10 Fantasy Football HOT TAKES | Don't Miss These BOLD Expert Predictions for the 2026 NFL Season (Ep. 2033)

Summary

FantasyPros Fantasy Football Podcast — “10 Fantasy Football HOT TAKES: Bold Expert Predictions for the 2026 NFL Season”

Date: May 27, 2026
Episode: Ep. 2033
Hosts: Joe P. Zapia (Joey P.), Scott Bogman, Andrew Erickson

---

Episode Overview

This episode dives deep into ten of the boldest fantasy football predictions from hosts Scott Bogman and Andrew Erickson for the 2026 NFL season. Each expert presents their five boldest takes, with the group discussing the merits and viability of each—offering a blend of humor, stats, spirited debate, and actionable insight. These predictions target scenarios with about a 20% realistic chance of occurring, aiming to spark conversation and prep fantasy managers for the coming season.

---

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Omar Cooper Jr. Leads All Rookie WRs in Targets

Speaker: Scott Bogman
Timestamp: 02:29 – 04:16

• Bogman's Rationale:
  • The Jets WR room is thin; Cooper Jr. is the likely short-area target with QBs preferring low aDOT throws (e.g., Geno Smith).
  • Jets expected to play from behind often, leading to “garbage time” targets.
• Erickson’s Counter:
  • Skeptical, notes Kenyan Sadiq (drafted before Cooper Jr.) may earn more targets.
  • Garrett Wilson is the alpha, and Cooper Jr. may not even lead rookies on his own team.
• Notable Exchange:
  • Bogman: “How many more targets than Cooper? I'll bet on that today.” (04:38)
  • Erickson: “Garrett Wilson, though, is the entrenched alpha there and everybody hates Geno Smith…” (04:51)

---

2. Mike Evans as the 2026 “Davante Adams” (TD-heavy WR Season in SF)

Speaker: Andrew Erickson
Timestamp: 05:52 – 08:20

• Erickson’s Angle:
  • Evans lands with the 49ers, expects reduced yardage but major red zone usage, possibly at the expense of George Kittle (injury).
  • Cites historic red zone connection between Purdy and Jauan Jennings as precedent for new Evans role.
• Panel’s Support:
  • Joey P. draws the parallel: “If I got 750 from Mike Evans and 12 touchdowns, I’d be a happy camper.”
  • Bogman notes Devante Adams’ 2025 statline, agrees this is plausible in the Niners’ offense.

---

3. Carson Beck & Cade Klubnik Will Start Late-Season Games

Speaker: Scott Bogman
Timestamp: 09:09 – 11:24

• Context:
  • Both Arizona and Jets expected to struggle—if Brissett or Geno falter, Beck (Cardinals) and Klubnik (Jets) could get late season “auditions.”
• Insight:
  • Erickson: “I think you see Carson Beck pretty early on, to be honest.” (11:24)
  • Bogman: For dynasty/Superflex, worth stashing as end-of-season breakout QBs.
  • The Jets (Erickson) unlikely to bench Geno until coach Aaron Glenn “loses” his job; the Cardinals’ brutal schedule could accelerate QB change.

---

4. O’Marion Hampton: 2026 TD Leader for RBs

Speaker: Andrew Erickson
Timestamp: 14:57 – 16:55

• Prediction:
  • Chargers’ RB (2nd year) O'Marion Hampton to lead all RBs in touchdowns, citing talent, Mike McDaniel’s history with RB TD production, and team offensive upgrades.
  • Erickson: “Chargers have a really tough schedule but to me that indicates shootouts.”
• Panel’s Take:
  • Bogman: “Hampton is a workhorse… I think it’s going to be all Hampton.” (16:55)
  • Both agree: Keaton Mitchell mostly a return man, not likely to threaten Hampton’s role.

---

5. Isaac Teslaw Leads the Lions in Receiving Touchdowns

Speaker: Scott Bogman
Timestamp: 20:46 – 24:19

• Rationale:
  • Teslaw saw increasing snap share and red zone usage after Week 13; caught 6 TDs on 16 receptions.
  • High endzone target share despite few overall targets.
  • Detroit’s deep, dynamic offense could use him as a specialized TD weapon.
• Erickson’s Analysis:
  • Praises Teslaw’s highlight-reel plays, notes potential for an expanded WR3 role after Kalif Raymond’s departure.
  • Quote: “Every red zone target and catch he had in the end zone—it was a sick one-handed grab.” (23:17)

---

6. Chigoziem Okonkwo as the “Tucker Kraft” for Washington Commanders

Speaker: Andrew Erickson
Timestamp: 25:19 – 27:53

• Prediction:
  • Okonkwo, signed by Washington, to be a late-round fantasy TE smash—potential top-12 season based on target vacuum, YAC ability, and connection with Jaden Daniels.
  • Cites back-to-back 50-catch seasons and elite YAC metrics.
• Panel Take:
  • Bogman: “Rashad White probably gonna be #2 target, then Chick has an awesome opportunity for TDs and receptions.”

---

7. Jack Bech Becomes Raiders’ Leading WR

Speaker: Scott Bogman
Timestamp: 29:29 – 33:03

• Prediction:
  • Sees path for Bech (WR99 in ADP) to emerge as lead WR due to lackluster competition (Tucker, Naylor) and strong rookie tape.
• Erickson’s Counter:
  • Prefers Trey Tucker (cites explosiveness, past big games, coaching preference), but admits “someone has to step up”—Bech is a worthwhile dart throw.

---

8. Caleb Williams: QB1 Overall Potential

Speaker: Andrew Erickson
Timestamp: 33:45 – 37:40

• Argument:
  • Dual-threat upside, big sophomore leap expected, upgraded supporting cast (Loveland, Burton, Odunze healthy), Ben Johnson system for full offseason.
  • Quote: “The maple syrup of this Bears offense is Caleb Williams. I want to draft him in fantasy because his upside is really, really high…” (35:45)
• Panel Debate:
  • Joey P.: “No Bears quarterback has ever thrown for 4,000 yards…with all that amazing stuff last year, he was still under 4,000 yards.”
  • Bogman reframes: “If we said it like—Caleb Williams is the best buy among quarterbacks—that I could see.”
  • Consensus: Williams is the value QB to target; even if overall QB1 is a stretch, massive upside exists at his price.

---

9. Isaiah Likely: Second in Catches, First in Receiving TDs for Giants

Speaker: Scott Bogman
Timestamp: 38:47 – 42:10

• Rationale:
  • With Malik Nabers’ health/question marks, WR depth is poor; Likely could take on huge role under Matt Nagy (TE-friendly history).
  • Bogman: “I think Isaiah Likely is already second in receptions and first in receiving touchdowns and if anything goes haywire with Nabers… he might be first.”
• Erickson:
  • Board member of “Isaiah Likely tight end one” club; not chairman.
  • Cites depth chart and John Harbaugh’s previous endorsement of Likely as “future all-pro.”

---

10. Zay Flowers: Overall Fantasy WR1

Speaker: Andrew Erickson
Timestamp: 42:23 – 48:28

• Boldest Prediction:
  • Ravens’ Zay Flowers leapfrogs all elite WRs to finish as fantasy’s WR1—citing 1200 yards last year, “Antonio Brown” breakout trajectory, new OC, positive TD regression, increased explosiveness.
  • Erickson: “If he can be a surprise wide receiver one candidate when the dust settles…” (45:43)
• Panel on Zay:
  • Bogman wanted him in his own bold takes; has him at WR18, praises Flowers' “explosiveness” and fit in more vertical offense.
  • Joey P.: “I think there’s a really good chance Zay Flowers is far more fantasy productive…than Malik Nabers.”

