Fantasy Football 2018 - Free Agent Frenzy!

Summary

Fantasy Footballers Podcast – Episode: "Fantasy Football 2018 - Free Agent Frenzy!"

Release Date: March 15, 2018

In this engaging and insightful episode of the Fantasy Footballers podcast, hosts Andy Holloway, Jason Moore, and Mike "The Fantasy Hitman" Wright navigate the tumultuous waters of the 2018 NFL free agency period. Titled "Free Agent Frenzy!", the episode delves into significant player signings, their implications for fantasy football managers, and strategic advice to optimize team rosters amidst the chaos of free agency.

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1. Introduction and Community Engagement

The episode begins with Andy Holloway promoting the Fantasy Footballers community at JoinTheFoot.com, highlighting its benefits for fantasy managers, including exclusive content and giveaways ([00:00]).

Notable Quote:

• Andy Holloway: “The ONE Fantasy Football Podcast you can't leave off your roster.” ([00:08])

2. Listener Interaction: Rooting for Fantasy over Real Teams

Early in the show, the hosts respond to a listener’s question about whether they ever root against their favorite NFL teams in favor of their fantasy teams. The discussion includes personal anecdotes and humorous takes on balancing real team loyalties with fantasy success ([02:08] – [05:58]).

Notable Quote:

• Andy Holloway: “Fantasy just makes the NFL a thousand times better.” ([05:58])

3. Major Free Agency Signings and Fantasy Implications

a. Kirk Cousins to Minnesota Vikings

Mike Wright expresses excitement over Kirk Cousins signing a three-year, $84 million deal with the Vikings, emphasizing his potential as a top-six quarterback and the stability he brings to the team’s offense ([06:47]).

Notable Quote:

• Mike Wright: “He is the missing piece on a very talented, loaded Minnesota Vikings team.” ([07:31])

Jason Moore counters by suggesting that Cousins might be overhyped due to the Vikings' inconsistent passing attempts, potentially affecting his fantasy output ([07:58]).

b. Sammy Watkins to Kansas City Chiefs

Sammy Watkins’ three-year, $48 million deal with the Chiefs is discussed, focusing on his role alongside Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce. The hosts debate whether Watkins can secure enough targets to be a top-tier fantasy wide receiver.

Notable Quote:

• Jason Moore: “He'll need more than 100 targets for a top 15 or top 20 year.” ([12:00])

c. Alan Robinson to Chicago Bears

Alan Robinson signs a three-year, $42 million contract with the Bears. The discussion highlights concerns about quarterback Mitchell Trubisky’s performance and its impact on Robinson's fantasy value.

Notable Quote:

• Jason Moore: “I'm not convinced that he's a good enough quarterback to succeed in the NFL.” ([17:08])

d. Carlos Hyde to Cleveland Browns

Carlos Hyde’s three-year, $15 million deal with the Browns raises red flags. The hosts express skepticism about Hyde’s potential in an underperforming team environment, questioning his fantasy relevance.

Notable Quote:

• Andy Holloway: “Carlos Hyde went to the worst freaking place that he could possibly go.” ([23:08])

e. Jerick McKinnon to San Francisco 49ers

Jerick McKinnon moves to the 49ers on a four-year, $30 million contract. The hosts assess his role as a versatile running back and his potential to thrive in Kyle Shanahan’s offense.

Notable Quote:

• Jason Moore: “He’s still getting better as an actual football player. He’s got the tools.” ([33:02])

f. Jimmy Graham to Green Bay Packers

Jimmy Graham secures a three-year, $30 million deal with the Packers. The conversation centers on his declining performance and whether he can regain his form in Green Bay’s efficient offense.

Notable Quote:

• Jason Moore: “He can have his scoring opportunities... difficult to see a lead guy to hyper target here.” ([36:21])

g. Chandler Catanzaro to Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Chandler Catanzaro, a kicker, signs with the Buccaneers, addressing Tampa Bay’s previous issues with kickers. The hosts are optimistic about his potential impact.

Notable Quote:

• Andy Holloway: “He’s got to be a kicker of the week for you next year.” ([38:08])

h. Case Keenum to Denver Broncos

Case Keenum’s two-year, $36 million deal with the Broncos is explored, highlighting his accuracy and the offensive weapons he’ll be paired with, making him a viable streaming option for fantasy managers.

Notable Quote:

• Jason Moore: “He is a good quarterback. When you put him with good weapons, he can succeed.” ([39:03])

4. Additional Signings and Fantasy Considerations

a. Ryan Grant to Washington Redskins

Ryan Grant’s four-year, $29 million contract with the Redskins is scrutinized for its value, given his limited career receptions. The hosts debate whether this is a worthwhile investment for fantasy managers.

Notable Quote:

• Jason Moore: “Ryan Grant is coming into his fifth year. He’s got a career total of 84 receptions.” ([52:00])

b. Other Notable Moves

The episode also touches on various other signings, including:

• Dante Moncrief to Jacksonville Jaguars: A one-year, $9.6 million deal discussed for his potential role in the Jaguars' offense.
• Paul Richardson to Washington Redskins: A five-year, $40 million contract reviewed with skepticism about his fantasy upside.

Notable Quote:

• Jason Moore: “Dante Moncrief is the type of guy that I would love right now in best ball leagues.” ([50:36])

5. Fantasy Strategies and Trade Recommendations

The hosts offer strategic advice on navigating free agency and potential trades:

• Prioritizing Elite Quarterbacks: Emphasizing the importance of securing top-tier quarterbacks like Patrick Mahomes and Kirk Cousins.
• Trade Proposals: Andy suggests trading Cam Newton packages for Pat Mahomes, highlighting Mahomes' superior fantasy potential.

Notable Quote:

• Andy Holloway: “I would trade Newton for Mahomes and something.” ([15:34])

6. Discussion on Unsigned Players

The hosts briefly mention several high-profile players still unsigned, such as AJ McCarron, DeMarco Murray, Doug Martin, Frank Gore, Jordy Nelson, and others, advising fantasy managers to keep an eye on these players as teams finalize their rosters ([57:33]).

7. Closing Remarks and Final Thoughts

The episode concludes with thanks to sponsors, reminders to join the community, and a light-hearted discussion about player performances and future expectations.

Notable Closing Quote:

• Andy Holloway: “Play some [e-mail] ballers. It’s fun.” ([59:47])

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Conclusion

"Free Agent Frenzy!" serves as a comprehensive guide for fantasy football managers navigating the 2018 free agency landscape. The Fantasy Footballers provide expert analysis, balanced opinions, and actionable advice, ensuring listeners are well-equipped to make informed decisions and capitalize on the evolving dynamics of the NFL offseason. Whether it’s evaluating the merits of a high-profile quarterback signing or debating the value of diverse wide receiver contracts, this episode is a treasure trove of insights for fantasy enthusiasts aiming to gain the competitive edge in their leagues.

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Connect with the Fantasy Footballers:

• Website: jointhefoot.com
• Twitter: @theffballers
• Spotify: Available on all major streaming platforms

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This summary captures the essence of the "Free Agent Frenzy!" episode, highlighting key discussions, notable quotes, and strategic insights to aid fantasy football managers in optimizing their team rosters amid the free agency turmoil.

Transcript

[Andy Holloway]

Hey, Foot Clan, we have a great show prepared for you. All the free agent madness. Before we get into that, I want to remind you about JoinTheFoot.com our fantasy football community ever growing and the only place that you can find Foot Clan. Only leagues, dynasty leagues, local leagues, online leagues. Find good people to play with. And guess what? You also get weekly exclusive episodes, premium projections, flex rankings, priority questions, monthly giveaways. The list goes on. Just for supporting this [e-mail] welcome to.

[Jason Moore]

The Fantasy Footballers podcast coming to you from Draft.com Studios with your hosts Andy Holloway, Jason Moore and Mike Wright.

[Andy Holloway]

Welcome in Thursday, March 15th. Boy, what a day. What a day.

[Jason Moore]

I have to hold on to my mic. Stand here.

[Andy Holloway]

Shout out to my sister, happy birthday. Oh, happy birthday.

[Mike Wright]

Happy birthday.

[Jason Moore]

Shout out to my twins, happy birthday.

[Andy Holloway]

Oh, well, shout out to everyone else.

[Mike Wright]

Whose birthday it is.

[Jason Moore]

It's your birthday. Congratulations.

[Andy Holloway]

I don't know how long this show is going to be. That's really up to the NFL, its players and everything that's going on in free agency. This is the free agent frenzy episode. By this time, players will begin signing the deals they've agreed to. And we're going to go through all the major agreements, all the players switching teams, the fantasy implications. Whoo.

