Top 10 WR Rankings + Jason Takes a Dive - Fantasy Football Podcast for 8/11

Summary

Fantasy Footballers Podcast Summary Episode: Top 10 WR Rankings + Jason Takes a Dive
Release Date: August 11, 2020
Hosts: Andy Holloway, Jason Moore, Mike "The Fantasy Hitman" Wright

---

Introduction

In this episode of Fantasy Footballers - Fantasy Football Podcast, hosts Andy Holloway, Jason Moore, and Mike Wright dive deep into their Top 10 Wide Receiver (WR) Rankings for the upcoming fantasy football season. Alongside their comprehensive analysis, Jason shares a humorous personal anecdote titled "Jason Takes a Dive," adding a lighthearted touch to the discussion.

---

Top 10 Wide Receiver Rankings

#1 Michael Thomas

Michael Thomas reigns supreme as the top wide receiver in fantasy football. Last season, he shattered the NFL reception record with 149 catches, totaling 1,725 yards and 9 touchdowns on 185 targets—averaging nearly two receptions per play.

• Mike Wright remarks at [14:27]:
  "Michael Thomas is an incredible player. Any reason for us to think that not more of the same for Michael Thomas in 2020?"

However, despite his stellar performance, Jason Moore expresses reservations about Thomas maintaining his number one status, citing an 11% probability of him remaining the top WR after accounting for potential changes in team dynamics and defenses.

• Jason Moore states at [14:56]:
  "I put it at like 11%."

Andy Holloway echoes a similar sentiment, estimating about a 15% chance for Thomas to retain the top spot.

#2 Davante Adams

Davante Adams holds the second spot, buoyed by his exceptional target share and route-running prowess. In 12 games last season, Adams amassed 83 receptions for 997 yards and 5 touchdowns.

• Andy Holloway praises Adams at [19:16]:
  "He's one of those guys where you can make the easy bet of should Davante Adams go over nine and a half touchdowns. Oh, I'm going to take the over."

Despite a minor dip in snap percentage due to injuries, Adams remains a cornerstone for fantasy managers seeking high-volume targets.

#3 Julio Jones

Julio Jones offers unparalleled consistency, having finished in the top five fantasy WRs consecutively since 2014. With 90 receptions and 1,100 yards last season, his touchdown tally at 2 was his only significant drawback.

• Mike Wright comments at [21:55]:
  "He's being drafted in the second round as the wide receiver, five off the board. So we all actually have him higher at the wide receiver position than others."

The hosts agree that if Jones can elevate his touchdown numbers, he has the potential to reclaim the number one WR position.

#4 Tyreek Hill

Tyreek Hill faces scrutiny due to last season's injuries, which impacted his consistency. Comparing Hill to Stefon Diggs, the hosts engage in a playful debate over who had the better impact over the past two seasons.

• Mike Wright initiates the challenge at [26:01]:
  "We're going to play a game called Tyreek Hill or Stefon Diggs."

While Hill boasts a higher touchdown rate (19 vs. 15) and more top-six week finishes, his inconsistency remains a concern. The consensus places him at number four, balancing his explosive potential against weekly reliability.

#5 Chris Godwin

Chris Godwin emerges as a solid fifth choice, having demonstrated elite route-running and target mastery. Last season, he averaged 95 yards per game and was a pivotal part of his team's offense despite a new quarterback situation.

• Jason Moore highlights Godwin's system fit at [35:19]:
  "He's extremely consistent. He gets the ball. He is, you know, you saw at the end of last season when Koop and Cooks were kind of splitting time in the snap percentages 60 in the 60% range. Robert Woods doesn't leave the field."

The addition of new offensive personnel like CD Lam is expected to bolster Godwin's fantasy output further.

#6 Kenny Golladay

Kenny Golladay secures the sixth spot as his route-running significantly improved, making him a more reliable fantasy option. With aspirations to be mentioned alongside elite WRs like DeAndre Hopkins and Michael Thomas, Golladay's potential is evident.

• Andy Holloway praises Golladay at [37:39]:
  "Kenny Golladay is one of those guys who, who could rely on just his natural athletic ability and size to someone who is becoming a polished route runner."

Despite some reservations about his reception count and touchdown upside, Golladay's ceiling remains high for those willing to take a calculated risk.

#7 Amari Cooper

Amari Cooper lands at number seven, though his ranking reflects his inconsistencies over recent seasons. With a formidable blend of target volume and yardage, Cooper's touchdown variability is a focal point of discussion.

• Mike Wright critiques Cooper's volatility at [44:31]:
  "Amari Cooper is extremely inconsistent. He has half of his games great. Half of his games suck."

The addition of CD Lam is anticipated to aid Cooper in maintaining his target share and enhancing his touchdown potential.

#8 DeAndre Hopkins

DeAndre Hopkins transitions to the eighth spot following his move to Arizona. While Hopkins remains an elite talent, the change in offensive schemes and increased competition for targets raises questions about his fantasy ceiling.

• Andy Holloway expresses concerns at [48:25]:
  "He could be installed in Arizona and just be the target machine like he was for Houston. I just don't see it happening that way."

Hopkins' consistent performance remains a strong asset, but his new environment introduces significant variables impacting his fantasy viability.

#9 D.J. Moore

D.J. Moore's ninth position stems from his move to Carolina and the uncertainty surrounding the team's quarterbacking and offensive strategy. Last season, Moore showcased his athleticism but was demoted to the eighteenth spot due to limited touchdowns and variable performance.

• Jason Moore emphasizes Moore's potential at [53:18]:
  "If he takes another step forward in that third year with an offensive system, that's, that's coming in, you know, Teddy Bridgewater."

His role as a focal point in Carolina's offense could propel him higher, contingent upon increased target volume and quarterback efficiency.

#10 Robert Woods

Rounding out the top ten is Robert Woods, who offers stability and high target volume. Despite finishing eighteenth last season due to a low touchdown count, Woods remains a dependable option, especially in PPR formats.

• Mike Wright defends Woods at [55:23]:
  "Robert Woods is the linchpin of the passing offense, the passing offense that throws the ball more than anybody in football is."

Woods' consistent reception numbers and role as a primary target ensure his place among the elite WRs, with his fantasy performance hinging on an uptick in touchdowns.

---

Jason Takes a Dive: A Lighthearted Moment

Adding a dose of humor, Jason recounts a mishap where he "takes a dive" to avoid what he initially thought was a rat invading his garage.

• Jason Moore narrates at [12:00]:
  "I finally worked my way back over to the garage door to try to look and see what happens. It was a wrapper... So I injured myself and made a fool of myself because of a wrapper."

This amusing story not only entertains but also showcases the camaraderie and offbeat moments that define the Fantasy Footballers podcast.

---

Conclusion

In this episode, the Fantasy Footballers provide an in-depth analysis of the top wide receivers for the fantasy football season, balancing statistical prowess with team dynamics and player consistency. Their rankings offer valuable insights for fantasy managers aiming to optimize their drafts and weekly lineups. Additionally, the hosts' engaging banter and personal stories enrich the listening experience, making complex analyses both accessible and entertaining.

For those looking to enhance their draft strategies, the episode serves as an essential guide to navigating the WR landscape, ensuring a competitive edge as the fantasy football season approaches.

---

Notable Quotes:

• Andy Holloway [14:29]:
  "Yes, I'd say maybe about a quarter. Probably 15% for me."

• Mike Wright [21:55]:
  "He's being drafted in the second round as the wide receiver, five off the board."

• Jason Moore [35:19]:
  "He's extremely consistent. He gets the ball."

• Andy Holloway [37:39]:
  "Kenny Golladay is one of those guys who could rely on just his natural athletic ability and size."

---

This summary captures the essence of the episode, highlighting the strategic discussions around WR rankings while maintaining the engaging dynamics of the hosts. Fantasy enthusiasts can leverage these insights to make informed decisions in their leagues.

Transcript

[Andy Holloway]

Oh.

