Free Agency Winners & Losers + Tush Push Debate - Fantasy Football Podcast for 3/25

Summary

Fantasy Footballers Podcast Summary
Episode: Free Agency Winners & Losers + Tush Push Debate
Release Date: March 25, 2025

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Introduction

The Fantasy Footballers, Andy Holloway, Jason Moore, and Mike "The Fantasy Hitman" Wright, dive deep into the latest developments in the NFL, focusing on free agency's impact on fantasy football and the ongoing debate surrounding the "Tush Push" play. This episode provides insightful analysis, strong opinions, and actionable advice to help listeners navigate their fantasy football seasons effectively.

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News and Notes from Around the League

Cooper Kupp’s Departure from the Rams

Andy Holloway initiates the discussion by addressing Cooper Kupp's three-year, $45 million deal with the Seattle Seahawks. Kupp, a seasoned wide receiver entering his ninth year, has decided to return to his home state, leaving a significant void in the Los Angeles Rams' offense. Holloway mentions, “He will be relevant for the draft... when making start-sit decisions” (06:09).

Mike Wright criticizes the Rams' decision, stating, “They thought they could do better than Cooper Kupp... they got that wrong” (06:35). The trio debates whether Kupp is truly "washed," with Jason Moore expressing concerns about both Kupp and JSN (Justin Jefferson) in their new roles, fearing reduced fantasy reliability.

Bengals’ Contract Extensions: Jamar Chase and T.J. Higgins

Mike Wright brings up the Cincinnati Bengals' substantial contracts with Jamar Chase and T.J. Higgins, highlighting that these deals consume 33% of the team's salary cap. He remarks, “From a fantasy perspective, it's a gold mine” (15:11). The hosts discuss the implications of these contracts, noting that while Chase and Higgins offer significant fantasy value, the Bengals might face cap constraints moving forward.

Andy Holloway praises T.J. Higgins’ new contract, emphasizing his fantasy potential, while also acknowledging the Chiefs' strategy of offering lucrative, upfront deals that might limit future flexibility (17:14). The discussion underscores the balance between securing fantasy assets and maintaining team depth.

Packers’ Roster Moves and the Tush Push Proposal

Mike Wright touches on the Green Bay Packers' acquisition of McColl Hardman and their stance on the "Tush Push" play, which has become a contentious topic in the NFL. The hosts express frustration with Packers' resistance to banning the play, labeling it as “cowardly” and “stupid” (31:05). Andy Holloway argues for the play's effectiveness, especially in generating consistent yards and touchdowns, despite its controversial nature.

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Tush Push Debate

The "Tush Push" has sparked a heated debate among the Fantasy Footballers. Andy Holloway champions the play for its success rate and its benefit to star players like Jalen Hurts, stating, “I love it for Jalen Hurts” (32:20). Conversely, Mike Wright and Jason Moore criticize the play for being unorthodox and potentially hazardous, with Wright labeling it as “dumb” because it can’t be stopped (32:14).

Jason Moore suggests that banning the play would involve influencing rule changes, likening it to “legislation” (34:50). The trio debates the balance between player safety and the excitement the play brings to the game, ultimately expressing mixed feelings but an overarching desire for the play to evolve or be regulated better.

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Free Agency Winners

J.J. McCarthy – Transition to the Vikings

Andy Holloway highlights J.J. McCarthy’s move to the Minnesota Vikings as a major free agency win for fantasy players. He notes, “He’s in a situation... The team has improved his offensive line” (36:38). Mike Wright emphasizes the importance of managing their expectations based on past experiences with quarterbacks like Sam Darnold, stressing the need for accurate projections to avoid underestimating McCarthy's potential (38:38).

Caleb Williams – Bears’ Offensive Line Upgrades

Caleb Williams of the Chicago Bears is another significant free agency winner. Holloway commends the Bears for their aggressive offensive line investments, stating, “They have been a team willing to pay money and invest to make the team great” (40:53). The improved offensive line is expected to provide Williams with ample protection and opportunities, enhancing his fantasy prospects.

Devonte Adams – Jets’ Optimal Fantasy Positioning

Jason Moore singles out Devonte Adams as an exceptional free agency acquisition for fantasy football. Adams’ transition to the New York Jets has positioned him as a top-tier wide receiver despite his age (32). Moore states, “Devonte Adams is going to be a top 20 wide receiver,” highlighting his consistency and potential for touchdown opportunities (44:19). The partnership with Matthew Stafford and Sean McVay’s offensive strategy is expected to boost Adams’ fantasy relevance significantly.

Other Notable Winners

• Drew Dalman, Jordan Mason, and Jalen Warren are mentioned as valuable additions, each bringing unique strengths to their respective teams.
• J.J. McCarthy stands out due to his potential under a stable coaching environment, reminiscent of successful second-year quarterbacks like Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen.

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Free Agency Losers

Isaiah Pacheco – Chiefs’ Running Back Woes

Andy Holloway identifies Isaiah Pacheco as the biggest free agency loser. Pacheco, a seventh-round pick, suffered a season-ending leg injury, drastically reducing his fantasy value. Holloway laments, “Isaiah Pacheco's career is done... he is now a committee back and for fantasy purposes is pretty irrelevant” (51:35). The Chiefs’ lack of investment post-injury reflects poorly on his future fantasy outlook.

Jalen McMillan – Declining Opportunity with the Buccaneers

Jason Moore points to Jalen McMillan as another free agency loser. Despite showing promise, McMillan's future hinges on the Buccaneers' offensive dynamics, which currently favor established stars like Mike Evans. Moore notes, “McMillan just seems like he has now settled into a bit part player right now” (54:35), expressing doubt about his ability to maintain consistent fantasy production.

George Pickens – Overlapping Skill Set with DK Metcalf

George Pickens is flagged as a potential loser due to his overlapping role with DK Metcalf in the Packers' offense. Mike Wright explains, “Pickens is a good player, but... this is a one-year kind of lame duck situation” (56:23). The Packers’ focus on Metcalf may limit Pickens’ target share, making him a less reliable fantasy option.

C.J. Stroud – Offensive Line Concerns in Houston

C.J. Stroud of the Houston Texans is another free agency loser, primarily due to the team's offensive line instability. With Stroud struggling under poor protection, his fantasy value has plummeted from a top-tier quarterback to the 17th spot (61:36). The Texans' aggressive moves to rebuild their offensive line have yet to yield positive results, casting doubt on Stroud’s future performance.

Other Notable Losers

• DK Metcalf: While a perennial fantasy favorite, concerns about his involvement with a new quarterback and possible shifts in the Packers' offensive strategy make him a potential loser.
• CJ Stroud, George Pickens, and Jalen McMillan face similar uncertainties, primarily hinging on team dynamics and individual performance post-free agency.

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Conclusion

The Fantasy Footballers wrap up the episode by emphasizing the importance of staying informed about free agency moves and rule changes like the Tush Push. They encourage listeners to utilize their insights to make strategic decisions in their fantasy leagues. Looking ahead, the hosts tease upcoming shows, including a rookie preview and a second-half standout edition, ensuring fans remain engaged and prepared for the dynamic fantasy football landscape.

Notable Quotes:

• Andy Holloway: “He will be relevant for the draft... when making start-sit decisions” (06:09).
• Mike Wright: “They thought they could do better than Cooper Kupp... they got that wrong” (06:35).
• Jason Moore: “Devonte Adams is going to be a top 20 wide receiver” (44:19).
• Andy Holloway: “Isaiah Pacheco's career is done... he is now a committee back and for fantasy purposes is pretty irrelevant” (51:35).

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For more insights and fantasy football strategies, join the community at JoinTheFoot.com and follow the Fantasy Footballers on Twitter @TheFFballers.

Transcript

[Andy Holloway]

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[Andy Holloway]

Welcome to the Fantasy Footballers Podcast with your hosts Andy Holloway, Jason Moore and Mike Wright.

[Mike Wright]

Welcome in Tuesday, March 25 Jason Moore, Mike Wright, Andy Holloway. Excited to be back with each and every one of you. It feels like it's been a minute. It has for us because we last week we had two new but we recorded those a little bit early and so we had some time off, took.

[Andy Holloway]

Our families on vacations or staycations and now there's a lot of news.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, we got some catching up to.

[Mike Wright]

Catch up on and I told you I realized we will be recording 100 plus player profile videos before June when the UDK releases. And that means all of the UDK needs to be done by June. Like honestly we shouldn't even be doing the show. There's so much work to be done.

[Andy Holloway]

Well that's why we took the vacation. It was like now it's time to take a big, take a big breath and get grinding.

[Mike Wright]

We still have 17 game seasons though, right? We haven't gone to 18 currently.

[Andy Holloway]

I believe we are one season away from 18.

