Top 10 TE Rankings + Fantasy Nosedives - Fantasy Football Podcast for 8/17

Summary

Fantasy Footballers Podcast Summary Episode: Top 10 TE Rankings + Fantasy Nosedives
Release Date: August 17, 2020
Hosts: Andy Holloway, Jason Moore, Mike "The Fantasy Hitman" Wright

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1. Introduction and Episode Overview

In this episode of Fantasy Footballers, hosts Andy Holloway, Jason Moore, and Mike Wright delve into their Top 10 Tight End (TE) Rankings for the upcoming fantasy football season. Additionally, they analyze which fantasy teams are expected to experience significant declines, commonly referred to as "nosedives." The discussion is rich with expert insights, strategic advice, and in-depth player evaluations, aimed at helping fantasy managers optimize their draft strategies and team compositions.

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2. Setting the Stage: Hype Train Season and Media Influence

The hosts begin by addressing the challenges of the current fantasy football season, highlighting a lack of preseason games and reduced media coverage, which they describe as the "worst hype season." Mike Wright expresses frustration with the limited information available, stating:

“This is going to be the worst hype season because the conjecture, it's like a game of telephone now.”
[05:00]

Jason Moore concurs, emphasizing the inundation of speculative articles that can skew fantasy rankings:

“I will not allow it to affect my fantasy rankings and we will have to see through it.”
[03:38]

The trio discusses the impact of workout videos and player images, such as A.J. Dillon's reported physique, on fantasy perceptions. Mike points out the immediate fear such visuals can instill among fantasy managers:

“The reactions to that picture of A.J. Dillon’s calves and quads were immediate, like fear in the hearts of Aaron Jones drafters.”
[04:14]

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3. Listener League Announcements: Megalo Bowl

Transitioning to community engagement, the hosts announce the Megalo Bowl, touted as the largest fantasy football league globally. Mike Wright enthusiastically details the league's growth and the opportunity it presents for listeners to compete for a coveted listener league spot:

“This is year three. The last year was when it really went to the moon with more than 7,000 players.”
[06:18]

Jason Moore adds excitement about the listener league entries, highlighting the chance for participants to prove their fantasy prowess:

“These are fun leagues. These are our listeners who love fantasy football who are having fun playing in our preferred scoring format.”
[07:20]

Listeners are encouraged to join via the website jointhefoot.com, with Mike emphasizing the ease of entry and the potential rewards:

“Head over jointhefoot.com, get in the Megalobol right now, and you'll get to pick your preferred drafting time.”
[08:00]

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4. Discussion: Biggest Fantasy Nosedives for 2020

The conversation shifts to identifying which fantasy teams are likely to see a decline in performance. Mike Wright introduces the segment by framing it as a discussion on teams with high expectations that may underperform:

“Quick question of the day... what fantasy offense do you think will take the biggest nosedive in 2020?”
[08:00]

Los Angeles Chargers are spotlighted by Jason Moore as a primary candidate for a nosedive. He cites the instability at the quarterback position and potential shifts in offensive strategy:

“If your team is trying to do less on offense, slow the game down, play good defense, protect your rookie quarterback, things like that. The touchdowns aren't going to be as high.”
[09:00]

Mike Wright suggests San Francisco 49ers as another team at risk, noting the departure of key wide receivers and reliance on a less dynamic quarterback:

“Jimmy Garoppolo is a little bit up and down. I'm not saying he's a bad quarterback. I think he's done exactly what he's done in the offense.”
[11:18]

Andy Holloway brings up the Houston Texans, pointing out the loss of standout receivers and undefined team identity:

“When you lose a Hall of Fame wide receiver, that really hurts things. But just on top of that, what is the identity now of this team?”
[12:30]

The hosts agree that these factors contribute to potential fantasy nosedives, advising listeners to adjust their draft strategies accordingly.

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5. Top 10 Tight End Rankings: Analysis and Player Breakdowns

The core of the episode focuses on the Top 10 Tight End Rankings. The hosts provide comprehensive evaluations of each player, discussing their strengths, potential breakout candidates, and overall fantasy value.

1. Travis Kelce

• Current Rank: #1

• Analysis: Mike Wright attributes Kelce's top ranking to his consistency and the emerald rapport with quarterback Patrick Mahomes. Jason Moore emphasizes Kelce's dominance as a clear top target:

  “Travis Kelce has been the tight end one for four consecutive years.”
  [28:44]

• Draft Strategy: Advisable to draft Kelce in the second round, aligning with his high average draft position (ADP).

2. George Kittle

• Current Rank: #2

• Analysis: Despite being younger than Kelce, Kittle's explosive playmaking ability places him just behind. Mike highlights the significance of Kittle's offense and his role as a primary target:

  “He gives you big play opportunities, which is both fun to watch and good for fantasy points.”
  [28:44]

• Draft Strategy: Similar to Kelce, Kittle is best valued in the second round, considering his ADP at the end of the second round.

3. Mark Andrews

• Current Rank: #3

• Analysis: Mark Andrews impresses with his target volume and connection with Lamar Jackson. Despite some injury concerns, his ceiling remains high:

  “Mark Andrews had 98 targets, which is an insane number for the tight end position.”
  [30:07]

• Potential: Considered a breakout candidate if health and target share sustain.

4. Zach Ertz

• Current Rank: #4

• Analysis: Ertz's historical consistency and higher floor compared to Andrews make him a reliable option. The hosts discuss his role in the Philadelphia offense and potential for regression in touchdowns:

  “Zach Ertz is still the number one target for this offense.”
  [32:50]

• Draft Strategy: Suitable for mid-to-late rounds due to his dependable production.

5. Darren Waller

• Current Rank: #5

• Analysis: Waller's breakout season with high target share and yards positions him as a top-tier tight end. However, concerns about his consistency and offensive strategy prompt debate among the hosts:

  “Darren Waller is still the most in the League at percentage of teams yards at the tight end position.”
  [36:41]

• Draft Strategy: Valued in the fifth round, balancing his high upside against potential regression.

6. Jared Cook

• Current Rank: #6

• Analysis: Cook's performance with the New Orleans Saints demonstrates his reliability, especially after acclimating to the offense. His ability to produce consistent touchdowns makes him a valuable late-round pick:

  “Jared Cook had an unbelievably high efficiency year with 16.4 yards per reception.”
  [44:02]

• Draft Strategy: Ideal for the 10th round, offering high upside at a low cost.

7. Chris Herndon

• Current Rank: #7

• Analysis: Herndon's potential to become the primary target in the Jets' offense presents an attractive option for fantasy managers looking to exploit undervalued players:

  “Chris Herndon could legitimately become the number one or number two target on the team, which is exciting.”
  [16:44]

• Draft Strategy: A viable option in late rounds, especially for managers willing to take calculated risks.

8. Mike Gesicki

• Current Rank: #8

• Analysis: Gesicki's athleticism and evolving role in Miami's offense make him a compelling pick. However, concerns about his consistency and the team's overall offensive strategy temper enthusiasm:

  “Mike Gesicki is a late-round tight end that we all have ranked much higher than ADP.”
  [47:17]

• Draft Strategy: Worth considering in the later rounds for his high ceiling potential.

9. Tyler Higbee

• Current Rank: #9

• Analysis: Higbee's recent performance and ability to execute big plays position him as a valuable fantasy asset. Andy emphasizes his historical capabilities and the unique opportunity presented by the team's offensive developments:

  “Tyler Higbee was able to do things that very little tight ends in history have been able to do, like four straight 100-yard games.”
  [50:42]

• Draft Strategy: A strong contender in the later rounds, offering significant upside for managers willing to invest.

