
The Fantasy Footballers Podcast is back with another episode as the 2019 season draws near! Andy, Mike, and Jason discuss and debate the middle to late round QBs that can help you win your fantasy league. Plus, the latest Andrew Luck and Antonio Brown new
Loading summary
Andy Holloway
Hey, foot clan, before we get into the second half of the quarterback rankings, want to remind you about the ultimate Draft Kit, our baby, our project. We work on this thing all offseason, keeping those rankings up to date. And he had to pull Dante Pettis from his my guys. You wanted to see where he landed in his rankings. You head over to the ultimate draft. Kick at our sleepers, our breakouts, our busts, over a hundred video profiles and app custom scoring. This thing has got it all. Ultimate draft kit dot com.
Mike Wright
Hey, this is Calum Balaj for the Miami Dolphins, and you're listening to the Fantasy Footballers Podcast. Welcome to the Fantasy Footballers Podcast coming to you from pristineauction.com studios with your hosts Andy Holloway, Jason Moore and Mike Wright.
Jason Moore
Welcome in. It's actually Tuesday.
Andy Holloway
It's Monday.
Jason Moore
Tuesday for real. Welcome into the Fantasy Footballers Podcast. Andy, Mike and Jason back again. It's August 13th, I think, hopefully. How you doing, Brooks?
Mike Wright
Good.
Jason Moore
Great, good, great. Welcome in quarterback rankings on the show today. Part two, Part dear. Yes. Reminds me of Hot Shots Mike, because.
Andy Holloway
That'S what I was referencing.
Jason Moore
There were a handful of movies when I was like a young teenager that the repeat watch factor was infinite. Like you could just keep it on a loop. Hot Shots Part Dew was one of them. Tommy Boy was one of them.
Andy Holloway
The Hot Shots movies are fantastic.
Mike Wright
If.
Andy Holloway
If Charlie Sheen has brought us anything in his wild and illustrious career, his ability to deadpan in comedies, it's up near the tops.
Jason Moore
Don't call me Shirley. Here's the quick question for the day. We're gonna get it started right here, right now. Name a player that could be fantasy relevant that you really haven't mentioned before. And there are a lot of names that fit this category of players that weren't part of the narrative from February through July that are actually probably more important or valuable or unmentioned. Who is it for you?
Mike Wright
Yeah, I love this question because it forces us. Sometimes we want to talk about some other guys, but because, you know, like today we're talking the Quarterback two. So there's certain names we won't get to. And this is just a name. I haven't really talked about it all this year. I think he's got an opportunity ahead of him, and that's Carry On Johnson. I couldn't even get it out. I couldn't even get it out. No, it's Sterling Shepard. Sterling Shepard is a guy, obviously he's. I think part of the reason you're not talking about him right now is because he's dealing with the hand injury. But he's a guy who is the incumbent one or at the very least, he is possibly the one to step into the role vacated by Odell Beckham Jr. I think Sterling Shepard is actually a really good wide receiver. Andy, you made Christian Kirk you're my guy. He's always been the comp to me. I've always seen him as a Sterling shepherd player and that's because I really like both guys. In games where Odell Beckham hasn't played, I mean, it's no, you know, it's no surprise this Sterling Shepard has scored more points. He's had over two more targets a game, over 20 yards more a game. I mean, he does step up into that role. Now, the first four games you start presumably without Golden Tate. So I think Sterling Shepard is just. He's a fantasy player that's being drafted as the wide receiver 42 right now. Completely unwanted. You don't really care about the Giants offense and yet he could be the number one wide receiver for an NFL team that, you know, if you're in a PPR half point, PPR league, he's going to have relevance on a weekly basis. And I mean, honestly, I don't, I don't think I've even mock drafted him a single time. There's just, you know, when you're in those rounds, you're swinging for the fences and you know, you think the ceiling is limited for Sterling Shepard, but the reality is he will be relevant on a weekly basis.
Jason Moore
It would be nice if the Giants gave him a break because of the current hand situation because he's on the field diving around with a brace on his hand. It seems like not the best idea for this is serious.
Andy Holloway
This is training camp.
Jason Moore
You don't have Beckham. The name Cody Latimer seems to be starting on the other side of the field. I'd like to have shepherd around, but he's definitely a fantasy relevant name. He just comes with the grimace of Giants offensive players.
Mike Wright
Right.
Jason Moore
I have two names. The first one, I'm not horsing around here. No thanks, Mike.
Andy Holloway
That's a horse laughing.
Jason Moore
Michael Gallup of the Dallas Cowboys. Yes, I've talked about. Well, Mike's talked a lot about the inconsistency of Amari Cooper disappearing more often than appearing. Well, there aren't a lot of other pass catching options in Dallas and Michael Gallup flashed at times last year. Cole Beasley is gone. Jason Whitten and Randall Cobb just got out of lubies.
Mike Wright
I mean, yes, that's a good joke. Getting bodied old people and lubies for that matter.
Andy Holloway
I like lubies.
Mike Wright
Delicious.
Jason Moore
Do they even still exist?
Andy Holloway
I don't know. I used to get roast beef all the time.
Jason Moore
I just remember meeting my grandparents there at 3:50 in the afternoon for dinner.
Andy Holloway
Grabbing your cafeteria tray.
Jason Moore
But the thing is I like Kellen Moore.
Andy Holloway
Hashtag not a sponsor.
Jason Moore
And the offense, he's going to let Dak Prescott throw the ball deep more. It's not all going to go to Amari. So if you like Kellen Moore and the offense moving forward, maybe even if, you know, who knows if Zeke misses time. More of a dependency on the passing game. Michael Gallup's one name and Gallup is.
Andy Holloway
Getting training camp Buzz a lot. By the way from from the beat reporters saying that Gallup looks like he is he's ready to take that second year leap.
Jason Moore
One of he was one of the wide receivers I liked the most coming into the NFL has an opportunity the other name just to kind of piggyback on yesterday's show. Marquise Goodwin, NFL's fastest man slotted in and locked in as a starter in San Francisco. You talk about all the different names there. My problem with the Pettis situation is simply the fact that I think the ball is going to be spread around to a bunch of different players not named George Kittle and it's just kind of a mess. Jordan Matthews is there and Debo Samuel and Jalen Hurd and Trent Taylor will come back and then you know, you have buzz on Richie James and if Pettis doesn't establish himself, you know who is established is Marquise Goodwin. And this is a player that had just under 1000 yards in 2017. Was Jimmy Garoppolo's favorite target. Looked great with Jimmy Garoppolo heading into last year before the injury. So fantasy relevance when he's healthy? Yes. Will he stay healthy? Probably not. But if he's healthy, you need to pay attention to him the same way you would need to pay attention to like okay, is desean Jackson going to break a game open for you? Marquise Goodwin is the fastest player in the NFL.
Andy Holloway
The crazy part about Goodwin is coming into last fantasy season, which seems like forever ago Marquis Goodwin was getting a lot of hype around the fantasy industry. A lot of people liked him to break out and become a very productive fantasy wide receiver. Injuries kind of derailed that. And then over this off season with all the moves San Francisco made drafting the multiple wide receivers it and just a bad a bad buzz coming out of San Francisco about Goodwin. It seemed like it seemed like they were going to cut him.
Mike Wright
Yeah.
Andy Holloway
And just move on from Goodwin.
Mike Wright
Early August some of the reports were that he's on the roster bubble but.
Andy Holloway
And now it's like he's the only one locked into a starting 28 position.
Jason Moore
28 years old, 56 receptions, 962 and 2. And then in that back half, remember that the little span where Jimmy G looked really good.
Andy Holloway
Right.
