Bounce Back Players + Fantasy Freedom

Summary

Fantasy Footballers Podcast Summary: "Bounce Back Players + Fantasy Freedom"
Released: July 4, 2019

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Introduction

Andy Holloway kicks off the episode by welcoming the "Foot Clan" and outlining the show's focus on bounce-back players, recent fantasy football news, and other pertinent topics. He promotes the Ultimate Draft Kit, highlighting its comprehensive resources for fantasy players, including player profiles, expert rankings, and a newly launched mobile app ([00:00]).

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Show Opening and Host Banter

The hosts, Andy Holloway, Jason Moore, and Mike "The Fantasy Hitman" Wright, engage in light-hearted conversations celebrating the Fourth of July. Mike Wright humorously mentions Jason Moore experiencing some discomfort, leading to playful teasing ([01:02] - [03:32]).

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Fantasy News Highlights

Ezekiel Elliott's Suspension Status

Andy Holloway delivers breaking news regarding Ezekiel Elliott (Zeke). Following a meeting with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, it has been confirmed that Elliott will not be suspended and will be eligible to support fantasy teams from Week 1. This alleviates prior concerns about his availability, positioning him as a reliable first-round pick this season ([14:08] - [16:00]).

Notable Quote:
Andy Holloway [14:08]: "Following the meeting between commissioner Roger Goodell and Ezekiel Elliott, the league office informed the Cowboys that Zeke will not be suspended."

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Bounce-Back Players Discussion

The hosts delve into players they believe can rebound from disappointing performances or injuries to provide significant value in the upcoming fantasy season.

1. Russell Wilson

Jason Moore expresses a strong desire to see Russell Wilson liberated from the Seahawks to thrive in a more pass-heavy offensive system. He argues that Wilson has the potential to become a top-three fantasy quarterback if given more opportunities and better support from the offense ([04:22] - [06:04]).

Notable Quote:
Jason Moore [04:22]: "Russell Wilson should be 100% a top three fantasy quarterback, year in, year out."

2. Allen Robinson

Mike Wright and Andy Holloway debate Allen Robinson's potential as a bounce-back player amidst his current team's quarterback uncertainties. While Wright sees potential if Mitchell Trubisky improves, Holloway expresses skepticism about Robinson's consistency and his fit within the Chicago system ([07:04] - [11:14]).

Notable Quote:
Mike Wright [08:01]: "Alan Robinson is actually a great wide receiver. You saw flashes of it last year."

3. Devonta Freeman

Mike Wright highlights Devonta Freeman as a prime candidate for a bounce-back, emphasizing his role in a high-powered Falcons offense and his proven touchdown capability. Jason Moore echoes this sentiment but raises concerns about Freeman's injury history and durability ([28:46] - [38:20]).

Notable Quote:
Mike Wright [28:46]: "Devonta Freeman is an absolute touchdown machine."

4. Hunter Henry

Jason Moore identifies Hunter Henry as a rebound candidate, noting his impressive early career and potential for increased targets following his recovery from a season-long injury. Andy Holloway concurs, recognizing Henry's value despite his limited playtime due to injury ([34:46] - [38:20]).

Notable Quote:
Jason Moore [34:46]: "Hunter Henry has more than a thousand yards and 12 touchdowns in his first two seasons."

5. Dalvin Cook

Jason Moore argues for Dalvin Cook as a bounce-back star, anticipating an increased workload in the Vikings' run-focused offense under new coaching. He believes Cook will reclaim his status as a top fantasy running back, superseding others like Todd Gurley ([38:20] - [48:00]).

Notable Quote:
Jason Moore [38:20]: "Dalvin Cook has an exceptional year this year. I've got him right now ahead of Todd Gurley in my rankings."

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Player Rankings and Analysis

A.J. Green

Andy Holloway presents A.J. Green as a strong bounce-back candidate, given his talent and role in the Bengals' offense. Despite injury concerns, Green's high athletic profile and significant target share position him as a top-tier wide receiver if he remains healthy ([22:36] - [25:17]).

Notable Quote:
Andy Holloway [22:36]: "A.J. Green is still one of the best wide receivers in football and was evident last year."

Alshon Jeffery

Mike Wright champions Alshon Jeffery as undervalued, arguing that his consistent performance and role in the Eagles' offense merit higher draft consideration. He criticizes the market undervaluing Jeffery despite his proven reliability and synergy with Carson Wentz ([43:42] - [48:00]).

Notable Quote:
Mike Wright [43:42]: "Alshon Jeffery is being absolutely left for dead, and I think he is."

Larry Fitzgerald

Andy Holloway brings attention to Larry Fitzgerald, asserting that his consistent performance and role in a potentially improving Cardinals offense make him an overlooked steady performer. He emphasizes Fitzgerald's reliable touchdown threat and historical consistency ([39:00] - [43:35]).

Notable Quote:
Andy Holloway [39:01]: "Larry Fitzgerald in Arizona is a product of a rising water level that we are projecting for Kyler Murray."

Calvin Ridley vs. Tyler Boyd

In a listener question, the hosts discuss why Tyler Boyd is ranked above Calvin Ridley despite Ridley's seemingly stronger profile. Jason Moore explains that Boyd's established volume and consistency make him a more reliable fantasy option compared to Ridley, who often shares targets ([55:19] - [56:48]).

Notable Quote:
Jason Moore [55:43]: "Tyler Boyd has already established himself as a volume play, which is really what it is."

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Listener Giveaway and Promotions

The hosts announce a giveaway of a signed Patrick Mahomes jersey through pristineauction.com, urging listeners to participate via footclanfivegiveaway.com ([11:20] - [12:28]). They also promote an expanded show schedule, adding an extra Saturday show to accommodate the growing content ([13:00] - [14:08]).

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Mailbag: Listener Questions

1. Streaming Quarterbacks in a 14-Team League:

Listener Brad from Raleigh inquires about effective quarterback streaming strategies in a large league where many teams draft multiple QBs.

Response:
Jason Moore advises focusing on value when drafting quarterbacks, emphasizing the importance of having depth and being strategic with start/sit decisions. Andy Holloway and Mike Wright concur, suggesting flexibility and matchup-based play.

2. Draft Timing – "Too Early, Too Late, Perfect Time":

Listener Larry in Michigan asks about the optimal timing for fantasy drafts.

Response:
Mike Wright recommends starting drafts after the third preseason week to get a clearer picture of team roles and reduce the risk of injuries. Jason Moore and Andy Holloway agree, highlighting this as the "perfect time" to balance preparedness without the premature risk of injuries.

3. Tyler Boyd vs. Calvin Ridley Ranking:

Listener Josh in Portland questions why Tyler Boyd is ranked above Calvin Ridley.

Response:
Jason Moore explains that Boyd's consistent target volume makes him a more reliable fantasy asset compared to Ridley, who can be effective but is less predictable. Mike Wright adds that while Ridley can outperform, Boyd's established role offers steadier returns.

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Final Discussion and Player Value Insights

The hosts wrap up by reinforcing the importance of identifying bounce-back candidates to maximize draft value. They emphasize the balance between risk and reward, urging listeners to consider players like Dalvin Cook, Devonta Freeman, and Hunter Henry for their potential to significantly outperform their draft positions ([48:00] - [57:48]).

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Conclusion

Andy Holloway and his co-hosts conclude the episode by thanking listeners, promoting the Pristine Auction platform for sports memorabilia, and encouraging continued engagement through their website and social media channels ([57:08] - [57:48]).

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Key Takeaways

• Bounce-Back Players: Targeting players poised for significant improvement or return from injury can provide substantial value, especially in later draft rounds.

• Player Consistency vs. Potential: Balancing proven consistency with high-upside potential is crucial for effective fantasy team management.

• Draft Timing: Optimal draft timing should consider preseason developments to minimize injury risks and better assess player roles.

• Strategic Positioning: Understanding positional depth and league size (e.g., streaming strategies in large leagues) is essential for building a competitive fantasy roster.