10. Hunter Henry

• Current Rank: #10

• Analysis: Henry's role as a traditional tight end with a focus on touchdowns makes him a balanced choice. However, Mike expresses reservations about him consistently outperforming other tight ends:

  “Hunter Henry comes in at 10, which feels like somehow the worst spot to land in a set of tight end rankings.”
  [53:34]

• Draft Strategy: Suitable for managers seeking a stable tight end without the high volatility of top-tier options.

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6. Strategies for Drafting Tight Ends in Fantasy Football

The hosts offer strategic advice for drafting tight ends, emphasizing flexibility and value over positional urgency. Jason Moore advises against overvaluing the tight end position early in drafts:

“If you miss out on one of the top tier tight ends, there are plenty of other tight ends who are better and more assured of production.”
[25:47]

Mike Wright concurs, suggesting that managers should prioritize running backs and wide receivers in the early rounds, leveraging tight ends as value picks in the later stages:

“If you want a piece of this offense or a talented athlete, pick that guy because the ranking doesn't matter at this point.”
[49:20]

Andy Holloway reinforces the importance of flexible drafting, encouraging managers to focus on potential high-impact tight ends only if they provide clear value without compromising other key positions.

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7. Fantasy News and Updates

The podcast also covers recent NFL news relevant to fantasy football, discussing player movements, injuries, and team strategies:

• Alex Smith Activation: Washington Football Team activated quarterback Alex Smith from the PUP list, offering potential dynasty league managers an opportunity to pick him up.

  “He's on dynasty waivers. I got him in both of our main dynasty leagues.”
  [13:40]

• Carry On Johnson Injury: The Chicago Bears' running back Carry On Johnson was spotted with a knee brace, leading to the signing of Jonathan Williams and speculation on Waller's usage in fantasy lineups.

  “DeAndre Swift is the best running back on the team, and he could be a solid fantasy option.”
  [12:30]

• Chris Herndon Signing: The New York Jets signed Chris Herndon following injuries to key players, positioning him as a potential breakout tight end.

  “Chris Herndon on the field is extremely fantasy relevant to me.”
  [16:25]

These updates provide listeners with actionable insights for adjusting their fantasy rosters ahead of the season.

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8. Sponsors and Advertisements

Note: As per instructions, advertisements, intros, outros, and non-content sections have been omitted from this summary.

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9. Conclusion and Next Episode Teasers

As the episode wraps up, the hosts tease the upcoming content, including a future episode focused on the Top 10 Tips and Tricks for Fantasy Football, promising to deliver valuable strategies for the drafting season. They encourage listeners to stay engaged with the podcast for ongoing insights and updates.

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Notable Quotes:

• “We're all kind of looking for a bright spot right now, aren't we?”
  Andy Holloway [00:00]

• “This is going to be the worst hype season because the conjecture, it's like a game of telephone now.”
  Mike Wright [05:00]

• “The reactions to that picture of A.J. Dillon’s calves and quads were immediate, like fear in the hearts of Aaron Jones drafters.”
  Mike Wright [04:14]

• “Travis Kelce has been the tight end one for four consecutive years.”
  Jason Moore [28:44]

• “Mark Andrews had 98 targets, which is an insane number for the tight end position.”
  Andy Holloway [30:07]

• “Tyler Higbee was able to do things that very little tight ends in history have been able to do, like four straight 100-yard games.”
  Andy Holloway [50:42]

---

This summary encapsulates the key discussions and insights from the Fantasy Footballers podcast episode, providing a comprehensive overview for listeners and fantasy football enthusiasts seeking strategic guidance for the 2020 season.

Transcript

[Andy Holloway]

We're all kind of looking for a bright spot right now, aren't we? Aren't we, Jason?

[Jason Moore]

Heck, yeah.

[Andy Holloway]

Well, I've got one for you. There's a hilarious new series on Apple TV plus starring Jason Sudeikis called Ted Lasso. It's about an American football coach who heads to England to take a shot at managing one of the world's most competitive professional soccer teams. If you like a show with big laughs, a lot of heart, this is the one for you. Look, it's Jason Sudeikis.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, I mean, that's good enough.

[Andy Holloway]

End of read. Watch Ted Lasso now on the Apple TV app. Subscription required for Apple TV plus, it's.

[Jason Moore]

Jerry McKinnon, running back, San Francisco 49ers.

[Mike Wright]

And you're listening to the Fantasy Footballers Podcast.

[Jason Moore]

Welcome to the Fantasy Footballers Podcast with your hosts, Andy Holloway, Jason Moore and Mike Wright.

[Mike Wright]

Welcome in, Danny, Mike and Jason, the fantasy footballers welcoming you into Monday, August 17th, the beginning of another week. I think it's 24 days until kickoff.

[Andy Holloway]

Oh, really?

[Mike Wright]

Jerick McKinnon Keeping it real chill to start the show.

[Andy Holloway]

Look, your boy strong.

[Mike Wright]

Your boy strong. Maybe. We'll find out. We're excited to have you with us. We have a tight end rankings episode for you. Some big announcements, some big news to talk about. A very important, actionable quick question, in my opinion, that could help your fantasy team. And no, it's exciting to be talking football. It's exciting to see we are fully in just unmatchable hype train season. Oh, man, I'm telling you right now, this is the worst. What? No, no, no, let me rephrase. This is going to be the worst hype season because the conjecture, it's like a game of telephone now. We don't have preseason games, we don't have as much media, we don't have people attending camp that are third parties to watch with the eyeballs. We've got coach speak extraordinaire. We've got limited padded practices. We've got. I mean, I've seen some news reports and I'm not going to put any specific organizations on blast though. Very tempted to. But these reports are like, you know, this player is expected to be considered, to be expected to be very good. That's a news report.

[Andy Holloway]

Look, that's our job to say stuff like that.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, I mean, you've been doing that about Blake Jarwin for months.

[Andy Holloway]

Speaking of Blake Jarwin, season is upon us. I hope we're all ready.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, you're ready. Here's the reality and it's you're right, Andy. It's compounded this year. But the journalists, if we could call them that.

[Andy Holloway]

Oh, come on.

[Jason Moore]

They still need to take it easy. They need to write their articles. But here's the thing. The consumer, and I consider myself a consumer in all ways, needs those articles. Like, I am thirsty for those.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, you don't really. You don't want them to stop. They're just.

[Jason Moore]

I want to hear about the expecting the hoping to expect a good year. Like, I'm. I'm in on that now. I will not allow it to affect my fantasy rankings and we will have to see through it. But I still want to see it.

[Andy Holloway]

What about that A.J. dillon picture? Is that affecting your rankings?

[Jason Moore]

Of course not. But it's affecting my heart.

[Andy Holloway]

Which affects your rankings.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, essentially. Workout videos, pictures from camp. I, you know, A.J. dillon looking especially. Yeah, I don't even. Here it is. I do like, I mean, the reactions to that picture of A.J. dillon's calves and quads in tree trunk legs. It was immediate, like fear in the hearts of Aaron Jones drafters.

[Jason Moore]

Look, last year, immediate. Last year there was fear in the hearts of Tyler Lockett owners when all the DK Metcalf pictures were coming out about like, oh, my goodness, that. That's impressive. He's an impressive athlete. He was. Guess why. Guess why he was drafted.

[Andy Holloway]

I like that. Your example. And now DK Metcalf is in fact being drafted in front of Tyler Locke.

[Jason Moore]

But he shouldn't be. And he didn't outperform Lockett last year.

[Mike Wright]

Well, Andre Williams of the Giants used to look like AJ oh yeah. AJ Villain did. So I wouldn't be too worried. Like Jason said, these are professional athletes. They should. When you take a picture of them, they should look better than us.

[Andy Holloway]

That's true.

[Jason Moore]

Barely.

