August 8, 2025 • 49 mins
The sports world is buzzing with major corporate deals and team collapses as ESPN acquires NFL Network while New York baseball teams spiral into late-season crises. Leadership styles sharply contrast as Mendoza holds players accountable while Boone treats every loss as "part of the grind."
• ESPN taking over NFL Network, Red Zone and league's fantasy platform in blockbuster deal giving NFL 10% equity stake
• Micah Parsons publicly requesting trade from Cowboys after no communication from Jerry Jones
• Yankees falling to third in division despite major bullpen acquisitions at trade deadline
• Mets losing eight of nine games and nearly getting no-hit by Guardians rookie Gavin Williams
• Carlos Mendoza showing accountability while Aaron Boone gives "day camp" manager vibes
• Shohei Ohtani recording 1,000th career hit with a home run while also striking out eight batters
• Red Sox signing 21-year-old Roman Anthony to eight-year extension worth potential $230 million
• Fantasy football quarterback strategy focusing on consistency over boom-or-bust performances
• Quarterback-tight end stacks offering better fantasy value than traditional QB-WR combinations
If you're interested in joining our listener fantasy football league, reach out on Instagram or drop a comment. I'll even sweeten the pot with a giveaway for the winner – maybe an autographed card or jersey of a player on the winning team!
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
I guess there's only one way to find out.
Let's do it to it right.
5, 4, 3, 2, 1, 0.
All engines running Liftoff.
We have a liftoff, well, well,well.
Another week and here we are.
Everybody We've got corporatetakeovers, contract tantrums and
(00:25):
two New York baseball teamsfighting to see who can hit rock
bottom harder.
Spoiler, they're both doing adamn good job of it.
Welcome back Rice on a Mike'sepisode.
25, quarter century mark, andsomehow it's not even week one
yet.
Today's show is a three-layerdip of sports madness.
(00:45):
First we got NFL drama straightoff the boardroom floor.
Espn has taken over red zone.
If they mess with Scott Hanson,we will riot.
Then back to New York, wherethe Yankees are free-falling and
the Mets are quietly even worse.
But hey, at least CarlosMendoza isn't afraid to let his
(01:05):
players know exactly what's what, unlike Boone dancing around
the subject.
And to close it out, since wecovered wide receivers and
running backs last week, thisweek we're talking quarterbacks
and tight ends for your 2025fantasy football drafts who you
can trust, who's lying to youand which late-round picks might
just win you your league.
Shout-out to Pete Alonzo forinching closer and closer to
(01:28):
Darryl Strawberry's Mets homerun record, even if the Mets did
get swept nearly no hit andSoto pimped a ninth-inning solo
shot, that meant absolutelynothing.
No, I won't spend 10 minutesdebating it.
Yes, I am still going to bringit up.
Dag Prescott, out here stickingup for Micah Judge is back in
(01:49):
the lineup, but not in the field.
The golden boy Otani doingsuperhero things in a loss and
the Red Sox finally acting likea big market team, just as long
as the guy hasn't gotten tooexpensive just yet.
Oh, and one more thing beforewe dive in, I'm working on a
listener fantasy league for thisseason.
So if you've been following thepod, liking the content and you
(02:13):
want to join the league, shootme a DM.
We'll draft, we'll talk trashand maybe, just maybe, someone
will be able to T-thrown theking.
But for now, let's get rightinto it.
Tranquility Base here the Eaglehas landed.
(02:35):
Let's start with what might bethe most quietly massive NFL
story of the summer.
And no, it's not a holdout,it's a buyout.
Espn is officially acquiringNFL Network, Red Zone and the
(02:56):
league's fantasy platform in ablockbuster deal that gives the
NFL a 10% equity stake in ESPNitself.
So what does that mean?
Well, essentially, the leaguejust bought a chunk of its own
hype machine, which is somethingI've kind of always had a
little bit of a problem withwith ESPN bet.
(03:16):
How can you guys own a bettingplatform but also have the media
machine to influence people howto bet?
But that's a story for adifferent day.
Right now let's break it down.
So ESPN gets full linear anddigital control of NFL Network,
(03:40):
aka NFL Films, and all thereplay rights.
They get exclusive rightsdistribute red zone, which there
might be talks of them doing acollege style red zone.
They get the official NFLfantasy football platform, which
, if you've updated your phonerecently, you can see that the
logo has changed and it'ssmothered with ads.
(04:04):
They get three more NFL gamesper year, which I don't know
where they're going to come from.
I mean, are they going to stealsome Thursday night games from
Amazon or are they gettingplayoff games?
Is is this like a foreshadow ofa 20-week season coming?
I don't know where those threegames are coming from, but
here's what we get.
Well, we get a $30 a monthstreaming bill if you don't
(04:29):
already have access to ESPN orsomething on some form of cable,
because they plan on rollingout their own streaming services
and that's besides ESPN Plus,by the way we get an ominous
feeling of global domination inour chest and the existential
question is Scott Hansen safe?
(04:50):
Because I'm going to say thiswith as much calm and control as
I can muster If they get rid ofScott Hansen, we riot, we flip
the desk, we burn the redcouches, riot, we flip the desk,
we burn the red couches.
I don't care if the games arein 8k, with ai play by play,
(05:11):
tracking how much a player sweatin the first quarter.
I want my seven hours ofcommercial free football and I
need it narrated by the voice ofgod in a gray suit.
If I have to learn a new redzone host cadence or listen to a
cut from Stephen A in week one,I'm out.
I'm out Well, not really, butI'll complain a lot and you guys
(05:34):
will be forced to listen to it.
So, speaking of complaints,let's talk about Micah Parsons,
who's turned his Cowboys hold ininto a full-on Moses parting
the Red Sea divide in Dallas.
Parsons hasn't practiced, hehasn't budged, he hasn't even
heard from Jerry Jones.
(05:54):
And when your boss won't callyour agent but will go on record
reminding everybody that you'vemissed time with some injuries,
I'm going to say things are nottrending well for this contract
.
And then Parson laid it all outthere, posted a thousand-word
statement, screenshotting fromhis Notes app like a regular
human being, calling the Jonesfamily out directly, made his
(06:18):
trade request public andessentially said you want to
talk, call my agent.
Until then, I'm watchingpractice in sweats.
And now to add more gasoline onthe fire, when Dak Prescott got
asked about it, mr Company manhimself, just a two-word blunt
message Fuck man.
(06:38):
That's the quote.
That's it.
No team spin.
No, we're focused on camp.
We're all trying to get better.
Just a quarterback who's beenthrough his own contract, tug of
war with Jerry Jones andwatching his franchise mess it
up again and, honestly, sayingexactly what every Cowboy fan is
thinking I don't know wherethis goes.
(07:00):
I don't know if Jerry blinks.
I mean I don't know where thisgoes.
I don't know of Jerry Blanks.
I mean he usually does two daysbefore the season, but this one
feels different.
What I do know is that if youalienate your best pass rusher
and your franchise quarterbackin the same offseason, that is a
recipe for disaster.
(07:20):
You better hope CeeDee Lamb hasan arm because he might have to
get called in.
But all right, we'll go from onenfc east team to bring it at
home to the locals, and we'regoing to start with the giants,
where malik neighbors justcontinues to look like the best
(07:41):
player on the field.
Every day he's out there.
Yes, he's been load managedwith a little bit of a toe issue
, and, yes, he took a shouldershot earlier in camp, but none
of it has slowed him down at all.
He has been torching thecorners, he's been going against
and he's building somechemistry with Russell Wilson,
(08:03):
which is good for the team, goodfor morale.
Most importantly, though, he'sdoing this all with zero drama,
no bullshit in the interviews,no, nothing, which was not his
case last year.
He wanted the ball andcomplained about it religiously
last year.
Well, russell Wilson is goingto make sure to get it to him.
(08:23):
Wilson even called him one ofthe best in the world to do it,
so that's a good sign, I guess.
Right, look, I'll be honest incamp time one of the best in the
world to do it usually soundslike fluff, especially coming
from Mr Unlimited himself, butwatch the tape on neighbors.
(08:44):
I mean, this kid is justdifferent.
The burst, the size, the balltracking, body control, it's all
there.
He's got it all.
If he stays healthy, he's goingto be a big problem, problem
for defenses, problem forfantasy owners who pass on him,
and maybe even a problem forGarrett Wilson, who is fighting
(09:08):
for the best wide receiver inNew York.
Speaking of the Jets, well, nota ton of updates this week.
Justin Fields still workingthrough the toe issue, but he's
been back at practice and he ledthat two-minute drill TD drive
on Tuesday, so things arelooking all right.
His passing hasn't been great,but I feel like Justin Fields is
(09:32):
more of a game-time quarterbackthan a practice-time
quarterback.
Honestly, the biggest storylinefrom the rumor mills and really
the only reason I've beenbringing up Micah and the
Cowboys so much is the traderumors of the Cowboys wanting
(09:52):
Brees Hall.
Look, they wanted to draft himin 2022, but they took the
lineman instead in the firstround, which was the right move.
They were trying to protect Dakand the Jets almost tripped
over themselves running up tothe podium in the second round
to grab him.