---

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Joey P. (On Evans becoming Adams in SF): “If I got 750 from Mike Evans and 12 touchdowns, I’d be a happy camper.” (08:20)
• Andrew Erickson (On Caleb Williams): “Who is the maple syrup of this Bears offense? It’s Caleb Williams.” (35:45)
• Scott Bogman (On Likely): “People are going to be annoyed with my Isaiah Likely takes this year.” (38:47)
• Andrew Erickson (On Zay Flowers): “Fourth year is when [Antonio Brown] just took over the NFL and fantasy football.” (43:24); “He’s a smash pick where he’s going as ADP.” (45:48)
• Scott Bogman (On Flowers’ ceiling): “This whole [Ravens] offense is more vertical this year, and that benefits Zay more than anybody else.” (46:40)

---

Timestamps for Major Segments

• Bold Take 5 — Cooper Jr. & Evans: 02:29–08:20
• Bold Take 4 — Beck/Klubnik & Hampton: 09:09–16:55
• Bold Take 3 — Teslaw & Okonkwo: 20:46–27:53
• Bold Take 2 — Bech & Williams: 29:29–37:40
• Bold Take 1 — Likely & Zay Flowers: 38:47–48:28

---

Tone & Style

The episode features a lively, irreverent, and analytical back-and-forth, mixing deep statistical insights with bold, conversation-sparking predictions. Each host brings their own humor and attitude, often lightly roasting each other’s picks but always rooting the discussion in actionable fantasy insights.

---

Summary Table of Bold Predictions

| Host | Bold Prediction | Timestamp | |------------------|---------------------------------------------------------------------|------------------| | Scott Bogman | Omar Cooper Jr. leads rookie WRs in targets | 02:29–04:16 | | Andrew Erickson | Mike Evans is “Davante Adams” in SF; TD-heavy role | 05:52–08:20 | | Scott Bogman | Beck & Klubnik start late-season games (AZ, NYJ) | 09:09–11:24 | | Andrew Erickson | O’Marion Hampton: RB touchdown leader | 14:57–16:55 | | Scott Bogman | Isaac Teslaw leads Lions in receiving TDs | 20:46–24:19 | | Andrew Erickson | Chigoziem Okonkwo: breakout TE with WAS (Tucker Kraft analogy) | 25:19–27:53 | | Scott Bogman | Jack Bech: Raiders’ leading WR | 29:29–33:03 | | Andrew Erickson | Caleb Williams: QB1 overall potential | 33:45–37:40 | | Scott Bogman | Isaiah Likely: 2nd in catches, 1st in TDs (Giants) | 38:47–42:10 | | Andrew Erickson | Zay Flowers: fantasy WR1 overall | 42:23–48:28 |

---

Conclusion

This episode is a must-listen if you play in deep, competitive fantasy leagues or simply want to get ahead of the curve by identifying high-upside sleepers and pivots. The hosts serve up bold, creative predictions backed by data, context, and spirited counterpoints—ensuring listeners are not just entertained, but truly informed.

---

Transcript

[Joey P. (Joe P. Zapia)]

This is an iHeart podcast.

[Brooks Running Sponsor]

Guaranteed Human Max softness, max energy, max run. Go on a run that never runs out. In the new Brooks Glycerin Max 2 dual cell DNA tuned cushion is optimized for soft landings and powerful toe offs while a glide roll rocker helps provide a more fluid step through. To help you truly tune out and max your run, shop the Glycerin Max [e-mail]

[Joey P. (Joe P. Zapia)]

welcome in everybody to Fantasy pros. This is the fantasy football podcast. It is me, Joey P. Joe P. Zapia and I'm here with two of my best friends. Scott Bogman, fresh off of sickness, but he is healthy now. He's got, he's hyped up on Dayquil and cough drops. He's got a whole thing going on. And Andrew Erickson, Mr. Big Pot Energy himself, fresh off a birthday weekend. So 32 years old with a puppy now in the home. Look at you, you're all growns up. Eric, I'm so proud of you.

[Andrew Erickson]

Yeah, yeah. Check out the, the fresh teeth.

[Joey P. (Joe P. Zapia)]

The dog father.

[Andrew Erickson]

The dog father. So shout out to. Chris sent me it, got it for my birthday in the mail yesterday. So yeah, I am, I am actually the godfather to his son. So I'm not only a dog father, I'm a real godfather, 32 years young. Loving it.

[Joey P. (Joe P. Zapia)]

Scott Bogman, I, you know what, if I had another kid, I, I, I could consider either of you for godfather credentials, I gotta say, you know, you know, Erickson's already got one, but I think Scott Bogman would a real fascinating godfather to have, don't you think Scott?

[Scott Bogman]

I don't know.

[Joey P. (Joe P. Zapia)]

I think fun, I think the fun one, you know, I will be fun,

[Scott Bogman]

there's no doubt about that.

[Joey P. (Joe P. Zapia)]

I want you to be my godfather, to tell you the truth. And now think about now today on the show we're going to talk about some bold predictions. That's right, the guys have put out some hot takes and we're going to do a countdown style, five to one. And these are always fun shows, right, where we kind of throw some things out there and then have a little debate about how likely they're going to happen. And of course as we get towards the end of the show, they're going to be even more spectacular, possibly appalling and upsetting, which I'm sure is going to be great for the YouTube numbers because people will flood the chat in the YouTube talking about how crazy things are. But if you've got a hot take or a crazy bold prediction, we'd love for you to Drop them in there because we're always giving away free stuff here. So drop in the comments there. You might win some when you subscribe to the channel as well. And of course we're gonna hear and kick things off here because fantasy football season's right around the corner. So, Scott Bogdman, why don't we start with you. Give me your number five hot take here, your bold prediction for the 2026 NFL season.

[Scott Bogman]

Yeah, Joe, there's no way this gets clipped and the people on Twitter get upset about it for no reason, right? So this is going to be a lot of fun here. Look, our, our instructions were give us something that has like a 20% chance to happen, right? That, that is kind of our instruction here. So my first one, I'm going to go with Omar Cooper Jr leads rookie wide receivers in targets. He is projected somewhere between 87 and 80. He's also going to be the short man in the receiving game. He's going to have that low a dot, I believe. And he's got some low a dot a quarterbacks, you know what I mean? He's got Geno, who was 41 of 47 qualified quarterbacks last year. Brady Cook was dead last Klub. Nick, who might take over was 62 of 105 qualified in college last year. The jets are miserable. They're going to be losing a lot of games and playing a lot of catch up as well. So that garbage time targets I think are going to go a lot to Omar Cooper Jr. So my first bold take will be Omar Cooper Jr. Leads in targets for rookie wide receivers in 20.

[Joey P. (Joe P. Zapia)]

Targets to go around. I know Erickson, we, we like what they did in the draft last year and. Well, not last year, last couple months ago. What am I saying? But when you're also looking at what the jets did last year in terms of the moves that they made, they were trying really hard last year to kind of just influx some more talent into that wide receiver room. The A.D. mitchell acquisition. They had met you last year, so they know that there's a deficit there at this position. And it feels like Cooper could be a guy at least you know, from that perspective that Balkan's pointing out there, that could work a little bit more than people realize. He does feel like a guy. That could be one of those early waiver wire conversations. I feel like we flash forward here into like the second week of September and the waiver wire show we're talking about, you know, or Mark Cooper Jr. Might be a good guy to add this week. You get that Feeling?

[Andrew Erickson]

Not really. I mean, I'm not even, I'm not even really sure.

[Joey P. (Joe P. Zapia)]

Good night, everybody. I walked right into that one. No, that's good. I mean, I want you to be honest. Don't sugarcoat it.

[Andrew Erickson]

Was going to be the leading receiver for. I mean, I'm not sure he's going to have the most rookie targets on his own team. I mean, they drafted Kenyan Sadiq first and then they drafted Omar Cooper Jr.

[Scott Bogman]

So that more targets than Cooper. I'll bet on that today.

[Andrew Erickson]

I, I mean, I'm not saying that it's. I think it's possible.

[Scott Bogman]

Okay.

[Andrew Erickson]

All right. I mean, I, I, I get out over my. Agree with.

[Scott Bogman]

It's a bold prediction episode. My bad.

[Andrew Erickson]

I agree. But Garrett Wilson, though, is the entrenched alpha there and everybody hits Geno Smith, even though I think that he's gonna be pretty good for the Jets.

[Joey P. (Joe P. Zapia)]

You do.

[Andrew Erickson]

You're the only starting games, which I

[Joey P. (Joe P. Zapia)]

question how much cold medicine you're on when you say those kind of things. But that's okay. It's okay. It's not been one year. It's been two years of Geno Smith, who's not been great.

[Andrew Erickson]

And I, I know last year he was fine. His last year he was fine.

[Joey P. (Joe P. Zapia)]

Fine.

[Scott Bogman]

And they got rid of him and won a Super Bowl.