[Mike Wright]

I'm not sure it'll happen.

[Andy Holloway]

It will happen in 2026.

[Jason Moore]

You think it's that soon?

[Andy Holloway]

I believe 2026 will be 18 game season. I am calling my shot now and I will be correct.

[Mike Wright]

I thought I saw some news from the NFLPA and from the NFL that they weren't pushing it.

[Andy Holloway]

I'm sure that's what they'll say. But then what happens is so the thing is is if you play another game you make more money but they.

[Mike Wright]

Have enough so no enough money.

[Andy Holloway]

I don't think they think that way. I don't think the NFL thinks they have enough money.

[Mike Wright]

If you have a Scrooge McDuck, one of those, like, big vaults, and it's to the top, you don't. What, are you going to build another vault?

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, that's exactly what they're going to do.

[Jason Moore]

You're insinuating that Scrooge McDuck hit a point where he's like, I have enough money. The guy who's always going on treasure hunts for more money, hitting me with that.

[Andy Holloway]

Dude.

[Mike Wright]

Hit me with the Wikipedia.

[Jason Moore]

He is so old, and he's like, no, I still got to get out there. There's more money to get.

[Mike Wright]

If I recall, his giant bank vault was only half full that he could swim in it.

[Andy Holloway]

That's true.

[Mike Wright]

So clearly he did have room to make more money.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah.

[Mike Wright]

I'm just saying, if you get it to a certain point, the cost is vault.

[Jason Moore]

Well, you need. I mean, you need some head space. You don't want it to feel cramped in your gold vault.

[Mike Wright]

Wasn't that the, like, pinnacle of wealth.

[Jason Moore]

As a kid was Scrooge the giant vault?

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, like to swim in, jumping into a pool of coins of gold. Yeah.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, it seemed all right.

[Jason Moore]

Except for the Beagle Boys. That's a problem.

[Mike Wright]

Okay.

[Andy Holloway]

All right, let's go.

[Mike Wright]

Too many layers deep into Duckburg.

[Jason Moore]

I'll start talking Gizmo Duck if you don't hurry it up.

[Mike Wright]

Okay. The Ultimate Draft Kit. Preorder it for the lowest price. You'll get all those Hunter plus player profile videos, all of our rankings, sleepers, breakouts, busts values, tons of stuff. We're actually in the process right now with our draft analyzer and then the In Season app. And, you know, we've made it a point to expand the compatibility of the UDK and all of the custom rankings to as many platforms as possible. ESPN Private Leagues, NFL.com leagues will be added to the list of supported leagues very, very soon.

[Andy Holloway]

Any minute.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, I'm thinking the next couple of weeks that will be available to you. So those of you that play on ESPN private leagues and couldn't convince people to switch their league to public so you can import your team. We're gonna. We're gonna accommodate that for you and make sure that your league can be imported for custom rankings, which you can find out all about that ultimate draft kit.com still have the giveaway going. The sign Drake london [e-mail]. you can check that out as well. We'll jump Right into the news.

[Andy Holloway]

News and notes from around the league.

[Mike Wright]

So we do have a little catch up to do on the news. We did not get a chance on the show to talk about Cooper cup three year deal with the Seattle Seahawks. Going home played high school and college ball in Washington three years 45 million. He's 31.8 years old. Entering year nine seemed like he took a step back. The team decided, you know, he had been a loyal Ram, a Super bowl champion, a you know, a normal part of that offense for so long and the team didn't want him back.

[Andy Holloway]

He wanted to begin and end his career there. He said as much on his own post and the team clearly we'll get to other news about Devonte Adams that they thought they could do better than Cooper cup and obviously that matters to some degree. We do caution making that everything. They are also the ones that thought the Alan Robinson was not washed gave him a giant bag of money. They got that wrong. The Rams.

[Mike Wright]

What idiots.

[Andy Holloway]

You know what? When I don't know how to feel about the whole Cooper cup is washed thing the last three games plus the playoffs he will. He disappeared. But that's like that is literally a month and the whole season up to that point. Other than obviously he was injured for a chunk of it. I think maybe the Rams are just saying they can't rely on his availability. Whereas Devonte Adams, you know, he's always out there playing 17 games it seems like. But I don't think that Cooper Cub is washed. Obviously the NFL teams don't. He had a lot of suitors who were trying to give him money. I mean granted it was a great market for a wide receiver because bad.

[Mike Wright]

Draft class, bad Cowboys, Saints, other teams.

[Andy Holloway]

Are very interested and so I do not believe he is done. I know Mike, you've brought up in the office just wondering like you got JSN and Cooper cup both who project to be slot guys.

[Jason Moore]

It's weird. It's not project. It's. That's what they have been. You know like you had JSN last year. Over 80% of his snaps were in the slot Cooper Cup 65% of his snaps. Factor in new offensive coordinator Clint Kubiak is a like he was the Saints or 31st and three wide receiver sets last year. AKA there's no slot for a slot wide receiver to go into. You you have two perimeter guys.

[Andy Holloway]

What if they get rid of the X position when they get rid of their perimeter guys just run slot formation.

[Jason Moore]

So it is.

[Mike Wright]

It is very confusing.

[Jason Moore]

It seems weird what they are doing.

[Mike Wright]

It seems weird to me because we've had conversations this off season about the, you know, Mike, you've been excited about Ken Walker and maybe they run the football more and then you lose Geno Smith and you lose DK Metcalf and JSN had the breakout season, but now you're bringing in kind of an older Cooper Cup. I don't think any of us would feel like this is a better situation than Los Angeles. No, right. You don't have.

[Jason Moore]

Definitely not.

[Mike Wright]

It's not the system, you know, the offense, you know, you don't have Matt Stafford the play caller, Sean McVeigh and Matthew Stafford. So you've got Sam Darnold arriving with an offense we're not familiar with, at least, you know, in this form in Seattle. So to me it's weird. It's going to be weird from a fantasy perspective on how to look at and project that because I could see him being fairly involved in the offense. But what does that translate to? None of us are going to take him over jsn.

[Andy Holloway]

No, no. JSN is the star on this team. But I think both players will be on the field, you know, near 100% of snaps where there's two wide receivers. This is their wide receiver, one wide receiver two. They're both talented wide receivers. I do not believe for one second that neither guy can play on the outside. Like they have both gone there, they've both worked down the field. These guys can play outside and inside. They just have on their current, you know, experience been more inside. I think it'll work out. But what that means for fantasy.

[Mike Wright]

Well, you haven't had a thousand yard season for Cooper cup since the MVP year, right? 2021. Hasn't played 17 games since 2021. Played 9, 12 and 12. How much volume can he get to get where we need him to go?

[Andy Holloway]

There's a team that wants to run the ball more and they don't have the wide receivers and they have Sam Darnold. So I think this is going to be a relevant fantasy option in the draft. In the draft I'm probably bypassing Cooper cup for other higher ceiling upside options. But through the season, when you're making start sit decisions, when you're grabbing a guy maybe off of waivers, is he.

[Mike Wright]

Entering the Jacoby Myers category?

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, absolutely. The Jacoby Myers. I mean we talked about Adam Thielen when he went to Carolina. Granted, Adam Thielen was like it. His target volume was, you know, all of it. And JSN will Be the primary receiver. I don't think he's washed. I think he will be relevant. He's obviously not going to be a fantasy sensation or someone you're excited to draft. If you've got them in Dynasty, I think you're happy, just not happy compared to him staying a Ram. But we already knew he was not going to be a Ram. They were going to trade him or cut him. Now he's got a job where, you know, JSN is going to be projecting to be the primary, you know, number one. But there's not. This, this is not a volume issue for him. I mean, they can, they can support two wide receivers on this team.

[Mike Wright]

Mike, do you. How do you feel about it?

[Jason Moore]

In a few words, Very concerned. I'm very concerned for.

[Mike Wright]

Are you concerned for jsn?

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, I'm very concerned for both of those guys.

[Mike Wright]

Okay.

[Jason Moore]

Because it's for market. Like the excitement for JSN is going to be through the roof like it already is. And we in fantasy football, like I've been doing a research project, we tend to overdraft guys who break out in year two because you're like, oh, it's year two. They broke out.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, they're set.

[Jason Moore]

This is locked in. And more often than not they don't meet their ADP in a points per game. It would like shocking stuff to me going through all of this information and then you combine. He's been a slot like. And Jason was a slot player in college too. It's not that guys can't make a transition. It's just that's what he has done and done well. Yeah, he'd done well in college and then his two years as a pro. This wasn't Justin Jefferson at LSU where he was a full time snot.

[Andy Holloway]

Snot, Snot.

