2026 Fantasy Football Mock Draft: When to Draft RBs, WRs & Late-Round QBs | Best of the Fest (Ep. 2166)
STACKED extracted the fantasy-relevant player signal from this podcast and kept the full transcript here for context.
1 hr 4 min
Duration
Estimated from transcript
Sep 2, 2026
Published
Wed, September 2, 2026
39
Player insights
35
Players mentioned
Topics
Blake CorumChristian McCaffreyMark AndrewsZay FlowersAshton JeantyBijan RobinsonBrian Thomas Jr.Carnell TateD.J. MooreDallas GoedertDe'Von AchaneDe'Zhaun StriblingDerrick HenryDeshaun Watson
Player analysis
Player insights
Ashton Jeanty
NegativeInjury44:40
Fitz notes that the gap between Ashton Jeanty and Jeremiah Love has closed significantly due to Jeanty currently dealing with an injury.
Insight pageBijan Robinson
PositiveProjection4:08
Fitz prefers Bijan Robinson over Jahmyr Gibbs because he values the "workhorse" body type, specifically wanting a running back over 200 pounds rather than one right at that weight.
Insight pageBlake Corum
PositiveBreakout25:56
Corum is a priority target with enormous upside. He is viewed as a potential top-five weekly running back if his role expands or if Kyron Williams misses time, supported by a run-friendly Rams offense and a lack of stacked boxes due to Puka Nacua and Devontae Adams.
Insight pagePositiveSleeper51:23
Erickson highlights Blake Corum as having league-winning upside if anything were to happen to Kyron Williams, making him a strong value in the eighth round.
Insight pageBrian Thomas Jr.
PositiveValue59:10
Brian Thomas Jr.'s trade value is currently low due to a difficult upcoming schedule of cornerbacks, but he is expected to become a major 'buy-low' target by week nine as trade rumors potentially circulate.
Insight pageCarnell Tate
PositiveBreakout31:48
Erickson defends drafting Carnell Tate in the sixth round, dismissing concerns about his preseason performance as "vanilla" and urging managers to trust his top-five wide receiver talent.
Insight pageChristian McCaffrey
PositiveProjection30:12
McCaffrey is preferred over Amon-Ra St. Brown in the first round because he remains a binary bet for a top-two positional finish if healthy, whereas St. Brown faces more competition for targets from Sam LaPorta, Jameson Williams, and Jahmyr Gibbs.
Insight pageNegativeProjection43:21
The draft analyzer suggested that taking JSN and Quinshawn Judkins over Christian McCaffrey and Chris Godwin would have resulted in a 40-point increase for the team.
Insight pageD.J. Moore
PositiveProjection30:41
Debro views DJ Moore as the new Stefan Diggs for the Buffalo Bills, valuing him as a clear number one receiver in what is expected to be a great offense.
Insight pageDallas Goedert
PositiveValue32:23
Goedert is a strong value pick following reports that Eli Stowers will likely be inactive or redshirted, positioning Goedert as the clear number two target in the Eagles' passing attack.
Insight pageDe'Von Achane
NegativeValue42:14
The mock draft analysis system flagged the Devon Achane pick as suboptimal, suggesting Drake London would have been a better selection to improve power rankings.
Insight pageDe'Zhaun Stribling
NegativeValue58:19
The analysts discuss selling Stribbling in dynasty leagues due to heavy hype, with suggestions to trade him for a 2027 second-round pick if possible.
Insight pageDerrick Henry
PositiveValue14:03
Debro prefers drafting Derrick Henry over Ashton Gentry because Henry is currently healthy and plays in a better offense with higher touchdown potential, even if his PPR upside is limited.
Insight pageDeshaun Watson
NegativeDepth Chart20:46
Watson is the Week 1 starter, but there is a strong expectation that he will be benched for Shedeur Sanders early in the season if he struggles during the first two weeks.
Insight pageDrake London
NegativeProjection46:08
The speaker expresses concern regarding Drake London's fantasy outlook due to uncertainty surrounding the Falcons' quarterback situation and potential splits with Michael Penix Jr. versus Tua Tagovailoa.
Insight pageGarrett Wilson
PositiveUsage17:28
Erickson highlights Garrett Wilson as a strong pick in full PPR formats, noting that he consistently commands a high target volume, projecting around 150 targets.
Insight pageGeorge Kittle
PositiveValue29:24
Kittle is considered a no-brainer pick in the 10th round. While he may start the season slow due to injury, he offers season-long upside and is easily replaceable with late-round streaming options like Juwan Johnson or Dalton Schultz.
Insight pageGeorge Pickens
PositiveValue44:22
Fitz ranks George Pickens well ahead of Jameson Williams, noting that the draft analyzer correctly identified Pickens as the superior pick at that draft slot.
Insight pageHarold Fannin
PositiveBreakout20:21
Fannin is a high-upside tight end who led college football in catches and receiving yards in his final year at Bowling Green and followed it with a phenomenal rookie season. Despite current quarterback play, he is expected to thrive once Shedeur Sanders takes over as the starter.
Insight pageJa'Marr Chase
PositiveValue48:54
The speaker argues that Ja'Marr Chase belongs in the 1.01 conversation for 12-team PPR formats that start three wide receivers, viewing the top three picks as interchangeable.
Insight pageJahmyr Gibbs
NegativeProjection20:45
Debro moved Jahmyr Gibbs to his RB1 over Bijan Robinson, but notes that the quarterback situation in Atlanta is a concern that impacts his overall outlook on the position.
Insight pageJalen McMillan
PositiveBreakout39:24
Fitz suggests McMillan could emerge as a late-round target if Chris Godwin struggles to return to form following his 2024 injury or if Buka deals with further injury issues.
Insight pageJaxon Smith-Njigba
NegativeProjection5:26
Debro believes Jaxon Smith-Njigba could take a hit in production because Seattle is expected to remain run-heavy and the new play-caller is unproven, potentially leading to decreased efficiency.
Insight pageJayden Higgins
NegativeValue58:37
Erickson suggests that managers holding Jaden Higgins should consider trading him to teams in need of a wide receiver, potentially leveraging his rookie hype to acquire a late first-round pick.
Insight pageJaylen Waddle
PositiveBreakout15:39
Debro is "all in" on Jaylen Waddle, ranking him as a WR1. He believes that if Bo Nix can achieve league-average efficiency and accuracy, Waddle's production will skyrocket.
Insight pageJonathan Taylor
NegativeValue41:53
The expert mock draft analysis gave a thumbs down to the selection of Jonathan Taylor, indicating the system did not favor the pick.
Insight pageJonathon Brooks
PositiveBreakout27:10
Erickson drafted Jonathan Brooks in the fifth round, betting against Chuba Hubbard being 100% healthy for Week 1 and expecting Brooks to eventually take over the backfield.
Insight pageJordan Mason
PositiveDepth Chart48:25
Jordan Mason is identified as the likely RB1 for Minnesota, making him a valuable late-round selection.
Insight pageJordyn Tyson
NegativeValue58:37
Erickson suggests that managers holding Jordan Tyson should consider trading him to teams in need of a wide receiver, potentially leveraging his rookie hype to acquire a late first-round pick.
Insight pageKenneth Walker III
PositiveProjection46:17
The speaker expresses high confidence in Kenneth Walker, projecting him as a fringe top-12 running back at worst, provided he remains healthy.
Insight pageKyren Williams
PositiveValue20:06
Fitz considers Kyren Williams a value, noting he has finished as an RB1 in fantasy points per game for three straight years and plays in a run-friendly Rams offense, despite potential workload competition from Blake Corum.
Insight pageMark Andrews
NegativeUsage0:43
JJ Zachariason expresses concern over reports that Mark Andrews looks "cooked" and "washed" in training camp, leading to a debate about whether he or Zay Flowers will lead the Ravens in red zone usage.
Insight pageNegativeUsage33:34
Andrews is a polarizing pick; while some fear he is 'cooked' due to recent injuries and poor preseason reports, he remains a high-volume target earner in the Ravens' offense, especially with Isaiah Likely gone and a lack of other tight end competition.
Insight pageMarvin Harrison Jr.
NegativeValue55:11
Fitz views Marvin Harrison Jr. as a 'firewall' player at WR31, noting he likes the top 30 receivers but has misgivings about those ranked below him. He wants to see him in a more functional offense.
Insight pageQuinshon Judkins
NegativeValue43:28
The speaker expresses reluctance to draft Judkins at his current ADP, preferring to invest in the Browns' wide receivers at cost rather than the running back.
Insight pageTank Dell
NegativeInjury38:30
Dell is being avoided in drafts because he has not practiced in full, leading to concerns that he may not be a factor for the team this season.
Insight pageTerrance Ferguson
PositiveSleeper37:11
Ferguson is a high-upside late-round target who could see significant usage if Devante Adams or Puka Nacua miss time. He is being deployed all over the formation and could function as a de facto wide receiver three rather than a traditional tight end.
Insight pageZay Flowers
NegativeUsage0:10
JJ Zachariason is skeptical that Zay Flowers will receive sufficient red zone usage in the Ravens' offense, despite acknowledging that Flowers is younger and arguably the better player compared to Mark Andrews.
