Early WR Rankings Part 2, Alphabet Soup

Summary

Fantasy Footballers Podcast - Episode Summary: "Early WR Rankings Part 2, Alphabet Soup"

Release Date: April 11, 2019

In this episode of the Fantasy Footballers Podcast, hosts Andy Holloway, Jason Moore, and Mike "The Fantasy Hitman" Wright delve deep into their early wide receiver (WR) rankings for the upcoming fantasy football season. Titled "Early WR Rankings Part 2, Alphabet Soup," the episode offers expert analysis, spirited debates, and actionable insights to help fantasy managers optimize their rosters.

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1. Introduction to Early Wide Receiver Rankings

The hosts kick off the main segment by revisiting the top 10 WR rankings from the previous week, setting the stage for a detailed discussion on players ranked from 11 onward. Andy Holloway emphasizes the "disparity in the wide receiver rankings," indicating that rankings outside the top tier require thorough examination and debate.

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2. News and Notes

Before diving into the rankings, the hosts briefly touch upon recent NFL news relevant to fantasy football:

• Patriots' Signings:

  • Andy Holloway shares the news: "The New England Patriots are signing tight ends Austin Safari and Jeff Janzen to one-year contracts [10:13]."
  • Jason Moore expresses excitement from a personal standpoint: "I'm super excited about it, but only from a selfish standpoint... you cannot... replace Gronk with Austin Safari," highlighting the limited immediate impact of these signings.

• Giants' Extension with Sterling Shepard:

  • Andy Holloway announces: "The Giants are finalizing a four-year, $41 million extension with Sterling Shepard [11:56]."
  • The hosts humorously interact about the announcement, adding levity to the segment.

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3. Deep Dive into Wide Receiver Rankings (11-24)

The core of the episode revolves around evaluating and ranking wide receivers. Each player is scrutinized based on past performance, team dynamics, potential upside, and associated risks.

a. AJ Green (#11)

• Andy Holloway places AJ Green at number 11, citing inconsistency and limited recent performance: "I haven't seen the whole package from AJ Green in quite some time [15:00]."
• Mike Wright counters by affirming his belief in Green's talent and potential: "He is going to be worth the cost of admission... as a top talent at the wide receiver position [16:50]."
• Jason Moore agrees on the risk factor, emphasizing Green's injury history and the impact of the coaching change in Cincinnati: "Risk is high with AJ Green... could be a positive with the new offensive system [17:57]."

b. Keenan Allen (#12)

• Andy ranks Keenan Allen at number 12, noting his consistent yardage but questioning his touchdown potential: "Is six touchdowns enough to make him a top receiver? [20:25]."
• Jason echoes the sentiment, expressing skepticism about Allen's ceiling: "He's consistent, but I don't expect him to be a top five wide receiver [20:29]."
• The discussion touches upon team dynamics, including the return of Hunter Henry and the absence of Tyrell Williams, impacting Allen's role.

c. Adam Thielen (#13)

• Andy elevates Adam Thielen to number 12, commending his past performances and potential for a breakout: "Adam Thielen is one of the best wide receivers in football... he has the potential to go on a nine-game span where he dominates [25:46]."
• Jason fully supports Thielen, highlighting his consistency and value despite fluctuations: "He is the best wide receiver on the team... the cream rises to the top [27:03]."
• Mike provides a contrasting view, focusing on Thielen's second-half performance decline: "He was absolutely dominating early, but his second-half stats drop significantly [25:56]."

d. Stefan Diggs (#14)

• Andy places Stefan Diggs at number 15, while Jason positions him at 17, sparking a discussion about Diggs' consistency and potential touchdown upside.
• Mike emphasizes Diggs' high touchdown potential: "I think Diggs has the higher touchdown upside [35:16]."
• The hosts consider team performance and quarterback play, debating whether Diggs or Thielen offers more value.

e. Amari Cooper (#16)

• Andy humorously expresses disdain for his own ranking of Amari Cooper, placing him at 16 due to inconsistent performance and injury concerns: "Amari Cooper... has thrown up so many times all over fantasy owners [30:21]."
• Mike aligns with Andy's caution, citing Cooper's fluctuating performance post-transfer: "I will not be drafting Amari Cooper. It's not happening [32:08]."
• Jason acknowledges Cooper's potential but prioritizes more consistent or higher-upside receivers.

f. Brandon Cooks (#17)

• Andy assigns Brandon Cooks to number 16, praising his yardage consistency: "Brandon Cooks... every year... he does what he always does. He's good for 1100 yards [37:06]."
• Mike reflects personal experiences with Cooks, noting past underperformance but remains open to his value: "He had a good year... but I'm still feeling the pain from last season [37:21]."
• Jason underscores Cooks' reliability and integration into Matt Ryan's offense: "He's done it for different teams, different quarterbacks. He is, look, pretty much the A [37:21]."

g. Robert Woods (#18)

• Andy acknowledges Robert Woods' stability and consistent performance: "I've always loved the stability of Robert Woods [41:08]."
• Jason lauds Woods' adaptation to a new team and offensive system: "Robert woods is a really good wide receiver... on a great offense [40:38]."
• Mike appreciates Woods' solid contributions but suggests adjusting his ranking based on team dynamics: "I think that he's the 1A of the team [41:19]."

h. Kenny Golladay (#19)

• Andy categorizes Kenny Golladay as a "diamond in the rough," expressing cautious optimism: "Kenny Golladay... have to see more consistency out of that offense [41:48]."
• Jason points out Golladay's potential to become the de facto WR1 if circumstances improve: "He has downfield speed and talent to really take it up a notch [43:26]."
• Mike views Golladay as a potential trap due to inconsistent team performance and quarterback issues: "He's gotta be more consistent out of that offense [42:52]."

i. Julian Edelman (#20)

• Andy is critical of Julian Edelman's inconsistent performance and limited game participation: "Julian Edelman... you've never once had a season where he's done it [47:08]."
• Jason defends Edelman's prowess when healthy, noting his contributions to the Patriots' offense: "Once he came back... he finishes as a top 10 wide receiver [48:26]."
• Mike expresses concerns about Edelman's durability and overall reliability: "He was suspended for five straight games... but I think that Julian Edelman will be a massive piece of this team [48:37]."

j. Alshon Jeffery (#21)

• Andy voices strong reservations about Alshon Jeffery, reflecting on his declining performance and inconsistent usage: "Alshon Jeffery... what I see is a decline [52:09]."
• Jason acknowledges Jeffery's talent but emphasizes his inconsistency and volatility: "He could go either way [53:57]."
• Mike considers Jeffery a mystery box with potential upside but significant risk: "It could go either way... that's why I think right around 20 is all right [53:57]."

k. Additional Rankings (Alan Robinson, Chris Godwin, Mike Williams, etc.)

• The hosts continue to evaluate players like Alan Robinson (#22), Chris Godwin (#23), and Mike Williams (#24), discussing their potential based on team changes, offensive schemes, and individual talents.
• Andy highlights Chris Godwin's emergence under a new offensive coordinator: "Chris Godwin... he could have 100 plus receptions [58:39]."
• Jason underscores Godwin's athleticism and potential for a breakout season, positioning him favorably relative to Calvin Ridley: "Chris Godwin is one of those guys... could become a one next year [60:49]."
• Mike is cautiously optimistic about Mike Williams, acknowledging his touchdown potential but wary of team dynamics: "Mike Williams hit the 10 touchdown mark last year... I think he's... going to be the actual dominant outside wide receiver [63:32]."

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4. Final Thoughts and Wrap-Up

As the episode concludes, the hosts summarize their rankings and the rationale behind them. They emphasize the importance of balancing player potential with associated risks, such as injuries and team uncertainties. The discussion underscores the "alphabet soup" nature of certain NFL teams' WR corps, where multiple receivers present both opportunities and challenges for fantasy managers.

Jason Moore encapsulates the essence of the rankings: "But every bite's delicious. That's the point. You ever had Alphabet soup? [51:44]."

The hosts encourage listeners to stay engaged with their upcoming rankings and analyses to build a competitive fantasy football team for the season.

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Notable Quotes with Timestamps

• Austin Safari and Jenkins Signing:

  • Andy Holloway [10:13]: "The New England Patriots are signing tight ends Austin Safari and Jeff Janzen to one-year contracts."

• Sterling Shepard's Extension:

  • Andy Holloway [11:56]: "The Giants are finalizing a four-year, $41 million extension with Sterling Shepard."

• AJ Green's Ranking Debate:

  • Andy Holloway [15:00]: "I haven't seen the whole package from AJ Green in quite some time."
  • Mike Wright [16:50]: "He is going to be worth the cost of admission... as a top talent at the wide receiver position."

• Amari Cooper's Inconsistent Performance:

  • Andy Holloway [30:21]: "Amari Cooper... has thrown up so many times all over fantasy owners."
  • Mike Wright [32:08]: "I will not be drafting Amari Cooper. It's not happening."

• Chris Godwin vs. Calvin Ridley:

  • Andy Holloway [60:51]: "I'd rather Ridley gets Matt Ryan."
  • Jason Moore [61:26]: "Chris Godwin is one of those guys that after this year could he."

