Last-Minute NFL News and Latest Fantasy Draft Trends

Summary

The Ringer Fantasy Football Show

Episode: Last-Minute NFL News and Latest Fantasy Draft Trends

Hosts: Danny Heifetz, Danny Kelly, and Craig Horlbeck

Date: August 27, 2025

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Episode Overview

In this lively episode, the Ringer crew delivers a jam-packed show focused on last-minute NFL news and how it impacts fantasy football drafts. The guys break down key injuries, roster moves, and camp trends that will affect your cheat sheet, with a special focus on late-draft steals, which players to avoid, and the evolving value of backs and receivers. They also unpack key lessons and surprising takeaways from their annual Ringer staff draft—including dramatic draft fallers, how to strategize in superflex and regular leagues, and just how far vibes matter in picking players for your team. The end of the episode gets delightfully off-topic with Taylor Swift engagement odds and celebrity gossip, but the core of the show is invaluable draft weekend advice.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. NFL NEWS IMPACTING FANTASY DRAFTS

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Joe Mixon’s (Texans) Injury

• [06:08] Danny Heifetz: "Joe Mixon…is going to be placed on injured reserve or physically unable to perform. We have no idea what's going on with his foot, but it's not good... Let someone else make that pick unless he falls to the 13th round or so."
• The consensus is Mixon’s value has cratered. Only take him super late in drafts with IR spots—otherwise, ignore.

Texans Running Backs: Nick Chubb, Dameon Pierce, Woody Marks

• [09:18] Danny Kelly: "Damien Pierce is the guy…that probably has more upside than Nick Chubb right now. So I'm actually just taking flyers on Damien Pierce now."
• Danny Heifetz notes the "Occam's Razor" outcome is Chubb starts, but Pierce and rookie Woody Marks are both great, cheap, late flyers. Chubb is a low-ceiling, early-season “floor” pick; if you’re aiming for upside, go for Pierce or Marks, especially super late.

Jauan Jennings Hold-In / Injury (49ers)

• [14:58] Danny Kelly: "If Jennings goes on IR, Ricky Pearsall — it's absolute wheels up for him."
• Jennings is “holding in” with a contract dispute, with the 49ers threatening IR as leverage. If Jennings misses time or falls in drafts due to his ‘calf injury’ designation, he is a value pick late, and Pearsall becomes a league-winner candidate.
• [16:41] Kyle Shanahan (quoted by DK): "You never know with calves, which does sound like you never know…"
  (Shanahan being cagey = probably fine but late entry-level value.)

Rams (Puka Nacua, Matthew Stafford, Davante Adams)

• Stafford’s health is a looming worry. The hosts waffle on Puka’s risk/reward, ultimately calling him a “bottom of the top tier” WR but maintaining his upside is league-winning if healthy.
• On Adams, concern over QB play with Jimmy Garoppolo and general situation:
  "I'm getting a little afraid of capitulating…do you actually want to sign up for this?" ([22:57] Heifetz)
• In sum:
  Puka Nacua: Great, but take at cost—not above it, due to risk.
  Davante Adams: Significant QB risk; avoid unless he falls.

Dolphins Backfield: Devon Achane & Handcuffs

• [34:01] Craig: “He’s in the Puka range where he’s the double injury parlay: you need him AND Tua to stay healthy.”
• Achane has a calf injury, was already sharing, and is highly risky in Round 2. For high reward drafters, upside is massive, but all hosts agreed to fade him if you want a stress-free start. The only way to take Achane is to handcuff w/ Ollie Gordon, who has impressed—"Ollie Gordon…is a great last round flyer." ([40:29] DK)

Saints QB Battle & Pass Catchers

• Spencer Rattler wins the job—modest upgrade in stability, but hosts are still lukewarm on Chris Olave, Rashid Shaheed, and others.
  [41:52] DK: “I’m…more willing to take them where they're going at their ADP.”
• Saints' schedule is vicious for QBs to start, so tread lightly.

Chargers Backfield: Omarion Hampton

• Danny Heifetz on Hampton: “Why is he so low? ... I think he's a great player." ([44:12], [44:38])
• Hampton, likely to benefit from volume and gameplan, is quietly poised for a big year and offers league-winning upside at his ADP.

Other Injury News

• Najee Harris, now eligible, but the Chargers' RB situation and other depth chart notes reinforce that old, boring veterans (like Harris) are fine if they massively fall.

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2. DRAFT STRATEGY TAKEAWAYS FROM THE RINGER LEAGUE

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Draft Grades Are Useless—Trust Your Plan

• [47:17] Craig: “You can think your team looks good... and then you get D pluses like me and DK.”
• The Yahoo grade only measures against their rankings, not the actual strategic value you drafted. Don't chase the platform's A+ if it means drafting guys you hate.

Sandtrap Profiles: Dolphins, Jets WRs, Boring RBs

• Dolphins and Jets (Garrett Wilson, Breece Hall, Jaylen Waddle): All were massive draft fallers, with no one wanting to buy into a situation with QB instability or bad vibes.
• “Boring” veterans and handcuffs (Michael Pittman, Austin Ekeler, Rashad White, J.K. Dobbins, Aaron Jones, etc.) dropped many rounds—take advantage when these "boring" but starting RBs drop 30–50 spots.

Rookies and 2nd-Year Players Are Being Priced Up

• All the exciting "sleeper" rookies—Ricky Pearsall, Tyler Warren, RJ Harvey, etc.—are now hot commodities and go at or before their ranked cost. The edge to simply stacking rookies is shrinking.
• [65:20] Craig: "If there were any player, I guess going in the later-ish rounds at tight end, who could finish as the tight end 4 or 5, it was Warren. But the whole argument is that a rookie has been good at tight end five times ever…that’s still like five times ever.”

Optimize for Ceiling in Later Rounds

• Take running backs with “league-winning” potential (Ray Davis, Ollie Gordon, etc.) late, not just floor guys.
  • [14:19]: Ray Davis is cited as the appropriate type of “all-in” purposeful flier.
• Pierce, Achan, Gordon-type picks late can win you a league if depth chart shifts hit.

Superflex and Regular League Advice

• In superflex, prioritize a locked-in RB or QB early—quarterbacks go fast.
• In 2-WR start leagues, RB-RB or RB-QB openings feel safest; later rounds are loaded with potential breakout WRs.
• In three WR or PPR leagues, it’s more flexible, but beware of going too receiver-heavy, leaving you with only ugly RB choices late.

Handcuff Smartly and Exploit Waiver Rules

• If you draft early before week 1, drop kicker/defense to stash more RBs (like Ollie Gordon) in case of a sudden depth chart change ([41:13] Heifetz).

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3. Memorable Quotes

• “You need to start shooting for the stars and not playing for…high floor, round 16.” — Craig ([12:07])
• “Players that are already boring, no one wants, are the best late picks. That’s how you win leagues.” — Danny Heifetz ([63:10])
• “Stafford is a kingmaker…one of the best for fantasy ever, of this generation.” — Danny Kelly ([26:03])
• “When everyone agrees a team will be terrible, it’s the opposite.” — Danny Kelly ([57:09])
• “A man must have a code.” — Danny Heifetz ([56:43])
• “Peer pressure of the draft room is a real thing—print rankings from somewhere else to not go crazy.” — Danny Heifetz ([77:15])

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Timestamps for Key Segments

| Time | Segment | |-----------|---------------------------------------------------| | 03:00 | News roundup intro (injuries, signings, what matters) | | 06:08 | Joe Mixon/Texans backfield injury discussion | | 09:18 | Texans RB depth: Chubb, Pierce, Marks analysis | | 14:58 | Jauan Jennings holdout/calf injury – impact on 49ers WRs | | 21:13 | Matthew Stafford back update & ripple effect | | 33:28 | Devon Achane’s injury & shaky RB situations | | 41:25 | Saints QB update & WR outlook | | 44:08 | Chargers backfield: The Mariion Hampton undervalue| | 47:17 | The myth of fantasy draft grades | | 54:33 | Jets/Dolphins: Vibe-based player avoidance trends| | 63:10 | “Boring” RBs & why you should gobble up fallers | | 65:20 | Rookies/second-year draftees – is the edge gone? | | 67:39 | Roster construction takeaways from in-person draft| | 79:09 | Bill Simmons’ five-QB draft strategy in superflex| | 80:14 | Taylor Swift engagement – cultural odds segment |

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Notable Moments

• The “Fantasy League Punishments” Innovation: The Ringer league let drafters "lock in" their own preferred punishments in the draft, fixing the "no one wants to do an egregious punishment" problem ([59:21] explained in detail).
• "Name-drop Buffer": How merely mentioning a guy’s questionable tag (Jauan Jennings, Jaden Reed) can tank his draft cost—works to your advantage if you stay informed ([74:27]).
• Celeb Interlude: Taylor Swift’s Wedding Odds: Lake Como and Tuscany odds, best-man/bridesmaid debate, and a curveball from Selena Gomez ([82:01] onward).
• Draft Vibes: The crew acknowledges how emotion, “just can’t do it” moments, and league punishments subconsciously steer teams away from pure analytics picks ([56:04], [56:43]).

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Actionable Draft Advice

Injury Risk

• Injuries like Mixon’s and Achane’s make them late fliers at-best—or ignore them if your league doesn’t have an IR slot.
• Monitor “questionable” tags and exploit drafters’ fear—snag value with guys like Darnell Mooney and Jaden Reed ([74:33]).

Upside vs. Floor

• Prioritize upside RB/WRs rounds 10–16 (Ray Davis, Ollie Gordon, Pierce, rookie WRs).
• Don’t worry about “boring” RBs falling. If Aaron Jones, James Conner, or Rashad White drop far enough, scoop them.

Platform & Rankings

• Be aware of how platform rankings differ (Pierce buried at 2000+ on non-Yahoo sites!)—cue up names manually.
• Use cross-platform rankings to calibrate and avoid “draft room peer pressure” ([77:15]).

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Closing Notes

This episode is a must-listen for anyone drafting in the final week of August, especially those wanting to thread the needle between upside swings and securing enough solid, low-ADP veterans. The crew’s in-person draft insights and candid, practical advice will leave listeners well-armed to build a winning roster, and maybe even have a laugh about Taylor Swift’s engagement along the way.

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Episode Summary at a Glance

• Biggest fallers: Dolphins/Jets playmakers, old RBs, players with any injury flag.
• Biggest risers: Rookies and second-year talents, especially at WR/TE.
• Winning Formula: Smart, boring values + high-upside late fliers.
• Late-draft gold: Handcuff running backs, undervalued “boring” WRs/RBs, and injury-discounted regular starters.
• Key lesson: Trust your own plan & research—not the live grade, not peer vibes.
• For the off-topic crowd: Italy is favored for the Swift wedding, but the jury’s out on bridesmaid odds.

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"You're not drafting for seventh—you're drafting to win. Take the big swings when it’s cheap. Let others stress over their draft grade." — Danny Kelly, [26:03]

Transcript

[A]

Foreign. Welcome to the Ringer Fantasy football Show. My name is Danny Hyphens and I'm joined in person by Danny Kelly and Craig Horbeck live in Los Angeles. Well, I guess we're live, but this is going up later. Yeah, we're alive in Los Angeles.

[B]

Everything is live when you're not on your screens. Yeah. Isn't that cool?

[A]

Unlike Jelly the Bear or potentially Matthew.

[B]

Stafford in the moment.

[A]

Right? Yeah. Okay, so we're gonna go. Yeah, we're gonna go through a bunch of news and just all these people who are hurt or signing contracts or whatever's going on and just whether it actually means anything or not. And then we're go through the draft. We did Ringer Fantasy Football Show, YouTube channel. We had draft with us and all. Frankly, all our bosses.

[B]

Yeah. Check it out. Yeah, Super.

[A]

And we're gonna talk about. Well, I talked about my team a lot, but then I didn't let you guys talk about your teams because my team's interesting. Your team's boring. But we're gonna try to just basically take the lessons from that draft and help you guys apply it because we know everyone's drafting around this time. So we're gonna try to apply those lessons. Basically last minute draft prep for you guys.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

And then we're going to argue about Taylor Swift and where. Where she's going to get married.

[B]

Biggest story in the world.

[A]

Lake Como. I said that. You guys are acting like I'm like a wimp for thinking. Yeah, it's like the biggest is will be the most interacted with thing in the world. I don't know why this is controversial.

[B]

We'll get into it later. You'll hear it.

[A]

All right. All right, first, let's take a quick break. I don't know why I mentioned one time.

[B]

It was just funny. You were just, like, freaking out this morning. You were just sending. You're like, we need to, like, reorganize our entire strategy around the fact that Taylor Chef got engaged today.

[A]

I kind of. Yeah. This episode is brought to you by Hyundai get into the Hyundai getaway sales event and get away with the deal. So right. It almost feels wrong. Score a great deal in their adventure. Ready SUVs like Kona, Tucson, Santa Fe and Palisade. Their bold and stylish Elantra, their most advanced Sonata yet. And the All Electric, Ioniq 5 and Ioniq 6. Plus, every Hyundai is backed by America's best warranty and Hyundai complimentary maintenance. Visit HyundaiUSA.com or call 562-314-4603 for details offers end September 2, 2025 this episode is brought to you by Yahoo. Fantasy. The season is around the corner and fantasy football is taking over. Everyone's researching, drafting and putting together their championship squads. If you haven't joined a league yet, now is the time. And it's all happening on Yahoo. Fantasy. This year we are playing on Yahoo. Fantasy and you should too. We're doing the Ring of Fantasy Football league on Yahoo. Fantasy. Also all my friends, of all the platforms we do, everyone always wants to do it on Yahoo because it's the best season starts September 4th. So now is the time to start playing Yahoo. Fantasy football which offers so many fun ways to compete. Want more ways to play? Try the new Yahoo Fantasy Guillotine League mode where the lowest scoring team gets eliminated weekly. Want to play instantly with friends? Try the new draft with friends mode. Try prefer the classics play in private head to head leagues or join a public league. Play now@yahoo. Fantasy.com theringer all right, let's get into some news. Cause a lot of news has happened. We're going to go through stories that you may have missed, but also whether they mean anything and whether they should actually factor into basically whether this changes rankings, whether you're using our rankings or other rankings, whether you should tweak it.

[B]

Whether you're using other rankings.

[A]

Yeah, there are.

[B]

Yeah, there aren't any other rankings.

[A]

How dare you. Just ours.

[B]

Just ours.