[Joey P. (Joe P. Zapia)]

Yeah, that worked out for them. Look upgraded, you know, Omar Cooper Jr. Leading all wide receivers and targets. I think is, is a bold, crazy prediction in that sense because of some of the guys we do have in this class and some of the situations they're in. But I do think Omar Cooper Jr. Will be a guy at some point that could be useful in fantasy and like one of those surprise guys, especially as the season starts to move on a little bit because they, the jets are limited, I think, to a certain degree of what they're going to do in this offense. All right, Erickson. All right, hot stuff. Let's get to, let's get to. You know, you think you're so smart. Why don't you throw out a ball prediction here for us at number five, what do you have?

[Andrew Erickson]

I was just being honest.

[Joey P. (Joe P. Zapia)]

Breaking your ball. I haven't seen you in like three days, so I got to break your chops a little bit.

[Andrew Erickson]

So for my number five hot take bowl prediction, I'm going to go with. Mike Evans is going to be this year's Devonte Adams. And does that translate to he's just going to score a lot of touchdowns. I don't know what else he may end up doing. He's getting up there in age. He's going to be 33 years old this season. Last year was obviously the first year he didn't put up a thousand yards and I don't know if he's even guaranteed to have a thousand yards in his first year with the San Francisco 49ers. But after thinking about more Evans, I think my knee jerk reaction after he signed with 49ers was like a little bit pessimistic but like how much more does he have left in the tank? But after kind of just thinking about it more, I think he's going to be put into position to succeed especially in the red zone. Whenever he gets one on one opportunities, I think Kyle Shanahan, Brock Purdy, they're just going to dial it up for him. And the thing that really kind of inspired this take for me was looking at the absence and departure of Juwan Jennings last year and actually the last two years Brock Purdy and Jennings have kind of had a connection and that's really been apparent in the red zone. Juan Jennings last year fifth in the NFL and red zone targets. He was first in red zone target rate in 2024. He also led the 49ers wide receivers in red zone targets. So I think it's pretty simple to look at Mike Evans and think okay, how are we going to use this guy on our offense? Oh, inside the 20 and maybe we rest him a little bit so we can last throughout the entire 17 game season. So Brock Purdy was second in the NFL last year in passing touchdowns per game. So he only threw 20 touchdowns. But that's because he missed so many games. But when you look up only Matthew Stafford who obviously was catching pass or throwing passes and touchdowns to Devonte Adams threw more touchdowns per game than Brock Purdy did. So you have the quarterback in place, you have an offensive player that can thrive in the red zone. I think that's going to be his main role. So Mike Evans dial up the touchdowns in 2026.

[Joey P. (Joe P. Zapia)]

Now speaking of Devonte Adams, I know the three of us are doing a show together and spoiler alert, he might be one of the guys that Andrew doesn't like in 2026. So it's a good thing Mike Evans can take over the Devonte Adams role for 2026 fantasy teams out there. Now the other thing Andrew didn't mention, Boggs is that George Kittle good chance he's not starting the season healthy. Right. Obviously from the surgery. That's more red zone targets potentially for Mike Evans there and I look at the line. Last year from Devonte Adams was 789 yards, 14 touchdowns. If I got 750 from Mike Evans and 12 touchdowns, I'd be a happy camper.

[Scott Bogman]

I think for the purposes of this show, I was looking at end zone targets among, you know, Targets Last year, Devonte Adams was like 27 and number two was 18. It was like a massive drop.

[Joey P. (Joe P. Zapia)]

And that was the crazy part. It's like you knew they were going there and people still couldn't stop it, which was stunning to me.

[Scott Bogman]

Yeah, they wanted to stop Puka. They didn't want to stop.

[Andrew Erickson]

They were trying. They were also trying to get staff for the mvp. I mean, like, that was like totally. The narrative driven was. Yeah. And it did work.

[Joey P. (Joe P. Zapia)]

It did.

[Scott Bogman]

Yeah. So, yeah, I. Unlike Ericsson and mine, I like this one for Erickson.

[Andrew Erickson]

So you're. You're. You're a better godfather than me.

[Joey P. (Joe P. Zapia)]

Yeah. Seriously?

[Andrew Erickson]

Clearly.

[Joey P. (Joe P. Zapia)]

Clearly. All right, let's go to number four on the guys list box. Let's go back to you here. What do you have for number four? Give us a hot take. Bold prediction for the 2026 season.

[Scott Bogman]

Yeah, this one's kind of gross. I don't know how many people are going to love it, but if you're in a super Flex league, I think it will matter at the end of the year. I think Carson Beck and Kate Klubnick are going to start a lot of games. I mean, just look at these situations. Sets holding out. Minchu sucks. Beck has all kinds of starting experience. And even if Brissette plays, why not give back a look at the end of the season when they start 1 and 7 or 3 and 10 or whatever the hell. So same thing, cut and print. Same thing for the jets. Right? It's the. Just let's take a look. Let's see what we have here. We know Geno isn't the long term answer. We saw Brady Cook was miserable in his opportunity last year. Let's give. Let's give these two guys that have a lot of college experience at least a look. If we see something great, then we can build on it next year. If we don't, which is probably what will happen, let's spend that high pick on a quarterback next year. So I think both these guys get an audition and they might improve their offenses at the end of the year a little bit.

[Joey P. (Joe P. Zapia)]

So are you of the mind that Jacoby Brissette plays himself out of that job or that because the record's so bad, they just decide to at some point Just see what Carson Beck has before they go back into the draft in 2027.

[Scott Bogman]

Yeah, I don't think he plays himself out of it. I think it's just a. Why don't we look and see what we have in Beck? Because we know Brissette is not the long term answer. And who knows what's going on with Brissette. He apparently is holding out for more money. I don't think the Cardinals are notoriously cheap. This could go into the season if he doesn't back down. So it might be minshew to start and then back. It just looks gross in Arizona. I don't want any part of it. But I do think Beck will start late. So dynasty drafts, I've been trying to take these guys and if I'm in a super flex just to see as a lotto ticket.

[Joey P. (Joe P. Zapia)]

Yeah, no, I can understand that. Especially in the dynasty world. Now Andrew Jacoby Brissette last year when he kind of really just took over the job for the rest of the year coming out of the buy so and starting in week nine all the way through, he actually finished his QB9 in fantasy points per game he had 19.4. I know it's a different offense but do you see that same fate kind of befalling him where that's just like a, that's just like a one off miracle kind of situation for Jacoby Brissette. New coach, new system, new everything and another team that just continues to look for the future where you're going to see potentially Carson Beck at some point.

[Andrew Erickson]

I think you see Carson Beck pretty early on, to be honest. I don't think that Jacoby Brissette is very good. I think last year was the counting stats. It's. It's much easier to put up top 10 fantasy numbers when you're throwing the ball 60 times a game. Right? Just. I mean imagine if Jordan Love threw the ball 60 times a game. Like we would love how much fantasy production he could put up. Now he's stuck with 20, 25 attempts per game. So to your point, new offense, Jeremiah, they drafted a running back into the top five.

[Scott Bogman]

They got all the weapons.

[Andrew Erickson]

You're going to see. You're going to see more of a run pass balance in my opinion from a new offensive play caller. So I think it makes a lot of sense especially with the Cardinals. Cardinals aren't as well positioned with future draft capital like the jets are. The jets can at least kind of like afford to win a couple more games and they also get to play the Dolphins Twice. The jets also have an easier schedule than the Cardinals. The Cardinals, even if Jacoby Brissette was playing well, even if Carson Beck they're trying to win games. They have the toughest schedule in the NFL. So I think that they're going to lose games basically no matter what. So I think it makes a lot of sense. Also, they drafted Carson back in the third round. He wasn't a day three pick like club Nick was. So I think there's a little bit of difference there. And the thing that I want to point out too with the jets, it really seems like Aaron Glenn is attached to Geno Smith in terms of as long as Aaron Glenn is the jets,

[Joey P. (Joe P. Zapia)]

he better not be too attached to his job.

[Andrew Erickson]

But that's what I mean. It's. He, Gino is going to be the starter as long as Aaron Glenn is head coach, however long that is. Whereas Mogi, the Jets gm he is attached to. Okay, I want to see club Nick sooner rather than later. Whereas Aaron Glenn I think has really no interest in starting a day three quarterback because that means. Well, I already probably lost my job at that point. That's kind of how I see the

[Joey P. (Joe P. Zapia)]

jets playing out games club Nick plays versus games Aaron Glenn coaches in 2026. What's the bigger number?

