10 Must-Have Players Fantasy Football Experts LOVE To Draft in 2026 (Ep. 2075)
STACKED extracted the fantasy-relevant player signal from this podcast and kept the full transcript here for context.
50 min
Duration
Estimated from transcript
Jul 2, 2026
Published
Thu, July 2, 2026
18
Player insights
17
Players mentioned
Topics
A.J. BrownBaker MayfieldBrock BowersColston LovelandDavid MontgomeryDerrick HenryDeVonta SmithGreg DulcichHarold FanninIsaiah LikelyJoe MixonJonathan TaylorJordan AddisonMark Andrews
Player analysis
Player insights
A.J. Brown
NegativeRole9:00
Jake Seeley and Andrew Erickson reference A.J. Brown's presence as context for Devontae Smith's production. Smith has finished as a wide receiver one twice when Brown missed games, and maintains top-15/top-16 points-per-game production even in full seasons with Brown healthy.
Insight pagePositiveProjection32:00
2025 down year (WR11, 27.5% target share, 7 TDs, 1000 yards) was environment-driven by Kevin Patullo's Eagles offense. Weeks 11-16 showed true ceiling with 32% target share, 88 rec yards/game, 2.8 yards per route run, nearly 20 PPG in full PPR. With Drake Maye and Josh McDaniels (who elevated Brandon Marshall, Devontae Adams), Brown could see 150+ targets. Expected points per game pace (19.6) would rank WR3 overall. Fourth-best against man coverage. Patriots offense will feature downfield shots. Undervalued and underranked despite elite talent.
Insight pageBaker Mayfield
PositiveProjection5:00
Andrew Erickson cites Baker Mayfield's 40+ touchdown season in 2024 under offensive coordinator Liam Cohen as evidence of Cohen's offensive system's productivity. This context supports Erickson's projection that Trevor Lawrence, entering his second season with Cohen, could replicate or exceed similar production.
Insight pageBrock Bowers
PositiveProjection15:00
Andrew Erickson mentions Brock Bowers as a premium tight end option he considered for his must-have list but ultimately decided against in favor of late-round tight end strategy. Bowers is positioned as a top-tier tight end target, though Erickson acknowledges the difficulty of securing him depending on draft position.
Insight pageColston Loveland
PositiveBreakout15:00
Jake Seeley identifies Colston Loveland as a league-winner tight end prospect, expressing confidence in Loveland's upside as a preferred alternative among late-round tight end options. Seeley acknowledges the challenge of securing premium tight ends like Brock Bowers or Loveland depending on draft position.
Insight pageDavid Montgomery
PositiveValue0:31
Jake Seeley identifies Montgomery as a supreme value play at RB2/high-end RB3 in early mock drafts. Taking 60% of the Texans' rushing production from the past two years (combining Joe Mixon and Woody Marks/Gerard Jordan) yields RB24 as a floor; Seeley argues 60% is itself conservative and could reach 65% as Montgomery approaches 300 touches. The Texans backfield generated only five combined rushing touchdowns last year, and Montgomery's proven ability to reach the end zone creates significant upside. Seeley projects Montgomery as a potential top-15 running back at bottom-tier pricing, with only upside if he's 10% more productive per touch than recent Texans backs.
Insight pageDerrick Henry
NegativeValue37:36
One of the flattest performers in win/loss splits (2.9 gap alongside Saquon Barkley); averaged 17.6 PPG in wins and remained productive as a fringe RB1 in losses. Valued as a late second/early third-round pick with durability and Ravens extension backing; the value proposition is strong enough to justify one more year of investment despite potential decline risk.
Insight pageDeVonta Smith
PositiveProjection9:00
Jake Seeley and Andrew Erickson both advocate for Devontae Smith as a value play in the Eagles' revamped offense. Seeley notes Smith finished as a wide receiver one twice when A.J. Brown missed games, and maintains top-15/top-16 points-per-game production even in full seasons. With the Eagles shifting to more under-center play action and pre-snap motion under new coordinator Sean Mannion, Seeley projects Smith could reach 14–16 fantasy points per game. Erickson emphasizes Smith's proven track record as a top-producing receiver when elevated to number-one status, citing her delivery every time she's had opportunities. Both experts prefer Smith alongside Malik Lemon rather than choosing between them.
Insight pageGreg Dulcich
PositiveRole13:00
Andrew Erickson projects Greg Dulcich will see a ton of red zone opportunities this year with Kevin Petula (who oversaw Dallas Goddard's outlier red zone usage) now in Miami. This suggests Dulcich benefits from increased red zone volume in the Eagles' offense.
Insight pageHarold Fannin
PositiveSleeper18:00
Jake Seeley has significant draft shares of Harold Fannin, citing the likelihood that Fannin leads the team in targets. Seeley references a prior show with Fitz discussing teams whose tight ends could lead in targets, and identified Fannin as a candidate. Fannin is positioned as an alternative to premium tight ends if Seeley doesn't secure one of the top four or five options.
Insight pageIsaiah Likely
PositiveSleeper15:00
Andrew Erickson champions Isaiah Likely as a late-round tight end with an elite ceiling matching top-five fantasy production at a fraction of the cost of premium tight ends. Likely has been a top-five tight end in points per game when Mark Andrews missed time; John Harbaugh's decision to bring Likely from Baltimore to the Giants suggests confidence. With Malik Neighbors recovering from a torn ACL and uncertain availability, Likely is projected to lead the Giants in targets early in the season. Erickson frames Likely as the perfect late-round tight end alternative to Brock Bowers or Colston Loveland. Jake Seeley agrees, calling Likely one of his most-attacked tight ends later in the draft; if Seeley doesn't secure one of the top four or five tight ends, Likely is one of his most targeted tight ends in later rounds.
Insight pageJoe Mixon
NegativeUsage1:30
Joe Mixon's volume-reliant production with the Texans over the past two years serves as context for the backfield's touch distribution. Mixon's historical touch volume (approaching 300 touches in his heyday) is used as a benchmark for understanding the Texans backfield's available workload.
Insight pageJonathan Taylor
NegativeProjection37:30
Averaged 19 more fantasy points per game in wins (30 PPG) versus losses, showing significant game-script dependency. Valued as an 8th-round pick but carries mid-season risk due to Colts' struggles, making him a less palatable miss than later-round investments like Derek Henry, whose win/loss splits are much flatter.
Insight pageJordan Addison
PositiveValue20:57
Jordan Addison is being drafted at fringe WR4 (46-48 ADP) despite first two seasons averaging 950 yards and 9-10 touchdowns, finishing top 24 in total points and top 30 in PPG both years. Last year's decline was due to poor QB play (McCarthy/Wentz) and catchability issues, not target volume. With Kyler Murray, Addison only needs to return to 800-950 yards and 9-10 TDs to finish top 30 WR. However, Addison feels boom-or-bust with average depth of target north of 14 yards and is touchdown-dependent (19 TDs in first two years). Juwan Jennings addition (fifth in red zone targets last year with 49ers) could cannibalize red zone opportunities, making him risky as a WR3 despite upside; better value in half-PPR formats where TD upside matters more.
Insight pageMark Andrews
NegativeRole16:00
Andrew Erickson uses Mark Andrews' health status as context for Isaiah Likely's upside. Likely has been a top-five tight end in points per game when Andrews missed time, but last year Andrews stayed healthy for the entire season while Likely was injured before the start of the year. This historical pattern supports Likely's ceiling projection.
