Fantasy Football - AFC North Breakdown + Partying Thoughts - Podcast for 7/3

Summary

Podcast Summary: AFC North Breakdown + Partying Thoughts - Fantasy Football Podcast for 7/3

Podcast Information:

• Title: Fantasy Footballers - Fantasy Football Podcast
• Hosts: Andy Holloway, Jason Moore, Mike "The Fantasy Hitman" Wright
• Episode: AFC North Breakdown + Partying Thoughts
• Release Date: July 3, 2025

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Introduction

The episode kicks off with a brief introduction by Mike Wright at [01:28], marking the return of the host trio—Andy Holloway, Jason Moore, and Mike Wright—for their 10th Sunday leading up to the NFL season's commencement.

Keeper League Strategies

At [03:25], the hosts address a listener's question from Matt regarding keeper strategies: whether to prioritize the best player or the best value when deciding which players to retain. The discussion highlights the balance between securing high-impact players like Jamar Chase and opting for value picks such as Rashi Rice.

• Andy Holloway emphasizes the importance of difference-makers:

  "Usually I'm looking for a difference maker. I'm looking for someone like, if this is my keeper, I want someone who's great." ([04:58])

• Mike Wright supports taking value with Rashi Rice:

  "In this case, I take Rashi Rice." ([05:38])

The consensus leans towards balancing star power with strategic value, considering factors like ADP (Average Draft Position) and positional value.

AFC North Teams Analysis

Baltimore Ravens

Mike Wright expresses strong confidence in the Ravens, labeling them as potential Super Bowl champions ([08:54]).

• Strengths:

  • Offense: Last season’s third-ranked in points per game and first in yards per game.
  • Key Players: Lamar Jackson, Derek Henry, Mark Andrews.

• Key Insights:

  • Jason Moore discusses Lamar Jackson’s passing evolution:

    "The question for me is just, it's with Lamar... Are we anywhere close to 41 passing yards or did we get all the good running stuff?" ([12:51])

  • Andy Holloway praises the stability in the Ravens’ lineup:

    "There's so little change for the Baltimore Ravens personnel wise." ([13:37])

• Fantasy Implications:

  • Derek Henry remains a reliable fantasy asset.
  • Mark Andrews’ high red zone efficiency is noted as both a strength and a potential overvaluation.
  • Rashad Bateman is highlighted as a promising addition:

    "He's the most fun guy to talk about from the Ravens." ([13:57])

Pittsburgh Steelers

The Steelers are discussed as having a challenging offseason with significant roster changes, including the acquisition of Aaron Rodgers and additions like DK Metcalf.

• Mike Wright criticizes the team’s offensive rankings:

  "They were 20th in points per game last year, 23rd in yards per game." ([27:07])

• Jason Moore voices skepticism about their offensive stability:

  "Aaron Rodgers is a better quarterback... This is going to be a wild year." ([31:24])

• Player Focus:

  • Caleb Johnson is favored over Jerry Judy as a fantasy pick:

    "I would take Caleb Johnson... he's going to be excellent." ([54:07])

• Fantasy Strategy:

  • The team’s inconsistency makes it challenging to draft reliable fantasy players beyond DK Metcalf.
  • Potential reliance on Caleb Johnson and rookie running backs like Chase Brown.

Cincinnati Bengals

The Bengals are analyzed as a team with a potent offense but defensive vulnerabilities.

• Mike Wright points out their finish last season:

  "They went on that big run but needed help in the final week." ([09:47])

• Jason Moore highlights Joe Burrow’s fantasy value:

  "Burrow has a top chance to throw 35+ touchdowns." ([36:15])

• Key Players:

  • Jamar Chase continues to be a top fantasy wide receiver.
  • Chase Brown is praised for his breakout performance:

    "He was running back five in total fantasy points scored." ([43:34])

• Fantasy Outlook:

  • Joe Burrow remains a cornerstone for fantasy quarterbacks.
  • Jamar Chase and Chase Brown are essential draft targets.
  • Depth concerns due to defensive issues and potential injuries.

Cleveland Browns

The Browns face uncertainty with quarterback situations and offensive inconsistency.

• Mike Wright discusses their defensive strength versus offensive struggles:

  "They have the 31st ranked strength of schedule coming up... They pass a ton." ([52:01])

• Quarterback Concerns:

  • Joe Flacco and Jalen Judy's roles remain fluid.
  • The potential instability in the QB position impacts fantasy considerations.

• Player Highlights:

  • David Najoku is mentioned as a later-round target, though concerns remain about his fantasy ceiling:

    "I would rather have David Najoku." ([56:22])

• Fantasy Strategy:

  • Chase Brown's role as a primary running back with strong receiving capabilities makes him a valuable asset.
  • T. Higgins is discussed with caution due to injury history, despite strong metrics.

Player Discussions

T. Higgins vs. Jamar Chase

The debate centers on T. Higgins' reliability versus Jamar Chase' high performance.

• Andy Holloway asserts Higgins' value:

  "He’s hot and you might burn your hand or if you're cold, this might feel real nice." ([44:53])

• Mike Wright remains skeptical about Higgins' injury risks:

  "He never finished a fantasy season in the top 17... He's an injury-prone player." ([40:35])

Chase Brown

Jason Moore and Andy Holloway commend Chase Brown for his breakout season and expect continued high performance.

• Jason Moore emphasizes his consistency and high fantasy output:

  "From week four through 17, he has one game under 10 points." ([43:34])

Predictions and Insights

The hosts share their predictions for the AFC North division:

• Baltimore Ravens are favored to win the division, backed by their strong offense and stable roster.
• Cincinnati Bengals are seen as potential contenders due to their high-powered offense led by Joe Burrow.
• Pittsburgh Steelers grapple with offensive inconsistency despite acquiring Aaron Rodgers.
• Cleveland Browns face challenges with quarterback uncertainty and offensive struggles.

Andy Holloway and Mike Wright align their predictions, reinforcing Baltimore as division leaders and Cincinnati as strong competitors.

Conclusion

The episode wraps up with a reflection on team strategies and player evaluations, providing listeners with actionable insights for their fantasy drafts. The hosts reiterate the importance of balancing star power with strategic value and staying adaptable to in-season developments.

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Notable Quotes:

• Andy Holloway:

  "Why even stop school? Just go every day, year-round." ([03:12])

• Mike Wright:

  "Don't sleep on these savings. Get to DSW asap." ([00:52])

• Jason Moore:

  "When we talk about the Steelers, it's like the quarterback, it matters so much." ([53:25])

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Additional Resources: For more in-depth analysis and tools, listeners are encouraged to visit ultimate draft kit and join the Fantasy Football community at JoinTheFoot.com.

Transcript

[Andy Holloway]

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[Mike Wright]

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[Jason Moore]

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[Mike Wright]

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[Andy Holloway]

Welcome to the Fantasy Footballers Podcast with your hosts, Andy Holloway, Jason Moore and Mike Wright.

[Mike Wright]

Welcome in Thursday, July 3rd. We are the Fantasy Footballers. Mike Wright, Jason Moore, Andy Holloway. The. The crew is back together. We are 10 Sundays from football and we are 10. Yeah.

[Jason Moore]

Wait, wait, wait. Like, real.

[Mike Wright]

From, like the season? Like, the first. The first week. I think it was Scott Hansen that tweeted that out. It's the first weekend of the red zone.

[Jason Moore]

Oh, that's. I mean, if you're like, Hey, 10 weeks till the hall of Fame game. No, get out of here. Get out of here.

[Mike Wright]

No, he's just.

[Jason Moore]

I'll be excited, but don't. I don't need to count out for that.

[Mike Wright]

That's fair. I mean, we are still very close to meaningful football.

[Andy Holloway]

And the hall of Fame game is this month. We're in the month of the hall of Fame.

