The 10 Biggest Fantasy Takeaways from Preseason Week 2 with Dwain McFarland
STACKED extracted the fantasy-relevant player signal from this podcast and kept the full transcript here for context.
54 min
Duration
Estimated from transcript
Aug 24, 2026
Published
Mon, August 24, 2026
25
Player insights
23
Players mentioned
Topics
Bucky IrvingKenneth GainwellBijan RobinsonCaleb DouglasChris BellColston LovelandDeshaun WatsonEmmett JohnsonGeorge KittleHarold FanninJaydon BlueJonah ColemanMakai LemonMalik Davis
Player analysis
Player insights
Bijan Robinson
NegativeProjection55:56
Matthew Berry is adjusting his rankings, moving Jahmyr Gibbs to RB1 and Bijan Robinson to RB2. The shift is based on the expectation that Michael Penix Jr. will start over Tua Tagovailoa, reducing the high-volume checkdown potential Robinson would have had with Tagovailoa.
Insight pageBucky Irving
NegativeUsage38:00
McFarland notes that while Irving is a viable flex or low-end RB2, his fantasy value is highly dependent on game script and pass-catching usage. Historically, Irving averages under 12 fantasy points per game when seeing a single-digit target share, and if Kenneth Gainwell continues to handle passing-down work, Irving faces volatility in trailing game scripts.
Insight pageNegativeUsage57:13
Bucky Irving is expected to be the lead early-down back for Tampa Bay, but he is not involved in the passing game, ceding those snaps to Kenneth Gainwell. He is a viable RB2/flex option, but his fantasy ceiling is capped by his lack of target share.
Insight pageCaleb Douglas
PositiveBreakout39:24
Douglas is trending up in Miami, playing with the starters and fitting the team's desired offensive scheme as a deep threat. McFarland and Berry view him as a deep-league target, with Berry ranking him at WR70 and McFarland at WR67.
Insight pageChris Bell
PositiveDepth Chart40:04
Berry identifies Chris Bell as his favorite receiver in the Miami offense once fully healthy, though his timeline for returning to full form remains uncertain following his activation from the PUP list.
Insight pageColston Loveland
PositiveBreakout51:18
McFarland views Loveland as a premier tight end prospect who could break out in a condensed offense. He compares Loveland's potential to elite tight ends like Gronk and Jimmy Graham due to his ability to earn targets and work downfield.
Insight pageDeshaun Watson
NegativeProjection18:44
Matthew Berry and Dwain McFarland are both low on Deshaun Watson (QB31 and QB32 respectively), citing his poor 13 fantasy points per game average over 19 starts with the Browns and lackluster efficiency metrics since 2022. Berry notes that Watson's diminished rushing ability makes him difficult to trust as a fantasy asset.
Insight pageEmmett Johnson
PositiveValue47:10
Johnson is identified as the primary handcuff to Kenneth Walker in the Chiefs' backfield. While the passing-down role remains competitive between others, Johnson is the preferred late-round dart throw for those rostering Walker.
Insight pageGeorge Kittle
PositiveValue28:33
Matthew Berry and Dwain McFarland both rank George Kittle as their TE8, moving him ahead of Sam LaPorta. Kittle is highlighted as an interesting target in the back half of the top 12, especially on platforms like ESPN where his ADP is lower compared to Yahoo or Sleeper.
Insight pageHarold Fannin
PositiveProjection25:35
Dwain McFarland is lower on Harold Fannin than industry consensus, arguing that his high target share last year was a product of volume rather than elite efficiency. With a potentially struggling offense and increased target competition, McFarland expects Fannin's target share to decline.
Insight pageJaydon Blue
NegativeDepth Chart49:31
Blue is struggling with ball security, which has caused him to lose ground to Malik Davis in the competition for the Cowboys' RB2 role.
Insight pageJonah Coleman
PositiveSleeper44:19
Jonah Coleman is a high-upside sleeper in the Denver backfield. Dwain McFarland views him as the direct backup to J.K. Dobbins and expects him to take on a significant role if Dobbins misses time, noting his effectiveness inside the five-yard line, pass protection skills, and ball security.
Insight pageKenneth Gainwell
PositiveUsage38:00
McFarland indicates that preseason utilization suggests Gainwell is poised to handle the passing-down work in the Buccaneers' backfield, which could limit Bucky Irving's ceiling in negative game scripts.
Insight pagePositiveRole57:13
Kenneth Gainwell is locked into the passing-down role for Tampa Bay, making him a potential value in PPR formats. He also holds contingent upside should Bucky Irving miss time.
Insight pageMakai Lemon
PositiveDepth Chart42:03
Despite a hamstring injury, McFarland expects Lemon to eventually emerge as the main guy in the Eagles' offense over Dontavian Wicks, noting that Lemon has already returned to practice and game action.
Insight pageMalik Davis
PositiveDepth Chart49:06
Davis is trending up as the RB2 for the Cowboys, with recent preseason usage and camp reports suggesting he has surpassed Jadon Blue on the depth chart.
Insight pageMarShawn Lloyd
PositiveValue38:53
Marshawn Lloyd is trending up and serves as the primary insurance back for Josh Jacobs. Dwain McFarland ranks him as a top-tier handcuff, placing him above Tank Bigsby due to his positive preseason usage and the potential for an increased role if Jacobs faces suspension or injury.
Insight pageMatthew Golden
PositiveRole35:53
Matthew Golden is trending up and is expected to be the starting X wide receiver for Green Bay. He played 86% of the routes with Jordan Love in the preseason game, which aligns with positive reports from training camp and joint practices. He is a viable late-round target (round 10) with potential to emerge as a WR2 or WR3.
Insight pageMichael Penix Jr.
PositiveDepth Chart52:22
Michael Penix Jr. is trending up while Tua Tagovailoa is trending down. Dwain McFarland expects Penix to challenge for the starting job sooner than later due to the negative 'drumbeat' surrounding Tagovailoa's practice performance. Penix has shown the ability to support fantasy weapons.
Insight pageMike Washington Jr.
PositiveDepth Chart10:08
Mike Washington Jr. has established himself as the clear backup to Ashton Gentee and a potential starter for Week 1 if Gentee's injury is severe. Dwain McFarland moved him up to RB49 (148 overall), noting his explosiveness and the improved Raiders offensive line under Clint Kubiak.
Insight pageRashod Bateman
NegativeBust43:40
Bateman faces concerns regarding his consistency, injury history, and off-field issues. McFarland suggests he could be challenged by Jacoby Lane for playing time in the Ravens' offense.
Insight pageRJ Harvey
NegativeUsage44:19
R.J. Harvey is locked into a passing-down role in Denver, but his fantasy value is limited by his reliance on touchdowns. Matthew Berry notes that 33% of his points last year came from touchdowns, and he averaged only 5.6 points per game in games without a score.
Insight pageTank Bigsby
PositiveValue40:51
McFarland is very high on Bigsby as a handcuff, recommending him in the 120-130 ADP range. He views Bigsby as one of the best handcuff picks available due to his role behind Saquon Barkley in a good offense.
Insight pageTerrance Ferguson
PositiveSleeper45:02
Ferguson is a late-round tight end target who has dominated in joint practices and is being groomed for a unique role in the Rams' offense. McFarland suggests he could potentially become the third target in the passing game.
Insight pageTucker Kraft
PositiveValue30:04
Tucker Kraft is identified as a strong value target, currently discounted due to injury. Berry notes that his draft position varies significantly by platform, going in round eight on ESPN but round six or seven on Sleeper and Yahoo.
Insight pageFull transcript
Episode Transcript
0:00It is noon on YouTube, but of course it is 5 o'clock somewhere, which of course means the Happy Hour bar is open.
0:07Happy Monday. I am Matthew Berry, your faithful bartender, and we have a great show for you today, to be honest with you.