Insight pageOmarion Hampton
NegativeBreakout26:00
Second-year RB for Chargers willing to draft top 10 overall despite injury-plagued rookie year; flashed upside with 16 PPG over 9 games and 5 TDs despite missing half season. Now has healthy offensive line and Mike McDaniel as OC, who transformed Miami's run game (Raheem Mostert scored 20+ TDs despite not being bell cow). Justin Herbert had 20% target share to RBs when Austin Eckler was top-2 RB in 2021-22. Favorable opening schedule (Cardinals, Raiders, Bills) with Chargers double-digit favorites in Week 1. Dark horse for AP Offensive Player of the Year. Currently 15th player off board in ADP. Risk is overdraft as consensus pick; if he reaches end of first round (9-10 overall), he must be everything. Harbaugh/Chargers offense has history of using complementary RBs alongside lead back (Gus Edwards alongside Ravens RBs), so Hampton may be capped at 60% snap share and not reach elite tier.
Insight pageTrevor Lawrence
PositiveProjection5:00
Andrew Erickson projects Trevor Lawrence as a potential fantasy QB1 overall in 2026, citing his week-five-onward performance last year when he outscored every other quarterback in half-PPR at 23 points per game and finished top-five overall in points per game. Lawrence was first in expected fantasy points per game entering his second season with offensive coordinator Liam Cohen (who oversaw Baker Mayfield's 40+ touchdown season in 2024). Erickson emphasizes Lawrence's dual-threat value: he was third in the NFL in red zone rushes last year, and those attempts were designed calls unlikely to disappear. At QB9 ADP, Erickson views him as late-round quarterback territory with top-five or QB1 upside.
Insight pageZay Flowers
PositiveBreakout40:40
Former first-round pick on upward trajectory with 1200+ receiving yards, 86 catches, and 6 TDs in 2025; ranked WR7 overall and WR3 in final five games. Fourth in yards per route run behind Puka Nakua and JSN despite going rounds later in drafts. When Lamar Jackson was healthy, he was a top-10 WR in receiving yards per game. New OC Declan Doyle expected to run faster-paced offense; Ravens ranked 27th in red zone scoring, creating TD upside. Fifth in target share last year with potential to lead NFL this year given minimal competition (Mark Andrews declining, Shotwell Bateman at 28% target share as rookie). Compared to Antonio Brown's trajectory; fits McDaniel-style intermediate passing game. Described as flag-plant player with absolute floor at mid-WR range and potential for elite production.
Insight pageFull transcript
Episode Transcript
0:00This is an iHeart Podcast. Guaranteed Human. You get the products you need, same or next day.
0:05Helping you stay in the game. Call 1-800-GRAINGER, click grainger.com, or stop by.
0:08Grainger. For the ones who get it done. Welcome everybody to Fantasy Pros.
0:12This is the Fantasy Football Podcast. It is me, Joe Pisapia.
0:15With me, of course, are two experts, Jake Seeley from The Athletic and Andrew Erickson from, well, Fantasy Pros.
0:20And we're gonna break down some picks that these two experts want to make.
0:24That's right, these are the guys that Jake and Andrew are not leaving drafts without, and you should strongly consider not leaving your drafts without them either.
0:32You should also strongly consider, in fact, no, don't even consider, just do it.
0:36Like this video, subscribe to Fantasy Pros YouTube channel, drop your comments below about your favorite players, and of course, hang out
0:42with us all season long when you ring the bell till it goes ding so you never miss a piece of content here on the Fantasy Pros channel.
0:50And if you like football, go check out our new channel too on YouTube, The Tailgate NFL.
0:55Good times there. Andrew and I just did an episode with Fitzy about the players and teams that have the most to prove in 2026.
1:02And I'm sure some of these players we're gonna talk about today have quite a bit to prove themselves.
1:07Jake Seeley, since you are still technically a guest here around these parts, I'm gonna start with one of the players that,
1:13so far in the early mock drafts, that you feel like, I like the value, I like the situation.
1:18This is a building block guy that I'm gonna make sure that I try to draft as many shares as I possibly can.
1:25As many shares, put it that close, but I'd say that a lot of shares because I'm okay like missing them sometimes,
1:31but I just think right now, the value is supreme for what we're getting as Dave Montgomery at running back.
1:37And mostly I'm looking at David Montgomery as my RB2, or maybe I went full zero RB this year, but more so
1:43as my RB2 because of where you can get them at the value that he is.
1:47And that's a fringe RB2 of high-end RB3. And honestly, if you look at it, and I went back and looked at
1:53it, if you take 60% of the production for the Texans, you just take 60% of it last year of all those jabronis that were back there.
2:01Actually, of the past two years of the Texans, you get RB24 most years.
2:05That's his floor because you figure you're looking at what's happened for the past two years with Joe Mixon being basically volume
2:11reliant, all that mess that was back there last year.
2:14And we all talk about how unproductive Woody Marks was on a per-touch basis, very inefficient.
2:18But all the biggest things partingly in that, as I could start trying to say that properly, is that there weren't a lot of rushing touchdowns.
2:26And we know that Dave Montgomery can get into the end zone.
2:29So at RB24, you're basically getting him as his floor.
2:32And I bring up 60% because I think 60% might be a floor too.
2:36Like how much are they going to give in the passing game to him?
2:40Probably going to share it with others, but we know he can catch.
2:43We saw it with the Lions. But the biggest thing is that that 60% could be more like 65% as he nears
2:49300 touches, which they've done before with Joe Mixon towards the end of his heydays.
2:54And what that mess was back last year, if you take, I think it was, I want to say Gerard Jordan and
3:00Woody Marks and combine them, they almost get 300 touches.
3:03But the point being, the real takeaway from this is you're basically getting him at his floor.
3:07There's only upside here if David Montgomery is even 10% more productive on a per-touch basis than what we've seen for the past two years of the Texans.
3:15So that's really what it's about. Five rushing touchdowns, you can't get them more combined for that Dave Montgomery in this backfield.
3:21And that's the real thing. I think he has the chance to be a top 15 running back and you're getting him at basically bottom price.
3:29Yeah, I agree with you, Jake. I look at that Texans backfield and I definitely think that this is a team that
3:35wants to run the football, control the tempo of the game, play defense, take some pressure off CJ Stroud this year.
3:41And David Montgomery is clearly the best guy. They went after him.
3:44David Montgomery has his limitations, but also I think he has his plus size as well.
3:48And I think that he is a solid running back, even though he lacks some of the more spectacular playmaking ability.
3:54I think solid is good. And I think when you're looking for building blocks in your fantasy roster, that's definitely a good way to be looking.
4:02Yeah, plus side or plus size? Not plus size.
4:04I mean, he's not at the lane. Did you just call him David Montgomery fat?
4:08Just call him fat. No shame on the show here.
4:11Why are you getting me in trouble with David Montgomery?
4:14That was a really good point you brought up, though, too, that I forgot to mention that.
4:19They said they're going to push more to a balanced offense this year and less pass heavy.
4:23Oh, yeah, as they should. And it's funny because this from the guy who is kind of taking shots at DK Metcalf,
4:30like I'm not trying to pick a fight with David Montgomery.
