Josh Jacobs Update, Roster Cuts, and the Biggest QB Fantasy Questions with Nate Tice
STACKED extracted the fantasy-relevant player signal from this podcast and kept the full transcript here for context.
54 min
Duration
Estimated from transcript
Aug 31, 2026
Published
Mon, August 31, 2026
20
Player insights
19
Players mentioned
Topics
Jayden DanielsBaker MayfieldBucky IrvingChigoziem OkonkwoDontayvion WicksJadarian PriceJalen HurtsJordyn TysonJosh AllenJosh JacobsKenneth GainwellKenneth Walker IIIKyler MurrayMark Redman
Player analysis
Player insights
Baker Mayfield
NegativeProjection46:45
Nate Tice projects Baker Mayfield as a mid-tier quarterback (around QB10), noting that while the offensive line is a strength, Mayfield's performance last year was buoyed by luck and he now faces a receiving corps with significant question marks.
Insight pageBucky Irving
PositiveValue48:25
Nate Tice is buying low on Bucky Irving, noting that despite injury concerns, the team's willingness to play him in the preseason suggests physical optimism, and he expects the offense to be more balanced.
Insight pageChigoziem Okonkwo
PositiveSleeper40:24
Matthew Berry likes Chigoziem Okonkwo as a sleeper, noting that Jayden Daniels has a history of utilizing tight ends and that Okonkwo is a great fit for the offense.
Insight pageDontayvion Wicks
PositiveSleeper43:06
Matthew Berry identifies Dontayvion Wicks as a sneaky sleeper for the upcoming season.
Insight pageJadarian Price
PositiveBreakout20:52
Matthew Berry has moved Price above Marshawn Lloyd in his rankings. Nate Tice notes that the Seahawks are 'steaming him up' and that Price has a legitimate chance to claim the lead running back role during Charbonnet's absence.
Insight pageJalen Hurts
PositiveProjection40:38
Matthew Berry remains in on Jalen Hurts as a QB6, expecting him to remain an elite fantasy option due to the 'tush push' and a shift toward a more pass-heavy offense, despite concerns about the loss of A.J. Brown and a new offensive scheme.
Insight pageJayden Daniels
NegativeValue37:33
Nate Tice views Daniels as appropriately priced at his current ADP (68th overall). While he acknowledges Daniels' high fantasy scoring potential when active, he expresses concern regarding the team's offensive line injuries and overall uncertainty.
Insight pageNegativeProjection39:00
Matthew Berry is pessimistic about the Commanders' offense, citing concerns over the offensive line coach's college background, the quarterback's history of taking sacks, and injury risks, despite acknowledging Daniels' potential for occasional blow-up games.
Insight pageJordyn Tyson
PositiveSleeper29:10
Matthew Berry identifies Tyson as a great late-round stash for IR spots, projecting he will have a significant fantasy impact in the second half of the season.
Insight pageJosh Allen
NegativeValue33:43
Allen is the consensus QB1, but his mid-third-round ADP makes him pricey for some analysts. Nate Tice notes that while he is a good pick, the depth of the position allows for waiting, and he prefers to either draft a QB early or late.
Insight pageJosh Jacobs
NegativeValue14:06
Matthew Berry has moved Josh Jacobs down to RB52 (150th overall) and considers him 'somewhat undraftable' following his placement on the commissioner exempt list. Berry and Nate Tice both express pessimism regarding Jacobs' availability for the season, citing the NFL's proactive move to place him on the list before a legal ruling or public video release as a negative indicator. Berry warns that there is a wide range of outcomes, including the possibility that Jacobs does not play at all this season, and advises drafting him only if your league rules allow for stashing suspended players in IR or NA spots.
Insight pageKenneth Gainwell
PositiveValue50:18
Matthew Berry likes Kenneth Gainwell as a flex option in 12-team leagues, despite Nate Tice noting that the market may have devalued him slightly.
Insight pageKenneth Walker III
PositiveUsage45:30
Matthew Berry and Nate Tice highlight the Chiefs' significant financial investment in Kenneth Walker, suggesting he will be a primary 'thumper' in a run-heavy approach for the team.
Insight pageKyler Murray
PositiveProjection51:18
Nate Tice believes Kyler Murray will thrive in Minnesota's offense, projecting him as a QB13 and noting that the system is historically fantasy-friendly for quarterbacks.
Insight pageMark Redman
PositiveDepth Chart20:16
Nate Tice highlights the Packers' trade for backup tight end Mark Redman as an underrated move that will help the team's run game. Tice notes that Redman is a strong blocker who fits the zone-blocking scheme the Packers are transitioning toward, which should provide a boost to the efficiency of the running back room, including Marshawn Lloyd.
Insight pageMarShawn Lloyd
PositiveRole15:43
Matthew Berry moved Marshawn Lloyd up to RB25 following the news that Josh Jacobs was placed on the commissioner exempt list. While Lloyd is the clear beneficiary and projected starter in a Matt LaFleur offense that historically produces high-end fantasy running back production, Nate Tice notes that Lloyd is a better fit for zone-blocking schemes than Jacobs was. Tice also highlights that the Packers' recent trade for blocking tight end Mark Redman is a subtle move that bolsters the team's run-game efficiency, further supporting Lloyd's outlook.
Insight pageNico Collins
PositiveProjection26:36
Matthew Berry ranks Collins as his WR9 and considers him the only Texans wide receiver to feel confident about for fantasy purposes.
Insight pagePatrick Mahomes
NegativeProjection43:48
Nate Tice views Patrick Mahomes as a low-end QB1, noting that his rushing production will likely decrease following ACL surgery and that the Chiefs may lean more on their run game.
Insight pageTank Dell
NegativeInjury26:06
Placed on injured reserve with a designation to return, Dell will miss at least a couple of weeks. Matthew Berry suggests looking at Kayshawn Booty as a late-round flyer in his absence.
Insight pageZach Charbonnet
NegativeInjury20:36
Placed on the PUP list, Charbonnet is guaranteed to miss at least the first four games of the season. His role upon return remains uncertain, though he is expected to maintain a role in short-yardage and pass protection situations.
Insight pageFull transcript
Episode Transcript
0:00Well, it is noon on YouTube, but of course it's five o'clock somewhere, so the bar is open officially.
0:06It's your old pal Matthew Berry, your friendly neighborhood bartender here.
0:09And you know what I've noticed? We used to do this over at NBC, and I've since forgotten to do it here
0:15because we don't have, we're building it, but we don't have the chalkboard.
0:19So, um, Dajon Love drinks for free today. Roster Cuts, of course, came out over the weekend.
0:24Dajon Love did not make the 49ers, unfortunately, or the Rams, unfortunately, but he's got a shot at the federal penitentiary team,
0:30so we'll see how that all plays out. Anyway, he drinks for free, Nate Tice, who is my guest today.
0:36Nate, good to see you. Of course, Nate over from Yahoo Sports.
0:40He's the host of the 301 Football Podcast. Everyone should check it out.
0:43Nate Tice, what does 301 stand for? Why? Why is it the 301 Podcast?
0:47Nate Tice, a producer is like, hey, there's this thing called SEO and let's get football in the name and then let's just throw 301.
0:55The numbers sound good, you know, and we're trying to teach some people over there, you know, trying to have some fun
1:01and try and just, you know, talk about going deep on football and maybe get a crash course.
1:06I love the reference for drinking for free to our 49er, former 49er player, alleged 49er player.
1:11You remind me, it's like how many years in prisons, how many drinks the shot's going to be at happy hour?
1:17Pretty much. Maybe that's what the deal is going to be.
1:21Pretty much. I mean, you know, Dajon turned me on to a couple of different investment opportunities that I'm really excited about,
1:27so we'll see how it all plays out. I haven't heard from him recently, but I think it's going well, so I'm excited about.
