Fantasy Football 2017 - Fantasy Superpowers + NFC East Breakdown

Summary

Fantasy Footballers Podcast Summary

Episode: Fantasy Football 2017 - Fantasy Superpowers + NFC East Breakdown
Release Date: August 2, 2017
Hosts: Andy Holloway, Jason Moore, and Mike "The Fantasy Hitman" Wright

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1. Introduction

The episode kicks off with a brief introduction from the hosts, Andy, Jason, and Mike, setting the stage for an in-depth discussion on fantasy football superpowers and a comprehensive breakdown of the NFC East. The hosts engage in their characteristic banter, establishing camaraderie and setting an engaging tone for the episode.

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2. Fantasy Football Superpowers

Quick Question of the Day: The hosts pose a fun segment titled "What is your fantasy football superpower?" inviting each other to share their unique strengths in fantasy football management.

• Mike Wright's Trading Prowess [04:38]:

  • Mike: “I would draft Pryor and I would draft Todd Gurley doubling down.”
  • Mike reveals that his superpower lies in his exceptional trading skills. He prides himself on crafting strategic trades, often leveraging multiple players to acquire high-value assets. For instance, he mentions crafting a trade for David Johnson, showcasing his relentless pursuit of advantageous deals.
  • Notable Quote: “I love the two for one and the three for one trade. I feel like there is so much value to those types of trade...” [05:06]

• Andy Holloway's Quarterback Drafting Strategy [07:29]:

  • Andy: “I've always felt solid about identifying not just a late quarterback, but a late quarterback that turns into an every-week startable QB1.”
  • Andy highlights his ability to identify late-round quarterbacks who can become reliable starters, alleviating concerns about the quarterback position and providing consistent performance for his fantasy teams.
  • Notable Quote: “I ended up grabbing Carson Palmer off the waiver wire. And that single move led me to a Week 1 victory...” [08:01]

• Jason Moore's Best Ball Strategy [08:37]:

  • Jason: “I love best ball leagues. I say all the time, you don't win the fantasy championship at the draft because you don't, but you do in best ball leagues.”
  • Jason discusses his meticulous approach to drafting and his preference for best ball leagues, emphasizing that his strength lies in preparing robust draft rankings and making passive yet effective team selections.
  • Notable Quote: “If I don't make any moves and nobody else makes any moves, I'm usually happy with how that turns out.” [08:37]

Key Insights:

• Mike's Trading Strategy: Emphasizes the value in multi-player trades to secure star performers.
• Andy’s QB Selection: Focuses on late-round value quarterbacks who can provide stability.
• Jason’s Best Ball Approach: Highlights the importance of solid drafting to capitalize in best ball formats.

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3. News and Updates

The hosts delve into recent NFL news impacting fantasy football, including player injuries and team updates.

• Jordan Reed's Injury Update [09:13]:

  • Mike: “Jordan Reed saw a specialist for his toe injury on Wednesday without a timetable for return.”
  • Concerns about Reed's turf toe injury and its implications for his recovery and fantasy value are discussed.
  • Notable Quote: “If this is turf toe... I will be concerned because turf toe at the beginning of the season... never works out well.” [10:08]

• Impact on Player Rankings [11:21]:

  • Jason: “If I’m drafting today, I do move him (Jordan Reed) down.”
  • The hosts debate whether to adjust player rankings based on injury news, emphasizing the unpredictability of player recoveries.

• Todd Gurley's Role Enhancement [12:07]:

  • Andy: “If he's catching passes as a running back, that raises your floor.”
  • Discusses the Rams' strategy to utilize Gurley more in the passing game, which could improve his reliability as a fantasy asset.

• Sterling Shepard's Severe Injury [15:05]:

  • Mike: “Sterling Shepard on the sideline in serious pain. Taken off on a cart in tears.”
  • The sudden injury to Shepard is addressed, considering its potential impact on the Giants' offense and fantasy implications for players like Brandon Marshall.
  • Notable Quote: “It's very disappointing. Sad news for Sterling Shepard if he is indeed seriously injured.” [15:10]

• Ezekiel Elliott's Suspension Speculation [19:28]:

  • Mike: “If Zeke is suspended... he would then be permitted to play indefinitely until that suspension.”
  • The potential suspension of Elliott and its ramifications on the Cowboys’ running back strategy are explored.
  • Notable Quote: “Honestly, I would prefer if it's a three-game suspension for him to just take it and draft him.” [20:17]

Key Insights:

• Injuries remain a critical factor influencing player value and draft strategies.
• Team strategies, such as increased pass involvement for running backs, can enhance player floors.
• Disciplinary actions and suspensions introduce additional layers of risk in player evaluation.

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4. NFC East Breakdown

A detailed analysis of each NFC East team, focusing on fantasy football implications for key players.

a. Dallas Cowboys [18:37]

• Key Players:

  • Dak Prescott: Emerging as the franchise's quarterback, Prescott's consistent performance is highlighted.
    • Mike: “He was a QB1 62% of the time last year, which is the same as Drew Brees.” [24:31]
    • Concerns about the Cowboys' secondary affecting Prescott’s efficiency are discussed.
  • Ezekiel Elliott: Potential suspension and its impact on the running back position.
    • Andy: “Zeke... games three through 15, 1500 rushing yards, that's pretty good.” [22:23]
  • Des Bryant: Evaluated for his ability to perform against top-tier cornerbacks.
    • Jason: “Des Bryant... shut down cornerbacks like Janoris Jenkins and Josh Norman.” [27:28]

• Strategic Insights:

  • Trading and Depth: Mike’s aggressive trading approach aims to secure top-tier players like Elliott.
  • Quarterback Value: Dak Prescott is positioned as a reliable QB1, with potential for higher floors if the offensive weapons improve.
  • Des Bryant’s Schedule: Analyzing the difficulty of Bryant’s upcoming matchups, with a consensus that he remains a valuable WR1 despite tough opponents.

b. New York Giants [25:31]

• Key Players:

  • Eli Manning: Debate over Manning's decline and his fantasy value.
    • Jason: “Carson Wentz was above some of those names [great fantasy QBs].” [48:11]
    • Andy: “Is Eli Manning done? He looked pretty done a lot of the time last year.” [30:39]
  • Brandon Marshall: Potential rise if Sterling Shepard remains injured.
    • Jason: “I don’t think he would elevate Marshall ahead of guys like Edelman and Landry.” [34:04]
  • Evan Ingram: Emerging tight end, possibility of increased target share.
  • Paul Perkins: Discussed as a volume play with concerns about touchdowns.
    • Jason: “He has, he's not a touchdown guy.” [37:19]

• Strategic Insights:

  • Offensive Dynamics: Addition of Brandon Marshall and Evan Ingram could alter the Giants’ passing game, affecting targets for existing receivers.
  • Running Back Evolution: Paul Perkins is emphasized as a necessary volume run back, though his touchdown potential remains limited.

c. Washington Redskins [38:26]

• Key Players:

  • Robert Kelly vs. Samaj P. Ryan: Evaluation of Kelly’s reliability versus Ryan’s potential.
    • Andy: “Rob Kelly’s there. He’s getting actual time as the starter.” [40:15]
    • Jason: “Samaj P. Ryan is last year's Jordan Howard. Nobody who drafted Jordan Howard last year is happy now because they didn’t keep him.” [41:59]
  • Zach Ertz: Highly targeted tight end with potential as a top fantasy asset.
    • Mike: “Zachary is my tight end in almost every league.” [54:59]
  • LeGarrett Blount: Projected as a key running back with volume.
    • Andy: “LeGarrett Blount... volume play...” [51:43]

• Strategic Insights:

  • Running Back Choices: Emphasis on starting with reliable backs like Rob Kelly before considering high-upside options like Samaj P. Ryan.
  • Tight End Dominance: Zach Ertz is positioned as a premier tight end option, potentially overshadowing other top TEs in drafts.
  • Offensive Line Strength: The Redskins' robust offensive line is seen as an advantage for their running game and overall offensive efficiency.

d. Philadelphia Eagles [47:26]

• Key Players:

  • Carson Wentz: Mixed perspectives on his potential as a fantasy QB1.
    • Mike: “I don't think it's his responsibility to be anointed in year two.” [48:10]
    • Jason: “If I'm on the clock and it's between Andy Dalton and Carson Wentz, I love Andy Dalton.” [49:31]
  • Alshon Jeffrey: Viewed as a strong WR1 with high potential.
    • Mike: “Alshon Jeffrey can be a top 15 wide receiver in this offense.” [51:12]
  • LeGarrett Blount: Dissected as a valuable RB with strong volume expectations.
    • Mike: “LeGarrett Blount... volume play...” [51:58]
  • Zach Ertz: Continues to be a focal point as the number one tight end.
    • Andy: “Zach Ertz was just an absolute monster the number one tight end.” [54:59]

• Strategic Insights:

  • Quarterback Evaluation: Carson Wentz is seen as a promising but not elite fantasy quarterback, with caution advised due to potential inefficiencies.
  • Wide Receiver Depth: Alshon Jeffrey stands out as a reliable WR1, while Zach Ertz’s consistent targeting makes him a top fantasy tight end.
  • Running Back Strategy: LeGarrett Blount is favored for his volume, with Paul Perkins serving as a dependable RB2 option in PPR formats.