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Conclusion

This episode of the Fantasy Footballers Podcast offers a comprehensive analysis of early wide receiver rankings, blending statistical insights with expert opinions. The spirited debates among Andy, Jason, and Mike provide fantasy managers with valuable perspectives to inform their draft strategies. By addressing player potentials, team dynamics, and inherent risks, the hosts equip listeners with the knowledge needed to navigate the complexities of WR rankings and build a robust fantasy football team.

Transcript

[Andy Holloway]

Foreign.

[Jason Moore]

Terrible things during my watch, but none more horrifying than a wasted second round draft pick. That's why I always use my fantasy footballer's ultimate draft kit to guide me through the cold. Though my friends and family league keeps getting smaller and smaller, my fantasy team is just getting stronger and stronger. Join me at www.ultimatedraftkick.com and prepare yourself to fight the good fight. Winter is coming, but so is my foot Clan title. I guess I do know something after all. Welcome to the Fantasy Footballers Podcast coming to you from Pristine Auction.com Studios with your hosts Andy Holloway, Jason Moore and Mike Rice.

[Andy Holloway]

Welcome in another great show coming your way.

[Jason Moore]

Yes.

[Andy Holloway]

Thursday, April 11th, Jon Snow at the Intro. Season eight begins on third Sunday.

[Mike Wright]

Yes.

[Jason Moore]

Smart man. The way he dominated John Snow.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, yeah.

[Andy Holloway]

Well, he's everywhere these days. He was our good friend. Kit, who's hosting snl, just swung on by for a quick pre roll.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, yeah, that.

[Andy Holloway]

Yes. Now you, Mike, you have a tradition, are you? It's been a couple years since Game of Thrones was out. We used to have some show after the shows about it. Now you have a tradition. You call it the Game of Porcelain Thrones.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, usually. Usually with the diet. If I'm gonna have a cheat day or a cheat meal, it was almost exclusively on Sunday and a Sunday night.

[Andy Holloway]

At a certain time.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah.

[Mike Wright]

And it was usually Chipotle. I love Chipotle. Not a sponsor, but when it timed up with Iron Thrones or with Game of Thrones, I had my own Iron Throne that I would find the next day.

[Andy Holloway]

Are we continuing? I mean, you only got what, like six, seven, eight episodes left of the show. Wouldn't it be wrong not to finish with a bang, so to speak?

[Mike Wright]

I think you've got a great point. Yeah, it's finished with a boom boom, actually.

[Andy Holloway]

Okay.

[Jason Moore]

Tywin Lannister, a real Tywin Lannister finish.

[Mike Wright]

But I want to keep doing the show.

[Andy Holloway]

Well, you'll be dead by the end. All right. Welcome into the Fantasy Footballers Spoiler.

[Mike Wright]

It's actually me.

[Andy Holloway]

Yes.

[Mike Wright]

I'm the first one to go.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, you need to. You want to get through the finale. We got the early wide receiver rankings part two on the show today. It's going to be a lot of fun, A lot of disparity in the wide receiver rankings. Once you get outside the top 10, we'll debate, we'll discuss, we'll talk about these wideouts here in April. Good. Quick question coming your way. Twitter@the ffballers instagram.com fantasy footballers make sure, you subscribe. Click the bell here on YouTube. Always trying to make the YouTube production better each and every year. The websites, the fantasy footballers.com always got new articles going up there. In fact, for all of you ultimate draft kit lovers out there, you're used to Matt Harmon's reception perception in the udk. He's talking about rookies right now on the website, including Hollywood Brown.

[Mike Wright]

Take it easy, Jay.

[Jason Moore]

Sorry, I was not expecting him to mention that.

[Andy Holloway]

If you don't know who Hollywood Brown is, you will know. You will hear heavy breathing from Jason through the remainder of the off season and well into the season. We'll see. We'll see. Here's the quick question of the day before we get into the news and the wide receiver rankings. Are there any NFL teams, are there any NFL wide receiving cores that you are completely avoiding? Some reasons might be, you know, draft cost or player talent or quarterback. Yeah, I mean we talked last episode that Tyree Kill scored more fantasy points than scored three times more fantasy points.

[Mike Wright]

Three or two.

[Andy Holloway]

No, it's three times more goodness than the best receiver on the 49ers and the best receiver on the, on the Washington Redskins. So there are wide receiver cores that are not attractive. Right. Like I'll throw one out there that's not in my list, but could be. It's like Denver. We don't know what Denver is really going to do. You know, you have Courtland, Sutton, Daeshun Hamilton, Emmanuel Sanders. Joe Flacco is there for the first season. I don't really know. Like Mike Clay came out with some of his projections. It was like, you know, the leading receiver at 700 yards in his projection.

[Mike Wright]

And it was Daeshun.

[Andy Holloway]

It was Daeshun. Which made you happy? It made me very happy. Because in that theoretical world, Daeshun won first place of a last place receiving core. Yeah.

[Jason Moore]

If that is your first place, you will be disappointed if that is on your fantasy roster. Unless it's Dynasty.

[Andy Holloway]

But who do you, do you have somebody that comes to mind? Mike. Jason.

[Jason Moore]

Mike.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, it's Washington. When they had Alex going for the twofer, when they had Alex Smith last year. I'm interested because Alex Smith is a, is a competent quarterback. We've seen him sustain fantasy wide receivers like you know, a couple years ago when he was on the Kansas City Chiefs.

[Andy Holloway]

But with Rosen, you think they're going to really struggle?

[Mike Wright]

Sure. It could be Rosen. I mean there's a couple guys it could be. It could be Colt McCoy, it could be Case Keenum. But it's it's looking a little rough over in Washington and when you say you're avoiding a team, we're talking about just a standard size league where you're starting two wide outs, a flex, maybe a five bench spots. Because if you're in a deeper league, of course you're going to take a look at Tre Quinn who's getting that offseason hype. He's going to be the slot guy. What can Paul Richardson do? What he. He's just a year removed from signing a very large contract for them, but he was banged up for a lot of last year. But generally speaking, I've seen enough from Washington unless they add a really high profile rookie. But from, from Dachshund, from Richardson, I'm just, I, I would rather take a shot somewhere else.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, I think Washington is good. Denver that you mentioned is another good one and I will win.

[Mike Wright]

Really. Are you out on, you're out on so here.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, I kind of am because I'm out on Joe Flacco that. See that's the issue with me. It's really all about the quarterback play and that's why, you know, the team that probably has the highest drafted player.

[Mike Wright]

That John Brown was fine with John Brown while Joe Flacco was the quarterback.

[Jason Moore]

For a few games. We didn't get a whole season of him with Flacco to see how that worked. But you know that. And that's not really Cortland Sutton's role in the offense. But to me, and I know Andy, you agree with this but it's Tennessee. I mean every time like Adam Humphries, I was really excited to see where he goes in the off season until he went somewhere and I was like, oh no, now I don't want to pronounce anything with an umphreys.

[Andy Holloway]

Right.

[Jason Moore]

And Corey Davis is, you know, look, he's a highly drafted both in the NFL and in fantasy guy, a number one wide receiver, still young and every average draft position list that I do, whether it's Dynasty, whether it's Redraft, Keeper, whatever, every time I get to where he should be going, I'm like, get out of here.

[Andy Holloway]

I agree.

[Jason Moore]

No chance I'm drafting him.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, I mean he will give you a couple of really fun weeks and a lot of frustration. They were bottom five, the Titans in past attempts the past two seasons. I think that speaks to kind of what you're saying. You're going back to the well with Washington because the precedent we've seen like part of why you might make the decision Might not just be, you know, like overall fantasy production. It could also be not knowing how to decide between certain players. You know, some play. Like I'm probably avoiding Jacksonville, like it's April, so probably is going to preface a lot of this for me. But Jacksonville, it's like, okay, do I really know who's going to catch the ball? We didn't know last year. You couldn't predict it week to week last year. Do I think it's going to change this year with DJ Shark and Dee Dee. And Dee Dee and Marquis Lee. Yeah.

[Mike Wright]

The thing I will say for Jacksonville.

[Andy Holloway]

Chris Conley, new quarterback with, with Nick.

[Mike Wright]

Foles there, I think that someone can actually emerge and have fantasy value unlike when it was Bortles. I mean, so that's the difference. Maybe we don't know who it's going to be, but I might be willing to take my shot on someone like Dede and just hope I'm going to get some target volume from folks.

[Jason Moore]

Here's the reason I really like the 10 or I really like to not like the Tennessee wide receivers and the Jacksonville wide receivers is because look at the two outcomes for that team. Those teams, let's say it's a successful year. If it's a successful year for those teams, it's because of Leonard Fournette and Derek Henry. It's because they're succeeding running the ball and they are a low pass volume team. They're winning games, you know, everything's going well. And if they don't succeed, then the team is, you know, really trash. I mean, like those are the two outcomes. I see. And both situations are like, I don't really want those wide receivers.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, there's just ambiguity. I mean, there's a common factor here. Tennessee, Marcus Mariota was not healthy, hasn't been healthy. Quarterback issues. Jacksonville, new quarterback. Washington, new quarterback. Denver, new quarterback. No rapport, no established number ones on any of these teams other than you'd say Corey Davis is an established number one. But is he really? I mean, sometimes for his team. But all of these situations, could they change, could the draft change them? Maybe. Probably, you know, but it's hard to predict. And we're going to talk through some of the 11 through 24 on the show today so we'll have the opportunity to perhaps talk about a couple of these guys. I am going to get into the news.