[Mike Wright]

It was last week.

[Jason Moore]

Right.

[Mike Wright]

It was a heck of a game.

[Jason Moore]

Have it gone that long?

[Mike Wright]

But is it this month?

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, yeah, it's in July.

[Andy Holloway]

July 31st this year.

[Jason Moore]

What is happening with the world? Like, my, my daughter.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, they're going back to school in July.

[Jason Moore]

I've got a real problem with school in July.

[Mike Wright]

No, that's.

[Jason Moore]

What are we doing?

[Mike Wright]

We're trying to psychologically destroy our children. Like, you can't put them back in school in July.

[Jason Moore]

When we were the youths, it was.

[Mike Wright]

So long ago, but it was like.

[Jason Moore]

You go to school around September, Labor Day, and then they, like, started scooching it forward for us. All sudden. We're going to school in August and now we're starting school in July. Like, why? What are we doing?

[Andy Holloway]

Why even stop school? Just go every day, year round.

[Jason Moore]

I like where your head's at.

[Andy Holloway]

Ruin these kids.

[Jason Moore]

Oh, no. I was giving me more free time.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, apparently.

[Jason Moore]

Go learn, kids. Dad needs a nap.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah. I mean, technically Speaking, we're under 10 weeks if you count NFL kickoff. Because Hanson's worried about his.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, yeah, that's fair.

[Mike Wright]

Red zone. So we're. We're nine weeks from today exactly from the kickoff of the NFL season. And so appropriately, we've got. We've got our July episodes. We're three a week in July and then five a week from August through December. And we're getting into the divisional breakdowns. They begin today with the AFC North. So we're going to get that kicked off here in just a moment. Our quick question of the day is from Matt. He says, do you focus on best player or best value when deciding a keeper? For example, should I keep HN at 210 and gain a little bit of value, which Jason and I, we talked about HN being right on the edge of that first tier, kind of into the top of the second tier. But that's value, right? He's going to go ahead of 210. Or do I keep Rashi rice in the seventh round, which is several rounds of value? I would say that the most common question we get for advice in the off season is keeper questions like this, it's this guy in this round, this guy in that round. How do I look at the value proposition versus the player I want? You know, sometimes you just want a certain guy on your team in this situation, what would you do? And then how do you view that question in general?

[Andy Holloway]

Usually I'm looking for a difference maker. I'm looking for someone like, if this is my keeper, I want someone who's great. And if I can get any kind of, like, sometimes I'll. I'll prefer to keep Jamar Chase for a first. You know, it's like, that's no value. But also I get.

[Jason Moore]

It's a March, very good value.

[Andy Holloway]

Right, Exactly. And I think, you know, the goal here is to get the best players. Sometimes a value can be good enough. Where I go, okay, this is still. This is still a good player. And that man, my better player, is not Jamar Chase. So this is a legit question here of like, I know what I to 10 or rushy rice. I know my answer on this one's pretty easy.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah. In this case, I take Rashi Rice Wow. Oh, wow.

[Andy Holloway]

What just happened? I'm not really sure I'm on the H hand side.

[Jason Moore]

Wait, what?

[Andy Holloway]

You're Mr. Anti Rushy Rice? You hate rushing rice. Yeah, I'm on the H hand side.

[Mike Wright]

No, I mean, it doesn't make sense to me to be on the H hand side of this one. And because he's a mid second round pick already and in the way I always look at it is who do I get in lieu of that pick? I mean, at 210, I could take Josh Jacobs, I could take Bucky Irving potentially. And then I'm not getting Rashi Rice in the seventh round or anything close to him value wise. So to me, that one is fairly clear on my side. And I don't like Rashi Rice as.

[Andy Holloway]

Much as you guys putting names to the, like, basically the two players looking at who you would get in each round in lieu of.

[Mike Wright]

I mean, Khalil Shakir is who I'm going to get instead of Rashi Rice if I, if I don't take his value.

[Jason Moore]

I mean, I'm always factoring, look, it's a keeper. So the names, yeah, the ADP names who are a210, those guys are going to be up at the top of the second.

[Mike Wright]

That's true.

[Jason Moore]

So. But yeah, your opportunity cost. I think that's kind of the starting point of I like to put the names like you did for Shakir or.

[Mike Wright]

So in the seventh or Ridley in the seventh.

[Jason Moore]

And positional value matters as. As well. So it's not just a along with everything else in fantasy football. This is. I'm not focusing on one thing. I am. I have a homebrew concoction of things that I'm factoring in. And sometimes, like we said at the top, sometimes I just want that guy because that dude's cool and I want him on my team.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, I think there was one we got yesterday on the footcast, Jason. It was Jamar chase in the first or Trey McBride in the fifth.

[Andy Holloway]

Right. Ooh.

[Mike Wright]

And we both went McBride on that one.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah.

[Mike Wright]

Because we felt like, you know, you're getting a big time difference maker much later. You probably miss out on Chase because I'll probably go one on one. But. Yeah, but I wouldn't have blamed anybody to go Chase there. So. Yeah, it is a, it is a brew like you said, Mike, it's nuanced. It does depend on your league. How many keepers. Right. We know it's a, a keeper league. Is there, is there more? You know, how many players are off the board when it comes to value, I mean, maybe HN here at 210 is a tremendous value because there's four or five keepers.

[Andy Holloway]

Well, and knowing your league's tendencies, so I know when we used to. We've changed kind of the rules of how we keep keepers in our league, but it used to be everyone kept all the running backs. So, like, if you're not keeping a running back, you're just.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, you're.

[Andy Holloway]

You're just. You're really screwed. It's like, it's not like, oh, well, a chance in the 210 I could get Josh Jacobs or I could get these other guys. If everyone kept the other running backs, then that's. That makes it more difficult.

[Mike Wright]

Okay. Yeah. Yeah. There you go. There's a lot of ways to think about it. We're going to. We don't have any big time news, really. I mean, we had the Panthers talk about Chuba Hubbard getting all the carries. I like Chuba Hubbard. We've talked about Chuba Hubbard getting all the carries. But we'll jump right into our divisional breakdowns.

[Andy Holloway]

Let's get divisional.

[Mike Wright]

Well, this is our first divisional breakdown show. It's an opportunity to kind of gather all the data from the off season and give you a general overview of teams, our expectations for them, offseason changes regarding players and rookies and coaching changes, how things could function in their offenses this year as it pertains to fantasy football, and then just some personal takes of where we think these teams are headed. So we're starting with the AFC North. Last year, Baltimore won the division at 12 and 5, Pittsburgh 10 and 7, but lost their final four games. Ravens won their final four, and then the Bengals were 9 and 8. They needed help in the final week. If you remember, they won their final five but didn't get enough help. I believe wasn't last year the year they lost to New England in week one.

[Andy Holloway]

That sounds right.

[Mike Wright]

And boy, they are such a slow starting team. And you know, you. You kind of. You see that bad loss and then you. It came to bear in the final week of the season. They didn't make the playoffs, but they won the final five. And then the Browns, they lost their final six games. The final three games are started by DTR and Bailey. Zap, zap, zap. Under center. And here we are going into.

[Jason Moore]

We're trying to win.

[Mike Wright]

It's unique, I think, because we'll go through. We'll start with the Ravens. But first, divisional breakdown show. First team we talk about is my super bowl champion that's who I think will win the super bowl this year. So I'm, I'm extremely bullish on what the Ravens have put together and what I think they're going to do. They were 12 and 5 last year. Their projected win total in Vegas last year was eleven and a half. So they beat that and it's eleven and a half again. Friend of the show Warren Sharp has their strength of schedule for 20, 25 at 21. So we're not intimidated by most of the time. When I'm looking at strength of schedule, there's a lot of turnover in the NFL. There's a lot of change on defense. I'm not putting too much emphasis on it, but if it's extreme, I might pay a little bit of attention. If you're, if you're projected with a top five easiest, top five best, that's kind of the way I look at it. Jason, I know about you.