[Mike Wright]

Yes. Because technically, as of the time of this recording, it is still the tamper period. But as you're listening to this, the restrictions are probably lifted and people are signing.

[Jason Moore]

Are you sure about that, Mike?

[Mike Wright]

Am I?

[Jason Moore]

I think you're thinking 4:00 Eastern.

[Mike Wright]

Whatever, man.

[Andy Holloway]

You don't know when they're listening, bro.

[Jason Moore]

That's true.

[Andy Holloway]

Stop presuming listening. Next year it could be listening three days from now.

[Jason Moore]

Understand right now it's open.

[Andy Holloway]

How do you know what now is?

[Jason Moore]

Mm.

[Mike Wright]

When will then be now? Soon.

[Andy Holloway]

Soon. All right, we will jump right into it. We have so much to talk about. I'm excited. I even saw some news on Twitter that it rumored that we had traded Jason.

[Mike Wright]

Oh, we traded him.

[Andy Holloway]

What did we get in return, Mike?

[Mike Wright]

Well, we were alleged to have trade him in a second round pick to the around the NFL podcast for. Let's see, there was a raising cane.

[Andy Holloway]

There was definitely a box combo.

[Mike Wright]

No, it was.

[Jason Moore]

That was my issue with the deal.

[Andy Holloway]

It was a three finger combo.

[Jason Moore]

Three fingers. I feel like you could have got.

[Andy Holloway]

More in a dynasty league.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah.

[Andy Holloway]

Wow.

[Jason Moore]

That's what I said.

[Mike Wright]

We should have held out for the box. But Jason, you got to take what you can get.

[Andy Holloway]

You never know when he's gonna hear you there.

[Jason Moore]

You never Know when this guy, he's gonna.

[Andy Holloway]

Eddie Lacey you right out of the league. All right, quick question of the day. By the way, you can find us on twitter@the ff ballers, the fantasy footballers.com is the website I mentioned jointhefoot.com earlier. We're also on itunes. Always appreciate the reviews. You can subscribe on YouTube. We're here all off season long and all regular season and all. All the seasons of the year in nature. We're here. All right, quick question of the day comes in off of Twitter. Do you ever root against your favorite team in favor of your fantasy team? This one comes from Scott Brooks on Twitter.

[Jason Moore]

I feel like this is a really easy, short. Quick question. If my real team. If my. If you know, for. We're in Arizona. I'm an Arizona Cardinals fan.

[Mike Wright]

Speak for yourself.

[Andy Holloway]

Yes, I know you have.

[Jason Moore]

I have jumped off the Titanic before the iceberg.

[Mike Wright]

I have enacted my birthright to be a Minnesota Vikings fan. So henceforth, you've declared your birthright. Yeah.

[Andy Holloway]

You were born in.

[Mike Wright]

I was. My family is all Minnesotans.

[Andy Holloway]

So you're going back.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah.

[Mike Wright]

I mean, so you guys are just.

[Jason Moore]

Congratulations. Your team stinks on the move, but yes. Oh, my God, our team. So the reality is if you're a Super bowl contending NFL team, like my team, sure, yes. Then that's going to be tough. But when you're. When the NFL team stinks, I'm always rooting for my fantasy team more.

[Andy Holloway]

My answer was going to be depends at what's at stake. Right. Like if it's a big game for my fantasy team versus a big game for my real team. The reality I realized this. I actually just create a world in my head where all things work out.

[Mike Wright]

Yep.

[Andy Holloway]

I create the world where, yeah, the Cardinals win, but it's 56 to 48. And my opponent, or I mean my players that are on the opponent of my home team, they score a ton, but we just sneak out a win.

[Jason Moore]

Oh, certainly.

[Andy Holloway]

That's the world I'm living.

[Mike Wright]

I had a moment where I was live in person. We're talking week 16. I was cheering for my former favorite team, the Arizona Cardinals.

[Andy Holloway]

Oh, my God.

[Mike Wright]

I was at the game home versus the Seahawks. This was a situation of. I think it was play for the number one seed or played again in the playoffs. Either way of huge things are on the line at this game. This was the Beast Quake 2.0.

[Andy Holloway]

You had Marshawn, I had Marshawn lynch.

[Mike Wright]

And I was facing against Andy Holloway in the championship. And that was the Best, worst run of my life. Because that, that run, that sealed it. The Cardinals were done, but it also sealed my victory as a fantasy.

[Andy Holloway]

Were you able to kind of like turn away and cheer silently to yourself? I mean, how does that work in public?

[Mike Wright]

If you also remember this game, this is where the game started. Marshawn lynch was not on the field. So I'm at this game going, okay, go kart. Where is Marshawn Lynch? What is happening?

[Andy Holloway]

Very good news for the Cardinals at that point. Very bad news for your fantasy team.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, so that was, that was a wild day for the.

[Andy Holloway]

People do ask that all the time. I always say fantasy just makes the NFL a thousand times better. I mean, your Monday Night Football game, between last place teams, it doesn't matter. As long as you got somebody, you got some skin in the game. All right, without further ado, we're bypassing all news and notes because the show is news and notes. So much has happened since our Browns, Browns, Browns special episode on Tuesday, which was from all. From what I understand, it's critically acclaimed.

[Mike Wright]

They were not done.

[Andy Holloway]

No, you're saying the Brown. The Browns.

[Mike Wright]

We'll get to that.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, we'll get to that.

[Jason Moore]

Free agent frenzy.

[Andy Holloway]

And a frenzy. It was unbelievable. Let's start at the top. Mike's.

[Mike Wright]

Oh, my new stored in quarterback.

[Andy Holloway]

Your new what?

[Mike Wright]

Sorting. I'm too excited because he's storting not only for my team, but for my dynasty team.

[Andy Holloway]

He's the Kirk Cousins. He stored it away for $84 million.

[Mike Wright]

It escalated very quickly for Kirk Cousins. We were running through the. The gamut of. Well, some teams are still in the running. Minnesota's gonna be the first visit.

[Jason Moore]

He's agreed. Yeah. Captain, it was literally the news came out that he was going to meet them for dinner later this evening. Go to the, Go to the facility tomorrow. Like, he's. I don't even know if he was there yet. It's like, yeah, it's done. It's done. They signed him.

[Andy Holloway]

Three years, 84 million.

[Jason Moore]

Electronic signature.

[Andy Holloway]

Three years, 84 million. All guaranteed. And so Kirk Cousins looks to be the missing piece on a very talented, loaded Minnesota Vikings team. I will weigh in with this about your new favorite team, Mike. Thank you. Last year, 13 and 3. Not going to happen again. I don't see it. You have Aaron Rodgers back. Packers will be tough this year. You have some very difficult road games. Still a very good team. They're not my favorite in the nfc. However, let's talk fantasy. How does it impact Diggs and Thielen bringing in captain Kirk.

[Mike Wright]

It's more of the same, really. I mean, Case Keenum played out of his mind last year that these guys were both sensational fantasy options. I think Kirk Cousins simply solidifies that. Kirk in my initial just gut reaction because we haven't started anybody out yet. I think he's a top six quarterback at worst or at the worst. And what digs and Thielen and the weapons here at Minnesota. Hopefully Kirk Cousins is more consistent for your fantasy team because while he finished six last year, it was pretty up and down. So that's what I think. I think the edges get smoothed out for Cousins as he is with a very, very high powered offense. Dalvin Cook, dynamic pass catching, running back. So I'm very excited for Kirk Cousins. I'm also very excited for Jason's take here as he tries to convince people yet again that Kirk Cousins, the only quarterback to finish in the top six the past two years, that he is going to be overhyped.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, and look, I still think that he will be overhyped. He has a great defense. You talk about smoothing out the edges, having a consistent, you know, play week in, week out. Well, the issue here is they might not need him to do much in a lot of these games. I mean, you look at the game log last year, the Minnesota Vikings, and just look at their passing attempts. How many opportunities to throw the ball are there? You know, you know, you've got games with 37 passing attempts. You got games. That's a lot. That is a lot. That's what I'm saying. But then you've got the games where, you know there's 21 passing attempts and you know, 23 and 25. And it's like for those games, I think you're going to be a little bit disappointed that Kirk is not on a team that needs to be a high powered offense. Even though he's got the capability, they're going to want to run the ball, play defense. And I think Kirk's going to be great for the Minnesota Vikings. I still think he'll be good for. I love Adam Thielen. I'm a little disappointed that I think come draft season everyone else will.

[Mike Wright]

He won't be cheap anymore.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, he won't be cheap anymore because of Kirk Cousins. And you know, look, they're going to be a good offense, but I still think it will be overhyped.

