2026 Fantasy Football Breakout RBs with LaDainian Tomlinson
STACKED extracted the fantasy-relevant player signal from this video and kept the full transcript here for context.
50 min
Duration
Estimated from transcript
Jul 3, 2026
Published
Fri, July 3, 2026
0
Player insights
0
Players mentioned
Player analysis
Player insights
No player insights have been extracted for this episode yet.
Full transcript
Episode Transcript
0:00All across the fantasy universe. Welcome one and all to a very special edition of the fantasy points podcast. Brian Drake alongside the guru John Hanson. And
0:08John, we're bringing back one of our favorite guests and maybe the greatest guest we've ever had and the greatest fantasy football player that any of us
0:17have ever had, John. We're going to bring back Chargers legend and then we could throw the Jets in there, you know,
0:22I live in New York, okay. NFL Hall of Famer LaDainian Tomlinson, John. This is going to be fun.
0:28>> Yeah, absolutely one of my favorite people on the planet. He is absolutely a real one. One of the nicest guys I've
0:35ever met. You know, I did an interview with him over 20 years ago and LT is a superstar. He's done hundreds of
0:42interviews, probably thousands, but yet him and I still stay in touch after that interview. We worked on SiriusXM once a week doing a show for a whole
0:52year, which was kind of like a full circle moment for LT because when I met him and talked with him in '04, he
0:58hadn't even played fantasy. And then 10 years later, here we are doing a show about fantasy. So, let's welcome in the
1:05great LaDainian Tomlinson. LT, what is up, my man? How have you been?
1:09>> Oh, man. I've been really good, guys.
1:11It's It's great to be on with you. I'm excited to talk some fantasy football, just to talk football in general, right?
1:19I mean, it's been a a long off season, it seems, but all is well and enjoying the summer right now.
1:27>> And now, what are you doing now that you're not playing? You know, a lot of people probably are curious like what
1:32does an elite NFL player do when, you know, they they hang up the helmet and the shoulder pads go away? Like how do
1:39you spend your quality time? I know you've got a couple of kids. You're just kind of being dad, hanging out around
1:43the house?
1:45>> Yeah, a little bit of everything, right?
1:46I'm Yeah, I'm definitely being dad, but I got to split those dad duties into being a coach as well. And I'm coaching
1:53my son. He's going to a rising sophomore.
1:56He's playing quarterback uh and so he's slinging it around and running it and all that stuff. Uh, so I'm I'm enjoying
2:04enjoying doing that. It's kind of weird though coaching a QB, you know? Uh, he's like 6'2" already, man, and but it's so
2:13fun. It's so gratifying to coach these kids, not only my son, but his teammates. And last year, my first year coaching, uh we went undefeated and won
2:23the championship for the first time in school history. So, got off to a good start.
2:28>> That's fantastic.
2:29>> here at the data real quick and your son is a quarterback and I would argue LaDainian Tomlinson
2:39the second best passing running back in NFL history behind Walter Payton. LT, what are your thoughts?
2:45>> That's true. That's true, John. You got me there. Uh, you know, certainly Walter was someone that I looked up to as you know that
2:54you know, we we did a show together for a whole year uh and I enjoyed every bit of it, but you got to know a lot of a lot of those
3:02little tidbit things about me where I was trying to catch Walter Payton in terms of passing touchdowns and I just fell one short. And I remember the the
3:12pass Antonio Gates that I overthrew. He was wide open in the in the end zone and I overthrew him and that would have tied
3:20the record and I'm so bummed at myself.
3:23Still think about it today.
3:24>> Oh, man. Well, let's let's give you some flowers here uh because you completed 66.7% of your passes, LT. You threw
3:33seven touchies versus zero interceptions and you average 11.9 yards an attempt.
3:40Those are elite numbers.
3:42>> Yes, sir. Of course. You know, what I'm proud I think what I'm proudest of, guys, no interceptions, right? Don't give the ball away. Don't give the ball
3:50to the other team. And especially in fantasy, you throw interception, man, that that hurts, you know?
3:56>> Yeah.
3:57>> And you know, so at the end of the day, man, seven touchdown passes, 66 completion percentage, not bad for an old running
4:06back from from Marlin, Texas.
4:09>> Real quick, before we get into we send in some questions. I sent them to Brian, but you know, we're already
4:14riffing here. Got to ask you about what did you think of Phil old man Rivers out there last year at 44 years old? I mean,
4:23your mind must have been pretty blown away.
4:26>> I was I was blown away. First, I was at first I was so afraid for him. Like, man, how is he how is he going to get
4:35out the way? Like, you know, Philip was never the most mobile quarterback in the first place, you know, so just to think
4:42coming back after 5 years or so and getting out there right away and starting, I was scared to death of him,
4:49but I thought he did tremendous. He really Philip was inspiring, to be honest, to be as old as he was and been away from
4:56the league as long as he has to play as well as he did, man, that it was pretty impressive to see what he did.
5:04>> Mhm.
5:06And this is something we have to bring up. Before we started recording the show, LT comes to us and he's not only just an
5:12NFL player, he's a fantasy player.
5:14That's why we're here on a fantasy podcast. He's like, guys, I got to get in on this fantasy points data here. So,
5:19we're going to make sure LT's on the site and we want you guys on the site as well. Use promo code fantasy and we can
5:27get you in over at fantasypoints.com.
5:29You see that QR code right there on your screen if you're watching this video.
5:31Use code fantasy and be like LaDainian, get in here and use fantasy points data.
5:37All right, let's let's ask you a couple questions here. Let's talk about your old team and what they're going to do
5:41for fantasy. And everybody's excited about the Chargers. There's people talking about Justin Herbert for MVP and it all stems from Mike McDaniel coming
5:49in and now he's going to be the offensive coordinator. What do you make of McDaniel and his scheme and how it's
5:54going to impact the Chargers this year?