Jason Moore
I just think like you said, there was a lot of buzz about him. He's not being mentioned. They're not going to force the ball to one player. So I think, I think he's going to have relevance on certain weeks.
Andy Holloway
And so the player that I'm going to bring up, it's not that I haven't brought him up but I think I talk about him far more in the office than I do on the show and I just want to make sure people know that I really like this player as a guy who could take the next step. He's part of the trio. That's Dede Westbrook, wide receiver for the Jacksonville Jaguars. He last year had nearly a 19% target share for Blake Bortles and company. So these aren't necessarily the best targets. They paid Nick Foles a giant amount of money to come down and be their quarterback. They brought in defilippo who's a pass heavy OC which doesn't seem to jive with Jacksonville's philosophy but there he is. They still picked him up knowing what what he brings to the table. And Nick Foles, he targets the slot wide receiver like he that he has a great connection to that particular wide receiver on the field. And that's Dede's job for the Jacksonville Jaguars. And then you look at the rest of the depth chart for Jacksonville.
Jason Moore
Gross.
Andy Holloway
Yeah, it's. I mean Marquis Lee is not likely to start this start on the active roster for the season. DJ Chark was a high draft capital pick but showed basically nothing. And then Chris Conley, Keelan Cole and Terrell Pryor are the ones all fighting for a starting position. Dede Westbrook is the only one locked in and it's Nick Foles favorite receiving position. So I'm interested in him as a potential breakout PPR guy. I don't think Jacksonville's offense is going to be high flying by any means but I think that the target share, I think DD can be one of those guys who's in the 22% of the market share.
Jason Moore
I don't disagree with anything you just said. So congratulations, you did it. We did it. I like Didi. Absolutely. Couple things. We're doing a Reddit AMA today at 2pm Pacific on R Fantasy football. We'll be on there for quite a while answering questions ahead of your fantasy drafts. Be there any question. In fact, ask us anything you want. Twitter @ the FF Ballers. Follow the show. You can follow jason@jason ffl. You can follow me at Andy Holloway. Follow Mike@ffhitman. The website's the fantasy footballers.com and we appreciate you subscribing, reviewing, supporting this podcast. Let's get into the news.
Mike Wright
News and notes from around the league presented by slee.
Jason Moore
All right, before we talk about Andrew Luck, Judge Brooks, it's been way too long since we've done a fantasy court to open a show. Can we get that on the docket? You got it. Thank you. All right. Jim Ursay said Andrew Luck is dealing with, quote, small little bone issue.
Andy Holloway
A small little bone issue.
Jason Moore
Feel like I'm reading a children's book. A small little bone issue. I feel very confident he's gonna find this is just a little, small bone issue, a way through this thing, said Ursay. This is not even in the Achilles tendon. It's a bone. I'm not good at these things, but it's a small little bone. Hmm.
Andy Holloway
Perhaps, Irsay, you should not comment on the injury.
Jason Moore
Well, it's revealing, though. There's more there than meets the eye.
Andy Holloway
The thing is, you would be considered a source, you would be considered an authority on what's happening with Andrew Luck, and you don't seem to really have the answers. I would have had those a little bit more prepared to be the authority.
Mike Wright
You know, aside from mocking hearsay, which is just really easy. It has been. Aside from that, it, it's, it is revealing that, you know, we've been worried about this for a little while because it's not normal for a calf strain to take the timeline that this last calf strain has, you know, has taken. And so it's, it's, it's because it's.
Jason Moore
A small little bone.
Mike Wright
Yeah, it's confirming that there is another issue here. And until, until I see, like to me, the way that I view Andrew Luck is until he's out playing games, I don't trust it.
Andy Holloway
You off the board.
Mike Wright
He's not off the board. If he were to drop into the double digit rounds, I would clearly take him at a value. I would stack him as one of two quarterbacks.
Andy Holloway
I remember playing this game with Andrew Luck two years ago.
Mike Wright
Right. But I would stack him with two quarterbacks, that would be the situation where I would take him and then a Josh Allen even later and expect to play Josh Allen until otherwise proven wrong.
Jason Moore
On yesterday's show, it was, you know, when Andrew Luck is healthy and active, He's a top five quarterback. Yeah, he's great 100% of the time. So that's the gamble. Does his ADP drop? Does question marks coming Jordan Reed, that.
Andy Holloway
Thing, man, just get rid of it.
Jason Moore
The small little bones.
Andy Holloway
Yeah.
Mike Wright
Play without your toes.
Jason Moore
Because things have worked out real well for Jordan Reed.
Mike Wright
Also, I think it's worth noting that if you have concerns 86, if you have concerns with Andrew Luck, that means you should have concerns with ty Hilton.
Andy Holloway
Agreed.
Jason Moore
ESPN's Adam Schefter reports. Antonio Brown will return to training camp.
Andy Holloway
All right, Jason, I saw you tweet out. You're still good with Antonio Brown in the second round.
Mike Wright
I am fine with Antonio Brown in the second round. He's going to play and he's a good wide receiver. So, yeah, I mean, at value, you know, if he's at that 2, 3 turn, I'll take him. That's where he's being drafted right now.
Jason Moore
Emmanuel Sanders said he also had tightrope surgery on a lingering ankle injury because.
Andy Holloway
It seems like a terrible place to.
Jason Moore
Have a surgery on a tightrope. Yeah, that's not. I don't think that's what it meant, Mike. I don't. I'm not an expert.
Mike Wright
I believe it.
Jason Moore
I think that's the type of surgery.
Mike Wright
Right. He had a tightrope in him and they're like, what are you doing with the rope in you? Let's get that out.
Jason Moore
I actually don't think it's that either, Jason.
Mike Wright
I'm so confused.
Andy Holloway
We are not good at injuries, Jay.
Jason Moore
Here's the, here's the real headline. Vic Fangio, head coach of the Broncos, expects Achilles Sanders, that's his name, Emmanuel Sanders, to play at some point in the preseason. This is mind blowing.
Andy Holloway
Yes.
Jason Moore
He tore his Achilles on December 2nd. He's projected for more fancy points on my wide receiver core for Denver than any other player on the team.
Andy Holloway
Deonta Foreman's like, what the heck, man? How come I couldn't get that rehab?
Jason Moore
And if you listen to Sanders talk on these radio shows about the rehab process, some of the things that he was doing, I believe, look, if he plays in the preseason, he looks sharp. Cutting on the practice field.
Andy Holloway
It's wild.
Jason Moore
I'm not worried about this tightrope surgery. This was something that has a really short recovery time that he basically, it was like a Groupon. He lumped it in with the other surgery.
Mike Wright
That's how you should do your surgery.
Jason Moore
He was getting the Achilles thing and he said, hey, this thing's been bothering me as well. Knock it out. At the same time, give me the twofer. And I just think people should pay attention to Emmanuel Sanders. I really do.
Mike Wright
Yeah, 100%. If he is actually active in preseason, then he has to skyrocket upwards because he was killing it last year. He was so good for fantasy and he fits the mold of what current, modern day Joe Flacco likes to do. Throw it short. And so, I mean, you know, he's a great route runner. I think he should if he's healthy. Like right now, I don't have Emmanuel Sanders as my number one Bronco receiver. But if he's out there playing in preseason, he will be and should be. And, you know, take confidence in his health because he got in a full fist fight swinging haymakers with the giant Cortland Sutton. You don't do that if you're not feeling 100%.
Andy Holloway
Manuel Sanders was almost the name I brought up at the beginning of the show.
Jason Moore
I have him at 42 right now. I don't know where you guys have him or if you've adjusted him on the expectation that he'll play.
Andy Holloway
I have him at 44.
