← The Herd with Colin Cowherd
The Herd with Colin Cowherd
FantasyPros - 3 Players Andrew Erickson Will NEVER DRAFT AGAIN! (Ep. 1952)
00:20:13
Loading summary
Transcript52 lines
- [00:00]
A
This is an iHeart podcast guaranteed human hey, this is US Olympic gold medalist Tara Davis Woodhull.
- [00:08]
B
And I'm US Paralympic gold medalist Hunter Woodhull.
- [00:10]
A
As athletes, our lives are about having.
- [00:12]
B
A clear path and a team that you can absolutely trust.
- [00:16]
A
So when it came to getting the.
- [00:17]
B
Best mortgage, we chose PennyMac. PennyMac is proud to be the official.
- [00:20]
A
Mortgage provider of Team USA and you learn more at pennymac.com PennyMac Loan Services.
- [00:26]
C
LLC equal housing lender NMLS ID 35953.
- [00:29]
A
Licensed by the Department of Financial Protection and Innovation under the California Res Residential Mortgage Lending act, conditions and restrictions may apply. Hello everybody. Welcome into Fantasy Pros. I'm Ryan, warmly joined by Andrew Erickson. We are talking some players that Erickson is never, ever, ever under any circumstances drafting again. We are being as hyperbolic and emphatic as we can possibly be on the show here in early February. Erickson, how you doing?
- [00:55]
B
Doing good, coming off the Super Bowl 60 breakdown analysis. So looking forward to putting that aside. My Patriots, the Seahawks, yada yada yada, and talking about what matters really the most here and that's fantasy football here in February.
- [01:10]
A
So we're six months away from the height of draft season and we're already thinking about guys who are off the board. They are undraftable in our opinion. Here you've got three players for us. You're also going to give us some players that you should draft. Instead of these three players, let's start off with a running back. Erickson, who do you have?
- [01:26]
B
For me, it's going to be Christian McCaffrey. So finishing last year as the RB1 was arguably the best pick that you could have made, especially in the first round of drafts in 2025. But I am very concerned about what he's going to do in 2026 and if I'm not going to draft him in 2026, what does that mean for him in 2027 when he's going to be 31 years old? That's where I get concerned about is this potentially the last time we see CMC as a first round pick and someone that you do really want to draft again?
- [01:55]
A
You don't have to go back that.
- [01:56]
B
Far to see players like Dalvin Cook where they were top five pick. Two years later they're gone. Like they're not even drafted anymore because they just fell off the face of the earth. We just see this happen with running backs very, very often. Austin Eckler a couple years ago, well, he was a guy that was a top five Pick got banged up and poof, gone. Not someone that we were really interested in drafting. So it goes back to. We've talked about this on some of the earlier shows here. For Fantasy Projecting to 2026, where McCaffrey led the NFL in touches in 2025, he had 413 in the regular season with the two playoff games totaled up to 450 total touches, which I believe was the most he's ever had in his career in a single season. Which is pretty bonkers for a player that's going to be 30 years old in June. So he's getting up there in age. We saw the rushing efficiency fall off dramatically this past season. Not nearly as efficient. Didn't have nearly the same type of juice. Now the receiving was off the charts. That's been CMC's calling card since he entered the NFL. And it's what separated him and made him such an elite fantasy asset, if not the best asset when he is fully healthy. But I have concerns about what that will look like with all of these touches they've already kind of talked about heading in 2026. Well, McCaffrey, I'm more open to splitting a backfield because of the touches that are on my body. So they're already thinking about this and the season just ended. So that has me concerned because the track record of players coming off these types of seasons is just not good. So Saquon Barkley was the, you know, litmus test last year. Monster season coming off a ton of touches over 400. Finished 2025 as the RB13. So he wasn't even a RB one last 13 years. Only one running back was a top five fantasy running back following the year where they saw at least 400 plus touches. And, and right now you look in ECR he is RB3. So I, I'm not, I'm not touching him inside the top five running backs. And the player that I look at as an alternative to Christian McCaffrey that I would rather have is James Cook. Because I think James Cook at his age following a year where he led the NFL in rushing yards with 1,621 with Joe Brady, who loves him and.
- [04:06]
A
Joe Brady is a huge part of.
