Fantasy Football Today (08/27/2025) Episode Summary

Overview

On this episode of Fantasy Football Today, the team (Adam Aizer, Dave Richard, Jamey Eisenberg, Heath Cummings) dives into draft season hot topics, including "worst values," breaking down and ranking RBs 13-25, and quick-hitting "fill in the blank" questions to round out your rankings mindset. They discuss major news and injuries, how those influence ADP and strategy, and finish with a lively (and sometimes divisive) consensus ranking of the murky RB2 and RB3 tiers.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. News & Notes

• Caleb McGary Injury (Falcons RT Out for Season)
  • Impact on Bijan Robinson/Drake London: Minimal change in rankings. Jamey notes it could slightly sway close calls between top RBs or WRs but "those two guys in particular will still be good enough to produce at a very high level." [03:22]
• Najee Harris Off NFI List
  • Amari and Hampton drafted confidently in Round 4 by Heath in a recent draft; Najee’s return status is an open question.
• Matthew Stafford's Back Injury
  • Dave: “I like that I’m able to draft Nakua much closer to the 12 turn than I was a month ago…not a total killer for Nakua or Davante Adams if it comes to that.” [06:10]
  • Jamey: “If you’re investing in Rams receivers, you have to ask yourself how much you trust Jimmy Garoppolo, and maybe more, Sean McVay.” [07:00]
• Devante Adams ADP Drop
  • Currently WR19, between Garrett Wilson and DK Metcalf. Debate ensues about where to take him versus McLaurin, Wilson.
• Tajh Spears (Titans RB) to IR—Tony Pollard Value
  • Pollard moves up (RB20-23 range) but all are cautious due to potential Spears return and past inefficiency with large workloads.
• Roster/IR News
  • Christian Watson on PUP, Jacoby Myers not being traded (affecting Brock Bowers projections), other injuries and IR-eligible stashes discussed.

2. Worst Draft Values

The panel flags key players they feel are being over-drafted relative to their confidence or projection:

Kyren Williams (Rams RB) – RB18, 26th Overall

• Jamey: “Kyren is for you, the last of the top 12, right?” [17:20] — sees him as properly ranked but too early compared to similar RBs like Jonathan Taylor, Chase Brown, Bucky Irving.
• Heath: Comfortable at current ADP due to proven workload (“21 touches per game…basically a top 20 player each of the last two years”). [17:29]

Breece Hall (Jets RB) – RB17/18, 40-44 Overall

• Jamey: “He could be a trap back based on Justin Fields and what he does inside the ten. Reception total scares me… I’m definitely concerned.” [20:53]
• Value is improving as his draft position falls in recent weeks.

Aaron Jones (Packers RB) – RB22, 54th Overall

• Jamey: “I would take Harvey, Montgomery, Pacheco… a list of names I’d rather have.” [23:16]
• Dave: Would wait until Round 8 ("I'd rather take Mason in Round 8 than Jones anywhere before then." [23:57])

WRs: DJ Moore & Zay Flowers

• Both are viewed as being in crowded offenses or non-optimal schemes for voluminous fantasy output. "Zay Flowers...unless he spikes in TDs, won't give you more than the 12 PPR points per game he's given you the last two years." —Jamey [24:19]

Derrick Henry & Old RBs

• Heath: Warns drafters not to chase outlier RB aging curves: "Be careful thinking just because the old guys overcame decades of history last year that they're going to do it again this year." [25:27]

Others:

• Mark Andrews, Sam LaPorta, Josh Allen ("too early for any QB in the first two rounds"), Marvin Harrison Jr. (big PPR dropoff, limited layup targets), Michael Pittman (uncertain role and ADP rise).
• Brock Bowers: Dave says 19th overall is too steep unless targets spike (needs Jacoby Myers to be traded to justify that price). [35:04]

3. Key Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Jamey on Breece Hall's Value Drop:
  "If he continues to fall, absolutely, you should buy the dip. If you were taking him in round three...no way." [21:03]
• Heath on Old Running Backs:
  "Be careful thinking just because the old guys overcame decades of history last year that they're going to do it again." [25:27]
• Dave on Target Vol for Brock Bowers:
  "That’s really the crux of my argument—I’m worried Bowers won’t have 8.9 targets per game, and the number is going to come down." [37:49]
• Heath on Puka vs. London:
  "Even if we’re concerned about Matthew Stafford and you’re concerned about Jimmy Garoppolo, it’s not as if Drake London has a proven good quarterback. Someone we hope is good." [09:31]

4. Rankings & Sorting: RBs 13–26

(The “meat” of the episode—panel organizes the next batch of RBs after consensus top 12; group purposely debates boundaries and draftable tiers)

Full PPR "Consensus" Top 12 (as per show): Bijan, Gibbs, Barkley, McCaffrey, Genti, Henry, Achane, Jacobs, Chase Brown, Bucky Irving, Kyren Williams, Jonathan Taylor.

