Sophomore RBs! Do We Have Some Sneaky Breakouts? (02/26 Fantasy Football Podcast)

Summary

Fantasy Football Today – Episode: Sophomore RBs! Do We Have Some Sneaky Breakouts? Release Date: February 26, 2025

In this episode of Fantasy Football Today, hosted by Adam Aizer with analysts Dave Richard, Jamey Eisenberg, and Heath Cummings, the team dives deep into the prospects of sophomore running backs (RBs) for the upcoming fantasy football season. With last year's rookie RB class not living up to the hype generated by wide receivers, the panel assesses whether the second-year players can break out and become valuable assets in fantasy leagues.

---

Overview of the Sophomore RB Class

Adam Aizer sets the stage by acknowledging the challenges faced by the sophomore RB class:

"The class not quite as good as the wide receiver class. But you know what, I'm going to give you a little optimism..." ([03:29])

He emphasizes that while last year's rookies like Bucky Irving and Tyrone Tracy didn't fully capitalize on their opportunities, there remains potential for improvement and breakout performances in the second year.

Jamey Eisenberg concurs with cautious optimism:

"I think it's okay. There's not a lot of players that I look at and say these are going to be fantasy studs..." ([03:50])

---

In-Depth Player Analysis

Bucky Irving

• Performance Overview:
  • Finished as RB20 per game during his rookie year.
  • Showed significant improvement from weeks 10 through 18, averaging 5.4 yards per carry with 51 catches from 264 carries, totaling approximately 1950 yards and 11 touchdowns.
• Panel Insights:
  • Jamey Eisenberg: Raises concerns about his ability to maintain rushing efficiency.

    "Can you really count on him to average over 5 yards per carry?" ([15:11])

  • Heath Cummings: Highlights the depth of the RB class and potential risks associated with drafting Irving in the second round.
• Conclusion: Bucky Irving presents as a high-upside pick who could be a valuable second-round selection if his efficiency remains consistent.

Tyrone Tracy Jr.

• Performance Overview:
  • Ranked as RB16 per game in his last 13 games, stepping up after Devin Singletary's injury.
  • Averaged 3.3 yards per carry in his sophomore year.
• Panel Insights:
  • Dave Richard: Appreciates Tracy's pass-catching ability and explosiveness.
  • Heath Cummings: Expresses concerns about consistency and the Giants' offensive outlook.

  "His effectiveness heavily depends on team performance and offensive stability." ([28:10])

• Conclusion: Tracy has the potential for increased opportunities but faces challenges related to team performance and offensive consistency.

Other Notable Sophomore RBs

• Trey Benson, Jalen Wright, Blake Corum, Isaac Garendo:
  • Trey Benson: Praised for his efficiency despite limited carries.

    "The underlying metrics were good for Benson." ([47:25])

  • Jalen Wright: Showcases explosive potential with increased snaps.
  • Blake Corum: Demonstrates promise during limited opportunities for Jacksonville.
  • Isaac Garendo: Impresses in limited playtime, indicating potential for a larger role.

---

Draft Strategies and Considerations

The panel deliberates on the optimal drafting approach for these sophomore RBs, weighing their potential against the inherent risks.

• Heath Cummings: Advises caution in tying up early-round picks on players from a deeper RB class.

  "There's so much downside with Anthony Richardson." ([40:28])

• Jamey Eisenberg: Suggests considering these RBs as high-upside, late-round options rather than foundational pieces.

  "You have to ask yourself with Irving is, can he keep up this efficiency?" ([23:04])

• Dave Richard: Emphasizes evaluating players based on team dynamics and individual performance metrics.

---

Risks and Opportunities

• Consistency: Maintaining rushing yards and touchdown rates remains a primary concern.

  "Does he score as many touchdowns? He had eight rushing touchdowns last year. I don't know if that number can come back..." ([22:44])

• Team Dynamics: The Giants' offensive strategy and potential coaching changes could impact Tracy's performance.

  "The Giants offensive line could be good... Jim Shane got another wrong name." ([17:21])

---

Mailbag and Listener Questions

While the episode primarily focuses on evaluating sophomore RBs, the panel also addresses listener inquiries related to draft trades and team management strategies.

• Trade Discussions: Debates on trading draft picks for players like Anthony Richardson highlight the complexity of balancing upside potential with stability.

  Dave Richard: "There's no win for me in that regard to take the second round, take a pick in round two for a quarterback that still has top 10 upsides." ([36:39])

• Team Management: Strategies for optimizing team rosters by leveraging player strengths and addressing weaknesses are discussed, offering valuable insights for fantasy managers.

---

Final Thoughts and Conclusions

The Fantasy Football Today panel concludes that while the sophomore RB class presents several high-upside candidates, fantasy managers should approach drafting these players with a balanced perspective, considering both their potential and the risks associated with team dynamics and individual performance consistency.

"Does his rush efficiency dip by a full yard? Well, if he's 4.4 yards per carry and he's only getting, what, 240, 250 carries, that's still good." ([22:44])

Ultimately, integrating these sophomore RBs into fantasy rosters could provide significant rewards, especially in leagues where depth and flexibility are crucial. However, careful evaluation and strategic drafting are essential to maximize their potential benefits.

---

Notable Quotes:

• Jamey Eisenberg ([03:50]): "There's not a lot of players that I look at and say these are going to be fantasy studs..."
• Heath Cummings ([17:21]): "Jim Shane got another wrong name."
• Jamie Eisenberg ([15:11]): "Can you really count on him to average over 5 yards per carry?"

---

Closing Remarks: The panel hints at upcoming discussions on FFT Dynasty rankings and more detailed mock drafts in future episodes, ensuring that listeners stay informed and prepared for the fantasy football season ahead.

For more insights and detailed analysis, tune in to the next episode of Fantasy Football Today.

Transcript

[Adam]

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[Heath]

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[Heath]

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

[Adam]

So we follow up our discussion of soft receivers with a discussion of sophomore running backs. The Class not quite as good as the wide receiver class. But you know what, I'm going to give you a little optimism in just a second. We welcome you here to fantasy football. Today we got the full gang. Adam here with Dave, Jamie and Heath is about to hop on. I've got an email about mailbox height that I think he'll find interesting. But yeah, Bucky, Irving, Tyrone, Tracy, they were the only ones who really were must starts at any point as rookies last year. But that doesn't mean that the sophomore seasons won't be good. Good morning, guys. Heath has now joined the show and. Yeah, what do we think? You know, what was interesting about this class is that these guys, they didn't really get their opportunities because running backs just stayed pretty healthy last year. James Connor stayed healthy and James Cook stayed healthy except for one game. And then Ray Davis had a big game, Devon H. And stayed healthy. But when we look at this class, do we, do we still see a lot of potential from this sophomore class? And that's obviously the funny thing is Jonathan Brooks was the first guy drafted and we probably don't see a lot of 2025 potential for him. But Dave, what do you think about the class?

