Fantasy Football 2017 - Big Trades, Rising Stars, Rookie Recap + Pre. Wk 1

Summary

Fantasy Footballers Podcast Summary: "Fantasy Football 2017 - Big Trades, Rising Stars, Rookie Recap + Pre. Wk 1"

Release Date: August 14, 2017

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Introduction

The episode kicks off with hosts Andy Holloway, Jason Moore, and Mike "The Fantasy Hitman" Wright diving into the excitement of the new football season. They outline the show's agenda, which includes discussions on rising stars, preseason recaps, rookie performances, big trades, injury updates, and listener mailbag questions.

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Rising Stars of the Week

1. Zach Ertz ([04:55] Andy Holloway)

• Analysis: With Jordan Matthews departing the team, Zach Ertz stands to benefit from increased volume. Andy highlights that Ertz resembles a Travis Kelsey-type tight end—not reliant solely on red-zone production.
• Quote: "Zach Ertz is moving up my board. He's been on the must draft list at the back end of any best ball at the back end of any league that I haven't taken an early tight end." – Andy Holloway ([05:44])

2. Leonard Fournette ([06:18] Jason Moore)

• Analysis: Leonard Fournette emerges as a rising star despite a foot injury. Jason appreciates Fournette's robust preseason performance and his ability to secure first downs through consistent handoffs.
• Quote: "I think he's going to be able to run the ball three times in a row and then run it again the next play because they're still on the field." – Jason Moore ([07:05])

3. Kenny Golladay ([08:50] Mike Wright)

• Analysis: Kenny Golladay impressed with smooth routes and acrobatic catches during preseason. Despite being lower on the depth chart, his athleticism makes him a valuable late-round pick or deep sleeper.
• Quote: "There's nobody really there. So there's an opportunity there." – Andy Holloway ([10:55])

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Big Trades and News

Sammy Watkins Trade ([11:31] Andy Holloway)

• Details: Sammy Watkins was traded to the Los Angeles Rams in a three-team deal involving the Buffalo Bills and another team. This move was surprising given Watkins' recent performance.
• Fantasy Implications:
  • Downsides: Watkins' move to Jared Goff's offense is seen as a downgrade. Goff lacks the rapport Watkins had with Tyrod Taylor, potentially diminishing Watkins' fantasy value.
  • Quotes:
    • "Sammy Watkins in a contract year traded to probably the worst destination you could have imagined." – Andy Holloway ([13:20])
    • "He is no longer in a position where he's pretty much alone." – Jason Moore ([14:18])

Buffalo Bills' Acquisition of Jordan Matthews ([15:19] Jason Moore)

• Details: The Bills traded away Darby (a top performer) and a third-round pick to acquire Jordan Matthews from the Eagles. Matthews suffered a chip fracture, raising concerns about his immediate impact.
• Fantasy Implications:
  • The trade signals a potential downturn for the Bills' offense, impacting running backs like Anquan Boldin and Zay Jones.
  • Quotes:
    • "Now he'll be out with, you know, it's a bone chip so you're talking four to six weeks for it to heal up." – Jason Moore ([16:24])
    • "I think that offense would be in a ton of trouble if McCoy gets hurt." – Andy Holloway ([19:24])

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Ezekiel Elliott Suspension ([19:32] Andy Holloway)

Overview:

• Ezekiel Elliott faces a six-game suspension due to off-field incidents, including a bar brawl and other undisclosed issues. Elliott plans to appeal the suspension.

Fantasy Implications:

• Draft Strategy: Elliott's ADP (Average Draft Position) is expected to drop significantly, potentially landing him between the second and fifth rounds. However, the uncertainty surrounding his appeal and possible additional penalties complicates drafting him early.
• Quotes:
  • "Zeke has been warned that if he violates the player policy again... he could just be full-on banned from the NFL." – Mike Wright ([21:08])
  • "He could do that, right? Or you can go the other way." – Andy Holloway ([22:46])

Hosts' Perspectives:

• Andy Holloway emphasizes the importance of personal accountability and the negative impact of Elliott's actions on his brand and the NFL.
• Jason Moore discusses the balance between Elliott's potential high performance and the risks associated with his suspension.
• Mike Wright outlines the drafting considerations, recommending avoiding first-round picks for Elliott but acknowledging his potential as an RB1 if he returns.

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Injury Updates ([23:01] Andy Holloway)

Key Injuries Discussed:

• Devonta Freeman: Concussion protocol for the Steelers game.
• J. Ajayi: Yet to receive medical clearance for a concussion.
• Leonard Fournette: Foot injury, currently sitting out practice.
• Carlos Henderson & Jonathan Williams: Battling injuries, impacting the Steelers' backfield depth.
• Paul Pierce (Seattle): AC joint sprain, affecting Paul Richardson’s availability.
• Other Notables:
  • Roberto Aguirre: Kicker cut by Buccaneers, claimed by the Bears.
  • Andrew Luck: Partially torn labrum, uncertain availability for Week 1.

Fantasy Implications:

• Injuries to key players necessitate monitoring their recovery timelines and potential impacts on team depth and performance.
• Quotes:
  • "He's still down on the depth chart, but he has... a spot for him on this roster." – Mike Wright ([10:05])
  • "He'll be out for this week and we'll see what happens from there." – Andy Holloway ([27:12])

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Rookie Recap and Preseason Performances ([33:28] Andy Holloway)

Running Backs:

• Dalvin Cook (Vikings):

  • Performance: Shared carries and targets, showing potential as a pass-catching back.
  • Quote: "Dalvin Cook is very capable. I mean, he's talented as a pass-catching back." – Jason Moore ([34:14])

• Alvin Kamara (Saints):

  • Performance: Strong debut with 35 rushing yards and a touchdown across four attempts.
  • Quote: "Alvin Kamara is going to have a role on this roster." – Andy Holloway ([37:57])

• D'Angelo Henderson (Broncos):

  • Performance: Impressive speed with 54 rushing yards and a touchdown.
  • Quote: "If D'Angelo Henderson finds a crease with that rotation, he may be able to do something." – Andy Holloway ([38:25])

Wide Receivers:

• Kenny Golladay (Eagles):

  • Discussed earlier as a rising star with potential late-round value.

• Matt Collins & Dede Westbrook (Eagles):

  • Performance:
    • Collins impressed with his role, potentially stepping up as a key receiver.
    • Westbrook showcased big play ability with a 42-yard touchdown.
  • Quote: "Matt Collins could be a starting wide receiver for what could be a good offense." – Jason Moore ([47:07])

Quarterbacks:

• Patrick Mahomes (Chiefs):

  • Performance: Showed impressive arm strength and creativity, although some questionable plays.
  • Quote: "Mahomes is now officially bumped up to number two on the depth." – Mike Wright ([41:57])

• Case Keenum (Cleveland):

  • Performance: Solid debut with 184 passing yards and a touchdown, but needs to improve decision-making.
  • Quote: "He made NFL throws, tight windows, you know, deep ball accuracy. I really liked it." – Jason Moore ([42:39])

• Mitchell Trubisky (Bears):

  • Performance: Outperformed expectations with strong mechanics and decision-making.
  • Quote: "He certainly looked a whole lot better than Mike Glennon." – Jason Moore ([43:31])

Other Rookies and Players:

• Devonta Booker: Injured during preseason.
• Thomas Rawls & Eddie Lacy (Jets):
  • Performance: Rawls showed potential but remains uncertain due to Lacy's presence.
  • Quote: "It's trouble." – Andy Holloway ([49:22])

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Draft Advice and Tools ([25:03] Jason Moore)

DraftDayApp:

• Functionality: Allows users to track drafted players, check off lists, and customize rankings.
• Recommendation: Highly endorsed by hosts for its ease of use and integration with The Fantasy Footballers’ rankings.
• Quote: "It's a great app. Check it out. It's DraftDayApp.com I think you'll love it." – Jason Moore ([25:33])

SeatGeek Sponsorship ([26:05] Mike Wright):

• Details: Promoted as the smartest way to buy tickets for fans, offering a $20 discount with promo code "footballers."

Note: Advertisements and sponsorship segments have been summarized but are not the focus of the content overview.

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Ezekiel Elliott Draft Strategy Recap

Given Elliott's suspension and potential appeal outcomes, the hosts discuss optimal drafting strategies:

• Avoid First Round: Due to the uncertainty of his availability.
• Target Later Rounds (4th-5th): Balancing his high RB1 potential against the risk of missing six games.
• Bench Considerations: Drafting Elliott may consume valuable bench spots needed for flexibility.

