PodcastFrom Fantasy Focus Football
Who will impress and who will regress this Fantasy Football season?! | ESPN Fantasy
STACKED extracted the fantasy-relevant player signal from this podcast and kept the full transcript here for context.
21 min
Duration
Estimated from transcript
Jun 18, 2026
Published
Thu, June 18, 2026
19
Player insights
10
Players mentioned
Topics
Jonathon BrooksChristian WatsonMike EvansTrey McBrideBrock BowersChristian McCaffreyDavante AdamsJalen NailorJonathan TaylorJosh Jacobs
Player analysis
Player insights
Brock Bowers
PositiveRole7:15
Bowers is the alpha of the Raiders offense and is being heavily drafted as a consensus top tight end option.
Insight pageChristian McCaffrey
PositiveProjection1:27
McCaffrey has been discussed as a potential regression candidate heading into 2026, though specific details of the regression thesis are not provided in this segment.
Insight pageChristian Watson
PositiveRole6:00
With Romeo Dobbs and Dontavian Wicks no longer on the team, Watson will draw the most high-value targets in Green Bay and is expected to benefit from increased target opportunities.
Insight pagePositiveProjection6:25
Watson was signed to a four-year, $110 million extension and when healthy demonstrated high-ceiling ability, ranking WR 2 in ADOT and WR 5 in receiving scores from Weeks 8-18 last season while averaging over 13 fantasy points per game.
Insight pagePositiveValue7:00
Watson's boom-or-bust production is offset by his 10th round ADP, making him excellent value despite durability concerns.
Insight pageDavante Adams
PositiveProjection1:27
Adams has been discussed as a potential regression candidate heading into 2026, though specific details of the regression thesis are not provided in this segment.
Insight pageJalen Nailor
PositiveSleeper7:35
Naylor, the former Vikings WR 3, was signed by the Raiders to a three-year, $35 million deal and proved he could thrive as a vertical threat and red zone weapon, leading the Vikings receiving core in yards per reception and receiving scores while having familiarity with Kirk Cousins.
Insight pageJonathan Taylor
PositiveProjection1:27
Taylor has been discussed as a potential regression candidate heading into 2026, though specific details of the regression thesis are not provided in this segment.
Insight pageJonathon Brooks
PositiveBreakout2:55
Brooks is a league-winner candidate at 13th round ADP after tearing his ACL twice in 13 months but now being reportedly healthy and eased back into OTAs, with head coach Dave Canales praising his abilities in both the run and pass game.
Insight pagePositiveInjury3:38
Brooks is reportedly now healthy and being eased back into OTAs, with head coach Dave Canales stating 'JV's looked great in the run game' and praising his pass-catching ability to 'catch the ball, track it, and transition once he catches it.'
Insight pagePositiveRole4:07
Brooks has clear opportunity with only Chuba Hubbard in his way after the Panthers allowed Rico Dowdle's contract to expire and ignored the running back position in the 2026 NFL draft, signaling organizational confidence in his return.
Insight pagePositiveProjection4:07
Brooks was the first running back taken in the 2024 NFL draft, establishing elite pedigree that supports his potential to be a league-winner despite injury concerns.
Insight pageJosh Jacobs
NegativeProjection5:00
Jacobs is dealing with off-field issues and coming off a down season marked by both health concerns (missed weeks with knee injury) and efficiency decline, entering his age 28 season in 2026 with limited bounce-back potential.
Insight pageMike Evans
PositiveValue9:00
Evans is the 30th wide receiver being selected and ESPN consensus WR 32, making him significantly undervalued compared to his expected production, with potential to finish as a top-five producer at the position if healthy.
Insight pagePositiveBreakout9:00
Evans will return to fantasy prominence as the most undervalued and underrated wide receiver on draft day, finishing with the second-most touchdown catches at the position only behind Emeka Abuka, leveraging his big-body red zone value in Kyle Shanahan's West Coast offense.
Insight pagePositiveProjection10:00
Evans, being inserted into Kyle Shanahan's West Coast offense and thrown by Brock Purdy against stacked boxes, will be a big-body red zone weapon with elite touchdown potential if he can stay healthy.
Insight pageTrey McBride
PositiveProjection1:27
Despite being fantasy's tight end one in 2025 with over 105 more fantasy points than Kyle Pitts, McBride's ADP has skyrocketed to the second or early third round, but the analyst does not like the markup because target volume is expected to decline in 2026.