- [04:08]
B
This as, as the Bill's head coach. Like, is this where we start to see James Cook level up again? Because all James Cook does every year is the haters wrong, including myself where there's no way he can score as many touchdowns. Well, he didn't but then he rushed for significantly more yards and the day and the Doubters and naysayers with James Cook will say, well, worm dude doesn't catch that many passes. Well, it's not an inability from him because his earlier years in the NFL he was catching passes similar to McCaffrey. His calling card coming out of Georgia was oh, this guy's like a third down back. Like he can catch passes out of the backfield. So I think James Hostage continue to build on his NFL career that he's taken off super stardom this past season leading the NFL and rushing yards again. He was RB6 in points per game, RB6 in total points score. But 26 years old. I want guys in their prime that have a three down skill set that play for an offense like Joe Brady that I know is going to be efficient with Josh Allen as the starting quarterback. So give me James cook over Christian McAffrey who at this point, like if he's, if he disappoints in 2026, I'm very concerned about where he would be be drafted in 2027. So for that he's probably a guy I'm probably not going to end up drafting again.
- [05:14]
A
Yeah, unless I'm taking Bijan or Gibbs. Like if in the range where Christian McCaffrey's going in early 2026 rankings, he's the sixth overall player at that spot. If I'm missing out on Bijan and Gibbs, I'm taking Puka or Chase or CD Lamb or jsn. Like I'm probably going receiver. And then if it's a little bit later in the first and he's fallen in there, like I'm, I'm looking at Cook, I'm looking at Jonathan Taylor, I might even be looking at Ash and Genti if they address the offensive line. Like going to have a new quarterback and a new play caller. So I'm totally with you here. Like I, I'm not that interested in McCaffrey and when you're not interested in him this year, given his age, not sure how interested I'll be in future. So I think it's a great call. I have nothing to add to it. Let's go to a quarterback here.
- [05:54]
B
My quarterback that I may not draft again and I'm definitely not drafting this year is Jalen Hurts. And that's because it's another year where, okay, brand new office coordinator. What is this the sixth or seventh year in a row that Jalen Hurts has had another offensive coordinator? And this whole coaching hiring was very bizarre because despite the Eagles having all this talent, Saquon Barkley, a Lot of good pieces across the offensive line. Jalen Hurts as the quarterback. It was crickets when it came to oh, who wants to be the offensive coordinator for Jalen Hurts, it seemed like nobody really wanted to be. So eventually they settled on Sean Manion, who has been with the packers over the last two seasons and he last played in the NFL as a quarterback in 2023. So he hasn't really been coaching for that long. So that does bring up some concerns about what this offense could potentially look like. Is it just more of Nick Sirianni really kind of putting his staple on what he wants Jalen Hurts to do. I've also heard some rumors that the Eagles are trying to add another quarterback to their room to kind of push Jalen Hurts. Is Sean Manion the guy that is going to push Jalen Hurts as a brand new offensive coordinator and potential play caller? I guess I'm just a little bit hesitant to buy into that. You look at Hertz over the last two seasons he's been QB8, so he has not really been a true difference making elite quarterback QB seven points per game, but he was under 20 points per game. And the reason I bring that up is because Jalen Hurts. Now if we're getting this same version of him where he's running less and he's just being drafted at the top of that middle tier of quarterback, what do we always talk about Worm? With these onesie positions you have to stay out of the middle and right now Jalen Hurts is closer to the top of the middle, which is not an advantage whatsoever to drafting because he's going to finish closer to the guys going behind him than finishing closer to the elite players like he was two or three years ago when he was scoring 15 plus rushing touchdowns. I have concerns about Lane Johnson. Every time he gets hurt, this offense falls apart. He's getting older. A.J. brown's gone. Like when I'm doing my rankings, A.J. brown on the Eagles is not in my predictions for next year. I think that he has been so clear about I want out of this team. The team is more committed to Jalen Hurts. I think at this point in time and I think that's a massive downgrade losing a superstar player like A.J. brown. Dallas Goddard's also a free agent and he's really been one of Jalen Hurts more dependable targets as an underneath option, especially when AJ Brown or Devontae Smith has missed time. So right now at QB6, I just feel like he's being prompted up by those rushing touchdowns in the rushing Production when. I mean, dude, there were times this year where this Eagles offense was unwatchable from a passing game perspective. And I know that he's had high highs, but the low lows have been super frustrating with Jalen Hurts. So for me, I'm looking at the board where he's going, especially to this tush push I think is going to get, like, banned at some point. And then if you eliminate that from the equation, what is the point of drafting Jalen Hurts when I could get.
