The Late-Round Fantasy Football Podcast

Matthew Stafford is projected as a top-five quarterback for the upcoming season, a bold take that bucks current regression trends.

Jalen Warren is considered a fringe top-10 talent at running back. His efficiency is backed by elite data: he ranks fourth in the NFL in yards per route run among relevant backs since entering the league and is top-10 in yards per carry among those with 400+ attempts. His pass-protection skills further secure his role, making him a preferred choice over Rico Dowdle.

Brian Thomas Jr. is viewed as a player to avoid in managed leagues due to the likelihood of inconsistent, headache-inducing production. While he remains a viable target for best ball formats due to his potential for big-play spiked weeks, he is considered less reliable than Parker Washington.

Parker Washington is strongly preferred over Brian Thomas Jr. due to his impressive mid-season emergence last year, where he excelled in the interior role originally slated for Thomas. Washington demonstrates a unique archetype, blending running back-like build with vertical playmaking ability, drawing comparisons to Jaxon Smith-Njigba's early career usage. He is expected to be a more reliable fantasy asset in an offense that has historically fed slot receivers.

Chris Harris advocates for Parker Washington, noting that he successfully took over interior receiving duties mid-year after Brian Thomas struggled, and argues that Washington's proven production makes him a better fantasy asset.

Chris Harris expresses a strong preference for Parker Washington over Brian Thomas, arguing that Thomas struggled with the complexity of the offense, looked uncoordinated on interior routes, and was eventually relegated to a 'sacrificial X' role.

Chris Harris and JJ Zachariason agree that Rhamondre Stevenson is the more reliable option in the New England backfield, particularly in negative game scripts, due to his superior pass protection skills compared to TreVeyon Henderson.

Chris Harris warns that TreVeyon Henderson is being overrated in the fourth round because he remains a 'work in progress' in pass protection, which will likely lead to inconsistent weekly usage and frustration for fantasy managers.

JJ Zachariason highlights that Luther Burden's skill set, particularly his short-area quickness and yards-after-catch ability, fits well into a Ben Johnson-style offensive scheme, though he notes Burden is not yet the route runner that Amon-Ra St. Brown is.

Chris Harris expresses a strong preference for Rome Odunze over Luther Burden, citing his impressive film, suddenness for his size, and dismissing previous concerns about his foot injury as 'nonsense.'

JJ Zachariason identifies Jahmyr Gibbs as a 'smash' pick in the top two rounds of drafts, noting that his elite talent justifies his high draft position despite the inherent volatility of the position.

JJ Zachariason notes that while Bijan Robinson has never exceeded 70% of his team's carries in a season, he remains a 'smash' pick because he is a great player; Zachariason emphasizes that fantasy managers should prioritize talent over the inevitability of time-sharing.

JJ Zachariason explains that Jadarian Price's prospect model score is significantly boosted by his teammate, Jeremiah Love, assuming Love receives high draft capital.

JJ Zachariason notes that Josh Jacobs had one of the lowest collegiate workloads among first-round running backs but has successfully overcome that to have a very good NFL career.

JJ Zachariason notes that Jadarian Price had the fewest college touches of any first-round running back since 2000, which introduces volatility into his profile, though he is boosted by a strong teammate score.

JJ Zachariason notes that he liked David Bell as a prospect because of his strong production profile, even though he didn't have elite athletic measurables.

JJ Zachariason uses Christian Michael as a case study for why athletic measurables (like 40-yard dash) without a strong production profile are misleading and often lead to market inflation.

Chris Harris uses Tevin Coleman as a historical comparison for Audric Estimé, noting that Coleman had great athletic measurables but failed to translate them into NFL success due to poor vision.

JJ Zachariason ranks Derrick Henry above Audric Estimé, citing the stability of his situation and proven track record.

JJ Zachariason ranks De'Von Achane above Audric Estimé due to the stability of his situation and proven NFL production.

JJ Zachariason highlights Saquon Barkley as a proven talent in the second round who is a safer bet than speculative options like Audric Estimé.

JJ Zachariason and Chris Harris both express a preference for Chase Brown as a player in a great situation, ranking him as a more stable option than Audric Estimé in the second round.

Chris Harris identifies Audric Estimé as his 'poster child' for overrated running backs due to an over-reliance on combine speed. Harris notes poor rookie tape, specifically citing a lack of vision, inability to break around the edge, and slow acceleration, making him a risky second-round pick.

Chris Harris cites Raheem Mostert as the prime example of why fantasy analysts should not overrate 40-yard dash times, as Mostert has succeeded despite not being a combine darling.

JJ Zachariason uses Javonte Williams as an example of a player one might be tempted to draft in the second round if strictly adhering to a pre-planned 'RB-RB' strategy, potentially at the expense of better talent like Ja'Marr Chase.

JJ Zachariason argues that drafters should be reactive to value; if Ja'Marr Chase is available in the second round, he should be taken regardless of a pre-planned 'Zero RB' strategy.

JJ Zachariason advises against chasing speculative running back depth chart moves like Chris Rodriguez in the mid-rounds, preferring to target wide receivers instead.

JJ Zachariason prefers targeting Chris Godwin in the sixth, seventh, or eighth rounds rather than chasing speculative running back depth chart changes like Chris Rodriguez.

Chris Harris expresses skepticism regarding the value of drafting speculative running backs like Chris Rodriguez, preferring to invest in established wide receivers like Chris Godwin in the middle rounds.

Chris Harris considers Chris Godwin an 'awesome' and 'really good player' and prefers targeting him in the middle rounds (6th-8th) rather than chasing speculative running back depth chart changes.

Chris Harris notes the extreme flatness of the wide receiver position, stating he cannot guarantee that George Pickens will significantly outperform Chris Godwin, as the difference between WR8 and WR18 is often negligible in the current landscape.

Chris Harris ranks Drake London as a 'rock solid wide receiver one' (around WR7 in his rankings), though he warns that the current league-wide defensive shell schemes can result in occasional low-yardage games.

Chris Harris views Nico Collins as a 'terrific player' and a 'rock solid wide receiver one,' placing him in his top 12 wide receivers, though he cautions that the current NFL defensive environment can lead to low-output weeks.

Chris Harris ranks Ja'Marr Chase as his number six overall player in standard, non-PPR formats, noting that he is an 'unbelievable player' who warrants a first-round selection if the top-tier running backs are unavailable.

Chris Harris identifies Danny Woodhead during his Patriots tenure as the primary inspiration for the undersized running back protagonist in his 2011 novel, 'Slotback Rhapsody'.

Chris Harris notes that his 2011 novel 'Slotback Rhapsody' featured an undersized running back character inspired by Danny Woodhead, which JJ Zachariason suggests served as a precursor to the modern archetype exemplified by Christian McCaffrey.

JJ Zachariason believes Jalen Waddle has the potential to be a "studly" player in the Dolphins' offense this year.

JJ Zachariason considers Cortland Sutton overvalued at his current ADP, which ranges from the sixth to seventh round across major platforms (WR29-WR32). Zachariason ranks him as the WR41 in the eighth round, citing his sub-20% targets per route run rate last year and a lack of elite production since his second NFL season. He prefers drafting players like Pat Bryant at their respective ADPs over Sutton.

Zachariason reiterates that Sutton is overvalued across major platforms, including CBS, ESPN, and Sleeper, where he is consistently drafted as a top-36 wide receiver.

Zachariason ranks Kincaid as his TE10 and a favorite target. Kincaid led all TEs in yards per route run (2.79) last year but had a low route share; a 10-15% increase in route participation could easily propel him into TE1 territory.