WR Rankings + Mike Becomes a Real Boy!

Summary

Fantasy Footballers Podcast Episode Summary: "WR Rankings + Mike Becomes a Real Boy!"
Release Date: August 14, 2018

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Introduction: Mike's Twitter Verification Celebration

The episode kicks off with a humorous and lighthearted segment where Mike Wright celebrates obtaining Twitter verification, transitioning from "the man of the people" to the esteemed "Mike the Fantasy Hitman." This newfound status sparks playful banter among the hosts, highlighting the camaraderie and entertaining dynamic of the Fantasy Footballers trio.

• Mike Wright [01:23]: “Welcome to the Fantasy Footballers Podcast coming to you from draft.comstud with your hosts Andy Holloway, Jason Moore and Mike Wright.”
• Jason Moore [04:03]: “Heavy is the head. Brooks.”

Segment 1: Keep, Trade, or Cut – Wide Receiver Edition

The hosts engage in their popular "Keep, Trade, Cut" segment, focusing on three wide receivers: Robert Woods (Rams), Kelvin Benjamin (Bills), and Sterling Shepard (Giants). Each host provides their strategic decisions based on player performance, team dynamics, and draft value.

• Andy Holloway [06:18]: “I want the guy that I know is the one on the team... I'm going to trade Sterling Shepard to Brooks.”
• Jason Moore [07:28]: “He thinks Shepard will have a better season... I'll probably trade away Robert Woods and cut Shepard.”
• Mike Wright [07:44]: “I do need to make some adjustments... I'm going to keep Kelvin Benjamin because he's a touchdown machine.”

Segment 2: Wide Receiver Rankings Part 2

The bulk of the episode delves into an in-depth analysis of wide receiver rankings, continuing from previous discussions. The hosts meticulously evaluate players from ranks 11 to 24, offering insights into their potential performance for the upcoming season.

Rankings Highlights:

1. Amari Cooper (#11 Consensus)

   • Andy Holloway [21:14]: Discusses Cooper’s talent and previous performance, noting his physical gifts but questioning his catch rate.
   • Mike Wright [22:12]: “Amari Cooper is talented... his hands have to be questioned.”

2. Ty Hilton (#12 Consensus)

   • Jason Moore [25:26]: Expresses concerns over Hilton’s inconsistent performance last season and its impact on his fantasy value.
   • Andy Holloway [28:04]: Highlights Hilton's dependency on quarterback health, particularly Andrew Luck's.

3. Mike Evans (#13 Consensus)

   • Andy Holloway [30:15]: Analyzes Evans' need for high touchdown totals to achieve top rankings, emphasizing the shift in his team's offensive dynamics.
   • Mike Wright [31:13]: “Mike Evans... The touchdown upside is just got to open them.”

4. Stefon Diggs (#14 Consensus)

   • Jason Moore [32:13]: Questions Diggs' consistency and potential first "wide receiver one" season.
   • Andy Holloway [34:06]: Acknowledges Diggs’ talent but remains cautious about his injury history and health.

5. Doug Baldwin (#15 Consensus)

   • Andy Holloway [35:55]: Considers Baldwin’s high upside but notes his dropping draft position due to health concerns.
   • Jason Moore [36:37]: “I think I would take Baldwin.”

6. Demaryius Thomas (#16 Consensus)

   • Mike Wright [38:10]: Critiques Thomas’ efficiency and aging, suggesting he’s not the same player as before.
   • Jason Moore [39:24]: “They were very, very inefficient.”

7. Marvin Jones (#17 Consensus)

   • Jason Moore [41:04]: Points out Jones’ overreliance on touchdowns and inconsistent receptions as potential pitfalls.
   • Andy Holloway [42:35]: Discusses the regression in Jones' performance metrics compared to previous seasons.

8. Golden Tate (#18 Consensus)

   • Jason Moore [43:05]: Balances Tate’s consistency in receptions with his lack of high-end boom potential.
   • Mike Wright [44:43]: “He does not boom.”

9. Tyreek Hill (#19 Consensus)

   • Andy Holloway [46:32]: Predicts a slight dip in Hill’s target total and efficiency, considering the addition of Sammy Watkins to his team.
   • Jason Moore [47:13]: “Keep, trade, cut Tyreek Hill.”

10. JuJu Smith-Schuster & Allen Robinson (#20 & #21 Consensus)

    • Mike Wright [49:33]: Compares Allen Robinson’s catch rate favorably over JuJu Smith-Schuster.
    • Jason Moore [53:05]: “I think helper you guys are more in the Jones camp.”

Segment 3: Listener Mailbag

In the Mailbag segment, the hosts address listener questions, providing personalized advice on drafting strategies and league settings.

1. Drafting Disliked Players for Trade

   • Listener Daniel [61:36]: Asks if it’s acceptable to draft a player you dislike with the intention of trading him.
   • Mike Wright [62:14]: Advises against it unless there’s a mutual agreement with the trading party.
   • Andy Holloway [62:40]: Encourages building the best team based on performance, not personal preferences.
   • Jason Moore [63:07]: Suggests that in early rounds, taking value over personal bias can be strategic.

2. League Depth vs. Bench Size

   • Listener Logan [65:19]: Inquires about optimal bench sizes for 10 vs. 12-man leagues in a 2-QB format.
   • Andy Holloway [65:30]: Recommends managing waiver wire competitiveness based on bench size.
   • Mike Wright [66:30]: Emphasizes focusing on value and flexibility in draft selections.

Closing Remarks:

The episode wraps up with a blend of final thoughts on player rankings and a touch of humor regarding Mike’s new social media status. The hosts reiterate their commitment to providing in-depth analysis and engaging content to help listeners succeed in their fantasy football leagues.

• Jason Moore [69:19]: “You better follow us on Twitter. Get that account ready. Draft.comball.”
• Andy Holloway [70:07]: “Thank you for listening to another episode of the Fantasy Footballers Podcast.”

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This episode offers comprehensive insights into wide receiver evaluations, strategic drafting tips, and interactive listener engagement, making it a valuable resource for both seasoned and new fantasy football enthusiasts.

Transcript

[Mike Wright]

In a world where the line between success and failure can be measured in fractions of a point, three gentlemen, nay heroes have put aside their differences to combine forces and produce the greatest fantasy football draft kit of all time. From the creative minds behind the Fantasy Footballers comes a blockbuster multimedia extravaganza. Video profiles, stat projections, tier breakdowns, printable cheat sheets, rookie rankings, sleepers, busts, and so much more. Mike Wright calls it the one draft tool you can't miss. Andrew Holloway says it's changed his life. And Jason Moore said, when I saw all the content in the ultimate draft kit, I fell to my knees and wept. I wept like a baby. Don't miss this opportunity. Go to www.ultimatedraftkit.com today and secure your copy today.

[Andy Holloway]

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

[Jason Moore]

Welcome in Tuesday, August 14, a day.

[Mike Wright]

That'S a living infamy.

[Jason Moore]

I woke up. It was just an ordinary morning.

[Mike Wright]

It was. Any old morning was for me as well.

[Jason Moore]

And then the earth shook beneath my feet as news broke.

[Mike Wright]

Whoo.

[Jason Moore]

Walter Cronkite came on the news, came across the wire and. Well, wa. Let's just.

[Mike Wright]

Oh.

[Jason Moore]

The man of the people.

[Mike Wright]

Yes.

[Jason Moore]

Is now the man of the blue check mark America.

[Mike Wright]

I am now the verified man of the people.

[Jason Moore]

Oh, that is. We assumed you'd go with that, Mike.

[Mike Wright]

Don't worry, I still love all of you beautiful people. I'm just a little bit better than you now.

[Jason Moore]

Does it feel like one or one or two Mike Tolbert's just fell off your back.

[Andy Holloway]

Oh, man.

[Mike Wright]

No idea.

[Andy Holloway]

I will say this. So this has been years in the making. We've talked about.

[Jason Moore]

There may be new listeners have no idea what we're talking about.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah. So Andy myself have been Twitter verified for a while. For a long while.

[Jason Moore]

It's helped our self esteem. It's helped us relationally.

[Andy Holloway]

Huge false sense of security came to me personally. And Mike has been left in the dust. Always been the man of the people was his moniker because he was unverified swine.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah. There were many things he was called.

[Mike Wright]

Over the last two years, no longer. And I was asked how. I mean, how did it feel when I got the news? And I said, embarrassingly, better than it should have.

[Andy Holloway]

This is where. This is where I was going. Is that when you walked in this morning? I have never ever seen you as happy.

[Mike Wright]

Not when we've been around when your children were born.

[Jason Moore]

We've been around when big days.

[Andy Holloway]

You had a glow on your face. That shall not soon leave.

[Jason Moore]

His chest was puffed out.

[Mike Wright]

Feels good, man. Feels good.

[Jason Moore]

He was shooting DMs to other verified people.

[Andy Holloway]

Mike, let me just say this. Welcome to the team.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, it's great to be here.

[Jason Moore]

We have. Oh, the fireworks, they just keep going.

[Andy Holloway]

Brooks is now the man of the people.

