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The Biggest Fantasy Football Breakouts to Watch in 2026 | Fantasy Focus

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

1 hr 7 min
Duration
Estimated from transcript
Aug 13, 2026
Published
Thu, August 13, 2026
25
Player insights
19
Players mentioned
Topics
Christian WatsonJalen HurtsJared GoffJosh AllenMichael PittmanTee HigginsCaleb WilliamsChris GodwinChristian McCaffreyD.J. MooreDavante AdamsDe'Von AchaneDerrick HenryJames Cook
Player analysis

Player insights

25

Caleb Williams

PositiveProjection17:14

The source is highly optimistic about the Chicago Bears' offense under Ben Johnson, with one the source ranking Caleb Williams inside the top 10 quarterbacks. There is sentiment that Johnson's aggressive offensive philosophy could push Williams even higher into the top five.

Insight page

Chris Godwin

NegativeValue7:20

Chris Godwin has fallen significantly in the source's rankings and is now coming off the board in the mid-30s. The source notes he is no longer the same player he once was, though he remains a draftable asset due to his low cost (ADP 147).

Insight page

Christian McCaffrey

PositiveValue25:49

The source considers Christian McCaffrey a 'dramatic value' if he falls to the ninth overall pick in drafts. Despite some analysts being 'out' on him at his typical high price, the consensus is that he remains a top-three overall player, and getting him at nine is an incredible opportunity.

Insight page

Christian Watson

NegativeBust60:27

The source expresses significant concern regarding Christian Watson's injury history, noting he is near the top of the list for injury-prone receivers and may struggle to maintain a high snap share.

Insight page
PositiveBreakout76:51

The source is buying a Christian Watson breakout, predicting he will surpass 1,000 receiving yards for the first time in his career. While acknowledging his boom-bust nature and lack of a top-40 fantasy finish to date, the source remains optimistic about his potential, even placing a board bet that Watson will outscore Michael Pittman Jr. in total fantasy points this season.

Insight page

D.J. Moore

NegativeProjection27:32

The source views DJ Moore as a talented receiver in a familiar offense with Joe Brady, but notes his target share dipped to a career-low last year. While he could bounce back in Buffalo, the source prefers Tee Higgins due to ADP concerns, noting that Moore is currently being drafted too early for their comfort.

Insight page

Davante Adams

NegativeBust62:47

Mike Clay identifies Davante Adams as a potential regression candidate for touchdowns, noting that his high volume of end-zone targets last year may be difficult to replicate.

Insight page

De'Von Achane

PositiveValue30:34

The source strongly recommends keeping De'Von Achane for a ninth-round pick, viewing it as a significant discount compared to his actual draft value. They consider him a better keeper option than Javonte Williams or Tetairoa McMillan due to the round-value advantage.

Insight page

Derrick Henry

PositiveProjection32:29

The source is highly optimistic about Derrick Henry, ranking him as the RB7 and 11th overall player. They predict he will finish as the NFL's leading rusher, citing a favorable schedule and the strength of the Ravens' offense, despite his lack of involvement in the passing game.

Insight page

Jalen Hurts

NegativeMatchup36:01

The source warns that Jalen Hurts could be a liability during the fantasy playoffs due to a brutal schedule in weeks 15-17 (Seattle, Houston, San Francisco). While he is expected to perform well during the regular season, the source suggests having a backup plan for the championship weeks.

Insight page
NegativeProjection60:53

The source advises against drafting Jalen Hurts in best ball formats due to a difficult playoff schedule, specifically noting a tough matchup against San Francisco. The source warns that Hurts is likely to produce 'duds' during the fantasy playoffs, and because best ball lacks waivers or trades, managers will be stuck with his performance.

Insight page

James Cook

PositiveProjection26:14

The source highlights James Cook as a preferred target over Christian McCaffrey in certain draft scenarios, specifically in superflex formats. Cook is also projected as a top-five rushing leader for the upcoming season.

Insight page

Jared Goff

PositiveProjection55:40

The source highlights a favorable schedule for the Lions, noting they are favored in 14 of their first 15 games, which sets up a potential major bounce-back season for Jared Goff and the offense.

Insight page
NegativeProjection88:46

The source highlights that despite Jared Goff's elite passing production—averaging 4,500 yards and 30 touchdowns over three consecutive seasons—he struggles to finish as a top-12 fantasy quarterback because he does not utilize his legs. The source notes that while he has an easy schedule, the Lions' tendency to run the ball when leading could limit his passing upside.

Insight page

Jeremiyah Love

PositiveProjection82:24

The source projects Jeremiah Love to have a top-five fantasy campaign, citing his talent and a favorable late-season schedule that includes games against the Jets, Saints, and Raiders. The source notes that Love is an auto-click at the 2-3 turn in drafts and argues that historical data for top-12 drafted running backs supports his potential for immediate rookie success.

Insight page

Josh Allen

NegativeMatchup20:06

The source warns fantasy managers to exercise patience with Josh Allen in Week 1, as he faces a 'nasty' Texans defense that held him to 8.1 fantasy points in their previous meeting. Allen may struggle to reach his usual QB1 status in the season opener.

Insight page
NegativeValue64:34

The source notes that while Josh Allen is projected ahead of all other quarterbacks, there is concern regarding his long-term rushing upside and the high opportunity cost of drafting him in the second or third round.

Insight page

Justin Jefferson

PositiveProjection63:43

Mike Clay highlights Justin Jefferson as a prime candidate for positive touchdown regression, noting he had 15 end-zone targets but only two touchdowns last year; his expected total was 8.1.

Insight page

Kyle Monangai

PositiveBreakout18:30

The source projects Kyle Monangai to take over the RB2 role in the Bears offense, noting he is undervalued at his current RB38 ADP. Despite DeAndre Swift's presence, the source expects Monangai to see significant usage, citing his 947 scrimmage yards as a rookie and potential for touchdown equity in a high-scoring offense. The source believes the 15-spot gap between Swift (RB23) and Monangai (RB38) will narrow significantly by season's end.

Insight page

Luther Burden

PositiveBreakout64:02

Mike Clay projects positive touchdown regression for Luther Burden III, expecting his total to increase from two to six touchdowns this season.

Insight page

Michael Pittman

PositiveValue60:23

The source favors Michael Pittman over Christian Watson for fantasy points, noting that Pittman's consistent target volume (e.g., seven-catch games) provides a much safer floor than Watson.

Insight page
PositiveValue70:17

The source is extremely high on Michael Pittman Jr., noting he is the most drafted player in their personal best ball leagues. Despite concerns about his lack of touchdown upside due to the team's tight end group and DK Metcalf's red-zone role, the source projects him to be a top-20 wide receiver based on high volume, noting he has finished as a top-20 receiver in four of the last five seasons.

Insight page

Rashee Rice

PositiveBust62:59

Rashee Rice is flagged as a regression candidate because the Chiefs' improved ability to run the football could limit his PPR-heavy role, especially given his lack of deep-target efficiency.

Insight page

Tee Higgins

PositiveValue27:32

The source ranks Tee Higgins (22) ahead of DJ Moore (28), citing his role as an elite touchdown scorer in a high-powered Bengals offense. While they acknowledge the gap isn't massive, they feel more comfortable drafting Higgins at his current price point.

Insight page
NegativeBust63:29

Tee Higgins is identified as a touchdown regression candidate after scoring 11 times last season.

