Latest / Rice on the Radio / 2026 Fantasy Football: My Guys, Draft Values, Fades & Late-Round Sleepers

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2026 Fantasy Football: My Guys, Draft Values, Fades & Late-Round Sleepers · Rice on the Radio

• 0:00
  SPEAKER_01: Jalen Waddell is basically being drafted like a wide receiver two right now.
• 0:07
  SPEAKER_01: That's cool.
• 0:09
  SPEAKER_01: I think he can finish top five.
• 0:12
  SPEAKER_01: And look, that is kind of what this whole episode is going to be about here.
• 0:16
  SPEAKER_01: We've spent three episodes talking about process and tiers and ADP and reading your draft room, all of that shit.
• 0:26
  SPEAKER_01: Eventually, you have to stop looking at everybody else's rankings to decide what you believe.
• 0:34
  SPEAKER_01: So today, today, I'm putting some names on tape.
• 0:39
  SPEAKER_01: The guys that I want, the guys that I think are too cheap, guys I absolutely do not want at the price they're going for.
• 0:48
  SPEAKER_01: And a couple guys where, if I'm right, I would just like you to remember who told you about them first.
• 0:56
  SPEAKER_01: I guess there's only one way to find out.
• 0:58
  SPEAKER_01: Let's do it to it, right?
• 1:00
  SPEAKER_00: Extra, extra.
• 1:02
  SPEAKER_00: Keep the light low.
• 1:03
  SPEAKER_00: New York talking with the late lights go from the garden blow to the stadium.
• 1:08
  SPEAKER_00: When W, what does it mean?
• 1:11
  SPEAKER_00: Right on the radio.
• 1:12
  SPEAKER_00: Come into your speaker's big off tools.
• 1:27
  SPEAKER_00: Run it down, light, hit the light, right on the radio.
• 1:31
  SPEAKER_01: Let's do it, do it, and hello there, ladies and gentlemen, and welcome back to another episode of Rice on the Radio.
• 1:44
  SPEAKER_01: We are now on part four and the finale of Fantasy Football 202.
• 1:52
  SPEAKER_01: And if you listened to the end of part three, I pretty much told you exactly what was going to be coming next.
• 1:59
  SPEAKER_01: My guys, your guys, and the guys that I don't like.
• 2:04
  SPEAKER_01: So here we are.
• 2:05
  SPEAKER_01: Part one was the process.
• 2:07
  SPEAKER_01: Do your homework, understand ADP, understand tiers, read the room, build your team, yada, yada, yada.
• 2:15
  SPEAKER_01: Part two was me actually putting my board out there, running backs, receivers, quarterbacks, tight ends, where I thought the cliffs were, where I was comfortable waiting.
• 2:26
  SPEAKER_01: Part three was what happens when the draft actually starts, and 11 other idiots start screwing up the perfect plan that you spent three weeks building up to.
• 2:35
  SPEAKER_01: Now we got part four, and this is the fun one.
• 2:39
  SPEAKER_01: Because today, today we're talking about actual players.
• 2:45
  SPEAKER_01: And I want to think I want to make one thing very clear before I start here.
• 2:52
  SPEAKER_01: This is not another ranking episode.
• 2:55
  SPEAKER_01: You know, a flag plant does not necessarily mean I have this player ranked 10 spots higher than everybody else.
• 3:02
  SPEAKER_01: A value does not mean I think that this player is going to become an all-pro.
• 3:07
  SPEAKER_01: Uh a fade does not think that I think does not mean that I think this player sucks.
• 3:14
  SPEAKER_01: And a late round lottery ticket might be somebody I cut after week two.
• 3:19
  SPEAKER_01: Just full disclosure.
• 3:21
  SPEAKER_01: This is about the bet, the player, the price, the situation, and whether or not when I'm actually sitting there with the draft clock running, do I want this guy on my fantasy team or not?
• 3:35
  SPEAKER_01: Because at some point, the rankings stop helping you.
• 3:38
  SPEAKER_01: You know, this is this guy, the guy is there.
• 3:41
  SPEAKER_01: You're there, you're ready to go.
• 3:43
  SPEAKER_01: Are you clicking draft or not?
• 3:46
  SPEAKER_01: But anyway, here's what I got for you today.
• 3:48
  SPEAKER_01: I got four flag plants.
• 3:50
  SPEAKER_01: I got a couple values, I got four guys that I'm fading pretty hard at their current price, and some late round lottery tickets.
• 4:02
  SPEAKER_01: And then to cap it all off, I got one player that I have changed my mind on approximately 7,000 times this offseason.
• 4:12
  SPEAKER_01: So let's just let's just start with the guys that I'm trying to draft.
• 4:16
  SPEAKER_01: And number one for me with a bullet is Jalen Waddell.
• 4:22
  SPEAKER_01: You heard it in the open.
• 4:24
  SPEAKER_01: I love Jalen Waddell this year.
• 4:27
  SPEAKER_01: I've always liked the player.
• 4:28
  SPEAKER_01: That part is not new.
• 4:30
  SPEAKER_01: I think sometimes we forget just how good this guy is because his career has been a little bit weird, I guess.
• 4:39
  SPEAKER_01: You know, for years in Miami, he was playing behind Tyreek Hill, and that's fine.
• 4:44
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, if Tyreek Hill is standing across from you, guess what?
• 4:47
  SPEAKER_01: You're the number two receiver.
• 4:50
  SPEAKER_01: Then eventually you get to the point where Waddle is supposed to become more of the guy.
• 4:57
  SPEAKER_01: And now Tua's hurt, or Tua isn't there, or whatever quarterback they got in to replace him, the play drops off.
• 5:06
  SPEAKER_01: Or the entire offense is kind of just going through an identity crisis, which if you're a Miami fan, you know that to be true.
• 5:14
  SPEAKER_01: It just never completely lined up for him.
• 5:18
  SPEAKER_01: Well, now he goes to Denver.
• 5:22
  SPEAKER_01: Now he gets Sean Peyton.
• 5:23
  SPEAKER_01: Now he gets Bo Knicks.
• 5:26
  SPEAKER_01: And I understand Bo Nicks is not Josh Allen or Joe Burrow or even prime Patrick Mahomes.
• 5:32
  SPEAKER_01: That's not what I'm saying here.
• 5:34
  SPEAKER_01: What I am saying is that Bo Knicks has already shown that he can throw the football at volume in an NFL offense.
• 5:43
  SPEAKER_01: And Sean Payton clearly believes in it.
• 5:46
  SPEAKER_01: And not for nothing.
• 5:48
  SPEAKER_01: Cortland Sutton is good.
• 5:49
  SPEAKER_01: He's a good receiver.
• 5:52
  SPEAKER_01: Jalen Waddell is the best wide receiver Bo Knicks has ever played with to this date.
• 5:59
  SPEAKER_01: And it's not close.
• 6:02
  SPEAKER_01: So Denver goes out, they spend real capital to bring Waddle in.
• 6:07
  SPEAKER_01: And I look at this offense and I just think this is finally the environment where we get to see what this player looks like when everything around him is actually helping him succeed.
• 6:18
  SPEAKER_01: Right now, depending on the room and the format, Waddle is basically being drafted as a wide receiver two.
• 6:26
  SPEAKER_01: Somewhere around wide receiver 20, give or take.
• 6:29
  SPEAKER_01: And if you tell me I can draft Jalen Waddell as my second receiver, thank you.
• 6:35
  SPEAKER_01: No problem.
• 6:36
  SPEAKER_01: Because I don't think the ceiling is wide receiver 20.
• 6:39
  SPEAKER_01: I don't think the wide the ceiling is wide receiver 15.
• 6:43
  SPEAKER_01: I think a top 10 to top 12 finish is extremely realistic for him.
• 6:50
  SPEAKER_01: And here's the actual flag plant.
• 6:54
  SPEAKER_01: I think Jalen Waddell can flirt with a top five wide receiver finish this year.
• 7:00
  SPEAKER_01: That's how much I believe in the talent.
• 7:02
  SPEAKER_01: That is how much I love the fit.
• 7:05
  SPEAKER_01: And look, if I'm wrong, fine.
• 7:07
  SPEAKER_01: Play the clip back for me.
• 7:09
  SPEAKER_01: Make fun of me.
• 7:09
  SPEAKER_01: I don't care.