[Mike Wright]

Just barely. But it is very exciting to be in full hype season. We'll try to wade through the coach speak for you. Some coaches are more prone to, you know, a rosy outlook for each and every one of their players. But you can get ready for your draft right now. Ultimate Draft Kit.com I encourage you to go check it out. Get in there, get your rankings going. Get yourself set up. Our drafts, I think our big ones are basically right before the season starts.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, most of most of our big drafts are right before the season starts. That weekend leading up to September 10th. That, that weekend of glory, the holiday weekend as well. And there's going to be another big, big draft going on the weekend before.

[Mike Wright]

The Mega label, the Megalo bowl is Here Jason, is hashtag hype jacked up. That's what the inverse three. Jacked.

[Jason Moore]

Jacked.

[Mike Wright]

All right, the Megalo bowl is here. You can get in right now. Year number two for the Megalo Bowl. This is the largest fantasy football league on earth.

[Andy Holloway]

I think it's three.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, no, Mike is three.

[Mike Wright]

This is year three. This is the last year was when it really. It went to the moon though, and we had more than 7,000 playing last year. This is your chance to be declared the Megalobol champion. This is your chance to win a 2021 Listener League spot. It's very exciting.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, I mean, that's the thing. So Listener league entries, they've been awesome. We are grateful. I think tomorrow we will probably be sending out our. Our winners and the announcements for the listener league entry. But it's all right because if you didn't get in, this is your way in. Someone in this year's draft won last year's megalovolt. They are in the listener league this year. And look, this is just. These are fun leagues. These are our listeners who love fantasy football who are having fun playing in our preferred scoring format. It's a lot of fun. And you want to prove that you're good at fantasy football. Take down the Megaloman.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah. It's a tournament style super league built to allow the Foot Clan to compete thousands upon thousands. It's very exciting. People have been waiting for the link to get in and you can only do that as a member of the foot [e-mail] so if you go to jointhefoot.com you can get your free entry to the meglable. Very, very excited. Brooks is so excited. You could hear it in his voice.

[Jason Moore]

Oh, yeah, that was true. I mean, that might be the longest awe he's ever given.

[Mike Wright]

That was great. Been storing that up. Mike's eyes went big.

[Andy Holloway]

He will now hibernate until next meglabull announcement.

[Mike Wright]

Oh, that's awesome. Okay, so head over jointhefoot.com, get in the meglable right now, and you'll get to pick your preferred drafting time. And that will determine what league you're in. And you can see all the rules, all the regulations, everything. You can go to jointhefoot.com and check it out. Quick question of the day. Brooks has titled this team Nose Dives. What fantasy offense? What fantasy team do you think will take the biggest nosedive in 2020? So this doesn't necessarily correlate to, you know, an NFL's high scoring team that collapses. Although most Often it does. It's more about like the fantasy options on that team. Going from a bunch of relevant players to maybe fewer in 2020. What do you guys think?

[Jason Moore]

For me, it's the Los Angeles Chargers. And I feel a little bad because I think it's easy pickings. When you take a team who loses, you know, a borderline hall of Fame quarterback that they know and who knows a system who's been there for 50 years and you go to, you know, a perennial backup and. Or rookie, probably both this season at quarterback. But you have a lot of important fantasy pieces. You have Keenan Allen and Hunter Henry and Mike Williams and Austin Eckler, these really valuable pieces from the last several seasons. And I think overall the offense is going to take a nosedive. They all are still just as talented as they were last year. But if the team, which I think. And here's the thing, if you're a Chargers fan, if you're one of those two or three out there and you're listening, you don't have to be sad because I think your team's going to be better this year. From an NFL standpoint, your defense looks good. I think you're going to try to do less on offense. But so, but that's the problem for fantasy. If you're trying to do less on offense, you know, slow the game down, play good defense, protect your rookie quarterback, things like that. The touchdowns aren't going to be as high, the yardage will be lowered. It just won't be glorious for all these players.

[Mike Wright]

I'm going to throw a San Francisco out there, which might surprise some people. Look, nobody ever, when things go very well for a team, they make the super bowl run. We saw this with the Rams a couple of years ago. Nothing could ever go wrong. Sean McVeigh is a genius. Kyle Shanahan's a genius. Everything is perfect, always and forever, because you don't see the future, you see the present. San Francisco made a tremendous jump last year. They went from 21 points a game to almost 30. That was number two overall in football. It's just hard for machines to stay machines in the NFL. Certain seasons they just go right. And your backbone of this team is not Patrick Mahomes or Lamar Jackson. When it comes to year to year offensive prowess. You lost Debo, Samuel, Emmanuel, Sanders. I mean, you lost Debo for maybe a couple of games. Everything went right for them last year. And we saw what an offensive line could do all of a sudden in Los Angeles, moving them from a top scoring team down into I believe they dropped to 11 or 12 last year. And when I look at San Francisco, now that you have. You do have Jerick McKinnon in the backfield with Tevin Coleman.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, he looks back.

[Mike Wright]

Apparently he used to be. And then you lost Debo, so you got Brandon Ayuk, but you got Trent Taylor. You got Trent Taylor back and you got, you know, Kendrick Bourne. Look, the only player that you might even.

[Andy Holloway]

We got Trent Taylor back.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, he's the starting slot receiver for the team. My point is, is when the team. Who are you playing in San Francisco this year? Are you going to get. You're playing George Kittle, end of list.

[Jason Moore]

For me, Jimmy Garoppolo in a, in a super flex.

[Mike Wright]

I'd play Jimmy G. When the foundation of your team is Jimmy G. And he's been a little bit up and down. I'm not saying he's a bad quarterback. I think he's done exactly. He's done the golf. He did the. He's done the exact golf role in the San Francisco offense, which is to execute, not to take over a game. I think it could. You could see that downgrade for the 49er fantasy options.

[Andy Holloway]

I'm going to throw out the Houston Texans. When you lose a Hall of Fame wide receiver, that really hurts things. But just on top of that, what. What is the identity now of this team? Like, I still like Watson. I still think that he could be a solid fantasy quarterback. But David Johnson, what is. What's left in the tank?

[Mike Wright]

He.

[Andy Holloway]

Maybe he is a value. That's the story of the Houston Texans skill players is maybe they're a value.

[Jason Moore]

All of them.

[Andy Holloway]

Oh, David Johnson, maybe he's a value. Oh, man. Will Fuller, maybe he might be an incredible value.

[Jason Moore]

Brandon Cooks, man. Oh, dude, he could be a huge value this year.

[Andy Holloway]

He is maybe a huge value in this draft. Like, look, if you want to go.

[Jason Moore]

Deep, you know, Duke Johnson, oh, man, this is the year.

[Andy Holloway]

This is the year that he might be. He might be a value. And look, sure, maybe they are values, but there's a reason they're going where they are going in fantasy drafts. And when you're talking about last year coming into the season, Houston Texans, you're thinking of a prop bet of, well, they might score the most points in the NFL. They are an elite offense to. Now, I have no idea what to think about this offense.

[Jason Moore]

I mean, like, all jokes aside, I actually, I, I'm going to believe in Deshaun Watson in the. In the.

[Andy Holloway]

So who. Who's the value then?

[Jason Moore]

Brandon Cooks, maybe.

[Mike Wright]

Let's get into some news.

[Jason Moore]

And notes from around the league.

[Mike Wright]

All right. Washington football team activated Alex Smith from the. From the active PUP list.

[Andy Holloway]

Unbelievable.

[Jason Moore]

Look, throwing this out there for dynasty owners. He's on dynasty waivers. I got him in both of our main dynasty leagues and it didn't cost me anything. Free to pick up. I had a player I could move to my ir. Just check, check your league and see if you could pick him up because he could win that job.

[Mike Wright]

All right, Carry on. Johnson was spotted in a knee brace at training camp.

[Jason Moore]

That's a nice pivot.

[Mike Wright]

We have a new.

[Jason Moore]

That is a nice.

[Mike Wright]

We have a new carry on drop.

[Andy Holloway]

Nothing really matters. Yeah, you are right.