0:13My buddy, my pal, my amigo, my colleague at FantasyLife.com, Dwain McFarland.
0:17You know, a lot of people call him your favorite fantasy analyst's favorite fantasy analyst, Dwain McFarland, but I think you're breaking into the mainstream.
0:24Now, I think you are almost perfect. There are two issues that I have with you, and I'll start right here.
0:30And I don't think you're going to fit into the show for two reasons, and really only two reasons only, because your research is second to none.
0:37The utilization report is, I think, the most helpful in-season article, and that includes my own, that we have at Fantasy Life,
0:44and then I think in the entire industry. But you have a good head of lettuce.
0:48That is a full head of hair. You do not fit into the show where we've had a lot of baldies.
0:54We've had a lot of guys that have been follically challenged at the show, and so I don't like anyone, especially you, because you're older.
1:01You're a little bit old. Like, you're not, no one's as old as I am, but like, you're not one of these young 23-year-old punks.
1:08You know, you're married, you have kids, like you're an adult person.
1:12I have a 23-year-old punk. Yeah. Yeah, but then look at you with that lettuce.
1:16Like, it's outrageous. It's very upsetting. Look, I mean, you know, we all have our strengths and weaknesses, so I promise I have my weaknesses.
1:23This is just the thing. I mean, like, I didn't do anything for this.
1:27No, sometimes you just get lucky on certain things.
1:30Matthew, I was unlucky in other areas. We won't get too deep into what those are, but I appreciate you having me on.
1:36Fair enough. Sweep the leg, 538, says Dwayne, The Rock McFarlane, as our pal Ian always calls you.
1:42So we're happy to have you here, Rock. You are a Cowboys fan, and this is Commander's Country here on this show, so there is that as well.
1:50You are, you know, I mean, you want to talk about your imperfections, you know, again, somehow God forced you to be a Cowboys fan.
1:57So just, you know, nothing but post-seasons of disappointment.
1:59My dad did that one, Matthew, and so what's funny is you said, you know, God made me a Cowboys fan.
2:05So my dad, growing up, we would go to church every Sunday until Cowboys season would get here.
2:10And then we would only go to Sunday school because we had to make sure that we were home in time for the Cowboys games.
2:18And I will say my first year to watch all of the games, I think I was in sixth grade.
2:23Maybe I was on seventh, but they went one in 15.
2:26It was the year with Aikman. And so I struggled through all the pain, of course, with Jimmy Johnson.
2:32They got good really fast. You know, the Herschel Walker trade helped speed things along.
2:36So I was just hooked. I got hooked. But my dad partially shunned God to watch the Cowboys.
2:41So listen, you know, he just he prays to Jerry Jones.
2:44I get it. The look at what what is important to you when you're young becomes, you know, crucial to you as an adult.
2:51As Aloha Bricks says, how about them Cowboys? Let's go to Wayne.
2:55Aloha Bricks on board. I just, you know, I mean, again, same thing when I was a kid, I was living in
3:01Virginia, Washington, that they were the closest pro football franchise.
3:04And that was the I was growing up during the Joe Gibbs era.
3:07Right. And so, you know, John Riggins, Joe Theismann to Doug Williams and Mark Rippin.
3:12And so, yeah, you're hooked. And it is it is what it is.
3:15You know, exhausted Texas fans says Dwayne just lost all credibility being a Cowboys fan.
3:20I disagree. I disagree. He didn't lose all credibility.
3:22He has tons of credibility. I mean, like to understand good football, you have to see bad football.
3:27Right. If you don't have anything, any context, you have nothing to contrast it with.
3:32So how would you know what clutch looks like in the playoffs if you didn't have the ability to contrast that with
3:38what the Cowboys have done over the last few years?
3:41Right. So all those. I've seen some of those firsthand firsthand.
3:44Yeah, I'm sure you have. I'm sure you have, my friend.
3:47All right, let's get into it because we got a lot to get to.
3:51And we got bad news and then we got good, good news.
3:55And then we get who knows news. But Ash and Gente.
3:58And I'm just going to go in my soapbox here for a minute.
4:01There are so many people that are so quick to react on Twitter.
4:05And I'm not going to sit here like, again, we play fake football and, you know, anytime there's a serious injury.
4:11Yes, there is a fantasy impact to that injury.
4:14But these are still these are still human beings with families, with wives, with children, with with parents, that fans.
4:19And so like this is their livelihood. And so I'm always I try to be very cautious in reacting to any kind
4:26of injury news around the fantasy impact of and also like you want to be sure.
4:30And I think you saw some people that got caught speeding because the news came out and it sounded bad.
4:36He left practice. They stopped the music. Everyone gathered around, hushed tones.
4:39Couldn't put any weight on the leg. And everyone is just like, oh, my gosh, you know, and there's some reports out there.
4:46Oh, they're fear ACL. They fear it, you know.
4:48And so but I didn't react. And I know there are other people like, let's see.
4:53And then the news came out a little bit later, Dwayne, that it's not as bad as initially feared.
4:58It's a it's an ankle sprain. We don't know.
5:01This is from Adam Schefter running back. Raiders running back Ashton Gentee had to be helped up the practice field today is believed was sprained his ankle.
5:09Sources tell at rap sheet and me. Raiders are still unsure how long he'll be out.
5:13But it is not considered a long term injury and the organization is breathing a sigh of relief tonight.
5:19Raiders declined to comment on Gentee's injury. So we don't know if it's a low ankle sprain or a high ankle sprain and the severity of it.
5:26We don't know if he is going to be ready for week number one, but certainly seems like everyone that's drafted him
5:33and he's an early round draft pick. You know, it could have been much worse, Dwayne.
5:37Yeah, absolutely. So I still moved him down a little bit on this just because like it's also like they went to the prayer circle and all that.
5:45Like you said, a lot of people got caught speeding.
5:48But what I will say is like I don't know like that.
5:52We just have all the details we want yet.
5:54Like you said, we don't know if it's a high ankle sprain and that's the worst.
5:59Right. We can see that kind of thing linger throughout an entire season if a player doesn't get enough rest.
6:04And then I think to compound things like Mike Washington Jr.
6:08looked good. And so like the Raiders do have someone they could give some of these carries to.
6:13I still think that Ashton Gentee is a very good player.
6:16I did have him inside my top 12 players overall.
6:19So now I've moved more to like the middle of round two, Matthew, just because there are a lot of other good players.
6:25Like kind of where I look at it and I'm interested in your thoughts on it.
6:30I'm like, for me, A-chan and Gentee are very similar.
6:33Right. They're two backs. We think they're going to get most of the workload.
6:37They both catch passes. You know, you could argue Gentee is probably going to be better down inside the five yard line.
6:43But on two teams that we have question marks about.
6:46Right. We certainly feel I feel a little better about the Raiders versus the Dolphins.
6:50But that's what I did. I just notched him right below A-chan.
6:53I'm like, look, A-chan is healthy right now. I know he doesn't have a high ankle sprain.
6:58We'll see if that's the case with Gentee. So I just moved him down to the middle of round two.
7:04I would still be willing to take him there.
7:07But I don't feel like I have to force him over some of the other guys that were really close that are healthy.
7:13Yeah, I mean, we're on the same page here.
7:16I'm actually slightly lower on him than I am at 19 overall.
7:19You're at 17 overall. So I'm at two spots lower.
7:22I have more towards the end of round two.
7:25I'm at running back 12. You met running back 10.
7:27Basically, I think he's in that tier, that RB, you know, that second tier.
7:31But like whereas previously I had him sort of at the top of that tier, I've now moved him down to the bottom.
7:38And it sounds like you've sort of done the same here as well.
7:42I moved Mike Washington up to 148 overall, running back 49.
7:45You know, so I moved him from 6 to 12.
7:48And as Shalib says, if Gentee has ankles like Barry, he'll be back in no time.
