Ladd McConkey Profile & Previewing AFC West
STACKED extracted the fantasy-relevant player signal from this podcast and kept the full transcript here for context.
1 hr 9 min
Duration
Estimated from transcript
Jul 24, 2026
Published
Fri, July 24, 2026
26
Player insights
21
Players mentioned
Topics
Ladd McConkeyJ.K. DobbinsPatrick MahomesRJ HarveyBrock BowersCourtland SuttonDavid NjokuFernando MendozaHenry RuggsJalen NailorJaylen WaddleJustin HerbertKeaton MitchellKeenan Allen
Player analysis
Player insights
Brock Bowers
NegativeValue50:51
The source states that 'no one who wants to adhere to our, yours and my drafting philosophy is going to have Brock Bowers.' Bowers is described as 'certainly not cheap' and priced at the 'top of the market' despite the Raiders' poor offensive situation. The source's drafting philosophy explicitly excludes paying premium prices for players on hopeless offenses.
Insight pageCourtland Sutton
NegativeRole30:25
Sutton's role in the Broncos offense is not expected to change significantly. The source suggests that the Broncos are not a team worth monitoring closely for fantasy purposes unless someone gets injured, and that opinions about Sutton and Waddle shouldn't drive decision-making.
Insight pageDavid Njoku
NegativeRole38:20
Njoku is not good enough to be a draftable tight end or squeeze into the top eight or ten, but he's still good enough to muck things up for Rondae Gadsden. The source uses the nickname 'Fire Pit' to describe him—like going to a fire pit that sounds amazing but sucks after five minutes. Njoku is ranked 31st among tight ends and represents a problem for Gadsden's upside.
Insight pageFernando Mendoza
NegativeProjection58:40
The source gave Fernando Mendoza a Jared Goff comparison in the Almanac, 'maybe that's even a little aggressive.' Mendoza is described as 'an option guy and a half field read kind of guy' and 'if you love immobile Jalen hurts, you know, you're going to love this guy.' The source notes 'there's a long way to go' and that Mendoza 'was not great when they faced like meat grinder defenses,' though he had 'an incredible season' with 'some great throws' and 'great moments.' The co-the source hopes Mendoza succeeds and notes he led 'the greatest college season of our lifetimes.'
Insight pageHenry Ruggs
PositiveValue52:40
The source notes he's 'discovering I might be in on HN' (Henry Ruggs), which is 'a really weird place' for him given he's 'been wrongly negative on HN for a while.' The co-the source counters that Ruggs 'has proved it on the field' and is 'an explosive playmaker' in a way that Gentry 'very clearly is not,' with A-plus speed and A-plus elusiveness. The source had been 'blasted' for his previous negativity on Ruggs.
Insight pageJ.K. Dobbins
PositiveValue22:02
Harris and Andy Behrens agree that J.K. Dobbins is being underrated by the NFL buying public in 2025, likely as a proxy effect of Harvey being overestimated. Harris suggests Dobbins' ADP or draft capital is depressed relative to his actual role and production potential in the Broncos backfield.
Insight pagePositiveValue25:10
Dobbins is a true afterthought in drafts and almost certainly going to be the primary runner for the Denver Broncos to begin the season. He was really good last year and represents significant value compared to R.J. Harvey, who is being drafted much earlier despite Harvey's unclear role. The source emphasizes that nobody drafting Harvey is getting him with great value—they're paying for him—whereas Dobbins is being overlooked.
Insight pageJalen Nailor
PositiveBreakout54:30
The source is skeptical of Jalen Naylor despite the Raiders' reported interest and media talking points about him being 'the presumptive one until proven otherwise.' The source watched Naylor's film and concluded 'I don't think he's fast' and questions whether the Vikings would have drafted Jordan Addison in the first round if they truly believed in Naylor. The source views Naylor as having 'already had your chance to impress me' at age 27, and states 'I don't think it's going to happen' regarding a breakout. The source will not be 'fooled' by Naylor hype.
Insight pageJaylen Waddle
NegativeRole30:25
Waddle's addition to the Broncos creates a numbers problem for the receiving core. The source notes that the Broncos are not a team to be monitoring closely for fantasy purposes, and that opinions about Sutton and Waddle shouldn't drive decision-making. The offense cannot support multiple viable fantasy receivers.
Insight pageJustin Herbert
PositiveProjection5:51
Harris views Justin Herbert as 'mighty good' and believes the Chargers' 2024 offensive collapse was not Herbert's fault. Harris is 'giving Herbert a mulligan' and projects he will deliver in 2025 if the offensive line improves and the team's coordinator situation is resolved. Harris references his own Justin Herbert profile (mentioned earlier in the episode) as supporting evidence for Herbert's QB quality.
Insight pageKeaton Mitchell
PositiveRole31:00
Mitchell is going to play for the Chargers and is perfect for Mike McDaniel's system. He's a 'bird bone' guy who is explosive and hits the line hard but will never be the featured runner. The source expects Mitchell to get a slice of the workload—roughly 20-25% of snaps—as a complementary back. He's a cheap/free option with upside if the Chargers offense becomes elite like peak Dolphins with Devon Etienne and Raheem Mostert.
Insight pageKeenan Allen
NegativeRole5:51
Harris notes that 33-year-old Keenan Allen competed for targets with McConkey in 2024, contributing to McConkey's decline in production. Harris frames Allen as a factor in McConkey's reduced role rather than as a primary driver of the Chargers' offensive struggles.
Insight pageKenneth Walker III
PositiveProjection45:02
The source ranks Kenneth Walker RB8 and notes he's ranked aggressively but not wildly; the co-the source has him RB12. Walker is described as 'a really good player' coming off 'quite a heater at the most important weeks of last season.' The source expects minimal market movement barring injury, with Walker going later in ADP than Amar'e Hampton despite his strong late-season production.
Insight pageKimani Vidal
NegativeRole31:00
Vidal's role in the Chargers backfield is a legitimate variable for those invested in O'Marian Hampton. The source expects Vidal to receive some percentage of the workload but doesn't expect to learn much about his involvement during training camp. If Hampton is the 40% guy and Keaton Mitchell is the 25% guy, Vidal would get the remainder, but the source doesn't anticipate significant fantasy relevance.
Insight pageLadd McConkey
NegativeBust5:51
McConkey ranked WR14 on Harris's preseason list but finished WR11 in ADP at 26 overall; he busted in 2024, losing 16 catches and 360 yards from his rookie to sophomore season. Harris attributes the decline to multiple factors: ankle issues in training camp, AC joint and calf injuries midseason, foot issues late in the year, competition from Quentin Johnston and 33-year-old Keenan Allen, and a Chargers offense that 'leaked oil and seized up.' Harris notes McConkey didn't miss games by NFL standards but questions whether his rookie-year run was sustainable given his slot-only role, inability to consistently beat press coverage, and lack of elite size or speed.
Insight pagePositiveProjection5:51
Harris believes McConkey's 2025 upside was overvalued in 2024 drafts and that he deserves a mulligan given the Chargers' offensive collapse. Harris cites film evidence of McConkey's skill: he's 'super quick coming out of breaks,' clever on option routes, and showed flashes of elite play—roasting Jeff Okuda for a TD in Week 8 vs. Vikings and scoring on a wheel route TD in Week 16 vs. Cowboys. Harris projects McConkey will be 'the biggest part' of the Chargers' passing game in 2025 if Herbert stays healthy and the offensive line improves, though 'not quite as big a part as his advocates predicted last summer.' Harris also notes McConkey is a slot player who doesn't consistently beat press coverage and lacks elite size or speed.
Insight pagePositiveSleeper9:00
Josh Purnell (Yacht Club contributor) calls McConkey a 'charter member' of his 'cutie phylum'—a collection of under-6-foot receivers he's buying stock in. Josh projects McConkey will be on his fantasy teams and believes the Chargers will 'hum adorably' if they fix the offensive line and give Herbert a real coordinator.
Insight pageMike Washington Jr.
NegativeRole50:51
The source notes that Mike Washington 'occasionally got first team reps and OTAs' but states 'I don't care about that. Per se.' The source expects Washington's camp performance will not materially change assessments of Ashton Gentry or the Raiders' running back situation, as 'you're not going to learn too much about Mike Washington that's going to change your opinion on Gentry.'
Insight pageOmarion Hampton
NegativeProjection35:00
Hampton is being drafted in the second round but carries significant downside risk that the source believes is not being priced into his ADP. He's a completely unproven player who got hurt last year and has real problems on film. The source argues that if everything is perfect, Hampton could be RB1, but if things go wrong like they did for Saquon Barkley last year, he could lose his job entirely. Unlike other second-round backs like Barkley and A-Chain, Hampton has no healthy downside built into his rank. The source expects him to be the 40% guy in a committee with Keaton Mitchell (25%) and Kamani Vidal.
Insight pagePat Bryant
NegativeRole28:35
Bryant faces tough circumstances in the Broncos offense. The source dismisses last year's Sean Payton comparisons of Bryant to Michael Thomas as irrelevant, noting that the Broncos offense and quarterback cannot support three or four viable fantasy wide receivers. This is rough news for anyone who bought into those optimistic narratives about Bryant's role.