Look, I love the kid, he'selectric, but because of
(10:14):
circumstances out of his control, he seems to be on the chopping
block.
I talked about it last week whowould be the next rookie to get
paid?
And although there seems to bethis running back resurgence
that has happened in the leaguelately, the bottom line is this
(10:34):
it's a new GM, it's a new coach.
They didn't draft him and theyhave other talented running
backs in the room that theyreally seem to like and, being
as he was drafted in the secondround, he's not eligible for
that 50-year option.
(10:55):
So I'm just going to throw thisout there how about a trade
package for Micah, with himbeing the star in it?
I mean, it wouldn't be theworst idea in the world.
Stay with me, listen.
He's somebody the Cowboysalready wanted.
He's on a contract year, sohe's going to go out there.
He's going to stay healthybecause that's always what
happens and he's going to playhis ass off for a contract.
(11:17):
And if it really is asemi-rebuilding year for the
Jets, this could be a great moveto bolster the defense and give
their defensive minded headcoach a huge weapon to utilize.
They would have the cap spaceto be able to pay him, which cap
space in the NFL is a jokeanyway, but they would be able
(11:37):
to pay him what he wants.
And look, I'm not saying thatit wouldn't be a hard pill to
swallow to get rid of Brees.
But if I told you I mean, look,you got to give to get right.
And if I told you you couldtrade Curtis Martin for Joe
Klecko, do you think you'd beable to pull the trigger While
(11:59):
also knowing that you have a guylike Bilal Powell waiting in
the wings?
This is no shade on CurtisMartin.
Curtis Martin is the only JetJersey that I own.
Him and Corbett are the onlytwo worth owning in my
33-year-old career here.
It's something to think about.
Look, the Cowboys desperatelyneed a running back.
(12:21):
They need to get Dak back tothe form that he was in with
Zeke and the Jets.
I mean having Quinton Williamsand Micah Parsons on the same
D-line.
Jesus, I mean that honestly,that might be enough to turn the
team from a maybe to a hell.
Yeah, it would hurt to seeBrees go, but, man, it would be
(12:51):
so good to see a defense ripsomebody's head off once, anyway
.
So to sum it up, red zone mightbe run by Mickey Mouse next
year.
Dallas is playing chicken withits best defender and probably
going to lose.
The Giants have a stud widereceiver and a half-decent
(13:13):
quarterback, but a terribleschedule, and the Jets are
quietly building a culture, toget this franchise back to being
respectable Fantasy managers.
Stay tuned.
That's coming up later, butright now baseball, baseball,
needs a moment because New Yorkis down bad.
(13:41):
Okay, now I'm going to saysomething that might shock a few
of you.
I'm not a Yankees fan, not evena little bit, but I am about to
rant like one.
So if you're driving, maybepull over.
If you're on the treadmill,maybe take it down a notch,
(14:04):
because this is going to be forthe pinstripe faithful.
What the hell is going on inthe Bronx?
The Yankees are in full freefall right now.
They don't know which way is upinning they're in, how many
(14:26):
outs they're already in inning,how to go halfway on an infield
fly.
Honestly, they don't even knowwho's in charge anymore.
The leadership is gone and thevibes?
The vibes are worse than a guyat a party that won't leave you
alone.
They've dropped to third intheir division, third, and now
(14:47):
now they're only up a half agame for the final wild card
spot in the American League.
There's a real, genuine chance,if this trend continues, that
this team misses the playoffsentirely.
Do you know how insane that is?
After the first half that theyhad, after the way that Judge
and Freed started the season,and Goldie and Belly and don't
(15:12):
give me the injury excuse either.
Everyone's got injuries.
Hell.
The Mets have used 44 differentpitchers this year.
This is a team that made majorbullpen acquisitions at the
deadline Bednar Doval, jake Byrdand somehow it seems that
they've managed to get worse.
They got swept by the Marlinsfor the first time in franchise
(15:36):
history and then follow that up.
They go into a huge seriesagainst the Rangers who are
chasing right behind them in thewild card standings.
They blow game one in partbecause Freed continues to
struggle with blisters.
Back issues can't locate,whatever it is.
You can't lose a max Freedstart.
Then game two they getcompletely shut out.
(15:59):
That's great.
And game three, you barelysqueak by winning 3-2.
Boone, for some reason, isafraid to hurt the guy's
feelings and continues to justtrot out.
Devin Williams, in high-levelsituations, like Bendar, is
itching to get into the game andthen in game three, when he
(16:20):
finally gets in, it's a 45-pitchfive-out save for him.
What are we doing?
It's embarrassing and honestly,it's.
It's really.
It's not even the results, it'sthe body language, it's the
post-game quotes, it's AaronBoone giving off the energy of a
man reading off someone else'svows like the same old coach be
(16:43):
game after game after game, itit's unbearable.
There's no accountability.
We can speculate and say, ohyou know, we don't know what's
going on in the clubhouse behindclosed doors.
But honestly, you don't need tospeculate.
You can tell by the play in thefield.
It seems like guys are justdoing whatever they want and
everyone else is scared to callthe guys out on the things that
(17:05):
they're doing wrong.
There's no fire, there's noadjustments, there's no pulse,
just a slow fade into October.
Irrelevance a team that makesthe playoffs every year and
we're over 500 every yearhaven't had a losing record in
20 years.
And oh, we went to the worldseries last year.
(17:27):
So they rest on their laurelsand believe, oh, we're the
yankees, of course we'll bethere, of course we'll be in the
alcs.
I got news for you guys the almight be weak, but you guys
aren't the bully in this leagueanymore.
Houston has always had yournumber for one and you've got a
(17:50):
big series coming up with them.
Detroit is now a legitimateball club with a couple aces and
a couple really good players.
Cleveland would love to getback at you after you sent them
home last year and then in yourown division, toronto and Boston
would love nothing more than tobeat you down for all the years
(18:12):
that you've put it on them.
This is the problem with beingthe big bad wolf for all these
years.
Eventually, when you take yourfoot off the gas, the chickens
come home to roost this team.
The Yankees need a seriouswake-up call or a jolt or
something from somewhere, andhonestly, I have no idea where
(18:32):
it's going to come from.
Spencer Jones yeah, that's agood idea.
Let's put more pressure on arookie that worked out well for
Dominguez and Volpe, right.
And, and you know what, let'sswing across town, because the
Mets aren't exempt from thisrage either.
The Mets, god bless them.
The Mets managed, god, theymanaged to get nearly no hit in
(18:56):
the same week that they blewmultiple leads and got swept by
Cleveland.
That's now eight losses in ninegames.
Thank God the Yankees are asbad as they are, because if it
was, if it was business as usualfor the Yankees, the media
around the Mets would bedisastrous.
All that momentum they hadafter the deadline, that seven
(19:16):
game win streak, yeah, that'sgone.
And the Mets, who, in my opinion, actually won the trade
deadline, added Cedric Mullins,a real bat and a real center
fielder, beefed up their bullpenwith Tyler Rogers, gregory Soto
and Ryan Helsley Guess what?
They're now behind the Philliesand the NL East by two and a
half games and they're spiralingagain.
(19:40):
They came this close to gettingno hit by the guardians rookie
gavin williams rookie took ano-no into the ninth before soto
broke it up with a solo homerun.
That was almost the ninth nohitter in mets history against
them and by a franchise whohasn't had a no-hitter since
(20:04):
1981 against a rookie.
For God's sakes, historicfranchise folks.
Real banners being put up there.
Let me tell you the big FabFour Cohen's own.
They almost got no hit.
And honestly, don't get mestarted on Soto pimping that
home run.
Look, part of me is glad thathe did it because he kind of
(20:27):
embodied the like a little bitof like fuck you fire of you're
not going to do this to my ballclub, but like at the same time
Mr Juan Solo, not Juan Soto,because all of his home runs are
solo shots.
Mr Juan Solo, that's not thetime to pimp it right there.
How about we have a first andsecond down two runs and you
(20:52):
crank a shot.
Then you can pimp it.
Throw the bat into the goddamnstands if you want.
Oh God, I'm here to yell abouthim, but I'm also here to offer
some optimism.
The hitting will come okay.
Soto and Lindor and Pete areall animals in the postseason.
(21:13):
The pitching is starting to gethealthy.
Minaya and Sanga and Petersonare all solid options and you
really only need three guys inthe postseason and the bullpen
is now elite.
But for the love of God, boys,please can we knock a single
(21:34):
with men on first and second?
God?
And I just want to go back tothe leadership aspect of it.
From before, I will give creditto mendoza.
At least mendoza isn't afraidto say what needs to be said in
the post game and he shows thefans that he actually gives a
rip.
He will constantly say we needto get better, we are better, we
(22:00):
need to play better, we need toplay like we are better.
He'll call out the pitching.
He's not afraid to keep guysaccountable, and maybe it's
because he has some younger guyson the roster, but also I think
the players that he has on theroster are no wimps and I think
they like to be coached hard.
(22:20):
He isn't afraid to not be yourfriend and understands that he's
trying to win baseball gamesand will say what needs to be
said to get the best out of you.
Even if it's not working, atleast he's acting like a manager
of a team that has expectations, because Aaron Boone is out
(22:43):
here talking like he's running aday camp.
