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Fantasy Football Injury Report: 14 Players Who Could Make or Break Your 2026 Draft (Ep. 2151)

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

57 min
Duration
Estimated from transcript
Aug 25, 2026
Published
Tue, August 25, 2026
22
Player insights
20
Players mentioned
Topics
Jeremiyah LoveJordyn TysonAlec PierceBreece HallChristian McCaffreyChuba HubbardDalton KincaidDalton SchultzDavid MontgomeryJayden HigginsJonathon BrooksLuther BurdenMalik NabersMike Washington Jr.
Player analysis

Player insights

22

Alec Pierce

NegativeInjury54:08

Alec Pierce is dealing with a lingering left ankle injury that has kept him out of practice. Even if he returns soon, he will likely require a 3-4 week ramp-up period, making him a risky bet for early-season production.

Insight page

Breece Hall

PositiveInjury49:52

Dr. Deepak Chona reports that Breece Hall's groin strain is mild and he is expected to return to action within a week, with no impact on his Week 1 availability.

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Christian McCaffrey

PositiveUsage10:44

Dr. Deepak Chona supports the 49ers' plan to manage McCaffrey's practice workload, noting that load management is crucial for a player with his soft tissue history and age. Despite injury concerns, McCaffrey has missed only one game in three of the last four seasons, making him a high-reward pick.

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Chuba Hubbard

NegativeInjury59:16

Chuba Hubbard is dealing with a significant hamstring injury that carries a high re-injury risk. Given his history of playing through injuries and the presence of Jonathan Brooks, he is a player to avoid at his current cost.

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Dalton Kincaid

PositiveValue53:38

Dr. Deepak Chona identifies Kincaid as a sleeper tight end. He believes Kincaid's 2025 production was hampered by a PCL injury, but since he did not require surgery, he expects a full recovery and strong performance.

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Dalton Schultz

PositiveRole47:52

Bogman identifies Dalton Schultz as the most reliable Texans receiver early in the season due to his tenure with the team and established chemistry with the quarterback.

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David Montgomery

NegativeUsage48:29

Bogman notes that David Montgomery remains a three-down back, despite the preseason emergence of Woody Marks, making him a stable fantasy asset.

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Jayden Higgins

PositiveValue45:40

Dr. Deepak Chona views Higgins as a strong dynasty 'buy low' candidate. Despite an ACL tear, his youth and athleticism, combined with a full year of recovery time before the next training camp, point toward a strong bounce-back performance in 2027.

Insight page

Jeremiyah Love

NegativeInjury29:03

Dr. Deepak Chona warns that Jeremiah Love's high ankle sprain carries a significant re-injury risk of up to 20% during the recovery period. Bogman is fading Love due to the injury uncertainty and the presence of capable backups like Tyler Allgeier.

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PositiveValue38:22

Jeremiah Love is a target at his current ADP because he possesses RB1-type upside if he gets healthy. Even if he misses time, the Cardinals backfield is worth securing by pairing him with Tyler Algier in later rounds.

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Jonathon Brooks

PositiveBreakout59:09

Jonathan Brooks is a strong target at his current ADP. Despite coming off two ACL tears, he is 18 months removed from the second injury, and his elite talent makes him a better bet than Chuba Hubbard in the Carolina backfield.

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Jordyn Tyson

NegativeInjury40:57

Dr. Deepak Chona estimates a two-month absence for Tyson due to a hamstring injury, with a slow four-week ramp-up period expected upon return. Long-term, his multi-ligament knee history in college suggests a shorter prime and increased injury risk. Bogman is avoiding him entirely for the current season, viewing it as a 'reset year' and noting his history of missing camp and games.

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NegativeInjury66:52

Jordan Tyson is expected to miss approximately two months due to a recurring injury. Even upon his return around Week 6, he will likely require a slow ramp-up period, and rookies missing significant training camp time rarely start the season strong.

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Luther Burden

NegativeInjury47:19

Luther Burden is likely to be ready for Week 1 following a groin strain, though soft tissue injuries carry a 15% re-injury risk per week missed. His history of recurring soft tissue issues may be linked to underlying biomechanical asymmetries, though these are often correctable in young players.

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Malik Nabers

PositiveProjection24:07

Dr. Deepak Chona believes it is promising that Nabers is trending toward a Week 1 return. While he may only operate at 80% efficiency initially, he is projected to reach 90% efficiency by Week 6, making him a strong value in the third round.

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Mike Washington Jr.

PositiveValue22:06

Bogman identifies Mike Washington Jr. as the primary handcuff to prioritize in drafts if you select Ashton Gentry, noting that Washington and Dylan Laube would likely split the backfield if Gentry misses time.

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Puka Nacua

NegativeInjury6:49

Dr. Deepak Chona notes that Puka Nacua's hip flexor injury is minor, with the player already seen doing resistance running. The re-injury risk is estimated at 10%, and there is no reason to downgrade him as he is expected to be ready for Week 1.

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Sam LaPorta

NegativeInjury52:55

Dr. Deepak Chona is out on LaPorta due to an undisclosed hip injury. While the team suggests a Week 1 return is possible, the lack of a clear diagnosis leads Chona to believe the issue is more serious than reported.

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Tank Dell

NegativeProjection46:05

Dr. Deepak Chona is skeptical of Dell's 2026 outlook following a gruesome leg injury, projecting a 'rocky up and down' season. He expects the Texans to limit Dell's snap count and volume, making him unreliable as a starter until 2027.

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Tucker Kraft

PositiveProjection49:29

Dr. Deepak Chona ranks Kraft as a top-6 tight end, noting that while he may be on a pitch count early, he should be fully ramped up by weeks 4-6 and efficient in his limited snaps.

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Tyler Warren

NegativeInjury51:57

Tyler Warren's groin injury is expected to keep him out for only one week, resulting in a minimal 5% long-term re-injury risk. He remains a viable draft target and should not be downgraded.

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Zach Charbonnet

NegativeInjury51:46

Dr. Deepak Chona expects Charbonnet to be sidelined until between Halloween and Thanksgiving due to injury. He warns that early returns before nine months increase re-injury risk and that Charbonnet will likely be limited upon his return.

