Biggest Fantasy Football Takeaways For EVERY AFC North Team (Ep. 1926)

Summary

FantasyPros Fantasy Football Podcast – Episode 1926

Biggest Fantasy Football Takeaways For EVERY AFC North Team

Date: January 7, 2026
Host: Ryan Wormley
Guests: Andrew Erickson, Jake Seeley
Theme: In-depth fantasy football analysis focusing on every team in the AFC North. The hosts discuss young breakouts, dynasty strategy, workload splits, position volatility, and the impact of team changes on key fantasy assets in the division.

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Episode Overview

This episode dives into the major fantasy football lessons from the 2025 season for the AFC North, focusing on critical player evaluations and future outlooks. The hosts examine the fantasy viability of young talents, interpret late-season surges, debate player ceilings and floors, and discuss what changing team situations mean for fantasy value moving forward.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

Pittsburgh Steelers: The Caleb Johnson Debate

[00:57–06:08]

• Caleb Johnson as a Dynasty "Buy Low/Free"
  • Andrew Erickson:
    • Believes Johnson’s disappointing rookie season is not a death knell; second-year RBs often become solid investments.
    • "I still think there's a path for Caleb Johnson to have a role on this offense in 2026, especially if you have a different quarterback under center and it's not Aaron Rodgers." [02:36]
    • Points out that Kenneth Gainwell, who played ahead of him, is a pending free agent, possibly opening up opportunities.
    • Draws parallels to Tank Bigsby, Blake Corum, Chase Brown—backs who surged after disappointing rookie years.
    • Sees Johnson as a strong dynasty "buy low" candidate.
  • Jake Seeley:
    • Mocks the amount Johnson’s stock has fallen – "It's like more like a buy free; I'll take him off your hands at this point…" [03:07]
    • Compares him to Tyler Allgeier, seeing his best-case as an RB3/FLEX who could become relevant if injuries occur.
    • "Even if it's buy low, as Erickson said…you're paying nothing to go get a lottery ticket essentially at this point." [04:54]

Notable Dynamics

• Both agree Johnson is worth zero-cost speculation but differ on whether his upside is inspiring or limited.
• Jake emphasizes how poor Johnson was as a rookie, but sees value as a free "lottery ticket."
• Room consensus: if Gainwell walks and Johnson’s price stays rock-bottom, there’s some upside—especially if you didn’t pay a premium to draft him.

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Baltimore Ravens: Zay Flowers – Ceiling, Floor, and Volatility

[06:02–15:50]

• How Much Can You Trust Zay Flowers?
  • Jake Seeley:
    • Thinks Flowers is always volatile: "You're going to get six or seven good games and that's it. Don't let the end of the season skew you on Zay Flowers for next year."
    • Nicknames him "Zay Volatility Flowers". [07:44]
    • Notes that despite a late flurry of touchdowns, he finished with only five—the most he’s ever had.
    • Doesn’t see high TD upside given his usage and the offense. Prefers Flowers as a WR3 where you can absorb the highs and lows.
    • "Give him to me as a wide receiver two… actually, I would prefer him to be my wide receiver three…" [07:55]
  • Ryan Wormley:
    • Views Flowers as a "floor player, not a ceiling player," and questions whether his late-season surge is repeatable. [08:04]
    • Points out that unless the Ravens drastically change his red zone usage, Flowers' ceiling is capped.
  • Andrew Erickson:
    • The optimistic counterpoint: insists Flowers is great, not just good.
    • "I just want to bet on the player's talent. Like Zay Flowers…Yards per route run this season—Zay Flowers finished fourth." [09:51]
    • Argues that Tre McBride, Jackson Smith-Njigba, and Puka Nacua all broke out when their usage/coaching changed—Flowers could do the same.
    • "I'll never quit Zay Flowers." [09:36]
    • Pushes the "what if" a new playcaller or coach gives him more red zone looks; Jake jibes, "If I had wheels, I'd be a bike." [11:42]
    • Ultimately, Erickson just wants to "bet on good players."
• Key Stats:
  • Flowers finished 4th in YPRR (Yards per Route Run) among WRs.
  • Ended with 5 touchdowns and 1200 receiving yards.
  • Only 10 red zone and 5 end zone targets for the year—far below elite WRs.

