Yahoo Fantasy Forecast artwork

10 players with wrong ADPs

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

57 min
Duration
Estimated from transcript
Jul 28, 2026
Published
Tue, July 28, 2026
38
Player insights
28
Players mentioned
Topics
Keaton MitchellParker WashingtonBrian Thomas Jr.Brock BowersChase BrownDenzel BostonMatthew GoldenTre HarrisDalton KincaidDe'Von AchaneDeshaun WatsonDrake LondonHarold FanninJames Cook
Player analysis

Player insights

38

Brian Thomas Jr.

PositiveRole28:00

Josh Norris identifies Brian Thomas Jr. as one of the two primary wide receivers to target in Jacksonville alongside Parker Washington, with Thomas positioned to receive targets over the top of the defense in Liam Cohen's offense.

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PositiveRole29:05

Matt Harmon believes if there's going to be a massive hit from the Jacksonville receiver room, it will be Brian Thomas Jr. because he's the X receiver and will be on the field all the time, and he's shown the highest highs among the wide receivers in this receiver room so far in the NFL.

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Brock Bowers

PositiveValue19:35

Brock Bowers is mentioned as a preferred alternative to Omar and Hampton in the second round, grouped with Drake London as a player the speaker would rather target than the boom-bust running back profile.

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PositiveValue39:18

Matt Harmon notes that tight ends are being drafted significantly earlier on Yahoo than other platforms; Bowers is being taken in the second round on Yahoo while other top tight ends like Tyler Warren and Sam Laporta go in the fourth and fifth rounds respectively. This suggests Yahoo drafters are paying a premium for Bowers to secure their tight end early and build a complete starting lineup.

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Chase Brown

PositiveRole19:35

Chase Brown is positioned as a more secure snap-count option than Omar and Hampton, with the speaker noting that Chase Brown does not come off the field much, making him a safer second-round target despite similar ADP positioning.

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NegativeValue22:41

Harmon mentions Chase Brown as a comparable running back to Hampton in his current rankings, suggesting they are in the same tier, though he notes he could make an argument for Hampton ahead of Brown.

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Dalton Kincaid

PositiveValue46:36

Preferred tight end target over Harold Fannin; Matt Harmon would rather draft Mark Andrews plus Dalton Kincaid in later rounds than invest a 70th overall pick in Fannin. Represents better value proposition than reaching for Fannin at current ADP.

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De'Von Achane

NegativeProjection22:41

Harmon references Devon Achane's elite production in Miami's offense as context for why Hampton's production may not translate to the Chargers; Harmon notes that some of Achane's success is attributable to Achane being one of the best running backs in the NFL, not solely the McDaniel system.

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Denzel Boston

NegativeRole43:05

Denzel Boston is noted as a first-round wide receiver addition to the Browns offense alongside Conception. The panel discusses how adding quality receivers (Boston, Conception, and potentially improved Jerry Judy) changes the offensive dynamic for tight end Harold Fanden, as offenses typically don't run through the tight end when receivers are strong. Boston's arrival is cited as a reason the panelists are lower on Fanden's ceiling.

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PositiveRole45:56

Six-foot-four rookie receiver positioned as potential red zone threat for Browns; represents competition for Harold Fannin's target share. Upside tied to red zone opportunity volume, though Browns offense unlikely to reach red zone frequently.

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Deshaun Watson

NegativeProjection46:42

Matt Harmon expresses low confidence in Watson as Browns quarterback; Shedeur Sanders positioned as 'their best hope' despite poor track record, indicating Harmon's skepticism about Watson's ability to elevate the offense.

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Drake London

PositiveValue19:35

Drake London is cited as a stable wide receiver alternative in the second round, preferred over boom-bust running back profiles like Omar and Hampton due to the difficulty in finding reliable wide receiver one options in the current draft landscape.

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Harold Fannin

NegativeRole45:28

Target total likely declining despite potential snap preservation; Casey Conception and Denzel Boston represent real competition for touches. Conception can operate as underneath receiver and manufacturer of touches where Fannin excelled; Boston is a six-foot-four red zone threat. Fannin's role share at risk even if snap count holds.

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James Cook

NegativeValue8:00

Hayden Winks ranks James Cook 14th-15th overall vs. 10th overall ADP on Yahoo, expressing concern about his ceiling in the first round. Winks fears there's no pathway for Cook to be a top-three scorer at RB despite leading the NFL in carries per game (19) and averaging 5.1 yards per carry last year. His receptions per game ranked 39th at 1.9, and Winks cites three reasons for limited receiving upside: the DJ Moore acquisition, Josh Allen's goal-line rushing tendency, and uncertainty from the Bills' offensive line coach departure and promotion of their OC to head coach. Winks projects Cook could finish as RB10 if not used more in the passing game, making him a risky 10th overall pick. Josh Norris counters that Cook is his 12th overall player, noting he was second only to CMC in combined postseason and regular-season touches, and that he averages 20 fantasy points in Bills wins (6th most) vs. 10 in losses (RB26). Norris also cites training camp reports that Cook will be used more in the passing game under new OC Pete Carmichael (from New Orleans Saints), who has a history of using running backs as choice route guys. Norris notes Cook was drafted to be a receiving back but has been a significantly better runner.

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Jameson Williams

NegativeUsage41:28

Jamison Williams showed massive first-half/second-half splits last season, being targeted on fewer than 16% of his routes run in the first half. This could be attributed to either Dan Campbell taking over play-calling or Sam Laporta's increased involvement early in the season, as Laporta was more involved than Williams in the first nine weeks.

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Jaylen Warren

NegativeProjection43:50

Jalen Warren is cited as a comparable ADP reference point to Harold Fanden at 70th overall. The panel notes that players like Warren are projected to average 5-6 more points per game than Fanden in half-PPR scoring, suggesting Fanden is overvalued relative to his production ceiling.

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Jeremiyah Love

NegativeValue22:41

Harmon uses Jeremiah Love as a comparable tier for Hampton, suggesting Love is a more appropriate ranking level than Saquon Barkley, indicating Love is ranked lower than Hampton's current ADP.

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Jerry Jeudy

NegativeRole44:45

Jerry Judy is mentioned as a Browns receiver whose performance last year was poor but could improve. The panel notes that even if Judy doesn't improve significantly, the addition of first-round receivers Denzel Boston and Conception means the Browns' passing game will be less reliant on tight end Harold Fanden, reducing Fanden's target share.

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Keaton Mitchell

NegativeRole19:35

Keaton Mitchell is noted as part of the Chargers' committee backfield approach, contributing to concerns about snap count distribution for Omar and Hampton in the second round.

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NegativeRole25:23

Harmon views Keaton Mitchell as a late-round option with limited upside; he suggests Mitchell will be sprinkled into the offense but doesn't project significant role or volume. Harmon speculates the Chargers may be more pass-heavy than projected given their receiver depth.

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NegativeRole26:19

Matt Harmon clarifies that Keaton Mitchell will have his defined role in the Chargers' backfield, addressing Twitter speculation about whether he and Omar Hampton can coexist; Mitchell's role is secure but limited.

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Kimani Vidal

NegativeRole19:35

Kimani Vidal is identified as a strong pass protector in the Chargers backfield, part of the committee approach that limits snap count opportunities for Omar and Hampton.

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Ladd McConkey

PositiveRole25:43

Harmon identifies Ladd McConkey as the Chargers' number-one receiver and a strong piece of the offense. McConkey is positioned as a key target in an elite offensive ecosystem.

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Luther Burden

NegativeValue31:30

Matt Harmon moved Roma Junze ahead of Luther Burden in his rankings after being challenged by Hayden on the show, indicating a downward ranking adjustment for Burden.

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Mark Andrews

PositiveValue46:36

Preferred tight end target over Harold Fannin; Matt Harmon would rather draft Mark Andrews plus Dalton Kincaid in later rounds than invest a 70th overall pick (semi-premium) in Fannin. Represents better value proposition than reaching for Fannin at current ADP.

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Matthew Golden

PositiveValue32:25

Being selected as WR53 at pick 142 overall in 12th round is 'way, way, way too late' according to Matt Harmon; ranked in top 100 overall. Packers offense is attractive for dart throws; as rookie, Golden played 72 snaps in 11 or 12 wide receiver sets, offering late-round upside in a high-volume passing offense.

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PositiveValue48:22

Matt Harmon rates Matthew Golden as a screaming value in the 10th–12th round (well after pick 100 on Yahoo), describing him as a former first-round pick on a good offense who typically drafts in the 60s–70s. Golden played 72 snaps in one or two wide receiver sets as a rookie; Jaden Reed has only eight such plays in his career. While Golden showed limited after-the-catch ability early and suffered injury, Harmon argues he's getting a major discount on a player with flaws but significant upside for year two improvement. Golden's 16% targets per route and 1.4 yards per route are not terrible; coaching comments noted he wasn't fully grasping the playbook, suggesting room for growth. Harmon sees potential for improved yard-after-catch production and believes the market is undervaluing a player with first-round pedigree and blazing speed who could be an every-down player on an offense that may struggle.