[A]

Yahoo's the only fantasy platform. We're the only fantasy rankings. It's crazy how that works. So fantasy football.30.com we have printable tiers as well there. So if you go to fantasy football.the real.com there's a big old button that says printable PDF rankings. And on that are our rankings and our tiers.

[B]

Fortunately, it doesn't come with a printer, which would be more valuable.

[A]

Printers are hard.

[B]

It's harder than anything to find a printer.

[C]

You can, you can look at the PDF though.

[A]

You can look at it.

[B]

Printers is kind of nice. Looking at a PDF just feels nice.

[A]

Yeah, it does. It's like clean. It's still safe.

[B]

It's uneditable.

[A]

I love that. It's nice.

[B]

Yeah, I feel safe. Like a warm blanket.

[A]

Love that. So the again, fantasy football.300.com we know one of you, a lot of you have wanted tiers. The tiers are there under the printable PDF section. And also our rankings there we have the draft tracker, everything. So whether you want to print stuff out, whether you don't that's all there. So we're going to go through the news and again, basically trying to let you know what is priced into rankings. So you see a news. I'm just going to a good example. Terry McLaurin signed his contract with Washington. Good for him. He's 30 years old. He probably didn't get as much as he wanted getting probably, I don't know, 28 million a year and that's like good for him. That doesn't change anything for us. And I'm happy for Terry to be signed there this right movie a captain, He's a leader like everyone. The community loves him. He's good for the team. Obviously we really, really expected heavily that Terry McLaurin would sign close to the season. We didn't really believe at all that he would be traded. So in terms of our rankings, that doesn't mean anything. It means nothing for our purposes. So we're trying to be really good for Terry. Yeah, good. No, good for him. Good guy.

[B]

Do you think you would play harder the season after you got paid a bunch of money or in your contract year?

[A]

Don't answer that.

[C]

Probably my contract year.

[B]

So maybe we should move Terry lower.

[C]

I'm only human after all, Craig.

[A]

So we're going to just go through all the other news. So yeah. And.

[C]

Expect me to say.

[B]

Just saying maybe we should, you know, money.

[C]

I'd probably go on vacation.

[A]

The day after J.J. watts signed his giant. It's like $100 million at the time was like crazy for defensive tackle. J.J. watts showed up the next morning to the facility at 3:58 in the morning because he was like, he was like, I gotta go earn this contract. And they wouldn't let him in because no one had ever showed up that early for work. So the computer system, that was the security system thought he was like breaking.

[B]

In 3:58 is too early. You're actually going to be worse at practice six hours later if you're there that early.

[A]

It's like all the coaches sleep on their couches just so that they send a message that they care. But in reality, if all the coaches have like two hours more sleep, they'd probably be better.

[B]

It's insane. Yeah, that's some Mark Wahlberg shit they're making.

[C]

A lot of money is going by while we're sleeping.

[B]

I do think if you get that fat content, then you kind of need to prove that you earned it. I know you deserve it.

[C]

A lot of these NFL players too are just built diff from a point of view of I Have to prove everybody wrong. All the haters, they're manufacturing things that people said. Like the Michael Jordan story, where he made up a story about this rookie.

[A]

Was my favorite Michael Jordan story is the one where the Utah waiter comes up and says, michael, it's such an honor to meet you. And you're like the best player ever. And he's like, you that kid.

[B]

I'm going to beat the shit out of the Jazz.

[A]

Anyway, so. Anyway. So. All right, actual news. Joe Mixon, the Texans running back, has is going to. By the time you're listening to this, we're recording Tuesday, August 26th, it's going to be probably be placed on injured reserve or physically unable to perform. So he's going to be out at least the first four weeks of the year. This is something that we were. We really expected and I think our rankings have reflected that, like mixing his. We have no idea what's going on with his foot, but it's not good. I don't know if he's going to play this year, but we don't know. No one. It's not a good situation.

[B]

No one really knows what's going on.

[C]

One of the weirdest situations in fantasy football right now, too, I think. It's just he's going almost undrafted at this point.

[A]

Yeah. And basically whatever's going on with his rehab, it's like, you know, players get injured and 90% of them, you don't really hear about their rehab. This was one of the 10% where it went wrong. And so we don't have to spend a ton of time. And the action item is you're not going to take Joe Mixon. Let someone.

[B]

Well, hold on. Let me ask you. Let's say you're in a league. A lot of leagues have an IR spot. Do you think with the last pick in the draft, you should take Joe Mixon to put him on the ir?

[A]

Yeah, exactly. If you have an. Exactly. So that happened. We did the ringer fancy football show draft yesterday, and if you want to watch that on YouTube, you can watch the whole thing. It was really fun. Sean Fennesee got mixed in in the last round there, which was a great call because we have an IR spot in that league. Realistically, I kind of think someone in your league is just not going to know that and hit the button.

[B]

We should do the IR rankings. Like who? Like, is that. Would you rather have IUK or. I'd rather have auk. Right. Than mixing IUK is going to come back.

[A]

I don't know if it'll be a shell. Yeah. UK mixing.

[B]

Who's the best IR pick right now?

[A]

I think Mixing or iuk.

[C]

But realistically, Godwin maybe. I mean, they're, they're all very uncertain in terms of whether I'm saying if.

[B]

You could pick one to put on your ir, who is it?

[C]

Right. Probably. I don't know, actually, maybe I guess would be over the top of the list. Mixing, I think, is a good one.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

I think three that come to mind are Godwin. You can.

[A]

Is Godwin definitely starting on IR, though?

[C]

Oh, that's a good question, actually. I think you're right. He's not actually. So never mind.

[A]

The short answer, though is that if everyone in your league actually knows this about Joe Mixon and Joe Mixon falls to the 13th round at that point. Yeah, it. Take it. Take a flyer and Joe Mix it. I kind of just don't think that's going to happen. I think Joe Mixon's going to be drafted at some point in the top 100 and I wouldn't do that, so I would let someone else do it. And if he really falls, like I'm talking seven or eight rounds lower than whatever platform you're on.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Then at that point, yeah, sure. If you have an Irish spot. The real question, though is who's. Who's the Texans running back going to be throughout the season? And I'm curious, you guys think Nick Chubb when on the field, when the Texans are playing week one, I think it's going to be Nick Chubb as the starting running back because he's the person that they're most confident won't get CJ Stroud killed on some blitz on the first drive of the year. But also Nick Chubb has his own extensive injury history that quite literally is like Nick Chubb basically needed a full knee. Nick Chubb was actually going to be one of the best running back prospects of our lifetime. Then he got a full knee reconstruction at Georgia, so he went as a high second round pick and now that was a decade ago and now he's coming off the other second knee reconstruction. So Nick Chubb, brutal. Yeah. Same knee, the one that got bent with the Steelers, like where they'd even played, the one where the Steelers fans felt bad for him, like, that's how bad it was. So Chubb, the idea that he's going to be the guy through the whole season would be a nice story because we all like Nick Chubb and he's a cool guy, but it feels a little. There's a Head in the sands. A little rude, but the idea that he would make it through a whole feels unlikely to me.

[C]

You know what it really reminds me of is the J.K. dobbins RJ Harvey combination. Super simple and where you're, you can make the argument and it's easy enough to believe that J.K. dobbins probably going to get the majority of the work because he's the experienced veteran, all that stuff. But there's a more explosive, higher upside player next to him in the case. In this case, it's RJ Harvey. But with the Texans, Damian Pierce is the guy that I'm thinking of that probably has more upside than Nick Chubb right now. So I'm actually just taking flyers on Damian Pierce right now.

[A]

You love Damian Pierce out of the draft. And then he came in and he had a thousand yards as a rookie, right?

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Kyle Brand, he looked in the angry run scepter like he was an awesome guy.

[C]

Tackle breaker, like I think his advanced stats were all pretty solid. And then they switched, the Texans switched their run scheme to like a wide.

[A]

Zone thing and he just under Bobby Slow.

[C]

He just didn't feel like he didn't know how to run that scheme. He's just much better in a game.

[A]

It's like a different language sometimes for running back.

[C]

And so his, his skill set is definitely, I think more, you know, set up to be successful in this new offense that they're running. So I'm just taking a flyer on him. Maybe it won't work out. He's. It's not expensive. He's. You can get him near the last couple rounds. And so I just want to kind of like have him on my bench in case he starts to be the starter there.

[B]

It's a really nice late round pick.

[A]

The other one is what do you think about Woody Marks dk? So Woody Marks, running back at usc, they traded, I believe, a future third. I could be getting this wrong. They traded up a future. They traded a future third to move up in the draft and get Woody Marks. And even though he was a fourth rounder, they gave up a pretty good amount of capital to get him. And he's looked good in the preseason. That was a rookie. Are they going to play passing down? Slah, blah blah. Pardon me. Still. And it's funny that Nick Chubb is the vet who's going to do passing downs because when he was on the Browns it was like he's actually not going to the passing down. So it's kind of funny how like life works Sometimes I think at some point all three of these guys are going to be useful. But I do think it just Occam's Razors, Nick Chubbs the starter and Damian Pierce is going to work in with more juice, but he lost more training camp reps early. So Damian Pierce is going to have to ramp up. At some point when Pierce is ready or Chubb gets hurt, he would become the starter and Woody Marks will look good. And then at some point if Pierce gets hurt because he already started the year with a hamstring thing, Woody Marks. I think all three of these guys could at various weeks be good. Right.

[B]

Which means that almost none of them.

[A]

Yeah, but the difference between the Denver thing and Houston is Denver's offensive lines. Like quietly a top six offensive line of the league at Houston.

[C]

Houston completely remade their offensive line this offseason.

[A]

So to be clear, so Houston's thinking about training Cam Robinson, who's a left tackle, has been on three teams in two years and they're going to try to start Aaron Tay Ursary, who's the left tackle in Minnesota. He's a rookie, right?

[C]

Yeah. So there's just a lot of question marks with this Texans offensive line, just their offense in general.

[A]

I mean, to be clear, I think the last time, the only plug and play left tackles that went in the second round I could think of in the last 20 years was basically Bernard Raymond or the Colts left tackle and then Matt Light from the Patriots. And I'm like trying to figure one pretty rare. So anyway, we'll see. But so overall in terms of takeaways here, Nick Chubb is probably a solid pick. If you like late running back, you just kind of want.

[B]

I don't know. I honestly don't even know about that because I. We'll talk about later the, the ringer draft that we did. But once you get into those bottom four or five rounds. Yeah, you need to start shooting for the stars and not playing for like high floor. Yeah, Nick Chubb might be like a competency flex level startable player for like a month and a half. That's not what you're looking for in around 16.

[A]

The odds the Texans give Nick Chubb 22 carries a game just feels low because they feel like they know that he probably can't sustain that level of work at this particular.

[C]

I think that's a great point Craig though, because if you look at, at the end of your draft, if you go look at the waiver wire in your league, odds are there's probably like 15 to 20 guys that fit that category where, like he could give me a solid floor.

[B]

There are Tyler Alger. I guess those guys are even more valuable backups and like, you know, that just come in if the starter gets hurt.

[A]

Prove a point here. Sorry about platforms. We talk about this all the time about what platform you're on really matters. Where Yahoo. Fantasy espn. Guess where Damian Pierce. And again, we think Pierce is probably going to be the best bet just because he's had a thousand. Most backup running backs aren't 25 and had a thousand yards already.

[B]

Yeah. So we'll just be only other one.

[A]

Exactly. Where do you think Damian Pierce is ranked overall players? I just went to the mock draft in a league I'm drafting later today and I'm in the. I'm in the draft room. A mock draft room. Where do you think?

[B]

And you must be on Yahoo. Because there's no other fantasy sites.

[A]

Exactly.

[B]

Right.

[A]

I don't know.

[B]

He's probably 180th.

[A]

No, a non Yahoo site. That's why Yahoo is the only site. He is ranked 2000th 2074.

[B]

That has to be an error.

[A]

That's my thousand. That's my point. You can get Damian Pierce on non Yahoo platforms. You can. Yes, that's what I'm saying. Like, it's kind of. So my point is sometimes you have to scroll down. You just have to search for a guy's name. So Pierce is a guy that if you're on a certain platform, like check where these guys are in the room and just find. And don't do the thing where you actually type a guy's name into the chat instead of the search bar. And then you're like, oh no, I just sent everyone the list of one book before.

[B]

Pierce is an upside pick, Chubb is a floor pick. And when you're that late in drafts, like for example, looking at our rankings now, somebody like Jerome Ford on the Browns, Jerome Ford to me is kind of a floor play. And when you're in rounds 15, 16, you could take somebody else, like a Ray Davis, who if something were to happen to James Cook, there is a chance Ray Davis becomes like a top.

[C]

10 running back in the league, changes.

[B]

Your entire year and could potentially be one of the reasons why you win. Jerome Ford is unlikely to do that. J.K. dobbins is unlikely to do that. So even though sometimes we have those guys ranked a little bit higher, you really have to kind of think about the upside at the end of your.

[A]

I do. Long story short, Damian Pierce as your last pick Is awesome. I mean, Joe House took him in the eighth round yesterday. That was probably a little rich for my blood. And then if you don't get him Woody Marks, like, that's a totally fine. Those are the last guys. Like, getting a piece of this Texas backfield again, maybe they suck, but it probably makes more sense than investing in Nick Chubb. So other stuff going on here. Juwan Jennings could hit injured reserve. Can you explain what's going on with this DK from Jennings and the 49ers?

[C]

This is kind of an interesting little wrinkle because Jennings is going high enough where these types of things are going to obviously matter a lot in fantasy. And if he goes on the ir, Ricky Pierce, all. It's just absolute wheels up for him. So right now it's sounding like, if you haven't heard, Jennings both has a calf injury and is holding in the. He might not actually have one.

[B]

Might be contingent on the other.

[C]

Yeah. Like the calf injury might just be really minor. And he's just using that as an excuse to hold in. He wants a new conference contract. And honestly, I don't blame him. His contract, he's not getting paid very much this year. It's a lot of escalators on performance. And so right now it sounds like, according to Tim Kalkami from the San Francisco standard, the 49ers are sort of hanging the idea of putting them on IR over his head as a piece of leverage to get him to come.

[B]

Back or, I don't know, playing time incentives.

[A]

So I was like, why would they do that? And they looked up the contract as the contract for Juwan Jennings. Shout out to over the Cap with all this contract stuff. Juwan Jennings. Well, not. They do a great job.

[B]

No. Yeah.

[A]

You're laughing at over the Cap. Over the Cap's a great site.

