Fantasy Football 2018 - Regress or Impress? LIVE Tour Announce!

Summary

Fantasy Footballers Podcast Episode Summary
Episode Title: Fantasy Football 2018 - Regress or Impress? LIVE Tour Announce!
Release Date: May 15, 2018
Hosts: Andy Holloway, Jason Moore, Mike "The Fantasy Hitman" Wright

---

Introduction

In this engaging episode of the Fantasy Footballers Podcast, the expert trio—Andy Holloway, Jason Moore, and Mike Wright—delve into crucial fantasy football discussions as they prepare listeners for the upcoming 2018 season. The hosts inaugurate the episode with exciting announcements and segue into their signature segment, "Regress or Impress", where they analyze player performances and forecast their potential for the new season.

---

Major Announcements

1. Ultimate Draft Kit Preorder

Andy Holloway kicks off the show [00:00] by promoting the Ultimate Draft Kit, emphasizing its comprehensive resources designed to give fantasy players a competitive edge. With "100 plus video profiles," "rookie rankings," and "tier-based drafting," the kit is positioned as essential for league victory. Holloway urges listeners to "get it now before June 1st" at [ultimate draft kit.com](http://ultimate draftkit.com).

2. Release of 2018 Rankings

A significant mid-show announcement [02:07] reveals that the Fantasy Footballers' initial 2018 player rankings are now available on their website, fantasyfootballers.com. Jason Moore and Andy Holloway express excitement over the meticulous work that went into statting out each player, considering factors like coaching changes, offensive philosophies, and market shares. Holloway humorously anticipates debates over rankings with the statement, "fight and yell at each other about how stupid you are for your rankings when clearly mine are the best" [02:30].

3. Fantasy for the People LIVE Tour

At [09:07], the hosts officially announce the Fantasy for the People Tour, presented by Draft.com. The tour includes stops in major cities such as Minneapolis, Philadelphia, New York City, Dallas, and Phoenix, featuring live podcast tapings and interactive events with fans. Jason Moore enthusiastically details the experience, highlighting past events where "Brooks watered a large quantity of our fans" [09:44]. Tickets are available through an exclusive presale lottery by signing up at draft.comballers, with general sales commencing on Friday at ballerslive.com.

---

Regress or Impress Segment

In this segment, the hosts analyze whether specific players are likely to regress to the mean or continue to impress based on their previous performances. The discussion covers key positions: quarterbacks, running backs, wide receivers, and tight ends.

Quarterbacks

Philip Rivers

Andy Holloway initiates the discussion on Philip Rivers [12:02], reflecting on Rivers' impressive last season where he amassed 4,500 yards, 28 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions. However, concerns arise around Rivers' efficiency due to an increase in defensive pressure and a strengthened Chargers' defense. Holloway suggests a slight regression, stating, "I think he will be undervalued in drafts" [15:25].

Jason Moore counters by highlighting Rivers' consistent performance and strong receiving corps, including Keenan Allen, which he believes will sustain Rivers' fantasy value. Moore concludes that Rivers is poised to "impress" this year [17:00].

Jared Goff

Jason Moore and Mike Wright explore Jared Goff's potential [19:12], noting his solid first year as the Rams' quarterback. While Moore argues that Calvin Goff's performance last year doesn't necessarily warrant a top-tier fantasy ranking, Holloway remains skeptical about Goff taking a significant step forward, predicting a regression [19:57].

Running Backs

Deion Lewis

Jason Moore introduces Deion Lewis [24:15], a versatile back for the Tennessee Titans, questioning his consistency and role alongside Derek Henry. Mike Wright emphasizes concerns over Lewis' workload and injury proneness, suggesting he may only secure 7-8 carries per game [27:02]. Despite the uncertainty, Andy Holloway remains cautiously optimistic about drafting Lewis due to his early-season potential, though he acknowledges the risk of injuries [28:03].

Alex Collins

The discussion shifts to Alex Collins [31:17], where Moore highlights his breakout performance last season. Andy Holloway foresees Collins benefiting from an improved Baltimore offense and a stronger schedule, categorizing him as likely to impress [33:24]. However, Mike Wright advises a slight regression, wary of possible reduced usage due to competition within the backfield [34:27].

Wide Receivers

Marvin Jones

Marvin Jones is scrutinized for his high touchdown output last season [37:05]. Jason Moore likens Jones to a "touchdown or bust" player, expressing reservations about his consistency despite solid receiving statistics [37:05]. In contrast, Andy Holloway believes Jones can maintain his reception numbers but anticipates a regression in touchdown targets [38:12]. Mike Wright categorizes Jones as a regression candidate due to potential variability in touchdowns [38:38].

Adam Thielen and Stefan Diggs

The debate intensifies around Adam Thielen vs. Stefan Diggs [41:23]. Jason Moore strongly advocates for Thielen's fantasy value, arguing that his route-running and increased quarterback support will lead to a "step forward" this season, whereas Diggs remains a solid option but slightly lower in rankings [42:22]. Andy Holloway concurs, positioning Thielen as a valuable asset due to his role in a balanced Minnesota offense and expecting "impress" from Thielen [43:02].

Tight Ends

Evan Ingram

Evan Ingram [47:55] is assessed for his reliability and target volume. Mike Wright acknowledges his struggles with catch rate but maintains optimism about his target consistency, positioning him as a top-five tight end with expected impression [47:55]. Jason Moore supports this view, highlighting Ingram's potential despite past inefficiencies [49:13].

Jimmy Graham

Jimmy Graham [50:07] garners mixed reviews. Jason Moore defends Graham's red-zone prowess and Aaron Rodgers' need to distribute touchdowns, elevating Graham to a top-five tight end [50:07]. Conversely, Andy Holloway and Mike Wright express skepticism over Graham's diminishing performance and durability, categorizing him as a regression [51:57]. The debate underscores Graham's fantasy volatility, with Moore emphasizing his touchdown potential against Holloway and Wright's concerns over declining productivity.

---

Conclusion

The episode concludes with a recap of the major announcements and a final push for the Fantasy for the People Tour. The hosts reiterate their excitement for the upcoming season, encouraging listeners to engage with their rankings and live events.

---

Notable Quotes

• Andy Holloway [02:30]: "fight and yell at each other about how stupid you are for your rankings when clearly mine are the best."
• Andy Holloway [15:25]: "I think he will be undervalued in drafts."
• Jason Moore [17:00]: "Philip Rivers is poised to impress this year."
• Andy Holloway [33:24]: "I think he's going to get a step forward and continue to impress."
• Jason Moore [37:05]: "Marvin Jones is a touchdown or bust type of player."
• Jason Moore [41:23]: "Adam Thielen has far greater fantasy value than Stefan Diggs."

---

Final Thoughts

This episode is a treasure trove of insights for fantasy football enthusiasts, blending strategic analysis with entertaining banter. The Fantasy Footballers provide a balanced perspective on player performances and potential, equipping listeners with the knowledge to make informed draft decisions. Whether you're navigating quarterback rankings or debating tight end prospects, this episode offers valuable guidance to dominate your fantasy league in 2018.

