April 19, 2023 • 41 mins
Marcas Grant and Michael F. Florio are back for another edition of the NFL Fantasy Football Podcast! The draft is quickly approaching and the guys are here to educate you on what rookies will be the ones to look for next year and what teams may be the best fit for them. This week, the guys are breaking down the wants and needs for the teams in the AFC/NFC South. Could the Texans skip on drafting a QB? Could the Colts trade for Lamar Jackson? We answer these questions and more!
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Wow, everybody, it is Wednesday, a four, nineteenth, twenty twenty three.
Welcome to the NFL Fantasy Football Podcast, where we also
haven't made a decision on the number one pick to
be your man, MG, Marcus Grant and mostly whole again
(00:22):
this week. Thanks to Florio for sitting in and holding
it down last week while I was trying to play hurt.
And we're in studio, which means we got specialist today,
so give yourselves riding with class. Yeah, man, thank you
for you know, pitching, pitch in, filling in, pinch hitting,
all that stuff when I didn't really have much of
a voice the last week. Appreciate it, of course.
Speaker 2 (00:43):
I'm just thankful that your voice is back, because driving
the show is a lot harder, and you make it
look insanely easy.
Speaker 3 (00:50):
So I'm happy we're back to our normal roles today,
you know what, I'm glad to be back. It's nice
to be able to have a voice and not sound like,
you know, a puberty addle team. We also love cigars
or something like that.
Speaker 1 (01:03):
So we are continuing our look around the NFL divisions,
trying to figure out some draft wants and needs. Today
we are head in South the AFC South and the
NFC South. So let's just dive right into it first
with the AFC South. As always, we are going in
alphabetical order with these, so we will start with Houston Texans.
(01:24):
They've got twelve total picks two in the first round.
They've got number two overall, and they have number twelve
which they got via the Cleveland Browns. Their team needs this,
according to Eric ed Holme, which you can find on
NFL dot com, a quarterback, a wide receiver, and an
edge rusher. And looking at some of the mock drafts
in the first round, Daniel Jeremiah has been taking CJ. Stroud,
(01:48):
the Ohio State quarterback at number two and going with
Miles Murphy the Claimson edge rusher at twelve. For Bucky Brooks,
he's got going Bryce Young at number two, which I
guess means that he's got CJ. Stroud going number one,
and then Jackson Smith and Jigba of the wide receiver
from Ohio State at twelve, so creating their own little
(02:08):
stack with a quarterback and wide receiver and Lance zer
Lines got them going Tyree Wilson at number two, the
edge rusher from Texas Tech, and then has them trading
up with the Raiders at number seven and taking quarterback
Will Levice. So I was looking at their roster and
looking at some of the guys they have there, and look,
(02:29):
nobody's predicting that the Texans are suddenly going to be
a you know, a super Bowl contender regardless of what
happens this year. But with some of the pieces they
have there, some of the moves they've made, if they
get a new quarterback, could they have some fantasy sleeper
appeal on that roster this year?
Speaker 2 (02:46):
I very much so think so. And I did my
own personal mock for fun, and I had it going
the way that Bucky does with Bryce Young at two
and then Jackson Smith and Geeba at twelve. But even
if Bryce Young, who's getting more hype, goes one overall,
take Stroud and JSN and recreate what they were in college.
I think more and more teams are doing that, pairing
(03:10):
their college receivers with the college quarterback. And I think
it's a really smart direction to go in. But this Texans' offense,
I think has a little bit more firepower than we
not us. But then a lot of people may realize,
like Dalton Schultz, is their tight end. He could be
a top a tight end one for fantasy. I think
Robert Wood's best days are behind him, but Nico Collins
(03:31):
is someone who has flashed a little bit. John Metchi
was their second round pick who didn't get to play
at all last year because of medical reasons. Noah Brown
had a little bit of hype. But I still think
they need their wide receiver one. So get that guy
at twelve, pair him with a young quarterback, and then
I haven't even talked about the running backs who obviously
Damian Pierce is someone that is fantasy relevant. So I
think they're Look, they're not gonna blow anyone away. They're
(03:53):
not gonna be one of the top offenses in football,
but they can be a lot better than what they
were the last couple of seasons.
Speaker 1 (03:58):
That's my thing. Actually, when you're looking at sort of
the draft price for a lot of these guys, you're
not going to have to pay a premium when you're
drafting any Houston Texans, right I mean Pierce right now,
maybe the guy that comes off the board first out
of all these guys. But you know they got Devin
Singletary who they added in free agency. I do think
they're going to get a wide receiver, maybe not necessarily
(04:20):
in Day one. Maybe they do. Maybe they go and
get JSN somewhere in Day one, But I do think
before the draft is over, they're going to draft one
of these wide receivers to pair with Nico Collins. You
mentioned Dalton Schultz. There are some pieces there that I
think at the right ADP could be kind of interesting.
And the missing piece at the moment is the quarterback.
(04:40):
I mean, as we sit here and talk right now
on April nineteenth, it is Davis Mills, but I don't
think anybody really believes it is going to be Davis
Mills by the time we get to Week one. So
you know, they've got some talent, They've got some young
pieces there. I think this is a team that we're
going to be sort of talking about in the mid
to late rounds fantasy drafts as a shot that could
(05:02):
have a shot to be kind of a interesting contributors
to your fantasy roster this year.
Speaker 2 (05:07):
And even if it doesn't like this year, they'll they'll
take a step forward. But I think then if you
put one of the top quarterbacks on this offense, we're
talking about maybe in a couple of years, So a
dynasty perspective, this could be an offense that like is
fantasy friendly if Young or Stroud or whoever they take
ends up developing into what we think they can be.
Speaker 1 (05:26):
Yeah, I think there's some reasons to be interested. I
won't say excited, but at least interested in what the
Houston Texans could offer in twenty twenty three. That gets
us to the Indianapolis Colts nine total picks, one in
round one. That is the number four overall. Their needs
already quarterback, which it's pretty much been their need ever
since Andrew Luck retired, a cornerback and offensive line. In
(05:50):
the first round, Daniel Jeremiah's got them taking Anthony Richardson
from Florida, So you got Richardson going off at number
four right now. Bucky has them taking an edge rusher
Tyree Wilson from Texas Tech, and Lance who I know
Lance's mox because he is not afraid to throw some
trades in there and have people move around. He actually
has the Colts trading that number four pick to Baltimore,
(06:12):
along with obviously some other assets to get Lamar Jackson,
and then the Ravens take CJ. Stroud at number four,
which that's a little bit interesting to talk about it.
I mean, I don't know how much we want to
get into the CJ. Stroud in Baltimore, but that potentially
interesting there too.
Speaker 2 (06:27):
Maybe I've been of the mindset that I think the
Colts are gonna have to be aggressive if they want
to get a quarterback here, because I don't know if
Anthony Richardson falls to four, because let's say Young and
Stroud go one and two in any order. Richardson is
by far the best quarterback still on the board, I
would say, and the Cardinals are sitting there like, hey,
we know the team at four wants a quarterback, so
(06:49):
if you want a quarterback, you have to trade with
us right now to get him. I think the Colts
would have to be the team that are like, I
know we're bidding against their self kind of, but we
want to ensure we get that quarterback. Which is why
I continue to think the way that Lance is thinking, like,
if you're gonna have to make a move to ensure
you get that quarterback, why not get a twenty six
year old former MVP who you could build around. And
(07:09):
it's gonna cost you probably similar to what it would
cost to move up to get to the third pick.
I'd much rather have Lamar than Anthony rich and I
love Anthony Richardson.
Speaker 1 (07:18):
That's the thing. If you are going to have to
move up, right, you're probably going to have to give
up a couple of number one picks, certainly this year,
maybe one down the line. That's the same thing you
have to give up to Lamar Jackson. And you already
know what he is and what he can be, as
opposed to sort of hoping, you know, it's a mystery
box theory like this could be anything, even Lamar Jackson,
like at some point, you know, I don't know if
(07:40):
it happens or not. But let's just let's just take
this as the Colts. They go out, they stay at
number four, they draft a quarterback, whether it's Richardson, whether
it's somebody else. Maybe they take Well Levis, who knows.
You know, they they put some decent places pieces in
that wide receiver. They've got Michael Pittman. You know, they
need to rebuild that offensive line from where it was
when Andrew luck was there. If they do add a quarterback,
(08:06):
does this mean we still have the same level of
faith in Jonathan Taylor to be a workhorse in that offense.
Speaker 2 (08:11):
Yes, I think as long as it's either Lamar or
one of the top three quarterbacks, Like if it's Will Levis,
I'm gonna be souring on Jonathan Taylor. But I think
like the first two and young Oestraudle, there'll be an
upgrade on what the Colts had last year, which will
help create for Jonathan Taylor. And I think if they
have Anthony Richardson, that's just gonna create run options for
(08:33):
days and running lanes. Like we know the running back's
best friend is a rushing quarterback because it just makes
it so hard to defend both of them. But my
takeaway on Jonathan Taylor is like I think next year
is gonna be a better year from him, no matter
who's the quarterback, because he was plagued by injury last season,
miss time with the high ankle sprain and then another
(08:55):
lower leg injury. I believe it was the offensive line
just crumble and we thought this was gonna be one
of the better units and it crumbled. JT. I think
last year he was a victim of like everything around
him going wrong, where I don't envision it'll be that
way again this year, So I'm kind of back in
on Jonathan Taylor, although I thought we would get a
(09:15):
discount on him. Like last year when we were at
the end of the season, when we were like putting
up poles and stuff, who's the top five running back?
Like Jonathan Taylor wasn't getting any love. But now in
Best Ball drafts, he's going as a top four running
back again, So like you're still you're not paying that
number one overall pick price, but you're still paying close
to full price for him.
Speaker 1 (09:34):
Yeah. I mean, I think people just sort of look
at the talent profile and realize that Jonathan Taylor is
too good to fall down very very far in that
as long as he's healthy, he's still going to get
a ton of touches. You know, last year only played
eleven games because of injury, but you know, still had
two hundred and twenty touches, which means he was over
twenty touches per game. Still gave you over a thousand
scrimmage yards. The touchdown numbers were a little bit down,
(09:56):
but I think people expecting that if he stays healthy,
his talent's good enough that he's going to continue to
be one of the top backs in the game, and
he's also one of the few guys that doesn't have
a lot of competition behind him in terms of touches.