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Notable Quotes Recap:

1. Andy Holloway [14:08]: "Zeke will not be suspended and will be able and willing to support your fantasy team from week one."
2. Jason Moore [04:22]: "Russell Wilson should be 100% a top three fantasy quarterback, year in, year out."
3. Mike Wright [28:46]: "Devonta Freeman is an absolute touchdown machine."
4. Andy Holloway [22:36]: "A.J. Green is still one of the best wide receivers in football and was evident last year."
5. Jason Moore [38:20]: "Dalvin Cook has an exceptional year this year. I've got him right now ahead of Todd Gurley in my rankings."

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For more insights and the latest updates, visit www.thefantasyfootballers.com and follow them on Twitter @theffballers.

Transcript

[Andy Holloway]

What's going on, Foot clan? We got a great show prepared today. Bounce back players, some fantasy football news and a whole lot more before we get started. The month of July is here, which means you need to get into the ultimate draft kit. @ ultimatedraftkit.com you got all the stuff you know and love. The player profiles, hundred plus videos, expert rankings analysis, our top 200 list, the risk ratings, all the projections, everything you need, sleepers, breakouts and busts. And for this year, we've brought to the table an iOS and an Android app to boot. It's a bonus and we're going to be adding some really cool features to the app as well. So check it out@ultimate draftkit.com.

[Jason Moore]

Welcome to the Fantasy Footballers Podcast coming to you from pristineauction.com studios with your hosts, Andy Holloway, Jason Moore and Mike Wright.

[Andy Holloway]

Oh, happy fourth. What's going on? Fireworks festivities.

[Mike Wright]

I was talking about this show.

[Jason Moore]

Oh, I thought you were talking about my Tum Tum.

[Mike Wright]

Oh, yeah, Jason's Tum Tum has got a little bum bum fireworks going on.

[Jason Moore]

In the belly region.

[Andy Holloway]

A little TMI.

[Mike Wright]

If you're watching the show, if you're watching YouTube and you notice a real hard edit, that's what it'll be.

[Jason Moore]

Me going to throw up.

[Mike Wright]

Jason, what are you going to power through, man?

[Jason Moore]

Oh, I will power through. I'm a man of the people. I'm here for you.

[Andy Holloway]

Welcome in we it is July 4th, so happy 4th of July for everybody. We're recording this show the day before. We're not monsters. We're actually with our families on July 4th. So hopefully you guys out there are enjoying your family as well.

[Mike Wright]

There's some people that probably do have to work on the 4th and you insinuated they're monsters.

[Andy Holloway]

No, no, no, no. We have the choice. If you don't have the choice. Now, if you have the choice and you decide I'm gonna work on the 4th of July, right. I mean, you may be a little monster.

[Mike Wright]

What if your house is full of termites?

[Andy Holloway]

Well, sure, there are extenuating circumstances.

[Jason Moore]

What if you have deep American credit problems? You need to work and pay off.

[Andy Holloway]

Yes, that' you. That's fine.

[Jason Moore]

More American than that.

[Andy Holloway]

What's more, heavy debt? Mike, of course, has to divide us to start the show.

[Mike Wright]

I'm just trying to prevent. I'm a man of the people and you're calling them monsters.

[Andy Holloway]

I look, if you're working and not Pokemon.

[Mike Wright]

Kind if you're working. Thank you.

[Andy Holloway]

Hello. Welcome into the show. It's Thursday, July 4th.

[Mike Wright]

Subway driver. Thank you. I don't know. I figured the subway.

[Andy Holloway]

I was imagining the sandwich company is delivering on the 4th of July. I was confused. We have a great fantasy football show for you today. Bounce Back players. We picked a few guys we think are going to bounce back from disappointing seasons. Got some big news to talk about. Ezekiel Elliott on the show. Not the player, but the news.

[Mike Wright]

Yes.

[Andy Holloway]

And lots going on. We just got back from New York. Thank you to everybody who came out. And yes, thank you for the live show.

[Mike Wright]

It was fun. It was incredibly fun. Jason jumped off the stage.

[Jason Moore]

I did not blow out my acl. I was able to see. I mean, I was like a gymnast at the Olympics. The way I planted that.

[Andy Holloway]

You.

[Mike Wright]

So your stage jump, you're jumping now is 50%?

[Jason Moore]

That's correct. I am at a 50% rate as of right now.

[Andy Holloway]

The based on stage height.

[Jason Moore]

The Chicago stage.

[Mike Wright]

No, no. I mean, I mean, the last time you jumped off the stage, you fell.

[Jason Moore]

Yes, that's true.

[Andy Holloway]

When we came out, I noticed that the crowd was. There wasn't much of a pathway for him to jump. He had to clear it out or else. Danger, danger. There could have been an incident, but he made it off the stage. High five. Some people. We had a great show. It was a fun one.

[Mike Wright]

Yes.

[Andy Holloway]

So San Francisco next Thursday, July 11 BallersLive.com Quick question of the day, guys. Who's a player that you wish could break free and claim independence from their current so time? I see.

[Mike Wright]

This is so timely. What player? What player do you want to raid a ship and dump all their tea into the harbor?

[Jason Moore]

You know, it's really funny. When I, when I was looking at this question, I was thinking about teams that don't throw the ball a lot. Right. Right. Like, I want to get it to, you know, I want to get somebody to a better quarterback. That's kind of what I was thinking. It's like, how can I find someone? Like, what if you were, you know, on the, on the Seahawks, A.J.

[Andy Holloway]

Brown on the, you know, Corey Davis.

[Jason Moore]

And, you know, it's like. And they just want to run the ball.

[Mike Wright]

Right.

[Jason Moore]

But I'm like, well, they are with Russell Wilson, who's pretty good. So that's not a, you know, that's not like liberating from Russell Wilson. I'm like, okay, the Lions want to run the ball. Go Hawks. Go Hawks. But then I realized, wait a minute. It is actually Russell Wilson who should be liberated from his team because Russell Wilson should be 100% a top three fantasy quarterback, year in, year out.

[Mike Wright]

If he was MVP candidate every year.

[Jason Moore]

Absolutely. If he was given the reins to run a high powered offense that's going to throw the ball a lot, I think he would succeed. He would run.

[Andy Holloway]

I mean, drop him in Cleveland, for example. If he was in Cleveland with Freddy Kitchens, Odell Beckham, Jarvis Landry, sure, yeah, all the weapons.

[Jason Moore]

But I want a terrible defense. Drop him in Tampa Bay, let him go.

[Andy Holloway]

Oh, yeah, yeah. So you want Russell Wilson freed from the shackles.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah.

[Andy Holloway]

Because of that offensive system that ran the ball over 100 million times last season.

[Jason Moore]

I mean, for statistically accurate, like I'm not liberating him for his NFL life. That would be. I would apologize to him for being like, I've traded you to Tampa Bay, go with a Super Bowl. But for fantasy football, man, would he be so much better somewhere that was more pass happy with a worse defense.

[Andy Holloway]

All right, I'll go next. I find myself strangely sympathetic to this player.

[Mike Wright]

This one gets me in the fields.

[Andy Holloway]

And it's Royce Freeman, running back for the Denver Broncos, was on a radio call yesterday and they were talking about, well, what players are you excited about on the Broncos? You know, who do you, do you get excited for? Lindsey or Sutton or Emmanuel Sanders or Royce Freeman or God forbid, Joe Flacco. And the truth is, no, I don't. And that's the problem. Royce Freeman, he ran against eight in the box more than almost any running back in football last season. He's in a committee, he's on an offense that we're very uncertain of. He's on an offense for a team that is going to be a defensive led team altogether. So not a lot, not a lot of opportunity. He's still my pick if you look for value in the backfield to have some effective games. But Royce is not going to have the workhorse capability that I think he is talented enough to. He could do it because he can catch the ball.

[Mike Wright]

Yes.

[Andy Holloway]

And yet last year he just ran against eight man fronts 36% of the time or whatever it was. And it's not the best situation. The passing game. I mean, Flacco could. Flacco could be all right. I'm not going to discount it. He could be all right, but it's not, it's certainly not an open system that's going to give him running lanes. I think Royce Freeman's a guy I'd like to see freed from, you know, claim his independence from the Broncos backfield.

