Ice & Fire Picks, Surprise RB1's - LIVE in NYC

Summary

Fantasy Footballers Podcast Summary: "Ice & Fire Picks, Surprise RB1's – LIVE in NYC"

Release Date: July 31, 2018

The Fantasy Footballers hosted by Andy Holloway, Jason Moore, and Mike "The Fantasy Hitman" Wright deliver an engaging and insightful episode focused on identifying under-the-radar running backs (RBs) poised to become top-tier performers in the upcoming fantasy football season. Filmed live in New York City, this episode blends expert analysis with lively interactions, including a special appearance by ESPN's Matthew Berry.

---

1. Quick Question of the Day

[02:02]
Mike Wright: "What running back not currently being drafted in the top 10 at the position has the best chance of ending up the year number one overall at the running back position?"

The hosts dive into selecting an RB outside the traditional top 10 who could ascend to the top spot by season's end. Andy Holloway introduces Darius Geist as a potential sleeper pick, highlighting his opportunity in Washington's offense and his ability to accumulate receptions similar to Eddie Lacy.

Andy Holloway:
"Darius Geist... can catch the ball. If we can get Eddie Lacy type receptions for Darius Geist... if he has 10 plus touchdowns on the ground, I will have no shock in my face."
[05:26]

Meanwhile, Mike Wright advocates for Jerick McKinnon, citing his versatility and potential for increased reception totals under Shanahan's system.

Mike Wright:
"I think Jarrett could be that surprise guy... Jerick McKinnon has this clear path to reception totals."
[06:48]

Jason Moore offers a fresh perspective by suggesting Jordan Howard, emphasizing his performance over the past two seasons and the expected offensive enhancements under Matt Nagy's coaching.

Jason Moore:
"Jordan Howard has a legitimate chance. He's a guy... he's going to be great. I think Jordan Howard has a legitimate chance."
[10:12]

---

2. Ice Picks: Under-the-Radar RBs

The "Ice" segment focuses on RBs who are currently flying under the draft radar but possess the potential to make significant fantasy impacts.

a. Rashad Penny vs. Cory Johnson

The debate centers around whether to draft Rashad Penny or Cory Johnson. Mike Wright expresses confidence in Penny's workload potential despite his fourth-round ADP, while Andy Holloway notes Cory Johnson's current draft position.

Mike Wright:
"Rashad Penny is being drafted in the fourth round. And there is a lot of risk. So, like, if I have to decide between Rashad Penny in the fourth or Cory Johnson in the seventh, I would rather have Cory Johnson."
[22:03]

Andy Holloway:
"I'm more confident in the workload of Rashad Penny."
[22:38]

b. Jimmy Graham - An Unexpected TE Pick

Andy Holloway critiques the value of drafting Jimmy Graham as a tight end, arguing that his reduced performance and aging stats don't justify a fifth-round selection.

Andy Holloway:
"Jimmy Graham... he went from 14.2 yards per reception down to 9.1 last year, the lowest of his career... He's catching 10 touchdowns because he can't do what he used to do."
[24:18]

Jason Moore concurs, emphasizing the overvaluation of Graham given his current production.

Jason Moore:
"I wouldn't dream of drafting him in the fifth round in any kind of startup redraft keeper, anything like that in Best Ball."
[26:58]

---

3. Fire Picks: Breakout Candidates

The "Fire" segment spotlights players expected to exceed expectations and deliver standout performances.

a. Corey Davis

Mike Wright champions Corey Davis as a "Fire" pick, highlighting his college pedigree, recent performance, and the Titans' potential offensive improvements.

Mike Wright:
"Corey Davis is the all-time receiving yards leader in college. He's very talented... I think Corey Davis can do it."
[34:00]

Jason Moore adds that Davis's increased role and improved offensive scheme under new coaching could lead to a breakout season.

Jason Moore:
"Corey Davis... the most accurate quarterback for Matt Nagy says Jordan can play all three downs... we're going to use him."
[10:12]

Andy Holloway:
"For me, Corey Davis, like I've said it comes down to touchdowns... air yards..."
[36:30]

b. Rex Burkhead

Andy Holloway presents Rex Burkhead as another "Fire" candidate, discussing his role in the Patriots' offense and potential for increased touchdowns.

Andy Holloway:
"Rex Burkhead's true run began his second game back from injury... he's a grinder and can rack up 12 plus rushing touchdowns."
[40:20]

---

4. Mailbag Segment with Matthew Berry

A notable highlight of this episode is the live mailbag segment featuring ESPN's Matthew Berry. Addressing listener questions, the hosts and Berry engage in dynamic discussions covering topics such as draft strategies, player evaluations, and league settings.

a. Scoring Bonuses and Draft Strategies

One listener inquires about the impact of awarding extra points for long touchdowns. Andy Holloway appreciates the excitement it brings but acknowledges it doesn't influence his drafting strategy.

Andy Holloway:
"I don't count on a player getting two extra 50 yard touchdowns. It's fantastic to have it in my league, but it does not affect the way that I draft players."
[51:08]

Matthew Berry agrees, emphasizing the importance of assembling the best team rather than chasing unpredictable bonuses.

Matthew Berry:
"I agree... I wouldn't try to stack someone to try to get those rare five point bonuses. I would just assemble the best team I can."
[52:10]

b. Favorite Players and Attachment

Another question explores whether the hosts have players they favor despite past disappointments. Andy Holloway shares his emotional attachment to Robert Griffin for his performance, while Matthew Berry discusses the joy of drafting players one roots for.

Matthew Berry:
"If you're going to enjoy this game more by picking a player you're rooting for, even if it's not the best ADP or the best value, so what?"
[57:45]

c. Dynasty Draft Strategies

For listeners entering dynasty leagues, the discussion pivots to whether to prioritize individual defensive players (IDP) or defenses/special teams (DST). The consensus leans towards favoring DST over IDP for simplicity and relevance.

Jason Moore:
"I would go DST."
[59:08]

---

5. Special Guest Interaction: Matthew Berry

Matthew Berry brings additional insight, reinforcing the hosts' analyses and offering his perspectives on player potentials and league dynamics. His interaction adds depth to the discussions, particularly regarding RB assessments and quarterback impacts on wide receiver performances.

Matthew Berry:
"Tyrod Taylor's arm is made for Josh Gordon... Josh Gordon is the perfect Tyrod Taylor type player."
[67:40]

---

6. Giveaway and Audience Engagement

The episode concludes with an exciting giveaway of an Odell Beckham Jr. helmet, courtesy of Pristine Auction. The hosts express gratitude to their sponsors and engage warmly with the audience, including on-air congratulations to the giveaway winner.

Andy Holloway:
"Of the sign. Odell Beckham, New York Giants helmet, full size helmet courtesy of Pristine Auction helmet. Thank you for the helmet. Congratulations."
[74:34]

---

Key Takeaways

• Darius Geist and Jerick McKinnon are highlighted as RBs outside the top 10 with high upside potential.
• Corey Davis and Rex Burkhead are identified as breakout "Fire" picks for the season.
• Strategic drafting involves balancing risk and opportunity, especially when targeting players with high upside but lower ADPs.
• Listener engagement through the mailbag provides valuable insights and diverse perspectives, enriched by Matthew Berry's expert commentary.
• Emotional attachments to players can influence drafting decisions, but objective analysis remains crucial for success.

---

Notable Quotes:

• Mike Wright on Darius Geist:
  "He can catch the ball. If we can get Eddie Lacy type receptions for Darius Geist... 10 plus touchdowns on the ground."
  [05:26]

• Jason Moore on Jordan Howard:
  "Jordan Howard has a legitimate chance. He's a guy... he's going to be great."
  [10:12]

• Andy Holloway on Corey Davis's Touchdowns:
  "It's getting me sweaty. I'm not going to lie to you."
  [36:30]

• Matthew Berry on Scoring Bonuses:
  "I agree with your assessment there in terms of trying to draft towards that. I think it's tough because big players are so unpredictable."
  [52:10]

---

This episode of the Fantasy Footballers provides a comprehensive analysis of potential RB sleepers, strategic drafting advice, and interactive segments that enrich the fantasy football experience. Whether you're a seasoned manager or new to the game, the expert insights and lively discussions offer valuable guidance to optimize your fantasy roster.

Transcript

[Andy Holloway]

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[Jason Moore]

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

[Mike Wright]

Welcome in. Welcome in to the Fantasy Footballers Live.

[Jason Moore]

In New York, New York City.

[Mike Wright]

What's going on, everybody? We've got a great show for you today. We've got a dominant quick question. We've got Ice and Fire on the show today. We have a live mailbag right here, right now.

[Andy Holloway]

The fifth fan with a special guest.

[Mike Wright]

A very special guest. And you podcast listeners out there, you're gonna have to wait a little while to find out who that is. But we got a great show for you and we got one more stop on this tour. We're coming to Phoenix. Well, we're from Phoenix.

[Jason Moore]

We're going home.

[Mike Wright]

So we'll be in Phoenix for a live show on August 24th. Ballerslive.com for tickets. Thank you to everybody who came out to this show. This is impressive right now. They are. They're emanating.

[Jason Moore]

It's.

[Andy Holloway]

It's insane.

[Jason Moore]

What is that?

[Mike Wright]

Ridiculous. Ridiculous. You can follow us on Twitter @ the ffballers. Look, we're jumping in. You guys ready to go?

[Jason Moore]

Oh, I'm always ready.

[Mike Wright]

You remember it's live, Jason.

[Jason Moore]

Oh, it's gonna be a good time. They can't edit me out here.

[Mike Wright]

So let's, let's, let's go with this quick question of the day. I think that whistle was for you, Jason.

[Jason Moore]

Of course it was.

[Mike Wright]

You're wearing that blue.

[Jason Moore]

Thank you, sir.

[Mike Wright]

All right, here, quick question. What running back not currently being drafted in the top 10 at the position has the best chance of ending up the year number one overall at the running back position?

[Andy Holloway]

It's a tough question.

[Mike Wright]

It's a tough question because this happens, right?

[Jason Moore]

It happens.

[Andy Holloway]

Whoa, whoa, careful. Look. Every time that thing gets sang, his ADP rises.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, you sing that song and you're not drafting him.

[Andy Holloway]

So you have a weapon at your disposal and you need to be, you need to be responsible.

[Mike Wright]

Then again, Jason wants him, so.

[Andy Holloway]

Oh, no.

[Matthew Berry]

Come on.

[Jason Moore]

He's going to be in the fifth Round. If you keep playing that.

[Mike Wright]

We'll get there. We'll get there. All right, here's the current top 10 by ADP. Girly Bell. Zeke. DJ Camara. Barkley Gore. Hey, it's me.

