Latest Injury News + Week 2 Backfield Questions
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 18, 2026
Published
Fri, September 18, 2026
29
Player insights
25
Players mentioned
Topics
Brock BowersJoe BurrowNico CollinsZay FlowersAaron JonesChigoziem OkonkwoChristian McCaffreyD.J. MooreDalton KincaidDemond ClaiborneDrake LondonDrake MayeJameson WilliamsJeremiyah Love
Player analysis
Player insights
Aaron Jones
PositiveRole64:14
Dan Graziano expects an expansion of Aaron Jones' role in the Vikings' backfield following Jordan Mason's placement on IR. While the team wants to limit his workload due to his age, he remains the clear lead back and is ranked as a low-end RB2 (RB20).
Insight pageBrock Bowers
NegativeInjury30:47
Brock Bowers underwent a meniscus trim and missed Week 1. Stefania Bell questions if this injury is related to his previous PCL sprain and bone bruise, noting that knee instability can lead to internal damage. The primary concern is ensuring he does not return before the knee is fully stable.
Insight pageNegativeInjury33:53
Stefania Bell notes that while Bowers' PCL sprain was treated non-operatively, the primary concern is potential knee instability that could lead to secondary issues like meniscal damage. Despite the Raiders' eagerness to play him, Bell suggests an additional week of rest is preferable to ensure full functional symmetry and long-term health.
Insight pageChigoziem Okonkwo
NegativeInjury59:15
Matthew Berry reports that Chigoziem Okonkwo is out for the Commanders' game against the Cowboys.
Insight pageChristian McCaffrey
PositiveUsage55:08
Dan Graziano notes that while the 49ers may look to manage McCaffrey's workload due to his age and preseason injuries, he remains a top-tier fantasy asset. As long as he is active, he is a must-start due to his heavy involvement in the passing game.
Insight pageD.J. Moore
NegativeInjury3:22
DJ Moore is currently day-to-day with a shoulder injury sustained during Thursday night's game. Matthew Berry notes he has 10 days to recover, but if he misses time, the Bills' receiving production will likely be spread among Keon Coleman, Josh Palmer, Dawson Knox, and Khalil Shakir rather than a single direct replacement.
Insight pageDalton Kincaid
PositiveBreakout2:11
Matthew Berry confirms the Dalton Kincaid breakout is legitimate, citing his consistent inclusion on preseason and weekly 'love lists' and successful betting trends regarding his reception and yardage totals.
Insight pageDemond Claiborne
NegativeDepth Chart65:05
Dan Graziano notes that while the Vikings like the rookie's speed, they do not yet trust him in pass protection. He is ranked outside the top 55 running backs.
Insight pageDrake London
NegativeProjection51:59
Matthew Berry ranks Drake London as a low-end WR2 (WR18) due to the Falcons' quarterback instability. While he is a must-start, his ceiling is capped compared to his potential if Penix were starting.
Insight pageDrake Maye
NegativeProjection46:58
Matthew Berry ranks Drake Maye as QB12 for the week, citing concerns over the loss of AJ Brown, a tough matchup against the Steelers, and poor decision-making in Week 1. Berry notes that the team wants Maye to protect the ball and throw it away rather than taking sacks or throwing interceptions.
Insight pageJameson Williams
NegativeUsage4:57
Jameson Williams has been inconsistent, averaging under seven fantasy points per game with a 10% target share through two weeks. Matthew Berry advises fantasy managers to either commit to starting him through the volatility or bail completely, as his production is tied to a crowded Lions offense featuring Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jahmyr Gibbs, and Sam LaPorta.
Insight pageJeremiyah Love
PositiveRole60:07
Dan Graziano expects the Cardinals to expand Jeremiah Love's role as the season progresses. He was eased in during Week 1 due to a preseason ankle sprain, but the team views him as their future lead back.
Insight pageJoe Burrow
NegativeInjury10:58
Despite a back injury, Stefania Bell expects Joe Burrow to play, noting his history of returning from various injuries without performance decline. While he was limited early in the week, his improved practice participation suggests the injury is not a long-term concern.
