Preseason Power-Up + Crucial Draft Questions

Summary

Fantasy Footballers Podcast Summary: Preseason Power-Up + Crucial Draft Questions (August 16, 2019)

Hosted by Andy Holloway, Jason Moore, and Mike "The Fantasy Hitman" Wright, the Fantasy Footballers deliver expert analysis and actionable advice to help listeners dominate their fantasy football leagues. In this episode, the hosts delve into preseason performances, evaluate key players, and address listener questions about draft strategies.

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1. Preseason Power-Up: Evaluating Early Performances

The Preseason Power-Up segment kicks off the episode with Mike Wright introducing the segment's focus on analyzing preseason games and their implications for the upcoming fantasy football season.

Kyler Murray’s Struggles and Team’s Offensive Line

Jason Moore begins by discussing Kyler Murray's lackluster performance against the Cardinals, highlighting the offensive line's poor play:

• Jason Moore [07:00]: “It was a rookie-ish performance from Kyler. It was a bad performance by the offensive line. It was a wonderful display of yellow. I've never seen more penalties by one team in a smaller period of time.”

Moore expresses concerns about Murray's rise in average draft position (ADP) due to these early signs.

David Johnson’s Risk Analysis

The conversation shifts to David Johnson, where Jason points out increased risk factors despite new coaching and quarterback scenarios:

• Jason Moore [08:49]: “David Johnson does carry more risk than we have been seeing, especially with the display of that offensive line.”

Ravens vs. Packers: Lamar Jackson’s Potential

Discussing the Ravens vs. Packers game, Jason praises Lamar Jackson's electrifying plays but remains cautious about his passer rating:

• Jason Moore [11:04]: “Lamar Jackson in his rookie season, better yards per attempt, better passer rating than Andrew Luck, Jared Goff…”

He defends Jackson's fantasy value by emphasizing his unique skill set and offensive context.

Sam Darnold Shines for the Jets

Sam Darnold's impressive preseason performance for the Jets garners praise, with Jason anticipating a rising value in dynasty leagues:

• Jason Moore [15:24]: “I think in Dynasty now's the time to trade for Sam Darnold before he breaks out.”

Joe Mixon and Offensive Line Concerns

Joe Mixon's performance is discussed with a focus on the Bengals' offensive line, raising questions about his efficiency:

• Jason Moore [21:00]: “I think Joe Mixon is one of those guys that I think we bring up. Carry on. Right. You're on a bad team. That's going to really hurt.”

Miles Sanders Emerges as a Valuable Asset

Miles Sanders' emergence as a potential starting running back for the Eagles impresses the hosts, suggesting his high value in fantasy drafts:

• Jason Moore [23:16]: “I'm taking a shot of Miles for sure.”

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2. Mailbag: Listener Questions and Expert Advice

The Mailbag section features a variety of listener-submitted questions, with the hosts providing detailed responses.

Balancing Tier-Based Drafting with Overall Rankings

A listener named Joey from LA asks about balancing tier-based drafting with overall rankings during the draft.

• Jason Moore [29:02]: “If you haven't been in the ultimate draft kit... it's about roster construction. It’s about when you come onto the clock or you're close to, you know, when you're a couple picks away, look at your roster and say what position do I need.”

Jason emphasizes the importance of focusing on roster needs rather than strictly adhering to overall rankings, advocating for a positionally separated tier approach.

Drafting Todd Gurley: Risk vs. Reward

Jake from Instagram inquires about the earliest round to draft Todd Gurley, considering his knee issues.

• Mike Wright [32:27]: “I'm still going to take the shot on Todd Gurley.”

• Jason Moore [34:50]: “If I'm in the first round, I'm avoiding risk. The talent is there, the upside is there. I'm just going to avoid the busts.”

The hosts discuss Gurley's explosive potential against the backdrop of his knee concerns, advising caution but recognizing his high upside for early-round drafts.

Backup Quarterbacks in a 2-QB Dynasty League

Veronica, participating in a 10-team dynasty league already utilizing two quarterbacks, seeks advice on selecting a backup.

• Jason Moore [37:09]: “I don't think you're in trouble with your quarterback. I think you have great quarterbacks.”

He recommends considering players like Robert Griffin III and Josh Rosen to bolster the quarterback depth, while also mentioning potential pickups like Ryan Tannehill.

Auction Draft Tips for a $200 Budget

Josh from Facebook, an auction draft enthusiast, seeks advice on managing a tight budget.

• Jason Moore [40:56]: “Nominate players you don't necessarily like and try to get guys in the middle of a tier. They'll usually be the cheapest.”

The hosts suggest focusing on middle-tier players during nominations to maximize value and build a balanced team without overspending on high-profile names.

Choosing Between Kaylin Bell and Peyton Barber in PPR Leagues

Brett Carlson asks for advice on selecting between Kaylin Bell and Peyton Barber in a full PPR (Point Per Reception) league.

• Jason Moore [45:07]: “Kaylin Bellage has more upside. He's showing up strong in preseason and has the potential for explosive plays.”

Jason favors Bellage for his potential to deliver big plays and valuable receptions, making him a better fit for PPR formats.

Recommended Number of Bench Spots for a 10-Team League

Brett also inquires about optimal bench spots in a standard 10-team league.

• Jason Moore [44:52]: “I would do 6 and 2 Flex.”

He recommends having six bench spots to provide ample depth and flexibility throughout the season.

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3. Key Takeaways and Strategic Insights

Prioritizing Roster Needs Over Strict Rankings

The hosts consistently advocate for flexibility in drafting, emphasizing the importance of addressing positional needs and leveraging tier-based strategies rather than relying solely on overall rankings.

Assessing Player Value Amid Preseason Performances

Preseason performances, while informative, are treated with cautious optimism. The hosts highlight the significance of underlying factors such as team dynamics, offensive lines, and injury statuses when evaluating player potential.

Navigating Risks with High-Upside Players

Players like Todd Gurley and Sam Darnold are discussed in terms of their high potential balanced against inherent risks, guiding listeners to make informed decisions based on their league formats and risk tolerance.