[Andy Holloway]

No, I agree. The outside edges of the strength of schedule are what matters. And the nice thing is the way that specifically Warren Sharp does his is it's not just looking at like pure, well, last year's ranking versus this year's ranking. He factors in a lot of detailed work with future projections, which is a.

[Mike Wright]

Much better way to go about it. Mike, last year they were the third ranked offense in points per game, number one in yards per game. Lamar was a league winner. Henry was a league winner. Your initial perspective on Baltimore, I'm sure it's fairly positive, but do you have any initial thoughts?

[Jason Moore]

There's not a lot to add there. Like, if, if you project that the Baltimore Ravens are, I mean, like Andy, a Super bowl, they're going to win the Super Bowl. They're. I can't imagine anyone out there saying that they don't. They aren't one of the favorites for a Super bowl run. That means they're going to win a bunch of games. That means Derek Henry will continue to be absolutely incredible. I think the, the question for me is just, it's with Lamar of what do you do with a guy who threw 24 touchdowns two years ago and then threw 41 this year and surpassed 4,000 passing yards for the first time in his career? Like, are we anywhere close to 41 passing tests or, or did we get all the good running stuff, but then now we're back down to like 31? Because that makes a really, really big difference.

[Mike Wright]

If you're going to talk about Detroit in the NFC as a team, that should regress offensive efficiency wise. It's not Fair to not talk about Baltimore in the same way because they're one of only seven teams in the last decade to average 3.8 or more touchdowns per game. So they were, they were definitely an outlier offense in terms of how effective they were. Number one in yards per game. Like I said, number three in points per game. Number one in rushing yards per game. A bin don't break defense, but they bring back basically everybody, everything.

[Andy Holloway]

So this is what is the most impressive thing to me for the Baltimore Ravens is usually on these shows what we are discussing is what has changed from last year. You know, it's easy to just look at last year and say, well, that's what's going to happen this year. That's not what happens.

[Jason Moore]

No, it never does because.

[Andy Holloway]

Because there's so much turnover. Offense, defense, special teams coordinators, head coaches. There's so little change for the Baltimore Ravens personnel wise. Like they brought in DeAndre Hopkins. Okay. As you know, like, okay, whatever. He's going to be their wide receiver.

[Mike Wright]

3 or 4 what they paid Rashad Bateman.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, he is.

[Jason Moore]

I think, I think he's the most fun guy to talk about from the Ravens.

[Andy Holloway]

Year three with Todd Monkin.

[Mike Wright]

I mean, there's lines ranked the same year to year.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, they gave another contract extension to Derek Henry. Even so it's like you just expect more of the same this year.

[Mike Wright]

A Mark Andrews catch away from maybe winning it last year.

[Andy Holloway]

And you know, I do not expect Lamar Jackson to be able to throw for 4040, but he doesn't need to throw for 4040 to be the number one quarterback again this year. If he were to throw for 3,835, he's probably still the number one quarterback.

[Mike Wright]

Top two questions then. You know, you talked about the regression potential and how it doesn't necessarily he can have some variance and still be an impactful fantasy player. But number, the number two question to me is who's going to be second on this team in targets? Zay Flowers probably going to lead the team in targets.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, he should.

[Mike Wright]

But you have some tight ends in the mix and how do you handle them in the draft? Because Isaiah likely younger, more athletic at this point in his career, folks, but Mark Andrews still has an alarm that goes off when he's around the red zone that Lamar Jackson pays attention to and rumors did not turn into them moving him. He's a Baltimore Raven. So you talk about running it back. How do you approach those guys in the draft? And then, and then Mike, I guess to your point, The Bateman stuff. Is he that second target or is it one of the tight ends?

[Jason Moore]

The most likely outcome is just a pun.

[Mike Wright]

Oh, okay.

[Jason Moore]

No, no, no, no, no. It's sadness of you don't have a true number. Number two target. The, the, the tight ends. I feel like this is an area where I'm just okay watching it happen because I don't want to bet on Mark Andrews at this point. The experience was pretty rough. Yeah, I know he caught all those touchdowns, but do you guys realize he had 15 red zone targets that turned into 11 touchdowns? Like that is. That is bonkers off the chart efficiency. Mark Andrews, great touchdown score historically, but even that is playing above his pay grade.

[Andy Holloway]

That's his career high. Wasn't it in touchdowns?

[Mike Wright]

It was, it was the first time he's been double digit since 2019 where he had 10.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah.

[Mike Wright]

So you know, this is a guy who had, he's had his, his numbers have declined year after year in terms of effectiveness.

[Jason Moore]

But point being, he's still there. He's still going to be a part of that in the game plan. And we all like saw what happened in week one with Isaiah Likely and we're like, holy crap, drop the entire fab. Because he took over for Mark Andrews. He did not. I know we're getting, you know, puff pieces of the coach saying I likely should be a Pro Bowler or. But I don't know that I want to jump into those waters when there's, when there's two potential tight ends. It feels like I don't. You're going to be playing roulette of who actually gives you fantasy points. So I'm going to try to find someone on a different team.

[Andy Holloway]

If Andrews was a double digit pick, if he's in round 10, 11, 12, I'm happy to take that on. But he's a seventh rounder and so to me your touchdown are unhappy.

[Mike Wright]

The target totals are actually very close. Last year between the two players, I think it was 69 targets to 58 targets. And I do feel like somewhere somebody will be like, should I take them both and try to figure that out? Yeah, please don't do that.

[Jason Moore]

What's insane about that is, you know, likely was 12 targets in week one. And you know, we had those like we had the back to back goose from Andrew. So that's, I mean I expect something somewhat similar in terms of fantasy output.

[Mike Wright]

And this team's goal is unfortunately not our fantasy team's production.

[Jason Moore]

It is to win pretty selfish.

[Mike Wright]

Win a Super bowl, which they got close to Doing. And so you know Bateman, That's a. Yeah. 45 for 7, 56 and 9 last year.

[Andy Holloway]

He's a best ball player to me.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah. Or a emergency start in the right matchup hoping for a home run.

[Andy Holloway]

He's not someone I'm looking to draft in any of my redraft leagues.

[Jason Moore]

I don't want to. You don't see a world where he becomes the true number two.

[Andy Holloway]

I mean, he was the number two last year. He was second in targets on the team and it still was on a year where Lamar threw 4040. He was mostly irrelevant for, you know, an every week player. You're not going to plug him in and be happy. But I agree. He's someone you could always take a shot on. You know, as the season goes on. Injuries happen. You need someone to play off the waiver wire. I think Bateman is that guy.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah. Nine touchdowns on 45 receptions is a little Westbrook Akina of him.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, well, yeah. Kenya was like one catch, one touchdown per week.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, yeah. But I think, I mean, I think those are the major questions is do you think there's going to be some aggression? Do you pass on players because of it? None of us are. I mean, I would say Henry is pretty. Like people are not hyper aggressive on Henry and drafts, if anything there, he's the guy that kind of gets kicked down a little bit. I mean, Mike, you took CMC three times over him. I mean it's, it's one of those things where I don't know why we do it. It doesn't make a lot of sense. They paid him again. He's going to score a million touchdowns.

[Jason Moore]

It's all about passes. And like, because everyone else in the world not named Derek Henry, to hit that true ceiling, they have to catch, you know, 40 plus receptions and Derek Henry is just not going to do that.

[Mike Wright]

But they were leading or tied on 81% of his carries.

[Jason Moore]

That means they will be again.

[Mike Wright]

It seems like that's what they, they will be again. They do. We will get a very fun openings matchup because you'll get the Sunday night game in Week 1 against Buffalo.

[Jason Moore]

Oh, baby.