[Jason Moore]

Oh man. Yes, full time. He was a slot wide receiver. So that was. We were all like, well, I don't know. And then he immediately got to the side. So I hanky and right, right now Jason on underdog is wide receiver.

[Mike Wright]

So Garrett Wilson behind him, Terry Baron behind him. People are very excited for JSN, Marvin Harrison behind him.

[Andy Holloway]

JSN finished as the wide receiver 10 last year and he had DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett. Now he's got a, you know, 31.8 year old, nothing.

[Jason Moore]

Lockett was removed.

[Andy Holloway]

Sure. But DK Metcalf, you would say right now today is better than Cooper cup, right?

[Mike Wright]

Yeah. I mean, but that's, that's what's so hard. New quarterback, new offensive Coordinator. So it will be something where, look, we're going to go through very soon and begin the process, you know, after the draft of breaking down the target share, the market share, the total numbers. That's part of the UDK we're going to be getting into there. And maybe I'll be surprised by the distribution that I allude to Cooper cup, but what do they do in the draft, you know, if they added one of the top wide receivers in the first three rounds, do you become more concerned with that because Cooper cup is more ancillary? I don't know. But I do know something, and I don't. I know something special that we have to talk about, but I don't know if both these buttons will work at the same time.

[Andy Holloway]

Okay.

[Mike Wright]

But I'm going to try to use them both. And that's what Al Borland loves to hear.

[Jason Moore]

We're partying.

[Mike Wright]

Oh, no.

[Andy Holloway]

Okay. That was.

[Jason Moore]

That's not how you mash up songs.

[Mike Wright]

That's not good now. I don't know if I. Do I. Can I stop this? Yeah. Okay.

[Andy Holloway]

Please.

[Mike Wright]

I was trying to get a party for Jamar Chase and T. Higgins with the money drop. It didn't work.

[Jason Moore]

That's money.

[Mike Wright]

But they did it. Joe Burrow had his way with the bank accounts of the Cincinnati Bengals. I believe we just posted something on social media about the fact that Burrow, Chase, and Higgins, who are now under contract, those three players, comprise 33% of the cap.

[Andy Holloway]

What could go wrong?

[Mike Wright]

33% of the cap. You know what's great, though, is for us, don't care for us.

[Jason Moore]

Thank you.

[Mike Wright]

That's the right answer. So good, because if we sit here and bemoan Jason, which you've done to the Bengals, bad organization. They don't spend the money, they don't do the things they need to do, then they go spend the money where, like, they take up so much of the cap. I mean, that is not. That's just sports media as a whole. Right. You don't sign them, you're doomed. You do sign them, you're doomed. Look at 4 year 160. What are they going to do?

[Andy Holloway]

What's the other option?

[Mike Wright]

So they have let Higgins go.

[Andy Holloway]

The way that they structure contracts in Cincinnati is absurd for winning. It's great for ownership making money, which is why I say they're a bad organization. Maybe they're a fantastic organization if your goal is profit for the owner. Like, I don't know their. I don't know their, you know, perspective.

[Mike Wright]

This is not a normal move for them.

[Andy Holloway]

It is not a normal move, but it's done in the normal way.

[Mike Wright]

$162 million, 112 guaranteed to Jamar Chase, four year deal. Higgins, four years, $115 million up to the.

[Jason Moore]

It'll be up to 115.

[Mike Wright]

Up to 115. And Burrows under contract for the next four years as well. So from a fantasy perspective, it's a gold mine.

[Jason Moore]

It's sensational now, like Cincinnati, I know y'all probably are clamoring like, where's the Hendrickson extension? We need to get that in now. Me with Joe Burrow and Jamar Chase on my dyno team don't want that. You should probably trade him away.

[Mike Wright]

More offense, just go 6,000 yards, full.

[Jason Moore]

Send on the offense. But this is. It's fantastic news for all parties involved. I mean, this is T. Higgins maybe could have gone somewhere where he gets to be the true number one and you're like. But it's just there was. There's maybe there was maybe two spots. T. Higgins when he's on the field, which has been the hardest part, but when he's on the field, he dominates.

[Andy Holloway]

Well, so to speak to the contract. There's good and bad. My favorite part from a fantasy perspective, $2 million game day bonus, basically. I mean, this is like, you better play to play ball to get the money. Yeah. For T. And that's fan freakin tastic because, I mean, T is like an early my guy candidate. This is perfection for a landing spot. Everyone wants Jamar Chase. T. Higgins, there's a little bit of exhaustion with the injury, but you know, that's something you can't project. He is dominant when he plays in the game. And the Bengals defense is going to be terrible. So this is great. But on the bad side. And to speak to when I'm. When I'm him and hawing. And it's not just whatever you had called it, like, you know, TV rhetoric or whatever. The way that they structure their contracts. I saw this from I believe Goodberry on Twitter. They, unlike all the other teams in the NFL trying to win, they use these massive extensions. They give them most of the money up front. It's a very team friendly deal in the long term. Like, I believe after this season, T. Higgins is only guaranteed another $10 million. Like that's it. But you know, Jamar Chase, year one cap hit this year on this massive extension. 23.6 million on the cap year one for comparison. Justin Jefferson, 8.6. CD Lamb, 8.8.

[Jason Moore]

They pushed the buck.

[Andy Holloway]

Most all teams in the NFL, they, they have these big extensions and then you know, Amon Ra gets paid a massive amount. He hits 4.9 million on the cap, whereas Jamar Chase is 23.6 million on the cap this year. And what's crazy, T. Higgins is even more on the 24 million on the cap this year. That's just not how any other team does business. And it will take their ability to spend it elsewhere away. Obviously for this year. Yes, yes, yes, for this year.

[Mike Wright]

Which is, I mean this all I.

[Andy Holloway]

Care about right now.

[Mike Wright]

But this wasn't the expectation necessarily that the team would go out and spend the money necessary to keep the offensive core together. We thought Higgins was probably heading out the door when we got franchise tag last year. So at least in that regard we get to enjoy the fantasy bounty, which we'll talk more about.

[Jason Moore]

And Joe Burrow, like Joe Burrow is locked in easy as a top five guy with upside.

[Mike Wright]

It'll be interesting to see how that evolves over the off season because you're 100% right. He has every ability to be there. He could be the number one or two quarterback. It's possible 50 plus touchdowns. But I will be curious what happens to him in drafts because it's so positive because the, the mood, the way he performed last year MVP year without making the playoffs. So didn't get an mvp. All of that stuff combined with these signings, I'm just a little bit curious if he becomes the Mahomes level of commitment for fantasy players and drafts where you're like look, this guy has to smash. Which look, he might. Yeah, things have gone wrong.

[Andy Holloway]

I would imagine he'll be the fourth quarter. I don't know his ADP right now.

[Jason Moore]

So he's five because it's Allen, Lamar, Jaden and Jalen Hurts are the top four. Maybe someone is. Maybe someone says no, I'm going to go Burrow over Jalen Hertz. Or you're just. You're prioritizing because you want the, you want to stack. I get that. But it's there. I don't think Burrow can make it past four.

[Mike Wright]

We had a trade that we didn't get to talk about. The Vikings picking up Jordan Mason.

[Jason Moore]

Dude who. This one is fascinating.

[Mike Wright]

You know the, the Vikings, I love them. I just. Right now I just am in love with the Vikings. The defensive side of the football is going to be so outstanding. They have all the pieces on offense. Their offensive line is good. They bring back Aaron Jones veteran presence for the running Back room. And then they go, and they don't rest on Aaron Jones, who has missed time before, who is older. And they go pick up Jordan Mason from San Francisco. They give him a two year deal. There's a, there's definitely a chance in my mind that Jordan Mason's the better player for this offense at running back this year. With just the career trajectory of both of those players. You just put JJ McCarthy in the most cozy position possible to succeed. Head coach we trust, which Mike brought up on the 10 things to remember show. Like, I just love what the Vikings are doing. But speaking to Jordan Mason, this is such a great move for them. And then, you know, on the other side of it, you now have a running back room in, you know, Elijah Mitchell's gone, Jordan Mason's gone from San Francisco. So it's, you know, it's, it's. I will say it's McCaffrey and it's Garendo and it's a draft pick.

[Jason Moore]

Probably, it's probably Garendo. But San Francisco has been wild with these third round running backs lately where they just seem to take one every single year.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, in a deep running back draft class, we wouldn't be shocked. But as of now, like I thought about today, you know, we're talking about the winners and losers. I was very close to making the CMC Garendo combination huge winners. With these two guys leaving, it's really solidified. You know, CMC is going to get all of the work and then Garendo is now the backup as it stands today. But I didn't do that primarily for the same reason you're bringing up Mike. I thought they might not be done here.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah. Yeah. So it'll be very exciting to see this team on the field next year. The whole division's pretty fun. 49ers get a six round pick out of it. Giant sign Jameis Winston to a two year deal. It's a backup deal. $8 million could be up to 16 with incentives if he plays more. I've seen a lot of people that I feel like have reacted like this means he's going to be their starting quarterback. I don't think that's going to be the case.