[Jason Moore]

Hey, it's the Camara. Hey.

[Andy Holloway]

Hey. Thank you for Fonzie.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, I appreciate it. Barkley, Gordon Hunt, Fournette Cook. So those. You can't pick one of those, but you got to pick someone that can be number one.

[Andy Holloway]

There's a lot of good answers coming from the crowd. I'll jump.

[Mike Wright]

I did not hear Isaiah Crowell's name.

[Andy Holloway]

Oh, yeah, jets fans, I'm so sorry.

[Jason Moore]

Oh, bringing the heat, Andy.

[Mike Wright]

I'm sorry. It was unnecessary body. I didn't need to do that at all. I actually like him, but he's not going to be number one.

[Andy Holloway]

All right, I'm jumping in here. He's being drafted outside the top 10. And I get it because he's a rookie, he's unproven. But I think that he is in a great situation and he just saw.

[Mike Wright]

I hadn't seen the answer yet.

[Matthew Berry]

Wow.

[Andy Holloway]

Just saw my pick and the man is, oh, so nice. Oh, I didn't realize that I'm picking a division rival here, so deal with it. But Darius Geist, I think, has a tremendous opportunity and we're put on the hate blockers.

[Mike Wright]

You'll be all right.

[Andy Holloway]

We're putting guys from the outside the top 10. So we're talking longer shots. But here's the deal. He doesn't have the reception totals I want from college, but from what I have seen on film, he can catch the ball. Yes, Chris Thompson is there. Chris Thompson is going to be a sponge when it comes to that. Passing downs work. But if we can get. If we can get Eddie Lacy type receptions for Darius Geist. And I know we all. It's. It's very in vogue to be a hater now on Eddie Lacy of just years ago, he was the hotness.

[Mike Wright]

Everyone's got the scars and the burns from the.

[Jason Moore]

He was great. He was a top five dynasty pick.

[Andy Holloway]

Eddie Lacey was catching 35 to 40 receptions a year. If Darius guys can get in that range and he's getting all the goal line work. Look, two years ago, Washington had 17 rushing touchdowns. It plummeted this year because unfortunately, Samajp Ryan could not get it done. Rob Kelly was not on the field. But they want to score on the ground. That's what. That's what I believe that Gruden wants to do. So if we can get, we gotta squeeze Them up, squeeze them up into the 35 range.

[Mike Wright]

He's your long shot. He's your long shot. Number one.

[Andy Holloway]

He's a long shot, but he is the type of guy who at the end of the year, if he has 10 plus touchdowns on the ground, I will have no shock in my face or anywhere. I've been grounded. You're fine. I'm wearing rubber.

[Mike Wright]

It's passing through.

[Andy Holloway]

Yes, I'm fine.

[Mike Wright]

Okay. I look for me, it stood out as Jerick McKinnon.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah.

[Mike Wright]

Which look, Jerick McKinnon. Here's what the number one, the number one running back in fantasy the last three years, 2015, Devonta Freeman, 73 receptions. He only had 265 carries. 2016, DJ had 80 receptions. That would be David Johnson. No, you're not giving it back to him until he's back.

[Andy Holloway]

Here's the deal. After the first David, David Johnson touchdown, I will be tearing the shirt off of my body and I will be, I will reenact the entire music video. But until that happens, I'm with, I'm trying to be reserved.

[Mike Wright]

Todd Gurley, 64 receptions last year. Jerick McKinnon has this clear path.

[Andy Holloway]

Yes.

[Mike Wright]

To reception totals. And so I give him that shot.

[Matthew Berry]

Right.

[Mike Wright]

Only so many players are going to have the opportunity to catch that many passes. I think Jarrett could be that surprise guy. Especially when a guy like Devonta Freeman, who I believe you said stinks before the 2016, 2015 season.

[Andy Holloway]

I can't recall this happening. Andy. I don't know what you're talking about.

[Mike Wright]

Became the number one out of nowhere in a, you know, Shanahan has the ability to do that. So that's my pick. Jerick McKinnon.

[Andy Holloway]

Hey, your boy strong, all right?

[Jason Moore]

Yes, he is. Look, I, I love McKinnon. I, I, I don't know about guys, but here's. There are two guys that, when I look at the, the, the players that are a little bit further outside of the top 10 that I think, hey, they have the talent. Well, carry on. Oh, don't get started.

[Mike Wright]

We'll raise his ADP later.

[Jason Moore]

The glasses fog up when you talk about carry on, so I'm going to need you to be quiet. No, there's two players that I think have a legitimate chance to take over this year in a major way. Now, one is going to be my fire player. I'm talking about him later, so I'm going to hold off on that. The other is not Derek Henry, sir. It is Jordan Howard.

[Matthew Berry]

Wow.

[Jason Moore]

Oh, Jay Grizz loves it. Now here's. Now, Jordan Howard gets mixed reviews, of course, because, look, the first two years in the league, no one can argue that he has not been a great running back. Over two seasons, he has averaged 4.6 yards of carry. You know, he's averaged over 1250 yards. And that's been on the hapless Bears with bad offenses and bad offensive coaching. Now, now you get a change in coach. Now you get Matt Nagy. Matt Nagy is coming over and saying, hey, let's open this offense up. Let's use the weapons we have, but like, let's succeed in today's NFL. So he has an opportunity to get better. Now where's he been the last two years? He, he's been a top 12 running back both seasons. 12 and 10. So the gap to get to number one is not that big. But here's the problem. What, what's the problem?

[Mike Wright]

Where's he being drafted right now, by the way?

[Andy Holloway]

He doesn't catch the ball.

[Jason Moore]

Jason doesn't catch the ball. That's the problem.

[Mike Wright]

Now he tries so hard.

[Jason Moore]

Now here's the thing, here's the thing about that. So you can, you can argue what you want about his pass catching ability. A lot of people believe.

[Mike Wright]

What about Turok?

[Jason Moore]

That there is. Look, I love, I love Turok, but he's a gadget player. Turok Cohen is a great dinosaur hunter. Not a great between the tackles runner. That's my problem with him.

[Andy Holloway]

How can you hunt dinosaurs but not.

[Mike Wright]

Get between the tackles?

[Jason Moore]

Sniper rifles. Okay? You have to have distance against dinosaurs. Don't be idiots.

[Mike Wright]

You have experience.

[Jason Moore]

All right, but here's the thing. What if. Let's say he doesn't add pass catching to his game. He doesn't add it.

[Andy Holloway]

Let's. Let's say that. Yeah, let's say it.

[Jason Moore]

Okay, let's say it. Because the people believe he can't. The facade is that he cannot. The facade.

[Mike Wright]

Backs. Facade. They sound similar.

[Jason Moore]

They sound. I just want you to remember that word. Here's the thing, here's the thing. If he doesn't and he's still on a better offense, maybe he's the number eight running back. He was 12, 10. He didn't catch passes. Now there's only one person here that really matters what they believe in. Jordan Howard. That's the guy calling the plays. Matt Nagy. Would we agree with that? It doesn't matter what I think. It matters what he thinks.

[Andy Holloway]

Sure.

[Jason Moore]

Let me read you a little quote. Ski. He says, not me. Not me. He says, obviously there's oh, watch.

[Matthew Berry]

Okay.

[Jason Moore]

Matt Nagy, big time says, obviously there's this facade out there. There's this notion that Howard is just a first and second down back and I don't believe that. Head coach and offensive mastermind Matt Nagy said Jordan can play all three downs. We're going to do that. We're going to use him. Now they're going to use all the running backs, they're going to get them all involved. But I want a good. Todd Gurley was the 17th running back two years ago and then all of a sudden they used him in the passing and he was the number one. So I say Jordan Howard has a legitimate chance. He's a guy. Third round and later that I say I want to take the shot. Who's with me?

[Mike Wright]

And all his dynasty honors clap together. Hey, we're going to press the pause button real quick and thank today's sponsor, Harry's. Look, I love Harry's. I've been using Harry's to shave with for the last several years. The closeness of the shave, the smoothness of the shave, the weight of that fine handle, the design, the scent, it's all good with Harry's. But even beyond all of those benefits, look, they're the best value, they're the best deal. For a limited time, our customers save big on a Harry shave set when we use the promo code footballers@Harry's.com youm don't have to overpay for expensive razors with unnecessary features. And these guys have been making the highest quality blades for over 95 years. I know it's not an easy decision, but I made the choice to switch to Harry's and you should shoot, you should as well. For a limited time, Harry says a special offer for listeners of the show. New customers get five bucks off a shave set with Harry's with the code footballers@Harry's.com that means you get a trial set that comes with a five blade razor weighted handle, foaming shave, gel travel cover, all for just 3 bucks and free shipping. Just use the code footballersarry's.com and join millions of guys who've already switched footballers at checkout.

[Jason Moore]

And we also want to thank Pristine Auction. Look, if you listen a long time, you know who Pristine Auction is and they're great and you're probably using them and you're probably saying, stop telling the other Foot Clan members about Pristine Auction. But listen, I'm not talking to you, I'm talking to the other people who don't know who Pristine Auction is because you need to. They are the most awesome tool for getting amazing, authentic signatures of celebrities, athletes on the coolest stuff for great prices. It's an auction. It doesn't cost you anything to make a bid to look at these auctions, but if you win, then you get steel prices. Look at this. Let's say last year you won your championship with DeAndre Hopkins and you wanted a signed jersey to hang up on your wall. 92 bucks. Yesterday, Keenan Allen signed Chargers jersey went for $68.80. Or let's say you're the super fan and you want to get these jerseys before the guys hit. Chris Godwin signed Buccaneers jersey, $34. I can't get a generic jersey in a store for $34. So check it out. Pristineauction.com p r I s t I n e auction.com and make sure when you make your free account, you let them know that you heard about them from the footballers. And now let's get back to the action.

[Mike Wright]

By the way, I just realized something. I know why you planted that little Giants in the super bowl seat on three episodes ago. You knew where you were coming.

[Jason Moore]

No, no, it was. It was leg. But I did do it.

[Mike Wright]

Now, don't forget, we're getting to our main event, the main segment of today's podcast. Before we do, I want to remind you we're giving this bad dog away tonight. Maybe signed, It's Odell Beckham Jr.

[Andy Holloway]

Courtesy of Pristine Auction helmet. Thank you for the helmet.

[Mike Wright]

And that'll be later on during the show. We got the live mailbag coming up. You guys ready to talk some ice and fire?

[Andy Holloway]

Hold on.

[Mike Wright]

This is.

[Andy Holloway]

Are they ready? Are they ready for the intro?

[Mike Wright]

You did a lot of work on this drop.

[Andy Holloway]

I did.

