The Perfect Draft Strategy for 2026
STACKED extracted the fantasy-relevant player signal from this podcast and kept the full transcript here for context.
54 min
Duration
Estimated from transcript
Sep 2, 2026
Published
Wed, September 2, 2026
83
Player insights
65
Players mentioned
Topics
Josh AllenKyler MurrayBrock PurdyColston LovelandDak PrescottDrake MayeGeorge KittleIsaiah LikelyJoe BurrowJosh JacobsKyle PittsLamar JacksonMarShawn LloydRhamondre Stevenson
Player analysis
Player insights
Baker Mayfield
PositiveValue44:17
Matthew Berry believes Baker Mayfield is closer to his QB4 form from two years ago than his injury-plagued performance last season. Berry notes Mayfield is in a contract year and, despite losing Mike Evans, still has capable receivers.
Insight pageBijan Robinson
PositiveValue18:30
Matthew Berry identifies Bijan Robinson as a preferred early round-one target for fantasy managers.
Insight pageBlake Corum
PositiveUsage20:53
Blake Corum is viewed as a valuable contingent asset; if Kyron Williams were to miss time, Corum would immediately rank as a top-six running back due to the Rams' expected game scripts.
Insight pageBo Nix
NegativeValue42:31
Matthew Berry mentions Bo Nix as a potential late-round quarterback target to pair with another signal-caller.
Insight pageBreece Hall
PositiveValue19:00
Matthew Berry believes the current market hate on Breece Hall has gone too far, implying he is a value target in the third round.
Insight pageBrock Bowers
NegativeValue45:50
Matthew Berry expects a monster year from Brock Bowers but is avoiding him in drafts because his current ADP in the second or early third round is too expensive for his strategy.
Insight pageBrock Purdy
NegativeValue40:10
Matthew Berry identifies Brock Purdy as a viable quarterback option available in the ninth round.
Insight pagePositiveValue42:03
Matthew Berry identifies Brock Purdy as a strong target when waiting on the quarterback position, noting the depth of viable options available late.
Insight pageBucky Irving
NegativeUsage15:23
Dwayne McFarland expresses skepticism about relying on Bucky Irving as a fantasy RB1, suggesting he is better suited as a depth piece.
Insight pageCaleb Williams
PositiveBreakout39:40
Matthew Berry is a big fan of the Bears offense and projects Caleb Williams to have a monster year.
Insight pageChase Brown
PositiveValue18:45
Matthew Berry ranks Chase Brown ahead of Saquon Barkley, highlighting him as a preferred target in the second round.
Insight pageChristian McCaffrey
PositiveValue18:34
Matthew Berry is personally bullish on Christian McCaffrey this year, noting he is a target for the middle of the first round despite ongoing debate.
Insight pageChristian Watson
PositiveRole31:11
Dwayne McFarland describes Christian Watson as a 'smash pick' in round six, noting a role change where he is playing the Z position and moving all over the formation with a lower average depth of route.
Insight pageColston Loveland
PositiveValue46:00
Matthew Berry is heavily invested in Colston Loveland, recommending him as a fourth-round target and a key component of his draft strategy for the 2026 season.
Insight pagePositiveValue46:56
Matthew Berry targets Colston Loveland in the fourth round, noting his ADP is pick 39 on Sleeper and Yahoo, and pick 43 on ESPN.
Insight pageD'Andre Swift
PositiveValue28:24
Matthew Berry expresses that he absolutely loves DeAndre Swift as a target in the fifth round.
Insight pageDak Prescott
PositiveValue39:58
Matthew Berry notes that Dak Prescott has been a top-10 fantasy quarterback every year he has been healthy, making him a solid value target in the eighth round.
Insight pagePositiveValue41:59
Matthew Berry views Dak Prescott as a viable quarterback option if waiting until later rounds to address the position.
Insight pageDalton Kincaid
PositiveValue48:53
Matthew Berry is buying into Dalton Kincaid as a late-round tight end option, provided he remains healthy.
Insight pageDavid Montgomery
PositiveValue28:24
Matthew Berry expresses that he absolutely loves David Montgomery as a target in the fifth round.
Insight pageDerrick Henry
PositiveProjection22:33
Matthew Berry expects Derrick Henry to have a very good year in 2026.
Insight pageDeVonta Smith
PositiveValue27:20
Matthew Berry identifies DeVonta Smith as his 'ride or die' player and a target at the end of the second round.
Insight pageDrake Maye
NegativeValue39:10
Matthew Berry avoids drafting Drake Maye in the fourth round, preferring to prioritize wide receivers or tight ends at that draft capital. He is willing to consider Maye if he falls to the fifth round.
Insight pagePositiveValue45:37
Matthew Berry mentions Drake Maye as a viable target in the fifth round, noting that drafting him there still allows for a balanced roster construction with quality wide receivers and running backs.
Insight pageGeorge Kittle
PositiveValue40:34
Matthew Berry identifies George Kittle as a primary target when waiting on the tight end position, though he warns that pinning draft hopes on him is risky if he is taken by another manager.
Insight pageNegativeValue47:59
Matthew Berry suggests waiting until the eighth round to target George Kittle if earlier tight end options are missed.
Insight pageHarold Fannin
NegativeValue41:17
Matthew Berry notes that Harold Fannin is currently priced up and is not a player he loves for the upcoming season.
Insight pageIsaiah Likely
PositiveValue41:27
Matthew Berry is higher than consensus on Isaiah Likely, viewing him as a reliable late-round tight end option with a solid floor, especially in guillotine league formats.
Insight pagePositiveValue48:53
Matthew Berry is very high on Isaiah Likely as a late-round tight end target for managers drafting the position in round 10 or later.
Insight pageJa'Marr Chase
NegativeValue24:14
Dwayne McFarland notes that if you draft Ja'Marr Chase in the first round, you must be prepared for running backs to dry up by the second round.
Insight pageJadarian Price
PositiveBreakout28:42
Matthew Berry and Dwayne McFarland highlight Jadarian Price as a target in round six, noting the buzz out of Seahawks camp and Zach Charbonnet's injury status.
Insight pageJahmyr Gibbs
PositiveValue18:30
Matthew Berry identifies Jahmyr Gibbs as a preferred early round-one target for fantasy managers.
Insight pageJalen Hurts
PositiveValue39:30
Matthew Berry highlights Jalen Hurts as a strong target in the fifth round, emphasizing the depth of the quarterback position as a reason to wait on the position rather than drafting early.
Insight pageJames Cook
PositiveValue18:41
Matthew Berry explicitly states he loves James Cook for the 2026 season.
Insight pageJared Goff
PositiveValue44:13
Matthew Berry highlights Jared Goff as a strong late-round quarterback option, citing the expectation that the Lions' offense will explode and noting that Goff benefits from a great schedule.
Insight pageJavonte Williams
NegativeUsage27:36
Matthew Berry notes that Javonte Williams should have a big workload, though there are concerns regarding his passing game usage.
Insight pageJayden Daniels
PositiveValue39:30
Matthew Berry highlights Jayden Daniels as a strong target in the fifth round, emphasizing the depth of the quarterback position as a reason to wait on the position rather than drafting early.
Insight pageJaylen Warren
NegativeUsage20:41
Dwayne McFarland expects Jaylen Warren to see significant dump-off targets because the Steelers' quarterback does not throw deep, and the team is expected to remain run-heavy.
Insight pageJoe Burrow
PositiveValue39:30
Matthew Berry highlights Joe Burrow as a strong target in the fifth round, emphasizing the depth of the quarterback position as a reason to wait on the position rather than drafting early.
Insight pagePositiveValue45:37
Matthew Berry mentions Joe Burrow as a viable target in the fifth round, noting that drafting him there still allows for a balanced roster construction with quality wide receivers and running backs.
Insight pageJonah Coleman
PositiveBreakout25:35
Matthew Berry considers Jonah Coleman one of his favorite late-round targets, projecting he could become the Broncos' starting running back in the second half of the season.
Insight pageJonathan Taylor
PositiveValue18:41
Matthew Berry explicitly states he loves Jonathan Taylor for the 2026 season.
Insight pageJonathon Brooks
PositiveBreakout20:53
Dwayne McFarland identifies Jonathan Brooks as a high-upside target who could potentially take over the Panthers' backfield, though he cautions against starting him in week one.
Insight pageJordan Love
PositiveValue44:25
Matthew Berry likes Jordan Love as a late-round quarterback target, particularly given the uncertainty surrounding the Packers' running back situation and his fit in a Shanahan-style offensive scheme.
Insight pageJosh Allen
PositiveValue37:46
Matthew Berry considers Josh Allen the QB1 in fantasy football with elite wins above replacement metrics, noting he has helped managers reach the playoffs in over 50% of ESPN leagues over the last three years. While Berry prefers waiting on quarterback, he will pull the trigger on Allen if he falls to the middle of round three, especially in 10-team leagues with smaller starting requirements.
