Matt Waldman RSP Film Room

STACKED extracted the fantasy-relevant player signal from this video and kept the full transcript here for context.

35 min
Duration
Estimated from transcript
Oct 19, 2026
Published
Mon, October 19, 2026
22
Player insights
22
Players mentioned
Topics
Amari CooperBam KnightChristian WatsonColston LovelandDarren WallerDrake LondonHunter HenryJ.J. McCarthyJermaine BurtonKayshon BoutteKyle PittsLadd McConkeyLuther BurdenMalik Nabers
Player analysis

Player insights

22

Amari Cooper

PositiveUsage28:28

Amari Cooper Jr. is worth a roster spot as a streamer following a dominant performance against the Jets. He is a strong runner after the catch, though his role is expected to be volatile, functioning similarly to Jalen McMillan as an extension of the run game with occasional deep-shot opportunities.

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Bam Knight

PositiveSleeper24:47

Bob Harris and Matt Waldman recommend adding Bam Knight in fantasy leagues due to ongoing running back attrition. While he lacks elite physical traits, he possesses good contact balance and has consistently earned production across multiple regimes; he is a recommended roster add if he receives touches.

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Christian Watson

PositiveBreakout53:51

Matt Waldman identifies Christian Watson as a high-upside superstar with the elite speed to take the top off any defense and generate massive plays, though he notes that Watson currently lacks consistent production.

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Colston Loveland

PositiveBreakout9:40

Despite averaging only 7.1 points per game, Bob Harris advises fantasy managers not to give up on Colston Loveland, noting that his recent performance provides encouragement for future growth and he is occasionally the focus of the game plan.

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Darren Waller

NegativeValue9:32

Bob Harris identifies Darren Waller as a viable streaming option at tight end, noting his current production level of eight points per game.

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Drake London

PositiveUsage12:13

Bob Harris identifies Michael Penix Jr. as the key player who unlocks the fantasy upside for Drake London, despite Penix not being a reliable fantasy starter himself.

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Hunter Henry

NegativeProjection9:17

Hunter Henry is currently averaging 8.9 fantasy points per game, placing him as the TE20.

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J.J. McCarthy

PositiveRole46:46

Matt Waldman notes that JJ McCarthy has recently shown significant improvement, jokingly remarking that he has decided to be the best thing since sliced bread, which adds uncertainty to the team's starting quarterback situation.

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Jermaine Burton

NegativeRole18:18

Matt Waldman compares Jermaine Burton to Jeremy Bernard, projecting a volatile fantasy role where he serves as an extension of the run game with occasional intermediate plays and deep shots.

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Kayshon Boutte

NegativeUsage33:16

Boutte is utilized primarily on sideline routes where he excels at tiptoeing the boundary. Matt Waldman notes he was sharing Z-receiver duties in 12 personnel and was the primary Z in 11 personnel before Marvin Harrison Jr.'s arrival.

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Kyle Pitts

NegativeProjection9:27

Following a two-touchdown game, Kyle Pitts remains a volatile fantasy asset. Bob Harris estimates a 60% chance of him emerging, but advises against overpaying for him in trades. He is currently the TE21 in points per game (8.3) and is viewed as a player who relies too heavily on being schemed open, leading to a pattern of occasional spike games followed by disappearances.

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Ladd McConkey

NegativeInjury22:34

Matt Waldman expresses concern over McConkey's durability, noting that his tendency to compact his body when taking hits creates issues with his core and legs. While acknowledging he has WR1 upside, Waldman suggests his frame may not be able to handle the physical contact required at the NFL level and recommends he develop a better radar for avoiding heavy hits. Additionally, McConkey is struggling as part of a broader offensive malaise for the Chargers, who have scored only 84 total points through six games.

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Luther Burden

PositiveProjection50:33

Matt Waldman considers Luther Burden a top-tier prospect, ranking him as the number one player in his top tier, slightly ahead of Matthew Golden.

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Malik Nabers

PositiveUsage26:47

Matt Waldman considers Malik Nabers a fantastic weekly fantasy starter. His elite ability to find open zones and make plays on the ball allows him to remain productive even when his full skill set isn't utilized; recent success is tied to the team moving him inside, which has led to high target volume.

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Marvin Harrison Jr.

PositiveBreakout30:31

Bob Harris and Matt Waldman are bullish on Harrison's outlook, expecting the team to force-feed him targets to justify the trade acquisition until he proves otherwise. Waldman notes Harrison is still learning the offense, played only 12 snaps with 4 targets in his debut, and currently ranks behind Nico Collins and Jaylen Nowell in the pecking order.

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Matthew Golden

PositiveBreakout50:16

Matt Waldman ranks Matthew Golden highly among recent prospects, placing him above Tetairoa McMillan and Emeka Egbuka, and close to Luther Burden. Waldman dismisses negative comparisons to Mecole Hardman based on yards per route run, arguing that Golden's superior ball tracking and route-running technique make him a more complete receiver, potentially on a 'Tim Brown track'. Golden is making a strong argument to be the leading receiver on his team, though Waldman notes he needs to improve his consistency in securing the football to maximize his touchdown potential.

