Fantasy Football Podcast 2015 - AFC West Breakdown, News, Mailbag

Summary

Fantasy Footballers Podcast Summary: AFC West Breakdown, News, Mailbag

Episode Title: Fantasy Football Podcast 2015 - AFC West Breakdown, News, Mailbag
Release Date: June 16, 2015
Hosts: Andy Holloway, Jason Moore, Mike "The Fantasy Hitman" Wright

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Introduction

In this lively episode of the Fantasy Footballers Podcast, hosts Andy Holloway, Jason Moore, and Mike Wright dive deep into a comprehensive analysis of the AFC West, share the latest fantasy football news, and address listener questions. The trio combines insightful discussion with their trademark humor, providing listeners with valuable strategies to dominate their fantasy leagues.

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AFC West Divisional Breakdown

Oakland Raiders

The discussion begins with an in-depth look at the Oakland Raiders, a team often underestimated in fantasy football circles.

Quarterback Derek Carr:

• Jason Moore (14:49): "I like Derek Carr. He had a good rookie year. He was over 3,000 yards. I think he improves on that again."
  Despite being ranked 17th by Jason, Derek Carr's performance last season was underwhelming, with the offense struggling significantly. The Raiders ranked last in rushing and were 26th in passing offense.

Running Backs Roy Hulu vs. Latavius Murray:

• Andy Holloway (16:21):
  "Roy Hulu is a fantastic third-down back and I believe he is a person to watch. If Murray falters or falls, Hulu could take over as the workhorse back."
  Andy favors Hulu over Murray, citing his efficiency and versatility in the Raiders' offense.
• Jason Moore (16:35):
  "Latavius Murray is on pace for greatness, but Hulu presents a more reliable option."
  The hosts debate Murray's potential versus Hulu's current performance, acknowledging Andy's points while considering Jason’s perspective on Murray's upside.

Amari Cooper:

• Jason Moore (21:11):
  "Amari Cooper has the potential to catch 80 passes, but his ceiling is limited by the Raiders' offensive strategies."
  Cooper is seen as a steady but not explosive asset in fantasy football, with his performance likely tied closely to Derek Carr's effectiveness.

Notable Additions and Concerns:

• Andy Holloway (17:22):
  "Adding Lee Smith, a tight end and good run blocker, and Rodney Hudson, a top-tier center, are positive moves for the Raiders."
  These additions are expected to bolster the Raiders' offensive line, potentially improving overall team performance.

Denver Broncos

Next, the hosts turn their attention to the Denver Broncos, a team with high expectations thanks to star quarterback Peyton Manning.

Peyton Manning's Performance:

• Mike Wright (25:44):
  "Before his injury, Peyton was on pace for over 5,000 yards and 49 touchdowns. However, his second-half performance was lackluster."
  The discussion highlights the inconsistency in Manning's play due to injuries, affecting his fantasy value.

Running Back DeMarco Murray:

• Mike Wright (11:43):
  "DeMarco Murray is a top-tier fantasy RB, but the Cowboys' management might undervalue him, presenting a potential draft gem."
  A possible holdout by Murray could impact his availability and value in fantasy leagues.

Offensive Line and Supporters:

• Andy Holloway (24:39):
  "Drafting Max Garcia, a center, is crucial to secure Manning's protection and enhance the Broncos' offensive capabilities."
  Strengthening the offensive line is pivotal for maintaining Manning's performance and ensuring the running game remains effective.

Emmanuel Sanders:

• Mike Wright (32:47):
  "Emmanuel Sanders is one of the best values this season, offering high upside at a reasonable draft position."
  Sanders is praised for his consistency and potential to outperform his average draft position (ADP), making him a valuable asset in PPR leagues.

Kansas City Chiefs

The Chiefs’ offense, historically inconsistent, is scrutinized for its potential impact on fantasy football.

Offensive Rankings:

• Andy Holloway (35:46):
  "Kansas City's offense was 25th in yards and 29th in passing last season. Improvements are needed for better fantasy performance."
  The Chiefs face significant challenges in elevating their offensive output to a competitive level.

Key Players:

• Alex Smith:
  • Jason Moore (34:14):
    "Alex Smith is efficient but doesn't produce high fantasy numbers due to limited deep throws."
    Smith's conservative play style results in a solid but not spectacular fantasy QB option.
• Jeremy Macklin:
  • Jason Moore (37:04):
    "Jeremy Macklin could be a game-changer, but his performance heavily relies on the rapport with Alex Smith."
    Macklin's potential makes him a high-risk, high-reward pick in fantasy drafts.
• Wes Welker and Travis Kelce:
  • Andy Holloway (36:34):
    "Wes Welker's departure could hinder the Chiefs' passing game, but Travis Kelce remains a reliable tight end option."
    The dynamic between Kelce and Smith will be crucial for the Chiefs' offensive success.

Running Back Jamal Charles:

• Jason Moore (39:22):
  "Jamal Charles remains a top-tier RB, but his decreased involvement in the passing game last season raises concerns."
  Charles' health and usage will be key factors in his fantasy performance this season.

San Diego Chargers

The Chargers' offensive uncertainties and the return of key players are central to their fantasy outlook.

Philip Rivers and Danny Woodhead:

• Andy Holloway (45:25):
  "Philip Rivers had an inconsistent season, but with the return of Danny Woodhead, the Chargers' offense could see significant improvement."
  Woodhead's return from injury is anticipated to enhance the Chargers' passing game and provide a reliable RB option.
• Mike Wright (46:15):
  "Danny Woodhead is an undervalued asset, especially in PPR leagues, where his reception potential shines."
  Woodhead's versatility makes him a standout pick, often outperforming his draft ranking.

Notable Additions:

• Andy Holloway (43:03):
  "Upgrading the offensive line with Paul Fanica and adding Stevie Johnson bolsters the Chargers' capacity to run and pass effectively."
  Improved offensive line play is expected to complement Rivers and elevate the overall performance of the Chargers' offense.

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News and Notes

Eagles Release Evan Mathis

• Jason Moore (06:03):
  "Evan Mathis, the Eagles' number two guard, has been released. This could enhance the value of running backs like DeMarco Murray."
  Mathis' departure is likely to improve the Eagles' running game, which in turn could slightly diminish Murray's individual fantasy value by team improvement.

DeMarco Murray Holdout

• Mike Wright (10:37):
  "There's a 75% chance DeMarco Murray will miss a game due to a holdout, affecting his immediate fantasy value."
  Murray's potential absence is a significant consideration for fantasy managers, though long-term value remains strong.

Tampa Buccaneers Sign Tim Wright

• Jason Moore (12:54):
  "Tim Wright, previously with the Patriots, has been signed by Tampa. This move is part of Tampa's strategy to shake up their receiving corps."
  Wright's acquisition could influence the distribution of targets among Tampa's receivers, impacting their individual fantasy values.

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Mailbag and Listener Questions

Keeper League Decision: Gronk vs. Joseph Randle

• Listener Question (48:34):
  "Should I keep Rob Gronkowski with my third-round pick or go with Joseph Randle for my last 15th-round pick?"

• Hosts' Recommendations:

  • Andy Holloway (49:38, 50:08):
    "I'm taking Gronk in the third round. Gronk offers the number one positional advantage at tight end."
  • Mike Wright (50:08):
    "In a 10-team league, having an elite tight end like Gronkowski is crucial despite Joseph Randle's value."
  • Jason Moore (50:31):
    "Agreeing with Andy, securing a top tight end is worth the investment."

Conclusion: Gronkowski is recommended for his unparalleled fantasy value at the tight end position, despite being a third-round pick.

New Orleans Saints Running Backs: Mark Ingram vs. CJ Spiller

• Listener Question:
  "Should I keep Mark Ingram or CJ Spiller in my New Orleans Saints backfield for my PPR league?"

• Hosts' Recommendations:

  • Mike Wright (52:19):
    "CJ Spiller offers high upside in PPR leagues due to his involvement in the passing game, reminiscent of Darren Sproles."
  • Andy Holloway (52:37):
    "Mark Ingram remains the more reliable RB1, especially in goal-line situations, making him a safer keeper."
  • Jason Moore (52:54):
    "Balancing PPR value, Spiller provides significant upside but carries more risk compared to Ingram."

Conclusion: For PPR leagues, CJ Spiller is favored for his potential to exceed his ADP through receptions, while Mark Ingram remains a solid, reliable choice.

Keeper League Choices: Charles Johnson and Jason Whitten vs. Others

• Listener Question:
  "Should I keep Charles Johnson and Jason Whitten, or consider other options like Anquan Boldin or Blake Bortles?"