Insight pagePositiveProjection37:46
Matthew Berry reaffirms that Josh Allen is the number one quarterback in fantasy football, a position he has held for many years.
Insight pageNegativeValue40:14
Matthew Berry notes that while Josh Allen is an elite option, drafting him in round three forces a specific roster build that makes it difficult to secure a top-tier tight end later, suggesting waiting on quarterback until round five or later provides more flexibility.
Insight pageJosh Jacobs
NegativeBust22:25
Matthew Berry and Dwayne McFarland express significant concern regarding Josh Jacobs' availability, suggesting he is only a viable target in rounds 9 or 10, or in leagues with large benches/NA slots.
Insight pageNegativeInjury30:20
Dwayne McFarland notes uncertainty regarding how long Josh Jacobs will be out, which increases the appeal of Marshawn Lloyd.
Insight pageJustin Herbert
PositiveBreakout39:46
Matthew Berry projects Justin Herbert to have the best year of his career, citing the influence of Mike McDaniel and a healthy offensive line.
Insight pageKeaton Mitchell
PositiveUsage25:25
Matthew Berry is in on Keaton Mitchell, citing positive camp reports about his creative usage under Mike McDaniel.
Insight pageKenneth Walker III
PositiveValue18:45
Matthew Berry ranks Kenneth Walker ahead of Saquon Barkley, highlighting him as a preferred target in the second round.
Insight pageKyle Pitts
NegativeValue41:17
Matthew Berry explicitly states he does not love Kyle Pitts this year, noting that he is currently priced up in drafts.
Insight pageNegativeValue47:48
Matthew Berry expresses a lack of interest in drafting Kyle Pitts in the seventh round, preferring to wait for later-round options.
Insight pageKyler Murray
NegativeValue40:10
Matthew Berry identifies Kyler Murray as a viable quarterback option available in the ninth round.
Insight pagePositiveBreakout42:34
Matthew Berry is high on Kyler Murray, citing his history as a top-12 fantasy quarterback when healthy and his new offensive environment with Kevin O'Connell, Justin Jefferson, and T.J. Hockenson. Berry projects top-six upside if Murray reaches 4,000 passing yards and 600-700 rushing yards.
Insight pagePositiveProjection43:13
Matthew Berry and Dwayne are high on Kyler Murray, noting he has been a top-12 fantasy QB on a points-per-game basis in every season he has played at least eight games. Berry believes Murray is in the best situation of his career and recommends targeting him in rounds seven through nine.
Insight pageLamar Jackson
NegativeValue39:10
Matthew Berry avoids drafting Lamar Jackson in the fourth round, preferring to prioritize wide receivers or tight ends at that draft capital. He is willing to consider Jackson if he falls to the fifth round.
Insight pagePositiveValue45:37
Matthew Berry mentions Lamar Jackson as a viable target in the fifth round, noting that drafting him there still allows for a balanced roster construction with quality wide receivers and running backs.
Insight pageLuther Burden
PositiveProjection31:51
Dwayne McFarland notes that Luther Burden ranks as the number 13 wide receiver for week one in the Fantasy Life projection model.
Insight pageMakai Lemon
PositiveValue35:57
Dwayne McFarland and Matthew Berry are high on rookie Makai Lemon, noting he is a round-one pick available in rounds 9-11, representing a significant market discount.
Insight pageMalik Nabers
NegativeValue27:26
Matthew Berry mentions Malik Nabers as a potential target at the end of the second round.
Insight pageMalik Willis
PositiveValue44:39
Matthew Berry and Dwayne suggest Malik Willis has a high fantasy floor due to his rushing ability, specifically targeting players who provide over 100 rushing attempts as a late-round strategy.
Insight pageMarShawn Lloyd
NegativeBreakout22:25
Matthew Berry is in on Marshawn Lloyd, citing the high risk of Josh Jacobs missing time or being released, and noting that Lloyd has the skill set to take over the Packers' backfield.
Insight pagePositiveBreakout30:11
Dwayne McFarland views Marshawn Lloyd as a high-upside target in round six, noting the uncertainty surrounding Josh Jacobs' availability.
Insight pageNico Collins
PositiveValue15:09
Dwayne McFarland notes that Nico Collins is a player who may fall to the third round, representing a potential value opportunity.
Insight pageParker Washington
PositiveRole31:36
Dwayne McFarland likes Parker Washington, noting he plays a similar role for the Jaguars under Liam Cohen, who previously helped Chris Godwin reach high fantasy production.
Insight pagePatrick Mahomes
NegativeValue40:10
Matthew Berry identifies Patrick Mahomes as a viable quarterback option available in the ninth round.
Insight pagePuka Nacua
PositiveValue20:18
Matthew Berry and Dwayne McFarland discuss Puka Nacua as a high-end target, noting that drafting him in the first round requires a specific strategy to ensure running back depth is addressed later.
Insight pageRay Davis
PositiveSleeper27:57
Dwayne McFarland identifies Ray Davis as a late-round target similar to Tank Bigsby, noting he can be acquired with a final draft pick.
Insight pageRhamondre Stevenson
PositiveRole20:28
Matthew Berry and Dwayne McFarland prefer Rhamondre Stevenson over Travion Henderson, citing higher confidence in his usage and the trust the Patriots coaching staff has in him.
Insight pageNegativeValue30:40
Dwayne McFarland mentions Rhamondre Stevenson as a player with a decent floor who can be targeted in rounds after the fifth or sixth.
Insight pageRico Dowdle
NegativeUsage20:41
Dwayne McFarland expects Rico Dowdle to benefit from frequent dump-offs in a run-heavy Steelers offense, though Matthew Berry explicitly advises against drafting him in round five.
Insight pageSaquon Barkley
NegativeValue18:45
Matthew Berry ranks Kenneth Walker and Chase Brown ahead of Saquon Barkley, suggesting he prefers the former two players in that draft range.
Insight pageTank Bigsby
PositiveValue25:57
Dwayne McFarland labels Tank Bigsby an elite handcuff; if Saquon Barkley were to miss time, Bigsby would step into a large workload and become a top-10 fantasy running back.
Insight pageTravis Etienne
NegativeUsage27:36
Matthew Berry notes that Travis Etienne should have a big workload, though there are concerns regarding his passing game usage.
Insight pageTrevor Lawrence
NegativeValue40:08
Matthew Berry identifies Trevor Lawrence as a viable quarterback option available in the eighth round.
Insight pagePositiveValue42:06
Matthew Berry lists Trevor Lawrence as a comfortable late-round quarterback option, emphasizing the depth of the position.
Insight pageTrey McBride
NegativeValue45:50
Matthew Berry expects a monster year from Trey McBride but is avoiding him in drafts because his current ADP in the second or early third round is too expensive for his strategy.
Insight pagePositiveValue46:08
Dwayne notes that Trey McBride is falling in drafts, making him a viable target in the third round, which he is comfortable with.
Insight pageTucker Kraft
PositiveValue47:34
Tucker Kraft is a high-priority target for Dwayne, especially on ESPN where he goes at pick 91. He is expected to be ready for Week 1 despite potential early snap limitations, and Dwayne believes he has a massive ceiling that could have rivaled Loveland's value if not for last year's injury.
Insight pageTyler Warren
PositiveValue47:34
Matthew Berry identifies Tyler Warren as a strong alternative in the fifth round if a manager misses out on Colston Loveland.
Insight pageZach Charbonnet
NegativeInjury28:42
Matthew Berry reports that Zach Charbonnet will start the season on the PUP list and miss at least the first four games.
Insight pageFull transcript
Episode Transcript
0:00It is noon on YouTube, but it is 5 o'clock somewhere.
0:03And so that means the Happy Hour Bar is once again open.
0:06It is me, your friendly neighborhood bartender Matthew Berry.
0:09And exciting show today. It's a Fantasy Life Wednesday.
0:11My buddy Dwayne McFarland is here. And we got buddies the rest of the week.
0:16I can announce this now. Where's Dwayne? Let's get Dwayne on here because I want Dwayne to I want Dwayne's reaction here for this as well.
0:23So Dwayne, we've got you today. We're going to talk about Draft Strategy because you've written an unbelievable article for FantasyLife.com breaking
0:29down exactly what the perfect draft is. And you've looked at the ADP on Sleeper and ESPN and Yahoo and CBS and everywhere.
0:35I know you do a ton of FFPC, etc., etc.
0:38So I'm excited about that. And of course, my draft day manifest was also on FantasyLife.com.
0:43All this is for free. So we're going to give you the perfect draft.
0:47We're going to give you a blueprint, a how-to guide on how to crush your draft.
0:51Drafts for anyone drafts. But before I get there, I have three important announcements, Dwayne.
0:55Ready for this? I'm ready. Okay. Announcement number one.
0:58So you and I, we are colleagues and we are buddies.
1:01We are pals. We are amigos. But tomorrow and Friday, we're having reunions with a couple of my former colleagues and amigos.
1:07Tomorrow, Field Yates joining the show. So I'm excited about that.
