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FantasyPros - Fantasy Football Podcast
NFL Free Agency Day 4: Fantasy Football Impact (Ep. 1979)
00:16:15
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- [00:00]
A
This is an iHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human welcome in everybody to Fantasy Pros. This is the Fantasy Football podcast is day four of NFL free agency and we've got a big headline with a quarterback possibly going up north, plus some running back news for you. So Andrew Erickson and I are here to break it all down. Subscribe to the channel Hang with us here at Fantasy Pros for all the latest breaking reactions in the world of fantasy to all of the free agents changing teams. Andrew, let's start with the fact that the Kyler Murray visited Minnesota and is talking to the Minnesota Vikings. So we can't really speak to it other than to speculate right now. He's also supposed to be on a zoom call, I guess at some point with three to five other teams virtually. So we'll see how that goes. But let's just talk about the Viking situation with Kyler Murray again. It is no contract as of us recording this right now late Thursday afternoon. If that should break, of course we'll be getting to the ramifications of it. But just to speculate, we've had Kirk Cousins show up there before. We've had Sam Darnold show up before. I'm confident that if it's a one year deal for Kyler Murray to show out that he's in the best situation he could possibly be in terms of being in the hands of Kevin o' Connell and being with Justin Jefferson. What are your thoughts on Kyler Murray potentially being a Minnesota Viking?
- [01:17]
B
I think it's a great landing spot. I think it's the best place that he could go to kind of resurrect his career after the fallout with the Arizona Cardinals. Look, with Kevin o', Connell, I think something that maybe we didn't consider enough last year was all the magic that he had with these quarterbacks, these retread quarterbacks, they were veterans. They were players that had spent a lot of time, the NFL had gotten a lot of reps and that's the one thing that J.J. mcCarthy has not had. He didn't throw the ball a lot at Michigan. He missed his entire rookie season with an injury and now he's only played 10 games through two seasons. So I think that really hindered his development and really it didn't allow the Kevin OConnell effect to really come into play with McCarthy, whereas with Kyler Murray, well, he is a veteran quarterback, he's played a lot of football and he's playing in the dome. He has like your point? Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, TJ Hawkinson, Aaron Jones, Jordan Mason are coming back, but this offensive line is healthy. I think my only question mark about Kyler Murray is just what is his mobility like again? He's coming off a season ending injury as well. He's been banged up a little bit. He, he hasn't been the most durable quarterback. But besides that, I don't really have that much concerns about him as a passer in this offense. And Joe, I can say with confidence that no, it is your job, Kyler Murray to get the ball to Justin Jefferson.
- [02:30]
A
Yes, it's your one job, do it. But look, it's a, it's a great system, it's sophisticated, but certainly having the town like Jefferson, having Addison there, I'd like to see them continue to build out a little bit more. It's a very good defense. It's a good move for everybody, like you said, to resurrect his career. If Sam Darnold can become relevant with the Minnesota Vikings and turn his career, certainly Kyler Murray could too. Former first round pick. Now let's speculate what the other teams might be for a second. We know it's not the Ravens and the Bengals. Could it be the Browns potentially he's talking to? Would you say yes or no?
- [03:04]
B
Imagine he would want to go to Cleat. I mean that seems like the worst spot for him playing outdoors in the AFC North.
- [03:10]
A
Well, that's why I say no to the Steelers. All right, so no to the Browns and the Steelers. I mean there's not a lot of other teams out there. The jets certainly could be one of them. Maybe the Panthers. But I mean after, yeah, Bryce Young go to the playoffs last year and nearly beat the Rams, I think that's probably not the case.
- [03:27]
B
Spot for me would be, would be the Los Angeles Rams.
- [03:30]
A
Oh, that was what I was going to get to the Rams where, you know, you could kind of hang out. But then you've got to give them a two year contract. That's the difference in terms of investment.
- [03:37]
B
Why do I have to give them to your contract?
- [03:39]
A
Well, because if you only give him one year and Matthew Stafford then retires, then all of a sudden you were without a quarterback again.
