Rookie RBs & WRs to Target in 2026 Fantasy Football (Lance Zierlein)
STACKED extracted the fantasy-relevant player signal from this video and kept the full transcript here for context.
36 min
Duration
Estimated from transcript
Jul 22, 2026
Published
Wed, July 22, 2026
12
Player insights
12
Players mentioned
Topics
Carnell TateChris OlaveDeVonta SmithHarold FanninJadarian PriceJeremiyah LoveJordyn TysonKamar AikenQuinshon JudkinsTed HurstTrey McBrideZachariah Branch
Player analysis
Player insights
Carnell Tate
NegativeProjection5:41
Carnell Tate's year-one outlook is spotty in redrafts due to mouths-to-feed concerns in Tennessee; the Titans have Tony Pard (260–270 touches), Calvin Ridley, and Juan Del Robinson competing for targets, and Jaylen Hertz is still in learning stages. The source worries Tate will lack the impact some expect and will be a feast-or-famine flex play rather than a consistent producer. Tate received a 67 grade (high grade with Pro Bowl potential) but is assessed as an outstanding wide receiver two or good wide receiver one rather than great at the position, with consistency as his strength. Fantasy outlook hinges on quarterback and play-caller development rather than receiver talent; Dayball must figure out Cam Ward's strengths and preferences in the first five to seven games, with uncertainty expected until approximately week eight. Tate is the most expensive rookie wide receiver in ADP, first wide receiver off the board in 2026 draft, going around wide receiver 30 (mid-WR3 range) in high-stakes FFPC and other major formats.
Insight pageChris Olave
PositiveProjection13:13
Chris Olave is an established WR1 with 119+ targets in 3 of 4 years; strong touchdown and yardage production; trust built up with QB Tyler Shuck over one year; positioned as Shuck's primary target when QB feels comfortable and progresses through reads.
Insight pageDeVonta Smith
NegativeRole1:34
Zierlein characterizes DeVonta Smith as a feast-or-famine target dependent on how Jalen Hurts features him, positioning Smith as a secondary weapon in Philadelphia's offense behind the running back. Smith is expected to be in two-wide-receiver sets alongside Umai Lemon, but Zierlein's analysis suggests Lemon's slot role and contested-catch ability may limit Smith's target upside relative to his historical usage.
Insight pageHarold Fannin
NegativeRole19:00
Year-two TE entering 2026 season; expected to be an easy target for Cleveland QBs with high target volume. Not necessarily a special talent, but will rack up targets and PPR points on a bad team with QB carousel, as QBs gravitate toward reliable quick-throw options. Had high target volume in college. Upside tied to volume rather than elite ability.
Insight pageJadarian Price
PositiveProjection26:52
Jadarian Price has settled as high-end RB3/low-end RB2 in ADP and the source projects 8+ rushing touchdowns, 20+ catches, and 800–850 rushing yards in year one. He is a smooth, natural professional runner with great vision and red-zone scoring upside. The source is bullish on his long-term NFL trajectory, comparing him to Javvante Williams and projecting him as a seven-to-eight year starter who will hit the 1,000-yard mark five or more times in his career. If he reaches the 215-carry mark, he could become a top-five NFL running back, though target volume may limit top-five fantasy upside. Price can play all three downs and is a natural pass catcher out of the backfield; the source expects him to establish himself early and secure approximately 11–12 carries per game once the backfield settles in early November, with Emanuel Wilson receiving only about three carries. The source is really confident in Jadarian Price.
Insight pageJeremiyah Love
NegativeProjection31:35
Jeremiah Love is RB13 in ADP—the cheapest valuation ever seen for a top-five NFL draft selection at the position—but the source is bearish on him if overdrafted. Arizona's weak offensive line run-blocking, pass-catching competition from Trey McBride, and backup running back Alier create structural headwinds. Love's vision is average and he is more comfortable with clear points of entry rather than feeling openings develop; combined with poor offensive line blocking, he will struggle grinding out short yardage in second-and-long situations. His role may require creative usage in two-back sets or slot receiver packages to generate mismatches. The source is worried his early-season performance will mirror Ashton Genty's slow start in a similar Arizona offensive situation, citing recency bias and structural similarities including weak offensive line, pass-catching competition, and veteran quarterback with limited receiving weapons.
Insight pageJordyn Tyson
NegativeBreakout13:23
Jordan Tyson is a talented wide receiver landing with New Orleans under Kell Moore in year two of his offensive system, positioned ahead of Carnell Tate in ADP discourse post-landing spot announcement with optimism around New Orleans' offensive trajectory contrasting with question marks in Tennessee. Tyson wins on all three levels with 4.5 speed despite not running a 40-yard dash; plays faster than his times suggest due to ball-tracking ability; could be a spike-week player with strong end-of-year counting stats if Saints offense takes a step forward. However, fantasy upside depends heavily on quarterback protection and Tyler Shuck's poise under pressure; Shuck had poise issues in college when pressured but improved last year. Established target trust between Shuck and Chris Olave (119+ targets in three of four years) creates risk that Shuck locks onto his known go-to receiver when pressured, potentially limiting Tyson's opportunity despite offensive talent. Hamstring injury history is a concern that must stay healthy.
