Early Top 10 RB Rankings + Conspiracy Theories - Fantasy Football Podcast

Summary

Detailed Summary of “Early Top 10 RB Rankings + Conspiracy Theories” - Fantasy Footballers Podcast

Release Date: April 2, 2020

The Fantasy Footballers Podcast, hosted by Andy Holloway, Jason Moore, and Mike "The Fantasy Hitman" Wright, delivers an engaging and comprehensive episode focused on early Top 10 Running Back (RB) rankings for the upcoming fantasy football season, alongside intriguing discussions on conspiracy theories affecting the league. This summary captures the essence of their conversations, notable insights, and key takeaways from the episode.

---

1. Introduction and Studio Banter (00:00 - 07:42)

The episode begins with the hosts greeting their audience and engaging in lighthearted banter about their studio setups. Mike Wright humorously refers to their "pants check," leading to playful exchanges about attempting to mimic his cool "man cave" environment. This segment sets a relaxed and entertaining tone for the episode.

---

2. Fantasy Football News and Updates (07:42 - 17:02)

The hosts transition to discussing recent NFL news that impacts fantasy football strategies:

• Expansion of the NFL Postseason (07:42 - 11:18):

  • Andy Holloway [09:13]: Expresses mixed feelings about the NFL expanding the postseason to 14 teams, highlighting that while it increases competition at the bottom of the standings—beneficial for fantasy football—it also creates a significant advantage for the number one seed.

• Frank Reich and the Philadelphia Eagles (11:57 - 14:01):

  • Mike Wright discusses the potential influence of coach Frank Reich on the Eagles’ offensive strategies, especially concerning the role of Tom Brady and Philip Rivers. This segment emphasizes the importance of coaching decisions on player performance.

• Cincinnati Bengals QB Situation (14:15 - 17:02):

  • The team debates Jared Jarrett and Andy Dalton’s potential roles, suggesting that Ryan Finley might receive increased playing time. This speculation affects the fantasy value of players like Joe Mixon.

---

3. Conspiracy Theories and Team Strategies (17:02 - 20:41)

The hosts delve into speculative discussions about team strategies and contract decisions:

• Denver Broncos’ RB Contract Scenario (17:02 - 20:41):
  • Mike Wright introduces a conspiracy theory that the Denver Broncos’ decision to potentially sign Melvin Gordon might be a tactic to suppress rookie RB Philip Lindsay’s future contracts. The conversation explores how veteran signings can influence the valuation and usage of younger players.

---

4. Top 10 Running Back Rankings Discussion (22:49 - 65:22)

The core of the episode features a deep dive into each host's Top 10 RB rankings, analyzing player performance, team dynamics, and injury risks.

1. Christian McCaffrey (#1) (23:14 - 27:55)

• Consensus Ranking: #1
• Analysis:
  • Mike Wright and Jason Moore both rank McCaffrey at the top, acknowledging his historic 2019 performance.
  • Jason Moore [23:48]: Highlights McCaffrey’s unprecedented dual-threat capability, comparing him to legends like Marshall Faulk and Roger Craig.
  • Concern: The impact of new head coach Matt Rhule and quarterback Teddy Bridgewater’s passing distribution on McCaffrey’s usage.

2. Saquon Barkley (#2) (27:55 - 34:18)

• Consensus Ranking: #2
• Analysis:
  • Mike Wright considers Barkley a top-tier RB despite limited samples with QB Daniel Jones.
  • Jason Moore points out Barkley’s dependency on quarterback performance and offensive line stability.

3. Ezekiel Elliott (#3) (34:18 - 36:58)

• Consensus Ranking: #3
• Analysis:
  • Consistency and strong performance make Elliott a secure fantasy option.
  • Jason Moore raises questions about offensive line changes affecting Elliott’s production.

4. Dalvin Cook (#4) (36:58 - 43:27)

• Consensus Ranking: #4
• Analysis:
  • Andy Holloway praises Cook’s explosive potential and notes the positive impact of new offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak.
  • Concern: Injury history and potential workload management.

5. Alvin Kamara (#5) (38:17 - 44:32)

• Consensus Ranking: #5
• Analysis:
  • Dual-threat as a runner and receiver makes Kamara valuable, though injury risks and past performance inconsistencies are noted.
  • Jason Moore believes Kamara can remain an RB1 despite these concerns.

6. Derek Henry (#6) (44:32 - 48:20)

• Consensus Ranking: #6
• Analysis:
  • Mike Wright lauds Henry’s dominance and high workload potential.
  • Concern: Dependence on team’s offensive line and securing consistent touches.

7. Nick Chubb (#7) (48:20 - 51:26)

• Consensus Ranking: #7
• Analysis:
  • Mike Wright appreciates Chubb’s efficiency and power running.
  • Jason Moore questions the impact of Kareem Hunt and offensive line changes on Chubb’s usage.

8. Aaron Jones (#8) (51:26 - 56:08)

• Consensus Ranking: #8
• Analysis:
  • Jason Moore praises Jones’s goal-line efficiency but is wary of inconsistent game performances.
  • Andy Holloway expresses concerns over Jones’s fluctuating weekly performance impacting reliability.

9. Joe Mixon (#9) (56:08 - 63:04)

• Consensus Ranking: #9
• Analysis:
  • Mike Wright supports Mixon’s potential rebound with improved offensive line and team strategy.
  • Jason Moore remains skeptical due to Mixon’s inconsistent performances and offensive instability.

10. Kenyan Drake (#10) (63:23 - 65:22)

• Consensus Ranking: #10
• Analysis:
  • Mike Wright and Andy Holloway recognize Drake’s late-season surge and versatility.
  • Jason Moore emphasizes Drake’s role in a developing offense as a key factor for his ranking.

---

5. Concluding Remarks and Future Episodes Preview (65:22 - End)

The hosts conclude the episode by teasing future discussions on running back rankings and ongoing debates about player performances. They encourage listeners to engage with their community and stay tuned for more in-depth analysis in upcoming episodes.

---

Notable Quotes with Timestamps

• Jason Moore [23:48]: “He was a beast, man. It’s the third time a running back has ever done the thousand.”
• Mike Wright [09:13]: “Every team now has a third wild card game. It’s an interesting development for both football and fantasy.”
• Mike Wright [17:03]: “It might drive down the future contract for Philip Lindsay. You have to wonder if the contract to Melvin Gordon doesn’t phase Lindsey out of the offense.”
• Andy Holloway [27:55]: “You know, the offensive coordinator they're bringing in from LSU. A lot of love given to Clyde Edwards-Helaire in his receiving work at LSU.”
• Jason Moore [51:54]: “He can pretty much repeat what he did, especially in areas of touchdowns. He can repeat in the area of touchdowns.”

---

Key Takeaways

• Christian McCaffrey remains the top RB despite potential offensive changes, with his dual-threat capability making him invaluable.
• Saquon Barkley and Ezekiel Elliott are solid choices but depend heavily on quarterback performance and offensive line stability.
• Dalvin Cook and Alvin Kamara offer high upside with their versatility and workload but come with concerns over injuries and consistency.
• Derek Henry is praised for his dominance, while Nick Chubb and Joe Mixon receive mixed reviews based on their team’s offensive dynamics.
• Aaron Jones and Kenyan Drake offer reliable options but with varying degrees of consistency and team support.

The episode provides a thorough analysis of each running back, balancing statistical performance with team dynamics, offering listeners valuable insights to inform their fantasy football strategies.

---

For more detailed discussions and updates, join the Fantasy Footballers community at jointhefoot.com and follow them on Twitter @theffballers.

Transcript

[Andy Holloway]

Hey, this is Kenyon Drake.

[Mike Wright]

You're listening to the Fantasy Footballers Podcast.

[Andy Holloway]

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

[Mike Wright]

Oh, welcome in.

[Andy Holloway]

All right.

[Mike Wright]

That wasn't so bad.

[Andy Holloway]

No, I'd say you're back. I'd say you're back at it.

[Mike Wright]

Thursday, April 2nd. Annie, Mike and Jason, excited to be with you once again. Very exciting episode. Our early top 10 running back ranking show. Excited to get into it. Some news. We've got a pants check once again. Jason. Jason, Pants on, off. What do we got?

