Explain Yourself! Ranking Debates & Hot Takes

Summary

Podcast Summary: Fantasy Footballers - Fantasy Football Podcast

Title: Fantasy Footballers - Fantasy Football Podcast
Episode: Explain Yourself! Ranking Debates & Hot Takes
Release Date: May 21, 2019

---

1. Introduction and Foot Clan Engagement

Andy Holloway opens the episode by welcoming listeners and introducing Jonathan from the No Co Dynasty League in Loveland, Colorado, as part of the Foot Clan community:

"Jonathan from the No Co Dynasty League in Loveland, Colorado, and you're listening to the Fantasy Footballers Podcast." [00:00]

Jason Moore emphasizes the importance of the Foot Clan to the show's community:

"We have a special community, the Foot Clan out there. I mean, we're not the same without the Foot Clan..." [01:00]

The hosts introduce a new feature encouraging Foot Clan supporters to engage with the show by bragging about their leagues or teams.

---

2. Draft Strategy When on the Turn

The discussion shifts to a listener's question from Brad Schussel about adjusting draft strategies when picking on the turn (i.e., last or first pick in a round).

Jason Moore shares his frustrations with drafting on the turn:

"I throw ADP out the window... I hate being on the turn for that reason..." [03:21]

Andy Holloway adds that it's a big gamble due to the lengthy wait between picks:

"It's a big gamble is what you're saying." [04:11]

Mike Wright concurs, advising against relying solely on Average Draft Position (ADP) when drafting on the turn.

---

3. News and Notes

The hosts cover recent NFL news impacting fantasy football:

• Carson Wentz's Status:
  Jason Moore discusses Carson Wentz's improved status regarding his spinal injury:

  "The injury that he had with his spine is one that... could hold him back in the offseason." [06:26]
  He believes the Eagles might consider extending Wentz's contract now rather than later.

• Ezekiel Elliott Incident:
  Andy Holloway brings up Ezekiel Elliott's run-in with law enforcement and potential league repercussions:

  "It didn't look like a severe situation... but because Zeke has been down this road." [07:40]
  Mike Wright suggests a possible two-game suspension.

• Rex Burkhead's Active Status:
  Jeff Howe from The Athletic reports that Burkhead's active status depends on the Patriots carrying five running backs, influenced by other players like Sony Michel and Damien Harris.

• Texans Release Ryan Griffin:
  Andy Holloway mentions the Texans releasing tight end Ryan Griffin following his arrest at the NFL Draft in Nashville.

---

4. Ranking Debates & Hot Takes

The bulk of the episode delves into heated debates over player rankings, highlighting significant disagreements among the hosts.

a. Tyreek Hill Debate

Jason Moore and Andy Holloway engage in a spirited discussion about Tyreek Hill's ranking, with both hosts placing him differently than Mike Wright.

Jason Moore argues against Hill being a top-five wide receiver due to limited touchdown production:

"Even though he's got Andrew Luck throwing touchdowns, he's not really been a huge touchdown guy." [15:26]

Andy Holloway counters by emphasizing Hill's high volume in yards and receptions:

"You have a high volume in terms of targets and receptions... a high degree of risk with Leonard Fournette." [16:20]

The debate underscores differing valuations of touchdown reliability versus yardage and targets.

b. Dalvin Cook's Ranking

Mike Wright expresses skepticism about Dalvin Cook's ability to maintain high carry volume due to injury concerns:

"I just don't see his own goodness." [18:28]

Jason Moore believes Cook remains a solid RB despite potential volume drops:

"I think Dalvin Cook is going to be a really, really solid running back this year." [20:43]

Andy Holloway highlights Cook's past performance and potential for an upper-echelon ranking:

"Latavius Murray is gone, Dalvin Cook was the RB6 from weeks 13 through 17." [18:39]

c. Leonard Fournette’s Controversial Ranking

Andy Holloway criticizes Leonard Fournette's efficiency and off-field issues:

"This is a guy with a 3.7 career average... his entire career is unlikable." [21:02]
"There are too many risky factors associated with Fournette." [22:18]

Mike Wright notes Fournette's pass-catching potential but acknowledges his inefficiency:

"Even if he steps up, his efficiency metrics don't help much." [22:18]

d. DJ Moore's Potential

Jason Moore defends DJ Moore's higher ranking based on his breakout potential in Carolina's offense:

"DJ Moore takes a big step forward... I think he's talented." [27:07]

Andy Holloway and Mike Wright question the consistency of Moore's rookie performance translating into sustained fantasy value.

e. Mark Andrews as a Sleeper Tight End

Jason Moore passionately supports Mark Andrews, highlighting his rookie season's success and potential for increased touchdowns with Lamar Jackson:

"Mark Andrews is high... he was pretty darn good." [38:49]
"He showed that he can... does he get enough from Lamar Jackson to be in that top 10?" [40:33]

Andy Holloway agrees, portraying Andrews as a valuable sleeper tight end:

"Mark Andrews is on my team... he's a sleeper tight end out there." [41:10]

f. Sterling Shepard's Underappreciated Value

Mike Wright criticizes Sterling Shepard's low ranking despite his role as the primary receiver in New York:

"The opportunity goes down." [42:18]
"I'm not letting the allure of Sterling Shepard... wreck my boat." [43:50]

Jason Moore acknowledges Shepard's performance when paired with Odell Beckham Jr. but remains skeptical about his standalone value.

g. Nick Chubb's Position Stability

Jason Moore discusses uncertainties around Nick Chubb's carry volume, especially with Kareem Hunt potentially returning:

"Chubb would be ahead in my rankings because I like guys that get off to start strong starts." [45:31]

Andy Holloway counters by differentiating Chubb from Fournette, citing Chubb's higher yards per carry and lack of injury history:

"It's 66% of your fantasy season for the regular season... He's younger. He doesn't have an injury history." [48:52]

h. Will Fuller’s Role in Kansas City

Andy Holloway and Jason Moore discuss Will Fuller’s inconsistent role alongside quarterbacks DeSean Watson and Patrick Mahomes:

"Sean Watson is going to be unbelievable in fantasy this year." [51:08]

Mike Wright highlights the reduction in Fuller's targets due to the presence of other receivers, leading to his lower ranking.

---

5. Conclusion

The episode wraps up with a lighthearted promotional segment for PristineAuction.com, offering listeners a discount and a free $5 credit for authenticated sports memorabilia. The hosts reiterate the value of their community and encourage engagement through their website and social media platforms.

Andy Holloway signs off with:

"Thanks for tuning in. Thanks for enduring the Explain yourself." [55:28]

Jason Moore adds:

"Thank you for listening to another episode of the Fantasy Footballers PODC." [55:28]

---

Notable Quotes:

• Jason Moore:

  "I think DJ Moore takes a big step forward. If you look at his games from week 10 on last year..." [27:07]

• Andy Holloway:

  "He ranked 112 in yards created per carry because he's been inefficient." [33:43]

• Mike Wright:

  "I think there's a lot of mall patrolling that's going to be going on." [10:26]

---

This episode provides an in-depth look into the Fantasy Footballers' differing perspectives on player rankings, highlighting the subjective nature of fantasy football analysis. The hosts engage in spirited debates, offering listeners diverse viewpoints to consider when managing their fantasy teams.

Transcript

[Andy Holloway]

Hi, this is Jonathan from the no co Dynasty League in Loveland, Colorado, and you're listening to the Fantasy Footballers Podcast.

