Live 12 Team Mock + Rankings Renovations

Summary

Fantasy Footballers Podcast Summary

Episode: Live 12 Team Mock + Rankings Renovations
Release Date: July 19, 2018
Hosts: Andy Holloway, Jason Moore, Mike "The Fantasy Hitman" Wright

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Introduction

In this episode, the Fantasy Footballers hosts—Andy Holloway, Jason Moore, and Mike Wright—conduct a live 12-team half-point PPR mock draft while discussing recent updates and adjustments to their preseason player rankings. The conversation is rich with strategic insights, player evaluations, and actionable advice for fantasy football enthusiasts aiming to optimize their draft strategies.

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1. Ranking Adjustments

Timestamp: 03:07 - 12:42

The hosts begin by delving into recent changes they've made to their preseason rankings, influenced by new information from events like the NFL Fan Fest (NFFC) in Dallas. They emphasize the importance of continuously updating rankings based on the latest news, player performances, and expert insights.

• Kalen Bellaj and Kenyan Drake:

  • Mike Wright observes notable movements in the Miami backfield rankings, particularly concerning Kalen Bellaj and Kenyan Drake. He expresses cautious optimism about Bellaj’s potential but remains skeptical about Drake’s ability to secure a consistent fantasy starter role.
    • Quote:
      Andy Holloway (05:07): “I have no illusions of grandeur for Kalen Bellaj... I think if he gets an opportunity, he may take advantage of it and then you're talking about a timeshare.”

• Lamar Miller vs. Deontay Foreman:

  • Jason Moore discusses moving Lamar Miller up in his rankings based on insights from industry contacts, shifting focus from Deontay Foreman due to injury concerns.
    • Quote:
      Jason Moore (07:26): “Deontay Foreman... it's heavy risk for Deontay Foreman. So I've moved Lamar Miller up.”

• Juju Smith Schuster and James Washington:

  • Andy Holloway evaluates the impact of potential starting opportunities for James Washington on Juju Smith Schuster’s fantasy value, considering Washington's role as a potential starter.
    • Quote:
      Andy Holloway (09:11): “I just have Juju too high. I think it's too high.”

• Le’Veon Bell’s Status:

  • The conversation shifts to Le’Veon Bell’s uncertain contract situation with the Steelers. Andy Holloway adjusts Bell’s ranking slightly due to potential risks associated with his contract and injury history.
    • Quote:
      Andy Holloway (16:19): “I adjusted him because I didn't think that the difference between... Gurley factoring in more...”

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2. NFL News Highlights

Timestamp: 12:42 - 21:15

The hosts cover recent NFL news that impacts fantasy football decisions:

• Brandon Cooks Contract Extension:

  • Andy Holloway announces the Rams' signing of WR Brandon Cooks to a six-year, $88 million extension. The discussion centers on Cooks' fit within the high-scoring Rams offense and his fantasy implications.
    • Quote:
      Andy Holloway (13:11): “Brandon Cooks is locked and loaded...”

• Le’Veon Bell’s Contract Situation:

  • Jason Moore and Mike Wright debate whether to adjust Bell’s ranking amidst his uncertain future with the Steelers.
    • Quote:
      Mike Wright (17:10): “This was the expectation similar to what you were saying about Gurley...”

• Other Player Movements:

  • Brief mentions of Shane Vereen’s move to the Saints, Carson Wentz’s injury status, and Kenneth Dixon’s availability are discussed, highlighting their potential fantasy impacts.

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3. Ultimate Draft Kit Promotion

Timestamp: 19:53 - 21:15

The hosts briefly promote their Ultimate DraftKit, describing it as a comprehensive digital tool designed to help fantasy players dominate their drafts. They highlight features such as updated rankings, sleeper picks, and exclusive insights.

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4. Live Mock Draft

Timestamp: 21:46 - 58:44

The core of the episode features a live mock draft where the hosts draft a balanced 12-team half-point PPR team. They provide strategic commentary on each pick, debating the merits of various players and positions.

• Draft Strategy Discussions:

  • Mike Wright expresses a preference for Saquon Barkley over Melvin Gordon in the first round due to volume expectations.

    • Quote:
      Mike Wright (23:34): “I would prefer to take Saquon Barkley because that volume is going to be there.”

  • Jason Moore advocates for Lamar Miller over Deontay Foreman, citing risk management.

    • Quote:
      Jason Moore (07:26): “So I've moved Lamar Miller up.”

• Key Decision Points:

  • The hosts analyze the value of wide receivers like Adam Thielen and Larry Fitzgerald versus running backs like Devonta Freeman and C.J. Anderson.
    • Quote:
      Andy Holloway (36:29): “I have Gary and Larry in my head...”

• Team Composition:

  • By the end of the mock draft, the team includes a balanced mix of running backs (Melvin Gordon, Devonta Freeman, Rex Burkhead, C.J. Anderson) and wide receivers (Adam Thielen, Larry Fitzgerald, Marvin Jones, Robbie Anderson, D’Sean Jackson), along with choosing Philip Rivers as quarterback.

    • Final Team Snapshot:

      • Quarterback: Philip Rivers
      • Running Backs: Melvin Gordon, Devonta Freeman, Rex Burkhead, C.J. Anderson
      • Wide Receivers: Adam Thielen, Larry Fitzgerald, Marvin Jones, Robbie Anderson, D’Sean Jackson
      • Bench: Greg Olson, others as selected

    • Quote:
      Andy Holloway (57:04): “Pick Philip Rivers at quarterback, Melvin Gordon, Devonta Freeman at the starting running back positions...”

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5. Final Thoughts and Tools

Timestamp: 58:37 - End

In conclusion, the hosts encourage listeners to utilize draft tools like Sleeperbot for their own mock drafts and engage with the Fantasy Footballers community for additional insights and support. They reflect on the strategies employed during their mock draft and express confidence in their team composition.

• Recommendation of Sleeperbot:
  • Andy Holloway highlights Sleeperbot as an essential tool for mock drafts, emphasizing its features like roster management and real-time updates.
    • Quote:
      Andy Holloway (58:37): “It's just a solid app. It's a tool for the tool belt...”

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Notable Quotes

• Andy Holloway (05:07): “I have no illusions of grandeur for Kalen Bellaj... I think if he gets an opportunity, he may take advantage of it and then you're talking about a timeshare.”
• Jason Moore (07:26): “Deontay Foreman... it's heavy risk for Deontay Foreman. So I've moved Lamar Miller up.”
• Mike Wright (23:34): “I would prefer to take Saquon Barkley because that volume is going to be there.”
• Andy Holloway (57:04): “Pick Philip Rivers at quarterback, Melvin Gordon, Devonta Freeman at the starting running back positions...”

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Conclusion

This episode of the Fantasy Footballers Podcast delivers a comprehensive and strategic analysis of a live 12-team mock draft, enriched by the hosts’ expertise and dynamic discussions. From adjusting player rankings based on the latest news to making informed draft decisions, Andy, Jason, and Mike provide valuable insights that can help fantasy football players build competitive and balanced teams.

Whether you're a seasoned manager or a newcomer to fantasy football, this episode offers actionable advice and thoughtful strategies to enhance your draft preparation and in-season management.

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For more insights and to join the Fantasy Footballers community, visit jointhefoot.com and follow them on Twitter @footclain and @FFballers.

Transcript

[Andy Holloway]

Hey, Foot Clan. We'll be going to five shows a week on August 1st at the end of the year. We're excited. We're ready for a great 2018 fantasy football season. And I just wanted to take a second from Andy, Mike and Jason, say. We want to say thank you to [e-mail] who has supported this podcast since the very beginning, all the Foot Clan supporters out there. We invite you. Come and join the [e-mail], get access to a bunch of premium stuff, an extra episode every week, and be a part of this show. We're gonna go get some hashtag Foot clan titles in 2018.

[Mike Wright]

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

[Andy Holloway]

Ah, welcome. Always a spectacular honor to be here. Just a joy. I love this show. It's one of my favorites.

[Mike Wright]

I feel like it's been way too long since we've had a mock draft show, gentlemen.

[Jason Moore]

Correct. That is correct.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah. I don't even remember how to do them.

[Mike Wright]

I'll teach you.

[Andy Holloway]

What do you do?

