0:00Just like the wide receivers, this video is not about telling you who to draft.
0:05It is telling you who to avoid. Yes, these are five names that we have rarely drafted this summer in our fantasy
0:13football leagues cuz Hayden, we know at times that is equally as important as players to target. So, with that said, give us your first name. Who are you not
0:20picking at the running back spot?
0:21>> Let's just go right to the first round here. Achane Achane is my name. There are 13 running backs that are selected
0:27after him before we get to the the end of the fourth round. He outscored three of them. Uh so, most of the players
0:34right after him last year outscored him straight up. Obviously, Achane Achane will have a better football season this year than last year. He has a really
0:41high floor. I just think that James Cook, Saquon Barkley, Devon Achane, Derrick Henry, I'll even throw out Kenneth Walker and Chase Brown, these
0:49guys I think have as good of a floor and I think that their a pathway to upside based off the team environment is just a
0:55little bit better. The Raiders still have a bad offensive line. They upgraded at center, but that does not uh make me
1:01feel better about the guard spots, the tackle spots. Kirk Cousins plus Fernando Mendoza should be better than Geno Smith. How big of an upgrade? Uh I don't
1:09know about that as well. And then, Kliff Kingsbury has already said he's going to play a bunch of the snaps. We got that
1:14last year, just did not move the needle.
1:15So, to me, Saquon Barkley is going to get touch the football a ton. Devon Achane is going to touch the football a
1:20ton. Derrick Henry is going to touch the football a ton and I think that those guys have a little bit more proven
1:26commodities. So, I have Achane Achane ranked 16th overall. It's just that he goes 11th overall and every little spot that matters in the first two rounds, I
1:34think is worth discussing.
1:35>> That is a big discussion because if you're sitting there at the 11th pick or the 12th pick, uh you have to get both
1:41of those selections correct if you're going to win your fantasy football league. And if Achane Achane, which he is right now, is at the top of the stack
1:50of the eight straight running backs, then you have to have the firm belief that he is the one that is separating
1:56himself. I I think while we are both optimistic about Achane's future, I think I do slightly believe in his individual talent a bit
2:04more than you do. With that said, him being drafted already as the running back five is the worst part here because
2:11the running back five in points per game last year was Devon Achane, and he scored 18 fantasy points per contest.
2:17So, you're basically saying to yourself that that's what I'm getting no matter what with Achane, and then the upside is that he can become the running back one
2:26in points per game, which was Christian McCaffrey at 21 points per contest. And maybe I'm going to be wrong, but I just
2:33don't see that happening in like the 2026 version of this Las Vegas Raiders operation. It might. Maybe Zamir White comes in. Maybe the offensive line is
2:43totally fixed with Kolton Miller coming back and adding Tyler Linderbaum, but more so, I kind of think you're already drafting Achane at his ceiling aspect
2:52here.
2:53>> Yeah, that's where I'm kind of at with it, too. I just like I just watched Saquon Barkley finish as an RB1 overall.
2:57Devon Achane back-to-back seasons pretty much where he's been a rock-solid player. And then, I still think like the Derrick Henry stuff in half PPR, I mean,
3:05Derrick Henry right now is projected for 12 and 1/2 rushing touchdowns on Underdog. Right now, Achane's at 7 and 1/2. Like
3:13it's not like a given just because he's younger that he's going to outscore somebody like Derrick Henry just because the the team environment out there. So,
3:20I would just like looking at the projections on Underdog versus the ADP, and he he's just coming in a little bit
3:25too hot in the best-ball markets right now. And I'm not saying he's going to have a bad season. Like it would be a shock if he's
3:32not a top-10 running back in fantasy, but you're drafting him 11th overall. I think I'm just having a little bit of a
3:37disconnect there.
3:38>> Okay, let's reverse this, then. How can he get there, right? How can he prove this take wrong? Is it just purely from
3:44a receiving back potential and receiving back upside, which we saw towards the latter part of last season? Albeit, that was more like swing and screen passes
3:55versus his second to last season at Boise State where to me he showed a lot more receiving chops. And maybe Clint
4:01Kubiak can unlock that element of his game a little bit more.
4:03>> I think possibly, but he was the RB9 in receptions per game last season. I'm expecting like him to be in that
4:09ballpark. Like he just has to be more explosive. Like and we he they the Raiders just got to score more touchdowns. Like there were just like
4:14not enough red zone opportunities and there was not nearly enough explosive plays. Like James Cook, Saquon Barkley, Javonte Williams, I think that Kenneth
4:21Walker, Zamarian Hampton, uh hopefully behind better offensive lines than what they had last year, those guys are going to be ripping off
4:27explosive plays. Chase Brown, we know that he's going to be attached to a top-five, top-ten offense. Same thing with Derrick Henry out there as well.
4:33So, like Javonte Williams smoked Ashton Jeanty last year and they're being they have the same projections right now on the Underdog Pick'em Lobby. And then you
4:42look at the ADPs and they're not even close to each other. So, I know that we're going to get into him in just a
4:46second here, but uh I like Ash- Ashton Jeanty. I think him as a first-rounder, I think that's asking a lot.