Transcript

[Andy Holloway]

Hey, Foot Clan. Time is almost running out to get the preorder pricing on the Ultimate Draft Kit. You've got a couple weeks left to get everything that we pour into the ultimate draft kit. 100 plus video profiles, the rookie rankings are already up. All of our tier based drafting to help you win the draft. Get it now before June 1st at ultimate draft kit.com welcome to welcome to the Fantasy Footballers Podcast coming to you from Draft.com Studios with your hosts Andy Holloway, Jason Moore and Mike Wright.

[Jason Moore]

Welcome in Tuesday, May 15, 2018.

[Andy Holloway]

What a great show today is going to be.

[Mike Wright]

Have you already heard it?

[Andy Holloway]

I have.

[Jason Moore]

What kind of word order is that?

[Andy Holloway]

I came back from the future and let me just tell you, I mean the amount of things that are going on on today's show are perfect.

[Jason Moore]

Before you turn it off because I know most of the time you just wait for my intro and then you turn it off. Before you do that, click. You just want to see if the voice cracks or not. Big announcement on the show momentarily. I'm going to put it right there. Big, big announcement coming up. Today's show is great. We've got regress or impress with an absolute doozy of a sound drop to introduce that segment. Prepare yourself for that. And so we'll talk through some players that had out of the ordinary years, maybe breakout years you could define them as and discuss whether we think they're going to regress back to maybe the career average or continue to impress you with otherworldly numbers which, you know, a lot of the times people assume regression for a lot of players. So maybe they're, maybe they're a steal in your fantasy draft. Big announcement number one. This isn't the big announcement. This is a big announcement. Medium, this show.

[Mike Wright]

Medium announcement coming up.

[Jason Moore]

Ordinarily, this is a big announcement and it is a bit of a medium announcement today. The rankings, our initial 2018 rankings are up on the website.

[Andy Holloway]

I'm so excited to have those up because of what it means. We don't just, we don't just rank these guys, you know, oh, this guy's five.

[Jason Moore]

Like I was on an episode of Planet Earth right there.

[Mike Wright]

An exotic bird, bird flew down the.

[Andy Holloway]

The rankings being done means that the work that we've been pouring into the Ultimate Draft Kit already, every single team being statted out top to bottom, the, the foundation has been laid and I'm just so happy because over the last month I feel like my brain has just been all numbers and now we've got results. Now we can fight and yell at each other about how stupid you are for your rankings when clearly mine are the best.

[Mike Wright]

Well, accurate.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, we'll see about that.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah.

[Jason Moore]

Or we'll forget about it and not see about it later. No, it's exciting. You. You wrapped up yours yesterday. So our consensus are done. They're on the website, the fantasy footballers.com. click rankings. Check them out. Undoubtedly tweet us your surprise at various rankings. We're gonna have a show coming up pretty soon that is called the Explain yourself. So we're gonna pick apart each other's individual rankings and force one another to justify why they have players there. And this is kind of the. All the different information comes in to build these rankings. It's all. All the statistical projections are based on things like coaching changes, like offensive changes, personnel changes, what happened in the division, what happened on the defensive side of the ball. All those factors go into the full projections. You get the rankings on the website, you get the full projections in the udk@ultimate draft kit.com. okay, that was medium announcement number one. Well, there's more baby announcement, which is a reminder.

[Mike Wright]

Don't you usually go small, medium, large?

[Jason Moore]

Just come along for the ride.

[Mike Wright]

We're Falling down.

[Jason Moore]

Footclad giveaway.com. it's a reminder.

[Andy Holloway]

It's a roller coaster.

[Jason Moore]

Lev Bell signed Jersey Alvin Camara. Or as I'm saying now, Camara. This is what I've been. We're gonna go Camara.

[Andy Holloway]

That's how Alvin Camara says that he wants his name pronounced technically.

[Jason Moore]

He says you can say it however you want. That's what he says. He calls it Camara. But then you guys decided to go all Super Camario.

[Mike Wright]

So are we going Alvin Camerio?

[Andy Holloway]

No, no, no. He said we could say it however we want.

[Jason Moore]

All right. We have a signed football by that [e-mail] in a signed left Bell jersey. And you can find us on Twitter, at the FF Ballers, on Apple, podcasts, on Instagram. All right, here's a quick question of the day, then the big announcement.

[Mike Wright]

Oh, you're.

[Andy Holloway]

You're.

[Mike Wright]

You're stringing this along.

[Jason Moore]

I know, I know. Well, you. You're here. I'm gonna just take.

[Mike Wright]

Well, I already know the announcements. It's the people.

[Jason Moore]

A question off of Twitter from Max. Can you explain your process for stating out players? So how do you go about ground from ground zero all the way to 32 teams statted? That's what we've done, right. Preparing for the season. Obviously, we had to wait a little while. We Normally do not complete that process until the NFL draft because you have so many players that impact the depth charts on the various teams. But explain your process a little bit. Explain what's important to you and what the listener is getting from those rankings.

[Andy Holloway]

Sure. So, you know, with my process, you alluded to a lot of the different things that we look at. Right. We look at the coaching changes, the division, strength of schedule, Magic 8 ball history. But you know, there are two main things. We're going to take a look at each and every single player on a team individually and look at their history, their age, their, you know, the trends of the NFL. And you know, we'll stat these players out at each position and we go deeper than what you see on the website. Right. Like, you know, I've got Blake Jarwin and Dalton Schultz numbers behind the scenes.

[Mike Wright]

You got some Dalton Schultz numbers?

[Andy Holloway]

You darn right I do. He's, he's an NFL player, you know, but we only put forward the stuff that you really need. And then we'll look at the market shares of target market shares per position and then try to make sure that the teams make sense. Right. I'm not having a team add up to 45 touchdowns, but the quarterback is supposed to throw 28.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah. A great example of that impact would be Cleveland. If you look at Cleveland this year, you have Josh Gordon, you have Jarvis Landry who just arrived. You have different players that you love to project for huge seasons. But you have to face the realities of Tyrod Taylor coming in to run the offense. A career guy that throws for under 3,000 yards. How do you distribute those points versus somebody that you know you're talking about maybe 2,000 yards difference from another team that's pass heavy.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah.

[Mike Wright]

And taking those situations like Cleveland and putting in just from our expertise, projecting that team forward, as in, will Baker Mayfield get in? Because Hugh Jackson is. I was going to try and say the word vehemently. Did I get it?

[Jason Moore]

Vehemently? Yeah, close enough.

[Mike Wright]

Saying that Tyrod Taylor will be the starter. I don't buy that at all. Just because of my experience with the NFL quarterbacks taken in the first round, I think that Baker Mayfield will get in. How soon does he get in? Just weighing all those types of things. And for me, for my process, coaching changes are by far the most important thing with the offensive philosophy of a team. Has it drastically changed? Like Tennessee? The Tennessee Titans were running some the exotic, smash mouth, little John Foxy and little Jeff fishery type of football. And I think that LaFleur coming in from that Sean McVay coaching tree, I think he's going to shake things up pretty drastically for the Tennessee Titans.

[Andy Holloway]

Sean McVeigh and Kyle Shane.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah.

[Andy Holloway]

Coaching trim. You got a good pedigree there for some cool offense in Tennessee.

[Jason Moore]

That's right. A guaranteed 1,000 yards from Corey Davis. You hear that? Okay.

[Andy Holloway]

You hear that from one of the three of us?

[Mike Wright]

Yes.