[B]

Let's just start shouting out every website we use.

[A]

They deserve it.

[C]

Good policy.

[B]

That was nice. Yeah.

[A]

No, by the way, if Juwan Jennings.

[B]

Right now, shout out Google.

[A]

If Juwan. Shout out Gemini. If Juwan Jennings plays half of the 49ers snaps this season, he gets a million and a half dollars.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

So think about. You put on the IR for four games. You missed four games already, so now you get hurt for, like, two games. You ain't playing half the snaps now. So that's.

[B]

So I want you to. To. To prognosticate for me. What. What do you think is more likely? He. He has a calf injury or he's trying to negotiate for an extension or he gets put on ir because the negotiation doesn't go well.

[C]

I think the most likely is he's just going to have to capitulate and come back.

[A]

Yeah, the. The Niners are.

[B]

No extension. He'll play week one.

[A]

The Niners are.

[C]

But now he's behind because he's missed so much time in training camp and he might have a calf injury.

[A]

Yeah, you know, that's. That's the thing. So the 49ers are kind of savages with the way they negotiate. Like they don't really give a fuck. And I. They're the ones most comfortable taking down to the deadline. But unlike Dallas, where Jerry Jones just wants to get like media attention from it. The Niners. Yeah, Clicks.

[C]

He was click Farmer clicks on the blogs.

[A]

On that note, I want to put it on the record right now that Michael Parsons is going to sign this contract at 11:00am on Thursday, September 5th, or whatever the day the Eagles Cowboys game is. 11:00am that day, they're going to skip the Michael Parsons deal. Done for like $43 million a year. Putting that out.

[C]

43 mil?

[A]

Yeah, maybe 43 to 40. 42 to 45 million a year.

[B]

11Am is what first right now at 41? I don't know. Right.

[C]

Hit up over the count.

[B]

TJ's at 41. Right.

[A]

So Miles went to 40, so Watt went to 41. So yeah, Mike is going to get like 42, 43, and they're going to get it done. And it's going to be a big commercial for the Eagles Cowboys game that Thursday.

[C]

So by the way, this whole thing with Micah Parsons is interesting from a point of view. Jerry Jones has tried to go behind Micah Parsons agents back and negotiate.

[A]

Who's like one of the biggest three agents in the NFL.

[B]

I don't know if the term illegal is accurate, but like, you're not supposed.

[C]

To do that 100%.

[B]

No, you're not allowed to negotiate without an agent present.

[A]

Like you. I mean, you. It's. It's not a great way to work with the largest. I mean, literally, like we always joke with you, Rosenhaus, but David Ligetta, he's the one who managed to get to Sean Watson amid all that, the. Literally an NBA Supermax contract. So just. It's a crazy thing all around. But the point being the. The Dallas does it because they want clicks. The Niners do it because they're actually just like, they really are comfortable going up to the day of the game. And so I do think that's. I think reading the tea leaves here. Jennings is probably Healthy enough to play or else Kyle Shanahan probably wouldn't be so weird about this. Yeah, we already can't play.

[B]

Wait, can you read the quote, dk? Yeah, read Shanahan's quote.

[C]

Shanahan was asked if Jennings could play out or if he could miss week one, and Shanahan said, I mean, if it doesn't heal, yes, but I expect him back. I think he should be back from it. But you never know with Cavs. I'm not a doctor, so like I said, calves take time. You never know with calves, which does sound like you never know.

[B]

Are you speaking from experience?

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

Thanks, Kyle.

[C]

Yeah, the whole bilateral Achilles tendonitis, you never know.

[A]

It does sound.

[B]

Is this the most obvious, like 49 or calf injury? Avoid. Avoid. Red flag.

[A]

Well, no, because it's funny either way, where it's like, I feel like if Juwan Jennings is actually hurt and there's a calf injury, I'm like, okay, this is calf epidemic in San Francisco or whatever.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

But I will say if you're Juwan Jennings agent and you're like, yeah, he's a calf injury, can you imagine Kyle Shannon hearing that? Be like mother. So I do think that's the correct point though, dk, which is you're milking it, trying to get the contract you're going to play. Does the lack of playing for a month actually just boost Ricky Parasol more and like, maybe just. Is this a stay away or value? That's the question. I think Ricky Parasol to me is still the guy wants San Francisco.

[B]

Definitely that. I agree with that. Pierce all is the guy you want, however, but Kittle as well. When Jennings starts falling in drafts, if you're drafting this weekend, Jennings starts falling because there's.

[A]

Because he's got a questionable people next to his name.

[B]

Yeah, you read the little blurb. It says he's got a calf injury. Dk, do you think if he starts falling a round or two, he becomes a value?

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

Or is it a stay away for you?

[C]

No, I think he becomes a value.

[A]

This is the guy you have to mention in the draft room. You're like, wow, Jennings is a calf. Put it in a group text so the one guy who's not there sees it too. So that everyone's like, oh, Niner with a calf issue. And then like you let him drop the rounds and then you get him.

[C]

I mean, when he's healthy and playing in this offense with the. With the, you know, turnover that they've had at a receiver, he could be the top 24. Totally.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

Receiver.

[A]

He could be top 10.

[C]

If I didn't want to. I don't want to go overboard. But yeah, like, he could be very useful.

[B]

He was one of the most productive receivers in the league. I think he was seventh in first downs per route run. Like he was the guy that Purdy turned to on third, second long, stuff like that.

[C]

And if you look at some of the guys that are around him in the. In our rankings right now, it's Jerry Judy who is going to be playing with God knows what all year in a terrible offense.

[A]

Browns. Yeah. Brown. You want a Cleveland Brown or San.

[C]

Francisco, you got Michael Pittman right there. You got. And again, playing with Daniel Jones, who knows if this offense is going to be any good. He's got a back injury or he had a back injury.

[B]

I agree. If Juwan starts to fall, I think he becomes a solid.

[A]

I think he's a. Yeah, I think he's a good value. I think it's already baked in, honestly, and I think it's. He's probably okay. Speaking. Well, there's. Then there's. So. Yeah. Takes you. I think we're just still in on all the Niners. Let everyone know when you're draft. He's a calf injury.

[B]

Yeah. Be like another 49er with a calf injury. I'm good. And then take him to the.

[A]

And then take them.

[C]

Craig would do that.

[A]

Yeah. Here's someone who's not. Okay, we need a Matthew Stafford update. He's. He's the new Jelly the Bear. He's Matthew Stafford. We don't know if he's alive.

[C]

Yeah, well, he is.

[B]

He.

[A]

He.

[C]

We had proof of life. Much like the Jelly Saga. They did a live stream from practice and. And had a trainer playing catch with him with a little ball. No, it was. He's back.

[B]

He was in a trench coat, though. And it looked like two children standing.

[A]

On top of Jimmy Garoppolo and Stetson bed standing on top.

[C]

You know, Stafford is back at practice now when you say back at practice.

[A]

You'Re back at practice.

[B]

His back at practice.

[C]

No, I don't think he's like full. He's not full participant where he's going all out. He's like running around doing drills and whatnot.

[A]

Is he running?

[B]

But the biggest red flag was when McVeigh was talking about how he's been walking a lot.

[C]

He's gonna.

[A]

He's.

[C]

We might have him run. We might even have him walk.

[B]

Yeah, he's been walking. Here's the thing that's Been exciting, I can promise.

[C]

Hobbling about.

[B]

Yeah, we always do trundling.

[A]

We always have talked about the week one test. We always talked about the week one test. How will you feel? And the other thing we haven't talked about is the left tackle. Alaric Jackson has like this blood clot issue, which is very serious. And I mean, I'm not a doctor, but playing football and blood thinners is like. I mean, that's complicated. So Alaric Jackson's ability to be their left tackle is also something that's kind of been buried under this. So it's not just the Stafford is a back issue. If Alaric Jackson, if they have a backup left tackle in week one and you turn on red zone and Chris Hansen's like, oh, man, look at Matthew Stafford get walloped on this one. He didn't see that coming. And then you're going to be like, oh my God, I can't believe I took Devonte Adams. Like, that's kind of where I'm at. I'm be honest, I'm getting. I'm getting a little afraid of capitulating. I'm like, do you actually want to sign up for this? Stafford being. What are the odds that in December Matthew Stafford's playing and it's not Jimmy Garoppolo. I'm feeling a little bit like this is like, oh, we're like, oh, maybe there's value where Stafford's final. And I'm like, why don't we just opt out of this situation a little bit?

[B]

I agree. I've kind of been on. Here's the way I look at it. Guys like Puka and Devonte Adams.

[A]

I know.

[B]

I think so. If you look, we have our tiers. You can download the PDF. We have our tiers. If you look at the wide receiver, tier two of the wide receivers is Justin Jefferson, Nico Collins, Amon Ross, St Brown, Malik Neighbors, Puka, Nukua, Drake London, Brian Thomas and A.J. brown. To me, if you're in the middle of that tier and Puka's there, I would just take somebody else in that tier. The idea with this tier is like, these are all guys we think can finish as like the number one overall guy in fantasy. So if Puka is there but also is Drake London, so is Malik Neighbors. So. And Brian Thomas Jr. I would probably not take Puka. To me, he falls to the bottom of that tier now. Yeah, it's like if he's there and he's fallen, you can take him, but he's no longer like a guy that you should reach for in that tier.

[A]

Do we move Puka down or is it devonte who gets moved down? Because again, I mean, to me, Puka.

[B]

Is the injury parlay. Like, you need him to stay healthy, Stafford to stay healthy.

[A]

Here's the. I feel a little bit bad because I feel like I'm talking about both sides of my mouth. Because even a couple weeks ago, I feel like I was saying, like, Stafford is like a warrior. He's had this issue for years.

[B]

Like he's plus or minus odds to play 17 games.

[A]

Oh, I think at this point, put it this way, when I was staying a couple weeks ago, now that we're a week out, I thought it'd be like he'd back at practice and we were going to like, calm down by now. I. I'm. I thought. No, but like, you know, like, I don't know, man. I'm a little.

[C]

I'm kind of. I'm.

[B]

I think Stafford's back. He's bad practice.

[C]

I think the obvious thing is you're more nervous about Puka. Yeah. And you're more nervous about devonte Adams. But I think Stafford's gonna play. It just feels like that's the direction this is going. Jordan Rodriguez was on Heat the Call podcast the other day.

[B]

Oh, I think he's going to play week one. My concern is.

[A]

Yeah, it's just.

[C]

Is he really going to make it so tough? He's like the toughest fricking quarterback in the NFL.

[B]

I know he's 37 years old with a back injury.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

But he's had back injury for the last few years.

[A]

He's been a back injury since he was 30.

[C]

Yeah. So I don't know. I'm just like going the other way. I'm not letting it affect me too much. I'm a little bit more nervous about Puka for sure.

[A]

Like, to me, I still worry about devonte Adams, where again, maybe this means nothing, but Jimmy Garoppolo. Devonte Adams left the Raiders via trade very publicly because of Jimmy Garoppolo. On what. What was the quote on the Netflix show? Was the Netflix.

[B]

I'm gonna lose my life.

[A]

What is I'm gonna lose. I mean, he's gotta get out of.

[C]

Here before I lose my fucking life.

[A]

Cause Jimmy's hospital balls. And then went on again. Went on the ringer. Marin Feder wrote a stuff of the ringer where he was just like, yeah, that was a bad situation. And he basically was like. Without saying it was basically, I couldn't play with that guy. I know that he's gonna play them. I don't know.

[B]

He's been one of those guys that for some reason, whenever his name pops up in drafts, I always. I always.

[C]

You're just kind of a stay away, I guess.

[A]

Here's the thing. If we're coming back around, if you were. This moment is the Inception meme where it's like Matthew McConaughey banging on the thing, watching the old version.

[B]

Don't do it.

[A]

Do you think that he's yelling about, you should trust Matthew Stafford will make it, believe in him or do you think he's like, don't go with the back injury.

[B]

Why do you believe it's going to.

[A]

Be like, I think this is. I don't know.

[C]

This is the same exact conversation that we have about Christian McCaffrey. You're not trying to get seventh place, you're trying to win. Matt Stafford is a kingmaker.

[B]

He is.

[C]

He is one of the best quarterbacks for Fantasy ever. Of this generation.

[A]

Not for fantasy as your starter, but for what he does to his.

[C]

Yeah, right. That's what I mean. That's what I'm talking about. With Puka single season, the upside is so high.

[A]

No, but explain. Let him explain the history of that because it's worth reminding Calvin Johnson.

[C]

Calvin Johnson obviously was the big one, but then I mean literally the most.

[A]

Receiving guards in history of the NFL.

[C]

Yeah. And he helped make guys like Kenny Golladay. Golden Tate had over 100 CA pitches with him. He is so good at force feeding the ball. And Cooper cup won the triple Crown. Pukinakua, absolutely electric rookie season. And I think you just have to be willing to accept there is more risk with this guy. There is more risk with Puka right now. But the upside is so just scintillate. It's going to be like the type of guy that can win you your league. You just have to accept that it might not happen because of injuries, but like, honestly, there's a lot of guys in this area that I'm kind of worried about injury wise. Like Malik Neighbors has a back. He has a back injury. He has a foot injury.

[B]

Drake London has Drake London, Michael Panicks as his quarterback.

[C]

Yeah, that's is all about just how much risk you're willing to take on. And I totally understand if you want to avoid him and I have kind of generally avoided Puka in drafts recently. But at the same time, you're not.

[B]

Taking your own advice.

[C]

Well, I'm saying is. What I'm saying is if you like it, just Depends on how much risk you're willing to take on. And ultimately the goal is obviously, if you have. If you're in a league where a punishment is really loud and embarrassing, then maybe don't take booking.

[B]

Let me counter.

[A]

DK's point is worth reminding that when Stafford plays, he is literally probably the best guy ever at funneling to his best players that we've ever seen.

[B]

Okay, then take Devon Hn. Let me counter.

[C]

Let me counter. I did take Devon HN.

[A]

Yeah, for the health, the calf injury.

[B]

The Christian McCaffrey point. I want to push back on because to me, Kirsten McCaffrey is so valuable because there is no other running back going after him that can do what he can do. Like, he is the last guy you can get who can basically be Saquon.

[C]

Right.

[B]

And he's actually, I guess, the only other guy other than Saquon.

[A]

I mean, if McCaffrey and Saquon both played 17 games, we knew that for a fact we would pick McCaffrey over Saquon.