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Michael Mayer

PositiveValue12:22

Michael Mayer is a viable streaming tight end, currently TE13 in points per game (10.1). Bob Harris gives him a slight edge over Kyle Pitts due to the Raiders' offensive scheme and his role as a secondary tight end. His usage is tied to his role as a blocker in the run game and his ability to execute short-game routes, a skill set Kirk Cousins has historically utilized effectively with tight ends.

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Michael Penix Jr.

NegativeProjection8:51

Michael Penix Jr. is currently dealing with a rib injury and struggled in his recent performance, facing significant pressure and recording five sacks. While he shows potential against man coverage, he lacks high-end diagnostic skills and accuracy on middle-of-the-field throws, leading to multiple interceptable passes.

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Savion Williams

PositiveSleeper47:02

Matt Waldman views Savon Williams as a high-upside dynasty stash, noting his physical profile (6'4", 220 lbs) is comparable to Cordarrelle Patterson. Waldman considers him the best running back on the depth chart behind Josh Jacobs and suggests he could eventually see a breakout season similar to Patterson's transition.

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Tommy Tremble

PositiveValue9:26

Tommy Tremble is currently the TE8 on a points-per-game basis, scoring eight points per game. Bob Harris considers him a viable streaming option.

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Travis Hunter

PositiveProjection50:45

Matt Waldman identifies Travis Hunter as the only prospect ranked between Luther Burden and Matthew Golden in his evaluation, though he notes Hunter's potential as a shutdown corner could impact his offensive fantasy value.

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Xavier Hutchinson

NegativeUsage33:32

Hutchinson previously shared Z-receiver duties with Kayshon Boutte and rotated frequently for both Boutte and Jaylen Nowell, though his role has been impacted by the integration of Marvin Harrison Jr.