[Andy Holloway]

I think what you're seeing is the excitement for if he, he starts. What happens to Malik Neighbors? Which, let me tell you what happens to Malik Neighbors. He's the best wide receiver in the history of the National Football League. Jerry Judy was a top five wide receiver with Jameis Winston. I mean, Cedric Tillman was like a top 10 wide receiver James Winston is going to air it out like crazy. He has the ability. It's identical to the Bengals where it's like a great offense. Terrible defense is what you want. Or you could do it by yourself. Throw a bunch of yards and touchdowns and interceptions. Because if you do both, you got to keep throwing the ball. And that's Jameson specialty. But the contract is backup money. They're still going after barely backup. They're still going after Aaron Rodgers hard. That. That probably isn't going to happen. There's rumors that Russ is there. They're definitely looking at the top of the draft at a quarterback. I think if they draft a quarterback, Jameis will start the season.

[Mike Wright]

He was. He had the six games last year in Cleveland where he was on pace for 733 pass attempts, but then he got.

[Andy Holloway]

But then that's an absurd number. You almost got a spit take out of him.

[Mike Wright]

He got benched in Cleveland.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, but you didn't want to win at that point.

[Mike Wright]

But. But this is kind of like the trouble, right? It's like it's too much of a good thing for us and not a good enough thing for.

[Jason Moore]

I think he got benched because they're thought he could accidentally win a game.

[Mike Wright]

Well, no, he lost, Lost, lost, lost, lost, win.

[Jason Moore]

But I'm saying Jameis could accidentally win. The other guys that they trot out there like there's no chance we win.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, yeah. And I just. It's hard because I think we would all love to know that Malik Neighbors has some sort of consistent passer now. I think Russell Wilson might end up in New York and might compete with Winston or be the starter with Winston the backup. You talked about a rookie. It does mean that there's a path for Neighbors to be exceptional.

[Andy Holloway]

It is a really. It's a hysterical signing for an incoming rookie because, you know, a lot of times you want to get that vet, train them under. Train them under. You know, this. This guy who's going to, you know, the tutelage of James Winston.

[Jason Moore]

They're like, Jameis, don't talk to the.

[Andy Holloway]

Do not to the rookie. You're not allowed to talk inside the facility. Just come and play football. You cannot mentor him.

[Jason Moore]

You.

[Andy Holloway]

You are not his mentor. You can't be his friend.

[Mike Wright]

I just see him writing up the play. Yeah, forget the play, man. Forget the play.

[Andy Holloway]

Just throw it deep. Just look for a guy deep and just throw it, man. Just believe in your heart. You just got to believe in your heart that that guy's going to be open. You just throw it. And you know what? He's going to be open. That's Jameis. What's the play?

[Jason Moore]

It doesn't matter.

[Mike Wright]

What do you believe? Kareem Hunt back to the Chiefs. The Chiefs. Look, we talked about them many times this offseason. How annoying they are. This is more annoying. Kareem Hunt, Elijah Mitchell, Isaiah Pacheco. That's your backfield right now, get roosts, but let's put an exclamation point on it. Let's just bring juju back to be part of that wide receiver room. That's messy.

[Andy Holloway]

They don't feel good. But they were in the Super Bowl.

[Mike Wright]

Mark Andrews. The Ravens picked up his roster bonus for 2025.

[Jason Moore]

What's all this? We're getting rid of Mark Andrews.

[Mike Wright]

They are both. Well, he could still get traded, but right now, Andrews and Isaiah likely are free agents in 2026. Both guys. So decisions to be made. And maybe that's part of why those rumors existed is because you knew Mark Andrews time there might be ending. Anyways. He'll be going into year 31. I think that's a lot of football.

[Andy Holloway]

Age 31.

[Mike Wright]

Age 31.

[Andy Holloway]

Year 31 would set all sorts of records. He's in his 50s.

[Mike Wright]

Only LeBron could do that. All right, well, we'll take a quick break, come back.

[Andy Holloway]

He's broke every record.

[Mike Wright]

All right, we'll be back.

[Jason Moore]

Today's show is brought to you by our friends over at Indeed. Running a business is. It's very complicated. There's a lot of moving pieces, a lot of things happening and a lot of things happening at a fast pace. And sometimes you figure out that you need to hire people, and sometimes you're like, man, I need to hire someone as of yesterday. Well, how can you find amazing candidates? Fast. Easy. Just use Indeed. With Indeed sponsored Jobs, your post jumps to the top of the page for your relevant candidates so you can stand out and reach the people you want to reach faster. I know that we come off as just three knuckleheads who all we do is we talk, we make silly jokes for a living. But we run a legitimate business. We've had to hire a ton of people. We know just how important it is to get the right person in here, and that's why Indeed is such an incredible service. Using Indeed makes that process just better. Get the people you need. Use that sponsored jobs option and hire someone right now, a qualified person who's going to stick around with your business for years to come. There's no need to wait any longer? Speed up your hiring right now with Indeed and listeners of our show will get a $75 sponsored job credit to get your jobs more [e-mail] footballers just go to indeed.com footballers right now and support our show by saying you heard about Indeed on this podcast. Indeed.com Footballers terms and conditions apply. Hiring Indeed is all you need. Your old or broken phone can let you down, but at Verizon, trade in any old phone from our top Brands and get iPhone 16 Pro with Apple Intelligence with a new line on MyPlan.

[Mike Wright]

And iPad and Apple Watch Series 10.

[Jason Moore]

After all, you don't want your old phone to die on you when you're lost.

[Andy Holloway]

Perfect.

[Jason Moore]

Or for your broken phone to glitch.

[Mike Wright]

At the worst possible time.

[Andy Holloway]

Hey, can I get your number?

[Mike Wright]

Trade in your old phone for a.

[Jason Moore]

Brand new iPhone 16 Pro I, iPad and Apple Watch. Visit verizon.com today.

[Mike Wright]

Additional terms apply Service and required for Apple Watch and iPad. The Falcons are officially keeping Kirk Cousins on the roster, triggering a $10 million guarantee. I still think he could be moved. I think Kirk Cousins being the starting quarterback of the Cleveland Browns is what I think will happen. That's my prediction. All right, Brandon Cooks two year deal going back to the Saints. I don't think Brandon Cooks has unpacked his bags in 10 years. He just lives out of a suitcase.

[Andy Holloway]

That's smart for him.

[Mike Wright]

But all right, the Saints pick up a player that is capable of running routes. I mean, that's.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, I mean they need guys.

[Mike Wright]

Tyler Conklin to the Chargers. Thank you.

[Andy Holloway]

This deal, it's a one year deal worth $3 million. It's not a big deal. This says to me that they want a tight end. So they went and got one. And this does not preclude them from grabbing a very high draft pick at.

[Mike Wright]

Tight end to me, nor does it.

[Andy Holloway]

Got that proclude, perclude, percolate.

[Jason Moore]

Preclusion.

[Mike Wright]

It doesn't stop them from making Tyler Conklin their starting tight end either.

[Andy Holloway]

No, no, no.

[Mike Wright]

Because right now he is. He is. You know, we had what Will Disley there.

[Andy Holloway]

I would say Tyler Conklin is better than Big Montana in just the passing game.

[Jason Moore]

Them is fighting words on this show.

[Andy Holloway]

I know, I know. But I'm still hopeful that like this will be a Tyler Warren spot.

[Mike Wright]

What about now?

[Jason Moore]

Oh, Big Montana.

[Andy Holloway]

So much better. He's big, he's fast, he's Montana strong. Will dis. I'm sorry, Will. I should never have said Tyler Conklin.

[Mike Wright]

Does he Have a new home yet. We need to.

[Andy Holloway]

I said Tyler Conklin was better than him.

[Mike Wright]

We need a Disney watch because Conklin is.

[Jason Moore]

Conklin's a.

[Mike Wright]

He's a good.

[Jason Moore]

He's a capable player.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah.

[Jason Moore]

Disney's still in LA.

[Mike Wright]

Big news for Al Borland. The packers picked up McColl Hardman on a one year deal.

[Jason Moore]

Oh, we got that speed.

[Andy Holloway]

Josh Jacobs super happy. Is Josh Jacobs out there. Like we needed that wide receiver one. I love our guys, but we need a wide receiver one. We got him.

[Mike Wright]

I believe the last four MVPs. I could be wrong. I think the last four MVPs have McColl Hardman on the team.

[Andy Holloway]

Really?