Jason Moore
Okay. So Cowboys coach Jason Garrett confirmed Amari Cooper is day to day with a heel injury. More of a ligament thing, according to Cowboys insider Mickey Spagnola. So we're monitoring him. It comes on the. Well, I don't want to use that phrase, but it comes on the back of the Gallup discussion earlier. So. Albert Brear reporting. The Panthers are trying to find a backup who can, quote, ideally, take a lot of Christian McCaffrey short yardage work. Do you worry about that at all?
Andy Holloway
No. If you're going to. If you. We were talking about this on slack, that if you want to have some situations where it's third and one, you're at the middle of the field and you just want to have a guy who can bruise and. And take it up the middle, which I think they have a couple guys on the roster who fit that mold already, then fine. But taking Christian McCaffrey off the field at the goal line would be. That's bad for your offense. If Christian McCaffrey's out there, you don't know if he's going to run or if they're going to dump it off to McCaffrey and if you put the big man in, it just limits what you can do. And I think it's a bad move.
Jason Moore
Yeah. I think one of the interesting things when you talk about players with massive workloads that you want to lean on is what do these teams do? So Christian McCaffrey, Todd Gurley, Saquon, Zeke. Yeah, Saquon, but not so much Zeke if you're a really good team. That's why I'm not bringing Saquon's name up. If you're a really good team and you have a big lead, what are you doing with those guys in those situations? Sure, that's what I want. Like if the Panthers are better than they were last year, like I think some people project them to be right. A healthy Cam Newton, then what happened? Does, does he get those reps off when they're winning? That's the question I have on some of those players.
Andy Holloway
That's fair. I would project that more on to Gurley than I would Carolina. I think Carolina is a solid team, but they're not the type of offense like the Rams who just frequently blow people out.
Mike Wright
Yeah.
Jason Moore
J.J. zachary on his podcast brought up the fact that the Rams over the last two years have had more snaps with double digit leads than anybody in football.
Andy Holloway
There you go.
Jason Moore
And those are the times when Todd Gurley was on the field before that. I can't imagine he's on the field for anymore because of the Malcolm Brown's health, the drafting of Darrell Henderson. But any other player, if you have a team that's doing well in that capacity, wants to reduce the workload. Something to think about. That is today's news and notes. A reminder Sleeper does not just break the latest fantasy news. They're the best fantasy platform as simple or complex as you need. Flexible. Download it today before we move into.
Andy Holloway
Our quarterback rankings part two, want to thank today's sponsor hello Fresh. America's number one meal kit. With HelloFresh you can get easy seasonal recipes and pre measured ingredients delivered right to your door. All you have to do is cook and enjoy trying to figure out what's for dinner. That's the worst part. The cooking is fine. It's. It's all the planning and all of those things and hellofresh takes that away from you. You don't have to worry about it. You just enjoy cooking. There's something for everyone from family recipes to calorie smart and vegetarian and fun menu series like hall of Fame and Kraft Burgers. Man, do I love some Kraft burgers. HelloFresh is flexible, fits your lifestyle. It's easy to change your delivery days, your food preferences, skip a week whenever you need. We have all used Hellofresh. It's a fantastic service. And right now, for $80 off your first month of HelloFresh, go to HelloFresh.com Footballers 80 enter the code Footballers 80. That's like receiving eight meals for free at HelloFresh.com Footballers 80 code Footballers 80.
Mike Wright
And we also want to thank another new sponsor today, Bombas. Look, you foot, Glenn, you've heard me talk about how important socks are to me, how much I love them, how much you would love a pair every.
Jason Moore
Day for the rest of your life.
Mike Wright
And then donate it. But Bombas actually does something better. Every single pair.
Jason Moore
Yeah, I want the one day old Jason socks.
Mike Wright
No, you don't want that. But what you do want is Bomba's awesome socks. They've designed them with several comfort innovations to make them feel better than any other socks out there. But for every single pair of socks that Bomba sells, they donate. Unlike me, they donate new ones. They donate beautiful, wonderful socks. And right now, it's back to school time. I know at my kid's school, the socks are just. That's the cool thing right now. And Bombas has the most comfortable kid socks ever. So you can send your kids back to school with these awesome socks and get yourself some socks as well because they are so cool. They are built to be comfortable. And right now you can visit bombas.comfootballers to get 20% off your first purchase. That's B O M B A S.comfootballers for 20% off your first purchase at bombas.comfootballers quarterbacks.
Jason Moore
All right, yesterday on the show we did the 1 through 10 at the quarterback position. Consensus six point rankings. You can see all the rankings on the website, you can see all the stat projections@ultimatedraftkit.com including video profiles on these players. Now, we're talking about kind of some of the more interesting names for a lot of fantasy owners at the quarterback position, because we're talking about some late round type of players. So let's start at number 11 by our consensus rankings. And this is a player that has been hotly debated.
Andy Holloway
Oh, yes.
Jason Moore
By Jason and Mike recently.
Mike Wright
Oh, man.
Andy Holloway
Foot clan. If you want to know just how ridiculous of humans we are. We had a night where we were. We were in LA at the hotel. All the activities of the day were done. We're just trying to relax. Russ. Russell Wilson comes up, we engage into a very heated argument about Russell Wilson's fantasy output in the lobby of this.
Mike Wright
Hotel, the middle of the lobby was just basically this yelling match for 45 minutes that ended up in a water bet. So I have bet that Russell Wilson will be a top 12 quarterback and Mike has bet that he will not be.
Andy Holloway
Yes.
Mike Wright
For the first time in his career.
Andy Holloway
Yep.
Mike Wright
So let's discuss Russell Wilson.
Jason Moore
Yeah. He would not be at 11 if it wasn't for Mike.
Andy Holloway
That is correct. And I apologize for nothing.
Jason Moore
He has him at 16. Did you guys. Not mercifully, thankfully. Now, Brooks, you weren't there for that either. No, I missed that. Yeah. I was asleep.
Mike Wright
I missed out.
Jason Moore
Thank goodness for that.
Andy Holloway
I'm surprised the hotel slept through.
Jason Moore
I'm surprised that you weren't escorted out of the lobby if this was a 30 minute Russell Wilson shouting match at 11:30 at night. That being said, was this brought up, Mike, in your arguments? I've heard the arguments for aggression for Russell Wilson. There's a couple of different things that take place here. I'm just going to bring them to light. Last year he finished at nine at the position. Right. Kind of indicative of low pass attempts. He was highly efficient. He did finish in that top 10. But this team is the number one running team in football or in that top category. I'm sure Baltimore will be in that category a little bit this year. But the one area of regret, positive regression that I see for Russell Wilson is last season he ran for zero rush. He has zero rushing touchdowns. He's always run for a handful of rushing touchdowns throughout his career. Last year it was zero. So as a kind of counterbalance to some of the other aggression numbers that you'll probably bring up momentarily, I did want to get your take on that because that's something that we normally see him find his way into the end zone. He had three in 2017. He had none last year.
Andy Holloway
Sure, he did have none and I would expect him to have at least one. But we've seen for. Even when Russell Wilson was running the ball all the time, you have three times in his career that he just had a single rushing touchdown. The problem with the running where that's. Russell Wilson was always able to salvage fantasy because he ran, because he scrambled. But you take away passing attempts, that's fewer times that Russell Wilson can scramble and make magic happen. You saw his attempts drop from 553 into Brian Schottenheimer's offense where he threw the ball 427 times. We talk about Patrick Mahomes and his unsustainable touchdown rate. Russell Wilson was right there with him. Russell Wilson had a career touchdown percentage of 5.7. So 5.7% of his attempts turned into touchdowns, which is still very high for a quarterback. And then last year was 8.2. He had 130 fewer attempts than the previous season and threw an extra touchdown. Like it just. And quarterbacks that they produce at that rate, it's not sustainable. You see them all drop in, nearly drop by about 2%. If the Seahawks like I'm projecting Russell Wilson for about the same amount of attempts. If. And that's what it all comes down to is just the volume. How many times is Wilson going to throw the ball? Can Seattle be. I think the attempt as dominating and.