[Jason Moore]

Hard knock starts today. Teams are on the field. Fantasy football's kicking into high gear. And if you're not ready yet, you've got to go to ultimate draft kit.com to get the best draft kit in the world.

[Mike Wright]

This is Melvin Gore and you're listening to the fantasy footballers podcast.

[Jason Moore]

Welcome to the fantasy footballers podcast with your host, Andy Holloway, Jason Moore and Mike Wright.

[Mike Wright]

Oh, welcome in.

[Andy Holloway]

Oh, it's hard knocks time.

[Jason Moore]

Oh. Oh, very nice.

[Andy Holloway]

Adding a little fancy with that one.

[Mike Wright]

Welcome into the show.

[Andy Holloway]

Crooner. That's what they used to be called, the crooner voice. Yeah. Where they didn't really sing, they just kind of talked.

[Mike Wright]

Da da da da da.

[Andy Holloway]

I'm headed out the door. Like what? You're not singing. You're just talking.

[Mike Wright]

You're just crooning. Tuesday, August 11th. Welcome into the fantasy footballers Podcast. Andy, Mike and Jason hard knocks us tonight. Eh?

[Andy Holloway]

That's what they say.

[Mike Wright]

That'd be fun.

[Jason Moore]

Get some inside information, see how it's going inside these facilities. I'm excited.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah. Some masks, some face shields.

[Andy Holloway]

Face shields.

[Mike Wright]

We have a wide receiver show today. Top 10 wide receivers, our consensus rankings. Walking through them on today's episode. You can find us on Twitter @ the FF Ballers. Jason said it at the top. The ultimate draft kit available now atultimatedraftkit.com and I would encourage you to check out the website thefantasyfootballers.com we just launched some very wonderful player profiles which have athletic metrics, speed, score you can go stare at. Mike is on Antonio Gibson's page for three or four hours a day.

[Andy Holloway]

How did you know that?

[Mike Wright]

I've got Google Analytics. I can see your IP address. I can see your IP address. Just you pivot, you alt tab. Between that and Blake Jarwin's profile.

[Andy Holloway]

I just keep refreshing it so it will be the most popular.

[Mike Wright]

Now, Blake Jarwin, Antonio Gibson. Very similar athletic profiles according to.

[Andy Holloway]

Oh, no. I mean Jarwin's. Oh, no. Jarwin's a gigantic human being, but Gibson is very athletic.

[Mike Wright]

Slightly different profile. All right, quick question of the day. Brooks would like us to name a player or situation that will be annoyed to talk about throughout the 2020 fantasy season.

[Andy Holloway]

Nothing. Absolutely nothing. I'm going to be so very happy to talk about everything. Look, I'll talk about it all a hundred times. I don't care. This season is different. Nothing's getting me down. I'm riding high, fellas. Give me the NFL.

[Jason Moore]

That's the right answer. That's the right answer because I'm Manufacturing. I'm thinking, what do I not want to talk about? I want to talk about it all. You're 100%.

[Andy Holloway]

I want to be annoyed talking about Baker Mayfield again. Let's go.

[Mike Wright]

I want to be annoyed talking about the Washington football team.

[Andy Holloway]

Exactly.

[Jason Moore]

I want to be annoyed hearing Andy talk about AJ Green like I want. Let's bring it on. My situation, though, to manufacture an answer for this question would be the Detroit backfield situation. Because, I mean, there's no winning. There's literally no way it goes well for me. Right? Because.

[Andy Holloway]

Correct.

[Jason Moore]

If Detroit just stinks, which is what I'm projecting as far as a running.

[Mike Wright]

Game, then this was your answer for last year as well.

[Jason Moore]

Then it's not, you know, it's like, oh, this is not fun. It's not good for fantasy. Let's say DeAndre Swift, a player that all three of us loved going into the draft, and he's number one guy, my number three. He was extremely talented. He breaks out. Well, guess what I'm going to get. Guess what? I'm going to get all the carry on Johnson love from yesteryear being usurp. But let's say carry on does it. I'm not going to enjoy that. Guess how many shares of carry on Johnson I'll have this year.

[Andy Holloway]

Oh, stop. You won't enjoy it.

[Jason Moore]

Oh, yeah, okay. I would love it.

[Andy Holloway]

You'll be victory every touchdown he scores.

[Jason Moore]

But I don't, I don't actually. I mean, I would draft Swift ahead of carry on right now, so that's why I would be upset by it. But you're right, the best situation here just isn't going to happen though.

[Andy Holloway]

Oh no. It's sad.

[Mike Wright]

Oh, but true.

[Jason Moore]

News and notes from around the league.

[Mike Wright]

Pick one, Jason. Pick one Carry on Johnson. Either he returns. Well, I mean he. I guess not returns too, but establishes himself surprisingly. Or Rodney Anderson makes a team.

[Jason Moore]

Oh, man. I would have to pick carry on in that situation. But I am very excited for Rodney Anderson should at least two injuries ahead of him on the depth chart happen.

[Mike Wright]

Okay. The Patriots have signed running back Lamar Miller, formerly of the Texans, to a one year contract. We were remembering somehow it was just a year ago when Andrew Luck retired on the same day Lamar Miller tore his ACL and MCL during preseason. So he is back. This throws even more question marks into the backfield in New England. And the latest report we have on Sony Michelle is that they just don't know if he'll be ready to go to start camp. And Brandon Bolden opted Out and so they needed some depth at the running back position. What utilization do you expect from Lamar Miller in this offense? Is this Sony Michelle insurance?

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, that's what I believe this is. This is the veteran you signed before the NFL draft. This is, you know, the Tampa Bay Buccaneer or you know, the Washington football team going out and getting Peyton Barber and say we don't know who we're going to get in the draft but we have to have someone. This is the opposite. They don't know who they're going to have in the season. They need someone there. I don't expect Lamar Miller to usurp or become the number one, you know, the number one player in this backfield. However, I wouldn't doubt that he is actually the best. Yeah. So should Sony start the season on the pop? Maybe he does get a chance and plays well with Cam behind him. But I don't think I'm signing or drafting anyone in this back.

[Mike Wright]

No Lamar Miller or Sonny Michelle Stacks for any of your rosters.

[Jason Moore]

Oh, I want to lock that backfield up.

[Mike Wright]

You're going to have to grab James White and Rex Burkhead and Damian Harris.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah. In a PPR league I'm going 0 RB James White. That's the running back I would take from this team.

[Andy Holloway]

I agree this is all with Sony Michelle's health. But look, Lamar Miller should be healthy. You know we always we're talking about like Preston Williams. Maybe somehow Preston Williams is back from his ACL tear that happened in like November. Lamar Miller's was last preseason. He, he should be back now. We know sometimes, you know, was ACL and mcl.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah.

[Andy Holloway]

A larger injury. But saying that, you know, sometimes it takes these players a while once they're on the field to actually be back. But the last time we saw Lamar Miller he was actually pretty good for the Houston Texans. He would have had a thousand yard season but he did miss a couple games.

[Mike Wright]

I think he's toast.

[Andy Holloway]

I don't know. But based off what? Just saying because he's older and has the injury.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah.

[Jason Moore]

I mean look at EG Green or wait, who are we talking about?

[Mike Wright]

AJ Green is on the field playing right now. Lamar Miller.

[Andy Holloway]

Well, Lamar Miller's about to be.

[Mike Wright]

There wasn't demand for him until now and Lamar Miller's older and I think he. I mean it's insurance like you said.

[Andy Holloway]

But my. What I'm saying that is weeks week six. I'm not projecting this. But with Jason, I would not be shocked to see Lamar Miller is actually ends up Being the lead running back for this team.

[Jason Moore]

I will.

