The Fantasy MVP Episode! - Fantasy Football Podcast for 8/28

Summary

The Fantasy Footballers – The Fantasy MVP Episode!

Podcast: Fantasy Footballers
Hosts: Andy Holloway, Jason Moore, Mike "The Fantasy Hitman" Wright
Air Date: August 28, 2025
Theme: The ultimate Fantasy MVP episode: The hosts and a star-studded panel of fantasy football experts reveal their picks for this year's most valuable fantasy football players, break down key news, and deliver critical draft-weekend advice.

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Episode Overview

With fantasy drafts peaking over Labor Day weekend, the Fantasy Footballers put together their annual MVP show, where they and guest experts reveal who they believe will be this season’s top fantasy league-winners ("MVPs"). The episode also includes important news and injury updates to guide listeners for their final pre-season drafts, and clarifies some popular show inside jokes, notably “the pants store.”

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Big Draft Weekend & Showhouse Banter (01:03–06:57)

• It's peak draft season, with the Fantasy Footballers prepping for their own highly competitive "league of record."
• Light-hearted banter includes an explanation of the recurring “pants store” joke, symbolizing ultimate fantasy success when a player or prediction is so good you metaphorically "don’t need pants anymore."
  • Mike Wright: “The pants store is where you buy pants.” (05:14)
  • The tradition: When things are going really well, you never need to “go back to the pants store” because you're celebrating.

2. Injury Updates and Fantasy Impact (07:19–15:08)

Jaden Reed (Packers WR)

• Suffering from a Jones fracture in his foot, which is risky and historically problematic for wide receivers.
  • Mike Wright: “If he’s really playing with a Jones fracture... it's going to be horrific, like horrifically painful to play through.” (07:47)
• The group is pessimistic about his fantasy outlook, suggesting a move away from him in drafts.

Matthew Golden (Packers WR)

• Rising in projections as he benefits from Reed’s injury; now seen as a Week 1 starter and valuable late-round pick.

Additional News Highlights:

• 49ers WR Jauan Jennings: Questionable for Week 1, not a trade candidate.
• Marvin Mims Jr. (Broncos WR): Groin injury, opening the door for potential upside from rookie Troy Franklin and others.
• Khalil Shakir (Bills WR): High ankle sprain, but possibly returning in time for the season. Opinions mixed—called “fantasy quinoa” by Jason.
  • Jason Moore: “He’s like fantasy quinoa—supposed to be the super healthy food ... it’s not as good as you think.” (12:03)
• Carolina Panthers WR roles: Jalen Coker highlighted as a valuable slot option; Tet McMillan has re-injury risk but a clear path to relevance.

Other Quick Updates:

• Tyreek Hill's preseason was neutral-to-negative, but he's still a special talent.
• Malik Nabers’ back injury minor; still draft-worthy.

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3. The Main Event: Fantasy MVP Picks from the Experts (16:08–38:12)

Matt Harmon (Yahoo/Reception Perception)

• MVP: DRake London (ATL WR)
  • Massive target share ceiling, new dynamic offense, potential for top-3 WR finish.
  • Matt Harmon: “Target hog... weaponized in motion... dark horse to be the WR1 overall and maybe even push for the triple crown.” (17:08)

Rich Rebar (Sharp Football)

• MVP: Tetairoa McMillan (CAR WR, rookie)
  • Elite college profile, heavy projected target share, favorable offense under Dave Canales.

Nathan Jahnke (PFF)

• MVP: Jordan Mason (MIN RB)
  • Early-down role in Minnesota, explosive, could be a touchdown machine.
  • Nathan Jahnke: “5050 split with Aaron Jones, but Mason has the early-down back which typically scores more fantasy points.” (22:43)

J.J. Zachariason (Late Round Podcast)

• MVP: TreVeyon Henderson (NE RB, rookie)
  • High PPR upside as explosive pass-catcher, could hit rare usage thresholds, strong historical precedents for production.

Kyle Borgononi (Fantasy Footballers Dynasty Podcast)

• MVP: Tyler Warren (IND TE, rookie)
  • “Absolute terror” and mismatch nightmare for defenses; outperforms ADP if you don’t wait too long.

Matthew Betts (Injury Expert)

• MVP: Travis Hunter (LV WR/CB, rookie)
  • Two-way star; huge talent; will get enough offensive snaps to be highly relevant, especially if deployed 80% on offense.

Jamie Eisenberg (CBS Sports)

• MVP: Christian McCaffrey (SF RB)
  • If healthy, arguably unmatched upside. “Hopefully by the end of the year, we're talking about Christian McCaffrey leading a lot of people to championships.” (36:16)

Rich Eisen (The Rich Eisen Show)

• MVP: Jameer Gibbs (DET RB)
  • Predicts a major usage hike and explosive, league-winning fantasy season.

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4. The Fantasy Footballers’ MVP Picks (39:19–56:36)

Jason Moore: Caleb Johnson (PIT RB, rookie)

• Film darling, elite college production, “workhorse back” in the making.
• “He’s a really good running back ... I think he has the chance to be a workhorse back here and a league winner.” (43:19)
• Expecting eventual starter status over Jalen Warren, especially for goal-line and between-the-tackles role.

Andy Holloway: DK Metcalf (PIT WR)

• Huge target share incoming on a thin depth chart; could break career highs in targets.
• “Mathematically almost impossible to not be a super relevant fantasy football receiver with the targets I think DK Metcalf will get.” (46:20)
• Draft value as a possible top-5 WR who you can land in the 4th round.

Mike Wright: Kenneth Walker III (SEA RB)

• Defends running it back after last year, citing Walker’s workhorse rating, elite talent, and a new run-heavy blocking scheme.
• “You just don't like 14.4 points per game, which is what Kenneth Walker did last year.” (48:40)
• Believes the new system and Walker’s talent could fuel a top-10 season if healthy.

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5. Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the risk of Jaden Reed’s injury: “If you're really playing with a Jones fracture... it's going to be horrific, like horrifically painful to play through.” – Mike Wright (07:47)
• On DK Metcalf’s opportunity: “It's almost impossible to not be a super relevant fantasy football wide receiver with the targets I think DK Metcalf will get.” – Andy Holloway (46:20)
• Risk profiles and “types”: “Mike has a type—they’re great when they're on the field; you just don't know if they'll be out there.” – Jason Moore (53:02)
• On Kenneth Walker: “If Walker plays 15 games, he'll be a top-10 running back.” – Mike Wright (56:27)

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Important Timestamps

| Segment | Timestamps | |------------------------------------------|--------------| | Banter, “Pants Store” joke explained | 05:11–07:00 | | Jaden Reed injury analysis | 07:26–08:45 | | Matthew Golden/WR depth in GB | 08:28–09:26 | | News: Mims, Shakir, Panthers slot WR | 10:10–14:10 | | Fantasy MVP guest picks begin | 16:08–38:12 | | Footballers’ own MVPs | 39:19–56:36 | | Kenneth Walker defense / risk talk | 48:39–56:36 |

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Tone

Light-hearted, occasionally zany, but anchored in deep fantasy analysis and data. The trio's chemistry creates a blend of expert advice and running in-jokes, making even detailed statistical breakdowns approachable.

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Summary/Takeaways for Drafters

• Draft for High Ceilings – The experts are united: this is the year to shoot for breakout upside in your mid/late rounds, not just safety picks.
• Monitor Injuries Closely – Last-minute changes (e.g., Jaden Reed’s foot) could warrant removing injured players from preferred lists.
• Don’t Rely Too Heavily on ADP for Breakout Picks – If you want high-upside rookies like Tyler Warren or Travis Hunter, don’t risk trying to “time the market” right at ADP—they’ll go much earlier in sharp leagues.
• Know Your Draft Room – Understand your own appetite for risk, especially with "boom/bust" picks like Kenneth Walker or McCaffrey.