So yeah, sort of something to kind of keep in
mind with him there. I mean, the Colts they have
to get a quarterback, right, like they have to get
(10:16):
a quarterback.
Speaker 2 (10:17):
I mean, I know where the internet loves Gardner Minshew,
but like, yeah, he he And my favorite thing too,
is the whole narrative of like, if they draft Anthony Richardson,
Gardner Minshew's the quarterback this year anyway. It's like Emery
Hunt said it the best. He's like, what can Anthony
Richardson learn from Gardner Minshew when he's already more talented
than him?
Speaker 1 (10:37):
Right, I mean, I just I can't imagine if you're
the Colts, if you're the front office, if you're Colts fans,
you want to go through another journeyman quarterback for a year, right,
because since you've lost Andrew Luck, You've had Jacobe Brissett,
You've had Philip Rivers, you had Carson Wentz which went horribly,
you had Matt Ryan, which ended horribly. I just can't
imagine you're gonna want to deal with. Gardner Minshew is
(11:01):
another journeyman quarterback for a year, even if Anthony Richardson
isn't you know the guy put him in there, like,
let's see, let's give him a couple of years to
develop and see what he can be rather than this
this revolving door at the whole potation, you.
Speaker 2 (11:15):
Gotta learn and sit and learn for a year. We
always point to the examples where that works, like Patrick
Mahomes and Aaron Rodgers, and maybe there's like one I'm forgetting.
But for the most part, these rookies who aren't good
enough to start right away, they like like, they don't
usually end up. It doesn't always work out if they
sit their whole first season. To me, it's like either
(11:37):
you were a team that had a proven quarterback and
you were in win now mode, but the Colts aren't
in that, so like it would be a lot like
what are the Colts with Gardner Minshew? Maybe they get
a wild card berth and they get bounced in the
first round, Like why not just use that full season
to give your quarterback time to develop.
Speaker 1 (11:52):
I also think when you talk about those examples, let's
look at the guys that were ahead of those guys, yes, right,
I mean with Aaron Rodgers, you had a Hall of
Famer and Brett Favre in front of him. Even with
Patrick Mahomes, you had Alex Smith, who at that time
really was in a career resurgence and playing some of
the best football of his career. So it wasn't like
it wasn't like Mahomes was sitting behind some kind of
(12:14):
washed up journeyman guy. He was sitting behind a player
who really was playing some good football. So you know,
you know, I think you sort of take those with
a grain assault as opposed to having Anthony Richardson sit
behind Gardner Minshew, I feel like that's a very very
different scenario. I mean, I'm looking at I'm looking at
it right now. Right for Alex with his last year
(12:35):
as a starter in Kansas City twenty seventeen, He's had
a career high in passing yards that year, he won
over four thousand passing yards, had a career high in
passing touchdowns. So he was playing some really good football. Now,
minds you, it could be that the guy that was
sitting behind him, maybe, you know, when it's all said
and done, own a ton of records but it wasn't
like Mahomes was sitting behind a guy who was a bum.
Speaker 2 (12:57):
The thing is, the Chiefs have won the AFC West
the last seven years. Mahomes has only been a starter
for five and the two years that he wasn't they
went twelve and four and ten and six.
Speaker 1 (13:08):
Rox Smith at quarterback.
Speaker 2 (13:09):
Yeah, like like they're it wasn't like like you said.
It wasn't like the Colts aren't gonna be winning their
division and winning twelve games with Gardner Minshew, that's just
not gonna have.
Speaker 1 (13:18):
Just not gonna happen. Uh. The team that could win
the division though, I know the the odds on favorite
right now, the Jacksonville Jaguars nine total picks one of
the first round. They're picking at twenty four, and I
you know, I should have done my research. I don't
know when's the last time the Jags have picked this
late into the first round. It had to have been
a while.
Speaker 2 (13:38):
It's probably, uh the year with Blake Bortles where they
they went to like the ASEN Championship game. That probably
is it, right, might that might be.
Speaker 1 (13:47):
The last time they've picked this deal which.
Speaker 2 (13:49):
Doesn't feel like that long ago, but was like eight
years ago at this point it was.
Speaker 1 (13:54):
Uh so in the first round, they're late their needs.
They need a corner, an offensive tackle, they need a
defensive end. Now, all in all the mocks, at least
the the major box on NFL dot Com, they are
slated to go defensive. They DJ hasn't taken Deontay Banks
corner from Maryland, Bucky has him taken, Brian Branch the
(14:14):
safety from Alabama, and Lance has them going Joey Porter Junior,
the corner from Penn State. So obviously the idea is
that they want to focus on the defensive side of
the ball. Makes a lot of sense. And so that
leads me to the question, do the Jaguars possibly have
too many weapons on offense for our liking? Not in
real football, but in fantasy football.
Speaker 2 (14:35):
It is definitely a possibility that that ends up being
the case. Like I think it could go one of
two ways, where it's like the targets are extremely funneled
through like Calvin Ridley and Christian Kirk, and then Evan
Ingram is enough to be like a borderline tight end
that you could start in fantasy and Jay Jones is
more like an afterthought. Or it could just be like
(14:57):
they spread the ball like crazy and week to week
it's a guessing game. But either way, it makes me
want to draft Trevor Lawrence for fantasy. The weapons I
don't know about, Like I know you have to pay
the highest price to get him, but like Calvin Ridley
is the one that I feel best about because of
how explosive he is that even unlimited volume, I think
he'd be able to put up numbers in this offense.
(15:17):
The others like Jay Jones, Like I know, for much
of his career he's just been Jay Jones, but like
last year, Zay Jones was really good, especially down the stretch,
Like I was starting him in championship week in multiple
leagues last year. So it's certainly the possibility that that
is the case. But again it just if that is
the case, you still want to draft Trevor Lawrence.
Speaker 1 (15:37):
Yeah. By the way, I went and looked. The last
time the Jaguars are this deep in the draft twenty eighteen,
they picked Tavian Bryan at twenty ninth and that was
coming off that AFC championship year. They beat the Bills
in the wild Card, they beat the Steelers in the
Divisional and then they lose that heartbreaker to the Patriots
in the championship year.
Speaker 2 (15:59):
That's Steelers Jack's game. As look, I remember the Bills
went very vividly. It was a terrible game.
Speaker 1 (16:05):
Ten to three was thea it was.
Speaker 2 (16:07):
It was bad, but that Steelers game was so much
because there was like ab and young Juju were balling
out that game. It was a fun one.
Speaker 1 (16:14):
Yeah. So yeah, twenty eighteen, so it's been a while.
It has been a little while since the Jags have
gone this deep in a draft. I'm with you, though,
I think I think, you know, look, we're going to
be in on Calvin Ridley. I think everybody else really
gets knocked down. I think a couple of a couple
of rounds, just because there are so many options, so
many places to go with the football. But you're right,
(16:38):
this does help Trevor Lawrence a ton in terms of
his fantasy value. It's not that we won't be drafting Jaguars.
I think all these guys can be productive, but I
don't think we're gonna draft them. Uh maybe at a
level that we would have certainly last year or not,
you know, had had Calvin Ridley not reappeared on the scene.
I think that that changes the calculus dramatically, and so
(17:00):
I think, you know, we will sort of temper our
expectations when it comes to Jaguars when we're looking at
fantasy drafts. Last team in the AFC south of Tennessee
Titans six total picks one of the first round. They
are at number eleven. They need an offensive lineman, they
need a wide receiver, and they need a defensive back.
(17:21):
In the first round, two of the three big ones
have them taking Jackson Smith and Jigba. That is the
Daniel Jeremiah and Lance Zerline have them going JSN. Bucky
has them taking a guy from Ohio State, but it
is not a wide receiver. It's the offensive tackle. Paris
Johnson Junior thinking about JSN knowing they need a wide
(17:42):
receiver because right now it's the Traylon Burke Show and
there's really nobody else that you can count on. If
he goes, if Smith and Jigba goes to Tennessee, how
draftable is he knowing that the quarterback situation is not
great at the moment.
Speaker 2 (18:00):
It would take a lot of shine off of him.
Like I know myself and many others have him as
their number one in this class, and I'm very excited
for what he can be. And he is such a
polished route runner that I think he's one of the
players that can come in and immediately from day one
be useful in fantasy. And I guess on the Titans
he would have volume going for him and that.
Speaker 1 (18:20):
Would be it.
Speaker 2 (18:21):
Like the Titans might be the worst roster in football.
They certainly on the offensive side of the ball, especially
because there's still rumors like Derek Henry's in the last
year of his contract. Do they want to potentially move
on from him? Can they get some value for him
if they were to trade him like this? This is
a black hole of an offense right now for fantasy.
(18:42):
As of right now, my strategy with the Titans is
just punt and not take anyone because I'm of the
mindset that if they get off to a slow start,
maybe they bring in Milik Willis. And as much as
I love the tools of Milik Willis, he showed last
year that he was he was anything but an NFL
quarterback and unless he progressed a whole lot this this
(19:05):
has the potential to be the league's worst offense. I
would say if things go a certain ways, so I
would not like jays n and Tennessee.
Speaker 1 (19:14):
So I'm looking at the offensive pieces right and like,
as of the moment, Derek Henry is still there. He
would be the focal point of this offense. The other
running backs on the roster Julius Chestnut, Hassan Haskins, and
Jonathan Ward. Haskins and Ward combined for thirty carries for
let me do the math, one hundred and eighteen yards
(19:37):
throwing Julius Chestnut, who had another nine, Who're gonna thirty nine?
We're gonna thirty nine carries for another twelve yards? I
mean thirty nine carries for twelve nine carries. Oh oh,
I was gonna say, why.
Speaker 2 (19:48):
Did they keep giving him the miserable?
Speaker 1 (19:51):
But basically, when you look at Haskins, Ward and Chestnut,
they combined for what's basically an average Derrick Henry game.
I mean, that's really what what you got out of him.
And then you look at the wide receivers and again
you know, Traylon Burks is the guy who's probably going
to lead them in targets as at the moment. The
rest of their wide receivers Mason Kinsey, Racy McMath I mean,
(20:14):
it's not me when somebody you know gets you excited.