[Mike Wright]

Which NFL already makes me very excited. And then Cleveland, Detroit at home. So they're in, in Buffalo and then at home for a couple games. Then Kansas City in week four. So it's going to be, I mean, Detroit, Kansas City, Buffalo in three of the first four weeks. Those are some tough matchups.

[Jason Moore]

Are you guys good with the flowers? ADP? I know, like, I don't think any of the three of us are in love with.

[Mike Wright]

That's fine. Fifth round widers here, 24, somebody that's a guaranteed. Like I'd be happy to flex Flowers all year long.

[Andy Holloway]

I mean, yeah, if he's your fifth player, that's. That's fine. I'm not in love with Flowers, but he is still a young guy with a great quarterback, talented. If he were to step up on target percentage, you know, 2%, he could. He could be a weekly relevant starter.

[Jason Moore]

How's he last? 25% last year.

[Andy Holloway]

Was he that high?

[Jason Moore]

Yeah. And I mean, because you had a couple games.

[Mike Wright]

He missed some time, didn't he?

[Jason Moore]

No, he played every game but the final week. He only played 20% of the snaps, which is. That's Week 18, so we don't really count it. The one real clunker would be in week seven against Tampa Bay where he only had one target, but he played really the whole game.

[Mike Wright]

I counted on him in championship week.

[Jason Moore]

I guess that's not his only.

[Mike Wright]

That didn't work, but he was a little bit banged up. Did he miss a playoff game then?

[Jason Moore]

Yes.

[Mike Wright]

Okay. I think that's.

[Jason Moore]

I think he got hurt in the final week and then. Kyle, are you there? Do we have Kyle today?

[Mike Wright]

Kyle, come in.

[Jason Moore]

I'll look it up.

[Mike Wright]

Over and out.

[Jason Moore]

Oh my goodness. Kyle, you're supposed to know this stuff.

[Andy Holloway]

Is he coming in on a ham radio?

[Mike Wright]

Okay.

[Jason Moore]

He didn't play in the playoffs.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah. Any partying thoughts on Baltimore before we move on?

[Andy Holloway]

Partying thoughts? I think super bowl party is the thoughts for the Ravens.

[Mike Wright]

Thank you, Jason.

[Andy Holloway]

You're welcome.

[Mike Wright]

Really appreciate that. We'll take a break and come back with a party on team that is just there. I don't know what they're doing.

[Andy Holloway]

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[Jason Moore]

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[Mike Wright]

All right. I don't know, Jason, if you have partying thoughts on the Pittsburgh Steelers, but they were the number two team in the division last year, 10 and seven. Their projected win total last year was eight and a half, but of course they surpassed it because they won six of their ten one score games. And they, but they ended, they ended in a really depressing way for Steelers fans. And you know, they, they lost their final four games, then they lost in the wild card game. It, you know the story of Tomlin and they haven't won a playoff game since 2016. So you're talking about what, almost 10 years at this point? The projected win total this year it's eight and a half again. And the division's tough.

[Andy Holloway]

They were playing with Russell Wilson and that those final four games they lost, do you remember their schedule? It was the Philadelphia Eagles, the Baltimore Ravens, the Kansas City Chiefs and the Cincinnati Bengals. I mean it's, it's like that's, that's tough sledding. Obviously they play in Division 2 of those, but the other two were the two teams that got to the Super Bowl.

[Mike Wright]

So are you excusing That I am. I'm saying that's the Miami Dolphins can't win games against good team situations.

[Andy Holloway]

But those aren't just Miami Dolphins is against above 500 teams teams just with a winning record. These were the Eagles and the Chiefs are. We're literally the Super Bowl.

[Mike Wright]

Okay. They still didn't end the year well. Five straight losses. I. Aaron Rodgers is a better quarterback than Russell Wilson.

[Andy Holloway]

I would, I would agree what I mean this isn't a pro Aaron Rodgers take this is anti Russell.

[Mike Wright]

Hold on. Cut that for sure and post it and make it all like a partying from Jason. But second of all, commit to the bit, man. So far, so far we've got. He completely dismissed their five game losing streak and endorsed Aaron Rodgers. So just to be clear, that's where we're at on the Steelers so far. They were 20th in points per game last year, 23rd in yards per game. So when you look at the bar on offense, it's set very low. 28th and passing percentage. You've got an Arthur Smith issue because you know one of the things coming out this week. Aaron Rodgers and Arthur Smith are going to talk about how to balance the offense. The running game versus the passing game. I mean, okay, it's not.

[Andy Holloway]

I mean the running game versus the passing game. It was. It literally. It's Arthur Smith versus Aaron Rodgers. Like they're already in battle.

[Jason Moore]

Like it's going to go great, guys.

[Andy Holloway]

Arthur wants to run the ball way more than everyone else in the league and Aaron Rodgers doesn't. He's not, he's not coming back to hand the ball off. He's coming back to chuck it.

[Mike Wright]

The. There's a. There's an aspect here and look, it's hard not to give Mike Tomlin a tremendous amount of credit. He's at 18 seasons and 18 seasons of over 500. So if that's your bar, amazing. If it's winning a playoff game. It's been a while. It does feel like some of the moves this off season. Ramsey Rogers, the big changes at wide receiver. DK Metcalf coming in, big contract Pickens out the door. Now Johnny Smith. It does feel like, okay, it could work. You could be going all in and you could get a good year. You got to avoid injury. But it also feels a little bit like the sun's traded for Shaq, you know, and Kevin Durant and you're spending the money and you're going all in. But you're. You're kind of at a breaking point. Like nobody in Pittsburgh is going to be okay with this off season coming back and rerolling what got them five losses to end the year and losing another playoff game. So you had to do major things.

[Jason Moore]

Shaking it up, man. There's very un. Steelersy.

[Mike Wright]

It does feel that way. And look, I liked the move for Ramsey personally. Ramsey's older, but Minka's done like Minka's. He wasn't the guy he was previously. He hasn't been an all pro for three years. He was beat a ton last year all over the field. So to me, I like that move. I think Aaron Rodgers is a better quarterback. I like DK Metcalf in fantasy drafts. No more Najee. We didn't even talk about the backfield. That's completely Caleb Johnson.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah. They're Jayla Warren, their second pick overall. As they didn't have a second rounder, they brought in Caleb Johnson to replace Najee Harris. So you're hoping for a lot more juice, a lot more breakaway plays, breakaway runs for the offense and you can't stack the box as easily against Aaron Rodgers as you could with Justin Fields and Russell Wilson.

[Jason Moore]

I feel like looking at this team and their ADPs. I know you guys like DK, but.

[Mike Wright]

Loved. Love.

[Jason Moore]

Oh, you love DK. Oh, I apologize.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, you misspoke. I forgive you.

[Jason Moore]

The. Well, I'm about as the opposite of that as possible. The only guy I really want to draft from this team is Caleb Johnson and I don't know what his adp. We're quoting it right now. I assume this is from sleeper of a late eight. That won't happen. Right like that. That's when we get to August. Rookies will fly and the casuals come back and the fever is in there. Caleb's going to go up. So where does he land? I think that's. That's my biggest question for the Steelers on my team.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, that's where he's going to land.

[Jason Moore]

Yes, we know.

[Mike Wright]

So love, love.

[Jason Moore]

Any monologue shows coming up because loves Caleb Johnson. I need a. I need a full refresh on loves the Steelers but he's really the only guy that I have true interest in. If the other guys, if they're on my team. I got backed into it.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah. I mean I like this is a fantasy show. So Yeah, I like DK Metcalf. In the fifth round I was wide receiver 24. Who is the clear number one target here for Aaron Rodgers?

[Mike Wright]

Feel like he just downgraded from love.

[Andy Holloway]

You love DK Metcalf. I like DK Metcalf and Mike dislikes DK McK.