[Jamie]

I think it's okay. There's not a lot of players that I look at and say these are going to be fantasy studs for four plus years. I think we can, I think we can get close to that with Bucky. I don't know if we can get there with anybody else. Maybe you can kind of like really squint hard and see it with Trey Benson. Maybe you cross your fingers with Jonathan Brooks. There's question marks about so many of these guys. It makes it really hard to view them as all right, long term. I don't think so. 20, 25. Okay, now we can talk about, you know, opportunities for Tyrone Tracy. Maybe Ray Davis sees his role increase a little bit. Maybe Isaac Garendo elevates to the number two running back in San Francisco, which means by like week seven, he'll be the number one running back for San Francisco. Benson, maybe something there. Marshawn Lloyd, something there. But I, I think that's the rosiest I can get is there are a bunch of names for 2025 who can be draftable, not necessarily good for fantasy.

[Adam]

All right. This time last year we were, you know, we had some enthusiasm about Chase Brown, for example, but he was a year two guy who didn't do much as a rookie. It just, for some of these guys, it just takes opportunity. All right, with that said, let's do some quick questions here. What do you like better as a Val? What's up, Heath?

[Heath]

Okay, what's going on?

[Adam]

Oh, I saw your face that I missed something. You.

[Heath]

I don't think you missed anything at all. I think you're doing a fantastic job. I'm really enjoying the show.

[Adam]

Okay, who is Teeth?

[Jamie]

He's saying nice things about Adam.

[Adam]

He's got this look on his face like he's gonna bring the sarcasm sledgehammer today. All right, let's go to. Let's go to our first quick question. What's a better value? And this is based on the draft we did last week. Bucky Irving in round two or Tyrone Tracy in round six?

[Dave]

So Bucky Irving around.

[Jamie]

It's Bucky.

[Adam]

I like that. I mean, I don't like the cell answer necessarily, but I like the discussion we could have off of it. By the way, this is a 12 team PPR leaguers, half PPR. Bucky Irving, round two. Tyrone Tracy, round six. You say sell Heath.

[Heath]

Yeah, I think, like Bucky in round two is. Is fine. I think he could be a borderline RB one. I think the problem for a lot of this class, like you talked about, they didn't get opportunity because the guys in front of them didn't get hurt. The other problem is there's a class of running backs coming in that might have six guys that would have been RB1 last year. Like, there's just enormous danger over the next month or two for these running backs.

[Adam]

Yeah, but you don't like Tracy in round six. That's too early for you.

[Heath]

I think Tracy is one of the scariest ones because. And then round six is. I think he came out close to a borderline RB2 for me, a low end RB2. But he's. He's scary out for the obvious reasons. One, the draft class. I just said. Two, he did have the fumbling problems last year, and he wasn't exactly a workhorse running back or viewed as a workhorse running back coming into the year, coming into the NFL. So I think there's a. There's a real risk that the Giants still think they need the number one running back.

[Adam]

Tyrone Tracy Jr. Was the number 16 running back per game in the last 13 games of the season. That was after four games with Devin Singletary. Singletary got hurt after that. Tracy was number 16 running back per game, but on pace for only 235 carries. We'll talk more about that a little bit later. Next quick question. Who is your RB3 in this sophomore class.

[Dave]

Trey Benson.

[Adam]

All right, I'll just throw out some other names. Jalen Wright.

[Dave]

It's. It's Benson, Wright and Garendo for me, but it would be Benson ahead of the other two.

[Jamie]

You could throw Braylon Allen in that mix as well as I have it ranked today. Garendo is ahead of Benson and I.

[Heath]

Mean, we'll see what the Raiders do. You might be able to throw sincere McCormick in that mix.

[Adam]

Yeah. Okay, next quick question. Oh, sorry, sorry.

[Jamie]

No, please continue.

[Adam]

Who other than Irving and Tracy could become a must start running back without an injury to a teammate?

[Dave]

Without an injury, you can say no one. I think if. If the Dolphins go back to what they did two years ago, it could be Jalen Wright.

[Heath]

Yeah, I mean, I guess I said McCormick.

[Jamie]

I mean, is there a world where Kimani Vidal takes a step forward this off season? The Chargers don't bring back Dobbins. I think Gus is a free agent too, so they don't even bother with Gus. And no, Gus could be a cap casualty and then they don't draft at the position and Vidal just falls into a huge opportunity. I'd say I'd lean heavily against that, but I guess it's possible.

[Heath]

I guess that same thing is possible for Rodrick Estimate, right?

[Dave]

Yep.

[Adam]

Yeah.

[Jamie]

Yeah, but they. They talk about adding a versatile player to the offense. They call it a joker. Just somebody that can line up anywhere. And that could be a tight end. It could be a running back. I would imagine that there are enough running backs in this class. To your point, Heath, that would make Audrey Estimate pretty obsolete.

[Adam]

Right. But you can't make the argument for Vidal and not for estimate. Right. Because you could say the same thing about Vidal. There's so many. I mean, Vidal didn't do anything. He's like a lady.

[Jamie]

Give him credit for one nice catch. Okay.

[Adam]

He could be replaced, though, easily. But, you know, maybe they don't get replaced. Who is an injury away from being a fantasy star?

[Dave]

Grindo, Garendo, Benson, Wright, Corum, Davis, Braylon, Allen. Allen, Will Shipley.

[Adam]

I don't know. That's. If that's what the appeal is of this class. It's the same exact thing as last year. They're handcuffs right now. By the way, here's our email of the day @ fantasy football cbsi.com you want to send us an email, hit us up@Fantasy FootballBSI.com that is the letter I. This is from Paul Garafa. The United States Postal Service requires that the bottom of a mailbox be between 41 and 45 inches above the road surface. The height is measured from the road surface to the inside surface of the mailbox or to the lowest edge of the mail entry. Also, mailboxes should be set back 6 to 8 inches from the curb or road edge. I just paid someone to fix my mailbox because I was too lazy to do it myself. Can we get an update, Heath, on your mailbox situation?

[Heath]

I, you know, it's interesting. I called the company to replace my mailbox. So I'm getting a new mailbox after three decades. At its current height it is now, it's now too low. It's shrinking. It's been there for three decades. It's set in concrete so it's not actually shrinking. But yes, it will be replaced in six to eight weeks. So I should only get three or four more letters before then.

[Adam]

How many do you think? How many more, how many inches higher is the new one going to be?

[Heath]

Well, I hope it's at least five inches higher.

[Adam]

Okay, that's what we need when you. Five inches.

[Heath]

Yep, we're five inches short. I apologize to all the people over the years who have had to bend over to put my mail in the mailbox.

[Adam]

Well, I'm glad this problem is being resolved. Okay, FFT Dynasty. What can you tell us about that? A little bit more exciting than the mailbox situation.

[Heath]

Yeah, yeah. I did a one man mailbag yesterday, answered questions for about 30 minutes and on Friday we will be doing some sort of rankings or mock of the rookies I'm writing today. My Pre combine top 12 rookies for dynasty purposes. And there will be six running backs in that class. I would imagine six running backs or maybe five that I have ranked higher than anybody but Bucky Irving in last year's class.

[Adam]

I am working on a pretty big trade in the big burger dynasty league. I'm not going to give any details because two of you are in the league. But I'm working on it. I'm hoping that we can talk about it. You know, that it can be executed and then you guys can tear it apart. But it would be good fodder for, for any show.

[Heath]

I received a really compelling email in that league about the ability for me to upgrade from Drake May to Jaden Daniels. So I was pretty excited about that. But then I realized that I tore my team down so much last year that I need all those picks. So I don't think I'm gonna do it.

