Best Mid-Round Value Selections (Ep. 1669)

Summary

FantasyPros - Fantasy Football Podcast

Episode: Best Mid-Round Value Selections (Ep. 1669)

Date: August 26, 2025
Host: Chris Welsh
Guests: Pat Fitzmaurice & Scott Bogman

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Episode Overview

This episode is your essential guide to navigating the crucial mid rounds of your fantasy football draft (Rounds 5–11). Host Chris Welsh, with experts Pat Fitzmaurice and Scott Bogman, break down prime value players at each tier, dissect trends, debate roles, and make bold case-specific predictions. They also spotlight the impact and use of FantasyPros' Real-Time ADP tool, enabling you to react to the fastest market shifts and snipe rising value targets. Expect passionate player takes, position-by-position picks, and practical strategies for stacking out your rosters from key mid-round targets and bench boosters to deep flex-worthy sleepers.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Importance of Mid-Round Values

• Scott Bogman: “This is where the money is made in these mid round values.” ([01:02])
• Consensus: Mid rounds are often “arid” or “dead zones,” especially at RB, but winning teams thrive by nailing pivots with upside and avoiding draft traps. ([01:21], [01:43], [04:03])

Understanding Draft Trends & Real-Time ADP

• Chris Welsh: Details FantasyPros' new real-time ADP tool—tracks movement and trends over 24h/7d so you don’t miss dramatic player swings as draft season peaks. ([02:41])
• Example: Ricky Pearsall jumped nearly 8 spots in ADP over one week. ([31:02])
• Pat Fitzmaurice: “Real-time ADP is probably showing [Travion Henderson] has…moved out. He's one of those guys that moves out [of the range].” ([17:34])

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Rounds 5–6: Best Value Players

George Pickens, WR, Dallas Cowboys

• Scott Bogman: “Pickens is at the peak of his career. He’s never played with a QB as good as Dak Prescott...plus the O-line and run game are weak, so they're going to pass a lot.” ([04:03])
• Pat Fitzmaurice: Likes Pickens if he falls within value (e.g., 6.07): “He’s a really good purchase…Cowboys are probably going to be at or near the top of the league in pass attempts.” ([06:36], [07:11])

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Calvin Ridley, WR, Tennessee Titans

• Pat Fitzmaurice: “Almost impossible for Ridley not to turn a profit on his current price.” ([07:43])
  • Elite recent production despite bad QB play; now has rookie Cam Ward who is an “aggressive downfield thrower.” ([07:43])
• Scott Bogman: “He’s an undisputed number one target on this team…Cam Ward coming here makes every single offensive option way better.” ([09:18])

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Isaiah Pacheco, RB, Kansas City Chiefs

• Scott Bogman: “I think Pacheco could have a great year. He’s still on a good offense with one of the best QBs…going to be the clear goal line back.” ([17:40])
• Pat Fitzmaurice: “Seeing Pacheco look like Pacheco again in the preseason has gotten me back in his camp…Don’t overthink it.” ([20:57], [22:03])

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Tetairoa McMillan, WR, Carolina Panthers

• Pat Fitzmaurice: “I have [him] ranked WR16…He’s already the best skill position player the Panthers have on their roster.” ([23:01])
• Scott Bogman: “He looks more and more like Mike Evans every day. The defense is bad, they’ll have to go point for point…McMillan is going to get a lot of garbage time and that’s bonus.” ([25:19])

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Rounds 7–8: More Mid-Round Values

Ricky Pearsall, WR, San Francisco 49ers

• Scott Bogman: “He’s going to come at a massive value…Might get 120 targets, closer to 75 catches, well over 1,000 yards.” ([27:42])
• Pat Fitzmaurice: Loves his late-season chemistry with Purdy: “What he did at the very end of the season is what I’m going to weigh more heavily.” ([31:02])
• ADP riser: 3rd-most in seven days.

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Chris Olave, WR, New Orleans Saints

• Pat Fitzmaurice: “Maybe the most talented WR going in the 7th round…He’s going to get a big target share, and Kellen Moore’s using him in the slot.” ([33:01])
• Scott Bogman: “The bigger issue is much more with the concussions...he needs to be more of a fill-in, you can't be reliant on him.” ([35:03])

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Zach Charbonnet, RB, Seattle Seahawks

• Scott Bogman: “He is not a backup…He holds standalone value and massive upside if Walker goes down.” ([37:54])
  • Kubiak offense will run a lot, and Charbonnet’s a great runner and receiver.
• Pat Fitzmaurice: “Even if Walker stays healthy, Charbonnet has some standalone value...Seattle told us they want to run the ball.” ([40:31])

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Tucker Kraft, TE, Green Bay Packers

• Pat Fitzmaurice: “Tucker Kraft…had 50 catches, 707 yards, 7 TDs last year…He could get close to 100 targets this year. Has top-5 upside” ([43:02])
• Scott Bogman: “Such a good value…there are a lot of TEs with upside this year, but Kraft is one of the best.”

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Rounds 9–11: Bench & Deep Value Targets

Tyler Warren, TE, New York Giants

• Scott Bogman: “He can literally do everything…He’s a Jeremy Shockey clone with more options to score for you.” ([46:01])
• Pat Fitzmaurice: “Tyler Warren’s going to nuke Josh Downs’s fantasy value… picking up where he left off last year… I think Warren’s going to smash from the get-go.” ([48:15])

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Austin Ekeler, RB, Washington Commanders

• Pat Fitzmaurice: “He’s going to play on passing downs and two-minute work…Still has juice; ideal 4th RB, even plays as your RB3 in some leagues.” ([49:59])
• Scott Bogman: “There’s definitely the world where Ekeler gets way more touches… he’s just an easy grab and stash.” ([51:37])

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Wan’Dale Robinson, WR, New York Giants

• Scott Bogman: “Not a great player, but he’ll be on the field more… there’s nothing that’s really changed for him. He’s a high-floor bench PPR play.” ([53:38])
• Pat Fitzmaurice: “Miss me on Wan’Dale…7.5 YPC last year, 1.21 YPRR—these are just empty PPR calories. Zero upside.” ([55:11])

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Keon Coleman, WR, Buffalo Bills

• Pat Fitzmaurice: “Big play potential is appealing… 19.2 YPC, 9.8 yards per target as a rookie. Jaw-dropping ball skills, excellent after the catch. Anxious to see what he can do with a healthy season.” ([56:02])
• Scott Bogman: “If you need upside, Keon’s for you. If you need floor, Wan’Dale’s your guy—these are polar opposites and that’s why mid-rounds matter.” ([57:30])

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Bold Prediction: Biggest Mid-Round ADP Beat-Downs

Tucker Kraft, TE, Green Bay Packers

• Scott Bogman: “There’s literally no downside to drafting Tucker Kraft where he’s going right now…he’ll beat his ADP by at least two rounds.” ([59:48])

Stefon Diggs, WR, Houston Texans

• Pat Fitzmaurice: “He’s going to have 90 catches, 1,100 yards this year…People don’t like WRs in their 30s, but Diggs will blow by his ADP.” ([61:27])

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On George Pickens’s situation:
  “He never got a chance to play with a good quarterback in Pittsburgh… He’s never played with a WR as good as CeeDee Lamb on the other side… I think we’re going to see the best season we’ve ever seen from George Pickens.” — Scott Bogman ([04:03])

• On Tetairoa McMillan:
  “He averaged 108.8 yards per game over his final two college seasons with less than stellar quarterbacking…really good route runner…he has a chance to finish as a top 12 receiver as a rookie.”— Pat Fitzmaurice ([23:01])

• On Chris Olave’s concussion concerns:
  “He’s one hit from going away for good I feel like…He needs to be more of a fill-in. You can’t be reliant on him.” — Scott Bogman ([35:03])

• On Keon Coleman’s upside:
  “The dude has freaky ball skills and really not too bad with the ball in his hands…returned kicks and punts in college. There’s a lot to like here.” — Pat Fitzmaurice ([57:13])