[Scott Bogman]

I'd still think Aaron Glenn, even though he is the most pre fired head coach maybe in NFL history, pre fight

[Andrew Erickson]

is a good term. I like that it feels so much better than they weren't. If they weren't walking to. They're just walking into such a big loss into week one when they had to face the Titans.

[Scott Bogman]

Oh yeah.

[Andrew Erickson]

And like. And they get smoked.

[Joey P. (Joe P. Zapia)]

I've never been so excited for Titans jets in my entire life. In this first week one

[Andrew Erickson]

I've tried to be somewhat optimistic about the jets offense even though I don't like Frank Reich. I just like the pieces of the weapons. Omar Cooper, Sadiq Carrot Wilson. I like the offensive line there. But if they just put up a total dud in week one, it's going to be Aaron Glenn week two on the even hot, hot, hot seat.

[Joey P. (Joe P. Zapia)]

Well, I'm just saying is he going

[Andrew Erickson]

to be able to survive two weeks as the head coach? So. But yeah man, that, that's tough.

[Joey P. (Joe P. Zapia)]

Well, especially because Frank Reich is there. It's not like they couldn't just hand the reins to him potentially just kind of be the head coach for the rest of the season if they had to. Look, I, I think I give it four to six weeks for Aaron Glenn. To be honest, that's that's my number and I'm looking at Club Nick and I'm going, I think it's going to be a close number. I think it's kind of maybe five, five starts for him. Maybe at some point. We'll see. What do you guys think? Drop your comments below. We want to hear from you now. The next guy that Andrew going to talk about for number four on his fantasy big bold predictions is a guy that as I'm wrapping up the finishing touches on the Fantasy Black Book 2026 available on Amazon next week by the way, with Erickson and Bodman as key contributors. That was a good plug. That was nice guy. I threw that in there. The one guy that I just keep coming back to over and over and over again and just keep moving up and moving up and pushing forward is Omarion Hampton. So let's talk about how crazy we can get in the words of Jack Nicholson and Batman. Actually no, it was actually Michael Keaton in Batman saying it to Jack Nicholson. I want to get nuts. So let's get nuts.

[Andrew Erickson]

Andrew O' Marian Hampton leads all running backs and touchdowns in 2026.

[Joey P. (Joe P. Zapia)]

I like it.

[Andrew Erickson]

I want to take you guys back to 2023. I believe I was not 30 years old yet. You guys remember this guy named Raheem Mostert?

[Joey P. (Joe P. Zapia)]

I do.

[Andrew Erickson]

Who played with Mike McDaniel. He scored 20 over 20 touchdowns in a season and that was with another running back also scoring double digit touchdowns in the same backfield. So I think o' Marian Hampton is eons more talented than a at the time. I think 32 year old Raheem Mostert playing in Mike McDaniel's offense. I am really excited about the Chargers offense. I think that they could be a top five if not the highest scoring unit in all of football in 2026. I think that it also pairs well just based on that. We talked about this on some of the tailgate shows and the schedule shows. Chargers have a really tough schedule but to me that indicates shootouts. They lost their defensive coordinator last year. If they're giving up more points defensively, you're going to see more. For Justin Herbert you're going to see more Marion. Hampton scored five touchdowns last year, basically only half a season. So I think that at minimum if he's playing 17 games he's already going to be in the double digits. Talked about achan 12 touchdowns per year over his three seasons under Mike McDaniel. So I talked about Hampton on the year two breakout show. I just love how the kind of planets are aligning for him entering year two and I think that even though his rookie year was seems kind of like a wash, I thought they still showed a lot of improvement overcoming a tough situation. Injuries on the offensive line still ranked 8th. Pest graded rusher per PFF 11th in yards after contact per attempt and I just think he's going to score a ton of touchdowns. And though Keaton Mitchell is going to have a role at some point, he's not the red zone guy. I think that will be Omarion Hampton. So give me the former UNC product to score a ton.

[Joey P. (Joe P. Zapia)]

2026 music to my ears. Andrew Erickson Boggs. He is the 10th running back in the ECR right now over on fantasy pros and half PPR. I have him closer to number five. Where do you have him?

[Scott Bogman]

I have him at. I also have him at number 10 in that tier, but I have a tier of 4 to 10 so you can really see him going anywhere in there. I like this one. I think this is a good one. I don't understand why Keaton Mitchell is getting any love at all. I think is better than him. So I think Keaton Mitchell's I think he's coming in here to be a return guy, so I think he's going to be third. I think he's going to be behind Vidal. Don't really understand that love. I think it's going to be all Hampton. Hampton is a workhorse. Of course he had the injury and all that stuff but look good coming back. All the the reasons that that Erickson just mentioned here. Plus I just think this offense is going to be fixed on the O line. Obviously both tackles last year and just the miserable play of the interior. The offensive line, they've done a lot to try to fix this, so I think it's going to get a lot better.

[Joey P. (Joe P. Zapia)]

All right, we got six more bowl predictions for you. Before we get to all of those, shout out to the sponsor of our show and that is Hard Rock Bet Florida Sportsbook and of course the official sports betting partner of the Orlando Magic. And speaking of NBA, we're in the finals right now. Basically we're waiting for the west to figure out their nonsense, but the Knicks can't lose a game. What. What alternate universe have I stepped into? This is amazing here. People going crazy where I live. So if you want to get in all the hardcore NBA action, Hard Rock Bed is the best place to do it again. Download the app today and start placing your wagers. You could bet in game live stuff. You could do same game parlays. They got profit boost. They got everything. And right now for new users, we when you bet 5 bucks, you get 150 in bonus bets when you win, plus your winnings if you win that first bet. But you can't win if you don't download the app. See, that's how that works. So go over to Hard Rock Bet right now, download the app. It's available in Arizona, Ohio, New Jersey, Indiana, Tennessee, Virginia, Illinois, Colorado and Michigan. More states on the way. I don't know how many more because I don't know if I could say them all in one breath, but I'm sure gonna try. So Hard Rock Bet download right now, support the sponsor of our show and enjoy the NBA playoffs in a whole new way at Hard Rock Bet. Payable and bonus bets. Not a cash offer offered by the Seminole Tribe of Florida in Florida offered by Seminole hard Rock Digital LLC and other states must be 21 plus in physically present in Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, New Jersey, Ohio, Tennessee or Virginia. Play terms and conditions apply. Concern about gambling in Florida, call 1833 play wise in Indiana, if you or someone you know has a gambling problem wants help, call 1809 with it. Gambling problem call 1-800-Gambler in Arizona, Colorado, Illinois, Michigan, New Jersey, Ohio, Tennessee, Virginia.

[Brooks Running Sponsor]

Picture this a serene run where you feel like you can go forever. There's soft cushion in every step. Your energy never runs out and you reach a form of flow state. That's what it feels like to run in The Brooks Glycerin Max 2, the newest addition to the Glycerin series featuring Max softness, Max energy, Max run with dual cell DNA tuned cushion to optimize soft landings and powerful toe offs for a seamlessly tuned experience. Plus the glide roll rocker helps provide a more fluid step through for an optim effortless heel to toe transition. Now you can truly tune out and max your run. Go on a run that never runs out in the new Brooks Glycerin Max 2. Shop the Glycerin Max [e-mail] let's run there.

[Discover/LifeLock Sponsor]

It's smart to always have a few financial goals and a really smart one. You can set earning cash back on what you buy every day. And with Discover you can get this. Discover automatically matches all the cash back you've earned at the end of your first year. Seriously, all of it. And we trust you to make smart decisions. I mean after all, you listen to this show. See [e-mail] credit card all right gentlemen,

[Joey P. (Joe P. Zapia)]

and I use that term loosely Box let's get back to you for another one of your big time bold predictions because this is another guy too. Probably my one of my top three at least favorite sleepers going into the 2026 season.

[Scott Bogman]

How about Isaac Tesla leading the Lions and receiving touchdowns?

[Joey P. (Joe P. Zapia)]

I love this so much.

[Scott Bogman]

Getting a little spicier, right? Just a little bit. So. But from week 13 on, Tesla had an over 50% snapshare and scored four of his six touchdowns. He was also, he also had the seventh most end zone targets last year. Somehow it was 19 overall. There were, you know, 19 guys that had at least 10 end zone targets here. He was also 166th in overall targets and top 20 in end zone targets. So I like that combo. I know Sand Laporte is coming back. There's a lot of mouths to feed here, but I just think Tesla is going to be one of these guys that they continue continuously look for in the red zone in the end zone. And I think, you know, maybe the yards don't come, maybe the catches don't come because they have so many mouths to feed, right? I think the scores come. So give me Isaac Tesla to lead the Lions.