• 7:10
  SPEAKER_01: But if I get to the part of my draft where I'm comfortable taking Waddle and he's still sitting there, I'm snagging him 100% of the time.
• 7:21
  SPEAKER_01: No ifs, ands, or buts.
• 7:23
  SPEAKER_01: Next on my list, Ashton Janty.
• 7:28
  SPEAKER_01: Janty is Janty's funny because if you listen to part two, you know I've been going back and forth with him, right?
• 7:35
  SPEAKER_01: And I want to clarify something here.
• 7:38
  SPEAKER_01: It's not really the price that has made me go back and forth.
• 7:42
  SPEAKER_01: It is the ankle.
• 7:44
  SPEAKER_01: But that's really it.
• 7:46
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, you get a running back with an ankle injury right before the season, I'm gonna pay some close attention to it.
• 7:52
  SPEAKER_01: I'm not gonna pretend that it doesn't exist because I like the player.
• 7:56
  SPEAKER_01: But at the end of the day, the injury has not scared me enough to make me not want him on my fantasy team.
• 8:03
  SPEAKER_01: I would much rather have him than watch him go off for somebody else.
• 8:09
  SPEAKER_01: Because I think basically everything around him has improved.
• 8:13
  SPEAKER_01: Last year, this dude was getting hit before the play even had a chance to develop.
• 8:16
  SPEAKER_01: I think he was getting hit before they even snapped the ball.
• 8:20
  SPEAKER_01: An absurd amount of his rushing production came after contact because there was basically no clean runway for him.
• 8:27
  SPEAKER_01: He was having to make the first guy miss in the backfield half of the time just to get the play started.
• 8:33
  SPEAKER_01: That's not sustainable.
• 8:35
  SPEAKER_01: And somehow he was still pretty productive.
• 8:39
  SPEAKER_01: Now you add in Tyler Lindenbaum, probably the best center in the league.
• 8:43
  SPEAKER_01: You bring in a QBAC system that we know can build a running game.
• 8:48
  SPEAKER_01: You get a healthy Brock Bowers, hopefully, which creates another thing for the defense to actually worry about.
• 8:53
  SPEAKER_01: Kirk Cousins starts at the year at quarterback.
• 8:55
  SPEAKER_01: Fernando Mendoza is sitting there eventually, and I don't really care which one it is long term.
• 9:02
  SPEAKER_01: What I care about is competent quarterback play.
• 9:04
  SPEAKER_01: Get the ball out.
• 9:06
  SPEAKER_01: Keep the offense moving.
• 9:08
  SPEAKER_01: Make the defense respect something other than Janti running into eight people.
• 9:12
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, and look, Mike Washington is there.
• 9:14
  SPEAKER_01: I know the kid can play.
• 9:16
  SPEAKER_01: I'm not telling you Janti is gonna get every single running back touch on the roster, but he doesn't need to.
• 9:23
  SPEAKER_01: My bet that the quality of his touches improves enough that he doesn't have to spend every Sunday creating something out of absolutely nothing.
• 9:31
  SPEAKER_01: Last year felt like every carry started with good luck, kid, here's the ball.
• 9:36
  SPEAKER_01: This year, I I think he actually gets a chance to get to the line of scrimmage before he is asked to become Ashen Chanty.
• 9:45
  SPEAKER_01: And if that happens, I I think the ceiling is massive.
• 9:49
  SPEAKER_01: So, yes, the ankle gives me a little bit of pause.
• 9:51
  SPEAKER_01: I'm watching it, but if he's sitting there where I think he should be drafted, I'm I'm taking the swing.
• 10:00
  SPEAKER_01: Next up we got DJ Moore.
• 10:03
  SPEAKER_01: First of all, I found out during the research for this episode that DJ Moore is already 29 years old.
• 10:11
  SPEAKER_01: Good lord.
• 10:13
  SPEAKER_01: When the hell did that happen?
• 10:15
  SPEAKER_01: I swear to God, I thought he was like 26.
• 10:18
  SPEAKER_01: Time flies, man.
• 10:20
  SPEAKER_01: Fuck me.
• 10:21
  SPEAKER_01: Anyway, I liked DJ Moore already.
• 10:24
  SPEAKER_01: I liked him in episode 81.
• 10:26
  SPEAKER_01: I like him even more now.
• 10:28
  SPEAKER_01: Because this is this is pretty easily the best quarterback situation of his entire career.
• 10:34
  SPEAKER_01: Josh Allen is by far the best quarterback DJ Moore has ever played with.
• 10:39
  SPEAKER_01: And on the other side, I think DJ Moore is the best receiver Josh Allen has played with since maybe prime Stefan Diggs.
• 10:49
  SPEAKER_01: I'm not I'm not saying he's Jamar Chase or anything like that.
• 10:52
  SPEAKER_01: Relax.
• 10:54
  SPEAKER_01: But what I am saying is that Buffalo finally went out and gave Josh Allen another legitimate outside receiver who has size, who has speed, who has strong hands, who can win when the play breaks down.
• 11:10
  SPEAKER_01: And that is the part that is the most important to me.
• 11:14
  SPEAKER_01: Josh Allen loves to extend the play.
• 11:18
  SPEAKER_01: That's what he does.
• 11:19
  SPEAKER_01: He rolls out, he moves, he buys time, he turns something that looks dead into a 35-yard completion because he has a fucking cannon attached to his shoulder.
• 11:30
  SPEAKER_01: And DJ Moore has always been good when the play gets messy.
• 11:35
  SPEAKER_01: He's not just somebody who needs every route to look perfect.
• 11:41
  SPEAKER_01: And now you reunite him with Joe Brady, who already coached him in Carolina, which arguably is when he was his best.
• 11:51
  SPEAKER_01: That caught me during episode 81, and I completely forgot about it.
• 11:54
  SPEAKER_01: Moore put up over 1,100 yards under Brady in Carolina, and now Joe Brady gets him again, except this time with Josh Allen instead of Andy Dalton throwing him the ball.
• 12:04
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I'm interested.
• 12:06
  SPEAKER_01: And honestly, the price is still reasonable.
• 12:08
  SPEAKER_01: He's not costing me a first, he's not costing me a second.
• 12:11
  SPEAKER_01: There are plenty of drafts where DJ Moore can end up as somebody's wide receiver two, maybe even wide receiver three, depending on how aggressively the receiver market goes.
• 12:21
  SPEAKER_01: And I'm gonna plant this flag harder than I did in part two.
• 12:26
  SPEAKER_01: I think DJ Moore has top 12, top 15 wide receiver upside in Buffalo.
• 12:34
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, look, there's mounts to feed.
• 12:36
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, James Cook is gonna get his, Kincaid is gonna get his, Josh Allen is gonna pull the pull it down and run because he's a lunatic.
• 12:43
  SPEAKER_01: Fine, whatever.
• 12:45
  SPEAKER_01: I still think there is enough offense here for DJ Moore to eat.
• 12:49
  SPEAKER_01: And if I can get him around that fourth, fifth round area, yeah, sign me up.
• 12:55
  SPEAKER_01: I'm good.
• 12:57
  SPEAKER_01: My fourth flag plant here is Caleb Williams.
• 13:03
  SPEAKER_01: And I actually I think I think Caleb is one of the better quarterback targets if you want to split the difference between the two quarterback strategies we've been talking about all series.
• 13:17
  SPEAKER_01: Because look, I've told you repeatedly, quarterback is so deep this year.
• 13:23
  SPEAKER_01: You do not have to take Josh Allen, you do not have to take Lamar Jackson, you do not have to spend second or third round capital just because you're afraid of quarterback.
• 13:33
  SPEAKER_01: You can wait, I promise you.
• 13:36
  SPEAKER_01: And I'm gonna give you one of I'm gonna give you one of those waiting options in about five minutes with Bo Knicks.
• 13:43
  SPEAKER_01: But maybe you don't want to wait that long, right?
• 13:46
  SPEAKER_01: Maybe you want somebody who is closer to that upper echelon without paying the full upper echelon tax, right?
• 13:53
  SPEAKER_01: Well, that's Caleb Williams for me.
• 13:56
  SPEAKER_01: And the reason I like it is pretty similar to the reason I liked Dak Prescott last year.
• 14:04
  SPEAKER_01: Think about what Dak had, right?
• 14:06
  SPEAKER_01: He had CeeDee Lamb, he had George Pickens, he had weapons everywhere, and a good enough running game, and a defense that was perfectly capable of making him throw the ball another 12 times in the fourth quarter.