Maximizing Auction Draft Success

For auction draft participants, the advice centers on strategic nominations and finding value within player tiers to build a competitive team without overspending.

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4. Notable Quotes

• Jason Moore [07:00]: “It was a rookie-ish performance from Kyler. It was a bad performance by the offensive line. It was a wonderful display of yellow.”

• Mike Wright [32:27]: “I'm still going to take the shot on Todd Gurley.”

• Jason Moore [37:09]: “I don't think you're in trouble with your quarterback. I think you have great quarterbacks.”

• Jason Moore [45:07]: “Kaylin Bellage has more upside. He's showing up strong in preseason and has the potential for explosive plays.”

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5. Conclusion

In this episode, the Fantasy Footballers provide a comprehensive analysis of preseason games, offering valuable insights into player performances and their implications for fantasy drafts. Through the Mailbag segment, they address diverse listener questions, delivering tailored advice that underscores the importance of strategic drafting and informed decision-making.

Listeners are encouraged to utilize tools like the Ultimate Draft Kit and engage with the Fantasy Footballers' community for ongoing support throughout the fantasy football season.

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For more expert advice and detailed analyses, tune into future episodes of the Fantasy Footballers Podcast and join their vibrant fantasy football community.

Transcript

[Mike Wright]

In a world where the line between success and failure can be measured in fractions of a point three gentlemen, nay heroes have put aside their differences to combine forces and produce the greatest fantasy football draft kit of all time. From the creative minds behind the Fantasy Footballers comes a blockbuster multimedia extravaganza. Video profiles, stat projections, tier breakdowns, printable cheat sheets, rookie rankings, sleepers, busts, and so much more. Mike Wright calls it the one draft tool you can't miss. Andrew Holloway says it's changed his life. And Jason Moore said, when I saw all the content in the ultimate draft kit, I fell to my knees and wept. I wept like a baby. Don't miss this opportunity. Go to www.ultimatedraftkit.com today and secure your copy today.

[Andy Holloway]

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

[Jason Moore]

Oh, welcome in.

[Mike Wright]

You were so far away.

[Jason Moore]

Welcome in.

[Mike Wright]

Hey, everybody. Welcome to the show.

[Jason Moore]

Was that what it was like, Mike? Yeah.

[Mike Wright]

There was no oomph. I need the power. I gotta feel it in my body.

[Jason Moore]

I've been told. I. I've been.

[Mike Wright]

We don't need Batman.

[Jason Moore]

That was so gross. Jason. You clearing your throat, Jason, you're not Batman. You're like creepy. Disgust. Oh, man.

Well, one in the same, man.

Sometimes people say I frighten them on the road. So I have to start. I start back here. So wait, bring it in. So that way they have a warning.

[Mike Wright]

The, like, the whole intro. Music announcer saying the fantasy football is the starting. That's not enough.

[Jason Moore]

It's not what scares them. What scares them is when I yell at them. Mike, he's.

[Mike Wright]

He's done this 600 times, but I still don't.

[Jason Moore]

I don't know. I think Andy's getting it wrong. I think he thinks he's startling people. What people are scared about is because he's the dad, they're worried that they're in trouble. They hear his voice and they're like, oh, no. What I do.

Psychological impact.

Yes.

Yeah. Welcome into the Fantasy Footballers Podcast. Andy Holloway, Jason Moore, Mike the Fantasy Hitman Wright. Back with you again, Friday, August 16th. The sky is falling. The sky is falling. You notice there's no Kyler jersey on the back wall today.

[Mike Wright]

Oh, we pulled it down.

[Jason Moore]

Well, that's not going to be his debut. We're not giving him the wall debut of that jersey after what happened last night.

Yeah. Sweatpants are firmly on.

[Mike Wright]

There was.

[Jason Moore]

There was no. No.

[Mike Wright]

Gotcha.

[Jason Moore]

I just know that most people out there, knowing where Arizona Fans, they. They're turning their podcast app on and they're saying, what are these guys going to say about what happened last night? All right. And I'm going to be honest with you, they're probably not going to go 18. And, oh, this year, I. For the first time, I think I'm willing to admit 18 0.

[Mike Wright]

Save it for the quick question.

[Jason Moore]

Is out of the cards. Yeah, we're going to talk about the five preseason games, some takeaways from last night. We've got draft questions. We have mailbag on the show today. There's so much to talk about. Follow us on Twitter @ the FF Ballers. We appreciate you rating, reviewing the show. Apple podcasts, Google podcasts, Spotify ad free on Stitcher Premium, pretty much anywhere you listen to podcasts. We appreciate you coming along for the ride in 2019. A lot of exciting stuff going on. Did a foot cast yesterday. A little bonus episode for the foot [e-mail] which is also where you can enter the Megalobol tournament. There are now. I mean, there are more than 2,000 of them.

[Mike Wright]

Oh, it's gonna be intense.

[Jason Moore]

2,000 people plus competing for the Megalobol title, which, Jason, you do have my permission to be disgust. Oh, man. With the Mega labol. So, yes. Jointhefoot.com to go and enter.

[Mike Wright]

Why is that a shark's voice?

[Jason Moore]

Well, I mean, what do you think it's gonna be like?

[Mike Wright]

I'm a shark, but we've all seen Finding Nemo. Sharks are Australian.

[Jason Moore]

Oh, all right. I don't do a good Australian music when I go on my low voice.

Way to set him up for that.

[Mike Wright]

It's the Megalobo.

[Jason Moore]

G'day is the muggler bow.

[Mike Wright]

See, there we go.

[Jason Moore]

Now it's a friendly get in my tournament. Mega.

[Mike Wright]

You sound like the guy from the Boys.

[Jason Moore]

Hey, I just got an update. 1800 of the 2000 have dropped out of the Megalo bowl just now. So the competition not as. All right, Mike, you couldn't help yourself. You knew we were talking about the preseason, so you grabbed your ax.

[Mike Wright]

We've never done a drop for any preseason talking. I was like, we should probably have something. Don't even worry about what's happening. Just push the button.

[Jason Moore]

When I showed up today, this was in our Slack channel, and I'm like, what segment is this? What are we doing? But we have a segment.