[Andy Holloway]

Today, I am wearing both pants and underpants. I am grown up. I had to leave the house, ran down to the studio. We've gotten a lot of grief lately, Andy, you and I. Mike has this cool, you know, like, oh, look at his cool man cave setup studio.

[Mike Wright]

He's got guitars, he's got a keyboard, he's got big old amplifiers in the background.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah. We committed to trying to make ours look like his. And so we went out, picked up some stuff, did our best job of being cool like Mike. I think we. I think we did it. I think our backgrounds look excellent, maybe even better than Mike's now.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, I would love to get Mike's take because he's the resident cool cat, you know, of the group. But did we do all right?

[Jason Moore]

Look, I'm pretty impressed. I am. I'm impressed.

[Andy Holloway]

You.

[Jason Moore]

All those things you talked about that I have, that are cool. You have all of them now.

[Andy Holloway]

I know. It's.

[Mike Wright]

It's pretty awesome. Oh, thank you, man. That means a lot. You can check them out YouTube.com the fantasy footballers subscribe. Click the bell. Check out how Jason and I have outfitted ourselves at home. This is so stupid. Here's a quick question for you guys. It's from Twitter. What's the best landing spot for a rookie wide receiver in this year's draft? And I know when I dove into this a little bit, it took me a while when looking at the draft board to really find a destination that I loved. Arizona's kind of been removed. That would have been the one that I kind of honed in on before the Hopkins trade, but it took me a while. So where did you end up for a best destination?

[Jason Moore]

Well, I'll jump in. I have. I wanted to find you. Where's a spot that has a younger quarterback who is. He's a franchise quarterback. It's not just even. We think he is. He's the franchise quarterback. He's excellent. He's had monster fantasy production. This quarterback before. He has, he has had enough production to have his wide receiver be a top five wide receiver. And that is DeSean Watson and the Houston Texans who need a freaking wide receiver now. And look, they're in a really good spot to get a number one. Where Will Fuller is. I think Will Fuller is actually an excellent wide receiver. I don't think that he is a number one type of guy.

[Andy Holloway]

They need number one playing 16 games.

[Jason Moore]

Sure, that's. It's really hard to imagine that the way that his career has gone. But Houston needs a number one wide receiver to go along with Stills and with Kenny Bills and Will Fuller. So the Houston Texans are my pick.

[Andy Holloway]

Mike. Yes. Yes.

[Jason Moore]

I hope we hear that drop a lot this year.

[Mike Wright]

It might.

[Jason Moore]

I mean, if Kenny steals like finally becomes something Jason and I.

[Andy Holloway]

The panel check will need to happen for the rest of the season.

[Mike Wright]

The odds are not in your favor. They are a team right now with a number of twos and threes. So it is a. Is an interesting, you know, the Hopkins, all the headlines, but he's there. That's what I mean. That's why I said twos and threes. You see what I said?

[Jason Moore]

Yeah.

[Mike Wright]

For me, it was the Eagles at 21, because it follows some of the logic that you just brought up about Watson. You have a team that was ninth in the NFL and pass attempts last year. Nobody is under the illusion that ALSHON Jeffrey or DeSean Jackson are the future at the wide receiver position for Philadelphia. So Eagles at 21, some of these other teams possibly passing on some of the top tier rookie wide receivers, they can build around a new number one in Philadelphia. So that's, that's where I went.

[Andy Holloway]

You know, I would have gone Philadelphia as well. You say you, you know, it was a hard question for you. For me, it was pretty easy. But I ended up where you are, which is the Eagles. But because you already had them down, I'd throw a third team out there, which is the Colts, the Colts. I, you know, I don't believe they have a good enough number two. Now. Some people really believe in Paris Campbell. He's the truth. I didn't really love him last year coming in. He wasn't one of my favorite prospects. And then you had mostly a missed season due to injury. And teams don't always wait around even if they spent capital. I mean, we've seen this in the past first, second round wide receivers that get injured or lose their first year and they don't always, you know, pan out. And so I think that getting a Philip Rivers in there at quarterback, they could use a better number two. You know, I wouldn't ever expect someone to come in and be the number one there. And I do, despite the Philip river signing, think that the Colts have a good general manager, which matters to me as far as like longevity and future and what they're going to do to replace him later. So if I'm picking spots for wide receivers I like, I wouldn't mind them going to Indianapolis.

[Mike Wright]

Did you guys see the news about Frank Reich and the due diligence he had done on Tom Brady watching the film from the past two years? So it should tell people something when very trusted offensive minds, Frank Reich, Bruce Arians, are fighting over Tom Brady. I think it did for me, Frank Reich, they were going to make a really strong pitch. He talked about the fact that Brady's lost nothing in the film work that he looked at over the last couple of years. It was interesting to me. Obviously, they ended up with Philip Rivers, but it'll be interesting to see what Rivers can do under Frank Reich and they could definitely use a couple more weapons. A reminder, we've got a giveaway. Footclangiveaway.com assigned Keenan Allen jersey. I want to thank everybody genuinely [e-mail] everybody that's been supporting, supporting the show, especially at times like this when we are in. We're kind of living day to day, are we not? I mean, it's.

[Jason Moore]

No, days don't exist anymore.

[Mike Wright]

Hour to hour. I don't know.

[Jason Moore]

There is morning and nighttime. That's all.

[Mike Wright]

That's all I know about so many people out there adjusting their routines, their lives, their livelihoods. So many people suddenly stay at home, teachers and, you know, we certainly appreciate everybody that is and has and has begun supporting [e-mail] and this show is coming out on a Thursday. We do an extra episode every Thursday for the Foot Clan. Only mailbag questions from the Foot Clan.

[Jason Moore]

Well, and the Foot Clan also heard this show on Wednesday.

[Mike Wright]

That's true. That's true. They got a little early.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, we'll sneak that.

[Mike Wright]

So they got their. Thank you. A little early. That's right. And you can find us on twitter @the ffballers. Let's get into some news.

[Andy Holloway]

News and notes from around the league.

[Mike Wright]

All right, the NFL, this was big news. They've officially expanded the postseason to 14 teams. What took them so long for the 2020, 2021 season? So not this year, but every conference will now have a third wild card game or. I'm sorry. Yes, A third wild card game.

[Jason Moore]

That's this year?

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, that's this year. The 2020, 2021 season. There is a.

[Jason Moore]

You forgot what year it was. I don't blame you.

[Mike Wright]

I definitely honed in on the 2021 part that is this year.

[Jason Moore]

What's. What's funny is the way it was brought up was the NFL has this option that they can expand the postseason, add two games in wild card weekend, but they're going to have to take some time to figure it out. And you're like, the NFL can add two games to the playoffs. You think they aren't going to figure that out in about five hours? That's so much extra money for them.

[Andy Holloway]

I mean, before.

[Mike Wright]

I don't like it, by the way.

[Jason Moore]

What? Oh, come on. Boo.

[Andy Holloway]

Boo.

[Jason Moore]

This system was perfect.

[Andy Holloway]

It was so good. Already.

[Jason Moore]

He will scream at his TV as he watches extra play.

[Mike Wright]

Okay, let me, let me give you the caveat here. I like it from a more football standpoint. Like I do all more football things. I don't like it from the reality standpoint that, look, if you have a buy which will now only be one team, it is going to be a. What did you say, Jason?

[Andy Holloway]

Per conference.

[Mike Wright]

Each team, certainly. Yes, I understand. It's not just one team per conference instead of two. It is a massive advantage to have that number one spot. That's all I'm saying. That team has a massive advantage over everybody else. And it's up to you individually whether you think that's good or bad or ugly. It's just that that is a huge advantage. Every super bowl participant the last seven years has received a buy. We know the value of the buy. And now it only goes to one team.

[Jason Moore]

Well, it massive, massive advantage. And great, great for fantasy football people.

[Mike Wright]

That more competitive later.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, you don't have a team who's the number two seed that's just going to rest on their laurels because they know they have the bye week locked up. And they're like, it's not that important to get to the number one now. They have to get to number one to get the bye week.

