August 23, 2024 • 37 mins
Colin Cowherd is joined by Derek “DBro” Brown from FantasyPros to talk about the upcoming NFL season from a fantasy football perspective. Colin & DBro discuss the top fantasy quarterbacks and why he thinks Eagles’ Jalen Hurts could be the best QB in fantasy this season. Colin said Packers QB Jordan Love was his bold prediction for MVP—but will he have a better season than Jaguars’ Trevor Lawrence—and which rookie QB is destined for a better season: Commanders’ Jayden Daniels or Bears’ Caleb Williams? They discuss the potential decline of 49ers RB Christian McCaffrey and other top running backs. Who are the dark horse wide receivers and which star WR does Colin predict will be traded before the NFL trade deadline.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
The volume. All Right, Derek Brown from Fantasy Pros is
going to join us. Now I've said this before, I
don't play a ton of fantasy, right, but he's a pro.
I'm gonna be the amateur, and I'm gonna ask him
I think pretty deep, pretty heady questions, and he'll put
(00:21):
me take me to school. So before we have Derek Brown,
a Fantasy Pros who are just so good at what
they do, I'll want you to go and download the
Game Time app ninety seconds code colin. That'll always get
your twenty dollars off your first purchase. Nobody gets you
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(01:07):
Major League Baseball. You don't have your mind made up
days in advance for all these game Time code Colin
twenty bucks off. Well, we felt very lucky. When we
were able to make Fantasy Pros part of the volume,
they have more than delivered for us, really sharp guys,
(01:29):
and we did some pre draft stuff and Derek debro
Brown is a senior analyst for Fantasy Pros and he
released his top one hundred and fifty Fantasy players earlier
this month. So I've said this before. My first job
out of college was Vegas, So I started gambling before
I played fantasy football, although I've always known years and
years ago, Derek, I was doing a live remote show
(01:50):
when I worked at ESPN in Austin, and it was
a real epiphany for me. I said, how do you
guys bet football?
Speaker 2 (01:58):
Like bet?
Speaker 1 (01:59):
And like four guys raised our hand and said how
many play fantasy? The whole room went up, And I'm like, Okay,
I know I'm not as popular. I know i'm in
my social group, but I can also admit it's a
huge business. When I first heard you guys about a
year and a half ago, we were like, that's the
(02:20):
guys to get. They really know what they're doing. And
so I'm going to ask you a couple of questions
to start this, and I'm going to be a complete
novice on this. I mean, I know fantasy, I get it.
But for me, we all know the top six to
eight to ten quarterbacks. Give me a quarterback for the
guy that bets or doesn't play fantasy the four of
(02:42):
us and the planet, but appreciate it that you would
think would be a top pick but doesn't in fantasy,
deliver and explain it to our audience in the simplest terms.
Speaker 2 (02:54):
Well, a guy that I've been high on since the
pre draft process, Colin and I think that he has
huge jump side this year is Jane Daniels and I've
talked about him since the NFL Draft, since prospect season,
and I think that he is going to crush this year.
And a lot of this, and we talked about it
in fantasy, is that the rushing equity that it plays
(03:14):
up so much in scoring and how that goes. But
there are other parts and pieces to love here. And
whether we're going to talk about Cliff Kingsbury and an
uppace offense and play volume, Yes, And for fantasy it's
always like it's always the moniker is always thrown out there,
a volume is king, but that goes back to play volume.
We need play volume to get targets to get pass attempts,
(03:35):
to get all these things that score fantasy points. And
I think Jane Daniels, not only is it the rushing,
but we're going to get the play volume. And people
vastly underrate him as a passer. I mean, the guy
was in the Heisman. I mean he won the Heisman
because he is not only a good rusher of the football,
but regardless of whatever metric you pull up, he was
also one of the best passers in the nation, and
(03:57):
I think that crosses over to the NFL well.
Speaker 1 (04:00):
I think he's a better passer at this stage in
his career than Lamar Jackson was. I don't think he's
quite as dynamic. But I watched them at Arizona State
as a true freshman because I knew her Edwards and
I was a PAC twelve guy, and he waged about
a buck sixty wet and I watched him and his
helmet looked like it might as well be I was
like a giant pumpkin on this little stick figure because
he was so skinny, and I'm watching him, I'm like,
(04:23):
this dude's like eighteen, and he's really really talented, and
then all of a sudden, he goes to LSU and
I remember saying on the air, you guys, he's with
their talent, like Arizona State had one running back. I liked,
I'm like, does everybody understand this? And there was a
lot of pushback, and I think now everybody goes, Wow,
he's a pretty special kid. He's also kind of a
(04:43):
workaholic and a film junkie, which goes a long way.
Is there you know in baseball there's the contract year guys, right, like, like,
that's a real thing in baseball, is guys on contract years.
We don't talk about it a lot in football because
the truth is, if you're not playing hard and focused
in football, you get hurt. There is no load management.
You play hurt. You play andrewd you play hard every night.
(05:05):
But are there situation situationally in fantasy, is there maybe
a quarterback this year that you look, it's a new coordinator,
it is a big year for him financially, it's a
bounce back here? Is there is there a quarterback to
you that you're like, you know what this is? This
is a little bit of a steal in fantasy if
things go right.
Speaker 2 (05:24):
I think there's a few guys that fit the mold
of being a Steel this year. And I think there's
a lot of ways that we could go with this column,
like whether it's guys that just got contracts or guys
that are trying to prove they deserve the money. And
the two guys that stand out to me that just
already got paid. But really we're we're talking about, Okay,
how have their NFL careers panned out to this point
and justifying the big money contracts they both just got.
(05:47):
And that's Jordan Love and and Trevor Lawrence, And it
really comes down to they both got paid and now
they have to justify these massive contracts. But I think
both of them are going to do that this season.
I mean, Jordan Love, we saw lastlast year he was
playing elite level football down the stretch and I think
that crosses over into this year, second year, being the starter,
getting more reps, still an elite level, well not elite level,
(06:11):
but really really good weapons around him. And we know
la Floor is in a scheme about But Trevor Lawrence,
I mean, with all the Urban Meyer stuff, and we
still haven't seen the best season out of him yet.
But last year QB thirteen and Fantasy points per game,
but QB seven and expected fantasy points per game. They've
done nothing but add weapons around him this year, Colin,
and I think we see the best season yet out
(06:33):
of Trevor Lawrence in twenty twenty four.
Speaker 1 (06:35):
How do I look at Justin Herbert? So they draft
a very clever, smaller receiver, but a speedy second round
guy out of Georgia, but they're not great on the perimeter. Clearly,
the Joel Alt pick and the running back acquisitions. This
is gonna be power football. I think Justin Herbert will
(06:56):
win more, but I'm not sure stats wise he's going
to be Like how would you judge him? Because I
see Harba's teams. I mean, Jim harbass fantasy is basically
Justin Herbert just throws on third and two and second
and four on play action and it's a power run game.
Speaker 2 (07:13):
He love.
Speaker 1 (07:14):
I mean, we just watched JJ McCarthy rarely throw infrequently
in big games. So how do you look from your
perspective at Justin Herbert this year?
Speaker 2 (07:24):
I've had to drop him in my rankings a little
bit common and like I kept the hope candle lit
for him this year only because we know that Herbert's
always I mean, going back to Oregon, He's a hyper
athletic quarterback. So like we haven't seen the rushing side
for him be unlocked in the NFL, although I think
that he could have that to his game. But I
bumped him down because now it's not only the passing
(07:46):
volume and he has to overcome that with efficiency this year.
Maybe he could do it, maybe he can't. But now
with the foot issue in the fast year, like now
I'm like, okay, well, if he's not going to run
for much, now I've got to drop him a little
bit further in my ranks. Like right now he's my
QB nineteen. I've got him living in the same neighborhood
or area code as Kirk Cousins, Matthew Stafford and the
(08:07):
new starter for the Vikings, And we just talked about
the Vikings a little bit, Sam Darnold. So yeah, I'm
much lower on Herbert than maybe consensus.
Speaker 1 (08:15):
You know, when I look at a player like Jalen Hurts,
he's had one great year and it was tied to
Shane Steichen, and I think to myself, now reports come
out that Nick Sirianni there was a bit of a
gap in communication between Sirianni, who I was always told
(08:36):
when he got the job was a bit over his head.