1:34Yeah, I'm excited. I think he's got a couple of dates lined up.
1:38Yeah. So let's see. Let's see. Here's a ZP custom sneakers.
1:41I wonder if Barry will talk about Dajon love blasting up in ADP.
1:45He's not. That's my point. He's dropping. He's dropping ZP.
1:48So, all right. So anyway, so here's what I want to do.
1:51I want to get into a bunch of different things.
1:54I want to go into some of our biggest quarterback questions of the day, Nate Tice.
1:59But in addition to that, we've had a bunch of news over the weekend.
2:03And so, and Nate, I think before we get into everything, and we're going to talk about Josh Jacobs, which is the biggest news.
2:10There were a lot of players placed on IR this weekend.
2:13There were some interesting roster cuts as well. So I want to get through all of that, and we'll talk about all of that today.
2:20But very quickly, I think it's important for people that may not be familiar with your work over at Yahoo Sports or the 301 Football Podcast.
2:28Is it Football 301 or 301 Football? Football 301.
2:30Sorry about that. All right. Screwed up. So Football 301.
2:33So for people that are unfamiliar with the Football 301, you know, in terms of your background, I met you when you
2:40were an assistant coach in the NFL. You and I have been friends for many, many years.
2:45I met you when you were an assistant coach for the NFL.
2:48I don't think people are familiar with this. I feel like you're a Nepo baby, but without any of the benefits of being a Nepo baby, honestly.
2:56Yeah. I mean, I feel like you kind of got screwed on both ends of that.
3:01I did. But Nate, talk to us a little bit about your background, because I think some people, at least my audience, may not be familiar with it.
3:09And I think it's an unbelievable story. Yeah. Well, yeah.
3:12I'm glad you said that, though, because that's the thing is I, the Nepo and nepotism of this is my dad, Mike
3:18Tice, was a longtime coach in the NFL and player in the NFL.
3:22My uncle was a coach and player in the NFL as well.
3:25It's kind of just. Former head coach of the Minnesota Vikings, by the way.
3:29Yes. Minnesota Vikings. He wasn't just a coach. I mean, he was, you know, former head coach of the Minnesota Vikings for a number of seasons.
3:37For four years. For very fantasy relevant teams as well.
3:40So, you know, this is. And also just a longtime offensive line coach.
3:44And literally, this is just all I know. My entire internal clock is set to the NFL calendar.
3:49My wife is set to adjust. And thank God I have a career now in media that follows the same calendar.
3:55Even when I was working with the Falcons, which I think is when I met you, was when I had a coworker
4:01one time said, do you realize every life decision, major life decision has been revolved around football?
4:06And I laughed. And then I sat there and thought about it.
4:10I'm like every vacation, every sporting event, everything has been revolved around football.
4:14So he was right. But no, I played at Wisconsin.
4:17Loose term. I backed up Russell Wilson. Play is a loose term.
4:20And then got into coaching at Pitt, Falcons. I was a scout.
4:24Coached at the Raiders. And then somehow, someway got into media.
4:27And that actually worked out kind of well during the world shutdown that everything went remotely.
4:31And that actually worked out for my media career that people started hiring people that weren't living in L.A.
4:37or New York. So it actually worked out okay.
4:40So now we're here. Now we're peers in the media world apparently.
4:43We are peers. We are peers. You and I are peers.
4:46We are colleagues. Nate Tice. And it's been exciting to see.
4:49And I think you are selling yourself short, my friend.
4:52As MD Brennan 535 says, show us your hair.
4:55We're a follically challenged show, as you know. So everyone wants to see.
4:59Yeah, you've got a good head of lettuce over there.
5:02This is Austin Texans fan also noted that. So yeah, everyone thought you might be hiding hair.
5:07Because we've had a lot of bald people on the show because trying to make me feel better about my own lacking.
5:13And I think you're selling yourself short, Nate, in terms of somehow, some way.
5:17What you started doing is you started posting plays on social media and breaking them down.
5:22Like you earned your way. And my audience kept growing.
5:25And that eventually I started doing more content and then people tuned into that.
5:29And so, yeah, man. I mean, like, there we go.
5:32Brian Hickman says, football 301, great hair, better advice.
5:34Probably. No doubt. But the point is, is that when you started doing those breakdowns, people are like, wait, who's Nate Tice?
5:41And like, oh, he's a former scout and assistant coach in the NFL.
5:44So he's not just some rando. But the fact is, you know, you think about somebody like, you know, the first guy that came to mind, Brett Coleman.
5:53Brett Coleman was never a coach in the NFL.
5:55But he's somebody that does the same thing, is really good with X's and O's, and has just built up a following because he provides really smart content.
6:03So anyway, what you did, hold on, I don't, like, I think you sell yourself short.
6:08And it's been awesome as your friend and somebody who enjoys your content.
6:12It's been awesome, awesome to see your rise in the sports media world.
6:15I've joked about that to even my wife. I said, for your perspective, you're probably like, the space between I saw you
6:22the two times, you're probably like, what the heck?
6:24What happened in your world? Like, just the circumstances that we've talked and met and seen each other over the years has just been so funny and varied.
6:33No, I really appreciate that. And it's funny you say that because, you know, I got beaten over my head, you know,
6:39figuratively, that, you know, don't post, like, stay off social media, stay, you know, don't get anyone in trouble.
6:45And that's how social media used to be looked at, especially when I was in college, you know, in the late aughts.
6:51You know, Twitter is the bad guy. So, you know, I had a Twitter.
6:55I had, I deleted my Facebook long ago. I had an Instagram or whatever.
6:59And then once my dad got out of coaching and once I was gone from the Raiders and I was had a
7:06year off to just do whatever, I realized, I was like, okay, I have a lot of information.
7:11And I've just seen, I had access finally to film, not being with the team.
7:15Well, let's just tweet some things, just see what happens.
7:18I can't get in trouble for this. And so I really appreciate you saying that because it really, I kind of, for
7:24the first time in my life, wasn't worried about, like, getting my dad in trouble, which is the funniest thing, too.
7:31And also, if you ever notice, even on my Twitter profile, I never wanted to put former coach, former player or anything.
7:37I wanted people just to go, hey, this guy kind of knows what he's talking about.
7:42And then figure out down the road. I have many friends in the media industry or even just people that listen to
7:48me over the years go, I never put it together who your dad was until you said it or until I had
7:54my dad on my show to do an O-line rankings episode one time, a couple times actually.
7:59So no, I really do appreciate that, Matthew. But yeah, it was just kind of just tweeted my ass off.
8:05And here we are. And here we are. There is no easy transition, Nate.
8:09But anyway, we're thrilled to have you. Thank you so much.
8:12You've been a good friend for a long time.
8:15And so I'm excited you and I can finally be on the air together.
8:19There is no easy transition to this. But over the weekend, Josh Jacobs, Packers running back, was placed on the commissioner exempt list.
8:26And so people who don't understand, as you see the tweet here from Adam Schefter, last week Jacobs was charged with battering
8:32criminal damage to property, both misdemeanors by the Brown County District Attorney.
8:36He was arrested May 26th on five different counts, including one felony.
8:39Now, what does the commissioner exempt list mean? It means he cannot play.
8:43He cannot practice. He cannot attend games and does not count against the Packers 53-man roster.
8:48But if the Packers give him permission, he is allowed to be at the facility for meetings, for treatment, for individual workouts.
8:54He's still getting paid. And maybe related, maybe not.
8:57But over the weekend, the Packers also acquired Caleb Johnson from the Pittsburgh Steelers.
9:01Okay. So I want to just, you know, say this clearly.
9:04The charges against Josh Jacobs are very serious. We on this show obviously like to have a lot of fun and goof around.
9:11Those charges are very serious. And we do not in any way mean to minimize what they potentially are.