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5. Concluding Remarks

The hosts wrap up the episode by encouraging listeners to engage with their content through reviews and social media. They emphasize the importance of staying informed and adaptable in fantasy football, reminding listeners to leverage their unique "superpowers" to gain competitive edges in their leagues.

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Notable Quotes with Timestamps

• Mike Wright on Trading:
  “I love the two for one and the three for one trade. I feel like there is so much value to those types of trade...” [05:06]

• Andy Holloway on QB Drafting:
  “I ended up grabbing Carson Palmer off the waiver wire. And that single move led me to a Week 1 victory...” [08:01]

• Mike on Dak Prescott's Consistency:
  “He was a QB1 62% of the time last year, which is the same as Drew Brees.” [24:31]

• Jason Moore on Samaj P. Ryan:
  “Samaj P. Ryan is last year's Jordan Howard. Nobody who drafted Jordan Howard last year is happy now because they didn’t keep him.” [41:59]

• Mike on Zach Ertz:
  “Zachary is my tight end in almost every league.” [54:59]

• Jason on Carson Wentz vs. Andy Dalton:
  “If I'm on the clock and it's between Andy Dalton and Carson Wentz, I love Andy Dalton.” [49:31]

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Final Thoughts

This episode of the Fantasy Footballers provides valuable insights into managing fantasy teams with a focus on leveraging individual strengths, understanding player dynamics within NFC East teams, and navigating the complexities introduced by injuries and team strategies. The hosts blend strategic advice with entertaining banter, making the content both informative and engaging for fantasy football enthusiasts.

Transcript

[Andy Holloway]

Hey, folkline, it's that time of the year. Fantasy football drafts. Even better than Christmas, because draft day is my Christmas. Your fantasy football drafts are impending and you got to get ready for those with the ultimate draft Kit. That is what. That is our Christmas gift to you with all of our tier breakdowns. That's how we always recommend to draft. We're talking full stat projections across the NFL for all those offensive players risk ratings. We have video profiles on over 100 guys. I'm telling you, this ultimate draft kit is overloaded with so much incredible information to get you ready for your fantasy football drafts. Check it out at ultimate draft kit.com.

[Jason Moore]

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

[Mike Wright]

Oh, welcome, welcome in. Do a shimmy, do a shake. The fantasy footballers are back again. See, what listeners don't understand now with the podcast is because we're every day we're doing these in the morning, which means Jason hasn't eaten pasta for lunch yet.

[Jason Moore]

That's right. I'm fresh. My brain is with me. I can think, I can speak. It's incredible. I'm not asleep.

[Mike Wright]

You've got your Foot Clan title T shirt on.

[Jason Moore]

Yes, sir. Won the Foot Clan listener league last year. Gotta represent. Hashtag footclantitle.

[Mike Wright]

Thank you for all the entries to the listener league. Again, I want to remind you you can email those to listenerleagueantasyfootballers.com and the deadline for entry, which has been a often tweeted question to me over the last 24 hours. The deadline is going to be next Friday, so every entry we get before then we'll consider and then that'll be the deadline. We'll pick some people out.

[Jason Moore]

That would be the 11th.

[Mike Wright]

There you go.

[Jason Moore]

The Terrell Prior.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, that August Terrell Prior. You see that catch?

[Andy Holloway]

Don't say you can't bring up Terrell Prior because prior shut down twitter.com it it exploded.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah. I was telling the guys before the show, I have, I have TP11 in both of our main leagues that we're in together. And you know that one catch that just destines him for a fantasy. Fantasy superstar.

[Jason Moore]

That's how it works, right? A camp catch.

[Mike Wright]

I know. Look, we can say what we want about listening to the hype or not listening, but the key is listen to the hype about your own players. That is positive. And then when the negative news about Andrew Luck comes out, what you do is you take your pointer fingers and you just jam them in your ears. And you don't listen to things like Andrew Luck, pop. Andrew Luck, pop.

[Andy Holloway]

So you're telling me that you were crying your tears over Andrew Luck, but you wiped him away with the tp?

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, I wiped him.

[Jason Moore]

I see what you did there, Mike.

[Andy Holloway]

Well done.

[Jason Moore]

All right. And also, everything Andy just said was terrible advice, so make sure that you pay attention to all of the news.

[Mike Wright]

I would draft Pryor and I would draft Todd Gurley doubling down.

[Andy Holloway]

All right. All right.

[Mike Wright]

Okay. Welcome in. We have the NFC east breakdown on the show today and a great quick question. We're talking fantasy football superpowers. Yeah. So we'll get right into that. Follow us on twitter@the ffballers. Check out jointhefoot.com if you need a league to play in this year. Maybe you're stuck in one of those old busted leagues with like three people that, you know, auto draft and then they don't pay attention and then the league's no fun because everybody's just fighting over the players they didn't take and they're easy wins every week, and it's really boring. If you need a good league with good people, listeners from this show that will be both challenging and fun, we try to facilitate that. So go over to JoinTheFoot.com we have the Foot clan leagues over there, local leagues, online leagues. We just try to facilitate a place where good people can come together and create great leagues because we are all about you winning and we are all about you enjoying every single week of the season. And so check that [e-mail] all right, guys, like I said, what is your fantasy football superpower? That is the quick question of the day. What is your personally. Yeah, you personally. What's your fantasy superpower?

[Jason Moore]

I can say right now I know what yours is. Yours. Andy, to kick it back to you has to be trading. I mean, am I right or am I wrong?

[Mike Wright]

Sure. Yeah. I would say that's my fantasy superpower. I crafted a trade for David Johnson yesterday.

[Jason Moore]

That's ironic timing.

[Mike Wright]

Good timing. I am certainly infatuated with trading.

[Jason Moore]

You trade more than the rest of the league combined.

[Mike Wright]

It just works with my brain.

[Jason Moore]

It does.

[Mike Wright]

I mean, people know that I'm kind of like the type A, you know, it's very control freak. Run the show. Keep you guys from going like 16 hours long per episode.

[Jason Moore]

Never.

[Mike Wright]

And I love the two for one and the three for one trade. I feel like there is so much value to those that type of trade because you don't. You know both sides don't really see the added value of having that extra roster spot, being able to utilize that on a free agent pickup. If I'm sending two players away and I'm getting one more talented player back.

[Andy Holloway]

You're always getting the best player.

[Mike Wright]

You're always getting the best player. You get assigned somebody to fill that extra spot. And a lot of the times you can really meet the needs of your trading partner by offering two or three players. I mean you, you look at them, you identify their weaknesses on their team and you offer two puzzle pieces for those weaknesses and you get back the best player. I love trading. It's definitely my sure, we'll go with that.

[Andy Holloway]

You're wasting. And you're also relentless.

[Jason Moore]

Oh, seriously. He was turned down on the David Johnson trade like four times. It's like, oh, I got David Johnson.

[Andy Holloway]

And I'm like, he said no, I'm honestly not saying that in a bad way. You're just where. I mean, I'm not. I trade. But if, you know, if a trade's not going somewhere, I shut it down. But you're like five trade offers.

[Mike Wright]

I'll find a new way. It's become way more difficult since the podcast. I mean just tear because people will come and they'll either say, they'll just say right back to me, they go, but. But you love this guy because of X, Y and Z. You just said it. And I'm like, dang it, Mike, what's your superpower?

[Andy Holloway]

I've always felt solid about. We talk about taking the quarterback late in the drafts and I feel like I've once the draft season really comes around, have done well identifying not just a late quarterback, but a late quarterback that turns into an every week startable QB1. And that's been highly beneficial for my teams that I just. That I can not worry about that position. We had a draft in our league of record where so this, this is a couple years back and I'm waiting on quarterback and I'm waiting and I'm waiting and it's now gotten to the point where half of the draft room is on razzing me like Mike doesn't have a quarterback yet.

[Jason Moore]

A lot of the teams now have two quarterbacks.