[Jason Moore]

Brooks is now the man of the people.

[Mike Wright]

Heavy is the head. Brooks.

[Jason Moore]

Oh, my gosh. Heavy is the weight on the back. Oh, my goodness. Just imagine the analysis Mike the fancy hitman is going to bring you. Yes.

[Mike Wright]

It's a great day for hitmen everywhere, really.

[Jason Moore]

What was the. I was following your. You tweeted this morning, and I think it's up over 2000 likes. This has been a journey that you've taken everybody on.

[Andy Holloway]

This is true.

[Jason Moore]

And in many Foot Clander, they're all there with me.

[Mike Wright]

I mean, I'm getting. Of course, the. The trolls are out saying, no, this shouldn't happen. But I would say the overwhelming majority of people, I feel like my. I feel like a proud father, a proud mother right now.

[Andy Holloway]

The Foot Clan are good people. So, I mean, that's the thing, this show, you know, we're a positive show. Then the people who enjoy this show are positive, awesome people. They're happy for you. I'm happy for you.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, we have a great show. We have a great actual show for you today. Wide Receiver rankings, part two. We're going to get through as many names as we can. Some news we need to break down for sure. We're going to get into the Foot Clan mailbag, answer some questions, help you win your league, help you get ready for your fantasy drafts. They're coming quickly. We even have keep trade cut on the show today. So I have a feeling it's going to be a little bonus in terms of length on the show today. Follow us all on Twitter. But you can follow Mike, who's super verified at FF Hitman.

[Mike Wright]

You know, it's me.

[Jason Moore]

Jason is at Jason ffl. I'm at Andy Holloway. The show is at the FF Ballers, also verified. Yeah, that's new, too. So, I mean, it only took years and years and years of being on.

[Andy Holloway]

Television and touring the country.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, they eventually they said, you know what you are, who you said you are. Little Denny Green. Gotta bring him back.

[Mike Wright]

I got a Denny Green in the. In the mentions.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah. So let's. Let's go ahead and jump into the quick question.

[Andy Holloway]

Keep trade cut.

[Jason Moore]

We're gonna play some keep trade cut on the quick question of the day, Wide receiver. Keep Trade cut Robert woods of the Rams, Kelvin Benjamin of the Bills, Sterling shepherd of the Giants, currently being drafted on that 9th, 10th round range. Keep, trade. Cut Robert Woods, Kelvin Benjamin, Sterling Shepard.

[Andy Holloway]

Boys, I'm going to keep Kelvin Benjamin out of this group. I want the guy that I know is the one on the team. I don't expect the Bill's passing offense to be prolific, but I, you know, he seems like right now, preseason, at least against his former team, playing with a chip on his shoulder looked good. I am going to trade Sterling Shepard to Brooks.

[Mike Wright]

Wow.

[Andy Holloway]

Because I know how much Brooks values nay overvalues Sterling Shepherd. I. I'm a big Sterling shepherd fan, so I'm going to cut Robert woods. But in truth, I do think Robert woods has a better season than Sterling Shepard.

[Jason Moore]

I am going to do the exact same thing. I thought I might stand alone on Kelvin, but I am rising and have been raising him in ranks. I'm going to trade away. I'll probably trade away Robert woods and I'll have to cut Shepard. I think Shepard will have a better season than Woods. Actually, when you have Odell Beckham Jr. On the opposite side of you when you have to come up in the box to stop Saquon Barkley, I think Shepard is going to be the beneficiary of a lot of beautiful coverage and he's got the talent to exploit it.

[Andy Holloway]

Certainly. It's very strange that I believe that woods will have the better season, but I'm going to trade Shepard. You believe Shepard will have the better season, but you're going to trade?

[Jason Moore]

I think the perception is what and the draft position of woods is around and a half higher. So I think that's why I'm going to trade Woods.

[Mike Wright]

And even though woods is currently ranked the highest of these three wide receivers, for me, I do need to go in and make some adjustments. I'm going to swallow the garbage, as they say. And I'm going to say and I'm going to keep Calvin Benjamin because I'm with Jason. He's the one woods, like I said right now, woods is projected to have the better season. But at this point of the draft, 9th, 10th round, I don't want a guy who can just maybe fill in for me every once in a while at the wide receiver position. I'm going to go for a one. Kelvin Benjamin can be a touchdown machine. We've seen it before. And then I'm going to trade Robert woods because I like him more than shepherd and I think that his trade value in the current market it would.

[Jason Moore]

Be higher if Calvin could play the Panthers 16 games this year. He might be in my top 10. I think he's got that kind of fire for Cam right now. All right, we're going to get into the news. A reminder, you can go to draft.thefantasyfootballers.com if you want to do mock draft and then get a grade from us. It's a fun way to practice. Draft.the fancy footballers.com and then footclangiveaway.com we're giving away the DeAndre Hopkins jersey, a couple copies of Madden and a UDK for life.

[Mike Wright]

For life.

[Jason Moore]

And I believe yesterday we confirmed. You can bequeath it. Okay. You can bequeath it to your next of kin because we're doing this for a long time. That's why we tell them to subscribe. It's a 40 to 50 year commitment to this podcast forever.

[Andy Holloway]

News and notes from around the league.

[Jason Moore]

I'm gonna try to fly through these so we can get into the rankings. You guys let me know what's relevant. Devonte Parker has a broken middle finger, hopefully ready by the opener. Devonte Parker, I faded him all off season. I felt the pressure to love him and I don't.

[Mike Wright]

So the targets were there.

[Jason Moore]

It doesn't help.

[Mike Wright]

The targets were absolutely there. He was one of those guys that left, as I've said on the show, a lot of meat on the bone. His targets to fantasy finish. There's a huge discrepancy there. But this is great news for Kenny Stills, who has always been a favorite of Jason and mine. But it's also big news for Albert Wilson, who received a sizable contract. The Miami Dolphins say Albert Wilson is going to play on the outside this opening. This opens a starting role for Albert Wilson who simply may not give it back to devonte Parker.

[Jason Moore]

The news has not been good about Kalen Bellage, running back for the Miami Dolphins lately either. He got kicked out of the huddle by Ryan Tannehill and now he's in the concussion protocol after a fumble in his opening preseason game.

[Mike Wright]

Concussion.

[Jason Moore]

So it's been a. If you wanted an opportunity for him to kind of break into the rotation, some people have him as a big time sleeper. I think there's opportunity there. This is just a negative start to the season.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, it's not. It's not gone well. Hashtag not surprised.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah. With the concussion, you're not surprised?

[Andy Holloway]

No. With the fumble, with the pass protection.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah. I mean, he's going to be behind Drake and Gore certainly to start the season there hadn't been news on Eagles wide receiver Nelson Aguilar's injury. They're saying it's lower body and that they're just resting him to start the season. Eagles wide receiver Alison Jeffrey broke yesterday he could start on the pup, which would cost him six games. So this is huge.

[Mike Wright]

Yes.

[Jason Moore]

We've talked a lot about the fact, or at least I have, that Alshon Jeffrey without the touchdowns, he's not going to give you a fantasy season you're proud of. You have other weapons there in the offense, and now you've got a PUP risk. I stay away from Alshon.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, I completely agree. I mean, I've had concerns with the offense. You've got to also throw in the fact that Carson Wentz.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah.

[Andy Holloway]

Was just recently talking about he's not sure he's going to be ready for week one. That's not completely on him. The doctors have to. I mean, we talked about when the injury happened and the timeline for his specific injury, which was worse than what DeSean Watson went through from a medical standpoint, that the timetable for recovery would put him right around week one. And what happened is training camps, OTAs came and you saw video of him on the field throwing a football, and you're like, oh, he's already fine. And that's, that's a world different. Being out there running, utilizing his legs, taking hits, things of that nature. So, yeah, I mean, look, the Eagles offense right now as a whole is a little scary. You lose your offensive coordinator, you lose your quarterback's coach. You might not have your starting quarterback or your number one wide receiver. I think it gives a bump to Mike Wallace.

[Mike Wright]

I was going to say. I mean, even if, let's say Carson Wentz is ready, he's being drafted as what, the fourth or fifth quarterback in fantasy drafts. And if his number one wide receiver starts the year on the PUP and.

[Andy Holloway]

Aguilar, six games is still, you know, mysteriously right.

[Mike Wright]

Can Mike Wallace fill the void of Alshon Jeffrey? It was a couple shows ago, Jason. You talked about Mike Wallace game speed is still. Is still top end.

[Andy Holloway]

He's still very fast. Was fast last year.

[Mike Wright]

He still has it. And so you got Mike Wallace, who already projected to be a starting outside wide receiver. Now you have, you might have that second spot open to either Marcus Wheaton or last year rookie Mac Hollins.

[Jason Moore]

Okay, let's jump into Alfred Morris. He was signed by the San Francisco 49ers yesterday.

[Mike Wright]

Through his mouth.

[Jason Moore]

What did I say?

[Andy Holloway]

Jump into Alfred Morris. That needs a. I mean, that Was bad. Mike.

[Mike Wright]

Hey, I told you, I'm. No, I'm not a different person.