1:10First time Field and I will be on air together since I left ESPN.
1:14So that'll be a lot of fun. And then on Friday, you guys have been asking for it.
1:19We finally got it done. This Friday, star Fania Bell, the Stefania Bell, will be in the house.
1:24So we're very excited about have Stefania Bell get all the injury updates and everything you need to know before you go into draft weekend.
1:31So all the intel there. So fun couple of shows today, tomorrow, and Friday.
1:35And we've got some more surprises for next week.
1:37But so those are announcements one and two. As Dwayne Train, PJ, do you like Dwayne?
1:42I kind of like that. Dwayne Train versus Dwayne The Rock McFarland.
1:45I mean, look, the Dwayne Train works. I don't look like The Rock at all.
1:49The only thing I have in common with Dwayne Johnson is the first name.
1:53That's right. That's all. I am closer to Dwayne Johnson than you are because we are both bald.
1:58We are both bald. Now, I have a dad bod and he is, you know, he's ripped.
2:03He's also, you know, world famous and beloved. And I'm, you know, moderately tolerated and, you know, known as like, where do I know you from?
2:10I get a lot of that. But yeah, we do have the same hair.
2:14The other thing, the other announcement here, Dwayne, and this is a question for you, a question for you, a sweep the
2:20legs as Dwayne's utilization report was years ahead of the industry.
2:24And I completely agree with that. Years ahead of the fantasy industry, utilization report is one of, if not the most useful
2:30article every single week and in the preseason. And it's available on fantasylife.com.
2:33Could not find it. Honestly, that article is why we hired you.
2:37That's why I went out and I said, can we go get Dwayne?
2:40Can we pay him a boatload of money? Can we, you know, can we just back up the Brinks truck to his house and get him over here?
2:48And we managed to get that done. But my question to you, Dwayne McFarlane, very simply is, would you like $25,000 for free just for playing fantasy football?
2:56Would that be something that's interesting to you? Is this a rhetorical question?
3:00Of course. I'm willing to pay money to have a shot at $25,000, much less if you tell me it's for free, Matthew.
3:06It is for free. Unfortunately, you are not eligible because you are a Fantasy Life employee.
3:10However, everyone else is. So as you know, Mike's Hard Lemonade, Mike's Harder is one of our sponsors here at Fantasy Life,
3:17including they are the presenting sponsor of Guillotine Leagues.
3:19And so they're doing this thing. So if you go to mikeshard.com slash sweepstakes slash fantasy football, once again, mikeshard.com slash sweepstakes slash fantasy football.
3:26You can enter a mikesharder guillotine league. Okay. You can do this for free.
3:30And of all the mikesharder guillotine leagues, you have to survive the chop.
3:34You have to get through the season. You have to be a winner.
3:37But of all, all the winners of the mikesharder guillotine leagues are going to be put into a drawing and somebody is
3:43getting $25,000 from our friends at mikesharder. It's pretty amazing.
3:46You're going to get to play in a fun league, 100% free.
3:50And at the end of it, you got a shot at $25,000.
3:53We're also limiting the league. So you don't have, you know, like it's not like you're gonna be competing against millions of people.
3:59So I think it's really great. In addition, by the way, there's weekly prizes as well.
4:04Lots of great stuff happening. So go to mikeshard.com slash sweepstakes slash fantasy football, enter a mikesharder guillotine league.
4:09Do it now and let me know how you enjoy it.
4:12It'll be fun. But I think that's, you know, honestly, tell me that's not a, that's a pretty good gig.
4:18Pretty good opportunity there. $25,000 just for playing fantasy football for free.
4:21You got a shot at that. Thanks to our friends at mikesharder.
4:24So I just want to bring up all that.
4:27All right. Now, Dwayne, talk to me about this article that you dropped on fantasylife.com.
4:31I know it. I read it. I loved it.
4:34You're on the show. But for the people who haven't read it yet, just very quickly, give me the overview of it.
4:40And then we're going to get into our strategy by position and how we want to attack this draft.
4:45We're going to give you a blueprint, literally like, here's who you're targeting this round.
4:49Here's who you're targeting this round. Yeah. So I think the big thing is we spend so much time, Matthew, and we need to talking about the players.
4:57What do we like about the players? What do we not like about the players?
5:01But once we've sifted through all of that, what we need to do is take that information and put that into a
5:07pliable plan that we can use on draft day.
5:10You know how drafts go. You have a plan and then your plan's gone.
5:14You know, it's like, oh, my gosh, the players I thought I was getting, I'm not.
5:18And so it's really about building this flexible plan that no matter how your draft goes, you're going to have pivots.
5:24You're going to be playing chess while your friends are playing checkers.
5:28You're thinking multiple moves ahead. And it really ties back to three key things.
5:32It's around positional supply and demand, which means, OK, how many do I how many do I need on my team and how many are available?
5:39Like how many that I really like are available?
5:41So the larger your league. So if you play in a league with two flexes or three receivers and two flexes, that moves receivers up.
5:48And you have to think about value and value is all right.
5:52What are the players that I've identified that I like later in the draft that I can wait on that position?
5:57And what are the positions that I don't feel good about what's happening later in the draft?
6:02So I want to prioritize those positions earlier. And then the final thing is the less you and the less that you
6:08invest at a position, the more you want to invest later.
6:11It makes sense, right? If you spend a lot of early round picks on running backs, you don't have to take as many late.
6:18But if you wait on quarterback, you might want to take two instead of one.
6:22But we put it all together, put it into the rounds for you guys so you can map it out and see what it looks like.
6:30PJC 0501 says, need that link for Dwayne's hair routine.
6:32Do you have that? Do you have a promo code?
6:35What's the, you know, I will say, I will say hymns is a sponsor of fantasylife.com.
6:40Love us some hymns over there. As well as Blackwood.
6:42So Blackwood, I am using the hair mat from Blackwood.
6:45My wife approves it, Matthew. She is a hairstylist.
6:48So I'm still trying to get Amanda to come shoot, you know, a promo for them where she's behind me fixing my hair.
6:54We haven't gotten there yet. She's kind of camera shy.
6:57We'll work on that. We'd love to see her.
6:59But Greg Lau 100 says, pliable, a big word.
7:02I was told there'd be no vocabulary on today's show.
7:05Neither would I, because you know me. Between the fact that English is my second language and the pinot, it always gets dicey.
7:11So as you talk about it, like in terms of like, you know, positional scarcity and availability and what you need.
7:17But to me, I think I want to start with the running backs here, Dwayne, because I think this year, more than
7:23many years in previous years, you know, you and I both been playing fantasy for a long time.
7:28And back in the day, back in the Stone Ages, it was always, you know, running back, running back.
7:34Right. And then the game has evolved, both the NFL game and fantasy football has evolved.
7:38You know, defenses are softer. Passing is more advanced.
7:41And so, you know, there were definitely been years where, oh yeah, wide receiver in the first makes sense.
7:46There are years where there's a tight end outlier where it makes sense to go for a wide receiver in the first round.
7:52And obviously, super flex, that changes it as well.
7:55But I feel like this year, we're sort of back to old school drafting that I think it's so important to have a running back early.
8:02Like, I'm a big proponent of either running back, running back this year, or at least hero RB, making sure you leave
8:08the first two rounds of your draft with a running back.
8:11And so let's just sort of talk about that, because I feel like once you get through the first two rounds, it starts getting dice here.
8:19And we're going to talk about running backs in the, you know, in the, you know, the four to six range and on.
8:25But like, talk to me about how you're approaching running backs this year, because I think it's important to go there early.
8:31Yeah, I think running back gets really dicey quickly, like you said.
8:34Once you get into round three, essentially, you're really getting into major question marks.
8:38Rounds four and five, they're a lot as well.
8:41And I think the other thing is, we'll get into the receivers.
8:44We feel a lot better about the receivers and those ranges.
8:47So I would rather build my drafts in a way where I'm getting a one to two running backs, preferably two in
8:53the first three rounds, and then coming back and attacking the value at wide receiver.
8:58And one thing that I tell people, everything comes down to you and your risk tolerance.
9:02Obviously, you don't want to force something. Maybe someone gives you puka and somehow, you know, you love what you get in the second round.
9:09And then the third round, like a Nico Collins falls to you and you have to start three receivers.
9:14Like, you want to be open to that start, but it really is tricky.
9:18So what I ask people is, how comfortable are you taking Baisal Tootin in round five?
9:23How about Bucky Irving as you're running back one?
9:25And you start asking yourself those questions, Matthew, and you start thinking, you know, I don't know if I like that.
9:31That might be okay as my running back three or two, but as my one, and that's really the point.
9:37Like, you're going to have to take swings on unknown commodities.
9:40And it could be right or it could be wrong.
9:43So I think that's the thing you have to ask yourself.
9:46Yeah, there's just a much, it's not that it can't be successful.
9:49There's just a much narrower window for you to nail that, right?