[Andy Holloway]

Sony has been bad.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, I would, I would agree with that. I would add to it that this also says they don't love what they have in Damien Harris. Yeah, there's all the. Oh, maybe Damian Harris, who, you know was on the team last year. You wouldn't know when he was getting some hype. He got about three days ago, seven snaps, you know, in his rookie season. They still feel like they need more because they don't think he's the answer.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah. And they do run the football. I mean, even Sony Michelle, who Somehow finishes the 28th running back last year, almost 18 carries in all of their victories. That's how. That's the formulation that is going to work. We'll see Cam getting in there and. Okay. Lamar Miller added to the mix. Ty Hilton expected to be back out on the field in a couple of days. And Alvin Camara. Not a lot of specificity here, Alvin, but he, he said he, quote, tore his knee. Okay, so something happened.

[Andy Holloway]

It sounds bad.

[Mike Wright]

In week six.

[Jason Moore]

I want to tear my knee.

[Andy Holloway]

I would prefer not to.

[Jason Moore]

No.

[Mike Wright]

I don't know what that ends up meaning, but he says he was dealing with it the whole season. He did not have surgery. He's been just recovering, rehabbing, working out, and now he's back. So, I mean, we knew something was wrong. I mean, he just didn't look right.

[Jason Moore]

He came back after the, you know, he got injured in week six, missed two games, came back, played the entire rest of the season and had, you know, was on pace for 286 opportunities. He was good for fantasy. He just didn't have enough touchdowns during that stretch. So I'm not worried about the knee. He injured before. We saw him play well and when.

[Mike Wright]

We were watching a lot last year, I mean, he was one of the guys that. You watched him try to get to the edge in some of these games after the injury and you were like, that doesn't quite look like Alvin Camara. You know, not super. No. No. Regular.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah.

[Mike Wright]

Normal size. No mushroom. Any other news?

[Andy Holloway]

You guys got him?

[Mike Wright]

What? Yeah. Any other. That's what tore his knee means, Mike, Any other news that you guys want to discuss, talk about? We have one month from the NFL kickoff one month away. Yes.

[Andy Holloway]

Very soon.

[Mike Wright]

Hard knocks, Kicking it off. Fantasy drafts.

[Jason Moore]

Getting it almost tore my knee last night.

[Andy Holloway]

Sitting.

[Jason Moore]

No, no, amazingly it wasn't sitting. It was a giant jump and fall to the ground.

[Mike Wright]

Why are you doing that? You're almost.

[Andy Holloway]

You jump out of what? Out of A chair.

[Jason Moore]

It's not true.

[Mike Wright]

They're almost 40. Sorry, that's what I meant.

[Jason Moore]

No. So here's. I'm on the way to my garage. I'm taking something into my garage. I open.

[Mike Wright]

He's on a journey to the garage.

[Jason Moore]

Oh, I'm on a journey. And I open the garage door, and as I open it, holding this box, something scurries in very fast.

[Andy Holloway]

Into the house.

[Jason Moore]

Into the house. Right at my feet.

[Mike Wright]

Something scurries into your house.

[Jason Moore]

Just beelines for my feet. And I am screaming.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, I can see this.

[Jason Moore]

And then I jump and I land on my knees, and I'm running back to the couch where.

[Andy Holloway]

Hold on, hold on. You're holding a box. Yeah. You were startled. Your reaction was to jump into the air and land on your knees.

[Jason Moore]

Well, it wasn't.

[Andy Holloway]

Did you hold the box the whole time?

[Jason Moore]

No, the box was.

[Mike Wright]

Did you land on your.

[Jason Moore]

This was. I mean, the box wasn't empty. I was taking it out to recycle.

[Andy Holloway]

Okay, okay.

[Jason Moore]

I didn't care about that. But this was not a planned and choreographed move. This was more of a. Oh, no, I'm about to die. Anyway, so I go back to the.

[Mike Wright]

Just to be clear, you landed on your feet or you landed on your knees?

[Jason Moore]

One knee, one foot.

[Mike Wright]

You went down.

[Jason Moore]

I went down.

[Mike Wright]

Okay.

[Jason Moore]

Sack of potatoes down.

[Andy Holloway]

And did it look like the superhero landing?

[Jason Moore]

No. No. Those are cool. So I run back to the couch where my wife is, and she's worried. I'm worried. I'm like, I think a rat just came in. Anyways, we spend about 45 seconds trying to get the. I literally was standing on my couch at this point. Anyways, I. I finally worked my way back over to the garage door to try to look and see what happens. It was a wrapper. It was a wrapper that was left on the ground in my garage, and when I opened the door, it blew in. It was M and M ice cream cookie wrapper from one of my children. So I injured myself and made a fool of myself because of a wrapper.

[Andy Holloway]

That is excellent. And also reminds me, you got a.

[Mike Wright]

Spray for those wrappers.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah.

[Andy Holloway]

So we have another podcast called the Spit Bars Podcast, and we often do funny drafts, and we were drafting fighting items from a pet store. And I took rats.

[Mike Wright]

Yes.

[Andy Holloway]

And I was mocked relentlessly by Jason.

[Mike Wright]

Yes.

[Andy Holloway]

And apparently, it took one rat to send him to the couch.

[Jason Moore]

It was a rapper. I'm not afraid of rats. I'm afraid of rappers rap.

[Mike Wright]

Well, you never cease to surprise us, Jason. I mean, you are very special.

[Jason Moore]

It was embarrassing.

[Mike Wright]

It was an Eminem ice cream rapper. Okay, well, I hope you recover. I hope you can get back to true form like Alvin.

[Jason Moore]

The knees healing up.

[Mike Wright]

That's good. Just don't sit anywhere and you'll be fine.

[Jason Moore]

Wide receivers.

[Mike Wright]

All right, Top ten wide receiver episode. Looking at our consensus wide receiver rankings and right at the top tip top big surprise here. Shocker. Michael Thomas, all of our number one overall wide receiver after he broke the NFL reception record. 149 for 1725 and nine on 185 targets. So he was thrown to twice per play. That's what that equates to.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah for me.

[Mike Wright]

But just, just obviously an incredible player. And any reason for us to think that not more of the same for Michael Thomas in 2020?

[Jason Moore]

I think so. And don't hear what I'm not saying he's my number one wide receiver as well. But I don't feel confident. Like you know we talked about what's the percentage chance that CMC is the, is the running back. What's the percentage chance that Michael Thomas is the wide receiver one at the end of the year? I put it at like 11%.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, I'd say maybe about a quarter. Probably 15% for me.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah. I mean Michael Thomas came into the league and was great. Rookie year top 10 wide receiver. He's been phenomenal. Breaking catch percentage records every year. He is one of if not the best wide receiver in the National Football League. He's locked in. But last year his number one finish was absurd. I mean the amount of targets that he got. You look at most players in the.

[Andy Holloway]

League and you said he broke the single season reception record.

[Jason Moore]

Yes. You say okay, this guy's a dominant one. So he's going to get 140 plus targets. Right. Like, like Michael Thomas got the two previous seasons. 149, 147. Last year he had 185 targets. Now they add Emmanuel Sanders. I don't think he is going to repeat at a number up there. I think it's going to be far more closer to 150 targets. Which again that's awesome. I would love that. And he's. You know how many he's going to catch from 150 targets? 151. Somehow he will catch more than the amount of times the ball has been thrown to him. But I don't think that we'll see the level of wide receiver one tier that he was last season.

[Mike Wright]

He by the way, kind of a crazy Stat for how good he was last year. Never finished number one on any given week. He was just, you know, two, three, mind blowingly consistent. When Marvin Harrison broke the receiving record, he did it on 205 targets dropped down to 142. The next year wasn't any less Marvin Harrison and Michael Thomas won't be any less Michael Thomas. The targets will probably come down. You always have a chance in an offense this good to put up better touchdown totals. I mean nine touchdowns is not some outlandish number. It wasn't the backbone of his fantasy season. So he could easily do do that or end up in the 1112 range. Yeah, I mean the real question with Michael Thomas is more related to when you're in the draft and you're deciding between the very difficult to find consistent running back options or going with the Michael Thomas, is he priced right now in a place where he has to repeat to get the value?