Insight pageNegativeProjection27:05
There is skepticism regarding Flowers' touchdown potential, with sportsbooks setting his touchdown prop at 5.5 compared to Mark Andrews at 6.5. The argument is that Lamar Jackson struggles to find Flowers in the red zone due to his size.
Insight pageFull transcript
Episode Transcript
0:00This is an iHeart Podcast. Guaranteed Human. It's not a safe alternative to cigarettes.
0:04I saw Debro weigh in in the last segment.
0:07Erickson and I were talking about touchdowns in the Ravens offense.
0:10I threw out the idea possibly of a bet who will have more Mark Andrews or Zay Flowers because I am not
0:16a believer that Zay Flowers is going to get enough red zone usage.
0:20I know I'm kind of like taking a hit in the odds there because Zay Flowers is younger and better.
0:26Homer, they're both Ravens. But what do you think?
0:29Is there a bet here that Erickson and I should consider?
0:32And what do you think about our sides on that debate?
0:35There's absolutely a bet you should consider. But, you know, right now I'm going with Zay Flowers.
0:40How many times have I been tackled inside the five yard line?
0:43And I am a little worried about these reports that Mark Andrews is looking sort of cooked in training camp.
0:49He has looked washed from everything that I've heard.
0:52As I said, I need to see it to believe it on the red zone usage from Zay.
0:57But I am clearly the minority here. So whatever bet we come up with, maybe we can get some odds here in some capacity.
1:04We've got the draft filled. So we'll go ahead and get that started here.
1:08Starting it on my end. I believe there's gonna be about a 30 second clock.
1:12This is a PPR draft. Pretty straightforward beyond that.
1:15We looking at the draft board, we've got Fitz picking second.
1:18Debro picking sixth. Myself picking 10th. I usually pick on the ends, but I haven't done enough in towards the middle of
1:25the draft until towards the end here. But I didn't want to do the same thing as always.
1:30And then Erickson in the spot he's been in every mock I've done with him this offseason, which is pick.
1:36He refuses to go anywhere else. So that's where we're at here.
1:39Draft's gonna start in just about a second. And we'll let it get going here.
1:44Just a reminder for everybody for this segment, if you're considering who to draft, you're participating at all, that our 2026 consensus
1:50rankings and tiers can be found at fantasypros.com slash rankings.
1:53And today's live mock draft is done using our mock draft lobby over at fantasypros.com slash draft wizard, which uses the same interface as the draft simulator.
2:01Use the draft simulator or the mock draft lobby to complete fast, realistic mock drafts in minutes, test different strategies and practice from any draft position.
2:08Start preparing now and enter your real draft with confidence at fantasypros.com slash mock or on the fantasy pros app.
2:14It is a 30 second pick clock. We are flying here.
2:17Let me get back to the draft board in front of me because it's moving so quickly.
2:22Jamar Chase goes one-on-one, Bijan Robinson one-a-two, Jameer Gibbs one-a-three, then Puka, Aminra St.
2:26Brown, Christian McCaffrey, JSN, CD Lamb are the first eight picks.
2:30Fitz, you made the first pick of the four of us.
2:33Was Bijan easy for you? Were you between him and Gibbs?
2:36Were you between him and Gibbs? Were you gone Chase with the three-receiver league?
2:40What were you thinking there? Toss-up between Gibbs and Bijan.
2:43I'm going to stay true to my board. And I know Gibbs is the consensus one-on-one.
2:48I just feel like I'm going to have a workhorse running back.
2:51I prefer the Bijan body type to Jameer Gibbs.
2:54You know, I just want the guy who's well over 200 pounds instead of kind of right at 200 pounds.
3:00I want the NASCAR style build and not the IndyCar style build.
3:03Debra, you took the 106 in this draft. Christian McCaffrey here.
3:06Sort of similar question. Was that the guy you were targeting?
3:10Was it an easy click once he got to you?
3:12Were you considering anybody else? I mean, JSN going as late as 107 feels like it's unusual, at least in the mocks that I've seen.
3:20Yeah, I mean, it's not always that JSN goes behind those two players.
3:24For me, it was between CMC and Amonara Sam Brown.
3:26And this is not that I dislike JSN. I just think Seattle is going to remain run heavy.
3:32And if the efficiency takes a step back with a new play caller who is very unproven, then JSN could take a small hit.
3:39I have been going a lot of running back, running back when I'm picking late here.
3:43So maybe if I had more time to look at it closely, I might have considered Cook.
3:48But I think Cook and Taylor I view is very similarly.
3:51I know Debra is very high on Cook this year.
3:54Erickson, you do take Cook here. Would you consider Taylor?
3:57Did you consider going in a different direction? Yeah, I think that Taylor, Cook, I have them ranked back to back.
4:03So I'd be fine with either of them. I just know that I probably like the running back here more than the
4:10receiver, potentially, that I could get here. I mean, I'm picking at 11.
4:14So I like usually to go running back first.
4:16Yeah, you're back on the clock here. I'll let you make that pick.
4:20So far, the running backs off the board are Bijan Gibbs, CMC, Taylor, Cook, and Chase Brown.
4:25Receivers off the board are Chase, Nakua, St. Brown, JSN, Lamb.
4:28A.J. Brown goes 109. That's pretty early from what I've seen.
4:31And then Justin Jefferson at 112. We just did a segment earlier in the fest with Nathan Yonke from PFF.
4:37He was talking up the virtues of Devon A.C.
4:40And I haven't taken him much in mocks. I'm going to take him here, pair a couple of running backs together with Jonathan Taylor and A.C.
4:47And go for a robust RB bill. That's really what I've liked to do most often picking late.
4:53If I go receiver, it's because a guy like A.J.
4:56Brown is there or maybe Justin Jefferson. Neither of them kind of gets back to me on the other side.
5:01In fact, they both go in the first round.
5:04So I'm very comfortable going with the running back upside there.
5:07Debro, coming back to you in a couple of picks, who do you have your eye on?
5:12I'm looking at Chris Lave, George Pickens. Probably going to go with a wide receiver since the running backs just kind of got nuked in front of me.
5:20I was looking at Chase Brown or Kenneth Walker.
5:23I was hoping he was going to fall to me.
5:26There's a few different guys I like here on the board.
5:29And just I know we got a question in the chat from people here.
5:33Worm, is this half PPR or full? This is full PPR, three receivers, no tight end premium or anything like that.
5:39No super flex, no kickers or defenses. I think that's it.
5:42It'd be pretty standard beyond that. But yes, full PPR.
5:45Good note there. Fitz, you picking early. You see a bunch of players have to go off the board.
5:51Is there anybody just not even necessarily in this draft, but generally speaking, when you have one of the first couple of
5:57picks, that is your ideal target with the late second rounder, there goes falling me.
6:02I don't normally see available in the late second round.
6:05Some good running backs. I guess Gentry is dropping because of the injury.
6:08Bowers is still on the board, which is exciting.
6:11But like normally that's kind of the Drake London zone for me.
6:14Okay. And just you're not scared off by the quarterback situation.
6:18If you're taking him in the second round, I'm getting a little scared by that.
6:22Not going to lie. Same. Thankfully, Axel takes him.
6:25So you don't have to consider, uh, you know, facing your fears here.
6:28With that pick, you're now one away still, you know, Bowers is on the board.
6:33I know you are extremely high on him this year.
6:36In fact, you have him outperforming. Oh, he goes one in front of you.
6:40So I jinxed it. I was going to say, you have him outperforming Amin Ra in, in one of our bold predictions episodes this season.
6:47So I know he's somebody you're very high on.
6:50Would you have taken Bowers over Gentry? I would have.
6:53Yeah. What do you guys think? You know, Erickson, I'll start with you, but I want to actually get everybody's opinion.
6:59What are you doing with Gentry now? I mean, Fitz takes him here.
7:02So clearly he's comfortable still in the second round.
7:05You know, they talked about how it was like more low than a high ankle sprain.
7:10It's all quite confusing. Erickson, where are you at?
7:12Uh, just on terms of ranking and where you're actually drafting Gentry right now.
7:16He just kind of moved from the top of a certain running back tier to the bottom of a running back tier.
7:23Cause all the running, cause I was drafting him and rank him with Barkley and Hampton and HN and Walker.
7:29And like, he was in that conversation and now because he's hurt, it's just easy to push him down below those guys.
7:35So I think that this is an appropriate range to draft him, acknowledging the risk that you're drafting a player with a injury sprained ankle.
7:42So that's something that's always a concern. And last year they took too long to shut down Brock Bowers and that really hurt fantasy manager.
7:50So hopefully the Raiders learn from it. And if it means that he needs to miss week one for him to be
7:56healthy, the rest of the way, again, this team is not in contention.
8:00They're starting Kirk cousins. Like make sure that Ashton Jen is healthy before you put them out there, which is what fantasy
8:06manager would prefer versus playing a guy that is at 75% and is hurting your lineup every week because he's not playing at a high level.
8:14Cause he's just trying to play through injuries. Fitz putting his money where his mouth is in terms of our, as a
8:20flowers discussion, we just had taking him at the 302 here, buying into what Erickson believes is a potential league winner this season.