[Jason Moore]

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

[Andy Holloway]

Oh, welcome in foreign Holloway, joined as always by Jason Moore and Mike the fantasy Hitman. Right. Welcome to the show. I wasn't even the first one to welcome you. Jonathan was the first one to welcome one of our mighty, mighty, esteemed Foot Clan. Yeah. What'd you think? You like, you like hearing from the. The Foot Clan? Introducing the show? Is there a special energy?

[Jason Moore]

I mean, look, this show is. We have a special community, the Foot Clan out there. I mean, we're not the same without the Foot Clan, so we felt like bringing them in. You're a part of. You are this show.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah. So we. We're adding new little. New little wrinkle. New little wrinkle to the show. If you're a Foot Clan supporter [e-mail] we're get some show intros. You can brag about your league or your team or whatever you want. So. All right. Great show today because you're gonna have to explain yourself.

[Jason Moore]

Explain yourself.

[Andy Holloway]

The weather in Arizona needs to explain itself, by the way, as well.

[Mike Wright]

Yes.

[Andy Holloway]

Delightful late day and it's raining outside. And it's cool. It's cooled. It's cooled off.

[Mike Wright]

Makes no sense. We're supposed to be swimming.

[Jason Moore]

Well, no, I. I think the reality is this is where we've always heard, like, California's about to drop off.

[Mike Wright]

Right.

[Jason Moore]

This is just the preparation for that.

[Andy Holloway]

Wait, California's gonna drop off into the ocean?

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, we're about to be beachfront.

[Mike Wright]

Learn to swim.

[Andy Holloway]

What? I mean, so Maynard said, would there be a quick rush to the border then to, like, claim land? Cause I'm assuming all the land on the California Arizona border is probably not all, like, publicly owned.

[Jason Moore]

It's not publicly owned, but I don't think the rush for right next to where land just fell off to dead is, like, gonna be the hot commodity, really. Let's build there.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, Right next to the sinkhole.

[Jason Moore]

Yes.

[Andy Holloway]

That's fair. That's a fair point. But it is nice outside and it's nice inside. We've got a great show. You can follow us on Twitter @ the ffballers. We are basically going to be looking at our rankings today and where there is a great disparity between one of us and the other two. So some of the disagreements or players that we are really high on or really low on. We're gonna have to explain ourselves to the judge Giamatti himself and to each other. That's it. Quick question for the day. This one was sent in from Brad. He says, how should being on.

[Mike Wright]

Brad Schussel.

[Andy Holloway]

Yes, Brad Schussel. Schussel.

[Jason Moore]

Thank you, Mike.

[Andy Holloway]

It sounds like a streusel.

[Jason Moore]

It sounds delicious.

[Andy Holloway]

How should being on the turn in your fantasy draft influence your draft strategy?

[Jason Moore]

And now being on the turn, that means you're the last pick or the first pick in a round. So you've got the 11, 12, and then you don't pick again for a long period of time. I know for me, that means I throw ADP out the window.

[Mike Wright]

Yep.

[Jason Moore]

Like, I. I hate being on the turn for that reason because I love playing the ADP game. The average draft position where it's like, you know, I think I like this guy, but he should. You know, I'm only five picks away. He probably won't be drafted yet. I'm going to skip picking him, and then I still get him with my next pick. But every time that I've tried to play that game when I'm on the turn, I lose that game.

[Mike Wright]

Yes. You cannot let it ride when you're on the turn.

[Jason Moore]

No. So you just got to pick the guys you like. Like, don't. If you. If there's a guy you want and you think, is this too early? It's not draft the guys you want.

[Andy Holloway]

It's a big gamble is what you're saying. You just have so many variables between your pick and the next time you get to pick. So if you have somebody that you have to get better to look stupid, drafting them early and get the right guy.

[Mike Wright]

Yep.

[Jason Moore]

Another tip. If you guys don't have one, I find that when I do mine, I. I am. Maybe. Maybe this is just I'm drafting afraid, but I find that I am less inclined to go running back. Running back or wide receiver. Wide receiver. Not know, like early in a draft. Not knowing what the runs will be later. I just feel like I need to diversify a little bit better on each turn. I find myself taking a running back on a wide receiver.

[Andy Holloway]

I was actually going to say I'm even more unlikely to take a shot on a tight end or a quarterback.

[Jason Moore]

Sure.

[Andy Holloway]

Because I have no frame of reference between now and 22 picks later whether or not there's going to be a run, whether the value is really there. I find myself being a little bit more close to the vest by the book. Mike, do you have Anything you want to add or are you good?

[Mike Wright]

Nope. I'm with Jay though I usually end up a bit more balanced than positional heavy.

[Andy Holloway]

All right, be sure to check out the community jointhefoot.com and then tickets for the live tour of the show. They are [e-mail] Chicago, New York, San Francisco, L.A. phoenix. Our live tour this summer. It's going to be fun. It's going to be awesome. And Chicago is the first stop. So get your Chicago tickets right now. Ballerslive.com you guys want to talk some news?

[Jason Moore]

Yes sir. News and notes from around the league presented by Sleeper.

[Andy Holloway]

Very enthusiastic present.

[Jason Moore]

I'm here. Yes. I'm excited. I'm ready.

[Mike Wright]

I felt like it was more.

[Andy Holloway]

Did this help?

[Mike Wright]

It was a little. It was rhetorical. He was asking the question to the soundboard.

[Andy Holloway]

Carson Wentz. No limits for Carson Wentz at OTAs.

[Mike Wright]

It's like a T shirt brand.

[Andy Holloway]

No limit.

[Jason Moore]

No limits Brought to you by Carson Wentz.

[Andy Holloway]

What does it matter with Carson Wentz and no limitations? Do you read into that?

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, no, I do. I do very much because my Explain yourself. I'll explain myself. The injury that he had with his spine is one that is. You know, the pro football doc from last season was talking about how this could be something that really holds him back in the off season and so I wanted to see when he is a true.

[Andy Holloway]

They're also talking extension with him. So full go.

[Jason Moore]

Well, it would be really smart to me of the Eagles to extend him now versus if he comes out and has a great year and then have to, you know, pay crazy out the nose. But yeah, I think this is great news. If you're a Carson Wentz owner or fan, the fact that he's not limited at this point in the year is great.

[Andy Holloway]

Ezekiel Elliott released without charges but was handcuffed in Las Vegas, a music festival. If you watch the video, basically gave a little forearm shiver to a security guard. We were talking in the car on the way to lunch when this happened, you know. Do you believe that Ezekiel Elliott could receive a punishment from the league? If this was anybody that does not have a record, if this was a.

[Mike Wright]

First time offense where someone was in trouble, then no.

[Andy Holloway]

And to be clear, when I say doesn't have a record, I mean a record with the league as being disciplined by the league because there's a history there, I think it is possible that we see some repercussions. It didn't look like a severe situation by any stretch, but because Zeke has been in. Down this road. Do you think one or two games is possible here?

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, I think that two games is possible. And it's. He was antagonistic in the video. I mean, there's also him, the. The lady he was with where he's. He's physically putting himself in the way so she cannot walk away. I mean, the combination of those things and then getting in the face of someone who literally could not back up. I mean, the security guard is pressed up against a metal gate.

[Jason Moore]

So it.

[Mike Wright]

A two game would not surprise me. I'm not saying, like, for sure he would get suspended, but you. I think that the team will be preparing as such.

[Andy Holloway]

It's within the realm of possibility, that's for sure. John Ross missed the Bengals veteran volunteer minicamp because of one word, tightness.

[Mike Wright]

Now, tightness, is this like the good kind where it's like he's so tight?

[Jason Moore]

No, no, I don't think so.

[Andy Holloway]

No, no, no. This is like tight.