[Andy Holloway]

You guys know my feelings on Kyle Rudolph, his ceiling, what he represents in fantasy. I can hear people talking about the great Kirk Cousins and what he did with Jordan Reed and then extrapolating to Kyle Rudolph. What do you think you're going to get from Kyle Rudolph, who was a tight end too, in 2016?

[Mike Wright]

Jordan Reed was the focal point of the offense. He was the go to guy. And Thielen and Stefan Diggs will be the go to guys for the passing game. So Kyle Rudolph will catch some touchdowns here and there. But it's as long as Diggs maintains health, then Kyle Rudolph should not really be in your fantasy radar.

[Andy Holloway]

All right. Despite taking a few calls, Drew Brees has re signed with The Saints. A two year deal worth $50 million. He'll retire a saint, most likely, and come back with Sean Payton & Co. For another year.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, I mean, everybody saw this coming. There were some reports, oh, maybe he's going to sign with the Vikings. I think, Andy, you were one of the first people to break the early news that it looked like he was going to definitely sign back.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, that was terrifying, right?

[Jason Moore]

He's like, hope the source is right.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, I got, I got word that he was basically waiting a day to announce a two year deal because of the retirement of his longtime offensive tackle. And it turned out to be the case, fortunately. So he's back with New Orleans. Here's a big one, guys. Sammy Watkins.

[Mike Wright]

Shocker.

[Andy Holloway]

Not to the Bears, not to the 49ers, not back to the Rams. A shocker not to Dallas, but to the Chiefs. Three year, $48 million deal. Sammy Watkins is now a chief. He'll join Tyreek Hill, Travis Kelsey, Kareem Hunt and company with Pat Mahomes. And let's start, let's start here with what this means for this offense. And talk about what you really see the ceiling is for Watkins. Is there volume there? And what do you think about Pat Mahomes now?

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, this is great news for the offense and fantastic news for Pat Mahomes. I mean, you've got a big, strong, armed quarterback who can air it out to a guy like Sammy. It's a perfect, perfect matchup. I get why they made the signing for fantasy. However, it really does, you know, muddy the water. In order for Sammy Watkins to have a, let's say top, you know, 15, top 20 type of year. He's going to need more than 100 targets. Like that's just kind of statistically what people have to have. And I'm not sure that that comes.

[Mike Wright]

He had his big year his sophomore year with Buffalo. He only had 96 targets. He was 60 receptions, about 10, 50 yards, nine touchdowns.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah. So his Touchdown rate was fantastic.

[Mike Wright]

I mean, last year on 70 targets.

[Jason Moore]

Look, I love Sammy. I'm the resident Sammy believer. I really like him. But I don't think that he's going to be with Tyree Kill there. With, you know, Hunt involved in the passing game with Kelsey, I believe that he will end up being at best a wide receiver two. And he's going to be on that cusp for me in that wide receiver 2. 3.

[Andy Holloway]

Just for those wanting, kind of the landscape of the Chiefs passing game last year, obviously, new quarterback Kelsey led the way. Total receptions, he had 83 receptions. Tyreek had 75. Right. Big play guy, over 1100 yards. The next highest was Albert Wilson, who they just lost to Miami. Miami signed Albert Wilson. He was 42 receptions. I'm sorry. And Kareem was 53. So right above Albert Wilson. But the next wide receiver was 42. If you wanted to make the argument that there will be enough to go around, I think you can make that argument.

[Jason Moore]

Yes.

[Andy Holloway]

Especially with a guy like Andy Reid who gets preoccupied with a big arm and the passing game depending on, you know, they lost Marcus Peters, they lost some of their defensive pieces.

[Mike Wright]

The details.

[Andy Holloway]

Talked about having a quarterback on a team that needs to throw the ball and play from behind occasionally. You said their defense will struggle. Mike, I do like Pat Mahomes. Like if I'm in a dynasty league. You're not going to be. I don't think you're going to be able to get him cheaper.

[Jason Moore]

No, no.

[Andy Holloway]

So go get him. That's what I'm saying.

[Jason Moore]

You're saying pay up.

[Andy Holloway]

I'm saying, well, not pay up. I don't pay. Just go get that Mahomes.

[Mike Wright]

He's already going to be expensive in the. In the eyes of the person who drafted Pat Mahomes, knowing they would have to wait an entire year and then to have the off season go. It could not have been better.

[Andy Holloway]

Let me put it this way, for my home's owners, that's true, but we still haven't seen it. There's no fantasy evidence right in the evidence room to say that he's worthy of being great.

[Jason Moore]

Agreed.

[Andy Holloway]

That's the vein you go to trade him for. And that's when you go and trade a Cam Newton. You're telling me that you can't take Cam Newton and approach the Pat Mahomes owner and get more than Pat Mahomes for.

[Mike Wright]

You would trade Newton in a package?

[Andy Holloway]

I would trade Newton for Mahomes and something. That's the trade I'm looking for.

[Jason Moore]

I Would do that in a heartbeat in a dynasty league because of my.

[Andy Holloway]

Confidence in Mahomes performance.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah. And usually you have, you know, more than one quarterback. Cam is not going to be your only quarterback there. So if you've got, you know, Cam and even like a Blake Bortle, Alex Smith.

[Andy Holloway]

Alex Smith and Pat Mahomes.

[Jason Moore]

I would rather go after Pat Mahomes.

[Mike Wright]

Was that. Would I rather have.

[Andy Holloway]

Who would you rather have?

[Mike Wright]

Oh, I'd much rather have Patrick Mahomes. I'm just shocked at the Cam Newton. So you'd rather have Cam Newton than Patrick Mahomes? Yes.

[Andy Holloway]

There you go. That's why me and you would be good trade partners. Offer you Cam, you can be patent something.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah.

[Andy Holloway]

All right. So I also think because of the weapons there, Kareem Hunt, the 53 receptions. Do you think he matches over? Under 50?

[Mike Wright]

Over.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah. I'll take the over. I think he had 53 last year. I'm gonna put him right. Right about the same.

[Andy Holloway]

Okay. All right. More big news. Alan Robinson. Welcome to Chicago. Three years, 42 million dollar deal. He joins a couple of other new signings.

[Mike Wright]

Taylor Gabriel, bears doing work.

[Andy Holloway]

Four years, $26 million deal. Field stretcher in Chicago. They needed wide receiver help. Trey Burton.

[Jason Moore]

Trey Boo Boo.

[Andy Holloway]

Trey Boo Boo has now fulfilled his nickname like now gone to the Bears. Now, those of you looking at a.

[Mike Wright]

Stranger, Jupiter has aligned with Mars.

[Andy Holloway]

His Trey Boo Boo nickname now is a fulfillment.

[Jason Moore]

Here's the thing about the signing.

[Andy Holloway]

If they use him four years, 32 million.

[Jason Moore]

If they use him as the move tight end the same exact way that Matt Nagy used Travis Kelsey. This is such a good place for Trey Burton to end up. The only issue here, you could also argue this is a great place for Allen Robinson to end up because he's going to have the ability to have the complete market share. This is not going to be a run, run, run first team the way that we've seen the Chicago Bears the last few years. But everything 100% of the value here comes down to a giant question mark that I am. I lean on the, on the negative side and that's Mitchell Trubisky.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah.

[Jason Moore]

I'm not convinced. And I know Andy, you like Mitch. I'm not convinced that, well, nobody beats him. I am not convinced that he's a good enough quarterback to succeed in the NFL.

[Andy Holloway]

I'm not convinced anybody can be convinced of anything about Mitch.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah.

[Andy Holloway]

So I don't think that there's enough. I'm not, I'm not willing to go out Onto the. I'm not willing to go out onto the plank, you know, walk the plank with Mitch. I'm also not willing to say that I. I mean, there were games last year where. What, they. They won a game where he had six completions? I mean, yeah.

[Mike Wright]

The problem was John Fox didn't seem like he had any faith in Mitch Trubisky.

[Andy Holloway]

John Fox was like a mold growing on every player of that offense and just weighed them down. And look, I understand why. I've already started seeing people tweet about this year's Rams. Here they come. Mitch Trubisky is the golf, and Alan Robinson is now. You know, it's like Sammy or Woods coming in. And you've tried Cohen out of the backfield with Jordan Howard and now Burton, one of the most athletic tight ends. How are they going to use him? I get all that now. We'll know. At least now we'll know with Mitch Trubisky. So do I think he's a fantasy option out of the gate? Probably not, but this is a good. This is going to be an okay team.

