Early Top 10 WR Rankings + Disappearing Acts

Summary

Fantasy Footballers Podcast Summary Episode: Early Top 10 WR Rankings + Disappearing Acts
Release Date: April 9, 2020
Hosts: Andy Holloway, Jason Moore, Mike "The Fantasy Hitman" Wright

---

Introduction

In this episode of Fantasy Footballers, hosts Andy Holloway, Jason Moore, and Mike Wright delve into the early rankings of the top 10 wide receivers (WRs) for the upcoming fantasy football season. The discussion intertwines insightful analysis of player performances, injury concerns, team dynamics, and the unpredictability that characterizes fantasy football.

---

Top 10 Wide Receiver Rankings

1. Michael Thomas

• Overview: Michael Thomas is hailed as the premiere wide receiver, following his record-breaking 2019 season where he amassed 149 receptions, 1,725 yards, and 9 touchdowns. Despite Drew Brees not being with the New Orleans Saints for the entire season, Thomas maintained high performance levels.
• Notable Insights:
  • Consistency & Efficiency: Thomas boasts an impressive catch rate of 82.5%, the highest among WRs with over 100 receptions.
  • Challenges Ahead: With Aaron Donald enhancing the Saints' run game and potential distribution of targets to Emmanuel Sanders, his ceiling might be constrained.
• Quote: Jason Moore states, “Michael Thomas would have outscored Odell Beckham Jr. if you only counted his home games. That's how good of a season Michael Thomas had.”

2. Julio Jones

• Overview: Julio Jones remains a top contender despite aging concerns. His consistent target volume and performance sustain his high ranking.
• Notable Insights:
  • Target Volume: Averaging approximately 162 targets over the last six seasons.
  • Team Reliance: With the Atlanta Falcons needing Jones to be a focal point post-Austin Hooper's trade, his usage is expected to remain robust.
• Quote: Andy Holloway remarks, “It's insane to think about the things that he has accomplished.”

3. DeVante Adams

• Overview: DeVante Adams is recognized for his exceptional talent and as Aaron Rodgers' primary target. However, injury history poses questions about his consistency.
• Notable Insights:
  • Health Concerns: Although Adams has missed games due to injuries, his per-game productivity remains high when active.
  • Opportunity Dynamics: The Packers’ offense, with Matt LaFleur at the helm, may offer Adams ample opportunities to secure touchdowns.
• Quote: Mike Wright mentions, “He is a touchdown machine with Aaron Rodgers.”

4. Tyreek Hill

• Overview: Tyreek Hill is celebrated for his explosive playmaking ability within the Kansas City Chiefs' dynamic offense.
• Notable Insights:
  • Inconsistency Issues: While Hill can dominate games, recent defensive adjustments against the Chiefs have led to fluctuating performances.
  • Upside vs. Reliability: Despite potential inconsistency, Hill's ceiling remains high due to his speed and role in the Chiefs' offense.
• Quote: Andy Holloway notes, “He can be an absolute game breaker.”

5. DeAndre Hopkins

• Overview: DeAndre Hopkins' transition to the Arizona Cardinals raises questions about his future performance amidst a new quarterback and offensive system.
• Notable Insights:
  • Target Hog: Hopkins has consistently been a primary target, and his move to Arizona is expected to maintain his high target volume.
  • System Fit: With Kyler Murray as the new quarterback, Hopkins' chemistry and targeting will be pivotal for his fantasy success.
• Quote: Jason Moore states, “He is a top half wide receiver.”

6. Chris Godwin

• Overview: Chris Godwin demonstrated significant growth, especially in the first half of the previous season, showcasing his potential as a reliable fantasy asset.
• Notable Insights:
  • New Quarterback Synergy: The Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ adoption of a new coaching system may enhance Godwin's production.
  • Balanced Role: As a slot receiver, Godwin's route running and ability to exploit defenses make him a valuable pick.
• Quote: Mike Wright enthuses, “Tom Brady loves him. He’s like a Julian Edelman, Wes Welker type.”

7. Kenny Golladay

• Overview: Kenny Golladay emerges as a potential breakout candidate, demonstrating his capability to produce high-yardage and touchdown games.
• Notable Insights:
  • Red Zone Threat: Golladay's proficiency in the end zone positions him as a valuable asset, despite inconsistent quarterback play.
  • Comparative Analysis: When benchmarked against peers like Mike Evans and Mike Godwin, Golladay offers a higher ceiling but comes with some risk.
• Quote: Jason Moore states, “He is a beast, man. Just accept that.”

8. Mike Evans

• Overview: Mike Evans remains a stalwart in fantasy rankings due to his consistent target share and touchdown potential, albeit with some regression concerns.
• Notable Insights:
  • Contract Implications: Evans’ substantial salary may lead teams to pivot their offensive strategies, potentially affecting his target count.
  • Performance Variability: Past inconsistencies, including games with minimal receptions, raise questions about his reliability as WR1.
• Quote: Andy Holloway confesses, “I don't feel comfortable with Evans as my number one wide receiver.”

9. Amari Cooper

• Overview: Amari Cooper is recognized for his explosive play capabilities but is plagued by inconsistency and a track record of disappearing acts mid-season.
• Notable Insights:
  • Injury Susceptibility: Cooper's history of injuries and abrupt performance drops make him a risky pick for top rankings.
  • High-Priced Contract: His lucrative contract may not translate to stable fantasy production, especially if he fails to maintain consistent performance.
• Quote: Jason Moore asserts, “I don't get it. That puts you at number three or number two or number six or number four on a given week, and then you can evaporate into the air like a mist.”

10. D.J. Moore

• Overview: D.J. Moore is highlighted for his athleticism and potential, although his ranking reflects concerns about quarterback play and system fit.
• Notable Insights:
  • Quarterback Transition: With a new quarterback in place, Moore's chemistry and target share could improve, elevating his fantasy prospects.
  • Youth and Growth: At 22, Moore is entering his breakout age, with expectations for increased productivity in subsequent seasons.
• Quote: Andy Holloway emphasizes, “He was our favorite prospect that year. His athletic measurables are off the chart.”

---

Disappearing Acts: Inconsistency and Injury Concerns

Throughout the rankings, a recurring theme is the risk associated with players who have demonstrated inconsistency or have significant injury histories. Amari Cooper and Mike Evans, in particular, embody the "disappearing acts" narrative, where their high potential is offset by unpredictable performances or health issues. The hosts debate the balance between a player's upside and the reliability needed for top fantasy rankings.

• Key Points:
  • Narrative Impact: Early-season struggles can leave lasting negative impressions, influencing rankings despite potential for recovery.
  • Team Dynamics: Changes in team structure, such as new coaches or quarterbacks, can significantly impact a player's fantasy value.
  • Risk Assessment: Fantasy managers must weigh the upside of high-ceiling players against the risks of inconsistency and injuries.

Notable Quote: Mike Wright observes, “You've got to value the risk in your draft. It’s a lot of narrative, which is not where we usually want to live.”

---

Conclusion

The hosts conclude by reinforcing the necessity of balancing potential and reliability in early WR rankings. They acknowledge the dynamic nature of fantasy football, where performances can be influenced by numerous factors ranging from injuries to team strategy shifts. The episode serves as a comprehensive guide for fantasy managers to reassess their WR rankings, taking into account both the stars that consistently perform and those with the potential for both brilliance and volatility.

Closing Remarks:
The Fantasy Footballers remind listeners to engage in their upcoming AMA on the forums and stay connected through various platforms for ongoing insights and discussions.

---

This summary synthesizes the key discussions and analyses from the Fantasy Footballers podcast episode, providing a detailed overview for those seeking expert opinions on early wide receiver rankings and the associated risks in fantasy football.

Transcript

[Andy Holloway]

What's up, Foot Glenn? As we all get excited for the NFL draft that is fast approaching, that also means fantasy football is approaching and you can still get in on the Ultimate Draft Kit for the lowest possible price. Head over to ultimate draftkit.com this is what we spend the entire offseason building up 100 plus video profiles, our tiered rankings, everything you need to know to get ready for the draft, including the app that just gets sexier and sexier by the day. Get in on it. Lowest possible price right now. Ultimate Draft kit dot com.