7:52It's a good point. I don't know. I haven't done a deep dive on Ashton Gentee's ankles, but he should be so
7:59lucky as to have ankles like me. Shalib, I believe is how we pronounce that.
8:03All right, Shalib. Well, good comment there. But yeah, I moved Gentee from 6 to 12 overall, overall 19.
8:08Mike Washington, I'm at running back 49. You know, he now becomes more interesting as, you know, when you're looking at some of those backup running backs, right?
8:16You're always looking for somebody like, hey, is this somebody that we think if they got an opportunity would be the guy and have production, right?
8:24And so we've got a couple of guys coming up that we're going to talk about, but it does feel like that
8:30Mike Washington has sort of established himself as the guy should something happen to Gentee.
8:34And so I moved him up a little bit because, hey, there's a chance that he's the Raiders starting running back in week number one.
8:41Yep. I think you're dead on. I've got him at running back 50.
8:45I don't have him quite inside my top 150, but when I wrote about it this morning, I was like, he's right
8:51there knocking on the door of being in the top 150.
8:54So no problems with that. I think, you know, the explosiveness, the things that we've seen from him, we've got Clint Kubiak there.
9:01So we know we've also got an upgraded offensive line with Linderbaum.
9:04You also get Colton Miller back who didn't play last year.
9:08I think we have questions around the receivers and stuff here, Matthew.
9:11And so, and just like, you know, what's the quarterback situation going to shake out to be?
9:16But at the same time, like I'm not going to put him up where I have like Bigsby and some guys like
9:22Marshawn Lloyd, where I still like the offense more.
9:25Right. And I think they're the clear cut number two, but just behind those guys, I think that's where Mike Washington deserves to go.
9:32And I do think what he's done in the preseason has probably really locked him in.
9:36I think if the injury is, you know, more on the severe side, like maybe keeps Gentee out multiple weeks, we could,
9:42we'd probably almost most certainly see them sign someone.
9:45Right. Or make a trade for someone. It probably will come after roster cutdowns because right now, Dylan Lowby, Roman Hemby, like,
9:51you know, they just don't have anyone else behind Washington.
9:54But I think he's done enough that even if they add someone, we're still going to feel pretty good about him.
10:00I would agree with that, especially when you think about, right, a Kubiak offense and an improved offensive line.
10:06He also catches passes, or at least he did at Arkansas in his senior year.
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11:24But the Cleveland Browns have named Deshaun Watson their starting quarterback.
11:27I am a QB 31, and Shadur Sanders will be back up there as you see the tweet on your screen.
11:33Deshaun Watson named the starting quarterback. I have Watson at QB 31.
11:37Dwayne, you have him at 32. So you're slightly lower on Watson than I am.
11:41But neither of us like this guy at all.
11:44In 19 career starts with the Browns, 13 fantasy points per game.
11:47I like this stat. Among 50 quarterbacks with at least 500 or more pass attempts since 2022, Deshaun Watson is 48th in
11:53yards per attempt and 36th in touchdown rate. You know, the preseason film has not been kind to Watson.
11:59I don't know if he can run anymore, given all the injuries that he've had, because that was always sort of the
12:05argument for Watson was at least he'll run and get you something.
12:09And maybe he still can. But it's hard to get excited about Deshaun Watson as a standalone fantasy prospect, even in a
12:15two quarterback league or a super flex league. But, Dwayne, I think the question here is, did this change your projections on
12:21any of the skilled players in Cleveland that we do care about?
12:25Quinchon Judkins, Casey Concepcion, Harold Fannin, Denzel Boston. Yeah, I didn't make any changes because I had this projected as a split,
12:31eight games to each one and one game to Taylin Green, and I just left it.
12:35Because I don't think Deshaun Watson's going to last as the starters.
12:39They're probably going to get him out there, and it's going to be bad.
12:43And then they're going to put Shador Sanders in, and that might be bad as well.
12:47And it could just kind of be a back and forth.
12:50Like, we don't know if we'll get, like, I have it at eight games, but I have no clue, like, how that will work out.
12:58It might be three and then five and then back to him for three.
13:02And then maybe it's Taylin Green to end the year, right?
13:05If they're not playing well. So I didn't really make any changes.
13:08You know, I think the biggest thing with the Browns for me is I'm just really, even though the quarterback situation is
13:14tricky, I think at, you know, ADP, where these players are going in drafts, Fannin's fallen enough.
13:19You know, so interested in your thoughts on him, Matthew.
13:22I'm like, you know, he gets the easiest routes on the team.
13:26He works underneath the defense. I think he's still fine where you get him.
13:30And then Casey Concepcion, right, is really the other one.
13:32And he has a really great, you know, role.
13:35I mean, they're moving him all over the formation.
13:38You know, he gets to play in motion. A lot of play action when he's out there.
13:42I think eventually he takes over for Jerry Judy and Concepcion and Fannin are just really the only two pieces in the passing game I'm interested in.
13:50Denzel Boston's playing a lot, but he just plays a tougher role, right?
13:54He has to play outside on the best corner all the time.
13:57It's going to be a lot of contested catches and things like that.
14:01So I feel like Concepcion and Fannin are the real two, like, movable chess pieces that can still give fantasy value and the price tags are good.
14:09Yeah, Brian Hickman in 3612 says, I have Watson at negative infinity in my rankings.
14:13Yeah, that's the other problem. It's like he's a hard guy to root for.
14:17Even if, like, he had great fantasy value, he's just a hard guy to have on your team to root for.
14:23Like, ultimately, this is a game we play for fun.
14:26And he's just, he's a hard guy to root for.
14:29You and I are the two highest on Concepcion.
14:31Like, I'm at 81, you're at 90. All the other rankers are lagging behind.
14:35Yeah, well, they're all wrong. Yeah, obviously. Berks and Flannel says Browns are tanking for Arch.
14:40Maybe. They may be. Look, I think if you're Todd Munkin, this was the right decision just because it's probably easier to
14:46go from Watson to Shadour than vice versa, right?
14:49You know, it's hard to bench Shadour Sanders, the, you know, the young guy.
14:53You start with the young guy. And then, hey, we're going to bring in Watson, who clearly has no future in Cleveland at some point, right?
15:00But, so I think this is the right call.
15:03And whatever, veteran. And they're paying him all the money that they're paying him.
15:07But, yeah, I mean, I think I just, I'm excited about Concepcion specifically in Todd Munkin's offense, who I think is going
15:13to basically play the Zay Flowers role. And they're going to, to your point, they're going to manufacture touches for this guy.
15:19They're going to use him on sweeps. They're going to just find different ways to get him, get the ball in his hands.
15:26And he's just so good after the catch. He's just so fast and creative.
15:30I saw a lot of him at Texas A&M, which is my team, my college, one of my college teams.
15:35And so I'm excited about him. I'm lower on Fannin, I think, than industry consensus is just because I think, yes, he gets all the easy stuff.
15:43But, you know, Munkin, Munkin tends to use multiple tight ends.
15:46And again, he's the only guy there. But, like, I just think that last year he got just massive amounts of target share.
15:53Like, Fannin was just a product of volume last year.
15:56I think he's a good player. But on an offense that I don't think is going to be all that great, with
16:02a lot more target competition for Fannin, you know, will he score more touchdowns with no Njoku?
16:07Maybe. I don't know. I just, I'm down on Fannin just because this is a guy who last year had the, I
16:13think, the eighth most targets in NFL history for a rookie tight end.
16:17You know, and just, you know, and was good.
16:19But wasn't, like, amazing. And I think his target share goes down.
16:23So I don't think the offense is better, and I think his target share goes down.
16:27It's basically my take on Fannin. I don't think he's, like, a priority target.
16:31But I do think all of that ends up getting priced in.
16:35You're at 82. I'm at 77. So we're in the same ballpark.