8:27Derek Brown, you get your guy in Jalen Waddle before you talk about him.
8:31I do want to get your quick opinion on Gentie as well.
8:34So it's, I think it's a really key decision point for managers who are drafting right now.
8:39Yeah. I mean, Gentie, I'm just, I'm taking a lot of guys, but like I would take Derek Henry over him right
8:46now because we know Derek Henry is just in PPR and PPR.
8:49Yeah. I would take him over because better offense, more touchdowns even, and we could get Derek Henry.
8:55I'm not saying he's going to catch a crap ton of passes this year, but if he gets into like a 30
9:01range, I think there's a lot of ways where Derek Henry who's healthy right now outscores Gentie.
9:06So I'm kind of avoiding Gentie where he goes right now.
9:09If he slips past ADP, then he becomes interesting.
9:12If I do draft him, I'm telling you guys, like I'm making sure I'm getting Mike Washington that, that, that becomes a priority.
9:18Once we like you get into that RB three type of range, like where Blake Corum goes, I would be picking Mike Washington there.
9:25Okay. And while Eric's is on the clock, let's stick with you, D bro.
9:29You do go Jaden Waddle again. One of your guys, you've talked about him earlier on this very stream.
9:35And of course, throughout the summer. Yeah. I'm all in on Waddle.
9:39Like I have him as a wide receiver. One pass happy offense.
9:42We see him back on the field. So the injury stuff's not worrying me at all.
9:47Bo Nix, if he could become just like his efficiency and accuracy metrics, if he becomes league average.
9:52Jaden Waddle is going to go to the freaking moon, man.
9:55I love him this year, especially at the price point.
9:58Erickson, you take Garrett Wilson here, obviously with two running backs to start your team.
10:02You're thinking about getting a receiver here in this range, kind of a range of, you know, guys like Lad McConkie, who I took one pick before you.
10:11T Higgins goes right after you. How are you sorting through this range of receivers right now?
10:15Well, it was easy for me because all the receivers I wanted first and foremost got picked before my pick.
10:21So it's just a matter of like, okay, that's why I like, but I like the receivers in this range, which is why I'm okay with that.
10:29It's like, okay, like I missed out on Waddle.
10:32Didn't get Zay Flowers. Didn't get Ibuka. Okay. Well then I'm just going down the list of all these receivers I like
10:38in this general range, which is why I feel comfortable going with a running back heavy start because I know I like
10:45the receivers here and getting Garrett Wilson. It's full PPR.
10:48Sick. All he does is fall out of bed and get 150 targets.
10:51And then T-Mac, who I think is still being undervalued based on slot season in year two.
10:56He's facing the bears week one. Giddy up, man.
10:59There's Jalen Coker. And then who else is going to be demanding targets in this Panthers offense?
11:04Jonathan Brooks. Maybe that's it. Uh, T-Mac is an alpha.
11:07So Tats getting the Drake London usage plan so far.
11:10If they, if the preseason stuff holds, it's very interesting.
11:13I was hoping to pair Lad McConkie with one of Garrett Wilson, T Higgins or Ted O'err McMillan.
11:18None of them get there. So I'm like, you know what?
11:21We have a flex here. I think Gervonta Williams in the fourth is a pick I'm really excited to make, even though I already have two running backs.
11:29So I'm just going leaning into the running back heavy approach here.
11:33Um, kind of unintentionally, but we'll see how I feel about the team by the end of it fits.
11:38A lot of players have gone off the board here since your last pick.
11:42Anybody that stands out to you as a pretty good value that you like that, whether it's from one of us or anybody else who's drafted right now.
11:50You mean anyone who's gone in this, this round just in the, since you've last picked here back end of round three,
11:57early round four, anybody that stands out to you as you really like that pick.
12:01Oh, I mean, I love Ted O'err and McMillan if you can get them in the fourth round.
12:06And I kind of like Kyron. I mean, Kyron's average, basically a touchdown a game over the last three years.
12:12And he's finished as an RB one in fantasy points per game, three straight years.
12:17And I know Corum could eat into continue to eat into his workload, but man, I mean, the Rams are going to
12:23be in run friendly game scripts all season. I just, I still think Kyron is a value where he went.
12:29Yeah. I, I liked that one a lot too.
12:31Debra, we did get a question from you about taking Nico over Drake London back in the second.
12:37Is that, so we, I talked about a little bit with fits related to the quarterback situation in Atlanta.
12:42Yeah. To, to, uh, and Pennix have me scared.
12:45Uh, I've updated my ranks. I moved Gibbs to my RB one over Bajan because that quarterback issue is kind of scaring me.
12:52And I have a lava and I moved Nico over Drake one.
12:55Cause I, I am worried about the quarterback play there.
12:58I'm laughing here at this comment from Grant as well.
13:01Y'all are going to get sniped left and right.
13:03Since this is live. We do usually pre-take these.
13:06I'm getting sniped all over. It's like, we can comfortably talk about our picks as long as we're right.
13:12Not next to each other. With this, it's not a safe space.
13:15No, no. Like worms taking Javante Williams. I got Messer Grimm taking all my favorite players.
13:20And then we like a lot of the same players.
13:23This is just, this is full pain, pain train, man.
13:26That's what this is. While we get another couple of picks going here.
13:29I want to announce the winner of the fantasy pros premium subscription giveaway.
13:33It is Tyler Radcliffe two, seven, nine, five. Please get in touch with us at mailbag at fantasy pros.com with your fantasy
13:40pros username and a screenshot of your YouTube account page.
13:42While logged in. Once we confirm it to you, we'll get you upgraded again.
13:47The winner, Tyler Radcliffe two, seven, nine, five. Congratulations to Tyler.
13:50All right. Let's recap some of the recent picks here.
13:53You go back to back receiver, Jamison Williams and Christian Watson.
13:56Pretty fun start. I got to say Bijan, Gentis, A Flowers, Jamison Williams, Christian Watson.
14:00I'm assuming Fitz is feeling pretty good. I do want to ask though, Pat, if you hadn't taken two running backs to
14:07start, would you have considered Jeremiah Love with a pick in the late fourth?
14:11Yes, absolutely. Thought he was great value to Nicholas where he got him.
14:15So yeah, that was phenomenal. And by the way, I just want to point out that I got Jamison Williams and Christian
14:21Watson in a home league last weekend. I got them at five Oh nine and six Oh four, much later than here where I had to take them.
14:29What? Four 11 and five Oh two. So I think that just shows that our, our users and followers are sharper than the guys in my home league.
14:37We, uh, it's, it's funny looking at just the four of us here on the stream.
14:42It's all running backs and receivers so far. None of us has taken one of the onesie positions at tight end or quarterback.
14:49I'm not totally surprised by that. Just think it's interesting.
14:51You wanted to point it out. I have a real need at receiver having taken three running backs already.
14:57I certainly can't go another one. So, uh, I will, uh, grip my teeth with the groin injury and take the upside of Luther burden.
15:04Erickson, we talked about being unable to kind of totally land on his ranking during our earlier discussion with, uh, with Nathan,
15:11but the upside clearly there, especially within the late fifth, I think.
15:14Yeah. I mean, you, or you can just drop Roman Danza instead.
15:18Well, that I, I did consider it. I looked at him.
15:21I said, you know what? I haven't taken enough Luther burden this year.
15:25I'll, uh, I'll go ahead and take him there.
15:27You go with Jonathan Brooks here in round five.
15:30That's a, that's one of the earlier picks that I've seen him in any of these mocks Erickson.
15:35Well, five 11. And I was considering pushing him past the turn, but looking behind me, I wasn't so sure that he
15:42would get, he would get past me. So I liked more of the receivers available to me.
15:47So I was like, okay, there I'll take Brooks earlier.
15:49So that I can pick up among these receivers.
15:52I liked Evans as an option. So he went, but I liked Carnell Tate.
15:56I just mentioned Roman dunes. That he could have been another guy would have considered depending on who was available.
16:02So that's which is why I pushed Brooks up a little bit to make sure that I got him.
16:07Cause I knew that the person behind me was probably going to take a running back Brooks over tootin is pretty spicy.
16:14Erickson. I know I was surprised by that. It's not that spicy.
16:17I mean, it's a similar type of bet. Like you, it's a little mid round running back.
16:22I mean, look, I know that you'll have didn't go to, uh, Kentucky with Dave Canales.
16:27I know that. So, I mean, I think it's a similar thing.
16:30I think it's a similar bet to make, and I'm just betting against Chuba Hubbard not being a hundred percent for week one.
16:37And Jonathan Brooks really taking over. Whereas Chris Rodriguez, like I love to, and I am a big fader of Chris Rodriguez, but I acknowledge week one.
16:45Like, yeah, it's probably going to be kind of a gross committee for week one.
16:49It might take some time. It is spicy based on real time ADP.
16:53It's about 20 spot difference in, in the latest real time ADP updates we have.
16:58But I think the case is interesting to make.
17:00Certainly. I did take Roman Duse, by the way.
17:03I just want to kind of make the point that like, normally I'm probably not going burden and new Duse back to back.
17:09But I, the reason I took burden and with the pick at five, 10, because I didn't have confidence that Rome was
17:16going to get back to me at the six Oh three.
