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Top 25 Running Backs 2025 · Sports Minds Fantasy Football

0:15
SPEAKER_02: What is going on, sports minds?
0:18
SPEAKER_02: It's that time of the year you all know and love.
0:20
SPEAKER_02: It's fancy football pre-draft time.
0:24
SPEAKER_02: It's your boy MJ coming at you over here with some new information.
0:29
SPEAKER_02: And of course, with none other than my co-host over here, Joe the Birdman.
0:36
SPEAKER_02: Can you tell these fine ladies and gentlemen out here how you're doing here today, my friend?
0:41
SPEAKER_00: Like you said, it is actually the best time of the year.
0:43
SPEAKER_00: Well, maybe one month from now is the best time of the year, but I'm getting excited, just thinking about the upcoming season.
0:50
SPEAKER_00: We're going to go over our top 25 running backs today, and I know you're excited about that too.
0:56
SPEAKER_00: And there have been a there's been a lot of activity in the offseason, so I'm very eager to see what your list looks like.
1:03
SPEAKER_02: All right, same for you, my friend.
1:05
SPEAKER_02: Uh, but before we get into that, let's just get a word from our sponsor.
1:10
SPEAKER_02: Hey there.
1:11
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1:51
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1:53
SPEAKER_01: Too straight, Dan.
1:59
SPEAKER_01: If you ever consider buying in Central Florida, you need somebody you can trust, and I got your six.
2:04
SPEAKER_01: I'm Manny James Gonzalez.
2:06
SPEAKER_01: Find land for the free and home for the brave.
2:15
SPEAKER_02: What is going on, ballers?
2:17
SPEAKER_02: Thank you for coming back.
2:17
SPEAKER_02: I know we've all been waiting.
2:19
SPEAKER_02: It's that time of the year.
2:21
SPEAKER_02: We we wanted to make sure that we had our lists out uh way before everyone else was copying each other, because we don't want any you guys to think that we're biters, all right?
2:31
SPEAKER_02: We do our own research, do our own analysis, and we come up with our own ideas.
2:36
SPEAKER_02: And of course, if you followed us over the last couple of years, you've seen that we were right a lot more than we were wrong.
2:42
SPEAKER_02: So that's always uh you know good, good step to start off at.
2:47
SPEAKER_02: But obviously, without further ado, instead of starting from the bottom, working our way up from the top 25 running backs, of course, we're gonna go ahead and start off with number one because much like yourselves, we don't care about all the fluff.
2:58
SPEAKER_02: Let's get to the good stuff.
3:00
SPEAKER_02: Um, so Joe, for my number one, I'm just gonna give you some stats and you let me know if you think you know who this is.
3:06
SPEAKER_02: Um he uh scored 355 fantasy points last year.
3:12
SPEAKER_02: He was averaging 22 fantasy points a game.
3:15
SPEAKER_02: He actually had uh he averaged about 23.6 touches per game, which was uh actually the high in the NFL for that year.
3:24
SPEAKER_02: And he ended up finishing up the year with uh well over 2,000 yards.
3:29
SPEAKER_02: Who do you think my number one is, sir?
3:31
SPEAKER_00: Is that Saquon Barkley?
3:33
SPEAKER_02: That's Saquon himself, the Philadelphia Eagle uh left Freedom Ring, baby.
3:38
SPEAKER_02: You're defending Super Bowl champion, Philadelphia Eagles are coming back with the number one offensive line in the NFL.
3:45
SPEAKER_02: And, you know, people think that they're gonna stop it.
3:48
SPEAKER_02: I mean, watch what the Rams did in that playoff match, guys.
3:51
SPEAKER_02: Um, I mean, the Eagles just uh Rams knew it was coming, and they just could not stop him.
3:57
SPEAKER_02: So I'm very excited.
3:59
SPEAKER_02: He should be number one off the board, and it's it shouldn't even be debatable, right?
4:03
SPEAKER_02: Shouldn't be like, hey, is it him or Jamar Chase?
4:06
SPEAKER_02: I'm going 100% running backs because it is a little bit thinner this year than normal.
4:12
SPEAKER_00: I completely agree.
4:14
SPEAKER_00: Um, the running backs are someone that you want to get early because the dead zone is very dead this year, in my opinion.
4:21
SPEAKER_00: There's a steep drop-off.
4:24
SPEAKER_00: Now, I did have Saquon Barkley as my number one up until today when I was just sitting at work dwelling a little bit longer.
4:38
SPEAKER_00: My number one running back is Jameer Gibbs.
4:41
SPEAKER_02: Okay.
4:43
SPEAKER_00: Now, we all know that the Lions are a strong team all around with a very high-powered offense, and I'm eager to see what the new offensive coordinator has planned for Gibbs, who finished last season with over 1,900 total yards, including over 500 receiving yards and 20 touchdowns, averaging 21.4 fantasy points per game.
5:05
SPEAKER_00: He did all this while sharing the backfield with David Montgomery.
5:09
SPEAKER_00: And I expect the workload to shift more towards Gibbs this season.
5:13
SPEAKER_00: I do not blame you at all for taking Saquon as number one because he he probably is the consensus one, two, or three across the board.
5:24
SPEAKER_02: Oh, yeah.
5:25
SPEAKER_02: You know, and is and it's funny you mentioned that because that lets me segue right into my number two pick.
5:29
SPEAKER_02: Of course, that is Mr.
5:31
SPEAKER_02: Jameer Gibbs.
5:32
SPEAKER_02: So I'm very much in agreement with you.
5:34
SPEAKER_02: I I mean the guy had a limited work uh or a shared workload last year, and he still uh bombed the league.
5:42
SPEAKER_02: I think he ended up in PPR, he ended up being the highest scorer last year, 300 over 360 something fantasy points uh total for the season.
5:50
SPEAKER_02: And obviously, uh, I mean, touching the ball over 20 times, uh excuse me, close to 20 times a game is you know, he hasn't even gotten to that level yet.
5:58
SPEAKER_02: He's only touching it 17 times, putting up those kind of numbers.
6:01
SPEAKER_02: So I I definitely think Montgomery is one year older, one step slower, and it's just gonna shift to Gibbs and give Montgomery a little bit of a goal line type of uh workload, I think.
6:16
SPEAKER_00: Now going on to my number two, I have Saquon Barkley.
6:23
SPEAKER_00: I mean, you already summed it up, but let me just touch on what you said and piggyback a little bit.
6:30
SPEAKER_00: He's on the best team in the NFL.
6:31
SPEAKER_00: They're Super Bowl champions.
6:33
SPEAKER_00: We saw how much that matters compared to his time with the Giants.
6:37
SPEAKER_00: And he's on a new offense last year, you know, brand new to the Eagles.
6:42
SPEAKER_00: Finished the regular season with over 2,000 rushing yards, nearly 300 receiving yards, and 15 touchdowns, averaging, as you said, 22.2 fantasy points per game.
6:52
SPEAKER_00: He's the only running back with over 2,000 rush yards, and um he's now more familiar and more comfortable in the offense, who, as you said, has the best offensive line in the league.
7:04
SPEAKER_00: So the formula is perfect for Saquon to have another monster year, which by the way, you and I said he would do last year too.
7:15
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, oh yeah, we are big fans of Saquon.
7:18
SPEAKER_02: Um, so uh obviously to switch things up a little bit since you obviously just touched up on Saquon with your number three uh running back this year.
7:28
SPEAKER_00: Well, very close to the one and two, I have Bijan Robinson.
7:32
SPEAKER_00: Uh, he had an amazing year despite the Falcons having struggles.
7:36
SPEAKER_00: Kirk Cousins was not the guy we expected, but the run game on offensive line were solid.
7:41
SPEAKER_00: And Bijan finished with almost 1,900 total yards and 15 touchdowns, averaging 20 fantasy points per game.
7:48
SPEAKER_00: And Zach Robinson is entering his second year as the offensive coordinator, and the proof is in the pudding.
7:53
SPEAKER_00: Expect another big year with Bichon being more involved in the passing game with Michael Phoenix, quarterback.
8:00
SPEAKER_02: And I definitely am in agreement with you.
8:02
SPEAKER_02: I know I see like all these experts' consensus, they all had Bijan as number one.