[Mike Wright]

Hey, what's up?

[Andy Holloway]

This is Justice Hill from the Baltimore Ravens, and you're listening to the Fantasy Footballers Podcast.

[Mike Wright]

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

[Andy Holloway]

Welcome in.

[Jason Moore]

So excited to be with you. The Fantasy Footballers. Thursday, April 9th. Andy, Mike, and Jason, we got a wonderful wide receiver show today.

[Andy Holloway]

Oh, killer alliteration.

[Jason Moore]

Thank you, Mike.

[Mike Wright]

I did not notice that. That was. Well done, both of you.

[Jason Moore]

Quarantine check. How you guys doing? Any new developments in the, you know, half acres, quarter acres that you're currently allowed to live inside of?

[Mike Wright]

I've started to give myself a 10:30am deadline for brushing my teeth. That's really what. It's just one of those things where it's got to happen and you got to have a deadline or the day gets away from you. And next thing you know, you go, it's 4pm and there's a. There's a problem. And so. And so, you know, we're. We're all about finding problems and fixing them. Problem fixed.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, that takes a psychological toll. When you have to brush your teeth at four in the afternoon and just.

[Mike Wright]

Don'T feel good about yourself.

[Jason Moore]

You just lost.

[Andy Holloway]

I can't believe you still do it at 4pm I'm. I'm throwing the hat in on that one. I'll do it tomorrow.

[Mike Wright]

That's when I just go to sleep. I say, well, I'm this far gone. Good night, Napsky.

[Andy Holloway]

I celebrated my 14th wedding anniversary.

[Jason Moore]

Congratulations.

[Andy Holloway]

Oh, and we celebrated by staying home.

[Mike Wright]

Okay, that's. That sounds cool.

[Jason Moore]

Now, I saw an Instagram story. Mike, you can follow all of us. By the way, instagram.com fantasy footballers Mike is @ffhitman. Jason. FFL. I'm @andy Holloway. But I saw a post. Now you. You did not go and purchase a bouquet for your wife. You picked a bouquet for you.

[Mike Wright]

I did.

[Jason Moore]

Where did you find said pickable flowers?

[Andy Holloway]

My backyard.

[Jason Moore]

Oh, okay.

[Andy Holloway]

All right, look, man, you got to use the resources. You got so I grabbed the scissors, I headed out. They made us. Made myself a bouquet.

[Mike Wright]

I think I speak for the foot clan when I say I'm most impressed that you have a bunch of flowers.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, me too. That's. I was surprised. Look, I ruined her garden. Her whole garden is torn out like.

[Mike Wright]

Weeds that had cropped up. Got a bunch of dandelions in your bouquet. Hey. What?

[Andy Holloway]

They count, right?

[Mike Wright]

You're not in quarantine. It always counts.

[Jason Moore]

All right, here's the quick question of the day. By the way, a quick reminder as well. A live AMA. We're doing it on the forums this Friday, April 10th at 11am Pacific, 2pm Eastern. You can navigate yourself over there by going to footclanhelp.com Jason is committed to answering every question over there.

[Andy Holloway]

Thought so.

[Jason Moore]

He's. He's making a face right now as though he regrets that commitment. On Tuesday, maybe, but we'll see. FootClanHelp.com post.

[Andy Holloway]

I dare say he doesn't remember to saying that.

[Mike Wright]

No, I remember. I have mild regret. But I mean, look, I. Here's the thing. I don't have all that much going on, so. Wait a minute.

[Jason Moore]

You're available.

[Mike Wright]

Wait a minute. When is it? What day?

[Andy Holloway]

Friday.

[Jason Moore]

You do have. Yeah, I know you have.

[Mike Wright]

Oh, no, that's April 10th. That's Final Fantasy 7 Remake. Abandon ship.

[Andy Holloway]

I won't be there.

[Mike Wright]

Go to Foot Clan. No help dot com.

[Andy Holloway]

I'll be watching Trolls. I will be playing Final Fantasy.

[Mike Wright]

I will be singing Hamilton live.

[Andy Holloway]

Hamilton. Yes.

[Jason Moore]

April 10th's a big day. We've got no more questions, the AMA and all of those events. So footclanhelp.com check it out. Quick question of the day. What is Devin singletary ceiling for 2020?

[Andy Holloway]

Go ahead, Jay.

[Mike Wright]

When I saw this question, I basically just saw like, what is Devin Singletary? Because if you talk about what his ceiling is, I think his ceiling is much higher than the probability that he could actually achieve it. He is a very good back. You know, he averaged over five yards of carry. He looked electric on the field, but he's got a little bit of the Philip Lindsay syndrome where what's going to happen with him? And you saw this the second half of the year. Yes, Frank Gore was there, but he was the workhorse back. I mean, he was getting 15 plus carries game in and game out. But if he doesn't get touchdowns, you end up with a really efficient, productive day with a lot of volume. And he's got 70 yards on the ground and it doesn't feel good. In fantasy when you get your seven fantasy points and you know, so the thing is, is it's about touchdowns. To me that's, that's going to be the differentiator as to whether or not his ceiling is reached because he's a good back who looks like he's going to have at least the lion share assuming they bring in another back. But they did not use him inside the 10 yard line. That just wasn't. I think this is from memory. I think he had three carries inside the 10 all season. And you know, if he, if he ends up with a handful of touchdowns, you know, four, five touchdowns, you're going to be really disappointed. Now if that changes where inside the five, they start giving him the work and I don't think they will because he's a 200 pound back then his, his ceiling changes to like you know, low end RB1, like a RB12. I just don't think he gets there.

[Andy Holloway]

What's crazy to me is looking through the numbers and trying to remember because he was so shifty like I mean he is, he's a little bit smaller but tied for the fourth most runs of over 15 yards despite being 28th in rushing attempts. But then you look what happened to him in the passing game. It's absolute insanity. The inefficiency where they'll hear the final games. One reception for two yards, two receptions for two yards, one reception for four yards. Like how does that possibly happening to Devin Singletary? That's so weird.

[Mike Wright]

That's called giving him the ball right before he gets tackled. Called a bad decision.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, I think, I think you're right Jason, about the fact that his ceiling is very high. If he can find his way into the end zone. I love the Bills and the prospects of them having a very good offense for you know, this upcoming season. The opportunity for them to be a playoff bound, division winning type of team. But it will just come down to the fact that much like Miles Sanders, Josh Jacobs, does the team trust him enough to put him on the field in important situations. Do they pass him the ball enough? Because I think he's, you know, we saw his screen game capability. So if that increased, I think you would see more and more big plays because he's so explosive. But I think he's a top 20 back. I don't know if this is a top 10 type of season for Devin Singletary. Whereas I could see top 10 from, you know, I could see things working out for Miles Sanders and Josh Jacobs into the top 10.

[Andy Holloway]

The bills, they traded all their picks basically for Stefan Diggs. So do you 1. Do you guys see them spending a pick that they have left on a running back? And if not, then Jason, I mean, you were talking about his, his build. TJ Yelden is still there and TJ Yelden is a larger guy. Like TJ Yelden's a 220 pound running back. You feel like he's going to slip in here when for the goal line carries like Frank Gore had.

[Mike Wright]

No, I don't think so. I think that if it stays status quo, Singletary will get the opportunity. It's funny, in my college scouting last year on Singletary, I remember thinking if people would use him as a goal line back, I think he'll be very successful because he usually makes the first guy miss if you just need a couple of yards to get in. He's very shifty. But people get very pigeonholed into the big strong back that can just move the pile. Two yards.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, I like the Danny Woodhead on the goal line.

[Mike Wright]

Give me that. Exactly. But the reality is they still have seven picks. You know, they traded their first, but they've got, you know, I think a couple of twos or they've had. They have plenty of capital to get a running back and I fully expect them to get a bigger bodied running back as a Frank Gore replacement.