[Mike Wright]

He could be. And if the Chicago offense fails, spending this much money and loading up on such a wealth of offensive weapons, it's Mr. Bisky's fault. If the. If the Chicago offense fails this year.

[Andy Holloway]

Trey Burton, where do you put him in the initial ranks? Is he a tight end? One potential guy, yes.

[Jason Moore]

Potential, sure. But he will not be in my top 12.

[Andy Holloway]

That's a better question. Will he be in your top 12?

[Jason Moore]

He will not be in my top 12, no.

[Mike Wright]

I'm trying to pull up some names here real quick because that's the. I want to put some names to this, so. Okay, man. Okay. I just want to run these back real quick for people to remember.

[Andy Holloway]

He'll be in my top 12 for sure, by the way.

[Mike Wright]

Yes, he'll be in my top 12. Because I'm looking back. Number 12 last year, Eric Ebron, 11 was Ben Watson, 10, Jason Whitten, 9. Cameron Brait.

[Andy Holloway]

I'd take him over all those so far.

[Mike Wright]

Jack Doyle was 8.

[Andy Holloway]

I would take him over Doyle.

[Mike Wright]

I would take Jack Doyle.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah. I'm going to take Jack Doyle and Andrew Luck. Yeah. 100 times over.

[Mike Wright]

Kyle Rudolph was seven.

[Jason Moore]

Right.

[Mike Wright]

And I would take him over Kyle Rudolph at this point.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah.

[Jason Moore]

But the other guys, you two stand together holding hands.

[Andy Holloway]

Were you looking for a standalone thing then you realized you were the one that was alone?

[Jason Moore]

No, no, no. I'm are on an island together, and I'm with all the people there's no way that. Who are you with?

[Andy Holloway]

Ben Watson somewhere? No. Did you go with Ben Watson down the road?

[Jason Moore]

No, I'm speaking specifically of Kyle Rudolph. I think that Kyle Rudolph is. I mean, I'll put a water bet on it. Now, Kyle Rudolph has a better season than Trey burton.

[Mike Wright]

What?

[Jason Moore]

Waterbed, Mr. That's fine.

[Andy Holloway]

All I have to do is, like, look at every season of Kyle Rudolph's career except for his one outlier year.

[Jason Moore]

Sure. All right, well, we'll get to more.

[Andy Holloway]

Oh, now you want to go, Mike, are you in on this?

[Mike Wright]

Sure.

[Andy Holloway]

All right, Brooks. Kyle Rudolph.

[Mike Wright]

I don't feel real.

[Andy Holloway]

Or Trey Boo Boo.

[Mike Wright]

Oh, yeah, there's head to head. Yeah, let's go.

[Jason Moore]

Trey Burton. Hey, Boo Boo.

[Andy Holloway]

Brooks, who do you want?

[Mike Wright]

Oh, Kyle Rudolph.

[Jason Moore]

Oh, sweet. All right, so, hey, before we get to the next topic, the next player here want to thank Spotify. Hey, make sure that all the sports fans out there know that you can stream this podcast on Spotify right now. It's easy. Open the app on your mobile device or desktop, click the browse channel, and then on the podcast section, you can also stream on your smart speaker. So now it is that much easier for you to stay up to date on all the latest and greatest in all things sports, thanks to Spotify.

[Mike Wright]

And we want to thank fantasy Champs. Ladies and gentlemen, if you have not headed over to fantasychamps.com to check out the incredible fantasy football hardware over there.

[Andy Holloway]

You'Ll be standing alone soon. Everyone's going over there.

[Mike Wright]

Shame on you. Upgrade that league. Get the perennial trophy.

[Andy Holloway]

Get.

[Mike Wright]

Celebrate last year's hashtag Foot Clan championship with a ring and a customized case.

[Jason Moore]

The.

[Mike Wright]

The. It's beautiful. This ring case, the display, everything about it is top notch.

[Jason Moore]

It's a.

[Mike Wright]

It's a.

[Jason Moore]

If you go in our office. Let me just see a bunch of.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, I was gonna say every time Jason brings up some insult for me in our Dynasty league, some player I have, I just point at the ring.

[Mike Wright]

The ring is.

[Andy Holloway]

And what do you say after that, Jason?

[Jason Moore]

No, we were. We were talking. You do nothing literally right before the show, and I was giving him grief for his team. And then that was what happened. And you can't. You just can't argue with.

[Mike Wright]

No, you can't argue with. With the chief.

[Andy Holloway]

I need to start wearing it at this point.

[Mike Wright]

Get ready for your draft with a customized fantasy football jersey. Your name, your team name, your number, head over to fantasychamps.com, use the promo code ballers and you're going to save.

[Andy Holloway]

10% all right, let's pour one out for the Derek Henry dreamers.

[Mike Wright]

I disagree.

[Jason Moore]

Well, I will come of the full work order.

[Andy Holloway]

When you're standing alone while you pour.

[Mike Wright]

It out, I'm a slide under like a. Like a snake. And I'm just going to catch that liquid in my mouth and drink it. Sustainable.

[Andy Holloway]

That's frightening, whatever that you just said. Let me put it this way, Mike. Could anything worse have happened? What worse could have happened to Derek Henry? DeMarco's cut. Derek looks like he's getting everything. Instead, they spend the most money of anybody in free agency on a running back. Up there with Jerk McKinnon.

[Jason Moore]

Which we'll get to on a great running.

[Andy Holloway]

On a great running back who by the way was one of the only players more elusive than Derek Henry last year.

[Jason Moore]

Also is a phenomenal.

[Andy Holloway]

Oh, we should say who it is. Deion Lewis.

[Jason Moore]

Yes.

[Mike Wright]

Yes.

[Andy Holloway]

Going to Tennessee.

[Jason Moore]

Phenomenal pass catcher.

[Andy Holloway]

Phenomenal. Phenomenal.

[Jason Moore]

He's all of those incredi nominal.

[Andy Holloway]

Oh, yes.

[Jason Moore]

Pass catcher. Something that is, you know, thought to be Derek Henry's.

[Mike Wright]

And I don't argue that. I actually, what I think is nice about this is it's actually possible now that there's a lot of people out there who you're ready for Derek Henry. Now you go, oh crap. Dion Lewis is there and he actually falls in ADP to a much more manageable position. Dion Lewis has 329 carries in his entire career.

[Jason Moore]

Fresh legs.

[Mike Wright]

Derek Henry will be the first and second down back. They're going to split.

[Jason Moore]

Yes.

[Mike Wright]

And I'm just saying I don't think that Dion Lewis is the tolling the bell for the death of Derek Henry's fantasy.

[Andy Holloway]

No, but he's installing the ceiling. Deion Lewis showed up and he's climbing the ladder. And it's gotta be a really tall ladder for him.

[Jason Moore]

Even though it's a short ceiling.

[Andy Holloway]

It's a short ceiling. Tall ladder.

[Jason Moore]

We're hoping for those 12 foot ceilings. And it's like, oh, these are nine feet.

[Andy Holloway]

These are just regular ceilings. I mean, lost in the hopefulness. You said it. You said they're going to split.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, It'll be a 50. 50 split.

[Mike Wright]

I never thought he was going to be the only guy in town.

[Andy Holloway]

See, this is. You would have liked somebody else than Dion Lewis. No doubt. If you're the. If you're the Derek Henry owner, you're probably hoping for Danny Woodhead. Yeah. Or a draft pick.

[Mike Wright]

Sure.

[Andy Holloway]

They were even talking about Derek Henry catching passes. For a brief moment. They're like they didn't.

[Jason Moore]

The amount of money, you know, we say all the time, Mike, you say all the time. You have to follow the money. That's where you can see what the team believes, regardless of what we believe. And they gave him four years, 23 million. That is a ton of money at the running back position.

[Mike Wright]

It's about average for what the new contracts are. I don't. It's not a ton of money.

[Jason Moore]

They're not paying him to come in and be a backup to Henry.

[Mike Wright]

No, no, no. Yeah.

[Andy Holloway]

Well, when we talked about Derek Henry when we brought him up, I think we asked the question, is he inside your top 12? I. I believe, Mike, you had him at the very back of the top 12.

[Mike Wright]

And he will. He's likely to remove me. No.

[Andy Holloway]

Interesting.

[Mike Wright]

I had already in. Well, I was thinking about what. What is Derek Henry?

[Andy Holloway]

Okay, He's.

[Mike Wright]

I mean he's the main. He is still the main back to me. I can see he's the goal line back. I just, I still have the. I still have faith that Derek Henry.

[Andy Holloway]

Well, if I can't get you down by talking about Dion Luke. Well, first let's, let's talk about Dan Lewis. What is he? What does he represent? Half point per reception league. Do you like Dion Lewis more this year than last year?