Quotes:

• "If I'm in a draft, I think I would draft him in the fourth round." – Mike Wright ([54:30])
• "For me, the seventh has been a really easy pick. McCoy is there." – Jason Moore ([61:24])

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Listener Mailbag

1. Draft Format Questions ([56:13] Jason Moore)

• Question: Should a 12-team PPR league with three keepers use a snake or linear draft?
• Advice:
  • Linear Draft: Recommended for balancing team strengths over multiple seasons.
  • Quotes:
    • "I think that helps balance, you know, year after year." – Jason Moore ([56:30])
    • "It's a snake draft." – Mike Wright ([56:31])

2. Drafting Zeke Elliott ([55:45] Jason Moore)

• Question: Where to draft Ezekiel Elliott considering his suspension.
• Advice:
  • Avoid First Round: Due to the six-game suspension.
  • Target Late Rounds (4th-5th): Depending on bench size and league settings.
  • Quotes:
    • "You cannot draft Ezekiel Elliott in the first Round." – Mike Wright ([52:24])
    • "He's still an RB1 because that's how far up his production is." – Mike Wright ([54:30])

3. Keeper League Management ([57:08] Andy Holloway)

• Question: How many leagues do the hosts manage and strategies to keep up.
• Advice:
  • Prioritize Core Leagues: Focus on a few leagues to maintain competitive edge.
  • Collaborative Ownership: Participating together in some leagues to streamline management.
  • Quotes:
    • "You prioritize." – Jason Moore ([57:19])
    • "I'm in three that I really, really care about and pay attention to." – Andy Holloway ([57:37])

4. Trading Picks for Top Players ([58:28] Andy Holloway)

• Question: Willingness to trade higher picks for first overall pick.
• Advice:
  • Aggressive Trading: Endorsed trading mid to late-round picks for top-tier players.
  • Quotes:
    • "I'd do that in a heartbeat." – Andy Holloway ([58:30])
    • "He gave up a third round pick and a number eight overall." – Mike Wright ([58:45])

5. Drafting in Challenging Spots ([60:58] Jason Moore)

• Question: With the seventh pick in a standard league, whom to draft among McCoy, A.J. Evans, Jordy, or others.
• Advice:
  • Running Back Priority: Favor McCoy if available; otherwise, consider wide receivers like A.J. Green or young RBs like Jordy.
  • Quotes:
    • "If McCoy's on the board, take him." – Jason Moore ([61:24])
    • "I would take either Freeman or Jordy." – Mike Wright ([61:46])

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Conclusion

The hosts wrap up the episode by reiterating the importance of staying updated with preseason developments and adjusting draft strategies accordingly. They promote their upcoming quarterback ranking show and encourage listeners to engage with their content across various platforms.

Closing Remarks:

• Quote: "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." – Andy Holloway ([62:21])

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Key Takeaways

• Rising Stars: Zach Ertz, Leonard Fournette, and Kenny Golladay are highlighted as players to watch for fantasy seasons.
• Big Trades: Sammy Watkins' trade to the Rams presents both opportunities and risks for fantasy managers.
• Ezekiel Elliott's Suspension: Significant impact on his draft strategy; recommended to draft him in mid to late rounds if at all.
• Injury Updates: Critical for adjusting roster expectations and waiver wire priorities.
• Rookie Performances: Important to monitor early signs of potential breakout players.
• Draft Tools: Utilize apps like DraftDayApp for streamlined drafting processes.
• Listener Engagement: Practical advice tailored to specific league formats and drafting scenarios.

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For more insights and up-to-date fantasy football advice, visit fantasyfootballers.com and follow them on Twitter @theffballers.

Transcript

[Andy Holloway]

Hey, Foot Clan, great show for you today. We got rising stars, we got some preseason recap all the news. We got a mailbag. It's going to be awesome. Before we get into it, I want to tell you about the Time Suck Podcast. Look, on this show we make a priority to inform you and to entertain you. And that's what we love about the Time Suck Podcast. We've talked to Dan Cummins over there. We basically said, hey, look, we've got listeners that enjoy being entertained and learning something new. You got them as well. So we're telling each other's listeners about each other's podcasts. And the Time Suck Podcast is an experiment in curiosity. Look, the point of the podcast is you actually learn something new every week. Education doesn't have to be boring and listeners basically submit topics that Dan researches and brings the knowledge. And I'm telling you in an entertaining way. And look, this isn't for the kiddies, but you got to check it out. That's timesuckpodcast.com. check it out at timesuckpodcast.

[Jason Moore]

Welcome to the Fantasy Footballers Podcast coming to you from the Play Draft Studios with your hosts, Andy Holloway, Jason Moore and Mike Wright.

[Andy Holloway]

Ah, the football season has arrived.

[Mike Wright]

It's fresh.

[Jason Moore]

I watched so much football this weekend.

[Andy Holloway]

It is, it has stepped off the train. It is unpacked, it's clothes and it is here for a while.

[Mike Wright]

It put the clothes into the, the drawers, into the actual furniture.

[Andy Holloway]

Uh huh. Like this is not just a temporary stay.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, this, they're, they're moved in, they're ready.

[Andy Holloway]

Welcome in to the podcast. I heard the research suggests August 26th is the day the most fantasy football drafts will take place this year. August 26th. This is Saturday, I believe, and so that makes a whole lot of sense. Everybody will be drafting. However you might have already drafted, you might be about to draft. And we've got everything you need. On the show today, the fantasy footballers back again five days a week, our rising stars. On the show today, we'll be talking about players we thought stood out from week one in the preseason. Maybe somebody that's been showing signs of life in camp. We're going to recap some of those preseason games, specifically get into the rookies. How did the rookies look in week one? Their first opportunity to get on the field. We've said it time and again on this show, the preseason's not about the stat line. It's about what your eyes tell you. And it can go both ways. You can see a player and you can say, wow, they got nothing, nothing left. And you can go the other direction, say, wow, that player throwing it out there. I saw that with Joe Mixon this weekend. So we're going to get into some mailbags, some other news, catch up on injuries. It's going to be a busy show. It's going to be a good show, I can promise you that. All right, find us on twitter@the ffballers. The website's the fantasy footballers.com, the fantasy community. 3,000 strong [e-mail] and look, I know that these guys are prepped up and ready to give you their takes on these games.

[Mike Wright]

So many takes, man.

[Andy Holloway]

So many takes.

[Mike Wright]

I'm in full restraint over here. I don't want to take vomit all over the place.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, that's. That's a weird phrase, bro. You guys have any quick thoughts before we get started here?

[Mike Wright]

Just a reminder to check out ballerslive.com because we got a live show coming up here in a couple of weeks.

[Andy Holloway]

Shouldn't have given you the chance.

[Mike Wright]

Tickets are on [e-mail] all right, in.

[Andy Holloway]

Lieu of a quick question, we're going to get right into the rising stars.

[Jason Moore]

Raising canes. Rising stars of the week.

[Andy Holloway]

All right, I'm going to kick this thing off. And by the way, on Friday, I'm telling you, we finished the episode. The Ezekiel Elliott news broke on the episode. We were able to talk about it a little bit, but we couldn't dig in. Right. I mean, we're in the middle of the show. We hit the breaking news button and dropped the six game suspension news. And then Mike is literally pushing the, like the publish button on the episode. And I'm in the other room and I'm screaming, sammy Watkins just got traded.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah. And it's full slow motion for me going no, because I had already clicked the mouse. I mean, the episode was already live.

[Andy Holloway]

I know. And so we're going to talk about those trades today. My rising star benefits from direct result. Direct result. It's Zach Ertz now, Jason, this morning in our look, we do a company league over on Sleeperbot, which by the way, they just added like three team trading, which I thought was crazy cool.

[Jason Moore]

Right up your alley.

[Andy Holloway]

I've always wanted to do that, but I've needed to use like a Google Doc to try to organize the trades. So that's pretty cool on the sleeper bot app. But Zach Ertz is my rising star. I think Jordan Matthews leaving the middle of the field to Nelson Aguilar. It means good things for Zach Ertz. Because I think the volume will be there for Zach Ertz. Alshon Jeffrey is not going to be the peppered volume type of guy. Wentz looked good so far this preseason. He's a player that I think can make a move forward and Zach Ertz is sure handed. Look, don't count on him for the red zone. Don't count on Zach Ertz to give you 10 times. This is not Rob Gronkowski. This is not Jordan Reed. This is more of a Travis Kelsey.

[Mike Wright]

Yes.

[Andy Holloway]

And so I like Zach Ertz. He's moving up my board. He's been on the must draft list at the back end of any best ball at the back end of any league that I haven't taken an early tight end. But I really think Zach Ertz without Jordan Matthews in the middle of the field, he. It kind of erases the concern I had when they brought in a couple of wide receivers.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, I can say when I took Zach Ertz in the league, it was the first time and it was directly because of this news. It was the first time I've taken him over players that I had. You know, Kyle Rudolph, I took Zachary over Kyle Rudolph.