[Mike Wright]

Well, and then they. They signed running back Jonathan Williams.

[Jason Moore]

Oh, man.

[Andy Holloway]

Remember that week? That was awesome.

[Mike Wright]

It probably says something about that carry on recovery.

[Jason Moore]

He was that exciting. Buffalo Bill backup, right.

[Mike Wright]

Oh, you're turning to a Colt superstar.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah.

[Mike Wright]

I mean, for what, two weeks?

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, a week or two.

[Mike Wright]

A week or two. And he looked good. But carry on, Johnson hurt again and the team has really not come out and it'd be nice if that happened. And the team came out and said DeAndre Swift is like our future. He's going to be our guy. But they've pretty much, you know, Swift came out a month ago, said I've been guaranteed nothing. The team says still to be determined right now. I would consider DeAndre Swift the third down back.

[Jason Moore]

Really?

[Mike Wright]

Yeah. Because I don't know what's going to go beyond that. I don't know if they're going to do a shared BO Scarborough is going to be involved in the offense. Weather Carry on's back. Swift is third downs right now is the way I'm looking at it.

[Jason Moore]

But at least he's talented.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah.

[Andy Holloway]

Swift is the best running back on the team. So if you're going, you know, the cream rises.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah.

[Andy Holloway]

Then I'm still fine. I'm still okay. Taking a shot on Swift.

[Mike Wright]

Adam Gaze said Denzel Mims injured hamstring, no timetable to return. They also lost Vincent Smith, so they went out and signed Chris Hogan.

[Jason Moore]

Mediocre signing of the week.

[Andy Holloway]

Chris Hogan.

[Mike Wright]

Do you think he still has his my guy medal up in his room? Oh, the mighty have fallen, but basically the jets have. Let's transition to hype here. One, Jameson Crowder is standing out as by far the best wide receiver in camp. We knew that.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah. We saw the depth chart.

[Mike Wright]

We thought maybe Denzel Mims would, you know, do something, but he's hurt. And Chris Herndon Chris Herndon. Big expectations from Adam Gaze.

[Andy Holloway]

Oh, we're back.

[Mike Wright]

He's come out and said he's our starting tight end.

[Andy Holloway]

We're back.

[Mike Wright]

Chris Herndon on the field is extremely fantasy relevant to me. I've been very excited about him coming back. He's probably going to be on more of my teams than any other tight end because he's not being drafted or he's being drafted very late and he could be the number one or number two target on the team.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, that's. That's the thing that's exciting about him. If you punt the position, he's completely free. Like, I like John who Smith a lot this year. He's a guy that I think could break out. But when I compare him to Chris Herndon, who I could get after my draft off of waivers or just pick with my last pick if I wanted, he could legitimately become the, you know, 1B as far as target in this offense, which is exciting. Upside.

[Mike Wright]

I know that we would not normally prescribe like two tight ends on your team, but I don't have a problem. Let's say you have your last two picks and you went Herndon Jarwin to see who breaks out week one.

[Andy Holloway]

Sure.

[Mike Wright]

I mean, do you want to do that or do you want to pay half your fab in Week 1 for the tight end that breaks out trying to grab the next Kittle Andrews, whatever the case may be.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, if there's nobody really appealing at running back or wide receiver in your last round. I see that point.

[Mike Wright]

Mike's lips curled upwards at the thought of someone else drafting Blake Jarwin. Right there.

[Andy Holloway]

It's not happening.

[Mike Wright]

He was actually just talking about like in other leagues.

[Andy Holloway]

Oh, no, it's happening. Well, you mentioned, you know, do you want to have to spend half of your fab on the next George Kittle? And I'm like, no, just draft Blake.

[Mike Wright]

Jarwin if he's not a my guy this week, our my guy episode, that's a big Thursday. That's a big deal.

[Jason Moore]

Listen in, tell your friends.

[Mike Wright]

Let's see if Blake makes the list. Kyle Shanahan said, I don't know. First round rookie running back Brandon Ayuk is further ahead than a lot of rookies.

[Andy Holloway]

Did you call him a running back?

[Mike Wright]

Did I hear you did.

[Andy Holloway]

I don't know. Wide receiver.

[Mike Wright]

Brooks.

[Andy Holloway]

Brooks, whatever. Brooks isn't listening. I told you, he's in hibernation. He's done. He's spent.

[Mike Wright]

How do you feel about the Megalobol, Brooks? Oh, yeah.

[Jason Moore]

That was a recording. He just played back his recording. He can't. He doesn't have the energy to put that inhaling.

[Mike Wright]

He's a wide receiver, Mike.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah.

[Mike Wright]

And further ahead than a lot of rookies. It matters a little bit to me coming from Kyle Shanahan specifically, who's been traditionally very hard on all of his wide receivers.

[Andy Holloway]

Dante, the guy who put Pettis in a body bag.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, yeah. He also said that Debo has a chance of being available week one against Arizona. He's not counting on it, but has a chance.

[Andy Holloway]

Okay, well, I was. I'm going to take the not counting on it part.

[Mike Wright]

Debo is still your highest ranked wide receiver for the 49ers, I assume he.

[Jason Moore]

Is for me, yes.

[Mike Wright]

Okay. And then help me wade through this. Brian Edwards, third round rookie wide receiver from Las Vegas. Getting first team reps ahead of Henry Ruggs. A lot of the, you know, conjecture and hype. Derek Carr coming out. Oh, he's like Devonte Adams. You can give him the 50, 50 ball. Athletic freak, first team reps. But a lot of their first team wasn't getting an opportunity in practice. Aguilar, Zay Jones, Devonte Booker were starters here. What do you think about Brian Edwards? Is he sneaky? Does he enter the conversation for you like Rager, Judy Lamb, late round Jefferson, late round rookie wide receivers.

[Jason Moore]

I'll speak first because I know Mike is a little bit more hot and bothered. I am not in on any Las Vegas receiver. The cost for Darren Waller, who I love, who is great, he is the Walrus. We'll talk about him today. It's difficult because they added. So they added Nelson Aguilar, they added Henry Ruggs, they added Brian Edwards. These guys are all good. It's still Derek Carr throwing the ball. They are still rookies. I just feel like, you know, if they're all kind of really good and they're going to bring this offense to the next step, but they're all eating into each other's targets and opportunities and it's still Derek Carr. I just don't know what the ceiling is for those guys in redraft, in, you know, obviously in Dynasty. Those, those prospects look really, really promising.

[Andy Holloway]

I will say Brian Edwards, he would have been a much higher draft pick, but he got hurt during the draft process. And we see this happen all the time that someone, if they're hurt in that process, they just fall in the draft. It's what happens if you're not Hollywood Marquis Brown and then you're still a first round pick. He is an excellent, excellent Wide receiver. I really like him.

[Mike Wright]

And look, would you draft him over Henry Rudd?

[Andy Holloway]

I like taking shots at Derek Carr whenever I can, but Derek Carr did sustain Michael Crabtree and Amari Cooper once upon a time. Now, Darren Waller changes things a lot if he's going to be the number one target, but we've seen wide receivers be perfectly fine. In fact, very good for fantasy purposes, while Derek Carr is the quarterback of the team. I'm still taking Rager and Jerry Judy over Brian Edwards.

[Mike Wright]

But Rug, specifically, are you taking Rugs or Edwards? I think that's the bigger question. If you're going to spend on the chance.

[Andy Holloway]

I'm still going to take Rugs. I'm going to take the guy they took in the first, early in the first round over Brian Edwards, who's one.

[Jason Moore]

Of the fastest guys in the NFL. And I shared this this weekend. But if you haven't watched him play basketball.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, I saw him jump over a skyscraper.

[Jason Moore]

It's fun. It's fun to watch this 511 guy just dunking on fools.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah.