[Mike Wright]

All right. The player who I would like to see liberated or clean. Get that independence. I want Alan Robinson to escape the Talons, the clutches of Mitchell Trubisky. I know there's still plenty of people out there who think that Mitchell, everything's going to turn out okay and he's going to be a good quarterback. I'm not particularly one of those people. Dare I say, I am not one of those people. And you saw flashes of Alan Robinson. I know, Andy, you were. Gave him the business.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah. If you heard the last show, I just disparaged him greatly.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah.

[Mike Wright]

So it makes sense because you call him Blade Runner and Blade Runner is actually great. And I think that Alan Robinson is actually still a great wide receiver. You saw flashes of it last year, dominant in the playoff game. He did have a couple performances as well in the regular season. Where you go, oh yeah, Allen Robinson can still be that player if he's, if he's put in the right opportunity. It was really unfortunate for him that he had to go into free agency with his injury. I mean, I think if he had not torn the ACL that last year in Jacksonville, he would have had his, his pick of. He would have been the top free agent wide receiver that a lot of teams really wanted to acquire.

[Andy Holloway]

If I push, if I wanted to push back a little bit about that, you know, most people would look at the Chicago offensive system and want a piece of that system.

[Mike Wright]

Sure.

[Andy Holloway]

Want to be the number one guy in that system. I think it's possible that we, we've seen the best of Robinson in a one year sample pre injury years ago. And yeah, you get flashes, but that, that is the difference. Right. In fantasy between a great wide receiver and an okay wide receiver. An okay wide receiver shows up some of the time. A great wide receiver shows up most of the time.

[Mike Wright]

Right.

[Andy Holloway]

I worry that Robinson fits into the some of the time category at this stage of his career. That's why I dis. You know, we play, we had fun with the, you know, the hyperbolic nature of the live show in New York about Alan Robinson. I just think that most people would envy being in a Chicago system.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah.

[Mike Wright]

The problem is that Mitchell Trubisky just. He. We're talking about flashes. Yeah, Trubisky does flash. But then he will go the complete opposite way where it doesn't matter. I mean, you're talking Larry Fitzgerald in the era of John Skelton and yeah.

[Andy Holloway]

That'S going to come up today.

[Mike Wright]

Oh, but that's the point is like that's a Hall of Fame wide receiver who later showed that he still had back to back thousand yards in him and he sucked. So I put the blame more on Mitchell not being fully capable yet.

[Andy Holloway]

Follow up question for you then.

[Mike Wright]

Sure.

[Andy Holloway]

I would have considered Robinson as a candidate for one of us to pick for bounce back. When you look at his career consistency charts in the ultimate draft, you're looking at, you know, a number of years where he finished in a reasonable position and then all of a sudden, wow, he's. He's in the red. Right. He's outside of that top echelon. Do you believe that? You know, you want to free him from Chicago, but you're not going to get your wish. Breaking news. He's not going to be traded.

[Mike Wright]

Okay.

[Andy Holloway]

Do you believe he can be a bounce back guy this year with Chicago is.

[Mike Wright]

Sorry, but is the. That quarterback I've been talking about, he's still there. Mitchell Trubisky is there in the last 30 seconds. Have they moved on?

[Jason Moore]

No. Hold on, let me check. No.

[Mike Wright]

Then no.

[Jason Moore]

So you don't.

[Andy Holloway]

Okay.

[Jason Moore]

I did consider him for this as a bounce back player. I'm not believing that the, that the odds on favorite would be for him to bounce back to be a top 15 type wide receiver. But could it happen? Absolutely. Mitch Trubisky could be better this year.

[Andy Holloway]

He could take another step.

[Jason Moore]

You also have to remember his shoulder injury last year that affected some of.

[Mike Wright]

That's fair.

[Jason Moore]

Some of what was bad. So maybe that played into Trey Burton and Alan Robinson. Disappointing.

[Andy Holloway]

Okay, all right, fair enough. Follow us on Twitter @ the FF Ballers. We have a huge giveaway right now.

[Mike Wright]

Oh yes we do.

[Andy Holloway]

On the website. Foot Clan Giveaway.com free to enter. Head over there. There is a signed case keynote. No, no, no. Jason. No, no.

[Jason Moore]

Joe Flower.

[Andy Holloway]

No, no, no, no. Patrick Mahomes.

[Jason Moore]

Wow.

[Andy Holloway]

Patrick Mahomes signed jersey from Pristine auction. Giving it away right now.

[Mike Wright]

Where is this located?

[Andy Holloway]

Right now we've got it in under locking down. Jay Grizz and Judge Giamatti are watching it very carefully, ready to send it out to the Foot clan. Foot clan giveaway.com free to enter and win. One of the ways that you enter is to go and support the show at the Podcast Awards.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah.

[Andy Holloway]

So we're going, believe it or not, we are going for a four piece.

[Mike Wright]

Oh, this is called the Quattro.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah. We didn't leave to play baseball like Jordan did. We're staying to try to get number four Quattro. Yeah. No Birmingham Barons for this show.

[Jason Moore]

The Foot Clan.

[Andy Holloway]

That's the triple A team that Jordan played for. Stay with it.

[Jason Moore]

I played baseball.

[Mike Wright]

I knew he played for the White Sox.

[Andy Holloway]

The deep cut. We're going for four.

[Jason Moore]

All right, look, the Foot Clan. You are like the undefeated. Like the Internet. You're undefeated. You've never lost. Go get them.

[Andy Holloway]

Don't start now.

[Jason Moore]

Yes. Keep it up.

[Andy Holloway]

No, but go to Footclang giveaway.com, you'll see how you can support the show by nominating us for the People's Choice in Sports award again in 2019. There are some other ways that you can enter. All free, all fun. We'll give away the Pat Mahomes jersey at the end of the month, so head over there. 2footclangiveaway.com let's Talk News.

[Jason Moore]

And notes from around the league, presented by Sleeper.

[Andy Holloway]

Now, I'm going to give Brooks a chance to break the first bit of news here. You wanted to make sure people knew what was going on with the show schedule, right, Brooks?

[Mike Wright]

Yes, sir.

[Andy Holloway]

Mainly that you get an extra show this week. Saturday. Yes. Three shows a week in July. We've been two a week. July, we say, look, you can't contain us in two. That's true. It's too much. So let's give you an extra show a week in July. Go to 5 a week in August. Jason, are you excited about the extra show? How's your stomach right now?

[Jason Moore]

Oh, it's a special. It's a special place. I feel. Look, I'm just gonna say how it is spicy me, though, I feel great right now and I'm so happy to be here with you. Yeah. No, the Saturday show is going to be awesome. Three shows a week is better than two shows a week. So you can listen to that on the weekends. Come in on Monday with your spitballers. Tuesday footballers. Thursday footballers. You get the idea.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah. All right. Big news. Ed Werder on Twitter. Also, I saw this confirmed on multiple outlets. Now, following the meeting between commissioner Roger Goodell and Ezekiel Elliott, the league office informed the Cowboys that Zeke will not be suspended. He did not violate the personal conduct policy. With the incident with the security guard that we saw on video, he will not be punished. He will be able and willing to support your fantasy team from week one, which is not something we've had with Zeke every year of his career. And we worried again. I have been on several shows where they're like, oh, you know, you guys were just talking about this with me. Saquon, Zeke.

[Mike Wright]

Right.

[Andy Holloway]

McCaffrey, Camara. The variable of Zeke's potential suspension was hanging over like the cloud that it Was, it's gone. What's your reaction to the news?

[Mike Wright]

Honestly, my initial reaction is it points me to a different lane of okay, he met with commissioner Goodell and it's out immediately. He is not going to be suspended. Tyreek had a full day with commissioner Goodell and we still have no idea what's going on. So that, that's just how my brain went there. But the news to Zeke, I mean it's. Take him as the first overall pick. He's great.

[Jason Moore]

He was my number one running back in rankings that where if I was on the clock yesterday, I would absolutely have been taking Saquon. I'm not going to play with the idea that maybe week one, I don't even have. Yeah, week one or maybe week two, I don't even have the number one pick overall when there's such a good option in Saquon there. So right now I think, you know, it's. It's full. Go ahead for Zeke. He's in the. The one on one conversation. No worries. He goes from a risky pick right now to one of the least risky picks out there.