9:16Again, everyone's innocent until proven guilty. But the fact of the matter is he's been accused of some really, really serious, heinous stuff.
9:23And we don't want to take that lightly. We don't take that lightly.
9:27All that said, we are a show about fake football.
9:29And Josh Jacobs not being available to play for at least the Packers season opener has fantasy football implications.
9:35So Nate and I are going to talk about what that means here.
9:39And so what I did initially was I moved Marshawn Lloyd up to 25.
9:43I moved Josh Jacobs down to 150. And I just want to talk, you know, we'll talk about Jacobs in a second.
9:49But let's start with Marshawn Lloyd, who becomes obviously the minute to the extent that somebody's a beneficiary.
9:54But he becomes the obvious starter here for the Green Bay Packers.
9:58Guy that came out of college with a lot of fanfare.
10:01And people in the fantasy world, especially dynasty managers, have been waiting for like two and a half years for Marshawn Lloyd.
10:08And what I did a video over the weekend when the news broke and I said I ranked him 25 because obviously we like the role.
10:15It's a good role on this pack, the lead running back of what I think is going to be a better than average offense.
10:22But we've never actually seen Marshawn Lloyd be good in the NFL for any extended period of time, Nate.
10:28So talk to me about I know you're not a quote unquote fantasy guy.
10:32I mean, I know you understand it, but, you know, you're much more X's and O's.
10:36But I'm just curious. Talk to me about what you think of Marshawn Lloyd, the player and the opportunity ahead of him.
10:43Oh, I'm chest deep in drafts right now. So don't you worry.
10:46I got like nine dynasty leagues. Don't you worry, Matthew.
10:49If I'm going to be scouting and writing 10,000 word big boards, which I have a big board coming out this week
10:56for 2027, I've already used some of that information on some of the skill guys for fantasy purposes.
11:01But I did. But Marshawn Lloyd, a guy I've scouted, played at both USC's, which is fun, South Carolina and USC, Southern California.
11:07Better zone runner, which I think is really interesting as opposed to Josh Jacobs, who I always thought was a better man,
11:14which is, you know, duo gap, pullers, you know, power, those types of run plays.
11:18Marshawn Lloyd, though, is more kind of a fluid.
11:21And the word I've used is leggy runner where he's just kind of there's kind of maybe not to this speed.
11:27He's a little bigger than this, but Tevin Coleman-ish as far as just how he run his running style is better for zones.
11:34He's got good hands and they have highlighted that already in the preseason as well, even if it's just checkdowns.
11:39This offense for the Packers, I do think is going to skew slightly more pass heavy, but that's the thing.
11:45They've been so run heavy. It's not that hard to do that.
11:49Running is part of the formula, LaFleur. They look at that as the jab to set up everything else with the offense,
11:55which I am high on the offense as well.
11:58But Lloyd is going to be a good fit for them because I do think they're trying to go to more zone stuff.
12:04So I do think offensively that are a scheme wise that does fit.
12:08And there's also they made this small trade this off this weekend that I really like that actually is going to help their run game out a lot.
12:16They traded for Mark Redman, a backup tight end from the Rams.
12:20And I know I'm on a fantasy show and talking about a six round draft pick trade for a backup blocking tight end.
12:27But the Packers desperately needed that. If you want to be a zone team, you have to have good blocking to the outside.
12:33Tucker Kraft can do that, but, you know, he's still coming back from injury.
12:37They really needed that. And I actually really like that little trade.
12:41So it's just a little mini thing that actually made me a little bit more optimistic about this offense to get a
12:47guy that's only going to play 10, 12 snaps.
12:50But same with Caleb Johnson, too. We could talk about him, but he's better for zone schemes as well if we want to talk about him.
12:57Well, you know, all these guys, it's interesting. So here's the depth chart is Marshawn Lloyd, Chris Brooks, Caleb Johnson.
13:03You know, we haven't seen any of these guys have extended success in the NFL.
13:08I mean, obviously, you know, Caleb, very disappointing run in Pittsburgh.
13:11I think he was a third round draft pick off the top of my head.
13:15But, you know, and to your point about sort of LeFleur's offense, since Matt LeFleur became the head coach of the Green
13:22Bay Packers, the Packers are fourth in running back fantasy points.
13:25A lot of that's Aaron Jones and Josh Jacobs.
13:27But the fact of the matter is, is that LeFleur calls a really good run game.
13:32And so if Lloyd can stay healthy and he can do the things that we think he can, that we saw him
13:38do in college, he could be very fantasy successful.
13:41As you see my ranks here right now. But again, there are question marks about Marshawn Lloyd.
13:46So I ranked him 25th. I have him just below Jadarian Price and Bucky Irving, just ahead of Ramondre Stevenson and Travion Henderson.
13:53We will get to that in a little. You see it right there on your screen right there.
13:58It goes sort of the 21 through 30, right?
14:01Montgomery, Bashal Tootin, Bucky Irving, Jadarian Price. We're going to talk about him coming up in a second.
14:06But just those guys, I feel better about their role.
14:09And then you get into Lloyd and now you've got Ramondre Stevenson and Travion Henderson right there, kind of a one-two Warren Enrico Dowdle.
14:16Again, all running backs that are in pure clear committees and Jonathan Brooks as well.
14:20So Lloyd was the last kind of guy that's the lead running back, that I think will be the lead running back in that sort of tier.
14:28So look, I have him at 65 overall. I think sixth, seventh round for Marshawn Lloyd makes a ton of sense.
14:34If you're in a slightly deeper league, late fifth, I don't hate it.
14:38But that's where I have him. And so we're excited.
14:41I appreciate that. And by the way, I thought I knew every Rams tight end.
14:45Who knew they had a spare one to trade to the – I mean, it's unbelievable.
14:50I wasn't even trying to watch him. I was trying to watch the quarterbacks.
14:54And I was like, who's this gritty number 83?
14:56Because he just pancaked a DN. So that's why I was like, oh, okay.
15:00I went back. I kept an eye on him, kept tabs on him.
15:04And then I was like, no one's going to care about this.
15:08Maybe I could tweet about it in like a year.
15:11And then the Packers traded for him. And I was like, hey, all right, cool, sweet.
15:15All right, so my homework, my sicko work actually worked out here.
15:19But yeah, no, I really liked it. And sometimes these little mini moves are the ones that have a boost effect on
15:25so much with an offense that even in August you don't think about.
15:29And that's the football 3-1 sicko stuff that I like to kind of get into on my show a little bit.
15:35Yeah, well, but by the way, but to your point about him being a better zone runner, as somebody said, the Legler
15:41as well, the regular is already on fire. But, you know, that sort of tells you like they're planning on using him
15:48for a while, which brings us to Josh Jacobs.
15:50Now, I rank Josh Jacobs 150th overall, running back 52.
15:53And here's what I will say. If you're heading into a draft this week or this weekend, what do you do with Josh Jacobs?
16:00I think it depends on a couple of different things.
16:03Number one is it depends on your roster setup, honestly.
16:06Because there are some leagues that have kind of an NA spot or an IR spot that with loose rules, where you
16:13don't necessarily have to be, you know, on the IR, but you just cannot be available.
16:17So I've seen, you know, leagues where their IR spot, you're allowed to use a suspended player or somebody on the exemption list.
16:24And so if you're in a league like that, where you would have a spot where you could stash Josh Jacobs, I don't mind it.
16:31You know what I mean? But on the other hand, if it's, if you don't, if, if you would have to carry
16:38him on the roster, depends on how big your bench is, what your risk tolerance is, and if you're okay with getting
16:44absolutely nothing out of Josh Jacobs this year. Because there's a wide range of outcomes here for Josh Jacobs.
16:50And again, we haven't, we don't know. All we know is what we know, which is that he's currently on the commissioner exempt list.
16:57Could he come off it? Could he come off it in two weeks?