[Jason Moore]

It's not fair. It isn't fair. And it's not fair that I didn't get that body because I love basketball and I would love to do that just once, just once in my life.

[Mike Wright]

Is that what you'd say to him if you walked up? It's unfair that I didn't get your body?

[Jason Moore]

Yes, that's what I plan to say if I meet Henry Ruggs. Oh, dude, sweet body. Can I. I wish I had that.

[Mike Wright]

Can I have it? Sweet body.

[Andy Holloway]

Look, bro, your body is pretty sweet.

[Jason Moore]

Whoa. You're athletic. All right.

[Andy Holloway]

On a dunks on you.

[Jason Moore]

On a bigger, bigger, better, brighter note as he dunks all over me.

[Mike Wright]

Tight end time.

[Jason Moore]

Look, folk. And you got to check out Underdog Fantasy. We've been talking about the last couple of weeks. Underdog Fantasy. Yep. They are up in our studio. They are on our phones. Download the app if you're playing best ball. If you want to get prepared for your drafts and win money at the same time and have fun, it's Underdog Fantasy. Everybody's always been like, where do we go now that draft is gone? Underdog Fantasy is the answer. Their UI is awesome. It's the cleanest, easiest, quickest way.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah. Everybody I've talked to that played draft likes Underdog. Even better.

[Jason Moore]

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[Mike Wright]

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[Jason Moore]

Tight ends.

[Mike Wright]

All right, I'd like to dedicate this episode to Matt Nagy.

[Jason Moore]

He loves him. Some tight ends.

[Mike Wright]

Dubbed the tight end collector by Kyle the Borgogan. Or maybe that was Brooks, I'm not sure. Let's talk about tight end strategy for a second before we get into our top 10 tight ends on today's episode. We've been doing these rankings breakdowns over the last week. We've, this is our kind of final episode of those. But one of the things that is very tempting as a fantasy football player, and I'm, I will admit I'm tempted by it even as a player of, you know, 15 years of playing fantasy football. When you're in the middle of a draft and you see your roster on the right side of the screen and you start to fill in spots and it looks so beautiful. Wonderful.

[Jason Moore]

Do I want to really get this guy who's going to go on my bench? Yeah, I still haven't started my tight end yet, you know, and so we're.

[Mike Wright]

Tempted to grab that tight end no matter what. Just fill that starting roster.

[Jason Moore]

Don't do it.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah.

[Jason Moore]

I mean, here's the reality. Those top end tight ends and we all know who there are, there's two tiers, two tiers of two guys. You got the Kittle, Kelsey. Great, grab them. They're going to be fantastic. They're going to help your team. And you've got the Tier 2, the Mark Andrews, Zach Ertz. We'll get to those guys. But if you miss out on one of them, there are plenty of other tight ends out there who are better, more assured of production and will be higher ranked in our rankings than the later round guys. But the gap is the Grand Canyon when you're talking about from the top tier tight ends to the streaming options. And even if you get one of those next tier guys, you're wasting out on a running back or wide receiver pick that is important in that fifth, sixth, seventh round. You know, to me it's pretty simple. I look for value on one of those top four guys to drop. If I can grab them, great. If not, I am literally taking it with my last positional pick because there are a handful of guys that will be there that even if my projections, my own projections say, well, I've got them finishing a little bit behind some other guys ahead of them. They, they have big opportunity to win a job, to have the skill, the talent and you know, every, every year there's a breakup. Mark Andrews last year was a big breakout pick. Jared Cook the year prior was a big. These were last round picks or at.

[Mike Wright]

Least Darren Waller last year. Yeah, absolutely. Yeah. So I'm not going to linger very long on our top. You know, as we go through the top 10, I want to make sure we have some time to talk about those breakout candidates. So I'm going to include the big boys together to start this off. Number one, Travis Kelsey. Number two, George Kittle. Both got contracts this offseason. Both have been absolutely dominant fantasy forces. I was just asked why I have George Kittle ranked ahead of Travis Kelsey in a dynasty league. Someone felt like that was disrespectful. I'll tell you why. He's four years younger and I think both of these guys are absolutely, you know, dominant. But last year, points per Game, they were the same, both been paid and Kelsey, I believe is 30, Kittle's 26. But we have Kelsey in a redraft at number one.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah. Mike and I have Kelsey in our shared dynasty league. If we could trade him for George Kittle, we would do that in a heartbeat because you're adding four years and they're both great players. But in redraft leagues, these two guys are dominant. They are the number one target for their teams. There are not many tight ends out there who are pretty much clearly the number one target. They are physically able to make fools of people, which is both fun to watch and also good for fantasy points. There's not much to say here other than consistency and known, you know, there are known commodities. Travis Kelsey last year was the tight end one, which is pretty good. The year before he was the tight end one. Three years ago he was the tight end one.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah.

[Jason Moore]

And the year before that he was the tight end one. So I think there's, you know what you're getting the back.

[Mike Wright]

The reason Kelsey's ahead of Kittle is the quarterback. I mean, you have Patrick Mahomes, they throw the football. Andy Reid's offense, guaranteed targets, guaranteed production. That's the difference maker for me between the two. But I won't be surprised if Kittle ends up number one.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah. And so where do you draft them? You draft them when they fall in the second round?

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, second round. I'm fine.

[Mike Wright]

Okay. Right now their average draft position is the eighth pick of the second round for Kelsey, the very last pick of the second round for Kittle.

[Jason Moore]

I would love to get one of these guys at the turn if I, you know, if you start with Christian McCaffrey and then you can come back. Yeah, that'd be pretty great. And that next round, get a running back that dropped and pair him with Kittle or Kelsey. Fantastic.

[Mike Wright]

Okay. Mark Andrews at number three and Zach Ertz at number four. Mark Andrews last year, 64 receptions. So a huge, you know, step down from the big two reception wise. But he had 10 touchdowns, he had 98 targets. If you watch Baltimore, you could see that rapport between Lamar Jackson and Mark Andrews from the get go last year. Lamar loves throwing the football to his big tight end. And Andrews, he struggled with a little bit of injury last year, playing hurt in a couple of games. Missed one game overall. I think that was just week 17.

[Jason Moore]

That was sitting.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, so. But he had a couple games where people were a little worried about his availability going into them. But you know, he had the most Deep targets. Among all tight ends he had 20. That's as many as Tyreek Hill down the field, Lamar Jackson extending plays and finding Mark Andrews. You love big, big play opportunities with Mark Andrews. That's the difference maker between you and your opponent.

[Andy Holloway]

Now the question for Mark Andrews is where you're drafting him. You know, at the back of the fourth round can Markey Andrews make the jump this year that he is now considered? Now we have a big three. It's Kittle, Kelsey and Mark Andrews and so Jason is the resident Mark Andrews truther. Do you believe that them trading away Hayden Hurst will lead to actual more snaps? Because what is pretty shocking about Mark Andrews here, 98 targets, I mean that's still incredible volume for a tight end but he's doing that on under 50% of the Baltimore Ravens snaps. Put the dude on the field. What are you doing?

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, we ironically last year we called for the Mark Andrews breakout. Loved. But what was really funny is part of the narrative of his breakout is that he wasn't on the field enough. And just imagine if they put him on, they didn't need to and he still.

[Mike Wright]

That's because 50% of their snaps were kicking the extra point.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, that's true. No, I don't think he's going to be able to jump up to the tier one and the reason why is because this is still a lower passing volume offense. Similar. You know you would say the same thing about San Francisco but the difference there is he is the clear number one target, especially coming into this season where Debo is injured and there's a rookie and iuk. But I expect Hollywood Brown to take a step forward this year and I think that it'll flip flop as far as who's the number one and number two target in the offense. Still love Mark Andrews. Would be happy to have him but I think it's an interesting conversation when you talk about Andrews. Ceiling is higher than Zach Ertz but I feel like Zach Ertz is floor is higher than Mark Andrews if the touchdown regression that we see for Lamar Jackson comes true. So I'm starting to rise on Zach Ertz. I started this offseason kind of down but the reality is Alshon is still banged up. We don't know if he'll start the year on the pup and every year Zach Ertz outperforms where you're drafting them and we always give excuses oh these receivers were injured or if you look at this game stretch it's because of this but it's every year and now coming into this season, I feel like he's still the number one target for this offense.