[Dave]

Okay, well give us the parameters. I don't have to tell Us, the players or the.

[Heath]

Yeah.

[Dave]

Like is it draft picks or is it player? Like what?

[Adam]

Both. Oh, it's both. It's both.

[Dave]

Okay. You're, you're, you're trying to rebuild or you're trying to come back into it?

[Adam]

Yeah, I want to get back into it. I don't want to rebuild anymore. I tanked this past year. I have the third pick. When you're quarterback needy and you have the third pick, it's just not in a super flex league. You know, it's, it's not a great spot to be. I think Genti and Ward are going to be the first two picks and then I'm not taking Sanders third, even though the Giants will. I'm not going to. All right, let's take a quick break here and we will. We have a lot of NFL combine news and notes to get to, but when we come back, we're going to shine the spotlight on Bucky Irving and Tyrone Tracy and tell you what we think of them. We'll be right back on fantasy football.

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[Adam]

We did talk about Bucky Irving a lot I think last week, but we're going to do it again. So Bucky Irving finished as RB20 per game, but from weeks 10 through 18 he was RB6 per game. He was on pace for not a ton of work with 264 carries, 51 catches. But quick math here, about 1950 total yards and 11 touchdowns. He was unbelievable. Scored 16.3 or more PPR fantasy points in seven of his last eight games, including the postseason. So every. Is everyone cool with Bucky Irving going in the middle of the second round where he went in our last draft?

[Jamie]

Yes.

[Dave]

Yep.

[Heath]

As of now, I don't think there's anything wrong with it. I don't know that I would. That I'm going to be drafting him at like 18 or 19, but he belongs in round two.

[Adam]

What's your hesitation with him?

[Heath]

Just I think the history of day three or UDFA running backs who have had really good rookie years and then kind of disappeared and it particularly the fact that he was a day three pick and like a day there's gonna be some day three running backs this year that in most years should go would have gone day two, but there's just so many good running backs that there aren't enough teams that want to take them there. That was not the case last year at all. It was. We talked to all this time of year last year we were talking about how it was a great wide receiver class but a really, really weak running back class. I don't think anybody had a running back in the first round of the rookie mocks at this time of year. Jonathan Brooks maybe eventually got there in some formats, but the, the fact that he, he was a day three pick in a class that wasn't very good. It gives a little bit of pause now the fact that they kept their head coach. I think Jamie and I have talked about this a lot. It seems like a lot of those guys that fall off, there's a coaching change there. There wasn't a head coach change, but there was an offensive coordinator change.

[Adam]

Okay, is anybody else bothered by that? Because Tracy and Irving both day three picks. Tracy was a fifth round pick, Irving a fourth round pick. And it definitely occurred to me, I mean, yeah, I think about Damien Pierce, I think about Ramandre Stevenson. Not that he had such a great rookie season, but just, you know, hasn't has kind of teased us, I think about Kyron Williams on the other end of this. You go back to Alfred Morris had a great rookie season. Jordan Howard, James Robinson. So is anybody, anybody bothered by draft season? What's that?

[Dave]

Kyron didn't have a good rookie season.

[Adam]

Oh, that's right. You know what, I'm sorry. He had 35 carries as a rookie, did nothing. But is anybody bothered by, by this, by him being a round four pick?

[Dave]

I mean, look, you're gonna have to, you know, nitpick, nitpick players in certain regards. And so, you know, in, in the case of, you know, his pedigree, you know, I don't think anybody expected him to be a workhorse running back right away. I think a lot of people thought that he would be more of a third down, change of pace type of guy and then maybe he can work into a bigger role. He still has competition. You know, Rashad White's not going to necessarily disappear, I don't think. You know, so will it be more of what we saw when Bucky Irving was going, that Rashad White was, was much more of a non factor? I, I would hope that's the case, you know, based on how things worked for the Bucks. The run game was fantastic and it did kind of coincide when he took off was, you know, the injuries to Mike Evans and Chris Godwin. So, you know, how does a new offensive coordinator going to sort of operate, you know, especially if Godwin's back and now you have McMillan and so is it a Baker Mayfield attack and, you know, the run game sort of supplements it or as a run based offense and the passing game sort of works alongside of it, you know, so they did have a lot of success running the ball. He was a big part of it. But yes, there is a little bit of, okay, can he sort of disappear? Does somebody else emerge? You know, you heard the new offense coordinator come in and still mention Sean Tucker's name too. So, you know, could he also have maybe a role on top of the other two guys? Again, these are things that are minor concerns for me, but I still think it's something to, to sort of factor in. In the case of Tracy. No, I think Heath was alluding to this. You know, the Giants just went through a season where they watched the running back leave that goes on to go for 2,000 yards, have an MVP campaign, win a Super bowl, and do they want to sort of find that again if they have the ability to, to get that sort of workhorse type of running back. Tracy filled that role for them last year, but also is not necessarily something maybe that ownership wants, you know, so this could be Brian Dable, Jim Joshane. I would say Jim Shane got another wrong name. Joe Shane and, and Dable, you know, going with one philosophy and, you know, Mera kind of coming in saying, no, I want a featured running back in a class that has several of them. So we'll see how, you know, they sort of attack the draft. I don't think free agency is going to be something that, you know, makes, makes a lot of sense to replace Tracy and Singletary. But can they Go and maybe find somebody else that could be more of a Saquon Barkley type of player. Now that would probably be Gentian and, and you know, maybe another one or another guy or two at the top of the list that, that can fill those sort of qualities. But to me it's genti or bust in terms of that comparison. But in any event, you know, they, they could obviously, you know, surprise us. This could be one of those teams like, oh, why did they draft running back? And then, you know, we, we sort of play it out as season goes on.

[Adam]

Yeah, like if the running back in the fourth round is the best player available, they might take a running back.

[Dave]

Right.

[Adam]

It's not like a huge investment, but.

[Dave]

It could also be the second round. You know, if that's something that they.

[Adam]

Deem, I'd be surprised, but I would too.

[Dave]

But you know, again, we're going to have one or two surprises on draft day that are like, oh, they didn't need that. Maybe they did.

[Adam]

Of course, Bucky Irving back to him was just so good. 5.4 yards per carry, just some of the best advanced metrics. He's very small though, Dave. We don't really talk about that. And perhaps he is not equipped for a full workload. I think we've kind of been alluding to that. But he did have, let's see, his last, what, six games, 25 carries, 15, 16, 20, 19, and then 17 in the playoffs. I don't know. What do you think about that? You think he gets close to a 300 carry pace?