[Andy Holloway]

I remember that people have, have begun spite drafting just grabbing quarterbacks that they don't need.

[Mike Wright]

To ruin you.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, to ruin me. And then I go, I end up. I think I took Ben Roethlisberger. This is before he had turned into fantasy Ben Roethlisberg. I'm like, okay, I'LL take him. And then before week one, I'm like, yeah, I'm just going to grab Carson Palmer off the waiver wire. And that single move led me to a Week 1 victory and many, many more victories. So it was just.

[Mike Wright]

So we'll call that late round discernment as your superpower. Very nice, Jason.

[Jason Moore]

You know, it's. For me, it's certainly not trading. I feel like I'm on trade tilt right now from last year, grabbing Greg Olson at the wrong time. And Fitz, I feel like it's the draft, the draft season. And overall, this is why I love best ball leagues. I say all the time, you don't win the famous championship at the draft because you don't, but you do in best ball leagues. So this is, this is the season where I think coming out of drafts, if I don't make any moves and nobody else makes any moves, I'm usually happy with, with how that turns out.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, you're, you're, I would say you're a fairly meticulous person when you've set your sight on, you know, digging deep on something. And that bodes well for your pre draft draft rankings, things like that. All right, Brooks, do you have a superpower over there? Not really. No. No, no. Radioactive.

[Jason Moore]

Keeping us going. No.

[Andy Holloway]

Radioactive spiders is our Jimmy Olson.

[Mike Wright]

Okay. All right. Our April O'Neal.

[Jason Moore]

Oh, I like that better.

[Andy Holloway]

Yes.

[Mike Wright]

All right, let's get into the news.

[Jason Moore]

News and notes from.

[Mike Wright]

Names you haven't said in 20 years for a thousand, please. April O'Neill.

[Andy Holloway]

Well, to be fair, we've. Paul has been. Or Paul.

[Jason Moore]

You just called Brooks Paul, as in Paul Giamatti.

[Andy Holloway]

Brooks has been upgraded from Paul Giamatti to Megan Fox, so.

[Jason Moore]

Oh, oh, you and Megan Fox. I'm thinking old school.

[Mike Wright]

Oh, you're saying for the.

[Andy Holloway]

Oh, you're going.

[Jason Moore]

I don't know, the actresses.

[Andy Holloway]

Cartoon.

[Jason Moore]

There you go.

[Mike Wright]

All right, into the news, guys. Uh. Oh. Jordan Reed. Jordan Reed saw a specialist for his toe injury on Wednesday without a timetable for return. Jay Gruden still says Jordan Reed is day to day, but intimated that it was more like week to week.

[Andy Holloway]

If this is.

[Mike Wright]

Which could turn into month to month.

[Andy Holloway]

If this is turf toe.

[Mike Wright]

Are you going to throw up a little bit?

[Andy Holloway]

I will be concerned because turf toe at the beginning of the season, I just, it's. It never works out well.

[Mike Wright]

And remember Jordan Reed trying to play through the shoulder injury. Yeah, it, you know, it's disappointing, especially on the heels of Ebron being Ebron. Now you've got Reed not traditionally a fast healer, somebody who's had problems.

[Jason Moore]

That's my big issue with this. It's the same for me with Tyler Eifer. It's not so much.

[Andy Holloway]

He's healthy.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, sure. Right now. But my point is it's not so much my worry of them getting checked.

[Mike Wright]

He might have been hurt in the time we started injured again.

[Jason Moore]

But their ability to recover, because whether or not people are that moniker of they're an injury risk or they're injury prone, there's. It's hard to prove that, you know, when you look at a very large sample over all the different players. But you do have a case of people who have a difficulty coming back from injuries and, you know, whether they're slow heelers or whatever it is, I worry with this.

[Mike Wright]

Do you move them down your rankings based on this news? If you're drafting. I mean, drafts are going to be happening more and more often in the next couple of weeks.

[Jason Moore]

If I'm drafting. If you're.

[Mike Wright]

Right now. If you're drafting today, do you move Jordan Reed down?

[Jason Moore]

If I'm drafting today, I do. Because I don't have the knowledge. I'm not moving.

[Andy Holloway]

I'm not moving him down in my rankings yet.

[Mike Wright]

All right. Jameson Crowder has been banged up. Hamstring injury. It is the season of hamstring injuries. He's missed the last three practices. This is probably why. No Jordan Reed out there. No Jameson Crowder. This is why you're seeing a lot of TP11 can show off.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah. And docs.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah.

[Andy Holloway]

And Ryan Grant.

[Mike Wright]

And Ryan Grant. Yeah. Why? You just don't want that.

[Andy Holloway]

Because.

[Mike Wright]

Hypeless character to come into the fantasy fold.

[Andy Holloway]

Because Josh Dachshund is very talented and I want to see him get an opportunity, and I would hate to see that opportunity be wiped away by a guy named Ryan Grant, Jordan Reed or Greg Olson.

[Mike Wright]

If you draft today.

[Jason Moore]

If I was drafting, they're about the.

[Mike Wright]

Same place I would take greggles. All right. Jay Ajayi sustained a concussion. He's gonna miss a week. Talked about Jameson Crowder. Sean McVeigh has raved about Todd Gurley as a pass catcher. Expressed desire to get him more opportunities. There reports from camp lining up as a wide receiver, catching the ball on dbs. I'm sorry. On linebackers. So you buy into any of the passing game hype with Gurley. Does that raise his floor? If at least they are committing to staying with him in the pass game? Because there was concern. You were concerned.

[Andy Holloway]

Yes.

[Mike Wright]

They bring in Lance Dunbar. Dunbar's now hurt. And then McVeigh reinforces the passing game role for Gurley. That has to be good.

[Andy Holloway]

Of course, if. If you're catching passes as a running back, that raises your floor. And it would be great to see him get more than last year. But as we were talking about before the show, if he gets the amount of receptions he got last year, then that will. That's great, because I trust Sean McVeigh to do wiser things in the offense.

[Jason Moore]

You're going to get him in space more and get him better targets versus just running the same play.

[Andy Holloway]

You're playing 21st century football instead of, like, 1983 football.

[Jason Moore]

I am super, super curious. The Sean McVay trial here this year of that. That coach that I am older than, which is. I mean, he is so young. And when I watch, you know, I tweeted out the other day that the.

[Andy Holloway]

More Sean McVeigh did not own a Nintendo.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah. The more I look into the Rams, the more I realize they're really bad. Part of that was because of Sean McVeigh. Watching him coach, breaking news. Watching him coach, I was really concerned with, maybe this will work. Maybe this will motivate people. He's high energy, he's young, he's motivated. But he looked like a position coach. And it's like, well, you're the head coach. You have to lead this team and do all these other things. And he's taking on the offensive coordinator role.

[Mike Wright]

Sean McVay still gets started, of course. Jason Moore puts Sean McVay on blast after putting Jeff Fisher on blast.

[Jason Moore]

Well, I mean, you swing the pendulum too far. There is a good middle ground.

[Mike Wright]

This is quite an indictment of coach that you've yet to see coach a regular season.

[Jason Moore]

No, no, no. I'm not. I guess I am indicting him a little bit, but it's more of a curiosity. I'm really. I think it will not work out well. But I'm just.

[Mike Wright]

I believe you said that they're very bad because of Sean McVeigh. No, I believe that was the actual.

[Jason Moore]

They are very bad. But part of it was watching and me not believing.

[Mike Wright]

Okay.

[Jason Moore]

That that method will work.

[Mike Wright]

It's going to be an uphill battle for them for sure. All right. Sterling Shepard. I hadn't seen this news just now. Is this about 20 minutes ago? 20 minutes ago.

[Andy Holloway]

No.

[Mike Wright]

Wow. Sterling shepherd on the sideline in serious pain. Taken off on a cart in tears.

[Andy Holloway]

What?

[Mike Wright]

So by the time you hear this, maybe there'll be more information. This just came through. It's very disappointing. Sad news for Sterling Shepard if he is indeed seriously injured. I mean, turning. Turning that news to fantasy. You know, Evan Ingram comes to mind as a beneficiary of Sterling shepherd if.

[Jason Moore]

He'S hurt Brandon Marshall as well. I mean, we're talking NFC east today, so, you know, we're prepared to talk on.

[Andy Holloway]

There's my five hours of shepherd research, guys.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah. And Eli Manning. I think this would be, you know, this would be a slight bump down to Eli Manning, who I've been rising on, but a slight bump up for Brandon Marshall. Part of my worry for Brandon Marshall has always been targets because I don't think Sterling shepherd is going away or being uninvolved. If he has. If this is a serious injury, Brandon Marshall will rise up my rankings.