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Final MVP Roll Call

1. Drake London (ATL WR) – Matt Harmon
2. Tetairoa McMillan (CAR WR, rookie) – Rich Rebar
3. Jordan Mason (MIN RB) – Nathan Jahnke
4. TreVeyon Henderson (NE RB, rookie) – JJ Zachariason
5. Tyler Warren (IND TE, rookie) – Kyle Borgononi
6. Travis Hunter (LV WR/CB, rookie) – Matthew Betts
7. Christian McCaffrey (SF RB) – Jamie Eisenberg
8. Jameer Gibbs (DET RB) – Rich Eisen
9. Caleb Johnson (PIT RB, rookie) – Jason Moore
10. DK Metcalf (PIT WR) – Andy Holloway
11. Kenneth Walker (SEA RB) – Mike Wright

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Essential Listening for any fantasy drafter prepping for a decisive draft weekend, with league-winning upside picks, injury pivots, and all the banter and data the Fantasy Footballers are famous for.

Transcript

[Andy Holloway]

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[Mike Wright]

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[Andy Holloway]

Foot Clan, you got lots of drafts this weekend. It is go time. Time to set the foundation for your entire season by dominating your draft and making your league mates look like stupid, dumb, dumb idiots.

[Mike Wright]

Idiot.

[Jason Moore]

They're so stupid.

[Andy Holloway]

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[Jason Moore]

The Fantasy Footballer Studio is sponsored by Walmart. Welcome to the Fantasy Footballers Podcast with your hosts Andy Holloway, Jason Moore and Mike Wright.

[Andy Holloway]

Welcome in the Fantasy Footballers. Thursday, August 28, the MVP episode. I'm just doing a little live pivot in our our show Doc.

[Mike Wright]

Oh please.

[Jason Moore]

Oh, okay.

[Andy Holloway]

I'm not changing my mvp.

[Jason Moore]

Oh, you almost changed.

[Andy Holloway]

Well, I almost changed out of. I felt bullied. Yeah, no, not bullied. Not bullied because that would blame it. That would blame you.

[Jason Moore]

Right?

[Andy Holloway]

I felt.

[Jason Moore]

No.

[Mike Wright]

Are you changing Kyle's mvp?

[Jason Moore]

Yes. Yes.

[Andy Holloway]

No, I. I'm changing our quick question of the day. Oh, it's just more doing it live. It's just more important to answer this question off of Instagram that I was just reading. So we'll get into that momentarily. But welcome in one and all. It is a big time draft weekend on the horizon. Labor Day weekend. Three days of drafts. Our league of record draft is Monday and I'm going to try to piece together a season from the remnants and scraps of picks that I have left.

[Mike Wright]

After my the Tax man cometh.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah. After my run to the try to win a back to back title.

[Mike Wright]

You were just swiping.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, I was like the 2026 Saints.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, like whatever, man.

[Andy Holloway]

Tomorrow is not guaranteed. I was living for today.

[Jason Moore]

Okay.

[Mike Wright]

Kyle Shanahan.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, I was living for the moment. I. Come on, you know, if you had a chance at back to back.

[Jason Moore]

Oh, yeah, you sold out credit card. You sold out trying and then was kicked so far. And then you came into this year. We're not allowed to trade first round picks in our league. So you came in obviously with your first because you had to, otherwise you would have burned that. And then your next pick was the seventh round.

[Andy Holloway]

It was the seventh round. I've made some adjustments to my team, but yeah, my dead cap was the highest in our fantasy league history. Yeah, you can put it that way. But yeah, big time drafts coming this weekend. The ultimate draft kit available right now. Ultimate Draft Kit.com. go check it out.

[Jason Moore]

Including all the Megalobol drafts. They start this week. So two drafts. So if you want to play.

[Andy Holloway]

I love you trying to talk and then you're like, I got to work a dragon in here. Or I mean a shark voice.

[Jason Moore]

A dragon, yeah. Dragon wings.

[Andy Holloway]

Monstrous voice.

[Mike Wright]

Draglable. Get out of here.

[Jason Moore]

Megalodon.

[Mike Wright]

Goodness gracious.

[Jason Moore]

But yeah, if you want to play with us in the Megalodon, you can go to. In the Megalov. Go to megaloball.com and there are two drafts. There's a morning draft and an evening draft on Saturday, Sunday, Monday and Tuesday, and then one last morning draft on Wednesday. So there's, there's plenty of slots for you to sign up right now. Go to megalobol.com and I think there's a draft.

[Andy Holloway]

I think there's a draft going on right now because Al Born hasn't looked up in a minute. And I'm wondering if I knew you were on the clock, who'd you just take in our draft? I haven't yet. Okay. I'm still looking. That is what I was doing. Yeah, I could tell you had your attention on the drafts. That's what it's like right now. So I'm pivoting the quick question of the day sometimes. Look, we've done the show for a long time. There are inside jokes. There are people that take some time to catch up on what's going on. But my favorite quick question of the day has to be this one from Instagram. Al Chase, 25, writing in. It's very simple. He just wants an answer. Mike what is the pants store?

[Mike Wright]

The pants store is.

[Andy Holloway]

Please explain this for the layman.

[Mike Wright]

Well, I thought it was pretty self explanatory. The pants store is where you buy pants.

[Andy Holloway]

Oh, yes.

[Jason Moore]

Okay.

[Andy Holloway]

Yes. And so that's all you would do.

[Jason Moore]

They sell shorts there?

[Mike Wright]

No, it's the pants store.

[Andy Holloway]

And what's the significance of not needing to return to a pants store as your little Hit your little button?

[Mike Wright]

I will. Oh, this game.

[Andy Holloway]

I'm never going back to the pants store.

[Mike Wright]

The pants store isn't. This is like a joke on top of a joke on top of a joke. So I understand if you are fresh to the show and fresh to fantasy football. The concept of no longer needing pants has been a. It's been a part of the fantasy football world on Twitter for quite some time. It's like when something goes really, really well for your team or for a player that you have touted, you're ripping your pants off. Yeah. Because you're free.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah. You don't need.

[Mike Wright]

You don't need the restriction of the work pain.

[Andy Holloway]

No.

[Mike Wright]

Life is better without paying exactly your fancy. I mean, when you get home, you.

[Andy Holloway]

Got like off your pants.

[Mike Wright]

You got your take, your shoes off, your toit work pants, your slacks, your chinos. No stretch, no give. When you get home, you're not like, yeah, I'm just gonna keep wearing these things around my.

[Andy Holloway]

A lot of people don't know wear.

[Jason Moore]

I have changed all my jeans into snap button on the sides so that.

[Andy Holloway]

I like the warm up pants. Absolutely.

[Jason Moore]

They're all warm up pants.

[Mike Wright]

So that has been a thing on Twitter for quite some time. And I love that joke. I think it is. It's very funny. And then that turned into writing a little ditty for the Arizona Cardinals drafting Marvin Jones or Marvin Harrison. Marvin Harrison Jr. Wish we had Marvin Jones. It would have way better. So now we have this.

[Andy Holloway]

So you don't even need to go to the pants store because you are living life permanently without.

[Mike Wright]

That's right. Running through the streets free.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah. No. And I'm not going to ask about whether the underwear.

[Mike Wright]

Oh, it's. No, I'm still street legal, man.

[Andy Holloway]

Okay. Okay, good, good.

[Jason Moore]

Not full Donald Duck.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah. Come on.

[Andy Holloway]

No, that's inappropriate. That's. That's another level of fantasy production to accomplish that. All right, let's jump into some news.

[Jason Moore]

News and notes from around the league presented by Progressive Insurance.