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Timestamps Quick Reference

• Rounds 5–6 Discussion Start: [04:03]
• Pickens Debate: [04:03]–[07:22]
• Calvin Ridley Pick: [07:43]–[10:39]
• Positioning Quality WR2/3s: [10:39]–[11:59]
• Isaiah Pacheco RB Value: [16:36]–[22:22]
• Tetairoa McMillan Love: [22:22]–[27:10]
• Rounds 7–8 Values Start: [27:42]
• Ricky Pearsall: [27:42]–[32:28]
• Chris Olave Slot Usage: [33:01]–[36:00]
• Charbonnet in Kubiak’s System: [37:54]–[42:19]
• Tucker Kraft as TE Value: [43:02]–[45:07]
• Rounds 9–11 Values Start: [46:01]
• Tyler Warren, Dynamic TE: [46:01]–[49:42]
• Austin Ekeler, PPR RB: [49:59]–[53:23]
• Wan’Dale vs. Keon Coleman: [53:38]–[58:45]
• Bold Prediction Time: [58:45]–[62:15]

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Takeaways for Fantasy Managers

• Monitor Real-Time ADP: Identify and act on quickly ascending mid-round values before draft weekend.
• Don’t Shy from “Dead Zones”: Several 5–8th round players (Pickens, Ridley, Pacheco, McMillan, Charbonnet, Kraft) are “must-roster” values.
• High-Upside Benches: Target skill-position players with ceiling (Coleman, Warren, Charbonnet); floor guys (Wan’Dale) fit certain builds.
• Avoid Drafting on Old ADP Data: Players like Ricky Pearsall, Keon Coleman, and Tucker Kraft may not last to their pre-August ranges.
• Chase Opportunity + Situation: New offenses, injuries, and vacated targets create affordable breakouts in the mid-rounds.
• Bold Calls Matter: Both expert predictions (Kraft, Diggs) underscore maximizing value by projecting well beyond consensus.

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Listen & Dominate

Draft season is here—use these consensus mid-round targets and tactics to position your roster for victory. Remember: “This is where money is made.” ([01:02])

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For more analysis, ADP tools, rankings, and mock draft help, visit FantasyPros.com

Transcript

[Noah de Barrasso]

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[Dan]

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[Scott Bogman]

Hello.

[Dan]

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[Chris Welsh]

What's up, friends? And welcome into Fantasy Pros, the fantasy football podcast. I'm Chris Welsh and today we've got mid round values 5 through 6, 7 through 8, 9 through 11, all the mid rounds. We're covering all of them and we have got different tiers of players in those mid rounds that you need to target. With my wonderful guests Pat Fitzmaurice and and Scott Bogman in the house. Bogman, Mid rounds. Is this where the money is made in these mid round values?

[Scott Bogman]

I think so. And I like a lot of mid round values this year picking through this. I actually got to the sheet first before Pat, so I, I feel like I threaded the needle of taking my guys and leaving most of the guys that he likes as well. So I was nice, nicer than Pat has been to me in the past. So just want to remind him of that right here.

[Chris Welsh]

Fitzy, did you notice at all, like some of the mid rounds sometimes can have these dead zones, Like I think we talk about the dead zone running backs. They can kind of, I want to say, I say like fifth or sixth round is probably a good spot where maybe they start to live. Did you notice any trends in creating some of these values positively or negatively? Another type of dead zone, a huge part of value that's going to kind of end up coming in with some of your names.

[Pat Fitzmaurice]

They're usually zones. Welsh, where I know, I guess I have targets in every portion of a draft. But there are certain parts of the draft where things get pretty dry and arid and I've maybe only got like one or two targets for a range of a couple of rounds and I'm really praying I can hit on those guys. Otherwise I'm drafting someone I don't really care for that much.

[Chris Welsh]

So as mentioned, this is the true mid round values players that you've got to draft. And we've got four different sections. We've got the rounds five through six, which I mentioned seven through eight, nine through 11. And then the last thing is we are going to have a bold prediction guy, a guy that can jump multiple rounds of value and each one of these guys have picked their player. So we got a whole bunch of names to get to. We're going to be jumping into it. Want to remind you guys with your drafts ahead here. Obviously we tell you guys about all the crazy and awesome tools that we have, but one of the newest, most amazing things that we have got and it really can set you up nicely for this coming weekend is our real time adp. Because a lot of these sites out there, you know, obviously you can go and you can track everything with us. You can do your mock drafts. The simulator can kind of help adjust all of this. But when you're into your leagues, sometimes their ADPs take forever to adjust. And you will see this has almost been called the Bill Crosby merit effect. Like where where he is going is not relative to what his ADP is. But with fantasy pros we have real time ADP with trends over the last 24 hours and seven days. And if anything you can go and check out the that sheet and you can see who is moving up and down. Even if you're just not like, you know, trying to see the adjustments on where are they now going. You can see these are the hottest trended players ups and down. You can do [e-mail] RealADP RealADP fantasypros.com RealADP go and check it out today. I think it'll be a very valuable tool in your fantasy drafting tool belt for this weekend. Gentlemen, let's jump right into this. We are going to start with the best values in rounds first five and six. We're obviously using half, half point. That's kind of our baseline here. You guys can also check out the ranks and ADPs if you want to follow along a little bit. But These are rounds 5 and 6 best values players that you've got a draft bog, who is the first player that you've got to draft in this section?

[Scott Bogman]

Let's go with George Pickens in this group here. And there are a lot of wide receivers right here that I really like. But everyone, I think everybody knows George Pickens is the one that I've kind of laser focused on in this range. And this is because, look, as a Steelers fan, I think this is the one time we're going to lose one of these wide receiver trades where a guy is a cast off that has been an issue over multiple seasons, right. And really cries his way out of town. It's happened In Pittsburgh a bunch. Deontay Johnson out and he's a loser. Seems like he's going to get cut by the Browns as well. Chase Claypool never did anything again in the NFL after leaving Pittsburgh. AB Obviously went insane. So most of the Steelers generally win these trades. But this Pickens deal I think is at the peak of his career. He never got a chance to play with a good quarterback in Pittsburgh, right? It was Mitch Trubisky, Kenny Pickett, the ghost of Russell Wilson and Justin Fields. Like, he has never played with a quarterback anywhere throughout his collegiate and NFL career as good as Dak Prescott. And he's never played with a wide receiver as good as CD Lamb on the other side of him as well. Plus, we know about the weakness of the run game and the offensive line in particular for the Cowboys. I think they're going to pass this rock a lot. I think Pickens is going to draw a lot of man ups with CD Lamb being shaded on the other side. And I think we're going to see the best season that we've seen from George Pickens in his career so far. And I just think Dak is going to be able to make the best out of him. So I'm a huge Pickens stand and right now, you know, he is typically going or, I'm sorry, I'm looking at points. But Pickens is wide receiver 28. I have him right in that range. Like I, you know, Calvin Ridley, I would take ahead of him. Some of the guys in this range I still like over him, but I just think he slips a little bit normally to the six, maybe even the seven sometimes. And that is where I want to take advantage of that every single time I possibly can.

[Chris Welsh]

You know, the funny thing about Pickens, I've noticed is I see like a onslaught of people being like, wherever you have Pickens, it's not high enough yet. Trying to find the place where you're taking him over some of these other guys makes it really difficult because I kind of agree with everything that you said. I think the offense is positioned really, really well for him. Having a guy on his other side, Pat as well. But like, how do you balance the he should be being drafted higher versus actually pulling the trigger. Like, what's the line for you, Pat?

[Pat Fitzmaurice]

Yeah, that's kind of it. I just don't really want to reach for him. But if he does fall into the zone where his ADP is, I do think he's a really good purchase. I just got him at 607 in a home league draft over the weekend and felt really good about it. And a lot of what Bachman says rings true, that the Cowboys don't exactly have a feel good vibe right now. But the one thing I feel pretty good about with Dallas is the passing game. The Cowboys I was just going to.

[Chris Welsh]

Say Micah Parsons doesn't play with the team and sign that defense might create a couple more offensive opportunities. Pat.

[Pat Fitzmaurice]

Yeah, that's exactly it. I mean the Cowboys are probably going to be at or near the top of the league in pass attempts because they don't have much of a running game and because their defense has gone to seed, especially if they can't get Micah Parsons back in the fold.

[Scott Bogman]

Trading for Trey Hendrickson straight up. See what happens there. Get these guys signed and playing for God's sake.