[Jason Moore]

Guaranteed. All right. Yeah. Strength of schedule. If you didn't already mention that, that factors into some of the outlay of statistics as well. Anything else you guys want to discuss on that front before the big announcement?

[Mike Wright]

Nope.

[Jason Moore]

Jason, will you grab that horn over there? You already have it.

[Mike Wright]

I've got it.

[Andy Holloway]

Ready? Oh, foot. Glenn, assemble your ears.

[Jason Moore]

Okay. We are proud and excited to announce officially. Now, had I teased this at times and been scolded for giving it away.

[Mike Wright]

A little bit, you may have already heard this announcement. But now this is the official.

[Andy Holloway]

This is the day where it matters.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah.

[Jason Moore]

This is the official announcement of the Fantasy Footballers Fantasy for the People tour presented by Draft.

[Andy Holloway]

We're going, we're going. We're hitting the road, people, and this is coming up soon. Now, you mentioned some of it, but you didn't even mention one of the biggest cities New York City is going to be in this Tour.

[Jason Moore]

Minneapolis on June 21 at Cedar Hall. Philadelphia, July 26 at the Trocadero Theater.

[Mike Wright]

Trocadero.

[Jason Moore]

Trocadero Theater, New York City, July 27 at the Music hall of Williamsburg, Dallas, Texas, July 13 at Canton hall, which, by the way, will be kicking off the National Fantasy Football Convention. And then back home in Phoenix, August 24th at the Crescent Ballroom. A tour for you. For the Foot Clan.

[Mike Wright]

We're the people.

[Jason Moore]

We're going to do some live podcast tapings all around the country. We invite you to come out to hang out with us. We did two events last year. Very fun. Great. Great to spend time with the listeners and a cool opportunity to come out and see us live and be a part of it. You are actually a part of the podcast.

[Andy Holloway]

Yes, you will be on the podcast. It's an amazing time. It's a lot of fun. But the important thing right now is that now is the time you can actually draft. Is allowing a, basically before the tickets go on sale, a lottery to be able to get tickets.

[Mike Wright]

Exclusive ticket presale lottery.

[Andy Holloway]

Jason. That's so well worded, Mike.

[Mike Wright]

Thank you.

[Jason Moore]

So the general on sale is going to be Friday, so you can act now beforehand. To enter the exclusive ticket presale lottery, all you have to do is sign up for [e-mail] Ballers that will give you every bit of information you need to get involved, get tickets, come out and see us before everybody else gets a chance to get them. Check it out. Draft.com ballers to enter the exclusive presale lottery before the general on sale on Friday, which will [e-mail] does that sound fair? Is that it's a full.

[Andy Holloway]

Sounds perfect.

[Mike Wright]

Going to be full freaking awesome.

[Andy Holloway]

Get your tickets while you can because we want you there.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah. All right. Well, without further ado, let's get into it. Shania Twain will not be at any of the events.

[Mike Wright]

Wait, what?

[Jason Moore]

I'm sorry.

[Andy Holloway]

She could be.

[Mike Wright]

I'm a. I'm a DM Er.

[Jason Moore]

You're going to DM her?

[Mike Wright]

Yeah. Have you ever.

[Jason Moore]

I'm guessing you wrote her a few letters in your teenage years. That's what I'm guessing. Mike.

[Mike Wright]

I may or may not have.

[Andy Holloway]

You know what she said to him? That don't impress me.

[Mike Wright]

At least she's saying it to me. Yeah.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah. Okay, getting back into the show, let's start out at the quarterback position. Regressor impressed Philip Rivers. Oh, Philip, Very impressive season. Ended up number eight overall. You saw things start to work between him and Keenan Allen as the season went on. That connection. You have Mike Williams there. Year number two for Mike Williams.

[Mike Wright]

A very more like year number one almost for Mike Williams.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, but another year in the. In the system, more opportunity and then you have a good defense on that roster. So what do you expect from him? Last year, 4,500 yards, 28 touchdowns, 10 interceptions. I was laughing when I was going through and stating Philip Rivers. Looking at his numbers, 18 rushes for a total of negative 2 yards. I believe that is what 17 or 18 kneel downs. Is that. Is that where we're at?

[Mike Wright]

Something like that. Philip Rivers is. He's a little. He's kind of difficult for me because historically, Philip Rivers has been an awesome.

[Jason Moore]

Fantasy quarterback and often undervalued.

[Mike Wright]

Yes, yes, Very, very frequently. But the past few years, the. Since 2013, he really has two great years where you were able to stick around with Philip Rivers. There is a common thread between those two years. 2013, when Philip Rivers was the quarterback six. That was Keenan Allen's rookie year where he exploded and was an absolute freak show and a monster for that team. Then he was. He would. Did not have keenan Allen for four years. 12, 12 quarterback 14. That's where he Rivers finished last year. Quarterback 8. Oh, what do we have here? Keenan Allen healthy for the entire year and absolutely dominant. So it's, it's a question of, for me, the Philip Rivers question is directly correlated to what do you believe about Keenan Allen? Is he going to stay on fire like he finished the year or will we go back to low yard per catch type of performance from Keenan Allen?

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, I will say this. You know, when I think Keenan Allen stays healthy, most of his injuries in the past are more of the freak type nature, not the, you know, repetitive, oh, you've got a foot fracture that is going to come up again and again or a pulled hamstring that you know, you can't get over for a while. That's not the type of injuries he's had. So I think he's going to have a good year. The problem that I have and also in Philip Rivers favor is the fact that last year they had a very easy path against the run and this year it's going to get much more difficult. Mike, that must excite you for your Melvin Gordon hatred. However, Andy, you alluded to it. I think their defense is really good and what they did in the draft helped themselves out a lot. They got exactly the pieces they needed. So I think that if the team itself is not needing to score as much, that might hurt Philip Rivers from needing to air it out. They were in a lot of close games, a lot of games that, you know, last year they, they lost, that they were in and you know, had to be throwing the ball at the end. And I could see that change a little bit this year. So when it comes to regress or impress.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, I guess I never gave my official answer.

[Andy Holloway]

I think from the quarterback eight spot he finished at last year. A slight regression is where I lean. Even though I still really like Philip Rivers this year, I think he will be undervalued in drafts. He'll be a late round target because you're going to be able to get him super late.

[Mike Wright]

I'm with Jason, but I don't think he'll go up.

[Jason Moore]

My assumption is he's in this list and maybe Brooks put him in there because the eyes fell out of his head when he saw that. I had Philip Rivers ranked as my fourth best fantasy quarterback in 2018, at least right now. Look, last year was a great season for Philip Rivers. 4,500 plus yards, you cannot complain about that. I think the wide receiver core is great. Allen Williams, Tyrell Williams, Travis Benjamin, I mean big play opportunities, 600 plus yards of receiving from the running back position. Gordon catches the ball echler catches the ball. Hunter Henry gets to take the reins.

[Andy Holloway]

Yes.

[Jason Moore]

Stretch the field more than Gates did. You know, he's a 13 yard a catch type of tight end. So do I think the Chargers are going to be one of the best teams in football? I'm talking top 10 team. And I think that's going to translate to the production at the quarterback position. So I, I don't have any real fears of putting him in that category. He's finished, you know, number six in 2013, number five in 2010. Last year he had nine games with the quarterback rating over 100, which was his most since 2008. I think it's exactly what Mike said. When you give, it's amazing. When you give a good quarterback good receiving options, they play better. And Allen's one of the best in the game.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah.