[Mike Wright]

Yeah. Like he's played for the last four MVPs.

[Jason Moore]

That's interesting.

[Andy Holloway]

I hope he played for that.

[Mike Wright]

No, he played for. Played for Rogers in Green Bay, played for Mahomes, played for Josh Allen. I'm fairly certain that is true.

[Jason Moore]

Nicole Hardman.

[Andy Holloway]

Did you say Rogers in green?

[Mike Wright]

I am an idiot. I was thinking Marquez Valdez Scantling. A player I think of with the.

[Jason Moore]

Same fantasy relevance as McColl Hardman say McColl Hardman is. He's played for a total of one quarterback.

[Mike Wright]

Little rusty boys. Little preclude. Proclude.

[Andy Holloway]

Dare say I believe McCall you're calling Jordan Love just played in a Super Bowl. Maybe. No.

[Mike Wright]

Marquez Valdez Scantling. Who did he just. He signed with Seattle.

[Jason Moore]

Yes. No.

[Mike Wright]

Hardman's been a cheap Sam Donald MVP is what I've been trying to say this whole time. Michael Gallup coming out of retirement to play for the Commanders. Okay, Ron.

[Andy Holloway]

But it doesn't matter.

[Mike Wright]

Ronda Moore to the Vikings and the packers are the team that officially proposed the ban of the tush push.

[Andy Holloway]

Cowards.

[Mike Wright]

Are you crazy? You guys are like fully in on the tush.

[Andy Holloway]

I'm still totally in on it.

[Jason Moore]

So soft to say the tush push. Yeah. No, no. To say banning it. It's soft.

[Andy Holloway]

We can't stop it. So will you stop it for us?

[Jason Moore]

Do it yourself.

[Mike Wright]

I mean this is how rules are made. You know, like somebody figures out some exploit and then they just stop it.

[Jason Moore]

I just don't think that the place.

[Mike Wright]

Because you don't see other teams succeeding to the level that you correct.

[Jason Moore]

And I mean.

[Mike Wright]

Oh, you guys debated this at lunch last week. The Doosers. You guys all talked about this. How did you support your team, the Packers?

[Jason Moore]

I did not.

[Mike Wright]

Okay.

[Jason Moore]

Okay, that's good.

[Andy Holloway]

What are those politicians called? The ones that are just hired to sway people's opinions?

[Mike Wright]

Lobbyists.

[Andy Holloway]

Lobbyists. This Feels like this feels. Who likes lobbyists?

[Mike Wright]

Proclude.

[Andy Holloway]

Do you like lobbyists? That's what Green Bay. That's what they're like. You got us. You got to stop them. You got it. We can't do it. We can't stop. Jalen hurts.

[Jason Moore]

It's gross.

[Andy Holloway]

You do it.

[Mike Wright]

You guys all think it's gross, huh? Yeah, I think the play. Because it's cowardly. I think the play is stupid. I'm fine with, like, keeping it. It's fine if you want to keep it. I just think it's kind of dumb. I don't enjoy it.

[Andy Holloway]

I love it. I love it.

[Mike Wright]

You love it for one reason.

[Andy Holloway]

I love it for Jalen hurts.

[Mike Wright]

Fantasy football on the goal line.

[Andy Holloway]

That is one of the my. At least two.

[Mike Wright]

You don't. You don't like it in the sense of, ooh, here's a big fourth down. Oh, wait, we know we can't stop.

[Jason Moore]

Do you not like it because people are pushing him? Like, what is the.

[Andy Holloway]

He doesn't like it because it succeeds at 92%.

[Jason Moore]

I want to know what people who don't like it.

[Mike Wright]

It's the same reason that they stop letting you, like, launch off people for the field goal kick. It's just.

[Jason Moore]

Well, that was safety.

[Mike Wright]

Well, yeah, because.

[Jason Moore]

Because people are getting hurt.

[Andy Holloway]

Well, this is going to hurt a lot of feelings, but I'm saying, like, they're going to. Is going to cause a lot of emotional pain.

[Mike Wright]

I don't. I don't care that much. It's just kind of a dumb play because, you know, it can't be stopped. That's why it's dumb. Well, I don't get to be excited on fourth down that maybe they stuff them. They're not gonna. Because the fly more squats. Yeah, well, they brought an AJ Dillon to help Saquon push. Jalen hurts. They could run and play.

[Jason Moore]

Those two better be on the field for the tush push.

[Mike Wright]

Do you think they'll ban it?

[Andy Holloway]

I think there's a better shot this time.

[Jason Moore]

That's what I'm asking.

[Mike Wright]

What.

[Jason Moore]

What are they banning? Is it. Are they banning the pushing of people?

[Mike Wright]

I saw it would be multiple guys pushing.

[Andy Holloway]

The way that. The way that the rule was proposed by Green Bay was upon the immediate snap of a ball, to have players pushing and aiding the ball carrier upon the snap. I saw it. Talked about how technically the Eagles don't do that immediately on the snap, so maybe it's still legal. Whatever. This is still a play. I want them to. I don't Think it's perfect yet, but I want them to get to perfection. I want them to be able to guarantee 3 yards per play and run it every single play and never not score a Touchdown.

[Mike Wright]

Here's Sean McDermott, one of the so 24 of 32 teams have to vote it out. That's the rule. Sean McDermott, Bills, not the Packers The Bills head coach came out and said the play is an injury safety risk. He says player safety and the health and safety of our players has to be at the top of our game. The way the techniques are being used with that play, to me you have the potential you have have been potentially contrary to the health and safety of the players.

[Andy Holloway]

This is the guy who's running it all the time for the Bills. I mean, they basically have the tush push with Josh Allen.

[Mike Wright]

They see they run a broken tush.

[Andy Holloway]

Yes, they do. Which is why it got stopped in the playoffs so many times.

[Jason Moore]

They hiding behind.

[Mike Wright]

I don't know. I guess, I guess it's.

[Jason Moore]

I guess the cool sense.

[Mike Wright]

The cool thing is to like that play. So that's what I'm supposed to do.

[Jason Moore]

No, I don't even. I don't care one way about the player or the other. I just. It, it works. You can't do it. And the only way you're. This is how I stop it is I'm going legislation.

[Mike Wright]

That's fair.

[Jason Moore]

Do it on the football field.

[Andy Holloway]

That's fair.

[Mike Wright]

That's fair.

[Andy Holloway]

Now I'm saying do more squats.

[Mike Wright]

Now. If every team did it and it never failed, would you want it banned?

[Andy Holloway]

If every team did it?

[Mike Wright]

Just from a fan perspective.

[Andy Holloway]

Sure. Yeah.

[Mike Wright]

From a fan perspective.

[Andy Holloway]

Then, then you've got. If there was a play design that was perfect, that should get a season and then be outlawed or whatever. But this is physical ability.

[Mike Wright]

Then you're more entertained by the fact one team can do it and others can't.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, I am.

[Mike Wright]

You are the play itself.

[Andy Holloway]

Yes.

[Jason Moore]

Yes.

[Mike Wright]

Okay, makes sense. We figured it out, solved. Moving on.

[Jason Moore]

We're gonna win.

[Andy Holloway]

We're gonna.

[Mike Wright]

We're looking at free agency winners and losers. The dust has settled. Free agency is all but over. Other than some old quarterbacks and old wide receivers that will trickle onto rosters, maybe after camp for all we know. But let's talk about the winners side of free agency and we'll start with Jason. Who do you have as the free agency biggest winners?

[Andy Holloway]

I've got a combo pack of second year wide receivers who I think are the biggest winners or thank you, pro clue. I won't tell anyone. Quarterbacks McColl, Hardman, J.J. mcCarthy and Caleb Williams are massive winners going into this off season. You know, there was talk of will they franchise Darnold, will they sign him to a team friendly deal? Will they bring in someone else? And Aaron Rodgers, it has become J.J. mcCarthy's team. The team has even come out and said that. So the way that has operated around him, they have improved his offensive line.

[Jason Moore]

Yes, that's the big one.

[Andy Holloway]

They have gotten rid of the starting quarterback ahead of him and they have invested into. You know, we just talked about Jordan Mason being added to the team. This is a player I really, really believe in for fantasy purposes. It's yet to be seen how glorious it will be for who projects to be mostly a pocket passer. He'll, he'll scramble a little bit. He's 22 years old. He was the 10th pick in last year's draft. If you don't remember J.J. mcCarthy, they traded up for him. Here's an interesting thing. Teams that have traded up in the first round for quarterbacks over the last decade who have the same head coach in year two. So these are guys the team believed in, they invested in and they have continuity going into year two. There's only a handful that have played the second season in its entirety. Carson Wentz was one. They won the Super Bowl. DeSean Watson was one 10 wins and was outstanding. Patrick Mahomes was one. He was the MVP. Josh Allen was one of those players, 10 wins. Lamar Jackson was one of those players, the MVP. That's basically the whole list. So he's in a situation.