[Mike Wright]

Mike and I, we got your back.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah. We have a live mock draft on the show today. 12 team half point mock. We're going to try to assemble a winner here on the show, and we'll talk through all the decisions that we have to make. Just got back from the trip to Dallas, Texas. The live show was a blast.

[Mike Wright]

The NFFC was great.

[Jason Moore]

Special, special hello to all the Foot Clan members that we were able to meet, hang out with, get some pictures. It was genuinely. It was fantastic.

[Andy Holloway]

Reward, experience. Getting to talk with all of you that build us into your day. And we don't get to see you until we do an event like this and you feel like you know us and then we. We got to know you. So that was a lot of fun. Well, we have a lot of exciting things that have come out of that event, including interviews with Christian Kirk, Cortland Sutton, Jerry McKinnon, Dede Westbrook, Melvin Gordon. Melvin Gordon, Josh Dachshund. So those are all. We're gonna break those up and put them on some of the shows coming up. We've got a bunch of great episodes leading into our Philadelphia and New York live shows, which, by the way, if you're in Philly or New York, be there. You got to come out and see us. Ballerslive.com grab tickets while there are still tickets remaining.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, I was gonna say now. Now is the time to do. If you're like, oh, yeah. We get so many messages after the Dallas show. It's like, oh, I was three hours away. I should have gone, and I regret it. Now's the time. Two weeks away.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah. And we have very special guests for both shows.

[Jason Moore]

Two. One week. What? Right.

[Mike Wright]

Oh, my gosh. This week.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, this is. We are one week away.

[Mike Wright]

I gotta go to ballerswild.com right now. Excuse me.

[Andy Holloway]

Do you not have a ticket?

[Mike Wright]

I don't have a ticket yet.

[Jason Moore]

Oh, trust me. We make Jason buy a ticket to get in the building.

[Andy Holloway]

No doubt about it. Actually, we just make you. Mike. You're not verified.

[Mike Wright]

I like it.

[Andy Holloway]

Quick question of the day, people, until they. Until they make you a man of the Twitter. All right, quick question. Who is the biggest ranking adjustment lately in your preseason rankings? So the ultimate draft kit. We're always making tweaks and edits. We're always looking at the latest news and information and trends and beat writers and all this stuff, trying to parse it down and translate that into rankings. I want to know who you guys have been moving lately, up or down, doesn't matter. Just who's moving around your rankings?

[Mike Wright]

Oh, man, there are a lot of players this week. Once we got back, I took a look at my rankings top to bottom. Every team ton of players moving around. The one that I want to bring up, that I have moved up a little bit and there. And at the same time, another player down a little bit is the Miami backfield. Despite all the talk around town about Kalen Belage. Do you like him?

[Andy Holloway]

Do you not like him? By me, Sure.

[Mike Wright]

I mean, you know, it was at the nffc. There's fun stuff on Twitter.

[Jason Moore]

You know, dare I say Andy has a room at the Bellagio?

[Mike Wright]

Oh, baby.

[Andy Holloway]

Yes, I do. That's reason enough to dig in on him.

[Mike Wright]

But, you know, look, the first and second in that rotation is going to be Frank Gore and Kenyon Drake. And the more that I've looked at the situation, I was hesitant to give Drake, who I love, credit because of what Miami has done. They. They signed someone and they drafted someone. But the more that I looked into, it's like they had to sign someone. And if there's a signing that should not scare me, it's probably Frank Gore.

[Jason Moore]

At 35, he does have a motorcycle. We've talked about this, Jason.

[Mike Wright]

That is absolutely true. And Kaylin Balaj is a prospect that I. That I don't like that much. So I do think talent will win out. It wasn't a monstrous change, but I moved him Kind of above the, you know, the next tier of guys in my rankings, the Lamar Millers, you know that, that tier I moved him up ahead of them. He was behind them. So I think Kenyon Drake starting to have a little bit more confidence in.

[Andy Holloway]

There is a difference, and I want to say this now between really liking a player. Like I do believe that Caleb Bellaj's skill set translates to the NFL. There's a difference between liking him, believing that and projecting him to take the job right out of the gate. I have no illusions of grandeur for Kalen Bellaj that he's somehow going to set the world on fire in training camp and Kenyan Drake's going to be shown the door or anything like that. I think if he gets an opportunity, he may take advantage of it and then you're talking about a timeshare. But I don't think Drake's going to lose the job and that's, I mean look, Drake could be a miss for me this year. I'm going to openly admit that Drake could be a miss because I don't buy into him translating to a year long starter. But I see a world where it could happen. So he could be a miss.

[Jason Moore]

Yep. I'll jump in here. Jason mentioned the name I wanted to bring up and it was Lamar Miller. I went through like Jason, I made a monstrous amount of tweaks with all the new information that's coming out at the nffc. Talking with a good friend of the show, Brad Evans.

[Mike Wright]

Right.

[Jason Moore]

He was, he was a part of us on the live show and just getting other industry guys, they've got ears out there and they should be taken serious. So I got some good inside information from Evans from, from some other people. This wasn't particularly from Evans but it's the, the big adjustment I made was I made the switch to Lamar Miller. I was holding out the hope for Deontay Foreman and I guess, you know, just the, trying to downplay the red flags of the torn Achilles for Deonta Foreman because I liked Foreman's opportunity coming the season. But the more and more I dig into it, Jason, you talked about him as a risk reward player. For me it's heavy, heavy risk for Deontay Foreman. So I've moved Lamar Miller up. I currently have him at 27, so still out of the top 24. He should probably be higher because when Lamar Miller was the guy with, with desean Watson he was definitely, he was.

[Mike Wright]

A running back one.

[Jason Moore]

Yes, very, very usable fantasy running backs. And I'm, I'm going to project him as the starter. I'm projecting Deontay Foreman to start the season on the pup. That means six weeks of Lamar Miller having his chance to put a stranglehold on being the not fully featured but the predominant running back.

[Mike Wright]

When you're drafting him in the fifth round and he starts the third, you know, the first six weeks, if that were to happen as the starter, that's a value that you can trade. You know, it's Miller time.

[Andy Holloway]

Miller is one of the more annoying concessions that I have to make as a fantasy owner because I had to make it, man. Even if Foreman starts the year off the pup, you're returning from a devastating injury. You're not getting handed the keys to the backfield out of the gate. Lamar Miller may be difficult to watch, but he'll be on the field receiving snaps. And if you are a player that has declining skill set, which I believe Lamar Miller is, and I believe his yards after carry and the whole comparative to Frank Gore number, what better situation do you have? You have nobody behind you except for somebody who's currently injured for this season. He is annoying.

[Mike Wright]

He had a zero. He had zero yards after the carry. It was always, what did I say?

[Jason Moore]

Yards after yards after carry, yards after contact.

[Andy Holloway]

That's the direction I was going. His yards after carry were the same as Love Bell's.

[Jason Moore]

Right.

[Andy Holloway]

That's. That's the truth.

[Jason Moore]

I mean, the, the Houston, Texas, they. Alfred Blue is still there, right?

[Mike Wright]

Yes, he is. Shut your mouth. Just so there's no Alfred Blue talk here.

[Andy Holloway]

For, for me, it was. I've made adjustments a couple of times now to juju Smith Schuster. There is a lot of excitement around juju. I know somebody personally that loves him.

[Mike Wright]

I do love him.

[Andy Holloway]

I know.

[Mike Wright]

And I also moved him down in my rankings.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah. And the thing is James Washington has slotted to start on the outside. There's been a lot of talk from Mike Tomlin and others about James Washington. The amount of excitement he has for him, the same way he had for juju. I James Washington was first or second on my pre draft board at wide receiver. He's the defending collegiate wide receiver of the year and he does get to line up opposite of Antonio Brown. He gets the opportunity to take advantage of favorable coverage and I just think juju is in a unique position. He burst onto the scene. You had injuries to Antonio Brown. You had opportunity because Martavis Bryant was worked out of the system and he's 20. I mean, he's 20 years old and he's walking into Fame for the first time. And I'm not going to discount juju's ability. I think he's great.

[Mike Wright]

Good.

[Andy Holloway]

But there are times when you're going to be disappointed in him this year. Maybe he's off the field for a few plays. Maybe it's because Antonio Brown and James Washington are the are the receivers of choice for a certain week. I just had Juju too high. I had him at 19. I think it's too high.