[Jason Moore]

He has disappointed his ADP for like 4 straight years.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Jason Moore]

And a move to Pittsburgh with Arthur Smith and Aaron Rodgers does not give me super confidence in like, I'm fascinated to watch how it happens because DK Metcalf, he could still be a dominant player out there, but this is not the. Like, Aaron Rodgers is, is a general who demands that you be exactly where you are supposed to be, exactly when you are supposed to be there. And like Rogers likes a tactician and that's not who DK is. DK is just a bully.

[Mike Wright]

You can have what you like, but you only get DK because they don't have anybody else to catch the football.

[Jason Moore]

I got John who now. I mean, you don't. They don't make a trade for John who unless they plan to give him, you know, at least a good 600 yards or so. For sure.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, I mean, yeah, we call that. Yeah.

[Jason Moore]

I mean that was not an endorsement.

[Mike Wright]

No, I realize it. Yeah. And Fry Muth is there and they'll run two tight ends and we talked about it on Tuesday. But no, I like, I like Metcalf. I'm still unsure of what the work distribution is going to be with Warren and Caleb Johnson. Yeah, yeah, that's still an issue.

[Andy Holloway]

I think you will start the season with Warren as the starter. Give him that. He's a better pass protector for sure. You know, they're going to. Aaron Rodgers is going to love Jalen Warren. But I do think as the season goes along, Caleb Johnson and his ability to have explosive plays out of the backfield will just be too important for the offense to keep on the sideline.

[Mike Wright]

I'm looking at their schedule. They'll probably start three and oh, who do they got? Well, they're going to play the jets, so.

[Jason Moore]

Okay. Aaron Rodgers revenge.

[Mike Wright]

So they're going to play the jets on the road, but that's a very winnable game. Then they're going to play at home against Seattle and Sam Darnold and whatever they've got figuring out in Seattle and then they're going to go to New England in week three. So.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah. Oh man. A loss to the jets in week one would just be.

[Mike Wright]

Oh my gosh. It would be, oh, theater. Oh, theater.

[Jason Moore]

Steelers. I'm not wishing ill upon you, but.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, for the sake of media would.

[Jason Moore]

Lose their minds and it would be amazing.

[Mike Wright]

Out of curiosity because I get accused for some reason of hating the Steelers despite endorsing DK Metcalfe.

[Jason Moore]

Strange. Yeah.

[Mike Wright]

But I just, just maybe The Deucers Alley crew can give me like after that conversation about the Steelers, did it come across pro or negative or. I mean. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Is that, did that come across as we were anti Steelers or pro Steelers?

[Andy Holloway]

I'm going to say anti.

[Mike Wright]

Okay.

[Andy Holloway]

I was leading pro.

[Mike Wright]

Okay.

[Jason Moore]

Okay.

[Mike Wright]

Well, I know how it will come across.

[Jason Moore]

The Steelers fans, I think to Jason, with your point, I think the easiest thing to spot for the Pittsburgh Steelers is Caleb Johnson will be drafted before Jalen Warren. Warren will be used more in the first couple of weeks. Everyone's going to lose their minds and be like I drafted Caleb Johnson to be. You said he's going to be. Hold on, man, hold on. Wait a second and let, let the rookie cook.

[Andy Holloway]

So long as Aaron Rodgers doesn't do what we all know he's going to do and change the plays at the line to throw the ball all the time. I mean the reason, the reason that I have over this off season bemoaned Aaron Rodgers and said this is going to be the Steelers first losing season and forever because I love Mike Tomlin is because Mike Tomlin with this roster and a different quarterback who's not changing plays and throwing it like crazy at the line will just win games. This is adding, adding Ramsey and I'm sure they will come and sign TJ Watt. They'll get a deal done there. But if you've got T.J. watt and Jalen Ramsey, that defense is going to be really, really good. So now if you've got the running game going with Caleb Johnson with two tight ends, you're going to have a bully offensive line. Really, Three tight ends with Washington there's. Oh, that's amazing.

[Mike Wright]

That all works well when you're winning the game.

[Andy Holloway]

That's what I'm saying.

[Mike Wright]

But they don't. I mean the problem with the Steelers over the last. I mean there's a problem with Baltimore, the problem with, with the Steelers the last few years. It's Pickett, it's Russ. It's great when you, when you're winning at the beginning of a game, you can't come back and win a game. That's been the problem. They don't have an explosive enough offense to like get back into a game and give Aaron Rodgers the shot. I mean, I love what Rodgers did for Adams and Wilson fantasy wise last year. That's why I like dk, because he's one guy. But I mean this is going to be a wild year because you have to compete with Baltimore and the next team. We're talking about the Cincinnati Bengals. And the Bengals were nine and eight last year. They went on that big run. They started the year one and four. And all of those games they were the opposite of the Chiefs. The Chiefs just kept winning games by any means necessary to the point where we rolled our eyes into the back of our head and cursed the fact that they were going to go to another super bowl, which they did. The Bengals just kept losing games and finding ways to lose games. You know, seven of the eight losses they even had last year were against playoff teams. This was the most bad luck season ever. And you know, maybe bad luck's the wrong phrase, but tough luck.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, that's fair.

[Mike Wright]

So where, where are the Bengals on the. I mean, you're not going to sit here and talk about their defense. Gee, I know that. You're not going to talk about their defense.

[Andy Holloway]

Oh, I'm going to very much talk about the Steelers of their offense is the fact that they're going to have to score 33 points to win a game.

[Mike Wright]

So what's the chance that Burrow has to do exactly what he did last year and go 35 plus touchdowns?

[Andy Holloway]

I think the chances are very high. The Bengals, I don't know that they have changed their defense enough to make it good. They might have done some stuff to make it not one of the worst in the league, but they are going. And when people play against the Bengals, they know they've got to score a lot of points. They're more aggressive because of Joe Burrow. So the combination of bad defense with this great offense bringing T. Higgins back, there's. There's also been some nice buzz around Burton, their rookie last year who was a knucklehead and just missing practices and now he's like putting in the work this off season. Chase Brown became a revelation the second half of last year after the, the Zach Moss injury when they started winning those games. I think they're going to utilize him a lot. The Bengals offense is like, this is the team I want the most.

[Mike Wright]

Are they. And are we even going to have a first round defensive pick signed or a. Or Hendrickson?

[Andy Holloway]

They probably will sign Hendrickson. They'll probably sign both.

[Jason Moore]

But trade him.

[Mike Wright]

I was going to say for fantasy purposes. You'd like to see them throw like seven guys out there.

[Andy Holloway]

100%.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah. So look Burrow up Rachel line of fantasy quarterbacks.

[Jason Moore]

And when, like, when's the last time we had Burrow actually be really healthy in the off season?

[Andy Holloway]

Never.

[Jason Moore]

Like I think it's been why they start slow in part, in forever.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah. Right now he's. He's been healthy. Says it's the best he's ever felt.

[Andy Holloway]

To be fair, training camp hasn't started. I expect him to pull something in camp.

[Mike Wright]

You still hate Zach Taylor, Jason?

[Andy Holloway]

Yes. Yes. I think this team would do. I think this team would do much better without Zach Taylor.

[Mike Wright]

I think he's a great coach.

[Andy Holloway]

I think he's a good enough coach to keep them where they are.

[Mike Wright]

7Th in points per game, 9th in yards per game, 2nd and pass percentage. We love that.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah.

[Mike Wright]

You know, it's going to be really difficult for. It's just difficult for any fantasy wide receiver to repeat at number one. I mean, Jamar Chase will have as good a chance as anybody, but it might not be him, but he's going to be your best odds. And that's how you draft. That's what rankings are about.

[Jason Moore]

Exactly.

[Mike Wright]

We don't rank players because we know they're going to finish at that spot. We rank them there because they have the best chances.