9:52Because again, and we're going to talk about this as we get through the entire draft, but by taking care of the
9:59running back position in the first couple of years.
10:01If you've read me or listened to me for any amount of time, you know that I have five kids, or as
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10:56Terms apply. See site for details. ...rounds or at least, you know, and you really, I feel like, you want to have
11:02both starting running backs by the start of round six.
11:05And so we'll go through it there. But like, so, you know, as you see it here on your screen, right?
11:11So, you know, early round one, obviously, we like Gibbs and Bijan.
11:14Middle of the round, Chris McCaffrey. I'm in on McCaffrey this year.
11:17I know there's a lot of debate about him, but I'm in on CMC.
11:21Love Jonathan Taylor and James Cook this year. Early round two, you got Saquon there.
11:25I have Kenneth Walker and Chase Brown ranked ahead of Saquon Barkley.
11:29So personally, if you're following my ranks, I would prefer Brown and Walker in that order over Barkley.
11:34Both were finalists for my ride or die. Late round two, you've got guys like Hampton or Derrick Henry getting to round three.
11:40I think the hate on Brees Hall has gone a little bit too far.
11:44Jeremiah Love is there as well. So you sort of see some of the targets there in the first couple of rounds.
11:50But the point being, going back to what I was saying prior to the graphic here, what I was saying is that
11:56if you go, if you sort of play it out and you get at least one running back and ideally two in
12:03the first three rounds, then you'll start seeing some of those wide receivers in the four through six range.
12:08We had Matt Harmon from Reception Perception on the show yesterday and we talked about that.
12:12Like the wide receivers in rounds four through six are really nice.
12:16And so to your point, like go to fantasylife.com, use our mock draft tool, try it out.
12:20See what happens when you go Puka Nakua in the first and you go a wide receiver in the second and right in Bayshell Tootin's your number one.
12:28Like the odds of hitting, you know, with a fifth, sixth round running back as you're running back one are so much
12:34slimmer than if your wide receiver one is somebody in the fifth and sixth round.
12:39Like if you've taken a couple of running backs, maybe a tight end, and then in rounds four through six, that's where
12:45you're starting to fill out the wide receiver position.
12:47I believe you'll like the build much better than the opposite.
12:50Yeah, and that's exactly right. And I've tested this not just with mock drafts.
12:54I've got multiple $300 drafts, you know, a lot of, you know, drafts are a little bit less than that.
13:00And I've really tried it every way. So not just in the mock drafts.
13:04And I will tell you, when I walk away with the two running backs early, I almost always feel better about my teams.
13:10Now, I've built some fun teams where I didn't start that way.
13:13So to your point, Matthew, it's still possible. But I just it just the way it lines up the running.
13:19And it's not just that we want to force running backs, guys.
13:22We also have a lot of young, good players.
13:25You know, you talked about Chase Brown and Kenneth Walker.
13:28I've also got Kenneth Walker above Saquon Barkley. But it's the fact that we've got Omari in Hampton, right?
13:33You're Mr. Ride or Die from last year. He's a young ascending player.
13:37You're getting him in round two. It's not like we're trying to force a bunch of super old players in round two
13:43that we just think might project for a workload.
13:45These are really good running backs that you're getting to take in round two.
13:49Yeah. I mean, again, like we just I mean, again, like often, you know, as you mentioned, Hampton and Henry, I think
13:55both should have very, very good years here as well.
13:58The easiest way to build a balanced roster just to put a fine point on it.
14:03The easiest way to build a balanced roster this year is having at least two running backs, having two running backs in your first three rounds, right?
14:10All the running backs you feel good about on your team dry up by the start of round six.
14:15Yeah. Now we've got we're going to give you some sleepers in round seven through nine that have a few targets that,
14:22you know, if you do a zero RB or you do a hero RB, which means you only get one big anchor
14:28running back and then you go other positions until those middle rounds.
14:31So we have some targets for you there in round seven through nine.
14:35But but ultimately, ideally, you have two in the first three rounds.
14:38You deal with wide receivers after that. And then we can add one quick note here, Matthew.
14:43So if you're drafting at the end, right, so basically picks eight through 12, it's so easy to start running back, running back.
14:49If you're drafting from the middle, it's also really easy to start running back, running back.
14:54Where it gets tricky is if you're in the three or four and you take Jamar Chase or Puka Nakua, a lot
15:00of times those running backs you're targeting in round two will dry up.
15:03And you don't want to force it there and be like, well, I'll just take Javante Williams because I heard Matthew and
15:10Dwayne tell me I need a running back in round two.
15:13No, that's where you want to probably pull the trigger again on a receiver and then you're going to come back in
15:19round three and maybe grab a Brees Hall or Jeremiah Love.
15:22So it really does depend on where you're drafting from.
15:25It's very easy, though, if you're in the middle to late position to come away with two.
15:29It's going to be you're going to really need to plan out your draft if you're picking and pick three or four
15:36and how you feel about waiting on the running backs, probably getting one in round three, though.
15:40A thousand percent there. This year, I prefer if I'm not in the one or two spot where I'm getting Gibbs or
15:46Bijon Robinson, I prefer second half of the round.
15:49Right. Because right to your moment in the middle of that round, you can get CMC.
15:53You could get Jonathan Taylor, get James Cook. Right.
15:56And then, you know, as you sit here and you see, you know, you go to Doranstown, the end.
16:01Like when I follow my ranks also, especially towards the end of first round or the start of the second, Chase Brown,
16:07Ken Walker, because I have them higher in my overall than where they're going with the consensus.
16:12So that's sort of the idea. I want to just talk about some of these.
16:16Let's move on. So you see this screen here for rounds one through three.
16:20But let's talk about rounds four through six. Again, if you do get stuck in the three or the four hole and
16:26so right, you go Puka or Chase there. Then you come back around at the end of round two and you don't really feel great about it.
16:34So you get a wide receiver. You get a wide receiver there.
16:37Maybe you follow my ranks and you get Devontae Smith at the end of the second round because, you know, he's my ride or die.
16:44Nico Collins sometimes is there. Maybe you feel like Malik Nabors, whoever it is.
16:48Right. But so in terms of rounds, we talked about Brees Hall, Jeremiah Love in round three.
16:53But here's some guys in rounds four, five and six.
16:56Javante Williams and Travis Etienne. Both should have big workloads.
16:59I think there's question marks about certainly their passing game usage, but both should have fairly big usage.
17:04Round five, I absolutely love DeAndre Swift and Dave Montgomery and Baisal Tootin.
17:07The upside on Baisal Tootin. Again, feel much more comfortable with him as my three or even my two if I feel really strong about the other positions.
17:15But I do like the upside of Baisal Tootin, Dwayne.
17:18And then, of course, round six, Marshawn Lloyd, the recently elevated Marshawn Lloyd and Jadarian Price.
17:22As Zach Charbonnet is going to start the season on the PUP, he's going to miss at least their first four games.
17:28We had Nate Tice on a couple of weeks ago, a couple of shows ago.
17:33And just talking about how so much buzz out of Seahawks camp about Jadarian Price and how excited they are about him
17:39and what should be a very run-heavy scheme. Yeah.
17:41So the way I look at this, these players that are listed, right, I would rather not be drafting those running backs in round four.
17:48I would rather be on the receivers, and we'll get to those in a minute.
17:52But the way I look at this is I'm swinging for the upside.
17:56And I really do think that when you think about Tootin, who you mentioned, we don't know for sure what the workload is going to look like.
18:04But it's for the Jaguars. And if he did get 60% of the carries, like, he's probably crushing your league at that price, right, on that offense.
18:11And then you look at Jadarian Price and Marshawn Lloyd, and they're really similar.
18:15They have unknowns as well. Price could have Charbonnet back later in the year.
18:19Marshawn Lloyd, we don't know for sure how long Josh Jacobs is going to be out.
18:23But it could be the season, you know? And so if you've waited and you really need to grab a back, I
18:30want to take that upside because my thought process is I can actually circle back around to some players that are more
18:36similar to Montgomery and DeAndre Swift that have really decent floors in rounds after this.
18:40Like, we'll get into Ramondre Stevenson and some of these others, and we could nitpick those.
18:44But I think what you start to run out of are the true ceiling profiles.
18:49And so it feels weird to drafters because you're taking the swing on the uncertainty.
18:53But the reason I do it is I think we can get players similar to a David Montgomery in the next group
18:59of players that we're going to talk about. And the one last thing I would give the people, like, if you have
19:05three running backs heading into round four, don't take any of those guys we just talked about.
19:10Exactly. Get the receivers. Go receiver, receiver. Go tight end receiver, receiver.
19:13Work on the other positions on your team. If you've got two, it's open to draft one of those.
19:18If you've got one, you need to draft one to two.
19:22So it really depends on what you enter round four with when we talk about rounds four, five, and six as to how you want to attack it.
19:29Yeah, I agree. I like Swift and Montgomery more than you do because I agree with you.
19:34They're more floor plays than they are upside plays.