4:33Andrew, on the other hand, was trying to pick a fight with DK Metcalf on tailgate the other day.
4:38I just want to put that out there. Calling him overrated, calling him out just like that.
4:43I'm not crazy, Andrew. Andrew's a little crazy. Andrew, let's put that craziness to work here with number five on your list,
4:49because on the tailgate a couple weeks ago, our Dark Horse MVP show that we did, you went out there on a
4:55limb and you said Trevor Lawrence is a guy for you you think can win the MVP.
5:00And look at you putting your money where your mouth is, or at least your wagers where your mouth is on your fantasy rosters.
5:07Talk to me about Trevor Lawrence in 2026 and why you got to have him.
5:11So all the players that I'm going to talk about today are in my draft kit featured piece, Erickson's Must Have Players,
5:17except for Trevor Lawrence, because I neglected to feature him in that piece because I hadn't done my deep diving into the Jacksonville Jaguars quite yet.
5:24And I needed to add him. He was the one player that I've now gone back and added because I think that
5:30his ceiling talking about MVP consideration, I think he could finish as the fantasy QB one overall in 2026.
5:36Last year from week five onward, he outscored every other player in half PPR, every quarterback, every non-quarterback position, 23 points per game.
5:42He was top five overall on the entire year in points per game.
5:46Number one expected fantasy points per game. Entering his second season with Liam Cohen, Baker Mayfield had a 40 plus touchdown season with Liam Cohen back in 2024.
5:54He's a dual threat quarterback, adds value with his legs.
5:56And I know that a lot of his points per game comes from the rushing touchdowns.
6:01I don't think that's going away. I think a lot of those, those attempts were designed calls.
6:06He was third in the NFL last year in terms of red zone rushes.
6:10So I don't think that's going away. And there is a possibility that this Jaguars backfield, maybe nobody is good.
6:15Maybe Chris Rodriguez is not a good player. Maybe Bachel Tewton can't step up.
6:19So what do they do? Oh, respect to law, baby.
6:22Give him the ball. He's our franchise quarterback. Let him score these touchdowns again.
6:26So I think where he's going in drafts QB nine, I think he's like in that perfect late round quarterback territory for
6:32a player that showed last year that he could be a top five fantasy quarterback, if not the number one quarterback overall.
6:38So for me, Trevor Lawrence, given his upside price, second year in Cohen's system, I'm all in.
6:43For those of you who are audio only, you won't be able to see this, but Jake Seeley is wearing his buy
6:49the cake, not the icing shirt that I feel like I'm responsible for partially the creation of.
6:54Yeah. Yeah. I'm responsible for the candles. Will I see a single solitary dime of royalties off these shirts?
6:59No, of course not. I haven't sold anything. I made it for my house.
7:03Will Jake buy me one and bring it to flex when I see him in a couple of weeks and hand me a free shirt?
7:10No, probably not. It'd be nice. That's what friends would do.
7:13But Jake Seeley, regardless, Erickson is making a case to, you know, we've had so many debates about the backfield of the
7:19Jaguars, about the wide receiver of the Jaguars. The biggest cake guy, it seems out there with all the cake is Trevor
7:25Lawrence, because with so many unknowns, it does feel like he is the one piece of this offense that you should be
7:32able to count on for consistent fantasy points. Yeah.
7:34So if everybody could see the shirt, this is the one that's supposed to kind of look like Trevor Lawrence.
7:40Like, so this is supposed to be kind of Caleb Williams.
7:43It's like, yeah, there's very like, but I was trying not to get too close.
7:47I don't want the NFL to come for me for making some random t-shirt myself.
7:51You never know. So I agree with the Trevor Lawrence thing, just because we're also having this constant conversation about the Parker
7:57Washington, the Brian Thomas and Jacobi Myers and la, la, la, la, and all the type of, but the biggest part that
8:04I really like what Andrew said is that I brought this up years before.
8:07And I'm not saying like, I'm saying this and he's never said it.
8:11I'm just saying like, when you see quarterbacks get comfortable in the NFL, they run more if they are like run able,
8:17like Trevor Lawrence, Bryce Young, like they're not going to be running for 700 yards.
8:21Even Baker Mayfield two years ago, they run when they're comfortable because they're seeing the field so well.
8:27And they not only see when the opportunities are there to throw, they're also seeing one of their opportunities to use their legs.
8:33As we saw, we finally got Trevor Lawrence Clemson version last year, which involved the running.
8:37So I'm a lot with Trevor, Trevor Lawrence and with Andrew on this one, as I do think he can be a
8:44repeat QB one, if not at least top 10, possibly pushing that top five again.
8:48I wouldn't bet on that part of it, but for the odds of what you said, Andrew taking that shot in the
8:54bet on the odds that he's the MVP, I mean, I'm okay with that.
8:58All right. So let's move back to Jake here for number four on his list.
9:02Jake, I know you want to approach the Eagles wide receiver group.
9:05What is the approach? What pieces or piece do you prefer the most?
9:09Yeah, it's funny. I put this in here because I'm like, yeah, it's Makai Lemon time to talk about him again.
9:15No, actually at this time, I'm not talking about Makai Lemon, but here's the part.
9:19It's like, I want both of them. Like it's going to be a very funneled offense.
9:24I want Hertz and Lemon and Devontae Smith for their values.
9:27Although Devontae Smith's value is starting to creep up a little bit.
9:30I think at some point he's going to reach the breaking point because we're all behind them and we're all behind the
9:36fact that Devontae Smith, when there's been no A.J.
9:39Brown has been putting up top 10 numbers. He's actually finished as a wide receiver one twice.
9:44But again, those were with people missing games. So if you look at the points per game, he's still top 15, top 16 in most leagues.
9:51And that's the real appeal here is that Devontae Smith is going to be the one, even if I'm wrong about Makai Lemon.
9:57The one thing we can all be right about is Devontae Smith is going to be the one.
10:02Like if Makai Lemon flounders as a rookie and ends up being a collection, another one where that's the icing, it's Devontae Smith and all the rest.
10:10And maybe Dallas got it repeats his touchdown success from last year.
10:13But there's also excitement for this entire team and not just Devontae Smith just doing what he's done in the past.
10:19It's also the excitement we talked about before when I brought up Makai Lemon is this change under Mannion to have more
10:25under center play action, to have more movement along the line of scrimmage before.
10:29And we've all seen how pre-snap motion and play action, all these things, how they impact wide receivers the most specifically in fantasy.
10:36So there's a ceiling here for Devontae Smith to reach 14, 15, 16 fantasy points per game.
10:40So right now, not going as a wide receiver one, I will take him as well as taking where Makai Lemon is going.
10:47But I wanted to bring up Smith to point out the picture that like this entire past two months, it's not only Lemon I like.
10:54I actually do like Devontae Smith quite a bit too.
10:57I really like the top 10 wide receivers. I find wide receiver 11 to wide receiver 37?
11:01Somewhere around like 17. No, more like in that almost wide receiver 20 range problematic.
11:06And we use the word problematic not just because Rushdie Rice is in that group, but also because there is that question
11:12mark in my mind about Devontae Smith. There's a question mark to me about Malik Neighbors, Garrett Wilson.
