Fantasy Football Podcast 2016 - Mid Round Madness, Fantasy News, Mailbag

Summary

Fantasy Footballers Podcast 2016 - Mid Round Madness, Fantasy News, Mailbag
Release Date: May 24, 2016
Hosts: Andy Holloway, Jason Moore, Mike "The Fantasy Hitman" Wright

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1. Introduction and Show Overview

The episode kicks off with the charismatic banter of Andy Holloway, Jason Moore, and Mike Wright, setting the tone for an engaging and insightful discussion on fantasy football. At the outset, the hosts express excitement about the show's content, emphasizing their commitment to providing astute analysis and matchup-winning advice to help listeners dominate their leagues.

Notable Quote:
Andy Holloway [01:34]: "Today's show, fantasy-wise, we're going to be bringing the Mid Round Madness."

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2. Podcast Achievements and Listener Appreciation

A significant portion of the early conversation revolves around the podcast's recent nominations. The Fantasy Footballers were honored with nominations for both the Best Sports Podcast on podcastawards.com and the People's Choice Award. This achievement is attributed to the unwavering support and engagement of their dedicated listener base, the Foot Clan.

Notable Quotes:
Andy Holloway [03:54]: "We were nominated not only for the Best Sports Podcast on podcastawards.com but we were also nominated for the People's Choice Award along with nine other nominees."
Mike Wright [04:08]: "We are more... let's close this thing out big."

The hosts express immense gratitude towards their listeners, acknowledging that such accolades are a testament to their community's loyalty and feedback.

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3. NFL News and Developments

The hosts transition into discussing the latest NFL news, touching upon significant events that have implications for fantasy football.

• Tom Brady's Deflategate Appeal:
  Tom Brady is set to appeal his four-game suspension related to the Deflategate scandal. If successful, he is expected to play the entire 2016 season, which would have substantial fantasy implications.

  Notable Quote:
  Mike Wright [11:34]: "Jon Rapaport tweeted out that if the second Circuit grants Tom Brady this band that he's requesting, it basically guarantees he plays full slate in 2016."

• Marshawn Lynch's Retirement Speculation:
  There is talk about Marshawn Lynch potentially returning to the field despite rumors of his retirement. However, the hosts advise fantasy managers not to roster Lynch until official confirmation is available.

  Notable Quote:
  Jason Moore [12:09]: "I don't think there's any chance he comes back."

• Giants' Tight End Situation:
  Giants beat reporter Jordan Renan suggests that Will Ty should be the favorite to start at the tight end position in 2016, a move that could enhance fantasy production from the Giants' offense.

  Notable Quote:
  Jason Moore [12:49]: "They have used the tight end in the red zone. So if he is the starter, whoever is the starter is definitely a streamable, worthy player."

• Miami Dolphins' Running Back Update:
  Adam Gase, the Dolphins' head coach, indicates that Jay Ajayi will take control of the starting running back role, a promising development for fantasy owners.

  Notable Quote:
  Jason Moore [13:34]: "Jay Ajayi has been coming in early, staying late. He's been working the hardest."

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4. Mid Round Madness: Key Mid-Round Battle for Success

The centerpiece of the episode is the "Mid Round Madness" segment, where the hosts delve into mid-round draft picks (fourth to eighth rounds) that offer excellent value based on their average draft positions (ADP). This segment is crucial for fantasy managers aiming to secure hidden gems that can significantly bolster their teams.

a. Highlighting Key Mid-Round Picks

The hosts each select three players they believe are undervalued in the mid-rounds, providing detailed analysis on why these players are worthy of consideration.

b. Selected Players and Rationale

1. T.J. Yeldon (Baltimore Ravens) - 07:02
   Andy Holloway champions T.J. Yeldon as a standout mid-round pick, emphasizing his efficiency and potential role in the Ravens' offense.

   Notable Quote:
   Andy Holloway [19:37]: "T.J. Yeldon is one of my flag guys. He's my banner guy. He's my, my guy."

2. Amir Abdullah (Detroit Lions) - 22:06
   Mike Wright advocates for Amir Abdullah, highlighting the Lions' improvements in the offensive line and his opportunity to shine as the primary running back.

   Notable Quote:
   Mike Wright [22:16]: "Amir Abdullah is the primary running back for that team... the opportunity is great for him."

3. Matt Jones (Washington Redskins) - 26:20
   Jason Moore recommends Matt Jones, citing his high volume of carries and target opportunities as indicators of fantasy relevance.

   Notable Quote:
   Jason Moore [26:17]: "Matt Jones represents to me this year... opportunity is more important than talent."

4. Tyler Lockett (Seattle Seahawks) - 27:22
   Andy Holloway identifies Tyler Lockett as a promising seventh-round pick, noting his growth and the Seahawks' offensive dynamics under Russell Wilson.

   Notable Quote:
   Andy Holloway [27:22]: "Tyler Lockett is a rookie who has been growing and growing on the job."

5. DeSean Jackson (Washington Redskins) - 29:08
   Mike Wright highlights DeSean Jackson's explosive potential despite injuries, making him a valuable eighth-round pick.

   Notable Quote:
   Mike Wright [29:08]: "DeSean Jackson... he's not your wide receiver too. He's your... flex play."

6. Kevin White (Chicago Bears) - 32:06
   Jason Moore underscores Kevin White as an excellent value in the seventh-round, pointing to his health, experience, and the Bears' quarterback situation.

   Notable Quote:
   Jason Moore [32:06]: "Kevin White represents an awesome value at the very back of the seventh."

7. Frank Gore (Indianapolis Colts) - 33:18
   Jason Moore lauds Frank Gore for his consistency and reliability, making him a seventh-round lock to be an RB2 across all leagues.

   Notable Quote:
   Jason Moore [37:23]: "Frank Gore is a lock to be an RB2."

8. Dante Moncrief (Indianapolis Colts) - 41:07
   Mike Wright recommends Dante Moncrief as an eighth-round pick, emphasizing his touchdown potential and role in the Colts' offense.

   Notable Quote:
   Mike Wright [41:07]: "Dante Moncrief... he's going to be a big, big part of that."

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5. Listener Mailbag: Questions and Advice

The hosts engage with their audience through a series of mailbag questions, offering personalized advice to listeners navigating various fantasy scenarios.

• Expanding League Strategy (Ryan in Horse Heads, NY) [46:35]:
  Ryan seeks guidance on maintaining championship success in a newly expanded 16-team league. The hosts advise focusing on depth in wide receivers and running backs, while being strategic about drafting quarterbacks and tight ends later in the draft to maximize value.

  Notable Quotes:
  Jason Moore [48:13]: "I completely agree... make sure you're solid there."
  Andy Holloway [48:46]: "Don't you think that it gets to the essence of this episode with the mid-round madness."

• Keeper League Decision (Cody from East Lansing) [49:14]:
  Cody is torn between keeping Gronkowski, Le'Veon Bell, or Alan Robinson in his 10th pick in a serpentine draft. The hosts generally lean towards keeping Le'Veon Bell for his consistent performance, though Jason contemplates the value of Gronkowski as a position separator.

  Notable Quotes:
  Jason Moore [50:13]: "For me, it's Le'Veon Bell."
  Jason Moore [50:36]: "Amir Abdullah... is unbelievable."

• Waiver Wire Enhancements (Chase in Horse Heads) [51:17]:
  Chase inquires about implementing Free Agent Auctions Budget (FAAB) in his league. The hosts explain that FAAB should be available across major fantasy platforms like ESPN, Yahoo, and CBS, suggesting that if it's not visible, it might require league settings adjustments.