Every loss is tough, everyplayer is close, every blown
lead is just part of the grind.
Someone goes 0 for 4 and theyhad a lot of good swings.
My brother in Christ, you'rethird in the division.
Your bullpen is a haunted houseand the fans are turning on you
(23:05):
.
Read the room, say somethingreal, get mad and don't just
slam the desk in an interview.
Hold somebody, hold somebodyaccountable, pretend like you
care, because right now Mendoza,by a landslide, is first in the
city manager power rankings,and that's saying something,
(23:27):
considering how both teams arecircling the drain right now.
Jesus, all right, all, allright, all right, all right.
I got it out of me.
Let's end this segment on a muchmore positive note.
Kind of Shohei Otani, who Icannot stand, but am willing to
(23:50):
give credit where credit is due.
He just keeps doing things thatmake no sense.
He had his 1,000th career hitthis week, and of course it was
a moonshot home run his 39th ofthe year, by the way, oh, by the
way.
And on top of it he also struckout eight batters over four
(24:12):
innings and hit 100 miles perhour on the gun six times.
This guy, this guy's a unicorn,he's a cheat code, he's a
glitch in the baseball matrix,and I can appreciate how good he
is, but I also cannot stand howgood he is.
(24:33):
I feel like I'm watching TomBrady all over again.
By the way, the Dodgers lostthat game, which that's a whole
different issue.
But Otani's season justcontinues to defy logic, and
I've run out of adjective atthis point.
So let's just call him what heis he's the most valuable player
in the world again.
(24:53):
Is he's the most valuableplayer in the world again?
Lastly, a quiet little move thatactually speaks volumes.
The red socks just gave rookieoutfielder roman anthony an
eight year, 130 million dollarextension, with some escalations
up to 230, but he's only 21.
(25:16):
He's barely into his seasondebut and Boston saw enough to
lock him down.
They're taking a page right outof Atlanta's playbook and
giving a young stud money early,but in my opinion this doesn't
actually make them look as goodas they think it does.
You throw money at a guy who'sriding the bus in AAA and making
(25:41):
peanuts, of course he's goingto sign the deal.
He would have signed it inblood if you asked him to.
Why didn't you do this withDevers?
Why didn't you do this withBogarts or Mookie?
Don't be fooled.
This is a ball club takingadvantage of a young player.
Look, I'm not turning my noseup to $130 million, but if he
(26:02):
turns out to be as good as heprojects to be in the next
couple years, which it lookslike he's going to his contract
is going to be pennies onpennies on the dollar and then
he's going to be sitting around,looking around and asking
himself why didn't I get $400million?
They can sell it to the fans,however they want of building
new young talent with Duran andRoman Anthony and yada, yada,
(26:25):
yada, but I don't know.
From my point of view, it justseems like they're taking
advantage of another young kid.
So, to sum up, the Yankees areunraveling like a bargain bin
sweater, the Mets are graspingfor air and their manager is
trying to keep the ship upright.
(26:46):
Otani continues to just beridiculous and the Red Sox lock
up a young stud hoping that hecan be the face of a franchise.
Baseball season ain't dead yet,but here in New York, patience
is running thin.
We got fantasy football comingup next Quarterbacks and tight
(27:06):
ends, some value picks, maybeeven a little league for the
listeners.
Stick around, check it out.
So last week we talked aboutthe flashy stuff the touchdowns,
(27:33):
the breakaways, the 60-yardsprints, the one-handed grabs.
You guys know what I'm talkingabout the wides, the breakaways,
the 60-yard sprints, theone-handed grabs.
You guys know what I'm talkingabout the wide receivers and the
running backs, the sex appeal,if you will, of fantasy football
.
But this week, this week, we'regetting under the hood.
We're talking about thequarterbacks and tight ends, the
(27:54):
guys that can make or breakyour fantasy team, the generals
on the field and their safetyvalves underneath, because every
good fantasy team needs afoundation and that means
building your roster aroundplayers you can actually trust
week to week, not just the oneswith the pretty highlight tapes.
(28:15):
So let's start with who you cantrust under center.
Do you want steady productionor do you want the boomer bust?
Lamar Jackson was the goldstandard last year.
He had the highest average, thehighest floor, most consistent
elite quarterback in fantasy.
(28:36):
You drafted him high and hepaid off.
And Jalen Hurts wasn't farbehind either.
Even his down weeks, hisrushing upside kept you afloat.
Plus the tush push will giveyou that six-point rushing
touchdown.
And also surprising name on thelist shout out to Baker Mayfield
(28:58):
.
Yes, really, baker MayfieldQuietly posted a high QB1 rate
and showed up when it countedthe most Consistency people
that's what matters in fantasyfootball, not the big name, the
guys who score a consistentamount of points every week.
(29:18):
So guys like Josh Allen I knowhis name is up there, but
technically he's a boomer bustquarterback.
You either won your week by 30or probably lost, because he
threw three picks and only ranfor 11 yards and then took a
(29:39):
couple knees because they wereup so big.
Jared Goff also erratic,despite having great numbers and
finishing at QB7, he gave you28 one week and nine the next.
And trust me, I know this thisfirsthand.
I'm in a 16 man auction leagueand I drafted him first as my
(30:04):
starting QB and then, towardsthe end of the draft, snagged
Jaden Daniels for five dollarsand every goddamn week it was a
struggle on who I would play.
Anthony Richardson is anothername on that list and honestly
not worth the headache.
He's Jalen, hurts light but hereally can't pass and he's
(30:28):
always hurt.
The running appeal is nice andscoring touchdowns, rushing
touchdowns, is nice, but hecan't ever stay on the field.
Not to mention guys like BurrowPurdy and Bryce Young.
They're kind of sneakylandmines.
They're pocket passers with alittle bit of variance problems.
(30:53):
Look, even though Jamar Chasewon the Triple Crown in
receiving last year, burroughsstill had a couple lackluster
games.
And Purdy no, cmc is pedestrian.
I mean he'll be back this year.
We'll see how he is.
But now we just lost DeboSamuel and Bryce Young, even
though it looked like he mighthave kind of figured it out
(31:15):
later in the season.
And the Panthers have great redzone percentage.
He's a waiver wire pickup atbest.
I actually have a lot of stockin their new number one,
tetratoa McMillan.
I love him this year, but as aday-in, day-out fantasy
(31:35):
quarterback you can definitelydo better than Bryce.
So the question is, do you wantfireworks or do you want steady
wins?
Because here are somelate-round quarterbacks you
actually should be targetingwhile everybody else is
panicking and you can steal somestuds.
(31:57):
Not everybody's going to walkaway with Lamar Mahomes who, by
the way, mahomes, I think isgoing to have a great year,
fantasy-wise, this year they gotembarrassed in the Super Bowl
and the past couple of yearsthey came out slow, beating
teams by a couple points hereand there, just stacking wins
(32:18):
when they could.
I have a good feeling that thisyear they're going to come out
guns blazing.
But if you wait on quarterback,like I often do here is who I'm
probably going to be targetingin those later rounds, is who
I'm probably going to betargeting in those later rounds.
Jj McCarthy, rookie or not,doesn't scare me and I know
(32:43):
rookies scare people.
But Look, he's got good weaponsaround him.
He's got some sneaky mobilityand no pressure, great line
smart scheme.
He's got a great pass-catching,tight end in Hawkinson and
(33:03):
either the number one or numbertwo wide receiver in the league
between him and Chase, dependingon how you want to rank him,
the league between him and Chase, depending on how you want to
rank him.
And he sat because of injuryall last year and learned a
whole year on the bench, whichis something that not a lot of
high-drafted rookies get to donowadays and I think that's an
invaluable experience.
(33:27):
Next on the list Dak Prescott.
I know, I know, I know stilldisrespected, but when he's
healthy he's still efficient and, honestly, he's got a top five
ceiling for quarterbacks withthe addition of Pickens,
(33:47):
regardless of the head case thathe is CeeDee Lamb and George
Pickens on the same team on thesame offense, with Dak throwing
them the ball.
They can't double cover both.
This offense is going to besome fireworks and Dak is going
to flourish.
I really do believe that JustinHerbert get the injury discount
(34:11):
.
He's going late.
You got Jim Harbaugh, you got anew OC and you got breakout
star Ladd McConkie trying tomake a big name for himself.
So if you're ignoring QB, hiscurrent ADP average draft
position for those that don'tknow what ADP means is about the
(34:33):
9th to 11th round right now,and Big Bird has averaged about
4,000 yards passing over thelast three years.
If I can get a guy like that inthe 9th or 11th or 10th or 12th
round, yeah, sign me up.
Or 11th or 10th or 12th round,yeah, sign me up.
(35:04):
Drake May I'm conflicted withDrake May.
I loved Drake May in collegeand he has a huge ceiling and a
lot of people.
He's actually really, reallygood.
He he didn't a lot of peopledon't know this.
He actually had offers good togo to a couple sec schools and
the only reason that he went tounc is because both of his
parents went there and he wantedto continue their legacy.
(35:25):
Otherwise, if drake may wasplaying in you know, flor,
florida or TCU or something withthat talent, he could have been
putting up numbers.