[Andy Holloway]

Okay. Let's talk briefly about Emmanuel Sanders. He is, he thinks it's realistic to be ready for the opener coming off the Achilles injury.

[Mike Wright]

That's rough.

[Andy Holloway]

He thinks he can have a Pro bowl season. Last season started strong.

[Mike Wright]

It did, yeah. Sanders was fantastic.

[Andy Holloway]

If different quarterback, different head coach, different.

[Mike Wright]

If you forget because of the injury and you lost all that time for Sanders and he wasn't there when it was important. Manuel Sanders was dominating. He was, he was posting a very solid fantasy. Fantasy numbers.

[Andy Holloway]

But he's been, he's too unpredictable right now because if you go back another year, you know, he put up five out of 16 games inside that top 24 range last season. Came out on fire. It just seems like you're banking on so many.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, it's ironic. Last year on this episode, the bounce back players. Emmanuel Sanders was one of my bounce back players and he was. And he was, he was on fire.

[Mike Wright]

You bounced it back too hard, Jay.

[Jason Moore]

I am bouncing. Broke his Achilles back the other way for sure.

[Andy Holloway]

Because look, four games inside the top 12 last year.

[Jason Moore]

Maybe he is ready. Maybe he is ready to go for week one. That's like hopeful. And if he is, is he what he was as a human last year? Probably not, right? He's got Joe Flacco. That's not great. Like there are so many reasons that it's not going to work out for him and the only reason it would work out for him is just everything falls into some perfect place that's not going to happen.

[Andy Holloway]

Yesterday I had the opportunity to talk to Devonte Harris, cornerback for the Cincinnati Bengals. He asked the question, look outside of AJ Green, Tyler Boyd, Joe Mixon. So the big names in Cincinnati, who's another name that you might believe in? Some news about Tyler Ifert trending in the right direction. Is Ifert next up on the list for you as a potential value with a Zach Taylor offense coming out of the McVeigh system? We've seen Iford around the goal line. Are you just done playing that game? They have Drew Sample, obviously the second round pick. So what do you think about Eiford?

[Jason Moore]

If you're just talking about tight end, then sure. It's, it's, it's. There's so few good tight ends out there that you can take a shot with your last pick on Eiffert and hope he's healthy. History says it's going to be a rough sledding. If you're just talking about the Bengals and who's the next person up there, I would take their best player, which is Rodney Anderson.

[Andy Holloway]

There was also news today.

[Mike Wright]

I don't want the injured Tyler Ifert.

[Andy Holloway]

That's ridiculous.

[Mike Wright]

I'll take Rodney Anderson.

[Jason Moore]

Yes.

[Andy Holloway]

News today about Gio Bernard being more involved this season. Nine to 11 touches a game, Joe Mixon and Geo potentially being on the field at the same time. I have. I have no problem believing that Gio Bernard will be on the field. Do you guys buy that hype? Because I think, look, we've seen Geo be effective enough. It's not like Joe's going to be on the field 80% of the time.

[Mike Wright]

No, he won't.

[Andy Holloway]

So does it matter to you though? Is this Mixon's backfield? Does that concern you whatsoever?

[Jason Moore]

It doesn't concern me.

[Andy Holloway]

Jason's just shaking his head. He wasn't even saying anything.

[Jason Moore]

It doesn't bother me. I think Mixon is a true workhorse back. I mean, you know, Malcolm Brown was on the field and used.

[Andy Holloway]

Sure.

[Jason Moore]

And. But he didn't really affect or have any, you know, he did not hurt Gurley's value even when Malcolm Brown was, was getting work.

[Andy Holloway]

And then one little bit of news because we can't figure this one out. Now we're switching to the other guy.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, this is welcome to my camp.

[Andy Holloway]

I don't even think this is hype, really. I mean, it's not hype.

[Jason Moore]

Devonte Adams believes what this is MVS hype. This is not Geronimo Alison Hype, I.

[Andy Holloway]

Want to hear you spin this then. Devonte Adams believes Geronimo Austin will be dangerous in the new offense.

[Jason Moore]

Yes. If you go and actually, you know, not just the headline of he's going to be dangerous.

[Mike Wright]

Oh, crap. Did you read the article?

[Jason Moore]

Yes.

[Mike Wright]

Even though my advice is to read the article, I just, I saw the headline and said that's good enough.

[Jason Moore]

So the whole point that he's making is that he's going to be dangerous in this new offense because even though he's used to being an outside guy, they're moving him into the slot and he thinks he's going to do well in the slot and that's that. So the point is, everything that's been going on in two wide receiver sets, it's mbs, the MVS is going to be used on the outside. They're using him all true deep. When I, when I read this that oh, hey, Geronimo is going to be great for the new offense in the slot, what I see is, oh, it was all true. Everything that's saying that, you know, and that's not to say that this isn't true, that Geronimo could have a great season. Right. Like if I had to pick, I'm going mbs. Look, Randall Cobb has dominated in the slot and maybe Geronimo Allison will be great in the slot. But what it does say is that MBS is on the outside, they're using them deep. Those are more his skill set. So I like it. This is an anti MBS to me.

[Mike Wright]

My only note is I really don't care that Geronimo's not out there in two wide set. They're going to run three wide receivers.

[Andy Holloway]

I don't think this is a binary situation.

[Jason Moore]

Agreed.

[Andy Holloway]

I think it's going to be week to week. I think you're going to have good MVS games the way you did last year. I think you're going to have good Geronimo Allison games. The only player that you can count on with 100% consistency is Devonte Adams.

[Mike Wright]

Yep.

[Andy Holloway]

And the rest has to play out brand new head coach. So are both values right now? Probably. I mean, Jason, you've talked about taking both late in your.

[Mike Wright]

I have talked.

[Jason Moore]

Mike has talked about it. You know, I think it could work. I hate having too many eggs in the same basket. But that could.

[Mike Wright]

That basket's carried by Aaron Rodgers, who.

[Jason Moore]

We could have made. And I considered being a bounce back player on today's show because while he wasn't bad last year, I mean he's usually the number one. At worst, number two. The offense looks good. The wide receivers, the weapons. We're talking up Dronimal, we're talking about MVs, we're talking up Aaron Jones. All this has an effect on Aaron Rodgers.

[Andy Holloway]

All right, that is it for news and notes. As a reminder, Sleeper doesn't just break the latest fantasy news. They are the best fantasy football platform. And you know what? We hear that from you as well on Twitter. Consistently as simple or complex as you need them to be. Flexible, easy to use. Download the Sleeper app today. Let's get it going.

[Mike Wright]

Hello everybody. I am back.

[Andy Holloway]

I forgot every year Mike, that one.

[Mike Wright]

Sneaks up on me.

[Andy Holloway]

It's a real treat. Now I don't even know where does that do you remember the source?

[Mike Wright]

No.

[Andy Holloway]

Okay, just a movie.

[Mike Wright]

Something who knows could whatever.

[Andy Holloway]

Okay, bounce back players, how do you define them?

[Mike Wright]

A bounce back player is a player who has performed at one time or another and you thought they were an excellent fantasy player. Then came last year and they disappointed you in one way or the other. Maybe they to injury, maybe to just their production evaporated and now we believe that they will bounce back and you should give them another chance.

[Andy Holloway]

When you run into situations like let's say Rob Gronkowski, right? Like he's had several obviously will not bounce back. No, he won't. But I want to use him as an example because at the tight end position or the quarterback position, a down year is easier for people to kind of forget about is my point. Like Gronk has a down year you need there's only a handful of dominant players. So Gronk slides back in the drafts. I think it's less easy for fantasy owners to forgive players at wide receiver and running back because there are other options. There's so many hype opinions out there. So I think these are in these end up being players at running back and wide receiver that end up being the best values in your draft because of the potential discount of a bad year. So in that event I guess I'll kick it off with a team we've brought up a couple times today. AJ Green is firmly in the bounce back category. For me, his situation, he's still one of the best wide receivers in football and that was evident. You know, third best contested catch rate Last year when he was on the field he was a dominant player. Problem was he wasn't always on the field. And there's question marks around Andy Dalton, there's question marks around the offense. But you do have an offensive mind Coming into Cincinnati, you have a player in AJ Green that he's on pure talent, one of the top. What. Where would you put him? Top 10 in the NFL from an athletic profile perspective. You know, Last year saw 52% of the team's end zone targets, which was the second highest rate in the league. It was just availability. And so is AJ Green. Do I see a ceiling for him in this system on this offense after the struggles he's had staying healthy of being a top five guy? I don't, I don't think that's the ceiling, but I don't know how you're going to get a more consistent player on a week to week basis when he's healthy than A.J. green. He scored exceptional. Once again on Pro Football Focus, he's a top 12 guy. On the wide receiver rank, he's the.