Insight pagePositiveRole2:07
McBride's target volume is expected to decline in 2026 as Mike LaFleur will reprioritize Marvin Harrison Jr. and focus on lifting the running game with Jeremiah Love, a high draft capital acquisition praised for pass-catching skills.
Insight pagePositiveProjection2:32
The analyst ranks McBride as tight end two personally (ESPN consensus has him as tight end one), indicating expected regression but still elite status among tight ends alongside Brock Bowers.
Insight pageFull transcript
Episode Transcript
0:00The 2026 Chevy Equinox is more than an SUV.
0:03It's your Sunday tailgate and your parking lot snack bar.
0:07Your lucky jersey, your chairs, and your big cooler fit perfectly in your even bigger cargo space.
0:13And when it's go time, your 11.3-inch diagonal touchscreen's got the playbook, the playlist, and the tech to stay a step ahead.
0:22It's more than an SUV. It's your Equinox. Chevrolet.
0:25Together let's drive. When the ADP is so low, 13th round he's coming off boards, why not stash him?
0:32Because I think he could be a legit league winner.
0:36Hey, I'm Liz Loza. This is Facts vs. Feelings.
0:39And today's fact is that research turns curiosity into knowledge.
0:43Desmond Borges joining us again for the second week in a row.
0:47My goodness, did you like that little box so much that you decided to come back?
0:53Or, oh my gosh, even better, did you get a call from corporate and are now, in fact, the show's new producer?
1:02Please. I did not get a call from corporate yet, but I do love this little box.
1:08I want to make it my next home. So corporate, if you're listening, hit me up.
1:14All right. Now, in the midst of all of your fantastic research that you've been doing, Liz, I know that there's three
1:22players we want to chat about today. So first off, let's chat about the candidate who you think will impress the most this season.
1:31I would love to start with Tyler Shuck. Now, I know he's not a big brand name, but he did unseat Spencer
1:39Rattler as the Saints' starting quarterback in Week 9 of last year.
1:44And then from Week 9 through 18, Shuck was the QB 12 in fantasy points per game.
1:50He also had this awesome late season surge, averaging nearly 20 fantasy points per game over the fantasy football playoffs.
1:58Now, listen, obviously he's not a perfect prospect or player just yet.
2:02His deep ball accuracy was certainly an issue, but when he targeted the intermediate levels of the field, he was absolutely fire.
2:10And I expect that Kellen Moore, while utilizing his fantasy production friendly system, which is very uptempo, will continue to lean on
2:19Shuck's strengths, especially given the upgraded surrounding talent that Shuck will have at his avail in 2026.
2:25Jordyn Tyson joining everybody in New Orleans. Travis Achan, Noah Fant.
2:29Those are players with some great hands, not to mention Chris Olave is still there.
2:35Juwan Johnson still there. And at least for the moment, so is Alvin Kamara.
2:40I mean, that is an absolutely wild supporting cast to have around you.
2:45I mean, what a bevy of riches for him, right?
2:48Not to mention, he also has like crazy underrated rushing value, doesn't he?
2:53Excellent call out there, Dez. Shuck was the QB 12 in rushing yards per game over the back half of last season.
3:01Even more interesting, he was the QB 11 in designed runs per game, which again points to Kellen Moore relying on his strengths and focusing on his strengths.
3:12And with an overall ADP of 157, why not throw the dart?
3:16I mean, even more proof that what you said last week, the quarterback room is deep.
3:22Wait at QB. All right, moving forward. Let's talk about a candidate who you think will regress this season.
3:29Well, you know, we've discussed Christian McCaffrey, obviously. Last week, we talked about Jonathan Taylor.
3:35Folks didn't like that too much. We've talked about Devante Adams.
3:39So to keep things fresh, I wanted to throw out a new name, and it is, brace yourself, Trey McBride.
3:47Now, starting on the positive, McBride was the tight end one in nearly every single category last year, from target share to
3:55receptions to yards after the catch to touchdowns to, of course, fantasy points both per game and overall.
4:02For context, Trey McBride, as fantasy's tight end one, earned over 105 more fantasy points than Kyle Pitts, who was fantasy's tight end two.
4:11So a giant chasm between McBride and the second place option.
4:15Given that kind of monster production, it makes sense that McBride's ADP has skyrocketed.
4:20I mean, he's coming off the board in usually the second round, maybe the beginning of the third round.
4:27And as much as I like the player, though, I do not like that markup because I just don't see McBride commanding that sort of volume in 2026.