[Jason Moore]

I am who I am. Your verification check mark will be gone by the end of the day. That would be.

[Andy Holloway]

Oh, you would.

[Jason Moore]

You would not exist.

[Andy Holloway]

I'm going to go into his Twitter profile, change his handle.

[Jason Moore]

Oh, man. All right, so Alfred Morris signed by the 49ers, had Twitter buzzing for. You know, I think it's more of a non story than people. Than people are giving it credit for the ideal situation. What they want is McKinnon, Burrita and the rest and more.

[Mike Wright]

That's what they want.

[Jason Moore]

Right. And right now, though, we still expect it to be McKinnon and Burrita in week one. We expect them both to be healthy and active. This is an insurance policy to me. This is going out and finding a guy that. Look, Albert Morris has found reps because of injury over the last two years, but that's the only reason he's found reps. I'm. I'm not worried about it. Like I don't go out and sign Alfred Morris. I don't draft Alfred Morris.

[Mike Wright]

Right.

[Andy Holloway]

I would sign him if I was in a dynasty league deep roster.

[Mike Wright]

And I will say this. So like the Rolling stone said, you can't always get what you want, so you get what you need. And Alfred Morris, there's some history there with K Shai. So I think this was a great move by the 49ers, but it was a depth move. It does, however, make you need to keep a close eye, keep that eagle eye on McKinnon and Burrito, their status.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah. Sometimes when they sign depth, it says something about the way they're predicting or projecting their players health or at least that there's a percentage chance that Burrito is not ready for week one or into that type of thing.

[Mike Wright]

And to the backups, I mean, the Joe Williams truthers out there, running back they signed or they drafted this past season, that speaks against him for me.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, that would have been the Twitter notification sound that came through when he saw the signing.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, he's. He can't be pleased.

[Jason Moore]

All right. I want to read the full quote by Buccaneers coach Dirk Cutter about Peyton Barber. The quote that circulated was, Peyton is our starter.

[Mike Wright]

Right.

[Jason Moore]

The full quote is we're definitely going to use Ronald Jones and take advantage of what he's going to do. We have two veteran backs behind him again. We've got three more preseason games. Let's just let it sort out a little more.

[Andy Holloway]

Right.

[Jason Moore]

On a live stream yesterday I was asked about The Peyton Barber, Ronald Jones situation. Now, mind you, new information, you make adjustments, you make tweaks. Over the last week, I've adjusted Peyton Barber up a little bit, Ronald Jones down a little bit. Because Peyton Barber had a very nice preseason game and he ran with the first team the entirety, I think first 10 plays, something like that. I still have been preaching this. Wait a couple weeks, you know, next week if Ronald Jones busts two 40 yard runs, people are going to overreact and swing the pendulum the other direction.

[Mike Wright]

Some people are drafting right now though, so they have to react today.

[Jason Moore]

Yes, they do. But if you have the opportunity to wait and see for two, three preseason games, great. If you don't, I think Ronald Jones look, talent wins. I think by the middle of the season, I still think Ron.

[Andy Holloway]

So Jones Barber is going to be the starter?

[Jason Moore]

No. To start the season he will. But talent wise, Ronald Jones is much more talented than Pete and Barber.

[Mike Wright]

Ronald Jones. If Ronald Jones to me is a trade target for later in the draft, like I talked about a couple shows ago.

[Jason Moore]

How do you mean?

[Mike Wright]

As in I'm not drafting Ronald Jones. I lean more with Jason on the side of Ronald Jones could be a bust for the NFL with his lack of ability in the passing game. But if he's splitting first and down work with a veteran of Payton Barber who's is. I agree Ronald Jones has more juice as an NFL player, but Peyton Barber is still an okay running back. And sometimes in the NFL when you're a veteran, okay gets the job done.

[Jason Moore]

So Rob Kelly's motto, first, the first.

[Mike Wright]

Three games are against tough opponents. The first three games they do not have their starting quarterback, Jameis Winston could be tough sledding. So the people who spend that fifth round or four, even fourth round pick on Ronald Jones by the end of week three, I think they're going to be panicked. And then if you believe in Ronald Jones, that's when I would try to acquire.

[Jason Moore]

I can get behind that for sure. One other piece of news had people freaked out yesterday, but Saquon Barkley mild. Is it a hamstring? A mild strain leg, A leg injury. So they're going to take it easy on Saquon before the season. I don't know if you're going to see him again. I would imagine you don't.

[Andy Holloway]

I hope not. I mean, with a hamstring or any kind of, you know, soft tissue issue in the legs.

[Jason Moore]

People were big fans of that phrase yesterday.

[Andy Holloway]

Jason. Yeah, I just.

[Jason Moore]

It is, it is the hamstring. They're going to be smart. Pat Shermer. So they're going to be smart with their star. It looks like, you know, he'll be ready for week one. There you go. I want to talk about wide receivers. We're going to do that. We're going to do the wide receiver breakdown. We're going to get through as many more names. Yesterday we had the top 10 wide receivers by our consensus rankings and so we're going to continue that today. Before we do, I want to thank FanDuel. It's been a long off season without FanDuel, but FanDuel has spent it getting into the best shape of their lives.

[Mike Wright]

They're hitting that bench.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah. That means that FanDuel is ready for more in 2018. More ways to play, more ways to challenge your friends. More ways to win. If you're not a fantasy expert, FanDuel is still clearly the best place to play. All types of contests for casual fans. They got these beat the score contests. They pay out everyone who hits a certain score. I like that concept. All you have to do is finish in the money to split an equal share of the cash. Right now you can get a $10 bonus. When you make your first deposit on FanDuel. You just sign [e-mail] footballers. That's FanDuel.com footballers. Best of all, FanDuel is doing their part to make the preseason bearable with preseason fantasy contests running up to week one of the NFL. So you can get started now. Don't forget age and state restrictions apply. That's FanDuel.com footballers.

[Mike Wright]

We want to thank Pristine Auction for sponsoring today's show. Pristine Auction, the absolute go to place for all of your sports memorabilia needs. This is where we get our autographed jerseys. I never worry about the authenticity of the autograph. They use the best certifiers in the business, JSA, etc. And there are deals. There are deals on Pristine Auction every single day.

[Jason Moore]

Steals, baby.

[Mike Wright]

And I'm not talking just a couple of new items every day. Hundreds of new items every single day. I'm looking at it right now. I'm taking a little peekski of what we might be able to add to the fantasy footballers Headquarters Also want to run through some of these deals I talked about that people were getting just yesterday. Olivia Bell signed Steelers throwback jersey 67 bucks. And Antonio Gates signed Chargers mini helmet $59. Signed signed cream hunt jersey 68 bucks. Head over to Pristine Auction. P R I S T I n e auction.com make a completely free account. You let them know that the fantasy footballers sent you.

[Andy Holloway]

Wide receivers.

[Jason Moore]

All right, let's jump right into the wide receiver rankings. Part 2. Number 11 in our consensus rankings, it's Amari Cooper.

[Mike Wright]

Yes.

[Jason Moore]

Oh, he's so popular as a breakout candidate each and every year. I have him at 10. Mike, you got him at 11. Jason, 12. We all agree.

[Mike Wright]

You must have recently bumped him.

[Jason Moore]

I did recently bump him up because.

[Mike Wright]

I liked my 11 ranking and I was king of the mountain. I was king of the Amari Cooper rankings.

[Jason Moore]

I made some adjustments. I did.

[Mike Wright]

I'm moving him to nine.

[Jason Moore]

Last year I had 96 targets that only turned into 48 receptions.

[Andy Holloway]

It was a terrible year for him.

[Jason Moore]

Let's not talk about last year. Let's not do it. Let's talk about this year.

[Mike Wright]

No, you got to talk about last year before you talk about this year. So 31% of his season total receiving yards came in week seven. 31% last year.

[Jason Moore]

Was that.

[Andy Holloway]

It was a good week though the Chiefs game?

[Mike Wright]

I believe so.

[Jason Moore]

His contested catch conversion rate according to Matt Harmon from reception perception, he's in the udk. You can figure this out. This is not good. It's the lowest ever recorded.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, it was. It was a bad year for Mari Cooper, quarterback for the Raiders. Derek Carr has said on a few occasions that Amari Cooper was hurt far worse than he let on and that people were told about. I want to believe that because Amari Cooper is in such a good situation. John Gruden, if he brings back the offense that he ran whenever he was a coach in the NFL about 20 years ago, it was a very long time. But his wide receiver ones and his running back ones, they always came through with huge fantasy production. Amari Cooper is talented. That's not. That is not a question. He is a physically gifted NFL wide receiver. His hands questionable to bring. When you have the lowest contest that catch rate of all time in the reception perception, your hands have to be questioned. The touchdown upside, he's just got to open them.

[Jason Moore]

He's keeping them closed. Yeah, they're like. More like maybe that's.

[Andy Holloway]

It's really impressive. When he does catch the ball with no fingers.

[Mike Wright]

He has said it. The foot, it's too easy. Football is too easy. So I'm going to try and just catch with no fingers.