5:56And who do you like for fantasy in this scheme?
5:59>> Yeah, I think it's going to be a tremendous uh opportunity for a number of players on that team to put up huge fantasy
6:06points. And obviously it's in my opinion it starts with Amari and Hampton. And I look at you know, McDaniel's track record obviously when he was in Miami.
6:17Uh last year I had Devon Achane. I had him and I mean he had a tremendous year for me. And we're
6:24talking about not only rushing the football and the rushing touchdowns, but he also caught a bunch of footballs. I see Amari and Hampton in the same light.
6:33I think he can put up probably not I wouldn't say maybe not as many rushing yards as Devon last year, but certainly
6:42the total yardage and and the touchdowns especially around the goal line. I think Amari has the chance to really have a
6:50breakout season uh this year.
6:53Um you know, when you talk about Justin Herbert, I I think he's going to benefit as well. Now listen, I don't think
7:00you know, the offense is going to particularly run all the way through Justin Herbert. You know, I think they're going to back it down a little
7:07bit, be a little bit more conservative at times by running the football, but I think it's going to allow Justin Herbert
7:14to throw the football down the field with explosive passing game um as we have seen Mike McDaniel's do in Miami.
7:22So, I think this is definitely going to benefit Justin Herbert. And here's the other thing guys, because of that zone system that that Mike runs, I think it's
7:31going to allow Justin Herbert to be more protected because he's not going to be holding on to the ball. When they play
7:37action pass, it's timing and rhythm in that offense. You got to get the ball out of your hands. Just think back to
7:44when Tua had his best season. He was getting rid of the ball quickly. He wasn't holding on to the ball, and he
7:51was creating explosive plays in the passing game. So, very excited about a number of players uh in that offense this year.
8:00>> Well, there's a great data point on our screen, Al tie. I don't know if you can see it, but the viewers and listeners
8:05Well, the viewers can definitely see it.
8:07I don't know about the listeners.
8:07>> [laughter] >> But, uh Justin Herbert 72.1% the number one act most accurate quarterback from a clean pocket, which
8:17as we know with Slater and Alt out for most of the year and uh a dirty pocket, if you will, the
8:25opposite of a clean one. And let's talk about that fact that they're back. You add a couple of tight ends. I've
8:31interviewed Charlie Kolar. He's one of the He's great. I love him. Uh both of his parents were college professors. I think he's very underrated. He's a good
8:39blocker, but I think he can run. Uh Donald Parham Jr. along with Gerald Everett and Gerald Everett, Brevyn Spann-Ford, uh big play guy, lid lifter here. Looks
8:49like when they do throw and run their offense, that they're really set up to be very multiple and maybe attack teams
8:57in a different way every week. What are your thoughts?
9:00>> I would agree with that, John, and I liken it to what we saw with the Rams last year using those three tight end
9:07packages. And listen, it's the same type of offense, right? Mike comes from that that same type of tree on offense. You
9:15get those tight ends in there. You put three tight ends in the game at times, and you can be multiple. You don't know
9:21if we're going to run it or pass it. I I love that for the Chargers because they already have an outstanding offensive
9:28line when healthy. So, you bring in, you know, a Charlie Kolar, guys like that.
9:34And even Donald Parham Jr. is a huge man. If you've ever seen this guy, man, he's 6'6. Huge guy, just as Charlie is.
9:42Uh but those guys in the game at the same time, I believe, you know, you definitely would have Rondale and then
9:48Njoku, you can spread those guys out.
9:50You can flex them out. Uh and and create mismatches as well with the defense. So, I think they're like you mentioned,
9:58John, they're creating a multiple-style offense that they can attack people in many ways.
10:05>> Uh a writer at our site, Ryan Heath, does fantastic work for us. And he kind of dove into who he thinks could be this
10:11year's Jaxon Smith-Njigba. You know, that kind of that that receiver that comes out of nowhere, blows past his ADP in fantasy drafts, and really crushes
10:20and helps you win your league. He seems to think that Ladd McConkey could be that guy this year. What do you think
10:25Ladd can do in a bounce-back season?
10:28Cuz, you know, let's let's be honest, it was a down year for him last year, could be attributed to that tackle play as
10:32well. But what's the ceiling for McConkey in this offense?
10:36>> Yeah, I mean, you mentioned Jaxon Smith-Njigba and you know, I can understand that because Ladd is that type of receiver where
10:45he can play outside and in. But maybe his most dangerous work is inside when he find those little zones and, you
10:54know, you get the ball out to him for about 8 yards and he runs about 6 yards, picks up 14 to 15 yards and gets on the
11:00ground. You know, I can see uh him being the number one receiver and him him actually being the chain mover because we know what Quentin Johnston
11:11is, he's the deep threat guy. You know, he's going to be the guy that stretches uh the field and and and creates
11:18mismatches sometimes on the defense and gets them to back up. Now, Ladd is going to be the guy that I think you can go to
11:26any down. Like he's the chain mover, he's the guy you want to get started with sometimes on first and 10. little
11:32play action, run a little dig route or a little slant route to Ladd McConkey like we've seen with JSN and get the drive
11:40started. But, I think at the end of the day, you know, Ladd will have to find his place in terms of how, you know,
11:48Mike wants to use him. I don't quite think he'll be used like Tyreek Hill was. Maybe it's more of a Jaylen Waddle.
11:55But, Jaylen Waddle was really the number two in Miami. So, I think that still has to be worked out.