So new coach in Vrabel doesn'tturn the ball over much and he
can kind of run when he needs to.
(35:46):
Drake May has a good breakoutpotential this year.
Cj Stroud look, he had hissophomore slump last year but he
might make the lead this year.
Nico Collins is a beast and ifTank Dell and a couple other
(36:06):
guys can stay healthy, if theycan run the ball a little bit,
man he can sling it, and NicoCollins is always good for a
deep ball.
And now the name that nobodywants to hear, but they know
that I'm right Geno Smith.
(36:27):
Look, say what you want, saywhat you want, but he's steady.
He's been in the league a whileso he understands the game.
He has the best tight end inthe league in Brock Bowers and
they just drafted a true blueworkhorse in Ashton Janty.
(36:49):
Teams are going to have tostack the box against him, which
is going to open up passinglanes and Pete Carroll is
looking for one last crack ofthe egg.
I know the Raiders division issuper tough, but they might
actually be a dark horse team tomake some noise.
(37:12):
So when the big guys come offthe board and the rest of your
league is panicking to get a qb,any one of those late round
guys could be a great grab and astarter and you can stack
dominant running backs andreceivers while the rest of your
(37:33):
league mates panic and snagshitty quarterbacks.
Remember, it's not about thename, it's about the system,
it's about the weapons aroundthem, it's about the floor and
the consistency.
Now, speaking of consistency,let's talk about the most
(37:55):
disrespected position in all offantasy tight ends.
You know the deal you eithertake trey mcbride with your
first or second pick or you'rescrambling by week four because
you're streaming Cole Clementand hoping to get a red zone
target.
But I'm here to tell you thatthere are some tight ends that
(38:21):
actually play in a friendlysystem, that actually support
fantasy value.
It's time we start draftingbased on scheme, not on name,
and the one we're going to startwith here is David Njoku.
Okay, every single year Njokufalls and falls, and he's that
(38:43):
name that gets thrown around asa third-tier tight end, or it's
the guy that gets picked up anddropped by every single team
during the year just to filltheir buy spot.
But for the last four yearshe's averaged about seven to
eight hundred yards and he's gotabout eight touchdowns to ten
touchdowns a year.
That's a lot of red zone owntargets.
(39:06):
Stefanski, their new OC, knowshow to use a tight end and their
options at quarterback rightnow are either Joe Flacco or
probably Shador Sanders.
So you're either going to get astatue that can't move and is
looking for a dump off or arookie who is probably going to
(39:32):
struggle a little bit with hisreads and Njoku is going to just
sit in the flat and be open fortargets.
Same division, same position.
Mark Andrews is still the guy,despite dropping that
game-winning pass last year, butIsaiah likely fractured his
(39:54):
foot and he's going to bequestionable for week one, not
to mention ramp up time andgetting used to the offense
again.
Lamar loves to take off and run, but Lamar also loves his tight
ends and he loves to act likehe's gonna run and then dump it
off to his tight ends.
Andrews is a solid, solid tightend.
(40:17):
Everybody thinks bad of himbecause of that drop pass, but
he's a monster.
He's currently the seventhranked tight end and he's going
in the eighth round.
Do you know how many greatplayers you can get before him
while all your league matesscramble to grab a tight end?
And you can grab Mark Andrewsin the seventh.
(40:39):
That's beautiful.
Sign me up for that all day.
Lastly, new England.
This is a long shot and itcould be ugly overall, but Rabel
and McDaniels reuniting, beingunder Belichick during the years
of Gronk and Hernandez.
Hunter Henry, he could have achance to quietly put up some
(41:04):
numbers.
But he's definitely last onthis list for a reason, so don't
bank your season on him.
But could be a pretty solidpickup if nobody drafts him Now.
Those are the good guys to getafter Now.
The teams to avoid with tightend.
(41:25):
This is very important.
Denver, I know.
I know when you hear SeanPayton you think offensive guru
and I know when you hear my nextstatement you're going to laugh
at me.
Sean Payton actually hatestight ends.
Okay, all right.
(41:48):
Well, look, he doesn't hatethem.
But historically he uses themas a decoy to draw the safety
over the middle, to get the widereceiver one open and I can
hear you now I can hear you.
You're saying ian, you're,you're an idiot, you don't know
what you're talking about.
(42:08):
What about all those years with, uh, with Jimmy Graham?
And yes, jimmy Graham was anabsolute freak of an athlete in
an era of football when teamsdidn't know how to cover the
tight end and the offense was assimple as tight end release,
two-step drop, get it in hishands and watch him go.
(42:31):
But remember when they didn'twant to pay him because he was
trying to list himself as areceiver and then he had to
settle for tight end money.
Remember, a couple years later,when Sean Payton traded him to
Seattle for two linemen and thenhe went on to fizzle out in
(42:52):
Seattle?
Remember, even during thoseyears when Jimmy was a beast,
that guys like Marcus Colson andKenny Stills were putting up
monster numbers too.
Do not fall for the trap.
Do not be fooled, fooled.
Denver signed evan ingram.
(43:14):
Let someone else else draft him.
Let someone else draft him.
Evan ingram couldn't figure itout with the giants, couldn't
figure it out with jacksville,maybe a little bit.
Now he's going to be in thisdenver offense with a tight end.
That uh coach that knows how touse tight end.
No, no, no, no.
Cortland Sutton is the guy overthere.
Let someone else draft him andthen you can write me, send me a
(43:38):
DM and saying thank you.
Thank you for helping me in myleague.
I really appreciate it.
And the other trap is Chicago.
Ben Johnson's scheme is widereceiver heavy and I know we all
watched Sam Laporta rip up theleague two years ago.
(43:58):
But then teams figured out thathe's no slouch and Ben Johnson
did the same thing that SeanPayton did and focused on Amun
Ra and, surprise, he had acareer year last year.
So now he goes to an offensewhere his starting tight end is
Cole Komet who, if he usedLaporta to block Komet's going
(44:21):
to be blocking 85% of snaps justto give Caleb as much time as
possible.
So avoid it entirely.
He may end up with theoccasional touchdown here and
there, but when he's on thewaiver wire and you need a
pickup act like you, don't evensee his name.
I trust me.
(44:42):
Okay, and now I'm going to giveyou a little bonus tip too.
Everyone always wants to chasethe quarterback wide receiver
stack because you know you getthe touchdown.
They threw the touchdown, theyreceive.
No, the real stack to win yourleague is the quarterback tight
(45:04):
end stack.
If you can stack a stable lateround quarterback with like a
mid-tier tight end from the sameteam.
There is so much value thereand nobody sees it.
The guys you should be thinkingof are like cj shroud and
dalton schultz, or like uhrogers and pat fryer muth, or
(45:30):
maybe, if you pay a little extrafor jayden jayden daniels and
then you pick up zach ertz look,it's not sexy, but I promise
you, while everybody else ischasing that quarterback wide
receiver stack, that late roundtight end quarterback stack is
what's going to win you yourleague.
(45:52):
And last but not least, beforewe wrap this up, I'm working on
putting together a little uhlistener fantasy football league
.
I had a couple people tap in onthe wednesday mic check, but
we're still looking to fill someslots.
So if you're interested injoining, hit me up on Instagram
(46:14):
or drop a comment here.
We'll make it fun.
We'll.
We'll build some rivalries,some bragging rights.
Anyone who joins, if you feelcomfortable with it, we can do a
quick little interview on thepod.
And you know what?
I'll even sweeten the pot.
I'll do a giveaway for thewinner, maybe an autographed
(46:36):
card or a jersey of a player onthe winning team.
I think that sounds fair.
And don't forget, the fullfantasy football episode is
dropping in the next coupleweeks.
Full fantasy football episodeis dropping in the next couple
weeks.
Full draft strategy, fullrankings, all the sleepers to
help you dominate your leaguemates.
You're not going to want tomiss it.
(46:58):
And by listening now you'realready ahead of the curve.
So there you have itQuarterbacks who you can trust,
tight ends you shouldn't draft,and a listener league brewing
for the real ones who staythrough the fantasy talk.
Keep those draft boards sharp,because winning your league
starts right here.
(47:19):
And just like that.
Another week is in the books.
Episode 25 man time flies whenyou're having fun.
And just like that.
Another week is in the books.
Episode 25, man Time flies whenyou're having fun.
We covered everything fromcontract chaos in Dallas, dak
(47:39):
saying fuck man, like it's agroup chat breakup, maybe even a
potential Jets-Dallas trade onthe horizon.
Hit the Mets and Yankeesdumpster fire.
Like I was personally offendedbecause I actually am and look,
I'm not a Yankees fan, butsomehow I still find myself
yelling at Aaron Boone like heowes me money.
Meanwhile the Mets are doingtheir usual August disappearing
(48:03):
act.
But hey, at least CarlosMendoza looks like he actually
might have a backbone, threwsome flowers at Shohei and
congratulated Roman Anthony ongetting his bag, and Gavin
Williams nearly got himself inthe Mets history books for all
the wrong reasons.
Of course, we went deep on somefantasy Tall quarterback
(48:24):
consistency, tight ends thatactually might matter, a couple
late round QBs that will eitherwin you your league or ruin your
Sunday.