[Jamie]

If he keeps up the efficiency from last year, there's no doubt he will. And I, I think that's really what it comes down to with Bucky Irving is can you really count on him to average over 5 yards per carry? Can you really count on. Let me bring up his numbers on my computer real quick. He dominated. I have all the rookie numbers, all the running back metrics. He dominated that position. He had almost a thousand rush yards after contact over the course of the season. Can he keep that up again? He had an explosive rush rate of 9.4%. That wasn't even best at his position among the rookies, but it was great. Can he do that again? Can he avoid 27? Can he have an avoided tackle rate of basically 28%, second best among rookies, rookie running backs. Can he do that again? And can he do all of that while still rarely seeing 60% of the snaps for the Bucks? He played 60 or more of the snaps in three games all year, including the playoffs. So I don't. I. I worry about that changing. I don't know if he's gonna play. I. I don't think he's going to be used as a workhorse. I think the Bucks know that using multiple backs is a good idea. Rashad White is certainly capable of being a guy that works in tandem with Bucky Irving as a fantasy manager. I've got to be okay with Bucky Irving not being on the field 70% of the snaps. He might not even be there 60% of the snaps most weeks, just like he was in last year. And so it comes down to. Does his rush efficiency dip by a full yard? Well, if he's 4.4 yards per carry and he's only getting, what, 240, 250 carries, that's still good. It's not amazing. Does he score as many touchdowns? He had eight rushing touchdowns last year. I don't know if that's so good. I don't think that number can come back, but I don't think.

[Adam]

Wait, you don't think he can get to 8 next year?

[Jamie]

No, I think he might be able to, yeah.

[Adam]

But I'm. But in weeks, 10, if I.

[Jamie]

If I'm making a pessimist case for it, I would say that he. If he's not as efficient, if it all falls down, he's going to be a bust. And so the question you really have to ask yourself with Irving is, can he keep up this efficiency?

[Adam]

And.

[Jamie]

And I wouldn't look at, you know, history of other running backs and. And what they've done. I would. I. I intend to study him. I happen to be a fan of the offensive line in Tampa, and I think that'll absolutely help him. I think it helped him last year. And if. If he just gets the opportunities that he had last year, same types of opportunities, I think the efficiency comes down a little bit, but not to the point where he's a total dude. But you've got to agree with me, in order to take Bucky Irving in.

[Heath]

Round two, this is a perfect time of year for the Bucky Irving discussion as well, because I think if you look at what people thought of Buck Irving last year in February and before the combine, they were a lot more excited. And then he went to the combine, and he weighed in really light, and he didn't run particularly fast, and everybody got scared, and he overcame all that, and it didn't seem to matter at all last year. But there's a reason. There's a reason that he fell. I think if his combine had been better, he may have been a day two pick and this conversation may be a lot different.

[Adam]

Yeah.

[Jamie]

How many running backs went before him?

[Adam]

Six or seven? I'll, I'll take a look, but right.

[Jamie]

Look, I think, I kind of think that hand in hand with oh, Bucky Irving went in round four. Watch out. I just feel like all the running backs last year were very much devalued.

[Adam]

He was the sixth running back. His Brooks, Benson, Corum Lloyd, Jalen Wright, Bucky Irving and then Will Shipley. So yeah, he, he. By the way, you mentioned the avoid rate. I just want to mention his college numbers. This is Bucky Irving specialty appears to be avoiding tackles. In college he had an elite avoid rate 2 years in a row and then he back that up and he also, if you watch him, I watched a lot this morning, this guy is, he is small, but he does not shy away from contact, which worries me a little bit. But he breaks a lot of tackles. He's pretty physical guy, but like that. I think one of the difference between him and Tyrone Tracy, Tracy's not really a tackle breaker. He wasn't anyway as a rookie.

[Jamie]

No.

[Adam]

But Irving is much more physical even though he's smaller. Tracy though, I think has better speed. You can see on some of his breakaway runs he's pretty damn fast. I think he ran like a 4, 440 something somewhere around there.

[Dave]

Former receiver.

[Adam]

He is a former receiver. Bucky ran a 4 5, 4, 45 5, 40 yard dash. So. All right, so that's Bucky Irving. There are definitely some risks. You're not going to see a lot of running backs like he went back to back with Josh Jacobs and you think about the role Rashad White plays versus anyone else on the in that packers backfield and that's the difference. Right. You don't have to worry about competition for a guy like Josh Jacobs. Who would you guys take, Bucky or Josh Jacobs?

[Dave]

Jacobs.

[Heath]

Jacobs.

[Adam]

All right, let's go to Tyrone Tracy Jr. Here. And the running backs that went around where he went in round six were James Conner, Brian Robinson Jr. Ramondre Stevenson, Travis Etn, Aaron Jones, J.K. dobbins. Pretty big run on running backs actually. Connor Tracy, Brian Robinson Jr. Ramondre ETN, Aaron Jones, J.K. dobbins. Jamie, what do you think about Tracy amongst that group?

[Dave]

I think this is where he belongs, but I would take him ahead of most of these guys. You know, I think you just look at opportunity and hopefully an offense that's going to be trending in the right direction. I Still think the Giants offensive line could be good. The tackles can stay healthy, and so that's a big if. But, you know, if those two guys can stay on the field for an extended period of time and you have competent quarterback play with what Brian Dable should be able to accomplish with this team, there's a lot to like about his situation because I think he could be a good pass catcher out of the backfield. I think he proved that he's a better talent than Devin Singletary. He's brought up the fumbles. That's something he has to work on. But I think that comes with growing into the position and understanding what to do with that role because again, converted college receiver, going to the NFL as a running back, you know, and showed that he can handle the position, I think, and handle it well. So there's explosiveness. There's, you know, hopefully an offense on the rise. That's the question, you know, at least for me, the biggest question. But there are things to like about the situation. But again, as we, we've said there, there's. There's an opportunity here for the Giants to maybe add to this backfield because while Tracy did well as a rookie and Singletary has proven to be a competent running back, there's a franchise here. I think after everything that's happened over the last couple of years, from Barclays presence there to the loss of. Of Saquon and what he did, going to arrival, that we could see this franchise wanting to bring back that type of level of production from that position and, and maybe finding somebody in the draft.

[Adam]

Yeah. I think for the purposes of today's show, I. Maybe we should not kind of talk about. Well, they could add another running back.

[Dave]

Sure.

[Adam]

Because that. Right. That could apply to just about anyone we discussed.

[Dave]

Yeah, no, no, I, I wasn't, I wasn't making that case, you know, kind of piggybacking what he said.

[Jamie]

Yeah, but it's more likely that the Giants do something like that than the Bucks.

[Adam]

Yeah, yeah, I agree. But I think every other team that we're going to talk about today with these sophomore running backs could probably add a running, you know, wouldn't be shocked if they added some competition.

[Heath]

Yeah. If you just make that blanket statement, then I think that pretty much like it could apply to all of these guys. The, the difference is like a lot of these guys are being going to be drafted in round eight or later as backup running backs anyway. So it's not like you're, it's. It's how much do you want to risk on Tyrone Tracy with that potential. The other thing is, I don't really know who he is yet. His performance last year were so uneven in almost every regard. He had some stretches where he was really efficient as a rusher. He had some stretches where he was highly involved in the passing game. And he had some stretches where both of those things were completely awful. And the Giants are most likely still going to be one of the worst offenses in the NFL and have. I think, Adam, you probably know this better than I do. Probably the most difficult schedule in the NFL next year.

[Adam]

I wouldn't know. But why would you say that?

[Heath]

Well, first off, they are the worst team in the NFC east and they have to play the Eagles twice and the Commanders twice. But I think also their div. If I remember correctly, and Dave can look at it right now, I think their divisional matchups are pretty awful next year as well.

[Jamie]

NFC North, AFC west and then Niner, Saints, Patriots.