[Andy Holloway]

And at the bottom, I'm very happy about it. At the bottom. Think about the last few weeks leading up to the playoffs and you look at the team still in the hunt and sometimes it's like, you know, with three weeks left to go, you know, it's pretty much just one of these two teams are going to get the wild card. Now those several weeks out with seven teams making it that you're going to have more teams that are really playing for playoff hopes. I think that's good for football. I think that's good for fantasy. And I will say this, Andy, Like, I hate. I was a die hard basketball fan my whole life. There were a couple things I just hated about the game.

[Mike Wright]

Before you retired.

[Andy Holloway]

Before I retired from, you know, fandom. No, from my NFL dream, my NBA dreams.

[Mike Wright]

You've spent more years saying you used to be a fan than the years you actually were a fan. That's where you're at.

[Andy Holloway]

I dare you.

[Mike Wright]

That's where you're at now.

[Andy Holloway]

That is not where I'm at. Yet.

[Mike Wright]

Your badge of honor is what you used to be.

[Andy Holloway]

Oh, my goodness. That is disrespectful. It was, it was. Yeah. Oh. But my point is they have too many people make the playoffs. You know, the worst teams that get in, they've got no chance. They stink. And I think that the parody in the NFL and the percentage of teams that are making it is still, still very competitive and great.

[Mike Wright]

I'm feeling a decent amount of peer pressure to change my opinion on this one.

[Andy Holloway]

Good, good. Come to come to the right side.

[Mike Wright]

And you guys make some compelling arguments about. I certainly want, for fantasy sake, the league to be more competitive longer fighting for wild card spots and fighting for the bye week. Not having those things locked in, it probably does help fantasy owners. So peer pressure, all we care about. We got success. Okay. Speaking Tuesday, NFL executives confirm the league is fully directed. What a phrase. That is fully directed towards playing a normal 16 game season with a full postseason in 2020. I'm fully directed towards them doing that.

[Andy Holloway]

I am concur full direction on that.

[Mike Wright]

Be careful.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah. No, I mean, here's the thing. There are a lot of people, you know, even, even in some circles that are screaming and crying and clawing at this. Like what? You know, you got to have, you got to have other plans. But the NFL has time and time again through every, you know, through free agency, through the draft process, every single time that people are like, you got to prepare. You can't do. They're like, we are playing the NFL and getting our money. And you know, well, look, it's the.

[Mike Wright]

Public pressure is one thing. Having. There's a large amount of time between April 2nd and the beginning of September to adjust. You don't have to make a knee jerk reaction. You have to make a right and wise reaction. But you have time to make that. And I think that's what the NFL and Roger Goodell has put forth. They said hey, can we make the draft safe? Yes, we can make the draft safe. We'll proceed with the draft. There are implications that go, you know, we think of it from the side of, oh, the NFL wants to protect his revenue. Well, you know what the players want to get paid money to, you know, they have jobs, they have a limited career, Spanish. So I think it's in everybody's interest to keep as much on the table for as long as possible. They've got a lot of time for it. We're all fully directed towards the NFL season.

[Jason Moore]

Yes, we are.

[Mike Wright]

All right, Anthony Lynn, Chargers head coach, that Tyrod Taylor is, quote, in the driver's seat, but nothing is finalized.

[Jason Moore]

I'm a dynasty team. Let's go.

[Mike Wright]

You guys know how old Tyrod Taylor is by chance off the top of your head?

[Andy Holloway]

Ooh, I don't. I would guess 28.

[Jason Moore]

8.

[Mike Wright]

He's 30 years old, so.

[Jason Moore]

Wow. All right.

[Mike Wright]

It's, you know, he feels like he's gone full life cycle of an NFL quarterback a bit.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah.

[Mike Wright]

Before the age of 30. But he is still young and we'll see what happens. That'll be. That'll mean a lot to Keenan Allen, Mike Williams, Austin Eckler.

[Andy Holloway]

He did great things for Baker Mayfield and I hope he does great things for whoever this rookie they draft in the first round will be.

[Mike Wright]

I'm not. I'm not going to relitigate the Tyrod Taylor circumstances of days gone by. No one remembers that. All right, this news so far out of the Athletic. Jeff Howe talking about Jared Jarrett, Stidham.

[Jason Moore]

Oh, on my dynasty team.

[Mike Wright]

Thank you, Mike. You have all superstars.

[Andy Holloway]

You must have a really good dynasty team.

[Jason Moore]

My quarterback situation is dire.

[Mike Wright]

Barring unforeseen circumstances, he's got the inside track at the Patriots job. I was asked this question. You guys were asked this question a couple of weeks ago. To me, it just made logical sense that they were going to turn to Stidham and trust their scouting, the draft process, the time.

[Jason Moore]

Cody Kessler as well.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah. And they paid Brian Hoyer like a million dollars.

[Andy Holloway]

Oh, he's on my dynasty team.

[Mike Wright]

Oh, my goodness.

[Jason Moore]

Yes. This is real dynasty.

[Andy Holloway]

This is real dynasty season. When Mike and I are basically our teams are vying for the starting role of the Patriots quarterback.

[Mike Wright]

Well, if we had a Taysom Hill story, I could get involved in this process. But no, I think, I think it will be situms opportunity. He does have the advantage of being, you know, at practice, part of the scout team, playing against that top tier defense. I don't Know if they need a lot from a quarterback to still be a pretty decent team.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, their defense is great.

[Mike Wright]

So yeah, I mean, I guess dynasty wise, that would be the name to pay attention to for your team, as painful as that might seem.

[Andy Holloway]

Not Jalen hurts.

[Mike Wright]

Not yet.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah.

[Andy Holloway]

Just waiting.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, I, yeah, we could talk about Jalen hurts sometime. The Athletics Ed Bouchette predicts the Steelers. This one. I don't know if this is news.

[Jason Moore]

This one. It's this. It's just fun to talk about. Projections. Look, sports aren't happening right now, so let's just get into heated debates about this for no reason.

[Mike Wright]

He predicted the Steelers are going to let JuJu Smith Schuster walk following the 2020 season. He's 23 years old. He had a very bad year last year. There were reasons externally, but he still, it doesn't, you know, change the output. They had similar problems with James Conner. The prediction is that, you know, Juju is going to want to get paid like a top tier number one. And the Steelers, I mean, I think we've seen evidence that they don't always want to do that. So they, it could come to a head now. I think it just depends on whether Juju has a good year. I mean, 100% juju has a good year.

[Andy Holloway]

They'll.

[Mike Wright]

They'll probably pay him and if he doesn't, he'll probably still want all that money and they won't pay him.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, that's all this is. He's, he's one of the leaders in the locker room in the community already at a young age. So if he comes out and has a good year, they're going to keep him around as one of the main faces of the franchise. If he comes out and stinks and still wants great money, yeah, they'll let him walk. So really this is just, I think this is the Athletics Ed Brushette saying, I don't think juju's going to have a good year.

[Mike Wright]

Maybe it is. Maybe, maybe.

[Andy Holloway]

I mean that's, that's the only way that if he comes out and dominates, they're not going to let him walk.

[Mike Wright]

It's certainly one of the bigger stories this year as to whether Big Ben, the Steelers, that offense especially like we talk about it being related to Big Ben and him returning and being old Big Ben. But this team identity has changed too. Old Big Ben might not need to come back for them to succeed. You might just need pretty good Big Ben and lower passing volume offense and that could be an outcome. They could be a good team with A lower pass volume because of what their defense has been able to mature into.

[Andy Holloway]

They need old Big Ben to be rookie Big Ben. They just cover be a game manager.

[Jason Moore]

The great news for Juju is, as Amari Cooper has shown, you just have to be great about half the time and you can still get $20 million a year.

[Mike Wright]

Okay. That is a strong point. All right. I added this piece of news in here because I wanted to talk about it. We're looking for direction in Denver for the running back situation. On Tuesday, John Elway offered, quote, tepid words on a potential Philip Lindsay contract extension. I wanted to bring this up because Lindsay's in a very unique situation, very similar to what Austin Eckler was in in Los Angeles with the Chargers.