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Parker Washington

PositiveValue27:00

Josh Norris has Parker Washington ranked 69th overall (WR39 ADP at 91st overall), making him the highest-ranked Jaguars wide receiver on his board. Norris notes Washington finished last season as the Jaguars' best pass catcher and won small in quickness and yards after catch while winning big in tight window targets and crossing routes—the most important route in Liam Cohen's system. Since week nine, when Washington, Brian Thomas Jr., and Jacoby Myers were all on field, Washington led the team with 31% target share and 3.17 yards per route run. He plays slot and outside in two and three receiver sets. Norris expects Washington to climb boards further with a training camp extension; five of six Yahoo Fantasy Forecast rankers have him ahead of 98th overall. Norris fades Jacoby Myers in favor of Washington, believing Washington does similar things at a step ahead in pace.

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PositiveValue29:00

Matt Harmon ranks Parker Washington higher than Josh Hermsmeyer among wide receivers and has him as the second Jacksonville receiver. Harmon compares the Jaguars receiver room to the Packers in previous years with rotating receivers, but still wants to take shots on Washington given the potential upside if the room becomes a two-man show with Brian Thomas Jr.

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PositiveBreakout30:30

Josh Hermsmeyer notes Parker Washington is an incredible athlete who fell through the cracks as a prospect and has shown improvement on the field with more playing time. After Travis Hunter's injury, Washington led the team with 640 receiving yards, 41 receptions, and four touchdowns in the final 10 games, compared to just 17 catches for 207 yards and a touchdown in the first seven games before the injury.

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Quentin Johnston

PositiveRole25:43

Harmon asserts that Quentin Johnston is better than market perception suggests, even acknowledging he is a flawed player. Johnston is positioned as a potential contributor in the Chargers' receiver room.

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Sam LaPorta

PositiveValue36:52

Sam Laporta is being drafted in the fifth round on Yahoo but goes much later (picks 80-115) on other platforms. Matt Harmon likes Laporta as a pick and notes he's an excellent player within the Lions' offensive ecosystem independent of Drew Petzing's 13-personnel usage. Laporta was more involved than Jamison Williams in the first nine weeks of last season, suggesting he's a core part of the offense. Harmon ranks him similarly to Josh from (presumably another Matt Harmon's ranking) and wants to be taking him this year.

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Saquon Barkley

PositiveValue3:00

Josh Norris ranks Saquon Barkley as his 7th overall player despite consensus RB8 (14th overall) ADP, calling it "absolutely absurd" that he's being selected behind Ashton Jeanty. Norris emphasizes the Eagles' entire 2026 season relies on Barkley's success; his return to 20-50 yard gains will force defenses into single-high coverage and unlock the passing attack. Barkley was 16th in rushing yards before contact in 2025 (down from 2nd in 2024) and 7th in explosive runs with 58 (down from 2nd with 77 in 2024), but Norris attributes this to offensive line injuries (Cam Jurgens, Landon Dickerson, Lane Johnson) rather than decline. He expects better health and continuity to pay dividends despite losing Jeff Stoutland. Matt Harmon ranks him 10th overall, ahead of ADP, and notes Barkley scored only 1 of 11 inside-the-five-yard-line carries for touchdowns last year—an offensive line stat—and expects the veteran presence to improve with better health. Harmon compares the value to Christian McCaffrey at this time last year.

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Shedeur Sanders

PositiveProjection37:15

Matt Harmon 'suspiciously really hopeful' about Shedeur Sanders as Browns quarterback option despite poor performance last year; positioned as 'their best hope' for the offense. Reflects low confidence in Deshaun Watson and uncertainty about late-season quarterback situation (potential Tailing Green involvement).

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Terry McLaurin

PositiveValue14:21

Josh Norris ranks Terry McLaurin as 38th overall (WR20) vs. consensus WR24 (55th overall) ADP, citing hidden edge in predicting how new play callers impact veteran receivers. Norris highlights that McLaurin has been deployed extremely statically—playing left wide receiver on the line of scrimmage 74% of the time—and has never received the outside-to-inside versatility, motion, and stacking that elite receivers typically get. With new play caller David Blau, Norris believes McLaurin has a real chance to reach top-20 or top-15 true opportunity at WR1 this season. Matt Harmon ranks him as a strong fourth rounder in the boom-bust tier (alongside Christian Watson, Jameson Williams, Roma Dunze, Mike Evans), noting he's played 23 games with Jaden Daniels and scored as WR14 on WR26 usage in full PPR. Harmon emphasizes that McLaurin's static deployment dates back deep into his career—even before Cliff Kingsbury—and that this could be the most dynamic deployment of his entire career. Norris adds that McLaurin held out during training camp last year and didn't get reps, which impacted his season, and that Blau stated his first priority was "how do we get Terry McLaurin 10 targets per game?"

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Tre Harris

PositiveRole25:43

Harmon identifies Trey Harris as an interesting third receiver option in the Chargers' receiver room, suggesting he could see meaningful snaps in a pass-heavy offense.

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PositiveRole25:51

Matt Harmon views Harris as an interesting third receiver option in the Chargers' receiver room, suggesting potential for offensive snaps and targets.

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Tyler Warren

NegativeValue39:14

Tyler Warren is being drafted in the fourth round on Yahoo, significantly earlier than on other platforms where tight ends are drafted closer to picks 80-115 overall. This reflects Yahoo's tendency to draft tight ends earlier to secure Week 1 starting lineups.