[Adam]

It doesn't sound great. Yeah, doesn't sound very good. And. And when they got blown out, I mean, you look at Tyrone Tracy and why he had a pretty low total of carries. There were four games last year where he had like, this is after the Devon Singletary injury. He had single digit carries. He may have like six ish carries and they got blown out in three of them. So there were definitely some game script issues there. I think the game that stands out to me, man, was that New Orleans game. New Orleans was an absolute joke of a run defense. And can you scroll down Thomas on Tyrone Tracy's player page? And this looked like such a great spot for Tracy. It was later in the year, it was like week 15ish. We'll get to New Orleans. There it is, week 14. 16 carries for 45 yards and it ends up being a good game. 19.3 yards, but 19.3 fantasy points. But yeah, 16 carries for 45 yards against the Saints. This was a whole stretch in his last six games of the year. He averaged quarterback that game, I think Drew Lock. I mean, does it throw a dart? Throw a dart at it like it doesn't matter? DeVito lock, whoever.

[Dave]

Week 17, please.

[Adam]

Week 17. 20 carries for 59 yards against the Colts. Right?

[Dave]

Like, yeah, but we just move on from that one.

[Adam]

Colts DST Anyway, what was I gonna say? Yeah, he averaged 3.3 yards per carry in his last six games. He really slumped. I don't know what that was about. I don't know what to make of that. But there were actually some pretty damn good matchups in that stretch. So it was Drew Locke in that.

[Jamie]

Game against the Saints. Locke was also their leading rusher that game. He had a quarterback rating of. He had a quarterback rating of 48.6.

[Adam]

Oh my gosh.

[Heath]

And that could have been the rookie wall. Like he had 192 carries last year. His career high coming into last year was 113 carries. So.

[Jamie]

Right, right.

[Heath]

He probably hit that marked receiver.

[Adam]

Good point. Right. Good point. All right. Well, all right, I'll finish with this. Would you rather have James Connor or Tyrone Tracy.

[Dave]

Connor? I think it depends on the build of your team.

[Adam]

I'd rather have Tracy Brian Robinson Jr. Or Tyrone Tracy.

[Jamie]

Brian Robinson as of now.

[Adam]

Ramandre Stevenson.

[Jamie]

Another thing on Tyrone Tracy, he turns 26 years old this year.

[Adam]

Yeah, that's during the season. He's in his PR honestly, he's in his prime. Like that's a great. 26 is a great year.

[Jamie]

That might be great. But this is year three of him as a running back.

[Dave]

I think. I think if you're looking for a comp, it's Antonio Gibson. You know, a guy that's got a lot of upside. Converter receiver. He may never do anything significant in the league, but he could have some moments where he's going to be productive. Like this feels like such a team that's gonna find somebody else.

[Adam]

Yeah, I don't like that Antonio Gibson comp. But what I'm just. But he did not end up being a good running back. All right, we're gonna take another break, get to some combine news and of course talk about all of the other relevant running backs, including sincere McCormick who might just be third best. Who knows? We'll be right back on FFT.

[Heath]

Daredevil is born again on Disney Plus. Why did you stop being a vigilante?

[Adam]

The line was crossed. Sometimes peace needs to be broken. Chaos must reign.

[Jamie]

On March 4th, the nine episode event begins.

[Dave]

I was raised to believe in grace.

[Jamie]

But I was also raised to believe in retribution.

[Heath]

Marvel Television's Born Again. Don't miss the two episode premiere March 4th only on Disney.

[Adam]

I can say to my new Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra, hey, find a keto friendly restaurant nearby and text it to Beth and Steve.

[Jamie]

And it does without me lifting a.

[Adam]

Finger so I can get in more squats anywhere I can. 1, 2, 3.

[Jamie]

Will that be cash or credit?

[Adam]

Credit.

[Heath]

4 Galaxy S25 Ultra, the AI companion that does the heavy lifting. So you can do you get [e-mail].

[Adam]

Compatible with select apps.

[Heath]

Requires Google Gemini account.

[Adam]

Results may vary based on Input check responses for accuracy. All right. A lot of stories coming out of the combine. The Colts want to have an open competition at quarterback with someone who's not on their roster right now, so they want to bring someone in and make Anthony Richardson compete. And I don't think we need to.

[Dave]

See what Chris Ballard said. I think so about it, that it doesn't have to necessarily be somebody that's stylistically the same, so it could just be a whole different player, which just the whole thing makes no sense.

[Adam]

You know, the thing about Richardson is like, they've been pretty open about several things. His preparation wasn't really good enough. He. Chris Ballard, I think it was. Chris Ballard was saying he came into the NFL, didn't exactly realize the weight of the quarterback position. They're going to work on his mechanics. And I think there's. Obviously there's been a mental side of it that he hasn't. That Richardson hasn't mastered just in terms of the preparation. So maybe that gives you some hope. It's not that he's such a bad player, it's that he has to prepare a little bit differently, maybe.

[Dave]

I think according to the reports, he got the wake up call when he got benched.

[Adam]

Yeah.

[Dave]

So he started, you know, being first guy in the building, those type of things that you like to hear and staying late, you know, doing more, you know, film study, all those things. But it's sad that it maybe took that situation to, you know, bring that to light. Look, he's got a very small window to hopefully maximize his earning potential and prove that he belongs in this league. And, you know, that this may be his final chance, maybe final chance for Chris Ballard, too. The other thing that came out of what he said was they want to add a running back and a tight end. Tight end makes a ton of sense. You know, give. Give some. Some life to that position because it's been lacking for a long time in Indianapolis. But running back is interesting. You know, do they go and add somebody and. And make this an annoying situation for Jonathan Taylor is.

[Jamie]

Are they trying to add somebody to compliment Taylor or do they.

[Dave]

I would think more of a backup role because, you know, you pay Taylor, he was MVP candidate, you know, three years ago, didn't do anything wrong to, you know, I think warrant coming off the field very much. But their backup situation probably hasn't been ideal for the last couple years, especially injuries, so that makes more sense. I just, I just was reading a story out of Indianapolis and that was one of the notes they put. They said Chris Ballard's other needs that he address or whatever he said needs that he wants was tight end, running back and then stuff on defense.

[Jamie]

Yeah. Again, going back to what Heath said earlier about the running back class, it's very deep. There's a lot of good players at running back. You're going to see teams that already have an established running back get another one one because they're just, they're going to look at their draft board when they're on the clock in round three, four, five and say this is the best player. He's, he can help us. Let's get him.

[Adam]

Jamie, I have a question. In our dynasty League Super Flex, I've made this trade offer before and I. You turned it down. I'm pretty sure. I think it was this. Would you, maybe it wasn't this. Sorry. Would you take the third pick of round two for Anthony Richardson?

[Dave]

No.

[Adam]

He could be, he could be Justin Fields. He could be out of a job in a, in half a year.

[Dave]

Yeah, but there's, there, there's no win for me in that regard to take the second round, take a pick in round two for a quarterback that still has top 10 upsides.

[Adam]

Okay. But this is the 15th pick. It's not like a terrible pick.

[Heath]

There's zero chance anybody should even entertain that offer. It's an awful, awful offer. It's terrible.

[Adam]

It is not terrible.

[Heath]

It is 100 terrible.

[Dave]

Now if you were giving me something with that pick, then it's a different conversation.