- [08:52]
A
I just want to quickly say, like, Jalen Hurts is strong enough that he can score on a regular QB sneak. He doesn't need the touch push. But again, to. To whatever small degree it matters, I agree with you. I think that's going away.
- [09:04]
B
Yes, I would rather have Jackson Dart, I'd rather have Justin Herbert and something that I did for this exercise, too. Worm, when I was talking about, okay, these are the players I never want to draft again, and these are the players I would draft instead. You know, when you're thinking about never drafting again, you're kind of thinking not just this year, but in future years. And what does that kind of bring you to Dynasty rankings, right? You look at Jalen Hurts in the Dynasty rankings, guys that are ranked ahead of him are guys like Jackson Dart, Justin Herbert and Caleb Williams. So if we're going to be. If we're going to be drafting and ranking those guys ahead of them in Dynasty, why would we not do that in Redraft? I get. It's not a perfect science for me to propose that question, but it's like, well, eventually we are going to be drafting those guys, like, consistently ahead. And to me it's like, well, I'm just going to start now and just get ahead of it, because eventually we're going to see all these quarterbacks overtake Jalen Hurts. Because that's at least what the consensus agrees from a Dynasty lens.
- [09:54]
C
This month, iHeartRadio is celebrating the stars of the 2026 Winter Games. Born and raised in Torrance, California, Chloe Kim returns. Returns to the half pipe to make history. After dominating the last two Olympics, she drops into the Milano Cortina pipe, aiming for an unprecedented third consecutive gold medal. With her signature massive air and technical double quirks, she remains the undisputed queen of the sport. Kim is ready to prove once again that the road to the podium goes through her. For more Winter Games gold Search olympics on the iHeartRadio app.
- [10:25]
D
All right, two truths and a lie. Here we go. I went to college with college football coach Jim McElwain I began my broadcasting career doing play by play for the Las Vegas Stars, and I've been a Verizon customer for 15 years. Okay, I lied. All three are true. Verizon isn't as expensive as you think. In fact, if you bring in your AT&T or T mobile bill to a Verizon store, they'll give you a better deal. That's right. A better deal on the best network with the most ways to save on plans, streaming and phone deals. So take that AT and T or T mobile bill to your local Verizon store today. Get a better deal and start saving based on root metrics. Best overall Mobile Network Performance U.S. 2nd Half 2025 All Rights Reserve must provide recent consumer mobile bill in the name of the person redeeming the deal. Additional terms, conditions and restrictions apply.
- [11:14]
C
All right, big news. Liquid IV's got something huge coming this February 8th. Have you heard about it? Yeah, you just told me a second ago. Fair enough. I'm guessing it has something to do with fighting dehydration. Speaking of, do you know seven potential signs of mild to moderate dehydration? There's thirst, obviously, and six more, right? Fatigue, brain fog, nausea, headaches, irritability, and there's one more that I can't remember. Does that mean I'm dehydrated? Maybe. But I think I'm dehydrated because you're irritating me right now. Then drink some Liquid iv. I like the sugar free raspberry lemonade, but mango pineapple is great too. Liquid IV Sugar Free is the only sugar free hydration product on the market. Clinically demonstrated to hydrate faster than water alone. And there aren't any artificial sweeteners or colors. You gotta stay hydrated. Well, that's my crash course on dehydration. But no doubt Liquid IV will have something more to say on February 8. Anything else happening that day? I don't know. I have to check the calendar. Stay hydrated. Stock up on liquid IV@liquid-iv.com and use the code nuthouse for 20% off for a first time purchase.
- [12:38]
E
Not every sale happens at the register. Before AT&T business Wireless checking out customers on our mobile POS systems took too long. Basically a staring contest where everyone loses. It's crazy what people say during an awkward silence. Now transactions are done before the silence takes hold. That means I can focus on the task at hand and make an extra sailor too. Sometimes I do miss the bonding time.
- [13:02]
B
Sometimes AT T Business Wireless Connecting changes everything.