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Full transcript

Episode Transcript

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0:00Big show for you here today, Josh Norris and Hayden Winks make their Yahoo Fantasy Forecast debut as we talk through 10
0:06players those two guys are against ADP on. A little positive, a little negative, a little balance on this one.
0:12Is James Cook worthy of a first round pick?
0:15What about Saquon Barkley? Is he going a little bit too low?
0:18And is this Chargers running back overvalued early in drafts?
0:21All that and more coming up on today's show.
0:24Let's get into it. What's going on, everyone? I'm Matt Harmon.
0:27Welcome to the Yahoo Fantasy Forecast and it is a hell of a day to talk ball.
0:32A little bit of a new era here for the Yahoo Fantasy Forecast.
0:36Not only did you get a great new intro if you're watching with us here on YouTube, new graphics and all that.
0:42We also are welcoming our new friends here to the program.
0:45That's right. Finally making their Yahoo Fantasy Forecast debut.
0:48It is my guys, Josh Norris, Hayden Winks. Boys, what's going on, Josh, since you're the oldest, significantly, I believe the oldest of the three of us.
0:56As you can tell. I'm going to throw it to you first.
0:59Josh, my good longtime friend, Josh Norris, what's going on, man?
1:02Well, I'm not going to report you to HR.
1:05I think that's some sort of violation you just incurred there.
1:08Yeah. What a good note to start this off with.
1:11I am pumped. You just joined our show for the very first time as a coworker yesterday.
1:16And so it's a home and home that I think Matt, we're going to do multiple times every single week from now until the rest of time.
1:24Yeah, that's right. Hayden, it's good to see you.
1:26You got the collared shirt notification here for the first Winks Norris debut on the forecast.
1:31What's going on, man? How you doing? Stoked to be here.
1:34It's always weird to go on a show you've always been listening to.
1:38Feels like you just don't want to mess things up because, you know, this is the show I typically would be go listening to myself after this.
1:46Yeah. Well, you know, that's a high standard and I appreciate it, but I think we're going to do just fine because
1:52we got a fun topic here for your guys's debut episode.
1:55We've got 10 players that you two. That's right.
1:58I'm not doing any work on this, so this is going to be great.
2:02I just get to sit back and toss it between the two of you guys here.
2:07We've got 10 players that you guys are strongly against or avoiding at ADP right now.
2:11So Josh, you've got five. Hayden, you've got five.
2:14I believe there may have been some slight disagreement on the homework here.
2:18Yeah. Hayden, how'd you interpret this prompt? Well, strongly against ADP.
2:21I was like, that sounds negative. So I went with five guys.
2:24I don't like their ADPs. So I think we're going to do a little good cop, bad cop here.
2:30So if I come across very negative, then maybe go watch our channel where I talk positively about some players.
2:35Yeah, this might be a bit of a setup because I only selected players that I am well ahead of ADP on.
2:42So like you said, it's the angel on the shoulder of each of your shoulders right now, Matt.
2:47That's where we do this first show together. Well, that's unfortunate.
2:50Yeah, we don't want to set you guys up as like the positive and the negative guys.
2:55Yeah, definitely go check out the first episode I did with Josh and Hayden on their channel on their podcast feed because
3:02we're pretty much for the most part positive on all those year three guys.
3:06So, you know what? All three of us are really brimming with optimism here.
3:10But since we are doing the optimism, let's start with Josh, your first player that you are strongly against ADP on heading into 2026.
3:17Saquon Barkley and look, this is a positive lens.
3:19He's being drafted right now when you just look at consensus as the running back eight.
3:24It's the 14th overall player. Matt, he's my seventh overall player this year.
3:28I think it's absolutely absurd that Saquon Barkley is being selected behind Ashen Jinty on basically every single platform.
3:33Like the key to everything for the Philadelphia Eagles this offseason is to get their running game back on track.
3:39Like you're going to hear about what can Sean Mannion pluck out of Jalen Hurts?
3:43Like how is Devante Smith going to step into the wide receiver one category that AJ Brown left behind?
3:49What are Makai Lemon, the rookie, and Eli Stowers, the other rookie, going to do this passing game?
3:54None of it matters unless Saquon Barkley gets back to something close to what he did during the 2024 season.
4:00Uh, I think that this is actually incredible value that we're getting from Saquon because what he's going to do when he
4:06gets back on track is change the math. Like him being successful, not just with five, six yard gains, but getting back
4:12to 20, 40, 50 yard gains is that that's going to force defenses in a single high.
4:17And that's what makes the passing attack better, not different play callers, not any of that.
4:22So to me, the entire 2026 season for the Eagles relies on Saquon Barkley.
4:26And I'm drafting him as such in all my leagues this season.
4:30I see the same way. He's my 10th ranked player.
4:32I have him ahead of ADP. I'm drafting him over one of the negative guys I'm going to talk about here in just a second.
4:40He scored one of 11 inside the five yard line carries for touchdowns last year.
4:44That is an offensive line stat. Cam Juergens wasn't himself.
4:47Landon Dickerson wasn't himself. Lane Johnson wasn't even out there for much of the season.
4:51I'm just expecting better health in the offensive line.
4:54Losing Stoutland does stink, but I just think that the veteran presence across the entire offensive line, just with better health this
5:00year, I think is going to pay dividends for Saquon Barkley.
5:03Well, it sounds like I'm a little closer to ADP and the kind of consensus thought, if not like a little bit behind your blow.
5:11I haven't missed. Yeah, I haven't missed my 16th overall player right now is Saquon Barkley.
5:15So I guess, Josh, I would just throw it to you this way.
5:19And I'm glad you are talking about this because we have not really spent enough time on this show talking about the changeover in the Eagles run game.
5:27And we have, as you mentioned, fixated on what the passing game is going to look like with Sean Mannion.
5:33But do you have any concerns with Saquon Barkley?
5:36One, I guess going into kind of the later stages of his career at this point, maybe some small dips in the
5:42efficiency metrics last year that may or may not be meaningful.
5:45But two, like him being more of an outside zone runner in what I think this run game is going to look
5:51like after being historically much more like this is your gap.
5:55This is your hole. Hit it and make those explosive plays.
5:58Yeah, not really, because I just think he's an elite talent that can do everything at a high level.
6:03If you do look at some of the underlying metrics, though, this past season, Saquon was 16th in rushing yards before contact in 2025.
6:10Obviously, that number was second in 2024. He was seventh in explosive runs this past season, which is still quite good with 58.
6:17Again, he was second in 2024 with 77 of those that included touchdown runs of 72, 70, 68, 65, 39, 25 and 23 yards.
6:24Whereas this past season, he only had two touchdown runs longer than 13 yards.
6:28So would I have loved Jeff Stoutland to, again, return and coach this group back to the big success?
6:33Yes. But do I also think that health and continuity and getting all these really good players back on track and, again,
6:40just having injury luck on your side is going to be an even bigger deal?
6:44100%. And so, Matt, I actually think that this is kind of akin to the value that we got with Christian McCaffrey at this time last year.
6:52Like, if you're going to ask me the one player who's drafted later who can finish as the overall best running back
6:58and is not being selected anywhere close to it, I think I'm going to go back to Saquon Barkley because we were
7:05drafting him as such 365 days ago. I think that's a really good point just on we've seen him do it before.
7:11A lot of the guys that are kind of drafted around him at the one-two turn, we're hopeful that they can do that.
7:18Just the fact that he's done it before, to me, I'm going to bring ties in his favor.
7:23Well, you guys have given me a lot to think about.
7:26I don't know if I love that on your first episode here, but I'm going to have to now go and take a look at my rankings.
7:34That makes me a little bit uncomfortable. Also, speaking of uncomfortable, Hayden, you talk about the guy that you are going to
7:40bring up here in a negative sense. I was just in Canton for the Fantasy Football Expo this weekend, and I went
7:47with kind of a stars and scrubs approach in the salary cap draft for the Kings Classic League.
7:52And one of those stars is one of the players you're about to bring up here.
7:56So this might make me a little bit uncomfortable, but let's hear it.
8:00Who's the first player you are strongly against ADP on?
8:03I've got James Cook ranked like 14th, 15th. And on Yahoo, he's the 10th overall pick.
8:08So when we're talking about the first and second rounders, like any difference at all we should talk about because this is
8:14where leagues are largely won and lost. My problem with James Cook is I'm not expecting him to be a full-blown bust.
8:21I just fear that there's not a pathway for him to be a top three scorer at the position.
8:26Last year, he led the NFL in carries per game at 19 rushing yards per game, 98 yards per carry was at 5.1.
8:33So a great number. We know he's good. I just don't think that the volume is going to be there in terms
8:39of the goal line work slash the receptions. Last year, he was 39th in receptions per game at 1.9.
8:45And I think there's like reasons why that the Buffalo Bills are doing that.
8:49You add in the DJ Moore acquisition. I think some of the potential for the receiving work could go to DJ Moore at this point.
8:56Josh Allen's still a knucklehead at the five-yard line himself.
8:59And then we'll just throw maybe one little shade towards the Buffalo Bills.
9:02They lost their offensive line coach. They lost a veteran interior offensive lineman.
9:06You just never know when you're promoting an offensive coordinator to head coach.
9:10There's just maybe a little bit of uncertainty where the Bills have been first, second, and third in every single offensive stat over the last couple of years.
9:18If they're seventh and he's not catching passes, I can see James Cook finishing as like the running back 10 this year.