12:01>> Ladd McConkey, per Fantasy Points data, the highest NFL separation win rate from the slot in 2024. We have a metric, LT,
12:11over at fantasypoints.com, average separation score, aka ass. We're all ass men over at Fantasy Points, LT,
12:21and Ladd McConkey is as well. Now, I know, as we speak wide receivers, you do like I saw some quotes from you about
12:29Trey Harris. You know, I didn't know what to expect from him last year rookie, but he was kind of all over the
12:35place. He was using him on jet sweeps and lining him up all over the place.
12:39So, what what do you see with Trey Harris other than being a weapon?
12:45>> Yeah, I just I like the kid's size. I like his attitude. You know, I like the way he approaches the game. He wants to
12:51be great.
12:53Um but, when you look at kind of the body type, he's the body type of some of the best receivers in the league when
12:59you think about it. Some of these guys that we've seen over time, a A.J. Brown that's dominate, you know, you can throw
13:06that slant in traffic, you can throw that dig in traffic, and he plucks the ball out the air and and maybe breaks a
13:12couple of tackles in the red zone and scores a touchdown. That's how I see Trey Harris. I think he has that
13:18ability. But, not only that, he can stretch the field as well. This kid can run. You know, so you're talking about a
13:25big, strong, fast receiver that can also be a possession receiver, he's the type of receiver you need. And I think the
13:32Chargers are telling us all we need to know by really saying, you know, I think we're, you know, we're going to move on
13:39from Keenan Allen. Thank, you know, obviously Keenan is a great receiver and has done tremendous things for the organization, but I think it gives you a
13:47glimpse of where Trey Harris is in his development and how the Chargers feel about him.
13:53>> Everybody's getting in the running back business this year in fantasy football.
13:56You'll notice that John and I did a draft uh just yesterday over on our YouTube channel. You guys can go check
14:02that out. And everybody wants to get a running back. But if you're getting a running back, well, sometimes you want to handcuff them later in the draft. So,
14:10the Chargers have a couple of interesting players behind Amari and Hampton. They resigned uh Kamani Vidal, sixth-rounder. We know Harbaugh had an
14:18affinity for him. He came on last year in some spot duty. And they also brought in Keaton Mitchell from the Baltimore
14:23Ravens who really flashed when he got to play, but he was marred with injuries last year. What do you make of the two
14:29running backs behind Hampton? And if you had to take one of them on your fantasy team, who would you draft?
14:34>> Well, I mean, this is a tough one, you know, because seeing what uh Kamali did last year uh when Amari was hurt, I
14:43mean, he he he filled in quite nicely.
14:46You know, he really had some nice games.
14:48Talking about a kid that can catch the ball very well out the backfield. And he's hard to tackle in space. When he
14:54gets in space, good luck with one man bringing him down. I mean, we saw that last year. But then you think about
15:00Mitchell, you know, who's very explosive. Once he gets in open field, good luck catching him. Um that's a tough one. I got I got to tell you. But
15:10I have to believe um you know, Vidal has to have a bit of a edge because he's been there and they
15:18have pretty much proved what he can do running between the tackles as well. We We know what Jim Harbaugh wants to do
15:26and and how he utilizes running backs. I I think Vadarian is probably fit to handle more of the secondary workload in
15:33terms of getting the carries.
15:36>> Yeah, I mean he's Mitchell's a complimentary player LT, but I think it goes back to them being a little bit
15:40more multiple, you know, a little bit of a different look in the backfield to attack NFL defenses. Well, let's move on
15:49here and ask you some other questions about the National Football League in general. And I'm I'm curious your observations about the current NFL. You
15:57know, 5 years ago people were going zero running back in fantasy drafts because the running backs, you know, they didn't matter. Well, guess what? They matter
16:08again. A lot of two-deep safeties, a lot of light boxes out there. I'm sure you're feeling like watching the games every week like, "Oh, I could I could
16:17flourish in this day and age."
16:19>> Oh, man, it's pretty crazy to watch, but that's the reaction of what's been going on lately with the passing game. You
16:27know, everybody is playing more, you know, two-deep coverage, you know, kind of backing up off guys, making offenses be patient. And now the counter to that is
16:38getting back to the run game. Hello, how about that? You know, a counter, getting back to the run game. So, I think it's
16:45the the times of where football is, but I do think you will see this season we will see more running backs, I believe,
16:55approach 300 touches. You know, all those guys at the top without question, they will have 300 touches.
17:03And I I think even though, you know, you see the tight end, you know, people bringing more tight ends in, I don't
17:12believe it's to throw the football. As we mentioned earlier, I believe it's to run it a little bit more and be more
17:18multiple where defenses really can't get a a gauge on if you're going to run or throw it.
17:25>> Well, the NFL is very cyclical, as you know. So, it doesn't sound like you expect that pendulum to be swinging back
17:32over to the passing games anytime soon, right?
17:37>> I don't think so. In particular, you know, you think about the quarterbacks now.
17:43Like we're not talking about Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, Ben Roethlisberger, Philip Rivers.
17:49A lot of experienced older guys who can run offenses. We're talking about a lot of young guys now running these offenses. You can't expect young
17:58quarterbacks to throw the ball 40 and 50 times. So, you have to be a little bit more balanced. And I think we're we're
18:05seeing that because of the ages of these these quarterbacks in the National Football League today.
18:12>> Let's keep it rolling here with our guest, LaDainian >> Thom on Sinan.
18:16>> LT, you know, let's put your fantasy cap on here. You're in the draft room, you're on the clock. It's, you know,
18:22early second round. Now, you need a running back. And on the board is Omarian Hampton from your Chargers or the great Saquon Barkley. Their ADPs are
18:33right next to each other.
18:34>> Yep.