Insight page
Full transcript

Episode Transcript

917
0:00I get so many headaches every month. It could be chronic migraine, 15 or more headache days a month, each lasting 4 hours or more.
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0:47Why wait? Ask your doctor. Visit BotoxChronicMigraine.com or call 1-800-44-BOTOX to learn more.
0:50What's up, friends? Welcome into Fantasy Focus Football alongside Field Yates and Mike Clay.
0:54My name is Daniel Dopp. Excited to be here today.
0:57Beef and cheese? Yeah, people told us that you smelled, they thought you smelled like Velveeta cheddar cheese, right?
1:02You're right, but I don't know where the beef comes in.
1:05That seems insulting, or is it because I'm beefed up a little bit?
1:09I mean, I've been under the weather and traveling, so I'm a little slack in the last two weeks, but guys, I got my cologne back yesterday.
1:17Oh, great! Did you? Yeah, so I got it back from, you know, the checked luggage on our vacation.
1:22So, yeah, it should be smelling better, not beef and cheese anymore.
1:25Maybe you'll finally have a good fantasy take. People know that, like, the old smell good, analyze good mantra is real.
1:31That's right. Hey, we got a very fun show on tap for you guys today, diving into a little prognostication.
1:37Headlines from the future. We're going to have some fun with that, maybe some bold predictions, just looking ahead and having a little bit of fun with it.
1:44But first and foremost, before we dive into that, a couple of real quick logistical things.
1:49Head on over to FantasyFocusLive.com for our live show.
1:51You can grab tickets there August 20th in New York City.
1:54FantasyFocusLive.com. The entire crew is going to be there, like we always are, having a good time, doing a podcast, and hanging out with you guys afterwards.
2:02So, one more time, FantasyFocusLive.com on August 20th. Also, Facts vs.
2:05Feelings comes out today. Shout-out to Liz Loza. We did a big mock draft on there.
2:10Go check that out. Available here right now on the NFL on ESPN YouTube page.
2:14And shout-out to our buddy Eric Moody. Follow him on social media, at EricNMoody.
2:18And jump in our chat. We love the community that we have in our Fantasy Focus YouTube chat.
2:23And Eric does an unbelievable job of hanging out with you guys, answering all your questions.
2:27And speaking of our buddy Eric Moody, we're going to have a second screen experience on Fantasy Focus Countdown this year.
2:33Used to be Fantasy Football. Now on Sunday mornings, it is now called Fantasy Focus Countdown.
2:37And Eric Moody is going to be doing a YouTube show during that, in case that you guys do not have, excuse me, FFC.
2:44You can go on there and get your questions answered on Sunday mornings.
2:48So, keep your ear to the ground for more news about that.
2:51But you liked Eric in our chat so much, we thought, why not bring him to this Sunday show as well?
2:57Fantasy on all screens, right? That's right. Maybe you have your laptop or your tablet with Eric Moody.
3:02You have FFC on your main TV. You're in the app, the Fantasy app here, setting your lineups.
3:07Looking your lineup. You can do all the things.
3:09That's right. You can do all the things now.
3:12I love it. Breaking news there on the name change for the Sunday morning show.
3:16That's right. Fantasy Football Now, what a run it was.
3:19Fantasy Focus Countdown. It's kind of like the meeting of what we do Monday through Friday.
3:23That's right. What you call many Sunday morning shows.
3:26Of course, Sunday NFL Countdown over on ESPN. We have a great team over there.
3:30But for those of you that like the fantasy stuff, hang out with us over on the Deuce where we get the Deuce.
3:36That's right. Fantasy Focus Countdown. All right. So, which thing are we going to say wrong most often this year?
3:42Are we going to say the H&TN area issue or FFNow versus FFC?
3:46I will say FFNow. We need to have an FFNow jar, I think, that we have to pay into as a part of it.
3:52And an H&N jar, I think. Honestly, what about just one big jar?
3:56Yeah. For everything we do wrong. Like every time you do something.
3:59It's like, yeah. Mike doesn't get paid enough to pay.
4:02Yeah, it's like a curse jar or something like that.
4:05But it's just like a mistake jar. Fantasy Sins jar.
4:08We could each have one like next to our name tags here.
4:11That's right. Every time you make a mistake. Yes.
4:13Every time you mention Christian Watson, you can put a thing in there.
4:17All right. Let's talk about some news. Oh, wait.
4:20You are going to mention Christian Watson. Someone's going to mention Christian Watson later on.
4:24Oh, are they? Not me. I don't talk about Packers receivers.
4:27I'm not allowed. Before we dive into that, our headlines from the future.
4:30We got a little bit of news we want to get into.
4:34Unfortunately, Emeka Abuka limped off the field yesterday. Guys, it has been, we're all in on this kid being the number one wide receiver.
4:40Chris Godwin has fallen way down in our rankings, coming off the board in the mid-30s.
4:45No longer the same guy that he was. How are you feeling about what you're hearing with this Abuka issue?
4:51It sounds minor. We are all in. I am all in to the max.
4:54He's my wide receiver 11 is Emeka Abuka. He's well ahead of ESPN consensus, which I think is why it was over 17.
5:01So I am heavily invested in Emeka Abuka and all things pertaining to him.
5:05Good for you. Here's where I thought we should take this, though, because the early indications are it's not serious.
5:10Yep. And by the way, we still have a month before the Buccaneers play a game.
5:15So we've got a lot of time for him to get right from a minor toe injury.
5:19Here's where I thought I'd take it, though. And I'll toss it out to the two of you.
5:24If Emeka Abuka were unavailable, and I'm not talking about because of this toe injury specifically, but given the number of players
5:31in this wide receiver room, if he was unavailable for a stretch, right now, which wide receiver is most appealing to you amongst the other Bucs?
5:38I would say certainly Chris Godwin is the guy I would draft first.
5:41I still think he has something left in the tank, even if we've knocked him down the rankings quite a bit because of Abuka, mostly.
5:48But Jalen McMillan's not far behind. I mean, he has shown really well so far when he's played.
5:53I don't know if I'm going Ted Hurst just yet.
5:56I think they're going to try to work him in.
5:59He's been the buzz player. He has been the buzz player, and he may have somewhat of a role, but I think,
6:05honestly, he might be a guy who we're drafting late, and then he plays like 12 snaps in week one because they're – Tez Johnson's there too.
6:13Like, they're going to work all these receivers in to some extent.
6:16So, yeah, I think that's the order for me.
6:19Abuka, Godwin, Jalen McMillan, then probably Ted Hurst, and then Tez Johnson.
6:22I would rather have – but one of my most drafted players during our mock draft exercise was Jalen McMillan because he's free at the end of drafts.
6:30We've seen him be really good before when he's gotten a run.
6:33I thought he was going to be good last year until they drafted Emeka Abuka, unfortunately, to be the guy there.
6:39But if anything happens to Chris Godwin, I like him as a wide receiver too.
6:43Either one of these wide receivers. I think he is a clear shot to be a wide receiver too in this offense
6:49for a number of weeks given either Chris Godwin and where he's at or potentially Emeka Abuka injury.
6:54Yeah, I like that because if Godwin does slip a little bit – remember, he kind of fell off last year.
7:00If he's just kind of – An injury last year.
7:03Yeah, I know. But if he's really not the same guy anymore, like McMillan could just become the more targeted player.
7:09He could be their number two pretty close. He's free.
7:11Like, super free. One of the reasons – here's a reason for optimism on Chris Godwin.
7:16And this is going back to last year. And this may prove to be grasping at a straw.
7:21I think the Buccaneers front office is very good.
7:23I think they're very fundamentally sound as well. The Buccaneers have a really good grasp on when to make a play for
7:30a player, when to hold tight on a player, when to part ways with the player.
7:34I think they just do a good job of assessing where guys are at.
7:38Remember last year when Chris Godwin was a free agent?
7:41He got a huge deal, right? I think the Patriots were the team that was even more aggressively pursuing Chris Godwin.
7:47They ended up with Stephon Diggs. The Buccaneers' faith in Chris Godwin last year gives me faith that there's still a good player in there.
7:54But I understand if you guys are not as convinced on that argument.
7:57I just – I want to believe in the upside that I saw from Jalen McMillan when he had some of the
8:03run and where Chris Godwin has been. And part of what I want to see is, given that draft capital investment, what do I think the ceiling is?
8:11Because Jalen McMillan, I think his ceiling potentially could be higher, especially with where I'm getting him based on where I am grabbing Chris Godwin.
8:18Although, Chris Godwin, where is he at? Yeah, and don't forget, too.
8:21Let's find it. This is – you don't – Baker Mayfield's not a guy that runs a lot.
8:26I mean, this – and he's a good passer.
8:29So this is – and certainly when he's healthy, and he wasn't all up for a chunk of last season, there's room for multiple receivers.
8:36So if Abuka were to miss time, I think McMillan – And Godwin have a role.
8:40Exactly. I think we would have them both ranked as a starter.
8:44But again, I think we're getting deep into it here, but I think at the bottom line is we're not really worried about Bucca.
8:50We do expect him to go – If you're drafting right now, perhaps a touch of a bump for Chris Godwin.
8:56But I was just extrapolating this out into the season just because unlike other wide receiver rooms like Indianapolis right now, the
9:02Buccaneers kind of have a lot of options. A lot of guys you like.
9:06Yeah. All right. Just put some numbers on it really quickly.
9:09Chris Godwin coming off the board, 147. Yeah, free.
9:12So that's also free. I didn't realize he was that low.
9:15So that gives me a little bit more love for Chris Godwin because of his cost.
9:19Another bit of news I really quickly want to talk about.
9:22I read in The Athletic a little piece yesterday that made me wonder, do we need to rethink everything we're thinking about the Chicago Bears?
9:29Yesterday, Ben Johnson – again, there's a piece in The Athletic.
9:32Please go check it out – said this. You've got 31 other teams coming to training camp saying, our goal is to win the Super Bowl.
9:40I want more than that, though. I want to have the highest-scoring offense ever, which happens to be the 2013 Denver Broncos.
9:46I know how many points per game they scored, 37.9, and I want to surpass them.
9:50I want shootouts. I want blowouts. Shutouts. What did I say?