4:52>> Well, let's use that as a segue then because my name here is Javonte Williams as running back 17, 36 overall.
5:00I think you can argue that everything went right for Javonte last year and he still scored as the running back 12 in
5:07points per game for the entire season.
5:09The team scored the seventh most most points per contest.
5:12He had the seventh most rushing touchdowns at the running back position across the league. He had the ninth most rushing yards of any player in the NFL
5:19last year. There was absolutely nothing in terms of competition at that spot in the Cowboys backfield. I mean, the next closest running back had 50 carries on
5:28the team. So, yes, uh another season of the running back 12 in points per game would be really nice. But, Hayden, I'm
5:35kind of wondering if that's his absolute ceiling here as a player and it comes in via his lack of receiving upside. I
5:43mean, last year he was was a zero in the receiving game. 35 catches for 137 yards. There's no doubt in my mind that
5:51he can match this ADP in terms of the end of the third round, the three-four turn player, and that can just help you
5:59with some standard weekly scoring. But to me, if I'm talking about the top three rounds, does he have a top five outcome at the
6:07running back spot? Does he have a top seven outcome at the running back spot?
6:10Because I think I can make the case that the wide receivers going in that area that we've talked so much about in
6:17recent episodes have some top five-seven potential, you know, finishes at their position.
6:23Tee Higgins, we've seen that before with him. Lad McConkey in a Mike McDaniel offense. Garrett Wilson, Emeka Egbuka, as we've talked about with Zach Robinson
6:30and this Z receiver usage he's going to get. I mean, the pathway for them to finishing near the top and jumping
6:37multiple spots in terms of their draft position at their at their position, uh I I think it's more achievable than this
6:44profile of Javonte Williams, where it's all about volume in a high-scoring offense, and him as an individual talent just can't push him into a top five
6:52score there.
6:53>> Yeah, I think the individual talent stuff's priced in here because he finished 18th overall last year in uh fantasy points over replacement per
7:00game. So, even if he's the RB 12, like RBs are what you want in half PPR best ball, and I just don't even think
7:07anything's really changed. I think maybe the things that have, the defense allowed the most points uh per game last season. That can get better, where maybe
7:15they're more neutral game scripts, which I do think would help out Javonte Williams. The coaching staff's kind of doubled down that Javonte is the man.
7:22It's still, you know, Malik Davis and Jaden Blue behind him, and Phil Mafah.
7:27So, it's like I don't think that those guys are going to really come for his job. So, I and I think there's a chance
7:32you What did you say the Cowboys finished sixth in scoring last year?
7:35I think there's a chance they could finish even better than that. Uh their entire offense returns. They had some injuries on the offensive line. We like
7:41the coaching staff a lot and Clayton Adams seems to love Javonte Williams.
7:45So, I think if if Javonte Williams was able to run a 444 in the 40-yard dash, he would be a second round pick. I think
7:50just because he's slow, we're getting I think a pretty big discount here. So, I have him actually ranked ahead of ADP.
7:57>> Interesting. Yeah, I mean he's a small win player for me at best. Um you're saying nothing has changed.
8:05Well, this is kind of the profile. It's somewhat like David Montgomery where we're just imposing a whole bunch of, you know, volume onto him and that's the
8:13most notable thing about it. And in a lot of other seasons, that type of player and fantasy asset, it doesn't always go in their way when that's the
8:23case, right? So, that's my big concern here. Like, what if Dak Prescott does miss games? Or what if one does star
8:29offensive lineman do? Or, you know, uh this team just takes a step back in other areas, then this bell cow
8:39top in touches and a top seven scoring offense, and then like you're starting to miss some of the pieces that made him
8:46just and I know it's good because he was the running back 40 in drafts last year and you got the running back 12, but now
8:51you're hoping as the running back 17 that you get like the running back 12 in fantasy football.
8:55>> Yeah, I'll just take the running back 12 at the end of the third round if that's if that's what this is. Um his
9:01projections are just like extremely similar to to Ashton Jeanty right there.
9:04Just wanted to say that again. And the other note is the guy that he kind of reminds me of from the last couple years
9:09of fantasy drafts is like the Josh Jacobs, the Chase Brown types where we're like a lot of people like don't like really believe that they're all
9:16that talented and they're not nearly as good as the guys being drafted in the first round, but they are good at workload and
9:23they're good at being the starting running back on a very good offense. And like that's how Josh Jacobs, who gets selected in the third round every year,
9:31finishes as a borderline round one guy in half PPR best ball uh cuz they're just at the goal line, they catch up
9:36passes, and their team's really good.
9:38So, uh, I think he's very similar to like the Josh Jacobs profile from the last couple years. One that I think you
9:44and I have like really appreciated.