  Notable Quote:
  Mike Wright [51:50]: "I believe you... you have to make the declaration of waiver or FAAB before you launch the league."

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6. Announcements and Giveaways

Towards the episode's conclusion, the hosts promote their upcoming Ultimate Draft Kit, set to release in a week. This comprehensive resource includes video player profiles, premium rankings, busts, breakouts, sleepers, and more, designed to enhance fantasy drafts.

Additionally, they announce a giveaway in partnership with pristineauction.com, where listeners can win a David Johnson signed 20x30 canvas. To enter, listeners are instructed to post creatively on social media using the hashtag #pristineauction.com.

Notable Quote:
Andy Holloway [17:44]: "If you want to win the autographed David Johnson signed canvas, all you have to do is... include the hashtag #pristineauction.com."

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7. Conclusion

The episode wraps up with the hosts summarizing their discussions and reminding listeners of upcoming content, including a special guest appearance by Jamie Eisenberg from CBS Sports. They encourage listeners to engage with their community through jointhefoot.com and follow them on various social media platforms.

Notable Quote:
Jason Moore [55:39]: "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 at theffballers."

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Overall Insights:

• Value in Mid-Rounds: The hosts emphasize the importance of identifying and securing value picks in the mid-rounds to build a resilient and competitive fantasy team.

• Adaptability in Strategy: Whether in expanding leagues or keeper formats, strategic drafting and prioritizing depth in key positions are crucial for sustained success.

• Staying Informed: Keeping abreast of NFL news, player developments, and leveraging comprehensive resources like the Ultimate Draft Kit can significantly enhance draft strategies and in-season management.

This episode serves as a comprehensive guide for fantasy managers aiming to refine their draft approach, offering a blend of strategic insights, player evaluations, and community engagement to elevate their fantasy football experience.

Transcript

[Andy Holloway]

Foreign terrible things during my watch, but.

[Jason Moore]

None more horrifying than a wasted second round draft pick.

[Andy Holloway]

That's why I always use my fantasy.

[Jason Moore]

Footballer'S ultimate draft kit to guide me through the cold. Though my friends and family league keeps.

[Andy Holloway]

Getting smaller and smaller, my fantasy team.

[Jason Moore]

Is just getting stronger and stronger. Join me at www.ultimatedraftkick.com and prepare yourself to fight the good fight.

[Andy Holloway]

Winter is coming, but so is my.

[Jason Moore]

Hashtag foot clan title. I guess I do know something after all. Welcome to the Fantasy Footballers Podcast with your hosts Andy Holloway, Jason Moore and Mike Wright.

[Andy Holloway]

Ah, we've heard from the north.

[Mike Wright]

We appreciate it. It's tough to get a good, good signal up there.

[Andy Holloway]

You got to send a raven. Yeah, got to hope the Raven brings it back to you in like high quality, high fidelity audio.

[Mike Wright]

I'll say. Getting a thumb drive up there to.

[Andy Holloway]

The wall, that's a feat that is. Welcome to the show. This is the Fantasy Footballers Podcast. Andy Holloway, Jason Moore and Mike the Fantasy Hitman right Coming at you Tuesday, May 24, 2016. Thank you, Jon Snow. He does know something. I just a little something.

[Jason Moore]

Speaking of Jon Snow, stay tuned. After the show we will be talking YouTube. Yes, only on YouTube. Exclusive to YouTube. We will be discussing Game of Thrones.

[Andy Holloway]

All right, today's show, fantasy wise we're going to be bringing the mid round madness on the show today we're going to look at, I think we got like nine guys picked out that that fall in that fourth to eighth round that we want to highlight. This was actually the first time that we ever had a listener recommended show where they someone sent us an email a little while back and said boy I'd really love a show that highlighted some of the mid round picks that I should be looking for and there are a lot of guys in that category. These, this is essentially what you would call a value show. Guys we think that are of a good value based on their average draft position. So that's what we're doing on the show today. But we have a lot of news for you as well. Fantasy football news. We're going to get into the listener mailbag and answer some fantasy football questions as well. If you want to connect with us you can do so on our website thefantasyfootballers.com youm can also go over to jointhefoot.com which is our fantasy football community. We just added a bunch of neat things over there including some giveaways. We're gonna be giving away a David Johnson signed jersey at the beginning of June as well as some other NFL stuff and some stickers and shirts and things like that.

[Jason Moore]

Early access to podcasts.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, that is available as well.

[Mike Wright]

They're available before we even record them.

[Jason Moore]

It's amazing.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, yeah. It's special. You can follow us on twitter @the ffballers and Jason said it earlier. We're also on YouTube fantasy sports network. Follow us on Facebook and on the website is that's where you can also submit questions for the show. The ones that we answer on the show is at the fantasy footballers.com also. Before we get into the quick question, which I think is an interesting one, I do want to highlight some, some news we got yesterday. Very exciting. Oh yeah. This is entirely a giant thank you to our listeners, the Foot Clan, for making this happen. We were nominated not only for the best Sports Podcast on podcast awards.com but we were also nominated for the People's Choice Award along with nine other nominees.

[Mike Wright]

Foot Clan we.

[Andy Holloway]

And look, Mike about lost his mind.

[Mike Wright]

I was, I was going bananas last night. I was insufferable of saying just ridiculous things of how happy I was with the nomination with punches and air kicks.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah.

[Mike Wright]

And I will say this as, as great as this accomplishment is, this is like the old Nintendo, old super Nintendo games where you've taken down the final boss, you're celebrating, you think everything's good and then the real boss shows up and you got to take him down because there will be a daily vote that will start in about a week. We will give you more information as is it becomes available and get you guys ready for that. But we, we are more. I mean, we can't thank you enough for getting us the nomination. But let's close this thing out. Close the deal. Let's close it out big.

[Jason Moore]

Thank you.

[Andy Holloway]

I mean it's very cool, very humbling, very exciting.

[Jason Moore]

Ten podcasts of all podcasts in the world to be nominated for that is very.

[Andy Holloway]

There were 1800 podcasts that were considered and, and so it is an especially amazing honor and it is all thanks to you, the listener, the Foot Clan, all the feedback, everything. Yeah, it's. It's incredible. So thank you very. That is big time news. Means a lot to us. All right, quick question of the day. What team, what NFL team could surprise from a fantasy perspective in 2016? What team that maybe we're not expecting a lot of contributing fantasy players from might surprise people this year. What do you guys think?

[Mike Wright]

Well, I'll start this off and I'm going to go with the Chip Kelly led San Francisco 49ers and why this might be surprising to a lot because in the Football Community the 49ers roster is considered one of the worst in the NFL. They have some, some real work to do there. However, I think Chip Kelly, with his volume, with his the rate of play brings a huge opportunity here. Remember, we're playing fantasy football. We do not need the 49ers to be a successful real life team. For them to have value for us, for, for how down people were on Kelly last year, he still gave us a running back two and a wide receiver two in Jordan Matthews and DeMarco Murray. So I don't understand. The backlash is so strong. But there's guys like Carlos Hyde who was showed a lot last year even behind one of the worst offensive lines was still very elusive, dealing with a horrific foot injury. He's back. Torrey Smith has shown us before with plus thousand yards per season, a double digit touchdown season and he will be the number one guy. So I just, I think there's a big opportunity here for San Francisco.

[Jason Moore]

Vance McDonald.

[Mike Wright]

Oh, yeah, absolutely. Vance McDonald was a waiver wire guy, tight end that we picked up where no one, everyone had left him for dead. And right now he's the guy. And we've saw the success of Zach Ertz under chip Kelly. So McDonald, he could this year's like.

[Jason Moore]

Gary Barnage that nobody's drafting.