[Mike Wright]

Wide receiver nine in points per game through week eight. Before the injury, you were getting the.

[Andy Holloway]

Wide receiver nine, number 11, fantasy finish last year 40 because of the injury. And that's the discount that you get. So I don't see how A.J. green doesn't bounce back in this offense unless he's injured again.

[Mike Wright]

That's the question.

[Andy Holloway]

That's the problem. But that's what you're buying. You're buying that risk for the reward of top 10 talent in the NFL.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah. So look, I love the idea of the Bengals offense bouncing back. I do. Like I, you know, Andy Dalton coming back and having a great year, I could see that happening. But one other risk that I think is worth at least noting is like their defense is not good and if this team gets off to a very bad start from a wins and losses perspective, you could end up in a quarterback situation through the season where now it's like people are calling for the backup and wanting to move on from Dalton. And if something like that happens, that's another risk for A.J. green. That's.

[Andy Holloway]

It's definitely a wrinkle. I think it's a, it's definitely a wrinkle in the, in the argument that this is a guaranteed bounce back. I mean, you have, you have to believe that Zach Taylor is going to be given enough leash with this offense and quarterback situation. They weren't going to move on from Andy Dalton for the cap hit that that would have represented. You know, the other thing that's been brought up a lot is the contract situation because AJ Green is not under contract next year. If he's not extended, you know, they could franchise tag him. It'd be $18 million for next year. His base salary this year's 12. He doesn't see himself going anywhere else. But you brought that up in shows past.

[Jason Moore]

Okay, so I've got a question for you guys. A fun little game here.

[Andy Holloway]

Okay.

[Jason Moore]

All right. If you had to pick. You have to pick one of these two. Andy Dalton finishes as a top 10 quarterback or Andy Dalton finishes outside of the top 27 quarterbacks.

[Andy Holloway]

What are the highest odds?

[Jason Moore]

Which one would you. Which one would you believe happens? Because I would believe he would be top 10. If. I mean out of those.

[Andy Holloway]

Out of those two options.

[Jason Moore]

The two extreme options.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, I don't think he's. I don't think he'll be a bottom five. I think it's higher probability that he escapes the bottom five.

[Andy Holloway]

That's unanimous for me. I mean, on paper, why the number 27?

[Jason Moore]

Dude, the tummy. The tummy is the number 27. I should have gone top 10, bottom 10. The tummy's affecting the mind for sure. But you're. What you were just.

[Andy Holloway]

No status update.

[Mike Wright]

You just pulled the number 27.

[Jason Moore]

Dude, I'm in a special place right now. This show's gonna be awesome. Look. But what you were about to say is true. On paper, he has a great receiving core with AJ Green. Hopefully John Ross could be something. Tyler Boyd, Joe Mixon, Gio Bernard.

[Andy Holloway]

We're so fatigued of the Andy Dalton experience because he's had years inside that top 10. He's had an MVP caliber season where he spent the first 13 games performing for fantasy owners. Do you know, maybe it's not like Kyler and Arizona with Kingsbury, but you do have a rejuvenation happening in Cincinnati and weapons.

[Mike Wright]

You want to talk fatigue? Even Andy Dalton is fatigued of being Eddie Dalton. He looks in the mirror every morning.

[Andy Holloway]

Goes, ugh, not again.

[Mike Wright]

Still Andy Dalton.

[Jason Moore]

Still the red hair.

[Andy Holloway]

So rude.

[Mike Wright]

I wasn't even going red hair. I was going, I don't want to be Andy Dalton anymore.

[Andy Holloway]

You mean who I was for Halloween?

[Mike Wright]

Yes. Spot on.

[Jason Moore]

Actually, I. What? I thought Andy Dalton was in on Halloween. I thought you took the day off.

[Andy Holloway]

Acting. Acting. All right, Mike, kick it off with your. Your bounce back player.

[Mike Wright]

Sure. I'll talk about this player until I'm blue in the face. All off season. This is. Who knows, he might end up being one of my guys. But Devonta Freeman, do not forget, do not be put off of what has happened. Last year was extremely disappointing because of the injury. Here's what's happening with Devonta Freeman. You're paying a third round price for an absolute touchdown machine through 2015 and 2017 we have 43 healthy games, 29 rushing touchdowns in that time he's on one of the highest powered offenses in the league and he's. Dan Quinn has been, he's been with Devonta Freeman the whole time and over the past five years here's where Dan Quinn his led team. Now I know he's not the offensive mind but it's still his team. He's. He's leading the ship. He's the captain. Here's where the Falcons have finished in offensive yards 7th, 2nd, 8th and 6th under Dan Quinn. That's a really good team. Matt Ryan is an absolute upper echelon quarterback and in that Time DeVonta Freeman 10:11, 10:11 he was basically on pace for a thousand years two years ago.

[Andy Holloway]

A thousand years. What do they call that? An eon?

[Jason Moore]

They say father time is undefeated.

[Mike Wright]

Not to Devonta Freeman I get a thousand years and in those times I mean running back one, running back six running back 13.

[Jason Moore]

It's.

[Mike Wright]

It's the fantasy burns from last year combined with the end of two years ago we're talking this is second degree burns from Devonta Freeman which is causing him to drop to the third round somehow being drafted as the running back 17 on on fantasy football calculator that is behind Leonard Fournette. Somehow the general public they are more forgiving to Leonard Fournette than Devonta Freeman who is a known pass catching running back and on an excellent offense and not a Nick Foles like Jaguars.

[Jason Moore]

That's a very interesting comp. Right.

[Andy Holloway]

Because I think you got few more years of ups and downs with Devonta Freeman.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah.

[Mike Wright]

No, you won.

[Andy Holloway]

Well no, he's been injured for more. He's been injured during portions of more.

[Mike Wright]

Than one season and in that season he was the running back 13.

[Andy Holloway]

I think, look, I don't disagree with it. Last year Atlanta was 30th in the NFL in rushing attempts, 27th in total yards but their rushing offense was like 13th in yards per attempt. They could run the ball. They didn't run the ball. They didn't trust Heaven Coleman and Devonta Freeman was hurt. I feel like you have to at least look Edo Smith's way beneath the surface too. On look how do you give Devonta Freeman every ounce of this offense?

[Mike Wright]

We don't. You don't need to give him every ounce. You just give him the workload that he has gotten before.

[Andy Holloway]

Right.

[Mike Wright]

Which is you get him in the 230 carry range and not to mention.

[Andy Holloway]

But let's say you gave him 230. Okay, that is 121 up for grabs. Just throwing it out there for fantasy owners. That was last year's 27th ranked rushing attempts. If you go more average middle of the road, let's say you give Devonta Freeman 230. Indianapolis was 17th in the league. 408 attempts. That's a lot of attempts on the table for another rusher in as well.

[Mike Wright]

I'm not, I'm not going to make the case against Ito right now because I'm busy making it for Freeman and the targets will go up under dirt cutter who is back as our offensive coordinator. The running backs average about 22% of the targets unlike the past two years which the running backs were seeing 18% and 14%. That's. Freeman makes his money because he can get in that 230 carry range and still catch 50 plus passes. It's wild to me that the players that are going around, I don't fault people for being hesitant to draft him because he was hurt all of last year and the end of the year before. But you still, you got to take your shot on a running back in a great offense.

