The Fantasy MVP Episode w/Expert Picks

Summary

Podcast Summary: Fantasy Footballers - Fantasy MVP Episode w/Expert Picks

Podcast Information

• Title: Fantasy Footballers - Fantasy Football Podcast
• Host/Authors: Andy Holloway, Jason Moore, and Mike "The Fantasy Hitman" Wright
• Episode: The Fantasy MVP Episode w/Expert Picks
• Release Date: August 29, 2019
• Description: An in-depth episode where the hosts, alongside special guests, discuss their picks for the Fantasy MVP of the 2019 NFL season. The episode features expert analysis, strategic insights, and actionable advice to help listeners optimize their fantasy football teams.

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1. Introduction

The episode kicks off with the hosts expressing excitement about the upcoming NFL season and the significance of selecting the right MVP for fantasy football success. They introduce the episode's theme: breaking down their top Fantasy MVP picks for 2019, supported by insights from various industry experts.

Notable Quote:

• Andy Holloway (01:52): "This is your last chance to get in on the Ultimate Draft kit... It's the Fantasy MVP episode."

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2. Expert Contributors and Their MVP Picks

Several fantasy football experts join the discussion, each presenting their unique MVP selections based on player performance projections, team dynamics, and strategic value.

a. Jamie Eisenberg – Nick Chubb

Jamie Eisenberg from CBS Sports selects Nick Chubb as his Fantasy MVP for the first half of the season. He emphasizes Chubb’s potential to deliver consistent high PPR (Points Per Reception) scores, especially with the Browns' improved offensive setup.

Notable Quote:

• Jamie Eisenberg (15:13): "I love the setup for him without Duke Johnson there and with Kareem Hunt suspended for the first eight games."

b. Brad Evans – David Montgomery

Brad Evans from Yahoo Sports crowns David Montgomery as his MVP pick. He highlights Montgomery's versatility and expected workload in the Bears' offense, projecting significant yardage and touchdown opportunities.

Notable Quote:

• David Montgomery (18:46): "Monty rolls Green Bay for 100 combined yards and a score on 17 plus touches."

c. J.J. Zacharison – Lamar Jackson

JJ Zacharison, Editor-in-Chief at FanDuel and a special guest, selects Lamar Jackson as his Fantasy MVP. He underscores Jackson's dual-threat capabilities and his potential to accumulate substantial rushing yards, correlating with past quarterback performances.

Notable Quote:

• J.J. Zacharison (24:51): "Lamar Jackson is a cheat code and he should be everyone's favorite late round quarterback target."

d. Matthew Berry – Chris Carson

Matthew Berry from Rotopass picks Chris Carson of the Seattle Seahawks as his MVP. He points to Carson's high workload, consistent performance, and the Seahawks' run-heavy offense as key factors.

Notable Quote:

• Matthew Berry (28:20): "Chris Carson is set to be an RB1 this season. His volume is going to be there."

e. Marcus Grant – Carson Wentz

Marcus Grant from NFL Fantasy Live chooses Carson Wentz as his MVP, betting on Wentz's improved health and the Eagles' offensive prowess to elevate his fantasy production.

Notable Quote:

• Marcus Grant (31:54): "Carson Wentz is my fantasy MVP for 2019. He has the talent and the opportunity to stay healthy and perform consistently."

f. Evan Silva – Mike Evans

Evan Silva from Establish the Run selects Mike Evans of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as his MVP. He credits Evans's reliable target share and the offensive scheme under Bruce Arians to his projected top-tier performance.

Notable Quote:

• Evan Silva (34:07): "Mike Evans is going to take over much of DeSean Jackson's role and lead the wide receiver rankings in fantasy."

g. Jake Seeley – Josh Jacobs

Jake Seeley, senior writer for The Athletic Fantasy and host of the upcoming Fantasy Footballers DFS podcast, names Josh Jacobs of the Oakland Raiders as his MVP. He praises Jacobs's potential for high touch volume and RB1 value in the third to fourth round.

Notable Quote:

• Jake Seeley (39:10): "Josh Jacobs can do it all, will near or eclipse 300 touches, and return RB1 value in the third round."

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3. Hosts' Fantasy MVP Picks

The hosts reveal their own MVP selections, each backed by strategic reasoning and player potential.

a. Andy Holloway – Sony Michelle

Andy Holloway selects Sony Michel of the New England Patriots as his Fantasy MVP. He cites Michel's explosive playmaking ability, role in a high-powered offense, and impressive preseason performance as reasons for his choice.

Notable Quote:

• Andy Holloway (43:28): "Sony Michel has the capability to produce an ungodly amount of touchdowns and finish as a top five running back."

b. Jason Moore – Tyler Lockett

Jason Moore chooses Tyler Lockett of the Seattle Seahawks as his MVP pick. He highlights Lockett's consistent target volume and big-play potential, despite narratives around regression.

Notable Quote:

• Jason Moore (44:50): "Tyler Lockett is going to get his targets on a weekly basis and certainly on the season."

c. Mike Wright – Devonta Freeman

Mike Wright opts for Devonta Freeman of the Atlanta Falcons as his MVP. He underscores Freeman's role as the primary running back in a potent offense, his high touchdown potential, and the value of acquiring him at a discounted draft position.

Notable Quote:

• Mike Wright (48:32): "Devonta Freeman is the overall number one fantasy running back because the only thing to fear about him is injury."

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4. Discussions and Insights

The episode delves into various strategic discussions surrounding MVP selections and fantasy football dynamics.

a. Ezekiel Elliott's Contract Holdout Impact

A significant portion of the conversation addresses Ezekiel Elliott's potential six-week holdout due to contract negotiations. The hosts analyze how this uncertainty affects fantasy drafts, with Mike Wright sharing his strategy of drafting Elliott while also reaching for backup Tony Pollard to hedge against the holdout.

Notable Quote:

• Mike Wright (09:05): "I'm still okay taking him in the first round. It just means that I'm going to reach for Tony Pollard."

b. Draft Strategies and Player Value

The hosts discuss optimal draft strategies, emphasizing the importance of balancing high-upside picks with reliable performers. They explore the trade-offs between selecting top-tier running backs versus wide receivers and quarterbacks with dual-threat capabilities.

Notable Quote:

• Jason Moore (05:18): "Don't get too high up on the draft day... You win the championship with those waivers and those trades."

c. Off-Season Dynamics and Waiver Wire Influence

Andy Holloway remarks on how the fantasy football landscape has evolved, particularly the increased importance of the waiver wire due to more dynamic backfield roles and the prevalence of multiple impactful running backs per team.

Notable Quote:

• Andy Holloway (05:29): "More backfields have multiple running backs that matter each and every week. So the waiver wire... suddenly it's not just there for the injuries."

d. Evaluating MVP Candidates

Each MVP candidate is scrutinized based on their expected workload, offensive system, positional scarcity, and potential for breakout performances. The discussion includes balancing optimistic projections with realistic assessments of player usage and team performance.

Notable Quote:

• Andy Holloway (15:27): "You want a guy that's going to get you off to a great start."