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Full transcript

Episode Transcript

348
0:00Good morning everybody. I'm Bob Harris. He's Matt Walman. He's very busy. So, we're going to get on with this thing
0:06before we cost him any more time today. He's got a lot of administrative duties going on with the rookie scouting
0:11portfolio. Mattwin.com. What's going on there, Matt? Man, well, you know, we're in the knee knee deep into the season. Maybe we're
0:17even hip deep into the season at this point. Um, so I mean, a lot of fun stuff. some players kind of emerging
0:23this week or at least poking their heads out of the hole and we're getting a chance to see whether or not they're
0:28going to climb their way out and start making their presence known on a regular basis. Yeah, I think the Eagles, the Chargers,
0:35the Colts, and a few others would like to say it's like chest deep. [laughter] We'll sort through that if you didn't
0:41hear general manager Chris Ballard got the axe today. Uh too bad he listened to Matt Waldman and I about Anthony
0:47Richardson senior. That'll cost him dearly uh in the future. But uh we'll we'll discuss all these things.
0:52I'll argue it was Daniel Jones was the coach killer. Well, no, that is absolutely true. But
0:58it was a combination of things. It was not, you know, it was some trades, some failures to land some other positions as
1:04well. But but paying Alec Pierce, who has been hurt, and Daniel Jones coming
1:09off an Achilles were probably the finals draws that broke the camel's back or the Ballard's back, so to speak. more like
1:16posts on the, you know, [laughter] masks on a ship falling on them.
1:21Well, you know, if we're going to talk about these failed personnel moves at some point. Uh, and by the way, it's week six is almost in the books, people.
1:28We're rolling along. There's been some rising stars, some horrible disappointments. Jaylen Herz now out for
1:34the season uh for Philadelphia on the blood thinners. Had multiple blood clots in his lungs even apparently. So, uh,
1:42they will take his all the best to him. Yeah, they'll take his health under consideration. Although, I would suggest
1:47they could have done that a little sooner. Apparently, he spent the entire night in the hospital uh before the
1:53London game that he played in and he was up until 4 a.m. because they didn't want him to sleep because they thought it was
1:59a risk. But going out and playing a game against the Jaguars that morning was was
2:04okay. Well, well, there will be a lot more. We need to find new we need to find new um ways to define what NFL actually
2:12means. [laughter] Well, we know what it means. Um,
2:18as we move into the personnel blunder category, as we talked about Chris Ballard, um, Ashton Genty, uh, Sunday he
2:26had 10 carries, 22 yards, and a touchdown. Was held under three yards per carry for the fourth time in six games. The Bills were not a great
2:33defense going into this one, but his rushing numbers this season have been subpar for a player taken inside the top
2:3810 of last year's draft. Mike Washington, Era Parent, Ashton, Genty, and is it going to happen tomorrow?
2:44Feeler, [ __ ] it. Oh, [ __ ] no. You know, he had some nice numbers. He set it up so well.
2:50He had a You did. You set it up beautifully, you know, and everybody was looking forward to my spike on that one,
2:56except for Raiders fans and Mike Washington fans, which there are numerous amounts of those guys. But
3:03listen, Mike Washington, he's got good size, he's got acceleration, he's got
3:08speed. People like that when you can get him into open space or get give him a
3:14big crease early, he does a nice job with that. But when it comes to the nuanced runs that Ashton Genty actually
3:20is making, um, when his ankle and foot have been healthy, um, and even when
3:27they haven't been so healthy before they start deteriorating, he's done okay. Looking at his tape a couple of weeks
3:32ago for the length of the season, he's actually been pretty nuanced with the with the holes that he hits and he's
3:39been a smart runner and I think he's made good decisions overall. Um, you can see where the improvement is with that
3:46offensive line and it's with running more gap plays and Genty is still on track to probably equal if not surpass
3:54what he did last year in fantasy. Um, when you look but the problem is the planner fascia. Is that going to get
3:59worse? Probably. So, um, and will that, you know, will that put Mike Washington into the game? Yes. And he will probably
4:08give you he will probably give you some big plays, but when it comes to the runs
4:13that Genty made that help Kirk Cousins stay on schedule, not so much. Um, he's
4:18an inefficient runner. You see a lot of jump cuts and jump stops where he ends
4:24up overshooting the creases that are actually there. He needs a he needs big
4:29creases to make his plays. Kind of like Omar and Hampton in that respect. Um so
4:36you're going to get more of an up and down guy if they have to lean on him more. Which means for fantasy, if you're
4:43just looking for fantasy short term, he may give you running back to value,
4:48running back, you know, flex value probably most likely. Um and that's fine. So, but I don't think he's going
4:55to give you even the value that Genty has given us with the expectations being higher for
5:00Genty early on and people being disappointed by that. Yeah, I keep going back to a voice I
5:06respect at least who covers the Raiders, Vinnie Bon Seenor, who you know and Genty was hurt initially during the
5:12summer workout. Um that like you know he sum kind of summed it up as saying uh
5:17Michael Washington Jr. is great but he's no action genty. So, I feel like that's kind of the thing that's lost on people.
5:23Just because Genti is being a disappointment does not mean Mike Washington is necessarily the answer. He's an answer, part of an answer, but I
5:30don't think he's the whole answer. Probably the blocking is probably part of the answer as well. Uh, Michael
5:35Pennock Jr., a renowned Matt Wald guy. Uh, is he ready for liftoff? It wasn't
5:40great. Wasn't great yesterday. He's dealing with the ribs, I think, still. He was under pressure a lot this game.
5:45Sacked five times, pressured on nearly half of his drop backs. Uh,
