Fantasy Football 2017 - Top 10 Wide Receivers + Preseason Hype

Summary

Fantasy Footballers Podcast Summary
Episode: Fantasy Football 2017 - Top 10 Wide Receivers + Preseason Hype
Release Date: August 10, 2017

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I. Introduction and Preseason Hype

The hosts kick off the episode by diving straight into the excitement of the preseason, setting aside the usual advertisements and intros to focus on crucial fantasy football insights. They emphasize the significance of preseason performances in shaping draft strategies and player rankings for the upcoming season.

Key Discussion Points:

• Jameis Winston’s Performance: The hosts express cautious optimism regarding Jameis Winston's fantasy value. While recognizing his potential and leadership qualities, they highlight concerns about his youth and lack of extensive experience, suggesting that mistakes are still likely as he develops.

  Jason Moore [02:21]: "I have been cautious with my kind of endorsement of Jameis Winston as this otherworldly fantasy value this year because you look..."
  Andy Holloway [03:18]: "The most telling part for me... was the sit down with Dirk Cutter where it was clear as day... "

• Dirk Cutter’s Insights: Andy Holloway references a discussion with Dirk Cutter, indicating that the coaching staff may harbor reservations about Winston’s readiness to lead the team effectively.

  Andy Holloway [03:18]: "The most telling part for me... was the sit down with Dirk Cutter... does not believe that Jameis Winston is ready."

• Martavis Bryant’s Status: The conversation touches upon Martavis Bryant's reinstatement, debating his draft value amidst injury concerns. Mike "The Fantasy Hitman" Wright expresses willingness to draft him in best ball leagues, anticipating his return by Week 1.

  Mike Wright [09:16]: "But he's, but he's, he's good to go for the preseason."

II. News and Notes from Around the League

The hosts provide updates and analyses on various players and teams, offering listeners a comprehensive overview of the current state of the league.

Key Topics:

• Thomas Rawls vs. Eddie Lacy: Jason Moore discusses the running back situation, emphasizing Rawls' potential and the uncertainty surrounding Lacy's performance due to past injuries and team changes.

  Jason Moore [10:09]: "So those of you that were worried about pup that's been thrown away, it's gone. Luck will not be on the pup. Still could miss week one. Don't know. We'll see."

• New England Patriots’ Running Backs: The trio examines the Patriots' running back lineup, highlighting concerns about Mike Gillislee’s hamstring injury and the potential impacts on fantasy performance.

  Jason Moore [12:02]: "Yeah, he's been off the field. That should be the concern."

• Joe Mixon’s Draft Position: Andy Holloway and Mike Wright debate Joe Mixon’s draft value, suggesting a possible decline in his ranking due to limited opportunities in his offense.

  Andy Holloway [14:11]: "Mixon's still right now going, you know, at the back of the third round. And that is... That's too high."

III. Top 10 Wide Receivers Rankings

A substantial portion of the episode is dedicated to ranking the top 10 wide receivers for the upcoming fantasy football season. The hosts provide in-depth analyses, comparing player performances, potential, and risks.

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1. Antonio Brown

Overview:
Antonio Brown is unanimously recognized as the top wide receiver due to his exceptional consistency and high-output performances in previous seasons.

Notable Insights:

• Consistency is Key: Antonio’s ability to produce reliable fantasy points each week makes him a coveted asset.

  Andy Holloway [16:01]: "But we do need to realize there is a huge gap on your fantasy team when it comes to how he scores his points."

• Potential Gap: The hosts discuss the significant value Antonio brings compared to other wide receivers, emphasizing that trading up for him can be advantageous.

  Mike Wright [16:49]: "The only thing about Antonio Brown is it almost feels like it's gotten to the point now where it's, like, boring to own him."

2. Julio Jones

Overview:
Julio Jones is highlighted as a top-tier wide receiver, albeit with considerations regarding injury history and preseason performance.

Notable Insights:

• Injury Concerns: Julio's susceptibility to injuries raises questions about his availability and consistent performance.

  Jason Moore [17:34]: "Yeah, that's it. You just... you know, with Julio Jones not supposed..."

• High Ceiling: Despite potential injuries, his ability to produce massive yards and touchdowns keeps him highly ranked.

  Andy Holloway [18:37]: "The nice thing with Julio is they don't need to use him in the red zone more for him to be the number one wide receiver."

3. Odell Beckham Jr.

Overview:
Odell Beckham Jr. stands out for his explosive playmaking ability and potential for monstrous games that can win fantasy matchups.

Notable Insights:

• Explosive Potential: Beckham's capacity for high-impact plays makes him a valuable pick despite any team offensive changes.

  Jason Moore [19:06]: "You shouldn't feel that way if you, if that's the guy that you want, take him over 1300 yards and 10 touchdowns each of his first three seasons."

• Offensive Synergy: The hosts believe that Beckham’s role in the offense will ensure continued high performance.

  Andy Holloway [20:10]: "There's a difference... despite the new additions to the offense."

4. Jordy Nelson

Overview:
Jordy Nelson is praised for his touchdown prowess, though concerns about his age and potential regression lead to a more cautious ranking.

Notable Insights:

• Touchdown Specialist: Nelson’s ability to score touchdowns is a significant asset, positioning him well in fantasy rankings.

  Jason Moore [22:20]: "If you want Odell, that's cool. I'll take Jordy."

• Age and Consistency: At 32, there's skepticism about his ability to maintain peak performance, though his experience is undervalued by some.

  Andy Holloway [24:33]: "But there's the opposite. Reggie Wayne, Andre Johnson... have great age 31 seasons and great age 32."

5. A.J. Green

Overview:
A.J. Green is recognized for his elite reception percentage and yardage, making him a reliable second-tier wide receiver.

Notable Insights:

• Efficient Catcher: Green’s high reception rate and consistent yardage output contribute to his strong ranking.

  Jason Moore [26:56]: "Do not forget about this man."

• Injury Resilience: Despite past injuries, Green remains a solid pick due to his proven track record and offensive role.

  Andy Holloway [28:06]: "Never going to be close to double digit touchdowns."

6. Mike Evans

Overview:
Mike Evans is viewed as a valuable wide receiver with a high target count, though there are concerns about the sustainability of his pre-season performance.

Notable Insights:

• High Target Volume: Evans’ ability to attract a large number of targets makes him a consistent performer in fantasy leagues.

  Mike Wright [29:55]: "Mike Evans is just not up that, that A.J. green, Jordy Nelson tier."

• Team Dynamics: Improvements in team defense and running game are expected to balance his target share.

  Andy Holloway [31:24]: "I don’t think he’s going up, but I don’t necessarily think he’s going to... take a huge step backwards either."

7. Michael Thomas

Overview:
Michael Thomas is lauded for his exceptional catch rate and reliability, embodying a "bust-proof" asset in fantasy football.

Notable Insights:

• Catch Efficiency: With a 76% catch rate, Thomas offers one of the highest floors among wide receivers.

  Jason Moore [34:19]: "Cole Beasley caught like 76.5% of his cat."

• Touchdown Potential: Thomas’s role as the primary target in a potent offense ensures high reception and touchdown numbers.

  Andy Holloway [35:10]: "Never going to be close to double digit touchdowns."

8. Ty Hilton

Overview:
Ty Hilton is recognized for his yardage achievements but faces uncertainty regarding target volume due to the return of Dante Moore.