- [13:08]
A
The first thing I Do every year when I'm building out not my draft rankings, but my draft like plan going into a draft I care about is I basically cross off the first couple names in tier 2. At quarterback I have no interest. I just, just blindly I don't even care who it is. The guys at the top of tier 2 are not of interest to me. I want somebody in tier one or I want to wait. I mean, just look like Jalen hurts QB6 right now in early 2026 rankings. Would you rather have him at QB6 or Purdy at QB12, Caleb at QB13, Bo Nicks at QB15, Jordan Love at QB16. Even if you stick in tier 2 like Justin Herbert at QB8. I totally agree with. He's like the exception to my tier 2 rule because I really like Herbert. Next year with assuming the offensive line is healthy, you know, Lawrence at QB11, Prescott at QB10. These are all names I'd rather have than Hertz. QB6. The offensive coordinator thing really sticks with me that nobody wanted to. This is a team that won the super bowl like less than 12 months ago and nobody wants to coach this team. They're terrified of Sirianni getting fired. They're. I think they think Hertz. Hertz is a good quarterback, but he is clearly a limited quarterback. And Lane Johnson, another year older, which you hit on Saquon Barkley another year older. A.J. brown, who knows what's going on there. There are names ahead of him that I'm not that interested in either. At cost. I don't want to make it seem like he's the first guy I don't want. I'm a little nervous about Jaden Daniels and Joe Burrow at QB4 and 5 also to me it's really like a top three and then I want to wait. But yeah, Hertz is right in the middle of that and I again, I'm not going to push back on you on this. I think the floor is maybe a little bit higher than this conversation is giving him credit for because I do think that he will still rush for touchdowns when they're close, even without the tush push. But I just don't think the ceiling's there. And I mean last year it was Drake may like it's been years where it's Lamar or there's always a late round quarterback with a ceiling that, that you want to be targeting. That is the, the biggest, easiest, most consistent path towards having an elite, you know, team in your league is hitting on that late round quarterback who plays like a tier One guy that's not going to be hurts because he's not going to be late round and he's not going to play like a tier one guy. I don't think so. I like that.
- [15:19]
B
Yeah. I would say to some of the optics of his points per game and the way he scored the last couple seasons, it kind of looks a little bit like Kyler Murray, which we saw all just went off the rails. Right. When you're like hovering in that kind of, not to say no man's land, but closer to that middle tier of scoring quarterbacks, you see the path, you're like, man, this guy's putting like 19 points per game, 18 points per game. Like, that's really good. But you really want to get that 20 points per game type of threshold where, okay, now my quarterback's actually making a difference and Jalen Hurts just. Just hasn't been really that guy over the last two seasons when he's been outside the top seven quarterback. So again, I didn't highlight this name specifically, but I mentioned him. Justin Herbert. Like that's the guy I want way more than Jalen Hurts. So you have this here. Yeah. You have Mike McDaniel coming in as the offensive coordinator. He made Tua. He helped him a ton. And I think that with the healthy offensive line, I think that Justin Herbert has a top five fantasy ceiling at quarterback where I don't see it as much with Hertz.
- [16:21]
A
I'm betting Herbert doesn't end up like by the time we get to August. I'm guessing he's not QB8. I'm guessing he's more like QB5 or 6. That's a prediction I'm going to make right now. I, because I, I'd much rather Herbert than Jackson Dart, who's one spot ahead of him. I'd much rather him than Hertz and I'd rather wait to get him than take Jaden Daniels and Joe Burrow where they're going. Yeah, I don't, I don't hate those guys, but I just like Herbert better.
- [16:42]
B
At, I think two to just add this last point about the offensive line. Five games with Joe Wall, 2025. Herbert averaged 24 fantasy points. 12 games without him, 16.2.
- [16:54]
A
That first game, that first game against the Chiefs in, in Brazil, I remember like thinking I should put money on her.
- [17:01]
B
We talked, we talked about it. We were like, we were like, by Justin Herbert, this is awesome.