9:53Oh, shootouts. Shootouts and blowouts. It's going to be hard to do that when you're putting that pressure on your defense.
9:59Guys, what is this? It doesn't mean anything. At the end of the day, there's still a defense on the other side.
10:05I mean, maybe it makes him a little more aggressive where other coaches maybe wouldn't be as aggressive, but we expect that from him anyway.
10:12This is already one of the best offensive play callers in the NFL, so it's a fun headline for sure.
10:18He's my favorite coach in the NFL. Ben Johnson is period, full stop.
10:21I love this guy. He's awesome. I love it as an NFL fan.
10:25I just don't think it's fantasy as much. We already have a projected.
10:29We already have the Ben Johnson bump in the projections.
10:31Right. I was going to say. Not enough, though.
10:34I'm the only one with Caleb Williams inside the top 10.
10:37This makes me want to put him top five.
10:40Ben Johnson's saying it, man. I think we all kind of agree.
10:43There's no real fantasy impact on him saying this.
10:45What I do believe, though, is I think I love it if I'm a Bears fan because you've got to actually execute,
10:51but I love the confidence that Ben Johnson instills in his players.
10:55I love the confidence he feels within himself. And if I'm a Bears fan, how are you not ready to run through
11:01a brick wall, which I would advise against because I ran through a plastic wall one time and I shattered my shoulder,
11:07so don't do it to a brick wall. But I don't know.
11:10Ben Johnson's my favorite coach in the NFL. Yeah, I get it.
11:14And we have five guys in this offense. We're going to start basically every week.
11:18Yes. So we're already, you know, we're in. We don't need to be more in, I don't think, on the Bears offense.
11:24We're going to start all these guys. I am very, for what it's worth, Liz Loza shouldn't run through a brick wall,
11:30but would like the Kool-Aid man if she had a chance for Ben Johnson.
11:34I know that. She'd be like, oh, yeah. We are anti-brick wall running through on this podcast.
11:39All right. Let's dive into some headlines from the future, my friends.
11:42We're going to start with you. Maybe some bold predictions here.
11:45A little loose on the guidelines. It's headlines from the future field.
11:49That means anything you want it to be. We each brought three to the table.
11:53I'm going to start with you. Yeah, I want to use my first headline as a lesson in emotion management early in the season.
11:59Okay. Headline from the future. This comes the day after the first Sunday of the NFL regular season.
12:04Yep. Why did I use a second round pick on Josh Allen?
12:08Who did the Bills play in week one? Do you guys recall?
12:11The Houston Texans field, Yates. The Houston Texans, who when they played against Josh Allen last year, held him to a grand total of 8.1 fantasy points.
12:19Wow. That was four days after he scored, by the way, 42.7 fantasy points against the Buccaneers.
12:23This just in. Competition matters, right? This Texans defense is going to be nasty.
12:27If the Texans defense did nothing this offseason, except keep the guys that were under contract, I'd be like, they might be the best defense in the NFL.
12:35Instead, they were like, okay, we're going to side read Blankenship.
12:38Really good player from your Eagles, Mike. A good sort of second slash third safety.
12:42They drafted the best run stuffing defensive tackle in the draft in Caden McDonald.
12:46They brought back Jadeve and Clowney just for kicks.
12:49Just for fun. They completely devastated the Bills offense last year.
12:52They completely owned Josh Allen specifically in that game.
12:54I don't think Josh Allen's going to have 8.1 fantasy points, but I think there's a real chance that Josh Allen might
13:00be quarterback 7 in my week 1 rankings. Maybe quarterback 5.
13:04Who knows? But the point is, not quarterback 1.
13:06And the lesson is, just remember that while it is a weekly game, your draft is setting the table for a full season.
13:12Patience needs to be exercised. Josh Allen may have a tough go of it in week 1.
13:17I don't even know. Actually, they play your Lions week 2, right?
13:21Yes, they do. They play their first, I think the first game at the Bills' new stadium is against the Lions on Thursday night football?
13:27I'm not sure when it is, but I'll tell you what.
13:31I think it's Thursday night. It is because Bills fans were sort of frustrated.
13:34Good night. Yeah, yeah. Lions defense, all sorts of question marks there.
13:38Obviously, they've released Terry on Arnold because of off-field stuff, and then their safety room is banged up.
13:43Yes, Kirby Joseph and Brian Branch. Patience, young grasshopper.
13:45Josh Allen may struggle coming out of the gates in week 1.
13:49I would not advise using a second-round pick on Josh Allen because I love the depth at quarterback this year, but Josh
13:55Allen's going to go ahead of where I have him ranked at 28th overall, and I understand why people are invested in
14:01the safest thing in all of fantasy football. It just won't be safe in week 1.
14:05I agree. Start that emotional hedge now because if you draft Josh Allen, you're going to start him week 1, and you
14:11just need to expect not having top-tier Josh Allen like normal because of that Texans defense.
14:16Mike. All right, my turn. I'm actually looking. I might have messed mine up already, so where's the jar?
14:21I need a jar because I think the – well, I'll tell you what I have first, and I'll tell you what I did wrong.
14:28The point stands regardless, so we'll just tweak it a little bit here.
14:32Let field on our side. All right, this is Wednesday, September 30th, 2026, okay?
14:36Okay. This is when this report drops. Following his hot start to the season, Jackson Dart is ESPN Fantasy's top-ranked quarterback against the Titans in week 4.
14:43Ooh. Looks like the Titans play in week 3 against the Giants.
14:47Okay. What I meant was the Cardinals. The Cardinals in week 4, I think, is what I meant to write here.
14:52So put a coin in the jar. That's – Honestly, like – Typho in the paper.
14:57Do we need to consider removing Mike from the podcast entirely going forward?
15:01I think so. Do these kind of errors matter to you?
15:04Because they matter to me. Didn't miss the entire first week.
15:07Got sick three days into the show. At least he showed up, so I appreciate that.
15:11It wasn't looking good last evening, but I got here.
15:14There was an old Bill Parcells quote, one wrong, all wrong.
15:17And basically it was like, if I can't trust you to do everything right, and how am I going to be able
15:23to – if you're going to mess up one thing, how do I know that anything you do subsequently is correct?
15:29I'm embarrassed for my family and everything. So it's painful.
15:32You know who I won't be embarrassed for is Jackson Dart in week 4 against the Cardinals, Mike Clay.
15:37Against the Cardinals. You bring us back in. Yeah, that actually makes more sense.
15:41Not that we expect the Titans defense to be lights out.
15:44But look, the Giants come out against Dallas in week 1.
15:47That's a defense that I think is going to be better this year.
15:51They're in the right direction, but still not an elite unit.
15:54Then they get the Rams, which is a good defense, but that's one where teams are going to be trying to move the ball.
16:00Dart's going to be busy in that game, playing from behind most likely against the Rams.
16:05I think we're going to get good play out of him early on.
16:08He's going to keep delivering with his legs, and he puts together a good game against the Titans in week 3, and then he gets the Cardinals.
16:16And Dart is going to play well enough that we're going to rank him consensus.
16:20QB1 for week 4. This is the season of Jackson Dart's breakout.
16:24Hot take. Hot take to your headline from the future.
16:26I don't buy it. Whoa! So, cold take. Yeah.
16:29My hot take is your take is cold. I'm buying the Rams defense.
16:32Duh. I'm buying the Titans defense, too. Ooh. Yeah.
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17:43Call 1-800-GRAINGER, clickgrainger.com, or just stop by. ...front seven.
17:45John Franklin Myers, obviously Jeffrey Simmons, traded for Jermaine Johnson.
17:48They spent big across the board, right? They reinvested in the quarterback group, Alante Taylor and Cordell Flott.
17:53Not dominant, perhaps, but Robert Sala is... He can coach defense now, that's for sure.
17:57Yeah, it took a little time with the Jets, but yeah, he can certainly turn things around.
18:02But this is a little... Regardless, I think he's going to play well enough.
18:06Absolutely. Like quarterbacks that make a leap and are standout quarterbacks, it's going to start to show up, regardless of the competition.
18:12Then they get Arizona week four. I think he's going to be a consensus top five guy most weeks.
18:17I agree with that. Okay, yeah, I mean, I like Jackson a lot too.
18:21I just, I like the Titans' defense. All right.
18:24Interesting. I think I'm more on Jackson, Darth in the Titans' defense, but I...
18:28My bold prediction, or my headline from the future is also a little bold prediction-y, kind of like Mike Swat.
18:33He's taking a stab here, right? I listened to that Ben Johnson statement, and I thought, how do I not bring this to the table?
18:40Kyle Menungai, after four weeks, a first month of the season, leads all running backs with six rushing touchdowns.
18:46This dude is going to take over as the number two running back in this offense.
18:50We watched him last year as a rookie. Number two or number one?
18:54I think he is as the number two, like the David Montgomery role in this offense, even if DeAndre Swift is still doing things there.
19:01As a rookie, he had 947 yards from scrimmage.
19:03He's good. He had five touchdowns. Even with Swift doing the things there, like, they're going to use this kid.
19:09Right now, and I hear all the stuff that Ben Johnson is saying, I'm just, if they do score, and they score
19:15a lot, I think there could be a lot of touchdown equity for Kyle Menungai in this situation, but maybe most importantly,
19:21the reason why I wanted to bring him up, I'm not really sure about the six touchdowns, but I wanted to bring
19:27him up to talk about him because DeAndre Swift being running back 23, and Kyle Menungai being running back 38, I don't
19:33believe at the end of the season there's going to be a 15-spot gap between these two running backs.
19:38I think Kyle Menungai is going to have enough run, yes, that the gap will be much smaller than where they're being
19:45drafted at right now, so I'm not sure that means that I'm out on DeAndre Swift, it just means that I am
19:51really in on buying Kyle Menungai at this price, running back 38.
19:54I will be shocked if he finishes the season as a running back 38 with all the things that we expect from
20:00this Bears offense and a second year potential leap from him as well.