[Jason Moore]

No. No, I don't think.

[Mike Wright]

Well, coming into the season. Yes. Because coming into last year, Dion Lewis was a huge question mark even to the Patriots who brought in Rex Burkitt and Mike Gillisley because they had no faith that Dion Lewis was going to be able to stay healthy.

[Jason Moore]

Right. But we say. No, we don't. We don't believe that Dion Lewis is going to have better fantasy production with the Tennessee Titans than what he was doing once he was the starter.

[Mike Wright]

Correct.

[Jason Moore]

For the Patriots.

[Andy Holloway]

Dion Lewis or Tariq Cohen this year.

[Jason Moore]

Oh, that's a good one. I would go Deion Lewis for just because kind of like the follow the money thing. I know he's going to get the volume. I know he's going to get the touches.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah. Eileen Lewis is one.

[Jason Moore]

But the upside man of Tyreek is very.

[Andy Holloway]

Or Lamar Miller right now.

[Mike Wright]

Right now. It would still be begrudgingly Lamar Miller.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah.

[Andy Holloway]

All right. Well, if I can't get you down on Derek Henry, I sure I'm surely going to get you down with Carlos Hyde. Carlos Hyde signs a 3 year 15 million dollar deal with his hometown Ohio Browns. The old Ohio Browns. Look, Cleveland, lots happening. We just talked about it on the Tuesday show with Landry and others Now Joe Thomas retires as a what a gift to Carlos Hyde. On the way out the door, like.

[Mike Wright]

Take a look at my T shirt.

[Andy Holloway]

Your turn.

[Mike Wright]

Look at my T shirt.

[Andy Holloway]

It's black. You're mourning.

[Mike Wright]

I wore this T shirt on purpose because I woke up to the news that my dynasty running back Carlos Hyde went to the worst freaking place that he could possibly go.

[Andy Holloway]

You mean the place with Duke Johnson and the place that will still draft a running back.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah.

[Mike Wright]

We in this morning, Jason and I are talking. We're about to play some. Some savage pickleball.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah.

[Mike Wright]

And I'm saying, like, it's still not out of the realm of possibilities. Possibilities to me that the Cleveland Browns at 4. If somehow Barkley falls to 4, the Browns go, oh, let's get sick on Barkley.

[Jason Moore]

And Jason said, there's no way.

[Mike Wright]

There is no way.

[Jason Moore]

I still say there's absolutely no way.

[Mike Wright]

And yet maybe this is draft smokescreen. Just saying that. There are beat reporters saying the Browns are still not ruling that out.

[Jason Moore]

Liars. Yeah, you're correct.

[Mike Wright]

They are saying that I lean the.

[Andy Holloway]

Liars way because of all the extension talk with Duke Johnson.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah. However, I take this as like this sign.

[Andy Holloway]

They're drafting somebody. They have enough picks. They're going to draft a running back.

[Jason Moore]

The Carlos Hyde signing to the Browns, to me, has upped the value of the 101. Like it says, Saquon is not going to the Browns.

[Mike Wright]

So in rookie drafts, you're saying.

[Jason Moore]

Yes, in rookie drafts.

[Andy Holloway]

Problem is, is we're going to talk about, you know, but here's other destinations.

[Mike Wright]

Here's what I'll say for Carlos Hyde. It's. This is all in Hugh Jackson, because last year they came into the season, they had a solid good, whatever. Good to solid offensive line. Yes, they have lost. Joe Thomas has a huge hit, but he came in saying, well, we got to get Isaiah Crowell the ball. We got to run the ball. There's weapons there to make sure that you can't just put nine people in the box every single time.

[Andy Holloway]

You can't eat cake when they're serving porridge.

[Mike Wright]

Exactly.

[Andy Holloway]

That's the thing.

[Mike Wright]

Exactly. Carlos Hyde has succeeded on a bad team, on bad teams, multiple bad teams before. So it's not the end, but it is. It stinks really bad when all there's. There's all these locations out there where if Carlos Hyde went. There you go. Carlos Hyde's locked as a running back.

[Andy Holloway]

One like New York or Indianapolis, Washington or Washington Bay.

[Mike Wright]

I mean, but here as the Cleveland Brown, he's probably a low end too.

[Jason Moore]

He could possibly end up as running back 1. The only way that that would happen is due to a very high touchdown number.

[Mike Wright]

Yes.

[Jason Moore]

And you just assume because it's the Browns that's not probable that he ends up with a very high touchdown number. So yeah, it is unfortunate news.

[Andy Holloway]

43 games without scoring 30 points. Owen 16 last year.

[Jason Moore]

But do you want to know who. It's unbelievably great news.

[Mike Wright]

59 receptions last year. That's gone.

[Andy Holloway]

Yep.

[Mike Wright]

It's Back to the 20s for Carlos Hyde.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah.

[Andy Holloway]

Which is a problem.

[Jason Moore]

He's going to. They'll throw him the ball and he'll just tap it over to Duke Johnson.

[Andy Holloway]

Over under 59 receptions for our next free agent signing over Jerick McKinnon over four years, $30 million to the that's who it's up and coming San Francisco 49ers. The question is now we asked it, can he be a workhorse back? He said, at the end of the year, I want to be paid like a workhorse back. They listened and they did it.

[Mike Wright]

They paid him a lot.

[Andy Holloway]

And now Jerk McKinnon goes to a 49ers roster where there was no next in line behind Carlos Hyde. Matt Breida wasn't necessarily going to get that opportunity. Joe Williams missed the whole year. Breida will do Jason, you said it earlier, he'll do what he did last year. He'll spell their new workhorse running back Jerick McKinnon. If he's 60 receptions with the big playability that McKinnon has, the question becomes does he get the goal line work? Because that was what I want to be careful about our hype for McKinnon.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, that's fair.

[Andy Holloway]

Because last year he was working alongside.

[Mike Wright]

Latavius Murray and Murray was the predominant runner.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, I mean they really. They traded drives. I mean they traded drives. But when it came around the goal line, it wasn't McKinnon. So if around the goal line it's breida. What's. Is McKinnon better than last year still?

[Mike Wright]

I think so. I'm going to give you the size of a player, this running back who had back to back seasons scoring 11 rushing touchdowns for Kyle Shanahan was 58206.

[Jason Moore]

That sounds like Devonta Freeman.

[Mike Wright]

That's Devonta Freeman. That's almost the exact same size as Jerick McKinnon. So if you're worried about the size of McKinnon and Kyle Shanahan saying, well, you cannot be my featured running back, you're too small. Look, he did it with Devonta Freeman.

[Jason Moore]

You just talked about Carlos Hyde and the receptions he had this last year in San Francisco with Kyle Shanahan. That's not Carlos Hyde's strength. And they went out and got someone who. That is their strength. I mean, I, I have a really hard time with this because over the last several years I have been really against Jerick McKinnon, but I'm struggling to see how he's not. How in the world is he not a top 12?

[Mike Wright]

Can we run? Is the camera on? Andy? If you're not on the YouTube. If you're not checking out the YouTube. That's the face of a man who traded Jerick McKinnon in the off season.

[Andy Holloway]

It's just think that I didn't think he could land somewhere. Nor did I that would be this perfect.

[Jason Moore]

It is exceptionally perfect. Look, during the games at Garoppolo, those last five full games Garoppolo played, they were averaging 28.8 points per game. So if you want to talk about the touchdowns, he doesn't need them all. He's still going to have his scoring opportunities, his receptions and he'll get the lead in carries. I've always been an anti Jerick McKinnon guy because I felt like he was one of those many, many, many examples of a great spark score athletic freak who's not a good football player. But the thing is he's only 25 and he's still getting better as an actual football player. He's got the tools. Physically.

[Andy Holloway]

The knife twists deeper.

[Jason Moore]

I love it.

[Andy Holloway]

It sounded like you were eating something. Rex Burkhead.

[Mike Wright]

Hey, we're back.

[Andy Holloway]

Mike has had some things turn against him in dynasty leagues. But Rex Burkhead signs a three year deal. Dion Lewis is out of the picture and Rex Burkhead has a year in the system, which means everything in New England.

[Jason Moore]

The rumor on the contract, of course it has not been signed yet.

[Andy Holloway]

Bitcoin.

[Jason Moore]

Oh. The rumor on the contract is that it is quite heavy on the guaranteed money. Oh yes. All those Rex Goat headers out there.

[Mike Wright]

Yes, sir.

[Jason Moore]

Get, get excited.

[Andy Holloway]

Get Rex burkhead or Jerich McKinnon.