18:35>> So, maybe this is we can get your thoughts on can Barkley bounce back in this new offense with Sean Mannion as
18:40the coordinator. We know last year Philadelphia's offense was a complete disaster. Or would you go and place your chip on Hampton in the new Mike McDaniel
18:48offense?
18:49>> Well, the crazy thing is, I have the 10th pick this season.
18:52>> Oh.
18:53>> So, I'm I'm at the end of the first round, you know, got the first pick in the second round. And in my mock draft,
18:59those guys have been right there for the taking, okay?
19:03Uh you know, I have been leaning Omarian Hampton. But I you know, this is a tough one because here's the thing, when you
19:10play fantasy, you have to think about opportunities. Who else is on the team that they have to get the ball to? Now,
19:16the Chargers have a few guys now. They have a few guys that they're going to try to get the ball to. Where I feel
19:22like Philly, you know, they have already tested this thing. It went through Saquon Barkley when they won a championship. So, I believe they're
19:30going to get back to that. Saquon Barkley is a guy I believe he's going to get a number of touches. He's going to
19:37get as many as he can handle this season. So, he's going to have every opportunity to have a bounce-back year.
19:44And at the end of the day, if I'm drafting because of the experience, because of what I've seen just a couple
19:50of years ago, guys, I might go with Saquon Barkley.
19:54>> Well, I want to tell the people to listen uh closely to everything LT says related to fantasy. I'm still licking my
20:02wounds. We did a podcast, I think it might maybe been 3 years ago at this point. Probably two, where, you know, I
20:09love Jonathan Taylor like a son.
20:12And you kind of warned me against, you know, don't [snorts] go too crazy because Anthony Richardson might cap the ceiling a little bit, and that's exactly
20:21what happened. But, real quick, how about JT, man? I mean, this is my favorite [clears throat] running back since LaDainian Tomlinson. I said you
20:29were going to be a Hall of Famer after like your second year. I actually said LT was a Hall of Famer before he played.
20:36I know that's uh hyperbolic, but I think we're on track. How great is Jonathan Taylor right now, LT?
20:42>> Oh, oh man. Like, he's so fun to watch.
20:45I mean, to me, when I'm watching JT, the game is in slow motion for him. I can just see he can I mean, he can see
20:54it all. He can get to every space on the field that he wants to.
20:59And what I love the most, John, he's catching the football. Like, they are utilizing him in the pass game where they're getting the ball on screens and
21:08little check downs and making it a point to give him touches and he's delivered.
21:13He's been healthy. He's done everything that you want from a franchise running back and I'm he probably won't be there when I
21:22draft at 10, but I but but let me say this. I will say I have guys in my league that they're they're not ordinary in
21:31terms of drafting. So we're going to have one guy that's going to draft Josh Allen in the first round. Right. I think
21:38the first pick in our draft, the guy's going to take Jamar Chase. I really believe that. So if that's the case,
21:45there's a there's a world where JT is going to fall to me and I'm going to run and turn that card in so fast.
21:53>> I mean, watching him last year. Now, Daniel Jones went down, the offense fell apart. I mean, they had to bring in our
21:59guy Phil here, but how amazing was Jonathan Taylor for the first 3 months?
22:04Like he looked like a 22-year-old rookie. I mean, I saw zero signs of slippage from even the freaking Wisconsin Jonathan Taylor.
22:12>> Yeah, absolutely. I mean, the explosiveness was off the charts. Didn't it seem like once he got through the hole, it was going to be a touchdown?
22:20Like that the speed that he was hitting the holes with, the movement. Uh there were plenty of times where I I felt like
22:28he can go for 250 yards in the game. Um and I'll tell you, if you didn't have him, like you were biting your nails
22:36every time he touched the football.
22:39>> Well, maybe the next JT could be Jeremiah Love out of Notre Dame who went third overall to the Arizona Cardinals.
22:45Now, I don't think that this Arizona offense is going to be great. There's already talk with, you know, how long is
22:51the quarterback going to be in there?
22:53And I wonder as an NFL player if that weighs on you guys as well. If you're the running back thinking like, "Geez,
22:59you know, this quarterback in front of me, Brissett, he could only play six games and then they could go to some
23:03rookie, and then this season could kind of be out the window. But, how would you compare Love, who is an elite prospect
23:09coming out, to guys like yourself, to guys like Jonathan Taylor?
23:13>> Uh guys, I'm going to tell you, man, this kid is right up there, and here's why.
23:18>> Okay.
23:18>> Uh you mentioned all the things that he can do, obviously running it, catching it, the movement. What he What he has
23:27that I guess I would say guys like me and, you know, Reggie Bush and Marshall Faulk, we were all smaller guys. Like,
23:36we're 5'10, 5'11 guys. This man is 6'1, 230, and he's playing, he's moving like that. He's, you know, has that type of
23:45explosiveness. You combine that size, speed combination, and put him in a really good offense, I mean, the sky's the limit, and that's
23:56the kicker, a really good offense. We don't know what Arizona is going to look like. And if I'm sitting there having
24:03opportunity to draft Jeremiah Love, I love the talent, but I can't trust it this season. It's just not enough talent around him. The offensive line is not
24:13good enough, in my opinion. And as you just mentioned, we don't know what's going to happen with the quarterback situation. It could be 4 weeks in, and
24:20Jacoby Brissett is out, Carson Beck is in, and now it's a disaster.
24:26>> Yeah, because they're going to want to evaluate Carson Beck ahead of the 2027 NFL Draft to see what they have in him and to help them make a
24:34decision. That's a great call. Well, as soon as we're done the podcast, I'm just going to cross off that dude on
24:41every one of my cheat sheets and just remove him from the database, even though he's awesome.