[Andy Holloway]

The reality for Cooper, like you said, he's a physical talent. 442 speed at 211 pounds. His weight adjusted speed is fantastic. That's why he was drafted so high in the NFL draft rookie season he comes out, he's great. He's the 22nd best wide receiver in fantasy football. Then his sophomore year he's the 13th best, almost a wide receiver one. So Sky's the limit. And then last year had a down year but like you said, he was injured. Carr was dealing with injury all year. The entire Raiders offense fell apart. Michael Crabtree was the one.

[Mike Wright]

Now you and Michael Crabtree is gone.

[Andy Holloway]

Now Michael Crabtree is gone. Cooper and Carr are healthy. The offense. You know, the coach comes in and says we're going to center this around Mari Cooper, a 24 year old physical freak. If he doesn't get it done this year, you know, I don't. It wasn't super surprised if it was.

[Jason Moore]

Just Cooper last year and Carr had a great season and Crabtree had a great season. I brought it up. CrabTree had like seven metrics that plummeted last year. This was an offensive problem through and through. I want to say I believe in Derek Carr. I'm the only one of this group that has him ranked anywhere outside the top 25. But I got him at 15 because I think he's going to matter again this year and is going to be on the back of Amari Cooper, Jordy Nelson and company. I think, look, that's not a top 12. That's not a draftable quarterback. But you're going to care about Derek Carr at different times this year the way you did two years ago.

[Mike Wright]

I will say it is troubling to me on a personal level how much I believe in Amari Cooper and Marshawn lynch this year.

[Jason Moore]

I traded for Marshawn yesterday after you're darn right. After you came and showed me that 60 yard jaunt.

[Mike Wright]

He beast mode is going to be beastly and Amari Cooper is going to be a wide receiver one.

[Andy Holloway]

And he's a good value right now in drafts. I mean he's going behind Tyree Kill. He's going almost in the fourth round. 312 right now is where he's going in PPR leagues. That's a great value. 16th wide receiver off the board.

[Jason Moore]

I'm moving on to number 12 and I'm, I'm aghast when I look at the weekly breakdown of this player's fantasy finishes last season.

[Mike Wright]

Merry Christmas.

[Jason Moore]

Ty Hilton is coming in at number 12 in our consensus rankings. Wide receiver for the Indianapolis Colts. I have him at 9. Jason and Mike have him at 14. And last season was. It was like he was in the deepest part of the ocean and he'd put his head up four times over the course of the year.

[Andy Holloway]

And he got big breaths when he.

[Jason Moore]

Came, he came up and then he went back down because look, Andrew Luck was not there. Week three, he was the fifth wide receiver in fantasy. Week five, he was the fourth. Week nine, he was the first. But in between. 57, 48, 73, 76, 63, 61, 76. I'm.

[Mike Wright]

He was consistent.

[Jason Moore]

I mean, this is not. You're not even touching relevance. You are. You might as well be on the bench. Those weeks, those were atrocious.

[Mike Wright]

This is last year for Ty Hilton and I'm, I'm not trying to hold too much against Hilton for this, but that is the absolute worst thing that can happen to your fantasy team is that week three and five because then you keep playing Ty Hilton, who for.

[Jason Moore]

Week six, seven and eight when he was 76. 63, 61, then you finally bench him for week nine when he's the number one wide receiver.

[Mike Wright]

He just keeps making you believe. Hopefully you made Ty Hilton somebody else's problem this past year.

[Andy Holloway]

But we're back.

[Mike Wright]

Andrew Luck is back. He's got a new mustache.

[Jason Moore]

Does he really?

[Andy Holloway]

Oh, yeah.

[Mike Wright]

Oh, he's mustachio over there in Indianapolis.

[Jason Moore]

Move him up.

[Mike Wright]

The last time Ty Hilton played with Andrew Luck, he led the league in receiving yards. He was the wide receiver. 5. There is reason to believe that Ty Hilton should be back to being a fantasy relevant wide receiver. But that's now baked into his average draft position where he's going at the very beginning of the third round. So you are, you're paying, you're. You're paying basically full price now for Ty Hilton. The values are gone.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, that, that's my issue with him. I do think that you're paying near the ceiling. I realized two years ago when he had Andrew Luck led the league, he was the number five wide receiver. So maybe there's slight room for improvement ahead of that number 10 draft position. But. But I think the risk reward is like. The reward is pretty much you get value at where you drafted him. The risk is still pretty high. If anything happens with Luck.

[Mike Wright]

Really?

[Jason Moore]

Oh, yeah. If something happens with Luck.

[Andy Holloway]

That's where I'm baking in the wrist.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah. And that's going to go with obviously any main wide receiver or any main wide receiver. The quarterback goes down. Luck obviously has a. More of a history with the injury.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, I'm.

[Jason Moore]

But I don't think there's any world. Do any of us believe that he can finish outside the top 20 with Andrew Luck healthy no, no, I don't think it's a possibility.

[Andy Holloway]

If you look at his career over 10, 83 yards, 13, 45, 11, 24, 14, 48, he's over 1,000 yards every year with Luck, he's been pretty consistent with him. If Luck is healthy this season, he's. He's definitely not outside the top 21.

[Jason Moore]

I think, I think there's a good chance that Hilton's in the top five in yardage again this year with, with Luck. And so it's just a matter of.

[Mike Wright]

Speak to the ADP though, here. Let's play. Would you draft Ty Hilton or this other player? Because these are guys that are currently going behind Hilton in ADP on fantasy football calculator. Ty Hilton or Stefon Diggs?

[Andy Holloway]

Hilton.

[Jason Moore]

Hilton.

[Mike Wright]

Adam Thielen.

[Andy Holloway]

Thielen.

[Jason Moore]

I'll take a Hilton.

[Mike Wright]

Doug Baldwin.

[Jason Moore]

Hilton.

[Andy Holloway]

Hilton. Right now because of the injury.

[Mike Wright]

Larry Fitz.

[Andy Holloway]

Hilton.

[Jason Moore]

Hilton.

[Mike Wright]

Okay, I'll give you two more. Tyreek Hill.

[Andy Holloway]

Hilton.

[Jason Moore]

Hilton.

[Mike Wright]

Amari Cooper.

[Andy Holloway]

Cooper.

[Jason Moore]

I have to say, Hilton.

[Mike Wright]

Wow. You are very in on Ty Hilton.

[Jason Moore]

I am. Is that number nine? All right, let's move on. Number 13, Mike Evans. Oh, we give him no respect. That's all I hear. Number 13 on our consensus. That's where Jason has a Mike at 14. I got him at 15. Last season was an up and down year. He had some of those weeks, the, the Hilton esque weeks where he disappeared. Weeks 3, 5, 9, 13 and 14. He was pretty bad outside the top 38 in all those weeks. Didn't have the volume on target wise. I believe he dropped from the 170s to the 130s. Starts this season with three games. Sands, Jameis Winston. A very difficult opening schedule. New Orleans, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, then Chicago. Mike Evans ceiling is. Is it up there at number two where he was in 2016 or is it, is it lower?

[Andy Holloway]

Oh, I would say his ceiling is. Is, you know, wide receiver, five things work out on the back of touchdowns and usage in the red zone. He could absolutely finish there. The issue with him with projecting him there is that when he finished number two, he was the guy. And there was no other worthy target. The only guy remotely serviceable then was basically Cameron Brait, a tight end you're talking about. Mike Evans was the show. Now they have their best total core of receivers. Not only is Cameron Brait still there, you have O.J. howard, Chris Godwin getting on the field. DeSean Jackson is there. So for Mike Evans to bounce back to that, you know where he's getting 150 to 170 targets is probably not going to happen.

[Jason Moore]

He needs 15 touchdowns to do it.

[Andy Holloway]

Exactly. So volume is 15. Well, he needs. He needs a lot. He needs 12 touchdowns.

[Mike Wright]

Yes. Which is very possible for Mike Evans this past season.

[Andy Holloway]

10, 12 touchdowns.

[Mike Wright]

Two years of players with 19 or more red zone targets. There were 20 players. Only three players had a catch rate of under 40%. Adam Thielen, Mike Evans, Julio Jones. Three guys who were very disappointing when it came to touchdowns. He was tied for the. This is Julio Jones I was talking about. But Evans, 19 targets inside the 25 touchdowns in or five receptions. A catch rate of 26%. That won't get it done. But the previous years where Mike Evans has the high touchdown total, it's because that connection is working. That's one of those variance things that could easily swing back to Mike Evans favor. So his ceiling is still a top eight wide receiver. I think he's going to see a positive regression in the touchdown area, but I don't see him as a top five wide receiver.

[Jason Moore]

All right, number 14 is Stefan Diggs. I am really surprised at the visceral reactions and arguments and thoughts about Diggs and Thielen and who's going to be better. Like people have. They've chosen a side here. This is something profound that I've seen out there. And look, Stefan Diggs is a great. But when you look at the game log for last year, it didn't translate into a lot of weeks where he contributed to your fantasy team. He's never had a season where he's finished inside the top 19 or he was 19 last year. But he's never had a wide receiver one season yet. He's had injury problems. There have been some warts to Stefan Diggs's game in the last few years. And I know that we all believe in the upside. Mike, you have him at 12, so you believe this is going to be his first wide receiver one season. But I just don't understand why people want to hand it to him so easily.