- [17:05]
A
He looked like he was stepping into the Mahomes Alan Lamar tier of just the unassailable best quarterbacks. In the sport didn't pan out that way. Obviously offensive line injuries have a lot to do with that, but like, it looked like. And he was moving around too, like pairing him with McDaniel. If that offensive line can stay healthy, man, and they. They could add Tyler Linderbaum at center, they could draft a guard. Like, if they get the offensive line there, I think that could be the best offensive football next year and I want a piece of it. So I like Herbert quite a bit. I'm with you there. Let's go to one more player here.
- [17:37]
B
Yeah, this one probably pains me the most of all the players because I felt really good about this player his rookie year and this past season, his sophomore season was an absolute disaster. It's Brian Thomas Jr. And really I could say it comes with a caveat that assuming that he doesn't get traded, because I do think that there is a realistic outcome where he does get trade. And I think I would be openly drafting Brian Thomas Jr. If he was on a different team. But right now, as long as he remains attached to Trevor Lawrence in Jacksonville, I think it's really hard to be overly optimistic about Brian Thomas Jr. Just how we saw things play out with him in this new offense with Liam Cohen. Now, I know that he was dealing with a lot of injuries last year at times, but it never seemed at any point when he was healthy on the field that he was becoming the focal point of this passing attack. And what we've seen with Trevor Lawrence and who he has succeeded with in the past, it's been guys like Christian Kirk, Evan Ingram, and then this past year it was Jacoby Myers who they trade for midseason. They drop right into the offense, and it looks like he's been playing with Trevor Lawrence for five seasons. They immediately have chemistry. And that was never the case with Brian Thomas Jr. Where they seem like they were never on the same page. And. And the same thing with Parker Washington, right? These guys that were clearly behind Brian Thomas Jr. On the depth chart, but that didn't matter because they were the ones that were producing with the current quarterback. And considering how well Trevor Lawrence played in the aggregate with Liam Cohen in his first year, I feel like there might be too much optimism that, well, if Trevor Lawrence takes another step in Liam Cohen's offense, he can bring Brian Thomas Jr. Along for the ride. I get concerned about buying into that type of narrative because again, the same thing with Kyler Murray and Marvin Harrison Jr. Like, the guys just never seem like they saw eye to eye. And what we've seen the last two years with Trevor Lawrence where with Brian Thomas Jr. They're not really connecting. I am concerned that that's never really going to come to fruition. So he's someone that I am very, very hesitant to buy into and draft specifically this year. Again, if he gets traded, that kind of changes the equation here. But as long as Trevor Lawrence is his quarterback, I am very, very concerned about drafting Brian Thomas Jr.
- [19:37]
A
I was going to say when you, when you put this name in the sheet that this is more of a. I'm not really interested in drafting him as things stand in 20, 26 and less of a never drafting again because he's young, he has an elite season on his resume. Like, that carries a lot of weight for me, like that he was able to reach that high, so to say, never drafting again, especially as the cost goes down. I mean, last year he was like, what in that, like 10 to 14 pick range overall and, you know, not amongst receivers, but like, you know, that, that back end of the first, early second type of pick in most leagues. Now he's going as like an early six. I mean, I'm not even looking at adp. I'm just saying early rankings, like, that's the range he's kind of settled into very, very, very early on. But still, that's all we have to look at right now. He's the 66th overall player. He's wide receiver 30. Like, if you're going to give me some, some kind of ceiling there, I'm. I'm probably maybe not that interested. Like you said, if, if he's, if he's going there still in August and it's paired with Trevor Lawrence and that is a concern, but that is not so, like, that's not such a high cost to pay for me to say I will never, ever draft him again. Like, I think I will probably have some Brian Thomas Jr. In some leagues this year now. Maybe that's a range where instead I'm like, all right, let me just take Herbert there and get my quarterback in that round instead, whatever it is. Again, it's a long way away, but I can't quite go as far as never draft again, even though I am definitely, like, not that excited about him this year. Who are you taking instead?
- [20:59]
B
So I just want to follow up with your question. Should I have said never to draft Travis Hunter again instead?
- [21:07]
A
Yeah, for me, that's not. Again, that's just, I will never draft Travis Hunter.