[Andy Holloway]

Great comparison.

[Jason Moore]

Nobody. But he might be after week one you go, oh wow. He got, he got nine targets and was pretty good. So it's a name to monitor.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, yeah. And I'll give you my team here. I'll comment briefly on the 49ers. I will say this, they are the, the oasis in the desert. Right. I'm standing from a distance and Chip Kelly's supposed to be the sparkling pool of water for fantasy owners. And I'm not sure if it's a mirage or not. I know that if I get up, oh, that's great. If I get up there and I put, you know, my mouth down to drink and I get sand for a second year in a row, I'm never doing this again. So my I'm going to bring up is the Baltimore Ravens. I think that they in real life are one of the biggest candidates for a bounce back season along with Dallas, obviously. But from a fantasy perspective, I think you have Kenneth Dixon breaking onto the scene. Rashad Perryman's essentially a brand new rookie in a wide receiver core that there's a lot of need. You've got Mike Wallace that just arrived, you have Steve Smith coming back with no expectations. Essentially Ben Watson just arrived and you still got Javorius to Helen, you've got Akin. I just think there are enough names and enough proficiency in that offense because you still have, you know, Flacco, for all that he is and isn't in the fantasy community, is still a top, probably top third quarterback as an actual NFL quarterback, which means that he can, he can make weapons around him relevant. And four set. I didn't even mention for setup might be their best.

[Mike Wright]

I don't appreciate that Kamara Akin was the last name in that list.

[Andy Holloway]

Well, now it was four set.

[Jason Moore]

I will, I will say this. I think that there's, there's a good chance that Baltimore as a team puts out plenty of production. The real hardship with Baltimore though is who is it going to be? Because when I come this week, we're taking another deep look by the end of this week at our rankings and when it comes time to really stat out the Baltimore wide receivers and the Baltimore running backs, I'm like, who's it going to be? There's just so much depth and so much unclarity. So they might be, they might be a good offensive producing team, but hard to predict who my team. I'm not going to go with the Bills because I've talked about them recently as a surprise offense. I'm going to go.

[Andy Holloway]

I saw them picked as a surprise super bowl winner. Somebody picked the Texans and the Bills, the two AFC teams that could surprise. Hey, I'm just throwing it out there.

[Mike Wright]

Wow.

[Andy Holloway]

Okay, Interesting. Go ahead.

[Jason Moore]

Someone believes in Rex Ryan. I am going to.

[Mike Wright]

Was that Rex. Did Rex Ryan.

[Andy Holloway]

That was a Rex Ryan article. Yeah, that was.

[Jason Moore]

I'm going to go with the Chicago Bears. The Chicago Bears. The John Fox Chicago Bears as a surprise offense because last year what you saw was the decimation.

[Andy Holloway]

Sorry, I couldn't help myself when you said John Fox.

[Jason Moore]

So let me explain why I think that they could be a real surprise fantasy offense for this coming season. Last year you have Martellus Bennett gets injured. You have Kevin White, the number seven pick in the draft, injured for the year. You bring in Eddie Royal injured. You have Elshon Jeffrey though, he's. Oh, he's injured. Come on. Well, at least you have Matt Forte.

[Andy Holloway]

Ah, Dag nagget.

[Jason Moore]

Matt Forte got injured too. They got the pieces there and cut.

[Andy Holloway]

That up for me.

[Jason Moore]

Jay Cutler last year was really efficient. He looked like a decent quarterback. So now you get Jeremy Langford coming into his own with Jordan Howard As a good rookie option there. Kevin White. We'll talk about him later today. I think he's an awesome pick. Alshon. Jeffrey should be healthy. Eddie Royal should be healthy. I think there's pieces there, including Zach Miller, a ton of weapons that are completely discounted right now. So you.

[Andy Holloway]

You've convinced me to at least think about it.

[Jason Moore]

There you go.

[Andy Holloway]

So that's. You've done well.

[Jason Moore]

It's a surprise. News and notes from around the league.

[Andy Holloway]

All right, guys, I want to blitz through this news. I actually have a lot of information I want to pass along to the foot clan right now. The OTAs have started for many teams, so that's kind of exciting because you have players on the field actually doing things. I was telling the guys before the show, I watched Laquan Treadwell, you know, spend some time with Teddy Bridgewater and get to know that offense a little bit, be running around. You know, these guys get to be pros for the first time. Big news here. Tom Brady will file an appeal Monday for the second hearing by the 2nd U.S. circuit Court of Appeals to overturn his four game Deflategate suspension. We expected Tom Brady to fight. The implications here are that this fight might mean he plays a full 16 again.

[Jason Moore]

That's right.

[Andy Holloway]

And if I were him, my objective would now be to do this for as long as I can until I have. I can retire.

[Jason Moore]

Right. Ian Rapaport tweeted out that if the second Circuit grants Tom Brady this band that he's requesting, it basically guarantees he plays full slate in 2016.

[Andy Holloway]

All right, so we'll see if he's on the field for Week 1 against the Arizona Cardinals or not. A couple different people have said they don't think lynch, that is Marshawn lynch himself, the beast mode himself. Sherman and Bennett both came out and said they don't think he's retired for good.

[Mike Wright]

That's crazy.

[Andy Holloway]

Does that mean that you should, like, roster him?

[Jason Moore]

No.

[Mike Wright]

Okay. No, I don't think.

[Jason Moore]

I don't think there's any chance he comes back.

[Andy Holloway]

All right. Giants beat reporter Jordan Renan. Renan. I can't. I think I got that right. He said he considered Will Tie to be the favorite to start at the tight end position in 2016. The TIE fighter, Ty, is a guy that Mike and I have rated very highly. I moved him down a little bit with Larry Danelle's health being there, but if he does win the job and I think he's more talented than Donnell, I've watched Danelle drop way too many passes and Be kind of like awkwardly big. I just don't think he's athletically big. So Will Ty is somebody that you should pay attention to.

[Jason Moore]

The Giants, you with, with McAdoo there, they have used the tight end in the red zone. So if he is the starter, whoever is the starter is definitely a streamable, worthy player.

[Mike Wright]

And the Giants, I mean, they have. They're like the Ravens where they have just a bajillion tight ends right now. But in my opinion, I think the way that they were talking about will tie last year when they were bringing him in, I think he's the guy. And he is, if you punt, tight end till the very bitter end will tie is a great option for that strategy.

[Andy Holloway]

All right, Jay Ajayi fans, you have a good piece of news here. Adam Gase, starting our head coach for the Miami Dolphins, came out and said that he's essentially. Ajaya is essentially taking control of the starting running back job.

[Jason Moore]

Love this.

[Andy Holloway]

It's really good news.

[Jason Moore]

The way that Gase talked about him. You know, sometimes coach speak is coach speak. Take anything serious that they say. But it depends on the specifics of what a coach is saying. And what he said is essentially that all the running backs are doing good. But Jay Ajayi has been coming in early, staying late. He's been working the hardest. He has really shown that he is the lead back here. And that's what the head coach was saying. When you say that, you're not saying he's going to get the ball x amount of times, but it is officially verifying what we've kind of assumed, which is Jay Ajayi will be the first and second down back with an option, I guess, to be a three down back.

[Mike Wright]

I'll throw just a little bit of water on there. I was on the Dynasty happy hour podcast the other day, and Chris Whitman, one of the hosts, he's a huge Dolphins guy. So he look, he dug into this. Kenyon Drake was not a part of these practices. So essentially, Adam Gase has said JJE is better than Damian Williams and Daniel Thomas.

[Jason Moore]

Kenya Drake's my boy.

[Andy Holloway]

Tell me something we didn't know already.