[Jason Moore]

I think this is the bad kind.

[Andy Holloway]

He's closed too tight.

[Jason Moore]

The John Ross kind where all of his muscles are so tight that he's very fast and also injured.

[Mike Wright]

John Ross yoga. Check it out.

[Andy Holloway]

Pretty much. I mean, at some point, you look at what's gone on with John Ross's short career and you see a guy who ran A really nice 40. We.

[Jason Moore]

You and I, Andy. Yes, he sure did. We made a trade this offseason, our dynasty league that I regret.

[Andy Holloway]

Do you?

[Jason Moore]

Yes.

[Andy Holloway]

I mean, literally, only because of this news.

[Jason Moore]

No, literally, on today's episode, I am splaining myself about my love for Mark Andrews this season. And I traded away Mark Andrews for John Ross. For John Ross.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, but your team is tight.

[Jason Moore]

Yes, it is. My team is very tight. Thank you, Mike.

[Andy Holloway]

All right. Jeff Howe reports the fact that he believes, and that's from the Athletic, that Rex Burkhead will only be active if the Patriots carried five running backs on the active roster. This goes in line with kind of our discussions on the show. You've got Sony Michelle, you know, Damien Harris will be there. High draft, capital rookie. You know that Brandon Bolden's on special teams. James White, you know, James White is involved. So, yeah, the math adds up for Burkhead to need to be the fifth active guy. Unless something happens to Harris in the offseason or Burkhead is capable on special teams. If something happens to Bolden. Otherwise it's not looking good for Blerkhead.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, there is. There's a lot of. A lot of mall patrolling that's going to be going On.

[Andy Holloway]

Oh, no. All right, last bit of news. The Texans released tight end Ryan Griffin.

[Mike Wright]

Okay, wasn't this, like, forever ago?

[Jason Moore]

No, no, no.

[Andy Holloway]

It was a little while ago.

[Jason Moore]

He was arrested.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, he got in trouble at the.

[Jason Moore]

NFL draft, but they didn't release him until just a few days ago.

[Andy Holloway]

He got arrested at the draft?

[Jason Moore]

Yes, it was at. In Nashville.

[Mike Wright]

Was he trying to be drafted again?

[Jason Moore]

I don't believe so, but they did draft an interesting prospect in the third round, so keep your eyes on Jordan Thomas. I don't think there's a relevant this year redraft player coming out of there.

[Andy Holloway]

All right, that was today's news and notes, as always brought to you by the sleeper app. Be sure to check it out. It is the solution for many of you looking for a great league hosting platform. Without further ado, let's get into it.

[Jason Moore]

I'm quite well, thank you.

[Andy Holloway]

No, clearly you are not.

[Jason Moore]

No rational person would do as you have done. Explain yourself.

[Mike Wright]

Speaking of finales, that didn't let you down, am I right?

[Andy Holloway]

We're not getting into that. Although rational is not the point of reference that I would put. Like, you know, Jason, I don't think he's seeking rationality on a daily basis. Is that your, like, highest goal never.

[Jason Moore]

Comes into my goal list when I make a chart of my goals. Being rational, I'm not sure a chart.

[Andy Holloway]

Of your goals fits into a chart of my goals.

[Jason Moore]

No, I've never made a chart of my goals because that's opposed to what my theoretical chart of goals would have on it. That is correct.

[Andy Holloway]

All right, that's the.

[Jason Moore]

Here's. Here's the chart of my goals. Have the most accurate draft rankings.

[Andy Holloway]

Yes.

[Jason Moore]

There you go. Yeah.

[Andy Holloway]

What you've done before, you. You. You have a number three finish in your resume. So tell us why you despise Ty Hilton. Because you have.

[Mike Wright]

Big dummy.

[Andy Holloway]

You have ty Hilton at 12. And honestly, I think it is as much. Jason having to explain himself about 12 Brooks could have made Mike and I explain ourselves, too.

[Jason Moore]

Yes. And except we.

[Mike Wright]

We agree we did not talk about Ty Hilton. We started him out completely independently and.

[Andy Holloway]

Somehow he's number six.

[Mike Wright]

We both came up with the exact same idea.

[Jason Moore]

Right? So let me tell you why YouTube both came up with the wrong idea.

[Andy Holloway]

I thought you said bozos. YouTube. Bozos.

[Jason Moore]

YouTube. Bozos came up with both the wrong idea. Ty Hilton's great, right? We all love him. I've got him as my wide receiver.

[Andy Holloway]

So far, so good.

[Jason Moore]

My wide receiver, 12. So obviously I think he's going to have a very good year, be a wide receiver one, but the back end of it. Why do I, I do not believe Ty Hilton is a top five, top six type of prospect. And the reason why is touchdowns. He's just not a touchdown guy. He's had years and years with Andrew Luck as his number one. What has he done with that time? He's been great. He's been fantastic. He's led the league in yards before, but what hasn't he done? Even though he's got Andrew Luck throwing touchdowns, he's not really been a huge touchdown guy. His career high in touchdowns is seven. He's usually, you know, six, five, four touchdowns. Like he's not a touchdown scorer. So my point is, if you look back to 2013, that's as far as I went. I'm sure it holds up much longer than that. But that, that gives 30 opportunities for a top five wide receiver in those seasons since 2013, only two times has there been a top five wide receiver with fewer than seven, with seven touchdowns or fewer. Fewer than eight touchdowns has only happened two times out of 30. Now, I will grant you that one of those two was actually Ty Hilton when he was number five. But that's not where he usually finishes. Ty Hilton's, you know, over the last several years. Last year was good. He was the 14th wide receiver, missed a couple games prior to that. A model of health as far as games played 16 a season. He was the 25th wide receiver, the 21st wide receiver, the 11th wide receiver, the 19th wide. Always a good wide receiver. But I think saying that just because he's the number one, Andrew Luck is not factoring in what his specific skill set is and what his limitations are. And you have other better options now for in zone work. You know, Devin Funches, Paris Campbell Doyle, healthy with Ebron. I don't think all of a sudden this is the year where it's like he's the red zone guy. He's going to get eight, nine touchdowns. He's going to have a career high in touchdowns unless he does. He's a back end wide receiver one, not a top end wide receiver one.

[Andy Holloway]

Well, and I think, you know, Mike, you can speak for yourself. We both ended up with him at 6. This was a product of stating him out. I've got him near the league lead in total yardage, which he's done before. I've got him with 90 receptions. And if you look at the 85 career games with Andrew Luck, you're dead on. I mean, seven touchdowns is his Pace average with Andrew Luck. That's all you're ever going to bank on. Like if either of us were sitting here saying we thought 10 touchdowns was coming for Ty Hilton, we would have been betraying the history we have, right?

[Mike Wright]

Yeah.

[Andy Holloway]

It's just a matter of high volume in terms of yardage and then I think a high volume in terms of targets and receptions. But you do have the injury concerns with Hilton, there's no doubt about that. Sure. And I think that this year with players like Antonio Brown not being in that top six guys for me, I don't know if he is for you, Mike, he's not, you know, that's another player that found himself behind Ty Hilton instead of in front of him moving Hilton up in the rankings.

[Mike Wright]

I mean we, it's, it's recent history for me, for Ty Holton, I have him matching his career high in touchdowns. I have him hitting that seven mark. But 2016 is when he led the league in yards. The very next year, that's when he didn't have Andrew Luck for an entire season. And then this year, if he had played 16 games, he would have, he would have been right, right around the yard as he hit in 2016 because he was actually averaging.2 yards, 0.2 yards more per game. So that's where I am with T Wood Hilton. Just the recent history of the evolution of him as a wide receiver, the evolution of Andrew Luck as a quarterback. I think that it would be easy for Ty Hilton to be in that 1400 yards again or range again.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, I don't think that they're, you know, to kick off this segment. I'm not sure. The Hilton debate is extremely controversial. Jason still finds him to be a repugnant. He finds him to be repugnant, yes.

