The Late-Round Fantasy Football Podcast on Victor Cruz

PodcastLate-Round Perspectives: Eric BalkmanOctober 16, 2026

From the episode

Remember Victor Cruz that one year where he was just crushing it in preseason. And so many people are like, I'm not buying into that hype train. Like it's, it's, it's obviously going to end when it's regular season starts. And you know what? It took a knee injury to really end it.

Mentioned at 32:23 – 32:42

STACKED’s take

Positive signalBreakout

Cruz's preseason dominance proved real; ignoring it cost fantasy managers years of value.

Eric Balkman used Victor Cruz as an example of a preseason hype train that proved legitimate. Cruz crushed it in preseason, and despite skeptics dismissing the hype, he went on to have a strong career; it took a knee injury years later to truly end his production. Ignoring the preseason hype would have cost fantasy managers.