[Mike Wright]

That's right. I'm just saying, right? Be careful with this one.

[Andy Holloway]

All right? John Fox came out and said, hey, whoever has the hot hand will be the Bears running back.

[Jason Moore]

Ruh Row.

[Andy Holloway]

That is classic. Not good. I mean, there are doubts about Langford anyways. There are weird affinities for Kadeem Carey that John Fox had last year. And here's the thing. John Fox historically has been a committee running back coach. He doesn't care about lining anything up for fantasy owners in any way, shape or form. He is more concerned with gamesmanship and playing whoever he thinks will make the most yards on the next play.

[Jason Moore]

It's good that you throw out Kadeem Carey's name because right now because of Jordan Howard, yes, everyone is essentially saying it's, it's a two man backfield. But the truth is John Fox hates rookies so much. Hates rookie running backs. Just.

[Andy Holloway]

Hasn't he, has he petitioned to not have any rookies on the team?

[Jason Moore]

Exactly.

[Andy Holloway]

He tried to get rid of all the draft picks.

[Jason Moore]

He just, you know, he wants them to sit for a year. And if he did show that love to Kadeem Carey last year, what's to say now that that's just going to completely go away?

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, that's a good point. So, hey, the Bengals offensive coordinator came out and said that Tyler Boyd, Jason's much heralded rookie wide receiver for the Bengals, will likely open in the slot this season. I think that Tyler Boyd is so set up for success in year one that it's not even really. Yeah, I do because he's, he's competing for snaps with Brandon lefell. I mean, I'm not worried about him getting on the field. He's just going to show more and whether it's in the slot or moving to the outside once lefell trash cans a few balls, I mean, I don't know, I just think he has a real opportunity in the offense to see some volume because guys like Sanu have been fantasy relevant with them.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, you just, I think he can take the starting job from day one if this happens. And he's still, he'll be the fourth option on just about every play behind Green Iford and Gio Bernard. So I just, I don't see it happening this year, but I can understand what I'm saying.

[Andy Holloway]

All right, and then let's get to this last bit of news here. Ryan O'Halloran of the Florida Times Union expects T.J. yelden to serve as the primary third down. Back then he went on to say that he believes Ivory and Yelden will essentially share the backfield. Ivory may have more first and second down work than Yelden, but this is, this is I guess a precursor to what we're going to get into a little bit later on our mid round targets because I have my eye on TJ Yelden and I'll give you the reason why very, very shortly. So let's, let's get into the mid round madness. Before we do, I want to tell everybody out there something very exciting. This is very cool. Yeah, this is neat. You've heard us talk a lot about pristineauction.com before. We literally cannot go a day without some listener writing us an email or sending us a note and saying thank you for introducing me to pristineauction.com and all of their autograph sports memorabilia and their daily auctions and stuff. But they're doing something super cool right now. They are doing, just for you, a giveaway just for our audience. And they're giving away a David Johnson signed 20 by 30 canvas.

[Jason Moore]

That's sweet. Mike. This was one of the.

[Andy Holloway]

Mike has bought one of these before.

[Mike Wright]

I have one of these canvases on my wall. It is high quality. The colors pop off this thing. It is fully legit. It is the best piece in my office.

[Andy Holloway]

And so if you want to win the autographed David Johnson signed canvas, all you have to do is go on social media, head over to Twitter or Facebook or Instagram and basically be creative, post why you deserve the signed canvas and make sure if you want to be eligible to win that you include the hashtag pristineauction.com and that's all you got to do for a chance to win this thing. So I'm doing it. Yeah. Include the hashtag pristineauction.com, head over to Social media, post why you deserve the canvas, be creative and you just might win a very, very cool. Yeah, very, very cool autographed P R.

[Mike Wright]

I S T I N E auction.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, get the hashtag right because that's.

[Andy Holloway]

How they'll search for. All right, let's get into it. I love that movie.

[Mike Wright]

This is mid round madness.

[Andy Holloway]

That's right. This is mid round madness. When you can make or break your draft in a lot of ways. If you get some talent in the fourth to the eighth round is when.

[Mike Wright]

You get it done.

[Andy Holloway]

You are setting yourself up for success, that's for sure. These are guys that you know, even if you already have some good players at the top end of your draft, you've got trade bait, you've got flexibility with who you trade and how you trade. So we're going to get into it. We each selected three guys going between the fourth and eighth round as of today's average draft position. And that is based on a 12 team standard league is the numbers we're going to give you today. So let's identify some, some players that are going in that range that we're excited about. I'll just start it off.

[Mike Wright]

Yes.

[Andy Holloway]

And I'll do it with TJ Yelden because we just ended the news with TJ Eldon. I am, I have realized this summer that I, T.J. yelden is one of my flag guys. He's my banner guy. He's my, my guy. This offseason the doubt that is coming into fantasy owners minds because of the Chris Ivory signing in Jacksonville is forcing Yelden down the board to the tune of right now being a seventh round draft pick.

[Jason Moore]

Wow.

[Andy Holloway]

Fifth pick in the seventh round. This is not a guy who struggled as a rookie other than he. I think he played 12 games because there were some injury. There was an injury problem, but he averaged 4.1 a carry. He was fantasy relevant over 800 yards and he caught a lot of balls. 36 receptions last year. Now he's slipping down the board and I don't understand really why that is because he didn't have this workload that was some 300 Kerry Werkgold last year. He only scored I believe three total touchdowns on the year last year and was fantasy relevant. For me this is just an incredible value. You have guys that we talk about on the show all the time. Mike brings up Danny Woodhead and how powerful Danny Woodhead was as a third down back only with receptions. How amazing Gio Bernard was in essentially the same situation I see Yelden to be in this year, which is you get all the third downs, you split some of the other carries. And I wouldn't be surprised if he's just more efficient than Ivory. Ivory is so hot and cold as an owner of Ivory. Last year he had a great season. I just don't know what will happen when you bring him into Jacksonville. He'll get opportunities on the goal line, but look, Ivory wasn't even good on the goal line last year. Yeah, he was not a good short yardage back. So why are people off at TJ Yeld?

[Jason Moore]

Nor was Chris healthy last year or any year of his career.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeld is the future for that team. This is a great solidifying move to sign Ivory for Jacksonville when. But Yelden's my guy.

[Jason Moore]

When we had Allen Robinson on the show, one of the guys he brought up kind of unsolicited was TJ Yeldin being a big part of that offense. Now granted Chris Iver hadn't been in camp yet when he came on, but at the same time, that's how the team views TJ Yelden. They don't view him as someone that's been replaced. He's an important part and in the seventh round because I wasn't a huge T.J. yeldon.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, that's great.

[Jason Moore]

But in the seventh round, I mean, you can make me a fan of anybody at a certain round value, and that's just great.

[Andy Holloway]

So, Mike, except for Jerome Simpson. I will never be a fan of Jerome Simpson.

[Mike Wright]

All right, so I'm bringing it back. I'm bringing it back, baby.

[Andy Holloway]

Oh, no.

[Jason Moore]

What?

[Mike Wright]

Amir Abdullah. I am absolutely bringing this back.

[Jason Moore]

I did not know that this was in here.

[Andy Holloway]

The table is set for the rest of the offseason.

[Mike Wright]

He's unbelievable. He is currently going late in the sixth round. And here is the deal. Joy Bell is gone.

[Jason Moore]

What?

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, I know. And like you didn't know.

[Andy Holloway]

I know you cried.

[Jason Moore]

I went to his mother. Come on.