11:17There's a lot of guys in that group. In that cluster, to me, it's like the Zay Flowers I like.
11:22I like Ladd McConkie and that, you know, that tier of guys.
11:26And then of course you get to Egbuka and Terry McClure.
11:29And we will. And we'll save those guys for later.
11:32But Andrew, I know you have really been steadfast about Devontae Smith.
11:35So this must be music to your eyes to hear Jake echo some of the sentiments that you've been speaking about here for the last month.
11:42Yeah. I mean, the proof is in the pudding with Devontae Smith when he's been asked to be the number one wide receiver.
11:49I know that sometimes this is not always the best bet to make when you're seeing a player go from number two to number one.
11:56We talked about it on the tailgate, right? Alec Pierce.
11:58If he got signed by another team, it wasn't on the Colts.
12:02It would be red flags galore. It's like you cannot invest in this player.
12:06We've seen this story before when a guy gets he's the number two is really productive.
12:10And then as asked to be now, the number one defenses are now game planning to stop you.
12:15Well, Devontae Smith has had those opportunities and he's delivered every single time.
12:19So I like Devontae Smith. I like Makai Lemon, especially just based on the draft capital, based on his talent, where he goes in drafts.
12:26He is a player that I think he's going to return on the investment that you make on him.
12:31Maybe it's not in week one because he is a rookie.
12:34Maybe take some time for this new offense to gel with the Eagles, Jalen Hurts, Sean Mannion.
12:39But I think that Makai Lemon, if anything, I think that he could compete with Dallas Goddard for that number two target.
12:45And the thing with Goddard too, as well, if he falls to the wayside a little bit, I know that he's kind
12:51of been Jalen Hurts' check down option. But last year, his red zone usage was like out of control, like a total
12:58outlier based on the rest of his career. And maybe that had to do with the specific offensive coordinator, Kevin Petula, who's
13:04now in Miami, which means, yes, Greg Dulcich is going to see a ton of red zone opportunities this year.
13:09Had to mention Greg Dulcich. But to the points, I agree with both Eagles receivers being Smith, not as much as a
13:15value anymore because he has gone up in price, but someone that can deliver as a fantasy wide receiver, wanted Makai Lemon,
13:22still a screaming value as a first round rookie wide receiver.
13:25Since you brought up the name, hold on. I just want to point out that Andrew was halfway through his list and then left.
13:31I don't know what he went and did because I could just see the Google doc we share.
13:36And two and three were empty. So I put Dulcich in both of them.
13:40And I'm actually disappointed you didn't leave Dulcich for one of those two.
13:44Well, we have a game here on the channel where every time he mentions Greg Dulcich, the fan base has to take a shot as a drinking game.
13:52So people were just getting hammered. I was going to say, how are you not passed out?
13:57It was terrible. It was terrible. People couldn't drive their cars.
14:00No heavy machinery around the farm. Just wait till week one, baby.
14:03Yeah. By the way, speaking of the Dolphins, Kevin Petula, passing game coordinator down there right now.
14:08It is the best thing you can do in life, kids.
14:11There's just a couple of things. You want to be involved in the NFL, two things I'm going to tell you.
14:17Number one, be a kicker. You can be a kicker.
14:20Best life ever. You'll see the whole country. You'll travel the world with all the international games.
14:24You'll play for 15 years, even if you're not very good.
14:27And you know, you still get all the benefits, right?
14:30You play a couple of years in the NFL.
14:33You get all the pension plan stuff. The other job is offensive coordinator.
14:36Because if you just do it once, you'll keep getting jobs all over the place.
14:41Matt Nagy is continuously hired all over the place.
14:43Kevin Petula will get hired again. It's unbelievable. Just the best.
14:46So kids, forget trying to go tackle people and put yourself at risk.
14:50Just go be an OCR kicker. You'll work forever in the NFL.
14:53All right. Let's get to Andrew's list here. Number four on yours.
14:57I'll talk about the New York football giants. And once again, Isaiah Likely.
15:00So in a world of an incredible group of top 10 tight ends this year, Andrew Erickson, D-Bro, they all continue to
15:06push and push and push for Isaiah Likely. I'm not doing it this year because I like the big time tight ends.
15:12You'll see me fighting out for Colson Loveland because I do believe he's a league winner.
15:17But talk to me about why you think Isaiah Likely could be that as well.
15:21Because he's shown an elite ceiling that can match top five fantasy production at a fraction of the cost.
15:26So every single year, late round tight ends hit.
15:29There's always some guy. Last year, Harold Fannin was that guy.
15:32A top five, top six producing tight end. So I'm just following the trends here because I can't guarantee that I get
15:38a Brock Bowers or that I get a Colson Loveland, depending on sometimes where you end up picking.
15:43And Brock Bowers was another player I thought really long and hard about of including somewhere on this list.
15:49Ultimately, I decided to go in the late round tight end conversation because I think maybe that features a little bit more
15:55of my perfect draft strategy, but more to come with that.
15:58I think for me, it's he's been a top five tight end in terms of points per game when Mark Andrews has missed time.
16:05And last year, we just didn't get a chance to see it because Mark Andrews was the one that stayed healthy for the entire season.
16:12And Isaiah Likely got injured before the start of the year.
16:15And every time he scored a touchdown, he found a way to cough up the ball before crossing the goal line.
16:21So for me, it's John Harbaugh knows Isaiah Likely spent his entire career with him with the Baltimore Ravens.
16:26And I don't think it's by accident that he immediately went to the Giants and decided, yes, Isaiah Likely, you are coming
16:32over from Baltimore to join me and boost this New York receiving room that lacks a lot of established talent behind Malik Neighbors.
16:38And Malik Neighbors is coming off the torn ACL.
16:41We don't know when he's going to be ready.
16:43We don't know how effective he's going to be.
16:46What I do know is Isaiah Likely, he's probably going to lead the team in targets for the first month of the season.
16:52And that to me seems like, hey, tight end one.
16:55Because anytime again, going back to opportunities when guys have delivered, when they've had opportunities, Likely has delivered in these spots when Mark Andrews has missed time.
17:03So for me, I think he's the perfect late round tight end if you end up going away from the Brock Bowers,
17:09Colston Lovelands, Tyler Warrens earlier in your drafts. Hi, it's Colin Coward from the Colin Coward Podcast.
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18:15Lie back, relax, and let your dreams take flight.
18:17Welcome to Alaska Airlines. Jake, is Isaiah Likely the best late tight end, or do you prefer someone else over him?
18:23Of the late tight ends, I very much agree.
18:26And we did a show right before we left for that long vacation I was on, where everybody was probably celebrating and
18:32was on the show for a while. As I mentioned, Isaiah Likely, I forget what we were talking about.
18:37But I am on Isaiah Likely, although I'm with you.
18:40I'm in both. Like, I want to try and get one of the top guys.
18:44I actually do have a lot of shares of Harold Fannin so far, because I do think he leads the team in targets.
18:51That was the show we were talking about. We were talking about, it was with Fitz, and we said teams that could
18:57have their tight end lead the team in targets, and I brought up Isaiah Likely.
19:01So if I don't get one of those top four or five tight ends, Likely is one of my most attacked tight ends later in the draft.
19:09I'm very proud of us that we didn't make a Likely pun that entire segment.
19:13I just want to say that. Well, I did on the break.