8:07
SPEAKER_02: Um, I still think in in that offense, you know, they still have to a little bit more to prove uh before I say, hey, you know, they're gonna they're gonna run the ball as much as they throw it.
8:18
SPEAKER_02: Because last year I think they had a pretty split workload.
8:21
SPEAKER_02: And the funny thing is when you look at Bijan's uh overall touches, he was he was underutilized and he still killed it.
8:28
SPEAKER_02: He was uh he was averaging about 20 touches a game.
8:32
SPEAKER_02: Um and then but he uh he ended up having 300 carries but over 60 receptions, which was uh uh I think a third or fourth highest overall for uh PPR backs last year.
8:45
SPEAKER_02: Um so he he definitely got a lot of volume.
8:48
SPEAKER_02: And unfortunately, I think because the Atlanta Falcons aren't that good of a team, I'd rather have the other two guys that we mentioned beforehand as number ones because they just have the best situation.
8:58
SPEAKER_00: It really does make a difference.
9:00
SPEAKER_00: You know, if you're on a really, really good team versus an average or a bad team, you're not gonna get the end zone as much.
9:07
SPEAKER_02: Exactly.
9:09
SPEAKER_00: Um now with number four, I have the six foot three, 250-pound Derrick Henry.
9:18
SPEAKER_00: He continues to shit on all the naysayers year after year.
9:22
SPEAKER_00: And similar to Barkley, he moved from a really bad team to a really good team, and it paid off big time.
9:28
SPEAKER_00: And he should be even more acclimated to the offense entering his second year with the team.
9:32
SPEAKER_00: Again, just like we were saying about Barkley.
9:34
SPEAKER_00: He finished with 2,114 yard total yards and 18 touchdowns for an average of 19.8 fantasy points per game.
9:43
SPEAKER_00: Regardless of what the parrots who call themselves experts have to say, I don't think he's slowing down just yet.
9:50
SPEAKER_00: Like, I don't see any reason for him to take a big step back when you see what he's done.
9:56
SPEAKER_02: You know, it's funny.
9:57
SPEAKER_02: Uh, and I want to tell people anybody that's watching right now, guys, we have not exposed our list to each other beforehand.
10:04
SPEAKER_02: This is strictly our own personal list.
10:07
SPEAKER_02: We worked on him, me and Joe last couple weeks, and we said, okay, we're gonna uh kind of uh surprise each other on there.
10:14
SPEAKER_02: But uh, no surprise, I also have Derrick Henry number four overall.
10:18
SPEAKER_02: I think most of the uh experts had him like five, six, seven, something like that.
10:22
SPEAKER_02: But you're right, the guy is getting over 20 touches a game, over 2,000 all-purpose yards last year, averaging 20 points a game, and and no one invests money into his off-season health rehab like Derrick Henry.
10:35
SPEAKER_02: He has been doing that since year one in the league, and and it's showing dividends because he's going into what his uh uh ninth year in the league or something like that, maybe a little bit more, and he's he's still killing it, right?
10:47
SPEAKER_02: So I'd like to see him as like the LeBron James of the NFL because he he's still going into his older years and he's still dominating, and people think he's gonna fall off.
10:56
SPEAKER_02: So, much like yourself, I love him number four overall for the running backs.
11:01
SPEAKER_02: Um, now to switch things up, hopefully, you know, I think we might have this the same.
11:06
SPEAKER_02: Uh, but my number five running back I have is CMC.
11:11
SPEAKER_02: Coming back from an injury, uh CMC is definitely uh had an off-year.
11:16
SPEAKER_02: He only played three full games last year.
11:18
SPEAKER_02: He got ruled out of two different ones.
11:21
SPEAKER_02: So, I mean, the guy only uh had 48 fantasy points last year.
11:27
SPEAKER_02: And it the funny thing is, in three games, those 48 points break down to about 16 points a game.
11:33
SPEAKER_02: So the guy being in total horrible health was still able to produce decent numbers when he was in.
11:39
SPEAKER_02: So I expect him having a whole year of rehabbing and injury uh injury reserve.
11:44
SPEAKER_02: I expect him to come back and take his place amongst one of the best running backs in the league.
11:50
SPEAKER_00: You are gonna be surprised with my number five, and I know you're gonna disagree with me.
11:55
SPEAKER_00: I know that 90%, or maybe 95%, or maybe 99% of the people watching this will disagree with me.
12:03
SPEAKER_00: But at number five, I have Chase Brown.
12:08
SPEAKER_00: He finished last season with 1,350 yards and 12 touchdowns, and he was in a running back committee with Zach Moss for half the season.
12:17
SPEAKER_00: He is now the clear-cut running back one on one of the best offenses in the NFL.
12:22
SPEAKER_00: Zach Moss is injured again, and Joe Burrow is healthy.
12:26
SPEAKER_00: I understand that most people have him around the 10 spot, give or take, but I believe he could easily finish in the top five if he continues to produce the way we saw during the back half of last year.
12:39
SPEAKER_02: Okay, all right.
12:40
SPEAKER_02: That is some ballsy uh ballsy cause there.
12:44
SPEAKER_02: I didn't go uh um as wild card as you, but I I I I definitely can see the the potential there.
12:52
SPEAKER_02: Chase Brown definitely uh out out outperformed all expectations last year, and then some.
12:59
SPEAKER_02: So, you know, he could definitely do that again, uh for sure.
13:03
SPEAKER_02: Um now for my number six, um, I went ahead and went with old reliable from last year, Mr.
13:09
SPEAKER_02: Josh Jacobs, Green Bay Packers.
13:12
SPEAKER_02: I mean, the guy played seven 17 games.
13:14
SPEAKER_02: Uh I mean he had over 300 all-purpose touches last year, so he averaged about 19.8 touches per game.
13:22
SPEAKER_02: Um, obviously 17, a little bit over 17.2 fantasy points per game.
13:26
SPEAKER_02: So he's actually really solid.
13:28
SPEAKER_02: And he didn't start playing the best uh uh his best football until like the second half of the season, anyways.
13:34
SPEAKER_02: So a lot of those points kind of came in bunches, and uh uh with Green Bay's offensive line and their dynamic not changing last year, this year, I expect them to continue and um you know go from there.
13:47
SPEAKER_00: Old reliable.
13:48
SPEAKER_00: I like that name.
13:50
SPEAKER_00: Um so for my number six, I have Ashton Genty.
14:06
SPEAKER_00: He was an absolute monster at Boise State.
14:09
SPEAKER_00: He finished the 2024 season.
14:11
SPEAKER_00: I know we're talking about college, but listen to these numbers.
14:14
SPEAKER_00: He finished the 2024 season with 2600 rushing yards and 29 touchdowns, both school records.
14:22
SPEAKER_00: He also had 100 receiving yards and a receiving touchdown, so 30 touchdowns and 2,700 total yards.
14:28
SPEAKER_00: He seriously looks like a bodybuilder.
14:30
SPEAKER_00: The reason he's outside of my top five is because he may take a few weeks to do to get adjusted to the NFL, and he's on the Raiders.
14:38
SPEAKER_00: You know, that's a big problem being on the Raiders, as we were just discussing.
14:43
SPEAKER_00: The difference between being on a bad football team and a good football team is noticeable every single year.
14:50
SPEAKER_00: No matter who the player is, they will perform better on a on a better team.
14:55
SPEAKER_00: So being on the Raiders is definitely gives me pause, but the guy's just a total monster.
15:01
SPEAKER_00: Um, some people even have him in their top three, which I don't agree with, but I could see him being in the top five.
15:08
SPEAKER_00: And he's for me number six.
15:11
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, yeah, definitely.
15:12
SPEAKER_02: I I can see that.
15:14
SPEAKER_02: Ash Gente definitely um he's a stud.
15:18
SPEAKER_02: Um my number seven, I you know, I I still don't have Genty there.
15:24
SPEAKER_02: Um, I'm one of those, like you said, I I want to see some good games before I can say, hey, you know what?
15:29
SPEAKER_02: He's gonna be the number one guy over there.
15:31
SPEAKER_02: Or sorry, not not that.
15:33
SPEAKER_02: He's gonna be the number one guy.
15:34
SPEAKER_02: I meant like he's gonna have a good situation over there uh when he plays.
15:38
SPEAKER_02: So for uh for myself, I did actually have uh Jonathan Taylor at number seven.