[Jason Moore]

News and notes from around the league presented by Sleeper.

[Andy Holloway]

All right. We found out today that the New England Patriots are signing tight end Austin Safari and Jenkins, formerly of the Jags. To a one year contract. By the way, formerly of the Jags, formerly of the Bucks, formerly of the jets. Formerly of the jets, formerly of. Formerly of the end zone. Many times. I'm not very excited about this. How do you guys feel?

[Jason Moore]

Oh, I'm super excited about it, but only from a selfish standpoint. My last pick in our startup draft at pick 23 was Austin's Ferrian Jenkins. In the hopes that he would go to New England. That you cannot. You've said this a million times and you can't just imbue the incoming player with the role that is left. Everyone wants to go, oh, Gronk's gone. Who are they going to replace? You can't. Obviously you're not replacing Gronk with Austin Ferrian Jenkins. But I do think that the just targets that are gone, the opportunity that is there, Austin Safari. And Jenkins feels like he's 32, he's 26, and he's going to a team that utilizes talent. So if he's got talent left, we'll find out. And if he does have any lefties, he. I mean, it doesn't take much to be a somewhat relevant tight end. As far as streaming, once you're outside of the top five or six, you just need a guy that can get a few touchdowns or it's difficult.

[Andy Holloway]

I mean, Dwayne Allen was 20 something when he went over there, did nothing. They've also been reports lately of them meeting with some higher profile draft tight ends. So for now, not, not really excited. If he earns the starting job, well, then he's relevant.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, it's. It's not very excited, but people have been asking, should I grab. He's on my Dynasty waiver wire.

[Jason Moore]

Yes.

[Mike Wright]

You pick him up?

[Andy Holloway]

Yes. And then news just broke that the Giants are finalizing a four year, $41 million extension with Sterling Shepard.

[Mike Wright]

Congratulations.

[Andy Holloway]

So he got paid?

[Mike Wright]

Yeah.

[Jason Moore]

Dave Gettleman said he's. He's the new obj. Don't worry about it, guys.

[Andy Holloway]

How did he say it though?

[Jason Moore]

I don't know, man.

[Andy Holloway]

No, Sterling, getting you.

[Mike Wright]

I got 41. 41 smackaroons for you.

[Andy Holloway]

Thank you. Thank you. That's me, Dave. Yeah, we know it's you, Dave. Where? I'm in the room with you.

[Mike Wright]

Sorry.

[Jason Moore]

Sterling, it's me, David. I've got some money for you.

[Mike Wright]

Why is he David Attenborough?

[Andy Holloway]

Do you think he opens up the. Because everything comes back to David Attenborough For Jason.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah.

[Andy Holloway]

At the end of the day, all of his accents slowly morph Back into David Amber. David Amber.

[Mike Wright]

Nice.

[Andy Holloway]

That was today's news and notes. Not a lot going on. Be sure to switch your dynasty league over to sleeper. You get the news, you get the latest. And let's go ahead and jump into our. Our main event.

[Jason Moore]

Wide receivers.

[Mike Wright]

Eek.

[Andy Holloway]

Eek.

[Mike Wright]

Don't worry. That's not for you guys.

[Andy Holloway]

Okay? All right, look, the top 10 recap from last week. DeAndre Hopkins. I'm sorry. From Tuesday's show. Hopkins was 1. Devonte Adams was 2. Julio Jones 3. Michael Thomas, 4. Odell Beckham Jr. 5. Tyreek Hill came in at 6, JuJu 7. Antonio Brown, 8. Mike Evans, 9. And Ty Hilton at number 10. All right, now we're going to go from 11 as far as we can on today's show. I thought it might be interesting to look at some of the surprise top 24 guys from last season and maybe just bring their names back up because it's interesting when guys can slide into the top 24 and you might not expect it. For instance, Tyler Lockett was the wide receiver 15 last year. He was hyper, hyper efficient. Tyler Boyd was the wide receiver 16. Calvin Ridley, who I have not seen in a top 24 or remotely close to it, was the wide receiver 19.

[Mike Wright]

He's there. Do you happen to remember how many touchdowns Calvin Ridley scored?

[Andy Holloway]

I do.

[Jason Moore]

10. Yeah.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah. He was one of the 10 touchdowns, double digits.

[Jason Moore]

Well, that's. That's one of the common denominators you'll see in the surprising guys that got in the top 24. Tyler Lockett, Mike Williams, Calvin Ridley, all three with 10 touchdowns. You score 10 touchdowns, you've. Yes, you've got a real good head start getting in the top 24.

[Andy Holloway]

Emmanuel Sanders was still wide receiver 23 despite the torn Achilles.

[Mike Wright]

Man, if he had not torn his Achilles was. It was a very solid year.

[Andy Holloway]

It really was. So we're going to get into the rest of our rankings. I think we should start right here. Number 11. That makes sense, right?

[Mike Wright]

Good place to start.

[Andy Holloway]

AJ Green. AJ Green at number 11. Mike and Jason, you both have him at 10. I've got him at 13. Last year, his consistency ranking in the games that he played was the seventh most consistent wide receiver. So when he was on the field, he was still the guy. Fantasy finishes in recent years, though, been banged up. He was the seventh best receiver in 2015. Then he dropped to 34th, only played 10 games. Then he dropped to 11th in 16 games in 2017. He was last year the 40th fantasy wide receiver. Only played nine games. That factors in. That's a component. When I look at AJ Green, the reason he's not ranked in my top 12, my top 10, it simply comes down to haven't. I haven't seen the whole package from AJ Green in quite some time. In fact, you go back to 2013 for a fantasy finish in the top five, you mix into that the inconsistency of Andy Dalton, a new head coach, the emergence of Tyler Boyd, the up and down nature of their offensive line. Those factors, they push him out for me.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, I don't blame you for being concerned about the injury, but based off of where I believe he will actually be going in your home leagues and your redraft leagues, I think that he is going to be worth the cost of admission. He was the wide receiver, nine in points per game through Week 8. That's when the injury happened right in there at week eight, week nine. He was a top 10 guy. So I have no problem still buying in to AJ Green as being one of the. Being a top talent at the wide receiver position. He's still Andy Dalton's best friend and I think that he has enough. But can he stay on the field?

[Andy Holloway]

You're both saying he will because if he was number nine through eight weeks of being healthy, you're both saying you're planning on him staying healthy by ranking him at 10.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, I mean, when I ranked everybody in the top 24 I gave, I pretty much was ranking everybody as if they're playing a full season. Who do I like best when it comes to factoring in risk? Risk is high with A.J. green. He's dealt with a lot of injuries and you have factor that in. That's why he won't. I don't think he'll be the 10th wide receiver drafted because of that risk. He'll fall a little bit. So it's really just a matter of who's ahead of him, who's behind him, how that risk factors in. But you talked about the coaching change and that obviously can hurt. But you have to realize it could also be a positive because they're going from Marvin Lewis and kind of the old sluggish system that's been there for a while. And they brought in Zach Taylor, someone you know from who was near enough to Sean McVeigh to get a head coaching job and wants to bring in an offensive system. So maybe, maybe he's opened up because when you saw him on the field last year, he, to me, he looked every bit as good as Julio before the injury. You know, same Draft class, same age.

[Andy Holloway]

But that's if you take away the system and the head coach with which you put up perennially great numbers. I don't like. I wouldn't naturally imbue a better season on him. Like, if you're used to a system, like a good example would be Matthew Stafford, right? You bring in a different system. Yeah, but they brought a different head coach. And changes. Change is my point. It doesn't really matter.

[Jason Moore]

I mean, changes change. They brought in a defensive head coach, Matt Patricia. And if you look at the. I mean the last time AJ Green was dominant, that was when they had a really good offensive coordinator there in Gruden.

[Andy Holloway]

You still have to load your AJ Green software on top of the Andy Dalton platform. That gives me concern.

[Jason Moore]

That's problem.

[Mike Wright]

Couple glitches, couple.

[Andy Holloway]

You never know. You may have to blue screen a death every once in a while. He did see 52% of his team's end zone targets last year. That was the second highest rate in the league.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, we'll take that.

[Andy Holloway]

But do you look at the emergence of Tyler Boyd over the second half of the season as maybe a. An illustration to that coaching staff that hey, we have more than one guy here that we can lean on and go to in critical situations or around the goal line. I mean, a player is not the same player their whole career. So did Tyler Boyd establish himself?

[Mike Wright]

I think Boyd did establish himself to be. He's a very interesting player. He. I can't rake him in my top 24. But I'm very interested to see what Boyd does for his follow up after the big breakout. But that doesn't detract from the way I feel about AJ Green as a top 10 guy.

[Andy Holloway]

Number 12 on our early wide receiver rankings. Keenan Allen. I have him at 11. Mike and Jason have him at 12. He was, he had a very interesting year. Keenan Allen, 16 games, 97 receptions, 1196 yards and six touchdowns on 136 targets. I am a huge Mike Williams fan truther have been since its entrance into the league. He is a red zone monster. He's also a player that I think is ascending in talent. He also has something that Keenan Allen doesn't have, which is just natural size. So I do imagine that Keenan Allen will be around the six touchdown total. The question then is, is that enough to make him. Are you happy with him as your wide receiver? One if you penciled in six touchdowns.