[Heath]

I, I wouldn't take two of that pick. I wouldn't take three of that pick.

[Dave]

Well, like if he's so like in that league, I, I, I'm, I'm a competing team. So if he's giving me, let's say a, a veteran quarterback that's still starting, you know, to, to consider the upside of, and I don't know who that guy would be, but you know, it's not, it's not like a Stafford type of player but you know, like he wouldn't trade me Baker, but you know, you get the point. Like, you know somebody that's a, a mid, mid tier like Jared Goff and that pick for Richardson with the hope that Richardson turned things around.

[Heath]

All right, I was gonna say in the trade chart, the closest guy is Sam Darnold.

[Adam]

Right.

[Dave]

Like, I'm not doing that.

[Adam]

So the first five picks of round two last year in our rookie draft super flex rookie draft were Ricky Pearsall, lad McConkey, Trey Benson, Keon Coleman and Michael Penix Jr. Okay, so that, that's the caliber of caliber of player you could be getting.

[Heath]

With the third, there's a 20% chance you could get a better player.

[Adam]

Well, I, first of all I think I would take. I don't know who Anthony Richardson's trade value is pretty tough but I think no way would I take Trey Benson or Keon Coleman. I would absolutely take lad McConkey. I think I'd definitely take Michael Penix over him. Would I take Ricky Pierce all over him? It's very possible.

[Heath]

I wouldn't either.

[Adam]

Obviously there's a gamble here. I mean Anthony Richardson could be completely useless by this time next year. So Penix, I don't know. They invested a first round pick in him. They're going to just get away from him after one season? I don't think so.

[Dave]

Well, you're saying the same thing about the Colts after two seasons.

[Adam]

After two seasons, yes. And Richardson. No, but this would be, this would really be three seasons for Richardson compared to one for Pennix. Penn is three games. Well, I guess you said same thing. Richardson got hurt in his rookie year but Richardson's on thin ice. He's been horrible. He's been the worst quarterback in football. You could argue.

[Dave]

I'm not disagreeing with anything you're saying. Aside from the fact that you're, you're making this as Pennix is locked into being a guaranteed starter for 10 years when he's at the age that he's at.

[Adam]

I didn't say that. Much more secure than Richardson right now.

[Jamie]

Right. One of those guys might not be starting in 2026.

[Adam]

One of those guys might not be starting in 2025.

[Jamie]

One of those guys might not Be starting in 2025. Fair.

[Adam]

Don't tell me it's a terrible trade off. If you want to turn it down, turn it down. That is not a terrible trade off.

[Heath]

Awful trade off.

[Adam]

Dave, Dave, give me some support here, please.

[Jamie]

No, if you're just liquidating Anthony Richardson, you don't want him on your team anymore. You would hope to get that type of pick in return. But I think somebody who doesn't necessarily need a quarterback maybe does in a super flex would happily give up a round two pick for Richardson, knowing what his upside is. Yeah, but does it make you feel any better, Adam? His last five games when he came back from being benched he averaged over 20 per game.

[Adam]

That's the thing. I know he's going to be a better fantasy quarterback than actual quarterback but if he doesn't win enough games, if he turns the ball over, they're gonna bench. I'm not gonna say, well, he's scoring 24 fantasy points. They don't care if he's this, if he's throwing, if he's completing 47 of his passes, he's done. So there's so much, there's so much downside with Anthony Richardson.

[Heath]

I just think that like basically you're saying what could happen to Anthony Richardson is what did happen to Justin Fields.

[Adam]

Yeah.

[Heath]

Justin Fields value is not zero right now.

[Jamie]

Is Justin Fields way worse than the 15th overall pick?

[Adam]

Yeah. Would you take the, would you take Justin fields for the 15th overall pick?

[Heath]

Well, he's already gotten like had the thing happen to him.

[Dave]

Yeah.

[Adam]

But I actually said I think the.

[Heath]

15Th overall pick is definitely worth Richardson's floor. I agree. You're just not accounting for his ceiling.

[Adam]

Richardson's floor is worth a fourth.

[Jamie]

No one's pay for the ceiling though. That's the point.

[Adam]

No, I, I get it's a little bit of a low ball offer. I just don't think it's, it an awful trade offer. I don't even think, you know what I stand by. I think it's a fair offer and I think Justin Fields has been a better NFL quarterback than Anthony Richardson pretty indisputably.

[Heath]

He's played like 13 and a half games.

[Adam]

That's another problem, isn't it? Can't stay healthy. All right. Buffalo and Khalil Shakir agreed on a four year deal worth up to $60.2 million with 32 million guaranteed, according to ESPN. Khalil Shakir contract extension the Chiefs expect Travis Kelce to play in 2025. They're also optimistic about retaining guard Trey Smith and they want to bring Hollywood Brown back. You're definitely going to get a lot of people, general managers saying, oh, we love this guy. We want to bring everyone back right now. Speaking of which, the Buccaneers reportedly they want, well, not reportedly, they want to give Chris Godwin a contract extension. So they spoke glowingly of Chris Godwin. They want to bring him back. The Bengals intend to make Jamar Chase the highest paid non quarterback in the NFL. And they also want to get a long term deal done with T. Higgins. The Steelers want to get a deal done with Wilson or Fields before free agency starts. And they will tender Jalen Warren and they could resign Najee Harris. Again, everyone bring everyone back. Differences of opinion on Travis Hunter. Cleveland GM Andrew Barry sees him as a wide receiver first, whereas Tennessee head coach Brian Callahan sees him as a cornerback that they would use at times on offense and Those Browns have a.

[Jamie]

Lot of cornerbacks already on their roster. If they were to get Travis Hunter, they would use him more as a whiteout.

[Heath]

I just. You can't. And maybe he falls in the draft, but you can't take a guy that you think is going to play corner all the time and just occasionally help a wide receiver as a top three or four pick.

[Jamie]

Right.

[Heath]

Like, nobody drafts a corner that early.

[Adam]

I would say the opposite. I would say you can't draft a wide receiver with a top three pick. That you're only. The cornerback is a more premium position than wide receiver. That's debatable.

[Dave]

Both teams trying to drum up trade.

[Adam]

Interest go third, by the way. Or fourth.

[Heath]

How much do the top corners make?

[Adam]

Not as much as the top wide receivers.

[Heath]

So why is our corner a more premium position?

[Adam]

Yeah, I was thinking in the middle of my.

[Jamie]

The wide receiver.

[Adam]

In the middle of my sentence, I didn't really agree with myself. Derek Stingley went in the third with the third pick, but it used to be that way. But the wide receiver market has exploded. I don't know. I. What do you think? I. I think. I think corner. I don't know. I don't think there's. I guess there's not a big difference. To me.

[Heath]

The NFL thinks that wide receivers are more valuable.

[Jamie]

The top cornerback last year was Jalen Ramsey at 24.1 million a year. The top wide receiver, Justin Jefferson, 35 million a year. The NFL has spoken.

[Adam]

Yeah.

[Jamie]

Oh, gosh. There's like. There's at least 10 wide receivers that made more than Jalen Ramsey, basically.

[Heath]

Tackle versus guard.

[Adam]

Doesn't really seem to make sense, though.

[Jamie]

Because Travis Hunter wants to be a wide receiver.

