The Herd with Colin Cowherd – FantasyPros: Draft or Pass on These Fantasy Football Gambles (Ep. 1675)

Date: August 30, 2025
Hosts: Joey P. (Joe Pisapia), Pat Fitzmaurice, The Welsh

Episode Overview

This episode of the FantasyPros Fantasy Football Podcast (featured within The Herd with Colin Cowherd) is a lively and practical roundtable centering on "Draft or Pass" calls for some of the riskiest, most hotly debated fantasy football players for the 2025 season. The trio—Joey P., Pat Fitzmaurice, and The Welsh—dissect current ADPs and real-time situations (especially news, injuries, and depth chart shifts) and vigorously debate whether certain players are worth the potential boom or bust this draft season. Discussion covers running backs, wide receivers, and ends with a lightning round including QB and TE picks.

Tone: Candid, data-driven, playful bickering, and highly actionable for fantasy drafters.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Opening Jokes, Sponsor Banter, YouTube Push

[00:00 - 02:32]

• Icebreaker about "Chubby shirts" (sponsor) and playful jabs about who did/didn’t get their shirt.
• Quick push to subscribe on YouTube, goal: 300,000 subs.

Running Backs: Draft or Pass?

Christian McCaffrey, SF 49ers

[03:15 – 09:16]

• Pros (Welsh):
  • Every healthy week: elite usage and total production.
  • "If he can stay healthy, he actually might be the safest to be a top three overall player…take out the actual injury worry." – The Welsh [06:15]
  • Shanahan's usage pattern: “When Christian McCaffrey is healthy, it’s Christian McCaffrey’s team.”
• Cons (Joe P.):
  • Significant injury risk: missed substantial time in recent seasons.
  • Expensive ADP (now 7th overall).
  • "You’re passing on safer guys like Derrick Henry, Justin Jefferson…"
• Pat Fitzmaurice:
  • Reluctant draft at high cost; injury risk is terrifying but upside is huge.
  • "He is a reluctant draft and the injury risk is absolutely terrifying." [07:13]
  • Good in shark leagues: ceiling justifies risk when competition is fierce.

Breece Hall, New York Jets

[09:18 – 12:50]

• Pat: Clear pass; projected timeshare with Braylon Allen, committee usage, low scoring offense, lack of pass volume.
• Welsh: Draft, especially in PPR; cited Hall’s pass-catching, big-play upside, and Justin Fields’ high checkdown rate.
  • "Breece Hall making his money off of the receiving game, going to be used more in the receiving game..." [11:59]
• Joe P.: Mild pass at current cost; would reconsider if ADP drops.

RJ Harvey, Denver Broncos (Rookie)

[13:03 – 17:39]

• Consistent clean sweep 'Draft' from all hosts
  • "RJ Harvey, he is too much of a playmaker for this offense..." – The Welsh [15:57]
  • Sean Payton’s RB-friendly history cited (Pierre Thomas, Kamara, Reggie Bush).
  • Noted: Early in season could see more J.K. Dobbins; if Harvey owners panic, he’s a trade target.

Joe Mixon, Houston Texans

[18:20 – 21:17]

• Current ADP plummeting (102 overall, RB37), starting on PUP.
• Pat & Welsh: Hard pass due to opaque foot/ankle injury, bad offensive line, high chance he’s “cut early” by fantasy GMs after a few weeks.
  • "There's no risk reward here for me on Joe Mixon." – Welsh [20:32]
• Joey P.: Only interested post-100, purely as a deep stash if cheaper.

Washington Commanders’ Backfield

[21:15 – 25:30]

• Consensus: Pass on Jacory Crosby, Merritt, Chris Rodriguez, and Austin Ekeler given crowded committee and rising ADP.
• Pat: If drafting anyone, Ekeler in full-PPR and Rodriguez (late dart), but Bill Crosby “won’t get high-value touches.”
  • "The values have jumped a little too much... there's too much of a committee here." – Welsh [22:38]

Wide Receivers: Draft or Pass?

Tyreek Hill, Miami Dolphins

[29:13 – 35:00]

• Pat: Pass, worried about age (31), injuries, bad vibes with team, Miami’s evolving (and possibly weaker) passing game.
  • "The vibes just have not been great between Tyreek Hill and the team…too many things to worry about here." [30:31]
• Joe P.: Draft—only at heavy discount (can sometimes get as WR3 in roster builds), rare upside.
• Welsh: Strong pass, citing Tua dependency, decrease in designed plays, and new oblique issue.

Tetairoa “Tett” McMillan, Carolina Panthers (Rookie)

[35:34 – 38:27]

• Unanimous Draft; all believe he’ll step into WR1 role immediately.
  • "He’s going to find just really good points of separation against cornerbacks as a rookie, and he’s going to get tons of targets." – Welsh [36:42]
  • Pat has him ranked as WR16—projects top-15 WR by 2026.

Kansas City Chiefs WR Room (Rashee Rice, Xavier Worthy)

[38:27 – 43:55]

• Pat: “Draft at appropriate prices.”
  • Rice: Draftable if available after round 9 due to 6-game suspension; Worthy: only if cost drops given anticipated ADP surge.
• Welsh: Generally pass due to volatility and current ADP, but would snap up Rice if he falls deep enough.
  • "I actually think this is a positive. Please suspend him at the top of the year. Give him just six games… I actually think that gives a much clearer path to Rashee Rice." [42:07]
• Joe P.: Both are passes for him at current prices.