19:16That's why I paused. I don't know if you heard me pause in my sentence.
19:20I tried to. I know you did. I know.
19:23I tried to avoid it. I avoided it. I know you were fighting it.
19:27I know. Everybody was hoping for the best. We won this time, everybody.
19:30All right, before we get moving on here with some of the other picks that the guys have that they don't want
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20:54All right. Next up here, number three on Jake Seeley's countdown list.
20:57And we're going to Minnesota for this one. So Jordan Addison is the name that you've put down here.
21:02Now, Jordan Addison, certainly an enigmatic personality in many ways.
21:05He has got a new quarterback here in Kyler Murray.
21:08So why is it wheels up for Jordan Addison this season?
21:11Because of that. Because everybody's super excited about Justin Jefferson and yet seem to be forgetting Jordan Addison.
21:16And let's talk about Jordan Addison's first two season, top 24 in total points, top 30 in fancy points per game, both seasons.
21:23And then last year happened. And we're all like, well, you know what?
21:26Justin Jefferson gets a pass. That quarterback situation could not have been worse.
21:30J.J. McCarthy is what some of us expected him to be.
21:33Carson Wentz was better for what anything could be on this team.
21:36And the biggest takeaway is if you actually look at Addison, a lot of his target based things weren't that different outside
21:43of catchability and plays downfield and the biggest thing, touchdown.
21:45So is Kyler Murray going to come in and start throwing 4,000 yards and 35 touchdowns?
21:50No. But if Kyler Murray is just Kyler Murray that we just saw two years ago, the disappointment for their, and I
21:56put that in quotes, the disappointment for Marvin Harrison's rookie season and everybody's upset about what happened.
22:01And the fact that he was the number two wide receiver about 850 and eight, I think it was this year, Jordan
22:07Addison's first two seasons were at average about 950 and nine.
22:10Like he had 10 and nine touchdowns, 900-ish yards, 800-ish yards.
22:13But that's all he needs to do to get back to the top 30.
22:17And yet, where is Jordan Addison going? Fringe wide receiver four at the bottom of the wide receiver four group.
22:23And I understand it. And maybe Kyler Murray is just complete toast.
22:26And maybe he just treats Jordan Addison like he did for that first Marvin Harrison game last year where he was doing jumping jacks.
22:33Throw him the ball, throw him the ball, throw him the ball.
22:36And he didn't even see him. But I'm looking at the names around him, like Wondell Robinson and Jacoby Myers, trying to
22:42figure out that situation that we already talked about.
22:45Pittman's fit with the Steelers. Quinton Johnson, if he continues what he finally had last year.
22:49But like all these other names is like, why not Jordan Addison?
22:53Why not Jordan Addison just to bounce back to the top 30, which isn't a huge stretch.
22:57And yet, like I said, he's going at 46, 47, 48 in most drafts.
23:01Andrew, Addison's a player that I prefer in leagues where touchdowns matter a little bit more.
23:06So in the half PPR realm, I think this is a very astute pick or non even, you know, if you're still, you know, playing in 1987.
23:13I was going to say 1997. And we got the sevens.
23:16We got the sevens. Wrong decade. But to me, that's where Addison's value is actually kind of sneaky good.
23:22Do you agree or disagree? I guess for me, it's when I'm looking in the wide receiver four territory, I guess I'm
23:28trying to shoot for more of a, okay, he can finish as a wide receiver three.
23:32Like I understand like why he's a value, but in terms of this.
23:36Twice. But first two years, he actually finished as a wide receiver two twice in the first two years.
23:41But was he ever a, this guy was a difference maker.
23:44Like he made, like people remember drafting Jordan's Addison because, oh man, this guy was so good.
23:49He was undeniable. Like that to me, I mean, I guess I just disagree.
23:53Like, I don't think that Addison, a lot of it was touchdown dependent early in his career.
23:58Juwan Jennings is a new addition to the offense.
24:00He was fifth in red zone targets last year.
24:03So when you're talking about touchdowns, Juwan Jennings was a touchdown machine in San Francisco 49ers.
24:07So what if he has a role? And Addison feels boom or bust.
24:11Last two years, his average depth of target has been north of 14 yards.
24:15So one week, yeah, he blows up. Okay. I didn't, I didn't start him.
24:19Okay. I got to start him this next week.
24:21Okay. He doesn't catch the long one. Okay. Now he's a bust in my lineup.
24:25So I guess that's why I'll agree and push back though.
24:29Cause you're getting them as a wide receiver for, even if you want to reach and get them as your wide receiver
24:35three, but your threes and fours being boom or bust are totally okay.
24:38That's why they're threes and fours and not twos because then you just leave them in your lineup and you get the good and get the best.
24:46I will. So let me ask a complete sidebar.
24:48Andrew, you'd made up one point that I love to tell everybody every single year, please do not try to play this.
24:55I'm going to pick the right weeks with your threes and fours, because that's how you get more games wrong than you get right.
25:01You just need to leave these guys in your lineup and take the good with the bad because that's who they are.
25:07So I won't disagree with you on that point.
25:10I will say this. I mean, the first two years of his career where he had vanilla quarterback play, and I mean
25:16that in every sense possible, uh, he did have 19 touchdowns in those two years and he was wide receiver 20 and 21.
25:23So the fact that you can even get them as a four in some formats, this is the kind of guy that
25:29I love in a flex because again, it like to Jake's point, it's going to be boom or bust, but man, some
25:35of those boom weeks are going to be great.
25:37And that's pretty much everybody's flex spots unless they're, you know, starting some kind of boring, low, you know, high floor, low ceiling running back.
25:44So to me, Addison more so in the half PPR than in the full PPR, but Jake, you make a lot of good points on here.
25:52I'll give you one more agreeing with Jake. Like I really do.
25:55Andrew, don't push me to agree with Jake. It really makes me unhappy.
25:59You're getting 2025 Alec Pierce as a wide receiver for cost.
26:02Yeah, I think that's a good equivalency. I think you're right there.
26:05Damn it. Stop it. Why do you keep pushing me into the arms of Jake Seeley?
26:10All right, let's get to a guy that Andrew, you and I are already embracing.
26:14See, let me just bring all the metaphors back together here.
26:17Omarion Hampton. I can't get enough of Omari and Hampton.
26:20We talked about it on the show yesterday with Tara.
26:23I am willing to go top 10 overall for Omari and Hampton.
26:26I do. I'm just going to put the flag out there, plant it.
26:30And I don't think I'm going to be wrong about it.
26:33And you and I see things exactly the same because you also think that Hampton is prime for a big year.
26:38And right now, he's still coming at a very good cost, in my opinion.
26:42Middle of the second round is where you can get the Chargers second year running back after a look up and down rookie year.
26:49But I think that he still flashed enough good where you can buy into a second year breakout.
26:54RB 16 points per game over nine games. Again, he missed half the season with injuries, still scored five touchdowns.
27:00And I don't need to sugarcoat all the injuries that the Chargers had to their quarterback, to their offensive line.
27:05It was a total mess. But now you're getting a healthy offensive line, hopefully.
27:09You're getting Mike McDaniel stepping in as the Chargers' new offensive coordinator.
27:13We've seen what he did in Miami and how he transformed that run game.