15:46
SPEAKER_02: So Jonathan Taylor uh last year took a little bit to get the ball rolling right.
15:51
SPEAKER_02: He was injured first couple of games, um, you know, uh had that committee going on, it seemed like, and it just it wasn't a good situation.
16:00
SPEAKER_02: Um he eventually started really getting his steam, and he ended up finishing the season uh uh averaging 22.9 touches per game, uh a little bit over 1,500 all-purpose yards, and averaging 17 points per game of fantasy.
16:15
SPEAKER_02: So uh, and that's while only producing about 12 touchdowns.
16:19
SPEAKER_02: So not likely he has a he might not have that small of a regression, um, if any, but I definitely think he's gonna hit the uh ground running this year with a better, better system in place, hopefully with a better supporting cast.
16:36
SPEAKER_00: Now for my number seven, lucky number seven, I have Christian McCaffrey.
16:41
SPEAKER_00: And honestly, I do not know what to expect from McCaffrey this year, but if he's hungry and healthy, he'll probably finish as the top running back in 2025.
16:51
SPEAKER_00: There are a few questions that are still lingering in my head.
16:55
SPEAKER_00: One, are the 49ers gonna stay healthy?
16:58
SPEAKER_00: Every week last year there was a new player sidelined with an injury by the end of the season.
17:03
SPEAKER_00: Half the field was second and third and third string players.
17:07
SPEAKER_00: Two, is McCaffrey healthy?
17:09
SPEAKER_00: He has a long injury history, including two significant injuries last year.
17:14
SPEAKER_00: And three, where is he mentally?
17:16
SPEAKER_00: I mean, we've seen it a lot.
17:18
SPEAKER_00: Even the strongest players can struggle when they're out for an extended amount of time, and some of them don't come back the same.
17:25
SPEAKER_00: I know McCaffrey's a different breed, but those messages just in my head, that's why I don't have him in my top five, and I have them at lucky number seven.
17:37
SPEAKER_02: You know, it's fun, it's funny you mentioned that because uh I was thinking about that.
17:40
SPEAKER_02: You remember when they traded uh Carolina traded him to 49ers?
17:44
SPEAKER_02: He was actually coming off a uh a big injury the year before as well.
17:48
SPEAKER_02: I think he missed like most of the season the the year before, and he came in uh to this one, and you know, people are like, hey, is he gonna be 100?
17:57
SPEAKER_02: Is he gonna be good to go?
17:58
SPEAKER_02: And uh after a couple of games, they realized, hey, yeah, he will be, and they ended up just trading him, right, to to max out the the cap space.
18:06
SPEAKER_02: So I I could see that happening for sure.
18:09
SPEAKER_02: Um, he's definitely a wild card this year and really good draft value.
18:13
SPEAKER_00: Oh, yeah.
18:13
SPEAKER_00: He he could be the best pick in in the league if if he just plays like he did a couple years ago.
18:21
SPEAKER_02: Okay.
18:22
SPEAKER_00: Now, who's your number eight?
18:25
SPEAKER_02: Number eight.
18:26
SPEAKER_02: So I actually have Ashton Genty myself, number eight.
18:30
SPEAKER_02: Uh, as I said, I like the rookie.
18:31
SPEAKER_02: He's he's great, right?
18:33
SPEAKER_02: He has a lot of um things working to his advantage.
18:36
SPEAKER_02: Pete Carroll being the head coach, I think, is great.
18:39
SPEAKER_02: He's always had historically really good run teams.
18:42
SPEAKER_02: Um, that that's his big thing there.
18:44
SPEAKER_02: Obviously, they invested a little bit in the O-line and having Tom Brady as a you know uh some part of involved over there, I think does have some kind of positives for the New Look Raiders.
18:55
SPEAKER_02: And of course, no one's gonna push him for any snaps there.
18:58
SPEAKER_02: Um, and and since they upgraded at quarterback Geno Smith, I do like that situation a little bit better than uh maybe years before, or maybe uh better than when Gino was in uh Seattle.
19:10
SPEAKER_02: But uh regardless, uh, he's gonna be great.
19:12
SPEAKER_02: I think he'll get at least 300 touches this year, you know, and he's also has good receiving chops, so really easily see him.
19:20
SPEAKER_02: Uh, he could even end up as a top top five guy easily.
19:24
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, and I'm glad you mentioned Pete Carroll, too.
19:26
SPEAKER_00: That's a very valid point.
19:29
SPEAKER_00: Um for my number eight, I have Devon Achan.
19:35
SPEAKER_00: You know, the five foot nine, 185 pound Devon A-chan is a stark contrast from your typical workhorse running back.
19:43
SPEAKER_00: And last year he surprised me a little bit.
19:45
SPEAKER_00: I didn't buy into the hype as much as other people, and mostly due to his size and injury history, but I'm not really concerned about that going into this season because he was durable as hell last year.
19:56
SPEAKER_00: And, you know, he played a lot.
19:58
SPEAKER_00: I mean, it wasn't just like he was getting worked in with Mostard.
20:01
SPEAKER_00: I mean, he was the RB1.
20:03
SPEAKER_00: Uh, he finished with over 900 rushing yards and almost 600 receiving yards, which is the most out of any running back last year.
20:11
SPEAKER_00: Uh as we know, the receiving yards are cheat code for running backs in a PPR league, and he should be even more involved this year with a healthy Tua and limited competition in the backfield.
20:24
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, yeah, very nice.
20:26
SPEAKER_02: I I could easily see that.
20:28
SPEAKER_02: Um now for your your number uh you just went with number eight.
20:32
SPEAKER_02: Who's your number nine?
20:35
SPEAKER_00: Uh old reliable, Josh Jacobs.
20:38
SPEAKER_00: Um he's gonna grind defenses into the ground with the run, and he's heavily involved in the passing game.
20:46
SPEAKER_00: There's virtually no competition in the backfield.
20:48
SPEAKER_00: He was very consistent last year, finishing the season with 16 touchdowns and nearly 1,700 total yards.
20:54
SPEAKER_00: And I believe this year will be very similar.
20:57
SPEAKER_00: So I I really it what you saw last year, expect that this year, but like you said, he kind of had a slow start.
21:03
SPEAKER_00: It could be even better if he just hits the ground running.
21:07
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, no, definitely.
21:08
SPEAKER_02: Um, now for my number nine, uh, it's gonna be a guy that every year is all obviously overlooked, but just really puts in that work.
21:17
SPEAKER_02: Kyron Williams.
21:18
SPEAKER_02: I mean, the guy uh had almost a full season, right?
21:21
SPEAKER_02: 16 games last year.
21:23
SPEAKER_02: He only missed one.
21:24
SPEAKER_02: Uh, he was averaging about almost 22 touches a game.
21:28
SPEAKER_02: I mean, so the guy was heavily involved there, averaging 19 uh points per game.
21:33
SPEAKER_02: I do expect there to be a little bit of a drop with Blake Gore Quorum possibly getting more touches.
21:39
SPEAKER_02: Uh, but I don't think it'll be Warren enough to uh remove him from the top 10 because when you have a running back like that that scored over 30 touchdowns in the last two seasons, I mean you want him touching that ball as much as possible.
21:52
SPEAKER_02: So uh I definitely like him for that.
21:55
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, and uh another running back on a good offense, which we love to see.
22:00
SPEAKER_00: On the flip side, going back to a back, a bad offense, but a monster, I have at number 10 Jonathan Taylor.
22:09
SPEAKER_00: The Colts looked bad last year and they're projected to do worse this year.
22:13
SPEAKER_00: But Jonathan Taylor is still pretty good.
22:16
SPEAKER_00: With that said, he has a long injury history, and that does concern me.
22:20
SPEAKER_00: He missed six games in 22, 7 games in 23, and three games in 2024.
22:26
SPEAKER_00: Although he still finished last season with over 1,500 total yards.
22:30
SPEAKER_00: Hopefully he's more involved in the passing game this year.
22:33
SPEAKER_00: Uh, but a lot of that depends on who's throwing the ball to him.
22:36
SPEAKER_00: But we know, as I just said, when he's healthy, he's an absolute monster.
22:40
SPEAKER_00: And I think this year he will be fully healthy, and that's gonna go a long way and make a huge difference.
22:46
SPEAKER_02: Okay, yeah, yeah, definitely.
22:49
SPEAKER_02: Definitely.