19:37But I do think at that price, like, I think both those guys could easily have 12, 1300 yards and 10 touchdowns.
19:43You know what I mean? Like, I do think Swift and Montgomery, they are floor plays for sure.
19:48But I do think there's a little bit of upside there just based on their ADP.
19:52Like, I think, you know, people like, you know, they're sort of snoozy.
19:56They're older players. It's not exciting. But I do think I've seen those two guys specifically drop in some leagues just because
20:02of, just because there's just a little bit snoozy.
20:05But let's talk about some of these round seven through nine targets as well.
20:08I agree with you. In an ideal world, that range, that's ideally you're running back three in that range, that four to six.
20:15Certainly not your one. Hopefully not your one. And, you know, you could live with some of those guys for your two.
20:21It just sort of depends on how you're constructing your roster and your risk tolerance.
20:25But in seven through nine, you mentioned Ramondre Stevenson.
20:28We've talked about him on the show a decent amount going after Travion Henderson.
20:32But we prefer Stevenson. We think he's the better running back in terms of how he'll be used.
20:37We feel better about his role and the trust that the Patriots coaching staff has in Stevenson.
20:41You have both Steelers running backs here in Warren and Dowdle.
20:44Again, Rodgers doesn't throw deep. So there's going to be a lot of dump-offs to those two guys.
20:50And we expect them to be reasonably run heavy, even under Mike McCarthy.
20:53Jonathan Brooks and Blake Corum. You know, Brooks should be on the right side of a split between Chuba Hubbard.
20:59And, of course, Blake Corum can get probably 10 touches backing up Kyron Williams in a year where we think the Rams
21:05will be leading a lot in the second half.
21:07And so Corum will get some work here. But, like, so I like these guys in this range.
21:12But, you know, in this seven to nine range here, Dwayne.
21:15But, like, I wouldn't want to count on any of these guys.
21:19Yeah. I mean, Stevenson, you could probably get by as your running back, too, if you're really strong everywhere else.
21:24Right? Same thing for Rico Dowdle. But Jonathan Brooks and Blake Corum, they're different bets.
21:29Right? There's almost like a hard chalk line between those top three names and the next two, depending on what your team needs.
21:35So maybe you've already got two running backs and you want to swing for the fences on your third.
21:40Then it's probably Jonathan Brooks or Blake Corum. Because if Kyron Williams were to go down, Blake Corum immediately is someone we're ranking in the top six.
21:48Right? So you get massive contingent upside in the Rams offense with him.
21:52And then Jonathan Brooks is probably, I would argue, at this point in the draft, is the player, Matthew, when I look at it.
21:58And you're like, okay, what young running back could, like, just take over their running back room this year?
22:04And I wouldn't be that surprised. I think Jonathan Brooks is the name.
22:07How that's going to look early in the season, that's TBD.
22:10I don't want to really be starting Jonathan Brooks in week one.
22:14I'll tell you that. But as my running back three, I really like Brooks and I like Corum.
22:19The other thing I'll say, and I wanted to ask you about this, is Marshawn Lloyd, Matthew, because we have the wide range of outcomes on Jacobs.
22:26And for you guys that are drafting, this range we just showed you is really where he goes.
22:31We put him up above because we really wanted to call him out.
22:35But I would ask you, like, are there certain builds where you're more into Marshawn Lloyd?
22:39Or are you just in period? Because, like, one of the things that could happen is we could have Jacobs out for the season.
22:46We could have Jacobs out for the season. The other thing that happened, by the way, and it's the same thing with
22:52Jonathan Brooks, he could also just not be any good.
22:55We've never seen Marshawn Lloyd be good in the NFL.
22:58We think he's going to be good. We like the skill set.
23:01We like what he did in college. We like the offense and the opportunity for Lloyd.
23:06But we've never actually seen him be good in the NFL.
23:09And that's the same with Jonathan Brooks. I don't know that I love the opportunity, the offensive scheme in Carolina, the way I do in Green Bay.
23:16But, like, we've never seen, you know, there's all this Jonathan Brooks hype, you know, and highly drafted, blah, blah, blah.
23:22But, like, we've never seen Jonathan Brooks be good in the NFL.
23:25Like, we think he's going to be good, but you just don't know.
23:29And so, but, yes, I'm in on Lloyd just because I think it is more likely than not that Jacobs does not play this year.
23:36I mean, I think there's a non-zero chance the Packers release him.
23:39And I think that there's a chance that even when, you know, there's just too much risk with Jacobs.
23:45And I do think in a world where Marshawn Lloyd gets the opportunity that he could take the job and run with it.
23:51Is there a round where you're willing to take Jacobs knowing that he could be back?
23:56Because I would say if we were to place him somewhere, it would be on a team where I really felt bad
24:02about my running backs and I knew I just needed to swing it upside.
24:06It's probably around 9 or 10, which is below ADP, so you may not get him.
24:10But that's probably about where I would be comfortable taking a swing on Jacobs.
24:14I think that's fair. And I'm also, I'm more comfortable taking a swing on him if I have a, if I have
24:20a, if my team has a large bench, if the league settings are, you know, a large bench or that you have
24:26an NA slot, you know, like some leagues, it's like only if they're on the IR can you put them in a slot.
24:33But there are some that like, yes, if they're suspended, they're on the exempt lift, they're on the IR, whatever.
24:38Just if they're not available, you can put them in that slot.
24:42And so leagues in that have that setting, I feel better about it because now I'm not wasting a roster spot hoping.
24:48But I agree with you. That's the scenario where if you just get an ace out of running backs and you're just
24:54like, I got to just take a lot of flyers.
24:57He certainly is one that you could do. Speaking of targets in rounds 10 or after, Josh Jacobs is not on this list.
25:03Here are some of the guys I like as kind of late round flyers at the running back position.
25:08Bill, Ja'Cory Krosky-Meritt, my guy, he could be easily the lead running back of what we think is going to be a better than average offense.
25:16Kenneth Gainwell, also Kenneth Catchwell is his name. How about Jordan Mason?
25:19Likely, supposedly going to be the lead back of the Vikings.
25:22We like the Vikings offense. You know, Keaton Mitchell.
25:25Hearing all these great camp reports that they're using Keaton Mitchell in all sorts of weird creative ways under Mike McDaniel.
25:30This is a guy that he, you know, had the wanted posters, the whole story.
25:35So I'm in on Keaton Mitchell this year. Jonah Coleman is one of my all-time favorites as late round guys because I
25:41think he's got, I think there's a chance he's the most talented running back on that, in that team.
25:46And just, I think he's the starting running back over the second half of the year for the Broncos.
25:51Of course, you know, Mike Washington in terms of the Ashton Gentry stuff with, with he being banged up.
25:57And of course, Tank Bigsby talk about just backups that have, if anything were to happen to Saquon, he's a top 10 running back.
26:03So don't know if there are any of these guys on this list that jump out to you, Dwayne, or if there
26:10are other names you'd like to add. Yeah, for sure.
26:12These are my late round draft targets. Yeah, and what I would say is, like, if you've only got three running backs
26:18heading into these rounds, it's like the movie Signs.
26:21Remember, swing away, Merrill. Like, you just have to swing.
26:24You're going to have to, like, go for it.
26:26And you're going to need to take multiple guys.
26:29You need to at least take two in this range.
26:32You might be taking three, depending on how well, you know, you like your other, you know, positions.
26:37And I would hope they're strong if you've only got three running backs entering this range.
26:41But Krosky, Merritt, and Mason are two of my most drafted.
26:44And I think they're actually pretty similar range of outcomes to what we talked about with some of the other floor guys going in rounds four to five.
26:52We don't have the certainty around their roles that we do for some of those others.
26:56But I think there's a world where they play out very similarly, right?
27:00And you're getting a similar player five rounds later.
27:03So that's where we come back to the value.
27:05So I do pivot over here if I need backs that I think could be in my lineup in week one.
27:11This could also go, guys, like, let's say you drafted two running backs in the first three rounds, but one of them
27:17is Jeremiah Love or one of them is Ashton Gentry.
27:20You don't know what week one looks like. Be really important for you.
27:24And then Tank Bigsby, I would just call out as being an elite handcuff.
27:27If something happened to Saquon Barkley with the offensive line of the Eagles and given all the cuts that they made, like
27:34he's going to step into a really large workload.
27:36And it's a very binary decision for you. Like you're either if Saquon Barkley's in, you're not worried about Tank Bigsby.
27:42If Saquon Barkley goes down, it's very easy. Suddenly Tank Bigsby is going into a starting slot somewhere, whether it's your flex, your running back two.
27:49So I really like him. And the last name that we don't have on this list that I think is really similar to Tank Bigsby is Ray Davis.
27:57And he goes even later in drafts. Like he's a guy that you can get with your last pick.
28:02Yeah, no, I like that call. Hey, we spent a lot of time on running backs, Dwayne.
28:07And it's crucial. It's an important one, though. It's an important position.