9:24And I don't want to spend the 10th overall pick if it's going to be hard for me to beat the Jameer
9:31Gibbs team who's drafting in the one spot. This is an interesting one.
9:35I think I agree with your premise, Hayden, that he likely does not have a top three overall scoring back in his outcomes.
9:41At the same time, I think he's kind of fairly priced if you're not aiming for the stars.
9:46Now, I think you could argue from a strategy standpoint, you should be like shooting for the stars at that one, two turn.
9:53Because as we have seen in recent years, some of the best players in phase football, you're still able to draft at
10:0010, 11, 12, 13, whatever it is. They also lost their left guard, you know, in frequency went to the New Orleans Saints.
10:06So there's some continuity there. That's a big deal.
10:09And for as much conversation, we talk about Jalen Hurts and the tush push and scoring every single time from the one or two yard line.
10:16Josh Allen is right on his heels. If not taking that crown, maybe this year as well.
10:21So despite what James Cook scoring 18 and 14 touchdowns over the last few years, there is a possibility that maybe he scores a few fewer.
10:29And that would drastically change his outcome this season.
10:31I guess I kind of disagree with the idea that he doesn't have a top three ceiling, although I think those are some good points.
10:39One, I think offensive line continuity was like that's one starter that they've lost out of the other four they're bringing back.
10:45You know, I think that's probably pretty good when we're talking about most of the offensive line continuity part of it.
10:51The other thing, I mean, look, if you just want to close your eyes and say I'm getting the feature back from
10:57an offense that's going to moonwalk into the top five, top six, as long as Josh Allen has a pulse, then I feel pretty good about that, too.
11:06And the last thing, and I don't want to just buy too much into, you know, camp reports and everything like that,
11:12but we just had Zane on last week. Doing like a training camp news recap update thing like that sort of episode.
11:18And I did like how he brought to the table a lot of reports that James Cook is going to be used
11:25more in the passing game this year. And normally I would kind of just throw that out as, all right, that's what they say all the time.
11:32But it wasn't talking about like, we're going to line up James Cook in the slot, which Hayden, we know like that never happens.
11:39It was more about like Pete Carmichael's coming over here from the New Orleans Saints to be the offensive coordinator.
11:45Long time, obviously he's with the Broncos, but long time with the Saints, the whole deal there.
11:50And that's the same coaching tree that Joe Brady comes off of.
11:54And they've made a lot of use of the running back is like the choice route guy out of the backfield.
12:00And I think there is still a vacuum for a player like that in the offense.
12:04So I've been looking at that kind of receiving upside for James Cook.
12:08And like we haven't fully seen it yet. But remember, like when they drafted James Cook, the whole thought process was like, well, we didn't get JD McKissick.
12:16Like we got to get a receiving back in here.
12:19Let's take James Cook. To be fair, he's not been that player.
12:23He's actually been just a significantly better runner. But I don't know, Hayden, do you think I'm buying in too much to
12:29kind of like a theory here with a late first round pick?
12:32And that might be where I'm going off base on this one.
12:36I think James Cook could catch the ball if they scheme him up.
12:40And like there is, you know, the new OC coming in could lead that to happen.
12:44I think that the other thing we have to kind of account for is he's coming off of, you know, I hate
12:51to be like he came off a huge touch season.
12:54Like you want your running back said touch the ball 342 times.
12:57But he did touch the ball 342 times last year as 190 pounder.
13:01Like that is one thing when, you know, Saquon is doing it all the time.
13:05You know, when someone that small is getting the ball that that often like you do have to kind of worry if
13:11like they do want to give him the rock 350 times again this year.
13:16Yeah, Matt. I also disagree with Hayden. He's still going to be my 12th overall player.
13:20I just you didn't I didn't want Hayden to like be in an island on this.
13:25I was trying to both sides it a little bit.
13:28But just to back up some of the stats.
13:30Yeah, some of the stats. Yeah, I got to back up my dude over here.
13:35You know, as Hayden said, he was second only behind CMC when you combine postseason touches and regular touches.
13:40And then something that you said for Tree Bar is written about where he's averaging 20 fancy points in games that Buffalo
13:46has won over the last two seasons, which is sixth most compared to 10 fancy points in losses, which is running back 26.
13:53Obviously, we expect the Buffalo Bills to be really good and win a whole bunch of games.
13:58But it goes to what you're talking about that unless he is being used more often in the passing game.
14:04I think it was like 49% other passing snaps last year that James Cook played.
14:08Then, yeah, some of those negative game script moments, he gets phased out a bit more often.
14:13Yeah, I mean, regardless of whether we agree or disagree, I think we can all certainly agree that like breaking ties in the first round is really important.
14:21Like you got to get these picks right. And if you can get a big hit here, that is pretty significant.
14:27But let's leave kind of this first round headliner pick range here, Josh, for your next guy.
14:32And let's get back on the positivity track. Who are you against ADP on for your next player?
14:37Terry McLaurin, old faithful here. He's being drafted as wide receiver 24, 55th overall.
14:41Matt, I have him as the 38th overall player at wide receiver 20.
14:45So considerably higher than consensus. Just overall, when we're in these summers talking about the same thing for multiple months, I actually
14:52think there's a hidden edge in correctly predicting how new play callers are going to impact new offenses and especially veterans that
14:58we all think we have figured out. Maybe there's a bit of an untapped section of their game that has been utilized in these last few years.
15:06And I think Terry McLaurin is the perfect example of that.
15:09We know two years ago when Cliff came in and really simplified this commander's offense.
15:13It was good. It worked out. Then it got super stale last year and everything worked against them, especially injuries to Jaden Daniels.
15:20But with Terry, it's just kind of been like, and you know this, Matt from Chartingham, like so stale for multiple seasons.
15:26I mean, he played left wide receiver, I think on the line of scrimmage, on the outside, 74% of the time.
15:32I mean, he's so static. And what do we talk about so often when talking about the best wide receivers across the league?
15:39It's that outside to inside versatility. It's getting him in motion.
15:42It's getting him into stacks. It's giving them free releases and extra space so they can really utilize their skills to accentuate that and make it even better.
15:50You could argue that Terry's never gotten that. And so in this offense that he is clearly the best target getter and
15:57target earner, I think that David Blau, despite calling his plays for the first time, has a real chance to put Terry
16:03McCorn in like top 20, top 15 in terms of like true opportunity at a wide receiver one spot this season.
16:09That would be lovely if it comes true. He's he's played 23 games with James Daniels.
16:14He's the wide receiver 14 on wide receiver 26 usage.
16:17That's using the full PPR scoring there. And obviously in half PPR is a little bit better because his eight odds way down the field.
16:24I'm hopeful that's the case. They still don't have anybody else to throw the ball to here.
16:29So kind of where I have him ranked is the like all those guys, you know, a Mecca, Zay Flowers, Garrett Wilson,
16:35like the guys that can have 150 plus targets.
16:38I have those guys ranked ahead. And then like the boom bust here, which is, you know, Christian Watson, Terry McLaurin, Jameson Williams, Roma Dunze, Mike Evans types.
16:46I think you can make a good case that Terry McLaurin belongs at the very top of that is like a really strong fourth rounder.
16:53That's pretty much exactly how I see it is.
16:56He's kind of the headline guy for me in that tier of players like the there is more volatility there.
17:02But I mean, yeah, you're not going to get a lot of pushback from me on positive Terry McLaurin agenda.
17:07And I love the point you brought up, Josh, about it's we all know this, that it's the static kind of just
17:14one side of the field deployment with Jaden Daniels and Cliff Kingsbury the last couple of years for Terry McLaurin.
17:20But I mean, this really does date back deep into Terry's career.
17:23Like I just taped a video for my personal YouTube channel talking about like Nico Collins, how he has real like outlier
17:29deployment as a number one receiver is just pretty much only used at the X receiver position.
17:34And when you look back, like the historic comparisons of guys that are that X heavy, like Terry pops up so many
17:41times because that's just like all he was doing even prior to Cliff Kingsbury getting there.
17:45Like you could argue that this is going to be the most dynamic deployment that Terry's ever seen in his entire career.
17:52He's a good player, should be able to own a ton of targets in this offense.
17:56And as long as Jaden Daniels is healthy, he's tethered to a good quarterback.
18:00So Josh, I think this is another kind of one.
18:03You don't have to think too hard, even if he let you down last year due to some circumstances.
18:09Yeah. And part of the reason he lets you down is I think we have enough evidence at this point over the
18:15last few years, Matt, that if you hold out during training camp and don't get the time on task and reps, that impacts your season.
18:22And we've seen injuries happen because of it. We've seen slow starts happen because of it.
18:27That's exactly what happened to Terry McLaurin. And yeah, I mean, it's not just, you know, moving him around.
18:32I just think this offense, everything that you read from JP Finley or whoever else out there covering the commanders, Ben Standig,
18:39like you're going to get a more balanced offense.
18:41You're going to get more motion. You're going to get more play action.
18:45These are all the easy buttons for wide receiver production.
18:48Again, that Terry just hasn't had. And I swear the first sentence that David Blau uttered when taking over as the play