[Heath]

Yeah, but isn't he going to the combine as a corner?

[Adam]

That's what.

[Dave]

Yes.

[Jamie]

Yeah. He wants to be paid like a wide receiver.

[Adam]

Aaron Rodgers, reportedly, according to the New York Daily News, prefers the Rams and he would bring Devonte Adams with him. Meanwhile, the Raiders are, according to the Las Vegas Review Journal, interested in Matthew Stafford. Diana Rossini of the Athletics says the Rams are comfortable with Jimmy Garoppolo as their starting quarterback. I've got. I've got him in the super Flex league. He's going to be more valuable than Anthony Richardson soon.

[Dave]

What are the Rams doing?

[Adam]

The commit. I'm not going to doubt the Rams. They seem to know what they're doing. The commanders have granted Jonathan Allen permission to seek a trade or defensive tackle. Eagles new offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo is going to call plays in 2025. The packers expect Christian Watson back sometime around mid season. Jaguars GM James Gladstone thinks that Brenton Strange will have a bigger role in the offense. And Gladstone will be graduating high school at the end of the year. If you have seen him, he's the youngest dad.

[Jamie]

Joey Gladstone was a popular comedian in San Francisco in the early 90s.

[Adam]

Do you think James Gladstone would draft a wide receiver in round one? I think he would. Thank you, Dave. Thank you.

[Jamie]

Cut it out.

[Adam]

Xavier Legate had foot surgery. The Ravens intend to keep Mark Andrews. They're optimistic about signing Ronnie Stanley. Their left tackle, Ashton Genti will not work out at the NFL combine, which bothers me, but bothers me a little bit.

[Jamie]

Why? Why does that bother you?

[Adam]

Because it reminds me of Marvin Harrison. I feel like if Marvin Harrison had gone to the combine, he would not have been the first doubt.

[Jamie]

He wouldn't have been the first receiver.

[Adam]

That's what I think. Right. And it's like, did he know something that.

[Jamie]

Oh, most of the time, these guys just want to protect themselves.

[Adam]

Yeah.

[Jamie]

He could work out as pro day. They know what he is not working out of the combine is not that big of a deal.

[Adam]

Well, I want his 40 time. That's what I want for genuine.

[Jamie]

It's probably out there on the Internet.

[Adam]

Yeah. I don't want to wait that long. The 49ers promoted Clay Kubiak to offensive coordinator. And ESPN's Jordan Renan said Kubiak have. Yeah, right. Multiple. According to ESPN's Jordan Renan, multiple leagues insiders think the Giants have their sights set on Shador Sanders. And I have my sight set on a new team for 2025. All right, let's talk. Would you say.

[Dave]

No, you don't.

[Adam]

I'm gonna be so upset.

[Heath]

I'm just so excited for Dion to be the coach in 2026.

[Adam]

Okay, let's talk about the other guys. Aside from being a hilarious, underrated.

[Jamie]

We're going back to sophomore running backs.

[Adam]

Yeah. Yeah, sophomore.

[Dave]

So we covered the class.

[Jamie]

Go ahead.

[Heath]

We didn't talk about them all.

[Adam]

Do we see any. Any players that are. Let me tell you something. James Cook was not a top 40 running back as a rookie. Okay.

[Jamie]

He was not.

[Adam]

I think that's all I've got.

[Heath]

Neither was Kyron Williams.

[Adam]

Kyron Williams, that's right. 35 carries as a rookie. So. But I was. But yeah, things happen, and we just need opportunities.

[Dave]

So I think that the interesting thing with these guys is. Is similar to this incoming class, except these guys are just more talented. But we've said it already, like, There were a lot of good running backs that just ended up playing behind players that did not give them opportunities to showcase their skills or they got hurt, like in the case of Marshawn Lloyd. But like Blake Corum doesn't compare to the high end guys in this class. But never got an opportunity, really. Trey Benson never got an opportunity, really. Braylon Allen, Ray Davis, their opportunities were minimal, you know, so Jalen Wright never really got an opportunity, you know, so it's going to be interesting to see when those guys do get opportunities this year, if they are still second on their team's depth chart, can they succeed? Because like Benson playing behind a 30 year old James Connor, like there's an easy path for him getting on the field. Jalen Wright's path has now been cleared because Raheem Mostert's been cut by the Dolphins. You know, Kyron Williams was relatively healthy the majority of last season, but he dealt with injuries each of the first two years of his career. So can he, you know, miss four games like he did in his second season when he was a breakout running back and then maybe Blake Corum, you know, sort of runs away with it. You mentioned the one game for Ray Davis, you know, Braylon Allen, who knows if he gets on the field, you know, so there, there's some opportunities here for some of these guys that again, good players, not superstars potentially. But I mean look what Garendo did in, in the, the couple of chances that he got, you know, he had, I think it was five games with double digit carries and four of them he was like 11 PPR points or more. So you know, did have the opportunity to prove himself in, in a small SA and clearly on a great team that features those type of opportunities for that position. But you know, Jalen Wright's in one in particular that, that is very intriguing to me just because of his feet.

[Adam]

Is Jordan Mason a free agent? What's his situation?

[Jamie]

He's a restricted free agent.

[Adam]

Jordan Mason was better than Garendo basically every, pretty much every metric. And, and he played ahead of Garendo.

[Heath]

Right.

[Adam]

I mean he was the preferred.

[Jamie]

He did.

[Adam]

So we have to see if they bring him back. But they don't say.

[Dave]

Keep in mind how everything started for them in the off season. Elijah Mitchell was ahead of both of them.

[Adam]

Also true, some roadblocks here for isis, for Isaac Garendo.

[Dave]

Well, Mitchell's a unrestricted free agent.

[Jamie]

Yeah, Mitchell won't be there. Mason will probably be there. They're going to low tender them and I'd Be shocked if another team paid him to come in. Especially again considering the draft class, considering the other free agents.

[Dave]

I was thinking, if you're the 49ers, like, you're not going to let those two guys leave. You're not going to let Mason leave. With Mitchell gone and McCaffrey being in the situation that he's in, so what.

[Heath]

What does that cost Dave on the low tender? Because if you really like this, I don't have that.

[Jamie]

I've got to look it up.

[Heath]

If you really like this draft class, couldn't you save a couple million bucks and let Mason go and just take a running back on day three?

[Jamie]

I'll have to look it up and see. I guess that's a possibility. But again, why would they do that when Mason was so good for them?

[Adam]

Last year, I would like to see more from Trey Benson. He really got only 63 carries, but he averaged 4.6 yards per carry, same as James Conner. Really good avoid rate. Very low rate of carries for zero or negative yards. Fantastic rate of carries for five or more yards. The underlying metrics, metrics were good for Benson. You can't make too much of it. It was only 63 carries. But when I looked further into, you know, like Ray Davis, Braylon Allen, Audric estimate, I didn't really see these guys. I mean, the numbers bear it out. They didn't really make a lot of big plays. Audrick estimate estimate had 76 carries and one of them went for more than 13 yards. It was a very weird 21 yard gain where basically they thought he was tackled, they stopped playing and he kept going. Braylon Allen had 92 carries. He had one carry longer than 12 yards, which was weird because I, I, I thought Braylon looked pretty good. He only averaged 3.6 yards per carry. But I, I, like, I don't know, I felt like he looked good out there on the field. I don't know if anybody shares that opinion. Some of his biggest plays came in the passing game, so, but, but, yeah, but these guys, they got their chances and they kind of showed what they were in college. They kind of big bruisers, not runaway players. Benson, on the other hand, we know kept. Everyone said he's the Ken Walker of this class. He's the Boomer bus, like, you know, could hit a home run on any play. So that still exists for Trey Benson and hopefully he gets the opportunity. Jalen Wright also. Jalen Wright definitely could be more explosive than some of these other guys. What do we think about Sincere McCormick and what do you think about McCormick and estimate, who do you think has a better chance of being the starting running back for their team?

