2019 Rookie Review Show + MAN LUNGS - Fantasy Football Podcast

Summary

Fantasy Footballers Podcast Summary

Episode: 2019 Rookie Review Show + MAN LUNGS
Release Date: February 6, 2020
Hosts: Andy Holloway, Jason Moore (absent), Mike "The Fantasy Hitman" Wright

---

Introduction

In this episode of the Fantasy Footballers Podcast, hosts Andy Holloway and Mike Wright delve into an extensive review of the 2019 rookie class, analyzing their performances and projecting their potential impact in dynasty and keeper leagues. Although Jason Moore was absent, the dynamic between Andy and Mike ensured a comprehensive and engaging discussion, filled with expert insights and strategic advice for fantasy football enthusiasts.

---

Tight Ends: The Hunter Henry Conundrum

Andy and Mike kicked off the discussion by addressing Hunter Henry, a tight end whose performance has been inconsistent due to persistent injury issues.

• Hunter Henry’s Performance:
  Hunter Henry played 12 games in the past season, recording 55 receptions for 652 yards and five touchdowns. While he had a strong stretch from Week 6 through 11, his overall reliability has been questionable.
  Andy: “Is there a point where you're just moving on from Hunter Henry?” [04:25]

• Injury Concerns:
  Henry's injury history is a significant deterrent for fantasy owners. Mike highlighted, “But the hard part gauging the truth though is just he's a good player, he's a great tight end... but you don't know where he's going to be next year.” [07:23]

• Dynasty Decision:
  The hosts debated whether to retain Henry in dynasty leagues. While Andy was skeptical, Mike leaned towards retaining him at a low cost, acknowledging his potential if he finds a stable team environment.
  Mike: “If I could buy Hunter Henry low in a Dynasty league, I would 100% be doing that right now.” [10:26]

---

Quarterbacks: Rookie Potential and Projections

The quarterback position saw limited standout rookie performances over the past five seasons, with only three rookies finishing as top-tier fantasy quarterbacks.

• Historical Context:
  Only Jameis Winston (2015), Dak Prescott (2016), and Kyler Murray (2019) have finished as top 15 fantasy quarterbacks in their rookie seasons.
  Andy: “Over the past five seasons, only three rookie quarterbacks have finished as a top 15 fantasy quarterback.” [13:00]

• Kyler Murray’s Bright Future:
  Kyler Murray was highlighted as a promising quarterback with substantial rushing yards, making him a safe pick for future fantasy success.
  Mike: “I 100% see a bright future for Kyler...” [14:00]

• Other Rookies:
  Daniel Jones and Gardner Minshew were discussed regarding their potential, with Andy expressing concerns over Jacksonville’s quarterback situation impacting fantasy projections.
  Andy: “I'm taking Nick Foles as the starter... making Gardner a very, you know, difficult proposition for fantasy owners.” [18:02]

---

Running Backs: Promising Rookies and Reliability

The running back position offers more consistent rookie performances, with notable mentions including Josh Jacobs and Miles Sanders.

• Josh Jacobs:
  Despite an injury-shortened season, Jacobs showed potential with 19 attempts and 88 rushing yards per game.
  Mike: “Josh Jacobs had a very, very solid season...” [23:38]

• Miles Sanders vs. Josh Jacobs:
  While Sanders is talented, Mike preferred Jacobs due to his workload and potential for consistent performance.
  Andy: “I don't disagree. There is a situation there in Philadelphia...” [25:16]

• David Montgomery:
  Andy expressed caution about Montgomery’s inconsistent production despite high usage, suggesting the possibility of offloading him in dynasty leagues.
  Andy: “Yeah, yeah, I would probably try to offload him because the risk is very high.” [29:17]

• Devin Singletary:
  Recognized for his efficiency and big-play ability, Singletary was touted as a solid pick for the upcoming season.
  Mike: “He doesn’t make sense. He’s small... Devin Singletary feels like an outlier...” [34:12]

---

Wide Receivers: A Boon for Fantasy Owners

The rookie wide receiver class of 2019 was robust, with five rookies making it into the top 36 for fantasy points over the past five years.

• Top Performers:
  A.J. Brown, Terry McLaurin, Deebo Samuel, DK Metcalf, and Darius Slayton were spotlighted for their significant contributions.
  Andy: “This past year, it was a big year for rookie wide receivers... A.J. Brown, Terry McLaurin...” [40:03]

• Terry McLaurin’s Potential:
  McLaurin was particularly praised for his speed and intelligence on the field, despite being hampered by quarterback inconsistencies.
  Mike: “Terry McLaurin has completely won me.” [43:42]

• Hidden Gems:
  Deontay Johnson emerged as a sleeper candidate with impressive stats, while Noah Fant was noted for his big-play potential.
  Mike: “Deontay Johnson... incredibly on my watch list...” [53:09]
  Andy: “Noah Fant from a yards after the catch perspective...” [62:05]

---

Tight Ends: Rookie Struggles and Future Outlook

Rookie tight ends historically struggle to make a significant impact, with Evan Ingram being the only one to have a standout season since 2011.

• Evan Ingram:
  Ingram’s performance was lauded as the best among rookie tight ends, finishing with 173 PPR points.
  Mike: “Evan Ingram has the best rookie tight end season since 2011.” [62:05]

• Noah Fant and T.J. Hockenson:
  Fant was highlighted for his potential in the Denver Broncos’ offense, while Hockenson showed promise despite playing in a challenging Arizona Cardinals offense.
  Andy: “I like Noah Fant... Athletic profile next year has me interested.” [62:32]

• Kaden Smith:
  Smith’s late-season performance made him a noteworthy tight end for fantasy consideration.
  Mike: “Kaden Smith... ok, we're good.” [63:24]

---

Conclusion

Andy and Mike wrapped up the episode by reiterating the importance of understanding rookies' potential in different positions and how their situations can drastically affect fantasy outcomes. They emphasized the value of perseverance and strategic drafting in dynasty and keeper leagues, providing listeners with actionable insights to bolster their teams for the upcoming season.

---

Notable Quotes

• Andy: “Is there a point where you're just moving on from Hunter Henry?” [04:25]
• Mike: “If I could buy Hunter Henry low in a Dynasty league, I would 100% be doing that right now.” [10:26]
• Mike: “Evan Ingram has the best rookie tight end season since 2011.” [62:05]
• Andy: “I like Noah Fant from a yards after the catch perspective...” [62:32]
• Mike: “Deontay Johnson... incredibly on my watch list...” [53:09]

---

Final Thoughts

This episode serves as an essential guide for fantasy football managers aiming to navigate the complexities of rookies' performances. Through in-depth analysis and candid discussions, Andy Holloway and Mike Wright provide listeners with the knowledge needed to make informed decisions, ensuring a competitive edge in their respective leagues.

---

Tune into the Fantasy Footballers Podcast for more expert advice, strategic insights, and entertaining discussions to elevate your fantasy football game.

Transcript

[A]

Hey, Foot Clan. Before we start today's show, I want to remind you, you can go to ultimatedraftkit.com get in on the pre order for the 2020 Ultimate Draft Kit, which means that if you do that before March 1st, you got a shot at a listener league spot and a whole bunch of other perks. Check it out atultimatedraftkit.com.

[B]

Welcome to the Fantasy Footballers podcast with your hosts, Andy Holloway, Jason Mo, Mike Wright.

[A]

Welcome in.

[B]

Oh.

[A]

It'S a grizzly day.

[B]

Oh.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

Just wanted to keep making grunts. So the people on the podcast side.

[A]

Didn'T know if it was you or Jay Gris. Yeah, well, it's.

[B]

Well, they didn't know who was out.

[A]

Oh, okay. No, I get what you're saying. It was a mystery.

