about possible declines in offensive efficiency with Morton at the helm.

• Liam Cohen to the Jaguars and Clint Kubiak to Seattle: These coordinators are viewed with optimism due to their proven track records.

• Brian Schottenheimer for Dallas and Nick Caley for Houston: Dave Richard highlights reservations about Schottenheimer’s ability to adapt Mike McCarthy’s playbook, potentially affecting the Cowboys' offensive dynamics.

• Josh McDaniels to the Patriots and Aaron Glenn to the Jets: Both bring extensive experience, but their impact remains cautiously optimistic.

Notable Quote:

• Adam Aizer: "It's almost impossible to believe that things are going to be exactly the same, and it's almost impossible to believe that things are going to be better." ([11:46])

The hosts weigh the potential upside and risks associated with each coaching change, emphasizing the importance of maintaining offensive consistency to preserve fantasy production.

Mystery 2: Can We Trust Old Running Backs or Was Last Season a Fluke? ([20:05] - [31:56])

Examining the performance of aging running backs, the conversation focuses on players like Derrick Henry, Alvin Kamara, Aaron Jones, and James Conner, all nearing or past 30 years old.

• Adam Aizer: Acknowledges the historical trends of decline but remains open to instances where running backs maintain high performance despite age. ([22:06])

• Heath Cummings: Playfully attributes success to “Father Time” but underscores the reality of physical decline. ([22:27])

Notable Quotes:

• Adam Aizer: "Father Time is still undefeated. At some point Derrick Henry is going to have a fall off." ([22:06])

• Dave Richard: "There's an increased risk of injury, there's an increased risk that the age is finally catching up with them." ([23:56])

The hosts discuss strategies for drafting these veterans, suggesting lower rankings in fantasy drafts due to potential risks, while also highlighting specific scenarios where certain players might still offer value.

Mystery 3: Will Ashton Genti’s Rookie Season Resemble Saquon Barkley or Bijan Robinson’s? ([24:28] - [31:56])

Ashton Genti enters the rookie running back spotlight, with the debate centered on his projected performance:

• Dave Richard: Believes Genti has the tools to mimic Saquon Barkley’s impactful rookie season rather than Bijan Robinson’s more modest start. Highlights Genti’s physicality and pass-catching abilities. ([28:04])

• Adam Aizer: Predicts Genti to be a top 12 fantasy pick if drafted in the first round, factoring in his offensive environment and supporting cast. ([29:34])

Notable Quote:

• Dave Richard: "He's one of the most NFL ready prospects in the draft... I think there is upside for him to be impactful in PPR on top of non-PPR." ([28:04])

They set an over/under for Genti’s PPR points at 17.5 per game, reflecting a balanced expectation between Barkley’s elite production and Robinson’s more average performance.

Mystery 4: Can Patrick Mahomes Be Elite Again After Two Straight Disappointing Seasons? ([31:15] - [43:04])

Patrick Mahomes’ recent performance has sparked debate over his elite status.

• Dave Richard: Notes Mahomes’ fluctuating fantasy points and questions whether recent trends indicate a lasting decline. Emphasizes the importance of a healthy receiving corps and offensive line. ([32:36] - [34:19])

• Heath Cummings: Presents evidence that Mahomes still performs well despite strong defenses, attributing dips in production to fewer explosive plays rather than a true decline. ([33:39] - [43:04])

Notable Quotes:

• Adam Aizer: "I absolutely believe that Patrick Mahomes can still be the number one quarterback in fantasy." ([34:24])

• Heath Cummings: "His best seasons have been the worst defensive seasons. But even with these two straight elite defensive seasons, he's still throwing the ball a ton." ([41:14])

The hosts argue that Mahomes retains his elite potential, provided key components like his receiving targets and offensive scheme remain favorable.

Mystery 5: Is There a Tight End Outside the Top Three That Can Be Elite? ([43:03] - [47:56])

The focus shifts to the tight end position, questioning whether any rookies can break into the elite tier.

• Adam Aizer: Suggests that while the tight end class is strong, landing an elite performer outside the established top three (Bowers, McBride, Kittle) will require an exceptional fit. ([43:31])

• Heath Cummings: Highlights the potential of rookies like Tyler Warren and Colson Loveland, assessing their capabilities and situational advantages. ([44:14])

Notable Quotes:

• Dave Richard: "If a rookie tight end goes to an offense that's expected to throw a lot, then sure, they could end up being potentially good enough to get close to 15 PPR points per game." ([45:55])

• Adam Aizer: "I don't think we should be comparing rookie tight ends to Brock Bowers." ([46:24])

The conversation emphasizes the variability of tight ends’ performances based on team dynamics and offensive strategies, ultimately suggesting cautious optimism for select candidates.

---

4. News and Notes ([06:39] - [19:48])

The hosts briefly touch on various NFL news updates:

• Tyron Armstead’s Retirement: The Dolphins’ offensive line and their quick-release passing strategy are impacted by Armstead’s departure ([07:11]).

• Dallas Cowboys Acquisitions: Acquisition of Joe Milton and a seventh-round pick from the Patriots, speculated to be a budget-friendly quarterback option ([07:55]).

• Free Agency Moves: Cardinals signing Trey McBride and Raiders extending Geno Smith’s contract, along with signing Trey Lance ([08:01]).

• Draft Developments: Discussions around the Tennessee Titans’ first pick and the retirement of Julio Jones, a former NFL star known for his yardage despite limited touchdowns ([08:12], [10:05]).

These updates provide context for fantasy team management and player availability trends.

---

5. Additional Discussions and Insights ([38:02] - [51:37])

The hosts delve deeper into player performances and team strategies:

• Xavier Worthy’s Role with Mahomes: Despite missed opportunities, Worthy is viewed optimistically for future contributions, potentially elevating Mahomes’ production ([37:09] - [42:22]).

• Tight End Prospects: The potential impact of rookie tight ends and their fit within their respective teams’ offensive schemes is explored, considering both skill sets and team needs ([44:43] - [49:14]).

• College Basketball Tournament: A brief, light-hearted mention of ongoing college basketball games and tournament highlights, tying into the hosts' personal interests and current events ([49:44] - [51:37]).

Notable Quote:

• Heath Cummings: "I think Worthy is going to bring an element to this offense that we haven't seen since Tyreek Hill." ([38:38])

These discussions offer nuanced perspectives on player development and team dynamics, enriching the fantasy football strategies of listeners.

---

6. Conclusion

Wrapping up, the hosts tease upcoming episodes focusing on the NFL draft and tight end prospects. They encourage listeners to engage with their content on social media and tease special segments with guest analysts.

Final Thoughts:

• The episode provides a comprehensive analysis of the most pressing questions in the 2025 fantasy football season.
• With in-depth discussions, strategic insights, and a blend of optimism and caution, listeners are well-equipped to make informed decisions for their fantasy teams.
• The inclusion of notable quotes and specific timestamps adds authenticity and allows listeners to reference key points easily.