He wasn't quite ready to be a head coach, especially
in relentless Philadelphia. Over there's just pressure, you know, it's
like the loudest sports town in the country. And so
I look at Jalen Hurts and I'm like, I think
I like him, but there's injuries. He said, one great year,
I'm not sure the head coach is going to survive.
I don't in the world now. I know I think
(08:57):
he's a top ten quarterback, but where do you put
him on your list?
Speaker 2 (09:01):
Oh, this could be a good conversation for us because
he's actually my QB one this year and I think
wild I love him this year, and I know I
was wondering if we were going to bring him up
and talk about him, because I know I've heard you
in the airwaves and I know you got concerns about
the Eagles, and I think bringing Kellen Moore into this
this offense in this room is going to absolutely change
(09:24):
the complexion. I'm not saying that he's the same level
of designer. And it didn't go well for the Chargers,
but it did go well in Dallas as Shane Stykeen
because I think Shane is one of the best play
callers and play designers in the NFL.
Speaker 1 (09:36):
But he really is he is, and.
Speaker 2 (09:37):
That's that's another reason why I'm very high on Anthony
Richardson this year. But with Hurts, I think we get
a version of the Philadelphia Eagles offense because look, I'm
not going to come on here and disparage anybody, but
like Brian Johnson, it was a struggle all last year,
like they he was over he was, he was way
in over his head. I mean they ran what and
(09:58):
correct me if I'm wrong with this, but I I
feel like they ran a vanilla version of Stychean's offense
last year, and it was very much like you saw
the ebbs and flows, like whenever they were to able
to hit big plays go routes down the field, it
was very spotty and they would have two or three
big plays and then go into the cave for a while,
and then two or three big plays and that was it.
(10:18):
And I think this year we're gonna get Kella Moore infusion,
like more play action motion things that are sharp and
that people should be doing with play calling. But I
think that plus the play going back to play volume,
I think we get a high paced offense and for
the first time in Philly this year, we might get
an offense for not only does do the Eagles finish
(10:40):
top five or top ten in neutral pace, but what
could unlock the other level four Hurts because we haven't
seen passing volume out of this offense. We've seen lots
of plays, we've seen rushing, and everybody's worried about do
they run with Hurts at the goal line this year.
I'm kind of on the spot where I think his
rushing touchdown obviously come back some because he was historic
(11:03):
last year, but he compensates with a better passing offense
and they have the weapons to do it. So I
think it's wheels up for Jalen Hurts in the Philly
offense this year. Even if Siriani is maybe not the
best head coach, I think Kellen's gonna bring some of
the best elements out of this passing game too.
Speaker 1 (11:20):
One of the reasons I defended Jamiir Gibbs going to
Detroit because I still do believe you can draft kickers.
They can be the leading scorer on a team if
you like a kicker. Rams just drafted one out of
I think was it Stanford drafted kicker. I think you
can draft running backs in the first round. I thought
(11:40):
Beijon Robinson was under used considerably in Atlanta, so I
think he's really I thought he was Ladanion Tollinson too.
There was literally no hole leadership, no fumbles, hard runner,
can catch, block, just everything. Almost a flawless player. I
don't expect number one, but I you know Saquon Barkley,
he was a game breaker, Ezekiel Ellie. One of the
(12:01):
reasons I backed Jamir Gibbs is because the Lions O
line is so good. They feel like Dallas about seven
years ago, like there's no argument that's the best O line.
That was the way it was with Zach Martin, Tyron Smith, Frederick.
We were just like, okay, who's number two? It's Larry
Bird at the three point shooting contest. Who's shooting for second?
And I kind of feel like the Lions have separated
(12:22):
from other good lines, so you're virtually guaranteed excellent production
out of Jamiir Gibbs. And I look at him and
I think, I think Saquon Barkley will do this. There
are a lot of guys. I think Bijon, I'll get
more carries in Atlanta to me, Jamiir Gibbs with that
O line. I look at it and what it is
(12:45):
considered to be a really sharp offensive coordinator. Ben Johnson.
I look at him as a running back and I'm like,
that can't fail. Like where do you have him ranked.
Speaker 2 (12:54):
I've got him behind the big three that are going
in the first round to draft, so Bjehon Robinson's my
RB one, that McCaffrey Bresee Hall. But I've got Gibbs
at the top of my tier two at RB four,
and it's a little bit above consensus because most people
have Saquon and Jonathan Taylor there. But I'm with you, Colin, like,
I love Gibbs this year, and I think I think
(13:15):
people are kind of pushed off a little bit of
Gibbs in certain instances because it's a committee backfield, and
they look at it like, well, David Montgomery's still going
to get run this year, like he's not going away,
And I'm like, I know he's not going away. But
you look at what Gibbs did in his first season.
The efficiency was awesome. He was great, whether we're talking
about on a rushing aspect or in the passing game.
(13:38):
But what people fail to realize is in weeks ten
through eighteen, after Montgomery came back, well like, the red
zone usage was pretty similar as far as on a
per touch basis, Gibbs dominated the red zone snaps like,
he had almost sixty four percent of the red zone snaps.
So if the volume at that part of the field
(13:58):
comes like comes into play even more this year and
it's not David Montgomery running it in at the five
or the three or the ten, and it's Gibbs getting
rushing attempts, getting targets in that type of red zone area,
then I think Gibbs has an easy chance to be
a top three heck, maybe the RB one overall. And
I don't think it's insane, but it can happen.
Speaker 1 (14:19):
So I think Christian McCaffrey is the second best running
back of my life to Walter Payton. I think his
dexterity is a pass catcher puts him an inch above
Barry Sanders. But all three are just different. They they're
just different level players. And I think Adrian Peterson, although
he had a fumble issue, and I didn't trust him
catching the ball. May be more explosive than all of them,
(14:39):
outside of maybe Walter Payton. But I do worry about now,
back to back years, McCaffrey's up in the three hundred touches.
The last time that happened, he was hurt the following year.
He is when you I've seen him in person a
couple of times in the last year, and my wife
even remarks, he doesn't look like a football player, Like
it's amazing, Like he must have zero body fat. He's
(15:01):
so powerful. But I look at it and I think
to myself, Okay, Rock Purty, Trent Williams is not in camp.
They're gonna use McCaffrey heavy here. You're not gonna put
Brock Purty, who's an undersized quarterback with a backup left
tackle on an O line I don't love. Also, Trent
Williams is really the foundational piece up front for them. Like,
(15:24):
and I look at McCaffrey and I'm like, I'm not
saying a down year, but I could see, if not injury,
a fatigue factor. I know Trent Williams. Even if Trent
comes in, you know he's older, you know he's he
may not be rolling being Trent till October. Where are
you on McCaffrey today.
Speaker 2 (15:44):
Well, I'm glad we talked about him because it's I
don't want to say it's controversial, but the fact that
I don't have him as my RB one this year
is differing from consensus.
Speaker 1 (15:52):
And you love him.
Speaker 2 (15:53):
I do, And that's the biggest thing. I think. People
think I'm like a CMC hater, but I'm not. Like
to your point though, if you include the playoffs, Colin,
he rolled up four hundred and seventeen touches last season,
Like we we can't dismiss that. And he's not twenty five,
he's not twenty six years old anymore. And the volume
(16:14):
does eventually catch up even to the outliers that the
Barry Sanders of the world, the Derrick Henry's of the world, Like,
the volume will eventually catch up to you. And we
we're not that far away from I mean, come on, Colin, Like,
let's be kind of rewind here, Like, we're not that
far away from a few years ago. You brought it
up already, we had questions. Can Christian McCaffrey stay healthy
(16:34):
through a full season?
Speaker 1 (16:36):
No question?
Speaker 2 (16:36):
I agree with you, Like That's why I can't put
McCaffrey at RB one because of those concerns and that,
and I think it's full bejeon to the moon season
this year. I think he gets unleashed in Zach Robinson's offense.
I think we see him possibly pull a prime season.
Todd Gurley on US in twenty twenty four.