[Mike Wright]

Trey Lance.

[Andy Holloway]

Well, Trey Lansky didn't play.

[Mike Wright]

No, I know, but all those guys played as rookie though, other than Mahomes. Right?

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, Mahomes played one game as a rookie. So yeah, I mean obviously that's just a neat stat nugget. But this is a talented player on a team. Put it this way. Forget, forget what other people have done. What have the Vikings done? Mike, you brought this up on the things to remember. Head coach Kevin O'Connell, he's been working wonders with the. Whoever his signal caller is. It doesn't matter. Kirk Cousins was unbelievably great for years. Joshua Dobbs was a top five quarterback. Nick Mullins was a top 12 quarterback, three of four starts. Sam Darnold last year, who has always been just the butt of jokes. The sacrificial baby was all of a sudden, you know, a top 10 quarterback.

[Mike Wright]

He is beautifully set up by this organization and we did a couple things Wrong. Last year we didn't account for the possibility of Sam Darnold being good for fantasy. Right. We said, oh, maybe he could supply value elsewhere. But he himself, we underestimated his potential to be valuable for fantasy. Right.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah.

[Mike Wright]

So that's something we can't do again with J.J. mcCarthy, in my opinion. And if you. And the second thing is just when you're drafted that highly, you should be able to, us as fans expect a player like that to be a great player. I don't feel like that. That is, it's all like, can he do what Darnold did? Like, what if he did more? Yeah, what if, what if you being a top 10 pick in that organization now with an, with a forced red shirt season, which is sometimes very good for quarterbacks, maybe you're going to be a better than the previous quarterback. Like at least let's open the possibility that he's a good fantasy player and that he's a good NFL player.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah. I think this is a team with the quote unquote. You know, he's not a rookie, but he's a rookie. You know, he's going to play his first football this year in the NFL. This is a Super bowl contending team. The way that they've built the roster, what they've done to their defense, it's awesome. The other, the other second year quarterback that I think massive winner in free agency is Caleb Williams. Caleb Williams had 68 sacks taken that was most in the NFL, tied for the third most of all time. 31% pressure to sac rate. I mean that's literally only Will Levis was worse than that. And Will Levis is which one is. I believe he is farsighted. He can see far, he cannot see up close. If the line, the line in front of him, the defense, it's fuzzy. He can't see him. Caleb Williams had massive problems with the behind the line and the line coming through. And what did the Lions go out? First of all, they got Ben Johnson the bell of the ball, you know, as head coach. Yeah, the Bears.

[Mike Wright]

You said lying.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, I did.

[Mike Wright]

Go on. That's where he used to coach, which makes total sense.

[Jason Moore]

What you said, what you said is.

[Mike Wright]

Perfectly ordinarily the right thing.

[Andy Holloway]

Exactly. Thank you. But they outbid multiple teams for a new center. Drew Dalman, massive $3 or $42 million contract. They traded for Joe Tuney, who's maybe the best left tackle in the league last year, even though he's a guard. And then Jonah Jackson. The interior of this line goes from horrific to awesome. It's very, very exciting with the talent Caleb Williams has having the. He's a massive winner from free agency, just from head coach and offensive line.

[Mike Wright]

It will be exciting to see what other weird part of the Bears season goes wrong because I think the line will be in pretty good shape. So it's always a suspenseful thing to figure out for sure. What we know it'll happen destroys their season. I went with Baker Mayfield. Yeah. One of the things I loved about Baker's situation last year was the team chose to. They chose to value consistency on the offensive side of the football and it paid off in huge ways for fantasy players. Just running it back with, you know, you added Bucky Irving through the draft, but you had the core group of players. They chose to do it again. I mean, bringing back, bringing back Chris Godwin. Three year deal for Godwin instantly, you know, 44 million guaranteed. He's looking healthy. Mike Evans is there. They are vacating zero targets from the wide receiver and tight end group.

[Jason Moore]

That's wild.

[Mike Wright]

That's insane. I mean, and how good were they last year? So if you want a known commodity in fantasy, fourth in points per game, third in yards per game, and Buck Irving's coming into year two like this is a great situation for fantasy players because I feel like you're going to think you're getting something and you're going to get it. That's what I think the Buccaneers offense represents is like we are often, you know, trying to predict the future in fantasy. Accept a few situations where we know pretty much what you're going to get. Baker has done it now for two years under different coordinators. I feel very confident in their offense and he's a winner because they didn't go and break up what they know works.

[Jason Moore]

Laser, I'll jump in. Joe Burrow is one of the big winners, but we kind of already went over that. So I'm going to bring up Devonte Adams because I think that he is in an incredible position for fantasy for this year. He's old, he's 32. Devonte Adams is one of the outlier guys that can just keep doing it. He last year he was getting it done. Once he fully acclimated onto the, onto the New York jets back with Rogers, he was fantastic for fantasy football over his final six games. 11.3 targets on average 7 for 96 in a score like that is what he was averaging. That would have been wide receiver three over that time. Just over Mike Evans, just over Justin Jefferson. He's going right now as the wide receiver 21 in best in the best ball format, and it's like, yeah, okay, I will make the bet that Devonte Adams, with Matthew Stafford. Stafford and Sean McVeigh's offense can, can sustain two wide receivers. That's not a concern for me at all. He's going as a wide receiver 21. I will bet that Devonte Adams is going to be a top 20 wide receiver. And then, hey, the guy who missed how many weeks?

[Mike Wright]

I was going to bring it up. I was going to bring it up. He played 11 games last year.

[Jason Moore]

When you have these guys where things are already going to be great for them and then you have upside contingency built in should Puka miss time. If Puka misses time, Devonte Adams, you'll be looking at him as a top five option on a weekly basis. So I think that he got himself in such a great position and for the Alan Robinson, I get it. That was a catastrophe and felt so, so bad over that whole off season before the Rams, with their monies and things and the way they were talking about Robinson and training camp, changed opinions on this show. We had just watched him on the Chicago Bears, that final season of Robinson on the Bears, and it was atrocious. Alan Robinson on the field was washed. He was toast. The Rams just. They wanted. They chose to believe that what he did on film last year, was it the truth? It was. And Devonte Adams last year on film, still great.

[Mike Wright]

Devonte Adams last year was better points per game than CD Lamb, Brian Thomas Jr. AJ Brown, Drake London, better points per game than McLaurin or Rashi Rice or Devonte Smith. He was a top 10 in points per game in a season where he got traded halfway through the year, which is very. I mean, his points per game went up two points.

[Andy Holloway]

Well, yeah, it should. Do you want to know why? Because after the bye week when he was on his new team with his bestie, Aaron Rodgers, take a guess how many targets he was on pace for during that second half of the season.

[Jason Moore]

6,192 target pace, which he will not be getting that. That's why we're drafting him as the wide receiver 21. We're not projecting him.

[Mike Wright]

Just to be clear, the jets offense was horrendous. Sure, the targets were up, but maybe we can get some touchdowns in Los Angeles.

[Andy Holloway]

Yes.

[Jason Moore]

And things with Stafford, I think it's going to be so much better for Adams.

[Mike Wright]

Look, as. As a man who rosters old players and dynasty, I can't help but be really Encouraged by Mike's thoughts on devonte Adams as a winner.

[Jason Moore]

It was, I mean it's as close to a best case scenario for a 32 year old player.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, I'm not sure there would have been a better scenario for Adams because there are teams that he could have gone to that we would have been like, ooh, that's exciting. I mean Buffalo or something.

[Jason Moore]

Right.

[Mike Wright]

But like from a.

[Jason Moore]

He's in a west coast dome team.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, I was going to say from. And a clear who's the starters. Right. Like if you went to Kansas City, Adams could be great. But we also saw Hopkins go there and get shoved to the sideline and then Rashi Rice is coming back and you have a rookie like clarity is very valuable and at least in Los Angeles, look, Adams is going to fall off a cliff at some point, so that's going to be a risk. But the ADP being outside of the top 20, it is interesting.

[Andy Holloway]

He wasn't there yet. Obviously he didn't fall off last year. Sean McVeigh knows how to use his players if his players have anything to give and he's got something to give. So I, I agree. And you know, we talk about the fall off of Cooper cup at the first, you know, when Cooper cup was playing even with Puka Nakua, he was on a massive target pace for the majority of that season. So this is not, you know, I wanted to. At first when I saw this I was like, I'm not sure it's a great landing spot. It's not as good as it was with the jets last year, I don't think. But when you look at where he could have landed, it doesn't get much better. Maybe Buffalo, but Buffalo, I don't know that they want a number.