[Jason Moore]

I will grant you this. If he's healthy, he is an extreme value. He's definitely good enough and on a good enough offense, proven enough, well rounded in the sense that he's a pass catching back. The question is, look, he's dealt with a lot of injuries. He's a smaller bodied guy for the position and you know the knee injuries and then the groin surgery. Is he going the way of Doug Baldwin? That's the fear. And so I'm kind of out on Devonta Freeman. But you do get to a certain point where well, if you're going to have the injury discussion of Freeman and Fournette, they're like if they're both healthy and I knew both were playing 16 games, I would take Freeman.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah.

[Andy Holloway]

And he's a great bounce back candidate.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, no, he is.

[Andy Holloway]

Do you believe he'll get the goal line work over Ito?

[Jason Moore]

Yeah.

[Andy Holloway]

Oh yes, Devontae, they only scored 11 touchdowns on the ground last year. Middle of the road would be 15, 16. About the same size. But Freeman's a bigger, he's heavier.

[Jason Moore]

You say they only scored 11 touchdowns on the ground. Three of those were Matt Ryan who is not known for that. Ito could not punch those balls in on the ground. And so I think Devonte Freeman who has always had a nose for the end zone, if he's healthy, he'll be Used there. Again, I'm not.

[Andy Holloway]

And they have, they have one other guy though, right? They have the rookie, Quadray Ollison.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, yeah. It's.

[Andy Holloway]

Who's much larger.

[Jason Moore]

So. All right, my first bounce back here is Hunter Henry, tight end. He's one of those guys that, you know, he missed the whole season. And for some people like Cooper cup, who had an ACL and is coming back, and you're like, I'm worried he's going to get off to a slow start, it's because the timeline is different. You know, Cooper cup halfway through the season. Some other guys, you got late year injuries. It takes time to come back from injuries like that. But the timeline for Hunter Henry has been, you know, he missed the entirety of last year. He got hurt before the first game. And so the recovery timeline, not worried about it. Now, you've got to remember what Hunter Henry did in his first.

[Andy Holloway]

I was going to say, have we ever seen a bounce?

[Jason Moore]

Yes, 100%.

[Andy Holloway]

You consider that even though he's never played, you know, he played like 10 games, 13 games.

[Jason Moore]

So I consider it from the standpoint of if you compare his first two seasons to anyone else, literally anyone else, his first two seasons, over a thousand yards and 12 touchdowns.

[Andy Holloway]

And you compare Scotty Pippen, compare him.

[Jason Moore]

To Scottie Pippen, he had more than a thousand yards and 12 touchdowns, more than Scotty Pippen, entire career total.

[Mike Wright]

When you're reading that out, it sounds like you're saying he had that in one year. Those was two years combined.

[Jason Moore]

Right. But I am comparing that to the two years combined of every other tight end. So, for instance, if you just take fantasy points, right? Which at the end of the day, that's all that matters. And you look at the first two years for other tight ends in the last decade, the guys above him are Gronk Kittle, Jimmy Graham Hernandez, Evan Ingram, and shockingly, Jermaine Gresham. I mean, and then it's Hunter Henry above a bunch of other guys. So, yeah, you feel like he didn't bounce because he was still in his first two years as a tight end.

[Andy Holloway]

All the hype last year too, I think is what plays into that.

[Jason Moore]

So it's a post hype sleeper because of the injury. And you've got a guy who, you know, the chargers still have 110 vacated targets. You have lost Tyrell Williams, he's out of the way. And also you've lost. I know this is kind of silly, but it's not at all in the fact that you've lost One of the best tight ends in the history of the game. Who got 45 targets last year? Scottie Pippen himself.

[Mike Wright]

How many Scottie Pippen jokes can we fit in a show?

[Jason Moore]

Antonio Gates isn't there. He had 45 targets last year.

[Andy Holloway]

Let me ask you a question. Who has more receptions in your mind this year? Hunter Henry total receptions or Mike Williams total receptions?

[Jason Moore]

That's a fair question.

[Andy Holloway]

And Henry had 45 and 13 games last time we saw him on the field. Last year Williams had 44. Both have opportunity to step into some target vacuums.

[Jason Moore]

Yes, I have right now, Hunter Henry. I have Hunter Henry down with nine fewer targets than Mike Williams. 89 to 80.

[Mike Wright]

Okay, so you're calling for the bounce back. So then you are in on the sixth round draft price.

[Jason Moore]

I think the sixth round draft price. If you're someone that doesn't want to take the shot at the super late tight ends and you want to have one of those middle tier tight ends. Hunter Henry to me has a better. Like I would take Hunter Henry. You know, if you're comparing Hunter Henry to say Eric Ebron draft cost, then yeah, I think that's better.

[Mike Wright]

Ingram.

[Jason Moore]

Ingram I would definitely have ahead of Hunter Henry, but that's the type of pick it is. You're talking about a middle tier guy that could have volume.

[Mike Wright]

And we're not even talking about the other positions. I mean, you're bypassing, you know, James White, Lamar Miller, Tyler Boyd. I'm just saying like if you, if you're. Are you all in on Hunter Henry saying, yeah, I'm going to pay the draft price that it takes to get him. It might be a late fifth round.

[Jason Moore]

100% not saying that Hunter Henry is a breakout, that he's going to be unbelievable. You still have Mike Williams, you still have Keenan Allen, but he's going to be a top, you know, look at tight end. To be a top eight tight end, it doesn't take much. He'll be there. He will be there at the end of the year and if he falls in a draft, I would totally be willing to draft him.

[Andy Holloway]

All right, we need to move on. Next bounce back candidate I want to bring up, it's kind of on the heels of these arguments that have been made about Kyler Murray and the Cardinals offense. A lot of excitement, news, intrigue, mystery, all those things kind of surrounding the Cardinals offense. I've heard so many national news outlets just curious about what this offense is going to look like. Mike, you've talked extensively about Kyler Murray, the capability in this offense I read some things about, look, Cliff Kingsbury wants to try to get to 90 plays a game. That's really an unheard of level. Wants to play in the, in the shotgun, more plays, more opportunity. But we have not talked a lot about Larry Fitzgerald.

[Mike Wright]

That's true.

[Andy Holloway]

And so I think anyone wants to talk about him. Well, and that's the thing though. But if you believe in the offense for Arizona, if you believe that it's going to take a step forward. We've seen enough of Larry Fitzgerald's career to see the ebb and flow of quarterback play and the effect that it has on his production. Last two years ago, Larry Fitzgerald is the number five fantasy quarterback running. Sorry, wide receiver, couldn't even correct you. The point being is last season with the just doldrums of Josh Rosen, it was very much like 2012 for him when he had John Skelton at quarterback. And it was a disaster for fantasy owners last year. His fantasy Production dropped by 20% over the year prior. He's old. Nobody wants to draft him. They'd rather talk about Christian Kirk. If you look over the past three seasons, Fitzgerald's in the top 12 as far as production from the slot, PFF grades, routes run from the slot, he's still in that category. He's still very consistent. And when you say bounce back, you're not going to get prime Larry Fitzgerald in his career, but you are going to get the single best touchdown threat in the wide receiver core around the goal line, reliable week to week. With the kind of offense Arizona is running, I think he's being overlooked for the sake of and I think he's a consistency type of player. This year in Arizona he'll catch more passes than Christian Kirk will catch. And so then you say, hey, can he get to the 6 to 8 touchdown range? I think he can. So Larry Fitzgerald in Arizona to me is a product of a rising water level that we are projecting for Kyler Murray in the Cliff Kingsbury offense. David Johnson's return, I think you have to at least look his way. So I want to bring his name up now because I don't know if we'll bring it up again.

[Mike Wright]

We may.

[Andy Holloway]

That's the honest truth. And the rest of this offseason there's more exciting players to talk about. But this is. I just don't want people to forget the preceding three years with Carson Palmer, how effective Larry was from the slot. Not in an athletic role. He's not expected to be. Larry Fitzgerald of 2009, this is. They're not asking him to do something he can't do at his age, at 35 years old. So if he did it at 30, you know, 34. Can he do it at 35? I think he can in this office, sure.