9:46>> One more thing, JJ Zachariason has noted that Javonte Williams 0.4 yards per route run last year, and that in this range
9:52running back 12 to running back 36 with a yards per route run of 0.6 or worse typically go on to underperform
9:59expectation by 1 and 1/2 points per game worse the following season. And we know that Javonte Williams has now averaged fewer than 5 yards per catch in three of
10:08his past four years. So, like if he had more receiving upside, then I think you could get to the point where he is a top
10:1510, top seven outcome here. And again, the main reason why I'm fading him here is just because I really love all the
10:22wide receivers going around it. And I most likely already have not just one, but probably two running backs ahead of this period.
10:30>> Mhm. Yeah, I think that's fair.
10:31>> Okay, next name.
10:32>> I'm going to go with Jahmyr Gibbs at the very beginning of the sixth round. He was kind of floating in the fifth round
10:35there for a while. I just think that he's too similar to the running backs being drafted at the end of the round or
10:40in even the next round. I think just starting with Jahmyr Gibbs, I didn't not think that I did not think that he was the best
10:50prospect ever. I think you and I had like debates like how much better is he than like Malik Washington who ended up
10:55going much later than that.
10:57He's also a little bit smaller than the typical profile that gets drafted where he did. He's only 203 lb. He did not
11:04have much of a goal line role just because he was playing behind Jeremiah Love. So, I'm a little bit confused on exactly
11:11what role he's going to have. There's a chance that Zach Charbonnet returns around October or November. By the end of the season, I'm kind of worried that
11:20this is going to be the same committee that led Charbonnet and Kenneth Walker to be the RB 28 and RB 29 on a per game
11:27basis last year. Keep in mind, that's when the the won the damn Super Bowl and were the best team in the NFL. So, if
11:33we're expecting some regression from the offense without Clint Kubiak, JSN was one of the best players in the NFL last year. Like, if all of a sudden this team
11:40goes from I think they were third in scoring in the regular season. If they're now 10th, and then I think that
11:45Holani is going to be out there as a receiver cuz J'Juan Price did not do a whole lot in terms of
11:52uh receiving in in college, then he's an early down guy with I think some explosiveness, but nothing too crazy on an offense that I'm expecting more
12:04competition to come in by the end of the season. So, I wouldn't be surprised if like J'Juan Price is like the RB 25
12:10early on, and then by the time Charbonnet gets back involved, now we're back to like RB 30-ish. And I just think
12:15that his pathway like really going crazy here is pretty limited versus the price tag.
12:20So, I'm looking at some of the receivers around him, and I'm like, okay, I think I might like, you know, the Christian
12:25Watsons, all the quarterbacks, Tyler Warren. And if I miss miss out on the J'Juan Price, I'm going to take a very similar shot I think with
12:34Jaylen Warren, Roman Wilson, and those guys.
12:36>> He was a huge winner of the draft cycle, but I don't think he's been a winner since. Like, isn't all of his value just
12:43in relation to Zach Charbonnet, which by the way, just like the second half of the wide receiver video, we're going to
12:49do a second half of this video kind of updating everyone in the health and the recovery, the rehabilitation of all the
12:54running backs going through stuff this summer. So, we'll talk about Zach Charbonnet. But like every rep that you see George Holani get or Zach Charbonnet
13:02clear the next stage in recovery, I think it's a knock in J'Juan Price's profile. And >> Yeah.
13:08>> he had an interesting profile coming out of Notre Dame. I mean, just 39 pass per reps the season before that.
13:1419 targets in his three-year career. So, as much as you and I love rushing work and touchdown scored on the ground,
13:23that can only get you so far just in terms of being a total breakout, and receiving aspect does come into play,
13:30and we just don't have answers on that with him. And I kind of wonder if Mike McDonald, just from a foundational level
13:39of his franchise, wants multiple backs to be used, no matter what their name is and who they are, at least for the
13:46regular season. So, when you get into the playoffs, and if you do have just one remaining, then you can ride that
13:51wave and they can carry you to the promised land, as we saw last year with Kenneth Walker the third. So, I like
13:57J'Adarian Price, um but I simply believe that where he's going right now is actually very fitting of it. And unless
14:08something catastrophic, and we'll talk about Zach Charbonnet, and he just carries that primary 1A role throughout the entire year, then you're not going
14:15to be able to return value here.
14:17>> Yeah, well, we'll get to Charbonnet in a second. My baseline assumption is that call it week 10 is when he's going to
14:21get back in the mix. And I think before that, Holani was like really trusted in some key situations. Like, even in the
14:27playoffs last year, he played about a third of the snaps. And I I would be pretty surprised if J'Adarian Price was
14:32playing on any of the passing down situations. So, at that point, we need the goal line work for J'Adarian Price.
14:37I think most likely outcome is he does get that, but at the same time, he is smaller than Holani is as well. Um and I
14:44think by the time Charbonnet gets back in the mix, we saw how often Charbonnet was uh uh subbing in for, you know, Super Bowl
14:50MVP Kenneth Walker. Uh where I I I do think the baseline assumption is committee back uh with some explosiveness. But, I just didn't I
14:57didn't see a first-round talent here. I know that's he went 32nd overall. I just didn't view him as, you know, like when
15:03Travis Etienne, who got drafted in a very similar spot. I think that we're looking at totally different players.