Insight pageKamar Aiken
PositiveRole13:52
Aiken is described as 'a shell of himself' entering 2026; incoming RB Etienne will compete for target share and catches, with the running back position overall poised to take some receiving opportunities away from Aiken.
Insight pageQuinshon Judkins
NegativeProjection23:02
Browns scoring environment uncertainty affects Judkins' touchdown opportunity ceiling; source frames this as a shared question across all Browns pass catchers—how many points can the offense score and how many touchdown opportunities will be available.
Insight pageTed Hurst
NegativeRole26:26
Intriguing profile but not ready for immediate fantasy impact; source expects Baker Mayfield to lock in on an established tight end and two established wide receivers, limiting Hurst's near-term opportunity.
Insight pageTrey McBride
NegativeRole32:32
Trey McBride is identified as a pass-catching option competing with Jeremiah Love in the Arizona offense. His presence as a primary receiving target limits Love's target volume and role flexibility in the passing game.
Insight pageZachariah Branch
PositiveBreakout25:10
Enticing due to catch-and-run versatility similar to Zay Jones; Georgia offense kept him under wraps, but with London on perimeter and Kyle Pitts creating spacing, Branch's track speed could shine on mesh routes, shallow crossers, quick game, and screens. Source would not draft him yet but frames him as interesting to monitor.
Insight pageFull transcript
Episode Transcript
0:04How will the 2026 rookie class perform in fantasy football this season? Theo Greinger, Rotoire, lead fantasy analyst, joined today by NFL.com's Lance Zerline,
0:15one of the best talent evaluators in the entire country when it comes to breaking down these prospects. Lance, we're heading into rookies showing up early
0:24for training camp. We're deep in into it. Let's break it down. If there is a rookie wide receiver this year who's
0:31going to have an absolute smash season for fantasy football, which one is it?
0:36>> I'd say u Mai Lemon. And I base that situationally. I I look at Philadelphia.
0:42Number one, AJ Brown is gone. We know that. Um I think you have to look at the quarterback himself. I know you've got a
0:47new offensive caller and play play caller over there and Shawn Manion. And so they're going to want to do certain things off of play action. I mean, there
0:55there's an idea of the offense they want to run, but we know that that Jaylen Herz kind of does his own thing
1:01sometimes. One of the things he really likes to do is look for the safer throw at times. And while Mai Limit is not
1:09going to present wide open windows, he's not a great separator. He is from a burst standpoint, he is a really good route
1:16runner. He's going to be where he needs to be on time and he's excellent with contested catches. So, what that means
1:23is I I think Jaylen Herz could view him as a safety blanket from the slot and as you have Goddard is getting older. Um,
1:34you know, I Eli Sters is a rookie. I don't expect him to do a whole lot at the tight end position. Devonte Smith
1:40obviously has always been a guy that it's it's a little bit feast or famine depending on how he's going to be
1:45featured. His own quarterback is going to feature him. And we know the running back is the running back and that's, you
1:50know, that's that's going to be the bread and butter. But if you're looking for somebody who could really impress his play caller and impress his
1:57quarterback very quickly with the way he plays because there's a level of consistency um in in the the speed that he plays at and how he attacks every
2:07rep, I'd say it's Mai Limit, you know, because they're going to score touchdowns as well. I want a team that's going to get down there in the red zone
2:14to give my guy a shot. And I think when you look at, you know, I I don't want to spoil this and go to everybody, but when
2:21you look at some of these other situations, certainly Carnell Tate, certainly anybody with the Browns, you may not have those same opportunities
2:27from a touchdown standpoint. So, it's kind of it's it's a little bit layered.
2:31And I know we're going to talk about all these guys, but there's some intriguing catches with every, you know, holdups for every wide receiver. And when I look
2:38at Lemon, I'm not really worried about a whole lot other than look, they're going to run the ball. I know that. And there
2:44are some other weapons there, but I don't know if it's enough to scare a quarterback away from using somebody who's that sure-handed.
2:51>> Yeah, I mean, I love the answer. And I I had Pat Karine on the other day. We talked about Mai Lemon being a real
2:56value in reddraft leagues. There's a much cheaper price tag for him than you find for a Carnell Tate or a Jordan
3:02Tyson. There's a little bit of fear and trepidation in the in the marketplace fantasy-wise, Lance, that it could have been maybe a quote unquote bad fit. Um,
3:11I I was never in in that in that realm.