[Jason Moore]

Now Melvin Gordon possibly in front of him.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, that's ironic. But you have, from a contract standpoint, undrafted, proven themselves, not necessarily in every down running back, explosive. But defining the contract parameters of a player like that are difficult. You guys talked to Austin Eckler on this show a little while ago and he was quick to admit it didn't look like he was getting a contract. And then things came together. So the team has to, you know, because they valued him as an offensive weapon, not just as a every down running back. But when you combine the decision to sign Melvin Gordon with this information, it makes you wonder if the contract situation will phase Lindsey out of the offense potentially or that is a possible outcome. How do you guys view this? Or is that overstating it?

[Jason Moore]

I don't think that the contract situation will affect the usage of Philip Lindsay. I don't think he resigns with Denver. And I really hope that Lindsey gets paid somewhere. I mean, he's not going to make, you know, the girly Zeke money, but hopefully he can play his way into an offseason.

[Mike Wright]

The Eckler money.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, that would be great. That would be great for Lindsay.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah. And he, you know, he's just been a very dynamic, invaluable player to that team. So it'd be nice to see him rewarded for that.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, the whole draft process is just. That's a tough one. That is, that is a tough one for an athlete like Philip Lindsay and Echler, where it's, it's clear, it's very clear that NFL teams just screwed up. And because they screwed up and didn't evaluate his talent properly, they got screwed and had to play these. Play these years on no money.

[Mike Wright]

Think about this, though, and this is getting very almost conspiracy theorist avenue.

[Jason Moore]

All right?

[Mike Wright]

But when you, when you look at A situation with a player that has a contract on the way. And then you look at the team paying Melvin Gordon and you say, well, why'd you spend that money? Or how'd you pay? You have to wonder if the contract to Melvin Gordon doesn't drive down the future contract for Philip Lindsey.

[Jason Moore]

It certainly could.

[Mike Wright]

You know, in that situation too, where you save, maybe your total savings is better than you think. Even though you paid a guy like Melvin Gordon. I don't know.

[Andy Holloway]

That's a good point.

[Jason Moore]

Before we get into the top 10 running back rankings, want to thank today's sponsor, Manscaped. Look, if you're listening to this podcast, if you're stuck inside the house with your significant other, you need to be paying attention to this. You still got to take care of yourself. You got to take care of your.

[Andy Holloway]

Hygiene, man, now more than ever.

[Jason Moore]

Talking to you, Jason.

[Mike Wright]

I used it. I used it on my neck.

[Andy Holloway]

Good.

[Jason Moore]

Whatever, man. Look at.

[Mike Wright]

My neck was looking. I was going full on mullet. I thought this was like, this is the month of mullets and I didn't want that to happen.

[Jason Moore]

Look, Manscaped is helping you out. It's the only men's brand dedicated to below the waist grooming and hygiene. And right now they have the perfect package, 3.0. It's a kit. It comes with the Lawnmower 3.0, which is waterproof, a cordless body trimmer. And they got a bunch of other liquid formulations to round out the manscaping routine. It uses Nick Free advanced skin safe technology. And subscribers are going to get a new replacement blade refill for your lawnmower trimmer to delivered to your door every three months. And for a limited time, subscribers get two free gifts, the Shed travel bag and the high performance anti chafing manscaped boxer briefs.

[Mike Wright]

I've got it all box. I've got it all. Look, I've got a new package.

[Jason Moore]

I'm still using my Lawnmower 3.0. I'm making sure that things are. The things are. They're, they're right and they're tight.

[Andy Holloway]

Let's.

[Mike Wright]

We'll just put it that way, even under quarantine, that. Even under quarantine.

[Jason Moore]

Quarantine does not give you an excuse to look like you're living in the 1910s.

[Andy Holloway]

What?

[Jason Moore]

I don't know how people looked back. Just. I'll make sure.

[Mike Wright]

That's really close to the last quarantine, too. So you almost zoned in on there.

[Andy Holloway]

Sure.

[Jason Moore]

So. So you get 20% off and free shipping with the code [e-mail] that's 20% off. Free [e-mail] and use code footballers. Help your relationship out during this quarantine. Your partner and your body will thank you.

[Mike Wright]

All right, we're moving on.

[Andy Holloway]

Running backs.

[Mike Wright]

All right, it's time. The early top 10 running back rankings. Very excited to get into this. We've each individually ranked our top. I think we ranked maybe the top 24 as of right now, April, heading into the 2020 season. And we've got our consensus top 10 rankings. Anybody have a guess who might end up at the top of the list?

[Jason Moore]

Well, let's say this. He's not the consensus number one.

[Andy Holloway]

He's the consensus number one. He's not the unanimous number.

[Jason Moore]

Unanimous, yeah. Thank you.

[Mike Wright]

That would be Christian McCaffrey. And you are correct. I do have him at number two. Jason, Mike, you both have him at number one. He is our consensus number one. Last year, absolutely ridiculous. The most consistent running back that you could ever hope for or imagine ran for over 1300 yards, 15 touchdowns, and then 116 receptions, 141.

[Jason Moore]

He was a beast, man. It's the third time a running back has ever done the thousand. Thousand. It's McCaffrey, Marshall Falk and Roger Craig. Like, that's an. It's a historical performance this past year. And when I took a look at what McCaffrey did, honestly, the rushing totals and the yardage and things like that, it doesn't feel like an outlier, what he was able to do with that work. I mean, the 15 touchdowns possibly could. Could be an outlier. But the big questions for McCaffrey are, you have Teddy Bridgewater, now you have head coach Matt Ja Rule coming in, changing up the system. What does it look like? And I can't speak exactly to what. What jaw is going to try and implement, but I took a. I took a look at Teddy Bridgewater, you know, because what we want to know is how much work is Christian McCaffrey going to get through the air? That's the huge. Yes, that's the huge story for McCaffrey. And I went back and I looked at Teddy Bridgewater's targets in 2014. So his first year, 23% of his targets went to the running back position. The following year, nineteen and a half. And then last year, in his short stint, where he actually saw playing time, 23 and a half percent of his targets went to the running back position. That's all good. Like, so that means if Christian McCaffrey is seeing the snap totals. He at least has a quarterback who's going to distribute 20 plus percent of his targets to the running back position, which that's very positive news for me. I hadn't gone through those numbers yet, so I'm still very bullish on, on what CMC is going to do.

[Andy Holloway]

Well, and also think about, you know, the offensive coordinator they're bringing in from lsu. A lot of love given to Clyde Edwards Allaire in his receiving work at lsu. That's the system and they did pass. So you've got both a system and a quarterback that look like they're willing to pass the ball to the running back. So, you know, the question is the snap percentages. I don't think that that will be anywhere near where he was. And so if you want to take him off that number one pedestal. It's rare for running backs to finish as the number one running back multiple years in a row. So just if you're just going statistical odds on that alone, that's it. It probably won't be Christian McCaffrey who ends up number one.

[Mike Wright]

That's pretty much why he wasn't number one for me. It was, it was part the offense changing the unsuspect. I don't think 141 targets is reasonable again. And then we've, you know, we've talked to some people specifically around Matt Rule, talking about him pretty intensely, scouting the running back class coming into this year, recognizing the fact that you can't do what you did with Christian McCaffrey indefinitely. And yes, it seems like because he made it through a season unscathed, that that's somehow validation that you can do that every single year. I don't think you can.

[Jason Moore]

Basically two. I mean, because he was, he was a dominant workhorse last year as well.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, he finished number three at the position in 2018, number one last year. He's going to be in the top three. I have him at two. I mean, we're splitting hairs on the finish.

[Jason Moore]

Right.

[Mike Wright]

But I don't think you're going to have a season with the total. He might still end up as the number one running back in fantasy, but I don't think your total point output is going to match what he did last year. Personally, with all the transition changes, they've added some more to the wide receiver core. And then some of the things that you talked about, you know, will he have an incredible year? I'm sure. Will he be consistent? I'm sure he will. He's amazing.

[Andy Holloway]

So it's just a matter of whether Ja rule comes in and murders the snap percentage for CMC.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, 44% of his total fantasy production was via the air. So that's really what it comes down to.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, he would have been the eighth in targets among wide receivers. So it just took away his rushing work. And he was a great wide receiver, which is what made him so valuable and will make him so valuable. You get two players in one slot in a fantasy league, he's definitely worth whatever you're going to pay. Even if he finishes number two because he's not going to finish number two or number three because he stinks, it's just going to be because other players had monstrous seasons that were even better.