[Jason Moore]

It's fair. And just to point out, because the talk is James Washington could be starting outside right. I will say that Pittsburgh, at least under Todd Haley, we assume that the playbook is going to be very similar this season. But just saying again, that was under Todd Haley, but they were one of the most three wide receiver heavy teams, three or more in the league.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah. The James Washington on the outside, it's like, okay, Martavis Bryant was on the outside last year. This isn't blowing things up, Juju.

[Andy Holloway]

No, not blowing them up, but just another cook, you know, in that second fiddle kitchen.

[Jason Moore]

Too many cooks.

[Andy Holloway]

All right. Do you want to follow us on Twitter? It's so easy.

[Mike Wright]

Oh, I already do.

[Andy Holloway]

Good. You have a ticket to the show. You follow us on Twitter, Jason, all.

[Mike Wright]

The things you guys are saying at.

[Andy Holloway]

The FF Ballers on Twitter.

[Mike Wright]

Oh, did you hear what I just signed up for@footclain giveaway.com?

[Jason Moore]

Yeah.

[Mike Wright]

Oh, man.

[Andy Holloway]

You have a chance to win something.

[Mike Wright]

I can win a Keenan Allen jersey.

[Jason Moore]

A signed Keenan Allen Allen.

[Mike Wright]

I apologize, Jason. Signed Keenan Allen jersey, a powder blue Stefan Diggs jersey, a signed Deandre Hopkins mini helmet. And it's completely free. So I entered on my own.

[Jason Moore]

Yes.

[Andy Holloway]

I hate to break this to you because there's only 12 days left in this thing. You're actually ineligible as one of the hosts of the show. You actually cannot win any of our giveaways.

[Jason Moore]

You went through all this.

[Mike Wright]

You guys think I put my name in? You're crazy.

[Jason Moore]

Brooks Charmian is what Jason signed up for.

[Andy Holloway]

And don't forget to you can do footclangiveaway.com enter the contest. You can go to footclan vote.com and nominate us for the people's choice.

[Jason Moore]

Thank you, Foot clan. We need you.

[Andy Holloway]

We need you for that three Pete, because go nominate.

[Jason Moore]

Yes.

[Andy Holloway]

And go check the box that say you want to be considered as a voter. So after the nomination period, you only.

[Jason Moore]

Got to do it once. You only got to do it once.

[Andy Holloway]

After the nomination period, which ends at the end of July, they will email a random amount of people to Be the final voters on the people's choice in the sports and recreation podcast awards for 2018. And if you check that box, you could be one of the ones selected to vote for us. What an honor.

[Jason Moore]

Oh, man.

[Andy Holloway]

Let's get into the news.

[Mike Wright]

News and notes from around the league.

[Andy Holloway]

Oh, you know, such a treat.

[Jason Moore]

Hey, we love you all.

[Andy Holloway]

All right. The Rams have signed wide receiver Brandon Cooks to a five year, $80 million extension through 2023. So now he is under contract for six years. $88 million. Six years. 88 million. This extension is longer than Sammy Watkins.

[Jason Moore]

Yep.

[Andy Holloway]

But the same amount of money, 16 million a year. And Brandon Cooks is locked and loaded. 24 years old, doesn't turn 25 till September on a Rams offense that led the league in scoring. We gotta like this for the game plan of Brandon Cooks or no change to you because you, you kind of already read that into the trade.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, this was built in for me. You can't give up a first round pick for a guy on the last year of his contract and not already have plans that you're going to extend him. It's risky business here for the Rams. He's never played a snap for you. You aren't. This is purchasing something that you just. You aren't 100% sure that this is going to. He's going to fit with your team. And for me personally, I don't believe Brandon Cooks is a wide receiver one in the NFL. He's being paid like one. So LA is really going to need him to show up as one.

[Andy Holloway]

What's funny is his in game NFL production ends up being wide receiver one production.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah.

[Andy Holloway]

His fantasy production ends up being fantasy wide receiver one production. And yet his on the field impact may actually not be wide receiver one like impact. But for fantasy, it doesn't matter.

[Jason Moore]

Like we've said, he's only played football with hall of Fame first ballot hall of Fame quarterbacks. And we have seen.

[Mike Wright]

But Mike. Yeah, Jared Goff's the next big thing.

[Jason Moore]

Thank you, voice of public opinion. And certainly he may be, but we have seen many wide receivers have their careers, careers created by hall of Fame level quarterbacks, only to see them go to another team, get a lot of money and disappoint a lot of people.

[Mike Wright]

That's Mike King. Don't talk like that.

[Andy Holloway]

The reality for Brandon Cook is Godfrey.

[Jason Moore]

The king of the public.

[Mike Wright]

He's Mikey.

[Andy Holloway]

That's funny. The reality with Brandon Cooks is that because of this offense, because of the fact that we saw success. Look at Philadelphia last year. They spread the ball around. They had different weapons all year long. They won a Super Bowl. The Rams are going to spread the ball around. Robert woods is involved. Cooper Cup's involved. Todd Gurley's involved. Gerald Everett's going to be involved. Hopefully Cooks will need, I think the end of year production will be there, but Cooks is going to need to catch that ball when it's the deep. He's not gonna have the targets that you necessarily want. He still May put up 1100 yards on 65 catches. But that's the thing is it's gonna be. He has to take advantage of his shot and they believe he can. That's why they paid him all this money.

[Jason Moore]

I'm trying to recall where I saw it on Twitter. So if I, if I'm sourcing it incorrectly, I'm gonna. I think it was Graham Barfield. I think he had thrown out just a comment joke of how, okay, Brandon Cooks in his seven targets a game are worth $80 million and Le'Veon Bell, who touches the ball 25 plus times a game. It's just funny how, and I'm not saying it's right or wrong, it's just funny how things work out in the NFL. Mothers, do not let your children become running backs.

[Mike Wright]

That is, that is good.

[Andy Holloway]

That's another monstrous piece of news. We haven't talked about it, but the Pittsburgh Steelers did not agree to a long term deal with Le'Veon Bell. He does expect to report. Do you expect him to report? Do you adjust him in your rankings at all? Because he's probably not going to be a Steeler after this.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, I know you adjusted him, Andy, in your rankings. I did not adjust him whatsoever. This was what the expectation, similar to what you were saying, Mike, about crooks. This was the expectation from the get go. They franchised him a while ago. I never thought they would get a long term contract done. And when they franchised him, it wasn't like it was breaking news that he was going to sit out of camp and sit out of, you know, he's coming September 1st just like he did last season and last season he was just fine. So maybe you could say he gets off to a slow start or possibly because he misses. Is there an elevated injury risk?

[Jason Moore]

But yeah, certainly could be, you know, with those.

[Mike Wright]

I did not adjust Le'Veon Bell.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, I have Le'Veon Bell playing the 16. It was an interesting news day because Adam Schefter reported and essentially set an earthquake to the foundation of Fantasy Football. Oh, Le'Veon Bell's ready to sit out games if he doesn't get the deal. Didn't get the deal but then there was later left is inferring he's going to play all 16 games. I think he will. The Pittsburgh Steelers have there's nothing holding them back now from guaranteeing that Le'Veon Bell gets 400 plus touches. I'm with Andy. I don't think he's a Steeler next year and if they want to say we're going to get the maximum out of Levy on Bell, we're just going to let him carry us. That's business wise. It's a good move.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, I adjusted him because I didn't, I didn't think that the difference between, you know, Gurley factoring in more, there's more risk. There's slightly more risk both to injury and to potential holdout because who knows, maybe he sends a message he probably doesn't want to hurt his future contract. But I just made a small tweak and I actually, you know, I have him behind Gurley, behind David Johnson and.

[Jason Moore]

That'S fine because you would still take him in your top five.

[Andy Holloway]

Yes, correct. And we're going to see who where he goes today because we're doing a 12 team half point mock draft momentarily. Other quick news. Shane Vereen to the Saints. Is that important to you, Mike?

[Jason Moore]

Not really because he's the backup pass catcher. Now we had talked in studio, Andy, you brought up the name of. Well if they had brought back Javar's cadet, this would impact nothing. It's your for those first four games, the who's who's going to be the complement to Alvin Camara, not the guy who can kind of replicate his skill set.

[Andy Holloway]

Doug Peterson says he can't say if Carson Wentz will be ready for week one. He says it's not a Doug Peterson decision, it's a doctor's decision. So Wentz has been performing seven on seven drills during OTAs. Any further concern than you already had because of this report or no?