[Jason Moore]

If you pencil in six touchdowns, I'm not thrilled to have him as number one.

[Mike Wright]

That's what you're getting. Because he hasn't scored more than six touchdowns since his rookie year, 2013.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, and I totally get that. But if you look at his target, you know, volume percentage, snap percentage, all of the things that he did great two years ago and how he was utilized this last year, you might feel like, you know, they started getting other players more involved, but nothing actually changed for Keenan Allen. And if you look at yardage versus touchdowns, you'd expect him to have a few more now. I agree. Mike Williams, Hunter Henry, it's going to be difficult for him to be a, you know, nine, ten, touchdown guy. So. But he's consistent and, you know, it's one of those things where I've got him at 12, so I've got him as a wide receiver one, but that's not who I want to be my wide receiver one being the guy, you know, I feel like you need a wide receiver that's going to go out there and dominate. Keenan can, but I don't expect on the year him to be a dominant type. I don't. I don't think he's got a top five ceiling in him in 2019.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, I agree with that.

[Andy Holloway]

Between weeks nine through 14 last year, he averaged 19.2 fantasy points per game. That was second in that span.

[Mike Wright]

So that was his run. He. For a guy who doesn't score touchdowns he scored in five straight games, it was, it was very bizarre to see that happen. And then. And then the touchdowns just vanish again.

[Andy Holloway]

Do you look at the return of Hunter Henry to be a negative or positive for Keenan Allen?

[Mike Wright]

Neutral. I think it's good for the offense. I don't think it takes away from Keenan Allen. He had the fourth highest target share at the wide receiver.

[Andy Holloway]

No Tyrell Williams this year.

[Jason Moore]

Right.

[Mike Wright]

Well, and that's just, that's Mike Williams now, like those targets for me.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah.

[Andy Holloway]

Travis Benjamin.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah. Travis Benjamin could go into the Tyrell role a little bit.

[Mike Wright]

A little bit, Yeah.

[Jason Moore]

I think Keenan is a fine guy. You're not going to be disappointed, but he's not going to be a top five wide receiver. So take that for, you know how you're. How you want to draft come your draft. Hey, Foot clan. We want to thank today's sponsor, a new sponsor who not only makes a really great product, but they are a very good company. That's one of the things I love the most about Leesa. Leesa knows how important rest is to a better life. Leesa is the foundation of a healthier, happier you. And all Leesa products have been Thoughtfully designed to go beyond creating just a comfortable bed and to transform your bedroom into a sanctuary you want to spend time in. I personally have the Sapira mattress. They take the best of. They're high quality advanced foam and the springs and they put them together so that you have enhanced pressure relief from edge to edge. Absolutely love it. It gives you the best of both worlds. They believe that everyone in the world deserves a healthy night's rest. They donate one mattress for every 10 sold. They have donated more than 32,000 mattresses through over 1,000 nonprofits that help great, great companies like people caring about foster care. They're just a really great company. So don't miss out. Live healthier, live happier by resting deeper. Order today and get 15% off any mattress for a limited time at leesa.comfootballers and use the promo code footballers. That's L E-E-S-A.com footballers promo code footballers. And you can have a 100 night risk free trial plus free shipping and returns if you don't love it.

[Andy Holloway]

All right, let's turn to number 13 on our list, Adam Thielen. I have him at 12. Mike and Jason, a little, little less bullish on Adam Thielen. They have him at 14 and 15. Last season started by setting unbelievable, setting the earth on fire. In fact, the last two seasons he finishes the 10th and 7th.

[Mike Wright]

He's actually speaking of cameos.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah.

[Mike Wright]

This Sunday he's filling in for one of the Dragons.

[Andy Holloway]

But just for the first half of the episode.

[Mike Wright]

Just. Yes, the first half of the episode.

[Andy Holloway]

And then Keenan's taken over for the second half.

[Mike Wright]

Yes.

[Andy Holloway]

Look, Thielen set the world on fire and somehow it works against him in the court of law. That's the way I feel this off season. Every time that we talk about Adam Thielen and we've done it several times so far. It's. He did too well in the first half. So his second half is too poor.

[Mike Wright]

It's not that it's too well. It's the fact of like has as great as he was in the first half, he was that bad in the second half.

[Andy Holloway]

I don't agree with that. If you're on, if you're on a thousand yard pace over a half of the season, that's not bad.

[Mike Wright]

No, no, no. But I'm saying first eight games, yeah, 100 plus yards, 8 of 8 scored in 6 of 810 plus targets in 7 of 8 of those games, he was the wide receiver one. He was scoring over 20 points a game. He was absolutely dominating the final eight games, 100 plus yards twice did score in 4 of 8, only 10 or more targets in two of those games. In that time span he was averaging ten and a half points per game. The wide receiver 30. Wide receiver 30. For a player that you're going to have to spend an earlier round draft.

[Andy Holloway]

Now if, if you had taken week, if you could alternate weeks like take some of his, like if he went up and down and he finished where he finished, you would probably rank Adam Thielen in your top five.

[Jason Moore]

Right?

[Andy Holloway]

Because 1373 yards, nine touchdowns, 113 targets. He'd be here, he'd be around there. Now I'm not saying possible, I'm not saying you should do that. That's why we have him at 12, 14 and 15. You saw a transition in offense over the second half of the year. You saw a discomfort in Kirk Cousins and what he was doing. I believe in the player. I mean at the end of the day, I believe the player. Adam Thielen is one of the best wide receivers in football. I believe the cream rises to the top. And he's my highest rated Viking. He's my highest rated. He's in the top 12 for me because he does have the potential to go on a nine game span where he dominates the NFL. And at the end of the day you can want to do something with your offense. We talked about this before. And then you can be forced to do something else. Their defense struggled last year. Worst performances at almost every defensive position. You probably see a little bit of balance there and you probably see a better than the second half Adam Thielen. That's why I feel pretty comfortable at 12. But what are the real range of outcomes for him? The question here is, is he a perfect wide receiver too? For me it's like of course he is. Because he could be a one.

[Jason Moore]

Yes, of course. If you could rewind the tape however long Andy was just talking and then just like dub that over my picture. I mean you said every single thing that I believe 100%. I couldn't agree anymore.

[Mike Wright]

He is sounds lazy.

[Jason Moore]

It sounds lazy. But I was like yeah. Yes. Yeah. I mean I was, I was, I was like at your rally there just in complete agreement about everything across the board. He is the best wide receiver on the team. He is one of the best in the NFL. The cream will rise to the top. They can't always do what they want to do. Going to take his incredible talent and.

[Andy Holloway]

His wide receiver seven finish wasn't on the back of 14 touchdowns. It was nine. That's fine. That's pretty good for a wide receiver. One, not double digits. It was on the back of 153 targets. It'd probably be in the 130 to 150 range again. Right. Would any of us really believe that to be different?

[Mike Wright]

Sure.

[Andy Holloway]

So I think there's a lot to.

[Jason Moore]

Like, and he will.

[Andy Holloway]

Now you have digs higher, Mike. That was one of the points that wanted to bring up. You actually like Stefan Diggs a little more.

[Mike Wright]

They're just back to back.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, they're back to back in mine, too, by the way.

[Mike Wright]

They're 14 and 15. Is it? Yeah, I got Diggs higher. You want what? So what, you want to fight about it?

[Andy Holloway]

Well, no, but. But you bring by doing that. And I have it the same way, believe it or not, I have Thielen and Diggs back to back. Or at least I think I do. And when that happens, for a fantasy owner drafting, you're looking at best value then, right?

[Mike Wright]

100.

[Andy Holloway]

You're not looking at like, oh, I got to get my guy. You're looking at him in your mind as, I just want to get the guy. That's the best value.

[Mike Wright]

You want a piece of the purple pie? I'm waiting at the back of the line, and I'm. I'm taking what's left.

[Jason Moore]

Well, that means that.

[Andy Holloway]

Who puts their gum in the pie? By the way?

[Mike Wright]

That's little Jack Horner.

[Andy Holloway]

Oh, is it a purple pie?

[Mike Wright]

It could be.

[Jason Moore]

If you're waiting at the back of the line and just getting the better value. It's the right thing to do here because it's going to be Adam Thielen in every league. Adam Thielen will go second, average draft position. He's four wide receivers behind Stefan Diggs right now, and the gap will just continue to get wider. That's.

[Andy Holloway]

That's not. If I have anything to say about it. I agree, but not if I stick my thumb into those purple pies and, yeah, it doesn't seem like it's going. Adam Thielen, 12, 14, 15. I think it'll be an interesting year. We all want to see what happens with Dalvin Cook, Kirk Cousins in year two. I've taken the temperature of purple Twitter. The Kirk Cousins. Bitterness, frustration, it's palpable. There's a lot of. There's a lot of vitriol. There's a lot of people replying to Kirk Cousins tweets with, you know, when you make that kind of money, you bring it on yourself. There's no doubt about it. When you did you see Bryce Harper got booed in game one for striking out.