24:46Let's move on to another guy that I got to tell you, LT, I did not like this guy coming out. I was right for
24:53about 2 years, and then I was very, very wrong. Mr. Derrick Henry, I like to say and and you're like this as well. Of
25:02course, you know, you've been out of the league for a little while. You could plop Derrick Henry into the NFL in 1988.
25:07No one would bat an eyelash. Like complete throwback. And I think that's why I got him wrong. I mean, he is the
25:13ultimate outlier. So, your thoughts on what we're seeing out of Derrick Henry over 30. He's like John Riggins over here. He's still good over 30. And how
25:22much longer you think he can do it?
25:24>> Oh, man. I'll tell you, here's you know, Derrick's training regimen is incredible. If you ever watch some of the videos, there's a reason why he's
25:34still playing at a high level.
25:36>> For sure.
25:36>> One, he trains his butt off. And he really takes it seriously. Two, he's bigger than everybody. You know, so who
25:43wants to hit him as he's getting downhill and they're coming through the hole with that speed and size and all that kind of stuff. And not to mention,
25:53you know, he has the right mindset. You know, let's [snorts] I mean, I think that's so um underrated is the mindset
26:00of great players. And Derrick Henry has the mindset of a great player. He gets stronger as the game goes along. And
26:07sometimes I feel like, you know, as you see him over there on the sideline sometimes and and you know, he's kind of
26:14looking frustrated. I think it's just making him angry. And once he gets back on the football field, sometimes that's when we see that long run and he breaks
26:24three or four tackles and and do what he does. But it's been tremendous to see Derrick Henry the longevity of someone
26:32who mostly plays first and second down, uh but also to wear on people, wear on defenses and still play at a high level.
26:41It's been incredible to watch.
26:43>> I I think he does use the anger as motivation. And I kind of feel that way because he has favorited two negative
26:50tweets of mine over the years. And I'm like I saw it happen and I'm like oh man.
26:55>> [laughter] >> And the funny thing is I I as I told you LT, I moved down to Southern Georgia so
27:03I'm a Southern boy now but I actually live 30 miles from Derrick Henry's hometown in Yulee, Florida. So I'm just keeping
27:13an eye out. If I see some big ass dude and I'm like is that Derrick Henry cuz I got to apologize. That's it. I'm going
27:20to apologize and when he retires I am going to just kick myself to the curb and admit that I have never been more wrong on a
27:29player in my entire life than Derrick Henry.
27:33>> He's actually a good man. So he'd probably shake your hand. He would shake your hand and probably come on the
27:38podcast as well.
27:40>> That would be tremendous.
27:42You know, but but lesson learned. You know, um I think LT, the reason I was wrong cuz is there anybody else like him?
27:49>> No. No, there's not.
27:50>> I was wrong.
27:51>> Yeah, exactly. I mean as you mentioned, he's really an outlier.
27:56And even Adrian Peterson wasn't like him. Adrian Peterson, you know, did play some third down sometimes and they did try to get the ball to Adrian throwing
28:07the football. You know, where Derrick has been really mainly a first and second down but dominant on first and second down which is been it's
28:17incredible the longevity that he's played with.
28:21>> A team that's been trying to find their own Derrick Henry and some stability at running back over the years have been
28:27the New York Giants and they drafted Cam Akers in the fourth round last year.
28:31He's a kid who per our fantasy points data metrics ranks in the top five in yards after contact per attempt. Real
28:39you know, he's a grinder. He's shown some soft hands out there. I'm curious what you think of he and his play style
28:45but I also want to get your thoughts on he's coming back from a major injury.
28:50You know, he really shattered his his ankle. It was turned the wrong way. I was at the game in Philadelphia when
28:55that happened. What's the mindset of an athlete returning from an an injury? And maybe does it help him that he's so
29:02young and it's like he he kind of doesn't know what he doesn't know.
29:06>> Yeah, I I think some of that is true. Uh but, Cam has played the game at different levels long enough uh to know
29:14that you know, nothing is promised. Like, it's down by down and you know, anybody can go down at any time. He understands that, but I
29:24think, you know, his mindset is much like we talked about early. It's different, man. Like, he he relishes contact. He wants to impose his will on
29:34you. And that's the only thing that I worry about for Cam. Love him. I love the way he plays. I love the energy.
29:42Love everything about Cam Akers, but I'm just afraid that that running style won't last too long. Like, you can't continue to run like that in the
29:51National Football League cuz these guys they do seek you out and they do try to hurt you when you're running, you know,
29:59that way and you're being that aggressive. So, there is times and and I think he will learn um maybe even this season. There is
30:07times where the battle is over, not the war, but the battle is over. Let's live for the next battle so that we can win
30:14the war. Uh but, I'll tell you, if I have a chance to draft Cam this season in my fantasy team, I'm definitely
30:21getting him.
30:22>> Yeah, I mean, cuz he was a little polarizing. A lot of people weren't sure, you know, could could he be a
30:28bully like he was in college in the NFL?
30:31I guess the answer is yes, right?
30:33>> [clears throat] >> Yeah. Well, it's because of his the body style, right? Like, he still has that low center of gravity when he runs. It's
30:42not like he's running straight up. You get a big man with those thighs and and that type of power and he runs behind
30:49his pads like that with that low center of gravity, it's going to be difficult for anybody to bring him down.
30:56>> It's like Lorenzo Neal playing tailback.
30:58>> Right. But faster. Yeah.
31:01>> A little faster. [laughter] But by by the way, uh when we did the radio show, Lorenzo Neal came on a
31:07couple of times. He he was amazing, but like that was a bad dude. Like tell the youngins about Lorenzo Neal. Was he the
31:14scariest fullback out there for opposing defenders looking to not get jacked up by Neal?