[Mike Wright]

No. I mean this was again if you've been listening in the off season that's, that's the expectation is hopes to be ready week one. That's part of why he's a little bit lower already in our rankings.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, for me it's, it's status quo here. I don't let myself get carried away because the biggest thing for ACL repair guys, he's out there doing drills without a knee brace. Playing 7 on 7 doing drills for your team is A lot different than facing 11 giant human beings who want nothing more than to destroy you. It's a lot different.

[Andy Holloway]

Kenneth Dixon not going to be on PUP to start the year. Alex Collins.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, it's. That's good news for Kenneth Dixon.

[Andy Holloway]

He'll at least have a backup. Kenneth Dixon.

[Jason Moore]

Hey, before we get into the mock draft, want to remind everybody about the ultimate draft kit. This is our passion project. This is what we spend January through May building out. It's the one tool you need to dominate your fantasy football drafts.

[Andy Holloway]

Still building. Still, of course, still upgrading.

[Jason Moore]

It's not a magazine. This is a digital product that I just updated. A whole bunch of rankings. Jason, Andy are doing the same thing. As soon as news breaks, we update things, of course. Sleepers, breakouts, busts, all of those things are there. Exclusive access to information from Matt Harmon's reception perception. Check it out. Ultimate DraftKit.com and now's the time to get in so you can dig into that information and have fun with it all offseason.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, absolutely. And also because that ultimate draft kit is going to bring you some hashtag Foot Clan titles this year, make sure you know where to get it, which is Fantasy Champs. If you're a fantasy champ, go to fantasychamps.com look, they have the best trophies. You want high quality. You don't want this trophy showing up, you know, wrapped in some tissue with some packing peanuts in there. If you're looking for a high quality trophy for your league, which is awesome, then Fantasy champs is where you need to go. They are priced great, but the quality is unbelievable.

[Jason Moore]

And they're. They have custom fantasy football jerseys. We met a certain fella.

[Mike Wright]

Oh, yeah.

[Jason Moore]

Who came to the live show rocking a Fantasy Champs custom made football jersey. He was, he was very custom. Very, very custom. He was an incredible guy. Great story. And, and seeing him sporting this thing, letting everyone know that he's a champion, I mean, he was doing it right?

[Mike Wright]

Yeah. So go to fantasychamps.com use the promo code ballers to save 10%.

[Andy Holloway]

All right, guys, let's do it.

[Mike Wright]

The Fantasy footballers mock draft.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, buddy. All right, I did a random selection of our draft position 12 team, half point. I would have preferred reception mock draft.

[Jason Moore]

You random to them, those top five picks. Sorry, are we in there?

[Andy Holloway]

We are not. We're in number seven and we're kicking it off right now. We're drafting as one team.

[Mike Wright]

Seven is usually just about my least favorite spot.

[Jason Moore]

It's better than the turn, the back turn. And we're going to get the question a lot more and it's fine. Don't mind answering it. But for everyone listening, my favorite draft spot right now is the 104.

[Andy Holloway]

All right, we're drafting from the seventh spot here on Sleeper Bot on their draft boards. We've been using Sleeperbot as the official mock draft partner of the fantasy footballers all off season. I can see in there now they have made more upgrades to their mock draft. You now have a roster and a chat tab on the right hand side. You can pause the draft, you can undo draft errors in real time. You can take a look at keepers and set them in advance. This is the premium best way to mock draft. And you can invite your friends in and you can check it out on the YouTube channel if you want a visual idea of what's going on. Todd Gurley went number one. David Johnson, number two. Lev Bell, three. Interesting that Lev went behind those two guys in this draft. Ezekiel Elliott, four. Four stalwarts at the top. Antonio Brown, number five, Alvin Kamara, number six. Gentlemen, we have a decision to make because we are staring down the likes of Saquon Barkley, Deandre Hopkins, Leonard Fournette, Melvin Gordon and Odell Beckham Jr. What do we want to do in this draft, boys?

[Jason Moore]

Well. Oh, go ahead, Jay.

[Mike Wright]

I was gonna say that is why I don't like the seven because there are six guys I am super happy to get. Now, everyone that's on the board here, still a great player, but I really feel like there is a tear break there.

[Andy Holloway]

Let me bring something up.

[Mike Wright]

Sure.

[Andy Holloway]

Let me ask this question to you, Jason, because we know and like some of these rookies later in the draft, maybe it's a Rashad Pini or a Sony Michelle somebody that we believe in Royce Freeman. Does it give you any hesitancy in the first round to go? Saquon Barkley knowing value is there for rookies that haven't proven themselves later.

[Mike Wright]

It doesn't give me any hesitancy. I am still here at the 107 taking a running back personally over a wide receiver even though Odell Beckham, DeAndre Hopkins are here. I would prefer to take Saquon Barkley because that volume is going to be there. He's going to have really Barkley's your.

[Jason Moore]

Pick over the other fella who's there.

[Mike Wright]

Are you talking about Leonard Fournette?

[Jason Moore]

No.

[Mike Wright]

You're talking about Melvin Gordon.

[Jason Moore]

I'm talking about Melvin Gordon. Who? I shook his hand. I almost crumpled into a liquefied mess because he is a superhero of a human being. Was Shocking to see him. And.

[Andy Holloway]

That was really funny. Funny story. A quick, quick detour. Just the fact that I had interviewed Ronald Jones II earlier in the day.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah.

[Andy Holloway]

And we looked at him and he's built right. Like, he's. He's like as built as you can get at about. What is he, five, 11.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah.

[Andy Holloway]

And six foot. Six feet tall. And so you guys had been at one of the players lounge.

[Mike Wright]

We were in the player lounge with the players waiting to interview Melvin Gordon. And they're like, oh, he's. He's right over there. Let him eat and then we'll talk to him. And so his back was to us. And I just thought to myself, I go, you know, look, he's. I'm surprised that there's not a huge.

[Jason Moore]

Difference between Ronald Jones, because Ronald Jones is 205, which.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, that's a knock on him. Right. Part of the reason I say, you know, I don't like Ronald Jones is because I don't think his frame's going to hold up. But then I was looking, I was like, you know, there's not that big a difference here. And then. And then a second later, it wasn't Melvin Gordon. No, no, no. That's Melvin Gordon sitting right next to him. And Melvin got up and the superhero was like, oh, okay, Ronald Jones is.

[Jason Moore]

Going to crush Melvin's.

[Andy Holloway]

Melvin's. My vote here.

[Jason Moore]

My vote too easily.

[Mike Wright]

Oh, absolutely. Honestly, I said Saquon mostly because I. You're. You've always been the anti. Melvin. Yeah.

[Jason Moore]

Look, my eyes have been opened and accepting of the fantasy points that Melvin Gordon produces. And you're talking him versus Saquon. It's very close. They're both what I think are the last remaining true three down, guys. One of them's on a great team that I've.

[Mike Wright]

Have I projected they could make some.

[Jason Moore]

I've projected for a Super bowl run. The other team I have projected for.

[Andy Holloway]

So mad at you guys.

[Mike Wright]

What all three of us, independent of one another have projected The Chargers months ago.

[Andy Holloway]

The Chargers were my Saints of this year.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah. And then now we're fighting now.

[Andy Holloway]

And I feel like you're Zach Ertzing me on the show here, but listen, Melvin, no question, did I receive more, especially in Dallas. Then why do you have Melvin Gordon ahead of Ezekiel Elliott? I know you guys don't buy it.

[Jason Moore]

Correct.

[Andy Holloway]

But the same reasoning exists between the Barkley Gordon decision. It is about the team. I believe they'll be in the red zone more often. I believe they'll be scoring more. There'll Be more scoring opportunities. I believe they're a better team than Dallas is. I know that Zeke is Dallas. So he'll be there, the production will be there. He'll have monster games. I just wanted to go with the guy on the better team.

[Jason Moore]

And I understand that. I would still go Zeke if he was there. But back to if Gordon versus Saquon. It's just a. It's a team situation. So I like Melvin Gordon more than Barkley.

[Andy Holloway]

All right, Melvin Gordon is the pick. After Gordon went Fournette Barkley, Hopkins, Beckham, and then Kareem Hunt rounding out the first round. Julio Jones opens the second round. Dalvin Cook, Jerick McKinnon, Michael Thomas and Keenan Allen both look like valuable pick. I feel like the last time we mocked drafted, we just missed out on Keenan in the second round as well. And now we're on the clock. We're on the clock and we have the opportunity to.