3:14But one question mark with Mai Lemon I'd have for you is when you evaluated him, you know, he's got the incredible route
3:21running ability. He's got that incredible toughness. Do you see him as a guy who can be out there in two wide
3:27receiver sets? I know you mentioned the slot usage, but you think when Philly goes with two wide receiver sets, it's going to be Smith and Lemon out there.
3:34>> Yeah, I'm anticipating that. And I'll tell you why. Because when you look at, you know, I just I I see some two wide
3:42receivers. I see some 12 personnel with two wide receivers, two tight ends. I do see them doing that. And I'm not that
3:48I'm not I'm really not that worried about it because Mai Lemon is such a good route runner. Now, he's not he's
3:54not the fastest wide receiver, so I think you are going to be a little bit limited in terms of that route tree, but
4:00he's a crafty enough wide receiver to where he can create a window quickly out of a break. Now, he doesn't burst to
4:07separate out of out of that break. So, you're not going to get an extension of the separation. Uh, and and you do have
4:13to look at the quarterback now. Okay.
4:15Does my quarterback throw at the anticipation? If you have a quarterback who throws with anticipation, that's great. It's not that, you know, Jaylen
4:21Herz is not really a um a plus anticipatory thrower. So, in that way, it kind of you can say, okay, well, that
4:28kind of cancels out the the the little quick window he'll give you because of his, you know, his route running. But it
4:34is for me he can run a variety of routes. I mean he's he's excellent at getting into them. He plays at a great
4:41speed and I think the differentiator is that 50/50s are in his favor. I mean it's always going to be more like a 6040
4:50realistically. I know we love saying things like 8020 but realistically it's going to be he's he's a casino receiver meaning it tilts in his favor. The odds
4:58are going to be with the house. And in this case, the house is Mai Lemon. And so I do believe Yeah, I do believe that
5:05when you look at Philadelphia, even though he's only had one year where he was a big-time production guy, he had 700 yards his second year as a starter,
5:14over a thousand last year, 11 touchdowns last year. um his second year, not as many touchdowns, but his game is is
5:22fairly mature and I think that will resonate with the veterans on the the Eagles team with the new play caller and
5:29especially I think most importantly with Jaylen Hurst. So, I'm not that worried about him in a 12 personnel.
5:34>> Yeah. No, I'm I'm really excited for his future as well. Let's talk about Carnell Tate first because a lot of people would
5:41have the Tate or Tyson answer here. Um, is this a matter of your question marks with the Tennessee offense, uh, potentially Wandell Robinson taking away
5:49a lot of targets? Uh, when it comes to Tate, what is a what is a good year one look like for him? And what do you think
5:55it will look like for him?
5:57>> Tate is I think year one is going to be um a little spotty for Tate. I mean, he for in reddrafts, I think he's a little
6:04spotty this year. You want to we're gonna if it's a keeper league, I love him and I love Carnell Tate. really like
6:11him a lot. When I look at a team who has a running back who's hit the not only the thousand yard mark four straight
6:18years, but they're not afraid to give him a good deal of carries. Like you've got Tony Pard who's going to get his
6:23carries, he's going to get his touches out of the back field as well. So, you know, we've got a certain amount of
6:28touches taken up by the running back.
6:29Then you've got Calvin Ridley who's a seasoned wide receiver, presuming he stays healthy. You know, that's going to be a concern. Uh, and then you've added
6:38Juan Del Robinson who is another seasoned wide receiver. So, I just think it it gets down to mouths to feed for
6:44me. That's my biggest concern is you still have a young quarterback who has moments of, you know, he has some spectacular moments, but is still very
6:52much in a learning stages and it just I'm worried because of the mouths to feed that Tate is not going to have the
6:59impact that some people think he's going to have. I really wanted him, you know, I I thought for me, I thought he might
7:05get past I think most of us thought he'd get past the Titans, even though I I didn't hate this pick for the Titans at
7:10all, but I thought if he went to the Giants, they'd be a much more interesting selection from a fantasy football standpoint.
7:18But as it stands now, just so many miles to feed over there, and you have one player in a running back who's going to,
7:24you know, probably get you in the neighborhood of of 20, I don't know, 260 touches, 270 touches. I I just worry
7:33about the impact that Love is going to have if you're just going to be playing guessing games each week as as a as your
7:39wide receiver three or or a flex, whether or not, you know, if you're getting the right matchup. you're going to be playing the guessing game with
7:46tape because there's going to be some feast or famine. And I and I don't know how much feast we're going to actually
7:50see this year.
7:51>> Yeah, he he that's a that's a tough one for me to hear. I I would say just a little bit of devil's advocate is, you
7:56know, we've seen Dable fasttrack guys in their first season with the team. Um you know, we saw the incredible usage and
8:03Neighbors another level of prospect than Tate. Um but we did see Neighbors with that outstanding usage year one. And then we saw it obviously Diggs a very
8:12different situation but Diggs was producing sort of a wide re a high-end wide receiver three his last season in Minnesota gets traded to Buffalo ends up
8:21breaking fantasy football. So do you think like Dable is an X factor here that could fast track um the success of
8:29Tate based on usage?
