5 Fantasy RBs We Wouldn't Touch With A 10-foot Pole
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Jun 19, 2026
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Fri, June 19, 2026
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Episode Transcript
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0:45Great brands, great prices. That's why you rack. Just like the wide receivers.
0:49This video is not about telling you who to draft.
0:52It is telling you who to avoid. Yes, these are five names that we have rarely drafted this summer in our fantasy football leagues.
0:59Because, Hayden, we know at times that is equally as important as players to target.
1:03So with that said, give us your first name.
1:06Who are you not picking at the running back spot?
1:09Let's just go right to the first round here.
1:11Ashton Gentry is my name. There are 13 running backs that are selected after him before we get to the end of the fourth round.
1:19He outscored three of them. So most of the players right after him last year outscored him straight up.
1:24Obviously, Ashton Gentey will have a better football season this year than last year.
1:28He has a really high floor. I just think that James Cook, Saquon Barkley, Devon H and Derrick Henry.
1:34I'll even throw out Kenneth Walker and Chase Brown.
1:36These guys, I think, have as good of a floor and I think that they're a pathway to upside based off the
1:43team environment is just a little bit better. The Raiders still have a bad offensive line.
1:47They upgraded at center, but that does not make me feel better about the guard spots, the tackle spots.
1:53Kirk Cousins plus Fernando Mendoza should be better than Geno Smith.
1:56How big of an upgrade? I don't know about that as well.
2:00And then Clint Kubiak has already said he's going to play a bunch of the snaps.
2:04We got that last year, just did not move the needle.
2:08So to me, Saquon Barkley is going to touch the football a ton.
2:11Devon H is going to touch the football a ton.
2:14Derrick Henry is going to touch the football a ton.
2:17And I think that those guys have a little bit more proven commodities.
2:21So I have Ashton Gentry ranked 16th overall. It's just that he goes 11th overall in every little spot that matters in the first two rounds.
2:28I think is worth discussing. That is a big discussion because if you're sitting there at the 11th pick or the 12th
2:35pick, you have to get both of those selections correct.
2:38If you're going to win your fancy football league.
2:40And if Ashton Gentry, which he is right now is at the top of the stack of the eight straight running backs,
2:47then you have to have the firm belief that he is the one that is separating himself.
2:52I think while we are both optimistic about Ashton Gentry's future, I think I do slightly believe in his individual talent a bit more than you do.
3:00With that said, him being drafted already as the running back five is the worst part here because the running back five
3:06and points per game last year was Devon Achan.
3:09And he scored 18 fancy points per contest. So you're basically saying to yourself that that's what I'm getting no matter what with Ashton Gentry.
3:16And then the upside is that he can become the running back one in points per game, which was Christian McCaffrey at 21 points per contest.
3:23And maybe I'm going to be wrong, but I just don't see that happening in like the 2026 version of this Las Vegas Raiders operation.
3:31It might maybe for a name of those it comes in.
3:34Maybe the offensive line is totally fixed with Colton Miller coming back and adding Tyler Lender bomb, but more so I kind
3:40of think you're already drafting Ashton Gentry at his ceiling aspect here.
3:44Yeah, that's where I'm kind of out with it too.
3:47And I just like I just watch Saquon Barkley finishes and RB one overall Devon H in back to back seasons pretty
3:53much where he's been a rock solid player. And then I still think like the Derrick Henry stuff and half PPR.
3:59I mean Derrick Henry right now is projected for 12 and a half rushing touchdowns on underdog right now Ashton Gentry's at
4:05seven and a half like it's not like a given just because he's younger that he's going to outscore somebody like Derrick
4:12Henry just because the team environment out there. So I was just like looking at the projections on underdog versus the ADP
4:18and he's just coming in a little bit too hot in the best ball markets right now.
4:23And I'm not saying he's going to have a bad season like it would be a shock if he's not a top
4:3010 running back in fantasy, but you're drafting 11th overall.
4:32And I think I'm just having a little bit of a disconnect there.
4:36Okay, let's reverse this then. How can he get there?
4:39Right? How can he prove this take wrong? Is it just purely from a receiving back potential and receiving back upside which
4:46we saw towards the latter part of last season?
4:48I'll be it. That was more like swing and screen passes versus his second to last season at Boise State where to
4:55me he showed a lot more receiving chops. Maybe Clint Kubiak can unlock that element of his game a little bit more.
5:01I think possibly but he was the RB nine in receptions per game last season.
5:05I'm expecting like him to be in that ballpark like he just has to be more explosive like and we hit the
5:12Raiders just got to score more touchdowns. Like there was just like not enough red zone opportunities and there was not nearly
5:18enough explosive plays like James Cook Saquon Barkley Devon H and I think that Kenneth Walker Omari and Hampton hopefully in behind
5:24better offensive lines and what they had last year.
5:27Those guys are going to be ripping off explosive plays chase Brown.
5:31We know that he's going to be attached to a top five top 10 offense.
5:35Same thing with Derrick Henry out there as well.