20:04Okay, a couple things here. That's my headline from the future.
20:07A couple things here. I like the headline from the future here.
20:10ABC originally aired, or airs the new Shark Tank episodes, right?
20:13Yes. So there's a chance that we could probably clip off one of the sharks saying, and for those reasons, I'm out.
20:19JJ Watt, soon to be a shark. We could get JJ's voice because I think that would be a good sounder.
20:25Rather than us saying, for those reasons, I'm out, just having JJ do it.
20:29Have JJ do it for us. It's like Waze, right?
20:32Yeah. Soon to be Hall of Famer for JJ.
20:34That's right. Right. It's fair. I am running back 34, so my gap is already a little bit narrower than the 14
20:41or 15 spot ranking difference that you're talking about right now.
20:44You got to decide where that gap is. I just don't think it should be 15 running backs between them.
20:49So do you think it should be more like RB23 and RB28?
20:53Do you think it should be more like RB20, like a little downgrade for Swift, a little upgrade for Manungai?
20:58Probably closer to like RB25, RB30 to 32 from Manungai.
21:01I would feel better about your take if Swift struggled last year.
21:04But he was really good. I mean, he was very good.
21:07He's still 27 years old. He probably has another year or two of good play left.
21:12Sure. And he was effective as a runner, especially, which he's always been, but in the passing game as well, which is
21:18where he holds an edge over Manungai. So I think if they're both healthy, they'll use both of these guys often like they did last year.
21:25And actually, in terms of carry workload, I have them close between the two.
21:29You can see on the screen I have Manungai at almost 200 carries this year and 26 catches.
21:34So I just don't think And all six touchdowns in the first four weeks of the season.
21:39There it is. Seven total. That's it. So, but here's the thing.
21:42I think when you're setting your lineup, especially in a 10-teamer and probably in a 12-teamer, I don't know if you're going
21:48to think Manungai, I don't know if you're going to want him in your flex.
21:52I think you're just going to have better options, wide receivers.
21:56I don't even think he's an RB2. So I don't know.
21:59I think he has to, he's going to have to take the one job, I think, to be a weekly starter in fantasy.
22:05To be fair, and to your guys' point, Ben Johnson has struggled to get the second running back in his offense involved
22:11in, oh wait, no he hasn't actually. It's been very easy.
22:14No, let's just start six bears then. Let's just start them all.
22:18Like, everyone's going to eat. You guys are kind of at the point though, like you're kind of highlighting one of the realities of fantasy football.
22:25It's like when you're setting your lineup during the week, championship winning teams are off, especially in 10-team leagues where rosters, you
22:31know, there's just more talent to go around. You know, you have players in each of your spots where you're like, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes.
22:38Some 10-team leagues, and definitely leagues that are larger than that, you kind of have two categories of players.
22:43It's like the guys that you are starting because you want to and the guys you're starting because you have to.
22:49Yeah. I think Monongai fits more into the, you probably have to start him.
22:53I agree with that. Because if he gets to the point that you're starting him because you want to, I think it
22:59means that DeAndre Swift no longer has fit. In a 10-team league, yeah.
23:0312-team, 14-team, I think Monongai can have more flex value just because of the depth of the, you know, the entire roster.
23:09But I think that there's this, there's like a little bit of this, this almost like dissonance because I think Monongai is a good player.
23:16There are a lot of like good football players that may not be good fantasy football players, right?
23:21And Monongai, I think, is already a better football player than he is fantasy football asset.
23:25This year, I think he's going to become a better football player.
23:29I'm not convinced he's going to become an appreciably better fantasy football asset.
23:32and keep this in mind, last year in the games that Swift also played, he averaged 7.7 fantasy points per game.
23:38Yep. The one game Swift missed, he had 29 touches and 198 yards in that game.
23:43So, he's an outstanding insurance running back, but the problem is he's costing you a draft pick in the single-digit rounds.
23:49Like in 12-teamers, he's going to the ninth round right now.
23:52Is he? Maybe in ESPN drafts, maybe he's going a little bit later if you're talking, you know, smaller leagues.
23:57But, yeah, I mean, he's, put it this way, as far as number two running backs go, especially ones that most of
24:03their value is insurance related, he's expensive. He's very expensive relative to those guys.
24:07So, that's kind of the problem with him that I see is he's kind of a guy that's on your bench.
24:13And I've nothing, look, I like high-ceiling insurance running backs, don't get me wrong, but I like to take them later in the draft.
24:20I mean, Ray Davis, like, guy like that, Tank Bigsby.
24:23So, I think right now it looks like, and it may have just been since you last looked at it, he's coming
24:29off the board in the 14th round. So, I think Mike was talking about, yeah, above team leagues.
24:34we should, I feel like we should address this for a second.
24:37Sometimes, I have ADPs on my board, right? Obviously, I have an idea where they're going in ESPN leagues, but you like
24:43to have a good feel for the industry as well.
24:46So, I'll look at our friends at DraftKings, best ball drafts.
24:49I'll look at our friends at DraftSharks. They have a good ADP tool, which I can look at and see where they're
24:55going on other platforms as well and mixed in with ESPN to see like a consensus.
25:00And I'll, I look at it from both of those ADPs in 12 team leagues just to kind of give us an idea.
25:06So, that'll be my perspective when we're talking ADP is like the industry-wide 12 teamers and then you could be like, no, you're wrong.
25:13It's 10 teamers at ESPN. So, got it, got it, got it.
25:16The more times you say that I'm allowed to tell you you're wrong, the better.
25:20I'm fine with that. I'm telling you I'm not, I'm more right than you are is what I'm saying.
25:26Him and Blake Corum right next to each other.
25:28I think two valuable insurance running backs if anything were to happen to the guys.
25:32Yep. Yes. Yeah, by the way, Corum very similar.
25:35I think he's going to eat more into the carry workload of Kyron Williams, but Kyron's still more trusted in pass protection and passing situations.
25:42So, he still has the edge, but yeah, Corum very similar.
25:45All right. We take a couple questions before we dive into our next few from chat.
25:49We got this one. Rick Agro wants to know I had CMC fall to me at ninth in the draft last night.
25:55Well, I'm not high on him, but thought I had to take him there.
25:59Do you have any thoughts? I want to ask the highest guy I know, Mike, your thoughts on CMC, at number eight.
26:05I would take him there every single time. Absolutely.
26:08But Daniel, you were in this situation last night, actually a little later than that, right?
26:12Yeah, I put my money where my mouth is.
26:15I'm in a super flex. I'm in a league with a friend of ours named Matthew, and we are in a super
26:21flex league, so things changed a little bit because of that.
26:24But yeah, in the second round, I had a shot between either CMC or James Cook, and I decided to go with
26:30James Cook, put my money where my mouth is because I'm out on CMC.
26:34I can't draft CMC with where I have him ranked unless I just don't really believe in my ranking.
26:39Exactly. If you took CMC there, you would have to adjust your rankings.
26:43Exactly. I took James Cook over him. Yeah, and again, we had a long discussion about this topic yesterday if you want to check that out.
26:50That being said, like ninth pick for CMC based on what like most drafts are, that is incredible value on Christian McCaffrey.
26:56Even though I am out, I understand like that's a great spot to be able to grab.
27:01That's an amazing value for CMC. I take him at nine every single time.
27:05Yes. I think, you know, personally for me, if it's six, like that's as low as I think I could justify seeing
27:11him go, and it might be five given what we talked about yesterday with Puka.
27:15Like for me, my top 160, the first six players are number one, Bijan, number two, Jameer Gibbs, number three, CMC.
27:21So for me, he's third overall. Fourth, sixth is Jamar Chase, Puka Nakua, and JSN.
27:25So if you get McCaffrey at nine, that to me is a dramatic value.
27:29Great job. All right, next question we have from our chat.
27:32This one comes from Brian Gould. Am I crazy to like DJ Moore over Tee Higgins given his new circumstances?
27:38Wide receiver one in Buffalo with Josh Allen or the wide receiver two in Cincinnati?
27:42No, I don't think so. I don't think it's crazy.
27:45It would not shock me if Moore bounced back and had a good year and beat Tee Higgins, but I don't think
27:51you need to do this just because we did see DJ Moore dip last year for sure.
27:56He fell away to 35th. His target share was a career low.
27:59So obviously he's going to Buffalo. Situation should be better there for him and open up more targets, but at the same
28:05time you're comparing him to Tee Higgins who when that guy is active, he's an elite touchdown scorer and one of the best offenses in the NFL.
28:13Not an offense that's as pass heavy as it was a couple years ago.
28:17They balanced it a little bit, but they still like to lean pretty heavily on the passing game.
28:22So for me, I have a pretty big gap actually.
28:24I have Tee Higgins. Where do I have Tee Higgins?
28:2722 and DJ Moore at 28. So that's a gap of six.
28:30It's not a huge gap obviously, but it's not a huge gap.
28:34I don't think it's crazy. I feel more comfortable with Higgins.
28:37I think I agree with field. I don't think it's crazy.
28:40The part that gives me the hang up is again, just looking at our ESPN ADP.
28:44When I see DJ Moore, you just, I wouldn't draft DJ Moore where I would be drafting Tee Higgins because I'm about a round and a half late.
28:52I'm not going to reach that much on DJ Moore.
28:55So I think between these two, I would have to go with Tee Higgins because I just don't think DJ Moore is worth that investment that early.
29:03Unless Tee Higgins falls and then if Tee Higgins falls, then I'm fine with that.
29:07Brian, I don't think it's crazy. I think these guys are comparable level talent.
29:11I think Tee Higgins is a slightly more talented player, but DJ Moore is a very talented guy going to familiar offense with Joe Brady.
29:18These guys obviously both have elite, elite passing quarterbacks.
29:20The difference is DJ Moore maybe not as talented, but maybe has more of a chance to be wide receiver one.