28:10It's that important. But we do need to move on to wide receiver, exhausted Texans fans saying, Dwayne making references that add
28:17the salt and pepper to his hair. I like that one.
28:20Well done. That's right. So again, we talked about this with wide receiver.
28:23Like I think ideally you're going running back early.
28:26And so rounds four through six, just an absolute sweet spot to load up on high upside targets, especially if you take
28:32two running backs early in those first two of the first three rounds, rounds four through six.
28:37But, you know, late round two for a wide receiver, again, especially if, as we talked about, depending on where you draft and how it plays out.
28:44So let's go ahead and pull up the draft targets here in rounds one through three.
28:49Obviously, early in round one, you've got proud Fantasy Life investor Jamar Chase and Puka Nakua.
28:53Middle of the round, JSN, Amon Ross, St. Brown.
28:56I've seen those guys switch sometimes. Some people like the Sun God more.
28:59Some people like JSN more. Late round one, I'm good with CeeDee Lamb.
29:03I'm good with Justin Jefferson here. Middle of round two, how about Detective Drake London, AJ Brown?
29:08Those are guys that are going in the middle of round two.
29:11And then Nico, George Pickens, late round two. Round three, Malik Nabors, Chris Olabi, Devontae Smith.
29:16Again, I have Smith, my ride or die. I'm as my wide receiver 10, so I have him as a late second rounder.
29:22I'm comfortable with him there. But those are some of the guys.
29:25But, you know, and we don't really need to talk about all these guys.
29:29I want to talk more about the rounds four through six guys because, again, these are all great names, especially, by the
29:35way, if you get, you know, running back early and then in the second round you could get, you know, one of
29:42those, you know, a Nico, an AJ Brown, a Devontae Smith, the Pickens, whatever.
29:45Alave. I think it's going to have a huge year.
29:48But look at these wide receivers here in rounds four through six to Wayne.
29:52Again, especially if you, like, if I was running back heavy and I got, say, Colston Loveland in the third round, which
29:58has been a build that I've done a ton this year.
30:01I have a massive amount of Colston Loveland this year.
30:04I know you do as well. Think about, like, I'd be totally comfortable going into a league with, where I've got two strong running backs.
30:11I've got Colston Loveland and my number one wide receiver is Ladd McConkie or Zay Flowers or Jalen Waddell.
30:16I mean, again, just look at this range of four through six.
30:20Go ahead and bring that up. Yeah. It's a great range.
30:23Right. I mean, you can walk away with one of these from each of these rounds.
30:27Right. I mean, now you've got your three receivers.
30:30You've got an elite tight end. You've got two really good running backs or potentially you started with three running backs and
30:36then you're coming back for these three receivers. So I, this is the absolute sweet spot.
30:40And if you look at these names, guys, I think you're going to have a lot more comfort with these names than
30:47the running backs going in this range. And that's really what we're talking about.
30:51And I think the big thing here and why I think we're going to get some wide receiver ones out of this
30:57range, Matthew, is something that I've noticed in my research is when we get these big shakeups with coordinators, teammates leaving, you get moved over to another team.
31:04Yeah. Those things tend to shake up opportunities for talented players, which all of these are like Christian Watson is a great example.
31:11A lot of people are still thinking of him like, Oh, it's this downfield thread.
31:15He catches some bombs. No, it's in a totally different role guys.
31:18He's playing the Z this year. They're moving him all over the formation.
31:22His average depth of route in the preseason was an eight, not a 15.
31:26They have, they have changed the offense to put it around Christian Watson as their move player.
31:31And he's a, he's a, he's a smash pick and round six and then Parker Washington right there as well.
31:36He's playing that same role for the Jaguars with Liam Cohen, who turned Chris Godwin into a 19 fantasy point per game
31:42player two years ago with the bucks before the injury.
31:45So there's a lot to like here. I plugged in the week one projections into our projection model over at fantasy life.com.
31:51You guys can go check it out on the site.
31:54Luther burden came in as the number 13 wide receiver for week one, as far as ceiling points, Matthew.
32:00Yeah. Yeah. I mean, like again, like, I mean, I love Watson, love Parker Washington.
32:04I have a lot more burden than I do a dunze.
32:07I don't have a ton of Jamison Williams this year for whatever reason, but any of these guys, again, like if you've
32:13gone three running backs, if you went three running backs and you got Tyler Warren in the fourth or whatever, then just
32:19again, like if, if between, you know, you could get like McConkie and burden or waddle and, you know, Jamison Williams, Christian
32:25Watson, ton of Christian Watson to your point. So I just like, again, I think if you compare two star running backs,
32:31a tight end and like a couple of these wide receivers versus a couple of elite wide receivers.
32:36And then, you know, some question mark running backs, I guess the better way to put it here, Dwayne is that the
32:43difference between call it, you know, uh, James cook and then Rico Dowdle is far larger than the difference between, call it CD lamb and Jalen waddle, right.
32:50You know, or Zay flowers. That's the point is it's like, would you rather, you know, like just picking out like mid,
32:56would you rather have Jonathan Taylor, James cook, and then, you know, call it Zay flowers or lad McConkie, or would you
33:03rather have, you know, say, uh, you know, CD lamb, I'm on Ross St.
33:07Brown or CeeDee Lamb. And then, uh, you know, Travis ETN and Bayshall Tootin or Dave Montgomery.
33:11Yeah. You're just like, it just, I'm telling you, you'll like your team a lot better.
33:16You go running back early and then your wide receivers in that four to six range.
33:20Yeah. And that's a great way to put it.
33:23That's what people should be thinking through. Do I like this combination of players better than that?
33:27And a lot of times people call that the two V twos, right.
33:31As you're thinking about multiple rounds ahead in your draft.
33:34And I do think people are going to feel a lot better about the wide receivers and Matthew, we didn't even name them all.
33:41There's a bunch of other ones that go in that range that, like are totally viable in rounds four and five.
33:46You've got, you know, T Higgins and Tedaroa McMillan, um, you know, even DJ Moore now playing with Josh Allen.
33:52I know they're not like our favorite targets, but they're very viable wide receivers in that range.
33:57So it's, it's not as, it's not as thin as just the guys we listed.
34:01There are a lot of other players that go in that range that I saw it last night.
34:06You said it kind of joking, jokingly about Rico Dowdle, but I was in a draft last night where Rico Dowdle went in round five.
34:13And I was like, I'm not trying to hate on Rico Dowdle, but no thanks.
34:17I do not want to be taking Rico Dowdle on my fantasy team in round five.
34:22No, absolutely not. not in round five. And then, and then you think about like, again, just the depth of the position,
34:28uh, especially again, the more running back heavy you go, I promise you the less screwed you are at wide receiver, because that right.
34:35It gets, it gets thin quick. It gets dicey quick at running back.
34:38And especially because in these middle rounds, these four through six, you want, you know, some of these star wide receivers, but
34:44in terms of the depth on your team, think about some of these targets, go ahead and, and, and pull up, uh,
34:50you know, rounds nine through 11, right? We can talk about seven through nine, um, in a second, but look, these are
34:57guys that are going rounds nine through 11. Well, you know, we like QJ, right?
35:01He's going to be the number two wide receiver and what we think is going to be a really good, uh, chargers offense, Josh Downs.
35:08I'm not really worried about, he's going to play in two wide receiver sets.
35:12I'm not worried about Keenan Allen. He's had some off the field issues very recently, right?
35:16Jaden Reed, Stefan Diggs, the number two for Jaden Daniels, K Casey Concepcion.
35:20And I know you and I both really like his rookie profile, right?
35:23Makai Lemon, I, I'm actually, I'm sneakily into Devante, Devont, Dontavian Wicks, but Makai Lemon, right?
35:28How about Wando Robinson? 140 targets each the last two years.
35:31And now he's playing with the same coach that paid him $17 million to come to Tennessee.
35:36Like, you know, and Dejon Stribling, uh, not to be confused with, uh, Dejon Love.
35:40Dejon Stribling, an actual 49ers wide receiver that we like.
35:43Um, right? I mean, like these are like, all these guys are going rounds nine through 11.
35:47And I think all of these guys are usable.
35:50All of them have some upside Dwayne. Yeah. And the rookies where they're going Lemon at 109, Concepcion at 120, basically Stribling at 123.
35:57We kind of have an overreaction from the market of where rookies burned them last year, Matthew.
36:01And it's fair, but now they've been priced back down.
36:04We don't normally get round one picks like Makai Lemon and Casey Concepcion in these ranges of the draft.
36:09And they really can add is your wide receiver four or five on your team.
36:14I think there is a ton to like with those players.
36:17And my last five drafts that I've streamed over at Fantasy Life over on Real Time Sports, where you guys can play
36:23in the Fantasy Life Championship $300 entry. I've taken Lemon all five drafts.
36:26I mean, because he's sitting there in round nine and 10.
36:30I'm like, what? It's a round one. It's a round one pick.
36:33Like as a receiver, we don't normally get that kind of discount these days.