Jason Moore
They could go up because I don't think their defense is very good.
Mike Wright
That's.
Andy Holloway
That's fair. And I'm going to, I'm putting my faith in Pete Carroll on the Seattle Seahawks to make sure that the defense is up to snuff.
Jason Moore
Okay.
Andy Holloway
And it's just the regression that's going to hit him. The passing volume. If you give him. So last year his outrageous 8.2% of his attempts were touchdowns. Give him 6%. That's a fantastic season. And. But that's just the 2% drop I talked about. His touchdowns dropped to 26. He is a quarterback. You were only thinking about streaming and would have finished at quarterback 16 even with a, with a very high touchdown percentage. Just not a. An outstanding 8% unsustainable one.
Mike Wright
So my argument on the flip side for Russell Wilson is very much based on the man and the situation he finds himself in, which is, you know, look, if the touchdowns regress, the rushing yardage will go up. If the passing attempts go up. See, I disagree with that. My point is this. On a 16 game basis, right. As the Seattle Seahawks play football in the NFL, he will do whatever it takes to have his team in it and win it. It doesn't matter to him whether he's throwing or running or how it's happening. But all we know is that right now he's had a seven year career where he's done that every single year of his career. When he wasn't throwing it a lot in his rookie year, he was getting it done on the ground. He. I mean the Seattle Seahawks are going to be good because of Russell Wilson. He's literally never finished outside of the top 12. Three of the last five years has been a top five quarterback. And I get it. They want to run the ball. It's not the best. Like early in the offseason I said, what was the player I wish was on a different team.
Jason Moore
So Russ, one of the reasons that I have a problem with your ranking with Russell Wilson, Mike, and Jason's ranking with Matt Ryan is I believe you're both ranking him at his worst case scenario. You just brought up projecting Wilson last year over that span as would have ended up as the quarterback. 16. That's where you ranked him. Jason, you ranked Matt Ryan at 14. Said it's all about touchdowns. To me, when you look at that ping pong ball, the more appropriate ranking for Matt Ryan is the middle ground of that touchdown. I think you ranked him worst case scenario. I think you both took the worst case scenario approach for Wilson and Ryan. Sixteen would be a career low by six spots in fantasy. So I could get myself there. Even though I buy the regression, I also buy the positive regression. He could, he could rush for three touchdowns again. He could, you know, pass to the running backs more. Rashad Penny's breaking out so the opportunity is there. I just think the offense will move and be an okay offense. But I don't like ranking him at the basement.
Andy Holloway
Sure. I'm just, I don't buy into Russell outperforming his ADP by any stretch.
Jason Moore
Well, we should bring that, we should bring that up. He's a QB12 right now.
Mike Wright
Right. That's what I was going to say. The nice thing is for the first time in forever he is actually someone that I'm willing to draft. I assumed that after this whole argument we were going to say it doesn't matter, you're not going to draft him anyways. He's in the sixth round, but he's basically almost in the 10th round. On average, the 910 is where he's at. I'd be willing to take him there.
Jason Moore
So here's a counterpoint for Russell against Russell Wilson, even though you and I have him ranked at 7. Jay, does Russell Wilson offer you what you actually want in a quarterback, which is the ability to be a top three guy if things go right. And that's probably not in the range of outcomes for Russell Wilson. If I draft a quarterback late, I want at least a shot at having the best guy or, you know, Carson Wentz I think has the potential of being a top three guy. Jared Goff, could he be a top three guy? I don't know if because of the attempts of Russell Wilson could do that.
Mike Wright
Sure. I do think you're limited on being a top three quarterback on the season, but I mean, not in, not In a. Not in a per game basis from week eight through 17 last year, which is still the majority of the season. During that stretch, Russell Wilson was the quarterback.
Jason Moore
Four. Sure.
Mike Wright
I mean, that's.
Andy Holloway
And we haven't even brought up. Doug Baldwin is gone. And yes, I know the jokes about Doug Baldwin last year, but Doug Baldwald. Baldwin did play the majority of games. Right now, the established pass catchers for Russell Wilson, it's Tyler Lockett, like, he's always had at least two go to targets. I'm not someone can step up into that role. But as of right now, today, who's the second best pass catcher?
Jason Moore
Dk. Big Cavs.
Mike Wright
Yeah.
Andy Holloway
Is it Metcalf?
Jason Moore
I don't know.
Mike Wright
Is it Sean Penny? Jaron Brown?
Andy Holloway
I'm talking wide receiver.
Mike Wright
Y.
Jason Moore
Sure, sure. Yeah. If you want to see the remainder of the Russell Wilson debate, you can go to the hotel lobby. At 164, the pampered will never stop. Number 12, Jameis Winston. I am at 14. Jason at 11, Mike at 12. He's being drafted as the quarterback. 13. The majority of fantasy football prognosticators, they see the potential and upside of Winston because we've seen it many times in small samples. However, since 2015, he's finished 13th, 16th, 22nd and 22nd because he's either not on the field or he's very inconsistent. You get games like Week 15 or Week 8 last year where he's single digits. I love Bruce Arians. I love what Bruce Arians has done to fantasy quarterbacks throughout his career. At a minimum, the average depth of target for every quarterback he's touched. Big Ben, Andrew Luck, Carson Palmer, who, by the way, would have won the MVP award if he hadn't torn his acl Right under Arians, it goes up. So Bruce will be saying to Jameis, throw that ball.
Andy Holloway
And Jameis obliged.
Jason Moore
The rest is up to Jameis.
Andy Holloway
Yeah, he is very tough because every single year we come into the draft season and you pull the Jean Claude Van Damme, as we call it, and you look at those splits and they're always. There's always an incredible patch of fantasy production for Jameis last year once he got his job back. And yes, he had to get his job back. Week 11, he had to get his job back from Ryan Fitzpatrick as well. Week 11, after that, he was averaging 260 yards and two touchdowns a game. He was the quarterback 10 in points per game. And on top of that, it was a. He had a 13 to 4 touchdown to interception ratio, which is very, very non Jamis is not a huge sample size for us to go off of, but the breakout potential for Jameis Winston, it can't be ignored.
Mike Wright
Look, if you just combine Jameis Winston and Ryan Fitzpatrick last year and just say the Tampa Bay quarterbacks, they would have been a top five quarterback last year. Maybe Jameis needs a beard and Fitzpatrick isn't there. There's no competition. This is Winston's job. And even when he tries to lose it, which will happen a couple games, he's not going to be able to lose it because there's nobody behind him that can step up. I think the offense is going to be good and my hope. So early in the offseason, I was extremely bullish on Winston because I see a world where he can really step up and be a top five fantasy quarterback. This year, I worry because in reality, we've just seen so many boneheaded plays, so many things that, you know, you just go, oh, why does he do these things that just cost him throwing picks? You know, while he's getting sacked, just let me 500 tosses it up. And you don't see that from any good quarterback. But the one thing that really does give me a little bit of hope that with Arians and, you know, as he matures, that he could become a more reliable NFL quarterback is the. Is his age. Like, I know he's been in the league a long time, and we said, well, we've seen him, but he's. He's still 25 for a quarterback that is so young. BAKER Mayfield is 24, right? Like, he's a year older than Baker, so he's still a young guy that is improving and hopefully maturing. And so, you know, with the weapons of Mike Evans and O.J.