[Jason Moore]

Ice and fire.

[Mike Wright]

Ah, we'll just play that over and over again.

[Jason Moore]

What. What great music you came up with, right?

[Mike Wright]

That is your guitar.

[Andy Holloway]

Look, we're. It had nothing to do with that. Nothing.

[Mike Wright]

The north does remember.

[Andy Holloway]

No, that was. That was like. The Midwest remembers.

[Mike Wright]

We're talking don't you know?

[Andy Holloway]

Remember?

[Mike Wright]

Don't you know? Come on. We're talking ice, we're talking fire, and we're talking bus, and we're talking breakouts. And I'm going to start it off with my ice player. We've each chosen one.

[Andy Holloway]

Can't wait.

[Mike Wright]

I've been saying this for a little while, but now I'm going to say it louder into this microphone.

[Andy Holloway]

Oh, bro. Both. We might have a double up here.

[Mike Wright]

Rashad, Penny. Rashad, Penny. Jason, I am so very sorry to Break it to you. Yes, there is a player named Chris Carson. Thank you. I didn't know that. I'm gonna add it to my argument now real quick.

[Jason Moore]

Real quick.

[Andy Holloway]

But.

[Jason Moore]

But Andy.

[Mike Wright]

Yes, voice of public opinion. You sweaty voice of public opinion.

[Jason Moore]

You're so sweaty.

[Mike Wright]

He did. He jumped off the stage. That's why I'm a hot mess.

[Jason Moore]

I mean, I'm a hot mess. Would you say that you do think he's a good, talented player or don't.

[Mike Wright]

Well, see, this doesn't have to do.

[Jason Moore]

That's the only question I want you to answer.

[Mike Wright]

He's very talented.

[Jason Moore]

Okay, I rest my case. I'm done here.

[Mike Wright]

Look, he's talented. He's super talented. He's a rocket ship. He is very fast. He makes big plays. I think he's great. I think he's versatile. Got a problem, though, because sometimes you love something but you don't want to get involved with it because of the other things around it. For instance, a dish of candy. There's one clean piece of candy in the dish and the rest is covered in hair. I'm gonna avoid all the candy in the dish.

[Andy Holloway]

Fair point.

[Jason Moore]

I would eat that one candy. For the record.

[Mike Wright]

And that is why you like Rashad.

[Andy Holloway]

Hold on. The one candy?

[Jason Moore]

He said there was one clean candy? Yeah.

[Andy Holloway]

You're telling me you wouldn't just dust the hair off and eat the bowl?

[Jason Moore]

I think when I got the one, a few others would be cleaned. But I'm not a monster. I'm not going to eat the whole thing.

[Mike Wright]

I'm going to make my case and I'm going to use an acronym. And the acronym is this. It's very simple.

[Jason Moore]

Oof.

[Mike Wright]

Okay. The acronym is oof. That's oof. And. Let me spell it for you.

[Andy Holloway]

You already spelled it. Thank you. That was. Oh, f. That was like a Jeopardy. Question.

[Mike Wright]

Look, I may abandon the acronym during this argument, but here's the problem. Number one, offensive line. Okay. Seattle had the 27th ranked offensive line according to Pro Football Focus last year. Out of 32 teams, 27th, best.

[Jason Moore]

They.

[Mike Wright]

Allowed or they permitted their running backs 0.6 yards before contact. Not so good. Now, Pro Football Focus rates the offensive lines heading into 2018 and they have. They said that 30th. They moved them down three spot. That's the first O in oof.

[Andy Holloway]

Fair.

[Mike Wright]

The second is the other running backs. It's not just the Rashad Pinney show. I've been saying that for a while. There is the difference between fantasy players who fall in love with college Tape and the players and the potential and what they can be. And NFL head coaches and Pete Carroll, I've been saying it for months, loves Chris Carson. Now we're seeing the news come out, including today, that he's running as the number one back. He was a step ahead of all the other backs they had last year on a bad team. Carson averaged 4.2 a carry. All the offseason reports have been glowing. The GM says he's the best player on the field. At times he's added 10 pounds of muscle. All the bylines there for the hype train of Chris Carson and this argument is the ice of Rashad Penny. Not go draft Chris Carson. He still has that offensive line, but the f. A fading defense and a passing dependent team. You can say what you want and Brian Schottenheimer will. He will say what he wants to do. But the game script is the problem because Hugh Jackson says whatever he wants to. And Isaiah Cruell got the ball 200 times.

[Andy Holloway]

He said, I'm going to win two games.

[Jason Moore]

And he was wrong.

[Mike Wright]

And he was still wrong.

[Jason Moore]

He got close.

[Mike Wright]

The division is tough. Their defense is falling apart. You don't have Sherman, you don't have Bennett and Cam Chancellor anymore and you don't have Marshawn Lynch. So maybe Marshawn, who's over here joining us apparently looks a little different.

[Andy Holloway]

You've lost a lot of weight, bro. Yeah.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah. But you. Maybe lynch is the one player that if Brian Schottenheimer comes out, he's like, we're just going to run it no matter what. We have the 30th ranked offensive line. Maybe it works out with Marshawn Lynch. I just don't think it happens Year one with Rashad Penny and I'm sorry, but he's my ice player.

[Andy Holloway]

I got to jump in here, though. I got to jump in here because. Oh, smooches.

[Mike Wright]

There was some McKissick love.

[Andy Holloway]

Here's. Here's the story. This was tweeted out by a good friend of the show, Graham Barfield. First round running backs taken in the last 10 drafts. 10 average.

[Jason Moore]

That's 10 million. That's 10 years.

[Andy Holloway]

That's. That's a long time. They have. They averaged 230 touches, almost 1100 yards from scrimmage and almost 13 PPR points per game. That's a lot of history and people.

[Mike Wright]

Are any of those players are shot Penny?

[Andy Holloway]

No, we haven't had that. But look, Chris Carson, I get it. Chris Carson is there. He had one great game. He where he went 20 for 93 against the San Francisco 49ers. You know who else had great games against the 49ers?

[Jason Moore]

Everyone.

[Andy Holloway]

Orleans, Darkwa, the ghost of Adrian Peterson all had games against the San Francisco 49ers. After that, Chris Carson was still the starter. And against the Titans, 11 for 34, 12 for 42. Granted, that's the game he got hurt against the Indianapolis Colts.

[Mike Wright]

These are numbers that Pete Carroll loved. He just loved them.

[Andy Holloway]

Of course.

[Mike Wright]

Bubblegum. And he loved them.

[Andy Holloway]

Of course. Chris Carson opens the year as the starter at training camp. That's. I totally get that. Make. Make the rookie earn his job by week one. I have. I. My colleague feels very strongly about it, but I just wanted to. I want the foot clip.

[Mike Wright]

You want to dial it back that.

[Andy Holloway]

I have zero, zero concerns with Rashad Penny being the starter by week one.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, that's. That's great. And just to weigh in on that.

[Mike Wright]

His owners said to weigh in on.

[Jason Moore]

That because, you know, prior to the draft season, Rashad Penny was my number one favorite guy. Obviously, Saquon Barkley excluded. He doesn't count. He's like not even a rookie in this year's final.

[Mike Wright]

Is he your number one favorite guy?

[Jason Moore]

Yes, he was my favorite guy. No, his ADP just went up again.

[Mike Wright]

He was feeling sad.

[Jason Moore]

They were my number one and two, but it was that order and that prior to the draft. I will grant you this, Andy. Right now, Rashad Penney is being drafted in the fourth round.

[Mike Wright]

That's high.

[Jason Moore]

And there is a lot of risk. So, like, if I have to decide between Rashad Pinney in the fourth or Kerryon Johnson in the seventh, I would rather have Kerryon Johnson. Even though by the time Jason did not keep playing these drops, he's going to be in.

[Andy Holloway]

He's in the fifth round already.

[Mike Wright]

Let me ask you this before we move on to your ice players, would you take Sony Michelle, heads up or carry on Johnson or not Carry on.

[Jason Moore]

I'm.

[Andy Holloway]

So that's a fantastic question. Or I'm. I'm more confident in the.

[Mike Wright]

Or Rashad Penny.

[Andy Holloway]

I'm more confident in the workload of Rashad Penny.

[Mike Wright]

And that's what would make the tick for you.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, but it's a great question because they're very close.

[Mike Wright]

I think people are going to face that decision.

[Jason Moore]

Who you got, Mike? Who's your ice.

[Andy Holloway]

So my ice player. It's time to say goodbye to a man who continues to get paid giant sums of money. Jimmy Graham. I'm sorry, I've got to ruffle some feathers. Out there. Apparently this is Jimmy Graham country and.

[Mike Wright]

I was not away people champions in years past.

[Andy Holloway]

Here's the deal. Seattle didn't want him back. They let him go. They knew what Jimmy Graham could do. And what did he do? He went from 14.2 yards per reception down to 9.1 last year, the lowest of his career. He went from 57 yards to 30, 32 and a half yards per game. That's the lowest since his rookie year. Here comes Jimmy Graham. He caught the pass. Oh, he's tackled. And you want context? Do you want context for those numbers I just gave you where he dropped from 14 yards of reception to 9 from. From almost 60 yards to 32 yards. He had an extra target last year. He was getting volume and that turned into eight fewer receptions, 400 fewer yards. His catch percentage absolutely plummeted. And here's the point I want to talk about for Jimmy Graham because I love Jimmy Graham. It's unfortunate. These guys get older, they get injured, and then it becomes time to move on for fantasy football. But everyone wants to talk about touchdowns.

[Jason Moore]

Jimmy Graham touchdown machine.

[Andy Holloway]

Because last year he led the league in targets inside the 10. He had 16 targets that he turned into eight touchdowns. Let's take a look at what Green Bay has given the tight end position inside the 10. 2017, we're talking six targets. 2016, we're talking five targets in 2015. Oh, Richard Rodgers had a big one because he had 10 targets inside the 10. Those touchdowns are not coming. And that's everything for Jimmy Graham. If you are going in on Jimmy Graham, you're saying he's catching 10 touchdowns because he can't do what he used to do, which was be a dominant force at the tight end position.

[Mike Wright]

Fifth round pick.

[Andy Holloway]

Oh, fifth round pick.

[Mike Wright]

Does that hurt you physically?

[Andy Holloway]

A fifth round pick for a guy that you're saying I'm projecting 10 plus touchdowns at the tight end position. And unless that man's name is Gronk, you are doing your projections and yourself a disservice.

[Mike Wright]

Let me ask you this because I want to test how cold you are.

[Andy Holloway]

On Jimmy Graham your might.

[Mike Wright]

Jimmy Graham. Greg Olson. I think I know your answer.