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, I mean right now he's in consideration at the 4, is often picked at the 5 or 6. All of those spots. I'm taking a running back personally. You know, it might change if I'm in a three wide receiver full PPR league then obviously the depth is going to matter and the range of wide receivers that I'll start will shift. But in your normal leagues I'm going running back probably for the first seven or so.

[Andy Holloway]

I wanted to test that for you. So running back or Michael Thomas, Kenyon Drake or Thomas?

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, I knew you were going to go right to that name.

[Andy Holloway]

I thought that was an easy you would take Drake. I was trying to warm up to the line.

[Jason Moore]

No, I think the line bullseye so I think the line is too earlier than that. I would take Michael Thomas over Kenyan Drake and Miles Sanders. But if it comes to the big three, Alvin Camara, David Cook and Clyde Edwards Allaire, I will draft them all over Michael Thomas.

[Mike Wright]

Devonte Adams comes in at number two on our top 10 wide receiver list. He's three on my my rankings and Jason's two on Mike's. In 12 games last year, 83 for 997 and five on 127 targets. And again that's only in 12 games played including a couple games where he was kind of beat up. So coming into the season, I think the biggest question mark is the identity of the Green Bay Packers. Last year it was found in Aaron Jones in the running game and you had, you know, disappearing acts in the passing offense at times. You also don't have a lot of help for Devonte Adams.

[Andy Holloway]

Correct.

[Mike Wright]

On the other side of the field you can, you can be enthusiastic about Alan Lazard. He looks like he's going to be the two they lost Evan Funchester, they had picked him up as an off season acquisition. He opted out and they didn't invest draft capital. They went with the old quarterback in the first round routine and another running back and another running back in the second instead of, you know, more weapons for Aaron Rodgers. So you know devonte Adams is going to be a target monster. What are you looking at when you look at this season? The ceiling and the floor for Devonte Adams. He hasn't played a full season since 2016.

[Andy Holloway]

Sure he has some risk. I mean we had, if you remember a couple years ago, you had that devastating head injury when they were, when he was playing against the Chicago Bears. So he, Adams does carry risk. But I love devonte Adams like he is a truly elite wide receiver which is amazing that we are here calling Devonte Adams elite compared to where he started in the NFL. Looked like he was going to be just an absolute bust. But he found his way. He's elite. He's a great route runner. He finds himself open. He's a target hog in games played last year you're talking 30 plus percent of the targets. Those are elite. Those are Michael Thomas, those are DeAndre Hopkins type of a target share. Almost hit a thousand yards despite the 12 games. And the story for Devonte Adams last year where she was still good when he was playing was it was the touchdowns. You know, in 12 games, only five touchdowns. He was coming off of three straight years with double digit touchdown receptions which I expect him to be back to. He's, he's one of those guys where you can make the easy bet of should Will Adams over under nine and a half touchdowns. Oh, I'm going to take the over. So that's why I like him. That's why he's my number two.

[Mike Wright]

I thought an interesting stat on Devonte Adams over the last two seasons. This is from Pro Football Focus. 12% of his targets have been contested. Just tells you how open. Yeah, devonte Adams is. Any concerns with the snap percentage dip last year he was at the 84, 74, 89% and dropped to 63% playing through injury, playing hurt.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, yeah. I mean he is truly. He's a guy that's going to be up in the 170 plus target range. There's, there's not many and it's coming from a hall of Famer who trusts no one Else on the field you've got the red zone prowess. The fact that he was the, you know, he was the wide receiver three, two years ago last year. He was great when he was playing.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah.

[Mike Wright]

Fifth in points per game last year.

[Jason Moore]

So I'm all about the devonte Adams life.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah. And hopefully he can stay healthy for a full season and just turn in that 170 plus targets. Julio Jones comes in at number three. He's number two on my board. Four for Jason, three for Mike. Right now being drafted in the second round as the wide receiver, five off the board. So we all actually have him higher at the wide receiver position than others. A pillar of consistency throughout his entire career. Fantasy finishes since 2014. 8th, 2nd, 6th, 5th, 5th, 3rd and.

[Jason Moore]

I know I didn't hear any number ones.

[Mike Wright]

No, you didn't. And loser. What's, what's crazy is you kind of look at it and I know that we have the, the meme in our heads of Julio Jones limping off the field.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah.

[Mike Wright]

15, 16, 14, 16, 16, 15 games played. He is, you know, snap percentages staying similar. He is just as automatic as it gets at the wide receiver position. If you talk about gambling in the, you know, second round on a running back that you think has upside or you stare down Julio Jones and you know, the output for Julio Jones will be right what it's been, what do you do as a, you know, Jason, you're a risk averse, you know, first, second, third round type of player. You want to guarantee what you got in those spots because you miss in the first, second round, you really set your team back. Then you got a hit at the lower probability rounds. How do you view Julio Jones? Are you ending up with him in any.

[Jason Moore]

I am ending up with him often. If I am at the top of the first round in the first few picks because I'm running back heavy usually in those first couple rounds. We talked about this yesterday. I don't want those round three, four, five running backs and I do want those wide receivers. So usually I end up with running back, running back. But when I'm near the top of the draft and I've got a stud running back and Julio falls to me at the back of the second, which I've had happen plenty of times, he's older, you know, he's, he's never been the number fatigue.

[Mike Wright]

He's just a fit. Yeah, it's exactly what I was going to say. It's just more people are used to seeing him there and you've got other players that are a little bit more.

[Jason Moore]

Excited and it's one of those things because he's not the touchdown machine that.

[Andy Holloway]

You know, Julio Touchdown Jones was a good dude.

[Jason Moore]

It was a, it was a fun short stretch. Julio touchdown Jones, you know, he's not one of those guys that I would say is going to be the number one like as we've seen over the career, but he is. His floor is so high. If you're in any kind of PPR league, he just dominates week in and week out. And that's who I want as my wide receiver.

[Mike Wright]

One I, I'm going to go on record.

[Andy Holloway]

This is the year that he gets.

[Mike Wright]

Number one double digit touchdowns. Oh, for Julio Jones.

[Andy Holloway]

Well then he's the. Look if Julio Jones, he's been wanting.

[Mike Wright]

To try that since 2011.

[Andy Holloway]

If he hits 10 touchdowns, Julio Jones is the number one wide receiver.

[Jason Moore]

I would agree with that.

[Mike Wright]

It's time. It's time.

[Andy Holloway]

I would like that very much, Julio. Hey, before we move on to the rest of the list, want to thank today's sponsor, Pristine Auction. Come on, ladies and gentlemen, you know about Pristine Auction. The best sports memorabilia site on the planet. This is where I got my signed Blake Jarwin jersey that I was able to unleash on there.

[Mike Wright]

You can't find that just anywhere.

[Andy Holloway]

We got Devonte Adams up on our wall right now. They make incredible gifts, very unique gifts for the sports fans in your life and you get fantastic deals. These are all auctioned recently. A signed DJ Moore jersey for just $71 assigned Calvin Ridley. Could he break out? Well, they didn't have to break the bank for this signed jersey. Only $70. Look, go to pristineauction.com you make a completely free account, you only pay for what you win. None of this BS you pay to pay or anything. So make a completely free account, check it out and use the code ballers and you're going to get a $10 credit for your first purchase.

[Mike Wright]

All right, we're going to move on to number four on our rankings and that is Tyreek Hill. Tyreek Hill is number four. Last season injuries slowed him down considerably. Coming off of the number one overall fantasy finish in 2018, a number four finish in 2017. He is being drafted as the wide receiver three right now. So he's getting all of the respect due a world champion. So I have a little bit of a game to play though with Tyree Kill that I think you will find I like games. Intriguing.

[Jason Moore]

Okay, I'm in.

[Mike Wright]

And so it's going to beg a few questions from you. But we're going to play. We're going to play a game called.

[Andy Holloway]

Oh, no.

[Mike Wright]

Called Tyree Kill or Stefan Diggs.