5:38So like Javante Williams smoked Ashton Gentry last year and they're being they have the same projections right now on the underdog
5:44pick them lobby and then you look at the ADPs and they're not even close to each other.
5:49So I know that we're going to get into him in just a second here, but I like Ashton and Gentry.
5:55I think him as a first rounder. I think that's asking a lot.
5:59Well, let's use that as a segue then because my name here is Javante Williams as running back 17 36 overall.
6:05I think you can argue that everything went right for Javante last year and he still scored as the running back 12
6:12in points per game for the entire season. The team scored the seventh most points per contest.
6:16He had the seventh most rushing touchdowns at the running back position across the league.
6:21He had the ninth most rushing yards of any player in the NFL last year.
6:25There's absolutely nothing in terms of competition at that spot in the Cowboys backfield.
6:29I mean, the next closest running back had 50 carries on the team.
6:33So yes, another season of the running back 12 in points per game would be really nice.
6:38But Hayden, I'm kind of wondering if that's his absolute ceiling here as a player and it comes in via his lack of receiving upside.
6:45I mean, last year he was basically a zero in the receiving game 35 catches for 137 yards.
6:50There's no doubt in my mind that he can match this ADP in terms of the end of the third round, the three, four turn player.
6:58And that can just help you with some standard weekly scoring.
7:01But to me, if I'm talking about the top three rounds, does he have a top five outcome at the running back spot?
7:08Does he have a top seven outcome at the running back spot?
7:11Because I think I can make the case that the wide receivers going in that area that we've talked so much about
7:18in recent episodes, have some top five, seven potential, you know, finishes at their position.
7:22T Higgins. We've seen that before with him, lad McConkie to Mike McDaniel offense, Garrett Wilson, you met a book as we've
7:29talked about with Zach Robinson and this Z receiver usage he's going to get.
7:33I mean, the pathway for them to finishing near the top and jumping multiple spots in terms of their draft position at
7:39their, at their position, I think is more achievable than this profile of Javante Williams, where it's all about volume in a
7:45high scoring offense and him as an individual talent does can't push him into a top five score there.
7:51Yeah, I think the individual talent stuff's priced in here because he finished 18th overall last year in fancy points over a placement per game.
7:58So even if he's the RB 12, like RBs are what you want in half PPR best ball.
8:03And I just don't think anything's really changed. I think maybe the things that have the defense allowed the most points per
8:10game last season that can get better, where maybe they're more neutral game scritches, which I do think would help out Javante Williams.
8:16The coaching staff's kind of doubled down that Javante is the man it's still, you know, Malik Davis and Jaden blue behind him and Phil Moffa.
8:24So it's like, I don't think that those guys are going to really come for his job.
8:29So I, and I think there's a chance you would say the Cowboys finished six and scoring last year.
8:34I did a chance. They could finish even better than that.
8:38Their entire offense returns. They had some injuries on the offensive line.
8:41We like the coaching staff a lot. And Clayton Adams seems to love Javante Williams.
8:45I think if, if Javante Williams was able to run a four, four, four in the 40 yard dash, you'd be a second round pick.
8:53I think just because he's slow, we're getting, I think a pretty big discount here.
8:57So I haven't actually ranked ahead of ADP. Interesting.
9:00Yeah. I mean, he's a small wind player for me at best.
9:03Um, like you're saying nothing has changed. Well, this is kind of the profile.
9:07It's somewhat like David Montgomery where we're just imposing a whole bunch of, you know, volume onto him.
9:13And that's the most notable thing about it. And in a lot of other seasons, that type of player and fantasy asset,
9:19it doesn't always go in their way when that's the case.
9:22Right? So that's my big concern here. Like what if Dak Prescott does miss games or what if one of those star
9:28offensive linemen do, or, you know, uh, this team just takes a step back in other areas than this bell cow top
9:35and touches in a top seven scoring offense. And then like, you're starting to miss some of the pieces that made him
9:41just, and I know it's good because he was the running back 40 in drafts last year and you got the running
9:48back 12, but now you're hoping as the running back 17 that you get like the running back 12 in fantasy.
9:54Yeah. I'll just take the running back 12 at the end of the third round.
9:58If that's, if that's what this is, um, his projections are just like extremely similar to, to Ashton Gentty right there.
10:04I just wanted to say that again. And the other note is the guy that he kind of reminds me of from
10:11the last couple of years, fancy drafts is like the Josh Jacob types, the chase Brown types were like a lot of
10:17people like don't like really believe that they're all that talented and they're not nearly as good as the guys being drafted
10:23in the first round, but they are good at workload and they're good at being the starting running back on a very good offense.
10:30And like, that's how Josh Jacobs who gets selected in the third round every year finishes as a borderline round one guy in half PPR best ball.
10:38Uh, cause they're just at the goal line. They catch enough passes and their team's really good.
10:43So, uh, I think he's very similar to like the Josh Jacobs profile from the last couple of years.
10:49One that I think you and I have like really appreciated.
10:52One more thing. JJ Zacharyson has noted that Javante Williams 0.4 yards per route run last year.