[Mike Wright]

Right.

[Jason Moore]

Is it one preseason game?

[Mike Wright]

I get that you have to factor in injuries for Stefan Diggs. 13 games played, 13 games, 14. And that doesn't factor in the games that he actually plays. But he's still banged up, so he's.

[Andy Holloway]

Not as efficient as or gets injured and leaves.

[Jason Moore]

Sure.

[Mike Wright]

So you have to think about those things for Stefan Diggs. But the talent is incredible. He's playing with the best quarterback that he has ever had in the NFL with Kirk Cousins. So I think that's where projecting the Upside comes is the talent, new upgrade at quarterback. So I, I like Stefan Diggs to finish right around that edge as a low end wide receiver. One or high end wide receiver.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, I've got him right in the middle of the wide receiver, too. He's obviously a great talent when he's on the field.

[Mike Wright]

What's his upside for you, Jason?

[Andy Holloway]

For me, I think if he has a phenomenal season, plays the whole season, I think he could be like the wide receiver 10. I don't see him as one of those top five capable guys. He definitely can finish a week as the number one wide receiver. He's a beast in that way. But, you know, the injuries and the amount of times he leaves the field, they are, they are real. I don't know.

[Jason Moore]

Let's get him 80 receptions. Can we do that, Kirk?

[Andy Holloway]

Right. I mean, you know, I don't know that he's injured or not. This is, you know, fresh. But he's, you know, his practice today, he was not, he was found not wearing pads. So he's not, you know, it's just one of those. Maybe they're resting him.

[Mike Wright]

Right.

[Andy Holloway]

That's great. Maybe he's just dinged up again because it's kind of what he does. I remember going into last year believing, because he was putting on weight, he was focused on the injury risk, he was wanting to play 16, just couldn't do it. I have a hard time giving him 16 solid, healthy games.

[Jason Moore]

Okay, let's move on. Number 15 is Doug Baldwin. Well, it's just health. It's just health. This is one of those players that is going to, yo, yo. A bit in the rankings based on where we're, you know, whether we think he's going to be out there week one, whether we think he's 100% or he's going to have to fight through injury for three or four weeks. He starts on the road against Denver, on the road against Chicago. Those are not, you know, matchups that I'm in love with. But he is the number one target for Russell Wilson. He does have a very high ceiling and when plays break down, he's the guy Wilson goes to. He's had some very, very good seasons. 2015, the 8th best fantasy wideout. 26th, he was the 10th best. 2017, he was the 13th best. This is a great player who simply needs to be healthy and on the field to get the volume of targets that we're talking about.

[Andy Holloway]

I am 100% willing to take the risk on Doug Baldwin. He is dropping fast in drafts and as the preseason goes and he sits out, he's going to continue to drop. He's almost at the fourth round now. And so if I'm looking at fourth round wide receivers, you know, JuJu Smith, Schuster and Jarvis Landry, guys that, you know, I, I like them. They're. They're okay. But Doug Baldwin, they could. Juju could bust just as easily as Doug Baldwin could become injured. But Doug Baldwin's upside, I think this year with Jimmy Graham having left, with Paul Richardson gone.

[Mike Wright]

I was just going to say Jimmy Graham 96 targets, Paul Richardson 80 targets. No, that doesn't mean 170 targets extra going to Doug Baldwin.

[Jason Moore]

You'd start drafting Tyler Lockett late and draft.

[Andy Holloway]

But they're certainly not going to Jaron Brown, the replacement.

[Mike Wright]

Right.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah. So we're waiting and seeing. I think that if you are basically who's going around him in drafts right now, I want to ask that question.

[Andy Holloway]

Because, yeah, I can give you some names. So right now he is sandwiched between Adam Thielen and Larry Fitzgerald.

[Jason Moore]

Right.

[Andy Holloway]

And is there any scenario Doug Baldwin or Larry Fitzgerald?

[Jason Moore]

Right now I'll take Larry.

[Mike Wright]

Wow.

[Andy Holloway]

I think I would take Doug.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, I would go Larry personally, but. But I'm with Jason, that I am. I am absorbing the risk of Doug Baldwin because the upside of Doug Baldwin is a top five wide receiver.

[Jason Moore]

But right now you don't have to absorb it right now. You can draft Thielen or Fitz or Hill or Cooper.

[Mike Wright]

Sure.

[Jason Moore]

Would you draft Baldwin or Hill? I think I would take Baldwin.

[Mike Wright]

I would take Baldwin.

[Jason Moore]

Okay. Cooper or Baldwin?

[Mike Wright]

That one.

[Jason Moore]

Right now I would go Cooper.

[Mike Wright]

Right now with the.

[Andy Holloway]

With the injury to Doug Baldwin.

[Jason Moore]

All right, number 16 is Demarius Thomas. It was a year that he faced challenges at the quarterback position. He still received the 10th most targets in the NFL. He had a much stronger second half of the season. Much more consistent second half of the season. Right now, his average draft position is the fourth pick of the fourth round. And we expect demarius Thomas to be better because we expect Case Keenum to be more consistent than the quarterbacks that he's had over the last few years.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, for demarius Thomas last year it was efficiency. It was quarterback play. The average gap of top 20 wide receivers. When you talk about where they finished in target total to where they finished in fantasy points this past season, it was just under two positions, meaning that the wide receiver who got the sixth most targets, they're going to finish right around there in fantasy finish of guys in the top 20 of targets only Des Bryant and Demarius Thomas had a negative gap of 10 meaning his quarterbacks sucked. Like that's just making it as easy as possible.

[Jason Moore]

That's your verified opinion?

[Mike Wright]

That's yes, this is my verified opinion that the targets were there. The quarterbacks were bad. Demarius Thomas is not the same player that he has been throughout his career. He is aging. He is not as dominant athletically, but he's a contested catch beast. He is figuring out how to play in the NFL with with this aged wide receiver body even though he's not ancient in terms of a wide receiver age.

[Jason Moore]

Do you believe that Cortland Sutton can threaten the value of Demaryius Thomas this year wide receiver rookie for the Broncos?

[Andy Holloway]

I do think so. He's been on the field as a starter in training camp and you know he'll in three wide. He's on the field. Demarious Thomas. If you compare his game speed from 2016 to 2017, there's a noticeable dip for him when you know. So as he's getting older, he is slowing down. I agree completely. He can box a guy out and contested, catch the heck out of a ton of targets. So I'm not like anti Demarius Thomas.

[Jason Moore]

No.

[Mike Wright]

That's why I do 16.

[Andy Holloway]

I do think, you know, when we bring up the names like Trevor Simeon and Brock Osweiler, like oh, Paxton garbage.

[Mike Wright]

Third string quarterback, Paxton Lynch.

[Andy Holloway]

Yes. But when we bring those teams really bad, he's bad.

[Jason Moore]

John Elway made a mistake with Paxton Lynch.

[Mike Wright]

John Elway's made a lot of mistakes.

[Andy Holloway]

Yes, but he's also made some really good calls. So you take the good with the bad. Peyton, he got beaten, man. But my point is this. When you say those names it taints the picture that it's 100% on them because they're terrible. But you forget those were the same quarterbacks he played with the year before when he was fine. It's Trevor Simeon and but so was.

[Mike Wright]

Sanders and Sanders is one of those.

[Andy Holloway]

Guys where but Sanders was super injured all last year.

[Mike Wright]

So my point is simply the top two wide receivers for the Denver Broncos were both historically great. Marius Thomas was coming off of five straight seasons of 90 receptions, 1,000 plus yards. Emmanuel Sanders has been an absolute monster and both of them still got targets but were very, very inefficient.

[Andy Holloway]

I'm glad you bring up Sanders because if I'm looking at a Denver Broncos wide receiver to own, I would rather have Sanders in the seven that's fair to pair with. You know, instead of demarius Thomas, the guy he's going right next to is Mari Cooper. Give me a Mari Cooper and Emmanuel Sanders as opposed to demarius Thomas and Marquis Goodwin who's going right next to Emmanuel Sanders.

[Jason Moore]

All right, 17. Is Marvin Jones wide receiver for the Detroit Lions last year? A banner year for Marvin Jones. I believe number nine in fantasy finish. A very consistent year. 50% of his games in the as a wide receiver. One or two. However, when I've been asked this question of a player that you might regret drafting this year, I've been answering Marvin Jones. His season was littered with long jump ball touchdowns from Matthew Stafford. He was super efficient. He had nine touchdowns on how many catches? 61 catches. I. Check this out, check this out. 94% of wide receiver ones over the last 10 years have needed at least 110 targets to finish in that top 12. He only had 107 targets last year. I don't think that Kenny Golladay is the greatest thing that's ever happened to Detroit, but he is going to be back in the mix. Marvin Jones totals, his catch totals are in the Alshon Jeffrey esque type. You know, 60 receptions. He has to have nine touchdowns to be great. And I don't want to draft him and expect him to repeat last year's banner year. I think that was the ceiling for Marvin Jones. Therefore I'm going another direction.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, and not only touchdowns. We talked a lot about the touchdown regression in the sense that, you know, you look back at the last years, he's had over 100 targets. 103, 103, 107. And the touchdowns just went 4, 4, 9.