[Jason Moore]

And so I think this is a team that's, that's ready to succeed, to get. You know, one of the things that I always hate and have hated in years past is playing against Philip Rivers because if he gets short fields. Yeah, maybe they're not in his mini shootouts, but you give him a short field, he's a touchdown monster. He will find a way to get in in the end zone. 28 last year. I have him up at 32 this year. So for me, for me it's an impress. For you guys, it's kind of a status quo or regress.

[Andy Holloway]

Yes. But one more.

[Jason Moore]

But I don't read too much into the, the strength of schedule aspect to that.

[Andy Holloway]

Sure. And yeah, I don't go over the top with any of the schedule stuff because it's all projections on too many moving parts. But I slightly factor that in. I will say with the Keenan Allen thing, they got more and more involved with that connection as the year went on. If you look at the second half of last year, huge difference. The second half of last year on a 16 game basis, Philip Rivers would have had 4,900 yards and 30 touchdowns with only eight interceptions. Because he was just going, hey, Keenan. Hey, Keenan. Keenan. What's up, Keenan? And so, Andy, you know, those are numbers that will finish where you're projecting in that top four. So I wouldn't be, I wouldn't be shocked with that.

[Jason Moore]

All right, let's move on to a more royal interest here. Jared Goff, last year, the.

[Mike Wright]

I was just imagining him actually as a king of a country.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah. I'm not sure I want that Jared.

[Mike Wright]

Goff ruling over the land.

[Andy Holloway]

The people would be all about his marriage. They would just be The Royal weddings.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, that's coming up right now. Are you married to Jared Goff? Is the question number 12 overall last year shocking the world. And I think that's a fair assessment of what happened people. Yes, you might have had excitement about Sean McVeigh but what we saw from golf in year one did not give.

[Andy Holloway]

You confidence coming into year three, being the first overall draft pick in the NFL and having a great year too with an awesome head coach. You've got all the weapons. You get Brandon Cook to maybe you think is better or worse than Sammy Watkins, but at least near the same, if not better. There are a lot of reasons where you could say he's going to impress, take another step forward. I don't personally see it, no.

[Jason Moore]

I think he's good for the team, but I don't necessarily think he's a regress. For me I'm at 16.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, you've got a guy who through a. I mean it was up almost near 6% touchdown ratio from his passes. That's. And if you watch them, they're so often a pass that was not targeted in the end zone the way that you know, Carson Wentz was doing and a wide receiver just broke something free and took it to the house. And Jared Goff gets credit for that. And those are the type of touchdowns that you look to regress upon because those don't usually happen at the rate that they happened last year. So yeah, I think he's going to regress. I don't think he's taking a step forward this season. Even though the Rams, I mean for all intents purposes look locked and loaded for huge success.

[Mike Wright]

I will say he did finish Strong the final five games of the year. Two plus touchdowns and 93 plus pass rating in each one of those contests. But for a guy who finished at quarterback 12, did you realize that he had as many quarterback one performances as Andy Dalton? So just.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, I mean let that 3,800 total passing yards is nothing that makes me, you know, excited to put him in my top 12. And when you see that he played, he had. Is this correct? Nine fewer fantasy points against top 16 defenses. So he did not step up against tough defenses. That puts him in the non auto start category that I would consider a top 10 type of guy.

[Mike Wright]

Fine. Fine. To stream.

[Jason Moore]

Oh yeah. Oh yeah. This is not an anti. This is a fantasy football show. I noticed that the Rams fans get a little sensitive about, you know, maybe it's because we, we hearken from the Arizona, the valley of the sun here.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah. Rams suck. Just piling on.

[Jason Moore]

But look, he was great last. He did what was necessary. That doesn't always Translate to top 12 fantasy performances. It made them a great team and I think Sean McVay put him in a position to succeed because I don't think Jared Goff or Blake Bortles for that matter are going to succeed. If you put everything on their shoulder the way you have to with the Philip Rivers or a Matthew Stafford or obviously an Aaron Rodgers and those type of. That's just not who they are. Maybe that's what Goff can become at some point in time. Brandon Cooks, he's a weapon. He's a great weapon. So I think that he's going to have his games where, like you said, Brandon Cooks takes a screen pass 87 yards to the house. Todd Gurley is going to break some long screenplay runs. That's all going to happen. It's just going to be more difficult to predict because you won't have yardage to be the foundation of that, of that statistical.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, touchdowns are the least predictable asset, you know.

[Jason Moore]

So we're all, we're all regress out of that top 12.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, I've got them at quarterback. 22 for the 2018, but still royalty. Absolutely.

[Jason Moore]

King Godfrey. Let's move to the well, let's pause for a second. Let's pause for a second. Let's go ahead and thank today's sponsor, one of our favorites, Casper. Let's thank Casper. Casper is a sleep brand that continues to revolutionize its line of products to create an exceptionally comfortable sleep experience one night at a time. Here's the deal. This isn't a tough sell. I own a Casper. I bought one. I sleep in it every night. It's a great mattress. It didn't cost me a fortune and we love it. That's the gist. And the thing is they're confident you can get a hundred night risk free trial. When you try out your Casper, it's delivered right to your door in a small box. Free shipping, free returns. If you don't like it. Breathable design, you sleep cool. Nothing to complain about with my Casper. Absolutely love it. And you can get $50 towards select mattresses by visiting Casper.comfootballers and using footballers at checkout. They got three models. The original, the wave, the essential. That's Casper.comfootballers offer code footballers for $50 off your mattress purchase. Terms and conditions apply and we'd like.

[Mike Wright]

To thank a new sponsor of the show and if you're on the YouTubes, you've already seen that jiggish, I could barely. Jason is already in this thanks to Savage Jerky.

[Andy Holloway]

The smell in here has been upgraded.

[Mike Wright]

It's beef jerky and bacon. Look. Savage Jerky was created out of a frustration with the lack of quality meat snacks. Particularly spicy varieties. It offers all natural, handcrafted and small batch jerky that is made some very.

[Jason Moore]

Very, very, very spicy.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, I was gonna get to it. It's made with ingredients that belong in a kitchen, not a lab. Thirteen varieties of beef. Wow.

[Jason Moore]

It really.

[Mike Wright]

I am getting the whiffs over here. I have to be the reader, not the eater. Today, check out their, like their trademark flavors Moho and they have this flavor called the Carolina Reaper Jerky. If you're ready to step up to the plate and take this challenge, I encourage you to do it. You'll never. You'll never be the same. Look, I love jerky.

[Jason Moore]

I'm going teriyaki right now. I'm saving myself from the spice.

[Mike Wright]

As a man on the keto diet, I love jerky. And Savage Jerky is tremendous. It's delicious. You can save 10% on your entire order and receive a free Savage Jerky koozie when you use the code footballersavagejerky.com that's offer code Footballersavage. S A V a g e jerky.com gonna get 10% off your entire order. And that free Savage Jerky koozie.

[Jason Moore]

I.

[Mike Wright]

You're still. Do I need to take over?