18:54caller for this team, he said, how do we get Terry McLaurin 10 targets per game?
18:59Yes, I'll take that. I'll do that every single week.
19:02And I think there's a possibility we've approached that this season.
19:05Yeah, I'll take the under on, you know, 170 targets if we're doing the 10 per game.
19:10But I like the intention, the stated intention from David Blau, who I'm pretty Blau curious as well.
19:15Hayden, we'll come back to you for your next one.
19:18And I think of all the ones that are on the list here, this is going to be the least popular with
19:25the people out on social media, the people in the comments section.
19:28So let's hear it. Who's your player that you're strongly against ADP on?
19:32I have a Marion Hampton ring 22nd. He goes 17th on Yahoo.
19:35I'm looking across all the Yahoo rankers. We got six of them right now.
19:39And there's people on good sides here where we have people in the top 12.
19:44And then Matt and I, it looks like we're a little bit lower on Omar and Hampton.
19:49This one I can't see going either way. I'm just looking at the second round.
19:53And I see a lot of running backs who have done this before.
19:57And I'll throw in the Brock Bowers, Drake London types at wide receiver and tight end that I think I would rather
20:03go with than Omar and Hampton, who I view as extremely boom bust.
20:07I thought last year you saw the explosiveness. I like that with Mike McDaniel.
20:11In theory, the Chargers offensive line could be actually good rather than like the worst in the league.
20:16And at the same time, there is a history of a committee backfield approach.
20:20They got Keaton Mitchell back out there. I think that Kimani Vidal is a really good pass protector.
20:25I thought that was one area going back to the Hampton film.
20:29I thought he really struggled in pass protection while being very good as a receiver.
20:33So he could be one of these profiles where you dial him up a couple of times, but he's not playing all
20:40the snaps that we're typically seeing from like someone like Chase Brown, who goes right next to him in ADP, who just
20:46does not come off the field all that much.
20:49So I like Hampton. I'm just worried that he's not quite as good as I was hoping for last year.
20:54And I think that some of the safety of like the Drake London types out there where it's hard to find that
21:01like really stable wide receiver one right now. And I think that those type of guys leave me a little bit.
21:07They made me feel a little bit safer than the Omar and Hampton boom bust nature of this.
21:12Yeah. You guys have done this for long enough where it can be sometimes difficult to separate what you think about a
21:18player versus the awesome environment that he's in. And sometimes you shouldn't like sacrifice your individual view of a player.
21:24And like, I don't love Omar and Hampton as an individual talent compared to a whole bunch of people that view him as, you know, an elite player.
21:32He is so big and so fast. And that combination can be so good.
21:36He does have some other elements as Payton outlined that I don't totally love.
21:40But you know what I do love is freaking Mike McDaniel and his rushing schemes.
21:45And this is one of those situations where I believe that Omar and Hampton is going to get the first crack at it.
21:51I'm hoping that the Chargers offensive line is healthy entering the season, especially with their tackles and their new center.
21:57If that's the case, I trust in Mike McDaniel's, again, schematics here to put Omar and Hampton in a position to succeed.
22:04And when that's the case, good running back scoring has been produced from this offense, right?
22:08I mean, 2025, the running back five in points per game.
22:112024, running back 11 in points per game. 2023, we've got both the running back three and four in points per game.
22:18Mike McDaniel's offense is ranked fifth in yards per rush for running backs, fifth in success rate, and first in explosive run rate.
22:24So, again, I have individual reservations about Omar and Hampton, and yet I am still ranking him as a top 14 talent
22:31this year just because I don't want to be out on Mike McDaniel's offense really at any point in drafts this year.
22:37Yeah, it's tough to be kind of a little lower on Omar and Hampton.
22:41I think running back wise, I can hear an argument to have him ahead of A-chan, ahead of Chase Brown, who I've currently got him with those players.
22:49I'm not totally strongly holding that opinion. But, Hayden, I don't know if you see it the same way, but when I
22:56look at him versus some of the receivers that go in the second round, that's where I've had a tough time boosting him up the overall rankings.
23:03To me, I just feel really good about the receivers in that range and that tier, and that's where I've had the
23:10hardest time getting him up the overall rankings. Yeah, I guess I view him closer to the Jeremiah Love area rather than
23:16the Saquon Barkley, and right now the ADP is just closer to the Saquon Barkley tier.
23:21It's just, there's, obviously I'd rather have Hampton because the offense is so much better than Arizona's, but I just don't think
23:27that those stats coming from the Devon A-chan stuff from the Miami are necessarily going to translate for the charge.
23:33I really love the McDaniel stuff, but some of that stuff is because Devon A-chan is one of the best running backs in the NFL.
23:40So, it's mostly the Drake, London, Brock Bowers. I feel way better about that.
23:44I think Nico Collins is right in that conversation for me as well, where I would rather spend my second round pick
23:51on that tier of wide receiver if I didn't miss out on the running back targets I actually do like in the beginning part of the second round.
23:59Yeah, I can totally see how this doesn't work.
24:01Like, at the end of the season, if you tell me that, you know, Amarn Hampton finishes as the 22nd or 30th
24:08best player in fantasy football, or even worse than that, potentially, I can go back to my thoughts right now and say
24:14it's because of this reason and that reason. At the same time, I also think this is one of those players, if
24:20everything hits right, then you have like a real difference maker in fantasy.
24:24And if we're trying to win our league and be, you know, top one, top two, top three, and like get to
24:31the championship and contend for the finals, I think like this type of environment and a player that fits in the environment
24:37has a chance of like being one of the true difference makers in fantasy football this year.
24:42It's a really good argument. It's a really good argument that I think you can kind of come down on both sides
24:48here on this one because I have zero ecosystem concerns with Amarn Hampton.
24:52Like I just taped the top 10 offenses show on football 301 with Nate, and I had the Chargers at seven.
24:58He had the Chargers at three. Like we're gassed up about the Chargers offense overall.
25:02Obviously, Nate, even more so than I was. And I think it comes down to just like we review on Amarn Hampton as a player.
25:10So I think that's going to be like an evolving conversation over the course of August.
25:14But for now, we're going to take real quick.
25:17Yeah, go ahead. Go ahead. Yep. If you're lower on Amarn Hampton, does that mean you're higher on Keaton Mitchell or is
25:23it just the split in this backfield? You're just not into it all.
25:27I mean, Keaton Mitchell, it's fine. Like you want to take him in the late rounds.
25:32Cool. I don't I think he will be an interesting player that is sprinkled in.
25:36I wonder if this team is just more pass heavy than we're kind of projecting because I think they are quietly kind of loaded with.
25:43Obviously, they have a really good number one receiver, in my opinion, in Lad McConkie.
25:48But I think their role players around in the receiver room are interesting.
25:51Like Trey Harris is an interesting third receiver. QJ is better than people think he is, even if he's a flawed player.
25:58Brennan Thompson, I think, could get sprinkled in. Like they've got three tight ends that could roll out here.
26:03So that's been kind of my concern with the Chargers is that I actually think they're going to be a little more pass heavy than maybe people think.
26:11I just had to ask that Keaton question because, you know, on Twitter, that's the entire conversation.
26:16It's one or the other and they aren't going to coexist.
26:19But I think Keaton's going to kind of have his role.
26:23And then it's the Omar in Hampton. And if he doesn't work out, then kind of Kamani Baidal fits into that stuff.
26:29Yeah, get the Keaton Mitchell name in here. Spoken like a true SEO professional, Josh Norris.
26:34There we go. Okay, we are going to take our first quick break.
26:37We come back. We continue to roll through some players.
26:40Josh and Hayden are against ADP on. We'll get into that right after this.
26:44All right, we're back. Keaton Mitchell in the previous segment.
26:47That's a buzzy Twitter player. This guy is also very buzzy on Twitter.
26:51Basically, every single week that I see this is Josh.
26:54Josh, third player that you are against ADP on.
26:56Let's hear it. Yeah, and again, this is the positive side of the conversation.
27:01Parker Washington drafted his wide receiver 39. So that's around 91st overall right now.
27:05I have him 69th. He's the highest ranked Jaguars wide receiver for me.
27:08And I don't think that that's a hot take.
27:11I mean, he finished last season as their best pass catcher.
27:14Matt, just when going back and rewatching him in preparation for this, he wins small in terms of, I think, quickness and some yards up the catch.
27:22And he also wins big in terms of tight window targets and especially those big, massive crossing routes over the middle of
27:28the field that Liam Cohen really designs so many things around.
27:32That is arguably the most important route that Liam Cohen draws up on a weekly basis.
27:36And then you can just look at, you know, since what, week nine of last season, game number nine for them, when
27:43Jacoby Myers, Brian Thomas Jr., and Parker Washington were all in the field, Parker Washington led the team with 31% of the
27:49target share and had 3.17 yards per route run.
27:51So he plays in the slot. He plays in the outside.
27:55He plays in two wide receiver sets. He plays in three wide receiver sets.
27:59And to me, once he gets an extension during training camp, cross your fingers, I wouldn't be surprised if he continues to
28:05climb up boards prior to week one. I'm looking at all of our rankings and five of the six of us have
28:11him ranked ahead of the 98th overall that he's on Yahoo.
28:15I just think that's that's way too low of an ADP.
28:18We're all way higher than that. He finished way higher than that once he was a starter.