17:19And so the fact that he did, I wanted to kind of just for the listeners show that I think Rome is
17:26a very good pick at six Oh three range.
17:28I'm really very in on him this year. Normally I probably wouldn't go back to back just trying to kind of, you
17:35know, in a vacuum, say what I would do at these picks here.
17:38Worm, you should draft Caleb Williams. Just collect all the bears.
17:42Dude, do you know their head coach wants to go more points than anyone else?
17:46I'm not saying it's bad. I was joking, but I was like, it's not terrible.
17:50That's a good thing. I'm now regretting not getting Colson Loveland.
17:53I mean, I really should have just. Oh man.
17:56All the bears all the time. You're going to switch your fandom.
18:00Well, he got taken before your pick. So that's not cool.
18:03He did. He went one before me. So I didn't have the chance.
18:07And yeah, Swift's already off the board too. So can't, can't take him.
18:10D bro. You go with Chris Godwin and DJ Moore as your two most recent picks here.
18:15Really like the more pick the middle of the fifth.
18:18Just, you know, number one guy. And we expect to be great offense.
18:22And then Godwin obviously, you know, has had the injury stuff, but you're just a very solid receiver.
18:27I was debating and wrestling so much with DJ Moore versus Parker Washington.
18:31I knew Grimm was right behind me and Parker wasn't going to come back.
18:35And when he always probably going to draft him, but staying true to my ranks.
18:39So I think DJ Moore is the new Stefan Diggs for the Buffalo Bills.
18:44So going with him there. And then my cue just got wiped out, man.
18:48Like I had Jadirian Price. My backup was maybe like a Diggs.
18:51Both those guys go right ahead of me. Like where I'm at in the draft and this team build.
18:57Chris Godwin is just an easy, like what? 120 targets guys.
19:00Like, so yeah, I'll take the volume. Erickson, let's get past it.
19:03But Cardinal Tate with your pick at 602. Not worried about the preseason performance, I guess.
19:08No, because it's preseason. And are you worried about Sam Ward at all?
19:12Because I am Erickson. Playing vanilla offenses, man. I, I trust.
19:15On the vanilla offense, Cam Ward can't get a pass.
19:18So it's kind of worrisome. It's it's preseason. It's I think we're reading too much into it, to be honest.
19:24And I think that you should be buying a top five wide receiver talent in Cardinal Tate.
19:29I love Cardinal Tate. That's what I mean, dude.
19:31Trust the talent, man. I think you're overthinking it.
19:34Just be honest. Like six round Cardinal Tate. Come on.
19:37I'm laughing. We got a comment here from Matthew.
19:39Debrose getting killed by his nemesis. Of course, the player person.
19:43Thank you, Graham. See you. I see you, Graham.
19:45Fitz, you've made a couple of picks here since I last said it to you.
19:50Travion Henderson and Harold Fannin. I want to hear about both of them.
19:53Fannin in particular, though, like I keep asking people are scared off by these situations.
19:58Deshaun Watson now officially the starter, at least for week one in Cleveland.
20:02That doesn't scare you off of Fannin? I would have preferred Shadur Sanders to be the starting quarterback there.
20:07The side said it all. Yeah. Yeah, the side.
20:10I do think Shadur is going to be starting before very long.
20:13And the other thing, like I'm close between Fannin and Tucker Craft.
20:17I already have Christian Watson, so I don't want to bombard the Packers past catchers.
20:21And Fannin, look, I mean, the guy in his final year at Bowling Green led college football in catches and receiving yardage as a tight end.
20:29Then he comes in and has a phenomenal rookie season for a bad team.
20:33Like this guy is just a monster. And I know he's getting held down a little bit by the quarterback play there.
20:39But no, Shadur made it work last year. And I think Shadur will make it work again once they finally bench Deshaun Watson.
20:46Does everybody agree that like this could be them naming Watson because if he sucks in the first two weeks, then when
20:52they get the home game in week three, Shadur is starting.
20:55Could be. And that's kind of how I'm reading this easier to sit Deshaun to go to Shadur midseason.
21:01Yeah, like if he sucks in week one and week two, it's just OK, well, you get benched.
21:06We go to Shadur. It's our first home game.
21:09So the boo birds don't have to come out when we get our first home game.
21:13That's what this kind of feels like to me.
21:16But maybe I'm wrong. I've had that thought, too.
21:19OK, good. I'm glad I'm not alone in this.
21:21So we're riding in the same crazy paddy wagon together.
21:24Yes, sir. And then Henderson fits. Yeah, I love taking him as a third running back because we saw the upside last
21:31year when Ramondre Stevenson was out and Travion Henderson was the RB three over the three weeks that Stevenson was sidelined.
21:37And then Henderson had two other multi touchdown games with Stevenson playing.
21:40I just think people are kind of. They've made up their minds that Ramondre is going to be the guy.
21:46Things don't always stay static in the NFL. We've seen that.
21:49And I mentioned that on an earlier segment. By the way, I probably would have waited another round in a real draft.
21:56But for the bit, I did want to make sure I got Caleb.
21:59So I do have the Infinity Stones. Oh, you leaned into the bit.
22:03Coming together here. See, if I had done that with a bunch of Ravens, I'd be getting accused of being a homer.
22:10But since I did for the bit. Well, because you would be.
22:13You'd be a homer. I mean. D-Row, your last two picks.
22:16Your couple of running backs. Rico Dowdle and Ja'Cory Kroski Merritt.
22:20What went into those? I mean, looking at my, you know, just kind of like with the depth chart and where we're at in this league.
22:27I mean, I've got three, four really good wide receivers.
22:30Feel like good volume bets. So at this point, I'm kind of trying to take some of these running backs.
22:36I feel like are like the end of a tier.
22:39I really want to Kenneth Gainwell in a full PPR setting, but he goes ahead of me.
22:44Dobbins could have been on the board, but I like I just want to shoot for the upside and kind of padding
22:50running back where I feel like I can backfill on wide receivers in the later rounds, like guys that were it's rookies
22:57and upside and injuries and stuff like that. We're running backs.
23:00It's a little bit harder to do that this year.
23:03Looking at some of the other picks this round, guys like Jordan Mason, Blake Corum goes to Fitz, Josh Downs, Michael Wilson,
23:09RJ Harvey, JK Dobbins, Waddell Robinson, PPR format. Makai Lemon to you, Erickson.
23:13I was probably going to take him with the next pick.
23:16So you did slight me on that one. You went back to back receivers with DK and Lemon.
23:21Yeah. Metcalf is going later than he's ever finished in his entire career.
23:25I get, I'm not excited about drafting him, but like there's a point where dude, it's a three wide receiver league.
23:31You got to get a guy that's going to be out there and can at least be somewhat productive.
23:37And he did play with Aaron Rodgers last year, had a couple of big weeks.
23:41So that's kind of the Metcalf sell just a value play.
23:44And then Lemon, I think that all of these rookie wide receivers are being undervalued.
23:49I mean, getting him in the eighth round, the first round pick getting Tate in the sixth round, first round pick.
23:55Like I don't need these guys to be gangbusters like a right away, but if they hit, they're going to dramatically beat
24:01their ADP and Lemon is practicing now. So he's healthy.
24:04He's ready to go. And he's a bench receiver with a lot of upside.
24:08To honor our country on its 250th birthday, this can of Copenhagen goes out to those defending the free American soil that
24:15our tobacco has taken root in for over two centuries and counting.
24:18Here's to the calloused hands of freedom. Copenhagen, saluting American grit, proven since 1822.
24:22Warning, this product is not a safe alternative to cigarettes.
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24:51You know the feeling. You make a pick in your fantasy draft and the entire room groans because they wanted that player.
24:57Or you grab a small school rookie off waivers and you start him right before he goes off and primetime.
25:03There's no better feeling than crushing your fantasy football league.
25:06I'm JJ Zacharyson, host of the Late Round Fantasy Football Podcast.
25:09Before your draft, our players to target and players to avoid episodes tell you exactly who to circle and who to cross off.
25:16We've got data-driven analysis, historical trends, and the strategies that separate winners from the rest.
25:20And your dominance doesn't stop with the draft. All season long, we have our 15 transactions, 10 trends, sleepers, and the mailbag.
25:27Data-driven, quick-hitting episodes to help bring home that league trophy.
25:30Listen to the Late Round Fantasy Football Podcast on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
25:36Fitz, I love the pick of Justin Herbert here at 9-0-2.
25:39I like Blake Corum a lot at 8-11. I think this is a really nice one to punch for you with your last two picks.
25:46Not to just, you know, compliment you since you're on the show here, but I thought those were really good.
25:52Thanks, Werm. I have resolved to get Corum in as many drafts as I can.
25:56I just think the upside is so enormous, whether it's him just being given a bigger role, possibly if Kyron gets hurt,
26:03Corum is a guy we're ranking probably as a top five running back every week.
26:07I mean, the Rams are going to have run-friendly game scripts all year with that Miles Garrett-led defense, I think.
26:13And no one's ever going to load the box against the Rams with Puka and Devontae on the field.