[B]

Mystery revealed.

[A]

It's.

[B]

It's not me.

[A]

No, it's Jason. Jason's out today.

[B]

Too bad.

[A]

Yeah. Thursday, February 6th. Mike and I, we have it on lockdown Rookie review show today. We'll talk about a few of the names that came up during the Truth, but really just about the whole rookie class. What took place this year, some historical context, how. I think this is very helpful for the dynasty keeper league player. Getting to kind of see how we project these rookie year performances because obviously, you know, we talk about the tight end position all the time. Right. Like having a rookie season at tight end that is meaningful for fantasies. Very difficult to do.

[B]

And I have some numbers that will shock you.

[A]

Okay. You don't want to reveal them now? No, they're more of a later.

[B]

Stay tuned.

[A]

Okay. How are you doing today, by the way?

[B]

Oh, I'm doing fantastic.

[A]

Have you recovered from the fact that we did a Spitballers episode that was just filled with us drafting sad movie memories I have that made an impact on me. We had to relive like 12 to 15 of the saddest movies of all time on into the night.

[B]

Yeah, I left work yesterday feeling like I was in a fight, you know, like I had fought a large man and lost.

[A]

I think that's why Jason's not here. He's just been crying. Crying continuously.

[B]

That's the thing about going to the now we're just talking about spitballers, but when you go to that verge, the edge of crying, but you don't actually cry.

[A]

That's worse.

[B]

It's like a. When you have to sneeze, but the sneeze doesn't come out except it is magnified by at least 300. So you just. You feel the whole day of like, man, I really should have. I should have cried. I held it back and now I just feel like crap.

[A]

Yeah, you didn't get that release correct. So I think like, we. Jason went home and he tried to watch Braveheart, so maybe he was trying to get his cry on at the end of that.

[B]

So if you want to witness us on the verge of crying, check out the Spitballers podcast. That'll be this Monday's, the upcoming Monday's episode.

[A]

All right. You can find us on twitter @the ffballers. We did put some new shirts [e-mail] including the new 2019 nickname shirt. We also have a Spitballer shirt up there and all of the championship swag. If you want to show off, if you want to brag about your illustrious title from last year, here's a quick question for the day. There was a player we didn't talk about on the Tight End Truth episode that we probably should have. But maybe by not talking about him, it says a lot. But Brooks wants to know what's the truth about Hunter Henry? All right. Hunter Henry, this past year played in 12 games. 55, 55 receptions, 652 yards, five touchdowns. Had a stretch from Week 6 through 11 where he was very good.

[B]

He was a beast.

[A]

But I mean, you had one game the whole year that he qualified as a great fantasy tight end.

[B]

That game was great, though.

[A]

His injury history is huge. Right. I mean, he's had an issue in each of the past three years. And I'm sitting here just looking at this career for Hunter Henry and he's a free agent now, but you're talking 478 yards, 579, 652, eight touchdowns to four to five. Is there a point where you're just moving on from Hunter Henry? Hunter Hentry, Hunter Henry's potential, not me. You're not?

[B]

No.

[A]

Oh, I am. I think I'm done. So.

[B]

See, I totally understand wanting to be done. Just the injury history of missing an entire season with an acl. I mean, getting hurt seemingly every single time every year that he has played. But I think that he is a great tight end. So I'm not just going to completely move on from that because we have seen guys, they're injury prone until they're not. Like, Hunter Henry could move on to a different team and to his credit, to talk about it. LA has had a hard time keeping people healthy. I'm not, I can't speak to their, the doctors on their staff or the way that they're training their sports medicine but them, seemingly like Washington, they just can't keep people healthy. The hard part gauging the truth though is just he's a good player, he's a great tight end, he's good blocker, he's a good pass catcher. But you don't know where he's going to be next year. Even if he's back in la, you don't know who his quarterback is going to be like. His range of outcomes is so large at this point.

[A]

Exactly. So I'm not asking you to retire Hunter Henry asking you to retire his potential for fantasy owners because for three consecutive years it hasn't paid out. It's kind of where I'm at. And then you mix in the variables, like if he was coming back to LA with Philip Rivers, who had, you know, isn't in decline, it's a different story for me. Right from a predictability standpoint because you still had what, seven weeks from week six on that he was a really good tight end for your fantasy team. And like you said, I think he's a talented player but at the tight end position you kind of can get stuck in this place of oh, this will be the year, this will be the year. And I guess I'm just not willing to take on the new court because it'll be a new quarterback no matter what it might be a new team. I'm not sitting there going, Hunter Henry is going to get hurt every year, but I think Hunter Henry is probably going to be a 50 catches, 70 target, 550 yard guy for the rest of his career.

[B]

Depends where he goes. I mean he, he could, someone could throw the bag at Hunter Henry and say, come be a focal point.

[A]

You think?

[B]

I do. I really do. His yards per game has gone up every year except for 2018 when he missed the entire year. But I really, really believe in the talent of Hunter Henry. And NFL teams take, they will take the chance on a guy who seems injury prone.

[A]

Well, Brooks put in some dynasty this or that questions with Hunter Henry and I am, here's the spoiler I'm taking. Not Hunter Henry on all four of them. Austin Hooper, Evan Ingram, Darren Waller, Mark Andrews. Are you taking Hunter Henry in a dynasty league over any of those four?

[B]

Probably not.

[A]

It feels like Hooper would be the one to think about, but I'm not going to do that.

[B]

Hooper's tough because I mean he's also a talented pass catching tight end, but he was a product of his offense and what's the probability that that sustains or goes down the probability of his opportunity going down, I think is greater than him remaining an elite fantasy tight end. And. But Evan Ingram, you could say the same thing about his injury history. But will it ever. Will it ever happen on a full year for Evan Ingram? I mean, I don't know. I don't know. And Darren Waller, he was. His breakout was at a much older age than we are used to for a tight end. Was that just a flash in the pan? We've seen seasons like that from tight ends, especially like Tim Wright. You remember Tim Wright.

[A]

Yeah, barely. Tampa Bay, right?

[B]

Yeah. So one of the things, as I was getting ready for the rookie show, I took a look back, you know, at the historical context of what it looks like to be a top. Have a top fantasy season for a rookie. Since 2011, Tim Wright has the second best fantasy season as a rookie tight end. And that dude just disappeared. He vanished into the clouds.

[A]

You want to know something shocking? I know you got shocking stuff coming, but I got something for you right now. Hunter Henry is younger than Evan Ingram.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

That is shocking to me.

[B]

Henry is. That's part of it. His breakout is so young.

[A]

They're both 25. So you're right. It is about the destination and whether you can kind of. Is the team bringing him in to be a centerpiece?

[B]

Right.

[A]

Is he coming into a situation where the quarterback looks to the tight end position frequently? Because he's certainly a very talented guy, a possession type of guy and a red zone type of player too.

[B]

I think he is more complete. He's a more complete player than Austin Hooper.

[A]

Is it asking a different question to say whether you would just be willing to go on that ride again versus like the possibility exists that he's good. But as a fantasy owner going on that ride for the last few years has been. It's been a bumpy one.

[B]

I guess what I'm saying. Dynasty. To give actionable advice here. If I could buy Hunter Henry low in a Dynasty league, I would 100% be doing that right now.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Taking. I will take the chance that he ends up somewhere that he's in a good situation. I can't guarantee he won't get hurt again.

[A]

Yeah. But that's just anybody.

[B]

Yep.

[A]

All right, let's talk some rookies.

[B]

Rookie review.

[A]

Remind me why you're. Is that special drop.

[B]

Doo doo doo doo doo doo doo doo. Isn't that 90210? I mean, definitely not.

[A]

No, that's rookie review.