5:51is he ready for liftoff? Feel it or [ __ ] it? I'd say [ __ ] it. But I'd say that it's definitely,
5:57you can see that he's on the precipice of making some gains. Um, there's the
6:03one thing that he does, the thing that kind of separates him from what they didn't have earlier in the season is his
6:10ability to, man, he's a he's either a Falcons fan or he hates Michael Penn. We
6:15don't know which one it is. He hasn't said he's just voicing his displeasure over the entire situation. He he probably doesn't like
6:21quarterbacks. That's probably what it is. But um you know, PennX when you get him in to
6:28face man coverage, cover one, cover zero, he's excellent. Um ask him to
6:33throw the ball outside to throw the fade back shoulder or just the sideline fade.
6:39Fantastic at that. Um, you're seeing some more and more making good plays where he's starting to layer throws into
6:46the flats in the middle of the field over the tails of wallies and, you know, things like that. But you you're not
6:54seeing um really the the high-end
6:59diagnostic skills and always the the level of accuracy
7:05needed on those middle of the field throws to be, you know, to elevate his game just yet. And you're still seeing a
7:13number of interceptable throws. And I think some of that yesterday was due to injury, like you said, Bob. Um, some of
7:19it also is just that he he's not reading leverage as well as he should. And you
7:26know, there were probably three or four plays yesterday that should have been intercepted. This could have been a very
7:31different ball game. I think from a fantasy perspective, all we'd have to do is come to grips with
7:36the fact that Michael Pennix is not really a playable option for us, but he's also the option that unlocks all the upside of Drake London. And on
7:44occasion, Kyle Pittz, let's talk about Kyle Pittz. Kyle Pittz ready for a fantasy rebound feeling or [ __ ] it. Kind
7:49of like a two touchdowns yesterday, man. That's very exciting. It was very exciting. A lot of, you know, they were kind of schemed up plays
7:56um where they they did a good job finding the right play against the right defense and and Penn executed that. So,
8:03I think that there's a chance for that to happen. Um, especially when you have as good of a run game as you do and
8:09PennX, as long as he doesn't deteriorate with the with with his play due to
8:14injury. I think I would put it this way. Let's say there's like a 60% chance of that happening. You're I'm not like of
8:22like Pitts being emerging. Um, it's not it's not a slam dunk, but if you have
8:28him, I I would I would continue to take the chance on starting him, unless you
8:33have somebody way better, and I don't think you do. And if you if you wound up with Pitts, um, but if you're thinking
8:41about acquiring a tight end, you you don't want to overpay for him. This is going to have to be a really low
8:46situation, and I don't think you're going to get that. Kyle Pittzy, you might Kyle Pittzy. Well, not coming off two touchdown game, but even with that
8:52game, he is a tight end 19 on the season, 8.3 points per game. I think he's defined who he is over the course of his entire career. He's a guy that's
8:59going to have weeks like this, maybe multiple weeks like this if he's playing with Kurt Cousins as he did last year.
9:04What's the What's the fantasy points per game between tight end 19 and tight end 10?
9:10Uh, let's see. Let's do it on a points per game basis. I'm sorting on total points, so let me do it. Uh he is on a
9:17points per game basis he is tight end 21. Tight end 20 is
9:23Hunter Henry at 8.9. Pit is at 8.3. Tight end 22 the great Tommy Treble is
9:29tight end 8. Um I'd be fine streaming Tommy Tremble or Darren Waller at the moment. Both scoring eight points a
9:35game. Mark Andrews underneath that. Jake Ferguson underneath that. I mean there are some guys we drafted you know as
9:40frontline players. Coloulston Loveland, although he's coming off a big game, is still only at 7.1 points per game. We're not giving up on him. I don't think
9:46anyone is. Everyone's going to take encouragement from yesterday's game. And maybe they should do the same with Pitts. I guess my only thought is that
9:51that we've seen this movie before. There will be spike games and then there will be disappearances. I would much rather have a more reliable option. But on
9:59weeks I don't, this is a possible outcome. And there's nothing wrong with getting those numbers. The people who
10:05got them yesterday would tell you. So there you have it. It's just that I think for what you're saying and I think
10:11the point that you're making is good is that with a guy like Lovelin or Ferguson, there's times that they're the
10:16focus of the game plan and that there's more that they're asked to do that works well and they have better quarterbacks.
10:22Whereas Pennix doesn't have the have the level or Pitts doesn't have the level of quarterback yet and he has to rely on
10:29being schemed open a little bit too much. I'm looking at some of these averages per game. Uh I want to see where this
10:36fella falls in.
10:41Uh, it's not that great. 3.6 per game. Uh, what about guy like Josh Quavvis all
10:47of a sudden coming on? Mark Andrews struggling? Are we forgetting about Matt Hibner? What What's the deal with should
10:54people be chasing this if they're out getting ready to do their waivers? The Baltimore tight end, I should add. No, I would say that this is kind of a
11:00whack-a-ole situation with the tight ends there because they play a lot of two, three tight end sets and they're
11:06they're kind of mixing and matching and creating um opportunities for various
11:11tight ends depending on the week and Qua seems to be one that's been getting more looks lately. But when you're getting
11:18your touchdown based on basically playing guard on the um on the line,
11:24like you're in the position where the guard usually is and and you know, basically releasing from there.
11:29That was a pretty good creative, right? That was very creative. But how often are they going to do that with Quavvis?
11:34Like no more I mean will it ever work again? That's the point. So it's like
11:40a one time only play. Yeah. It's like some of his better plays were things where, you know, they