Speaker 1 (16:56):
I watched Puka Nakula at Washington, then I watched them
at BYU. I could not believe my eyes. I liked him,
but you know, he's a really nice college receiver. The
fact that he came in and in camp the reports were, oh,
Matt Stafford found his favorite toy, he got a new guy.
Speaker 2 (17:14):
Like it was.
Speaker 1 (17:14):
It started early in camp. And some of this is
McVeigh too, because Whittingham, the Texas receiver who they took
in the sixth round, is lighting up preseason. So some
of this is the magic of McVeigh. Do you expect
as we pivot to wide receivers? God, the Pooka year
was like, Okay, now, everybody's had an off season ago, Okay,
Cooper's not the number one guy all the time. It's
(17:36):
this guy. Do you expect similar numbers from him?
Speaker 2 (17:39):
I do and I love Pukah so much. I was
huge on him in the in the draft prospect process
last year, I just I had him. I want to say,
pre draft Colin, I had Puka as my wide receiver
five of the class, which was I'm not gonna say
it was a hot take, but people definitely weren't following
me on that. And then he goes out and he
does this, and I'm not going to say that I
(18:00):
saw that type of rookie year coming where he broke
numerous records and things like that. But the kid can
play ball. I mean, if you looked at per route
numbers in college and watched his film, it all says that.
And I think he takes another step forward right now.
He is at the top of my tier two. I
haven't at wide receiver wide receiver seven right now, and wow, yes,
(18:23):
so I'm projecting a huge year for Pooka Nakua. But
I mean, do we see this all the time, not
like we talk about investing and being high on second
year wide receivers. They get a year in the league
and watch them go and explode in year two. Then
why aren't we doing that with the guy that just
broke all the rookie records, like we should be immensely
(18:44):
high on him. And this is no shade against Cup,
but Cup is not the guy he was in his prime.
I think he still has a really good year. But
again talking about age and injuries kind of catching up
with players, I think Puka cements himself as the true
wide receiver one in Los Angeles this year.
Speaker 1 (19:01):
All right, another weapon question Travis Kelcey. So I'm going
to throw a little theory at you. So Kelsey last
year showed his age in the regular season. Then just
like a great legendary quarterback, he rises from the ashes
and has a terrific postseason. So now they go and
(19:21):
get Worthy. They want to ramp that up Andy Reid,
who's a great play designer. In September, you're going to
see Worthy a lot. They're trying to establish a number
one receiver, which they haven't had since Tyreek Kill left.
Also Rashi Rice, I'm not sure the current suspension, he'll
be back sometime early. They want to establish him after
a very turbulent offs field issue. So my take is
(19:44):
Kansas City, Brett Veach, Andy Reid, Mahomes. They're trying to
establish an identity at receiver. They also know that Travis Kelcey,
he's going to be great when it counts. I could
see Kelsey's numbers dipping as they tie to establish like
a peck let me. Let's be honest, Slasher, they didn't
have a one. There were weeks they didn't have a two.
(20:04):
So they are going to use the heck out of
worthy early. This is what Andy does in September. They're
going to try to re establish for Sea Rice. Is
it possible that at least early Travis not ignored but
is a secondary target because what they're trying to do
to elevate a young receiving corps.
Speaker 2 (20:25):
I think it's definitely possible. And even if he doesn't
fallow down and the target pecking order a little bit,
the other part is do they cut his snaps a
little bit? Because again, like we're talking about it and
everybody's talking about it, can Kansas City three peete And
if they're going to do that, Travis Kelsey has to
stay healthy. He has to be a big part of
what they do. But the question is do you roll
him out there for ninety ninety five percent of snaps
(20:48):
the entire season and if he gets banged up. We
saw what happened last year, so I'm with you. I mean,
he's not my tight end one this year in fantasy.
That distinction goes to Trade McBride. So I think that
we do see Kelsey put up good numbers, really good
numbers for where I have him ranked, but him being
the undisputed tight end one, just crushing everybody in his
(21:08):
path and stuff. And I'm not saying he's gonna have
a bad year, but I do think we could see
him take a small step back statistically in twenty twenty four.
Speaker 1 (21:18):
Now, obviously there is it's speculation to some degree on rookies,
but I do think this preseason Derek more than the
previous two. You know, McVeigh started that don't play any
good players in the preseason, and for a while it
was like a ra you know, Piede Piper, all the
young coaches are like, I'm not playing my starters. I
(21:40):
think this year we've seen a lot of snaps. I mean,
Caleb Williams playing an entire half, You're seeing starters playing.
Pittsburgh's trying to figure out five series for Russell Wilson.
I feel like I've gotten more meat in the sandwich
in my preseason I've seen the rookies. More, give me
a couple of rookies that you would be confident saying, man,
this situation is I mean, hell, last year Green Bay,
(22:04):
you know you got these a Luke Muskgrave, you got
some of these young receivers. You're like, Wow, by the
end of the year, is there a rookie or two
that you'd be confident get saying consider it. He's on
my radar.
Speaker 2 (22:16):
I think at the top of the class. I mean,
obviously I could a wax poetic about Marvin Harrison Junior.
He's going extremely high. Yes, love him this year and
everybody knows that. I think Elite Neighbors has shown a
ton in camp, and the big question I have is
can he overcome Daniel Jones and what the rest of
(22:36):
that offense?
Speaker 1 (22:37):
That's a big question. Is anybody in New York it is?
Speaker 2 (22:40):
I mean, Danny Dimes came it went out there in
almost three three picks in a preseason game, so we
all have to question it. Yeah, I think the talent
and the cream can rise to the top of Elite Neighbors.
But I think the big guy that I do want
to mention here, Colin is Roma Dounza, and we all
talked about him in the pre draft process. There was
a top three of the wide receivers and they were electric,
(23:00):
full level guys, and Rome is the guy where everybody's like,
I don't know what to do with him in the
Chicago passing offense because we do have Keenan Allen, we
do have DJ Moore there. But I'm old enough to
remember when Jamar Chase entered the league and he was
just that guy and they had Tyler Boyd and they
had T Higgins alongside him. I'm not going to discount
that rollm of dunes. They could possibly do that, and
(23:21):
if him and Caleb click soon, like in the early
parts of the season, he could be the guy. And
maybe not Keenan Allen playing in two wide receiver sets
because Shane Waldrim we know, likes to run a lot
of two tight end sets. That's going to be part
of it. Maybe some twenty one personnel as well. But
I think Rome can crack and be part of that
twelve personnel group and be playing in two wide So
(23:42):
I definitely want to be in on him, and you
talked about Worthy. I think he could have a fantastic
rookie season, I guess if I'm going to go down
a little bit further down the board and people are
worried about him because Zach Hurtz is there. But Ben
Sinnett is a player that I've loved throughout the entire process,
whether it was watching his film, the talent, the athleticism,
(24:03):
and people don't have any worries and they have no
concerns about Brock Bauers playing really well as a rookie
with the Raiders. Even though Michael Bayer is there and
he's younger, he's a better player at this part of
his career. And that's no shade to zach Ertz, but
it's a reality. I think we could be sleeping a
little bit too much on the ceiling and the involvement
of Ben Sennett both early and throughout the entire season.
(24:25):
Like Colin, if I were to tell you right now,
we closed our eyes and it's week thirteen and Ben
Sennett is running routes, he's the full time starter, zach
Ertz is playing on third downs or just when they
have twelve personnel. Does that scenario sound absolutely crazy?
Speaker 1 (24:40):
Yeah? No, I you know, it's funny about how situationally
things change. I'll give you an example. So Kyle Pitch
has been a disappointment. Yeah, Drake London's good, But when
you consider the gap between Desmond Ritter and Kirk Coussins, Okay,
my thing is, is it Kyle p or who's throwing
(25:01):
the ball? Is it Drake London or who's throwing the ball?
I look at Lanta, I look at Atlanta and I
think to myself, does everybody understand by getting Jude On
and the safety from the Broncos, this could be a
twelve win team. This is not a great division Carolina,
the Saints, I think, are the first team to fire
a coach and Dennis Allen. I look at Atlanta and
(25:23):
I think, I don't know if these are sleeper picks.
But Kyle Picks now has a nearly sixty eight percent
completion percentage veteran who By the way, Kirk is the
nicest guy in the world. He's had a chip on
his shoulder a mile long forever. All he does is produce.