[Mike Wright]

That's still madness.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, I mean, you could say that. But the opportunity now I think is huge for Ertz. He's shown flashes of brilliance. So I'll get into mine. My rising star is a guy that you might be a little worried about right now. You might be fading because it just came out that he's got a foot injury. And so you go, why is he your rising star? But that is rookie running back Leonard Fournette. Now, we don't know anything about the foot injury. We don't know anything to the, to the extreme. Like there is no news out there other than he has a foot injury.

[Andy Holloway]

And we're going to take it easy.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, we're going to take it easy on him. I mean, so I don't believe this is anything yet. If news comes out next week that, you know, he's got a list frank injury, obviously that changes things, but I think this is giving him rest. The reason he is a rising star to me, while I watched all these games, took notes on everybody, there were a few players that stood out above the rest. And one of them was Leonard Fournette. Much more so even than Mixon, who looked great. But Leonard Fournette, to me, you saw Chris Ivory come out, get those first few carries, which is so stupid. Jacksonville, stop it.

[Mike Wright]

And then you got to make the rookie earn the job.

[Jason Moore]

You Got to make them earn the job when you take it fourth overall. So dumb. But when Leonard Fournette came out, it reminded me exactly of what we saw from David Johnson, where as a Cardinals fan, I was so frustrated whenever they take him out and they put in someone else, because it's like, dude, David Johnson would have. Would have got that corner. He would have picked up the first. And you stopped the whole drive by putting in Chris Johnson. And I saw that when Yelden came in, and I saw that when Ivory was there, there was a different level of motor. And they want to run. I mean, they showed it in the preseason. They handoff, handoff, handoff, handoff. If they can pick up a first down with three handoffs in a row, they're going to do it. And here's the thing. I think they're going to be able to pick up the first downs now. Watching Fournette, I was like, oh, they're going to be able to run the ball three times in a row and then run it again the next play because they're still on the field. That's why Leonard Fournette is my rising star.

[Mike Wright]

He did look very, very strong. He's pretty strong. So mine look. Foot clan. Something happened on Sunday, and it included my mentions being set ablaze because there was some smooth routes, there was some smooth catches. I mean, I was, I was here last week and to borrow a line from one of the listeners on Twitter saying, I may need to just get a room at the Galladay Inn.

[Jason Moore]

Oh, silly.

[Andy Holloway]

Oh, my God.

[Mike Wright]

Kenny G. Dropping two touchdowns, three receptions for 53 yards. And these acrobatic. These were big boy receptions. I mean, he, he made a full adjustment on the ball. He used his size.

[Andy Holloway]

These are no Jordan Matthews receptions. These were big boy receptions.

[Mike Wright]

Sure, that's. That's fair. But he looked great. He's still down on the depth chart, but he has. I mean, last week I talked about him as someone who maybe, maybe you take a flyer on him now in an actual redraft league.

[Andy Holloway]

Wouldn't it be great if you could pre draft players at their current value for your future drafts? Wouldn't it be nice to say, hey, I'm claiming Golladay in the 15, the.

[Jason Moore]

Opposite of a keeper, before he does anything but an early keeper league.

[Mike Wright]

But he's, he's now officially, to me, he's in that department of one of your last picks. Grab Kenny Golladay because there is, there is a spot for him on this roster. Anquan Bolden was the red zone threat last year, eight touchdowns. I believe that he's gone.

[Andy Holloway]

No guarantee that Ebron does anything.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah.

[Andy Holloway]

One injury in that receiving core and Galladay could go to the stratosphere. That's.

[Mike Wright]

Yes.

[Andy Holloway]

And that's not hyperbole because we love Stafford. Stafford's just right in 4,200 yards. I mean, it's just done last five years, locked and loaded. So if somebody's hurt, if Jones doesn't perform and Galladay flashes, I don't mind it. I just hate the fact that his ADP is going to get hurt by a couple of preseason TDs.

[Mike Wright]

I don't think it will skyrocket, though. But it's. He could first round. But he's, he's humongous. He's very athletic for his size. And I mean, all signs point to Kenny Golladay being a good player in, in this league.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, he should be able to. I do, I do think we need to keep in mind those receptions were not from Stafford. Sure. So he was still, you know, grain of salt.

[Andy Holloway]

It probably would have been better passes if they were from Stafford.

[Jason Moore]

That's true. He might not have needed to adjust so heavily.

[Andy Holloway]

Zach Ertz, Leonard Fournette, Kenny Golladay. Those were this week's Raising Canes. Rising stars of the week because they're delicious. Remember, game day tastes better with Raising Canes. Tailgates full of fresh 24 hour marinated hand battered chicken fingers and fresh brewed sweet tea. Visit raising canes.com to find your nearest location. Let's talk news.

[Jason Moore]

News and notes from around the league.

[Andy Holloway]

All right. I don't know where the news begins and the recap ends. Or vice versa, whatever you might say. We've got a lot to talk about.

[Mike Wright]

We'll do our best.

[Andy Holloway]

We're going to start with the headliner that everybody wanted us to discuss right away. The big boy, big time, NBA style slam dunk trade.

[Mike Wright]

It was an NBA trade.

[Jason Moore]

Three team. We were just talking three team trade.

[Andy Holloway]

Sammy Watkins traded to the Rams. The Rams pick up Watkins, Buffalo picks up a corner. And this is right after Sammy Watkins and Tyrod Taylor looked great. If you saw Tyrod Taylor's Twitter account, he had just said something like, we're just getting started with a picture of him and tagging Watkins.

[Mike Wright]

Man, that's brutal.

[Andy Holloway]

Quickly deleted it. And then in a simultaneous move, the Bills acquired Jordan Matthews from the Eagles, traded away Darby, who is a stud. Surprising moves from the front office, however. And a whole new front office.

[Mike Wright]

Is that the right.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, they basically picked up an extra 2 and a 3 in these transactions to kind of take what I would view as instant downgrades at the positions. Right. You downgrade from Watkins to Matthews and we'll talk more about Matthews because he had an injury this weekend and then you downgraded at corner. Picking up the corner from the Rams.

[Jason Moore]

Shows that the Bills are not saying that they are in a mode right now to compete. I mean these are moves that just say where they're seeing what the jets are doing.

[Andy Holloway]

It's a good luck move for Tyrod Taylor. It's a good luck this year. Let's talk about the fantasy implications here. Sammy Watkins in a contract year traded to probably the worst destination you could have imagined. I don't know if I could pick another place for him to go where you would be less excited to see Sammy Watkins talent. At least you knew with Taylor when Watkins was on the field they had a rapport. It was built in. Taylor could throw the deep ball great at the scrambling.

[Jason Moore]

I mean a lot of those, A lot of those plays came while Tyrod would scramble around, find Sammy open down the field. It'd be great. You're not going to be seeing that same, you know, type of playing from Jared Goff.

[Andy Holloway]

Now Jared Goff, he gets an upgrade.

[Jason Moore]

Is a. Yes, absolutely he does.

[Andy Holloway]

From 31 to 28. That's what I moved him up from.

[Jason Moore]

31 to 28 sounds appropriate. I mean he's going from having to try to fake like Tavon Austin can be a number one wide receiver to having a true legitimate. I mean last episode we talked all about Sammy Watkins. I was super high on Sammy. I've moved Sammy down considerably. He's in my. He went from being basically a. The wider, the wide receiver. 12 all the way down into my 20s. Yep, he's.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, he went from 16 to 26 or something for me.

[Mike Wright]

He dropped for me as well.

[Jason Moore]

His talent is still capable of, you know, the upside I don't think is completely removed. But there are so many more variables now while you're drafting. He's going to a brand new team. He has to learn an offense. He has no rapport with the quarterback as of today, maybe not three years from now, but today Jared Goff is a worse quarterback than Tyrod Taylor. This is a quarterback downgrade for him and he is no longer in a position where he's pretty much alone. I mean I know you've got, you know, the aging, ageless Anquan Bolden along with a rookie Zay Jones and Buffalo, but it was the Sammy Watkins show. Now he comes over where you've still got a new, you know, slot rookie in Cooper Cup. You, you have Tavon Austin. Although he's not healthy right now, he's still involved. They signed Robert woods there. It's so funny that Robert woods and Sammy Watkins.

[Mike Wright]

Robert woods is cursing the name of Sammy Watkins.

[Jason Moore]

I wanted to be the one Sammy, stay away.

[Mike Wright]

It's a downgrade for me because what Sammy does best or what he has shown he did best in Buffalo was the deep pass. And Jared Goff would have to improve tremendously in the Rams offense. And now granted, Kenny Britt was able to be 1,000 yard receiver. So it's not Brit.

[Andy Holloway]

Just for the record 68, 1,005. That was good enough for 30th, right? So just for their way, that's 30th in wide receivers.

[Mike Wright]

It's not an rip sentence for Sammy Watkins fantasy value, but it's a downgrade for sure.

[Jason Moore]

Could be great. It just basically makes the risk and the unknown so high that you got to factor that in while you draft.