[Joey P. (Joe P. Zapia)]

And Andrew, that's a tricky thing, right? Because you know, the Detroit Lions offense is so talented. They have so many guys on there that can do so much and they're so versatile in that sense. But if you watch closely last year you saw a lot of Tesla moments and you saw a lot of Tesla opportunities, especially in big spots, especially around that red zone. So he really wasn't fantasy relevant. He is right around the 75th wide receiver overall. He's actually 73 right now on Fantasy Pros in terms of the early rankings there. And I could see myself having a lot of shares because of what Bogman said. And if there is an injury to somebody, God forbid, and I'm on RAW where he Jameson Williams, all of a sudden, I think Tesla's role can grow. And I will say this too. Just throwing this sauce out there. I don't know if you agree or disagree, Andrew. Jameson Williams inconsistency is a little maddening. At some point, if it starts to really frustrate what's going on here with the new coordinator and the new offense. Maybe Tesla is a bit of a pivot point.

[Scott Bogman]

It's not like hates jmo.

[Joey P. (Joe P. Zapia)]

Oh, does he? Oh, this is a per. I'm in your wheelhouse now.

[Scott Bogman]

Finally.

[Joey P. (Joe P. Zapia)]

Let's go.

[Andrew Erickson]

I don't hate him. I think that he's such a fun player, but he's super frustrating now. In fantasy football.

[Joey P. (Joe P. Zapia)]

I think he's super frustrating for the Lions at times too.

[Andrew Erickson]

He was unpl. In fantasy again. Ask anyone that drafted him last year how fun it was. Weeks one through eight was not a fun ride. It was not fun whatsoever. So with Tesla. Well, I think one point that you guys and I, I like him a lot too. As a sleeper last year I'm. This is off the cuff, so if you need to stat crack me, please do. He had six touchdowns on 16 catches. So it's like if you extrapolate, okay. If you can get up to 30 catches. Well, now we're cooking with double digit touchdowns and every single. Every single red zone target and catchy had in the end zone. It was a sick one handed grab.

[Joey P. (Joe P. Zapia)]

Yeah.

[Andrew Erickson]

Like I think that what you need to do after you finish watching this video is go watch Isaac Tesla highlights. It shouldn't take you that long. But. Because he just made highlight reel play after highlight, real play. So even though on the box score it doesn't count that I think that everyone remembers, at least the coaching staff remembers those types of plays that he was making as a rookie. They trade up for him in last year's draft. So yeah, I do think that Dan Campbell and this coaching staff really do like him a lot. And one point I wanted to add, Khalif Raymond is no longer on the team.

[Joey P. (Joe P. Zapia)]

Right.

[Andrew Erickson]

So there is actually an opportunity for him to step into that clear cut wide receiver three role. And we did see that at times last year. Now when it comes to the target pecking order, yeah, he's absolutely buried. But at least he's consistently running routes as the number three receiver behind Amon Rah and Jamison. Okay. One injury away. Similar to what happened with Williams last year. Laporta went down and Williams was off to the races. That's why I like Tesla as one of these last round picks, especially as bench upside.

[Joey P. (Joe P. Zapia)]

Yeah, I agree. By the way, Williams weeks one through seven. So that was leading up to the week eight by. He was averaging 7.1 half PPR points a game. That was 52nd. Should I say best or worst? I don't know what's. What's appropriate. There's the best. Worst, best. Best.

[Andrew Erickson]

Okay, best.

[Joey P. (Joe P. Zapia)]

All right. There you go.

[Andrew Erickson]

So.

[Joey P. (Joe P. Zapia)]

Well, I don't know. I mean 7.1 and half PBR is not super exciting.

[Andrew Erickson]

Are you a half glass full, half glass empty kind of guy, Joe?

[Joey P. (Joe P. Zapia)]

Depends on my mood, my friend. Depends on my.

[Andrew Erickson]

Depends on what's in the glass.

[Joey P. (Joe P. Zapia)]

Yeah. There you go. There you go. All right, let's move on to the next one here for Andrew Erickson number three. And this is also where Andrew and I seem to be in lockstep. This is another player where I keep just chucking them up my rankings. You saw Zach Ertz be a favorite of Jaden Daniels, but Zach Ertz is not around anymore. He's been replaced by Chiga Conquo so how big can we go with the big O in 2026?

[Andrew Erickson]

Andrew I think Chicago can be this year's Tucker Craft. I am very excited about his opportunity with the Washington Commanders. Here where you're looking at this current depth chart you have Terry McLaurin as the established number one coming off a pretty down season where he was banged up and Terry McClure traditionally has not been a super alpha target earner like he has kind of hovered more around that 23% target share where he's not a 30% target share guy. So there are players and opportunities behind him on this depth chart and that's why I look at Chicago. I think everyone looks at the Commander's depth chart and says man they need more wide receivers. They got to sign Stefan Diggs, they got to bring back Deebo Samuel. Maybe they just feel confident in their tight end that they signed to a big deal in free agency to step up and be their guy that they need as the number two option. And in this passing attack. Chikokonko, despite playing in a pretty anemic Titans offense over the last three seasons, has had 50 plus catches in three straight years. And the thing that I love about him most and where I get comparisons to Tucker Kraft is Chicaconquo is excellent with the ball in his hands. Yards after the catch is one of the biggest things I look for when it comes to projecting breakout tight ends along with having a clear path to targets over excuse me Chig Conquo during his rookie season he ranked first in yards out to the catch per reception at 7.8. Last year he ranked third in yards out to catch per reception 6.2. So I think that he is slated and teed up to absolutely smash his ADP and be an absolute monster. Especially attached to an elite fantasy quarterback when he's healthy in Jaden Daniels. So give me all the Chika conqueror as my late round tight end du jour.

[Joey P. (Joe P. Zapia)]

Looking at the numbers here, 2024 and 2025 for the total tight end output here from that position from the Commanders again mostly Zach Ertz 766 yards in 2024, 739 in 2025 Ertz had seven touchdowns, 91 targets there in 2024. So Boggs, there's certainly a role for him in this offense. And to Andrew's point, too, it's not like they brought in some other big alpha wide receiver along with Terry McLaren to really challenge that role. So it does feel like that pathway for Chicka conquo to get there. It's late at his feet.

[Scott Bogman]

I just brought him up as my sleeper on the tight end tears episode.

[Joey P. (Joe P. Zapia)]

I like that.

[Scott Bogman]

So it's everything you guys just mentioned. Couple the fact that Luke McCaffrey, it's Luke McCaffrey, Traylon Burks, Antonio Williams are all fighting for the number two. Probably going to be Rashad White, honestly, as your number two target on this offense. And then Chig has an awesome opportunity for touchdowns and reception. So I like this one as well.

[Joey P. (Joe P. Zapia)]

All right, we got four more bowl predictions to go through. Before we get to it, I want to tell you about something that's really cool. If you're a big football nerd or fantasy guru, whatever you consider yourself, you got to check out Gridiron Trivia. All right? It's a fun daily NFL football puzzle app. So if you're into Wordle or Immaculate Grid, or, you know, football trivia, it's all rolled into one kind of thing. And honestly, it's really easy to get into. The best way to describe it is like you're putting all those things together and boom, you have Gridiron Trivia. They've got different game modes, like Red Zone, where you're matching the tiles to players higher, lower, and wherever you're guessing it, you have to figure out like the stat, is it higher or lower? You've got NFL connections, which is great. I love that one. Guess the player and even the reverse Immaculate, which Scott Bogman actually, when he goes out, he has to pay double for that, typically. But when you match your teams with the players on the reverse Immaculate, which is really cool. So it's not just one trivia game. It's a bunch of quick daily NFL puzzles. And this is going to test how well you really know all the teams and the players and everything, then that you think you're such a genius when it comes to football history. It's simple and it's fun. Just like me. I'm simple and I'm fun and it's not a huge time commitment either, which is also good, too. You could open the app, you could play the daily games, you could challenge yourself, and you can see all your football knowledge right there. How sharp you really are. So check it out today at Gridiron Trivia. The link is actually to download the app is in the description right here on YouTube. So go check that out. Or just go to the App store and look for Gridiron Trivia. A fun way to pass the time here. Before we get into fantasy football season, too, we got to do something because we got no football right now. So Gridiron Trivia, check it out. All right, next year, back to Scott Bogman for another bold prediction here. And this time, we're going to talk about the Raiders. Bogs.