[Jason Moore]

Wide receiver 1.

[Andy Holloway]

By ranking him above you should be where he finished last.

[Mike Wright]

Ashamed of yourself.

[Andy Holloway]

But Mike, look, I couldn't disagree with you more on your take on this next guy. Jason and I both have him at 10. He's our consensus 11. But you got him at 16 and that's Dalvin Cook. Mike, you, you hinted at why you disagree on Cook being a top end guy on a recent show. Probably. I think the last show we did, I remember thinking Mike is super wrong at that time. So please explain yourself.

[Mike Wright]

It's just all about volume. For Dalvin Cook, the volume through the air will absolutely be there. That's why I have him up at 16. But I think that the Vikings just, with what they have seen from Dalvin Cook, which is a player who has shown himself to be very injury prone that you can't give him 250 carries. He's not that type of a player. He's much more right around that 200, maybe up to 210 mark. And so I just don't see his own goodness.

[Andy Holloway]

But Mike.

[Jason Moore]

Yes.

[Mike Wright]

Voice of public opinion.

[Andy Holloway]

Latavius Murray is gone.

[Jason Moore]

Yes.

[Andy Holloway]

And. And Dalvin cook was the RB6 from weeks 13 through 17.

[Mike Wright]

Sure.

[Andy Holloway]

So he can be in that upper echelon.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, he absolutely can. I just don't have him projected there. And it's. Latavius Murray is gone. Alexander Madison is in. He was a third round draft pick. Third round draft pick is right on that cutoff where players can be very fantasy, have. Have great fantasy value. I mean, Donald Cook was a second round pick himself. So the team is. They're perfectly fine moving into the season with Dalma Cook and Alexander Madison. If you look at Dalma Cook, I.

[Andy Holloway]

Worry about the health.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah.

[Andy Holloway]

So he's riskier than others.

[Mike Wright]

You look at him last year, 10 or few carries of six in six of 11 games and then you have what most people are looking at. Well, the OC was fired with just a couple games left and the OC was fired the very next game. Dalvin Cook had the most touches, the most yards of the season. Yeah, that's true. That game was also against the Miami Dolphins who were the second worst rushing defense in the league in that game where David Cook had himself a time. Latavius Murray also had 15 carries in that game. So that was a product of game script. And then after that you saw that the carries trail down for David Cook. So it's just a matter of volume on the ground. I don't think that he will get to the range where he needs to be a top end running back. One.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah. I mean, I fully believe from what I've read about the Vikings and their reporters, they believe Dalvin Cook is the centerpiece of the rushing attack. I know they got Alexander Madison. I really hope he comes through so that we can sing the Hamilton, you know, music with Alexander Madison. Exactly. But in the meantime, I think Dalvin Cook is going to be a really, really solid running back this year. If you were to say the reason I got him at 16 is because he's injury like I don't have him playing 16, I've got him playing 14. Sign me up because I still see him as not having proven that he can play 16 games. But if he's out there 16, I.

[Andy Holloway]

Think you're low and I assume your 16 ranking is based on him playing 16 games. You just believe that it's a volume issue. Yep. And I hope he proves you wrong for my dynasty seems sake. Wow, that's crazy. 71% of last year's fantasy points in that four week span for Cook.

[Jason Moore]

Now here's, here's the real issue. The real issue here is the absolute hatred that Andy Holloway has for Leonard Fournette. I don't know what Leonard Fournette, number four pick in the NFL draft did to Andy or Andy's family. Like, you know, I don't feel like Mike or I are crazy high on him. Right. Yeah.

[Mike Wright]

But to say that we don't, that I don't dislike him would be.

[Andy Holloway]

You want to be included.

[Mike Wright]

It would not be an accurate state.

[Jason Moore]

But for fantasy purposes, we know he's going to touch the ball a ton and you know, we've got him ranked relatively neutrally at 14 and 15, Mike. But Andy's over here pulling his ranking down. You've got him in the 20s splain yourself.

[Andy Holloway]

Well, I really appreciate the fact that you introduced that with Leonard Fournette's greatest accomplishment as a professional athlete, which was to be drafted as high as he was drafted. But when you just look at the track record for Fournette, I have, I just have so many things that trouble me. This is a guy with a 3.7 career average and that's giving him credit because last year he's 3.2 a carry.

[Jason Moore]

That's not good. That's not good.

[Andy Holloway]

And the problem is, is like I, I will allow players like, if you want to talk me into Fournette, if the basis of an argument for a running back was based on, you know, the fact he's going to be heavily involved in the passing game and that will neutralize some of the inefficiency in the running game. Right. Melvin Gordon has had inefficient seasons, sure. But he receives a ton of targets in the passing game. You have a quarterback in foals that has not hyper targeted running backs historically. I think Fournette will be involved as much as a guy that's going to be on the field. First and second down is going to be involved. But here's what you've got going on with Fournette's career. You get to take the inefficiency and you get to stack a few little fears on top of it. Like there have been weight concerns with Leonard Fournette. Is he playing too heavy? Is he, is he going to play too heavy? This year you have the arrest. Yes, it was a slap on the wrist for the driving problem, but it was another. Well, what's going on then? The suspension by the team for his attitude, the disagreements with Tom Coughlin. These are too many. There are too many risky factors associated with Fournette and this was not a good football team last year. Now everyone believes, okay, Foles is going to come in. It's a better situation than they had, but it's not an easy division. Okay, Indianapolis is great, Houston's great.

[Mike Wright]

Yep.

[Andy Holloway]

Tennessee is going to be better than advertised in my opinion. So I think you have.

[Mike Wright]

They're advertised as bad.

[Jason Moore]

So they're better.

[Andy Holloway]

I think they're bad. I think they are advertised.

[Mike Wright]

It's good.

[Jason Moore]

Here's our lock. Here's my.

[Andy Holloway]

I get the volume. I get the volume. But you're talking about a non pass catching volume situation.

[Jason Moore]

I don't believe that's true because a non pass catching situation is. Sony Michelle LeGarrett blunt.

[Andy Holloway]

We talked about that. Those are abysmal passing.

[Jason Moore]

No, those are non passing situations. Leonard Fournette was on pace to have north of 30, you know, receptions and now you lose TJ Yelden. They did not bring in another capable pass catching back. He is shockingly the most pass capable back on their roster. So I think he's going to be involved more in that way. But let's say he's not. Let's say he's the same pace he was last year. Right. And you said what he was abysmal. 3.2 yards per carry, gross garbage. Even still on a per game basis, he was the running back 13. With all that trash considered, he was the running back 13. And that's including being behind guys like.

[Andy Holloway]

How did he do per game? Marlon Mack and let me argue with you, okay, Using a per game statistic on a player like Leonard Fournette is putting the blinders on because per game is. It's his second greatest feature behind being drafted fourth overall. Per game has been his problem. If he could play all the games, he would have been fine. He would have been good.

[Jason Moore]

But have you statted him missing games or you sat in him 16 game pace?