[B]

Yeah. It just resembles like a 80s TV show. You could see it happening on an 80s TV show.

[A]

I could see that working being a theme song if you went back in time and applied it. See, I thought you were laughing because I feel like somehow all of your riffs are goofy movie. That's something just been hidden from a Goofy Movie.

[B]

No, there's. There's one, but it's not hidden very well. We'll be getting there a couple months from now.

[A]

Yeah. And speaking of, like, the Disney movie rankings pantheon, is that your Uno? Yes, it is.

[B]

Yes, that is.

[A]

And you watched it again the other day?

[B]

I did. It was. It was movie night. It was up to Dad's choice, much to the chagrin of my children for the 1200th time.

[A]

Do you rotate that choice? Does it go around the family and then like.

[B]

Yep.

[A]

And they get just carte blind. They can pick whatever they want. Everyone has to endure.

[B]

Yes. Unless I'm like, man, we're watching the Goofy movie again tonight. People have been overruled.

[A]

What was your choice the week before?

[B]

My last choice?

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

I don't know. My last choice was, like, a month ago.

[A]

A Goofy Movie 2.

[B]

No, Goofy Movie 2 is very disappointing. Extremely goofy movie. I mean, there's no songs.

[A]

It's.

[B]

Meh. It was.

[A]

You heard. You heard. Mighty Docs, Mighty Ducks is coming back.

[B]

Yeah. And Emilio is coming back.

[A]

That doesn't seem okay. It's been a while, right?

[B]

Yes. I'm very interested to see how Emilio has held up.

[A]

How old is he?

[B]

What is Gordon Bombay looking like these days? Oh, man. And does it go back? Is he slick hair? Is he slick hair? Bombay again?

[A]

I want you to guess his age.

[B]

Ooh, Emilio.

[A]

Yeah. Because it actually surprises me. How old do you think?

[B]

62, 57. Oh, sorry, Emilio.

[A]

He's gonna be just fine, I hope.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Gordon Bombay coming back. All right, rookie review time. Let's start with the quarterback position. Over the past five seasons, only three rookie quarterbacks have finished as a top 15 fantasy quarterback. Or better. That would be Jameis. Back in 2015, he was the quarterback 13. Just barely. Jameis. That's what I'm going to start calling him. Just barely. Jameis. Just barely worth starting this past week, 2016, that was Dak. He was the quarterback six. And then this past year, Kyler Murray, quarterback eight. And we talked about Kyler quite a bit on the Truth Show. Had a good year for fantasy owners. Up and down year, you know, from a NFL perspective. But over 500 rushing yards. It was a good season. I mean, do you see a very bright fantasy future for Kyler? I.

[B]

100% see a bright future for Kyler. I mean it's going to be just the, the natural pick of next year. Everyone's saying who's the new Lamar Jackson? And I mean Kyler Murray will clearly be the pick that the industry goes with. I mean, similar profiles, you know, of very mobile quarterbacks. Very few guys have done what Kyler has done of throwing for over 3,500 yards and rushing for 500 yards and did it in year one. So yes, I see an absolute bright future for Kyler Murray. When I was looking up, you know, just kind of historical stats of the rookie quarterbacks, it's not really surprising when that 12 of the 15 quarterbacks who put up a top 12 of the 15 top rookie quarterback fantasy seasons, man, that was a struggle. The struggle is real getting there for that one 12 or 15 that they're first or second round picks and eight of the 15 are the first or second pick overall. So basically when you're watching the draft, probability wise, if your quarterback is not the first or second pick off the board, you're just, you're not going to get a good rookie season.

[A]

Well, when I'm thinking about that division in the Cardinals quarterback situation before Kyler, which was Josh Rosen and a dangerous future, right. I mean this is a, this is a buzzsaw division. This is tough. You're going to deal with Bosa, you're going to deal with Donald, you're going to deal with Clowney, possibly, right? For six games a year. You need a quarterback that can run away from them as fast as possible. And you know, Murray fits the mold of somebody that you're going to get more weapons around him. Like you said, the draft pedigree. And we don't have to speculate as fantasy owners as to the potential because from weeks one through 11, he was the QB5. We already saw the value. I mean, I made a trade in a league where I unloaded Murray to get Mahomes right and spent six weeks regretting the decision because I had to pay a lot more than Kyler Murray. And Murray outperformed Mahomes during those weeks. He's had some stretches that were really good. So certainly an exciting future for Kyler Gardner. Minshew, Daniel Jones, the other two quarterbacks, rookies coming in, they had opportunities this past year. Gardner is very difficult because, I mean.

[B]

You can't even say for sure if Gardner is going to be the starter. I would assume he is going to be. But you have a really tricky situation in Jacksonville of you, you guaranteed Nick Foles a lot of money. Are you really willing to already move away from that when he, I mean, Foles lost the entire season, really to the collarbone. I know he struggled when he came back, but he was coming off of a collarbone injury. Like Nick Foles might be the better option next year.

[A]

It's very interesting too because you know, Tom Coughlin's gone now. You bring in Jay Gruden to run the offense. How committed will they be to Foles?

[B]

Right.

[A]

What do they see from Gardner in training camp? Does your fantasy league score bonus points for shorts? Yeah.

[B]

Jordan Swag.

[A]

Jordan Swag. He's going to score more than what he actually did last year. He finished it. He was a 15th most consistent quarterback. So that's nothing to be ashamed of as a rookie on a losing team.

[B]

Especially a 6th round pick who wasn't supposed to be the starter.

[A]

Outscoring Baker.

[B]

Oh, gosh, yeah.

[A]

Despite starting 12 games, outscored Baker fifth most rushing yards at the quarterback position. So he could get out of the pocket and do some things with his weight.

[B]

He was very mobile. Fumbled a lot. Yeah, but so here's Nick Foles contract situation. He's going to be. He's going to count $22 million against the salary, the cap. But if they want to get rid of him, then the dead cap would be $33.8 million. So Nick Foles will not be going anywhere in terms of being caught and you can't trade that contract either.

[A]

What I know about Jay Gruden, and again it will be determined, right. With how Gardner progresses and what Foles does in preseason training camp.

[B]

Gruden did make the tough decision of Cousins over Robert Griffin.

[A]

Yeah, he did. But I'm afraid that that tough decision is that Foles is a more complete quarterback.

[B]

Yeah, could be.

[A]

As opposed to giving into the. The narrative. Potential. The potential narrative. Gardner's fun. That's what I mean. That's what I don't think will distort Jay Gruden's mindset.

[B]

He won't pick for fun.

[A]

He will not pick for fun. Robert Griffin is more fun than Cousins, than Kirk Cousins.

[B]

Oh, heck, yes.

[A]

Kirk Cousins is not as fun as Robert Griffin, but he's a better quarterback. And I think that that's going to lend it, like if I had to handicap it, I'm taking Nick Foles as the starter, making Gardner a very, you know, difficult proposition for fantasy owners. Certainly a hold in dynasty leagues. Daniel Jones, 6 pick of the draft, ridiculed by many. Finished at 24. Consistency rank was 29th had these four blow up weeks. Basically it was kind of like last year with Josh Rosen in Arizona where one of the reasons I absolutely despised Josh Rosen is that with the amount of playing time he got, you had to have a game, you'd see something and you never saw anything. Daniel Jones, wasn't that Daniel Jones in week three, second overall quarterback fantasy wise in week eight, number one in week 10, number two in week 16, number one. Now you didn't want to start him all the rest of the weeks of the year.

[B]

No, it didn't work out.

[A]

But you saw flashes and you know, you go into year two and do those four games of relevance for fantasy owners become. Does that become eight? Does he become somebody that you're looking at as a streaming option?