• 14:19
  SPEAKER_01: That is a fantasy quarterback environment that I love.
• 14:23
  SPEAKER_01: Give me the dominant offense and the questionable, to say the least, defense.
• 14:29
  SPEAKER_01: You know, Joe Burry and Joe Burrow in Cincinnati have been doing this shit for years, right?
• 14:33
  SPEAKER_01: They they lose a game 38-35, and everybody's miserable in Cincinnati.
• 14:39
  SPEAKER_01: Fantasy managers?
• 14:40
  SPEAKER_01: Well, Jamar Chase had two touchdowns, and Joe Burrow threw for 350.
• 14:44
  SPEAKER_01: Look, somebody has to score the points, right?
• 14:46
  SPEAKER_01: Now look at Chicago.
• 14:48
  SPEAKER_01: Roma Dunze, Luther Burden, Colson Lovelin, DeAndre Swift, Kyle Menungay, Ben Johnson running the whole thing.
• 14:59
  SPEAKER_01: And Caleb himself showed me something big last year.
• 15:02
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, six fourth quarter comebacks.
• 15:07
  SPEAKER_01: And it's that's huge.
• 15:08
  SPEAKER_01: It's not just because fourth quarter comebacks is suddenly a fantasy stat, but it tells me something about the player himself.
• 15:16
  SPEAKER_01: This dude is not scared when the game gets weird.
• 15:19
  SPEAKER_01: And we already saw nearly 4,000 passing yards last year.
• 15:23
  SPEAKER_01: And we saw some rushing value.
• 15:25
  SPEAKER_01: And on top of it, there's another fantasy gear here.
• 15:30
  SPEAKER_01: The Bears defense being bad does not automatically make Caleb Williams good.
• 15:36
  SPEAKER_01: That's not how football works.
• 15:38
  SPEAKER_01: You know, if Caleb Williams only completes 58% of his passes like he did last year and turns the ball over, that's not great.
• 15:46
  SPEAKER_01: But something that's always been true a team with a good quarterback and a bad defense is great for fantasy managers.
• 15:55
  SPEAKER_01: One last quick uh honorable mention here.
• 15:57
  SPEAKER_01: Uh Chase Brown.
• 16:00
  SPEAKER_01: He just missed the main four.
• 16:02
  SPEAKER_01: I love the player.
• 16:03
  SPEAKER_01: I loved him last year.
• 16:04
  SPEAKER_01: ESPN had him at about 17% of championship teams last season, which is a pretty damn good number.
• 16:11
  SPEAKER_01: I like Chase Brown.
• 16:13
  SPEAKER_01: It's simple.
• 16:13
  SPEAKER_01: He stays on the field.
• 16:14
  SPEAKER_01: Cincinnati can be winning, Cincinnati can be losing.
• 16:17
  SPEAKER_01: He can run between the tackles, he can catch the dump off, he can pass protect.
• 16:21
  SPEAKER_01: Joe Burrow does not have to send him to the sideline because it's third and seven.
• 16:25
  SPEAKER_01: And with the Bengals defense being that bad, that matters.
• 16:29
  SPEAKER_01: My line with Chase Brown is somewhere between picks 12, 13, 14, 15, 5 or 6.
• 16:35
  SPEAKER_01: No.
• 16:36
  SPEAKER_01: 8 or 9?
• 16:37
  SPEAKER_01: Probably not.
• 16:38
  SPEAKER_01: But you get me around that turn and Chase Brown is sitting there, yeah.
• 16:42
  SPEAKER_01: I'm not overthinking it.
• 16:43
  SPEAKER_01: If Chase Brown is somebody's RB2, you're sitting in a good spot.
• 16:50
  SPEAKER_01: Okay, now we move on to values.
• 16:53
  SPEAKER_01: So values are a little bit different.
• 16:56
  SPEAKER_01: These are guys where I look at the price that they're going for, and I just think, like, why are why is he still there?
• 17:04
  SPEAKER_01: And number one on that list with a bullet is Bo Nicks.
• 17:09
  SPEAKER_01: I do not understand the Bo Nicks market.
• 17:12
  SPEAKER_01: I really don't.
• 17:13
  SPEAKER_01: I understand that he broke his ankle before the AFC Championship last year.
• 17:17
  SPEAKER_01: That happened.
• 17:18
  SPEAKER_01: He he is healthy now.
• 17:20
  SPEAKER_01: He has been back on the field.
• 17:21
  SPEAKER_01: He looks fine.
• 17:23
  SPEAKER_01: So what exactly are we pricing in here?
• 17:26
  SPEAKER_01: Because this is now year three in Denver.
• 17:29
  SPEAKER_01: The terminology is familiar.
• 17:31
  SPEAKER_01: Sean Payton believes in him.
• 17:32
  SPEAKER_01: The organization is very clearly building around him.
• 17:35
  SPEAKER_01: They drafted RJ Harvey last year.
• 17:37
  SPEAKER_01: They went out and traded real capital for Jalen Waddell, like I just said.
• 17:42
  SPEAKER_01: They are actively trying to make the offensive bet offense better.
• 17:46
  SPEAKER_01: Oh, and by the way, Bo Nicks threw for almost 4,000 yards last season and he ran for another 350.
• 17:54
  SPEAKER_01: He accounted for 30 touchdowns between the passing and rushing.
• 17:58
  SPEAKER_01: And there are drafts where he's still QB 14, 15, hanging around the 10th, 11th, 12th round, sometimes later, depending on your draft board.
• 18:09
  SPEAKER_01: I don't get it.
• 18:10
  SPEAKER_01: Did everybody forget about him?
• 18:12
  SPEAKER_01: Did he burn somebody because he had two 10-point fantasy games?
• 18:16
  SPEAKER_01: Fine.
• 18:17
  SPEAKER_01: He also had a bunch of games where he gave you 20, 25, 28, and oh yeah, again, now he has Jalen Waddle.
• 18:25
  SPEAKER_01: So this plays directly into my Waddle flag plant.
• 18:29
  SPEAKER_01: If I think adding Waddle materially improves the Denver passing game, somebody has to throw him the football.
• 18:38
  SPEAKER_01: That's somebody who's Bo Knicks.
• 18:40
  SPEAKER_01: And if I get both of them, great.
• 18:42
  SPEAKER_01: Now I got a stack that I actually like.
• 18:45
  SPEAKER_01: But I don't need the stack to like Knicks.
• 18:47
  SPEAKER_01: This is the entire argument I've been making about quarterback depth.
• 18:51
  SPEAKER_01: You're telling me I can spend nine rounds building running backs, receivers, maybe a tight end or two, loading up my starting roster, and then say, oh yeah, you know what?
• 19:00
  SPEAKER_01: I guess I'll take the 26-year-old quarterback who just threw for almost 4,000 yards, ran for another 350 and scored 30 touchdowns, and they added a star prime receiver.
• 19:09
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, thank you.
• 19:10
  SPEAKER_01: I'll do that.
• 19:10
  SPEAKER_01: I will definitely do that.
• 19:12
  SPEAKER_01: Next up, Tyler Algier.
• 19:16
  SPEAKER_01: And the people who remember Tyler Algier are the people who probably owned Bijan Robinson last year.
• 19:24
  SPEAKER_01: And you know exactly what I'm talking about if you're out there.
• 19:27
  SPEAKER_01: Bijan does all the work.
• 19:28
  SPEAKER_01: Bijan gets them down to the four-yard line.
• 19:31
  SPEAKER_01: And then Tyler Algier checks in, runs on the field.
• 19:34
  SPEAKER_01: Hey, thanks, buddy.
• 19:35
  SPEAKER_01: I'll take it from here.
• 19:36
  SPEAKER_01: Touchdown.
• 19:37
  SPEAKER_01: And again.
• 19:38
  SPEAKER_01: And again, and again.
• 19:40
  SPEAKER_01: And you're staring at your fantasy app like you gotta be you gotta be kidding me, man.
• 19:47
  SPEAKER_01: Well, Algier isn't in Atlanta anymore.
• 19:50
  SPEAKER_01: But he is in Arizona.
• 19:52
  SPEAKER_01: Arizona gave him meaningful money in free agency.
• 19:56
  SPEAKER_01: And then Arizona turned around and drafted Jeremiah Love third overall.
• 20:00
  SPEAKER_01: So no, I'm not telling you Tyler Algier is gonna beat Jeremiah Love out long term.
