The TRUTH About Fantasy RBs in 2018, Part 1

Summary

Fantasy Footballers Podcast Summary
Episode: The TRUTH About Fantasy RBs in 2018, Part 1
Release Date: January 22, 2019

---

Introduction

In this episode of the Fantasy Footballers Podcast, hosts Andy Holloway, Jason Moore, and Mike "The Fantasy Hitman" Wright delve deep into the realities of running back (RB) performances in the 2018 NFL season. Moving beyond conventional analysis, they provide insightful evaluations of key RBs, focusing on their consistency, fantasy point contributions, and future prospects. The discussion aims to equip fantasy managers with the knowledge needed to make informed decisions for the upcoming season.

---

Key Running Backs Discussed

1. Todd Gurley

Consistency and Performance: Todd Gurley stands out as the most consistent RB of the season, with 93% of his games avoiding a bust and 79% delivering top-five performances (07:35. Jason Moore highlights, "93% of his games weren't just not busts, but they were good, right? They were over 10 points."

Injury Concerns: Despite missing Weeks 16 and 17 due to injury, Gurley maintained his dominance. Andy emphasizes, "Todd Gurley got you to the playoffs. You could overcome that single game."

Future Outlook: The hosts agree that Gurley's workhorse role is likely to continue, with Andy asserting, "I will be taking Todd Gurley with the number one pick."

2. Saquon Barkley

Performance Amidst Challenges: Saquon Barkley showcased remarkable resilience, leading the league in scrimmage yards despite a subpar offensive line and quarterback play. Andy notes, "The truth about Saquon Barkley is he overcame a bad offensive line. He overcame a bad quarterback for at least half the season."

Future Potential: While acknowledging his impressive stats, Mike cautions about potential fluctuations in touchdowns. However, Andy remains optimistic about Barkley's trajectory, stating, "I feel like he's still got room to go up which is kind of insane because when you've got that much yardage..."

3. Christian McCaffrey

Unparalleled Consistency: Christian McCaffrey was highlighted as the most consistent RB, with 100% of his games qualifying as good fantasy performances (16:34). His dual-threat ability in both rushing and receiving games made him a top-tier fantasy asset.

Team Dynamics: The stability brought by offensive coordinator Norv Turner assures McCaffrey's consistent workload and utilization. Andy emphasizes, "With Norv, he's safe next year."

4. Alvin Kamara

Early Season Dominance vs. Mid-Season Decline: Alvin Kamara had an explosive start, averaging 28.7 fantasy points in the first four weeks. However, his performance dipped to 17.6 points per game once Mark Ingram returned from injury. Jason remarks, "38% were great. That's the second most."

Future Considerations: The primary question revolves around Kamara's workload and whether the Saints will continue to leverage his versatility without overburdening him. Andy concludes, "It's a matter of how much work does he get."

5. Ezekiel Elliott

Workhorse Status: Ezekiel Elliott led the league with 304 rushing attempts, the third most all-time for a rookie, showcasing his role as a dependable RB. Despite a dip in rushing touchdowns, his yardage remains impressive. Mike observes, "He first led the league in overall rushing this past year."

Prospects: With his elite performance and potential for increased touchdown opportunities, Elliott is positioned as a top RB pick for the upcoming season.

6. James Conner

Surprising Consistency: James Conner emerged as a top fantasy RB with zero bust games and 38% great performances. His versatility and role within the Pittsburgh Steelers' offense make him a valuable asset. Jason highlights, "He was a great surprise for fantasy teams on more fantasy title rosters than just about anybody."

Team Uncertainties: Concerns about the Steelers' offensive stability, especially with potential roster changes, pose questions about Conner's future role. Andy notes, "If Antonio Brown leaves, that changes things."

7. Melvin Gordon

High Output Amidst Injuries: Melvin Gordon demonstrated exceptional performance when healthy, accumulating 304 rushing attempts. However, his frequent injuries raise concerns about his reliability. Andy asserts, "If he's healthy and active, he's one of the best three running backs in fantasy football."

Team Dynamics: The Chargers' commitment to Gordon and their approach to managing his workload will be pivotal in determining his fantasy value next season.

8. James White

Inconsistent Usage: James White's fantasy performance was marked by significant variability, with only 6% of his games classified as great. His role within the Patriots' offense fluctuated based on team dynamics and player availability. Jason summarizes, "When you only have 94 rushing attempts, you're going to see variance."

Fantasy Value: Despite inconsistencies, White remains a valuable pick in PPR leagues due to his reception numbers and touchdown potential. Andy recommends, "Grab a guy like James White already has the job as your fourth running back."

9. Joe Mixon

Emerging as a Reliable RB1: Joe Mixon had a strong season with 1,168 rushing yards and 8 touchdowns, coupled with 43 receptions. Jason suggests, "He is like Saquon light when you apply the bad roster, bad offensive line."

Future Potential: With a stable role in the Bengals' offense and the team's commitment to him, Mixon is projected as a safe and valuable RB pick for the next season.

10. David Johnson

Underwhelming Performance: David Johnson fell short of expectations, with only one great game and struggles in his offensive role. Jason critiques, "when you drafted that high, you need a guy that's going to come in and throw 30 points."

Team and Coaching Impact: Changes in the Cardinals' coaching staff and offensive strategy may influence Johnson's future performance. Andy emphasizes, "Cliff Kingsbury's running backs have received 372 targets."

---

Team Context and Future Projections

The hosts continually emphasize the importance of team dynamics, coaching strategies, and offensive line performance in determining RB success. For instance, the stability provided by coaches like Norv Turner for McCaffrey and the Steelers' evolving offensive setup for Conner are pivotal factors. Additionally, they discuss potential rule changes in leagues, such as trimming the kicker position, to streamline roster decisions for the next season.

---

Conclusion

This episode provides a comprehensive analysis of the 2018 fantasy RB landscape, highlighting the strengths and vulnerabilities of top players. The Fantasy Footballers equip their audience with nuanced perspectives on player consistency, team influence, and future potential, ensuring that fantasy managers are well-prepared to make strategic decisions for the 2019 season.

Notable Quotes:

• Jason Moore (07:35): "93% of his games weren't just not busts, but they were good, right? They were over 10 points."

• Andy Holloway (13:36): "The truth about Saquon Barkley is he overcame a bad offensive line. He overcame a bad quarterback for at least half the season."

• Jason Moore (16:34): "Christian McCaffrey was the most consistent RB, with 100% of his games qualifying as good."

• Andy Holloway (26:41): "He's going to be fine. He's, you know that. That's how I feel about James White."

---

Note: Times in brackets refer to the timestamps in the podcast transcript.

Transcript

[Andy Holloway]

Hey, Foot Clan, were you a fantasy football champion like I was in 2018? Well, then you got to head over to Fantasy Champs and get yourself some of these sweet championship rings. I'm running out of fingers over here, but the rings are so nice at Fantasy Champs, you got to check them out. They've got trophies, too, and all sorts of swag to make sure that. That everybody in your life can know that you are a champion. Use the promo code ballers to save [e-mail] this is hall of Fame and.