And we're also cooking up alistener league.
So if you're down to play, youknow where to find me.
You enjoy the episodes.
Make sure you're following onthe Instagram, at rice on the
(48:44):
radio, jump in the DMs, leave acomment and honestly rate the
show on whatever platform you'relistening on.
Quick little five stars don'thurt nobody, but it really helps
me.
New episodes drop every weekand I appreciate every single
one of you who tunes in, sharesthe pod or just lets it roll in
the background while you'repretending to work.
(49:06):
That's love, love.
So until next time, as always,spread good energy and tell
someone you love them.
I'm Ian Rice.
This has been Rice on the Mics.
I guess there's only one way to find out.
Let's do it to it right.
5, 4, 3, 2, 1, 0.
All engines running Liftoff.
We have a liftoff, well, well,well.
Another week and here we are.
Everybody We've got corporatetakeovers, contract tantrums and
(00:25):
two New York baseball teamsfighting to see who can hit rock
bottom harder.
Spoiler, they're both doing adamn good job of it.
Welcome back Rice on a Mike'sepisode.
25, quarter century mark, andsomehow it's not even week one
yet.
Today's show is a three-layerdip of sports madness.
(00:45):
First we got NFL drama straightoff the boardroom floor.
Espn has taken over red zone.
If they mess with Scott Hanson,we will riot.
Then back to New York, wherethe Yankees are free-falling and
the Mets are quietly even worse.
But hey, at least CarlosMendoza isn't afraid to let his
(01:05):
players know exactly what's what, unlike Boone dancing around
the subject.
And to close it out, since wecovered wide receivers and
running backs last week, thisweek we're talking quarterbacks
and tight ends for your 2025fantasy football drafts who you
can trust, who's lying to youand which late-round picks might
just win you your league.
Shout-out to Pete Alonzo forinching closer and closer to
(01:28):
Darryl Strawberry's Mets homerun record, even if the Mets did
get swept nearly no hit andSoto pimped a ninth-inning solo
shot, that meant absolutelynothing.
No, I won't spend 10 minutesdebating it.
Yes, I am still going to bringit up.
Dag Prescott, out here stickingup for Micah Judge is back in
(01:49):
the lineup, but not in the field.
The golden boy Otani doingsuperhero things in a loss and
the Red Sox finally acting likea big market team, just as long
as the guy hasn't gotten tooexpensive just yet.
Oh, and one more thing beforewe dive in, I'm working on a
listener fantasy league for thisseason.
So if you've been following thepod, liking the content and you
(02:13):
want to join the league, shootme a DM.
We'll draft, we'll talk trashand maybe, just maybe, someone
will be able to T-thrown theking.
But for now, let's get rightinto it.
Tranquility Base here the Eaglehas landed.
(02:35):
Let's start with what might bethe most quietly massive NFL
story of the summer.
And no, it's not a holdout,it's a buyout.
Espn is officially acquiringNFL Network, Red Zone and the
(02:56):
league's fantasy platform in ablockbuster deal that gives the
NFL a 10% equity stake in ESPNitself.
So what does that mean?
Well, essentially, the leaguejust bought a chunk of its own
hype machine, which is somethingI've kind of always had a
little bit of a problem withwith ESPN bet.
(03:16):
How can you guys own a bettingplatform but also have the media
machine to influence people howto bet?
But that's a story for adifferent day.
Right now let's break it down.
So ESPN gets full linear anddigital control of NFL Network,
(03:40):
aka NFL Films, and all thereplay rights.
They get exclusive rightsdistribute red zone, which there
might be talks of them doing acollege style red zone.
They get the official NFLfantasy football platform, which
, if you've updated your phonerecently, you can see that the
logo has changed and it'ssmothered with ads.
(04:04):
They get three more NFL gamesper year, which I don't know
where they're going to come from.
I mean, are they going to stealsome Thursday night games from
Amazon or are they gettingplayoff games?
Is is this like a foreshadow ofa 20-week season coming?
I don't know where those threegames are coming from, but
here's what we get.
Well, we get a $30 a monthstreaming bill if you don't
(04:29):
already have access to ESPN orsomething on some form of cable,
because they plan on rollingout their own streaming services
and that's besides ESPN Plus,by the way we get an ominous
feeling of global domination inour chest and the existential
question is Scott Hansen safe?
(04:50):
Because I'm going to say thiswith as much calm and control as
I can muster If they get rid ofScott Hansen, we riot, we flip
the desk, we burn the redcouches, riot, we flip the desk,
we burn the red couches.
I don't care if the games arein 8k, with ai play by play,
(05:11):
tracking how much a player sweatin the first quarter.
I want my seven hours ofcommercial free football and I
need it narrated by the voice ofgod in a gray suit.
If I have to learn a new redzone host cadence or listen to a
cut from Stephen A in week one,I'm out.
I'm out Well, not really, butI'll complain a lot and you guys
(05:34):
will be forced to listen to it.
So, speaking of complaints,let's talk about Micah Parsons,
who's turned his Cowboys hold ininto a full-on Moses parting
the Red Sea divide in Dallas.
Parsons hasn't practiced, hehasn't budged, he hasn't even
heard from Jerry Jones.
(05:54):
And when your boss won't callyour agent but will go on record
reminding everybody that you'vemissed time with some injuries,
I'm going to say things are nottrending well for this contract
.
And then Parson laid it all outthere, posted a thousand-word
statement, screenshotting fromhis Notes app like a regular
human being, calling the Jonesfamily out directly, made his
(06:18):
trade request public andessentially said you want to
talk, call my agent.
Until then, I'm watchingpractice in sweats.
And now to add more gasoline onthe fire, when Dak Prescott got
asked about it, mr Company manhimself, just a two-word blunt
message Fuck man.
(06:38):
That's the quote.
That's it.
No team spin.
No, we're focused on camp.
We're all trying to get better.
Just a quarterback who's beenthrough his own contract, tug of
war with Jerry Jones andwatching his franchise mess it
up again and, honestly, sayingexactly what every Cowboy fan is
thinking I don't know wherethis goes.
(07:00):
I don't know if Jerry blinks.
I mean I don't know where thisgoes.
I don't know of Jerry Blanks.
I mean he usually does two daysbefore the season, but this one
feels different.
What I do know is that if youalienate your best pass rusher
and your franchise quarterbackin the same offseason, that is a
recipe for disaster.
(07:20):
You better hope CeeDee Lamb hasan arm because he might have to
get called in.
But all right, we'll go from onenfc east team to bring it at
home to the locals, and we'regoing to start with the giants,
where malik neighbors justcontinues to look like the best
(07:41):
player on the field.
Every day he's out there.
Yes, he's been load managedwith a little bit of a toe issue
, and, yes, he took a shouldershot earlier in camp, but none
of it has slowed him down at all.
He has been torching thecorners, he's been going against
and he's building somechemistry with Russell Wilson,
(08:03):
which is good for the team, goodfor morale.
Most importantly, though, he'sdoing this all with zero drama,
no bullshit in the interviews,no, nothing, which was not his
case last year.
He wanted the ball andcomplained about it religiously
last year.
Well, russell Wilson is goingto make sure to get it to him.
(08:23):
Wilson even called him one ofthe best in the world to do it,
so that's a good sign, I guess.
Right, look, I'll be honest incamp time one of the best in the
world to do it usually soundslike fluff, especially coming
from Mr Unlimited himself, butwatch the tape on neighbors.
(08:44):
I mean, this kid is justdifferent.
The burst, the size, the balltracking, body control, it's all
there.
He's got it all.
If he stays healthy, he's goingto be a big problem, problem
for defenses, problem forfantasy owners who pass on him,
and maybe even a problem forGarrett Wilson, who is fighting
(09:08):
for the best wide receiver inNew York.
Speaking of the Jets, well, nota ton of updates this week.
Justin Fields still workingthrough the toe issue, but he's
been back at practice and he ledthat two-minute drill TD drive
on Tuesday, so things arelooking all right.
His passing hasn't been great,but I feel like Justin Fields is
(09:32):
more of a game-time quarterbackthan a practice-time
quarterback.
Honestly, the biggest storylinefrom the rumor mills and really
the only reason I've beenbringing up Micah and the
Cowboys so much is the traderumors of the Cowboys wanting
(09:52):
Brees Hall.
Look, they wanted to draft himin 2022, but they took the
lineman instead in the firstround, which was the right move.
They were trying to protect Dakand the Jets almost tripped
over themselves running up tothe podium in the second round
to grab him.
Look, I love the kid, he'selectric, but because of
(10:14):
circumstances out of his control, he seems to be on the chopping
block.
I talked about it last week whowould be the next rookie to get
paid?
And although there seems to bethis running back resurgence
that has happened in the leaguelately, the bottom line is this
(10:34):
it's a new GM, it's a new coach.
They didn't draft him and theyhave other talented running
backs in the room that theyreally seem to like and, being
as he was drafted in the secondround, he's not eligible for
that 50-year option.
(10:55):
So I'm just going to throw thisout there how about a trade
package for Micah, with himbeing the star in it?
I mean, it wouldn't be theworst idea in the world.
Stay with me, listen.