Notable Insights:

• Yards After Catch: Hilton’s ability to accumulate yards makes him a valuable asset, though his touchdown count remains a concern.

  Jason Moore [37:02]: "How high do you move him? Is he 10? Would he take over Amari Cooper at 10 on these rankings?"

• Competition for Targets: The return of Dante Moore poses a potential threat to Hilton's target share, affecting his overall fantasy value.

  Andy Holloway [38:33]: "He’s five point points worse per game in PPR without Andrew Luck."

9. Dez Bryant

Overview:
Dez Bryant is a high-risk, high-reward player known for his explosive touchdown potential but hampered by inconsistent reception rates.

Notable Insights:

• Touchdown Efficiency: Bryant’s ability to score frequently offsets his lower reception numbers, making him a playmaker when targeted.

  Mike Wright [41:05]: "He has a wide range of outcomes."

• Injury Concerns: Past injuries and limited recent performance data raise questions about his reliability for the upcoming season.

  Andy Holloway [44:00]: "Needs to keep his target volume up to maintain his TD efficiency."

10. Amari Cooper

Overview:
Amari Cooper is seen as an ascending wide receiver with solid yardage and reception metrics but faces concerns about consistency and lower touchdown production.

Notable Insights:

• Yardage Production: Cooper’s ability to rack up yards keeps him in the top 10, though his touchdown count doesn’t match his peers.

  Jason Moore [45:14]: "131 targets is great. 80 plus receptions is great. 1100 plus yards is great. Five touchdowns is not so great."

• Consistency Issues: Sporadic performance and missed practices contribute to uncertainty about his reliability throughout the season.

  Andy Holloway [46:48]: "You don’t have enough track record. There's nothing definitive that says when he will disappear."

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IV. Conclusion

As the episode wraps up, the Fantasy Footballers provide final thoughts on the preseason matchups, expressing particular interest in observing key players like Dalvin Cook and the Tennessee wide receiver corps. They encourage listeners to stay engaged with ongoing games to refine their draft strategies and remain competitive in their leagues.

Key Takeaways:

• Dalvin Cook’s Potential: Mike Wright is especially excited about Dalvin Cook’s performance, emphasizing the importance of his running style and college performance translating into NFL success.

  Mike Wright [49:09]: "I'm excited to see Dalvin Cook because he's a player what college you watched... looked like an electric player."

• Amari Cooper’s Upside vs. Consistency: While Cooper shows promising numbers, his inconsistency remains a concern, prompting listeners to weigh his upside against potential volatility.

  Jason Moore [46:14]: "He is not a consistent player. He was a guy that would disappear and you felt the need to start him."

The hosts conclude by highlighting upcoming live shows and encouraging participation in their listener leagues, ensuring that listeners remain connected and informed throughout the fantasy football season.

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Notable Quotes:

• Jason Moore [02:00]: "Today we're getting into the top 10 wide receivers."
• Mike Wright [27:52]: "It's an elite wide receiver. He still is an elite wide receiver."
• Andy Holloway [35:10]: "Michael Thomas is a guy I have on many of my leagues. I'm not afraid to draft him at all."
• Jason Moore [44:55]: "But let’s talk about the number 10 before we close out the show."

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This comprehensive summary encapsulates the essential discussions, analyses, and insights shared by Andy Holloway, Jason Moore, and Mike Wright, providing valuable information for both seasoned fantasy football enthusiasts and newcomers alike.

Transcript

[Andy Holloway]

Oh, foot clan. Get your helmets on so your brains don't explode. Because people have been asking every year, what is the best draft Day app to use? Well, the people over at Draft Day app have the best app to use. They are using our rankings to put into their app that is so smooth and so easy to use at your draft. You can customize the rankings. You can make them your own and then track the draft live very easily. I've used it. I love this app. I think it is absolutely great. So check it out if you have a phone, and I'm pretty sure you do get it out. Go to DraftDayApp.com and give us feedback on Twitter because I think you are going to love how this helps your draft. Hey, this is David Johnson, running back of the Arizona Cardinals, and you're listening to the Fantasy Footballers Podcast. Welcome to the Fantasy Footballers Podcast coming to you from the Play Draft Studios with your hosts, Andy Holloway, Jason Moore and Mike Wright.

[Jason Moore]

Ah, we're back. I was not aware that if you put a helmet on, your brain can't explode.

[Mike Wright]

Look, we love our.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, we love our listeners. I don't want injuries when they hear about, you know, driving the app.

[Jason Moore]

I mean, doesn't that mean if your brain explodes, then it's just in there? Like, it's just in there with the hell you're protected.

[Andy Holloway]

I think that just means your brain has grown, like, inside your skull. You're just better now.

[Mike Wright]

You're smarter.

[Jason Moore]

Oh, it's exploded in a good way.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah. Congratulations on your new engine.

[Mike Wright]

More nooks and crannies in the brain. That's pretty cool.

[Jason Moore]

Drafdayapp.com welcome to the podcast. Thursday, August 10, 2017 Our brains are currently where they were yesterday.

[Mike Wright]

Still contained.

[Jason Moore]

Very excited. Had a preseason game last night. Today we're getting into the top 10 wide receivers. On the show today, we'll talk a little bit about that preseason. Guys, have you. Have both of you watched episode one of Hard Knocks?

[Mike Wright]

I certainly have.

[Andy Holloway]

I did as well.

[Jason Moore]

I have. I have some thoughts. Like, I have been so.

[Mike Wright]

This is great.

[Andy Holloway]

We haven't talked about this.

[Jason Moore]

I've been cautious with my kind of endorsement of Jameis Winston as this otherworldly fantasy value this year because you look desean Jackson's great. Mike Evans is enormous and great. And this team has so much potential. And I still feel that way. And it's not, I want to be clear, like, I'm not saying that I think Jameis Winston is a bad quarterback or dumb or anything like that. Like, I think he's great. I think he's a humble guy. I think he's a great quarterback. But what's so evident, I think, in episode one is that he is young. He is so young. He is 23. And it is just, it takes time to be a Brady Breeze Rogers luck type of player, and he doesn't have that experience yet. So I think the mistakes that we've seen will still happen and I think the highs and lows will still be there with Jameis Winston.

[Andy Holloway]

The most telling part for me, and I completely agree with your take, was the sit down with Dirk Cutter.

[Jason Moore]

Yes.

[Andy Holloway]

Where it was clear as day dirt. Cutter does not believe that Jameis Winston is ready. And he's talking to him about, hey, don't lose this for us.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, don't.

[Andy Holloway]

You know, in college, you know, you, you, you know, you can go Greg.

[Jason Moore]

Jennings, you can put the team on your back.

[Andy Holloway]

You know, you don't need to do that here. So they're going to want, I mean, Cutter wants to run the ball. Wants defensive minded, despite being, you know, from an offensive background. That's what I took out of that also. I took, like I said, several shows back and we're going to talk about them on today's show. But every time I watch film and see with my eyeballs, not stats, not metrics, I look at Mike Evans and I watch him play football, I go, this dude is awesome.

[Mike Wright]

He's a beast. My top two takeaways. Number one, Jameis Winston, possibly more of the prototypical man's man. Because when he was checking out the cockroaches on the step, I would have already fleed. I would have left that scene and screamed for Brooks to come clean.

[Jason Moore]

You couldn't survive in Alabama.

[Mike Wright]

No, I certainly could not. Number two, Doug Martin's got some dance moves on that stage. I mean, he was gliding around. I'm moving him up my driveway.