[Andy Holloway]

Greg Olson.

[Mike Wright]

Jimmy Graham. Evan Ingram.

[Andy Holloway]

Ingram.

[Mike Wright]

Jimmy Graham. Kyle.

[Matthew Berry]

Can I hear it?

[Andy Holloway]

Ingram.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Mike Wright]

Jimmy Graham. Kyle. Rudolph.

[Andy Holloway]

I'll take Rudolph.

[Mike Wright]

Jimmy Graham. Delaney Walker.

[Andy Holloway]

I will take Delaney. Walker.

[Mike Wright]

Now we're going down to the eighth round, Mike. Now we're Jimmy Graham. Trey.

[Jason Moore]

Boo. Boo.

[Andy Holloway]

Oh, give me that picnic basket. And Trey Burton.

[Mike Wright]

Let's keep going. Jordan Reed, are you taking Jordan.

[Andy Holloway]

I assume the risks that have come with drafting Jordan Reed. You're darn right I take him over Jimmy Graham.

[Jason Moore]

All right.

[Mike Wright]

Wow.

[Andy Holloway]

Okay, I will say this.

[Mike Wright]

So you're calling. You're called on Graham.

[Andy Holloway]

Ice cold.

[Jason Moore]

All right, I will say this. I agree that Jimmy Graham is relatively done. I would never dream of drafting him in the fifth round in any kind of startup redraft keeper, anything like that in Best Ball. I still do like him because I do believe the touchdowns are coming. Those numbers is. Those numbers that you gave are with his main red zone target, Jordy Nelson. And so Jordy Nelson is gone. And so, yes, he hasn't previously targeted tight ends. But if there's one thing Jimmy Graham can absolutely still do well, and I think everyone would agree, it's be large.

[Andy Holloway]

Yes.

[Jason Moore]

And catch a ball that's thrown at him. Yeah.

[Andy Holloway]

But to be fair to your point, 2015, Richard Rodgers only had 10 of those 10 zone targets I talked about.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah.

[Andy Holloway]

So Jimmy Graham, what he did last year, which was turned half of his targets into touchdowns. That's five touchdowns for Jim McGram. You're going to be happy with a tight end who gives you five touchdowns in the fifth round. No, you're not.

[Jason Moore]

No, not in the fifth round. All right. For me, my ice.

[Mike Wright]

Oh, you're doing it again.

[Jason Moore]

It should come as no surprise.

[Andy Holloway]

He's got to protect himself, ladies and gentlemen. He's put on the hay blockers. The glasses.

[Jason Moore]

Ronald Jones is a bust. Ronald Jones is being drafted ahead of. Guys, hold on.

[Andy Holloway]

Have we have. Do we have an updated ADP for Ronald Jones?

[Jason Moore]

Yes.

[Andy Holloway]

Yes, we do.

[Jason Moore]

Ronald Jones. He is the 55th player off the board, and we need to change that.

[Mike Wright]

Oh, my goodness.

[Jason Moore]

If he gets down around 70, 75, then. Then we're talking about where he belongs. Here's my case.

[Mike Wright]

Can you see anything right now?

[Jason Moore]

I can see nothing. These are blackout glasses. I see absolutely nothing going on.

[Mike Wright]

That's what you watched his film with?

[Jason Moore]

I wish.

[Mike Wright]

You wish.

[Jason Moore]

All right.

[Andy Holloway]

Andy got a chant for that one.

[Jason Moore]

So here's my case against Ronald Jones. Look, before he was drafted, I did not like Ronald Jones. I didn't like the film because he was a smaller guy who ran up the middle. And that is not something that's going to work in the NFL. I love him when he gets an open space, but he doesn't catch the ball. At least he didn't in college and won't in the NFL. So then he.

[Andy Holloway]

That was the parents from the Peanuts.

[Jason Moore]

Then. Then he was drafted by Tampa Bay.

[Mike Wright]

That'S why I'm taking in this argument.

[Jason Moore]

Then he was drafted by Tampa Bay and I was like, oh man, that's a really good spot. He moved up my rankings a little bit because the opportunity is there. Absolutely. Doug Martin is gone. But last night in Philadelphia, Andy, how did you describe the Tampa Bay Buccaneers outlook?

[Mike Wright]

Their record is going to be bad.

[Jason Moore]

Their record is going to be bad. And Andy, do you usually prefer drafting running backs on good teams or bad teams?

[Mike Wright]

On good teams.

[Jason Moore]

Great. How's the offensive line?

[Mike Wright]

I don't really like this line of questioning.

[Jason Moore]

Look, here's a guy that didn't catch the ball in college who is now, why would they use a guy who doesn't have that skill set over Charles Sims, who they have and is good when they're losing games? The regime if they have a bad year. Dirk Cutter was barely back this year. If they get a new regime coming in midway through the year or after the season, it's not going to be good for the rookie that was drafted there. And if you look at his weight, he's 205. I talked to him at the NFFC, asked him because he looked. I was like, man, he's, he's bulking up.

[Mike Wright]

No, I brought up your concerns to him. He's not concerned.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, he's 208.

[Mike Wright]

He was totally fine with them all.

[Jason Moore]

You want to know what made him really great at college?

[Mike Wright]

I want him to be good.

[Matthew Berry]

So bad.

[Jason Moore]

He put up some great yards, but he had 19 rushing touchdowns. Yes, that is great. That's in his favor.

[Mike Wright]

Yes.

[Jason Moore]

But do you believe, but do you believe that a 208 pound running back can do that in the NFL?

[Mike Wright]

19 touchdowns isn't going to happen, Jay. No.

[Jason Moore]

So my point is, bad team doesn't catch the ball, crowded backfield. It's not like Peyton Barber and Charles Sims don't exist. You brought up Chris Carson, so you can't be like rolling your eyes at Peyton Barber, who had more good games last year. It's a crowded backfield for a bad team with a guy that doesn't catch the ball. Those are my issues with Ronald Jones. And he's a little bit smaller than I would prefer for a guy that does. I mean, if you're 299, you would be an outlier. Catch the ball like Jerick McKinnon. Catch the ball like Jamal Charles. Catch the ball like Devonta Freeman. But he doesn't.

[Mike Wright]

Ronald Jones is going ahead of these players. Deion Lewis or Ronald Jones.

[Jason Moore]

Deion Lewis.

[Andy Holloway]

Lewis.

[Jason Moore]

I would Take Lewis. I would take carrot.

[Mike Wright]

That is a big.

[Andy Holloway]

That's a great question.

[Mike Wright]

I mean, obviously I'm taking Ronald Jones.

[Andy Holloway]

And I tend to side with Jason. That Ronald Jones, it's. It's going to be tough. It's not in his favor the way that the NFL is played. But if I'm making a draft day decision of the auxiliary pass catching running back for Chicago over a guy who could be the featured bag and you have to go with Ronald.

[Jason Moore]

You have to go Ronald Jones. But it's not every. Everybody behind him isn't.

[Mike Wright]

No, they drafted behind him is pretty much.

[Jason Moore]

But you're bringing up a guy not a starter. You're bringing up a guy in Tariq Cohen who is being way overvalued versus Kerryon Johnson's going around later.

[Mike Wright]

Either Marlon Mack, Tevin Coleman, not the starter.

[Jason Moore]

Kerryon Johnson gets more touches this year than Ronald Jones. Put it on the board if you want it. What? Waterbed.

[Mike Wright]

In more ways than one. Sir, you are blinded.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah. There you go.

[Andy Holloway]

My goodness. Easy win.

[Mike Wright]

Thank you, Mike. Royce Freeman or Ronald Jones, please.

[Andy Holloway]

I'm stealing it. Oh, he said, that's me revving up the rules.

[Mike Wright]

That needs to be.

[Jason Moore]

That needs to be in the shop.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, that's trouble.

[Mike Wright]

All right, you guys ready to rotate over to Fire?

[Andy Holloway]

It was misfiring a little bit, I admit.

[Mike Wright]

That was a rough. Rough Rolls Royce.

[Andy Holloway]

I don't know what a Rolls Royce sounds like.

[Mike Wright]

That's fair.

[Jason Moore]

That is fair.

[Mike Wright]

Fair point. Let's move over to players that we think are gonna light up the box score. Possible breakout candidates. You're picking one Fire. Fire player. Who do you think?

[Andy Holloway]

You want me to jump in here first?

[Mike Wright]

I think I'm gonna let somebody else go first. That's.

[Andy Holloway]

That's fair. You want.

[Jason Moore]

I just went. So you're up, Mike.

[Andy Holloway]

I'm passing it to Andy. You jump in here first.

[Mike Wright]

Okay. Corey Davis.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, baby.

[Mike Wright]

Corey Davis. Now, I like the challenge of making the argument for Corey Davis. I really do. Because when you talk about him, you don't get the luxury of looking back at last season stats for your argument because not many of them exist. He didn't get to do very much. You have to step forward on him based on his skill, based on his size, based on his abilities, his body control, the expectations that you have for him. That's a projection for Corey Davis. He was also drafted inside the top 10 of the NFL Draft. If you remember, if you can go back to week one last year when you were undefeated, all of you.

[Andy Holloway]

I remember it Fondly.

[Mike Wright]

How many targets do you remember how many targets Corey Davis had in week one? 10. He had 10 targets in week one of his rookie season. Then he got hurt. Okay. And sure, hold it against him if you want to, but he got hurt. He did not come back and do anything until late in the season when he had the game you hope he could have in the playoffs against Malcolm Butler when He put up 98 yards and two touchdowns. So if you want to make the argument for Corey Davis, it's pedigree, right? Jason, if I ever hear you tell me that Case Keenum has the most touchdowns and yards in college history again, it'll be too soon. He does though, but yeah, but I'm gonna just do that now because Corey Davis is the all time receiving yards leader in college. That's pretty good.

[Jason Moore]

I did not know that.

[Mike Wright]

He's 63209. When you, when he looks in the mirror, you know what he sees? He sees Brandon Marshall on the other side. That's who he is. If you look at the comps, he's what Brandon Marshall was.

[Andy Holloway]

He should get a new mirror.

[Mike Wright]

It's weird. It's actually a window and Brandon Marshall's at his house and it's awkward. But here's the thing about the Titans and Jason's been quick all off season to say how much he likes the Titans offense to improve and get better.

[Jason Moore]

They're going to be good.