28:23I think his film is good. He's tough. He's got yards after the catch ability.
28:27You can work him over the middle. So I think he's just a tier above the Jacoby Myers of it all.
28:33And I think that a lot of the offense will go to Parker Washington over the middle and then Brian Thomas, obviously, over the top.
28:40And I think those are the two wide receivers that you want in Jacksonville.
28:44And then I think I'm going to be personally fading Jacoby Myers just because I think Parker Washington does similar things.
28:51I just think at a step ahead in terms of his his pace on the field.
28:55Yeah, funny enough here, Josh, I actually have Parker Washington ranked higher than you among wide receivers, but he is the second
29:02Jacksonville receiver for me, because as we talked about last week on your earlier this week on your show with Brian Thomas Jr.
29:08He to me, I think if there's going to be like a massive hit from this receiver room, it will be BTJ.
29:15I think he just because he's the X receiver, he's going to be on the field all the time.
29:20We've seen the highest highs from him among the wide receivers here in the NFL so far in this receiver room.
29:26But I mean, that doesn't mean you have to dislike Parker Washington, because even if you do think as I do, it
29:33is kind of going to be a receiver rotation.
29:35You still want to take your shots. Like I compared this room to the Packers in previous years where it's a bunch
29:41of guys rotating and, you know, somebody's coming on and off the field.
29:45I do think that's going to happen this year for these guys, but you still take your shots on that room.
29:51Okay, because what if I'm wrong about that? And it is just, you know, Brian Thomas Jr.
29:56Parker Washington on the field all the time attached to an offense that, I mean, does anybody not think this Jags offense
30:03is going to be good this year? Year two of Liam Cohen, Trevor showing some good signs last year.
30:08So I'm just curious, Josh, when you went back and watched Parker Washington, like how good of a player do you think he is?
30:15Like real life NFL receiver wise, where could he rank?
30:18I mean, isn't this a question for me to ask you?
30:21Because he'd like probably didn't fit into a bucket for you to ever chart until this offseason, right?
30:26Like your three wide receivers. Chart him as a prospect because I'm a sicko.
30:30Sicko. But even as a prospect, I mean, we talk about athleticism.
30:34He fell through the cracks, yet he is an incredible athlete.
30:37And you see that, I think, on the field.
30:40And he has a developing game. Like the more time he got on the field, Matt, I thought he improved as a player.
30:46And we talked about this on our channel yesterday that, you know, so often we are drafting players based on, you know, the final seven, eight games.
30:54And maybe I'm being guilty of that this time with Parker Washington because prior to Travis Hunter's injury, Parker only had 17
31:01catches for 207 yards and a touchdown in seven games.
31:03And then afterwards, you know, he just leads the team with 640 receiving yards, 41 receptions, and four touchdowns in the final 10 games.
31:10So again, maybe I am looking myself in the mirror and being like, why would you do this?
31:16And I am doing it. And I'm also pulling like the true fantasy ranker card here and going back to back with Parker Washington and Brian Thomas Jr.
31:24in my ranking. Oh, yeah. The hedge rankings, baby.
31:26Listen, you're uncomfortable. You're uncomfortable. That's how I have the Bears this year.
31:30I've got them the hedge ranking as well. And I did have to move Roma Junze ahead of Luther Burden after Hayden mogged me.
31:37He Rome mogged me on the show yesterday. So I couldn't stand for that.
31:41I couldn't stand for that. That can't be allowed to happen.
31:44But yeah, just last word on Parker Washington. The only thing I actually would kind of give your argument more credence here,
31:51Josh, is that I don't think what happened with Parker Washington before Travis Hunter's injury really matters because he wasn't playing as a slot receiver then.
31:58He was playing a lot, but it was as an outside kind of reserve receiver.
32:02He didn't crack 40% of the snaps in the slot until after Travis Hunter got hurt during the bye.
32:08He didn't crack 60% until week 15. And I hate to do this stuff, but I did do it in his profile,
32:14so I'll do it anyways or whatever. If you just look at the games where he did play over 60% of snaps
32:21in the slot, he had like an 85th percentile success rate versus zone coverage.
32:25So I think they found the right role for him to be – I've called him Bud Light Golden Tate in his prospect profile.
32:32Now I just kind of think he's full ABV Golden Tate.
32:35That's the player he most reminds me of. So Hayden, let's get to your third player.
32:40That was way too much positivity on Parker Washington.
32:42Let's get negative here again. Yeah, I got Rico Dowdle.
32:45He goes 78th overall. That just feels pretty rich.
32:48This one just feels fragile to me just based off of the Steelers offense, obviously the Aaron Rodgers of it all.
32:54And then just looking at the tendencies from Mike McCarthy, he has 24 seasons as an offensive coordinator or head coach, which by the way, that's insane.
33:02On average, his offenses have finished 11th in pass attempts, 18th in rush attempts.
33:06They do want to do the three wide receiver set stuff.
33:09They do want to pass the ball quickly. I think that all seems like more Jalen Warren to me than Rico Dowdle.
33:15He's going to get some snaps here, but if he's going to be like the closer, I'm not sure if the Steelers
33:21are like a good enough team where that's going to be a reliable role necessarily.
33:26He has some history with Mike McCarthy, but a lot of that was as a change of pace runner.
33:31I think that Jalen Warren is a better all-around talent.
33:34You look at the money he got, $5 million guaranteed.
33:37That's less than like the Chris Rodriguez is of the world.
33:40So I just think that Jalen Warren is going to be the guy that you have to choose between Warren or Dowdle.
33:47I like Warren. I think he's a better scheme fit here.
33:50You look at what Kenneth Gainwell was able to do last year.
33:53I think Warren's going to absorb a lot of that and still be a nice one-two tandem on the ground here.
33:59So Rico Dowdle just feels a little bit fragile to me, and I want to spend my running back picks ahead of the Rico Dowdle range this year.
34:08Yeah, I totally agree with that. I will add in a moment of honesty here, I have no idea how to rank
34:14Steelers in general other than Michael Pittman Jr. because he can just do what they asked DK Metcalf to do last year.
34:20I mean, I just love to, I am lower than everyone else, all of you and our other colleagues on Jalen Warren.
34:27I'm lower than all of you. Also on Rico Dowdle, that's probably the case here with DK Metcalf at the same time.
34:33Matt, it might go back to like, I just don't want to watch the Steelers every single Sunday.
34:38Like that offense is a brutal, from an entertainment standpoint.
34:41And maybe that's just infiltrating my brain here. My only thing is there is a lot of history and you touched on
34:47it, Hayden, but you know, Mike McCarthy gave Rico Dowdle the ball 275 times back in 2024.
34:52And he finished as the running back 26 in points per game.
34:56And you know, last season we got the 200 plus rushing yard performances on multiple occasions.
35:01I'm not sure if that's going to happen this year on the Steelers with the Jalen Warren-ness of it all.
35:06It took forever for Mike McCarthy to even get Rico Dowdle involved though, that season that he did have a thousand yards.
35:13Like that took a, I remember that because I was on this show talking about it constantly.
35:18Maybe they should just get Rico Dowdle involved. Like it's enough already with Zeke and those other guys.
35:23So yeah, I honestly have my follow-up question to you guys was going to be, is there any Steelers player you're proactively drafting?
35:29Because like I would say no for me, like sometimes I fall ass backwards into Jalen Warren because like, I need kind
35:36of a second running back and a hero running back build.
35:39Sometimes if like I'm going heavy running back early, I need just somebody to be a warm body in the receiver room.
35:45I find myself to Michael Pittman, but sounds like the answer is no for Josh Hayden.
35:50Is there any Steeler your flag planting here? Not DK Metcalf worried about the Michael Pittman.
35:55I don't think Michael Pittman is good enough to clear the bar either.
35:58I think the one is it's just Jalen Warren, but I like the range that he goes.
36:03It's kind of like the last call of running backs to me where you have Chuba, Ramondre, Jalen Warren, Tony Pollard.
36:09Those guys are going to be in your flex spot.
36:12I can guarantee it to start the season. And I think all of them are capable enough players individually where they can keep that the entire season.
36:20All of a sudden there's other injuries around them and they finish as the running back 20 on the season.
36:26So to me, that's where I like. And then also that range, those wide receivers feel risky to me.
36:31And then we get down to the Ricky Pierce, all Josh Downs, uh, Matthew golden, all that tip type of tier wide receiver.
36:38The next couple rounds, I kind of like where Jalen Warren is going and I just don't like it where doubtless.
36:44Making decisions at last call. When has that ever gone wrong for anyone before?
36:48Josh, let's get to your fourth player here that you're against ADP on.
36:52Let's talk Sam Laporta. I don't think Sam Laporta has gotten any attention from anyone this off season.
36:57And I want to change that. All right. He's going as tight end eight around 77, 78 overall.
37:02Uh, I've missed the tight end six. So when you look at the three quarterbacks who have targeted the tight ends at
37:09the highest rate over the last three seasons, so 2023 through 2025, two played for drew Petsing, one played for Kevin Zafanski.
37:15So that's Jacob said at 34%, Kyler at 34% and store Sanders at 32%.
37:19So yes, one interpretation of that is, well, those first two guys through to Trey McBride, he's pretty fricking good.
37:25And then the last one, uh, Shador could only throw to Harold Fannin.
37:29And that was the entire offense. I'll come at it from a different angle.
37:33I'll say it's a foundation of the tree of where this offense comes from.
37:37Norv Turner, Kevin Zafanski, drew Petsing, that the tight end is the primary read on a number of concepts.
37:42You can go back to 2023 and David and Joe who nearly led the Browns in targets that year.
37:48So we have already have a season under our belt where Sam Laporta finishes the tight end one points per game, albeit