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5. Notable Quotes

Throughout the episode, several standout quotes encapsulate the hosts' strategic thinking and enthusiasm for fantasy football:

• Jason Moore (24:51): "Lamar Jackson is a cheat code and he should be everyone's favorite late round quarterback target."
• Mike Wright (26:04): "Does that mean I can pick all three?" (referring to favorite times of the year for fantasy football)
• Andy Holloway (44:28): "Sony Michel has the capability to produce an ungodly amount of touchdowns."
• Mike Wright (48:32): "Devonta Freeman is the overall number one fantasy running back because the only thing to fear about him is injury."

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6. Conclusion

The Fantasy MVP Episode concludes with the hosts expressing gratitude to the contributing experts and encouraging listeners to engage with their own MVP picks via social media platforms. They emphasize the collaborative spirit of the fantasy football community and reiterate the importance of strategic planning for a successful season. Additionally, they announce a giveaway for a signed Alvin Camara jersey, fostering further listener interaction and community engagement.

Notable Quote:

• Andy Holloway (51:55): "We're looking forward to... send us your fantasy MVP picks. We'd love to hear from you."

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Final Thoughts

This episode provides a comprehensive exploration of potential Fantasy MVPs for the 2019 NFL season, blending expert opinions with host insights. Listeners gain valuable perspectives on player selection, draft strategies, and navigating off-season uncertainties, all aimed at maximizing their fantasy football success.

Transcript

[Andy Holloway]

Hey, Foot Clan. It's your last chance to get in on the Ultimate Draft kit. You got your drafts coming up. I mean, we see, we see how many of you are in the Ultimate Draft kit right now. And it's hundreds of you. You got your draft each and every night. Some of you this weekend. This is your last chance to get [e-mail] and guess what, it's DFS season as well. We've got the DFS pass. If you want to save a little quiche, you can get the combo atultimatedraftkit.com.

[Mike Wright]

The Fantasy Footballers is brought to you by Head and Shoulders and Walmart. NFL fans always love arguing whether offense wins games or defense wins championships. And we all know that Head and Shoulders is great defense against Fleet.

[Andy Holloway]

I've been very clear. It's great offense for your hair, Mike.

[Jason Moore]

Yes.

[Mike Wright]

But it's also better defense. No matter where you fall in the offense versus defense debate, Head and Shoulders will give you a 100% flake free scalp. Find Head and Shoulders on Walmart.com welcome.

[Jason Moore]

To the Fantasy Footballers podcast coming to you from pristineauction.com studios with your hosts, Andy Holloway, Jason Moore and Mike Wright.

[Andy Holloway]

Welcome in. Gonna be a good one.

[Jason Moore]

It's gonna be great.

[Andy Holloway]

I was speaking before the show with Judge Giamatti. He confirmed gonna be a great show. That's what he said. They all are. He said football's coming soon. I didn't believe him, but then I checked and it is one week.

[Jason Moore]

Well, technically, there's probably football going on today and tomorrow and this weekend and.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, real football.

[Jason Moore]

Real football in one week.

[Andy Holloway]

You always trust an employee when they say that every show is the best. That's the real, most trustworthy source, is the person that makes their living off of your own satisfaction with what they say. You better keep it going, guys. Yeah. Hot streak. It's Thursday, August 29th. Welcome in. This is the Fantasy MVP episode. We have some. We're going to break out our fantasy football MVPs for 2019. We got some special guests who will be bringing their MVP picks. It's a very fun episode.

[Jason Moore]

A Hall of Fame lineup.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah. And they don't get to reply like they are. They break out their picks. Then we, you know, say whatever we want about them and we move on. They have no rebuttal. It's just like we like it.

[Mike Wright]

It's the best way to debate against somebody.

[Andy Holloway]

Have them record their favorite MVP and then never speak to them again. Never again. But we've got some great names that'll be sharing their fantasy football MVPs. We're talking Brad Evans, Evan Silva, JJ Zacharison, Marcus Grant, Jake Seeley, Matthew Barry, Adam Rank, Eisenberg, and then three superstars at the end, Al Borland, Brooks and me.

[Mike Wright]

Oh, we should have made Judge Giamatti give one.

[Jason Moore]

Oh, we know Judge Giamatti's. I think I know your. Correct me if I'm wrong here. Judge Giamatti is your fantasy MVP for this season. David Njoku.

[Andy Holloway]

It'd be a candidate for sure. I figured it was Tony Pollard. I did.

[Mike Wright]

That's where I was going to go.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah. We got some news we'll get into as well. If you want to share your fantasy football MVP picks with us, you can go to twitter@the ffballers on Instagram. Instagram.com fantasy footballers. We're on YouTube and the website is the fantasy footballers.com. here's your quick question of the day. What is your favorite time of year for fantasy football? So apparently rankings, it's very important that we put things in order. Nothing can be equally valued. So you have to pick now. What's your favorite time of year for fantasy football? Is it A, draft day? So this is multiple choice. B, the fantasy season in the playoffs. C, the entire off season. So the NFL playoffs, the super bowl, the NFL draft and training camp. And you now have to pick.

[Jason Moore]

Look, it's an easy pick for me, but it's an. But I do have a cautionary word. It's the draft day. Like draft day is unbelievable. You spend a month, or in our case, a year preparing for that moment. You get your buddies together, you get your spread of treats laid out. It's just a glorious moment. And then of course, when you leave the draft, I mean, you always win. You, you drafted the guys you wanted. Nothing is worse than leaving a draft where you go, man, I hate my team. But the thing is, is I caution everybody, we look, you're listening to the show because you love fantasy football. You've enjoyed the draft or you're about to enjoy the draft. Don't get too high up on the draft day because we say it a lot. That's not where you win the championship. You win the championship with those waivers and those trades and those, those start sit decisions as the year goes on, when you're getting close to the playoffs. And I remember back, you know, a decade ago, I used to get so amped up for the draft that once the draft was over, I was like.

[Mike Wright]

Whoo, I did it.

[Jason Moore]

I'm done. I did it. I'M going to have a great team, a great season. I didn't stick with it. And then, you know, that's where it's like, make the playoffs. First step.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah. And I think, I think fantasy football has changed from a decade ago, too. Like, not only were you, you know, at the beginning of your illustrious career when you made that decision and you've matured from it, but the NFL isn't the same. More backfields have multiple running backs that matter each and every week. So the waiver wire, suddenly it's not just there for the injuries where you pick up the backup. It's also, oh, oh, this guy's got a role. That guy's got a role. Things like that. I will not. I will not choose. Oh, I choose not to choose. I will choose two of them. Draft day and the season. I will not. There are highlights in the off season that happened.

[Mike Wright]

This guy over here.

[Andy Holloway]

I do. I do what I want. There are highlights during the off season. We're in keeper leagues, dynasty leagues, rookie draft, keeper deadlines, NFL draft. Those are all fun highlights. But you know what? No games are being played. So I'm not picking the off season. Draft day is incredible, but I'm rolling that right into the season. We're going to have games being played. I'm choosing A and B. A and B is the answer.

[Jason Moore]

I choose fantasy football. Yeah.

[Mike Wright]

Does that mean I can pick all three?

[Andy Holloway]

Unfortunately, I've already exhausted the multi choice.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, that shtick has been taken. Mike.

[Mike Wright]

Yes, that's fine.