[Chris Welsh]

Yeah, get them out there. All right, so we go from one wide receiver to another. This guy was actually just already mentioned. Pat in these Mid rounds of 5 through 6 this is a guy that you think is an incredible value. Bog said his name so we are tagging a couple wide receivers. Who's your pick?

[Pat Fitzmaurice]

Calvin Ridley. And I've kept waiting for Calvin Ridley's price to skyrocket. He was in low end wide receiver 3 range for most of the off season, but Ridley's price has really only crept up into mid range wide receiver 3 territory. His fantasy pros real time ADP is wide receiver 30, 68th overall which puts him in the middle of the 6th round. Calvin Ridley is such a nice bargain as a sixth rounder. He's gone over a thousand yards each of the last two seasons. Last year he had Will Levis and Mason Rudolph as his quarterbacks and Ridley still managed to average 1.86 yards per outrun, a very good number. And now Calvin Ridley's new quarterback is number one overall draft pick Cam Ward, who averaged 9.5 yards per passing attempt last year in his final year at University of Miami Florida and threw 39 touchdown passes. Ward is an aggressive downfield thrower. He's not a check down artist. That's good for Ridley. And Ridley sits extremely high atop the Titans target totem pole. Try saying that three times fast. There just aren't any other established pass catchers in Tennessee like none. So Ridley could finish with one of the highest target shares of any NFL receiver. Barring injury, it seems almost impossible for Ridley not to turn a profit on his current price.

[Chris Welsh]

I'm not going to try to say that once. Pat Boggs, what do you think about this? You said you would take him over Your guy. What is your take obviously on Calvin Ridley being a positive, but do you think he's like a slam dunk mid round value?

[Scott Bogman]

Yeah, I think I have both the guys that Pat is taking here over my guy George Pickens, but that's why I like this range right here. So I think you do get a little bit of separation and I think after the Calvin Ridley and a lot of these number one whiteouts, you're going to get just this glut of you know, who I can take anyone from. Like I have a group of 28 down to like 42. That's a tier to me that I think are just awesome wide receivers. Now Pickens is at the top of that. A lot of times I see him float towards the bottom. But I love this pick of Calvin Ridley. I mean I think there's two things here. Number one, he's an undisputed number one target on this team. Right. There's no one else that is going to come close to him in targets on this squad at all. So he's by far and away a number one target and we've seen what that has done for a guy like him in the past. And Cam Ward is a deep ball specialist. He throws a deep ball incredibly well. So Ridley is going to make the most of some of those opportunities where will Levis just could not get him the ball at all last year. And I think this is. I've said this about the Titans offense in general, but you know this is a. The rising tide lifts all boats. Cam Ward coming here makes every single offensive option way better in Tennessee this year than it was in 2024. And that goes double for Calvin Ridley because he's going to lead this team by target in targets by a wide margin.

[Chris Welsh]

Let me ask you guys about this question with these two players. Pat. If Calvin Ridley and George Pickens were your two and three do, would you be okay or do you think you may be messed up at wide receiver if one of them had to be pushed to a 2? It's like is the inherent value, the intrinsic value of these players that they are wide receiver threes. So would that be something you could do or do you think you messed up?

[Pat Fitzmaurice]

No, I'd be good with that. And you know, hopefully my one is a top 10 guy but I would be okay with those guys as two and three.

[Scott Bogman]

Yeah, I like my one to be a top 10 guy and a good tight end. Okay, well I would have gotten my RPV at tight end.

[Chris Welsh]

Yeah, maybe you could pull that off. Like I think ideally here, like your wide receivers, let's say Nico Collins. And then let's say you get Trey McBride in the back and then it's maybe a running back and then another something I probably another running back. So then five and six rounds, five and six, you're now getting Calvin Ridley and George Pickens. So I don't. I'm trying to think of what those running backs would be. Maybe it's like Ken Walker you got in the third and fourth is, you know, throw James Conner. I don't know, like just throw that out there. So now your team is Nico McBride who I say James Conner with Ken Walker. And then now you're getting Pickens in Calvin Ridley. So that's a checkoff cosign.

[Scott Bogman]

Yeah. Especially if Trey McBride is my tight end. Absolutely.

[Chris Welsh]

Okay, so both of you checking that off there. Okay, so a couple of good mid round values there. We're not done. We're sticking in rounds five and six with two more players. But first, it's time for you guys to get in the game. Best Ball is live at DraftKings. 15 million is on the line with real stakes and real excitement. Best Ball is the biggest fantasy contest at DraftKings. We're talking a $15 million guaranteed prize pool with two millionaires being crowned for first and second place. Play season long fantasy football at DraftKings the DraftKings way. With best Ball, there's no waiver wires, no roster management. You get bigger rosters so injuries won't end your season. Just draft your team and you're set. And if a shot at winning a share of $15 million isn't enough to get you excited, check this out. DraftKings is offering everyone a draft one get one special. Your $20 entry fee scores you a bonus ticket. So download the DraftKings app and use code Fantasy Pros. That's code Fantasy Pros for all customers who enter the NFL. Best ball 15 million millionaire contest. To get a bonus ticket and get a shot at being crowned one of two millionaires only on DraftKings gambling problem.

[Pat Fitzmaurice]

Call 1-800-GAMBLER in New York, call 877-8-HOPE&WY or text Hopeny at 467-369 in Connecticut. For problem gambling, call 888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org 18 and over in most eligible states. But age varies by jurisdiction. Eligibility restrictions apply. One per customer. Enter the Best Ball 15 million headliner contest by 9425 to get one bonus entry. $20 entry fee required reward expires in 30 days. See [e-mail] NFL Best Ball I'm Dan.

[Dan]

He's Ty.

[Scott Bogman]

Hello.

[Dan]

And we're the Solid Verbal College Football Podcast.

[Ty]

College football season is here and you know what that means.

[Dan]

Your team is going to break your heart three times, probably before Halloween.

[Scott Bogman]

Uh huh.

[Ty]

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[Dan]

Join us all season long, all year long, as we ride the rollercoaster of this ridiculous sport.

[Ty]

Whether you're a die hard fan or a casual observer, we'll help you make sense of all the chaos and of course, celebrate the madness. Tune in for previews, recaps, bits you won't hear anywhere else, and all the emotional support you need as a college football fan.

[Dan]

We don't just love college football, Ty, we live it.

[Ty]

Listen to the Solid Verbal college football podcasts on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Noah de Barrasso]

I'm Noah. I'm 13 and as you might have seen from the news, I got a podcast and I explain those fake headlines like your uncle would, like your cousin would, if he actually did the research. Honestly, adults don't ask the right questions. Now, you know what? Noah de Barrasso is a show about influence. Who's got it, how they use it, and what it means. For the rest of you, it's not the news, it's what the news should be if someone Gen Z or Gen Alpha made it. And I'm watching everything.

[Scott Bogman]

Sheesh.

[Noah de Barrasso]

Majority of the youth 18 through 24 say they trust Republicans more than Democrats to fund the economy.

[Scott Bogman]

You kidding me?

[Noah de Barrasso]

Politics is wild and I'm definitely not here to tame it. But I'm here to make sense of it. Just what's happening, why it matters, and what it means for us. Bring your brain. Listen to now youw Know and Noah de Barrasta on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcast.

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[Chris Welsh]

Presented by Capital One, founding partner of iHeart Women's Sports. All right, Boggs, you're gonna break up the wide receiver love fest. And you say that there is a mid round, five to six running back that you like. I kind of think this signifies the dead zone. Maybe in like a month ago, it wasn't. This was still a time where you could. You probably could have still got like an AJ or RJ Harvey or something like that. You know, maybe I don't think Hampton would have been in there. Maybe a Trayvon. That's where I was going with it. Travy on or something like that. Now that's pushed up into the fourth round. So you're looking into five and six. I think this is a little dead zone Y. But you like a running back here.

[Scott Bogman]

Yeah, honestly, I, when I looked Trevian was 49, so I technically could have taken him. But I know he's also one of Pat's favorites and he. Pat is a little more insane on Treveon Henderson than I am, so I thought maybe he would take Henderson. So I left him Henderson. He didn't take him. But I think that's right because I think the helium is probably. Yeah, I don't think you're getting fourth round.

[Chris Welsh]

Yeah, real time. Real time ADP is probably showing that he has. He's one of those guys that moves out.