[B]

I still think Puka, if Puka and Stafford and Devonte, if it all works and they all play 17 games, I still think there are like, I think Malik neighbors, I think Drake London, I think a Monroe St. Brown. Like to me there are a lot of other receivers who can have like the peak Puka season. McCaffrey is like, no one can have the McCaffrey season.

[C]

Sure, that's fair. That's fair. I mean, but I meant just more like the conversation from a injury risk point of view in terms of like how much risk are you willing to take if this guy's a zero, how much is it going to bother you?

[A]

Unfortunately, you're both right. And I don't feel like I even landed with where I still feel about this, which is the truth is I still feel a little. I guess I think Puka is the right spot. We have Puka 13th overall still, which is kind of behind neighbors and stuff.

[B]

Which is again, feels a tick high.

[A]

You can tell. Would you take Puka or Drake London?

[B]

Drake London. I would take Brock Bowers, but I.

[A]

Feel like Puka is still going to get schemed up though.

[B]

I know, but to me it's. It's the injury parlay.

[C]

You were out on Puka last year.

[B]

Too though, and he played what, 12 games?

[A]

For what it's worth, you are so right that when you're in season and every time Pukinakua just crashes into somebody because he has no clue he played.

[B]

11 games last year.

[C]

I don't know yeah, but this year it'll be different.

[B]

No, I mean, look, if it works out, it'll be awesome. And he's great, and I totally get it.

[C]

It's kind of just feeling to me.

[B]

In the first two rounds, I get a little bit cautious, and I want to kind of play it safe.

[A]

So would you rather have Pukinaku a 13th or. We have Devonte Adams ranked 38th because the guys after Devonte are like Marvin Harrison, Terry McLaurin, Garrett Wilson. And that's the thing, is I still am okay with the upside because also he's Franklin loud enough that he's like, I'll get the ball. If he doesn't get the ball, he's gonna go for.

[C]

It's awesome.

[A]

Like, I know. And that's why. Yeah, I'm still okay with him there. All right, so we're not moving. We're not moving after all that. We're not going to move the Rams. We're keeping Puka 13th, and we're going to keep Devonte 38th of roll.

[B]

We're not gonna move. I think. I just think Puka moves to the bottom of the same tier he's in.

[C]

We've already moved him down a little.

[A]

We.

[C]

We.

[A]

It's for. Counted for, like, if Stafford was totally fine, we probably have Puka, like, probably. I mean, four or five spots higher. Yeah, take them. All right. I think people can make up their own minds after this. All right, we're going to keep rolling here, but first football is almost back, and so is everything we love about it. The game day rituals, the rivalries, the bad calls, the glory plays, and the bets that make every game matter just a little more. And fanduel's getting you ready for kickoff with an offer you won't want to miss. New customers can bet just $5 and get 300 in bonus bets if you win. That's right. Pick a bet, bet five bucks, and if it wins, you'll unlock 300 bucks in bonus bets to use all across the app. You can build parlays, bet player props, ride the live lines. Whatever your style, FanDuel has you covered. The NFL season is almost here. The only question is, are you ready to play? Visit fanduel.com ringer fantasy to download the FanDuel app today and get this episode is brought to you by wayfair. Your home, it's more than a space. It's where you express yourself. Like, we've all got our setup for when the guys are over, right? So my thing, when it. When. When everyone's just around watch the game, watching a movie, whatever is I go for. I want a corner couch. If it's a L shaped couch, I want the corner. That to me is like I don't know if it's the alpha spot, but I'm like I that's where I that's like the Nestle. That's the cozy. That's where I want to be. And if that's not available, any kind of like single chair, like where I'm not on the couch. Like if it rocks. Unbelievable. Recliner, I'm in heaven. Recliner, cup holder, full leg extension. Like that is the dream. Because you can kind of get up whenever, but you're laying back. It's the best of every world. So like that's the goal to me. So however, whatever your vibe, Wayfair is every style for every home. They've got all your home essentials, storage solutions, decor and more all in one place. I used Wayfair. So Jackie and I, we got a rug. And I'm not gonna lie, I realized that Big Lebowski, they were right, like the right room. The right rug really does bring the whole room together. It's so nice to walk on. I I just, it's the nicest rug I've ever owned and I didn't realize how much that would bring me joy. Maybe I'm just getting older in life, but I didn't realize that a really, really, really nice area rug just would bring me a ton of joy. But it does get inspired with room ideas and easy to shop collections. All with everyday ways to save. Shop everything [e-mail] with free and easy delivery straight to your door. That's W a Y F A I R.com Wayfair Every style, every home this episode is brought to you by Hyundai. Get in to the Hyundai Getaway sales event and get away with the deal. So right it almost feels wrong. Score. Great deal on their adventure. Ready SUVs like Kona, Tucson, Santa Fe and Palisade. Their bold and stylish Elantra, their most advanced Sonata yet and the all electric Ioniq 5 and Ioniq 6. Plus every Hyundai is backed by America's best warranty and Hyundai complimentary maintenance. Visit HyundaiUSA.com or call 562-314-4603 for details. Offer ends September 2, 2025. For the first time ever, you can get all of ESPN in the new.

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[A]

Started a couple of things that happened. You mentioned Devon Ichan as his calf issue and I gotta tell you, that's enough for me. I'm like, man, Devon Ichin is another parlay. Again, we keep saying this. Achan went to a place, is averaging 20, 21 points per game.

[B]

He's the only other guy who's, who is McCaffrey and Saquon.

[A]

Saquon Bijan Gibbs. Like he would be the fifth guy in that group. He's above Derek Henry actually, but he's.

[B]

In the Puka range where he is the double injury parlay you need to and HN to stay healthy.

[A]

When, when, when 2 was out last year, HN was on par with Alexander Madison as a starter like 8 points per post injury Nick job, like that's where he was. So you already abetting on tua. So now HN himself as a catfisher, he's already a smaller guy. They were already talking about maybe they need to take short yardage away from him and give it to like Jalen Wright or Ali Gordon. The younger guys they have were larger and I'm like the combo of okay if he loses any goal line work because the HN as a receiver when he's healthy is like probably going to lead all backs or Camara with Camara and HN are going to be one, two and targets and catches and yards and receiving touchdowns among running backs. But if he loses the goal line stuff and he has a calf issue and I'm like, why am I taking this guy with my second round pick? I'm like, let someone else take the parlay. And if TUA stays healthy all season and HN stays healthy all season, good. Like that's an awesome pick. But it's a parlay. And I don't, I don't think, I don't think the second round's a good time for a parlay with someone that literally has a catfisher right now. I don't want to be dealing with that in August.

[B]

Yeah, look, I just find myself passing on Devon Hn. I don't know why, but I do. The calf injury, his size to the injury parlay oftentimes when I'm in the second round and he pops up and.

[A]

Mike McDaniel said no setbacks.

[B]

Well, we've already moved him down a little bit. He used to be a lot closer to kind of the Ashton Genti range in our rankings and now he's a little bit down closer to the next guys like the Jonathan Taylors and the Chase.

[A]

He's so good and he's such a fun player to watch but also he's fun because again he is like probably the single fastest player in the NFL. And one, if he has any physical stuff that changes that, that's not ideal. But two, I just if you after what we just went through with McCaffrey last year, why would we take a guy that had a calf issue pop up like eight days, nine days out from the season? Like if you could just not deal with that with a commensurate talent. Like at this point I think I'd rather have Chase Brown and the Bengals over.

[B]

H fantasy is enough stress. Like just starting your season already with your best player having an injury tag is so brutal because hoping he plays week one is just the worst vibes going.

[A]

Anything that pops up again with the calf at any point you're like oh man, maybe I should. You know what I mean? It's. It's just I just would rather not deal with it especially when there's such other good players. And again his upsides you could argue very easily HN's upside's the highest of any player.

[C]

This is yeah where I keep coming back to it's like yes, I agree with everything you guys are saying in terms of it's going to be stressful, it's going to be hard but like his upside is insane and he might catch more passes in this offense this year. Jonas yes is gone. We don't know what's going on with Tyree Kill Craig's very high on him but I think we still I just.

[B]

Think he's a good bet at where he's going.

[A]

And two it doesn't run at all which means he it's honestly the only guy even Mahomes is going to scramble for stuff even they don't do quarterback stinks with Mahomes anymore. Two is the least rushing threat at the goal line there is and like Ben Gratch it's on subsect talks about this where it's like honestly the Miami running backs as a share are going to have the most goal line touches of any team. So if HN does keep the goal line work and Achan's the leading receiver and he's the biggest home run threat in the NFL. With Saquon, it's like that is the upside is like, oh, there's 25 touchdowns this year. Like he could be the first guy forever. The flip side is, what if he's calf issue?

[B]

You just need that widow calf to hold up.

[C]

I know, I totally understand the argument and the concern over it, but again, it's just like McCaffrey. He has a very rare ability to effectively be two positions in your starting lineup. Like he could be an RB1 and like a wide receiver 3 for you in one roster spot. Because he's catching so many passes. He's such a big part of their passing game. They use those, like swing passes and screens as like an extension of the run game. The run game wasn't very good last year, so they use that. And that's fantasy gold for him because he's catching so many passes, obviously, and half PBR and pbr. I don't know. To me it's just again, it's a. It's an upside question. I took a risk on him in our. In our Yahoo league and obviously it's a little nerve wracking, but. But I'm very excited about the potential upside if.

[B]

If you're listening and you have your draft coming up or you've already done this and you drafted, if you started your draft, McCaffrey, Puka Achan, let us know.

[C]

Yeah, Just the Cajones.

[B]

Icarus.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

Fly too close to the sun.

[A]

Oh, my God.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

Yeah. I'm not going to judge you if you take him. Like, he's awesome.

[C]

He ain't first year last. I kind of respect it. I like it. I'm. Yeah, it just depends on number one. Depends on how many leagues are you in.

[A]

You have 30. I think you'd feel really different.

[B]

Let me ask if you have one.

[C]

League I can understand maybe not taking.

[B]

H. Do you think the. The idea of a fantasy punishment, the concept of a fantasy punishment kind of prohibits people from truly taking risks because they just don't want to get last.

[A]

Yeah, of course it does. That's the whole point.

[B]

Well, I'm saying maybe we should get rid of fantasy punishment. Some people actually.

[A]

No, it's a horrific.

[B]

No.

[A]

It's a horrific take. No. That's a horrific take. No.

[C]

Maybe people should just stop being cowards.

[A]

No, the point of the punishment.

[B]

But if the punishment is so egregious and you're like you know what, I'm just going to take James Conner. Like, I'll just get fifth. I just don't want it. Most people who play fantasy, to be honest, play not to get last. They don't get first.

[C]

Yeah, there's a lot of that.

[A]

So many people show up to work.

[B]

Leagues and are just like, I just don't want to get last. Like, who do I have to take to not get last?

[A]

Do you think all the NFL teams are playing to win the super bowl this year? It's not just a fantasy football thing.

[B]

Yeah, but if you get last place in the NFL, you get the first pick in the draft. You don't have to take the sec.

[A]

No. They get fired and someone else gets to make the first pick in the draft.

[B]

I'm just saying. I don't know. I think, I think there is a little bit of like, I just don't want to get last. Which makes it a little lame.

[A]

Yeah, fair. The flip side is people just checking out because their team's not going to make the playoffs and then they don't set their lineup anymore.

[B]

That would happen regardless, though.

[A]

Not if you have a punishment.

[B]

Well, yeah.

[A]

The moment you're eliminated, someone's like, I'm not checking this. And that's. And they go on with their life. That's why you have punishments. Yeah.

[B]

I don't know. I guess I understand the argument both ways. You feel very. You're angry about that.

[C]

While we're talking about hn hypothetical. While we're talking about a time we should mention handcuff because obviously the injury risk is real.

[A]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[C]

Jalen Wright, who was, I think going into the off season considered ostensibly the backup, he's had a pretty horrific preseason in terms of his performance. He just has not looked good. And Ollie Gordon, the rookie has really shot. I think he was a six round rookie.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

He's looked incredible. And I am legitimately excited about what Ollie Gordon could do this year.

[A]

Ollie Gordon is a weird player who had a better 2023 in college than 2024.

[C]

He's a big back, very physical, big.

[B]

Play, huge 6, 1, 2, 25.

[C]

Yeah. And honestly, like I, I'm one of those sickos who watches the preseason. He's looked incredible. He's breaking tackles. He's really decisive getting up field.

[B]

Yes.

[C]

He is everything that the or that the Dolphins need at running back right now outside of hn And Jalen Wright has not looked good picking what, like what rush lane to. To go in. He's just not been decisive. He's not been super explosive, even though that was kind of.

[A]

Which is concerning because he had the extra year in the NFL, I think.

[B]

Ollie Gordon has the chance to be one of the better late round picks.

[C]

I think he is a great last round flyer.

[A]

He's.

[B]

I took him in my home league in like the 16th round or whatever if you're on two bucks.

[A]

So on certain platforms this is important. I don't know if we talk about this enough, but if you're drafting early. So today's August 26th. If you draft with like a week out from the season, you don't have to have a kicker, cut your kicker, you don't necessarily. Some platforms, you don't even have to necessarily draft a kicker, cut your kicker. If your defense sucks, cut your defense and just hold a couple extra running backs. Because if there's a 5 or 10% chance or whatever, even if it's low, that like an HN has a setback with his calf where there's some announcement, we get a McCaffrey situation before the season begins and you just have Ollie Gordon on your lineup, that's more. The 10% chance that happens is so much more valuable than whatever kicker you have. And so that's just if you, if you want, that's something.

[C]

Also, he might not.

[B]

He.

[C]

Even if a Chan is playing, Ollie Gordon might have value. I mean, he might be going back.

[A]

To start, he might be flexible where actually he gets goal line work and you can like hope he gets a touchdown and then evacuate gets hurt. He's like, you know, wheels up.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

So, okay. Other stuff. Suspense the Rattler starting for the Saints.

[B]

Dk, do you care either way who's starting for the Saints in terms of like drafting Chris Alavi, Rashid Shahid, Alan Khmer? Does it matter to you?

[C]

I think watching the preseason, Spencer Rattler was more decisive. He was getting the ball out when he hit his back foot more consistently. He's obviously more experienced and I just think he's going to give them a little bit higher floor than what Tyler Shuck could have. Maybe shuck provides a higher ceiling later.

[B]

But are you moving anybo up?