27:17Raheem Mostert famously scored over 20 touchdowns in this offense, despite not even being the bell cow for the Miami Dolphins spending time with A-chan.
27:24So I think that the ceiling is so high for this running back in this backfield with Mike McDaniel calling the shots.
27:30I actually pulled this stat. I was looking at the last time Justin Herbert actually had like a viable check down option.
27:36The last time he was like asked, OK, are you going to use running backs?
27:40And it was Austin Eckler. Eckler was a top two fantasy running back in 2021 and 2022 with Justin Herbert still as the quarterback.
27:47Mike McDaniels talked a lot. Yeah, we got to protect Herbert.
27:50How do we do that? Get the ball of his hands quick.
27:53How do you do that? You throw it to the running backs.
27:5720% target share all four years in Miami when Mike McDaniels was calling the shots.
28:01And Eckler had a 20% target share or the Chargers running backs had a combined 20% target share when he was the top two fantasy running back.
28:08So Hampton, again, shooting for upside must have players.
28:11That's how I do with Aaron Hampton. And when I just look at the opening schedule, Cardinals, Raiders, Bills.
28:16Yes, I get defenses change. But I mean, you can't ask for anything better than that when we're trying to project, OK,
28:22how is the first month going to go? Hampton's going to smash.
28:26For the first three weeks. Again, looking at some of the betting lines, who's the heaviest favorite in week one?
28:31It's the LA Chargers because they're facing the Arizona Cardinals and they're double digit favorites.
28:36So, again, no guarantees. A lot of things can change.
28:38But right now on paper, it's really hard to see Omer and Hampton not paying off a mid second round pick for the first month of the year.
28:46Andrew, I think he's a dark horse for AP Offensive Player of the Year, too.
28:50I'll throw that out there. He is the 15th player off the board in ADP.
28:55Jake, I think that's such a gimme. And if I'm at the turn, he's not making it out of the turn.
29:00That's my opinion on Hampton. What's yours? I'm very much in on Hampton.
29:04I think the risk with him is that because it seems like there are so many people in on Hampton.
29:10Like, I am at 18. So, actually, I'm a little bit behind you guys on this one, but not by much.
29:16And that's the issue. I think that this is going to turn into one of those players where everybody feels like they need to get him.
29:23And I'm just worried that we're going to reach the point where he's end of the, like, I'd say not end of the first round.
29:30I'd say, like, the ninth, tenth pick off the board.
29:33And then the concern is, like, he has to be everything.
29:36Like, what if this continues to be the Harbaugh, which wants to, like, there's nobody that's going to argue that Vidal is a better running back than Hampton.
29:44But we've seen this before with this offense. And I know that was Roman at the time.
29:48But we all sat there and was like, why is Gus Edwards taking away touches?
29:53Like, we've seen this before from this offense where, like, they want to use a running back alongside of him.
29:58And maybe it just keeps him at the 60% threshold and he doesn't get that elite tier.
30:03So, I'm with him where he is now. But if he reaches back into the first round, I think that's kind of pricing itself out.
30:10My counterargument to that is the offensive ecosystem of the Chargers is far more intriguing to me than some of the running backs going ahead of him.
30:17Ashton Gentry being one with the Raiders. I will agree with you.
30:21Um, and, uh, Devon HN with Miami, uh, in their current constitution.
30:24So, therefore, I'm investing in the player and the ecosystem of Hampton before I am the other two who are higher than him.
30:31So, I knew I would get back to disagreeing with Jake if I just was patient and waiting.
30:36Just barely. And I got there. Thank God. All right.
30:38Uh, let's go. Actually, you know what? I want to stay with you, Andrew.
30:42I'm going to do a little third round reversal here on Jake because this is my ideal turn.
30:47If I'm at 12 and you give me Omari and Hampton at the 12th overall pick and the 13th overall pick, I can take AJ Brown.
30:55This is how I'd love to start my team, Andrew.
30:57And I, I'm, you know, looking for those KDS starts, right?
31:01And if I could pick somewhere, I'm picking 12 because I think this is a very easy thing to pull off, especially early on.
31:07Yeah, it's going to be an issue in drafts that we're together in if we're both picking at the end.
31:13It's like, oh, we're all like. In which case, I want to pick 11 and I want Andrew to pick 12.
31:19Well, the good news is you don't have to worry about that at flex, Joe.
31:23Oh, why? Did we get our draft order? No.
31:25Or Andrew's not coming? Andrew's not coming. I'll just throw that out.
31:29I thought you were still considering coming. We'll talk about this off show.
31:32You tipped that at the end? Nobody wants to hear it.
31:36I just wanted to, I just want to take that little shot at Andrew when I could.
31:40That's fair. I committed and I had to, I had to pull the commitment.
31:44So I deserve to be thrown under the bus.
31:47I thought you were trying to like do the, the 24 hour turnaround.
31:50I thought you were going to come in hot and then leave on Saturday.
31:54It just wasn't going to work. It just wasn't going to work.
31:58So you're going to leave me alone with Derek Brown at my house for two straight days without you?
32:03Oh no. Make Fitz come. Yeah. I need a, yeah, yeah.
32:06Let's make Fitzy come. We're Bogman. Let's get somebody else there.
32:09I need a buffer. That's what people usually say about me.
32:12I love you, D bro. That's why I need Andrew too.
32:15Would I go to New York? Anyway, Andrew, let's talk about AJ Brown some more.
32:20I just don't know if I can see myself watching the Patriots every single week and not having AJ Brown on my fantasy team.
32:26I just, I just, I just can't envision enjoying my football season.
32:30If I'm going to subject myself to watching him just go absolutely nuclear in this offense with Drake may and me not
32:36have exposure to him in all of my fantasy leagues.
32:39I think that what AJ Brown showed last year, again, some of the numbers fall off.
32:43I think that's just totally based on the environment that they were in with Kevin Patool as the office coordinator for the Philadelphia Eagles.
32:50Again, a down year for AJ Brown was wide receiver, 11 points per game at 27.5% target share, seven touchdowns and a
32:56thousand yards again for the sixth season. Talking about the red zone usage.
33:00He had three end zone targets last year and was still a top 12 fantasy wide receiver.
33:04I don't even know how that's possible. He was outside the top 30 in red zone targets again, Dallas got it.
33:10We talked about him earlier. He was the one that was backing up a lot of those red zone looks.
33:16And when the Eagles finally decided to commit to AJ Brown is, oh yeah, like this guy's really good.
33:21Like we should probably use him a little bit more weeks, 11 through 16, 32% target share 88 receiving yards per game,
33:272.8 yards per route run, nearly 20 points per game in full PPR.
33:31That is the number that we're shooting for when it's, Hey, can this guy be the number one wide receiver in football?
33:37Are you getting 20 points per game? Yeah. AJ Brown was very, very close to that 19.6 expected points per game.
33:43That pace would have been fantasy wide receiver three overall last season.
33:46I think that he just fits again. Drake may the downfield shots that he was getting with Matt Collins and Kayshawn booty last year.
33:53Oh, now we're going to get that with AJ Brown against man coverage, which he was fourth best.
33:58I don't think that he's cooked at all whatsoever.
34:01And I think that if Josh McDaniels really leans into him as this true number one alpha wide receiver, like he did
34:07with Brandon Marshall, like he did with Devontae Adams, with the Raiders.