Jason Moore
Howard, and I think the weapons are thin. I think you get one injury and you got a problem on that team. While the show's been going on, Godwin pulled up with a hamstring injury in camp. He made it. Made it. Hold on, hold on, hold on. Let me. He made it back out on the field later on in practice. There you go. But.
Andy Holloway
And then he left again. Jason Tell Tell Football Twitter could not handle no Chris Godwin missing time.
Jason Moore
But. But tell me how you feel about a team that lost. I mean, Adam Humphries, say whatever you want about him. Pronounced massive target share. Last year in Tampa, O.J. howard hasn't stayed healthy. If Chris Godwin goes down, all of a sudden you're looking at the offense through a different lens of leaning on Justin Watson and Brashad Perryman and players that enter into Arian system, they do struggle, especially with interceptions to begin their career. Palmer was not a good quarterback under Arians in his first handful of games, pretty much the first full season, threw a ton of interceptions. I don't think it's going to happen for him this year. You guys have them ranked a little bit higher, but I think that makes the case for him. You're welcome to counterpoint those things.
Mike Wright
The counterpoint would just be that, you know, if injuries happen to any team, it's going. If Ty Hilton goes down and Andrew Luck is out there, it's going, it's going to hurt. And I think that it could be addition by subtraction. If you're telling me that more targets go to O.J. howard, Chris Godwin and Mike Evans versus going to Adam Humphreys or long bomb shots that he can't connect with on D. Jacks, I think that, you know, obviously if Mike Evans goes down, it's going to hurt James.
Andy Holloway
Right.
Mike Wright
But that's true of any quarterback.
Jason Moore
It just feels a little thinner there because Perryman and Watson haven't established themselves. And you just lost D. Jackson. Humphries, you didn't add, right?
Mike Wright
Sure. Yeah. No.
Jason Moore
Kyler Murray at 13. Mike is the most bullish on Kyler. He's got him at 10, Jason at 16, I'm at 13. State your case for Kyler Murray, Mike.
Andy Holloway
Rushing, running, running the ball. I talked about Kyler Murray on a breakout show earlier in the off season, but I took a look at quarterbacks who were drafted very high, which implies that a team was bad the year before because they had that early round pick. But quarterbacks that rush like Cam Newton, Robert Griffin, Vince Young, Lamar Jackson, Josh Allen, they produce for fantasy on bad teams because of the way that the scoring works. And Kyler Murray is one of those guys. He's coming into the NFL his rookie year last or sorry, rookie his last year. He put up over a thousand rushing yards in college and he matched that with over 4300 passing yards. Kyler Murray is, he is a, an elite college quarterback. That production is absolutely ridiculous. And you pair him with a college friendly offense with Cliff Kingsbury and I think that it's. As long as Kyler Murray is on the field, he's going to be running and he can succeed in the passing game as well. But the why he won't bust to me is because of the running.
Mike Wright
And he will be running with that offensive line.
Andy Holloway
He will be running.
Mike Wright
We saw it in the preseason already. He didn't go downfield. He didn't, you know, run the way he's going to run in the real season. But you saw there's times where the offensive line is a sieve, lets people through. And unlike a Josh Rosen that can't get out of the pocket or make a play, Kyler turns on those little burners and he's out of the pocket and on the run. So I do think there's enough history of highly drafted top 10 NFL draft picks that can rush on bad teams and they don't even have to be good at throwing the ball. Who are great fantasy options. We combine it with the pace of play and his accuracy that, you know, has been raved about so far in the preseason, the training camp, OTAs. Yeah, I mean I've got Kyler at 16 right now. He is still a rookie. You know, I don't. I've got him down for 24 passing touchdowns, which isn't fantasy gold. But I just, I still feel like it's too low. You know, you saw Russell and Dak and these guys that kind of have this dual threat ability. They came out as the rookies and they were top 12 quarterbacks.
Jason Moore
You're paying too much for Kyler Murray right now.
Mike Wright
That is true.
Jason Moore
I mean, so that we took him in our juju Smith Schuster live celebrity draft because we wanted a share of Kyler Murray and we took him in the 11th or 12th round.
Andy Holloway
Yeah, we got him good. We got him below.
Jason Moore
But he's being drafted in the eighth round now, guys. I mean his ADP in May was the 12th round. His ADP now is 805, 804 in recent days. So you're paying a lot for Kyler Murray right now, which is the main issue that I have. I mean you.
Mike Wright
I like Cam Newton and Jared Goff a whole lot more than Kyler Murray this season. Both of those guys are going rounds later than Kyler. So I won't end up with Kyler in any draft. Assuming that the draft goes near.
Jason Moore
ADP starts the year against Detroit, Baltimore, Carolina, Seattle. Three fourths of those games at home, which is a nice start for his career. Will be very interesting to see what happens. Not a lot of, I mean outside of Christian Kirk and the fellow Lubies, veteran Larry Fitzgerald, not a lot of established pass catchers in Arizona. No gonna need to lean on DJ.
Mike Wright
That Baltimore Week 2 matchup is very interesting because they're one of those teams that, you know, sometimes you talk about in like a fight. How do you prepare for this fighter if you don't have someone that can emulate their style, Baltimore gets to face Lamar Jackson and actually see some guy with this kind of speed. So they might be able to bottle up the run in that week too.
Andy Holloway
I think they should just have a gentleman's agreement that the offense is only quarterback runs like on both sides of the ball during that matchup is Lamar vs Kyler who can run for more.
Mike Wright
Yards that would end in blood. I think they would not agree.
Jason Moore
Even though this is a recording. NFLPA somehow heard that and has asked us to stop recording. Big Ben comes in at 14 in our consensus rankings. In some horribly morbid twist of fate, I'm the highest on Big Ben, I'm the lowest on the Steelers, and I'm the highest on Big Ben.
Mike Wright
Mike and I noticed this yesterday in the office.
Andy Holloway
I chuckled heartily.
Mike Wright
Yes.
Jason Moore
Well, if you. I mean we, the way we do our stats, we project our. These players and what they've done last year, 5,100 yards, 34 touchdowns, 16 picks, 675 passing attempts, they're still going to throw the football. I don't think that James Conner is going to have the first half of the year he had last year. I think they're going to need to throw the ball. He ended up at 12 guys.
Andy Holloway
I mean, well, last year he was number one in attempts, number one in yards.
Jason Moore
However, it was did finish as the quarterback three, by the way.
Andy Holloway
This was only the second time that he's thrown the ball over 600 times. However, both of those times he led the league in passing yards. A shocker. He does have a very stable touchdown percent right around 5. So I feel like, you know what you're going to get from Big Ben.
Mike Wright
It's just, you know, without Antonio Brown.
Andy Holloway
Though I think you do. I think that, that Ben is a. Is a capable quarterback and my belief in juju to assume that role as the number one. And Big Ben had years where it was just Antonio Brown, like he was the offense. I think juju can be the offense.
Jason Moore
You're going to need to find whether it's Moncrief, Deontay Johnson, James Washington, who had a good preseason game one. You're gonna need to find somebody to step up and be the, you know, second man to juju.
Andy Holloway
There's a guy who can dance.
Jason Moore
Yeah. Vance will play his role, but he's got to stay healthy too. So I'm actually a little surprised for how much you guys love the Steelers that you would and for big Ben being 10th in 2017 and third in 2018, that you guys would have them quite well, quite so far down. And maybe it's more preferential who you like elsewhere than it is being down on Big Ben 100%.