[Andy Holloway]

Greg Ward is starting in practices right now. It is happening.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah. So, Zach Ertz, which guy do you prefer in your draft right now? Based on where they are going, where they're being drafted? Would you rather take the upside, the young gun in Mark Andrews, who is going ahead currently the tight end three being drafted at the back of the fourth round, or Zach Ertz, the tight end four being drafted in the middle of the fifth round?

[Mike Wright]

I'm Mark Andrews fan. Mark Andrews, I think, you know, 98 targets on 41% of snaps is insane. I mean, 98 targets was like 9 fewer than Greg than George Kittle got last year.

[Jason Moore]

He goes to the. Lamar Jackson goes to the huddle, looks around and goes, oh, Andrews is here. Break.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, I mean, I do think it's for a couple of reasons. One is I want smash games. I mean, the old Gronkowski type of where I can get Mark Andrews scoring two times and just obliterating my opponent. And I think he'll have a better floor than he did last year just coming into this third year with Lamar and the opportunity there. So I like the upside, I think. Let me ask you this, because we had an article on the website. Mark Andrews, can he be the tight end one in 2020? Do you believe Mark Andrews could be the tight end one?

[Andy Holloway]

Yes, I do believe that.

[Mike Wright]

I believe that's a possibility.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah. People could get injured ahead of him. I mean, he has the talent and a quarterback, so, yeah, he could, but I would put it extremely small percentage.

[Mike Wright]

All right. And then Zach Ertz, you guys talked about it. The wide receiving core right now in Philadelphia is Greg Ward, Jalen Rager, and desean Jackson.

[Andy Holloway]

That is correct.

[Mike Wright]

And Mike, is. I trying to read through the tone of voice, but your confidence level in Greg Ward seems to be lower than what you were hinting at.

[Andy Holloway]

Look, I came into the off season very low on Greg Ward. Yes, yes, I remain very, very low.

[Jason Moore]

I don't think that's fair to the man, but he's nothing special. He's just, you know, he's. He's a third wide receiver for an NFL team.

[Mike Wright]

Let me see if I can get through the weeds here. Again, your defense of him implies he may be a my guy on Thursday.

[Jason Moore]

I mean, stay tuned.

[Andy Holloway]

All in.

[Jason Moore]

Stay tuned because. And, you know, look, he's a junior, so Greg Ward Jr. He could. This is the Greg Ward show, right? This is where this podcast.

[Mike Wright]

What do you mean he's a junior? How is that relevant?

[Jason Moore]

This is what I know about Greg Ward.

[Mike Wright]

Oh, okay.

[Jason Moore]

All right.

[Andy Holloway]

And trivia knowledge.

[Mike Wright]

I think some Eagles fans will be sad that we didn't get the Greg Ward.

[Jason Moore]

He did step up when he was called upon and showed flashes.

[Mike Wright]

He plays wide receiver and he plays wide receiver. So, Zach Ertz, we have another tight end we're going to talk about. Number five, Darren Waller. He's at four on Mike's list, five on Jason, six on mine. Last year finished the tight end number three, 117 targets, unlike Mark Andrews on the field 91% of the time. And this was a breakout campaign for Darren Waller. We had. We didn't have quite the target share over the back half of the year as we did in the. In the beginning. But to Jason's point at the top of the show, talking about Brian Edwards, it's a little murky in the wide receiver court even still. Yes, you spent draft picks on a couple of rookies, but we don't know which one's going to be on the field. Win Tyrell. The press around Tyrell Williams is very negative right now. Fell off over the back half of the year. May not even be. I mean, look, Brian Edwards could be starting. It could be. Rugs Renfro can get in there. Waller still seems to be the most. It's almost like the Zach Ertz in Philadelphia situation.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, Very, very much. You saw Darren Waller coming in with just under 24% of the targets, which is an insane number for the tight end position. And you have. What's crazy is Waller should have been better. Yeah, he had over 1100 yards. And since the year 2000, there's only been nine times a player has hit that mark of 1100 yards and scored three or fewer touchdowns. Nine times. And Darren Waller is in that.

[Jason Moore]

And eight of them were Julio Jones.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, three or fewer touchdowns on 1100 yards is impossible. But the question, I mean, it happened.

[Jason Moore]

The question is, is he going to come near to that 1100 yard mark this season? Last year you had Tyrell Williams get injured. You had Hunt Hunter Renfro not involved in the beginning, and then he got injured a little bit. You know, I completely see the argument that looks. This is a young core of Brian Edwards, Rugs Aguilar, like it's a mishmash hodgepodge. They are still going to need Darren Waller, but I also think that they don't want 28% of their yardage coming from their tight end. That's just. I mean, he was by far the most in the League at percentage of teams yards at the tight end position. And I just don't think that's how they want to run. Right?

[Andy Holloway]

I don't know. I don't know. But I like Waller.

[Jason Moore]

Based on their transactions, based on the fact that they have put a lot of money and capital into the wide receiver position. That's where I would say I don't think they want to. I mean they say the offense runs through tight ends and that's fine. But I think they, they need explosive plays from the wide receiver position. And we saw in the middle of the year when Hunter Renfro started getting more and more involved, there was a corollary diplomatic with the Walrus.

[Andy Holloway]

I think following the transactions just says the tight end cannot be the only reliable weapon.

[Mike Wright]

You need the ability to go elsewhere when you can't, when you have Waller doubled up.

[Jason Moore]

Now the biggest question to me in the draft because he's still, he's one of these guys that we were, I was just talking about at the beginning of the show. Once you're past these top four, you go, man, Darren Waller is way better than taking a shot on John who Smith. Yeah, he is like that. That's true. But he costs a 5th round pick. Where there's quality wide receivers in those rounds that we are, that are more known commodities. Are you willing to draft Darren Waller in, you know, the fifth round this season?

[Mike Wright]

Are any of the wide receivers in that round a Walrus?

[Jason Moore]

None.

[Mike Wright]

Okay. My answer is actually no. Even the fact that he is the Walrus does not overwhelm. I have not taken Darren Waller.

[Andy Holloway]

I believe I have not either.

[Mike Wright]

It's just right in that middle where I'm taking the shot at the wide receiver that I've got on my breakout list. You know, you'd be choosing Hollywood or Darren Waller. And yeah, I see what you're saying.

[Jason Moore]

Tyler Lockett, Keenan Allen, Devonte Parker.

[Andy Holloway]

Shark is in there somewhere.

[Jason Moore]

Yep. DJ Chark is after him. Metcalf woods is after him.

[Mike Wright]

You think it's because it probably won't be better. We all acknowledge it won't be better than last year for Waller outside of like some spike in touchdowns. So the probability is that the targets come down a little bit. When a player is projected to do a little bit worse than the year before, that's not as exciting of a pick.

[Jason Moore]

Last year you got Waller for free. Got him in the double digit rounds. He was dart throw and he came through free Waller and it didn't cost you anything. You weren't giving up a good piece. But here you're giving up on DJ Chark or Robert woods to draft him. I'm not doing that for my roster.

[Mike Wright]

All right, we'll put some of these thoughts on late round tight end to the test right here with these next two tight ends on our rankings because Jared Cook comes in at number six. Jared Cook is was the number five overall tight end the year prior in Las Vegas before Darren Waller took over last year. He ends up at number seven in 14 games in New Orleans, but he did it on 55% of snaps and it was tight end or touchdown dependent. That being said from, you know, he arrives in New Orleans from week five on, okay, so you give him, I'm going to give him four weeks to get acclimated in the offense with Drew Brees because I choose to make that argument right now.