16:38It's just, I mean, I prefer, really, to get, you know, Colston Loveland.
16:42Like, that's the guy I want. And I'm fine getting a Bowers or a McBride.
16:46I really do like getting one of those three players.
16:49And if I miss those, like the guy, I'm really, you're getting a discount on Kraft because of the injury.
16:55And then we have another guy to talk about here, who I have considered moving above Fannin.
17:00And I did get him above Laporta. So I'll be interested in what you're thinking here.
17:04Same. Yeah, I mean, really thought about, and I may get there.
17:08I want to see him a little bit. But we're talking about George Kittle, friend of the podcast, George Kittle.
17:13You and I both have him at tight end eight.
17:16We both moved him ahead of Laporta. You have him at 88 overall.
17:20I'm at 85 overall. 23% target share in his 10 completed games last season.
17:2425 touchdowns in 41 career games with Brock Purdy.
17:26The fact that I don't think he plays week one because, you know, it's the Australia game.
17:31Then I could put him on a plane. But I do think he's back for week two.
17:36I want to see if we get a little bit of action.
17:40But I could, as we get closer to the season, I could see me moving ahead of Fannin.
17:45But it sounds like we're on the same page here.
17:48Like, if you don't get one of those elite guys, and I've got a ton of Colston Loveland this year.
17:53He was my runner-up for ride or die. If you're in the back half of the, you know, top 12, I think Kittle's a really interesting target.
18:01Also sort of like, you know, I mean, I love Tucker Craft.
18:04He's going to be on the love list, by the way.
18:08Just heads up. He's on the love list. That comes out on Thursday.
18:11Love, hate is Thursday. All right. That is the big day.
18:14So preseason love, hate, Thursday, only on FantasyLife.com. But, you know, that's sort of where I am with Kittle.
18:20I do think he's an interesting target at price.
18:22Yeah. I mean, and with Kittle and with, you know, as well as Craft, what I would tell you guys is like,
18:29it just comes down to which platform you're playing on.
18:31So like on ESPN, like where you get Kittle is like insane.
18:35You know, it's a little bit steeper over on Yahoo and Sleeper.
18:38But still, if you wait and you're like, you know, I kind of got boxed out on the tight ends early, but
18:45I still want to get one that I can get in like round eight or nine.
18:49Right now, Kittle's still going in there. He's probably about to move up some, Matthew.
18:53So that's going to, that'll hurt a little bit.
18:56And then it's really the same with Craft. Like he goes in like round eight on ESPN, but he's around six or
19:02seven pick on Sleeper and Yahoo, where there's a lot of receivers and other things you may like.
19:07So it gets a little bit tricky. So I would just tell people, you know, one, we've got a great article up over at FantasyLife.com.
19:15People can check it out. You know, we've got the perfect draft strategy and I cover each one of these platforms and
19:21where these guys go and how I'm attacking these drafts.
19:24So it does come down to really understanding where these players go, depending on where you play.
19:29Highly recommend checking out Dwayne's article, The Perfect Draft over on FantasyLife.com, which tells you how to exploit each one of those platforms as we talked about.
19:36But also if you're going to FantasyLife.com to check out Dwayne's work, you got to check out the utilization report.
19:42So he does this every week of the regular season.
19:45He's doing it every week after the preseason as well, talking about all the utilization, the trends.
19:50And do me a favor, Dwayne, because we're running a little bit long, but just very quickly, I want you to explain
19:56to everyone what the utilization score is. This is a proprietary number that you came up with.
20:01I try to describe it all the time. You'll do a better job of it, but every player has a utilization score, Dwayne.
20:07Talk to us about very quickly about what this number means.
20:11Yeah, it's really, it's pretty straightforward. We've just researched all the data points and which things are most predictive to helping you
20:17score more fantasy points in the next week, the next four games, or even the next season.
20:22And so there's different views that you can look at on the site for it.
20:26And so it looks at like, which players are getting carries inside the five.
20:30The model knows like, how sticky is that? Is that something that's high variance?
20:34And if it is, then it gets less weight.
20:36So we just take the different components. And so a lot of you are used to hearing about like expected fantasy points,
20:43how it's a little bit different than that is we also look at the snaps, not just the carries you got inside
20:49the five, but were you on the field inside the five?
20:52Because maybe your team had to pass because you were trailing.
20:55But if we still know you're getting those opportunities inside the five yard line and you're on the field, well, then we
21:02know you're probably due for positive or negative regression.
21:04And that's essentially what it's designed to do. It looks at your fantasy points score.
21:08And it's like, you know, your utilization score is a lot better than that.
21:12So we think you're actually, maybe you're a buy low candidate.
21:16And then you have the flip side as well, where it's like, well, this player is probably running hot right now.
21:22And so I break it down each week in a column, Matthew, on Mondays as well.
21:26And a major part of it is really the buy low, sell high component.
21:30And it just ties back to all those things.
21:33Yeah, you just, you look at the underlying data to basically predict future fantasy performance.
21:37Hey, this is a guy to get off of.
21:40This is a guy to try to get onto.
21:42Hey, this is a mirage. Hey, this is real.
21:45And you also do it in the preseason, which is incredibly helpful.
21:48Now we're dealing with small sample sizes, but still we can take things away from it.
21:53And let's start in Green Bay where both Marshawn Lloyd and Matthew Golden are trending up.
21:57Yeah, now we didn't have Jaden Reed in this game.
22:00You know, his grandmother passed away. So he was at a funeral.
22:04So it's a little bit tough, but Matthew Golden, this does match what we've been hearing from training camp.
22:09That's the other thing that we look at. It also matches what we're hearing from these joint practices, which we don't always
22:15get all the, we can't get the data from, but we can lean into what we're hearing.
22:20Sure. So when you hear these things matching up, that's whenever I care more about preseason, right?
22:25It's like, okay, we've heard this in camp. We heard about this in joint practices.
22:29And now we see it in this game. And he played 86% of the routes with Jordan Love in this game.
22:35And he's going to be their starting X wide receiver.
22:38So, I mean, guys, we don't know for sure if Matthew Golden is going to be good.
22:43Like the rookie supermodel, you know, kind of thought he was overrated to be around one pick last year.
22:48And then, you know, he got injured and didn't do much last season, but there's no doubt about it in my mind
22:55right now, Matthew, he's going to be a full-time player on an offense that we like in a good scheme.
23:00And the other thing is, it's where you get him.
23:03You can get him in round 10 over on Yahoo or Sleeper.
23:07So if you take him and he misses, he's not killing your draft, but that's the kind of player that I want
23:13to be in on because if he surprises us, like he ends up being, he could potentially be your wide receiver two
23:19or your wide receiver three on your fantasy team.
23:22Yeah. I mean, again, I think you buy into the Packers passing game or with Wicks and Dobbs gone, there's just a
23:28much more narrow target tree for, again, a quarterback we like and an offense we like.
23:33Marshawn Lloyd, by the way, he's trending up as well.
23:35We don't know what's going on with Josh Jacobs.
23:38Will he miss some time? If so, how much?
23:41But the fact of the matter is, it seems pretty clear that Lloyd, Lloyd is the guy you want if you're looking
23:47for an insurance back if you draft Josh Jacobs.
23:49My question to you, Dwayne McFarland, do you think Marshawn Lloyd has any standalone value or is he merely just insurance in
23:56case something happens to Jacobs where he couldn't play?
23:58I think he's insurance, but in redraft and managed leagues, that's the type of player I want to target later in drafts.
24:04I've, you know, once you get past Blake Corum, right, who's obviously like, he could have his own individual value, but he's
24:11still kind of also a handcuff to Kyron Williams.
24:13But once you get past that, I think that Marshawn Lloyd belongs at the very top of the best handcuff options or
24:20I don't even take him as a handcuff. I would rather take him, you know, if I don't have Josh Jacobs because
24:26then if Josh Jacobs gets suspended or he gets hurt, now I'm adding, you know, an additional thing, right, into my lineup
24:32with the running backs that I already have. But I think he belongs at the top of that list.