Kyle Phillips, Reggie Roberson, Nick Westbrookertine, I mean, I guess
he's the next.
Speaker 2 (20:22):
Kyle Phillips was one that I know fans were talking
about last year, like he was one of those guys
who would give you like thirty yards but like his
catch would be really impressive and he'd be like this
guy can play. But my thinking right now because I
do like Chigoquo at tight end, and he's the one
Titan I would draft right now because you could get
him as like a tight end two and then you're like, Okay,
(20:43):
there's some upside he's a tight end. But besides that,
like their offense right now has to be just like
short passes to Berks to a Conquo and let Derek
Henry do his thing.
Speaker 1 (20:53):
So there are also rumors that the Titans could be
in the market for a quarterback, maybe drafting somebody. You know.
Ryan Tannehill is nearing the end of his career. His
time is getting short there in Tennessee. You mentioned Blik
Willis last year did not look ready to step in
and be a full time starter. I mean they were
running Josh Dobbs out there at some point, just to
(21:13):
kind of get some stability. Are you believing that Tennessee
could possibly make a move at quarterback in this offseason.
Speaker 2 (21:22):
I think they could if say like Lewis or Richardson
fell to them. I don't think they're gonna give up
draft capital to move up because I really think they
have their eyes on Caleb Williams Prize or the May
Prize maybe, But like, I think this is a team
that knows, hey, this is not our year. We could
potentially go out it next season again. But I think
(21:43):
that this is Ryan Tannehill's Matt Ryan season. Like at
thirty five years old, it's his final year in his contract.
I don't know if he survives the season with the team.
I think this is his last full year with the Titans.
But I could see them just being like cause they
cut a ton of people and didn't bring in whole bunch.
To me, it really feels like they're hitting reset and
they're keeping their eyes on next year.
Speaker 1 (22:05):
I know Peter Schrager in one of his mocks, had
the Titans taking Hindon Hooker so he would stay in
stay going from the University of Tennessee to the Tennessee Titans.
It feels like Cooker at eleven though, is really early.
Speaker 2 (22:20):
They'd have to I continue to think that a team
like I think the Commanders are one the Titans certainly
makes sense, like a team that maybe has some capital
could trade back to like twenty eight, twenty nine, something
in that range and take Hooker for that fifth year option.
But at eleven, you're leaving a ton of value on
the board.
Speaker 1 (22:38):
Yeah, it just it just doesn't make sense at eleven.
But I, you know, I wouldn't be surprised if maybe,
you know, matter, maybe they trade back. You can pick
up some more picks somewhere along the way, and then
I could see them taking hindon Hooker. I just don't
I don't see that happening at eleven. But man, this
offense it's bleak, bleak right now. So we'll see what happens.
(22:59):
I will say this, if JSN lands there and they
don't do anything at quarterback, yeah, really gonna be disappointing.
Speaker 2 (23:07):
And to just show everyone how short life spans are
in the NFL, this was the number one seed in
the AFC two seasons ago.
Speaker 1 (23:15):
Yeah, life fast, It happens that way, what else is
coming out? As fast a quick break, We'll come back
and talk about the NFC South, go through the four
teams in that division and give us and give you
our draft once and needs for those teams. Let's coming
up next here on the NFL Fantasy Football Podcast, diving
(23:39):
into the NFC South. We'll start with the Atlanta Falcons.
Seven total picks, one in the first round, that is
number eight overall. Their needs are an edge rusher, a cornerback,
and a wide receiver. Personally, I would throw quarterback into
that mix, but you know, let's given Gus been rid
of his opportunity to make something happen here. The first
(24:00):
Mox Daniel Jeremiah and Lance Zerline both have the Falcons
going with Christian Gonzales the cornerback from Oregon. Bucky has
been taking an edge rusher Lucas van Ness from Iowa.
And I looked at the Falcons as a whole, and
you know, everybody who listens to the show knows how
(24:21):
we feel about Kyle Pitts and or Drake London. You know,
they were able to put together a decent running game
simply because that was what they love to do. And
tried to do and I mentioned the quarterback, it was like, yeah, whatever,
But as you look at the falcons right now, I mean,
how do you feel about this offense for fantasy is
currently constructed.
Speaker 2 (24:39):
I probably like it more than I should like because
it's all relative to costs. Like I thought that Tyler
Ralseiar would be going much earlier than he is. He's
in early ADP. I believe he's not even a top
twenty four running back. So if you're getting him as
an RB three, I love that, or maybe you're waiting
(25:00):
grabbing him as an RB two. Drake London is going,
I think like at an appropriate price. He's not a
top twenty receiver, but after that, I think he has
the upside where you want to take him there. Kyle
Pitts is going as like I believe the fifth or
sixth tight end off the board, which I'm like, yeah,
you're paying more than the floor is, but you're not
paying as high as the ceiling is. And then Desmond
Ritter is like the thirtieth quarterback off the board I
(25:22):
think in Underdog ADP right now or something like that.
So at cost, I think they're all fine as a
whole offense I still don't like that Arthur Smith is
running the show here because I'm very scared that he's
gonna make it look a lot like what it looked
like last year, which was just running the ball, playing
really playing ugly football and trying to squeak out wins.
(25:44):
But I do think there's a lot of talent here.
This is a team that we both have said plenty
of times like they should be knocking on the door,
kicking the door down if they have a chance at
lamar because I think there's a lot of skill on
this offense, a lot of talent.
Speaker 1 (25:59):
I think there's a lot of time. I mean, Tyler
al Jeers showed last year that he can be a
productive running back. You know, we have talked ad nauseum.
I'm sure people are sick of us talking about how
much we still love Kyle Pitts and Drake London. I mean,
you know, I know Dwayne McFarlane who does a lot
of great analytics work, sort of with breaking some of
these guys down into tears the second year wide receivers,
(26:20):
and you know he said that he in his research
really has Drake London just slightly behind guys like Garrett
Wilson and Chris Olave and you know, there's no doubt
that people love those two guys, and for London to
be kind of knocking on the door with them says
a lot about what his potential is. He just needs
to be in an offense that's going to actually feature
(26:41):
him and utilize his skills. So hopefully that happens. I mean,
I like what they have to offer, and I do
think it's just an issue of will they have a
head coach or a play caller that is able to
maximize what their abilities are. Otherwise it's going to be
another year of us being frustrated, in another year of
(27:01):
the general public looking at us and being like, why
are you guys harping on this? Kyle Pitts, Dude, I
don't understand it, but I'm sort of with you. I
like the pieces. I think that the pieces individually though
right now, are greater than the sum of their parts,
just because they haven't figured out how to use these
guys this year or last year.
Speaker 2 (27:20):
And just on the Kyle pittsting real quick, like sixty
percent of his targets last year were deemed uncatchable. I've
said it on the show before, but like he could
have been Jerry Rice and sixty percent of his targets
would have been uncatchable, like he when he got hurt.
He had fourteen targets to twenty plus air yards. No
other tight end had double digits. He had one catch
on those. Because Marcus Mariota was the worst outside of
(27:43):
Zach Wilson, the worst court Like, I don't even think
he should be a backup quarterback. He played that poorly
last year, So I don't think Desmond Riddard could be
any worse.
Speaker 1 (27:51):
I hope not. I guess. The other thing to contend
with is that John Whu Smith is now there too,
and yeah, I'm curious how the two of them are
going to be able to coexist. You know, this is
the time of year where rumors run wild on social media,
and I don't know if it was a mock or
just chatter, but somebody mentioned the idea of Bijon Robinson
going to Atlanta, and that would be great for Bijon
(28:15):
because he would probably get three hundred carries. It would
be bad news for the pass catchers because Arthur Smith
would never.
Speaker 2 (28:21):
Throw the football. No, yeah, he would not at all.
And the thing that you said about Drake London like
being that close, like I had him last year was
my number one. Whatt Wilson outperformed Crystal Lovey outperformed him.
But I still think Drake London is could be very.
Speaker 1 (28:37):
Very good. He was going to be my He was
my top rookie wide receiver going into last year and
just circumstances sort of didn't work out. But I still
believe him. That's that's fine. The Carolina Panthers next up,
maybe know they've got six total picks, so we know
they have the number one overall pick, which came uh
(28:58):
via the Chicago Bears in a trade. They need a quarterback.
Most surprise, they need an edge rusher and a wide receiver.
All three guys, Daniel Jeremiah, Bucky Brooks, Lance Zerline have
them taking a quarterback for DJ and Lance. It's Bryce
Young for Bucky at a CJ. Stroud. Simple question with
(29:19):
what the Panthers have if they draft a quarterback. When
they draft a quarterback, is that player draftable in twenty
twenty three.
Speaker 2 (29:27):
Redraft leagues as a backup and like a lower end backup,
I would say, like not cracking the top twelve, I
wouldn't even say top fifteen, but after that, I think
there's upside in the unknown, especially because while neither one
of them, Young or Stroud ran a whole bunch in college,
they have the capability of doing so. We've seen each
(29:50):
of them do it when they have to, so I
think as a backup because again just the unknown upside,
But I would also like to see them as I
think they did a good job of like adding reliable
pieces around them, but they don't have like a true
difference making weapon. I would say.
Speaker 1 (30:08):
That's sort of the thing, right, they don't have that big,
big time playmaking weapon. I think. I think you're gonna
see him whoever this is, whether it's Young or Stroud
or you know, if there's a wild card Anthony Richardson,
that player is going to get a lot of love
in Dynasty rookie mocks. I don't think they're gonna get
as much love when it comes to re draft leagues, because,
as you mentioned, this is an offense that they've kind
(30:31):
of put together a collection of pieces, right. It's it's
it's not quite the end of the month fridge where
you're trying to make a meal out of whatever you
have left. It's a little bit better than that, but
not by a lot, right. I mean you're looking at
you know, right now you're top wide receiver. After you
know you do go and if you add Adam Thielen,
(30:51):
right now you add DJ Chark. I mean they're not
bad pieces, but they're not you know, eye popping, eye
catching pieces right tight end. You're looking at with yet
Aiden hayden Hurst in free agency, you go out and
you you pick up a Miles Sanders in free agency.
So it's they're average, maybe slightly above average, but not enough.