[Mike Wright]

All right, our number two consensus running back, it's Saquon Barkley. I have him ranked at number one overall. Again, splitting hairs. Jason has him at two. Mike, you have him at three from week seven on. Last year you got more vintage Saquon the year before. He was the number two at the position last year. We know limited by injury, but he was the RB5 from week seven on. There are only a handful of players. I think we all recognize this with the workload plus passing game work that can put you in the echelon or in the upper echelon of the position and give you the opportunity to finish at number one. Mike, you have him at three but you still consider Saquon to be a number one overall potential.

[Jason Moore]

I don't have a problem with it at all. He just. He's at number three for me. I mean limited, very limited sample size of him playing with Daniel Jones. I. But that's all I can go off of right now. And the 16 game pace of targets when Saquon played with Daniel Jones was 88 targets, which is still great, but that's not 121 targets like he saw his rookie year where Eli was essentially pulling the old. And he's playing the piano.

[Andy Holloway]

The.

[Jason Moore]

Where Eli Manning was doing his best old man quarterback routine and then and checking it down to Saquon all the time. Where Daniel Jones is more willing to drive the ball down the field.

[Mike Wright]

I apologize for playing the playing the pretend piano in the middle of what you're saying. And yes, the evidence we have with Jones. I mean we need Jones to. He's got to take a step forward in the offense. Obviously, you know, you only go so far based on your quarterback. What about Jason Garrett as the offensive coordinator now in New York? Jason, you have him at. You have Barkley at 2. You see him as the, you know, the next best guy behind cmc, I.

[Andy Holloway]

Think he'll get more passing work than Ezekiel Elliott will, and that's. That's all it is. But these two guys are, you know, between Christian McCaffrey, Saquon and Zeke, those are the top three backs, and it's an order of who's going to get the most receptions. That's. That's my tiebreaker, and I believe it'll be CMC with the most, Saquon with the second most, Zeke with the third most. That's how I ordered them. They're all excellent on the ground. You know, any one of these guys could finish as a number one. And, you know, these guys have had bad stretches as well. You talk about Quinted, quintessential Zeke, or, I'm sorry, Saquon from week seven on. You know, during that stretch, he was the running back five, which isn't bad. But, you know, you. You're hoping for him to be great, to be, you know, a true difference maker that you won't find anywhere else. And I, you know, the nice thing about Jason Garrett coming in is, you know, that when he's got a star back, he's going to let that back be the star. So it does. You know, Jason Garrett, while he might get mocked profusely in most media circles outside of Dallas for all sorts of things, including his clapping, he does provide a little bit of confidence that you don't have to be scared that he's going to bring in some timeshare. He's not going to do that with Saquon.

[Mike Wright]

All right. And then. Yeah. And he left this guy. And that's our number three overall, Ezekiel Elliot. Zeke has been a pillar of consistency.

[Jason Moore]

Yep.

[Mike Wright]

Both in occasional offseason drama, but fantasy finishes. Number two, number 10, number five, number four, that number 10, by the way, on only 10 games. So when he plays, you're getting great performances. We've said it before. The one kind of, I guess, I don't know, disappointing factor to Zeke last year was you did not win weeks because of Zeke's, you know, monster performances. He never finished above number four on any given week, which was strange because he never finished outside the top 24 at all on any given week, which even CMC did one time. So the pillar of consistency didn't have the passing game work that matched up to the year before. But still, I mean, what more can you say about Ezekiel Elliott?

[Jason Moore]

The one, the one thing I want to bring up about Zeke is the, you know, somewhat unexpected retiring of Travis Frederick. Who play played center for the Dallas Cowboys and was an elite center in the NFL for his entire career except the two years ago where he had to miss. So that is, that's a question for, for me. I know I still have Zeke up here at number two. But that is a question we have, we've seen time and time again the impact that an all star center has on a running game like it because they're up there checking blocking, blocking patterns, calling out the, you know, like who's the mic? Where are the hot reads coming in from and can they get someone who's competent enough that they won't miss a beat? That's it is a fair question.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah. From an, you know, from a decision making on the field standpoint, I think they're going to miss him a ton. I do think we, we didn't have elite physical Frederick for a couple of years now.

[Andy Holloway]

Well, two years ago he didn't, he didn't play. And you had Zeke finish as a top five back. Sure. So that, that's where you know, it comes down to me of the, how involved in he is he going to be in the passing game and I've got him third of this group. He's, he's, you know, as a pure runner, I think he's probably the best in the, in the NFL and behind. Oh, Andy does not agree. I think Zeke is powerful, is fast.

[Mike Wright]

No, I think he's a great runner. I don't think he's the best in the NFL. That's all.

[Jason Moore]

Who's the best?

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, I think it's Saquon Barkley. I think Saquon Barkley is the best between the tackles. Runner.

[Andy Holloway]

That's fair. I mean splitting hairs between those guys. But the consistency that Zeke does provide, not just this last year but over his career, pretty much nobody in modern day football since like Ladanian Tomlinson finishes outside the top 24 less frequently than Zeke. He is not ever going to hurt your team. He's always out there unless he's suspended. So you know, fair. If you're wanting to be risk adverse, Zeke is the way to go.

[Mike Wright]

And we, let's get into some more interesting names here. Number four, we have Dalvin Cook coming in at number four. I'm at five. Jason and Mike, you both have him at four. Obviously a tremendous year last year, especially weeks one through 14. He finished fifth at the position overall. We've talked about Kubiak and Kubes, his input into the system and now, you know, taking over. So you know, Dalvin Cook have You looked at Dalvin in light of Diggs departure. Is that a consideration?

[Jason Moore]

David Cook might be the biggest winner of the trade.

[Mike Wright]

That's what I'm wondering.

[Jason Moore]

And I'm not even necessarily saying his usage is going to go way up. I'm saying they can actually extend him now like right now that has been a problem is the Vikings have no money. They would clearly want to extend down.

[Mike Wright]

I thought you meant height wise. I thought like you get like stretch them out, sure.

[Jason Moore]

But yeah, but they actually have money. Andy shakes his head Yes, I couldn't save you. I couldn't think of anything witty enough. But Dalvin Cook can actually get paid now by the Minnesota Vikings. So we'll see if the contract talks start to heat up as he goes into the last year of his deal. But Dalvin Cook, 53 receptions, yeah, really steady. I mean obviously didn't play the last couple games of the season and still had the third most goal line carries second and fantasy points per game, fourth most evade in evaded tackles. Davakuk, very, very good. Receives huge opportunity on a solid team. So he's number four for me.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, if it wasn't for his, you know, his kind of injury history here where he got injured at the end of last year. He was injured in college, he was injured the year before. He's had a, you know, an ACL tear. The, you know, Dalvin Cook is as good. He's, you know, he's, he would be in that tier if he's been playing 16 games. His 16 game pace before he got injured last year was 1364 yards and 16 touchdowns. That's just on the ground adding another 619 through the air on 62 reception. So this is a true workhorse. Back on a per game basis, he's as good as anyone. He's the bottom of the top guys for me solely because of. But the Kubiak upgrade is no joke. I mean obviously he was there last year. I think he was implementing a lot of what you saw and the running game was taking off with those numbers. But now as the offensive coordinator, you know there are certain coaches out there that just have a long enough track record. You know, when you've, when you've got the last name Shanahan and Kubiak was essentially part of that system way back in the day. They know how to open up lanes for their running backs. And so I'm a big Dalvin Cook believer coming into this year. If, you know, if it wasn't for him missing the playoffs last year Can I be arguments for, you know, being in that top pick? Yeah.

[Mike Wright]

Let me ask you a difficult to answer question because you said he's at the end of the top tier. Would you consider Dalvin Cook safe?

[Jason Moore]

No, Mike, I would. Yeah.

[Andy Holloway]

And mine is based on.

[Mike Wright]

You guys want to fight. You guys don't fight each other.

[Andy Holloway]

Injury solely on injury risk.

[Jason Moore]

I started chuckling during Jason's monologue there, but nothing because of what Jason was saying. I just really looked at you guys again as you're sitting in my room.