37:54a down season for tight ends that year. But this is another case, Matt, where we already have a ton of veterans
38:01on this roster and we have a new play caller coming in after a failed one last year.
38:06And who's going to benefit the most from it in an offense.
38:09It's probably going to score a bunch of points.
38:12To me, that's Sam Laporta of this group. Other than, you know, the obvious I'm on Ross St.
38:17Brown and Jameer Gibbs of where they're being drafted.
38:20I like when these players are being drafted, kind of where their baseline is.
38:24And then if something happens to one of the top guys, they absolutely go crazy.
38:28Like if something happened to a Monro St. Brown, Sam Laporta would be very much a top three ish fantasy tight end.
38:34And JMO. I'll say JMO too, Hayden, because I think there's like some on and off splits of when JMO doesn't have a good game.
38:42That means Sam Laporta has a good game. Yeah.
38:44I really like him in best ball where you don't have to predict when he's going to have his, his touchdowns and
38:51when they're falling behind in the scoreboard. I also want to mention the defense is like still very much up in the air in Detroit.
38:58They're secondary. It's just, they cannot dodge injuries and jail time on that side of the balls.
39:03This is going to be a shootout team. The entire division is completely stacked here.
39:07So I think taking your chances on Sam Laporta is interesting.
39:10I didn't want to make one kind of note, just big picture.
39:14There's like 10, uh, tight ends on Yahoo. Who's have 80 P's inside the top 100.
39:18Just in general, the Titans go way earlier on Yahoo than anywhere else.
39:22And I'm trying to figure out exactly what that means.
39:25I think I'm kind of translating that as like, let's just get Brock Bowers on the team.
39:30Then it's like, we're drafting Tyler Warren in the fourth round and Sam Laporta is going in the fifth round.
39:36Like, let's just pay the premium on Brock Bowers, uh, in the second round and break ties that way.
39:41But it is just interesting. And we'll get to my guide next.
39:45Like they're like all being drafted in the fifties and sixties and then everywhere else are being drafted closer to eighties to 115 overall.
39:52So just a kind of, uh, trend across Yahoo in general.
39:55Yeah, Matt, I think that's from the mindset of, I need to build out my full starting lineup.
40:00So I feel like comfort with a week one starting lineup.
40:03So rather than take your running back three or your tight end or your wide receiver four, it's, you know, filling that tight end slot.
40:11One final point here. This entire off season has been about, you know, heavy personnel sets and 13 personnel and how all
40:17these teams are drafting tight ends high. Um, I would argue that drew Petsing was at the forefront of 13 personnel.
40:23You know, I'm not gonna say Sean McVay took it from him, but that's the case.
40:28When you look at it, like drew Petsing has a third most plays of 13 personnel over the last two seasons, including
40:34the second most passing plays and tied for the most 15 plus yard passing plays out of it at 28, 15 plus yard gains.
40:41So look, I'm not saying that the majority of this offense is going to take Jamison Williams off the field or else
40:47Lions fans are going to yell at me. But in that case, when they do, and it's Amon Ross St.
40:53Brown, I think the other direction that targets our funnel to is going to be Sam Laporta.
40:58And that could be some major explosives for him too.
41:01Yeah, I, I, I don't, I actually have Sam Laporta exactly where you have Josh from like, and I have missed Titan six.
41:08Uh, so, and I want to be taking Sam Laporta this year.
41:11I don't want to over index too much on the drew Petsing part of this because, and this is totally my theory.
41:17I could be very much wrong about this, but my guess is that drew Petsing here is mostly to fix a run
41:24game that I thought was kind of putrid under John Morton last year.
41:28Cause like the passing game generally looked the same from the Ben Johnson era to last year.
41:32Cause I think Dan Campbell's like the guiding force there.
41:35But even if you want to say that, like the, the reason you get to do sort of a choose your own
41:42adventure with Jamison Williams as to like why he had these massive first half, second half splits where in the first half
41:48of the season, he was targeted on fewer than 16% of his routes run.
41:52And it's like, Oh, was that Dan Campbell taking over the play calling?
41:56Or was that because Sam Laporta got hurt? Because in the first nine weeks of the season, Sam Laporta was way more
42:02involved in the offense than Jamison Williams. So I say, I like to say, like, I don't even think you need to
42:09do the drew Petsing, like his history stuff to say, Sam Laporta is a really good pick.
42:14Cause he's already an excellent player within this own offensive ecosystem, but that's, that's a tight end.
42:18It sounds like we all like Sam Laporta Hayden.
42:21You're going to talk about a tight end here that you do not like relative to ADP.
42:26Well, I love watching him. I love them as a prospect.
42:29It's Harold Fanden. I just can't get behind drafting a Browns tight end 70th overall, you know, and then collectively as a
42:36unit here, we have him ranked 89th overall. That's closer to where I have him.
42:40He's going to get the rock plenty. He's a, I think a sensational yards after the catch player.
42:45But I think the big question is Kevin Stefanski was willing to make a kind of exceptions to Harold Fanden, the blocker
42:51is Todd Malkin going to be able to do that.
42:54Do they have another blocking type? If they remove Harold Fanden from like, you know, 10% of the snaps, cause they don't
43:01trust him to be the like inline blocker. Those kinds of things matter to me.
43:05Also, you add a conception who first round wide receiver, who collectively we all absolutely loved him.
43:10Denzel Boston's kind of interesting. Um, and you still have the same offensive line and quarterback concern.
43:15So I like Malkin individually. I thought, uh, you have history with Brock Bowers at Georgia.
43:20You had history, obviously with both the Baltimore tight ends last year.
43:23I think he's a decent play caller here. He does seem so old school that he might be kind of having this
43:29conflict where he's like, I, I like Harold Fanden and the receiver here, but what he provides for me in terms of
43:36the run game and the blocking, I'm not sure if he's going to be able to make all the exceptions that we need him to be.
43:43If he is going to go 70th overall, right next to the Jalen Warren, uh, type of players who are going to
43:50average five, six more points per game, uh, in, in half PPR.
43:53Yep. Matt, going back and watching here, if I did have major questions about the blocking and I think, and maybe another
44:00offense, that would be more of a big deal.
44:02But then you look at the depth chart here for the Browns and after him, it is some guy named Blake White
44:08Hart, then a rookie fifth rounder and Joe Royer.
44:11Then Jack stall Carson Ryan. And then, uh, you have a fullback and Michael Burton.
44:15So I just like, don't know if they have a chance to remove Harold Fanden from like, and that, that was the
44:22big frustration of Monken over the last couple of years, right?
44:25It was, Hey, is this going to be a likely week?
44:28Is this going to be an injuries week? Is it going to be no one?
44:33Cause they just rotate all these tight ends. Uh, I don't think he has that option at this moment with how the
44:39depth chart stacks up at tight end. Yeah. Monken has been such like a offensive chameleon over the course of his long career.
44:46Now at this point, kind of based on who he's like, his offenses at Georgia, super different than the kind of grip
44:52it and rip it offense that he had with like Jameis Winston and Ryan Fitzpatrick.
44:56And during those really fun Tampa Bay Buccaneers years, which is really different by the way, than what we saw with the Ravens under Lamar Jackson.
45:04So I wasn't too worried about the idea that Fannin might not be on the field as much, but Hayden, your point
45:10about like the receivers being added here, Boston conception, you own that I think is the, the reason I'm lower than this,
45:17uh, on Fannin as well is because typically we just like, I don't see offenses run through the tight end.
45:22Like we saw last year with the Cleveland Browns.
45:25And usually that happens because the receivers aren't any good.
45:28I mean, we'll see what these guys are obviously rookies coming to the NFL, but even like Jerry Judy might be, I
45:34mean, he can't be any worse than he was last year, honestly, but like conception being in here is an upgrade.
45:40Boston is an upgrade. Like I, I worry that the target total, even if the snaps don't come down Hayden, I worry
45:47that the target total is coming down for Harold Fannin.
45:50Especially because I think Casey conception could, he's like one of the receivers that could just straight up do it all where
45:56I think he can be involved as the underneath guy.
45:59Some of the manufacturer touches that Fannin was obviously very good at.
46:02And I think there's like very real competition just in that part.
46:06And then Denzel Boston's a six foot four guy who could jump in the jump.
46:10And that might be the red zone threat. They're not going to get to the red zone very often.
46:16Then you like worry about the, all right, the last month of the season, like who's going to be starting quarterback for the, for the Browns there.
46:23Like you just never know what the situation is going to look like.
46:27So yeah, if it's healing green, then it's like, forget it.
46:30Like the whole, the whole thing is done. So that's where I'm just looking at the other guys.
46:36I just would rather punt tight end and like actually draft, like just give me Mark Andrews plus Dalton Kincaid, like rounds after.
46:42And I would rather go through that mess than like, I think the 70th overall pick is like still a semi-premium pick and fantasy.
46:49Yeah, it's, it's tough. I have been suspiciously like really hope hopeful about Shador Sanders, who was no good last year, obviously,
46:56because I'm just so, no, I mean, not from like a, I'm not personally invested, but I'm personally invested in these receivers.
47:02Like we talked about Concepcion in Boston. I'm less like, honestly, I just think Shador is their best hope, which is tough
47:08to say, but that's how low I am on Watson.
47:11And that's how fearful I am that why, like we might get to week 15 and Todd Monk is, eh, let's see
47:18what happens with old tailing green out there. And again, like, like Hayden said very well, forget it at that point.
47:24Uh, if it's tailing green, getting a couple of starts at the end of the season, but we're going to take our last quick break of the show.