[Jason Moore]

You look healthy. Right? Okay.

[Mike Wright]

No, he looked very stout.

[Jason Moore]

Hey. The recipe for success. Well, he's a muscle hamster.

[Mike Wright]

I know. I'm just saying, like, when you see these guys actually out of their pads and what.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah.

[Mike Wright]

What is their actual body shapes? I mean, he is.

[Andy Holloway]

Oh, you're a super.

[Jason Moore]

He looked like the guy. He looked like the guy from Hook. The. The lost boy that rolled down the.

[Mike Wright]

The bowling ball.

[Jason Moore]

The bowling ball.

[Mike Wright]

I mean, he was just. He's dense, man. That guy's so.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah.

[Mike Wright]

Then that's not a negative.

[Jason Moore]

No. Look, the recipe for success with Tampa last year revolved around them taking less chances downfield over the Second, we'll talk about that today. We're going to talk about Mike Evans today. This is the wide receiver show. A heads up, the Listener League submission. If you want to be in the Fantasy Footballers listener League, that ends tomorrow, you cannot submit after tomorrow, even if you beg us on a DM on Twitter.

[Andy Holloway]

Also, thank you very much to everyone who submitted. You know, so much love and support has gone into that, a lot of work and some really cool.

[Mike Wright]

How do I apply for the Listener League, Andy?

[Jason Moore]

Well, I was gonna tell you both how you can maybe get in this league. Listenerleagueantasyfootballers.com Send us an email over there. Listenerleagueantasyfootballers.Com your last chance ends tomorrow. Last chance. So very excited. I'm gonna press on into the news. How's that sound?

[Mike Wright]

Okay.

[Andy Holloway]

News and notes from around the league.

[Jason Moore]

We do have some news about. Also, if you want to find out everything that's going on around here, you can go on twitter @the ffballers. Follow us on there and we'll always be tweeting out new stuff and our takes on the latest news that breaks this offseason. I'm sure there'll be a lot with these preseason games. So quick thoughts on the preseason game and then I'll go through a few bits of news. Is there anything that stood out last night for you? It was fun to see Christian McCaffrey. Fun to see Watson play. What else?

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, I think it's just, it's nice to see this, see these guys in actual sort of action. I mean, it's not a full NFL game, but, you know, the takeaways are. I mean, McCaffrey is slippery and I don't want to overdo it on the one run, but it was a solid run. And I mean, Derek Anderson to Greg Olson is just. That's a delightful connection. Also, I don't want to steal all the thunder, but Kelvin Benjamin, those couple catches, especially that touchdown, that was. I was just a. He's a big boy. That was a wide catch radius.

[Jason Moore]

He's a big.

[Mike Wright]

Pulled it in.

[Jason Moore]

Yep, That's a big boy.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, he did look good.

[Andy Holloway]

You know, it's just so fun to watch football. It was nice to see Caroline's quarterback on the field and.

[Jason Moore]

Oh, come on now.

[Andy Holloway]

I will say this.

[Jason Moore]

I'm a huge Cam guy for fantasy.

[Andy Holloway]

Derek Anderson is not as good as Cam Newton. Cam Newton's going to get the touchdowns.

[Jason Moore]

And don't even let the rest of these words slip out your mouth. You're going to Regret him. I'm just saying he's not remotely.

[Andy Holloway]

No.

[Jason Moore]

In the same galaxy as Cam Newton.

[Andy Holloway]

He will not. I completely agree with you if we're talking about NFL ability to have your team win. But if we're just talking fantasy production from Greg Olson and Kelvin Benjamin, I would move them up. Sorry, but on the other side of the ball. Sorry, not sorry. On the other side of the ball you had, you know, a running back. My, one of my favorite running backs from the college days coming in, Deonta Foreman. And he looked great against third stringers. So make sure you realize, you know, when you see that 41 yard run, not much more you can ask for him to do other than just.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, nothing wrong with that.

[Andy Holloway]

Nothing wrong with that. But don't overdo it. Alfred Blue looked pretty good as well.

[Jason Moore]

Alpha Blue is still the number two back. I thought the gonna take pressure off.

[Andy Holloway]

Of Marvin actually looked okay. And granted it was, you know, playing vanilla defense, so.

[Jason Moore]

One of Watson's best plays was the one where he wasn't Brock Osweather. Did you see that one?

[Mike Wright]

I did.

[Andy Holloway]

Watson looked good on the rollout. Looked good when he was moving. They kept his head alive. Does he overthrow guys? I mean, if you are a defender going up against Watson, just stay about 15 yards behind the play.

[Jason Moore]

That's nerves. You get the nerves going on first game.

[Andy Holloway]

I know.

[Jason Moore]

All right. Martavis Bryant has been clear for all preseason activities.

[Andy Holloway]

Be still Mike's heart.

[Jason Moore]

He's not fully reinstated, but he's on track to play and be reinstated by week one.

[Mike Wright]

But he's, but he's, he's, he's good to go for the preseason. Oh, ladies and gentlemen, we are. This is. Lady, this is, this is stage one. I think we're good to go with Martes.

[Andy Holloway]

Let me ask you this then. So you were happy, thrilled even to take him in the fourth round.

[Mike Wright]

I lost physical form. I turned into just pure energy and love with for a couple moments with.

[Andy Holloway]

What has happened with Martavis Bryant. Do you lower him? Are you still comfortable taking him in the fourth? Do you feel like there's any extra risk here for him to lose games or to miss out on reinstatement or lose reinstatement if you're drafting right now.

[Mike Wright]

Fourth is super sketchy, but I mean, I'm still willing to grab him in your best ball leagues because you're playing to win, you're playing to get first. But I fully expect him to be reinstated. So I mean, I'm perfectly fine grabbing him around that fifth.

[Jason Moore]

You know who's the quote clear number.

[Mike Wright]

One back right now, according to Bob Condada from the Seattle Times.

[Jason Moore]

You know who it is.

[Andy Holloway]

Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.

[Mike Wright]

Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.

[Jason Moore]

Thomas Rawls right now running with the ones. He had split first team reps with Eddie Lacy earlier, but he's. Lacy's been working exclusively with the backup since then. It's make whatever you want. I've been talking about Thomas Rawls as a relevant fantasy player for months. My opinion is this. Eddie Lacy has the potential to be a great goal lineback. He also has a history of being injured recently. He's going to a new team.

[Mike Wright]

So does Thomas Rawls.

[Jason Moore]

Let me finish. But Pete Carroll has a certain loyalty to Thomas Rawls. Thomas Rawls had a monster game at the end of the year last year showing he's totally capable of having good performances. So, people, all of my message has been it's not been put Rawls ahead of Lacey. It's been, you better pay attention to Thomas Rawls and he's worth a flyer. Oh, yeah. And most likely this is a gross situation because the line's not that great and maybe you've got pro size that'll have a role. So now you've got the running back reps being split between three different guys and barring injury, it's going to be not very much fun.

[Andy Holloway]

I think that's. It's seeming more and more that this is just an avoid the backfield area or if you're in a ppr, maybe just go pro size.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, pro size is the one to own.

[Mike Wright]

Eddie Lacy will I still believe that he's the goal line back. So if anyone has more value between the two of them, it's still Eddie Lacy. But I agree that this is. It's not shaping up to be a delight by any stretch.