36:37Yeah, it's Valiant Vincent notes. The Stribb Club is always open.
36:40Everyone knows that. The Stribb Club, especially with the way you just sort of think about this.
36:45Like again, these are some of our nine through 11.
36:47So we talked about getting wide receivers four through six.
36:50And then round seven through nine, that's where you can attack quarterback.
36:54That's where potentially you can attack tight end if you didn't deal with it earlier.
36:58There are some running backs in round seven through nine.
37:01You can go back to, again, we talked about the Jonathan Brooks, the Ramondres of the world, you know, Blake Corum, one of the Pittsburgh guys, whatever.
37:08But then again, you come back around to rounds nine through 11, and you just feel really good about a lot of these guys.
37:15So, you know, again, rounds four through six, great spot to load up on high upside targets if you take two running backs early.
37:22If you, if the way the draft falls, if you're in the three or four spot, you know, late round two and
37:28round three do have great values at wide receiver.
37:30Round seven through nine, I don't love a lot of the wide receivers in the round seven through nine.
37:35So that's kind of an area where I'm going on other positions.
37:39But then as we talk about rounds nine through 11, great for bench depth.
37:43There's some really high upside guys. Let's move over to quarterback here.
37:46Look, proud fantasy life investor. Josh Allen is the number one quarterback in fantasy football and has been for many, many years.
37:52He often go, I see him go sometimes late second and the third.
37:56I don't mind him at that price. I just don't like my builds when I go quarterback early.
38:01I feel the quarterback position is so deep this year, Dwayne.
38:04I tend to want to wait. Yes, I'm with you.
38:07Very deep. Where I would pull the trigger on Josh Allen.
38:10I've seen it a few times is whenever you're playing in a league with just two running backs, two receivers and one
38:16flex, especially if it's a 10 teamer. Yeah. Once you get to 12, it's a little more of a stretch, but I
38:22have seen him make it to the middle of round three.
38:25I'll just say this about Josh Allen. He is an early pick and he costs money or it costs draft capital, but
38:31you know, his wins above replacement over the last four years are insane.
38:35Single handedly, Josh Allen has helped put people in over 50% of the playoff leagues and ESPN over the last three years.
38:41So I do think when you get to middle of round three, but I am with you.
38:46If he does not fall to that range, I'm pretty much waiting on quarterback, especially if I've grabbed my runners because the
38:52receivers are so good also in this next grouping where we're going to talk about these other quarterbacks that go.
38:58So I will just say if Allen falls to me in the middle of round three, though, I will pull the trigger.
39:04So go ahead and pull up our draft targets graphics here, guys, because, you know, look, sometimes you see Lamar and Drake may go in the fourth.
39:11If they fall to the fifth, I'll take them there.
39:14I don't want them in the fourth. Again, at that point, I'm rather, I'd rather take like my first wide receiver or
39:20if I've gone running back, running back, wide receiver in some quarter in the first three rounds, I'll grab a tight end
39:26in the fourth because again, look at who's going in round five.
39:30Give me a Joe Burrow. Give me a Jaden Daniels.
39:32Give me a Jalen Hurts, right? Or even further down as you see it there, like round seven, like I'm super, I know you and I both are.
39:40We both are big fans of the Bears offense this year.
39:43I think Caleb has a monster year. I think Justin Herbert has the best year of his career and not just because
39:50he's engaged to Madison Beer, but because he has Mike McDaniel and a healthy offensive line.
39:54Then we get into round eight. I mean, Dak Prescott's been a top 10 fantasy quarterback every single year.
39:59He's been healthy, right? I mean, Dwayne, I hate to say something nice about your Cowboys, but you know, if you get
40:05Dak Prescott or Trevor Lawrence or Jackson Dart in round eight, Purdy, Kyler Murray and Mahomes in nine, like it just feels
40:12like there's just so much depth at the position.
40:14I get it on Josh Allen, but I just think you'll like your build more if you get one of these, you
40:20will, if you know, if you grab your quarterback starting in round five and after.
40:24Yeah. So what I'll say the trade-off is if you take Josh Allen in round three, say instead of your elite tight
40:31end, you're basically, and we'll get to it in a second, you're going to be all in on George Kittle as around
40:37eight or nine pick because you spent, you're going to be, it's going to be tough to squeeze in a tight end
40:43in the middle rounds because you're going to want the receivers so much.
40:47So it's a really important question to think about, like is what do you feel better about waiting on the quarterback or the tight end position?
40:54Because you might get, you're probably going to get pushed into waiting on one or the other.
40:59And I do agree with you. I feel better about the depth at quarterback because there's so many I like, whereas if
41:05I'm just pinning all my hopes on George Kittle, if someone else takes them, then I'm like, great, what am I doing now?
41:11Like we have some names for people, but I'm not going to feel the same way I would about getting Kittle.
41:17Yeah. I mean, I don't, I don't love Pitts this year.
41:20I don't love Harold Fannin. I, you know, and they're all priced up.
41:24Kelsey, you know, again, like Kittle, the two quarterback, the two tight ends that I get late a lot when I wait are Kittle or Isaiah Likely.
41:31And I really like Isaiah Likely when you're playing at a guillotine league because I just think there's going to be a floor there for Kittle.
41:38I'm sorry, there's going to be a floor there for Isaiah Likely because I think he's going to get a lot of, so I really like him.
41:46I know he's going like tight end 12. I'm higher than consensus, but honestly, like you're really locked into basically one or two targets late and tight end.
41:54And if somebody else in your league is doing the same thing, which happens a lot, you might be screwed.
41:59Whereas, you know, somebody grabs, you know, Caleb and Herbert, fine, give me Dak.
42:03Give me Brock Purdy. You know, I'll take Trevor Lawrence.
42:06I'm good. You know what I mean? Like it's just, there's, I agree with you.
42:10I feel much better about the depth at quarterback and waiting later on that position than I do about waiting on tight
42:16end because I just, there's, at the quarterback position, there's just so many more outs there as well.
42:21So you can, and if you wait, you can take two quarterbacks guys.
42:25And what I'll say is if you wait and let's say Brock Purdy is your first quarterback or even a Bo Nix,
42:31then you come back with Kyler Murray after that.
42:34And I get it guys. You think Kyler Murray stinks?
42:37He's not lived up to who we thought he might be as the first overall pick, but Matthew in the last two
42:43seasons he's played where he played at least, you know, where he played more games, he was the QB 9 and 12.
42:49Yeah. And now you get to play with Kevin O'Connell, Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, Hawkinson, you've got a healthy offensive line.
42:55Kyler is the guy that could throw, and you guys are going to think this is crazy, but he's one of the
43:01few guys that could throw for 4,000 yards and run for 6 or 700.
43:05And if that did happen, you're going to have a top six quarterback that you got in round 11 or 12.
43:11Dwayne, as you know, I am never wrong just early.
43:13Yes. Kyler Murray, my two-year rider from two years ago, I'm in on him this year.
43:18I agree with everything you just said with Kyler Murray.
43:21He has been a top 12 fantasy quarterback on a points-per-game basis and every year of his career he's played at least eight games.
43:27Yep. He's been a QB 1 on a points-per-game basis every year of his career and now he's in the best situation
43:34he's ever been in in his life. And so, again, ideally, round seven through nine, that's kind of the sweet spot.
43:39You're running back wide receiver early, you grab a tight end somewhere and then there's round seven or nine, you know, Caleb Herbert, Prescott, Trevor Lawrence, the traveler.
43:47But if you have to wait even later, and this is why, by the way, normally when you're in a super flex
43:53league, Dwayne, normally you go QB QB, but I've been in a couple super flex leagues where I get an elite quarterback
43:59early, you know, first two rounds or so because they go quickly into super flex.
44:04But I have no problem waiting because look at some of the guys that are going rounds 10 or later and they
44:10obviously get moved way up when you're in a super flex league.
44:13But Jared Goff, we think the Lions offense is going to explode.
44:17It's a great schedule for Goff. I think Baker Mayfield is closer to the QB four he was two years ago than
44:23he was last year when he was so banged up.
44:25Contract year for Baker, by the way. Jordan Love, especially given the question marks at running back.
44:30They let Jordan Cook this year. We've talked about Tyler Shuck a lot in this show.
44:35Top 12 fantasy quarterback once he became the starting quarterback last year, runs more than you think.
44:39And of course, Malik Willis may not be a great real life NFL quarterback.
44:43Jury's still out there, but the floor is high because the rushing and fantasy, Dwayne.
44:48Yeah. I mean, the recipe to hitting a smash in these late rounds is either taking someone from a Shanahan style scheme,
44:54which is Jordan Love here, or getting a, I was about to say running back, but a quarterback that's like a running
45:00back, which is Malik Willis, getting someone that gives you over 100 rushing attempts.
45:04And so you've got two shots at that. And yes, Baker was so banged up last year and people just forget that.
45:10And he doesn't have Mike Evans now, but he still has some good receivers.