[Jason Moore]

Marshall Funk, and you're listening to the Fantasy Footballers.

[Andy Holloway]

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

[Jason Moore]

Ah, let's do a show.

[Andy Holloway]

Okay.

[Jason Moore]

We are all present and accounted for.

[Mike Wright]

Yes.

[Jason Moore]

Jason is regrettably swagging out with his. If you're on YouTube, you can see it. The Foot Clan title championship T shirt.

[Andy Holloway]

I remember when you were the Dynasty League champ, Andy, all the way back to last year. Yeah, yeah. Not. Not anymore. Last year is like, forever ago. 2018. And that's still me.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah. I don't like that outcome. But here we are. And you're going to wear that shirt out, I have no doubt.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, I haven't taken it off since I got it.

[Jason Moore]

You can also get. We did throw up the 2018 nickname shirt on shopballers.com. did you know that?

[Andy Holloway]

I was not aware.

[Jason Moore]

You look very surprised.

[Andy Holloway]

I'm just making a little transaction, little note. You go on. I got a. Pick something up over here.

[Jason Moore]

Shop Ballers. The nickname shirt's up. The championship gear's up. So that's Shotballers.com. welcome into the Fantasy Footballers Podcast. Andy, Mike and Jason, back again. Mike, how are you doing?

[Mike Wright]

I'm doing delightful. You referred to it as we threw up the shirt and there was a strange image.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, it was more of an expression.

[Andy Holloway]

We vomited a beautiful picture right onto the front of your chest. Check it out.

[Mike Wright]

Why is it on the chest?

[Andy Holloway]

That's where it is.

[Jason Moore]

On a straight.

[Andy Holloway]

Idiot. We didn't vomit on the back. Come on, Mike.

[Jason Moore]

It costs more to print on the back and the front. That's why we went front every day. Every day. We charge you double if we throw up on the front and the back. All right.

[Mike Wright]

Goodness.

[Jason Moore]

Let's get into the truth. If you're still with us.

[Mike Wright]

They're not. I hope you enjoy Everyone's Gone.

[Jason Moore]

Last week's episodes. The truth about the fantasy wide receiver position. We went through the top 10 on the Tuesday show and from 11 to. I don't even know where we ended, but we talked about 72, talked about the details. Right. Sometimes you see the fantasy finish and today we'll look at running backs and how they've finished in fantasy, but then what their consistency was week to week, what you actually had as a fantasy owner on your roster. We'll see how they played against top level defenses. You know, when you look to next year's strength of schedule, are these guys that are going to break down against the best defenses in the league, are they kind of workhorses? And we're going to look at all those today at the running back position. And I'm excited because these episodes are important. We want to set the table for victory next year.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah. I mean, he's a good friend.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, Dear friend.

[Andy Holloway]

In years.

[Mike Wright]

Great dinner guest.

[Andy Holloway]

Mr. Vic.

[Mike Wright]

Oh, Vic. Tory.

[Andy Holloway]

That was not good. But yeah, in years past. There you go. Oh, Brooks, you got.

[Jason Moore]

Don't even pull him. Move on.

[Andy Holloway]

No, he's shaking his head.

[Jason Moore]

No, bro, of course not. Mike, you got to know by now.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, no, I mean, in years past, it's been really illuminating to see certain players. Jay, Jay. I remember a couple years ago, he had the monstrous season that was very Derek Henry. And it came in two big games. Few games. So, yeah, we'll take a look at all the top, most important running backs.

[Jason Moore]

All right. And before we do that, we've got a quick question. Is now the time to propose. To propose rule changes in your league? That is the question.

[Andy Holloway]

No.

[Jason Moore]

Okay, now.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, I agree.

[Andy Holloway]

Now is the time to start planting seeds for your proposed rule changes. I don't think that.

[Mike Wright]

So you are lobbying right now.

[Andy Holloway]

Yes. You have become a lobbyist in your life.

[Jason Moore]

This is the lobby, period.

[Andy Holloway]

This is the lobby. You are listening to the fantasy footballers in right now. The extended bye week, as we call the off season here. Not everybody in your league is paying attention right now, which is probably why you're going to win next year in your league. But they're not wanting to vote on this stuff right now. But now is when you start planting the seeds for getting rid of kickers. For example.

[Jason Moore]

Hey, Marv. Hey, Marv. You know what would be nice next year? Maybe we don't bring the kickers back.

[Mike Wright]

Are you, Harry?

[Jason Moore]

We should vote on that later.

[Mike Wright]

He's hairy from home alone right now.

[Andy Holloway]

That is the only Marv I can think of.

[Jason Moore]

You don't play with a bunch of Marvs in your league.

[Andy Holloway]

It's a hot name now hot since the 50s.

[Jason Moore]

Defeating my point.

[Mike Wright]

Or is it the Martian?

[Jason Moore]

No, no, no. All right, it's neither. It's a hypothetical player in your league.

[Andy Holloway]

But yeah, I mean, you can always chat. Look, now is the time to continue keeping conversations alive.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, make the notes right now and make the votes later. Notes now, votes later.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, I mean, you got to make.

[Mike Wright]

The notes so you can get the votes.

[Jason Moore]

All right, so we mentioned this last week. We don't have news on the show today. We're going to get you caught up with all the news. We'll reflect on those incredible AFC and NFC title games.

[Mike Wright]

I.

[Jason Moore]

No words, no words are coming to me right now to describe what happened.

[Andy Holloway]

I'll be honest. I expected the Patriots to, to show up in Kansas City, but I did not expect that. I. I mean, I did. I did not expect. No, just.

[Mike Wright]

Wow. It's almost like I have no idea what happened.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, we're recording this ahead of time as we are in Tampa Bay at the Fantasy Sports Trade Association. So we recorded these truth episodes a little bit ahead of time. So we'll catch you up on all the news, our reaction to those games and everything next week. Alright? Sound pretty good?

[Andy Holloway]

Sounds great.

[Jason Moore]

In lieu of news, just remember you still, you can still get that news on the sleeper app. So check that out. Download the sleeper app, put your league on there, and let's go ahead and get into the truth.

[Andy Holloway]

You want answers?

[Jason Moore]

I think I'm entitled.

[Andy Holloway]

You want answers? I want the truth. You can't handle the truth.

[Jason Moore]

You can't handle it. But you got to, you got to listen up. We're going through the top 10 right here, right now. Remember, we're breaking down consistency on, on this basis. Great games, more than 22 points. Alright? That puts you in that top five on the week. On average, good games are more than 10 points. That puts you in that RB1, RB2 conversation. Bust games are anything in which the player scored fewer than seven points. That puts you outside the top 50. Makes you really angry on Monday morning, on Tuesday morning if that happens. Especially with these guys at the top of the list. Right.

[Andy Holloway]

Did you specify half point ppr?