[Scott Bogman]

So I picked Isaiah Pacheco here. And Isaiah Pacheco doesn't have to be necessarily taken here, but in this mid range, 6, 7, 8, somewhere in that range, I see him start slipping, right? And I have him at 26. I think his ECR is actually higher than that at 25. But in a lot of the drafts that I do, Aaron Jones is still going ahead of him. Tyrone Tracy, because of scatterboose injury, has gone above him. Everyone I've seen has Caleb Johnson ranked ahead of Isaiah Pacheco right now. Javante is assumed to be the guy. He goes ahead. And this Bill Crosby Merritt Helium has taken him ahead of Pacheco in a couple spots that I've seen as well. Not many, but I think we're seeing a rapid rise on some of these performers in the preseason and Pacheco is just kind of forgotten about. And this is the point that I've just been making over and over and over is that, look, the Chiefs didn't go out and spend a bunch of money on a running back. They didn't spend high draft capital on running back. They took Rashard Smith. He hasn't cracked past Carson Steele in the backup role here for Pacheco. So I don't think there's a threat to Pacheco's job. They didn't go out and sign someone. They haven't brought someone in. There's been no trade rumors about them bringing in a running back. I think what we saw from Pacheco was him playing at, well, less than 100% at the end of the year and this is still a very potent offense. It hasn't been great. The last couple years are as good. They've relied way more on their defense, the Chiefs have recently, than their offense. But I think that they're going to get it together. We saw Worthy playing much better. They're going to get Rice back at some point, obviously the big suspension, but we'll see, right? And I just think this offense is going to hum a little bit more this year and Pacheco is going to be clearly the goal line back here. So I think Pacheco could have a great year. He's still on a good offense with one of the best quarterbacks in the league. I know people are down on Mahomes, but he's still really good. And I think that they're going to score more points this year. They've been, you know, kind of middling, like I think 13 and 23. There were 11, 12 last year in points per game. I think that can take a step up and I think Pacheco can score a bunch of touchdowns. So it's about touchdown progression and just really the progression off of this injury for Pacheco, for me.

[Chris Welsh]

So I'm looking at Real Time ADP. He's RB24. He's in Real. So this is the real, real time stuff. He is going right ahead of Dave Montgomery. RJ Harvey. Shout out to the guy who called me out for getting mad that I said AJ on accident. Apologies, my brain. I'm dumb. I'm dumb. So I say dumb things sometimes. And we're going fast here. RJ Harvey, Dave Montgomery, Tony Pollard or above. So Fitzy, I don't. I don't particularly like this pick Because I'm a. I want nothing to do with Pacheco. Whether it's like let him fall or whatever, that's just me. I think there's some committee stuff that's a little bit of a problem in here. I think there's some really good touchdown equity. He's just not a me guy. This is not a me Pacheco guy. So Bachman likes him in here. I think this is the epitome of the dead zone. All these players I'm just not super into but you break the tie. Do you like this as a pick for a mid round, valued 5th or 6th round RB?

[Pat Fitzmaurice]

I do and I was a little bit on the fence coming into this offseason. Like seeing Pacheco look like Isaiah Pacheco again in the preseason has kind of gotten me back in his camp.

[Scott Bogman]

And he's got to run like he's angry at the ground. Fitzy. That's really. When you see that, you know he's good.

[Pat Fitzmaurice]

Like he's trying to break through a locked door again. So yeah, and that's the old angry running style we like he came back from a broken leg after two and a half months and like not surprisingly did not look anything like the same guy. And I am totally willing to give him a mulligan. I think the biggest reason Pacheco's ADP is so modest is because he was ineffective upon his return last. But I do think one of the other reasons he's so affordable is because people have been sort of nervous about the presence of all these other running backs in Kansas City like Kareem Hunt, Elijah Mitchell, Burchard Smith. But like what if all these dudes are just fighting for backup duty and some third down work?

[Scott Bogman]

I mean Carson Steele has been better than all of those guys mentioned. Cream Hunt's washed. Eli Mitchell doesn't look the same coming off the injury and Smith just haven't cracked the rotation yet.

[Pat Fitzmaurice]

Yeah, you know, and Bershard Smith, like a nice player. Maybe he can be the Jerick McKinnon in this offense but like, I don't know, the Jerick McKinnon role maybe gets a little overplayed sometimes. I just think Pacheco is the lead back and is going to be the lead back for one of the better offenses in the NFL. So like don't overthink it.

[Chris Welsh]

All right. Well, I don't think any of us are going to overthink this one. One of the most popular names here. If I look at. Let me click over to wide receiver. I bet this is got to be one of the guys that is trended up. He's always trending up. Let me look in the right direction. Either way it is Teteroa McMillan. We all love Teoa Bachman and Fitz. You guys are going to have a fist fight after this in the parking lot to figure out which one gets to be the official. But you did claim him Fitzy, so by right you have him. You think he's an incredible value in the fifth or sixth. My only argument here is he might not be lasting in the fifth anymore. He's one of those guys like Travion that might be pushing into the fourth a little bit.

[Pat Fitzmaurice]

He should be pushing into the fourth Welsh but the fantasy pros real time ADP has him at 59. Excuse me. Is that 60th overall? Looks like 60th overall. One spot behind Isaiah Pacheco. Wide receiver 25. I have Ted Auroa McMillan ranked wide receiver 16 and I get it. People are nervous about drafting rookies too aggressively. Tede Roa McMillan didn't go to a glamour offense. It's the Carolina Panthers and people still don't trust Bryce Young. But I think the environment is kind of a selling point for TMAC. Actually McMillan is already the best skill position player the Panthers have on the roster. Like Bryce Young was really solid down the stretch last year that the tutelage of reputed quarterback whisperer Dave Canales, the Panthers head coach seemed to take hold in December. Carolina has a really good offensive line and they have a bad defense which is probably going to lead to a lot of pass heavy game scripts. So here we are with this guy who was drafted eighth overall. Ted Arrow McMillan averaged 108.8 yards per game over his final two college seasons with less than stellar college quarterbacking in those two years. Really good route runner. He's six foot five so you know he's going to get end zone targets. McMillan is just. I think he gets a lot of targets from the jump and I think he has a chance to finish as a top 12 receiver as a rookie.

[Chris Welsh]

So you. What did you say you have met 16.

[Pat Fitzmaurice]

16.

[Chris Welsh]

I've got him at 18 bucks. Where do you want Ted Rod McMillan. Oh, so you're the loser. So you hate McMillan. So that's.

[Scott Bogman]

I have 43 overall. He's a high end fourth round pick to me. So to get him in the sixth or fifth is insanity.

[Chris Welsh]

Well, and that's what I was going to say is if you're. The cool thing about this is if you're on Some of these other sites where you're looking at the real time adp, which is aggregating data from, you know, some of the sites that you guys are drafting on, he is being valued and going on average into that fifth round. But if you're using fantasy pros and you're using the cheat sheet and you're going to have guys like Pat, myself and Bogman, he is going to be ranked in the fourth round. So this is actually the epitome of like the best, most incredible fifth six round value. If he is there. Boggs, even though you do hate him and you're the lowest here and you don't get any shares of him, why don't you tell us why you think this is such a great pick?

[Scott Bogman]

Yeah, actually I have like 3 shares of him already, by the way, but I was actually lower on him in Dynasty than I was regular. Just, you know, I don't know that he's Mike Evans, but every day I watch him, he looks more and more like Mike Evans, I can tell you that much. Look, just the number one white out here for the Panthers to think everything that Fitz said is correct. And you know, the point I keep making about the defense and the point that you brought up about Micah Parsons particularly maybe bringing the Cowboys chances up and Trey Hendrickson not playing this year as the sack leader with that horrible defense last year, take him off that team. How bad is Cincinnati's defense? Carolina's defense is bad. Now last year was historically bad. I think they have upgraded to just bad, but they're still not good. They're going to have to play point for point. With so many teams this year, I don't think this is a fixable problem in one season. So I think McMillan is going to get a lot of garbage time and that's bonus points. And they all count the same for us. We love it. So give me all the Ted McMillan I can get.

[Chris Welsh]

16, 18, 20. We all want Ted a ROA and.

[Scott Bogman]

I left him, by the way, for Fitzy, purposely.