31:20>> Absolutely. I mean, it for the young people out there, you need to Google Lorenzo Neal. And I'll just tell you one
31:27story to kind of define how scary and intimidating this guy was. We were playing the Baltimore Ravens and yes, the Baltimore Ravens with Ray Lewis,
31:37okay? And [laughter] we had a play that we call isolation, ISO 20 ISO. And that basically means Lorenzo Neal is head up
31:47one-on-one with the linebacker on the other side, Mr. Ray Lewis, okay? And so we called this play and Lorenzo looked at me, he said, "Follow me, Daddy, and
31:57don't dip." And I know what that means, okay? Following him and man, he went through the hole at Ray Lewis and and my
32:05boy Ray, I love him, but Ray didn't want none of that that day. He didn't want none of that of Lorenzo Neal. And so uh
32:12Lorenzo cleared the way, Ray Lewis was out the way and I went I went through the hole for about 20. So, that's all I
32:19need to say about that.
32:21>> I mean, if you want to see show one play for Lorenzo Neal's career, uh show that one right there. Unbelievable story. And
32:26he was a great guy, too. Very gregarious, friendly guy as well. He's probably one of those guys like he's completely different off the field.
32:34>> Yeah, he is. He's totally different off the field. Just a fun guy, you know, love to yak it up with with the guys.
32:41Uh but he's also a heck of a wrestler.
32:44Don't ever challenge him to wrestle. He used to put the rookies The rookies would challenge him sometimes when they came in thinking
32:53they was big and bad from college. Man, he'll put those guys in a pretzel so fast in the locker room. I mean, we
32:59would be dying laughing.
33:01>> Wow. We're showing a picture of him right now on our our video chat here.
33:05And I mean, you see this guy, his biceps are bigger than my head. And what I love the most, no gloves.
33:12Just He's just raw dogging it out there.
33:14Hands in the dirt.
33:15>> There it is.
33:17You see that picture? That's his wrestling uniform.
33:19>> That's awesome.
33:20>> Yeah, he looks a little mean, a little intimidating right there.
33:23>> Ain't a little Ain't a little mean. He was mean. Once he got on that mat, man, you don't want none of part no part of
33:30that.
33:31>> Yeah, I'll be forfeiting that before we even started.
33:34>> [laughter] >> Chopping it up with our guy LT, bouncing around just a little bit. I want to talk about the the Kansas City Chiefs. You
33:41can wax poetic about, you know, the career you've seen out of Kelce and and certainly Mahomes, but I'm actually happy that Eric Bieniemy is back. I
33:52think we're going to go, you know, a little bit more old school, a little bit more uh commitment to the run. And I think
33:58that's healthy. Uh they've kind of hit a little bit of a wall. Now, granted, the two-deep safety's taking away the big
34:04plays, they lose Tyreek Hill, but I still think that there's some sort of correlation between a bigger commitment to the run, which I think we're going to
34:12get, and, you know, untapping Mahomes with with the big plays. Your thoughts on that whole deal, and then of course, Ken Walker,
34:21I mean, he he drives me a little crazy, LT, I'll say because he's just so talented. He can teleport from one place
34:30to the other on the field, but he does bounce too many runs for my liking.
34:35>> Yeah, John. I mean, you know, this is one of those ones with the Chiefs that I think they just got a little bit too
34:42cute. And And we see it with organizations and great quarterbacks.
34:46Like they really want to cater to this great quarterback and try to, you know, throw the football around and and you
34:53know, really put them in position to win a game a lot of times. And I get it. You know, but at the end of the day, you you
35:01know, you kind of find yourself not being respected by any defenses because you are not physical anymore.
35:09Like that physical element, it's hard to impose your will when those linemen are going backwards and not forwards. And so, I think that's what we have seen
35:19from the Kansas City Chiefs.
35:21Um and that's okay. That's the reason why Eric Bieniemy is coming back to get that run game going again. And let me
35:28just say this about Kenneth Walker. Yes, I agree. At times he does bounce things a little bit too much. But Eric Bieniemy
35:36will clean that up.
35:38>> Yeah.
35:38>> And there cuz Eric Bieniemy as a former player and obviously coach for a long time and understands ball, he's going to
35:48be able to get Kenneth Walker at times to put his head down and get 4 yards.
35:54You know, all we need is 4 yards. We don't need to to you know, make a home run here to make a 60-yard run.
36:00>> Right.
36:00>> He's going to get him to to put his head down and get 4 yards. So, I love bringing Eric back. Yes. Yes, he does.
36:08And that's the difference though, John.
36:09You know, so you can't always Yes, we want to always hit the 60-yard run and make big plays, but there are
36:16times when you really need to beat the defense up, if you will, and prove to them that you can run in
36:23between the tackles. And I think that's the element that Eric Bieniemy will bring back. And additionally, it will open that offense back up for
36:32the big plays.
36:33>> Real quick, while we're talking coaches, I I did want to throw this one out there, LT. I did not send you this
36:38question, but uh you you're you're good.
36:40Um I know you were a big Marty Schottenheimer guy, and I I've I was able to I was fortunate enough to do a
36:48couple radio broadcasts with him. Uh certainly passed away a number of years ago, but how proud do you think he would
36:54be of his son Brian? He's got it locked down in Dallas, man. They're they're they're doing they're doing well.
37:00>> Yeah, I think Marty would be so proud of of Brian. You know, just not only you know, I think the coaching
37:08thing is honestly a given. When you think about the experience over time that Brian has has, you know, gained >> Yeah.
37:17>> coaching for his father and and coaching, you know, for Pete Carroll and all these great coaches, he's, you know, by time just learning, getting the
37:26experience. And now you see the fruits of his labor coming to fruition with the way he runs his team. You know, he has a
37:33disciplined, tough team. They score a lot of points. They're really good on offense. And I love the move um you know, this season of bringing Christian
37:43Parker in the defensive coordinator, you know, for the Cowboys. A guy that I think can kind of grow with with this
37:51team, with that that defense. He's a younger guy, but has proven that, man, he's ultra smart.