17:00Sure. Could he never come off it? Could the Packers release him?
17:04Sure. Could it just be a six game, ultimately become six game suspension?
17:08There is a court date set. And the police report did mention that there is a videotape.
17:12So I think, again, this is me. I have no inside information.
17:16I want to be very clear. But the speculation is, is that the NFL is aware of the tape and potentially have seen the tape.
17:23And so they're being proactive here because the NFL generally likes to wait for the legal process to play out.
17:29And then, you know, if you think about Alvin Kamara, you think about Rasheed Rice, you think about Ray Rice, you think
17:35about some of these other kind of high profile cases in similar fashion, where they sort of waited for the legal process to play out.
17:43And then once there was a ruling, then the NFL could make a decision.
17:47But it seems like they're aware that there's a tape and potentially they've seen it.
17:51And so they've been proactive here. I'm skewing pessimistic based on context clues.
17:55That's kind of how I just have looked at it.
17:58Again, I know information that's publicly out there. And just knowing the NFL, knowing their MO on things, I skew pessimistic with how this is going.
18:05Same. Again, because they, like, you know, went at before a tape was in the public eye, before a legal ruling had
18:12been made in the court case, the fact that they went ahead and do this.
18:16I'm with you. I think it's, I'm pessimistic as well.
18:19And then you also, in addition to even if the Packer, even if the NFL says, hey, it's a suspension of X
18:26number of games, what's the tolerance of the Green Bay organization?
18:29Do they want to cut ties? Because they may just say, we're good.
18:32You know what I mean? And, like, that's what happened with Kareem Hunt.
18:36Kareem Hunt was, I believe, with the Browns. And then, you know, Cleveland was just like, yeah, we're out.
18:42And then, or no, he was with the Chiefs.
18:44Sorry, he was with the Chiefs. And, you know, and he had, whatever, an eight-game suspension.
18:49But the Chiefs were like, we're out. And then he basically was gone for a year.
18:54And then the Browns signed him. And then he sort of came back and everything like that.
18:59So we just don't know. Just if you draft Josh Jacobs, and I will tell you, I have, you know, I have zero shares of Josh.
19:06And I won't, you know, I won't be drafting him in any of the upcoming drafts that I have.
19:12I think he's somewhat undraftable. But if you wanted to draft him, you know, just understand that there is a, you know,
19:18within the range of outcomes is that he will not play this year.
19:22And I couldn't tell you a percentage on what the odds are there.
19:26But somebody who will play this year, again, there's no easy transition out of this conversation.
19:30But I'm going to try one anyway, Nate, me being a semi-drunk broadcaster.
19:34But the, somebody that will play this year, but we're just not sure when, is Zach Charbonnet.
19:39If you've read me or listened to me for any amount of time, you know that I have five kids.
19:45Or as I like to joke, my wife has six.
19:48But the fact is, is that it's a chaotic household.
19:51And there have been many a night where the fridge is bare, everyone's starving, and we need dinner now.
19:56I have a secret weapon. I keep my freezer stocked with Omaha Steaks.
20:00You know, Omaha Steaks has spent over 100 years perfecting their craft, flash freezing individually vacuum-sealed cuts of beef, seafood sides, and desserts.
20:07They go straight to your door. If you're ready to stop making last-minute store runs, their burger perfection flight is the ultimate starting point.
20:14You get 20, count them, 20 premium steak burgers crafted from five distinct cuts, including pure ground filet mignon, New York strip, ribeye, brisket, and sirloin.
20:21And it's all for just $79.99. Try the burger perfection flight at omahasteaks.com today.
20:25That is 20 premium steak burgers for just $79.99.
20:28Plus, you can get $35 off with the promo code FOOTBALLHOUR.
20:31Once again, that's omahasteaks.com. Use the promo code FOOTBALLHOUR and get $35 off at checkout.
20:36Terms apply. See site for details. So, Zach Charbonnet was placed on the physically unable to perform list.
20:41You know, they trim, as Brady Henderson here, you see the tweet from him.
20:45He's going to be, he has to miss at least the first four games.
20:49And so, what that means, so I moved Jadarian Price again above Marshawn Lloyd.
20:53My question to you on Jadarian, and I have Charbonnet is running back 50.
20:57I'm at 147. You know, there was some optimism.
21:00You know, there was an Albert Breer tweet about, like, he might be ready for week one.
21:05This was, like, a month ago or something like that, Charbonnet.
21:08And so, Price sort of dropped a little bit because people were like, oh, it's...
21:12Yeah, there's a Charbonnet coming back? There's a chance that Charbonnet's back.
21:16But now we know that he's going to miss at least the first four games.
21:20My question to you is, is Jadarian Price, is there a scenario where four games, you know, let's pretend Charbonnet comes back
21:26in week five and there's no guarantee that he does.
21:29But is four games enough of a sample size for Price to say, to claim this role as his own, or at least be the lead running back?
21:37I think he could for sure claim the lead spot.
21:40The thing about Charbonnet, as every Kenneth Walker owner knows, and they yell at me on Twitter, and my coaching background shows
21:47up in this discussion with Walker and Charbonnet last year, at least.
21:50Charbonnet is a coach's favorite. He is great in protection.
21:53He's very sound. So, at the very least, he's going to eat into those snaps no matter what.
21:58A protection back doesn't have to be explosive. A protection back can ease back into it.
22:03So, there are some receiving snaps or passing down snaps that I do think that are going to get...
22:09Price is there going to get eaten into a little bit.
22:12Because I do think... Or ate into. Where I do think Price is going to take this lead role.
22:17There's a reason, other than their own running back injuries, that they've been kind of like putting him in a bubble wrap.
22:24The smoke around him is like... They love him.
22:26And I liked him. Like, I... This whole draft class, everybody got overdrafted.
22:30I would have been comfortable with him in the late second as opposed to the late first, but it is what it is.
22:37But it's like he's just a good player. He didn't have a lot of weaknesses.
22:41It was more just like, okay, maybe receiving-wise, got to see what you are.
22:45Protection-wise, I think you're okay, but we got to see more just because he played with a really good player.
22:51And Jeremiah Love. So, now that's more just, I got to see proof of concept.
22:55But the thing is, everything of coming out of Seattle, and they're not this kind of franchise that does this.
23:01They're just steaming him up. So, that's where I'm like, that's what's grabbed my attention.
23:06I liked him. I loved the opportunity. Hang on, hey, Nate, for a second.
23:10As GJ Chef Fresh says, come on, Barry, it's happy hour.
23:13Zach Chardonnay. But here's my question. Because, Nate, I know you know guys that you've coached with.
23:18You know so many people in the NFL. When you say the Seahawks are steaming them up, because what will happen is
23:24there'll be people who will talk about it to the press, or they'll whisper it again to try to, you know.
23:30But there's also the real whispers. Like, yeah, yeah, I know what to say he's talking him up.
23:36But the truth of the matter is, he's dumb as a box of rocks.
23:40Or he can't do pass pro. Or we've got 10 plays for the kid, because that's all he can handle.
23:45So what are you, like, from your inside sources, your team sources on the Seahawks, is this the steaming up, you say, is that coming from those guys?
23:54Or just you're hearing from other people who are hearing from them?
23:57Other people hearing from them, but also actions. They are not putting them out there at all.
24:02And they don't do that with running backs. You know, running backs are meant to get contact.
24:07You know, they're supposed to build that up a little bit, even if it's a drive or two in the preseason.
24:13And it's a rookie. And it's Mike McDonald's not that kind of guy that's like, you know.
24:18I don't know. It's just, if it's a different franchise, you know, say it was the Rams, maybe.
24:23I'd be like, okay, interesting. You know, they're weird with how they do their guys.
24:28The Chiefs are always going to play their starters.
24:30You know, Dan Campbell's going to play his guys.