What do you make of the Atlanta skill players? Bijon,
Kyle Pitt, Drake London now with a really, I mean,
(25:45):
let's be honest. Kirk Cousins is every bit Dak Prescott.
He just doesn't have a star on the helmet. Their
numbers are virtually the same.
Speaker 2 (25:52):
I'm with you. I've been touting this all off season.
I've loved Drake London since he came into the league,
and on a perp route basis, he's been amazing in
the league. It's just he's been hampered by bad quarterback play,
no passing volume Arthur Smith at times, and you could
say the same for B John and Kyle Pitts. I'm
sky high on this entire offense. Like B John's my
(26:13):
RB one this year, I've got Drake London right now
as a top ten wide receiver wide receiver nine. Wow, yes, wow.
I think we see the coming out party for Drake London.
I think he shows everybody the type of talent that
we've seen if you've watched any of his all twenty two,
if you've been out there like at Atlanta Falcons games, everybody,
the fans, they're all going to see it this year
(26:34):
because Drake London, he's an ascending talent. And I think
with the passing volume and Kirk Cousins was on his way,
Like I know, we make all of our jokes about
big time Kirk Cousins and he falls apart. But he
was having a stellar season last year before the Achilles
injury and stuff. I think that he plays extremely well.
And this boils down to Drake London Kyle Pitts again,
(26:56):
because we always hear these things until we don't hear
them until after the season is over, Colin, where guys
are more hurt, or maybe the recovery from injuries wasn't
as smooth, or maybe they were more hurt than we
were led to believe. And after the Falcon season concluded,
we found out obial Kyle Pitts was dealing with more
of the knee injury and he was slower throughout the
(27:16):
season and stuff. I think we see the best Kyle
Pitts season we've seen to date. And I know he's
got a thousand yard season on the resume, but I
think we see that plus touchdowns this year, so immensely
high on that entire offense.
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Speaker 1 (29:24):
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your life. This is a paid advertisement. Okay, So I'm
gonna throw up. First of all, I am a complete
novice at this, and that's why you are great here
because I'm asking you very rudimentary questions. I do a
bit called Sharper square. I'm the square, Chad Milman's the sharp.
(30:53):
So these questions you're probably as I ask these questions.
These are probably the most rudimentary questions. But I'm gonna
throw something out this to meet. Now, he's not a
dark horse, but here's how I look at DeVante Adams.
They'll be trailing in almost all games, so he's going
to get tons of looks. Gardner Minshew is basically Baker Mayfield.
(31:14):
If you look statistically collegeen pro he can play, so
he's going to get looks. They're going to be trailing
in games. Gardner Minshew has always been a little better
than anybody wants to acknowledge. He's basically Baker without the
bank roll. Also, I could see DeVante's been verbal when
(31:36):
he's unhappy. This team starts one to seven. I can
see Tom Telesco moving him to a contender and a
star quarterback because he has been very outspoken. And I
could see Tom Telesco sam, I'm the new GM. We
need a quarterback. There's a million receivers. Let's clean the books.
So I look at Devonte Adams and I think there's
(31:57):
so many elements. No team may trail than New England,
more than the Raiders. I mean you're in a division
with I mean bo Next looks great, Sean Payton, Andy Reid, Harbaugh,
clever offensive guys. And I think if it even goes sideways,
I think he'd be somebody that they would look at
and go, we can get a one and a three
for this guy, and the Raiders just completely rebuild next year.
(32:20):
What say you on that?
Speaker 2 (32:21):
I'm with you on the look. I'm ready to put
my ten full hat on right now. I'm ready to
do it because I'm with you. I think there's an
easy chance we danced around the name, but I think
there's an easy chance that maybe Davante's wearing white and
green by the end of the year. That would not
shock me at all. But the talent for Davante Adams,
(32:41):
I think it has not diminished. I think my only
worries with Davante and I wrote him up. He's in
our draft kit right now, that's live on Fantasy Pros
fantasypros dot com slash kit. And my only problem with
DeVante Adams because I think everything you mentioned as far
as the target volume is going to be there. His
skills have not diminished. If he gets traded, we're I mean,
(33:04):
we're talking about Devonte Adam's gonna be a top five
receiver again. My only worry about him and the hesitance
I have, is where he goes in drafts because Fantasy wise,
he was the wide receiver fifteen last year. He's being
drafted inside the top ten, so it's a little bit pricey.
But if he ends the season on the Jets, that price.
Speaker 1 (33:25):
Could pay all right, Yeah, Okay, speaking of the Jets,
let's end it with this and again, this is something
I'm just trying to not tinfoil had it. But Aaron's
forty office surgery, it's a rebuilt offensive line. Offensive lines
generally being rebuilt. Run blockings easier than pass blocking. They're
in a division and a conference with a lot of
(33:48):
good pass rushers, the AFC. Okay, I could see the
Jets being more run centric, with Breese Hall, Mike Williams
struggling to stay healthy, people rolling coverage over on Garrett Wilson,
Aaron not trusting his offensive line, being reluctant to hang
into the pocket. I mean, Brady remember when he got hurt.
(34:08):
He wasn't comfortable for two years. Anybody around his knees
that wasn't. So this is a more serious injury, and
also Aaron's older I could see this team throwing less.
If you look at the quarterbacks, Derek, that they play
in the first nine ten weeks, it is backups, it's career,
it's rookies, it's you don't have to win by shootouts.
(34:31):
With that Jets defense, there's gonna be a I mean
you start looking at it's Vikings, it's Denver, it's Tennessee.
I could see the Jets running a very very conservative offense,
letting their defense lead the way, and Aaron and Garrett's
numbers are not stupendous relative to their talent. What do
(34:56):
you say?
Speaker 2 (34:57):
I agree with you. I mean I was pulling up
the the regular season, like the early part of the schedule,
like they get the forty nine ers, Titans, Patriots, Broncos, Vikings.
Speaker 1 (35:06):
I mean, look at those quarterbacks.
Speaker 2 (35:08):
Yeah, I mean seriously, after the forty nine ers, what
are we talking about here? Like they should devour Will Levis.
We're gonna have either Jacoby Brissett probably under center, you
got a rookie and bo Nicks, you got Sam Darnold.
I mean again, yes, lots of positive game script, lots
of probably feeding Breefe. And I'm with you. I think
that their passing game numbers could disappoint in those early games.
(35:30):
Especially also if we and this goes back years even
to the Green Bay days where Nathaniel Hackett and Aaron
Rodgers run an incredibly slow, is molasses offense. They're always
near the bottom in play volume and passing rate. They
just are. So if they slow it down and just say, okay,
well we're gonna protect Aaron we again, we're playing a
(35:52):
full season. We want to be sniffing the playoffs. We
want to keep him upright because we know what it
looks like if he's not, so we just lean on
the defense. We lean on Breeese. I don't disagree with
you at all, but again, this is another reason to
love Breeese Hall in the first round of drafts.
Speaker 1 (36:10):
How about that. That's thirty five minutes with a complete
novice and I'm throwing out my tinfoil hat stuff and
most of it's reasonably saying. I love that you're in
on Drake Lennon and Kyle Pitts because I think sometimes
we forget just how dire the passing offense was. I mean,
Arthur Smith turned around, Ryan Tannehill, he just waved a
(36:32):
white flag.
Speaker 2 (36:33):
Last year.
Speaker 1 (36:34):
He just gave up.
Speaker 2 (36:34):
He did. He did, he said, look, I've done enough,
or I've done all Like hands, Jesemond Rider, Marcus Marioti
are just not it, Like I don't know what else
to do with these guys.
Speaker 1 (36:43):
So well, Derek, this is a pleasure for me, Fantasy
pros for those who are unfamiliar, and if you play
fantasy football, you are familiar. You guys do such a
tremendous job. You're so prepared, you go a mile deep.
It's such a great service for your listeners. I mean,
your draft stuff's amazing. I mean, we have so much
respect for you guys, and you just over delivered on everything.
(37:04):
And I appreciate you tolerating my thirty five minutes of
novice questions.
Speaker 2 (37:08):
I love good football talk, Colin. This was fantastic, man.