• Hosts' Recommendations:

  • Jason Moore (55:07):
    "Opting for Charles Johnson and Jason Whitten could limit your flexibility, especially if their performance is inconsistent."
  • Mike Wright (56:42):
    "Strongly advises against investing heavily in uncertain players like Whitten or Boldin early in the draft."
  • Andy Holloway (56:51):
    "Charles Johnson is a favorable keep, but the other options present significant risks."

Conclusion: Charles Johnson is a recommended keeper, while the other options may carry too much risk or limited upside.

Targeting Running Backs in Single-Back Systems

• Listener Question (57:41):
  "Which running backs are in single-back systems and not part of platoons or timeshares?"

• Hosts' Recommendations:

  • Mike Wright (57:42):
    "Players like Jamal Charles, Matt Forte, Marshawn Lynch, and Frank Gore are in primarily single-back roles, providing consistent workload."
  • Jason Moore (58:25):
    "Acknowledges that while single-back systems offer reliability, they may limit upside compared to more dynamic roles."
  • Andy Holloway (58:40):
    "Emphasizes the importance of workload and consistent touches, making these RBs valuable in their roles."

Conclusion: Targeting running backs in single-back systems like Jamal Charles and Matt Forte can provide consistent production without the uncertainties of timeshares.

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Notable Quotes

• Jason Moore (14:49):
  "I like Derek Carr. He had a good rookie year. He was over 3,000 yards. I think he improves on that again."

• Andy Holloway (16:21):
  "Roy Hulu is a fantastic third-down back and I believe he is a person to watch. If Murray falters or falls, Hulu could take over as the workhorse back."

• Mike Wright (25:44):
  "Before his injury, Peyton was on pace for over 5,000 yards and 49 touchdowns. However, his second-half performance was lackluster."

• Andy Holloway (45:25):
  "Philip Rivers had an inconsistent season, but with the return of Danny Woodhead, the Chargers' offense could see significant improvement."

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Conclusion

This episode of the Fantasy Footballers Podcast offers a thorough analysis of the AFC West teams, highlighting key players and potential fantasy implications. The hosts provide strategic insights into keeper league decisions and offer nuanced evaluations of listener questions, ensuring that even those unfamiliar with the episode can glean valuable information for their fantasy football strategies.

For more detailed discussions and up-to-date analysis, visit thefantasyfootballers.com and follow the hosts on Twitter.

Transcript

[Andy Holloway]

Foreign.

[Mike Wright]

To the Fantasy Footballers podcast with your hosts, Andy Holloway, Jason Moore and Mike Wright.

[Jason Moore]

Hello, everybody. Welcome to the Fantasy Footballers. It is Tuesday, June 16th. Andy, Mike, and Jason are with you again. How you guys doing today?

[Mike Wright]

Pretty good. Pretty good.

[Andy Holloway]

I picked myself up my. Myself up off the floor after Sunday night. We got after Sunday night. The. The season's over. That's all I'm gonna say about it.

[Jason Moore]

Oh, wait till Thursday. Thursday world.

[Andy Holloway]

Yes.

[Jason Moore]

You're talking about Game of Thrones.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, it's. It's over. And I'm very sad now. It's an entire year without Thrones.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah. Yeah. I don't know.

[Mike Wright]

Reason. That's the reason, right?

[Andy Holloway]

That's. That's the only reason.

[Jason Moore]

I've got dinosaurs on the brain. I went, oh, man, Jurassic World.

[Mike Wright]

Didn't you go see Jurassic World with that amazing dude?

[Jason Moore]

Nope. Oh, it's for those of us that were like, Jurassic park fans. Like, I was like 10 years old when that movie came out. It was the perfect homage to that movie. I loved it. I loved every minute of it.

[Mike Wright]

I did, too. I was really afraid it was gonna be way over the top and really stupid and it was way over the.

[Jason Moore]

Top and really awesome.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, I thoroughly enjoyed it. Very good.

[Jason Moore]

Welcome to the show. We are the Fantasy footballers. No, we don't talk about Jurassic park and Game of Thrones all the time. We talk about fantasy football, fantasy dinosaurs.

[Andy Holloway]

I got the Raptors.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah.

[Jason Moore]

You can follow us on twitterffballers. You can visit our website, the fantasy footballers.com. if you have a question for us, you can email us mail at the fantasy footballers.com or you can call our voice mailbox 302464, TFFB. Quick question for you guys today. I'm throwing this one out there. Does it bother you when your opponent has the quarterback throwing to your main wide receiver, your wide receiver? 1. Does that bother you or do you like it?

[Mike Wright]

I love it, but I hate it. Stands to reason if I like that. I hate having the opposite. I hate when my quarterback has the guy, you know where. Because essentially wide receiver makes more on every single play.

[Jason Moore]

So it's like not in every league.

[Mike Wright]

But I would say majority of them.

[Jason Moore]

Because they're getting yards per 10 versus 25 for a quarterback. Yeah, exactly.

[Mike Wright]

So it's like one of those things where every single time that the quarterback throws to the wide receiver, the wide receiver wins and the quarterback loses. So.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, but they could just not throw to that wide receiver.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah.

[Andy Holloway]

There's always that potential where the quarterback can have a Good day. And your wide receiver can stink.

[Jason Moore]

I've had it go both ways. I've had it. You know, I've got Demaryius Thomas and I think I'm going to shut. Oh, that means Peyton's going to throw the ball at him all the time and then he just chucks it to Julius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders and no touchdowns. I don't know. I don't like it. Any time that they can be nullified.

[Andy Holloway]

It's a frustrating situation. It's similar to when you're playing your stud and then in the other league you're playing against him. So you are simultaneously very happy and very upset whenever they score.

[Mike Wright]

So follow up. Quick question. Do you enjoy having the quarterback and the wide receiver combo on your own team? The Peyton dt? Yeah, I love it.

[Jason Moore]

Oh yeah, yeah.

[Andy Holloway]

We've been over the double stuff. Speaking of the double stuff, I did some, some further research because I felt it had to be done.

[Jason Moore]

I went all food research has to be done.

[Andy Holloway]

This is for science. This is for the footballer nation. The listeners need to know. I got a pack of mega stuff.

[Mike Wright]

That's a lot.

[Jason Moore]

Do you have to ebay that? No, it was in the local supermarket.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, in the local food market. There was a. Just a small bag I got him. It's too much.

[Mike Wright]

Too much. Good stuff, huh?

[Andy Holloway]

It's the. The cream to cookie ratio is too much.

[Mike Wright]

Gotta have that double stuff.

[Andy Holloway]

The double stuff is the Goldilocks baby bear version of the cookie where the regular is too little. Then mega stuff.

[Jason Moore]

I really appreciate you doing that research for us, Mike.

[Mike Wright]

Yes.

[Jason Moore]

That's hard work.

[Mike Wright]

If you could bring that here so we can verify the scientific experiments we've got. Test the outcome.

[Jason Moore]

We've got a really good show for you today. We're starting some divisional breakdowns so we're going to go through the AFC west today. We're going to talk about all the new additions to those teams. If you haven't followed the off season very closely or if you want to kind of get a rundown of each of those teams, we're going to go through that today. We're also going to hit the mailbag, go over some news and notes and right now we're going to read a review from our listeners. Right.

[Mike Wright]

Review a source. Rex, this one comes in from J Money. Five stars, my fa. He says, my favorite podcast. Hands down, these bros have great advice and keep it real. I will tell my league mates to listen. Ain't scurred. Very nice, J. Mani.

[Andy Holloway]

These just get better every week.

[Jason Moore]

Thank you for that.

[Andy Holloway]

I was not prepared. No. For J. Mani. Oh, man. Well, you too can leave a review.

[Jason Moore]

For us on itunes. Just search for fantasy football. You'll see us there. And then click on our name, leave us a five star review. We really. I can never do that to you.

[Andy Holloway]

We really appreciate it. They really helped the show out with the charts and exposure as we try and grow. Yeah.

[Jason Moore]

And if you have a question, you can also hop onto Twitter and talk to Mike. Mike's always on there. We're on there, too, but Mike just trumps us. He's just stuffing Oreos in his mouth and answering questions all day long.

[Andy Holloway]

I got lightning thumbs.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah. So you guys want to talk some news and notes?

[Mike Wright]

Let's do it. News and notes from around the league.

[Jason Moore]

All right, let's talk Eagles. They released this was kind of rumored for a while that he probably wouldn't be here. Evan Mathis, guard for the Eagles. He was the number two ranked guard on Pro Football Focus last year for. What's that? For whatever that's worth. He played in nine games for them last year and he's been released. He is gone, cut. And he will no longer be with the team. He will definitely be with another team.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah.

[Andy Holloway]

Yes.