Notable Quotes

• Jake: "Volatility, it’s Zay Volatility Flowers. That should be his nickname…"
• Erickson: "I’ll never quit Zay Flowers… I think he’s a great wide receiver."
• Jake, on upside: "He just at the end of the season got him as wide receiver 14 in points per game." [09:01]
• Ryan: "If you’re building the case for Zay Flowers as a ceiling… it’s through yardage and catches." [12:08]

Debate Takeaways

• Jake and Ryan are skeptical the Ravens change how Flowers is used (especially in red zone) and expect his fantasy output to stay volatile.
• Erickson thinks talent can eventually win him more opportunity and upside, especially if offensive roles shift.
• All agree on Flowers' strong after-the-catch ability; main disagreement is whether his touchdown (and thus high-end fantasy) upside can ever really show up.
• If the community overreacts to his hot finish and the cost rises, consensus is to be cautious.

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Cincinnati Bengals: Chase Brown – “Sell High” or “Efficient ‘Kyren Williams’ Type?”

[18:39–24:10]

• Jake Seeley:
  • Sees Chase Brown as a “great sell high opportunity” – Bengals have consistently split backfields, even backing Samaje Perine was getting notable work at the goal line.
  • "If I knew Chase Brown was not going to be touched next year… I'd be thrilled… I just don't believe that's going to happen." [20:05]
  • Fears the Bengals sign or draft someone to muddy the backfield—turning Cincy into “the Seahawks of the AFC North.” [18:56]
• Andrew Erickson:
  • More bullish; says, even with split snaps, Brown was very productive as both a rusher and receiver.
  • Compares him to Kyren Williams—the Rams RB who thrived on efficiency and touchdowns despite not being a true bell cow.
  • "I think that Brown is going to remain really efficient as both a rusher and receiver… maybe you don't need him to be a full blown bell cow." [21:40]
  • Argues that efficient play and strong offense can keep Brown as at least a top-20 RB, even if he only gets 60% of the work.
• Room Consensus:
  • They agree Brown’s ultimate value depends on future moves (free agency/draft). He could be both a sell-high and buy-low, depending on league-market perception and offseason changes.
• Draft Price:
  • Brown is going around pick 3.04 in early mocks, which both think is about right—offering some balance between upside and risk. [24:06]

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Cleveland Browns: Uncertain Situation vs. Rookie Talent

[24:10–29:27]

• Jake Seeley:
  • Initially wanted to spotlight Quinshon Judkins as a potential fantasy bell cow but is scared off by the Browns’ offensive line situation—"They have free agents at left tackle, left guard, center, right guard, right tackle." [24:37]
  • The team is in negative cap space and may also need to draft a QB, so he’s not expecting much improvement up front.
  • Fears drafting excitement (like Harold Fannin at TE or Judkins at RB) will get overhyped relative to their actual situation. "It could be like me blocking out there next year…" [25:01]
  • Will avoid Browns if Judkins’s and Fannin’s price tags get too rich.
• Andrew Erickson:
  • Sees both the OL problems and the upside—notes rookies led this team in passing, rushing, receiving, and tackles (first team since 1970 NFL merger to do so). [26:41]
  • Encouraged by how well Judkins and other young players performed despite dysfunction.
  • "If people are so tied to the...offensive line is [awful]...we can't do this...he's outside the top 20 running backs...can Judkins pay off at RB20 price tag? Probably." [28:59]
• Debate:
  • Jake’s main worry: situation is so bad Browns could be "the Raiders 2025."
  • Erickson: If community sours enough to let Judkins fall in drafts, he becomes a value due to volume. But both generally agree—elite draft costs for Browns are unwarranted.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Jake Seeley, on Caleb Johnson: "It's like more like a buy free; I'll take him off your hands at this point…" [03:07]
• Jake Seeley, on Zay Flowers: "Volatility, it’s Zay Volatility Flowers. That should be his nickname…" [07:44]
• Andrew Erickson, on Zay Flowers: "I'll never quit Zay Flowers. I think he's a great wide receiver." [09:36]
• Jake Seeley, on Chase Brown: "If I knew Chase Brown was not going to be touched next year… I'd be thrilled… I just don't believe that's going to happen." [20:05]
• Andrew Erickson: "If the overwhelming consensus becomes Browns, this team sucks…where do they fall in drafts? Is Judkins now...outside the top 20 running backs? ...Can Judkins pay off at RB20 price tag? Probably." [28:59]
• Ryan Wormley, summing up the Zay Flowers debate: "If you’re building the case for Zay Flowers as a ceiling… it’s through yardage and catches." [12:08]

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• Steelers/Caleb Johnson: 00:57–06:08
• Ravens/Zay Flowers Debate: 06:08–15:54
• Bengals/Chase Brown: 18:39–24:10
• Browns Overview (Judkins, Fannin, OL situation): 24:10–29:27

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Tone & Takeaways

• Dynamic, friendly disagreement—hosts challenge each other but back up opinions with stats and examples.
• Heavy focus on player role vs. talent—where system, usage, and coaching matter just as much as ability.
• Emphasis on dynasty/keeper formats—offers advice on how to value players whose situations and stock may shift dramatically in the offseason.
• Advice is actionable but realistic—risk factors are always considered, especially where draft costs don’t align with likely opportunity or situation.