37:59I think the Cowboys are definitely going to be better, but I think, you know, with Brian, their element of the relationship that he has with those
38:09players, being able to communicate with all the players, they respect him. He loves his players like his dad loved his players.
38:17>> Yeah.
38:18>> And there is something to be said about that, John. Like >> Yeah.
38:21>> those players feel that. They know when it's authentic and Brown is certainly authentic.
38:26>> Oh, I totally felt it when I talked to you 20 years ago about Marty. How about my guy Javonte though? I was worried because I was a
38:35big Javonte fan coming out of North Carolina and that knee injury man, but man, credit to Javonte. He's not as dynamic as he was before the injury, but
38:46he's still a heck of a back, right LT?
38:48>> Yeah, he is. But but I I would say, I think this season we might see the best of Javonte. Because you know it usually
38:55takes it can take up to two years to get back to your, you know, what you used to be before the knee injury. And I agree
39:02with you, coming out boy, he was super explosive and powerful and all those things. And we saw traces of it, John.
39:09Last year we saw traces of it.
39:12I love the fact that he's catching the ball out the backfield as well. That's something that Brown loves to do with
39:17his back. And and Javonte has accepted that role of catching the football. So I think this is he's another one that I
39:27kind of circled on my list that I'm targeting. You know, I hope to get him because I believe he can have a huge
39:33season.
39:35>> LT, your last season with the Chargers you were 30 years old. You still scored 12 touchdowns.
39:40You know, so you helped a lot of people for fantasy. John and I go back and forth on a 30-year-old running back this
39:47season and that's Christian McCaffrey.
39:49Last year number one running back in fantasy, when healthy he's as good as anybody in the game right now. What are
39:56your thoughts on him as a 30-year-old running back? How does maybe your body change, the speed of the game change, and would you be comfortable drafting
40:05McCaffrey in the first round?
40:08>> Well, this is uh McCaffrey has been so durable for most of his career. And and I saw a weird stat that man, I couldn't believe
40:18it. And the stat was like the year that Christian has 400 plus touches, that following season he gets hurt.
40:27I saw that stat somewhere, which is which is mind-boggling because in my mind it seems like he's been pretty durable. I didn't expect
40:37to be honest, I didn't expect that year out of Christian last year. I didn't think he would be able to handle that
40:43many touches. Um and you know, I'm I'm kind of concerned with some of the reports that I'm hearing from San Francisco about the backup running back
40:52position, you know, taking more reps and them bringing Christian McCaffrey off the field a little bit to try to keep him fresh. I think the Niners are
41:00telling us that, "Listen, you know, he's had a great run. Like he's done some tremendous things, but at this point in
41:07his career um and we saw last year he wore down a little bit at the end of the year, you know, it was tough, you know, at the end
41:15of the year uh for Christian a little bit in terms of rushing yards per carry and all those kind of things. He did
41:22have some nice games receiving the football, but guys, I can't expect the same type of numbers this season from Christian.
41:30Um and so if I'm someone that's in the first round, particularly where I am, I I'm not so sure I'm going to draft
41:37Christian. Although I love the kid, man, I want to see him do well. Um it's very possible that he'll be joining me in
41:44camp, you know, one day, but uh yeah, it's going to be tough to get to draft him in the first round this season for
41:51me.
41:51>> Nothing Yeah, nothing against him. I I've had convo- conversations with his father, great guy, Ed McCaffrey.
41:58Um him and I actually we had a lot in common. I I I I saw him at a at the Super Bowl. I was introduced to him. I
42:05was like, "Oh, you know, I got a lot in common with you." He was like, "Oh, yeah, like what?" I'm like, "Well,
42:08number one, we're the exact same age. We We born a week apart. I looked it up. Uh number two, um we graduated high school
42:15the same year, we're the same ethnicity, Irish, uh and and I also have a son named Christian. HE WAS LIKE, "OH,
42:22WOW! WOW!"
42:23I'M LIKE, "YEAH, MAN." UH ANYWAYS, LT, um by the way, >> [snorts] >> K'Neal Black, the kid from Indiana, did you happen to see him at all? Did you I
42:32thought he looked damn good down the stretch. I kind of like him.
42:37>> Yeah, man, the kid is is tough, like he's fast, he runs physical, um and you know, that's one of the kids
42:44that that they're obviously talking about in San Francisco being able to kind of spell Christian a little bit more, but here's the thing, we don't
42:54know are we talking about first and second down, are we talking about spelling him on third down? We know Christian is you know, if I had to think
43:02if I envision it, you don't want to take Christian off the field on third down because he's such an explosive still pass catcher, and toward
43:11the end of my career, guys, that was something that I could still do very well. Uh match up with linebackers and safeties
43:18and still beat those guys on Texas routes and and whatnot. So, I would imagine that we're talking about first and second down when they spell
43:27Christian a little bit more and allow him to play more third down and be able to help the team on sub packages.
43:35By the way, uh while we're talking McCaffrey, catching probably 80-plus balls again, I I think it's safe to say, but you tell us uh when you play
43:44fantasy, do you prefer PPR, point per reception? I mean, you you did catch 100-plus balls a bunch of times.
43:51>> Come on, John. You know I I prefer PPR.
43:55I I don't think there's any other way to play. I mean, why >> There you go.
43:59>> Yeah, PPR is the way to go for me, man.
44:02>> Tell that story real quick uh that Drew Brees made that catch prediction to you one year and then it it came exactly
44:09true?