[Jason Moore]

That's kind of what I was going to get at. So is he going to make more of an impact going into someplace than he is leaving Philly? Are you worried about this at all or.

[Andy Holloway]

I'm not. Let's see. So I'm not worried for Mathis. I think he's going to jump on and I bet he jumps on a team.

[Jason Moore]

But nobody's drafting Mathis.

[Andy Holloway]

That's true. But Mathis will improve a running game tremendously. We saw what happened to the Eagles last year when Mathis was out and when he was in the running game was. Was far more productive. And this is something people need to pay attention to because where he goes, it may improve the value of a running back.

[Mike Wright]

So if it improves the value of a running back, doesn't it stand to reason that it, you know, hurts demarco Murray?

[Jason Moore]

I say, yes, it does hurt him. I mean, this is not something where it's a massive change in how we would rank a guy. But here's why I think it definitely hurts them. We had Andrew Goldwasser of NFL Spin Zone. He's the Eagles beat writer. He's. He's been covering that team for many, many years. Knows them inside and out. And he has talked all offseason how much he does not want them to lose. Evan Mathis no matter what kind of problems he was causing, he did not want to lose him because of how good he is on the field. And so I think this is one of those things that in fantasy football, you don't blow this up and make it more than it should be and drop DeMarco Murray out of your top 20 or something silly like that, but you file it away as a difference maker in the back of your mind, when you're comparing him with somebody else. I mean, that's what I do when I get news like this is I say, well, you know, these two guys are on the scale. It's DeMarco Murray and it's Arian Foster. It's DeMarco Murray and It's this other guy. This is something that goes in the negative category for DeMarco and Ryan.

[Andy Holloway]

Actually, I shot Goldie. That's what we call him. He's our buddy Goldie. A message right after this happened, and I said, what's the who's. What's the impact? Who's replacing it? And he was talking. He talked up Alan Barbrey, I believe that's how you pronounce it. He said, he's good. And the other guard spot will be probably Matt Tobin, who he's not very sold on, but at least one of the replacements candidates is still a solid player.

[Mike Wright]

So do you think. Do you think Chip Kelly has gone, like, power crazy?

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, a little bit.

[Mike Wright]

I mean, it's like, if things work out this year, I think we'll go too over the top with, like, mad genius, you know, but they're like, I respect a lot of the things he's doing, the fact that he's breaking the mold, that he's willing to do what he sees is right. But, you know, you go against the grain too much so often, and you better be right or you're going to be a fool.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, you just have to be right. That's what it comes down to. I remember when Green came into Arizona and he, like, got power hungry and, like, who did he. One of our best offensive linemen. He just cut to send a message.

[Mike Wright]

Didn't work out well?

[Jason Moore]

No, it didn't work out well. So, I mean, that wasn't necessarily this case, but, yeah, it better work. If it works, he's a genius. Let's move on to the Ravens. I want to talk about. We've talked about Brashad Perryman a lot as a volume candidate in Baltimore, as a. A rookie coming in with a good opportunity with Joe Flacco to make A mark. The Baltimore sun did mention Kamar Akin as a legitimate competitor for the Ravens number two spot. They said he's looked really good in OTAs. What do you make of that competition? Do you think Perryman comes out on top?

[Andy Holloway]

I would assume that Perryman will come out on top.

[Jason Moore]

You the investment?

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah. Well, it's not just investment. It's the. The reports on Perryman have been great, and I don't know Aiken's measurables, but there's no possible way he's faster than Perryman. The guy is. No, the guy is pure lightning. So I just think that he'll end up. I think Perryman still wins out the job, but this is something to keep an eye on.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, just something to push Pearman. I see.

[Jason Moore]

Throwing something out there. DEZ Bryant news Dallas never like to hear this. Possibly a holdout that could last into the season.

[Andy Holloway]

He is quoted. He's on the record now where he has said, this is not a rumor. I will hold out if he doesn't get a contract.

[Jason Moore]

Is that just posturing? I mean, what. What percentage chance do you think this has to come to fruition? That would be the best thing for fantasy.

[Mike Wright]

I think this has a 75% chance of him missing a game right now. That's what I would put in that. That might sound like really, really high, but I just don't see them making an offer because Jerry Jones has been playing hardball all year and I don't know. He's just. He's been doing some crazy things. And I think that they'll continue to do that and have him miss a game and then sign a contract. That's my prediction. But I certainly think that if they don't pay him, Des will miss a game.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, I completely agree. If they don't give him the contract, I think he sits. He just seems to have the temperament of the guy who.

[Jason Moore]

He knows what he's worth.

[Andy Holloway]

Pay me what I'm worth. I know what I do for this team. And speaking of power hungry, I mean, the. Or power crazy Jones and Dallas, I mean, we're not really sure what they're doing with the. The arrogance of the running back situation. You throw this into the mix of thinking, well, we'll just get away with not paying one of the best receivers in football and we'll just franchise him.

[Mike Wright]

And you get some real bad vibes around the Cowboys really quickly if this escalates.

[Andy Holloway]

Yes.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, that would be bad for Mr. Romo as well.

[Mike Wright]

I dropped Des in my rankings because I've got. I've got pretty much seven guys that I, I see each one of them being able to finish number one. Des is one of those guys and as of right now, until something comes becomes more clear, I put him seventh on that list.

[Andy Holloway]

I would actually look for a Des owner in keeper league and see if they're panicking at all.

[Mike Wright]

Nab him up because if, if he.

[Andy Holloway]

Misses any time it won't be much and then he'll be back on track. But maybe you can get a slight discount Right now.

[Jason Moore]

Let's talk about Tampa. They signed Tim Wright off of waivers. Surprisingly got cut from by New England. He was the acquisition in the Logan Mankins trade from New England over to Tampa. We mentioned him mostly because of if you had some excitement around Austin Safari and Jenkins, you probably don't have anymore. I mean these two guys played together already once and neither guy could string two good games together.

[Mike Wright]

So was this the regime that drafted Wright or was that the.

[Andy Holloway]

Wright was not drafted. I believe. I believe.

[Jason Moore]

And he wasn't. No, he was not brought by Lovey.

[Mike Wright]

He didn't sign him the rookie year because he had that great rookie year.

[Jason Moore]

No, because Lovey was only his first year was last year. Yeah, but we mentioned that just so you're aware of it. Tim Wright is no longer a patriot. He is now a buccaneer and 10 teams put in claims on him.

[Andy Holloway]

Tim Wright went unselected in the 2013.

[Jason Moore]

NFL Draft, including New Orleans by the way, which tells you maybe a little bit of Josh Hill concern. But want to remind Everybody about fantasydraft wizard.com fantasydraftwizard.com that is the site that we use to mock drafts on our last show and it was awesome. We had a lot of listeners that were tweeting us pictures of their drafts. It is free. It is just a website you can go on to and very quickly pick a spot and mock draft all different leagues, formats, PPR standard and get an idea of where you are sitting right now. What kind of values are out there. Kind of put into practice some of the things that are swirling in your head. Hopefully the things that you've got from this show. So check it out. Fantasydraftwizard.com and yeah, tweet us those pictures. We're happy to let you know what we think.

[Andy Holloway]

No sitting around as people turn, they leave the draft and the computer doesn't recognize that they're not there and then you have to wait an entire clock for them to auto pick and it's so frustrating. Get it all Done by yourself?

[Jason Moore]

Yep. Sounds good to me. All right, let's talk AFC West. We're going through. We're going to be doing divisional breakdowns on every single team or every division in football and that will encompass every single team.

[Mike Wright]

That's how that works.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah. So let's talk everybody's favorite offense. The Oakland Raiders are number one on the board.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah. We got blasted by some Raiders fans saying that we had no Raiders love.

[Jason Moore]

He just hadn't listened to the show enough.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, it's true.

[Jason Moore]

Because if he had, he knew that. I like Derek Carr. I actually did my quarterback rankings this week. Derek Carr is at number 17 for me, which I think is pretty generous.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, higher than.

[Jason Moore]

Higher than the average. I like Derek Carr. He had a good rookie year. He was over 3,000 yards. I think he, he improves on that again. But this offense struggle. This offense was 32nd in the league. Doesn't get worse than that.

[Mike Wright]

No, but where does it go?

[Jason Moore]

Nowhere to go. But.

[Mike Wright]

Nowhere to go.

[Andy Holloway]

But it's astute.

[Jason Moore]

Yes. They were the 26th passing offense. The last place rushing offense. Guess that's why you don't like Latavius Maria much. Maybe. And second to last in the league in points per game. They bring in Jack Del Rio though. Brand new head coach Bill Musgrave as an offensive coordinators joining the fray there. And there's some optimism here. We got Amari Cooper that just arrived via the draft. Cliff Walford. Clive. Clive. I'm sorry. Yeah. Clive Walford was a third round tight end draft pick. And they also brought in a guard in the fourth round. What, what are some impressions of their offseason?