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Final Thoughts

• Steelers: Caleb Johnson is worth a free flyer in dynasty/keeper leagues.
• Ravens: Zay Flowers is talented but volatile; don’t let a hot finish fool you into overpaying.
• Bengals: Monitor Chase Brown’s off-season situation—he could be both a sell and a value depending on perception.
• Browns: Offensive line is a mess, so temper expectations for rookies even if there’s talent; let discount prices come to you.

Hosts suggest listeners check out their other division recaps for further fantasy insights.

Transcript

[A]

This is an iHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human. Hello everybody. Welcome into the Fantasy Pros Football Podcast. I'm Ryan Warmley, joined by Andrew Erickson and by Jake Seeley from the Athletic and we are talking fantasy takeaways from the AFC North. We're doing all the AFC divisions this week, so if you've missed some of the other ones, I'm not entirely sure the order they're coming out. So maybe this is the first one or maybe you've missed some of the others. Whatever it is, be sure to check them out all week long. The AFC will be doing the NFC next week here. We're taping these on Tuesday, which I just want to give us a caveat in case anything changes between now and the time. You are listening to this in terms of coaching changes or whatever it is, but we are talking about the AFC north here today. So let's dive right in guys. We're going to start with the Steelers who did win the division. It's still a little raw, we don't need to talk about it. But they did win this division somehow some way. So we'll start with our takeaways there. Erickson kicking it off with you. What is your fantasy takeaway for the Pittsburgh Steelers?

[B]

Caleb Johnson is not dead yet. Obviously a very disappointing rookie year. Someone that I was really high on entering the season and you know, he basically didn't even play that much as a rookie. Now I do think that there is a lot of studies at least that I've done where buying on these second year running backs is a really good investment strategy. Look at players like a Tank Bigsby disastrous rookie season.

[A]

Terrible.

[B]

If anything it's very similar to Caleb Johnson's where his one highlight was that botched kickoff attempt that end up giving the other team a touchdown and then he was benched and it was a whole, it was a whole mess. But I would say in defense of Caleb Johnson that he, the guys that were playing ahead of him played extremely well this season. Jalen Warren and Kenneth Gainwell both bald out significantly and are a big reason why the Steelers are in the playoffs. The other note to make, Kenneth Gainwell is going to be a free agent after this year so he's not even going to lock to be on the Steelers roster. Considering how well he played, he's going to garner a lot of interest from other teams, especially based on his dual threat ability as a pass catcher out of the backfield. And the Steelers drafted Caleb Johnson in the third round so they may not feel okay. We have to pay Kenneth Gainwell. We have to bring him back. When you have Jalen Warren who has shown that he can be an early down runner he can be a guy that uses more on passing down. So I still think there's a path for Caleb Johnson to have a role on this offense in 2026, especially if you have a different quarterback under center and it's not Aaron Rodgers. So what will the offense look like then? I so I think that Caleb Johnson still has a chance to do something in his NFL career. I think that he's a great dynasty by low right now after basically doing nothing again similar to Tank Bigsby his rookie year didn't do anything was a great dynasty buy and Blake Corum, another player as a rookie that I was really excited about didn't pan out and he really carved out a big role in his second season. Same thing with the Chase Brown, another player that was a day three pick. Big second year surge after a kind of disappointing lukewarm rookie year. So for me I like Caleb Johnson as a buy low candidate heading into 2026.

[A]

Jake, I feel like calling Caleb Johnson a buy low. Isn't he? It's like more like a buy free like I'll take him off your hands at this point type of a player. Just given how this this wasn't a bad first year. This was an absolute like it. It could not have been worse of a first year for him. And there's somebody who had a lot of hype as as his fit in the Arthur Smith offense and things like that. But your takeaway here is also on Caleb.