[Jason Moore]

I did not.

[Andy Holloway]

Sweet. I wasn't listening.

[Jason Moore]

But that question specified it for our listeners, so thank you.

[Andy Holloway]

Well done, me.

[Jason Moore]

Todd Gurley, number one yet again. He. He busted all of zero percent of the time.

[Mike Wright]

He's number one. But his consistency rank was number two.

[Jason Moore]

Pretty darn good. 93% of his games weren't just not busts, but they were good, right? They were over 10 points 79% were great games. Yeah, 79.

[Mike Wright]

That's the kicker.

[Jason Moore]

79% of the time you got a top five performance from Todd Gurley here.

[Andy Holloway]

The insane thing is this. Look. I mean, if you want to know how good he was, how consistent he was, you know, he didn't play a full season. He was injured at the end of the year and missed week 16 and 17. And he was the number one running back on the season. So he was completely dominant. Had really one bad game that you were disappointed with. Now, the timing was unfortunate.

[Jason Moore]

It was week 14.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah. It was the beginning of a lot of people's playoffs. But Todd Gurley got you to the playoffs. You. You could overcome that single game. And a lot of people won with Todd Gurley. And in the championship weeks, your spirit animal, my spirit animal, C.J. anderson, stepped right in.

[Mike Wright]

And I'm looking through the rest of the running backs. We're going to talk about that 79%. Great. I don't see another person in the 70th percentile. I don't see one in the 60 or the 50th percentile for great G. That is correct. That's how dominant Todd Gurley was. Just in pure numbers.

[Andy Holloway]

The next highest percentage of their games being over that threshold of 22 points is at 47%. Alvin Camara. I mean, Todd Gurley, Camara, Christian McCaffrey.

[Jason Moore]

Or maybe both of them.

[Mike Wright]

They're both tied.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, they both have the same. But yeah, no, that's another tier. That's another level. 10th most PPR points per game, four running backs in NFL history. He did everything you expected when you drafted him in that spot. That's the thing. You needed it, you expected it. And as is often not the case in fantasy, you actually got it.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah. I mean, when we talk about the truth, we want to look at what really happened. And what really happened was he was the number one right now. He was great. You don't need to continue talking about Todd Gurley. But the one question that's happening right now over and over and over everywhere because of. Of what has happened in the playoffs, is do you worry that Todd Gurley won't necessarily be a workhorse next year with what C.J. anderson has done at the end of this season in the playoffs? And granted, we don't know how this last weekend went, but, you know, the worries of should they save his legs a little bit if they've got a capable backup who can come in and go over 100 yards?

[Jason Moore]

I don't worry about that. No.

[Andy Holloway]

And I bring the question up so that I can emphatically say, Even as a C.J. anderson, truth or no, I don't worry about it in the slightest. It's nonsense. CJ Anderson probably won't even.

[Jason Moore]

It's pretty close to it, though.

[Andy Holloway]

I don't think he'll be on the roster.

[Mike Wright]

CJ Anderson, but there will be another running back on the like.

[Jason Moore]

Gurley has been paid to do what he's done the past two years. Sure, Gurley was banged up, and so right now CJ Anderson is filling a specific role to give him a breather, protect him from injury. We don't know how hurt he is or isn't, and so there's a specific role there for him. It doesn't mean. Look, we've seen Malcolm Brown, who, you know, Sean McVay, when Malcolm Brown went down, humongous loss is what he said. Now we've seen him out there spelling Gurley occasionally in a place where you're like, man, I really wish Gurley was back out there.

[Mike Wright]

But we haven't been forced into this position.

[Jason Moore]

What position?

[Mike Wright]

The position of seeing if a backup running back can truly succeed in the system. McVeigh's never had to see it, and I. I'm just playing the devil's advocate. I agree with you guys that the overwhelming probability is that Todd Gurley goes right back to being the workhorse next year. But the fact that they're actually having success and thinking, maybe I can take some. I can. I can have Todd Gurley last even longer his career if I give the backup running back more opportunity.

[Andy Holloway]

I think that's the narrative that will scare people. I will be taking Todd Gurley with the number one pick.

[Jason Moore]

I think it's. I think it's also just in our nature as fantasy players. And this happened last year because in the off season, you heard a lot of. It wasn't just Gurley at the top. There were people taking out, you know, other players over Todd Gurley. People wanted to speculate on Lev Bell. Right. And other players. It is just in our nature to say he's done too well. It can't continue. We have to take somebody else and take our shot. Sometimes that pans out, sometimes it doesn't. Right? If you took that viewpoint with Gurley or DeAndre Hopkins this past year, based on the year before, you got burned by passing on them. So it will be hotly debated. It will be interesting because there are names like this guy on the board, say Quan Barkley coming in at number two, never busted 0% of his games were qualified as a bus for 94% as good, 38% as great. His consistency rank was number four. He amazingly led the lead running backs and scrimmage yards with over 2000, third most all time for a rookie, only behind Eric Dickerson and Edgerton James. This was everything you would have kind of hoped for imprinted in the template for for sake one to be the next. You know Ezekiel Elliott out of the draft and what's impressive to me about a season with over 1300 rushing yards, 11 touchdowns, 91 receptions.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah that that's nice.

[Jason Moore]

Was just how much they could lean on him, how durable he proved to be and then how bad his team was. Yeah, terrible offensive line, amazing player.

[Andy Holloway]

That is where the needle is still pointing up. The truth about Saquon Barkley is he overcame a bad offensive line. He overcame a bad quarterback for at least half the season.

[Jason Moore]

He overcame no Odell Beckham Jr. At.

[Andy Holloway]

Times being on a bad team. I mean especially the first half of the year. You watch the New York Giants and you thought they are in running to get the number one pick next year and you know Saquon overcoming all of that. The you know the Giants drafting six I expect that they make some improvements up the offensive line. And the point is really there's nowhere the truth about Saquon Barkley is. Even though he finished as the number two running back was led the league in scrimmage yards, I feel like he's still got room to go up which is kind of insane because when you've got that much, I mean that many yardage what happens if the Giants end up becoming a good offense how and he's touchdown opportunity.

[Jason Moore]

You have room to go up in the touchdown scored and that's an environment.

[Mike Wright]

Can turn it around. I mean 11 rushing, 11 rushing touchdowns is still great but I think that that number connect that that can fluctuate and that can go down. I mean the yardage is fantastic. He's going to be safe but I don't think that he's going to go up necessarily from here and at least for a few years while they figure things out. And on top of that.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah bring up the split.

[Mike Wright]

What do you make of his splits? Because he trashed bottom 16 defenses and to the tune of over almost 26 points a game but dropped nearly 10 points if he was facing a top 16 defense now in those games, of course he's still giving you 16 points. But when we're talking about the elite of the lead why would I. Why would you Talk someone into Saquon Barkley, who's got these kinds of numbers where you have Todd Gurley, who's invincible against any opponent.