[Mike Wright]

He understand. I understand that people are upset with Kirk Cousins, but really, go back and watch. Go back and watch what Cousins was able to do with the offensive line that he had in front of him. I think that Cousins played pretty well.

[Andy Holloway]

All right, number 14 on the list is.

[Mike Wright]

Amari Cooper, and I hate it.

[Andy Holloway]

Amari Cooper is.

[Mike Wright]

I hate my ranking of Amari Cooper. I'm on the record. I hate this.

[Andy Holloway]

When I was a kid, I went to a theme park, and I was excited. We didn't go to many theme parks, didn't do a lot of, like, big trips.

[Mike Wright]

Was this castles and coasters?

[Andy Holloway]

Actually, I did this two times, but yes. One of them was a local theme park. And my dad, we were eating dinner and he got me a hot dog, right? And I love hot dogs.

[Mike Wright]

Hot dogs are great.

[Andy Holloway]

It tastes great. Except this one was. Clearly there was a problem, and I returned it to the earth. It was. I spent most of the night throwing up after I had the hot dog. And look, I didn't have a taste for hot dogs for years. In years and years. This is a big, long analogy about Amari Cooper. He's thrown up so many times all over fantasy owners, that even though I know. Even though Mike just says I hate it because he's ranking them. I mean, he's at 14 in our list, Jason. Mike have him at 13. I put him at 16 because of the hot dog factor. Now I can't get over it because he's really. He's got me. The history of Amari Cooper hurts the present for me. Fix me, guys. Dress up this hot dog.

[Mike Wright]

Here's. Here's why he's ranked number 13 for me, because when he got to Dallas, this was a middle of the season change. And generally speaking, changing teams in the offseason, it's rough for guys to come in and produce. Middle of the season, he went to Dallas, and in those games, he was the wide receiver. 11. He was a top 12 guy. But here's the problem. 55% of his points came in two games.

[Jason Moore]

Oh, no.

[Mike Wright]

Hot dogs. 36 or fewer yards in four of his nine games with the Dallas Cowboys. That's the vomit.

[Andy Holloway]

That's the green hot dog.

[Mike Wright]

But at the end of the season, I think he will be ranked as a top 15 guy. But I. As of right now, I will not be drafting Amari Cooper. It's not happening. I'm not falling for it. Jason's looking at Me like, he's.

[Andy Holloway]

So wouldn't you adjust your ranking to reflect that for your own fans, for your own list, for the listeners?

[Mike Wright]

He's going to finish there.

[Andy Holloway]

I know.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah.

[Andy Holloway]

I mean, challenge with draft.

[Jason Moore]

Does that mean you would. You would like him better in best ball in hopes that you get the giant weak?

[Andy Holloway]

Those three happen.

[Mike Wright]

The three games will be awesome.

[Andy Holloway]

Week 14, 44 and a half fantasy points. Week 12, 34 fantasy points. Week 4, 23 fantasy points. Even in Oakland.

[Jason Moore]

I mean, the reality is when you're wide receiver 54 with the Raiders and wide receiver 7 with the Cowboys, you have to say that he's going to be better this year than without. He's got another offseason with Dak. He's 24 years old right now. I know that that seems insane, that he's only 24 years old, but he's still. He's still growing, boy.

[Andy Holloway]

And everybody's 24. That's all I've learned on these shows. Mike Evans is 25, but then he's not 24. Cooper will be 25 when the season starts.

[Jason Moore]

That is true. No, look, I think that there is a realistic outcome.

[Mike Wright]

Just say no, kids.

[Jason Moore]

I think there's a realistic outcome that Amari Cooper is a very good fantasy asset this year. I lean on the side of caution when I'm up on the clock and I'm deciding between great options. Average draft position between Amari Cooper and Stefon Diggs. You know, Diggs, you worry about injury history, but when you're injured, I don't start you and get the goose egg. So I think I lean towards Diggs.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah. I mean, he was. He busted 53% of the time last year.

[Mike Wright]

Just say no.

[Andy Holloway]

That's a 50. 50 shot on that. Hot dog. Going down easy.

[Mike Wright]

Let's go to the judge. Judge Giamatti Brooks, resident Cowboy. You are a Cowboys fan. How do you feel about my propaganda over here? Just say no to Amari Cooper.

[Andy Holloway]

What do you got at that draft price?

[Jason Moore]

I'm probably with you.

[Mike Wright]

Thank you. Yeah, it's not gonna end well.

[Andy Holloway]

Also, I'd love. This is. I don't have time for, like, a diatribe here, but I'd love to know how many players have been foolishly believed in, in fantasy because they're still young. Like, there has to be some.

[Mike Wright]

Like, it is our Achilles heel.

[Andy Holloway]

There has to be some, like, line in the sand between. Like, because we brought it up with Sammy Watkins, he's still a young man that's played on three different teams. And been hurt 3,000 times.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah.

[Mike Wright]

But sometimes you get a Devonte Adams.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah.

[Mike Wright]

Who stinks. He stinks. Guys, he's still young.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah. But maybe the key is great. Maybe the key is they got to stay home. They got to stay on that team.

[Mike Wright]

Perhaps.

[Andy Holloway]

All right. Stefan Diggs at 15. We just talked about that offense at length. Jason, you got him at 17. Is this just to kind of illustrate the fact that you love Adam Thielen?

[Jason Moore]

It was to put a little gap between feeling and Diggs to make sure that it is clear.

[Andy Holloway]

You stay back there.

[Jason Moore]

That I believe Adam Thielen will be the more valuable fantasy asset to have. Obviously, if you just look at the back half of the season, it was Stefan Diggs, but we don't play in just the back half of the season. And honestly, if you have to pick one that you would prefer a player to have a great beginning half or second half.

[Andy Holloway]

What the heck's going on back here? There may have been a spill back this morning. Did you spill something all over the computers? Who was it? Was it Brooks or was it Borland? It was me. Okay.

[Mike Wright]

It was, bro.

[Andy Holloway]

All right. But Borland's cleaning it up. What a guy.

[Mike Wright]

Of the two. I do believe that Diggs has the higher touchdown upside.

[Jason Moore]

I thought you were going to be talking between Brooks and Al Borland. Which one is getting rid of?

[Andy Holloway]

I don't know if everybody knows who Al Borland is.

[Jason Moore]

Oh, Al Borland is our producer from the Spitballers podcast and helps out here at the fantasy footballers hq.

[Andy Holloway]

Cleaning spill with everything. Cleaning up spill.

[Jason Moore]

He's baby Brooks.

[Andy Holloway]

So look, Diggs. I like Diggs. He hasn't been able to stay consistently healthy and consistent on the field. He's a game breaker. Nine touchdowns last year, 102 receptions. There is the factor here where on any given week, it could be Diggs, it could be Thielen. I mean, that sure, there's a. I don't think Kirk Cousins is out there to set somebody up for fantasy glory. He's out there to perform. And both of these guys can make a big catch. 1A, 1B. Really? They really are. Brandon cooks at 16. Jason and I were happy with Brandon Cooks. We got him at 15.

[Jason Moore]

Mike's dumb.

[Andy Holloway]

Mike is apparently dumb. Strong words. Maybe Mike has him at 20.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah.

[Andy Holloway]

Last year, 80 receptions.

[Mike Wright]

I should just flip flop him and Amari Cooper, 1200 yards.

[Jason Moore]

I already have a note to move Cooper down. Like I just did these rankings and now talking through these guys, I'm like, cooper's way too high.

[Mike Wright]

You're right. I'm moving him down.

[Andy Holloway]

Cooper or Cooks?

[Mike Wright]

Cooper.

[Andy Holloway]

Okay. Last year, the wide receiver 13, Brandon Cooks. He had a good year. He does what he always does. Every year. He's good for 1100 yards, guys. That's just what he does.

[Mike Wright]

Sure.

[Jason Moore]

And just print it. Speaking of, you know, just what he does, if you look at the last four seasons where he's had a thousand yards, he's been the wide receiver 14, the wide receiver, 9, the wide receiver, 12, the wide receiver 13. He's done it for different teams, different quarterbacks. He is, look, he's. He's pretty much the. You know, you talk about Minnesota having the 1A, 1B, you kind of got the 1 ABC for the Rams, but he's the A and he is the A. I think he's the A. As much as I love Robert woods and let it be known I do. Brandon Cooks is the A. And so if you believe in the offense, which I think Everybody does, look, McVeigh's offenses have been great, not just for the Rams. I mean, obviously we know that. But you go back and look at McVeigh led offenses as an offensive coordinator, he's top five in most stats and he's just, he's better than the other coordinators and designers of offensive play calling right now. So I want the number one wide receiver for that offense and I want the number two and three.

[Andy Holloway]

Cooks and woods, by the way, are 16 and 17 in our rankings. I do like Hooks more. I think it's a rare thing in fantasy football to be able to look at a consistency chart like the one we have in the UDK and see four straight years of being in the top 15. Look, he's not going to finish number one at the position. He's not going to finish in the top five. But you could kind of pencil in your brain at Cook season. Like when you talk about actual best wide receiver twos that I could possibly choose, it's Brandon Cooks. To me, he's, he's kind of like Ty Hilton light, where the yardage is probably going to be there. I love him.