[C]

It is and I I thought Erickson might quote the Monty Python there yet I feel fine. I'm not dead yet. Like this is what we're doing with Caleb Johnson over here. I like I said I tweeted this out a few weeks ago. It's like it's funny. It's like Jaden Higgins is getting all this hate. I was big on Jaden like Bashal Tutins of the world like all these like Matthew golden and Caleb Johnson is just over here like like nobody's talking about him anymore because he was so bad that we've already ignored him for the like 90% of the season because he's been a non factor not even active. And I bring that up to say like we were all like I was one of the lowest on Caleb Johnson and still too high because he did nothing. And as you said it's basically a buy free. But I agree with what Erickson's saying here is that now of course the Steelers could go resign Kenneth Gainwell and we throw this entire segment out the window. But as of today, there's still the opportunity that he's the number two. And my comparison for him was Tyler Algier. And that's when all the Caleb Johnson stands came for me. Like, oh my God, you're an idiot. He's amazing. He's the best running back in the history forever. And I'm like, dude, he's Tyler Algier. Which I bring out to say is that loops into what Erickson is talking about. The Tyler Algiers, the Blake Corums, the guys who can step in as the number two even if the lead stays the lead, occasionally get some Flex RB3 value when you need them in bi weeks and stuff like that. But also the appeal if something happens to the lead option that you have a volume reliant RB2 worst case scenario, we saw Kymani Vidal be a volume reliant RB2 stepping in for the Chargers. So it's a great opportunity because jokes aside, when you said for buy for free, even if it's buy low, as Erickson said, when we're talking about keepers and dynasties is if it doesn't work out, you're not the one who paid the cost to get him as a second in rookie drafts last year, potentially even a first to get him as a mid round pick in our drafts. And you're paying nothing to go get a lottery ticket essentially at this point.

[B]

Yeah, well, not if you already drafted him.

[C]

Yeah, that's why I said if you weren't the person who drafted him.

[B]

Well, I did Jake, so this doesn't help me.

[A]

What do you guys think is the ceiling like realistically best case scenario in.

[C]

2026, Tyler Algier as the lead of the Falcons. That would be my comparison of the ceiling is that if something were to happen to Jalen Warren and Kenneth Gamble is not back that you can see that the bad case would be splitting that backfield completely next year as the lesser half. And then you're falling into RB3 flex Tyler Algier. I, I'm going to go down with my comparison of Tyler Alger, Caleb Johnson. I'm going to continue to hammer that one home. I don't care what people think.

[A]

Let's, let's go to the Ravens here because this is, I want to talk about a player that you guys have both mentioned here as you're taking away.

[C]

Excuse yourself in this one.

[A]

Well, well we have, we have spent a lot of time talking about Zay Flowers and and Jake, I like that for your framing of your answer to the Raven's takeaway is not it's not just that like you will have an opinion of Flowers, it's kind of acknowledging the fact that we have talked about this a lot and the way you phrase it is when will people learn on Zay Flowers? So why don't you take it from there.

[C]

When will people learn on Zay Flowers that you're going to get six or seven good games and that's it. Like, do not let the and I see Erickson smiling because I feel like he's on the other side reading his post about this. Don't let the end of the season skew you on Zay Flowers for next year. He is still the same Zay Flowers, by the way, a whopping five touchdowns by letting that four touchdown run at the end of the season happen to tie his career high of five touchdowns because he doesn't do anything. Like he doesn't catch touchdowns. And jokes aside, like I'm saying some of this tongue in cheek, obviously if you're watching it, you see me smiling. But it's similar to our conversation we had on the other show about the AFC east with Josh Allen. Lamar Jackson doesn't need to go to Zay Flowers time and time and time and time again. There's been some games where he's targeted double digit times and it's worked out, but there's been plenty of times where he doesn't need them and he especially doesn't need them in the red zone because that's not what this offense is. And Lamar Jackson just last year, which you said it Worm, as we were talking about in the preseason, is that we just had Lamar Jackson come off throwing 41 touchdowns and we still only had four for Zay Flowers. That's just, that's just what he is in this offense and he's cool. Give him to me as a wide receiver too. If I have an alpha like a really good wide receiver, one of my teams, I would actually prefer him to be my wide receiver. 3 But volatility, it's Zay Volatility Flowers should be his name. That should be his nickname. That should be his middle name. And understand that's who he is and that's okay. It's okay to be volatile as he is.

[A]

He in my opinion is just always going to be a floor player, not a ceiling player because the touchdowns are never going to be there and the floor I actually think could continue to rise because he had 1200 receiving yards this year, like, he's a good player. And I'm guessing that the Ravens are going to lose Isaiah likely this offseason, and there will be opportunities to make catches, but there's just there. It's really hard for me to see a scenario where unless he runs really hot with these big play touchdowns, which I don't think is going to last over the course of a whole season, he's just never going to be a touchdown guy. And that is just going to. To so drastically limit his ceiling. And if the price goes down, I'd be interested in drafting him as like, just kind of a floor receiver. But I think this end of the season, Jake, to your point, like, I don't think people are going to learn. I think it's going to be like, oh, look what he could do now that Lamar is getting healthy.