RBs 13-26 Pool:

James Cook, Omarion Hampton, Ken Walker, TreVeyon Henderson, Chuba Hubbard, Alvin Kamara, James Conner, RJ Harvey, Breece Hall, Tony Pollard, DeAndre Swift, David Montgomery, Isaiah Pacheco.

Panel’s “Round 3” RBs:

• Jamie: Hampton, Cook, Henderson
• Heath: Walker, Cook, Henderson
• Dave: Hampton, Cook, Kamara

Tiering/Cut-Offs:

• James Cook is in all their Top 3.
• Hampton and Henderson are consensus premium opportunities.
• Ken Walker, Kamara, Chuba Hubbard, RJ Harvey, Swift, Pollard, Conner appear in varying R4–R5 spots.

Notable Disputes:

• Kamara: Dave, Jamie in R3/R4; Heath in R5—“splits us up more than anyone else.”
• Pollard: Slipping due to Spears likely return and ugly 2024 performance; generally an end-of-group or later R5 pick.
• Pacheco: Adam higher ("am I alone on Pacheco island?"); both Dave and Jamie with Adam, Heath lower (sees committee risk, low ceiling).

Players Who “Make Them Nervous”

• Kamara (Jamey), Conner (Adam), Ken Walker (Adam & Dave), Breece Hall (general concern about usage behind Justin Fields).
• Heath about Pacheco: “...I am concerned Andy Reid goes back to the committee approach.”

5. “Fill in the Blank” & Rapid-Fire

Fun, practical insights make this segment a great snapshot of group-think:

• 3rd Pick?
  • Jamey/Dave: CeeDee Lamb.
• Starting RB-RB?
  • “I’m not going to reach for a WR in Round 3—going to hammer WR in 5-7.” [43:20]
• Devon Achane in Middle Round 2?
  • Ecstatic.
• If you draft Ashton Genti Round 1—Brock Bowers?
  • “Out” (Jamey); “in in Round 3” (Dave).
• Most-Commonly Drafted Players:
  Tyler Warren, Emeka Egbuka, Brock Bowers, Jerry Jeudy.
• Player That Would Give Indigestion:
  Justin Fields, James Conner.

6. Injury Stash & Waiver Advice

• Use CBS site’s injury report to scan for IR/PUP stash opportunities: Christian Watson, Taysom Hill (for deep format bench stashing).
• Adam notes roster % and the importance of mining for free injured players pre-draft.

7. Listener Questions & Name Games

• Debated the ADP rises of receivers (Pittman, Worthy), rookie outlooks.
• Team name puns and leftover league sign-up banter.

Timestamps for Important Segments

| Segment | Timestamp | |----------------------------------|------------| | Show overview & news | 00:21–04:48| | O-line injury impact | 03:22 | | Stafford injury/Nakua/Adams ADP | 05:49–08:51| | Drake London vs. Puka Nakua | 08:48–09:25| | Tony Pollard post-Spears injury | 10:44–11:40| | IR stashes/waiver advice | 12:29–13:58| | "Worst values" deep dive | 16:48–28:22| | Old RBs caution (Henry, Conner) | 25:27–28:22| | Marvin Harrison Jr. PPR dip | 29:10–30:41| | Michael Pittman ADP | 30:49–32:14| | Brock Bowers value debate | 34:49–38:37| | RBs 13–26 consensus/tiering | 47:43–53:32| | Pacheco vs. RB tier debate | 58:39–61:14| | Who makes you nervous? | 58:04–59:51| | Quick “fill in the blank” | 42:10–46:36|

Final Takeaways

• Elite RBs are a shallow tier this year; the RB13-25 range is as unpredictable/different in the panel’s eyes as ever.
• Heavy caution on investing in aging RBs at prior-year ADP—they almost unanimously fade Kamara, Henry, Conner.
• If you want stability, prioritize usage history and offensive line trust (Kyren, Cook, Montgomery get love for this).
• “Buy the dip” on players who fall precipitously (e.g. Breece Hall is acceptable at 50+ overall).
• Mid-round tight ends (outside David Njoku) generally seen as poor value.
• Panel is split on WRs like Puka, London, Worthy, Pittman; draft room trends and personal preference rule the 2nd/3rd tier WR world.
• Group still loves to have fun—smart fantasy talk with a side of friendly banter!

Notable Quotes

• Jamey: "If you're expecting [Brock Bowers'] production to spike because of Geno Smith and they're going to move the ball more...Bowers has more opportunity across the board." [39:36]
• Heath: "Kamara splits us more than anyone else." [51:47]
• Dave: "There’s a reason why these [RBs] are in the round 5+ range—the upside is still there, but so is the downside." [58:53]

This episode is an essential pre-draft listen for getting clear-eyed on this year’s toughest fantasy player values—particularly RBs outside the top ten—and getting a practical sense of current expert tiers and divergences.