22:50
SPEAKER_02: Um, now my number 10, I do really like this guy to take a step forward and get a bigger workload.
22:58
SPEAKER_02: But I actually have Bucky Irvin number 10.
23:01
SPEAKER_02: Uh, last year he really started taking off later on the season.
23:04
SPEAKER_02: He wasn't really getting a full workload until like week three or four.
23:08
SPEAKER_02: So it took him a little bit to kind of get rolling there.
23:10
SPEAKER_02: But once he he did start rolling, he was getting about 15 touches a game.
23:15
SPEAKER_02: The guy rushed for over a thousand yards.
23:18
SPEAKER_02: I mean, uh, he just had an absolutely great rookie season, and uh, I just expect him to build upon that.
23:24
SPEAKER_02: So he's gonna be my most improved player for this year, in my opinion, as far as like uh fantasy production.
23:32
SPEAKER_00: I totally agree with everything you said, and that's why Bucky Irving is my number 11.
23:38
SPEAKER_00: Bucky Irving is an amazing football player, with and he finished with over 1,500 total yards last year.
23:45
SPEAKER_00: The thing that does concern me is he's still in a committee.
23:48
SPEAKER_00: He was heavily involved in the passing game, but so was Rashad White.
23:52
SPEAKER_00: Bucky finished with 392 receiving yards and eight touchdowns, and Rashad White finished with 393 receiving yards and nine touchdowns.
23:59
SPEAKER_00: Their stats obviously won't be as close this year with Bucky as the clear-cut RB1, but Rashad will still be involved.
24:07
SPEAKER_00: That's why he's outside of my top 10.
24:11
SPEAKER_02: For my number 11 guy, I do have Devin Han.
24:14
SPEAKER_02: I know you had him a little bit higher on your list.
24:16
SPEAKER_02: I do like him.
24:17
SPEAKER_02: I just think Miami is a terrible team.
24:19
SPEAKER_02: Uh, they lost a lot of players, and two was still the quarterback, you know.
24:23
SPEAKER_02: And it's just uh I don't want to be in that same fancy limbo for as Miami Dolphin holders last year, like anybody that had Tyreek Hill, you know, you were worried Jalen Jay Jalen Waddle, right?
24:35
SPEAKER_02: Like those guys were not producing consistently.
24:38
SPEAKER_02: Uh maybe Devin Hand was a solid uh guaranteed number one option on that team.
24:45
SPEAKER_02: So I expect that to continue him getting his 16, 17 touches a game.
24:49
SPEAKER_02: Uh, but not enough to have him in my top 10.
24:54
SPEAKER_00: Now for my number 12 player, I have James Cook.
24:59
SPEAKER_00: Watching him go from six touchdowns in 2023 to 18 touchdowns in 2024 was really great to see.
25:08
SPEAKER_00: But that is going to be difficult to replicate that kind of production.
25:11
SPEAKER_00: I'm sorry.
25:12
SPEAKER_00: With that said, he's still on one of the best offenses in the league.
25:16
SPEAKER_00: And sharing the goal line with Josh Allen really wasn't an issue.
25:20
SPEAKER_00: If he can have another season with over a thousand rushing yards and double-digit touchdowns, I'll take that all day.
25:29
SPEAKER_02: Okay.
25:29
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
25:30
SPEAKER_02: Now for uh my number 12 guy, now I don't know why I've seen this in other experts and like ESPN, they always put up those smoke and mirrors, but they actually uh for my number 12, I have Alvin Kamara.
25:44
SPEAKER_02: Uh most other carry uh uh experts have him like 17 to 18, and that's just ridiculous.
25:50
SPEAKER_02: If you look at his stats from last year, I mean the guy had over 21 touches a game, and although he only finished with about 1400 all-purpose yards, uh, he still averaged 19 points per game fantasy season, and that's missing three games.
26:05
SPEAKER_02: So, you know, you got a guy like that getting over uh and he actually almost hit the 300 touch mark last year.
26:13
SPEAKER_02: So I I would love to have him, especially this value.
26:16
SPEAKER_02: You're probably looking at like uh, you know, late second, early third, or you know, beyond the third, and you could get him, and he's somebody that's gonna be your RB2 and good to go.
26:27
SPEAKER_00: You know, again, a perfect little lineup for me here because my number 13 is Alvin Kamara, and I completely agree with you.
26:35
SPEAKER_00: I don't understand why people have him outside of their top 15, or even like you said, their top 12.
26:41
SPEAKER_00: I really wasn't sure about Kamara last year, mostly because he's getting a little older and he plays for the Saints, but he looked really good and averaged 19 fantasy points per game.
26:51
SPEAKER_00: The only running back with more receiving yards was Devon A-chan.
26:55
SPEAKER_00: But Kamara actually had more targets and more rushing yards than A-chan.
27:00
SPEAKER_00: I'm not doubting him this year, but the Saints are projected to be one of the worst teams, which could severely limit his upside.
27:07
SPEAKER_00: But if he stays healthy, he can definitely still be that guy.
27:12
SPEAKER_02: All right, for my number 13 guy, I do have a gentleman you mentioned earlier, obviously, only a couple uh pickback or two, uh, James Cook.
27:20
SPEAKER_02: Um, he's my number 13 guy.
27:23
SPEAKER_02: Uh last year he had a very limited, uh, I'd say a lot less of a workload than he deserved.
27:28
SPEAKER_02: He only was averaging 15 touches a game, yet he still managed to score uh 16, almost 17 fantasy points per game.
27:36
SPEAKER_02: Because I don't know if you remember he had a bunch of those home run touchdowns, you know, like uh 40, 50 yard touchdowns last year.
27:42
SPEAKER_02: I think he had three or four of them.
27:44
SPEAKER_02: So he's he's a nice home run hitter, but um also with the whole pending contract situation where he wants an extension, uh, I can actually see him getting traded before the season's over.
27:57
SPEAKER_02: This is his last year of his contract.
28:00
SPEAKER_02: And so if uh the Bills like Ray Davis that much, I could see them trading James Cook for a couple of draft picks and then uh moving on before deciding to pay him a max contract because I don't think they see him as that long-term guy.
28:13
SPEAKER_02: Um and whatever team he gets traded to obviously makes him uh uh I'd say boosts up his his fantasy value by a couple points uh if he does get traded.
28:24
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, that'll be interesting to see how that pans out.
28:28
SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
28:28
SPEAKER_00: Now for my number 14, I have Kyron Williams.
28:33
SPEAKER_00: Uh, you touched on some great points already, but as you said, he's been really solid.
28:38
SPEAKER_00: He was really solid last year, and I don't see too much changing this year.
28:41
SPEAKER_00: Mike LaFleur is going into his second season as the offensive coordinator, and Kyron is their bell cow.
28:47
SPEAKER_00: He played every game in 2024 and should continue his role moving into 2025 with a strong offensive line and no real competition in the backfield.
28:55
SPEAKER_00: I'm not worried about um Blake Corham.
28:59
SPEAKER_00: I'm really not.
29:00
SPEAKER_00: He wasn't an he didn't impact him at all last year.
29:02
SPEAKER_00: I don't think he's gonna impact him much at all this year.
29:04
SPEAKER_00: He's probably gonna give him a rest now and then, but Kyron's their three-down back, and they pretty much have the same team.
29:12
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, yeah.
29:13
SPEAKER_02: I like Kyron repeating.
29:16
SPEAKER_00: Who's your 14?
29:17
SPEAKER_02: Uh, 14.
29:19
SPEAKER_02: Uh, I actually have Joe Mixon, obviously, last year.
29:23
SPEAKER_02: Uh, he was limited to 14 games, right?
29:25
SPEAKER_02: He missed a few.
29:26
SPEAKER_02: Um, but even despite missing a few, he was still averaging 20 touches a game.
29:31
SPEAKER_02: When the guy was in there, he was getting all the carries, man.
29:34
SPEAKER_02: I don't know if you recall, he had like some 30, 40 point bombs last year, like pretty big games.
29:40
SPEAKER_02: And uh, I mean, in overall, close to 1500 all-purpose yards, 12 touchdowns.
29:46
SPEAKER_02: I mean, the guy is uh when healthy, he's gonna be great.