---

Notable Quotes with Timestamps:

• Dave Richard ([02:39]): "No."

• Adam Aizer ([11:39]): "Optimistically, it's Ben Johnson. Pessimistically, it's the guy replacing Ben Johnson."

• Adam Aizer ([22:06]): "Father Time is still undefeated. At some point Derrick Henry is going to have a fall off."

• Dave Richard ([28:04]): "He's one of the most NFL ready prospects in the draft... I think there is upside for him to be impactful in PPR on top of non-PPR."

• Adam Aizer ([34:24]): "I absolutely believe that Patrick Mahomes can still be the number one quarterback in fantasy."

• Heath Cummings ([41:14]): "His best seasons have been the worst defensive seasons. But even with these two straight elite defensive seasons, he's still throwing the ball a ton."

• Dave Richard ([43:31]): "If a rookie tight end goes to an offense that's expected to throw a lot, then sure, they could end up being potentially good enough to get close to 15 PPR points per game."

---

Final Note: For fantasy football enthusiasts aiming to dominate their leagues in 2025, this episode of "Fantasy Football Today" offers invaluable insights and thoughtful analysis. Stay tuned for more expert discussions and stay ahead of the competition!

Transcript

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[Dave Richard]

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[Adam Azer]

This is fantasy football today from CBS Sports.

[Dave Richard]

Wanna play?

[Heath Cummings]

Can you believe this? No, I can't.

[Adam Azer]

It's time to dominate your fantasy league.

[Dave Richard]

Off to the races and he stays at his feet.

[Heath Cummings]

This is gonna go the distance.

[Adam Azer]

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

[Heath Cummings]

Ooh. We need mysterious music for today's show. We're solving five of the biggest fantasy football myst for 2025. Welcome, everybody. It is Monday, April 7th. Adam Azer here with Dave Richard and Heath Cummings. Jamie is somewhere watching a basketball game tonight. Not really a big deal, but yeah, he's. He's at the national championship game. That's pretty cool.

[Adam Azer]

Oh, wow.

[Heath Cummings]

Yeah. Yeah. So Schaefer's not. He's backstage. Everybody's pumped for the Gators anyway, so we got these big mysteries. Heath said he doesn't know what I sent the notes, but Heath hadn't taken a look. He said, I'm just going to guess what they are Would you like to know last year's mysteries?

[Adam Azer]

Yeah.

[Heath Cummings]

Okay.

[Adam Azer]

Yeah, that'll set the table for me.

[Heath Cummings]

So here are last year's biggest mysteries. Can we trust older quarterbacks coming off torn Achilles?

[Dave Richard]

No.

[Heath Cummings]

How high will the rookie wide receivers get drafted? Remember, we had these big three that were going to be top 10 picks.

[Dave Richard]

Yeah, they got drafted pretty high.

[Heath Cummings]

Will a rookie running back finish top 12? No.

[Dave Richard]

No. And we were right on that one.

[Heath Cummings]

Will the quarterback position look like it did in 2023 and 2023? We've only had one quarterback averaging more than 24.2 fantasy points per game. And then it was kind of evenly distributed. So the question was, would it be like that again?

[Dave Richard]

And it wasn't. It was better.

[Heath Cummings]

Yeah, it was a little bit more elite. A little bit more elite. And then number five was. Were Dak Prescott and CD Lam second halves legit. All right. So how you feeling, Heath? You feel ready to guess?

[Adam Azer]

I. I feeling very bad. I had some. Some more football related mysteries that I was. Was wanting to guess. So I'm gonna put those on the back burner for now.

[Heath Cummings]

And it's really, it's really not that similar to 2024. I'm just gonna give you that.

[Adam Azer]

Okay. Because I, I was going to go with something along the lines of who will be the starting quarterback for the Indianapolis Colts or will Anthony Richardson and Justin Fields be good enough to keep their jobs?

[Heath Cummings]

Those are not on there. Those are good mysteries, though.

[Adam Azer]

Will Ashton Genti be a first round pick as a rookie?

[Dave Richard]

Yeah, that's one.

[Heath Cummings]

One of them is will Ashton Genti's rookie season be more like Saquon Barclays or Bijan Robinson's? So we have. Okay, Genti, he's got one.

[Dave Richard]

How many more is he gonna get, Adam? I think he gets at least one more on the list.

[Heath Cummings]

Yeah, I think so.

[Dave Richard]

Yeah, I think so. Yeah.

[Adam Azer]

Will Marvin Harrison Jr. Ever be as good as we thought he was going to be?

[Dave Richard]

No, no, that was one of mine that I suggested to Adam.

[Adam Azer]

Yeah, I think I'm already done.

[Heath Cummings]

All right, we got five mysteries today. Which new new coach or coordinator will have the biggest impact? Can we trust old running backs or was last season a fluke?

[Adam Azer]

Oh, that's a good one.

[Heath Cummings]

Is Ashton Genti's rookie season going to look more like Saquon Barclays or Bees? And Robinson's Can Patrick Mahomes be elite again after two straight disappointing seasons?

[Dave Richard]

Heath, of all the mysteries, that's one that was right in your wheelhouse. I was.

[Adam Azer]

Yeah. I had a Chiefs Related mystery. But I just thought it was going to be will Rush D. Rice or Xavier Worthy be the number one wide receiver?

[Dave Richard]

You know, it's crazy. That whole offense is actually a mystery at this.

[Heath Cummings]

Yes. Yeah.

[Adam Azer]

Is Travis Kelsey completely washed?

[Heath Cummings]

Is there a tight end outside the top three? Assuming George Kittle is third, that even has a chance to be elite. So I'm looking forward to that one. All right, Favorite TV show involving mysteries, guys. What do you think?

[Dave Richard]

Only murders in the building has been amusing. That's a new one.

[Adam Azer]

Always love Criminal Minds.

[Heath Cummings]

All right, I'm just gonna say Scooby Doo. We have a team named Tuesday from Jacob. April Bowers Bring Zay flowers. It's good seasonal. I have some listening to do when I'm in the car today. FFT Dynasty running back preview with Jaco Gibbs and Matt Waldman. Looking forward to watching to. I'm gonna listen to that one. I did watch a bit of it and Matt Waldman doesn't look anything like I thought he would. Kind of thought he'd look like Heath and he doesn't. So his voice. His voice and Heath's body makes sense together.

[Dave Richard]

But that's weird. Yeah. I'm halfway through the episode. I can't get over the detail that Matt Waldman goes into with every single. I don't know how he has the time to do this on top of, like the. The real life work that he has. He's unbelievably meticulous and I love that about him. And so I was so excited to see that episode show up and halfway through and there. There's even like this really interesting discussion. It's like a stats versus film fight between Jacob and Matt over a prospect.

[Heath Cummings]

Cool.