Insight pagePatrick Mahomes
NegativeInjury40:50
Mahomes is ranked QB12-QB13 heading into drafts due to legitimate concerns about his knee injury recovery. The source is skeptical of ahead-of-schedule injury reports (comparing them to Tom Brady's 2009 reports that proved overly optimistic) and notes that mobility in the pocket and comfort level will be issues during rehab. A slow start is a legitimate concern. The source doesn't expect to learn much in training camp other than whether he's active every day. Mahomes has not been in great shape historically, but this injury may force him to become more disciplined with his body like Tom Brady did.
Insight pageNegativeProjection44:10
Mahomes is ranked QB12-QB13 and the source cannot imagine him bubbling up the draft board. The Chiefs have been a middle-of-the-pack offense for the last two years, and the 5,000-passing-yard version of Mahomes hasn't been seen in a while. The team doesn't have the receiving core to support elite passing production, so the source doesn't expect vintage Patrick Mahomes to walk through the door.
Insight pageQuentin Johnston
PositiveRole5:51
Harris cites Quentin Johnston as one of the reasons McConkey's 2024 production declined, noting that Johnston 'got in the way' of McConkey's target share. This implies Johnston took meaningful snaps and targets in the Chargers' passing game in 2024.
Insight pageRJ Harvey
NegativeValue22:02
Harris and Andy Behrens agree that R.J. Harvey is being overestimated by the NFL buying public in 2025. Harris frames Harvey as the 'six foot invisible rabbit' and suggests that optimists for Harvey may need to see specific training camp stories to justify their bullish takes. Harris implies Harvey's ADP or draft capital is inflated relative to his actual NFL role and production potential.
Insight pageNegativeRole22:35
Harvey has a known role and is not going to be a full workload featured back; he can be part of the answer but not all of it. Despite an extended audition in the second half of the season with J.K. Dobbins out, his yardage totals weren't great and he was touchdown-dependent for fantasy relevance. The source believes enthusiasm has dimmed because he wasn't thrilling as a back, and some in the fantasy community are already moving on to Jonah Coleman.
Insight pageTre Tucker
PositiveBreakout54:30
The source expresses openness to Trey Tucker as a potential breakout candidate from the Raiders' wide receiver room, noting 'I'm a little more open with, you know, Tucker.' Tucker is described as 'a weird player' whose game 'always looks a little sloppy and he kind of double catches some balls,' but 'he can make big plays' and has 'traits' that make the source 'pretty interested' in his potential to 'level up.' The source would be 'a little bit more interested' if Tucker gets 'buzzy in camp.'
Insight pageFull transcript
Episode Transcript
0:00It's the Harris Football Podcast with your host, Christopher Harris.
0:03Hey everybody! Welcome in! My name is Chris and this is a show about the collected works of Homer.
0:10And I do mean Simpson. Hello there! What is going on?
0:14Thank you so much for listening. This is starting to get pretty real.
0:18A new season really getting close. We're getting training camp started this weekend.
0:22The blurbs are popping. Blurbs are. I love to get a blurb that says, Malik Neighbors, oh baby, let's go!
0:29Not on the PUP! Immediately follow up with a blurb that says, Beware, just because Malik Neighbors isn't on PUP doesn't mean he can do anything yet.
0:38Ah yes, it is the silly season. That's why we do shows in July to try and prepare ourselves for the avalanche,
0:46the onslaught of quote-unquote information, and the hot takery that ensues.
0:50Uh, I personally, probably you, can never believe how loud and stupid it gets, and yet every year it gets louder and stupider.
0:57And we will do our best not to get too persuaded by silly stuff throughout the next month.
1:03All right, I'm going to start out by saying, oh baby, I have book tour dates and locations.
1:10An actual book tour, which will, I'm calling it a book tour stupid, it's just going to be regular Harris football meetups
1:17that I've done a lot of times. Just a little bit tacked on at the beginning, where I will read the attendees
1:24something from my new novel, Pound Foolish. But Chris, didn't you have a new novel just recently that came out that you made me buy?
1:33No, actually, other voice in my head. The last time I published a novel was 2018, eight years ago, believe it or not.
1:41That one was called Tulsa, and a lot of you read it, and that was so lovely.
1:46Thank you very much for that. This one is called Pound Foolish.
1:51I will have information about how to pre-order the book very soon, and I'll probably, you know, ask you, because there are
1:58some, like, bestseller lists it would be really good to be on.
2:02But the difference also this time is that in the case of Tulsa and my other books, yeah, that wasn't me publishing it.
2:10The publishing industry now is such that I'm going to put it out myself.
2:15I just threw up my hands. Never done that before.
2:18Cumulative Press is publishing it. Cumulative. That's what I want.
2:21I'm also arranging my own tour, although, of course, that's very much not true, because in each of the cities I'll be
2:29visiting, a yacht possum has secured a venue for me, so they've really done the work.
2:34In all the cases, it's going to be a bar.
2:38I will, of course, publicize these a lot in the coming weeks, but you might as well, since it's decided, I can tell you now.
2:46It is a Pacific time zone thing. Sunday, August 23rd, we'll be in the Seattle area, actually down in Tacoma.
2:53Monday, August 24th, we'll be in Portland, Oregon. Tuesday, August 25th, Las Vegas, Nevada.
2:58And Wednesday, August 26th, Phoenix, Arizona. The events will, I'm going to guess, we're going to, it's not totally set, but seven.
3:05You know, like seven. So you can go after work.
3:09That's the idea. I'm working on all the details about how to get books signed for anyone who wants one.
3:15I'm sure we'll have that option. We'll figure it out.
3:19I just don't know the details yet. The book itself doesn't come out until 9-1, until September 1st, officially, but we're going to make it happen.
3:28There will also be an event here in Los Angeles.
3:31That's the one I don't have complete clarity on, but we will soon enough.
3:36And it'll be right after. It'll be after the other group.
3:39You don't, you can. Feel free to write it down.
3:43You don't really need to, because as long as you're going to listen to other shows in August, believe me, you're going to hear those details again.
3:52But it's official. Seattle, Portland, Las Vegas, Phoenix, and then LA.
3:56If you're going to be in those towns, come hang out.
3:59I think it'll be really fun. A little reading over a PA, and then just shooting the breeze like any other meetup
4:07that we've done in many cities, and they've always been fun, and just come away loving everybody, and it's super cool.
4:14So I really think it's just fun to meet the opossums.
4:18I love them. And we had a lot of volunteers across this country and other countries to host reading events, because I
4:25mentioned it back in April on the show. I am committed right now, right here.
4:30I'm going to write everybody an email who wrote in and suggesting.
4:34I'm sorry I couldn't take everybody up, because, you know, just obviously it's a tough time of year, and I'm going to stay closer to the West Coast.
4:44But thank you to everybody who volunteered. Your generosity truly knows no bounds.
4:48Like 50 people write in and say, hey, I'll help you figure something out.
4:53Just an incredible, incredible audience. You can expect an email from me thanking you this weekend.
4:58Okay, and also, of course, Almanac Day. This is a busy month coming up for the old possum captain or whatever I am.
5:06August 3rd is Almanac Day, the first edition of the Almanac.
5:10That's a week from Monday. Holy moly. The Almanac is in very good shape, though.
5:15I think you'll love the art. It's hilarious. Hopefully the writing is just as funny and maybe even a little bit insightful.
5:22You can preorder that bad boy right now, if you like, at harrisfootball.com.
5:27Since we're talking about the AFC West on this podcast today, how about we read a profile from that division of someone
5:34we probably won't talk too much about otherwise. Later in the show, you've already seen the title of the episode.
5:41So you know it's Ladd McConkey. His pod nickname is listed right there.
5:46He's the Lad Young Lad. And his profile will read a little something like this.
5:51I told you before last season, I had misgivings about ranking the Lad Young Lad.
5:56He wound up wide receiver 14 on my list, and that was low.
6:00Overall, in ADP, he ended as the wide receiver 11 and number 26 overall.
6:05So mercifully, I didn't have him on any of my own teams.
6:09But I also didn't call him a bust. And oh boy, did he ever bust.
6:14How does a young player lose 16 catches and 360 yards between his first and second seasons?
6:20Well, sometimes he gets hurt. Sometimes he simply wasn't as good as we thought.
6:25Sometimes a new player on the same team is better and more undeniable.
6:29Sometimes he loses his quarterback. And sometimes his entire offense leaks oil and seizes up and begins leaving little bits of itself all over the highway.
6:38We probably don't know the right answer yet for McConkie.
6:41His 2025 campaign wasn't particularly marred by injury. He was limited in training camp with ankle issues.
6:47He showed up on reports around midseason with an AC joint and a calf toward the end of the year with a foot.
6:55But he didn't miss games by NFL standards. That's a pretty clean bill of health.
7:00If his wonky season happened because Quentin Johnston and 33-year-old Keenan Allen got in the way, sorry, then McConkie's not as special as anyone thought.
7:08And as you saw up in Justin Herbert's profile, I still think the QB is mighty good.
7:14So maybe McConkie isn't great. Or maybe the 25 Chargers left a massive stain in the road.
7:20I'm betting on the latter. I think McConkie's upside was overvalued in drafts last year.