[Jason Moore]

Oh, I like it already. Oh, no.

[Mike Wright]

Now this is numbers from the 2018 and 2019 seasons.

[Andy Holloway]

Okay?

[Mike Wright]

And just to throw it out there, missed games. Who led the way between those two seasons and missed games. We'll start with Dallas.

[Jason Moore]

Tyree Kill, two games.

[Andy Holloway]

I think in that stretch right there, I think it's Diggs two years ago. I mean, Diggs always misses games. He was pretty good.

[Mike Wright]

This year it's actually Tyreek. Tyreek's missed.

[Andy Holloway]

Oh, no.

[Mike Wright]

Tyreek's missed four. Diggs has missed two. But I wanted you to know that when I give all these other stats. Let's start with touchdowns, touchdowns. Tyreek Hill or Stefan Diggs over the last two seasons, 2018 and 2019. Also having never been on this side of these games. This is wonderful watching, watching your faces because you don't know whether I'm trying to get you or not.

[Jason Moore]

I. Tyree Kill was phenomenal two years ago. Double digit touchdowns. I'm going to go Tyreek.

[Andy Holloway]

I'm going to go Tyreek.

[Mike Wright]

You are both correct. Tyree Kill, 19 touchdowns over the last two years. But Stefan Diggs, 15. Okay, 19.

[Jason Moore]

19 to 15.

[Andy Holloway]

Okay.

[Mike Wright]

All right. 100 yard games. Tyree Killer, Stefan Diggs. 100 yard games over the last two years.

[Jason Moore]

Man, that's tough.

[Andy Holloway]

I'll go. I'll take Digs.

[Jason Moore]

I'm going to go Diggs as well because he's so hot and cold.

[Andy Holloway]

Oh, just the Tyreek was hurt.

[Mike Wright]

You are correct. Stefan Diggs, 900 yard games.

[Andy Holloway]

These games are easy. I don't know what you guys are talking about.

[Mike Wright]

800 yard games for Tyreek. So nine to eight, Diggs wins. How about that?

[Andy Holloway]

Barely.

[Mike Wright]

Let's go this way. Top 36 weeks. So this is a pretty important statistic. Top 36 weeks.

[Andy Holloway]

Dropping it to 36.

[Mike Wright]

All right, 36 weeks over the last two years.

[Jason Moore]

This is a gotcha. So I gotta go Diggs. Yeah, I lean Diggs because I think everybody listening. I mean the fact that where you're drafting Hill and where you're drafting Diggs says, well, of course that has to be Tyreek Hill.

[Mike Wright]

They are tied 7 17. Top 36 weeks from each player. Last one, top six weeks. So finishing inside the top six, Tyreek.

[Jason Moore]

Oh man, I like it going to six. When Diggs goes hot, he goes, I would have to go Tyreek. It would be disingenuous to actually say Diggs.

[Mike Wright]

It Is Tyreek.

[Jason Moore]

Okay. All right.

[Mike Wright]

But just to point it out, it's eight to seven on top six weeks over that two year span. And the only reason I'm bringing this up is not to necessarily. Oh, boy, oh boy.

[Andy Holloway]

I'm confused.

[Jason Moore]

Are you saying that that Diggs is better than he's being drafted or that Tyree Kill is worse than he's being drafted?

[Mike Wright]

I'm going to give you one more to answer that question. Voice of public opinion.

[Jason Moore]

Thank you.

[Mike Wright]

Bust games over the last two years. So these are games where they actually go out and hurt your fantasy team.

[Andy Holloway]

So I had my, my stat ready was that over the last two years, Tyreek Hill has busted in 40% of his games. Now, that include that there was a long run this year when he came back from his injury and the defense was great for Kansas City. So I'm going to, I'm going to use my stat to my advantage. I'm going to guess Tyreek.

[Jason Moore]

I agree with Mike.

[Mike Wright]

It's actually Stefan Diggs. Oh, you got me. 13, but 13 to 11, very close in bus games. Everybody views Stefan Diggs through the lens of you don't know what you're going to get yet with these over the last two years. Tyreek is not far off yet is drafted ridiculously different. So all that to say Tyreek is. You're not getting Michael Thomas, you're not getting devonte Adams, you're not getting Julio Jones. With Tyreek Hill, you are getting a player that is going to potentially win you a week outright because he goes absolutely crazy, but he can disappear.

[Andy Holloway]

You are not getting the engine to the car. You are, but you're getting the nos.

[Mike Wright]

There you go. Press that button.

[Andy Holloway]

I want it. Yes, I want Tyree Kill in my lineup. But he can't. Even though we. You project him here. It's like the. Also the Amari Cooper syndrome where, yeah, at the end of the year, total points. Yeah, he's a wide receiver one. But if you were saying, wow, this is my guy, this is my wide receiver one, you know, they can't cost you that many weeks. So the year he's number six for me, he's number six for Andy.

[Mike Wright]

I can't imagine taking him over Julio Jones. I can't imagine taking him over devonte.

[Andy Holloway]

Which Jason has him ranked over Julio Jones. Is that, is that still accurate?

[Jason Moore]

So, well, the ranking, like you said, it's at the end of the year, who has more fantasy points? Tyree Kill, I think has a higher ceiling because of the touchdowns. But this is why when you look at tears and you look at the rankings and the blurbs in the UDK and you see the risk rating and all of those things, you say, well, no, I'm going to draft Julio ahead of Tyreek because that fits my team better. I do want to give a little bit of context or at least ask the question about specificity because it's been very negative on Tyree Kill last year. Once you know that midway point, the Kansas City Chiefs defense got way better. Pat Mahomes was injured for a stretch of those games. He was hobbled. It wasn't the same offense. Right during that stretch from there to the end of the year, Tyree Kill was the wide receiver, 41. He was terrible. But if you look at the year prior and the first half of last year, Tyree Kill was worthy of being the number one wide receiver. The number two, three. He was phenomenal. So I think the question that fantasy owners have to at least have their own answer, since we don't know the future, is, was the, was the second half of last year, was that the new normal for the Chiefs for Tyree Kill, or was that the injury of Tyree Kill mixed with the injury of Pat Mahomes mixed with the hot streak of the defense and that is the outlier? What would be each of one of your answers to that question?

[Mike Wright]

Well, I certainly don't think weeks 11 through 17 are prescriptive for Tyreek Hill at all in any way, shape or form. He is simply a less consistent player. Even when he was number one overall in fantasy, he was the 15th most consistent wide receiver, that is. And he's also going to have to be your first pick if you want Tyreek Hill. He's going to be your first pick in the draft, barring, you know, getting lucky and his sliding.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, you can get him in the.

[Mike Wright]

Second round, but his ADP is at 110 right now. So, oh my goodness, there's a chance that he slides to the second round and if you're at the turn, he may be your second pick.

[Andy Holloway]

But.

[Mike Wright]

But the likelihood is you're having to start your team with Tyree Kill. And I, you know, it's just something to be paying attention to and it's all about your team identity. What are you going to do with the other picks, right? Are you going to layer in more players with a lot of upside but a lot of downside? Is it going to be more consistency? These are the type of nuanced decisions your fantasy team has to make. Chris Godwin comes in at Number five, Chris Godwin got off to the absolutely insane start last season. Finished with a. He missed the last two games but finished number two overall in fantasy football. He is the example of the player that got the off season hype and delivered in every way, shape and form on it. Second most yards per game last year, 95 yards a game. Being drafted in the late second right now, not really in association with that finish. People have doubts about whether Brady will be able to do what Winston did.

[Jason Moore]

Whether God, Brady will need to do what Winston did. I think that's part of the issue is Winston's 30 interceptions meant, hey, we got to keep chucking this ball.