[Mike Wright]

Actually, I started looking at it too, Mike. I think Jason. Now that I'm looking at it, I think Jason copied a lot of what you did with your office.

[Andy Holloway]

I mean, I tried to.

[Mike Wright]

It looks so similar to me now that I'm looking at it.

[Andy Holloway]

I tried my best to put it in the same spots. I tried to get them in the same spots to where the perspective would be similar. And I think. I think. I think I did a good job.

[Mike Wright]

All right. All right. Number five, Alvin Camara.

[Jason Moore]

You guys should go grab one of those guitars off the wall.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, just give me a minute, Mike. I've got to do this.

[Jason Moore]

Oh, there we go.

[Mike Wright]

Oh, what? You know, I have questions about Alvin Camara heading into the year.

[Jason Moore]

Really?

[Mike Wright]

Yeah. Because you do have. I mean, you have a situation. It's not exactly on par with Beckham and the injury, because obviously, you know, but it kind of is. I mean, you came in with very, very high expectations. This is the number three running back from 2017. Number four in 2018, drops to 12 last year in 14 games. Inconsistency. Didn't look like the same guy on the field, which Jason would mention repeatedly through the year. Then it comes out after the. After the fact that he says his leg was 75% healthy. That's not a high. That's not high enough for my leg. You know what I mean? I need my leg up at 90, 95%.

[Jason Moore]

I needed my leg at about 87. 87, and I'm good to go.

[Andy Holloway]

Where?

[Mike Wright]

What percentage are your legs, Jason?

[Andy Holloway]

My legs are usually at 100% right now. They're atrophying because of the lock in, so. So I would say they're at 89% right now.

[Mike Wright]

Can I ask you. Oh, go ahead, Mike.

[Jason Moore]

Did you know that just because you're locked into your house, you could still do squats and jumps and go up and down your stairs and stuff?

[Andy Holloway]

Well, I do go up and down your stairs.

[Jason Moore]

They're not locking you out of that?

[Andy Holloway]

No, I do go up and down my stairs. The kitchen is downstairs, bed is upstairs. It's a requirement. Those are my two favorite things.

[Jason Moore]

You haven't made a storage area up in your bedroom yet?

[Andy Holloway]

Oh, brilliant idea.

[Mike Wright]

I thought he was gonna put an inflatabed in the kitchen. See, I went the other direct.

[Andy Holloway]

Really? The correct answer here for proper space utilization is one of those little lifts that takes me up the stairs.

[Mike Wright]

Oh, no, that is a full. Like you have to qualify for one of those. You have to fill out your will. I mean, that's part of the qualifying procedure.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, they would qualify me. I can get one.

[Mike Wright]

I verified they would qualify me. I was going to ask a similar question if you had, you know, gotten some exercise outdoors yet in this quarantine zone.

[Andy Holloway]

So on that note, we actually did just get a couple scooters, electric powered scooters. And so those are exercise. But I feel like it is. I feel when I go around the block that I am exercising and it really is.

[Jason Moore]

The wind's blowing in my face.

[Andy Holloway]

It's a mental exercise. But I am so sad that I can't burn calories doing that.

[Mike Wright]

Can you pretend when you're using it? Can you pretend you're using.

[Jason Moore]

Can you not push yourself? Can't you push an electric scooter?

[Andy Holloway]

I mean, you can, but why would you do that?

[Mike Wright]

You probably get hurt. All right, Alvin. Back to Alvin Camara. I do have my, you know, obviously last year, disappointing five touchdowns on the ground. That was the story. But he only had four, four goal line carries, which was insane. 37th among the running back position. And you know, when we headed into last year, it was a very rumored statement, but I had heard it said that, look, they can't trust Alvin Camara alone. Words about him being a little weak and they needed a Latavius or an Ingram behind him. Came out kind of saw it last year. Don't really know why the team would want to put everything on him going into the new year, which is why he's a little bit lower on my rankings. Obviously, the team is great. We've talked about Drew Brees, how set up they are, still like Alvin Camaro. But I do have. I just don't know if the consistency you get at with Alvin is going to be the same as other running backs.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, I mean, you saw over the, you know, the first few weeks of the season some of the same Camara that looked unbelievable. Just you can't tackle him like you can other guys. And he catches the ball. So naturally, you know, he had the third most running Back receptions, and he missed a couple of games there in the middle. I also buy into the leg issues for both him and Saquon. I said this several times through the year. When they got that high ankle sprain, they came back after a couple missed weeks. They didn't look the same for another four or five weeks. And, you know, Saquon was even talking about it was very difficult mentally to trust the leg for certain moves. And then at the end of the season, both Saquon and Alvin Camara looked great again. It was like they were championship, you know, league winners in those final weeks. And so maybe it really was the leg issue. You brought it up already, Andy. The five touchdowns. You know, his touchdown rate was unsustainably high the previous year, and the pendulum swung way to the other side. I expect it to be right in the middle this coming year. And so because he has less volume in the running game, that's why I've got him at number five behind Dalvin Cook and the top three. Cook and Camaro were very close as to who I would put ahead. That's kind of the second tier for me. These guys who do catch the ball but carry a little bit more risk, you know.

[Mike Wright]

But I still think he's 171 carries last year.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, that was.

[Jason Moore]

What's wild about Alvin Camara is two years ago, when we talked about. And he was elite, he was averaging just under 59 rushing yards per game. Last year, he averaged just under 57 rushing yards per game. He has finished with 81 receptions every year of his career. You just saw. You saw a big downturn.

[Mike Wright]

81 on the dot.

[Jason Moore]

81 on the dot.

[Andy Holloway]

That's just.

[Mike Wright]

That's all they book him for. It's crazy. That's crazy.

[Jason Moore]

But. But you saw the efficiency, you saw the big plays in the passing game go down, where two years ago was 81 receptions and 709 receiving yards. Last year, 81 receptions, only 533 receiving yards. And then it's like, that's the downtick in. Alvin Camara is big plays in the pass a game and only five rushing touchdowns compared to 14. That's the difference to me. And that, to me, that's. That's the injury. I'm buying completely into that. And I will be very happy with Alvin camara as my RB1.

[Mike Wright]

Interesting. Okay. All right. 6 and 7 on our consensus list, Derek Henry and then Nick Chubb. I have Henry all the way up at 4. You know, he got franchise. The entire. You know, the defining characteristic of this Team is finding a way to get Derek Henry 20 carries a game. I like that. It's a good thing for fantasy 303. Last year, 1540 yards, we talked about the buying or selling of Henry or Chubb in, you know, up above 1400 rushing yards. I don't know if he gets there, but I'm pretty sure he's getting double digit touchdowns in this offense this year. That's fair. I know he's not involved in the passing game, but you just look at what he did from a consistency standpoint last year. Regardless of the passing game work. 5th, 1st, 3rd, 5th, 5th, 1st, 7th, 3rd. He can still finish at the very top on a weekly basis without the receiving game work. So I'm expecting more of the same from Henry. That's why I've met 4.

[Jason Moore]

My questions for Derek Henry completely come down to are they right about Ryan Tannehill? That's the biggest question to me because last year Derek Henry was the running back 14 with Marcus Mariota, which is still solid. I mean, running back 14 is nothing to be upset about, but he jumps all the way up to the running back two in the games where he was, he was playing with Ryan Tannehill. So that because snaps went way up, rushing attempts went way up with Ryan Tannehill because they're winning games. So that's the biggest question. And then the offensive line with Conklin going to the Cleveland Browns will. And I know it's just one piece, I totally understand that. But an offensive line, it's. They need congruency. They are, they have to work as one. When you change in just one player, sometimes it screws up the entire chemistry of the offensive line. So will they be able to maintain that and still give him the protection he needs or the running lanes that he needs to be the elite fantasy runner?

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, I mean, if, I think if the expectation was that he's going to just continue to do what he did with Ryan Tannehill, the, you know, the, the last, you know, 2/3 of the year, then he would be the running back one. Right? I mean, he would be on, you know, 20 touchdowns at 2,000 rushing yards. Who cares if he catches a pass all season? I don't think that is the expectation. You're right. Conklin was big to the right side of the line. They ran Derek Henry more to the right than to the left. And he was most successful going around Conklin. But that doesn't mean he wasn't successful to the left or, you know, he was always running to the right, not to mention everything.