8:32Yeah, I mean that's that's a fascinating way to look at it when you now I would my counter is Neighbors is a special
8:38wide receiver and he had Slate in the crossro you know there was not the same there was not the same wide receiving
8:43core for Malik Neighbors who I had as the number one player in the whole draft in that year so he's a different level
8:48and I had a good grade on on Carnell Tate I gave him a 67 which is you know a high grade as has Pro Bowl potential
8:55even though I think he's really more of a outstanding wide receiver too or good wide wide receiver one, not great with
9:03wide receiver one, but that consistency is what's going to keep him at a high level in the NFL. It's I think it's less
9:09about Dayball fasttracking the wide receiver and more about what is Dayball doing with this quarterback because ultimately this is much less about the
9:17receiver. The receiver is very polished.
9:19The receiver, you come in and I think there's going to be a comfort level with Carnell Tate that is equal to any is
9:25beyond any wide receiver in this year's draft who's who's making his debut in the NFL. That's not the problem. It's going to be what is Dayball going to do
9:34with the quarterback? He's got to find there's there's going to be in the first five, six, seven games, they've got to
9:41figure each other out. So Dball is going to have to say, "Okay, he's going to go in with an idea and and Cam, even though
9:48Cam can extend some plays, he's not Daniel Jones. He's not going to run like Daniel Jones. You have to I think there
9:53are different types of quarterbacks. So Dball is going to have to really figure out who do I have at quarterback? What
9:58does he like to do most? How can I put installs, offensive installs in to make him most comfortable so that we win
10:05games? And that's one where my fantasy side where I I played fantasy for, you know, 26 years or whatever, 27 years.
10:13Um, actually longer than that. That's where my fantasy side says, okay, I got to go to the football side because Brian Dball
10:21right now, this is about keeping a job.
10:24It's about building up a quarterback.
10:26And I think it's less about maximizing a certain talent on his roster. So, it's really it's going to be one of those
10:33things where if that happens, Theo, if if that's what's going to happen, it's going to be Dball figuring that out as he figures
10:43out Cam Ward, his quarterback. That's that's really what it's going to You'll know. And actually, I should take that back. I don't think you'll know what's
10:51going to happen with Carnell Tate until about week eight. And it's not going to be because of him and a typical rookie
10:58speed bumps. I don't see that. I think it's going to be the quarterback and the play caller are going to have to figure
11:04each other out. And so the second half of the season now that could look way different for Carnell Tate than the
11:09first half of the season.
11:10>> He's definitely an interesting one. He's the most expensive rookie wide receiver right now in ADP. First first wide receiver off the board. It makes a lot
11:18of sense.
11:18>> Where is he going in reddraft leagues?
11:20Like what's what round? So Carnell Tate like for for high stakes FFPC right around the sixth round about the same for for NFC and and uh pretty much like
11:29the underdog ADP you're seeing Carnell Tate right around wide receiver 30 so like that mid wide receiver three range.
11:37Um so you know Price with a little wiggle room to kind of hit a range of expectations guys. He's going ahead of
11:44Jordan Tyson. A lot of fantasy people after there was the landing spots, there was sort of a discourse of Tate versus
11:51Tyson. I think, you know, we talk about the question marks in Tennessee. There's a lot more optimism with New Orleans taking a big step forward offensively in
12:00year two under Kell Moore. We had some real positivity with Tyler Shuck down the stretch last year. Obviously, the huge season with Chris, but your
12:08thoughts on Jordan Tyson, his fit in this offense? I mean, people see Kell Moore, they see the Jordan Tyson landing spot, and you hear people like the the
12:18dreamers saying, "Hey, maybe CD Lamb part two here." Where are you with Jordan Tyson? How should we manage expectations uh with a very talented
12:27player uh now on an offense that is ascending?
12:30>> Yeah. So, this I'm gonna give you a little bit of a strange answer here. I think a lot of this depends on the
12:37protection of your quarterback. And I don't mean it in the way that most people think in terms of he has to have
12:42time to throw the ball or get the ball out.
12:45The less time. So Tyler Shuck in college had a real issue with poise when he was pressured. He made some horrific
12:52decisions and really uh struggled under the gun of, you know, when he had that pressure. He was better last year. Let's
12:59see what happens this year. And the reason I bring this up is because when you have a quarterback who has some
13:06poise issues or gets a little nervous, they have a real tendency to lock in on a single, a guy that they know is their
13:12go-to. And you already have one year established between Shuck and Chris Ave.
13:17There's a ton of targets. There was good touchdown production. There was good yardage production. You had the targets.