[Mike Wright]

They've added Steven Ridley to replace that. There's. Zach center is still there, but as of now, Amir Abdullah is the primary running back for that team. And there was some offensive line issues last year. And what have the Lions done? Oh, the 16th overall pick, Taylor Decker, their third round pick, Graham Glasgow, new center. Fifth round pick, Joe Dahl, a new interior guard. I mean, they had. They knew what was wrong with the team. We've. We've talked about recently, the second half of the year, once they made an offensive coordinator switch, things improved pretty drastically for the Lions. And now if something to mention with that, you could say, was it the change in the offense? Was it the schedule? Because they had a pretty easy schedule. Second half. I'm choosing to believe that the team has made positive strides towards the future. And beefing up the offensive line is always a great thing to see for a running back. So the hype.

[Jason Moore]

Breaking news.

[Mike Wright]

Oh.

[Andy Holloway]

Oh, you're going to be sad. Brian Hartline's been cut.

[Mike Wright]

Oh, Brian Hartline.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, the Browns cut him to save cab space. So, yeah.

[Mike Wright]

Goodbye, Brian. All right. But so back to Abdullah. So I just. I think that the opportunity is great for him. Theo Riddick will still be the passing, the passing downs guy, but I think Abdullah will get a little bit more work in that area as well. You're talking a great opportunity, a starting running back in the sixth round.

[Andy Holloway]

Certainly interesting to me in the sixth round. He's very interesting.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah. Without Joy Bell there. I mean, put it this way, he's got a better opportunity than he had last year at a better draft value. He was going up into the fourth last year, Amir Abdullah in some drafts, so it makes sense that he would present a value here this year. So I'll lead in with another opportunity guy, a guy who honestly did not impress in his rookie running back season either. But Matt Jones is a guy that I think is a great, great target in the fourth round. I'm going wide receiver heavy early in most of my drafts. Not all of them by any means, but when I do, Matt Jones is the type of player, look, I try to avoid risk in the first and second round, but in those middle picks I'm looking at upside. I want a guy who could go nuts. You've heard me say it before. Opportunity is more important than talent. And you will not find a better opportunity than what Matt Jones has right now. Last year, Washington was middle of the pack running the ball. They're returning the same exact team, the same coaching staff, the same everything. They ran the ball 430 times. So if Matt Jones just gets 60% of the workload, which I don't know how he would be that low considering there's just about no other running backs there, that would be 258 carries, which would put him automatically in the sign me up in the top part of the league. He could very well have more than that. But then you got to keep in mind too, he is still talented. He's not an untalented guy. If you go purely by metrics, websites that compare players, he comps to Le'Veon Bell, he comps to T.J. yelden. He is a, he's 6, 3, 2, 3. You know, he's got some very good, you know, agility. He can catch the ball. To me, that says he has the potential to be a league winning tight back in the fourth round. And he didn't do that great last year. His efficiency was bad. And so maybe he is still inefficient. And if he is, inefficient would be the word I was looking for.

[Andy Holloway]

You also said unclarity earlier, which I thought was a new word as well.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, that's what I do around here.

[Andy Holloway]

You introduce new language.

[Jason Moore]

But even if he's not the most efficient guy, he's basically like a Latavius Murray. Last year he just got so much volume and was the only guy in town where he still finishes a top 12 back. That's what Matt Jones represents to me this year.

[Andy Holloway]

I'll say this. Matt Jones, Amir Abdullah, both guys that are in the middle rounds for a reason because they represent a little bit of risk with the leash that they will have if they fumble the freaking football.

[Mike Wright]

Yes.

[Andy Holloway]

If they both have the problems that they had last year, it will take two or three fumbles before you have to do something different with those guys. But that's part of the risk and that's part of the reward for Matt Jones. I agree with you on the carry totals. 60 to 65% is where I think he'll be this year in terms of total volume.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, and that's great.

[Andy Holloway]

That's workhorse volume. I mean that, those are the numbers when you went back and actually if you looked at Arian Foster and the workload, I, you know, some of his big years, 65%, 67% of the load. That's, that's work code, work load numbers. So let's move on here. Unless, Mike, you wanted to add anything.

[Mike Wright]

No, no, we're good.

[Andy Holloway]

All right, I'm gonna go with Tyler Lockett. Tyler Lockett, to me is the mid round, one of my mid round targets going in the seventh round. In fact, I believe he is going his average job positions the same as TJ Yeldin's. So he's going in the seventh round and he's the example to me of a rookie who has been growing and growing on the job. Last year, his first eight games as a rookie, he averaged just over two catches a game and 56 yards. In the second half he averaged four catches a game, 82 yards a game, and was at about a thousand yard pace. To me it's all about what he's surrounded with. And he's surrounded with an offense that showed me that, you know, Russell Wilson can throw the ball in the red zone. Russell Wilson can be hyper efficient as a passer. This team rotates and Russell Wilson does anything close to what he did in the second half of the season. I just don't see the reasons why Lockett wouldn't be the target. The way Baldwin was on a lot of balls. I think it's a 50, 50 shot with those two guys who's going to get that important target? Because Baldwin is a fourth round guy right now and Lockett is a seventh round guy. I personally would rather put my stock into Lockett and he's younger, he's electric, he does more in terms of game breaking type of things. I do think he's a little boom bust, but you're getting him at a value that makes him worth the risk. He's a guy that I would target as a potential trade, cash in type of player where if he burst, there's no reason he couldn't have three big games out of his first four and then you could trade him for more value or more consistency. So Lockett is a Mid round target for me.

[Jason Moore]

And if you're in any league that rewards special team yardage, then Lockett's great because he's, he's very talented on the returns.

[Andy Holloway]

I'll go. I wonder, I wonder if they're going to give pro size some of that.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah. Oh, some special teams work.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, that's, that's interesting. Maybe I'm going to go with a guy who is, I think, somewhat similar to Tyler Lockett, except very, very proven. And that is desean Jackson, who is currently going in the eighth round. And I like that. It's crazy that the fantasy world is abandoning desean Jackson. Look, he's not my favorite player. He's not my favorite player to own.

[Andy Holloway]

But in the 80s, no Jerome Simpson, though.

[Mike Wright]

How many Jerome Simpson jokes can we have in one show?

[Andy Holloway]

I'm gonna vilify breaking the record. Yeah.

[Mike Wright]

So, but DeSean Jackson, in the eighth round, he's not your wide receiver too. He's your, maybe even your wide receiver. Four, he's your flex play. And that is the perfect, perfect guy to throw in your flex where you know you're not counting on him. But he can win your entire week in two plays. The whole entire offense of Washington is very intriguing to me this year.

[Andy Holloway]

And I know two Washington mid round targets now between Jones and desean Jackson.

[Mike Wright]

And I understand there's whispers in the Bushes of can Dachshund replace D Jacks or Garcon. I think personally that it's far more likely that Dachshund will usurp Pierre Garcon and they'll leave DeSean Jackson as the field stretcher to do what he did. Do what he does. Look, the previous two years, over 1100 yards each of those seasons. And he's a. And he, and he scores touchdowns as well. I just, I think it is insanity that DeSean Jackson has fallen to the eighth round.

[Andy Holloway]

This might be my favorite pick so far. The eighth round is just incredible for him. DeSean Jackson is very funny as a fantasy player. Let me tell you what happens with desean Jackson. When I have him on my team, he does nothing. Whenever I play him, he always catches that bomb in the first or second quarter that makes you want to hate yourself because you see the, you see the low numbers and then you're like, I just need him to give me a game where he only scores three and a half fantasy points and then 84 yards later, he's popping my dreams. But he's such a value at that point, especially, I mean, coming back healthy just Being forgotten. Being forgotten right now.

[Mike Wright]

The hamstring problems were an issue last year.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah.

[Mike Wright]

And because of that people are just are overreacting.