[Jason Moore]

And it's not if Jamar Chase, like, has. If Jamar Chase plays the whole season, like, even if he doesn't finish number one, he's still top four. I mean, like, he. He will not fall on his face. Like, he's just too good, and Joe Burrow is just too good, which that's why the pick is. Feels. It feels good.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah. No one's going to be sad with Jamar Chase this year, even if he's not the number one wide receiver. And I don't think anybody's going to be sad with T. Higgins. You know, T. Higgins, we've talked about it for years. The issue has always been health. Will he be on the field? If he's on the field, he's great. If you look at, in 2024, at the. The numbers between T. Higgins and Jamar Chase, Jamar Chase is like, literally the first pick in fantasy football. T. Higgins was right with him on almost every metric. You look at the target percentage, you know, it's 26 to 23%. You look at targets per route run, 25% to 24% yards per outrun, 2.4 to 2.1. Like, first read targets. Yes. Jamar Chase, 30, 34% to 29%.

[Jason Moore]

We're getting high Tick Higgins this year, man.

[Mike Wright]

Higgins is always playing. He's always been an amazing splits guy.

[Andy Holloway]

Yes.

[Mike Wright]

That's T. Higgins world. He just needs to be healthy.

[Andy Holloway]

And do you believe that T. Higgins will finish his career never playing a full season?

[Mike Wright]

Yes.

[Andy Holloway]

Really? Yeah, I don't, I don't think that I. It's rare for people.

[Jason Moore]

His rookie year makes you look real dumb.

[Mike Wright]

Why did they not play 17 in 2020?

[Jason Moore]

No, no, they didn't. Right. When did that change?

[Mike Wright]

That was kind of a dunk, Mike. But also you said his rookie season.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, that's right.

[Mike Wright]

So this kind of like a reverse dunk. You know what I mean? Like you dunked on the wrong basket.

[Andy Holloway]

I am speaking literally of just going forward. I don't think.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, it's very unlikely to me, just based on the injury history and the way he comes off the. I mean, He's. He played 12. He probably limped through three of them. So. No, I. But that's not, I'm not saying T. Higgins, I'm not counter pointing any of your stuff. That's just if he played every week and had the same numbers as Chase, he would be drafted where Chase is drafted. And he never is and never will be because he doesn't and won't.

[Andy Holloway]

That is the very end of what you said is the only thing that I take umbrage with where I, I don't believe that past injuries are indicative of future injuries in most cases. I mean, there are. We have so many examples in the past of injury prone players that then all of a sudden aren't injury prone players.

[Mike Wright]

He's a good example of an injury prone player that's always injured. That's what he is. He's an injury prone player that's always.

[Jason Moore]

Hurt when you, when you leave.

[Mike Wright]

He's never finished a fantasy season in the top 17. Jaylen Wadda gave you a wide receiver seven year as the wide receiver.

[Jason Moore]

When you leave the draft only to have the right at the end of the draft, they're like, oh, T. Higgins injured his hamstring so rough.

[Mike Wright]

I think the 303 for T. Higgins is scary. It's a little bit. We did a too hot to handle episode. He didn't come up. It's a little, It's a little bit on the edge for me.

[Jason Moore]

It's. I could, I can see all that. And what makes the 303 difficult is that Chase Brown is also going in the third. And Chase Brown, running back 12 right now. He's one of my favorite picks in all of fantasy football this year. I don't think there's anyone who's going to get in his way. And he was absolutely electric from week nine on. He was the running back five in total fantasy points scored. Only Saquon saw more total opportunities in that span, like Zach Moss, I guess he's, he'll be back. And then it's like P. Ryan and then they drafted Brooks like there's no one there to challenge Chase.

[Andy Holloway]

We talked about Chase on the footcast yesterday, Andy and I did. And with that depth chart, it's so clear that Jamar Chase, that Chase Brown will be very, very involved. And what he did for Joe Burrow specifically was very important. I mean, when they were winning games down the stretch, a lot of that had to do with Chase Brown and the receiving work that he was doing. If you want to be a top fantasy option, like you said about Derek Henry, you almost always have to have the receiving work. Well, when that, when, when the injury to Zach Moss happened in week eight, the second half of the season, the last eight games, that Chase Brown was basically the full time starter. He was on pace for 93 targets and he caught 86% of them for eight yards of reception. I mean, he was just so valuable to Joe Burrow in that, in that check down game. And I don't see that going away.

[Jason Moore]

It's like from week four through 17 because he didn't play the final. He didn't play week 18. From weeks four through 17, he has one game under 10 points. And you have like, you have multiple smash games in there. I love Chase Brown this year.

[Mike Wright]

Just circling back to test my theory here and get your opinions.

[Jason Moore]

All right.

[Mike Wright]

T. Higgins, current adp relative to some of these other players. You like Garrett Wilson more? You like T. Higgins more?

[Andy Holloway]

Higgins.

[Jason Moore]

Oh, man.

[Mike Wright]

Garrett Wilson was slightly better in consistency last year percentage wise, but is a couple of picks later. You like Higgins, Mike? I think we'd all like him over McLaren.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah.

[Mike Wright]

Who's going later? Marvin Harrison Jr. Is going later.

[Jason Moore]

I'll still take, I'll take Higgins, Evans.

[Mike Wright]

Devonte Adams, a couple of the older guys, D.J. moore, Rashi Rice.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah.

[Mike Wright]

It doesn't seem.

[Jason Moore]

When I look at very high reward.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah. I don't see a bunch of wide receiver names behind Higgins that I like more than Higgins. So maybe that is going in the.

[Andy Holloway]

Right spot, but he's.

[Mike Wright]

But maybe just the right temperature to handle.

[Andy Holloway]

He is hot and you might burn your hand or if you're cold, this might feel real nice.

[Mike Wright]

It's funny because this is.

[Jason Moore]

It's a hand warmer. It's like a mug.

[Mike Wright]

He's just like Goldilocks in this thing. Look. This is the highest he's ever gone in his career. That's his adp. Yes. That's worth saying Like, T. Higgins has never gone higher. So when you talk about laying the palm fronds over the hole the end.

[Jason Moore]

Of the year, it was very good.

[Mike Wright]

For T. Higgins and the contract. I mean. And when you look at, like, one of the questions about Cincinnati, too, is like, what happens if one of these guys gets hurt? Which has happened.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah.

[Mike Wright]

In fact, it's happened to one of them a lot over the last few years. It's like, is there a third?

[Jason Moore]

More one than the other, but, you know.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah. I mean, is there a wide receiver in that Tyler Boyd, third position that you like a lot? And to me, it's more. Look, they gave Mike Gasicki money. So Gasicki is not somebody I target until one of these guys gets hurt. And then I'm looking at him on free agency and saying, I think I might be able to start him with the team that passes at the level that they pass with the defense that they have. To me, Gasicki is the perfect pivot when one of those. If one of those guys gets hurt, sure.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah. I'm.

[Mike Wright]

Before that, any other thoughts about the team in terms of, you know, range of outcomes for Burrow or anything else you want to mention?

[Andy Holloway]

The NFL did its best to try and help the Bengals get off to a strong start with the Cleveland Browns and the Jacksonville Jaguars. Just trying to say, like, come on, of course they did it last year with the Patriots.

[Mike Wright]

I'm saying going into Cleveland, that's setting them up for the. I mean, they went into New England a lot setting them up to go into Cleveland. But yeah, we. We have Cleveland, Jacksonville, Minnesota and Denver. Three out of four on the road. So you talk about slow start potential. That's a little worrisome, actually. Two and two, maybe.

[Jason Moore]

It sounds like they got to throw a bunch.