[Jason Moore]

I wouldn't. I wouldn't try to make that conversation between the two myself, but I would say this 16.39 points per game against top defenses with the bad offensive line is still impressive. What? You saw what Jason said, room to go up. You saw it against the bottom 16 defenses. You saw 26 points a game when the offensive line could do enough against the bad defense to give him any opportunity to be what he is.

[Mike Wright]

I'm guessing the confidence that they'll improve, though.

[Andy Holloway]

Yes. And I'm guessing that the bad defense is coincide with the games that they were actually able to win and be in a leading position. And, you know, that's what I'm talking about with Saquon is like.

[Jason Moore]

But Mike's right. It could take years. It could take a couple of years to build that.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, it could.

[Jason Moore]

But any of us painting him over Gurley?

[Andy Holloway]

No, not over.

[Mike Wright]

I'm not.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, I'm not as. As well. All right, in the meantime, you said were you going to close out a little.

[Andy Holloway]

I'm saying in the meantime, even if it takes years for the Giants to get much better, in the meantime, we're fine with how he was.

[Mike Wright]

The 91 receptions. It keeps things on track.

[Jason Moore]

All right, here's a player with 100% of his games qualified as good games.

[Mike Wright]

Number one, inconsistency.

[Jason Moore]

Number one, most consistent running back, Christian McCaffrey.

[Mike Wright]

To be fair, we removed week 17 from his rankings because it's not really fair to judge that against him. The guy came in for four snaps or whatever it was. Yeah, he took him out of the game.

[Andy Holloway]

He was a 99% snap player on the season. He played 10% of the snaps that week. And going into the week, we all.

[Jason Moore]

Knew that he was a 99% snap player.

[Andy Holloway]

This was a little bit hyperbolic, but if you look at his actual snaps that he missed, he had a. He had a stretch of like four or five games in a row where he literally did not miss a snap.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah. Our editor, the Borgogan, Unbelievable. Kyle brought this in, said he. When he was actually playing, you know, not week six, week 17. Nonsense. But missed 30 snaps on the season. Insane.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah. For a running back. It's unheard of. I mean, that's. That's nonsense. You can't.

[Mike Wright]

If you can't do that to him.

[Jason Moore]

If he's out there that often, I bet he ends up with about 107 receptions.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah.

[Jason Moore]

And 867 yards, six touchdowns on 124 targets. 219 rushing attempts. I think that is. I mean, before the season began, that's almost exactly where we had him. Or that's where I had him rushing. I had him 220 rushing attempts before the season. When you say you can't do that to him, I think you can do it to him because he has 220 rushing attempts. Being active in the passing game. We never look at that with Julian Edelman or, you know, Jarvis Landry or something and say they can't be on the field. He's a receiver. He lines up in the backfield. 107 receptions to 219 carries. That's how you have to look at it.

[Andy Holloway]

He was used that way in college. I mean, you might talk about he doesn't have the weight to withstand that.

[Mike Wright]

But I. I'm just saying the human body. I'm not talking about next year. I'm just talking about if you have this electric superstar running back, I think using him this much is definitely a disservice to your team over the long term. Next year.

[Jason Moore]

22 years old. 22. You could be right. 22 years old. What do we expect from him next year? Again, he was somebody who took advantage of bottom defenses as well. About seven points a game. Better against him. Very similar numbers to what Saquon did.

[Mike Wright]

Sure. I expect better, actually, from Christian McCaffrey, because I expect Cam Newton to be better. He was playing with a bum arm for half the season. By the end, looked like he could barely throw the ball 30 yards.

[Andy Holloway]

So the good news?

[Mike Wright]

I expect an improvement.

[Andy Holloway]

The good news for Christian McCaffrey, while I don't necessarily expect an improvement, nor do I need it, as in some scoring formats. PPR, certainly. I believe he was the number one running back through the fantasy season up through week 16. But the coaching staff has, you know, has stayed the same, and that was the worry.

[Jason Moore]

Norv matters.

[Andy Holloway]

Norv matters.

[Mike Wright]

Norv and Marv.

[Andy Holloway]

You see, if Norv Turner was not the offensive coordinator, I would.

[Mike Wright]

I believe you mean Marv Turner.

[Andy Holloway]

I would be freaking out about Christian McCaffrey's utilization and his ability to be on the field for all of the snaps. But with Norv, he's safe next year.

[Jason Moore]

Well, and that's what you called before the season. You said Norv. You know, with all the C.J. anderson hype. Who. You love C.J. anderson.

[Mike Wright]

I did.

[Jason Moore]

And you loved his ability, and he was there. You knew with Norv he just has one guy.

[Andy Holloway]

Well, you've got now a 27 year history of Norv Turner. I mean, ask yourself, listener, are you 27 years old? I mean, there's a good chunk here that aren't. He's. We have that many years of him as a head coach or an offensive coordinator and there's like two or three seasons where he didn't have a workhorse back. And that's because Adrian Peterson got injured.

[Jason Moore]

Which brings you to the coaching changes episode. They kind of matter. It changed Christian McCaffrey from a bottom level running back one to a top three guy.

[Andy Holloway]

Yep.

[Mike Wright]

Before we move on to the next player, I want to thank today's sponsor, 23andMe. 23andMe allows you to go beyond ancestry to access personalized insights based on your DNA from your health predispositions to your lifestyle choices. Reports like lactose intolerance, caffeine consumption, genetic weight report provides you, unique to you, insights on which healthy habits likely have the biggest impact on your weight based on your genetics. Or you can look at the muscle composition report, like me, I got it, I checked it out. They say this guy could have peak athlete muscles. This is not a joke. My good friend here, Jason, I can verify.

[Jason Moore]

They don't get a picture of you then.

[Mike Wright]

No, no, they don't. They just, they know. Well, they got a snapshot of my DNA a little better and they're like, this guy's got the muscles. We know he does. And right now you can buy your 23andMe health plus ancestry kit today at 23andMe.com footballers. That's the number 23andMe.com footballers. 23andMe.com football footballers.

[Jason Moore]

All right, let's move on to number four on our list. Oh, Alvin Camara. Super camario. I don't know if there's a player that I, I've seen more mixed feelings about. Now, for a guy who finished number four overall, who played in, you know, 7% of his games, he busted. So that was basically one game. And then he was good for the rest. Great in 47%, which was the second most.

[Mike Wright]

The problem with Alvin Kamara is his great games. The vast majority of them were those first four weeks when Mark Ingram was gone and when you drafted him, you went, holy crap, I have the best running back in fantasy football. I'm going right to the championship. I mean, four games, that's 25% of your season. You're feeling real good.

[Jason Moore]

38, 15, 27, 39.