[Andy Holloway]

It was very funny. I have my.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, I have my answer. It's. It is B. And it's only actually, if I have to say my favorite. It's half of B. It's the playoffs.

[Andy Holloway]

B is fantasy season. Playoffs.

[Mike Wright]

We were getting there. But the fantasy playoffs that week, as.

[Jason Moore]

Once, once you're in, it's usually one week for Mike.

[Andy Holloway]

Right?

[Jason Moore]

The fantasy playoffs are one week.

[Mike Wright]

How many league of record championships do you have, Jay? More. More or less than me?

[Jason Moore]

Who has the most recent league of record change, more or less, you or me?

[Mike Wright]

More or less.

[Andy Holloway]

Continue offense or defense look, but that.

[Mike Wright]

Week of the excitement, tinkering with your lineup, making decisions, freaking out, thinking you've made the wrong decisions, just the entire build up to that huge moment of Sunday, which can be thrown off by Thursday Night Football, which.

[Andy Holloway]

That's.

[Mike Wright]

That's a whole new level of tilt when you go into Thursday and Kaimi Fairbairn puts up 20 freaking points as a kicker. Like things. Things get wild in that lead up to the Playoffs.

[Andy Holloway]

I see why it's your favorite time of year.

[Mike Wright]

Well, it's. It's a. It's an. It's an anxiety, but it's a good anxiety that it lets you know you're alive, man.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah. It's a thrill ride. People love roller coasters. It's going to put you through an emotional.

[Mike Wright]

I'm so excited.

[Andy Holloway]

You might throw up at the end. You might throw up.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah.

[Andy Holloway]

All right. We don't have a ton of news. You might have got the alert this morning about this Ezekiel Elliott update of sorts. Jerry Jones kind of hedging. That's what I would say. He suggested that the Cowboys are bracing for up to a six week regular season holdout. He talked about the fact that they need him during the dog days of the season. They need him for the playoffs. They might not need them right away. And this is posturing and positioning for Zeke to miss some games for them to be able to negotiate with the leverage of. We don't care if you're there week one. That's the way that I've interpreted this. But fantasy owners that just drafted Ezekiel Elliott don't want to hear that. That the team is okay going into the season without him on the field. And I know you two were busy adjusting some.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah.

[Andy Holloway]

Projections in the ultimate draft kit based on this admission that this team is willing to take it into the season.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, he's. Elliot's going to be an incredible. It's a tough decision. So we had our listener league draft yesterday. We hadn't had this news, but if you've been following the show, my nerves have been getting more and more rattled realizing that he will, in fact miss some games. I honestly didn't think he. But we don't have a lot to go off of. And I said I'm still going to take Zeke number four. If you look at the rankings, he has plummeted. So I'm actually still okay taking him in the first round. It just means that I'm going to reach for Tony Pollard.

[Andy Holloway]

And that's what you did yesterday.

[Mike Wright]

That's exactly what I did in the league of. In the listener league. I took Zeke at number four. And then in the sixth round, I said, I'm not screwing around. I'm not going to play any games here. Maybe I get him, maybe I don't. I grabbed Tony Pollard there. Yes, it sucks. It sucks to spend a first and a sixth round pick for one position, for one backfield. But we have seen the starting running back for Dallas behind that offensive line have great success when it's not Zeke. Like if you remember the days of Alfred Morris, I mean the guy was running up really high yards per carry when he had looked completely washed in Washington. Tony Pollard is set to be the guy for Dallas. So I, it sucks to combine those two picks but I think between the two of them you have a, a top tier starting running back option 100%.

[Jason Moore]

Last year if you were to have drafted Levy on Bell and James Conner, you were fine because you still had James Conner, right?

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah. And I don't. For what it's worth, I couldn't care less about any of the contract deadlines for tolling seasons with Ezekiel Elliott right at all. You're going to hear a lot about if he doesn't show up in play. Eight games this season doesn't count, which means it's going to get rolled over. Don't care. I care. Not at all because he's in the fourth of a fifth year, you know, rookie deal. He's 100% playing the leverage of I'm not going to play for you until I get a contract. That's not going to change just because he tolls a season because he's still got another whole year under contract.

[Mike Wright]

He wants to be a Cowboy.

[Andy Holloway]

That's all he wants to do is get paid. The public news came out about you're going to get paid, you know the offers between Gurley and Lev Bell. He wants more than Todd Gurley and he'll probably get it and he'll probably get it in week five or six at this point. So it is the unfortunate change that has happened for you know, predictability at the fantasy, you know, in the fantasy world that Jason you talking about 10 years ago you weren't dealing with as much of that. But these players have to protect their bodies. They have to protect their short careers. So right now for fantasy owners make plans for week one, week two and potentially beyond without Ezekiel Elliott, without Melvin Gordon because that's just the way it is. We're going to get into the fantasy MVP part of the show. I want to remind you. Footclaimgiveaway.com we're giving away a signed Alvin Camara jersey courtesy of Pristine Auction. This thing is very nice. Very, very nice. Alvin Camara season very likely to be as nice as this jersey. It's free to enter. You just go to footclangiveaway.com couple free ways to get some entries into that. We'll give it away very soon.

[Jason Moore]

Hey Foot clan. We want to thank today's sponsor and whoa do we want to thank them? Because they are oh so delicious. I'm talking about M and M's hazelnut spread chocolate candies. They're new, they're unbelievable, and they are mighty delicious. Look, everybody out there, you love the chocolate hazelnut spread. You're eating it straight out of of the jar. Now imagine that you take that and you take delicious M and M's chocolate candies and you put them together. Game day just got a whole lot better. I keep my snack count 100. Everybody, everybody knows that about me when I'm watching a football. You know what was at the draft?

[Mike Wright]

Snacks.

[Jason Moore]

And Eminem's hazelnut spread chocolate candies. Because they are so unbelievably good. I've had them, my wife's had them. You've had them, Mike. Andy's had them. They are truly a delight and you will love them. They're brand new. You've got to check them out, Pick them up, try them, give us your feedback because they're unbelievable. The M&Ms. Hazelnut spread chocolate candies are awesome. Go hazelnutty and try the new M and M's hazelnut spread chocolate candies today. Tell us how they are.

[Andy Holloway]

Also look, Fantasy football season, it's here. The NFL season, it is here. And FanDuel has more ways to win cash prizes and once in a lifetime experiences during every game, every single week. Look, if you've never tried FanDuel, it's a nice complement to the season long fantasy football. New users right now get a $5 bonus with their first deposit. It is a perfect. You got, you got your season long games, you're defeating your league rights, you got your fanduel. Don't get stuck with a lineup that you're going to regret. Mike talked about this earlier. Get some shares of these players that you've wanted to have shares of and with FanDuel, you can pick a new team every week. Injuries, they're not going to end your season. Zeke problems. Zeke doesn't have to be on your team.

[Mike Wright]

What?

[Jason Moore]

Problem?

[Mike Wright]

Yeah.

[Andy Holloway]

Get in the action anywhere you want. Sign up for FanDuel now and get a five dollar bonus with your first deposit of at least five dollars. Go to FanDuel.comFootballers or download the FanDuel app and see why FanDuel is way more than just fantasy sports. That's FanDuel.comFootballers. you guys ready?