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Full transcript

Episode Transcript

691
0:00This is an iHeart Podcast. Guaranteed Human. With the Discover Cash Back Card, it's payback time when you earn cash back on everyday purchases.
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0:21All right, and welcome into the FantasyPros - Fantasy Football Podcast.
0:25We're in the heart of draft season, and injuries are running rampant amongst the players that we're trying to hitch our wagons to.
0:32So we've got just what the doctor ordered, a sit down with a Harvard trained and Stanford trained or the PDX sports surgeon.
0:39That's right. It's everything you need to know from an injury perspective with Dr.
0:43Deepak Chona. I'm your host Seth Wilcock alongside Scott Bigtime Bogman.
0:47And gentlemen, we've got a CVS receipt looking list of banged up players to get to in this episode.
0:52Before we get there though, Deepak, I gotta ask, the NFL coaches are kind of complaining quite a bit that maybe there's
0:59too much off time in the off season, which is maybe leading to an increase in preseason injuries.
1:05Is that just fodder or is there maybe something to that?
1:08Yeah, really hard to know. I mean, there is a rapid ramp up, but honestly, like that's also on the coaches, right?
1:15You can manage it a little differently. So I don't know that you can really blame the off time.
1:21Okay. Man of the players. How about that? Scott Bogman saying, uh, coaches, you gotta be doing your part as well.
1:27Can we, can we ask Deepak just to settle this once and for all the electrical substation near the Niners.
1:33Now I saw Pablo Torre, uh, blow this out of the water last week, but I just, for our audience, can you
1:40please tell everybody that there's no magic to this electrical substation?
1:43It causes. Yeah. There's a lot of holes in the theory.
1:47I think there's some like cellular evidence, no human data and the Niners and that substation have been kind of linked long before they were injury prone.
1:55So I don't know that it really makes sense.
1:58Okay. All right. Well, but Boggs, before we dive into, I need to ask you one thing like at holistically here, obviously
2:04we don't want to invite injuries onto our roster during our draft, but there's always that line demarcation, right?
2:10Between buying the dip and backing yourself into a corner.
2:13So how do you go about that? Are you more inclined to draft players, even if they are banged up, if they're
2:20attached to elite offenses or, or where's that line really for you?
2:24Well, I think honestly, week one is the line, right?
2:27Like if these guys are going to be ready for week one or supposed to be ready for week one or shortly
2:34thereafter, that is kind of what I look for.
2:36If it's, if week one is very murky or probably out, I'm like, guys are going to get hurt.
2:42It's football, right? Like the guys that you draft are probably going to get hurt.
2:47It's the most, uh, you know, it's the most injury prone sport in the world.
2:51So I feel like I don't want to invite extra injury before time.
2:55Like if it's a dynasty league, that's something different.
2:58You know, you get them for the long haul and all of that stuff.
3:02So, but in, um, you know, for 2026 leagues, I'm trying to avoid guys that are questionable for week one.
3:09Okay. We'll put that to the test today. Cause we got 14 players whose fantasy values are being affected by injuries.
3:15Currently we'll walk through those and what range they're going in their drafts.
3:19We'll start with, of course, the early round, then go into the mid round and then talk about some sleepers down the line.
3:26And before we jump in, just want to first thank everyone for making time for us, either on the fantasy pros YouTube channel or the audio feed.
3:34We're so grateful for all the support, especially during draft season.
3:38Please do us a quick favor, smash that like button and make sure you subscribe to the channel.
3:43If you're new and also don't forget to subscribe to the channel.
3:47Don't forget, check out our award winning tools over there.
3:50We got a whole slate of them for you.
3:53I was just in a draft earlier today with Boggs and helped me clean up pretty well over there.
3:58So, so feeling good. And I appreciate the fantasy pros draft assistant for a drafting alongside me throughout my busy day.
4:05So gentlemen, let's jump right into the biggest injuries affecting these early rounds.
4:09And right at the top here, Pukin Takua wide receiver for the Los Angeles Rams right now, the real time ADP of
4:16wide receiver one for overall, he has not been practicing with a, hopefully I'm saying this right.
4:21A SOAS injury. Deepak somewhere from what I can tell, you know, just being an average human being out here between a hip flexor and a sports hernia.
4:29Did I get that right? And if so, what does this mean for Pukin Takua now and throughout the season?
4:36Yeah, you're pretty much spot on. I mean, it's, it's the hip flexor.
4:40So it's involved every time you run and jump.
4:42The idea though, is that he, he did come back to the sidelines.
4:46He was actually seen kind of doing some running against resistance.
4:50So that's pretty promising. So he's back at practice.
4:52No reason to speed this up too much. These minor muscle strains, they carry about 5% re-injury risk in season per week missed of the preseason.
5:00So, you know, you're looking at about probably a 10% rate, which is not that high.
5:05I wouldn't really downgrade Puka. The only risk here is, you know, there's maybe talk of a suspension, but injury wise, not overly concerned here.
5:13And Boggs, with the rumors of that potential suspension looming, are you knocking down Niku in your rankings if you're drafting right now today?
5:20No, I'm not. Like, I, I just, I don't think he gets suspended this year.
5:25First off, I don't think Jacobs does either. I think that was just kind of a, a warning shot.
5:31Like, you know, we still might suspend you. Don't screw around.
5:34You know, one of those things more, more. He's just a little shifty though, you know, it was a rather reliable source.
5:41Yeah. He's never been wrong. So that's right. But, uh, you know, uh, I, I also, this injury, like Deepak said, he's
5:48supposed to be back for week one. It seems like a little bit of an abundance of caution now.
5:53Okay. So obviously we've got to talk about the big guys when they have a, you know, a fingernail sprain anything, but,
6:00uh, I don't think this is anything major, but I love that.
6:04You know, all of these sayings, I mean, Deepak's going to be asking you for clamps pretty soon.
6:09You're going to be an assistant. Hey, I try my best out here to, uh, work social media and the internet to my advantage.
6:17And speaking of the big guns who might just have a, and don't be going and shading with a hangnail bog.
6:23So this can really hurt, dude. Those can, those can really drive a wedge.
6:27Uh, my brother one time, he was just nasty.
6:30I remember in baseball, you know, you get some back, he was a first baseman, you know, got trampled on a couple of times.
6:38So, uh, not the prettiest site for sure. There was between a hangnail and like getting your hand stepped on though.
6:44Sure. Sure. I guess that's fair. Uh, Chris McCaffrey though, real time ADP RB for six overall.
6:49He's been in and out of practice over the last few weeks.
6:53Deepak with general muscle tightness, but came out over the weekend and said that this was all kind of part of the
7:00plan ramping him up and then back down and then hopefully back up again before week one.
7:05So are you buying into that plan? And if so, what's the injury outlook for CMC as a whole in 2026, man?
7:12Yeah, I heavily buy into that plan. I think this is the exact type of player, soft tissue history, age of 30
7:18onwards that you really want to load manage load management.
7:21Doesn't just mean the in game touches that we count.
7:24It really means the whole practice and, and workload that you put the body through.
7:29Uh, you know, you don't need to practice CMC to know that he's going to be ready.
7:34So I fully am on board with this plan.
7:37I think it maximizes his chances of being good for the season.