11:45motioned him to a side and out of the as a fullback, then they used him as as
11:52basic essentially the guard. Um, and then that was, you know, and that was kind of the extent of it. He had some,
11:59you know, I think that if he just gets conventional targets more often, you
12:04could start to make a move there. But I don't think that's going to happen. It's a combination of maybe Quavvis being
12:09comfortable with Tyler Huntley, you know, as them working with the second and third team probably during the off
12:15season. So, they they used him a little bit more there, but I'm not convinced that he's taking over just yet.
12:22Well, what about Michael Mayer for the Raiders? I mean, is this offense Kirk Cousins again, the tight end uh
12:29whisperer out here. Uh Mayor had another really solid week. He's been pretty solid over time um when he's given the
12:36opportunities. Is is he a viable play on a weekly basis? Is he someone you could stream, let's say, if you were thinking
12:42about him or Kyle Pittz or any number of other streaming options? Ferguson, who we mentioned,
12:47I think I would I would probably give a slight edge to Michael Mayer over Kyle Pittz. Um right now, just from the fact
12:54of what you mentioned with Kirk Cousins, also the fact that Kubak does a really
13:00good job with his second tight end. I mean, think about last year when it was Aoyo who was going to be supposedly the
13:07starter, but it was Barner who really got most of the love. Now, we know that, you know, Brock Bowers isn't in that
13:14same category with any of those tight ends, but he's more he's more wide receiver for that team anyhow. Um, so I
13:22think that Michael Mayer is probably a a reasonable bet because other than Trey
13:27Tucker, right, who is like the Kyle Pitts of wide receivers having those two touchdown
13:33games and then I go back into hibernation until next time. That's right. He's he's they're
13:39streamers. We're talking about streamers at this point. So Mayor's tight end 13 on points per game, 10.1. Some of that's on the steam
13:45of, you know, when Brock Bowers was out, he got a little more run, but but he's still been still been a viable play most weeks. So,
13:52I'm kind of with you on this one. He's I'm sorry. Streaming option. Yeah. I mean, he's got that he's he's
13:59being used in that um Tai Tai Warren 2025 season or like Tucker Craft for the
14:05past two years. He's and he's good at that. I mean, they block down. They expect him to to be a blocker in the run
14:11game. He does a good job with a variety of releases to get into the flat or over the middle and and those plays have
14:17worked well and Kirk Cousins has a lot of experience with that kind of stuff back in Minnesota when he was even
14:23working with um you know the Falcons head coach now Stfansky. So, you know,
14:29that's why he is a tight end whisperer because he's very good at executing those those um looks and Mayor is really
14:38the tried andrue kind of meat and potatoes of that that type that part of the short game.
14:43I want to touch on a couple players at other positions before we jump into wide receivers because we got a handful of those. Um first of all, Bam Knight in
14:49Arizona. Is he an addable asset to you? Feel it or [ __ ] it? I'd say feel it, you know, until we see anything with um
14:56Jeremiah, just Jeremiah Loves. And when we look at their their health and we generally with running backs, they take so much
15:02punishment that once you see a dent in defender, then you're going to start to see maybe the axle fall off. So, I would
15:08I would look at him and say, look, he he catches the ball well, even though they may not use him in that respect, but he
15:14has good contact balance. Wherever he's been, whether it was New York or Arizona, he has earned production. He's
15:22a hard runner. He's a good backup player who just doesn't have the high-end
15:27physical skills that people look for from a starter. So, if he gets the touches, you want him.
15:33I think that the the fact that he stuck through two regimes here. There's a new group comes in and he's kind of outlier
15:38player and yet here he is still an outlier player for the Arizona Cardinals. I was a little disappointed.
15:44I had high expectations for Tyler Algier. Uh but but but but I realized it
15:49would be mitigated by a weird game script. It turns out it was wasn't the weird game script I expected. It was a
15:55much different grade, which is pretty much the story of every week. Not the game script I expected. It turns out
16:01certainly not as I set my fantasy lineups. Uh I'm with you. Bam Knight is
16:06a guy with all the byweeks coming up and the attrition that's ongoing uh should be rostered in leagues. Tanner McKe. We
16:12had talked about uh uh Jaylen Herz being done for the season. Uh I argue going
16:18into this game that maybe Tanner McKe is better than we know. Uh the Eagles have stuck with [clears throat] him. They you
16:24know I I I get that it was very close competition with Andy Dalton, who by the way signed with the Falcons today. Um
16:31but but is it possible they know more than we do and that he's going to be a serviceable player for us as well? Feel
16:37it or [ __ ] it? I'm gonna say [ __ ] it. Mainly because I don't trust the wide receiver core enough
16:43or the offensive line. Or the offensive line or the running backs. Yeah. Or Yeah, exactly. It's just too
16:49banged up of a situation. I think he's in a bad scenario. But I do think that there's a reason why they kept him like
16:55you said and and there's promise there with his game to become a an Andy Dalton
17:01like backup who can come in and and help out or Tyler Huntley type. All right,
17:06let's talk about some wide receivers. Have to start with Omar Cooper Jr. came out and dominated uh the Jets receiving
17:14numbers yesterday. Is he an actual emerging threat, feel it or [ __ ] it? I'm I'm going to say he's worth taking a
17:21chance on as a streamer and then you can see if it builds from there because he is a good runner after the catch. He
17:26made the he was in the right spots over the middle. Um but if you you know we we
17:31have that fallacy of if you subtract the big play you know then maybe it wasn't
17:37so good. Um and that is a fallacy. He did catch a deep ball where he got