[Jason Moore]

Derek. Yeah, I'm not trusting somebody. That's.

[Mike Wright]

Someone asked me this and they gave me a creep trade cut with with McKinnon, Rex Burkhead and Carlos Hyde and I went. At this point I would keep McKinnon simply because of the sneaky Bill screwing you over at playing fantasy football. But as of right now, with it looking like James White and Rex Burkhead. Could. Could the Patriots add someone immediately?

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, it's.

[Mike Wright]

It's high in the realm of possibilities. But if we can. If we can hold on.

[Jason Moore]

But just for this, if we can.

[Mike Wright]

Hold on to it being James White and Rex Burkhead hold. And this is when.

[Andy Holloway]

When does Blunt sign there?

[Mike Wright]

No, no, what I was gonna say is of course this is when they decide that Mike Gilson will be back to the goal line running back.

[Andy Holloway]

Oh, no, don't. Don't get this wrong. It'll be DeMarco Murray. It'll be somebody that can catch the ball too, just to take the edge off of the Burkhead love. All right, man. Big things happening in Green Bay. Solidified the defense with Muhammad Wilkerson, but on the offensive side, Jimmy did a swaps. Graham signed for three years and they released Jordy Nelson. It didn't look like they were going to do it.

[Jason Moore]

Packers fans not happy.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, that's at least the ones we.

[Jason Moore]

Know and the ones I see on Twitter.

[Andy Holloway]

I still think Jimmy Graham, 10 touchdowns last year. Aaron Rodgers, that's enough. Yeah, He's a top 12 tight end. He's the top. He could be a lot better than that.

[Jason Moore]

Absolutely he is. We talk about how Jimmy Graham has really lost a step. We're not excited about Jimmy Graham as a between the 20s Type of player anymore. He's not the mismatch he once was. All of that is absolutely still true. But this is a great landing spot for him. You've got such an efficient touchdown thrower and Aaron Rodgers with just as an efficient, as efficient receiving option in the end zone and the mismatches it'll make there, it's going to be great for their offense once they get down around the goal line. And he will end up with eight plus touchdowns. Richard Rogers was a tight end one once and he's nothing compared to even this version of Jimmy Graham.

[Mike Wright]

Jimmy Graham.

[Jason Moore]

Oh, yeah. Breaking news.

[Andy Holloway]

Scary. Brooks, have you seen this yet?

[Jason Moore]

No.

[Andy Holloway]

Are you aware this is big time? Especially I mean for Jason. It's big time. Chandler Catanzaro has signed a free agent contract. Oh, please tell me the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Yes.

[Jason Moore]

Yes, yes. I was going to hope that it was the cfl, but it couldn't have been any better than the curse of the Tampa Bay kicker. Are you kidding me?

[Mike Wright]

That's going to be great.

[Jason Moore]

Tampa Bay kickers, ever since they have traded up to the second round in the second. They didn't trade up, trade, trade into the second round for a kicker who sucked and was off their team in two years and then everybody they bring in can't kick field goals. This is the perfect signing.

[Andy Holloway]

He's got to be a kicker of the week for you next year. A boom boom.

[Jason Moore]

The boom boom never happened.

[Andy Holloway]

All right, Case Keenum. Had we not broke this news already, did we talk about Case Keenum to the Broncos?

[Mike Wright]

Nope. No, I cannot recall.

[Andy Holloway]

Brooks says no and I trust him. All right. Case Keenum was the first shoe to drop at the in the quarterback roulette. That bunch of metaphors just thrown together there.

[Jason Moore]

Two years under the roulette.

[Andy Holloway]

That's there. There's a reason I called myself out first. That's what you got to learn to do. The Broncos, two years, $36 million deal. They've also exercised their four million dollar option bonus for Demarius Thomas.

[Mike Wright]

It's good. It was looking out of shape.

[Andy Holloway]

So is Case Keenum worth a look? See, in the old fantasy world, 100%.

[Jason Moore]

He is worth a look.

[Andy Holloway]

See, isn't there a world where he's the one hit wonder for a lot of people? I mean, three quarter of a season wonder?

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, there is that world for sure. I still, I mean, if you've been listening for a long time, you know that I believe that Case Keenum is a good quarterback. I'm not saying he's, you know, otherworldly, he's no Kirk Cousins, but he is a good quarterback. And when you put him with good weapons, he can succeed. I mean, we saw that last year with Minnesota. If he had Stefan Diggs and Adam Thielen and guys to throw the ball to, he can, he's very accurate. And when you've got, you know, Emmanuel Sanders and Demarius Thomas, it's going to be difficult. I think Trevor Simeon had plenty of good fantasy games with the beginning of the year at least. Yeah. With that group before injuries and other things happen. So I like Case Keenum. He's going to be a streamer quite often next year.

[Andy Holloway]

Do you change your opinion of Emmanuel Sanders now?

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, it's an arrow up for all the receiving options.

[Mike Wright]

Agree.

[Andy Holloway]

This was enough of an answer to the question of the quarterback in Denver. Like you're happy with.

[Mike Wright]

It is for me. It is for me that both Thomas's should be.

[Jason Moore]

I wouldn't be happy if I was a Broncos fan. This isn't like a guy that's going to take them to the super bowl or anything, but from a fantasy perspective. Yeah. Heck yeah.

[Andy Holloway]

Okay. All right, let's. Let's transition now.

[Mike Wright]

We got to talk about your Team now.

[Andy Holloway]

Okay. This is going to be get old quick.

[Mike Wright]

No, it's not going to be great.

[Andy Holloway]

You bandwagon her. You don't get, you don't get back on. When this next quarterback leads us to the promised land. Sam Bradford AKA Sammy Biscuits AKA now Sandy Biscuits.

[Jason Moore]

He's out in the desert. A lot of sand out here.

[Andy Holloway]

Thanks for explaining the joke.

[Mike Wright]

You're welcome Jason.

[Jason Moore]

Here for the people joke stood on its own.

[Andy Holloway]

It, it probably needed a little help. Sandy Biscuits one year deal for Sam Bradford. I rejoiced in the fact that Sam Bradford was in fact not Mike Glennon being signed by the Cardinals. And then moments later Mike Glennon. Yeah, that tweet did not age well. Moments later Mike Glennon was signed by the Cardinals to be the backup to Sam Bradford. Okay, Sam Bradford, 71% completion rating in 2015 started last year on fire, injured the rest of the year, always injured. Has had a couple of 16 game seasons, is still only 30 years old. But this is a prove it deal in Arizona and they are trying to catch the Kurt Warner Carson Palmer Lightning in a bottle.

[Jason Moore]

But will they it 100% comes down to his health. I mean he is a good quarterback and like you said, he's only 30 years old. This was the best hope that was left when they signed Sam Bradford. I think it was a quality signing for the Arizona Cardinals. It's great news I believe for Larry Fitzgerald. If you want to talk fantasy, he needs over 93 receptions to hit that number two and this is all time number two of all time. And this is the type of quarterback with his accuracy that's going to be able to be perfect for Larry Fitzgerald. So it's just a matter of how many games does he play. If he plays 14, 15, 16 games, this is absolutely great.

[Mike Wright]

If you want to be hyped for Sam Bradford as a Cardinal fan, go watch week one of the Vikings versus Saints. If you want to be on the opposite, go watch the game where he came back. I think it was against the Bears and it's health. Everything is health for Sam Bradford.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, I watched the highlights of that.

[Jason Moore]

And let's be realistic. Let's be realistic. His health is not good and I don't think he will place.

[Andy Holloway]

I don't think he'll better or worse than your grammar.

[Jason Moore]

I do not believe he plays nine games. So I think he's going to play eight or less games and the Arizona Cardinals will be a hot dumpster fire. This.

[Andy Holloway]

What does it mean for their 2018 draft? Do they still draft A quarterback.

[Jason Moore]

I think Mike Glennon says that they don't draft.

[Mike Wright]

Oh, don't say that.

[Jason Moore]

Look, I don't want it, but I don't believe that they draft a.

[Andy Holloway]

What Mike Glennon needs to say is I quit and then leave. Cardinals also released Tyron Matthew. They also signed Andre Smith, former offensive tackle for the Cincinnati Bengals, who traded for Cody for Glenn, whose first name I am forgetting.

[Mike Wright]

Cordy.

[Andy Holloway]

Cordy. Thank you.

[Mike Wright]

I wasn't sure where you were.

[Andy Holloway]

I was about to say Corley a couple of times. All right, let's go to New York.

[Jason Moore]

It's better there.

[Andy Holloway]

Is it?

[Mike Wright]

Is it?

[Jason Moore]

I thought we were going.