[Andy Holloway]

The important thing is that Mike doesn't win a title because I don't want to know what that situation is like. All right. Jaden Reed. We got an update. He is starting to run routes. But then, you know, the reports have been he had not been able to do that without pain. And now we're learning he is recovering from a Jones fracture which normally requires surgery.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, it's a lot of pain management. So to go back to what I talked about on yesterday's quick question of which player is probably going to out make us look foolish and outproduce, I retract that statement about Jaden Reed. If he's really playing with a Jones fracture, like it's not that guys can't do it, but I mean, imagine having a fracture on the, just the outside of your, near the outside of your foot and you have to plant and cut every single week. It's going to be horrific, like horrifically painful to play through. And then all year long it's probably, oh, Jaden Reed didn't practice. Jade Reed didn't practice. Limited on Friday. Then he plays.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, his, his situation is awful for fantasy managers trying to play Jaden Reed. I don't know if I view it that terribly for the offense. And Jordan Love, to be honest with you, I am a believer in Matthew golden as their number one. What do you think?

[Jason Moore]

I've gotten to that place as well. I was not bullish on Matthew golden as a first round NFL draft pick. His disappearing act so often in college was just one of those things that's confusing if you're really that good and he's got the talent. But how do you, how does your team just have games where they don't need you? And they, and they did. However, the Green Bay packers are a good offense. Jordan Love is a good quarterback. They've got a, you know, an awesome system around and he is on the field in two wide receiver sets. Matthew golden is going to be a Week 1 starter. He doesn't cost what a lot of these other rookies cost. And to me this news and it is different for everybody. You got to know your own, you know, risk tolerance level. But Jaden Reed's off my board. There are players who have played through a Jones fracture. Julio Jones has done it. Julian Edelman has done it. There's a handful of players and oftentimes it causes more issues. I believe after Julio Jones and this news broke this morning. So I don't, I haven't vetted a deep dive. Yeah, a deep dive. This is off of memory, but I believe he played through Jones fracture and then later needed surgery on the foot. You know, does Bryant struggle with this? We've seen A lot of wide receivers, Sammy Watkins, where it's like, it doesn't feel like a forever solution to just be like, you know, that broken thing in your foot, it's finally ignore it forever.

[Andy Holloway]

It's finally going to make sense to not play him a lot and all the other sets are going to be like, yeah, that makes sense.

[Mike Wright]

Jones fracture is a break in the fifth metatarsal bone located on the outside of the foot. Just in case people are.

[Jason Moore]

That is what you don't have your.

[Mike Wright]

Medical degrees like we all clearly do.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah. We can go straight from pants store discussions into metatarsals.

[Mike Wright]

Oh, yeah. And then law.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, no big deal.

[Mike Wright]

We do it all.

[Andy Holloway]

John lynch said the team is hopeful but not sure on week one when asked about Juan Jennings. He also came out and said they're not trading him. And he said, hey, he can want a new contract and have an injured calf. Both can be true. It's kind of what we said on the show yesterday. Jason was saying he believed in the injury being real.

[Mike Wright]

MVs who was added. This could just be, you know, shifting the pieces around. But. So San Francisco brought Valdez scantling onto the team, but he's actually. He's on the practice squad as of right now.

[Andy Holloway]

No, he's probably eyeballing Kendrick Bourne right about now.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah.

[Andy Holloway]

Marvin Mims. Oh, groin injury. Left Wednesday's practice with an injury, didn't return. Groinindex.com, their newest member, Marvin Mims Jr.

[Jason Moore]

So that's so sad for a player who looked. I mean, I've drafted him a lot in some later mocks and even in some live drafts where he looked like he was going to be two wide receiver sets on the field. And now there's just this if he's out. Oh, who's that?

[Andy Holloway]

It could be Troy Franklin and it could be Pat Brian and it could be.

[Mike Wright]

It might be a little bit of both.

[Andy Holloway]

A little bit of both. I think both of those guys are so interesting at the top of the season for big plays and Troy Franklin could have a handful of them. They are limited at wide receiver right now. Khalil Shakira turned to practice. Okay, so you need to just kind of probably draft him like you would have drafted him. Yeah, he's been slipping.

[Mike Wright]

I believe he's tough because he hasn't. He hasn't practiced.

[Andy Holloway]

Eat your fantasy vegetables and draft.

[Mike Wright]

Kalusha. I agree with the fantasy vegetables overall about Shakir, but he suffered the high ankle sprain on August 1st and the, I mean, Matthew Betts are. He's on our staff. He does a lot of excellent injury work for us. Certified physical therapist. He talks about when guys miss that, you know, multiple weeks in training camp with an injury, the probability hit rate on them is bad.

[Jason Moore]

I will say this, the timeline, you know, we'll say this a bunch through the season, but if you remember high ankle sprain, you usually miss zero or three weeks. And so he's got a month after that injury to recover, plus he's got about another week and a half. I believe he will be okay from the injury. I will draft him like I would have drafted him prior to the injury, which is. I'm not drafting him because prior to the injury. I just don't care about Khalil Shakir. He's. I don't think he's fantasy. He's like fantasy quinoa. He's fantasy quinoa where it's like fantasy quinoa.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, we're 100 targets. We throw that 100 targets away.

[Jason Moore]

It's fantasy quinoa in the sense that quinoa is like supposed to be the super healthy food. It's not, you know, it's a lot of carbs. You're getting a lot of carbs in there. It's going to turn to sugar. It's not great for you. It's not as good as you think it is. And that's, that's, yeah, 100 targets. That's great. Turned into. I mean, you do have a bunch of usable games.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah.

[Jason Moore]

Careers have arcs though, if you're in a full ppr.

[Andy Holloway]

He got paid.

[Jason Moore]

He sure did. I don't know if you know this. Every single player playing has been paid.

[Andy Holloway]

He was on pace for 113. He missed two games last year. He's been double paid 86 receptions from Josh Allen. I'll take that all day. Late in the draft, Panther second year wide receiver Jalen Coker will be stepping into the slot role in Carolina. I'm telling you, he is a great.

[Jason Moore]

He is a good player.

[Andy Holloway]

He is a great player. Oh, he is a good to great player. He's a good to great player.

[Jason Moore]

I'll take that. He's a very good player.

[Andy Holloway]

He's a very good player. Thank you.

[Jason Moore]

That's what good degree is.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, let's go with that. Jalen Coker, I think is a better player than Xavier Leggette. You're going to have Tetaroa, who by the way, I mean, let's just not forget Tedro McMillan is just now starting to practice again after tweaking. I Believe it was his hamstring.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, he had a Yoo Hoo.

[Jason Moore]

So he had a Yoo.

[Andy Holloway]

He did have a Yoo Hoo. So, you know, re injury is a risk with McMillan. Unfortunately, it is.

[Jason Moore]

But goodness gracious, the lanes have opened up ahead of him for driving very fast.

[Mike Wright]

Autobahn.

[Jason Moore]

Yes, exactly. He is on an autobahn. And this will be really.

[Andy Holloway]

They love Jalen Coker.

[Jason Moore]

They do. But Leggett's going to be on the field in two wide receiver sets, whereas Coker will probably be more of the slot guy.

[Andy Holloway]

I don't, I don't, I don't know. I don't know if that'll happen all the time.

[Jason Moore]

Okay.

[Andy Holloway]

Devon H. And Tyreek Hill on track to play Week 1 for the Dolphins. It's been the quietest of off seasons for Tyreek Hill. It's either negative or neutral all off season long. I haven't, you know, when you talk about the vibes, Mike, and, and when to pay attention, follow the vibes and when not to. The vibes are not positive on Tyreek Hill. They're. And yet there, there remains a chance that he is awesome.

[Jason Moore]

I mean, he can't shut the door on that.

[Andy Holloway]

He's a special player when he's right. And Jalen Wright had a minor procedure and will be out. And the goal to return is one of my favorite quotes ever. It's September. Ish.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah.

[Jason Moore]

You always want your, you always want your expected returns to have an ish.

[Andy Holloway]

Malik Neighbors said Wednesday that the back injury that sidelined him the last few weeks was a minor thing and shouldn't be an issue moving forward. So we'll take that as a little soft pat on the back and we'll be encouraged to draft Malik Neighbors. That was news and notes sponsored by Progressive Insurance. Quote [e-mail] Progressive Casualty Insurance Company affiliates and third party insurers not available in all states or situations coverage subject to policy terms, limits and conditions. All right, without further ado, it is time. The season is upon us. Let's pick some MVPs.