15:08Even Kenneth Walker, the early second-rounder, I thought was a way better prospect than Price.
15:12>> Okay, my next name, and this one hurts me.
15:14I'm actually going to talk about TreVeyon Henderson here as running back 21, the second pick of the fifth round.
15:19Look, I I'm a TreVeyon Henderson optimist. His top end speed is simply sensational. His speed to pull away is rare. And we saw that last year that if
15:30he handles in a game 70% of the workload, that that athleticism equals fantasy points. I mean, he was a running back 10 in points per game from week 9
15:38through 17 last year, the most important part of your fantasy calendar.
15:43But, I don't think giving him 70% of the workload in a healthy backfield is the Patriots' plan. It's that simple. Like
15:49they like Rhamondre Stevenson. They should. Like Rhamondre Stevenson.
15:53Rhamondre Stevenson is still a extremely talented running back. Uh and I guess my concern is one, we are hoping that Trevion Henderson regains his past pro
16:04form from his Ohio State days, from college. Two, we are also hoping that the Patriots improve their blocking from tight end to tight end after making
16:12moves along their offensive line. And then we are hoping that the coaching staff makes the move when that happens from Rhamondre Stevenson to Trevion
16:21Henderson as a lead ball carrier. And I just don't think all three of those things are going to happen uh as
16:26smoothly and as confidently as the public does when selecting him two full rounds ahead of Rhamondre at this point.
16:32And in a station of backs like David Montgomery, massive volume. De'Andre Swift, yes, wet backfield, but also in a Ben Johnson-led
16:41attack. We've already seen how he can sustain fantasy value from about week 4 through week 17. And then, you know, Quinshon Judkins. And in fact, Ian, I
16:49think like the Trevion and Bashaun Tuitan um projection and pathway to success is kind of similar. And Bashaun Tuitan's pathway, I think, is clearer than
17:01Trevion Henderson's is at this point.
17:02>> Yeah, I think De'Andre Swift, same thing. Like, I mean, this De'Andre Swift is going to get the ball a bunch. David
17:06Montgomery is going to get the ball a bunch. Quinshon Judkins, the ball a bunch. And then, I think those guys still have pathways to being like top 12
17:12fantasy backs, as does Trevion. I think There's of things that to go right. So, I'm with you on this. I got Trayveon
17:17Henderson at the end of this round, and I got Rhamondre Stevenson pretty much parked right next to Trayveon.
17:22Uh Trayveon reminds me of Raheem Mostert. I don't think he's going to win on contact very often. So, he has to
17:28play more decisive so his speed can kind of take over. Even a lot of his big runs last year were like right up the middle.
17:34Everyone kind of collapses, then he bounces outside. We just need more hitting the corner on the outside and going upfield. Rhamondre Stevenson was
17:41way better in pass protection. He's got 30 lb on him. I thought a lot of Trayveon's weaknesses in pass protection were just I'm too small. Like these
17:48running or these linebackers coming at me are way too big and way too fast, and I don't think that's going to
17:52necessarily change. And then, uh I think Rhamondre Stevenson's like a well-paid back, very established, and matched him in every single category
17:59last year. Explosive plays, receiving work, all the stuff that Trayveon's supposed to be so good at, Rhamondre was right there with him. So, I really like
18:07the Rhamondre price tag, and I think that the Trayveon stuff is taking a very optimistic lens. He could pay off there.
18:13I just think that a lot of things have to go right.
18:15>> Yeah, and again, I want to say that Trayveon can pay off. Like you said, if the blocking is better and they give him
18:21the second level, then it can be freaking off to the races. And if there are elements like the game slows down
18:25for Trayveon Henderson a little bit, then he can go off to the races. There's just a whole bunch of checklist items
18:31that I think he then has to prove to Josh McDaniels and Mike Vrabel in order to be like, oh yes, now I'm going to
18:38take over as the Jahmyr Gibbs to this David Montgomery situation. And while I think it's possible, I don't right now, at the end and middle
18:48of June, don't think it's probable.
18:51And unfortunately, everyone's drafting as if it's kind of already happened.
18:56And that's my concern with this price tag. Like Rhamondre is the first second running back of all these teams that are
19:04selected out there on Underdog drafts right now, and he should be because he is the best second running back that is selected across the
19:12NFL right now because you could argue that starting in week one and maybe even to week four and maybe even get to week
19:19eight that he is the first one on the field in those situations. But again, if he misses time like he did last year,
19:25I will be hyping up Brevion as a top 10 ranking every single week because we know he can do that.
19:32>> Yeah, the splits back you up your point there. Without Rhamondre Stevenson in those three games, he had 16 and a half expected
19:37half PPR points that would have been RB4. So that's just like base off his usage. Unfortunately, with Rhamondre Stevenson, he was the RB50. And in the
19:45last four games that they did the four post-season games that they had, everything's on the line, Rhamondre Stevenson 12 expected points, Brevion
19:525.1. So that's a big gap that we're trying to overcome in the second season.