[Jason Moore]

Do you read anything into the fact that in New England, Deion Lewis and James White were listed as the starting running back. Rex Burkhead and Brandon Bolden with the second team. And Mike Gillislee, who's dealing with a hamstring injury, currently listed with the threes.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, it sounds like his hamstring injury.

[Jason Moore]

Okay.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, he's been off the field. That should be the concern.

[Mike Wright]

Look, slight concern, absolutely. It's. I'd be much happier if they just came out and said, oh, yep, Mike Ilsley, he's the starter day one. But it's. It's the hoodie. He works in mysterious ways. And so I'm not going to jump off the Mike Gillislee ship just Yet.

[Jason Moore]

All right, almost into wide receiver rankings here. The Brown starting quarterback is, quote Brock Osweilers to lose. According to the ESPN Browns reporter Pat McManning. What is Brock will start? Look, the trust, the process. Yeah. Well, the preseason is going to be the process, so I don't read too much into that. If Brock performs in the preseason, he'll be the starter. If he doesn't, then they'll move on to someone else. So Chris Ballard told NFL Networks, told NFL Network that it's still to be determined if luck will be ready for Week 1. The GM of the Colts is Chris Ballard. He came out and said PUP is not an option for Luck. So those of you that were worried about pup that's been thrown away, it's gone. Luck will not be on the pup. Still could miss week one. Don't know. We'll see.

[Andy Holloway]

We're waiting.

[Jason Moore]

We'll wait and find out. We still have a month. A month? Yeah. Okay. What?

[Mike Wright]

This is from the Cincinnati Inquirer.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah. Jeremy Hill out of the Cincinnati Inquirer this morning, reports of him. The belief is that he'll start all season unless he's hurt or absolutely terrible there. What constitutes terrible?

[Mike Wright]

Terrible.

[Andy Holloway]

Ben Jarvis Green Ellis was terrible, but I didn't stop.

[Jason Moore]

No, that's a good point. Same situation here as you have in Seattle. Same situation. You've got.

[Mike Wright]

Well, it's different.

[Jason Moore]

You got big boy, goal line, you've got more, maybe more spry, more athletic, and then you've got third down guy and Gio Bernard. Now Joe Mixon can do it all.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, that's why it's different.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah. And that makes sense. As opposed to, like Rawls, who can't necessarily do that. Mixon can do it all, but they're not going to use him in Access for no reason.

[Andy Holloway]

Right.

[Jason Moore]

So he either has to be otherworldly compared to Hill, or Hill has to be hurt to have the kind of first year Joe Mixon where the ADP was going. Relevance.

[Andy Holloway]

Mixon's still right now going, you know, at the back of the third round. And that is. That's too high.

[Mike Wright]

You better be confident.

[Andy Holloway]

You could grab him at the back of the third and he could explode and take over and become the next Le'Veon Bell because he's got the talent. But the probability of him being any kind of bell count is getting slimmer and slimmer. Close to none right now. And so I'm moving Mixon down in my rankings. And that's coming from someone who, you know, completely believes in his talent. There's just. There's. There's. There's less opportunity for touches right now in that offense, and, you know, that's a prerequisite for scoring fantasy points.

[Jason Moore]

And we talked a little bit about this yesterday with the Dalvin Cook, Joe Mixon discussion at the end of the running back ranking show, so I agree completely. All right, guys, let's talk wide receivers.

[Andy Holloway]

Wide receivers.

[Jason Moore]

Mike and I both wore the white T shirts today. This is very bright on the screen.

[Mike Wright]

You know, it's a classic look.

[Jason Moore]

Is yours just white? White? Yeah, just plain old white, crisp, clean shoes.

[Mike Wright]

I look like. What's. What's this? I look like a heartthrob from the 1950s.

[Jason Moore]

Oh, yeah. Well, you're gonna Travolta, gonna roll it.

[Andy Holloway]

Out of grease smokes in your sleeve.

[Mike Wright]

Tell me more. Tell me. Okay.

[Jason Moore]

All right, I'll tell you more about Antonio Brown.

[Andy Holloway]

Oh.

[Mike Wright]

Like a professional.

[Jason Moore]

Antonio Brown's our number one consensus wide receiver. We're going through the top 10 wideouts today. If you missed the last couple episodes, definitely tune into the running back shows. I mean, what do you say about Antonio Brown?

[Mike Wright]

The top three is.

[Jason Moore]

I mean, do we just move on?

[Andy Holloway]

We need to spend a lot of time discussing Antonio Brown. I would say this. This is the one thing.

[Jason Moore]

No, no. Be very analytical, Jason.

[Andy Holloway]

Yes.

[Jason Moore]

Don't equivocate, not be anecdotal.

[Andy Holloway]

Dive deep here. It is. It is worth.

[Jason Moore]

Just passes.

[Andy Holloway]

It is worth noting that Antonio Brown's consistency over the last few years and his output has been at a level that is not just saying, oh, he's got a chance to finish as the one or he'll be top three. We agree with those things. But we do need to realize there is a huge gap on your fantasy team when it comes to how he scores his points, which is, you know, just every single week, you know, hurting your team less than anyone else. Where the value of him compared to, say, a Mike Evans, it's. It's a wide gap. And so people that want to trade up, or maybe people don't, you know, you. Someone in your league doesn't believe in Antonio Brown, go get him. That's. That's pretty much all I'm saying.

[Mike Wright]

The only thing about Antonio Brown is it almost feels like it's gotten to the point now where it's, like, boring to own him. LeBron James getting the MVP in the NBA, you just. You can't give it to him every year because you're like, someone else has got to do it. No, it's still going to Be Antonio Brown.

[Jason Moore]

All right. Our consensus number two, wide receiver, Julio Jones. Julio Jones last year is that he's a wide receiver 1 or 2, 64% of the time. He had that otherworldly, crazy game against Carolina with 300 plus yards. What do you need to say about Julio? I mean, like, like we said, we want it. There'd be some big discussions, but there's not a lot with Julio other than the injury discussion.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, that's it. You just. You know, with Julio Jones not supposed.

[Jason Moore]

To play in preseason week one, that.

[Mike Wright]

He has a tendency to get nicked up. No, I'm not. Not necessarily missing time, which he has done that before, but that was the. He had to get the foot surgery, but he frequently looks banged up. He's. He's the wide receiver equivalent of LaShawn McCoy, where at least once a game.

[Jason Moore]

You'Re going to see he's limping off.

[Mike Wright]

You'Re going to see him limping, you're going to panic. But he'll. He'll be okay. He'll play through it and. But you also know that he's going to give you a couple dud games.

[Jason Moore]

I have him at 2. You guys both have him at 3. And I want to tell you why I like him more than Odell Beckham Jr. Sure.

[Andy Holloway]

It's a good argument between those two guys.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah. And for me, it just came down to the offense. I think the offense, I like it more now. The dependency on Odell Beckham Jr. With Eli, that's great. So if you pick Odell, that's cool. I like the offense and the opportunity for Julio, and I just believe that maybe. Maybe they'll use them more in the red zone like they're promising to do.

[Andy Holloway]

And the nice thing with Julio is.

[Mike Wright]

Every year they promise.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah. The nice thing with Julio is they don't need to use him in the red zone more for him to be the number one wide receiver. Even so, if the total points for the Falcons drops, as I expect it to, I don't think that is going to hurt Julio. Julio has been great, you know, the last four or five years with the Falcons not being otherworldly like they were last year.