• 20:07
  SPEAKER_01: Love is the future.
• 20:08
  SPEAKER_01: Love is an unbelievable prospect.
• 20:12
  SPEAKER_01: We will actually talk about him in the phase section because I don't like his redraft price.
• 20:17
  SPEAKER_01: But right now, Love also has a high ankle sprain.
• 20:22
  SPEAKER_01: And he is still a rookie.
• 20:24
  SPEAKER_01: And Tyler Algier is a proven NFL running back.
• 20:27
  SPEAKER_01: So I'm getting Algier in round 11, 12 in that area.
• 20:32
  SPEAKER_01: That is very, very useful to me.
• 20:35
  SPEAKER_01: There is a world where he is an immediate flex option while love gets healthy.
• 20:40
  SPEAKER_01: And then once love takes over, okay.
• 20:44
  SPEAKER_01: Now he becomes my bench stash.
• 20:47
  SPEAKER_01: Maybe he becomes trade bait.
• 20:49
  SPEAKER_01: Maybe love tweaks that ankle again or misses another game.
• 20:53
  SPEAKER_01: Maybe Algier simply keeps enough goal line work to stay relevant.
• 20:58
  SPEAKER_01: The point is, I'm not paying for any of this.
• 21:01
  SPEAKER_01: That's value.
• 21:02
  SPEAKER_01: And if something does happen to love, well then congratulations.
• 21:05
  SPEAKER_01: All of a sudden I drafted a starting NFL running back in the 11th or 12th round.
• 21:09
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I'll take that bet.
• 21:12
  SPEAKER_01: Next up, Isaiah Likely.
• 21:14
  SPEAKER_01: Tight end is funky this year, man.
• 21:18
  SPEAKER_01: It's you got Brock Bowers and you got McBride.
• 21:21
  SPEAKER_01: One and two.
• 21:22
  SPEAKER_01: Colson Lovelin may jump himself directly into that top group.
• 21:27
  SPEAKER_01: Then you start getting into Tucker Kraft, Tyler Warren, you know, whatever order you want to put these guys in.
• 21:34
  SPEAKER_01: Tight end does what it always does.
• 21:36
  SPEAKER_01: Tight end five last year was closer in finish to tight end 18 than it was to tight end one.
• 21:44
  SPEAKER_01: Everybody acts surprised.
• 21:45
  SPEAKER_01: Same shit every year.
• 21:48
  SPEAKER_01: So if I miss the elite advantage, I want price.
• 21:53
  SPEAKER_01: And Isaiah Likely gives me price.
• 21:56
  SPEAKER_01: John Arbaugh comes to New York and brings Likely with him.
• 22:00
  SPEAKER_01: Likely spent years in Baltimore being a good player standing behind Mark Andrews.
• 22:04
  SPEAKER_01: Now he gets his own opportunity.
• 22:06
  SPEAKER_01: The Giants paid him.
• 22:08
  SPEAKER_01: They're using multiple tight end sets.
• 22:10
  SPEAKER_01: Theo Johnson is still there, and Theo Johnson can play.
• 22:14
  SPEAKER_01: That's not a negative to me.
• 22:15
  SPEAKER_01: If anything, it tells me the offense is comfortable using the position.
• 22:19
  SPEAKER_01: And Jackson Dart has already shown that he is not afraid to throw the ball over the middle.
• 22:24
  SPEAKER_01: So if I can draft Isaiah Likely late, absolutely.
• 22:28
  SPEAKER_01: Do I need Isaiah Likely to become Trey McBride?
• 22:32
  SPEAKER_01: No.
• 22:33
  SPEAKER_01: That's not what I'm paying for.
• 22:34
  SPEAKER_01: Give me a usable starting tight end.
• 22:36
  SPEAKER_01: Give me 60, 65 catches, give me some touchdowns.
• 22:40
  SPEAKER_01: Give me somebody who I don't have to immediately replace by week four.
• 22:44
  SPEAKER_01: And if you don't trust enough to make him your only tight end, fine.
• 22:46
  SPEAKER_01: Draft another cheap tight end.
• 22:48
  SPEAKER_01: I don't care.
• 22:49
  SPEAKER_01: Spend two late picks.
• 22:51
  SPEAKER_01: I would rather do that than panic and spend meaningful draft capital on a tight end I don't really believe separates from the position anyway.
• 22:59
  SPEAKER_01: Quentin Johnson is the last value on the list before we move on here.
• 23:05
  SPEAKER_01: I know.
• 23:06
  SPEAKER_01: I know, I know, I know, I know.
• 23:08
  SPEAKER_01: Quentin Johnson, he has been frustrating to put it politely.
• 23:13
  SPEAKER_01: His uh his hands are not the greatest.
• 23:17
  SPEAKER_01: We'll say it like that.
• 23:18
  SPEAKER_01: I'm not saying he's got feet for hands or anything, but they're not great.
• 23:22
  SPEAKER_01: But the price has finally gotten to the point where I don't need him to be anything spectacular.
• 23:28
  SPEAKER_01: He's going around wide receiver 40-ish.
• 23:31
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, he's still attached to Justin Herbert.
• 23:34
  SPEAKER_01: And he's already shown that he can score touchdowns.
• 23:37
  SPEAKER_01: He's already had stretches where he's been very fantasy relevant.
• 23:41
  SPEAKER_01: And when I'm filling my bench with receivers, I want guys where I can imagine a world in which they actually get the start, get the nod, and I can start them consistently.
• 23:53
  SPEAKER_01: So that's it.
• 23:54
  SPEAKER_01: I don't need the safe wide receiver 58 who gives me four catches for 46 yards whenever I'm forced to use them.
• 24:01
  SPEAKER_01: No.
• 24:02
  SPEAKER_01: Give me the guy where if something clicks, if the target share changes, if the offense changes, whatever.
• 24:09
  SPEAKER_01: Suddenly I have a real player.
• 24:10
  SPEAKER_01: So QJ gives me that.
• 24:12
  SPEAKER_01: And if it doesn't happen, okay, whatever.
• 24:14
  SPEAKER_01: He's bench depth.
• 24:15
  SPEAKER_01: That's what I drafted him to be in the first place.
• 24:18
  SPEAKER_01: Now we move on to fades.
• 24:21
  SPEAKER_01: This is a little bit different here.
• 24:24
  SPEAKER_01: It's not guys that I think are bad at football.
• 24:29
  SPEAKER_01: It's just guys that I don't want on my fantasy team.
• 24:33
  SPEAKER_01: You know, a good player can be a bad fantasy pick.
• 24:36
  SPEAKER_01: Same player, different price.
• 24:39
  SPEAKER_01: If one of these dudes falls three rounds below where I'm talking about, okay, fine.
• 24:43
  SPEAKER_01: Call me.
• 24:44
  SPEAKER_01: Everybody has a price, right?
• 24:47
  SPEAKER_01: But at the price that they are currently going for, I'm good.
• 24:51
  SPEAKER_01: You can have.
• 24:53
  SPEAKER_01: Number one on that list for me, Jaden Daniels.
• 24:57
  SPEAKER_01: And this one actually hurts me a little bit, man.
• 24:59
  SPEAKER_01: I, you know, I'm an LSU fan.
• 25:00
  SPEAKER_01: I drafted Jaden Daniels as a rookie, and he did the damn thing for me.
• 25:06
  SPEAKER_01: I loved him.
• 25:07
  SPEAKER_01: He helped me win plenty of fantasy games.
• 25:09
  SPEAKER_01: I believe in the player himself.
• 25:12
  SPEAKER_01: This is again, this is not Josh Daniels' bad.
• 25:17
  SPEAKER_01: He had a rough year last year, man.
• 25:19
  SPEAKER_01: He had injuries, Washington had injuries.
• 25:23
  SPEAKER_01: And now I look at the 2026 situation, and there are still enough questions where I do not want to pay quarterback five prices for him.
• 25:33
  SPEAKER_01: Laramie Tunsil is going to miss significant time.
• 25:37
  SPEAKER_01: And uh that's not great when you have a scrambling, skinnier quarterback, and his blind side protector is out for a while.
• 25:46
  SPEAKER_01: The running back room, well, you're looking at Bill Jaqory Krosky Merritt, right?
• 25:54
  SPEAKER_01: You're looking at Rashad White.