[Andy Holloway]

Preseason Power up.

[Mike Wright]

I could weep.

[Jason Moore]

Mike just wants me to play it all day. So, first of all, you invented this segment name.

[Mike Wright]

Yep.

[Jason Moore]

Second of all, you've worked Power into it so you could then now make a goofy movie power line drop.

How dare you.

[Mike Wright]

How dare you.

[Jason Moore]

Totally original work.

[Mike Wright]

Accuse me.

[Jason Moore]

It was impressive. Let's talk about the preseason.

[Mike Wright]

You want to play it again?

[Jason Moore]

Yeah.

[Andy Holloway]

Preseason power up.

[Jason Moore]

Thank you, Mike. Very impressive.

[Mike Wright]

I'm just trying to make sure we all see eye to eye on the preseason.

[Jason Moore]

I know that's a reference. All right. The Raiders defeated the Cardinals 33 to 26. We got to see Josh Jacobs in this game. The Cardinals got flattened. Their offense stayed on the field for at least. I believe he had at least five drives. Kyler Murray did. That is correct. I think he had three complete passes in five drives.

He did throw for 12 yards.

That is true. It was a rookie ish performance from Kyler. It was a bad performance by the offensive line. It was a wonderful display of yellow. I've never seen more penalties by one team in a smaller period of time. There was a first down called back on penalty. There was a third and one that turned into a third and 16. It was a rough performance for Kyler Murray, or as I like to call it, maybe a merciful stop to his infinite rise in average draft position for fantasy football owners. Okay, maybe we can get some settling of that because you were getting to the point where you were going to draft Kyler Murray at the ceiling of he has to perform to X, Y and Z to be worth where he was being drafted.

Yeah, you could see that. You know, he's obviously got the ability to run, to scramble, and he wasn't going past the line of scrimmage often. I think he did once where, you know, in a real game, he's going to pick up some yards on the ground, which is what you're hoping for. But the offensive line looked trash. And maybe some of that's the scheme. They're coming out vanilla. They're not showing their whole offense. But Mike, on the, on the footcast yesterday, you brought up to me, you, you know, you brought up the fact that one of the tips yesterday, avoiding risk in the first round. We talked about how David Johnson last season had a new head coach, had a new quarterback, and there was risk. And you brought up the fact that, hey, look, this year he's got a new head coach, he's got a new quarterback, and while those things seem better, an offensive head coach versus defenses, defensive, the number one pick in the draft that most people really are buying into right now, I think David Johnson does carry more risk than we have been seeing, especially with the display of that offensive line.

Yesterday it might. Yeah, it could be a rough season between the tackles for David Johnson. You hope that the offense obviously, like you said, not showing a lot involves him so heavily in the, in the scheme and the D. Here's. Here's another headline people need to be aware of. In Arizona, the defense is in trouble. It has not shown up in two preseason games. Again, you're not showing everything you got. But Patrick Peterson is out for the first six games of the NFL season. Robert Alford, who was supposed to be the stabilizing force last night, broke his tibia. He's gone for the first half of the year. They're going to be starting the season with Trumane Brock and a rookie and it's going to be trouble.

Yeah.

[Mike Wright]

And that's where I was going to transition to the fantasy side of this. If you're taking a late round quarterback. We like guys that they have got a solid matchup week one and hopefully it turns into more. They play the Detroit Lions in week one carry number one carry on Johnson is going to go just a Hamburglar on the Arizona Cardinals. But Matthew Stafford is also going to have a strong fantasy week one. So if, if you're in your drafts and you are fully panicked because now I didn't plan on everyone taking two quarterbacks. No one's left. Matthew Stafford will be sitting right there for you to scoop up, play week one and then evaluate the quarterback position moving forward because he's. Stafford's gonna have a very solid game.

[Jason Moore]

If you're deciding Big Ben. Right. Like, oh, I'm grab Big Ben super late and he's gonna be my streamer. Well, he plays New England in week one.

[Mike Wright]

Exactly.

[Jason Moore]

So you might want to go Stafford. I don't know.

Yeah. I mean if you are streaming the position, not playing for the season. Yeah. The one thing about the Patriots, though that's really weird is while at the end of the year they always have a very good defense, they. They tend to get off to slow starts defensively they do the last few years they have.

All right, let's talk about this Ravens packers game. There wasn't a lot that you were going to be able to.

[Mike Wright]

Josh Jacobs looked great, but he was also playing against the Cardinals defense.

[Jason Moore]

Josh Jacobs looked. It was neat to see him get the first team work right out of the gate. You know what else looked really good was neat?

It was his backup seemed to be DeAndre Washington. And I thought, oh, I want, you know, maybe, maybe Doug Martin's not in this game. They're just giving him rest and then Jalen Shard came in. And then after that, Doug Martin got in the game, I was like, oh, okay, so Doug Martin is.

I thought Doug Martin got, got some reps before that.

I just remember him in so late after seeing all the other three backs. So maybe he got in a time or two beforehand, but it's going to be the Josh Jacobs show.

So the Raiders offense looked great. Cardinals defense looked terrible. Jacobs looked good. Carr looked good in his limited work.

[Mike Wright]

His two passes.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah. Baltimore, Green Bay. I talked yesterday about how I'd be watching this game for Lamar Jackson. What does he look like? The play of the night was one that didn't count, where he looked absolutely electric. Took a ball 25 yards into the end zone, breaking tackles, cutting up field. I realized I am the bad passer apologist of this podcast and have been for years. Well, because Cam Newton, for years I've been saying. What I'm actually saying is that completion percentage doesn't matter that much for fantasy. For fantasy. And also it doesn't matter as much in the NFL if you look at the success of Josh Allen, Cam Newton, Lamar Jackson, 6 and 1 last year. Warren Sharp came out, tweeted this yesterday. Don't know if you saw it. Lamar Jackson in his rookie season, better yards per attempt, better passer rating than Andrew Luck, Jared Goff, Sam Darnold, Carson Wentz, Derek Carr, Nick Foles, Andy Dalton's rookie seasons. So there's more than meets the eye on a few errant passes is all I'm saying. But I do defend guys like Lamar Jackson, Josh Allen, Cam Newton year after year. Because Trubisky. Trubisky. Yes, because there's more than meets the eye in fantasy football. Lamar Jackson is an electric player on a good team. Now, a huge blow to that defense happened this past week. They lost one of their arguably the best cornerback. So what that says for their divisional chances, I mean, it's going to hurt, but I still love this team. So Lamar looked great. I thought Gus Edwards looked good. Justice Hill scored a touchdown. You love seeing the rookies come out. Mark.