10:57And that in this range, running back 12 to running back 36 with a yards per route run of 0.6 or worse
11:03typically go on to underperform expectation by one and a half points per game worse the following season.
11:08And we know that Javante Williams has now averaged fewer than five yards per catch in three of his past four years.
11:15So like if he had more receiving upside, then I think you could get to the point where he is a top 10 top seven outcome here.
11:23And again, the main reason why I'm fading him here is just because I really love all the wide receivers going around it.
11:29And I most likely already have not just one, but probably two running backs ahead of this period.
11:35Yeah, I guess that's fair. Okay. Next name. I'm gonna go to Jadarian Price, uh, goes, uh, at the very beginning of
11:41the sixth round, he was kind of floating the fifth round there for a while.
11:45I just think that he's too similar to the running backs being drafted at the end of the round or in even the next round.
11:53I think just starting with Jadarian price, I did not think that he was the best prospect ever.
11:58I think you and I had like debates, like how much better is he than like Malik Washington who ended up going much later than that.
12:05He's also a little bit smaller than the typical profile that gets drafted where he did.
12:10He's only 203 pounds. He did not have much of a goal line role just because he was playing behind, uh, Jeremiah love.
12:17So I I'm a little bit confused on exactly what role he's going to have.
12:21There's a chance that Zach Charbonnet returns around October or November, uh, by the end of the season, I'm kind of worried
12:27that this is going to be the same committee that led Charbonnet and Kenneth Walker to be the RB 28 and RB
12:3429 on a per game basis last year. Keep in mind, that's when the Seahawks won the damn Superbowl and were the best team in the NFL.
12:42So if we're expecting some regression from the offense without Clint Kubiak, JSN was one of the best players in the NFL last year.
12:49Like if all of a sudden this team goes from, I think there were third and scoring in the regular season, if they're now 10th.
12:56And then I think that Holani is going to be out there, uh, as a receiver because Jerry and price did not
13:02do a whole lot, uh, in terms of, uh, receiving in, in college.
13:06Then he's an early down guy with, I think some explosiveness, but nothing too crazy on an offense that I'm expecting more,
13:12uh, competition to come in by the end of the season.
13:16So I wouldn't be surprised if like Jadarian prices, like the RB 25 early on.
13:20And then by the time Charbonnet gets back involved, now we're back to like RB 30 ish.
13:25And I just think that his pathway, like really going crazy here, uh, is pretty limited versus the price tag.
13:31So I'm looking at some of the receivers around him and I'm like, okay, I think I might like, you know, the
13:37Christian Watson's all the quarterbacks, Tyler Warren. And if I mix, uh, miss out on the Jadarian price, I'm going to take a very similar shot.
13:45I think with Jalen Warren reminder Stevenson and those guys, he was a huge winner of the draft cycle, but I don't
13:51think he's been a winner since like, isn't all of his value just in relation to Zach Charbonnet, which by the way,
13:57just like the second half of the wider seer video, we're going to do a second half of this video kind of
14:04updating everyone in the health and the recovery, the rehabilitation of all the running backs, uh, going through stuff this summer.
14:10So we'll talk about Zach Charbonnet, but like every rep that you see George Harlani get or Zach Charbonnet clear the next stage in recovery.
14:17I think it's a knock engineering prices profile and he had an interesting profile coming out of Notre Dame.
14:23I mean, just 39 pass pro reps the season before that, uh, 19 targets in his three year career.
14:28So as much as you and I love rushing work and touchdown scored on the ground, uh, that can only get you
14:35so far just in terms of being a total breakout and receiving aspect does come into play.
14:40And we just don't have answers on that with him.
14:43And I kind of wonder if Mike McDonald, just from a foundational level of his franchise, wants multiple backs to be used,
14:49no matter what their name is and who they are, at least for the regular season.
14:54So when you get into the playoffs, and if you do have just one remaining, then you can ride that wave and
15:00they can carry you to the promised land as we saw last year with Kenneth Walker, the third.
15:05So I like Jadarian price. Um, um, but I simply believe that where he's going right now is actually very fitting of it.
15:12And unless something catastrophic, and we'll talk about Zach Charbonnet and he just carries that primary one, a role throughout the entire
15:18year, then, uh, you're not going to be able to return value.
15:22Yeah. Well, we'll get to Charbonnet second. My baseline assumption is like call it week 10 is when he's going to get back in the mix.
15:29And I think before that whole Lonnie was like really trusted in some key situations that even in the playoffs last year,
15:36he played about a third of the snaps. And I would be pretty surprised if Jadarian price was playing on any of the passing down situations.
15:43So at that point we need the goal line work for Jadarian price.
15:47I think most likely outcome is he does get that, but at the same time, he is smaller than whole Lonnie is as well.
15:54Um, and I think by the time Charbonnet gets back in the mix, we saw how often Charbonnet was, uh, uh, subbing
16:00in for, you know, Superbowl MVP, Kenneth Walker, uh, where I, I do think the baseline assumption is like committee back, uh,
16:07with some explosiveness, but I just didn't, I didn't see a first round talent here.