[Jason Moore]

All right, number three, Odell Beckham Jr. You guys actually have him. You guys both have him at two.

[Mike Wright]

And the thing about.

[Jason Moore]

And I have met four these three.

[Mike Wright]

Wide receivers, I think that Antonio Brown is clearly the number one, but they're called the big three for a reason. Because if you want to take Oto Beckham as the first wide receiver off the Board. Okay. I mean, I don't think that's. I don't think. I don't think it's a crazy jump.

[Jason Moore]

No, no. And you shouldn't feel that way if you, if that's the guy that you want, take him over 1300 yards and 10 touchdowns each of his first three seasons. So, so far, you know what you're getting with Odell Beckham Jr. And that is otherworldly production and the ability to have those monstrous games that can win you a week.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah. And he's still so young. I feel like there is a chance with Odell that we. We still. In fact, I would say it's. It's likely that we haven't even seen his best yet. That's possible. So if that's the case, you know, we could be looking back in a few years thinking that he's, you know, a Ladanian Tomlinson type because his 16 game average pace over the three years is averaging 13 touchdowns a year. I mean, that's ludicrous.

[Mike Wright]

But what's. So we have him at 2. So I'll ask this question to you, Jason, because a lot of people have concerns with Beckham because, well, oh, Brandon Marshall is.

[Andy Holloway]

Is here.

[Mike Wright]

They drafted Evan Ingram, who profiles.

[Jason Moore]

Both are goal line threats.

[Mike Wright]

As a goal line threat, do you. You still feel confident in Beckham despite those additions to the offense?

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, because whatever it takes away from Beckham. Right. Some. Some of the targets aren't going to go his way. His market share of targets in that offense will be smaller this year than it was last year. But the overall offense will be better. More first downs picked up, more total points going, you know, on the board. So I think, I think it will wash itself out. And he will, he'll be absolutely fine. The total volume will go up. While his efficiency might go down before.

[Mike Wright]

We move on to wide receiver number four or.

[Jason Moore]

He's my number three, too.

[Mike Wright]

Oh, spoiler alert. I want to tell you about Flea Flicker. We get a frequent question, where should I set up my fantasy football league? Where should I play? So I want to make sure that you know about Flea Flicker. Flea Flicker is extremely flexible. It's very customizable. You want to do an email draft, fine. You want to do a live draft, fine. I mean, flea Flickr can handle whatever you need.

[Andy Holloway]

They have lightning, but how much does it cost, Mike?

[Mike Wright]

I haven't gotten to that part yet, but it's 100% free.

[Andy Holloway]

It's pretty good.

[Mike Wright]

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[Jason Moore]

All right, let's talk about Jordy Nelson, guys. Jordy Nelson, number four last year, led the league in touchdowns. Basically a touchdown a game guy.

[Mike Wright]

So you said he's your three.

[Jason Moore]

He is.

[Mike Wright]

So you are telling me you have Jordy Nelson ranked above Beckham?

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, I do.

[Mike Wright]

Okay.

[Jason Moore]

And I don't think it's outlandish. Look, you put me in a keeper.

[Mike Wright]

It's a little hot.

[Andy Holloway]

It's hot, but it's. I agree. It's not outlandish when you walk out.

[Jason Moore]

Why not have the player who's on the better offense, who scored more fantasy points last year? I mean, I don't think that's outlandish.

[Andy Holloway]

But that was the first time he's ever done that, Andy. Right?

[Jason Moore]

Not exactly. Number three in 2011, number 12 in 2013, number three in 2014, and then number one last year. Based on your scoring format, one or two only 1200 plus yards and 14 touchdowns, 152 targets from a guy named Aaron Rodgers. It checks all the boxes for me. So I think the only reason that anybody doesn't want him is because he's done it for a while, I think, and he's a little bit older.

[Mike Wright]

It's concerned with age.

[Jason Moore]

He was banged up and missed 2015. But look, I think he belongs there. If you want Odell, that's cool. I'll take Jordy.

[Mike Wright]

The thing about Jordy Nelson, if you watched him play last year, he was getting saved by touchdowns at the beginning of the year. He was only averaging 53 yards the first seven games. After that, though, Jordy Nelson returned to form. He was averaging almost 100 yards per game.

[Jason Moore]

And, well, let's remind people, return to form. You're saying that because he missed the previous one. So starting the year slower on yardage, maybe to be expected if you're getting.

[Mike Wright]

Back into form, certainly. So I'm. I would take Beckham over Jordy Nelson. But if you. If you grab our ultimate draft kit, you will see that we have Jordy Nelson. In fact, in that Tier number one with those guys. Because I believe so passionately about Jordan Nelson and so does Andy. He's. He's the wide receiver one. He's a guy that has overall number, wide receiver one value that slips to the back of the first or the early second round, unlike the other three we've already talked about.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, I will. I am. Of the three of us, I would be.

[Mike Wright]

You're the most skeptical.

[Andy Holloway]

Yes, I'm the most skeptical of knowing that he has the same, you know, season at age 32 that he, you know, was able to do at 31. And the reality is, when you go back and look over the last decade, players that had great seasons at age 31, you have a mixed bag. Right. And they're all great. You know, Brandon Marshall, that was his 2015 year. He was amazing. 2016, you blame the quarterback. Right? That was. That was.

[Mike Wright]

We didn't even talk about Fitzpatrick sneaking into that hard knocks.

[Andy Holloway]

That.

[Jason Moore]

I did see that. Yeah.

[Andy Holloway]

You know, last year, Jordy Nelson, you had Terrell Owens, another, you know, hall of Fame should be hall of Fame, hall of Fame caliber wide receiver who had a great age 31 season. Age 32 completely fell off. But there are same with several others. But there are the opposite. Reggie Wayne, Andre Johnson, who had great age 31 seasons and great age 32. When I look through the list, the most telling factor is their quarterback.

[Mike Wright]

I was going to say Reggie Rogers. Was that still Peyton?

[Andy Holloway]

Exactly. He had Peyton, Wes Welker, he had Brady. If you stay with a great quarterback, you're a much safer bet. So when I say I'm skeptical on Jordy, it's just because, look, he's. He's 32. Last year, the packers threw way more than they wanted to and way more than they usually do. So I expect a little bit of regression. That's why, personally, I don't have him in the same tier, but I do believe he repeats. He is my, you know, number four receiver and he should be drafted.

[Mike Wright]

So he's the top of your tier two.

[Andy Holloway]

Yes, absolutely.

[Jason Moore]

All right. A.J. green comes in at number five. I have him at five. Mike, you have him at six. Jason at four. His ADP right now is a spot ahead of Jordy Nelson. And if I'm at the back of the first round and I'm not going running back, I consider myself extremely lucky. If I get to draft A.J. green or Jordy Nelson, then turn around and take somebody in early second round at running back, how good is A.J. green? Okay. You had the injury last year, so all of those season ending misleading final numbers. You don't have them to throw into the corner of AJ Green. How good is he though? Highest percentage of 40 plus yard receptions in the league targeted 10 times a game, which was the fourth most in football.

[Mike Wright]

I'll take it.