• 25:55
  SPEAKER_01: You're looking at Catron Allen.
• 25:57
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, yeah, fine.
• 25:59
  SPEAKER_01: Nobody's terrified of those three.
• 26:00
  SPEAKER_01: Terry McLaurin is still Terry McLaurin.
• 26:03
  SPEAKER_01: I will probably be 63 years old, and Terry McLaurin is gonna still somehow have a thousand receiving yards.
• 26:09
  SPEAKER_01: And they did sign Stephon Diggs, which is good.
• 26:12
  SPEAKER_01: I actually like Diggs at his price in some drafts.
• 26:14
  SPEAKER_01: I I forgot about him when I first started taking my notes here.
• 26:18
  SPEAKER_01: But even with Diggs, I still have to ask, what version of Diggs are you getting at this point in his career?
• 26:24
  SPEAKER_01: Useful?
• 26:25
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, probably.
• 26:26
  SPEAKER_01: Prime Stephon Diggs?
• 26:27
  unknown: No.
• 26:28
  SPEAKER_01: So now bring it back to Daniels.
• 26:31
  SPEAKER_01: The rushing upside is real.
• 26:33
  SPEAKER_01: The talent is there.
• 26:36
  SPEAKER_01: If he stays healthy, he can absolutely finish as one of the top quarterbacks in fantasy.
• 26:41
  SPEAKER_01: But I keep coming back to the same question.
• 26:44
  SPEAKER_01: Why am I paying quarterback five prices for him when I've spent this entire fantasy football series telling you how deep quarterback is?
• 26:57
  SPEAKER_01: If Daniels cost me a fifth round pick and Caleb Williams cost me less, I'm good.
• 27:03
  SPEAKER_01: I like Caleb.
• 27:05
  SPEAKER_01: If Daniels cost me the price for Caleb and Bo Knicks is sitting there in round 10, I'm good.
• 27:13
  SPEAKER_01: I like Knicks.
• 27:14
  SPEAKER_01: I would rather spend that Daniels pick on another running back or wide receiver and just attack quarterback later.
• 27:22
  SPEAKER_01: Maybe he makes me look stupid.
• 27:24
  SPEAKER_01: He's done it before.
• 27:25
  SPEAKER_01: I'll live with it.
• 27:26
  SPEAKER_01: I like JD Daniels.
• 27:28
  SPEAKER_01: He's probably not going to be on any of my fantasy teams this year.
• 27:32
  SPEAKER_01: Fade number two, Rasheed Rice.
• 27:36
  SPEAKER_01: Shout out Rice on the radio.
• 27:38
  SPEAKER_01: With Rice, man, I listen, there are just too many things I'm being asked to accept at the price.
• 27:47
  SPEAKER_01: He has had a brutal stretch off the field.
• 27:50
  SPEAKER_01: The car crash, the probation, the jail time, you name it.
• 27:57
  SPEAKER_01: I'm not sitting here trying to do some character assassination assassination podcast.
• 28:00
  SPEAKER_01: I don't know the guy talking fantasy football, but what matters to me is availability, stability, and what I'm willing to spend.
• 28:08
  SPEAKER_01: Not to mention he also had the knee procedure, too.
• 28:11
  SPEAKER_01: Patrick Mahomes is coming back from his own knee stuff.
• 28:15
  SPEAKER_01: Mahomes looks good.
• 28:17
  SPEAKER_01: Everything has been encouraging, great.
• 28:19
  SPEAKER_01: I I still have to factor it in.
• 28:21
  SPEAKER_01: Plus, you got Travis Kelsey.
• 28:23
  SPEAKER_01: It may be his final year.
• 28:24
  SPEAKER_01: It may not be.
• 28:25
  SPEAKER_01: Either way, I would imagine Kansas City wants to get whatever Kelsey has left in him out of him.
• 28:32
  SPEAKER_01: Xavier Worthy is there.
• 28:34
  SPEAKER_01: Oh, yeah, and by the way, in the offseason, they went and signed the Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker, which I think matters a lot.
• 28:42
  SPEAKER_01: Not because Kenneth Walker automatically destroys Rice's fantasy value, but a better running game could actually make the entire offense better.
• 28:53
  SPEAKER_01: And it gives Andy Reid another legitimate thing to lean on.
• 28:57
  SPEAKER_01: Another way to move the football that doesn't necessarily involve manufactured touches to Rice underneath.
• 29:03
  SPEAKER_01: And Rice is good at that.
• 29:04
  SPEAKER_01: Get the ball in his hands, quick hit, screen, let him go.
• 29:07
  SPEAKER_01: I understand the appeal.
• 29:08
  SPEAKER_01: What I don't like is being asked to pay wide receiver 11 or wide receiver 12 prices for it.
• 29:14
  SPEAKER_01: At that price, I need a lot of things to go right.
• 29:17
  SPEAKER_01: I need the knee to be good.
• 29:19
  SPEAKER_01: I need him on the field all year.
• 29:20
  SPEAKER_01: I need Mahomes healthy.
• 29:22
  SPEAKER_01: I need the target share.
• 29:23
  SPEAKER_01: I need the offense to funnel enough through him.
• 29:25
  SPEAKER_01: And when I look around look around at some of the other receivers in that area, I'm good.
• 29:33
  SPEAKER_01: Look, if Rasheed Rice goes out and gives you 1,300 yards and makes me look like I need an asshole, God bless him.
• 29:39
  SPEAKER_01: Good for him.
• 29:40
  SPEAKER_01: I'll live with it.
• 29:42
  SPEAKER_01: I just don't think, again, he's going to be making any of my teams this year.
• 29:46
  SPEAKER_01: Next on the list, Ted McMillan.
• 29:51
  SPEAKER_01: This one's funny because if you've been with me for a while, last year I was I was the guy hyping him up.
• 29:59
  SPEAKER_01: I like Ted a lot.
• 30:02
  SPEAKER_01: And he had a good rookie year.
• 30:03
  SPEAKER_01: Over a thousand yards, seven touchdowns.
• 30:05
  SPEAKER_01: He looked like he belonged.
• 30:07
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, he's got the size, he has the ball skills, he has basically everything you want from a future number one receiver.
• 30:14
  SPEAKER_01: And I do still believe that.
• 30:17
  SPEAKER_01: So why am I fading him?
• 30:19
  SPEAKER_01: Well, because last year I was buying the breakout.
• 30:23
  SPEAKER_01: This year, you're asking me to pay for the breakout before I know that it's actually going to happen.
• 30:30
  SPEAKER_01: That is different.
• 30:32
  SPEAKER_01: Ted is now being drafted around wide receiver 16.
• 30:36
  SPEAKER_01: So if I take him there, this is not some cute upside bench pick that I'm going to start by week three once he starts getting it going.
• 30:45
  SPEAKER_01: No, no, no.
• 30:46
  SPEAKER_01: He's going to be one of my starting receivers.
• 30:48
  SPEAKER_01: He might even be my wide receiver one, depending on what I did earlier in the draft.
• 30:52
  SPEAKER_01: And for that price, I want floor.
• 30:56
  SPEAKER_01: I want consistency.
• 30:58
  SPEAKER_01: I want to feel pretty damn good that the opportunities are going to be there every week.
• 31:04
  SPEAKER_01: And the thing holding me back is Bryce Young and Carolina.
• 31:09
  SPEAKER_01: I think Bryce Young got a little bit better last year.
• 31:12
  SPEAKER_01: I'm not denying that.
• 31:14
  SPEAKER_01: I also don't completely trust this passing offense to consistently support the fantasy ceiling that people are pricing to Tet.
• 31:22
  SPEAKER_01: Can Tet finish top ten?
• 31:25
  SPEAKER_01: Maybe.
• 31:26
  SPEAKER_01: Would it surprise me?
• 31:28
  SPEAKER_01: I don't know.
• 31:29
  SPEAKER_01: Kind of.
• 31:29
  SPEAKER_01: Maybe not.
• 31:31
  SPEAKER_01: He is talented enough.
• 31:34
  SPEAKER_01: If Bryce does take another major step and the volume goes up, McMillan could make this look stupid.
• 31:44
  SPEAKER_01: That's the counter argument.
• 31:46
  SPEAKER_01: But I'm not paying for that version before Carolina shows me that they can consistently create it.
• 31:53
  SPEAKER_01: I loved buying Tet last year.
• 31:55
  SPEAKER_01: I was getting him in the 12th round.