[B]

Yeah. Daniel Jones is not going to be a late round target for me. But for context of what he did, I mean, really in four games, because we just highlighted that he was very inconsistent. But he had the 10th best fantasy rookie season for a quarterback since 2011. So it's not like, I mean, he did something of significance and he will go out there and he will air the ball out, get the team healthy, get Evan Ingram actually working and Saquon Barkley functioning again. He's going to be a waiver wire is interesting. He's one of those guys where I'm not going to target him late to take my shot, so to speak, like, I would much rather take my shot on Matthew Stafford. Stafford's gonna go late. Daniel Jones will probably be undrafted, but by the end of the year, if Daniel Jones improves enough and ends up as a top 12 quarterback on the season, it won't be shocking to me.

[A]

Yeah, yeah. And then you did have the variable this year too of Saquon's injury and coming back from it. So whether that's good or bad for him, whether he targets sake one, which he wants to boost his stats, he probably should. The way it worked out for Kyle Allen at times with Christian McCaffrey, you know, you had other quarterbacks potential wise, Dwayne Haskins, Drew Locke, Will Greer.

[B]

I don't think you need to talk about him. Although Drew Locke wants to use his legs more.

[A]

If you promise me I never have to talk about Dwayne Haskins again.

[B]

He looked better towards the end.

[A]

I know he did and I hate that.

[B]

Why give the guy a chance.

[A]

Don'T you? At some point we need him to.

[B]

Be good for the sake of Terry McLaurin.

[A]

Okay, we need it.

[B]

All right. I'm behind it. Yeah, we need it.

[A]

Scary Terry.

[B]

And there's rumors that Jordan Reed.

[A]

The pain.

[B]

Jordan Reed will be cleared for 2020.

[A]

Oh, come on. Come on. That's not it. That's not being talked about, right?

[B]

Yes, it is.

[A]

No, it's not. Rule 86 has been completely taken off the books.

[B]

You take it easy over there.

[A]

Anybody who follows that rule ends up in pure misery. All right, let's look at some running backs. How's that sound? Here's a stat for you. Since 2012, there have been at least two rookie running backs in the top 24 every single year. So that'll be a fun thing to keep in mind around draft time, where these running backs end up. This past year, it was Miles Sanders.

[B]

And Josh Jacobs, and since 2011, the top 20 rookie seasons. 19 out of those 20 are from guys drafted in the first three rounds. Oh, I'm sorry. I'm looking at wide receiver. Let me pull up the running back numbers. The running back numbers are 17 of 20 were drafted in the first three.

[A]

Rounds of those that fit that top 24 mold.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

That's impressive. And this past year was the first time we hadn't had a rookie since 2015 end up in the top 10. I mean, last year, you had Saquon, obviously, as the running back to overall. The year before, you had four rookies in the top 12 with Camara, Hunt, Fournette, and McCaffrey. This is some. This is an area where you can make a monster impact right away. We've talked about how hard it is to be a running back in the NFL and get that big next contract. Unless your name's Derek Henry and you're some sort of outlier that deserves that big contract. But you can go draft a guy like Miles Sanders in the, you know, second, third round, you can pick up a cream hunt and then have a huge impact. For fantasy purposes, Josh Jacobs, to me.

[B]

Certainly would have ended up in the top 12 had he not had the injury. And he missed three games. He officially missed three. Missed, you know, more time than that because of the injury. He was. Josh Jacobs had a very, very solid season. Some were, in fact, upset that Josh Jacobs was not the offensive rookie of the year. He lost to Kyler Murray. But in those. In those 13 games, I mean, he was averaging 19 attempts and 88 rushing yards per game. And now, moving forward for Josh Jacobs. What. What's. Oh, I almost called him Oakland. What's Las Vegas?

[A]

Gosh, we got to get used to that.

[B]

What's Las Vegas? Oh, that feels.

[A]

Are they gonna.

[B]

That feels really Weird.

[A]

They're gonna roll the dice. Oh, get them out there in the past.

[B]

Spin the wheel.

[A]

Goodness.

[B]

But Jalen, Richard, DeAndre Washington, neither of them are under contract. What are they going to do? And the big disappointment for Josh Jacobs was no. Targets 27.

[A]

Targets 20 catches on the year.

[B]

For a player that shows out like his pass catching profile in college his last year I think he had 20 receptions. His final year in college, like that's a huge number for the running back position. You should be utilizing Jacobs more in that role. The future is bright and Josh Jacobs is a, is one of my top dynasty running backs at the moment.

[A]

He is certainly he's really good as well. The running back of choice from this rookie class. Moving forward, some might really like Miles Sanders. It's very clearly Josh Jacobs.

[B]

To me, like Miles Sanders, I think he's very good. But it won't be surprising to see three, three running backs in this year's draft class just, just automatically jump ahead of him in my dynasty rankings.

[A]

Yeah, I don't disagree. There is a situation there in Philadelphia where I don't think you can bank on consistency at the running back position.

[B]

Right.

[A]

Doesn't make Miles Sanders any less talented, but situation matters quite a bit. It's going to matter for Josh Jacobs moving forward. And Miles Sanders is not going to give you consistency. He's 29th in consistency on the year. Even from weeks 11 on where he kind of stepped up for the team, he was still 20th in consistency. He's going to touch the ball, but there's going to be, you know, there are going to be more pass catching weapons there than we saw this past year. And whether they want to give Miles Sanders the ball a lot compared to what we know Josh Jacobs will get. I mean this was a heavy workload for Josh Jacobs in an injury riddled year. 242 carries.

[B]

Right.

[A]

Something we hadn't seen in college. Something that made people doubt whether Jacobs would get all of that first and second down work and whether that was really the intention of the team. But he is definitely the better player moving forward.

[B]

I mean, he was the intention. I mean his, his pace for 16 games was almost 300 carries. Like they were, they were using him as a workhorse.

[A]

But forgive me if I'm blotting this from my memory, but wasn't it last off season that they signed Isaiah Crowell and then Crowell was injured for the year? They had to have been laughing. They had to be leading into the season.

[B]

Yeah, I think you are correct. Yes.

[A]

So what we Saw from Jacobs. Now, the reason for an Isaiah Crowell in that offense was to acclimate Jacobs to a big workload. He got backed into it. I don't think they're going to be positioning themselves to share that workload once you've seen what Jacobs can do. So I'm not worried about them bringing in another high profile guy, but they will bring in. Look, you said those two guys are leaving.

[B]

Well, they're just on. They're not under contract currently. I don't know if. If the Raiders are going to resign them.

[A]

Yeah. And the likelihood is is that if they don't, they'll bring somebody else in to compliment Jacobs. Obviously you don't run one running back active on game.

[B]

We're good.

[A]

Especially a guy that's been hurt and missed three of the last four weeks. So Jacobs definitely like him more. We talked about both those guys on Truth. What about some players we didn't talk about as much? David Montgomery. Let's talk about him.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Fantasy owners need to make a decision. They need to, they need to figure out what to do with David Montgomery.

[B]

Like do you bail out?

[A]

Right. One of the trappings of the ongoing year long fantasy football news cycle discussion topics is that you can talk about a player for a really long period of time, establish the value that has not been proved on the field and then be trapped by that value for years to come.

[B]

Right.

[A]

When you should just move forward, you should just move on. I'm not saying you should do that with David Montgomery. I'm just kind of asking that question because before the season and in the preseason, you he made such a splash for people. There was such an expectation with Matt Nagy and what Jordan Howard had done and why they were drafting this guy in the third round. And then you didn't see the fantasy production or really the NFL production on a consistent basis. That gave you confidence moving forward.

[B]

In games where he didn't score a touchdown, he averaged 5.7 fantasy points per game. That's about as touchdown dependent as they come for a starting running back.