[Mike Wright]

If Keenan had made it to us, that would have been my pick. But I feel like there's a. There's a break between him and Devonte Adams.

[Andy Holloway]

Now, Brooks, you just traded for Keenan Allen in our dynasty league. You gave up A.J. green plus to get him. Is that pro Allen or anti Green?

[Jason Moore]

Both.

[Andy Holloway]

Okay for Dynasty? Sure.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah. I thought it was a savvy move, Brooks. I thought it was savvy.

[Mike Wright]

You know what else is?

[Andy Holloway]

There's a. There's a 20% chance that I have that what we saw from AJ Green last year was indicative of the future for him. And he will. He'll be dropping a tier this year. I still love him. He looks like a value in drafts because look, he's not even off the board here. Six pick of the second round. But there's a 20% chance that he's not the same player.

[Mike Wright]

Another savvy move from Brooks was hanging the Keenan Allen signed jersey. He trades for him and he goes up on the wall.

[Jason Moore]

Well done, judge. What a coincidence.

[Andy Holloway]

What a coincidence. All right, so guys, you said if Keenan Allen was here.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah.

[Andy Holloway]

You would have taken him. But now you look at options at the running back position. You know, you can go with a guy like Devonta Freeman. He stands out to me as, hey, let's put Freeman and Gordon together, see what we can do. Rather than going with guys that I think are similarly tiered and available. AJ Green, Mike Evans, Thielen.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, there for you. Same tier.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah. I mean, so Devonte Adams is still there. It makes me want to go running back because I feel like Freeman and McCaffrey are options.

[Mike Wright]

I agree completely. Devonta Freeman would be my pick. I think if you can put a Melvin Gordon, a devont. Freeman, both guys on good offenses who catch the ball, who are goal line backs, you're getting a workhorse situation. And yes, you're sacrificing a little bit with the wide receiver, but you run out of running backs early in these drafts and you can get wide receivers late that are still going to be productive, have good weeks. You're not streaming running backs ever off the wire. So I would go free.

[Jason Moore]

It comes down to three players for me. Devonta Freeman, Devonte Adams, or a guy.

[Andy Holloway]

Who'S like, in Devonta.

[Mike Wright]

For me, no, he's going to say Gronk.

[Jason Moore]

Gronk.

[Andy Holloway]

Right.

[Jason Moore]

I just. I want Gronk on my team.

[Mike Wright]

If we were later in the second, you know, near that third pick, I would believe we could get like a Jordan Howard maybe on the way back. On the way back. But as it stands now, I think we're a little too early for Gronk.

[Andy Holloway]

Gronk is four picks earlier than his ADP if you take him here as of right now.

[Jason Moore]

But if you don't pick him here, you will.

[Mike Wright]

Right?

[Andy Holloway]

I completely agree. I have McCaffrey slightly higher than Freeman. Jason wants Freeman. Mike, you want to decide between those two gentlemen?

[Jason Moore]

Between Freeman and McCaffrey.

[Andy Holloway]

Correct.

[Jason Moore]

That's Freeman. Easy for me.

[Andy Holloway]

All right. Devonta Freeman off the board. A.J. green follows up. Devonte Adams is gone. Joe Mixon, Jordan Howard and Rob Gronkowski. Drops all the way to the second to last pick of the second round, Mike Evans and then Aaron Rodgers. Because Aaron Rodgers nestles in at 301 nowadays.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, that's what he does.

[Andy Holloway]

Doug Baldwin, tyree kill, Christian McCaffrey real close to coming all the way back, but doesn't do it. LaShawn McCoy at 305 with the inherent risk of not knowing what's going on with Michelle McCoy. I haven't really moved him yet. Josh Gordon at 306 and we're back on the clock. We have Melvin Gordon, Devonta Freeman, and we are assembling now a number of choices. We have Kelsey still on the board.

[Jason Moore]

So we bet on the wide receiver. I feel like we took a bet on the wide receiver tier. Yes, of course, Kelsey and Ertz are.

[Andy Holloway]

Six of them went off after we took him.

[Jason Moore]

But remaining, you know, highest in the ADP currently, Ty Hilton, but Adam Thielen, Stefan Diggs is there. Amari Cooper is there.

[Andy Holloway]

So Larry Fitzgerald.

[Jason Moore]

Larry Fitzgerald. So there are still this tier of Wide receivers in the third round. I think we made the right call.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah. If you did it the other way. If you did it the other way, we would have taken A.J. green, let's say, or Devonte Adams. And then we would be drafting someone like a Derek Henry. And Derek Henry, maybe he's going to be good, but you know, we have to project that forward or guy. Maybe they'll be good. Whereas Freeman, you're getting a known commodity and then you follow it up with a known commodity at wide receiver. So I love this. I would personally take Adam Thielen. I'm a huge full believer in Thielen. I'm hooked.

[Andy Holloway]

Adam Thielen is the pick. I agree with you both. I'm not going to jump out of tight end or anything there.

[Mike Wright]

No.

[Andy Holloway]

Once Gronk off the board.

[Mike Wright]

Can I point something out? This is.

[Andy Holloway]

I said I'm sorry, we're out of time.

[Mike Wright]

Oh, man.

[Andy Holloway]

Now go ahead.

[Mike Wright]

I'll see you at the live show in Philly. Yeah. Just a question.

[Jason Moore]

Please walk off set with your ticket.

[Mike Wright]

Yes.

[Jason Moore]

You can't keep me out.

[Mike Wright]

So I said this early in the off season when these guys were several rounds apart and I said, come draft season, these guys are going to be basically back to back and two picks after we take Adam Thielen. Stefan Diggs was drafted. It happened last year as well, the same exact trend. And I just, I want it known that Adam Thielen is the better pick. I mean, by two miles you believe.

[Andy Holloway]

That the gap is as large as Mike's pants from last year and Mike's pants from this year.

[Mike Wright]

Yes, exactly. He's lost a lot of weight to it. Good look, Keto life.

[Jason Moore]

I am loving that comparison. Thank you.

[Mike Wright]

But I mean, you know, we talked early, early off season.

[Andy Holloway]

Did you take care of that bee sting?

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, from last year, early off season.

[Mike Wright]

Andy, you know, in the studio I talked about, I feel like I want Adam Thielen to be one of my, my guys this year, but he was a mid second round guy and you.

[Jason Moore]

Know, feel that way about Gronk.

[Mike Wright]

Sure. And so, you know, it's tough. But now he's dropping to the third and I feel like he continues to drop.

[Andy Holloway]

So Thielen and Diggs go two picks apart. After Thielen went Derek Henry, someone who we talked about on the live show in Dallas, Stefan Diggs. And now, gentlemen, I think you notice this. The rookies are starting to rise. Rashad Penny at 310. Travis Kelsey, Zach Ertz finish out the third round. Ty Hilton, Jay Ajayi and then Darius Geiss, another rookie running back, Amari Cooper. Juju Smith Schuster, who we just talked about. Look, it would have been a tough decision for me at 406 between a player with upside like Amari Cooper and a stalwart like Larry Fitzgerald.

[Jason Moore]

Me too.

[Andy Holloway]

I think suddenly with Cooper off the board and Fitzgerald being my fourth round favorite of late. Now, we did get another review on itunes. Okay. That said, look, I'm sorry. An Apple podcast, they said, hey, look, I love these guys, but they're just too high on Gary Fitzgerald.

[Jason Moore]

Gary.

[Andy Holloway]

Gary Fitzgerald. We're too high on Gary Fitzgerald.

[Jason Moore]

Oh, they typoed.

[Andy Holloway]

They wrote Gary Fitzgerald. Mike and I. I don't recommend drafting Gary Fitzgerald.

[Jason Moore]

No, I don't think I would.

[Andy Holloway]

Other options here, just for context. Deshaun Watson typically goes around this range. Alex Collins, Larry Fitzgerald, Kenyon Drake, Sony, Michelle. I want Larry Fitzgerald.

[Jason Moore]

Larry Fitzgerald is in my top 10 at wide receivers, and I. And you know what? I apologize for nothing. For love.

[Andy Holloway]

Jason, would you mind? Mike, grab the glasses.

[Jason Moore]

What do I do I actually need hate buckers for Larry?

[Andy Holloway]

Apparently we do.