- [03:46]
B
I don't think that the Rams are playing in a two year window. I think they're just like, hey, we want to win the super bowl now, we want to win this year. So I mean, because Stafford, I just could retire as a head coach, he could go off into the sunset with Matthew Stafford and Kyler Murray is. If Kyler Murray fills in for three games with Stafford, you know, managing his back injury, I think that's worth the investment of signing him this season. Then he signs a lucrative deal. Kind of like what Sam Darnold did. Again, you have one season with Minnesota and then you sound a multi year contract with another team. So maybe that would be the way that they would approach it.
- [04:20]
A
All right, let's switch gears. Talk about the running backs here. Rashad White signs with the Commanders. A couple years ago Rashad White had a very solid fantasy season but has become more of a a guy in committee. Well, we'll see how that goes now with the Washington Commanders, which is funny because they let go of a guy like Brian Robinson who was perfectly fine. I think Rashad White's an upgrade over Brian Robinson. I think he's a better all purpose back for sure. So I like this move does prohibit them from taking Jeremiah Love in the first round though. And they're pick number seven. I believe it is.
- [04:49]
B
Yeah, they picked number seven and I would say no. I think the fact that it is a one year deal tells you that. Hey, we want to make sure because right now they only had Jacoi Crosky Merritt on the roster because as we'll get into Chris Rodriguez, he left in free agency sign with the Jacksonville Jaguars. So unless they were going to enter the year with just Bill under contract, they needed to add another running back. It's a one year deal. So I think that it's makes it, hey, if Love is not there then he could get picked fourth overall, fifth overall, then okay, at least we have a running back that we can fall back on that we feel good about. But then if he is, he is there. It's like, all right, sick. Well, we'll just draft Jeremiah Love. Bill, welcome to the bench. And we'll use Rashad White on passing downs.
- [05:25]
A
If they don't draft Love, how do you value JCM and Rashad White? Me personally, I would want Rashad White.
- [05:32]
B
Of those two, I would agree. I think that, and we talked about this when it was rumored Rashad White was going to be a Seattle Seahawks target. He just offers one thing that is the best and that's the pass catching. Right. He's caught 40 passes all four seasons he's been in the NFL and I think that the quarterback in Washington was pulling for him, Jaden Daniels. These guys played together in college for two seasons so I think that that matters. Who does he trust in pass production? Rashad White. Who does he want in the red zone? Rashad White. So I think that there's a lot of things going in Rashad White's favor here that it is only a seventh round rookie from last year who was really inconsistent. Again we saw flashes from Crosby Merrick, but it was not someone that necessarily they could rely on on a down to down basis. Rashad White can play on all three downs and last year he did actually experience a bit of a renaissance when it came to his rushing production. He was second the NFL in rushing success rate. My only issue is I don't know if he just totally puts Bill out of the picture just because the last two seasons, what have we seen from Rashad White? He lost the job to Bucky Irving and he was not able to kind of fully put away Sean Tucker again. When Bucky Irving missed time last year, it looked like Rashad White would be a fantasy RB1 and that was far from the case. Like he was kind of like treading water as a guy. He kind of just started as a flex play, so those are things to keep in mind. I don't think it's a full takeover for Shot White, but definitely the clear guy. That would be the one a this
- [06:53]
C
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- [07:42]
A
So what the hell are the Seahawks doing, right? Because we thought Rashad White could be a guy. Is it down to Brian Robinson Jr. Or are they telling us that, hey, we're going to draft a running back with our first pick?
- [07:52]
B
I think they got to go with
- [07:53]
A
a price or something like that.
- [07:54]
B
Yeah, one of the later reports I think we got yesterday from the Athletic was that they are going to draft a running back. And I think that's. I don't think that takes a lot of thinking necessarily. Be like, yeah, just look at the roster of course they're going to draft a running back, so. But if it's just Zach sharpening off the ACL injury and George Holani as their two guys and then they draft a rookie running back, well, that rookie running back is going to be heavily sought after in rookie drafts. And maybe whoever Seattle picks will just automatically be the RB2 in this class because I know there's a lot of arguments and a lot of debate of who that RB2 is. Maybe it's your guy, Mike Washington, Joe.