[Scott Bogman]

Yeah. How about Jack Besh being the leading wide receiver for the Raiders? They didn't like to see that anybody here is. Jaylen Naylor was their addition, right? You're going to get Brock Bowers back. He's going to be the leading target for sure. I'm not going to take stuff away from Brock Bowers. He's awesome. But it's Trey Tucker who's kind of a deep threat. Then you have Jalen Naylor and Jack Besh and I. Besh can play all over the the field. He got over 50% Snap shares after week 14, so I think they saw a little bit more in him. Of course, it's a new staff and all that in the pecking order is going to sort itself out. But I really like Jack Besh coming in. I think he runs strong routes and I think he's going to work really well with Mendoza. I think those guys are going to really click together. So I think what we saw for Surratt and Cooper last year with Indiana, I think we're going to see with Tucker and Besh here in 2026 for the Raiders. So I like Jack Besh to take a nice step up here.

[Joey P. (Joe P. Zapia)]

You know, Boggs, I like the Besh tape last year and I was really disappointed. I was like a big, like, oh, yeah, this guy could be a dude in the NFL. And then. And yeah, I think that's what ruined it for me, Andrew Earmuffs. But this is. This is the situation we find ourselves in now where the stock is so low, too. He is the 99th wide receiver right now off the board, Andrew. I mean, in best ball leagues and things like that, it's an interesting dart throw, not to mention, you know, in your deeper leagues, too. If it doesn't work out, you can always cut him after a couple weeks. But to Bogman's point, it feels like somebody's going to step up there. And if Naylor was the only big acquisition there Maybe internally that process with Clint Kubiak looking at this roster saying, no, I think Besh can be a guy who can grow into that role to really help us in 2026 and help Mendoza sooner than later.

[Andrew Erickson]

I think I'm taking the Trey Tucker side here with this battle of these, these because again, I think it's fun to try to be like, all right, which Raiders wide receiver is going to do something? But I guess, I don't know. I gravitate towards Trey Tucker. What Besh did as a a rookie is just so underwhelming. And rookie wide receivers that just do. Absolutely. Even in bad circumstances, like, you got to show a little bit more. I mean, Trey Tucker last year, he had a wide receiver, one overall finish where he scored, outscored every single guy. He had 100 yards and three touchdowns in one game.

[Scott Bogman]

Like, I get that probably 86% of his production.

[Andrew Erickson]

Exactly. But the fact that he was still able to do it all in one game, to me, Trey Tucker has been a player that he played 95% of the snaps. Why wasn't best playing more last year? Well, they were playing Trey Tucker. He was playing ahead of him all last season. And maybe that was just coaching incompetence, most likely. Coaching incompetence.

[Joey P. (Joe P. Zapia)]

Good chance it was coaching incompetence.

[Andrew Erickson]

Trey Tucker. Trey Tucker's not a slouch, I don't think. I mean, he was a third round pick out of Cincinnati, so I think he's been kind of underrated over a thousand air yards back to back season. So he's been able to thrive as that deep threat. And maybe they use him a little bit differently under a new coaching staff with Clint Kubiak. So if he's in like that Rashid Shahid type of role, okay, maybe I can get excited here about Trey Tucker. And it seems like the new coaches have really likes him a lot. They compared his leadership. This is from the Coach Speak index. They compared his leadership to Max Crosby. So like someone that they very highly evaluate in terms of, okay, who's going to be the players that we lean on the most in this office.

[Joey P. (Joe P. Zapia)]

Same Max Crosby that they didn't want to keep.

[Andrew Erickson]

Well, this was after the fact when they were like, no, we get to keep him. So I mean, it's clearly going to

[Scott Bogman]

be Jalen Naylor now that we just talked about.

[Andrew Erickson]

Well, Jalen. Jalen Naylor did play with. With Kirk Cous in Minnesota.

[Scott Bogman]

He did.

[Joey P. (Joe P. Zapia)]

Kirk Cousins is not going to play.

[Andrew Erickson]

I'm just saying if Jaylen Naylor is the leading target in rake one.

[Joey P. (Joe P. Zapia)]

That's why starting there's a 25 spot difference in wide receiver ranking between Besh and Tucker. I got to see where.

[Scott Bogman]

That's the thing. Bes is free like he. He is probably pickup. Yeah.

[Andrew Erickson]

I mean, yeah, they're. They're all free like it's

[Scott Bogman]

as they should be. Somebody is going to step up though.

[Andrew Erickson]

Yeah.

[Joey P. (Joe P. Zapia)]

So I have agreed with Andrew actually I think on two of his, the last two of his predictions there with Hampton and with Chig that we could really like not even have to work to convince me. I'm very excited about those things. This next one, Andrew, you're gonna have to convince me because I, I don't, I don't know how you get there what the math is here, but I'm fascinated to see it.

[Andrew Erickson]

What Kayla Williams is a QB one overall. What math do I need to show you? Okay, so here's how you do. He's a dual threat Court. He's a dual threat quarterback.

[Joey P. (Joe P. Zapia)]

Okay.

[Andrew Erickson]

So he already is adding that rushing element. He's done that both his rookie year and last year. So he has that component to his game. He's going to run enough times to hit the requisite amount of rushing yards and rushing touchdowns for that to qualify. And when it comes to the passing, he was a fringe top five quarterback last year, I think believed he was QB6 overall, QB7 in points per game, right under that 19.1 mark. So not quite at the elite 20 points per game, which is kind of what you're looking for for like a true difference maker at the quarterback position. But this was all under the context that he ranked dead last in completion rate over expectation. So he was a bad passer last year with some of these advanced metrics. And he was a fringe top five fantasy quarterback in his first year with Ben Johnson in this offense. So now we're going into year two where he has a full offseason. You have Colson Loveland breakout in year two. You have Luther Burton breakout in year two. You have Roman Dunes not playing injured and you have DJ Moore no longer part of the offense where him and DJ Moore necessarily weren't always on the same page. So I think that we're looking at last year as Caleb Williams, okay, he's a QB6 7 guy floor potentially. And now you have all this in tapped upside that you can get him inside the top five and potentially number one overall if you start to see some regression from some of the top guys. Maybe Josh Allen doesn't score as many rushing touchdowns I know there's been a lot of back and forth on the fantasy spros program about Lamar Jackson and what he's going to do. Jane Daniels, he was banged up last year.

[Joey P. (Joe P. Zapia)]

It's a nice way of saying, Derek and I fought.

[Andrew Erickson]

So that's kind of how I'm just really excited about this Bears offense. And I know it's sometimes hard to pick between which pass catcher I want to draft the most. And I think back to something I believe it was tags that would say this was, I don't want the pancakes. I want the maple syrup. Right. Who is the maple syrup of this Bears offense? It's Caleb Williams. And I want to draft him in fantasy because I think his upside is really, really high this year. So I think he has QB1 overall potential.

[Joey P. (Joe P. Zapia)]

I think that sweetness has given me diabetes because no Bears quarterback has ever thrown for 4,000 yards. Still, with all that amazing stuff that happened last year, he was still under 4,000 yards.

[Andrew Erickson]

Yeah. He's got room to improve.

[Scott Bogman]

We'll have to put Caleb Williams in with the rest of the Bears quarterbacks, man. We don't need do that.

[Joey P. (Joe P. Zapia)]

Well, Jay Cutler would disagree. Let's. I mean, I think from the rushing

[Scott Bogman]

thing and court orders, he would have

[Joey P. (Joe P. Zapia)]

to go well over five touchdowns rushing for. For this to happen too, because he only had three last year. So he's got to be more towards like eight or nine, I think, to get there. The. The trouble is where I struggle. And he was the eighth quarterback in terms of fantasy points per game. He was tied for 8th there with Dak Prescott. And I see what you're saying, like there's definitely there. It's not an impossibility. But to leapfrog the Josh Allens and, you know, returning Dre, that's number two on the list.

[Scott Bogman]

What if we said it like this, Joe? What if it was stated Caleb Williams is the best buy among quarterbacks?