[Andy Holloway]

I've statted him with respect to the fact that I believe that they will find other solutions in the passing game and, and that there is a high degree of risk with Leonard Fournette whether it would be another suspension, the team losing confidence in him halfway through the season and realizing they don't even have to pay him next year if they don't want to because they find somebody else in their offense. I think that over the course of training camp you're going to start to see names emerge that aren't Leonard Fournette. And I could be wrong and it won't be Alford Blues name that's going to be stealing things from him. But that is why I have hesitation, because I don't think that the pass catching will wash out the risk. But I get, look, you guys have not been unfair to him. You've given him 14, 15. You haven't said, hey, this is a banner year for Leonard Fournette and part of that's got to be Jacksonville's got an uphill battle in that division too. You got to be ahead, you got to be winning. They were a great. If their defense returns the form, then they can do the little A plus B equals Leonard Fournette on the field if he's healthy.

[Jason Moore]

Well, if my man Josh Allen has anything to say about that on defense, fall into the Jaguars. They gonna be running the ball.

[Andy Holloway]

We'll see. We'll see what happens. All right, Jason.

[Jason Moore]

Yes.

[Andy Holloway]

We're getting into some nitty gritty here because Mike and I, we did our rankings. This next guy, we ended up, I think for me, he ended up lower than I thought he would.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, same.

[Andy Holloway]

I definitely see and recognize breakout potential. But I want to hear the argument why we are so wrong about these initial season rankings. We have DJ Moore at 31 and 32. Mike Jason has him up at 19.

[Mike Wright]

It's flabbergasting.

[Andy Holloway]

I don't even know if that's an expression, but that's what it is.

[Mike Wright]

It is now.

[Andy Holloway]

It's gasting. So explain yourself.

[Jason Moore]

Here's the reality with DJ Moore. DJ Moore was a very highly touted rookie, right. The first rookie wide receiver taken in last year's draft. One of our big takeaways from last season was to remember the slow nature of rookie wide receivers in fantasy football. They don't get off to a fast start. None of them did last year. It was really the second half of the season where you started to see some emerge, whether it was Dante Pettis or DJ Moore, whoever it is. And that's the usual trend. If you take out 2014 when there was a bunch of Odell Beckham type superstar rookie wide receivers. It really is the case where it's year two or year three where that breakout comes. Our job is not to just simply say what happened last year, but to project the future. I believe one of the Explain yourselves. That should be on this show is your ranking of Cam Newton, which maybe we'll talk about somewhere down the line. I know it's more about how much you like other quarterbacks, but I believe that Carolina has a very good offense this year with Christian McCaffrey with Healthy Cam Newton with a year two for both DJ Moore and Curtis Samuel. And if they have a good offense and D.J. moore steps up into that clear cut, wide receiver one role. Now I'm taking a risk, right, because it could be Curtis Samuel who steps up. It could be, you know, someone else. But they lost Evan Funches, they lost a good amount of targets from last year. And DJ Moore, if you look, they.

[Mike Wright]

Know where Funches is. They didn't lose him.

[Jason Moore]

Well, it's hard to lose a man of that size, I will grant you that. But the reality is he got so much better the second half of the year. You're talking about a difference in PPR first half of his rookie season from 7.95 to being up over 12. And that was with the last few games without Cam. He was still better in his game splits with Cam than with the backup. So I think DJ Moore takes a big step forward. If you look at his, you know, his games from week 10 on last year, he was on a pace in that rookie year, which we thought was kind of lousy for over a thousand yards. That was his pace. And if you think about how he did when, when there was still Cam and starting in that week 10 when they started to really give him more work from weeks 11 through 14, small sample, but he was the wide receiver 10 showing that he can, he had a good stretch. He can be the guy. I believe that. And so to me, when I stat this out, I'm looking at who's the number one for Carolina. I think it's going to be DJ Moore. I think he's talented. I liked him coming into last year's draft and if he takes that step up, 19 could be too low wins.

[Andy Holloway]

Cam really had Steve Smith. Steve Smith, right. So you're talking about his rookie season.

[Mike Wright]

Steve Smith was awesome.

[Andy Holloway]

He was. But that was his rookie season. I'm saying that it has been a wide receiver committee situation in Carolina for a while.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah. With Kelvin Benjamin and Devin Funches. You are correct, it is. There has not been a wide receiver to really have be a wide receiver one on the field. I think D.J. moore.

[Andy Holloway]

Well, I only bring that up not because I don't believe Moore could do it, but because you, you, you were saying he performed in a stretch and I feel like Benjamin and funches and gin. They had stretches with Cam. The only player that has been a consistent contributor with Cam has been early. You know, I guess you can say early season, but it's really Greg Olson.

[Mike Wright]

Greg Olson, Yeah.

[Andy Holloway]

It's interesting because I think we would all say McCaffrey's the one by way of volume.

[Jason Moore]

Sure. I have DJ Moore projected for more targets than Christian McCaffrey, so I would not say that.

[Andy Holloway]

Okay. Mike, I'm supposed to talk to you about your Austin Hooper ranking now.

[Mike Wright]

We really want to talk about this.

[Andy Holloway]

No, we don't. Jason and I have him at 13 and 14. You have him at 26. And I want to say this for the record. I don't care that you have him at 26.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, that's.

[Andy Holloway]

We're not going to talk about Austin Hooper.

[Mike Wright]

Excellent. Screw that guy.

[Jason Moore]

Honestly. Here's the deal. I've seen Austin Hooper get drafted as, like, a top 10 tight end.

[Mike Wright]

No, thank you.

[Jason Moore]

It could happen, but you're not going to be happy along the way. He's the fourth option at best in that offense. No, no.

[Andy Holloway]

That's all the time you get on today's show, Austin.

[Mike Wright]

But I had really cool stats.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, give me one, Mike. You get one, and then we're not even gonna argue with you.

[Mike Wright]

Nearly 40% of his targets came in three games.

[Andy Holloway]

Okay, good.

[Jason Moore]

That's pretty good. Set.

[Mike Wright]

Good.

[Andy Holloway]

I'd rather. I'd rather convince. I'd rather convince you that Damian Williams is bad.

[Jason Moore]

Yes, please.

[Andy Holloway]

I would rather convince you that Damian Williams is.

[Jason Moore]

Oh, this is so great for me because I get to just sit back and listen. I've besmirched Damian Williams so much, and now I've been, like, the highest ranked on him this off season, and I don't like it. And I really want to hear why. He's the wide receiver. You've got to.

[Andy Holloway]

He's not in my wide receiver. I said him as a running back this year.

[Jason Moore]

Yes. Running back. 17. Yes.

[Andy Holloway]

Tell us you have 10 and 11. And I couldn't feel more comfortable about Damian Williams at 17 than I do. I really do. That's funny. Brooks put a note in. Here he goes. Is this. Is this a placeholder ranking until training camp? No, he's at 17 because it's. It's inclusive of exactly what Damian Williams is. And here's the. Here's the story. Damian Williams had a wonderful, wonderful time with Patrick Mahomes. They were skipping through the meadows. Oh, crap.

[Mike Wright]

Did Mahomes go somewhere?

[Andy Holloway]

No.

[Mike Wright]

Oh, okay.

[Andy Holloway]

Thank you though for that. Good.

[Mike Wright]

I got a little bit worried.

[Andy Holloway]

That was impressive. 5.1 A carry with Patrick Mahomes last year. You gotta love it. Now this wasn't Damien. Look, Jason didn't like Damian Williams.

[Jason Moore]

Correct.

[Andy Holloway]

And that's because his entire career is unlikable. There's nothing likable about his career. 3.3 a carry, 3.4 a carry, 3.7 a carry.

[Mike Wright]

I like his pass catching.

[Andy Holloway]

Damian Williams has been an unlikable player to say the least. The thing about it is he was in a perfect situation. I believe you could have put 100 running backs in Damian Williams situation last season. No team.