[Mike Wright]

I was just going to say I wouldn't adjust Eli at all. I don't think having Sterling shepherd, you.

[Andy Holloway]

Know, he have like eight or nine touchdowns.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, but you have Brandon Marshall and Evan Ingram now, like this big adjustment.

[Jason Moore]

Well, my, my what I'm adjusting is I have just recently moved Eli Manning up because I think their team is so much better offensively than. Than it looked going into last year.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah.

[Jason Moore]

But now it wouldn't be.

[Andy Holloway]

Also, I just want to.

[Mike Wright]

That's disappointing for.

[Andy Holloway]

Just want to throw out there that now the Bay Area.

[Mike Wright]

I was going to bring that up, too.

[Andy Holloway]

Carlos Hyde appears set as the starting running back for the 49ers.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah.

[Jason Moore]

So stop, stop, stop. With all of the news craziness on.

[Mike Wright]

Well, they said Joe Williams got off to a real slow start, too. So it's been definitely 100% training the right direction for Carlos Hyde this season until he's hurt.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah. I looked at Carlos Hyde yesterday and Hightower in my rankings and I was very happy. I moved. Carlos Hyde was, I think, my running back 14. I think that's about where he belongs.

[Mike Wright]

All right, we are going to jump right into the NFC east preview. Before we do that, I want to thank the sponsor of today's show keeping this podcast going. And that's Harry's longtime sponsor of the show. Absolutely love Harry's. I have been a Harry's user the Harry's Razor product for a very, very long time. Comfortable shave, the closeness of the shave. Comfortable glide. All their products are high quality and look $2 a blade compared to $4 when you go pay at the drugstore. They are so confident. Harry's is so confident. You're going to love their blades as well. They're giving you their trial set for free for free.

[Jason Moore]

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[Mike Wright]

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[Jason Moore]

Let's get divisional.

[Mike Wright]

Such a bittersweet time of year, isn't it?

[Andy Holloway]

Dude, I'm trying to recover. That Sterling shepherd news has me bummed out, man.

[Mike Wright]

And it's just so strange because when all of these things happen, the injuries you get talking about Jordan Reed or Eric Ebron and players are moving around the rankings. Obviously if Shepard's seriously hurt, he's going to be out of the rankings. And yet there's like opportunity that comes out of injury. In the fantasy world, players can step up and it's inevitable. It's just a part of, you know, it's a part of what football is. Yep, injuries. So let's start out with the 13 and 3 Dallas Cowboys. We're talking NFC East. This team last year surprised everybody. Dak Prescott now the face of the franchise. They've added Ronnie Hillman this offseason, which brought a lot of question marks with the Ezekiel Elliott potential suspension.

[Andy Holloway]

Still no news.

[Mike Wright]

Still no news. Here's something that I wanted to bring up about the Ezekiel Elliott suspension because some people brought it up on Twitter. Now if Zeke is suspended as far as as far as I know, and Mike, if you can correct me if I'm wrong, but he has every right. If he and the NFLPA want to appeal a suspension, he would then be permitted to play indefinitely until that suspension.

[Andy Holloway]

That was I had talked about like kind of the first time we brought this up. It's like, what do you do? Because how long will the suspension be? He can push the suspension back and sometimes it ends up getting pushed back an entire season. Sometimes in the case of like Lane Johnson, he pushes, but then halfway through the season then he has to serve it. I think it would be very confusing.

[Jason Moore]

Honestly, I would prefer if it's, you know, a three game suspension for him to just take it and draft him. Because what you had with Brady, with him, you know, appealing his suspension, Brady pushed his. There were court cases that kind of helped push that far into the future and into the off season. Whereas I think if he appeals his case, the verdict will come down midseason. And that's a scary proposition because what happens if, you know, his appeal comes and now it comes in the middle of the season for four games and he's out the fantasy playoffs. And I would much rather hate that than I wouldn't.

[Andy Holloway]

But he wants to try and remove it all together.

[Mike Wright]

No, he does. I don't think he would. And this is what my point was for fantasy owners. The only case that I see an appeal happening is if it's a very long term suspension, eight to 10 games. If it's a two, three, four game suspension, Ezekiel Elliott will take responsibility for his actions. He'll take the suspension. They'll knock it out at the beginning of the year. Obviously the team is making some contingency plans. They haven't moved Alfred Morris. They still have run DMC and they brought in Ronnie Hillman. The only situation that I see him really appealing is if it's long term because it's not going to work to his benefit. And future disciplinary concerns with the NFL if he doesn't take responsibility and take a two game suspension on the chin. So I'm not. I think if it's short, he'll take it. If it's long, I don't think he. I think that's the only situation and.

[Jason Moore]

We'Ve talked about, you know, what do you do for these suspensions? But since we're on, you know, the Dallas Cowboys, we have to say it again. I have, I have been moving more in the direction of if it is a three or, you know, if it's a three game suspension, I don't think I'm going to move him. I think I'm going to keep him at the third spot and draft him. You know, when we look at last year, you know, the top five running backs, only two of them played 16 games. You had Melvin Gordon, you know, he finished as, depending on what scoring format, the seven or eight running back, you know, he only played 13 games. If you combine Zeke with the replacement, you're going to play, you're probably going to end up with a great running back.

[Andy Holloway]

I was going to point out that between Games 3 and 15 for Ezekiel Elliott because it started a little slow.

[Jason Moore]

For Elliot, if you recall.

[Andy Holloway]

It's hard to remember that his first week, the first week and second week was, it was slower, especially compared to what else he did. And he didn't play the final week of the season. But so games three through 15, 1500 rushing yards, that's pretty good. I mean, so that's in 13 games, but a 1500 rushing yards and no.

[Mike Wright]

Duds the whole year other than the game. He missed top 24 every single week. The interesting thing about Ezekiel Elliott is there's, there's upside and there's room for him to be utilized in the passing game. He caught 32 of 40 targets last year for only 363 yards. That doesn't put him anywhere in the stratosphere of David Johnson and Lev Bell in terms of passing game usage. Yet he was still such a dominant fantasy force. I don't think anybody can argue with the talent, the ability. Now Pro Football Focus has their offensive line ranked ninth as of right now.

[Andy Holloway]

Last year they lost some pieces.

[Mike Wright]

They lost some pieces. Do we need to worry about that at all? Did you know, does Zeke mask some of that?

[Andy Holloway]

He does. And I mean like their stalwarts are still there. So I'm not. At least I'm talking like in the middle of their offensive line. So I'm not, I'm not worried about that.

[Mike Wright]

I asked this question to Jason when you were out of town. Mike, when week six rolls around in the NFL season, who do you think the leading rusher on the Cowboys will be at that point? Who will have the most total rushing yards in week six?

[Andy Holloway]

I think it. Well, I think it'll be Darren McFadden.

[Mike Wright]

Okay. That's what Jason said as well.

[Jason Moore]

No, I did change to Zeke at the end. During that. I said McFadden at first and then I thought even if it's three games suspension, it'll clearly be Zeke.

[Mike Wright]

All right. This is an interesting team fantasy wise because you know, the core narratives haven't really changed a lot on this team. I do want to talk about Dak Prescott because he was crazy solid. He had some of these mind blowing impressive games. 32 for 36 against Tampa for 279 yards. Mind you, he didn't throw any touchdowns in that game, but he was a QB1 62% of the time last year, which by the way, that's the same as Drew Brees. So he was a QB one, the exact same percentage as Jew Brees. I would call him steady but not prolific.

[Jason Moore]

Right?

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, that's perfect.

[Mike Wright]

And you know, he was only a, a wide receiver quarterback one through six. He only did that 18% of the time. So Carson Palmer had more, more weeks in the top six than Dak Prescott did. But he had a 10 week span with eight top 12 weeks, which is incredible. And the question is, is, you know, another year in the system? Everything you hear is so positive about him as the face of the franchise working hard. Is the ceiling. Have we yet to see the ceiling with him?

[Andy Holloway]

We have yet to see the ceiling. What another thing you have to factor with the Cowboys, their secondary was hit with a lawnmower this offseason. It was just shredded to pieces. I mean, they were already a little rough in that department and things just got worse. So can they. Can the new pieces they plug in work? Because the game scripts may flip that. They have to rely on Dak a little bit more.

[Mike Wright]

Does that really help Dak, though? If you, you know, four interceptions last year, crazy low number, you increase those pass attempts. I mean, if you look at the wide receivers, they were only targeted 18 times a game last season, which was almost dead last in football. So does it help Dak to put him in a position where efficiency might not be as easy to come by?