44:10>> Yeah, man. We were training in off season and I was catching with Drew, I mean, weekly. And you know, he started saying like, man,
44:21you know, LT, like, I think you're going to have 100 catches this season. And I'm like blowing him off. And we get closer
44:28to the season training camp, man, he's he's dumping me all these footballs and throwing it to me like I'm I'm coming
44:35like the main primary receiver. Um and you know, it comes to light that obviously I end up catching 100 balls, but when I think back, Drew's a smart
44:47man. He saw at the time we didn't have anything on the outside, like receivers wise. He knew that, hey man, you know,
44:55I'm going to have to get the ball to you a bunch. And that's exactly what happened. So, at the end of the day he
45:01was getting me prepared to catch 100 balls, but he was looking at the team, our team, and at the time I think it was
45:08Antonio Gates might have been a rookie or something. So, he wasn't at >> He came on the end of that year.
45:15>> Okay, yeah. So, he was a young player.
45:18He wasn't at the Antonio Gates that we had come to know and love at that time.
45:23He was just a young player. But we didn't have but so Drew had to throw the football to me 100 times.
45:30>> What a year for fantasy that was in 2003, by the way. 2,370 scrimmage yards, you caught 100 passes that year,
45:37and you scored 17 touchdowns. Fantasy managers are still, you know, waking up thanking you every morning.
45:43>> Yeah.
45:44>> Yes, yeah. And by the way, LT, that was your only year with 100 catches, actually. You caught a bunch of
45:49balls, but that was the year. Like he nailed it. Like on the head, the only season with 100 grabs, and there's only
45:56probably a handful of guys who have done that. Real quick, you reminded me of my Antonio Gates story in '03. I was
46:02playing up against David Boston.
46:06And it's at the end of the game, like week 16, and I got DirecTV, I'm watching the game, I see a pass, I guess it was
46:14from Drew, yeah, Drew, uh, to this big guy, AND I'M LIKE, "OH, MAN, FREAKING BOSTON." AND WAIT, WAIT A SECOND, it's
46:20not David Boston, it's Antonio Gates.
46:24And then the next year, I saw that and maybe two or three other big plays, I was like, I think I've seen
46:30enough. Next year he was my sleeper of the year and boom, he came through unbelievably. Well, LT, we're going to let you run here in a moment, but, um,
46:37we we did some bouncing around, we we kind of touched on Indiana, their new quarterback is now or their old quarterback is now the new quarterback
46:46for the Raiders and Fernando Mendoza, but I got to ask you about Ashton Jeanty, really tough spot last year, all the data was horrible, the coaching
46:55staff was, you know, uh, relieved of their duties. They made a lot of upgrades, Tyler Linderbaum, and the O-line should be in better shape.
47:05situation should be in better shape. So, at the end of the day, number one pick, you know, you've got you've got the 10th
47:12pick, and his ADP is around 12, but let's say you make a pick at 10 and it comes back and Jeanty is available. Are
47:21you ready to take Ashton Jeanty as high as like the top 12 overall?
47:25>> Absolutely, I am. I'm telling you, man, I am I am huge on Ashton Jeanty, guys. I think the guy showed some qualities on a
47:34bad team that you see from top running backs. And and John, I'm just going to tell you, his first year reminded me of
47:41mine, you know, where there just wasn't much around, you know, it was tough sledding, man. I think I averaged 3.7, 3.8 yards a carry in my rookie year.
47:51>> But you did score twice on your your first game, though, I believe.
47:55>> That's true. I scored over 10 touchdowns. I think it was 10 or something like that. But his first year reminded me like you see traits, man,
48:04of a player that can be dominant. I believe this season with better coaching, you know, more players around him, I'm absolutely targeting Ashton
48:14Jeanty. I I I'm I'm planning on coming out of this draft with Ashton. Let me just say that.
48:21Damn, that's some pretty strong words.
48:24Yeah.
48:25I like it. Hey, and if you want to be like LT, get over to Fantasy Point, use our code fantasy, and you and Mr.
48:32Tomlinson can be winning fantasy championships this year again. Promo code fantasy at fantasypoints.com.
48:38LaDainian, this is always a pleasure.
48:40Thanks for hopping on with us again.
48:41Best of luck to your son and the team you're going to coach this year. And you know, don't be a stranger. Let us know
48:47how this fantasy team's going throughout the year. Maybe you pop on mid-season and give us some you know, maybe some trade targets. Let us know how your
48:53team's doing. Let's do it. I would love to do it, man. I look forward to it, guys. By the way, do you let your kids
49:01like win in fantasy? Do you feel good when they win? Do you feel bad? Or you know, I've talked to Ken Griffey Jr.
49:07about this, and he doesn't let his kids win in anything. But I will say, maybe you saw that Steve Harvey quote that
49:14went around the inner web, your dad is the only man who wants you to do better than he does. So, maybe you're happy
49:22when he beats you in fantasy, LT. Well, we don't play in the same league. Not yet. Not yet. So, he plays with his
49:29friends, his buddy from school, and he's always asking me for advice. Dad, you know, I got a trade offer, you know,
49:35should I do this? You know, who should I start this week? So, it's pretty cool to have that type of relationship with your
49:41son, you know, that he comes to get advice and all that kind of stuff. It's pretty It's pretty cool to see. And you
49:48know, obviously, I want him to win. I want him to win his league, so yeah, it's pretty cool.
49:54>> All right. Well, great stuff, LT. We really appreciate your time. We'll get you set up with a Fantasy Points subscription. I know you're all about
50:00the data. You're looking for an edge.
50:02We're here for you, sir. Thanks again.
50:05Enjoy the rest of your summer, sir.
50:08>> Thanks, guys. Appreciate it. Always a pleasure.