29:49
SPEAKER_02: And uh, I know they picked up Nick Chubb this year, and I expect him to eat a little bit into that workload, but I think there's enough touches for both of them to get you know 15 touches a game.
30:02
SPEAKER_00: I'm gonna touch on him in a in a couple uh spots down, but I'll explain why I moved him down.
30:10
SPEAKER_00: My number 15 is Kenneth Walker.
30:14
SPEAKER_00: Obviously, the biggest concern with Kenneth Walker is his injury history.
30:18
SPEAKER_00: He's a raw athlete, and he looked really good last year before he went down in week 11, but he still hasn't finished a full season in the NFL.
30:27
SPEAKER_00: And there's already reports of him dealing with an ankle injury in minicamp.
30:32
SPEAKER_00: I I think it's very minor, and he should be fine for week one.
30:35
SPEAKER_00: But there have also been a lot of changes in Seattle, and I'm not really sure what to expect, but this is a contract year for Walker, like you were just talking about for James Cook.
30:46
SPEAKER_00: This is a contract year for Walker, so he may play like a hungry dog and finish inside the top 10.
30:50
SPEAKER_00: He does have the ability, it's just whether or not he can stay on the field.
30:56
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, no, I definitely hear that.
30:59
SPEAKER_02: Um now for my number 15.
31:03
SPEAKER_02: I actually have a rookie, first rookie, uh, or the second rookie to take his uh name onto the list here.
31:10
SPEAKER_02: It's gonna be Omarion Hampton.
31:12
SPEAKER_02: Um, he ended up getting picked up over here by the Chargers.
31:16
SPEAKER_02: Uh, I coming into the offseason, I saw Najee Harris sign with them.
31:19
SPEAKER_02: I thought Najee was gonna be the guy and he would be the backup, but Najee did have a fireworks incident like an idiot.
31:27
SPEAKER_02: This is the shit we're talking about, man.
31:29
SPEAKER_02: This screws up.
31:30
SPEAKER_02: So now Omarion Hampton, who was actually the first running back selected in the draft, uh, ends up being uh, especially in in Jim Harbaugh's system, they love running backs that are gonna go running back heavy, and he has all the tools that they love, right?
31:46
SPEAKER_02: Uh, just how they did JK Dobbins last year, man.
31:49
SPEAKER_02: That guy was on fire.
31:51
SPEAKER_02: Um, Omar and Hampton, I think, has a better skill set.
31:54
SPEAKER_02: He's bigger, he's faster, uh, he he catches better.
31:57
SPEAKER_02: He's just gonna be an all-around better, better product.
32:00
SPEAKER_02: So I can see him uh pushing himself into that top 10 range, even potentially.
32:07
SPEAKER_00: A lot of that does depend on Najee.
32:09
SPEAKER_00: And I do have him on the list.
32:10
SPEAKER_00: He's just a little further down.
32:13
SPEAKER_00: Now, for my 16, I have Brees Hall.
32:18
SPEAKER_00: He's difficult for me to assess because the Jets now have a modal, a mobile quarterback in Justin Fields that could eat into some of the workload for Brees.
32:28
SPEAKER_00: But he also finished last season with nearly 500 receiving yards.
32:31
SPEAKER_00: So he doesn't just run the ball.
32:34
SPEAKER_00: If the touches can remain the same, if he's getting the same amount of carries and he's getting the same amount of targets, he should have a solid year with close to 1,500 total yards.
32:43
SPEAKER_00: I don't see Braylon Allen as a threat, but if Brees starts to slip or has any setbacks, Braylon Allen could eat into a lot of his workload.
32:53
SPEAKER_00: And then you've got Justin Fields and Braylon Allen.
32:56
SPEAKER_00: So it really does depend on how he performs early in the season and what Justin Fields decides to do.
33:04
SPEAKER_02: Okay, yeah.
33:06
SPEAKER_02: And uh for my uh number 16, so uh you're gonna love this one.
33:12
SPEAKER_02: So I I ended up taking another rookie, and everyone has him way farther down.
33:17
SPEAKER_02: I moved him up about 10 spots.
33:19
SPEAKER_02: So Caleb Johnson, uh Pittsburgh Steelers.
33:22
SPEAKER_00: I do like that, man.
33:23
SPEAKER_00: I do, you know, I do.
33:24
SPEAKER_02: He's he's been excellent.
33:26
SPEAKER_02: Like he's a super big back.
33:28
SPEAKER_02: Um, he ran a 4-5, right?
33:30
SPEAKER_02: So a little bit slower, but not anything crazy.
33:33
SPEAKER_02: And obviously, Pittsburgh is a zone uh zone scheme, right?
33:36
SPEAKER_02: So a little bit of his own running.
33:38
SPEAKER_02: So I think they're gonna end up uh all he needs to do is take that one quick cut and he's gone.
33:44
SPEAKER_02: And uh being that big and that athletic, he what people don't actually expect from him is him being such a good receiver.
33:51
SPEAKER_02: Uh, but I I could see them being his three-down back just because Jalen Warren hasn't he only had 120 touches last year, so he doesn't seem like he's ever gonna be that guy.
34:01
SPEAKER_02: He's always gonna be the uh you know the complimentary third down back.
34:05
SPEAKER_02: Same thing with uh Kenneth Kenneth Gainwell.
34:08
SPEAKER_02: They signed him in the offseason, and I just think Caleb Johnson fits that that build for what they wanted from Najee Harris, but never really produced.
34:18
SPEAKER_00: He's a great fill-in for Najee, and you know, he's built like a brick house.
34:23
SPEAKER_00: And I'm I'm glad to see that that you have that much confidence in him because you know Jalen Warren and Najee were a clear-cut committee last year, and I have a feeling that's at least how the season's gonna start.
34:35
SPEAKER_00: It'll be interesting to see how it plays out.
34:38
SPEAKER_00: But obviously, he's a great player, and I think he will be eventually, you know, towards the middle or end of the season, um, the RB1.
34:45
SPEAKER_00: It's just a matter of how fast it takes him to get there.
34:48
SPEAKER_00: But like you said, man, I was actually really high on Jalen Warren.
34:52
SPEAKER_00: Um he's shown flashes of greatness, but I the more I see like moves like this, um makes me think maybe he's not the guy.
35:01
SPEAKER_00: For my number 17, I have Joe Mixon.
35:05
SPEAKER_00: I did have him a little higher, and I'll explain why.
35:08
SPEAKER_00: I I doubted Mixon for most of his tenure with the Bengals, and I really don't know why, maybe it's just because they're in the same division as the Steelers, but you know, he shoved it down my throat many years in a row.
35:18
SPEAKER_00: And my opinion shifted.
35:20
SPEAKER_00: I, you know, you can't help when you see that production.
35:23
SPEAKER_00: And I was actually really excited to see him get traded to Houston, and that's basically because they were in need of a, they were desperately in need of a reliable running back.
35:33
SPEAKER_00: And Houston has the worst offensive line, but Mixon still finished with over a thousand rushing yards and 300 receiving yards.
35:41
SPEAKER_00: He's currently dealing with an ankle injury, so I hope that's behind him.
35:45
SPEAKER_00: But I just saw that today, and that's why I moved him down a couple spots because I did have him at 15.
35:51
SPEAKER_00: Um, but let's say Mixon isn't ready to go.
35:54
SPEAKER_00: Nick Chubb could be a good sleeper, but I doubt that's gonna be the case.
35:58
SPEAKER_00: I think Mixon's gonna be performing at a high level like he was last year.
36:02
SPEAKER_00: He's gonna get plenty of volume, and I also see this as a bounce back year for CJ Stroud because he kind of disappointed last year, and he's I have a feeling he's gonna come back hungry because as a rookie, he was amazing.
36:14
SPEAKER_02: Nice.
36:15
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, definitely.
36:16
SPEAKER_02: Um, nine number 17.
36:19
SPEAKER_02: So I I actually have Chase Brown down a couple spots here.
36:22
SPEAKER_02: Um, I liked his workload last year.
36:24
SPEAKER_02: I I mean he was getting 17 touches a game, almost 18 touches a game, and he was he was killing it, right?
36:31
SPEAKER_02: Uh almost a thousand rushing yards you mentioned him before, uh 16 fancy points per game.
36:36
SPEAKER_02: So I I I do see him having the same workload this year.
36:39
SPEAKER_02: That's why I like him better than a bunch of other guys because he's just gonna be consistent.