[A]

I don't same rushing attempts as Josh Jacobs. One more rushing attempt than Aaron Jones did nothing with them.

[B]

Where are you putting your odds on it? Not happening for Montgomery?

[A]

50%.

[B]

Okay, so you just write down the middle.

[A]

Right down the middle.

[B]

Would you try and offload him in Dynasty?

[A]

Yeah, yeah, I would probably try to offload him because the risk is very high. Now I will say this. I thought your question was going to be what are the odds that he has the opportunity to be the guy next year, I think he'll have the opportunity. That question is pretty much, you know, near certain. So he will have the opportunity. And that in and of itself at running back, like if you've got the chance for 250 carries.

[B]

That's why he's called David Mopportunity.

[A]

Exactly. But that is a lot of carries to have not seen a consistent production. There's a lot wrong in that offense. You could be dealing with a quarterback change now or halfway through the season.

[B]

Right.

[A]

You could be dealing with a very unhealthy kind of mood around the offense halfway through the year. I do think he'll have the chance. I did see plays that I thought were special from time to time. His balance is ridiculous. He is a good pass catcher.

[B]

The change of quarterback does need to be factored in, factored into your value.

[A]

Look at Tannehill.

[B]

Yeah, that's exactly where I was going to go. Look at Derek Henry. I mean, now Henry was having fantasy success at the beginning of the year, but he hit the nitro button as soon as defenses had to actually worry about the quarterback. And Jason's not here, so I guess I'll be the one to say it. Defenses are not worried about Mitch Trubisky. He's not good.

[A]

You are not wrong.

[B]

Sorry.

[A]

Allen Robinson is good.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

And if for some reason there's so.

[B]

Many things that could be unleashed from the Bears if they weren't being held down by a 500 pound weight.

[A]

Well, that's true, Mike. Or however, I don't think Mitchubisky weighs 500.

[B]

Probably not.

[A]

That's probably. You're rounding up it upwards.

[B]

I think I overshot by.

[A]

You overshot by a couple.

[B]

By about £300.

[A]

Yeah, that's fine.

[B]

I just wanted to illustrate how much he is dragging this team down. Anthony Miller, Allen Robinson and David Montgomery on this team, this offense.

[A]

Well, what if it's Cam Newton? What if all of a sudden you've got an opportunity for Cam Newton to run some of these, you know, option plays and involve. We saw Cam and what he did for McCaffrey when he had a weapon out of the backfield. So I think that there is a chance that we end up on the opportunity hype train again. If some things change.

[B]

Yeah, we'll see how devoted Chicago is with Ms. Trubisky.

[A]

But if he's not effective, I don't think Matt Nagy is going to hesitate to utilize other players. And we've seen this. And it was frustrating to have Montgomery off the field. In leverage situations or two minute drills, things like that. That went to Tariq Cohen despite Cohen not having any efficiency last year.

[B]

You remember the Mike Davis week one?

[A]

Yes.

[B]

Yeah, that, that says a lot. I mean, I highlighted that. Rookies drafted in the first three rounds, those are the ones. Those are the type of guys that can produce. He was a third round pick and he couldn't pass Mike Davis by week one.

[A]

Yeah. All right. A player I'm more excited about. Devin Singletary. We talked about him quite a bit. He missed some time from weeks three through six. He never put up one of those great fantasy week winning type of weeks, but he was good 50% of the time, which you love. Seeing you also just highly efficient player. I mean, you're talking about somebody who on basically 100 fewer carries competed yards wise with David Montgomery. I mean, wasn't touchdown dependent at all. Only four touchdowns on the year, but still put up a good fantasy game 50% of the time. I just think that David. Devin Singletary has a great opportunity to step up to level up for fantasy owners. He was dynamic. He was RB16 from week seven through 16.

[B]

Yeah. And from week nine on when they basically said, okay, Devin Singleton, you're the guy. He was averaging 16 carries, 75 yards on the ground, and two and a half receptions per game. The problem were, it was touchdowns. He had a touchdown for every 75 and a half carries. That's, that's absolutely ridiculous. But the big plays are there. 20 or more rushing yards on 4.6% of his runs. That's, that's number one in terms of percent for big runs. He had seven total runs of over 20 yards. That's only one fewer than Saquon Barkley.

[A]

He's, you need to see it.

[B]

He and I've talked about. He doesn't make sense. He's small. He's like, he's smaller than a prototypical running back. His athletic profile is close to mine.

[A]

Oh, come on. Not true.

[B]

I, I've just improved my athletic profile. I mean, his athletic testing at the combine was. It felt like a death sentence. But here he is just being awesome and the Devin Singletary feels like an outlier at this point.

[A]

Well, this was in some ways similar to, you know, Kareem Hunt going in the. Was it third round pick. Right, right. So didn't necessarily jump off the page at the combine, but in pads, instinct, lateral movement, the ability to find a hole, fit with the offense, all those things matter. Singletary, how would you. Let me put you put it to you this way okay. He finished as the RB16. If you look at week seven through 16, when he was basically back when.

[B]

He got the starter.

[A]

Yeah, he got the starter position. Is he a top 15 running back for you next year?

[B]

Oh, man.

[A]

I know we're sitting here in February, but do you think he's in that top 15? Because I think he is. I think he's right on the. I mean, right on the edge there.

[B]

15 is a really good over under. I think I would lean the under right now if you said he's. Is he a top 20 guy? Yes, he'll be a top 20 running back. Those touchdowns that I was talking about, it's going to be a problem in his career. Josh Allen, for all the improvements he made, the Buffalo Bills are never going to be a really high powered offense. We're putting up super gaudy touchdown numbers. It's just not going to happen.

[A]

Well, if they do, he's going to steal something and then on top of.

[B]

That, Josh Allen is going to rip off six rushing touchdowns or so every single year, cannibalizing from, from Devin Singletary's ceiling. So top 15. I think that's, that's tough. That's because he. His percentage of great games next year as the full time starter, it's still not going to be a wow number, but he'll be very good. He'll be a rock solid running back too.

[A]

You think he'll be drafted in a position where you'll be interested?

[B]

I think Devin Singletary will be a.

[A]

Third round pick, probably other rookie running backs. Is there anybody you want to bring up? I mean, we saw, we didn't get to see much of Darnell Anderson. Oh, I'm sorry. Darrell Henderson. Damien Harris.

[B]

We didn't get to see much of.

[A]

Didn't Jason really like that Damien Harris fella?

[B]

Yes.

[A]

He may still have an opportunity.

[B]

He might. But the, the numbers that were highlighted by a good friend of the show, J.J. zachary, of Players with his draft capital that don't produce in year one is not good.

[A]

No. What about Darwin Thompson?

[B]

I think we have seen what we need to see from Darwin Thompson.

[A]

Really?

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

You're closing the book.

[B]

I'm closing the book on him having actual real big relevance value.

[A]

Tony Pollard.

[B]

Pollard's a. Pollard's a backup.

[A]

He stuck.

[B]

Yeah. He's awesome. Handcuff to have for.

[A]

If you have Zeke, but my name is Alexander Madison.

[B]

He's all the same thing. I think Alexander Madison's incredibly talented running back, but Dalvin Cook's in the way.

[A]

If you had to handicap any of the kind of irrelevant rookies from this past class that could step into a role that makes sense next year. Is it like a Darrell Henderson?

[B]

Yeah, it would. Honestly, it might be. It might be Justice Hill. That's fair of what's going on. He was a fourth round pick. I don't love that. But Justice Hill, super duper athlete and he's on a team that actually it will be a high powered offense. Even though we've talked about the regression that will hit the Ravens, naturally, they're still going to be one of the better offenses in the league. And in front of Justice Hill it's Mark ingram who's like 50,000 years old.

[A]

Mark, you exaggerated that one like you did Mitch Trubisky.