[Jason Moore]

96.4 yards a game average. It's number two in football. Do not forget about this man.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, his, when he was playing, obviously he missed bad man. He missed the last six or seven games. He was pacing to be the top wide receiver. I mean he's, he's an absolute stud and I don't know the sentiment that at least I get the feedback I get from when I'm talking with people on Twitter, they don't consider AJ Green up, up there, up these tiers. Like everyone's like, well it's clearly I'm going to take my. Thank you Mike Evans over A.J. green. And Mike, why, why would you do that? I love Mike Evans. We're about to talk about him but AJ Green had the, he had the longest consecutive thousand yard streak coming into last season and he, he would, would have hit it for sure.

[Andy Holloway]

He had 964 yards in 10 games.

[Mike Wright]

He's an elite wide receiver. He still is an elite wide receiver. Andy Dalton is an underrated quarterback. So A.J. green is a fantastic pick when you're coming into the early second.

[Andy Holloway]

Absolutely. And we've talked, you know, quarterbacks before. Andy Dalton is one of the, you know, if you're looking at metrics and the most telling rebound numbers. Andy Dalton is the leader this year for a return to more touchdowns that I expect Andy Dalton to get back to. You know, his career average touchdown pace which was very low last year. If that returns to normal. AJ Green, who was already going full full beast mode last year is a great option. You're talking about a guy who has three different seasons of double digit touchdowns. I mean what more do you want than a guy who has pretty much never been on pace for less than 1,000 yards? Is.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah.

[Andy Holloway]

Never going to be close to double digit touchdowns.

[Jason Moore]

There are going to be plenty of leagues where he's in the second round. Plenty of leagues.

[Mike Wright]

It's, and it's silly. It's, it's like what we were talking about with Antonio Brown. It's, I mean Odell Beckham to start his career has been sensational. So was AJ Green and he continues to be sensational.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah. When I say Jordy is, is the top of Tier 2, Jordy and AJ Green are identical in my rankings. They're basically you know, 4A. 4A.

[Mike Wright]

That does not compute.

[Andy Holloway]

That's identical, right?

[Jason Moore]

Number six on the wide receiver rankings, Mike Evans, number six. Look, he's the special pick this year for a lot of fantasy players. They just want him on their roster. And I get it, the numbers were kind of otherworldly last year. But Mike, break down a little bit of what we saw from the first second. We talked about the Bucks earlier and their defense and what this team did to succeed in the second half of the year when they went six and.

[Mike Wright]

Two for Mike Evans. It's, it's eerily, eerily similar to when DeAndre Hopkins was an elite wide receiver for fantasy. A couple years ago, you saw the Texans, who are historically having this great defense, all of a sudden their defense had fallen apart. Hoyers having to target DeAndre Hopkins like a madman, and he's padding these numbers. And then you saw the second half. The defense returned to form as they should have. And then Hopkins targets went way down. Basically the same exact thing happened to Mike Evans last year. The first half of the season, he was averaging almost 13 targets a game. That's. That's. That's unsustainable. I mean, that's too much like. That's. That's fantastic. Over the second half, the defense improved, the running game got going. He was closer to nine targets a game, which we.

[Jason Moore]

That's great. I mean, that's a great number. We just talked about AJ Green around that.

[Mike Wright]

But when you drop from 22 PPR points to 15 PPR points per game, I mean, that's. That becomes a significant difference. And Mike Evans is just not up that, that A.J. green, Jordy Nelson tier. For me, he's still a tremendous wide receiver. 1. You can't, you can't bring him down too far because the player is just too amazing and will receive targets, but he doesn't belong up in that top tier yet.

[Jason Moore]

You hope that desean Jackson opens up. You know, there was an adjustment. You have that many targets. At the beginning of the year, teams did roll a lot of double coverage to Mike Evans.

[Mike Wright]

He was the only target in town.

[Jason Moore]

And he'll have the ability to give you multiple touchdown games, which you love from a wide receiver. I just think we're not all willing to give him what some have given him, which is the tear jump with the Big Three, right?

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, I think that's exactly right. I don't think he's going up, but I don't necessarily think he's going to, you know, take a huge step backwards. Either. Even a lot's been made of the fact that, you know, like, like you just said the second half of the season was, you know, bad, you know.

[Mike Wright]

The way that you can. But not as good.

[Andy Holloway]

But, but I've seen, I've seen it painted as bad. When they just talk about his top 12 performances, you know, they say, oh, after this week, he only had like one top 12 performance.

[Jason Moore]

I think they. That he's referring to is me like two shows ago.

[Andy Holloway]

Well, I think I'm.

[Jason Moore]

They.

[Andy Holloway]

Andy's feeling self conscious. No, no, no. I've seen it from a lot of different people. No, I'm not. I think that was, that was even, you know, if you go back a couple months, I think that was a common, common blurb on Rotoworld and it's true.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, I wrote it on Rotoworld. No, I'm just.

[Andy Holloway]

It's a true statement. But over, you know, from, from 9 to 17 the last half of the year, he was still the wide receiver five. So I mean, that's.

[Jason Moore]

Who cares?

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah. Yeah. Who cares? So what, what is this voice from standing line? Yeah.

[Jason Moore]

Look, the problem with summarizing the second half to me as he was still the whatever is he had four weeks outside the top 40 in the last. I mean he doesn't, that doesn't help you. Well, but I don't care where he. He had a week three, so he played Seattle. He finished number three down the stretch. And then he had three terrible games. So.

[Mike Wright]

And they were juicy.

[Jason Moore]

When, when I got my walking papers from the fantasy playoffs, nobody came over and comforted me by saying, but Mike Evans actually ended up over the second half as a top whatever. That's why that is a.

[Andy Holloway]

Sure he, he had a. He did have a few dud games.

[Jason Moore]

But in a row.

[Andy Holloway]

Yes, in a row. But that, I mean, all wide receivers. Michael Thomas last year was unbelievable. Was even ahead of, you know, of Mike Evans in that stretch. But he had 33 plus percent of his games outside the top 36. It's just. Even the good ones have that other than Antonio Brown, which is why I was making the point earlier. There's a difference.

[Mike Wright]

Fair.

[Jason Moore]

Michael Thomas comes in at number seven. I have him at nine. Jason has him at six.

[Mike Wright]

The freshly besmirched Michael Thomas.

[Jason Moore]

Mike at number eight. Michael Thomas, favorite number for Michael Thomas. I want to share with the listeners. Reception percentage. 76% of his targets. He caught 76%. There's only one player that did better.

[Mike Wright]

Who was that? Andy.

[Jason Moore]

And that was Bezels.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, you're darn right it was.

[Jason Moore]

Cole Beasley caught like 76.5% of his cat. So basically the wins a win a wins a wins. That's his motto. Look, he's a go to guy. One of the other numbers I love to look at when you want to say who's, who's arrived. Okay. And I know he's young, but who's arrived? Highest percentage of these third down conversion catches where you see Julio Brown and Hilton and Beckham and oh, Michael Thomas. Michael Thomas is right there because on third down you can go to Michael Thomas and apparently 76% of the time when you do go, he catches the ball and he has one of the highest floors in fantasy football. I absolutely love Michael Thomas. I don't think you can go wrong.