[Mike Wright]

24.2 fantasy points per game from Weeks 1 through 6 that defined his season. He was not as consistent over the last basically from the midway point of the season on. So, and we've talked one of the big principles that you notice each and every year. The beginning of the season has such a mental impact on fantasy players. So those first six weeks dominating number one, oh my gosh, look at this guy I got later in the draft. He's, he's the best wide receiver in football. The back half wasn't as consistent. It wasn't as good. Sure, still a great wide receiver. But I think, you know, we have him at seven, Jason and I. Mike, you got him at four.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah. And look, I have met four. That's where my projections landed. It's a scary ranking for a player who has a brand new quarterback. Now I'm just, you know, projecting of trying to fit the puzzle pieces together that of you know, the Chris Godwin is a top notch route runner. People like the general public hasn't caught up on that yet. They like Chris God. When he broke out for fantasy, he was one of the best wide receivers last year. But you know how the general public is like Keenan Allen, great route runner. Stefan Diggs, elite route runner. You know like using reception perception in our ultimate draft Kit like Matt Harmon identified Chris Godwin as someone who's going to become an elite route runner. But when he was being drafted like.

[Jason Moore]

This in the NFL draft, he was one of his absolute favorite players. A lot of that as well because of contested catches. Both of those things. Yeah.

[Andy Holloway]

And that's where we are like look at his Chris Godwin's success running routes and especially you know he crushes the dig and the slant route. That's, that's called the Tom Brady special.

[Mike Wright]

I'm telling you, I'm going to, I'm going to come clean. I am starting to Get a little bit more behind Tom Brady in general as a fantasy option. And this offense and the belief that it will be a passing offense, it will be oriented towards letting Tom Brady flex his muscles with Gronkowski, Godwin and Evans as often as he wants to.

[Jason Moore]

Brady didn't leave his six championship New England Patriots team to go and be a game manager somewhere else. He had. He wants to prove a point that he's the goat.

[Andy Holloway]

It's narrative. But I. Look, man, I buy it. I buy it. You're right. Tom Brady does not leave New England without like a back pocket full of spite.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, he's. He's got something to prove. I mean, that team with that defense, they were eight. No, they were on the way towards the Super Bowl. It's not like he couldn't have won with the Patriots. He wants to be an offensive machine.

[Mike Wright]

And the weapons are just so different this year for him. And the. The thing is, is nothing that I've said about Brady earlier in the offseason is not true. When it goes away, it goes away quickly. At this age, it's gone. I mean, it happened to Peyton Manning, but there is the other side. If it's not gone, it could be great. So I think that. I think Godwin is probably. He's probably being drafted in the right spot. Wide receiver. Six, seven.

[Andy Holloway]

You should have a little bit of concern when you're drafting Chris Godwin.

[Mike Wright]

And if it seems like now I'm feeling like maybe we're being a little negative about some of these players. Understand these are all our top 10 wide receivers. The only thing you can really point out is are question marks that might differentiate them between somebody else.

[Andy Holloway]

He's my number four receiver.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, you hate him. All right. Number six, Kenny G. Oh, so smooth. Kenny Golladay. Oh, my. When it's Kenny's turn, you let it play a little longer.

[Andy Holloway]

That's right. And let me tell you a little bit. Ba ba ba boo. About Kenny Golladay.

[Mike Wright]

David Blau.

[Andy Holloway]

Kenny Golladay, he already had the size, he already had the build, the athletic profile to be a superstar NFL wide receiver. And you kind of. You were seeing those flashes in his first few years. And I'm going to. Again, I'm going to refer to the route running. He had a major improvement in his reception perception. Scores of. He is now turning from a guy who, who could rely on just his natural athletic ability and size to someone who is becoming a polished route runner. And that look, if he keeps taking those steps, Kenny Golladay will be Elite Darrell Bevel, the oc he just recently had a interview and they look narrative fine, but this is what we got to go off of. Bevel said, I want Kenny Golladay to be mentioned with DeAndre Hopkins, with Michael Thomas. That's what he wants. And he's, he's the one who will help turn Kenny Golladay into that.

[Jason Moore]

But I mean, of course he does. Is there, is there any, is there any offensive coordinator in the league that doesn't want his wide receiver one to be mentioned with the greatest.

[Andy Holloway]

But they don't, they don't say it because sometimes it's stupid.

[Mike Wright]

You can't say it with a straight face. For many players in his situation, Galladay is interesting because he was one of only three players with double digit touchdowns last year. He also doesn't do it on the, you know, it's 116 targets the year before, 119 targets did it with different quarterback play. They started to trust Stafford to be the driver of the offense last year. Kenny Galladay, I have him up at 5. Oh, Mike, you do too?

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah. Look, I love Kenny Golladay.

[Mike Wright]

I think he belongs in that, in that group. And his draft position is interesting because if you ended up, what with the first pick in the draft, you can come back in the third round with Kenny Galladay in a lot of drafts.

[Andy Holloway]

And I would be very happy to do that. Look, he gets air yards. He gets, he gets high volume or high quality targets for fantasy points. He gets end zone targets.

[Mike Wright]

He gets big plays.

[Andy Holloway]

He gets big plays. I get it. I would love for Kenny Galladay to get 150 targets, but he doesn't have to have that to be a very consistent wide receiver. 1.

[Jason Moore]

I won't have any. Trust me. He's so smooth. Yeah, I just, I don't, I don't know what it is about.

[Mike Wright]

Is it the 65 reception? Yes, I get the number.

[Jason Moore]

So statistically I know what it is I don't like. You know, we just talked down Tyreek Hill and the consistency factor because, you know, Tyreek's probably an 85 reception guy, but at least he has Pat Mahomes and the highest scoring offense, more touchdown opportunities, even deeper yards per reception capability than Galladay, despite the height. You know, Golladay is a player to me that is scary. I believe that Detroit wants to run the ball. I mean, that's clearly what Darrell Bevel would.

[Mike Wright]

30Th year running. They're on what they choose to do.

[Jason Moore]

That's what they invested in DeAndre Swift now even when I project it, I don't think they're going to be able to but I do believe that's their desire. I don't think they want Stafford to lead a high power offense because that's, that's not what Patricia has ever been. That's not what Darrell Bevel's ever been until this last year where we had an eight game stretch before Stafford got injured where he was amazing. And I think we're just extrapolating too much out of that to say this Lions offense with Stafford and Golladay and Marvin Jones is just going to be explosive. And the reality is the difference between Kenny Golladay and Marvin Jones is significant is it's major.

[Andy Holloway]

Go look like I love Marvin Jones. I mean he's. Marvin Jones is the value pick in every single draft except for the ones where I end up picking Kenny Galladay in the third round. Marvin Jones is because he can get you a touchdown. He can get you three touchdown weeks but he's not consistent. Kenny Golladay is the number one. It's, it's not. I don't have that feeling of projecting going like last year. It was well, Kenny Golladay. I don't know if I want to pay up because could he. Is he actually the number one or is it 1A, 1B? They're going to be going back and forth. Last year to me wrote the story it's Kenny Golladay is elite and he's only getting better.

[Jason Moore]

Last year that wrote the story for you where Marvin Jones got injured in a game and left early and all that. Kenny Galladay averaged 13 and a half fantasy points per game, Marvin Jones 12 and a half. And so yes there is a difference but consistency, sure. My point is that these are, I mean you can get Marvin Jones in the eighth, ninth round. I mean he. Nobody wants Marvin Jones whereas Kenny Galdy, you're paying up. And I just fear that if this is a 65 catch guy who doesn't end up near 10 touchdowns, he's going to disappoint you.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, I mean I don't read much into the points per game piece because it's just Marvin doing his three touchdown thing and then disappearing for seven weeks. But yeah, I mean there's always more risk. Like Jason saying with a 65 touchdown guy reminds me of Vincent Jackson. You know Vincent Jackson was a monstrous big play guy. Double double digit touchdown potential. The question is whether Golladay can take another step forward. I believe he can. I believe this offense will be Matthew Stafford's Much in the way it was with Calvin Johnson. He's just the driver, so I'd like to see that. I think that's why we like Stafford at the back of drafts. But 65 receptions moves Golladay.