[Mike Wright]

Here's what they were ranked 28th in pass attempts over the last two years. There's a lot of room to move up in pass attempts over the last two years. They have 898 unaccounted air yards. Okay, that's opportunity for Corey Davis and if they throw more, what is that? 1200 unaccounted 4 yards in an offense that you think is going to improve. You look at the hype train. Yes, it's the hype train. But one of the stars of the early portion of work has been Corey Davis. And the thing is is Marcus Mariota Corey Davis, they barely got to practice together last year and to me you're looking at him and you're saying can I get Alshon Jeffrey plus out of Corey Davis? I don't think he's going to catch 100 passes. That's impossible for the amount of target share and what Mariota does 60 for 1008. That's Corey Davis fire a year to me and I think Corey Davis can do it.

[Jason Moore]

Sure.

[Andy Holloway]

For me, Corey Davis, like I've said it comes down to touchdowns but the fact that you're bringing up air yards over there, Andy. It's getting me sweaty. I'm not going to lie to you.

[Jason Moore]

Welcome to the team. I've been sweating up here for hours.

[Andy Holloway]

For hours. All right, I'll jump in here.

[Mike Wright]

This is a true story. I'm just going to share this story.

[Jason Moore]

I've got no shame.

[Mike Wright]

We went on NBC Sports Philadelphia. Was it yesterday? Two days ago?

[Andy Holloway]

Who knows?

[Mike Wright]

I don't really remember. We went on and we talked fantasy for about 10 minutes. And whenever they panned to Jason, this man had the foggiest glasses.

[Jason Moore]

They fog up, man, that you have.

[Mike Wright]

Ever seen in under.

[Jason Moore]

I can't see with them. I can't see without him.

[Mike Wright]

He's like a thousand incandescent bulbs at all.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, I run a little warm.

[Mike Wright]

You're a hot man.

[Jason Moore]

I'm hot.

[Andy Holloway]

Speaking of hot men, you like that transition pro move? Here's my fire player. No, no.

[Jason Moore]

Whoa, whoa, whoa.

[Mike Wright]

Who are they saying?

[Jason Moore]

They're shouting jimmy G. The other Jimmy.

[Andy Holloway]

G for Jimmy Handsome out there. But here's the deal. I'm talking about a guy who's actually gonna break out. Sorry, Jimmy. That is sexy Rexy Burkhead. Oh, that's a mixed bag out in this audience. You might need them blockers.

[Jason Moore]

Here's.

[Andy Holloway]

Here's the deal. Rex Burkhead's true run. His true run began his second game back from injury, right? This ran about Games 8 to 13. He actually, I don't know if you all remember week one when we were hoping for Gillislee to be the man who was the first guy out on the field.

[Jason Moore]

Rex Burkhead. Rex Burkhead for, I believe, one carry.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah.

[Andy Holloway]

He may or may not have gotten hurt, but here's the deal, everyone. Deion Lewis was the man, right? Deon Lewis was incredible for fantasy. He was incredible for the Patriots. But when Birkhead was actually healthy and Lewis had carved out his role of 12 attempts and two targets a game, Rex Burkhead was out snapping him. And he was. He was out targeting him. He was getting eight attempts and four and a half targets a game. He received nine carries inside the 10 to Deion's six. And that turned into six goal line attempts for Rex Burkhead compared to Deion Lewis, one inside the 10, where things are very valuable. Two targets went to Rex Burkhead in his time where he was shining zero for Deion Lewis. Rex Burkhead was the running back 10 during his run. And how did they reward him? Did they say, well, we're done with you? No, they gave him a three year deal worth almost $10 million. A couple years ago we saw the Pats, or last year, I should say The Pats scored 16 rushing touchdowns between Gillislee Lewis and Burkhead. Couple years ago, LeGarrett Blunt had 18 rushing touchdowns and he did that 18 rushing touchdowns as a sub 50% snap player. It doesn't matter that Rex Burkhead isn't on the field for every single snap.

[Mike Wright]

I feel like you just made the argument for picking Sonny Michel over Rashad Penny.

[Andy Holloway]

Because. No, because my argument is for the legarit Blunt role, which is. Is Rex Burkhead who's being drafted at the back of the seventh round as the running back 34.

[Mike Wright]

He will surely he is difficult for people to draft.

[Jason Moore]

I.

[Andy Holloway]

And I totally get it because like.

[Mike Wright]

I said, because heads up, you would take Sony, wouldn't you? Burkhead versus Sony.

[Andy Holloway]

You would probably.

[Jason Moore]

You remember those running backs drafted in the first round stats you gave earlier? Yes.

[Mike Wright]

But I'm gonna give Mike credit because he has the ability to do this. And, and this is a fantasy football players. It's very difficult for us to draft the RB2 of a system.

[Andy Holloway]

Yes.

[Mike Wright]

It's hard for us to draft the wide receiver too because we just want to see ceiling. We don't want to see 47%. Like that's not necessarily a point that you draft on is 47% of the snaps.

[Andy Holloway]

18 in that 47% though turned into 18 rushing touchdowns. And it's interesting by the end of the year, if Rex Burkhead plays 16 games and he ends the season with 12 plus rushing touchdowns, once again, I will not be shocked.

[Jason Moore]

I would be.

[Mike Wright]

How much of this though is that you want to say sexy Rexy for the rest of the year?

[Andy Holloway]

At least 20%.

[Mike Wright]

All right, that makes sense. Sometimes. Sometimes players do things that really help this show and if they can stay relevant.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, I like Rex Burkheadt. I think he's a great value. I wouldn't go so far as to say that I wouldn't be surprised if he gets 12 rushing touchdowns. 12 overall touchdowns. Great. Because he's a great pass catcher. But I. I do think he's a very valuable player for where he's been drafted right now.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah. Okay.

[Jason Moore]

Okay. Well, what's your. You already did your fire.

[Mike Wright]

He's a hard player to be fire. Right. He's a grinder.

[Jason Moore]

You want to know what you're expecting him to be?

[Mike Wright]

The.

[Andy Holloway]

Did you hear the part where I said when he was playing yes. And weeks eight through 13, and he was the running back 10.

[Mike Wright]

Oh, that's nice.

[Andy Holloway]

By my calculations, that's a running back one.

[Jason Moore]

All right, so the question to start this show was what running back going outside of the top 10 could actually finish as the number one running back? Not just a number one running back, but the number one. And to me, the clear cut guy who can do it outside of the top 10 is Joe Mixon.

[Mike Wright]

I can't believe someone yelled that out.

[Jason Moore]

Well, we've got. We've got a smart audience.

[Andy Holloway]

That was Brooks. Brooks, was that you?

[Mike Wright]

Was that Brooks?

[Jason Moore]

Listen, Joe Mixon, I think everybody agrees he had a down rookie season. We were disappointed at his efficiency.

[Andy Holloway]

You think we agree?

[Jason Moore]

I think. I'll bet you there's some Bengals fans out there.

[Mike Wright]

Facts in film and performance, and all of those things agree. They come together.

[Jason Moore]

So here's the deal. Brooks can attest to this. While we've been on this trip, I have gone through and watched as every snap of Joe Mixon starting in week three to watch and see, like, what went wrong because he was so electric in college. What went wrong?

[Mike Wright]

You both loved him coming out.

[Jason Moore]

Yes. And you're right. The offensive line was as bad as you could possibly fathom. It was a trick. Atrociously bad. But when I watched the film, I. I saw him. He was so much faster than the other players on the field. He was so much more athletic than the DBs. But you can't outrun four guys behind the offensive line. Then you have a weird thing that happened last year for the Bengals. First of all, he wasn't the starter to start the year. He didn't actually become the starter till, like, the second half.

[Mike Wright]

He did get Jeremy Hill.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, Jeremy Hill. Jeremy Hill is gone.

[Andy Holloway]

You burned bright Jeremy Hill.

[Mike Wright]

Did you get that tattoo removed a few years ago? Mike?

[Andy Holloway]

I'm still. It was really big. I'm still working on it.

[Jason Moore]

Joe Mixon was a good running back last year with a bad offensive line. I will put my personal stamp on that. They made improvements this year to their offensive line in big ways. You know, they drafted a center in the first round. They. Cordy Glenn. We've got someone out there that knows the Bengals off of the chart. He just pulled it out at the left tackle. They've made improvements to this line, but.

[Mike Wright]

There was also this very educated audience here in New York.

[Jason Moore]

There was also this really weird thing.

[Matthew Berry]

This guy.

[Mike Wright]

That's right.

[Matthew Berry]

Whoa.

[Andy Holloway]

Look at the man who is educated.

[Jason Moore]

Oh, Eagles.

[Andy Holloway]

He has an executive booed.

[Mike Wright]

Is he the one who told me Kris Carson exists too, probably.

[Jason Moore]

Okay, so here's the deal. Last season, the Bengals as a team rushed the ball 377 times. 377. That is a very low number. How low? I went back year by year by year. I went back over 20 years in the Bengals and then I just got bored and was like, I'm stopping. I never, I never found one that was below.400. In fact, in the 15 year Marvin Lewis era, it's a long era. They average and the team hasn't always been good. In that era, they average 453 rushing attempts. That's 80 more attempts than they had last year on average. They've upgraded their offensive line. Jeff Ratcliffe tweeted out their Pro Football Focus running back, strength of schedule, which is not based on last year's results. They take a look at the current team, the current players, down to the man, they look at their ratings and say, who has the easiest path. The number one, easiest schedule this year was Joe Mixon. You can't become the number one running back if you don't catch at least 55 balls. 55. And Joe Mixon has the talent, the opportunity, and he's going to be great. I'm calling my shit.

[Mike Wright]

That's a pretty compelling case, don't you think?

[Andy Holloway]

It was.

[Jason Moore]

I did it. That's right. I did it.

[Andy Holloway]

It was, it was very compelling. If you leave all the other running backs off the roster.

[Matthew Berry]

No.

[Jason Moore]

Oh, give me a break.

[Andy Holloway]

I will not give you a break. Giovanni Bernard was still heavily utilized last year, even when Joe Mixon was the start?

[Jason Moore]

Okay, so just, just to interject real quick, while he was on this bad offensive team that was not running the ball, having problems with their offensive line and Gio Bernard was playing the second half of the year while he was a starter. Do you realize that Joe Mixon during the second half of the year had a 4.26 yards per carry and was on, was on a 16 game pace of over 1100 all purpose yards.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, Mike. Yeah, Mike.

[Andy Holloway]

Cool.

[Jason Moore]

All right, is it ready?

[Mike Wright]

We're moving on. We're, we got, we got the mailbag. We're getting into the mail. You better warm up, warm up the pipes. And for those listening at home who don't know who our special guest is, I'm going to introduce him right now. We're going to welcome him back to the stage. The one, the only, ESPN's, Matthew Barry. He's back, baby. SF Foot Clan. Welcome. We got a mic for you. He's Grabbing it. Here we go. That Twitter has been asking for this, too. So we are coming together. We are joining forces for a New York mailbag. Now, Are you ready, by the way? If you were selected, go ahead.