4:37Not with Mike LaFleur likely to, go ahead and roll your eyes now, reprioritize Marvin Harrison Jr., and more substantially, to focus
4:46on lifting the running game with the high draft capital acquisition of Jeremiah Love, who was praised for his pass-catching skills.
4:54So I think that the target volume just isn't going to allow McBride to reach the same levels that he did statistically in 2025.
5:02That's unfortunate for those who might be thinking about keeping McBride.
5:07But even with the regression, where do you see him falling amongst the pantheon of like the top tier of tight ends?
5:15Do we see him falling to a two, to a three, to a five?
5:20Well, the top tier is Trey McBride and Brock Bowers.
5:24That's it. Now, I have McBride as the tight end two.
5:28Personally, he is the ESPN consensus tight end one.
5:31So I am by no means out on the player.
5:35I just don't like the draft capital necessary to roster him.
5:39And like we talked about last week, I'd prefer to draft a running back there.
5:45Okay. I'm just going to make a quick note here about our good buddy, Trey McBride.
5:51And now, moving on to our next candidate. I actually have a lot of fantasy stock in this gentleman, seeing as though
5:59I kept him on almost all of my rosters with the hope that he might actually surprise us next year.
6:06Who might I be talking about, Liz? I love your optimism, Des.
6:11It's Jonathan Brooks. Now, I understand people get nervous and for good reason because this is a player who tore the ACL
6:19in his right knee twice over the span of 13 months.
6:23But he is reportedly now healthy. He is being eased back into OTAs.
6:28In fact, when asked during OTAs about Brooks specifically, Dave Canales, the team's head coach, said JV's looked great in the run game, certainly.
6:37But also, we love this for fantasy. In the pass game, he has a great ability to catch the ball, track it, and transition once he catches it.
6:47Maybe that is coach speak, but I'd like to think it's legit, especially when noting the fact that Brooks was the first
6:56running back taken in the 2024 NFL draft. So we know the pedigree is there.
7:01Also, it seems that the Panthers organization is confident in his ability to rebound because they allowed Rico Dowdle's contract to expire at the end of last season.
7:12And they completely ignored the position during this year's NFL draft.
7:16So the talent we know is there. The opportunity with only Chuba Hubbard in his way also appears to be there.
7:24And for right now, at least, fingers crossed, it stays.
7:27The health appears to be there. So, again, when the ADP is so low, 13th round he's coming off boards.
7:35Why not stash him? Because I think he could be a legit league winner.
7:40Oh. It's beauty. It's loveliness to my earphones. Also, fun fact.
7:44For those of you out there who were tracking the 10 mock drafts in 10 days, Stefania Bell, our injury expert at
7:52ESPN, reached for Jonathan Brooks multiple times. And if he is healthy enough for Miss Stefania Bell, he is healthy enough for me.
8:01Period. Boom. Mic drop. MLB.tv on ESPN is your home for every out-of-market game, live or on demand.
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8:27This is a safe place. It's a place where we can feel free sharing our feelings.
8:33Now let's get comfortable on the couch with a little fantasy therapy.
8:37A safe space for all your fantasy football questions.
8:41Des, what are the submissions this week? Oh, hey, wait, Liz.
8:45Before we move on, people at home, don't forget to like this video and subscribe to the NFL on ESPN YouTube channel
8:53to lock in all of our preseason content. And also, we are back weekly from here on out.
9:00So don't forget, give us a five-star review wherever you get your podcasts.
9:04And last but not least, yes, the voicemail line is back.
9:09So call in with your hot takes and questions at 323-391-4855.
9:13And speaking of voicemails, why don't we just roll right into our first one?
9:18Cue it up, Q. Hey, this is Head of the Table calling from Auburn, Georgia.
9:23I have a question. You want me a super place lead and I am a keeper lead as well.
9:31I'm choosing between my keepers as Joe Burrow, Trey McBride, and Josh Jacobs, RCD Lamb.
9:36And I have the number one pick out of the choices of Puka, Gilles, and Josh Allen.
9:43Who should I draft? Awesome. Well, first of all, a super flex keeper league.
9:48I love when fantasy managers get creative and try to play in different kinds of formats.
9:54So kudos to you, friend in Albany, Georgia. To answer your question, stacked roster.
9:59I love it. I think you have a lot of options here, but I think you'd want to attack your greatest position of need.
10:08And for me, that is running back. I mean, Josh Jacobs, obviously dealing with some off the field issues, but also coming
10:16off of a down season, not just in terms of health, because he missed a couple of weeks with a knee issue, but also in terms of efficiency.