7:25He went on a spectacular run toward the end of his rookie season.
7:29But even at the time, I expressed reservations about him as some undeniable force.
7:34He's mainly a slot player, doesn't consistently beat press coverage, won't blow you away with size or speed.
7:40And yeah, the next thing out of someone's mouth who describes a wide receiver that way usually says, but that's what they said about Amon Ross St.
7:49Brown. But there just aren't too many ARSBs or offenses that gear everything around a slot guy.
7:55Yet, I do think McConkie is better than his 25 numbers.
7:59He absolutely super quick coming out of breaks. He's clever breaking off an option route and coming back for the ball.
8:06There are times on film, like week 8 against the Vikings, where they did match him up one-on-one on the outside, and
8:13he roasted poor Jeff Okuda for a touchdown. Or like week 16 against the Cowboys, where he got a wheel route from
8:21the Dallas 25 and just ran past everyone for a bomb touchdown.
8:25And mostly, I think once we got to week 4, LA's offensive line just ruined everything.
8:30I'm giving Herbert a mulligan, and I think McConkie deserves one too.
8:34I can't draw a perfect straight line and tell you, oh baby, this is exactly how Mike McDaniel will use McConkie, because
8:42duh, good play callers develop their systems around new players.
8:45Grant those twin monster chargers tackles a season of health.
8:49I think Herbert delivers, and I think McConkie will be the biggest part of that.
8:54Even if it's not quite as big a part as his advocates predicted last summer.
8:59And then, it just so happens, this is a profile that also has a cousin Josh says.
9:05So Josh weighs in a little on our small friend, the lad young lad.
9:09It says, This is the year I start my cutie phylum.
9:13McConkie is a charter member. He's like one of those little oranges you can fit in your pocket.
9:19I'm out here seeking out the cutest and best under 6 foot receivers, buying up all the stock in their football cards,
9:27and making tiny little shrines to them. And that really does start with McConkie, and I'm going to have him on some fantasy teams too.
9:35You fix that offensive line, you give Herbert a real coordinator, the chargers go right back to humming adorably.
9:42So the cutie phylum, we're working on that. We're workshopping that for Josh.
9:46He'll forget he said it though. He'll be on, what, in two weeks and he won't remember.
9:52Maybe he will, I don't know. That's a very fun profile anyway.
9:56I like Josh's contribution. I think in general you have fun with the almanac.
10:01That is, you know, the almanac is kind of the sunshiny part of my football writing for the summer and Pound Foolish.
10:08So did I say it's a sequel to Slotback Rhapsody?
10:11Kind of. Slotback was my first book that ever got published when I came out of MFA school before I ever covered
10:19any of this stuff for a living. And if you want to get Slotback, you can hear me read it.
10:26You can get it anywhere you get books. So Mouse Morrison was the main character of that book.
10:32And Mouse is one of the main guys in Pound Foolish as well.
10:36And like it's the same universe and it's the same team, but the scope is just different.
10:42It's wider. There's more what you consider to be like main characters.
10:46I think there certainly is lots of fun and funny football stuff in there.
10:51But yeah, also sometimes you can feel a little conflicted about being a fan of the NFL and maybe part of Pound
10:58Foolish will speak to that as well. Anyway, I can't wait for you to read both of them.
11:04I can't wait to meet some of you at the events when they happen at the end of next month.
11:11And thank you all for so much support. Today's kickoff.
11:14Okay, on today's show, as I said, AFC West.
11:18We're going division by division. We're trying to tune up our ears to not take the bait on the incredible volume of
11:25nothing that's about to land on top of us and hopefully be surgical about what we pay attention to.
11:31That'll be a look at the Broncos, Chargers, Chiefs, and Raiders.
11:35To help me do that, one Mr. Andrew Barron's paywall Andy himself will join the show.
11:41I think you'll have fun. And I thank you again so much for listening today.
11:46We are sponsored today by Z-Biotics. You've heard me talk about it.
11:50If you drink alcohol and you still haven't tried pre-alcohol from Z-Biotics, you have nothing to lose.
11:56You know, I had a poker game here aboard the yacht last week.
12:00Jeff Erickson was here, not Jeff Erickson. I was drinking alcohol.
12:04You better believe I drank Z-Biotics first. They have 100% happiness guarantee, so you should try it.
12:09It's your first drink before drinking, and when I drink a Z-Biotics first, I feel way better in the morning than I have any right to feel.
12:19It's the world's first genetically engineered probiotic, so it tackles rough mornings after drinking.
12:23It converts the toxic byproduct that alcohol creates in your gut to something less harmful before it gets downstream.
12:30I could not recommend it more. What a great discovery.
12:33Try it out before your fantasy draft. You can, like, give it out as party favors.
12:39Truly great. Go to zbiotics.com slash Harris and use the code Harris.
12:43You'll get 15% off at checkout. If it doesn't work for you, get all of your money back.
12:49No reason not to try. 15% off. zbiotics.com slash Harris.
12:52Code Harris. Today's guest. Hey, everybody. It's Stinky at the Pooh.
12:56Am I the Pooh? Am I the Pooh? Well, you have to have a take, baby.
13:01Stinky. You know, Stinky. Baby. Baby. Ain't going to be the last time I refer to myself as the Pooh, I'll tell you.
13:09W-P-O-O. The Stinky. So, that's something that the people haven't heard.
13:13Who listened to the free show and don't, don't, the main show, I should say, and don't hear the Yacht Club because, yes, indeed, it is the Pooh.
13:22Hi, Pooh. What's going on? So good. Hey, great to be with you, Stink.
13:27Great to be here with all the Poohsters. Love you guys.
13:31So, Josh Purnell, who is a Yacht Club subscriber.
13:34So, I mean, let me take a step back for those of you who aren't subscribed or are on the main show.
13:41I'm so happy to have you listening. It's totally fine you're not subscribed.
13:46I'm trying to do most of the business over here on the main show, but there are some things that we talk about over there in the offseason.
13:55We did a couple of actual episodes of Stinky and the Pooh, the mythological call-in talk radio show that I invented in
14:03my head like several years ago on the main show and assumed the character- And then we put it behind a paywall.
14:10Yeah, perfect. With paywall, Andy. And I'm Stinky and You're the Pooh and yeah, so that's a thing.
14:16And then Josh made us a theme song. So, you had the genius idea on your reemergence on the main show to
14:24give us the Stinky and the Pooh theme song.
14:27Anyway, it is Andy Behrens and many of you have been listening to Andy and myself speak every single week.
14:34Some of you have not, however, and so I welcome you back to the show, Andy.
14:39Thank you. It is a pleasure to be here.
14:42So, you're going to help along with the divisional preview here momentarily, but let's do a couple pieces of business.
14:49Probably if you made a donation and you didn't hear, you probably know that you didn't get picked.
14:55We have already done that draft, me and 11 yacht clubbers.
14:59But we raised thousands. We raised thousands for Fantasy Cares.
15:02And I never took a moment to- Because you actually announced that on a yacht club show that I wasn't on.
15:09Right. So, I didn't get to say thank you.
15:12So, I mean, we were at thousands of dollars for an amazing cause.
15:17It's the first time Scott has ever done that, where he put together a division consisting entirely of one person's, you know, content ecosystem.
15:25Terrible words. Terrible words. And, you know, and like said, hey, if you donate, if you can get enough people to donate
15:32one group, then, you know, we'll just put 11 people in with you.
15:37And that happened. And we did the draft. It was great fun.
15:41And just wanted to, for those of you who didn't get picked, I'm sorry, but amazing behavior.
15:46I'm so happy that you did that. It's a great cause.
15:50Thank you so much for doing it. Yeah. Great response from everyone.
15:54And huge thanks to Scott for, you know, whatever.
15:57Maybe it's not that difficult to throw together, but I think giving us an entire league to fill was pretty cool.
16:04It was lovely. And thanks for Greg for like facilitating the whole thing.
16:09It was like, it was Greg Berthium's entire idea.
16:12And he's amazing too. And thank you for that.
16:15But one little order of business is, so the Yacht Club persists.
16:19The Yacht Club is, it's been Mondays here all the way through the off season.
16:24This coming Monday, there'll be a Yacht Club episode.
16:27And then as we get to August, the Yacht Club is moving to its normal home of Wednesday.
16:33And so the Wednesday version of the main show will be behind paywall again.
16:38And so it'll be four free shows per week with ads and then one with myself and with Andy on Wednesdays all
16:45the way through August and then all the way through the season that doesn't have ads and is for Yacht Club subscribers.
16:53And we made a little change to the way you can subscribe if you're interested in doing it, which is if you'd
17:00like to be an annual subscriber, if you want to buy the full year to start, you get a little discount.
17:07So if you go to either thedeepshot.com, Andy's blog, or you can go to harrisfootball.com, there's a way in to click a
17:15subscription and you'll get to a page that gives you the option between monthly or annual.
17:20And so we have a lot of people who are currently monthly because we never had the annual before.
17:27It's very, if you'd like to switch over, it's very easy.
17:31You have to manage your own account, be logged in.
17:34And once you're logged in, I don't know, if you can't figure it out, you can email me.