Mike Wright
That's part of it. Because, you know, there's about 22 quarterbacks that I'm. I would be really happy with this year in a draft. So being 16 means he's ahead of other people, you know, that I like less. But the last two years when he was 10 and three, he had both AB and Juju. You know, the years prior to that, when it was AB still lighting the league on fire, he was the 21st and the 18th. Granted, he didn't play 16 in either of those. So it's really one of those kind of hedged bets where you're saying he's still a good quarterback, he's still going to put up a lot of numbers. But he has lost Antonio Brown and usually doesn't play 16 in his career.
Andy Holloway
He's going to throw the ball fewer times. To me, I took away 90 attempts.
Jason Moore
Also starts the year in New England, game one. So look for Big Ben on waivers. That's the truth. If you want to start, he may be in that streaming category. And being drafted as QB 16, 15 and 16 in our consensus rankings, 15 is Josh Allen. Josh Stallion himself, Lamar Jackson. Lamar Jackson at 16, both rookies last season. I watched every preseason snap of both of these players yesterday. Well, some people on Twitter, one person thought I looked not my best yesterday.
Andy Holloway
Well, I mean, the word you're searching for is haggard.
Jason Moore
That is what the word I'm searching for. That's not the word they used, but that is the word I'm searching for.
Andy Holloway
Delightfully.
Mike Wright
Haggard.
Jason Moore
I was under the weather yesterday. I came in, did the show, went home, went to sleep, slash, watched film in bed, watched Josh Allen, watched Lamar Jackson. Both of these players have been highly criticized for what they can do with their arms, highly praised for what they can do on the ground with their legs. I talked yesterday about Lamar Jackson. A much higher percentage of his rushing yardage came on designed run plays than Josh Allen. But if you watch the Buffalo Bills offense, I will promise you something. Josh Allen is going to run all year long because he's going to have to run all year long and he's capable of doing it. This offensive line is not going to give him time in the pocket. They have added a couple of weapons. Cole Beasley, John Brown. So how bullish are you on Allen? He's the player that he ranks 17 here for me in six point leagues, he's seven in four point league. Please go look at these rankings on the website because if you're in a four point league, it's a big difference. We're breaking these down by six point leagues and it's a monstrous difference for both Allen and Lamar Jackson.
Mike Wright
Yeah, I mean, I believe that I like both guys because quarterback rushing is broken, as I always share. But the reality is I think that you've got a guy in Josh Allen who is able to take the hits. You worry about the frame and the utilization of Lamar Jackson, that's one thing, but it also helps around the goal line. You want to power in a touchdown.
Andy Holloway
Cam Newton style.
Mike Wright
Cam Newton style. And you saw that, you know the, during the back half of the year when Josh Allen came back from injury and was the number one fantasy quarterback over that back quarter of the season. A lot of that had to do with his rushing touchdowns and that's where I give him the edge. Plus, if you have to talk about the passing, Andy, you said you watched every snap. Obviously we all did. But you re watched them again and you saw some horrible throws mixed in with a lot of good throws. You saw the same thing with Lamar Jackson too, where it was like, oh man, he looks like he's got it. But then when they miss, gross, they miss.
Jason Moore
When they miss, they really want to miss. I mean, that's what I saw. More good than bad for both. But when they missed, it was like, hey, guy in the front row, do you want the ball?
Mike Wright
He really wanted to get it to him, so he squinted his eyes, closed them and chucked it as hard as he could. And unfortunately, Lamar, you should, you should keep your eyes open when you pass. But the weapons are better now. Like what happened for the future is good for Lamar Jackson. What happened for now is good for Josh Allen because I don't think that an injured Hollywood Brown and a rookie Boykin are really the answers for Lamar Jackson right now. Whereas Cole Beasley and John Brown, these are two veteran proven separators they can get open and I think that's going to help Josh Allen. So I, that's why I have Josh Allen ahead of Lamar Jackson.
Jason Moore
All right, Dak Prescott. Mitch Trubisky, 17 and 18. Okay, well, Dak, I am optimistic about the offense improving.
Andy Holloway
I also, I'm so bewildered by Jason's ranking of Dak Prescott because he loves to mention that Russell Wilson has never finished outside the top 12. I say to you, good sir, Dak Prescott has never finished outside the top 12. And you don't have him in the top 12. 20.
Mike Wright
I hate my Dak Prescott ranking. Me too. I hate it. We were talking about this yesterday. This is one of those things where I looked at the guys ahead of him, I looked at his stats. There's only 10 guys that can finish in the top 10. Right? And that's the problem with checks out math checks out. That's the problem with having, you know, 20 great players here. And this is why we bring up that you don't need to draft a quarterback early. I don't know if we shared the stat on yesterday's episode about the fact that usually there are over 40 different quarterbacks every year that have a top 12 week while there are only 32 teams. And that's not like an outlier. That's every single year. Sometimes it's up near 50. There's so many good options. I would be thrilled to have Dak Prescott at the end of my draft. I stack my roster elsewhere. So, you know, my ranking of him at 21 is not indicative of me thinking that he is bad. In fact, if you look at what happened after Amari Cooper got there, Dak got a lot better. He was a top six quarterback the whole second half of the season once he had Amari Cooper. So, I mean, maybe I need to go in and adjust these rankings again. Take another look. I don't have much bad to say about Dak and his rushing touchdowns. The mark of the beast every single year.
Jason Moore
Six.
Mike Wright
Six. Six touchdowns.
Jason Moore
Goodness gracious.
Andy Holloway
Stunning analysis.
Mike Wright
Yeah. I mean, that Jerry Jones, that's just. He's got the skill set right. You sell out to stop the run to stop Zeke, and you've got a mobile quarterback like, oh, see you later.
Jason Moore
The quarterback option. Brooks, you're a humongous Dallas Cowboys fan. Did you learn anything from this $40 million request reported yesterday?
Andy Holloway
Alleged.
Jason Moore
Alleged $40 million request about Dak. I mean, I hope you're not planning on applying any of his philosophies with your own arrangements here. Nah, just ignoring it. Okay.
Mike Wright
The 40 million is alleged, but it's been confirmed by multiple sources that he was offered and rejected a $30 million a year average, which is insane. And make him top five?
Jason Moore
This won't happen. This is speculation and a waste of time. What if Dak, Amari, I love it. And Zeke just band together like we've got another Miami Heat situation and they just float to another team because they're all going to be strong arm in the way. Now Zeke can't be a Free agent, so it doesn't really work. But don't care about it.
Andy Holloway
They call up Miami, they go full heat, they go to Miami.
Jason Moore
I'm taking my talents to South Beach.
Andy Holloway
Dak Prescott behind Jared Goff and Cam Newton are my current favorite late round guys. But if there is a scenario where I miss out on them, Dak Prescott is, is the, is third in line for that list for me.
Jason Moore
All right, 18 is Trubisky. 19 Kirk Cousins, 20 Philip Rivers 21 through 30 you can see@the fantasy footballers.com on the website. I kind of want to get into a few mailbag questions today. So do you guys have anything you want to bring forward? I mean the word around camp on Mitch Trubisky right now, take it for what you will. Hasn't looked good. It's almost as though he's struggling again with accuracy, consistency, some of those things last year. Busted 57% of the time. Only time he didn't bust was when he was great, when Jason pooped on him.
Mike Wright
Yeah, whenever I said that, he's going.
Jason Moore
To be terrible Week four.
Mike Wright
Yeah. So here's the thing. He got injured, if you remember, about halfway through shoulder injury and he stopped running. We talk about Lamar Jackson, we talk about Josh Allen, we forget how much Trubisky runs or at least did before that injury. So I expect him to continue to do that. You talk about this. Do you know? So the first half of the season last year, right, like if you're, if you're a good running quarterback, you're going to be like 300 yards. The first half of the season he was on pace for 677 yards. That's insane. That's why he was so good for fantasy. The second half of the season he was on pace for 286 after the injury. So it's one of those things where, that's where I'm curious about what Trubisky are we going to see which one? And I think, I think that it was injury caused, in which case I believe he's going to run again. That's why I have him higher in my rankings. I still don't believe in him as a future franchise quarterback, but in fantasy for Matt Nagy as a mobile quarterback, I'm fine with Trubisky.