24:33But when it's a rookie, and there's no injury concerns, and they're just like, yeah, we don't want him to get ruined.
24:39Because we were so excited about week one. Again, it's the context clues.
24:43I'm like, okay, that's grabbing my attention. Where it's like, I like him, and I like the opportunity.
24:48I like him more in fantasy, maybe, than in real life, if that makes sense.
24:53Just because of the opportunity. But it's now I'm coming.
24:56I mean, it's hard not to look good in camp when you're competing against George Holani and Emmanuel Wilson.
25:01George Holani and Emmanuel. There is that, right? You know, I mean, like.
25:05Right. Yeah, I mean. That's very real. And everything's zone.
25:08And that's the thing. And the cross, I think it was the cross practices.
25:12He looked good or whatever. But that was the thing, it's just the context clues of him have made me more bullish about him.
25:19But your original question to all this is, I think Charbonnet is always going to have a role.
25:24But it's me figuring out if it's 25%, if it's 30%, or if it's 60-40, if it's like what it was last year.
25:31To me, though, it's leaning more. It's that price is going to eat a majority share.
25:35Charbonnet is going to have that role, though, in short yardage and on pass protection, though.
25:40So that's kind of my too long-didn't read. I got a, anyway, so I said I have price at 24, just ahead
25:46of Marshawn Lloyd, as you saw the ranks a little bit earlier.
25:50Zach Charbonnet, 147 overall, running back 50. Because, again, we just don't know when he's going to come back.
25:55And when he does come back, we don't know what his role is going to be.
26:00But it sounds like prices, as Pronto Joey said, has a chance to wait for it, run away with a job.
26:06Another piece of news that came out is Tank Dell got placed on injured reserve, designated to return, so he can come back in a couple of weeks.
26:14I only bring this up just because we sort of had hope that Tank Dell might, you know, it's an easy kid to root for.
26:22Such brutal injuries the last couple of years. We've always liked Tank Dell here at the Happy Hour show.
26:27And so just, you know, as a late-round flyer go, you're probably better with Kayshawn Booty.
26:32I still think Nico Collins is the only wide receiver you feel good about here.
26:36I'm at wide receiver 9. Like, I have Booty at 61.
26:39Jalen Noel at 77. But, you know, and then Dalton Schultz is probably the number 2 pass catcher here on the Texans, candidly, is what's going to happen.
26:48But real quickly, Nate, what are your thoughts on Kayshawn Booty's fit in Houston?
26:52I really like this fit. He has been one of the most improved players in the NFL since he's entered.
26:57He was highly touted, and he had a terrible last year at LSU.
27:01Falls in the draft, has off-field stuff. Just a horrible year for him.
27:05But really worked him. Even his rookie year, I was kind of meh with him.
27:09But he's really worked himself back into being like what I think could be a solid starter.
27:14Now, fantasy relevance is that's the question trying to figure that out.
27:18That's why I'm on this show. I liked it in a real football sense because they needed an outside receiver.
27:24Jalen Noel's a slot. Jalen Noel, my comparison for him has been, or the upside comparison has been like Christian Kirk, but
27:30if he could block, kind of like a stronger Christian Kirk.
27:33And Booty, but he has to play in the slot, while Booty is an outside guy.
27:38So it's more just in a real football sense.
27:40Everyone slots in, pun intended, to the right spots.
27:43Right. Because Nico Collins is a star. It is.
27:46By the way, it's a question for everyone. Do you prefer the slot or the booty?
27:50It's a question as you look at this depth chart of the Houston Texans.
27:54There's no right or wrong. It's just, again, it's personal preference.
27:58It's what you're into. Booty's are harder to find.
28:00Booty's are harder to find. I know. For sure.
28:03Especially when you get out there. Yeah. So, no, in a real football sense, I like this move a lot.
28:09I don't think there's a lot of fantasy relevance.
28:11I think he could be a fine waiver wire guy.
28:14Late. You have a deep bench and you need him late.
28:17Late. And you want somebody, just a guy that maybe take a flyer.
28:21Nico Collins has gotten banged up a lot. So I do think that's something that can be a nice auxiliary target there.
28:28But not a guy that I'm like going, this is a receiver too.
28:31I want this offense. This is not a George Pickens.
28:34This is not one of those types of offenses.
28:37I think this offense will be improved, but more average-ish.
28:40Slightly above average, which if we're talking Texans Super Bowl contender, that's great.
28:44Talking fantasy relevance, I think it's more just like, eh, it's fine.
28:47It might be a couple weeks you can snatch him up, but it's nothing, anything overwhelming.
28:52Let's move on. So there were some notable players placed on IR over the weekend, Nate.
28:56Let's pull up this graphic here. You see it in front of you.
29:00So Dylan Gabriel, obviously it's going to be Watson and Shutter Sanders under center for the Browns in that particular order.
29:06Jordan Tyson, I think he's a great late-round stash for your IR spot.
29:10Because I do think he will have a significant fantasy impact over the second half of the year.
29:15We just mentioned Tank Dell, Christian Kirk on the IR.
29:18What a shame. But it's, candidly, it's just injuries have, you know, he's a Texas A&M Aggie.
29:23I always root for Christian Kirk, but he's just been so banged up throughout his career.
29:28He's, you know, maybe Dijon Love can get back with the 49ers now because they do have some injuries in the wide receiver room.
29:35We mentioned Charbonnet. James Conner in Arizona here. To me, this is for the secures.
29:39Tyler Algier as the running back, too. And if there's, if somehow Jeremiah Love doesn't play week one, Nate, I do think
29:45Tyler Algier would become really interesting in week one.
29:48So just, you know, Conner on IR. It's just, you know, just if you're backing up and drafting an insurance back for
29:55Jeremiah Love, Tyler Algier is who you want. Trevor Etienne.
29:57Like, are you, have you noticed this, Nate, that Trevor has been like, yeah, I'm Trevor Etienne.
30:02But then Travis is like Travis H-Han. What are they trying to do to us?
30:07He's like, no, it's pronounced H-Han. What are they trying to do to us?
30:11I thought I had everybody's names down. And then, well, didn't Travis Kelsey try to do this, too?
30:16He was like, oh, yeah, it's actually Kels. And Jason's like, no, it's not.
30:20No, it's not. Right, exactly. He's like typical little brothers making up stuff, but those same exact things.
30:25You mentioned, sorry, I even had one kind of straight thought on the Texans even before we jump into this, is Dynasty-wise, Marlon Klein, the tight end.
30:33Yeah. If you, I know he's laid around. If you guys, I mean, rookie drafts are already done.
30:38But, you know, a Trojan horse, you know, trade, you know, someone thrown in.
30:43But he's very interesting. He's a good blocker. He's had a nice preseason as well.
30:47He's a guy I've kind of kept my eye on, at least for rookie drafts.
30:51But like this little list here, I like that little Jordan Tyson shout because, I mean, he was, I mean, he looks great.
30:58He looks, I mean, just what I saw. I know it's just practice clips, but it's exactly what I was expecting.
31:04They drafted another rookie receiver, Bryce Lance, Trey Lance's little brother.
31:07I actually, he's had a really nice preseason as well.
31:10And that's like kind of like, again, if you want a rookie, he's a day three guy.
31:15You have to be realistic. But again, if you have a deep league or a dynasty league, kind of a late round
31:21stash thing right there, Darth Rowe as well. So, no, but that whole little group there, Algier, he's a great back.
31:28And I'm so mad at his agent for signing with Arizona because then they just want to drop Jeremiah Love.
31:33In fairness, I think Arizona was a great sign.
31:36They didn't think that like, why would the Cardinals go out and use the third overall pick on Jeremiah Love?
31:42I don't think it's the agent's fault. I think that's not the owner.
31:46The owner just being like, I need butts in the seat.