[Mike Wright]

Well and we know they love to run the football.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah.

[Jason Moore]

Now.

[Mike Wright]

So real quick though, let's make it fun. Devonte Adams, who you just talked about.

[Jason Moore]

Or jsn, oh my goodness.

[Andy Holloway]

That's an easy JSN for me. Just from philosophical principle of taking the young up and coming versus the older, you know, going to sunset soon.

[Jason Moore]

I think that that's a question that most people will scoff at but I think it is a fair debate.

[Mike Wright]

I'm going to read off some other winners that we had listed. We didn't pick them out as our like favorites but you know, Jaden Daniels with getting, you know, picking up Debo, getting Ertz back, Jalen Warren, the Clarity and the Warren one that was almost the one I went with was Warren.

[Jason Moore]

That one can still get blowed up by the draft. But if they're, I mean, if they go in with any sort of depth chart like that, Jalen Warren's going to be awesome. More than 10 points. A lot.

[Mike Wright]

Debo's departure for Ricky Piersol is a good thing. Brock Bowers gets Geno Smith a consistent quarterback. So, you know, some other winners there, including maybe even Cole Comet. With Ben Johnson knowing how to use a competent tight end, having an offensive line that maybe he doesn't have to block as much, and Gerald Everett being cut. So we'll take a break and we'll get into our free agency. Losers. Hey, Fidelity.

[Jason Moore]

How can I remember to invest every month?

[Mike Wright]

With the Fidelity app, you can choose a schedule and set up recurring investments in stocks and ETFs. Oh, that sounds easier than I thought. You got this? Yeah, I do. Now, where did I put my keys? You will find them where you left them. Investing involves risk, including risk of loss. Fidelity Brokerage Services, LLC. Member NYSE, SIPC.

[Jason Moore]

You don't wake up dreaming of McDonald's fries.

[Mike Wright]

You wake up dreaming of McDonald's hash browns. McDonald's breakfast comes first. Ba da ba ba ba. All right, I guess we'll, we'll hand the baton back to Jason Free agency losers.

[Andy Holloway]

Well, from my guy to biggest loser. No, my biggest loser of this off season is Isaiah Pacheco. Last year going into the season, loved Pacheco primarily and almost solely because of the opportunity he had in front of him. He was going to be the guy who's going to get all the carries, all the opportunities. And we saw that start the year 18 opportunities, game one, 24 opportunities, game two. Was averaging 14 and a half fantasy points, was on pace for like, you know, 1700 all purpose yards, plenty of touchdowns, 60 receptions. He broke his leg and his the horn with the.

[Mike Wright]

I didn't know. I knew he was gonna, I knew he was gonna transition to the sad part of it and so I timed it up with the sad. I didn't know he's gonna go into the injury though.

[Andy Holloway]

I can't have children.

[Jason Moore]

That was very Debbie Downer.

[Mike Wright]

Look, it does kind of feel like a death of potential.

[Andy Holloway]

Genuinely. No joke. It makes me sad for the man because his career.

[Mike Wright]

How sad.

[Andy Holloway]

Aw. Isaiah Pacheco's career is done. That's how it feels. He's on the final year of his contract, but he's 26 years old. He was drafted as a little bit older of a rookie. And what they did is they went and brought in Elijah Mitchell and they re signed Cream Hunt who they were using ahead of him anyways. What I know.

[Mike Wright]

And they said they're going to use him the same way.

[Andy Holloway]

Exactly. Even if Isaiah Pacheco is the one A, he is not a bell cow. He's not going to receive the volume of 18 and 24 opportunities a game the way it was before the leg got broken. And honestly he wasn't good after the leg got broken. So I don't blame the Chiefs for doing this. Among 51 running backs with 80 carries last year, Pacheco was 49th at explosive rush rate, 50th in yards after contact. Tied for 51st and forced missteps.

[Mike Wright]

Not the same guy.

[Andy Holloway]

He was hurt. He should not have come back that early. He did. Kudos to him. But the problem is he is now a committee back and for fantasy purposes is pretty irrelevant going forward around the goal line. I think they're going to use Hunt more in the past and they might use Hunt more. They might still draft one. They are not invested in Pacheco. And this is the continued and forever warning to all great emerging running backs who do not have draft capital. If they weren't a first round pick, a second round pick when they have great opportunity, if they grab it and hold on to it, they can have it as long as they hold on to it. But if they miss it, the team is not invested to just say, hey, we got to give this guy another chance. No, they just move on. This was the seventh round pick and they're like, okay, well he wasn't that good. So what else do we do? We're not, we're not paying him a lot. We didn't invest in him a lot. The running back position needs to be upgraded. We're not committed there. Let's just look at the whole world at our disposal. They went out, they found a couple other guys. They might not be done. So Isaiah Pacheco, sorry. It's a massive loss. I don't think he'll ever be very fantasy relevant again literally until the day I die.

[Jason Moore]

I know it's sad and it's such a bummer of this. He was a seventh round pick. So like he's made some money. Of course, not much. But he's going to be 27.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah.

[Jason Moore]

Going into free agency.

[Mike Wright]

I mean there, there is a bummer. I would leave, you know, I leave a 10% chance that look, Elijah Mitchell's never been healthy. It's not even a guarantee that, you know, he has a functional role in this offense. If he doesn't prove himself in camp. And Kareem Hunt is getting older. He's a year older and was already losing a step. Yes, he could be a goal line back. There is still a cracked window here where if Pacheco has a great camp, is 100% healthy, comes out running like he used to, ferociously, and those other two guys just kind of fade away. That's not impossible. Sure, but. But right now you would have liked to have seen a bigger commitment to him, but that instills confidence. You didn't see it. For me, I'm gonna, I'm gonna put Jalen McMillan at the tippy, top of the list as a fantasy loser. And then George pickens as well. McMillan. It's pretty clear this is the gamble of fantasy football. In dynasty leagues, keeper leagues like Jalen McMillan in the absence of, you know, Chris Godwin had his opportunities and took advantage of them. He was very famously touchdown guarantee on the show. He had a big fantasy week in my matchup against Al Borland. Not big enough to beat Al Borland, but he had a big week. He was showing flashes at the end of the year. No, his career is not over in any way, shape and form. But you were sitting there going into free agency saying the outcome here could be you're the number two receiver for Baker Mayfield, who is on a top tier offense. So you get the promotion. And so everybody's holding him hoping for the promotion. And it goes from that to a big money deal for Chris Godwin. He never stepped in and took the Chris Godwin role on. He never came in and was able to fill that slot role in the offense at all. In fact, they brought Sterling shepherd back again this offseason who filled in for Chris Godwin. And Ryan Miller did it as well. Like McMillan just seems like he has now settled into a bit part player right now. Unless something happens with Mike Evans. Maybe we're a year or two away and he's that good. But it's hard now looking at this offense and saying, you know, Kate Otten gets targets in this offense. You've got the two backs, you've got the two premier wide receivers. How in the world does Jaylen McMillan become a weekly reliable fantasy option? I just don't see it.

[Jason Moore]

It goes back to being a flex play.

[Mike Wright]

And this was a player who finished five consecutive weeks in the top 24 to finish the season without Godwin on the field. So, you know, it was an amazing run, but now you're going to slip back into maybe some mediocrity. The other guy, pickens I mean, this is a weird one. DK Metcalf was handed all the money in the world. You're probably going to have an Aaron Rodgers signing in Pittsburgh. And George Pickens, While he is 24 and incredibly talented, he's got a skill set overlap with Metcalf. He's a deep threat guy.

[Andy Holloway]

I was going to make DK Metcalf my loser, but I figured we'd just wrap it into here because both of them, this is not a good situation. Who's the quarterback at best? Aaron Rodgers. And that's not great.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah. And if it is Aaron Rodgers, I think that he's going to be looking to DK Metcalf more. And you know, George Pickens goes from kind of a de facto number one, even if he isn't really one. He was one there with the volume in big plays. Big plays are going to go to DK Metcalf as well. Pickens is a good player, but from an offseason perspective, this is not build around you category. This is you're going into the final year of your deal and we just traded for DK Metcalf to be our guy for the future. It's a one year kind of lame duck situation for George Pickens. If he's not traded, I think there's.

[Jason Moore]

A chance he's traded.

[Mike Wright]

I do too. I think that there's a chance they just kind of reset that room. They weren't going to move on if.

[Jason Moore]

You'Re not going to resign him. And I mean, I get. Yeah, look, you want to win, I get it. But you can, you could probably get a decent amount of draft capital for George Pickens and to recover what you spent to get dk.