[Andy Holloway]

I like, I like the moves that they've. The. That they've made. The guy who I am most interested in realistically on their team is Roy Hulu. They gave Roy Hulu a decent sized contract for a running back. He's getting. He's getting more money than Trent Richardson. Roy Hulu is a fantastic third down back and I believe he is a person to watch. If Murray kind of falters or falls on his face at all, then I would not be surprised at all to see Hulu kind of take over the, the, the workhorse area. You're shaking your head at me. Yeah.

[Jason Moore]

Because I could not disagree with you more.

[Andy Holloway]

Well, here, here's the Roy who will.

[Jason Moore]

Have exactly the same fantasy relevance that he's had over the last few years.

[Andy Holloway]

Here's the numbers on Latavius Murray. There was four games where he got an actual workload. So he averaged.

[Jason Moore]

How can this turn into Latavius Murray hate time.

[Andy Holloway]

I'm. No, no, no.

[Mike Wright]

We're just going through always Latavius Murray hate.

[Andy Holloway]

Seriously, we're just going through realistic numbers. So he, when he averaged 17 carries a game through the four games where he got double digit he got, he had 64 yards a game, 3.8 yards of carry. He did add three catches. So he can do that. But, but those are not the numbers to me that speak. Instant excitement about a guy taking over a job with absolutely no. No looking back. When you. When Roy. Hello. While his sample size is also small, he's averaged over four and a half yards of carry. So I don't see why you can shake your head and, and completely dis or dismiss Roy Halou when they both have a small sample size. But Hulu has better production because Roy.

[Jason Moore]

Hulu is a third down back. He's a pass protecting back and he's, he's not a guy they're going to hand the ball off between the tackles. If Latavius Murray goes down, I think no problem. They're hand the ball to Trent Richardson two downs and to Hulu in the third down roll. But I mean it just surprised me that Halu is the guy that stands out as a, as a fantasy name when we're talking Amari Cooper, Derek Carr. Crabtree is there now.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah.

[Jason Moore]

But Kendall Tompkins is there.

[Andy Holloway]

Well, Kimbrell is, he's not been very good and I'm not a big fan of receivers changing teams especially if they're not upgrading their quarterback situation. And Crabtree is not as. I think Derek Carr has a chance to become good quarterback in the league but he's, he needs a lot of work to get there. A positive for the running game of Oakland. They added Lee Smith, a tight end. He's a, he's a good run blocker. And they snuck away Rodney Hudson, the center who graded out as the third best center from Pro Football Focus. So that's. Those are positive signs.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, I think, I think I'm actually growing higher and higher on Latavius Murray. And the reason kind of what you were saying with some of the coaching changes, Bill Musgrave coming in and Jack Del Rio is not going to finish. I mean he, I don't see him as a great coach personally, but I never see him finishing 32nd in the league and running as they did last year. He's going to run the ball. He's going to run it a lot. He's going to focus on the offensive line and in the Trenches. That's where he has always made a living as a coach.

[Jason Moore]

And so Fred Taylor, Adrian Peterson, the list goes on.

[Mike Wright]

It's, it's, it's pretty, pretty wide and deep. And you know, you got to give Adrian Peterson, Adrian Peterson's credit, I think. But you know, you look at the games that he played, Mike, last year when you said, you know, he had 3.3 yards carry, 3.7, and you know, that stretch was San Francisco, Kansas City and Buffalo, three of the best run these, you know, last year. And so I think that, I think his opportunity is going to be there this year. I think their O line is going to be better this year. I think with the addition of Crabtree and Cooper, they're not going to be able to stack the box as much this year. Last year you could focus on that. You had a rookie quarterback. So I think that lanes will be open. I think that Latavius Murray is talented. I think the opportunity will be there. So he's the guy that I'm a little bit excited about.

[Jason Moore]

Well, and you see the disparity here between Mike and I. Mike has Latavius Murray currently ranked as a 32nd running back in standard leagues and I have them all the way at 16 in standard league. So that's a pretty big gap and that's why we're having that debate here. Did you want to add anything, Mike, or should we press on?

[Andy Holloway]

No, I think that's pretty good.

[Mike Wright]

What do we think? Because I like to just, you know, gauge the temperature of each team. Are things going well? Are things going bad? What's the feeling of the Raiders?

[Andy Holloway]

To me it's, to me, it's just a little stagnant right now where I'll give them a slight incline of things. Are things look like they're headed the right direction with the moves they've, that they've made. But it's going to take a few years and some drafts and to really know what when we're talking fantasy. Well, I'm not just talking about overall, the Raiders. I'm talking about their offense specifically.

[Jason Moore]

So let's talk for a minute about Amari Cooper before we move on in the AFC West. Amari Cooper is coming in as a much heralded prospect. I have him in the 80 to 90 catch area as a rookie and I think him and Carr have the ability to do some damage. Where do you guys see Amari Cooper finishing? A lot of people are going to be making decisions on him both in dynasty leagues and redraft leagues. So what is his ceiling. What is Amari Cooper's ceiling? Because all indications out of OTAS is that he's looking really good as well.

[Mike Wright]

I think his ceiling is limited and I think his floor is very high. But personally I don't see him as, you know, the ODB type, you know, that could blow it up. And the reason is because of the Raiders. I don't think that they're going to be a pass first, you know, team under that regime. I think that that's going to limit him bringing in Crabtree will take some targets around and I agree with you, Andy. I think he could catch 80 passes. So I'm not saying that he's not going to be good, but you draft these rookies like, you know, with that hope that he's just going to come out and be a. Be an absolute fantasy football difference maker the way that some of those you're always hoping you get that blow up rookie. And I just think that he's limited because of the, you know, the ideals of the offense that he's in. That's going to keep him away from having as high a potential as others, other rookies.

[Andy Holloway]

The limit to me is the touchdowns. I think he could easily get 100,000 being the 100,000.

[Jason Moore]

I heard the first thing.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, I think he can get that. But I'm not sure that the touchdowns will be there to really make the difference week to week.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, some inconsistency is to be expected there for sure. I agree with that. Any other thoughts on Oakland? Do you see this team winning any more games than last year? Last year they were a 3 and 13 team in that division.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, I think the win more games. I think that they're getting a little better in real world. I don't think they'll be great. I think they'll be bad. But not last year.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, they'll have a better defense for sure with Jack coming.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, I'll give them maybe four wins though.

[Jason Moore]

All right, let's turn over to a much different franchise. The 12 and 4 Denver Broncos. Okay, so some big.

[Mike Wright]

That was a Bronco.

[Jason Moore]

Oh, okay. That's really good, Jason.

[Mike Wright]

I'm working on my audio drops but I'm going to do it like that.

[Jason Moore]

That's going to save us money. Significant, significant losses for. Yeah, that. That's one of the big ones. Right. Gary Kubiak is coming in. The Kubbs is the head coach now of the Denver Broncos. Adam Gaze is gone as the offensive coordinator and they bring in Rick Denison now they have some significant losses. They Lost Julius Thomas. He's a fantasy darling in the tight end circle. Or was. Now he's with Jacksonville, which we will talk about as well. Ryan Clayty lost with an ACL in OTAs. A big offensive line loss for Denver, but not something that they haven't had to deal with before. We've talked about Ryan Claydy going out, unfortunately, before for them. They lost many. Ramirez.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah. He's a decent guard. The bigger problem is they lost Orlando Franklin.

[Jason Moore]

Yep.

[Andy Holloway]

Who's a top five left guard.

[Jason Moore]

And so some major losses there.

[Mike Wright]

Hey, whoa.

[Andy Holloway]

Wes Welker. Don't forget about.

[Mike Wright]

Oh, Wes. Yeah. It's not just all about big Poppy. Okay.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah. Well, Wes is gone and Wes has not found another team. And Wes might not remember very, very much right now.

[Andy Holloway]

He's still on the Broncos.

[Jason Moore]

He might think he might show up on day one.

[Andy Holloway]

He reported Patriots office space that he's just. He's gonna play but not get paid.

[Mike Wright]

I got my football.

[Jason Moore]

So what we took care of the problem.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah.

[Jason Moore]

Talk to me, Mike, about some of the key additions for this team. Did they make up for what they lost?