- [08:28]
A
Well, you know, I ain't gonna hate that. I mean, I'd love to see Mike wash up there. There you go. Oh, my God. Mike Washington, Seattle Washington. It just writes itself. It's so good. I just. I just want that to be the case. All right, let's talk about some of the guys you mentioned too, because Chris Rodriguez, you alluded to earlier going to the Jacksonville Jaguars. So two years, 10 million for him. So I still say it's Basho Tootin, wheels up. That's definitely what it feels like. But this is a, I think a good backup running back to have to some early down work or, you know, give him a little bit of a spell. But it feels like it's time that they want to, you know, turn this backfield over to Tutin. Would you agree?
- [09:03]
B
I think so. The thing that concerns me about the Chris Rodriguez signing is that this is a running back that is familiar with Liam Cohen. Like Liam Cohen coached Chris Rodriguez at Kentucky in 2021. Right. So he had a very productive season that year. But that being said, Chris Rodriguez body of work is not that of, oh, this guy is an absolute stud. Right. I think it's more of a, hey, this is a guy that coaches like. He runs really physical, but he's not dynamic in any way. When I look at what the commanders did, I feel like they just basically replaced Chris Rodriguez with Rashad White in terms. Okay, well, Rashad White can get all the same type of yardage. Again, he was really great in success rate. I mean, Chris Rodriguez, that's a thing to. That people have been pointing out, you know, on social media is like how effective he was on a per carry basis. He was eighth in yards after contact per attempt, eighth in richness success rate. He's first in yards after contact per attempt since the start of 2024. And that's per Jared Samala of Draft Shark. So that's something that I'm kind of keeping in mind that, okay, like when he gets the ball, he's going to like get four yards and you feel good about that. But it's those low calorie touches that don't actually turn to fantasy production. Right. Because Bashal Tutin was was getting all the goal line work last year even with Travis etn. You know, ETN was having a monster season and yet they were taking him off the field to put Baeol Tune into those opportunities. La Quint Allen, a guy that they drafted also last year, they used him a lot in passing situations. So I think Rodriguez is really in a situation where is he just kind of like Gus Edwards and you don't really see a lot of fantasy juice where he just kind of takes carries in between the tackles, in between the twenties that don't result in anything. You just kind of keep the other running backs fresh. So I would agree with you. I do think that the Tutin price can get too expensive though because I think that there doesn't see a receiving profile. I mean Joe, when I say Bashaw Tootin round four, are you. Yes. Sign me up or no? That's way too expensive because I think
- [11:00]
A
we could get there late round four. I'm curious because I do like the lead guy in a Liam Cohen offense. So I think I could get there late round four. Early round four. I don't know how I feel about that yet.
- [11:12]
B
Okay.
- [11:12]
A
There's still plenty of time though to figure that out, so. But the explosiveness is there for Tootin and as you mentioned earlier, the goal line carry. So those are two things that make him a little bit more appealing. Keaton Mitchell signed with the chargers on a two year 9.3 million dollar contract. So he leaves the Ravens for the Chargers to act as the backup to Amari and Hampton. So he's a handcuff there. And then as you mentioned before, again Sean Tucker tendered by the Buccaneers. So he basically as of right now is going to be back with them. So how do you feel about him as the handcuffed to Bucky Irving in 26?
- [11:42]
B
This is just annoying, right? I think that we looked at Bucky Irving as a potential to kind of launch entering year three. But now you bring in Kenneth Gainwell who was excellent last year as a receiver out of the backfield and Sean Tucker, Todd Wolf's still the head coach whether Buccaneers fans like it or not. He's still the head coach of the team. And that means Sean Tucker is going to do the Zach Charbonnet thing where Bucky Irving gets the team down to the one yard line. Who comes trotting in? Oh, it's Sean Tucker time, baby. So it is concerning for Bucky irving in his RB1 type of prospects that he's going to be splitting with two other running backs, not just one. So you're going to hope that he can get by on the efficiency. We know that he's obviously very explosive in last year. He was obviously playing through a ton of injuries. I don't think he was ever really right. I know that he was also dealing with some mental illness issues as well. But yeah, it's hard for me to look at Bucky Irving as okay. He's a locked hello to top 12 running back, probably more of the high end RB2 tier just based on the competition he's going to face in this backfield and just question marks with the Buccaneers in general. Right. Like the vibes around like, like the Saints were feeling pretty good about the Panthers, like they're frisky bunch. The Falcons are trying to figure things out. But then it's like the Buccaneers like I mean how things ended up with them last year. Does that roll over into this year a little bit? Right where hey, are we as good as we have Mike Evans? We just. Mike Evans didn't want to come back to Tampa Bay. He's like, I want to go in a ring somewhere else. So that does kind of. That's kind of in the back of my mind. Think about the Buccaneers and what they could be in 2026.