Insight pagePositiveInjury37:29
Matthew Berry confirms that Joe Burrow was a full participant in practice on Friday and is good to go for Sunday's game.
Insight pageJosh Allen
PositiveProjection0:56
Josh Allen remains a top-tier fantasy asset, delivering a monster performance with 248 passing yards, three passing touchdowns, 69 rushing yards, and two rushing touchdowns for over 40 fantasy points. Matthew Berry notes that even for those who waited on quarterback, Allen continues to provide a significant weekly advantage.
Insight pageKyle Pitts
NegativeProjection52:15
Matthew Berry ranks Kyle Pitts as TE15 and advises looking elsewhere for a starter this week given the Falcons' offensive struggles.
Insight pageKyler Murray
NegativeInjury38:25
Kyler Murray is not expected to play this week due to a concussion. Stefania Bell emphasizes that concussions are non-linear injuries with no set timetable, regardless of how 'mild' they may appear.
Insight pageLadd McConkey
NegativeInjury27:01
Ladd McConkey is dealing with a rib injury that has kept him out of practice. Stefania Bell notes that rib injuries are often more than just bruises and can be extremely painful during movement or breathing, but she does not view this as a long-term concern.
Insight pageMichael Penix Jr.
NegativeRole48:51
Dan Graziano notes that Michael Penix is working back from a third ACL surgery, which is complicated by the inability to use a patellar tendon graft. The Falcons do not intend to play him until he is fully comfortable, though he remains the preferred fantasy option for the team's pass-catchers.
Insight pageNico Collins
NegativeInjury15:09
Nico Collins is dealing with a grade-one hamstring injury and did not practice on Thursday. Stefania Bell notes that hamstring injuries have a high recidivism rate and Collins previously missed five games with a similar injury in 2024, making his availability for the upcoming week unlikely.
Insight pageNegativeInjury37:15
Matthew Berry reports that Nico Collins did not practice Friday morning and is not expected to play Sunday due to a grade one hamstring injury.
Insight pageRashee Rice
NegativeUsage52:56
Matthew Berry notes that Rashee Rice's slow start was influenced by his limited camp time due to knee rehab and a run-heavy game plan necessitated by the Chiefs starting an undrafted rookie at left tackle. Berry expects the passing game to expand if Josh Simmons returns to the lineup.
Insight pageRhamondre Stevenson
NegativeRole40:57
Matthew Berry notes that Rhamondre Stevenson remains the starter and is trusted by Mike Vrabel, particularly in pass protection, but he is no longer the workhorse he was without Trevion Henderson. Berry ranks him as RB21 for the week, viewing him as a low-end RB2 or high-end flex option.
Insight pageRomeo Doubs
NegativeProjection44:23
Matthew Berry ranks Romeo Dobbs as his WR37 and the only Patriots wide receiver inside his top 55. Berry expects Dobbs to function as the nominal number one receiver, but warns that he will not suddenly inherit the target share previously expected for AJ Brown.
Insight pageTravis Etienne
NegativeUsage50:23
Matthew Berry is avoiding the Saints backfield entirely, noting that the team plans to rotate Travis Etienne, Alvin Kamara, and Kendre Miller. Berry ranks Etienne at RB25 but suggests benching him if a better option exists, as the team's usage strategy remains unpredictable.
Insight pageTreVeyon Henderson
NegativeRole40:57
Matthew Berry ranks Trevion Henderson outside his top 40 running backs (RB41) for the week. While Henderson can create explosive plays in the run and pass game, Berry wants to see how the role shakes out and notes that the Patriots may rotate him in if he becomes the 'hotter hand' during the game.
Insight pageTyler Allgeier
NegativeRole60:14
Matthew Berry ranks Tyler Allgeier as RB39. While he remains involved in the Cardinals' backfield, his role is primarily to ease the transition for rookie Jeremiah Love.
Insight pageZay Flowers
NegativeInjury15:09
Zay Flowers returned to practice following a hamstring issue, which is a positive development. However, Stefania Bell warns that because hamstring injuries have a high recurrence rate and Flowers had issues with the same muscle in training camp, managers should be cautious even if he is active.