17:40Hey, harris at harrisfootball.com. I do a lot of tech support for this stupid thing anyway, so I don't mind helping.
17:47But yeah, so you can subscribe annually. Save yourself, you know, it's $50 for, is that right?
17:53$50 for the year? $50 for the year. Yeah.
17:56Or $5 a month. Yeah. And $5 a month.
17:59So it's basically save $10. Yep. And so if you want to change over your current subscription, go do it.
18:06If you want to start a new subscription, you want it to be annual, go do it.
18:12And you can find at thedeepshot.com or you can go to harrisfootball as well.
18:16What do you have going at the Deep Shot?
18:19I mean, we're here in the last week of July.
18:23It's the last, is this the last Friday of July?
18:26Not quite, but almost. What's the plan here headed forward at the Deep Shot?
18:31Yeah, I just posted, I mean, it's boring. It's kind of boring content.
18:35I just posted a bunch of Dynasty ranks over there.
18:39And I'm writing up a few tight end thoughts right now that hopefully I'll have out the door before I leave for the Fantasy Expo on Friday.
18:48Who knows? Hard to say. But obviously content is about to ramp up.
18:52Dalton Daldon, myself, doing the usual preseason thing. Okay, cool.
18:56You mean today when you leave for the Fantasy Football Expo?
18:59That's what you mean, right? I'm trying to change my...
19:03Yes, that is... That's what I meant, Stink. Right.
19:06Today. We're not recording this day before. I don't know what you're talking about.
19:11All right, so let's do the AFC West. We're going to do previewing the training camps.
19:16You've only been doing this with me, picking a division for something like a decade.
19:21So I'm sure you won't stumble. And anytime anybody does stumble in these July episodes, what glee you have when texting me
19:29saying, hearing you yell at your friends over fantasy football is one of the great joys of my life.
19:35That's what you always say. We were just talking about this like, oh man, I was listening to the Kluge episode and
19:42Dave was going down a path where he's talking about EPA and like a missed tackle rate.
19:48And I'm like, no, Dave! Dave, stop! Dave, come back to the light.
19:53The great... Like people get... There's obviously something in the culture now that the moment anybody hears anybody disagree with anybody.
20:00There is just a certain segment of the population that says, that's so cringe.
20:04That's so cringe. I can't listen. I can't listen.
20:08And every time it happens, I get emails. I'm canceling listening to your podcast.
20:12I can't do it anymore. Why are you so mean?
20:16No. And whereas in that particular... It's not always Dave, but like in that particular case, I know what you're talking about.
20:23It was like two weeks ago and it was Dave.
20:27Do you think Dave for one minute was like, that was brutal.
20:31I can't believe it. Like we laugh afterwards. Dave is like, Dave is the nicest person in the world.
20:37We're such good friends. He doesn't care. Yeah. Yeah.
20:40No. I mean, it was so good. Also, that's...
20:43I don't know. That's good. That's good discussion. That's how it ought to be.
20:48There ought to be a little bit of... You know, we should not all be in the exact same place on everyone all the time.
20:56I mean... And our approaches shouldn't be the same.
20:59And so like if I'm asking a particular set of questions and someone is answering another set of questions, it should be
21:07perfectly okay for somebody to say, okay, but I want to put a little degree of friction here and say, that's all
21:14well and good, but I don't really care about that right now.
21:18I'm asking you about this. And then... Yeah. So whatever.
21:22I'm not telling people who feel cringe not to feel cringe.
21:26You can't control it. You feel it. I think it's funny because trust me when I tell you that when Raybon and
21:33I argue over something, we're like really good pals.
21:36You think Raybon cares? He loves it. He thinks it's funny.
21:40Mix it up. Chop it up as it were.
21:43All right. Anyway, so let's mix it up on some teams here in which we're previewing training camps.
21:49We'll give our takes, but also you and I know each other's takes so well because we've been doing a show together every week for a long time.
21:58And that includes the Broncos backfield, which is where I'll start.
22:02We've just spent a lot of time in the off season talking about J.K.
22:07Dobbins and R.J. Harvey, the six foot invisible rabbit.
22:10But the biggest part of it that I'd like to discuss for right now is just we are where we are and
22:17you and I are in a very similar place, which is we think R.J.
22:22Harvey is being overestimated by the NFL buying public, as it were, and probably by proxy J.K.
22:28Dobbins is being underrated. And so I guess like a survey of the stories that we might get that could maybe change
22:35your and my opinion and change our ranks or conversely stories that the optimists for Harvey might require in order for them to change their takes.
22:44Can I can I just give you a sample of one of the stories involving R.J.
22:50Harvey that I'm just I just happen to be seeing it right now.
22:54I have fired up the pro football reference. I'm looking at his page and one of the stories on the page is R.J.
23:02Harvey watching more film as he heads into year two.
23:05OK, that'll do it. All right. That'll do it.
23:08I mean, it's good, right? Like, you know, throw yourself into your job.
23:13Everybody should. That's a good good for R.J. Harvey.
23:16I'm I you know this. Anybody who's listened to the Yacht Club shows know this.
23:21I'm I'm pretty locked in on this situation. I you know, I I don't imagine my own opinion of these two runners changing.
23:29I think R.J. Harvey has a known role. I actually think anybody who I don't know, I feel I feel like maybe
23:36some of the enthusiasm has dimmed out there a little bit because he did get an extended audition second half of the season.
23:44J.K. Dobbins out of the mix. And, you know, there was a little bit of touchdown deodorant to it.
23:50He kept scoring. So that was good. He was fine for fantasy, but he wasn't.
23:55It's not like he was a thrilling back. Nobody could have said so.
24:00The yardage totals weren't great. So I actually feel like a certain segment, you know, like the futurists in the fantasy community
24:07who only ever care about what things are going to be like in two or three years and are never really focused on the current season.
24:16I kind of I kind of think they're messing around with Jonah Coleman already.
24:21And there there may be maybe they're over the R.J.
24:24Harvey era. Yeah, because I think it's pretty clear.
24:27He's just not going to be a full workload featured back for anybody can be part of the it can be part of the answer.
24:36It's not going to be all him. But I think I feel like there I feel like people are searching for ways to make Jonah Coleman a thing.
24:45And I personally think J.K. Dobbins is too good for that.
24:49Yeah, I think I think probably the right answer is is how you started it, which is to say wherever you are
24:56is probably where you're going to stay without an injury.
25:00It probably isn't really worth wasting brain cells clicking on any articles about Bronco running backs and what people are saying about them and stuff like it.
25:09Just I think it's just a click discipline. Ignore it.
25:12Flush it because it is it is a Rorschach test.
25:16It's whatever you you want to see. Oh, my God.
25:19Jonah Coleman's being given the goal line in seven on seven drills.
25:23I'm in fourth round. You know, like I I don't think we're really going to change.
25:29I the only pushback I'll give you at all on the on the invisible rabbit people is that, you know, at some
25:36level, the fantasy production was still there once once Dobbins was heard.
25:40And Harvey, I 100 percent. You and I were watching these games as they were happening in November and December and going, how is he scoring?
25:49He's really kind of terrible at football. And the folks who want to believe in Harvey don't care.
25:55They just say Dobbins is often injured. I don't really believe Dobbins will be involved after September and hooker by crook Sean Payton.
26:03Maybe I don't think Harvey is great, but hooker by crook Sean Payton got him his touchdowns.
26:09And we can't argue every time in the red zone, even when Dobbins was healthy, when they were in the red zone,
26:16they would go to Harvey because Payton wanted to win his own fantasy game.
26:21Maybe it's possible. But, you know, that's neither here nor there that all that is is a reason.
26:27And I I absolutely agree with your conclusion, which is to say probably your opinion is your opinion.
26:33And, you know, there's no way to argue that the value isn't on Dobbins.
26:38Of course it is. No, I don't think anybody drafting Harvey where he's going to go is going to say, and I'm getting him with such great value.
26:47You know, you're probably paying for him. Oh, yeah.
26:50And and you're at least, you know, in the in the best ball world, you're you're having to take him so much earlier than J.K.
26:59Dobbins, who is a true afterthought and is almost certainly going to be, you know, the the the primary runner to begin
27:06the season for the for the Denver Broncos and was really good last year.
27:11I mean, he was really good last year. We are sponsored by Viori.
27:15So I was on a Zoom call Wednesday night with my buddy Nick, who might be listening.
27:21We were talking about the upcoming book tour, and I was like, I don't think I'll check a bag.
27:28I can probably make it five days, which is to carry on.
27:32Right. And Nick said, of course, because you'll just be decked out in Viori for all your events.
27:38And Nick is exactly right. I wear so much Viori for workouts.
27:42Absolutely. It's all I wear moves. Great. Wicks moisture.
27:45Incredible for softball. Absolutely. I wear the joggers every game just for being in super comfy, nice looking casual clothes.
27:52Viori is just great. I got the pullovers, the t-shirts, shorts.
27:55They got jeans, long sleeve shirts. It is the California coastal lifestyle in some incredible clothes made with sustainability in mind.
28:03They use recycled materials. They have, you know, as efficient facilities as possible.
28:07And really, the clothes are just great. You will love them.