[Mike Wright]

It does sound like they got to throw a bunch. We'll take a break and we'll talk about Mike's favorite team on the planet. What's going on. Foot clan. Running a business, while that's complicated, I mean, especially when you have to hire guys like Al Borland and Papa Josh. But there's probably about 55 programs that you need. Also expensive. And since they come from different companies, they don't always play nice with one another. What can you do, right? Odoo. That is what. Odoo has all the business software that owners need. We're talking sales, CRM, manufacturing websites, literally every kind of software, and it's all on one platform. So it all works together seamlessly. I know firsthand what it's like to have everything all in one and you're not bouncing between different applications. It's quality software you're not sacrificing. And it's just a better experience than that hodgepodge of different programs that you're using right now. And what is the most amazing part of Odoo? It's that you're not paying that premium you'd expect to be paying for it. Why spend more on software programs that are less efficient when Odoo's simple software platform can handle everything for a fraction of the price? Discover how Odoo can take your business to the next level by visiting odoo.com that's o d o o.com this is an ad by BetterHelp. If you are like me, you've been out there in the workplace, you know what it's like, the commute, the job, workplace stress. That can be a big deal. And you can take this summer to focus on your wellness by making small steps to manage those workday challenges. Workplace stress is one of the top causes of declining mental health. With 61% of the global workforce experiencing high stress, many of us, we can't just wave goodbye to work, but we can start small with a focus on well being. And therapy can help you navigate whatever challenges the workday or any day might bring. With over 30,000 therapists, BetterHelp is the world's largest online therapy platform, having served over 5 million people globally. It's convenient too. You can join a session with the click of a button, helping you fit therapy into your busy life. Plus, you can switch therapists at any time. As the largest online therapy provider in the world, BetterHelp can provide access to mental health professionals with a diverse variety of expertise. Our listeners get 10% off their first [e-mail] footballers. That's betterhelp.com footballers. I'm just getting this piece of news after the break here. Kyle letting me know Burrow has won 39% of all games in September.

[Jason Moore]

That sounds about right.

[Mike Wright]

Feels like hot. It feels like a high number compared to our experience, man. Cleveland was 3 and 14 last year and their projected win total going into the season was eight and a half. Sean Watson, that didn't work, got hurt towards Achilles.

[Jason Moore]

I heard he's on, he's on track for like October or something. I don't know why that was in the news, but it was.

[Mike Wright]

If I could block deshaun Watson news from my feed, I think filter it out.

[Jason Moore]

If the Cleveland Browns could block desean Watson news, I Think they would. So I bet you Stefanski on Twitter.

[Andy Holloway]

Oh, he's got muted.

[Mike Wright]

Oh, he's got him muted. Yeah. Yeah. He doesn't let Desean know, but he's got a muted 20, 25. Vegas went total down to five and a half.

[Jason Moore]

You know, that sounds like they don't think Joe Flacco is starting.

[Andy Holloway]

We also talk about the outside edges of the strength of schedule. They have the 31st ranked strength of schedule coming up.

[Mike Wright]

So wait, does that mean it's bad or good? You don't know for sure. I can see, I assume, 31st ranked. 31st ranked. I thought that. Okay, it's bad.

[Andy Holloway]

Yes.

[Mike Wright]

Okay, like bad.

[Jason Moore]

Like Michael Jackson bad. So bad. It's good.

[Andy Holloway]

It is so difficult. They have a difficult schedule.

[Mike Wright]

Man, that's bad. You did freeze. You froze for a second.

[Andy Holloway]

You made me question.

[Mike Wright]

Look, I didn't know the answer. I couldn't. I couldn't remember how we put it in their favorite in one game so far against two. Yeah. Put them on blast.

[Jason Moore]

I need to know.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, Kyle, let us know who they're favorite against and what fan base should be.

[Jason Moore]

Is it their bye week?

[Mike Wright]

They are favorite in their by week.

[Jason Moore]

They're favorite in week 14.

[Andy Holloway]

Yes.

[Mike Wright]

Oh, yeah. One and a half point favorites. That's got to be New England or something at home. Who is it? Tennessee.

[Jason Moore]

At home. Okay. Yeah. Okay.

[Mike Wright]

Well, look here. Here's where we're at 32nd in points per game last year, so we could go up from there. 28th in yards per game and yet number one in pass percentage. So they pass a ton. Jameis. Thank you, Jamis. It's wild that you get the number one in pass percentage and number 32 in points per game. Like, that is. That is the Jamis experience in some ways. But Stefanski will give it a go again. They got a new offensive coordinator. Jameis is no longer a part of this team. Neither is stalwart Nick Chubb, who had been there forever. No more Elijah Moore, but Joe Flacco's there and Kenny Pickett and Deontay Johnson.

[Jason Moore]

Ew. Oh, man. Did you guys read those Deontay Johnson comments?

[Mike Wright]

Yes. About him not wanting to go play when it was cold out.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah. Of like him explaining why he got suspended.

[Mike Wright]

Almost like, you see, Anthony Richardson replied and was like, I hear you, bro.

[Jason Moore]

I get it. Are you tired or cold? You should probably take a break. But it was just. It was so hilarious. Of like, this is Deontay Johnson talking about, like, no, no, no. Here's what happened. I didn't want to play because it was cold. I mean, are you guys with me? Are you with me?

[Andy Holloway]

His. What he was trying to explain was that he felt that his body was cold and he was going to be bad if they put him out there.

[Jason Moore]

Right. Because he was looking out for number one. Yeah. He's like, I'm gonna put bad tape out there if I go out there.

[Andy Holloway]

That's probably true.

[Jason Moore]

Sometimes you just be like, I don't really want to talk about that.

[Andy Holloway]

Cleveland has a great defense. They should be able to be in games. If they could do anything on offense. We don't know who their quarterback is. And it changes.

[Mike Wright]

That sentence will be uttered weekly.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, but it changes everything for this team, like, because of the. Who their different quarterback options are. It's so wildly different. If Joe Flacco is there, he's going to air it out a ton. If Joe Flacco is the starter week one, Jerry Judy, David Najoku. These. These are. If it's Kenny Pickett, week one. Yeah, but they're bad options.

[Mike Wright]

Let me. Let me try. Let's reframe this. Let's try an experiment here, Jason, because this has been. Every time we talk about Cleveland, it's like the quarterback, it matters so much. But that's. That might be the trick. That might be the lie. That might be the problem. It's not going to be the same guy all year. So then if we think it matters a lot and it's the guy we like to start the year, and that means we draft the players that we like because of that quarterback, it will not necessarily be that quarterback for very long.

[Andy Holloway]

Right.

[Mike Wright]

So in that case, trade them. Yeah, but that you don't get. If you know that Guinea Pigg is taking over Shador Sanders or Dylan Gabriel, you don't get to trade them.

[Andy Holloway]

I'm saying if you get the first three weeks of Joe Flacco and Jerry, Judy's riding high.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah.

[Andy Holloway]

Maybe you put him on a market.

[Mike Wright]

Maybe you could do that with Judy. I agree, but maybe. My point being, maybe we want to just avoid and not do the dance. Maybe sometimes you just do that.

[Andy Holloway]

I am fair. Fine. Avoiding the players on this team, minus quinch on Judkins, I think he is going to be excellent. He's the Nick Chubb replacement. A very big, you know, athletic, Real, super athletic back.

[Mike Wright]

Who are you talking about?

[Jason Moore]

Judkins.

[Mike Wright]

Oh, yeah.

[Jason Moore]

Do you, Jason, do you like. Let's say they both end up. I don't know. I'll put them both in the fourth or the fifth, whatever. Like Caleb Johnson or Judkins. Which direction would you prefer?

[Andy Holloway]

You know, it is funny because you hypothetically said I'll put them in the fourth or the fifth. That makes the difference for me.

[Jason Moore]

I'm saying I'm putting them both there.