[Mike Wright]

His ADP will be very interesting.

[Andy Holloway]

It'll plummet if you have Robert Woods. ADP is gone. I mean like if he was being drafted in the end, I liked him. In the end it's over because I mean Cooper cup looks good. Robert woods will be a bit part player there and I can officially take him out of my. Maybe he'll be something range. It helps golf, it probably helps the running game in the sense that look, having more outside threats, having a number one receiver, it can't hurt that situation. Although they didn't look like they could run the ball this weekend. Let's talk about the other side of this trade. Buffalo goes they pick up Jordan Matthews. Now Jordan Matthews suffered a chip fracture in his first practice. 15 minutes in with the Buffalo Bills is considered week to week.

[Jason Moore]

I think this means that Sammy Watkins should be healthy. Apparently it was the role in Buffalo number one wide receiver that causes injuries.

[Andy Holloway]

So Tyrod Taylor. Let's talk about if you had high hopes for Tyrod Taylor. Where are they now?

[Mike Wright]

They're in the exact same spot. For me. If you look at what he has done for fantasy purposes, yes, his passing production goes down. I mean shocker. It goes down when Sammy Watkins is not there. However, that's when he activates his ultimate fantasy. Cheats and he runs the ball more. So his, his actual fantasy output stays relatively the same. I was very excited for Jordan Matthews. The team gave up a lot in my opinion with Darby and the third Round pick to get Matthews. And Matthews would have projected as the number one wide receiver in the offense. But now he'll be out with, you know, it's a bone chip so you're talking four to six weeks for it to heal up. Pain tolerance. Does he wear a flak jacket when he's out there? And now he's doesn't get to practice and learn the system. The season will be going by the time he is fully healthy. So it's Zay Jones becomes moderately interesting in a PPR situation. And I think this is Anquan Bolden once again is going to catch like seven touchdowns just de facto.

[Andy Holloway]

What about Charles Clay?

[Mike Wright]

If his knees can hold up.

[Andy Holloway]

If you look at Taylor, Taylor has no consistency at the wide receiver position. Robert Woods, Goodwin's gone, Woods gone, Watkins gone. Rookie and Jones brand new free agent pickup in Bolden. Charles Clay's the only piece of that offense that's been there for a long time along with Lashawn McCoy. And some have talked about Lashawn McCoy being the receiving leader on this team.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, Shady is going to be just absolutely dominant for 50 super.

[Andy Holloway]

He'll get pretend hurt 8 times a game.

[Jason Moore]

I will say this, you know, there's, there are a lot of fantasy players who believe in, you know, how do the vibes of a team feel, you know, the good vibes, bad vibes. Right now in Buffalo, I don't think things are going well. I'm just saying like the trend for the team.

[Andy Holloway]

Were you speaking as like representative of the last decade was that. Were you speaking as the last team.

[Jason Moore]

Coming into this season? I mean I feel like three months ago there was hope for a healthy Sammy and things started looking good. But the fact that they've traded away some of their better defensive players to take a downgrade. Jonathan Williams got hurt, Sammy Watkins was gone. Now Jordan Matthews is hurt. It just feels like an offense right now where of course I want Shady. I think Jordan Matthews could be a good late round guy now who might miss week one.

[Andy Holloway]

That may make him a value.

[Jason Moore]

Yes.

[Andy Holloway]

Now.

[Jason Moore]

Right. It's just one of those situations where things aren't looking rosy and if you want to avoid those situations that might be a team that you look, you know, elsewhere at the wide receiver position at least.

[Andy Holloway]

I think that offense would be in a ton of trouble if McCoy gets hurt. Oh, I don't know how they move the ball at all.

[Mike Wright]

Well, I mean Jonathan Williams luckily looked, looked good in his limited time. But you are right, if Shady goes down, that offense is going to Be in trouble.

[Andy Holloway]

All right, let's talk about the suspension a little bit further. Ezekiel Elliott, let's give the lay of the land. What is the situation right now for Zeke Reports this weekend talked about appeal. What are you expecting, Mike?

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, so what we know right now it is a six game suspension. Ezekiel Elliott has said that he will appeal. It's, it's about to get nasty if he, if he moves forward with the appeal and then was also reported, the NFL still they are looking into other incidents and that. And we're not talking about the bar brawl because the NFL has said they were closing that. But there are still other incidents that Ezekiel Elliott could face punishment for. I don't know that I expect more games to be tacked on, but I don't expect a situation where Elliot appeals and then you get like a big Ben Roethlisberger. Well, okay, we'll take a couple games off of it. I think it's going to be a hard cap at six games. And on top of that, Zeke has been warned that if he violates the player policy again in a way that the NFL deems is egregious, Elliot could just be full on banned from the NFL. So Zeke has been put on notice that playing in the NFL is a, it's not a right, but a privilege.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, you, you know, we talked about the hypothetical suspension levels that he would receive and you've seen a pattern of behavior in Zeke. And I'm not going to take, you know, I'm not going to get on a high horse for everything here. We've talked about all the challenges that a rookie, that a young man faces when he's handed millions of dollars, but gotta be better. But look, you have, you cannot do what you've done. And in my opinion, it is a very bad sign that he wasn't willing to take it on the chin and move on. That's the hope I had. I had the hope that maybe he'd get a four game, he'd take it on the chin, he'd learn from it. Jason Whitten's come out and said that already. You know, you don't put your hand on a woman. You don't do this. Whatever the case may be, it seems like he's at least being surrounded by some people that are enabling an entitlement attitude here. Yeah, maybe it's Jerry Jones, but maybe, maybe it's other players too. Someone needs to come along as a person. I want to see someone come alongside him and turn this around because look, fantasy wise, you lose A player like that in fantasy, it sucks. But this is a person here. And the stuff that's gone on, where there's smoke, there's fire. I'm not going to make conclusions about every little detail, but I was hoping he would be willing to accept that and show the NFL, show his fans. As far as I'm concerned, he's hurting the brand as well, because he's saying to himself, you know, he's putting himself out there to be exposed on TMZ or exposed for this and that.

[Mike Wright]

Like I said, it can get nasty.

[Andy Holloway]

Fighting and fighting and fighting. Instead of saying, you know what?

[Jason Moore]

Done nothing wrong.

[Andy Holloway]

How about, I'm sorry? How about, look, I've made mistakes. I'm going to take it on the chin, I'm going to turn my life around, and I'm going to be out on that field for the next 10 years. Because he could do that, right? Or you can go the other way.

[Mike Wright]

Moving to fantasy football.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, it's all. It's all part of the game. In fact, actually, what's funny is I went on a podcast last week, and they asked me that question. They said, do you ever just not draft players on moral grounds? And they weren't. They weren't making a judgment. They weren't just saying, like, you know, I wouldn't or I would. And I said, you know, it's hard. We distance ourselves from the. The player a lot of the time. Sometimes we get heat because we're joking about a player being hurt just because we see stat lines and we see the name on the baseball card, so to speak, and we don't see between the lines. But, hey, if you. If you don't want to do that, that's your prerogative in your league. All right, injury updates. J. Ajayi yet to receive medical clearance. Mike, what's the story with Jiji?

[Mike Wright]

Well, he was. It was. It came out that perhaps he is out of the concussion protocol. People were, I think, reading into what Adam Gase had said, but it is now come out that he is still yet to receive medical clearance for the concussion. And he could be joined now by Kenyon Drake, who left today's practice with a possible head injury.

[Jason Moore]

Oh, man.

[Mike Wright]

So prepare for Damian Williams.

[Jason Moore]

Let me tell you what my notes say on Damian Williams from this preseason, because I had plenty of notes on Damian Williams. It was. He is so involved and will clearly be the guy, and he should not be.

[Mike Wright]

They love him, apparently so bad.

[Jason Moore]

He's not good. And if he gets. You know, we always say, like, you know opportunity is king. If he gets 20 carries you can probably start him but you are going to be unhappy the entire time.

[Andy Holloway]

You are going to Kenneth Farrow you.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, but you want to know what you will be happy with before we continue on to more sad news of like Devonta Freeman but the Draft Day App. The Draft Day App we've had a lot of people saying this is what they've been waiting for forever. They've already got the ultimate draft kit. They've been doing their research. They just wish there was a way that they could track, you know, who's been drafted. You know, check guys off a list, maybe resort our rankings. Well, Draft day app has taken our rankings. Put it in an app for Android or for iOS is a really simple, easy to use, elegant design. I actually love it. I've used it many times over the last few weeks for real live drafts and I think you're going to love it. It's not for every league. If you play in an IDP league or auction, it's not there. But for 99% of leagues, you take our rankings, put them in there, customize them to your liking, then you go in the draft. And we always say on our tips.

[Andy Holloway]

The rankings are already in there. Yes, you don't have to put them in there.

[Jason Moore]

No, you don't have. I'm just saying you can start with that and you can resort them.