10:27He's entering his age 28 season in 2026, so I'm not sure there's going to be much of a bounce back for him.
10:35And since Jameer Gibbs, a.k.a. Dan Campbell's, quote, bell cow, could be at your avail, I would absolutely target him and just make that roster even stronger.
10:45Good luck. Congratulations. And thanks for calling. I like that.
10:49I like that. Although I got to say, I've never done a super flex before, and it makes me wonder, I love
10:57where you went with it, but what would a roster look like with an initial stack of Burrow and Allen and then filling out from there?
11:07I mean, you'd probably be pretty thin at running back, but boy, oh boy, would your quarterbacks be off the charts.
11:15Sure, but also you could wait a little bit and get a Tyler Shuck, or like we talked about last week, a Justin Herbert.
11:24So I don't think you need to stack at QB that much.
11:28Running back, obviously much more thin. And that is why you get paid the big bucks, Liz.
11:35Fantastic. On to the next. Friend of the show, Kyle Soppy writes in.
11:39Love him. For the 100th year in a row, where do the GB targets funnel?
11:45Well, for the 100th year in a row since Matt LaFleur has been the head coach, I'm not sure who will draw
11:53the most targets in Green Bay, but I can tell you who I think will draw the most high-value targets with Romeo
12:01Dobbs and Dontavian Wicks no longer on the team, and that is Christian Watson.
12:07Now, I know he has struggled with durability issues, but the Packers just signed him to a four-year extension worth an estimated $110 million.
12:16That's a pretty hefty investment. And when healthy, that's an asterisk, of course, Watson has demonstrated his high-ceiling ability.
12:23When he returned last year from weeks 8 through 18, he was the wide receiver 2 in ADOT, the wide receiver 5
12:31in receiving scores, and he also averaged over 13 fantasy points per game during that span.
12:37Now, will his production be boom or bust? Yeah, probably.
12:41Is that offset by his 10th round ADP? Absolutely.
12:44All right, on to our next DM. From our friend, GButtersnaps.
12:48They'd like to know, which raider can we trust to draft?
12:52Well, I assume they're talking about the receiving core because Brock Bowers is obviously the alpha of that offense, and Ashton Gentry,
13:00who was fantasy's RB11 overall in 2025, should see a boost in production with an improved offensive line.
13:07Those two players are being heavily drafted. But as for everyone else, there's this up-for-grabs opportunity.
13:13It's kind of a mystery. If I personally were going to throw a dart, it's going to be at Jalen Naylor, the
13:21former wide receiver 3 for the Minnesota Vikings. Now, the raider signed Naylor to a three-year deal worth around $35 million.
13:29Naylor did prove in Minnesota that he could thrive as a vertical threat as well as a red zone weapon.
13:37He led the Vikings receiving core in yards per reception and receiving scores last year, which is wild when you think about who else is on that roster.
13:47Plus, he has some familiarity with Kirk Cousins, I think which could help establish him as the wide receiver 1 earlier rather than later.
13:56I dig it. I dig it. All right. Now it's my turn to be on the receiving end of some fantasy therapy, if you will.
14:05Are we going to get comfortable on the couch here, Des?
14:10What is this? Let me get real comfortable here real quick.
14:14Okay. Okay. Better not be a question about our salary cap league again.
14:18No. My Bears, our Bears, Chicago's Bears, are moving out of town.
14:23What are we supposed to do, Liz? Yes, it does look as though the Bears are moving to Hammond, Indiana, and not Chicago.
14:32And I understand that there's a lot of upheaval and big emotions about this.
14:37I am not that worried about it. Listen, if the Bears flipping can win, I don't care what stadium or where the
14:45stadium is that they play out of. Also, there is precedence here.
14:49Both the Giants and the Jets play in Jersey, even though they rep the state of New York.
14:56So I'm a little bit okay with it. I would have liked them to stay in Arlington Heights.
15:03Shout out Arlington Heights and Mount Prospect and Des Plaines.
15:07But that's not going to be the case. And so maybe now there's more than corn in Indiana after all.
15:14You're welcome. Well, thank you, Dr. Liz. I do feel better after that explanation.
15:19The only thing that really gets me down about it, to be truthful, is all of the families that will no longer
15:28have the opportunity, like I did when I was a young boy, of getting to park in downtown Chicago and then walk
15:36through the loveliness that is downtown Chicago to Soldier Field on Lakeshore Drive, overlooking the water and just sort of breathing in
15:44the hot dogs and relish and Chicago love and abundance that surrounds them.