- [13:14]
A
All right, quick other news updates here. Speaking Thursday, Saints coach Kellen Moore was evasive when asked about Alvin Camara's future with the team. This is something we touched on earlier this week. Andrew Erickson and I do think that that's a situation in flux. So I think that they are looking to turn the page here whether or not Alvin Camara cares about it or not. He is probably going to be the odd man out there. It just feels like that's the direction Kellen Moore wants to go. And I don't blame him because Alvin Camara has been a great running back, but he's at that age now where it's time to move on, allocate the assets other places. So he's going to be unhappy. But unfortunately this is the NFL, which as Scott Bogman likes to remind us all the time, is not for long. That's just how it goes. Other things too that I wanted to throw out there. Two releases from the Browns which I thought were intriguing. David and Joku, the tight end who we all think has a lot of talent but never quite fit whatever the Browns were doing. Unless Joe Flacco was playing quarterback and then Jack Conkling, offensive tackle who when healthy I think still has something left in the tank. I don't know if he's going to be the same guy he was three years ago, but Conklin and Joko, those are two guys that I think could help out. Any predictions possibly for either of those two for landing spots?
- [14:24]
B
So I do know that in Joku and this is something that we talked about myself, Seth and Worm yesterday about the Eagles and how they haven't really figured out their tight end situation yet with Dallas Goddard potentially leaving. And Joku has been a player that's been connected to the Philadelphia Eagles. So I think that would be kind of an interesting spot for him based on the explosiveness that he can offer Tampa Bay. I know they brought back Kate Otten, but we've seen him again. Joe Flacco had success. David and Joku, so did Baker Mayfield for a little bit and Clean. They had a little bit of thing going on there. So that could be another interesting spot for David and Joku. But man, the guy's still not super old. I know that he's had a couple weird injuries here and there and we always see tight ends have these renaissance type of performances. You know, honestly a place that I could actually really get behind. Get David Joker, I would take him on the path. Get a guy that can create a ton of yards.
- [15:13]
A
I would take them both but I didn't want to sound like a homer. I would take the tackle and Njoku
- [15:16]
B
I I think that in Joku makes a ton of sense. With the Patriots getting very different skill set that they I know they just signed Julian Hill. He's a strict blocking tight end. You have Hunter Henry entering the last year of his contract. He's more of that traditional tight end whereas Ajoku, okay, put him in the slot, split him out wide, get him screen passes. He can create a lot of yards out to the catch which again I think that's one of the things the Patriots are missing. Besides the running backs, they don't have a ton of guys. That again, a lot of downfield usage with Drake may maybe getting him more layups with guys that can just get guards with the balls in their hand. I know that in Joku can do that.
- [15:48]
A
Yeah, I think Conklin is going to find a nice home too. I think somebody's going to take a shot on him because it's tough to find good offensive tackles and if he's healthy he could certainly be a good performer. So obviously we'll keep you up to the minute here every single moment of NFL free agency. And of course, if you haven't already, you can also check out our live free agency tracker@fantasypros.com tracker and again, minute by minute, as news breaks, we'll have it updated and broken down from a fantasy point of view because that's really what football's for, isn't it? It's for fantasy. All right, Andrew Erickson, good times as always. We'll see what tomorrow brings. NFL free agency. That'll do it for us. But the story of the game goes on for Erickson. I'm Joey P. We'll see you next time. Kids.
- [16:26]
B
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- [16:31]
A
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- [16:36]
B
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- [17:08]
A
This is an iHeart podcast.
- [17:11]
B
Guaranteed Human.