17:42behind the zone defense and Gino um under threw it a bit and he had to go up
17:48and get it. Um it should have been an easier play than it was. Um, but those are the types of plays that don't happen
17:55every week um with certain types of players. And I think he's that certain
18:00type of player right now. Um, but you know, he's he's kind of in that um Jeremy Bernard
18:09category, which is he'll be an extension of the run game. He'll give you a couple of intermediate plays and maybe they'll
18:14try a deep shot with him every once in a while. And so I I would I I would
18:20definitely take the shot on it, but understand that it's probably going to be a volatile role. Yeah, I feel like I'm not necessarily
18:26taking my chances that deep on this on this offense, but but this may have this
18:31at least has opened the door to that possibility for me. I feel the same about Marvin Harrisy Jr. Uh what do you think about his debut? Can he pick up
18:38the pace? Seems like he's in a rotation in a spot opposite Nico Collins. Can he
18:43gain more ground there, feel it or [ __ ] it? I'm going to say feel it because I think they want to prove their point
18:48that they made the right decision trading for him. So, we're going to see more targets his way until he completely
18:53screws them up. And I would say if instead of until um but I don't think
18:59we're going to see the the last of Jaylen Nowell either. Um Jaylen Nowell
19:04does things that neither Nico Collins nor Marvin Harrison or anybody else on
19:10that team for that matter does, which is he has electric ability after the catch.
19:16Really good burst. He has the deep speed that he can actually get behind a defense and you can put the ball over
19:23his head and let him win it. Whereas Nico can go up and win it. Marvin, we
19:28don't know for sure. He's got it's got to be more of a perfect pass in and on those types of routes. Um but you know,
19:36Marvin caught one that was nice, took a hit, was really excited, then had one defended and then just really, you know,
19:42there's not enough looks for him yet because he's still learning the offense. Um but Noel's the most versatile
19:49receiver that they have. I think I think it's going to be, you know, Collins, Noel, Harrison in that order. and Bouty
19:57gets his sideline routes where he he basically tiptoes the sideline and then he's going to wind some up somewhere
20:02else and I think be a good player. But we'll we'll see. Yeah, I think the uh the I was looking
20:09at Pro Football Focus. Nathan Yankee had this dialed in. It had been Xavier Hut Hutchinson and Booty had been sharing
20:15the Z receiver in 12. Booty was the primary Z receiver in 11 personnel. Null was the primary slot receiver and then
20:22Huskinson would rotate frequently for both Bouty and Null. And and Harrison changed that, but not a ton. I mean, he
20:28didn't have a ton of snaps in this game, and I'm sure he'll have more. And that was kind of their plan going in. What was his snap total? He had 12 snaps the
20:34whole game. So, he ran nine routes, had four targets. So, we'll see. I I'm with you. I think they I think they have a a
20:39point to prove, and they'll go out of their way to prove it until Marvin Harrison makes it impossible for them to do that. And that is also in the range
20:46of possible outcomes. So, if it's the same Marvin Harrison we've seen in Arizona so far, I'm not enthusiastic
20:52about the chances of a change of scenery doing anything for him. That's just me. Yeah. All right. Lad Maki, uh, the concerns
21:00coming out of college were were about durability. So far, those concerns have proven to be true. I don't like to call
21:06people injuryprone, but can we call uh Lad McConny that a little more comfortably than others? Feel it or [ __ ]
21:12it? I'm just uncomfortable that I had that I was this bullish on the on him this season just because the injuries
21:19just keep piling up. It's like he and you could see the warning signs last
21:24year where it's like the way that he compacts his body when he takes hits.
21:29I've had a couple coaches talk about that is that he kind of compacts his body in a way that when he takes hits it
21:36it gets further compacted and it creates issues with his core. it creates issues
21:41with his legs and and he's just as a lighter player anyhow working over the
21:48middle, he seems to be exposed to the type of hits that maybe his frame can't handle or the way that he plays the game
21:55can't handle. And you know, again, this is speculation. It's not necessarily truth. It's speculation based on, you
22:03know, on observation of certain causes and effects, but we don't know whether
22:08that the cause and effect are as linked as it as as I was talking about. But I I
22:15would definitely look back on this and you the combination of just that the offensive line has been so bad that the
22:21that the passing game and the running game aren't working. So, it's you know, we could blame Mike McDaniel offense,
22:27but I don't think that's fair. where it's just the O line fell apart before they could even get rolling. And then
22:34when you look at, you know, everything else falling apart with it. I just look at McConi and it's like he has wide
22:40receiver one upside but he has like you know uh he basically has a a flag
22:47football body maybe at this point I so I I you know I was you know I nicknamed him the child prodigy just
22:53because he looks like he's about 12 years old and part of that is just he's not a physically imposing character
22:59right and and as Blake Group will tell you the [laughter] 156 pound kicker
23:05running into Devin Duivere not also known as a [laughter] physically imposing player but who pretty much
23:11destroyed Krooppy. Uh like you know there's there's some physics involved here that that perhaps his frame can't
23:18come up with. I am injury agnostic. I do not believe that players uh you know like yeah I tend to be that way too.
23:24But but but in the case of someone who's just physically can't hold up to the to
23:30the to the contact at this level you have to start taking that into account. And I think we need to take that into a
23:36copy. Sorry, not not necessarily injury prone. Just slight just slight m and it's the way you know