[Mike Wright]

Oh, I'm ready.

[Jason Moore]

Who's your fantasy MVP?

[Andy Holloway]

All right, we'll get right to it. We're going to start with Jamie Eisenberg. From CBS Sports, this is Jamie Eisenberg from CBS Sports. And my fantasy mvp, at least for the first half of the season, is.

[Jason Moore]

Brown's running back, Nick Chubb. I love the setup for him without.

[Andy Holloway]

Duke Johnson there and with Kareem Hunt suspended for the first eight games, I.

[Jason Moore]

Think Chubb's going to be the best.

[Andy Holloway]

Running back, maybe the best fantasy player, non quarterback for the first eight games of the season.

[Jason Moore]

You figure out the rest once Green punt comes back.

[Andy Holloway]

But you want a guy that's going to get you off to a great start. And we saw what Chubb was able.

[Jason Moore]

To do last year once he took.

[Andy Holloway]

Over for Carlos side as the featured.

[Jason Moore]

Running back for the Browns.

[Andy Holloway]

From week seven on, he averaged 17.8 PPR points. And I think you're going to see him have the opportunity to do even better than that because I think he'll.

[Jason Moore]

Be more involved in the passing game.

[Andy Holloway]

Keep in mind, then over his final nine games, he had four games, at least three receptions, and this is going to be a much better offense with.

[Jason Moore]

Odell Beckham on the field.

[Andy Holloway]

You can get shot maybe at the.

[Jason Moore]

End of round one, beginning of round.

[Andy Holloway]

Two, but I think you could take him as a top five running back based on his potential.

[Jason Moore]

So we know what the top four running backs are.

[Andy Holloway]

Barkley, Kamara, McCaffrey, Elliott. I think Chubb is next in line again. You take him that spot, you get off to the hot start, you worry about what happens when Hunt comes back. But I think you enjoy what Chubb will give you as the first half fantasy MVP and maybe the league MVP for your fantasy leagues in 2019. All right, Jamie bringing the Nick Chubb fire. I think the most interesting question for fantasy owners with Nick Chubb, who I've seen go as high as, you know, four in Draf in place of Ezekiel Elliott, is simply the fact that are you happy if you have a top five running back for 10 weeks and that's it? Are you content? Are you. Would that feel like you made the right pick? It's the inverse, Zeke Gordon, right? It's right. I mean, not that he's going to, you know, disappear. And that's a debate of its own, right? What happens to Nick Chubb? Is he a top 12 back instead of a top five back when Kareem Hunt returns? But are you happy if that's what you get if you get the league MVP for eight weeks?

[Mike Wright]

If I got him for eight weeks, I personally would be happy. I mean, you don't win at the draft, but if you can have an MVP type player at the running back position, then that'd be huge for you if get off to a 6 and 2 start. I mean if you're looking at 6 and 2, I mean you're still adding players in the meantime. You're not just staying stagnant. I think what Jamie brings up about the pass catching, that's. That is the difference. What do you believe about Nick Chubb in the receiving game? He is capable. The one reception he had for a touchdown where he caught it behind the guy's back, that was a sensational play that a lot of running backs cannot make. Will he be used with Duke Johnson gone or will Hilliard just kind of slide right into that Duke Johnson role? Those are things that we don't know. And that's what you got to ask yourself when you're drafting dungeons. Nick Chubb either as high as what he's talking about, either four or five, or if you wait for his adp.

[Andy Holloway]

Well, and it's narrative street too, but you, you wonder if this team looks like they can or believes that they can stretch Chubb from a workload perspective because of the return of Hunt later in the season or not. And there this offseason has been filled with these speculative pass catching running back upgrade situations where always Carson and Michelle and Chubb can they catch passes because the target is worth so much. So Nick Chubb, the fantasy MVP pick from Jamie Eisenberg. Let's go to Brad Evans. I know this will be very entertaining.

[Jason Moore]

Hey, foot clan.

[Andy Holloway]

Brad Evans here from Yahoo Sports and sh. You hear that? Something's rummaging through the beer cooler outside my tent. I'm gonna go check it out. It's.

[Jason Moore]

It's David Montgomery.

[Andy Holloway]

Elusive, ferocious and omnivorous. The Bears rookie running back is set to consume would be tacklers in year one. He's the only collegiate back in the PFF era to top 100 missed tackles in a season. And he did it twice. He boasts a 3 down skill set, top 10o line and an elite defense, which means positive game scripts galore. Don't fret over Tariq Cohen or Mike Davis out of the gate.

[Jason Moore]

Monty rolls Green Bay for 100 combined.

[Andy Holloway]

Yards and a score on 17 plus touches. 1400 total yards with double digit TDs is entirely doable.

[Jason Moore]

All Bears poop in the woods, but Monty won't crap on your fantasy roster.

[Mike Wright]

It's David Montgomery.

[Andy Holloway]

First of all, I enjoyed it. Second of all, I'm not buying the fact that you don't keep your beer cooler in your tent.

[Mike Wright]

Sure.

[Andy Holloway]

So David Montgomery, if you've followed Brad at all over the last since he was drafted, David Montgomery's been his guy. We'll get to see him on Thursday, make his debut against Green Bay. And my league of record team would love nothing more than Brad Evans to be incredibly correct. This show affords the opportunity for some victory laps later on if you can pick it.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, yeah.

[Jason Moore]

I mean, we call him David Moppertunity for a reason. His opportunity as laid out there by Brad Evans is great. He's got a vacated role that Jordan Howard left with over 250 carries on a good team that should be in positive game scripts. If he shows that he can play in the NFL, which so far, everything from camp, from the very little bit we've seen in the preseason says it looks like he can, he should be able to dominate. And he's not alone in picking him as a fantasy mvp.

[Andy Holloway]

That's true because Adam Rank weighed in. Adam Rank from the NFL.

[Jason Moore]

It would be so on brand for me, Adam Rank, to come in here and stump for David Montgomery. So that's exactly what I'm going to do. David Montgomery is the running back that Matt Nagy has been waiting for. And let's give Nagy credit.

[Andy Holloway]

Last season he tried to make it work with Jordan Howard. He gave him the ball 250 times and he didn't get a lot out of it.

[Jason Moore]

And you know what?

[Andy Holloway]

This year he is going to give David Montgomery just as many attempts and.

[Jason Moore]

He'S going to use him as a receiver out of the backfield.

[Andy Holloway]

David Montgomery was the most elusive running.

[Jason Moore]

Back in college football last year. NFL defenders are not going to be.

[Andy Holloway]

Able to keep up.

[Jason Moore]

You will be thanking me after week one.

[Andy Holloway]

All right, well, we'll be thanking you and Brad.

[Mike Wright]

Very, very passionate, very David Montgomery.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, he's a Bears fan, too. But I'll say this, at Iowa State, David Montgomery lined up in the slot frequently. We've seen him, at least against second team, third team defenses show incredible balance, tackle breaking ability, versatility. He has a point with the amount of work that Jordan Howard had in the offense. So if you want your Kareem Hunt fit for this team, it's certainly David Montgomery. And like, like he said, he's being drafted at RB19. So he's a really nice pick for upside.