[Jason Moore]

I don't think it helps him, you know, on an NFL level. And when you talk fantasy, what, what you would see is you would probably end up seeing more of those, a little bit more volatility where he does get in the top five.

[Andy Holloway]

You know, that's what I mean, where.

[Jason Moore]

He has the opportunity to have to throw three touchdowns in a game, but his interceptions will certainly go up if the game script is not as always being in, you know, in a position of leading. People are so worried, though. If you look at his adp, people don't buy that Dak Prescott is a great fantasy quarterback. And I just, you know, since 2000, the top 10 rookie quarterback years for fantasy. Here's the names. There's only one bad name. You got Cam Newton, who's been a fantasy asset. Robert Griffin. He fell off after his next year, which he got injured that next year. Then Dak, Andrew Luck, Jameis Winston, Russell Wilson, Andy Dalton, Marcus Mariota, Matt Ryan. Those are all great NFL quarterbacks, all great fantasy quarterbacks. Dak Prescott will repeat as a good fantasy quarterback. And where he's being drafted right now, he is, to me, one of the better values in the draft.

[Mike Wright]

All right, last Dallas question before we talk Giants, some more, any surprises, any fantasy offensive surprises that you expect in Dallas? I mean, you have Whit and you have Terence Williams. Those guys, you kind of have seen what they are. Is there anybody else that you think fantasy owners should be aware of.

[Jason Moore]

I worry about Des.

[Andy Holloway]

Well, that's why I wanted to bring up about Des. And I know the you're going to bring up the matchups and it's hard to.

[Mike Wright]

It's a rough year in terms of cornerback matchups.

[Andy Holloway]

It's hard to argue against that. And Scott Barrett from Pro Football Focus did a tremendous study on how DEZ Bryant if when he goes off in fantasy he's playing a lower level competition of defensive back and when he plays high level guys like Josh Norman, who he plays twice. And there's also another. There's a laundry list of high level.

[Jason Moore]

Mike Taglieri had this great find in his article on Des Bryant. He said it's a concern because Cowboys schedule. Okay. He has shut down cornerbacks Janoris Jenkins twice, Josh Norman twice, Akeem Talib and Chris Harris with the Broncos. Patrick Peterson, Marcus Peters, Desmond Trufont, Jason Verrett and Casey Hayward and Richard Sherman. I mean he has.

[Mike Wright]

That's a gauntlet.

[Jason Moore]

That is a gauntlet. And to start the year, I think his first three games are like Arizona, Denver and Giants. Yeah. And the Giants. That's just not looking good.

[Andy Holloway]

So.

[Mike Wright]

And then you have what I said before. 18 targets to the wide receiver game, one of the lowest numbers in the league.

[Andy Holloway]

But DEZ Bryant from week two on last year, now he missed a couple from injury in nine of 11 games he either gave you 70 yards or a touchdown or both. So he was fine. He had eight touchdowns in 11 weeks. He's. He is a good player. So I'm not over emphasizing like we always talk about strength of schedule. Don't freak out from strength of schedule. I'm not going to do that for DEZ Bryant, who is an elite wide receiver.

[Mike Wright]

I'm not going to do it grimace at all. Dragging him into your wide receiver one spot probably.

[Andy Holloway]

But if he's my wide receiver one, the way that the draft looks this year, that means my RB one's really good.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah.

[Andy Holloway]

So I mean he's either your two or you have a stud running back. I just, I like Des and I think that he's going to have a very solid year.

[Mike Wright]

All right, let's talk about the Giants. We were talking about Sterling Shepard and the unfortunate news we saw this morning that he was carted off the practice field. We don't have any other information on Shepherd. Now the reality is the New York Giants, according to all reports went out on June 10, they've just been in two tight end sets a lot more often anyway. A Lot of the opinion with Brandon Marshall coming in and the two tight end sets was that Sterling Shepard was going to have a very hard time repeating his rookie year. I agreed with those reports. Now you have even more incentive for this team to run in two tight end sets with Marshall and Odell Beckham Jr. On the outside. Evan Ingram, the first round pick, a pass catching weapon. May this may be an opportunity for him to increase the target share. Let's talk about the Giants. What are the fantasy kind of headlines for the Giants this season? Because I think everybody sees the offense and wants to project big, big things for them. But we've been there before. We've been on that, you know, Philadelphia Eagles offense that everybody projected huge things for last year. The tight end stunk. This year. Evan Ingram's in there. What do you think, Mike?

[Andy Holloway]

I think that it's. You got to look at Eli manning and in 2000.

[Mike Wright]

Don't make me look, don't make me look, dude.

[Andy Holloway]

The worst part of Eli Manning is when he actually looks back at you, that's far worse. But in 2016 he was a quarterback 1 25% of the time, which is pretty stinky. I mean that's not helping you. But 26 touchdowns, 2015, he was a quarterback 1 50% of the time with 35 touchdowns. 2014, 43% of the time. I mean it. So the question to me really is, is Eli Manning done? Because he looked, he looked pretty done a lot of the time last year. Just playing extremely scared, inaccurate. So is it, is Eli done or was it just a bad year? I think that he's got enough left to have another solid year now. I'm not projecting him as a quarterback one, but just it's just a reminder for people that it's not ancient history. When Eli Manning was, was rounding into shape as a really good fantasy quarterback.

[Mike Wright]

The thing is, is Matthew Stafford. Matthew Stafford is going just ahead of him in drafts right now. Tyred Taylor and Andy Dalton, players I like more than Eli Manning, are both going behind him in drafts. He's an 11th round pick. I would love, you know, to ask you the question of is he kind of a sleeper quarterback pickup? You know, maybe he is in a two quarterback league, but I don't want to take him over any of those.

[Andy Holloway]

No, no, not in the draft. But as the season goes on, if you see something very positive for Eli Manning, I'm not going to be quick to just throw a blanket over that, say, oh, it's just a couple weeks. Eli was solid for fantasy just Two years ago.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah. And while their defense has confidence and.

[Andy Holloway]

They have Marshall now, too.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah. Touchdown weapons, that's a great upgrade to their offense. And their defense has gotten better, which slows the game down. And that's part of why the Giants didn't.

[Andy Holloway]

But they can't run.

[Jason Moore]

But. Exactly. They can't run the ball as far as, you know, grinding the clock out. And that means there's more opportunity. Two years ago, the Giants scored 380 points last year. Or, I'm sorry, three seasons ago. Two seasons ago, they scored 420. So they're averaging 400. And then in 2016, they come out and only score 310 points as a team, they were near the bottom of the league. This is not an offense and not a team that anyone would say this is near the bottom of the league in offense. So that says that there should be a regression to the mean, where even if, you know, they're not scoring 420 points, I think they'll be back in that.380 range, which is a lot of extra production going somewhere. I think Brandon Marshall, if Sterling Shepard is out, I came here prepared to talk about. As I've spoken before, this off season, Brandon Marshall is really capped because of total targets in that offense. But he's that cap that governor on his miles per hour is about to come off for me. If the. If the injury is long term, I really do see a major change there.

[Mike Wright]

Let me put you on the spot with that then, since we're just hearing this news about Shepard and what you're saying there about Marshall's upside right now in drafts. He's kind of tossed in with the world of wide receiver twos and slot receivers. He's right next to Landry and Julian Edelman. Michael Crabtree, would you elevate Marshall? Be willing to elevate Marshall ahead of guys like Edelman and Landry based on this news?

[Jason Moore]

No, I wouldn't go.

[Mike Wright]

He's sitting kind of where he should. Maybe you would have said he's overdrafted before.

[Jason Moore]

That's exactly right. And the problem is he will probably move up in ADP beyond where he should. Now I feel like where he was going is where he should.

[Mike Wright]

Martavis, quick aside, Martavis Bryant is at 4. 10.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah.

[Mike Wright]

10Th pick of the fourth round. Martavis Bryant is being drafted ahead of all those guys that just said wow. And right behind Devonte Adams and Tyreek Hill. So he's also not head of Crab. Yeah. There was a news report this morning about Martavis and frustration from the Pittsburgh side that the league has dragged their feet.

[Andy Holloway]

They have.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah. They seem to do that. It's a consistent theme.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah.

[Andy Holloway]

So I just want to throw out. I mean, Evan Ingram is a possible boost if something is. If Shepard is going to miss time and Dwayne Harris would likely be the next man up in my assumption as the three. Yeah, yeah. Or is like possible the guy to run out of the slot? I mean, I'm just saying, if there's another pass catcher who's going to benefit from playing time, they need Victor Cruz back. No, no.