[Andy Holloway]

And he's still, when he was back, he was. Yeah. So Jason, who's your, who's your next mid round value?

[Jason Moore]

He's. Yeah. DeSean Jackson's clearly talented. I'm going to go with a guy who I think is far more talented than desean Jackson, albeit unproven, and that is Kevin White. Kevin White to me represents an awesome value. At the very back of the seventh, so right near where DeSean Jackson's going, he's, you know, you might be able to get him in the eighth, but in the seventh. Think about this last year, last year Amari Cooper was creeping up into the fourth round ADP wise as a rookie. It was him and Kevin White. Those were the two guys. Well now this year people think like, oh, he missed the season, we forget about him. But it's better. This is like a supreme rookie season because he has the playbook burrito supreme. He was there for the whole year of learning the offense and getting to know it. He's been healthy. Now he has been working with Jay Cutler this offseason. The reports are great from Jay and K and Kevin White. Look, two years ago, how when Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffrey were there, Alshon Jeffrey was, you know, the number two wide receiver on that team.

[Andy Holloway]

But it was, it was 1A 1B.

[Jason Moore]

Really, really 1A 1B. And that's what I expect this to be immediately. ALSHON Jeffrey got 145 targets and if.

[Andy Holloway]

Alshon Jeffrey gets banged up again, all of a sudden you have Premier.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, you've got one A. But even if he doesn't 145 targets to Alshon Jeffrey two years ago when Brandon Marshall was there is a reasonable, I mean if you get 125 targets, that would still be, I believe more than Desean Jackson has ever had in his career. As far as target numbers, Kevin White is 6 foot 3 and runs a 4 3, 5. That is exceptional decent. Yeah, that's, that's decent size and decent speed. If you're only talking about hall of Fame wide receivers.

[Andy Holloway]

Right.

[Jason Moore]

That's, that's where it's decent. This is to me, Kevin White represents a, you know, look, if I'm in the seventh, eighth round, I want a guy who has the ability to truly be an elite guy and a worst case scenario, I mean, I guess worst case for anybody who's, you know, injured for the year, but he's back. He's healthy. His injury was not a, it wasn't like Bashad Perryman's where there's worry about lingering or re aggravation. You know, you had a broken boat.

[Mike Wright]

The only, the only shade I'll throw on that for. Because I love Kevin White, the talent, although super raw and unproven, I do like him. Is that the season when both Marshall and Alshon were both. They were monsters. That was the Josh McCown year where McCown was the quarterback 50% of the time and McCown was getting it done with Alshon. I still think, I still see Jay Cutler as a one target guy for like he, he finds his one guy that he loves, he locks on. So I think the, the opportunity won't be outrageous for Kevin White, but I think he has the ability to be a highly efficient and, and boom, bust type of guy.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah. Yeah. And I, you know, the value, again, it comes down to value. There's a reason we call this mid round madness is because some of these names and where they're going are just. It's crazy. It's crazy to me. So. All right, I've got my next one and I need some music for this. Wait, what? I'm issuing a formal public apology to all second wide receivers. I'm talking to you, Alan Hearns. I'm talking to you, Eric Decker. I'm sorry I didn't believe that you had what it. What it takes to be fantasy relevant the entire season. Sure, you could have a good week, but I didn't think you could sustain it. And here's the deal. My third mid round pick here is a guy who is going right now, 8th pick of the 6th round in a 12 team standard league and it's Eric Decker. I mean, I don't know what to say other than give you his stat line. 80 catches for a thousand yards and 12 touchdowns. He was, I mean, do you want.

[Jason Moore]

To get a wide receiver? One.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah. In the eighth round. I mean even more than like the potential of a Doug Baldwin being Doug Baldwin in the fourth. Eric Decker's odds of being Eric Decker are pretty good. Especially when Ryan Fitzpatrick comes back.

[Jason Moore]

That's the water.

[Mike Wright]

The, the stat line.

[Andy Holloway]

Is that why he's down there though? Is he just going to ride up the board because Fitzpatrick's out?

[Mike Wright]

Nope, he will stay fourth round peak. He will stay exactly where he is even if Fitzpatrick is resigned. The stat line that I love for Eric Decker is he only played 15 games, but it's the number three. The number three that's how many times? How many games he did not score a touchdown? 12 games. It wasn't Doug Baldwin. Oh, I scored 12 touchdowns in five weeks. This was. He was giving you consistent high level production every single week. He could be counted on.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, and where and where you're drafted him is ridiculous. You're talking about your third, fourth wide receiver. @ worst, if you go crazy running back, your second wide receiver and to get double digit touchdowns or have the opportunity to do that. That is a mid round madness value.

[Mike Wright]

Alan Hearns is going an entire round in front of Eric Decker. And I like Alan Hearns, but I just think that's. Come on man.

[Jason Moore]

Eric Decker has always, you know, we had a show last year where we talked about the guys who year after year after year were undervalued, were underdrafted and it happens that Eric Decker was already on that list and now he's back on the list again every year. You just don't believe he can do it or that he's going to do it. Just, you know, wise up and draft him because he's going to outperform where he's drafted. Even if he doesn't replicate what he does last what he did last year, he'll outperform it. Of course. Unless Geno Smith is a quarterback.

[Andy Holloway]

Look, you need to take the next one, Jay, because he's in the same category of a guy that just constantly does that.

[Jason Moore]

Every single year my guy outperforms it. And this has been happening now for 33 years, which is Frank Gore. Frank Gore will be 33 on the field next year. I realize that normally for a running back that means you stay far, far away, you want nothing to do with them. Yes, he's old, like really, really old. But I want Frank Gore on all of my teams. This is a guy who has 10 straight years of being an RB20 or better. He's in the top 20 running backs fantasy wise for a decade without missing one. Without having one season where he's like the 21st running back. No, he's really consistent. And what did the just like Amir Abdullah and the Lions, what did the Colts do this offseason? They beefed up their offensive line with pick after pick after pick. Andrew Luck is going to be back. Do you think that, you know, Frank Gore is going to see more men in the box or less men in the box this year? There's no competition.

[Mike Wright]

I like more men in the box.

[Jason Moore]

There's no competition there for his running game. He will be somebody that will 100% outperform his value. He's going in the seventh round again. I'm wide receiver heavy early and part of the reason is because I can get guys like Matt Jones and Frank Gore easily later in the draft who have that potential to just plug those spots really nicely. I think Frank Gore once again is a lock to be an RB2.

[Andy Holloway]

It's hard to see Matt Jones at the ninth pick of the fourth round, which you said is one of the values here, and then see Frank Gore as the fourth pick of the seventh round and not just shake your head and wonder. You know, it's just crazy because I think I would rather have Frank Gore than Matt Jones. Right.

[Jason Moore]

No, he's my favorite. Frank Gore last year was my guy and I think this.

[Andy Holloway]

I heard he was very. Frank Gore came out and said he was very upset that he didn't get to a thousand yards last year. I think he ended with 980 something.

[Mike Wright]

967.

[Andy Holloway]

Okay, 967. He was very upset. He set. Set out to do it again this year. You're right. And it's kind of sad for him because he was facing those eight man boxes in San Francisco and you come to Indianapolis and you just knew you're set for, you know, six, seven man boxes and then Andrew Luck goes down. So. All right, Mike, it is your turn to close us out here on mid round values.

[Mike Wright]

Great. Before we get to my last guy, I just. I know we were talking about Frank Gore and things. I got to mention how sad I am that I have just come to the realization I am also older than Frank Gore. My life is over, guys.

[Andy Holloway]

We didn't want to tell you.

[Mike Wright]

I am out the back. I think the back nine right now.