[Jason Moore]

Who's your fantasy MVP?

[Andy Holloway]

All right, we have asked some friends in the industry to share their fantasy MVP picks with us as well as we've got Matthew Betts, Kyle Borgononi from the Dynasty podcast sharing theirs and we'll share ours at the end. We'll start with Matt Harmon, good friend of the show, one of the very, very only few guests in that old school upstairs studio that we had years and years ago. Football writer and analyst for Yahoo, creator of Reception Perception, which was featured in the UDK for a handful of years. Here we go, Matt, break it down.

[Jason Moore]

It's better be a wide receiver.

[Matt Harmon]

What's going on, everybody? Matt Harmon here, host of the Yahoo. Fantasy Forecast and of course creator of reception perception. My 2025 fantasy football MVP is Drake London of the Atlanta Falcons. Normally wouldn't want to go with somebody that's a top pick in one of these type of segments, but I think the upside this year is absolutely massive for Drake London. First of all, this is a guy who's a proven target earner. 29.3% target share last year, third most in the NFL among wide receivers. Owned an outrageous 38.9 target share. And Michael Penix's three starts, that's not necessarily going to carry over to 2025, but this was the second time in his career where London's pushed north of 29% or been right around that number. Target hog who also got a big boost in his layup targets due to a flip in his role. He played just boundary X receiver in his first two years under Arthur Smith. Last year, career high in reception perception, 38.9 sample snaps in the slot and 52.7% snaps off the line of scrimmage. Weaponized in motion ran a career high dig routes and reception perception. The guy that's been a proven man, press beater in his three years in the NFL now weaponized with this role. He's been one of the best receivers I've chartered over the last three years on deep out routes. Michael Penix can hit him there. I think this is a guy who's a dark horse to be the wide receiver one overall lead the NFL in targets and maybe even push for the triple crown.

[Jason Moore]

So big value who has him in Dynasty?

[Andy Holloway]

Drake London. We look at Drake Lennon, could he be the wide receiver one? He's talked about triple crown, could he be the wide receiver one? In fantasy it's always comedic when people put. You get so used to how players are being drafted and then one player goes slightly out of order and everybody's eyes are like whoa. Like I took Puka Nakua over Jefferson in a league recently and it was oh my gosh, what are you doing?

[Mike Wright]

It's two picks.

[Andy Holloway]

I feel like Drake London's in that camp. Like if you took him over cd if you took him over Amun Ra, if you took him over Puka, would that be appropriate?

[Jason Moore]

It definitely could be. It's a matter of your belief, I think in Michael Pennix, right. If he's going to have the triple crown and be in the running For Wide Receiver 1 Overall Numbers Obviously he's got to have a good quarterback. You're not going to ever have someone as the wide receiver one with a bad quarterback at least I can't think of a possible, I mean example of that.

[Mike Wright]

35 +% target share can help you get there.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, and he could, he could be there because they really need him. The reason that we have talked recently positively about Kyle Pitts is because there's not a lot of people to throw the ball to. And it's Drake London. Drake London and Drake London.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, yeah. And that's our first MVP pick here from Matt Harmon. We'll move on to our second MVP pick. Rich Rebar at Lord Reeves over on X from Sharp Football Analysis with his MVP pick.

[Rich Rebar]

Since I'm hitting at Madden curse level since you guys introduced this segment, the player I'm going to curse this season is rookie wide receiver Tetaroa McMillan. You look at McMillan as a 19 year old freshman, eight touchdowns, 18 yards per catch. Carried that through the rest of his collegiate career. He closed second in this draft class in yards per team pass attempt. Last year he was seventh in yards per out run. This is a 6 foot 4, 219 pound monster. He enters the NFL where that archetype is a little less prevalent than previous eras. But this is a player that I don't offer believe offers linear production. He has some versatility to his game. Last season he forced the missed tackle on 35% of his receptions. That was third in this class. He also did play in the slot for 21.6% of his snaps. Re averaged 4.48 yards per route run. Now he enters a Carolina offense helmed by Dave Canales who has funneled his offenses through his wide receiver ones. Whether it be Mike Evans two years ago, Deontay Johnson for the open of last year, then Adam Thielen to close last year. We'll see if Thielen remains on the team through this last week of the offseason or even through the, you know, the trade deadline. And when Bryce Young had tet on the field this preseason, he Targeted him on 36 and a half percent of his routes were 3.91 yards per route run. I believe Ted's getting punished for what happened with Martin Marvin Harrison Jr. Last year. He should be a smash wide receiver too. And one of the best picks you can make at ADP at wide receiver this season.

[Andy Holloway]

All right, Tettero McMillan. One thing he mentioned in the middle of that very well backed prediction Reeves.

[Mike Wright]

Always has the stats.

[Andy Holloway]

It's just the reminder like we just joked about Deontay Johnson and the amount of teams he's been on. Yeah, there was a point in time last season. Last season where he was dominating 14 targets 8 receptions, 13 targets 7 receptions. Wide receiver 4, 10, 12 with Dave Canales with this offense and it feels like that was 40 years ago. It wasn't. It was last year that the Deontay Johnson has been separated from five other teams. Was dominating in this offense.

[Jason Moore]

There was also a time last year and I know it's. I brought it up a couple of times. We just can't believe it was true. Where Adam Thielen dominated on this offense with Bryce Young.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, dude.

[Jason Moore]

So I mean this is who's better? Tetarola McMillan, top 10 NFL draft pick or 34 year old Adam Thielen or poisonous Deontay Johnson?

[Andy Holloway]

Poisonous. That's a good word. Yeah, it's definitely wheels up for tat like we were talking about with the Jalen Coker conversation. That's our second MVP pick. We'll take a break and jump into some more. All right, let's turn the page here. We've got Drake London, we've got Ted Arrow McMillan, a couple of wide receivers so far. Nathan Yankee from PFF lead fantasy analyst over there with his MVP pick.

[Nathan Yankee]

My fantasy MVP this year is Jordan Mason, the new running back of the Minnesota vikings. He averages 5.3 yards per carry and was sixth in fantasy points through five weeks last season. Reports suggest a 5050 split with Aaron Jones, but the roles matter. Mason has the early dawn back which typically scores more fantasy points and Jones on passing downs. Mason is also the more explosive of the two with 15 plus yards on 8% of his career carries versus 4% for Jones each of the last two seasons. Kevin O' Connell keeps his running back usage fluid, so if Mason is playing better then he should earn more playing time. I also expect an improved Vikings offense. Minnesota has elevated quarterbacks like Kirk Cousins and Sam Darnold. I expect J.J. mcCarthy to be just as good, if not better than those quarterbacks. T.J. hawkinson should be healthier this season and left tackle Christian Derrissa is back with his top six run block raid over the last two seasons. They also completely reworked the interior of the offensive line, so I expect the Vikings offense to be better in several areas this season. The team should be among the league leaders and points scored and I expect Mason as their goal line running back to be scoring a lot of those touchdowns. Best of all, he works Regardless of draft strategy, zero running back, hero running back or even after taking early backs, still draft Jordan Mason. Thanks for having me.

[Andy Holloway]

All right. Appreciate that. Jordan Mason has come up quite a bit this offseason. I, I've had the hardest time when I see Aaron Jones dropping in drafts. When I see Jordan Mason.

[Mike Wright]

I have had hard time with Aaron Jones too.

[Andy Holloway]

You know, it's one of those things where it's like reminds me a little bit of Breeze hall and Braylon Allen situation where we're kind of fatigued a little bit with, you know, the years and years of Aaron Jones and Breeze hall. And here's Jordan Mason who had some games in San Francisco last year, got obviously brought over with a purpose. But I've had a hard time kind of figuring out where to pull the trigger. Do you take Aaron Jones if he drops late? He seems to be one of the starters dropping the latest.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, I would definitely, I would definitely take Aaron Jones ahead of Jordan Mason, but hopefully, I mean on average draft position, he is going well ahead. It's, it's really when Aaron Jones goes where he should be going in drafts and then late in drafts, Jordan Mason sitting there, he is a real value. He could be one of those flex with benefits that Mike talks about where a starter on a regular basis. But then should something happen to the elder statesman incumbent starter, then he's wildly involved. My only issue with Jordan Mason every time I go to pull the trigger is just his lack of existing pass catching work.