[Chris Welsh]

Yeah, you're being.

[Scott Bogman]

He's my highest player of all the ones that we've talked so far. He is my highest ranked by a lot. So do not put out the narrative that I hate Tedro McMillan.

[Chris Welsh]

Welsh, there's no narrative. Just you are. What's statistically lower? I don't know. We're not. It's. It's a number.

[Scott Bogman]

Oh, I don't know. We're not going to talk about facts and evidence. What are you, the government?

[Chris Welsh]

Well, it doesn't matter. We got to move on. I have him higher than you. That end of story case close. You know, go to the three.

[Scott Bogman]

I'm three spots higher than ECR expert consensus ranking. I am high on McMillan by the way.

[Chris Welsh]

Listen, okay, like sure. The most innocent people are super defensive of all that type of stuff. So a little defensive that Aero macmillan.

[Scott Bogman]

Maybe when you just throw me under the bus, I'm going to be in.

[Chris Welsh]

Arguably we are higher. All right, so let's go to another round. That's right. What we're going to do here we are jumping over to rounds seven and eight. We need more best values and that is what we are going to do here. Kicking off Bachmann, you get to kick off with a player that I love and not trying to be a complete homer. But listen, he's the number one. He's going around seven or eight and you have identified him as an incredible value that you've got to draft. So let's hear about this 49ers wide receiver.

[Scott Bogman]

Yeah, no saving this guy for Fitzy. Ricky Pierce saw has been gradually rising up everyone's board and I just think he has to. Who is catching the football? Who do you guys just trade for? Sky Moore. The remnants of Sky Moore you guys just traded for. Who all is going to even be playing come week one for this Diners team? They better have Christian McCaffrey back for a lot of the season because this went from a net positive. Oh look, Brock Purdy is this game manager guy to he better be making it happen because Jennings looks like he might start on the pup. IUK is definitely starting on the pup and you have Old Christian McCaffrey and Old George Kittle leading this. So we need a little youth. We need an injection of youth and deep Paul catcher. So Ricky Piersall here I think is going to come at a massive value and all the projections that I have seen have him somewhere in the neighborhood of 60 catches, 900 yards and like three or four touchdowns. I think he is going to whoop those numbers. I think he's going to have closer to 75 to 80 catches. I think he's going to have over a thousand yards and the touchdowns. I mean who knows if he becomes one of Brock Purdy's favorites. He can make big plays. He's great with the ball in his hands. He's a good route runner and he's dealt with some horrific quarterback play in his collegiate career as well. Anthony Richardson was a dude throwing him the ball made him a first round pick. So I just, I really like Ricky Piersall. I think the fact that, you know, Deebo is gone, the fact that IUK is not 100%, Jennings is hurt now as well with this calf thing. Might have to start on the ir. It's just, it's getting uglier by the day in San Francisco as far as pass catchers go. And I think Piersall is a guy that is looking to absorb so many targets. All the projections have him around 100 targets and 60 catches. I think that's going to be close to 120 targets and closer to 75 catches. And with what he does with the ball, that's going to be well over a thousand yards. And this is a guy going in the sixth, seventh round right now, seventh or eighth actually even here. So I think he's just coming at an incredible value. And this is why you wait to take some wide receivers. There's guys down here like this over.

[Chris Welsh]

The last seven days. Ricky Pierasol is the third highest mover in real time adp. So he has got the third highest move. One thing I want to add before we get your take on here, Fitzy, is that Purdy did an interview like three weeks ago and they were asking maybe a month ago and they were asking him about Ricky Pierasol and he had said, you know, Ricky's made such big jumps and one thing they had to do is he's such an explosive player, they had to get him to stop taking those extra steps. And I have a point to this in that, you know, he was trying to make these extra moves and Purdy was like, listen, we, it's great that you can make these extra moves and get this extra step, but we need you to be in this spot when we think you're going to be in this spot so we can connect. That did not connect early on, but what he said is he said right at the end of the season, that's where all the things started to connect. His last two games of the season, 18 targets, 14 catches for over 200 yards and a touchdown in both games. I just want to point that out that as he learned the offense, Purdy built his trust into him. He had these big explosive games and now he's one of the only, one of the only shows in town. Fitzy. So what do you think about the Ricky Piersol being a great value 7.03 so third pick in the seventh round. He just makes this by real ADP factors. He's still kind of a 78 in a lot of other leagues like, like draft sites like ESPN or Yahoo.

[Pat Fitzmaurice]

Yeah, I love that point you made. Welsh about and. And we know like Piersol sort of got denied some valuable reps early on because of the shooting and so understandable that things started slowly for him. And over the full year, I think he averaged like 1.44 yards per outrun, which is not a great number. But what he did at the very end of the season is what I'm going to weigh more heavily because, you know, he had that little chat with Purdy. He was a little more integrated into the system. I like Piersall. I am cool with him at his current price, but I like him a little less now than I did a few weeks ago when he and Juwan Jennings had similar ADPs. And now Piersall is going two full rounds ahead of Jennings. Like the real time ADP, 75th overall. Jennings real time ADP 100th overall. And you know the cool thing about fantasy Pro's Real Time ADP. You mentioned it, Welsh. It tracks 24 hour trends and seven day trends. And over the last seven days, Ricky Pierce hall is up 7.9 spots. And over the last 24 hours he's up 2.1 spots. So he is like, yeah, he's probably jumped another spot as we've started recording this helium. Yeah, I know. So it's just right. Like, I'm glad I've already drafted him in a few spots. Like, I don't know if he's going to be super expensive by the time we get to Labor Day weekend.

[Scott Bogman]

I'm also glad that I was able to say this without a bunch of snot coming out of my nose. Like the Hot Takes episode that we did where I said he was going to be the leader in yards for the Niners a couple weeks ago.

[Chris Welsh]

Very coherent. Yeah, way more coherent than that episode was. Fitz, your guys actually kind of on the opposite end. I don't think there's like a lot of big exciting buzz around this player. He's not moving up in any of the real time ADP that we're kind of referencing in this episode. But you got another wide receiver. So between the 7 8th round, who is your pick for a guy that everybody needs to pick?

[Pat Fitzmaurice]

It's Chris Olave. And I know I'm not going to sell everyone on this because some people are just not drafting him no matter what. And the current Price is wide receiver, 3577 overall. So he's going behind Peirsol for a player who might be one of the 10 most talented wide receivers in the league. Like olave has averaged 2.21 yards per out run for his career. That is just a hair behind the 2.28 yards per outrun that CD Lamb has averaged for his career and the 2.25 yards per outrun that Jamar Chase has averaged over his career. Now I, I get the concerns with the lave. He has had five concussions dating back to his college career at Ohio State. And you know, it's it's possible Chris Olave has an elevated risk of injury, but the injury doctors seem kind of divided on whether Olave carries more risk of getting a concussion than any other player, although they do seem to agree that the consequences of another concussion would, you know, be worse for Olave than someone without a concussion history could jeopardize his future to a much greater degree. The other concern, obviously the quarterback situation in New Orleans, which is probably the worst in the league, but even the worst passing games in the NFL usually generate 3,000 passing yards in a season. And it's not like Spencer Rattler and Tyler Schuck can't throw a spiral. So Olave is wildly talented. He's going to get a big target share. Saints head coach Kellen Moore has been using a lot of in the slot quite a bit in the preseason. I love that for a lave, especially with the QB questions. Slot usage should help Alave generate some real easy catches off easy throws. So I'm here for the deep discounted Chris Olave and you know, I'll run that risk because at the point where you're drafting him, the risk is a little bit less than it was when Olave was like a second or third rounder a couple of years ago.

[Chris Welsh]

I love the potential of the slot usage. That's huge. Bachmann, what's a bigger worry, the injury, concussion risk or the quarterback play for Olave?

[Scott Bogman]

It's definitely the injury risk, right? Like I think Olave is a, he's a upper tier wide receiver in terms of skill, right? Like I think he can probably make it work with almost any quarterback as long as they're NFL level and you're not, you know, getting somebody horrible. And I think Tyler Shuck is back up NFL level. So I think he's going to be fine. I think the volume is going to be insane. So to me the bigger issue is much more with the concussions. Like he, he I feel like you have to draft him as wide receiver 4 no matter what your team looks like he needs to be more of a fill in. You can't be reliant on him because he's one hit from going away for good I feel like. So I have drafted him in a couple spots just because it keeps falling and falling because people are risk averse and like you said, he's one of the guys that isn't moving even though it's clear he's going to be the number one by a lot with this team. As long as he's healthy, there's big questions about the health. So very sneaky pick. I like this one.