45:14So again, if you waited at quarterback, don't be afraid to take two, even if you're in a smaller league and then
45:20you give yourself some time to see how it plays out over the first few weeks.
45:24Yeah, exactly. So again, we like in terms of building it, one of the reasons we like going tight and early is
45:31because of how deep the quarterback position is. Again, we think round seven through nine is really the sweet spot, but you
45:37know, Lamar, Drake May, Burrow in the fifth, don't hate that either as well.
45:41Because again, if you've already got one good wide receiver, you'll be able to get another good wide receiver in the sixth
45:47and you've already got, you know, a couple running backs at that point.
45:50But I don't have a lot of Brock Bowers and Trey McBride this year, even though I think both are going to have monster years.
45:57Because Dwayne, they often go in the second round and sometimes early in the third because give me Colston Loveland in the fourth till the day I die.
46:05I have so much Colston Loveland this year. If I'm wrong on this, Dwayne, I know it's going to be a long year for both you and I.
46:13But I feel like, you know, getting one of the earlier, being one of the earlier guys in your league on a
46:19tight end is a winning strategy this year, given the depth of that position versus quarterback.
46:24Yeah, I agree with you. And McBride sometimes falls in these things now, Matthew.
46:28So, I mean, he's moving down. And so, I've gotten him in the third round when McBride gets into round three.
46:33I'm very okay with that. But I'm with you.
46:36I'm typically trying to leave myself open for Colston Loveland in the fourth round.
46:40And if you guys are picking from the end where Loveland goes right now on Sleeper, he is pick 39.
46:45So, you can get him in the fourth. Yahoo, he's pick 39.
46:49If you're drafting on ESPN, you might even get him in the middle of the fourth.
46:53He goes pick 43. So, what I found is when I take Bowers or when I take McBride in round two, Loveland's on the board in round four.
47:01And I'm like, man, I want to trade my second round pick back and I want to take Colston Loveland in round four.
47:07Yeah, and I will say that as you see it there on your screen, like if you miss out on Loveland in
47:14the fourth, I'm perfectly fine with Tyler Warren in the fifth, Tucker Craft in the sixth.
47:18I don't love, you know, again, if I miss out on Tucker Craft, if I don't get one of those first five
47:24guys in the range where we have them, I don't really love Pitts or Fannin in the seventh.
47:29I'd rather wait until the eighth to get a Kittle.
47:32I'd rather wait to get an Isaiah Likely, a Juwan Johnson, a Dalton Kincaid.
47:36We'll talk about those guys in a second here.
47:38But again, I just sort of feel like the best, ideally, Loveland in the fourth or Warren or Craft in the fifth or sixth.
47:45I like all three of those guys. I don't know if you're, I know you.
47:49No, that's the group. You would like to come away with one of those.
47:53It's typically Craft for me because he goes the latest and I love the receivers in round five.
47:58For sure. And Craft guys on ESPN, this is wild, going pick 91.
48:02He's 63 on Sleeper and 60 on Yahoo. So if you're over on ESPN with Tucker Craft, and I wouldn't, I wouldn't like push it too far.
48:09And so I really love Tucker Craft. All the reports are great that he's going to be ready to go week one.
48:16Might be a little limited in his snaps and stuff early in the season, Matthew, but massive ceiling.
48:21Imagine if Tucker Craft hadn't got hurt last year, guys.
48:23He might actually be the tight end three off the board ahead of Colson Loveland.
48:28Like he would be right there next to that.
48:30So Craft is my second most drafted tight end this year behind Loveland.
48:34Round seven and eight aren't great at wide receiver.
48:36Excuse me. Round seven and eight aren't great at wide receiver running back, but that's why I like round seven, get me a quarterback.
48:43Round eight, I don't mind taking a round eight, you know, give me George Kittle or I'll take one of those running backs.
48:49I don't love the range there, but I don't mind that a little bit.
48:53But then again, if you're, if you're, you find yourself just in terms of the way the draft goes and just, you
48:59know, maybe you have different preferences than Dwayne or I, but if you find yourself still looking for a tight end in
49:06round 10 or later, these are some of the guys, this is why I don't love getting the fan into the pits
49:12because give me some Isaiah Likely, who I'm really high on this year.
49:15Give me some Dalton Kincaid. Again, gotta be healthy, but I'm sort of in, I'm buying.
49:20Tomorrow, my 10 list of 10 column comes out and one of the, one of the lists is always preseason storylines I'm
49:26buying and one of the storylines I'm buying this year is that Dalton Kincaid is healthy and is gonna have the year
49:32that we've been promised for the last couple of seasons.
49:35And then Jawan Johnson, like always underrated, but we think the Saints offense is gonna be better than average.
49:40And after Chris O'Lavley, like there's, Jordan Tyson's gonna miss two months.
49:44Jawan Johnson will be the number two pass catcher on an above average offense.
49:47And he just goes super, super late. Finally, Dalton Schultz, like again, nothing sexy about Dalton Schultz.
49:52He is a catch and fall tight end, Dwayne.
49:55But he's gonna be the number two pass catcher for the Texans.
49:58And then, you know, stop me, you've heard this before, but the Rams have a, have a young tight end that they
50:04like, but a lot of camp buzz about Terrence Ferguson.
50:07Yeah. And so I think the way I look at this is like the two guys that I like the most are Kincaid and likely with you, Matthew.
50:15And the way I like to think about this is, all right, if I get lucky and things go right in week
50:21one, which players from this group could potentially be ranked in the top six tight ends in week two.
50:26And the two names are likely in Dalton Kincaid.
50:29If they play in full-time roles in week one, they will move way up the ranks.
50:33And when you look at the bills, they do not have a fullback anymore.
50:37They had one in the preseason, they cut them, which means they're not going to play in their 21 personnel.
50:43That's when Dalton Kincaid was coming off the field.
50:45So now they're going to use more two and three tight end sets, which he's one of them.
50:50So there's a very good chance Dalton Kincaid surprises us with like 75, 80% of the pass plays in week one.
50:56I promise you, Matthew, every fantasy analyst on the planet will then have Dalton Kincaid inside their top eight the very next week.
51:03Yeah. Juwanaman says PJC 0501. ASAP Ferguson. Not bad.
51:05Everyone throwing out team names there. You have to draft him to name your team that, but I like it as well.
51:11So just to recap here, Dwayne, in the last two and a half minutes here, basically what we're saying is our ideal
51:17draft strategy, two running backs in the first three rounds and then the, that, and maybe a wide receiver there, right?
51:23And then you see it right here, right? So running back, round two, last call, rounds, you know, five or six.
51:29It gets really dicey after rounds five and after round six.
51:32Wide receivers, we like it in rounds three, four through six, nine through 11, tight end either round four.
51:38Again, if we get Loveland or if you get further later on in the draft, quarterback, we like to go either rounds
51:44five and six or seven through nine. But again, running back early with one wide receiver, then that four through six range,
51:50grab a, ideally Loveland or a couple of tight ends.
51:53One of the tight ends rounds four through six, I think you want tight ends and pass catcher, tight ends and wide receivers.
51:59I'm going to redo this. Hang on, I'm going to shut up because I just screwed this all up and my social
52:05guys are like, I can't clip that. Go for it.
52:08First three rounds, I think you want at least two running backs, maybe a wide receiver.
52:12Rounds four through six, I think that's where you want your wide receivers and ideally a tight end in there.
52:18Then round seven or eight, that's where you want your quarterback, right?
52:21And then round nine, round eight or nine, then you can start filling in depth and there's some real nice wide receiver in rounds nine through 11.
52:29You can take a couple of shots, you know, with a running back here or there throughout that.
52:34But again, running back early, then wide receivers and tight ends, then, sorry, wide receivers, then tight end, then I'm sorry, then quarterback, then tight end.
52:41You guys will cut that. Dwayne, thank you for putting up with this.
52:45You know, you're awesome. We will all check you out at Dwayne McFarland on social media and we check out all your
52:51work, including the utilization report from the preseason at fantasylife.com and you can get more nerdy with all your draft strategy.
52:57Always appreciate you, Dwayne, Dwayne McFarland. Yeah, appreciate you having me on and I am updating this article today, guys, and we'll
53:03have examples at the end of the article based on all the latest average draft position stuff for Yahoo, ESPN, Sleeper.
53:09So you'll see how I've mapped them out from all the different draft positions.
53:13So that will be updated today. It'll be dropping on fantasylife.com tomorrow.
53:16Promo code Barry gets you 10% off Fantasy Life Plus at fantasylife.com.
53:19It's a ton of great tools. You also get Dwayne's projections.
53:23Barry 20 right now. We have the Barry 20 going.
53:25Yes. Or you can use 20. Or Dwayne 20.
53:28Either one. Choose either one of them. Go check that out.
53:31Listen, Field Yates tomorrow. It's closing time though. You don't have to go home but you can't stay here.
53:36For Dwayne, I'm Matthew. We'll see you tomorrow. Peace out.
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