34:10I mean, this guy could see north of 150 targets and just smash.
34:14So for me, AJ Brown is a guy that I want as much as humanly possible.
34:18I believe, Jake, that AJ Brown is still being undervalued and underranked.
34:22Andrew and I agree on this. People say that we're seeing the world through the red, white and blue Patriot glasses, but I disagree.
34:28This is pure analyst stuff here. I love what I saw at Drake May last year.
34:33And it's not because he plays for the Patriots, because he does all the right things at the position at such an
34:39early age that I think he can only get better and better the more he gets those reps at that NFL level
34:45and giving him a true alpha, which Stefan takes was not at the stage of his career.
34:50I think AJ Brown's got a couple of years left in the tank at this level of play.
34:55Where do you have AJ Brown in your rankings?
34:57Just curious. Alongside Marian Hampton as a mid second rounder.
35:00So if you and that mid second round, it's like if you want to say, hey, I'm going to take him a few spots early at the turn.
35:08That's fine, because the names he's alongside of Hampton, Walker, Bowers, Derek Henry.
35:12So loaded. So loaded. It's basically like there's a ton of great names there.
35:16And if you want your poison to be the wide receiver because you took running back first or you want to start
35:22wide receiver, wide receiver, I'm OK with it. Like, it's just basically he's separated more for me because I did a little
35:28bit of a tear break for the wide receivers.
35:30That's all. All right. Fair enough. Jake, we can go back to you for your next pick now that we've done the reversal.
35:37And it's somebody who annually kind of gets overlooked because every year is another year older and every year everyone says, well, he can't possibly do it again.
35:45And then he does it again. And everybody looks like a schmuck except me, because I always draft him.
35:50Basically, wherever I can get him in the one league that I didn't draft him last year was Flex and he'll beat
35:56me in the finals of Flex last year. Derek Henry.
35:59So actually, it was Derek Henry and Bijan. So at least I got pounded into oblivion that day.
36:04It wasn't close. But still, Derek Henry. We're in that same situation again in 2026.
36:08I know eventually it will slow down. Yeah. Father time is undefeated.
36:12But so far, he has the same record as Derek Henry.
36:15Discuss. And it really comes down to the value because the value keeps going down.
36:19Like if we were still talking the turn of the first, second round picks, I would say, yeah, OK, now the risk is starting to get there.
36:26But he's at the two, three turn and he's pushing.
36:29And you've seen some drafts, especially basketball. And I know we're not talking like basketball, blah, blah, blah.
36:34But I mean, we're seeing mid third round, late third round.
36:37And it's really just come down to the value.
36:40And shout out to Ryan Heath. He put this out a few weeks ago.
36:44And I retweeted it today so people could see it if they want to go because I had to pull it back up.
36:50But he was talking about what we all know.
36:53What we sit here and argue for running backs every single year is game script.
36:57We want game script, game script, game script, because wins we know influence.
37:01And it's not the biggest telltale, but it helps a lot when we're talking about the volume of touches, the opportunities and wins versus losses.
37:08And the example he gave, and I couldn't agree anymore, is everybody wants to take Jonathan Taylor in that eighth, ninth pick
37:14of the first round, which, by the way, their win total is seven and a half and ignore a round and a half to two rounds later.
37:21Derrick Henry sitting there with 11 and a half win total.
37:24So I even went into this and I looked the difference of points per game from wins to losses.
37:30Jonathan Taylor averaged 19 more fantasy points per game and wins 30 points per game in those wins than he did in losses.
37:3611. Derrick Henry is one of the flattest alongside Saquon Barkley at a 2.9 gap.
37:40He was averaging 17.6 in wins. And you can do the math that he was still very close and very productive as a fringe RB1, even in losses.
37:48And again, we're still talking wins anyway, when he's putting up a ton of touchdowns and yards and everything like that.
37:54So it's not the fact that I like, I just want Derrick Henry.
37:58It's the fact that I'm willing to invest one more year.
38:01Maybe this is the year it falls off. We're all, you and I are left holding the bag, Joe, and we look like idiots.
38:08But the value is still there. And the value is there.
38:11Like as a second, third round pick, like late second, early third, and it misses, it's a lot more palatable than missing on Jonathan Taylor at the eighth.
38:18And Jonathan Taylor has a mid-season because the Colts struggle.
38:21Erickson, what's your stance on Derrick Henry this year?
38:24I think he's appropriately valued. I think that he's a good pick where he goes.
38:28So again, I'm not kind of going to the show and be like, oh, you can't draft Derrick Henry this year.
38:34I've done that battle before. I don't want to do it.
38:37So I think that he's a good pick where he goes.
38:40And I think that he's one of these running backs that not viewed as a first round, early second round pick, but
38:46is a reason why you can start wide receiver heavy if you want to, because you have Derrick Henry in your back
38:52pocket with a couple other running backs. I also get running backs are in vogue, right?
38:57Like running backs are back, baby. Like the two-eye shell, it's all we needed for the running backs to come back and just some good health.
39:04So yeah, I'll get no pushback at Derrick Henry.
39:07Quarterback play has been poop for the last couple of years for the most part.
39:11It's getting better, I think. So my other big curiosity also going into this year with Derrick Henry is that I look at the Ravens roster.
39:18Had they brought in more competition for him or better backup scenarios, I would be more concerned.
39:23Okay, maybe everybody's starting to look at Derrick Henry, even the Ravens, saying we should be figuring things out.
39:28They gave him an extension last year, so that dude's just built different at the end of the day.
39:33All right, Andrew Erickson, let's go back to you for your number one.
39:37Before we get to that, don't forget, as you're trying to parse through all the names we're going through, make sure you're
39:43using the tools here to run some mock drafts.
39:46And also one of those tools is Draft Intel that if you haven't checked it out, you really need to.
39:51Go to fantasypros.com slash Draft Intel. Download the Fantasy Pros app.
39:54You can sync all your leagues for free. But Draft Intel is the tool that we developed a couple years ago here
40:01at Fantasy Pros that allows you to basically see all the tendencies of your league mates over the last couple years.
40:07So who likes to draft Derrick Henry early? Who likes to take quarterback late?
40:10All that stuff is built in, and then you can create bots to actually mock draft against.
40:15Draft Intel is huge. It's going to help you during your draft.
40:19It's going to help you in the mock draft process.
40:21So this is the cheat code for your actual draft that's been going on for, I don't know, five years, 10 years, even more.
40:28This is the tool that will take it to the next level there.
40:32So you'll really be prepared, not just for any draft, but for your draft.
40:36That's what matters the most to us here at Fantasy Pros.
40:39Your draft. So again, fantasypros.com slash Intel is where you can check out the Draft Intel tool.
40:43Don't be a tool. Use the tools at Fantasy Pros.
40:46Andrew Erickson, give me your number one guy that Mr.
40:49Erickson is not leaving drafts without. Oh wait, it's also a raven.
40:52Zay Flowers This would be my flag plant player.
40:55I want to attach my name to Zay flowers for the 2026 fantasy football season, because I think that we still haven't
41:01seen the best of Zay flowers, a player that former first round pick drafted by the Ravens that has improved every single year of his career.
41:08All he's done is just get better and better and better.
41:11Last year, over 1200 receiving yards, 86 catches, six touchdowns, wide receiver, seven, 2025.