13:23You have the catches. There's a trust built up between his number one and and you know, he's had 119 targets or
13:30uh or more in three of his four years.
13:32I'm talking about Chris Olive, obviously. And now Tyler Shuck's only been there for one of them, but if he develops that really strong, you know,
13:40bond with with the pressure and he starts to feel pressure, he's just going to be every time before he takes a snap,
13:49subconsciously, he wants to know where is because that's going to be his go-to guy. The reality is if they really get
13:55through an offense, get through progressions and and he plays it straight and gives the offense a chance to develop in the pass in the route
14:03combinations to develop, Jordan Tyson could be an excellent um an excellent option here because if you put any if you if you shade your coverage at all
14:13over to a Jordan Tyson has the ability to win on all three levels.
14:19um he's faster than he times, even though I don't think he he didn't have a time 40 last year. And he's he's a he's
14:24he's like a four five uh wide receiver, but when he plays because of his ability uh to make plays on the ball deep, you
14:32know, he feels faster than that. And Etienne coming in, you know, Kamar is kind of a I feel like he's a shell of
14:38himself, but Etienne coming in, yes, that's going to you could look at that is in a in a in a in one way you could
14:44look at it and say, okay, he's going to take some some catches away potentially or Camaro will or the w the running back
14:50position will, but I kind of look at it differently. I think a good healthy running game is really going to open up
14:56more play action opportunities and more comfortable passing situations for the quarterback. And as I said, a comfortable Tyler Shuck is going to mean
15:04there's a greater chance that that Jordan Tyson gets involved. The less comfortable he feels, the more he's going to lock on on a single wide
15:12receiver one. So, how and I do like the offensive line for the Saints, by the way. I like what they're doing over
15:18there. I like what they've built at the tackle positions, guardto guard. I think they're pretty good. So, um I think they
15:24are in a pretty good position here. It's just a matter of can Tyler Shuck build on what he what he how he performed last
15:31year. If he does, if he takes another natural progression step and doesn't have like a CJ Strad second year or doesn't, you know, god forbid, get hurt
15:40like Jaden Daniels, um that could be a good spot for for Jordan Tyson. I wouldn't overpay for him. And I do want
15:47to make sure his hamstrings stay healthy. Like we we haven't even talked about that one time. I didn't mention it. You didn't mention it. The hamstring
15:54has to stay healthy. He's had those issues in the past and that can't creep back up on him this year.
15:59>> Yeah, we're all we're injury optimists when we're in the month of July, right, Lance? So, um it Tyson I think is
16:04interesting because you mentioned the offensive line um like New Orleans.com had a article pretty good one I was reading there where there's internal
16:12optimism that this is their best offensive line in a long time. They've certainly invested in that uh throughout the NFL draft. I mean Kelvin Banks could
16:20be an absolute monster this year. Um, and then when you look at Ave, I agree with you that I think he's the safety
16:26valve. 150 plus targets last year, 100 catches. I think that's the guy, but I think if this offense takes a big step
16:33forward, I think Jordan Tyson could be a spike week guy where the bottom line counting stats end of the year could be
16:39really good. The consistency could be could be a little bit annoying, but I think he could put up some really big
16:44weeks. And if that helps you with the right week in fantasy, he could definitely be an impactful player.
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18:44We also have Casey Conpsion in Cleveland and there was a ton of buzz with Denzel Boston who I thought could have been a
18:51first round pick fell to the early second round and when it came to like OTAAS he was really the talk coming out
18:58of Cleveland. So you've got two rookie wide receivers there that we expect to play a lot. We've also got Harold Fannon
19:04Jr. entering year two. lot of youth at the skill positions, including Quinn Sean Judkins, and then a ton of question marks at quarterback. Do you worry about
19:15Cleveland just having a lack of consistency at quarterback this year and maybe a secondary pass catcher being sort of wishful thinking or is there a
19:24rookie wide receiver that you think could have a fantasy impact this year? I think there's a chance Conpsion could have a bigger impact than Boston from a
19:32target standpoint because Boston, you know, Boston's a great ball winner. Um, I agree with you. I I thought Boston is a first round
19:40talent. I think he should have gone in the first round. Um, but this is not a bad spot for him in the future. I'm not
19:48sure about right now. I I just I I don't think there's enough consistency at the quarterback position from either Shador Sanders or you know, we don't know what
19:56we're going to get from Deshun Watson, but it hadn't been good for several years now when he's been even when he's
20:01been healthy. So, um Casey Conpion is one of the best separators. He was the best separator in this year's draft. The
20:10best short area separator without question. and he was kind he's really kind of elite in terms of his foot quickness getting out of breaks and
20:18creating windows. I think he's going to be extraordinarily tough to guard manto man. The question is going to be, you know, who's at quarterback and are are