[B]

I did it again.

[A]

I think you were close.

[B]

I was off by like 49,000 years. Mark Ingram is old for a running back. I'm not going to bet against Mark Ingram because he keeps defying the odds.

[A]

Ingram was an efficiency master though. He wasn't just like a volume play. And Justice Hill worked his way into the rotation. He's not a big guy so it's going to be a compliment on a team that scores a lot of points.

[B]

And Gus Edwards not currently under contract. I mean maybe Baltimore brings him back.

[A]

But the bus may be heading down the road somewhere else.

[B]

It might make Gus Bus. I hope he gets a contract. I think he's played well enough that he should get paid.

[A]

Doesn't just drive out of the league. Yeah, he's a good player. I bet you they bring him back.

[B]

That's what I mean. That's something we don't know yet.

[A]

He's just good enough to where they'd like him back. But nobody else is going to come.

[B]

Steal him, give him a couple million dollars. Baltimore, he's earned it.

[A]

All right, you brought up rookie wide receiver stats for no reason earlier. So this is the time to do it. 2019 Rookie wide receivers. It was a big year for rookie wide receivers. You know the number of rookie wide receivers who finished in the top 36 over the past five years? Let me give this to you. In 2015, just one. Then it was in 2016. There were three rookie wide receivers in that top 36. Then it was two last year or in 2018, it was one this past year, five of them. A.J. brown, Terry McLaurin, Debo Samuel, D.K. metcalf, Darius Slayton, all in the top 36. And somewhat comically I think, you know, you look at bad situation and so we're not even Talking about Hollywood Brown and I think nobody doubts that Hollywood Brown was relevant for fantasy this past year. It wasn't consistency for fantasy.

[B]

It was splotchy.

[A]

Yeah. It was splotchy.

[B]

Yeah. If he was on your skin, you might want to have a doctor check it out.

[A]

Correct. Correct. It was not necessarily healthy for you.

[B]

Right.

[A]

But you saw the potential. So I think we all consider Hollywood to be in that group of rookie wide receivers this past year that will continue to have relevance on into the future. But we talked about he was in a non passing offense. A.J. brown thought you were stuck with Mario to Terry McLaurin, who's your quarterback week to week. Those were situations. Darius Slayton, it was either Eli or a rookie. Yet you had relevance. There is that. Let me ask you this. When you go into 2020 and you're and we're looking at the rookie wide receiver class, which should be strong.

[B]

Right.

[A]

And you look at situations, does this year serve as a lesson in terms of not, you know, underestimating a player simply because of that quarterback or offense situation, knowing that things do change. AJ Brown, very relevant. McLaurin when he was healthy, made it happen.

[B]

Right.

[A]

Or could this be a trap for us where we've done this ping pong thing in fantasy you go from oh my rookie wide receivers to oh no.

[B]

Yeah, yeah. The 2014 class kind of threw everything upside down. It we had more productive rookies at the wide receiver position. But honestly it followed what we had talked about and what we continue to talk about. A.J. brown, when was he good? The second half of the season. You have Debo Samuel, when was CX?

[A]

Second half.

[B]

When was he good? The second half of the year.

[A]

Even DK yeah.

[B]

DK Metcalf. I mean so Terry McLaurin is kind of the outlier. And it really seems like teams missed on Terry McLaurin letting. Letting him drop all the way into the third round because the dude is fast as lightning. And if you hear him talk about playing the wide receiver position, he is, he is a wicked smart guy. He really knows his craft and is working on his craft. I think that was just a miss by people. Unfortunately we don't know what's going to happen with him because of the quarterback position.

[A]

But to speak to, he was consistently folding chair open like he would get. He could park in the corner. Now mind you, Dwayne Haskins would air mail him or miss him.

[B]

McLaurin should have been great every game.

[A]

Absolutely.

[B]

But I mean even case Keenan when he was in Keena, missed him a few times. He's just. He is a great. A great player.

[A]

Do you have a favorite of this past favorite of this rook From a talent perspective wise, somebody that you know. You just mentioned it. The Terry McCluren wants to be great aspect. AJ Brown seems like he'll have some stability that maybe the other guys won't have. Debo, he's involved in a lot of ways. We're passing volume doesn't equal, you know, he's more of the Percy Harvin esque, talented player. You can take handoffs and do something with him even if he's not getting a lot of targets. Do you have a favorite moving forward?

[B]

My favorite. It's AJ Brown, just like other people because you take his athletic profile and his stature. He's a beast. We kept calling him the tank for a reason. Because he can get open and then it's really hard to tackle him. But Terry McLaurin has completely won me.

[A]

Over as from a talent perspective.

[B]

From a talent perspective, watching him play, watching him just frequently get open. He. I think he is. He should. He's probably my second favorite of this rookie class, which, I mean, I'm including Hollywood Brown. Terry McLaurin, I think is really, really awesome.

[A]

Yeah. Yeah. I thought I was super impressed with him and I didn't come into the year. I think Jason gets the credit on that one. Jason, do you have anything to say? I give him credit every time he's out.

[B]

Jason was all in on McLaurin after week one.

[A]

Yeah. I mean, he was. Maybe that's what it was, huh? It was. He saw him on the field, thought he was. Thought what he saw was not a mirage. And he was right about that.

[B]

He really should have grabbed him in our Dynasty league.

[A]

Yeah. Or even our like, keeper league. Who's got him in there?

[B]

I don't know. You got him in there.

[A]

I do.

[B]

Who's got him in the Dynasty League?

[A]

I remember in that league, Al Borland, who is sitting here. Al, how do you feel about the Terry McLaurin situation in that league?

[B]

I don't want to talk about it. Yes, The Fab Burn. I totally forgot. Yeah.

[A]

He signed Terry McLaurin for something like 40 fab. And it was very entertaining for us because at that point, suddenly George Kittle was a threat to miss that next week. So he had to insure George Kittle. He had no one else to drop, so he had to make the very difficult situation or a decision to drop Terry McClure right after he paid 40 fab for him on the same week you paid It. Right?

[B]

Oh, yeah. Like a day I bought him for.

[A]

A dollar the next day.

[B]

Yep.

[A]

And. But I credit you because you could have gone like sunk cost fallacy there. And just like I spit my fab, so I'm stuck with him. And then. Yeah. So anyway, it was entertaining for us. A.J. brown. You talked about him. We've talked about him. In the Truth episode Incredible end of season. Everything is really heavily dependent in terms of projecting Brown on having the same quarterback in place in Tennessee. I think we. We trust Vrabel. If they bring Henry back, those two components there. Look, if it became Tom Brady or Philip Rivers or for some reason it wasn't Tannehill, but Henry and Vrabel were there, I would still have enough confidence in Brown to put him in that top 20 range.

[B]

Man. It'll be really disappointing if Tom Brady went there for A.J. brown.

[A]

You think so?

[B]

Well, it just.

[A]

Just what the offense represents.

[B]

And Tom Brady's deep ball is not what it once was.

[A]

No, no, no, no.

[B]

And that's. That's what we need. Ryan Tannehill was dominant because he was so efficient on his deep passing. His wide receiver certainly helped with that. But that would be disappointing.

[A]

But then we talked about maybe that's just catching lightning in a.

[B]

Right.

[A]

What do I say? A barrel?

[B]

Yes.

[A]

I catch my lightning in a barrel. Right.

[B]

Well, it's a lot of lightning.

[A]

Yeah. There's a.

[B]

You want to get it all. That's a bottle. I mean, that's such a small amount of lightning.

[A]

If you're going through all the trouble to catch electricity, let me just say this. It's a lot of trouble. It's not. You ever done it from the outside? It seems easy, but I'm going to tell you, barrel or bottle, it's difficult.