[Jason Moore]

I think the career lifespan of a. Of a podcaster is longer than an NFL running back though. I don't know.

[Andy Holloway]

He's taking a lot of hits to the head.

[Jason Moore]

That's true.

[Andy Holloway]

Figuratively on the show.

[Mike Wright]

Oh, man. But. And funny enough, I didn't realize how much Jason and I were in sync here because he went with the Washington running back, I went with the Washington wide receiver. He went with a Colts running back and I have gone with a Colts wide receiver. Dante Moncrief going in the middle of the eighth round is absolutely a value and madness to me. This is a guy who scored a touchdown in five of his first seven games. In six of his first seven games, he had seven plus targets. He has become a go to guy for Andrew Luck before Luck went down. Of course Ty Hilton does his big play things, but Moncrief where he was used in that fashion two years ago as a gadgety, you know, run the nine beat people, because you're a freak athlete and you're humongous.

[Andy Holloway]

Now he's Reggie Wayne.

[Mike Wright]

Yes. And now he is more of a possession guy. So if you buy into Andrew Luck coming back and having 30 plus touchdowns, Dante Moncrief is going to be a big, big part of that.

[Andy Holloway]

They got to go somewhere. I admit that. I mean, I, my love for Moncrief is not been there over the years.

[Mike Wright]

Oh, I thought you were gonna say it's actually going up.

[Andy Holloway]

No, I mean, you're talking about the now I've issued my public.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, I was gonna say this is perfect because you're an anti, you know, wide receiver two guy and I'm fighting the only water that I would throw and I'm fine. I mean, I love Dante Moncrief. I think he's a great, talented player. And in the eighth round, I'm fine with the risk, but we should throw out the fact that he's recovering from his turf toe surgery. He should be fine. But watch in training camp, watch in preseason that he is back because if he's not back by, you know, the preseason games and if he's not on the field and your draft comes after that, then I'm worried because he should be back by then. And if he's not, sometimes what happens with the turf toe surgery is it goes from like a three to four month recovery to a six to nine month. So if he's not ready when he should be, which is, you know, he should be in those preseason games, if he's not in there and I'm drafting, I'm probably going to avoid him or at least push him back around or two and maybe take a shot at Philip Dorset late in the draft in case he has an opportunity to show why he was drafted in the first round last year.

[Andy Holloway]

You know what, Mike? I'm starting to. If you notice a trend on recent episodes, it's.

[Mike Wright]

You're starting to agree with my opinions.

[Andy Holloway]

No, I wasn't going there. I was, I was going to, I was going to enforce the fact that Jason has suddenly become the double stuffed doctor because he had a hot take on the, the Watkins injury and the, the timetables and the lengths of recovery. And now he brought, brought the hotness about the turf toe. Dr.

[Mike Wright]

Double Stuff.

[Andy Holloway]

Dr. Double Stuff is here. So, hey, we're about to jump into. We're about, we know we're, we're about to jump into the mailbag. About to answer some listener questions. Before we do, I want to say this. We are one week away from releasing our ultimate draft kit at ultimate draft kit.com one week away. We've been working hard on this. You got six plus hours of extra video profiles of players. You got premium rankings, busts, breakouts, sleepers, values. We have tons of tools and reports. All the coaching changes, all the free agency reports.

[Mike Wright]

Jon Snowbot it.

[Andy Holloway]

Jon Snowbot it. You heard it at the beginning of the show. So I just want to remind people, if you go to ultimatedraftkit.com right now, you can pre order it and you save five bucks if you do it in the next week before it actually comes out. But we're excited and then you're, you know, you're pre ordering it right before you will get it. So let's go and get in the mailbag.

[Jason Moore]

Mailbag, Mailbag.

[Andy Holloway]

All right. If you have a question, go to the website the fantasy footballers.com, click the submit a question button or you can dial our voicemail hotline. 302464, TFFB. We are starting today's mailbag with a voicemail question. So, guys, get ready. Here it comes. Hey, guys. Love the show. Seabols here. I just had a question. What's your opinion on Jeremy Langford this year? I feel like he filled in pretty.

[Jason Moore]

Good for Forte last year as a rookie and he seemingly is the only.

[Andy Holloway]

Guy in the backfield there. Appreciate it, guys. See you.

[Jason Moore]

All right.

[Mike Wright]

I love it. Clear and concise, right to the point. And what was that name?

[Andy Holloway]

I think it was Seaballs.

[Mike Wright]

I heard, I heard Z Balls.

[Andy Holloway]

I was far off.

[Mike Wright]

So Langford, he, you are, you are correct. He filled in very admirably as far as fantasy production when Matt Forte went down. I have my concerns with Langford the player, but the opportunity is it. It seems to be there right in front of him. This John Fox hot hand news is not the kind of thing you want to hear to inspire confidence, although that's kind of what John Fox does, is destroy everyone's confidence. So it's in. You're good. You have to pay up a little bit is the problem. And I would throw the Chicago Bears squarely in the sights of one of the teams. That Arian Foster could come in like an atomic bomb and destroy everybody's fantasy value.

[Jason Moore]

Well, I think he would raise some people's fantasy value, but definitely destroy the other running backs. The running backs, yeah. The problem with Langford right now is his value of where he's going in drafts. He's late third round, so that's a pretty high pick. And the truth is this, if you draft him there, there's no chance that he returns that value. He's either going to disappoint you or you're going to get lucky and he's going to end up being the guy. And if he's the guy, he showed last year on the field that he was able to be used in on every down and succeed from fantasy football. I'm starting to cool on Langford a little bit though, with the news from John Fox, with the, with the remembering. You know how much Kadeem Carey was used last year. Even when Forte came back, it was bizarre. Like using Kadeem Carey for goal line, like, what are you doing?

[Mike Wright]

But he's being John Fox is what he's doing.

[Jason Moore]

Foxy. So Langford is a guy that I will probably pass for. Where he's going now, if he dropped into the fourth, that, that would make me consider him a little Jones or Langford. I would take Jones.

[Andy Holloway]

As would I.

[Mike Wright]

There you go.

[Andy Holloway]

All right, Ryan in Horse Heads, New York and I have vetted that.

[Jason Moore]

Is that a real place?

[Andy Holloway]

Yes. Horseheads is a town in New York with a population just under 20,000 people. He lives in Horse Heads.

[Jason Moore]

Wow.

[Andy Holloway]

Right in Horseheads.

[Jason Moore]

Congratulations.

[Andy Holloway]

All right. He said, hey, guys, for the past few years, I've been in my 12 team league. This year we're going to 16 teams. My question is, what advice would you give me for the upcoming season so I can bring home a third consecutive hashtag Foot Clan title? Thank you for all your amazing advice. Keep it up. What's some advice if your team, if your league is expanding, whether it's 10 to 12 or 12 to 16, what can he do to keep his title run going? What does he have to think about differently in a large league?

[Mike Wright]

My, my one piece of advice here would be, you feel like, okay, it's 16 teams that urge that scratch to get it. You're like, I want to have one of the better quarterbacks for this league. I know we talk about going value and late round on your quarterback. The way I play 16 teams, I think it's even more crucial that you have the strong wide receivers, you have the strong running backs. So I can understand the thought process of, oh, I'm going to grab Rodgers here in the third and I'm going to be set. Don't let everybody else grab those quarterbacks while you load up your, your skill players. I've had several 16 team leagues where this has happened. I haven't even taken a quarterback. I take like the, Even sometimes the 14th quarterback in those drafts, but I'm so stacked at my roster compared to everybody else that I end up winning with just trash at the quarterback.