[Dave Richard]

That is pretty popular. So I think you'll really learn a lot and enjoy that episode quite a bit. Highly recommended for all of our Dynasty leaders.

[Adam Azer]

It's the perfect combat. It was a fantastic combination, really. Like, Matt Waldman helped bring me into the industry and I was here for the Jacob's entry into the industry. Gibbs is the true media guru and Waldman's doing that. Been doing the film thing for 20 years now.

[Heath Cummings]

Yeah, Jacob's been watching a lot of film, too, and he's posting a lot of clips on Twitter. You should definitely be following him. But let's get it to our show. Here, the news and notes. Miami left tackle Tyron Armstead retired two straight seasons. The Dolphins have had the lowest average time to throw in the NFL. They get the ball super quick. It helps.

[Dave Richard]

Negates by design.

[Heath Cummings]

Yeah. It helps negate what's. What could be a bad offensive line, but with Armstead on the field in 2024, the Dolphins allowed a 25.8% pressure rate, so that's 26% of their dropbacks. There was pressure with Armstead on the field, with him off the field, 33.2% pressure rate. So it's, it's not good. Dallas acquired Joe Milton and a seventh round pick from the Patriots for a fifth round pick. And Dak Prescott recovering from a torn hamstring. He should be fine, but Heath, Any thoughts on Joe Milton? Oh, I got you mid beverage there. Any thoughts on Milton going to the Cowboys?

[Adam Azer]

This is less than they paid for Trey Lance, right?

[Heath Cummings]

Yeah, and Jonathan Mingo.

[Dave Richard]

But you see what they're, they're, they're. What they're up to now is they're trying to find some sort of lightning in a bottle with a quarterback that's got some upside and they can get on the cheap while they're paying Dak Prescott an exorbitant amount of money given his age and wear and tear. I, I thought it was funny that this happened right after we were done talking about Joe Milton.

[Heath Cummings]

Yeah.

[Dave Richard]

On our last podcast. Adam. Well, we'll see what happens, but my guess is that he got traded for like, what's a backup deal? He's going to be a backup that the Cowboys are going to try and develop.

[Adam Azer]

Dave said one particular word there in regards to what the Cowboys are trying to do that I thought was key. Try, no, fail, the cheap.

[Heath Cummings]

Oh, okay. The Cardinals signed Trey McBride. McBride is his name. To a four year, $76 million deal, 43 million guaranteed. The Raiders signed Geno Smith to a two year, $85.5 million extension. They also signed Trey Lance. Now, the Geno Smith deal, it doesn't really give him a lot more job security. It's a two year extension. So that three years from now, that money's not guaranteed. He has two years of guaranteed money remaining on his contract, but from what I read, it's not that much guaranteed money next year. So it could end up being a one year deal really for Geno Smith. From what I understand, some NFL draft stuff. Shoulder Sanders and the Tennessee Titans. Titans have the number one pick. They canceled their private workout. That was after his pro day. So either they saw enough or they're going to draft Cam Ward, which is what everybody thinks. Alabama quarterback Jalen Milro was going to attend the NFL draft, which I thought was interesting, that news from the athletic and Julio Jones retired And if you're young and you don't really remember the prime of Julio Jones, which wasn't that long ago. But just in case there's some of you, he was unbelievable. He unfortunately didn't score that many touchdowns in his career, but from a yardage standpoint, few, if any, were better than Julio Jones.

[Dave Richard]

Someone in the comments post a link to a YouTube highlight reel of Julio Jones, please.

[Heath Cummings]

Oh, unbelievable. I think I read he had the most 250 yard games. He had three of them. I want to double check on that. But Julio Jones was absolutely incredible. All right, let's get to our mysteries. And we start with mystery number one. Which new coach, head coach or offensive coordinator will have the biggest impact? And some of the ones we're looking at Ben Johnson going to the Bears John Morton, replacing Ben Johnson. He is a guy who worked with dan Campbell in 2016 with the Saints, in 2022 with the Lions. He's coming over from the Broncos organization and now he's the offensive coordinator for the Lions. Liam Cohen to the Jaguars from the Bucks. Clint Kubiak, the new offensive coordinator for Seattle. Brian Schottenheimer being elevated from offensive coordinator to head coach for Dallas. Pete Carroll and Chip Kelly to the Raiders. Mike vrabel and Josh McDaniels to the Patriots. This one we're probably not going to talk much about, but Tommy Reese, offensive coordinator now for the Cleveland Browns. He was a passing game specialist in 2024. He's been an offensive coordinator in college. Nick Cayley, the Rams passing game coordinator now the new offensive coordinator for the Texans. Kellen Moore being hired to coach the Saints. And Aaron Glenn bringing in Tanner Engstrand from Detroit as the new head coach and coordinator for the Jets. Heath which coaches will have the biggest impact?

[Adam Azer]

Optimistically, it's Ben Johnson. Pessimistically, it's the guy replacing Ben Johnson.

[Heath Cummings]

What do you mean by that? You think he could be bad for the Lions?

[Adam Azer]

I think not having Ben Johnson could be bad for the Lions. I think you have when you have an offense like Detroit's that's been so otherworldly good for the last couple of years in terms of both scoring touchdowns and offensive efficiency. And there's a change at offensive coordinator, and particularly when it's not a guy who was under Ben Johnson, but just a guy that's coming in from the Broncos, I think it's really like it would be hard to believe that everything's going to be exactly the same, and it's almost impossible to believe that things are going to be better. So we're probably going to be a little bit worse now. I think we we all hope that it's like a 2 to 3% downgrade and it's not that big a deal but I think we could see a decrease in Jared Goff's passing efficiency. I think we could see a decrease in Lyons total touchdowns and that probably worries me the most for guys like laporta and David Montgomery whose games and fantasy production have been so heavily reliant on scoring dishonest oh boy.

[Heath Cummings]

We are going to really put a lot of stock, a lot of faith into the Bears offense with how we draft DJ Moore and Roma Dunes A not so much Caleb Williams but and we'll see if they draft a running back or whatever but those guys especially more going to be pretty pricey investments. Even if Dave even if Ben Johnson doesn't work his magic or let's just say even if Caleb Williams doesn't take the next step. Does the absence of Keenan Allen just kind of make Moore and Odunze fairly safe picks and they're just going to dominate targets?

[Dave Richard]

I don't want to lose sight of and like this isn't a big deal but I don't want to lose sight of Cole Comet at tight end. We know the role that Sam LaPorta played in Detroit with Ben Johnson. I don't want to rule out somebody that the Bears draft coming in and taking some work away. There could be a target crunch and it's just one of those things that does worry me a little bit. The work that I want to do is who's most likely to be a Monroe St. Brown and that's a guy that's going to get eight plus targets per game. That's somebody that it's basically going to be all right, it's third down or it's late in the game. We need somebody who can make a big play who's going to get that ball and everybody that's watching and listening right now is assuming that it's going to be DJ Moore and why wouldn't it be and so that's what keeps me a little concerned about A Dunes A ascending to being can he do what Jameson Williams did last year? I don't even think he's the same type of receiver. He's kind of close to it but not the same type of guy. There will be a third target getter there that will be I can't say consistently involved Adam, but someone who can throw a wrench into the upside of anybody in a given week and maybe into the upside of a dunes a over the course of the season. For now, that's Cole Comet.