20:26the quarterback Deshawn has a tendency to pull things off u you know off off uh um off schedule and so that's not great
20:33for the short passing game. Although I've seen him do it well with Tim Kelly and Bill O'Brien um his last year with
20:40the Houston Texans, but that's so far back in the past I can't just assume he's ever gonna get back there. And then
20:44with Shador Sanders, I think he can be he's inconsistent to see to see it quickly. And that's where the holding the ball comes in. And we don't know
20:53what is going to happen with that second, you know, with that with that second year. Is he going to take the
20:57step? Fannon is an easy target. Bang, bang, bang, bang. We'll get him a lot of touches. I don't necessarily think it's
21:04because he's a special talent. Um, but from a fantasy standpoint, we all know on on on bad teams sometimes you rack up
21:11those, you know, you rack up those uh those targets and some of those PPR points with especially tight ends who quarterbacks start feeling comfortable
21:19with, especially when you have a kind of a merrygoround of quarterbacks. You start saying, who's just who's the guy that I can count on? Quick quick throws,
21:28quick throws, quick throws. and and Fannon was a guy who had a ton of targets in college. That's that's nothing new for him. But Casey Conpsion
21:35for me in the long term in keeper leagues, I think he's got a chance to really be a high volume slot because he
21:42is on choice routes, he's just he's going to give you [clears throat] when you're worried about a pressure release and you're worried about a valve that
21:51can relieve some of that pressure that's that's that's coming in on the quarterback, he's someone who can create a window quickly. And that's, you know,
21:59and that's very beneficial um as it as it pertains to this team because, you know, Todd Monkin I think is going to
22:06recognize I got a guy in Boston that can win over the top not with speed but with pure ball talent.
22:14And then I've got a guy who can win and get open very, very quickly on the first level and into the second level if I can
22:22get my quarterbacks comfortable enough to get to second and third reads on the progression. Yeah, the drops are, you know, the the drops are the drops.
22:29You're going to have some drops. Got better this year, but you're you're going to have to fade some drops with Conpsion, but I think the the pure
22:34volume he gets, I don't know if it's going to be this year, but in time, the pure volume he gets is really going to
22:40pay off. For this year, I think you will have some games where he could be a six to eight, you know, catch guy with 65
22:46yards. He's going to be tough if you get in the red zone. He's going to be very tough in man-to-man coverage in the red
22:52zone. um if you're able to just get him isolated because he is so tough to cover in five and six yard stretches. The
22:59question is how often are they going to get, you know, inside the 10 yard line.
23:02>> Yeah, that's a question with all these Browns right now, Quinchon Judkins included, is just how many points can they score, how many touchdown
23:08opportunities. I think like from a long-term perspective, I'm in on both of these wide receivers. I love Casey Conpsion. And I think, you know, when we
23:16go into that 2027 draft, if they can find like a long-term answer, these guys could end up being really, really effective NFL wide receivers. We've also
23:24got this huge group of guys that were selected on day two uh in some pretty interesting situations. You got scribbling, you got Zachariah Branch,
23:33Jeremy Bernard, Antonio Williams, Ted Hurst. Is there a day two wide receiver that you think could end up making a fantasy impact this year and maybe your
23:42favorite player overall out of these day two and and and later uh group of wide outs?
23:47>> Yeah, I think it's going to be tough, but based on the offense, I mean, I think stribbling um based on how he
23:52plays, he's a really good fit for that offense. and stribbling as a player. If you if you don't get caught up in too
23:59many cover two sh I mean shell coverages and cover two looks and and high safeties over the top limiting his ability to get down the field. I think
24:07stribbling could end up being a really nice contributor for San Francisco in this offense. Now, you know, he's not he's not going to get the targets that
24:17you want necessarily and you probably are you're not going to start him, you know, on your on your roster right off
24:23the right off the bat. But in deeper leagues or deeper on your roster, Stribbling is a guy you might want to
24:28hang on to because in this offense, he's a really, really good fit. And I think Brock Perie is a quarterback who's
24:36willing to find the the right wide receiver. I don't think it's necessarily going to be about, hey, I got to lock in
24:42on this guy or this guy. I think he'll read get through his progressions and find the best option. And anytime you
24:49have that, that will benefit a player who has um separation speed. He has buildup speed and Stribbling is going to have some some once again if you don't
24:58get just a ton of of deep looks all the time shell coverages. Stribbling's got the type of buildup speed where you're
25:04going to see him hit some long throws.
25:07You're going to see him average I think 16 and a half yards a catch this year.
25:10So I would say Stribbling has the best chance. Branch is enticing because um because of how he plays is similar to uh
25:20um what's his name? Zacharias.
25:23um there in the slot.
25:25>> Zakas.