Mark Ingram and Gus Edwards both just look like they're, they're such a good fit for this team. I mean, Mark Ingram didn't get a ton of work, but they just, they looked powerful. The offensive line looks ready to run the ball. I was, you know, thinking I wanted to take another look at where I've got them static because both guys are pretty low in my rankings.

Green Bay didn't play Aaron Rodgers. Now, are you concerned about that because the expectation heading into the game was he would get a quarter of work, ended up sitting out due to back injury or a. I should back off of that.

[Mike Wright]

Yes.

[Jason Moore]

Not back injury. Just what back soreness, tightness.

[Mike Wright]

Back tightness.

[Jason Moore]

It sounds like a guy didn't want to play in preseason. Week two.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, it doesn't bother me. Other than the fact that we can. We still haven't been able to evaluate anything from the packers offense.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, you didn't get to see Aaron Jones. You didn't get to see anybody of real value on the offensive football. So let's go to another game. Let's talk about the Jets. Let's talk about Sam Darnold. Let's talk about the Jets Falcons matchup. Where are you at with Sam Darnold in the Upside Rising, he like I.

[Mike Wright]

Talked about it, Week one it was shocking to me how great Sam Darnold looked and that he was the highlight of this preseason. I want to see what are of yesterday's slate of games. Sam Darnold did not disappoint. I mean, right out of the gate he had two just pinpoint accurate throws. One to Quincy Noonwa and one a perfect threw it just a little bit short so Robbie Anderson could get to the ball off of his coverage.

[Jason Moore]

Then he completed it to Robbie near the goal line where he could have scored. And that was after a scramble play where the offensive line let the guy through. He moved around and pinpoint accurate. Should have been a touchdown. But the wide receiver, I don't remember who was targeted, dropped it. Sam Darnold. I literally last night went and made a trade off.

[Mike Wright]

I'm going to move him up.

[Jason Moore]

In Dynasty. I think in Dynasty now's the time to trade for Sam Darnold before he breaks out. Right now nobody's expecting something good this season. You know, he's ranked 25th and lower. But I think his future is bright. And you don't. You might not remember how young he is. So, you know, in Dynasty I'm rising on Darnold.

I think he has every opportunity to take a step forward. Haven't seen him on the field with Le'Veon Bell yet. Got to see a lot of time on Gummy last night. Look pretty strong in a complimentary role.

[Mike Wright]

I know it's a crazy thing to say that Montgomery will see any sort of snapshare when Le'Veon Bell when they're in the regular season and Levy on Bell is playing. But I don't know. I have. I have those slight concerns inside of me that Montgomery will be there more than fantasy owners.

[Jason Moore]

Hope you want to know what was important.

I can't picture Le'Veon Bell with his helmet off on the sideline in any aspect of the game.

[Mike Wright]

That's crazy.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, I don't think. I don't think it's going to happen.

Ty Montgomery looked pretty good, but what was surprising to me was how the jets offensive line looked. And I kept thinking, Man, Le'Veon can run through this. Now, obviously everything is vanilla. We're not going to overreact. Preseason Week 2 But the offensive lines of this game were a big story to me because the jets offensive line looked good and the Falcons offensive line looked horrendous. I don't know if that was the jets defensive line just going complete smash mouth or what, but it felt like every single play Matt Ryan was either getting sacked or throwing backpedaling or whatnot. And I was really looking forward to the Falcons. This on paper should be one of their best offensive lines in years. So that's going to be one of those things next week, Week three, when it's like the real I'm going to be watching the Falcons offensive line because they looked horrific.

Edo Smith took snaps ahead of Brian Hill in this game. Matt Ryan looked good to me. He did made a couple of impressive throws and with some of the tumult at the quarterback position with what you have to pay for certain guys. Andrew Lux injury. Matt Ryan still firmly strongly in my top five for fantasy. Any other takeaways that you want to bring up? Devonta Freeman played in the game and.

Then they got him out and I loved it.

All right. The Bengals took on the Redskins. Jason said before the show the Bengals tried to compete with the Cardinals for most penalties. Who won? Jason?

I think the Cardinals won, but I mean the Bengals have to be embarrassed that they, they put in a great effort and lost. I mean the amount of offensive penalties they got called for was truly impressive.

Adrian Peterson looked incredible. He really did. He looked explosive.

Why does this guy not age?

You just kind of again, this is preseason caveat is reaction, not overreaction. You're looking to see eye tests, not stat line. So when you get when you give the ball to Adrian Peterson for his first preseason carry and he breaks off a 26 yard run or whatever it and he shows explosion. He pulls away from guys. You say basically in the back of my head, well, look, he may break down by the end of the season, but he's still got it right now.

[Mike Wright]

That's what's the perfect situation of why I love the value of Adrian Peterson later in your drafts with guys not being able to play. Peterson is his ADP has just stayed there. He's stayed very, very low where he will be a usable guy for a, a running back two spot if you need him. And we don't expect him to be a stud throughout the entire season. But he'll have enough juice to be very productive early on in the season. And Washington eventually will try to give Geist the opportunity to take the job. But at that point, you've already, you've already gotten your fantasy football value from Adrian Peterson and maybe you can trade them off before that, before they try to make the change.

[Jason Moore]

Peterson has been a value in our ultimate draft kit since the day it released on June 1st. So he's just going to be. Because of his age, it feels bad. It'll be static. He'll stay there as a value.

[Mike Wright]

It feels bad drafting Adrian Peterson. It felt bad last year and there was even more assurance that he was going to be the starting running back. It's going to feel bad. Just plug the nose. Do it. He's very valuable late in the draft.