[Mike Wright]

It's very possible. I dropped him down to 20. I'm still feeling the, the pain of last season. I had Cooks in our league of record and he did not help me down the stretch and crushed me during the playoffs.

[Andy Holloway]

So you got a little burn.

[Mike Wright]

Maybe I got a little personal biased and I'm still burnt.

[Jason Moore]

That's a great thing, though, for fantasy because a lot of people have that. If you look at where he's going right now. He's going in the fifth pick of the fourth round. And if you can grab him as your second wide receiver.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, that'd be nice.

[Jason Moore]

Along with two other running backs in those first three rounds. That's.

[Andy Holloway]

Where is he going right now?

[Jason Moore]

The fourth round. Fifth pick of the fourth round.

[Andy Holloway]

Perfect.

[Jason Moore]

That is exactly. I mean, you look at the guys in the fourth round, he's going right next to Kenny Golladay. Who do you want as your wide receiver to?

[Mike Wright]

Brandon Cooks.

[Jason Moore]

Brandon Cooks for sure. And that's no disrespect to Kenny Golladay.

[Mike Wright]

Who we've got up on the line. I gotta move him up.

[Andy Holloway]

Who we're about to talk to. So woods is right after.

[Jason Moore]

We're gonna talk to Kenny Gollade.

[Andy Holloway]

Did I say talk to him? I was gonna talk to his jersey on the wall.

[Jason Moore]

Oh, all right.

[Andy Holloway]

It probably won't talk back. Was that your.

[Jason Moore]

That was Galladay talking?

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, that's what he sounds like you. Oh, we're still going.

[Jason Moore]

Okay.

[Andy Holloway]

Now, I got a massage yesterday, and if this song had been playing through the whole hour, that would have been pretty annoying. Robert Woods, Kenny Golladay at 17 and 18. Jason, you said you love Robert Woods. Look, last season, great season. What else can you say?

[Jason Moore]

What else you can say is. I mean, what else you could say is the year before last, in the 12 games he played, he was. He was very good in those games. And going back to Buffalo, I mean, he. He always passed our eye test. Right when he was in a bad offense that wasn't passing the ball much. Tyrod Taylor is not one to support good wide receivers. Andy, you and I, we always said, like, Robert woods is just a good wide receiver. He's just solid. And now he's on a great.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, I've always loved the stability of Robert Woods.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, he's very Cooper cup.

[Mike Wright]

The only thing I will say with these guys back to back, I do have cooks too low. But I would disagree. I think Robert woods is the 1A of the team.

[Jason Moore]

I'm fine with that.

[Andy Holloway]

Does it change in a like, standard versus PPR format between those guys for you? Like when you look at what they do on the field, I mean, last year they had about the same amount of total catches. I imagine, you know, woods catches the ball closer to the line of scrimmage on a regular basis.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, woods is going to. Is going to get more targets, but I don't. Neither of them. I don't. I don't see them hitting that 10 touchdown area to make the difference between a PPR or standard.

[Andy Holloway]

Okay. All right. Kenny Golladay then. Kenny Golladay is one of those players that I, you know. Was the live action Aladdin coming out soon?

[Mike Wright]

Yes. You want to talk about it?

[Andy Holloway]

What? No, I do. Kenny Galladay, to me, is the diamond in the rough type of thing.

[Mike Wright]

Oh, I thought this was. They're the Lions. They're blue. Will Smith is a blue genie. And you were gonna get super mad about it.

[Andy Holloway]

Oh, no, no, no. He looks like. It looks okay. It looks like an okay.

[Jason Moore]

It's gonna be great.

[Andy Holloway]

You know what confuses me? This show is gonna go forever now. What confuses me about all these live action Disney things is how much of the movie is like the exact same.

[Mike Wright]

Most of it.

[Andy Holloway]

And then how much is like brand new?

[Jason Moore]

Oh, 80, 20, if not 90, 10 of old.

[Andy Holloway]

They just do the exact same thing.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah.

[Andy Holloway]

So this is a money printing machine.

[Jason Moore]

Yes.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah.

[Jason Moore]

Take my money. Take it all.

[Mike Wright]

Yes.

[Jason Moore]

Like, looks great.

[Mike Wright]

They're like, oh, crap, we're out of stories. Let's remake them.

[Andy Holloway]

They basically, they're in a room and they go, man, if we. If Will Smith becomes a genie in this live action movie, we all get a billion dollars.

[Jason Moore]

That's right.

[Andy Holloway]

Okay.

[Jason Moore]

That's right.

[Andy Holloway]

All right. Kenny g. I look 70 for 1,063 yards, five touchdowns, 120 targets. It's really not. I mean, finishes the wide receiver 21. I don't know what to expect from him this year because I don't have a lot of confidence in Matt Patricia, Matthew Stafford and that offense without Golden Tate facilitating aspects of it. You didn't really have a lot of mondo games from Kenny Golladay. I just. I'm just kind of okay with him.

[Jason Moore]

What do you mean?

[Andy Holloway]

Talk to me about Kenny G. I.

[Jason Moore]

Was surprised that I wasn't the lowest on him because I think when we've just talked about Kenny Golladay around the office, you guys see the potential of. And it certainly is there. The potential to take that third year wide receiver step forward. He did it in year two. He now appears to be going into the season as the de facto one. Not crazy ahead of Marvin Jones, but he is established himself as probably the best wide receiver on the team going into the season in year three. So smoothest if he takes a step forward, he has. He's got downfield speed and talent to really take it up a notch. Maybe finish as a low in one, high end two. I don't believe that will necessarily happen. You had a lot of Games without Marvin Jones. And I know the splits with and without Marvin Jones were pretty much even last year for Kenny Golladay. But if Marvin Jones is on the field, you know, it's one of those.

[Andy Holloway]

Things where he's a trap.

[Jason Moore]

I mean, I agree Kenny Golladay is.

[Andy Holloway]

A trap because we're not even going to talk about Marvin Jones today. We're not even going to come close to talking about Marvin Jones today. But I just want the better value between those two guys on any given week. I think the same argument rings true about not knowing which of those guys is going to be better.

[Jason Moore]

Well, you. I don't know if you know this.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah.

[Jason Moore]

Look, Kenny God is 25 years old.

[Andy Holloway]

Oh, right. So never mind. He's a star.

[Jason Moore]

But honestly, all.

[Andy Holloway]

Let me guess. Marvin Jones, 25.

[Mike Wright]

Oh, no.

[Jason Moore]

Otherwise he'd be in the same range as Kenny God. That is the difference here.

[Andy Holloway]

Wait, are we ranking the top 24, 25 age receivers?

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, this is the top 25.

[Andy Holloway]

The top 24, 25.

[Jason Moore]

But my point is, to your point, I'm really speaking to what you're saying, right? Like if. If Marvin Jones was 25 and Kenny Golladay was 29, Kenny Golladay would be. And they did the exact same thing that they did last year. Kenny Golladay would be down in the ninth, 10th round, where Marvin Jones is living, and Marvin Jones would be. What if he takes a step forward? But how do you take a step forward with a team that has done transactional moves to show that they want to run the ball more, pass the ball less?

[Andy Holloway]

Darrell Beville, offensive coordinator.

[Jason Moore]

Exactly. That's the number one thing that sticks out to me. I don't love Matthew Stafford going forward. I wouldn't even be surprised this year. His contract situation says, look, Stafford's the quarterback, but if they were to draft someone and start, you know, trying to worry about their replacement, I just don't have that. I don't have confidence in the passing game for the Lions. So why take that chance? I mean, I just talked about Kenny Golladay and Brandon Cooks going back to back. That's not close to me.

[Andy Holloway]

I think that Kenny Golladay has a bit of a similarity to the Cortland Sutton situation of last year. Now, Galladay delivered for fantasy owners at times during the end of the season, but what more would you have wanted? You have no Golden Tate there, traded halfway through the year. You got no Marvin Jones due to injury.

[Mike Wright]

Oh, for opportunity, sure. And I mean, more red zone targets.

[Andy Holloway]

More like you need more yes. Okay. But why didn't he get them? And why is he going to get more with Marvin Jones coming back?

[Mike Wright]

I cannot answer that question. I plead the fifth.

[Andy Holloway]

I think he might be a bit of a trap. I really do. I think he's going down. I think Jason just wrote Kenny Galladay down arrow on his piece of paper.

[Mike Wright]

Sure did. I'm not saying you're wrong. I'm just saying you're making me sad.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, yeah. It's going to be interesting. But they do want to run the ball, and I. I need to see more consistency out of that offense. Number 19.

[Mike Wright]

Speaking of consistency. Yes.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah.

[Mike Wright]

Let's go.

[Andy Holloway]

Certainly not 25 years old. Number 19, Julian Edelman. Mike has him at 16. I don't blame you.

[Jason Moore]

No, 100%. I talked about this. I left my rankings alone. What's so like when we. When we prepared our rankings for this show, you know, we're. We're taking a first glance. It's never going to stay there. Well, before recording this show, I talked to Mike and said, like, I'm moving Julian Edelman way. This is. He should not be down at 20. Well, no, I mean, can I make the counterpoint? Make the counterpoint and then Mike and I will discuss.