19:58And I think a lot of it is just Rhamondre's really big. So when they're at the goal line, more times than not
20:02it's going to be Rhamondre. And Rhamondre Stevenson, for how big he is, he can certainly run the routes and catch the ball out of the back field.
20:10That was true in college, it's been true in the NFL, it was true last year as well.
20:14That's how we score fantasy points. Like I I would rather take the volume guy that's going to catch the ball and be at
20:20the goal line rather than hunt the explosive plays.
20:23Especially when it seems like most of the market is obsessed with the explosive play potential. And I'm just like, I'll take the guy that's probably
20:28going to get 15 touches in a game.
20:30>> And look, I'm not the person that says how they line up in week one is how they're going to line up in in week 11.
20:35You know, things change all the time with young stars and and them emerging.
20:39I'm more so saying that Rhamondre Stevenson isn't a pushover. In a lot of these other cases, that veteran that is standing in the way is kind of a
20:48placeholder or a pushover. And Rhamondre Stevenson isn't like that.
20:51>> I agree. Great point.
20:52>> Last name of this group, our fifth one, who is it?
20:55>> I'm going to go with Kenny Gainwell here. Last year, he was the Steelers MVP. He was second in all the receiving
21:02work. I believe that the the Steelers wide receiver three caught like 20 something passes last year. So, kind of everything broke Kenny Gainwell's way
21:10last year. It's his best statistical season. What does that get you?
21:14RB 26. So, like when everything's going right, he's a focal point, Aaron Rodgers obsessed with him, he literally wins the team MVP, you get an RB 26 profile. Now,
21:24he goes to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. I think there's a chance that Bucky Irving can go back to his form.
21:30Even if that's not the case, I'm just worried that Sean Tucker would get in there even if Bucky Irving misses time
21:37just because Sean Tucker's so much bigger than Kenny Gainwell. So, I just don't see an established pathway to him getting the goal line work. I don't
21:44think he's going to catch nearly as many passes in this Buccaneers offense just cuz their depth at all of the skill
21:51group is just a lot better than what the Steelers had when it was literally just DK Metcalf and Kenny Gainwell.
21:55Not a whole lot else. Now, we have a Mecca I think's good, Chris Godwin, the reports have been pretty decent, Jaylen McMillan's a
22:03way better wide receiver three. And then you get to Bucky Irving himself who's a very good running back when he's actually healthy. So, like full PPR,
22:12you're in a 14-person league and stuff, like I get the appeal there.
22:15This is the type of profile that has just been a really bad pick in half PPR best ball. And I think same thing with
22:22with your redraft, like his his his eight to 10 points in your flex is just like not going to get it done
22:28in this landscape. A lot of like the three running back builds, like your third running back is the Rhamondre Chuba Hubbard types that are like
22:35turning out 12, 14 points a week. I'm just concerned that like he's not providing enough even when things are going right.
22:41>> Yeah, I think in this round, the ninth round, because Kenny Gainwell is the running back 36 right now, the ninth
22:48pick of the ninth round. I just want to take like the upside swings of Sam LaPorta and Ricky Pearsall and Herndon Fannin.
22:57>> Kyle Pitts.
22:59>> Yeah, then then Kenny Gainwell.
23:01This is an interesting one because I actually think that Kenny Gainwell in a lot of other fantasy football shows is going to be one of their favorite
23:08selections based on, you know, the Bucky Irving buzz, which we'll hop into a little bit later on. I mean, he's coming
23:13off a thousand yards, like you said, eight touchdowns on just 187 touches.
23:17But, the vast majority of that was the 73 catches, the fourth most at the position. And, if you look at about week
23:2611 through week 18, that was the real breakout. And that's when he averaged 6.4 targets, 5.5 receptions, 45
23:37receiving yards, and nearly a half touchdown per game. Uh, as you said, it wasn't just like swings or screens, it was like legit downfield routes that
23:44Kenny Gainwell was miraculously coming up with and Aaron Rodgers trusting him in those situations.
23:52And he goes from that backfield, which was just him and Jaylen Warren, to like you're saying, maybe a 1A with Bucky,
23:59who is never going to be a passing down guy and wasn't with Rashad White, to now Kenny Gainwell being the 1B and maybe
24:05taking a bit more of the rushing work than Rashad White got, but then I also don't want to forget about Sean Tucker, who,
24:12once we get to like the five to the 10-yard line, might have legit, "Hey, we haven't been able to, you know, run the
24:19ball in from the two yet when trying these other situations. We're going to bring in Sean Tucker to actually get the
24:25touchdown for us." So, I see like, unless there is real pessimism and a really bad season coming up here for Bucky Irving,
24:34I think that Kenny Gainwell's ceiling is like totally capped out here. And I wouldn't necessarily even put him at, you know,
24:4166% of the receiving yards and receiving production that he got last year in his new home here in Tampa.