And yes, all the things and stuff in Fantasy pros.
I think we have the best tools in the industry
and the best mock draft simulator, so people getting reps
over there reading the content. It's all the things, man,
So I love this. Thank you for having me. This
is a blast.
Speaker 1 (37:31):
The volume. Thanks so much for listening. If you've enjoyed
the podcast, take a moment, rate and review.
The volume. All Right, Derek Brown from Fantasy Pros is
going to join us. Now I've said this before, I
don't play a ton of fantasy, right, but he's a pro.
I'm gonna be the amateur, and I'm gonna ask him
I think pretty deep, pretty heady questions, and he'll put
(00:21):
me take me to school. So before we have Derek Brown,
a Fantasy Pros who are just so good at what
they do, I'll want you to go and download the
Game Time app ninety seconds code colin. That'll always get
your twenty dollars off your first purchase. Nobody gets you
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Major League Baseball. You don't have your mind made up
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twenty bucks off. Well, we felt very lucky. When we
were able to make Fantasy Pros part of the volume,
they have more than delivered for us, really sharp guys,
(01:29):
and we did some pre draft stuff and Derek debro
Brown is a senior analyst for Fantasy Pros and he
released his top one hundred and fifty Fantasy players earlier
this month. So I've said this before. My first job
out of college was Vegas, So I started gambling before
I played fantasy football, although I've always known years and
years ago, Derek, I was doing a live remote show
(01:50):
when I worked at ESPN in Austin, and it was
a real epiphany for me. I said, how do you
guys bet football?
Speaker 2 (01:58):
Like bet?
Speaker 1 (01:59):
And like four guys raised our hand and said how
many play fantasy? The whole room went up, And I'm like, Okay,
I know I'm not as popular. I know i'm in
my social group, but I can also admit it's a
huge business. When I first heard you guys about a
year and a half ago, we were like, that's the
(02:20):
guys to get. They really know what they're doing. And
so I'm going to ask you a couple of questions
to start this, and I'm going to be a complete
novice on this. I mean, I know fantasy, I get it.
But for me, we all know the top six to
eight to ten quarterbacks. Give me a quarterback for the
guy that bets or doesn't play fantasy the four of
(02:42):
us and the planet, but appreciate it that you would
think would be a top pick but doesn't in fantasy,
deliver and explain it to our audience in the simplest terms.
Speaker 2 (02:54):
Well, a guy that I've been high on since the
pre draft process, Colin and I think that he has
huge jump side this year is Jane Daniels and I've
talked about him since the NFL Draft, since prospect season,
and I think that he is going to crush this year.
And a lot of this, and we talked about it
in fantasy, is that the rushing equity that it plays
(03:14):
up so much in scoring and how that goes. But
there are other parts and pieces to love here. And
whether we're going to talk about Cliff Kingsbury and an
uppace offense and play volume, Yes, And for fantasy it's
always like it's always the moniker is always thrown out there,
a volume is king, but that goes back to play volume.
We need play volume to get targets to get pass attempts,
(03:35):
to get all these things that score fantasy points. And
I think Jane Daniels, not only is it the rushing,
but we're going to get the play volume. And people
vastly underrate him as a passer. I mean, the guy
was in the Heisman. I mean he won the Heisman
because he is not only a good rusher of the football,
but regardless of whatever metric you pull up, he was
also one of the best passers in the nation, and
(03:57):
I think that crosses over to the NFL well.
Speaker 1 (04:00):
I think he's a better passer at this stage in
his career than Lamar Jackson was. I don't think he's
quite as dynamic. But I watched them at Arizona State
as a true freshman because I knew her Edwards and
I was a PAC twelve guy, and he waged about
a buck sixty wet and I watched him and his
helmet looked like it might as well be I was
like a giant pumpkin on this little stick figure because
he was so skinny, and I'm watching him, I'm like,
(04:23):
this dude's like eighteen, and he's really really talented, and
then all of a sudden, he goes to LSU and
I remember saying on the air, you guys, he's with
their talent, like Arizona State had one running back. I liked,
I'm like, does everybody understand this? And there was a
lot of pushback, and I think now everybody goes, Wow,
he's a pretty special kid. He's also kind of a
(04:43):
workaholic and a film junkie, which goes a long way.
Is there you know in baseball there's the contract year guys, right, like, like,
that's a real thing in baseball, is guys on contract years.
We don't talk about it a lot in football because
the truth is, if you're not playing hard and focused
in football, you get hurt. There is no load management.
You play hurt. You play andrewd you play hard every night.
(05:05):
But are there situation situationally in fantasy, is there maybe
a quarterback this year that you look, it's a new coordinator,
it is a big year for him financially, it's a
bounce back here? Is there is there a quarterback to
you that you're like, you know what this is? This
is a little bit of a steal in fantasy if
things go right.
Speaker 2 (05:24):
I think there's a few guys that fit the mold
of being a Steel this year. And I think there's
a lot of ways that we could go with this column,
like whether it's guys that just got contracts or guys
that are trying to prove they deserve the money. And
the two guys that stand out to me that just
already got paid. But really we're we're talking about, Okay,
how have their NFL careers panned out to this point
and justifying the big money contracts they both just got.
(05:47):
And that's Jordan Love and and Trevor Lawrence, And it
really comes down to they both got paid and now
they have to justify these massive contracts. But I think
both of them are going to do that this season.
I mean, Jordan Love, we saw lastlast year he was
playing elite level football down the stretch and I think
that crosses over into this year, second year, being the starter,
getting more reps, still an elite level, well not elite level,
(06:11):
but really really good weapons around him. And we know
la Floor is in a scheme about But Trevor Lawrence,
I mean, with all the Urban Meyer stuff, and we
still haven't seen the best season out of him yet.
But last year QB thirteen and Fantasy points per game,
but QB seven and expected fantasy points per game. They've
done nothing but add weapons around him this year, Colin,
and I think we see the best season yet out
(06:33):
of Trevor Lawrence in twenty twenty four.
Speaker 1 (06:35):
How do I look at Justin Herbert? So they draft
a very clever, smaller receiver, but a speedy second round
guy out of Georgia, but they're not great on the perimeter. Clearly,
the Joel Alt pick and the running back acquisitions. This
is gonna be power football. I think Justin Herbert will
(06:56):
win more, but I'm not sure stats wise he's going
to be Like how would you judge him? Because I
see Harba's teams. I mean, Jim harbass fantasy is basically
Justin Herbert just throws on third and two and second
and four on play action and it's a power run game.
Speaker 2 (07:13):
He love.
Speaker 1 (07:14):
I mean, we just watched JJ McCarthy rarely throw infrequently
in big games. So how do you look from your
perspective at Justin Herbert this year?
Speaker 2 (07:24):
I've had to drop him in my rankings a little
bit common and like I kept the hope candle lit
for him this year only because we know that Herbert's
always I mean, going back to Oregon, He's a hyper
athletic quarterback. So like we haven't seen the rushing side
for him be unlocked in the NFL, although I think
that he could have that to his game. But I
bumped him down because now it's not only the passing
(07:46):
volume and he has to overcome that with efficiency this year.
Maybe he could do it, maybe he can't. But now
with the foot issue in the fast year, like now
I'm like, okay, well, if he's not going to run
for much, now I've got to drop him a little
bit further in my ranks. Like right now he's my
QB nineteen. I've got him living in the same neighborhood
or area code as Kirk Cousins, Matthew Stafford and the
(08:07):
new starter for the Vikings, And we just talked about
the Vikings a little bit, Sam Darnold. So yeah, I'm
much lower on Herbert than maybe consensus.
Speaker 1 (08:15):
You know, when I look at a player like Jalen Hurts,
he's had one great year and it was tied to
Shane Steichen, and I think to myself, now reports come
out that Nick Sirianni there was a bit of a
gap in communication between Sirianni, who I was always told
(08:36):
when he got the job was a bit over his head.
He wasn't quite ready to be a head coach, especially
in relentless Philadelphia. Over there's just pressure, you know, it's
like the loudest sports town in the country. And so
I look at Jalen Hurts and I'm like, I think
I like him, but there's injuries. He said, one great year,
I'm not sure the head coach is going to survive.