47:32We come back. We've got two more players. These guys are strongly against ADP on.
47:36We'll get into that right after this. All right, we're back.
47:39We've got two more players to talk through here that these guys are strongly against ADP on, including Josh, your next one.
47:46And I'm going to throw it to you like this.
47:49I honestly, I don't know. I have like no strong feelings about this player this year as a, as a entity and, uh, yeah.
47:55And fantasy. So let's hear it. Where are you at with, uh, Matthew golden green Bay Packers wide receiver.
48:01I mean, I'm kind of along the same lines as you.
48:04I've never been the most pro. Matthew golden guy.
48:07I know some people had him as like the wide receiver one or two in his draft class.
48:12I wasn't one of those people. Um, but I, I just think like the 12th round is just way, way, way too late.
48:19I mean, he's being selected as wide receiver 53 and one 42 overall.
48:22Uh, I have him in the top 100. Um, because this is just an offense.
48:27I want to take dart throws on and, you know, getting him in the 10th, 11th, 12th round is an awesome dart throw.
48:33Like as a rookie, he played 72 snaps and one or two wide receiver sets.
48:38You know, this Matt, uh, Jaden Reed in his career has only eight plays in one or two wide receiver sets.
48:44Um, and so Matthew golden to me while he is kind of an on the ground player who other than, I think
48:50it was one catch against the Cincinnati Bengals didn't show a lot to me after the catch.
48:55There's also that one against the Chicago bears as well.
48:58Yeah. I still think we aren't giving enough credence to him having the ability to improve in his second year.
49:04Uh, first round pick who has blazing speed, who, if he just came down with one fingertip grab in those opening handful
49:10of games when he was healthy, we'd have a totally different opinion of him and he didn't.
49:15And then he got hurt and didn't play. And so we're just getting a major discount on a player with flaws, but
49:21someone Matt, I think at this price and Hayden, uh, that I think could see massive improvements in your tip.
49:27Yeah. I think this is just a screaming value.
49:30It's a dart throw. You can drop them if he doesn't do anything, but I exactly former first rounders on good offenses.
49:36Like usually we're drafting these guys in like the sixties, seventies.
49:39And like, we're talking about after pick a hundred, like well after pick a hundred, uh, on Yahoo in particular right now.
49:46So I like the upside swing on a route basis.
49:49I mean, 16% targets per routes, not terrible. 1.4 yards per route.
49:52This isn't terrible. Those aren't great numbers, but there, there were some coaching comments saying like he wasn't fully grasping the playbook.
49:58Like that's the type of thing where hopefully, during the second season, things begin to slow down.
50:03They start manufacturing some touches to him. I think he can be a good yard after the catch player.
50:09Like he's got a little bit of density to somebody, how, how fast he is.
50:13Um, so I wouldn't be too surprised if he had a couple more moments this year after the catch.
50:19And that one play that he scored that touchdown, he did break up many tackles on that one.
50:24So maybe I'm dreaming of this upside that is like really tantalizing, but I think typically we draft this type of profile way earlier.
50:31I think the reason we, we don't talk about them is because he wasn't like the spreadsheet, uh, spreadsheets, darling as a college prospect.
50:38Um, so I think a lot of people were like, Hey, I told you he stinks.
50:42I remember I told you that as, as a prospect.
50:45Um, and I think it's far too early into his career, uh, to, to, to be coming up with, with those assumptions.
50:52Yeah, I was kind of like a Matthew golden centrist and I still find myself to be like a Matthew golden centrist, I guess a little bit.
51:00I had him wide receiver five in his draft class, uh, behind obviously Hunter was a wild card, but T Mac, a
51:06Buka burden, uh, had those guys all ahead of him.
51:09It was fine. Like same tier prospect as burden.
51:11And then like his rookie year film just didn't move me one way or another.
51:16Like it wasn't so good that I was like, I can't believe they didn't get this guy involved.
51:21And it wasn't so bad that I'm like that look that, that that's a future bust right there.
51:26But all that to say, Josh, I mean, yeah, the ADP is just who cares?
51:31Who cares? Take the shot because it is still a guy who should be an every down player, at least pretty close
51:37to it on an offense that I think could be worse this year.
51:41Like I, I do think the Packers as a team could take a step back.
51:45I'm a little worried about them just roster wise in that really strong division.
51:49But even if that's the case, like they're going to have to throw the football more, which I think is actually good
51:55news for all of these receivers here. Yeah. I mean, just a closing thought.
51:59The frustration has been in previous years of the Packers is you don't know from a week to week standpoint, uh, who
52:06the ball is going to, who's going to be on the field and what scenario these three guys in Christian Watson, Matthew
52:12golden and Jane Reed have to be on the field or else something went terribly, terribly wrong.
52:17And I think Matthew golden's the type that if we get to week one and he has one or two or three
52:24nice catches, either in training camp, these joint practices or in preseason games, then like the rocket ship is in store for
52:30him to climb three or four rounds. And in a lot of home leagues, I see the same way.
52:35I haven't ranked ahead of Jane and read like to me, if you're not in two wide receiver sets and today, like
52:42it's, it's just hard to get there. And I think that Matthew golden is going to open in two wide receiver sets ahead of Jane Reed.
52:49Sorry, Matt hate that, but yeah, whatever. That's fine.
52:52That's fine. Yeah. Hayden, since you just said that I'm going to allow you to close the show by, uh, talking down,
52:58you know, perhaps one of the best players to ever, uh, play the sport here.
53:03So, let's hear it, pal. Yeah. This Patrick Mahomes guy, I've had enough.
53:06Uh, this just comes down to like, you don't have to draft the guy coming off a torn ACL throw into, you
53:13know, who we've been talking about with Rasheed Rice and Kelsey and Xavier worthy.
53:17When there's like, there's like 16 quarterbacks that you can draft, uh, all in that tier, like Brock Purdy, Jackson dart.
53:23Now that Malik neighbors seems to be on the right path.
53:26Bo Nix just added, you know, Jalen Waddle. Uh, he's in that range.
53:30I think in redraft leagues, Kyler Murray is even more intriguing because if he gets benched eight weeks down the road, who cares?
53:36You just pick somebody up, you know, Matthew staffer, just one MVP.
53:40He goes after Patrick Mahomes, uh, Jared Goff, Jordan love.
53:43Like there's just so many names here. I just don't think you have to take the risk with, with Patrick Mahomes.
53:49And I think there'd be more balance on offense than they ever have been before because of the upgrade at running back.
53:55Uh, both tackles are very boom bust right now.
53:58And, uh, he's making progress, but he's definitely not going to be himself this year as a scrambler.
54:03So I don't see the reason to take on the risk.
54:06Yeah. Just, um, I say that I'm not, I'm actually with Hayden here.
54:10So Josh, go ahead. Yeah. I mean, I don't want to dig myself a hole and have a, uh, you know, comment
54:16that can be clipped about being negative with Patrick from Holmes.
54:20Uh, I, I do buy your point on, um, just the quarterback room entirely that we can draft this year.
54:25It's, it's quite nice. And then your final point on the rushing.
54:29I mean, in just 14 games last year, he, uh, set a career high with 422 rushing yards and five rushing scores.
54:35Uh, and based on the atrophy that we saw in what that left leg, uh, just him walking into training camp.
54:41I'm not sure how much rushing this guy's going to do in, in critical situations and hence why they go out and
54:48make the only big move of the off season for their offense and was assigned Ken Walker, the third.
54:53So, uh, yeah, that there's just like no chance from, for a Mahomes type to get into true difference maker fantasy scoring,
55:00uh, if he's not running with the football and I just don't think he's running with the football this year.
55:05I think this offense and just this team as a whole looks like much more of a rock fight team than Patrick
55:12Mahomes is slinging the football all over the place with like Xavier, unless Cyrus Allen is the greatest receiver of all time, which, you know, there, there's this.
55:20You've been floating every single show we've done. We, it's Cyrus Allen gets brought up, but we might need to do a deep dive.
55:27It's, it's one of these ones where like, I can't really tell what's real and what's a bit anymore, but it's not 0% a bit.
55:34Let's, let's just put it that way with Cyrus.
55:37I mean, he's the, listen, he's their best man coverage, beating receiver on the team.
55:41There it is. It's just the reality of the situation.
55:44Oh, I've actually, I've actually been saying it that I was like, if you get two beers in me, I would say
55:50that he's the best man coverage, beating receiver on the, on the team and zero beers today, today so far.
55:56So yeah, there you go. Boys, this was excellent.
55:59Great. First show here on the forecast together, but of course, folks, make sure you're subscribing to Josh and Hayden's YouTube channel as well.
56:06It's very conveniently named Yahoo fantasy football with Josh and Hayden.
56:09wherever you get your podcasts, YouTube, all those things.
56:11You're going to be seeing a lot more of these two gentlemen on the show through the course of August and the football season.
56:18And on that note, I'm going to be back on Thursday here on this show with Justin Boone.
56:23As we go over our first Yahoo fantasy staff mock draft of the real official fantasy football drafting season.
56:29And I'm going to be able to reveal our full August calendar where again, like I said, you're going to be seeing a lot more.
56:36I mean, you see me every day. So if you're not sick of me already, I don't know.
56:41I don't know what, I don't know what you're doing here, but you're going to be seeing a lot more of Josh and Hayden as well.
56:49Could not be more excited to have these guys on the team.
56:52Could not be more excited that we are officially in fantasy football drafting season.
56:56We're going to see you guys on Thursday with Boone until then we are out.
57:01We'll be right back.

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