[Andy Holloway]

I don't know if they completely made up for it. They drafted Max Garcia, center, in the fourth round, which was good news to me as they were currently lined up for Geno Gradkowski to start. And that would not go well for the Broncos if that's who their starting center would be. So hopefully Garcia can show that he's ready to. To play. And I actually did a little more digging on Peyton Manning, and this is what I wanted to say about Manning, that the. The myth that is Peyton Manning has kind of blown out of control since the 2013. The fantasy Peyton Manning has since the 2013 season happened because in 2013, he put up 450 for about 55 and 105,500 yards and 55 touchdowns. The three years before that, he averaged 414 completions. 4,600 yards and 34 touchdowns. That's what he averaged through those three years.

[Mike Wright]

Good numbers, but not top of the right.

[Andy Holloway]

Where but that one year happens, and all of a sudden you think, well, he's. He's clearly the greatest fancy quarterback of all time. We get. We get this recency bias and. And don't take anything I'm saying as I'm not crapping on Peyton Manning at all. He's one of the best quarterbacks of all time. But I just think people need to kind of recalibrate.

[Mike Wright]

Prior to that year, Peyton Manning was thought of as like the Best quarterback in football, but not your best fantasy football option. You know, you'd rather have normally like four or five guys over him. Peyton didn't go two even or three a lot of those years, and then he blows up. And you're exactly right. We just assume that's going to be repeating and it hasn't.

[Andy Holloway]

However, I did a, I did a pace check with Manning last year because we, the injury, we're not exactly sure how much that affected his play, but because that, and that really creeped in, in week 12 and that's where the team kind of shifted into the C.J. anderson run mode and. But through 11 games, he was on pace for over 5,000 yards and 49 touchdowns.

[Mike Wright]

So pretty good.

[Jason Moore]

Well, and I think too, when he, you know, he had his year off and then he comes into Denver and starts to make that offense move and has humongous weapons and turns guys like Julius Thomas into superstars, and I just think that the career separation between Indianapolis and Denver and what he did in Denver and breaking records in Denver last year freaked people out. The end of the year freak people out. So I guess the question one, since we're talking about Peyton, is what is he right now to you? I mean, Mike, I can look your rankings up, but I believe I have.

[Andy Holloway]

Him as a top five quarterback.

[Jason Moore]

You do. You have him at number five right now.

[Andy Holloway]

And Russell Wilson, I know, is going to come down in my ranking. So Manning would, would de facto up to four. And then just the. I don't know, just as, as I did this divisional breakdown today where I was really diving into, into some guys, I think I'm fading Manning too much, as well as thinking that the, the team is going to completely shift to run. I know, I know the Coops likes to run, but I just.

[Jason Moore]

It's Peyton Manning.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, it's still Peyton Manning. And I think I'm going to pump my brakes a little bit on CJ Anderson.

[Mike Wright]

So I've got Peyton Manning at number seven, which was one of my big surprises when I did it. I was really surprised to see him that low on, on mine. And I do think there's going to be a shift to running. And I've heard, you know, some people say there's not that big a disparity between, you know, Kubiak and Baltimore last year and the Broncos. And that's true.

[Andy Holloway]

That is true.

[Mike Wright]

But that is taking into account the end of the year of the Broncos where they ran the ball all the time because Peyton wasn't throwing that much and how Were Peyton's stats during that time, they weren't that good. So when you look, you can't do the pace. Right. You can't do the pace of the first 11 games and say he was on pace for this great offensive production. But then look at the total of their running versus passing and compare that to Baltimore. So my point is I think where he finished last year is a little bit closer to what I expect rather than taking into account that injury. And I expect a slight regression. So that's where I got him at 7.

[Jason Moore]

Here's the thing about him is I think you're either going to win or you're going to lose with him.

[Mike Wright]

Right?

[Jason Moore]

Right. Because either you believe that the injury caused a problem and the second half of the year was anomalous or you believe that the second half of the year was the new trajectory for Peyton Manning. And so. And he might surprise the other direction.

[Mike Wright]

And where you're drafting him is exactly what causes you to win or lose. You're either getting an incredible value because of where he's going if he returns form or that's way too high to grab a middling quarterback.

[Jason Moore]

So let me ask one important question to you both. Julius Thomas was a red zone monster for that team and Peyton Manning has a history of using tight ends very efficiently from Dallas Clark all the way through to Julius Thomas. So Owen Daniels, Virgil Green, which guy would you rather have on your roster? And that is not asking you which would you draft first? Which would you rather have on your fantasy?

[Andy Holloway]

Right now it's Owen Daniels because Owen Daniels has been lifelong mates with the Kubbs. He follows them everywhere they ride or die.

[Jason Moore]

And number three for him and Owen.

[Andy Holloway]

Daniels, under that time he's averaged 109 targets a year. So Manning is going to be the best quarterback that he's ever played with. I see Owen Daniels where I'm not taking him here but he has 70 plus catch potential in that offense and. And clearly the coops doesn't mind drawing things up for Owen Daniels.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah.

[Jason Moore]

What do you think, Jay? Are you on The Owen side?

[Mike Wright]

100%. And in fact he's one of my guys on the tight end list that I would have no problem waiting until my last positional pick and drafting Owen Daniels with it.

[Jason Moore]

It's interesting. Yeah, I mean I actually lean on the Virgil Green side because I just see Owen Daniels as being capped by his athleticism and his age.

[Mike Wright]

I think Virgil Green is too good a run blocker to be used there. He's his. He's so Good at run blocking that. That's where they're going to have him in the coop system.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah. He was, however, seven for seven last year. His catch percentage was 100% pretty good.

[Jason Moore]

They like him. They like them both. I'm just curious what Owen has left in the tank. I suppose if he has enough left, he'll be efficient there. Any other thoughts on Denver before we move on? They still have demarious Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders. Cody Latimer is coming into his second year with a lot more experience and so he could make a mark. Somebody you want to keep your eyes on because you never know, especially with an injury. Peyton Manning's number two target wouldn't be too bad if one of those other guys went down.

[Andy Holloway]

I think the number two is Emmanuel Sanders. It's still going to be Sanders. I know the people are.

[Jason Moore]

Oh, I agree with you.

[Andy Holloway]

People are. They're freaking a little bit because Sanders had come out and said, oh, we're going to run and he's hoping to get. Maybe he'll get to a thousand yards. And I think Sanders is still a very, very, very strong wide receiver too. With that one upside throughout the weeks and the one. The last thing that I wanted to touch on because we had mentioned this of the Monte Ball numbers. The second.

[Jason Moore]

The last show, the mailbag show.

[Mike Wright]

Yes.

[Andy Holloway]

And Monte Ball was. He was running 4.7 yards of carrying. And so these are the numbers he put up 120 carries, 559 yards, four touchdowns. And that's playing 26% of the snaps. Those, those are good numbers to play. 20 to 1/4 of the season and.

[Mike Wright]

They'Ve been splitting reps, splitting first team reps in camp. So that to me was like the. That was like my, you know, gut drop. And I was like, no, don't split first team reps. That's so. That just sucks so much. I'm definitely cooling there. But real quick, back to Emmanuel Sanders because I think you don't want to.

[Jason Moore]

Let me gloat at all about.

[Andy Holloway]

I heard the hammer come down. No, I saw the glowing.

[Jason Moore]

If only someone could have seen the future.

[Mike Wright]

Yes. So. Well, you know, the future is still in the future and we don't know.

[Jason Moore]

I know.

[Mike Wright]

But Emmanuel Sanders is a guy that I think right now is one of the best values that I can see really clearly to me, because he came out and said that because of the fears of regression and all of that because of Cody Latimer, there's a lot of reasons that people are dropping him and not respecting what he did last year, what he's capable of and so where you're getting him, you can grab him, you know, sometimes in late you can get him in the fourth round, you know, and you've got a wide receiver one upside there, you know, you don't have to grab him in the first to get a possible wide receiver one. I just love that value and I'm. I am big on the draft. Emmanuel Sanders, if he's. If his ADP stays where it's at and continues to drop because I think he'll beat that. I'm not saying he'll finish as a top absolute wide receiver, but I am saying he will beat his ADP for sure.

[Andy Holloway]

Do you think Sanders plays fantasy football? Is he tanking his value so he can draft himself?

[Jason Moore]

Slow play.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, I like it. Good job, Emmanuel.

[Jason Moore]

I don't know. I'm still fading on him. When you put up all career highs, it's hard to do that well.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, well, I don't think he's going to duplicate what he did.

[Jason Moore]

However, I think that's why you put them in the two category with value potential like Jason said. All right, let's move on to the Kansas City Chiefs.

[Andy Holloway]

The chefs.

[Jason Moore]

The home of.

[Mike Wright]

That's good, but who the shifts.