24:38One spot above Tank Bigsby for me, Matthew. And the main reason is is because he has one more out than what
24:44we get with Bigsby, which is really Barkley's getting an injury.
24:47Yep. There's still an active NFL investigation going on right now with Josh Jacobs and we don't know what's going to happen.
24:53So I do have Lloyd one spot ahead because of what we've seen through the preseason, what we've been hearing from camps, from camp, all very positive.
25:01Now, look, this guy's never been able to stay healthy.
25:04So if you wanted to put him below Bigsby, I think that would be the reason.
25:08You'd be like, well, I don't know if I trust it.
25:12It's just never healthy. But man, there's just, if something, imagine where would Marshawn Lloyd, let me ask you this, Matthew, where
25:18would Marshawn Lloyd go tomorrow if Josh Jacobs got suspended for like the first eight games today?
25:23He's probably in the 30s, I would think, right?
25:25You know, he's probably in the high 30s, low 20s.
25:28Yeah, for eight games. I don't know if he would get quite there.
25:32If he was out for the season, he would definitely be there.
25:35Sure, of course. If Jacobs was suspended the year, Marshawn Lloyd, yes, is moving into probably round four at the latest.
25:41I think if he's out eight games, he moves into, he would move past Corum.
25:46He probably moved next to Jadarian Price, somewhere in that range, right?
25:49Somewhere in that range. I think I'd probably want Price.
25:52Well, no, that's a really good one. Yeah, because Jacobs wouldn't be hurt and we wouldn't know he's coming back week eight
25:58where Charbonnet, it's like he could come back and maybe he's not ready.
26:02It takes a slower ramp up time. So the timeline could be longer, but I think he would be right there in
26:08that range if it was eight games. I think that's right.
26:11I think it's unlikely that Jacobs is suspended for that long.
26:14And I think it's unlikely that Jacobs actually gets suspended this year.
26:18Typically, the NFL likes to, I always feel like these things get kicked down the road.
26:22You know what I mean? Like there's a trial and there's an appeal and it's all stuff.
26:27And they always want to wait until the legal process, until they get all the facts and the legal process has played out.
26:34And then once the legal process is fully played out, then they may make a decision.
26:38But a lot of times I feel like it just sort of gets.
26:42It's just a tiebreaker for me because I'm like, I don't have this with Bigsby, but I'm with you.
26:47I don't think Jacobs gets suspended, but there's still that chance that the NFL sometimes, I mean, it could happen.
26:53So it's just like the tiebreaker versus Bigsby. Let's move on to another running back situation, this time in Denver.
26:59With Bo Nix on the field over the weekend, R.J.
27:02Harvey and Jonah Coleman split snaps. J.K. Dobbins did not play.
27:05I am very high on Jonah Coleman this year, and not so much on R.J.
27:09Harvey, but Dwayne, where do you land, especially after seeing how they were utilized in Denver's offense over the weekend?
27:15Yeah, I think, you know, to start the year, Dobbins is going to be the primary early down back, and I think
27:21Jonah Coleman is actually his direct backup. I think if something happens to J.K.
27:25Dobbins, you're going to see Jonah Coleman get a much larger role.
27:29I think all three players, Sean Payton's shown a proclivity to doing this, right, over the course of his career.
27:34If he's got three quality, heck, sometimes three garbage can options that we're like, why is Tyler Bidet playing?
27:40You know, sorry, Tyler Bidet. You're an NFL player, not me.
27:43Tyler Bidet tuning into the show. Why am I catching shrapnel here?
27:46What the hell? Exactly. Yeah, well, we can go back to someone else, Traverse Cadet, right?
27:51A guy like that that would have time, but R.J.
27:54Harvey, I think, is very specifically... Nile Davis. Yeah, yeah.
27:56Just random running backs. He's a Kansas City guy, but just random running backs.
28:00Yeah, the thing with R.J. Harvey is I do think that he's really locked into playing more of the passing down role, and we saw that this weekend.
28:08Like, you know, he ran that sideline route against the linebacker, got the mismatch, and Bo Nix hit him in the red zone for a touchdown.
28:16That's what R.J. Harvey is going to do. So he's the archetype that if you didn't have Jonah Coleman there, we would probably be pretty excited about R.J.
28:24Harvey behind Dobbins, but I think that Jonah Coleman, when you look at what he does well, you're watching his film in
28:30college and the rookie supermodel, which is our prospect model over at Fantasy Life that you guys can check out.
28:36Like, this is just a low-to-the-ground runner. He's a...
28:38He's, you know, he's 5'8", but this guy is like a fire hydrant.
28:42He's going to be the guy you're going to want to use inside the five-yard line if you're missing J.K.
28:48Dobbins. He's also very good in pass pro, Matthew, and he just doesn't fumble, doesn't drop the ball, just does a lot
28:54of things that I think coaches are going to like.
28:57And I'm with you, actually, on Harvey. I liked Harvey coming out last year, but the presence of Coleman and then where
29:03Harvey goes in drafts, I'm kind of like... If Dobbins goes down, I don't think I'm getting this unleashing of Harvey.
29:09I think it's going to be... I think Harvey probably gets a little more work then, but I think Jonah Coleman is
29:16going to have a very significant role in that scenario.
29:18Scotty McCrory, 8312, says, I am Rocky Mountain High on Coleman this season.
29:22Absolutely. He's one of my favorite sleepers. I have a lot of Coleman this year.
29:26I have nothing of R.J. Harvey because I think...
29:29I think Sean Payton took a look at R.J.
29:32Harvey filling in for J.K. Dobbins last year and said, go get me Jonah Coleman or somebody else.
29:37He got a look at R.J. Harvey full-time running back and did not like what he saw.
29:42So, 33%, Dwayne, 33% of R.J. Harvey's points last year came on touchdowns.
29:45In games in which he didn't score a touchdown, he averaged 5.6 fantasy points per game.
29:50I think he's a... I don't... I... Especially at cost, I would so much rather have Jonah Coleman than R.J.
29:55Harvey. You know, I hope J.K... We're rooting for J.K.
29:58Dobbins. I hope he stays healthy all year. He just hasn't.
30:01Right? And Ryan Oswald's saying, what round are you hoping to snag Coleman in?
30:05That's a good question here. I have him at 152 overall.
30:09So, you know, towards the end, you know, in a 10-team standard league on ESPN, you're looking at the, you know, 14th, 15th round.
30:15But I've taken him... I've taken him in the 10th and 11th and, you know, in more, you know, sharper leagues, if you will.
30:22I'm literally in this... I'm in a slow draft.
30:25It's a... It's a best ball flex. Peter Overzet's in it.
30:28among our fantasy life people and a lot of names that you know throughout the industry put together by my friend Jake Seeley.
30:35The Fantasy League of Experts is what it's called, Flex.
30:37I have won this league two out of the last three years, just saying, no big deal, NBD.
30:43But, you know, everyone says, Barry, can you best ball?
30:45You're damn right I can best ball. But I just took him in the 10th round of that league, just for whatever it's worth.
30:52And it's... That's a one-quarterback super flex league. He's pick 130 right now on Yahoo.
30:57He's pick 160 on Sleeper. So, I mean, you know, 130 if you're in a 12-teamer, right?
31:01And you're looking at, what, round 11, you know, on Yahoo.
31:05And then you're looking more like round 12 or 13 right now on Sleeper.
31:09So I take him in the 10th, 10th or 11th to make sure I'm...
31:13You know, he's somebody, again, he's been a big target of mine.
31:16He's somebody that I think... I think J.K. Diamond, who's never stayed healthy his entire NFL career, I think when, unfortunately, when
31:22he likely gets hurt, I think Jonah Coleman is the starting quarterback of what we think is going to be a very good offense.