- [21:11]
B
Because I was thinking about that. Because when I put Brian Thomas Jr. In the show sheet, I was like, I was thinking about, I was like, you know what, Maybe Travis Hunter would have been a better. Because there's a chance that, I mean if he just plays defense, then you don't have to even sweat or worry about. And the fact that he plays the slot a lot. We, we're seeing slot receivers kind of phase out a little bit with the more influx of these heavy tight end sets. So maybe Travis Hunter is actually the guy you never want to draft again. But at least for 2026, Brian Thomas Jr. Is probably going to be someone I'm not drafting to your point. Instead, a player that I actually like a lot, especially if the chips kind of fall in a certain way. How the off season goes Ricky Piersol I get that the injuries have basically plagued him over the past two years, but when he has been healthy, I think that he has been good for the most part. He had four games this year with 85 or more receiving yards. He led the 49ers in receiving yards per game. So again, going back to the fact that he was efficient and effective when on the field and it seemed like, yeah, he'd get hurt, he would play through injuries mid game. But the fact that he had more receiving yards per game than Kittle and Juwan Jennings, than Christian McCaffrey, I think that is showcasing, hey, this guy has a lot of talent. And it's despite him overcoming all these injuries that he's constantly dealing with. So going in a similar range to Brian Thomas Jr. He has Brock Purdy as his quarterback. Juwan Jennings is a free agent. Brandon Ayuk, he's not coming back. George Kittle, he's coming off torn Achilles. I mean you could look up and be like, Ricky Pearsall is wide receiver one on the San Francisco 49ers attached to Brock Purdy, who we've already seen him establish chemistry with. Again, just barring health, I think that Pearsall would be set up much better than Brian Thomas Jr. In 2026 and beyond. So that's someone that I'm kind of eyeing as a alternative to Brian Thomas Jr. In that sixth, seventh round range.
- [22:57]
A
I think that's totally fair. I have nothing to add. We went longer than we were supposed to on this, so we'll go ahead and wrap things up there. I think a fun conversation. It's. It's always interesting having a fantasy related question in early February because there's just so much to come the next few months. But it's fun to kind of start thinking ahead already. I wish it was August, you know, pretty much already at this point. All right, we'll wrap things up there for Erickson. I'm Ryan Warmley. Thanks everybody for tuning in. We'll see you again 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 podcasts@fantasypros.com review or on Spotify. Follow us on X Instagram and TikTok at fantasypros and subscribe to our YouTube channel at YouTube.com fantasypros.
- [24:03]
B
Janice Torres here, and I'm Austin Hankwitz. We host the podcast Mind the Business.
- [24:08]
A
Small Business Success Stories, produced by Ruby.
- [24:10]
C
Studio in partnership with Intuit QuickBooks.
- [24:12]
A
We're back for season four to talk.
- [24:14]
E
To some incredible small business owners.
- [24:16]
B
The big thing about working at tech.
- [24:18]
A
Is that it's ever evolving, ever changing.
- [24:20]
B
Everyone's a rookie. That's how fast the industry is changing. So what I'm really excited about is to be part of that change.
- [24:25]
A
So listen on the iHeartRadio app, Apple.
- [24:27]
B
Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
- [24:31]
C
With Venmo. Stash a taco in one hand and ordering a ride in the other means you're stacking cash back. Nice. Get up to 5% cash back with Venmo Stash on your favorite brands when you pay with your Venmo debit card. From takeout to ride shares, entertainment and more, pick a bundle with your go tos and start earning cash back at those brands. Earn more cash when you do more with Stash. Venmo Stash terms and exclusions apply. Max $100 cash back per month. See terms@venmo me stashterms.
- [25:01]
E
Think Verizon is expensive? Think again. Anyone can bring their AT&T or T mobile bill to a Verizon store today and we'll give you a better deal. So bring us your bill. Walking, Running, Pogo, Sticking, Teleport. If you can ride on the back of a rollerblading yak or fly in on the wings of a majestic falcon, any way you can bring your AT&T or T mobile bill to a Verizon store today and we'll give you a better deal on the best network based on RouteMetric's best overall mobile network performance US 2nd half 2025. All rights reserved. Must provide a very recent postpaid consumer mobile bill in the name of the person redeeming the deal. Additional terms, conditions and restrictions apply.
- [25:32]
C
It's football season and now you can get anything you need for game day delivered with Uber Eats. Well, almost. Almost anything. You can't get a running back, but baby back ribs. Yes. Uber Eats official on demand food delivery partner of the NFL.
- [25:46]
A
This is an iHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human.