[Jason Moore]

No, I was just going to say the Fantasy Reaper endorses the Savage Reaper. There you go. All right. I think this is one of the more polarizing players in fantasy to discuss this year. I'm excited to talk about it. Regress or impress. Deon Lewis, new running back for the Tennessee Titans. That offense you just alluded to, Mike different head coach demarco Murray is gone. Deion Lewis was great last year and yet it's kind of strange when you look at the impact he had for the Patriots. I feel like what you saw with your eyes and what you saw him do towards the back half of the season supersedes his actual point totals. He had 180 carries, 896 yards, six touchdowns on the ground, 32 receptions, 214 yards, three touchdowns through the air. But he was kind of a jack of all trades, able to get it done between the tackles. They pick him up in Tennessee last year in the number 14. What do you think?

[Mike Wright]

Deion Lewis is very tricky because first off, staying on the football field is not been his specialty. I don't know if you guys realize this, but one, it was his first year ever playing 16 games. Okay, that's fine. Last year he had more carries than he had his first four years combined.

[Andy Holloway]

Fresh legs, that's what I hear.

[Mike Wright]

And on top of that, yeah, 180 carries. That's nice. 28% of his carries came in those final two games. He launched from. He was getting about 13 carries a game when he took over in those final two games, 24 and 26. You can't give Dion Lewis 24 carries or 26 carries a game. My question is, what will the split be in Tennessee between Dion Lewis and Derek Henry? Because I do not think that Dion Lewis is going to get 13 carries a week unless you believe he can beat out Derek Henry for the starter job. I see that in the realm of possibilities. I'm not going to project that. But how many touches a week can Deon Lewis actually get if he's not getting those 13 carries? You're hoping for Dion Lewis essentially to give you Alvin Camara type of efficiency based off of depending, I should say, on his draft price.

[Jason Moore]

For me, he's a, he's a running back to a back in RB2. I still like him more than Henry in half point leagues because of his flexibility. He's not going to be game scripted out the way I think Derek Henry can be.

[Mike Wright]

That's fair.

[Jason Moore]

If that team is being blown out, you're not going to see a lot of Derek Henry on the field. You're going to see Dion Lewis in the two minute drill. You're going to see Deion Lewis when the team is trailing. And so I think that gives him a higher baseline. But you're right, he's not going to get, I would not expect him to get more than what, eight or nine touches on the ground.

[Mike Wright]

I would put him at seven, eight carries a game at the most.

[Andy Holloway]

Oh yeah, I have him a little bit higher than that. I've got him closer to the 13 carries. I've got him with 175 total carries on the season and Derrick Henry just a shade above that. I mean, as far as the market share, I was reading a lot of the beat reporters from Tennessee that are, that are saying, hey, don't be so quick to think that the starter is Derek Henry. The starter here could be Dion Lewis. All right, you know, I've got, I have Henry with a 45% market share versus Lewis with a 43% market share. So I've got them. Yeah, I'm more 55, 45 yeah, consuming most of those carries out of the. Out of the backfield. But again, Dion Lewis will be involved in the passing game. All that said, what you bring up at the beginning, Mike, is the most real in the ultimate draft kit. We have our risk ratings. Deion Lewis has one of my highest risk rating because for him to be great, he needs that kind of work, which I think they're going to try to give him. But then he has to stay healthy with that kind of work. And everything from history says probably not going to happen. So I don't think he's going to impress to the tune of being higher this year than Last year's running back 14. I've got him with a lot of usage and he's still only the running back 21. But he's also one of the most injury prone guys this year if they're going to give him the workload that they're talking about. So all things considered, will I draft Dion Lewis? Yes. Because his value right now, where I've seen him, I think he's going to get off to a hot start. I just don't want to be holding the potato. When it gets too hot is like hot potato. And he gets injured and he's on my roster.

[Mike Wright]

Where is the heat?

[Andy Holloway]

It's the game of hot potato. You gotta, you know, you ship.

[Mike Wright]

The potato starts hot in hot potato. It doesn't just. You're not.

[Andy Holloway]

You're like the human torch comes from how good he's going to be when he's healthy. Oh, he's gonna be.

[Jason Moore]

There's a fire in the potato that eventually gets too hot to handle kinetic injury.

[Mike Wright]

It's just, it's just vibrating.

[Andy Holloway]

I don't want to be left.

[Jason Moore]

He doesn't want to be holding a potato, Mike.

[Andy Holloway]

I don't want to be left with the bill. Is that most of the time at the end.

[Jason Moore]

It was ironic because you normally want the potatoes. I mean, you're.

[Andy Holloway]

Oh, I'm a big potato fan. Especially if it's a sweet potato. No, you get out of here with Brooks.

[Jason Moore]

Brooks.

[Andy Holloway]

You get out of here with that garbage.

[Jason Moore]

Brooks jumping in on the sweet potato taste.

[Mike Wright]

I mean, there's great analogies, great fantasy discussions.

[Andy Holloway]

Everything is good.

[Mike Wright]

And then he brings up sweet, sweet, sweet Brooks.

[Andy Holloway]

We're gonna start ordering sweet potatoes so I can put them directly.

[Jason Moore]

One of the more interesting facts about these two guys is that both Lewis and Henry led the league in basically yards after initial contact last year. That was one of the more surprising things about a guy like Lewis. Who a lot of people would consider to be undersized. Maybe not a type of player that, you know, he's a scat back. He's not a between the tackles guy, but he could break tackles.

[Andy Holloway]

Last year, shifty.

[Jason Moore]

And he is elusive. Yeah, the elusive rating of Deion Lewis is up there.

[Andy Holloway]

It's really funny to look at the history and see.

[Jason Moore]

And I love the dude.

[Andy Holloway]

The percentage of carries that Dion Lewis has received in his career are far more on first and second down. And the percentage of career carries that Derek Henry has had in his career is far more in third down. And yet everyone's like, henry's the first and second down back. And so, you know, you'll have to see. But it's really the injury thing that scares me the most with Lewis.

[Jason Moore]

I think we're going to have a lot of debates on Tennessee's offense in general. You got a new offensive, you know, mind coming in and head coach love, Mario to the pieces and not enough to give Corey Davis love, though. Jason, you don't love him enough to give him love.

[Andy Holloway]

I like doubled what he did his rookie year.

[Jason Moore]

Oh, that's not love.

[Andy Holloway]

That's the point. Doubling that is still not very good.

[Jason Moore]

All right, let's talk regress or impress. Alex Collins burst onto the scene last year, a throwaway from Pete Carroll and those Seahawks.

[Mike Wright]

Pete Carroll likes throwing good running backs away. Well, is this.

[Andy Holloway]

Is that a Kristen Michael take? Come on.

[Jason Moore]

All right, Alex Collins. Consistency, rank of 26 last year. Almost a thousand yards on the ground on 212 carries, six touchdowns. Was a big. A big play type of running back for Baltimore. I think we all waited for the shoe to drop on Alex Collins for week after week after week. It was like, okay, nice game. What. What's next? Who's next? Who's going to step into that role? And it just kept being Alex Collins. And then the draft came and went.

[Mike Wright]

That's you. That's huge.

[Jason Moore]

It still keeps being Alex Collins. He was what, a restricted free agent?

[Mike Wright]

Exclusive rights? Yes.

[Jason Moore]

So he's still getting paid nothing. So what do we think? Regress or impress? He was RB10 in points per game, weeks 10 through 17. That's a top 12 running back.