24:47>> Yeah, I see the same exact way. And then, just in comparison to Rashad White, Rashad White's 215 lbs. Kenny Gainwell's 200 lbs. So, like, if
24:54something happens to Bucky, I don't think that Kenny Gainwell's just going to be a bell cow back. Like he's never been a
25:00running back in the traditional sense.
25:02It's always been the receiving profile.
25:04Um so, I I think that Sean Tucker would kind of get in the mix a little bit too much and he he would not have the
25:09handcuff appeal that some of the other backs uh possibly would like including Jonathan Brooks right next to him. Uh Brooks has like no floor like in terms
25:17of flex value um when week six rolls around, but uh there's I think a better path to upside. I think ultimately I
25:23want to chase the upside. That's what we draft in the in the best ball.
25:26>> I think the running backs for me were a lot more difficult than the than the wide receivers to come up with this
25:31list. But uh let us know in the comments down below uh some of your full on fades at the running back spot uh based on
25:38where their selections are at this moment. Okay, why don't we dive into the injury updates? And I know this confused people on the last video.
25:46These are all these names are not the ones that we were avoiding. This is just an update on the news of where these
25:52players' statuses are at this point in off season activities. Um since you started and just brought up Jonathan Brooks, do we want to quickly
26:00>> Yeah.
26:00>> touch on that because we know he didn't play all of the 2025 season after missing a handful of games in 2024
26:10coming off the ACL injury. He did touch the field for two or three contests and retore that knee. So, what are the
26:16Panthers saying about Jonathan Brooks and his recovery timeline right now?
26:19>> It sounds like he's on schedule. He's ramping up. He's participating in some of the 11 on 11 work as well. So, I
26:26think it's as optimistic as you possibly could be coming off of a second uh torn ACL to the same exact one. Uh
26:34now he's had a lot of time to recover since then. He'll be like what 20-ish months away from it. So, he's had a lot
26:40of time to to get back on the on the field. I'm sure they're just going to ramp him up. They'll probably uh test
26:44him out specifically in the joint practices. So, that happens. Uh we're seeing more teams not use the preseason, but more so the joint practices. So, I
26:52think the second we get the Carolina schedule for in August, we will definitely be tracking the Jonathan Brooks update. I think right now he's on
26:59pace and at the same time, like this is a very significant history that he's coming back from and I just wanted to
27:05remind people Chuba Hubbard has been a team captain for this team for as long as the coaching staff has been there. He's a pretty decent player as
27:13well. So I don't think this is like as easy of a he's just going to take Chuba Hubbard's job. Like Chuba's paid well
27:18team captain etc. Um so I think he's appropriately priced um and he's on pace.
27:25>> At the same time we did see Chuba get banged up last year and Raquon Smith had, you know, multiple 200 plus yard
27:29games.
27:30Uh so that potential is always there for a team that wants to run the football. I mean Jonathan Brooks is the clear second
27:36running back on the scene, which is very notable. I mean they brought in no one other than AJ Dillon and they have
27:42Trevor Etienne, Achane, excuse me, Trevor Achane on the roster opposite him. So he's always going to wear the sleeve on his knee at this point. Uh
27:51there've been moments and who knows in these non-contact practices of long runs, explosive plays, all that type of stuff, but uh I really liked him as a
27:59player. He was just like so smooth as a runner and has a big body. He really would pull away from from defenses and,
28:06you know, I think the Panthers need some yards after catch threats and even in his small three game sample, he had a
28:11couple plays like against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers where he took a screen pass or a swing pass and uh made some people
28:16miss and that would be a huge element for them that uh they desperately need.
28:20>> Yeah, I could see him being close to like Manhertz and Blake Corum by the end of August if we get a couple more
28:26positive reports. Like this we got to take this kind of day by day with him um just given the history but
28:31right now so far so good.
28:32>> hey, if if he shows 90% health and like 90% of who he used to be, then he's the most talented Panthers running back on
28:40this roster. Like there's, you know, other politicking that goes on behind the scenes even if, you know, he and Chuba Hubbard are really good friends
28:48that they always put Chubba back at the front of the the the team, but Jonathan Brooks is a heck of a talent in my eyes.
28:56>> Mhm.
28:56>> Okay, let's go back to the top. Let's talk about Cam Akers, who is the seventh pick of the fourth round, running back 19 right now. We
29:06know he suffered a right ankle dislocation, fractured fibula, and ruptured deltoid ligament back in week eight. What's his status at this point?
29:15>> He's practicing, you know, 11 and 11, and we got months to go. So, I keep talking about the small sample
29:21size of the dislocated ankles. I know like it's like four for four has not gone well the following season, but it's
29:26like such a small uh sample, and this is like before we had the peptides and all of the other stuff going on uh in modern medicine. Uh Cam
29:34Akers is doing backflips, and he's fully uh participating in practice, and then the the Giants reporters, I've read a couple of them, just in general like
29:41positive vibes for Cam Akers. He's got plenty of uh time to to get even in better shape, but he's like fully
29:47cleared. Um so, you can discount him a a little bit because maybe you don't think the efficiency is going to be there, but uh
29:54efficiency only matters so much in fantasy football when when we're talking about running backs. Like it's about scoring goal line touchdowns and
30:01catching passes, and that's what Cam Akers was placed on this planet to do.