41:15He was wide receiver, three overalls last five games, four plus catches in 13 of his 17 games and can't get past how cheap he's going in drafts.
41:23When Lamar Jackson was healthy last year, he was a top 10 wide receiver in terms of receiving yards per game.
41:29So I think that if Lamar is just healthy, okay, you're going to get top 10 production from Zay flowers.
41:35And then the one thing that is missing from his profile is just the touchdowns, right?
41:39Will he ever see an expanded red zone role?
41:42I can't guarantee that we do have a new offensive coordinator.
41:45So it's always a possibility with Declan Doyle coming in and I expect him to run a faster paced offense than what
41:51we've seen from the Ravens over the last two years coming from the Chicago bears offense with Ben Johnson, very high in pace last season.
41:58Ravens red zone offense was bad last year, 27th and red zone scoring.
42:02So this is something that they need to address and change heading into this year.
42:06If they want to score more touchdowns, we know Lamar Jackson can throw a ton of touchdowns.
42:11He had a 6.5% touchdown passing rate. And I know that he had this big touchdown season two years ago and Zay
42:17flowers didn't benefit from it, but Zay flowers is better now than he was two years ago.
42:21So for me, where he's going in this mid wide receiver to range, I think that that's his absolute floor.
42:27Again, he was fourth in yards per route run behind Puka Nakua and JSN last year and Luther burden on a small sample size.
42:34Those guys are drafted inside the top five and every single draft Puka Nakua and JSN.
42:38And now I have another receiver that was just as efficient as those players going pick and rounds after.
42:44I think that he's on the Antonio Brown trajectory in the good way where this is where he could absolutely smash entering
42:50his fourth season under a new offensive play call.
42:52He still has an elite passing quarterback with Lamar Jackson.
42:55So for me, and the other thing too, is who's his, who's he competing for targets with?
43:00He was fifth in target share last year. So JSN 35% target share last year.
43:04I think Zay flowers has a chance to lead the NFL in target share this year.
43:09I got 28% last season for shot Bateman, two rookie wide receivers, the corpse of Mark Andrews.
43:13That guy's cooked. Sorry. Zay flowers for me all day, every day.
43:17Yeah. I know. Bogman's very big on Zay flowers.
43:19I am too. I think the, the appeal of the Ravens situation is I, I'm at peace with the value of the three big pieces in it.
43:27And I like the Zay flowers value. I still like the Derek Henry value as Jake pointed out and Lamar Jackson too.
43:33So, and you have those three guys, you control pretty much all the scoring except for the off days where Mark Andrews is healthy and catches two touchdowns.
43:41So I think those days are getting few and far between.
43:44So give me flowers. Give me Henry. Give me Lamar.
43:47Give me fuel. Give me fire. Give me that, which I desire.
43:50Jake Seeley. Give me your number one guy that you just can't live without in 2026.
43:54Yeah. Another wide receiver and another player from a team we've already talked once about.
43:59And it's funny that we had the opposite size of this one and that I'm taking the wide receiver from the team.
44:05He talked about the running back and he did the same for me, but it's Ladd McConkie.
44:10I think that we're all looking at Ladd McConkie.
44:12He feels, it's weird that he feels post-hype sleeper-ish.
44:15But I think that's because of the perception of what happened as rookie season is that there weren't that many people that were super high on him.
44:22And I'm not saying this as we're like, haha, look at me.
44:26I wasn't one of the highest. I was pretty high.
44:28I was higher than most, but I wasn't to be clear.
44:31Like I wasn't even expecting it to be that good of a rookie season.
44:35I thought it was going to be more year two and beyond.
44:39But what actually ended up happening was he had a really good rookie season and then big disappointment last year.
44:44Massive. And a lot of people are now off of him and they're just like, eh, whatever.
44:49But if you look at this team and if you look at the fact that we're all talking about Mike McDaniel and
44:55what he can do for Marion Hampton, it kind of goes similar to an argument I brought up earlier in this show
45:01about if we're going to argue for this team and what McDaniel can do for this offense, all the excitement for Herbert
45:08with a healthy offensive line and all the, by the way, Herbert's supposed to be this one right here for by the
45:14kick, not the icing, but I am going to make a point for at least one piece of the icing because I
45:20know the constant of the one on this team.
45:22The others are the question mark, whether Quentin Johnson can build off what happened last year, whether rookies are going to make
45:29an impact, whether it's going to be Gadsden seeing more from the tight end position, whatever it might be.
45:34What do we know? We know McConkie is the one.
45:37And if you look at back at McDaniel with the Dolphins and average out the number one, because sometimes it was Hill,
45:43sometimes it was Waddle because they were hurt at different times, but the on average, the number one target in his offense
45:49is somewhere between 30 and 31% of the target share.
45:52That's what we want from Andrew was just bringing this up.
45:55You tell me 30% from the lead option. Maybe it's only 28, but even 28 for Lad McConkie in this offense with
46:01a healthy Herbert, healthy offensive line McDaniel doing what he can do, which is really what the part that I like too
46:07is what McConkie fits in McDaniel style is getting those wide receivers open over the middle, that intermediate range so they can
46:13do more after the catch as well, including some shots downfield.
46:16But that's really where the heyday comes for his wide receiver style.
46:20And I think McConkie just fits McDaniel so perfectly.
46:22And the advantage of having him potentially get near 30% of the target share, McConkie will get that wide receiver one position
46:28that we thought he could possibly build off of his rookie season and get last year, this year.
46:33And guess what? He's going back into the top 20 wide receivers.
46:37So that's the big, if he put up a crystal lobby season this year would not shock me in the least.
46:43Who would you rather have everybody? I'm going to put the question to you because Lad McConkie and Zay Flower is going
46:49very close to each other in ADP. Drop your comments below right here on the YouTube channel.
46:54Subscribe to the YouTube channel, ring the bell that goes ding, like this video.
46:58And of course, don't forget, sync your leagues for free.
47:00It's very important to make sure that you prepare for all of your drafts and then have all the tools to help
47:07you for your drafts and then all the tools to help you during the season.
47:11See how that goes? It's full service around these parts all the time.
47:14Speaking of full service, great job here by Jake Seeley.
47:17Fresh off, I don't want to say vacation. He was gone for a couple of days.
47:22Was it vacation really? I mean, it was family vacation.
47:24So it was a lot of relaxing going to movies with the nieces and nephews.
47:29Yeah. See, vacation is me sitting on a hammock on an island and someone bringing me a cocktail.
47:34That's vacation. And I haven't had one of those in a long time.
47:37A lot of trips. When you need a vacation from the people you're around because the screaming and yelling, then that's not really a true vacation.
47:45No, no. And Andrew Erickson, who never takes vacation, but is going to take a vacation from Plex this year.
47:50And I'm going to yell at him right after the show about it.
47:54That's going to do it for us. But the story of the game goes on.
47:58For Jake and Andrew, I'm Joey P. We will see you next time, kids.
48:02Enjoy draft season. Thanks for listening to the Fantasy Pros Fantasy Football Podcast.
48:06If you love the show, the best free way to support us is by leaving a positive review on Apple Podcasts at fantasypros.com slash review or on Spotify.
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48:30Welcome to Alaska Airlines. Hi, it's Colin Coward from the Colin Coward Podcast.
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