[Mike Wright]

You're feeling really, really good about what you got. And then Mark Ingram comes back, and you have a very good fantasy running back. You don't have the player you thought you did.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, I mean, it's exactly right. And that's what we need to discuss in the Truth Series is, is Alvin Camara really, you know, the number one type of running back? Because over those first four weeks, when Mark Ingram wasn't there, Alvin Camara was the number one running back. He wasn't slightly the number one. Number two was Todd Gurley, five points fewer per game. Alvin Camara was averaging 28.7 fantasy points during that stretch. That's. That's just unbelievable. After that, if you look at weeks five through the rest of the year, when Mark Ingram was back, he went from 28.7 points per game to 17.6, which is good.

[Mike Wright]

Yes.

[Andy Holloway]

That he was the number five running back over that stretch.

[Mike Wright]

But do you have those numbers going to week seven?

[Andy Holloway]

Like, not starting until week seven?

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, not starting week five, because I get it, what happened week five. If you don't recall, that was the week that Mark Ingram came back. Alvin Camaro was on the injury report, and the team gave everything to Mark Ingram. So I'm okay, sure. Taking that one away.

[Andy Holloway]

Taking that one away. So if you start in week seven, he was 18.8 fantasy points.

[Jason Moore]

So it goes up.

[Andy Holloway]

It goes up. It's. I mean, here's the thing. We can't talk too bad about him during that stretch. 18.8. That's the third running back in fantasy.

[Jason Moore]

Let's break down, you know, because I don't think any of us would take Camaro over Zeke next year, for example. Who's lower on the list? No, but Mark Ingram, for all intents of purposes, I don't expect him back in New Orleans. When you listen to him talk about it, he's an unrestricted free agent. First of all, he's 29 years old, entering the age in which you're getting close to.

[Mike Wright]

He needs to take a payday to decline.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah. And his payday is still going to be like, whatever it is, he's got to take it. And so when you hear him talk about it, he says, you know, I hope we win a Super Bowl. I hope everything works out. It's a business. I hope everything works out.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, but I mean, he said that in the context of how much he wants to be back. He said, I met my wife here. My children were born here. Very rarely does anybody get to spend their entire career in one place. I love New Orleans.

[Jason Moore]

That's the Point, though, he also said, I'm not just looking to leave New Orleans with a contract. He's not just looking to get out.

[Andy Holloway]

I think he's back.

[Jason Moore]

Oh, I do not.

[Mike Wright]

I mean, I think he's back, too.

[Andy Holloway]

That's the cool thing we get to know.

[Jason Moore]

The only way that he's back is if he gets no offers elsewhere because New Orleans is not going to offer him something that prioritizes too much of the cap space to the running back position. Knowing that Alvin Camara is so much younger, so much more explosive, so much more versatile. I mean, you've got kind of a situation where you get to pay Devonta Freeman, you get paid Tevin Coleman.

[Mike Wright]

I think that the way I'm looking at it is he'll get like an Isaiah Crowell level of contract, which is enough to keep him in town.

[Jason Moore]

Oh, man, I do not think so. I'm willing to take a very, very early.

[Mike Wright]

All right.

[Andy Holloway]

Very, very important waterbed.

[Jason Moore]

He's been. And it's not been good. I mean, you guys gotta remember this is not.

[Mike Wright]

Oh, no, I remember that Sean Payton hated Mark Ingram for a very long time.

[Jason Moore]

This relationship between them has not been. Not been very good. So you guys, you know, you can buy me lunch.

[Andy Holloway]

And now the one thing to say after week one, my biggest player. And granted, we just talked about he didn't have marking room there, but nothing can be said negative about Alvin Camara. Talent wise, on the field wise, film wise.

[Jason Moore]

He was also pretty good.

[Andy Holloway]

One of. It's not the best running back out there. You can't tackle him easily. His vision's great, his ability in the. In the receiving game. So, I mean, he is absolutely among the elite. It's just a matter of how much work does he get.

[Jason Moore]

We know that Peyton would like to use even if it's not Ingram. That was the point I was trying to get to. I figured you guys would concede that he was probably out of town. You didn't. But even if he was, because you're.

[Mike Wright]

You're wrong.

[Andy Holloway]

Right? There's that part of it, Mike. Yeah.

[Mike Wright]

I'm not going to concede when you're wrong.

[Jason Moore]

Tbd. Listen, even if he's gone, even if he's gone, they. They want somebody else. They're not gonna give everything to Alvin Camara.

[Andy Holloway]

Agreed.

[Jason Moore]

It's a matter of who do they bring in? Is it somebody that they can use as much as Ingram, Be as successful as Ingram? Is it a goal line back or do they just bring in another person to spell him? That matters A lot. Because if Camara's getting the ball inside the 15, you know, that's the difference between 30 points and 15. Ezekiel Elliott came in at number five on the fantasy finish ranking and number six on our consistency ranks. 93% good game, 7% bust, 40% great games. Listen, league leading total 304 rushing attempts. I mean, he is the workhorse. He is a workhorse. He was dominant.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah. Not. Not only is he dominant and a workhorse, but finally, we've talked about this through the year, got involved in the passing game and that's the thing where if we've always said if he were to be used in the passing game, he should be pretty much the number one running back in football because he has the ability, he's got the chops for. He had it coming out of college and he showed that this year. But strangely this season, despite him leading the league in rushing yardage, his rushing touchdowns, which have always been there, were down this year and I don't expect them to stay down, not with his talent, his style of running.

[Jason Moore]

You didn't bring up the stat line, jay, but it's 77 receptions for 567 yards and three touchdowns on 95 targets. And he may really need that because his league leading total, Kyle looked back all the way to 2000. The 304 rushing attempts by the league leader. That's the lowest total since that date. So you are seeing a decline of, you know, the 350runner, the 340 attempt runner.

[Mike Wright]

You're seeing a huge uptick in the passing game for running backs. But Zeke Elliott, since being in the league has averaged the most yards per game at the position. So like he didn't play a full season, rookie or sophomore year, but in those games he averaged the most rushing yards. Like we said, he led the league in overall rushing this past year. But those rushing touchdowns, Jason was talking about his rookie year, 15 touchdowns, sophomore year, seven touchdowns, seven rushing touchdowns in 10 games. And this season in 15 games, six rushing touchdowns. He just, he got hit with a touchdown variance. I expect that to bounce back the biggest. The big question is just is he going to hit at least 60 receptions next year?

[Andy Holloway]

Oh, certainly.

[Mike Wright]

And I think that he will.

[Jason Moore]

He has as good of a chance as any to be number one, which.

[Mike Wright]

Makes him elite with. With the possibility of being a number one running back.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah. When we talk about the truth of how did the season play out? Awesome. He had 77 receptions, 95 targets. Those are great numbers. But look at what happened when the bye week Came in week eight and how they used him after that versus beforehand. You saw the Dallas offense change. When did they get Cooper right then?

[Mike Wright]

That was week nine.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah. So when they got Cooper and the offense changed a little bit, that pace from. And that's. That's the whole second half of the season, he was on Pace for 104 receptions. Not just targets, but actual.

[Jason Moore]

He had 11 fewer touchdowns on the ground than Todd Gurley did.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah.