(31:12):
I think to elevate a quarterback, a rookie quarterback making
his debut, who do you think will go number one? Young,
Stroud or someone else. I think it's gonna be Stroud.
I know that the I know the the consensus has
sort of shifted toward Bryce Young a little bit, but
I don't know I have seriously, I think Bryce Young
should be the number one pick. I think CJ. Stroud
(31:34):
will be the number one pick.
Speaker 2 (31:35):
I agree with you, and I think a lot of
the whole then, I don't know why teams at number
one feel like they need to put out smoke screens.
No one can control what you do, right, like you're
the ones that are in the driver's seat. But teams
still always like to throw out these smoke screens and
make it seem like, oh, we still haven't decided. No,
you guys have known for a while. I feel like, like,
(31:55):
I don't think you make that move for number one
if you have no idea who you're gonna take. And
right after they made that move, the way that they
their brass was with CJ. Stroud was, I was like, yeah,
he's the guy. But maybe I'm wrong.
Speaker 1 (32:07):
I think. I mean, I think some of the reasons
you see that is just in case somebody wants to
throw out a crazy offer, right if there's if there's
a team that absolutely wants a guy, right like maybe
there's somebody that absolutely positively needs to have Bryce Young,
then you know, maybe you just throw that out there
and see somebody you know, you're like, hey, we wanted CJ.
(32:28):
Stroud anyway the whole time, you know, something like that,
like if you could get the Texans.
Speaker 2 (32:32):
Maybe to give you a little something to hope, and
you still get your guy.
Speaker 1 (32:35):
But yeah, I mean, I think I think that's the
reason for sort of doing that. But I don't other
than that, there's no way they're moving past three. I
would say, I can't imagine. So right, you need a quarterback.
You've got to leave yourself in position to still get
one of the top quarterbacks out there one hundred. So yeah,
I think I think the Panthers are sort of building something.
Potentially the quarterback's going to be the foundation of it.
(32:58):
But I think you're gonna see them sort of make
a lot of in the next few years because they
got to get younger, and they got to get they
got to get more talent. I think they get higher
level talent than they currently have in a lot of
their skill positions. There. The New Orleans Saints eight total picks.
One of the first round. They have number twenty nine,
which came from San Francisco, which came from Miami, which
I believe came from Denver. This pick has sort of
(33:19):
been passed around quite a bit in the last the
last few months or so. They need defensive linemen, they
need a tight end, they need an offensive lineman. In
the first round, both DJ and Bucky have the Saints
taking Michael Mayer the tight end out of Notre Dame.
Lance has been taking Kalijah Kansi the defensive tackle from Pitt.
(33:40):
I don't even know what to say about the Saints
really other than like it's like they've put together this group.
We love Chris Olave, Derek Carr kind of is who
he is. I mean, I don't know, does adding a
tight end potentially do anything for you? I feel like
this is an offense that just like it just kind
of is.
Speaker 2 (33:56):
I don't think it does, because, like you you see
all the time, oh, they need a tight end. So
like I was like, yeah, Michael Mayer makes a ton
of sense, but then you look at their depth chart
and Juwan Johnson they just paid, and I think Jawan
Johnson's a better tight end than he gets credit for.
Like he was a really good red zone piece for them.
He really showed out as the year went on. Adam
(34:18):
Troutman is like your number two blocking tight end, and
then Taysom Hill is your wild card at that position.
So I don't know if they need a tight end.
I'll say it like this, with a deep tight end class,
I don't think their need for a tight end is
worth using their first round pick on it. I think
they would be better suited to go defense, which is
also why I've circled the Saints as the team that
(34:40):
if any team wants to trade back into Round one
to take Hendon Hooker. I think the Saints are the
team that will trade their pick.
Speaker 1 (34:46):
I think that makes a lot of sense. Yeah, I
just I don't know. I look at this offense and
it's it just is right. There's nothing about it that
blows me away.
Speaker 2 (34:55):
A huge hole or need.
Speaker 1 (34:57):
But there's no like right but for Chris a Lobby, there's
nothing that's like, yeah, man, I gotta I gotta make
sure I draft this guy. I mean, we're still waiting
to see what happens with Alvin Kamara. We're all expecting
he's going to serve a suspension of some length. You know.
They add Jamal Williams, which is sort of nice. You know,
we have no idea how much Michael Thomas has left
(35:18):
in the tank after missing an extended period of time.
It just it's just kind of there. As an offense.
There's nothing that's gonna get a lot of folks really excited.
Speaker 2 (35:30):
Like I'm like, oh, I'll take Michael Thomas. But it's
all relative to where his ad is not. It's not
like I'm like pounding the table for Michael Thomas.
Speaker 1 (35:38):
Yeah, no, I mean I think that's that's sort of it. So,
you know, I don't know. I literally, as I'm putting
down questions for all these teams, like the Saints for
the one I left blank because I looked at it.
I looked at it for a long time, and I'm like,
I don't even know what to say about the New
Orleans Saints at this point.
Speaker 2 (35:54):
Yeah, they're They're one of those teams where I'm like, yeah,
they're probably gonna win their division and then get bounced
in the first and I could see that being their
ceiling for as long as they keep this brass together.
Speaker 1 (36:06):
I mean, I'm looking at this. I mean, right now,
I guess the Saints probably are the favorite to win
the NFC South.
Speaker 2 (36:12):
But this says more about the division.
Speaker 1 (36:14):
Right, I mean, if the Falcons somehow put together a run,
it wouldn't surprise me if the Bucks somehow squeaked it
out although their quarterback situation.
Speaker 2 (36:23):
If Tom Brady was like, Hey, you know what, I
want to come back and play for the Bucks, I'm
picking them to win the division.
Speaker 1 (36:28):
Yeah, I mean exactly. Just there's nothing about this division
that's going to be exciting I think this year. But
that leads us to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the last
team on our list for the Day nine total picks
one of the first round, number nineteen overall. They need
an offensive lineman, a safety, and a defensive lineman in
the first round. Though Daniel Jeremiah has been taking Will
(36:49):
Levice the quarterback out of Kentucky, Bucky has been taking
Darnell Right, offensive tackle from Tennessee, and Lance has been
taking Nolan Smith, the edge rusher from Georgia. So we
just sat here and talked about how uninspiring this division
is as a whole, and the Buck's very much a
part of that. What is your excitement level for drafting
(37:09):
any Bucks players this year? Keeping in mind, at least
as we talk, Kyle Trask is going to be their
starting quarterback this year.
Speaker 2 (37:18):
I was gonna say we ran out of team needs space.
I think because quarterbacks should be on that list, running
backs should be on that list.
Speaker 1 (37:25):
Like, hey, Rashad White says he's a stud, and I think.
Speaker 2 (37:29):
Rashad White is a capable running back. I think he
gets over hyped by the fantasy community. But I also
think that like whether it's Kyle Trask or Baker Mayfield.
I have zero excitement to draft any of these players,
like Leonard Fournette, lash or Rashad White, whichever one you
liked better in fantasy. They were as good as they
(37:49):
were in fantasy because of all the dump offs they
got from Tom Brady. I don't know if we're gonna
get that again. At least Tom Brady was able to
keep Chris Godwin and Mike Evans useful for fantasy. Kyle
Trask is a complete unknown, and Baker Mayfield has struggled
with receivers his whole to elevate receivers his whole career.
(38:10):
So yeah, I'm not very excited at all. The only
one I guess right now that I would say, like
Chris Godwin, but he still goes in like the fourth round,
so you're paying a pretty hefty price to get him.
So I likely am gonna have very little shares of
bucks this season.
Speaker 1 (38:26):
There's also still that thought that, you know, maybe Godwin's
not there. At the start of the year, I mean
that had been sort of some talk that either Godwin
or Evans could be traded, you know, so that also
sort of makes it I don't know, just kind of
dicey at this point. So, you know, I'm not fired
up about the Bucks. I am not necessarily big on
(38:49):
Rashad Wide, at least not compared to a lot of
other people.
Speaker 2 (38:51):
Same. He's like, you look at his metrics, he's very
at Like again, I think he's a serviceable running back
who gets way too over heights because people liked him
coming out.
Speaker 1 (39:01):
Ye know, I threw out the question on this show
a couple of weeks ago, maybe a little longer than that.
It's like, is this the year that Mike Evans streak
of a thousand yards end?
Speaker 2 (39:12):
I think?
Speaker 1 (39:13):
So, you know, he got eleven hundred last year. There
are a couple of years where he just barely got
over a thousand yards. Yeah, I mean, it just there's
just not a lot to be excited about Wonard Fournette's
you know out. I don't know, I just can't get
excited about this Buccaneers offense this year.
Speaker 2 (39:31):
Yeah, I mean there I said the Titans might be
the worst offense the Bucks. I don't think they'll be
the worst, but they'll be a bottom tear defense. Like
I mean, even when Baker had his little resurgence in La,
it was not good at all for fantasy purposes, like
and again like Baker made other wide receivers, not like
(39:54):
Odell was terrible With Baker, Jarvis Langry was solid, which
I think is like the whope for Chris Godwin. I
think we're going to really very quickly see the impact
of even losing what Tom Brady was last season, which
was far from what he was a couple of years ago.
It's gonna have a big lasting effect, I think.
Speaker 1 (40:12):
So you say that the Bucks could be a bottom
ten offense this year, they were a bottom ten offense
last year.
Speaker 2 (40:18):
They okay, maybe bottom five.
Speaker 1 (40:19):
They were the twenty fifth ranked offense in terms of
scoring last year, And yeah, it very well could get
worse coming up this year. It is not going to
be good at all. That's kind of a downerwey to
in the show.
Speaker 2 (40:36):
It's the NFC South.
Speaker 1 (40:37):
It's the NFC South. So we've gone through three divisions.
That means next week we will wrap it up with
the AFC West and the NFC West. I think there's
a little bit more to get excited about and talk about.
Those teams were a little bit more competitive last year,
at least some of them were so we'll talk about
that next week before we head into the draft. Also
hoping to get some more draft analysts on We are
(40:57):
efforting Lance Zerlin to get his thoughts. Always love talking
to Lance as well, to get his thoughts in some
of the prospects heading into the draft as well. The meantime,
that feels like a good place for us to put
this one down for the moment. We always appreciate you
hanging out with us. That'll do it for this edition
of the NFL Fantasy Football Podcast, The Happy, Safe, and Healthy,
do good, and live well. Enjoy the weekend, everybody, and
(41:19):
we'll talk to again next week.