7:41Now, if you look at CMC's history, several soft tissue injuries, like I said, and then of course the age over 30,
7:47but in the three of the last four years, he's actually missed just one game.
7:52So, uh, he does have a little bit more, maybe risk reputation than his actual sort of year by year would break down to.
7:59Uh, I think he's worth it. If you, uh, are willing to go like running back, running back, you're looking for one
8:06of those bills towards if he can slip a little bit with people trying to shy away from that risk.
8:12I think it's a high risk, high reward pick that might be a league winner.
8:17Boggs. I haven't been in the eight or the nine hole a lot, and that's where CMC is seemingly going in a lot of drafts right now.
8:25Of course, ADP, you know, for some of the more casual leagues going a little bit higher.
8:30Where, where are you willing to click that button on Christian McCaffrey hearing what Deepak had to say?
8:36And also, is there a handcuff that you would be drafting for San Fran or it, do you expect if he were
8:43to miss time at some point that it's kind of a hodgepodge running back by committee type of approach?
8:48Yeah, there's certain guys, you know, like, uh, B.
8:51John Robinson, Jameer Gibbs, CMC, Taylor, Cook, you know, that really the top, top guys where there's no replacing them.
8:57If they get hurt, you're not replacing Christian McCaffrey with Jordan James or Galen Black or anybody else.
9:03It's here. McCormick had a good game, right? Like you're not replacing these guys with those guys.
9:08So, um, I, I, I'm willing to take, uh, CMC mid to late first round.
9:13Um, I understand, you know, the, the touches, everyone's worried about that from last year and everything, but he survived the touches, right?
9:20It was amazing. And it blew me out of the water cause I wanted nothing to do with them going into last year.
9:27So I'm kind of afraid to fade him again.
9:29But, uh, I think like Deepak said, if you're drafting Christian McCaffrey, you have to ultimately, he becomes a conditional player, right?
9:36You need to get another running back soon so that if he does go down, you're not completely bottoming out and losing.
9:43So you can't take McCaffrey and depend on him to be your bell cow the entire year, which makes him slip in drafts a lot.
9:51Okay. All right. Well, I like to hear that.
9:53And, uh, of course the big news of the weekend and guys, I was at a one year old child's birthday party on Sunday.
10:01There was a swimming pool. There was a lot going on.
10:04My, my wife made a diving save at one of our, uh, friends, kids trying to jump in the pool with his clothes on.
10:11And, um, I audibly gasped when I saw this news and everyone thought like, you know, a kid was trying to jump
10:18in the pool again or something crazy going down.
10:21No, it's just Ashton Gentry, who is the real time ADP RB 12, 18 overall, who went down with an injury Sunday in practice.
10:28The internet kind of took this one and really ran with it that it might be more serious than it was.
10:35Thankfully though, it's just a sprained ankle for the 2024 Heisman trophy award runner up.
10:39And Deepak, I know it's early in the information gathering process for Gentry, but what more can you tell us about the
10:46varying degrees of ankle sprains and how they each could affect Gentry's outlook for the season?
10:51Yeah. You know, this one, Adam Schefter said, it's not nothing, which makes me think it may not just be a simple low ankle sprain.
10:59Uh, if it were a low ankle sprain, that'd be kind of get the best case scenario.
11:04Most cases would allow him back by week one with pretty minimal dip.
11:08Sometimes you would see a little bit of a more of a split backfield, uh, with Washington probably get a few more
11:15touches, but, but usually not a major dip there.
11:17Now, if it's a high ankle sprain very much depends on severity.
11:21The average is going to be three to five weeks and that puts week one a little bit in doubt.
11:27Uh, the other key with that though, is that most players, if it is a real high ankle sprain will take about
11:34six weeks to ramp up their efficiency. So with that in mind, you know, a young player, a team that's probably not
11:41in win now mode, hard for me to imagine that they would just full send it on his volume fresh off a big injury.
11:48So a little lukewarm here, obviously we're playing with a lot of hypotheticals, but, but that's kind of the breakdown best and worst.
11:55If it is a high ankle sprain Deepak, would you put money that he is not available to go week one?
12:02Yeah. I mean, it would be asking a lot.
12:04I think week one would probably be a miss.
12:07Uh, my guess would be like week two to three would be what the data would say is more likely.
12:13Okay. Okay. So, so Boggs hearing this from Deepak again, we don't know the severity if it is a high or low ankle sprain.
12:21Um, but where would you be willing to take Gentie based on either one of those diagnosis?
12:26And he just went 22 overall in our fancy pro staff league, just as an example.
12:31So still kind of, you know, late second round is kind of where we're seeing it is a bit of a fall
12:37from where he was in an earlier second round pick previously.
12:41Is that about right for you? Even if he does miss some time early in the season.
12:46Yeah. I moved him down to RB 11 on my board.
12:49I had him at seven. So I moved him down, put him in a different tier.
12:54Uh, I had him 13 on my board. He's moved down to 24 at this point because, you know, if, if this
13:01is eye ankle sprain, I might move them a little bit further down than that.
13:06But right now we're kind of in between, not really knowing what the thing is.
13:10And like you said yesterday, it was, uh, you know, Gentie went down with a non-contact injury and is all of his
13:17teammates were praying for him as they took him off the.
13:20It sounded, you know, like we were writing the funeral for 2026 Ashton Gentry, but, uh, obviously not the problem.
13:26I, this is a guy that you can draft his handcuff and feel fairly confident in Mike Washington jr.
13:32And Dylan lobbies look pretty good out there in, in, uh, in preseason.
13:36I almost said spring training, uh, in preseason as well.
13:39So, um, you know, I, I think they would probably combo, uh, if anything did happen in Gentie, but I think it'd
13:46be three quarters to Washington, one quarter to lobby.
13:49So that's kind of how I see that going.
13:52So pretty much means if you are drafting Ashton Gentie in that second round, which still where I have him again, like I'm at RB 11.
14:00So very similarly to you Boggs, you got to get Mike Washington now, right?
14:04That is kind of the key handcuff that you need to make sure you are prioritizing in drafts.
14:09Um, guys, we're going to get to some more picks as well, but before we do, I did want to remind you
14:16about the fancy pros real-time ADP this time of year drafts happen all the time.
14:21And as we're talking about them today, so can injury.
14:24So stay ahead of your league with real-time ADP and unlike traditional ADP, it quickly detects shifts where players are being selected.
14:30So you can see where they're being drafted now, not yesterday.
14:34So stay ahead of the curve, get the most up-to-date ADP on draft day at fancypros.com slash real ADP.
14:40Guys, one more here at the top of the program with some big name players going in the first, second, or third round.
14:47Malik Nabors, wide receiver for the New York Giants, real-time ADP of wide receiver 11, 27 overall.
14:52He did shed the no-contact jersey today for the first time in training camp, so congrats to Malik Nabors.
14:58Head coach John Harbaugh also came out over the weekend and said it's, quote, reasonable to assume that he could be trending
15:05towards a week one game barring a setback. So, Deepak, obviously a lot has changed since the last time we spoke.
15:11You and Boggs both kind of all the way out on Malik Nabors.
15:15Are you back in here? And what do you think the overall outlook looks for him after seeing all the positive reports out of camp?
15:23Yeah, I mean, I think it's pretty promising. Now, it would be really a shocker or it would require a setback for