[Jason Moore]

I don't think they'll pick one up in the draft. I think they'll get one through free agency and you'll end up with a similar situation. Gore has a certain level of goal line respect that he has achieved for whatever reason. But I think we're all saying the same thing. I think Singletary is a very talented back. It'll come down to opportunity and touchdowns. You guys see Hard Knocks is going to be both the Rams and the Chargers this year, by the way.

[Mike Wright]

I did.

[Andy Holloway]

It's very interesting. I assume this is new stadium.

[Jason Moore]

Well, they're petitioning to combine the teams as well, just into 1:1 record. Combined rosters.

[Andy Holloway]

Who instigated this? Was it the Chargers?

[Mike Wright]

Yeah.

[Jason Moore]

Yes, it was the Charger. It was. It was both teams. Both teams need some help. Maybe.

[Andy Holloway]

But we don't get Jeff Fisher this time.

[Jason Moore]

I know.

[Andy Holloway]

We don't get the speech. I'm not going seven and nine. I'm not going eight and eight.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, we got on that show. We got on that Hard Knock.

[Andy Holloway]

We did. No, no, no, no. We were on the Amazon show.

[Mike Wright]

Oh, yeah. Okay.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, yeah. I thought, I thought we got onto.

[Mike Wright]

I thought we were on the Hard Knock.

[Jason Moore]

I thought we were on Hard Knock.

[Andy Holloway]

Was it Hard Knocks?

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, it was.

[Jason Moore]

It was.

[Mike Wright]

They put a clip of me bashing Jeff Fisher.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, they did. They did. They had Jason featured bashing Jeff Fisher.

[Andy Holloway]

We'll have our people look into it.

[Jason Moore]

And then Jason ended up following that up by dressing up as Jeff Fisher for Halloween.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, baby.

[Jason Moore]

So what else is going on? We know that the NFL is going to be doing a very interesting, potentially technologically challenged draft. But we're all looking forward to it. You guys just want to jump into the whiteouts? Yep.

[Mike Wright]

Wide receivers, all right.

[Jason Moore]

We just did two episodes. Our early running back consensus rankings. There's a lot of fun. We're jumping into the wide receivers now. Number one is Michael Thomas.

[Mike Wright]

Shocking.

[Jason Moore]

Shocking, right? I think we know what Michael Thomas managed to do last year. Break the all time receptions record. 149 receptions, 1725 yards, nine touchdowns, 185 targets.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, it's ridiculous.

[Jason Moore]

He was incredibly consistent and he did it in a season in which he did not have Drew Brees for the full duration, which is incredible.

[Mike Wright]

And he was still great with Teddy.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, he was. He was. He wasn't the same level, but he was good. And we've heard that stat that, you know, Michael Thomas would have outscored Odell Beckham Jr. If you only counted his home games. That's how good of a season Michael Thomas had. But I did, I did want to go look at the previous reception leader, Marvin Harrison and his special season because I was curious about where Harrison went after that point.

[Andy Holloway]

Sure.

[Jason Moore]

We have, we've. And it seemed familiar to me in the sense that We've seen the 50 touchdown years from whether it's Mahomes, Peyton Brady and then, you know, these are very special seasons, but the record breaking seasons. And last year you saw targets for Michael Thomas jump from 149, 147 to 185. So that's a very significant jump. And then I look back at Marvin Harrison's record breaking year. He had 205 targets that season, which is incredible. 143 receptions. But he dropped from 142 receptions down to 94 the next year. And he actually never, despite having another 10 years or whatever it was, he actually never broke the 100 catch mark again. And I'm not saying that Michael Thomas is going to imitate that, but that's more of, you know, not a reflection on the talent, but just on the reality of breaking records, special seasons. We know his catch rate is ridiculous. He's been at 82.5% average over the last two years with Breeze. And I don't expect that to change at all with Breeze back over the last two years.

[Andy Holloway]

That's the highest catch percentage of, of any wide receiver with over 100 receptions. I looked at the same thing, Andy, because I wanted to see if there was any trends we, yeah, we could glean from that. But there are guys like Antonio Brown, Julio Jones, you can want to go back even a little bit further, like Chris Carter, guys sustain their, their high level of receptions. It happens. And so I was trying to figure out, okay, how does it, how is it possible if Michael Thomas doesn't hit that mark? Let's, let's try and be the devil's advocate at least. And the question is brought up of Emmanuel Sanders is now on the team. What does he do to this offense? How many targets does he absorb coming in? Because as soon as he was traded to San Francisco, he took 27% of their targets. Now, very different team, but I'm saying Sanders was traded in the middle of the season and that was, that was the target share that he commanded. Now on the Saints last year, Michael Thomas was insane. ALVIN Camara near 100 targets and Camara will be there again. It's the third option. Last year it was Jared Kuke who had 11% of the targets.

[Jason Moore]

Still funny, by the way.

[Andy Holloway]

Yes, it's really hard to give.

[Mike Wright]

I don't understand what's funny.

[Andy Holloway]

Jason is the best at throwing it out and moving Jerry Cuke. So 11% of the targets. Two years ago when Michael Thomas was still insane. Ben Watson was the third option, 9%. So that's what, that's what Michael Thomas has had to deal with. Alvin Camara and then tight ends who are getting about 10% of the 10% of the market share. What happens if Emmanuel Sanders goes in and he's at 15%? I mean, that's that then Michael Thomas.

[Jason Moore]

Is still, he's still a top five wide receiver. That's the answer. But the odds of repeating are very low. A season like this, without question, I.

[Mike Wright]

Looked to move him down because I don't believe necessarily that he'll be the number one. But because this is the early wide receiver ranking show, I felt like he deserved it after the season he had. And you know, really, Emmanuel Sanders being the only one to come in here and cause problems now when we stat everybody out for the ultimate draft kit and we actually break down, well, how many targets will Emmanuel Sanders have? How many passes is Drew Brees going to be able to Throw. And, and what does this, you know, what does this mean for Michael Thomas? I'll bet he doesn't end up as my number one. But this was honorary because he just had a historic season. And if you were to take him number one overall at wide receiver, not number one in the draft, but the first wide receiver off the board, I don't think you're going to be disappointed because his baseline is so high. His, you know, you talked about his catch rate, Andy, just being astronomical. But of his 180 targets, 155 were deemed catchable. So his true catch rate was 96%. I mean he's, he's a, he's absurdly great.

[Jason Moore]

He's good. Yeah. Solid point. At the end of the day. What I wanted to ask this question before we move on. What are, what's the percentage odds you would give him finishing at number one? Because I know that, you know, the variability. Other receivers stepping up. Is this a, you know, is this a 50, 50 shot for you? Is this much lower? Okay.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, it's, it's in the 20s. Just because I think there's easily five players that could finish number one. So, you know, if you say, what's the percentage chance of the next few, we're going to talk about finishing number one. It's probably near the 20s.

[Andy Holloway]

And my, my last point here, which against Michael Thomas, Drew Brees was passing at a rate that we haven't seen in a long time. Like his actual 16 game pace was 597 attempts to put that in context two years ago was 489. Before that 536. So breeze was just having to throw the ball a whole lot more. So we'll see if that continues or not.

[Jason Moore]

The nice thing is, is that his record breaking statistical performance last year was in a more predictable category. What we've seen from Michael Thomas for multiple years, high catch rate, low yards per reception. It wasn't on the basis of a 17 touchdown type of season. Like he had nine. And I, I probably wouldn't bet on him having fewer than nine touchdowns again this year. That seems reasonable. Even if Camara runs in a few more. Whatever the case may be, number two, we actually have Julio Jones. Julio Jones is our consensus number two wide receiver.

[Mike Wright]

But, But Andy, isn't he getting old?

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, I mean, we are all getting old, Jason. We're all getting older.

[Mike Wright]

I didn't ask that question. Why are you.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, that was the public opinion.

[Jason Moore]

Oh, I'm sorry. Yes. Jason has him at 2 Mike and I have him at number 3. He's averaged 161.7 targets over the last 6 seasons. I don't know if we need to tell you about Julio Jones. I think we need to talk about whether this continues on the basis of that inquiry from the voice of public opinion, which is, you know, is there any cause for concern, regression, those type of things? I don't think so this year.