[Chris Welsh]

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[Scott Bogman]

Yeah, let's go with Zach Charbonnet here and I know Ken Walker is a very buzzy player. He's a very good player, but with Clint Kubiak taking over in this offense, this team is going to run the ball a lot. I think there's going to be meat on the bone for two RBs here. And even if there isn't, we have seen Ken Walker miss two games his first year, two games the next year, four games last year. Like, it's always been this trend of missed games with Ken Walker that is unbelievably frustrating because I think the dude is one of the best running backs in the league. But if you watched any Seattle preseason football, I don't typically get hyped off of preseason football, but this O line had them running the ball down people's throats. George Holani was running through gigantic holes on this that this O line was creating. They were running more 1 wide receiver sets than I saw any of the team running in the preseason. I don't know if that's. I don't see that statistically, but a lot of one wide receiver sets, man, I think Kubiak is going to have these dudes playing defense and run the ball. I think that's what McDonald wants overall for this team. They're built. They want to be built like the Ravens, right? You want to run the ball down, people throw. You want to be able to pass when you need to, and you want to play strong defense. And I think with Walker, with Charbonnet and Charbonnet is such a good running back. He is not a backup. I know he is technically behind Walker. He is not a backup running back. He is a very. This isn't Tyler Algier, right? This isn't a handcuff. This is a back that holds standalone value. And I think you can get him as your RB5 right now. 4. In a lot of leagues, that is fine. When Zach Sharbonnet picks up the volume, he is going to be a top 15 RB. No doubt to me if he picks up that volume. So there's, there's balance in there that shows that he is going to have value standalone. And there's a ton of upside if there is a Walker injury that keeps him out for multiple weeks. So Charbonnet is going to be on my bench in almost every single draft.

[Chris Welsh]

That's interesting. I was actually going to say, like, it might be more Algier because Algiers, like, he's talented. They call him a1B. He's going to get run, but there's just going to be more usage for Charvin.

[Scott Bogman]

This separation is so, so big. My point is the separation is so big between Bichon and Algier. It's not between Walker and Charbonnet that that's. Even though Algier is a good backup, he's not anywhere close to Bichon Fitzy.

[Chris Welsh]

Is there, is there a path where Charbonnet has fantasy relevance without. And when I say fantasy relevance, I mean like real fantasy relevance. Like you're starting him at flex, maybe even RB2 without Ken Walker getting hurt.

[Pat Fitzmaurice]

Yes, I think the Seattle run game is going to be that good this season. And there have been a lot of shows. In fact, some people are probably sick of hearing me talk about this. Where I've mentioned the historical success of running games orchestrated by either Seahawks play caller Clint Kubiak or his dad Gary, in tandem with offensive assistant Rick Dennison. We are talking going back to Denver in the mid-1990s to mid-2000s with Terrell Davis, Clinton Portis. After that it was Arian Foster. Remember all Landis.

[Scott Bogman]

Gary was good for a year.

[Pat Fitzmaurice]

Yeah. These one off seasons from A Landis, Gary and Tatum Bell and Reuben Drones, Arian Foster, when Gary Kubiak was the head coach in Houston and Rick Dennison was the. The oc. So yeah, like. And then Seattle told us they want to run the ball by drafting Gray Zabel, who already looks like one of the best run blockers in the league. Like it is. It's like offline too. Robbie Utes, the 270 pound fullback from Alabama. Exactly.

[Scott Bogman]

They are fullback slash offensive lineman.

[Pat Fitzmaurice]

Yes. A sixth lineman. They're saying they want to run the ball. Kenneth Walker's the lead back. He's. He's been hurt a lot. So Charbonnet has. Well, let's see. Last year he averaged 3.35 yards after contact per carry, which is phenomenal. And when Kenneth Walker got hurt last year, Charbonnet had a pair of two touchdown games. One against the Dolphins, one against the Cardinals. He's also been a really good pass catcher. 75 receptions over his first two NFL seasons. So yeah, there is a lot to like here he is. And even if Walker stays healthy, I think Charbonnet has some standalone value.

[Chris Welsh]

Well, we got a tight end that's going to make this list and it's an interesting range. This set. We're sticking into seven and eight round and you're looking at the adp. This is the name that actually might not have been what people would think when you start going through these names, but real time adp. Your tight end Fitzy is now the eighth tight end on our adp. So again, it wasn't even necessarily. I just want to point this out. We weren't like meaning to plug the real time ADP throughout this entire thing, but it's just so relevant the final big week. This is the last big weekend. I think this is really relevant. So, you know, apologies if you think like, you know, there's some. We're just, it's fun, it's fun to do the Real Time ADP, but this guy has moved to 8 on that list and that might not be in a lot of people's minds. So let's hear your mid round tight end value.

[Pat Fitzmaurice]

Right. Tucker Kraft, a guy who was going like tight end 11 earlier in the offseason and is getting a little bit of steam. 50 catches for 707 yards and seven touchdowns last year. It's possible he was just getting started. The packers have this muddled situation at wide receiver. Jaden Reed has been pretty good, but he hasn't really been a high volume target earner. Now he's hurt at the moment. We don't know if first round rookie Matthew golden will be good. Positive camp reports, we just don't know yet. And we do have a pretty good idea that Romeo Dobbs and Don Tavian Wicks are just little more than warm bodies. And Christian Watson is probably going to miss half the season after tearing his ACL last year. So Tucker Kraft, 70 targets last year could get closer to 100 targets this year unless the Green Bay receivers perform much better than expected. And Kraft is good. He averaged. This is not going to repeat, but he averaged 9.3 yards after the catch per reception last year, which is just insane. Again, unrepeatable. But it just goes to show that Kraft does have a little bit of that George Kittle juice after the catch and Kraft is going late in the seventh round. Like that's pretty solid value for a tight end who I think has top five upside.

[Chris Welsh]

So the only problem I have with this is like if I get one of the top guys, there's a tier of guys that are kind of near the bottom that I want, but I want the lowest cost of them. And that connect, that collection is like I think Andrews falls in there, Kelsey falls in there, Kraft and Ingram. Kraft was always the last of all those players, so that's why my shares are high. That's now turned to Ingram. Evan Ingram has fallen down to 10 on that list and Kraft is just going a little bit higher. But Boggs, what do you think about, you think in the seventh or eighth, Kraft is actually Still a value.

[Scott Bogman]

Very much so. And he is. I have blabbed and blabbed. I think there are a lot of tight ends to like this year, right? There's a lot with upside, which I have one here. We'll get into that in the next grouping as well. But Tucker Crafts is such a good value. I'll have a little more on Tucker Crafts a little later in the show as well.

[Chris Welsh]

So before we get to rounds nine through 11 with some upsides on our bench, let's talk about our friends over at Novig. Dominate your fantasy draft with Fantasy Pros Premium now available free for six months. When you deposit and place your first trade on Novig, this is the easiest way to get access to our fantasy tools all season long. Get access to our best draft and in season tools for free. Thanks to our friends at Novig. Go to fantasyprose.com premium to get started. That's fantasypros.com premium. All right, rounds nine through 11, these are kind of your benches. Maybe there's a flex start that's flowing in there and you guys have each got two of them. So let's start hitting them. Bogman, you are going to jump into the tight end race. So this is not going to be Tyler Kraft, though, as you said. We're going to talk about him a little bit later. This is another very popular guy who's moving up boards. Who do you got?