• 31:58
  SPEAKER_01: I am a lot less interested in buying him now that everybody else loves him just as much.
• 32:03
  SPEAKER_01: That's fantasy football, man.
• 32:04
  SPEAKER_01: That's how it works.
• 32:06
  SPEAKER_01: And last but not least, the main fade is probably the one that is the most relevant right now because this dude is extremely popular.
• 32:18
  SPEAKER_01: Jeremiah Love.
• 32:20
  SPEAKER_01: I'm out on Jeremiah Love.
• 32:24
  SPEAKER_01: And again, I think Jeremiah Love is going to be really, really good.
• 32:30
  SPEAKER_01: He looks like Adrian Peterson when he's running the ball.
• 32:33
  SPEAKER_01: This is not a talent fade.
• 32:36
  SPEAKER_01: Arizona took him third overall for a reason.
• 32:38
  SPEAKER_01: He was the clear top running back prospect in this class for a reason.
• 32:42
  SPEAKER_01: You watch him run.
• 32:44
  SPEAKER_01: He is explosive.
• 32:45
  SPEAKER_01: He runs angry.
• 32:47
  SPEAKER_01: He can catch the football.
• 32:48
  SPEAKER_01: There is a reason people love him.
• 32:52
  SPEAKER_01: My problem here is the price.
• 32:56
  SPEAKER_01: Look, last year was the year of rookie running backs, right?
• 32:59
  SPEAKER_01: You had Janty, O'Marian Hampton, Trevion Henderson, RJ Harvey, Quinshawn Judkins.
• 33:05
  SPEAKER_01: There was a bunch of these guys everybody wanted a piece of because running back got thin and fantasy managers were chasing youth and upside.
• 33:14
  SPEAKER_01: Some of those bets worked, some of them didn't.
• 33:18
  SPEAKER_01: But I think people remember the idea of finding that rookie breakout, and now everybody wants this year's version.
• 33:26
  SPEAKER_01: Well, Jeremiah Love is the obvious name.
• 33:31
  SPEAKER_01: And now you're asking me to spend somewhere around pick 25, 28, maybe a second round pick in some rooms on a rookie running back who currently has a high ankle sprain, that's where you lose me.
• 33:46
  SPEAKER_01: He's still learning the offense.
• 33:47
  SPEAKER_01: He's still getting used to NFL speed.
• 33:49
  SPEAKER_01: Arizona was not exactly some unstoppable offensive machine last year either, by the way.
• 33:54
  SPEAKER_01: And Tyler Algier is sitting right behind him.
• 33:58
  SPEAKER_01: And we just talked about him.
• 33:59
  SPEAKER_01: That dude can play.
• 34:01
  SPEAKER_01: So if I'm sitting there in round two or early round three, and I have an established NFL running back around love or receivers that I trust more, I'm probably going the other direction.
• 34:14
  SPEAKER_01: Dynasty, totally different conversation.
• 34:16
  SPEAKER_01: Keeper league where I can hold on to him for a few years.
• 34:20
  SPEAKER_01: Okay.
• 34:20
  SPEAKER_01: Now we're talking maybe, yeah.
• 34:23
  SPEAKER_01: Redraft at pick 22?
• 34:25
  SPEAKER_01: No.
• 34:26
  SPEAKER_01: At pick 28, I'm probably still out.
• 34:30
  SPEAKER_01: Now, if the ankle scares everybody, then he slides, fourth round.
• 34:35
  SPEAKER_01: Now I gotta reconsider.
• 34:37
  SPEAKER_01: Remember what I said?
• 34:39
  SPEAKER_01: Everybody has a price.
• 34:40
  SPEAKER_01: But right now, with the rookie premium and the ankle, somebody else can take pay that price.
• 34:48
  SPEAKER_01: Alright.
• 34:49
  SPEAKER_01: Let's get positive again.
• 34:51
  SPEAKER_01: And let's get to everybody's favorite uh spot in the draft.
• 34:57
  SPEAKER_01: Lottery tickets.
• 34:58
  SPEAKER_01: Your sleepers.
• 34:59
  SPEAKER_01: Your late round.
• 35:02
  SPEAKER_01: Wow, wouldn't that be great if that happened?
• 35:06
  SPEAKER_01: And I I think I think this is where people sometimes overcomplicate fantasy drafts.
• 35:11
  SPEAKER_01: Your 15th round pick does not have to be safe.
• 35:16
  SPEAKER_01: Safe for what?
• 35:17
  SPEAKER_01: What exactly are you protecting?
• 35:19
  SPEAKER_01: If I draft somebody with my final pick and two weeks into the season he's doing absolutely nothing, cool.
• 35:27
  SPEAKER_01: Drop him.
• 35:29
  SPEAKER_01: The roster spot now belongs to the waiver wire gods.
• 35:33
  SPEAKER_01: No harm, no foul.
• 35:36
  SPEAKER_01: So when I get to the end of the draft, I want guys where I can at least see the stupid what if this happens upside scenario.
• 35:45
  SPEAKER_01: Maybe it happens, probably doesn't, but if it does, guess who has them already?
• 35:52
  SPEAKER_01: My first on that list and my favorite one is Cyrus Allen in Kansas City.
• 35:59
  SPEAKER_01: And this actually kind of connects directly to the Rasheed Rice fade.
• 36:03
  SPEAKER_01: Look, Rice has questions, right?
• 36:04
  SPEAKER_01: Kansas City still has opportunities in that receiver room.
• 36:08
  SPEAKER_01: Cyrus Allen has done enough this summer to make me interested.
• 36:12
  SPEAKER_01: He made the roster as a fifth or fourth round pick.
• 36:16
  SPEAKER_01: I think it was fifth round pick.
• 36:18
  SPEAKER_01: He has gotten work with Patrick Mahomes.
• 36:20
  SPEAKER_01: He has caught passes from Mahomes, and he's made play after play in camp.
• 36:26
  SPEAKER_01: And look, I know it's preseason.
• 36:29
  SPEAKER_01: I know it's practice.
• 36:31
  SPEAKER_01: I've spent all summer long telling you not to turn every training camp, highlight, or clip, or reel into the second coming of Randy Moss.
• 36:40
  SPEAKER_01: I know.
• 36:40
  SPEAKER_01: I get it.
• 36:41
  SPEAKER_01: But repeated opportunities matter.
• 36:45
  SPEAKER_01: If Patrick Mahomes is comfortable enough to throw you the football with the first group, that's going to grab my attention.
• 36:52
  SPEAKER_01: Allen is not going to walk onto the field week one and get 12 targets.
• 36:59
  SPEAKER_01: But all it takes is one or two catches.
• 37:02
  SPEAKER_01: One big third down, one touchdown.
• 37:05
  SPEAKER_01: And then suddenly he gets a few more snaps.
• 37:08
  SPEAKER_01: And then a few more.
• 37:09
  SPEAKER_01: And now the ball starts rolling.
• 37:12
  SPEAKER_01: And when that happens in a Mahomes Andy Reid offense, I want to already have that guy.
• 37:19
  SPEAKER_01: The cost is almost nothing, by the way.
• 37:22
  SPEAKER_01: Fourteenth round, fifteenth round, maybe even undrafted.
• 37:25
  SPEAKER_01: Put Cyrus Allen in your queue.
• 37:27
  SPEAKER_01: If nothing happens, drop him.
• 37:29
  SPEAKER_01: If something happens, congratulations.
• 37:32
  SPEAKER_01: You beat the waiver wire.
• 37:34
  SPEAKER_01: Jonah Coleman is my second main lottery ticket.
• 37:40
  SPEAKER_01: He is the rookie running back in Denver.
• 37:42
  SPEAKER_01: Fourth round pick.
• 37:44
  SPEAKER_01: Currently, he's basically RB3 on the depth chart.
• 37:48
  SPEAKER_01: J.K.
• 37:48
  SPEAKER_01: Dobbins is there.
• 37:49
  SPEAKER_01: Denver likes him.
• 37:51
  SPEAKER_01: RJ Harvey is there.
• 37:52
  SPEAKER_01: They drafted him last year.
• 37:54
  SPEAKER_01: They obviously like him too.
• 37:56
  SPEAKER_01: So am I here telling you that Jonah Coleman is going to walk into week one and take 20 carries?
• 38:02
  SPEAKER_01: No, not exactly.