[Andy Holloway]

Gotcha.

[Jason Moore]

But the cool thing is we always say track other teams know who does the team that's near you. Do they have a quarterback already, do they not? I used to do this on paper with a pin. Now the draft app, it'll track all that for you as you draft people and check them off.

[Mike Wright]

Caveman.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, so it's a great app. Check it out. It's DraftDayApp.com leave a review if you like it. DraftDayApp.com I think you'll love it.

[Mike Wright]

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[Andy Holloway]

All right, let's talk more injuries. Devonta Freeman in the concussion protocol out for the Steelers game. It looks like it was concussion symptoms. They thought maybe it was heat symptoms at first like getting overheated, but they put him in the protocol. He'll be out for this week and we'll see what happens from there. No real major long term concern. This is cool. Sterling shepherd practicing that injury that looks so bad. Ended up being a low ankle sprain and he's back after a couple weeks. Leonard Fournette sat out due to a foot injury. Marquis Lee sticking with the jag. The Jaguars was excellent. Was carted off with an apparent right ankle injury. Avoided a serious injury. He was hurrying. High ankle sprain is what was air casted.

[Mike Wright]

They carted him off.

[Andy Holloway]

Paul Pierce stuff.

[Mike Wright]

It was just was not good. But Lee has avoided the serious injury.

[Andy Holloway]

Any Jason just real quick. Leonard Fournette not worried yet.

[Jason Moore]

I'm not worried at all yet.

[Mike Wright]

This is what he dealt with in college.

[Jason Moore]

It could be. I mean he dealt with ankle issues and that is near the foot. So maybe but they're all they said is there's foot issue. He's sitting out practice.

[Andy Holloway]

Carlos Henderson, wide receiver rookie for the Broncos thumb surgery. Matt Harmon loves him but he's gonna have to wait. I feel bad for Matt Harmon when that happens. Like Bruce Ellington last year. Love Bruce Ellington. Didn't even you don't even get a C if you'll if what you like is on the field. All right. Pete Carroll said Paul Richardson is going to be out for a bit. AC joint sprain. If you looked at the depth chart for Seattle for week one, it was Baldwin and it was Richardson in the 12 spot. That's a battle right now with Lockett and with other other players that could be in that role, which includes Jermaine Curse.

[Mike Wright]

The catch that he hurt his shoulder on was pretty incredible.

[Andy Holloway]

But he makes big plays but you.

[Mike Wright]

Saw him go Down. You could tell he was hurt right away.

[Jason Moore]

I think this will give the opportunity to show if he. If he can get the job done. I think he can get the job done.

[Andy Holloway]

All right, let's talk about Jonathan Williams. Bill's running back suffered a hamstring injury in the preseason opener, but the reports.

[Mike Wright]

Were that he was. He's fine. He'll be back to practice in a couple days.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah. I mean, here's the thing. There were two players to me, in all of preseason that stood out monumentally. One was Leonard Fournette. The other was Jonathan Williams. He looked like fire in a can. It was. It was amazing. But the knock, that has always been, what is fire? Fire in a can.

[Andy Holloway]

It looks amazing.

[Jason Moore]

Listen to me. If you're homeless and you're cold, what do you need, Mike, more than anything?

[Andy Holloway]

Fire in a can.

[Mike Wright]

Fire in a can.

[Jason Moore]

There you go.

[Mike Wright]

All right.

[Jason Moore]

You need some Jonathan Williams. So he looks.

[Andy Holloway]

You need Jonathan Williams of life.

[Jason Moore]

Yes, exactly.

[Mike Wright]

All right.

[Jason Moore]

The problem with Jonathan Williams all the way back through college has always been his injury. This dude's injury history is, you know, look, Jordan Reed and him are pooping a can.

[Andy Holloway]

You see?

[Jason Moore]

Yes. Which completely extinguishes. Actually, I don't think that'll extinguish. Uh. Oh, that'll just explode. So this is bad news to me. I realize that they're saying it's a small injury, but there's always these small injuries that keep him out. It's worth monitoring because he is a high, high, high.

[Andy Holloway]

He's got Billy Madison on me.

[Jason Moore]

That's exactly what I was thinking.

[Andy Holloway]

I heard the Billy Madison. It's poop again.

[Mike Wright]

He called. This is a famous.

[Andy Holloway]

All right, families, more Andrew Luck news for those who are just, you know, glued to their screens with their earbuds. In trying to figure out the latest little rumor.

[Mike Wright]

They're glued to their screen with their ears.

[Jason Moore]

With their earbuds in.

[Mike Wright]

It's going well. It's going well. Moving on.

[Andy Holloway]

Andrew Lux, Week one availability. Jim Ursay acknowledged. The basic quote was this. We've always known it was borderline for him in terms of being ready for week one. However, it's been confirmed that he is now three. It has been confirmed that his arm strength is there. It's just a matter my assumption, and I've had this injury before. He has the partially torn labrum. My assumption is, is he healthy enough to take a hit? Because if you saw the offensive line, you're going to take a hit and you don't want to put him in There where the first time he falls on that same shoulder, you're back in the same boat. And so I'm still optimistic that we see him. You know, they didn't sign a veteran quarterback. They tried to, they couldn't. Tolzen not good, real bad. Two for five.

[Jason Moore]

You've got, you know, you've got Cam Newton dealing with the same, you know, issue shoulder surgery. And he was throwing a month ago, you know, he was in practice throwing quite a while ago and he is right now working in the red zone drills. But he's not even back to full team participation. Yeah, full team participation.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah. I mean they both had shoulder surgery, but they are different injuries. The labrum and the rotator cuff are different injuries. So I'm not going to hold that standard to Andrew Luck.

[Jason Moore]

Sure. But I believe that this shows that he is way behind where they want him to be.

[Andy Holloway]

Tavon Austin hamstring probably won't play in any of the preseason games. Josh Dachshund expected to miss at least another four to five days of camp.

[Jason Moore]

Come on.

[Andy Holloway]

Josh Dockson an injury and then Roberto Aguirre has been cut by the Buccaneers. Second round pick, traded up for a kicker. Did not turn out in the Sebastian Janikowski kind of way. Yeah, the Bears claimed it. You know, he stinks because he cannot handle the pressure. And I wonder if you now that the pressure of being the number two pick is off, you still wonder could if he can because in practice this guy's and you put him in a game and he doesn't make it.

[Mike Wright]

Well, I mean it's like Shaq and his free throws, Right. All reports that Shaq would, he would drill or he would drain all his free throws in practice. But then once the lights are on.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, he's probably really excited to go to the Bears because there's no real pressure. He's not going to be kicking game winners. You know, this is easy.

[Andy Holloway]

We're down 12. Who cares?

[Jason Moore]

No one cares.

[Andy Holloway]

Poor Bears fans.

[Jason Moore]

I love you. Bears Weekly Rewind.

[Andy Holloway]

All right. I think with the time left we have on today's show, we're going to dive into some of the the rookie recap, so to speak, the impressions we got from some of these rookies out there. Anybody else that you guys want to talk about and we'll jump into a little mailbag, answer foot clan questions and get you ready for the season. So let's start with. You want to start with the rookie running backs?

[Mike Wright]

Sure.

[Andy Holloway]

Leonard Fournette, we talked about him. Nine rushes, 31 yards and a touchdown looked great. Jason's kind of gotten into him. Mike, do you have anything you want to add about Leonard Fournette or should we talk Dalvin Cook?

[Mike Wright]

No. He looked very strong and looked like the best running back on the team, as you would expect.

[Andy Holloway]

Okay.

[Mike Wright]

There's nothing really to add.

[Andy Holloway]

Dalvin Cook. Five times he rushed for 13 yards, four of four targets for 30 yards in the Vikings preseason.

[Mike Wright]

He got work, man. They put him to work right away.

[Jason Moore]

The opportunity is what I love about this. I don't think Dalvin Cook looked anything super special. He did not strike me as, you know, the same way that Mixon and Fournette did. But what is really important is for a team like the Minnesota Vikings who have a quarterback that checks down, I mean, if you combine all the running back targets last year, you're Talking close to 70 receptions at the running back position. Dalvin Cook is very capable. I mean, he's talented as a pass catching back. And so the fact that four targets early on went to him, caught all of them. If he's used in that role, he will be a valuable fantasy asset for sure.

[Andy Holloway]

Love Dalvin Cook. Have him in my top 20. It's one of the reasons I don't love Kyle Rudolph the way you two love Kyle Rudolph. I think he's going to be used. He's going to be not spectacular. Last year, a lot of injuries, people off the field, and no real reliable weapon like Dalvin Cook. You had guys that could catch it if you threw it at him, but not the kind of player that Dalvin Cook is.

[Mike Wright]

Let's talk about since we're there.