I don't in the world now. I know I think
(08:57):
he's a top ten quarterback, but where do you put
him on your list?
Speaker 2 (09:01):
Oh, this could be a good conversation for us because
he's actually my QB one this year and I think
wild I love him this year, and I know I
was wondering if we were going to bring him up
and talk about him, because I know I've heard you
in the airwaves and I know you got concerns about
the Eagles, and I think bringing Kellen Moore into this
this offense in this room is going to absolutely change
(09:24):
the complexion. I'm not saying that he's the same level
of designer. And it didn't go well for the Chargers,
but it did go well in Dallas as Shane Stykeen
because I think Shane is one of the best play
callers and play designers in the NFL.
Speaker 1 (09:36):
But he really is he is, and.
Speaker 2 (09:37):
That's that's another reason why I'm very high on Anthony
Richardson this year. But with Hurts, I think we get
a version of the Philadelphia Eagles offense because look, I'm
not going to come on here and disparage anybody, but
like Brian Johnson, it was a struggle all last year,
like they he was over he was, he was way
in over his head. I mean they ran what and
(09:58):
correct me if I'm wrong with this, but I I
feel like they ran a vanilla version of Stychean's offense
last year, and it was very much like you saw
the ebbs and flows, like whenever they were to able
to hit big plays go routes down the field, it
was very spotty and they would have two or three
big plays and then go into the cave for a while,
and then two or three big plays and that was it.
(10:18):
And I think this year we're gonna get Kella Moore infusion,
like more play action motion things that are sharp and
that people should be doing with play calling. But I
think that plus the play going back to play volume,
I think we get a high paced offense and for
the first time in Philly this year, we might get
an offense for not only does do the Eagles finish
(10:40):
top five or top ten in neutral pace, but what
could unlock the other level four Hurts because we haven't
seen passing volume out of this offense. We've seen lots
of plays, we've seen rushing, and everybody's worried about do
they run with Hurts at the goal line this year.
I'm kind of on the spot where I think his
rushing touchdown obviously come back some because he was historic
(11:03):
last year, but he compensates with a better passing offense
and they have the weapons to do it. So I
think it's wheels up for Jalen Hurts in the Philly
offense this year. Even if Siriani is maybe not the
best head coach, I think Kellen's gonna bring some of
the best elements out of this passing game too.
Speaker 1 (11:20):
One of the reasons I defended Jamiir Gibbs going to
Detroit because I still do believe you can draft kickers.
They can be the leading scorer on a team if
you like a kicker. Rams just drafted one out of
I think was it Stanford drafted kicker. I think you
can draft running backs in the first round. I thought
(11:40):
Beijon Robinson was under used considerably in Atlanta, so I
think he's really I thought he was Ladanion Tollinson too.
There was literally no hole leadership, no fumbles, hard runner,
can catch, block, just everything. Almost a flawless player. I
don't expect number one, but I you know Saquon Barkley,
he was a game breaker, Ezekiel Ellie. One of the
(12:01):
reasons I backed Jamir Gibbs is because the Lions O
line is so good. They feel like Dallas about seven
years ago, like there's no argument that's the best O line.
That was the way it was with Zach Martin, Tyron Smith, Frederick.
We were just like, okay, who's number two? It's Larry
Bird at the three point shooting contest. Who's shooting for second?
And I kind of feel like the Lions have separated
(12:22):
from other good lines, so you're virtually guaranteed excellent production
out of Jamiir Gibbs. And I look at him and
I think, I think Saquon Barkley will do this. There
are a lot of guys. I think Bijon, I'll get
more carries in Atlanta to me, Jamiir Gibbs with that
O line. I look at it and what it is
(12:45):
considered to be a really sharp offensive coordinator. Ben Johnson.
I look at him as a running back and I'm like,
that can't fail. Like where do you have him ranked.
Speaker 2 (12:54):
I've got him behind the big three that are going
in the first round to draft, so Bjehon Robinson's my
RB one, that McCaffrey Bresee Hall. But I've got Gibbs
at the top of my tier two at RB four,
and it's a little bit above consensus because most people
have Saquon and Jonathan Taylor there. But I'm with you, Colin, like,
I love Gibbs this year, and I think I think
(13:15):
people are kind of pushed off a little bit of
Gibbs in certain instances because it's a committee backfield, and
they look at it like, well, David Montgomery's still going
to get run this year, like he's not going away,
And I'm like, I know he's not going away. But
you look at what Gibbs did in his first season.
The efficiency was awesome. He was great, whether we're talking
about on a rushing aspect or in the passing game.
(13:38):
But what people fail to realize is in weeks ten
through eighteen, after Montgomery came back, well like, the red
zone usage was pretty similar as far as on a
per touch basis, Gibbs dominated the red zone snaps like,
he had almost sixty four percent of the red zone snaps.
So if the volume at that part of the field
(13:58):
comes like comes into play even more this year and
it's not David Montgomery running it in at the five
or the three or the ten, and it's Gibbs getting
rushing attempts, getting targets in that type of red zone area,
then I think Gibbs has an easy chance to be
a top three heck, maybe the RB one overall. And
I don't think it's insane, but it can happen.
Speaker 1 (14:19):
So I think Christian McCaffrey is the second best running
back of my life to Walter Payton. I think his
dexterity is a pass catcher puts him an inch above
Barry Sanders. But all three are just different. They they're
just different level players. And I think Adrian Peterson, although
he had a fumble issue, and I didn't trust him
catching the ball. May be more explosive than all of them,
(14:39):
outside of maybe Walter Payton. But I do worry about now,
back to back years, McCaffrey's up in the three hundred touches.
The last time that happened, he was hurt the following year.
He is when you I've seen him in person a
couple of times in the last year, and my wife
even remarks, he doesn't look like a football player, Like
it's amazing, Like he must have zero body fat. He's
(15:01):
so powerful. But I look at it and I think
to myself, Okay, Rock Purty, Trent Williams is not in camp.
They're gonna use McCaffrey heavy here. You're not gonna put
Brock Purty, who's an undersized quarterback with a backup left
tackle on an O line I don't love. Also, Trent
Williams is really the foundational piece up front for them. Like,
(15:24):
and I look at McCaffrey and I'm like, I'm not
saying a down year, but I could see, if not injury,
a fatigue factor. I know Trent Williams. Even if Trent
comes in, you know he's older, you know he's he
may not be rolling being Trent till October. Where are
you on McCaffrey today.
Speaker 2 (15:44):
Well, I'm glad we talked about him because it's I
don't want to say it's controversial, but the fact that
I don't have him as my RB one this year
is differing from consensus.
Speaker 1 (15:52):
And you love him.
Speaker 2 (15:53):
I do, And that's the biggest thing. I think. People
think I'm like a CMC hater, but I'm not. Like
to your point though, if you include the playoffs, Colin,
he rolled up four hundred and seventeen touches last season,
Like we we can't dismiss that. And he's not twenty five,
he's not twenty six years old anymore. And the volume
(16:14):
does eventually catch up even to the outliers that the
Barry Sanders of the world, the Derrick Henry's of the world, Like,
the volume will eventually catch up to you. And we
we're not that far away from I mean, come on, Colin, Like,
let's be kind of rewind here, Like, we're not that
far away from a few years ago. You brought it
up already, we had questions. Can Christian McCaffrey stay healthy
(16:34):
through a full season?
Speaker 1 (16:36):
No question?
Speaker 2 (16:36):
I agree with you, Like That's why I can't put
McCaffrey at RB one because of those concerns and that,
and I think it's full bejeon to the moon season
this year. I think he gets unleashed in Zach Robinson's offense.
I think we see him possibly pull a prime season.
Todd Gurley on US in twenty twenty four.
Speaker 1 (16:56):
I watched Puka Nakula at Washington, then I watched them
at BYU. I could not believe my eyes. I liked him,
but you know, he's a really nice college receiver. The
fact that he came in and in camp the reports were, oh,
Matt Stafford found his favorite toy, he got a new guy.
Speaker 2 (17:14):
Like it was.