29:26Tee Higgins, the clear wide receiver two. So I don't think it's crazy, but I have Tee Higgins ahead of DJ Moore.
29:32Do I think you're insane? Would I laugh at you?
29:35I would not laugh at you. Which one, just if you had to say, hey, one of these wide receivers is going
29:41to have a 30% target share at the end of the season.
29:44Do you think there'd be more Tee Higgins in that Bengals offense?
29:48In these schemes, neither. Unless somebody got hurt. 25, 28?
29:50What's high in these schemes then? I think Higgins could get to like 23 or 24 and honestly, I think that's probably
29:57the same for Moore to be honest. Really? The way the Bills offense works and they use, you know, they're going to use guys.
30:03You can't, when you're doing projections for offenses, you can't just look at the headliner fantasy guys.
30:08You have to consider how often do they throw to Dawson Knox or Jackson Hawes or the fullback or what's the target
30:14you're going to be to the running back position?
30:17Do they like to spread it around to wide receivers?
30:19All those things are important. So I think with those two guys, that's probably their ceiling.
30:24Barring an injury to like a Javon Chase. And honestly, Higgins will probably be at like 20 and DJ Moore probably at
30:30like 20, 21, somewhere in that range. Okay. We got one more question here from chat.
30:34This one comes from Thrivell. Who should I keep?
30:37Tedderola McMillan for a fifth round pick, Javante Williams for an eighth round pick, or Travis Achan for a ninth round pick?
30:43I would have said it wrong again. I have to fix my brain.
30:47This feels easy to me though. Achan for a ninth?
30:49Yeah. That's where I'm at too. Yeah, definitely. I mean, I have Achan and Javante right next to each other.
30:55So you get a full round discount. I'd go Achan at nine.
30:58Yep. Yeah. I think those two are close because it's one round apart and I do have Javante ahead, but it's close
31:05enough that I'm going to take the cheapest one.
31:07And honestly, where's Tedderola going? He's going around the third round.
31:10Yeah. If the keeper you would give up is identical to where they're going or very close to it, that's almost never
31:16the answer unless you have just bad options. So yeah, take the big running back.
31:20Where's he going? It's going to be confusing. Same, Achan.
31:23It's going to be confusing. Sorry, where's Tedderola going?
31:26But it's good to know where you want to go.
31:28You would go Achan as well. Yes. Tedderola McMillan coming off the board, 41st.
31:32So top of the third, fourth round in 12 teamers.
31:35Yeah, Javante at 38. It's going to be confusing to talk about, to say Achan.
31:39We're talking about Achan and Javante Williams, but we're talking about Travis Achan.
31:43Travis Achan, yeah. That's going to be a thing we're going to have to get used to for sure.
31:48What if Trevor Achan becomes a lead guy in Carolina?
31:51Did he come out and say, I want you to call me Trevor Achan, or did he say, I would still like to be Trevor Etienne?
31:58I'm assuming that Travis spoke on their behalf, but I could be wrong.
32:02Okay. Yeah, he's a guy. I would, there was a point this offseason where I was like, should we be talking about him a little bit?
32:09Because there's so much uncertainty in the Carolina backfield and everyone's going right to Jonathan Brooks, but I loved Trevor Achan in college.
32:16He was super effective, but there's been no hype there at all.
32:19It doesn't sound like he's making much noise in that running back room, but fourth round pick last year or so.
32:25All right, let's keep this train moving. Field Yates, headlines from the future, back to you.
32:29Derrick Henry eventually realizes that history cannot repeat itself.
32:32Wow. As Derrick Henry bucks recent trends and finishes as the NFL's leading rusher.
32:36Wow. This is a decent trivia. You guys probably already know the answer because I put it on social media yesterday, but
32:42over each of the past four seasons, Derrick Henry has finished as the second leading rusher, exactly second in each of the last four seasons.
32:49Second, second, second, second. I'll take that again. And then I think five years ago he finished like sixth and the year prior to that he finished first.
32:56Did you say here's a trivia question and then just give us the answer?
33:00Okay. I did see you post that. I did.
33:03Not good. Not good by me, but whatever. Damn it.
33:06Derrick Henry is going to finish as the NFL's leading rusher.
33:09I love it. Point in the jar. Sorry. I am higher than everybody here on Derrick Henry, both in our, I'm higher
33:15than everybody here on Derrick Henry, both in terms of my running back rankings.
33:19I have him as RB7 and my overall rankings.
33:21I have him as the 11th ranked player in fantasy this season.
33:25Overall, not talking just running backs. I'm talking quarterbacks, wide receivers, tight ends included.
33:29I'm very optimistic on this Ravens offense. Very optimistic on Derrick Henry.
33:32I've mentioned this factor a few times now. I love their schedule coming out of the gates.
33:37Mike has an amazing, and I mean amazing, tool that lays out the player's projected schedule by position, right?
33:42So who has the toughest matchup for quarterbacks this year, running backs, wide receivers, and the inverse who has the easiest one.
33:48You can rely on data like that and it's very valuable.
33:51I like the schedule for Derrick Henry and I know that he's going to have the same limitations this year as every
33:57other year, which is catching passes, but I don't know, man.
34:00I just feel like every year we get excited about these shiny objects and then we forget about things that are damn good.
34:07He is built forward tough. Yeah. A couple things.
34:09First of all, at strength, the schedule chart, we're going to, new this year, we're going to have this PDF on the
34:15site where it's going to be by the week.
34:18So it'll show the past, like each week, who they played and how hard that was.
34:22So you can see if like a player had a hard schedule so far, and then you're going to be able to look at the future as well.
34:30We'll have that for each position, defense, kicker, everything.
34:33So I'm really pumped to do that. Kicker? Kicker as well.
34:36Yeah, yeah, yeah, for sure. And also I'm looking at, I have this, you know, this PDF where I have like all the projections for the entire NFL.
34:43You can get that over at ESPN.com. I'm looking at my projected rushing leaders for the season and guess where Derrick Henry is?
34:50First? Second. Two again. Behind. Jonathan Taylor, Jonathan Taylor just ahead, then Henry, James Cook, Sean Robinson, Jameerah Gibbs are the top five there.
34:57By the way, this is amazing. It's like a great glimpse behind, or peek behind the curtain here.
35:02Prior to the show, Daniel and I were talking about things like pressure washers.
35:05That's true. And Mike is sitting there updating his PDFs about things.
35:09That's accurate. Darren Waller signed with the Panthers. Like we had to get it in there.
35:13Kicker schedule, strength of schedule stuff. And we're sitting there and I'm like, Daniel, like about how far off the ground, like what solution do you use?
35:21You know, like, look, I had a whole, you're an engine.
35:24You're a machine. I moved in some capacity three off seasons in a row working on the new house this year.
35:30Like I've done all that stuff. I'm on the field.
35:32You're done. I'm not much tired for now. A whole summer of sweating and getting dirty outside working on the yard and fixing sheds and everything.
35:40So anyway. Anyways, I'm very optimistic on Derek Henry.
35:42I want to continue to say that. He'll be one of my guys when it feels favorite drops out.
35:48I've said, you said fixing sheds like with a really, you emphasized, I got nervous there.
35:52I don't know. I'm fixing stuff. Don't worry about it.
35:55Just keep going. You're tired. Don't worry about it.
35:57What's your take, Mike? My take is, all right, here's the headline.
36:01Monday. We're going to January, right? Christmas is past us.
36:03New Year's is past us. It's January 4th, 2027.
36:06A regular season star, Jalen Hurts, third consecutive Dunn Sinks fantasy teams in the playoffs.
36:10And here's where we're going to get into strength of schedule because Jalen Hurts is one of the most fascinating regular fantasy
36:16leagues versus best ball fantasy leagues, especially. This is especially where this matters.
36:20Players I've seen in a long time because here's the thing.
36:23Eagles quarterbacks, you were just talking about strength of schedule.
36:26They have the easiest, Eagles quarterbacks have the easiest schedule this season for quarterbacks in fantasy.
36:30Weeks 1 through 14, it is easiest. Weeks 15 through 17, it is fourth hardest, arguably hardest because here's the schedule.
36:36Again, this is after as light as it gets through the fantasy regular season.
36:40Weeks 15, Seattle. That's the first week of the fantasy playoffs.
36:43That's tough. That's at home, but that's brutal. Next week, they play your Texans.
36:47They'll go at home. Already are like out. But let's just say you survive, you get to the last week of the
36:53season, they go all the way out to San Francisco, which that's not as elite of a defense, but that is still a tough situation to be in.
37:01You got to get to the final before you worry about the final.
37:04I have, I mean, in best ball, I crossed him off.
37:07Like I'm not, even if I get to the playoffs, that can't be my quarterback.
37:12And it's going to be tough for the whole Eagles offense, obviously.
37:15So I think that hurts if you draft him.
37:17You're going to feel pretty good during the regular season in this new look Sean Mannion offense, but come playoff time, you
37:24better have another option because it's going to be, you have a good chance to have a couple duds in there.
37:29Funny because I thought you were going to say like the teams that I thought you might pick from, like I think
37:36there's a world in which the Ravens are a really good defense.
37:39The Patriots are a really good defense, but I could also see a world in which they're both closer to average, right?
37:45Yeah. Like Seattle and Houston are going to be elite.
37:48Yeah. Like there's just major injury issues. Yes. Like if half the roster retires, maybe they won't be elite, but otherwise they're going to be elite.
37:55So that is this is one of the most, the wildest splits I've ever seen between regular season and playoffs.
38:01I mean, the Eagles are in a tough spot.
38:03Just a quick pay Mike for those that don't know, because I do realize that, you know, we've been doing the show for a long time.
38:10They're probably jokes that sometimes people are like, I always hear them say that, but I don't know what it means.
38:16I think probably a lot of our audience knows what best ball means, but there are probably some people that are watching