31:49Get me a star. I know. There's no quarterback.
31:51So, what's the next position? Who won the position?
31:54Can win the Heisman? Running back. We've got to go there, right?
31:58Casual Josh says Nate Tice is actually pronounced Nate A-T-N.
32:00Yeah, let's get that correct. I want to make sure we get to these quarterback questions.
32:05So, I'm just going to whip through a couple things here quickly, Nate.
32:09Just real quickly, Adam Randall, the running back for the Ravens put on IR.
32:13Just means, again, Justice Hill, Rasheed Ali. Those guys are going to be the backups to Derrick Henry.
32:18Jeremy McNichols are my commanders. He's on IR. Less competition on passing downs for Rashad White.
32:23Two other quick notables. Jadon Blue. The Cowboys waived him.
32:26It's clear that Malik Davis is the insurance running back for anyone that drafts Javante Williams.
32:30I have Javante Williams at running back 16. Malik Davis is going to be the guy that you want to back up Javante Williams here with Jadon Blue.
32:39Waived. And Amari DiMicardo waived by the Chiefs, which means Emmett Johnson clearly the backup here.
32:43Brashard Smith going to be the third down guy.
32:46DiMicardo was more of a third down guy. But again, it also makes you feel better about there was like some sort
32:52of foot injury nagging thing with Kenneth Walker in the preseason.
32:55So clearly, you know, waiving some running back depth makes you think that the Chiefs feel pretty good about it.
33:01Still a chance that DiMicardo or Jadon Blue could come back on a practice squad.
33:06But just notable that those two guys got waived.
33:08And then the last thing I want to mention here before we get to the biggest fantasy questions, there were a couple
33:15of very notable wide receiver performances over the weekend.
33:17And I'm just saying that because tomorrow on the happy hour, we've got Matt Harmon, your colleague over at Yahoo.
33:23Mr. Reception Perception himself. So we're going to go into all sorts of wide receivers.
33:27And I want to get his reaction to some of the notable rookie wide receiver performances over the weekend.
33:33But let's get into our biggest fantasy questions at the quarterback position.
33:36Nate, we've got about 20 minutes left. So we'll go quick here.
33:40Everyone knows that Josh Allen is the number one quarterback.
33:43You know, I think that's but his current ADP is 25.
33:46So he's basically a mid third rounder. Is that good value for Josh Allen at his current ADP?
33:51Or are you more of a somebody who's in nine leagues?
33:54Are you like are you awaiting as much as we love Josh and the magic of proud fantasy life investor, Josh Allen?
34:01How much are we saying like, I'm going to wait at the position?
34:05I the only time I've ever I always wait usually a quarterback.
34:08And it's nice when you can buy cheap on Drake May last year.
34:12But I'm trying to find that version this year.
34:15You know, Lamar 2018 was great or 2019 was great, too.
34:18But I think with Allen is deeper lease or deeper meaning 14 teams.
34:22You know, if you're in those types of weeks, that's when I target it as the QB one, you know, or try to get in first.
34:29I kind of follow the classic get in first or get in last adage with quarterbacks, especially.
34:34Yep. And that's kind of what it's Allen. If I'm not getting Allen, then I'm really cool with that position.
34:40And really, I want to get Allen. It's like, really, there's no running back.
34:44That's interesting to me. There's no super receiver. That's interesting to me that fell that for some random reason.
34:49So I prefer not to. But I still think if you do go, you should or you do go with him, you still feel fine.
34:57I think there's I mean, Joe Brady is now the head coach.
35:00It's not like they hired some defensive coordinator type.
35:03They went with his buddy. I think this offense, they're going to pass it a little bit more.
35:08They've been very run heavy. I think people misconstrue that with that offense a little bit.
35:13So I think they're going to be a little bit more pass heavy.
35:16And I think there'll be a little bit more uptempo and let Josh kind of chuck it a little bit.
35:22So I still think it's a good pick. He's it's a little pricey for me just because of the depth of position,
35:29because the way the drafts have fallen. So I have very little Josh Allen this year.
35:33He is my number one quarterback. I have him ranked 30th overall.
35:37So into the third round, I'm OK with it.
35:39But just because the position is so deep and just the way running back dries up so quickly this year, I've been
35:46basically out of the first three rounds. I'd like to have it.
35:49I need at least one star running back. In a lot of cases, some of the builds have been star running back,
35:56two star running backs, or I'll do a running back wide receiver in Colston Loveland.
36:00I have a lot of Colston Loveland this year, and he often goes in that same range.
36:05And I feel I feel better about to your point.
36:08I'm the way you feel about quarterback is the way I'm about is tight in.
36:12I want to either be early or late. And so and I think Loveland's just kind of a monster year.
36:18And so I have a lot of Colston Loveland this year.
36:21And so especially because you can get guys like Daniels or Hertz or Burrow two, three rounds later.
36:27And so you can still get an elite quarterback.
36:29Look, Josh is awesome. There's some upside guys like Justin Herbert, Dak Prescott.
36:33Like there's some upside guys that can out. And I'm in on Brock Purdy this year.
36:38Purdy, yeah, because they're going to be chucking it.
36:40No, I know. I know the receiver injuries, but that's what they've been.
36:44That's what Kyle Shannon's been trying to do. But just the world won't let them.
36:48Whether it's the receivers losing their minds, whether it's like the offensive line, like the world won't let them.
36:54But he wants to drop back and chuck it.
36:57That's what he's been trying to build with all those receivers and Purdy.
37:00But everyone just keeps getting hurt around him. So but no, I agree with that one, too.
37:05Brandon Garrett asked a couple of comments ago. What's the earliest I draft Josh Allen in a super flex?
37:11101. The earliest I draft. I mean, I have no problem in a super flex.
37:15I have no problem drafting Josh Allen at the 101.
37:18So that's the earliest I would draft Josh Allen there.
37:21Hey, look, everyone accuses me. And they're right, by the way.
37:24But everyone accuses me. The Joshler. Well done. Everyone accuses me of being a homer for the commanders.
37:29So I can't accurately answer this question because I am a homer.
37:33Is Jaden Daniels being undervalued in drafts? He's currently going at 68.
37:36So he's like he's basically like a seventh rounder, six, seventh rounder for Jaden Daniels.
37:41In games for his career, in games in which Jaden Daniels played at least 85 percent of the snaps, he's averaging 22 fantasy points per game.
37:48Are people overreacting too much to last year, which was obviously a lost season?
37:52You know, injuries and not just to him, but to McLaurin, to everyone, the offensive line.
37:57It was just a disaster last year. Are they overreacting too much to last year or is he just more injury prone than other people?
38:04You've got McLaurin off of an injured season. Stefan Diggs, new offense.
38:08You know, Laramie Tunsil, you know, out for a significant amount of time.
38:12Where are you on Jaden Daniels? Is he being undervalued in drafts or is he priced appropriately?
38:17I think priced appropriately, but it's not, again, to his ability.
38:20It's availability, which you mentioned with the injuries and just the circumstances around him.
38:24I've really cooled on the commanders the last couple months.
38:27I was starting to kind of buy in. I saw what they're trying to do.
38:31They're trying to build up, and they kind of just didn't stick the landing.
38:35Yeah, of course, some of the injuries are part of that, but, you know, with Tunsil and everything, the center's out right now as well.
38:42But they went with a, you know, they promoted David Blau, and I've just been trying to put my finger on that.
38:49Like, I want to get excited about it, but I'm also just like, it's such an unknown.
38:54Like, I have no, I can have an idea of what I think it's going to look like.
38:59But still, I'm looking back at Arizona State tape for Jayden Daniels to, like, see maybe exact – because I have an
39:05offense a little bit more on her center than what he ran at LSU.
39:09And I think Jayden Daniels can run it. But why – the beauty of Jayden Daniels and what you want to lean
39:16into is let it be spaced out. Let him shred and spread.