[Jason Moore]

And also Breeze was injured from week.

[Mike Wright]

Five on and this was with missing two games. He was on pace for 984 yards and 15 touchdowns. So you're betting like Jared Cook is much more the traditional tight end bet where you're saying he needs to score for me. But it was really, really good for Jared cook from week five on, including five finishes in the top six and no finish outside the top 14. So he never actually hurt you despite the fact that some of these games he had like two receptions for two touchdowns. He got it done. So I don't, you know, I'm fairly confident in this offense and I'm fairly confident in Jared Cook being a weapon the last two years, finishing in the top seven at the position and he's a 10th round pick. So that, that's the point where I started to go, well, I know on.

[Jason Moore]

The live stream yesterday, Mike, you said you're out on Jared Cook and I'm going to let you tell the Foot Clan why they should be out. Before you do, I'm going to say why I am in. I realize Emmanuel Sanders is coming in and he's a low volume, high weekly volatility player but he is going in the double digit round. So it doesn't cost me a wide receiver running back. And in that place he is, he has been a known commodity, a solid fantasy producer. And if you look at the games like Andy said, he came okay, you give him a little pass in those first couple of weeks he's acclimating to a new team, a new system. But also then Drew Brees was injured. By the time Drew Brees came back, Jared Cook was actually missing those games. So week 10 on is when you had Brees with Cook. And at that point on he was the tight end one. He was ahead of Travis Kelsey, ahead of Tyler Higby.

[Mike Wright]

That's up there.

[Jason Moore]

I'm taking the shot. That's what I'm doing in the 10th round. But Mike, you have the floor now.

[Mike Wright]

What week on was that weekend?

[Jason Moore]

Week 10. That was when he came back from Indra.

[Mike Wright]

That's eight games, right?

[Jason Moore]

Yes. Yeah.

[Andy Holloway]

Okay, so I will say I am a little bit shocked of the ADP for Jared Cook in the 10th round, which, I mean, I'm out. I'm going to explain that. But 10th round is really not too bad. But here's why I am. I am out. No other tight end out produced based on volume than Jared Cook. Like you guys were saying, he was 16th in targets, but the tight end seven in fantasy. He had a 14% target share in the games that he played. That is a lower target share than T.J. hawkinson, than Jason Whitten, than Jack Doyle. His 16.4 yards per reception, which was clearly the highest last year tight end, because since the year 2000, tight ends who had 50 or more targets, that's the highest yards per reception. Jared Cook last year, that's called out producing. That's called a. An outlier year. An unbelievably high efficiency year.

[Jason Moore]

It.

[Andy Holloway]

And this is, you know, 16.4 yards per reception. He's been 12.7 yards per reception Jared Cook the last five years. So massive outlier in inefficiency. It just reminds me so much of the Eric Ebron Colts season where Eric Ebron had 750 yards and 13 touchdowns. Jared Cook, 705 yards, nine touchdowns. The ADP, like I said, I guess it's not as bad as I thought it was going to be.

[Jason Moore]

Two great players there, Mike.

[Andy Holloway]

I know. How did it go next year for.

[Jason Moore]

Eric Ebron probably got into.

[Mike Wright]

There's going to be more volatility with Jared Cook's outcomes because of the target totals.

[Andy Holloway]

Yes.

[Mike Wright]

And because he's Jared Kuk.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, he's. Jared Kuk is the tight end or the target four on the team. Right. I mean obviously my Thomas Camara and Emmanuel Sanders will have more targets. Thank. So you've got to get those touchdowns or those big plays. But the nice thing is he's also the fourth weapon for the defenses to focus on. You know, they're trying to get. So that's where the downfield and the touchdowns they can come for kick.

[Mike Wright]

Let me, let me, let me ask you this, Mike, as we move on. If you ended up with Jared Cook. Sorry, Kyuk. Would you be comfortable starting him for 16 weeks? Because to me, that's where this equation becomes interesting is sure, if I get him in the 11th round and I don't have to think about my tight end position versus taking the shot, maybe like I talked about the Herndon and Jarwin double stack or Joe Knew and Jarwin or something.

[Andy Holloway]

Well, certainly, I mean, if he hits, then yeah, you're playing him every week. But here's the thing with Jared Cook, when you're drafting or drafting him, week one, he goes out and he has a bus game.

[Mike Wright]

You're like, ah, that's the Jared Cook. It's fine.

[Andy Holloway]

Jared Cook. Week two, he comes out, he hurts your team again. Now what are you doing? You're.

[Mike Wright]

That's what I was asking you. You're probably, you're not comfortable starting him 16, locking him in for 16.

[Andy Holloway]

Well, I'm just, I'm laying out the scenario of if he hits, if he misses on those first two weeks, it's going to be really hard not to make a waiver move to put him in and then he can go off on week three and you're like, oh man, I got to get back on it. And then you're just chasing the dragon over and over and versus just playing.

[Jason Moore]

The matchups because if you draft, if you draft Blake Jarwin or Chris Herndon and they stink week one, you have no problem just going, oh, this guy's got a good matchup in week two. I'm going to play him.

[Mike Wright]

I will wonder how many weeks Mike will give Blake Jarwin before 16. You're going to give him 16?

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah.

[Mike Wright]

Mike Gasicki at 7, Tyler Higby at 8. We've talked a lot about Tyler Higby on the show. Gasicki, his situation is becoming a little bit clearer just with the fact that it seems like we have the targets we're expecting in Miami. We might not have the quarterback we're expecting, but Gasicki is a late round tight end that we all have ranked much higher than ADP. He's being drafted as the tight end 15 and that means he's basically free in your draft. Last year he ended as the tight end 11, and he didn't really break out until like week nine on Devonte Parker, Mike Gasicki, Preston Williams. That's the offense right now.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah. The problem is that during the beginning of last year, that was the offense and Gasicki wasn't good. But then the offense became Devonte Parker, Mike Gasicki because Preston Williams went out and all of a sudden Mike Kosicki was great. That being said, he was also. He's young for a tight end. It takes a couple of years for these guys to break out. He has the athletic profile of Saquon Barkley. As in, he's 100th percentile athlete. Just incredible. I never really loved his film. He's not a guy that I've watched play football and been like, that dude's a great football player.

[Andy Holloway]

Well, apparently he broke zero tackles on 51 receptions, which see, like, what was happening? What has happened? How are you stronger than everyone?

[Jason Moore]

Superhuman that I think he's playing it safe. Like, what if he's actually a superhero? He's like, I can't show everything. They should have tackled me here. Do you think that's what's happening?

[Mike Wright]

Do you normally rank your heroes around eight at the tight end position?

[Jason Moore]

Well, when they're not going to show what they've got.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah. He's afraid.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah. He doesn't want to. He doesn't want to get caught.

[Andy Holloway]

It's Dash in the Incredibles.

[Mike Wright]

He's a bashful hero.

[Jason Moore]

You know, the reality is I'm not like, I've. We all have him at 8. I think the targets will come. I'm not inspired by Mike Gasicki. I am fine leaving a draft with my.

[Andy Holloway]

Gonna write a poem or anything like that with my.

[Jason Moore]

No, I don't think so. With my last round pick. And what's ironic is, you know what the ceiling for him. I just. I don't think it's like, whose ceiling is higher if they both hit Herndon or Gossicki.

[Mike Wright]

Genuinely, I think it's probably Herndon. I mean, but let's use the Blake Jarwin Gasicki. Mike is basically free. I mean, you've drafted Jarwin at late, late, late in drafts are you're taking Gasicki ahead of him.