[Mike Wright]

Sure. And like Rank said, Matt Nagy tried with Jordan Howard. Never forget those first three weeks, especially week one when we, when they came out and they gave Jordan Howard, they gave Jordan Howard five targets and wasn't.

[Jason Moore]

It four Targets Week two.

[Mike Wright]

Yes, and to be fair to Jordan Howard, he caught all five of them. Granted, those five receptions turned into 25 yards, which is terrible. It's pretty amazing for a running back to be that unproductive. But they tried it. It really seems like that's what Matt Nagy wants.

[Andy Holloway]

You don't need to look at the Bears backfield and feel like you have to pick and choose with Cohen and Montgomery the same way you would with another backfield. Because Cohen, even last year lined up over 30% of the time not in the backfield at all, in the slot at wide receiver. He's a weapon that Matt Nagy will use because Matt Nagy is not a moron. He's a smart offensive mind. But there'll be plenty of snaps with both players on the field. If you believe in the talent of Montgomery, then he represents a potential, you know, RB18 that ends up in the top 12. And I don't know what Montgomery would have to do to be the MVP. Does he have to finish in the top six? Probably not. If he's a top 10 running back, I think he's an MVP.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, I think if he's an RB1 top 12 then where you're drafting him right now as the 19th, you're going to be loaded. And the truth is having David Montgomery finish lower than the running back 19 is going to be very difficult because he has a three down skill set and has the starting role.

[Andy Holloway]

And this was the first year for Mitch Trubisky in that offense. Alan Robinson's first year there off the acl. Anthony Miller was a rookie. We've seen quarterbacks and offenses level up after another year in this system we have and they were still, from what I can recall, the 12th best offense in football last year in points scored. It could be yardage. It's one or the other. It was a top half offense in one of those metrics in their first year. There's no reason to believe that the Chicago defense couldn't put Montgomery on the goal line more often this year just as a chain moving offense. So I think it'll be interesting. We're going to move on JJ Zachary Sin, great friend of the show, editor in Chief at FanDuel, number fire bringing his fantasy MVP pick.

[Mike Wright]

What's up fellas?

[Andy Holloway]

It's your boy J.J. here. And my MVP for the fantasy football season is none other than my go to late round quarterback this year, Lamar Jackson. Now of course we need him to improve as a passer to really be a difference maker in Fantasy football. But that could happen with Greg Roman running this offense. Roman was able to help both Colin Kaepernick and Tyrod Taylor hit their highest marks in passing efficiency when he coached them. And as we know, both of those players are dual threat quarterbacks just like Lamar Jackson. If he gets better as a passer, then we know the potential is there. Jackson hit just under 700 rushing yards last year in basically half the season. I think it's safe to say that a healthy Lamar Jackson can hit that mark again. Well, since the turn of the century, we've had eight instances where a quarterback has rushed for 700 or more yards on the ground. Of those eight instances, seven of them finished as top five quarterbacks in fantasy football that season. Lamar Jackson is a cheat code and he should be everyone's favorite late round quarterback target. I endorse this message. I fully support it. It's. I was feeling it while he once the name was.

[Mike Wright]

You look like a, like a macaw.

[Andy Holloway]

I. It was like I was on a Lamar Jackson IV drip. I mean it was, it felt good, man. I love Lamar Jackson.

[Mike Wright]

And that's the stat about the rushing is seven of eight. That's, that's really hard to argue against because I, I don't think any of us think Lamar Jackson will have fewer than 700 rushing yards.

[Jason Moore]

Here's the crazy thing is it's like, okay, but so should Josh Allen. Can they.

[Mike Wright]

Sure.

[Jason Moore]

Can they both be in the top five? Who all are they kicking out of that area? I mean that, that's gonna, that's gonna be the hard. Not everybody can finish top five. Only five quarterbacks can do it.

[Andy Holloway]

Math checks out. Yeah. And he brought up that he's a cheat code. And we've talked so much. Not enough about the fact that Jason doesn't like the scoring, but talking about it, complaining about it to me is not changing. This is the way it is. And you can debate the merits of it, you can debate the value of a running quarterback in football. None of that matters as of right now. Running quarterbacks are great for fantasy football. So Josh Allen, Kyler Murray, Lamar Jackson, Cam Newton, they're all valuable at a different rate because of what they do with their legs. I love the pick. I think it's got a high probability of being right, being the, you know where he's being drafted. Which has moved up. It has moved up. Lamar was going further.

[Mike Wright]

He.

[Andy Holloway]

Right now he's in the ninth round.

[Mike Wright]

Wow. He moved up a lot.

[Andy Holloway]

He's moved up a lot. So Mike, you've taken him in yesterday's listener league as a second quarterback late. I love doing that with Lamar Allen, Kyler Murray, watch week one and two. What happens. You either have a player that explodes and maybe your other quarterback's fine. And you, you know, you can go back and forth stream those guys. If you drafted them late, you got a trade bait and then you could just drop them if they're not what you think they are.

[Mike Wright]

Right?

[Jason Moore]

Yeah. I'm all on board. But I will say this between the two, Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen, since there's so many similarities in how they score and why they're going to be great, I will still take Josh Allen because he's for some reason he's completely undrafted. Like nobody wants Josh Allen. Everyone's on board now with Lamar Jackson.

[Andy Holloway]

All right, let's turn to the godfather of fantasy, Matthew Berry with his fantasy MVP pick. I'm curious. What's up, boys? Matthew Berry here and my fantasy MVP this season. How about Chris Carson of the Seattle Seahawks? He's a lead running back that I think is going way too late.

[Jason Moore]

He's currently going in the fifth on ESPN.

[Andy Holloway]

I have him as a third rounder and I think he could be an RB1 this season. Look, we know the volume is going to be there. Seattle the run heaviest team in the NFL last year. Chris Carson averaged 17.6 carries per game. That was third most in the NFL. In the nine games last year in which he got 15 or more carries, he ran for a touchdown in eight of them. And I don't think that's going to change this year. He is still going to be the lead running back.

[Jason Moore]

I'm not worried about Rashad Petty.

[Andy Holloway]

Remember Mike Davis left 146 touches from last year. He's now in Chicago. So I think penny can increase and Carson can still be the main guy here. It's still a very good offensive line again after Tyler Lockett. There's not a lot in the passing game there. So I believe Brian Schonheimer when he says they want Chris Carson to catch about 50 balls this year. So yeah, give me some Chris Carson, especially considering the value of him in the fifth round. And it wouldn't be me guys if I didn't promote something. So all of your listeners can go to rotopass.com and get 10% off if they use the promo code. Foot Clan. Always great to talk to you guys. Good luck this year.

[Mike Wright]

50 balls, man.

[Andy Holloway]

If Chris Carson, he'll be the number one running back.

[Mike Wright]

If Chris Carson catches 50 passes, that would Be absolute insanity. Chris Carson, hopefully I'm not stealing any thunder here from you, Andy, but he's so much like Sony Michelle. The offense is set up exactly the same where if the Patriots are winning, which the Patriots are going to be in a lot of positive game scripts, guess who's going to be great? Sony Michelle. If Seattle is in positive game scripts, guess who's going to be great? Chris Carson. So if you. If you're buying in on Seattle still being a good team, a top half NFL team, then Chris Carson is going to be fantastic.