28:11V-U-O-R-I dot com slash Harris. You'll get 20% off your first purchase.
28:15100% satisfaction guaranteed. I don't think you'll need it.
28:18You'll love the clothes. 20% off. Viori dot com slash Harris.
28:22Yes. We are back with Andy and we are just dipping our toes into the first team here in the AFC West that we want to talk about.
28:31The Broncos receiving core. I just saw like, was it two days ago?
28:36It was one day ago, but we're pretending I'm recording this on Friday.
28:40That the Broncos are going to go four wide so much more.
28:44So there's a lifeline. Did you see this story?
28:47You know, what a lifeline for Tony Franklin and Pat Bryant.
28:51Phew! They're rescued because the Broncos are going to go four wide.
28:55Can I mention that last year, Bill Nix threw passes with four wide on the field 15 times last year?
29:02I believe it was 15 times, which was tied for the second most in the league along with Caleb Williams and Justin Herbert had three times that many.
29:1146. 46. Do we really think that this is a major part of the...
29:16I think I'm teeing you up with an easy one here.
29:20This one's a, you know, a 50 mile an hour fastball.
29:23Are you going to be paying attention to the number of stories about four wide formations in Denver to rescue secondary receiving weapons?
29:31Yeah, we can put this one in the same category as like preseason stories about how some smallish running back is going
29:39to see a lot of time in the slot, right?
29:42It's just one of those... It's just... It almost never happens.
29:46It's not going to... They're not going to... The Broncos aren't going to be in four wide for like...
29:52You know, I'm sure they'll show it and that'll be it.
29:56We're not going to... That's not going to be like how they operate as an offense.
30:01Also, I believe Bo Nix led the NFL in pass attempts last year without reaching 4,000 yards.
30:07Like getting the ball in the air was not a problem.
30:11And I suppose there is a numbers problem for this receiving core right now with Waddle in the mix.
30:17But I, you know, at the end of the day, this is just really rough news for, you know, if you bought
30:25the stories last year about Sean Payton comparing Pat Bryant to Michael Thomas or whatever, like this is a tough scene for Troy Franklin and Pat Bryant.
30:34I don't think this offense and this quarterback can support three or four viable fantasy wide receivers.
30:40No. And one's opinion about Sutton and Waddle is what it is and shouldn't...
30:44I think what we're learning is the Broncos are just not a team to be taking the clicks on.
30:51Yeah. This... Unless someone gets hurt and then it matters.
30:54I think otherwise we probably can move on. And we're going to say some similar stuff about the Chargers, to be honest.
31:02We literally, I think literally just Monday, talked on the Yacht Club about Keaton Mitchell as a player you're interested in kind
31:09of as a negative reaction to the Omarian Hampton hype.
31:13And we can talk a little bit about that because I don't want that opinion to get lost only to subscribers.
31:20But I do think, again, barring injury, I don't know that I can see a lot of stories about that backfield and suddenly decide, you know what?
31:29I need to back off on Keaton Mitchell. This Omarian Hampton stuff is real.
31:34Like, you know, your opinion is going to be...
31:37We might be wrong. We're sharing this opinion as well.
31:40We might be wrong. But I don't think we're going to know we're wrong until week one.
31:46Yeah, I think that's right. I think the legitimate big variable there is actually how much they ask, if anything, of Kamani Vidal.
31:54And that's probably what... Like, if you're all in on Omarian Hampton, that's probably what you should be looking for.
32:00Because Keaton Mitchell's going to play. Like, they were...
32:03You know, he already sounds like a pep player for Mike McDaniel.
32:07He seems perfect for Mike McDaniel. Keaton Mitchell's going to play.
32:11He's good. He's also not so... You know, he's one of those bird bone guys who is just simply not going to...
32:19He's never going to be the featured runner. But, like, you're going to have...
32:23You're going to bring him on every fourth series.
32:26Something like that. Right? He's super explosive. He hits the line hard.
32:31Yeah, go ahead. I don't think I've ever referred to him as bird boned.
32:35But it's perfect. He's got, like, little hollow bones.
32:38It's not just tiny bones. It's tall. It's perfect.
32:41He's made for flight. Yeah. And we're just... Like, I don't know what the percentage is going to be.
32:48Is it 20% of the snaps for Keaton Mitchell?
32:51He's not... He's no threat as, like, taking over the backfield.
32:55Nobody's suggesting that. But he gets a slice. He definitely gets a slice.
32:59And I don't think that Omari and Hampton is so good, so just undeniable, that he can just keep giving away slices.
33:06You know? Like, I think he needs all of the rest of the work.
33:11But I also don't think we're going to learn much of anything in training camp that tells us, oh, yeah, Kamani Vidal
33:19is a huge part of this offense. That's the problem.
33:22That's the problem. That's the problem. That's the problem, is basically...
33:26What's the problem that he's doing? That's the problem.
33:29That's the problem. Derek Henry goes several picks after...
33:32Like, he's in a range where those guys are, like, made men.
33:36They are... Some of them have really rare traits.
33:39And Omari and Hampton's right in the middle of it.
33:42So we're setting the bar pretty high. So the bottom line is another situation that we're probably just not that interested in.
33:50I guess unless there's a negative drumbeat of some kind, unless there's an...
33:54Like, I don't think you all realize how much we think as a Chargers beat Borg.
34:00We, you know, we really believe Omari and Hampton's the 40% guy.
34:04Keaton Mitchell's the 25% guy. And whatever percentage there is left for Kamani Vidal.
34:09You know, but even then, I just don't know.
34:12I can... Well, first of all, that's not going to affect our ranks because we already have Hampton much lower than where he's going.
34:20And second of all, like, I don't... I don't really picture Keaton Mitchell...
34:24Put it this way. If we wake up and it's week eight and we're regularly ranking Keaton Mitchell as a fantasy flex, that's believable.
34:32It requires the Charger offense to become the Dolphins of the peak Devon H and Raheem Mostert.
34:38Like, it could happen. And that's a reason to draft Keaton Mitchell because he's cheap, free, whatever.
34:44And Mike McDaniel's standing right there. And we like Justin Herbert.
34:48And if that line... You can tell yourself that story.
34:51And when you get the possibility to get a free player, sure.
34:55I... Sure. But like you said, this... That does not...
34:58Just because we're down on Hampton compared to the market doesn't mean we don't think he's the most valuable Charger running back.
35:06I think we both do, very clearly. Yeah, I do.
35:09And, like, it doesn't mean that he can't be really good and live up to the second-round billing.
35:15It's just you're not building any downside into that rank.
35:19Yes, that's exactly how I feel. And, you know, to your point, I'll just underscore it.
35:24There is certainly a world in which the Chargers just become one of the absolute right answers in fantasy football, right?
35:31The line stays healthy. Herbert is well-protected. Hampton gets a free run at the line of scrimmage on every carry, in which
35:39case, you know, he can do some things. He can really do some damage.
35:43And then all of a sudden, you know, this is a team that's averaging 28, 30 points a game.
35:50Okay, now it's going to be... Now it would be difficult for a healthy Omari and Hampton to not score a dozen touchdowns, right?
35:58Like, that's the path that I can easily imagine for this team.
36:02But, again, that requires some very unchargerly things. Like, good luck in terms of injuries.
36:07And, yeah, I mean, it's just whatever. But it's the NFL.
36:11It can happen. They seem like one of those teams that's one of the likelier candidates to, you know, level up as an offense.
36:19And yet, I just think, again, I think the regular listeners of this show for however many years you've been listening understand
36:27that when I think about this stuff, the way you described it is perfect.
36:31There's so many guys who's... Like, if you're going to do an expected value, an expected outcome of the guys anywhere near
36:39around Hampton in the second round of a fantasy draft, they just don't have the downside, the healthy downside that Omari and Hampton has if everything's not perfect.
36:48If everything's perfect for Barkley, he's the MVP of the league.
36:52If everything's perfect for A-Chain, he does a 2,000-yard scrimmage season.
36:56If everything's perfect for Hampton, he could be the RB1 in fantasy.
37:00But if everything's as bad as it was for Barkley last year, Hampton could not be starting anymore.
37:06He's a completely unproven player. He got hurt last year and ran into a bunch of stuff.
37:12Like, there are real problems with that kid's film that I think you and I suspect may never actually, you know...
37:19If you get the Jordan Howard season where he gets the massive workload and everything's working...
37:24Because, you know, that... Great, cool! But you can't plan for that.
37:28You can't draft based on assuming only good things can happen.
37:32This is what makes people take Brock Bowers as the nine pick overall.
37:36You know, whatever. Yep. It's a thing building into your expected value.
37:40Some downside. I think we could be done with the Chargers, to be honest.
37:45Because, like, what else could... Like, the receivers are what they are.
37:49And you kind of think of... I guess Keenan Allen signs again.
37:53We are going to have to have a conversation.
37:56And we will. If that happens. And it could change our assessment of Lad McConkie.
38:01And I don't think we're ranking Quentin Johnston like a...
38:05We want to draft kind of player. You know, David Njoku threatening Rondae Gadsden as a sleeper.
38:11I just... Maybe. But I can't believe I'm going to learn anything.
38:15I have Gadsden ranked... You know, I can't remember.