[Mike Wright]

And to Jason's point, you know, if you want to say Metcalf is a fantasy loser as well, you're going to an Arthur Smith offense that last year, you know, his fantasy point ranks Arthur Smith, 30, 32 and 29. That's a pretty good run of being.

[Andy Holloway]

Bad for multiple teams.

[Mike Wright]

For multiple teams, you know, pass rate over expectations. So how many opportunities are you going to get? 29, 32, 31. Is that going to change?

[Jason Moore]

I don't know.

[Mike Wright]

It's hard to see that being fixed by Aaron Rodgers. So I think both of those guys are in that boat.

[Jason Moore]

All right. And I'm going with unfortunately, CJ Stroud. The beat continues of this one is a bit up in the air because it is just at face value right now. It's a. What. What is Houston doing on the their offensive line, which to be fair to the team, the offensive line was hot, hot, stinky garbage last year. And 52 sacks taken in 17 games for C.J. stroud. He had 235 quarterback pressures like. And you saw it. The Texans offense was not the same. Yes, wide receiver variables as well. But it's really hard when you're a pocket passer and your offensive line is pure garbage. And the biggest one, they made the move. They trade Laramie Tunzel, which, I mean, they got stuff, they got some stuff back for him, but it's like this is a premier left tackle who is one of the bright spots who actually on your offensive line. And to come in here and be almost replacing the whole entire thing, it's. It's really, really risky business.

[Mike Wright]

It was definitely. The moves this off season with Houston have made me say in my head, like, you got a plan, right? Yeah. That's kind of the way I feel about it.

[Jason Moore]

And I hope they're. I hope they're outsmarting everybody and we get a great. They figured it out and all these new guys coming in. We're getting a congealed offensive line for Stroud, but where we are right now in March, it feels bad.

[Andy Holloway]

It feels, it feels, it feels like so bad that you can't even make. This is a team that went all in last year, right? They went out and they trade for Joe Mixon. They, they, they signed Stefan Diggs. They've got a rookie contract. So they're, they're willing to pay money, you know, they're willing to invest to make this team great. And now, one year later, after a little bit of disappointment, but still success.

[Mike Wright]

This is why I think they have. They have to be smarter than us because otherwise they're way dumber than us. You know what I mean?

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, I know it happens sometimes.

[Mike Wright]

Like it's one or the other. Like they have to. You couldn't have come out of last season and said, you know, the real problem was our offensive line was too good.

[Andy Holloway]

But there's no way. Do you think there's a way that their offensive line is better? Losing one of the best tackles in the league.

[Mike Wright]

I mean, it's certainly possible that as a unit they could put together through the draft and the remaining pieces.

[Andy Holloway]

We were relying on his talent too much. You guys, you guys all sucked because you thought he could do it all.

[Mike Wright]

I mean, I guess the counterpoint to it would be like, C.J. stroud was. He struggled because of his line last year. Like, it didn't. Whatever they had wasn't working right.

[Andy Holloway]

I get that.

[Mike Wright]

But yeah, no, I mean at face value you're kind of saying you got a plan, right?

[Jason Moore]

Like hopeful.

[Mike Wright]

Like you look at Chicago and at least their moves, it's super evident what their plan is for protecting this young quarterback and giving them every opportunity. And you know, you lose offensive coordinator, you lose the offensive line. Right now you're like, huh.

[Jason Moore]

The bounce for fantasy football is. I mean this is full whiplash. Heading into last year, CJ Shroud had rocketed up to being people's like QB2, QB3 in Dynasty. And then I think he was Kyle, you can correct me, he was a top five or top six fantasy redraft quarterback. And right now on underdog he is the QB17. That is so insane to me of.

[Mike Wright]

He didn't get that Christian Kirk bump.

[Jason Moore]

Of just of snapping back. You're like right ahead of him. Dak, drake may.

[Mike Wright]

So five to 17.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah. So I think 17 is probably too far.

[Andy Holloway]

Okay, so Dak, Dak, Drake May and C.J. stroud.

[Jason Moore]

I'll take. Dak is fine. Dak is just forever undervalued. I'll take Dak over Stroud.

[Andy Holloway]

I would.

[Jason Moore]

I think I'd go Stroud over Drake.

[Mike Wright]

May though I probably give that a shot with Nico Collins. Yeah. I mean you talked about the Tampa Bay offense hasn't changed any of their. They haven't vacated any targets.

[Andy Holloway]

Right.

[Mike Wright]

You know who else hasn't, embarrassingly? New England.

[Andy Holloway]

Well, they haven't vacated their targets because they had very few.

[Mike Wright]

No, but I mean you should not be bringing back, running it back. That's all I'm. That's my point.

[Jason Moore]

The boys are back.

[Mike Wright]

You shouldn't be bringing back what you had on offense for New England. They failed at every acquisition of a wide receiver. At least CJ Stroud has one of the top five guys in the league in Eagle Collins.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, yeah, that's my only point there.

[Mike Wright]

I mean you could lean on Drake Mays legs and say that makes him a better fantasy player.

[Jason Moore]

It was more like. I don't. I don't know if I know exactly where my feelings are for Stroud for 2025, but just a guy who was the QB5 was setting the world on fire, was untouchable in Dynasty to barely a quarterback too. It's wild.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, the vacated targets thing, all their receivers are on rookie contracts so it's not like they're just going to cut. You know, K. Shawn Boute and Jalen Polk and all these guys. I don't think it's indicative of they're happy with it and I expect them to do something in the draft.

[Mike Wright]

They have been. You talk about fantasy losers or they.

[Andy Holloway]

Tried to trade for free agency losers.

[Mike Wright]

The Patriots right now on the offensive side have not been able to fix the problems that they have at the wide receiver room. So, I mean, if we're bringing up Keisha Booty as a like, key cog in the offense, we've got a problem for Drake. May other losers potentially. Anthony Richardson.

[Andy Holloway]

Oh, for sure. I mean, you bring in a quarterback to compete with. Concerned a top three NFL draft pick that is massively concerning.

[Mike Wright]

You have a gauge on who you think is going to win that job to start the year.

[Andy Holloway]

I think it'll be Anthony Richardson to start the year. And do I think Anthony Richardson plays the full season? Absolutely not. I hope he does. That would be awesome. That means that the Colts are good, that Anthony Richardson is good. Because if he's mediocre, if he's a.500 quarterback, they're just going to pull the rug at some point.

[Mike Wright]

Do you think Sam Darnold, I mean, leaving that cushy situation, great offensive line, great explosive wide receivers in Minnesota going into Seattle with a new system.

[Andy Holloway]

And fantasy wise, it's worse this year than it was last year for Sam Darnold. But this was about the next best thing because I could have seen Darnold ended up ending up not really getting a starting job.

[Mike Wright]

Would you like him more in Seattle with Cup and JSN or more in Pittsburgh with DK Metcalf and George Pickett? I think Seattle, I think because of Arthur Smith. I agree.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah. The defense, the team makeup of, like, how the Steelers play ball. I'm more excited about the Seahawks, fantasy wise.

[Mike Wright]

Okay. Okay. Okay. And then I think that'll be it for right now. We got regress or impress coming on Thursday. Second half standoff. Second half standouts edition. We're doing great.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, it's been a tough one.

[Mike Wright]

We're doing real great.

[Andy Holloway]

We should have stretched first.

[Jason Moore]

Randy Moss never stretched.

[Mike Wright]

Oh, I thought you were doing one of those vocal acts. Randy Moss never stretched.

[Andy Holloway]

The human torch was denied a bank loan.

[Mike Wright]

And do you realize next week rookie preview shows to get us ready for the NFL draft, which is in Green Bay this year. Al, are you flying out there to protest the tush push in person with.

[Andy Holloway]

Your blessing, I'd be happy to go.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, man. Hit the road. Go fight. Go fight. Let's stop that stupid play. Me and you, Al. Forever and always.

[Andy Holloway]

Always united.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah. Goodbye, everybody.

[Jason Moore]

Goodbye.

[Andy Holloway]

Thank you for listening to another episode of the Fantasy Footballers Podcast. Join our fantasy football community on JoinTheFoot.com and follow us on Twitter @The FFballers.

[Jason Moore]

Hey, Fidelity, how can I remember to invest every month?

[Mike Wright]

With the Fidelity app, you can choose a schedule and set up recurring investments in stocks and ETFs.

[Jason Moore]

Huh.

[Mike Wright]

That sounds easier than I thought. You got this?

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, I do.

[Mike Wright]

Now, where did I put my keys? You will find them where you left them. Investing involves risk, including risk of loss. Fidelity Brokerage Services, llc. Member nyse, SIPC the Quarter Pounder with Cheese had many great things. Maple flavored griddle cakes isn't one of them. McDonald's breakfast comes first.