[Joey P. (Joe P. Zapia)]

That's very possible. He could very well in single quarterback leagues be the best return on investment that I could see. That's not possible.

[Scott Bogman]

I think. I think that's the point. Right? Yeah.

[Joey P. (Joe P. Zapia)]

Well, this is the fun of the show. We're making big fold statements and Andrew should make big, bold statements and look. And I'm just glad you were doing

[Scott Bogman]

it without hot sauce.

[Andrew Erickson]

Yeah, I got. Can I. Can we pause this for a second? I gotta go grab a towel while I'm freaking soaked from all this cold water you guys poured on my t. Oh, Lord.

[Joey P. (Joe P. Zapia)]

Did you work on that?

[Andrew Erickson]

Your first three came to me.

[Scott Bogman]

Come on. And And I rephrased yours to be better. Don't be a crybaby. You're fine. But, but I think, but I think if you say it like that, I think if you do say it like that, like this is the best value

[Joey P. (Joe P. Zapia)]

amongst quarterback right now off board and you know, after him is Trevor Lawrence is Dak Prescott's Brock Purdy. Like, you know, this is, it's a really good year to, you know, let quarterback come to you.

[Andrew Erickson]

Would you rather have, would you rather take dart two rounds ahead of Caleb Williams? No, no, no, I would, Kai. I, I agree with that. I wouldn't.

[Joey P. (Joe P. Zapia)]

Yeah, we're all on the same page. There we go. All right, everybody, number one here for both the guys here coming up in just a second here. Don't forget if you've got Dynasty drafts coming up, the Dynasty Draft simulator is here full of mock drafts and minutes that you can go ahead and run through. You can customize every single setting. You can do all that stuff here. Get ready for all of your mock drafts and put some of these bold predictions to the test, even potentially and all, all the MVP and Hall of Fame subscribers here at Fantasy Pros. You can even test out the trade scenarios by mocking with your actual traded draft picks, which is huge. So you can grab a three day free trial right now with a premium subscription if you want to do that kind of stuff. If you're into that kind of [e-mail] Dynasty 26. That's fantasypros.com Dynasty 26. Prepare for all your rookie drafts, all your Dynasty startups, everything all at once. Go to fantasypros.com simulator to check it out today. Download the Fantasy Pros app. Make it easy on yourself. All right, Boggs, here we go. Let's do number one here. Your big bold prediction here. Fantasy Football 2026. What do you got?

[Scott Bogman]

Yeah, man, people are going to be annoyed with my Isaiah likely takes this year. But I've got Isaiah likely a second on the Giants and receptions and first in receiving touchdowns. And if Neighbors is doing worse than we think after this knee surgery, the second knee surgery as well. This might be first on both for Isaiah likely here for the Giants. Theo Johnson had the most receiving touchdowns for this team at five last year. But let's also just take into account who is the number two for the Giants right now behind Neighbors because Wanda Robinson and his 100 catches are gone. It's Darius Slayton. It's Calvin Austin. Malachi Fields is a deep threat. Darnell Mooney has been given chance after chance after chance and not done anything. So I just think getting away from Mark Andrews, knowing that he is by far the the second best target in the every snap lineup, I think. And the fact that Matt Nagy has been tight end heavy, of course he had Comet and he had Kelsey, but before that I believe Trey Burton was tight end 7 when he started for the Eagles.

[Joey P. (Joe P. Zapia)]

I like that.

[Scott Bogman]

Yeah, I, I think tight ends are going to be highly relied upon in this offense. I think Isaiah likely is already second receptions and first and receiving touchdowns and if anything goes haywire with neighbors coming back, he might be first on this team.

[Joey P. (Joe P. Zapia)]

I'd like to see the likely breakout, especially since he's basically, you know, right outside that top 12 tight ends. He's right in that conversations. Or the last tight end off the board potentially as a starter. And there's a lot of smart people like you, Scott Bachmann, that is selling me the goods here. No, don't sell yourself short.

[Andrew Erickson]

Well, you are.

[Joey P. (Joe P. Zapia)]

Well, that's where I think we have more of a debate. But the, the Isaiah likely one is tough for me because I keep coming back to the same point of why the hell would the Ravens let him walk away if he was such an important potential asset for older Mark Andrews to sign him to an extension. And I just, I keep trying to wrap my mind around the bad evaluation process and I get it. Harbaugh turned around and then took him with him and all that stuff. That's fine. But I don't know man, it's just that to me was the red flag. That was the fly in the ointment that continues to make me skeptical about Isaiah Likely. Erickson, are you one of these Isaiah Likely truthers this year too? Because it seems to be a lot of them that I work with at Fantasy Bros.

[Andrew Erickson]

Yes, I am going to the board meeting for Isaiah Likely tight end one season. I will be in attendance. I'm not the chairman. Don't know who that is. I don't know actually who has the highest rank on Isaiah. Like that'd be interesting to see who that is. But between him and Chicaconkwo, that's why I just give me late round tight ends. Like there are two guys that I'm really excited about where the path to them being a tight end one, the path to targets, the path to opportunities is crystal clear and I'm optimistic and encouraged by the fact that he is reuniting with John Harbaugh. John Harbaugh is the one that called Isaiah Likely a future all pro player and he's the one that probably wanted to pay him. But as the Raven season kind of unraveled last year and they kind of took a step back and thought, maybe Harbaugh's not really in our long term plans, maybe that was a result now. Okay. Isaiah likely is not going to be in our long term plans. I don't. I mean, it doesn't make a lot of sense. I don't agree with the move to sign Mark Andrews.

[Joey P. (Joe P. Zapia)]

No.

[Andrew Erickson]

And let Likely walk. I think that was dumb. And I think that the Ravens are going to kind of wear some egg on their face when they look back and see Andrews turn to dust potentially, and likely have another full breakout season here in the Giants offense, especially if Malik Neighbors is slow coming back from his injuries.

[Scott Bogman]

You would hate to see that for the Ravens. I would hate to see it.

[Andrew Erickson]

I know.

[Joey P. (Joe P. Zapia)]

Bogs.

[Andrew Erickson]

This one. That one really hurts you.

[Joey P. (Joe P. Zapia)]

All right, we got one more from Andrew Erickson. Speaking of the Ravens, you got one that deals with the Ravens. Let's go, Andrew.

[Andrew Erickson]

Oh, well, Bog's gonna hate this. I know. I didn't like his Omar Cooper one, but he must absolutely hate this one. So that's as long as we keep it fair.

[Scott Bogman]

So hate it. I'll say that.

[Andrew Erickson]

Say Flowers will be the wide receiver one overall in 2026. That is my Scorching hot.

[Joey P. (Joe P. Zapia)]

On the Ravens, man.

[Andrew Erickson]

Some hot sauce.

[Joey P. (Joe P. Zapia)]

Wait, on the Ravens?

[Andrew Erickson]

Yes, on the Baltimore Ravens. Like, attached to a pretty good quarterback.

[Joey P. (Joe P. Zapia)]

He's not wide receiver one in the Ravens. He's wide receiver one. That's.

[Andrew Erickson]

That's how he is. Wide receiver one in Fantasy Point.

[Joey P. (Joe P. Zapia)]

Not Jamar.

[Andrew Erickson]

There you go. He scores more than everybody else.

[Joey P. (Joe P. Zapia)]

Not.

[Andrew Erickson]

No, no.

[Joey P. (Joe P. Zapia)]

CD Lane Ross. He's gonna leapfrog all those guys. Okay.

[Andrew Erickson]

Yeah. Just like JSN and Puka leapfrogged all those guys last year.

[Scott Bogman]

Thought I was gonna hate it. Joe won't even let you finish it,

[Joey P. (Joe P. Zapia)]

so I just want to make sure I'm hearing it right. You know, came in there to.

[Scott Bogman]

My ear is old.

[Joey P. (Joe P. Zapia)]

I am old. Hey, I got my hearing aids.