[Andy Holloway]

And they don't need him to be that there.

[Jason Moore]

No, no, they don't. So my only hope is that if Aaron Jones were to go down and Jordan Mason gets an opportunity to have the whole workload, would he add pass catching to that a little bit?

[Mike Wright]

I don't think a. Probably not a wild amount.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, I don't, I don't have the.

[Andy Holloway]

Opportunity to have another committee back.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, I think when Christian McCaffrey went down a great pass catcher, it wasn't like Jordan Mason came in and caught passes. So you've got a goal line back and a talented between the tackles. Right.

[Mike Wright]

The issue when you're looking at because Aaron Jones in the sixth like that by itself standalone, you're like, okay, he should be the, you know, maybe he's the early down guy. That, that remains to be seen. But they did, they gave him, you know, some money. It's going in the six high powered offense. But in the sixth round is also, you know.

[Andy Holloway]

Are you talking about Aaron Jones or.

[Mike Wright]

Are you talking Aaron Jones?

[Andy Holloway]

Okay.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah. Because in the sixth. If you're. If your target is Aaron Jones but you go into the six, you got George Pickens in that round, you got DeAndre Swift, you got Tony Pollard going in that area of the draft. So you're, you're bypassing those guys. And then you know, Jordan Mason's in the ninth, so you, it's like you can get a piece of the Minnesota Vikings offense for cheaper and still. And then be like, oh, no, I got. I want to bet on DeAndre Swift.

[Andy Holloway]

The hardest part is just you, which is like, would you put Jordan Mason out in your lineup in a flex spot in week one? I think that's the question people don't know how to answer.

[Jason Moore]

No, I think you would not.

[Mike Wright]

Oh, I'd be willing to do it.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah. So there's where I've passed on Mason, but the opportunities in front of him and the team, if they give him more of the workload, it's a huge opportunity. All right, J.J. zachary Sin's next at Late Round Quarterback, host of the Late Round fantasy football podcast Living the Stream. He has been a part of this show for quite some time. I am sort of teasing, like, before I put this up, I just don't know what graphic that's what I was wanting.

[Jason Moore]

I was just like, we usually put his little kid picture. I don't know what.

[Andy Holloway]

Let's find out.

[J.J. Zachary]

Hello, you beautiful gentlemen. It's your good buddy JJ here to give you my fantasy MVP for this 2025 season. I really tried to not go with this player because he's just cruising up draft boards at the moment. It's like I'm just leaning into the hype, but I'm having a hard time not saying Trayvon Henderson Henderson looked great in the Zap model and that's no surprise because his pass catching profile was awesome coming out of Ohio State as a freshman, the dude caught 27 balls for 312 yards and four touchdowns. That was on a team with Jackson, Smith and Jigba, Garrett Wilson, Chris olave, Marvin Harrison Jr. And A.

[Andy Holloway]

Mecca Igbuka.

[J.J. Zachary]

Now in New England, he's sharing a backfield with Ramandre Stevenson. Stevenson might steal a lot of that ground game work, but he's coming off a really poor season and yards per out run. I'm expecting Henderson to capture as high as a 15% target share in that offense and maybe the rushing volume for him will be higher than we expect. It doesn't even have to be insane for him to hit in a PPR format. Since 2011, there have been just five instances where a running back hit between a 50% and 60% running back rush share and a 13% to 16% target share. Those are both well within Henderson's range of outcomes. Those five running backs ranked 18th, 13th, 12th, 8th and 6th in PPR points per game. I'm in on Henderson because his floor is really solid, but he has room to grow for a really nice ceiling outcome too.

[Andy Holloway]

All right. I've never even heard of that guy, Mike.

[Mike Wright]

Which one? Henderson or jj?

[Andy Holloway]

I mean, we're in a chopped league. On Sleeper. I took Ramon Dre late because I think I know the train is coming, but it's like if I'm going to get anything out of Ramondre, it's going to be the first couple of weeks when he gets the most work. He's probably going to see all year. Henderson, you know, he's not going to be every down, but he is going to be so efficient for this offense.

[Jason Moore]

He's very, very talented, man.

[Mike Wright]

15% target share, guys. If he, if he hit 15%, goodness gracious, he's going to be incredible. And I agree with JJ like that. It is something that could happen when we, you know, we, the, the New England Patriots, they, we've talked about them a good amount of their, their win total is much higher than you expect. And it's like. And the wide receivers, it's Stefan Diggs and then you got like Pop Douglas. Okay, it's a fine slot player, but who's the wide receiver? 3. No idea. Henderson might absorb a lot of targets.

[Andy Holloway]

All right, Trayvon Henderson, Jordan Mason, two running backs in a row. We've got Kyle Borgononi, his MVP pick coming up right now.

[J.J. Zachary]

What's up, foot Clan? For the 2025 season, my pick for MVP is Colts rookie tight end Tyler Warren. If home leagues are essentially a vicious street fight against your league mates, I want someone on my team who is a certifiable dog. From the wildcat formations at Penn State to being an absolute terror in man to man coverage, Warren is simply a matchup nightmare in the NFL. Ignore your platform's ADP and be willing to take Warren a round or two ahead of the rest of the Jabronis in your league who are waiting on tight end late.

[Andy Holloway]

The Jabronis and the Borgnonis. Look, my guy, I've been reaching on him everywhere and sometimes I've missed because somebody else has done it.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah.

[Jason Moore]

Do not play the ADP game with Tyler Warren. You will if you want him. And you're like, well, according to his ADP, he might be at my next pick.

[Mike Wright]

6Th round.

[Jason Moore]

Let me look at whatever the last league I've been in.

[Andy Holloway]

You know, Tyler Warren went sixth round.

[Mike Wright]

In a two QB because his ad.

[Andy Holloway]

No, he went six round. Yeah, he went six round. He went ahead of.

[Mike Wright]

His ADP is late eighth.

[Jason Moore]

So seventh round in went ahead of Ingram. Our league of shadows were playing with Eisenhower. So I mean he's. I think seventh round is where you're going to have to take him.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah. And that's fine. Yeah, I mean that's the other part of the equation to me. Like I'd do it, I would try.

[Jason Moore]

To do it at that point. You know, I talk about the lack of wanting to take a fifth round tight end even though they're presumably better because in the fifth round there are really good running backs and wide receivers. But when I look at what you're taking Tyler Warren over Javante Williams and Tyrone Tracy and it's like those guys could work out but you're in a spot where it's like take a shot at a huge. You know, Javante Williams is not going to win you your fantasy league. Like there's no world where that happens this year. Clip that. But Tyler Warren could.

[Andy Holloway]

He would need to take some drugs. All right. Matthew Betts, our injury expert, one of the hosts of the DFS and the betting dyno pod or the DFS embedding and the dyno pod. There you go. I just throwing words out there with his fantasy MVP pick.

[Matthew Betts]

What's going on Foot clan. In the middle rounds of my drafts, I like to harness the mentality of someone like Ricky Bobby. If you ain't first, you're last. After we've locked up our starting running backs and wide receivers with projectable volume with our first few picks, we should be shooting for massive upside in the middle rounds of our drafts, not drafting for safety. And this year's ADP landscape presents a unique opportunity to draft a wide receiver with true league winning potential. Your 2025 fantasy MVP is none other than Travis Hunter. Sure, he could play more corner than we realize and it might be tough to play both ways in the NFL, but this dude is different. And if we knew we were getting a full time wide receiver in this scheme, with this draft capital, he'd be going way earlier in drafts. Liam Cohen has already suggested Hunter will play around 80% of the snaps on offense and that should be plenty of opportunity for Hunter to crush this ADP currently going off the board in the sixth or seventh round, depending on Your platform. Hunter is an awesome target as your wide receiver. 3 In drafts this weekend. Good luck, Foot Clan, and let's bring home those hashtag Foot Clan titles.