Wow, everybody, it is Wednesday, a four, nineteenth, twenty twenty three.
Welcome to the NFL Fantasy Football Podcast, where we also
haven't made a decision on the number one pick to
be your man, MG, Marcus Grant and mostly whole again
(00:22):
this week. Thanks to Florio for sitting in and holding
it down last week while I was trying to play hurt.
And we're in studio, which means we got specialist today,
so give yourselves riding with class. Yeah, man, thank you
for you know, pitching, pitch in, filling in, pinch hitting,
all that stuff when I didn't really have much of
a voice the last week. Appreciate it, of course.
Speaker 2 (00:43):
I'm just thankful that your voice is back, because driving
the show is a lot harder, and you make it
look insanely easy.
Speaker 3 (00:50):
So I'm happy we're back to our normal roles today,
you know what, I'm glad to be back. It's nice
to be able to have a voice and not sound like,
you know, a puberty addle team. We also love cigars
or something like that.
Speaker 1 (01:03):
So we are continuing our look around the NFL divisions,
trying to figure out some draft wants and needs. Today
we are head in South the AFC South and the
NFC South. So let's just dive right into it first
with the AFC South. As always, we are going in
alphabetical order with these, so we will start with Houston Texans.
(01:24):
They've got twelve total picks two in the first round.
They've got number two overall, and they have number twelve
which they got via the Cleveland Browns. Their team needs this,
according to Eric ed Holme, which you can find on
NFL dot com, a quarterback, a wide receiver, and an
edge rusher. And looking at some of the mock drafts
in the first round, Daniel Jeremiah has been taking CJ. Stroud,
(01:48):
the Ohio State quarterback at number two and going with
Miles Murphy the Claimson edge rusher at twelve. For Bucky Brooks,
he's got going Bryce Young at number two, which I
guess means that he's got CJ. Stroud going number one,
and then Jackson Smith and Jigba of the wide receiver
from Ohio State at twelve, so creating their own little
(02:08):
stack with a quarterback and wide receiver and Lance zer
Lines got them going Tyree Wilson at number two, the
edge rusher from Texas Tech, and then has them trading
up with the Raiders at number seven and taking quarterback
Will Levice. So I was looking at their roster and
looking at some of the guys they have there, and look,
(02:29):
nobody's predicting that the Texans are suddenly going to be
a you know, a super Bowl contender regardless of what
happens this year. But with some of the pieces they
have there, some of the moves they've made, if they
get a new quarterback, could they have some fantasy sleeper
appeal on that roster this year?
Speaker 2 (02:46):
I very much so think so. And I did my
own personal mock for fun, and I had it going
the way that Bucky does with Bryce Young at two
and then Jackson Smith and Geeba at twelve. But even
if Bryce Young, who's getting more hype, goes one overall,
take Stroud and JSN and recreate what they were in college.
I think more and more teams are doing that, pairing
(03:10):
their college receivers with the college quarterback. And I think
it's a really smart direction to go in. But this Texans' offense,
I think has a little bit more firepower than we
not us. But then a lot of people may realize,
like Dalton Schultz, is their tight end. He could be
a top a tight end one for fantasy. I think
Robert Wood's best days are behind him, but Nico Collins
(03:31):
is someone who has flashed a little bit. John Metchi
was their second round pick who didn't get to play
at all last year because of medical reasons. Noah Brown
had a little bit of hype. But I still think
they need their wide receiver one. So get that guy
at twelve, pair him with a young quarterback, and then
I haven't even talked about the running backs who obviously
Damian Pierce is someone that is fantasy relevant. So I
think they're Look, they're not gonna blow anyone away. They're
(03:53):
not gonna be one of the top offenses in football,
but they can be a lot better than what they
were the last couple of seasons.
Speaker 1 (03:58):
That's my thing. Actually, when you're looking at sort of
the draft price for a lot of these guys, you're
not going to have to pay a premium when you're
drafting any Houston Texans, right I mean Pierce right now,
maybe the guy that comes off the board first out
of all these guys. But you know they got Devin
Singletary who they added in free agency. I do think
they're going to get a wide receiver, maybe not necessarily
(04:20):
in Day one. Maybe they do. Maybe they go and
get JSN somewhere in Day one, But I do think
before the draft is over, they're going to draft one
of these wide receivers to pair with Nico Collins. You
mentioned Dalton Schultz. There are some pieces there that I
think at the right ADP could be kind of interesting.
And the missing piece at the moment is the quarterback.
(04:40):
I mean, as we sit here and talk right now
on April nineteenth, it is Davis Mills, but I don't
think anybody really believes it is going to be Davis
Mills by the time we get to Week one. So
you know, they've got some talent, They've got some young
pieces there. I think this is a team that we're
going to be sort of talking about in the mid
to late rounds fantasy drafts as a shot that could
(05:02):
have a shot to be kind of a interesting contributors
to your fantasy roster this year.
Speaker 2 (05:07):
And even if it doesn't like this year, they'll they'll
take a step forward. But I think then if you
put one of the top quarterbacks on this offense, we're
talking about maybe in a couple of years, So a
dynasty perspective, this could be an offense that like is
fantasy friendly if Young or Stroud or whoever they take
ends up developing into what we think they can be.
Speaker 1 (05:26):
Yeah, I think there's some reasons to be interested. I
won't say excited, but at least interested in what the
Houston Texans could offer in twenty twenty three. That gets
us to the Indianapolis Colts nine total picks, one in
round one. That is the number four overall. Their needs
already quarterback, which it's pretty much been their need ever
since Andrew Luck retired, a cornerback and offensive line. In
(05:50):
the first round, Daniel Jeremiah's got them taking Anthony Richardson
from Florida, So you got Richardson going off at number
four right now. Bucky has them taking an edge rusher
Tyree Wilson from Texas Tech, and Lance who I know
Lance's mox because he is not afraid to throw some
trades in there and have people move around. He actually
has the Colts trading that number four pick to Baltimore,
(06:12):
along with obviously some other assets to get Lamar Jackson,
and then the Ravens take CJ. Stroud at number four,
which that's a little bit interesting to talk about it.
I mean, I don't know how much we want to
get into the CJ. Stroud in Baltimore, but that potentially
interesting there too.
Speaker 2 (06:27):
Maybe I've been of the mindset that I think the
Colts are gonna have to be aggressive if they want
to get a quarterback here, because I don't know if
Anthony Richardson falls to four, because let's say Young and
Stroud go one and two in any order. Richardson is
by far the best quarterback still on the board, I
would say, and the Cardinals are sitting there like, hey,
we know the team at four wants a quarterback, so
(06:49):
if you want a quarterback, you have to trade with
us right now to get him. I think the Colts
would have to be the team that are like, I
know we're bidding against their self kind of, but we
want to ensure we get that quarterback. Which is why
I continue to think the way that Lance is thinking, like,
if you're gonna have to make a move to ensure
you get that quarterback, why not get a twenty six
year old former MVP who you could build around. And
(07:09):
it's gonna cost you probably similar to what it would
cost to move up to get to the third pick.
I'd much rather have Lamar than Anthony rich and I
love Anthony Richardson.
Speaker 1 (07:18):
That's the thing. If you are going to have to
move up, right, you're probably going to have to give
up a couple of number one picks, certainly this year,
maybe one down the line. That's the same thing you
have to give up to Lamar Jackson. And you already
know what he is and what he can be, as
opposed to sort of hoping, you know, it's a mystery
box theory like this could be anything, even Lamar Jackson,
like at some point, you know, I don't know if
(07:40):
it happens or not. But let's just let's just take
this as the Colts. They go out, they stay at
number four, they draft a quarterback, whether it's Richardson, whether
it's somebody else. Maybe they take Well Levis, who knows.
You know, they they put some decent places pieces in
that wide receiver. They've got Michael Pittman. You know, they
need to rebuild that offensive line from where it was
when Andrew luck was there. If they do add a quarterback,
(08:06):
does this mean we still have the same level of
faith in Jonathan Taylor to be a workhorse in that offense.
Speaker 2 (08:11):
Yes, I think as long as it's either Lamar or
one of the top three quarterbacks, Like if it's Will Levis,
I'm gonna be souring on Jonathan Taylor. But I think
like the first two and young Oestraudle, there'll be an
upgrade on what the Colts had last year, which will
help create for Jonathan Taylor. And I think if they
have Anthony Richardson, that's just gonna create run options for
(08:33):
days and running lanes. Like we know the running back's
best friend is a rushing quarterback because it just makes
it so hard to defend both of them. But my
takeaway on Jonathan Taylor is like I think next year
is gonna be a better year from him, no matter
who's the quarterback, because he was plagued by injury last season,
miss time with the high ankle sprain and then another
(08:55):
lower leg injury. I believe it was the offensive line
just crumble and we thought this was gonna be one
of the better units and it crumbled. JT. I think
last year he was a victim of like everything around
him going wrong, where I don't envision it'll be that
way again this year, So I'm kind of back in
on Jonathan Taylor, although I thought we would get a
(09:15):
discount on him. Like last year when we were at
the end of the season, when we were like putting
up poles and stuff, who's the top five running back?
Like Jonathan Taylor wasn't getting any love. But now in
Best Ball drafts, he's going as a top four running
back again, So like you're still you're not paying that
number one overall pick price, but you're still paying close
to full price for him.
Speaker 1 (09:34):
Yeah. I mean, I think people just sort of look
at the talent profile and realize that Jonathan Taylor is
too good to fall down very very far in that
as long as he's healthy, he's still going to get
a ton of touches. You know, last year only played
eleven games because of injury, but you know, still had
two hundred and twenty touches, which means he was over
twenty touches per game. Still gave you over a thousand
scrimmage yards. The touchdown numbers were a little bit down,
(09:56):
but I think people expecting that if he stays healthy,
his talent's good enough that he's going to continue to
be one of the top backs in the game, and
he's also one of the few guys that doesn't have
a lot of competition behind him in terms of touches.
So yeah, sort of something to kind of keep in
mind with him there. I mean, the Colts they have
to get a quarterback, right, like they have to get
(10:16):
a quarterback.