31:29Speaking of an offense that I'm... But while we think the Broncos offense is going to be very good, I don't know
31:35what to make of this Falcons offense. And part of that is because I don't know what to make of this quarterback situation here.
31:42Dwayne, it seems like Tua Tungavailoa is trending down and Michael Penix is trending up.
31:46How do you break this down, players we care about?
31:49Yeah, what's funny about Michael Penix is he's trending up simply by being healthy.
31:53So that tells you how much that Tua is trending down.
31:56Tua has really been struggling in practices. Last week, they had the joint sessions with the Colts and he had a really bad first session.
32:04A little better the second one. But this just matches what we've been hearing all of training camp is that the clock is not...
32:10Now, he's learning a new offense to be fair with Kevin Stefanski.
32:14So these kind of things can happen, guys. But yeah, I think that Penix is going to pretty quickly challenge him for
32:20that job just based on this overall... As Sigmund Blum likes to say from football guys, the drumbeat.
32:25It's just really been there since OTAs. We just haven't heard a lot of positives with Tua.
32:30So I do think that Penix probably takes this job over sooner than later.
32:34And if Tua's looking bad, well, then that's good for us.
32:37What I'll say about Penix as well, he hasn't been great, Matthew.
32:41If you look at the league average last year, 225 passing yards per game, the lowest since 2008, by the way, for
32:47quarterbacks in the NFL with just what defenses are doing.
32:50Penix has been over that each of the last two years.
32:53So by that standard, he's been an above-average quarterback.
32:56And he's shown us that he can support one to two weapons.
32:59So I honestly just prefer that we hear that Penix is going to be the starter just because I have enough concerns with Tua.
33:06But I think, you know, this is a pretty straightforward offense to me.
33:10We've got Bijan, we've got Kyle Pitts and Drake London.
33:12It's going to be highly wrapped around those guys.
33:15Like Jahan Dotson, like Olamide, Zaccheaus, maybe Zachariah Branch makes some noise at some point.
33:19But I think it's just those three guys. Completely agree.
33:22Fix-It Fire says, as a Falcons fan, I am crying.
33:25I totally get it. Fix-It Fire. I'll just say, with Michael Penix, he understands the assignment.
33:30Get the ball to Detective Drake London, which he does.
33:32Dominic Stogner, Dominic Stogner, 4220, says free Kyle Pitts.
33:35Pretty sure Kyle Pitts has been free. Like, just, you know, just, yeah, he's definitely been freed.
33:40Just can't get him the ball. Can't get, you know, can't score a touchdown.
33:44I don't know. It'll be interesting to see what happens with Pitts this year.
33:48The one thing I'll say here about the Penix over Tua thing is, for the longest time, I've had Bichon at number one overall and Gibbs at two.
33:56And part of my get by my Bichon at one argument was that all Tua does is dump down.
34:01When you think about what Tua did with Devon Achan the last couple of years and so much of Achan's fantasy prowess
34:07came from just the massive volume he got on these checkdowns.
34:11And I'm just like, I think Bichon's gonna do the same thing.
34:14Bichon got, you know, in a world where Tua started the entire season for the Falcons, Bichon might have a hundred receptions.
34:20But because it looks like Penix is gonna be the starter, I'm swapping that.
34:24So when my next rankings update comes out, I will have Gibbs at one and Bichon at two.
34:29I want to move over to another running back split that has people perplexed.
34:33And that is in Tampa Bay where we've got Bucky Irving and Kenneth Gainwell.
34:37Has the hate gone too far on Bucky Irving here?
34:40Dwayne, talk to me about what you saw from the Buccaneers this weekend in terms of their utilization and how you're breaking down this backfield.
34:47Yeah, so Bucky Irving played the first drive with the starters.
34:51There were two possessions with the starters with Baker Mayfield out there.
34:54He had 60% of the snaps, but he came off the field for the two passing downs on that.
34:59So he had two routes for Kenneth Gainwell, zero for Bucky Irving.
35:03Then Gainwell ends up playing, you know, the second drive and Bucky Irving's done for the night.
35:08So that really does match what we've heard over the last several weeks from training camp and joint practices, which is Bucky
35:14Irving's going to be the lead back on the ground, but Kenneth Gainwell and it makes sense.
35:19This is what he does well. It's what he did good with the Steelers last year.
35:23He was a good receiver out of the backfield in college.
35:27So I think it's going to be exactly what they're telling us.
35:30Bucky Irving's probably going to get 55, 60% of the rushing attempts this year, not as involved in the past game.
35:36And then you're going to see Kenneth Gainwell really, he's going to be someone that can have value in a PPR league, right?
35:42If you guys are playing in standard, you're probably not going to be that interested in Kenneth Gainwell, but he does also
35:49carry some contingent upside if something happens to Bucky Irving.
35:52I think Kenneth Gainwell then gets a larger role.
35:54Sean Tucker's probably still going to be really annoying and still the carries inside the five.
35:59But I think with Bucky, he's gotten to a point, you know, Matthew, where he's fallen enough that like, I still think he can be very valuable.
36:06He's going to be out there on the early down.
36:09So he's still going to catch balls. He's just not going to be the guy that's out there when they're in a very obvious passing situation.
36:17He's not going to play the two minute drill, those sort of things.
36:20But he's a talented player that was injured last year and we saw what he could do as a rookie.
36:26And this is an offensive line that's healthier. So I do think when you get into that round five, six area, Bucky
36:32Irving is definitely one of the guys like that.
36:35And, you know, you know how the NFL season goes, Matthew.
36:38Suddenly Kenneth Gainwell goes down in week two and you're like, oh my God, Bucky Irving's going to win my league.
36:44So I think now where he's priced, he's fine.
36:47You just have to keep your expectations a little bit in check.
36:50And I will just tell people this and I wrote a lot about this in the strategy article.
36:55If you're like queasy about part-time running backs and you don't really want them in your starting lineup, then you need to
37:02take two to start your draft because it gets hairy super, super fast guys this year in drafts.
37:07So, and I do think the value this year is at receiver.
37:10So I think that you're going to be able to circle back around for the receivers late.
37:15Now don't force it if you're at the end of round two, you know, and you're like Jameer Gibbs is my one
37:21and now I'm going to take, you know, I don't know, I'm going to take ET.
37:26No, don't reach and take someone like an ETN.
37:28But if there is a Kenneth Walker or a Chase Brown who fall down there a lot in these home leagues, getting the two running backs is great.
37:36But if you don't get that, names like Bucky Irving and Jadarian Price, they're going to be on the menu for you in rounds five and six.
37:44Yeah, this is a year I think especially that you want to go running back early again because of the depth at wide receiver.
37:51You know, somebody I think it was Brandon Garrett say saying that, you know, it's not hate for Bucky.
37:56It's love for Gainwell. I do think both guys have value this year.
38:00I have Irving at 23 and then Gainwell at running back 34.
38:03I will just tell you it's not bad. It's not bad.
38:0713 Super Roy will be dining. Bucky charms this season.
38:09It's not bad. Not bad. I do, again, the only concern on Irving other than the health obviously is just like if
38:16Gainwell's going to take all the passing down work which you're telling us from the utilization over the weekend that is what's happening.
38:22For his career, Bucky Irving in games in which he sees a single digit target share, he's averaging under 12 fantasy points per game, 11.8.
38:29So again, just like without the pass catching work, you know, Irving becomes, you know, much more viable flex or low end
38:36RB2 than what we've seen like in his rookie year.
38:39And players like that, like you just need the game script to cooperate, right?
38:43If the game's close, it's fine because he'll get targets on first and second down where those kind of players really get
38:49punished as if you're trailing by like 10 points in the third quarter, they'll just start playing Kenneth Gainwell on all those
38:55plays and that's what creates like that volatility. Like you guys have even seen that with like Derrick Henry over the years.