[Jamie]

Oh, goodness.

[Dave]

Well, McCormick, if you want to say, you know, good moments as a rookie, like, whole new coaching staff coming in, like, that's not right ideal for him, especially the way that he got his chance when everybody was injured.

[Adam]

Yeah, he was pretty good, though.

[Jamie]

It wasn't bad. Yeah, and he's cheap. So Pete Carroll and the new staff there might look at him and say, okay, well, we'll keep him at least on the roster and. And see how he does. And Pete Carroll's the kind of coach that if you're the best guy, you're gonna play, doesn't matter how you came into the league. I'll say that six more times between now and the start of the season, but that's just how he is. And if McCormick can adapt, then he might be the more talented running back than estimate. SMA feels like more of a plotter than anything else.

[Adam]

I just. It's my favorite sound bite. I'm sorry. The dog.

[Jamie]

I'm in the middle of making a point and you're playing the dog.

[Adam]

Jamie's dog is barking, so. I don't know. I just wanted. I wanted him to have some company.

[Dave]

They're cutting down a tree behind my house, so the dog's going crazy.

[Adam]

There's a dog across the street from me that. That just.

[Heath]

Did you get approval before you cut on the tree?

[Jamie]

Important information on Sincere McCormick versus Audrick estimated and you are resorting to morning zoo antics on our show. We are the. We are the award winners for best audio show in an enterprise field, and this is what you do, Adam.

[Adam]

Isn't that right, Mr. Scream? Sorry. You know that reference. All right.

[Jamie]

I've got the tender offers for Jordan Mason.

[Adam]

Heath.

[Jamie]

I. I don't know if you care.

[Heath]

I do. Definitely.

[Jamie]

Lowest number would be 3.3 million. Second round value is 3.5. First round value is 7.5. Basically, being a restricted free agent means your. Your current team can either push you into free agency and let you go, have a nice life, or they can give you a one year contract offer at three different levels. Like the levels vary based on what compensation it would take from another team to sign you away. So the 49ers, let's just say they put the first round compensation on Mason. He's guaranteed 7.5 million. And if another team wanted to sign him, they would have to give up a first round pick for Mason. So if they really wanted to lock him up, they would commit 7.5 million to him.

[Heath]

No chance.

[Jamie]

Right. But if they think that a team won't even give a second round pick for Mason, then, then they'll give us.

[Heath]

I think the lowest tender. But I'm just saying like if I had the 49ers and I had Christian McCaffrey and Isaac Grinder on my team and There were maybe 15 running backs in this class that had the pedigree of a Jordan Mason, I would not pay $3 million to keep Jordan Mason.

[Dave]

Well, it's also their M.O. is they usually spend a day three pick on a running back almost every draft. And so you know that they could still do both. You know, again they have to start thinking post McCaffrey life anyway and Garendo's 24 and Mason is what, probably mid 20s. They're losing Elijah Mitchell, you know, so they may just do it again because yeah.

[Adam]

I got a couple of comments from the chat. Aaron Starr says I waited all podcasts to hear about my Bronco Boy Audrick and Adam. Breaks my heart. Did I break your heart Just because I said he doesn't run away from anybody. He's. I'll give you this, he had two carries inside the three yard line. He scored on both of them. He should probably be their goal line back. Unfortunately, Bo Nicks takes some of those as well. Javante Williams is a free agent. They expressed some interest in bringing him back, but it could just. I don't know why they would. I think there's, there's a reason to be estimate is not going to catch passes. He might be like a Gus Edwards in term, not that bad. But he might be like a 25 catch guy or it's going to be bad.

[Jamie]

He might be a young Gus Edwards.

[Adam]

But right. Like he could be. He could fill a role. Right. Does anybody want to be a little optimistic about Autric estimate He could.

[Jamie]

He could absolutely fill a role. And in the matchups where we think Denver will play with a lead and possibly have one of those short yardage opportunities, you could start Audric as a bye week running back maybe. Maybe even like a number three running.

[Dave]

Back could be the Mark Ingram in the Sean Payton offense. At best.

[Adam]

At best.

[Jamie]

That's like that is the ceiling.

[Dave]

Sure.

[Adam]

Someone also said isn't the Miami offensive line problematic and yes, yes it was last year. It's going to have some new faces this year. Toronto, well it sounds like they're moving.

[Dave]

Off from Toronto Armstead who might retire and then you know that's been their best Offensive lineman. So it's got. It's got to be a big point of emphasis. So I would imagine if they're shopping Tyree Kill, they're probably looking to either acquire a lot of assets to get draft capital for offensive line help or maybe trading for an offensive lineman or two or seven.

[Adam]

I got one email from Jerry O. I've got a middle of the pack team. My wide receivers are decent. Brian Thomas, London Addison, Shakir, DK Metcalf, Jerry Judy. It's pretty good. My running.

[Heath]

That's not middle of the pack.

[Adam]

No, it's middle back.

[Jamie]

If there's four teams in your fantasy.

[Adam]

League, my running backs are trash. I also have pick 103. Would it be worth trading 103 and Judy or Shakir for 101?

[Dave]

Yes.

[Heath]

Very, very quickly.

[Adam]

Or would you rather trade back for multiple picks and get some of the young running backs?

[Heath]

I want to go get Aston Genti if I can.

[Dave]

I think both are applicable. But I agree with Heath. I think if you can get the best player, especially if you have that type of receiving core and that's all you're giving up, you know, so you're. You're moving up two spots and you're giving up one of those receivers, which in the case of both could easily be not fantasy relevant to the level that you need. Yes.

[Adam]

Let me just for fun ask you this. He's got 103. Which wide receivers would you be willing to package with 103 to get 101? Brian Thomas Jr. Nope. Drake?

[Jamie]

Too much?

[Heath]

No.

[Dave]

Maybe.

[Adam]

Jordan Addison. Yes.

[Dave]

Yes.

[Adam]

DK Metcalf.

[Jamie]

If I had to.

[Heath]

Dk for sure.

[Dave]

Yep.

[Jamie]

Dk.

[Adam]

Just definitely not Thomas and probably not London. The other ones. Go for it. All right, that's it for fantasy football today.

[Dave]

We're gonna do two of them, too.

[Adam]

Like instead of pick 103.

[Dave]

No, 103 and two of those. I mean, look, if. If you feel like Genti puts you over the top, then you do it.

[Adam]

All right, we'll be. We're going to do FFT Express. We'll be back tomorrow with Justify it as we look at the results of a recent mock draft. Thanks so much for watching and listening fft. Talk to you tomorrow.

[Dave]

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[Heath]

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