15:29him to not be playing week one. Now, the things to keep in mind here, usually you would see about a four-week ramp up in volume.
15:37That means snap count plus targets. So, with him, the first few weeks maybe a little bit up and down.
15:43The other aspect of it is that he projects with sort of plugging in his athleticism, his pre-injury production, etc., to somewhere around 80% of his efficiency initially.
15:52So, you know, you're not looking probably week one or two at the same guy you're used to seeing.
15:58But with that being said, as he ramps up week six, he projects at 90% of his efficiency if he's sort of not having any setbacks.
16:06So, with that in mind, you know, a round three price tag, if you can get him there, I think you should
16:13consider yourself lucky and hit that every time. Round two, a little bit more of a decision point.
16:18I think very reasonable to take that bet there.
16:21But a little bit more risky than some of the other guys.
16:25You've come a long way, Deepak, because I remember just back in July, this was too steep of a price.
16:31But great to hear the positive reports out of camp for Malik Nabors.
16:35Boggs, have you come around to the LSU Tiger at all?
16:38And albeit the cost is rising somewhat with the positive news out of camp, though.
16:43I mean, I'm, you know, more willing to draft him.
16:46I haven't really moved him up my board that much.
16:49I did get him to 14. So, still not a wide receiver one for me.
16:53So, you're still below consensus pretty much then, yeah.
16:56Firmly in the third round. So, I'll probably let somebody else draft Nabors this season.
17:01It's not just Nabors, too. It's, you know, obviously Jackson Dart is renting at the blue tent.
17:06So, you know, there are issues with the Giants beyond Malik Nabors.
17:10And he's just not really a risk I want to take this season.
17:14Fair enough. Yeah, I think I still have him at, what, wide receiver seven right now.
17:18Top 24 pick. Like, 18 overall. So, I'm in.
17:21But I've kind of been there the whole time.
17:24Honestly, like, I'm willing to make the bet just because of, you know, kind of what Deepak laid out there.
17:30The athleticism, the explosiveness with this player. It's something I'm willing to bet on at the end of second rounds that maybe it could win me some league.
17:39So, that's where I'm going right there. Let's go to the middle round.
17:43Injuries that could create value here, gentlemen. Jeremiah Love running back to the Arizona Cardinals.
17:47Rookie sensation. Third overall pick, of course, in the NFL draft.
17:51Currently going real-time ADP of RB15. RB15. 31 overall.
17:53He suffered a high ankle sprain roughly eight days ago to this point.
17:57But the team is hopeful he will be back ready for week one.
18:01Deepak, is the Cardinals hope something that we as fantasy managers and analysts should be banking on?
18:07And do you see a similar long-term effect to Ashton Gentry and what he's dealing with out there in Vegas?
18:13Yeah, so, you know, the initial reports were that week one is in question.
18:17And if that's the case, it suggested kind of a moderate severity type injury.
18:21So, you usually would see that about six-week dip in production.
18:25Also, keeping in mind Cardinals not exactly a win-now type team.
18:28That makes sense to run a rookie running back into the ground.
18:32The overall outlook, though, is maybe a little better if you look at some of the quotes from just today.
18:38Coach basically said he's through the first phase of the recovery, which usually means like swelling is down and things are progressing.
18:45So, that implies actually a little lower severity injury than what was initially implied by this report.
18:50So, you know, we're looking into one quote, and I would kind of exercise a little caution with that.
18:56I still don't know that I'm necessarily pulling the trigger at current ADP, but I think it's very reasonable to do so.
19:02And it's kind of a high-risk, high-reward type of play.
19:05Okay. Okay. Boggs, I was previously willing to draft Jeremiah Love in the second round.
19:10I'm now more comfortable in the late third. I just got him in that draft we were talking about earlier, 38 overall.
19:17Is that appropriate pricing for you? And how much does this move the needle on Tyler Algier for you in your rankings?
19:24I haven't moved Algier up that much. I do think, you know, I know they waved Benson today as we're recording this.
19:30I do think it'll be Algier and Connor in a, like, straight split type of deal if Love is not available to go the first few weeks.
19:39I'm just not going to be drafting Jeremiah Love.
19:41I love him. I want to draft him. I'm super excited to see him in the NFL.
19:46But it's the questionableness of this injury, right? And how long is this going to linger for him?
19:52And number two is they have strong backups. And number three is if anything happens to him this season, why would you
19:59risk putting him out there again, right? Like, if there's any type of step back.
20:03You're talking logic here, Boggs. The same team that just threw him out for 14 touches in his first preseason game.
20:10Listen, this is probably dumb that I'm going to assume they've learned something here, right?
20:14Like, but I just, I've learned something and it's not to trust the Cardinals.
20:19So I'm going to pass on Jeremiah Love. I understand that.
20:22I'm at RB19. So he's 15 right now. Yeah.
20:25Okay. It's at the end of the tier. I'm willing to move him back up if we get real, real progression and
20:32he looks good and we can see some video of it.
20:35But it's just, I don't know. It's like, what are the levels of high ankle sprains, Deepak?
20:40Are there different levels to high ankle sprains? Yeah.
20:43I mean, they basically grade them on severity, but truthfully, like it's just how severe is it?
20:48You know, so it's kind of like if it's very high severity, then you're usually looking at about six weeks out.
20:55The average in the NFL is closer to four.
20:57So with that, though, the ramp up period is very significant.
21:01And the re-injury risk period during that period, if it is truly on the like moderate to severe end of the spectrum, is up to even like 20%.
21:09So a re-injury is often worse than the initial.
21:12And that's kind of part of the concern in addition to that production hit initially.
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22:52I totally get the concern, Boggs. And I understand why you'd be out.
22:56And I feel like I have a little more risk tolerance than you in the second and third round, it seems like.
23:02But I will say, I like the idea of going to get Jeremiah Love at ADP.
23:07Because if he does get healthy at some point this season, it is RB1 type of upside.
23:12And then if you can come back around and grab Tyler Algier as you're running back three or four, just in case something does happen.
23:20Like, I'm also of the mindset that I think they paid Algier enough money.
23:24And, you know, while I love Jim Conner and everything he's done for the great city of Pittsburgh out here, former Erie
23:31McDowell guy, I don't think he's going to get as much of the work.
23:35And I think Algier could at least be like fringe RB2 if there were no love for a week.
23:41So, I'm comfortable using a third round pick and, you know, a 10th, 11th round pick to secure that Cardinals backfield entirely.
23:48Maybe that's not the move because they're not a totally, you know, high projected point total type of team.
23:54But I'm willing to do it. But I think it's like Deepak said, it just comes back to that risk tolerance for you.
24:01I think we're like a year away from the Cardinals being pretty good on offense.
24:05We get a real quarterback in there, patch the O-line a little bit, get these guys healthy.
24:11That offense is dangerous and scary. It might be your man Arch.
24:14You never know. We'll see what happens out there.
24:17I feel like them and the Falcons kind of competing for Archmageddon.
24:21God, please don't end up with the Cardinals. Also in this range, guys, we got a Mecca Buka out of Tampa Bay.
24:28Real-time ADP of wide receiver 20, 45 overall. That has come down a little bit.
24:32And it's been roughly 10 days since we got the reports of his sprained toe.