26:18So I just, Corum looked phenomenal last year. Like, I just think if he has the same role, he pays off on his ADP.
26:25But if they turn up the dials in his usage or if Kyron gets hurt, he has the ability to just smash this year.
26:32And yeah, Herbert this late feels like pretty good value.
26:35Yeah. If I, obviously, if I didn't already have Caleb, I would be all, have been all over Herbert earlier.
26:41Also, if I didn't already have Caleb, I would have strongly considered taking Trevor Lawrence here just to mess with Erickson.
26:47I considered it anyway, because I know he likes Lawrence so much, but obviously I had the quarterback.
26:52You go Mike Washington here, Erickson. And somebody you're looking to trade to Fitz as the Gentile manager.
26:58If this, we're playing this out. Yeah. It's you want to, I'll give you Mike Washington.
27:02You give me Zay Flowers. We see. Sounds fair.
27:05Sounds fair. I think it's fair. I heard Flowers is not going to score any touchdowns this year.
27:10It's actually, I looked at the sports books and Mark Andrews right now, his touchdown prop six and a half.
27:16Zay Flowers five and a half. I almost fell out of my chair.
27:20Wow. Wow. I'm still down for the bet. I mean, the sports books are with you, Warren.
27:25They agree. I am telling you that that's when plays break down.
27:28That's where Lamar is looking near the red zone.
27:31He's not looking at Zay. He can't find Zay.
27:33He's too short. No, no offense, but. Wow. Okay.
27:36That's a clippable moment. All right. I can hear.
27:39Yeah. Erickson, you do take Trevor Lawrence. You've talked about him a lot.
27:42Just the way he finished last year. He's one of your favorite kind of dark horse MVP bets.
27:48Very, very unsurprising pick by you. Yeah. So she's getting here in the 10th round.
27:52I think that this is a great. Time to pull the trigger on someone like Trevor Lawrence.
27:57I think the Herbert pick was really good by fits as well.
28:01I mean, the three quarterbacks I'm like honing in on trying to get anywhere between eight, nine, 10 are Caleb Williams, Justin Herbert and Trevor Lawrence.
28:08So if two of them are gone, then I got to, you know, be proactive and try to get that third one.
28:14Cause I do think that there is kind of a tear off just based on guys.
28:19I think it could be like the QB one overall.
28:22And not to say that. Cause QB really doesn't fall off too dramatically.
28:26Cause it's just so deep in general. I mean, you can get like Bo Nix in the 12th round.
28:31Probably is what we're going to see in this.
28:34He's been QB seven and back-to-back season. He just got Jamea Waddle.
28:37So that's what I'm always trying to tell people that asked me for advice for this year.
28:42It's like, just don't pay off quarterbacks. It's not worth it.
28:46Cause there's so many guys you can get, as you've already seen this draft play out.
28:50Jaden, Jaden Daniels in round eight. Like that's, that's insane to think about how high he was drafted last year.
28:56And now he's going around eight. No, there's like concerns with like the tackle, but still, I mean, he's going to run around.
29:03So yeah, late round quarterback. Yeah. I, I don't want to just like agree with you, but I have the same kind
29:09of three most drafted quarterbacks in Caleb Herbert and Lawrence.
29:12I just really liked that range of drafts right now to get quarterback.
29:16Obviously three of us on the show took those three guys.
29:19I took Caleb Fitz takes Herbert and you take Trevor Debro still without a quarterback here.
29:24You go tight end George Kittle. I think in the 10th round is like a real no brainer.
29:29You're playing for the season long upside. It'll be very, I think easy to find a late round tight end to fill
29:35in, you know, if, and when he's not back right away at the beginning of the season.
29:40Yeah. It's, it's just an upside shot. Like, I mean, I know that like a substation be damned.
29:46I have Christian McCaffrey and George Kittle. So everybody cross whatever you got for me.
29:50But yeah, I mean, look, if he starts off slow at the beginning of the year, it's too easy to, to grab
29:56like a Juwan Johnson adult and Schultz, like super late in, you're probably eking, eking by with like top 12 production until George Kittle is George Kittle.
30:04Hopefully. Debro, we have a question here from stuck in many of his mocks picking sixth in a 10 team PPR league with two flexes.
30:12I'm often trying to decide between Amin Ra or CMC.
30:14Why CMC for you? Because I think at that point, like Amin Ra, it's tough to envision him being like a top two wide receiver.
30:22It could happen, but he was off the board in this draft for what it's worth.
30:26He did go one pick. Yeah. But yeah, you still have CMC.
30:30Yeah. But like looking at just like who could be top two at their position, we've seen Christian McCaffrey.
30:35If he's healthy, again, it's a binary decision. If he's healthy, he's a top two back.
30:40If he's not, you're screwed. Amin Ra, it's harder to make that, that kind of bed of like, can he be a top two wide receiver?
30:48Maybe, but like Laporta and Jamo, they stay healthy touchdowns.
30:51Gibbs scores 18, 20 touchdowns this year. Then it's harder to see that for Amin Ra.
30:55So, by the way, I did get past Debra.
30:58You took Casey Concepcion. You like him better than Denzel Boston right now.
31:02I mean, you, you have liked both. I love it.
31:05Yeah. I love, I love both. I mean, it really, honestly, I think the, the answer is to just draft both of
31:11them and let the Browns figure it out. I think Casey's going to be the higher volume player, especially like closer to
31:17where, whether he's getting like design touches, the underneath stuff.
31:20I think he does finish with more targets and a little bit less like quarterback concerns, considering probably what we see out of the usage from Casey.
31:28He's probably more quarterback resistant than Boston is. Agreed.
31:31Fitz, you go with a couple of receivers with your most two recent picks, Romeo Dobbs and Xavier Worthy feels to me.
31:37Well, maybe you disagree. I was going to say it feels like maybe one's more of a floor, maybe one's more of a ceiling.
31:44How do you see it? I do see it that way, but I just, I needed wide receiver depth.
31:50I only had three receivers to that point. And why not take the number two receivers for two pretty good quarterbacks, Drake
31:56May and Patrick Mahomes worthy was, had that friendly fire shoulder injury when he collided with Travis Kelsey in week one last
32:02year, only missed three games, but I felt like he was never right.
32:06And what we saw from him down the stretch in his rookie year, granted Rasheed Rice was hurt, but he was pretty
32:13electric for like the chief's last eight games or so.
32:16If you include their playoff stretch. So I want to see what he can do healthy.
32:20Unfortunately, he's not fully healthy right now. D bro.
32:23You get Dallas Goddard who, by the way, even aside from having somebody to cover you with Kittle early in the season,
32:29I think it's also just a pretty good pick here.
32:32You know, there was a report earlier today about, um, you know, Eli Stauer is maybe going to be inactive, uh, early
32:39on here to start the season on game day.
32:41So, uh, Goddard feels like a pretty good value.
32:44Yeah. I bumped Goddard up in my ranks a little bit, uh, after that report came out and it's, I mean, that's really just a continuation.
32:51What we've seen in training camp, Eli Stowers, this is kind of a play for next year for the Philadelphia Eagles.
32:57Looks like it's going to be a red shirt season for him.
33:01So Goddard, I do not expect like, you know, double digit touchdowns, but can he be the, with the clear number two
33:07target, uh, in this passing attack, it's definitely possible.
33:10Reminder for everybody that right after fantasy fest wraps here on YouTube, head over to twitch.tv slash fantasy pros for the fantasy fest after party.
33:17We'll be running two mock drafts against the audience and giving away a $50 fantasy pros store card to one lucky winner
33:24after each draft, come draft with us, talk fantasy and keep the fest going over on Twitch.
33:29All right. I am on the clock here. I kind of want to take a Mark Andrews.
33:34Yeah. You know what? I will. We're leading so much worm.
33:37Why not? Yeah. We're leading. Are you actually going to draft Mark Andrews this year?
33:41Yeah. I was way more interested. I thought he was a really good redraft late round tight end earlier in the summer.
33:48I have been scared off by the training camp and it, he does seem kind of cooked.
33:53Can I help you make the case for Mark Andrews form?
33:56Please. I need some help. Please help him. Like over Lamar Jackson's, uh, tenure as a starter where Ravens tight ends have
34:02ranked in the league as far as percentage of team targets.
34:05It's like top five every year. And now Isaiah likely is gone.
34:09So if Mark Andrews is not in fact washed, I think he's going to have a pretty good season.
34:14He could be washed, but if he's not, and if he is washed, worm just drops him and streams tight end.
34:20Yeah. If he, if he's washed, then yes, none of this matters.
34:24But if he's not like Declan Doyle coming from an offense that used a lot of multiple tight end groupings, the Ravens
34:30don't have multiple tight ends to compete with Mark Andrews.
34:33Like he's going to get as many of the tight end targets as he can handle.
34:38Hibner's not going to do anything in your way.
34:41I know. Hibner says hi and has entered the chat.
34:43Yes. He's leaning into the bit. And again, again, when things break down Lamar, since training camp of his rookie season, Lamar
34:50has looked to Mark Andrews in these situations. Yeah, but that's when he wasn't cooked.
34:54That's the big difference. It could be the case.
34:57I, I'm not going to let a bad preseason, you know, reporting be the reason that I think he was bad last year.