[Jason Moore]

I just want to throw this out. The offensive line that I've been expecting improvement. They did not look good. And Sam Bradford, who I've been, you know, championing for, did not look good. So that's a situation coming, you know, in future weeks. I'm going to be watching Minnesota, see if they can get there.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, as you say, I guess that's a good transition to kind of say, look, week one limited reps for a lot of these players. We're trying to highlight situations for you to watch in week two and three that we will continue to watch. These are not conclusions. These are basically some early impressions, observations, and that's it. Yeah. So Samaj P. Ryan could have gone better. Could have gone better. What exactly was Matt Jones problem in the offense?

[Mike Wright]

Matt Jones had a fumbling problem.

[Andy Holloway]

Ah. And Samaj P. Ryan decided to come out, fumble the ball.

[Mike Wright]

Samaj P. Ryan apparently has a fumbling Problem because he's reportedly had a little ball control issues in practice. Came out into live game situation, fumbled, dropped a pass essentially right after that. Now Jay Gruden has, he's not.

[Andy Holloway]

He.

[Mike Wright]

Hasn'T jumped in the bus just yet. He gave him the support, saying it's going to take him some time. But Robert Kelly, ultimate draft kit.

[Andy Holloway]

Right. We just, we did. He's in there as a value.

[Mike Wright]

Yes. Robert Kelly is going to be the starting running back for the foreseeable future because Robert Kelly, who is, while he may be unspectacular, he does not fumble the ball.

[Andy Holloway]

That's a good summary of Robert Kelly and you should take it.

[Mike Wright]

He's going to get opportunity on a great offense.

[Andy Holloway]

Take it from Mike. Mike loves. Yes, I do, Ryan. So if Mike endorses Robert Kelly in his current role book, it, it hurts.

[Mike Wright]

It hurts me, but it's what's happening.

[Andy Holloway]

All right, let's talk about the Camaro. All right. Saints third round running back Alvin Camara. Camara rushed four times for 35 yards. Really to me the impression that I had of Camara was stronger than I thought he was. Right. You bring in a guy and you, and you kind of label him with AP and Ingram there as the third down back. I like the strength I saw from Camara. I like the vision, the speed. We already knew he had it. So very good debut for Camara. Showed you that you know he's going to have a role on this roster.

[Mike Wright]

They wanted to see what he could do. I mean their first two plays were back to back handoffs to Kamara and then he had a full Madden highlight where he ran into, into the line. He's just trucking truck and keeps his feet moving somehow and then ends up taking it out to the outside for a big gain. And Camara will never be a three down guy but he, his skills will be utilized to the fullest with the Saints.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, I mean a Camaro is never a Corvette but you can still drive it.

[Mike Wright]

You're going to anger the Camaro people.

[Andy Holloway]

D'Angelo Henderson showed some big play ability in Denver. Seven rushes, 54 and a touchdown. I thought the breakaway speed was really impressive from D'Angelo Henderson. I've also been very public about the fact I don't believe that 2018 running back is on the roster. Maybe it is, but I think there's an opportunity there in Denver. If D'Angelo Henderson finds a crease with that rotation, he may be able to do something.

[Mike Wright]

It could be Anderson I thought looked good though. Yeah, Anderson Looked ready to play.

[Jason Moore]

Anderson did look good, but the backfield is one where, you know, they're going to be a full rbbc. We have no idea what to expect from Jamal Charles. They're already saying, you know, week two of preseason, they're not sure if he's going to be ready for that. So D'Angelo Henderson, to me, is a guy, you know, worth keeping your eyes on. You got injuries and injury history in front of him right now. And then Devonta Booker.

[Andy Holloway]

All right, this is injured. Right. This is a situation I wanted your thoughts on. Joe Williams. Seven rushes, 60 yards in the preseason opener, mind you, Matt Brida, Bareda.

[Mike Wright]

Yep.

[Andy Holloway]

Bereta, 11 rushes for 40 yards. I had added him in.

[Mike Wright]

He played in front of Williams.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, I added him in our dynasty league a little while back because the press around Breda in camp was good. What do you think about Williams performance? How do you evaluate that backfield with how these two players played in week one? Because both were very good.

[Mike Wright]

I thought that Bareda looked, I thought he looked very impressive and he did play in front of Joe Williams. So that was the biggest takeaway is just the stamp on the depth chart, at least for week one. That could change. I mean, Joe Williams, Williams ran like.

[Andy Holloway]

A man who does not want to be third on the depth chart.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah.

[Mike Wright]

And yeah, that's an affair assessment.

[Jason Moore]

But.

[Mike Wright]

And then it was. Baretta and Williams were kind of switching, going back, going back and forth. But it's, it's where all off season the narrative had become, Carlos side's going to get cut. They don't like Carlos Hyde. Joe Williams is going to be the guy to come into preseason week one and be playing behind Baretta. That is what I'm reading into where it's, it's just, I'm not, it's not automatically Joe Williams will be the guy if something happens to Carlos Hyde.

[Jason Moore]

And we, you know, we talk about in preseason, you can't watch the box score and know what happened. You know, you see seven rushes for 60 yards, you go, oh, that was great. You don't realize he was playing, he was playing against threes. You know, it's not like Samaj P. Ryan came in way early in the game. You know, he was replacing Rob Kelly against ones. This is like, okay, I'm, you know, you can't fault a guy for playing well against threes. That's what he should do. But you should not equally, you should not get too excited about a guy who performs well against, in super inferior competition.

[Andy Holloway]

Let's talk about the rookie quarterbacks, Trubisky, Kaiser, what did you see from these guys? What did you like? Mahomes. You can throw him in there as well. Yeah, Mahomes had a nice debut.

[Jason Moore]

It was.

[Mike Wright]

Mahomes is now officially bumped up to number two on the depth.

[Andy Holloway]

Yes, he was. He started out practice. Now number two showed off the arm on a play that got called back. But a really good throw made a ridiculously, I thought, stupid play for a touchdown. I mean, through back it was a. If. If Brett Favre had just been transposed his face over Mahomes on that play, I would not have been surprised it was him because he threw back across his body and 9 out of 10 times that ball would have been picked off. I thought it was a terrible play, but it was a touchdown and that's what you're going to get with Mahomes came out today. Coaches in in Cleveland said Kaiser's not ready to be a starter, but he had a good debut. 11 for 18, 184 yards in a touchdown.

[Jason Moore]

I'll tell you who's not ready to be a starter. Brock Osweiler. He. He was.

[Mike Wright]

Wow, he was really bad.

[Jason Moore]

And the truth was that Kaiser looked great. I mean, he made some, some NFL movement in the pocket. That's one of the things that I look for early for quarterbacks. And you know, some nice step ups and step to the sides, avoid pressure and throw the ball deep. I really liked what I saw. I still think he might hold onto the ball a little bit too long. And he is, he is very raw, but his talent showed. He made NFL throws, tight windows, you know, deep ball accuracy. I really liked it. But I do think that the clear winner so far from, you know, the super early week one preseason was trubisky. That's a guy Andy had more belief in than the two of us coming in. And he certainly looked a whole lot better than Mike Glennon.

[Andy Holloway]

Mike Glennon did his best Brock Osweiler impression.

[Mike Wright]

I disagree. I thought Mike Glennon if. When you watch play by play, what's happening, Mike Glennon was actually okay.

[Jason Moore]

Agree to disagree.

[Andy Holloway]

I watched him too. I disagree.

[Mike Wright]

Mike, when Mike Glennon, when it was like on the interception, his line did absolutely nothing and he's playing against the Denver Broncos starting defense.

[Jason Moore]

Sure.

[Mike Wright]

Mr. Bitzky was not.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, you're right.

[Jason Moore]

That's where he threw the ball was three defenders.

[Mike Wright]

I'm saying just go back and watch that play. He gets hit in the head, there should have been a flag. And then he had a couple plays where he hit his receivers in the hands and they dropped it. So his 2 for 8 looks really bad in the box score, but I think that Glennon played better than that. I know that Twitter was, was in full tilt in full, like forest fire fury for Mitch Trubisky, but. And I'm not taking away from, from how he played, just saying that Glennon's Statland looks terrible. But on the field, I thought he, he didn't look nearly as bad as his numbers. Would he look?

[Jason Moore]

He looked, you know, three or four for eight, not two for eight.

[Andy Holloway]

No, I didn't think he looked that good. Let me bring up a name. Late round pick. Maybe this is just a name to keep in the back of your head. Marcus Wheaton broke his finger and we know Cameron Meredith is there in Chicago, but I thought Victor Cruz looked good and I think Victor Cruz is somebody you can throw into your. Just pay attention to in these.

[Mike Wright]

He didn't get in for a while, but you're just saying he moves up because of Wheaton.

[Andy Holloway]

He moves up because of Wheaton. He looked very good to me. Three catches, I believe, on four targets. I just want him in the back of your mind because if the depth chart starts to fade away with some of these injuries and things happening, there's nobody really there. So there's an opportunity there.