[Jason Moore]

Joe Mixon, he only got one carry on the stat sheet. He had another one where he disintegrated Josh Norman, who you can find six feet beneath the turf after the stiff arm he gave him. Mixon looked explosive.

[Mike Wright]

He did.

[Jason Moore]

He had a lot of bursts to him. You like seeing that. You still worry about Andy Dalton. Five for nine with with an interception did not look good. Dwayne Haskins, 7 for 14 with a touchdown through the 55 yarder in this game to Davis. So take other takeaways from this game. Are you, do you get paranoid with Andy Dalton anytime something looks like this?

[Mike Wright]

Here's the question for Joe Mixon. Should you be worried about Andy Dalton and the offensive line more so Andy Dalton also Giovanni Bernard is. He's still there. He's still a, he's still a good backup running back. Is he going to be used more than he. Than he was last year? We're talking. This is a new, new, new regime in town. So you can't just fully say Joe Mixon is going to be the workhorse running back. JR what's your concern level with with Joe Mixon, where he's going in drafts right now?

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, I'm, I'm not concerned about Joe Mixon when it comes to Giovanni Bernard.

[Mike Wright]

Okay.

[Jason Moore]

I'm actually the most concerned about Joe Mixon is the offensive line. I mean you saw, look he is talented. He can do things that very few backs in the league can do. But it doesn't matter if they keep getting called back to holding or when they snap the ball, the defender is in his face. I think about two years ago when he had a three and a half yards per carry, he was the same dude. He was unbelievable in college. Came out and was just inefficient because the line and the scheme, they figured out how to use him a little bit better. Last year the offensive line was a little bit better. They've had major injuries this year on the offensive line. And so Joe Mixon, to me, is one of those guys that I think we bring up. Carry on. Right. You're on a bad team. That's going to really hurt. How. How many people from a bad team are going to be in the top 12. I worry about mixing in that capacity.

They seem to be working. Go in with that first team offense frequently that. But then you're reminded of the fragility of Gio Bernard as well. When he took a peripheral, accidental shot.

[Mike Wright]

That was a pretty big headshot, though.

[Jason Moore]

It was.

[Mike Wright]

But I'm just saying I'm not going to call him fragile for getting shook by that.

[Jason Moore]

I've seen Gio Bernard go down like that more times than most running backs. It happens a lot to him. So it's a reminder that as much as you'd say you'd love to use them, I mean, there were trade rumors surrounding Gio Bernard two weeks ago in Cincinnati. Goes down to a peripheral shot from Josh Norman. I don't. I think that just illustrates the team's going to rely and lean on Joe Mixon, not the often injured Gio Bernard. But we'll see what happens. Last game, Eagles jags. Huge takeaway for me was Miles. Miles Sanders starting this game and looking like a running back one. It's happened quickly. You. You didn't know what the backfield was going to be. Maybe this is going to be. It is going to be detrimental to his average draft position for fantasy owners. We knew this was going to happen, so we said get him when you can. It probably will not mean a rise to the degree of David Montgomery before you draft, which means Miles Sanders is extremely valuable for your fantasy team, in my opinion.

Yeah, 100%. I mean, he's going to be the later back. He's on a good offense. He's the. It looks like he's going to become the starter. You don't know what the split will be there with Jordan Howard, but the fact that he's in one of those murky situations. That's where people emerge from those. And I think that Doug Peterson is a good head coach. I think that the Eagles office is going to be great. And rookie running backs as I shared yesterday two and a quarter times per year there are top 12 rookie running back. So I'm taking a shot of Miles for sure.

[Mike Wright]

Jordan Howard isn't going away. There was in particular off the top of my head there was a third down play where it was, it was very bizarre. I mean they took Sanders out, put Howard in and then had Howard leak out to be. To be the dump off check down was whatever. I'm not the coach of the Eagles. It seems strange to me to go go with that over Miles. So my point is Howard's not going away. However, I have Montgomery and Miles Sanders ranked very close together and at least as of a few days ago the draft position was was pretty far apart. We're making Miles Sanders the much better value.

[Jason Moore]

If you look at NFFC high stakes drafting right now over the last 24 hours, David Montgomery is on average the fourth pick of the fourth round. Miles Sanders is beyond, he's six, six oh six oh seven. He's back with Echler Cohen. So it'll rise for sure. But I look at those guys in the same lens. Mike, I think, I think you've got a better offense in Philadelphia, no doubt about it. So if those guys have equal opportunity, Miles should be able to take more advantage of it. You also have less talent behind him. Jordan Howard is fine. Maybe he threatens the goal line a little bit. But Tariq Cohen is explosive and reliable. So I think it's an interesting situation. Any other quick takeaways before we jump into some mailbag?

Only takeaway is Alfred Blue got injured, hurt his ankle. It's not a huge injury but it could be up to six weeks. So I mean that, that, that gives a little bit more to the Leonard Fournette getting work.

Yeah. And we're more excited about Jacksonville's offense than we were a couple months ago too. So that's a good point. We're not going to get into any other news today. We want to thank Sleeper for sponsoring that segment. Check out the Sleeper app. You get up to date news information, preseason injuries, all that stuff. Before we get into the mailbag, before we answer some big time draft questions like we're always talking about tiers, you know, the ultimate draft kid. We got our tiered rankings.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah.

[Jason Moore]

Let's talk about some tires.

Oh ti ers professional transition.

Let's go ahead and thank today's sponsors. When is the last time you've thought about tires? Mike?

[Mike Wright]

Two seconds ago.

[Jason Moore]

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Speaking of safety, we want to bring a message from nhtsa. Everyone knows about the risks of driving drunk. You could get in a crash, people could get hurt or killed. But here are some surprising statistics. Almost 29 people in the United States die every day in alcohol impaired vehicle crashes. That's one person every 50 minutes. Even though drunk driving fatalities have fallen by a third in the last three decades, drunk driving crashes still claim more than 10,000 thousand lives every year. And it can have a big impact on your wallet, too. You could get arrested and incur huge legal expenses. You could possibly even lose your job. So what can you do to prevent drunk driving? Plan a safe ride home before you start drinking, designate a sober driver. Call a taxi. A ride share. It's easy nowadays. If someone you know has been drinking, take their keys and help arrange for them to get a sober ride home. We all know the consequences of driving drunk, but there's one thing for sure, you're wrong if you think it's no big deal. Drive sober or get pulled over.