36:43
SPEAKER_02: He's gonna give you that 250 to 275 fancy, you know, fancy points for the season, PPR obviously.
36:51
SPEAKER_02: Um, so I like him in that position.
36:53
SPEAKER_02: I just uh you know uh I think with the Bengals they're gonna pass it more than they're gonna run it because obviously they're gonna be behind a lot of games.
37:01
SPEAKER_02: So he should get some BPR looks, but honestly, I I know they have a couple backs on the on the roster that they prefer for pass catching, so that's why I don't think he's gonna necessarily take a step forward, but I do think he will be consistent.
37:17
SPEAKER_00: Now for my 18, I have James Connor.
37:23
SPEAKER_00: Everyone loves James Connor, he's a warrior, one of my favorite players in the NFL, but everyone also knows he gets hurt every season.
37:31
SPEAKER_00: He almost made it last year, but he injured his uh knee in the last game.
37:36
SPEAKER_00: I think it was week 16 or 17 or something.
37:39
SPEAKER_00: Um, but he did surprise a lot of people with his overall performance, finishing with over 1,500 total yards, including over 400 receiving yards.
37:49
SPEAKER_00: He's a very consistent producer.
37:51
SPEAKER_00: You just need to plan for an injury and back him up if you got him on your roster.
37:57
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, yeah.
37:58
SPEAKER_02: He's he's a few spots down for me, but yeah, I could definitely touch on that a little bit later.
38:03
SPEAKER_02: Um, for my number 18, I do have Brees Hall.
38:07
SPEAKER_02: Uh, some of the reasons you mentioned earlier, obviously, Bralian Allen.
38:11
SPEAKER_02: Um, obviously, he's not gonna take uh too much more of Brees Hall's uh touches.
38:16
SPEAKER_02: Only way he's getting burned is if obviously Brees Hall gets hurt.
38:20
SPEAKER_02: But you know, uh it is the New York Jets we're talking about.
38:23
SPEAKER_02: So, you know, not really sure how what to think.
38:25
SPEAKER_02: I know they went uh defensive coach, right?
38:28
SPEAKER_02: They got Aaron Glenn for their coach now for a head coach.
38:31
SPEAKER_02: Uh can't recall who their offensive coordinator is, but I I know that you know it wasn't like a fancy name.
38:38
SPEAKER_02: And last year the Jets were best when they ran the ball, but they unfortunately didn't do it as much, right?
38:44
SPEAKER_02: They they were forcing the ball down the middle or across the side because of Aaron Rodgers.
38:48
SPEAKER_02: So I do expect him to be consistent, but I just don't think he's gonna get more than that 15-16 touch per game.
38:57
SPEAKER_00: Now for 19, I have Chuba Hubbard.
39:01
SPEAKER_00: He wasn't on my radar at all last year, at least not until it was too late, but he did have some really impressive games.
39:08
SPEAKER_00: He rushed for nearly 1200 yards, but the main thing is he was very inconsistent.
39:14
SPEAKER_00: And the addition of Rico Dowdle does give me some pause, but Chuba is still listed at the top of the depth chart, and he should have another respectable season.
39:24
SPEAKER_00: So I have him just inside of my top 20 at 19.
39:30
SPEAKER_02: And I agree with you.
39:32
SPEAKER_02: I do have him at number 19 as well.
39:34
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
39:35
SPEAKER_00: First time we actually the second or third.
39:37
SPEAKER_00: I don't know.
39:38
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, well, the first one was like early, and then it's it's been a while.
39:41
SPEAKER_02: So yeah, so Treble Treble Hover, same thing, 19.
39:44
SPEAKER_02: So he actually had uh averaged 19.5 touches per game last year, which is huge, right?
39:49
SPEAKER_02: He uh I mean he had 250 rush rush uh attempts, which I think for a running back, you know, that didn't start until what like mid-season, that he was given a pretty good workload, right?
40:01
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, and he was hitting uh 16 points a game, so I'd say he's like a really good uh RB2 slash RB3 range.
40:07
SPEAKER_02: Um obviously have a rico doodle, I think hurts his um his red zone attempts a bit, right?
40:14
SPEAKER_02: Because they might be running it through Doddle there.
40:16
SPEAKER_02: Um, but at the end of the day, I I think much like last year, right, everyone counted him out on you know and and thought he was done or not worthy of it.
40:26
SPEAKER_02: And he, of course, you know, showed you why he was a top uh prospect in college, right?
40:30
SPEAKER_02: Because he he actually he's small but mighty.
40:34
SPEAKER_02: So I expect him to at least be in that top 20 range this year again.
40:40
SPEAKER_00: Now, rounding out the top 20, I have David Montgomery.
40:45
SPEAKER_00: I love David Montgomery.
40:47
SPEAKER_00: Anyone that watches this channel knows that you love him more than I do, Manny.
40:52
SPEAKER_00: He was a great compliment to the rushing attack for the Detroit Lions, racking up over 1,100 yards and 12 touchdowns, over 14 games.
41:01
SPEAKER_00: That's a thing.
41:02
SPEAKER_00: We did that over 14 games.
41:04
SPEAKER_00: But I think the Lions are gonna lean more into Jameer Gibbs this year, and it could be that I'm completely wrong and I'm misreading this, and Montgomery is still heavily involved in the backfield so they can keep Gibbs fresh.
41:16
SPEAKER_00: But Montgomery has a long injury history, and they may actually want to reduce his workload to prevent another injury and give more carries to Gibbs, and they saw what Gibbs can do.
41:25
SPEAKER_00: So, as much as I love Montgomery, and he's clearly gonna be a red zone threat, he's gonna take some of those touches away from Gibbs.
41:32
SPEAKER_00: I I think they're gonna limit his workload just a little bit compared to last season.
41:37
SPEAKER_00: He's still gonna be a beast, probably gonna get a lot of red zone touches, but I don't think he's gonna be quite as consistent and productive as he was last year.
41:47
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, definitely.
41:48
SPEAKER_02: And I I faded uh David Montgomery, so I'm not gonna touch on him right now.
41:52
SPEAKER_02: However, for my number 20, I'm gonna take a guy that uh, you know, I didn't think he was gonna be as effective last year, but he surprised me.
41:59
SPEAKER_02: Aaron Jones.
42:00
SPEAKER_02: He's always been great in Green Bay, he just never stays healthy.
42:04
SPEAKER_02: Uh last year, he actually played a full season, right?
42:06
SPEAKER_02: First time, and I think since his rookie season, he played all 17 games.
42:10
SPEAKER_02: Doesn't mean he finished them, but he was there.
42:12
SPEAKER_02: Um, he averaged 18 touches per game, which is excellent, right?
42:16
SPEAKER_02: Uh he wasn't as efficient.
42:18
SPEAKER_02: He was only getting 14 um uh points per fancy game.
42:22
SPEAKER_02: So I'd say he's more like a you know flex level, right?
42:25
SPEAKER_02: RB.
42:26
SPEAKER_02: Um, but to have over 1,500 all-purpose yards and obviously over 300 touches for the season, I think that's exactly where I want my RB2 slash three to be at least 250 to 300 touches.
42:39
SPEAKER_02: So um he does round off my top 20, and he's somebody that you know if I take, I will be handcuffing, of course.
42:47
SPEAKER_00: Now for 21, I've got DeAndre Swift.
42:52
SPEAKER_00: Swift is a guy I typically don't want on my team, but he does show flashes of greatness from time to time.
42:59
SPEAKER_00: His biggest hurdle is staying consistent and finding the end zone.
43:03
SPEAKER_00: He's a good flex play, but I wouldn't roster him as my RB1 or two.
43:08
SPEAKER_00: But again, the consistency and the end zone, that's always been something that gives me pause.
43:15
SPEAKER_00: I really don't want him rostered as an RB1 or two, obviously.
43:21
SPEAKER_02: Gotcha.
43:21
SPEAKER_02: And and again, we're in agreement here.
43:23
SPEAKER_02: My number 21 is also DeAndre Swift, except I have him for a little bit different reason.
43:29
SPEAKER_02: So last year he actually had uh he was averaging about 17 touches per game, and you look at his overall games and you wonder, hey, you know, how come you know he he had he was very inconsistent, right?
43:42
SPEAKER_02: Like you said, there was a lot of um you know change of game plans.