[C]

I'm not moving anybody up, but I'm more willing and especially watching kind of the ways that they were using Rashid Shahid and Chris Olave in the preseason. Like they're running more out of the slot, more quick hitters, I think. You know, I'm not saying I'm excited about them, but I'm. I'm more willing to take them where they're going at their adp. I think Rashid Shahid, where he's going in terms of, you know, he's a huge, huge value late in drafts. I really like Rashid Shahid in particular and I think Spencer Rattler winning the job gives me more confidence than I would have had if Chuck was in there. So I mean ultimately this is a good thing.

[A]

You're the south park poop sandwich versus turd salad right now.

[B]

Yeah. You're a saint for believing that was.

[A]

That was kind. I. I don't know.

[C]

Seven wins this year. Seven?

[A]

You think the Rattler wins seven games?

[C]

Yeah, sure.

[B]

I'll give you two to one.

[A]

Are you saying that because of you. Because I keep saying that you don't believe. Well, I think believe against me not just you.

[C]

There's everyone is like saying against the world. They're saying it like it's a. Like a fact that the Saints are one of the worst teams in the NFL. And I'm just like, I bet they'll be like.

[B]

I mean I think it's. They have the second worst quarterback situation in the NFL. Maybe I'm also dubious you could even say the first.

[A]

Their schedule.

[C]

Wait, who. Who are you putting in that group? Daniel Jones, you know, the Browns, I think.

[A]

I think Daniel Jones and I would much Flacco are better. I mean Rattler, I mean I guess he could be better, but like. Yeah, he's third. He's the third worst quarterback at best. I also say the schedule for them.

[C]

You wait, can I just.

[A]

You're gonna get all defensive coordinators. Defensive coordinators to start this season.

[B]

The Saints will be mid terrible complimentary division.

[C]

Come on.

[A]

Defensive coordinators for the Saints to start the season, Jonathan Gannon, who won the Super Bowl. The Eagles for the Cardinals, Robert Solomon. The Niners, Mike McDonald. The Seahawks, Sean McDermott. The Bills Giants with maybe a great defensive line variable with the Patriots, Dennis Allen, who's a good defense. Quarter in the Bears. Todd Bowles at the Bucks. Like I mean that's. Anyway, I just. I'm not in on the Saints. Okay. Other stuff here. So Najee Harris is probably to start the year in the non football injury list. You know because he had the non football injury. And so basically I think the question is this is dk. Is a Marion Hampton for the Chargers ranked too low ever. Sorry. Too high? Yeah. Too low everywhere. Where it's like that's a guy who probably should have been a second round pick going in the fourth. Or is Omari Hampton properly ranked and there's just another Chargers running back that should probably Be rostered or is everything fine? Because I'm kind of wondering if Omarion Hampton is just going to be like immediately great.

[C]

I think he's probably. We're going to look back and be like, why did it. Why is he so low?

[A]

I kind of feel that way too.

[B]

Kind of flying under the radar for how good exciting he was coming out of college.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

Perfect storm. I think between genty soaking up the oxygen of the amazingness of the season. So Marian Hampton, Henderson popping off. Henderson popping. Rashawn Slater getting hurt. So everyone like when they're about to survive. Great. The Chargers line is for Hampton then now their best player. That isn't Herbert. Is there hurt. Perfect storm. I kind of think they're still just going to run the out of the ball and Hampton's going to score a lot of points. So I I think he's a great player.

[C]

Everyone's worried about the timeshare and that's like legitimate thing that will happen. But like, like almost every backfield in the NFL has.

[A]

If you're able. If you. I think I generally do that have.

[C]

Not a time, not no timeshare.

[A]

I want a running back running back start this year if you can do it. But if you end up with like man, you get like, you know Nico Collins and Puka or Nico Collins and neighbors and you're like, I want to running back down you get Hampton. Like that's crazy. Like that could be a league winning.

[C]

When Hampton. Hampton is I think one of those players that will end up going higher in real drafts than where his ADP is. People are excited about it. And then when you see him go off the board, you're like, damn it.

[A]

I know I should have been the.

[C]

One to take that risk. I could have been that mistake.

[A]

You could have been that mistake. Last one. Tasha Spears, the Titans running back to injured reserve. We kind of knew he was already hurt. We have Pollard ranked kind of high. We just think Tommy Pollard's another good if you do start, you know, Nico Collins, Malik neighbors, Jalen Hurts, George Kittle or whatever end up happening.

[B]

A wonderful 0rb type guy who can quietly be pretty productive this year.

[A]

I like. I think Pollard is in the Pacheco range of just a boring player that not that long ago we were like Tony Pollard's amazing. And this Titans offensive line, I just. I like Pollard quite a bit. It. So we like them where we have them as a top 60 player or so. Okay, we're gonna get to. So we did our ringer fantasy football show where we did A ringer Fantasy football league draft with three of us. Bill Simmons, we had Sean Fantasy, we had Mallory Rubin, we had Van Lath and we had all these people. And if you want to watch that, it's on YouTube. It was a lot of fun, super fun. And we want to break down basically.

[B]

The Bourger Eater draft, as Bill calls it.

[A]

Yeah, the Booger Eater draft.

[B]

Snakes. Yes. Super Flex Snake draft. Bill drafted five quarterbacks. It was. It was a blast. It's worth watching just to watch.

[A]

It is really Fun. Bill draft five quarterbacks and it's on YouTube. Subscribe to the ringer fancy football show ringer fantasy football YouTube channel, please. And it's on there if you want to watch it. But we're not going to sit here and just tell you about our leagues because we don't know one cares about our team. But we do want to tell you about a bunch of things just going through that where we're like lessons, things that are now top of mind having just done that draft in person of either players and actual things that crystallized for us. There's a strategy. What happens? We only just basically what are our takeaways from that that we think can help you guys, if you're listening. So. But first we do a little draft recap because now it is time for a draft recap. A new segment presented by Yahoo Fantasy. Yahoo Fantasy is the best place to play fantasy football this season. The season kicks off September 4th, so now is the time to play Yahoo Fantasy football. Want more ways to play? Try the new Yahoo Fantasy Guillotine leagues where the lowest scoring team gets eliminated weekly. Want to play instantly with friends. Try the new draft with Friends mode. Prefer the classics. Play in a private league or join a public league. No matter how you play, one thing's true. Yahoo Fantasy is the best place to play. So we want to just start with where everyone starts. When your draft ends, which is the grade you get. Oh, look, it's all people care about.

[B]

You can think your team looks good, you can study all summer and then you get D pluses like me and dk.

[C]

Draft grades roll in and you start.

[B]

To question everything in your life. DK and I get D pluses.

[A]

I don't. I don't think I got anything wrong. I think it was dead on.

[B]

What's funny is Sean Fantasy who showed up to the draft being like, I know the least here. I don't know what's going on. Didn't know who Josh Downs was.

[C]

We made him take the jets guys.

[B]

Got an A Plus he drafted, he drafted a duplicate player. Somebody had already been drafted. So we basically forced him into taking Breeze hall and Garrett Wilson so he didn't have to take a punishment at the end, like the eighth round. So he said, okay. Took the jets literally got an A plus. Has the highest grade of any drafter. Dead last. Tate and Van D's.

[C]

The Tate one feels right.

[B]

Tate took Drake, man.

[A]

It was a super flex league. So like two quarterbacks each week.

[C]

I don't understand how I got a D plus in this.

[B]

I like my team, dude. Same, same.

[C]

It's so funny. It's, it's. I. The way it makes me think is like, you know when you're on the clock in like the Yahoo. Whatever, like the draft format thing, whatever you're doing, what's the word I'm looking for? The draft widget. Yeah, window. Anyway, when you're in there and you see room.

[A]

The draft room.

[C]

Right, the draft room. When you see like a pick and you want to make a. You want to make a pick, but he's like, maybe scroll. You have to scroll a little bit peer pressured out of doing that. Even though you believe in your heart that that's the right guy to pick, you like can't do it for whatever reason, you get peer pressured out. That's like how I feel now. I'm like, I love my team. After the draft.

[A]

Draft.

[C]

Now I see this draft crate and I'm questioning everything.

[B]

Also Bill Simmons.

[C]

Where did I go wrong?

[B]

Bill Simmons took five quarterbacks. You can only start two. He took two defenses and he got a B. He got tied for the, the third highest grade.

[A]

Bill is the same number of backup running backs and receivers as backup defenses.

[B]

There was a moment in the draft when I believe we were 14 rounds in and Bill had spent 50% of his picks on quarterbacks and defenses.

[A]

There was a straight dude, there was a straight place he went. At what point Bill's draft, he will win probably Bill went quarterback. Quarterback, quarterback. Running back, receiver, quarterback. Defense, defense.

[B]

The grades are the best. It's the first thing everybody looks at.

[A]

That's the biggest feedback we get. Also, people are always like, wait, what I used to rankings, what'd you get? A D. And it's like. Because the whole point of using other rankings is sometimes is because. Yeah, it's like they're going to grade you based on how their rankings are.

[B]

Yeah, exactly. We got a D. I got a D based on how Yahoo's rankings and my place based on Yahoo's projections.

[A]

Sean got an A. Because no one wanted Garrett Wilson or Breeze Hall.

[B]

Right.

[A]

Because we were like, yeah, we know where the rank, but we don't want the jets out of principle.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

And then so Sean gets the A.

[B]

Plus and Bill probably got a B because, I mean, quarterbacks are projected for a lot of points and they were like, jesus, this guy's got a lot of them.

[A]

It's actually probably it. Yeah, it's actually beginning and end of it.

[B]

So all those bye weeks, Bill can just slot in any quarterback he wants. So he'll be fine. This is probably why he got a B.

[A]

But anyway, so the season is almost here. So draft now@yahoo. Fantasy.com theringer yeah, we want to keep digging into this.

[B]

This was so fun.

[A]

The AD is over, but, like, we're actually going to keep talking.

[B]

Oh, it was great. It's about two and a half hours.

[A]

Super flex and we're going to try anytime we veer a little too much into, like, just talking about our own teams, we'll try to veer back out. And we're just going to try to, like, take these experiences and be like helping people.

[B]

I do want to actually just want to start with quickly again because it's not that interesting to talk about it. I think all three of us pretty happy with our teams. There was like voting during the live stream. People seem to have liked our three teams.

[C]

I know Mallory kept getting mad at me because I. I was saying I was waffling between Craig and Hifis's team as my favorite other team.

[A]

Yeah, it's never going to go exactly the way you want, but for the most part, I think if I go down, I'm going down with the ship that I wanted to sail on, which is like Christian. I ended up taking Jalen Hurts in the because it's super flex league and two quarterbacks. The quarterbacks are way more valuable because it's the difference between 10 quarterbacks starting in 20 each week, which is just the difference between the worst starter being Dak Prescott or the worst starter being like, you know, on a bi week, you know, like Daniel Jones might have to play three people after injuries and buys each week. So. So Jalen Hurts where I'm just like, you know, at the end of the day, I think everyone's really discounting the fact that the NFL tried and failed to pass a rule that Jalen Hurts can't score so easily. And I just, I don't know. And Christian McCaffrey.

[B]

Yep.

[A]

Where I'm like, you know, I'm putting my money where my mouth is, I'm like, this is the best fantasy football player since the Danian Tomlinson. And if he's like hurt, I get it. But if he does every week, he's not hurt. We are probably going to have him ranked as a first two. Yeah, it's like he's probably have him ranked above Saquon, honestly. And I'm like, all right. And then I just. And then Jonathan. And then it came back around and it was like, oh, go Chase Brown. And I. Jonathan Taylor's my third running back. So I kind of was like, yeah, sure. And then it's one bunch of receivers. So I was happy with how it went, but it was a lesson. I don't think I ever thought, oh, I'll go quarterback in the three running backs. But I think it was just Jonathan Taylor. We barely talked about him. But it was just a lesson in. I don't know what I was planning here, but. And it wasn't this but. Yeah, Jonathan Taylor's my third running back. Sounds cool.

[C]

And I think just scooping up value.

[A]

Yeah, that's all it is. Exactly.

[B]

It's just don't let up between scooping up value because you don't want to just grab guys you don't like because they're cheap.

[C]

Sure. Like right.

[B]

Which happens all the players like me with Bruce hall last year. Well, he's here. I guess I'll take him. And then it sucked.

[C]

I think the only player that you were really struggling with when you picked him was Tyreek.

[A]

I took Tyreek Hill because that was.

[B]

Kind of taking him. Had he gotten to me?

[A]

That was kind of. That was where your influence on me. I was kind of like, you know what, this could be a disaster.

[B]

But like you're getting fifth round or whatever.

[A]

I know. And it's a super flex league, so it's a discount. It's not really a fifth rounder. But I was kind of like, you know, what if? I basically was like, what if Craig's right and I get him? I'm like, I'm probably going to win this league. Honestly. That was my thought process.

[B]

Dk, who's your most DK player and your least DK player?

[C]

My most DK player is Devon Hn. Yeah, you dog. So just for the record, I had my the favorite starting player this year.

[B]

Which is really a bold move.

[C]

No, I'm not doing that well.

[A]

You have Ken Walker from the Seahawks. You have the Seahawks defense. You have Isaiah Pacheco, which you really love. Jaden Daniels from Washington.

[B]

These are Going to be the narratives of season. I'm so excited for all of us to both fall in love and potentially.

[A]

Fall out of love with these guys.

[C]

I have a high variance team.

[A]

We did, for the most part, stick with players that we've talked about. Right? Yeah. And so I guess I do think there are a few lessons from this draft of how you don't hold on my team. Fine. All right, fine. Fuck it.

[C]

Craig, tell us.

[B]

Okay. So most Craig player. I took Drake London and Calvin Ridley. My two guys. I feel. I feel great about that.

[A]

You're forgetting Lad Mahonkey.

[B]

I took Lad Mahonkey as well. So my receivers are kind of lit. And then I stole. I didn't steal, but I took Travis Hunter. He was just like, kind of sitting there in like the eighth or ninth round. I grabbed him almost for the same reason that you grabbed Tyree Kill. I was like, hi. Vitz has convinced me over the last six months, even though he just hopped off the ship a week ago. But I'm like, if. If Travis Hunter is just like better than Brian Thomas or something, that'd be hilarious. And then I took dart as my. As my late round dart throw late in the draft. So anyway. But yes. Okay. I think it's always very interesting doing. I honestly think you should be in a couple fantasy leagues. Like your most important fantasy league should be last because it's interesting to see the trends and things. And this was my second out of three drafts. This. This ringer one we did. And I thought it was very telling. I've now had two drafts in a row where the same types of players have fallen.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

And I think I want to go through kind of the most notable players who fell.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

And it's basically, you can bucket it into the boring guys, the injured guys and the Dolphins and the jets. And like, I think we could just start with the Dolphins and the Jets, Breeze hall, specifically Garrett Wilson and Jalen Waddle.