[Andy Holloway]

Do ball. Travis Hunter, I do not feel, has gotten enough love on this show or in the fantasy community because he plays corner. If we were able to just very. In a. In a linear way.

[Mike Wright]

Because he's also the number two. Like, when Brian Thomas Jr's on the team, you don't imagine Travis Hunter's walking in and be like. Like Ted McMillan.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, no, that's like, he's the dude. It's fair. But our analysis gets. It's not clean. Right. Like, if he was. Let's say Travis Hunter was just the best wide receiver in college football and drafted a number 2. If Malik neighbors landed on that team, I think we'd have. We'd have talked about him more, is my point, I think a little bit. And I agree with what you're saying. That's the Brian Thomas thing. I just. It's very easy for us. We go to Tedro McMillan, it's like, you're the dude.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah.

[Andy Holloway]

Travis Hunter, is there a possibility he's just the dude? I don't know if we can get there.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, I think it's both. It's the fact that he's going to be playing cornerback, and he is. He's absolutely going to be playing both ways. So exciting to see how that works. But the talent is there. He has, you know, the potential to be the wide receiver rookie of the year.

[Andy Holloway]

I mean, Mike Evans has been a one his entire career, right?

[Jason Moore]

Yep.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah.

[Andy Holloway]

Okay. We've sit. We've had Chris Godwin be a dominant fantasy force a lot in a. In a Liam Cohen offense. He was on a roll. So it's 1A, 1B potential, I guess, is what I'm saying.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, there is the potential for that, of course. Yeah.

[Andy Holloway]

So Travis Hunter's the pick. We'll move on. We got great friend of the show, Jamie Eisenberg, fantasy football NFL analyst for CBS Sports.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

It's Jamie Eisenberg from CBS Sports. My fantasy MVP for the 2025 season is Christian McCaffrey.

[Mike Wright]

Bang.

[Jamie Eisenberg]

He's a top five overall player. For me, I'm taking him as the number three running back, John Robinson and Jameer Gibbs. And by the time we get to week one, I might like him better than both those guys. There's just so much upside with McCaffrey. You know what he's capable of when healthy. He scores like a quarterback over 24 PPR points. Per game in 2023. 2024 was a disaster, as we're all aware. Only playing four games. Achilles injury, knee injury. It was a Greek tragedy. But I think McCaffrey will be back and hopefully better than ever. Look, everything around him is falling apart. The backup running backs are decimated. They had to go trade for Brian Robinson. The receiving core is a mess. He's going to be involved in the passing game, maybe to a higher level than we saw in that 2023 campaign. As long as he stays healthy, he's going to be in contention to be the best player at his position, one of the best players in all of fantasy. And I want him on my fantasy team. So if I get a pick in the top five and those other four guys in front of him again, Bijan Robinson, Jameer Gibbs, I'll take two receivers over him as well for now in Jamar Chase and Ceedee Lamb. I just think McCaffrey's got maybe more upside than anybody we've seen. So hopefully he stays healthy for the entire season. Hopefully by the end of the year, we're Talking about Christian McCaffrey leading a lot of people to fantasy championships.

[Andy Holloway]

Well, Mike, like that. I heard three hopefulies in there. And that is the story of McCaffrey.

[Jason Moore]

Is there's a handful of players where there's not really a lot to analyze. If he's on the field, he's great. He's not always on the field. So you're just playing a little bit. As you know, some people love slot machines. Okay.

[Mike Wright]

Right.

[Jason Moore]

And that's what this is. It's put the money in, and people.

[Mike Wright]

Do win money there.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah.

[Andy Holloway]

All right, we have one more before we share our MVVP selections for 2025. It's Rich Eisenhower of the Rich Eisen show and everywhere else. Rich Eisen, legend of the industry. Here we go.

[Jason Moore]

My fantasy football MVP for 2025 is going to be Jameer Gibbs. I have a feeling. I don't know what it is. I just feel he's going to get the ball a lot more, and I feel like his home run ability from the last couple of years is just going to get more tape measure. So I'm looking at you, Detroit, I'm looking at you to get the ball to Jameer Gibbs. And, yeah, I understand he might get vultured by Knuckles, but I think Sonic is going to go crush it. My two cents.

[Mike Wright]

Eisen's got the vibes. The Gibbs vibes.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah. And he also drafted Gibbs in our.

[Mike Wright]

He did.

[Andy Holloway]

I almost shadows.

[Jason Moore]

I almost took Gibbs There because I was one pick ahead. You knew Eisen and we had this video in. So I knew that was like his guys, like, if I don't take Gibbs there. But I couldn't take him over Barkley personally. So I took Barkley and he got his. He got his Gibbs.

[Andy Holloway]

So Jameer Gibbs, I mean, I've said it, I believe he could be the number one overall running back very easily this year. I don't think people are giving that enough, you know, potential.

[Jason Moore]

I was thinking about this this morning, knowing we're going to talk about Gibbs, and I've had a slight bear case for him. With the workload of David Montgomery and how high he's being drafted, I've really cooled on that Gibbs is too talented. He is probably the best offensive weapon, including Amon Ross St. Brown on the Lions, which is a great offense. And so the idea of not getting him more and more involved as his career gets more and more into his prime would be foolish. Obviously, David Montgomery is there. He's going to score plenty of, you know, goal line touchdowns. But Gibbs, just too good. He's just too talented to be stupid and make a bear case against him.

[Andy Holloway]

All right, we have three more to reveal. Our own fantasy football MVPs for 2025. Let's take a break and come back with some league winners. All right, to run it back, Rich Eisen had Jameer Gibbs as an mvp. Jamie Eisenberg with cmc. Matthew Betts with Travis Hunter. Kyle Borgononi with Tyler Warren. Love that. J.J. zachary Some with Travion Henderson, Nathan Yankee with Jordan Mason. Rich Rebar with Teterom McMillan and Matt Harmon with Drake London. Jason, who is your fantasy football MVP for 2025?

[Jason Moore]