He's somebody the Cowboysalready wanted.
He's on a contract year, sohe's going to go out there.
He's going to stay healthybecause that's always what
happens and he's going to playhis ass off for a contract.
(11:17):
And if it really is asemi-rebuilding year for the
Jets, this could be a great moveto bolster the defense and give
their defensive minded headcoach a huge weapon to utilize.
They would have the cap spaceto be able to pay him, which cap
space in the NFL is a jokeanyway, but they would be able
(11:37):
to pay him what he wants.
And look, I'm not saying thatit wouldn't be a hard pill to
swallow to get rid of Brees.
But if I told you I mean, look,you got to give to get right.
And if I told you you couldtrade Curtis Martin for Joe
Klecko, do you think you'd beable to pull the trigger While
(11:59):
also knowing that you have a guylike Bilal Powell waiting in
the wings?
This is no shade on CurtisMartin.
Curtis Martin is the only JetJersey that I own.
Him and Corbett are the onlytwo worth owning in my
33-year-old career here.
It's something to think about.
Look, the Cowboys desperatelyneed a running back.
(12:21):
They need to get Dak back tothe form that he was in with
Zeke and the Jets.
I mean having Quinton Williamsand Micah Parsons on the same
D-line.
Jesus, I mean that honestly,that might be enough to turn the
team from a maybe to a hell.
Yeah, it would hurt to seeBrees go, but, man, it would be
(12:51):
so good to see a defense ripsomebody's head off once, anyway
.
So to sum it up, red zone mightbe run by Mickey Mouse next
year.
Dallas is playing chicken withits best defender and probably
going to lose.
The Giants have a stud widereceiver and a half-decent
(13:13):
quarterback, but a terribleschedule, and the Jets are
quietly building a culture, toget this franchise back to being
respectable Fantasy managers.
Stay tuned.
That's coming up later, butright now baseball, baseball,
needs a moment because New Yorkis down bad.
(13:41):
Okay, now I'm going to saysomething that might shock a few
of you.
I'm not a Yankees fan, not evena little bit, but I am about to
rant like one.
So if you're driving, maybepull over.
If you're on the treadmill,maybe take it down a notch,
(14:04):
because this is going to be forthe pinstripe faithful.
What the hell is going on inthe Bronx?
The Yankees are in full freefall right now.
They don't know which way is upinning they're in, how many
(14:26):
outs they're already in inning,how to go halfway on an infield
fly.
Honestly, they don't even knowwho's in charge anymore.
The leadership is gone and thevibes?
The vibes are worse than a guyat a party that won't leave you
alone.
They've dropped to third intheir division, third, and now
(14:47):
now they're only up a half agame for the final wild card
spot in the American League.
There's a real, genuine chance,if this trend continues, that
this team misses the playoffsentirely.
Do you know how insane that is?
After the first half that theyhad, after the way that Judge
and Freed started the season,and Goldie and Belly and don't
(15:12):
give me the injury excuse either.
Everyone's got injuries.
Hell.
The Mets have used 44 differentpitchers this year.
This is a team that made majorbullpen acquisitions at the
deadline Bednar Doval, jake Byrdand somehow it seems that
they've managed to get worse.
They got swept by the Marlinsfor the first time in franchise
(15:36):
history and then follow that up.
They go into a huge seriesagainst the Rangers who are
chasing right behind them in thewild card standings.
They blow game one in partbecause Freed continues to
struggle with blisters.
Back issues can't locate,whatever it is.
You can't lose a max Freedstart.
Then game two they getcompletely shut out.
(15:59):
That's great.
And game three, you barelysqueak by winning 3-2.
Boone, for some reason, isafraid to hurt the guy's
feelings and continues to justtrot out.
Devin Williams, in high-levelsituations, like Bendar, is
itching to get into the game andthen in game three, when he
(16:20):
finally gets in, it's a 45-pitchfive-out save for him.
What are we doing?
It's embarrassing and honestly,it's.
It's really.
It's not even the results, it'sthe body language, it's the
post-game quotes, it's AaronBoone giving off the energy of a
man reading off someone else'svows like the same old coach be
(16:43):
game after game after game, itit's unbearable.
There's no accountability.
We can speculate and say, ohyou know, we don't know what's
going on in the clubhouse behindclosed doors.
But honestly, you don't need tospeculate.
You can tell by the play in thefield.
It seems like guys are justdoing whatever they want and
everyone else is scared to callthe guys out on the things that
(17:05):
they're doing wrong.
There's no fire, there's noadjustments, there's no pulse,
just a slow fade into October.
Irrelevance a team that makesthe playoffs every year and
we're over 500 every yearhaven't had a losing record in
20 years.
And oh, we went to the worldseries last year.
(17:27):
So they rest on their laurelsand believe, oh, we're the
yankees, of course we'll bethere, of course we'll be in the
alcs.
I got news for you guys the almight be weak, but you guys
aren't the bully in this leagueanymore.
Houston has always had yournumber for one and you've got a
(17:50):
big series coming up with them.
Detroit is now a legitimateball club with a couple aces and
a couple really good players.
Cleveland would love to getback at you after you sent them
home last year and then in yourown division, toronto and Boston
would love nothing more than tobeat you down for all the years
(18:12):
that you've put it on them.
This is the problem with beingthe big bad wolf for all these
years.
Eventually, when you take yourfoot off the gas, the chickens
come home to roost this team.
The Yankees need a seriouswake-up call or a jolt or
something from somewhere, andhonestly, I have no idea where
(18:32):
it's going to come from.
Spencer Jones yeah, that's agood idea.
Let's put more pressure on arookie that worked out well for
Dominguez and Volpe, right.
And, and you know what, let'sswing across town, because the
Mets aren't exempt from thisrage either.
The Mets, god bless them.
The Mets managed, god, theymanaged to get nearly no hit in
(18:56):
the same week that they blewmultiple leads and got swept by
Cleveland.
That's now eight losses in ninegames.
Thank God the Yankees are asbad as they are, because if it
was, if it was business as usualfor the Yankees, the media
around the Mets would bedisastrous.
All that momentum they hadafter the deadline, that seven
(19:16):
game win streak, yeah, that'sgone.
And the Mets, who, in my opinion, actually won the trade
deadline, added Cedric Mullins,a real bat and a real center
fielder, beefed up their bullpenwith Tyler Rogers, gregory Soto
and Ryan Helsley Guess what?
They're now behind the Philliesand the NL East by two and a
half games and they're spiralingagain.
(19:40):
They came this close to gettingno hit by the guardians rookie
gavin williams rookie took ano-no into the ninth before soto
broke it up with a solo homerun.
That was almost the ninth nohitter in mets history against
them and by a franchise whohasn't had a no-hitter since
(20:04):
1981 against a rookie.
For God's sakes, historicfranchise folks.
Real banners being put up there.
Let me tell you the big FabFour Cohen's own.
They almost got no hit.
And honestly, don't get mestarted on Soto pimping that
home run.
Look, part of me is glad thathe did it because he kind of
(20:27):
embodied the like a little bitof like fuck you fire of you're
not going to do this to my ballclub, but like at the same time
Mr Juan Solo, not Juan Soto,because all of his home runs are
solo shots.
Mr Juan Solo, that's not thetime to pimp it right there.
How about we have a first andsecond down two runs and you
(20:52):
crank a shot.
Then you can pimp it.
Throw the bat into the goddamnstands if you want.
Oh God, I'm here to yell abouthim, but I'm also here to offer
some optimism.
The hitting will come okay.
Soto and Lindor and Pete areall animals in the postseason.
(21:13):
The pitching is starting to gethealthy.
Minaya and Sanga and Petersonare all solid options and you
really only need three guys inthe postseason and the bullpen
is now elite.
But for the love of God, boys,please can we knock a single
(21:34):
with men on first and second?
God?
And I just want to go back tothe leadership aspect of it.
From before, I will give creditto mendoza.
At least mendoza isn't afraidto say what needs to be said in
the post game and he shows thefans that he actually gives a
rip.
He will constantly say we needto get better, we are better, we
(22:00):
need to play better, we need toplay like we are better.
He'll call out the pitching.
He's not afraid to keep guysaccountable, and maybe it's
because he has some younger guyson the roster, but also I think
the players that he has on theroster are no wimps and I think
they like to be coached hard.
(22:20):
He isn't afraid to not be yourfriend and understands that he's
trying to win baseball gamesand will say what needs to be
said to get the best out of you.
Even if it's not working, atleast he's acting like a manager
of a team that has expectations, because Aaron Boone is out
(22:43):
here talking like he's running aday camp.
Every loss is tough, everyplayer is close, every blown
lead is just part of the grind.
Someone goes 0 for 4 and theyhad a lot of good swings.
My brother in Christ, you'rethird in the division.
Your bullpen is a haunted houseand the fans are turning on you
(23:05):
.
Read the room, say somethingreal, get mad and don't just
slam the desk in an interview.
Hold somebody, hold somebodyaccountable, pretend like you
care, because right now Mendoza,by a landslide, is first in the
city manager power rankings,and that's saying something,
(23:27):
considering how both teams arecircling the drain right now.
Jesus, all right, all, allright, all right, all right.