[Andy Holloway]

It's not.

[Jason Moore]

Well, no, I thought we were going to the New York Giants.

[Andy Holloway]

I don't know if it's better there either.

[Jason Moore]

Nate.

[Andy Holloway]

Soldiers. Let's go to New York twice. Let's start with the Jets. Josh McCown, one year deal. Teddy Bridgewater, one year deal. Isaiah Cruell, three year deal to take over that first and second down roll. Blau Powell still there.

[Jason Moore]

I actually think this is good news for Isaiah Crowell. You know, he was two years ago he was good with the Browns. Last year he was poor with the Browns, but he's still young, he's still capable enough. And this is a team that wants to run the ball. I mean, that's their desire. Todd Bowles is a defensive minded coach. That's kind of how they've been set up. Matt Forte two years ago was. Was pretty serviceable for fantasy and last year had health issues and he's going to come in and take over that role. I think this is a better situation. Crowell is in a better situation this year than he was last year. That's my belief. And because of his previous season's stinkiness, I think Crowell will be cheap this year.

[Andy Holloway]

I actually don't agree. I think he's as. I think he's in just as bad of a situation. I don't think there's a lot of touchdowns to be had there and I think he's going to stink.

[Mike Wright]

The good news for fantasy football players is like Crowell, the running back doesn't necessarily have to be that good to still give you some fantasy value.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, it's opportunity.

[Andy Holloway]

What a sentence that Isaiah Crowell can take. Take to heart.

[Mike Wright]

Oh, he could take it to the bank. I mean, he doesn't care what I have to say.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah. I mean, the reality is Crowell last year was terrible. He was the RB30 in standard scoring, which is not good enough. I mean, you got some games out of him where you could get a start, but it's not good. But the reason why Crowell was especially bad was because you were drafting him in the second, third round.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, that's true.

[Jason Moore]

And if you got CROWELL in the eighth, ninth round, you'd be like, okay, the RB30 in the eighth, ninth round, that's fine.

[Andy Holloway]

So do you like Isaiah Crowell more than the new running back of the other New York franchise, Jonathan Stewart?

[Jason Moore]

Yup.

[Andy Holloway]

Stewart will run behind Nate Solder who has signed a four year deal. Jonathan Stewart signed a two year, 6.9 million dollar deal.

[Mike Wright]

Why?

[Andy Holloway]

Why is such a good question.

[Jason Moore]

I just really want to congratulate Jonathan Stewart and his agent.

[Mike Wright]

You did it.

[Andy Holloway]

You did it.

[Jason Moore]

That's impressive.

[Andy Holloway]

You know, somebody unbelievable. He's a good guy.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah.

[Andy Holloway]

Nice fellow.

[Mike Wright]

Says nothing to do with that.

[Andy Holloway]

Jonathan Stewart, what is he next year? People want to know.

[Jason Moore]

He's.

[Andy Holloway]

Where are you drafting him?

[Mike Wright]

Not.

[Andy Holloway]

You're not drafting him.

[Mike Wright]

He's going to be worth a pick. And right around work for Carlos Hyde.

[Andy Holloway]

Well above John.

[Mike Wright]

Give me Hyde for sure.

[Jason Moore]

See, I still believe that this is a team that could go out and draft a high profile rookie running back.

[Andy Holloway]

Like Safon Barkley at number two.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, they could, guys.

[Mike Wright]

They might.

[Andy Holloway]

Okay, where do we want to go now? Let's go to, to Jacksonville. They signed Andrew Norwell out of the clutches of the New York Giants offensive guard. This is good news for. Well, this is good news for Blake Bortles. Is good news for Fournette.

[Mike Wright]

It's especially good for Fournette.

[Andy Holloway]

This was the number one overall pass blocking guard according to Pro Football Focus.

[Mike Wright]

Wow. He was number one.

[Andy Holloway]

Number one pass blocker, ended up number three overall. When you combine run and pass blocking, it's a great signing. The Jags, they have a losing wide receiver core. They let Alan Robinson go. We talked about Robinson to Chicago. They signed Marcus lee to a four year, $38 million deal. They signed Dante Moncrief to a one year, $9.6 million deal.

[Jason Moore]

We got breaking news. Oh, yeah. Hit it.

[Mike Wright]

Hit it.

[Jason Moore]

Maybe. Breaking news. Sorry. I just found out that the Vikings have traded for quarterback Trevor Simeon.

[Mike Wright]

Oh, there you go. Okay. What, they give him a seventh round pick?

[Jason Moore]

Don't know yet.

[Mike Wright]

I bet it was a seventh round pick.

[Andy Holloway]

It was a case of Snickers bars. Full case. Full case.

[Mike Wright]

But they're not going to transport them in a refrigerated truck.

[Andy Holloway]

No.

[Jason Moore]

If they show up melted, that's on you.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah. Good trade though.

[Jason Moore]

Insure your package.

[Andy Holloway]

Good Trade for Denver.

[Mike Wright]

If it was a seventh round pick, that's a great trade for the Denver Broncos.

[Andy Holloway]

All right, so back to Jacksonville. Dante Moncrief got paid a good amount of money to come in and play one year in Jacksonville.

[Mike Wright]

Yes.

[Andy Holloway]

I think there's been a lot of head scratching that, you know, you look at what you have in Deedee Westbrook and what you have in Keelan Cole and what you saw from him last year. Marquis Lee and company. Part of me says, why didn't you want the premier athlete of Alan Robinson? This is purely from a distance. Right. Vs Elite and Moncrief when you already have depth at the position. So what can these guys be? I mean, I'm not. I don't even know who to draft. I mean, it's, it's Marquis Lee and company. But is Dede going to be better than Marquis Lee in this offense?

[Mike Wright]

Eileen? No.

[Andy Holloway]

Okay, Marquis, but What is Leah?

[Mike Wright]

3, 2, 3 fringe. Marquis Lee's a good wide receiver. He was drafted. This is a long time ago, so I kind of hate to go back to it, but he was drafted in front of Alan Robinson. He just has been very injury plagued his entire career. So it's, it's, it's actually kind of interesting that they decided to say, okay, well, this guy had a one major injury in Alan Robinson. So we'll go with the guy who we've had who's been hurt the entire time we've had him in Mark Eastley, the Moncrief signing is the bigger head scratcher. I'm a Dante Moncrief truther, but even I said this is weird. Why bring him in for almost $10 million?

[Jason Moore]

Well, that's a good point. First of all, is that they're paying up for him. This isn't a freebie contract where they're just adding depth. I believe that they will end up parting ways from Alan Hearns.

[Mike Wright]

Agreed.

[Jason Moore]

If you look at Hearn's snap percentage and his utilization with the pieces that are going to get lost here, I think Moncrief is the most intriguing piece for me. I think that, you know, you saw Keelan Cole with the ability every now and then to break out for those long bombs. And Dante Moncrief is fast and Blake Borles has a strong arm if nothing else. And so I'm interested.

[Andy Holloway]

Strong chin.

[Jason Moore]

I'm, I'm intrigued.

[Andy Holloway]

Real strong.

[Jason Moore]

Dante Moncrief, he's the type of guy that I would love right now in best ball leagues because I think he's going to be, you know, super late last round, the last round type guy. And he could end up with, you know, those Alan Hearns type, you know, seven, eight touchdowns.

[Andy Holloway]

Are we going to blitz some of the rest of these signings? Paul Richardson, 5 year, $40 million deal to the Redskins will be out wide with Josh Doxson and Jameson Crowder.

[Jason Moore]

I really.

[Andy Holloway]

You don't like it, Mike? Paul Richardson, I like it. He will be a wide receiver. Do you like him or Dachshund more?

[Mike Wright]

I would still say Dachshund.

[Andy Holloway]

Okay, just touchdown.

[Mike Wright]

Upside.

[Jason Moore]

Exactly.

[Andy Holloway]

That's.

[Jason Moore]

How high is Dachshund exactly?

[Andy Holloway]

Baltimore, let's make a big splash in the wide receiver department.

[Jason Moore]

They needed to. I feel like we kept joking in the office. This is a little insight to the fantasy footballers. We kept joking every single time that another wide receiver was signed. It was just Baltimore going, oh, shoot. Who's next, David?

[Andy Holloway]

This is Ozzy Newsom, their gm running.

[Jason Moore]

After these guys and failing.

[Andy Holloway]

He's climbed up the proverbial ladder and he's jumping off to belly flop into this pool of wide receivers. Ain't no water in the pool.

[Mike Wright]

It's like, you know, trying to go crowd surfing.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah.

[Mike Wright]

Oh, someone's gonna catch me.