[B]

Franklin tried with a key.

[A]

Yeah. It didn't make any sense.

[B]

No, it's ridiculous.

[A]

You know, I don't even understand that story. What did he actually do? Did he actually do any of that?

[B]

I have.

[A]

Al is nodding. Of course he did.

[B]

I have no idea. The key in the kite. Yeah, but that's a story.

[A]

What is the key? The purpose of the key? Is he holding the key?

[B]

No, the key is tied up on the kite. The kite is going up. It's to attract the lightning. So he. Because he's trying to prove something about electricity.

[A]

Why is it. Why is it attached to the kite?

[B]

So it can go up into the air.

[A]

Why does a key make something go up into the air?

[B]

No, the kite brings the key into the air.

[A]

Yes, that makes sense. I thought you were saying the key gives it some lift.

[B]

Well, the key to getting the key in the air is the kite.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

The kite is the key for the key.

[A]

And this. Is this happened?

[B]

Yeah. He needed something to conduct electricity up there.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Can't fly a little bit. But is it a real. Is it actually a true story or is this like George Washington cut down the chair?

[A]

Fact check.

[B]

Get on snow.

[A]

Are you telling me George Washington did not cut down a cherry tree?

[B]

I am telling you that he probably did not cut down a cherry tree. Why would you cut down a cherry tree? No more cherries.

[A]

Yeah. That doesn't make sense. You're right.

[B]

Cherries are delicious.

[A]

Yeah. Now you're not eating cherries. All right, we're going to get some more of this presidential history fact checking going on. It's that time of year before we.

[B]

Move out of wide receivers.

[A]

Oh, we're not moving out, Mike.

[B]

Oh, okay. I thought you were talking.

[A]

We're going on.

[B]

What are your thoughts on Nikhil Harry?

[A]

I don't know. Why?

[B]

Really, really high hopes. The only first round wide receiver taken in this year's draft went to the Patriots. Thought it was a perfect landing spot. Missed 10 weeks because of the injury.

[A]

He was the number one pick for some rookie draft.

[B]

Yes, because he, I mean, college production was there. Athletic profile is there landing spot, is there draft capital, is there.

[A]

Very difficult to draw conclusions on 12 catches in the regular season.

[B]

But that's the problem. He came in and played seven games to end the season and did basically nothing. He had the one awesome touchdown catch, but that was really all he did.

[A]

He was targeted a little bit in the playoffs. He certainly seems like the most talented option that they have outside of Julian Edelman, who is getting older. 50,000 years old.

[B]

Julian Edelman, he's infinite too. Yeah.

[A]

Not injury wise, but Nikhil Harry, I think you have to if you want to move forward with the idea that you're going to find value there. It's all based on the fact he's a first round draft pick. He's a physical freak and his involvement in the offense has to move up. I mean, he's going to have to prove himself in training camp. To me, he's a player that is a. The offseason hype, the storylines out of camp, that's going to matter. Okay, so this guy running ahead of.

[B]

He's on your watch.

[A]

Jacoby Myers or not. I mean, right. Because this team is not going to be blindly loyal to draft capital of Jacoby Myers is the player making the step forward in the off season and not Nikhil Harry. So very hesitant. You know, what are you going to do in a dynasty league other than hold him? You've got no choice.

[B]

You have to hold him.

[A]

Yeah, Nicole Hardman. Yeah, Nicole Hardman was like 26 receptions in 16 games. Electric with the ball in his hands, not integral to the passing game.

[B]

What is the true value of McColl Hardman because he was. He was fully attached to the off season stories of Tyreek Hill where for a good stretch of time it looked like Tyreek Hill was going to be banished from the land for his, for his off season or off the field behavior. They spent a second round pick on McColl Hardman almost seemingly saying Kansas City saying, yeah, we know we're not going to have Tyreek here, so we got to compensate. We got to get a wide receiver with speed. McCoy Hardman's shoots up the rookie rankings because he went to the perfect spot. But now Tyreek is back. All the talk of the team moving on from Sammy Watkins, that's currently at a place where they're saying they want him to be back.

[A]

They'd love to find a way. They're going to need a restructure from Sammy and. But he'll probably do it.

[B]

Yeah, he'll probably do it. And then I believe DeMarcus Robinson, his contract is up. So does McColl Hardman become relevant because now he's the third wide receiver and the fourth option, maybe even the fifth option in the passing game.

[A]

I think that there's. I think that there's plenty of reasons to look at Hardman as a growing fantasy asset. I think the things that you talked about with wide receivers there and the opportunity, the fact Hardman can be used the way Debo Samuels used in into rounds and things like that, the fact that Andy Reid is there to maximize the value of a player with that kind of speed, you know, putting up 538 receiving yards on 26 catches, that's ridiculous. Not everybody can do that, right? And more playing time, more opportunity. I mean, let me put it this way, 50 for 1008. That's not outlandish for McColl Hardman. That's fair and you know, that's not a hot. He's not going to be a PPR machine by any stretch of the imagination. He's going to be a crap. One of my players is hurt. I have McCoy Hardman sitting there. Did I pick the right week? If I did, then I'm going to be to kind of player. So I'M somewhat optimistic because he's not, he's. He's. In a best case scenario. One touch, man. He just needs one touch.

[B]

Yeah, I know. One touch.

[A]

Some other players do you like, do you like Deontay Johnson moving forward?

[B]

I love Deontay Johnson. He was very impressive. 59 receptions, 59, 680 yards and five touchdown on 92 targets. And those 92 targets were 92 of the worst targets you have seen in the history of the NFL. His quarterback situation with Rudolph and Duck Hodges was something that seemed, look away, insurmountable. I mean, juju could not overcome what was happening with the, with that quarterback situation. He was a third round pick.

[A]

The coaching staff seemed to grow in their confidence of giving him opportunities and seeing what he can do.

[B]

And so he was extremely impressive to me. I, he is definitely on my, my watch list for a, for a second round wide receiver to take a big jump that is seemingly out of nowhere. I mean it's, it will not be out of nowhere for, for hardcore fantasy football players, but the, the common, like the real average player in fantasy who is not listening to a podcast right now, when Deontay Johnson has a breakout year next year they're going to say, oh, I've never even heard of this guy.

[A]

I would not be shocked if he ends up in the discussion as a sleeper in our ultimate draft.

[B]

100%. You can put him in there.

[A]

Yeah. I mean, juju on the outside. Regardless of what you believe about juju's upside, we've seen the value of being a player that can get loose in the middle of the field. Deontay Johnson had some big plays. He's dynamic with the ball in his hands. He had four games as a top 12 wide receiver last year.

[B]

I think on that team that Deontay Johnson is a reason why you can believe in juju as a fantasy asset yet again. I mean, Big Ben coming back is the crux of the argument, but I think that Deontay is good enough that now it's not juju versus the world.

[A]

But next year you're talking what juju as a third, second or third round pick and Deontay Johnson as a 11th to 12th round pick.

[B]

We'll see where it shakes out. But if that's the case, then I would take Deontay for sure.

[A]

Yeah. Hunter Renfro, I want to bring him up too because he ended the year so strongly. He did. And this is another one of those hypothetical Brady teams. Hunter Renfro, Tom Brady. That could happen.

[B]

It could. And if Tom Brady goes there. Then Hunter Renfro becomes a lot more interesting.

[A]

So you're not.

[B]

No.

[A]

Super interesting. 49 for 605 and 413 games, 71 targets ended the year week 16 and 17 as the sixth wide receiver each week. Dealt with some injuries, found his footing later sells insurance on the side.

[B]

A really, really impressive season for a player drafted in the fifth round.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

To come through with that. But it's.

[A]

He was a superstar in college though.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

He just was not the athletic profile that met the standards for first through fourth round.