39:01You've seen those charts of Derrick Henry in games where it's closer leading, you know, he has 18, 20 fantasy points per game.
39:08Suddenly you get in these games where they're losing and because he doesn't catch the passes, that's where you get like those eight, six point duds.
39:15Yeah. Raise the flag suggesting buck around and find out as a team name this year.
39:20I like it. All right. Let's do a little speed round here, Dwayne.
39:24Let's just some quick hitters here. In Miami, Caleb Douglas is trending up.
39:27I have, I'm in a lot of deep leagues.
39:30I have a lot of Caleb Douglas this year.
39:32Am I going to be happy or sad? I don't know if you're going to be happy or sad, Matthew, but I
39:39think you're going to get a chance to know really quickly, which is what we want.
39:43So you can decide if you're going to cut or keep the player like he's playing with the starters.
39:49He was their round three pick and it's all, it's all matching up what we're seeing in preseason, what we're seeing in training camp, good deep threat.
39:56I think he fits the kind of offense they want to play.
40:00Yeah. Made this one spectacular catch that made the rounds on social media.
40:04They activated Chris Bell off the pup, you know, which is great, but really it does feel like it's going to be
40:10Malik Washington and Caleb Douglas in this offense, which again, everyone's just like, oh, they're going to be awful.
40:15It's still an NFL offense. Like it's still going to, like, you know, they're still going to be able to move the ball, I think somewhat.
40:23So being used to see. And you qualified it.
40:25Deep league. These are deep league guys. These are deep league guys.
40:29I will say Chris Bell's my favorite once healthy, but we don't know how much longer that's going to take.
40:34That's a good point. I have, I mean, just to give you a point here, I have Caleb Douglas at wide receiver 70.
40:41Dwayne has him at wide receiver 67. So again, these are deep league guys, but you know, we try to cater to everyone.
40:48Hey, let's talk about Philadelphia here and Dontavian Wicks and Tank Bigsby.
40:51Two people that I'm particularly interested in, especially in somewhat deeper leagues.
40:54Yeah, I think Bigsby, you know, we talked about Marshawn Lloyd.
40:58He's right there. I am very willing to pull the trigger on these guys in the 120s to 130s ahead of my
41:04league mates because I just, I want to lock down these guys that are in good offenses that I think are the
41:10very clear cut handcuff to the running back one on the team.
41:14Saquon's getting up there a little bit, Matthew. So I, yeah, I love Tank Bigsby this year.
41:18So I think he's one of the best handcuff picks on the board.
41:22I agree. And I'll say with Dontavian Wicks, like this is a really deep league pick guys, but essentially right now Makai
41:28Lemon's injury has opened the door for him to start the season as the starter on the outside.
41:33And, you know, he's, he's flashed enough. Maybe he keeps it.
41:37So again, that would be a very deep league pick.
41:39I will say Makai Lemon did return from the hamstring injury.
41:43He's been back at practice. He did play in this game.
41:46I think he will eventually be the main guy we want instead of, you know, Devante Smith, our number one, ride or die.
41:52But Makai Lemon eventually will be the guy, not Wicks, but to start the season, it could be Wicks.
41:58I have Wicks at 176 overall wide receiver 69.
42:00So agreed with you, but I will say the other piece on Wicks here, who again has shown flashes and opportunities when
42:07he's gotten a chance is he comes from Green Bay where the new offensive coordinator of the Eagles, Sean Mannion, was last year.
42:13So there is a familiarity of this offense and a familiarity from, you know, new offensive coordinator.
42:18Hey, this is a guy who knows my system who I know if I tell him to run a 10 yard out,
42:24he's going to run a 10 yard out and he's going to know through.
42:28Um, uh, so I, I kind of like Wicks as a, as a deep flyer.
42:33Um, another guy that I kind of like as a deep flyer, again, these are all sort of deeper league guys, but
42:39Jacoby Lane is trending up in Baltimore, Dwayne. Yeah.
42:41Jacoby Lane, uh, you know, Elijah Sherratt was the guy I liked the most coming out, uh, between the two guys that
42:48the Ravens drafted, but you know, the Ravens did take Lane ahead of Elijah Sherratt in the NFL draft.
42:53And then now all the training camp reports have really been about Lane as the wide receiver three behind Rashad Bateman and Zay Flowers.
43:00Now we've seen that come to fruition in the preseason.
43:03Um, we had the backups in this game, but it was Jacoby Lane that was out there with Tyler Huntley.
43:09He played 100% of the snaps and then got to go to the sideline really early in the game, which is another
43:15thing we look for because essentially like those kind of guys are getting that treatment.
43:19The coaching staff is telling us we don't want them to get hurt.
43:23We're going to get them. We want to get a look at him.
43:26We're going to get him out of the game, but he's a really good red zone weapon.
43:31That's the big thing here. And I think the other thing that's really nice about him, Matthew, is we like the offense.
43:38A, you know, we get Declan Doyle coming over.
43:40And then we also have the fact that Rashad Bateman has not really been that good.
43:45So I think Jacoby Lane at some point this year will challenge Bateman.
43:48And we have the Bateman could get suspended. We don't know for sure what's going to happen.
43:53He's got some off-field stuff going on right now.
43:56He's also dealt with injuries. Like there's a lot of paths to Jacoby Lane having significant playing time on what is going
44:02to be one of the better offenses in the NFL.
44:05Mark Andrews is a little bit older as he's slowing down.
44:08They like Jacoby Lane as a red zone threat.
44:11I mean, yes, much the chagrin of my Dynasty League team that, you know, drafted him thinking first round draft capital on Rashad Bateman.
44:18And we've just been waiting for years and years and years for something to happen with Bateman.
44:22He just, he has not been consistently great, dealt with injuries.
44:26There's off-the-field issues there. So I'm with you on Jacoby Lane.
44:29He's kind of an interesting sleeper. You have a wide receiver 57.
44:32I'm at 64, so you're even higher on him than I am.
44:36But it's worth noting that literally the only wide receiver on the Ravens that had more than a 12% target share last year was Zay Flowers.
44:43Again, Bateman, tough year last year. Valiant Vincent saying, stop talking about Lane Bear.
44:47You're giving my sleepers away. Apologies, Valiant Vincent. Hey, producer Damian, make a note to send the rundown to Valiant Vincent.
44:53Figure out who we are allowed to talk about and who are not every single show.
44:58Hopefully this one won't bother Valiant Vincent. But over the Rams, Terrence Ferguson trending up.
45:02Now, this is a guy I know that you're very excited about, Dwayne.
45:06Yeah, so with Ferguson, we don't know what it's going to look like for sure on week one, Matthew, with the rotation.
45:12But he was given the night off with the starters this last week.
45:15Last week in their joint practices, he was absolutely dominating.
45:18There were also reports he was getting more work with the first team.
45:22So this is just one of those players that I like taking at the end of a draft and you see what happens in week one.
45:29If he's out there for 80% of the routes in week one, do you know how high we're going to move him in our ranks in week two?
45:37Right. Right. And within a couple of weeks, he might be in our top five or six tight ends because we really love the Rams offense.
45:45So we don't know for sure how that's going to play out, but like all of the little tidbits of information that
45:51we're picking up say that it's possible and he's a second year player.
45:55He does different things than the other tight ends on the offense.
45:58He can work vertical down the field, great red zone threat.
46:01I mean, there's a world where Terrence Ferguson's the second option on this team this year.
46:06I'm not saying that's happening, right? Puka and Devante Adams, but you know, I mean, an injury could strike, but I mean,
46:12he could easily be the third target. So I just think he's a guy you can get very late in your drafts guys.
46:19So where I like him is if you got boxed out at tight end and you didn't get any of the upside
46:25guys you wanted, maybe you had to take a Mark Andrews or a Goddard.