39:19Spread and shred. Let him pick and choose the spots.
39:22Let him, like, get everybody spaced out so he can scramble.
39:25So it's more of a curiosity for me. So I've been really cool fantasy-wise on all the commanders, including Jayden.
39:31And I think he's priced fairly. But understanding that, he's going to have his blow-up games.
39:36Like, that's the thing. He's going to have his scramble games.
39:39He's going to have his scores. But you just have to bake in the risk of that and the situation all around him.
39:46Because it's – the line coach is a college guy, which is always a red alert for me, even though if I
39:52did like what he did at Florida. So those things I – and you get a guy that's – you got a
39:59quarterback with injury stuff that takes a lot of sacks.
40:02Like, there's just a lot of stuff lined up in a bad way that I'm like, yeah, I'm kind of pessimistic about the whole situation right now.
40:09All right. Well, I'm at 48 overall. I'm sorry.
40:12I'm at 48 overall. He's going at 68 overall.
40:15So I'm two rounds ahead of ADP. So clearly I'm in.
40:18But I am not – I'm not rational. Again, I just – like I said, you know, when the guy's healthy – Yeah.
40:24Chig is a sneaky – I like Chig. Jayden likes the tight ends.
40:28Like, he has a nice chemistry with Zach Ertz.
40:31And I think Chig is going to be a great fit there.
40:34Like, I really do. We are all getting Chiggy with it this year.
40:38Hey, I had a former NFL coach tell me off the air that they think that this might not be great in
40:45Philadelphia with Sean Mannion, with Jalen Hurts under center, turning his back, you know, to the – you know, when he's going
40:51back and turning his back to the defense. Is Jalen Hurts still an elite fantasy option, Nate?
40:56Because, you know, this is a guy who, you know, last year a career low, 29% of his fantasy points came from rushing.
41:03He averaged under 27 rushing yards a game. So, you know, as he's getting a little bit older, is he running a little bit less?
41:10Are they going to be a little bit more passive?
41:13But they lose A.J. Brown. Jalen Hurts still an elite fantasy option.
41:16No, I don't. I still think it would be a good one because you'll still get the pushes.
41:21They're not going to go away with that. So, he's going to get those touchdowns.
41:26Passing-wise, though, I think this is the new reality.
41:28And I think this – the Eagles are a fun discussion because it's one of these things.
41:33They're not a bad team, but this is a team totally at a crossroads.
41:37Jeff Stoutland, the offensive line coach, has been there for 15 years.
41:41He was like, nope, I'm out now. And that, to me, is kind of a canary in the coal mine.
41:47Like, no one forced you out and you left?
41:49Hmm. You know, like he had carte blanche in the whole building.
41:53They're remaking the offense. I agree with that head coach.
41:56I think there's going to be some growing pains.
41:58The rookies they took – and I know everyone's excited about Makai Lemon and then Eli Stowers.
42:03Those guys weren't for 2026. That's for 2027 and beyond.
42:06That is to – they're trying to remake this offense and go, all right, Jalen, can you – Jalen, can you do this offense?
42:13Can you operate this way so we can make it just a different – you know, just so we have more options on the menu.
42:21That's really what it is. You don't have to fully lean into it, but at least make 30% of the menu more
42:27like this kind of quote-unquote pro style, Shanahan style, whatever you want to say.
42:31I'm a little hesitant. You know, Mania, again, new play card.
42:34A lot of carryover of what I just said with Washington.
42:37Jalen struggles thrown over the middle, which this offense can do.
42:41And there's ways to kind of, you know, mitigate that.
42:44You can throw different routes and emphasize different routes.
42:46But losing to A.J. Brown, that was the easy button in this offense.
42:50Was throwing go balls to A.J. Brown. Losing that's pretty significant.
42:53And they got no blocking tight ends either. So, I don't know.
42:57I'm a little iffy on the Eagles' offense this year.
43:00Defense will be sick, but the offense I'm a little iffy on this year.
43:04Yeah. I mean, I'm in on Jalen this year.
43:06I could be wrong. I do think Dontavian Wicks is kind of a sneaky sleeper this year.
43:11As you mentioned, Makai Lemon's, you know, dealing with the hammy as well.
43:15Look, every season he's been a starter at least 18.5 fantasy points per game.
43:19I also think that while it may not be as efficient, I do think former NFL quarterback Sean Mannion is going to throw, to your point.
43:27And so, I do think they throw a little bit more.
43:30And hopefully the rushing comes back a little bit.
43:32He'll always have the tush push, to your point.
43:35But I do think they will be more pass-heavy this year.
43:38So, I mean, I have him at, you know, I'm at QB6.
43:42So, I still have him as a mid-tier. That's very fair.
43:45QB1. Hey, so we have 10 minutes left or so here, Nate.
43:48So, I want to ask you about Patrick Mahomes.
43:51We haven't talked a lot about Patrick here. He's coming off the ACL surgery.
43:55You know, last year, 25% of his points came from rushing.
43:58I think people don't really realize how much of his fantasy points came from his legs last year.
44:03Coming off the ACL, is he still a QB1?
44:06Now, he does get Rasheed Rice back and a healthy Xavier Worthy.
44:10Maybe Travis Kelsey's back for another year. You know, they're always going to throw under Andy.
44:14Where are you on Mahomes? A little more low end.
44:17I'm higher on him real life than fantasy this year.
44:20I think I see what they're trying to do.
44:23The O-line's going to be good. It is. Like, it's going to be a top 10 O-line.
44:28And I think the run game's going to be good.
44:31But again, this is all theory. Like you said, Andy chucks it.
44:34Can Kenneth Walker stay healthy? You know, just little things to add up.
44:38They brought back Eric Biannimi from his one-year sabbatical.
44:40Well, multi-year sabbatical. But last year was with Ben Johnson.
44:43And there's probably not going to be that much change.
44:46You know, maybe a couple tweaks. Maybe a couple twists of dial.
44:50Change a couple things. Which is a longer discussion.
44:52I've kind of gone in on the Chiefs. Lack of new ideas a few times in the last year or two.
44:58But no, I do. In a real football sense, I like what they're trying to do.
45:03But in a fantasy sense, I would say low-end QB1.
45:06That's kind of where I kind of look at him in that kind of range.
45:10Because I don't think he's going to scramble. He was scrambling at one of the highest rates.
45:15The highest rate of his career. And one of the highest rates in the league last year.
45:20Very effective. But he's not going to do that off an ACL.
45:24They don't want him to do that. He just had to do that out of necessity.
45:28So I do think that rushing is going to come down.
45:32I think the run game is going to pick up a little bit to eat into some of those things.
45:37So I do think it's more of low-end. But I'm not questioning his ability.
45:42He's still the due to me. It's just more this year is a crossroads year from there.
45:46I mean, so we're in lockstep on this. I'm at QB14.
45:50I mean, again, as you talked about sort of how they remake everything, I think he runs less.
45:55And I think the Chiefs run more. Because that's why they paid all the money to Ken Walker.
46:00I mean, the last couple of years, they've gone very cheap at the position with Kareem Hunt, with Isaiah Pacheco.
46:06They haven't paid very much. So they went on and said, we need a thumper.
46:10And we need a thumper that can break long ones.
46:13And so they went on and paid a lot of money to go get Ken Walker.
46:18More money than I think people expected Walker to get on the open market.
46:22Like, it was a really big deal. So I'm with you again.
46:25I'm at 14 overall. I'm slightly higher in the overall.
46:28I'm at 101 overall. His ADP is 110. But again, low-end QB1, high-end QB2 is I think where Patrick Holmes says.
46:34Although DJ Chef Fresh says, I say Patrick Mahomes finishes the top five fantasy quarterback.
46:39Put it on the board. Haven't heard that one in a while.