[B]

And that's. That's kind of the argument against it. He's. He'll be a Cole Beasley, like a really good wide receiver. You know him. It's well documented my love for Cole Beasley, but as a fantasy asset, it's just probably not going to be there unless he turns into some kind of PPR machine. Tom Brady comes in and he wants to treat Hunter like his new Welker or Edelman.

[A]

Yeah. We've been down this road with many. Yes. An upside type of Jameson Crowder type of player. Right before, you know, we didn't talk about it. There's a lot of rookie wide receivers. There's ones we didn't get to see a lot of Paris Campbell, Andy Isabella. We didn't see Jalen Hurd. That is a player that will probably have very sneaky deep league value last year or next year. Jalen Hurd? Yeah. I mean, he's a third round draft pick. He does, He's. He's like Debo. Not in what he does for the offense, but in the fact that he does multiple things well. He's a red zone weapon. He's big. He's a tight end type of guy. And I just trust Kyle Shanahan to utilize those type of players in unique ways. And Emmanuel Sanders, is he back? Jalen Hurd could have an opportunity next year. Redraft leagues are probably off the radar for sure.

[B]

But Kyle Shanahan, he's. He's playing chess here where everyone's trying to find their pass catching running backs. He's like, no, I'm going to find those wide receivers that play running back.

[A]

Do you see George Kittle, the sound bite on the sideline in the Super Bowl?

[B]

I did not where he said.

[A]

I clearly. Did you see this, Brooks? No, I missed this. He was miked up or something and he's on the sideline and the game must have been out.

[B]

He was not mic'd up. He's just. He's George Kittle. Right he speaks. It's picked up by the cameras.

[A]

Yeah. He's got the amplifier built into his man lungs. His man lungs. I don't know. I don't know. I just feel like I needed to say more than lungs. Okay. He's got man lungs, but he's on the sideline. The game is over and he's over there and he's going. He's like talking to himself. He goes, I'm gonna be back. I'm gonna be back. I'm gonna be back with a mother blanking vengeance. That's what he said on the sideline. And then he cut down a couple trees, threw him over his shoulder and walked up his vlog.

[B]

Because if George Kittle had started to cry, the whole stadium, everyone in there would have drowned.

[A]

It would have flooded the whole thing.

[B]

Yeah, he's a very dangerous person.

[A]

He's. That team is made of some manly men. I mean, Debo, come on. But other guys that kind of catch your attention. We never saw any Hakeem Butler. I think we saw enough of our Sega Whiteside, at least in year one to say, I'm not sure if he's going to have a very integral role. You couldn't have had a better situation for him to have opportunity. But that's a second round pick that I know Philadelphia fans were disappointed in his performance. Is there anybody else that you want to mention? I mean, Preston Williams, undrafted.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Could have an opportunity next year again.

[B]

It could. And reports are Miami, they're going to keep him around. Of the list of guys that we saw, nothing from. My hopes are not high.

[A]

All right, let's rank these rookie tight ends. Noah Fant last year ended up at tight end 16. Inconsistent. He was a rookie. Great profile, high draft, capital. TJ Hawkinson Week 1 People picked him up and then he punched you in the face for 16 straight weeks. Dawson Knox flashed at times. Did so in the playoffs as well. Third round pick. I think there's upside with Dawson Knox. You've mentioned J. Sternberger, Jay Sternberger, Mary Stern, Steenbergen. Is that his. Is that his mom?

[B]

Chase Amit and Jay Sternberger for. He's. He will be taking over in Green Bay for Jimmy Graham. I can't imagine there's a world where Jimmy is back. Sternberger, third round pick, was a production monster.

[A]

Taking over has not meant anything in Green Bay for a long time at tight end.

[B]

I totally understand that.

[A]

But he should be on your radar.

[B]

Yes, very saying. They spend a third round pick on him and as of right now, the whole Narrative of Green Bay has been he can Rogers can throw the ball to Devonte Adams reliably and that was it.

[A]

Dynasty this or that. No offend. T.J. hawkinson. I like Fant I like. I think he's going to have an opportunity.

[B]

I like Fant next year as well. What's wild is since 2011 what he did last year. That's the six most points for a fantasy tight end.

[A]

There's your ceiling.

[B]

Yes. Yeah. That's why we always talk about look rookie tight ends man. It just. It does not happen.

[A]

But what about T.J. hawkinson, Mike? It was going to happen for T.J. hawkinson.

[B]

Yeah. That was called the Arizona Cardinals which turned out to be a season long storyline of any tight end against the Cardinals was going to have a career day 100%.

[A]

So it's hard for rookie if that's it. If Noah Fance consistency rank of 3440 for 562 and three is the sixth most PPR points for a rookie since 2011. There you go.

[B]

Yes. So in to highlight that even more of rookie tight end. So Evan Ingram has the best rookie tight end season since 2011. 173 PPR points. That would have been tight end seven this year. That was the best case scenario. And Evan Ingram scored 30 more points than the guy who's in second which is Tim Wright like I talked about and Tim Wright your father.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Yes. I know it's really weird but Tim Wright with his rookie year he would have been the tight end 11 so just like a guy you don't really want to have. So rookie tight ends, they just don't produce.

[A]

I like Noah Fant from a yards after the catch. You know, take the ball. Go George Kittle. Go Mark Andrews. Big playability. The athletic profile next year has me interested.

[B]

Yes, I'm very interested. And look at their depth chart. Yeah, I mean who, who's the number two option? Who's the number two for the Denver Broncos?

[A]

Just from a pass catching perspective, it's Cortland Sutton and it's Noah Fant right now.

[B]

So that's a huge.

[A]

Although Emmanuel Sanders is a free agent. Let's get him in.

[B]

Oh, get him back.

[A]

No, I mean there's a great opportunity for him to be a player that threatens down the field and when you can do that you just give yourself that weak winning upside at the tight end position and Fant somebody that you're not going to have to invest heavy draft capital into next year.

[B]

Yep.

[A]

There's just no way that's going to be the case. You're only drafting Every team's drafting one tight end. Where's he going?

[B]

Oh, fan. Undrafted.

[A]

Undrafted to like last pick because he's got a nice matchup in week one type of situation.

[B]

Yep.

[A]

Anybody else you want to touch on it? Tight end Are we good?

[B]

At least highlight Kaden Smith for the New York Giants because he came in and performed very admirably at the end of the year. You're talking four of the final six games. He was at least the top 10.

[A]

Really nice run and I didn't realize it was that good.

[B]

But tight end 5, tight end 10. Busted for a couple games but then tight end 5 and tight end 3. Why I want to highlight him more. So is Evan Ingram right? This is what Daniel Jones did with a 6th round rookie tight end.

[A]

So Kaden Smith's performance shows you more that Evan Ingram's potential is still there.

[B]

Yes, that's what it says to me. All right.

[A]

We want to thank our studio sponsor, Pristine Auction. You guys know about them? Pristineauction.com use the code BALLERS. They'll give you a $10 credit. Yesterday a Josh Jacobs signed jersey went for $87.75. Hundreds of daily auctions. Right now they have a special 10th anniversary thing with like 1200 sports memorabilia lots that are no reserves. It's really fun to go over there, check out some of your favorite players and teams. Maybe you find yourself a steal. Pristineauction.com use the code Ballers. As I said, that'll do it for this episode of the Fantasy Footballers Podcast. Really appreciate you supporting the show. Subscribe. We'll be here all off season. Review and check out ultimate draftkit.com pre order time.

[B]

See you next time.

[A]

Goodbye.

[B]

Thank you for listening to another episode of the Fantasy Footballers Podcast Fantasy Football Community on jointhefoot. Com and follow us on Twitter at theffballers.