[Heath Cummings]

I want to just point out that I think personally that this is a really good year of new head coaches and offensive coordinators. You know, you look at Harbaugh and Roman coming into the. It's coming into the Chargers last year, and I think I feel the same way about what's going on with the Patriots and the Raiders. You've got proven winners taking over these teams. And Josh McDaniels has a great track record. And even if you take out the Tom Brady years, the first year of Mac Jones, they were a top 10 scoring office. They were 8th in points per game, 11th in yards per play. They did not have a great roster. And then they sunk after that when he left and went to the Raiders. And then in his first year with the Raiders, they were 12th in points per game. They were eighth in yards per play. His second year with the Raiders was a disaster. But as a head coach, he's. He has failed as an offensive coordinator. McDaniels has a great track record. Chip Kelly has a great track record in three of four seasons. He had a really good offense with the Eagles, and then he took over the 49ers. He took over a team that was last in the NFL and scoring the year before, and then they were 27th. He wasn't really that great. But, I mean, you've got professionals, you've got experience, you've got winners. I think. I think it's great. And then you got Ben Johnson, Liam Cohen. I'm hoping he can work his magic because there's a lot of talent in Jacksonville. I don't know. I just look at the landscape and I see potential for a lot of improvement here with these hires.

[Dave Richard]

I think you picked the right ones to make that call with. If I were to focus on the negative a little bit. There are five new play callers that are apparently going to try and work from their predecessor's playbook.

[Heath Cummings]

All right, let me break in here with a quick commercial break and a little tease there. Dave's got five that he's maybe a little concerned about. And we'll be right back on fantasy football today. I was never really a runner. The way I see running is a gift, especially when you have stage four cancer. I'm Anne. I'm running the Boston Marathon, presented by bank of America. I run for Dana Farber Cancer Institute to give people like me a chance to thrive in life, even with cancer. Join bank of America and helping Anne's cause. Give if you can@b of a.com supportann what would you like the power to do? References to charitable organizations is not endorsement by bank of America Corporation Copyright 2025.

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[Dave Richard]

So the one that I'm least concerned about is, is Kevin Patullo in Philadelphia. He's been with the Eagles for a while. I, I kind of get the sense that he's been sort of a right hand man to Nick Sirianni. And it'll be a combination of like what, what Philadelphia wants to do, which is run the ball, be physical, and then add in maybe elements of what Kellen Moore brought to that passing game last year. So I'm not too worried about that one. I'm not terribly worried about Josh Grizzard in Tampa either. I know it's their third play caller in as many years, but again, somebody who's been around with Tampa for at least a little bit and knows that offense and should be able to work from the, the Liam Cohen playbook, which was kind of based off of a little bit of the Dave Canales playbook. So I, I just think that type of consistency isn't necessarily a bad thing. The ones that do worry me, Schottenheimer and Dallas, you know, on top of all the issues that Dallas has, personnel wise, I don't know how much he's going to start rewriting what Mike McCarthy had. I know that in Detroit, John Morton is not going to start rewriting what Ben Johnson had, but I did read that Morton and Dan Campbell kind of agreed that they want the offense to just be as comfortable as possible for Jared Goff. They don't want to change all the terminology around for him. That makes sense, but it's just, it's a different brain in that playbook and it's somebody in John Morton. His first time being a play caller. It was with the Jets. It didn't go very well, but very familiar with what Dan Campbell's looking for. And then the last one, Nick Kaylee in Houston, kind of a wild card not sure what to expect. They're not sure how much of the playbook he's keeping from, from the Texans and their offense from when slow was there. I just think that anytime you've got a new play caller, especially in the case of a first time play caller taking over somebody else's playbook, it just, it gets a little bit messy and I, I would be a little bit nervous about a tiny bit nervous about all five, but especially nervous about Houston, Detroit and Dallas.

[Heath Cummings]

Okay. Anything else?

[Dave Richard]

I'm excited about New Orleans. By the way, I don't know how much you talked about Kellen Moore.

[Heath Cummings]

No, you know, we, one thing I want to bring about Kellen Moore, we'll talk about with Camara. His teams have never ranked higher than 19th in running back target rate, which is interesting.

[Dave Richard]

But you're excited about catching running backs along the way. So a little concern.

[Heath Cummings]

Yeah. Eckler. Yeah, at least one year. Okay. I think we should move on. We've been on that topic for a while. Let's go to our second topic here. Can we trust old running backs or was last season a fluke? Heath, Derrick Henry at age 30 last year, obviously everybody just add one year because you know they're, you're older age 30. Derek Henry was RB3 per game in PPR. Alvin Camara, Arab Alvin Camara, James Connor and Aaron Jones. They were all 29 last year. Camara was RB5 per game, Connor RB15 per game. And he was even better than that if you take away two games he left early. Aaron Jones RB19 per game. He left one game early. Can we trust old running backs or his last season a fluke. And also I guess maybe you can, I don't know if you want to talk about McCaffrey, Barclays 28, whatever it is, mixing.

[Adam Azer]

Yeah, I'm, I'm probably not going to make the bust case for Derek Henry again. But I do think like all those names you said and probably Barkley too, I'm going to have ranked lower than what they did last year. And so I, I, if people are going to draft them close to where they finished last year, I'm probably not going to end up with any of them again. As a rule, when we have these trends that span years or decades in the NFL and we have one odd year that stands out, I think there's two ways that you can take that. One, we have a, an incredible group of aging running backs that have been fantastic throughout their career and they're continuing to be fantastic, but they're probably, it's probably not indicative that the next group that moves from 28 to 29 to 30 are going to do the same thing. And Father Time is still undefeated. At some point Derek Henry is going to have a fall off and just everybody's tired of predicting it at this point.

[Heath Cummings]

You know, I gotta, I gotta call out Father Time here. I think we give him a little bit of the benefit of the doubt because when is he actually playing, right? Was he playing against Derrick Henry last year? Because if he was, he lost. I don't know if he's unfeeled. You can't, it's not fair. He's plays by a different set of rules where eventually sure he's gonna win, but you know, like when are we really.

[Adam Azer]

That's kind of the point though. Yeah, that's kind of the point.

[Dave Richard]

So in this particular case, he might, Father Time might not win until like 2031. That unique of a running back. And usually it's the unique guys that can keep Father Time, they can stiff arm him a little bit, keep him from, you know, overcoming eventually.

[Adam Azer]

We saw it, we saw it with Tom Brady, we're seeing it in the sport that's currently happening right now in basketball with LeBron James. He's doing things, he's just, it's just different.