[Mike Wright]

This team doesn't want to disrupt what they're paying Derek Henry franchise money. So there's. Obviously it can disrupt it, but you have to imagine that they believed it wouldn't to do it, you know, to let him go.

[Andy Holloway]

But yeah, when I looked at the running back rankings, because I think Derek Henry is an outlier, a beast. We've talked about that. He's going to succeed and be awesome. He's going to have monstrous games. I know he can disappear if the game script were to go the wrong direction for him. Thankfully, I think that the Titans are a good team and I think they're going to be at the very least in the majority of games, if not outright winning a lot of them. And so he's safe to me. But after that tier, those first five guys, that's where I felt comfortable putting the great running backs who aren't pass catchers, that being Derek Henry. And for me, Nick Chubb, those two guys who I worry about, the receiving work, you know, they're not listed as the best fantasy back. And this is where I'm comfortable spending that pick on a guy who might have game script worry.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, really, that was the hardest challenge for me, was deciding to put Henry up above Alvin Camara because of the dynamics of, you know, ppr, half point leagues. We talked about Henry in the off season last year. What can you expect? But when you have a guy getting 300 plus carries, you certainly enter the outlier category. Nick Chubb, we've talked about him last year. 298 carries, 1494 yards and eight touchdowns. We've talked about the dynamic with Kareem Hunt, Kevin Stefanski coming over. You know, I think Chubb's going to be solid.

[Jason Moore]

The Afro.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, I think Chubb is going to be a solid running back this year. Jason and I, or I'm sorry, Jason has him at seven. Mike and I have him at eight. But look, he's a great runner. He's. He's a great runner and so, you know, led the league with seven games of at least 100 rushing yards. Big playability, you know, he could disappear and then all of a sudden break off a 55 yard run. And you know, I like when we.

[Jason Moore]

Just intentionally use the number.

[Mike Wright]

I didn't. It was a total accident. All right, so do you guys have anything you want to talk about with Chubb?

[Jason Moore]

I, I just wanted to bring it up because if you're following us on social media, I had tweeted this out a little bit ago, just researching and, and if you had Nick Chubb, you certainly felt this. If you were watching the Cleveland Browns games, you certainly saw it. But his efficiency at the goal line specifically carries inside the five comically bad 15 carries for negative 14 yards inside the five.

[Mike Wright]

He only had still had a year where he finished at seven.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, he had two touchdowns, number one, two touchdowns on his carries inside the 15. Of players who had double digit carries inside the five zone, they averaged a touchdown on 46% of those attempts. And Nick Chubb was down at 13%. And that 46%, that's, that includes Nick Chubb bringing down the average.

[Mike Wright]

I'm not putting that on Nick Chubb. That's where offensive lines go to win or lose is on that goal line. Yeah, I'm not putting the line was losing.

[Jason Moore]

I'm not putting it all on Chubb.

[Andy Holloway]

No, you look the eyeball test matters here. Nick Chubb is awesome. Like as a running back, he's great. He's strong, he's every, the, the fact is mighty. You know, the fact that he didn't get those touchdowns but did get the opportunity, he's not going to lose that opportunity. That's his, you know he's going to succeed more than that percentage just by looking at NFL averages because he's not a bad back there. So I think that his touchdown volume could go way up. He's at eight rushing touchdowns, you know, each of the last two seasons. So I think he's certainly in a good position to be worthy of a high pick, even though he's not really the pass catching guy. And he's going to be splitting a little bit more time like he did the second half of the season with Kareem Hunt.

[Jason Moore]

Now do you have concern that that split could actually increase in cream Hunt's favor?

[Andy Holloway]

I think it could.

[Jason Moore]

They have an entire off season to plan of. We know that Kareem Hunt is going to be on our team week one. It's not where we have this system that we built and spent all this time on an offense when we know we can't even use it until halfway through the season. Like it's, it's possible that Hunt is in there more than he was last year.

[Andy Holloway]

It is possible he's in there a little bit more. But even with Hunt was pretty involved last year, Hunt wasn't just some, you know, throwaway piece that came in, you know, for a couple plays here and there. He was in there. And during that time, Nick Chubb was still on pace for 1382 rushing yards. So, okay, maybe, maybe he only gets 1250 rushing yards, but his touchdown, based on that previous conversation, goes up. So I'm not worried. Kareem Hunt isn't scaring me off of Nick Chubb here at running back seven.

[Mike Wright]

All right. And number eight, our consensus number eight, running back, Aaron Jones of the Packers. I've got him the lowest at number 10, Jason Esm at nine, Mike at seven. I'm weary. I'm worried. The franchise record 23 touchdowns in 18 games, including the playoffs. Obviously those touchdown numbers were outlandish. Sixteen on the ground last year. No doubt that Aaron Jones is a great, dynamic player, but the way he put up this number two overall finish was not the way that, you know, Christian McCaffrey, Ezekiel Elliott, Dalvin Cook put up their seasons. You had weeks, weeks 1, 6, 9, 12, 13, where he was outside the top 36. And then you had other weeks that he absolutely smashed in one new weeks. Number two overall in week two, number one in week five, number one in week eight, number two in week 14. You know, the Aaron Jones experience overall was very good, but you did have a different kind of production that was very touchdown dependent. Only 236 carries in 16 games. So I have them a little bit lower. Expecting those touchdown totals to come down a little bit. You know, the dynamics of this Green Bay offense, the trend of that Green Bay offense. I'm curious about where it's going to head. So I'm a little more leery than you are. Mike, talk to me. Why you have him at 7.

[Jason Moore]

Sure.

[Mike Wright]

Compared to some of these other players.

[Jason Moore]

So I went in when we were doing our overreaction show. I actually went in with the mindset of, okay, I'm going to disprove Aaron Jones and say why you shouldn't spend a really high pick on him. And then after going through all the research that I ended up looking at, it was I think that Aaron Jones can pretty much repeat what he did. Especially what seems crazy, he can repeat in the, in the area of touchdowns. Like, he had 13 attempts inside the five, like they were. He was a trusted goal line running back. He turned those into eight touchdowns, which that's. He had. That's basically the same touchdown success rate as Dalvin Cook. It's a lower percentage than Zeke. It's lower than Derek Henry. So it wasn't like he went in there and every single time he touched the ball inside the five, it turns into a touchdown. Like. But he also has, he has the advantage of Aaron Rodgers where defenses have to be Concerned inside the five that Aaron Rodgers is going to throw the ball and because that's what he's done his entire career is just pile up touchdowns inside the five. So I believe that Aaron Jones will continue to be the goal line back and have great success there. So it's. I don't have him, you know, inside the. Where he finished last year or anywhere close to it, but I think that he can repeat as a very successful. Still have some of those inconsistent games, which is why I have him down at 7. But I believe Aaron Jones is still going to be very, very good.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah. My worry is you bring up the inconsistent games he had, games where he just flat disappeared. It's weird for the running back to.

[Jason Moore]

Very weird, yes.

[Andy Holloway]

To have, you know, he. Here's Aaron Jones. Week one, he was the 52nd best running back. Week nine, he was the 45th, 12 and 13, 44th and 45th, you know, at the position, but he finished number two. That's because he had a couple monstrous games. Those three touchdown, four touchdown type of games that really inflate the numbers. I think Aaron Jones is extremely talented, but he's on a team that does not want to make him the guy. They want to make him an efficient back who has the, you know, the larger part of the running back by committee. But I wouldn't be surprised if Matt lafleur brings in another running back. He has.

[Jason Moore]

Didn't he have a quote? Yeah, combine.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, he's. He said, you know, he, he wants another back to come in and help split the load. He's not all about giving Aaron Jones the work. And so for a guy that is 15th in carries while being 14th in yards per carry, so he's not like this crazy, you know, uber efficient, you know, run the ball, 5.9 yards of carry type of guy. Those are good numbers. They're not bad. I mean, top 15, but not running back to not running back five. So, you know, I think where I've got him at, running back nine says he'll probably have a few more touchdown opportunities still than your average player who is down at like, you know, 15th in volume. But his volume is still too low for me to really trust him. And the touchdowns were just, you know, you talk about his opportunities inside the five could be repeatable. They could be. But that means that the touchdowns that came outside the five almost certainly not repeatable.