[Andy Holloway]

He's going to have a great year because I think he's going to get the ball. And he proved last year that he was a really quality back. His issue was fumbling. If he could get that under control, which it looked like he did last season, then, you know, I really, really like him. I worry about the offense in Total for Baltimore, whether or not they're going to produce any kind of prolific running back. But for where you're going to draft Alex Collins, I really believe in him. And while I say I don't look at strength of schedule, I don't let it factor in that much, and I really don't. For most. For most players, when you look at last year, Alex Collins beat up on the weaker matchups. He was. He really did what you would expect a guy to do against the weaker matchups and exploit them. And this coming year, they're going from what was the 25 with a 25th worst strength of schedule against the rush to a top 10. So I think that's going to benefit Alex Collins and I. You know, look, if you go through that whole draft and you're Baltimore and you could spend two of your first three picks on tight ends and not address a running back, that gives me the confidence I need. Analog.

[Jason Moore]

It could be indicative of their opinion of Kenneth Dixon, because all off season, I've had the view that, look, they're not done with Kenneth Dixon, even though Kenneth Dixon did his best to make that happen in Baltimore. I will say to your strength, the schedule point, I think it's powerful to look backwards and say Alex Collins was the RBA team against great. I mean, hit the compilation of last year. He was facing difficult rushing defenses.

[Andy Holloway]

It's true.

[Jason Moore]

So that's more indicative. Look, the turnover is going to happen this year, so I'm not looking forward as much as I am looking back. And what you're saying is he beat up on bad defenses. The likelihood of him having an easier schedule against the rush is there.

[Andy Holloway]

Right.

[Jason Moore]

Therefore, your confidence is there. I haven't. I'm at 18. That's exactly where he finished last year. So I guess I'm. I'm right. I'm in neutral on Alex Collins.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, I've got him right there, too, so I guess it's not. But that would. Wouldn't that still impress you? That would impress me.

[Jason Moore]

It would impress me if I want to fall in front another game. Yeah.

[Andy Holloway]

Continue to impress. Yes. That's fair.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah.

[Jason Moore]

That's like when I play foosball with Brooks and, you know, he, like, if he does a couple games of mediocre offensive scoring in foosball, that impresses me.

[Andy Holloway]

What you get for that sweet potato?

[Mike Wright]

You just ruined my joke. Oh, I was going. His foosball play is similar to that of a sweet potato.

[Jason Moore]

Oh, really bad soggy.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah. Oh, just mush.

[Mike Wright]

Just flaccid, healthy Healthy for you. Nothing there, Nothing there.

[Jason Moore]

So Mike, Alex Collins, what do you think? Regress or impress for you?

[Mike Wright]

I have him right around that 18 mark. So for the game, I have to say a slight regression. Kenneth Dixon is so intriguing of what he has been able to do on a rookie contract, I should say get away with the massive injury. That's not his fault. But these guys are on a short leash, especially when they're taken in the later rounds then the suspension. I mean everything surrounding surrounding Dixon has been bad news that we've seen players just sent to the parking lot for far for a not nearly as strong of creating situations for your team, but here he is. Danny Woodhead has retired. I'm still taking Alex Collins in the draft like he is the starter. I believe in him. But Kenneth Dixon could make this a situation by about the halfway mark for fantasy football.

[Jason Moore]

And just to piggyback on that, follow the money. We say it all the time. Alex Collins cost them $630,000 this year, which is the exact same amount of money that Kenneth Dixon cost him, except for Kenneth Dixon's under contract for $730,000 next year. There is no monetary reason for them to be loyal to Alex Collins. Doesn't mean they won't be. But there's more risk there. If they had just signed Alex Collins to a three year extension, something of that nature, it might have been more challenging for them to hand off the backfield. So I think there is risk there with Collins, but I think we all expect him to be pretty productive.

[Mike Wright]

Yes.

[Jason Moore]

All right, wide receiver, regress or impress. I just posted about him on Instagram.

[Andy Holloway]

We were talking about him at lunch.

[Jason Moore]

Marvin Jones. Marvin Jones was the ninth best fantasy wideout last year. That was by far his best finish. He was great. 1100 yards, nine touchdowns. What do you think about Marvin Jones stepped up against top 16 passing defenses, outperformed Golden Tate.

[Mike Wright]

And Marvin Jones, I was talking about you said Jason. We're talking at lunch. It's difficult because there is an outlier that happened this past season for him. You can look back at his past three years and this includes a different team, but I'm still putting here 103 targets, 103 targets, 107, 65 receptions, 50. Oh, 55 receptions, 61 receptions. I mean everything in there is looking about the same. But he went from 12.6 yards per catch, 16.9 to 18, which led the league last year and also jumped from four to nine touchdowns. If he put up the exact same stats last year, but only had the same four touchdowns, he's wide receiver 20. So Marvin Jones, this is a, for me, this is a touchdown or bust type of situation. It's. What are you buying into? You think he can keep that going with near double digit touchdowns? Andy, I assume you are. You have him leaning on that side of the touchdown spectrum.

[Jason Moore]

To me he's a player that is not for every fantasy roster. He's Vincent Jackson. He's identical to what Vincent Jackson.

[Mike Wright]

That's a very good call.

[Jason Moore]

Vincent Jackson was 60 to 65 receptions, 1100 yards, six to nine touchdowns. I don't want two of these type of guy. Like I don't want. It's ironic because this is the exact pair I currently have on my Dynasty team. But I don't want Josh Gordon and Marvin Jones on my roster.

[Mike Wright]

You still have Alshon.

[Jason Moore]

Not on that. Oh, he's another good example.

[Mike Wright]

Same player.

[Jason Moore]

I think he's a great wide receiver too for a team that has a PPR orientated one. That's the way I look at it. Marvin Jones, I don't see anything about that. I mean that defense is not good. Matt Stafford is good for 44,000 yards and plus every year. And Marvin Jones was one of his most reliable weapons. Especially when you talk about taking a shot down the field and the red zone. So if you look at what's there other than natural fluctuation of touchdowns, which I agree it can go down, I don't think any of the other stuff's going down. I don't think you're going to see a reduction in receptions. I think you're going to see much of a reduction in any yards per reception. I think the targets are all going to be the same. I think some people think Galladay is going to get in the way of that. I don't tend to lean that direction. So I still have him at 18. So I have him as a regression candidate because of the touchdown variance and because I like other guys more, not because I don't like Marvin Jones.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, I like Marvin Jones quite a bit, but I do think he will regress from where he finished last year. But based on the touchdowns, if you look over the last couple years, right. So two years ago he had 15 red zone targets, last year he had 14. But you're going from, you know, four touchdowns to nine touchdowns right now you lose Eric Ebron, which I, you know, I think actually will end up helping Marvin. But in general I agree with what Andy was saying. The targets will be there, the yards will be there, they won't be as high per reception, but he'll still be around 1,000 yards. It's just a matter of how many touchdowns he gets. And I'm happy to draft Marva Jones based on where I've been seeing him in drafts. He falls to kind of a. And, you know, it's still a little bit too early to know for sure, but he falls to where I want that swing for the fences, guys, because, guy, because he does get enough attempts to wear and deep enough targets where he could, it's not out of the realm of possibility that he gets another nine touchdowns. And if he does, then he's a top 10 wide receiver. Yeah.