[Jason Moore]

No, no, I don't. I don't think I do. I don't think I do. Because here's the average. This is what Larry is averaging.

[Andy Holloway]

Please.

[Jason Moore]

The last three seasons, that would be 108 receptions over 1100 yards and seven touchdowns. Averaging over three years.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah. Getting him in the fourth round and watching him play.

[Jason Moore]

He's not done.

[Mike Wright]

No, he's a technician. I mean, he. When you have a guy, don't sweat the technique. Look, Jerry Rice played, you know, into his 40s and he. He was always better than the defensive backs because of his. Because he was a technician. Larry is that type of player. He. Yeah. Early in his career, maybe he'd go up and out, muscle guy out, high point a guy, do those things. But Larry is going to be absolutely fine.

[Andy Holloway]

Do you know what I like?

[Mike Wright]

Auto pick here in the fourth round, when we went. When we started running back. Running back.

[Andy Holloway]

You start running back, running back. And then we get to follow that up with 142 targets to Adam Thielen and 161 targets to Larry Fitzgerald. Yes, I accept the math adds up to over 300 targets for the third and fourth pick in the grab.

[Jason Moore]

Hold on, hold on. Yep. Math. This is.

[Andy Holloway]

This is the current favorite, my current favorite mock that we've had so far this offseason just because of how it's flowed. Gordon Freeman, Thielen Fitzgerald. After fits DeShawn went three picks later. Kenyon, Drake Alshon, Jeffrey, Sony, Michelle. Ronald Jones. Another rookie at the top of the fifth creeping up Alan Robinson. That seems like a pretty interesting. Not for Alan Robinson.

[Jason Moore]

That's fair value.

[Andy Holloway]

Larry. Larry Miller. Yeah. Lamar Miller. I've got Gary and Larry in my head. Jarvis Landry, Mark Ingram. Brandon Cooks.

[Jason Moore]

Trying to sell some cars.

[Andy Holloway]

I might have tried to sell you guys on Brandon Cooks here in the fifth round.

[Jason Moore]

Oh, you would have failed.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah. That's going to be outvoted 2 to 3.

[Andy Holloway]

Why don't you guys break down the choices here? 507 with our beautiful team. Can we end the draft? Brooks, can we end it early and just start these four?

[Mike Wright]

Okay. At quarterback, it doesn't matter who's on the board.

[Jason Moore]

Thank you.

[Mike Wright]

Because there are quality running backs and wide receivers. Make sure you use that strategy or draft. At tight end, it also doesn't matter because Rob. Rob Gronkowski, Travis Kelsey and Zach Erce are off the board. So we're looking at wide receiver and running back. At wide receiver, you have more stalwart guys like your Golden Tate or you've got high upside guys like Chris Hogan, Marvin Jones, Sammy Watkins. And then at running back, you've got some. You know, Royce Freeman is a guy who I project to be the lead dog. If he ends up as the lead dog, he's a great value in the fifth, but there's no certainty. Maybe, you know, maybe Devonte Booker turns into like knowing how to be a good running back and surprises us all. Also, I love Dion Lewis at this spot in a half point PPR to go several rounds behind Derek Henry who went 308.

[Andy Holloway]

There's actually nobody that is leaping off the page. Oh, the leap off because of me. Who is it?

[Jason Moore]

The leap off is Jason alluded to Devonte Booker and the only way that he's taken Royce Freeman's job is if he is actually a.

[Andy Holloway]

Just say he's taking Royce from.

[Jason Moore]

I said the only way.

[Andy Holloway]

But Royce Freeman's job is currently the backup to Devontae Booker.

[Jason Moore]

The only way not. I'm talking about the beginning of the season.

[Andy Holloway]

Correct.

[Jason Moore]

The only way that Devontae Booker is the starter is if he is actually a succubus and can steal the soul and all the power from Royce Freeman.

[Andy Holloway]

You are predicting not only that Royce Freeman will emerge.

[Jason Moore]

Yes.

[Andy Holloway]

But he will emerge as the starter.

[Jason Moore]

To begin the season victorious. I would take Royce Freeman if this was my pick.

[Andy Holloway]

Do you believe that too? My pick, Jason.

[Mike Wright]

I do believe that he will emerge victorious.

[Andy Holloway]

There is too much Risk right here for me. Okay, so I would draft Greg Olson, a perennial top five tight end. You've skipped around. No tight ends have gotten off the board. He's still in the tier with Kelsey and Hertz to me, and you're at 507. You can get an elite tight end that's finished inside the top three before Cam Newton's number one weapon. I would go Greg Olson here.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah.

[Andy Holloway]

You know, I've over the risk of Royce Freeman. You get a guaranteed starter. Royce Freeman. Right now, there's a chance. You can't flex Royce Freeman through the first three or four or five weeks. And that's not even the worst case scenario.

[Jason Moore]

I accepted despite my hyperbolic.

[Mike Wright]

The only reason that I would perhaps not draft Royce Freeman is my love of Kerryon Johnson, who I think is just as good.

[Jason Moore]

But this is way too early.

[Mike Wright]

It is. That's.

[Andy Holloway]

I have the same mindset with Carry on that I would have with Royce Freeman. My point, only it's worse.

[Mike Wright]

This is way too early for Carry On. He will actually get back to us next round. His average draft position is usually the seventh. So I feel we could get a Royce Freeman type talent later in the draft is my point. But I would be okay.

[Jason Moore]

The difference between the two guys for me is Royce Freeman has a job, has an opportunity to start week one. I do not see a world besides injury where Kerryon Johnson is starting.

[Andy Holloway]

You don't have to minimum four weeks. You don't have to speculate though, about Greg Olson. There's no speculation. You know, there's a chance you're not starting. You want to draft your flex in the sixth round.

[Mike Wright]

All right, here's what I would. My pick would be Marvin Jones. So ironically, you would take Royce Freeman. I would take Marvin Jones.

[Jason Moore]

I would take Marvin Jones.

[Andy Holloway]

Marvin Jones is fine.

[Jason Moore]

I would take him over Greg Olson for sure.

[Andy Holloway]

All right, Marvin Jones then. We've settled on none of them.

[Mike Wright]

All right.

[Andy Holloway]

If you can't have it, I can't have it. Marvin Jones. That's how Marvin Jones gets drafted, by the way.

[Jason Moore]

Hey, I've got poor Marvin.

[Andy Holloway]

Nobody targets Marvin Jones.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, I got some news for you.

[Mike Wright]

Got great news.

[Andy Holloway]

Royce Freeman come back around?

[Mike Wright]

No, no, he did not Greg Olson. But Greg Olson did. And I was going to say, in this mock world, I don't usually take a fifth or sixth round tight end. I think there's good quality players there. Greg Olson's usually gone in the sixth round doing a mock. If Greg Olson is there, I think we should take him, see how Our team turns out that's.

[Andy Holloway]

That's Royce Freeman went at 5:11, then Brady Winston Breeze a quarterback run at 5:12, 6:2 and 6:05. And you know why those quarterbacks went? So that we could draft if we could take. Are you feeling more comfortable with Greg Olson here, Mike?

[Jason Moore]

I'm more comfortable in this round over.

[Andy Holloway]

Evan Ingram, Kyle Rudolph, knowing that we.

[Jason Moore]

Have two and three.

[Mike Wright]

Okay, if we got to come back.

[Andy Holloway]

With a running back after this, if.

[Mike Wright]

Carry On Johnson gets back to us, this is the greatest. You know, just everything happening perfectly.

[Jason Moore]

I have accepted, I've come to terms with. Our team is drafting Greg Olson. I just want to know, come on, carry on.

[Mike Wright]

Get back.

[Jason Moore]

I would not take Greg Olson right there.

[Mike Wright]

Marlon Mack went carry on seller. Come on.

[Jason Moore]

Two picks ahead.

[Andy Holloway]

We missed out on Carry On. If you didn't notice out there, listeners.

[Mike Wright]

That was intense in my heart.

[Andy Holloway]

Look, I like Greg Olson. Immediately followed by Evan Ingram and then Kyle Rudolph. Davis and Fuller went in that round. Wild Cards Wilson, Tariq Cohen, Lynch, Mack Edelman, Coleman, Kerryon Johnson. Here we are, Cam Newton and we're on the clock. I think we need to be looking hard at the running back position. Getting best value at that position right now. There is Carlos Hyde, there is Isaiah Crowell, a starter, C.J. anderson, a player that I think is undervalued. There is. You could choose your favorite Green Bay running back, Aaron Jones, Ty Montgomery or Jamal Wade.