38:1811? 13? You know, as a maybe. He's a maybe in that range, maybe.
38:22But I can't imagine I'm going to learn enough in training camp to go...
38:27Oh, I got to back off of that. He's 26.
38:31He and Njoku are side by side. Like, I...
38:34Do you agree with that? Yeah. It would certainly be reassuring, I suppose, if we just get a steady, you know, every day.
38:41We hear about the Herbert-Gadsden connection, I guess. But even then, that's usually, you know...
38:47Fluff, yeah. That's usually just a little bit of...
38:50Yeah, that's just the usual camp sunshine that we should expect.
38:53I do think that David Njoku at this point, you know, not...
38:57Obviously not good enough. Not important enough to, like, to be a draftable tight end.
39:03To be somebody that, like, you're even thinking of as somebody who could squeeze his way into the top eight, top ten, whatever.
39:10But I do think he's probably still good enough to muck things up for somebody else.
39:16So, that's a... It's a problem for Rondé-Gadsden. It's a potential problem.
39:20But I... Yeah. I have him 13. I just looked it up because I'm so familiar with my ranks.
39:26That is to say Gadsden. And I have Njoku 31.
39:30Old Fire Pit. David Njoku. Did he get art in the almanac?
39:34You know he did. The nickname is too good.
39:37But that's a Cousin Josh original calling him Fire Pit.
39:40Like, oh, going to a Fire Pit. That sounds so amazing.
39:44And you get there and five minutes in you're like, yeah, this kind of sucks.
39:49That's David Njoku. That's what it's like to have David Njoku on.
39:53And I loved how when the Browns took your boy, Harold Fannin, and that was a great call and you were correct.
40:00People were like, well, he's going to have to fight Njoku forever because you can't take that cat pit.
40:07And one year later, Njoku was like, wait, come back.
40:10The salary cap is very, very fake. All right.
40:13We can move on to the Kansas City Chiefs and maybe the most important storyline in the NFL.
40:19Not in fantasy, but in the NFL, if you want to handicap a Super Bowl winner and you want the Chiefs to
40:27be part of that conversation, oh boy. What Patrick Mahomes winds up looking like really, really matters.
40:33Already we're getting nothing but ahead of schedule reports.
40:36Can you believe them? Can anyone believe these reports?
40:39They could be true, but I just like I I'm old enough to remember the Tom Brady reports in 2009.
40:46And they were all perfectly glowing and he's going to be perfect and wonderful.
40:50And that year he just wasn't. And he then running was less of a part of his game than Patrick Mahomes.
40:57I just have a hard time imagining that I personally will be able to swallow any of that fluff.
41:04Yeah, they've already I mean, they've they've clearly they've already messaged through Ian Rappaport through like the main channels.
41:10They've already messaged. Yeah, looking good for for opening week.
41:14And, you know, to to Patrick Mahomes credit, I guess he was active during OTAs.
41:19We saw that these are all good signs. You know, as long as he's not taken, you know, two, three days a week off during camp.
41:28You know, if he's if he's legitimately actually a full go and out there all the time and doesn't need a whole bunch of rest days.
41:36All like the Chiefs have also played him in the preseason before.
41:41Like that would be I don't know if he's on his normal routine.
41:45Then he's probably going to get a few series in the preseason.
41:49And these are all context clues that would help you feel, I guess, a little bit more confident about Mahomes.
41:56I don't even like you mentioned him as a runner.
41:59Clearly running is a component of his game. He's also, you know, he's he's funny when he runs like he's a genius, too.
42:07So like he sees the field and he sort of sees the game board better than anybody else, I think, playing the game right now.
42:15And he, you know, obviously he picks and chooses his spots to to actively run.
42:21You know, he eats up the space in front of him.
42:24If you give it to him, he's great at it.
42:28But he also takes six seconds to run 20 yards.
42:31It's not like he is burning down the field.
42:34It's a mobility in the pocket is obviously going to be an issue.
42:39And just comfort level is going to be an issue because when you're rehabbing, you're not, you know, you're not doing all
42:46the other things that you would normally do in an offseason.
42:50So it is a it is a legitimate concern.
42:53Slow start is a legitimate concern. And but I but I just don't I don't know how we're going to answer that
43:00in training camp other than he's active every day.
43:03What if he has abs now? Oh, gross. That's not the Patrick Mahomes I grew up with.
43:09Stinky. Yeah, there is a there's an interesting meta conversation to be had about the Brady Mahomes comparison and how their knee
43:16injuries kind of came along at roughly the same time at the roughly the same, you know, the success level very early in the career.
43:25And then a little frustration and then the injury.
43:28And then what happens next is an open, you know, Tom Brady was always very disciplined with his body, but became avocado
43:35ice cream psychotic in the second half. And that was the only way the guy played as long as he played like
43:43we're learning that's impossible for anybody except for somebody who does that.
43:47And Patrick Mahomes, you know, has never been in shape, let alone really worked hard.
43:52But I wonder if maybe this is a wake up call.
43:56Not that this happened because of his lack of lack of being in shape, but he's going to have to get in better shape.
44:04So you have him, I believe, QB 12 going into drafts right now.
44:08I haven't QB 13. We both, of course, understand that we are potentially missing out on him being either fine or 95
44:16percent of fine and that therefore dramatically outplaying that rank.
44:19Is that given what you just said, I think you're telling me he's not going any higher than QB 12.
44:26Yeah, I can't, you know, can I imagine him bubbling up my draft board?
44:31No, not really. I'm not going to assume that he is full vintage Patrick Mahomes opening week.
44:37Also, this team has been a pretty middle of the pack offense for the last two years.
44:42They were a little bit, but we've talked about that.
44:46They were a little bit better than that prior to Mahomes injury last season.
44:50But they have not been, you know, we haven't seen like the 5,000 passing yard version of Patrick Mahomes in a minute.
44:58So I don't think that guy is walking through the door.
45:02I mean, they just, they don't have the receiving core to support it either.
45:06We are sponsored by AG1. I drink AG1 every morning.
45:10I've already had it this morning. It's the first thing I get into my tummy.
45:15I put the powder in the water. I drink it down.
45:19I have ditched my multivitamin. AG1 is just great.
45:22You know, I talk about my stomach a lot.
45:25It's a little fidgety. All I know is the daily habit of getting the AG1 prebiotic and the probiotic and the vitamins and antioxidants and superfoods in there.
45:3475 ingredients. It turbo charges me at the gym.
45:37And really, just with AG1 as a daily habit, my stomach is way calmer.
45:42Visit drinkag1.com slash Harris to get a free AG1 travel case with seven free AG1 travel packs in your welcome kit with
45:49your first AG1 subscription order while supplies last. It is a micro habit I have found really makes a difference.
45:56Less than the price of a cup of coffee per day takes less than a minute.
46:02I think you will notice a difference. Give it a shot.
46:05That's drinkag1.com slash Harris. Yes. We're back with Andy.
46:08We have some more Chiefs topics to get to.
46:11Kenneth Walker, an exciting, fun new player with Kansas City.
46:15I can't imagine, unless you object, I can't imagine anything really happening in the media with Kenneth Walker that changes barring injury.
46:22Like, I have him ranked kind of aggressively, but I'm not going wild and crazy.
46:27But I don't think the market's going to go wild and crazy on him either.
46:32Do you? It's not. He's going. He's another guy going later than Amar in Hampton.
46:38And he was coming off quite a heater at the most important, in the most important weeks of last season.
46:44Like, that's a really good player to be taking after Amar in Hampton.
46:49No, I don't think there's a lot here as long as he does.
46:53We just need him to stay healthy. And maybe we need to figure out who the direct backup is.
47:00Maybe Emmitt Johnson needs to win that job. Maybe you care about that.
47:04But I think we know what Kenneth Walker is going to be, and he's really good.
47:09Yeah, he's a very good player. You have him RB8.
47:13I have him RB12. Kenny Three Sticks, we call him now because, you know, he wears the thing.
47:19I kind of don't even care who the backup is because I know Walker is probably not a huge high receiving volume reception guy.
47:27And if he is, I don't think whoever the backup was was the reason.
47:32You know, they've either decided to do it or not, and we're not going to really know that.
47:38But we're both, we're, as we like to say, we're aligned.
47:42We're in alignment. So instead, let's talk Rashi Rice because he had some form of knee procedure.
47:47They call it a cleanup. That's really easy to call it a cleanup when it's not your knee.
47:54And then he served jail time. And he's not apparently going to get a contract here headed into the last year of his rookie deal.
48:02And, like, I guess he just has to kind of eat that poop sandwich because what choice really does he have?
48:09I think he probably understands why the Chiefs don't want to give him a ton of money guaranteed.
48:15So if he's good this year, he probably gets tagged and goes through all that nonsense next year.
48:21Maybe it's like it's his health and how much or little he's out there in August.
48:27And then also Mahomes' health that we've just spent a good amount of time on.
48:32Other than those two things, do you feel like you can learn anything else about, I mean, about Rice and or your assessment of him?
48:40Like, can you say, oh, boy, I really had to raise him 10 spots or I really had to lower him five
48:48because I found out they're doing X? Yeah. I mean, this is a perfect example of a player where the ideal summer
48:55for Rashi Rice is that I do not hear a single thing about him.