35:04Like this isn't, this is like, yeah, but there was like, there was like the car accident stuff and the year back,
35:10but the year back from the devastating ankle. I'm just saying like, there's been kind of stuff in recent seasons.
35:16I am not going to hold it against him that he had a down year in this season where there was like
35:22terror, really bad injuries that Lamar was fighting through.
35:25The offensive line was bad. It was just kind of a bad year for the Ravens offense in general.
35:30I'm not going to let that be the reason that I think he's completely done.
35:35And they don't, they sneaky don't have that many options.
35:38What about the fact that Zach arts had more yak than he did last year?
35:42Zach, I can't force a missed tackle to save his life.
35:45I don't understand the comment and I won't respond to it.
35:48D bro. You finally get your quarterback here. Jackson dart in the middle of round 12.
35:53I mean, just speaking to the point about quarterbacks again, I leaned into the bit with taking Caleb where I did, but
35:59like pretty still on the board here in round 13.
36:02So many good quarterbacks left Stafford golf. Kyler Malik Willis, a guy that we all love as a potential upside pick.
36:08I like Jordan love. I mean, like just so many options here.
36:12It's just so many quarterbacks, man. Like, I mean, really, it's just pick your favorite flavor.
36:17Like I love dark. Cause if you take the time when he was a starter and take out the one freaking game,
36:23when he scored one fantasy point, he was outscoring Josh Allen on a point per game basis.
36:28So yeah, give me the rushing. Totally fine with it.
36:31Take it. Taking the swing on him here. Even if Matt Aggie is Matt and Aggie.
36:36Fitz, your last two picks, both running backs with some upside.
36:39If the guy in front of them goes down, tank Bigsby and Emmett Johnson.
36:43Throwing some late round darts. I heard Eagles beat writer, Brooks Kubina of the athletics say the other day, he thinks tank
36:49Bigsby is going to play a bigger role in their offense this season.
36:53And I just, it's a good offense. And then Emmett Johnson, I think if anything happened to Kenneth Walker, he would be the guy.
37:00Yeah. I, that Johnson one. I really like, yeah, he would have been a target for me.
37:05If I, you know, if he fell to me later in that round, Erickson, I really like Terrence Ferguson here.
37:11He's somebody that I've talked to quite a bit.
37:13I know Fitz likes him a lot as well.
37:16We've talked about him a ton on the dynasty show, but in redraft too, I think with your last second to last
37:22pick that it's a, it's a good upside swing to take.
37:26And Devante Adams, another year older, Huka Nakua has had off field stuff and the occasional injuries, you know, stuff going on in season.
37:33There's a world where I think Ferguson is like a top three target earner in this offense without those guys getting hurt
37:39and where he's top two, if they, if they are not on the field for any reason.
37:44Yeah. There's a lot of fragility with this week one Rams 49ers game where it's a long travel.
37:49You have two teams that are a bit top heavy when it comes to age of their star players.
37:55And you could see these teams both reaching into the depth really, really early on.
37:59And from what I read from Terrence Ferguson, he's playing all over the formation and he would not be going in the
38:0613th round if he was Rams wide receiver three and not tight end four on the depth chart.
38:11So I think that he could see a uptick in usage if Adams or Pukenakua missed time.
38:16And he might be more like deployed as like the actual wide receiver three in this offense and not again, like his tight end designation suggests.
38:23D bro. I, my last two picks, Pat Bryant and Jalen Noel, a couple of picks after Noel goes off the board.
38:30Tank Dell goes to what are you doing with the receivers in this Houston receiving room with Jaden Higgins's injury?
38:35Uh, I'm targeting Nico, I bumped Nico up my ranks.
38:38And so he's come become a little bit more of a priority for me.
38:42Uh, I think Kayshawn booty is going to be the guy playing in two wide receiver sets.
38:47So outside of those two guys and Dalton Schultz, I don't really have a lot of like, I'm not, I'm not drafting
38:54tanked tank Dell because he hasn't even practiced in full yet guys.
38:57Like I don't think we see tank Dell this year.
39:00And Jalen Noel, like I just worry that Nick Kaley is going to be Nick Kaley and Noel's not going to be a full-time player again this year.
39:08So it's kind of like Nico Schultz, maybe some Kayshawn booty and best ball and pass that kept me out.
39:14And by the way, booty goes off the board a couple of picks before I took Noel.
39:19So all three of those guys go within the span of about six picks here.
39:24Fitz your last pick, Jalen McMillan. Is he a target for you late in drafts?
39:28Not necessarily the running or the wide receiver. Uh, pile was pretty well picked through and just a guy who I think could maybe emerge.
39:35I just don't know if Chris Godwin is ever going to be the same after that gruesome injury he had in 2024.
39:42If a Buka who's already got injury problems, if he's banged up, maybe McMillan pops.
39:46And then Erickson, before we get to sort of the analysis here at the end of the draft on the draft analyzer
39:52page, I'd skip past it, but Jacoby lane. So this is one where you are leaning into some of the training camp
39:59hype and just what he's done here so far in August.
40:02Is he somebody that you think can make an impact in year one?
40:06I have no idea. The training camps would suggest so.
40:09He was just the highest guy left on my board, really.
40:12And that's just kind of why I took him.
40:14And I didn't need more running backs just based on the way that I built my roster.
40:19I already had two tight ends. Didn't want to draft another quarterback.
40:23So he just kind of fit it. And I think it's a wait and see type of thing.
40:28The reports could all be wrong. And this is a guy who had a 33% contested cart contested catch rate and target
40:35rate in college, which doesn't tend to translate well to the NFL when guys are on you much harder than they are in the college level.
40:42But Hey, maybe the reports are true and he is going to ball and he's going to have a big role.
40:48And he's the reason why Mark Andrews has catchy touchdowns.
40:51And it's Jacoby lane that it's double digit touchdown because of what he can do with a big body in the red zone.
40:58So I think it's worth getting information. I think that's one of the biggest things you want to do with your late
41:04round picks is draft them with some idea that after week one, you're going to get clarity on them, whether you're right or wrong.
41:11Cause the last thing you want to do is hold onto someone that is just dead weight for four weeks where at
41:18least with one player, like if Lane goes out and just totally bombs like, okay, well clearly this guy ain't it.
41:24I can move on, find something else. I did notice that earlier today, Lamar compared him to both Odell Beckham Jr.
41:30And Deandre Hopkins in terms of making Lord is come on.
41:33That that's certainly not going to put any pressure on the day two receiver.
41:37That's craziness. Yeah. I'm sorry. I mean, I mean, hopefully he's cause they're playing the Colts in week one.
41:43So if he gets sauce and Zay flowers doing more slot stuff, then he's probably screwed.
41:47He's got to get ready to make some contested catches cause he's going to have a quarterback all over him.
41:53Yep. Let let's break down this mock draft. I'm looking at my team here, the expert opinions, two guys who give me
42:00a thumbs down Seth Wilcock and Derek Brown. So the workers are not a fan of my Jonathan Taylor, Len McConkie, Bears receivers, picks.
42:07None of you guys giving me a thumbs up.
42:09So that's highly discouraging here on that one. Checking out the pick analysis on my team as well.
42:14It actually didn't like the Devon Achan pick. It would have rather than see me take Drake London there.
42:20It would have bumped me up here in the power rankings and take a running back later.
42:25I do think receiver is sort of the weak spot of my team, given that I've ladden the two Bears guys and
42:31then a pretty steep drop off there. But I feel really strong at running back.
42:36I'm happy with QB and tight end elsewhere. So, you know, would have to navigate receiver for playing out this league.
42:42But I sort of agree with the system saying that that was a problem.
42:46And maybe if I'd known I was going to get Javante in round four, then maybe I would have been more inclined
42:52to take Nico or Drake London there in round two.
42:55By the way, in terms of where folks finished in the standings, Nicholas number one, Axel number two, Fitz, you were down
43:02at six, Debro at seven, myself at nine, and Erickson at 11, right?
43:05He was drafting from Debro. What is the analyzer telling you about your team?
43:09I'm on brand. I gave myself a 95. Scotty Bogman, love to see it, gave me a 90.
43:15So shout out to Bogman. And it was telling me, so it's pick analysis is telling me that if I'd have gone
43:21JSN and Quinshawn Judkins over CMC and Chris Godwin, I'd have another 40 points.
43:25I kind of like the CMC and Chris Godwin.
43:28I just, and maybe I'm wrong, guys. Like I'm, I really do not want to draft Judkins where he goes, like investing in the Browns offense.
43:35I'd much rather do that at cost for the wide receivers than the running back.
43:40But maybe I'm wrong. Fitz, how's yours looking? Yeah, it was interesting that in expert opinions, I mean, every time I do
43:46a mock draft show, Lou Brunson of Optimist Fantasy Football hates me.
43:50You just like, I get worse. He hates me too.
43:53Yeah, he hates me. Also, my guy, Adam Murph from England.
43:56Totally. He gave me the lowest grade of anyone while tied with Lou.
44:00And look who's here. My fifth lowest grade, Derek Brown.
44:02Love you, Patty. I love you, Patty. That makes me feel better about him hating mine.