[Heath Cummings]

Yeah.

[Adam Azer]

So there are guys like that. I don't think there are six running backs in the NFL right now that are just different, that are all going to just continue being fine. I do think it's, there's pretty strong evidence that throughout history, medicine, sports medicine gets a little bit better. The age curve gets pushed back a little bit further. But I just do my projections for the most part without thinking about age. Except for the fact that I don't project a bounce back year for a guy who's old. So we've talked about this with wide receivers before. You have a down efficiency year at 30 years old. I'm not going to expect you to turn back into your 28 year old self. But for the guys that didn't really show any sign of decline, I'm going to rank them a little bit lower than where they are in the projections because I do think there's an increased risk of injury, there's an increased risk of that age finally catching up with them. But I'm not just going to totally fade them.

[Heath Cummings]

If we just talk about those five guys, I guess it's four. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Henry Camara, Connor Jones, they're all 29 or older. Last year they're all going to be 30 or older this year. Is there one that you think that you like at adp? One that you're fading at adp? Derek Henry assume will be a first or early second round pick. Alvin Camara I don't know round three or four and then James Connor and Aaron Jones probably in the same range 5round5ish or so.

[Dave Richard]

Connor would be one for me that you are talking about. He's one of those RB2s that you settle for in that round 56 range.

[Heath Cummings]

You like them?

[Adam Azer]

I'm fine with Camara in round four and full ppr.

[Heath Cummings]

Yeah I mean Camara's I've always made this case like Camara has been kind of a bad ish or unimpressive running back four straight years and he's always great for fantasy. So I don't those catches man. Yeah, exactly.

[Dave Richard]

And by the way like I just did the the homework on this. You're right about Kellen Moore not like heavily targeting running backs a lot out of the backfield. I think his his high is 18 and a half percent of a running back target share with Dallas in 2021. But you tell me Dallas in 2021 the running backs averaged 6.9 targets per game 6.9 again in 2020. Chargers 2023. Eckler wasn't himself. That was when his decline started. He averaged or the chargers overall averaged five and a half targets per game 5.8 for the Cowboys in 2019. It's really just 2022 in Dallas and Philly last year and Philadelphia they just don't throw to their running backs that much. I, I think that Kellen Moore can get five plus targets per game to Alvin Camara if not six. Provided that Camara stays healthy. Doesn't have to share that much. I, I'd still be a little optimistic as far as that goes with Kellen Moore there.

[Adam Azer]

I would guess this is also the most I mean it's clearly the worst quarterback that Kellen Morris had except for one of the years the deck was hurt. He went from Dak to Justin Herbert to Jalen Hurts to now an aging Derek Carr. So that is kind of swings two ways for me. I think it's more likely that Derek Carr is going to target his running backs than Jalen Hurts and Dak Prescott. And also I'm a little bit concerned that Kellen Moore will have a hugely positive impact because he doesn't have the same talent on offense that he's used to.

[Dave Richard]

It's true.

[Heath Cummings]

Well I, I, you know some would say that Olavi And Camara are. He doesn't have the quarterback talent though, I think is the point you're making.

[Adam Azer]

Well, but you're going from AJ Brown, Devonte Smith and Saquon Barkley to those guys.

[Heath Cummings]

Yeah, but you're also going.

[Adam Azer]

Or Keenan Alley. I don't. I. I think a lot of people probably think at this stage of their careers Chris Olave is better than Keenan Allen.

[Heath Cummings]

Yeah, but. Right, not the two years ago. Keenan Allen. Keenan Allen was great. Eckler. So Eckler. That one year that Moore was in the chart with the Chargers, 2023, Eckler was on pace for 90 targets. He was only on pace for 62 catches. That was his worst catch rate by far of his career, basically. But 90 targets. Camara last year was on pace. I was on pace for 110 targets, I think. So honestly, even if he's at 90 targets, I think it's probably still valuable. Fourth round pick, something like that. All right, let's go to our next one. Is Aston Genti's rookie season going to look more like Saquon Barkley's rookie season or Bijan Robinson's rookie season? Barkley in 2018 was the number one running back in PPR. Number two per game, a little bit worse than in non PPR, but still elite. Bijan, on the other hand, finished as a top 10 running back, but on a per game basis he was 17th in non PPR, 15th in full PPR. Remember, he did have that one game with the migraines, so without that, I don't know, maybe he was something like RB13, whatever. But he was, he was a bit of a bust. Is Genti's rookie season going to look more like Barclays or Bijan's?

[Dave Richard]

Dave, I think he's got a better shot to look like Barkley than Bijan. I think he's one of the most NFL ready prospects in the draft, obviously at running back. He'll start week one, but I think he's very clean as far as prospects go in a down year of the draft class. He's powerful. He's got unreal contact balance, he's got great speed. The better his offensive line is, obviously the better that he'll be able to do. I also think that he's got untapped potential as a pass catcher. Listen to this. So last year, not a lot of catches for him. The year before he had over 40 catches. And in high school, his first year playing high school football in America, it was in Dallas. He was at Lone Star High School. He was all district, first team at wide receiver. They couldn't use him at running back because they had a log jam at running back. They used him at running back the year after. But he's, he's clean when you watch his targets, he's not bobbling the ball. He can catch smoothly, brings the ball in, moves up field. Look at me, I'm sounding like Matt Waldman just a little bit. I think that there is upside for him to be impactful in PPR on top of non ppr. And it wouldn't surprise me if he. It wouldn't surprise me if he led the league in yards from scrimmage this year. But I'm almost certain it'll happen at least once in the next four years. And as long as he's on a team where we really like the offensive environment, he should be great for fantasy. There's a chance he goes in round one in redraft leagues this year.

[Adam Azer]

If he's the top 10 pick, that's pretty much my expectation.

[Heath Cummings]

Top 10 pick of the NFL draft, you expect.

[Adam Azer]

I think he'll be. I think if he's the top 10 pick in the NFL draft, he'll be a top 12 pick. And I think the only thing I really think. I think if you remember back to that Bijan year, like Arthur Smith was the big problem, right? There was too many Tyler Algier carries inside the five yard line.

[Heath Cummings]

Yeah, well, you got 16. You take out that migraine game. 16.9 touches per game for Bijan, whereas Barkley had 22 touches per game. Barclays, 91 catches that year. You know, 16.9 touches per game is really not that bad. I mean, it's not first round pick worthy for sure in, in fantasy, but it's just only four touchdowns. Like he wasn't getting the goal line work. It was stupid. It was, it was. I don't. We were all sitting there like, what? Yeah, like Arthur Smith problem. Yeah, but turn him loose, turn him loose. And I think probably, hopefully he gets to 40 catches. But Barkley and Henry certainly proved that you don't need 40 catches to be elite just last season. All right?

[Dave Richard]

You need a lot of touchdowns and he can do that.