Travis Hunter, Jacksonville Jaguars (Rookie, Two-way Player)

[45:51 – 49:20]

• Joe P. & Pat: Pass; too close in ADP to high-upside rookies like Pearsall, Golden, Egbuka.
• Welsh: Draft, especially post-WR30; cited slot role in Liam Coen’s offense, “full-time WR” plans, and playmaking upside.

Lightning Round: Pass/Fail Takes (Quick Hits)

Rams WRs:

• Pat: Pass (cannibalization risk, Stafford’s health).
• Welsh & Joe: Draft (now at discount; talent prevails).

Saints WRs:

• Joe: Pass (QB volatility, Olave concussion risk).
• Welsh & Pat: Draft (Olave’s yards per route run elite; all going cheap).

Justin Fields, Jets QB:

• Pat: Pass (bleak passing outlook, double injury risk).
• Welsh & Joe: Draft (rushing makes him fantasy relevant; “top-10 QB upside”).

Drake Maye, Patriots QB (Rookie):

• Welsh: Draft (value as late QB).
• Pat: Draft (his QB8)—"I think he could give you rushing numbers very similar to what Justin Fields... he is a vastly superior passer to Justin Fields." [54:47]

Travis Kelce, Chiefs TE:

• Pat: Pass unless late ("I want Bowers or Kittle early or Kraft or Tyler Warren late").
• Welsh & Joe: Draft, if he falls as red zone work, volume remains high, but caveats for age.

Tyler Warren, Giants TE (Rookie):

• All: Draft, as late TE; great YAC upside ("It's like George Kittle and Jeremy Shockey had a baby and it was Tyler Warren." – Pat [56:07])

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• "He actually might be the safest to be a top three overall player. He might be the safest first round pick there is taking out the actual injury worry." – The Welsh on CMC [06:15]
• “If you take away the injury stuff and you just are purely looking at production, there might not be…more floor-based guys.” – The Welsh, CMC vs. others [07:39]
• “Brian Robinson doesn't matter if they bring in 12 more running backs. When Christian McCaffrey is healthy, it is Christian McCaffrey's team.” – The Welsh [04:54]
• “It's possible we don't see Joe Mixon this year with this foot issue... it's a hard pass.” – Pat [19:09]
• “He is way too explosive and a playmaker to keep him off the field.” – The Welsh on RJ Harvey [17:39]
• "Eleven games [Tyreek Hill] finished wide receiver 30 or worse last year." – Welsh [34:12]
• “He steps into a high volume role right away as the day 1 X receiver … this one is easy guys.” – Pat, McMillan [37:44]
• “Draft at appropriate prices.” – Pat, Chiefs WRs [40:26]

Timestamps for Major Segments

• [03:15] Christian McCaffrey draft/passes
• [09:18] Breece Hall debate
• [13:03] RJ Harvey (rookie upside and warning signs)
• [18:20] Joe Mixon fade
• [21:15] Commanders backfield debate
• [29:13] Wide Receivers begin; Tyreek Hill discount segment
• [35:34] Tett McMillan rookie WR hype
• [38:27] Chiefs WR room: Rice suspension & Worthy opportunity
• [45:51] Travis Hunter debate
• [50:19] Lightning round: Rams, Saints WRs, QBs, and TEs

Final Takeaways

• Hosts offer candid admissions about volatility, injury risk, and market shifts in real ADP.
• Heavy consensus on some rookies (McMillan, Harvey) as league-winners at current value.
• Emphasize opportunity cost: When “passing,” it's less a player critique and more about positional, roster, and value context.
• Many players (including Christian McCaffrey and Rashee Rice) are boom-bust investments—upside cases need to be weighed with cost and depth of league.
• The importance of monitoring real-time ADP and reacting to news is repeated throughout.

Summary Table

| Player/Topic | Draft/Pass (Consensus) | Key Reasoning | |----------------------------|----------------------------------|--------------------------------------------------------------------| | Christian McCaffrey | Reluctant Draft (at cost) | Upside huge; injury risk means elite leagues only, ideally at value| | Breece Hall | Neutral/Pass (at ADP) | Committee risk, only value at major discount | | RJ Harvey | Draft | Rookie with clear path, explosiveness; all high | | Joe Mixon | Pass | Injury, PUP, uncertain role | | Commanders RBs | Pass (maybe cheap Ekeler dart) | Unclear roles, rising ADP, too messy | | Tyreek Hill | Pass at WR1 price, Draft only at heavy discount | Health, Tua-dependent, offense trending away | | Tett McMillan | Strong Draft | WR1 role, talent + volume, future top-15 WR | | Chiefs WRs (Rice/Worthy) | Draft if steep discount, otherwise pass | Suspension/injury ADP changes | | Travis Hunter | Mixed: Pass (Joe, Pat), Draft (Welsh) | Two-way role, slot usage, but crowded and better values nearby | | Rams WRs | Mixed: Draft at discount | Talent can overcome QB issues if price is right | | Saints WRs | Draft | Volume, talent, late cost | | Justin Fields (QB) | Split: Draft in superflex (Joe/Welsh), pass in 1QB (Pat) | Rushing upside vs. passing risk and Jets chaos | | Drake Maye (QB rookie) | Draft | Rushing, upside, late cost | | Travis Kelce (TE) | Draft if late; pass early | Aging, but still high floor when cheap | | Tyler Warren (TE rookie) | Strong Draft (late) | Athletic, after-catch, upside |

For Listeners:

If you want to print a cheat sheet or set draft priorities, this episode cuts out the fluff and nails the actionable points, especially when it comes to adjusting your board for late-offseason injuries and camp news.