25:26>> Yeah. Yeah. Zakayas. I mean, it's very similar to his game where he can do a lot of catch and run stuff. In fact,
25:32they did a ton of that with him at Georgia. You can use him on on pop passes and jet sweeps. So, for me,
25:39Branch, you know, he was a little bit it was the Georgia offense kept him under wraps a little bit. I I'm curious to see
25:47what happens when you have a big like London out on the perimeter. you have Kyle Pittz who can he who can line up
25:53wide, line up from the slot, they're going to create a little more space for a legitimate track guy, guy with track
25:59speed. And what happens when you get him, you know, on some on some mesh routes, on some shallow crossers, um on
26:06some just just quick wide receiver, quick game, you know, wide receiver screens and tunnel screens. He is an interesting option to keep an eye on. I
26:14don't know that I would draft him. uh even in a keeper league, I'm not sure that I would I would use a pick on him
26:19right now. But of the guys that we just talked about, um I don't Jeremy Bernard, I just think is not in a great spot
26:26right now. Aaron Rogers is just not that guy anymore. So I would say Ted Hurst is intriguing. Not ready yet. I think
26:32Baker's going to lock that be locked in on a tight end and his two wide receivers that are already established.
26:38So, I'd say Stribbling has the best. He was drafted highest of the group that we talked about and I think he has the best
26:44shot to be honest with you.
26:46>> Pivoting over to the uh running back position. We'll get to Jeremiah Love, but I want to get your thoughts on
26:52Jadarian Price who's sort of settled in as this uh high-end RB3, low-end RB2. Uh he was obviously like a polarizing guy
27:01where some people like yourself had him as a firstround projected uh pick. Um, and then there's others who wanted to see more in terms of the college
27:08production. I mean, his teammate was pretty good over there at Notre Dame.
27:11But I'm bullish on Price. I think price at cost for fantasy football could end up being a really productive asset for
27:18us in sort of the Kenneth Walker role.
27:20What are your thoughts on how Jerian Price is lining up right now and a potential year one impact?
27:26>> Well, let's start number one first of all with usage. So, he can play all three downs. Now, is he going to be a
27:31full-time threeown back? He's got the potential. You didn't see it as much because Love is very special on third downs. So, you you weren't going to use
27:40Price as often on third downs, but he has the capability of doing it. He is a natural a pretty natural pass catcher
27:46when he's out of the back field. So, I'm not as worried about that. He won't he won't get the same amount of targets,
27:50but yeah, he can handle some of the Kenneth uh Walker type stuff. I actually think he's a more natural runner than
27:56Kenneth Walker. I think he was the most natural runner in the entire draft, and that includes Jeremiah Love. Jeremiah is explosive. He's he has violent
28:04explosiveness, but Jadarian Price is a smooth natural professional runner and he fits the NFL game.
28:13Great vision. What I love is that they're more likely to get down the field and give you scoring opportunities and he has the size and the vision down
28:22inside compact areas to be able to score. I think touchdowns looking at I I think you're looking at eight plus touchdowns for him from a rushing
28:30standpoint. I I don't have any doubt about that. I think you're looking at 20 catches for him, 20 plus catches, and I
28:36do think you can see him approach 800 850 rushing yards. Now, Emanuel Wilson is a is a legitimate backup running back.
28:46I am curious to see how those are split early on because I feel like Price is going to show that he is a reliable
28:53option early on. He did have a couple fumbles that hurt in college and we got to make sure he takes care of the
29:00football. But the real question is going to be when Charbanet gets back, will he have established himself? I'm betting that he establishes himself and Emanuel
29:09Wilson is the guy that gets maybe three carries a game and Price is still going to get about, you know, 11 to 12 and
29:16then you'll have Charminet about the same amount. That's how I think it's going to play out once you get into early November.
29:21>> How bullish are you on Jadarian Price career-wise? Is he a player that you that you think is sort of is what he is
29:27or is it a guy that you think is going to continue to level up uh specifically for some of the dynasty managers out
29:32there? Uh like pure talent level for Price and how he could look three years from now, two years from now.
29:38>> So I I liken it to I liken it to a wide receiver that gets to top speed very quickly whose top speed is good, not
29:45great, but um he's able to get to us top speed very quickly. I think Jadearian Price will hit who he's going to be very
29:53quickly by like year two. He reminds me a lot of Javvante Williams when he was coming out of North Carolina. Has some
29:58of the same has some similarities in terms of how he runs the football. Um it took Javvante a little while. I was I
30:05was disappointed with Javvante frankly early in his career. I liked what I saw last year, but for me Price is going to
30:11hit the ground running with the team that was a perfect fit for him. And I I just think he's just very game
30:19ready. He's unusually game ready in terms of how he handles the game. So I I'm bullish on his long-term. I think
30:27this is a seven to eight year starter in the NFL and somebody who's going to hit the thousand yard mark five five times
30:34or more in his career. I I I like I like the potential for Jadarian Price. if he's able to get to the 215 carry mark
30:42somewhere in that neighborhood. For me, I think you will see a a running back at some point that becomes one of the top
30:49uh five running backs in the league if he gets the right amount of carries. And if he has the the ability to get the
30:58catches, once again, we're talking receivers in the league versus fantasy value in the league. I don't know that he's going to get enough targets to be a
31:04top five fantasy back. But in terms of just total talent, including fantasy, including the ability to help a team win, I I I'm pretty I'm really confident
31:13in Jadarian Price. I don't have a lot of I don't have a lot of uh you know, there's a lot more go and a lot less woe
31:20or a lot less woe, I should say, and a lot more than than having to hey, we need more out of you, Jadarian. I think
31:25you're going to see him do what Javvante Williams didn't do, which is come out of the gates very quickly.