24:37Todd Bowles has been pretty up in the air whether the former Buckeye will be back for week one.
24:43So, what does the data tell you on when we should see a Buka and what his production might be out there
24:49on the field from an injury standpoint, Deepak? Yeah.
24:52Yeah. So, the initial reports from Rick Stroud, I believe, on the 14th, they came out and said that he's seen a
24:59specialist, which usually means he's had an MRI at that point.
25:02And he had a toe sprain, but it's stable.
25:05I think the semantics, this probably is a turf toe.
25:08That's the most likely one that you usually see.
25:11But with that being said, there's a, as we talked about with High Hinkle, a whole range of severity.
25:17And the fact that they're calling it a sprain, but stable suggests it's on the milder side.
25:22Very likely in that case that you would see him playing week one without any deficit or with a very mild deficit.
25:29The comments from Bowles a couple days later came out saying too early to say if he's going to be there for week one.
25:36And kind of vague, didn't really give us any concrete information there.
25:40Todd Bowles for you. Yeah. Yeah. And if you go back to what he said about Bucky Irving several months ago, he
25:46said, I don't know when he's going to come back.
25:49Maybe the summer, maybe the fall. He was there day one of training camp, just like the data said.
25:55So, I don't think I really trust that the coach comments here are that meaningful.
26:00I think, you know, when a player is said to have seen a specialist and then there's no like real update aside
26:07from this vague commentary after that, I think we might just be reading in too much to the commentary.
26:12Yeah. Coach Speak Index, a great resource out there for you.
26:16I don't know where Todd Bowles' trustworthiness is when it comes to players' injuries.
26:20But just, you know, reading between the tea leaves and thinking back to some of the comments a year ago on all
26:27the receivers and running back situations they were dealing with down there in Tampa Bay.
26:31I don't think it's super high. Boggs, experts, drafters alike, they've really cold on a Buka because this injury currently ECR wide receiver 2140 overall.
26:39So, pretty in line with ADP. Are you still taking a swing on him in the early fourth or are you willing
26:46to get, you know, uninvested with him at that price tag?
26:49No, no. This is one that I do still like a Buka because Todd Bowles is just, he doesn't care about giving out information of the injuries.
26:57Just like Deepak said, he was like, yeah, Bucky's going to be back in the summer or the winter or whenever when the groundhog shows up, right?
27:06Like he just, I think he just like, he waves his hand at the media just like, yeah, he'll be back when he gets back.
27:13Why don't you let us deal with it? You know, I think that's kind of his thing.
27:19Because why would you say day to day or week to week?
27:22I don't know. Like that's just such a, it's so strange.
27:26I don't understand what Todd Bowles is doing there.
27:28So I like, like Deepak said, I'm assuming this is minor.
27:32I'm assuming he's going to be there for week one and be fine.
27:36And I just don't really trust this nonsense from Todd Bowles because it's exactly what he said about Bucky.
27:42And then we thought Bucky was going to be eased in when he came back from his injury last season.
27:48Nope. Right. 17 touches or whatever it was the first week.
27:51So I think a Buka is going to be fine.
27:54I think he'll be there for week one. And this is a little bit of an abundance of caution.
28:00Yeah, it'd stink forever trade for Rashad White late in the season like I did last year and thought maybe they want
28:07to give Bucky a ton of work, but they did.
28:10Deepak, this is certainly not a medical related question, but you're a big brain type of guy.
28:15And I know you have a scientific background, probably to do a million science credits in college.
28:20Do you believe in the powers of Punxsutawney Phil and predicting the end of winter here in Pennsylvania?
28:26Are you on board with that? I'm going to pass on that one.
28:30And what about a rainbow? Is there a pot of gold at the end of that?
28:35Oh, the people of Punxsutawney will be waiting for your response there, Deepak.
28:39Luther Burden, another big injury here at the wide receiver position.
28:42Real-time ADP of wide receiver 24-55 overall. So it's been about two weeks now since the Mizzou product strained his groin, was
28:49shut down for the remainder of the preseason. Doc, fantasy managers are certainly still drafting Burden.
28:54Like he's going to be out there for week one.
28:57Do you think that will be the case? Yeah, I think most likely it would.
29:01Now, after about a week from announcing the injury or maybe a week and a half, he was back on the field doing some jogging and light work.
29:10So the comments from Adunze this week also kind of suggest he Luther Burden's on track to be there for week one.
29:17We are always playing that re-injury risk with these soft tissue strains.
29:20And again, that's somewhere around 5% per preseason week miss.
29:23So you'd think the average groin strain is about a two to three week absence.
29:28If you, let's say, air that towards a three week side.
29:3115% is not nothing. But it's also not enough to really prevent me.
29:35If I'm one of those guys who thinks that he's the next Amon Ra, then yeah, I think it's still taking.
29:42Boggs, are you buying the dip? And conversely here, does it make you more interested in someone like Colston Loveland or Roma Dunze?
29:49I haven't really bought the dip. I did lower him in my rankings a couple weeks ago.
29:54I probably need to bring him back up. I had him about, I think, 22.
29:59I lowered him down to like 28. Okay. 28 or 30, somewhere in that range.
30:03Because it's Luther Burden, really. And Luther Burden was hurt at Missouri, too.
30:07And Deepak, I wanted to ask you, is there anything to that, like guys that have had something almost every single year?
30:14Do you lower that for maybe, I don't know what it is.
30:18It's just, it seems like sometimes some of these guys have soft tissue injuries continuously.
30:22Well, we saw with Christian Watson, right? And it felt like as soon as he, there was a specialist that he went to.
30:29Please take it away. Well, I was just going to say, you know, with Christian Watson, what they found is an underlying
30:36biomechanical asymmetry and his strength from the two sides.
30:39And sometimes what happens is you rehab an injury, you think you're pretty much back to normal.
30:44But if you haven't been really tested with like strength, motion analysis, whatever, then you might have some underlying asymmetries.
30:50And that in itself is a risk factor for re-injuring.
30:53So I think that could be part of it.
30:56You look at a guy like Jordan Tyson, for example, and maybe just never really built all that muscle back up after
31:03he had the like series of injuries to the one side.
31:06So, you know, to your point, are some players injury prone in the short term?
31:11Maybe yes. But is it correctable, especially when they're young?
31:14Also probably yes. Okay. Great information there. Tyler Warren, another huge injury here, gentlemen.
31:18Real-time ADP, tight end 448 overall. So it really hasn't affected his cost.
31:22The Colts, they don't seem to be overly concerned about Warren's long-term outlook as well after suffering this groin injury last week.
31:29Do you feel pretty similarly, Deepak? What does this tell you about the grade of that strain?
31:34Yeah, well, they're calling this a one-week expectation of him being out, which would imply about a 5% risk long-term, which is pretty minimal.
31:41I wouldn't really downgrade him at all based on this.
31:44The one thing that, you know, for me, looking at him versus Colston Loveland, I might use that as a tiebreaker, but otherwise wouldn't really look drastically different.
31:53Awesome. Boggs, you know I'm all the way still in, right?
31:56I always will be. Hashtag we are, baby. He could have lost his leg in such a mistake.
32:02Yeah. I have not moved Tyler Warren at all.
32:05Even with Keenan Allen signing? That doesn't change anything for you?