15:49But if they could recreate that in Indiana, I would be very happy.
15:54Oh, they can't. But at least they can win somewhere else.
15:58And, you know, sometimes you just got to look on the bright side and die on the hills that you need to die on.
16:07And this is one, if the Bears are winning, I'm willing to forgive.
16:12Copy that. I'm with you. I'm with you. Okay, Des, going from little box to big box, it's almost like you're here
16:20in a guest capacity, which is not foreign to you, as I know, and listeners of the show know, you came on as a guest last season.
16:30And when I asked you to make a bold prediction, you absolutely nailed it.
16:35In fact, let's just roll that tape so that everyone can hear what you said.
16:41I want to know what your spiciest fantasy hot take is for the 2025 season.
16:46The spiciest fantasy hot take? Aaron Rodgers is going to keep his current trend of the past few years going.
16:54I don't think he's going to get injured, but he will get another head coach fired in Mr.
17:01Mike Tomlin. Well, that would be ending one heck of a tenure for Tomlin in Pittsburgh.
17:07But because Aaron Rodgers is so bad again, he's going to get Tomlin fired?
17:12No, it's not about him being bad. It's just the fact that he has to be the it all the time, right?
17:20And the thing is, is like, this is Mike Tomlin's team.
17:24And I think there's going to be some clashing going on.
17:28And I actually think it'll be the best thing ever for Mike Tomlin, because I don't think the way Pittsburgh, even though
17:36they're like one of the most storied NFL franchises, I think his time there is done.
17:42I think it's time for him to move on and move on to another team and go win a couple of chips somewhere else.
17:51But it's not going to be with it. It's not going to be with Rodgers.
17:57OK, excellent. How did you get there, Des? Explain yourself.
18:01Well done. Well, you know, I learned from the best in the biz, Liz.
18:06You. Right? This was that that hot take was purely based on fact.
18:11Right. From repetitive behavior, from the NFL's own Aaron Rodgers, getting in between players in the locker room and coaching staffs.
18:19It was only bound to happen again. And unfortunately, it happened to Mike Tomlin, who I think is one of the greatest NFL coaches of all time.
18:29Now, moving forward. OK. My next hot take has nothing to do with fact.
18:34It has everything to do with feeling. That's allowed here.
18:38So my good, my good buddy, though I don't know him personally.
18:42My good buddy, Mike Evans, will return to fantasy prominence like we've never seen before.
18:48He will be the most undervalued and underrated wide receiver on draft day comparatively to where he finishes at the end of the season.
18:57He will have the second most touchdown catches at the wide receiver position only to finish behind his old teammate in Tampa Bay, Emeka Abuka.
19:06Whoa. Whoa. So Emeka Abuka is going to score more touchdowns than Puka Nakua per this prediction?
19:12Yep. OK. Well, you heard it here first for context.
19:16And just so everyone knows, and so you most importantly know, Des, right now Mike Evans is the 30th, that's 3-0, 30th
19:24wide receiver being selected off of draft boards. He is also the ESPN consensus ranked wide receiver, 32, about 10, 9 to 10 spots behind Emeka Abuka.
19:34So that would certainly, I actually think he's a great value, though I do not think he will be a top five producer at the position.
19:44I do appreciate that you are leaning in to the value presented by a vet who outside of last year has been absolutely dominant.
19:53Well, as long as he can stay healthy, I think being inserted into that Kyle Shanahan West Coast style offense, offense being thrown the ball by Mr.
20:03Irrelevant Brock Purdy against stacked boxes, because if you don't stack them, CMC is going to run right through them all day long.
20:12Big body in the red zone. Nobody better. Mike Evans.
20:15Book it. Being Kyle Shanahan's ex is not a problem.
20:19If he can stay healthy, I definitely think he will produce.
20:23Thank you so much, Des. And I love that we have you on record so that next season, you can tell us how you did.
20:33Thank you for having me, Liz. Okay. Last call.
20:36Today we learned that Jonathan Brooks is on the precipice of authoring a bust-to-boom comeback, that Des Borges is clearly a time
20:44traveler, and that doing your research while staying curious is essential, especially when it leads to uncovering league-winning information.
20:51Remember, you can leave us a voicemail. Be sure to hit us up at 323-391-4855.
20:57Until next time, may your facts be solid, your feelings be right, and your bust be someone else's problem.