16:11I know he went 32nd overall. I just didn't view him as, you know, like when Travis H hand who got drafted
16:17in very similar spot, I think that we're looking at totally different players.
16:21Even Kenneth Walker is an early second rounder. I thought it was a way better prospect than price.
16:27Okay. My next name, and this one hurts me.
16:29I'm actually going to talk about Trevion Henderson here as running back 21, the second pick of the fifth round.
16:35Look, I I'm a Trevion Henderson optimist. His top end speed is simply sensational.
16:39His speed to pull away is rare. And we saw that last year that if he handles in a game, 70% of
16:45the workload, that that athleticism equals fantasy points. I mean, he was running back 10 and points per game from week nine
16:52through 17 last year, the most important parts of your fancy calendar.
16:55But I don't think giving him 70% of the workload in a healthy backfield is the Patriots plan.
17:00It's that simple. Like they like Ramondre Stevenson, they should like Ramondre Stevenson.
17:04Ramondre Stevenson is still a extremely talented running back.
17:07Uh, and I guess my concern is one, we are hoping that Trevion Henderson regains his past pro form from his Ohio
17:13state days from college to, we are also hoping that the Patriots improve their blocking from tied into tight end after making moves along their offensive line.
17:21And then we are hoping that the coaching staff makes the move when that happens from Ramondre Stevenson to Trevion Henderson as a lead ball carrier.
17:29And I just don't think all three of those things are going to happen as smoothly and as confidently as the public
17:35does when selecting them to full rounds ahead of Ramondre at this point.
17:39And in a station of backs like Dave Montgomery, massive volume, Deandre Swift, yes, what backfield, but also in a Ben Johnson led attack.
17:46And we've already seen how he can sustain fantasy value from about week four through week 17.
17:51And then, you know, Quinchon Judkins. And in fact, I think like the Trevion and Basial Tootin, um, projection and pathway to success is kind of similar.
17:59And Basial Tootin's pathway, I think is clearer than Trevion Henderson's is at this moment.
18:03Yeah. I think Deandre Swift, same thing. Like, I mean, these, Deandre Swift's going to get the ball a ball a bunch.
18:09And then I think those guys still have pathways to being like top 12 fantasy backs as does Trevion.
18:15I think all the things have to go right.
18:17So I'm with you on this. I got Trevion Henderson at the end of this round and I got Ramondre Stevenson pretty much parked right next to Trevion.
18:26Uh, Trevion reminds me of Raheem Mostert. I don't think he's going to win on contact very often.
18:31So he has to play more decisive. So his speed can kind of take over.
18:35Even a lot of his big runs last year were like right up the middle.
18:40Everyone kind of collapses. Then he bounces outside. We just need more hitting the corner on the outside and going upfield.
18:46Ramondre Stevenson was way better in pass protection. He's got 30 pounds on him.
18:50I thought a lot of Trevion's weaknesses in pass protection were just, I'm too small.
18:54Like these running or these linebackers coming at me are way too big and way too fast.
18:59And I don't think that's going to necessarily change.
19:02And then, uh, I think Ramondre Stevenson's like a well-paid back, very established and matched him in every single category last year,
19:08explosive plays, receiving work, all the stuff that Trevion is supposed to be so good at.
19:13Ramondre was right there with him. So I really liked the Ramondre price tag.
19:17And I think that the Trevion stuff is taking a very optimistic lens.
19:21He could pay off there. I just think that a lot of things have to go right.
19:25Yeah. And again, I want to say that Trevion can pay off.
19:29Like you said, of course, if the blocking is better and they give him the second level, then it can be freaking off to the races.
19:36And if there are elements like the game slows down for Trevion Henderson a little bit, then he can go off to the races.
19:43It's just a whole bunch of checklist items that I think he then has to prove to Josh McDaniels and Mike Vrabel
19:50in order to be like, Oh yes, now I'm going to take over as the Jameer Gibbs to this David Montgomery situation.
19:56And while I think it's possible, I don't right now at the end and middle of June, don't think it's probable.
20:02And unfortunately everyone's drafting as if it's kind of already happened.
20:06And that's my concern with this price. Like Ramondre is the first second running back of all these teams that are selected
20:12out there on underdog drafts right now. And he should be because he is the best second running back that is selected
20:18across the NFL right now, because you could argue that starting in week one and maybe even to week four and maybe
20:25we can get to week eight, that he is the first one on the field in those situations.
20:30But again, if he misses time, like he did last year, I will be hyping up Trevion as a top 10 ranking
20:36every single week because we know he can do that.
20:39Yeah. The splits to back you up your point there without Ramondre Stevenson, there's three games.
20:44He had 16 and a half expected half PPR points.
20:47That would have been RB four. So that's just like based off his usage.
20:51Unfortunately with Ramondre Stevenson, he was the RB 50.
20:53And in the last four games, the four postseason games that they had, everything's on the line.
20:58Ramondre Stevenson, 12 expected points, Trevion 5.1. So that's a big gap that we're trying to overcome in the second season.
21:05And I think a lot of it is just Ramondre is really big.