I got it out of me.
Let's end this segment on a muchmore positive note.
Kind of Shohei Otani, who Icannot stand, but am willing to
(23:50):
give credit where credit is due.
He just keeps doing things thatmake no sense.
He had his 1,000th career hitthis week, and of course it was
a moonshot home run his 39th ofthe year, by the way, oh, by the
way.
And on top of it he also struckout eight batters over four
(24:12):
innings and hit 100 miles perhour on the gun six times.
This guy, this guy's a unicorn,he's a cheat code, he's a
glitch in the baseball matrix,and I can appreciate how good he
is, but I also cannot stand howgood he is.
(24:33):
I feel like I'm watching TomBrady all over again.
By the way, the Dodgers lostthat game, which that's a whole
different issue.
But Otani's season justcontinues to defy logic, and
I've run out of adjective atthis point.
So let's just call him what heis he's the most valuable player
in the world again.
(24:53):
Is he's the most valuableplayer in the world again?
Lastly, a quiet little move thatactually speaks volumes.
The red socks just gave rookieoutfielder roman anthony an
eight year, 130 million dollarextension, with some escalations
up to 230, but he's only 21.
(25:16):
He's barely into his seasondebut and Boston saw enough to
lock him down.
They're taking a page right outof Atlanta's playbook and
giving a young stud money early,but in my opinion this doesn't
actually make them look as goodas they think it does.
You throw money at a guy who'sriding the bus in AAA and making
(25:41):
peanuts, of course he's goingto sign the deal.
He would have signed it inblood if you asked him to.
Why didn't you do this withDevers?
Why didn't you do this withBogarts or Mookie?
Don't be fooled.
This is a ball club takingadvantage of a young player.
Look, I'm not turning my noseup to $130 million, but if he
(26:02):
turns out to be as good as heprojects to be in the next
couple years, which it lookslike he's going to his contract
is going to be pennies onpennies on the dollar and then
he's going to be sitting around,looking around and asking
himself why didn't I get $400million?
They can sell it to the fans,however they want of building
new young talent with Duran andRoman Anthony and yada, yada,
(26:25):
yada, but I don't know.
From my point of view, it justseems like they're taking
advantage of another young kid.
So, to sum up, the Yankees areunraveling like a bargain bin
sweater, the Mets are graspingfor air and their manager is
trying to keep the ship upright.
(26:46):
Otani continues to just beridiculous and the Red Sox lock
up a young stud hoping that hecan be the face of a franchise.
Baseball season ain't dead yet,but here in New York, patience
is running thin.
We got fantasy football comingup next Quarterbacks and tight
(27:06):
ends, some value picks, maybeeven a little league for the
listeners.
Stick around, check it out.
So last week we talked aboutthe flashy stuff the touchdowns,
(27:33):
the breakaways, the 60-yardsprints, the one-handed grabs.
You guys know what I'm talkingabout the wides, the breakaways,
the 60-yard sprints, theone-handed grabs.
You guys know what I'm talkingabout the wide receivers and the
running backs, the sex appeal,if you will, of fantasy football
.
But this week, this week, we'regetting under the hood.
We're talking about thequarterbacks and tight ends, the
(27:54):
guys that can make or breakyour fantasy team, the generals
on the field and their safetyvalves underneath, because every
good fantasy team needs afoundation and that means
building your roster aroundplayers you can actually trust
week to week, not just the oneswith the pretty highlight tapes.
(28:15):
So let's start with who you cantrust under center.
Do you want steady productionor do you want the boomer bust?
Lamar Jackson was the goldstandard last year.
He had the highest average, thehighest floor, most consistent
elite quarterback in fantasy.
(28:36):
You drafted him high and hepaid off.
And Jalen Hurts wasn't farbehind either.
Even his down weeks, hisrushing upside kept you afloat.
Plus the tush push will giveyou that six-point rushing
touchdown.
And also surprising name on thelist shout out to Baker Mayfield
(28:58):
.
Yes, really, baker MayfieldQuietly posted a high QB1 rate
and showed up when it countedthe most Consistency people
that's what matters in fantasyfootball, not the big name, the
guys who score a consistentamount of points every week.
(29:18):
So guys like Josh Allen I knowhis name is up there, but
technically he's a boomer bustquarterback.
You either won your week by 30or probably lost, because he
threw three picks and only ranfor 11 yards and then took a
(29:39):
couple knees because they wereup so big.
Jared Goff also erratic,despite having great numbers and
finishing at QB7, he gave you28 one week and nine the next.
And trust me, I know this thisfirsthand.
I'm in a 16 man auction leagueand I drafted him first as my
(30:04):
starting QB and then, towardsthe end of the draft, snagged
Jaden Daniels for five dollarsand every goddamn week it was a
struggle on who I would play.
Anthony Richardson is anothername on that list and honestly
not worth the headache.
He's Jalen, hurts light but hereally can't pass and he's
(30:28):
always hurt.
The running appeal is nice andscoring touchdowns, rushing
touchdowns, is nice, but hecan't ever stay on the field.
Not to mention guys like BurrowPurdy and Bryce Young.
They're kind of sneakylandmines.
They're pocket passers with alittle bit of variance problems.
(30:53):
Look, even though Jamar Chasewon the Triple Crown in
receiving last year, burroughsstill had a couple lackluster
games.
And Purdy no, cmc is pedestrian.
I mean he'll be back this year.
We'll see how he is.
But now we just lost DeboSamuel and Bryce Young, even
though it looked like he mighthave kind of figured it out
(31:15):
later in the season.
And the Panthers have great redzone percentage.
He's a waiver wire pickup atbest.
I actually have a lot of stockin their new number one,
tetratoa McMillan.
I love him this year, but as aday-in, day-out fantasy
(31:35):
quarterback you can definitelydo better than Bryce.
So the question is, do you wantfireworks or do you want steady
wins?
Because here are somelate-round quarterbacks you
actually should be targetingwhile everybody else is
panicking and you can steal somestuds.
(31:57):
Not everybody's going to walkaway with Lamar Mahomes who, by
the way, mahomes, I think isgoing to have a great year,
fantasy-wise, this year they gotembarrassed in the Super Bowl
and the past couple of yearsthey came out slow, beating
teams by a couple points hereand there, just stacking wins
(32:18):
when they could.
I have a good feeling that thisyear they're going to come out
guns blazing.
But if you wait on quarterback,like I often do here is who I'm
probably going to be targetingin those later rounds, is who
I'm probably going to betargeting in those later rounds.
Jj McCarthy, rookie or not,doesn't scare me and I know
(32:43):
rookies scare people.
But Look, he's got good weaponsaround him.
He's got some sneaky mobilityand no pressure, great line
smart scheme.
He's got a great pass-catching,tight end in Hawkinson and
(33:03):
either the number one or numbertwo wide receiver in the league
between him and Chase, dependingon how you want to rank him,
the league between him and Chase, depending on how you want to
rank him.
And he sat because of injuryall last year and learned a
whole year on the bench, whichis something that not a lot of
high-drafted rookies get to donowadays and I think that's an
invaluable experience.
(33:27):
Next on the list Dak Prescott.
I know, I know, I know stilldisrespected, but when he's
healthy he's still efficient and, honestly, he's got a top five
ceiling for quarterbacks withthe addition of Pickens,
(33:47):
regardless of the head case thathe is CeeDee Lamb and George
Pickens on the same team on thesame offense, with Dak throwing
them the ball.
They can't double cover both.
This offense is going to besome fireworks and Dak is going
to flourish.
I really do believe that JustinHerbert get the injury discount
(34:11):
.
He's going late.
You got Jim Harbaugh, you got anew OC and you got breakout
star Ladd McConkie trying tomake a big name for himself.
So if you're ignoring QB, hiscurrent ADP average draft
position for those that don'tknow what ADP means is about the
(34:33):
9th to 11th round right now,and Big Bird has averaged about
4,000 yards passing over thelast three years.
If I can get a guy like that inthe 9th or 11th or 10th or 12th
round, yeah, sign me up.
Or 11th or 10th or 12th round,yeah, sign me up.
(35:04):
Drake May I'm conflicted withDrake May.
I loved Drake May in collegeand he has a huge ceiling and a
lot of people.
He's actually really, reallygood.
He he didn't a lot of peopledon't know this.
He actually had offers good togo to a couple sec schools and
the only reason that he went tounc is because both of his
parents went there and he wantedto continue their legacy.
(35:25):
Otherwise, if drake may wasplaying in you know, flor,
florida or TCU or something withthat talent, he could have been
putting up numbers.
So new coach in Vrabel doesn'tturn the ball over much and he
can kind of run when he needs to.
(35:46):
Drake May has a good breakoutpotential this year.
Cj Stroud look, he had hissophomore slump last year but he
might make the lead this year.
Nico Collins is a beast and ifTank Dell and a couple other
(36:06):
guys can stay healthy, if theycan run the ball a little bit,
man he can sling it, and NicoCollins is always good for a
deep ball.
And now the name that nobodywants to hear, but they know
that I'm right Geno Smith.
(36:27):
Look, say what you want, saywhat you want, but he's steady.
He's been in the league a whileso he understands the game.