[Mike Wright]

The problem for me, for the weapons of Arizona, the wide receivers, I like Kyler Murray as a fantasy quarterback because he can throw, but more that he can run. And I think he's going to end up running a good bit. Can he hit the mark where Larry was dominating those. Those years ago? Carson Palmer's putting up 4,600 yards, 4,200 yards. Can Kyler Murray as a rookie come in and come like, can he? Let's say, well, I'll set an over under for you, Andy. Kyler Murray throwing 3,700 yards.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, I mean, that's probably where I have him projected right around there. 3,700, 3,800.

[Mike Wright]

Because to me, if Murray's right around there, which I think he could, he can maybe go under, but it's going to be tough for Larry to.

[Andy Holloway]

What did Rosen throw? What did Rosen throw for last year?

[Mike Wright]

Oh, man.

[Andy Holloway]

Because over the last 10 games, I.

[Jason Moore]

Just looked it up.

[Andy Holloway]

24 yards, 24 total yards.

[Mike Wright]

You're close. 2,278 in a season where Josh Rosen.

[Andy Holloway]

Led the team for the majority of the season. Over the last 10 games, Larry Fitzgerald was a wide receiver three or better in eight of the 10 games with Josh Rosen in the passing numbers that you said, he also had five of those eight performances inside the top 24 and a top 10 finish with the worst of the worst. I'm saying he's being overlooked.

[Mike Wright]

That's fair.

[Andy Holloway]

Bounce back means that you get a consistent wide receiver, two type of player with not a lot of downside you're not going to have. I mean, how many consecutive games does he have with a reception in Arizona?

[Mike Wright]

I think all of.

[Andy Holloway]

All of them that he's ever had. Man. It's funny, I was just reading an article on how the Cardinals were just seconds from trading Larry Fitzgerald to the Eagles in 2008 when his rookie contract was up.

[Mike Wright]

Wow.

[Andy Holloway]

And it was an exchange for. It was like very public knowledge. The Eagles had offered their first and third round pick. That was where they ended up taking D jacks. So it's conceivable that, you know, Larry almost went to Philadelphia back in 2008. But I think Fitzgerald, somebody that people are forgetting about, and I think it's somebody that I don't even want to like. I want Kirk to Take the next step and be the guy in Arizona as a Cardinal fan. So that makes him even easier to ignore.

[Mike Wright]

Right. I'm going to jump in here with a wide receiver who I believe is not done as well. And it, if you look at where.

[Andy Holloway]

He'S being drafted, oh, please be Eric Decker.

[Mike Wright]

He's coming back. No, if you look at where he's being drafted, it's, it's just, it's too low to me. And it's Alshon Jeffrey for talking Philadelphia Eagles last year on a shortened season. 65 for 843 and 6. He started that season recovering from a shoulder problem, which, if you recall, he played the entire year with a shoulder problem and he still came down with, with nine touchdowns. And last year, if you give him the full season, he's on pace for over a thousand and seven. Like good wide receiver numbers. I don't, I'm not sure why people are ready to write Alshon off just yet. He was a wide receiver one or two over 46% of the time, which, that's not elite, but that's still good. Like, that's a, that's a player who's in your starting roster every single week. The problem last year for Alshon was if he wasn't in that 46% as a one or a two, he busted, he busted over 53% of the time. And in the past few years, that just simply was not who Alshon was. He was a far more reliable guy, a far more consistent player. And he's. You're in on Carson Wentz, you're in on the Philadelphia Eagles and the passing attack, and I am as well. And desean Jackson's a huge part of that.

[Andy Holloway]

Desean Jackson plays a different, completely different role, different roles.

[Mike Wright]

And he makes the whole team better. Like, he adds passing yards, he adds he has scoring opportunities. It's. That's not, that's not taking away from Alshon. To me, that only adds to what Alshon could possibly do. Last year, Carson Wentz, maybe he's recovering from the injury. He was only going deep about 11% of the time compared to 15% when it was his awesome year. Carson Wentz was slinging the ball. He was going down the field over 15% of the time. And to me, Alishon Jeffrey is being absolutely left for dead. And I think he is.

[Andy Holloway]

It's so hard.

[Mike Wright]

I think he's a great value.

[Andy Holloway]

And we do know that Carson and Jeffrey in particular have had this rapport around the red zone. And I look, you're right I believe that Carson Wentz is going to be a upper echelon in total yards quarterback this season. Top five fantasy guy.

[Mike Wright]

Right.

[Andy Holloway]

Probably can't do it without Alshon. I just don't. To me, I don't like seeing disappearing Alshon or for reception Alshon.

[Mike Wright]

Right, but that's what I'm saying. Like last year it was that, that was anomalous to the rest of his career. And unless you're saying, okay, well Alshon has lost the step. The injury recovery took things away from him that he will never get back. I mean you're talking. It was more like a 30% bust rate for Alshon instead of being really disappointed. Still had huge games last year.

[Andy Holloway]

Did you mention his average draft position right now?

[Mike Wright]

So right now in half point he's going right. He's going at the back of the sixth, beginning of the seventh round.

[Andy Holloway]

And it's trended down over the last month. People are fantasy owners.

[Mike Wright]

People have soured greatly on Al Sharp.

[Andy Holloway]

In fact, if you look back in April, okay, maybe this was pre D Jacks, pre foals transition, whatever. In April he was a late fifth round pick. He's now being drafted in the 6 12, 71 range. That's insane.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah. And still dropping.

[Andy Holloway]

I mean, maybe not after this show.

[Mike Wright]

Just let him drop, like scoop up that value.

[Andy Holloway]

That's, that's too cheap. He's too much of a value.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, he's definitely.

[Andy Holloway]

That's illegal.

[Jason Moore]

And the reality is, I think it would be very realistic. You know, obviously Andy, you've talked about this recently. But, but you could say Carson Wentz is the best bounce back possible. And if he bounces back, then Alshon, you know, rides, rides the wave with him because very few guys have the ability in the team and the offense that are going that late to have double digit touchdowns.

[Andy Holloway]

Would you rather have Alshon Jeffrey with let's, let's call it 601, let's say draft day, he goes 601 Al Shawn Jeffrey at the first pick of the sixth round or Larry Fitzgerald, first pick of the ninth round. Okay. I think it's probably the right call. Even though he's. I pushed Alshon up for that comparison.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah.

[Andy Holloway]

Because he's going basically 701 now just telling you that he's a steal.

[Jason Moore]

So. All right, my bounce back. And you could argue maybe this isn't a perfect bounce back because he hasn't finished super high. But obviously you've seen it on the field. But I'm calling for a genuine full scale bounce back into Superstardom for Dalvin Cook. I think Dalvin Cook, who obviously struggled with injuries so far in his shortened career, has been vultured, you know, on the goal line. But Latavius Murray is not there. I know you're a big fan of Alexander Madison, but while we were at the FSGA talking with some industry people and some industry insiders, we heard that the word from out of Minnesota is that he is flat out the goal line back. That that when they're on the goal line, it's Dalvin Cook's world. And when I went and I took a look at my rankings, took a look at everything that I believe about Dalvin, because when he's been on the field, he's dominated. He is a full pass catching back. He has never looked bad on the NFL field. Now you've got the Minnesota Vikings, great defense, great team overall that want to run the ball a little bit more, be more balanced.

[Andy Holloway]

More than 27th in the league in rushing attempts.

[Jason Moore]

Exactly. You go from being one of the lowest rushing attempt teams to, let's just say nine touchdowns on the ground, middle of the pack. And then you make Dalvin Cook your actual goal line workhorse. Because maybe Alexander Madison, maybe you like him, but it's possible he's just a rookie backup to their star Dalvin Cook. I think that's more likely. So Dalvin Cook comes out and if you look at what he did, the second half of last year is on pace for 1100 yards just on the ground. 480 through the air. So you're talking about a 1500 plus yard guy. Don't even look at the back half. Look at the whole season, including the games where he exited due to injury and really upset my personal fantasy team. I think Dalvin Cook has an exceptional year this year. I've got him right now ahead of Todd Gurley in my rankings.

[Mike Wright]

What?

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, because.

[Andy Holloway]

Which is so great because you have Gurley on our dynasty team and I have Dalvin Cook.