21:08So when they're at the goal line, more times than not, it's going to be Ramondre and Ramondre Stevenson for how big he is.
21:15He can certainly run the routes and catch the ball out of the backfield.
21:19That was true in college. It's been true in the NFL.
21:23It was true last year as well. That's how we score fantasy points.
21:26Like I, I would rather take the volume guy that's going to catch the ball and be at the goal line rather than hunt the explosive plays.
21:34Especially when it seems like most of the market is obsessed with the explosive play potential.
21:39And I was like, I'll take the guys probably gonna get 15 touches in the game.
21:43And look, I'm not the person that says how they line up in week one is how they're going to line up in week 11.
21:51You know, things change all the time with young stars and them emerging.
21:54I'm more so saying that Ramondre Stevenson isn't a pushover in a lot of these other cases, that veteran that is standing
22:01in the way is kind of a placeholder or a pushover.
22:04I agree. Great point. Last name of this group.
22:07Our fifth one. Who is it? I'm gonna go with Kenny Gainwell here.
22:10Last year, he was the Steelers MVP. He was second in all the receiving work.
22:15I believe that the Steelers wide receiver three caught like 20 something passes last year.
22:19So kind of everything broke Kenny Gainwell's way last year is his best statistical season.
22:24What does that get you? RB 26. So like when everything's going right, he's a focal point.
22:28Aaron Rodgers obsessed with him. He literally wins the team MVP.
22:32You get an RB 26 profile. Now he goes to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
22:36I think there's a chance that Bucky Irving can go back to his form.
22:40Even if that's not the case, I'm just worried that Sean Tucker would get in there.
22:44Even if Bucky Irving misses time, just because Sean Tucker is so much bigger than Kenny Gainwell.
22:49So I just don't see an established pathway to him getting the goal line work.
22:54I don't think he's going to catch nearly as many passes in this Buccaneers offense, just because their depth at all of
23:00the skill group, it's just a lot better than what the Steelers had when it was literally just DK Metcalf and Kenny Gainwell.
23:07Not a whole lot else. Now we have Emeko, I think it's good.
23:11Chris Godwin, the reports have been pretty decent. Jalen McMillan's a way better wide receiver three.
23:15And then you get to Bucky Irving himself, who's a very good running back when he's actually healthy.
23:20So like full PPR, you're in a 14 person league and stuff.
23:24Like I get the appeal there. This is the type of profile that has just been a really bad pick in half PPR best ball.
23:31And I think the same thing with, with your redraft, like his, his, his eight to 10 points in your flex is
23:38like not going to get it done. Uh, in this landscape, a lot of like the three running back builds, like your
23:44third running back is the Ramondre Chuba Hubbard types that are like turning out 12, 14 points a week.
23:49Uh, I'm just concerned that like, he's not providing enough, even when things are going right.
23:54Yeah. I think in this round, the ninth round, because Kenny Gainwell is the running back 36 right now, the ninth pick of the ninth round.
24:02Uh, I just want to take like the upside swings of Sam LaPorta and Ricky Pierce all and Harold Fannin Kyle pits.
24:08Yeah. Then, then Kenny gain. Well, um, this is an interesting one because I actually think that Kenny gain well in a
24:14lot of other fancy football shows is going to be one of their favorite selections based on, you know, the Bucky Irving
24:21buzz, which we'll hop into a little bit later on.
24:24I mean, he's coming off a thousand yards. Like you said eight touchdowns on just 187 touches, but the vast majority of
24:30that was the 73 catches, the fourth most of the position.
24:33And if you look at about week 11 through week 18, that was the real breakout.
24:38And that's when he averaged 6.4 targets, 5.5 receptions, 45 receiving yards, and nearly a half touchdown per game.
24:44Uh, as you said, it wasn't just like swings or screens.
24:47It was like legit downfield routes that Kenny gain well was miraculously coming up with and Aaron Rogers trusting him in those situations.
24:53And he goes from that backfield, which was just him and Jalen Warren to like you're saying, maybe a one a with
25:00Bucky who is never going to be a passing down guy and wasn't with Rashad white to now.
25:05Can he gain well being the one B and maybe taking a bit more of the rushing work than Rashad white got.
25:11But then I also don't want to forget about Sean Tucker who, once we get to like the five to the 10
25:18yard line might have legit, Hey, we haven't been able to, you know, run the ball in from the two yet when
25:24trying these other situations, we're going to bring in Sean Tucker to actually get the touchdown for us.
25:29Yeah. So I see like, unless there is real pessimism and a really bad season coming up here for Bucky Irving, I
25:36think that Kenny gain well's ceiling is like totally capped out here.
25:39Yep. And I wouldn't necessarily even put him at, you know, 66% of the receiving yards and receiving production that he got
25:46last year in his new home here in Tampa.
25:48Yeah. We see it the same exact way. And then just in comparison to Rashad white, Rashad white's 215 pounds, Kenny gain was 200 pounds.
25:56So like if something happens to Bucky, I don't think that Kenny gain was just going to be a bell cow back.