[Matthew Berry]

Can I ask a question first?

[Mike Wright]

Yeah.

[Andy Holloway]

Are you part of the man, maybe.

[Matthew Berry]

No, I just. No, I was backstage listening a little bit. Did Jason compare Jordan Howard to Todd Gurley?

[Andy Holloway]

I sure did.

[Matthew Berry]

I mean, you guys just let that slide.

[Mike Wright]

I'm like, we can only choose so many things.

[Matthew Berry]

It was just. But, I mean, it just sort of slipped by there. Just, you know, And Todd Gurley went 17th last year, and so now Jordan. I'm like, have you watched either of those guys play football?

[Mike Wright]

That's a throw.

[Matthew Berry]

I mean. I mean, just like, how do you guys.

[Jason Moore]

Here's the deal, Barry. If you say enough stupid things, they just can't correct them all.

[Matthew Berry]

I've made a career of that, so it's fair. That's a fair statement. That's a fair statement. But just. Just so you know, my current footballers rankings, first, second, third. I'm just. That was just so you know.

[Andy Holloway]

Ladies and gentlemen, let the audio show that Mike Wright was number one in the ring.

[Mike Wright]

Now, Disney, like Kayin Balaj.

[Matthew Berry]

Exactly. Oh, that's right. It's true. Well, it's.

[Mike Wright]

It is.

[Matthew Berry]

It's true. You and I share a. You and I share a. A not so secret love of Kaylin Balage. But when you were talking up Darius Geiss earlier, I knew you would appreciate it.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah.

[Matthew Berry]

Listen, Darius, guys. Darius, guys is my fantasy ride or die this year.

[Jason Moore]

Oh.

[Mike Wright]

All right, all right. If you're in the mailbag segment of the show, you got the bracelet. Come get in line, New York. Are you ready for a mailbag drop?

[Andy Holloway]

Warm up them pipes because I need to hear.

[Mike Wright]

Get in line. By the way, if you're in the mailbag, come get in line behind the microph. Mailbag time. Here we go.

[Jason Moore]

Mailbag.

[Mike Wright]

New York City.

[Andy Holloway]

I knew you wouldn't let me down, New York.

[Mike Wright]

Now, as you come up to the mic, we're so thrilled to have you here, Matthew. Thank you. I know the podcast Fantasy Focus getting started again next week. You've got the marathon coming up.

[Matthew Berry]

Yeah, well, so, right, you guys, are.

[Andy Holloway]

You sure you're ready for the marathon?

[Matthew Berry]

No, but, you know, I never am.

[Mike Wright]

Nobody's ready for marathon.

[Matthew Berry]

No one's ever in any context, so.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah.

[Matthew Berry]

But appreciate you guys letting me be a company man. So, August 13th, starting at 6:00pm Eastern. ESPN, ESPN2 fantasy football marathon. Thank you very much. We got a summer for the 06010.

[Andy Holloway]

Fan, it'll be insane.

[Matthew Berry]

So yeah, 29 straight hours of fantasy football coverage.

[Andy Holloway]

What are you guys doing?

[Matthew Berry]

Both networks be great and I'm really excited this year. I think it'll be, it'll be even more, more hardcore than it has been in the past. So no water.

[Mike Wright]

They're denying them water this year and so that's great.

[Matthew Berry]

And yeah, the. For those of you who enjoy fantasy football podcasts, outside of the footballers, The Fantasy Focus 06010 makes it its daily return. On Monday, July 30, we'll be broadcasting live on Twitter. This year there's a ESPN and Twitter made a deal.

[Andy Holloway]

Good stuff.

[Matthew Berry]

So it's a horrible idea. I'm gonna be live for an hour like it's the end of my career. It's what it is. But until they cancel us. 11:00am Secret Squirrel is in the house. By the way.

[Andy Holloway]

What's up, Daniel? Shout out.

[Matthew Berry]

Sacred Squirrel is up there.

[Mike Wright]

I just see lights. Yeah, I believe you.

[Matthew Berry]

Anyway, so yeah, so 11am Eastern every Monday through Friday live on Twitter. And of course you can always download it on the the App Store.

[Mike Wright]

All right, let's jump into the first mailbag question. Come up here. State your name, speak loudly into the microphone. Hey everyone, my name's Brett.

[Jason Moore]

Got a bit of a home league.

[Mike Wright]

Need a little help with.

[Andy Holloway]

You got it man.

[Mike Wright]

10 man, full PPR.

[Matthew Berry]

No, no, tight end.

[Jason Moore]

We play an extra flex but you.

[Matthew Berry]

Get five extra points for touchdowns over 50 yards.

[Andy Holloway]

Okay.

[Matthew Berry]

So I was thinking about stacking like.

[Jason Moore]

A wide receiver with a quarterback going.

[Matthew Berry]

Matthew Stafford, Marvin Jones for some value.

[Jason Moore]

But would love to hear your thoughts. Are touch 50 yard touchdowns too unpredictable to think about or what would your strategy be?

[Andy Holloway]

Sure. And you said five. A five point bonus for the 50 yard touchdown. Yes. So for me personally it's. When you, when you're talking about bonuses, our league, our league of record is not as extreme. It's a two point bonus for 40 plus touchdowns. And I, I actually like, I like the fun that it brings to the scoring format and the enjoyment of being able to watch with Andy as something massive happens and there's just this huge point swing. Having said that, while I like to have it, I don't play into the scoring system. I'm not counting on a player getting two extra 50 yard touchdowns. Like you said, predicting it. Even Tyree Kill, you're talking about 30 yard touchdowns, 40 yard touchdowns. He's, he's not qualifying for that bonus. So it's, it's Fantastic. I like to have it in my league, but it definitely does not affect the way that I draft players. Matthew.

[Matthew Berry]

I don't like to have that in my league. I mean, I just like.

[Andy Holloway]

Because I thought I was number one. Matthew.

[Matthew Berry]

No, no, no, no. Well, you know, am I moving down already?

[Mike Wright]

It's a very fickle system.

[Matthew Berry]

But here's the thing.

[Mike Wright]

Jason's always three. That's the important part. Yeah, I was.

[Matthew Berry]

I have to check the adp.

[Jason Moore]

No, you mean number three in the rankings, Andy. What?

[Matthew Berry]

No, no, no. Andy's two. Andy's still too. No, no. I'm just saying I don't love, I don't love scoring bonuses like that just because it doesn't reflect real football. Right. You don't get extra points for a 50 yard touchdown in real football. Right. Fantasy football mostly resembles real football to the extent that it can. So having said that, I agree with your assessment there in terms of trying to draft towards that I think is tough because big players are so, are so unpredictable. What I would probably use it for is as a tiebreaker and maybe towards the end. Listen, you want to take a flyer late on desean Jackson, you know, and you should. Right. You know, got no problem with this or Chris Godwin. Right. But so I don't have. I don't mind taking a little bit of a flyer there, but I can't imagine stacking it like if Matthew Stafford and Marvin Jones are the best wide receiver and quarterback available at the time that you're picking those positions. I got no problem with it. But I don't know that I would try to stack someone to try to get those rare five point bonuses. Yeah, I would, I would just assemble the best team I can and maybe use it as a tiebreaker late adds.

[Jason Moore]

Value to those later flyers.

[Matthew Berry]

Yeah. Like as a, as a tiebreaker if you've got like a possession guy, if you're looking late for again, like desean Jackson or Danny Amendola, maybe you would go with Jackson instead of Amadola. Although I love Amendola, by the way. I know everyone's, I know everyone's on Albert Wilson.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah. A Tyler Lockett, a Paul Richardson. That's where you might want to care. You know that? That's where it's like, okay, he's just.

[Mike Wright]

Trying to drop in Redskins to see if he can get back up the list.

[Matthew Berry]

Totally, totally. Still in third.

[Mike Wright]

But yeah, no, that makes sense.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah. Don't waste your middle picks caring about that. Yeah.

[Andy Holloway]

All right.

[Mike Wright]

Thank you for the question. Appreciate it.

[Andy Holloway]

Thank you. Jason.

[Jason Moore]

Next Question.

[Mike Wright]

Howdy ballers.

[Jason Moore]

This is Dave from New York now. Nice to meet you guys. So my question is we all have people that are on our doo doo list because they burned us in the past and we just want draft them. But do you guys.

[Matthew Berry]

Why did you look at Jason right when you said that? It's weird.

[Jason Moore]

I worry about him with the word doo doo sometimes up there. But do you guys have any players that like you inexplicably just love because they came up big for you in years past? This year.

[Andy Holloway]

It was a couple years ago, but we just talked about how I'm removing a giant Jeremy Hill tattoo from my chest. So it works both ways. When you love a player, if you a player burns you and you say they'll never be on my team again. And then it just turns out that Todd Gurley had a down year and he's actually a really good running back.

[Mike Wright]

When told you.

[Andy Holloway]

Yes you did. Yes you did. When an offensive mind gets in there and can actually scheme things for Todd Gurley. So it burns you both ways. It's as fantasy players we have to learn to move on from last year. And I speak it's difficult for me to do it because I get emotionally attached. When I beat Andy in a fantasy championship.

[Mike Wright]

I don't recall but go on.

[Andy Holloway]

I went and I got a fathead. Oh yeah, I do recall of Robert Griffin. I mean this thing was like 70 by 70 and took up the entire, entire space of my office just because, just so I could troll him. Because I now love Robert Griffin more than any quarterback in the league so far.

[Jason Moore]

Your love players are not turning out long term.

[Andy Holloway]

That's what I'm saying. That's exactly, that's exactly what I'm saying is you can't, you, you can't have the rose colored glasses on for this past season. You have to evaluate it new from this season.

[Mike Wright]

I'm going to bring up a maybe a strange point to answer the question as well. Comes a pink moose sometimes though. And I think of a player like Jerick McKinnon, right, who came into certain people's rosters last year and saved them in the middle of the season, right. Putting up big weeks and then you look at projecting him this year. I think sometimes if a player did great things for you and you were glued into them and you watch them on the field every week, maybe it clues you in onto their. To their potential.

[Andy Holloway]

Sure, maybe.

[Mike Wright]

Look, I agree with you guys.

[Matthew Berry]

Every situation is different. Every year is different. Every scheme is different. Just on an emotional level. Like Cream Hunt, obviously, last year for me, I'll. For years, I loved Brandon Marshall.

[Jason Moore]

Just.

[Matthew Berry]

That was just a guy that always came through for me.

[Andy Holloway]

That was Andy.

[Matthew Berry]

Arian Foster was like, right.

[Mike Wright]

You know, I really miss him, you know?