[Mike Wright]

No. I mean, he. I mean, it's just a matter of when he falls off. You know, at some point, every receiver is going to fall off, including Julio Jones. Is that this season or is it not? And I don't believe it is. Nothing on the field seemed like it last year. He's got the big money contract. They need him now as much as ever. They lost Austin Hooper and yeah, in the two games without Hooper, Julio had down performances in fantasy this last year, but that's not. That's not predictive in the slightest. I mean, this is a team that really needs him to be great. He looked great. They're paying him to be great. You know, I still think you're going to get the same old Julio. And so when I put him number two, I just. I think you're going to get more of the same. Of the last four years, which is a top five wide receiver guaranteed.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, that's what I was going to throw out is I haven't seen anything from Julio that I expect his. That the play will fall off and Austin Hooper was responsible for 14% of the targets, even with all the games that he missed. So is it possible that we see Julio Jones back at the 170 target range again? And I think that's in the range of outcomes. This isn't just Hooper's. All of Hooper's targets are going to. Hayden Hurst, like, lock that in. Like, Julio could actually see even more volume than he had than he did last year, which is because he's done it before. Is. It's just insane to think about the things that he has accomplished.

[Mike Wright]

Julio Jones, since 2015 has finished as the wide receiver 2, 6, 5, 5 and 3. He is. He's just as consistent as it comes. We lament.

[Jason Moore]

He's not getting hurt anymore. Well, I know that's been the refrain.

[Andy Holloway]

He's getting hurt.

[Jason Moore]

He just is playing okay, but that's fine. I'm cool with that. If you, if you finish at 5, 5 and 3 and then you're quote unquote getting hurt and he's missed one game in three seasons, I mean, that's not. We don't have to go to the same song and dance with Julio that we have in the past. He may limp his way out there, but he's limping his way to wide receiver 5. 5 and 3 is all I'm saying. All right, let's go ahead and jump into our third wide receiver here. Before we do that, I want to thank today's sponsor. Oh, it's a wonderful, wonderful friend of my family. That's hello. Fresh mouth watering seasonal recipes, pre measured ingredients delivered right to your door with hellofresh, America's number one meal kit. They make cooking at home fun, easy and affordable. And we were kind of talking about this before the show. It's just been great getting the hellofresh. We do it three times a week and it's some variety. It's fresh produce, it's fresh ingredients. It's something different than I can't have peanut butter and honey every single time.

[Andy Holloway]

Let's say there'sthere's only so many chicken nuggets a man can eat.

[Jason Moore]

That's what I'm saying. And they cut out all that stress that comes with meal planning. Because the other side of the coin is I've got to figure all that stuff out and go shop for it. Not the case with hellofresh. They cut all that stress out. You can enjoy cooking, getting dinner on the table in 30 minutes or less, maybe even 20 minutes for some of their quicker recipe options. And there is something for everybody. You got low calorie meals, vegetarian, family friendly recipes. Our kids eat it. That's not a foregone conclusion with most meals, but our kids really, really enjoy it and they can help you eat more sustainably as well. To learn more about hellofresh, go to hellofresh.com Very easy. Hellofresh.com all right, I want to talk about number three here, Devonte Adams. Devonte Adams. Last year marred by injury. Yeah, not the only time that's happened to Devonte Adams. He actually hasn't played a full season in quite a while. Missed games in three straight years has been great on a per game basis. I think there is no doubting the talent and ability of Devonte Adams being the number one target for Aaron Rodgers. You know, you talk about the identity of the packers transforming a little bit. Aaron Jones's big year. But past attempts have been at the same level for Aaron Rodgers for the last three years. So, you know, I think we all acknowledge Adams is a great receiver, but will he stay healthy for a full season or will he, you know, and That's a tough thing to predict.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, it is hard to predict, but I think there are certain types of injuries that are scarier than others. And I'm not really scared off of devonte Adams injury history. You know, you say he's missed some games or, you know, it's been a couple of years since he's played a full 16. Well, he played 14 and 15 in 2017 and 2018.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, the Julio. The old Julio season.

[Mike Wright]

Exactly. And in those seasons, he still finished 14 and third overall. He's a guy who's clearly a touchdown machine with Aaron Rodgers. Those first couple of weeks in the new LaFleur system, Devonte Adams wasn't as involved. I remember week one, week three, people were thinking, oh no, Devonte Adams is toast from that point on the rest of the season on a per game basis because he missed a chunk of games in the middle. He was still the wide receiver three in a points per game basis. So he was, he was the same Devonte Adams that was dominating in 2018, in 2019. I think he has as good a chance as anyone else of finishing, you know, as the number one wide receiver. Obviously he would need to play 16 games for that. But I'm not, I'm just not scared of his specific injury history.

[Andy Holloway]

I'm not either. I'm all in. I'm back in on Devonte Adams. He's. He's still the number one option. He had double digit targets in eight of the 12 regular season games that he played. Both playoff games for the packers, he had double digit targets. Like he is the man. And, and when he was on the field, he still was producing. There's like, if there is a dip on devonte Adams, I'm happily buying that. And it's like I'm just thinking it back, you know, when, when we're researching all these things, remembering what happened because I had devonte Adams in our league of record and it was, it, it felt mostly bad. But that's because week one, which leaves a huge, huge sting on your back. If someone comes out and they have a bad week one, you feel that for, for a lot of the season. Then the first game back from the injury, after missing a whole bunch of games where he was injured, he was bad when he came back that first game. So that also felt bad. So there's just like these narrative things that I think will leave lasting fantasy burns on some players, which could cause Adams to drop a little bit where I think, where I think he belongs. Like I have Adams as my number Two wide receiver right now.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah. I think that we've spent a lot of time on this show talking about the packers offense. Matt Leflore, Aaron Rodgers and his transformation. He's not the same fantasy producer that he used to be and well he will be now.

[Andy Holloway]

They got functions, sure.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah. But Adams fits into that category. To me being that target hog of when Evans was alone in Tampa Bay to an extent. And we've seen, you know, I think they'd love to have more options than Devonte Adams for Aaron Rodgers. And I think some of the variability of these games where Aaron Rodgers can disappear and they can still win brings a wider range of outcomes to Adam's potential fantasy output than years past. Right. Because he did. You know, you mentioned week one, he finished 67th. He also had week three where he was 51st at the position. He had week 14 at 52 at the position. Those are not what you saw from Adams in 2018. So I think because of the transformation of the offense, you have a little bit of a wider range of outcomes. But when a guy is getting that level of target share, he's pretty safe for your offense. And last year, I know he missed a bunch of games, only had the five touchdowns. Generally you can count on him for a lot more than that over the course of a full season.

[Andy Holloway]

He was a double digit touchdown guy three straight years before he got hurt last year.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah.

[Mike Wright]

And if you think about, we've talked a lot about the packers offense in relation to the unsustainability of Aaron Jones touchdown rate. Well, yeah, I mean it's not that touchdowns are just going to go away and the packers are going to be a bad team. It's that, oh, they might not all go to Aaron Jones next season. And so yeah, I think Devonte Adams, you know, I will certainly be stating him out for double digit touchdowns again.

[Jason Moore]

All right, number four on our consensus wide receiver rankings is Tyreek Hill of the Kansas City Chiefs. Number one overall fantasy wide receiver in 2018 last year. Injured, banged up, disappeared at times. Didn't get the 50 touchdown season for Patrick Mahomes. Mahomes was injured. You did get to see a little peak at that. Same Tyreek Hill for in a five week span from week six through ten where he was the number one fantasy wide receiver by way of points. Number two in points per game in that Spanish, you know, he's 26 years old. He's on the best offense in football. And there's a level of consistency with Tyreek Hill being a part of the Andy Reid offense, them returning 10 of 11 starters. I like that. And that's kind of why I have him statted where I do. I expect a great season from Tyreek.