26:02Like he's never been a running back in the traditional sense.
26:05It's always been the receiving profile. So I think it's Sean Tucker would kind of get in the mix a little bit
26:12too much and he would not have the handcuff appeal that some of the other backs possibly, like including like Jonathan Brooks right next to him.
26:19Brooks has like no floor, like in terms of flex value when week six rolls around, but there's, I think a better path to upside.
26:26I think ultimately I want to chase the upside that's in redraft and invest ball.
26:31I think the running backs for me were a lot more difficult than the, than the wide receivers to come up with this list.
26:38But let us know in the comments down below some of your full on fates at the running back spot based on
26:44where 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.
26:52These, all these names are not the ones that we were avoiding.
26:55This is just an update on the news of where these players statuses are at this point in off season activities.
27:01Um, since you start and just brought up Jonathan Brooks, do we want to quickly touch on that?
27:06Because we know he didn't play all of the 2025 season after missing a handful of games in 2024 coming off the ACL injury.
27:13He did touch the field for two or three contests and retore that knee.
27:17So what are the Panthers saying about Jonathan Brooks and his recovery timeline right now?
27:22It sounds like he's on schedule. He's ramping up.
27:24He's participating in some of the 11 on 11 work.
27:27As well. So I think it's as optimistic as you possibly could be coming off of a second, uh, torn ACL to the same exact one.
27:35Uh, now he's had a lot of time to recover since then.
27:38It'll be like what 20 ish months away from it.
27:41So he's had a lot of time to, to get back on the, on the field.
27:46I'm sure they're just going to ramp them up.
27:49They'll probably test them out specifically in the joint practices that happens.
27:52Uh, we're seeing more teams not used to preseason, but more so the joint practices.
27:56So I think the second we get the Carolina schedule for in August, we will definitely be tracking the Jonathan Brooks update.
28:03I think right now he's on pace. And at the same time, like this is a very significant history that he's coming back from.
28:10And just wanted to remind people Chuba Hubbard has been a team captain for this team for, uh, as long as the
28:16coaching staff has been there, he's a pretty decent player as well.
28:20So I don't think this is like as easy of a, he's just going to take Chuba Hubbard's job.
28:25Like Chuba's paid well, team captain, et cetera. Um, so I think he's appropriately priced, um, and he's on pace.
28:31At the same time, we did see Chuba get banged up last year.
28:35Enrico Dado had, you know, multiple 200 plus yard games.
28:38Uh, so that potential is always there for a team that wants to run the football.
28:42I mean, Jonathan Brooks is the clear second running back on the scene, which is very notable.
28:47I mean, they brought in no one other than AJ Dillon and they have Trevor ETN, HN, excuse me, Trevor HN on the roster opposite him.
28:55So he's always going to wear the sleeve on his knee at this point.
28:59Uh, there've been moments and who knows in these non-contact practices of long runs, explosive plays, all that type of stuff.
29:05But, uh, I really liked him as a player.
29:08He was just like so smooth as a runner and as a big body, he really would pull away from, from defenses.
29:14And, you know, I think the Panthers need some yards after catch threats.
29:18And even in his small three game sample, he had a couple of plays against the Tampa Buccaneers where he took a
29:24screen pass or a swing pass and made some people miss.
29:27And that would be a huge element for them that, uh, they desperately need.
29:31Yeah. I can see him being close to like Monunga and Blake Coram by the end of August.
29:37If we get a couple more positive reports like this, we got to take this kind of day by day with him.
29:43Um, just given the history, but right now so far, I will say, Hey, if he shows 90% health and like 90%
29:49of who he used to be, then he's the most talented Panthers running back on this roster.
29:54Like there's, you know, other politicking that goes on behind the scenes, even if, you know, he and Chuba Hubbard are really
30:01good friends that they always put Chuba back at the front of the, the, the team.
30:05But Jonathan Brooks is a heck of a talent in my eyes.
30:09Okay. Let's go back to the top. Let's talk about Cam Scadaboo who is the seventh pick of the fourth round running back 19 right now.
30:16We know he suffered a right ankle dislocation, fractured fibula and ruptured deltoid ligament back in week eight.
30:22What's the status at this point? He's practicing, you know, 11 and 11 and we got months to go.
30:27So I keep talking about the small sample size of the dislocated ankles.
30:31I know like it's like four for four has not gone well the following season, but it's like such a small, uh, sample.
30:38And this is like before we had the peptides and all of the other stuff going on, uh, in modern medicine, uh,
30:44cam's got to do in backflips and he's fully participating in practice.
30:48And then the, the giants reporters, I've read a couple of them just in general, like positive vibes for cam Scott.
30:54He's got plenty of, of time to, to get even in better shape, but he's like fully cleared.
30:59Um, so you can discount them a little bit because maybe you don't think the efficiency is going to be there, but,
31:05uh, efficiency only matters so much in fantasy football.
31:08When we're talking about running backs, like it's about scoring goal line touchdowns and catching passes.
31:12And that's what came Scott, a boo was placed on his planet to do.