[Jason Moore]

Chris Carson, Obviously, I'll let you finish here, Andy, because he's one of your my guys. He's a guy you've been touting for a long time. Yeah.

[Mike Wright]

So let us talk about him.

[Andy Holloway]

Go for it. I'm enjoying this. I was just. Brooks, some popcorn, please.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah. So with Chris Carson, I just. While Barry was talking in the 50 reception mark, like that's what they're saying they want to try to get. I don't have him down for near that. If that happens, he would go.

[Andy Holloway]

Did you do some projections?

[Jason Moore]

I did projections in what if. So right now he's my running back 15, which I still think he could very easily finish above that. But if he were to get 50 receptions in my rankings, he moves to the running back four in my model, he would be only behind Saquon camara and Christian McCaffrey. I don't expect them to get 50 receptions, but if he did, that would be a huge game changer. Yeah.

[Andy Holloway]

And that's why he was the bold prediction pick on our show where I think he can be a top five guy. Here's my biggest problem with Chris Carson. Believe it or not, I have a problem. It's that he's being drafted kind of around ahead of Sony Michelle. So I'm like, you know, I look at those players in the exact same lens that you said, Mike. I've been very happy to add Carson or Michelle as my third running back and then not touching my running backs for the rest of a draft. But at times I'm like, I want Sony. I want Carson. I like the upside, definitely has an opportunity as a fantasy mvp. All right, let's turn to Marcus Grant from the NFL. What up, y'all? It's Marcus Grant from NFL Fantasy Live. Shout out to the footballers for letting me be a part of this thing. I will tell you that my MVP originally was going to be Andrew Luck, but. Well, yeah, anyway, so I'm going to.

[Jason Moore]

Come outside the box a little bit.

[Andy Holloway]

And tell you that my fantasy MVP for 2019 is going to be Carson Wentz. He has been close to being something really great. He just hasn't been able to stay healthy. I think this is finally the year. Maybe partially because the Eagles don't have that safety net now that Nick Foles is in Jacksonville, I think they figure out a way to get Wentz through a full 16 game schedule. Look, the weapons are there. We know the talent is there. It's just been a matter of him staying on the field. I think this is the year he finally does it. And with the draft price of him coming off the board late in drafts, I think he turned out to be a top three quarterback and he will.

[Jason Moore]

Be your fantasy MVP. Now, Andy, you and I love Chris Carson. We talked about that on yesterday's Carson Wentz. Carson Wentz. We talked about that yesterday.

[Mike Wright]

Are you playing Wheel of Fortune? You doing Chris Carson Wentz?

[Jason Moore]

Oh, I like. Does that give me both players on the fantasy court? We argued against you, Mike.

[Mike Wright]

Yes.

[Jason Moore]

So I love this take.

[Mike Wright]

Unsuccessfully, by the way.

[Jason Moore]

Successfully. I love this take. But I do have one issue with what Marcus said. He said now there's no safety net behind, right? Carson WINS and Josh McCown begs to differ.

[Mike Wright]

My friends, that is an excellent point.

[Jason Moore]

Oh, he would ball out.

[Andy Holloway]

How? Okay, unhelpful speculation here, but what if.

[Mike Wright]

Oh, I can't wait.

[Andy Holloway]

What?

[Mike Wright]

My body is ready for Josh McCown Super Bowl.

[Jason Moore]

He would.

[Andy Holloway]

What happens if you go fulls gets you there, then Foles gets you to the playoffs, then Josh McCown gets you to the playoffs and Carson Wentz is sitting there holding the bag?

[Jason Moore]

All I'm saying is if Josh McCown gets the job, he's going to be on a 5,000 yard, 700 touchdown pace.

[Andy Holloway]

How long is he going to play though?

[Jason Moore]

Kamikaze himself in two games?

[Andy Holloway]

It's just if you're Josh McCown at this point in your life with those weapons, you just came out of retirement. You literally have nothing to lose whatsoever. To fire that ball all over the field, it'll be like Ryan Fitzpatrick on steroids. So let's.

[Mike Wright]

Whoa, whoa, whoa.

[Andy Holloway]

Honestly, how's he playing this long without steroids?

[Jason Moore]

I don't know. I have no idea.

[Andy Holloway]

Allegedly Evan Silva from Establish the Run with his fantasy MVP pick. Hello, this is Evan Silva from establishtherun.com My fantasy MVP this year is Mike Evans, wide receiver, Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Hooking up this season with Bruce Arians, one of the most legendary downfield vertical passing offensive minds of our generation. Mike Evans has finished, finished Top five.

[Jason Moore]

In the NFL in air yards each.

[Andy Holloway]

Of the last four seasons and has a thousand yards in each of his five NFL seasons. You know, I think that this passing game distribution in Tampa Bay has been narrowed and squeezed with the losses of Adam Humphries and desean Jackson. And Mike Evans is going to really take over very much of that desean Jackson role who into Sean Jackson, by the way, led the NFL in yards per reception last year. And Mike Evans is going to run.

[Jason Moore]

Even more vertical routes this season with Chris Godwin in the slide and O.J.

[Andy Holloway]

Howard dominating at tight end. I think we're going to see a ton of pass attempts this year in Tampa Bay. My favorite second round pick and I think that Mike Evans has a real good shot this year to finish as the number one overall wide receiver in fantasy.

[Jason Moore]

Spicy.

[Mike Wright]

I love it, man, because Mike Evans has been there. And by been there I mean like he's just, he's a second round pick, but he's not getting talked about really in fantasy football. Even though he's been great all five years that he's been in the league. I think that's more a product of our excitement, fantasy football's excitement for Chris Godwin and O.J. howard to break out. But remember when Mike Evans had 173 targets like Silva's not wrong that might happen again.

[Andy Holloway]

What's been strange about him is he had so many red zone targets he didn't come down with last year. So you again, you're leaning on Winston to supply the power for the MVP pick. That's more of the question mark. I can't imagine, you know, what if Josh McCown and Bruce Arians came together in some situation, right? That would just be the greatest downfield threat of all. So you know, Winston, unlike Derek Carr, who seems more hesitant to throw the ball down the field, Winston will do that, but he has to do it accurately. He has to convert more of those red zone opportunities for him to be the mvp. And it could definitely happen.

[Jason Moore]

My, my, my issue with Mike Evans, I look, my league of record team is really hoping Evans Hill was right on this one. I've got Mike Evans, love him there. I think he's going to be great for fantasy. But you know, a couple years ago he was the number two wide receiver in fantasy. And that was on the back, Mike, of what you said. 173 targets, right? But look at that team. Then Adam Humphries was there, the next highest targeted with 83. And then you're talking about Russell Shepard and Charles Sims, like there weren't Chris Godwin and O.J. howard to siphon targets away.

[Andy Holloway]

They also didn't win.

[Jason Moore]

Right. But the last couple years, you've seen them more in the 135 target range. I would be surprised if you saw Mike Evans jump back up to three years ago when they didn't have other targets.

[Mike Wright]

I think. Sorry. I think the difference he's. That Silva's talking about is Bruce Earrings is now. Bruce Earrings likes to throw the ball.