[Jason Moore]

I think Golladay could be one of the best wide receivers in the league. He has the talent, the skill. If he was a 140 target type of player, a possession guy, as well as a deep threat, he would dominate fantasy. So that's why I get it. I love Kenny Gollady. I just, I don't think that's his role and I don't enjoy that in on my fantasy team.

[Mike Wright]

All right, number seven, Amari Cooper coming in at number seven. You're welcome, Mike. This is my fault. This is my fault.

[Andy Holloway]

It's also Jason's fault.

[Jason Moore]

I think it's Mike's.

[Mike Wright]

I think it's Amari Cooper's fault.

[Andy Holloway]

It's my fault that he's this low.

[Jason Moore]

Yes.

[Mike Wright]

I have him at 4, Jason at 6, Mike at 12. Well documented.

[Andy Holloway]

Probably somehow I still have him ranked above adp. This is ridiculous.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, I mean, Amari Cooper, I hate myself for it. Weeks 1 through 10 last year, 94 reception pace, 1500 yards pace, 13 touchdown pace, very consistent back half of the year.

[Jason Moore]

I.

[Mike Wright]

We prefer to blot that out. We actually deleted it from the player profile on the website. It just says error code.

[Andy Holloway]

Oh, you guys clearly did with your rankings.

[Mike Wright]

That would be 59 for 779. No, I don't, I don't read too much into the back half of the year. I know Jason doesn't. I think this is one of the best off.

[Andy Holloway]

What about when he did it two.

[Mike Wright]

Years ago for Dallas? He did not.

[Jason Moore]

Well, the back half of the year when he played two years ago for Dallas, he was.

[Andy Holloway]

What about the first half of that.

[Jason Moore]

Year when he played for a different team? Yeah, he wasn't as good. I mean, it's just a matter of.

[Mike Wright]

This is a flag planting player. If you believe that Amari Cooper can help your fantasy team, you know, you believe that he's going to be one of the best in the league every year.

[Jason Moore]

He's extremely inconsistent. He has half of his games great. Half of his game suck. But if you dive deeper, I think there is rationale. And, and here's the thing. At the end of this year, it's going to be proven right. He's either going to have had another inconsistent year and Michael be shirtless, running down the street with a, with a cape on, flying.

[Andy Holloway]

To be fair, I Want Amari Cooper to succeed. I think he can be a top notch fantasy player.

[Mike Wright]

This is just boy who cried wolf at this point.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, I'm just. Look, if I, if I miss the year that Amari Cooper finally became a season long, league winning type wide receiver, so be it.

[Mike Wright]

Amari Cooper is the reason that Brooks doesn't try anything new on the menu. Because there's just, it's the risk reward factor. If he just take, you know, Amari Cooper, I got him at 4, right. I mean that's pretty high up there. You could take somebody just much more safe for consumption. He is not a club sandwich. He's not a club sandwich.

[Andy Holloway]

Oh, I love a club sandwich.

[Mike Wright]

No, he's, he's the menu item where you go, oh, they have that here.

[Andy Holloway]

They got Kraft Mac and cheese.

[Mike Wright]

Really? They have something. It's not craft Mac and cheese.

[Jason Moore]

It's a difficult to make. It's a, you know, it's a lava cake. You know, one of those like very difficult to make desserts where they can be ruined or. Oh my goodness, this is great.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah.

[Jason Moore]

But I think they've figured out how to cook with Amari Cooper. And see, here's the thing. This is why I say if you, if you dig a little deeper the back half of the year, when he was traded to Dallas, he was phenomenal. Then he comes out and is phenomenal. He's the wide receiver three through those first 10 weeks, gets injured, is hobbled, is on the field as a decoy, sucks, obviously the rest of the season. And so the question. And then they paid him $100 million.

[Andy Holloway]

So the question is people make $100 million mistakes.

[Mike Wright]

His ADP is really low. I have him really low.

[Andy Holloway]

I would, I will draft Amari Cooper with this adp. Yes, I will. I am willing to draft Amari Cooper. The last thing I will say about him is two of the last three years against press coverage, he is finished in the bottom 22%. He cannot get off a jam. You want to know what wide receivers can't get off of jams? Cooper cup. Tyler Boyd, JuJu Smith Schuster, Jameson Crowder. What's the common commonality between those four guys? Those are slot wide receivers. Amari Cooper is not a true number one. He is not a true X receiver. And honestly, you hear that Amari? Like I'm. It's fine.

[Mike Wright]

He's coming for you.

[Andy Holloway]

The addition of CD Lam might actually be way better for Amari Cooper because now you have someone else who can run on the outside and you can just keep Moving Amari Cooper around, hoping that, that, that a good cornerback doesn't see him.

[Mike Wright]

Oh, no. Oh no. DeAndre Hopkins comes in at number eight. DeAndre Hopkins.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah.

[Mike Wright]

You know what? He's not getting the celebration dance bump in our rankings. Yeah, he is the wide receiver 4 by ADP. He is 8 on our consensus rankings. 8, 5 and 14. That would be me, Jason and Mike. And that is a pretty big disparity for a player that is finished first, second and fifth the last three years in who's Houston.

[Andy Holloway]

Makes me, makes me very sad where I have him ranked. And Hopkins could, he could be installed in Arizona and just be the target machine like he was for Houston. I'm just, I just don't see it happening that way. You have an air raid offense where like Cliff Kingsbury wants to run five wide receivers out on the field. And when you have five wide receivers out there all the time, you don't force feed a guy 30% of your targets. Rich Rebar did a study on Alpha elite wide receivers who changed teams and then had an ADP of being a wide receiver one and by his calculation there were six players who have done this in the past 10 years and only one of them actually finished as a wide receiver one. Changing teams.

[Mike Wright]

Was it Brandon Marshall?

[Andy Holloway]

I believe it was Brandon Marshall, yeah.

[Mike Wright]

I mean that's the one that sticks out. It's hard to do. I have had Hopkins in zero drafts.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, I have him, but he's number.

[Mike Wright]

One in my heart.

[Jason Moore]

Oh, for sure. And I hope he dominates and he will dominate in real football because he's fantastic. I have him at number five. I have him the highest. I actually think he has a good year. There is no chance that I draft him in any league that I'm in because he's being drafted at that position where he has to hit. And the variables are monumental. You're talking about a player who has averaged 166 targets going all the way back to 2015. I can't get him there. He's 140 target guy even with a faster pace of play. And so could he dominate for Arizona with a faster pace of play, higher, you know, scoring offense? Potentially, yes. But could he be nowhere near the value that you have to draft him at? Absolutely. You know, when we're just trying to make the highest, odd, predictable choice. You're too much, too much risk for me with Hopkins at that cost. Obviously he's going to be good in general, but it's. Will he pay off if you draft it?

[Mike Wright]

All right, we starting to get into some bigger question marks. Now D.J. moore at number nine. Mike's got him up at seven. Jason at ten. I have him at 12.

[Andy Holloway]

D.J.

[Mike Wright]

Moore last year finished as the wide receiver 18.

[Andy Holloway]

D.J. moore was the wide receiver 10 before he went out at the beginning of a game with concussion and then missed the next week. Like DJ Moore was actually pretty great. Like he was averaging six receptions and 84 yards. And this was from Kyle Allen, who had the 35th best passer rating in the league. 35th. Now he gets best best.

[Jason Moore]

Thank you.