[Andy Holloway]

Well, John Brown caught him.

[Mike Wright]

No, that's. Someone is Ryan Grant.

[Jason Moore]

Holy moly.

[Andy Holloway]

So Ryan Grant signed a four year, 29 million dollar deal. Some of you may be saying things like, who's Ryan Grant? What? No, I. Ryan Grant is. Is fine. He's a good player.

[Jason Moore]

Is he?

[Andy Holloway]

He's not this good and I'm not going good.

[Mike Wright]

He's fine.

[Andy Holloway]

John Brown and Ryan Grant are your new starting wide receivers. They've already. They cut Jeremy Macklin to date. Wallace is gone and this is what you got.

[Jason Moore]

Ryan Grant. Okay. I mean, all congratulations befuddled. I am taking back from Jonathan Stewart because I can't. I can't split these. I mean, the agency for Ryan Grant. Ho, doggy. You got $29 million for a guy who's got a. He's coming into his fifth year. He's got a career total of 84 receptions.

[Mike Wright]

That was last year, right?

[Jason Moore]

What?

[Mike Wright]

I'm joking. The 84 reception.

[Jason Moore]

45, which was his career high. Oh, I saw that. He had a game with 90 yards. $29 million.

[Andy Holloway]

$345,000 per lifetime reception.

[Jason Moore]

I mean, we'll talk to this agent.

[Andy Holloway]

Good on you, Ryan Grant. You interview well, you interview well.

[Mike Wright]

So let's actually diagnose really desperate.

[Andy Holloway]

Somebody catches the ball. This is the NFL. Is Ryan Grant the guy you want in Baltimore? I want him more than Brashad Perryman. You, Mike, you say follow the money.

[Mike Wright]

Oh, if you want a Baltimore wide receiver, yes, sure, certainly sign Ryan Grant. Cool, cool, cool, cool. Or just laugh hysterically when John Brown.

[Jason Moore]

Is a better receiver than Ryan Grant. John Brown just has the health concerns.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, I think if. If John Brown was fully healthy, he's a better receiver.

[Jason Moore]

But Joe Flacco historically has really hyper targeted his lead guy. And I just don't see a lead guy to hyper target here.

[Mike Wright]

The good news, the at least the sane news coming out of Baltimore. They did tender Alex Collins, who was an exclusive rights free agent, who was. He was great for them. And it just. The silence out of Baltimore on their decision of Alex Collins was baffling. I mean, how did you not pick that up right away? But thankfully they picked him up. Alex Collins should be the lead guy. You do have the Kenneth Dixon situation going on behind him.

[Andy Holloway]

But Collins should start the year as the start.

[Jason Moore]

Yes.

[Mike Wright]

I would still put my chips on Collins and I think that he is good enough to hold on to the starting.

[Andy Holloway]

No, Danny Woodhead.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, correct.

[Andy Holloway]

No Danny Woodhead in Baltimore.

[Jason Moore]

He's been released, as has Jeremy Macklin.

[Andy Holloway]

Danny woodhead over. Under 10 days to sign in New England.

[Jason Moore]

I'll take the over.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, Okay.

[Andy Holloway]

I think he will go back to New England.

[Mike Wright]

Do you?

[Andy Holloway]

I do. All right. Albert Wilson and Danny Amendola doing their best impression of the Ravens as the Dolphins pick up a couple of middling wide receivers. Maybe that's disrespectful. Three years, $24 million for Albert Wilson, who had 54, 52 receptions last year in Kansas City. And Danny Amendola, would you rather have Jarvis landry.

[Mike Wright]

It was 42 for Albert Wilson.

[Andy Holloway]

Okay. Sorry to give him 10 extra. Albert Wilson, Danny Medola. Wouldn't you rather have Jarvis Landry than both those guys?

[Mike Wright]

Yeah.

[Jason Moore]

Oh, certainly. But there's a cost to it.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah. I know you didn't want to commit, but Danny Amadola is 32 years old. Not a lot to see there.

[Mike Wright]

I think the Amendola signing is so bizarre coming after the signing of Albert Wilson. I mean, there is an absolute log jam of wide receivers. Perhaps Danny Amendola takes over the Jarvis Landry role in that offense because he would be the. He should be the slot wide receiver. Of course, the hit points of Danny Amendola will drain quick. They will unfortunately run out quickly. I don't. I have no idea. I have no idea what Miami is doing.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah. As far as I'm concerned now And I'm sorry, Dolphins fans, you're a top. I mean you're a bottom five team in the NFL.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah.

[Andy Holloway]

You've lost massive amounts of talent on both sides of the ball over the last two years after you made the playoffs. Ndama Kung sue is now out the door and I don't see a lot I like. I don't think you have anything that is prototypically elite in fantasy. You don't have a number one wide receiver that I am excited about. You don't have a number one running back I'm excited about.

[Mike Wright]

Well, if Kenyon Drake is alone, so.

[Jason Moore]

To speak, he won't be. They're looking at running backs left, right and center. I mean, what they've already done shows that they will be adding not just an insignificant running back for depth. They're going to bring in someone to compete for that starting job.

[Andy Holloway]

The Lions have released Jason. Jason's dear friend.

[Jason Moore]

I'm so pissed.

[Andy Holloway]

Good friend, Eric Ebron. Well. You all right, Jay?

[Jason Moore]

I'm alright. But he's gonna end up signing at whatever the worst place is and come on, packers fans have to be mourning with me, right? That you got Jimmy Graham for for three years, 30 million when you could have got a 24 year old Eric Ebron for probably far less money.

[Mike Wright]

You're on fire today, man.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah.

[Mike Wright]

On fire.

[Andy Holloway]

All right, unsigned players that will most likely report on next week. AJ McCarron. Still unsigned. DeMarco Murray, Doug Martin, Frank Gore. Those are players still out there. Jordy Nelson's searching for a team. Jordan Matthews. Surprise, surprise. Still available. Terrell Pryor. You're out there.

[Mike Wright]

Yep.

[Andy Holloway]

Asj, possibly visiting the Saints.

[Jason Moore]

No, no. That's the only place Eric Ebron is allowed to sign.

[Mike Wright]

He's in Seattle. Tyler Eifer, as far as I know. I was just. I wanted to stop you real quick because the coach that you love.

[Andy Holloway]

Oh, Hugh Jackson.

[Mike Wright]

He wanted to send a second and third round pick for a quarterback who remains unsigned.

[Andy Holloway]

You're talking about A.J.

[Mike Wright]

Mccarren. Talking about A.J. mcCarron.

[Andy Holloway]

You're saying last year he wanted to.

[Mike Wright]

Yes.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah.

[Jason Moore]

What do you have to say about this, Andy?

[Andy Holloway]

I'm fine. Fine. You needed a quarterback. You guys love Kaiser. I didn't love Kaiser. McCarron's twice the Kaiser Kaiser is.

[Jason Moore]

Wait, I doubt it.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, he's unsigned right now. He's probably looking. He's probably wishing he's crossing those fingers.

[Jason Moore]

For Buffalo and wishing he's.

[Mike Wright]

He's going to end up as a backup somewhere.

[Andy Holloway]

It does seem that way. It does seem that way. Although maybe he'll be in a situation like Miami where it's two guys fighting for a starting job and if he wins it in camp, he'll get it. But that, that's what you're looking at. You're a quarterback. You're going to get paid something pretty nice.

[Jason Moore]

If I was him, I would just, I would just not sign with anybody. I would wait until the inevitable injury a la Ryan Tannehill, and then say.

[Andy Holloway]

I'll start wait, skipping OTAs. It sounds like you.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah. All right.

[Mike Wright]

Oh, and just. And we have some updated news here from Judge Giamatti. The Seahawks is this so they did not tender either of these players, Brooks, Am I reading that correct?

[Andy Holloway]

No. Rawls is a free agent.

[Mike Wright]

So Rawls and Mike Davis are. They did not get tendered.

[Andy Holloway]

For those of you, like myself, who own DeMarco Murray, just trying to squeeze. We just want to squeeze another year of value out of him. Just ring it out in Dynasty. If he lands in Seattle, I'd be mighty happy. Can catch the ball. You need to be in a place, DeMarco, where you can both run and catch so that you can combine to become average. That's what I want.

[Mike Wright]

250 rushing yards, 250 receiving yards.

[Andy Holloway]

DeMarco Murray, thank you for tuning in again. Appreciate the review. Subscribe on itunes, Spotify, wherever you're listening.

[Mike Wright]

Play some [e-mail] ballers.

[Andy Holloway]

It's fun.

[Jason Moore]

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 FFballers.