[Jason Moore]

Amen, brother.

[Andy Holloway]

No player played with a lead more than Damian Williams. He played with a lead more than any other running back in football. You know what he did? He faced 6.4 men in the box on average. Because Patrick Mahomes demands you to pay attention to the secondary. So he faced almost the fewest guys in the box on average. He also got what was there. That's it. That's all he did. He ranked 112. 112 in yards created per carry because he's. That would be yards beyond the auto blocked amount. So he. Oh, by the way, that was like. Like almost the worst.

[Jason Moore]

This is the argument I was making you guys last year.

[Andy Holloway]

But. But it would be wrong of me if I ignored the fantasy production and because he's in the same situation. That would be the Mike argument. Right? He's in the same boat. They didn't go spend a high draft pick. They drafted Darwin Thompson in the sixth round. They picked up an undrafted free agent who by the way led the entire college football and pass catching and. But the thing is is Damian Williams. I believe that there is risk on Damian Williams this season not being as efficient, not being as perfect. Tyreek Hill may not be on the back end. Changing the amount of many faces in the box. I think that you've seen historically even when Jamal Charles was there and I think we talked about this before, maybe it was on the footcast. You know, you've had Shark, Hendrick west who would come in for a drive or a third down. I think you're going to have capable guy. I think they're going to like Darwin. They brought Darwin in for a reason. You've got also Darrell Williams who never dropped the pass 100% catch rating last year.

[Mike Wright]

Out of how many targets?

[Andy Holloway]

100 million.

[Jason Moore]

Impressive.

[Mike Wright]

Well, that's, that's, that's about 100 million more than I thought.

[Andy Holloway]

And the thing Is is obviously Carlos height is there but here's my major point. If Carlos Hyde siphoned some first and second down work some they went out, they paid for him quickly and then you do integrate some rotation there's just more risk to Damian Williams than anybody else. I rank in that top 12. I don't see the same variables that exist. I don't see the same outlier season. Do you consider Damian Williams season an outlier? I do based historically on his data. So when I look at the efficiency metrics of like he didn't really get more.

[Mike Wright]

Thank you Brooks. Darrell Williams three receptions on three targets. Is that true? Get that stat out.

[Andy Holloway]

Is that true three?

[Jason Moore]

Yeah. Stick to the hundred percent Andy. Stick to your gun.

[Mike Wright]

Look.

[Andy Holloway]

That's terrible. I just had to see. Thanks Brooks.

[Mike Wright]

I could play running back for Patrick Mahomes and I've got a shot at catching three targets.

[Andy Holloway]

That's a terrible stat. That's a terrible stat and it should not submarine my argument. Carlos Hyde is a terrible pass catcher. He's not going to steal pass catching duty from.

[Mike Wright]

Agreed.

[Andy Holloway]

Damian was Williams will be great. You know how great he'll be about 17.

[Jason Moore]

I love everything you just said. I think that the role of the Kansas City Chiefs RB1 is worth more than the RB17.

[Mike Wright]

Agreed.

[Jason Moore]

Which is why I don't have him ranked that low.

[Andy Holloway]

But I know I mean I love the same as last year.

[Mike Wright]

I'm wrong.

[Andy Holloway]

I'm just dead wrong.

[Jason Moore]

I just love the truth that frickin anybody could do it.

[Andy Holloway]

Well it's nice to know you could throw it to Darrell Williams as much as you want. He will never drop a pass.

[Mike Wright]

You say best hands of all time, right?

[Jason Moore]

Yes, exactly. I mean you say Carlos High doesn't have pass catching in his repertoire. He's not a good pass catcher.

[Mike Wright]

He's not.

[Jason Moore]

He did fine for one necessary season of that. Yes he did.

[Mike Wright]

He was force fed targets and he was really bad and inefficient with them and he had a bunch of drops. He's bad pass catcher.

[Jason Moore]

I promise you he's a good pass catcher from Patrick Mahomes. No. Yes. My bad. My point is Damian Williams sucks but he's going to.

[Mike Wright]

That's fine.

[Jason Moore]

But the running back one for Kansas City is going to be great.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah. My argument has always been I want Kansas City's running back. I'm [e-mail] where they break down you know running back finish by coach. Do you know how many times the running the RB one has finished 17 or lower for Head coach Andy Reid.

[Jason Moore]

I do not.

[Mike Wright]

Four times. It's just four times out of Andy Reid's 10,000 year career.

[Andy Holloway]

Name, name the running backs. You can name them on, on one hand. Jamal Charles, Kareem Hunt, sure guys, but.

[Mike Wright]

Guys that catch the ball. And Damian Williams, well, that's fair. Damien's one that it's.

[Andy Holloway]

Don't you feel like there might be more risk to Damian in that 12 than any other for those reasons?

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, I don't. I won't argue the fact that there is. Absolutely.

[Andy Holloway]

I did my best, Jason. For Damian Williams, I did my best and I submarine myself with three catches from Darrell Williams. All right, Jason, you've got Mark Andrews up at D10.

[Jason Moore]

Got him where he belongs.

[Andy Holloway]

That makes him an extremely relevant fantasy tight end, a sleeper tight end. I loved Mark Andrews to the point of I went and traded him or traded for him from you.

[Jason Moore]

Shut up.

[Andy Holloway]

But I don't have him that high. I do have him though. He's on my team. Did I mention that he's on my team, not yours.

[Jason Moore]

You did mention that he was traded away from the champion team to your team. Yes, that's correct.

[Mike Wright]

What is happening?

[Jason Moore]

All right, so Mark Andrews is high. When I put out my first rankings, that was one of the names that came back a lot like, was like holy Mark Andrews. You know, like you guys, you really believe. Or oftentimes it was who's Mark Andrews? Like a lot of people were saying they didn't know who Mark Andrews is and that's fine because he wasn't a relevant fantasy option last year. And he was a rookie. He was for the putrid Baltimore passing game. And so I get not knowing who Mark Andrews is, but let me explain who he is. He was a very prolific pass catching tight end in college. I wasn't sure if that was just because he had a great quarterback or if he was good. He looked a little pudgy to me when he was running, but he did a lot of. He did a lot of damage at college.

[Mike Wright]

That's mean.

[Jason Moore]

I just calls it how I sees it, Mike. Then he comes to the NFL and he passes the eye test in the NFL as a rookie, which is rare. He was pretty darn good. In fact, he was good to the point of I realized that the touchdowns did not flow for Lamar Jackson or for Joe Flacco this last year. But as far as yardage goes, he was since the year 2000 he was the sixth highest yardage for a rookie tight end. And yeah, and if you. Because rookie tight ends don't do much right. But he showed that he can. And here's the coolest part. Look at the splits with Flacco because you might go well, Flacco loves tight ends. He can only throw like two yards but he had a pace. Mark Andrews did with, with Joe Flacco. He was on pace for 434 yards, which is sure. When he was playing with Lamar Jackson, he was on pace for over 700 yards as a rookie. That's fantastic. Who was, who's, who's their number one wide receiver? Who was it last year? It was Michael Crabtree. Crabtree who was their number two is John Brown. So the targets of any veterans there are gone. They brought in a couple rookies, but they're still rookies. The only rapport that he really has with anyone who had target volume is Willie Snead and Mark Andrews. Mark Andrews showed well. This is a system that has, that knows how to use the tight end. So I think Mark Andrews takes a huge step forward. The real question is going to be touchdowns. Does he get enough from Lamar Jackson to be in that top 10? I think he does.