[C]

He's going to be a wide receiver one next year.

[A]

And he's.

[C]

He just at the end, the end of the season got him as wide receiver 14 points per game.

[B]

That's.

[C]

That's how high he climbed. He was wide before those last five games. He was wide receiver 30, I think one or two. And those last five games got him all the way up to wide receiver 14 points per game.

[A]

Yeah, I can actually look that up here while, while we toss it to Erickson, who's also talking to. Talking about Zay Flowers.

[C]

And he smirked like 20 times.

[A]

I was going to say, as you say, Jake's. Jake's takeaway is when will people learn on Flowers? Ericsson's is I'll never quit Zay Flowers.

[B]

I'll never learn. Because I just think, I think that you aren't being. I think you're being modest worm when you say that Zay Flowers is a good player. I think he's a great player. I think he's a great wide receiver.

[C]

I will agree with that. Sorry to jump in, but go ahead. I just want to. I agree on Zay Flowers, the player.

[B]

I think that you guys are putting too much on the lack of touchdowns. Oh, he's never going to catch touchdowns. You know who didn't catch touchdowns until this past year? Trey McBride. And the guy could not stop catching touchdowns. So I just want to bet on the player's talent. Like Isaiah Flowers. Yards per route run this season. Zay Flowers finished fourth. The guy's ahead of a Puka Nakua wide receiver one Jackson. Jackson, Smith and Jigba basically melted faces. The two top leaders in receiving yards this season were Puka and Jack Smith and Jigba Those are the only guys that were better in yards per outrun. And then the third guy was Luther Burden, who again wide receiver, one in the making for 2026. So I look at Zay Flowers and what if this touchdown thing carries over to next year where oh look how great when we use Zay Flowers in a different way, we try to get him more into the end zone. He's ripping up big plays. How many people projecting Jackson, Smith and Jigba to have the season he just did this past season? You think you knew he was going to lead in receiving yards? Jake.

[C]

Not receiving yards. But I had, I was the, like I'll victory lap the hell out of that one. I was the Jackson, Smith and Jigba guy.

[B]

Okay, so I'll be the Zay flowers guy for 2026 because I think that he can.

[C]

They're not the same wide receiver.

[B]

What do you mean? They great after the catch, great separation, effective outside receivers.

[A]

The thing I want to push back on Erickson though is like you mentioned, like Trey McBride. Trey McBride had the third most red zone targets in 2024 at tight end. They just weren't landing Zay Flowers this year was tied for 44th amongst receivers in red zone targets. Like, they don't. It's. It's like if they used him in the red zone then I would be a believer that they could, that he could run hotter in a given year and it work out well. I don't think that's going to happen because they don't use him that way.

[B]

What if they change? What if? What if? Okay, it's a brand new season.

[C]

If I had wheels, I'd be a bike. Sorry, you're gonna have to plead me.

[B]

I just want to bet on good players. Like say I get fourth in yards per route run this season and then the other guys I mentioned all smashed as top three fantasy wide receivers. Then again, Luther Burton as a player that will be really high in 2026.

[C]

So he had 10 red zone and five end zone targets the entire year.

[A]

I think, I think if you are building the case for Zay Flowers as a ceiling, like here he blows up.

[B]

It's.

[A]

It's through yardage and catches. I don't think it's. It. Yes, it would have to drastically change their usage in the red zone and I just don't expect. I mean if they bring whatever.

[B]

What if there's a new head coach Harbaugh? What if he's gone? That could change a lot of different things for Zay Flower.

[C]

His quarterback hasn't changed. That was the quarterback we needed, Jacoby Brissette to unlock Trey McBride. It wasn't happening with Kyler Murray. Those red zone and end zone targets were nothing until Jacoby Brissette came over. I get this is the one that we're going to be arguing the most that I can tell. Like this. This is like, we're not going to go down with this. There's just too much hate here.

[A]

The thing for me, Erickson, is like, if Zay Flowers was falling in drafts because what happened in the first 13 weeks of the season was how he ended the season, then I actually would be with you on him as a buy low as long as you were prepared for the ceiling to likely not be that high. I worry that because of the way he finished the season. And by the way, those were a lot of big long touchdowns that are probably not sustainable because again, he wasn't getting the usage that you would think.

[B]

He's.

[A]

There's going to be a lot of touchdowns.