23:44and it's funny because you're right. I mean if also the way you play and understanding how to play football is is
23:50is important because you know you can have bigger guys who don't play at all or played in high
23:56school and then they face like a guy Manki size who maybe was a kick returner
24:01at a at an ACC school. I had, you know, I had a I've talked about this guy named
24:07Sandals [clears throat] who was like um who who's like a guitar player in Athens who they, you know, creates children's
24:14lullabibies and the hospital distributes his CDs when they when mothers families
24:19give birth. And uh he played football with a bunch of guys that I that I knew
24:24and he went to my high school so I knew what he was. cuz he played with Bill Curry's Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets and
24:31um they said, you know, we threw we played tackle football out in the backyard and we we we kicked the ball
24:36off and he ran through like four of us and we were all on the ground and basically it took four plays and three
24:42touchdown and four touchdowns by him um both on offense and defense just in a pickup game and these guys were all
24:49bigger than him and all played high school ball and they all were banged up after four plays and everybody quit cuz
24:55he was running and this was a dude running in his sandals who's about 5' n. [laughter] I I think it's interesting though there
25:00are there are players and they don't all all have to be small who, you know, have have an innate ability to avoid contact
25:08or at least avoid big hits. Lamar Jackson, you don't seen him get don't see him get blown up a lot. I think back
25:14to Tyler Lockett who almost never took big hits. He was always sliding and you know just doing things. There are some
25:20players who are just like cierier about that. Uh, and probably they are slighter guys. And maybe at some point Lad Mani
25:27can develop that part of his game where he gets a little bit of a better radar and and and or just get smarter about
25:33avoiding some of the heavier contact. Maybe Daniels will do that. Yeah. Or being an offense that kind of
25:38helps that too because Lamar Lamar's used a lot so much on the outside that he doesn't have to. But you're right
25:43that he is cierier. You're right. He is. Yeah. I think I and maybe that's a learned ability. Carnell Tate uh seems
25:50to be learning quickly. Has he been better than the box score shows us feel or [ __ ] it? Oh, absolutely. He looks like he looks
25:56like the Ohio State receiver that we saw last year. Just strong tracking,
26:01excellent body control, boundary awareness. Um he reroutes well and gets open for um Cam Ward pretty well and he
26:09handled contact effectively. He put that all on display this week. And I just think it's a matter of, you know,
26:17gaining more experience, having better quarterback play, and even be even more important than all of that, better
26:23offensive line play. Um, and I think if they can get a better offensive line and maybe a second receiver in there who
26:29they can really solidify what's going on with that offensive line, um, we could
26:34have some liftoff, whether it's with Cam Ward or somebody else at some point. Yeah, I would I would agree with that. I
26:40think that that he looks very good. He's had the big games. He's had the down games, but I think he's played more even
26:46keel than his fantasy production has suggested. Malik Neighbors, he's fantastic. Weekly starter. Feel it or
26:52it? I'm feeling it. I'm feeling it. I give it up. I'm giving it up. I mean, he's not [laughter] and I'm so and I'm glad
26:59because it's like, you know, but he's he's not where he was, but from a fantasy standpoint, if you're going to
27:05play him inside and let him do what he can do, he does that extraordinarily
27:10well. I mean, that just tells you how great of a player he is is that the
27:16thing that makes him elite from a just a football standpoint. He can't do right
27:22now, but and that cuts out a portion of his game, but he's so good at finding
27:28open zones and being able to make plays on the ball that as long as they use him
27:35the right way, he's he's going to get a ton of targets. And that's what's happening. And I'm I'm happy for people
27:41who took the chance with him. Um, and I think a good lesson for that, too, is,
27:47you know, if you have a player who's that good that they're going to, what you have to wait for is is the team
27:52going to use him right. And the team wasn't using him right early on, but they started to move him
27:59inside more often. And I think that now that they've made that adjustment, it, you know, it's wheels up.
28:06I don't disagree with that at all. I have not disagreed with that all along, but the quarterback situation has been
28:11an issue there. And apparently JJ McCarthy has decided he's going to be the best thing since sliced bread. So good for him. We'll see how we we'll see
28:17who the starter is next week. Uh I have a hunch, but we'll we'll What's the name of this soap opera? We
28:22got to figure out one. [laughter] Yes. As the QB churns. Um Savon
28:28Williams, four catches, caught all four of his targets, had a couple runs. Uh are we seeing the new Jaden Reed feel or
28:35it? I think there's a chance that if we're going to talk about the adjusted Jaden Reed who was taking the
28:41third spot behind Watson and and Golden then yes absolutely and occasionally he
28:47might have the old version of Jaden Reed games because he does have excellent skill after the catch what he can do as
28:54a runner if they they continue to add more to his plate as a runner that could be interesting to be honest with you
29:01I've well we've said this before I thought Williams was the best running back on the depth chart behind Josh
29:07Jacobs. And I'm still saying that right now after what we've seen this season
29:12with the rest of these guys. So if you're in a dynasty league, I think Savon Williams is a nice cheap throwin
29:19that if you just want to if you just want to be like and I don't remember the name of oh draft day. I don't remember
29:25the name of the the kicker that Putney. That's it. And you want to say I want David goddamn Putney or whatever it is.
29:31He could maybe be your Putney. um that you can add in your deal that's really