43:46
SPEAKER_02: Uh they were letting Rashawn Johnson run the ball a lot.
43:49
SPEAKER_02: Um, however, this year, uh the Bears went ahead and hired Ben Johnson as their head coach, right?
43:57
SPEAKER_02: He was the offensive coordinator for the Lions.
43:59
SPEAKER_02: So now They have Ben Johnson.
44:01
SPEAKER_02: Uh, they have a second year Caleb Williams, and DeAndre Swift is a clear-cut number one on that team.
44:06
SPEAKER_02: There's no one even coming close to touching his workload.
44:10
SPEAKER_02: And if he's, you know, if he replicates last year and he plays a full season, which last year was his first time since he's been in the league, played a full season.
44:18
SPEAKER_02: It seems almost like DeAndre Swift is kind of getting better with age and with his years, and he's really showing that pedigree we once saw when he used to play for Georgia.
44:28
SPEAKER_02: Um, so I expect him to continue that here this year.
44:34
SPEAKER_00: All good points.
44:35
SPEAKER_00: And I'm glad you pointed that out.
44:37
SPEAKER_00: I might move him up one or two spots in my rankings.
44:40
SPEAKER_00: Now for 22, very close to where you had him.
44:43
SPEAKER_00: I have Aaron Jones.
44:45
SPEAKER_00: I think the Minnesota Vikings will be a very good team this year, but I'm a little bit concerned with the addition of Jordan Mason, who looked awesome last year filling in for CMC.
44:56
SPEAKER_00: But we gotta talk about what Aaron Jones did last year, too, which you just mentioned.
45:02
SPEAKER_00: Finished with over 1,500 total yards and still listed at the top of the depth chart, obviously above Jordan Mason.
45:10
SPEAKER_00: I'm just a little bit concerned that it could be a committee.
45:13
SPEAKER_00: Aaron Jones is used to operating in a committee, but until we see that happen, Aaron Jones is the guy, and he proved that he is the guy last year.
45:22
SPEAKER_00: So if he can stay healthy, he will be uh a really good guy to have as RB3 or flex play.
45:30
SPEAKER_02: And you know something funny.
45:31
SPEAKER_02: I actually see uh Minnesota pairing him up kind of like uh um like Detroit did with Jameer and Dave Montgomery.
45:39
SPEAKER_02: So Jordan Mason is more of a power back, right?
45:42
SPEAKER_02: Really strong hands, like uh great pass blocker, but he also can take it up uh up the cut pretty quickly, like a one-cut guy like Montgomery.
45:51
SPEAKER_02: And then, of course, uh, you know, Aaron Jones is a really good pass catcher, right?
45:55
SPEAKER_02: So he could he could do stretch plays, he could do screens, he could do all that stuff, right?
46:00
SPEAKER_02: So I could see them running that similar to how uh Detroit has been running their committee for the last couple years, just run it down your throats, and then when you least expect it, obviously you can never stop Justin Jefferson, right?
46:13
SPEAKER_02: So uh I expect him to play a little bit more West Coast style offense this year.
46:18
SPEAKER_02: Their head coach, Kevin O'Connell, super smart offensive mind.
46:22
SPEAKER_02: I could see that really working out well with that uh running back committee.
46:27
SPEAKER_00: Now for 23.
46:29
SPEAKER_00: Wait, did you go to 22?
46:30
SPEAKER_02: I did not do 22.
46:32
SPEAKER_00: Okay, your turn, 22.
46:34
SPEAKER_00: Okay.
46:35
SPEAKER_02: All right.
46:36
SPEAKER_02: Now for my number 22, it's a guy I faded uh really far, right?
46:40
SPEAKER_02: Most people had him a lot higher.
46:42
SPEAKER_02: And he always has been so good, he just can't stay healthy.
46:45
SPEAKER_02: I have Kenneth Walker back here.
46:47
SPEAKER_02: I mean, uh, all these other guys I listed are just way more durable than him.
46:52
SPEAKER_02: Uh you know, they're more likely to stay there.
46:54
SPEAKER_02: And then after seeing last year him going down and how good Zach Charbonnet was, uh, I just don't know if Kenneth Walker is gonna get that contract extension he wants.
47:06
SPEAKER_02: I can see him playing himself into another contract or even getting traded before the tread deadline and then just going 100% with you know Zach.
47:15
SPEAKER_02: But uh as of right now, I just I don't believe in him enough.
47:18
SPEAKER_02: Despite him getting 21 touches a game, I think the problem is they don't utilize him in the way he should, right?
47:25
SPEAKER_02: I think they should split carries 15 for him and you know uh 10 to 12 for Charbonnet, but they they like running their running backs to the ground in Seattle.
47:34
SPEAKER_02: So hopefully with a new coach, new system, that could change.
47:37
SPEAKER_02: But as of right now, it's one of those backfields I kind of don't know what the hell is going to happen.
47:45
SPEAKER_00: That's fair.
47:47
SPEAKER_00: Now for 23, I have Tony Pollard.
47:51
SPEAKER_00: He rushed for over a thousand yards over the last three years, but as the RB won on Tennessee last year, he finished with only five touchdowns.
47:59
SPEAKER_00: I expected that to change towards the end of last season, and I was telling everyone to buy low.
48:04
SPEAKER_00: I was trying to get him on my team, but he is on one of the worst teams in the NFL, and it just didn't happen.
48:11
SPEAKER_00: Pollard is an example of what we've been discussing.
48:14
SPEAKER_00: That's why I stay away from bad teams as much as possible.
48:17
SPEAKER_00: The offensive line sucks, the entire offense sucks.
48:20
SPEAKER_00: If you aren't scoring touchdowns, the upside is severely capped.
48:24
SPEAKER_00: So, you know, we've been discussing how much a bad team can ruin a good player.
48:28
SPEAKER_00: I think Pollard is a good example of that.
48:31
SPEAKER_00: That's why he is just inside my top 25, but I'm not very optimistic as long as he's on uh Tennessee Titans.
48:39
SPEAKER_02: Now, for my 23 guy, I actually have uh James Connor, right?
48:44
SPEAKER_02: I'll touch on Pollard here in a little bit, but James Connor, obviously, he's somebody that you know I don't ever trust, right?
48:51
SPEAKER_02: He never plays a full season.
48:52
SPEAKER_02: I think last year they have him officially uh played 16.
48:56
SPEAKER_02: I think he left one of those early.
48:57
SPEAKER_02: Um, but still, despite that, the guy still ended up scoring over 250 fantasy points for the season.
49:03
SPEAKER_02: He averaged 17.7 uh touches per game, right?
49:08
SPEAKER_02: He had over 1,500 all-purpose yards.
49:11
SPEAKER_02: I mean, the guy had over 260 care uh touches overall.
49:16
SPEAKER_02: So, I mean, I expect that to continue.
49:18
SPEAKER_02: I just, you know, him going into his you know late 20s, 30s now has me a little bit more uh scared to draft him above some of the other guys, but I think if you're getting him this this late, it's possibly gonna be you know uh rounds you know eight through ten uh or sorry, six through eight.
49:37
SPEAKER_02: I I'd say he's a really good value, right?
49:40
SPEAKER_02: Um again if you're doing a 12-man league, that value falls off quick, guys.
49:45
SPEAKER_02: So once you get past this top 25, I think you're really losing out on a lot.
49:49
SPEAKER_00: Oh yeah.
49:50
SPEAKER_00: Oh yeah.
49:53
SPEAKER_00: Now at the 24 spot, I have Amarian Hampton.
49:58
SPEAKER_00: I didn't have him in my top 25 initially, but I'm not sure what's going on with Najee Harris.
50:04
SPEAKER_00: If Najee misses a few games and Hampton proves he can be a three-down back, they may not utilize Najee as much for the rest of the season.
50:13
SPEAKER_00: However, Najee is a very durable running back that has never missed a game, and it's likely these two will operate as a committee similar to the way that Najee did with Jalen Warren last year, capping the upside for both of them.
50:26
SPEAKER_02: Okay, all right.
50:28
SPEAKER_02: Now for uh sorry, are we on number 24?
50:32
SPEAKER_02: Yes, mine?
50:33
SPEAKER_02: Okay.
50:35
SPEAKER_02: Now for my number 24, I actually have Tony Pollard, obviously, only a few uh one spot back from you.