38:22and they say, they hear us mention best ball.
38:25We'll eventually reference the Scott Fishbowl. What is best ball?
38:28Yeah. So best ball is, means you draft your team and then you can't touch it the rest of the season.
38:34So what happens is you feel it's a deeper pool of players you draft.
38:37So you'll draft like 20 players instead of our normal, like 16.
38:41And then each week, if you have say three quarterbacks on your roster and one quarterback slot on your team, the highest
38:47score of those three gets plugged in. You don't plug a starter in.
38:51You don't say your lineup. It's just automatically based on your highest scores.
38:54Yeah. So the problem is if the fantasy playoffs roll around and you're getting duds from Jalen Hurts and you only have
39:00one other quarterback who may not even be healthy at that point because that's a big issue in best ball is you can't make transactions.
39:07No waivers. Yeah. No waivers. Yeah. So you're just going to have to deal with him as your quarterback.
39:13No trades? If you're trying to break a tie, no trading, no waivers, no anything.
39:17Actually, good timing on that because yesterday we published part two of the playbook and in there I'd go through all the
39:23different types of formats people play and how you should adjust.
39:26Of course, best ball is addressed in there. Actually, I believe I specifically mentioned this example as a difference between best ball
39:32and our knockout leagues as well because knockout, it's the opposite.
39:35Yeah. You should be more invested in the Eagles because if you keep surviving through the regular season, you're going to be
39:41Daniels off waivers at some point if that team's eliminated so it's less of a concern.
39:46So it's funny how, you know, know your format.
39:48All these formats are different and you have to know these things before you go into a draft.
39:53If you hear people in the industry, I think Daniels talked about this where he's like, yeah, I did 32 best ball drafts this summer.
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41:35The reason why is there's no maintenance once the drafts are over.
41:39Correct. Like, you've done this and you just let the chips fall however they fall.
41:43That's why, like, we are sickos, but you're less of a sicko if you do 32 best ball drafts.
41:48Best ball drafts is different. Yeah, it's a one-stop shop to get your team and then you see how it goes.
41:54I love best ball drafts because I also look at them as market research in the offseason just to see where people are at.
42:01Who are people really high on? Who's the vibes that people are drafting early and kind of where does everyone fall?
42:07Which is very different than season long, but I just like having it as another tool in the back of my head.
42:13Yeah, it's similar. I mean, I use very similar draft board for those leagues, but you're right.
42:17That's where I kind of found out I was like, wow, I'm really high on Michael Pittman Jr.
42:22The guy's the top of my queue for every draft that I do.
42:26So he's my most drafted player. You could kind of figure out the guys you really like.
42:31That's interesting. Really high or like really, really high?
42:33Extremely high. Well, I am also quite high on Michael Pittman Jr.
42:37because I've got a headline from the future about Michael Pittman Jr.
42:40Stop stealing my Michael Pittman thunder. At the halfway point of the season, Michael Pittman Jr., top 20 wide receiver besides, despite
42:46being drafted outside the top 30 of the position.
42:49Here's the thing. I'm just going to, this is anecdotal.
42:51Guys, just hear me out, okay? Aaron Rodgers has been in the NFL for 20 years.
42:5621 years, right? A lot of years. Something like that.
42:59Came into the league in 2005. It's 2026. Last year, he averaged 5.8 air yards per target.
43:03That was the lowest of his career. And it's not even close.
43:07That was awful. He does not throw the ball downfield.
43:10Kenny Gainwell is gone. Kenny Gainwell, his favorite wide receiver.
43:12You know what Kenny Gainwell's average depth of target was last year?
43:16Negative 0.2. Well, that's normal for running back. For a running back, yes.
43:19Often they're negative. John O'Smith, the number three, not including DK Metcalf, because we know what DK Metcalf's air yards per target.
43:25We know his ADOT is down the field. Everybody else was like four and a half or under.
43:30All those tight ends. It was terrible. Arnold Washington.
43:33And so I'm in a spot now where Aaron Rodgers isn't going to push the ball downfield that much more.
43:39Michael Pittman Jr. has shown how good of a safety valve he is in the middle of the field.
43:44I believe that he is in a massive spot just to crush early from a volume perspective.
43:49So again, this is a bold prediction. Having fun with it because I also love Michael Pittman Jr.
43:54I don't think it's bold. I don't. I it's going to be tough for him to be a top 20 wide receiver
44:00because there's so many good wide receivers. But I believe the volume he's going to get.
44:04He may not have some like really sexy deep games, but he could have a lot, a lot to eat.
44:10Yeah. A lot of targets, just like he got in Indianapolis.
44:13And he's been a top, what is it? A top 30 fantasy, top 25 fantasy receiver for the last five years.
44:19Yes. Kind of quietly. Yeah. I expect a lot of target volume.
44:22His, the knock on him is he doesn't score touchdowns.
44:25Correct. That's been the problem. And that might not change with still a good group of tight ends there.
44:30You know, two good backs, obviously, of DK Metcalf is one of the premier end zone target leaders in the NFL.
44:36So that might be tricky. You might get five touchdowns out of him, but I think you get a lot of catches.
44:42Wide receiver 38. So quite a bit lower than 38.
44:45Yep. You're at 29. Mike is at wide receiver 30.
44:48If I'm reading this right, I think there's a decent chance that Michael Pittman Jr.
44:52is consistently ranking ahead of wide receiver 38 for me during the weeks of this season.
44:56Right. The reason why I'm lower though, is that there are players that are somewhere between 29 and 30 and 38 that
45:02I think just have a higher market share of, of, of like top 15 or top 20 upside than him.
45:08Right. So it's, he to me is more, much more of a floor play than he is a ceiling play.
45:13And I'm just less invested in the floor plays than I am the ceiling.
45:17It's tough to be a ceiling play if you're not scoring a lot of touchdowns.
45:22I guess so, but he's finished top 20 four times already.
45:25And I believe that's four times in the last five.
45:27Four of the last five years he's been a top 20.
45:30800 plus yards in five straight seasons now. Like, I think he's fine.
45:34More, more of a floor than a ceiling. I'll give you that, but he does end up top 20 because he just
45:40keeps, he's one of them just like solid guy and where he's going in drafts again, eighth round, like give me that all day.
45:47Yeah. I'm a little concerned. I mean, I'm just not as optimistic.
45:50I like ceiling plays, right? I mean, for those reasons, there's a time and a place for all these guys.
45:56Yeah. For that reason, my final headline from the future.
45:59Bring it. And no, I am not my Clay Jr.
46:01Junior or the third? No, I'm junior. I'm like Michael.
46:04That's why I have claim over Michael Pittman Jr.
46:07Oh, we're the Michael Jr. Here we go. I have not been hacked by Mike Clay Jr.
46:11For the first time in his career, Packers wide receiver Christian Watson surpasses a thousand receiving yards.
46:16Mike Clay shakes his head in disbelief. And for those reasons, I'm out.
46:20I should have stayed the course. I was talking about this guy for years.
46:24I was talking about this guy before it was cool.
46:26I was talking about this guy before Amon Ross St.
46:29Brown did a headstand. It's true. Which is Daniel's awesome t-shirt he is wearing right now.
46:34That's right. That happened against the Packers, by the way.
46:37I think it happens. I've got him as wide receiver 29.
46:40Daniel's got him as wide receiver 39. Mike has him as wide receiver 37.
46:43This is the perfect encapsulation of what I just described.
46:46Right? You guys are higher on Michael Pittman Jr.
46:49I'm higher on Christian Watson. You could tell me, hey, Field, why don't we worry about breaking like 700 receiving yards before
46:55we break 1,000 receiving yards in a season? I hear you.
46:58That's fine. I thought he was awesome down the stretch last year.
47:01Flat out awesome. And I know that, you know, there's going to be a couple lemons mixed in there because Jaden Reed's
47:07going to have a week or Matthew Golden or Tucker Craft.
47:10I feel that. I'm buying the Christian Watson breakout.
47:13I don't see much. I didn't see much difference in him last season from a fantasy output perspective because the guy was extremely boom bust.
47:2018 plus fantasy points four times. Average under eight fantasy points per game in his other six games.
47:25Definitely worried about that. Not necessarily changing and here's a trivia for you guys.
47:29How many career top 40 fantasy seasons does Christian Watson have?
47:32How many years has he played? Four. Four? Four.
47:34No, he's zero. Zero. Yeah. He hasn't even finished top 40.
47:38We all have him ranked top 40. Let's get him there first.
47:41Is that stat when you say that? Is that stat total points or per game?
47:45I think it's probably, yeah, I think it's a capsule I wrote many months ago but yeah, I think it's probably total
47:51points but it can't be much better than that.
47:54No, no, no. I agree with you. I'm buying.
47:56Yeah, I don't know why. That's all right. That's a good one here.
48:00All right. You know what? I like it. I got a little board bet here.
48:04By the way, Christina, producing the show, does a great job in the control room today.
48:08Are we tracking the board bets yet? Oh, we are.
48:11Okay, good. They are tracking the board bets. Good, good, good, good.
48:15All right, here we go. May I propose a board bet?
48:18Always. Me versus the two of you. Always. Okay.
48:20I say that Christian Watson outscores Mike Clay Pittman Jr.
48:23this year. Wow. Wow. I'll take that. Okay, I'll take Pittman.
48:26Yeah. Great. All right. All right. Give it to us.
48:29Start us off. I say Christian Watson outscores Mike Clay Pittman Jr.
48:32in fantasy points this season. And I say Michael Pittman Jr.
48:35outscores Christian Watson in fantasy points this year. Put it on the board.
48:39Let's pull that up too. I wonder if the poll would, I mean, listen, if you guys want to win, you'll side with me.
48:45If you want to finish in sixth place, you guys will finish with Mike and Dan.
48:50I got to be honest, guys. I have a 197 to 186, so it's not like this big gap by any means, but.
48:56Just saying, we're your nine spots apart in rankings.
48:59That's pretty notable. Yeah. I want to challenge everyone else out there.