46:29I like coming back late with Ferguson and just tacking him on.
46:33Let's see what happens week one or two. If it doesn't happen, you can move on.
46:37Yeah. The Fergler awakens according to exhausted Texans fan.
46:40Yeah, I'm kind of in on the Fergler as well.
46:43I mean, I think the premise is right. We've seen whether it was Tyler Higbee or, you know, Colby Parkinson for moments.
46:49We've seen tight ends in Sean McVay's system have fantasy success.
46:52The problem is is like all those guys and others are still there.
46:56Brian Hickman suggests Fergalicious. But, you know, Ferguson is the youngest of the three.
47:00You're right. He has a different role in this offense.
47:03So absolutely, it costs very much worth a flyer here.
47:05Last six and a half minutes of the show, Dwayne, couple of quick ones for you.
47:10The Chiefs backup running back situation. Obviously, if something were to happen to Ken Walker, he hasn't always been healthy in his
47:16career, we'd be very interested in who the Chiefs starting running back is.
47:20But right now, we're not really sure who to draft if we draft Ken Walker for insurance.
47:25Yeah, I think it is Emmitt Johnson. You know, this last week, we did see Amari do Mercado play ahead of him.
47:31And the week before, it was Brashard Smith. But I think really what we're seeing here is Di Mercado and Brashard Smith,
47:37like they're kind of battling right now for who's going to be like kind of this passed down specialty player.
47:43But what we're seeing with Emmitt Johnson, he is the next man up in practice after Kenneth Walker.
47:48And so that's a shout out Zane Danani, at Danani Zane over on Twitter, guys.
47:52He's with us over here at Fantasy Life. He's grinding this camp news every day.
47:57And so if you're not following Zane, you should be so many nuggets every day.
48:01But just all when I put it all back together.
48:04Yeah, he's a fantastic. Honestly, I tell him, I don't know how you keep up with it all.
48:09Like, I mean, it's just so much that he's keeping up with.
48:12But he came into this game second on the fourth drive, you know, and he is the guy getting most of the carries.
48:19So I think if something happened to Walker, the one we would want to have is Emmitt Johnson.
48:24It could be a little murky, Matthew. It might be him, but not getting the pass reps.
48:29It could be one of these other guys. But I still think if one of them is to provide us value in
48:35fantasy this year, that's enough that we're like, oh man, I want to put him in my starting lineup.
48:41I do think that it's Emmitt Johnson. He's the most fun.
48:44He feels like he's got the most upside. It does feel like DeMicardo and Smith are competing for the, lack of a
48:50better way to phrase it, but the Jarek McKinnon role back in the day in this Andy Reid offense.
48:56So Emmitt Johnson, you know, worth a late round dart flow, a very late round dart throw, especially if you invest in Ken Walker.
49:02All right, last one here is Malik Davis pushing Jadon Blue for the Cowboys running back two job behind Javante Williams.
49:08What are you seeing out of Malik Davis? Yes, I mean, Davis started this last game.
49:13He played the first four drives before calling it a night.
49:16Jaden Blue rotated with him, but really just playing a little bit of the passing down work.
49:21He only had 28% of the snaps over those first four drives.
49:24And this ties back to what we've been hearing in camp, which is Jadon Blue is struggling with holding onto the football, Matthew.
49:31Not something new. That's not good. We've heard this about Jadon Blue before.
49:35And, you know, Schottenheimer knows Malik Davis. He used him at the end of last year when Javante Williams got his shoulder banged up.
49:41So I think Jadon Blue had this for a while.
49:44He was trending up, but the latest reports from camp and then what we saw validated in this preseason game really does
49:51start to give credence to the fact that it's going to be Malik Davis as the running back too.
49:56So I did move Davis up, move Jadon Blue down.
49:59Again, these are very deep league kind of players, guys.
50:02But like if we were hearing any news on Javante Williams, you know, knock on wood, we never want this to happen.
50:08But like if today I heard Javante Williams is out four weeks, the name I would go grab would be Malik Davis off the waiver wire.
50:15Yeah, I would agree with that. All sorts of great nuggets.
50:19Go check it out. Dwayne's utilization report for preseason week two is up on fantasylife.com for free.
50:23Go check that out. Do you have a promo code for fantasy life plus Dwayne?
50:28Dwayne. Dwayne. Dwayne. Yes. So a code Dwayne gets 10% off or does it get 20% off?
50:33How much is it? It's 10% right now. Yeah, same with me.
50:36Promo code Barry gets you 10% off. So I'll be curious to see who you like better.
50:41Use promo code Dwayne or promo code Barry at fantasylife.com.
50:44We'll see which one of us drives the most subs today.
50:47I'll put my money on you on this one.
50:49So what we'll see, you never know. No, I mean the regulars, like, you know, listen, the regulars, they go back and forth on me.
50:57So we will see there, Dwayne. What else? One last one for you here before I let you go.
51:02I know that, you know, my ride or die came out last week.
51:06It was Devante Smith. Love to hear your reaction to that pick.
51:09But more importantly, who would your pick be? I know I did an article earlier in the year where I asked for
51:15suggestions and your suggestion to me was Colston Loveland.
51:18Would it still be Colston Loveland? Did I make a wrong choice with Smith?
51:22I'm curious where you sit now in the world of ride or die.
51:26No, I don't think you made a wrong choice at all.
51:29My final two when I was, you know, writing up something for you to send like my candidates that I was getting
51:35it down to, they were Devante Smith and Colston Loveland.
51:38Those were my two finalists, yeah. Yeah, Devante Smith's one of my most drafted wide receivers.
51:42I'm about 160 drafts in. Obviously, a lot of those are best balled at this point, but I mean, I have a
51:49ton of Devante Smith and I loved your call out that like this could be this year's JSN and that's something that I wrote about too.
51:56So I know you've been on Devante Smith since early in the offseason.
52:00We've even chatted a little bit. So I think we're both very aligned there.
52:04I'll just say on Colston Loveland for you guys, like it's Ben Johnson's offense.
52:08We've got DJ Moore out of there now. So it's going to be another really condensed offense.
52:13It's going to be Loveland, Odunze, as well as Luther Burden once he's healthy.
52:17And we just, we like the offense so much.
52:19And what Colston Loveland did towards the end of last year, I just think about it really simply, Matthew.
52:25And I think about, all right, which tight end that goes after the top two?
52:29What do I think would be most likely that next year were like, man, you got to grab that guy in round two.
52:36It's Colston Loveland. Tyler Warren in that conversation, Tucker crash in that conversation.
52:39But Warren is my favorite guy. He just, you, a unique combination of being able to earn targets, but also do it downfield.
52:46You know, the guys that have broken fantasy historically at tight end do those two things.
52:50So think Gronk, think Jimmy Graham, not just a check down guy.
52:54This guy can score a lot of touchdowns. And that's what Loveland is.
52:57I mean, we've seen this like in terms of average depth of target.
53:01Uh, who you think I am says not enough Pino ingested today.
53:05Well, we had a lot of information to get to it's a Monday, Julio, for the love of God.
53:10Dwayne is super smart. I had to be on my toes for, uh, Dwayne McFarlane, whose utilization report once again is just
53:16an unbelievable resource every single week at fantasylife.com. Please follow him on social media at Dwayne McFarland.
53:21Dwayne, the rock McFarland. Thank you so much for coming here.
53:24Hopefully we can get you back soon, Dwayne. Great job.
53:27Tomorrow on the show, our buddy Andy Behrens will be joining us.
53:31My old pal Andy Behrens from Talents of Miss Roe.
53:33I gave Andy Behrens his start at my Talents of Miss Roe to start way back in the day.
53:39So it'll be fun to have Andy. Uh, love hate is coming up on Thursday.
53:43Please like and subscribe. But for now, it's closing time, which means you don't have to go, but you can't stay here.
53:49Peace out.
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