[Scott Bogman]

Yeah, it's Tyler Warren. And look, there's something to be taken advantage of my idiocy here. I was the one that thought that Anthony Richardson was primed to take this role. I think it's kind of dumb that this regime would not start him as the fourth overall pick. Fitzy and I agreed on this ad nauseam. I won't beat that dead horse here. But the fact that Daniel Jones is starting means that the pass catchers rise a little bit. Everybody, I feel like maybe the deep guys, Alec Pierce and Adnai Mitchell, maybe not, you know, those guys. But I feel like everybody else takes a little bit of a bump because we have a better passer here in Daniel Jones, which is a low bar. But Anthony Richardson was just miserable last year. I think Josh Downs and Tyler Warren are just so undervalued right now. Tyler Warren is my guy here. Last season just he was second in everything because Harold Fannin had such a crazy year and set all kinds of tight end records. But listen to these from Tyler Warren last year at the collegiate level. 2nd in tight end targets, 2nd in tight end reception, 2nd in tight end yards 3rd in tight end receiving touchdowns, 2nd tight end receiving grade 2nd tight end hands grade 2nd in Yak, 3rd in yards per route run, 4th in contested targets, 3rd in contested catches, 2nd in missed tackles, 4th among tight ends and 2nd in in tight end first down catches. He runs the ball at the goal line as well. He can throw the ball because he played quarterback in high school. This dude can literally do everything on the field. He's a Jeremy Shockey clone with, you know, more options to score for you. So I think Tyler Warren is going to be a stud. I think he's one of the rare tight ends that jumps in and is good from the jump you saw in the preseason, the insane usage of him from the very first game where he was just getting all kinds of targets. I think he's going to be a top five or six tight end in terms of targets this year. I think Daniel Jones is going to love him. He's great with the ball in his hands and they're going to draw up goal line plays for him. There is just not a lot of downside to drafting Tyler Warren right now.

[Chris Welsh]

Pat, if you miss on Tyler Kraft or Tucker Kraft is the names are going to. We're talking Tyler Warren. If you miss on Tucker Kraft. Are you targeting Tyler Warren?

[Pat Fitzmaurice]

Yes, I am and I would rather have him than Evan Ingram. Welsh, you got to get on board with this. Ingram's going to lose some snaps to Adam Troutman like who is like Sean Payton's run blocking, Pat and Tyler Warren Bogman just said that Tyler Warren and Josh Downs are undervalued. He was half right. Tyler Warren is undervalued. And Tyler Warren is going to nuke Josh Down's fantasy value because he is going to going to command a big share of these short area and intermediate range targets which is kind of where Josh Downs lives. So like I, I think Warren is a big problem for Downs in fantasy and Warren was just such a monster at Penn State and you know, like some people might wonder why he was kind of a one year college wonder. Well, there's were some other pretty good tight ends there, Theo Johnson and Brenton Strange sort of blocking him. But last year Tyler Warren, I think it was eight touchdown catches, four touchdown runs and one touchdown pass for Penn State. He really is a do it all guy and he sells popcorn in the stands at halftime. Like I think he's going to be a weekly must start and you know, like by all accounts he's had a phenomenal training camp. Pretty much picking up where he left off last year for the Nittany Lions. Like I think he's really good at the start of the process. In Dynasty, I had Colston Loveland ranked ahead of Tyler Warren. I just couldn't justify that anymore. I think Warren's going to smash from the get go.

[Chris Welsh]

All right, Pat, you've got a oldie but a goodie here for your rounds 9 through 11. Probably more justified as a bench guy, but this guy really is maybe floating around in flex, especially in full PPR. Who's the player in the 9 to 11 mid round value that you have got to draft?

[Pat Fitzmaurice]

Austin Eckler, who has been one of my most frequently drafted players this year. As fun as the Jakory Crosky merit mania has, I tend to think Echler is going to be the most valuable fantasy asset in the Washington backfield. He's going to play on passing downs, he's just going to own the passing down work. He's going to own the two minute work and he's probably going to get some early down work too. Echler plays in this exciting up and coming offense with Jaden Daniels at the controls and Echler was really productive when healthy last year. He scored double digit, excuse me, double digit ppr points in eight of his 12 games. Averaged 4.8 yards per carry on the ground, 8.9 yards per target and 1.69 yards per route run as a pass catcher. Those receiving numbers are just insanely good for running back. Those are like wide receiver numbers from a running back. Don't see that often. So Echler still has juice. I think he's like the ideal fourth running back in fantasy and he's actually my third running back in some leagues.

[Chris Welsh]

I'm with you on that one. I've got him into the high 30s right now. I just think he's a great player play and then he goes even up more in like full PPR box. What do you think about Echler? I feel like you and I have had these conversations that maybe you're not like as enamored or anything like that with Eckler, but there's multiple scenarios. Echler eats, Echler doesn't do anything more. And now you know what everybody's projecting on the Chiefs running back core becomes what the commanders are and it's just this rotation of Krosky and then you've got Chris Rodriguez, Debo gets in there and it's just really messy. Like what side do you, do you go on with the Austin Eckler stuff?

[Scott Bogman]

Yeah, I'm, I'm. Look, look Warm on him. I feel like what is his ECR? I feel like I'm higher on ECR than, than most. I have him like in the 40s, but I still rather have Bill Crosby Merritt in this backfield and but I do think that people like we see this hype for Bill Crosby Merritt and people just forget about Austin Eckler. So he's just available for you at the end of your draft. And there is definitely like, there's definitely the world where Eckler gets way more touches and cross king Merritt. Right. Like that could easily happen now. You know, he has talked about not wanting to have as many touches or a ton of touches at this late stage in his career. That concerns me a little bit. The fact that he's not a goal lineback concerns me a little bit. But if you're in a PPR league, this guy is still sitting there around, you know, round eight or nine like he is just an easy grab and stash, an easy bench player that has upside for more touches because we don't really know how this backfield is going to sort itself out throughout the season. So right now it looks pretty, you know. C Rod 1, 2, Echler on passing down spill mixed in on wherever. That's what it looks like right now. But it could easily be Echler is the leading guy and Crosby merits the two and Chris Rodriguez goes away. He's not like a special talent.

[Chris Welsh]

Yeah. Echler is number three on the real time ADP in movement up over the last seven days. Crosky's number one. Kind of, of course. But Echler and Bill Krosky, Merritt, three biggest risers on that list. So awesome. Yeah. You have something else, Pat?

[Pat Fitzmaurice]

I was just going to say as much. Echler has come up a full round in the last seven days and he's still only in the 11th round. 127th overall running back 43 it is.

[Chris Welsh]

He has a pretty good value. Boggs, you think this is a great value? I'd almost even argue you can get him a little bit later than where you're projecting him when we're talking about 9th to 11th round pick that you really want to get mid round value. But there also might be some disagreement on this one. So let's hear your guy.

[Scott Bogman]

Yeah, my guy here is Wanda Robinson and I'm not going to sit here and argue that he's a great player. I don't think he is. I think he's fine, you know, probably a Jag. The problem to me is that there's just nothing changed with this Giants offense. And Jake Seeley brought up the point the other day like he needed 140 targets to be the 41st wide receiver in the league. I understand. So what changes, right? The only change that I've seen in the preseason is that he's been used more on the outside. So he'll be on the field more than he was last year. So, yeah, Tyrone Tracy might get more targets this year because Cam Scatter Boo's there and maybe they move him out a little bit more. That could hurt Wondale, but that's a pretty big stretch, I think, particularly with Scatterboo getting the injury in the preseason, being behind the eight ball in terms of reps a little bit. I think Tracy's going to see, you know, at least the first month as the main running back there. So I don't think he's going to concentrate on moving to wide receiver. They brought back Darius Slayton. All they did was add Scatter Boo and improve the quarterback play. Russell Wilson is there. Jackson Dart has looked good in the preseason. I just think that not a lot changes for Wanda. Is he going to get this many targets again? Maybe not, but he should be on the field more. So what changes for Wanda this year to make him a wide receiver? 4. That you get as a wide receiver. 6. At the end of your draft. I mean, that's fine to me.

[Chris Welsh]

All right, Pat. Time to get to mean Pat. The only time we're going to get to see mean Pat, right?

[Scott Bogman]

I've seen Mean Pat on the Dynasty show too, a couple times.

[Chris Welsh]

Are you with. Are you going to eviscerate?

[Pat Fitzmaurice]

Oh, you can miss me on Wanda Robinson. Like what's going to change is that maybe the Giants realize it is super negative EV to throw to Wanda Robinson. 7.5 yards per catch last year, 7.55 yards per target, which is terrible. 1.21 yards per route run, also terrible. Average depth of target, 4.8 yards. These are just empty PPR calories. There is zero upside here. I have no interest in rostering Wanda Robinson. Like I want someone with upside in these rounds and there is just none here. I'm always happy when someone else takes him in the drafts. I'm in.