31:17My concern isn't like if he's going to play week one, it is how good is he going to be when I'm back on the field?
31:24Uh, and you know, that's actually the same exact injury other than the ruptured deltoid ligament.
31:29Then Quinchon Judkins is coming back from, albeit Judkins did it in week 16 and cam's got to do did it.
31:35And we gate, I think we did see quinchon Judkins return to off season activities earlier than cam's got to do and
31:41look fluid and do all that stuff. The eye test has passed just like it has with Scott of who now.
31:47Uh, so we know Judkins is going earlier than Scott of who is in these drafts.
31:52Uh, are there any updates on him as well?
31:55Judkins also just practicing, you know, this is just, they're going to be out there week one.
32:00They're going to be out there first day training camp as a clear cut starters, clear cut the best backs on their football team.
32:07They're going to catch, they're not, or Scott was going to catch a lot more passes than Quinchon is, but they're going to run the ball a ton.
32:15Both of these head coaches want to run the football.
32:18So like in terms of like volume, I think these guys are pretty set in stone.
32:22Are they going to win any awards because of their breakaway abilities coming off this injury?
32:27Probably not, but I think both of them are very good.
32:30So you guys can watch our full video on the second year running backs, like going back and watching their tape and whatnot.
32:37But even since then we've had more positive updates, uh, from the off season workouts.
32:41Yeah. Just to talk about the sample, um, for the fractured fibula slash right ankle dislocations or just ankle dislocations in recent
32:47years, it's been Tony Pollard, Mark Andrews, Chris Godwin, Isaiah Pacheco all decline their fancy points per opportunity.
32:53It wasn't just small. It was like a massive drop down.
32:56So again, that's just four names. That is a small sample.
32:59Uh, now we get, you know, 50% of that this year with Quinchon and Kim Scott, and all those weren't running backs,
33:05you know, some of them are wide receivers and tight ends on top of it.
33:10Uh, okay. Let's talk about Bucky Irving. Since you mentioned Kenny Gainwell, um, we know throughout last season, shoulder ankle issues.
33:16He did retouch the surface in OTAs on June 11th.
33:19So after that, uh, Todd Bowles statement of, Hey, he might return sometime this fall.
33:23Uh, it is actually June 11th, Todd. So thank you very much.
33:27Anything you want to add there? Uh, individuals only.
33:29So that's, he's not cleared for like full contact or maybe he's been cleared, but they're not like throwing them out there.
33:36The fact that he's doing individual drills makes me feel optimistic that by the time training camp actually comes around that he'll be ready to go.
33:43Um, so yeah, I just don't know if Bowles knows when like summer turns to falls and like, that's kind of like
33:50the thing that he had this internal debate on, but I think most likely Bucky Irving is going to be out there.
33:56I will note though, like he did have surgery on his shoulder and like, he's not that big guy and he runs really, really hard.
34:03So like, it's still an injury that like still is concerning, even if he's going to be available in week one.
34:09Um, especially when you add somebody like Kenny Gainwell, uh, to the mix.
34:13So Bucky Irving, I, I'm feel less comfortable with like his baseline touch projection than Scadaboo and Quinchon Jedkins.
34:19Uh, but I think they're appropriately priced next to each other.
34:22Chris Rodriguez for agent signing for the Jacksonville Jaguars has a history with Liam Cohen dating back to their Kentucky days.
34:28Uh, we have not seen Chris Rodriguez on the field during off season activities because apparently he had a procedure on his
34:34left foot following an injury sustained early in the off season conditioning program.
34:38What else do you want to add? They're saying he's on track to be ready for the beginning of camp.
34:44And I think that's, you know, if you're out there in week one of camp, then I think we shouldn't be talking
34:50about the injury too much for injuries can linger.
34:53He's a big guy runs really hard. So like this thing could creep up at any point, obviously, uh, his ADP has
34:59dropped the last couple of weeks here. And I do think, uh, the bottom is kind of in, and I would not
35:06be surprised like Shipley's kind of talked about this, uh, over at SI just talking about, they really like Chris Rodriguez and
35:12they like this type of player a lot because they were actually flirting with JK Dobbins who Dobbins, the more explosive version of Chris Rodriguez.
35:19Uh, and you can read into that how you want to with, in terms of basial too.
35:24And I think that they want basial to turn into the guy.
35:28He's got a totally different skillset. He's going to be the guy in passing situations.
35:32Like, could they trust him to run the ball between the tackles consistently?
35:36Does he, could he just handle the mental workload that that takes?
35:39Um, I think that's the big debate, but he's one of these kind of like zero RB targets where, um, I would
35:46not be that stunned if Chris Rodriguez, like just edges out basial tootin, uh, this season in fantasy.
35:51I don't think it's the most likely outcome, but like, I could see that happening.
35:55We talked about pushovers earlier on, uh, you know, ascending first and second year players.
36:00I'm kind of in the mindset that Chris Rodriguez can be a pushover here.
36:04If basial tootin shows enough, uh, again, I understand the Kentucky days and the link in that department and like Chris Rodriguez
36:10might vulture, you know, six or seven touchdowns inside of the five yard line.