[Mike Wright]

Joe Mixon comes in at number nine. I have him up at number seven, Jason at eight, Mike at 12. You guys know how I feel about Joe Mixon.

[Andy Holloway]

I was shocked to see him all the way down at seven for you.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, I was shocked too and disappointed in myself. But I have him at seven, which is the highest among the three of us. Last year was number one according to player profiler and evaded tackles, had the fifth most carries. This was a man on a team of Bill Murray's and he was the only monster. I mean he, every play he was, he was doing his very best to overcome a very difficult situation. 278 carries over 1100 yards, just five touchdowns. That's a number that can change with an offense that can move the ball a little bit more and a number that's, you know, where Mixon ended up last year. I really do think that you can have improvement. Even though you're going into a rookie quarterback situation. I think you will see improvement. You've got a second year of a rookie head coach and I'm a big Joe Mixon fan. I think there are only a handful of guys that can carry the ball 300 times. You know, he only caught the ball 35 times last year, which was down from the year before. But those numbers we know capable. He's capable of doing a lot more in the passing game. So with that offensive line last year, I'm a big fan of Joe Mixon as the Dalvin Cook of this year.

[Jason Moore]

Sure. I, and I'm on the side. I have him at 12. Like you said, I am the lowest because I, I just don't know what to believe about Joe Mixon. Where we. His season is two completely different seasons. You had before the bye week. He was not just bad, he was, he was droppable. You could drop.

[Andy Holloway]

He was the running back 31, averaging eight fantasy points a game.

[Jason Moore]

You could have dropped Joe Mixon in week five and up through his bi week thought I made the right decision because that I dropped him. I don't have to keep playing him. He's just hurting my team. And then after the bye week he just absolutely exploded. His volume went through the roof. He was. Before the buy he was at 12 and a half carries for 40 yards a game. That jumped up to 22 carries over 100 rushing yards per game. It's. That's what I'm saying. I don't know what to believe about Joe Mixon. I believe he's a very talented running back. Gio Bernard is still there. He got a two year extension before the season started last year. I looked at. Because we're, we're all projecting, projecting Joe Burrow to be the quarterback of this team. We have no reason to believe otherwise. And Clyde Edwards, a lair. He caught a lot of passes, but when you look at. He only had 13 and a half percent of the receptions because I couldn't find targets for CLYDE Edward. But 13 and a half percent of the receptions, which is. I. I don't know. And once again, that's just. I'm trying to look at a quarterback and his tendencies, not saying what the Cincinnati offense is going to be, because the Cincinnati offense was. We don't really throw it to the running back. Only 45 targets on the season for Joe Mixon and Mix and played all 16 games and Andy Dalton played. It's wild to remember this team with the first overall pick. And it seemed like they had just completely moved away from Andy Dalton. Dalton played in 13 games. Like, that's. And they were just. I don't know what to believe about Joe Mixon.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah. How many games did he play? The majority of the games. Because obviously he got pulled at one point and then put back at one point. The real issue I have here, which is narrative driven, you know, not my preference, but it's echoing what you're talking about, Mike. The first half of the season, you know, week one, this was not a team that was out there thinking they're going after the number one pick. You know, they went out to Seattle and gave them fits and thought they were going to be a decent team, hopefully maybe try for the playoffs. And then things started imploding. They got a bunch of injuries. AJ Green did.

[Mike Wright]

Their offensive line was atrocious.

[Andy Holloway]

Absolutely. And so, yeah, that first half of the year, when they were being what they wanted to be, he, Joe Mixon was not very involved and sucked. Now, the second half of the year, at that point, they knew they're going after the number one pick. They're playing for several of those games. Their backup quarterback, who sucks, who couldn't throw the ball, and they still. They'll be down. I mean, at that point, you watch these games.

[Jason Moore]

That was only three games. Andy Dalton, in the games he played, played 100% of the offensive snaps.

[Andy Holloway]

But you'll watch some of these. You'll watch some of those games where they're down multiple scores in the second half and they're just handing the ball off. Well, they every play because they. I mean. And they got the number one pick.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, I mean, I don't agree with the contention that, like, they were doing what they wanted to do for the first eight games of the year. I mean, part of that problem with Joe Mixon was he had six carries in week one. He had eight carries in week six. He had 10 carries in week seven. What you're saying is right from week 10 on, they just gave him the football. I mean, he just didn't have the football before that. So to me that we've seen this guy finish in the top 10 a year ago. We saw him finish at 13 last year on the worst team in football. So going from 13 to 7 on the basis of the second half of the year is why I make that jump. And they've strengthened their offensive line as well. So if they liked what they got from mixing over the back half of the year, I'd be really surprised to see some sort of regression from mix in second half if the team is taking a step forward, which is why I give him a little bit more credit. And Jason, you have mid eight as well.

[Andy Holloway]

So yeah, I don't, you know, hate Joe Mixon at all. But you could also make the argument that the team figured out how to use him, utilize him better as the season went on and that that should continue. The good news, the Bengals have gone hard. Who's the other quarterback? Oh gosh.

[Mike Wright]

Finley.

[Andy Holloway]

Yes, Ryan Finley.

[Mike Wright]

Oh man, those are bad. Those are Pittsburgh Steeler quarterback days.

[Andy Holloway]

But the Bengals have gone out in free agency and they were one of the biggest winners on at least one side of the ball. Their defense got a ton better and so that is probably good news for Joe Mixon being able to continue to get the ball while they're not trying to get the number one pick.

[Mike Wright]

All right, and we've just talked about this guy rounding out our top 10. We talked about him on the Tuesday show quite a bit. Some of the reasons that we're big fans this year. Kenyan Drake comes in at number 10 overall. David Johnson is no longer a part of the Arizona Cardinals offense. Kenyan Drake was incredible to end the season. This is an offense with Cliff Kingsbury, Kyler Murray that is growing up certainly and DeAndre Hopkins addition only helps that they also secured the right tackle and I would guess that their first round pick is going to be an offensive lineman. Yep, that would be where I put my money right now. So Drake ended up at number 10, versatile pass catcher. This is just where he ended up on our on our ranks. Do you guys have anything you want to add to kind of some of the discussions we talked about on Tuesday?

[Jason Moore]

No, just if you want to hear me talk about Drake, Tuesday shows still available.

[Mike Wright]

He was the RB4 from week nine on. For context, in the offense.

[Andy Holloway]

He was the running back four. But he also had his bye week during that stretch. So he was the running back three on a points per game basis. Only two better with Christian McCaffrey and Derek Henry. So he, he was unbelievable.

[Mike Wright]

So we're going to get into some more running back rankings coming up on our next episode. Probably some more interesting debates too about some of these guys that our opinions differ on quite a bit. Maybe some players that we're looking at taking that leap, making that tear jump from being somebody that was an RB2 type of player to having very excited.

[Jason Moore]

Potential, Very excited to talk running back 12. Frank Gore.

[Mike Wright]

Oh, no, he's not. He's not your 12, is he? He's. Everybody's 12 forever. That's what he has. They retire that finish is all.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, there's no more. There's no more running back 12.

[Mike Wright]

It just goes from 11 to 13.

[Jason Moore]

That's like a jersey retirement. You can't running back 12 anymore.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, you can't finish at tight end 12 anymore either. Jason Whitten has claimed it. That's where.

[Andy Holloway]

Well, he still can. He's still got a job right now.

[Mike Wright]

That's true, he does. We want to thank Pristine Auction, by the way, for supporting the show. Great company. Go check them out. A Dalvin Cook signed jersey yesterday, $85.99. That's pristineauction.com use the code ballers and you get a $10 credit. So I think that'll do it for today's show. I'll be interested to hear some feedback from the Foot Clan on these top 10 consensus running backs and look forward to this next episode as well. So thank you for tuning in, everybody. Yeah, make sure you stay safe and our studios look good.

[Jason Moore]

They do. See you next time. 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 the FFballers.