• 38:03
  SPEAKER_01: What I am telling you is that every time this kid has got has touched the football this year, he has shown massive flashes.
• 38:12
  SPEAKER_01: And Sean Payton seems to like him too, by the way.
• 38:14
  SPEAKER_01: That gets my attention.
• 38:15
  SPEAKER_01: Anytime the head coach loves a third string running back, yeah, I should be paying attention.
• 38:20
  SPEAKER_01: There's no player in this backfield where I go, okay, that's his job for the next four years.
• 38:25
  SPEAKER_01: Nobody's going to touch it.
• 38:26
  SPEAKER_01: There is plenty of opportunity here.
• 38:29
  SPEAKER_01: Maybe somebody gets hurt.
• 38:31
  SPEAKER_01: Maybe Harvey struggles.
• 38:33
  SPEAKER_01: Maybe Dobbins gets dinged up.
• 38:35
  SPEAKER_01: Whatever, whatever.
• 38:36
  SPEAKER_01: I don't know.
• 38:38
  SPEAKER_01: That's why it's a lottery ticket.
• 38:40
  SPEAKER_01: That's why it's called gambling, not winning, right?
• 38:42
  SPEAKER_01: And if I'm a little weak at running back and I'm staring at my last pick, give me Jonah Coleman.
• 38:48
  SPEAKER_01: Let me hold him for two weeks.
• 38:50
  SPEAKER_01: Let me see what his snap count looks like.
• 38:52
  SPEAKER_01: You know?
• 38:52
  SPEAKER_01: And if it's nothing, it's nothing.
• 38:54
  SPEAKER_01: But if it's something, you're gonna be happy.
• 38:55
  SPEAKER_01: It's something.
• 38:57
  SPEAKER_01: Last little quick hitter here, Dontavian Wicks.
• 39:02
  SPEAKER_01: Wicks is in Philly.
• 39:05
  SPEAKER_01: He leaves the giant Green Bay receiver committee, and now he has an opportunity in Philadelphia with AJ Brown gone.
• 39:12
  SPEAKER_01: Devontae Smith steps up to be the number one.
• 39:16
  SPEAKER_01: And Makai Lemon is the rookie that everybody loves, but Lemon missed a lot of camp time with a hamstring.
• 39:24
  SPEAKER_01: So timing matters, chemistry matters.
• 39:26
  SPEAKER_01: Wicks got those summer reps with Jalen Hurts.
• 39:30
  SPEAKER_01: Might be able to give me two or three useful weeks while Lemon is still getting comfortable.
• 39:34
  SPEAKER_01: Not mad at that.
• 39:35
  SPEAKER_01: Also, like Jacoby Lane in Baltimore, every damn Ravens camp report feels like quote, Jacoby Lane made another ridiculous quet catch.
• 39:45
  SPEAKER_01: Jacoby Lane quetch.
• 39:47
  SPEAKER_01: How about that?
• 39:47
  SPEAKER_01: Say that three times fast.
• 39:49
  SPEAKER_01: Jacoby Lane made another ridiculous catch.
• 39:52
  SPEAKER_01: There we go.
• 39:53
  SPEAKER_01: I got there.
• 39:54
  SPEAKER_01: Look, if it happens enough, eventually I'm gonna listen.
• 39:57
  SPEAKER_01: He has strong hands.
• 40:00
  SPEAKER_01: He's six foot four.
• 40:03
  SPEAKER_01: And Lamar Jackson is throwing him the football.
• 40:06
  SPEAKER_01: Now I understand Zay Flowers just got paid.
• 40:08
  SPEAKER_01: Rashad Bateman is still there.
• 40:10
  SPEAKER_01: Mark Andrews is gonna command some targets.
• 40:13
  SPEAKER_01: Derrick Henry is gonna get approximately 7,000 carries like he always does.
• 40:17
  SPEAKER_01: I get it.
• 40:18
  SPEAKER_01: But I don't need Lane to lead Baltimore on targets.
• 40:22
  SPEAKER_01: I just need my final pick of the draft to have a chance to become something interesting.
• 40:26
  SPEAKER_01: And the last one that I really want to say here that it's gonna go out on a win, but I want the receipts here in case it does happen.
• 40:37
  SPEAKER_01: David Njoku.
• 40:41
  SPEAKER_01: Look, everybody's gonna tell you Andre Gadson is the guy in uh San Diego?
• 40:50
  SPEAKER_01: No, the LA Chargers.
• 40:51
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 40:53
  SPEAKER_01: Fine.
• 40:54
  SPEAKER_01: Whatever.
• 40:54
  SPEAKER_01: I like him.
• 40:56
  SPEAKER_01: He had a good year last year.
• 40:57
  SPEAKER_01: He he added some more depth to the tight end market.
• 41:01
  SPEAKER_01: I'm putting Njoku's name on tape, man.
• 41:05
  SPEAKER_01: This dude has been productive in Cleveland with some absolutely disgusting quarterback play.
• 41:12
  SPEAKER_01: And now he gets Herbert.
• 41:14
  SPEAKER_01: And he gets Mike McDaniel.
• 41:16
  SPEAKER_01: And you're giving Mike McDaniel a 6'4, 250-pound athlete who can run after the catch and has been a legitimate red zone weapon beforehand.
• 41:25
  SPEAKER_01: I just want to see it.
• 41:26
  SPEAKER_01: That's all.
• 41:27
  SPEAKER_01: I'm not predicting he's gonna finish, you know, tight end three.
• 41:30
  SPEAKER_01: I'm not saying some crazy thing.
• 41:32
  SPEAKER_01: But if Mike McDaniel can get this guy going here, I think we might be on to something.
• 41:39
  SPEAKER_01: And last but not least, the guy that I keep changing my mind on all offseason, and that would be Christian McCaffrey.
• 41:51
  SPEAKER_01: CMC.
• 41:53
  SPEAKER_01: God damn it.
• 41:55
  SPEAKER_01: I don't know.
• 41:56
  SPEAKER_01: I really don't.
• 41:59
  SPEAKER_01: That's why he's got this category all to himself.
• 42:02
  SPEAKER_01: Because look, if Christian McCaffrey is healthy, how the hell do you not draft Christian McCaffrey?
• 42:10
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, seriously, what am I doing?
• 42:11
  SPEAKER_01: Last year, over 2,100 yards from scrimmage, more than 100 catches, 17 touchdowns, over 400 touches.
• 42:20
  SPEAKER_01: He still looked explosive.
• 42:21
  SPEAKER_01: Kyle Shanahan is still calling the offense.
• 42:25
  SPEAKER_01: And look, when Christian McCaffrey is right, there are maybe two running backs in fantasy that can even argue with what he gives you.
• 42:34
  SPEAKER_01: And that would be B.
• 42:35
  SPEAKER_01: John Robinson and Jameer Gibbs.
• 42:38
  SPEAKER_01: The one and two.
• 42:39
  SPEAKER_01: That's basically it.
• 42:41
  SPEAKER_01: CMC gives you running back production and then casually, by the way, catches a hundred passes on top of it.
• 42:48
  SPEAKER_01: It's stupid.
• 42:50
  SPEAKER_01: So if he's there, take him.
• 42:53
  SPEAKER_01: Right?
• 42:54
  SPEAKER_01: Okay, well, then the other half of my brain wakes up.
• 42:58
  SPEAKER_01: He's 30.
• 43:00
  SPEAKER_01: The workload is absurd.
• 43:02
  SPEAKER_01: We have seen the seasons where his body completely betrays him.
• 43:07
  SPEAKER_01: We have seen what happens after these giant workload years.
• 43:11
  SPEAKER_01: He already had a little tightness thing in camp that made everybody, you know, ears pop up.
• 43:17
  SPEAKER_01: San Francisco has had plenty of other injuries around the roster.
• 43:23
  SPEAKER_01: And if you have ever owned Christian McCaffrey during one of those bad years, the only way to say it is you have emotional damage.
• 43:32
  SPEAKER_01: You see his name and your eyes start twitching a little bit, you know?
• 43:36
  SPEAKER_01: Nope, nope, not doing that again, not going anywhere near that.
• 43:41
  SPEAKER_01: And then unfortunately, there's people like me.
• 43:44
  SPEAKER_01: I didn't own him when he ruined people.
• 43:47
  SPEAKER_01: I owned him when he was a nuclear weapon.
• 43:50
  SPEAKER_01: So my emotional baggage goes the other direction.