[Andy Holloway]

No, I know, but I'm saying if they're both in the fourth, Eileen Judkins, and if they're both in the fifth, I lean Caleb Johnson. The reason why is because I think Judkins is the clear week one starter. He's going to get the volume and if I'm. If I have to draft them in the fourth round, this is a starter on my fantasy roster from week one. I do think towards the second half of the year, Caleb Johnson has the more explosive, you know, better overall fantasy finish. And so if I can wait and have him be, you know, not necessarily one of my two running back starters and he's my third running back drafted, I'd rather have those two guys though, are my number one and number two currently ranked rookie running backs.

[Mike Wright]

I. One of the reasons that I don't necessarily get on board without Genti, though.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. We. Did we delete Genty from you. The conversation of rookie running backs. Yes.

[Jason Moore]

Don't take that clip and run.

[Mike Wright]

Oh, yeah.

[Jason Moore]

We don't count JT as a rookie. No one does. You're like, he's top five guys.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, that's a good point. Yeah.

[Andy Holloway]

When we talk about rookie running backs.

[Mike Wright]

We'Ve bypassed him in those discussions so many times because it's a presupposition.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah. Thank you for that clarifying statement. I think, I think everybody understands that. But if you don't now you do.

[Mike Wright]

Wow. Okay. Do we like Najoku? I do.

[Jason Moore]

I'm so torn on him.

[Mike Wright]

But again, if you want to just bypass the experience and the exposure to Browns, I don't care.

[Andy Holloway]

I do. I do like Najoku for where he's going. I think that he's one of the later round targets. You know, that's. He's an eighth. He's like at the eight, nine turn. So he doesn't cost you much. I know, but I mean, like he's going right next to Evan Ingram. I would rather have David Najoku.

[Jason Moore]

What about. And he's like right next to like Mark Andrews.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah. I think I would take Najoku over all of those.

[Mike Wright]

I was starting to say that one of the reasons I'm not. I'm not in the Cedric Tillman is a sleeper category is because Judkins, Judy And Najoku, I like them all more on a team I don't like. And so at that point I'm, I'm getting further down the list of, you know, potential week to week success. I mean he had a, he had a good three game stretch and I don't think he's a bad player. I just, I just don't know what he's going to represent for my team on the year. And I don't think the ceiling's very high because of where he falls in the pecking order. And this team being so bad on offense that I think I would try a better upside offense when I'm taking a dart throw. But I, I know you guys are kind of. Or at least Jason's been a bigger fan.

[Jason Moore]

I like Cedric Tillman and my issue with Judy is we saw four and a half years of Jerry Judy and then it wasn't until Jameis Winston took over and was throwing him the ball 10 plus times every single week. And I like that is part of Cedric Tillman. I just, we haven't, we haven't seen as much Tillman to know. Like is, is he truly a.

[Mike Wright]

We've seen so little.

[Jason Moore]

Is he truly a starter or like a fantasy starter? It's a confusing situation, but at least.

[Mike Wright]

Judy had finished in the top 24 at the position on another team with another quarterback. Yeah, that's one of the reasons why actually and the draft capital and the explosiveness. I mean you can be on a team of Jameis Winston, but you still have, I mean putting up 100 or 90 catches or whatever is at least.

[Jason Moore]

The production was incredible. But man, for Judy had that one year where he was, he was wide receiver 21. But I mean other than that he would. It was rough. Like really, really rough. Yeah, he's 8.2 games as rookie year, 6.6 per game next year.

[Mike Wright]

Talking about points per game.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, points per game next year. The 11 great year he was traded for though.

[Mike Wright]

Like he was better than his numbers when they, when they made the.

[Jason Moore]

Oh yeah, yeah.

[Mike Wright]

They're really good at gamble.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah.

[Mike Wright]

They make the right calls on acquisitions.

[Jason Moore]

And that's why Kenny Pickett, they start the year.

[Mike Wright]

Cincinnati, Baltimore, Green Bay, Detroit.

[Jason Moore]

Oh, no. Yeah. Okay.

[Mike Wright]

That adds to the. Don't mess with them.

[Jason Moore]

That's. Yeah, that's. Flacco starts four games and then everyone's just pissed off and we got to.

[Mike Wright]

Bench him or vice versa. I mean that's the hope at this point. I'd hope Pickett stars four games because then you can Get Flacco for more.

[Andy Holloway]

How about this?

[Mike Wright]

Or should Door starts game five. How about oh, and four? And I bet my life on it.

[Andy Holloway]

You're. Oh, man. I would not bet on that Cincinnati Week 1 matchup. Your life is too valuable for betting on the Bengals opening hot. Look.

[Mike Wright]

Okay, that's fair. But they should be $20.

[Andy Holloway]

So I'm going to amend what I said earlier of you have the first month of great value, and then you put Jerry Judy on the trading block. Based on this schedule, you get week one. Okay. You get that Cincinnati bagel game. You're going to have awesome. You're going to throw it a ton. You're going to keep up. You're going to get 30 points.

[Mike Wright]

So Judy and out.

[Andy Holloway]

Judy, one week out. Put him on the trading block once. He has 18 targets.

[Mike Wright]

By the way, apparently, last year on these shows, we predicted the division winners and Mike predicted the most. He got five of eight division winners. Correct.

[Jason Moore]

Yes.

[Mike Wright]

I don't see any statistics around Jason and I's performance. I bet it was for insulating us from the damage.

[Jason Moore]

It was just almost as good as Mike. Yeah.

[Mike Wright]

Mike apparently also had the most teams in the correct order. I don't have any proof of this. I mean, this is just what the dog.

[Jason Moore]

Don't worry about it, man.

[Andy Holloway]

But did you put this in the dock?

[Mike Wright]

But I will go Baltimore.

[Jason Moore]

Don't worry about that.

[Mike Wright]

Baltimore. Cincinnati. Pittsburgh. Cleveland.

[Jason Moore]

Baltimore. Pittsburgh. Yeah, I like that.

[Andy Holloway]

I hate it that I have to go the same order.

[Mike Wright]

So. Same order for all of us.

[Jason Moore]

Yep.

[Mike Wright]

Boring.

[Andy Holloway]

I know.

[Mike Wright]

So I got it out quick. I thought maybe the pressure to change is to you guys.

[Jason Moore]

I would. I'm not even going to hypothetical Ravens. Not number one, but it's the Steelers.

[Andy Holloway]

It's Ravens 1 and it's Browns 4. Right?

[Jason Moore]

Yeah.

[Andy Holloway]

Those are done.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah.

[Andy Holloway]

And so then the only.

[Mike Wright]

Really Cincinnati's in contention for the division. Yeah.

[Jason Moore]

You think that. Okay.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, I do. Because they've done it. Right? I mean, I don't.

[Jason Moore]

They can't do that with that defense.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, I agree. And with how good the Ravens are, I think that the Ravens are kind of locked there. So. So to me, it's just. Do you think the Bengals are better than the Steelers?

[Mike Wright]

I think we went chalk. I think we went Vegas.

[Jason Moore]

That's fine. Sometimes they know what they're talking about.

[Mike Wright]

All right.

[Jason Moore]

A lot.

[Mike Wright]

Which is all the times and all the monies. All right. We are done. That is the end of the today's divisional breakdown episode. A reminder, the ultimate draft kit available right now. @ultimate draftkit.com with the draft Analyzer. Go check that out. Get ready for your drafts. Make sure you win your drafts.

[Jason Moore]

Goodbye.

[Andy Holloway]

Thank you for listening to another episode of the Fantasy Footballers Podcast. Join our fantasy football community on JoinTheFoot.com and follow us on Twitter. He the FF Ballers.

[Jason Moore]

This season, let.

[Mike Wright]

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[Jason Moore]

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[Andy Holloway]

The brands you love like Birkenstock stock.

[Jason Moore]

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