[Andy Holloway]

Mike has him at 16 too low. He's never finished higher than 16 in his entire career at the wide receiver position ever.

[Mike Wright]

Sure.

[Andy Holloway]

So that, that would be a strong argument for a guy that's played since 2009 that you've never once had a season finishing inside the top 16. So whether it's by injury, whether it's by age, whether it's by whoever they bring in to play the position, I feel good with them at 19. I think you guys pulled me up for my 21 appropriately. But I think that you kind of got to temper your expectations for Edelman because you've never really had a season where he's done it.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, I mean, I.

[Andy Holloway]

To that degree.

[Jason Moore]

I mean, because of injuries, because of suspensions, things like that. I mean, you look at the last five years when it's been his time to shine. He only had one season with 16 games, and he finishes the wide receiver 17. So you're right.

[Andy Holloway]

He's had one season with 16 games.

[Jason Moore]

In the last five years. I'm saying when he's really come on. But if you look at what he did on a per game basis, Mike, I think you've got some stats.

[Andy Holloway]

Sure.

[Mike Wright]

It was just that once he came back. So, yes, he finished his wide receiver 22, but once he was actually Playing because he was suspended for the first four games. This was also coming off of an ACL tear. Wide receiver 9. He was a top 10 wide receiver. If you drafted him and waited those games out, you were so incredibly happy. And I think that Julian Edelman will be a massive piece of this team. Gronk is gone.

[Jason Moore]

He's got two go to guys or three if you consider James White a go to guy.

[Mike Wright]

And I think that's the entire offense is going to. You are not going to like watching Patriots games. New England fans are going to enjoy it. But the US as fantasy fans where we just remember very fondly those years of Tom Brady bombing the. Bombing it out to Randy Moss and it was just. They were awesome to watch. They are going to be so incredibly frustrating to watch. But it will succeed and it will succeed because of Sony Michelle and Julian Edelman. I feel very strongly about it.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, I mean, if, if you just tell me he's playing 16 games, I don't see how he's not a top 12 PPR receiver. I don't see how that's possible. Last year, maybe the best summary of him, zero bus games, zero great games. 83% of his games were good. That's Julian Edelman. I mean, he is a good receiver. If you have him as a two. Yeah, you're feeling good.

[Jason Moore]

And he's in the fifth round right now.

[Andy Holloway]

Cooper cup at 20. Alshon Jeffrey at 21. Cooper cup the third. You know, it's rare to talk about three receivers from the same team in the top 20. We all saw what he did in the beginning of the year. He was the best fantasy receiver for that team through the first six weeks and then the injury and then the big injuries. Yeah, so he got knocked out and then he came back and then he got knocked out again and he's recovering.

[Jason Moore]

So I mean, the first five weeks of last year before he got knocked out and had to come back and get knocked out again, he was the wide receiver too. Feels like not on his team.

[Andy Holloway]

They were not the same team without.

[Jason Moore]

Him in fantasy football and they weren't. I think Cooper cup coming back is great. My, my worry with Cooper cup is entirely based upon the recovery timeline and whether or not he gets off to a slightly slower start and isn't, you know, isn't just completely 100% ready to go. If, if he never had an injury, let's say he missed all those games because he got suspended, I might have him above Brandon Cooks. So if he comes back fully healthy, he could be the one A. I mean, the ABC here is. It's Alphabet soup. And you're going to take that spoon up, and it could come up in any order between those three guys.

[Andy Holloway]

I might have gotten a little bit lost.

[Jason Moore]

I was really trying that, Mike.

[Mike Wright]

I followed it. I loved it. Thank you. It was a wild ride. Landing was a little sticky, a little sketchy.

[Andy Holloway]

All right. I was concentrating as hard as I could.

[Mike Wright]

The Rams wide receivers are Alphabet soup. That's what we've got.

[Jason Moore]

Abc. It could come up in any order. Every bite.

[Andy Holloway]

Okay.

[Jason Moore]

But every bite's delicious. That's the point. You ever had Alphabet soup?

[Andy Holloway]

All right, number 21, Alshon Jeffrey. I realized something when I was ranking these top 30 or so wider series. I didn't want to write Alison Jeffries name down. I felt like I was being. I was in a horror film. And all the friends are like, let's go hide in that warehouse over there to get away from the murderer. And I'm like, that does not seem like a good idea.

[Mike Wright]

But I'm getting away from Alshon.

[Andy Holloway]

No, I'm getting away from all these, like, these rankings. Like, everybody's pulling me along with their consensus rankings and opinions on Alshon Jeffrey. And I look at him, and I see decline. I see a transition in his game, and I see an offense. It could be pretty good, but he finished last year at 26 in 13, 800 yards, six touchdowns. Not all of it with Carson Wentz. I know Carson loves him, but I don't think I want him in my top 24. And here he is sitting at 20.

[Jason Moore]

Wow.

[Mike Wright]

You don't want him the top 24?

[Andy Holloway]

No, I don't think I do. I think I have guys. Like, I won't draft him. Like, he may finish in the top 24. Right on the fringe edge last year, 26 with the injuries. But, like, you're a Mari Cooper. Like, I just won't own Alison Jeffrey. There's nothing where, like, I'm like, ooh, I really want to click that button. I want to put him on my team. When I could draft guys behind him that have upside and more excitement to them, like Mike Williams.

[Jason Moore]

I can. I don't know if I would take Mike Williams over Alshon, but I will. I will agree with you on. On Alshon. There's a lot to. Not, like, you know, he's not the number one target on his team, that Zach Ertz. They've. They've been bringing in other pieces and probably will because they're a good organization. Last year, you talk about okay. He didn't play with Carson as much, but he was four points a game better without Carson than he was with Carson last season. So. Yeah, I mean, he's, you know what you got in him and I.

[Andy Holloway]

Can you draft him with a smile? Can you draft him with a smile? No.

[Mike Wright]

No, you cannot. And I was going to make sure. Do you know what you have with him? Because his usage is all over the place through his first four games. He mean, he's averaging 10 targets a game. Then he had this huge five week slump where he's getting like five.

[Andy Holloway]

We thought he was done and then.

[Mike Wright]

It spiked back up. I, I don't blame you for wanting to run from Alshon, but I think that's part of the mystery box that is Alshon. Jeffrey. It, it could go either way. And that's why I think right around 20 is all right.

[Jason Moore]

What I, what I mean when I say, you know what you have an Alshon is this. If he gets a touchdown, you're happy. If he doesn't, I don't think you're going to be happy. Most of those games is, you know, those games that he doesn't get touchdown. You were very disappointed because he's not a volume guy and I, that's not who I want as my wide receiver too.

[Andy Holloway]

He is one of the few receivers that you could absolutely look at him and say, hey, he could score 11, 12 times.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah.

[Andy Holloway]

He's been a red zone beast. Yeah.

[Jason Moore]

And currently he's the 24th wide receiver taken off the board.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah. Yeah. All right, look, I, we have to finish out these top 24. Alan Robinson at 22, Chris Godwin at 23, Mike Williams at 24. We have to finish it out because Chris Godwin.

[Jason Moore]

Yes.

[Andy Holloway]

That's, that's why. Robinson at 22, he's another. He's like, I'm fine with him on my team, but I'm not ambitiously seeking Alan Robinson. I like Anthony Miller. I don't think that offense is going to be built around Alan Robinson alone. Mike, you have the highest.

[Mike Wright]

He's too high. I got to move him down. Okay, so you're, I'm panicking over here.

[Andy Holloway]

He's a wide receiver too. To you 2ish.

[Mike Wright]

2Ish.Ish.

[Andy Holloway]

It's just been a while. I mean, 2015, he finished six in the league, but since then it's been a rough ride. Injuries. Last year he played 13 games, 754 yards, four touchdowns. It's not the season you wanted from him, especially when they had a pretty good Offense.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah. I mean, Mitchell Trubisky did a lot more than certainly I thought he would do. And you still weren't very happy with him. I'm still not a believer in Mitchell Trubisky being a true, you know, top end, franchise type quarterback yet. And so Allen Robinson is someone that, I mean, the range is very wide. Very, very wide. Allen Robinson could absolutely be a wide receiver one this season. If he ends up being like, they click. It's year two in the system. Year two with Trubisky and, you know, the office takes a step forward. I could see that. But I could also see him being, I mean, his contract situation.

[Mike Wright]

Being the wide receiver 41.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah. Being the wide receiver 41. His contract situation is dead. No dead money after this year. Cut him, move on to Anthony Miller, and then all of a sudden you're Alan Robinson, love, because he's in your dynasty.

[Andy Holloway]

Shares of him are just destroyed.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah.

[Mike Wright]

I mean, how old is Allen Robinson? Oh, no.

[Jason Moore]

Goodness.

[Andy Holloway]

Oh, no. I bet he's 25.

[Jason Moore]

Come on. Oh, drumroll. He's 25 years old. This is why we love him.

[Andy Holloway]

Not all 25s are 25. No, some 25s are more like 35.

[Jason Moore]

So, I mean, yeah, I'm not a huge fan of Alan Robinson. On my dynasty roster, my three and my four are Alan Robinson and Chris Godwin. And I'm like, well, is that really three and four or is that the other way around? Because I'm in love with Chris Godwin.