[Andy Holloway]

What do you say to somebody who feels Andrews took advantage of Hayden Hurst's absence and Hurst Boyle too involved for Andrews to be relevant?

[Jason Moore]

No, I think that, I think that this is a system. They want to run the ball so much that they use multiple tight ends on every single play. I'm not worried about Hayden Hurst. You know, last year you had, you had Nick Boyle stepping up. You had Dose Equis, Max Williams who's now gone from the team as well at the tight end position. So I, you know, whatever you gain in Hayden Hurst, you lose elsewhere.

[Andy Holloway]

I loved watching Mark Andrews play.

[Mike Wright]

It's good.

[Andy Holloway]

I talked about it a lot last year. I loved watching him play. He can stretch the field so it'll be interesting. I didn't have the courage to rank him that high.

[Jason Moore]

Well, sleeper tight end out there.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, I like it. I like it. I'm going to move him up.

[Jason Moore]

Sweet.

[Andy Holloway]

Well, he's free. He's free. So like it's just. Do you want him for free or not? Sterling Shepard. Mike, you are burying Sterling Shepard. I don't understand how he could be this low if he is the number one receiver on the outside in New York. Maybe he's not. Why don't you explain yourself? Mike and I or Jason and I have him high 20s, not even in the wide receiver too. I don't feel like we're giving him too much love. 29, 27, but you got him at 39.

[Jason Moore]

Explain yourself.

[Andy Holloway]

Pretty much got your middle finger up, pointed at Sterling there.

[Mike Wright]

I went in. I took another look because I wanted to be sure I gave him a little boost. I've got him all the way up now at number 37.

[Jason Moore]

Oh, that's very well.

[Andy Holloway]

How he's got to feel great about that.

[Mike Wright]

So it's. I just.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah.

[Mike Wright]

Here's the thing. Sterling Shepard in 2018. Here were his fantasy splits. With and without Odell Beckham. 12 games with OBJ, 11.388 PPR points a game. 4 games without him. 11 PPR points a game.

[Andy Holloway]

Really took advantage.

[Mike Wright]

Let's open that sample up. Let's get 2017 in there as well. 16 games with Odell Beckham, 11.26 points. We're seeing a theme here. And 11 without. He got up to 13. So you saw a bump of two points. And I'm just.

[Andy Holloway]

I.

[Mike Wright]

Some guys are just not made to be Batman, and Sterling Shepard is not. The problem is Batman has left Gotham. There is. There is no primary hero on this team. And because Golden Tate is not. He's not a number one to me. Golden Tate's fantastic, and I think Sterling Shepard is a good receiver as well.

[Andy Holloway]

It's almost like they need Odell Beckham Jr.

[Mike Wright]

It's. It's almost like they need Batman, a number one wide receiver on this team.

[Andy Holloway]

Well, and I made many of the arguments about a potential fantasy wasteland for New York when I talked about Golden Tate being my ice player last week. So I can certainly understand where you're coming from. Do you believe, I would imagine you have Tate rated higher.

[Mike Wright]

Yes, I do. Yes, I do. I just. I don't think that Shepard is. I should say the New York Giants passing game, I don't think is going to step up to a point where Sterling Shepard is going to be fantastic. And now when you roll in the.

[Andy Holloway]

Dice week to week on those guys.

[Mike Wright]

When you look at guys who are ranked, you know, 28 to 37, this is not a huge point differential. So I slip one more touchdown in there, and Sterling shepherd is going to rise. But for me, he's at a point where I am effectively saying, I don't care. I'm not letting the allure of Sterling shepherd. Oh, is he the number one? Odell Beckham's gone. There's. That's 150 targets and 1300 yards every single season. I'm not going to let that siren lure me into the island and wreck my boat.

[Andy Holloway]

You know, it's Actually interesting, because I think it. There are teams. Tennessee comes to mind. Jacksonville last year comes to mind where you didn't really want to start any of their receivers.

[Mike Wright]

Right?

[Andy Holloway]

But the fact that you have a hole that was once filled by Beckham, the best receiver, could trick people. You know, if Beckham's not out of the equation, if you're just looking objectively at Shepard and Tate and whatever else they have, you might have, you know, you might make a better decision than thinking, oh, man, he's going to step up and be the, be the Beckham that they need or be 80% of Beckham.

[Jason Moore]

Right.

[Andy Holloway]

He's not Beckham, is your point exactly.

[Mike Wright]

And Golden Tate is not Beckham either.

[Andy Holloway]

There is no Beckham.

[Mike Wright]

No, there's only one. He's on the Cleveland Browns. You traded him away. Gettleman.

[Jason Moore]

I'm back for your Batman reference there.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, we get it.

[Mike Wright]

Oh, I thought it was Dave.

[Jason Moore]

Hey, it's me. I'm gentleman this.

[Mike Wright]

That's been. Is the long con the whole time. We're gonna look down and we're gonna see a number zero and you're not gonna know who it is.

[Andy Holloway]

And he's gonna, oh, Gettleman's gonna be.

[Mike Wright]

On the field and he's gonna go in there, he's gonna take some snaps, he's gonna take the helmet off. It's me, gentlemen.

[Jason Moore]

Dave.

[Andy Holloway]

Okay, we got a couple more to get through here. Nick Chubb. Jason, you want to talk about Nick Chubb?

[Jason Moore]

You know, I do and I don't. Because the reality is I'm uncomfortable with.

[Mike Wright]

Where I have him ranked and I'm a little uncomfortable where I have.

[Andy Holloway]

Mike has him at 13, I'm at 14, Jason at 23. Mike, are you uncomfortable because you want to move him down?

[Mike Wright]

Yeah.

[Jason Moore]

Wow.

[Andy Holloway]

I don't want happening here on my show.

[Mike Wright]

I don't want to, but I don't know, man. All right, well, a little worried.

[Jason Moore]

Here's the case. Here's the case for Nick Chubb because.

[Andy Holloway]

I feel like your whole case is just like Kareem Hunt's gonna come back and I don't like him because of that.

[Jason Moore]

So on a season long basis, that is a major portion of this case. I want to let people know I want the folk land when they're at their draft to realize like I've ranked these guys on a season long basis at the draft. Chubb would be ahead in my rankings because I like guys that get off to start strong starts. I think that's, you know, going to happen for Nick Chubb. So my ranking will look stupid the first couple weeks of the season. But the question is, when Kareem Hunt comes back, what happens to Nick Chubb the second half of the season? And I think what I chose to do when I looked at the paces of all sorts of different factors. But you know, I took a look at the high end of Chubb when Chubb took over and was excellent from, you know, he didn't really get to start until week seven. From week seven on, he was on pace for 282 carries. That's awesome. That's 17.6 carries a game. You don't see that too often anymore. There's a few guys that have that and Chubb looked like he was going to be one of those guys. So what I did is I gave him that pace, that incredible pace of 282 carries when he's the guy. But when Kareem Hunt comes back, I took away six carries a game. That's it. Just six fewer carries for Nick Chubb. And what it does is it gives him a grand total of 233 carries on the season, which is well below what I think he paces in the first half. Because he's not a pass catching back. Because he's not a guy. You know, you talk about Leonard Fournette not being a pass catching back. You know, Chubb was on basically that, that pace about 30 receptions last year once he got to start. The off season has been very, the Cleveland Browns have been very big fans of Duke Johnson saying he's a big part of this.

[Mike Wright]

Well, they're saying that he's not going to get traded.