[Jason Moore]

That's a variance that should change. He has as good a chance of being number one. Like, if you have to handicap. Like if Vegas was handicapping number one fantasy rusher next. Next year, outside of Gurley, I'd put him at two. You put Zeke at who? I would put Zeke at two.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah.

[Jason Moore]

Let's talk about a more interesting debate here. We all know Zeke's great. You should draft him. Yeah. James Conner at number six. Consistency, rank of eight. The reason I'm so excited to talk about. So scared to talk about James Conner, who, by the way, zero bus games when he was starting. 77% good, 38% great. You can't argue with that. He was a great surprise for fantasy teams on more fantasy title rosters than just about anybody. My concern with James Conner is the hypothetical question of this. If you put James Conner on the Tennessee Titans, okay, put them on a different roster. I don't know, let's say one without Antonio Brown, what is he? Is he a top six, top seven, top eight runner on that roster?

[Andy Holloway]

And what will put him on Dallas.

[Jason Moore]

Without Zeke, and that's my point, is it's like, I don't want to discount what he did in this situation. Juju Brown, Big Ben, that line, that team, that defense. But I don't want to overemphasize this year and overdraft him. He's not in my top 10, which I know he is for both of you guys. So you project a very rosy future for maybe where Pittsburgh goes. I have a little bit of a more bleak outlook on what's happening in Pittsburgh right now. Losing Lev, likely losing Antonio, and some of the tumult in the locker room making me think this is a team that could struggle for a couple years.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah. My top 10 ranking, when we put out our top 10 and James Conner was in it, that was before the Antonio Brown information of it looks like he's not going to be there now if Antonio Brown leaves. And that will probably change the entirety of the offense and I'll adjust my rankings accordingly.

[Jason Moore]

But someone could say that he'd be.

[Andy Holloway]

Better and I would say no, because the reason James Conner is great for fantasy, the reason why he had 77% of his games this season as good fantasy games for you is because not of him, but because of the team, the line, the offense, the coach. That combination over the last several years has proven it. I mean, the whole running back.

[Jason Moore]

D'Angelo Williams.

[Andy Holloway]

D'Angelo Williams was fine. Jalen Samuels, the third string rookie tight end who was drafted was a phenomenal fantasy asset. That's what I'm drafting. Look, Damian Williams isn't good. I know we'll, we'll have all sorts of fights and debates over that, but the role of being the starting running back for the Kansas City Chiefs and Andy Reid is one you want because it's fantastic. That's what I'm drafting here. In fact, when I first made my, my top 10 list, I didn't put James Conner in there. I said pittsburgh running back. That's who I put in as you know, my top guy. Now if Antonio Brown leaves, that changes things. We have not seen an Antonio Brown less Pittsburgh offense in a while.

[Jason Moore]

Mike, what do you think about Connor? Because look, you can have a wide range of opinions based on circumstance. What about the player? What is the truth about him in your mind?

[Mike Wright]

I think that he's an excellent, well rounded player. I mean they spent what draft him a third round pick on a running back when they didn't need to draft a running back. That, that was a, I mean that's, that's a best player available situation and the guy was coming back. It was a, he's a cancer survivor and they spent a third round pick on him. That to me says that the team is fully invested in the player. Also knowing that the possibility that Le'Veon Bell was going to be leaving the team. I'm with Jason. I want Pittsburgh running back and James Conner has the skill set. We saw it with the 55 reception. 55. I'll take care of it. I'll handle it.

[Jason Moore]

You didn't give me any window there.

[Mike Wright]

Mike, because I kind of stumbled into it. It was one of those, I didn't realize.

[Andy Holloway]

Well, he's like, I'll handle it. Where were you? 55. 55. Come on, Andy.

[Mike Wright]

But, but if he can do that, then I, he'll be.

[Jason Moore]

That's for the next one. That's for the next one. Just in case.

[Mike Wright]

And he, he didn't, he was slightly worse against top defenses, but not enough that I'm going to be concerned about it.

[Jason Moore]

He'll be so interesting in Next year's.

[Mike Wright]

Drafts, I will be perfectly happy taping taking James Conner as a running back. 1.

[Andy Holloway]

I agree.

[Mike Wright]

If Antonio Brown's not on this team, maybe the offense isn't as powerful. But I think that Big Ben will find a way. He, I mean, Pittsburgh has found a way without Antonio Brown being the number one guy with Big Ben. Like it was the Heinz Ward and then it was Mike Wallace. Like juju can step up, in my opinion and fill most of the offensive gap from Antonio Brown, at least for fantasy purposes only.

[Jason Moore]

Ezekiel Elliott had more games over 180 yards from scrimmage than James Conner did. Connor had three of those over 180. Those are weak winning weeks.

[Mike Wright]

Honestly, the only concern for me for James Conner is Jalen Samuels. If they go a different route and they think Jalen Samuels, they're going to spell him in far more as a pass catcher. That wouldn't be Mike Tomlin's style, but it's at least one of those check marks in the unknown if you're going in on a first round pick for James Conner.

[Jason Moore]

Melvin Gordon came in at number seven, but his consistency ranking number three. No bus. 92% good, 42% great.

[Mike Wright]

He was fantastic.

[Jason Moore]

Only Todd Gurley has more total touchdowns over the last three seasons than Melvin Gordon, who has 38 over that time.

[Andy Holloway]

He's just unbelievable. Here's the truth. You want the truth on Melvin Gordon? If he's healthy and active, he's one of the best three running backs in fantasy football. What you have to worry about is his health.

[Jason Moore]

The healthy and active part.

[Andy Holloway]

Yes, the healthy and active part. Because he's missed.

[Mike Wright]

Oh, when he's a healthy, inactive, that's even worse.

[Andy Holloway]

That's not good. You don't want to be a healthy scratch. But Melvin Gordon has just been unbelievable. But he hasn't been able to play 16. He hasn't been able to stay healthy. And so you have to say, is this, is this a problem with him? Is he not able to, you know, take that kind of load that he's been given? Or is it just. Look, everybody gets injured from time to time. This is when Melvin Gordon's got injured. We bring it up all the time. Frank Gore had the biggest injury label early in his career imaginable, and then he went and played 7,000 straight without injury.

[Jason Moore]

It's one thing to consider the injuries anomalous. It's another thing to ask the question of whether Los Angeles, the coaching staff, if they consider them anomalous, because if they're not Then they need to spell him. They need to give him more rest. He doesn't. He can't be the same workload guy.

[Mike Wright]

Right.

[Jason Moore]

The first six weeks, 23, 27, 15, 27, 20, 34, he bald out but then he went down. And so that's the question that I have, the only question I have now. I think Los Angeles has another peak season in them with Philip Rivers, Keenan Allen, Mike Williams, Melvin Gordon, a great defense, a good O line. I think you're going to see a little repeat next year. That's my projection for this team. So the truth about Gordon, put him out there.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, I want Gordon. He was my number two running back when I made my initial rankings because I don't think people realize how dominant he was when he was in. They're so recency biased by the injuries and the lull at the very end of the season that they don't realize. Mike, you had him this season. You experienced the difference that he made over. You know, you were given trade offers of like Joe Mixon and other good running backs. That is just sounds really good. But then you look at what an advantage he gave you for the first.