Speaker 2 (10:17):
I mean, I know where the internet loves Gardner Minshew,
but like, yeah, he he And my favorite thing too,
is the whole narrative of like, if they draft Anthony Richardson,
Gardner Minshew's the quarterback this year anyway. It's like Emery
Hunt said it the best. He's like, what can Anthony
Richardson learn from Gardner Minshew when he's already more talented
than him?
Speaker 1 (10:37):
Right, I mean, I just I can't imagine if you're
the Colts, if you're the front office, if you're Colts fans,
you want to go through another journeyman quarterback for a year, right,
because since you've lost Andrew Luck, You've had Jacobe Brissett,
You've had Philip Rivers, you had Carson Wentz which went horribly,
you had Matt Ryan, which ended horribly. I just can't
imagine you're gonna want to deal with. Gardner Minshew is
(11:01):
another journeyman quarterback for a year, even if Anthony Richardson
isn't you know the guy put him in there, like,
let's see, let's give him a couple of years to
develop and see what he can be rather than this
this revolving door at the whole potation, you.
Speaker 2 (11:15):
Gotta learn and sit and learn for a year. We
always point to the examples where that works, like Patrick
Mahomes and Aaron Rodgers, and maybe there's like one I'm forgetting.
But for the most part, these rookies who aren't good
enough to start right away, they like like, they don't
usually end up. It doesn't always work out if they
sit their whole first season. To me, it's like either
(11:37):
you were a team that had a proven quarterback and
you were in win now mode, but the Colts aren't
in that, so like it would be a lot like
what are the Colts with Gardner Minshew? Maybe they get
a wild card berth and they get bounced in the
first round, Like why not just use that full season
to give your quarterback time to develop.
Speaker 1 (11:52):
I also think when you talk about those examples, let's
look at the guys that were ahead of those guys, yes, right,
I mean with Aaron Rodgers, you had a Hall of
Famer and Brett Favre in front of him. Even with
Patrick Mahomes, you had Alex Smith, who at that time
really was in a career resurgence and playing some of
the best football of his career. So it wasn't like
it wasn't like Mahomes was sitting behind some kind of
(12:14):
washed up journeyman guy. He was sitting behind a player
who really was playing some good football. So you know,
you know, I think you sort of take those with
a grain assault as opposed to having Anthony Richardson sit
behind Gardner Minshew, I feel like that's a very very
different scenario. I mean, I'm looking at I'm looking at
it right now. Right for Alex with his last year
(12:35):
as a starter in Kansas City twenty seventeen, He's had
a career high in passing yards that year, he won
over four thousand passing yards, had a career high in
passing touchdowns. So he was playing some really good football. Now,
minds you, it could be that the guy that was
sitting behind him, maybe, you know, when it's all said
and done, own a ton of records but it wasn't
like Mahomes was sitting behind a guy who was a bum.
Speaker 2 (12:57):
The thing is, the Chiefs have won the AFC West
the last seven years. Mahomes has only been a starter
for five and the two years that he wasn't they
went twelve and four and ten and six.
Speaker 1 (13:08):
Rox Smith at quarterback.
Speaker 2 (13:09):
Yeah, like like they're it wasn't like like you said.
It wasn't like the Colts aren't gonna be winning their
division and winning twelve games with Gardner Minshew, that's just
not gonna have.
Speaker 1 (13:18):
Just not gonna happen. Uh. The team that could win
the division though, I know the the odds on favorite
right now, the Jacksonville Jaguars nine total picks one of
the first round. They're picking at twenty four, and I
you know, I should have done my research. I don't
know when's the last time the Jags have picked this
late into the first round. It had to have been
a while.
Speaker 2 (13:38):
It's probably, uh the year with Blake Bortles where they
they went to like the ASEN Championship game. That probably
is it, right, might that might be.
Speaker 1 (13:47):
The last time they've picked this deal which.
Speaker 2 (13:49):
Doesn't feel like that long ago, but was like eight
years ago at this point it was.
Speaker 1 (13:54):
Uh so in the first round, they're late their needs.
They need a corner, an offensive tackle, they need a
defensive end. Now, all in all the mocks, at least
the the major box on NFL dot Com, they are
slated to go defensive. They DJ hasn't taken Deontay Banks
corner from Maryland, Bucky has him taken, Brian Branch the
(14:14):
safety from Alabama, and Lance has them going Joey Porter Junior,
the corner from Penn State. So obviously the idea is
that they want to focus on the defensive side of
the ball. Makes a lot of sense. And so that
leads me to the question, do the Jaguars possibly have
too many weapons on offense for our liking? Not in
real football, but in fantasy football.
Speaker 2 (14:35):
It is definitely a possibility that that ends up being
the case. Like I think it could go one of
two ways, where it's like the targets are extremely funneled
through like Calvin Ridley and Christian Kirk, and then Evan
Ingram is enough to be like a borderline tight end
that you could start in fantasy and Jay Jones is
more like an afterthought. Or it could just be like
(14:57):
they spread the ball like crazy and week to week
it's a guessing game. But either way, it makes me
want to draft Trevor Lawrence for fantasy. The weapons I
don't know about, Like I know you have to pay
the highest price to get him, but like Calvin Ridley
is the one that I feel best about because of
how explosive he is that even unlimited volume, I think
he'd be able to put up numbers in this offense.
(15:17):
The others like Jay Jones, Like I know, for much
of his career he's just been Jay Jones, but like
last year, Zay Jones was really good, especially down the stretch,
Like I was starting him in championship week in multiple
leagues last year. So it's certainly the possibility that that
is the case. But again it just if that is
the case, you still want to draft Trevor Lawrence.
Speaker 1 (15:37):
Yeah. By the way, I went and looked. The last
time the Jaguars are this deep in the draft twenty eighteen,
they picked Tavian Bryan at twenty ninth and that was
coming off that AFC championship year. They beat the Bills
in the wild Card, they beat the Steelers in the
Divisional and then they lose that heartbreaker to the Patriots
in the championship year.
Speaker 2 (15:59):
That's Steelers Jack's game. As look, I remember the Bills
went very vividly. It was a terrible game.
Speaker 1 (16:05):
Ten to three was thea it was.
Speaker 2 (16:07):
It was bad, but that Steelers game was so much
because there was like ab and young Juju were balling
out that game. It was a fun one.
Speaker 1 (16:14):
Yeah. So yeah, twenty eighteen, so it's been a while.
It has been a little while since the Jags have
gone this deep in a draft. I'm with you, though,
I think I think, you know, look, we're going to
be in on Calvin Ridley. I think everybody else really
gets knocked down. I think a couple of a couple
of rounds, just because there are so many options, so
many places to go with the football. But you're right,
(16:38):
this does help Trevor Lawrence a ton in terms of
his fantasy value. It's not that we won't be drafting Jaguars.
I think all these guys can be productive, but I
don't think we're gonna draft them. Uh maybe at a
level that we would have certainly last year or not,
you know, had had Calvin Ridley not reappeared on the scene.
I think that that changes the calculus dramatically, and so
(17:00):
I think, you know, we will sort of temper our
expectations when it comes to Jaguars when we're looking at
fantasy drafts. Last team in the AFC south of Tennessee
Titans six total picks one of the first round. They
are at number eleven. They need an offensive lineman, they
need a wide receiver, and they need a defensive back.
(17:21):
In the first round, two of the three big ones
have them taking Jackson Smith and Jigba. That is the
Daniel Jeremiah and Lance Zerline have them going JSN. Bucky
has them taking a guy from Ohio State, but it
is not a wide receiver. It's the offensive tackle. Paris
Johnson Junior thinking about JSN knowing they need a wide
(17:42):
receiver because right now it's the Traylon Burke Show and
there's really nobody else that you can count on. If
he goes, if Smith and Jigba goes to Tennessee, how
draftable is he knowing that the quarterback situation is not
great at the moment.
Speaker 2 (18:00):
It would take a lot of shine off of him.
Like I know myself and many others have him as
their number one in this class, and I'm very excited
for what he can be. And he is such a
polished route runner that I think he's one of the
players that can come in and immediately from day one
be useful in fantasy. And I guess on the Titans
he would have volume going for him and that.
Speaker 1 (18:20):
Would be it.
Speaker 2 (18:21):
Like the Titans might be the worst roster in football.
They certainly on the offensive side of the ball, especially
because there's still rumors like Derek Henry's in the last
year of his contract. Do they want to potentially move
on from him? Can they get some value for him
if they were to trade him like this? This is
a black hole of an offense right now for fantasy.
(18:42):
As of right now, my strategy with the Titans is
just punt and not take anyone because I'm of the
mindset that if they get off to a slow start,
maybe they bring in Milik Willis. And as much as
I love the tools of Milik Willis, he showed last
year that he was he was anything but an NFL
quarterback and unless he progressed a whole lot this this
(19:05):
has the potential to be the league's worst offense. I
would say if things go a certain ways, so I
would not like jays n and Tennessee.
Speaker 1 (19:14):
So I'm looking at the offensive pieces right and like,
as of the moment, Derek Henry is still there. He
would be the focal point of this offense. The other
running backs on the roster Julius Chestnut, Hassan Haskins, and
Jonathan Ward. Haskins and Ward combined for thirty carries for
let me do the math, one hundred and eighteen yards
(19:37):
throwing Julius Chestnut, who had another nine, Who're gonna thirty nine?
We're gonna thirty nine carries for another twelve yards? I
mean thirty nine carries for twelve nine carries. Oh oh,
I was gonna say, why.
Speaker 2 (19:48):
Did they keep giving him the miserable?
Speaker 1 (19:51):
But basically, when you look at Haskins, Ward and Chestnut,
they combined for what's basically an average Derrick Henry game.
I mean, that's really what what you got out of him.
And then you look at the wide receivers and again
you know, Traylon Burks is the guy who's probably going
to lead them in targets as at the moment. The
rest of their wide receivers Mason Kinsey, Racy McMath I mean,
(20:14):
it's not me when somebody you know gets you excited.
Kyle Phillips, Reggie Roberson, Nick Westbrookertine, I mean, I guess
he's the next.