Andy Holloway
And my last note for these quarterbacks is Kirk Cousins is being absolutely left for dead.
Jason Moore
He was one of the only guys that actually performed to ADP last year.
Andy Holloway
Right. He's been left for dead for fantasy because of the ending of the season. The perceived offensive switch and and I don't think he should be left in the absolute doldrums for fantasy football. Kirk Cousins can succeed as a lower volume type of player with the receivers that he has and Dalvin Cook is not going to score everything for the Minnesota Vikings. I think they're going to continue to be at least a solid offense at worst. So not that I love him as a top 12 guy, but I don't think he should be completely overlooked like he is being now invested a first.
Jason Moore
Round pick on offensive line as well. Trying to keep him upright, keep him ready to go. Let's do some mailbag.
Mike Wright
Mailbag, bagel bag.
Jason Moore
It's been a little while. If you have a question for the Fantasy Footballers podcast, this show is all about you. Helping you win your league, helping you be the best commissioner, have the most fun in your league. We want 2019 to be the best year you've had playing fantasy football. Send in your questions on the website the Fancy Footballers.com. click the submit a question button or you can dial our voicemail hotline with a question. 302464, TFFB Lucas in Toronto. Oh, punch your Lucas, he says. Hey guys, love the show. Quick question. Would you draft two superstars on the same team, like Robert woods and Cooper cup, specifically to use one of them as trade bait?
Mike Wright
No, but yes to the first part. No to the second part. I'm fine. Look, if there's two superstars, right, if you're talking about, okay, I can somehow get Michael Thomas and Alvin Camara, yes, grab them, but I'm never going to draft a guy specifically to trade them. I think that's one of those things that you see newer players do a lot. I know we've had it in our leagues before where it's like I'm going to hoard all the defenses, trade them, people will come calling. It's like good luck doesn't happen.
Jason Moore
You certainly don't want to reach in that scenario. If you are going to eventually trade a player, sure, whatever. But not for the purpose.
Andy Holloway
I would draft the two of them to play on my fantasy football team.
Jason Moore
All right. Jordan in Vancouver, Washington. Vancouver, Washington, would you trade. Mike was just, I was ready itching for another Bonjour. Would you trade Melvin Gordon for Devonta Freeman and a 2020 first round pick?
Mike Wright
Wow, that's a great question.
Jason Moore
I would.
Mike Wright
Yes, I would.
Jason Moore
The 2020 Melvin Gordon was.
Andy Holloway
Are we talking in context of dynasty or redraft?
Mike Wright
I would. So I am talking in context.
Andy Holloway
Oh well, the bold header of the question is dynasty trade.
Jason Moore
Oh, okay. All right.
Mike Wright
The difference between Devonta Freeman and Melvin Gordon this year, as of now, we don't know how many games Melvin Gordon is going to miss. I know he was trolling you on Twitter, Andy.
Jason Moore
Yeah, that was a really quick reply. By the way, I posted that I wondered if Gordon was hinting at his return because he had posted this IG post about Thursday Night Football. Well, it was about tnf, which probably had nothing to do with Thursday Night Football, but it just happened that their game on Thursday Night football was week 10 and that if he returned on that date, he was still to crew a season and be a free agent. And he very quickly replied and said my real followers know what's up. Let us all know.
Mike Wright
Yeah, where are your real followers?
Jason Moore
We would love to know.
Mike Wright
Let us know what's up. But the 2020 draft class is loaded. Wide receivers and running backs specifically are great. I think if you can get a good running back like Devonta Freeman, the shelf life of these guys at running back is so quick and short that yeah, now you still have a good guy in Devonta Freeman and you get to draft an air replacement.
Andy Holloway
Did you realize that Devonta Freeman is only one year old?
Jason Moore
I was about to say it. Yeah. 26 year old Melvin Gordon, 27 year old DeVonta Freeman reports. Hype train Dan Quinn, best camp of Freeman's career, has the number one job locked up and guess what? You don't miss him for eight weeks.
Andy Holloway
How is Devonta Freeman not in my my guys? I'm very, I'm very disappointed in myself. Well, we got a fantasy MVP show coming up.
Jason Moore
Okay, you can just change your my guys willy nilly anyway.
Andy Holloway
Yeah, look, I've heard that. I didn't realize that was true.
Jason Moore
By the way, it is important in preseason in times like this that you, you want to react, you don't want to overreact. That's generally what you want to do. You want to pay attention, react, not overreact. So well, I'm excited for week two. You're going to see a lot of the starters out there on the field a little more. Jack in Philadelphia, I know you guys always preach late round quarterback. That's generally how I try to draft as well. However, in the case where you draft the Devonte Adams or DeAndre Hopkins early, would you consider drafting Rogers or Watson in the fourth or fifth to build the stack as an effective Mahomes Hill type of comp from last year?
Andy Holloway
The stack is fun to have, but I do not reach to have that like it's, it's fun on Sunday when they connect on that long bomb and you're. You see that point total jump up 30 points off of one play, that's. That feels good inside. But the points are still the points and you're replacing them with a late round quarterback.
Mike Wright
I love having a stack, but when you do it just for the stack, you're hurting your roster. It's like grabbing a guy to trade. Grab the players that make sense. And last year, Andy, you had Pat Mahomes, Tyree Kill, right?
Jason Moore
Yeah.
Mike Wright
You had that stack which everybody who had that stack, I had that stack in two leagues was super happy because you were torching the league. But the problem with the stack is what happens if they both have a bad game and it comes in week 15 and even though you were clearly the point lead, you fall out of the playoffs because the stack just didn't work one week which is all it needs in the, in the playoffs.
Jason Moore
Yeah. And that one play is going to be really fun for you. But then when you look at your running back two spot or your wide receiver two spot or your flex and you've got a nobody playing there getting you zero points because you traded that depth for the early round quarterback, you're going to be in trouble.
Mike Wright
If you want to stack, look at the late round quarterbacks that you like. You know what I mean? Like right, say who do I really want? I want Jared Goff late. Okay. So I want to make sure I get one of woods or cooks or cup and then.
Jason Moore
Yeah, that's a great point. I would love to have wentz and then DJax in my Flex or something. That's a very fun thing that I'm not sacrificing for. We want to thank today's studio sponsor, everyday. Studio sponsor, it's Pristine auction. Yesterday a Tyler Boyd Jersey sold for $40.95. But not just a Tyler Boyd jersey. This one was autographed by Tyler Boyd.
Andy Holloway
You know what else got sold on Pristine Auction, fellas.
Mike Wright
Oh, I saw.
Jason Moore
Did we secure something?
Andy Holloway
An autographed Kyler Murray. Murray.
Mike Wright
Did we get it?
Andy Holloway
That now belongs to the fantasy football ass.
Mike Wright
Fantastic.
Jason Moore
Mike made it his mission yesterday to secure one.
Mike Wright
I knew we missed out on one.
Andy Holloway
The day before and then I got one yesterday.
Mike Wright
But that's the great thing about the auction, right?
Andy Holloway
Hundreds of new ones.
Mike Wright
Daily auctions just make a bid at the price you want and then you don't pay if you don't get it.
Jason Moore
Pristineauction.com use the code BALLERS. Thanks for tuning in supporting the show. Check out ultimate draft kit.com for all of your draft day needs and we'll be back tomorrow with a show. Yeah, 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.