[Andy Holloway]

I, yeah, I'm not, I'm not sure exactly what to do with, with Tyree Kill because he can be an absolute game breaker. We've seen that he can dominate for fantasy football. The hard part for me with Tyree Kill is that after he came back, you know, he had the injury, injury problem and he exploded. He was having monster games but the Kansas City defense wasn't as good. And then the second half that defense started to lock things down and that's when Tyreek Hill was averaging basically 60 yards a game. And I mean, and that continued all the way up until the super bowl is when you finally had, finally saw Hill have a game over 100 yards breaking out of that 60 to 70 range. So I, while I'm happy to have Tyreek as my number one wide receiver, he, he won't be my first choice. I hope I'm making sense like if, when I have, if I've got Adams and Julio on the board. I'm not even considering taking.

[Jason Moore]

He doesn't fit the avatar for your wide receiver, one that you prefer for your team. Is that what you're saying? By the. Because he's less consistent than other receivers. He has big blow up games but he doesn't have the same target totals.

[Andy Holloway]

Right.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, I think you bring up a good point with their defense locking things down them not necessarily needing to always score at will and you know, some of the things we saw last year during that stretch, those, those final seven games were rough for Tyreek in fantasy. That was when he was healthy and back out there on the field. And during those final seven games he, he was the wide receiver 41. But if I had to bet whether or not he's going to be, you know, game scripted out because every now and then you just have, okay, Sammy watkins got a 80 yard touchdown pass. Well, the drive's over. Nobody else gets fantasy points. Those things happen on the Chiefs. But if I had to bet whether or not Tyree Kill stays very inconsistent like he was this last year, big blow up games, big disappearing acts or is like he was the previous two seasons. Where, where, you know, I mean over the, you know, those years, what was he? Wide receiver four in 2017. Wide receiver one in 2018. I'm going to take his upside. I would. I agree he does have that. Yes, I do agree with Mike that he is. I think you said It. Well, like, I would be super happy with Tyreek Hills, my wide receiver one, but I'm not going to take him over the guys who are such the clear and only option on their team the same way. Some of those guys we've talked, you know, Julio, the other three guys, they're the clear number one with a really distant number two. And here you've got Kelsey as a good option and plenty other speedsters who can just end a drive in a minute.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, it's a fair discussion. You know, I haven't ranked it too, because that's where I think he'll finish fantasy wise. But from a preferential standpoint, if you want to go with one of the bigger target, higher reception total guys, I get it to. Tyreek had a very significant injury last year, and even though he came back from the injury, we all saw him go. Jason, you had him on your roster. We saw him go down multiple times where you thought, oh, no, he re injured, the same thing, or limps. You know, he kind of gets carried off the field and you're like, oh, he's done. And then he's back. So the off season should do him well in that regard, and that'll help get him out there to begin next year. Number five is DeAndre Hopkins of the era Zona Cardinals.

[Mike Wright]

We hope.

[Andy Holloway]

Oh, get out of here. Hope it's. It's done. All you people. Oh, the physical hasn't happened. Hopkins is on the Cardinals. Like, just let it happen.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah. Yes.

[Andy Holloway]

Let it wash over you.

[Jason Moore]

He's finished as the wide receiver one, wide receiver two and wide receiver five over the last three years with 174, 163 and 150 targets. I wanted to look at the passing volume of Houston and Arizona last year. They were both middle of the pack in terms of pass attempts per game, and they were actually back to back. So very similar. You know, Cliff Kingsbury came in and increased what Arizona did on offense tremendously. But, you know, trying to find, you know, a way to predict what Hopkins is going to do transitioning to Kyler Murray. Where did you guys end up?

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, for me, it was one of those things where initially you come over to the Arizona Cardinals, you assume he's not going to have the same target volume that he's had. And he's had that target volume not just with Deshaun Watson, but with like 150 quarterbacks in his short career. Because Brandon.

[Jason Moore]

Was Brandon Whedon part of that equation?

[Mike Wright]

Everybody was part of that equation. Case Keenum, lo and behold, When a quarterback is there, they say that guy's good, I'm throwing him the ball. And if you really compare Christian Kirk and Larry Fitzgerald to the options at, you know, 2 and 3 that Houston had, it wasn't always healthy. But Will Fuller, I mean who's, who's the better wide receiver? Will Fuller, current Larry Fitzgerald, current Christian Kirk. There's a discussion to be had. Sure.

[Jason Moore]

I think Kirk and Fuller are probably not too different.

[Mike Wright]

Right. And Kenny Stills there. So I do think that Hopkins will retain his large market share in a good offense with a quarterback who you know, was already, I believe the quarterback eight in fantasy this last season as a rookie will certainly go up in the touchdown category. I've got him a little lower than you two have him, but I still think he's a top half wide receiver.

[Jason Moore]

1 Mike 150 targets over under this year for Hopkins. That's what he had last year in 15 games.

[Andy Holloway]

It's also the number he's, he's never, he hasn't seen fewer than 150 targets since 2015. And you saw in Arizona, Larry was over 100, Kirk was over 100. I don't think that Hopkins can get to the 150 target area like he will be the alpha of the wide receivers for Arizona and I'm betting on the talents and I think that some efficiency things can, can happen between Kyler who's very accurate in Hopkins but he, he won't be seeing 150 targets. If you set the threshold, let's say over under 130. I think that's more in the line of. It would be tough to make that call.

[Jason Moore]

There have, there have been, you know, we talked a lot about wide receiver switching teams, free agency versus trades. One name that did pop into my head when you look at upper, upper echelon performances changing teams was what Brandon Marshall did a handful of times. Marshall went from Denver to Miami, followed up 154 targets with 146 he was obviously the alpha. When he went from Miami to Chicago he jumped up 50 targets from 141 to 192. He jumped up from Chicago to New York from 106 to 173. I think we all agree in a very unbiased fashion with every fantasy owner out there. We acknowledge that Hopkins is a target hog. He's going to demand the ball. 140, 150 targets I think is what you can expect from him. He finishes the wide receiver. You have him up there 140 to 150. Yeah, I think you get close to it. But last year he finished at wide receiver five with seven touchdowns on 150 targets in 15 games. So putting him at the 5, 6, 7 range feels like a very safe conservative ranking considering this was the wide receiver one and the wide receiver two in back to back years with higher target totals.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, that was on the back of double digit touchdowns as well. I don't think he'll have that in Arizona Year one with Kyler Murray. So I think where we've got him here in that five to seven range is perfect.

[Jason Moore]

Chris Godwin comes in at number six. Godwin last year, first six weeks, best fantasy wide receiver out there. Finished the year as the wide receiver two overall. You know, it would be easy to kind of glances at his consistency and say, well his, his second half wasn't quite as good as his first half, but his second half was still really great. His first half was just unconscious.

[Andy Holloway]

His first half was good enough that he still finished the wide receiver too.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, he was.

[Andy Holloway]

His big games were that big.

[Jason Moore]

24.2 fantasy points per game through the first six weeks. That's an 115 reception pace. It dropped down to an 86 reception pace over the second half of the year and he was like 16 point something points per game, but he was obviously dominant. Now it's rare though to have a brand new quarterback coming in to the system. And you look at what Tampa Bay did last year, they threw the ball almost 40 times a game. That was fourth most in football. Do we really expect Tampa to throw the ball that much again this year? And do you expect Godwin to deliver the same type of season?

[Mike Wright]

No, I think they're going to throw the ball less. I believe that they will have fewer passing yards total than they had with Jameis. They're going to be a better team though, and maybe a few more goal line opportunities. So to me, you know, obviously none of us have him up as the wide receiver too, but he is in that slot role that was so coveted. You know, going into last year was all this hype of the Bruce Arian system and how he utilizes that slot wide receiver. Well, guess what? That came true. Guess what else? Tom Brady loves him. You know, a Julian Edelman, Wes Welker type who's a great route runner, can just catch every ball that he puts on the money. And so I, I think Chris Godwin's going to be an excellent wide receiver next year. If the touchdowns could go up a little while the yardage comes Down a little. Maybe he will finish about the same. You know, I took him down a few rungs here, but I would be happy with him as my wide receiver.

[Jason Moore]

1 what if. I mean, we agree that Tom Brady will not have infinite playing days, right? He'll be 43 when this season starts.

[Mike Wright]

So I don't think I can agree to that. I don't know what deals with the devil this man has made.

[Jason Moore]

He had, he had his worst statistical season in a while last year.