[B]

Let's just take away all of his big plays. Let's. Let's just get rid of all the end of the year. All of his.

[A]

But you know that, you know that they're not very. You know that that's not as sustainable. Yeah, but you're the red zone target guy. You're. You're the guy who like, is talking about, oh, Jabar Chase to be the number one pick because he led the position in red zone targets last year, right?

[B]

Yeah, that's true. I mean, how many targets did Jackson Jigba have last year in 2024?

[C]

Completely different wide receiver type.

[A]

I don't know off the top of my head.

[B]

But wait, in terms of receiver type, I mean, I think the. Both guys are excellent after the catch. Like, why can't that be part of the discussion?

[C]

Because that's only one aspect of their game.

[B]

Okay, well, it's one aspect they have in common. I would say.

[A]

JSN was tied for 24th. Most of the position in red zone targets in 2024.

[B]

Smith, the jigba.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Yeah. So that wasn't super, super high. So, I mean.

[C]

No, but you're talking about somebody that can win more frequently on the outside, especially the catch point. 50 50s. And that's just what Jackson Jigba does.

[A]

Yeah, yeah. All right.

[B]

I would agree with that. I just think. What?

[C]

The entire show. No, no, I was, I heard warm. I think he was just trying. We could spend the entire show on the Zay Flowers.

[A]

I would love for this to be a Zay Flowers, full episode. Let me let Jake and I. Erickson. So I'll let you get the last one here and then we'll move on.

[B]

Yeah, yeah. I was gonna.

[C]

I was actually gonna say, like, Erickson should get like, the final one. But the good news is if he and I are in the same draft, we don't have to worry about it. Like, he'll take them and then I'll, like. It'll be fine.

[B]

Yeah, I don't know. I guess I'm just trying to bet on, you know, who could have an outlier season. I mean, he was wide receiver seven. He had five touchdowns. What if it's. What if he. What if Mark Andrews turns to dust and no longer is involved in the red zone? Isaiah likely. What if he's gone. He's a free agent here.

[C]

I'll give you the one layup. I'll even help. Look, you said he'll get the final. I'll give you the one layup that you never mentioned in this entire conversation. You mentioned the wrong. At Ohio State wide receiver. You should have said, what if he turns into Chris Olave next year? And a Tyler Shook situation with that because Chris Olave just had this like, he never had five and he had what, eight or nine this year because it finally clicked and what they were using with the quarterback change. My only issue is that you're not changing from Laura Jackson, but that there's your argument. What if he turns into Chris Olavi? There, I just gave it to you.

[A]

I do think Erickson, there is a chance that Mark Andrews turns to dust. And I do think that there's a chance there's a new play caller in Baltimore turns to.

[C]

Well, he already is.

[A]

Yes, like that. That there's no bout. There's no bounce back coming like that he's. He is no longer, you know, a capable starting tight end and. And that there's a new play call. I think those are both very much.

[C]

Andrews, you look like you're at the end of your career. Here's a new contract.

[A]

That's the. That's the one that has.

[B]

And then they're going to let lightly walk.

[A]

Yeah, I. Listen, this cannot be a Ravens episode, but I have a lot of thoughts here, so we'll move on.

[C]

Yeah, we need to.

[A]

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[A]

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[C]

I think maybe we can get back on the same page because I don't know, I don't know if I'm wrong, but it looks like we might be similar. Same page here. I think Chase Brown's a great sell high opportunity, mostly because the Bengals have told us exactly what they want to do. They were basically backed into a corner of treating him like a bell cow and we've seen it. He succeeds. There's not an issue when it comes to Chase Brown. It's actually kind of a conversation we're just having with Zay Flowers is Chase Brown the player is a very talented running back. Chase Brown the player has put up top 10 weeks being the guy. But every time the Bengals could with a healthy Samaj P. Ryan, like here's 35% of the work and the worst part about it is it wasn't like one of those situations where we see in other backfields where it was 35% of the work mostly on passing downs and situations like that. They gave P. Ryan goal line carries and goal line carries and goal line carries. And that's my only issue here is that if it's not P. RI next year, what if, and this is why I think he's the sell high opportunity. What if it's worse? What if the person they bring in is either through their draft or free agency and all of a sudden we're dealing with the Seahawks of the Cincinnati Bengals version and all of a sudden Chase Brown is a bottom end RB2 because there's so much inconsistency week in, week out. If I knew Chase Brown was not going to be touched next year, similar to this offseason when we all were like oh good, they didn't draft it, they didn't touch him. They left him alone. It's cool, it's great. And we all overlooked the fact that Samaj P. Ryan was the one that was going to be the thorn in his side, I'd be thrilled if you said 17 touches a game. On average, Chase Brown top 10 running back, no problem. I just don't believe that's going to happen.