32:08Nope. That hurts Josh Downs more than anything, so no.
32:11Okay. All right. We're going to get some more injuries here, but a real quick reminder that you can get ready for
32:18your fantasy draft with Fantasy Fest on Wednesday, August 26th at 3 p.m.
32:22Eastern time. Join the Fantasy Pros crew and some special guests along the way for draft strategy, rankings, tiers, sleepers, busts, league
32:28winners, a mock draft, a giveaway, and so much more.
32:32It's a four-hour live draft prep followed by a Twitch after party.
32:35Don't miss out on Fantasy Fest this year on the Fantasy Pros YouTube channel.
32:40Staying with the Indianapolis Colts here, gentlemen, as we get into some injuries that could really change the depth charts for players down the fantasy football draft board.
32:48Alec Pierce, real-time ADP of wide receiver 41, 100 overall.
32:51This one is just crazy, Deepak, because he still is not practicing since signing that massive extension in free agency due to
32:58what seems like a left ankle injury that's been ailing him really since partway through 2024 or 2025, excuse me.
33:04So what are the chances this lingers into the season that maybe we don't see Alec Pierce right away?
33:10Yeah, you know, it's a little bit of a strange story because they gave him the contract knowing about the injury.
33:16He's played through the injury before, and then they tried to treat it non-operatively initially knowing that if it gets pushed, it
33:23may linger into the season a little bit. And honestly, I think that's probably where we stand now because even if he
33:30comes back in the next week, you usually would need a three to four week ramp up in really participating in practice.
33:37So I would have some real hesitation about banking on Alec Pierce.
33:40Now, if he falls far enough, like towards the end of the season or midseason, the data would be very favorable.
33:47Most ankle surgeries by about six months, you're pretty much back.
33:50So with that being said, it's it's one of those that, you know, you're kind of taking a long shot with very limited information.
33:57OK, Boggs, I'm at the point, especially with the Keenan Allen signing, like I'm just kind of out on Alec Pierce at cost.
34:04There's other players that I think I can get earlier production to see what they are going to be this season.
34:11So I'm just out. What about you? Are you taking a shot on him?
34:15And the ADP has slid like we were looking in best balls earlier this season.
34:20And he was up there in like wide receiver 30, 32 territory.
34:23So he so he has come down. But I still don't know, based on what Deepak tells me, if I want to get invested.
34:31Yeah, I'm at 34. I moved him down to 42.
34:34And I think, you know, it's just specifically in PPR leagues where, you know, he's not getting a lot of catches anyway.
34:41I just I think I'm out. So I think I moved him low enough to where I probably won't be taking him.
34:47The more IR spots I have, the more willing I would be to take a guy like Alec Pierce.
34:53But I don't think he's going to be there week one.
34:57I think that's part of the reason why they signed Keenan Allen.
35:00So I just I'm with you, Seth. I'm out when they worked out a ton of different receivers in addition to Keenan Allen, too.
35:08And the thing with Alec Pierce is if you thought he was maybe going to expand that route tree and take on
35:14a different role, you would think he would have wanted to be there all offseason.
35:19Not not a one, but you know what I mean?
35:22Like he would have need to be there all offseason to really do that.
35:26Like I still see him kind of playing that field stretcher type of role and and seeing, you know, maybe Keenan Allen
35:33slot into more of this role that we've seen Michael Pittman Jr.
35:37having over the last couple of seasons. So, yeah, 100 percent there with you guys.
35:41Unfortunate news. I want to talk about maybe some of the biggest risers and fallers on the draft board, though, here out of Charlotte.
35:49Jonathan Brooks, Chuba Hubbard, real time ADPs for Brooks in particular right now.
35:53RB 29, 78 overall. And then Chuba Hubbard, 88 overall.
35:56RB 33. Hubbard suffered a hamstring injury earlier in the preseason.
35:59Deepak, this caused him and Jay Brooks's price tags really flip.
36:02I think everyone wanted to put him above Chuba Hubbard anyways.
36:06And this kind of really just gave us that that line in the sand to do it.
36:11So what are you hearing about Chuba Hubbard's availability for week one?
36:15And how effective do you think he will be?
36:17And like same with Jonathan Brooks, because it's a guy coming off two ACL tears.
36:22We haven't seen him on an NFL field in, you know, dang near two seasons.
36:27So what's just your overall takeaway for this messy backfield in Carolina?
36:30Yeah. So my takeaway is I'm heavily in on Jonathan Brooks.
36:34Oh, not really in on Chuba Hubbard. The reasoning here is that the young, very explosive elite talent player is the one
36:40that tends to make it back even despite the second ACL.
36:44Secondly, that second ACL was now over 18 months ago.
36:47And that's kind of the threshold where you usually see the delay in production hit.
36:51So he's he's had basically plenty of time and he's came in super elite.
36:56So his odds of making it back to close to where he was supposed to be are pretty good.
37:02And then now you add in this Chuba Hubbard injury, they called it a legit hamstring, which implies it's on the upper end of severity.
37:09They did say he probably will be back week one, although it's not really a guarantee.
37:14So that tells me, you know, it's somewhere around that like four week type injury.
37:19Usually with that level of hamstring, you would see some ramp up.
37:22And the reason is that re-injury risk is really the concern.
37:26And that can be as high as about 20%.
37:29So I would say with all of those factors now pushing the workload a little bit more towards Brooks, I would probably go that way.
37:36And where he's going in the draft, it seems like a relatively good value.
37:41Yeah, Boggs, we heard today out of Charlotte, actually, that this will still be a very much running back by committee.
37:47But based on that, based on Deepak's analysis, though, are you comfortable drafting Brooks over Hubbard?
37:52Are you 10 toes down? We just saw our boy Fitzy today in that draft go zero RB and laid all in
37:59line out there for your former Texas Longhorn here.
38:01Yeah, I'm at the point where Brooks has passed Chuba Hubbard in my rankings.
38:06And I was obviously not anywhere close to that a month ago.
38:09The reason I'm there is because it's twofold. Brooks has looked great in camp, right?
38:14Like he's looked really good. Wasn't very efficient in the preseason game.
38:18The first one, but he scored a touchdown look good.
38:21And Chuba Hubbard was ruined last season by an early season injury that dogged him all year long.
38:26I felt like that's why he had no explosive runs.
38:29That's why Rico Dowda looks so much better than him behind that good offensive line.
38:34So I my feeling going into the season was, well, Chuba should be back, right?
38:38Like we we counted him out in 2024 and he went nuts, right?
38:42He got the extension. They made him a team captain.
38:45They love him in Carolina. So I know they like Chuba, right?
38:49But he was hurt all year last year. And now we're going into the season with him hurt again.
38:55I mean, I took him because he just fell and fell and fell in that insider's draft that we did.
39:01But yeah, I don't want to get involved too much with a guy going into the season that's older with a hamstring
39:08injury and a young guy next to him that is trying to prove his worth.
39:12Now, ultimately, I think both these guys are replaced by a draft pick next year or a signing next year.
39:19But I don't want anything to do with with Chuba right now.
39:22And really, I don't like this backfield, so if I can help it, I'll avoid it.
39:27But in that 16 man, Chuba just fell and fell and fell.
39:31So I had to take Chuba. Oh, man. Running backs were just going off the board.
39:36I was getting sniped. I almost had Quinshot Judkins fall to me in the fourth.
39:40I was just I was about doing backflips and then I almost jumped off my deck afterwards.