[Matthew Berry]

Or Blake Bortles.

[Andy Holloway]

Oh, hey, hold on, hold on.

[Matthew Berry]

Not even Blake Bortles will draft himself.

[Mike Wright]

What are you talking about?

[Andy Holloway]

One second. So shout out to our man Mike, who gave us our custom Blake the Snake funko figure. This thing is ridiculous.

[Matthew Berry]

Pretty sweet.

[Andy Holloway]

Thank you, sir.

[Matthew Berry]

Pretty sweet. But the one thing I will. The one thing I will say is, again, it's a game we play for fun. So, like, I'll get these questions. Like, you know, I really. Cam Newton's there. Like, I want to. You know, I live in Carolina and I love the Panthers, and I want to draft Cam Newton, you know, as my first quarterback. And I'm always just like, look, Cam Newton's not my number one quarterback, but it's. It's a. It's a fun game.

[Mike Wright]

Like, if you want to root for.

[Matthew Berry]

Cam Newton on your fantasy team, like, I got no issue with it. Like, Cam Newton's a good quarterback. Like, if you take them two rounds.

[Mike Wright]

Too early, don't take them in the first.

[Matthew Berry]

To be a fan, you have to be a fan. It is what it is. Like, we play this game for fun. And if you're going to enjoy this game more by picking a player you're rooting for, even if it's not the best ADP or the best value or whatever, so what? Like, again, you're probably not losing your league because you drafted Cam Newton a round or two early or whatever.

[Mike Wright]

Thanks for the question.

[Andy Holloway]

Thank you, sir.

[Jason Moore]

Next question.

[Mike Wright]

Guys.

[Andy Holloway]

My name's Eric. Hey, Eric.

[Jason Moore]

Hey, Eric. It's so nice to meet you.

[Mike Wright]

First year of Dynasty league.

[Andy Holloway]

We want to know if we should.

[Jason Moore]

Do idp, like two, three of them.

[Mike Wright]

Or dst.

[Andy Holloway]

Oh, an IDP or DST question.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah. Yeah, you know me.

[Matthew Berry]

Or how about neither?

[Jason Moore]

Oh, yeah, yeah.

[Mike Wright]

So I don't mind.

[Matthew Berry]

I think you guys are. Did you guys do the Scott Fishbowl this year? We did, right?

[Andy Holloway]

Yes.

[Matthew Berry]

So I did my first one this year, and I can't tell you how much fun it was to draft a team where I didn't have to worry about kicker or defense. I have to tell you, like, you're starting it up. Why not?

[Jason Moore]

I know our Dynasty league that we have. That is our main league of record for Dynasty. We have no kicker, no defense, and it's fantastic. I would personally all Jason Rising in.

[Matthew Berry]

The rankings like that.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, I like that. If you have to choose between those two. Because obviously not every league is willing to cut things out. Like, I would get rid of kickers in general, but like in.

[Mike Wright]

On regular NFL teams, sure.

[Jason Moore]

No, but I would go. I would go dst. It's. It's. You know, there is something, you know, Barry's talking about the fun. There's also something fun about playing in a league. That is what other. You know, if you're listening to podcasts, if you're getting advice and you know, seeing people tweet out stuff that it matches what you do and there's just much less idp. So if you want to dig deep and go there, that you can.

[Mike Wright]

But I write us an email about it.

[Jason Moore]

Right. I mean, we're not. So I would recommend dst.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah.

[Andy Holloway]

If anything.

[Mike Wright]

Thanks for the question.

[Andy Holloway]

Totally agree. Thank you, sir.

[Jason Moore]

Next question.

[Matthew Berry]

Hi, guys.

[Mike Wright]

Dylan here. How's it going?

[Jason Moore]

So nice to meet you.

[Mike Wright]

Nice to meet you as well. Guys, which running back do you guys.

[Jason Moore]

Think could separate themselves this year to be a top tier pick next year in next year's draft?

[Mike Wright]

So somebody that tears up, that levels up this year that we're talking about in the first 10 next year or something.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, like top three.

[Mike Wright]

Top.

[Matthew Berry]

Top four.

[Mike Wright]

Top three, top four.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, I got a drop. You can play. Oh.

[Mike Wright]

Oh, don't even. You cannot.

[Jason Moore]

Oh.

[Andy Holloway]

What just happened?

[Mike Wright]

You don't believe that though, right?

[Jason Moore]

That he can tear up?

[Mike Wright]

No, not tear up. He said top. Top three, top four. I think you missed that part because you were prepping yourself for the song, right?

[Matthew Berry]

Are you asking basically the whole first section?

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, like, like, so when the. Like is Christian, right?

[Matthew Berry]

You guys just did a whole section at the top of the show, like, which top 10 could get into.

[Jason Moore]

So who's yours? Who's yours then? Barry?

[Matthew Berry]

I. I'll be honest. I liked all of your choices. I like McKinnon. I like mixing. I'm going to go with Darius Geist as well. I will say this, and I think this is one of the things you were sort of hinting at. But last year, just last year alone, if you took some odd JP and remember the Redskins who had an awful offensive line, like, they were so brutally injured and on all aspects, they were literally guys that were off the street, were starting two days later, two weeks later or whatever, their entire starting offensive line was hurt. If you combine and it was an offense that was in not doing particularly well and yet still, if you combined Samaj P. Ryan and Rob Kelly into one player they would have tied for third last year in goal to go carries. Like when they get in close. They like to run Jay Gruden's offense. Whatever you think of him as a head coach and I actually think he's a good head coach. I actually, as a Redskin fan, I actually like Jay Gruden. Listen, they had 23 guys injured last year and they won seven games right now.

[Jason Moore]

Barry.

[Matthew Berry]

But I don't care. So not my podcast. What do I care? So look, I'll torpedo this thing before I'm done. Look. So I was going to say is like this. Jay Gruden's offense is put on points. They. They always do. They. They are. They tend to be in, in terms of the top 10 in the NFL in terms of red zone rush percentage. I know a lot of the people around the team, on the team, in terms of sources, they love Darius Geist. And by the way, if you look at Jay Gruden's offenses over the years, they've never had a guy like him, a talent like him. He was. A lot of people were talking about him going in the middle of the first round just on. Based on pure talent. They just didn't. Then, then character concerns came up.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah.

[Matthew Berry]

Which seem to be.

[Jason Moore]

Have.

[Matthew Berry]

Have dispelled. Make no mistake, he's going to get the ball often. When we were. We were all at the NFFC recently and I spoke to Chris Thompson and I just said we were off to the side. I was like, so Darius man, he just got a big grin. He's just like he's going to surprise.

[Jason Moore]

A lot of people.

[Matthew Berry]

Like he was just. Chris is just like we've got some things planned. Like so look, you think about the SEC and how amazing it is. Literally Bo Jackson is the only player with a higher yards per carry average in the SEC than Darius guys. I mean in the history of the SEC and they never had a quarterback. He was facing eight main fronts the whole time. Give me some Darius guys. My fantasy ride or die this year.

[Andy Holloway]

I'll just jump in real quick because mine is between the two rookies of Rashad Penny and Darius guys for many of the reasons that Matthew has just said.

[Mike Wright]

Well, other later guys that could be candidates would be some of the rookies. Right. Sonya Michel could be somebody that you're talking about.

[Andy Holloway]

Royce Freeman could easily jump into that.

[Mike Wright]

Even somebody. Yeah. Just.

[Andy Holloway]

Just based on workload.

[Jason Moore]

If Deonta Foreman is healthy and gets back the second. No, if he's healthy, the Foreman. I'm not saying for this year, the question was, the question was at the end of this year, going into the following year, if the ontiform is healthy and Lamar Miller is done, he could end up being on a good offense where he's tear jumped. I'm not saying for this season.

[Matthew Berry]

I'll give you, I'll give you one more. I'll just give you one more. Just a name you haven't heard.

[Andy Holloway]

Bonus.

[Matthew Berry]

How about Stop it. How about no, but how about Jay Ajaya?

[Andy Holloway]

Look, it's a fair point.

[Matthew Berry]

Hang on.

[Andy Holloway]

Look, they're not going to like it.

[Mike Wright]

I, you know, I was going to bring his name up.

[Matthew Berry]

Oh, don't make me come out there.

[Andy Holloway]

Look, please don't make him go out there.

[Matthew Berry]

Don't make me push Jason into the crowd.

[Jason Moore]

I will. I have fallen into the crowd many times.

[Matthew Berry]

All I'm saying, look, look, I like Corey Clement as well and I think he's an interesting late round sleeper. But I will tell you, I, I interviewed Peterson at the combine and asked him his thoughts on Corey Clement and the first thing out of his mouth was, listen, he's great on special teams. And I'm like, scored a touchdown.

[Andy Holloway]

Not good.

[Matthew Berry]

Right. He just, he talked up how good he was in specialty. He's like. And we're gonna in the offense as well. Look, and I know you got Sprols here, but if JJ stays healthy behind that offensive line on one of the best offenses in football, I'm not, I'm not saying it's going to happen, but you're asking for a guy that's like.

[Mike Wright]

They have to, he has to do it and then they have to pay him.

[Matthew Berry]

Yeah, understood. But all I'm saying is that that is a guy in a situation that doesn't have a ton of competition, needs to stay healthy.

[Andy Holloway]

But was that your guy, Andy, you.

[Jason Moore]

Were gonna go with?

[Mike Wright]

I was gonna bring up J. And then I started to second guess it a little bit with the contract situation, But I believe 100% that Jiji in the fourth round is a steal right now.

[Jason Moore]

It's a good guy.

[Mike Wright]

Even in New York City fantasy drafts.

[Jason Moore]

Next question.

[Mike Wright]

Thanks, guys. Yeah, thank you.

[Andy Holloway]

What's up, man? I'm right.

[Mike Wright]

How you doing?

[Andy Holloway]

What's your name? Ray. Make sure you use the mic, buddy.

[Mike Wright]

We can't see you, so sorry.

[Andy Holloway]

All right, so you guys all have Gordon and Landry in the top 32 wide receivers, right? Why do you think the Browns.

[Jason Moore]

The Browns, yeah.

[Andy Holloway]

Can sustain two top 32 wide receivers when they didn't sustain a top 50 last year? This is a very fair question. Josh Gordon was, dare I say, heavily talked about on the podcast that's going to come out tomorrow. I highly suggest everyone jumps onto the YouTube.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, you might want to see the.