50:42
SPEAKER_02: Um, I'm a big uh last year, Tennessee obviously terrible team.
50:46
SPEAKER_02: Will Levis terrible terrible quarterback, um not terrible quarterback, excuse me, terrible situation, right?
50:52
SPEAKER_02: Like he has good good tangibles.
50:54
SPEAKER_02: He just I don't know what's wrong with that guy.
50:56
SPEAKER_02: Um, but Tony Pollard, obviously, now he has Cam Ward throwing the ball.
51:01
SPEAKER_02: Big fan of Cam Ward.
51:02
SPEAKER_02: He has good poise, he's gonna open things up in the passing lane, so it's gonna force them to stop stacking the box.
51:09
SPEAKER_02: And Tony Pollard went healthy last year, he was getting about 18.8 touches per game.
51:14
SPEAKER_02: I mean, the guy uh he was getting a lot of work, he wasn't producing a lot, and that's why he ended up having only 12 points per game fantasy-wise.
51:22
SPEAKER_02: And if you look at his touchdown, he only had five, so you're gonna expect an increase for sure this year, and that's why I have him uh rounded up here and uh possibly a little bit higher than some of the other experts.
51:34
SPEAKER_00: That's a good point, though.
51:35
SPEAKER_00: Like I mentioned that he only had five touchdowns, and you did too.
51:38
SPEAKER_00: That's that number's going up, like that's probably gonna be double, you know.
51:42
SPEAKER_00: Expect 10 or 12 touchdowns, but um the offense concerns me, but but that is a good point.
51:48
SPEAKER_00: It was like similar to James Cook, as we were talking about last year.
51:51
SPEAKER_00: He had six touchdowns, we knew that number was going up.
51:55
SPEAKER_00: Now, rounding out the top 25, I have Isaiah Pacheco.
52:02
SPEAKER_00: If Pacheco has a strong comeback, he could be one of the best picks for your team.
52:08
SPEAKER_00: He never got back to his full potential last year.
52:11
SPEAKER_00: And if he's ready to go this year, then it could be a game changer if you draft him and just keep him on your bench.
52:20
SPEAKER_00: He's currently listed as the RB1 for Kansas City, who's one of the best teams in the NFL.
52:25
SPEAKER_00: With that said, Kareem Hunt looked great last year, and the Chiefs may want to operate as a committee at least after half the season, just to see if Pacheco is strong enough to be that uh you know three-down back.
52:37
SPEAKER_00: But I just think if he's healthy, strong coming into this season, he could be a game changer for your team if you just stash him on your bench.
52:48
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, yeah, I can see that.
52:51
SPEAKER_02: Um now for my final uh back rounding up the top 25.
52:56
SPEAKER_02: I do have Mr.
52:57
SPEAKER_02: Brian Robinson Jr.
52:59
SPEAKER_02: uh for Washington.
53:01
SPEAKER_02: So last year he played 14 games.
53:03
SPEAKER_02: He only averaged about 11.5 fancy points per game, so it wasn't anything crazy.
53:08
SPEAKER_02: Um, but if you look at his his workload, he only had two 200 touches last year.
53:13
SPEAKER_02: It was obviously they were running a committee back between him and Austin Eckler.
53:17
SPEAKER_02: Obviously, one year later, uh, one step slower for Eckler, right?
53:22
SPEAKER_02: And he wasn't even that healthy last year.
53:24
SPEAKER_02: I think a lot of times too, uh, when Brian Robinson was out, I I think they said that him and Eckler only played eight eight games together, including the playoffs last season.
53:35
SPEAKER_02: So I think he's gonna be healthy this year with uh a healthy Jaden Daniels.
53:41
SPEAKER_02: Uh, you could see him take a step forward because he's uh he's always had those intangibles, those tools, but he just can't stay seemed to stay on the field healthy.
53:49
SPEAKER_02: So I expect this to be a better year for him in that direction.
53:54
SPEAKER_00: I just want to let you know, about an hour before we started recording, I switched from Brian Robinson Jr.
54:02
SPEAKER_00: to Isaiah Pacheco.
54:04
SPEAKER_00: He was my 25.
54:05
SPEAKER_00: We almost had another one, but yeah, yeah.
54:08
SPEAKER_00: Good list, man.
54:09
SPEAKER_00: Good list.
54:10
SPEAKER_00: I like it.
54:11
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, it's uh it gives people a lot of because right now, uh, and I want people to hold this accountable, right?
54:18
SPEAKER_02: Look at what the trend looks like now.
54:21
SPEAKER_02: What these experts say, most of them are copying each other, so they have like this uh similar opinion.
54:27
SPEAKER_02: Me and Joe just obviously we we've been doing a show a couple years, so we look at things a little bit different.
54:33
SPEAKER_02: Um, so that's why our lists end up being similar.
54:36
SPEAKER_02: Um, but at the end of the day, everything is just pretty much uh from scratch, guys.
54:41
SPEAKER_02: We're not looking to copy anybody, we're just gonna give you our honest opinion, our honest take.
54:46
SPEAKER_02: And if you could win some fancy championships, well then hell, right?
54:50
SPEAKER_02: Isn't that what this is all for?
54:53
SPEAKER_00: Um yeah, I mean, at least we're giving you something to think about, you know.
54:56
SPEAKER_00: Like our list had a lot of similarities, but it had a lot of differences too.
55:01
SPEAKER_00: So you can compare and contrast, you know, the points we made and see if if you think this makes sense or that doesn't make sense.
55:09
SPEAKER_00: Obviously, you know, trust your gut, this is fantasy football, but sometimes it just comes down to watching football, you know, like that's a huge reason I had Chase Brown in my top five.
55:20
SPEAKER_00: I was watching him last year and I was like, damn.
55:23
SPEAKER_00: Uh, there's a lot of times when you can read the stats and it answers every question for you, but sometimes it doesn't.
55:30
SPEAKER_00: You know, there's a lot of different things that change in the offseason, and until the season starts, you don't know what you're gonna get.
55:39
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, understood.
55:40
SPEAKER_02: Yes, sir.
55:41
SPEAKER_02: Well, Joe, again, it's happy to be back.
55:44
SPEAKER_02: That was our top 25 running backs.
55:46
SPEAKER_02: Obviously, the next show we're gonna do what again?
55:49
SPEAKER_00: Was it we're gonna do the top 15 tight ends next?
55:53
SPEAKER_02: All right, yes.
55:54
SPEAKER_02: And and the reason why we're doing that, folks, we don't want to be ganging on.
55:58
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, we can't just do running back wires here, and then we never see you guys again.
56:03
SPEAKER_02: So we gotta make sure you come back, all right?
56:04
SPEAKER_02: We gotta give you a little slap and tickle.
56:09
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, that's a good way to point it.
56:10
SPEAKER_02: Uh put it out there, Joe.
56:12
SPEAKER_02: Dopamine drip.
56:13
SPEAKER_02: But yeah, regardless, ladies and gentlemen, we appreciate the love, the support.
56:17
SPEAKER_02: Please make sure to download, follow, share with your friends, tell your mothers, and uh maybe someday we could get a sponsorship deal.
56:24
SPEAKER_02: Outside of, of course, uh Welcome Home by Manny James.
56:28
SPEAKER_02: I got a lot of people.
56:28
SPEAKER_00: Number one sponsor, Dan.
56:30
SPEAKER_02: That's one of the coolest commercials I've seen for my fellow Americans.
56:35
SPEAKER_02: Uh, but anyways, good to be back, ladies and gentlemen.
56:38
SPEAKER_02: Give us a uh give us any messages if you have any questions.
56:41
SPEAKER_02: Obviously, player profiles are coming up, right, Joe?
56:44
SPEAKER_00: That's right.
56:45
SPEAKER_00: We'll be doing those once the season starts.
56:47
SPEAKER_00: Uh and if again, we're we say this every week, but if there is a player that you'd like us to do for a player profile, just throw it in the comments and we'll do it.
56:59
SPEAKER_02: All right.
57:00
SPEAKER_02: Well, that's it for us, uh, folks.
57:02
SPEAKER_02: We appreciate you stopping by yet again for another episode of uh Sports Minds here.
57:08
SPEAKER_02: Uh, so you guys give us a call or shout out, and we'll see you here same time next week, guys.