[Jason Moore]

That's great.

[Andy Holloway]

But also look at the yards per reception. He led the 18 yards a reception. That's an outlier season. You don't, players don't just continually average 18 yards of reception unless they're in the hall of Fame. You know, his career average is 14 yards of reception and you know, he.

[Jason Moore]

Came down with the long balls last year and I don't want to take anything away from him.

[Andy Holloway]

He has been tearing up camp like the beat reporters are saying Marvin Jones is torching people and looks great. So is there a chance he's just upgraded, he's leveled up and he's now the go to guy for Stafford? I mean, we love Stafford.

[Jason Moore]

I think, I think Marvin Jones is fine. I just, I don't expect him to finish the season the way he finished it last year. I mean, I have him ranked at 20. I have golden Tate ahead of Him. So I don't think that that's a common opinion necessarily to have Golden Tate ahead. You guys have Marvin Jones just ahead of Tate.

[Mike Wright]

Golden Tate is going around ahead on fantasy football.

[Jason Moore]

I mean, you guys are more in the Jones camp.

[Mike Wright]

I just see them so close.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, I see them back to back. Essentially, when I. When I look at these guys, I can flip a coin. So I'll always take the guy around later if that's the situation.

[Mike Wright]

If it's heads up Lions, I'll take Marvin Jones.

[Jason Moore]

Well, it is heads up line. Number 18 is Golden Tate.

[Mike Wright]

I'll take Marvin Jones.

[Jason Moore]

So last year, 122 targets for golden Tate led the league in yards after the catch. He's A Yak Master, 613 of them, 92 receptions, 1,000 yards, five touchdowns. The Lions, you know, they have a scheduled open the year that seems pretty favorable to me. Golden Tate is going around ahead, however, so. Yeah, that's tough. That's a tough decision between those two guys. It's kind of who Matthew Stafford locks in on on any given week and who can pull in the touchdowns. Tate's not generally going to give you a monster.

[Mike Wright]

He does not boom.

[Jason Moore]

He does not boom. Yeah, but he's very consistent. Like, would you feel comfortable with Golden Tate as your wide receiver, too?

[Mike Wright]

Yes, very.

[Andy Holloway]

2.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, he's never had a fantasy finish above 13, which, by the way, 13 was back in 2014. So the ceiling isn't there for Golden Tate. But as a possession receiver, you know, if you end up with him, if he bursts into seven or eight, nine touchdowns, somehow you're gonna have a monster year. From Golden.

[Mike Wright]

Oh, yes. I'm not expecting him to get up to the eight. Touchdown. But he's a 90 plus reception guy, so he's. He's very safe for. For PPR at the least.

[Jason Moore]

All right, let's talk about Tyreek the freak at number 19. Tyreek Hill, Kansas City Chiefs wideout, breakout season last year. Finished the eighth best fantasy wide receiver. Averaged 78.9 receiving yards per game, which was sixth most in the league. And it was a great season for Tyree Kill. I think he met or exceeded expectations both for fantasy owners. He exceeded them or his head coach and that offense. So what do you guys see from Tyreek Hill this year?

[Andy Holloway]

I see a slight dip for him. I mean, last year you've got him and Travis Kelsey and Kareem Hunt. You know, the trifecta of weapons there wasn't really, you know, Albert Wilson or Chris Conley. Like these guys. These guys aren't getting in his way. And even with that situation, you know, he only had 100 total targets on that. He caught 71% of passes, which is, you know, a great number. But this year with Sammy Watkins in town, look, Tyreek Hill can take any pass, a screen pass. He's so fast, so electric. He can take it to the house and he will have those big games because of.

[Jason Moore]

It takes one throw.

[Andy Holloway]

Exactly. It takes one hand off even. But I think his target total will not rise. It could stay the same around 100. But what he did, his efficiency on those 100 targets is not going to be repeated year after year. I think that was the most efficient he will be on that amount of targets. So if he stays the same, he will dip on targets. If the target total goes down and the efficiency goes down, I think, you know, you could be really sad. When I look at the ADP on wide receivers, the one guy that I would. I know I'm just never going to draft that. Where he's going is Tyree Kill.

[Jason Moore]

Keep, trade, cut Tyree Kill. Jarvis Landry, Amari, Cooper.

[Andy Holloway]

I'm going to keep Cooper.

[Mike Wright]

I'm going to trade.

[Andy Holloway]

Probably trade Tyree Kill based on his adp. People still loving him.

[Mike Wright]

We've. Perhaps you've heard of this character, perhaps you've not. But in the cartoon anime world, there's a fellow named One Punch Man.

[Andy Holloway]

Oh, you know, I've heard of him.

[Mike Wright]

Tyree Kill is one Touch man. Oh, because he just takes the one touch. But those touches were not coming in the. Those touches were not coming in the red zone. Four red zone targets this past year. Sammy Watkins, who was a red zone monster last year for the Rams, has been added to the team. Travis Kelsey, red zone monster. All of Tyree kills, touchdowns came from 30 yards or further away because Alex Smith was elite. Elite in the deep ball. Can can Patrick Mahomes in his first year starting as quarterback equal those numbers or that efficiency that Alex Smith had this past season? That's why Tyreek Hill is not a guy that I really want to draft. But at the same time, it's hard to doubt Tyreek Hill after these first two seasons.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah.

[Jason Moore]

From a strategy perspective, I don't want to put Tyree Kill on my roster and then Marvin Jones on my roster together.

[Mike Wright]

Agreed.

[Jason Moore]

Like that's the kind of assembly that I don't. I don't desire is there. I might win a week.

[Mike Wright]

You're baking a cake.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah. Oh, man. It's not dirty.

[Mike Wright]

And then. No, it's not dirty. But you're just adding the same ingredient over and over.

[Andy Holloway]

You can't have a cake of frosting and then put frosting on it. That's just frosting.

[Jason Moore]

Wow.

[Mike Wright]

Not a cake.

[Jason Moore]

Bad. That was a bad ingredient. Example. Because I think I'm down with.

[Mike Wright]

All right, fine. You've put salt.

[Jason Moore]

Okay.

[Mike Wright]

You put salt on something, you say, you know what this salt needs more salt.

[Jason Moore]

I agree. I agree. You know what?

[Mike Wright]

That gives you? A heart attack.

[Jason Moore]

That's right. Or freak out.

[Mike Wright]

Heart health, people.

[Jason Moore]

20, 21. 20 and 21 on our consensus wide receiver rankings. JuJu, Smith Schuster, Allen Robinson. Jason, you have JuJu at 16. Mike, you got Alan Robinson at 16. Yeah. Let's talk about the pros and cons of these two players as we march down this list.

[Mike Wright]

One of them had 100% catch rate last year. My guy, Alan Robinson, wide receiver, 16, caught all one of his targets.

[Jason Moore]

That went into your thought process?

[Mike Wright]

Yes, that's the analysis.

[Jason Moore]

It has been a couple of years since he's had a great season.

[Mike Wright]

Yes.

[Jason Moore]

He had that number six overall season with Bortles in 2015. In 2016, it was a disappointment. He did play all 16 games, but he's the 25th best receiver.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah.

[Jason Moore]

So I don't think people know what to expect or know whether to buy in on Alan Robinson with Mitch Trubisky in Chicago.

[Andy Holloway]

Mitch Trubisky is the thing that scares me. I mean, more than Alan Robinson. Allen Robinson is healthy enough, and I think he's a good enough wide receiver. And we know that he's the number one wide receiver for. For the Bears. Those are all. I mean, those all are better than juju. Right. He's had a better season than juju. He's the clear cut, number one guy. But is Mitchell Trubisky good enough? And I have a hard time believing it.

[Mike Wright]

I really. Many would say, is Blake Bortles good enough?

[Andy Holloway]

Sure.

[Mike Wright]

I mean, coming in, but I would say yes. But coming into the off season, there was legitimate questions of will Blake Bortles actually be starting for the Jaguars in 2018?

[Jason Moore]

And I cannot confirm or deny that there was doubt relating. Blake Borl's being a starting quarterback.

[Andy Holloway]

Yes.

[Mike Wright]

It wasn't just you and other people.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah. So, you know, I mean, that's the pros and cons right there of Alan Robinson. Great wide receiver, the clear cut, number one for a team that should take a step forward. Do you want the number one on last year's Rams, you know, that took that step forward when they changed to an offensive Minded coach. That's what's happening at Chicago. So will Trubisky do the Jared Goff step forward? Eileen do the golf. Do the golf. Doo doo doo doo doo the golf. So Eileen that everybody do the golf. That Trubisky will not take the same type of step forward. Goff to the left, Goff, Juju to the right. And juju.

[Mike Wright]

Goff and out of sight.