[Mike Wright]

Yes, he did.

[Jason Moore]

So is there the possibility. And I don't want to put the fear of God into all Buccaneers fans with those new uniforms. I know they're expecting big things, but one of these years the wheels are going to fall off the Tom Brady mobile. And that variability, does it factor into how you look at their pass catching options or do you just. You bank on the past when you look at a 43 year old Tom Brady?

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, and that's the challenge. We know one person who wanted off the. Or I should say didn't necessarily want off the mobile, but didn't really try to keep his ticket, which, which is Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots. I mean, I know, I know that Tom Brady's like, well, you know, I, I'm moving on. I don't care about legacy, blah, blah, blah. But, but if, if Belichick believed that Tom Brady was 100% the answer, Tom Brady would be on the Patriots. That, that's what I believe. So maybe we buy into that. I think Brady has enough left and it's such a good offense that Bruce Arians crafts for, for fantasy players that I'm, I'm with Jason, that Chris Godwin. I would be very happy to have him as my number one wide receiver.

[Jason Moore]

Do you get. Do you still remember Noodle Armed Peyton Manning's final, final season?

[Andy Holloway]

Peyton Manning, that was painful, man.

[Jason Moore]

After a 39 touchdown season, puts up nine touchdowns in 2015.

[Mike Wright]

He is the poster child for when it ends. It ends. He was so unbelievably bad. I think he tied for the most interceptions that year despite not playing a large chunk of the season. And he also is the reason.

[Jason Moore]

Nine touchdowns, 17 picks. Go on.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah. Nine touchdowns, 17.

[Jason Moore]

And I don't. Look, I think you guys are both right. I think Brady's got another season. You didn't see, you know, you know, I brought up Frank Reich scouting him, liking what he saw in film, but it will, I mean it is going to happen at some point and it's going to be intense pain for all of the fantasy owners of all his weapons when it happens. That's all I'm saying.

[Mike Wright]

Oh, for sure. You've got to value the risk in your draft. You know, I guess it's very narrative, which is not where we usually want to live. But I have a hard time believing.

[Andy Holloway]

It'S a great place to be. Meredith street is fun.

[Mike Wright]

Well, it's certainly great shops. But I just have a hard time believing that Tom Brady will change teams and go to a new team and not do everything imaginable to be great, at least this year. And it's hard to bet against the goat.

[Jason Moore]

So, talking about getting a new birth certificate, I see what you're saying.

[Mike Wright]

You know, obviously it will end at some point and it will be bad. Maybe he.

[Jason Moore]

Tom Brady is now 39 years old.

[Mike Wright]

Right. Something has. Something has happened. I mean, when. When Peyton went bad, he made Brock Osweiler a lot of money because Brock looked so good.

[Jason Moore]

What's his name again?

[Mike Wright]

Brock Osweiler.

[Jason Moore]

Okay. All right. I just wanted to hear it. Just confirming.

[Andy Holloway]

All right.

[Jason Moore]

Number seven.

[Mike Wright]

Oh, yeah. So smooth.

[Jason Moore]

I find myself falling more and more and more in love with Kenny G. Yep. Especially on that note.

[Andy Holloway]

Oh, that sustained.

[Jason Moore]

Last year, Kenny Golladay 65 for 11, 90 and 11, which I believe was tied for the league lead in pass catching touchdowns.

[Mike Wright]

There were only two wide receivers with double digit touchdowns last year, three pass catchers. It was a very down year.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah. Well, Mark Andrews, Kenny Golladay and who is the other receiver?

[Mike Wright]

That is a great question. I believe it is. Cooperative cup. I will.

[Jason Moore]

I'm Ron Burgundy.

[Mike Wright]

I'm Ron Burgundy.

[Jason Moore]

I think you might be right. Mike and I have Kenny Golladay at 7. Jason has him at 9. Last year he didn't have Matthew Stafford for the entire season. Still finished as the wide receiver six, which you kind of just shake your head at him overcoming that situation. David. Yeah. With Stafford, he was on a 70 for 12, 80 and 14 pace. Without Stafford, 60 for 1108. So he really didn't lose much off of it.

[Andy Holloway]

Amazing.

[Jason Moore]

It just was an offense that didn't get closer to the red zone as often.

[Mike Wright]

If you remember the specific games though, when he didn't have Stafford so much of it, I mean, obviously very hit.

[Jason Moore]

And miss big play.

[Mike Wright]

Obviously it's skill because these are NFL players. But it was such a lucky bailout of just this crazy roll around scramble and just bomb it down and he got a touchdown that bailed out a game and. Which, I mean, is great. I don't think a lot of people were Were playing him for some of those games with Blau.

[Jason Moore]

We were terrified.

[Mike Wright]

It speaks to your point that if he can get it done with a bad quarterback and Stafford is able to play a full season here with that bad back, shouldn't he be higher than. I've got him at nine and I've, you know, I have a hard time moving him higher than that. But let's just compare him to the aforementioned, you know, the risks with Chris Godwin. And I start to think to myself, well, what's the upside of both of these guys who's ceiling is higher and I think Golladay's ceiling is higher and they both carry a little bit of risk having been that, you know, I don't, I don't think Golladay is really. I don't think he's proven it yet. That's, that's where I feel. Whereas, whereas Chris Godwin last year proved it and I know he finished as a good fantasy ass. What?

[Jason Moore]

Turn your head to this direction at the same time, Mike. Right, right here. This is where you need to be.

[Mike Wright]

And that's, that's what I feel. And so I realized he had 1100 and 11. And so you say, well, he's done it. He's broken out for some reason. When, you know, when I watch the specific, you know, the way that it came, I just wasn't bought in. You had Marvin Jones missing a lot of time.

[Jason Moore]

Judge Giamatti, Judge diamond, you know more than any of us about the burden of proof. Has Kenny Golladay provided the burden of proof with a wide receiver? 6 finish with half a Stafford.

[Andy Holloway]

Oh yeah.

[Jason Moore]

Oh yeah. Just like a judge would say, oh.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, I love Kenny G. So Stafford played through the Oakland game. So eight games. And up to that point, let's see what Kenny Golladay had. Had done. Let's see. We got four games over 100 yards, at least one touchdown in six of those games. Like Kenny Galde is a beast, man. Just accept that.

[Jason Moore]

Let me try to change your mind for a minute.

[Andy Holloway]

You're blowing my mind that.

[Mike Wright]

Now we're having an argument I can get behind like Chris Godwin.

[Andy Holloway]

That was, that was the first time we've really seen something from Chris Godwin. We've seen Kenny Golladay have multiple good seasons.

[Mike Wright]

I mean, look, what you're saying is factual. It is not wrong. There's something in me that really has truly believing, you know, obviously you had three games missed from Marvin Jones. Yeah.

[Jason Moore]

I mean, which he was by the way, worse without Marvin. He was better with him.

[Mike Wright]

I did know that. I did actually know that. I mean look, strong arguments and you know when we're talking through this and getting a little deeper on the players. If I was on the board and I'm looking at you know, Chris Godwin, Chris Godwin behind Andy and or Kenny Golladay behind Andy. I'm going to take Kenny Golladay so I need to adjust my rankings.

[Jason Moore]

So when you look at Golladay and you look at Evans in Godwin, that's what I was going to bring up is kind of confidence levels on taking a Galladay Alpha secure versus you know, it's not like Evans wasn't an absolute beast and we can move on and kind of talk about them together for a second. One last stat I want to remind people about with Kenny Golladay and we mentioned it in February, the shocking stat show he had A League high 1310 zone targets, 3720 plus yard targets. That's pretty neat to be featured in the big play capacity and the red.

[Andy Holloway]

Zone air yards and end zone targets.

[Mike Wright]

I mean obviously you have to right because he, he had 116 targets, 65 reception. So that's, it's just why it's, it's a little bit harder to bank on. But now you're talking about a Mike Evans type. So I think it's appropriate to compare those two players. Mike Evans who is clearly he's broken out since his rookie year, has never had fewer than 1,000 yards, is a, is a red zone monster. So why is Kenny Golladay better? Is it solely because Brady is there and he's not going to throw the ball deep?