[Jason Moore]

I think last year you also saw a product of. You know, there are five wide receivers I have ahead of Marvin Jones this year that didn't have the ability to be last year. So I think that's why he finished at nine. Odell Beckham Jr. Was hurt. See why Hilton didn't have a quarterback. Amari Cooper is somebody I have ahead of him this year. Juju Smith, Schuster and Allen Robinson, who was hurt all year. Those five players, none of them are an indictment on Marvin Jones's ability. But it's kind of like the tight end season we saw a couple of years ago with Kelsey.

[Mike Wright]

He got to the party because other people lost their invitations.

[Andy Holloway]

Yes.

[Jason Moore]

Thank you, Mike. You understand this so well.

[Mike Wright]

I'm there.

[Jason Moore]

All right. We're moving on. Yeah. All right. Well, you know who's hooked on a Thielen?

[Andy Holloway]

I am.

[Jason Moore]

Jason Moore. When I saw the completed rankings yesterday, this initial rankings projections, I was blown away because Jason has Adam Thielen as the number six overall wide receiver. Mike, you've got him at nine. I have him at 11. He's our consensus number eight. And last year he finished number 10. So by the consensus slash, Jason's force, he is technically an impress.

[Mike Wright]

And before I let Jason gush over Adam Thielen, I assume you like Stefan Diggs as well. I do like Stefan Diggs and Andy. And I know this because we've checked out the rankings online, that you have a thing for Kyle Rudolph. Which just leads me back to my. Really, my greater point is this entire off season of saying that Kirk Cousins is going to be overrated for fantasy purposes. Where are you on that statement? Are you sticking by that?

[Jason Moore]

So you love Kyle Rudolph when healing Dalvin Cook and Stefan Diggs, you had.

[Mike Wright]

The heels planted in a little bit.

[Andy Holloway]

Still, let me tell you this.

[Mike Wright]

Are you joking?

[Andy Holloway]

I believe that Kirk Cousins will be on most lists. On most lists, he'll be a top five quarterback, which he is not a top five quarterback for me. So technically he's overrated.

[Mike Wright]

All of his weapons are top five.

[Andy Holloway]

He's my number six.

[Jason Moore]

Most people are not going to have Kirk Cousins top five. That's asinine. Well, I can't imagine one person doing.

[Andy Holloway]

I really do absolutely love it.

[Jason Moore]

Do you have him top five?

[Mike Wright]

I don't really know.

[Andy Holloway]

I don't. I don't. I don't know.

[Jason Moore]

You don't.

[Andy Holloway]

The reality is I think that what Minnesota's offense has is great top to bottom. I think they've got a good enough line right now. An upgrade at quarterback. The tight end is, I think, one of the most solid tight ends in the league. Very well rounded, could smash a can on him. You sure can. Very sturdy. He is solid. Luke Cage, but you know, Dalvin Cook. I expect to have a good year. Adam Thielen, Stephen Diggs, I like everybody, but I do believe that Adam Thielen's role in that offense and the way he's used a lot of times out of the slot, he is to me, the far greater fantasy value. I think, you know, if you had to put between drafting Diggs around later or Thielen where he is, I'm still taking Thielen because of his upside and Thielen's, you know, his. His value was not touchdown based. You know what I mean? He was so good last year. Four touchdowns, 143 targets, 91 receptions, and still only four touchdowns. And that wasn't for a lack of usage. They just didn't click that year. And I think that coming up this coming season with a better quarterback, he's going to take a step forward. I. And every time there's nobody out there that watches film of Adam Thielen and does not believe that he's a great wide receiver, you go, he's always open, he always catches the ball, he runs great routes and, you know, I think the offense takes a step up. Oh, oh, oh.

[Mike Wright]

The fantasy court is obsession is this.

[Jason Moore]

I feel like we need to indict Jason.

[Mike Wright]

Plaintiffs plaintiff Jason Moore says Kirk Cousins will be in everyone's top five.

[Andy Holloway]

That's what you're indicting me for?

[Mike Wright]

The defendant, Jason Moore has Kirk Cousins in his top five six point quarterbacks.

[Andy Holloway]

Oh, you switched over to six point?

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, the real scoring format.

[Andy Holloway]

Okay, well, my point is. Well, then I stand correct. How can you indict me for being right? I said he'd be in top five. Now he is. How dare me.

[Jason Moore]

But that that would allow. We would have to concede that you're one of the experts by which you talked about Brooks. Can we get a ruling on whether or not.

[Andy Holloway]

What is he ruling on?

[Jason Moore]

Whether you're.

[Mike Wright]

You said he would not be in your.

[Jason Moore]

He's in your top five.

[Andy Holloway]

You're the highest of this. I was looking at the. The most recognized quarterback scoring, which is four points per passing touchdown, where he is number six. What?

[Jason Moore]

Oh, my God.

[Andy Holloway]

Is the ruling judge. Guilty.

[Jason Moore]

Thank you. Thank you.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, guilty as charged.

[Jason Moore]

That's all we asked for in this place.

[Mike Wright]

So back to Adam. Poor Adam Thielen.

[Jason Moore]

Can you give the Viking jersey to my Jason?

[Mike Wright]

Now Adam Thielen gets disrespected for fantasy football. He's being disrespected on this show right now. I apologize we have hijacked your segment. But my favorite stat of the offseason, that players with 19 plus red zone targets. There were 20 players and only three of them had an under 40% catch rate. One of those was Adam Thielen. Like Jason said, He had only four touchdowns, but the opportunities were there. He had 22 red zone targets. He only caught five of them. So it's. I don't think he's. I don't think he's hit his ceiling and he has a better quarterback now. So I. I'm going impress.

[Jason Moore]

I think Minnesota should speak to the fact that having a great defense doesn't nullify your offensive force. I mean, they have one of the best in the league.

[Mike Wright]

You still have to score points.

[Jason Moore]

You can't just play defense.

[Mike Wright]

No.

[Jason Moore]

All the time.

[Mike Wright]

No, you can't.

[Andy Holloway]

If you shut your opponents out.

[Mike Wright]

Okay.

[Andy Holloway]

I never corrected. No. And never scored. You still would never win a game. So you stand correct.

[Jason Moore]

All right, Kirk Cousins, Jason is now the official.

[Andy Holloway]

We'll have to have on our. We'll get you a episode. Maybe Kirk will show up.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, I have no doubt. All right, Evan Ingram, let's move to the tight end position. Regressor impress. Another great question. Last year, the tight end 5, 722 yards receiving, six touchdowns on 115 targets. The easy narrative is they had no one else. What's the truth, though? You watch those games. Evan Ingram was first read on a lot of plays from Eli Manning. No Beckham, no Marshall, no Shepard for a while. And what do we think that Evan Ingram can do? Mike, I know you've struggled the most with where to put him. He's our consensus six, so I think we've all given him the respect he deserves. I guess that would be continue to impress.

[Mike Wright]

And you're talking. It's a very small sample size, but the games with Odell Beckham. Evan Angream was actually only averaging about half a target fewer per game when Odell Beckham was on the field. The fact of the matter is since 1992 there have been two rookie tight ends with over 100 targets. Jeremy Shockey and Evan Angre. Now, having said that ever, Angram actually graded out pretty poorly. Terrible as a pass catcher. Last year, tight ends with over 100 targets, there were six of them. The second lowest catch rate was Gronk at 65.7%, which is Gronk. Is that still a fan? Fine catch rate. Evan Ingram was. Get that button ready because it was 55.7.