29:37nothing um but could end up being something big for you. I think it's easy to forget that David Williams is is is a
29:44Corderell Patterson size man even a little bigger. He's 6'4 220 lbs. Patterson 6 well over 6 foot 62 I think
29:50and 220 pounds. So so has that similar maybe we see that similar arc where we get a running back one season out of
29:57this guy at some point that would be fantastic. Yeah. If the Packers could go vegan for about, you know, two months and clear
30:03all that cheese out of their brain, then maybe, [laughter] you know, maybe they can uh they can get Seavon Williams to
30:09Well, apparently they had a moment of clarity uh when they drafted Matthew Golden. Um
30:15shoot. Yeah. Matthew Golden versus the guys that we were talked about at the top of last year's draft. Am I T McMillan, Luther
30:22Burton? Uh Matthew Golden, feel it or [ __ ] it? I think Matthew Golden is
30:28better than Tet McMillan. I think he's better than Amika Abbuka. Um I would say
30:33it's closer with him and Luther Burden. Um I I had Luther Burden number one in
30:40on in in my top tier. I had Golden number three and he was the last player
30:45in my top tier. The only one above him, the one between Burden and Golden was
30:50Travis Hunter. And that's and but I warned people that, you know, he's he's
30:56got more potential to be a shutdown corner, which could put a dent in his offensive value for a while. Um, so when
31:03you look at Golden, I mean, to me, he's, you know, I had him as a better version of Jaden Reed, a slightly better
31:10version, and kind of more on that Tim Brown track. I know a lot of people don't remember Tim Brown, but he was a
31:16Hall of Fame caliber receiver, you know, um, who could do it all. And Golden's
31:22such a good tracker. The ball. There are a lot of people that said, "Well, his yards per route run may look kind of
31:28looks like Micole Hardman. It makes him look like Micole Hardman." And it's like, that's why modeling sometimes has
31:34its weaknesses. This guy was nothing like Micole Hardman because he could track and catch a football. Um, and
31:41actually run routes when they asked him to. And it was the same argument people made against Luther Burden is, you know,
31:48they looked at the modeling rather than maybe like the techniques of the of of
31:53routing and pass catching. Was it against the Bears that Golden did the look one way, look the other way
31:58catch that the week before? Yeah. I mean, that's a great example of that. The next step is catching all the
32:04passes. According to last night, he doesn't always uh secure the football. It would be great if he did. He would
32:10have more touchdowns. I'd been very happy. No offense. Sure. No, but yeah,
32:15I I I agree with this and it's just a little reminder. We've been talking about him all summer because people kept
32:20talking to me about Matthew Golden saying he was going to be the leading receiver on this team. We'll see if that's the case. He's certainly uh
32:26certainly making the argument for himself. Uh and you know, I think we'll see more games. Christian Watson is
32:31going to be a huge superstar. I mean, he is the guy that can run past everyone on the field and make a huge play and and
32:38take the top off a game. Uh but he's also a little bit less consistent, I think. So, we'll see. We'll see how this
32:43ends up. Um I want to ask you one last question before we call it a day here. Matt, um Chargers go into their
32:49bye-week. They're 0 and6. We talked about the problems for Lad Maki, but just generally the offensive malaise has
32:56been horrible there. They've scored like 84 total points this year. Justin Herbert's thrown eight interceptions. Um
33:03just not working. And so John Jim Jim Harbaugh, there's so many Harbaugh. Uh
33:08Jim Harbaugh said uh after the game that they'll have to look at everything including the play calling. Um so I
33:14guess this is where we choose. Mike McDaniels or the man most likely to replace him if he's removed from the
33:21play calling, Adam Gays. Feeler, [ __ ] one. Feel one, [ __ ] one.
33:26I'm going to say I'm feeling Mike McDaniel. Definitely feeling Mike McDaniel. Um but
33:32I just think that the problem is the offensive line and this is a political game at this point. This is what happens
33:38when when you have a unit falter. Now it it comes to accountability in the
33:44boardroom. And that's basically what this whole game is going to be played out and people are going to then use
33:49this to to write history when it really wasn't the real history. One note on
33:55that, Joe Ala, I think the news from the specialist was good and they hope to have him back at some point soon, but Rashan Slater is going to be out for a
34:01while. Tyler Bayish isn't coming back this season. So, yeah, they're they're a mess. And uh and starting four rookies
34:07on the offensive line at any given point in time is probably not going to yield the best results. Yeah. Possible.
34:12Especially not high-end, you know, [laughter] draft picks. There's some just some guys. So, no offense to those
34:17guys. No offense to Matt Waldman. It's been fantastic. Matt, you're wonderful on the Field [ __ ] podcast. Many people
34:23many people tell me how good you are on this program. Uh we appreciate all your comments on the X and
34:30many people tell me this. We appreciate all the comments on the X and all the kind words and appreciate you all
34:35listening. Uh Matt will be working away at the rookie scouting portfolio headquarters at mattwalman.com. Have
34:42some content out for you there and undoubtedly over the course of the rest of the offseason. He's studying the films. He's putting it on the X at
34:48Mattwaldman's where you can find all that. Tons of articles going up at footballguys.com by Matt and myself. So
34:54check all that out. My on the hot seat videos come out every Wednesday every week. This week I'll have Armando Marcal
35:00from the Fantasy Guru site. Love Armando. And my live streams on Saturday. Uh come join in. We just sit
35:06around and talk for about an hour and uh get the questions. The chat answers each other's questions. It's a good time.
35:11It's like a party except I'm there. [laughter] Love you, Bob.
35:17Love you. Bye.

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