39:46So yeah. And a great note from Erickson, too.
39:48He posted on X earlier today. Dave Canales, RB1 fancy finishes over the last three seasons.
39:53Found this a really cool nugget. Rashad White, RB7.
39:56Chuba Hubbard, RB15. Rico Dowdle, RB17. So whoever does get the first look and first crack at things here in Charlotte, it
40:03looks like it's going to be potentially a strong running back to finish at least.
40:07Deepak, we got to go to the rookie streets here for the next one.
40:12Jordan Tyson, wide receiver for the New Orleans Saints.
40:14Real-time ADP now of wide receiver 50, 131 overall.
40:17That has plummeted. And he really has been one of the biggest followers over the last few weeks because we're expecting to
40:24potentially be without Jordan Tyson here for two months with a nagging injury resurfacing.
40:28You touched on it at the top of the show that given that he's been dealing with this really since partway through
40:35last season, maybe there's some insufficient balance there. Do you think that Saints like slow play this because it is a lingering, you know, potentially like nagging thing?
40:43He's going to have to deal with his entire career.
40:47How do you think they handle this? And when do you expect to see Tyson A back on the field and, you
40:53know, B just up to similar to full strength, I guess?
40:57Yeah. So they said expect him to be out for about two months.
41:01And so one of those months is essentially till week one.
41:04And then one of those months probably into the season.
41:07Now, if he comes back around, let's say week six, which would be approximately my estimation for him.
41:13Uh, even at that point, you usually see a slow ramp up, as he said.
41:17So about four weeks to get his volume up.
41:20Now he also rookies who miss a fair amount of training camp don't tend to start strong.
41:25So you may see some limitations there. Although the talent there is, I think, undeniable.
41:30Now the question about like long-term in season, he's still going to have a pretty high re-injury risk pretty much the whole way through.
41:37The long-term answer here is probably something like what Christian Watson did.
41:41Go get checked, go get the, uh, basically strength asymmetry identified, or if there's any sort of like mechanical correction to be
41:48made, correct it during the off season and then come back.
41:51I don't think that in itself, like the hamstring itself at this age is going to be something that holds him back for the rest of his career.
42:00Uh, long-term though, he, his data does predict a little bit shorter of a prime and a more, uh, injury related games missed over time.
42:07Uh, that's due to the multi-ligament knee history that he had in college.
42:11So there's, there was already some risk there for dynasty owners, but for redraft, you know, I think it's, it's a hard
42:18sell for me to, unless I have a lot of IR spots to hold a guy for six weeks.
42:24But, uh, with that in mind, you know, I think towards the end of the season, if he stays healthy, he could be a strong player.
42:32Boggs, we just saw one of the fans pros goats founder.
42:35I believe it was Tom who grabbed Jordan Tyson late in our draft right there.
42:40Are you willing to take that shot on Tyson or does it really come down to what Deepak said having those IR slots?
42:47Yeah, I'm not messing with Jordan Tyson at all this year.
42:50This has been the story of his career, even in college, like Deepak said, he had the knee injury.
42:56He had, uh, the injury in the playoff, didn't play in that game.
43:00That was when Cam Scadaboo went nuts against my longhorns.
43:03Right. Uh, the next season last year was in and out of the lineup with the hamstring issue.
43:08He missed camp with the hamstring, like mini camp with the hamstring thing.
43:12Uh, didn't do a lot of workouts with the hamstring.
43:16And now we're in to camp and he is now going to miss two months with the hamstring.
43:21So I think this is a reset year for Jordan Tyson, right?
43:25Like, uh, you know, like Deepak said, go get evaluated, do everything you need.
43:29Hopefully to, to get back like Christian Watson has Christian Watson still hasn't played more than 11 games in a season.
43:35Right. So, uh, I, I think that we just, I want to see Tyson do something first before I spend a pick on him at, at any level.
43:44Right. Like in rookie drafts, this is why I like to wait to do rookie drafts.
43:49Um, you know, obviously this, not this late, but I, I just, I'm not messing with Tyson this year for the longterm.
43:56Fine. It's a good time to go buy him while he's down specifically when he's on the IR early in the season.
44:02If someone's playing really well in a dynasty league and you can give them a piece that they could use to get back Tyson for the upside.
44:11That is where I'm interested in investing in Jordan Tyson.
44:14But for this season, I am completely out. Yeah.
44:17Just kind of been a bummer rookie class really.
44:19Right. Two, man. Like kind of just looking around.
44:22I mean, Makai lemon's been banged up and I just feel like, you know, a lot of the, you know, quote unquote,
44:29breakout preseason stars from this class have been these kind of dart throw wide receivers.
44:33That you really still can't trust outside of a 15th, 16th round.
44:37Teddy Hurst has been awesome. Jack Strand. UDFA has been amazing.
44:40Shout out Jack Strand. Yeah. Absolutely. Uh, yeah. So, so it's just been, it's been tough.
44:45Caleb Douglas, right? Caleb Douglas, Jacoby Lane, like these fringe players that, you know, we weren't necessarily that excited about, you know,
44:52pre flop and we'll see what they turn out long term.
44:55But now there you go. All right. Uh, Deepak.
44:58Speaking of last picks here, Tank Dell has been someone that I've considered.
45:02Insistently been shooting my shot on real time. ADP wider receiver, 71, 207 overall.
45:06Of course, this comes after Jane Higgins, unfortunately tears his ACL going into second season.
45:11And then Kay Sean booty, uh, gets traded for earlier today as well.
45:15So Deepak, what do dynasty managers need to know about Higgins longterm?
45:19When can we expect him back potentially in 2027?
45:21And what do you think Tank Dell's production is like?
45:25Does it ever get back to his pre injury level before, uh, you know, suffering that just gruesome leg injury back in 2024?
45:32Yeah. A lot of big questions. I've been thinking about a lot as a Texans fan.
45:37So close to home. No, it's okay. We're here for it.
45:40Uh, so Jaden Higgins data, very promising. So he is super athletic.
45:44He's young. The timeline now he'll be basically a year out of course, when training camp is coming around.
45:49So he should be far, far into his clearance at that point.
45:53Uh, so I would expect a strong bounce back from Jaden Higgins.
45:57If you're rebuilding, that's a dynasty by low. And I don't, I wouldn't think twice about it.
46:02Okay. Uh, with regard to Tank Dell, uh, data less promising.
46:05This is among the most sort of gruesome and extreme injuries you can have.
46:10Uh, although it's been a while, it usually takes a whole year once players come back to ramp up.
46:15And so the data would be favorable for him to have a strong 2027, uh, 2026, more likely a rocky up and down type of season.
46:23And, you know, they, they also didn't immediately have him participating fully in the workouts and in camp.
46:29So, uh, it makes me think they'll probably limit his volume, his, uh, snap count to some degree and probably show some spurts.
46:36But I don't really bank on Tank Dell. He may be ADP cause that's pretty low, but, uh, in terms of like
46:43really being able to use him for a meaningful, reliable starter, probably more so next year.
46:48Yeah. Yeah. Boggs specifically the signing of Kayshawn booty kind of tells me that Dell maybe in the Texans eyes also not
46:54ready to go because I know a lot of people think Tank Dell smaller player.
46:59He played a lot on the outside as a rookie, right?
47:02So I was expecting him to maybe, you know, take this flanker position over.
47:07It seems like that's going to be booty slot when he comes in.
47:11I'm now booty over Tank Dell. I was taking my shot on Dell.
47:15I just got out of that draft where I just took booty late in the draft.