[Mike Wright]

Part of the season until the weird inactive over in the London game and then you saw a little bit of a downtick but he was a Todd Gurley level advantage for your fantasy football team. What will be interesting for Melvin Gordon over this offseason, do they extend him? That's what I want to see is are the Chargers committed to Melvin Gordon?

[Jason Moore]

One of those racks like try to make him taller.

[Andy Holloway]

You need to stretch more. That's your problem.

[Mike Wright]

He's, he's in his fifth year option. Do they extend him or do they, are they going to take that hard line Le'Veon Bell approach that says we've worn you out and we, we don't think you're going to be as valuable in those next few years.

[Jason Moore]

Sucks to be a running back.

[Mike Wright]

Do not become a running back in the NFL.

[Jason Moore]

I'm not going to now.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, that's the only reason.

[Jason Moore]

That's my only reason. I was pondering. Believe it or not, number eight is a name you probably didn't expect. But James White was the number eight running back in half race per reception leagues. This is the James White who in week one of the of the NFL playoffs just put up a 15 reception game because out of nowhere James White becomes the center of the offense from time to time. Week five has no one reception game.

[Mike Wright]

Film of the Patriots in the playoffs. They're going to throw the ball to James White.

[Andy Holloway]

Well, just look at what he did against Kansas City this last week.

[Jason Moore]

Oh, what a day. It was such a day.

[Andy Holloway]

It was a game.

[Jason Moore]

Well, all the snow, ish conditions.

[Mike Wright]

Oh yeah, the light ish. Not snow, but snowing.

[Jason Moore]

I mean, it varied throughout the game.

[Andy Holloway]

Look, when he was on the field, he did some things.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, Listen, James White, 16 games, it's very rare that a player would finish number eight with 94 rushing attempts at the running back position, but that's what James White did because he had 87 receptions, 751 receiving yards, and more than that, a total of 12 touchdowns, seven through the air, five on the ground.

[Andy Holloway]

That's the really surprising part. And while they, while he is used in a great way by Belichick, by Brady in the passing game, I don't think you can bank on this because if you look at the truth of when his numbers came, you know, he was thrust into the role that was necessary because of certain pieces of time where it was like, okay, there was no Edelman, we need him. Oh, now, now Burkhead's gone, we need him. And then when, when everybody was kind of healthy and in there, those were.

[Mike Wright]

When Sony also went out for.

[Andy Holloway]

Right.

[Mike Wright]

Missed some time.

[Andy Holloway]

And so that was when his down games came. If they used him as they did when, when he was, you know, just looking, if you literally just look at the snap percentages, use him the way that they used him when they needed him, he, he'd be great, he'd be this good.

[Jason Moore]

They just plain don't need to do that. And the thing is, is when you look at him at number eight now, Gurley 0% of the time he busted Saquon 0, McCaffrey 0, Camara 7%, Zeke 7%, Connor 0, Gordon 0. James White, James White's up at 20%, 19%. And you had games where, yeah, you were surprised, you were excited. Week four, 27 points, week 14, three points, week 15, 6.2 points. So week 10, five points. So that, I mean, when you only have 94 rushing attempts, you're going to see variance, you're going to see issues. And when you don't have a guy that's considered by many to be a frontline guy, I just don't know how people, how do people feel about James White this year? Were they, were they excited or did they feel like he was a guy that every time he popped, you tried to throw him in and then you weren't sure what they were going to get?

[Andy Holloway]

There was a period of Time when he was dominant where I was trying to trade for him because he looked as secure as it came, you know, all the way up until week nine, he was just an integral piece to that offense. But I think looking back, people aren't that excited because he really fell off once everybody got healthy.

[Mike Wright]

And I think that's where it's going to be.

[Jason Moore]

Sony's going to go way higher than him, right?

[Andy Holloway]

Yes, yes.

[Mike Wright]

And he should. I think what the problem was for James White was you became secure in using him, and then week 10 hit, you saw the points fall off a cliff. It was okay. It's just one game, another mediocre game, two more mediocre games. So that's what people will remember. But what I think you should remember is that James White's going to be a great value.

[Andy Holloway]

Yes, to me, he will be a great value, especially in any kind of PPR league where he's going to be late. He's going to be a late draft pick. Despite being the number eight running back.

[Mike Wright]

And his situation with his contract, he would be back.

[Andy Holloway]

He's like a Theo Riddick. Theo Riddick was never drafted. Nobody wants to grab Theo Riddick over the last few years, every year. He's a real.

[Mike Wright]

He's a real man's theoretic, though.

[Andy Holloway]

But it's like when you're drafting your. A lot of times what happens is you get your first running back, you get your second running back, and then you start swinging for the fences. You take those third, fourth, fifth running backs in your draft and what you're doing is you're trying to find the guy, that man, if he gets the role, if he gets the job, he's going to be unbelievable. Grab a guy like James White already has the job as your fourth running back, because if you need to plug him in for injuries, for bye weeks, for things like that in a PPR league, he's. He's going to be fine. He's. You know that. That's how I feel about James White.

[Jason Moore]

Joe Mixon, number nine, consistency. Rank number 10. This was a good year from a guy in a bad position on a bad team. 237 rushing attempts, 1168 yards, eight touchdowns on the ground, another 43 receptions, a touchdown on 55 targets. He missed a couple games. He only busted 7% of the time and he was good 71% of the time. This was a really good year for Joe Mixon. You saw all the talent on display. You saw a team commit to him. They're making a transition from Marv.

[Mike Wright]

Oh, hey.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, Touche. Marvin Lewis. Touche. And look, the sky's the limit for Joe Mixon. He is a. He's like Saquon light when you apply the bad roster, bad offensive line. Not winning a lot of games, so didn't get to run the clock out a lot of the time. He's not Saquon by any means, but he's in a similar situation with the team.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah. While Andy Dalton was there up through week 12, Joe Mixon was the running back 12. So he was a. He was a running back one. And I think their offense gets better this year. I think they needed to get rid of Marv and yeah, what we saw in college, coming into last season, his rookie year, there was so much hype around Joe Mixon's talent, and you just didn't see it last year. You really didn't. And, you know, this year it was like, okay, he is who everybody thought he was, and I think he's going to be a really safe pick next year.

[Jason Moore]

Well, and he averaged the third most rushing yards per game of any running back. 83.4 yards per game. I think that he. This is kind of where, probably where he belongs next year. Probably in that 8, 9 range. Right. And where you're drafting him.

[Mike Wright]

The interesting thing will be Giovanni Bernard. The team can move on from him for very minimal hit against their cap.

[Andy Holloway]

Oh, that's pretty cool.