[A]

Erickson do you, Are we, are we back in agreement on this one or are you going to go against Jake here?

[B]

No, we can't agree on this AFC north show except for Caleb Johnson. So I'm actually looking at it from a different perspective. I don't disagree with Samaj P. Ryan and how he was eating into Chase Brown's workload and how the Bengals I think if we use what we saw down the second half of the season, okay, it's probably not going to be Chase Brown bell cow usage in 2026. But even though he was splitting snaps touches with Samaj P. Ryan, like the guy was still producing, I had him on a bunch of my fantasy teams. He was dead in the start of the year despite getting all the work on a really bad Bengals offense. But even with P. Ryan taking 3540 of the snaps, I mean Chase Brown was still balling out both as a rusher and receiver. So the thing that I'm trying to think about and compare it to is the Kyron Williams situation where this year I was right in terms of projecting, oh well, Blake Corbin's gonna have a bigger role in this Rams offense. He did. That was true. But did it matter in terms of Kyron Williams workload in terms of his production? Like not really because Kyron Williams was way more efficient this past season because he was kept more fresh and that's something that Sean McVeigh had been really vocal about and who comes from the Sean McVeigh coaching tree? Zach Taylor. So Chase Brown I think has a lot of similarities with Kyron Williams, how they were both day three picks, how it didn't cost the team a lot to acquire them in the draft and they well exceed expectation of where their draft capital was. So I think that two things can be true here where yeah, we're going to see someone else involved in the spangles backfield. But if this is the Joe Burrow Bengals offense that is cooking and scoring 30 points per game, I think Chase Brown is going to remain really efficient as both a rusher and receiver and maybe you don't need him to be a full blown bell cow to actually be productive as a top 20, top 15 running back because he plays on a wagon level offense. So that's kind of my takeaway. I think that maybe Chase Brown falls too much because of concerns about workload and someone else taking over this backfield when we could see very something similar to what we've seen with Kyren the last couple of years where, oh it hasn't mattered and they absolutely Love the guy because I think that Burrow, Zach Taylor, they love Chase Brown. And Joe Burrow thinks that Chase Brown's one of the best running backs in the NFL. I don't think that's going to change depending on who they add in the draft or free agency.

[C]

I'll agree that on that aspect of things, it's not mutually exclusive to say that he's a sell high and potentially buy low. It's all about perception and perception of what the people you're dealing with are. And as of right now, I would consider him a sell high. But those aspects can change. The thing I'll go back to, though, is this is what I consider. I think the bottom could fall out if I actually like your comparison to Kyron Williams. I was in on Kyron Williams as well this year for exactly your same point. The difference is Kyron Williams is the goal line runner. The issue with Chase Brown is the beginning of the year when he was poor. It was three straight games of goal line rushes, goal line rushes, goal line rushes, goal line rushes. And then after those first three games and remember how bad it was for Chase Brown at the beginning of the year, we were all frustrated with him after those first three games. He only had five more games with a goal line rush for the rest of the season. So again, that's where I'm saying, like, I appreciate your comparison because I really, I was in on Karen Williams. I appreciate that Erickson is. My concern is the difference is Kyren still gets those. My concern is what if it's even worse next year? And that's why I say, like, I think he's a sell high. But I agree with you. I think we agree more than I expected. Is that like, I actually do think he could be a sell high and a buy low, depending on what happens this off season, depending on what the other people think and he falls too far.

[A]

He's the 304. I mentioned this earlier when I was talking about Trayvon Henderson. He's right in that group of several running backs going in Fitz's mock draft. So Erickson, is that like too high, too low, or just right for you?

[B]

I think that's right around the range that I would take him.

[A]

Okay, go to the Browns here, Jake. You guys are going to disagree on this one as well. Very contentious AFC north here. So what's your takeaway for the Browns?