Fantasy Footballers Podcast - Episode: QB Rankings Part 2 + The Fantasy Forgotten
Release Date: August 13, 2019
Hosts: Andy Holloway, Jason Moore, Mike "The Fantasy Hitman" Wright
Description: In this episode, the Fantasy Footballers delve deeper into their quarterback rankings, continuing their analysis from Part 1. Additionally, they shed light on overlooked or undervalued players in the fantasy football arena, ensuring listeners have a comprehensive understanding to dominate their leagues.
The episode kicks off with a brief reminder about the Ultimate Draft Kit, highlighting its extensive resources like rankings, sleepers, breakouts, and over a hundred video profiles. (00:00) Mike Wright welcomes listeners from the pristineauction.com studios, setting an enthusiastic tone for the discussion ahead. The hosts engage in light-hearted banter about movie sequels, establishing their camaraderie and rapport. (00:56)
Sterling Shepard Analysis (02:36):
Mike Wright introduces Sterling Shepard as an undervalued wide receiver who could emerge as a significant fantasy asset, especially in PPR leagues. With Odell Beckham Jr. potentially sidelined, Shepard's target share could increase, making him a consistent weekly contributor despite being drafted as the 42nd wide receiver.
"I think Sterling Shepard is just a fantasy player that's being drafted as the wide receiver 42 right now. Completely unwanted." – Mike Wright
Dede Westbrook Insight (09:45):
Andy Holloway shifts focus to Dede Westbrook of the Jacksonville Jaguars, emphasizing his potential as a breakout PPR asset. With a substantial target share and a stable role in the offense, Westbrook is positioned as a valuable late-round pick.
"Dede Westbrook is the only one locked into the starting position, making him a potential breakout PPR guy." – Andy Holloway
Mike Wright's Stance (23:16):
Mike champions Russell Wilson, advocating for his placement as a top 12 quarterback. He believes Wilson's consistent performance and dual-threat capability make him a reliable fantasy option.
"I have bet that Russell Wilson will be a top 12 quarterback for the first time in his career." – Mike Wright
Andy Holloway's Counterpoint (26:20):
Andy counters by questioning the sustainability of Wilson's touchdown rate and pass attempts. He suggests that a decline in volume could impact Wilson's fantasy value negatively.
"Russell Wilson was right there with Patrick Mahomes in terms of unsustainable touchdown percentages." – Andy Holloway
Jason Moore's Perspective (28:11):
Jason introduces a middle ground, acknowledging both the potential regression and the opportunity for positive growth in Wilson's performance.
"He could rush for three touchdowns again. He could pass to the running backs more." – Jason Moore
Jason and Mike discuss Jameis Winston's inconsistency and potential under Bruce Arians' offensive scheme. While Winston has shown high upside in bursts, his overall reliability remains a concern.
"Jameis Winston is being drafted as the quarterback 13. The majority see his potential despite past inconsistencies." – Jason Moore
Mike Wright's Bullish View (36:59):
Mike praises Kyler Murray's dual-threat ability, highlighting his elite college performance and adaptability in the NFL under coach Cliff Kingsbury.
"Kyler Murray is one of those guys who can run and succeed in the passing game as well." – Mike Wright
Jason Moore's Concern (39:25):
Conversely, Jason expresses concern over Kyler's current ADP, suggesting that he might be overvalued in drafts.
"You’re paying too much for Kyler Murray right now." – Jason Moore
The hosts compare Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson, focusing on their rushing abilities and the impact on their fantasy rankings.
Mike Wright's Preference (46:18):
Mike favors Josh Allen for his durability and consistent ability to score rushing touchdowns, which significantly boosts his fantasy value.
"Josh Allen is going to run all year long and is capable of taking the hits to put his team in a position to win." – Mike Wright
Andy Holloway on Rushing vs. Passing:
Andy discusses the balance between rushing and passing for these quarterbacks, emphasizing the importance of rushing touchdowns in boosting fantasy scores.
"As long as Kyler Murray is on the field, he's going to be running and he can succeed in the passing game as well." – Andy Holloway
Dak Prescott is examined regarding his ranking and potential, with a focus on his improvement post-Amari Cooper's arrival.
Mike Wright's Take (50:16):
Mike acknowledges Prescott's potential to be a top performer if he remains healthy and fully integrated into a robust offense.
"Dak got a lot better after Amari Cooper joined, indicating high upside if fully healthy." – Mike Wright
Jason Moore's Optimism (48:15):
Jason remains optimistic about Prescott's offensive improvements and his ability to maintain a top-tier fantasy presence.
"Dak Prescott is still a top-tier quarterback if he stays healthy and his offense improves." – Jason Moore
Mitch Trubisky (51:45):
Discussion revolves around Trubisky's potential rebound post-injury, emphasizing his rushing ability as a key factor in his fantasy value.
"If Trubisky continues to run, his fantasy value remains solid." – Mike Wright
Kirk Cousins (52:55):
Andy highlights Kirk Cousins as an undervalued quarterback who consistently performs to his ADP, advocating for his inclusion in mid to late-round drafts.
"Kirk Cousins can succeed as a lower volume player with his current receiver set and maintains a solid offense trajectory." – Andy Holloway
Beyond quarterbacks, the podcast sheds light on other positions that often get overlooked but hold significant fantasy potential.
Sterling Shepard and Dede Westbrook:
Both receivers are highlighted for their increasing roles in their respective teams, providing consistent target opportunities despite being undervalued in drafts.
Marquise Goodwin (07:49):
Goodwin's health and starting role in the San Francisco 49ers' offense make him a promising asset for fantasy managers looking for high-upside receivers.
"Goodwin is healthy and locked into a starting role, offering significant upside if he maintains health." – Jason Moore
Listeners' questions add a practical dimension to the discussion, addressing common fantasy dilemmas.
Question:
"Would you draft two superstars on the same team, like Robert Woods and Cooper Kupp, specifically to use one of them as trade bait?"
Hosts' Response:
The consensus is to prioritize drafting based on team needs and individual value rather than purely for trade potential. Building a balanced team with versatile players is emphasized over speculative trades.
"I would draft the two of them to play on my fantasy football team." – Andy Holloway
Question:
"Would you trade Melvin Gordon for Devonta Freeman and a 2020 first-round pick?"
Hosts' Response:
The hosts agree, praising Freeman's consistency and potential for steady production, making him a valuable asset compared to Gordon's injury risks.
"I would." – Mike Wright
"I think Sterling Shepard is just a fantasy player that's being drafted as the wide receiver 42 right now. Completely unwanted."
– Mike Wright (02:36)
"Russell Wilson was right there with Patrick Mahomes in terms of unsustainable touchdown percentages."
– Andy Holloway (26:20)
"You’re paying too much for Kyler Murray right now."
– Jason Moore (39:19)
"Josh Allen is going to run all year long and is capable of taking the hits to put his team in a position to win."
– Mike Wright (46:18)
"Kirk Cousins can succeed as a lower volume player with his current receiver set and maintains a solid offense trajectory."
– Andy Holloway (52:55)
The Fantasy Footballers wrap up the episode by reinforcing the importance of balanced drafting, understanding player roles within their NFL teams, and staying adaptable throughout the fantasy season. They encourage listeners to utilize resources like the Ultimate Draft Kit and engage with the community for the best fantasy football experience.
"These rankings are designed to help you win your league – in style." – Hosts (00:28)
Join the Fantasy Footballers Community:
For more insights, rankings, and community discussions, visit thefantasyfootballers.com and follow them on Twitter @theFFBallers.
Note: Timestamps correspond to the provided transcript and are indicative of when specific topics were discussed.