[Mike Wright]

Tell you who Trubisky loved. Adam Shaheen. Yeah, like all his targets, he's like, hey, Shaheen, can I throw it to you yet? No. All right, I'm throw it to you. I'm going to throw it to you.

[Jason Moore]

You guys remember Kevin White?

[Mike Wright]

Wait, who?

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, I don't either.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, wow.

[Mike Wright]

Kevin White.

[Andy Holloway]

All right, let's talk about rookie wide receivers. We've already talked about Kenny Golladay. Those smooth routes, three for four, 53 yards and two touchdowns.

[Mike Wright]

So smooth.

[Andy Holloway]

Let's talk about Matt Collins and Dede Westbrook. Westbrook had a 42 yard touchdown. Mack Hollins 4 for 5 with 64 yards and a touchdown in the Eagles preseason opener.

[Mike Wright]

Running with the one.

[Jason Moore]

Yes.

[Andy Holloway]

Mac. Yeah, I was gonna say, is Tori Smith an afterthought as a signing here in Philly?

[Jason Moore]

I think, I think Tori Smith is an afterthought. Mack Hollins is a guy. You know, I almost put him as my rising star. Part of the reason I didn't was because you were going with Zach Ertz and I thought, you know, I could talk about a different team. But Mack Hollins impressed me even more than Kenny Golladay. I thought both were great. But when I was watching and I didn't know who it was on the field. I rewound the play because I was so impressed. And then it was Mack Hollins and he did it several times. And he did it with the ones. He did it with Carson Wentz. He did it against the ones. And now you have Jordan Matthews leaving and there's all this, oh, Nelson Aguilar is. Maybe he's going to be good enough to finally step up, but I think it's going to be Matt Collins. He really impressed me. And that's right now a guy that as a, you know, last pick, you know, you want to take that flyer shot. He actually could be a starting. He could be the two. The, you know, the second wide receiver in two wide receivers.

[Andy Holloway]

That's the two is the two is the second.

[Jason Moore]

He sure is. But he could. He could have that role.

[Mike Wright]

He's the number one. Number two.

[Andy Holloway]

He's the top two.

[Jason Moore]

He's at least in there starting the season. He has the chance to come out as a starting wide receiver for what could be a good offense.

[Andy Holloway]

Very talent, very interesting, someone to pay attention to over the next couple games. Also, Rico gathers yet again. Four for six targets, 47 and a touchdown. Big man. He's a big man. I told you, you got to just pay attention. Dynasty league owners, you need to pick them up.

[Jason Moore]

I also thought juju looked good. You know, I've been an Eli Rogers believer and I have not wanted to just give it over to juju, but it looked to me from the way they lined up and how they got him involved that good juju, that there was some good juju for juju.

[Andy Holloway]

He was on my list.

[Jason Moore]

Did we just officially juju, like, you know, what are those? Candies, Jujubes. Those are the worst, right? Can we all agree?

[Mike Wright]

Yes.

[Jason Moore]

They're just the worst.

[Andy Holloway]

Those are like real old school candies, like milk duds.

[Jason Moore]

I'm shocked that you don't like them. You know those take your teeth out.

[Andy Holloway]

When I. My prediction article, my Pittsburgh prediction was related to juju. No, I said that he would be an occasionally start worthy revelation because he's a good player and I think he might have found the right team. Couple little headlines. You guys basically jump in if you want. Terrence west, five rushes for 23 and a touchdown. Deion Lewis got a lot of playing time. You can look at that as good or bad. But seven for 32 and four receptions for 23 yards. So he produced Spencer Ware. Four rushes for six yards and a touchdown. Had three catches.

[Jason Moore]

Spencer Ware looked great.

[Mike Wright]

Spencer. Yeah, I was going to say I wanted to highlight Spencer. Ware will be starting for the Chiefs.

[Andy Holloway]

Ho hum. Antonio Gates got a touchdown.

[Mike Wright]

Do not forget about the old man Gates.

[Jason Moore]

He's going to catch touchdowns, people.

[Andy Holloway]

Look, he'll be on the field. He will be ruining your day when you start Hunter Henry. And last year I think Gates was 2 to 1 target wise with Henry. I would think it's going to be 50, 50 target wise this year and he's still going to make you angry when you're around the goal line and you wish Hunter Henry caught the ball because Antonio Gates has proven throughout a long career that he will catch touchdowns. And then Thomas Rawls.

[Mike Wright]

Yep.

[Andy Holloway]

Now you'd be surprised. I've been on the Thomas Rawls train for a long time, but you'd be surprised to hear me say, I don't think you need to read too much into this situation. Rawls did start the game over Eddie Lacy. That is important. You don't need to move Eddie Lacey into your fourth round, but if he's there in the sixth round, I still love Eddie Lacey. I still think that this is an opportunity where Lacey could be the starter by week one. He's still recovering from injury, but it was interesting to see Rawls out there. It's trouble. Okay. Pro size Rawls and Lacey and a battle line. I don't want that under my Christmas tree. Okay. As a fantasy owner, I don't want it. Give me something else. Give me another choice out there then having to pick those three guys. Well, the nice thing, I'm probably just going to take the free Rawls at the end of the draft.

[Jason Moore]

Say if you do go the Rawls way, it didn't cost you anything. The last names that I would throw out, just looking through my list of notes of guys that stood out. Mike Evans looked great again. Go figure.

[Andy Holloway]

Never heard of it.

[Jason Moore]

The targets were great. I'm just more and more confident on him lately. Chris Conley. Someone needs to step up. Everything's going.

[Mike Wright]

I had a Chris Conley note, but.

[Jason Moore]

Chris Conley looked great. He had a great touchdown called back for pass off. It's a pass interference, but that was one of those, like half the time it wouldn't have been called. And it was a really great play. Robbie Anderson looked like the clear one for the jets right now. And then keep your eyes on Jaron Brown. I know John Brown wasn't there, but he was the, you know, the second wide receiver in two wide receiver sets. He is to me, a great sleeper.

[Mike Wright]

The couple names I wanted to mention were Jacques Whiz Rogers. Just saying. He got all the work after Martin was done. Martin is the starter, but for those first three weeks, it's going to be Joe Quiz Rogers, Paul Perkins, Smash Jackson, good friend of the show.

[Jason Moore]

No, he's in trouble right now. It's just Paul Perkins.

[Mike Wright]

He is. He is officially Paul Perkins right now. He's going to get overdrafted. Paul Perkins production is going to be. Can he get you a big play?

[Andy Holloway]

It is not. We should have brought him up earlier. We'll talk about it more. It is. It is bad or dark. It's not just dark with two. It's. It's Vereen, like Vereen's free. Perkins you got to pay for and you don't know what's coming because Perkins, he's never shown me anything on film that made me say, you can be in every down back and this offense can't run the ball. That is. That is high alert in New York. If you've got your Paul Perkins shares and you've got somebody who still believes in him as a starter, I'd move it. I'd move him.

[Jason Moore]

I agree.

[Mike Wright]

Rookie running backs Tariq Cohen looked pretty good for Chicago.

[Andy Holloway]

There you go.

[Mike Wright]

And then this is. It's super deep and it could be the Brock Osweiler talking, but Seth just. Seth Deval, tight end for Cleveland, got a couple deep shots and like I said, that could just be because it's Brock Osweiler who only targets the tight end because he's too afraid to throw to a wide receiver.

[Andy Holloway]

And in joke is still recovering.

[Jason Moore]

Right.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah.

[Mike Wright]

But just. Just a name to keep in mind.

[Jason Moore]

Oh, football.

[Andy Holloway]

We're going to jump into a couple of mailbag questions because I don't want to end the show without getting to some listener questions. Real quick, though. Where do you draft Zeke? That was one thing. We didn't touch that earlier. Where do you draft Ezekiel Elliott? I think that's the question that I. He accidentally buried when we were flying through the news.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, we need to talk about it.

[Andy Holloway]

But how and where? I think it's. Let me put it this way. We've had the show going into our third full season. I'm looking at the Zeke situation today as the most challenging piece of advice that we need to give listeners. Because of all the variables of an appeal, possibly missed games, the impact a player like Ezekiel Elliott would have on your team when you get to start him, where are you drafting?