[C]

Nobody has worse vibes right now than Breeze Hall.

[B]

Breeze hall basically went. Went 15 spots later than we had him ranked. Garrett Wilson went 14 spots later than we had him ranked. And Waddle 20.

[A]

Yeah. Yeah.

[C]

You had to, like, you had to. People were just having to talk you into drafting Waddle.

[B]

I had the option there was like, waddle, is it going to be. Is it Sal this time? And finally, Sal to.

[A]

I had the option to take Waddle pretty late. And I remember thinking, I don't want.

[C]

To go to everything.

[A]

And I was like, I've said so much. I have Tyreek Hill and I'm like, on one hand, what if Waddle's just better than Tyreek Hill straight up and I make up for the pick? What if on one hand, Tyreek gets hurt and Waddles are great? What if they're both incredible each other alive? And then I was like, so you're telling me, though, I'm one to a concussion away from this team just being like, doa, just collapse. And I was kind of like, I don't. I know that maybe Waddle would have been a plus ev pick. And I was like, oh, just stack the Dolphins and assume he's healthy. That probably would have been smarter, to be honest. Like a smarter people than me. Probably would have been like, yeah, of course I want Tyre. Can Waddle on the same team. That's a good value. Yeah.

[B]

It's also hard not to get caught up in the wave. It's of whatever's the trendy guy falling. And we talk about it. If it's like James Conner, it's a little bit easier to take him because we trust James Conner. We like James Conner. Seeing, like, Waddle and Breece and Garrett fall. Even though I just probably good picks, I still was like, I don't know.

[A]

I let the emotions get in. And I remember happens on guys, like every draft. There are a lot of smart guys that, like, establish the runs a great site, and they're all smart, they're good at poker. They, like, see they could be on emotion about a decision. And I'm like, you know what? They probably would have taken Jillian Waddle. I thought about it. I'm like, you know what? I can't sleep at night if I lose. If I'm going to lose this ringer fantasy.

[C]

He's been telling people to not take.

[A]

Waddle for, like, three months. If I end up with Tyreek and Waddle and Tua gets a concussion in September and then, like, retires, I'm going to be like, what am I going to. How am I going to sleep at night? Like, how am I going to live with myself till next year's drafts? And I was like, yeah, I'm not going down this way. And like, you know, sometimes you do have to do that. Like, yeah, take the team you want. Like, still take value when it comes to you. Like, still, if Jonathan Taylor falls late and you're like, yeah, I'll take him in the third round and take a beer. But I was like, yeah, you got to. A man must have a code.

[B]

You have to draw your own line in the sand. And I don't know where it is. Like, Garrett Wilson following 15 spots was not quite low enough for me. If it was 25 spots, I probably would have done it. But you have to kind of create your own line of.

[C]

Do you think I had this thought today and it's like, obviously maybe not the most likely thing to happen, but every. Anytime everyone agrees that a team is going to be absolute dog, it's the opposite. What that happens.

[A]

Or at least you just build your whole team.

[C]

The jets are the. Everyone thinks the jets are going to suck. And it's because. And it's largely because. Well, number one, their history as an organization.

[B]

Right. But two playoffs throughout all the forms.

[C]

But number two is like. Like there's been a handful of really horrific cutups of Justin Fields throwing passes at training camp and whatever the practice, the joint practices that they've been doing. And it's just like.

[A]

So you can't.

[C]

I can't get that out of my mind. And I know that a lot of people are on the same page in that. And it's like this offense is going to be absolute disaster. But anytime everyone agrees on something that he's right about, setting off alarm bells in my head where maybe this is actually.

[A]

No, you're right about that, dk. Because what if it's like, Bruce hall just looks great because their office line is great.

[C]

What if Bruce hall catches 75 passes.

[A]

And I was going to say also guess what?

[C]

He's going to be really valuable.

[A]

Yeah. So just Justin Fields. I drafted Justin Fields in this league. Cause my thinking was if the jets are good, I'll get Fields. And if the jets are bad, Fields will probably still be okay. Cause I just don't think he's going to get you Tough Fields. I have Fields. I have Jalen Hurts and Justin Fields. And I was like, that feels all right.

[C]

Fields is fine. But.

[A]

Yeah, but you're right that what if Breeze hall just owns the. I mean, Braylon Allen went like two or three rounds in the. Mallory Rubin took Braylon Allen within three rounds of Breeze Hall. And I'm like, that's like assuming a timeshare that doesn't actually exist yet. Yeah, what if Breeze Hall. What if Justin Fields and they just run a ton of RPOs and what opens up the field way more for Breeze Hall? And we're like, yeah, he's just actually running racks and he was hurt last year. Like, there's totally world where Breeze hall becomes a value. I think the question is just based on your platform, does Breeze hall go 35th overall at the end of the third round or depending on the teams you have. Or is he going to fall to, like, 60th at some point? He does become a value, like yesterday. Because I do think our draft, if you're doing it in person with stickers on a board, people fall more because no one's staring. Everyone's staring at the same little thing with the players sitting there with the number the whole time. I think people fall less in those scenarios.

[B]

Yeah, I agree with that.

[A]

Unless you have the little questionable next to you that makes you fall. But if you're online, Breeze, no one really falls more than two rounds.

[C]

It would be just great if Sean won this fantasy league because we forced him to take Garrett Wilson.

[A]

DK's right? That's super possible.

[B]

It absolutely is, Sean. They're agonizing over those two picks for, like, the next hour.

[C]

He was like, should I just take my punishment here or take these jets?

[A]

And I also think that I might.

[B]

We're like, sean, yeah, you don't have to select the punishment right now. We'll give you a player instead of a punishment. Can you also just take Garrett Wilson and Breeze Holland? He was like, ah, wait.

[A]

Let's also explain the punishment thing again. So explain this. So Scotty Milden with the best idea ever. And we did it for this ring or fantasy weekend.

[B]

Yeah. Basically, we couldn't decide on one punishment, so we came up with like, 12. And what we did is we allowed them to be drafted like players. So basically, you add around to the drafts, and at any point in the draft, you can lock in your own punishment by selecting it as if it's a player. So if it's the 10th round, there's one punishment where you have to wear a headband on a work zoom for the week, and you want to. You can't address that, and you want to take that in the 11th round instead of a player just to lock in that punishment in case you get last place. You can do it.

[A]

And so I think it addresses an issue a lot of fantasy leagues have, which is you have a punishment you want to enforce, but then some people won't do it, or, like, people will only agree to something that's frankly so lame. Some people in the league are upset that it's like, that's nothing. But then some people.

[C]

You call it bespoke.

[A]

Yeah, it's a bespoke punishment. It's a bespoke punishment. Bespoke. And so I think it really does fix that problem because you are agreeing in writing to do it. It at the beginning of the season.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And you. And if you don't want, you chose it. And if you want to reach four rounds that you want to really get something you don't want to do. So, like, for example, the joke we had was if you picked a player who had already been picked, you had to pick a punishment instead. Me hosting the stream had a lot.

[C]

Of stuff going on, a lot of excuses.

[B]

We had a lot of things go our way. There was a lot of great moves. Like in this draft, we had Bill randomly got the first overall pick pick.

[C]

Great classic.

[B]

He's the first person to accidentally pick a player who's already been.

[A]

Sean did it, and then we gave.

[B]

Him the jets out that he gets the two Jets. Heifetz then has to take the first punishment because he screws up the pick. There's a lot of classic.

[A]

So I, I, I tried to get Z flowers. I was like, oh, no, he'd been picked. So I was like, oh, let me get you on Jennings. I was like, he went three rounds ago. I'm like, wow, that's early. So I, I just didn't. I was like, there's. I look, I just only scanned the reason I did that. I only scanned the first, the two, three rounds above me. I didn't go four rounds. Like, well, clearly it wouldn't have gone that high.

[B]

You're not marking off as you go.

[A]

I'm trying, but, like, I'm, you know, there's a lot of. I'm also, you know, I was hosting the thing, so I was like, you know, I, I was like, just making sure I miss him. And then what we learned is that. But I had to pick a punishment in the eighth round.

[B]

What we learned is eventually you just say, has Juwan Jennings been taken? And that absolves you. Have any.

[A]

I have to eat an anchovy pizza if I come in last.

[B]

A triple anchovy pizza.

[A]

Whatever, man. It's food. Like, that's not. I don't know. The cheese is worse for me than the fish anyway. Are we actually endorsing the jets right now? It's D Probably right.

[C]

No, I'm not. I'm not. I'm just saying if they fall a lot, I'm not, I'm not endorsing them, but I'm saying every time in the history of the Earth, everyone agreed on something that doesn't happen that is definitely 100%.

[A]

100% accurate.

[B]

The bringing up Braylon Allen, though, that segues into the other thing. The other guys who fell were. Were boring players or the kind of like the incumbent starting running backs who are starting in front of really sexy rookies.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

So it's basically like the boring players. Michael Pittman went 50 spots.

[A]

I took him in the flat.

[B]

Austin Eckler didn't. Didn't get drafted. Rashad White, the RB21 last year, didn't get drafted. J.K. dobbins went in the 17th round, 30 spots higher than we had him. Ramondre Stevenson went 40 spots later.

[A]

We all forgot about J.K. dobbins.

[B]

Aaron Jones went 20 spots later than we had him. So there was a lot of that where it's just boring old guys. You can argue that this is what we're talking about earlier where it's like the ceiling for these guys is just not that high. Like cool. You got J.K. dobbins 40 spots later than he would have gone. But it's like you maybe you're getting a month to a month and a half of a startable player.

[A]

I don't think these guys will fall as much on platforms where they're constantly reminding that they're there instead of having to keep track of it on paper. But your overall point holds true. It is absolutely true that this profile of player again, again, boring veterans fall like unambiguously. And I think we should add James Connor into this list too.

[B]

If James Connor, he went right where we had him because I guess because I think people are kind of.

[A]

I did, but I just did a draft the other day with my friends. It's like my oldest league. And he felt two full rounds like he went like two full rounds later than the platform had him. And I just like, I just. I don't know. I feel like we've been talking about this forever, so. And I do think ultimately the formula that wins is the right mix of boring veterans that are just like a weird unsexy value. And to your point, mixed with the crazy high upside people.

[B]

Yeah. So. And then now the guys who went early, man, all the exciting rookies and even like the sophomores, if you like Ricky Pierce, all types, the value of those guys has been like the edges diminished.

[A]

It's. I agree. There is a shift taking place where like I love Matthew Golden. I've been talking about Matthew golden and Ricky Pearson. Mecca Buka. I mean Sal took a mecha buka as the 63rd player.

[B]

Yeah, let me.

[C]

Guys all went off the board.

[B]

Let me run through it. Bill took Travan Henderson, no shocker there. He went 25. So spots earlier than we had them. RJ Harvey went 10 spots higher. Ambuca went 23 spots higher.

[A]

Super Flex, so it's actually higher.

[B]

No, no, this is according to our Superflex rankings. TYLER Warren went 40 spots higher than our rankings from S. Piero went 15 spots higher. Travis Hunter went only eight spots higher. And then Matthew golden, like you said, 12 spots higher. So literally every exciting rookie is going like a round or two earlier than where we have him.

[A]

Right. I do wonder if the edge is a year from now. We're kind of like, yeah, the edge has kind of been figured out. So now they're going to just go at cost. And also just something about, I don't know, we don't have to make this whole thing with social media, but I do think there's something about like the way news happens and algorithmically like, I do think it almost went from like this rookie videos almost went from like things that would happen in the corners of football, the Internet to like, it's actually not like the main text of preseason is a mecca. Buka looking good at practice or it's just not hidden anymore now I, I. In a way. And so yeah, I mean, I mean, Sal taking a mecha Buka, what's you said 23 spots, seventh round. And then Tyler Warren in the eighth round 40 spot.

[B]

He took Tyler Warren as the tight end five.

[A]

I mean, I can't really imagine taking Tyler Warren in the seventh round because at that point it goes from I hope he's really good to like, well, he better be great quickly.

[B]

It literally went, it went Bowers, McBride, Korta, and then he's the fifth tight.

[A]

End at the board. At that point we go from we think he could be like a top three tight end to like, he better be top five.

[C]

I would say arguably that's the right spot.

[B]

Well, because we talked about like if there, if there were any player, I guess going in the later ish rounds at tight end, who could finish as like the tight end. Four or five. It was one. But the whole, we're saying, but our.

[A]

Whole argument is that a rookie has been good at tight end five times ever. And three of them were the last five years.

[B]

Right.

[A]

But that's still like five times ever. Yeah. You know, and so the point being though, there is a, there is a lack of edge. I'm still excited about piercing all these guys, but yeah, just.

[C]

And to be clear, I was mad when those guys got taken. I was like, I wanted to take those guys and I was probably going to take them pretty soon.

[B]

I Wanted some juice. My team was a lot of like Cortland Sutton, I took Aaron Jones. I was doing a lot of like safely.

[A]

You were just vacuuming up boring picks and just like you kept getting sniped on. Cool players.

[B]

Yeah, well. And then that's why Travis Hunter was there. And I'm like, I need one injection of youth.

[A]

I'm just a little Botox.

[B]

I need Corland, Sutton and Travis Hunter together now.

[A]

That looks okay. There you go. Hey, you look your age. Yeah, that's totally. So other things I wanted to ask you guys about was just I do think having done more drafts now, I do think over and over again the draft that I usually. And again sometimes you win your league with the draft you're unhappy with. However, I do increasingly think the simplest way to win your draft with your just friends, if you're in a two receiver league. And again, the biggest difference in fantasy rankings is not your scoring half ppr. Ppr. It's like borderline irrelevant. The biggest difference is whether you start two receivers or three receivers each week. And in the leagues we start two receivers. I do increasingly think that if you leave with a running back in the first round, you're able to get Bijan or Gibbs or if you believe in me, McCaffrey if you don't, whatever. If you believe in Derek Henry, you don't care about his age, Derek Henry, like. But getting a running back early or two running backs early, like if you were able to get like Jameer Gibbs fourth or Bijan fourth, and then you come back around if Chase Brown is still there or even like a Bucky Irving and you get a couple running backs, come back around if you're looking at a quarterback or a tight end, like if Trey McBride's still there at the third pick or like a quarterback, Josh Allen, whatever, and then you just hammer receivers. It really just kind of to me just comes down to whether you're able to get the right constellation of receivers later. Or if you go receiver heavy, you kind of end up having to go, do I want to choose Hubbard here? Do I want to say a Pacheco here? Do I want Tony Pollard here? And so I really do think it comes down to you just got to get on base with your first two or three hits and then like that those middle rounds mean the fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth. Like that's where it's all. I really do think that's kind of where it's won.