[Andy Holloway]

Bruce Arians is now, as Mike said.

[Mike Wright]

And the difference between Mike Evans and DeSean Jackson, which T. Jack's always got overthrown. Mike Evans is 6 5. It's a little bit harder to overthrow him.

[Andy Holloway]

It will be interesting because I think most of those arguments are going to apply to the success of Chris Godwin and O.J. howard as well. If the offense is moving and there's narrowed receiving options, then both of those players are going to benefit. And there was so much preseason off season talk about Godwin that kind of died down. Everybody knows that he's a talent, but I think that there are a lot of people deciding, can Chris Godwin be like my wide receiver one? Can he be my one? If I go running backs in the first three rounds, and I mean Chris Godwin or Tyler Boyd, who would you rather have manning your number one spot on your roster?

[Mike Wright]

I think Godwin has more upside.

[Andy Holloway]

I would agree with that.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, I would concur. The one thing that I definitely do put in the favor of Mike Evans when I was making my bold prediction on the bold prediction episodes of juju as the number one wide receiver overall. And I'm doing the research and looking at if you want to finish there, you have to have north of 12 touchdowns. Mike Evans can't do that, right? That that's how Mike Evans could finish as the number one is not. I don't think it's going to be on the back of 170 targets. I think it would be on the back of 13, 14 touchdowns.

[Andy Holloway]

All right, super best friend time. Jake Seeley, all in, kid. The senior writer for the Athletic Fantasy and the host of the Fantasy Footballers DFS podcast, which will be debuting. Mike, do you have a date for us next week? Next week? What a date it is.

[Mike Wright]

Well, I don't. It's Friday, the dfs.

[Andy Holloway]

My birthday's next week.

[Mike Wright]

The DFS show always comes out on Fridays, and I just didn't have a.

[Andy Holloway]

Calendar, so September 6th, so that'll be incredible. We've got his MVP pick. Take it away, Jake. Hey, Footballers, it's your favorite guy in the business, Jake Seeley at Olinkid. Or at least I like to tell myself that I love you guys. And I gotta tell you, for fantasy mvp, man, this is, this is a tough one. I want to name a million people, mostly because I look at it as part of the question, which I'm sure you guys do, is value. And especially middle rounds, finding that value, like I'd love to say Darius Geist and Miles Blake and Christian Kirk and the list goes on DD Westbrook. But I'll give you one that's going to the third round, sometimes even fourth, that should return close to first round value. And that's my boy. You guys know Josh Jacobs. I say my boy. Everybody is not like he's undrafted or even going that late. I said third, fourth round. But I said time and again, John Gruden when given the chances, used a bell Cow running back, 290 carries in 14 games for Cadillac Williams when he drafted him in the first round. Josh Jacobs can do it all, will do it all, will near or eclipse 300 touches and in doing so will return RB1 value in the third round, which that alone right there makes him the Fantasy MVP for 2019. Love you guys. Have a good one. Thank you. Jake, we love you too.

[Mike Wright]

And I'm not going to say these guys, but I'm going to get like, that was a classic Jason move right there.

[Andy Holloway]

He wants credit for the names he threw out.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, that was pro move, Jake. Well done.

[Andy Holloway]

Josh Jacobs. I like the, you know, when you think about Jon Gruden, what he wants.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah.

[Andy Holloway]

What he's got behind Josh Jacobs, fighting tooth and nail to turn this franchise around. I don't. He knows, he knows what he has behind Jacobs and he's not content to the point of taking a first round running back. The high, the most highly scouted one. And so he should have the workload, he should have the opportunity. We haven't seen him do it even going back to college to the degree that, you know, he would need to be the fantasy MVP. But I think it's possible he's drafted at RB18 right now in the back of the third round. He's going behind Chris Carson.

[Mike Wright]

I love it, man. I think Josh Jacobs is a fantastic running back. I had brought up a few weeks ago how crazy it was to me that the David Montgomery hype had gotten so spiraled out of control that he was starting to go in front of the first round running back Josh Jacobs. It was just, it was absolutely wild to Me. He's to me as one of the safest volume guarantees of the running backs in this year's fantasy drafts.

[Andy Holloway]

All right, it's our turn guys. Our fantasy football MVP finally for 2019. I'll go first. We mentioned his name. Here's my fantasy football mvp, Michelle Sony Michelle. Second year New England Patriots running back, former first round pick, playoff dominator, super bowl champion. That's a nice rookie season, by the way. Not reflected in the average draft position due to injury concerns, due to not being proven at all in any capacity to be a pass catching, capable running back. But I don't view him and Chris Carson in very different lights. When you look at what Jason just made the point how does Mike Evans end up the wide receiver one its capability to produce an ungodly amount of touchdowns. That's what Sony Michelle has the capability to do in this offense for the super bowl champion. You saw multiple hundred yard games in the playoffs, six touchdowns in the playoff run. This was a player that, you know, when he went down halfway through the season, people said, oh no, that's it. Sony's gone, done finish, came back, didn't just come back, came back and was outstanding. Looked, looks outstanding in camp, looks outstanding in the preseason. Looks like he'll be the bell cow. And so Sony Michelle being drafted late third round, early fourth round. The best value when you are looking for somebody that can finish in that top range. So he is my official fantasy football MVP for 2019.

[Jason Moore]

To speak to how he's looked in preseason, that last preseason game just wowed me. I mean he, he looked so fast. His shiftiness was there, powerful. I mean he looked like a superstar running back. I know it's just one preseason game. We saw it in the, in the playoffs, in the super bowl run last year.

[Andy Holloway]

He caught a pass in the preseason, you know, 15 yards down the field where on first glance, you know, they wear similar numbers. 26, 28. I was like, oh, that's James White. Oh no, that's not James White. That was Sony Michelle. If, if that becomes a part of and you don't need 50 for Sony, you don't need 50 receptions.

[Mike Wright]

No, you just need like 30, like.

[Andy Holloway]

30 receptions and then end up with 15, 16 touchdowns somehow, which is, he's better than LeGarrett Blunt and Blunt's done that in that offense and you know that Tom Brady, it's defense, it's the running game. I like the odds of Sonny Michelle out at a minimum outperforming adp. You're super happy with him. Best case scenario, you're a top five running back.

[Jason Moore]

My fantasy MVP should surprise nobody because recently I was saying, I wish we had another my guy because he would be in. And this basically is. It's Tyler Lockett. Lockett hot Lockett is.

[Mike Wright]

This could do the whole bit.

[Jason Moore]

I'll do the whole bit.

[Mike Wright]

Diarrhea pocket.

[Jason Moore]

Thank you. Tyler Locke is a great wide receiver and the narrative around him, the reason why he's not being drafted as, you know, as a. As a one or even as a locked and loaded two, is because.

[Andy Holloway]

Locketed and loaded.

[Jason Moore]

Oh, locketed and loaded two.

[Andy Holloway]

I was just sitting right there.

[Mike Wright]

Is because I was thinking it.