[Andy Holloway]

I agree. You've said before that he's bust proof and if your expectation is right, then I think you're exactly right. He's the number one target in an offense. It's going to be putting up a ton of points with a Hall of Fame quarterback, you know, 5,000 yards and a lot's made of, well, he was a rookie. Now he's going to. With Brandon Cook's gone, maybe he'll see number one coverage. It's very reminiscent to me of Marquis Colston when he was with Drew Brees. Came out, had that absolutely excellent rookie year similar to Michael Thomas. And what did he do the next year when he was the focus of the defenders? He still had Drew Brees and he went up to 98 receptions, 1200 yards and 11 touchdowns. That's very much to me in the realm of realistic and possible for Michael Thomas. I think he's a lock for 90 receptions in a high powered, high scoring offense as the number one target. So Michael Thomas is a guy I have on many of my leagues. I'm not afraid to draft him at all. I think his upside is there and his floor is there.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah. The difference, I would say a criticism for Thomas of being drafted this high, which he's going very high in. Fantasy drafts are saying, well, his targets will never be what Brown and Beckham and Hooley are getting, whether they're up at 170 plus targets. Yeah, Michael Thomas is not going to see that. But you have to factor in the quality of one Michael Thomas target coming from the most accurate quarterback in the history of the NFL and it's more valuable than an Eli Manning target. So Michael Thomas is, I think he is very safe. You have Brandon Cooks. He's gone. That's 117 targets, 1200 yards, eight touchdowns from the offense. That is missing. Does that mean it goes all to Michael Thomas? No, but Michael Thomas still had 121 targets.

[Jason Moore]

If he sees it just solidifies.

[Mike Wright]

If he shifts that up just slightly, I mean, he's even safer that I just. I believe that Michael Thomas is a very safe pick.

[Jason Moore]

All right, number eight, Ty Hilton. Ty Hilton, the league leader in yards last year with over 1400. Ty Hilton. I've been at 7, Jason 8, Mike 9. His average draft position for a player with that kind of potential. Yeah, it's not bad. 211 for Ty Hilton. Never been a guy that scores a lot of touchdowns. That's been kind of the problem. He'll give you, I think a couple years ago when he had six touchdowns, three of them came in one game. And then you were kind of spreading three more out across.

[Mike Wright]

That's been his M.O. really his whole career, except for last year, was he would. He would finish fine in the final rankings, but it was. He was really a burst player and that that changed last year. He was far more consistent. He was a wide receiver one or two over 56% of the time. And we all love Ty Hilton. The only caution with him is, is Ty Hilton was five fantasy points a game better without Dante Moncrief on the field. Who all reports Moncrief is having a monster training camp. He's already back from the mild AC sprain. So will Hilton be able to command the target share that he had last year, 155 targets. Can he? If Moncrief stays on the field, will that be replicated?

[Jason Moore]

It's better for the team if those go down a little bit and you do have some other weapons to spread the ball around to.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, it's a little bit worrisome with what Ty Hilton was able to do last year and the situation he finds himself coming into this year with Moncrief back. And you just said a 5 points, 5 point swing is huge. A 5 point swing when Moncrief is there versus when he's not. And then you also have over the course of 63 games, you've got 10 games that he's played without Andrew Luck. And now I'm not saying Andrew Luck's not playing, but if Andrew Luck misses a week or two, that's very much in the cards at least. I mean, he's not throwing the ball right now. We're a month away from games. He's got a. He's five. I mean, this makes sense. But he's five point points worse per game in PPR without Andrew Luck. So those two things combined make me a little worried. And I'm sure he'll start to drop as we get closer to the season with Andrew Luck.

[Mike Wright]

If Andrew Luck continues to be sketchy.

[Andy Holloway]

Yes. Yeah. But he'll need to drop for me to draft him for where he's going right now.

[Jason Moore]

All right. One of the more highly debated players, Des Bryant, comes in at number nine on our rankings. I have him the lowest. I'm going to tell you why. I'm at 11. Jason at nine. Mike, you've got him the highest at number seven. When you look at that metric I brought up about Michael Thomas and the catch percentage, the polar opposite in all of football was Dez Bryant. Dez Bryant caught 52% of his targets. That's fifth worst. So Hopkins Fuller, so Brock, Brock Allen, Robinson Bortles and Brandon Marshall Fitzpatrick, the worst passer rating in the league. They all had terrible quarterbacks with terrible quarterback play that put those players at the lowest percentage of their targets caught. You could blame the quarterback. And yet my concerns have been this same page equation with DEZ Bryant and with Dak Prescott. DEZ still performed, but that was due to massive efficiency. He was tied with Devonte Adams, 6.3. Every 6.3 receptions he scored. That's massive efficiency. It's been hard for me to say, hey, let's just take DEZ Bryant, let's go look at what he did with Tony Romo when this offense was revolving around a passing game. And let's just translate that into present day. My concerns with Bryant is that the total targets and those things won't be there. So if you don't get that massive 6.3 receptions per touchdown efficiency, he doesn't belong in that wide receiver.

[Mike Wright]

One consideration, and I would disagree with when you're talking about when they were a passing team. Yeah, Dez Brown.

[Jason Moore]

No, he was good with DeMarco, that one.

[Mike Wright]

But the DeMarco here I know, he's just. Efficiency. That's the name of DEZ Bryant's game. That. That's who he is. He's never going to be the high reception guy. He's going to give you, you know, six, seven receptions a game. But they're always huge, huge gains. And he's. And he's a touchdown monster.

[Andy Holloway]

He had.

[Mike Wright]

What do you have, eight touchdowns in.

[Jason Moore]

His work, 50 catches, eight touchdowns.

[Mike Wright]

He is. When he was on the field last year, he was very consistent.

[Jason Moore]

I mean, let me ask you, how do you explain. Look, when Dak gets back to pass, if he throws it to Cole Beasley, 76% of the time, he's catching now, but Beasley's running in the flats. Yeah. So maybe that's the biggest thing. But when he's throwing the ball to Des, it's 50%. So you've got this when go to situation. Do you think it can improve between Dak and DEZ to the point where, you know, you're not counting on touchdown or bust situations?

[Andy Holloway]

It's.

[Mike Wright]

I think that. I don't think that that's going to change. I mean, Des is who he is. His role in that offense is already solidified. But we've seen from years in the past that it's. It can be unbelievable. Now, the past couple years, DEZ Bryant has had the injury bug and he's. That's why I feel like people are hesitant to get back in with DEZ Bryant. And I don't blame you. It's. When you haven't seen a guy perform in three years, it's. It's pretty tough to go all in on him. But I think that he's just such an outstanding talent and so efficient and I think that the Cowboys are going to have to throw more with their. Their secondary was already bad last year. Now it's been depleted even more.

[Andy Holloway]

Actually, this is a little bit breaking news. They don't have a secondary this year. They just. They are not fielding 11.

[Mike Wright]

They're playing seven guys.

[Andy Holloway]

Unless they can work some trades that, I mean, that's what I'm getting report out of Dallas is that they. They are not going to play.

[Mike Wright]

That's interesting.

[Andy Holloway]

I have not seen that reporting here. No cornerbacks.

[Mike Wright]

This is a situation where I'm trusting in what DEZ Bryant has done in the past and I'm projecting Dak to improve. And this is where Jason launches into his schedule, which is also really hard to argue against.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, I mean, Des Bryant, he's been one of those guys that has fared much better against lower rated cornerbacks and has been shut down by. And has been really shut down by higher rated quarterback cornerbacks. And this upcoming schedule is terrible for him. I think Andy bringing up the 50% accuracy or reception percentage is good because that to me shows room to grow. I don't expect him to stay around 50. He's always been a 60%, you know, receiver plus. I mean, years was 66%. So that could go up. There's just. He's got a wide range of outcomes.

[Mike Wright]

He does.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah. That's all it is.