30:05>> My concern isn't like if he's going to play week one, it is how good is he going to be when when back on the field.
30:10Uh and, you know, that's actually the same exact injury other than the ruptured deltoid ligament than Quinton Jefferson is coming back from. Albeit,
30:18Jefferson did it in week 16, and Cam Akers did it in week eight. I think we did see Quinton Jefferson return to
30:26off season activities earlier than Cam Akers, and looked fluid, and did all that stuff. The eye test passed just like it has for Akers now.
30:33Uh so, we know Jefferson is going earlier than Akers is in these drafts. Uh are there any updates on him as well?
30:40>> Jefferson also just practicing, you know, this is just they're going to be out there week one. They're going to be
30:45out there first day training camp as the clear-cut starters, clear-cut the best backs on their football team. They're going to catch they're not Scottie's
30:51going to catch a lot more passes than Quinton Johnson is, but they're going to run the ball a ton. Both of these
30:56head coaches want to run the football.
30:58So, like in terms of like volume, I think these guys are pretty set in stone. Are they going to win any awards
31:04because of their breakaway abilities coming off this injury? Probably not, but I think both of them are very good.
31:09So, you guys can watch our full video on the second-year running backs like going back and watching their tape and whatnot, but even since then we've had
31:16more positive updates from the off-season workouts.
31:18>> Yeah, just talk about the sample for the fractured fibula {slash} right ankle dislocations or just ankle dislocations. In recent years it's been
31:26Tony Pollard, Mark Andrews, Chris Godwin, Isaiah Pacheco all declined their fantasy points per opportunity. It wasn't just small, it was like a massive drop-down. So, again,
31:37that's just four names. That is a small sample. Now we get, you know, 50% of that this year with Quinton Johnson and
31:43Ke'Shawn Vaughn. And all those weren't running backs, you know, some of them were wide receivers and tight ends on top of it. Okay, let's talk about Bucky
31:50Irving since you mentioned Kenny Gainwell. We know throughout last season shoulder ankle issues. He did retouch the surface
32:00in OTAs on June 11th. So, after that Todd Bowles' statement of hey, he might return sometime this fall. It is actually June
32:1011th, Todd. So, thank you very much.
32:12Anything you want to add there?
32:13>> Individuals only. So, that's he's not cleared for like full contact or maybe he's been cleared, but they're not like throwing him out there. The fact that
32:21he's doing individual drills makes me feel optimistic that by the time training camp actually comes around that he'll be ready to go.
32:28So, yeah, I just don't know if Bowles knows when like summer turns to falls and like that's kind of like the thing
32:34that he had this uh, internal debate on, but I think most likely Bucky Irving's going to be out there. I will note
32:40though, like he did have surgery on his shoulder and like he's not that big guy and he runs really, really hard. So,
32:47like it's still an injury that like still is concerning even if he's going to be available in week one. Um, especially when you add somebody like
32:54Kenny Gainwell uh, to the mix. So, Bucky Irving I I'm feel less comfortable with like his baseline touch projection than Scat Bo and Quinton Judkins. Uh, but I
33:05think they're appropriately priced next to each other.
33:08>> Chris Rodriguez, free agent signing for the Jacksonville Jaguars, has a history with Liam Coen dating back to their Kentucky days. Uh, we have not seen
33:14Chris Rodriguez on the field during off-season activities because apparently he had a procedure on his left foot following an injury sustained early in the off-season
33:24conditioning program. What else do you want to add?
33:26>> Yeah, they're saying he's on track to be ready for the beginning of camp and I think that's, you know, if you're out
33:31there in week one of camp then I think we shouldn't be talking about the injury too much. But, injuries can linger. He's
33:36a big guy, runs really hard. So, like this thing could creep up at any point obviously. Uh, his ADP has dropped the
33:43last couple weeks here and I do think uh, the bottom is kind of in and I would not be surprised like Shipley's kind of
33:49talked about this uh, over at SI just talking about they really like Chris Rodriguez and they like this type of player a lot
33:58because they were actually flirting with JK Dobbins who Dobbins is the more explosive version of Chris Rodriguez.
34:04Uh, and you can read into that how you want to with in terms of Basil Tui. And I think that they
34:08want Basil Tui to turn into the guy.
34:10He's got a totally different skill set.
34:11He's going to be the guy in passing situations. Like, could they trust him to run the ball between the tackles consistently? Does he could he just
34:18handle the mental workload that that takes?
34:21Uh, I think that's the the big debate, but he's one of these kind of like zero RB targets where um, I would not be that
34:27stunned if Chris Rodriguez like just edges out Basil Tui uh, this this season in fantasy. I don't think it's the most likely outcome, but like I
34:34could see that happening.
34:35>> We talked about pushovers earlier on you know, ascending first and second year players.