[Andy Holloway]

Oof.

[Mike Wright]

Sorry, J.

[Andy Holloway]

So Goffery, juju is the guy that if you haven't been listening the whole off season, I've been extremely high on him. But it's. It scares the living heck out of.

[Jason Moore]

Me because he went out in preseason week one and tried to give you some comfort. He just went out and Randy Moss somebody and ran it down the sideline for a 71 yard touchdown, then took the rest of the game off.

[Andy Holloway]

It won't matter to me until he's doing it in the regular season because everything that I usually like, this is a. This is a heart overhead pick because I believe in juju. I believe in the talent. I like the Steelers, but when I usually stack guys out and I'm looking at the math and the history and the numbers and all the. All that, it says that juju should regress this season. That's. But is this right?

[Jason Moore]

Brooks number one in the league in average yards per target. Yeah. 11.6 yards per target. That's the best out of 69 qualifying receivers. That is 917 yards on 79 targets.

[Andy Holloway]

That's a perfect example of why he should.

[Mike Wright]

And juju has the talent to exceed.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah.

[Mike Wright]

Great fantasy wide receiver, but he's the third target at best on his team behind Antonio Brown and lymph.

[Jason Moore]

But let's talk about Antonio Brown. We didn't even talk about that news yesterday. Limp. Because he was.

[Mike Wright]

Because he was fine.

[Jason Moore]

But he had.

[Andy Holloway]

I mean, last second time, though.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah. And the last Antonio last season, he ended the year injured. I mean, he's been a little bit banged up. So juju's opportunity. I mean, everything changes if Antonio Brown misses a game.

[Andy Holloway]

Yes.

[Jason Moore]

And he's on such a better offense than what we've seen from Chicago. I prefer juju over Alan Robinson.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, me, I do as well.

[Jason Moore]

22. It's Tyreek Hill's new best friend, Sammy Watkins or city Chiefs. They're on the same team. Mike, it's like you and Jason.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah. My nemesis.

[Andy Holloway]

Oh, wait, wait. What I gave you.

[Jason Moore]

Well, actually Jason. Jason was my only nemesis because we were the only ones in the verified club. Club. But now you're a nemesis too, Mike. But Sammy at 22, Alshon at 23, Jarvis at 24. I have sincerely buried Alshon. I'm surprised he stayed around our consensus rankings, Mike. I'm at 31.

[Mike Wright]

Well, clearly with. With all the news of the PUP concerns and everything, he's. I got to move.

[Jason Moore]

We've talked a lot about him already, so let's focus on talking through Watkins and Jarvis Landry Watkins, I have him at 21. Jason 22. Mike 24. We all buy into the potential breakout of Watkins. We've got a my guy show next week. He may make Mondays, right?

[Andy Holloway]

Isn't it Monday? Is that correct, Brooks?

[Jason Moore]

Yes, sir.

[Andy Holloway]

Tune in.

[Jason Moore]

You got any my guys this year, Brooks, that you want to debut right now? Do you have anybody that you're like right now all in on?

[Andy Holloway]

Sure. On the spot. Spotlight.

[Jason Moore]

You're not Jamal Williams. Okay. All right. Packers running back. Great value.

[Mike Wright]

All right. We will never be going back to Brooks for his picks.

[Andy Holloway]

I actually think that was a great pick.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, it's. It's interesting.

[Andy Holloway]

All you Aaron Jonesers.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah, that's true. We are, but he's suspended, so I'm guessing Aaron Jones numbers week one and two are going to be pretty.

[Andy Holloway]

Yes. Great pick, Burks.

[Jason Moore]

All right, so Sammy Watkins, last year we talked about. We've talked about him before. He only had 70 targets. He turned that into at least, you know, the only silver lining of last season was really the eight touchdowns, right? Only 39 receptions. He's no longer a Los Angeles Ram. He heads to Kansas City on a big contract. It's all about rapport with Pat Mahomes, what he can do with Andy Reid. There's been reports of Sammy Watkins moving all around the offense. They want to use him more to his strengths. But you need a step forward for Sammy Watkins. You can't have what you had last year and be happy.

[Andy Holloway]

Well, the nice thing about his situation, right, is that he's not going to a new team where he's got to break in on the rapport of quarterback and wide receiver. Tyree Kill was there, but Tyree Kill did not have a report with Pat Mahomes. Even when Pat Mahomes got in, in the final week of the season, Tyree Kill was sitting out that Pat played with the backups, as he did in practice and through the year. So coming into training camp, something Sammy Watkins did not get get last year, if you remember, he was traded right before. You know, it was. Yes, in the preseason. You know, to the. To the Rams. So now Sammy goes to the Chiefs and you have a full training camp where Pat Mahomes is figuring out who's his guy. Tyree Kill or Sammy Watkins or both. Kelsey or both. And so, you know, I have Tyreek Hill ahead in my rankings, I believe, but they are. If Sammy Watkins out produces them. There's no, I mean he could absolutely. Sammy Watkins ceiling is a clear cut wide receiver. 1. Like if he becomes the primary target in that office, I think his talent could be, you know, a top 10 wide receiver.

[Mike Wright]

It's many moons ago, but in 2013, Sammy Watkins played 13 games and turned that into 60 receptions, almost a thousand 1050 yards and nine touchdowns. He was, he was dominant for the second half of the season with Tyrod Taylor as his quarterback.

[Jason Moore]

Hey, Brooks, do you ever sit around and say things like, man, I'm so glad Andy exists. Do you ever think that? Almost every day. Almost every day. You know, I'm sitting here right now as we talk about our last player on the show before our mailbag section, and I say to myself, thank goodness I exist. Thank goodness I exist because we wouldn't be talking about Jarvis Landu right now on this show if I didn't exist because the.

[Mike Wright]

That's a fair point.

[Jason Moore]

Trash rankings from my cohorts would have distorted the perception of Jarvis Landry so vastly that he wouldn't have been talked about even if this show went on another hour. Jarvis comes in at 24 in our consensus, but Jason has him at 38. I've got him at 14. That is a monstrous gap. That is a. The type of gap in which we often hold court over. And Mike, you got him at 31. I'm not proud of you either.

[Mike Wright]

I will say this. I wanted to see another week, another preseason week of Jarvis Landry before I made any massive altercations. I was, I've been very.

[Jason Moore]

In his entire career. Enough.

[Mike Wright]

No, no, it's not for what I still perceive to be a lower volume passing offense with Taylor as the quarterback, at least for the beginning portion of the season. But the way they were utilizing him, there was a very short sample size.

[Andy Holloway]

Of course, and there's no Josh Gordon right now, of course.

[Mike Wright]

So all of those things will factor in. I do have him at 31, but he's. He's going to move up in my projections. I'm doing a bit of overhauling today.

[Jason Moore]

I am all in on Jarvis Landry.

[Mike Wright]

I am not all in. I'm just rising.

[Jason Moore]

I believe it's going to be a very similar scenario in Cleveland that it was in Miami. He's going to soak up targets like a sponge.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah.

[Jason Moore]

So do I think he's going to finish the seventh best like he did last year? No, but I put him exactly where he was in 2015 and 16, which is basically just not giving him the nine touchdowns and saying he was the 13th best. He was the 14th best. I just don't understand how Jarvis. Jarvis Landry is too talented to finish outside the top 20. It's an impossibility.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, I don't think it's an impossibility based on touchdowns and offense. If Cleveland is not a quality offense and they're not scoring a lot of points and Jarvis ends up with three touchdowns, then that could happen. What we're seeing right now is no Josh Gordon and preseason football plus Hard Knocks. You know you'll get that Hard knocks heart bump when you watch. And I will admit I have Jarvis Landry probably too low right now. But I'm, you know, I have to hold off for a little bit and it's. It's really hard to watch the preseason games and see that Jarvis Landry is the clear cut number one and not think that's what's going to happen. But who's, you know what's going to change when Josh Gordon is actually there. So, you know, I have him with 124 targets. Not a bad number. I just don't have him scoring a lot of touchdowns. I think that's the largest difference in the rankings.

[Jason Moore]

Do you consider the Dolphins to have been the. The offense of. I mean you said the scenario where the Browns aren't a very good offense. The Dolphins.

[Andy Holloway]

But there's a huge.

[Jason Moore]

Have not been a good offense.

[Mike Wright]

But the Dolphins also threw to the wide receiver a higher percentage of their passes than any other team. 66% of their passes last year went to the wide receiver position. Meanwhile Cleveland last year was at 52%. That's a large amount of target.

[Jason Moore]

Cleveland's entire office is reworked.

[Mike Wright]

I'm going. It's. It's entirely different.

[Jason Moore]

Is Todd Haley but as a new quarterback. As new pieces as.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah.

[Mike Wright]

And in my opinion a lower volume quarterback because he runs. He will.

[Jason Moore]

He doesn't talk as loud.

[Mike Wright]

He then that doesn't bother me but it's the fact that he.

[Jason Moore]

That was the lower volume.