47:19So are you more booty over Dell at this standpoint without Jane Higgins in the fold?
47:24Yeah, probably. I, but it's, I, the answer is probably neither.
47:28Honestly, I think Dalton. You don't want a little booty action?
47:31Come on, dude. Everybody does. But, uh, I, uh, I, I just, I think that like Jalen Noel is the best wide receiver of the three.
47:39I feel like, like Tank Dell fully healthy is the best wide out.
47:43I'll say that. Right. I don't think he's ever going to be fully healthy again.
47:48No. Right. Like Jalen Noel, I think is the long-term answer for the spot.
47:52Wouldn't really, it's Jaden Higgins, but I think Schultz in the, in like in the front of the season, it's going to be Schultz.
47:59He's been there the longest. He's reliable. So you just drought knows him.
48:03Right. And I think booty and, and Dell are going to kind of flip flop on drives and stuff like that.
48:10It's going to be booty getting used to the system.
48:13Dell getting used to playing a lot of snaps.
48:16Right. And then when does Noel come back? Is that soon?
48:19Is that later in the year? What is his role going to be when he does get to fully healthy?
48:25I mean, honestly, right now you're third man in receptions might be David Montgomery.
48:29Right. So I wouldn't be shocked by that. So, Oh, Woody Mars.
48:33Come on. Woody. Marks was great. And I really, dude, he looks so good in the preseason so far that run last
48:40night was, or two nights ago, whatever it was, was incredible.
48:43Really looking forward to what Woody marks has this year, but Montgomery is a three down back.
48:48So still a three down. I'm missing out on Monty right now.
48:52I'm going for Woody marks on a discount. I'm sorry about it.
48:56I just want a little more explosive. Yeah. I'm not, I'm not driving on to where he's going, but that's, that's, that's a personal thing there.
49:04Um, guys, let's get out of here on a little urgent care action of rapid fire.
49:09If you would. And I got to say like someone being in rural Pennsylvania, urgent care, one of the best inventions ever.
49:15So, uh, Boggs, go ahead and, uh, you know, set up Deepak here with a couple of rapid fire players that you
49:22want to hit on the way out of the door.
49:25Yeah. We'll go lightning round here. Deepak, uh, Tucker craft in the pitch count early.
49:30Like, are we worried about that for his production?
49:33I think he's still tight end five or six.
49:35Is that where he should be going? Yeah, I think, I think that's right about where he should be going.
49:41He's, uh, the data says that he should start strong efficiently in those sort of limited snaps.
49:47And by the time he gets to week four to six, usually ramped up all the way.
49:52What about Brees Hall with that groin strain? I mean, everything points to him being okay for week one.
49:58Is that how you feel too? Yeah. Aaron Glenn came out today and said that he's going to be back probably well
50:04before week one, probably in about a week. So you think about this as a mild kind of groin strain shouldn't impact him much by week one.
50:13How about Monongai? Monongai seems like he might miss a little time here.
50:17Yeah. They hyperextended. He had a pretty bad sounding injury mechanism.
50:20I couldn't see a video, but, uh, the hyperextension usually leads to a bone bruise.
50:25These can take four to six weeks. I would say week one is in doubt in my eyes.
50:30How about Scadaboo, right? Like nothing really happened to him outside of not landing a really bad, badly planned backflip, but they also signed Najee.
50:38Uh, you know, D bro and I talked about that on the tailgate.
50:42I think Najee. Social media has been burying Scadaboo too, just because of that, that one video that came out.
50:48So we definitely need some reprieve on that. Yeah.
50:51Yeah. Like they signed Harris. I mean, a lot of that could have been because Tyrone Tracy whiffed that block and got Jackson dark kills for me.
50:59Lay lay. You just need somebody standing behind for Lay lay.
51:02If you're going to start, uh, which is why they traded him.
51:06But, uh, what are your thoughts on Scadaboo? Yeah.
51:09So first off, Najee Harris, fresh off an Achilles data is not super favorable for his explosion to be back.
51:15Okay. With that in mind, Kim, Kim Scadaboo, uh, the data says usually takes 12 months to ramp players all the way back up.
51:22So that'd be about late October for him. Uh, with that being said, my suspicion is that if he keeps that short
51:29yardage roll, that's a little bit more protected because it's not, it's more of a one cut and go rather than a shifty type of move.
51:37So, uh, I think Kim Scadaboo, I'm not in necessarily, but I'm not, you know, jumping away.
51:42How about Charbonnet? There's been some love for Charbonnet getting back early.
51:46I think we laughed at that basically in the last show and said that I did not.
51:51I just, for the record, I've been on Charbonnet the whole off.
51:55The young man here with us is sunshines and rainbows over here, but we, you know, the veterans of glass half full.
52:01Yeah. I'm definitely glass half empty. Uh, I, I think it's closer to Halloween between Halloween and Thanksgiving for Charbonnet to come back.
52:09And when he does come back, I think he's going to be somewhat limited as well.
52:13Is that your thought as well? Yeah. I mean, that's, that's very consistent with the data.
52:18If you come back before nine months, the re-injury rates are higher.
52:22And so most players just don't do that. Uh, nine months for him would be November 20th approximately.
52:28Uh, so you're looking around, as you said, Thanksgiving time.
52:31If he comes back, the earlier he comes back, the more limitation you see in their strength.
52:36So with that in mind, you know, they have a backfield they just invested in.
52:40So I'm, I'm out on Charbonnet unless you're thinking like hold him in a deep IR spot and just use him for the very end.
52:48Cause I think he will be good in like December.
52:51And we'll see. What about Laporta with the, the, the back thing?
52:55Like the Laporta, I think this is a guy that you've been kind of out on, correct?
53:00Yeah. Well, in and out, I would say Laporta, when he came back from the back surgery, the short term answer on that is, is pretty favorable.
53:08Uh, usually doesn't cause a dip the next year.
53:11However, now he's dealing with this kind of undisclosed hip and we don't have a real diagnosis.
53:16So, uh, they're saying week one is possible, but might be in doubt.
53:20So with that in mind, you know, you have to think that this is on the more serious side.
53:26Uh, so with Laporta, I'm not really in, I like truthfully tight end Tucker craft.
53:31And then I'm going for Dalton Kincaid towards the end.
53:34Uh, so I, that's yeah. Don Kincaid, I think he's being slept on.
53:38He had a 24, 24 PCL. Then last year it got re-aggravated.
53:41He was in and out of the lineup. I think it heavily impacted his stats.
53:46I think there's no way it couldn't have. And so with that in mind to fix it completely, right?
53:52He's still kind of playing. Correct. Correct. And the ones that don't have surgery typically don't really cause production dips.
53:58So, uh, my, my suspicion is here is that Dalton Kincaid is, is my late tight end answer.
54:03So for that reason, I'm out on Sam Laporta.
54:06Hmm. Interesting. Okay. That's all I got. Those are all the guys.
54:10Awesome. Well, fair enough there. And, uh, on the way out here, guys, if you want a chance to win a Colston
54:17Loveland, there's a guy who's healthy right now. Signed Chicago Bears.
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54:43That is going to do it for us today on this episode of the Fancy Pros Fantasy Football Podcast.
54:49Let us know down in the comments below if you're in or out on these players.
54:54Make sure you're giving Deepak a follow on socials at SportsMed Analytics.
54:57And, uh, also don't forget to subscribe right here if you're new.
55:01Download the Fancy Pros My Playbook app while you're at it as well.
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55:10For Dr. Deepak Chona and Scott Big Time Bogman, I'm Seth Wolcock.
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