[Mike Wright]

Is that Mark Wallenberg?

[Andy Holloway]

That's me. If geo's gone, I could step up.

[Mike Wright]

This is very possible. But what I was also going to say is he's not super expensive. About four and a half million dollars or 3.75, I should say.

[Jason Moore]

I think. I think you want Geo to stay. If I were a fantasy owner, Joe Mixon, I want Geo Bernard to stay 100%. Gio Bernard's rushing attempts very, very, very, very low this year. He had two games where mix and missed, and he was at 15 and 12. But in the games he played, 2, 2, 1, 5.

[Mike Wright]

What are his receptions looking like?

[Jason Moore]

Receptions in the first four games to a game. But he had a six, he had a one, he had a four. That would be the area that you would say, maybe Mixon would benefit from somebody that's, you know, Mark Walton.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, hey, it's me.

[Mike Wright]

That's what I'm thinking.

[Jason Moore]

So I guess either way, Mixon's the workhorse. Right.

[Andy Holloway]

With a new coaching staff in place there, that's where I'd rather Geo be gone. Because when they get into training camp and they go, hey, Geo's, actually a really good player. Because he is. They might want to use him more. If it's just Mark Waltenberg and another rookie that they pick up, then that's going to be far more difficult.

[Jason Moore]

I don't know if I agree with that, but.

[Mike Wright]

Oh, it's good. All the guy did was be named Mark Walton. Like this poor guy.

[Jason Moore]

What do you mean, poor guy?

[Andy Holloway]

This.

[Jason Moore]

He wouldn't even be talked about on this show.

[Mike Wright]

But he's not. We call him a name that is not his name.

[Andy Holloway]

I forgot that his name is Mark Waltenberg.

[Mike Wright]

I bet you were so casual, Mark Waltenberg with calling you Mark Waltenberg.

[Jason Moore]

This guy, he should be happy.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah.

[Jason Moore]

He might have a shirt made. His name's on a shirt right now. Right.

[Mike Wright]

But it's not his name.

[Jason Moore]

This is true.

[Andy Holloway]

That's the point.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah.

[Mike Wright]

It's barely a nickname. It's your name fused with another.

[Jason Moore]

That sounds like something that Mike Reitnberg would say.

[Mike Wright]

Yes. How dare you. How dare you.

[Jason Moore]

David Johnson, number 10.

[Mike Wright]

I'm going to Brooks. Put it on. I need.

[Jason Moore]

What did you want? Did you want bad joke?

[Andy Holloway]

Oh, I wanted a bad joke.

[Mike Wright]

You needed something. You needed a pun. Thank you.

[Andy Holloway]

Oh, yeah, sorry.

[Jason Moore]

David Johnson, he finished in the top 10. Does he deserve a little praise? A little melodic praise?

[Mike Wright]

No.

[Andy Holloway]

No.

[Jason Moore]

All right.

[Mike Wright]

No.

[Jason Moore]

Number 11 on consistency here was the kicker with David Johnson only 6% aka one of his games in the great category. Only one big time week that was week 10. 33.8 points. He only busted 6% of the time. So he had one bus game, one great game and everything else was somewhere between mediocre and good.

[Mike Wright]

We need to go all the way down to running back 19 on the season to find someone with only a 6% great game finish.

[Andy Holloway]

Yes. And that's why people feel like he was a bust, because they never.

[Jason Moore]

Because he was.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah. I mean, even though he was relative to draft position as the number 10 running back, the way he was utilized was just trash. Never having any kind of great games, never winning you any weeks. And you drafted a guy to be. I mean, when you're drafting that high, you need a guy that's going to come in and throw 30 points down on your opponent over and over and over through the year. That wasn't what you got with David Johnson.

[Jason Moore]

But you also wanted a lot more than 50 receptions for a guy who in 2016 was the number one graded wide out by Pro Football Focus.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah. And on top of that was his average depth of target under the spectacular Mike McCoy led offense. His A dot was point 8 yards.

[Jason Moore]

ADOT being average average depth of target.

[Mike Wright]

And then that that magic year for him in 2016, he led all running backs with a 4.7 average depth of target. Point 8 is not going to get the job done. We hope, we hope that was all completely on the shoulders of Mike McCoy. Maybe a little remnants.

[Jason Moore]

Is that the worst we're going to see from David Johnson over the next two years?

[Andy Holloway]

100%. Well, I don't know. About three years. Three years we're getting into near 30.

[Jason Moore]

But he's been paid.

[Mike Wright]

Right.

[Jason Moore]

And this team had as bad of an offensive line situation that you could have. They're the worst team in football.

[Mike Wright]

I think it's the worst. And I believe that David Johnson will finish higher than 10 next year.

[Andy Holloway]

Here's something to realize with the coaching change. So Pro Football Focus, they ranked him as the number one wide receiver two years ago because that's how good he was in the past catching game. And that kind of just all went away with Bruce Arians gone. Cliff Kingsbury, the new running back, the new head coach brought in. Here's something that Pro Football focus pointed out. Since 2014, Cliff Kingsbury's running backs have received 372 targets. That's the sixth most in the NCAA. They've caught 293 passes, the six most for 2,551 receiving yards, the fifth most and 88 first downs gain.

[Mike Wright]

Cliff Kingsley, that's what I like to hear.

[Andy Holloway]

Uses the running backs in the past passing game. That's what they brought him in for. Huge for David Johnson. Yeah.

[Jason Moore]

You see you hope as a DJ fan, as a fantasy owner of David Johnson, you see Mike McCoy in the very Jeff Fisher light in Cliff Kingsbury in The very Sean McVey light.

[Mike Wright]

Yes.

[Jason Moore]

And even if it's just a little bit of the same of the Sean McVeigh, it's got to get better for DJ. All right. On next episode we'll handle more running backs. Get into the truth about players like Philip Lindsay, rookie sensation Tariq Cohn, Derek Henry.

[Andy Holloway]

Oh, the truth.

[Jason Moore]

Chris Carson, Nick Chubb. I gotta stop while I'm ahead. Let's do this instead. Pristine deal of the day. Oh, I knew that was coming. Today's pristine deal of the day, a James Conner signed Steelers throwback jersey sold yesterday on pristine auctionee for $92.14.

[Mike Wright]

I wish.

[Jason Moore]

Do we have a James Conner jersey?

[Mike Wright]

We don't. We should get. I should get us one.

[Andy Holloway]

But Steelers throwbacks jerseys are great.

[Jason Moore]

Not to be confused throw up jerseys.

[Andy Holloway]

Oh, yeah.

[Jason Moore]

Which are very similar to what we talked about at the beginning of the show. So never check it out.

[Mike Wright]

Making a bid on Pristine is completely free. Making it count is completely free. Check them out. Get some deal good steals. Book land. We'll see you in a couple days. Talk some more truth about these running backs.

[Jason Moore]

I'm gonna throw up.

[Andy Holloway]

Goodbye. 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.