Speaker 2 (20:22):
Kyle Phillips was one that I know fans were talking
about last year, like he was one of those guys
who would give you like thirty yards but like his
catch would be really impressive and he'd be like this
guy can play. But my thinking right now because I
do like Chigoquo at tight end, and he's the one
Titan I would draft right now because you could get
him as like a tight end two and then you're like, Okay,
(20:43):
there's some upside he's a tight end. But besides that,
like their offense right now has to be just like
short passes to Berks to a Conquo and let Derek
Henry do his thing.
Speaker 1 (20:53):
So there are also rumors that the Titans could be
in the market for a quarterback, maybe drafting somebody. You know.
Ryan Tannehill is nearing the end of his career. His
time is getting short there in Tennessee. You mentioned Blik
Willis last year did not look ready to step in
and be a full time starter. I mean they were
running Josh Dobbs out there at some point, just to
(21:13):
kind of get some stability. Are you believing that Tennessee
could possibly make a move at quarterback in this offseason.
Speaker 2 (21:22):
I think they could if say like Lewis or Richardson
fell to them. I don't think they're gonna give up
draft capital to move up because I really think they
have their eyes on Caleb Williams Prize or the May
Prize maybe, But like, I think this is a team
that knows, hey, this is not our year. We could
potentially go out it next season again. But I think
(21:43):
that this is Ryan Tannehill's Matt Ryan season. Like at
thirty five years old, it's his final year in his contract.
I don't know if he survives the season with the team.
I think this is his last full year with the Titans.
But I could see them just being like cause they
cut a ton of people and didn't bring in whole bunch.
To me, it really feels like they're hitting reset and
they're keeping their eyes on next year.
Speaker 1 (22:05):
I know Peter Schrager in one of his mocks, had
the Titans taking Hindon Hooker so he would stay in
stay going from the University of Tennessee to the Tennessee Titans.
It feels like Cooker at eleven though, is really early.
Speaker 2 (22:20):
They'd have to I continue to think that a team
like I think the Commanders are one the Titans certainly
makes sense, like a team that maybe has some capital
could trade back to like twenty eight, twenty nine, something
in that range and take Hooker for that fifth year option.
But at eleven, you're leaving a ton of value on
the board.
Speaker 1 (22:38):
Yeah, it just it just doesn't make sense at eleven.
But I, you know, I wouldn't be surprised if maybe,
you know, matter, maybe they trade back. You can pick
up some more picks somewhere along the way, and then
I could see them taking hindon Hooker. I just don't
I don't see that happening at eleven. But man, this
offense it's bleak, bleak right now. So we'll see what happens.
(22:59):
I will say this, if JSN lands there and they
don't do anything at quarterback, yeah, really gonna be disappointing.
Speaker 2 (23:07):
And to just show everyone how short life spans are
in the NFL, this was the number one seed in
the AFC two seasons ago.
Speaker 1 (23:15):
Yeah, life fast, It happens that way, what else is
coming out? As fast a quick break, We'll come back
and talk about the NFC South, go through the four
teams in that division and give us and give you
our draft once and needs for those teams. Let's coming
up next here on the NFL Fantasy Football Podcast, diving
(23:39):
into the NFC South. We'll start with the Atlanta Falcons.
Seven total picks, one in the first round, that is
number eight overall. Their needs are an edge rusher, a cornerback,
and a wide receiver. Personally, I would throw quarterback into
that mix, but you know, let's given Gus been rid
of his opportunity to make something happen here. The first
(24:00):
Mox Daniel Jeremiah and Lance Zerline both have the Falcons
going with Christian Gonzales the cornerback from Oregon. Bucky has
been taking an edge rusher Lucas van Ness from Iowa.
And I looked at the Falcons as a whole, and
you know, everybody who listens to the show knows how
(24:21):
we feel about Kyle Pitts and or Drake London. You know,
they were able to put together a decent running game
simply because that was what they love to do. And
tried to do and I mentioned the quarterback, it was like, yeah, whatever,
But as you look at the falcons right now, I mean,
how do you feel about this offense for fantasy is
currently constructed.
Speaker 2 (24:39):
I probably like it more than I should like because
it's all relative to costs. Like I thought that Tyler
Ralseiar would be going much earlier than he is. He's
in early ADP. I believe he's not even a top
twenty four running back. So if you're getting him as
an RB three, I love that, or maybe you're waiting
(25:00):
grabbing him as an RB two. Drake London is going,
I think like at an appropriate price. He's not a
top twenty receiver, but after that, I think he has
the upside where you want to take him there. Kyle
Pitts is going as like I believe the fifth or
sixth tight end off the board, which I'm like, yeah,
you're paying more than the floor is, but you're not
paying as high as the ceiling is. And then Desmond
Ritter is like the thirtieth quarterback off the board I
(25:22):
think in Underdog ADP right now or something like that.
So at cost, I think they're all fine as a
whole offense I still don't like that Arthur Smith is
running the show here because I'm very scared that he's
gonna make it look a lot like what it looked
like last year, which was just running the ball, playing
really playing ugly football and trying to squeak out wins.
(25:44):
But I do think there's a lot of talent here.
This is a team that we both have said plenty
of times like they should be knocking on the door,
kicking the door down if they have a chance at
lamar because I think there's a lot of skill on
this offense, a lot of talent.
Speaker 1 (25:59):
I think there's a lot of time. I mean, Tyler
al Jeers showed last year that he can be a
productive running back. You know, we have talked ad nauseum.
I'm sure people are sick of us talking about how
much we still love Kyle Pitts and Drake London. I mean,
you know, I know Dwayne McFarlane who does a lot
of great analytics work, sort of with breaking some of
these guys down into tears the second year wide receivers,
(26:20):
and you know he said that he in his research
really has Drake London just slightly behind guys like Garrett
Wilson and Chris Olave and you know, there's no doubt
that people love those two guys, and for London to
be kind of knocking on the door with them says
a lot about what his potential is. He just needs
to be in an offense that's going to actually feature
(26:41):
him and utilize his skills. So hopefully that happens. I mean,
I like what they have to offer, and I do
think it's just an issue of will they have a
head coach or a play caller that is able to
maximize what their abilities are. Otherwise it's going to be
another year of us being frustrated, in another year of
(27:01):
the general public looking at us and being like, why
are you guys harping on this? Kyle Pitts, Dude, I
don't understand it, but I'm sort of with you. I
like the pieces. I think that the pieces individually though
right now, are greater than the sum of their parts,
just because they haven't figured out how to use these
guys this year or last year.
Speaker 2 (27:20):
And just on the Kyle pittsting real quick, like sixty
percent of his targets last year were deemed uncatchable. I've
said it on the show before, but like he could
have been Jerry Rice and sixty percent of his targets
would have been uncatchable, like he when he got hurt.
He had fourteen targets to twenty plus air yards. No
other tight end had double digits. He had one catch
on those. Because Marcus Mariota was the worst outside of
(27:43):
Zach Wilson, the worst court Like, I don't even think
he should be a backup quarterback. He played that poorly
last year, So I don't think Desmond Riddard could be
any worse.
Speaker 1 (27:51):
I hope not. I guess. The other thing to contend
with is that John Whu Smith is now there too,
and yeah, I'm curious how the two of them are
going to be able to coexist. You know, this is
the time of year where rumors run wild on social media,
and I don't know if it was a mock or
just chatter, but somebody mentioned the idea of Bijon Robinson
going to Atlanta, and that would be great for Bijon
(28:15):
because he would probably get three hundred carries. It would
be bad news for the pass catchers because Arthur Smith
would never.
Speaker 2 (28:21):
Throw the football. No, yeah, he would not at all.
And the thing that you said about Drake London like
being that close, like I had him last year was
my number one. Whatt Wilson outperformed Crystal Lovey outperformed him.
But I still think Drake London is could be very.
Speaker 1 (28:37):
Very good. He was going to be my He was
my top rookie wide receiver going into last year and
just circumstances sort of didn't work out. But I still
believe him. That's that's fine. The Carolina Panthers next up,
maybe know they've got six total picks, so we know
they have the number one overall pick, which came uh
(28:58):
via the Chicago Bears in a trade. They need a quarterback.
Most surprise, they need an edge rusher and a wide receiver.
All three guys, Daniel Jeremiah, Bucky Brooks, Lance Zerline have
them taking a quarterback for DJ and Lance. It's Bryce
Young for Bucky at a CJ. Stroud. Simple question with
(29:19):
what the Panthers have if they draft a quarterback. When
they draft a quarterback, is that player draftable in twenty
twenty three.
Speaker 2 (29:27):
Redraft leagues as a backup and like a lower end backup,
I would say, like not cracking the top twelve, I
wouldn't even say top fifteen, but after that, I think
there's upside in the unknown, especially because while neither one
of them, Young or Stroud ran a whole bunch in college,
they have the capability of doing so. We've seen each
(29:50):
of them do it when they have to, so I
think as a backup because again just the unknown upside,
But I would also like to see them as I
think they did a good job of like adding reliable
pieces around them, but they don't have like a true
difference making weapon. I would say.
Speaker 1 (30:08):
That's sort of the thing, right, they don't have that big,
big time playmaking weapon. I think. I think you're gonna
see him whoever this is, whether it's Young or Stroud
or you know, if there's a wild card Anthony Richardson,
that player is going to get a lot of love
in Dynasty rookie mocks. I don't think they're gonna get
as much love when it comes to re draft leagues, because,
as you mentioned, this is an offense that they've kind
(30:31):
of put together a collection of pieces, right. It's it's
it's not quite the end of the month fridge where
you're trying to make a meal out of whatever you
have left. It's a little bit better than that, but
not by a lot, right. I mean you're looking at
you know, right now you're top wide receiver. After you
know you do go and if you add Adam Thielen,
(30:51):
right now you add DJ Chark. I mean they're not
bad pieces, but they're not you know, eye popping, eye
catching pieces right tight end. You're looking at with yet
Aiden hayden Hurst in free agency, you go out and
you you pick up a Miles Sanders in free agency.
So it's they're average, maybe slightly above average, but not enough.
(31:12):
I think to elevate a quarterback, a rookie quarterback making
his debut, who do you think will go number one? Young,
Stroud or someone else. I think it's gonna be Stroud.
I know that the I know the the consensus has
sort of shifted toward Bryce Young a little bit, but
I don't know I have seriously, I think Bryce Young
should be the number one pick. I think CJ. Stroud
(31:34):
will be the number one pick.