[B]

That's where the men are separated from the boys. Yeah, but it's Interesting, because you. You recommend that strategy. However, in our this ringer league, we're starting three wide receivers. There is also a flex and there's a super flex. So in theory, you could start five wide receivers. Heifetz, you started quarterback, Running back, running back, running back.

[A]

I did because. So, I mean, the thought process with Hertz was just like. I think the difference is with super flex, it's.

[B]

I mean, you kind of.

[A]

Yeah, super flex. Jalen hurts is there and I'm like, his right.

[B]

You want one of the big four if you can get him.

[A]

Injuries always happen. And so Jalen hurts, might get injured. And again, you don't ever know the future. It's obviously unpredictable. However, I don't think there's ever been a, generally speaking, an easier situation to try. Like, the confidence interval is higher on Jalen Hurts than any quarterback I can ever think of where it just like, like they literally have this unstoppable play the league's trying to ban. It's just like it's a one of one situation. I'm like, yeah, like, give me that. That's the. If I lose that bet. Whatever. Like this. Push, push. Stops working. Sure. He hasn't had less than 13 rushing touchdowns in four years. I'll take that. Come back around. Christian McCaffrey. I'm like, he's the highest rant. Like, literally, if he plays 17 games, I think he's gonna be the number one player. Take that. Come back around. Chase Brown's there. And I'm like, man, like, I kind of like the idea of going running back. Running back. Taylor's still there. I didn't anticipate that. And I'm like, okay, at this point, if I get five of my next six picks are receivers at that point now I'm going to make it up. So I was like, tyree Kill is a chance to make it up and he could be just as good as your puka Kui. I'm like, this is so I'm going to dominate you guys at running back. My quarterback's going to beat your other quarterbacks. But now I'm going to try to make it up. Receiver Tyra kills my chance to make it up. A puka Jameson Williams, where I'm like, he's fast as hell. I'm like, if he actually advances as a number one guy, I'm like, that he could any week outdo your number two receiver. And I was like, I actually went ahead and I also took. This was a tough one for me.

[B]

But I didn't even Ask about my team. He's talking about his team for 10 minutes.

[A]

Yeah, that's a good point. Fuck me.

[B]

No, keep going. Let's get into it. I was 13, 14, 15.

[A]

My point was the thought process with you, these picks was shooting for Rashi Rice, where I'm like, that's a guy that, if he was playing 17 games a season, wasn't going to get a suspension. I think in fantasy, people want him as a top 30 player.

[B]

Of course. Yeah.

[A]

But I got him like way later. So that's just, just. The point is, no matter what it is, how you're. When you're 6th, 7th, 8th round guys, do these guys have a path to beat the guys at the same position you guys took way earlier?

[B]

You have a real side team. McCaffrey, Tyreek, Rasheed, Rice, they could all flame out. And you get 11th, you're.

[A]

Yeah, you're looking for a Brian. Last year, Brian Thomas in the 10th round ended up beating the receiver you took in the second round. So if everyone else just hits par for the course, you win. You win each week. And can you do. What position are you doing it at? And it's the easiest dude at receiver in the middle rounds or running back later. And that's the easiest way. Ollie Gordon maybe starts 17 games for the Dolphins, which is crazy.

[B]

But it is funny. Like, I feel like I always like the idea, especially when you can start three or four wide receivers. Starting wide receiver heavy is often the recommended move. But then you do that and you're like, man, my number one running back's Chuba Hubbard. That's kind of terrifying.

[A]

It's kind of up. And again, if my running backs get hurt, I'm screwed like that, you know. So what was your thought process?

[B]

I don't know.

[A]

No, I don't. I'm not saying don't talk about your team. I'm saying like the actual. I thought that process would be helpful. Right. It's kind of roster.

[B]

I wanted to make sure I got one good running back and then get a ton of wide receivers. I wanted to super flex. I always wanted to make sure you get the best quarterbacks possible. And then I'm like, if I just got one good running back and he gets healthy, I'm just going to draft a bunch of wide receivers. Drake, London, McConkey, Ridley, Sutton, Hunter. And then that was my. That was my goal, is to have as like as many kind of elite wide receivers as possible. The one thing I want to talk about is how do you guys feel about Mallory Rubin having The second pick in the draft, Bill takes Jamar Chase one overall. Now, it's a super flex league, so you would expect perhaps you take a quarterback here. She takes Josh Allen over Lamar Jackson. Mallory Rubin is a die hard Ravens fan. How do you feel about that?

[A]

The diest hardest Ravens fan.

[B]

I know. Do we like the emotional head pick?

[C]

Surprising.

[B]

I know. I feel like she's such a confident fan. No, I feel like she is very.

[C]

It's hard to be a Raven. It's hard to be a confident Raven raise Ravens.

[A]

She's also an Orioles fan.

[B]

No, I know, but I feel like with the Ravens, she's. She's never like glass half empty. I feel like she's always like, the Ravens are awesome. Lamar's gonna win the mvp. I trust Lamar. Like, he's been unlucky in the playoffs. Like, he is the guy.

[A]

No, I made fun of her to her face for being a coward because I thought it was funny. But behind her back, I will say I totally understood why you would take Josh there in that moment. Even the Bills and Ravens again. The Bills eliminated the Ravens last year, but I get it because it's the same reason where I.

[B]

You take Lamar, you double the joy, but you double the pain.

[A]

Yes. And like, I think for people who've had a lot of pain, like, honestly, Craig, you kind of don't get it because you're. The warriors are like the closest thing we've had to like Kobe, Lakers or the 90s Bulls, where it's like you have had you. No matter how bad your other teams were. Like your main. Your A team. The warriors, your favorite team. Right. Of all your teams, you root for, like, you're not. The Athletics won the World Series. That wouldn't. Not that'll ever happen. But that wouldn't give you a fraction.

[B]

Of the journey it would have when I was younger.

[A]

When you were younger. But the war is your favorite team. So when you have that, you're able to take a risk on like, you know, a different, like the Steelers, you're like. But like, when you don't have that and like the Ravens, I would argue getting really close and not making it with that Ravens team, they're gonna be one of the best teams to ever not make a Super bowl in the history of the NFL.

[C]

It's really like they had a few of those.

[A]

And so like, I'm a Giants fan and I'm like, like, my brother wants Giants and doesn't want Eagles or Cowboys. And I'm like, you know what? I look at it more like, I don't care about having Jalen hurts. I don't care about having CD Lamb, in part because I'm like, one. It's not competitive. The Giants are like 2 and 18 against the Eagles in the last 20 games. But also, I kind of can't handle Neighbors getting hurt. If he's on my fantasy team and my real life team, I'm like, what did I even do this for? This is my escapism from my escapism.

[C]

Craig, so you don't have to root for your own team.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

I just think it's double the joy. It's double the pain. Imagine how awesome it would be. Also, Lamar is such a good regular season player. It's not like you get dinged in fantasy. If he loses in the playoffs, what.

[A]

If he gets hurt?

[C]

What if he gets sick like he does does once?

[A]

Every childlike immune system.

[B]

But imagine how cool would be to have him last year. They're like a one seed. He. He's like the best player in fantasy. That would probably be awesome.

[A]

Yeah, that'd be sick. But you're like, the human brain feels pain four times more than pleasure. So. Okay, where are you at?

[B]

Everybody was surprised.

[A]

Let's check in on this in six weeks when DQ is Ken Walker has a foot injury.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Or leading the league in yards, and we'll see which one.

[B]

I didn't take a single stealing. Not because of any of the hyphens. Was just saying I don't like any.

[A]

Where's Aaron Rodgers and you your team? Because super flex league.

[B]

I have him sitting delicately on the waiver wire waiting for me.

[A]

The other one, I want to go over just the injured players. So, like, this is also a real dynamic. And I wasn't kidding earlier when I was like, tell people Jennings has a calf injury. Sean Fennesee asked, is Jaden Reed okay to see an injury? And I answered the truth. But he was far enough away. I had to say it loudly for everyone to say it. He was like, jaden Reed has a foot sprain. Sean's like, I don't like the sound of that. Jaden Reed falls eight more rounds after Sean says that out loud to the point where I drafted Jaden Reed with, like, my last position pick because no one took him. And I was like, at this point, this is kind of an incredible value. And so I kind of just want to do temperature. I think guys like Darnell Mooney and the Falcons.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Are like hyper competent number two receivers that generally speak, oh, I want all upside at this spot. People want a Luther Burton for the Bears. But I'm not gonna lie. If Darnell Mooney or Jaden Reed or Khalil Shakir fall commensurately now, Khalil Shakir, I don't think it will. Darnell Mooney and Reed are guys that they're kind of not giving timelines on. Feel like they'll be back for week one. I think Reed, I don't know the situation, but Darnell Mooney, I'm like, I kind of think he's going to play week one and they're just not saying it. So he's plummeting in ranks. So I'm like, I kind of think Darnell Mooney is going to fall outside the top 12 rounds, and then you should take him, and then he'll just be like a perfectly serviceable number two number flex player for you.

[B]

These guys aren't that hurt. Like, there's a chance Khalil Shakir and Darnell Mooney play in week one.

[A]

Shakira is a high ankle sprain, and it's one of those, like, how high is like, is it a high ankle sprain or is it just like it's. Sometimes we don't know the exact diagnosis. I thought you were just saying that.

[B]

You should take him.

[A]

No, I'm saying Darnell Mooney because it's a shoulder. Khalil Shakir, it's a little different because, like, high ankle.

[B]

Oh, I thought you just said Khalil Shakir might not fall and will go higher.

[A]

No, that's what I'm saying. I think Khalil Shakir is less likely to fall because the Bills are on a record saying he'll be back for week one. But to me, I'm like, I still don't love that it's a high ankle sprain. High ankle sprain is a bad injury. Mooney probably also be back one, but it's a shoulder. And I'm like, all right, I'd rather you have a shoulder injury than a high ankle sprain.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

So I think, anyway, I think, speaking.

[C]

Of injuries, Naji Harris actually taken off the NFI list, which makes him eligible to play in week one.

[A]

Is it kind of up that it's called the NFI list? Isn't that. Is that low hanging fruit?

[B]

No, no, no. That was good. That's high quality stuff. That's high quality.

[A]

Thanks. Thanks. Yeah.

[B]

Making him eligible to play.

[A]

I mean, has he practiced at all?

[C]

No, he's running. He's been jogging on the side side.

[B]

He's walking with Stafford around la.

[A]

He's doing power walks.

[C]

Walking or maybe. Yeah, maybe walking.

[B]

Are you going to let that affect anything DK for Not really. Okay.

[A]

Once again he's another guy.

[C]

Once again every running back group is a committee at some level. There's like two guys that get all the carries. It's like Chuba Hubbard and Kyron Williams and Saquon.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And one other guy. McCaffrey baby.

[B]

Maybe Ashton Genty baby.

[A]

Any other takeaways you think that after leaving from this draft that you think are just actionable advice for people otherwise. Also the obvious ranking of just have paper. If you're able to figure out a printer. The only technology that looted every generation is printers. But if you're able to do it, I do think crossing names off and having a different set of rankings than if people whatever ranking site your league is using print from somewhere else and just copy so that what you're going to be staring at, you know it says a good example. I think Derrick Henry is like 19th on ESPN and like 8th on Sleeper or something crazy. And it's one of those where you just need someone else to tell you you're not crazy.

[C]

Sometimes the peer pressure of the draft room.

[A]

Yeah. And if you're ESPN and you're like I want Derek Hed right now and it's 12th and you're like wait, he's 19th? But you need someone else be like oh no in a different rank site to be higher or the opposite. I don't want to take this guy. And that really is the purpose of list is to feel not crazy. That is still me to be the number one advice. But otherwise yeah. I think it's a mix of what is the highest range of outcome for this player. Does he actually really have a chance to make up for all the like the Brian Thomas Bucky Irving rule? Does this guy player really have a shot however low it is to be up there next year as a top 30 player or is this a solid hit on the fairway but way later than it should have gone because everyone knows that it's kind of boring which is a James Conner plummeting or like a Darnell Mooney plummeting. And so I think a combination of just putting on the fairway and then every now and then you go for the green. Those two things together, eventually it makes up for every now and then you're losing a ball.

[B]

Cole Strange released Nouga Chattanooga baby.

[A]

The funniest moment.

[C]

How many years did he play?

[B]

3. 2.

[C]

Hasn't been that long.

[A]

That was the first year of solex is that three years in three years.

[C]

Yeah. Let's check his had some.

[B]

Also the Falcons starting right tackle Caleb McGarry.

[A]

Oh yeah.

[B]

Season ending. Injured reserve.

[A]

Yeah, that's bad because you know why it's bad?

[B]

Because he's a tackle and he protects.

[A]

Michael Penix was right tackle and Pennix.

[B]

Is a left handed.

[A]

So that's actually like the Falcons left tackles now for the season which isn't ideal considering Michael Pennix.

[B]

Well that's why Bill's got five quarterbacks. He has panics.

[C]

Lawrence.

[A]

I know we're running long. We have, we have Thomas. One second Bill's logic with which definitely what happened is that he know soldier. He did. I'm just saying. Good point. Bill. No, Barry wanted Bill on in his own words on the live stream. In his own words on the live stream.

[C]

Craig, we kind of need him actually. Maybe don't bury him.

[B]

Just. Just talk himself into a grave. Go ahead.

[A]

Bill's logic on the live stream was he's going to take five quarterbacks because he wants to hoard them from the other teams. Which honestly I don't hate having five quarterbacks in super flex. Like I get it. What's funny to me is his logic was when other people's quarterbacks get hurt, they'll have to come to me for a trade or they won't have any. What's hilarious to me is he ended up drafting Tua, Stafford and Michael Penix who are the three most injury concerned players in the NFL. Which if that was your logic, why don't you leave Stafford and Tua to other teams so when those guys get hurt, they have to come to you for your healthy quarterback because I feel like.

[C]

Because he waited really long time to draft quarterbacks probably. It's just funny that like a hilariously long time.

[B]

He's also. He, he hates the Jags this year.