He has the best tight end inthe league in Brock Bowers and
they just drafted a true blueworkhorse in Ashton Janty.
(36:49):
Teams are going to have tostack the box against him, which
is going to open up passinglanes and Pete Carroll is
looking for one last crack ofthe egg.
I know the Raiders division issuper tough, but they might
actually be a dark horse team tomake some noise.
(37:12):
So when the big guys come offthe board and the rest of your
league is panicking to get a qb,any one of those late round
guys could be a great grab and astarter and you can stack
dominant running backs andreceivers while the rest of your
(37:33):
league mates panic and snagshitty quarterbacks.
Remember, it's not about thename, it's about the system,
it's about the weapons aroundthem, it's about the floor and
the consistency.
Now, speaking of consistency,let's talk about the most
(37:55):
disrespected position in all offantasy tight ends.
You know the deal you eithertake trey mcbride with your
first or second pick or you'rescrambling by week four because
you're streaming Cole Clementand hoping to get a red zone
target.
But I'm here to tell you thatthere are some tight ends that
(38:21):
actually play in a friendlysystem, that actually support
fantasy value.
It's time we start draftingbased on scheme, not on name,
and the one we're going to startwith here is David Njoku.
Okay, every single year Njokufalls and falls, and he's that
(38:43):
name that gets thrown around asa third-tier tight end, or it's
the guy that gets picked up anddropped by every single team
during the year just to filltheir buy spot.
But for the last four yearshe's averaged about seven to
eight hundred yards and he's gotabout eight touchdowns to ten
touchdowns a year.
That's a lot of red zone owntargets.
(39:06):
Stefanski, their new OC, knowshow to use a tight end and their
options at quarterback rightnow are either Joe Flacco or
probably Shador Sanders.
So you're either going to get astatue that can't move and is
looking for a dump off or arookie who is probably going to
(39:32):
struggle a little bit with hisreads and Njoku is going to just
sit in the flat and be open fortargets.
Same division, same position.
Mark Andrews is still the guy,despite dropping that
game-winning pass last year, butIsaiah likely fractured his
(39:54):
foot and he's going to bequestionable for week one, not
to mention ramp up time andgetting used to the offense
again.
Lamar loves to take off and run, but Lamar also loves his tight
ends and he loves to act likehe's gonna run and then dump it
off to his tight ends.
Andrews is a solid, solid tightend.
(40:17):
Everybody thinks bad of himbecause of that drop pass, but
he's a monster.
He's currently the seventhranked tight end and he's going
in the eighth round.
Do you know how many greatplayers you can get before him
while all your league matesscramble to grab a tight end?
And you can grab Mark Andrewsin the seventh.
(40:39):
That's beautiful.
Sign me up for that all day.
Lastly, new England.
This is a long shot and itcould be ugly overall, but Rabel
and McDaniels reuniting, beingunder Belichick during the years
of Gronk and Hernandez.
Hunter Henry, he could have achance to quietly put up some
(41:04):
numbers.
But he's definitely last onthis list for a reason, so don't
bank your season on him.
But could be a pretty solidpickup if nobody drafts him Now.
Those are the good guys to getafter Now.
The teams to avoid with tightend.
(41:25):
This is very important.
Denver, I know.
I know when you hear SeanPayton you think offensive guru
and I know when you hear my nextstatement you're going to laugh
at me.
Sean Payton actually hatestight ends.
Okay, all right.
(41:48):
Well, look, he doesn't hatethem.
But historically he uses themas a decoy to draw the safety
over the middle, to get the widereceiver one open and I can
hear you now I can hear you.
You're saying ian, you're,you're an idiot, you don't know
what you're talking about.
(42:08):
What about all those years with, uh, with Jimmy Graham?
And yes, jimmy Graham was anabsolute freak of an athlete in
an era of football when teamsdidn't know how to cover the
tight end and the offense was assimple as tight end release,
two-step drop, get it in hishands and watch him go.
(42:31):
But remember when they didn'twant to pay him because he was
trying to list himself as areceiver and then he had to
settle for tight end money.
Remember, a couple years later,when Sean Payton traded him to
Seattle for two linemen and thenhe went on to fizzle out in
(42:52):
Seattle?
Remember, even during thoseyears when Jimmy was a beast,
that guys like Marcus Colson andKenny Stills were putting up
monster numbers too.
Do not fall for the trap.
Do not be fooled, fooled.
Denver signed evan ingram.
(43:14):
Let someone else else draft him.
Let someone else draft him.
Evan ingram couldn't figure itout with the giants, couldn't
figure it out with jacksville,maybe a little bit.
Now he's going to be in thisdenver offense with a tight end.
That uh coach that knows how touse tight end.
No, no, no, no.
Cortland Sutton is the guy overthere.
Let someone else draft him andthen you can write me, send me a
(43:38):
DM and saying thank you.
Thank you for helping me in myleague.
I really appreciate it.
And the other trap is Chicago.
Ben Johnson's scheme is widereceiver heavy and I know we all
watched Sam Laporta rip up theleague two years ago.
(43:58):
But then teams figured out thathe's no slouch and Ben Johnson
did the same thing that SeanPayton did and focused on Amun
Ra and, surprise, he had acareer year last year.
So now he goes to an offensewhere his starting tight end is
Cole Komet who, if he usedLaporta to block Komet's going
(44:21):
to be blocking 85% of snaps justto give Caleb as much time as
possible.
So avoid it entirely.
He may end up with theoccasional touchdown here and
there, but when he's on thewaiver wire and you need a
pickup act like you, don't evensee his name.
I trust me.
(44:42):
Okay, and now I'm going to giveyou a little bonus tip too.
Everyone always wants to chasethe quarterback wide receiver
stack because you know you getthe touchdown.
They threw the touchdown, theyreceive.
No, the real stack to win yourleague is the quarterback tight
(45:04):
end stack.
If you can stack a stable lateround quarterback with like a
mid-tier tight end from the sameteam.
There is so much value thereand nobody sees it.
The guys you should be thinkingof are like cj shroud and
dalton schultz, or like uhrogers and pat fryer muth, or
(45:30):
maybe, if you pay a little extrafor jayden jayden daniels and
then you pick up zach ertz look,it's not sexy, but I promise
you, while everybody else ischasing that quarterback wide
receiver stack, that late roundtight end quarterback stack is
what's going to win you yourleague.
(45:52):
And last but not least, beforewe wrap this up, I'm working on
putting together a little uhlistener fantasy football league
.
I had a couple people tap in onthe wednesday mic check, but
we're still looking to fill someslots.
So if you're interested injoining, hit me up on Instagram
(46:14):
or drop a comment here.
We'll make it fun.
We'll.
We'll build some rivalries,some bragging rights.
Anyone who joins, if you feelcomfortable with it, we can do a
quick little interview on thepod.
And you know what?
I'll even sweeten the pot.
I'll do a giveaway for thewinner, maybe an autographed
(46:36):
card or a jersey of a player onthe winning team.
I think that sounds fair.
And don't forget, the fullfantasy football episode is
dropping in the next coupleweeks.
Full fantasy football episodeis dropping in the next couple
weeks.
Full draft strategy, fullrankings, all the sleepers to
help you dominate your leaguemates.
You're not going to want tomiss it.
(46:58):
And by listening now you'realready ahead of the curve.
So there you have itQuarterbacks who you can trust,
tight ends you shouldn't draft,and a listener league brewing
for the real ones who staythrough the fantasy talk.
Keep those draft boards sharp,because winning your league
starts right here.
(47:19):
And just like that.
Another week is in the books.
Episode 25 man time flies whenyou're having fun.
And just like that.
Another week is in the books.
Episode 25, man Time flies whenyou're having fun.
We covered everything fromcontract chaos in Dallas, dak
(47:39):
saying fuck man, like it's agroup chat breakup, maybe even a
potential Jets-Dallas trade onthe horizon.
Hit the Mets and Yankeesdumpster fire.
Like I was personally offendedbecause I actually am and look,
I'm not a Yankees fan, butsomehow I still find myself
yelling at Aaron Boone like heowes me money.
Meanwhile the Mets are doingtheir usual August disappearing
(48:03):
act.
But hey, at least CarlosMendoza looks like he actually
might have a backbone, threwsome flowers at Shohei and
congratulated Roman Anthony ongetting his bag, and Gavin
Williams nearly got himself inthe Mets history books for all
the wrong reasons.
Of course, we went deep on somefantasy Tall quarterback
(48:24):
consistency, tight ends thatactually might matter, a couple
late round QBs that will eitherwin you your league or ruin your
Sunday.
And we're also cooking up alistener league.
So if you're down to play, youknow where to find me.
You enjoy the episodes.
Make sure you're following onthe Instagram, at rice on the
(48:44):
radio, jump in the DMs, leave acomment and honestly rate the
show on whatever platform you'relistening on.
Quick little five stars don'thurt nobody, but it really helps
me.
New episodes drop every weekand I appreciate every single
one of you who tunes in, sharesthe pod or just lets it roll in
the background while you'repretending to work.
(49:06):
That's love, love.
So until next time, as always,spread good energy and tell
someone you love them.
I'm Ian Rice.
This has been Rice on the Mics.
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