[Jason Moore]

The home of Jeremy Macklin. Everybody's favorite wide receiver. I don't know if I gave the numbers for Denver's offense, but it was number two in scoring and number four in passing. Kansas City was in the lower half in terms of offense. The 25th ranked offense in terms of yards, 29th in passing. Offense we all know about. Well, presumably we all know that they didn't have a wide receiver score a touchdown during the entire calendar year. The Andy Reid, Doug Peterson offense was right in the middle of the pack in terms of scoring, top 10 rushing. Very efficient. One of the guys I was surprised in my rankings that I actually have higher than I would have thought is Alex Smith. He's still a. He's like 20 for me. I believe in a standard league, but Smith is very efficient, but he doesn't take a lot of chances. He didn't throw downfield a lot. There's plenty of arguments for why that is. Did he not have weapons? Does that just not who he is? It's a little of both, but big losses. Dwayne Bowe is no longer a Kansas City chief. Anthony Fasano is gone, which is more addition by subtraction with Travis Kelsey probably Zeus. Jeremy Macklin has joined the team and Paul Fanica comes over at guard and so let's talk a little bit about. I think the passing game is what people want to hear about beyond, you know, we can talk Jamal Charles and Travis Kelsey, but does Jeremy Macklin have a shot here?

[Andy Holloway]

I have a very fun fact.

[Jason Moore]

Oh great.

[Andy Holloway]

This is Dwayne. This is more Duane Bowe related, but this is fun facts with Dwayne Bo. From 2010 to 2012, Dwayne Bowe averaged 130 targets, 71 catches, 1041 yards, seven touchdowns. Now the touchdowns are a little skewed because he had that 15 touchdown year. He had three different old coordinators during that time. So he had to learn and learn a new system every single time. So 71 over a thousand. In comes captain check down Alex Smith. In the two years that Alex Smith has been there, he's averaged 100 targets, 65 catches, so a couple less. But 723 yards, a 300 yard difference on six catches.

[Jason Moore]

No comment.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, you know, even, even all that considered the guy that I'm, you know, it's not for all leagues but captain check down, as you call him, Alex Smith, I am really liking him in two quarterback leagues because you can draft him anywhere. You can get him at the very, very, very end. Even in two quarterback leagues you can get him very late. He's going to blow that away because Travis Kelsey is going to take some Anthony Fasano catches. And you know, say what you will, I think Dwayne Bowe still has some in the tank.

[Andy Holloway]

That was, that was my point.

[Mike Wright]

But he is no Jeremy Macklin by comparison. You would always take Jeremy Macklin on the NFL, you know, field over Dwayne Bowe. Right now.

[Andy Holloway]

He's right now.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah.

[Jason Moore]

The thing about Smith is he still through. I know we said that stat. He still threw for 18 touchdowns and he still threw for over 3200 yards.

[Mike Wright]

Right.

[Jason Moore]

And, and so when you don't have anybody else to throw down field to, I mean, I know, I understand the bow stuff, but it's not the same vertical threat that Macklin is anymore. Otherwise you'd have more teams that had gone after him and more teams that had competed for his services. I just, I still believe Macklin can get a thousand yards. I don't, I don't see him duplicating last year's numbers. I'm not delusional, but I am curious to see the rapport that Smith and Macklin have. And I think again, Macklin's going to be one of the guys that you either really win with or Lose with.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah. My, my point of bringing up the numbers wasn't to just crush Alex Smith because Alex Smith has his, his moments and his value in, in dfs and two quarterback doesn't throw interception streaming.

[Mike Wright]

Right.

[Andy Holloway]

And he makes, he's, I, I think he's a good quarterback. My point was just that he doesn't, he doesn't throw interceptions because he doesn't take those chances. Where in six catches when you average 300 less yards, I mean that's a, that's a huge disparity on yards per catch.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah. So Alex Smith, I've got him ranked my 17th quarterback which I think is decently high especially if you're talking to quarterback league. Do you know where his ADP is? According to fantasy football calculator.com undrafted. Undrafted for sure. He is. They track 26 quarterbacks. He's not among them. And so I think he's going to blow away. If you're in a two quarterback league, man, target him.

[Jason Moore]

It's the same malaise that people have towards all of his receivers is boring. He's boring. He is boring.

[Mike Wright]

Doesn't matter for Fancy and it doesn't.

[Jason Moore]

Matter for Travis Kelsey because it fits right into his role.

[Andy Holloway]

So it is perfect for Travis Kelsey.

[Jason Moore]

Any other thoughts on Kansas City? Jamal Charles is back. They say he's doing yoga.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, he's changed his diet.

[Jason Moore]

He wants healthy six more years.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah. I heard Jamal Charles lost some weight. You know what that means? Yeah, you like that means I'm moving him up.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah. And, and the difference is pretty low right now. Is that not where you want him? He's, he's sitting at your like eight spot right now.

[Andy Holloway]

I don't want to put him there. It was just the volume is so concerned. Jamal Charles is the man. He is absolutely the man. But you go so in 2013 where he ran runs all over the field. That's, that's great. Where he made his extra money was the passing game. 104 targets to 2014. 59 targets. I mean they cut in half. What, what happened there where it's the same offense and yeah. You never know what the walrus is going to do.

[Mike Wright]

Oh man, it was so frustrating. I owned him last year in our main league. It was so frustrating watching these games where you give him the ball and he gets 12 yards and then he doesn't touch the ball again. What are you doing, Walrus?

[Andy Holloway]

I don't know what he's doing.

[Jason Moore]

He's one of the most talented all around players in football.

[Andy Holloway]

He is the man.

[Jason Moore]

And in fantasy football, he is a difference maker. If they just give him the rock like you said. And he had huge games last year.

[Mike Wright]

But any worries losing Rodney Hudson? Yes. We talked a lot about the center position and he's a really good one. That's my. That's my only fear with Jamal Charles because I think Jamal Charles still got it. I watched the games. He is amazing. He's not slowed down. He's going to be great. Except that center position downgrading, you know, that's going to hurt any running back.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, I absolutely agree. It will affect him.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah.

[Jason Moore]

All right, well, let's move on and let's talk about the last team left in our AFC west divisional breakdown, and that is the San Diego Chargers.

[Andy Holloway]

San Diego.

[Mike Wright]

Pronounced San Diego.

[Jason Moore]

What does that mean again? A Whales clean show. Surprisingly not a very effective offense last year.

[Andy Holloway]

Decent right in the middle.

[Jason Moore]

No, but not compared to the year before when you had Wizen Hunt at that offensive coordinator position and you had an offense last year that ended up 18th in yards, 17th in scoring. They were really bad in the run game.

[Mike Wright]

I know the difference on every single one of those things.

[Andy Holloway]

What's that?

[Mike Wright]

Daniel Woodhead. I'm telling you, Danny Woodhead is a little tiny cog that makes that offense work. Danny Woodhead. Oh, yeah. So I am really excited about this.

[Jason Moore]

I'm like dying over here.

[Mike Wright]

No, Danny Woodhead, you know, that's what.

[Jason Moore]

Danny Woodhead's mom has always hoped would happen for his entire life.

[Mike Wright]

That the fantasy footballers.

[Jason Moore]

Because after she stopped saying, someday you'll grow, son, she thought, someday a podcast will sing your praises.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, he can essence.

[Jason Moore]

He is an addition this year because he was hurt for the entire year last year along.

[Mike Wright]

Broke his leg and his ankle. Right.

[Jason Moore]

It wasn't good. No.

[Mike Wright]

They're saying he looks great.

[Jason Moore]

I know. I read that too. He looks really good. And he is an effective weapon for a quarterback like Philip Rivers who knows how to use those guys. You've actually seen almost the exact kind of effectiveness out of him when he was with New England because Brady and Rivers both have that ability to kind of find the guy in the check down. Woodhead is make makes people miss. So they essentially get him back to get Melvin Gordon in the first round to solidify the running back position.

[Mike Wright]

Trade up for him two spots that says they really wanted him. They wanted him for their game plan.

[Jason Moore]

They also upgraded the guard position, bringing Orlando Franklin and Stevie Johnson is there as well, replacing Eddie Royal. And so this is a team that already has Keenan Allen. At the wide receiver spot. Antonio Ageless Gates. Yeah, that's. He's still there.

[Andy Holloway]

Still there. Still making people green owners cry.

[Jason Moore]

So who makes you excited other than obviously Danny Woodhead?

[Mike Wright]

Danny Woodhead. Danny Woodhead.

[Jason Moore]

Who makes you excited out in this offense?

[Andy Holloway]

So just to back up Danny Woodhead with a. Just a little bit of Quick Things 2013, he was RB12 in PPR.

[Mike Wright]

He was an RB1.