[Mike Wright]

You know, all of those are true, but I don't think there's a huge tear break between a lot of those guys. Like if you told me you wanted Carlos Hyder, Isaiah Crowell, I see them in similar situations.

[Andy Holloway]

So where are you leaning right now then?

[Mike Wright]

Well, I mean, I'm leaning that maybe taking Royce Freeman was the right pick a little bit earlier. That's kind of how it feels. Or Carry on instead of Greg Olson. But because we went to the seventh round now before grabbing our third running.

[Andy Holloway]

Back, we're feeling the pinch of having a higher rated tight end. No doubt.

[Mike Wright]

Would we rather draft a safe, you know, player like Emmanuel Sanders or Pierre Garcon or someone, you know, that that's, that's gotten it done before and then try to get whoever's left in that tier or do we just take our favorite running back? Both are.

[Andy Holloway]

Well, if it were my team alone, I would be looking at established starting, starting running backs right now, which would be Isaiah Crowell. CJ Anderson would be in consideration because his opportunity is going to be there or taking a chance on one of the Green Bay Running backs. What I don't want to do with this pick is waste. Waste an opportunity to get somebody that could step up. I'd rather go with some unknown built in like Isaiah Crowell.

[Jason Moore]

And for me, if I was making the pick, we have two stud running backs.

[Mike Wright]

Yes.

[Jason Moore]

I don't want. I don't want the plotter Crowell of Crowell. I would reach for the stars and take an upside guy here, Aaron Jones. I would take Rex Burkhead.

[Mike Wright]

That was the player that I was thinking, you know, I did a fantasy pros expert mock. I reached for Rex Burkhead. If he ends up the goal line guy, I do.

[Jason Moore]

And sorry, to be fair, my rankings, I have Crowell one spot ahead of Burkhead. Well, yeah, so you know, team management situation. I would rather have Burkhead. Who. Jason, I interrupted you, I apologize. But you were saying. Reports are when they get in the 20, this. That could be Rex Burkhead's job. And if that's all he's getting, if he's getting 10 to 15 touches, but he's getting all work inside the 20, then Rex Burkhead will still be a low end running back, too.

[Andy Holloway]

I think it's very important to take a running back here. I think it is. And I'm okay with Burkhead.

[Mike Wright]

All right.

[Andy Holloway]

I think that's a good pick. I think that Rex Burkhead will have opportunity this year and I'm fine with it. Carlos Hyde goes next. Delaney Walker, Devin Fontes, Jordy Nelson, Chris Thompson. And then Jamal Williams. The first Green Bay running back off the board. Emmanuel Sanders, Isaiah Crowell, Nick Chubb, Robert woods. And we're back on the clock. Still have an opportunity if we want to draft. Not isaiah cruel, but C.J. anderson or Aaron Jones. We have opportunities.

[Mike Wright]

The right Green Bay running back.

[Andy Holloway]

We have Pierre Garcon, Randall Cobb, Jameson Crowder. My pick by far, right here would be Robbie Anderson, a player that I believe has top 24 top 20 talent. The number one on that team, a team that Maurice Jones drew seems to think can go 11 and 5.

[Jason Moore]

Oh, you have to have seen this look. Fucking.

[Mike Wright]

We need to.

[Andy Holloway]

We need to mention it.

[Mike Wright]

It's unbelievable.

[Andy Holloway]

It has to be mentioned.

[Jason Moore]

There was. There's a. There's a network that has MJD going through the wins and losses and has the jets 11 and 5. I am Jet Nation. We're coming to visit you. We love you all, but you got to know your team's not going 11 and 5. I know that my Arizona Cardinals are not going 11 and 5, I tried.

[Andy Holloway]

To be generous with his win loss and walk through the schedule. And I. 5, 6 wins was the peak that I saw. MJD had them winning on the road against Jacksonville. He had them winning on the road against New. At home against New England. I didn't see it, but it doesn't matter. It doesn't matter. Look, opinions are opinions. I was a shocking opinion. That's all I'm saying.

[Jason Moore]

Not my tempo.

[Mike Wright]

All right. If I was on the clock here, I would without a shadow of a doubt take Ty Montgomery. That. That's not even close if I've already got three running backs and running backs are spare. Same kind of roster construction. We've got three solid wide receivers. But I also think time Montgomery has a legitimate shot of coming to us back in the next round. Robbie Anderson, I would be fine taking him and hoping to get time on gummery.

[Andy Holloway]

I think either will come back to us in the next round, to be honest with you. So if we want to play the gamble, let's just play the gamble of.

[Jason Moore]

I. If. If I were making the pick, I would gamble for Anderson or Montgomery coming back. I would mostly for Montgomery coming back because I just don't want him on my team.

[Andy Holloway]

So let's gamble because I don't want him either.

[Jason Moore]

I would take C.J. anderson and try and get Robbie Anderson on the way back. We got. We got the upside running for.

[Andy Holloway]

It's your pick.

[Jason Moore]

I would take C.J. anderson.

[Andy Holloway]

All right. I don't mind doubling down on another running back option there, especially Burkhead, whose roles less defined than Anderson's is right. I like it.

[Jason Moore]

It's the sandwich, right? We got the frosting for the sandwich. I don't know why this sounds like a good sandwich.

[Andy Holloway]

Is Rex Burkhead the frosting on the sandwich, Mike? Is that the analogy we're going with?

[Mike Wright]

This is delicious.

[Jason Moore]

Well, you didn't let me finish because it's a. It's a peanut butter banana sandwich that has frosting on it.

[Andy Holloway]

It's a cake.

[Mike Wright]

Sounds great.

[Andy Holloway]

It's a cake very similar to. It's not a dirty cake. No, it's just a regular cake.

[Mike Wright]

C.G.

[Andy Holloway]

Anderson. Now, see, we took him. Oh, we saw three more quarterbacks go off the board. Kirk Cousins, Jimmy Garoppolo, Matthew Stafford. You can follow us on YouTube and see every pick from this entire draft. We've still got our Robbie Anderson on the board. He'd by far and away, especially now that we've taken another running back. I would love Robbie Anderson here I think it's incredible 9th round value and because I'm the host and holding the button, I'm going to make the pick.

[Mike Wright]

That's absolutely fine. I think Robbie Anderson is the right pick here because we made a mistake and did not take Time Montgomery. But I agree wholeheartedly that Robbie Anderson in the ninth round, that is a very good value. His upside is there as the number one for McCown.

[Jason Moore]

Also, Pierre Garcon went off the board so I don't have to fight you for Garcon.

[Andy Holloway]

Highlights of the next picks between our Robbie Anderson pick in the 10th round, Corey Clement. Right where he has been going. 10th round. DJ Moore 1002. Interesting pick. Time Montgomery 9 11. Like I like Time Mongomer Jason. But you're. You're like your love of him, it's. It's causing me to just pull away. It's caught. You love him so much that it's. It's like a magnet that you flipped over and now I'm getting pushed away from.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah. I mean you need to.

[Andy Holloway]

I can't even come close to him because it's too.

[Mike Wright]

You need to understand my Tom Montgomery love is not something where I am sitting here saying I have to have him on my team. You at home need to reach for him. I'm saying that when you already have three running backs and they're solid and you want to take a reach and you want to take that flyer. Kind of like what we thought about doing with Rex Burkhead is that passing targets are worth more than rushing attempts. There is zero doubt to me who the passing downs running back is for Green Bay. It's going to be Ty Montgomery. I want a piece of the Green Bay backfield that is always on a per game basis. So productive. So if you already have the ability to take that shot and you know we were talking eighth, ninth round here. We're not talking about. I'm not saying, hey, when you get.

[Andy Holloway]

To the top of the state, we're taking him. No. Your points are always well crafted and I don't disagree with the logic. A PPR league, it would have hit me harder. Would you have taken time Montgomery at 907 over Robbie Anderson if you were alone?

[Mike Wright]

No. In a room.

[Andy Holloway]

Drafting.

[Mike Wright]

No. Because we took CJ Anderson 806.

[Andy Holloway]

But in a vacuum, in a vacuum.

[Mike Wright]

I would have taken. I would have taken Time Montgomery ahead of Robbie Anderson if. If it was not team construction dependent.