49:02I just had an oddly intimate moment with my friend Mike Clay where we stared deep into each other's eyes and said
49:08the exact same words for a full sentence and a half.
49:11Like, it was a long time. You should do that with someone at work because I feel some things now that I didn't feel like 15 seconds ago.
49:19Yeah, we have a special connection. We really do.
49:22We really do. We're getting back in a rhythm here.
49:24I'm feeling it. This is the season. I really do.
49:27Jeremiah Love You, I think is what it is.
49:30All right. Well, then maybe my next future headline should be about Jeremiah Love.
49:34How about that? How did you know? I didn't.
49:36That's just how we're best friends. Wow, I knew.
49:39These are in sync right now. Well, let's go to one week later than my prior regular season.
49:44Okay. Or my future headline. Monday, January 11th, 2027, Jeremiah Love cements a top five fantasy campaign by reeling off his fourth
49:50straight 100 plus yard game for the Arizona Cardinals.
49:52I've talked about him basically every day. I've been on the pod so far this season.
49:57I expect a big season from him. And just to put a little bit more on this, the reason why I think
50:03he's going to finish so strong is the schedule.
50:05Arizona does have a very hard overall schedule. Yes, they do.
50:08But they have a buy-in week 13. Then they get the Jets, the Saints, and the Raiders before they play the four.
50:15That's the fantasy playoffs and they have the 49ers in week 18, which who knows?
50:19Teams are resting players. I don't think Love will be resting at that point, but the 49ers very well could be.
50:25So good. I think he gets a really strong finish to the season.
50:28Could be a league winner. Absolutely in fantasy. And you know, I love this guy.
50:32Yeah, we do. And I hear you, Mike. And I love, we all love Jeremiah Love.
50:37I've expressed my skepticism before. I'm just a little worried that it may not matter if you make this heavy investment in Jeremiah Love.
50:44This is not exactly what you were describing with Jalen Hurts, but you got to get to the playoffs for the playoffs to really matter.
50:51The opening of the season does scare me a little bit.
50:54That's a tough schedule. Chargers on the road. Seahawks don't like that one there.
50:5749ers not totally spooked by that one. The Giants not totally spooked by that one.
51:02But just in the first seven games, you've got the Seahawks, Chargers, Rams, Broncos.
51:06That's not easy right there. It's going to be tough, but he's going to be busy.
51:10One of the hardest parts about this conversation, I think for me, and I'm projecting a little bit as to what I
51:16think others in the industry and just fantasy players think.
51:19Yep. Part of why I feel the way I feel about Jeremiah Love has nothing to do with him and it's straight
51:25up scar tissue from another rookie and running back last season.
51:28Yeah, for sure. If Ashton Gentey had finished as a top seven running back in the offense that we knew was going
51:34to be bad, I think we would all just have more optimism on like, we just watched this kid do it.
51:40I think Jeremiah Love can also do it. But my counter to that is we've seen...
51:45Take one Barkley is the best pathway for... I'm just going to use...
51:48Yeah, I'm going to use this stat again just because I want to reinforce something, which is that the last nine running
51:54backs selected in the top 12 of the draft finished top 12 as a rookie.
51:58Nine straight did that. Yep. And if you're picking in the top 12, usually your team's not that good.
52:04And that was the case for a lot of these running backs who finished top 12 and all of them have, including Gentey.
52:10So, and again, I expect... Gentey's worst case scenario, I expect it to be better, which is why I'm higher on Love than where Gentey finished last year.
52:18Sure. I know Gentey was boom-bust, but he did pick it up after that slow start last year and had plenty of big games.
52:25I think Love is just... He's a really good talent.
52:27We've seen these high pedigree, heavily invested running backs get huge workloads and be highly effective as rookies.
52:32And again, the guy can pass protect, he can catch the football, he can run.
52:37Man, I'm just... I think he's going to have a huge season.
52:40I think you've got a lot of people that may be doing some emotional hedging, not because of Jeremiah Love, but because of what happened last year.
52:48You're just going to have to work through it.
52:50You're going to have to help the people see the things that you see, Mike Clay.
52:54And by the way, where he's going in drafts too helps his cause.
52:58It does, right. Across the industry, he's at that 2-3 turn.
53:01And for me, that's an auto-click. Gentey was much higher of a draft pick.
53:05Exactly right. Gentey was like sixth overall. Yes. So that part is fair.
53:09I'm just trying to get you guys emotionally prepared for when Christian Watson has 2,000 receivers this year.
53:14Dude, I hope he does because I'm taking all the Ws if that happens.
53:18I was right all along. Matthew Golden too. Yeah, you remember.
53:21Never wrong. Just early. Exactly right. All right, my last one here and this one hurts my heart.
53:26But after our heated Matthew Stafford conversation yesterday, I wanted to bring this to the table as a highlight.
53:31Despite Jared Goff being the only quarterback with four straight seasons of 4,500 passing yards and 30 passing touchdowns, he still finishes
53:37outside the top 12 in fantasy, highlighting how unbelievably difficult it is to be elite at quarterback when you don't use your legs.
53:43Four straight seasons of 4,500 passing yards and 30 touchdowns.
53:46He's done that three years in a row. And he's still barely been a top 12 quarterback.
53:51The thing that's most infuriating, he'll have these like splash weeks where yeah, he'll put up 25, 27, 28 points because they do that.
53:58But then the weeks he's unstartable. He is just unstartable.
54:00So, this is one of those things just like we talked about with Matthew Stafford.
54:05I talked about this with Jared Goff a little bit.
54:07Stafford's in a better position than Goff, but it is so hard to be a good fantasy quarterback even when you are
54:14an elite passer because if you don't utilize your legs, you're just leaving so much on the table for us.
54:19Let me give you, go ahead Mike. I was just going to say to your point, in fantasy points per game those
54:25three seasons, he finished 15th, 7th, and 12th. Okay.
54:28So, that's, yeah. One of them he got up to 7th but he just doesn't, his ceiling is seven or eight.
54:34Yeah, that is the ceiling. He's not going higher than that.
54:37Yeah. So, reasons for optimism here. Let me do a little bit of math because this is actually insane.
54:42By the way, the schedule is the reason for optimism.
54:45I have them with the easiest schedule. Oh, oh, the books agree.
54:48Yes. The acting sports book has the Lions is, let me just do some math here.
54:53Hold on, you guys talk for a bit. We'll talk a little bit.
54:56This might be, one, two, it's, it's not always a good thing to have an easy schedule because you want, you want those shootouts, right?
55:03Especially for Jared Goff, you want him to be throwing four touchdowns.
55:07If they're just crushing everyone every week, they're going to run in the fourth quarter.
55:11Oh, yeah. You know, wait. So that could be something that limits his passing upside, but their schedule, he's got to do
55:17a lot of damage in the first half, put it that way, but it's possible because the schedule is late.
55:22This is freaking wild. Yeah. The Lions are favored in 14 of their first 15 games.
55:27That's, they play both the Bears and the Packers to conclude the season on the road and they're small underdogs in both those games.
55:34On the road. Let me just give you some of the early season matchups that would allow us to see a gigantic
55:40start for Jared Goff and Amundrons and company. Home to the Saints.
55:43Yep. At the Bills, Thursday night football. Home to the Jets.
55:46At the Panthers. At the Cardinals. Jets, Panthers, Cardinals.
55:49Home to the Packers, that'll be tough. Home to the Lions, that'll be tough.
55:52Nope. We are the Lions. Sorry. Home to the Vikings, that'll be tough.
55:56got it. Yep. At the Dolphins. In Germany against the Patriots.
55:59Home to the Buccaneers. Home to the Bears. At the Falcons.
56:02They play some good defense. Home to the Titans.
56:05I mean, this is insane. This is, and this is what happens.
56:0814 of 15 games. This Detroit Lions offense scored 481 points last season, most in the NFC North, and they finished with the fourth place schedule.
56:15Their offense is in a spot to smash, and like you were saying, if we're talking about Jared Goff needing to do
56:21his damage in the first half, like Jameer Gibbs, like, should we be more in on Isaiah Pacheco as like a down-the-stretch guy, guys?
56:28Come on! All right, we'll get there. I'm working on it, guys.
56:31I don't think it's going to be, like, there are some bad defenses in there, but not bad teams.
56:37Including maybe our own. Fair. The Lions might have some struggles.
56:40I think their defense on paper should be good, but the problem is they have those injuries in the secondary.
56:45We don't, both safeties, are they going to play week one at this point?
56:49I don't know. It doesn't look good. Between those two things and then obviously losing your starting corner.
56:54That might help us in fantasy, though, if they're getting lit up in the secondary early on.
56:59Part of why I love sports is the stories that, well, I mean, I guess...
57:03All of why you love sports. Yeah. I love the unexpected stories or like the things that feel like they're too good to be true.
57:10Just thinking about this, the Lions have this very easy schedule, sets up for them to have a major bounce-back season.
57:16Where's the Super Bowl being played this year? L.A.
57:19Los Angeles. Of course, broadcast for the first time ever on ESPN.
57:22That's right. Super Bowl 61. We're pumped about that.
57:24The whole company is. Wouldn't it be this Hollywood script if the Lions win the Super Bowl this year and Jared Goff
57:31goes back to the stadium that he briefly called home?
57:33Yes. That would be something. In a year in which I think the Rams are the betting favorites to win the Super Bowl at home.
57:40Yes. That would be amazing sports right there. Yeah.
57:43I'm kind of rooting for the Rams. I mean, obviously I'm an Eagles fan so they're number one.
57:48But I just, it's just such a perfect setup for the Rams too.
57:51And sometimes a team is so well built and I mean, to have Garrett and Stafford now on this team that's so
57:58good, it's just like, it just feels like it's all set up for them to be at home.
58:03And a lot of people we love. Do you like the stories that are predictable?
58:07We like the unpredictable. I know. I know. And usually I'm an underdog guy but I kind of, I'm going to be,