[Mike Wright]

Once Cruz gets dropped by Chicago here. No. All right, let's move on. Let's talk about. I think.

[Andy Holloway]

Well, you got to talk about Smash Jackson at least a little bit. Yeah.

[Mike Wright]

Let's talk about the running backs in New York because Jackson, to me, Smash Jackson, that is Paul Perkins. Paul Perkins. It's a volume.

[Andy Holloway]

Oh yeah.

[Mike Wright]

It's a volume play for me. We've seen him on the field and he's. He can be very explosive, but he's not a between the tackles type of runner in my, in my opinion. He's also not one that can sustain 270 carries. He needs to get some fantasy value out of the passing game and from just being on the field. I'm not expecting much to change with this offense in terms of the running game this year. I just expect Perkins to have enough carries to be running back too relevant.

[Andy Holloway]

I mean, that's very. Last year, the Giants running backs were fifth worst in the league, 3.7 yards per carry. However, they were 11th in the league in running back targets. But as we talked, we mentioned, I think yesterday that Shane Vereen is still there. Shane Vereen is still an excellent pass catching running back with or without his. His bicep, which seems to keep removing itself from his body. So is will Perkins get enough play in the passing game or.

[Mike Wright]

We debated Perkins and Snack Jackson, Eddie Lacy, Smash and Snack on Twitter. Lacy won the vote on Jason's Twitter.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah.

[Mike Wright]

Because we rebranded him on SleeperBot in our Sleeper bot channel, which you can check out in the sleeper bot. Apparently Paul Perkins won.

[Andy Holloway]

Well, yeah, because he was Eddie Lacey. He wasn't Snack. He wasn't Snack Jackson.

[Mike Wright]

So it's all about the Knicks.

[Andy Holloway]

It is.

[Mike Wright]

Great. All right.

[Jason Moore]

I will say this. The last four games that, that Perkins played in where, you know, only one of those was he's a starter.

[Andy Holloway]

Right.

[Jason Moore]

You know, he was pacing over a thousand yards, but he has, he's not a touchdown guy. And that's my big worry. I Mean, he had no touchdowns last season and when I watch, neither did.

[Andy Holloway]

Melvin Gordon his rookie year. Fair enough, Jason.

[Jason Moore]

But when I watch Perkins, that is my biggest worry. I wonder he doesn't strike me as a goal line type of back. And Orleans Darkwa is there, gets forgotten. And Shane Vereen. Look, we talk a lot about, okay, Duke Johnson's a good pick late in the draft if you're in a ppr. Theo Riddick is always a value if you're in a ppr. But Shane brain is forgotten and he should not be. If those other guys are gone and you're at the back of your draft and your running back core is weak and you're in a ppr. So you know several qualifiers, but he will be a guy you can throw in your lineup as a flex play who can get six, seven catches a game.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, I mean, I just remember seeing Shane Vereen on the waiver wire. He was just a streamable waiver wire running back. I just don't know coming off of injury why that would change. Like I wouldn't really invest to pick in him. I guess so. I disagree with you on that.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah. I mean, obviously last year, like you said, coming off of injury, he was injured. But the year before he had 59 receptions and he is a capable receiving end.

[Andy Holloway]

PPR.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah. All right. Only PPR.

[Mike Wright]

Let's talk about the Washington Redskins. I think this is one of the more interesting teams to discuss because you have kind of this at least myself and Mike. I think Jason's on board there too, where I think we understand that this offense is going to be pretty good. I mean, there were second in passing yards per game last season and yet we lose Pierre Garcon, we lose to Sean Jackson, we had Rob Kelly, now we bring in Samaj P. Ryan.

[Andy Holloway]

Rob Kelly's still there.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah. Well, I just meant in addition to. And you have Jordan Reed banged up. And so I think fantasy production will abound from this offense. And yet, you know, figuring out exactly which players that is is the challenge for fantasy owners. So I want to help them with that. Right now. Let's start at the running back position and talk about Robert Kelly, a player who was impressive, very impressive at times last year, and yet they bring in Samaj P. Ryan. And a lot of the fantasy football circles believe that Samaj P. Ryan will take over as the starting running back at some point this year. So I want to see if you buy into that narrative or if you think P. Ryan's presence will simply make this a very difficult situation to Start a guy from.

[Andy Holloway]

I think it's, it's Rob Kelly's job to start and he. What, what Rob Kelly's most. What his strongest asset last year was, was that he just was dependable and he's not, not going to lose yards. He's not going to fumble the ball. And Jay Gruden had gotten so fed up with Matt Jones, who, I mean, for all the grief I give Matt Jones, he's probably the better running back, but he can't hold on to the football and that's. That cost him his job.

[Mike Wright]

One of the top things that a running back can do is hold the ball.

[Andy Holloway]

Just saying, like they got to the point where they said, okay, we just want someone who's not going to fumble the ball. And Rob Kelly's there. He's. He's getting actual time as the starter. You know, he's getting the first, I assume getting the first team reps. I guess I haven't really read into that of the training camp reports and. But there's just no reason for me to believe that a fourth round pick is going to steal the job on week one by the end of the year. Probably because I've, I have some.

[Jason Moore]

You are a giant.

[Andy Holloway]

I'm a huge Samaj P. Ryan fan. I think that the pain bot will be incredible for fantasy football once he takes the job, but it's not going to be right away. And that's how the draft is unfolding. Fantasy drafts. Players are saying, Samaj P. Ryan is going to be the week one starter and, well, look, Rob Kelly is not.

[Mike Wright]

We have to make a judgment call now in early August for the listener in terms of how we think that will play out. I mean, I think you kind of acknowledge the reality that P. Ryan has an opportunity to take this job. But Kelly ended the year last six games, 3.23 a carry. That was kind of the issue with Robert Kelly.

[Andy Holloway]

Yes.

[Mike Wright]

And he's projected to start over P. Ryan, but so is, you know, Spencer Ware's projected to start over Kareem Hunt. And there are a lot of those situations. So how do you draft them?

[Jason Moore]

Yes, exactly. Samaj P. Ryan is last year's Jordan Howard. And when you hear that, you might go, oh, so I need to draft him. No. Nobody who drafted Jordan Howard last year is happy right now because they didn't keep him. They didn't, they didn't roster.

[Mike Wright]

You're saying because they dropped him.

[Jason Moore]

They dropped him. They're pissed that they drafted him and dropped him. So if next year you want to Be the guy that's like, oh, I drafted Samaj, but I didn't get any of, you know, the juice out of him. I don't think he's going to be involved enough in the first three weeks to actually stay on fantasy rosters. Someone might hold on to him. You might miss out. Maybe you want to be the. If you got a deep bench, if you're rocking eight guys on your bench, then draft Samaj and hold on to him. Because I do think there's a legitimate chance he takes over. He's, he is the more talented back. I don't think that is up for them.

[Mike Wright]

They've already said, look, he'll, he'll start. Kelly will probably start, but they're going to be a hot hand type of backfield. And you still have Chris Thompson coming in on third downs. Let's not forget that.

[Andy Holloway]

And so I just want to. This example, it's, it's not a full on apples to apples, but because Smaj P. Ray is not David Johnson. But go back to David Johnson's rookie year, right? The starting running back was Andre CJ2K was Andre Ellington.

[Jason Moore]

Oh, that's right.

[Andy Holloway]

And then Ellington got hurt. I mean, it's a. But my point was in drafts, people are drafting Andre Ellington and David Johnson. Chris Johnson was not drafted according to fantasy football calculators, adp, but he was the veteran. So it's just.

[Jason Moore]

You're saying Matt Jones will come in.

[Andy Holloway]

No, don't you do that. I'm saying Jay Gruden is one of those coaches to me that will give it to the veteran, even though Rob Kelly's not a longtime veteran.

[Jason Moore]

So in the draft, I would rather have Rob Kelly at the end of the year. I do think Samaj is better. So it depends on the type of league you're playing in. Best ball, Samaj, redraft home leagues. I would go Rob Kelly and make moves as the year goes on. The passing game is really what's tantalizing though.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah. Kirk Cousins. Right now we have Kirk Cousins ranked Mike and I have him number seven. The number seven quarterback, Jason has him at 12. Now, Mike inappropriate begs the question, if Jordan Reed misses time, how does that impact Kirk Cousins efficiency, his ability to produce like a number, you know, a top 10 quarterback. Would you move him down if you found out Reed was going to be out a prolonged amount of time?

[Andy Holloway]

Maybe to eight?