46:42I like that. Okay. Last one here for me.
46:45This is a guy that I haven't talked about a lot this year as well.
46:49But last year, Baker Mayfield was quarterback 18 on a points-per-game basis.
46:53But in 2024, he was QB4. Last year, he played through a lot of injuries.
46:57But this year, he's got no Mike Evans. And, you know, we're already hearing Abuka's a little bit banged up.
47:03And he's got the toe injury. And then it's, you know, after Godwin, it's some really young guys.
47:08So which version of Baker Mayfield do we get this year, Nate Tice?
47:12Do we get QB4? Do we get the top five guy from two years ago?
47:16Or do we get QB18 from last season? I think he could get into that, like, 10 range.
47:22Somewhere around there. So the classic cop-out. Somewhere in the middle.
47:25Really, I've gotten more into the Bucs. It sounds like a band.
47:28I've gotten more into the Bucs the last couple months.
47:31They've been on my playlist a bunch, you know?
47:34Spotify has been really picking them up. And my optimism really comes from the offensive line, again.
47:39Because that thing can really carry a lot. And Baker's very susceptible to pressure.
47:43You know, pressure really can affect him. So it's really that's what I'm looking at.
47:47So the offensive line being healthy. Last year, they started the year with Tristan Wirfs on PUP.
47:52Graham Barton was playing, who's their center, was playing left tackle for him.
47:56And Baker was playing decent, but he was running hot.
47:59It was like in baseball, they have what? B-A-B-I-P?
48:01Like that, you know, that is exactly what was going on with Baker last year.
48:06It was just like, hey, this throw-a-dig route against the Seahawks is working and goes for a touchdown.
48:11So I think it's somewhere in the middle where it's going to be explosive.
48:15They're not going to have to rely on him as much.
48:18I'm actually pretty high on Bucky Irving. And I'm kind of buying lowish medium on him a little bit in some places.
48:25Greg Louse says the Buccaneers will undergo a Baker-sance this year.
48:28Baker-sance. I love it. Not bad. I like it.
48:30We can work on it. Go into that for a second here.
48:34I'm just, because you just sort of threw that in at the end.
48:38Why are you, you're in on, because I think a lot of people have been out on Bucky Irving.
48:43Yeah. Because all the injuries, the missed time last year, they signed Kenneth Gainwell to real money this season.
48:49And Gainwell was so good last year. They brought back Sean Tucker over the weekend, $2.5 million, which is, that's real money
48:55for a guy, you know, for a RB3. Like, that was more money than you would just, you know, hey, you're just depth.
49:02You're just filling up the, yeah, you're filling up the room.
49:05So talk to me about Bucky Irving. That's interesting.
49:08No one knew what his injury was. There was no reports.
49:11I mean, you know, it was all this stuff coming throughout the year.
49:15And he's undersized. And when he was coming out of Oregon, I even said this in my report.
49:20I go, if he was 205, he'd be my favorite running back.
49:23But he was, you know, 188, 190, because he runs like a big back.
49:27He runs in between the tackles, and he's really good at that.
49:31And I watched him this preseason, and he looked good again.
49:34And, again, getting it back to the price conversation, the fact that this guy with all these injury concerns, and they're pretty
49:41cautious with it, they're like, oh, he's good enough to not only practice, but play in preseason multiple times.
49:46That's pretty optimistic about, like, what they feel where he's at physically.
49:50And, again, I'm buying back into the O-line. Zach Robinson, the offensive coordinator, is willing to run the ball.
49:55They kept the O-line coach, Kevin Carberry. There's a lot of things cooking it, I think, with this offense that – and
50:02also, you mentioned all the question marks with the receivers.
50:04They're going to be a little bit more balanced.
50:07I think we're just the chemistry of the offense.
50:10Their defense is going to be better, so they have better game scripts.
50:13So, just there's a lot making up. And I totally agree with you, Kenny Gainwell.
50:18I like Kenny Gainwell a lot. Aaron Rodgers kind of – it was – went over the top with a Kenny Gainwell love.
50:24Yeah. It was just like, this is my buddy.
50:27So, I do think that maybe there's a little devalue there.
50:30But I think Bucky is going to kind of – maybe the craziness of his rookie year, maybe no.
50:36But, like, I think he's lined up for a good year here.
50:39Of course, health being the main concern. But I think the opportunity is his.
50:43And the ADP, I mean, like, sort of the – maybe the hate has gone too far on Bucky Irving.
50:49Yes. To your point, Bo Melton, big fan, says Bucky Irving should be called the swashbuckler.
50:54Not bad, Bo Melton, big fan. I like that.
50:56I like that too. Officially, that's his nickname here on the happy hour, the swashbuckler.
51:01That's a good pun right there. So, all right, we might be back in on Bucky Irving at cost this year.
51:07I also kind of like Kenneth Gainwell again in sort of a 12-team flex league sort of way.
51:12We got two and a half minutes left. In 30 seconds, give me your thoughts on Kyler Murray in Minnesota.
51:18Does he resurrect his career there under Kevin O'Connell?
51:21Yes. I think the median level Kyler is still, like, the 14th best quarterback in the league.
51:26And that's way better than what the Vikings had last year.
51:29And it's actually what Sam Darnold actually played like in Minnesota.
51:32There's a lot of revisionist history going on with Darnold in Minnesota who played well there.
51:37But he was only, like, 14, 15, 16 in all the nerd rankings that I look at, ratings I look at.
51:43So, I think Kyler matches actually a lot better in this offense than people are realizing.
51:47That deep ball is going to be flying. I got some Justin Jefferson stock this year because I think him and Kyle
51:54are going to have some nice chemistry. I agree with that.
51:57And I think, you know, especially, I think Jawan Jennings was a really underrating signing.
52:01Great signing. For the Vikings. Yes. You know, again, you've got Addison there.
52:05We like Addison and Hawkinson. And they got the run game and everything like that.
52:09And it's not all on him because the defense will be good.
52:13You know, whereas in Arizona, Kyler always felt like he had to put on Superman cape and I got to go win this out.
52:20So, I think all of that. But Jennings, while may not be fantasy relevant, I think he's going to be very good for Kyler Murray.
52:27Just another good, above average professional wide receiver for Kyler to pick and choose from.
52:32Top 10 in fantasy points per game at the quarterback position in three of KOC's four years of calling the plays from Minnesota.
52:38So, it has always been a fantasy friendly offense.
52:41Whoever has been under center for the Vikes. I'm a QB 13 this year.
52:45But I'm at 95. His ADP is 130 overall.
52:48So, I'm significantly higher overall on Kyler than where he's going.
52:5145 seconds late, left Nate Tice. We will all follow you on Twitter at Nate underscore Tice.
52:56We will subscribe to the Football 301 podcast and we'll check out your work at Yahoo Sports.
53:01A pleasure, my friend. This was fun to do.
53:03Thank you so much for making some time. Thanks for having me.
53:07This was a blast. Really enjoyed it. Well, good.
53:09Well, we'll have to have you back. Love to.
53:12So, listen, tomorrow, as I mentioned, we've got Matt Harmon.
53:15We're going to have great guests all week long.
53:18As the kids say, please like and subscribe. Download.
53:20I don't need you to listen. I just need you to download.
53:24I just need the clicks and the likes. I'm desperate here.
53:27It's closing time, which means you don't have to go home, but you can't stay here.
53:32For Nate Tice, I'm Matthew Berry. We'll see you tomorrow.
53:34Peace out.
More episodes from Fantasy Football Happy Hour with Matthew Berry
The Perfect Draft Strategy for 2026
Sep 2, 2026
2026 WR Preview with Matt Harmon
Sep 1, 2026
Preseason Love/Hate (WRs + TEs)
Aug 28, 2026
Preseason Love/Hate (QBs + RBs)
Aug 27, 2026