36:14So that keeps, you know, basial tootin who right now is being selected as the running back 25 from maybe being the
36:21running back 12 versus the running back 15, for example.
36:24Um, I am more confident in basial tootin doing this than I was, you know, when they immediately signed Chris Rodriguez during
36:30free agency, uh, after, you know, working in this primary workload in this primary position all off season for this too.
36:36Yeah. I think the first, you know, the first practice of training camp, there will be, um, tweets when like Chris Rodriguez
36:42like takes the first carry and then we're going to have to go through these debates, uh, all training camp long.
36:49So I think the story is largely not over and I would not be surprised if Chris Rodriguez there's 124th overall RB
36:5541 is kind of, uh, the bottom. And then we just see this ADP chart kind of go back to where he was a couple of weeks ago.
37:03So we had talked about Jonathan Brooks. So next one is RJ Harvey, who I think back during sometime in the winter had labrum surgery.
37:10What's the update on him? Yeah. Uh, winter spring, it depends on when you're establishing the, the seasonal cutoff.
37:16He had it after the season. He suffered a shoulder, uh, sprain that needed a labrum tear that needed surgery.
37:22Um, so that does matter. Like I don't like when my shoulders, uh, on my running backs are, are, uh, requiring surgery.
37:28So I think that's something that we have to monitor that said, uh, Sean Payton said he's, he's full go right now.
37:34So I think the injury probably shouldn't be factored in all that much here at all.
37:39Uh, I think that the JK Dobbins in the Jonah Coleman factor, it should matter a whole lot more, but I feel
37:46pretty confident that this is just going to be a three-way backfield until there's another injury.
37:50I think that RJ Harvey is going to be the passing down guy and then Coleman and Dobbins are gonna be the early down rushing guy.
37:58And I think that kind of makes sense based off of Payton's history.
38:02And then all, uh, also the, the traits of the three running backs.
38:05Yeah. I think the timeline was four to six months.
38:08And so that puts him at May or July being the four or the six months.
38:13So that should be training camp immediately for him to be out there.
38:17If not at the end of that first week of, of training camp, Zach Charbonnet is the last one here.
38:22Uh, we know he tore his ACL in January.
38:25Uh, then Mike McDonald, like this week was asked if Zach Charbonnet could actually play in week one because they did see
38:31Zach Charbonnet, like doing some light work on the field without pads and without a helmet.
38:36Uh, and he said, I think quote, anything is possible.
38:39Um, I think that's impossible. What about you? Yeah.
38:42I mean, we have to like take the context of what is the question.
38:46Are you, they just trying to hype up their players?
38:49You know, like it would be bad if you're like, it's impossible.
38:52Like if you're Zach Charbonnet, like, damn, that, that does suck.
38:55So the coach is going to be optimistic. They're going to encourage their players.
38:59The reality is Zach Charbonnet tore his ACL and didn't have his surgery until February 20th.
39:04So he waited a while. So it was late in the season.
39:07Then he waited while then got the surgery. I think the baseline would be week 10 to week 12 is when he returns.
39:14Um, so we'll see. I think there were some reports from like actual credible, uh, reporters that he does feel a little
39:21bit ahead of schedule, which would explain why he's slightly, I mean, not really, but he's slightly moving up in, in ADP here.
39:27Um, he's not going to be my favorite click.
39:30I just think that he will return and he will make this backfield muddy by the end of the season.
39:36I feel good about that. And maybe instead of, instead of week 12, maybe he gets out there week eight, but I
39:42would be stunned if he does not start the season on PP.
39:46The consensus out there is it takes nine months post op, uh, from the ACL, because if you do it anytime before
39:52that, it's like tenfold of the likelihood that it gets retorn.
39:55And so that would be roughly week 11, exactly the timeline that you said.
39:59So it should it probably be week 11? Yeah.
40:02Does even like week nine or week 10 change that much for you when it comes to genius ADP?
40:07No, because like who the hell knows what happens in the opening eight weeks of the season, you know?
40:13Exactly. Yeah. And, and even when he gets back out there, he's probably not going to have the exact same role that he had.
40:20Correct. Um, and I can see whole Lonnie like proving his worth.
40:23And this is kind of like a three back committee by, by the end of this, uh, season.
40:28So yeah, I'm kind of fading the Charbonnet like positive buzz.
40:32Um, and if he shows up in week eight versus week 12, um, you guys can have that victory.
40:37I'll sleep well. That does it for us. Appreciate you all tuning into the three episodes this week.
40:42Actually, tomorrow we have a bonus episode for all of you.
40:46Uh, we're going to talk through Brendan Sorsby quarterback from Cincinnati in the supplemental draft and, uh, diagnosis tape, give you our
40:52thoughts and, uh, maybe some teams that might be interested in him.
40:56So that's a, again, bonus episode for you on this very Friday.
40:59And we'll be back next week with some extra episodes and I'll be over my cold by then.
41:04All right, everyone. Thanks for watching. Talk to you next time.
41:07See ya.
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