44:07Yeah, Debro looked at my selections of Jameson Williams, Travion Henderson, and Harold Fannin, and a big fart noise.
44:13I can. I definitely lower on all three of those guys.
44:16So, yeah. Interestingly, the pick analysis, the one that would have netted me the best team score, is if instead of taking
44:22Ashton Gentey, 2-11, and Jameson Williams, 4-11, if I had made that George Pickens at 2-11 and Jeremiah Love at 4-11.
44:28Do you agree with that, Fitz? Because I know we said during the draft that you would have taken Love there if
44:35you didn't have the two running backs early. Yeah, I mean, I do see the point there.
44:40I do have Pickens ranked well ahead of J-Mo.
44:42And not that big a gap between Gentey and Love for Me anymore now that Gentey is dealing with his injury.
44:48Yeah. Erickson, what's the analyzer showing you? He gave me a D+.
44:52So, that's not great. Don't love that. Because I drafted a lot of rookies.
44:56I mean, I drafted Mike Washington. Instead, I drafted him my four rounds ahead of his ADP.
45:01Because his ADP is not really settled in here.
45:04So, took a risk there. Drafted the analyzer doesn't like that.
45:07Seth Bocock gave me an 85. So, shout out, Seth.
45:10Let's go. My boy over on the Betting Pro Show.
45:13Just continuing to step up today. Gotta love that.
45:15I give myself a 92. Lou Brunson hates my draft as well.
45:19Kyle Soap from Pro Football Network 55. A lot of James Cook haters in here.
45:23Some Garrett Wilson haters. So, yeah. You know, there's hate out there.
45:27But, hey. I'm here for it. You know, whatever.
45:29It's cool. It's cool. Pick analysis. Drake London instead of Ken Walker.
45:33And then Brian Robinson Jr. Instead of Jacoby Lane.
45:35I think it's kind of interesting. I think that a lot of our build, it was suggesting that we should have drafted
45:42receivers instead of running backs based on how running backs ended up going.
45:46Which I think is kind of interesting. I think I actually like more of what it's suggesting here a little bit farther down.
45:52More of this 2v2. Where Drake London, Brees Hall versus Ken Walker and Tetaroa McMillan.
45:57Which I think is probably more of a discussion that I think that I don't disagree with.
46:02I mean, the Drake London thing is just a matter of like, well, it's hard to have a ton of confidence.
46:08Because I'm like, who's the quarterback even going to be on this team?
46:11Right? Right? Like, so like, I feel where with Ken Walker, man, like, I know exactly what I'm getting.
46:17I feel very confident about what the expectation is or what I'm going to get from Ken Walker as a fringe top
46:2312 running back at worst if he is healthy.
46:26Whereas Drake London, I think he's got major splits with Michael Penix Jr.
46:30versus Tua as his quarterback. The Falcons offense to me, just, it seems fragile.
46:34And that's not something I want to invest in when it comes to a player like a Drake London dressing on his quarterback.
46:41So I prefer Ken Walker there. But Brees Hall versus T-Mac, I think is, I can go either way depending on if I need running back.
46:48Obviously in this scenario, I need the wide receiver more.
46:51But I could have done something that you did, Worm, where you drafted three running backs kind of off the rip.
46:57And just had one in your flex spot. It is interesting to me that three of the guys on this show, me,
47:04Erickson, and Fitz, went running back, running back in the first two rounds.
47:07All three of us had pick analysis recommend that we had taken a receiver in round two instead of that second running back.
47:14You know, for me, it was London over A-chan.
47:17For Erickson, it was London over Walker. For Fitz, it was Pickens over Gentie.
47:21But it did not like the running back, running back start.
47:24I have quite liked the running back, running back starts generally.
47:27I don't think I did a very good job at receiver later on in this draft.
47:32But generally speaking, I really liked those starts. So I don't disagree in the way it panned out in this one because
47:38I just didn't get as many receivers back to me as I had hoped.
47:42But generally speaking, I do still really like the running back, running back start.
47:46So it's interesting that the analysis is kind of disagreeing there.
47:50Let's wrap up thoughts on the mock draft and answer a couple of questions before we get out of here.
47:55Just kind of final thoughts from the mock drafting experience, Fitz.
47:59It feels like it's always harder when we're going against our listeners because they know everything we want to be doing.
48:05Yeah, our listeners and users always do a great job.
48:08Yeah, like I thought I'm looking at this Nicholas team, the team that, you know, was just staring at it too.
48:14The draft wizard said killed it. Absolutely nailed it.
48:16And he gets off to kind of a zero RB start with Jamar Chase, George Pickens, Devontae Smith.
48:22Still manages to backfill running back with Jeremiah Love and DeAndre Swift.
48:25And Jordan Mason later, who's probably the RB1 in Minnesota, gets Jalen Hurts in the seventh round.
48:30Pretty good value there to stack with Devontae Smith.
48:33And the one place where Nicholas kind of cut corner was a tight end.
48:37Still winds up with Juwan Johnson, who's basically right at least for the first several weeks of the season, the number two
48:43target in a very fast paced New Orleans Saints offense.
48:46I love Nicholas's draft. Just can I also give Nicholas a shout out for the ballsiness of going Jamar Chase over Bajon Robinson and Jameer Gibbs.
48:54I feel like that's very ballsy. Like, I'm not against it.
48:57I just have to point it out. I'm planning with Jeremiah Love and DeAndre.
49:01Yeah, no, like this is a really good team.
49:04Like I was just staring at this really good team.
49:06If I were him after that start, I would have taken Derek Henry at the 2-3 turn, who was the only one
49:13of those running backs who was still there. He's the only running back that went in the third round.
49:18Like I, if I, if I'm not starting with Bajon and Gibbs would take one of those top 11 or 12 running
49:25backs that they get back to me. But you're right.
49:28He managed to get away with not doing that.
49:30The last time we did a mock that was three receivers starting at 12 team PPR, I did take Jamar Chase number one also.
49:37I'm very on board with this. I view the top three as very interchangeable in my opinion.
49:42Any of those three, I would totally be on board with somebody going with.
49:46And if I'm picking third, I'm just thrilled to get one of those three.
49:50Like I do think Chase belongs in the 101 conversation in a PPR 12 team starting three receiver format.
49:56So it's ballsy based on the rankings, but I'm super on board with this and have in fact done this in mocks.
50:02Do you have any kind of final thoughts in the mock?
50:06I mean, I feel good about my team. I was just kind of looking over teams.
50:10I thought it was very interesting when you were talking about earlier about pick analysis that it told me as we're going
50:17JSN over CMC would have been the move. Just looking over some of the teams here, I think Justin Jefferson making it
50:23into the first round is very interesting. AJ Brown getting into the first round of this mock is very interesting, but I
50:29like a lot of the team builds, man. This is a fun one.
50:33I really like Axel's team to Puka. If the quarterback situation is right for Drake London, then you're getting Puka, London, Derek
50:40Henry, Lamar Jackson, Scadaboo, Judkins, Tucker Craft in the seventh.
50:42I really Jonah Coleman in the 11th was a pick I really liked from Axel as well.
50:47So I thought Axel there. I think they were projected in a second.
50:51I think I love his running back stable. It's just the hammers, Derek Henry, Cam Scadaboo, Quinshawn Judkins.
50:56It's just pure power. A lot of high T volume.
50:59Yes, sir. Erickson, final thoughts on the mock? I like Pat Fitzmorris's draft.
51:03I like it a lot. Zay Flowers, JMO, Christian Watson hitting on these breakout wide receivers in the middle rounds.
51:09I mean, Bijan, Ashton, Gentty. I mean, imagine that start a couple weeks ago.
51:13Now, obviously, it's because of the injury, but if Gentty figures out to be healthier than expectation, then this is a steal for Fitzy here.
51:20So I like that. Blake Corm, I agree with as league winning upside.
51:24If anything were to happen to Kyron Williams getting him in the eighth round, and then Justin Herbert icing on the cake in round nine.
51:31Chef's case. Let's answer a couple of these questions before we get out of here.
51:36I think the Twitch after party is starting a couple minutes, so we'll do a minute or two of these questions.
51:42Let those guys get ready, and then we'll send you all over there from by Dougie.
51:47Picking at the 12th spot in this draft, appreciate you joining us.
51:50Just want to say thank you to Fantasy Pros.
51:53I've won so many leagues because of y'all. Just want to say thank you again for helping us peasants play fantasy football.
51:59We would not phrase it that way, but we are happy for the support and are thrilled to be able to help you.
52:06So glad to hear that you've won some leagues with our help.
52:09Question here from Nate. I asked Andrew earlier, but at the 109 in a 10-man league PPR, one QB, two running back,
52:16three receiver, one tight end, two flex. Am I crazy to go Chase Brown or Cook at the 109 and then A.J.
52:22Brown in the second? Erickson? I think I said that's not crazy and that when you're drafting two league winners, it doesn't matter what you paid.
52:30Deaver, what do you think about that? Chase Brown or James Cook at the 109 and then A.J.
52:35Brown in the second? Yeah, I'm totally in on that.
52:38Love all three of those players. I'm drafting them a ton this year.