[Jason Moore]

I completely agree in assuming it's obviously one quarterback, it must be a 16 team league. I would guess punt that I would also punt the tight end for the same reason. Running backs and wide receivers and the depth there and making sure that you've got enough guys to fill in on those large roster spots, especially as the year goes on and bye weeks come in, you want to make sure you're solid there. There's just enough guys at tight end and quarterback where fill out your running back and wide receivers get better backups than other people have starters and you'll go a little bit further.

[Andy Holloway]

Don't you think that it gets to the essence of this episode with the mid round madness and the fact that your depth and the way you draft in the middle rounds in a big league like that matters so, so much because you need, you know, you need to make the right selections. The league is so deep, the waiver wire is going to be more depleted. So. All right, let's go ahead and move on to another voicemail question. Hey guys, longtime listener, first time caller, love the show. My name is Cody, I'm from East Lansing.

[Jason Moore]

I just had a question about who I should keep.

[Andy Holloway]

I have Gronk in the fourth that I've been keeping for consistent for the last three years and I have Le'Veon Bell in the fourth because the way.

[Mike Wright]

It worked out, I picked him up off of waivers so I didn't draft him.

[Jason Moore]

He moved to the fourth.

[Andy Holloway]

This is a 10 man PPR league.

[Mike Wright]

I won the league last year. Thank you for your advice. I do with the 10th pick overall and then serpentine.

[Andy Holloway]

So the first ticket, the next round, do I take Gron with the fourth.

[Jason Moore]

Lev Bell with the fourth or I.

[Mike Wright]

Also have Aaron Robinson with the fourth. All right, thank you.

[Andy Holloway]

So he just has a keeper decision here. He's drafting 10th in a serpentine draft and he has to decide between Love, Bell, Gronk or Alan Robinson in the fourth round.

[Jason Moore]

And for me it's serpentine draft.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, that's very fancy. Yeah, serpentine.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, I like it.

[Mike Wright]

This one's easy. This one's easy. For me it's Love Bell, it's Lev Bell.

[Jason Moore]

And I'm gonna go ahead and be contrarian and say it's Gronk, it's a 10 man league. I think Gronk is a position separator. And the fact that you can still go and draft wide receivers and running backs with those first few picks. Gronk in the fourth. To me, I mean he won his title last year keeping Gronk in the fourth. I say if it ain't broken, stay in those flames.

[Mike Wright]

Dr. Double Stuff is writing himself some bad prescriptions because that's just crazy.

[Andy Holloway]

Well, look, I'll make it a logical argument for you all 10 man leagues. Jason now says draft Gronk over Love.

[Jason Moore]

Bell if you can get him in the fourth. I do. You are correct.

[Andy Holloway]

Why is the fourth any relevance? If you're sitting in the first round and it's the 10th pick of the first round and Gronk and Lev Bell are on the board, you're taking which one?

[Jason Moore]

No, the reason that it does make a difference is because if I have to give up my first round pick to grab Gronk, that means I'm going to be hurting at running back and wide receivers. I would rather punt tight ends and be able to grab a late guy. But the situation flips here because now I can still have great running backs and wide receivers with my early picks and have that difference maker.

[Mike Wright]

Not, not, not nearly as good. You're talking 11 other guys will be kept at least.

[Jason Moore]

No, I really. You're. You're.

[Mike Wright]

Your pool is not as deep.

[Andy Holloway]

All right. Chase in Eaton, Ohio. I have heard you guys mention the use of FAB for the waiver wire and really like that idea. However, I am not sure how to make it happen in our league. It is. Is it only on certain websites or am I missing something?

[Mike Wright]

I think you might just be missing something. It should be available on all NFL.com.

[Andy Holloway]

Espn, Yahoo, all have Fab available.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah. And I don't know a system where it's not there. You know, cbs, my fantasy league, all the. All the providers. Maybe you're just looking in the wrong.

[Jason Moore]

Spot for it and they. I don't know that they use the acronym. It's normally a free agent auction budget.

[Mike Wright]

Faa B. What's. I just had this thought of. Maybe you can't see it. I believe you. You have to make the declaration of waiver or FAB before you're. You kind of launch the league. I might.

[Andy Holloway]

You do not on espn, espn. You can switch. You can change. I'm not certain that you can. On the others. I.

[Mike Wright]

That's a possibility.

[Andy Holloway]

So, Benjamin in Portland, Oregon, what is your opinion about drafting Ryan Tannehill? I keep Waiting on quarterback super late. I get him in my final round before defense, and he is sitting there in the very late rounds. I do this so that I am able to pick as many wide receivers and running backs in earlier rounds as possible. Thank you for the advice. Love the show. I'm a recent convert. All right.

[Mike Wright]

That's better than a recent convict.

[Andy Holloway]

Yes. From what I understand, I have no.

[Jason Moore]

Problem with drafting Ryan Tannehill late. I don't know whether or not, you know, in that situation, whether there's some other quarterbacks I might like more than him. But there are reasons to believe Ryan Tannehill can produce. Adam Gase coming down there, devonte Parker on the outside with Jarvis Landry. The weapons are there. I also think Jordan Cameron is a guy that is getting overlooked with Gase there who uses the tight end, I have no problem drafting Ryan Tannehill with my last quarterback.

[Andy Holloway]

Ryan Tannehill or Colin Kaepernick?

[Mike Wright]

Tannehill. Tannehill.

[Jason Moore]

Wow.

[Andy Holloway]

I would take Kaepernick.

[Jason Moore]

I don't even know that Kaepernick's going to be.

[Andy Holloway]

If he was starting. If he was starting. That's all I meant.

[Mike Wright]

And I've kept. I've kept Ryan Tannehill a little bit more quiet this year. I was huge, huge support of him last year, and it. Yeah, that failed. It failed pretty much. But I am a huge believer in Adam Gase. And if you look at Tannehill's overall numbers, not that bad. Over 4,200 yards, 24 touchdowns. You need the touchdowns to go up. What was pretty disappointing from him is the running cut in half. He had 311 yards in 2014, down to 141. That's.

[Andy Holloway]

That was a separator for him. That was the Alex Smith, like, separator, where you get that extra yardage to help balance the bad weeks.

[Mike Wright]

Yes, completely. But like Jason's saying, you know, Jarvis Parker, they drafted Carew. I mean, the weapons are there for Ryan Tannehill to succeed. So if all of a sudden he's a quarterback one by the end of the year, it will not shock me.

[Jason Moore]

And Kenyon Drake will add to Tannehill's value because he's going to take one or two of those little screen passes a distance when he gets an open space.

[Andy Holloway]

But no, Lamar Miller, which obviously helped him a lot last year in those spaces. So my. You know, we'll see what they got going on there. That team has so many question marks to me.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah.

[Andy Holloway]

When you got devonte Parker as a question mark, Gase coming in. Tannehill's down year two, you know, a rookie, basically almost two rookie running backs. With Ajay having such limited work last year, I mean, there's just a lot.

[Jason Moore]

Of I'm targeting almost no dolphins in almost all of my drafts. I don't think I've had one. But when you're at that last pick, that's where it's like, hey, take the shot on the question.

[Andy Holloway]

So that's it for the mailbag today. I want to let everybody know on Thursday we're going to have Jamie Eisenberg from CBS Sports as a special guest on the show and we'll do some other fun stuff that day. Make sure you come hang out with us on jointhefoot.com Our fantasy football community, and hang out on Twitter with us heffballers. You can follow Mike at ffhipman, follow jasonasonffl and you can follow me at Andy Holloway and stay tuned for the show after the show. We will be back on Thursday.

[Mike Wright]

Goodbye.

[Jason Moore]

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 at theffballers.