[Andy Holloway]

Are you talking about Rod God?

[Jason Moore]

I'm talking about Rod God. Yes.

[Andy Holloway]

First name is Rod. Did you know that?

[Jason Moore]

Rod Christopher Godwin. Yeah.

[Andy Holloway]

His middle name is Christopher. His first name is Rod. And then, duh, of course he didn't want to go by Rod God.

[Mike Wright]

How do you not?

[Jason Moore]

I know. I'm like, what? I am in agreement with you.

[Mike Wright]

I am moving him down my rankings.

[Andy Holloway]

For not going this information.

[Mike Wright]

He could have been living as Rod God his whole life.

[Jason Moore]

Rod God.

[Mike Wright]

Rod Godwin.

[Andy Holloway]

Why do I feel like Rod if he goes by Rod God? I feel like he's just be on the Raiders. I mean, just trade him to the Raiders.

[Mike Wright]

Rod Godwin.

[Andy Holloway]

Rod Godwin. Chris Godwin.

[Mike Wright]

Hold on, hold on. Are you guys pulling my leg over here?

[Andy Holloway]

No.

[Mike Wright]

Are you setting me up?

[Jason Moore]

Rod Christopher.

[Andy Holloway]

I was told this and I had to Wikipedia to confirm, and it's 100% true. So, Chris. So his. His parents tried to hand him the giving of Rod, got Rod.

[Mike Wright]

Well, no, I'm not. I'm talking to Chris because this is the Name he has chosen to go with when he could have been Rod Godwin. Upsetting.

[Jason Moore]

All right.

[Andy Holloway]

This is the kind of thing that really gets under Mike's skin.

[Jason Moore]

To the football side, here's. Let me share a little bit.

[Andy Holloway]

He's already prefaced it. You want the soapbox?

[Jason Moore]

I Soapbox is not high enough. It is not tall enough. I'm standing on a tall column in Rome, shouting down among the people, how'd.

[Andy Holloway]

You get there, Chris?

[Jason Moore]

I climbed it. What do you mean? It's super easy. It's 100ft, 100 foot column. Go on, go on. Don't give me the earthquake test.

[Andy Holloway]

Is this the Rod God column?

[Jason Moore]

Yes, the Rod God column. Look, here's what we know about Chris Godwin. I'm just going to lay out things that we know.

[Andy Holloway]

Jason loves him.

[Jason Moore]

Yes, Chris Godwin had an extremely good year. Last year was the wide receiver, 29 in his second year. He is a 95th percentile athlete coming out of college. Matt Harmon was in love with Chris Godwin because of his contested catch ability, his routes, I mean, polished guys. He is a really good wide receiver who is more athletic than most NFL wide receivers who now gets moved into a role where the head coach coming in, Bruce Arians, who is an offensive guy has come out and said, I think he could have 100 plus receptions, which I think he could have 100 plus receptions. Chris Godwin to me is one of those guys that after this year could he. Let me ask this question to you two. Is there any chance that he could become the one next year or is that just impossible because Mike Evans.

[Mike Wright]

Impossible?

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, 100% impossible. Mike Evans is a 1500 yard receiver. Mike Evans is probably 25 years old. Mike, I'll bet you anything has never.

[Mike Wright]

Had fewer than a thousand yards.

[Andy Holloway]

Actually, I know Mike Evans is 25. We just talked.

[Jason Moore]

Mike Evans is 25 years old.

[Andy Holloway]

No, here's what you got to realize is you can love a player, but your love can only take him so far. Your love on this show cannot stop them from drafting another wide receiver. And your love on this show cannot manifest itself in a consistent season for Chris Godwin alone. He can do it because he's physically capable of doing it. What I really don't know. And here's what I think. Chris Godwin, we have him as consensus 23. He's made the top 24. He should get a pat on the back. But what's the difference between Chris Godwin and Calvin Ridley? Mike, what's the real difference between those players? Because when you look at opportunity, you're coming into a season with new opportunity. And I have been one that just organically, naturally says Chris Godwin's a better fantasy player than Calvin Ridley. But I've started to question that because Chris Godman still has to deal with Jameis Winston.

[Jason Moore]

Right.

[Andy Holloway]

I'd rather Ridley gets Matt Ryan.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah.

[Andy Holloway]

Calvin Ridley was a high draft capital pick. Calvin Ridley had monster breakout games. In fact, Chris Godwin only had one out of his 16 games last year. That was considered a great performance. And it was week 17.

[Mike Wright]

And this is why I have Chris Godwin at 27.

[Andy Holloway]

I don't think I. He won't get drafted at 27. That's the problem. He'll get drafted higher than that. If you could draft Godwin At 27.

[Jason Moore]

I'm all in right now. Just so you know, Chris Godwin is. Drumroll, please. The wide receiver, 27 off the board. ADP.

[Mike Wright]

Apparently Andy's all in.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, I'll take him at 27. Sure.

[Jason Moore]

Yes.

[Mike Wright]

I will take the upside of him around there, but I like him.

[Jason Moore]

As of right now. As of right now. They lost Adam Humphreys a lot of targets. They lost Deshaun Jackson a lot of targets. I mean, there are.

[Andy Holloway]

I think he's a locked and loaded top 24.

[Jason Moore]

I completely as of today.

[Andy Holloway]

And I think it's a locked and.

[Jason Moore]

Loaded wide receiver too.

[Andy Holloway]

The problem is there's zero percent chance that that team rests on Justin Watson on the outside.

[Mike Wright]

Agreed.

[Andy Holloway]

None. So they're drafting a whiteout. That's a done deal.

[Jason Moore]

So I'm looking at the average draft position. Who's going there. I assume you would take Mike Williams over Chris Godwin.

[Andy Holloway]

I would.

[Jason Moore]

They're right next to each other. Doug Baldwin and Tyler Lockett are on the outside of those two guys. I would take Chris Godwin over both of those guys.

[Andy Holloway]

I would put Godwin right around Lockett. I'd probably take Godwin for the upside. I don't like the. The kind of hyper efficiency of Lockett. He's not in our top 24. I have Godwin ranked higher for sure. And for over Baldwin for sure. Because right now Baldwin has sneaky upside if he's healthy.

[Mike Wright]

That's a big, big if.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, it's a. It's an if that's disappearing. But you guys are willing to give so much injury credit to all these other guys. Not factor it in.

[Mike Wright]

Just A.J. green. Just guys who are elite.

[Jason Moore]

Well said.

[Mike Wright]

Thank you.

[Andy Holloway]

And Julian Edelman, of course, he was also been banged up. You just said he hadn't played 16 games in five years. He was suspended for five straight years. I didn't know that.

[Jason Moore]

Lot of steroids.

[Mike Wright]

Julian Edelman is a bad boy.

[Andy Holloway]

All right, we don't have to linger here very long, but Mike Williams comes in at 24. I have him at 22. Mike 25, Jason 27. He is to me what Godwin is to Jason. Mike Williams hit the 10 touchdown mark last year. I saw things on the field from Williams that just made me think he is an alpha in this league. He was dominant at times. He was irrelevant at times. This is all about ascension, and I think that he has to come out and obviously be healthy and perform all season long, but I think he's. I think we can pencil him for eight plus touchdowns.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, you probably can. I didn't. I didn't like the landing spot for Mike Williams when he was drafted just because I knew it would take time to get Tyrell out of the way. And I think that Williams is a good wide receiver and played a great role for that team. So now I'm. I'm far more on board with no.

[Andy Holloway]

Tyrell involved and another season with Mike.

[Mike Wright]

Williams coming in being the two be or. And not. Not necessarily just the two, but he might be the actual dominant outside wide receiver.

[Andy Holloway]

I like him.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, that. That is your guy. You've talked him up for a while. You predicted last year that he would be able to get 10 touchdowns. He got 10 touchdowns. Well done.

[Andy Holloway]

All right, we'll wrap it up with.

[Jason Moore]

This Christine deal of the day.

[Andy Holloway]

Look, it doesn't matter how much you believe in Allen Robinson. If you can snag a signed Bears Allen Robinson jersey for $39, you do it, no questions asked. And that's what just happened yesterday on pristineauction.com hundreds of daily auctions, we bring you one deal of the day. There are hundreds to browse each and every day. Pristineauction.com that's T R I S T I N E auction dot com.

[Mike Wright]

It's free to sign up. Free to sign up, free to browse, free to bid.

[Andy Holloway]

Absolutely. That about does it. We're good to go. Thanks for joining us. Thanks for following along. Enjoy your Game of Thrones NFL draft coming soon.

[Mike Wright]

Oh, it's April's.

[Jason Moore]

Great.

[Mike Wright]

Then it's Avengers. My goodness, I don't know if I'm gonna make it through the month. Goodbye, everybody.

[Jason Moore]

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 hey, Foot Clan, don't forget about Lisa mattresses. They know how important rest is to a better life. Lisa is the foundation of a health, healthier, happier you. They have the most advanced luxury hybrid mattress. It's made with premium foams and springs for enhanced pressure relief. Don't miss out. Live healthier, live happier by resting deeper. Order today and get 15% off any mattress for a limited time at Leesa. That's L E-E-S a.com footballers and use the promo code Footballers.