Speaker 1 (17:14):
It started early in camp. And some of this is
McVeigh too, because Whittingham, the Texas receiver who they took
in the sixth round, is lighting up preseason. So some
of this is the magic of McVeigh. Do you expect
as we pivot to wide receivers? God, the Pooka year
was like, Okay, now, everybody's had an off season ago, Okay,
Cooper's not the number one guy all the time. It's
(17:36):
this guy. Do you expect similar numbers from him?
Speaker 2 (17:39):
I do and I love Pukah so much. I was
huge on him in the in the draft prospect process
last year, I just I had him. I want to say,
pre draft Colin, I had Puka as my wide receiver
five of the class, which was I'm not gonna say
it was a hot take, but people definitely weren't following
me on that. And then he goes out and he
does this, and I'm not going to say that I
(18:00):
saw that type of rookie year coming where he broke
numerous records and things like that. But the kid can
play ball. I mean, if you looked at per route
numbers in college and watched his film, it all says that.
And I think he takes another step forward right now.
He is at the top of my tier two. I
haven't at wide receiver wide receiver seven right now, and wow, yes,
(18:23):
so I'm projecting a huge year for Pooka Nakua. But
I mean, do we see this all the time, not
like we talk about investing and being high on second
year wide receivers. They get a year in the league
and watch them go and explode in year two. Then
why aren't we doing that with the guy that just
broke all the rookie records, like we should be immensely
(18:44):
high on him. And this is no shade against Cup,
but Cup is not the guy he was in his prime.
I think he still has a really good year. But
again talking about age and injuries kind of catching up
with players, I think Puka cements himself as the true
wide receiver one in Los Angeles this year.
Speaker 1 (19:01):
All right, another weapon question Travis Kelcey. So I'm going
to throw a little theory at you. So Kelsey last
year showed his age in the regular season. Then just
like a great legendary quarterback, he rises from the ashes
and has a terrific postseason. So now they go and
(19:21):
get Worthy. They want to ramp that up Andy Reid,
who's a great play designer. In September, you're going to
see Worthy a lot. They're trying to establish a number
one receiver, which they haven't had since Tyreek Kill left.
Also Rashi Rice, I'm not sure the current suspension, he'll
be back sometime early. They want to establish him after
a very turbulent offs field issue. So my take is
(19:44):
Kansas City, Brett Veach, Andy Reid, Mahomes. They're trying to
establish an identity at receiver. They also know that Travis Kelcey,
he's going to be great when it counts. I could
see Kelsey's numbers dipping as they tie to establish like
a peck let me. Let's be honest, Slasher, they didn't
have a one. There were weeks they didn't have a two.
(20:04):
So they are going to use the heck out of
worthy early. This is what Andy does in September. They're
going to try to re establish for Sea Rice. Is
it possible that at least early Travis not ignored but
is a secondary target because what they're trying to do
to elevate a young receiving corps.
Speaker 2 (20:25):
I think it's definitely possible. And even if he doesn't
fallow down and the target pecking order a little bit,
the other part is do they cut his snaps a
little bit? Because again, like we're talking about it and
everybody's talking about it, can Kansas City three peete And
if they're going to do that, Travis Kelsey has to
stay healthy. He has to be a big part of
what they do. But the question is do you roll
him out there for ninety ninety five percent of snaps
(20:48):
the entire season and if he gets banged up. We
saw what happened last year, so I'm with you. I mean,
he's not my tight end one this year in fantasy.
That distinction goes to Trade McBride. So I think that
we do see Kelsey put up good numbers, really good
numbers for where I have him ranked, but him being
the undisputed tight end one, just crushing everybody in his
(21:08):
path and stuff. And I'm not saying he's gonna have
a bad year, but I do think we could see
him take a small step back statistically in twenty twenty four.
Speaker 1 (21:18):
Now, obviously there is it's speculation to some degree on rookies,
but I do think this preseason Derek more than the
previous two. You know, McVeigh started that don't play any
good players in the preseason, and for a while it
was like a ra you know, Piede Piper, all the
young coaches are like, I'm not playing my starters. I
(21:40):
think this year we've seen a lot of snaps. I mean,
Caleb Williams playing an entire half, You're seeing starters playing.
Pittsburgh's trying to figure out five series for Russell Wilson.
I feel like I've gotten more meat in the sandwich
in my preseason I've seen the rookies. More, give me
a couple of rookies that you would be confident saying, man,
this situation is I mean, hell, last year Green Bay,
(22:04):
you know you got these a Luke Muskgrave, you got
some of these young receivers. You're like, Wow, by the
end of the year, is there a rookie or two
that you'd be confident get saying consider it. He's on
my radar.
Speaker 2 (22:16):
I think at the top of the class. I mean,
obviously I could a wax poetic about Marvin Harrison Junior.
He's going extremely high. Yes, love him this year and
everybody knows that. I think Elite Neighbors has shown a
ton in camp, and the big question I have is
can he overcome Daniel Jones and what the rest of
(22:36):
that offense?
Speaker 1 (22:37):
That's a big question. Is anybody in New York it is?
Speaker 2 (22:40):
I mean, Danny Dimes came it went out there in
almost three three picks in a preseason game, so we
all have to question it. Yeah, I think the talent
and the cream can rise to the top of Elite Neighbors.
But I think the big guy that I do want
to mention here, Colin is Roma Dounza, and we all
talked about him in the pre draft process. There was
a top three of the wide receivers and they were electric,
(23:00):
full level guys, and Rome is the guy where everybody's like,
I don't know what to do with him in the
Chicago passing offense because we do have Keenan Allen, we
do have DJ Moore there. But I'm old enough to
remember when Jamar Chase entered the league and he was
just that guy and they had Tyler Boyd and they
had T Higgins alongside him. I'm not going to discount
that rollm of dunes. They could possibly do that, and
(23:21):
if him and Caleb click soon, like in the early
parts of the season, he could be the guy. And
maybe not Keenan Allen playing in two wide receiver sets
because Shane Waldrim we know, likes to run a lot
of two tight end sets. That's going to be part
of it. Maybe some twenty one personnel as well. But
I think Rome can crack and be part of that
twelve personnel group and be playing in two wide So
(23:42):
I definitely want to be in on him, and you
talked about Worthy. I think he could have a fantastic
rookie season, I guess if I'm going to go down
a little bit further down the board and people are
worried about him because Zach Hurtz is there. But Ben
Sinnett is a player that I've loved throughout the entire process,
whether it was watching his film, the talent, the athleticism,
(24:03):
and people don't have any worries and they have no
concerns about Brock Bauers playing really well as a rookie
with the Raiders. Even though Michael Bayer is there and
he's younger, he's a better player at this part of
his career. And that's no shade to zach Ertz, but
it's a reality. I think we could be sleeping a
little bit too much on the ceiling and the involvement
of Ben Sennett both early and throughout the entire season.
(24:25):
Like Colin, if I were to tell you right now,
we closed our eyes and it's week thirteen and Ben
Sennett is running routes, he's the full time starter, zach
Ertz is playing on third downs or just when they
have twelve personnel. Does that scenario sound absolutely crazy?
Speaker 1 (24:40):
Yeah? No, I you know, it's funny about how situationally
things change. I'll give you an example. So Kyle Pitch
has been a disappointment. Yeah, Drake London's good, But when
you consider the gap between Desmond Ritter and Kirk Coussins, Okay,
my thing is, is it Kyle p or who's throwing
(25:01):
the ball? Is it Drake London or who's throwing the ball?
I look at Lanta, I look at Atlanta and I
think to myself, does everybody understand by getting Jude On
and the safety from the Broncos, this could be a
twelve win team. This is not a great division Carolina,
the Saints, I think, are the first team to fire
a coach and Dennis Allen. I look at Atlanta and
(25:23):
I think, I don't know if these are sleeper picks.
But Kyle Picks now has a nearly sixty eight percent
completion percentage veteran who By the way, Kirk is the
nicest guy in the world. He's had a chip on
his shoulder a mile long forever. All he does is produce.
What do you make of the Atlanta skill players? Bijon,
Kyle Pitt, Drake London now with a really, I mean,
(25:45):
let's be honest. Kirk Cousins is every bit Dak Prescott.
He just doesn't have a star on the helmet. Their
numbers are virtually the same.
Speaker 2 (25:52):
I'm with you. I've been touting this all off season.