My fantasy football MVP for 2025 is rookie running back for the Pittsburgh Steelers, Caleb Johnson. This is a player I adored the film on and not everybody did. There were disagreements on whether or not he was truly an elite college prospect or not because he's a patient running style with explosive afterburners. Once he gets going, and we've seen that already in the preseason. There's been tons of reports from camp. He was, you know, named offensive rookie for them. And Caleb Johnson has been very good so far. I think early on he's had some, you know, reports of not the best pass protection. Look, that really is overblown. I know he's a rookie and you want to get on the field of being good at pass protection is great. But for fantasy football purposes, you go back and look at who is PFF's lower graded, you know, pass protectors. A lot of times it's the guys getting dump offs. Go figure. So Caleb Johnson, first of all, ignore the depth chart. He's a rookie. You know this. I know you got Arthur Smith there. But you know, for what it's worth, Devon Achan started third on Miami depth chart at this point in time. Look at what he did in college production profile wise and how that translates to the NFL. He had a 52% dominator rating in his final year at Iowa. That's a wild stat. The most predictive stat from college to the pros is rushing touchdowns for running backs. He had 21 rushing touchdowns his final year and this was a team where he was the yards per team play. It was Caleb Johnson. Like the defense knew who to stop. It was Caleb Johnson. Here are the round one through three NFL draft picks. So a day two pick or earlier who had a 40% Dominator score and a two plus yards per team play, it's Le'Veon Bell, Derek Henry, Christian McCaffrey, Saquon Barkley, Dalvin Cook, Breeze Hall, Achan and Caleb Johnson. He is a really good running back. You know, a lot of people in this preseason have complained about a lack of explosiveness, you know, because he is that patient run style. He hit 22 miles per hour in college. He is fast. Forget the 40 time, only 4% of running back attempts go for 15 plus yards. But when you get that break, can you take it to the house? I promise you Caleb Johnson can. You will see a 40 plus yard rushing touchdown this year from Caleb Johnson. He had eight forced missed tackles this preseason that led the whole preseason. He only had 24 total attempts. So just for context there, only three running backs all last season had eight force missed tackles on 24 or fewer attempts in a game. James, Conner, Henry and Mixon like he, he's a good back and you look at the situation, that's the final thing I want to say is his situation I think is really nice. For fantasy for being a good draft pick. You've got Ashton Genti being drafted at in the first round. You know he's going to, you got to get lucky to even get him. Amarian Hampton, he's, he's at the. I looked at the ADP across all platforms and I took each rookie's top because they're, they're probably all going to go ahead of what their ADP is right now. Amari and Hampton was 304 ADP. Travion Henderson is 407 ADP, the highest ADP on Caleb is the 611. He's at that 6, 7 turn and on some platforms he's in the ninth round. He's got to compete with Jalen Warren. Okay, Jalen Warren's a starter. He's going to start the year as the starter. But Jalen Warren's never had 150 carries in his career and at the goal line. Do you think Jalen Warren's a starter? He is not. He had four carries inside the five last year. You've got a team that obviously you've got Arthur Smith there. Oh, I don't like that. But Arthur Smith was there last year when Najee Harris, a slow plotting Najee Harris had, you know, 300 plus opportunities and Jalen Warren was the helpful back. I think Caleb Johnson is too good to stay off the field by the end of the year. I think he has the chance to be a workhorse back here a league winning back and he doesn't cost the farm. He can be a non starter week one. He can go in your flex for where you can get him in draft. So I think he's my fantasy mvp. I love the talent and I expect him to be a very good player this season.

[Andy Holloway]

Mike, thoughts on Caleb Johnson?

[Mike Wright]

I'm not as hot and bothered as Jason is but I do like the draft cost of getting. He was third round NFL pick.

[Andy Holloway]

Jackson, he was pick 83 overall which.

[Jason Moore]

Was their second pick. They didn't have a second rounder.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah and I mean they really needed him. They, they chose Warren over Najee. Like that for sure happened. And I don't know if this was part of the plan of they said okay well we're going to let Najee go because in this draft class we can find the bigger body player for that type of that archetype for our offense. He is where he's going in the drafts. I think it is a fine upside pick.

[Andy Holloway]

I'm a little worried that people will end up taking the pick and getting nothing for a while and then feel.

[Mike Wright]

Like I do think it starts and.

[Andy Holloway]

Feeling like well what do I do now with this dude on my bench and am I actually just waiting for an injury? I'm not as comfortable with the player or situation as Jason is. Jason's been strongly convicted. I remember him having the same convictions around Breeze hall and then Breeze hall working out.

[Jason Moore]

So one of my favorite things about Caleb Johnson is that it is not universal. Who doesn't love Trayvon Henderson? Well now everybody, you know, I mean.

[Andy Holloway]

It'S true even of the NFL GMs because RJ Harvey, Quinchon Judkins, Trayvon Henderson, these are all players that went ahead of Caleb Johnson on teams that needed running backs.

[Jason Moore]

Exactly. So I don't think like me making him my fantasy mvp. Steven, right now, I don't think he's going to go super high in your drafts. So that's what I love about him. He's actually could be a value.

[Andy Holloway]

It's crazy because I think you were so close. I mean you got the like, you know the guys on the beach that bring out the metal detectors and they go searching. They go searching. Like you had the metal detector out and you were so close and you started digging and you accidentally got a tin can. But if you had gone a little bit down the beach, same team, you would have found the true fantasy mvp.

[Jason Moore]

Oh, okay. So I just, I heard the beeps.

[Andy Holloway]

But it was actually coming a little bit down the way. DK Metcalf will be your fantasy football MVP for 2025. Metcalf is a, he's a perfect match for Aaron Rodgers in this offense. He will have like, unrelated to this debate and discussion and bringing MVP forward. I literally. We were going through our UDK rankings the other day. I look at Jason and I and I'll just pull it up right now and I'm going, is this, is this really the depth chart at wide receiver in Pittsburgh? Is this actually what they're going into the season with?

[Mike Wright]

You're darn tooting.

[Andy Holloway]

I mean Robert Woods.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah.

[Andy Holloway]

Calvin Austin and Roman Wilson.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah.

[Andy Holloway]

And Ben Skoronic somewhere.

[Jason Moore]

Ben Skoronic.

[Andy Holloway]

I mean DK Metcalf. This is, this is. Even if you don't believe in him, which I do, I think the money says the league believes in him and he is a true alpha. He has the capability to be a top five receiver, no question. But even if you just look at the sheer mathematics, the math equation, the targets, like it's almost impossible to not be a super relevant fantasy football wide receiver with the targets. I think DK Metcalf will get in this offense. Over the last five years, 74 wide receivers have hit 130 plus targets, which seems like a shoe in. I doubt any of us have them for fewer than 130 targets. 92% of those are top 24, 89% are top 20, 65% are top 12. He runs all the routes, he is physical on the goal line. He is going to be targeted a record breaking amount of times for his career. I mean, I'll look it up real quick. His career High in targets is 141. I'll be shocked if he doesn't get in the 160s, 170s in this offense. Same problem with Arthur Smith. I understand it. I just don't know what you do on offense. I literally don't. They brought him in there intentionally and jettisoned George Pickens, who you guys love this year in, you know, in Dallas, obviously. This is DK Metcalf show and this is a fourth, late, fourth round pick. I got him at a steal yesterday in a draft to be my wide receiver one. Like I went. If you go running back heavy and you're trying to identify which guy you want to lock in as a potential later wide receiver one, to me, he is that guy.

[Mike Wright]

All right.

[Jason Moore]

You know, I agree. I mean, he was my value pick. I think that he is mispriced in fantasy. And because he's going into his seventh year, it's not going to change. People aren't going to become excited overnight. He's just a valuable pick for where he's going in drafts.

[Andy Holloway]

All right, Mike, do you want me get the tape from last year? Are you going. Are you going to do it fresh now? We're.

[Mike Wright]

We're running it back. Ladies and gentlemen, we are talking about the great Kenneth Walker. Ken Bone Walker. I'm going to back him again here in it. Where's the boo.

[Jason Moore]

You want to.

[Mike Wright]

I can boo myself. That's fine. I'll allow it.

[Andy Holloway]

He booed himself.

[Mike Wright]

I was doing it for you.

[Andy Holloway]

Thanks, man.

[Jason Moore]

It's a man of honor.

[Mike Wright]

I mean, like, it's cool. You just don't like 14.4 points per game, which is what Kenneth Walker did last year. The story. The story is he played 11 games. He did he like, he let you down in that aspect. He was not available. And to talk to that, like, I.

[Andy Holloway]

Will stay super positive, Mike. I'm not gonna. I'm not gonna go against you on this. I fully acknowledge. I think Ken Walker could be a game breaker if things go the right way for him, which is not just the injury thing. It's everything, right? It's the big picture. It's the scheme and everything that's setting up. We talked about Darnold. Darnold was my pick for.

[Mike Wright]

To be the new Sam Darnold. The new Sam Darnold.

[Andy Holloway]

Like, I think he'll do the same thing in Seattle. They'll be more successful. They will be in the running for the division. And so that comes on the back of Ken Walker. I'll be positive for you Today ken.

[Mike Wright]

Walker, year one and year two, he played in 15 games and of course I want that to be 17. But running backs, for them to miss one to two games a year, that is not uncommon. Especially when you are utilized as a workhorse running back. Which, that's how Ken Walker has been used. He like, you know, in 41 career games played, he has seen and you can see this on our, on the fantasy footballers.com we have, we call it the workhorse rating which is a percentage of total team rushing attempts and targets. He's seen 31% of the total rush attempts and the targets over his career. Anything over 30% is elite. You know, just for that stat. Over the last three years only four running backs have averaged 13 or more PPR points plus a 30% work workhorse rating each year. That's Barkley, Henry Mixon and Kenneth Walker. The question of, you know, coming out of the, in, out of the draft, can he catch? Well, his first couple years a 7% target share, an 8% target share last year was 14%. They relied on him as a pass catching running back. He is.