[A]

But he took Trevor Lawrence.

[B]

He took three of them. He took Trevor Lawrence, Brian Thomas and Tank Bigsby.

[A]

That was just. Yeah, yeah.

[B]

It's actually savvy though because now he can't lose because if the Jags are great, he'll have to eat his words on the take. But then his fantasy team will be good. And then if the Jags suck, this is the opposite.

[A]

Yeah. It's an emotional hedge. Yeah.

[B]

So he's, he might be playing chess.

[A]

There you go. Okay. Taylor Swift got engaged.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Or is anything else. You guys want to talk about actual football? No. Taylor Swift got engaged. I, I mean this is the biggest story in the World. Or at least in America, I get.

[B]

I mean, yeah, it's a very popular story. It's not really a story, but it's. It's. It's big news.

[A]

It's a love story, Craig. I'll have you know. How many. So it's 143 Pacific.

[B]

So it's obsessed with, like, how many likes.

[A]

I'm just curious. I'm just curious if it becomes the most liked post ever.

[B]

Who cares?

[A]

I don't know. It's just interesting.

[B]

Is it?

[A]

No, it's not.

[B]

She's the most famous person in the world. Why is that interesting?

[A]

I don't know. The most. What do you think the most liked post ever is in Instagram?

[B]

I don't know.

[A]

It's messy holding the World Cup. But before that, it was that stupid egg. It was dumb. The egg.

[B]

So what do you. What do you find interesting about Taylor Swift's post being the most liked Instagram?

[A]

Nothing. I just mentioned it once, and then now you guys are like, Like, I'm not running around, like, talking about it.

[B]

You are. You were.

[A]

I mentioned it one time. I said, how quickly do you think this becomes the most liked post ever?

[B]

That was okay. Why is that interesting?

[A]

Because I just kind of think it was going to be the most liked post ever.

[B]

Okay. Yeah, she's very famous, and her husband's very famous. Her fiance is very famous.

[A]

You guys have not. So I've decided I'm going to, like, actually enjoy this. I think it's cool. You know what?

[B]

I'm not. Not enjoying it. I just.

[A]

I, I.

[B]

To me, this is like a very.

[A]

You know, I've decided to enjoy this with. I decided I could spend my whole life being like, oh, I don't care about this. I'm like, you know what? I'm gonna actually. This is cute. It's cute. I've decided to be in also. Are we gonna.

[B]

I'm not out. I, I don't. I. You just send us, like, six paragraphs. Being like, this is incredibly important. And I was like, I don't know if it's important, but it.

[A]

Oh, get. That was for. Oh, please.

[B]

Like, it certainly moves.

[C]

Please. You know, I'm a phenomenal dancer. Now I know you're lying.

[B]

Wait, I do want to. There were odds released. I don't even know where the hell Matt Bellamy sent me this. There was odds released about wedding venue odds. Can we go through it?

[A]

Oh, yeah.

[B]

Okay.

[C]

Like, what city or what actual venue?

[B]

Like, location.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

Not like the Ritz.

[A]

Can I guess.

[B]

Can I guess what the favorite is. Yeah, yeah.

[A]

Has to be Nashville.

[B]

The favorite is Lake Como, Tuscany.

[A]

Oh, yeah, you should probably do that.

[C]

That at George Clooney's house.

[B]

I think the favorite should be Rhode island, which is where one of her big houses is. It's where she, like, throws parties. I don't know how.

[A]

Like, in Newport.

[B]

Well, wherever that big house is that she owns. I don't. Maybe it's not, like, secure enough, but I could see Rhode island as an option.

[A]

This is like the Bezos wedding that, like, everyone.

[B]

I don't need. Because of the Bezos.

[A]

No, the Bezos wedding was all it was.

[B]

Honestly, like, I don't think she'll want that.

[A]

Yeah, they almost sunk Venice for.

[C]

Be like a revolution.

[B]

I agree, guys.

[A]

They got all mad.

[B]

Some, like, rural, beautiful Tennessee thing or something in Rhode island is my guess.

[C]

I don't. Yeah.

[B]

I don't know.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Bridesmaid favorite guess.

[A]

Bridesmaids. So, okay. Oh, this is.

[B]

It just has one list.

[C]

Selena Gomez.

[A]

So Kylie Kelsey. Oh, yeah. Selena Gomez is you king. Well, no, that's wrong. Hold on. Kylie Kelce has to be the favorite. She's Travis's sister.

[B]

She's not the favorite.

[A]

She's Travis's sister in law.

[B]

I'm telling you, according to whatever website.

[A]

I'm looking at, Selena Gomez for sure. Kylie Kelce.

[B]

I'm really proud of dk.

[A]

That is. That is actually very impressive.

[C]

This was my contribution. I am proud of this conversation.

[A]

Do you think all three Heim sisters make it? Probably not. You can't pick one of the Heims, right?

[B]

You gotta take them all.

[A]

Yeah. You gotta take three Heims. That's a lot of sisters.

[B]

Three times no plus ones.

[A]

I think. Yeah, I think. I think that. Yeah. You have to do all three or all none. And that's, like, suddenly a lot of bridesmaids.

[B]

Oh, wait. Okay, wait. I have more odds for the venue. The favorite is Italy. It's Lake Como. Tuscany. Second odds are Kansas City. They're not doing that. Nashville is third.

[C]

Their airport can't support that kind of operation.

[A]

Well, they just rebuilt it for the draft.

[B]

Nashville is third. Rhode island is fourth. Reading, Pennsylvania. I think that's where she's from. Cleveland, Ohio. Not doing that. Vegas. Not doing that.

[A]

Vegas is last Vegas.

[B]

Should they get married at the Sphere?

[A]

Just beam into the world?

[C]

They could do something very cool in Vegas.

[B]

All right. Hi. Fitz. The bridesmaid odds.

[A]

Gomez, Kylie, Kelsey. The Heim.

[B]

She's not in the top six.

[A]

Well, they're. Isn't that, like, standard practice? That if you're like you have a sister, wouldn't you. Am I, am I missing something?

[B]

But Kylie Kelsey, Jason's wife, not sister.

[A]

Oh yeah. I guess that's true.

[B]

It might be two degrees of separation.

[A]

I guess that's true. Yeah. Yeah. Okay. Yeah, you're probably right. But isn't even if Jason's the best man, wouldn't you want. No, I see what you're saying.

[B]

I don't know.

[A]

Well, if she's a low on the list, I'm going to put money on.

[C]

The best man for sure.

[A]

I mean he better be funny if he wasn't 0.0% chance that Travis has this life best bud.

[C]

Who, who's his best bud?

[A]

Jason? Kelsey?

[C]

No, besides Jason.

[B]

No, he's got like local. Local friends from like high school and stuff.

[C]

Like Pat.

[A]

Him and Mahomes are actually friends though. Yeah, they actually. I will say that the good.

[C]

This is a tough decision. Pat versus Jason.

[B]

A piece came out today. It not that this was a surprise, but it does sound like this is Travis's last year.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

Oh yeah. I mean I will say Jason Kelsey did he basically Travis did some to get kicked off.

[C]

Do you think they'll get married at the halftime show of the Super Bowl?

[B]

I don't, but that'd be crazy.

[C]

Honestly, I was trying to get to you guys. I was trying to. You know.

[A]

If you think there won't be betting odds at that for this year's Super super bowl, like they were gonna be like a thousand to one. What if they get married?

[B]

Do you think Justin Herbert and Madison Beer will get married first or so?

[A]

Yeah, explain Madison Beer to dk. So Justin Herbert is now. Is she dating Madison?

[C]

Is he dating Madison Beer?

[B]

I don't know.

[A]

How do you. How would you explain Madison Beard?

[B]

That's a real name I get. Yeah, apparently that's a real name. I mean she's just like a. She's an influencer TikTok star who like also is a musician who's like 25.

[C]

Sounds right.

[B]

And is of. You know, has a lot of a strong following on the Internet and that has now been spotted with Justin Herbert going to dinner parties in la. Walking down the street. This confirms that I know nothing about Justin Herbert.

[C]

Yeah, I know nothing about everything we thought we knew.

[A]

Nina Kimes wrote a great story about him which is like, you know, he puts his shopping carts back and I was like what a great young man. Now he's like dating Madison Beers, this.

[B]

Shy kind of understated guy from small town Oregon. Like Whole thing. And I'm like, you're just dating, like the most famous influencer.

[A]

I just, I don't know, just 40 million Instagram followers. Sorry to talk about Instagram followers. But like, yeah, I mean, it's.

[B]

I don't know anything about Justin Herbert. Liz, my wife, told me. She's like, all men are the same, Craig. That's what this proves. All men are the same.

[A]

It's actually a really good take.

[B]

I was like, this is. I wouldn't have expected this out of Herbert. She's like, all men are the same, Craig. You might be right.

[C]

You're like, valid.

[B]

Yeah, valid point. The LA has gotten to Justin Herbert.

[C]

She seems like she'd be a great mom.

[B]

You know, maybe she's wondering. She probably is wonderful. She's probably a great hang. He's probably having a good time.

[A]

Oh, he's having a good time.

[B]

He wore a leg sleeve to a dinner party, which is kind of sick.

[A]

So the kids call it nowadays.

[B]

He literally wore a leg sleeve. Like a compression leg sleeve.

[C]

Calf's brain.

[B]

I don't know. It's news, though. Maybe we should report on that. But she was.

[C]

Did Justin Bieber discover this person?

[A]

Yeah. Is that what you got? Was that, Is that what you found out in the first line of Google?

[B]

When I discover Madison. Did he discover Madison?

[C]

The first slide. I didn't read the first line.

[A]

Wine. Oh, okay.

[C]

But it sounded familiar. That's the, that's the extent of what I know about Madison beer.

[B]

I, I, I don't know that I.

[C]

Admit to have seeing. Having had seen a picture of her before she was. I was aware of her.

[A]

That's what's changed between men of different generations is DK is like. I, I'll admit I've seen a photo of this woman clips and that feels.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

No, I haven't seen a clip.

[B]

Amanda ciphered clips.

[C]

She's super talented.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

You see her play the instrument? I don't know.

[A]

Jackie loves that thing. I don't have a name for. What was that thing called?

[B]

I don't know.

[A]

The one that's horizontal harpsichord. That's not.

[C]

No, it's not a harpsichord.

[A]

I didn't even know it was an instrument.

[B]

There was a report that some. That Anya Taylor Joy is like in talks to star as young Joni Mitchell, which I hate. It should be Amanda Seyfried. She was so good.

[C]

You know, I'm in your corner on this one.

[B]

She crushed that song on. I think it was Fallon. It was amazing. She said In California by Joni Mitchell. It's like unbelievable.

[C]

I typed in Amanda and what's the.

[B]

You should say it.

[A]

No, say it.

[C]

I'm not doing it anyway.

[B]

Patreon.

[A]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[C]

She's talented. So what's the. What's the instrument that we.

[B]

I don't know. Yeah, I don't know what that's called. Amanda Seyfried instrument Late tonight show.

[A]

Should I just end the show and we'll just do good. By the time we get done, we'll go to Joni Mitchell.

[B]

Vamp for me. Dulcimer.

[C]

Dulcimer.

[A]

Still don't know what that is.

[C]

Great instrument.

[B]

A wooden lap instrument.

[C]

I don't really like that.

[B]

The kids call nowadays wooden lap instruments.

[A]

All right, let's get the hell out of here. All right. Thank you, dk. Thank you, Craig. Thank you, ct. Thank you, Ronnie. Thank you, Carlos. Thank you, Kai. Thank you everyone for listening. Email us at ringing fantasy football gmail.com youm really can send actual football questions again. Our tiers fantasy football.the rare.com is printable PDF page. Our tiers are on that sheet. Yeah. Thank you to everyone emailing. Thank you using the draft tracker if you want to not print anything or you want to see your tears. Draft Trackers also fancy football.the rare.com thank you everyone. Watch please go subscribe to YouTube channel if you want to see the draft we did yesterday with Bill and you want to see Bill Simmons take five quarterbacks and two defenses and like eight picks then go and watch the draft. The ringer fantasy football show if you.

[B]

Want to see me pull off some high level drafting.

[A]

Yeah. Instagram TikTok. We're still in Los Angeles TK here We're all week so we have behind the scenes fun stuff going up there on the story and on posts. So follow ringer fantasy football on Instagram and yeah. Thank you Lord Lauren.

[C]

Thank you Haim.

[B]

I love him.

[C]

I don't actually know anything about all.

[A]

Their music videos are just them walking.

[C]

Okay.

[A]

So they just literally and they just walk and they have all these different ways to shoot walking. They walk everywhere around Los Angeles. All their videos to the point where Roger Sherman run an article for the ringer ranking all their walks like 20 and then they Roger article ever they ranked their walking ability and how athletic they looked. And then I think they were the the opening for the entire era. The majority of the eras tour they were the opening and they're very talented. They have very good music and they were like a pretty big I don't know how mid May. I don't know. Mid major artists. Like they weren't like an A lister but they were like a very respected group. They weren't like nobody but they're like good and they. But I think they became supercharged because they're just like open for like the biggest tour in the history of mankind for probably like a 100, 150 or something tours.

[B]

Yeah, that when I saw the Air store and they opened, they're good. Along with Gracie Abrams. She also.

[A]

Oh, they were like a cool band. Like if you saw him at some like indie LA venue, you're like, oh, that's cool.

[B]

Yeah, I mean they've been. Their music videos are directed by Paul Thomas Anderson.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

No. No way.

[B]

Yeah, they're like very valley hip LA scene.

[C]

Switching gears real quick. Craig, you said you wanted to tell me about Heifet's golfing.

[B]

I think we hold it for the next episode because I want to spend some time. I actually don't have anything bad to say because he's good but we can talk about next time.

[C]

That's a good teaser. I like that. Okay. I can't wait to hear.

[B]

Honestly, we had a great time.

[C]

Truthfully, I'm excited to hear about this take.

[B]

Fraser. It was really fun.

[A]

Get on so much. I'm caught off guard when there's actually earnest compliments about. Goodbye everyone. Foreign must be 21 plus and present in select states. For Kansas in affiliation with Kansas Star Casino or 18 plus in present in DC, Kentucky or Wyoming. Gambling problem. Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit rg-help.com, call 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org chat in Connecticut or visit mdgamleyhelp.org in Maryland. Hope is here. Visit gamblinghelplinema.org or call 800-327-5050 for 24. 7 support in Massachusetts or call 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY in New York.

[D]

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