[Jason Moore]

I think I'll share my Evans thoughts and we've just seen Evans kind of transitioning in some capacity and it's probably the emergence of Godwin or just other targets in general. He's gone from 174 to 136 to 138 to 118 targets. He hasn't had that double digit touchdown season that was kind of his calling card to begin his career in. I think he's three years, three straight years without doing that. It just seems a little different to me. Wide receiver 18 then wide receiver 8 then wide receiver 12. Is Evans? Have we seen Evans best? Let me ask you that. Have we seen the best of Mike Evans career now? Last year 67 for 1157 and 8 fantasy wise.

[Mike Wright]

I wonder if we have I think fantasy wise statistic. You know statistically speaking. Yeah, I think his best season has been had because going Forward, Obviously Brady's getting older, then they're going to have to replace him with someone then he's lost his prime years. If it doesn't happen, say this year, I don't imagine that Mike Evans is going to beat those massive seasons he's had with 1312.

[Jason Moore]

Mike, we're both very silent. I thought you were going to jump in.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah.

[Andy Holloway]

Oh, sorry. Yeah. I think we've probably seen the best Mike Evans season. I mean he's, he's in, to be fair to him, he is entering that like what you consider for a wide receiver that prime age where they're, you know, 26 to 28 years old because he's going to be 27 when the season starts. So it's possible that we haven't seen the best of him. For fantasy purposes though, I, I.

[Jason Moore]

Are you happy with him as your one? That's another Mike Evans. Yeah. Are you happy with Mike Evans as your wide receiver? One he's ranked eight. I mean we say all these things and obviously he's a top 10 by consensus rankings and where he's going to finish. But is this another case of I'm.

[Andy Holloway]

No.

[Jason Moore]

A little bit uncomfortable. You're not.

[Andy Holloway]

Well, it doesn't help that the way that he went about, I mean it.

[Jason Moore]

Was a weird ping pong ball of the season.

[Andy Holloway]

He literally had a zero. He had a game where he didn't catch a single pass. That, that seems unfathomable.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, he shouldn't have done that. That was, that was not really rude, man. That was not a nice thing to do.

[Andy Holloway]

But he started the season very, very poorly. Then he had three out of four games where he was a monster and then mixed in that sand, which was the game with no receptions, then a number one finish, number two finish and then it was just meh from then on out before the injury derailed the end of the season. So that's maybe it's just last season impressions on me and I'm trying not to let that be the influencer, but I just, I don't feel comfortable with Evans as my number one wide receiver. No, I don't.

[Mike Wright]

I'll speak to this. I don't really like having my number one wide receiver be one of those 65 catch players, whether it's Galladay or Evans. I think the reason I'm a little bit, you know, over this offseason I've talked up Mike Evans because I don't believe you'll have to draft him as that. I think people were burned last year by how his Fantasy production came and the fact that he was now the number two on his team and now Brady coming. I think there will be a lot of things that push Mike Evans down where you can draft him as a two and if I can have Mike Evans as a two, a big blow up potential with a high volume guy is my one. That's, that's a strategy I would prefer. Whereas Golladay, I expect Golladay will be drafted ahead of Mike Evans and you'll have to draft him as a one. I.

[Jason Moore]

And I'll speak for myself and I don't know how you guys felt. I know we went through and we gave early rankings individually up to probably wide receiver 40 or so. When we built out our consensus rankings, I felt like there was even more of a disparity from the very top to the question marks surrounding guys from about five or six on. Because you're talking about, you know, if Evans is in that variable category with Brady coming on board, you know, Golladay, low reception totals. We're going to talk about two more guys today. Amari Cooper, who I know Mike has his, Mike has his questions. Yeah, we all have our questions. I mean that's, that's ridiculous to say, just Mike, because Cooper went from the wide receiver 3 in the first 10 weeks to the wide receiver 43 over the last 6 weeks. But even DJ Moore sitting at 10 on our consensus rankings, that's where you start to see us individually have a wider range of opinion about these guys. I just feel like I have a little less confidence in the, in the upper echelon wide receivers this year than I did last year. Am I alone?

[Mike Wright]

No, no. I had the exact. You're speaking my. As I went through and ranked these guys, once you got to 8, 9, 10, it was one of those things where I was looking at wide receiver 16, 17, going, man, who would I take here? You know, a wide range of guys saying this guy could be better than DJ Moore, but eventually you've got to rank them.

[Jason Moore]

That's probability. That's what the rankings do.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah. So, you know, when we talk about Amari Cooper, you know, everyone wants to know how low does Mike have him ranked? Because Mike is not a believer. But Mike is going to say the 100% right thing. I'll see the floor as he sees the argument of where he's got him ranked.

[Andy Holloway]

I have amari Cooper at 10 because I just like last year, I concede the fact that Mari Cooper will probably in the final rankings be a top 10 wide receiver. He might Be a little bit higher, but every single year, I mean. And these. It was really funny to see another analyst express these thoughts. And then he made. Maybe he took it too far and Twitter got really, really mad at him.

[Jason Moore]

Did you. You didn't just call Rex Ryan an analyst, did you?

[Andy Holloway]

I did.

[Jason Moore]

Oh, okay.

[Andy Holloway]

What would you call him?

[Jason Moore]

I don't know. A Rex Ryan. He's in his own, like, subspecies or something.

[Andy Holloway]

We have a host. We have an analyst. Here's Rex Ryan.

[Mike Wright]

That's right. And he's.

[Jason Moore]

What I'm saying. Yeah, I'm. Look, I'm not. What did he do? He called him a turd.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah.

[Jason Moore]

How many times do we call guys turds on this show? Every day.

[Andy Holloway]

It's a lot.

[Jason Moore]

And by guys, I mean Adam gays. But.

[Andy Holloway]

Whoa, hey, he's just the creator of turds.

[Mike Wright]

No, he creates fantasy turds, if you know what I'm talking about, Mr. B Hole.

[Jason Moore]

I guess he really does.

[Andy Holloway]

Yes. It's all coming together, but. So it was very, very interesting to see someone on TV kind of sharing the same thoughts. Where Amari Cooper is excellent. For half a year, he disappears for the sec. Maybe not just the second half, but a half of the year, he disappears. And it happens every single year. And there is an excuse. Every single year.

[Jason Moore]

I'm done with excuses. I'm done with the excuses. That's hard.

[Andy Holloway]

All right.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, I am. Because he will have a very strong season. I have him at 8. He will finish there. But it will not be without pain. It will not be without suffering. That is the Amari Cooper experience. And if anything, Rex Ryan pointed out the truth, that he did it in two different places. And now he's been paid a huge amount of money. And I tried to make the excuse for him when we talked about him a couple weeks ago, and just saying, well, it's hard to look at his performances against top cornerbacks because the. You know, they don't target the top cornerback. That's not what. I don't make that excuse for other great wide receivers.

[Andy Holloway]

And what's. What's really hard.

[Jason Moore]

I just don't get it. That's the truth. I don't get it.

[Andy Holloway]

No.

[Jason Moore]

Understand how you can dominate on a.

[Andy Holloway]

Level no one understands.

[Jason Moore]

That puts you at number three or number two or number six or number four on a given week, and then you can evaporate into the air like a mist.

[Andy Holloway]

No. No one can explain it. And you compound that with the fact that a wide receiver on his team had, what, about 80 fewer yards and two fewer touchdowns. And now that's what separated Michael Gallup and Amari Cooper. And we're not even considering ranking Michael Gallup here in the top 15.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, we're not. We're not considering that. But.

[Andy Holloway]

But their production was very, very, very similar.

[Jason Moore]

Well, Amari did deal with injury, and.

[Andy Holloway]

So did Michael Gallup. Michael Gallup did that in 14 games.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, but Amari Cooper is going to make $100 million, right?

[Mike Wright]

Yes, 100 million. Here's. Here's the thing about Amari Cooper. Yes. He disappeared for half the time he was in Oakland. We remember he was traded in 2018 to the Cowboys. And when he was a Cowboy, he never really disappeared. I mean, he had, you know, one bad game, all wide receivers, because he.