[Andy Holloway]

Case for Josh Gordon and see the defense of Josh. Josh Gordon. And my, my defense of those rankings, like I talked about on the earlier show, is the upgrade at the quarterback position. If, if it ends up being Tyrod Taylor the entire season, which in my, in my projections it will be not. But that's a huge upgrade for Josh Gordon, who was manhandling, manhandling NFL defensive backs after coming off the street from three years. He was just ready to go. And then it goes. Then we have, we have Baker Mayfield waiting in the wings, who was my number one quarterback coming into the draft. I was shocked that the Cleveland Browns did the right thing and they took Baker. He's one of the most accurate quarterbacks in college history. He is a fantastic player. And if you get accurate passes to two wide receivers who can make things happen, who can get separation, who can, who can do things after the catch, that's why you have them both ranked the way that they are. Jason, how do you feel?

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, well, I mean, yeah, listen to the Phillies show because I am very much not on the Josh Gordon train at his current price and I actually have neither of them in the top 32. Our consensus rankings have it. But my defense of your accusation is how dare you accuse me, sir?

[Andy Holloway]

Jason has Jarvis landry currently at 38. I have him at 31. So I like that he went right to the edge, tipped his toes over and took a peek.

[Mike Wright]

They're going to be better. They're going to be better on offense.

[Andy Holloway]

And to be fair, Andy is a Hugh Jackson truther.

[Jason Moore]

He is the last one left. What do you think about those two, Barry?

[Matthew Berry]

Tyrod Taylor's arm is made for Josh Gordon. Like, that is a, that is, that is a guy that he just, he has a can for an army can. Absolutely. Just chuck it down the field. Like Josh Gordon is the, is a perfect Tyrod Taylor type player. Now, obviously there's off the field concerns with, with Josh, but it's a good offensive line. They have a lot of running backs there, obviously that we think they're going to be able to move the ball. They should be able to sustain drives. And so look, Hugh Jackson, I get, I get the criticisms, but this is somebody that has coached productive offenses in the past. They've never had a quarterback like Tyrod Taylor. Like Tyrod Taylor is a good quarterback. I mean let's. The Browns aren't any worse.

[Mike Wright]

Playoff quarterback.

[Matthew Berry]

He's a playoff quarterback last year. And, and by the. I mean like Sammy Watkins win healthy, like on a points per game basis. Sammy Watkins was an elite fantasy wide receiver under Tyrod Taylor on an offense in Buffalo that was worse than what I think will be in Cleveland this year.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah. I highly recommend checking out the beginning of the Philly show. That'll be up on Saturday. Thank you audience that knows that. Next question.

[Mike Wright]

Where we are, we don't know what we're doing.

[Andy Holloway]

Thanks, man.

[Mike Wright]

Thanks. What's up? What's up, ballers? Matthew from Brooklyn, New York.

[Andy Holloway]

What's up, Matthew?

[Mike Wright]

Seeing you guys, I'm a big jets fan. I love Tab in.

[Matthew Berry]

I'm so sorry, you lost me.

[Jason Moore]

It's.

[Mike Wright]

We got Vinnie Testaverde in the audience.

[Andy Holloway]

It's actually Vinny.

[Jason Moore]

It started out well for you as a Jets fan and then the room turned quickly.

[Mike Wright]

But that's one of them are chanting.

[Matthew Berry]

But that's what it's like to be a Jets fan. You have to wear a test of Verde jersey.

[Mike Wright]

Like I know that's what it's like.

[Matthew Berry]

Let me go back. You're. You're at like the Dick's Sporting Goods. Like do they still have a nameth? Do you have a namath?

[Jason Moore]

Okay, all right. What's your question?

[Mike Wright]

I loved having Robbie Anderson on my team last year.

[Andy Holloway]

Sure.

[Mike Wright]

But are there too many cooks in.

[Andy Holloway]

The kitchen on this jets team to.

[Mike Wright]

Draft a running back or a wide receiver? No, no, no. I, I am a big Robbie Anderson fan and I read some of Matthew's 10,000 word manifesto who makes the point that I was making as well, which is just look at his numbers from the middle of the season. He was a. I believe he. According to the manifesto, you broke down week seven through ten and he was wide receiver four.

[Matthew Berry]

Yes.

[Mike Wright]

I mean he is a 25 year old elite talent in the NFL. That made Josh McCown one of the most accurate D ball throwers in the entire NFL. And so I think Robbie Anderson, he's one of my steals of the draft this year at his current draft price.

[Matthew Berry]

Yeah, I agree.

[Mike Wright]

And I know that you like Quincy and Nunois because you remember when he was playing and I don't want to take anything away from him and what he was going to be, but he was going to be a de facto number one. He'll be fine in that number two role if he's healthy and catching the ball. But Robbie Anderson is a natural player. I would Be happy to draft.

[Andy Holloway]

But you also really like Isaiah Cruell as. As a draft steal. So I think.

[Mike Wright]

Because nobody's drafting jets, but.

[Andy Holloway]

No, but my point is, I think that we are in the correct place. We are in. We are in the city of New York.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah.

[Andy Holloway]

I think Brooklyn.

[Jason Moore]

Fair.

[Andy Holloway]

Fair. But I think you just need to admit that you are a closet jets fan.

[Mike Wright]

I like Hugh Jackson. I like the Jets. Maybe I just like the underdog.

[Andy Holloway]

You just like bad teams.

[Mike Wright]

Maybe I just like bad teams. I was a Gus Bradley truther. You found me out.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah. I'm a fan of Robbie Anderson's value. Not so much of any of the running backs. I mean, Crowell could get it done, but I'm more worried that his inefficiencies are a him problem. The offensive line was fine for the Browns last year, and he had the one big year where he was very efficient, but that was on the back of a lot of big runs.

[Mike Wright]

I want to ask you how you think the backfield breaks down in New York. Do you think there's a chance they cut Bilal Powell and it's McGuire plus or a crow, Alden McGuire?

[Matthew Berry]

I think they're. I don't know if they're. It'll be interesting to see if they actually cut below Powell. I don't think they cut him. I think Rawls is a better. Better cut off candidate for. For cutting. But I do think. I think, look, I'm an Isaiah Crowell believer as well. Like, you know, like free Isaiah Crowell.

[Andy Holloway]

Two P's in a pod right here.

[Matthew Berry]

But Maguire, you want to switch seats? Caleb, my number one yet. You might be. You're 1A. You're at 1A. But yeah, I mean, I agree that I think Crowell would be the guy that I want. Maguire is somebody that I think is an interesting late round sleeper in ppr. They do not. They've had every opportunity to. To give the job over to Bilal Powell and they do not want.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, they don't want to do that.

[Matthew Berry]

They don't want to. They think he's a complimentary back at best.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah. Thank you, man.

[Jason Moore]

All right, final question. Final. The final question.

[Matthew Berry]

Okay.

[Andy Holloway]

Okay. No more singing from Jason.

[Mike Wright]

He's so sweaty.

[Matthew Berry]

Yeah.

[Jason Moore]

What's up, guys? Hey, my name is Freddy.

[Andy Holloway]

Hey, Freddie.

[Jason Moore]

Freddy. My question is, do you guys see any scenario where you could take Saquon.

[Andy Holloway]

As 101 in the Dynasty in a dynasty league?

[Mike Wright]

Sure.

[Matthew Berry]

Yeah.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah. You're saying dynasty.

[Mike Wright]

You might want to do that. Any scenario?

[Matthew Berry]

How about almost every scenario?

[Jason Moore]

Like well, you're not talking rookie draft, right? You're talking a dynasty startup, everyone. Not a rookie draft.

[Mike Wright]

If you want to, it's. Sure. I think you can justify it easily.

[Matthew Berry]

I cannot imagine a startup dynasty draft where Saquon makes it out of the first round. So if you want him, you're not getting him unless you take him.

[Jason Moore]

I was asking for a friend.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, of course.

[Jason Moore]

Absolutely.

[Andy Holloway]

Here's my argument against Saquon Barkley. Just take a look at the guys who were ranked as top five dynasty running backs just three years ago and you will. You will find that three of those guys are not even in the NFL.

[Mike Wright]

That's an argument more against taking running back overall at number one in a dice startup.

[Andy Holloway]

So. But yeah, I do.

[Matthew Berry]

I would recommend wide receiver.

[Jason Moore]

If you're a Giants fan and you really want that, just go get Odell Beckham.

[Matthew Berry]

Right.

[Jason Moore]

Bill Gay is pretty good. Yeah.

[Andy Holloway]

And it's. We are. Along with Barry, we are very big proponents of. We play this game for fun. Maximize that. That fun as well.

[Jason Moore]

But the.

[Andy Holloway]

The shelf life. I mean, we are right. We are die hard Arizona Cardinal fans. I want David Johnson on my team. The guy is an absolute monster. But I have to look at the facts. David Johnson is already aging when it comes to terms of a running back. So I don't know if. If I want to invest that pick in David Johnson who could be. He could be done in possibly three or four years or I can get Beckham or Hopkins, who I think could have 10 years left in the NFL.

[Mike Wright]

Oh, by the way, by the way.

[Jason Moore]

Oh, by the way, speaking of Odell Beckham Jr. And maybe who you should draft at the 101.

[Andy Holloway]

Freddie was the big winner.

[Jason Moore]

Big winner.

[Andy Holloway]

The big winner.

[Matthew Berry]

Hey now.

[Andy Holloway]

Of the sign. Odell Beckham, New York Giants helmet, full size helmet courtesy of Christie Knox. And thank you for the helmet. Congratulations.

[Mike Wright]

Congratulations.

[Andy Holloway]

It's hot. It's hot.

[Mike Wright]

That. Thanks a lot, fellas. No problem. Congratulations. That does it for today's episode of the podcast New York.

[Andy Holloway]

Thank you so much.

[Mike Wright]

I want to say this, by the way, your episode will go live Tuesday. Matthew will break the Internet on Tuesday.

[Jason Moore]

Tuesday.

[Mike Wright]

We'll do our best. Thank you so much for joining us.

[Matthew Berry]

My pleasure. I have an offer for these guys. Whoa, whoa. If you use the promo code. Foot clan.

[Mike Wright]

Foot clan.

[Matthew Berry]

Rotopass.com 10 off. There you go.

[Mike Wright]

All right.

[Andy Holloway]

There we go.

[Mike Wright]

Thanks to Bowery Presents. Thanks to draft for sponsoring these events. Thank you for pristine auction donating the amazing autograph gear and guys Clan. Give me a break?

[Matthew Berry]

Absolutely.

[Mike Wright]

You guys are amazing.

[Matthew Berry]

And I'll just take a moment. Give these guys a round of applause for a year day in, day out, entertainment. Mike, Jason, Andy, thank you so much. Thanks for. You guys are awesome.

[Andy Holloway]

New York City, you're all beautiful people. We will catch you next time on the Footballers Podcast.

[Jason Moore]

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