[Andy Holloway]

He is a running back one. And here are people being drafted ahead of Danny Woodhead. Charles Sims, Shane Vereen and Devontae Freeman. A guy who has literally been a running back one. Going in the ninth round of PPR drafts is just insanity. People get it together. Draft with Danny Woodhead.

[Mike Wright]

What a great flex option that you can get so late in your draft. When you draft those other guys, you're just hoping for blow up potential and there's no actual potential where if they don't blow up that they're in your roster being productive for you. Danny Woodhead is that.

[Jason Moore]

Here are some guys that in PPR leagues. Mike has Danny Woodhead ahead of you. Ready for this? Ryan Matthews.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah.

[Jason Moore]

Andre Ellington.

[Andy Holloway]

Wow.

[Jason Moore]

Rashad Jennings. Joy Bell. Yeah. Of course. Latavius Murray.

[Andy Holloway]

No, but Murray's not a PPR guy.

[Mike Wright]

I will give you that. I will give you that.

[Jason Moore]

Murray averaged over three catches a game.

[Andy Holloway]

You just said that. Hello. Is a third down back. They brought him in and gave him a bunch of money. He's going to be the third down guy.

[Jason Moore]

Okay. All right.

[Mike Wright]

He has the ability to. It's like Joy Bell. Joy Bell's not a pass catching back, even though he's a great pass catcher.

[Jason Moore]

Oh. He's a.

[Mike Wright]

Not his role.

[Jason Moore]

I have Woodhead a little lower. Mike has him at 27, which in PPR leagues. Let me just preface that.

[Andy Holloway]

Yes.

[Jason Moore]

And I have Woodhead at 38 and PPR leagues a little bit lower, but ahead of Duke Johnson. Ahead of Darren Sprols, actually. And so keep your eye on him. He's a guy that I think many have forgotten. Yes, many people will forget, which is the whole point.

[Mike Wright]

Right?

[Jason Moore]

Yeah. With Melvin Gordon coming in, generally rookies, you're not going to give them the keys to three.

[Andy Holloway]

Okay, well. And Gordon's a two down guy anyway.

[Mike Wright]

All right, I got a trivia question here for you. Since this has become the Danny Woodhead show. Danny Woodhead. What? According to fantasy football calculator.com, what running back number is he being drafted off the board?

[Andy Holloway]

See, he's going in the ninth running back number.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, yeah, the ninth.

[Andy Holloway]

Guess I'll put him at the RB35.35.

[Mike Wright]

So you say 35, Andy.

[Andy Holloway]

Oh, I thought you were telling me I got it right.

[Mike Wright]

No, RB35. What do you think?

[Jason Moore]

RB60. I don't know.

[Mike Wright]

RB60.

[Jason Moore]

Undrafted. I don't think he'd be drafted.

[Andy Holloway]

No, he's going in the ninth round.

[Jason Moore]

Oh, is that what he said?

[Andy Holloway]

That's what I said when I looked at him this morning.

[Mike Wright]

40. Yeah, that's just great. In standard leagues in PPR.

[Jason Moore]

Oh, in PPR.

[Mike Wright]

42 in PPR.

[Jason Moore]

So some.

[Mike Wright]

Which is where his value is.

[Andy Holloway]

Thing about the Chargers is you got to start with Philip Rivers who at the beginning of the year was just an absolute monster. Through the first six games he had a passer rating of 118.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah.

[Andy Holloway]

Through the final four games he had a pass rating of 70. So it.

[Jason Moore]

So that's all Danny Woodhead.

[Andy Holloway]

No, no, no, no.

[Jason Moore]

I'm just kidding.

[Andy Holloway]

I've moved, I've transitioned. But what, what happened to Rivers where he just collapsed throughout the season. Do you, do you have any idea?

[Jason Moore]

Well, you definitely saw a sophomore slump from Keenan Allen. Rivers is a guy that does like to spread the ball around and for some reason that, that offense just lost its mojo. It lost its fluidity and the running the same. The running game was non existent and that team was predicated on the run. They were a, you know, Ryan Matthews was what made the offense go.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, and you look, we didn't even mention Joe Barksdale the guard that was an addition. He's a good run blocker. So they've got two big offensive line running, you know, guys there, plus Melvin Gordon, plus Danny Woodhead. I think that's going to open up the entire offense and I don't expect Philip Rivers numbers to be much better than last year. I think they're going to be near that, but I think the running game is going to be legit this year. Where do you guys have.

[Jason Moore]

Much improved. Much improved. Let me take a look here and see what we have while he's looking.

[Andy Holloway]

In some sleeper potential. Big time to me, Stevie Johnson and Malcolm Floyd. People don't like Malcolm Floyd on their teams. Generally boring. Yeah, he's boring. But he had 92 targets, 50 catches, 850 yards, six touchdowns.

[Jason Moore]

Mike. Mike has Melvin Gordon at 18, I have him at 14.

[Mike Wright]

Oh, that's pretty good.

[Jason Moore]

So I'm gonna see what they are in PPR just to see if they change too much. But in PPR, Gordon goes down to 21 for Mike. He's same spot for me. So funny fact I did read about Woodhead when I was doing my rankings is he had four touchdowns in his full year because they run a lot of draw plays with him around the goal line and he actually ends up squirting into the end zone.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, yeah, he hide.

[Jason Moore]

He hides.

[Mike Wright]

So he did anyone head score?

[Andy Holloway]

All right, he's the perfect scat back because you lose him, you lose him behind the offensive line and then by the time you find him, it's too late.

[Jason Moore]

All right, let's hit the mailbag, guys. That's it for our AFC west divisional breakdown. We got a few minutes left. Let's answer some questions while we can.

[Mike Wright]

Mailbag, mail bag.

[Jason Moore]

You know, if the show goes over an hour, they start to self destruct truck.

[Andy Holloway]

That's true.

[Jason Moore]

So we got to get.

[Andy Holloway]

That's a true story.

[Jason Moore]

If you have a question you can call us 302-464-TFFB leave a message on our voicemail box and we will play those on the show. Answer those questions and you can email us mail at the fantasy footballers.com or tweet at us @the ffballers. And you can follow Mike @ffhitman. Yes, you can follow JasonFFL or you can follow me at Andy Holloway as well. So let's go ahead and get to one of the voicemail questions. Hey guys, I have a keeper question for a 10 team half point PPR league. Should I keep Gronk with my third round pick or should I go with Joseph Randall for my last 15th round pick? Thanks, appreciate it. That's a tough one.

[Mike Wright]

That is.

[Jason Moore]

That is half point, 10 team half point PPR. To summarize, Rob Gronkowski with the third or Randall with the last pick in the draft. So I'm essentially free.

[Andy Holloway]

I'm taking Gronk in the third round. The value is still tremendous. It's not Joseph Randle for free, but I know who Gronkowski is and I'm still not completely sold. Joseph Randle. And even if he is there, the lead guy of the timeshare, it's still a timeshare and there's going to be other people involved where Gronk is. Gronk, he's the number one positional advantage in all of fantasy football in the third round. I'm just gonna, I'm just gonna lock that up.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, me too. I think, I think the value is better on Joseph Randle. But in a 10 team league you have to have the elites. You have to have the absolute best difference makers. And there's only One at the tight end position. So grabbing him for a third is still good value. It's definitely not as good a value, but value is only good to a certain point. Eventually you have to have stars.

[Jason Moore]

I agree. And I think that it would be easier if we were right before the season and Randall was staring down that starting role. It would make it a harder decision. Email from Adam in Chicago. Hello, Marty Biff and Dr. Brown. I recently did.

[Andy Holloway]

Great, Scott.

[Jason Moore]

I recently did. Yeah, you're Biff. A couple old mock drafts this June from where he has been drafting. I've been able to get Jeremy Hill, Randall Cobb and Mark Ingram. He's pretty happy with that and planted on targeting all three in his real draft. However, in his recent mock, he was getting ripped for his Mark Ingram pick because people are buying into some of the C.J. spiller buzz that he was going to out touch Ingram this year. He thought that this guy was just throwing shade on Ingram, but after doing some more research, he's starting to become wary of Ingram. So how do we break these two guys down? Do you think that Ingram's the guy? Is Spiller the guy or who do you want in that New Orleans backfield?

[Mike Wright]

That's a good question. I love the value of Spiller right now in a PPR league. I really do think the more that I've looked into Drew Brees and the entire passing offense, I really think that there are yards unaccounted for right now that have to be filled by CJ Spiller. He reminds me of Darren Sproles. He reminds me of everything that they need from, you know, the ability to check down. He's going to be so much better than Pierre was in that same role and I think I like him. However, this is a very big question between PPR and standard. You know, he quoted saying that he's got Jeremy Hill, Randall Cobb and Mark Ingram. Those two guys are not pass catchers. So if you're in a ppr, I don't really like that lineup of Hill, Cobb and Ingram. You know, I don't want to have multiple not pass catchers in a ppr.