52:42I'm super on board too. Do you prefer Cook to Chase Brown, Deaver?
52:45Yeah, I've got Cook. I mean, legit, they're RB4 and RB5 for me, so it's back-to-back.
52:50And Fitz, what do you think? I would prefer the combination of Cook or Chase Brown with Brock Bowers over A.J.
52:56Brown, but otherwise, I don't mind it. Not how our mock we just did play it out, but yes, in ADP, those
53:03guys are fairly close to each other. By the way, it says Deaver and others, I think you've mentioned after a certain
53:09round, you start putting floor to the side and just go all out for upside-type players.
53:14Where do you generally start to employ that strategy in the draft, Debra?
53:17I mean, I'm swinging for upside at every round of the draft, but especially the late rounds.
53:22That's where doing a lot of the mocks and stuff like that, where contextualizing upside and projections and things like that is very tough to do.
53:30So I understand it, but looking at guys where Dejan Stribblings of the world, all those other guys versus some boring veterans
53:36where you're just like, okay, what's the real upside if everything hits here?
53:40I'm definitely leaning upside because that's the picks that can flip your league and take your team from being kind of middle
53:47of the road to being one of the best.
53:49Erickson, where do you start looking at upside? I think it's kind of that round 7, 8, 9 range, kind of like
53:56where you start to see late-round quarterbacks because that's the thing.
53:59You can take shots on a lot of these upside skill players because you don't need to worry about quarterbacks because, you
54:05know, I can get Bo Nix in round 13.
54:08I can get someone with my last pick round 14.
54:11I can get Brock Purdy. So if you are abiding by the late-round quarterback strategy, that gives you an extra round where
54:17I can reach on a Mike Washington or a rookie that I'm really excited about, just the head of ADP to make
54:23sure that I get him, a Dejan Stribbling or whatever type of pick.
54:27So I think round 7 is when I start to maybe go a little bit more aggressive off of my board.
54:33Not to say that I don't disagree with Debra where I think that you should be shooting for upside with almost all
54:40of your picks, but I think where you can get off the board because that's where the return kind of gets flat, right?
54:46In the beginning rounds, that's where things are most correlated to the ADP.
54:50Whereas once you get to like round 7, 8, 9, like all those rounds look the same.
54:55When we go back and look at the draft in retrospect, they're like, oh yeah, like the round 11 picks all produced like the round 8 picks.
55:03Something like along those lines. Fitz, let's squeeze in two last questions here.
55:07One, thoughts on Marvin Harrison Jr. based on the price right now in real-time ADP.
55:11He's at wide receiver 31, about the 74th overall pick.
55:14And that's right where I am. And I feel like he's this firewall between like, I really like the top 30 receivers.
55:21I really have some sort of misgiving about everyone below 30 or 31.
55:24And Marvin is kind of right on that fence for me.
55:28I do like it at the price. I want to see him in a more functional environment, which maybe he won't have this year.
55:35But before I totally write him off from this elite prospect that we really liked, Debro, where are you at on Harrison right now?
55:42I just find myself drafting a lot of other people because I feel like, and this is, I was actually kind of
55:48quietly surprised whenever I wrote him up for the top 200, like how good he was last year.
55:53I think it's kind of a coin flip between him and Michael Wilson, Trey McBride.
55:58I just overall, it's not, it's just not an offense I want to invest in this year.
56:02The Cardinals had more pass attempts and more sacks than any other team.
56:06So way more dropbacks than anyone else. And they just down to, they just drafted a running back third overall.
56:12Yeah. Yeah. I think the dropbacks in the, in the passing attempts go down this year, even if they are trailing.
56:18Like part of me feels like, cause if Marvin Harrison Jr.
56:21had stayed healthy last year, he probably would have had like some monster games like Michael Wilson.
56:26And then he would have gone way higher this season.
56:29And maybe the fact that he's wide receiver there one is saving us from overdrafting him because I think that might end
56:36up happening as a player that had a monster year or two, but it didn't happen because he was banged up.
56:42And the changes in the Arizona Cardinals offense, I think is really key.
56:46So I'm agreeing with, with Fitz. Basically I have him ranked where his ADP is wide receiver 31, but I just don't
56:52get really excited about drafting him rather going a different direction for the most part.
56:56To the Harrison stuff. Like I kind of feel like what's the point in paying up for a Marvin Harrison Jr.
57:02Or a Michael Wilson when I can just draft the Casey Katsepsi on our Denzel Boston later, like both really talented wide receivers, quarterback play offensive touchdowns.
57:10We're worried about, okay, well I can just take one of the two talented rookies.
57:15Same similar type of situation. Just rounds later. Like why pay up for them?
57:19I guess I don't view it as paying up because I don't like some of the players around where Harrison's going as much.
57:25I really agree with Fitz in that to me, the guys ahead of Harrison to me absolutely should be ahead of him in the wide receiver rankings.
57:33And the guys behind him should absolutely be behind him for the most part.
57:37So it really comes down to like guys at other positions in that range.
57:41Like Herbert's right there in real-time ADP. If I didn't have a quarterback yet, I would love that over Harrison.
57:47Some of these other names like Jalen Warren, Harold Fannin with the question mark.
57:51You should take Carnal Tate. Tate is the one where I go back and forth on those two as like they're that 31, 32.
57:58Those are the two. You got to take Carnal Tate, baby.
58:02Come on. Those are literally the two. But everybody's better.
58:04Cam Ward. Kyle Pitts. No, those are the two that I'm right between.
58:08All right. I did promise two questions instead of one.
58:11So this will be the final question here. Let's do – in Dynasty, do you think it's a good idea to sell Stribbling based on all this hype?
58:19And what could you get for him in – again, talking about Dynasty here.
58:23This question from Ben. D-Bro? If you can get a 27 first, do it.
58:27Oh, no, no, no, no. Someone would have to be lobotomized to give up a 2027 first for Deshaun.
58:33It's happening. I've seen it. The first thing you can say is no.
58:37I would make it. I would take a 2027 second for him.
58:40Fitz much more willing to move off of there.
58:43Erickson, what do you think? The hype is heavy.
58:46Oh, come on. I would hit up the owner of Jordan Tyson, of Jaden Higgins, of any of these teams that lost
58:52a wide receiver that may need one. Like, hey, you want a sexy rookie receiver, all the hype, all the buzz that
58:58commanded a 15% target share in the SEC? Like, you want this guy?
59:02And see what happens. Maybe they'll throw you late first, Fitz.
59:0512. What about that? Yeah, I mean, even if I could get a 28 first, like, fine.
59:10Just whatever. Like, I'm fine. Could you get Brian Thomas Jr.?
59:13His stock is pretty low right now. Maybe. Just pray that he gets traded to a different team.
59:19I don't think it's a stable or BTJ straight up.
59:22Oh, BTJ. Did you see the murderous row of cornerbacks that BTJ has to face?
59:26Yeah. That price point's going down, bro. You could get that deal in week five, probably.
59:31Yeah. You get BTJ and a plus. In week seven.
59:34Or you can't wait too long because it's going to be like, he's on the trade block.
59:38And then people are going to get, oh, I got to hold him and see if he gets traded.
59:44Calling it now. Week nine of this season. Brian Thomas Jr.
59:47is going to be the poster boy of every single Bilo article written in the fantasy industry.
59:52It's going to happen. Yeah. All right. We will go ahead and wrap things up there.
59:57We are just wrapping up the YouTube segments of this.
60:00The after party is continuing. It's actually already started over on Twitch.
60:03So I'd highly encourage everybody to head to twitch.tv slash fantasy pros.
60:07They are doing some more mock drafts over there.
60:09Chance to win a gift card to the fantasy pro store in those.
60:13So definitely would recommend everybody go check that out for the YouTube side of things.
60:18Thank you so much to everybody involved. I'm going to forget some, somebody's name.
60:22So I'm not going to try to read every guest who was on today, but to all of the wonderful guests who
60:28came on, thank you so much to the fantasy pros internal team here.
60:32Myself, Erickson, Fitz, Debro, Welsh, Seth hopping in, Seth behind the scenes, the other Seth, Seth D doing a great job producing this entire stream.
60:39Callie, John, Ethan on the graphics. I mean, again, just absolutely everybody who had a hand in this.
60:44And most importantly, we thank you, the listeners and everybody who watched this, whether you watch for two minutes or for the full four hours here on YouTube.
60:52We are so, so, so grateful and really appreciative of your time and your interest.
60:57And hopefully we can help you win some fantasy leagues or at least, at least make some smarter picks here and there.
61:03That's, that's really all the goal is at the end of the day here.
61:07So if you, if you somehow have other questions that we didn't get to throughout this four hours stream, please hit us
61:14up on social media, go to discord where these guys are all really active answering questions.
61:18Obviously the next few weeks is the height of draft season.
61:22So they're going to be on their fantasy pros.com slash chat as much as humanly possible.
61:26Like I said, or social media or any of the other shows we have going on.
61:31Thanks to everybody, both in front of the camera and behind the scenes for all of them.
61:36And for you, I'm Ryan warmly. We'll see you again next time.
61:39Thanks for listening to the fantasy pros fantasy football podcast.
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