I've loved Drake London since he came into the league,
and on a perp route basis, he's been amazing in
the league. It's just he's been hampered by bad quarterback play,
no passing volume Arthur Smith at times, and you could
say the same for B John and Kyle Pitts. I'm
sky high on this entire offense. Like B John's my
(26:13):
RB one this year, I've got Drake London right now
as a top ten wide receiver wide receiver nine. Wow, yes, wow.
I think we see the coming out party for Drake London.
I think he shows everybody the type of talent that
we've seen if you've watched any of his all twenty two,
if you've been out there like at Atlanta Falcons games, everybody,
the fans, they're all going to see it this year
(26:34):
because Drake London, he's an ascending talent. And I think
with the passing volume and Kirk Cousins was on his way,
Like I know, we make all of our jokes about
big time Kirk Cousins and he falls apart. But he
was having a stellar season last year before the Achilles
injury and stuff. I think that he plays extremely well.
And this boils down to Drake London Kyle Pitts again,
(26:56):
because we always hear these things until we don't hear
them until after the season is over, Colin, where guys
are more hurt, or maybe the recovery from injuries wasn't
as smooth, or maybe they were more hurt than we
were led to believe. And after the Falcon season concluded,
we found out obial Kyle Pitts was dealing with more
of the knee injury and he was slower throughout the
(27:16):
season and stuff. I think we see the best Kyle
Pitts season we've seen to date. And I know he's
got a thousand yard season on the resume, but I
think we see that plus touchdowns this year, so immensely
high on that entire offense.
Speaker 1 (27:34):
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Speaker 1 (29:24):
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(30:07):
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(30:30):
your life. This is a paid advertisement. Okay, So I'm
gonna throw up. First of all, I am a complete
novice at this, and that's why you are great here
because I'm asking you very rudimentary questions. I do a
bit called Sharper square. I'm the square, Chad Milman's the sharp.
(30:53):
So these questions you're probably as I ask these questions.
These are probably the most rudimentary questions. But I'm gonna
throw something out this to meet. Now, he's not a
dark horse, but here's how I look at DeVante Adams.
They'll be trailing in almost all games, so he's going
to get tons of looks. Gardner Minshew is basically Baker Mayfield.
(31:14):
If you look statistically collegeen pro he can play, so
he's going to get looks. They're going to be trailing
in games. Gardner Minshew has always been a little better
than anybody wants to acknowledge. He's basically Baker without the
bank roll. Also, I could see DeVante's been verbal when
(31:36):
he's unhappy. This team starts one to seven. I can
see Tom Telesco moving him to a contender and a
star quarterback because he has been very outspoken. And I
could see Tom Telesco sam, I'm the new GM. We
need a quarterback. There's a million receivers. Let's clean the books.
So I look at Devonte Adams and I think there's
(31:57):
so many elements. No team may trail than New England,
more than the Raiders. I mean you're in a division
with I mean bo Next looks great, Sean Payton, Andy Reid, Harbaugh,
clever offensive guys. And I think if it even goes sideways,
I think he'd be somebody that they would look at
and go, we can get a one and a three
for this guy, and the Raiders just completely rebuild next year.
(32:20):
What say you on that?
Speaker 2 (32:21):
I'm with you on the look. I'm ready to put
my ten full hat on right now. I'm ready to
do it because I'm with you. I think there's an
easy chance we danced around the name, but I think
there's an easy chance that maybe Davante's wearing white and
green by the end of the year. That would not
shock me at all. But the talent for Davante Adams,
(32:41):
I think it has not diminished. I think my only
worries with Davante and I wrote him up. He's in
our draft kit right now, that's live on Fantasy Pros
fantasypros dot com slash kit. And my only problem with
DeVante Adams because I think everything you mentioned as far
as the target volume is going to be there. His
skills have not diminished. If he gets traded, we're I mean,
(33:04):
we're talking about Devonte Adam's gonna be a top five
receiver again. My only worry about him and the hesitance
I have, is where he goes in drafts because Fantasy wise,
he was the wide receiver fifteen last year. He's being
drafted inside the top ten, so it's a little bit pricey.
But if he ends the season on the Jets, that price.
Speaker 1 (33:25):
Could pay all right, Yeah, Okay, speaking of the Jets,
let's end it with this and again, this is something
I'm just trying to not tinfoil had it. But Aaron's
forty office surgery, it's a rebuilt offensive line. Offensive lines
generally being rebuilt. Run blockings easier than pass blocking. They're
in a division and a conference with a lot of
(33:48):
good pass rushers, the AFC. Okay, I could see the
Jets being more run centric, with Breese Hall, Mike Williams
struggling to stay healthy, people rolling coverage over on Garrett Wilson,
Aaron not trusting his offensive line, being reluctant to hang
into the pocket. I mean, Brady remember when he got hurt.
(34:08):
He wasn't comfortable for two years. Anybody around his knees
that wasn't. So this is a more serious injury, and
also Aaron's older I could see this team throwing less.
If you look at the quarterbacks, Derek, that they play
in the first nine ten weeks, it is backups, it's career,
it's rookies, it's you don't have to win by shootouts.
(34:31):
With that Jets defense, there's gonna be a I mean
you start looking at it's Vikings, it's Denver, it's Tennessee.
I could see the Jets running a very very conservative offense,
letting their defense lead the way, and Aaron and Garrett's
numbers are not stupendous relative to their talent. What do
(34:56):
you say?
Speaker 2 (34:57):
I agree with you. I mean I was pulling up
the the regular season, like the early part of the schedule,
like they get the forty nine ers, Titans, Patriots, Broncos, Vikings.
Speaker 1 (35:06):
I mean, look at those quarterbacks.
Speaker 2 (35:08):
Yeah, I mean seriously, after the forty nine ers, what
are we talking about here? Like they should devour Will Levis.
We're gonna have either Jacoby Brissett probably under center, you
got a rookie and bo Nicks, you got Sam Darnold.
I mean again, yes, lots of positive game script, lots
of probably feeding Breefe. And I'm with you. I think
that their passing game numbers could disappoint in those early games.
(35:30):
Especially also if we and this goes back years even
to the Green Bay days where Nathaniel Hackett and Aaron
Rodgers run an incredibly slow, is molasses offense. They're always
near the bottom in play volume and passing rate. They
just are. So if they slow it down and just say, okay,
well we're gonna protect Aaron we again, we're playing a
(35:52):
full season. We want to be sniffing the playoffs. We
want to keep him upright because we know what it
looks like if he's not, so we just lean on
the defense. We lean on Breeese. I don't disagree with
you at all, but again, this is another reason to
love Breeese Hall in the first round of drafts.
Speaker 1 (36:10):
How about that. That's thirty five minutes with a complete
novice and I'm throwing out my tinfoil hat stuff and
most of it's reasonably saying. I love that you're in
on Drake Lennon and Kyle Pitts because I think sometimes
we forget just how dire the passing offense was. I mean,
Arthur Smith turned around, Ryan Tannehill, he just waved a
(36:32):
white flag.
Speaker 2 (36:33):
Last year.
Speaker 1 (36:34):
He just gave up.
Speaker 2 (36:34):
He did. He did, he said, look, I've done enough,
or I've done all Like hands, Jesemond Rider, Marcus Marioti
are just not it, Like I don't know what else
to do with these guys.
Speaker 1 (36:43):
So well, Derek, this is a pleasure for me, Fantasy
pros for those who are unfamiliar, and if you play
fantasy football, you are familiar. You guys do such a
tremendous job. You're so prepared, you go a mile deep.
It's such a great service for your listeners. I mean,
your draft stuff's amazing. I mean, we have so much
respect for you guys, and you just over delivered on everything.
(37:04):
And I appreciate you tolerating my thirty five minutes of
novice questions.
Speaker 2 (37:08):
I love good football talk, Colin. This was fantastic, man.
And yes, all the things and stuff in Fantasy pros.
I think we have the best tools in the industry
and the best mock draft simulator, so people getting reps
over there reading the content. It's all the things, man,
So I love this. Thank you for having me. This
is a blast.
Speaker 1 (37:31):
The volume. Thanks so much for listening. If you've enjoyed
the podcast, take a moment, rate and review.
Host
Colin Cowherd
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