49:00And there's no new item on his, like, news and notes page, right?
49:04I don't want to hear that he drove 45 in a school zone.
49:09I don't want to hear that he got fined by the Homeowners Association because his grasp was too tall.
49:15I don't want to hear a thing about Rashi Rice.
49:19I just want to know that he's practicing and he's functional and healthy.
49:23And any note is a bad note in my view.
49:26There's downward mobility. There's not a lot of upward mobility.
49:30I know it's hard to quantify because it will come from some knuckleheaded behavior probably.
49:35But it probably isn't anything football that you get, like a beat reporter gets a real scoop that Rashi Rice isn't practicing with the goal line offense.
49:44You know, something like that. That's not going to be the thing.
49:48Because you have him, I have him 18, you have him 12.
49:52The, you know, wide receiver is so stupidly flat that that's actually not a giant difference.
49:58I don't, you know, I had him higher and actually it was the knee procedure that made it just took a little bit of the edge off.
50:07I'm a little concerned about that. But not enough.
50:10I was top 20 still. I don't know how it's going to shake out.
50:15I assume any of your, you don't have room for an upgrade.
50:19I know that. But your downgrade that could happen in August probably isn't even a training camp story.
50:25It's probably not even a football story. Yeah, it's probably not even a football story.
50:30I mean, it could be. You know, he's missing time.
50:33Rashi Rice needs to take a week off. Rashi Rice needs to take two weeks off.
50:39It's a health. That would be, I've made a false distinction because you're right.
50:43That, of course, is a football story. But if we were going to categorize three categories of story, football stuff, health stuff,
50:51and HOA stuff, you know, probably only the second and third categories could downgrade Rice for you.
50:57Yep. Right. Correct. Okay. All right. Raiders. So, you know, something I find myself saying a lot on these preview shows, these
51:04July shows, is I am predisposed to want players from the hopeless offenses that can't possibly succeed because they succeed sometimes, you know, and they're real cheap.
51:13So, when I read a blurb that Mike Washington occasionally got first team reps and OTAs, I couldn't even get through the sentence without laughing.
51:22Yeah, I don't care about that. Per se. But, and plus, like, unfortunately, Ashton Gentry won't, whatever downgrade everybody's going to give
51:29every other Raider, Gentry won't presumably be part of that downgrade.
51:33People are still going to want Ashton Gentry, just as probably they're going to want Devon Achan on the Dolphins.
51:40Um, so, like, I, that's a, like, it's a funny team in that respect because, like, there, there are plenty of these
51:47offenses where, you know, who knows, maybe there'll be something, maybe they won't, but everybody's down.
51:53Everybody's down on the Browns and you can get any Brown for really cheap, but, like, you know, I think we're all,
52:00I don't, I don't know of anybody who's particularly optimistic about the Raiders offense this season.
52:05And yet, the, the two obviously very good players are absolutely top of the market.
52:11Like, you're not, you know, Gentry's not cheap and Bowers is certainly not cheap.
52:15Yeah. I mean, no, no one who wants to adhere to our, yours and my drafting philosophy is going to have Brock Bowers.
52:23No question about that. They might have Gentry. Um, you know, I'm, I think we're both ranking Gentry as a top 10 running back, aren't we?
52:32I think you have him seven, I'm looking, and I have him eight.
52:36So we understand, um, we're probably willing to pay that price and it's just going to depend if the market, I mean,
52:44I'm, I'm discovering after we did the Dolphins division last week.
52:48Was it last week? Yeah. Uh, I'm discovering I might be in on HN.
52:52That's a really weird place for me to be considering I've been wrongly negative on HN for a while.
52:59Incorrect. Like blasted, you know, absolutely. At least he, he, he chunked me, but, um, that's one where I guess, well, I
53:06actually, I don't know what the logic is. I don't know what the logic is that you're willing to believe in Gentry
53:14and pay him at the top of his market.
53:17And you're letting a chance slip around from that same spot.
53:20I, that, that's surprising to me. Gent, uh, HN is the one who's proved it.
53:26Yeah. I think, I think HN has proved it on the field and you, you, you must be someone who thinks Mike
53:33McDaniel is gone and with him goes the magic.
53:36I don't, I don't know, really. I don't, I don't think that HN was entirely a creation of Mike McDaniel.
53:43I mean, I, you know, he held up under, on, under that workload and he, that is an explosive playmaker.
53:50Yeah. In a way that Gentry very clearly is not.
53:53He, I think Gentry again, did a, did a film futures like him.
53:57I think his elusiveness, elusiveness is really good. And I actually think we were oversold power.
54:03I don't, I don't really think he's power back, but, um, his long speed, it wasn't, isn't Gentry's.
54:09I mean, in the Almanac, I gave Gentry a B for speed, an A minus for elusiveness and a C plus for power.
54:17Uh, HN gets a D for power cause he's the size of one of my legs, but, uh, speed A plus elusiveness, A plus best in the league.
54:26Just about at the position. Um, I don't know, given that are people out there really clamoring that the Raiders are going
54:34to be like really better than the Dolphins and I'm positive of it and I'm willing to make massive fantasy bets on it.
54:41Wow. That's really interesting. Anyway, um, like you said, Gentry, probably people, the assessment is what it is.
54:48You're not going to learn too much about Mike Washington.
54:51That's going to change your opinion on Gentry. The passing game has unknowns and were it to become functional.
54:57I love the idea of taking a shot on someone.
55:01If I could believe on that someone and get him for free, that would be amazing.
55:06I, you know, my guess is that none of those wideouts powers will get drafted high, but none of those wideouts maybe get drafted at all.
55:15Um, I don't know. Would you say that like the cousins Mendoza, um, question the rotation of who among these Raider receivers,
55:23you know, what that, how that reporting goes is all that fluid enough for you to say, yes, this is, I want
55:30to click on each day's update about that passing game.
55:33Yeah. I think the, I think the Raiders have done, I, you know, I assume that this is a, they, they, they
55:41may not, it may not be honest, but the Raiders are rolling with a story that like we want Kirk cousins to
55:48be the quarterback for the full season. Like, again, this is another one that like national mouthpieces are already talking about it.
55:56Um, and they, I'm, I'm sure what the Raiders would really want is for Fernando Mendoza to come into camp and just
56:03absolutely light it up and force his way into the conversation immediately.
56:07Because you just spent the first overall pick on it.
56:11Like, that's what you want for, you know, the number one pick in the, in the draft.
56:16That's that, that would be ideal, but I, they're, they're doing a nice job, not setting, doing all they can to set
56:24up a situation in which we're not daily saying, okay, who won Tuesday's quarterback competition?
56:29Who won Wednesday's quarterback competition Thursdays, right? Like they're just saying, we hope Kirk cousins finishes the season as our, as our quarterback.
56:37Now what the reality, you know, maybe, maybe the Raiders are two and five and Kirk cousins is coming off one of
56:44those 16 for 30 for 155 yards and no scores kind of games.
56:49Right. Like, you know, if Mendoza can have a great camp, can have a great preseason and force his way, you know, Jackson Dart forced his way.
56:58Into the, you know, the starting equation for the giants last year.
57:02There's no reason that Fernando Mendoza, the number one overall pick can't do it for the, for the Raiders.
57:08I love, by the way, this is entirely separate.
57:11I love that when you search just a simple internet search for Fernando Mendoza, I love that his LinkedIn profile comes up as one of the top results.
57:21I love that he has one. Yeah. There's absolutely no way Kirk cousins is starting the whole year.
57:27That is obviously state media lies that, you know, the.
57:30You have to really sell a piece of your soul if you want to go on national TV and parrot that talking point.
57:38You, you've said the name of one of such people who does that.
57:43We're friends with other people who bless their hearts.
57:46It's not something I want to do. You know, I've been, I think I just lived this movie when in Atlanta, when
57:53Kirk cousins was going to keep that job all year.
57:56It's only question is, is it October? It doesn't matter for fantasy for the purposes of them, except in a super flex.
58:04And even then, good luck. Please don't go zero QB to the level that you have to rely on a Raiders quarterback.
58:11Yeah. Yeah. But the, if the question is about the wide receivers though, and how another thing they've done is basically to
58:19say, nobody has anything coming to them in our wide receiver core.
58:23And it's all going to get laid out on the field.
58:27It's, it's a, I think like I'm, I'm compiling a list of things that tracking every day doesn't mean that you're succumbing to clickbait.
58:35And I think I would love for one Raider receiver if it's, you know, Trey Turner, Trey Tucker.
58:41I always want to call him Trey Turner, Trey Tucker.
58:44Boy, I don't know about Jalen Naylor, but okay.
58:47If you want to tell me Jalen Naylor, if you want to tell me Jack Besh, if someone could become like undeniable
58:55in camp, I actually could find my way into believing it because in the end it would wind up costing me a 10th or I'm pick.
59:04Right. Exactly. Now I'm, I'm, I'm not going to believe it.
59:07You know? Yeah. If it's, if I'm just hearing, oh wow, the Kirk cousins, Jalen Naylor connection is back.
59:14You know, I'm not, you're not, you're not going to be able to sell that to me.