Speaker 2 (31:35):
I agree with you, and I think a lot of
the whole then, I don't know why teams at number
one feel like they need to put out smoke screens.
No one can control what you do, right, like you're
the ones that are in the driver's seat. But teams
still always like to throw out these smoke screens and
make it seem like, oh, we still haven't decided. No,
you guys have known for a while. I feel like, like,
(31:55):
I don't think you make that move for number one
if you have no idea who you're gonna take. And
right after they made that move, the way that they
their brass was with CJ. Stroud was, I was like, yeah,
he's the guy. But maybe I'm wrong.
Speaker 1 (32:07):
I think. I mean, I think some of the reasons
you see that is just in case somebody wants to
throw out a crazy offer, right if there's if there's
a team that absolutely wants a guy, right like maybe
there's somebody that absolutely positively needs to have Bryce Young,
then you know, maybe you just throw that out there
and see somebody you know, you're like, hey, we wanted CJ.
(32:28):
Stroud anyway the whole time, you know, something like that,
like if you could get the Texans.
Speaker 2 (32:32):
Maybe to give you a little something to hope, and
you still get your guy.
Speaker 1 (32:35):
But yeah, I mean, I think I think that's the
reason for sort of doing that. But I don't other
than that, there's no way they're moving past three. I
would say, I can't imagine. So right, you need a quarterback.
You've got to leave yourself in position to still get
one of the top quarterbacks out there one hundred. So yeah,
I think I think the Panthers are sort of building something.
Potentially the quarterback's going to be the foundation of it.
(32:58):
But I think you're gonna see them sort of make
a lot of in the next few years because they
got to get younger, and they got to get they
got to get more talent. I think they get higher
level talent than they currently have in a lot of
their skill positions. There. The New Orleans Saints eight total picks.
One of the first round. They have number twenty nine,
which came from San Francisco, which came from Miami, which
I believe came from Denver. This pick has sort of
(33:19):
been passed around quite a bit in the last the
last few months or so. They need defensive linemen, they
need a tight end, they need an offensive lineman. In
the first round, both DJ and Bucky have the Saints
taking Michael Mayer the tight end out of Notre Dame.
Lance has been taking Kalijah Kansi the defensive tackle from Pitt.
(33:40):
I don't even know what to say about the Saints
really other than like it's like they've put together this group.
We love Chris Olave, Derek Carr kind of is who
he is. I mean, I don't know, does adding a
tight end potentially do anything for you? I feel like
this is an offense that just like it just kind
of is.
Speaker 2 (33:56):
I don't think it does, because, like you you see
all the time, oh, they need a tight end. So
like I was like, yeah, Michael Mayer makes a ton
of sense, but then you look at their depth chart
and Juwan Johnson they just paid, and I think Jawan
Johnson's a better tight end than he gets credit for.
Like he was a really good red zone piece for them.
He really showed out as the year went on. Adam
(34:18):
Troutman is like your number two blocking tight end, and
then Taysom Hill is your wild card at that position.
So I don't know if they need a tight end.
I'll say it like this, with a deep tight end class,
I don't think their need for a tight end is
worth using their first round pick on it. I think
they would be better suited to go defense, which is
also why I've circled the Saints as the team that
(34:40):
if any team wants to trade back into Round one
to take Hendon Hooker. I think the Saints are the
team that will trade their pick.
Speaker 1 (34:46):
I think that makes a lot of sense. Yeah, I
just I don't know. I look at this offense and
it's it just is right. There's nothing about it that
blows me away.
Speaker 2 (34:55):
A huge hole or need.
Speaker 1 (34:57):
But there's no like right but for Chris a Lobby, there's
nothing that's like, yeah, man, I gotta I gotta make
sure I draft this guy. I mean, we're still waiting
to see what happens with Alvin Kamara. We're all expecting
he's going to serve a suspension of some length. You know.
They add Jamal Williams, which is sort of nice. You know,
we have no idea how much Michael Thomas has left
(35:18):
in the tank after missing an extended period of time.
It just it's just kind of there. As an offense.
There's nothing that's gonna get a lot of folks really excited.
Speaker 2 (35:30):
Like I'm like, oh, I'll take Michael Thomas. But it's
all relative to where his ad is not. It's not
like I'm like pounding the table for Michael Thomas.
Speaker 1 (35:38):
Yeah, no, I mean I think that's that's sort of it. So,
you know, I don't know. I literally, as I'm putting
down questions for all these teams, like the Saints for
the one I left blank because I looked at it.
I looked at it for a long time, and I'm like,
I don't even know what to say about the New
Orleans Saints at this point.
Speaker 2 (35:54):
Yeah, they're They're one of those teams where I'm like, yeah,
they're probably gonna win their division and then get bounced
in the first and I could see that being their
ceiling for as long as they keep this brass together.
Speaker 1 (36:06):
I mean, I'm looking at this. I mean, right now,
I guess the Saints probably are the favorite to win
the NFC South.
Speaker 2 (36:12):
But this says more about the division.
Speaker 1 (36:14):
Right, I mean, if the Falcons somehow put together a run,
it wouldn't surprise me if the Bucks somehow squeaked it
out although their quarterback situation.
Speaker 2 (36:23):
If Tom Brady was like, Hey, you know what, I
want to come back and play for the Bucks, I'm
picking them to win the division.
Speaker 1 (36:28):
Yeah, I mean exactly. Just there's nothing about this division
that's going to be exciting I think this year. But
that leads us to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the last
team on our list for the Day nine total picks
one of the first round, number nineteen overall. They need
an offensive lineman, a safety, and a defensive lineman in
the first round. Though Daniel Jeremiah has been taking Will
(36:49):
Levice the quarterback out of Kentucky, Bucky has been taking
Darnell Right, offensive tackle from Tennessee, and Lance has been
taking Nolan Smith, the edge rusher from Georgia. So we
just sat here and talked about how uninspiring this division
is as a whole, and the Buck's very much a
part of that. What is your excitement level for drafting
(37:09):
any Bucks players this year? Keeping in mind, at least
as we talk, Kyle Trask is going to be their
starting quarterback this year.
Speaker 2 (37:18):
I was gonna say we ran out of team needs space.
I think because quarterbacks should be on that list, running
backs should be on that list.
Speaker 1 (37:25):
Like, hey, Rashad White says he's a stud, and I think.
Speaker 2 (37:29):
Rashad White is a capable running back. I think he
gets over hyped by the fantasy community. But I also
think that like whether it's Kyle Trask or Baker Mayfield.
I have zero excitement to draft any of these players,
like Leonard Fournette, lash or Rashad White, whichever one you
liked better in fantasy. They were as good as they
(37:49):
were in fantasy because of all the dump offs they
got from Tom Brady. I don't know if we're gonna
get that again. At least Tom Brady was able to
keep Chris Godwin and Mike Evans useful for fantasy. Kyle
Trask is a complete unknown, and Baker Mayfield has struggled
with receivers his whole to elevate receivers his whole career.
(38:10):
So yeah, I'm not very excited at all. The only
one I guess right now that I would say, like
Chris Godwin, but he still goes in like the fourth round,
so you're paying a pretty hefty price to get him.
So I likely am gonna have very little shares of
bucks this season.
Speaker 1 (38:26):
There's also still that thought that, you know, maybe Godwin's
not there. At the start of the year, I mean
that had been sort of some talk that either Godwin
or Evans could be traded, you know, so that also
sort of makes it I don't know, just kind of
dicey at this point. So, you know, I'm not fired
up about the Bucks. I am not necessarily big on
(38:49):
Rashad Wide, at least not compared to a lot of
other people.
Speaker 2 (38:51):
Same. He's like, you look at his metrics, he's very
at Like again, I think he's a serviceable running back
who gets way too over heights because people liked him
coming out.
Speaker 1 (39:01):
Ye know, I threw out the question on this show
a couple of weeks ago, maybe a little longer than that.
It's like, is this the year that Mike Evans streak
of a thousand yards end?
Speaker 2 (39:12):
I think?
Speaker 1 (39:13):
So, you know, he got eleven hundred last year. There
are a couple of years where he just barely got
over a thousand yards. Yeah, I mean, it just there's
just not a lot to be excited about Wonard Fournette's
you know out. I don't know, I just can't get
excited about this Buccaneers offense this year.
Speaker 2 (39:31):
Yeah, I mean there I said the Titans might be
the worst offense the Bucks. I don't think they'll be
the worst, but they'll be a bottom tear defense. Like
I mean, even when Baker had his little resurgence in La,
it was not good at all for fantasy purposes, like
and again like Baker made other wide receivers, not like
(39:54):
Odell was terrible With Baker, Jarvis Langry was solid, which
I think is like the whope for Chris Godwin. I
think we're going to really very quickly see the impact
of even losing what Tom Brady was last season, which
was far from what he was a couple of years ago.
It's gonna have a big lasting effect, I think.
Speaker 1 (40:12):
So you say that the Bucks could be a bottom
ten offense this year, they were a bottom ten offense
last year.
Speaker 2 (40:18):
They okay, maybe bottom five.
Speaker 1 (40:19):
They were the twenty fifth ranked offense in terms of
scoring last year, And yeah, it very well could get
worse coming up this year. It is not going to
be good at all. That's kind of a downerwey to
in the show.
Speaker 2 (40:36):
It's the NFC South.
Speaker 1 (40:37):
It's the NFC South. So we've gone through three divisions.
That means next week we will wrap it up with
the AFC West and the NFC West. I think there's
a little bit more to get excited about and talk about.
Those teams were a little bit more competitive last year,
at least some of them were so we'll talk about
that next week before we head into the draft. Also
hoping to get some more draft analysts on We are
(40:57):
efforting Lance Zerlin to get his thoughts. Always love talking
to Lance as well, to get his thoughts in some
of the prospects heading into the draft as well. The meantime,
that feels like a good place for us to put
this one down for the moment. We always appreciate you
hanging out with us. That'll do it for this edition
of the NFL Fantasy Football Podcast, The Happy, Safe, and Healthy,
do good, and live well. Enjoy the weekend, everybody, and
(41:19):
we'll talk to again next week.
Hosts And Creators
Marcas Grant
Adam Rank
Michael F. Florio
Kimmi Chex
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