[Andy Holloway]

His talent is as good as anyone in the league. He's a full legit superstar wide receiver. That's why I like him. You know, he was on pace last year for 11 touchdowns with Dak with the 50% catch rate. So that could go up. But then you look and go, okay, that pace. And I'm taking out games 13 where he didn't play the whole game and 14, 15, 16, so, you know, better numbers for him. It's still only 67 receptions. Hard to take a guy with that low of volume.

[Jason Moore]

It reminds me of Vincent Jackson years ago in San Diego because every year Vincent Jackson, you wanted him, he was great. He scored and he was in that 70 reception range. That would be scary. But yeah, I mean you, you basically have to place your bets on DEZ Bryant.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, he's a DFS play on a weekly basis.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah. And it's, you know, he's a, he's a second round pick. And I think there are guys that I personally would take ahead of him. Like if you just are giving me DEZ or Hilton, I'm going to take Hilton.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, I get it.

[Jason Moore]

But let's talk about the number 10 before we close out the show. Amari Cooper, number 10. I feel like Amari Cooper's career has just been kind of a, you know, he's climbing the stairs to elite and it's just put another two steps. You know, he takes another step up.

[Mike Wright]

And another step, one step back.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, it's just kind of, it's like some, it's like a meal you're enjoying, but it's not quite your favorite meal.

[Andy Holloway]

It's like opposites are. They attract.

[Jason Moore]

131 targets is great. 80 plus receptions is great. 1100 plus yards is great. Five touchdowns is. Five touchdowns is not so great. On 131 targets, Amari Cooper went opposite Mike Evans.

[Mike Wright]

His first eight games he was averaging 98 yards a game. Was the wide receiver eight. In that time, the final eight games he was averaging 46 yards per game. I understand what people are seeing in Amari Cooper. He has, he can take that step.

[Jason Moore]

Well, you give those the same receptions to des and it's 13 touchdowns, right. For Amari it was five.

[Mike Wright]

And also we didn't talk about. But Amari Cooper has not been practicing either. I believe he's missed five or six straight practices. And so Amari Cooper, this high, which he was still a wide receiver one come the end of the year, but that second half of the year you just kept playing him and Playing him and he was. He was killing you.

[Jason Moore]

I've got to ask a question. Oh, go ahead.

[Andy Holloway]

No, I was gonna say he can absolutely destroy your team. He is not a. He is not a consistent player. He was a guy that would disappear and you felt the need to start him.

[Mike Wright]

You have no choice.

[Andy Holloway]

You don't have enough track record. And there's nothing that. There's nothing definitive that says when he will. You know, with DEZ Bryant, you can look at the cornerback and kind of make a good choice. With Emmanuel Sanders, you can look at home road splits and say, I can make a good choice of when to sit him, when to start him. There's a trend, but you can't really figure it out yet with Cooper when he just disappears. And so that makes it difficult. But his upside, if you look at where, you know, the guys going behind him are, you know, you've got Ty Hilton, Doug Baldwin and Brandon Cooks. The upside, if all of them hit, I think you'd have to go Cooper as the highest maybe cooks. If we're just talking upside, I've got.

[Jason Moore]

To ask you a question. And it's. It's a crazy one. So let. Hypothetically, you know, we talked about it. Omari Cooper's missed his fifth, fifth straight practice. If Cooper was out, how high do you move Michael Crabtree, like if he.

[Andy Holloway]

Was out for the year? Hypothetical.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, just hypothetical. I'm not trying to say he's going to be out or anything like that. I'm just curious. I've never asked this question. If he's. If Michael Crabtree's alone is the one.

[Mike Wright]

Do you think it helps or hurts him? Is that what you're asking?

[Andy Holloway]

Oh, I think it helps him.

[Jason Moore]

It has to help him. From a. Just a locked and loaded guaranteed target share. I just wonder how high you'd rank him if you're sitting here. Is he 10? Would he take over Amari Cooper at 10 on these rankings?

[Andy Holloway]

I think he would. I think he'd be right at the 2, 3 turn. If you're, you know, the. Pretty much the only show in town for that offense and you've got a good report and a good track.

[Jason Moore]

Seth Roberts says, come on now.

[Andy Holloway]

Now, all that being said, Cordell Patterson says, dude, different look at me different alternate reality that does not exist.

[Jason Moore]

No, no. I just was curious what you would. What you would do.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, I mean, they finished back to back in the rankings last year and Cooper helped you or Crabtree did not hurt you as much as Cooper did. So.

[Mike Wright]

And to be fair, I have Crabtree at 10.

[Andy Holloway]

Whoa.

[Mike Wright]

I've already. He's been there for a while. For me. He's. He is ahead of Amari Cooper in my rankings.

[Andy Holloway]

Melt my face. I did not have that helmet on.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, your brain exploded.

[Andy Holloway]

My brain exploded.

[Mike Wright]

I apologize.

[Jason Moore]

Well, look, we're going to give you some quick reaction to some of the preseason matchups tonight. We'll do that on tomorrow's show. Is there something before I close out, Is there something you're looking for from the preseason games tonight? A player you're excited about over week one?

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, I'm excited to see Dalvin Cook because he's a player. What college you watched? It was. Dalvin Cook was full on eye test. And I know that the eye, the tape people and the metrics people, we. We can't seem to all get along, which.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, that's why Arian Foster wasn't drafted.

[Mike Wright]

I mean, like, we get along on this show, but Dalvin Cook bombed the combine but looked like an electric player. All reports are that he's going to be the one. He looks fantastic in practice. So he's the running back. I'm excited.

[Jason Moore]

I want to see the eye test on mixing compared to the other backs. I want to see Marshawn lynch, see if he looks spry. Those are a couple.

[Mike Wright]

Is lynch even going to play?

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, that's. I would doubt it, but maybe.

[Jason Moore]

I think he's going to see some.

[Andy Holloway]

Time, a series, some watching the other players play. The first one that came to mind for me, they're not. They're not playing on the Thursday night slate. And also, if you're not aware, there are a ton of games tonight, so make sure you're, you know, doing what you can to see football. But the one I'm looking forward to because I'm the most curious and confused about it would be the Tennessee wide receiver core who is out. You know, where is Rashad Matthews? Where is Eric Decker? Those two guys.

[Mike Wright]

Oh, where do they line up?

[Andy Holloway]

Not only where do they line up, but when do they line up, what sets are. I mean, I don't know that we'll get enough series with them all to see, but while Corey Davis is not there, you know, what formation are they. Are they in?

[Jason Moore]

Confirmed. Marchand is suiting up for tonight. I don't know how many snaps he'll get or any of that nature, but he is suiting up for tonight's game. Tomorrow we'll go through more of the running back, some of that preseason reaction. Yeah, we'll go with the wide receivers actually.

[Mike Wright]

And reminder, the tickets for Ballers Live, the Fantasy Footballers Live, they will go on sale tomorrow. [e-mail] we are doing a live show.

[Jason Moore]

The podcast is going live in Phoenix.

[Mike Wright]

In Phoenix on Labor Day. And those tickets will go on sale. I will remind you tomorrow. But get, get ready. Get in that digital line. Get your tickets because they're gonna be limited.

[Jason Moore]

Alright? Hey, check out playdraft.com ballers if you want to play best ball with us each and every week. We're starting leagues with the listeners. A lot of fun during the offseason. Playdraft.com Ballers see you later.

[Andy Holloway]

Goodbye. 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 FF Ballers.