[Heath Cummings]

I think it'll be closer to Barkley. We think it'll be closer to Barkley than Robinson, but I don't think it'll be as good as Barkley's personally because I don't think the catches will be close.

[Adam Azer]

It really depends on whether you're talking about Barclays at RB2 that year.

[Heath Cummings]

Two per game. One overall. Yeah.

[Adam Azer]

And are you talking about Bijan's RB20 season or. Or Bijan without the migraine? So he's RB12 13. Because if you're talking about the difference between 12 or 12 13, then I'd probably set the over under right in the middle like RB six and a half.

[Heath Cummings]

Sounds good. Let me do points. Let me do points per game. Then Barkley was at 24 points per game. Still his best season was his rookie season. In terms of PPR points per game. Bijan was at 14.8. Well, let's take away the one game. Maybe you add another point there. Let's call it 16. 16 points per game for Bijan, 24 points per game for. For Barkley. We gotta go in the middle. You think we'll get to 20?

[Adam Azer]

I'd probably set the over under at 17 and a half.

[Heath Cummings]

17 and a half.

[Dave Richard]

Not, not 17.6. Jonathan Taylor at 17.5. Last year he scored 12 touchdowns.

[Heath Cummings]

17 and a half would not quite be first round value most likely. That feels a little bit more like mid to late second round value to me anyway. But all right, 17 and a half is. He's over under. That's cure. You know what Thomas? You want to do a YouTube poll while we have some time left, See what the audience thinks. 17 and a half PPR fantasy points per game for Ashton Genti. And no, I'm not going to give you a destination. Just going to have to guess. Let's get to topic number four. Can Patrick Mahomes be elite again after two straight disappointing seasons? Dave, your first up.

[Dave Richard]

We saw it in the last three games when Xavier Worthy got hot. Worthy average 21 PPR points per game. Mahomes average 25.8 fantasy points per game. I would consider that elite. I would also consider that the ceiling for Patrick Mahomes. We know what the floor is. We've seen it now each of the last few seasons. Mahomes needed that three game stretch to get to 20.9 fantasy points per game in 2024. In 2023 he had the exact same number. I don't recall Heath, you might. Did he have a big three game stretch at the end of the regular season? Oh, no, no.

[Heath Cummings]

I'll tell you this. Starting in late 2023 and including the playoffs, he had a 19 game stretch where he scored more than 21 fantasy points twice. That was late 2023, through that Super bowl run and through the first half of 2024. 19 games he scored more than 21 fantasy points in six point per passing touchdown leagues twice. Then he did it in seven of his last 13 games in 2024 and through the playoffs.

[Dave Richard]

I'd like to see his receiving core be healthy and available to begin the year. I'd like that offensive line to at least resemble what it looked like at the beginning of last season. And if those two things happen combined with the big question mark that they've got at running back, then I think we could be cautiously optimistic that Mahomes deserves to be the QB6. Does he have the same type of upside as Hertz Burrow and then the Big three? Josh Allen, Lamar, Jayden Daniels? I would say no to that. But if we're assuming that everything's good in Kansas City, Mahomes can still be that QB6 and you'll draft him accordingly.

[Adam Azer]

So I Words matter Adam so the question was, can he?

[Heath Cummings]

Yeah, yeah.

[Adam Azer]

Or will he? Because can he? I would say absolutely yes. Like you give you give Patrick Mahomes a full season with a healthy Rashi Rice, Xavier Worthy and Marquis Brown. Is his top three wide receivers with Travis Kelsey just cleaning up underneath and maybe the defense takes a step back. Yes, I absolutely believe that Patrick Mahomes can still be the number one quarterback in fantasy.

[Heath Cummings]

Okay, I'm going to show you why I think he also can after this commercial break. We'll be right back with some fun screenshots after this. Ryan Reynolds here from Mint Mobile with a message for everyone Paying Big Wireless way Too much. Please, for the love of everything good in this world, stop with Mint. You can get premium wireless for just $15 a month. Of course, if you enjoy overpaying. No judgments. But that's weird. Okay, one judgment. Anyway, give it a [e-mail] Switch upfront payment of $45 for three month plan equivalent to $15 per month required intro rate first three months only, then full price plan options available, taxes and fees extra. See full [e-mail] wow, this house is cute.

[Dave Richard]

But can I really get in the game in this equipment economy?

[Heath Cummings]

I do have savings and I am responsible.

[Dave Richard]

Ish. I should bury it.

[Heath Cummings]

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[Dave Richard]

Get off the bench and onto the playing field with confidence.

[Heath Cummings]

Check your buyability only on Zillow. All right, Patrick Mahomes try to say what's gone on the last two years. Because the last two years he's basically been QB11 per game. And one of the things that stands out is the lack of explosive plays. In terms of, let's say, touchdown passes of 20 or more yards. He has seven of those in the last two seasons combined. In his prime, yeah, in his prime he was, you know, double digits with Tyreek Hill. So, like, okay, his first three seasons as a starter, 15 touchdown passes of 20 or more yards. In all three seasons. The last two years, seven combined. So we need that. Let's take a look at Xavier Worthy's role in this. On pass attempts of 20 or more air yards to Xavier Worthy, Patrick Mahomes completed 3 of 17 passes for 120 yards and two touchdowns and also a couple of interceptions, I believe. I've got five screenshots here. I want to show you some plays. Thomas, let's bring up the first one. This is Xavier Worthy. This is an incomplete pass. Okay? All of these are incomplete passes. He is wide open on this play. Let's go to our next one.

[Dave Richard]

Not only that, but the safety's back was turned to him on that play.

[Heath Cummings]

This is an incomplete pass. I know if you're not watching, if you want to see it, YouTube.com fantasy football today. But this is an incomplete pass to a wide open Xavier Worthy. It's just bad footwork on both of those two plays of him not getting his feet inbounds. Let's go to our next one here. They're not as bad. He's got a step here. This is a tough play to make. This is a tough play to make, but this is the kind of play that you would expect occasionally. Tyreek Hill, Patrick Mahomes, they turned that into a huge play. This was an incomplete pass. Next up, he's got a step I think you can't see. It's a little dark, but Patrick Mahomes is getting hit as he throws. This is an incomplete pass, but Xavier Worthy again showing he can get behind defensive backs. And we got one more here where he. He has a step and a half on a defensive back. He is wide open. You expect this play up the sideline to be a big play. This was an incomplete pass.

[Dave Richard]

They needed five screenshots to tell us that Xavier Worthy is fast.

[Heath Cummings]

Not just that, but they left a lot of points on. Off the board. They left a lot of points on the field. Okay. They. They missed. It makes me this. Of all the things I watched this weekend, these screenshot, these plays of Xavier Worthy getting open and some of them Inexcusably not coming down with. With catches. I think that's going to get fixed in year two. I think he's going to bring an element to this offense that we haven't seen since Tyreek Hill. I'm very optimistic about Worthy and I think it's going to really pull up Patrick Mahomes production too.