[Andy Holloway]

In ppr, I have Ingram and Spiller separated by two spots.

[Jason Moore]

I just noticed that I actually. Yeah, you have Ingram 16, Spiller 18.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, Ingram is still the guy that I want. But if we're talking about just a value based thing where it's Ingram in the third or Spiller in the fifth.

[Mike Wright]

Fourth in a peak in the fourth.

[Andy Holloway]

Where he's going, yeah, then I'd have no problem. I love Ingram this year he's going to be the goal line back. Yes, Spiller is going to get his catches and everything, but I really think that they showed the model of Ingram being the motor.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, I mean for me it's. It's what Jason said. It's flip flop. PPR versus standard. If you, if you're in standard league I have Ingram 19 and Spiller 24. But in PPR leagues I have Spiller 15 and Ingram at 23. So it is just in production, not just value. I think that the difference is going to be there because I do think Ingram. I don't know, I couldn't project him very high when I went through it. So hopefully that gives you some perspective and you'll have to take a look at your league settings and kind of where that sits because I do think Spiller is going to have a role. I think we all agree with that. Let's go to a question from the website the fantasy footballers.com. this one came in via Christopher. He drafts the ninth in a.

[Andy Holloway]

Just the thought of it came in via him.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, he delivered it.

[Jason Moore]

He did. He dropped it off.

[Andy Holloway]

I was like seeing the envelope come out his mouth and delivered.

[Jason Moore]

I draft ninth in a 10 team. Faux point.

[Andy Holloway]

Faux point.

[Jason Moore]

It says full point per league.

[Andy Holloway]

I thought you were faux.

[Jason Moore]

I think he means full point per reception. Per reception league if he can. What do you think about the Mark Ingram in the third then coming back for CJ Spiller in the fourth? So maybe more of a follow up.

[Mike Wright]

You know, so great. I was literally going to ask that exact same question to you guys about housing both of them on the same team, but I didn't want to take up more time. But now we can.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah. The Saints line much improved. Is it a good one two punch? Would you do that? Would you like to have both guys in third and fourth and just ride.

[Mike Wright]

With the Saints running Jeremy Hill and you know, and Gio Bernard and we liked that. The reason I like that more than the Ingram Spiller combination is because of where you can get Geo if you've got to get Ingram in the third and Spiller in the fourth. I'm not sure that I necessarily want to play both guys, you know, at the same time. That given the makeup of the team and given the fact that we don't know, we just total unknown with Spiller. We haven't seen Spiller in this offense. I would not waste two picks on that because your upside is you've got to be just really right. They've both got to Be amazing. Your downside is you spent two of your first four picks. Half your first four picks are hurting your team.

[Andy Holloway]

So that's exactly why the unknown of Spiller plus the investment of my third and fourth picks, they're. They're living and surviving on the Saints offense every single week where we saw them last year and they were not the best team all the time. So I don't want that that heavy of an investment for our bees on that team.

[Mike Wright]

Did he email that question? And after we answered the first question. That was amazing, Christopher.

[Jason Moore]

Beautiful follow up.

[Mike Wright]

Great follow up.

[Jason Moore]

This comes in from Dave off the website. G'day buds.

[Mike Wright]

Good day.

[Jason Moore]

G'day buds. Messaging you from PI or Pei.

[Mike Wright]

That's spelled like pay, like payway.

[Jason Moore]

Right on the east.

[Mike Wright]

He's in payway.

[Jason Moore]

He's in a payway. He's in a payway on the east coast of Canada. He says no, Ontario and Quebec are not on the east coast. And he would be surprised, would be surprised if we could name any city, town or village in pay.

[Mike Wright]

Oh, are you kidding me?

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah.

[Mike Wright]

Wait, we eat at a lot of payway. Okay, thanks for the insult, Dave.

[Jason Moore]

Nice day in a 12 person PBR keeper league. 6 points for return TD. As of right now, he's keeping Demarco Murray, Marshawn Lynch, Jay Cutler, Smoking J. Cudi, Vincent Jackson, Brandon Cooks, and Golden Tate. He needs to keep two more. Here are his options for two more Charles Johnson, Anquan Bolden, Blake Bortles, Harry Douglas, Toby Gerhardt, Kenny Stills and Jason Whitten. Wondering what our thoughts are. For me it's Charles Johnson and Jason Whitten.

[Andy Holloway]

For me it would be Charles Johnson and I'm really torn between Whitten and Bolden.

[Mike Wright]

I would go Bolden because I think you can draft Whitten still. But I'm.

[Jason Moore]

We can draft Bolden.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, I mean, you really can. I don't like any of these options. I mean, I almost wonder.

[Andy Holloway]

I like Charles Johnson.

[Mike Wright]

No, no, no. I like. I shouldn't say any of these options. Any of the last option. I like Charles Johnson. We're all in agreement there, but I don't really like any of the other guys. I'm almost tempted because you're going to be able to draft the other two guys. I'm almost tempted to keep Blake Bortles in a two quarterback. Oh, no. I know it's gross. But two quarterback and then you can still. I don't know.

[Andy Holloway]

Not even Alan Robinson can save Blake Bortles.

[Jason Moore]

All right, last question here from Adam. From the cheese state. He's looking for an advantage and he wants to target running backs that are in one running back system. So guys that are not in platoons, guys that are not in timeshares, which teams, players should he be targeting? And so we can kind of give him a few of those guys.

[Mike Wright]

It's not many.

[Jason Moore]

No. Eddie Lacy out of Green Bay, Adrian Peterson out of Minnesota.

[Mike Wright]

Aaron Foster.

[Jason Moore]

Aaron Foster, Lev Bell, Jamal Charles, for the most part, I think Jonathan Stewart will probably be that guy in Carolina. There's no one until he's injured. Does he platoon with actual injury? Is that his timeshare? There's like Jonathan Stewart and then there's Andrew John in the hospital bed.

[Mike Wright]

No. You know who it's going to be? It's going to be Cam Newton, people.

[Jason Moore]

Matt Forte is a guy who will get the Rock the majority of the time, barring any surprises, which, I mean, he's been that guy for years. Marshawn lynch, obviously, basically the guys at.

[Mike Wright]

The top of the draft. And the reason they're at the top of the draft, a lot of them are because we know that they're going to get the Rock, they're going to get the touchdowns, they're going to get the passes.

[Andy Holloway]

The one surprise will be for set. That's how he was used last year, and that's how Jason and I see him being used this year. Andy, not so much, but he, he's the. I would think he's probably the only guy you can get at who's not a real early.

[Mike Wright]

And Gore, Frank Gore, I believe, is going to be three down the line.

[Jason Moore]

That's a really good point. You guys will be happy. Justin Vorsett's my 13. Maybe you won't be happy because you have him at five. He's my 13 in standard.

[Andy Holloway]

In PPR.

[Jason Moore]

Oh, you're right, it is in PPR. Yeah. In standard, Mike has four, set nine. I have him 13. In PPR, Mike has four, set five, and I have him eight.

[Mike Wright]

Wow. All right.

[Jason Moore]

So the football, you know, once I did my stats and math and such.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah. And I love it because, man, that is not agreed upon elsewhere, which just means the value is there for us and our listeners.

[Andy Holloway]

What's our time check out?

[Jason Moore]

We're about to check out. Do you have something you want to add?

[Andy Holloway]

Well, I just add something that goes along with the theme of Sunday where if the. For the listeners who heard it, we did a. A show, we did a mock draft last week, and there was a. There was a situation where I was pushing for Jonathan Stewart at a spot, and I was overwritten by Andy and Jason because they wanted Latavius.

[Jason Moore]

I love no, we're all out of time, Mike.

[Andy Holloway]

So Andy has since figured out that Jonathan Stewart is the the better pick there. And so to go along with Sunday, I believe that putting up his rankings like that is a good enough confession, but I need some atonement. So I wanted to. Shame. No, no shame.

[Jason Moore]

No shame. Oh, man, that is a really good way to leave the show right now.

[Andy Holloway]

That lady's the worst.

[Jason Moore]

Those are my first draft of my rankings. I knew that bell was coming.

[Andy Holloway]

Shame.

[Jason Moore]

We just need another 20 minutes of it.

[Andy Holloway]

Goodbye. See ya.

[Mike Wright]

Thank you for listening to another edition of the Fantasy Footballers Podcast. Don't forget to visit us on the web at www.thefantasyfootballers.com and follow us on Twitter the FFballers.