31:31>> Yeah. No, I'm excited about it. And then then the price sort of lines up for him.
31:35Let's talk about Jeremiah Love. Jeremiah Love um has is running back 13 right now in ADP, which is about the cheapest
31:42we've ever seen for one of these top five NFL draft selections. You go back to Ashton Genty last season. You you go
31:49back further than that to Zeke to Saquon. Um all of these guys were drafted much more highly. We have concerns about the Arizona offense, but
31:57are drafters being a little too cautious in their approach with a talent like Jeremiah Love? Tough to say. I think it's the recency bias of Ashton Genty.
32:07You know, you see a similar situation here. Not a very good offensive line from a run blocking standpoint. Now, you add to that. Genty had to deal with
32:15Brock Bowers in terms of, you know, an option, a passcatching option, and and he he got off to a little bit of a slow
32:22start, but certainly came on strong.
32:24You're dealing with Trey McBride. Um Alier is a second running back who has had some good carries in Atlanta. He knows how to play. Um, you do have a
32:33veteran quarterback. You you don't have a great wide receiving core, but you also don't have a very good offensive line. So, you could be looking at a lot
32:42of second and nine situations. This could be I'm really worried that it's going to be Ashton Genty part two all over again. I see a lot of potential
32:49similarities. I think Genty has a lot of explosiveness is going to take off this year and Clint Kubak's offense. But as
32:55much as I like Jeremiah Love and like the explosiveness, you know, you may have to create some opportunities by going to two running back sets and using
33:04him some in the slot as a as a mismatch wide receiver or Aljier where you don't know who who's going to go out of the
33:10back field. You don't know who it's going to be. You may have to get creative uh with to to create some
33:15mismatches on as a pass catcher. I like him as a running back, but his his vision like he's gonna when he gets
33:22there, he can he's got spin moves. He's got power, but his vision, I think, is kind of average. And if you don't have a
33:30lot of we call it we call it um clear point of entry. He's a running back that I think is much more comfortable as a
33:35clear point of entry rather than feeling a line an opening develop. Well, if there's not clear point of entries built out by that offensive line, I think
33:44we're going to have a lot of just slamming into the slamming into the front and and trying to grind out two
33:49and three yards every time. So, I am I am a little love the long-term potential. I'm a little bearish on him
33:56if you overdraft him. I I think the market is basically correcting based on what happened with Ashton Genty.
34:02>> Well, there you go. And uh we got to get you out of here, Lance. Let everybody know what you have coming up, where they
34:07can find your work. Yeah, you can find my work at nfl.com. There's a we have a a big company meeting. So, I may
34:13actually be doing some fantasy football stuff this year. I don't know. Or may just be doing standard NFL talk. But certainly when the draft rolls around,
34:19I'll be looking at 500 prospects getting ready for the NFL draft. And always in the back of my mind, I love doing stuff
34:25like this because, you know, I came up I used to write uh I had a column in the Houston Chronicle Fantasy Football. Now,
34:32it's certainly expanded to the expertise now. I'm just blown away by the level of expertise and the deep dives that that
34:39guys like yourself and and all these different sites are doing now. But every time when I write up, you know, when I
34:45write up uh my my prospects and I got an idea of who they are, once they're drafted, at some point after the draft,
34:52I start to think about their fantasy value wherever they landed because we all know, you know, Jeremiah loves fantasy value and Seattle would be off
34:59the charts. It's a lot different in Arizona. So, we all know that where you get drafted makes a huge difference in
35:04fantasy football. And so, um, I love to marry the draft and fantasy football because it's a kind of a blending of,
35:11hey, fantasy football is the ultimate productivity. You want to see the numbers and, um, I I I like to test how
35:19I valued a player and how I evaluated him versus how he performs on the league level based on where he went. Yeah, I
35:27think we're going to be talking a little bit about Jeremiah Smith uh next year and Ahmad Hardy and all these guys in
35:33the 2027 class. Can't wait to hear your thoughts on those guys when we get to NFL draft season. Make sure you're
35:38checking out everything Lance is putting out over on NFL.com and stick with us here at Rotoire Fantasy Football. We're going to help you crush your leagues
35:44this