[Adam Azer]

At least three of those, if I, if memory serves correct. And I, I could just like you transported me back in time, Adam, with each of those screenshots. There was one of them I didn't remember, but I think at least if I'm remembering right, at least three of those. Xavier Worthy did catch the ball. Yeah, he just had a foot out of bounds.

[Heath Cummings]

Certainly two, maybe three. I think that last one, I think.

[Adam Azer]

The last one was kind of a bad like the two yard line and.

[Heath Cummings]

With a foot out of bounds. Yeah, I think so. I think personally I think that one was, was kind of on my homes but, but you know, maybe half on my homes. The other ones were all onward. Those other two were all unworthy. But yeah, like he's gonna get better at that. You have to almost try to be out of bounds to be out of bounds on those first two. So I, I think Worthy is, is if he has a big second season. I mean it's just going to add these, these big strikes to the Chiefs offense that they just haven't had in the last two years.

[Adam Azer]

I do think that Rice is going to be at least partially key to that because if you have like rice and what he does underneath is so special and I know that a lot of times you don't like the A dot or the, the Yaks necessarily not sustainable. But what he does like defenses have to pay attention to Rice underneath. I'm not sure with what Travis Kelsey's shown the last year and a half that he's going to draw that much under attention underneath. But if you have both Worthy and Rice and then like let's not forget even if Marquis Brown can just get back to being what he 80% of what he used to be. Like that trio.

[Heath Cummings]

Yeah, it's good. It's good. All right. So we all think it's there. It seems just a tough one because you know you could get such a great discount on him. But if he, if Mahomes performs like he has in each of the last two years, then you're actually, you're overdrafting him.

[Adam Azer]

I think we've seen the same thing. We saw the same thing though with both Brady and Rogers. When you're a quarterback in the NFL for 20 seasons, you're probably not going to give 20 elite fantasy seasons like Brady had a couple of year. I think we had like three different times where we thought Brady was washed. Rogers had a couple of terrible years and then won a, won an MVP like this. There's the ebb and flow of an NFL career. And especially at this position when the career is so long at Mahomes age, there's no reason to think that like there's any, there's any reason he can't be that guy again. I, we had a pops in the chat, had a, a good point. He said they really. The defense almost has to take a step back for him to be as good as he could be.

[Heath Cummings]

You know, I have numbers on that actually. Okay. His last seven seasons, this is where the Chiefs defense has ranked in scoring. 24th in this is Mahomes, his first year as a starter. His best year, 24th then seventh, then 11th, which I think was another one of Mahomes is like huge seasons. Right. 8th, then 16th, which was another one of Mahomes's huge season. That was the year with Juju, actually, the first year without Tyreek. The last two years they've been second and fourth.

[Adam Azer]

Yeah.

[Heath Cummings]

So I, you know what the thing is though? I almost feel like it's a coincidence because it hasn't really affected his past attempts and it hasn't led to more like running back rushing touchdowns or anything like that. To me, the big number is the air yards and the big plays. You know, I, it's like I sort of agree with that take because the numbers are there. Like his best seasons have been the, the worst defensive seasons. Not that they've been bad necessarily, but they haven't been elite. But even with these two straight elite defensive seasons, he's still throwing the ball a ton. I just, I just think he's missing that, that big play stuff, which is.

[Dave Richard]

There'S that and then there's also how many, how many games has. Has had. The Chiefs needed Mahomes to put up 28 points, 31 points. Like there were a bunch of games last year. They were one score wins for Kansas City. I don't remember them having to put up a ton of points in those games.

[Heath Cummings]

No.

[Dave Richard]

No.

[Heath Cummings]

All right, let's go to our last topic here.

[Dave Richard]

It's almost like they're just to make your point with the air yards. They're operating kind of the same way. They're just not nearly as explosive. And that's been a huge part of why Mahomes numbers have taken a dip?

[Heath Cummings]

Well, I think maybe you could make the case that because they're such a good defensive team, they don't have to take a lot of risk. Risks downfield.

[Dave Richard]

That's another way you could.

[Heath Cummings]

Yeah. So maybe that is a great point, that they need a little bit of a step back on defense. All right. Is there a tight end outside the top three? The top three being Bowers, McBride? And I thought for you it was Kittle. Is it Kittle Kettle is three for me. Is there a tight end outside the top three that even has a chance to be elite? Heath, what do you think?

[Adam Azer]

Yeah, yeah, there's like. Well, I. You might need to qualify. Elite. But 15 fantasy points per game is elite.

[Dave Richard]

Yeah.

[Adam Azer]

I'd say at this position, like, that's 50 better than tight end eight generally. So that seems like a pretty. I. I would not be surprised if Sam Laporta has one of those seasons again. I'm not projecting it right now, but it's possible I could see TJ Hawkinson having one of those seasons again. I could see. I wouldn't be like. If you look at what Travis Kelce did last year, and if Patrick Mahomes had just thrown a bunch of touchdown passes, like he had three touchdown passes, three touchdown catches last year, and scored 12 fantasy points per game, so what if Travis Kelsey just scores more touchdowns? I think there's still a handful of guys that could reach that 15 fantasy point per game range.

[Heath Cummings]

And Kittle, Bowers and McBride were the only three to do that last year. John who? Smith and David Najoku averaged about 13.2. So did Taysom Hill actually in PPR. Philip Bryan in our chat says TJ Warren. And that's kind of where I wanted to go with this because I think the rookie tight ends have a real chance to be very good. I don't know about 15, but I feel like Tyler Warren. Yeah, Tyler Warren. Yes. Tyler Warren out of Penn State. TJ Warren was a basketball player, Right.

[Adam Azer]

He played for the Suns, I think, out of Texas.

[Heath Cummings]

I remember March Madness when I was in college. Maybe I'm thinking of PJ Tucker. Where did TJ Warren go? TJ Tucker definitely went to Texas. I don't remember where TJ Warren went.

[Adam Azer]

TJ Warren definitely went to Texas.

[Heath Cummings]

Okay.

[Dave Richard]

And State.

[Heath Cummings]

Oh, he went to NC State. Okay. Yeah. P.J. tucker was the guy I was thinking of. But anyway, Tyler Warren, Colson, Loveland, I love Arroyo. I think these guys are gonna have some more. More upside than most of the tight Ends and most of the veteran tight ends. I don't know how you feel about that, Dave.

[Dave Richard]

It's totally going to depend on where they end up. Yeah, I, I saw a mock draft where Tyler. Don't call me T.J. warren went to the Jets. That's a top 10 pick and if he goes there, I don't like his chances just because of Justin Fields at quarterback and the expected, you know, uptick in rush attempts that the jets will probably have with Justin Fields under center. But if he goes to an offense where they're, they're kind of light on targets and they're expected to throw a lot, then sure, then one or both of those guys could end up being potentially good enough to get close to 15 PPR points per game.