• 43:54
  SPEAKER_01: I remember what it felt like when Christian McCaffrey basically wins my fantasy week by himself.
• 43:59
  unknown: And
• 44:00
  SPEAKER_01: And that is the problem.
• 44:02
  SPEAKER_01: I think everybody is carrying some kind of bias with CMC.
• 44:06
  SPEAKER_01: Either he burned you and you're terrified, or he won for you and you think he'll ne he'll never do that to me.
• 44:15
  SPEAKER_01: Not me.
• 44:17
  SPEAKER_01: Neither one is analysis.
• 44:19
  SPEAKER_01: This is fantasy football PTSD in its purest form, right?
• 44:24
  SPEAKER_01: And also apparently, by the way, Christian McCaffrey has another problem that I discovered.
• 44:28
  SPEAKER_01: Gone back looking at his stats.
• 44:30
  SPEAKER_01: It's the calendar.
• 44:32
  SPEAKER_01: For whatever reason, this dude loves odd numbered years.
• 44:38
  SPEAKER_01: 2019, monster.
• 44:40
  SPEAKER_01: 2023, monster.
• 44:43
  SPEAKER_01: 2025, monster.
• 44:47
  SPEAKER_01: And then, well, some of the even numbered years?
• 44:50
  SPEAKER_01: Body falls apart, got injured, only played four games.
• 44:54
  SPEAKER_01: It's not just him, by the way.
• 44:56
  SPEAKER_01: Dak Prescott has some of the same stupid number stuff going on there.
• 45:01
  SPEAKER_01: Great year.
• 45:02
  SPEAKER_01: Odd.
• 45:03
  SPEAKER_01: Even year.
• 45:04
  SPEAKER_01: Somebody apparently sacrifices a chicken over both of their lockers, like Joe Boo in uh Major League.
• 45:11
  SPEAKER_01: I don't know.
• 45:11
  SPEAKER_01: Obviously, do not draft based on numberology.
• 45:14
  SPEAKER_01: I'm joking.
• 45:16
  SPEAKER_01: But it is 2026.
• 45:18
  SPEAKER_01: So maybe, maybe that's the strongest fade argument that I have for him.
• 45:23
  SPEAKER_01: The year, the year ends in an even number, right?
• 45:26
  SPEAKER_01: Sorry, Christian.
• 45:29
  SPEAKER_01: But seriously, uh here's the problem where I land.
• 45:32
  SPEAKER_01: If I am drafting him fifth, I might hesitate.
• 45:37
  SPEAKER_01: If I'm drafting him sixth, I'm I'm looking around.
• 45:41
  SPEAKER_01: Who's the best receiver?
• 45:43
  SPEAKER_01: Are there any other running backs that I like there?
• 45:45
  SPEAKER_01: Can I take somebody I feel 5% safer about and still get elite production?
• 45:51
  SPEAKER_01: Seven?
• 45:52
  SPEAKER_01: Okay.
• 45:54
  SPEAKER_01: Now I'm a little bit interested.
• 45:55
  SPEAKER_01: Eight, nine?
• 45:57
  SPEAKER_01: Look, at some point I think I'm just being an idiot if I pass on Christian McCaffrey because I'm afraid of something that hasn't happened yet.
• 46:05
  SPEAKER_01: And that is probably my answer.
• 46:08
  SPEAKER_01: It changes with the pick.
• 46:11
  SPEAKER_01: There is no clean version of draft them, don't draft them.
• 46:18
  SPEAKER_01: There's just a point in the first round where the upside becomes too ridiculous for me to keep saying no.
• 46:24
  SPEAKER_01: And I probably won't know exactly where that point is until I'm staring at him on the clock, to be honest with you.
• 46:31
  SPEAKER_01: And I think that is actually the perfect place to end the whole fantasy football 202 series.
• 46:39
  SPEAKER_01: Because that Christian McCaffrey decision is fantasy drafting.
• 46:45
  SPEAKER_01: That's the whole thing, right?
• 46:47
  SPEAKER_01: Part one, we talked about the process.
• 46:51
  SPEAKER_01: Part two, I gave you my board.
• 46:54
  SPEAKER_01: Part three, we talked about what happens once the draft actually starts.
• 46:58
  SPEAKER_01: And now part four is the part that nobody can really do for you.
• 47:03
  SPEAKER_01: Eventually, you have to decide what you believe.
• 47:08
  SPEAKER_01: I can give you my rankings, fantasy pros can give you theirs, any other site can tell you who to draft.
• 47:15
  SPEAKER_01: Sirius XM Fantasy Radio, you know, your buddy can send you a sleeper list.
• 47:20
  SPEAKER_01: You could listen to 47 podcasts and 48 being mine.
• 47:24
  SPEAKER_01: You can watch every training camp clip until your eyes bleed.
• 47:28
  SPEAKER_01: Eventually, the clock starts.
• 47:31
  SPEAKER_01: The player is sitting there, and it's your turn to make the pick.
• 47:36
  SPEAKER_01: Jalen Waddle could finish wide receiver 25 and make me look like an idiot.
• 47:40
  SPEAKER_01: Rasheed Rice could finish wide receiver four and also make me look like an idiot.
• 47:44
  SPEAKER_01: Cyrus Allen could get nine catches all season.
• 47:47
  SPEAKER_01: David Njoku might get cut.
• 47:50
  SPEAKER_01: That's fine.
• 47:51
  SPEAKER_01: The goal was never to be right about every player.
• 47:54
  SPEAKER_01: You can't be.
• 47:55
  SPEAKER_01: The goal is to make more good bets than bad ones.
• 47:58
  SPEAKER_01: Build a roster you understand and know why you made the pick in the first place.
• 48:03
  SPEAKER_01: And if you've done your homework and you believe in your guy, go get your guy.
• 48:09
  SPEAKER_01: We are less than a week from the season starting, and there's going to be a lot of drafts this weekend.
• 48:16
  SPEAKER_01: Fantasy football is here.
• 48:20
  SPEAKER_01: Hope you guys draft right and draft well.
• 48:22
  SPEAKER_01: Hope you guys follow your information and trust your gut.
• 48:27
  SPEAKER_01: Good luck in your drafts.
• 48:29
  SPEAKER_01: And if you draft one of the guys I just told you to avoid and he wins your league, please do not send me the screenshot.
• 48:34
  SPEAKER_01: I do not need that negativity in my life.
• 48:36
  SPEAKER_01: No, I'm just kidding.
• 48:37
  SPEAKER_01: Call me on my stuff.
• 48:38
  SPEAKER_01: Doesn't matter.
• 48:40
  SPEAKER_01: Anyway, make sure you follow Rice on the Radio wherever you get your podcasts.
• 48:46
  SPEAKER_01: Spotify, Apple, BuzzSprout, Amazon.
• 48:49
  SPEAKER_01: Whatever, whatever, whatever.
• 48:51
  SPEAKER_01: Also follow the show on all the social medias.
• 48:54
  SPEAKER_01: We put out a lot of polls, we put out a lot of clips of the episode if you can't watch it.
• 48:57
  SPEAKER_01: Listen to the full thing.
• 48:58
  SPEAKER_01: TikTok, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, you know, if you're a boomer, whatever you want to do.
• 49:03
  SPEAKER_01: Whatever you do to waste time during your workday, I promise you, at Rice on the Radio is there.
• 49:09
  SPEAKER_01: It's gonna be plenty of fantasy football content, plenty of NFL content, Rice Bowl invitational stuff, all of it coming throughout the season.
• 49:16
  SPEAKER_01: And I'm actually, I'm I I love fantasy football, but I'm getting uh getting a little itchy.
• 49:20
  SPEAKER_01: I gotta talk a little baseball soon, I gotta talk a little bit football, even uh a little NBA stuff here.
• 49:27
  SPEAKER_01: The Clippers just got annihilated.
• 49:30
  SPEAKER_01: That's a topic for a different day.
• 49:34
  SPEAKER_01: Anyway, you let me go on a tangent, I'll keep going.
• 49:38
  SPEAKER_01: I am Ian Rice.
• 49:39
  SPEAKER_01: This has been episode 83 of Rice on the Radio and part four of Fantasy Football 202.
• 49:47
  SPEAKER_01: As always, spread some good energy in this world.
• 49:50
  SPEAKER_01: Tell someone you love them, and I'll talk to you guys next time.
• 49:54
  SPEAKER_01: Peace.