[Mike Wright]

Threat of even more punishment? I think that the range of outcomes. So first Round, you cannot draft Ezekiel Elliott. And it sucks because almost every question I fielded over this weekend was, okay, do I, do I keep zeke as my first round keeper? And if you're playing for 2018 and you want to hold on to those rights as his Zeke is your keeper, then yes. But you cannot have him in the first round. I think that his ADP is going to be anywhere from the second to the fourth. Or maybe he falls into the fifth round because we did our stat adjustments where we essentially removed six games of production from Elliott and he falls. He's still an RB one because that's how far up his, his production is and what he can do for your team. If I'm in a draft, I, which I still haven't faced it yet, so I have not faced the actual. I'm in a live decision. I have to do this. I think I would draft him in the fourth round, but I just, when it actually comes to it and those other guys, the other names are looking at me and they're high tiered, they're going to play those first six weeks, I'm not sure that I can pull the trigger. I can say that fifth round I would do it. I, I'm willing to take a fifth round guy, sit on my bench for six weeks and believe that I have a top three running back for the rest of the season.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, rankings wise for me, he looks like he's going to be about a third round guy. So I would have to make that decision based on who I believe I could pair with him late for those first few weeks. And also what is the size of my bench? Most leagues are either five or six bench spots. And if you've got five bench spots, I'm more inclined to push him back towards, you know, the fourth or maybe take him, you know, wait to the fifth, which means I probably won't get him if I've got that sixth bench spot, you know, because when you have him, assuming he can't go on your ir, which. Some leagues. Most players.

[Mike Wright]

Most players, yeah. Most places you cannot. The last time I played on NFL.com you could. Which is an absolute.

[Jason Moore]

What's ridiculous.

[Mike Wright]

It's ridiculous.

[Jason Moore]

Especially that it's the NFL.com meanwhile, you.

[Mike Wright]

Can'T put a player who has been labeled out into that slot like you can for espn.

[Jason Moore]

But you do need to keep that in mind because if you draft Zeke, that removes a bench spot for you to be able to make waiver wire adjustments to make streaming quarterback streaming tight end, streaming defensive pickups for those Reasons.

[Andy Holloway]

All right, let's go ahead and jump in the mailbag.

[Jason Moore]

Mailbag.

[Mike Wright]

Mailbag.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah.

[Andy Holloway]

All right. If you have a question for the podcast, we'd love to answer it. Go to the website thefantasyfootballers.com. click the submit a question button in the menu or you can dial our voicemail hotline, 302464, TFFB. We'll get to as many as we can. The show is all about making your team better, helping you enjoy your fantasy football season all the more. So let's jump into a voicemail question to kick things off.

[Jason Moore]

Hi, this is Kadeem from Edmonton. Watch all your guys podcasts. Love you guys. I have a question. We have a 12 team PPR league that is three keepers. We started last year, so our keepers are set for the next year. Should we do a snake or a linear draft? Thanks, guys.

[Andy Holloway]

Good question.

[Jason Moore]

I like the question. You know, we do a three keeper league and we have decided on going linear and I like it. I think it helps balance, you know, year after year. You've got the great teams who are going to have the better keepers and they, you know, won the championship. Put them, put them at the bat.

[Mike Wright]

I think that the what your actual what you give up to keep it plays a factor into this because so for our keeper, we're linear, but it's you just get three keepers. It doesn't remove a draft spot from you. In my other two keeper, you give up essentially the ADP for the player. So it just stays a snake draft.

[Jason Moore]

Yep.

[Andy Holloway]

Ryan in Florida, just curious how many leagues each of you guys are in and how you manage to keep up with all of them. Thank you. Love the show.

[Mike Wright]

The answer is too many. How do you keep up with all of them?

[Jason Moore]

You don't.

[Mike Wright]

You don't.

[Jason Moore]

What you do is you prioritize. I mean, that's the truth.

[Andy Holloway]

We own a lot of. We're in leagues together as a group a lot, which helps for our peripheral leagues. Like we're in that fantasy Pros Invitational and Scotty Fish, but we own a league together as a team, so that makes it easy to stay on top of kind of the peripheral leagues.

[Jason Moore]

I like being assumed someone else is going to do something there. No one else.

[Andy Holloway]

That's why we lose. I'm in three that I really, really care about and pay attention to.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, I mean, I think I'm in six or seven, you know, real leagues this year, but there's three that I'm going to pay attention to.

[Mike Wright]

All right. You'll still Pay attention.

[Jason Moore]

No, of course. But three that I really care about, I'm going to be grinding on.

[Andy Holloway]

All right. Another voicemail. Hey, guys, this is Andrew in Idaho. Love the show. I was just calling because I'm wondering what you're willing to give up to get the first pick. Picking a draft. I'm drafting near the back of my draft, about eight and I was thinking of offering that pick plus a third rounder for the first overall pick plus a tenth. Anyways, an answer would be great. Love the show. Again, thanks. In your example, I'd do that in a heartbeat. I'd give up my third round pick and my number eight overall.

[Jason Moore]

And a tenth.

[Andy Holloway]

No, he said he'd get back a tenth. So to get the number one in a heartbeat, it's not a question. Having a player like David Johnson or Le'Veon Bell, your choice is a game breaker for me. So third round pick, it's always more than happy to do it.

[Mike Wright]

The. Well, the exercise we always advise is put names to these players. So he said the eighth spot. Yeah. So you're looking at Freeman or AJ Green. So let's say would you trade Devonte Freeman and. And Terrell Pryor for David Johnson? If the answer is yes, then do the trade. Then you make the trade.

[Jason Moore]

And if it was that he also is giving up a tenth, I would do that as well. I mean, Andy talks about this all the time. The 10th is nothing. You just sweeten the pot. You make it seem like it's a trade that you can't turn down.

[Mike Wright]

I believe he did say he's going to get it back.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah. Just to balance it back. All right, two quarterback question from Andrew in Roanoke, Virginia. 10 team PPR with a super flex. Keep Devonta Freeman for a 16th or Rogers for a second.

[Mike Wright]

Freeman.

[Jason Moore]

Yep.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, I'll take the. I'll take Freeman for free.

[Andy Holloway]

It's unanimous. Michael Bell off of Twitter wants to know what's the earliest round you're going to draft Kareem Hunt in.

[Jason Moore]

Earliest round for Kareem Hunt would probably.

[Mike Wright]

Be, I'll say eighth round for me.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, right now. Players going in the eighth. You've got Jacquiz, which I still think that's a bit too high. Yeah, eighth round looks pretty good. I mean, that's where you've got Hunt going right now. Samaj P. Ryan. In the seventh round you've got players. I'm going to take over Hunt like Terence west and oh yes, Frank Gore.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, I feel like the seventh round is when.

[Jason Moore]

Seventh round you might Be able to.

[Mike Wright]

Starter starting caliber guys fade away. And then you're just starting to take your shots on the players you like.

[Andy Holloway]

All right, last question. Hassan in Raul. That's what it says. He's inside Raul, which sounds like a person.

[Jason Moore]

Bonjour.

[Andy Holloway]

Which means that's definitely a bonjour. I don't know where Raul is.

[Jason Moore]

He could be anywhere. Raul's in his vehicle right now driving around Brooks.

[Andy Holloway]

Do you know where Raul is?

[Mike Wright]

It sounds so dumb right now.

[Andy Holloway]

We do not sound dumb. I don't think Raul is a normal place that you should know. I took geography. I went to college.

[Mike Wright]

Spell it for me.

[Andy Holloway]

Raul. It's a person's name.

[Mike Wright]

All right.

[Andy Holloway]

It's like he's. Get out of Raul.

[Mike Wright]

Maybe. It's a delightful place.

[Andy Holloway]

I'm sure I meant the person. If you're inside a person, get out.

[Mike Wright]

I don't like Brooks.

[Andy Holloway]

Did you find it? I can't find it.

[Mike Wright]

This is dangerous.

[Andy Holloway]

I have the seventh pick in a standard Raleigh. Okay. I have the seventh pick in a standard league, and I feel like it's the hardest draft spot this season. Who would you guys go with in a standard league? McCoy, A.J. evans, Jordy, or someone else? Love the show. Keep up the awesome work.

[Jason Moore]

It's funny, the seventh has been a really easy pick. McCoy is there.

[Mike Wright]

I'll take McCoy.

[Jason Moore]

With the Zeke news, it's McCoy's probably going to go at six.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, probably.

[Jason Moore]

And if so, McCoy would be the pick if he's on the board. If he is not on the board, Eileen towards AJ Green.

[Andy Holloway]

I'm with you.

[Mike Wright]

And I would take either Freeman or Jordy.

[Jason Moore]

You would take options.

[Andy Holloway]

You're saying if McCoy's not there. Right.

[Mike Wright]

Those are the. If I want running back, I'm likely taking Freeman. If I want a wide receiver, I would take Jordy.

[Jason Moore]

All right.

[Andy Holloway]

Hey, we're back in the rankings again tomorrow. I believe it's quarterbacks, Am I right, Brooks?

[Mike Wright]

Oh, yeah, that's my teammate.

[Andy Holloway]

Got the quarterback. Got the quarterback ranking show tomorrow. Make sure you stay tuned. Check us out on YouTube, check us out on Apple podcasts. And we will. That's loud. Check out playdraft.comballers if you want to play some best ball with us. Love their app. Gotta get it.

[Jason Moore]

Goodbye.

[Andy Holloway]

Take it easy.

[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.