[Andy Holloway]

You think that happens again in a new office?

[Mike Wright]

I don't, I don't think he gets to 14% but I'm just saying of the team saw it that they can't, they can use him. They can, they can check it down to Ken Walker. You don't have to go to your, your spare running backs as Seattle has done. You know, they did back in the past. The, the injuries in training camp are not great. I totally accept that. And, and Charbonnet, the, you know, the talk is he's looked better in preseason, Charbonnet has looked great. But what really stood out to me was the blocking scheme that like the Kube system, the Kubiak system coming into Seattle is very fascinating to me. I mentioned this yesterday that the team on their 53 man roster kept four tight ends and two fullbacks. This is a team that last year they won 10 games. They went 10 and seven and they fired their offensive coordinator and changed quarterbacks because they jettisoned two wide receivers, right? This wasn't the system that they had success, but it wasn't the system that they wanted to run. And while Charbs is fine, like if he gets the opportunity, I think he will have some success. Kenneth Walker is a different level of talent. You know the missed tackles we've brought this up of, of he's essentially number one and just forcing.

[Andy Holloway]

Very good at the individual statistics on a per game basis and so very.

[Mike Wright]

Good at those, install a, an actual real professional blocking scheme and let Ken Walker do what he can do with his talent in the. He. He's being drafted in the fourth round. The level of work, like the workhorse rating that, that he's had over his career, generally speaking, that'd be a second round pick. Like, if you didn't have to worry about the training camp injury stuff, I think he would be going way higher. But it's there. He is practicing right now. The plan, ladies and gentlemen, the plan.

[Andy Holloway]

Have a plan. I mean, that tells.

[Mike Wright]

You have to have a plan that.

[Andy Holloway]

Tells you everything you need to know. Their head coach had to establish a unique, different plan to try to stop him from being hurt all the time. Jason, thoughts on Ken Walker?

[Jason Moore]

He is one of those players where I feel like where he's going in drafts, I will always take someone else because there's other guys I like in that range. And every time I go, man, I hope I'm not, like, I, I'm not confident that I'm not watching.

[Andy Holloway]

Mike has a type, though, doesn't he?

[Jason Moore]

Oh, Mike has a type. They're great when they're on the field. You just don't know if they'll be out there. It's a real boom bust.

[Andy Holloway]

Christian McCaffrey, Ken Walker, when they're out there, they're the best ever.

[Jason Moore]

And, you know, you play for first and Mike really does. That's right for first.

[Andy Holloway]

What is the, what is the statistical, though?

[Jason Moore]

No, there are no, there's no one I have ever played fantasy football with more than Mike, who has never finished between, like, tenth and third.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah.

[Jason Moore]

Like, ever.

[Mike Wright]

Every year. Because I love biscuits, baby.

[Jason Moore]

You're either you're, you're, you're in it and you're, you know, near that championship game, or you are in danger of the punishment. Like, that's. You are. You are playing with dynamite.

[Andy Holloway]

All right, let me.

[Jason Moore]

And you have a lot of titles.

[Andy Holloway]

Let's play a game here. Percentage chance that Christian McCaffrey plays 16 or more games. Give me the percentage team.

[Mike Wright]

16 or more.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, I'm giving him a game. I'm letting him miss a game.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, well, I was saying, like, sorry, not 16.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, yeah, 16.

[Mike Wright]

I mean, 16 is like, that's what I'd say for almost all running backs. I'm good. Like, when a, when a running back makes it to 17 games or 16, they only miss one. Like, that's a great season.

[Andy Holloway]

15.

[Mike Wright]

Okay, thank you. Just say, like, just like, oh, he missed.

[Andy Holloway]

You understand the point of my question What? Whatever you define healthy as, if you define it as 16 games. I just want to know the percentage chance. I want to do some math here.

[Jason Moore]

Okay.

[Andy Holloway]

Percentage chance of McCaffrey playing a full season.

[Jason Moore]

By your definition, is this for everybody or just Mike?

[Andy Holloway]

It's just for Mike.

[Jason Moore]

Okay.

[Andy Holloway]

I just want to see.

[Mike Wright]

Let's go at 15 games. I will put it at. I mean, that's like a 50. 50 shot, probably.

[Andy Holloway]

Okay, 50%. Same question. Ken Walker.

[Mike Wright]

Ooh, I'll go under that. Let's go 40%.

[Andy Holloway]

40%. And then let's. Just for the. For the sake of argument and historical analysis. T. Higgins.

[Mike Wright]

Oh, T. Higgins. To appear in 15 games.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah.

[Mike Wright]

3%.

[Andy Holloway]

3%. I guess I was just like. I think what's coming through about the type.

[Jason Moore]

You multiply those times each other, right?

[Andy Holloway]

I was like, you're a gambling man, but what kind of odds do you like? Because do you need all three of those guys to play 15, so win a title? Is that the. Is that the math equation, or would you not stack these on a roster?

[Mike Wright]

No, I'm willing to stack them.

[Andy Holloway]

I'm willing to go that math. I don't. I don't know if anybody out there is a mathematician, but. 50%, 40%. 3%.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, you just multiply those.

[Andy Holloway]

That's all you got to do, I'm pretty sure. Why didn't you do it, then? You could have been.

[Jason Moore]

I thought that's what you were doing. This was your bit. Why am I being held accountable for your bit?

[Andy Holloway]

Okay. I guess I wanted to figure out what the odds were that all three could.

[Jason Moore]

Well, are we sticking with 3%? Because that's not a realistic number.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, I don't know what actual. The actual percentage of them hitting. They. They have a high percentage chance of getting hurt, I would say. Yeah, but it's like if they. If Walker plays 15, he's going to be. He will be a top 10 running.

[Jason Moore]

If we gave T. Higgins a 40% chance, then there's an 8% chance that all three.

[Andy Holloway]

Okay, that's what I'd at. Look.

[Mike Wright]

Never tell me the odds.

[Andy Holloway]

Never tell him the odds, do you? Yeah, yeah. So, Ken Walker, you said if he's healthy, He's a top 10 running back. Is that what you say?

[Mike Wright]

If he plays 15 games, he'll be a top 10.

[Andy Holloway]

You're not threatened by Charbonnet as much, even though. See, I think the team loves Charbonnet.

[Jason Moore]

I think the team.

[Mike Wright]

I think you can love him.

[Jason Moore]

I think he's great.

[Andy Holloway]

I think he'll get a lot of snaps.

[Jason Moore]

I think he will get a lot of snaps. I am equally unafraid of Charbonnet from a standpoint of will Kenneth Walker be great for fantasy.

[Andy Holloway]

He's probably part of the plan. Charbonnet is probably part of the Walker plan.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah. No, I agree. I think Charbonnet will get more work this season when Walker is healthy than.

[Andy Holloway]

He has double digit touchdowns. Mike, do you see double digit touchdowns? Walker, Ken Walker, Absolutely.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, I can see all of that. I mean, again, I pass him in most drafts that I am in because where he's going, I still really like the other players on the board and I hold my breath and I guess at that point I'm almost hoping that he's injured because if he's not, I have to play against him and he's going to be good.

[Andy Holloway]

All right, we have a final mock draft episode tomorrow before the weekend. That'll be fun. No show on Labor Day and then week one will be here. We'll bring you our super bowl picks, starts of the week, matchup breakdowns. Yep. Week one stuff starts.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, baby.

[Andy Holloway]

Next week, do not miss a chance to get in on the Ultimate Draft kit right now for the week in ultimate draftkit.com and come play with us in the megalobol megalo.com goodbye.

[Jason Moore]

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.