34:41I'm kind of in the mindset that Chris Rodriguez can't be a pushover here if Bashton shows enough. Uh again, I understand the Kentucky days and the
34:49link in that department. And like Chris Rodriguez might vulture you know, six or seven touchdowns inside the five yard line so that keeps you know, Bashton who
35:00right now is being selected as the running back 25 from maybe being the running back 12 versus the running back 15 for example.
35:09Um I am more confident in Bashton doing this than I was you know, when they immediately signed Chris Rodriguez during free agency
35:20uh after you know, working in this primary workload in this primary position all off season for this team.
35:26>> Yeah, I think the first you know, the first practice at training camp there will be um tweets [clears throat] when
35:31like Chris Rodriguez like takes the first carry and then we're going to have to go through these debates uh all training camp long. So I think the story
35:38is largely not over and I would not be surprised if Chris Rodriguez there's a 124th overall RB 41 is kind of uh the
35:46bottom and then we just see this ADP chart kind of go back to where he was uh a couple weeks ago. So
35:52>> We had talked about Jonathan Brooks so next one is RJ Harvey who I think back during sometime in the winter had labrum
36:00surgery. What's the update on him?
36:01>> Yeah, uh winter spring depends on when you're establishing the the seasonal cutoff. He had it after the season. He suffered a shoulder uh sprain that
36:10needed a labrum tear that needed surgery. Um so that does matter. Like I don't like when my shoulders uh on my
36:19running backs are are uh requiring surgery. So I think that's something that we have to monitor. That said, uh Sean Payton said he's he's full
36:27go right now. So, I think the injury probably shouldn't be factored in all that much here at all.
36:34Uh I think that the JK Dobbins and the Jonah Coleman factor should matter a whole lot more, but I feel pretty confident that this is
36:42just going to be a three-way backfield until there's another injury. I think that RG Harvey's going to be the passing down guy, and then Coleman and Dobbins
36:48are going to be the early down rushing guy. And I think that kind of makes sense based off of Payton's history and
36:53then all also the the traits of the three running backs.
36:56>> Yeah, I think the timeline was 4 to 6 months, and so that puts him at May or or July being the four or the six months. So,
37:04that should be training camp immediately for him to be out there if not at the end of that first week of of training
37:10camp. Zach Charbonnet's the last one here. We know he tore his ACL in January.
37:17Then Mike McDonald, like this week, was asked if Zach Charbonnet could actually play in week one because they did see Zach Charbonnet like
37:25doing some light work on the field without pads and without a helmet.
37:29And he said, I think {quote} "Anything is possible." Um I think that's impossible. What about you? [laughter] >> Yeah, I mean, we have to like take the
37:37context of was the question are you they just trying to hype up their players, you know, like it would be bad if he's
37:43like it's impossible. Like if you're Zach Charbonnet, you're like, "Damn, that that does suck." So, the coach is going to be optimistic. They're going to
37:48encourage their players. The reality is Zach Charbonnet tore his ACL and didn't have his surgery until February 20th.
37:56So, he waited a while. So, it was it was late in the season. Then he waited a while, then got the surgery. I think the
38:02baseline would be week 10 to week 12 is when he returns.
38:06Um so, we'll see. I think there were some reports from like actual credible uh reporters that he does feel a little
38:13bit ahead of schedule, which would explain why he's slightly I mean, not really, but he's slightly moving up in in ADP here.
38:21Um He's not going to be my favorite click.
38:24I just think that he will return and he will make this backfield muddy by the end of the season. I feel good about
38:30that. And maybe instead of it instead of week 12, maybe he gets out there week eight, but I would be stunned if he does
38:35not start the season on PUP.
38:37>> The consensus out there is it takes 9 months post-op uh from the ACL because if you do it anytime before that, it's like tenfold
38:47of the likelihood that it gets retorn.
38:49And so that would be roughly week 11.
38:51Exactly the timeline that you said. So could it be week nine or week 10? Maybe.
38:54Should it probably be week 11? Yeah.
38:57Does even like week nine or week 10 change that much for you when it comes to change his ADP? No, because like who
39:03the hell knows what happens in the opening eight weeks of the season, you know?
39:06>> Exactly. Yeah. And and even when he gets back out there, he's probably not going to have the exact same role that he had.
39:12>> Correct.
39:13>> Um and I can see Holani like proving his worth and this is kind of like a three-back committee by by the end of
39:19this uh season. So Yeah, I'm kind of fading the Charbonnet like positive buzz.
39:24Um and if he shows up in week eight versus week 12, um you guys can have that victory. I'll sleep well.
39:31>> That does it for us.
39:33Appreciate you all tuning in to the three episodes this week. Actually, tomorrow we have a bonus episode for all of you. Uh we're going to talk through
39:40Brendan Sorsby, quarterback from Cincinnati in the supplemental draft.
39:44And uh I guess it's Tate. Give you our thoughts and uh maybe some teams that might be interested in him. So that's a
39:50again, bonus episode for you on this very Friday. We'll be back next week with some extra episodes and I'll be over my cold by then. All right,
39:57everyone. Thanks for watching. Talk to you all next time. See you.