[Andy Holloway]

I are sitting there right now. I am not. I will take Jarwin over Kasiki.

[Mike Wright]

So you think the upside of Jarwin's higher than Gazicki's as well as turned into.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, because of touchdowns.

[Mike Wright]

Okay. So you get. When you get down into this part of the tight end ranking, as you start to pick the guy you like.

[Jason Moore]

Yes, Falkland, that is the takeaway here. Once you are to this range, do not get fooled by the rankings. This guy's four spots higher. These guys are all in this gigantic group of could bes. Take a look at the outlook. You think, I want a piece of this offense Or I want a piece of this talented athlete or whatever, whatever matters to you. And pick that guy because the ranking doesn't matter at this point.

[Mike Wright]

So let's talk about Tyler could be. Tyler could be. Is sitting here at eight end of the year on fire. Mike, are you passing on Higby in the eighth round because of that price for those guys that you mentioned earlier, the Higby.

[Andy Holloway]

So Tyler Higby, Evan Ingram, Blake Jarwin, that it, it is a difficult decision when I'm in drafts and it's, it's a, it's a one by one case. I do believe in all three of those players. I believe in Tyler Higby, the transition of the offense, where everything started to run through Higby. I'm not expecting it to turn into that all season long or I would have Tyler Higby ranked as a top three tight end. I mean, but when he was given the opportunity, he was able to do things that very little tight ends in history have been able to do, like he was since 2000.

[Mike Wright]

He's the fourth tight end, miniature tight ends.

[Andy Holloway]

He is the fourth tight end to rattle off four straight 100 yard games ever. Like that doesn't happen. And I know you can say, well, the schedule lined up, okay, great, everything lined up. It certainly has lined up for other players before and they didn't rip off four straight games of 100 yards at the tight end position. The player has the ability. They, they've just never asked him to do it and they did and he came through and the team was much better, the offense was much better. So I do believe in Higby.

[Mike Wright]

If you want to hear my case against Tyler Higby, go listen to the Fire and Ice episode. Hint, he was my ice player in that one. Mike hasn't the highest. And you can see all of our tight end rankings on the website, the fantasy footballers.com and in the ultimate draft kit, you'll see the projections that we have.

[Jason Moore]

In the ultimate draft kit, you also get the blurb write up. So it'll give you a little bit more context because the ranking matters less for, for these tight ends than kind of the outlook.

[Mike Wright]

Now, Evan Ingram comes in at number nine. But Jason, I cannot believe you're. It's your fault. It's your fault because you have him significantly lower. Mike and I are both have him at 7. You have them way lower. Tell us briefly why you're out on Evan Ingram this season.

[Jason Moore]

Look, Evan Ingram, when he's been on the field, has produced. He's been A quality fantasy option. I'm not out to the point where I wouldn't want him on one of my teams, but my projections assume he's going to do what he's always done, which is not be out on the field. He has been more of an injury risk than almost anybody. He's never really played a full season. And if you look into the details and the context of when he's had big games, when it's ironic because when he's been healthy, a lot of his teammates have not. He was the guy when, you know, Odell Beckham was gone for a stretch of games or when Saquon was gone or, you know, it's one of those things where I think when you have the three wide receivers that nobody knows how to rank them. You know, you've got Shepard, you got Tate, you've got Darius Slayton, you got Saquon and Evan Ingram. If everybody's healthy on the field, I don't think Evan Ingram is going to be the star he's been when he's been healthy, and that's if he's healthy. So I just have a more pessimistic outlook. He's obviously a talented player who on a per game basis, while playing, has been pretty productive. So if you, if he drops to a good value, I don't hate taking him and just hoping for health. But right now he's in the seventh round and in the seventh round I'm not willing to go in personally.

[Mike Wright]

All right. Hunter Henry comes in at 10, which feels like somehow the worst spot to land in a set of tight end rankings because it just feels very ho hum, like if you got the number 10 tight end every week, you are losing at the position.

[Jason Moore]

Yes.

[Mike Wright]

So outside of the top 10, by way of our projections, Jason's kind of favorite guy looks like Jonas Smith because he has him at 7. Mine is Chris Herndon, who I have at 11. So I have him inside that top 12. In Mike's is Blake Jarwin, who he has at tight end, number nine. Those are the shots that I think we're taking outside of the traditional rankings to give you a breakout candidate at tight end. If you're punting the position, which a lot of people do at quarterback and tight end, to load up on those multiple positions, wide receivers and running backs, those are our shots. I think Hayden Hurst.

[Jason Moore]

I was just going to make sure.

[Mike Wright]

Very interesting.

[Jason Moore]

I was going to make sure you brought up that name because Hurst is one of these guys where he's, you know, he's not the sexiest pick because he hasn't done it yet. But he has an opportunity here. Massive opportunity on, you know, to fill in for Austin Hooper. Just to. All you got to do is find the soft spot in the zone. Matt Ryan will get you the ball.

[Mike Wright]

And he loves throwing to the tight end position. And they have more vacated targets than anybody.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah. So I love taking a shot on Hayden Hurst, John who Smith, Chris Herndon and Blake Darwin. Those, those four guys.

[Mike Wright]

Rob Gronkowski is not in our top 10. Some people will be find that interesting.

[Andy Holloway]

I just. It's. Gronk is very, very tough. 1. He took a year off of football, so he's in a system that. That saw O.J. howard just Thanos into non existence. And now there's reports that all three tight ends for Tampa Bay are going to see playing time. So it's very tough.

[Jason Moore]

You're just paying for a name.

[Mike Wright]

The last time we saw him paying for a name. 800 yards, 4 touchdown pace. Gronkowski will go to the hall of.

[Jason Moore]

Fame, but it won't be based on his 2020 season. He's, you know, Chris Godwin, Mike Evans are the clear leaders for this passing game. And it's been years since we've seen Gronk. I'm not in it. He'll get in the end zone several times, I'm sure through the course of the season, but I don't want to. I don't want to play that game.

[Mike Wright]

All right, tomorrow's episode of the show, we're hitting the top 10 tips and tricks for fantasy football. Very excited about that episode. It's always a fun one each and every year. Like I said, we got my guys this week on Thursday. Things are ramping up, gentlemen.

[Jason Moore]

It's a big week. Lots of big announcements as well. So make sure you're listening to the shows this week. I'm super excited for my top 10.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah. And so make sure you go to jointhefoot.com so that you can enter the meglable every year. It's a highlight. It's a lot of fun. I mean, listen, you get exposed to that kind of content in the megalobo.

[Andy Holloway]

That's the stuff.

[Mike Wright]

And before we close out today's episode, I want to thank Pristine Auction. A reminder, it is fantasy [e-mail] through Thursday. It is an auction dedicated to active fantasy football stars. Darren Waller signed jersey yesterday. Signed for $72. The Walrus.

[Andy Holloway]

We don't have a Waller jersey, do we?

[Mike Wright]

I think we do, Brooks. We have a Wallers Brooks, wake up. We have one that you wore for Halloween.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah.

[Andy Holloway]

All right. All right.

[Mike Wright]

Because you remember you dressed up like a walrus. I did remember that. But you can get in on this Fantasy football memorabilia auction. This is a perfect time to kind of. I like to use memorabilia in two ways. One, I like to display it in kind of like my office, or obviously we use them here at the studio. The other way is to taunt my opponents. And my draft is coming up, so I might pick up a piece of gear from somebody that ruined Jason's life or Mike's life last year. During the season, bidding starts at $20. No reserves. Use our code ballers at pristine auction. That is it. Tight ends in the rear view mirror.

[Jason Moore]

Yep.

[Andy Holloway]

As they should be.

[Mike Wright]

Oh, no.

[Jason Moore]

All right, goodbye, everybody.

[Andy Holloway]

I'm out of here.

[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.

[Mike Wright]

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