[Jason Moore]

Want to do a trick that's super comfortable?

[Andy Holloway]

No, I'm good where I'm at. Here's the thing.

[Mike Wright]

What a world we live in. Oh, my goodness.

[Jason Moore]

In a dynasty. I just want to verify this.

[Andy Holloway]

I think we're out of time in a dynasty.

[Jason Moore]

If I were to offer you Todd Gurley for Dalvin Cook, what would you do?

[Andy Holloway]

It's impossible for me to answer at this moment in time. It really is because it's not.

[Mike Wright]

It's very easy.

[Andy Holloway]

No, because my ego wants to say, I'm going to shut you down right here right now on the show and it's just my guys better. I don't. It would be a tough call. It really. What I would probably. Man, that's rough. I'd probably say no, but not because I think you probably should go girly over Dalvin Cook in a Dynasty. But I'd probably say no because I don't know if my team can win this year and I don't want two years away. Gurley. I'd rather have two years away Cook, I believe. But it's close. Okay, maybe I just don't want to think about Gurley's knee all year. Maybe that's, maybe that's part of fantasy football is I get to decide what I want to think about and I don't want to think about Todd Curley's knee this year. All right, we've got time for a couple questions. Let's hit the mailbag.

[Jason Moore]

Mailbag, mailbag.

[Andy Holloway]

All right. You got a question for the show?

[Mike Wright]

Well, you know where to go?

[Andy Holloway]

Too bad. No, actually you can go to the website, click the Submit a question button or dial our voicemail hotline. 302464, TFFB. Let's grab a voicemail question. Hey ballers, this is Brad from Raleigh.

[Mike Wright]

N.C. had a question about quarterbacks. I'm in a 14 team league and.

[Andy Holloway]

I hear a lot about streaming quarterbacks.

[Mike Wright]

But it's nearly impossible to do in a 14 team league. A lot of people pick up two quarterbacks. So what is your draft strategy in a league such as that? Thanks.

[Jason Moore]

Love the show.

[Andy Holloway]

It's a great question. And I, and you're probably right that streaming isn't as easy, but value quarterback drafting is still what you need to do.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah. If you know that everybody's going to grab two and so the top 28 quarterbacks are grabbed, then you need to make sure you've got two guys in the streaming isn't off the waiver wire. It's really just the start sit decision between your two guys.

[Andy Holloway]

If you're flexing two players, Right.

[Jason Moore]

Like if you were to grab Jameis Winston and you know, Jared Goff if he slips or if you go super late and you go Kirk Cousins or.

[Andy Holloway]

Whatever, you got to be happy with Cam Newton in the 9th, Philip Rivers in the 10th or Philip Rivers in the 10th and Lamar Jackson in the 12th.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Andy Holloway]

That sounds pretty good.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah. Guys like Josh Allen who are late in drafts and could be great, you still want to basically play the matchup game and not just lock yourself into one quarterback. If you can't do that on the waivers. Then I would take two really late quarterbacks.

[Andy Holloway]

All right, question from. Let's see. We'll go with Larry in Michigan writes in. He says, when is it too early for a fantasy football draft? When is it too late, and when is the perfect time? This is a Goldilocks draft question.

[Mike Wright]

Sure. So if you're doing best ball, have at it, man. Get going right now. But I'm sure you're talking about having your redraft too late would just be after week one has already started. But even then, if you have to do it.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah. Is it really too late?

[Mike Wright]

I don't know that there's ever really.

[Jason Moore]

Too late to do that.

[Andy Holloway]

It's too late. If the NFL season started, yes, I'm going to qualify that as too late.

[Mike Wright]

I think there's, there's different things you could do with the rules, though. Like, I think there's a way to work it out.

[Andy Holloway]

He's, he's asking for the gamut of the calendar. We're not going to suggest to you that you draft after the season starts liking.

[Jason Moore]

If you want to know where Goldilocks drafts after trying.

[Andy Holloway]

Brooks is shaking his head.

[Jason Moore]

This is her third season in fantasy football.

[Andy Holloway]

Goldilocks.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah. The first year she did it right after the NFL draft. She said this. She said this draft is too early. Then the next one, she did it right before kickoff for the game. And she said this draft is too late. But this season, Goldilocks is going to draft after week three of preseason football. So after the third preseason weekend is over, she's going to have the perfect fantasy football draft. Yeah.

[Andy Holloway]

I mean, it's too early to me is before preseason starts and you risk the injuries of training camp.

[Mike Wright]

That's why preseason three is where you go. I mean, you have the best nine. Look, maybe you want to do a second half. Maybe you want to do a second half fantasy football.

[Andy Holloway]

This is an idealistic question here. This is not like, could you possibly ever do a league in week 10?

[Mike Wright]

The reason you do it after the preseason week three is that's when the, the teams have their dress rehearsal. You get the best look at what the teams are possibly going to do. And the big injuries, which unfortunately come every year, they are, they're mostly, mostly.

[Jason Moore]

Done Week 4 in preseason. The starters.

[Mike Wright]

Starters don't play.

[Jason Moore]

Right.

[Andy Holloway]

All right. This question comes in from Josh in Portland. It's a good one. Says, hey, Ballers was close to bringing home two Hashtag Foot Clan titles last year. Finished runners, runner up in Bows, but a huge improvement from not making the playoffs in years past. And then says thanks udk. Speaking of the udk, you guys have Boyd, Tyler Boyd ranked ahead of Calvin Ridley. Why? Ridley's reception perception number seems to be. Our profile seems to be stronger.

[Mike Wright]

Sure.

[Andy Holloway]

Both play second fiddle. And Ridley, Ridley has the better quarterback throwing to him. Why are you higher on Boyd? Thank you. Well, I. Look, the thing that jumps out to me is Ridley plays second fiddle with someone. Like they're both holding the fiddle together. And his name is Mohammed Sanu. And I don't know, it's more awkward.

[Mike Wright]

When you try and play a fiddle solo with two people. Like, I will fret the strings.

[Andy Holloway]

No.

[Mike Wright]

And Andy's in control of the bow.

[Andy Holloway]

Nope.

[Mike Wright]

Look, it's. It's not going to be great.

[Andy Holloway]

No. Well, you may have a good week on the frets and I may have one good week strumming, but it's not. That's the major problem is it's very hard. It's carved out for Tyler Boyd. Is that fair?

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, that is fair. And you know the similar consistent to Muhammad Sanu. You got Mohammed Sanu compared to John Ross, but you've also got Austin Hooper compared to Tyler Eiford for a few games. So yeah, Tyler Boyd has already established himself as a volume play and that's really what it is. It's more like I expect more volume to go the way of Tyler Boyd than Calvin Ridley. Both are good options.

[Andy Holloway]

There's probably a team where you would prefer Calvin Ridley to Tyler Boyd, like a team makeup. But majority wise, Boyd was incredibly consistent. That was the thing that was so impressive about him last year.

[Mike Wright]

He was actually slightly better when AJ Green was actually on the field. So this wasn't a he became wide receiver one and padded his numbers. It's not improbable at all that Calvin Ridley out produces Tyler Boyd. We just happen to prefer Boyd.

[Andy Holloway]

Pristine deal of the day. As always, we close out the fantasy footballers podcast with the Pristine deal of the day. Yesterday on pristineauction.com someone snagged a signed Marlon Mac Colts jersey for $47.76.

[Mike Wright]

Congratulations.

[Andy Holloway]

Oh my goodness. That's a good deal. Pristine auction.com use the registration code BALLERS and you get $5 towards your first sports memorabilia purchase. All JSA witnessed autographs, so you know you're dealing with the best in the business. Guys, any parting words before I shut this thing down? Jason, you made it.

[Mike Wright]

I made it through and he's looked terrible the whole time.

[Jason Moore]

I have felt as I have looked. Thank you.

[Andy Holloway]

Could you throw down something? Porridge Right now?

[Mike Wright]

Maybe throw it up. We'll see you next time. Goodbye.

[Jason Moore]

Thank you for listening to another edition of the Fantasy Footballers Podcast. Don't forget to visit us on the web at www.thefant. fantasyfootballers.com and follow us on Twitter at theffballers.