All right, guys, let's get into the mailbag.

[Andy Holloway]

Mailbag, mailbag.

[Jason Moore]

All right, if you have a question for the fantasy footballers, go to the website thefantasyfootballers.com, click the submit a question button in the menu or dial our voicemail hotline. 302464, TFFB. We'll get into some voicemail questions on the show today. You can send us questions. We put a post up yesterday. So we got questions from Instagram, Facebook, social media and the website. Let's go ahead and start with the voicemail.

[Listener]

Hey ballers, this is Joey from la. I bought the UDK this year for the first time. Been listening to the show for a few years. I wanted to know how to balance tier based drafting and overall rankings because if there's a big tier break and the next tier is a lot lower level running back, how do I balance that if there's a much higher ranked wide receiver and the overall ranking still available. Thanks.

[Jason Moore]

This is such a great question. I'm so happy we have this. Good job, Brooks and good job caller. Look, if you haven't been in the ultimate draft kit. So we've got our top 200. Everybody loves having a top 200 rankings. We've got a really important tutorial video that you can watch where I tell you to print it out, crumple it up and throw it away. Everyone wants the overall rankings, everyone wants the quarterbacks and the wide receivers and the running backs all sorted in so that it's nice and easy. Because then you look and this guy's so much higher than that guy. So clearly he's the right pick. But this caller has is nailing the question of, okay, so how do I successfully draft in my draft? And it's not a matter of, well, There's a Tier 2 wide receiver but a Tier 3 running back, which tier is better? This is about roster construction. This is about when you're in your draft in your league, do you need two running backs and two wide receivers and a flex? Do you need three wide receivers? Do you have two flex? Is it two qb? When you draft tier based, positionally separated, you're constructing your roster in a way where you go, I want to make sure whatever it is that works for your league, I want two stud running backs and then I want to load up on wide receivers or I want to, you know, if I start wide receiver heavy, I'm going to need more running backs. How many quarterbacks are left in tiers that I like? Look at each position totally separately from one another and as you go, when you come onto the clock or you're close to, you know, when you're a couple picks away, look at your roster and say what position do I need? Then go look at the tiers and decide independently the top 200 lists. Here's why they're bad. Because the difference when you sort all players in between a wide receiver and a running back that are 15 spots apart are possibly nothing. You know what I mean? And so, but it's so enticing to say this guy's so much higher. I've got to Take him. Take the position that your team needs based on what you're seeing in the tiers.

Yeah.

Does that make sense?

It makes perfect sense. And at the same time, I understand why. I mean, we get more requests for, like, getting the top 200 into the app, and people want the top 200 for the exact reason people ask the question, please tell me what position to draft in each round of my draft. It's the same reason. Right. You want to know, do I go running back, wide receiver, running back, running back, wide receiver, tight end, quarterback? You'd love to have a template like that. And sure, you can draft that way if you want to. It's just not the best way to draft.

We want you to win. It's not optimal in your league, so we're doing our best to help you. And I think that that's the tier based, separated position approach.

Yeah.

And that.

And that's why we, like, we did not have a top 200 in the ultimate Draft Kit when we launched the Ultimate Draft Kit on principle, like a couple of years ago. On principle. So that's why there's a disclaimer video in there so that Jason can say what he just said to you. Again, to reiterate, we do have it.

Though, if you want it.

Yes.

And you need to use it. The Ultimate Draft Kit has everything.

You all right? On Instagram, Jake has a question. What's the earliest you would be willing to take Todd Gurley in drafts? Jake, I'm glad you asked this question because we're getting a lot of different reports about Todd Gurley. Yesterday's big report was Sean McVay has clocked Todd Gurley at 21 miles an hour in practice. Faster time, speed.

[Mike Wright]

Is he up there with a speed gun?

[Jason Moore]

It's amazing. It's amazing.

[Mike Wright]

What are they doing?

[Jason Moore]

And the thing is that doesn't matter. It doesn't matter. It really. Sure, it's great to hear that he can run 21 miles an hour in a straight line. Sure, that's neat. But all the reports have been that Gurley's looked really good in camp for weeks. McVeigh also came out and said, we also just don't know how the knee is going to respond when you're in a game.

[Mike Wright]

That's.

[Jason Moore]

That's the headline, right? That's the real headline.

Yes.

[Mike Wright]

The problem with Gurley is not, is he a great player? Can he be explosive? Can he score a whole bunch of touchdowns? It's he has an arthritic knee that for fantasy purposes, feels like a ticking Time bomb. And you have no idea. If it's going to hold up for 16 games, is it going to hold up for two games? That's why there's huge amounts of risk for Todd Gurley. Having said that, where am I comfortable taking him? The back of the first round, the early second round? I would. I'm still going to take the shot on Todd Gurley.

[Jason Moore]

I do believe that the Rams this season will take every opportunity they can to manage that knee. So some teams don't get the luxury of doing that. I think they've afforded themselves that luxury with Malcolm Brown, bringing him back, drafting Darrell Henderson and being a team that's generally in having a large lead in a number of games. So I do think they'll just take advantage of the chance to not put them out there when they can.

[Mike Wright]

I agree with that.

[Jason Moore]

And so that's part of the risk. Look, I'm thinking in my head about Marshawn Lynch. Years ago, when Marshawn lynch was in Seattle, he had chronic issues with his back. And it was like misses a couple days of practice. Shows up on every injury report more often than not. Lynch was fine and you could play him. You still had it in the back of your head. I have no doubt Gurley will end up on more practice reports, injury reports, than you ever want. And people will play roulette on Sunday. The roulette on Sunday will be, do I play Darrell Henderson, Do I play Malcolm Brown this week? Because Gurley is a little shaky. They took him out early last week. Do they not play him this week? That's going to be a lot of the question marks going around Ty Gurley.