[Jason Moore]

Well, but they're saying he's not going to get traded because they have plans for him. That's, that's the rationale they've given is like we, we're going to use him. We, we want him here. So my point is if he's not the pass catching back and he's only a true behemoth carry volume guy in the first half and then a decent carry guy the second half. If every running back in the league plays 16, well, Nick Chubb's going to be lower in rankings. And right now I've got everybody statted out 416 minus known suspensions.

[Andy Holloway]

Well, I see a few problems with the comparison to Fournette. One, it's not 50, 50. First of all, it's 66% of your fantasy season for the regular season. Right. For Chubb is going to be there. But he was a 5.2, a carry. Not a 3.2 a carry guy. He's on a team that should win the division, not a team that should lose the division. He's younger. He doesn't have an injury history. Fournette does have the injury history.

[Mike Wright]

Major injury history in the NFL. No.

[Andy Holloway]

Oh, okay. In his eight touchdowns last year, in limited work, 192 carries, eight touchdowns. He could have 12 touchdowns before Hunt ever touches the field. That's the thing, is this is a great offense. They do not. Look, you're going to say whatever you want to say about Duke Johnson. Even when it was just Duke Johnson and Nick Chubb, they didn't use Duke Johnson enough last year. They're not going to all of a sudden, like, oh, man, you're throwing a fit on social media. You want to be traded? We're going to use you more to really show you that doesn't make sense to me.

[Jason Moore]

So here's the thing. You bring up the great yards per carry, the great touchdown. He had a number of super long breakaway runs that really.

[Andy Holloway]

I like those.

[Jason Moore]

Oh, no, no, no. They're great. And if he does them again, you'll be happy. But those are not usually those things that repeat year after year after year. Otherwise there would be guys that just. This is his eighth year in the league, and every year he gets four or five breakaway touchdowns. Like, those don't really exist. Tyreek might have been the first guy that, like, looked on pace for something like that. Otherwise, I, you know, I'm not going to just assume he gets those every year. And a couple of those came when he was the change of pace back early in the season. And it was like he had a game where he's one carry for all of the field. That was what he did. So I, And I like Nick Chubb. I think he gets off to a good start. I'm willing to draft him, but I think at the end of the year, he's going to be lower than most people, certainly than where he was drafted. So if you draft them, use them, trade him, that's what I would do.

[Andy Holloway]

Okay, fair enough. I'm supposed to talk about Will Fuller now.

[Mike Wright]

Okay, what do you got for Will Fuller?

[Andy Holloway]

I feel like I should just accuse you both for. I mean, 39 and 36 for Will Fuller. You have to be banking on injury, right?

[Mike Wright]

No, it's.

[Andy Holloway]

How can you not in 11 games?

[Mike Wright]

Oh, here we go.

[Andy Holloway]

He's only played. He's played 11 games with DeSean Watson.

[Mike Wright]

Sure.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah.

[Andy Holloway]

On pace for 11. 37 yards, 16 touchdowns, 65 receptions when he plays with the Sean Watson, who we all believe. What do we have him? Three.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah.

[Andy Holloway]

Sean Watson, the number three quarterback in fantasy. Fuller's either hurt or he's well ahead of both of your projections.

[Jason Moore]

Or he's playing again, sort of like yours, limited number. Or he's playing with Kiki QT on the field, in which case his numbers are drastically lower because there's three wide receivers that could catch the ball and just about everything across the board ends up going down. Loses about a half a touchdown.

[Andy Holloway]

How many games did they play together last year?

[Jason Moore]

Four.

[Andy Holloway]

So four games when QT was a rookie and before Fuller got hurt.

[Mike Wright]

Yep.

[Jason Moore]

That's enough of a small sample. No, no, no. I mean, you know, I don't have him projected.

[Andy Holloway]

It's really nice playing across from DeAndre Hopkins.

[Jason Moore]

Yes, yes.

[Andy Holloway]

We score the only other game when he's playing with DeSean Watson. So I just think that you have an extreme situation where he's either going to finish better. I have a hard time believing he's going to finish as the. As a wide receiver for. In that offense with Desean Watson if he's playing 16. That's my point.

[Mike Wright]

His targets get cut near or were cut nearly in half. The three games where Kiki was done on the field, he was averaging over eight and a half targets, and that drops down to 4.75. I mean, it's just the opportunity goes down. Yeah, I don't have.

[Andy Holloway]

He's not a player that lives on.

[Jason Moore]

Ppr, so I agree.

[Mike Wright]

But you still need. You still need the opportunity. You still need that actual target to go to the house.

[Jason Moore]

I am curious here because I think this is where Mike and I probably chose. I mean, while we're projecting, you've got to make decisions as to who's going to be the one, who's going to be the two. I'm curious where your target projections are for Will Fuller compared to Kiki qt, because I've got Kiki QT well ahead of Will Fuller in targets. Granted, they're not nearly as valuable targets. They're not. I have.

[Andy Holloway]

I have Kiki ahead of Will Fuller in targets.

[Jason Moore]

What are your numbers? Show me. Show me yours. I'll show you mine.

[Andy Holloway]

I gave QT109 targets.

[Jason Moore]

Okay. I've got him at 115.

[Andy Holloway]

Pretty similar, but I gave Fuller about.

[Jason Moore]

100 and I've got him at 82. So that's probably. I've still got him with eight touchdowns. 750.

[Andy Holloway]

And last year, I mean, last year he was pacing at about 100 in the Games that he played. Even though the QT factor that you bring up. So that's what it comes down to is your point. I mean it makes sense. If Fuller is not on the field, he will not produce. If Fuller is not receiving targets to the tune of 100, he's not going to have enough receptions to be hyper efficient and, you know, do anything with it.

[Jason Moore]

I will say this, I have not redone my stats since losing Ryan Griffin. And while, you know, most of those will be going to other tight ends that are on the field, they don't have a veteran tight end. I think that's going to take up and just soak that up. So there will be a little bit more to go around. And more importantly than the okay, Ryan Griffin, whatever, if Kiki Qt and will Fuller actually stay on the field this year? Which is a big if. But if that happens, desean Watson is going to be unbelievable in fantasy this year. I mean I really believe he has, he has shown us nothing but being an elite fantasy option, an elite real life quarterback. He's just been great. And if he actually has those three weapons.

[Mike Wright]

Right.

[Andy Holloway]

All right, let's close it out with.

[Jason Moore]

This Pristine deal of the day.

[Andy Holloway]

All right. And we very exciting by the way. Pristine deal of the day. Todd Gurley, a signed Rams jersey yesterday. $68. @pristineauction.com Someone still believes $68 hundreds of daily auctions. But here's the cool thing. When you go to pristineauction.com that's P R I S T I N E auction.com and you sign up for a free account and you put in the registration code ballers on signup. They're just giving you five bucks.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah. This is new.

[Andy Holloway]

It is brand new. They're just Gonna give you $5 free and clear, no strings attached. It's not like you're paying for anything when you sign up to browse auctions. But if you go to pristineauction.com and you sign up and use the registration code ballers, you get five bucks. Browse hundreds of daily auctions and then when the player that you love pops up and you can snag an amazing helmet or jersey or cleat that's autographed authentically by your favorite player, that Jersey.

[Jason Moore]

Wasn'T even 68 bucks.

[Andy Holloway]

No, it's $5 cheaper. Yeah. So that is it for today's show. Thanks for tuning in. Thanks for enduring the Explain yourself.

[Jason Moore]

Explain yourself.

[Andy Holloway]

We'll catch you on Thursday on the flip side. Goodbye tight.

[Jason Moore]

Thank you for listening to another episode of the Fantasy Footballers PODC. Join our fantasy football community on JoinTheFoot.com and follow us on TwitterFFballers.