[Chris Welsh]

Well, I think this last guy you guys are going to both agree with and there's some potential upside if he becomes the number one. Pat, your final of the 9th through 11 mid round picks that you got to target is a guy you at least can come together and agree on.

[Pat Fitzmaurice]

I hope so. Maybe. Bog said, I've irritated him and now he might go anti Keon Coleman on me. Yeah, so it's Keon Coleman. I cannot guarantee that Keon hits this year. The Bills do like to use a lot of different wide receivers and Coleman probably isn't going to be a high volume target earner. He's more of a big play guy but. But man, the big play potential is pretty appealing. Only 29 catches last year as a rookie, but keon Coleman averaged 19.2 yards per catch, 9.8 yards per target. And he was starting to come on last year before he missed a month with a wrist injury. Coleman had four catches for 125 yards in Week 7, five catches for 70 yards and a touchdown in Week 8. And then he got hurt in Week 9. He's 6 3. Before transferring to Florida State, Keon Coleman actually played college basketball at Michigan State, one of the best college basketball programs in the country. And Keon has like, he has some jaw dropping catches on his highlight reel from college. Like the dude has freaky ball skills and really not too bad with the ball in his hands either. Like Keon Coleman was the, he returned.

[Scott Bogman]

Kicks and punts in college.

[Pat Fitzmaurice]

Third leading punt returner in FBS in his final college season. So there is a lot to like here and I am anxious to see what he can do with the season of good health.

[Chris Welsh]

Well, Bugs, I know that you're a Keon Coleman fan, so you're going to co sign this as a pick you got to take in that 9 to 11 spot.

[Scott Bogman]

Of course, of course I will. I'm not going to hate on Pat just because he hated on me and I left him Keon Coleman here on purpose because I knew one of us would talk about him. But I think that these guys are kind of, they are, they are polar opposites and they depend on what you've built on your roster already up to this point. If you've taken shots on like big play guys like Xavier Worthy or maybe Zay Flowers, right, You're going to want Juan Dale for those guaranteed receptions, those short yard, they're boring yards. You know, there's not a lot of impact with them and there's a lot, not a lot of upside, but you know he's going to get them. If you filled your roster with receptions already, you're in a PPR league and you already have a high floor, then you want Keon Coleman for that massive upside, right? So I think these two players in particular, it depends on what you've already built. This is why we're looking at the mid round, right, is to to tell you where these guys give you the advantage. Well, Wanda gives you the advantage if you've already taken a little bit of risk on your team. And Coleman can be your risk if you're fairly safe. So these guys are Perfect as a 5, 6 if like Jacoby Myers is your 4, somehow these guys are a perfect 56 combo because one gives you floor and one gives you a lot of upside.

[Chris Welsh]

All right, speaking of upside, it's bold prediction time. We are going to take a mid round player. We are going to attach the bold prediction that this guy is going to outperform their ADP by at least two rounds. But first, let's talk about the middle rounds because the middle rounds offer some tough choices for fantasy managers to make when they're on the clock. And if you need help on the fly, just ask Coach, your personal fantasy football assistant. It taps into our reports, projections, rankings and news to give you applicable advice for whatever you need. Try it for free right now with our draft [e-mail] Mock Let Coach Be your shortcut to smarter, faster draft day decisions. Bold prediction, Bogman. This is actually a name we've talked about here. This guy has got to beat their ADP by at least two rounds. And we dictated that the player you're actually going to pick is one we talked about that was in the 7 to 8 range. So this must be quite the bold prediction. Who's your guy?

[Scott Bogman]

It's Tucker Kraft. And there are four. You know, I want five tight ends this year. One of the top three, Tucker Craft or Tyler Warren, those are the tight ends that I want. And you know, we keep talking about, you know, Matt LaFleur doesn't like a number one wide receiver, is disgusted by the thought of it. Well, he likes a number one tight end and it's Tucker Kraft. Tucker Kraft at the end of the season was like a 96% snapshare guy the last month, right? That is a dude that is going to be on the field with Jordan Love every single snap play in, play out. And last year these numbers were just ridiculous. First in Yak per reception, 9.3, tied for first and missed tackles. Force among tight ends, third in yards per reception, fourth in receiving touchdowns, fifth in Yak overall among tight ends. And I think this is just going to go up this year with Jordan Love being, you know, somewhat healthy coming in. I mean, healthier than getting hurt in that first Brazil game last season. And you know, there are questions among the wide receivers in Green Bay and What's going to happen there? There's no question for Tucker Kraft. He's going to be on the field every snap. He's going to be one of Jordan Love's favorite go to guys and he's great with the ball in his hand. So there's literally no downside to drafting Tucker Kraft where he's going right now. He's an excellent option at tight end.

[Chris Welsh]

Fitzy, you are going to go in the wide receiver market. This guy, wherever in the range of the mid, the mid rounds you get to pick this player is going to be phenomenal to draft because they are going to at least beat their ADP by two, two rounds. Maybe you have an even bolder prediction based on the stats, but who is your big bold prediction for a mid round player that you got to draft?

[Pat Fitzmaurice]

It is real time ADP wide receiver 39, Stefan Diggs. And I think Stefan Diggs is going to have 90 catches and 1100 yards this year. And I know people don't like wide receivers in their early 30s coming off torn ACLs. But it was a clean ACL tear, no other ligament damage. And guys, pro athletes, football players, NFL players have been returning from clean ACL tears extraordinarily fast. Like it's, it's when you get other ligament damage where you have the slower recovery. So Diggs has reportedly been well ahead of recovery schedule the whole time and I think he's going to be back pretty close to where he had been where he left off in Houston last year.

[Chris Welsh]

Well, Tucker Kraft and Stefon Diggs are definitely two players you're going to want to take for the upside. We listed out a whole bunch of other great names, but who do you guys love? Drop in the comments. Your favorite mid round players that you gotta draft to get on your team and it gets you cool opportunities here too. We're always doing giveaways, so drop it in the comments below and be a hero in this mid round. Value street for Pat Fitz Morris, Scott Bogman. I'm Chris Welch. Thank you guys so much for hanging out with us. Good luck in your drafts this weekend. It's crunch time for all of us and we're here for you, whatever you need right here at Fantasy Pros. We'll talk to you next time. Bye bye.

[Scott Bogman]

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 fantasypros.com review or on Spotify, follow us on X Instagram and TikTok antasypros and subscribe to our YouTube channel at YouTube.com fantasypros.

[Dan]

I'm Dan. He's Ty.

[Scott Bogman]

Hello.

[Dan]

And we're the Solid Verbal College Football Podcast.

[Ty]

Tune in for previews, recaps, bits you won't hear anywhere else, and all the emotional support you need as a college football fan.

[Dan]

Join us all season long as we ride the rollercoaster of this ridiculous sport.

[Ty]

Listen to the Solid Verbal College Football podcast on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Dan]

We don't just love college football, Ty. We live it.

[Scott Bogman]

Tune in to all the Smoke Podcast where Matt and Stack sit down with former first lady Michelle Obama.

[Sarah Spain]

Folks find it hard to hate up close. And when you get to know people and you're sitting in their kitchen tables and they're talking like we're talking, you know, you hear our story, how we grew up, how Barack grew up, and you get a chance for people to unpack and get beyond race.

[Scott Bogman]

All the Smoke featuring Michelle Obama. To hear this podcast and more, open your free iHeartRadio app, search all the smoke book and listen.

[Pat Fitzmaurice]

Now.

[Sarah Spain]

The US Open is here and on my podcast, Good Game with Sarah Spain, I'm breaking down the players, the predictions, the pressure, and of course, the honey deuces, the signature cocktail of the U.S. open.

[Scott Bogman]

The U S Open has gotten to.

[Chris Welsh]

Be a very wonderfully experiential sporting event.

[Sarah Spain]

To hear this and more, listen to Good Game with Sarah Spain and iHeart women's sports production in partnership with Deep Blue Sports and Entertainment on the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcast Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Brought to you by Novartis, founding partner of iHeart Women's Sports Network. This is an iHeart podcast.