[Mike Wright]

Oh, I got you. I thought there was something I missed on Hard Knocks but as Hugh Jackson was quick to point out from his seat at the head of the table, this is Hugh Jackson's team and he will run it. How Hugh Jackson sees fit and he is going to bump heads with Todd Haley. We'll see who wins out.

[Andy Holloway]

I don't think that the Dolphins are, you know, we're a better offense last year than the Browns will be this year necessarily. But it is about just the target share. You know, 27% of the targets went to Jarvis Landry. Will that happen here with Duke Johnson and Josh Gordon and legitimate weapons? It might, it might, yeah. I've Got him at 25% target Share this year. So it's not, it's not too far off.

[Jason Moore]

And I'm, I'm just making, making for an entertaining debate here. I understand that there are risks. I have chosen now over the course of the off season to completely disintegrate them and believe in the talent and ability of Jarris Landry. I think you're going to see. I think you're going to see the same thing from him. Let's jump into the mailbag.

[Andy Holloway]

Mailbag.

[Mike Wright]

Mailbag.

[Andy Holloway]

Terrified. Yeah.

[Jason Moore]

If you have a question for the fantasy footballers, go to the website the Fancy Footballers.com, click the submit a question button or dial our voicemail hotline, 302464, TFFB. Gonna jump into a voicemail to kick it off. Hey, ballers, this is Daniel from Arkansas. First of all, congratulations to Mike for no longer being a man of the people. Quick question for you. Is it ever okay to draft a player that you don't like with the sole purpose of trading him away? Thanks. Bye.

[Mike Wright]

Wow, he got that question in this morning.

[Jason Moore]

Yeah.

[Mike Wright]

Way to be current. And I will say, unless I am looking my opponent in the eye saying, I'm going to draft this player and trade him immediately to you. Do we have a deal, a full handshake agreement? Then no, I am, I am not going to do this and hope that I can trade that player.

[Andy Holloway]

No, never. You know, there's. So there's. I think that when you start in fantasy, you're always tempted to do that. I'm going to draft these three quarterbacks because people are dumb. And then I'll trade one of them or I'm going to hoard the defenses or this guy loves the Chargers. I'm going to draft Keenan Allen and then he'll pay up for them. Build your best team. Build the team that you think is best, not the team that you think someone else thinks would be great.

[Jason Moore]

I agree with that mostly. But I actually think this applies fine in the first couple rounds. If there's a player with such prominent value and you just don't like him I still think you take Zeke, right? You might not like Zeke. I still think you can take him at that value and then flip him. That's the situation in the first or second round. You might not like him like a.

[Andy Holloway]

Tier break and he's the last one in that tier.

[Jason Moore]

I am all aboard. What you guys are saying, if it's like the seventh round and you're like, I'm just going to draft packers because I'm in, you know, Wisconsin, so I'm going to draft all the packers and trade them all the way. That's stupid. You're not building your team. But if you're sitting there at a tear break, I do see a scenario where I'm going, boy, the value of a player like Zeke in this league over dropping it. Maybe it's Camara. Right? Like, you're like, man, Zeke has twice the trade value in this league than Camara. Maybe I take him because you're not in it. You're not hurting yourself. You can still play that player. You just don't like him.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, I just don't think in the early rounds, I don't think that if.

[Jason Moore]

The trades fall through, you still got a great player.

[Andy Holloway]

I don't know.

[Jason Moore]

I guess it depends on what you're saying like means. I think. I think it's a matter of saying, like, you just don't want that guy in your team, but he's still going to produce. Like, I don't really like Zeke, like everybody else like Zeke, but I see the value of drafting him. And when I'm sitting at the top of our keeper league draft, there's part of me that says I need to take him.

[Mike Wright]

Because there's part of you to understands that Zeke is the better pick.

[Jason Moore]

That's what you think?

[Mike Wright]

Yes, because he'll be the better fantasy player. It's in there. It's in there.

[Andy Holloway]

Somewhere in the back of their mind.

[Jason Moore]

You're smart, David. In New Orleans, In a full PPR, Jordan Howard for a 14th or Adam Thielen for a ninth, who would you rather keep? It's a full PPR, Thielen for a ninth or Howard for a 14th? I am taking Howard PPR. Yeah. That means point per reception.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah. Which is not Jordan Howard strength and is Adam Thielen's strength, but at the 14th round to get a solid running back. Look, you're not going to go wrong here. I mean, I would love to keep either one of them, but I lean Jordan Howard as well.

[Mike Wright]

Yeah, I'll take Howard.

[Jason Moore]

All right, let's Jump into another voicemail. Hey fantasy footballers, it's Logan from New York. I just want to say I love.

[Andy Holloway]

The show and I got a quick question about league depth versus bench size. Wondering if you add more or less bench spots when you add more or.

[Jason Moore]

Less people in the league in order.

[Andy Holloway]

To make the waiver wire more competitive. Debating between a 10 and 12 man league and five to six bench spots plus an IR. Yeah, love to hear your input on that. Thanks. Yeah, I mean it's just a matter of do you want like you said, let's say you've got a 10 man, 10 team league and you're debating between five and six roster spots. It's do the math on how many total players there would be and where the cutoffs would be for waivers. If you want, you know, waivers to be a little bit more difficult, you know, oh, people are going to go and really bid up this guy which I think is more fun than a deeper bench is good for that. If you want more people on the waivers where you say oh you know, I want to be able to pick guys up off of waivers every week and have it be a little easier then you go smaller benches. But I don't think there's a right or wrong number.

[Jason Moore]

Steven in Summers, Connecticut says hello. New to the show. Absolutely love it. It's my new go to for fantasy news and wisdom.

[Andy Holloway]

Mine too.

[Jason Moore]

With there being such a large depth at the quarterback position at what round would you suggest targeting my first, second and third quarterback by the way? Two quarterback league. Obviously I need to roster a third quarterback to cover a bi weeks. Question mark. What do you think? Yes. Roster sizes 18 people, 2 quarterback league.

[Mike Wright]

It's for me it's not about round, it's about getting the value. And I am even, even in a two quarterback league. I'm still going to focus on my running backs or my wide receivers in those first early rounds and then maybe around the, maybe the third round at quarterback is there that I just can't pass on. But it's normally around that 4 or 5 range where okay the top end talent is gone. That middle range guys, the guys that I am perfectly fine with grabbing three of those guys that I then I picked their matchups. That's the way I play. Even in two quarterbacks.

[Andy Holloway]

Yeah, I like that. I don't have a problem. I know Andy, you're usually one quarterback early, one quarterback late. I like basically doing the same thing. The tiers, there's players in certain tiers that I'm going to be targeting. I'M going to be targeting Matthew Stafford, Ben Roethlisberger, Rivers, Philip Rivers. I'm going to be targeting Jameis Winston for my third, right. Because he's not going to start the year. He's going to drop and he'll be valuable as a third quarterback. It's not around. That's why we talk about the ultimate draft kit about tier based drafting. You look at which players are kind of grouped together and you say there's so many of these guys left. I don't need to draft one yet. Let's go to the next round. Let's go to the next round or oh my gosh, my league has been drafting these guys high. I'm going to run out of this tier of quarterback that I want to get. I'm going right now in round two.

[Jason Moore]

That's how you put the tears in the cheat sheet. So you're ready.

[Mike Wright]

And just let me list off some quarterbacks here who are considered basically close to undrafted in single quarterback leagues, which means they'll be available a bit later in two Quarterback Tyrod Taylor, Jameis Winston, Blake Bortle, Blake the Snake Case Keenum, Alex Smith. Alex, these are very usable quarterbacks and they're not even people don't want them in single quarterback league. So you, you can still wait while everyone is spending early picks and and grab the elite running backs and wide receivers.

[Andy Holloway]

Agreed.

[Jason Moore]

Speaking of tears, Mike, did you shed a few when you woke up and saw that little check mark silently?

[Mike Wright]

I didn't want to wake up the family.

[Andy Holloway]

He shed boozy.

[Jason Moore]

Did you go right here?

[Andy Holloway]

He got the dinner bell out and ran through the house.

[Mike Wright]

No, I did not. I did not. But once everyone was awake, I broke the news to my wife and she was also probably more excited than people should be for something as dumb as.

[Jason Moore]

A. Yeah, well, you guys, you've had a lot of long nights.

[Andy Holloway]

Yes.

[Jason Moore]

A lot of nights in the corner.

[Mike Wright]

Like they can't make fun of you anymore.

[Jason Moore]

We'll find something else. Just a reminder, after a long offseason, FanDuel is ready and has many more ways to play and more ways to win. New options with playing for playing with your friends. Because the only thing better than winning some cash is winning your friends cash. Better yet, you got them preseason contests, Mike. They're up and running up to week one of the NFL and you can sign [e-mail] footballers and you get a $10 bonus when you make your first deposit. Age and state restrictions apply. Thank you. Oh Foot Clan. Thank you for tuning in to yet another episode of the show. We appreciate it.

[Mike Wright]

Hey, Foot Clan. I'm going to be doing a live Best Ball draft today. If you want in on that, you better follow us on Twitter. Get that account ready. Draft.comball.

[Andy Holloway]

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.