[Jason Moore]

All of the narrative has been about regression. Right? We've talked about it. You've talked about it. I've talked about it. The fact that you can't be as efficient as he was last season. Regression is coming on. You know, Russell Wilson is not going to have a perfect pass rating throwing to Tyler Lockett for a second year in a row. But all of the focus can't be only on regressing from these abnormal, historic, unbelievable numbers. Some of them maybe should focus on the fact that he had unbelievable, historic, phenomenal numbers because he's really good. Tyler Lockett's had a career where he's been derailed by injury, but through the last several years, he's one of Matt Harmon's reception perception guys who've popped off the page as a great wide receiver. And here's what I want to bring up. Think about Doug Baldwin, right? Doug Baldwin.

[Andy Holloway]

Thinking. Closing my eyes.

[Jason Moore]

Close your eyes and think about.

[Andy Holloway]

It's a good time.

[Jason Moore]

So Doug Baldwin for three of the last four years, obviously not last season when he got too injured and was forced into retirement. The three previous seasons, he was the wide receiver 8, the wide receiver 10 and the wide receiver 13. And we could go, okay, well, yeah, but he was the clear number one, yada, yada. But think about his targets through that time. 103, 125, 116. But.

[Andy Holloway]

But, Jason.

[Jason Moore]

Yes. Voice of public opinion.

[Andy Holloway]

That was a completely different offense with a different offensive coordinator and a different priority to the passing game.

[Jason Moore]

Yes, but that's why I bring up.

[Mike Wright]

Thank you, Miss Piggy, for your question.

[Jason Moore]

Oh, Kermit, it's a very valid point because totally different offense, totally different coordinator. But the. But the same quarterback and I believe the same amount of target that was the issue when we were talking the other day was, was that it's not a huge passing volume. Right. Like, how many targets is Tyler Lockett going to be able to see. Well, my point is Doug Baldwin did it with just barely over 103 years in a row. Tyler Lockett is going to get his on the weekly basis and certainly on the season. There's no other options. I trust Russell Wilson to get the job done. And if you're talking about, I mean, you know, those, Those few targets, 14 touchdowns, seven touchdowns, eight touchdowns for Doug Baldwin. And also don't forget, Doug Baldwin is gone. I know we feel like he was gone last year, but he played 13 games. He received 73 targets. He was actually there and now that is a vacated role that has not been filled by anybody other than Tyler Lockett. I think Tyler Lockett is locketed to be a great fantasy.

[Andy Holloway]

The nice thing about Tyler Lockett and what his role is in the offense and they paid him, and they paid him a lot when they did it, is the fact that you could look really wrong for like 2/4 with Tyler Lockett and then look really right. It's just one play. I mean he's such a big play guy. Russell Wilson buying time in the pocket means the ball goes out to Tyler Lockett. I mean that's the way it works. So Mike, your fantasy football MVP pick, you'll close us out here. What does the Hitman have for us?

[Mike Wright]

Much like Jason's pick, this should come as no surprise because he was in the running. For my, my guys, I'm going with Devonta Freeman. I'm going to go with a player who has been the overall number one fantasy running back because I think the only thing to fear about Devontae Freeman is injury.

[Andy Holloway]

I thought he's gonna say fear itself.

[Mike Wright]

Well, that's probably okay. Two things, fear itself and injury. He's guaranteed he is, he's locked in or locketed in as Jason would say to his thank you to his role as the number one running back in a very high powered offense. This is not Russell Wilson who's going to throw for 3400 yards Type of offense. This is Matt Ryan who will be up at 4,500 yards. This will be one of the best offenses in the entire league. Devonta Freeman has, he had back to back years of 11 rushing touchdowns, led the league in rushing touchdowns when he had his number one year. And then on top of that he's had seasons of 97 targets, 65 targets, and then those targets kind of evaporated because Steve Sarkeesian doesn't know how to use his best offensive weapons. Look at, look at the lack of touchdowns for Julio Jones and things like that. Freeman is a really, really good player. Look at who's behind him. The Atlanta Falcons don't even know who's behind Devonta Freeman in the number two role. Is it Edo Smith? Is it Brian Hill? Does it matter? The answer is no. Because Devonta Freeman is the number one guy on a high powered offense and normally to get a player in that situation, you would have to pay a late first, at least a second round pick. But Freeman, because of the fear of the injury, he has slipped into the third round.

[Andy Holloway]

I'm buying the bounce back. I'm on board with you completely. And I will add one more fuel to the fire, which is just remembering, I mean, all of this contract talk with Ezekiel Elliott and Todd Gurley and you know, what we've seen in recent years, we forget Freeman is the fifth highest paid running back in football. He's 27 years old. He's being paid in the, you know, it's not the same as Lev Bell, Gurley, David Johnson, and I'm forgetting one. But. But he's being paid in that upper echelon of running back money. He's over $8 million a year to be the guy. They're not going to give up on him quickly. They're not going to, you know, try to find a replacement for a guy getting paid those numbers if they believe he still has it left. Same age as David Johnson. So I'm buying the bounce back because I just don't see the competition.

[Mike Wright]

Look, the guy ran for 4.9 yards per carry last year.

[Andy Holloway]

Yep.

[Mike Wright]

On 14 carries.

[Andy Holloway]

On 14 carries. Nice.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah.

[Andy Holloway]

The consistency chart, not one to look at for last season. No, but that's why you get them at a discount. So I like to pick. I like to pick. That is it for the fantasy MVP episode. I want to thank everybody that contributed from the fantasy football community. You guys are awesome. You all do incredible work and I mean that sincerely. It's kind of like, you know, it's a brotherhood of sorts, a community camaraderie in the industry. Even though we, you know, compete on different little things, we're all seeking the same thing, which is to help you win your league. We're very passionate.

[Jason Moore]

It's a healthy coop petition.

[Andy Holloway]

Yes. Yes. And so Brad Evans, Adam Rank, Jamie eisenberg, Evan Silva, J.J. zacharison, Marcus Grant, Jake Seeley and the illustrious Matthew Berry. We appreciate you guys contributing to this episode of the show. We're looking forward to.

[Jason Moore]

Why didn't you name me? I was also a contributor on this show.

[Mike Wright]

Thank you to Jason Moore.

[Jason Moore]

Awesome.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, I was. I'm not going to turn on you right now. This show's been so good. So send us your fantasy MVP picks. We'd love to hear from you either comment on YouTube at the ffballers on Twitter. We'd love to hear who you think either whether you believe some of these picks today or whether you've got a dark horse for a fantasy football MVP for this year. It's going to be a lot of fun. Congrats on all your drafts and those drafting this weekend. That's it for us. We'll be back tomorrow. The Fantasy Footballers enjoy that preseason week for football. Oh yeah, that's happening too.

[Mike Wright]

But the season starts soon. We'll see you tomorrow.

[Andy Holloway]

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 Foot Clan.

[Andy Holloway]

Do not forget, head over to pristineauction.com hundreds of daily sports memorabilia auctions. You don't want to miss it. If you go to footclangiveaway.com you can get an entry to win an Alvin Camara jersey just by signing up for free on pristineauction.com use the code BALLERS. When you do that, you get $5 towards your first sports memorabilia purchase. That's pristineauction.com and remember, this episode was.

[Mike Wright]

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[Andy Holloway]

Like I said, offense. Yes, for your hair.

[Mike Wright]

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[Andy Holloway]

Worth every penny.

[Mike Wright]

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