[C]

Oh, just, I don't want anybody. It really comes down to initially, like, I actually check for everybody, for full disclosure for everybody out there. I initially said Quintean Judkins Potential RB1 if healthy next year. Like that's like where I was heading with this and then I was looking at these rosters and I realized one thing is that the Browns offensive line as bad as it is oh by the way they have free agents at left tackle, left guard, center right guard, right tackle. They have free agents across the board for their offensive line and actually if you look at the right right side of their offensive line I'm not sure they have a decent starter as of today. Here's the worst part about it. They're negative cap as today they're going to fix this problem in free agency and with the draft when especially there is also concerns that like well do they go quarterback do they hopefully for them trade down and they can address the offensive line. So this is where I'm going was like I would be in on Judkins but I feel like he's going to approach that RB1 territory because of what Erickson said. I think I don't think it was this episode. I think it was the AFC east episode. But like that Bell Cow volume which we want to chase and we want we just saw how that can kind of go sideways for Genti behind a miserable offensive line and with a miserable offense and I just go back to the offensive line that offensive line I mean it could be like me blocking out there next year and I just like if Judkins is going as a fringe RB one he was the only person I was hopefully going to be invested in but with the fact of Sanders potentially being quarterback and I actually am apologetic of Sanders if you've ever heard me is that I do think he has a chance to be a decent NFL quarterback probably mid of the pack at best but with Judy kind of eh Tillman cool I'm Isaiah Bond talent but like there's just so many which it really comes down to Harold Fannin which feels like the obvious one but I feel like Harold Fannin is going to end up being a top four tight end because of the excitement of what he did as a rookie and at that cost I'm just going to be out. I think that's what it comes down to. It's not that I'm out on the Browns. I just don't Want to pay RB1 calls for Judkins top 5 tight end value for tight or for Fannin and then the wide receivers. I'm just staying away from Erickson.

[A]

You like some of this young talent on the Browns are is the situation surrounding them enough to scare you away or are you interested in Targeting them in 2026 drafts?

[B]

My first note that I made with the Browns in my little preparation doc, is the offensive line needs a massive makeover. That was actually going to be one of my takeaways. I was actually considering that too. But I really wanted to drop this factoid that's kind of been circling some social media circles about the 2025 Browns. And it's the first team since the 1970 merger to have a rookie lead them in passing yards, rushing yards, receiving yards and tackles for those that are in the IDP streets with Carson Schwesterger. So look, these rookies got thrown to the fire and produced right from the get go. So I think that is encouraging for what this team can do if they continue to build around this core and nucleus. Now the offensive line, yeah, they have to get that fixed. They got to figure out what they're doing with their head coach. Who is the quarterback going to be? Is it going to be Cheder Sean Watson? Like, I mean he's the reason and the problem of why they don't have any any money to spend because they're spending so much. So I'm sure that they're going to do some types of salary cap shenanigans to free cap space. When it comes to Deshaun Watson's contracts, I think this is the last year his technically owed money based on that ludicrous contract that he had signed. So that's why I'm leaving the door open to be a little bit optimistic about the Browns because I thought that given the circumstances that this Browns team was put into offensively, these rookies really rose up and were productive. I mean Judkins never had opportunities, shouldn't say like that. He never had any good opportunities in this offense where, oh, wide open hole, great to go. Like he was constantly having to break tackles behind the line of scrimmage dealing with oh, who's the quarterback going to be this week? A guy making his first start. Dylan Gabriel, Shadur Sanders, Joe Flacco. Just a lot of players put into tough positions and for the most part they thrived and overcame them. I mean Harold Thinning rookie tight end to do what he did. Tight end 6 overall despite dealing and playing with David and Joku in a split to start the year. I think that's really impressive. So I don't want to just be totally out especially if the overwhelming consensus becomes Browns, this team sucks. Can't draft him at all. Well where do they fall in drafts? Is Judkins now. Okay. He's outside the top 20 running backs because oh this team sucks. We can't draft Kushan Judkins when. Okay.

[C]

Yeah I'd be in on that.

[B]

Yeah. So but what I'm saying is if people are so tied to the well the offensive line is is Raiders from 2025. We can't can't do this. Like he's going to be about. Well Genti was still top 16 running back. So can Judkins pay off at RB20 price tag? Probably.

[C]

But there that's my point that that's the danger is Genti was a first rounder.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

And now so that's the danger is what I'm bringing up with Juggins. So yeah. We actually say we agree on this one mostly full circle.

[A]

We'll wrap up the AFC north there. Some of these other ones will be a little bit less contentious. Be sure to check out all of our division takeaways. I love Zay Flowers, just not so much.

[C]

I can't believe. I can't believe I gave them a bleep that they have to put in. I'm so sorry.

[A]

I've got, I've got that time written down for you. For Jake Ed Erickson, I'm Ryan Wormley. Thanks for tuning in. Check out our other division takeaways. We'll see you next time. 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 [e-mail] review or on Spotify. Follow us on X Instagram and TikTok Antasypros and subscribe to our YouTube channel at YouTube.com fantasypros. This is an I heart podcast. Guaranteed human.