[Andrew Erickson]

I mean, I had to have at least some sizzling hot take for the number one spot. I mean, if I came on here and it was, where's the sizzle? Is the girl even turned on? This is lame. No, no. I like Isaiah Likely one, but for me, Z, I just see an impending superstar breakout here in his fourth season when he came out of Boston College, the guy who reminded me the most of. And it's someone that he actually trained with and studied as a route runner was Antonio Brown. And if you look at Antonio Brown during the early season of his career now, now, see, now I'm going to get the stamp approval from Scott Bogman because we're bringing up Antonio Brown. His fourth year is when he went absolutely nuclear and just took over the NFL and fantasy football. And the thing was a Flowers is he's checking off every single box that I'm looking for except for the touchdowns. Right. Like that's the one thing that's kind of he hasn't really hit on, has not had a lot of touchdowns throughout his NFL career. But at the end of last year, what started happening? Oh, he started to find the end zone just like Happy learned how to putt. It's like, oh, here we go. So five touchdowns over his last four games. So that helped him tie his six touchdowns scored in his rookie season. But he hit 1200 receiving yards last year. If you look at every other wide receiver that hit 1200 receiving yards, all of them scored at least eight touchdowns. So I think that he's looking for some positive touchdown regression. And in a brand new offense with Declan Doyle, it is a bit of a mystery box. It's not Todd Monkin where you're running more slow paced. Declan Doyle, I expect to run much faster. Like what we saw from the Chicago Bears and Ben Johnson last year, yards per run. Zay Flowers, the guys that were better than him, Puka Naku and Jack Smith and Jigba, again, those are the other players that we're talking about as wide receiver one. Overall, they're in the top three in the rankings. But Zay Flowers was just as efficient or right behind them in terms of yards per route run last year. So for me it just comes down to touchdowns. And it's not like I'm concerned that Lamar Jackson can't throw touchdowns. Well, he was 42nd years ago. Yeah, exactly. And so I understand where he threw 40 and Zay flowers still didn't catch any touchdowns. So I get that argument against Zay Flowers. His red zone role has been bad throughout his NFL career. He's never really been a featured guy. But with a new offensive coordinator embracing change, there's no risk involved of taking him as the wide receiver 20 when he was a top 10 receiver last year when Lamar Jackson was healthy. So he's a smash pick where he's going as adp, I think that his ceiling could be potentially unlocked in a new offense. Year 4 explosion for Zay Flowers I am so signed up for. So we'll see if it happens. If he can be a surprise wide receiver. One candidate when the dust settles.

[Joey P. (Joe P. Zapia)]

Boggs, what's your take on this? We know you're a Ravens connoisseur. How do you feel about this bold take here about Zay Flowers just leapfrogging all the elites, going all the way to top and becoming the new Antonio Brown?

[Scott Bogman]

I was kind of mad when I saw this one because I was trying to figure out a way to put Zay Flowers on my list because I do think he's going to take a big step. Right. And I'm only a couple spots ahead of ECR. I think I have met a wide receiver 18, but I am ahead. I do think that, you know, if. If we are entering a different stage in Lamar Jackson's career, right, where he's not going to run quite as much, he's still going to run. You know, I'm not on D bro side on that at all, by the way. I'm still a Lamar Jackson guy.

[Joey P. (Joe P. Zapia)]

Of course he's going to run. And look, he hasn't run for a lot of touchdowns anyway, especially since Derrick Henry showed up in the town.

[Scott Bogman]

Right.

[Joey P. (Joe P. Zapia)]

And I don't want him doing that because I want to keep him upright. I don't need him to do that anymore. If I'm the Ravens, I think this

[Scott Bogman]

whole offense is more vertical this year, and that benefits Zay more than anybody else. So I'm. I'm excited about Zay. I mean, Eric. So let me ask you this. Where do you have him ranked? You know, I'm ranked at 1 20%. Twitter. Let's relax here.

[Andrew Erickson]

So, I mean, it's a bull. I mean, it's a bold prediction.

[Scott Bogman]

That's right.

[Andrew Erickson]

Yeah. Prediction isn't my rankings.

[Scott Bogman]

Right, Right.

[Joey P. (Joe P. Zapia)]

So you have him ranking top 10.

[Andrew Erickson]

I think that he's like, let's just pull it up.

[Scott Bogman]

I don't need to 14 or something because I have him at 18. His ECR is 20. I would actually like to go see while we're here.

[Joey P. (Joe P. Zapia)]

I will say this. I don't know if this is a hot take, but I will say this. I think there's a really good chance that Zay Flowers is far more fantasy productive this year than Malik Neighbors, who's going to go way earlier than him based off of the injury projection.

[Andrew Erickson]

I have him 14.

[Scott Bogman]

14 is. Is very high. Let me just see the rankings to get you. His highest here. His highest is 10. So you're actually second second highest, Erickson, so.

[Andrew Erickson]

Because the thing that's weird with him is particular is like the guys right ahead of him are rice neighbor. Oh I mean that's where I have him.

[Joey P. (Joe P. Zapia)]

Yeah. Questionable guy, sir.

[Andrew Erickson]

So yeah, I think he's a super high floor. The thing that I always lose sight of and the last point on Zay Flowers is I've been too slow sometimes to recognize the guys that have really high floors and then just label them as oh well, he's a high floor guy. He's never going to hit a ceiling. And then he hits a ceiling. And that's honestly how kind of how I felt about JSN during some part of his early career. It's like low eight out, guys catching on the passes, but he's not scoring a lot of touchdowns, not generating big plays. And to your point box about explosiveness, who was one of the most explosive wide receivers in the NFL last year? Number one in player profiles, explosive rating or number three? Say flowers.

[Scott Bogman]

I like it.

[Joey P. (Joe P. Zapia)]

Food for thought, everybody. All right, so you heard all the craziness, you heard all the big bold predictions. If you've got a bold prediction, drop it here in the chat. We love to hear from you. On the YouTube comment side, subscribe to the podcast feed too. Don't forget, give the audio version some love here of the program. And always, always subscribe to the YouTube channel Fantasy Pro so you can stay ahead of all of your league mates and all of your leagues all season long. Gentlemen, great work as always. And if you want some guys on the opposite end going the wrong direction, check out our latest video too. It's a shorter one that Boggs and Andrew and I are going to talk about. Some of the busts coming up for the 2026 season. So you got some early drafts. Maybe those are some players you want to stay away from. That's going to do it for us. But the story of the game goes on. For Scott Bogman and Andrew Erickson, I'm Joey P. We'll see you next time, kids.

[Brooks Running Sponsor]

Thanks for listening to the Fantasy Pros Fantasy Football podcast. If you love the show, the best free way to support us is by leaving a positive review on Apple podcasts, at fantasy fantasypros.com review or on Spotify. Follow us on X Instagram and TikTok at Fantasy Pros and subscribe to our YouTube channel at YouTube.com fantasypros.

[Joey P. (Joe P. Zapia)]

Foreign.

[Brooks Running Sponsor]

Max energy, Max run. Go on a run that never runs out in the New Brooks Glycerin Max 2 dual cell DNA tuned cushion is optimized for soft landings and powerful toe offs while a Glide Roll rocker helps provide a more fluid step through to help you truly tune out and max your run, shop the Glycerin Max [e-mail]

[Discover/LifeLock Sponsor]

Everybody knows Shaq, but off camera, he's

[Andrew Erickson]

just a regular guy.

[OSA Sponsor]

People never believe me when I say I'm just like them. I take out the trash, do dishes, and I struggle with moderate obstructive sleep apnea, or osa. And a lot of adults with obesity also struggle with moderate to severe osa. You know those scary breathing interruptions during sleep, the loud snoring, choking and daytime fatigue? I knew I had to talk to my doctor. Don't sleep on the symptoms. Learn more at don'tsleeponosa.com is provided by

[Andrew Erickson]

Lilly, a medicine company.

[On Nicotine Sponsor]

On/ Nicotine Pouches present comfort chronicles at 10 o' clock tee time. How comfortable you show up in stretchy shorts, a breathable tee and maybe no socks. Let the dogs breathe while other sweat and pleated khakis. You're in your comfort zone. Bombing drives and in your pocket. On nicotine pouches the softest pouch on the planet. Buy a [e-mail] Products for tobacco consumers 21 years of age or older. Warning this product contains nicotine. Nicotine is an addictive chemical.

[Discover/LifeLock Sponsor]

Lots of places can expose you to identity theft. That's why LifeLock monitors hundreds of millions of data points a second for threats to your identity, which is way more than anyone can do on their own. If we find anything suspicious, like new loans or changes to your financial accounts, we alert you right away, all through text, phone and email or the LifeLock app. Save up to 30% your first year. Visit lifelock.com iHeart Terms Apply this is an iHeart podcast.

[Brooks Running Sponsor]

Guaranteed human.