[Mike Wright]

Really? You're just bullish. Just.

[Andy Holloway]

Yes, I think that he is a good quarterback and he had, he was missing Jordan Reed for a large portion of Last year. He's always missing Jordan Reed. I mean, he's better when Jordan Reed's on the field, no doubt about it. But he figures out a way to get it done. And Terrell Pryor is a new athletic freak weapon for him to use. And I just, I don't see a reason to move him down with what they have done to add pieces in the passing game along with, with crowd air.

[Mike Wright]

Crowd air. Matt Ryan, Tom Brady, and then Kirk Cousins. If you look at most yards per attempt last season, 8.1 per attempt, pretty impressive 4900 plus yards.

[Andy Holloway]

I mean we saw the Terrell prior training camp catch guys.

[Mike Wright]

It's over. Yeah, it's over.

[Andy Holloway]

I move, I just moved Cousins quarterback three now.

[Mike Wright]

Mike, you've been slow though. Despite your bullishness on Kirk Cousins, you've been slow to adopt Jameson Crowder as a high upside, high reception type of player in the draft. Do you not like his draft spot? Is that the problem or do you not buy into the fact that you know Jameson Crowder can be a hundred catch guy in this offense. He's being drafted right around the seventh round.

[Andy Holloway]

The way that Cousins spreads the ball around. I just don't buy into Jameson Crowder getting enough targets to be that hundred reception guy. And what was it last year he had 60, around 65 receptions. I don't have it right in front of me, but he just, that's a huge leap to go from under 70 to all of a sudden over 90 receptions. And I just, I.

[Mike Wright]

He was 67 for 847.

[Andy Holloway]

And I don't, I don't see him taking a leap of 20 receptions over 20 receptions.

[Jason Moore]

And so I think the way that you see it, correct me if I'm wrong, is you would rather if, if guys on that team are going to be in the 70 reception range, the 65 to 70 reception range, you'd rather go with more of a deep threat type. You know that desean Jackson. So the Josh Doxson. Yes. Terrell Pryor, those types versus the guy that's usually out of the slot.

[Andy Holloway]

And I'm not buying into Crowder's touchdowns from last year being something that he's going to repeat.

[Mike Wright]

Julian Edelman or Jameson Crowder?

[Andy Holloway]

Edelman.

[Mike Wright]

Golden Tate or Jameson Crowder?

[Jason Moore]

Edelman. No, I just love Edelman.

[Mike Wright]

Oh, you're picking out.

[Andy Holloway]

You're picking Adam when he's not in this.

[Mike Wright]

I said Tate or Crowder and you said Edelman.

[Andy Holloway]

Julian Edelman.

[Jason Moore]

Where did I hear Edelman from?

[Mike Wright]

The earlier question.

[Jason Moore]

Well, then I pick him, then you pick him.

[Mike Wright]

From the earlier question.

[Andy Holloway]

A little bit slower intake you already had. Jason, I thought you were wide awake.

[Jason Moore]

This is me being wide awake. This is the best you're gonna get. I mean, this is still an upgrade.

[Mike Wright]

All right, Jason Jameson, Crowder or Dante Moncrie?

[Andy Holloway]

Edelman.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, definitely Edelman. Dante Moncrief or Crowder? I would go Moncrief, assuming luck is there.

[Mike Wright]

Okay. Yeah, you know, I'd go Moncrief in a standard. I think. I think I'd take Crowder in the other two formats.

[Andy Holloway]

That's fair.

[Mike Wright]

All right, let's talk about Carson Wentz. Let's talk about the Philadelphia Eagles.

[Andy Holloway]

Tony, your voice is disparaging.

[Mike Wright]

I'm sorry. I. I actually like Carson Wentz. I just don't like the level of Philadelphia hype that surrounds him. You know, you go and you look at the stats. I tweeted this out a while ago. One of the worst pass ratings in the league on third down. If you go look at who has the best, it's all of the stalwarts. It's Rogers, it's Breeze, it's Ryan, it's Brady. So I'm just not ready to anoint him, but I don't think that it's his responsibility to be anointable in year two, is my point. I just think the fans have overreacted. I think that trickles down into fantasy football. You look at Eli Manning versus Carson Wentz, they're basically back to back at the quarterback position in drafts.

[Andy Holloway]

Oh, that's.

[Mike Wright]

Jason is grimacing in a strange way. Do you have something about Carson Wentz you want to share? Obviously, the weapons. Look, let's lay the land out. Alshon Jeffrey arrives. Torrey Smith arrives. LeGarrett Blunt arrives. You know, we expect Ryan Matthews to be out the door, but this is a much better, well equipped wide receiver core for Carson Wentz. I'm not saying that ascension isn't inevitable, but I'm not ready to give him that top 15 spot.

[Andy Holloway]

I completely agree.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, I mean, we have to predict based on, you know, you could project growth. Yeah, you project growth, but you predict a lot based on history, what we know, avoiding risk, and what is the real upside. So I agree in a draft that, you know, if I'm on the clock and it's between the guys going back to back, Andy Dalton and Carson Wentz. I love Andy Dalton. I'm taking him 100 out of 100 times. That being said, I think Carson Wentz does take a significant Step forward. What he showed me in his rookie year was very good. I, you know, I skipped over his name in since 2000. Top quarterback fantasy performances. He was actually above some of those names. I didn't read him because we didn't have a second year yet. He, he's good with bad weapons and now he gets great weapons. His weapons were much, much better.

[Andy Holloway]

An embarrassment.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, I mean his wide is.

[Mike Wright]

That's exactly how I refer to Jordan Matthews on average normally.

[Jason Moore]

Jordan Matthew.

[Andy Holloway]

Jordan Matthews. What are you talking about?

[Jason Moore]

Matthews a good wide receiver.

[Andy Holloway]

That's so ridiculous.

[Jason Moore]

Nelson Aguilera is a bad wire suit.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah. You want to call. I was going to call him Darius Hayward Bay, Dorial Green Beckham. You want to call him bad, fine. But Jordan, Jordan Matthews has gotten better. He got better his first year. His second year, he's dry toast. Okay, so he's just above a jag, a thousand yards and eight touchdowns.

[Mike Wright]

Anybody can do that now.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, yeah, they can. They certainly can.

[Jason Moore]

All right.

[Andy Holloway]

So ridiculous.

[Mike Wright]

So how does being inflammatory.

[Jason Moore]

How do the wide receivers then if Carson Wentz takes a step forward, but he's not a superstar, does he have enough with Jordan Matthews there, with Zach Ertz there, Tori Smith probably will be irrelevant. Will there be enough left with whatever Carson, Carson Wentz steps forward to produce a wide receiver one or let's say top 15?

[Mike Wright]

Sure.

[Jason Moore]

In Alshon Jeffrey. Sure.

[Mike Wright]

Because Alshon Jeffrey has enough talent, ability and a big enough paycheck and body to do it. I mean he's, he's done it before. He can be a go to guy. This, this offense was, you know, pretty efficient at times last year. They obviously leaned on the running game. They were 11th in the league in rushing yards per game. They need to, to take, to take a step up. But I think that Alshon Jeffrey can be a top 15 wide receiver in this office. He just has to stay healthy and that's not a guarantee.

[Andy Holloway]

He's dominant when he's on the field. And even last year when he was actually on the field, he is dominant. So I think that he can easily be a top 15 wide receiver. You take a look at the running game. Their offensive line is currently ranked 4 first going into the season by Pro Football Focus. And that's fine with me. They have a great offensive line. What does that say for LeGarrett Blunt, who is projected to be the main running back for this team?

[Mike Wright]

There is upside there with Blunt and I've been hesitant to give him a lot of credit.

[Andy Holloway]

Paul Perkins, volume play.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, no, it's a team that can't.

[Andy Holloway]

Run the ball or LeGarrett blunt volume play on a team that has a great offensive line and a coach that wants to run.

[Mike Wright]

We've talked at length about the difference that Lane Johnson made when he was in the lineup to the passer rating and performance of Carson Wentz. They do have a great offensive line. They also are unlike the Giants who are probably totally fine just throwing Eli in the shotgun and letting him throw all day long. I doubt that Philly is going to take that step. You know, we saw that with Jameis Winston a little bit from rookie year to second year. They gave a little bit more to.

[Andy Holloway]

Him, then they quickly removed it like a vaudeville book.

[Mike Wright]

And having the ability to run the ball, having a bruiser, seeing what's happening with the sentiment around Wendell Smallwood and the other potential players that can be handed the ball. I'm certainly rising on Blunt just because of the volume like you said.