[Andy Holloway]

All right, we are sitting here. We have two more bench spots. We need a quarterback as well. Mike, you're I'm sorry, Jason, why don't you make this next pick? Since I.

[Mike Wright]

So I'm going to make this one for you two. To me, there's three quarterbacks I still love which is Philip Rivers, Ben Roethlisberger and Marcus Mariota. I really like all three of those guys but I know that the Ben Roethlisberger, Marcus Mariota, that's more me than us. So I'm going to say let's grab Philip Rivers. We all believe in him. Stack those passing touchdowns to Melvin Gordon. I think that's a great.

[Jason Moore]

That was what my. That was my pick.

[Andy Holloway]

I actually think it's a tear gap. I mean it's a tear gap between Philip Rivers and picking up Big Ben or Mariota, at least by my estimation. I like it. I like it. Big Ben and Patrick Mahomes actually went after Philip Rivers. We also saw the Garrett Blunt, Chris Carson. We're back on the clock. A few picks left. Mike, I'm going to toss it over to you, lay out a couple options and make a pick.

[Jason Moore]

So we currently are sitting with four running backs, three wide receivers.

[Andy Holloway]

We actually have four wideouts. I don't know why it says that. Fitzgerald Jones and Robbie Anderson.

[Jason Moore]

Thank. Because these, they've got him filled in as the flex play.

[Andy Holloway]

That is correct. Melvin Gordon, Devonta Freeman, Rex Burkitt, C.J. anderson. We're very balanced. We're a beautiful, balanced team.

[Jason Moore]

We are definitely a beautiful, beautiful, balanced team. We're going all. We're in the mostly dart throw sleeper.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah.

[Jason Moore]

Territory.

[Andy Holloway]

Somebody you want to see make an impact in the first few weeks.

[Jason Moore]

I want Jason to pick but I want Jason.

[Mike Wright]

I just want you to remember that I took Philip Rivers. I would have personally been Roethlisburg.

[Jason Moore]

I am not taking who I think that you think that I think that I'm going to be selected.

[Mike Wright]

Good. Because you, I think, disgust me.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah. What do you want?

[Jason Moore]

So we're going with upside wide receivers just to review. Adam Thielen, Larry Fitz, Marvin Jones, Robbie Anderson. So we have at least three locked in guys. And. And then Robbie Anderson, who's the flyer with. With a ton and a ton of upside. I'm trying to decide do I want to go with someone who I think is kind of that safer. That safer late round value guy in Rashad Matthews who is serviceable. Make sure we know the ceiling is capped but he's definitely a serviceable, startable wide receiver or do you. Do you go really, really high upside with someone like Geronimo Allison Jordan Matthews, who the Press continues to be positive about him. And the last wide receiver, the last wide receiver I wanted to throw out was desean Jackson.

[Andy Holloway]

Sure. Who's your pick?

[Jason Moore]

Oh, man. If I got to go with the.

[Mike Wright]

Three of those players and you do, well, you can go with anybody, but yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, you gotta make a pick.

[Jason Moore]

I'm gonna take. I'm gonna take desean Jackson here. My heart wants to take. Wants to take Rashard Matthews, but I think at this point, I want to throw a little nitro on to the fire. I think that desean Jackson can bounce back. Fantasy players. It was one bad year for desean Jackson, who, if you watched him, was.

[Andy Holloway]

Still as bad as the numbers, was.

[Jason Moore]

Still really, really fast. He could still get behind the coverage.

[Andy Holloway]

All right, final bench pick, and I'm going to make this one. And I'm going to tell you what I'm thinking about. I want to pick a player here that has a chance to show me what their role is in week one and two. Here are the players that give me that opportunity. Latavius Murray. He's an option because week one, I could find out how much they're going to use.

[Jason Moore]

Could be the goal line back.

[Andy Holloway]

Could be the goal line back. Michael Gallup, Tyler Lockett, both players, I'm going to know early, what is the role on this team going to be potentially week one or two? Could Gallup become the one he only has to pass Alan Hearns. Could Tyler Lockett, now that you've lost all the, you know, no more Jimmy Graham, no more Paul Richardson. Does he have a chance? Dede Westbrook, Another option here because you don't know what the depth chart is going to look like. And then Paul Richardson, really, I thought sitting on the board as well, he was in consideration. Another option.

[Mike Wright]

I'm sitting here waiting for you to name the aforementioned disrespected Devonte Booker, who. Yes. That is the type of guy.

[Andy Holloway]

Absolutely.

[Mike Wright]

Week one. If he's a starter, he's a starter. If he's not, great, because you're going to drop like two.

[Andy Holloway]

Here's why. I'm not going to take Devontae Booker, and it's going to be a glimpse inside the fantasy player's mind. I'm not going to take him because we didn't take Royce Freeman.

[Jason Moore]

Oh, you wait, you want the handcuff?

[Andy Holloway]

No, I don't want the double regret. Oh, I don't want to take Devontae Booker, have Royce Freeman be the starter, and then I have the guy that isn't the starter. I need to protect my mind, my friends.

[Jason Moore]

I got you. I want to throw out. If you're actually drafting right now, because I'm on draft, we're using a tool. We're using sleeper bot to prepare for our drafts in August. We don't know what the Buffalo situation is, but if you're drafting right now in the 12th round, Chris Ivory is not a bad pick to just.

[Andy Holloway]

Certainly it's not bad. I won't make it because I think if something happens there, they're also going to pick up another body and I won't. And I just don't think Chris Ivory has much left. I'm actually going to take a look here. You think Latavius?

[Mike Wright]

I think Latavius, sure. I would always prefer to go running back. Running back over the wide receivers. There's going to be plenty of. I mean, the fact that we're this deep already.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, no, that's. That's good logic.

[Mike Wright]

Sign wide receivers off of the waivers that are. That are relevant.

[Andy Holloway]

There are a number of those wide receivers I name that will be on waivers after this draft. There's only a couple rounds left. Josh Dockson did go. Cam Meredith, another late round flyer with a role to establish. I like it. We are wrapping this thing up. We have a defense and a kicker.

[Jason Moore]

And we will bring it up yet again. The final two picks should be your kicker and your defense unless your league allows you to finish the draft without grabbing them. If you can do that, grabbing and stashing two more sleeper players, like if you could get Devontae Booker right here and just sit, sit him on the back of your bench through the preseason and all of a sudden he's turned into the starter.

[Mike Wright]

Then you drop Latavius Murray, pick up a.

[Jason Moore]

You got an incredible, incredible value.

[Andy Holloway]

Pick Philip Rivers at quarterback, Melvin Gordon, Devonta Freeman at the starting running back positions with depth of Rex Burkhead, C.J. anderson and Latavius Murray. Starting wide receivers, Adam Thielen, Larry Fitzgerald with Marvin Jones as a flex option along with Robbie Anderson and desean Jackson.

[Mike Wright]

Love it.

[Andy Holloway]

Couple of burners on the bench and look, Greg Olson. Welcome back. Welcome to the roster. Very happy with this team.

[Jason Moore]

Now, just the quick question, because I know it's going to come up. We don't mind. We do not mind going with the double stuff, the stack of the quarterback and the wide receiver. One from a team. Does it. Do you feel that it is any way suboptimal that we have Philip Rivers and Melvin Gordon?

[Andy Holloway]

Only if it was Cam Newton and C.J. anderson, exactly.

[Mike Wright]

When you're talking about one of the five or six running backs in the league that are up near the lead league in receptions, then you're absolutely fine. Because, you know, look, last year Todd Gurley had six receiving touchdowns. You can still have that stack when.

[Andy Holloway]

You'Re Melvin Gordon and Philip Rivers are a close friend. This is going to work out. By the way, if you want a mock draft over on Sleeperbot, start your own draft board, Invite your friends, do all that fun stuff manually set picks, full roster options, download the app, go to sleeperbot.com or just download the app on iOS or Android. It is a free app. It comes with news alerts. It is a very useful app. We've talked about it for years. There is no secret thing we're hiding from you. It's just a good app.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, it's great.

[Andy Holloway]

It's just a solid app. It's a tool for the tool belt. And hopefully you enjoyed that mock draft. Let us know what you thought about it on Instagram, on Twitter.

[Jason Moore]

I hope you joined me on the live stream. A couple days ago I did a live best ball draft draft.com ballers if you want to get in on it next week. Goodbye.

[Mike Wright]

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.