58:13I think I'm just going to feel disappointed for them, you know, after what they did to build that team.
58:18I mean, for them to bring in Garrett two under this team, it's just unreal.
58:23And look, I'm an underdog guy for sure but it's just awesome.
58:26I don't even know you right now. You want the Rams to win?
58:30Like, I don't like it. It's so boring. I don't think they're the bad guys.
58:34I didn't say they're bad guys but that's so boring.
58:37No, you guys hate Sean McVay. I love Sean McVay.
58:39Is it true that the, if Aaron Donald signs, the team median age is 38.7?
58:43Is that true? No, it's not. Because it seems like they've got, no, they've got a lot of old guys.
58:49They've got some old guys. But like, that's so boring.
58:52No one. I don't know. I don't know. That team is just so good.
58:56I don't know. It's just a respect thing. It's a respect thing.
58:59Like, it's one of the best rosters I've seen in maybe ever.
59:02You can respect them and we can like individual components there but like, we started this conversation talking about the best part
59:09of sports is like the unlikely things that take place.
59:11And you're talking about the Rams winning the Super Bowl is like awesome?
59:15I like when the chalk stuff happens, guys. Yeah, I do this year.
59:19When the book wins, it's my favorite. Like if the Dodgers win the World Series, you're going to go, man, I just, now I respect.
59:26I don't even know what the world that is.
59:28The roster is just so good. It is one of the best rosters I've ever seen.
59:33Tark Skubel is like, yeah, maybe better. I know that when the 76ers win this season.
59:37Oh, there you go. See, yeah. I'm on board with that.
59:40You're a Philly fan now, right? You've always been a 76ers fan.
59:43I'm a lifetime Sixers fan. All right, we're going to do some mailback stuff because I'm sick of them.
59:49I can't believe I'm getting crushed here for I'll tell you why.
59:52It would be cool if like the Browns won the Super Bowl.
59:55That would be amazing. that'd be a great, that'd be a cool story in a lot of ways, but I don't know.
60:01I just have respect for what the Rams are doing.
60:04I need. I can respect them too. I need the Lions.
60:07I'm always rooting for, I mean, I'm a Lions fan, but like Lions and Bills would be insane.
60:12I love it. That would be wild. Would love it.
60:15All right, we got some, I broke my microphone.
60:18We've got some mailbag questions as Daniel continues to break his mic.
60:21It's now, okay, we have poll results first. Wow.
60:23All right, some poll results here that we do not like.
60:27I would like a recount. People have acknowledged me.
60:29The people are saying they would rather have Christian Watson for more fantasy points this season than Michael Pittman, 57 to 43%.
60:35Good luck. There's going to be games where Pittman has seven catches and Watson has six points.
60:40So, I mean, Christian Watson will be lucky to play 43% of the game.
60:44That's another, that's another thing with Watson. Yeah. I mean, if you were to list injury, how, just like how concerned you
60:50are about injury, about all receivers and lined them up, he'd be near the top.
60:54Yeah, whatever the highest number is. It's a tough thing to predict, but he has had his massive share of injuries.
61:00All right, let's do a couple of questions. All right.
61:03We'll close it out here with a few questions from chat.
61:06This one comes from Jordan. Jordan Olsen wants to know, is it more important to have an elite tight end or a
61:12quarterback in a 10-person full PPR league? Here's the great question.
61:15But he also says in all caps, please answer on the show.
61:18Please, we got you, baby. do we think it's well-mannered or do we think it's like, I'm telling you to do this?
61:24No, I don't think they're telling, I think it's just a, man, I really love the show.
61:29I would love for you guys to be a part of my, like sometimes if my kids like are being complete turds, which is quite often.
61:36That happens. And like, they'll say like, Cheerios. You say please.
61:40And they go, please Cheerios. That doesn't, that wasn't better.
61:42Okay. So I couldn't tell if it was one of those from Jordan right there.
61:46Well, I'm not going to listen to him then.
61:49I'm just going to write my answer here. I've got to, I think, I wonder if you guys feel the same way
61:55as me because I've thought about this a bunch.
61:58I would much rather have an elite tight end because I just think the position is deeper and it's much easier to
62:04get a quarterback later in the draft. Yeah. Easy answer.
62:07Yeah. Easy answer. Simple. There you go, Jordan. All right.
62:09Next one. This one's from Sports Analytics. Chick wants to know who's the biggest regression candidate or bust in wide receivers.
62:15Mike, do we have any big regression candidates off the top of your head?
62:19I forget. I forget? Christian Watson out on it.
62:22That's it. Yes, for sure. Luther Burden's efficiency definitely going to regress.
62:25We know that. Man, let's see. I wrote, you have to, we have to read this column.
62:30Yes. Yeah, regression. You have to go back all the touchdown regression column at ESPN.com.
62:34We have the guys who are going to score more touchdowns.
62:37I'll give you one that I think people are a little bit concerned on.
62:41It's not going to be reflected in our ADP or our rankings for that matter, but there are some people that are
62:47a little concerned about, I mean, obviously, Devontae Adams is probably a natural one, right?
62:51Yeah, a little bit. I mean, he is a premier touchdown in terms of volume.
62:55His end zone targets were enormous last year. Rashi Rice would be one.
62:59The thought process behind Rashi Rice is that the Chiefs can actually run the football now and that so much of what
63:05he's done, I believe our friend Ian Hart had said that Rashi Rice has one career completion on a ball thrown 25 plus air yards.
63:12Seriously? He's a PPR fiend. That's amazing. Not so much so if the team can run the football.
63:17He'd be one. He'd be an interesting candidate. I'm looking at this list here.
63:21Obviously, Mike, this is not a wide receiver. Never mind that we were asking for wide receivers.
63:26I don't know. You've got T Higgins with a touchdown regression here.
63:29They had 11 last year. Good one. And then Williams fits the bill a little bit.
63:33Calm down. Quentin Johnston. Juwan Jennings definitely after having nine touchdowns last year he's going to be the number three in Minnesota.
63:40Definitely. That was cheating. Yeah. How about going the other direction?
63:43This is the ultimate one. Justin Jefferson for sure.
63:45I talked about how high he was in end zone targets last year at 15 of them.
63:50He only scored two touchdowns. This expected touchdown total was 8.1.
63:53Wow. So if he just had like average quarterback efficiency, he would have had eight touchdowns last year.
63:58You know who the number two player in this list is for Mike Clay?
64:02Positive regression? Positive regression. I do. Luther Burden III going from two touchdowns to six touchdowns.
64:06No doubt. Yeah. Look, I saw him ranked as a starter.
64:09It's just the. Come on. It's just fun, Mike.
64:12Come on. The statistical efficiencies going down the touchdown.
64:14I think he just touchdown rate should go up.
64:17This is called covering your bases. That's right. It's called being objective.
64:20I'm covering all the categories. I love it. You are the most objective person I've met.
64:25I try to be. I try to be. JEFC 1999.
64:27Big in chat. We love this person. I'm not saying it'll happen, but doesn't a Josh Allen slowdown get more probable every year?
64:34I mean. Yeah, but I mean, is he anywhere close to like, what's he, 30 years old now?
64:39Like, we're seeing quarterbacks play at a high, high level.
64:42I would say this, to Jeff's point or Jeff's question, there is a little bit of me that is nervous that like
64:48it won't be a slow drip in Josh's regression.
64:50It's just going to be one of those years where physically he doesn't hold up the same level.
64:55That year is not this year. It doesn't feel like it.
64:58Do you have a year? And I mean, we haven't seen, it's been in our lifetime that mobile rushing quarterbacks have been a thing.
65:05So like for fantasy football, like when do you feel like that mobility, are you start to be concerned?
65:10Do you have an age or is it really just about every player is different?
65:15I'm going to turn to the objective guy. Yeah.
65:17The interesting thing about this is that we saw Lamar Jackson's rushing slip a little last year and he's 29.
65:23He's actually younger. And the same thing with Jalen Hurts, who, what he's 28 and his rushing really dropped last year.
65:28So you kind of don't know when it's coming, but I think when something like what happens with Hurts last year where
65:35his rushing went way down, I think that's the signal with Josh Allen because Allen through the air has been kind of up and down.
65:42You know, at times he's thrown the ball well.
65:44Often he's, that hasn't been his strength, right? He's been inconsistent in that area.
65:48So that's what I'll be watching for is if there's a big drop in rushing, that's when the red flags will start to go up.
65:55I think, have you taken Josh Allen in any of your drafts or do you think that you will?
66:00Mocks, yes, but not. That was more for research purposes.
66:03I've only had one draft. Mock drafts are the perfect place to be able to draft Josh Allen to be like, do
66:09I, is it, yeah, is it worth it for me to invest this early in this guy?
66:14Yeah, I have to project out a mattress. Yeah.
66:16Do people, do you get to try out mattresses?
66:19Oh yeah, that's big in that industry now. Of course.
66:22We bought one this spring when they gave us four months to try it out.
66:26Four months? Yeah. Wow. Did he keep it? Yeah.
66:28Yeah. Anyway, I have Allen projected way ahead of all the other quarterbacks, but it's just very, the opportunity cost in rounds two or three is so much.
66:36It's hard to, it's all hard to do that.
66:39Agreed. Tomorrow. It's going to be another good show.
66:41Hardest players to rank. Oh, it's always fun because it's just about, I mean, sometimes we just have feelings on guys.
66:47Yeah. So many ways. It is so difficult. All right.
66:50Thank you so much for hanging out with us.
66:52We love you guys. Go back and watch the beginning of this week.
66:56Mike Clay's first week here on the show. Pumped.
66:58He's made it four straight days. We'll see if he can do the full week.
67:03We love you guys. Don't forget to love each other and be kind to yourself.
67:07You guys deserve it. We love you. We'll see you tomorrow.
67:10Hasta mañana. I don't think I can be your friend, Isabella said.
67:13Rebecca's stomach flipped. This is the love story of real hinge couple Isabella and Rebecca, written and read by me, Temi Dentonhurst.
67:19Listen to the free audiobook now.

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