[Andy Holloway]

Had already disappeared for the first half. Like he'd already done it.

[Mike Wright]

Sure, you could say he already did it. And he's got some magical quota of disappearing. But he was a Cowboy, and in those eight games, he was dominant. He was on a 1300 yard, 11 touchdown pace. Great every game. Then he comes in the next season and looks like the guy that they traded for and dominates. And then he gets injured and sucks. You know, in Oakland, it was always like a which game is he going to show up? You can never guess. But the way that I look at it, and you know, it is hard to apologize for a guy year after year after year for the same thing. But I actually, I think he's been consistent with the Cowboys until he was injured. And so if he. If that was the issue and he comes out and plays great, Amari Cooper could very easily be someone we're talking about in the upper. Upper echelon, as. I mean, but I.

[Jason Moore]

It feels like he will just find a new issue. That's the way he's chosen to do. And Brooks brought up, you know, maybe he truly can't play through injuries like other elite wide receivers do. Maybe he's active on game day, but he can't play through them the same way. Maybe the team had him go out there and. And be a distraction. Maybe, maybe, maybe. But maybe he's got a twin and the twin's not very talented and the twin has to come in and they switch the prestige, they switch the glasses, and then the twin goes in there.

[Mike Wright]

Is that what's going on?

[Jason Moore]

Yes, that's what I'm saying.

[Mike Wright]

Here's the deal. You want to talk about his twin fantasy wise, success wise, you take Michael Crabtree, you take Michael Gallup, you take the number two, because they come cheaper and they're More consistent. They're better fantasy options back in Oakland and here with the Cowboys. I mean, Gallup won't cost you anything that Cooper costs you, and he won't be far off.

[Jason Moore]

So I, you're, you're probably right. And it's so how I would have approached it if he had not just been paid like 100 bazillion dollars. Yeah, like that is distorting my view a little bit, which is, you know, narrative, not production, but the two.

[Andy Holloway]

The total snapshot here of Amari Cooper and his twin. Week five, 226 yards, a touchdown.

[Jason Moore]

Week six, three yards, three yards, that's not as many.

[Andy Holloway]

Week seven, 106. How does that happen? If you are, if you are a hundred million dollar wide receiver, how can that ever happened?

[Jason Moore]

Well, he wasn't $100 million man yet.

[Andy Holloway]

Hey, that's a fair point.

[Jason Moore]

Now it's all going to get fixed.

[Mike Wright]

Hey, why aren't you talking about this with Mike Evans? I mean, he had the zero, so isn't he, you know, a disappearing act?

[Andy Holloway]

That's, that's what we were saying is if you do that for multiple years.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, if you do that for multiple years at a time, then you start to get people calling you a turd. That's what happens. All right, DJ Moore, we'll close out our top 10 consensus rankings. DJ Moore. This illustrates the point Jason and I were talking about. DJ Moore sits at 10, I have him at 13. Jason 12, Mike 9. DJ Moore sits at 10 with Teddy Bridgewater coming in at quarterback. A new offense, a new coach, that tells you the landscape, I think you know, exists right now. At wide receiver, he's ranked at 10. He had a solid season, but in 15 games was the wide receiver 18 last year?

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, I mean, you're always trying to get, you're trying to get a guy's blow up before it happens. Obviously, if you got Chris Godwin last year, you were really ecstatic about that. But if you pay for Chris Godwin this year, well, he has to replicate that. And maybe, you know, and he hopefully will, but you're not getting that discount.

[Jason Moore]

Whereas I feel like dropping him lower than what I have him right now just thinking about this. So right now, D.J. moore, wide receiver, 18 last year, has a new quarterback, a new offense, and Robbie Anderson involved in the offense. Well, that's the current state of affairs.

[Mike Wright]

I'll give the floor to Mike. You've got him inside your top 10. I certainly see the talent, but talk up D.J. moore.

[Andy Holloway]

Well, he, I mean, he did that with four touchdowns. And he did that in essentially 14 games because the unfortunately in championship week, if you remember, he got knocked out of the game right at the very, very beginning. So his production was only in 14 games where he was nearly 1200 yards and four touchdowns. And that was with horrifically bad quarterback play. Like he, he still got it done those first couple of weeks with Cam Newton when where Cam did not look.

[Mike Wright]

Like was throwing the tomahawks.

[Andy Holloway]

Yes, he should not be on an NFL field. And then the other trash that started playing quarterback, he still got it done as well. On top of that, he was 22 years old last year when he was getting those things done. Like I believe in the breakout age, Dj Moore, we talked about it all the time, but he was our favorite prospect that year. His, his athletic measurables are off the chart. His production profile was off the chart. He was the first wide receiver taken in that draft. And we saw this was like last year was the breakout. And to say he has a new quarterback, true. But his quarter. But his quarterback is way better now. His quarterback is far more accurate and his DJ Moore's skill set of being able to take a short slant house that matches up totally with what Teddy Bridgewater is comfortable doing. And that's not to say Dj Moore can't stretch the field because he's really fast.

[Jason Moore]

Like Carolina threw the ball second most in the NFL last year and now.

[Andy Holloway]

You'Re bringing in, you're bringing in a college coach. So I think the arrows.

[Jason Moore]

But what about, what about the Robbie Anderson factor you think that is? Are you counting on touchdowns to jump up for DJ Moore? Because I don't know if you're going to see. I mean, do you think he's a 90 catch guy next year?

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, he was at 87 in 14 games. So yeah, I would definitely put him over the 90 reception mark. I think he hits at least six receiving touchdowns. And Robbie Anderson to me just makes the team better. Like if you have, you have Curtis Samuel and Robbie Anderson stretching the field and opening things up. Like DJ Moore is going to be in the middle of the field all by himself.

[Mike Wright]

You know what, what's crazy? Well, I was just going to say, you know, it's a matter some. Sometimes these rankings when I have a guy low and it's like, man, I've got him way lower. Is not about just him. Yeah. And that's about the other guys that go ahead. But there is a name that we are not talking about on this episode. We'll get to him quickly on the next episode that I'm sure some people are out there going, what? Where's the superstar? Where is the catch? Where is he? He's not 10.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, he's not.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah. I, you know, look, D.J. morris, you bring up a good point about his age. You bring up a good point. Obviously you hope for more efficiency from Teddy Bridgewater, but it is hope. Teddy Bridgewater has not supplied fantasy value to very many players in his career.

[Andy Holloway]

And he also never had a contract like he's on right now. The old Amari Cooper theory.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah.

[Jason Moore]

But yeah, quarterback contracts did not produce the greatest things for, you know, the Mike Glennon's of the world. But I just think there's a lot of question marks around DJ Moore. I don't think, I think his range of outcomes are not all up. I don't think it's all up for DJ Moore as a potential outcome. I obviously have him at 13, so I still like the season. But it illustrates the fact that there is a lot of variability and I cannot, I'm going to have a hard time drafting a player like DJ Moore over somebody like Ty Hilton.

[Andy Holloway]

Well, then you're going to be.

[Jason Moore]

That's going to be a tough thing.

[Andy Holloway]

You're going to be looking at your fantasy opponent and DJ Moore is going to be in that lineup and then Coach Jaw is going to let you know what's coming.

[Mike Wright]

Murder.

[Jason Moore]

I think that's it. Thank you for tuning in again footclanhelp.com for our AMA tomorrow. Make sure you head over there and we'll catch you later.

[Andy Holloway]

Goodbye.

[Mike Wright]

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.

[Jason Moore]

And Foot Clan. We also want to thank pristine. Go to pristineauction.com right now. Do it. Do it. Go, go. Use the registration code Ballers. Okay, simple to remember. You get a $10 credit. And listen, a Devonte Adams signed jersey yesterday. $73. 73 hundreds of daily auctions. Many of these fine wide receivers find their [e-mail] and you can pick up a signed mike and get his DJ mortgage.

[Andy Holloway]

Say you get like a top 10 guy like DJ Moore.

[Jason Moore]

Pristineauction.com use the code ballers. Get a $10 credit. Pristineauction.

[Andy Holloway]

Com.