[Andy Holloway]

Oh, that's bad.

[Mike Wright]

That's not the 55 I want. No, you don't want that 55 as a tight end. I do not want your catch rate at 55. But he's. He was a first round pick. They got him out there immediately as.

[Jason Moore]

They had to force feed him. It was a lot of pressure on a young guy.

[Mike Wright]

I still think he will. I still like him in this area as a top five tight end. I think that the targets are not going to go away.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, I like him a lot, but he is a slight regression for me down to number seven. It's not so much the Odell Beckham.

[Jason Moore]

All tight ends regress because Kyle Rudolph.

[Andy Holloway]

Because Kyle Rudolph jumped him. Kyle Rudolph, please be healthy and get healthy. All right. No, the reality here is that if you look at the New York Giants and what they did last year and what they want to do now after drafting Saquon Barkley, I think the biggest shift we're going to see is the pass to rush ratio. Yes. You had injuries to Brandon Marshall and Sterling Shepard and Odell Beckham and so it was the Evan Ingram show. But last year you're talking about a 60% pass to 39.4% rush. That is not happening with Saquon. This is going to be a much more balanced team, which means total passing opportunities will go down. And now you have healthy receivers back. I have him get this. Catching 60% of his passes. Incredible.

[Mike Wright]

That's an impress.

[Andy Holloway]

Still. Still not great. And it is. That would. That would be a step up. But the targets are going to go down. So I have a hard time having him as a top five tight end.

[Jason Moore]

All right, this one we're going to have some debate on. Regressor impressed Jimmy Graham, tight end for the Green Bay Packers. Last year he was the fourth ranked tight end. The year before he was the fourth ranked tight end. Jimmy Graham hasn't been able to run in three years. He still finished at number four. That's where I have him. This year you guys have a much lower. And so I'm going to start this because I know I'm not going to get to finish it. Look, these NFL GMs, they're not fools. They're not trying to pay for old Jimmy Graham. They're buying current Jimmy Graham. And current Jimmy Graham is still a freak athlete and a goal line monster. Nobody's better in the red zone than Aaron Rodgers. And you got to distribute Aaron Rodgers 30 plus touchdowns somewhere. And they're not all going to Devonte Adams. I love Jimmy Graham. I think they spent the money because they're going to use him. And I don't have to appropriate thousands of yards to Jimmy Graham for him to be a top five tight end. So I've got him at four. I like him there. I think he's good. I mean last year he had a 520 yards and 57 receptions last year to finish four.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, I mean that's what you're going to get from Jimmy Graham. I've got him number 10 and I've got a number 10. This is this. It surprised me because I gave him nine touchdowns. I've got him with nine touchdowns, still finishing only tight end number 10. And that's because Kyle Rudolph, I don't, I don't believe that he's going to have the 90 plus targets that he had last year when it was basically the Doug Baldwin and Jimmy Graham show. You've, you've got other weapons. Even with Jordy leaving, you know, Aaron Rodgers is, you know, going to be out there with three wide receivers. Randall Cobb's going to get his. Devonte Adams going to get his. I don't think the target number will be high enough now. The touchdowns will come for Jimmy.

[Mike Wright]

His.

[Andy Holloway]

He'll have those good games, great DFS lineup type of guy. But I don't want to have to. I certainly will not be drafting Jimmy Graham to have a boom bust in my lineup every week, hoping this is the week he gets a touchdown.

[Jason Moore]

That's fair.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah. And that's why I don't want Jimmy Graham. The price is going to be too much come draft season. He, from 2016 to 2017, he dropped eight receptions and he dropped 400 yards from 14.2 yards of reception to 9.1, the lowest of his career. I, for me watching Jimmy Graham. I know that I'm not a professional scout for the NFL. I'm not in. I'm not running a team. And so clearly the GM for Green Bay thinks that Jimmy Graham has enough. But I think these guys make plenty of mistakes of thinking a guy still has it when he doesn't. And I think that Jimmy Graham does not have it anymore. He still has a very large body.

[Andy Holloway]

Six, seven.

[Mike Wright]

So the touchdowns could be there.

[Jason Moore]

It just feels like your whole argument isn't. It's based on the fact that he used to be something and now he's this something else. So that means no good. That's how it feels. I mean, that's how that it comes across. He used to put up these big numbers. So I'm going to ignore the numbers he's put up the last two years. I mean, he's been number four the past two years. Yeah, when all your arguments applied.

[Mike Wright]

No, he. Two years ago, like I said, he was 14 yards of reception. I mean, he was moving around fine. But last year, he. You just. You can see it watching him play football. He can. He cannot move like he used.

[Jason Moore]

No, he cannot. He cannot.

[Mike Wright]

So.

[Jason Moore]

And he cannot run.

[Mike Wright]

And then all the arguments, of course, of Aaron Rodgers with the tight end situation, and you can say, okay, was that chicken? Is that egg? Because he just hasn't had a good tight end. His best tight end finisher was Jermichael Finley in 2011. He finished as the tight end 6.

[Jason Moore]

Lots of people were excited about Martellus and Martellus Bennett.

[Mike Wright]

A lot of people are excited about.

[Jason Moore]

Jared Martella's been an average over four targets a game while he played for them. So, yeah, that's not the end of the world.

[Mike Wright]

I'm not. I'm not relying just on that argument, but I don't want. I don't.

[Jason Moore]

You don't want it.

[Mike Wright]

I don't want Jimmy.

[Jason Moore]

You don't want him on your team. That makes sense. All right. Hey, a reminder. Big announcement. The live tour. Yeah, it's coming. Fantasy for the People Tour. You can get your early tickets right now presented by draft, and that's how you get your tickets. Draft.comballers it's easy. You can get pre sale. You get your entry into the exclusive ticket presale lottery. People. When I teased that we were coming to a few of these cities, which, by the way, Minneapolis, Philadelphia, New York, Dallas and Phoenix, when I teased it before on the show or on the footcast, I had a lot of people hit me up and ask, hey, how do you get tickets? Well, now you can actually get them.

[Andy Holloway]

This is how. So draft.comballers sign up for draft.

[Jason Moore]

We want to see it. It'll be so much fun. And we. Last time we did a live podcast taping. I can tell you some things that happen. Jason watered a large quantity of our fans.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah.

[Jason Moore]

That lost in various come on out trivia battles. We answered a ton of live audience questions on your team. So much fun. And then we hung out for as long as they would let us.

[Mike Wright]

Yep.

[Andy Holloway]

Oh, yeah.

[Jason Moore]

After the show. And that's why we do it.

[Andy Holloway]

We do it called the Fantasy for the People tour.

[Mike Wright]

We say draft.comballers, you get in that presale lottery for the tickets. While you're there, play some freaking best ball.

[Andy Holloway]

Oh, heck yeah.

[Jason Moore]

And you may be able to see Brooks's face.

[Andy Holloway]

And if you're. Oh, that's true. If you're listening to this and it's after Friday, then. Then you might as well just go get your tickets, too.

[Jason Moore]

Ballerslive.com after Friday.

[Mike Wright]

Goodbye.

[Andy Holloway]

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.