59:20I don't think that's really happening. Um, I'm a little more open with, you know, Tucker I've seen make some, Tucker's a weird player.
59:28It's, it always looks a little sloppy and he kind of double catches some balls.
59:33Um, but he can make big plays. Like I've seen that.
59:36I've seen Trey Tucker. Yeah. Yeah. Like I've seen traits with Trey Tucker that, that make me pretty interested.
59:43Um, I can imagine a guy like that leveling up.
59:46Um, Jack, Jack Betts is somebody who came into the league with the, the, you know, Matt Harmon seal of approval.
59:53I don't want to speak for Matt today. I don't like, I don't know if he feels any differently about him now,
60:01but he was pretty intrigued when he came into the league.
60:05So I'll keep an open mind with him. If, if he, for some reason gets buzzy in camp, if Tucker gets buzzy
60:12in camp, I'll be a little bit more interested, but I don't, I don't think you're going to be able to fool me with Jalen Naylor.
60:21Yeah. Yeah. I did write a profile for all three.
60:24I got them inside my top 80, but, um, the weird thing about Naylor is how much the mouthpieces were told to
60:32repeat the talking point about how much the Raiders really wanted him.
60:36And he enters as the, he's the presumptive one until proven otherwise.
60:40And people are really underwriting how good he was.
60:43He was just trapped behind two guys in Minnesota.
60:46And I go, you know, maybe I've been wrong about a lot of things in my time.
60:52I, you know, we're wrong about things all the time.
60:55I don't know. I guess it's possible, but I did go back and try to watch.
61:01I mean, I didn't try to watch. I was actually able to call up his plays.
61:06They existed on film, but I don't think he's fast.
61:09He like, he did do a couple of good things in the end zone.
61:14Um, if, if the Vikings really thought they had something in Jalen Naylor, do they spend a first round pick on Jordan Addison?
61:22You know, wasn't, wasn't Addison suspended for the beginning of last year?
61:26Didn't, wasn't that a chance for Jalen Naylor? I just feel like it is the, it is the curse of being 27 and not being 23 or whatever.
61:36But like, sorry, buddy, you've already had your chance to impress me.
61:40I guess if you just turn into like, you left the Vikings and became Randy Moss, then I'm going to miss it.
61:47And that's too bad. But like, yeah, I don't, I don't think it's going to happen.
61:52Um, as you say, but it's, I think, I think because the Raiders other than Bowers and Jenty will get thrown in
62:00the, in the category of, yeah, but that offense is probably going to be pretty bad.
62:05If it, if it turns out just not that bad and Mendoza wins, I think I'm more interested if Mendoza wins the
62:13job or gets close to winning the job. Because I know what late career Kirk Cousins, you know, late career Kirk Cousins is good.
62:21When everybody else has heard, he can turn Kyle Pitts into a millionaire, you know, congratulations.
62:26Trying to prove you could stay, stay in the league.
62:30You, you kept the Kyle Pitts dream alive for a couple more years for people to get fooled by, but probably better
62:37for the overall offense to become a wagon if it's someone else.
62:41Um, so sure. I would like Mendoza, if Mendoza wins the job, it is, um, I mean that it's because he did something pretty sensational in camp, right?
62:51I mean, it could also be because Kirk Cousins further disintegrates, I suppose.
62:55But like he, he will have done enough in, in camp and in the preseason to really impress people who are clearly
63:03at least open to the idea of starting Kirk Cousins for a chunk of the season.
63:08Now, whether you or I consider that to be likely given what we know about him as a prospect, you know, that, yeah, I don't know.
63:17That, that's, the comp I gave him in the Almanac Mendoza was Jared Goff.
63:22And maybe that's even a little aggressive, but like, it's, it's funny how, I mean, it's not funny.
63:28It's entirely predictable. We go through the NFL draft cycle and it always starts with college football experts who don't really do
63:35the draft saying, gee guys, there really isn't a top quarterback this year.
63:40It's almost Mendoza by default. And then by the end of the process, it's like franchise savior, Fernando Mendoza.
63:46Like he pretty clearly, I'm not the guy, but I've read enough about him to write a profile.
63:52He pretty clearly like an option guy and a half field read kind of guy.
63:57Like if you love immobile Jalen hurts, you know, you're going to love this guy.
64:02You know, I, it feels like there's a lot, a long way to go.
64:07Yeah. I think that's, I think that's probably right.
64:10Obviously, you know, I think the guy is also the author of, you know, an iconic play and it was a charmed season.
64:18It was, um, there are some great throws in there.
64:21There are some great moments in there. He, one of the things that I, my shorthand, when I look at a lot
64:29of prospects is to watch the games against the best defenses that they played.
64:34And he was not great when they faced like meat grinder defenses.
64:38We'll see. I mean, it was a, it was an incredible season that he's coming off and I, I, I'm all for the league having more great quarterbacks.
64:47So I, I hope it works. Me too. And I don't mean to express absolute utter doubt.
64:53You know, Joe Burrow was a absolute non-prospect for the NFL until one unbelievable year when he suddenly was proven to be
65:00like kind of another level of winner. And he's one of my favorite players in the league now, you know?
65:07So like if that's, if Mendoza led what is, let's face it, the greatest college season of our lifetimes, the most unexpected,
65:15the most fun, the craziest for, you know, for neutrals like us, I don't care.
65:20I mean, I guess you're a little less of a neutral cause you have the Iowa thing going on, but even then
65:27you must've been like, this is a blast. And yeah.
65:31And like, I would love it if, if yeah.
65:34Okay. In terms of what he'd been asked to do and obvious traits and stuff like that, but there's something you can't
65:41measure until they get in the NFL, which is like.
65:44Like, can they do the Brady thing? Can they do the Burrow thing?
65:49I would, you know, Joe Burrow didn't come into the league with a cannon.
65:54He doesn't have a cannon. Joe Burrow's got, he's got Duende.
65:57He's got that thing, but he doesn't have a, by NFL standards, doesn't have a cannon.
66:03And so anyway, I agreed. That was my way of saying here, here, it would be awesome if Mendoza is awesome.
66:10And plus it would make us, you know, if you start hearing those things like this is undeniable, it would make us
66:17take note of whoever could win that receiver battle.
66:20So that would be pretty, pretty fun. All right.
66:23Well, very good. Poo. I'm glad you came aboard.
66:26You really restrained yourself, you know, cause I know paywall Andy just can't, can't stop with the expletives.
66:33But here, here aboard the free side. You did an amazing job.
66:37You can find Andy's work at the deep shot.com.
66:40Become a subscriber to the yacht club. It comes with a subscription to the deep shot.
66:45You'll automatically get access to everything Andy writes for the upcoming season.
66:49And I will talk to you on the Monday yacht club show.
66:53Goodbye, everyone. Goodbye, stinky. And thank you so much for listening.
66:57I'm sure the sponsors are thrilled to hear me referred to as stinky.
67:01Let's thank them because without them, we don't get to make a show.
67:06We had Z Biotics, Viore and AG one. And you can find information about all three of them in today's show notes or at Harris football.com.
67:15All the current sponsors are listed there and not everybody needs all of those things all at once.
67:21And some people listening are like, I don't really have the disposable income to be supporting sponsors right now.
67:27And that is so fine. If you ever do, I'm so lucky that you obviously have supported these particular three sponsors because they keep coming back.
67:36And I really do appreciate that. Those are three that I, they're every day.
67:41Well, Z Biotics is not every day occurrence because when I drink alcohol though, every time I drink alcohol for sure.
67:48I have it on hand at all times. And Viore and AG one are definitely an all day, every day kind of things for me.
67:56So that's going to do it for this week for this episode.
68:00As I mentioned with Andy, we have our final Yacht Club Monday show next week.
68:05I believe Andy is the topic is going to be five players.
68:10He expects to get ridiculous helium in training camp.
68:13So, you know, we'll, we'll partly have talked about that a little bit.
68:17Over the course of these eight divisional shows, but this is Andy kind of boiling it down and picking out some funny,
68:24stupid things that he thinks are likely to happen and make the market be crazy.
68:30So if you're in the Yacht Club, you'll hear that one on Monday.
68:34Then on Tuesday, we're going to continue the training camp previews.
68:38Training camps will be, I think, largely open at that point.
68:41His name, it was not Eric Jefferson. Just, he doesn't even answer to it.
68:46I've tried. It is in fact, Jeff Erickson who will be the guest on Tuesday.
68:51So you'll get to hear that great show here on the main program.
68:56Until then, thanks again so much for listening. Your hat is awesome.
69:00You're awesome for wearing it. I will talk to you next time.
69:04The Harris Football Podcast's opening theme is Under the Gun by Apex Manor.
69:08The closing theme is Say Yes by The Wellspring.
69:11Subscribe to the podcast on iTunes and never miss an episode.
More episodes from Harris Fantasy Football Podcast
Bribing The Audience & Previewing The AFC North
Jul 31, 2026
The Beastly NFC North & Jahmyr Gibbs Preview
Jul 28, 2026
Drake Maye & Josh Allen & Previewing AFC East
Jul 17, 2026
Previewing AFC South & Almanac Stuff
Jul 10, 2026