[Andy Holloway]

And Ryan Matthews, I believe eight rushing touchdowns last year in the career high in limp. Thank you. But in limited work, I mean, I think LeGarrett blunt, as long as he does his draft price doesn't get out of control. He's going to be a great pick in the fifth, sixth round. It's not going to feel good. I promise you it will not feel good. No.

[Mike Wright]

It doesn't feel good to draft LeGarrett blunt. No. But felt good to play him last year though. Yeah. I want to touch on Zach Ertz. The Titans were targeted the most in the league by The Philadelphia Eagles 11.6 times a game. This was someone beat out Brock. Yeah, good.

[Andy Holloway]

So.

[Mike Wright]

But it was a low explosion type of offense. Only 10.8 yards per reception. That's 31st out of 32 teams.

[Andy Holloway]

Was there a contest by was like Brock and Carson Wentz? Like I can throw it to my tight end 15 times a game.

[Jason Moore]

No, you can't. There must have been because Brock was is really good at losing and so he lost that. Go on Andy.

[Mike Wright]

Painful currently losing the quarterback competition in Cleveland as well. No, for Wentz it was weapons mixed with a very vanilla conservative offense. They did not put Wince in a position to hurt himself last year. So the question is, is with Alshon Jeffrey, are we overreacting to the potential target decrease for Ertz because he was great. Ertz was amazing. Ended the year over the last few weeks. By far the number one tight end. Same thing he's done the last couple of years. But that is a huge amount of targets going to the tight end. Position, almost 12 targets a game can't be ignored.

[Andy Holloway]

No, it certainly can't be ignored. But at the same, but at the same time, you do have to factor that the, the other guys, which I think Jordan Matthews is a good wide receiver, but the other wide receivers on the field, that, that led to Zach Ertz being the best pass catcher on the pass catching weapon on the team. So that's where Carson Wentz went. So I don't, I don't project that pace that Zach Ertz was on when he closed out the season where he was just an absolute monster, the number one tight end over the last, what, four or five games. But he, he's someone to keep an eye on. Where's he going in drafts?

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, I was going to pull up his ADP and give you some decisions to make there because he's an 11th round tight end. I just have him in almost every league in a basketball league. Zachary is my tight end in almost every league. I mean, you're talking Jack Doyle reigns. He's behind O.J. howard. He's behind Kyle Rudolph. Hunter Henry.

[Andy Holloway]

Well, Kyle Rudolph is good, but I.

[Mike Wright]

Would take Ertz over Kyle Rudolph any day and I will happily bet that one. If anybody wants a wider bet right here, right now, let me.

[Andy Holloway]

Hold on, hold on. Let me just confirm where I have Mr. Zachary in my rankings.

[Jason Moore]

Hold.

[Andy Holloway]

Hold on, hold on, hold on, hold on.

[Jason Moore]

We're. That's Spear's gotta come up by now. The horses are upon us.

[Andy Holloway]

It's splitting hairs if I take that.

[Jason Moore]

One, but I will take it. Water bat the last.

[Mike Wright]

I love it. Brooks. Brooks, put that one down.

[Andy Holloway]

That's not my favorite bet.

[Mike Wright]

Kyle Rudolph. And for those that are brand new listeners to the show that are going, what the heck was that? That was a water bet. And we make many water bets during the year and you can make many with your friends as well. We made a wheel of water that you spin and if Mike loses this bet, which is inevitable, he will spin the wheel. He will spin the wheel of water and be shamed. Be shamed. And we're going to record a bunch of those this year as well. So wheelofwater.com youm can grab the app. It's a free app. We just made it for fun. So you can make bets with your friends and embarrass them.

[Andy Holloway]

There's no way, though that I'm letting us finish with the Eagles without bringing up the running back who was taking the offseason by storm. He was going to be a. It's going to Be huge part of this offense. And now he is last on the depth charts. Wendell Smallwood.

[Jason Moore]

I thought you were going to say something relevant and I was going to be so proud of you, Mike.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, that's so irrelevant.

[Jason Moore]

I love what you said but I just pointing out to what I'm saying.

[Andy Holloway]

Which is pointing out the off season hype trains.

[Jason Moore]

I know we're near the end but I am not letting us move on without talking about a different running back there that I actually think I have a. I have a marker to move him way up. My range is not Darren Sproul. It's the new Danelle Pumphrey.

[Mike Wright]

I think we pronounced with an umph.

[Jason Moore]

Pronounced with an umph. I think we are having major weight ism. Look, the dude is a thimble. I get it.

[Andy Holloway]

Weight ism is what we have against you, Jason.

[Jason Moore]

Well, yeah, I mean I deal with this every day so I can speak to it. Okay. He's five nine, a buck eighty. That can't work, right? I mean that just can't work in the NFL. Correct. I get it. That can't even work.

[Mike Wright]

I got him down. I got him down at 170.

[Jason Moore]

That can't even work in college. I mean it's just too small. Except the problem is he's one of the most prolific college producers in history.

[Andy Holloway]

Yes.

[Jason Moore]

He had 349 carries his last season, over 2,000 yards and 17 touchdowns. He has a great offensive line. All of the reports have been raving about him and so he's completely dismissed because he's 59 and 180 pounds. But the dude is a great running.

[Mike Wright]

Back, fourth round pick, passing weapon.

[Jason Moore]

I'm just, I'm saying I'm moving him way up and he is a guy. He is a guy to me where if it turns out that he is way more involved and they're using LeGarrett Blunt as that goal line, third down guy because that clearly, you know, a buck 80 won't get it done when you need.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, he's not going between the tackles. He's going in the slot. He's lining up wide. He's lining up out of the backfield.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah. So I really like the Donald Pumphrey. I think we need to look at him a little bit deeper and get his name out on the show more because I don't think we ever really talked.

[Mike Wright]

Take a minute, pause, contemplate, Breathe him in.

[Jason Moore]

It's easy to breathe. It doesn't take much. He's very tiny.

[Andy Holloway]

Sprols is still There though.

[Jason Moore]

Yes. But yes, Sprolls is there and they're like, here's what's happening.

[Andy Holloway]

The same player.

[Jason Moore]

And that's the narrative. The narrative is he is going to replace that when Darren Sprols leaves next year. Totally might happen.

[Andy Holloway]

Yes.

[Jason Moore]

What I am saying, that's Chef. I think that there is a legitimate chance that Sproules and Pumphrey are both used in different roles this year and that Pumphrey is just a running back.

[Andy Holloway]

What? Man, if they lined up Sproules and Pumpkin Wishbone with balls and pumpkin, you.

[Jason Moore]

Can'T even see them behind the line. You literally would be like, where is.

[Andy Holloway]

Why do they have nine players out there?

[Jason Moore]

It'd be incredible.

[Andy Holloway]

Guys, this is going to be easy.

[Jason Moore]

They forgot two guys.

[Mike Wright]

Guess what, Guys, guess what? We'll be back tomorrow.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah.

[Mike Wright]

On the show the Fantasy Footballers. Hey, you want to help us out? Drop us a sweet and sexy itunes review.

[Andy Holloway]

Oh, they so sweet.

[Mike Wright]

5 star review over there on itunes. Subscribe to the show. Check us out on YouTube.

[Jason Moore]

Give us that. Subscribe. Yes.

[Mike Wright]

Was that ladies, man?

[Jason Moore]

Yes, I think it was unconscious.

[Mike Wright]

Unconsciously unconscious, ladies. All right, we will be back tomorrow. We'll be back Friday. Five days a week here on out. Give them the excited for the season.

[Andy Holloway]

Give them the Listener league info one more time.

[Mike Wright]

Listener league@fantasy footballers.com listener [e-mail] not at the fantasy footballers, just listener league@fantasy footballers dot com and send in those entries, please. No, no paragraphs, 10 pages long. Books, novels, things like that. I won't read them because I can't read.

[Jason Moore]

Got a lot to do and he can't read.

[Mike Wright]

But I wanted to remind people too if you want to come play with us on the draft app, if you love dfs, if you love best ball, the best place to play. It's our studio sponsor. We absolutely love these guys and love the app. Jason and I are right in the middle of a best ball battle right now and you can go to playdraft.com ballers and you will get a free entry into a best ball league. A free paid entry into a basketball league.

[Andy Holloway]

I just did a live periscope where I was playing foot clan and basketball yesterday.

[Mike Wright]

I just took Tyreek Hill in our.

[Jason Moore]

So goodbye Humphrey in this next one. Thank you for listening. Episode of the Fantasy Footballers podcast. Join our fantasy football community on jointhefoot.com and follow us on Twitter the FFballers.