Yeah. And I hearken back to the top 10 tips and tricks episode where if I'm in the first round, all the.

Way back to yesterday, all the way back.

If I'm in the first round, I'm avoiding risk. The talent is there, the upside is there. I'm not saying Gurley's a bad. A bad pick, but I am saying I'm not drafting him in my first round because I'm going to avoid risk. I'm just going to avoid the busts. Whoever I get if I avoid a bust, look, they're going to be good. Maybe they'll be outscored by Gurley, you know, on the season. So for you, when you're.

[Mike Wright]

If your, your draft order pulls up and you're like, okay, I'm in the back of the first round more, more often than not, you're going to end up with a top down wide Receiver or you're going to take Dalvin Cook.

[Jason Moore]

I would take Dalvin Cook over Todd Gurley right now and I would.

[Mike Wright]

But I'm saying you're in the first round. Taking Dalvin Cook there would not be optimal for adp.

[Jason Moore]

The back of. No, I agree. But really, if you're at that turn, if you're near there, you're not going to get Dalvin Cook later. So it's where you have to take it. So for me, I'm probably ending up. I mean, we saw this in the juju draft. We, we ended up with two wide receivers. The wide receivers that are falling to that area in the draft when you can get. If Hopkins falls or Adams falls. Julio. Yeah, I probably will take those guys over one of the running backs.

I was going to say. In a lot of drafts, my drive into work determines whether I'm taking Gurley or Cook. If I had a real. If I'm on the freeway and I had a quick stop behind somebody, it got a little scary and I got a little risky. I take Cook that day. When I don't want to have a smooth drive, I go girly because I'm.

[Mike Wright]

Feeling a little bit risky. When is that feature going into the udk?

[Jason Moore]

Is that good professional advice?

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, it's. How was Andy's drive today?

[Jason Moore]

The truth of the matter is the thumbs up or. Yeah, yeah. We don't know how active girly will be. That's the truth.

[Mike Wright]

Yep.

[Jason Moore]

We don't know. I'm glad that he's running at a high miles per hour. It's much faster than I can go.

[Mike Wright]

Let's go see him deliver a pizza.

[Jason Moore]

Oh my goodness. Let's. If he could use one of those like bikes on the. On the field, that'd be neat. Let's go ahead and jump into another voicemail. Question.

[Listener]

Hey, ballers, this is Veronica. I'm in a 10 team dynasty league. We've already done our draft and it's 2 QB. I'm stuck with Lamar Jackson and Kirk Cousins. What kind of backup quarterback should I be picking up? Is it more like a. Or is it a deeper dive for a young player? Thanks.

[Jason Moore]

Well, good question and I'm glad you brought up a two quarterback league because that's where I feel like Sam Darnold's going to shine for you this year. When you talk about an emerging type of talent, someone's got him though he's.

[Mike Wright]

Not around to pick up.

[Jason Moore]

No, not for her specifically. I was just saying when you look at the upside of Sam Darnold none of us are saying he's going to be a quarterback one we're saying there's, there's some upside, there's some improvement there, there's some. Maybe I like him more than Mitch Trubisky there. So if you're in a two quarterback league you can take Darnold later than you can take some of those other players. So I just mentioning that for you specifically I don't think you're in trouble with your quarterback. I think you have great quarterbacks.

Yeah, I mean you ideally you would want three and maybe she just didn't say the other quarterbacks she might have on the roster. If you're in a two quarterback league, in a 10 team league, it's possible that even a starter like Fitzpatrick could be out there, probably rostered, but I would definitely pick him up. If he's out there, I would handcuff Lamar Jackson. I mean if you're in a dynasty. And to me that is still Robert Griffin right now even with the. Yeah, because he should be back early enough and I don't, I'm not projecting that Lamar Jackson's getting injured week one, but I do think there's a good probability that he goes down if he does. I think Robert Griffin could be fantasy relevant. So if you got a deep bench at a dynasty league, that's someone that I would look to have as well.

Josh Rosen is another player that you can pay attention to when you're looking in the Ryan Tannehill who might have an opportunity this year range Rose is going to get his time. Yes, because whatever you're going to get the bad Fitzpatrick game and then you're going to get a shot with Rosen to see what he can do. And there's a good practice day for Rosen and a good practice day for Fitzpatrick right now. But you traded for him and he'll get a chance.

[Mike Wright]

There's a chance that Case Keenum is out there on the waiver wire.

[Jason Moore]

Tannehill in reality too by mid season.

[Mike Wright]

Tannehill is not necessarily a bad pickup either if you're talking deep dynasty because there is a world where Tannehill or where Mariota plays himself out of a starting role by halfway through the season.

[Jason Moore]

And in a dynasty league it's pretty easy to trade for a Philip Rivers, a Big Ben, a Tom Brady. So you can offer something, you know, deeper on your bench or a future draft pick or something if you do need a bolster.

Marcus Mariota has not exactly been the pinnacle of health in recent years either. So last year What? Blaine Gabbard had a number of starts in that offense last year. The elbow nerve problems and the nerve contusions and the hamstring strains, these things are risky business with Mariota. All right, let's go ahead and go to this question from Facebook from Josh. I know you guys aren't the biggest fans, but would love a show for tips on an auction draft. $200 budget. Love the show. Got my first championship last season. Couple things here. One, we've heard from a lot of auction loving fantasy football players. Auction's great. Auction's fun. I can anticipate that next season we'll probably have more features for auction players in our ultimate draft kit because that's an area we want to add more resources for you. One way we do that is with the website and the articles on the website. Even though auction is not mainstream predominant compared to Snake drafting, we do put a number of a lot of work into the articles on the website. So I would check those out.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah. And it's not that draft information is completely useless for an Oxford because you're using ADP and how we value these players to know, like, these are the guys you're going to want to spend up on. Here are the players that are value. So I know that I can get them a little bit cheaper. So. But you're right, auctions are, they are rising in popularity and we do have.

[Jason Moore]

Auction values in the ultimate draft kit. It's just a matter of maybe we build some more customization out for you next year.