[Andy Holloway]

Now he. Look, Teddy Bridgewater last year was 11th in passer rating. We know that he's accurate. We know that he can hit a player in stride. So like to me it's DJ Moore is. He's an athletic freak, but 10th in targets last year. Like he is a focal point of this offense. And if he can get someone who is more accurate and actually hitting him in stride more often, I really think that Dj Moore can be great. And he was the wide receiver 10 in half point PPR. Like I said before going out and that's only scoring four touchdowns.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, I was going to say Dj Moore's narrative here is really if though, you know, as opposed to like Kenny Golladay overcame the Blau experience and who, who was the other. They had multiple non Stafford quarterbacks last year. I can't remember the other guy's name, but Golladay kind of overcame that. Still had the fantasy finish that was strong last year. D.J. moore ended up as the wide receiver 18. We haven't projected higher than that by a, by a wide margin. It's. It's noticing the touchdown totals were down. It's if Teddy Bridgewater is, is going to be a big improvement. It's if Matt Rule is able to use DJ Moore in the same capacity with the target share last year, 135 targets. Does that go up with Teddy Bridgewater? No doubt of the talent. More questions around DJ Moore than other wide receivers because of those variables. New quarterback, new head coach, tough division. Is D.J. moore going to be the centerpiece? Robbie Anderson also coming in?

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, this, this is. There are variables here. And we just talked about DeAndre Hopkins. Both these guys have massive variables. Different schemes, different quarterbacks. One of them you have to draft as the fourth wide receiver, one of them as the 15th wide receiver. And obviously Hopkins has a longer history. He's done it. That's, that's why he's being drafted there. But the value is more with more because I mean, look here, what do we know about what do we know about Carolina since we, since there's a lot we don't know. We know their defense is going to be terrible. Yes. We know that DJ Moore is an athletic freak.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah.

[Jason Moore]

We also know that he pretty much dominated in the games that he played in. So if he takes another step forward in that third year with an offensive system, that's, that's coming in, you know, Teddy Bridgewater, how was Michael Thomas when Teddy Bridgewater was the quarterback?

[Andy Holloway]

Pretty good. It's fine.

[Jason Moore]

So we know he can support someone and I think that DJ Moore's role close to the line of scrimmage, a lot of screen games, they manufacture touches for him because he's so fast.

[Mike Wright]

I think the ADP is the big key here. I mean you're not, if you're getting him at between wide receiver 12 and 15, you're not taking the kind of risk that you would with someone else. I am kind of. You know, last year it was all is Curtis Samuel or DJ Moore? Which guy's going to be the difference maker? We've already illustrated how bad the quarterback was.35th best passer rating. That affects somebody like Curtis Samuel as well. And the gap is just so immense. I mean Curtis Samuels a undrafted 14th round guy. DJ Moore is a 4th round early 4th pick.

[Andy Holloway]

Curtis Samuel is an excellent post hype sleeper. He was, he was open. He just for some reason they decided last year, Curtis Samuel, you're going to go out and you just run fly routes, you run, run an iron down the field and we'll see, we'll see if Carol Allen can get you this time. Oh, shuck Snow, he missed again. Well but we'll try it on the next play. Yeah.

[Mike Wright]

So I think it will be interesting to watch DJ More Carolina in general, like you talk about question mark teams and what you're, what you're going to get out of it. I'll be watching them closely. I mean camp's going to be interesting. They have a running back that catches the ball over 100 times, you know, and you mix in Samuel, you mix in Robbie Anderson and then you still have to get DJ Moore volume. I think we all agree if DJ Moore doesn't have volume in this offense, it's going to be a huge problem for the upside.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, I completely agree with that because D.J. moore is a, he's a slot wide receiver. He has to have volume.

[Mike Wright]

And coming in at number 10 is another one that is a volume type of player. Robert woods makes the top 10. Oh, this is the respect that we've been just searching for Robert his entire career.

[Andy Holloway]

Mr. Woods, I hope you hear this. We have you as a top 10 fantasy wide receiver.

[Mike Wright]

That's right. Welcome, welcome into the top 10 and game respect game. Go ahead and come on the show anytime you'd like. Last year was A incredible. Only two touchdowns for Robert Woods.

[Andy Holloway]

This is bizarre.

[Mike Wright]

He's being 90 receptions, 1100 yards, two touchdowns, his back half of the year pace. Take it for what you will. 180 target pace, 120 reception pace, 100 or 1500 yards. I mean that is a dominant.

[Andy Holloway]

I respect him, but I'm not going to give him 1500 yards.

[Mike Wright]

No. And that's not really his M.O. i mean if you're in a PPR league, people have asked this question a lot. I am 100% comfortable with Robert woods as my wide receiver. One in a PPR league he is going to get the rock a lot. Him and Cooper cup, they are the pass catchers on the outside. They're going to have the opportunities and you know, whether they go 12 personnel more, whether they use the tight end more doesn't really matter to me. Robert woods is the linchpin of the passing offense, the passing offense that throws the ball more than anybody in football is. And what really just undermined his whole season was just the total touchdowns. And two is just, you know, maybe he's a five or six guy but two is just outlandish.

[Jason Moore]

Well, and that's what he is. I mean he's. I remember a game early in the season where he just completely missed a toe tap in the end zone and he's, he's a five or six touchdown guy but he's consistent, he gets the ball. He is. You know, I made this argument last year for him and it seemed poor in the very beginning when Cooper cup got off to a strong start. But I believe he is the first read. He is the first target in this offense. Ed Cooper cup is better around the end zone. But if you just want the consistency from fantasy production, knowing he's on the field, you know, you saw at the end of last season when Kopp and Cooks were kind of splitting time in the snap percentages 60 in the 60% range. Robert woods doesn't leave the field. Robert woods is always out there, is always the number one read for a great offense. Sean McVeigh, we, you know, we've put our trust in him as fantasy, you know, players. So Robert woods is just phenomenal. And if the touchdowns happen to come up, if he gets eight, if Robert woods gets eight touchdowns. He's a guaranteed top 10 wide receiver. He's basically been a top, you know, 12 wide receiver for, you know, his pace the previous two seasons was great and he's cheap. Nobody want. He is not flashy. You know, the cup and woods both are as unflashy a wide receiver core as it gets. And they're phenomenal in both real life and fantasy.

[Mike Wright]

And to be clear, we have him ranked by consensus at 10. That does not mean you draft him at 10.

[Andy Holloway]

Oh, no, you take that value.

[Mike Wright]

He is currently the wide receiver 17, but feels very safe. You know, when you think, think about the types of wide receivers we've talked about today. Some are in that boom bus category. Robert woods is not going to lose you a week. He might not win you a week, but he's going to be a stabilizing force for your fantasy.

[Andy Holloway]

You look at the wide receiver 17 finish. So two years ago he was a top 10 fantasy wide receiver at the end of the year. And the only difference, you know, a couple of yards, but is the four touchdowns. If Robert woods simply hit his regular five to six touchdowns, he would have been a wide receiver one again.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, and this is why. Look, look, look at these players, right? Robert woods, fourth round pick, D.J. moore, basically a fourth round pick. He's at the 312. You've got Amari Cooper, fourth round pick. This is why I was talking about on last episode when we were talking about the running backs 11 through 20 with these big question mark guys, the David Johnson and Todd Gurley, Chris Carson, those players, they're all going in the same round as guys we have as our top, in our top 10 at wide receiver. So get the top 10 running backs and then the top 10 wide receivers.

[Mike Wright]

All right, that's going to wrap it up for today's episode of the podcast. I encourage you to check out ultimate draft kid.com if you're, if you're in that mode right now, ready for the season.

[Jason Moore]

If you just want to win that fantasy football.

[Mike Wright]

Either way, either way, the drafts are coming. We got it one month from the season. I cannot wait to. What do we get? Sean McVeigh mask. Sean McVeigh tonight.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, yeah.

[Jason Moore]

Shield.

[Andy Holloway]

Face shield.

[Mike Wright]

Kind of sounds a little bit like Jon Gruden. You notice that?

[Jason Moore]

Oh, big time.

[Andy Holloway]

If I were McVeigh, I'd have the face shield as well. Too handsome to hide behind the mask.

[Mike Wright]

Right. We'll catch you tomorrow.

[Andy Holloway]

See you tomorrow. Goodbye.

[Jason Moore]

Thank you for listening to another episode of the Fantasy Footballers podcast. Join our fantasy football community on jointhefoot. Com and follow us on Twitter at theffballers.