[Adam Azer]

We like. Yeah, I, I.

[Dave Richard]

Could New Orleans be one of those teams?

[Heath Cummings]

Maybe. I, I liked it. I mean this is a good tight end class.

[Adam Azer]

It's a very, I'm not poo pooing the tight end class at all. It's a very good tight end class. I don't. It would have to be a really great landing spot for me to believe that one of these guys could actually get in the 15 fantasy point per game range.

[Heath Cummings]

Do we?

[Dave Richard]

I would say that there's no chance that I either of them go in the top six. The jets are seventh. Would Carolina do it at eight? That might not be such a bad spot. Someone could be a rookie could be the top target getter for the Panthers this year there, so that wouldn't be bad. Saints are 9. Chicago won't at 10. San Francisco won't at 11. Dallas. That would be kind of gross if they took one of these tight ends at 12, Miami at 13.

[Heath Cummings]

Why? For fantasy? I don't think it would be gross.

[Dave Richard]

Maybe. I mean it just depends on what it would mean for others. I guess you're right.

[Heath Cummings]

Yeah.

[Dave Richard]

Would Miami be someone just taking over the John who Smith role? Well, could that be exciting? I would say so. Indianapolis at 14. Eh. We know about their quarterbacks. No, I would say after that you'd be hard pressed to find a spot where A, it makes sense and B, they'd be great, like really great. Maybe some of those teams deep into the 20s.

[Heath Cummings]

It's interesting because I don't know that we felt that the Raiders were. Well, they traded Adams so that changed things. But if you're a great player.

[Dave Richard]

But even before that we saw a good target volume for Bowers.

[Heath Cummings]

Yeah.

[Adam Azer]

And I don't think we have. I, I don't think we should be Comparing rookie tight ends to Brock Bowers.

[Heath Cummings]

Probably. That was my question. How much worse is is Warren than Bowers? Warren's a amazing.

[Adam Azer]

Warren as a 25 year old is as good as Valers as a 19 year old.

[Heath Cummings]

All right, okay.

[Adam Azer]

Maybe he's 24. I apologize.

[Heath Cummings]

Yeah.

[Dave Richard]

Father Time says he'll be 25 someday.

[Heath Cummings]

If you guys want to get hyped about Elijah Royal, find the clip of him chasing down a Virginia Tech cornerback who intercepted Cam Ward. It is a DK Metcalf moment from a tight end.

[Adam Azer]

So you just really don't like Harold Fannin.

[Heath Cummings]

Fanon is the one that I, I haven't like. Over the weekend I watched those three tight ends, Warren not Fanning, Warren, Loveland and Arroyo. I haven't gotten to Fanon yet, but he led the the country in catches for tight ends. Very impressive. I think Arroyo had. What did Arroyo have, like 35 catches or something? Not a lot.

[Adam Azer]

I've got Fan in the head of Arroyo right now.

[Heath Cummings]

He led them. He led the country in yards per catch. Tight ends, Fanon, I don't, I'm not there yet on. I don't know. I don't know enough yet about him.

[Dave Richard]

For what it's worth, Arroyo made heroic plays in practice every day at the Senior Bowl. Fannin might have made one nice play on the last day of practice. It was just a three day span. You can't judge a guy based on that. But you know when, when, when a tight end like Arroyo doesn't have a ton of catches in his last year in college and then he goes to an All Star game and practice and just dominates the coverage there, then you're going to take notice. That kid can play.

[Heath Cummings]

He's big.

[Dave Richard]

Never mind the jacket I'm wearing.

[Heath Cummings]

He's big and he's big and he, and he runs fast. Like Loveland's kind of skinny, right? I mean he's doesn't really look like a tight end. Did a pretty low a dot. Anyway, we'll talk about that. I think we're doing that this week. Which positions are we talking about this week? Thomas. We got a couple NFL draft shows coming up with Chris Chapasso. I'm pretty sure we're talking about tight ends this week, so I'm looking forward to that. I would like to know how Thomas is feeling about the game tonight. If he's willing to show his face in public. He's not super willing right now.

[Dave Richard]

All right, see this is when you go to cut to a break to try and throw Thomas off His game.

[Heath Cummings]

We are talking about wide receivers, quarterbacks, and tight ends this week. We're going to save running backs, which is super deep, for next week, but I think the Gators are gonna win fairly easily tonight. I don't know how you guys feel.

[Dave Richard]

I mean, Houston for the tournament. You heard what I told you.

[Heath Cummings]

What'd you say?

[Dave Richard]

That the Gators were awesome.

[Heath Cummings]

Did you do that yourself or did you use AI for that?

[Dave Richard]

No, no, no. That was actually something that my eyeballs told me and not AI they are awesome. AI told me to take Houston, so I'm rooting. I'm. Cover your ears, Adam. I'm rooting for the Gators.

[Heath Cummings]

What?

[Dave Richard]

Yeah.

[Heath Cummings]

You have money involved here.

[Dave Richard]

None. Zero.

[Heath Cummings]

And you're rooting for the Gators. Take your freaking jacket off right now.

[Dave Richard]

I am rooting for the Florida Gators. I want to see them complete the run. I think they've got.

[Adam Azer]

I love Elijah Martin. Like, it's that. That FAU connection that really made it happen for Florida this year. But I just think Houston's already crashed the party like it was supposed to be. Florida and Duke, they are the two best teams, but you can't discount how hard Houston plays and their defensive intensity. And we'll just see how Florida responds.

[Heath Cummings]

That's what I noticed about Florida, too, though. I love that about college basketball. These kids, they play very hard. It's been a good tournament. It's been fun. It's Saturday. I didn't watch a second of Chalky, but fun. But the. The Florida Auburn game was great. And obviously the Duke game was insane. Finish. Bad foul call. Bad foul call there on Cooper flag. All right, thanks, everybody. Have a great day. We will talk to you on Wednesday with some NFL draft talk. Get you acquainted with these prospects. But they've been doing that on FFT Dynasty for a while now, so you can check out those episodes.

[Adam Azer]

We've got Jacob Gibbs coming on tomorrow to talk about RB 7 through 12 and favorite sleeper sh.

[Heath Cummings]

That's gonna be a good. A good primer for me before for our RV shows next week. All right, see you later, everybody. Talk to you tomorrow or Wednesday.

[Dave Richard]

Paramount podcasts School Spirits is the phenomenon.

[Heath Cummings]

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[Adam Azer]

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[Unnamed Advertiser]

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[Adam Azer]

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[Heath Cummings]

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[Adam Azer]

Wait, does that mean that you're not dead? We are running out of time. Everyone's been dying for. You have no idea what I'm capable of.

[Heath Cummings]

What other secrets are you keeping?

[Unnamed Advertiser]

Stream the new season of School Spirits now on Paramount.

[Heath Cummings]

Plus.