Yeah. And I would throw out two tips. If you're nominating players, nominate players you don't necessarily like and trying to get guys in the middle of a tier. Usually if there's, you know, a big three, whoever goes first is going to go for a lot of money because it's like, oh, it's a, you know, big name. Whoever's the last guy in that tier is also going to go for money because it's like if I don't get him, I miss out. So go for those middle players in each tier. They'll usually be the cheapest.

All right, Instagram, what is your best advice when choosing a team name and picture from Luna?

Jeff, A pop culture mashup.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, those are very nice.

[Jason Moore]

Those are fun. My Ventura Bravehearts. And I got the logo of Ace Ventura with the war paint on the face. Oh, it's so good.

Now when you do that, Mike, do you put Charlie from Mighty Ducks or do you put Banks from Mighty Ducks? All right.

So.

[Mike Wright]

Yes. So We've brought it up. Yes. In my rush to get the analogy out there, which was I was incorrect. I was. Throw out the name of Charlie. It's clearly Adam Banks.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah. Not Charlie Conway.

[Mike Wright]

Good friend who loves Mighty Ducks. Where were you?

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, I was busy hosting the show, Mike. I don't know.

You were.

[Mike Wright]

I was the one talking. You were sitting there doing nothing.

[Jason Moore]

I don't the hook because I've never seen it. And someone tweeted at me and said, dude, I was so disappointed in you, Jason, for getting that reference wrong. Oh, this was Mike.

We may receive mailbag questions about that specifically. Unfortunately, my house of cards is collapsing. I don't listen to you on the show, Mike. I've never heard a word you've said to this point. And most of your pop culture references, they go over, right over my old man head anyway, so let's just grab a knife.

[Mike Wright]

I got it wrong. I'm sorry.

[Jason Moore]

Every once in a while, you can get something wrong.

[Listener]

What's up, guys?

[Jason Moore]

Holden from Indiana here, big fan.

My question is, which rushing quarterback, wide receiver core have the more successful fantasy.

Year, Buffalo or Baltimore?

[Listener]

Thanks, guys.

[Jason Moore]

I think Buffalo. Yeah, I think Buffalo is the answer because you specified wide receiving core. And I think Mark Andrews is going to have a big role to play for Lamar Jackson, as are. As is Justice Hill Ingram out of the backfield. So I do believe Buffalo adding John Brown.

[Mike Wright]

Buffalo's got good wide receivers. Yes, John Brown. The addition of John Brown is great. Robert Foster showed out at the end of last year and has already kind of showed up here in preseason as well. So if it's just wide receivers, we're not. We're removing quarterback from that talk.

[Jason Moore]

If it's a dynasty league, give me the Ravens White House.

[Mike Wright]

Okay, I'll take the rookies.

[Jason Moore]

I'll take the Ravens. Crop. In a. Miles Boykin, Marquis Brown.

[Mike Wright]

Yes.

[Jason Moore]

In a. In a dynasty.

Hollywood.

Okay, we got time for another one. Let's go. Do I need to pick one in particular? Brooks, that you said ties in with the Mighty Ducks someplace?

Oh, no. I was just letting you know multiple people wrote in about that.

People were very upset.

[Mike Wright]

Yes. Yeah, I know.

[Jason Moore]

And you know where they weren't upset?

Matilda bag shot. Oh, yeah. They loved. They loved them. Some Batilda Bagshot. Good old Batilda.

[Mike Wright]

I'm over here. 99 out of 100 pop culture references. I crush them. I don't hear from people. Then somebody said, want to kick a man when he's down?

[Jason Moore]

Well, they wanted to know, do we like Harry Potter 2. Otherwise, Jason is now the numero uno on their power rankings of the show.

[Mike Wright]

Oh, that's fine. I relinquish. I love Harry Potter, but I'm just.

[Jason Moore]

Not to tilt a bag shot to the levels.

[Mike Wright]

I've seen the movies.

[Jason Moore]

Okay, Brett Carlson, how many bench spots would you Recommend for a 10 team league?

6.

[Mike Wright]

At least. 6?

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, I would do 6 and 2. Flex.

Yeah, that was. That was Brooks's answer as well. Instagram, full point per reception league. Kaylin Balaj or Peyton Barber?

Ooh, Kaylin Bellage. And this is coming from the guy who has been so against Caleb Belage. I didn't like him coming out of college. You know, I besmirched his name. Smirched his name. Being behind Kenya Drake, I am starting to get very excited about the prospects of Calum Balaj. Look, he's just done everything that the team has wanted him to do. He's balled out. I saw some reporter talking about how the defenders were asking, who's that guy? Because he was so tough all week when they had the scrimmage against each other and they're like, that was Balage. So he's showing up.

[Mike Wright]

You were saying his own teammates.

[Jason Moore]

No.

[Mike Wright]

Who's that guy?

[Jason Moore]

No. Inner inter team.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah.

[Jason Moore]

Scrimmage.

Yeah, I'm with you on that one. Balaj has more upside. And Balaj probably have three games this year where he gives you a 50 plus yard touchdown because that's just kind of when he hits. It's kind of like Latavius would have those plays for Oakland back in the day. All right, that's going to do it. For today's show, we want to thank our studio sponsor, Priscilla Pristine Auction. Once again, A George Kittle signed 49er mini helmet Beckett witnessed yesterday. $72.54 on pristineauction.com Use our registration code Ballers when you sign up to browse and bid on autograph sports memorabilia. Hundreds of daily auctions. We're not talking about waiting weeks to figure out if you won. Just go to pristine auction. Get five bucks off your first purchase. Pristineauction.com that'll do it. Thanks for tuning in. Enjoy the rest of the preseason games. We'll be back on Monday with more fantasy footballers. Goodness.

[Mike Wright]

Enjoy preseason football, everybody.

[Jason Moore]

Goodbye.

[Andy Holloway]

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

[Mike Wright]

We have a reminder from our good friends at NHTSA. It's never okay to drive stoned you put yourself and others in danger. And a DUI covers more than just alcohol. Drugs that make you feel different will make you drive different. And you could get a DUI if you've been using marijuana in any form. Do not get behind the wheel. If you feel different, you drive different. Drive high. Get a dui.