Insight pageNegativeInjury37:36
Zay Flowers returned to practice Friday but did very little during the media viewing portion, leading to speculation he may be a decoy or limited. While he has a history of playing through missed practice time, Dan Graziano would be surprised to see him active.
Insight pageFull transcript
Episode Transcript
0:00It is noon on YouTube, but of course that means it's five o'clock somewhere.
0:04Brothers and sisters, friends of the revolution, welcome to another edition of Fantasy Football Happy Hour.
0:09The bar is officially open. I, of course, am Matthew Berry, your friendly neighborhood bartender, here to help you make sense of
0:16Thursday night football, break down all the injuries we care about.
0:20The great star Stefania Bell off of a boondoggle and ready to help us figure out all the injuries.
0:25Zay, Ladd, all of that. Dan Graziano is coming up a little bit later as well.
0:30I see Stefania already has been popped up on the screen.
0:34Amazing. All right, Stefania, I'm just going to talk real quickly about Thursday night football here before we get to all the
0:41injuries with you that we need to get to.
0:43Zay, Ladd, all of that. But what I want to say here, and now she went away.
0:49We got a lot going on. All right. So last night, Thursday Night Football, I don't know that there's a ton to say.
0:56Proud Fantasy Life investor Josh Allen, our Lord and Savior.
0:59Amazing once again. And, you know, I don't know what you can say here.
1:03He drinks for free, by the way, at the Happy Hour bar.
1:07Honestly, any bar he walks into, Josh Allen drinks for free.
1:10But today, especially after just an absolutely monster game, 248 passing yards, three touchdowns, 69.
1:15I said 69. 69 rushing yards for Josh Allen, two touchdowns, over 40 fantasy points.
1:20He is the man. For all of us that said you should wait on quarterback, and you should, the fact is Josh
1:27Allen still makes a difference, even if you take him early as well.
1:31My big takeaways from last night, just very quickly, is number one is the Dalton Kincaid breakout that we've talked about after last week.
1:38Dalton Kincaid on the preseason love list, on last week's love list, on this week's love list.
1:43I'm telling you. I mean, my best bet from yesterday was Dalton Kincaid over on the receptions, that cash, over on the receiving yards, that cash.
1:51It was three and a half when it opened.
1:54It ended up closing at over four and a half at plus money.
1:58That cashed. This is legitimate. Dalton Kincaid, this is absolutely legitimate.
2:02DJ Moore leaves with a shoulder injury. He's day-to-day.
2:04We're all day-to-day, as the great Dan Patrick used to say.
2:08We'll see. He's got 10 days to recover. I'm going to get Stefania in here.
2:13She can weigh in on that real quickly. But again, we don't know a lot.
2:17We saw him leave. He's got 10 days to recover.
2:20We'll talk about this more on next week's Waver Wire show, if we know for a fact that DJ Moore is going to miss.
2:28I will say that, just quickly, if he misses, I don't feel you'll see Duncan Kincaid, but I think it'll be, you
2:35know, some Keon Coleman, some Josh Palmer, some, you know, maybe some Dawson Knox, and Khalil Shakir, of course.
2:41I just don't know that there's going to be one guy that will step up in a way that, like DJ Moore
2:47did, it's kind of a one-for-one replacement. I think they just sort of spread it around, so I don't know that there's
2:54anyone that you can sort of get to here.
2:57Jameson Williams, two for 33, 10% target share through two weeks.
3:00He's averaging under seven fantasy points per game, 13 total fantasy points.
3:04As Cobra Kyger congratulates me, best bet cash I rode with you, Mr.
3:08Berry. Let's get that money. Indeed, Cobra Kyger. And thank you for calling me Mr.
3:13Berry. I appreciate the respect. So here's the thing.
3:16Jameson Williams, again, two for 33, 10% target share under 14 total fantasy points through two weeks.
3:21This is the Jameson Williams experience. Like, again, he's going to be up and down.
3:26And what I would say with Jameson Williams, I know people are very frustrated after two weeks.
3:31You have to keep starting him, or you have to bail on him completely.
3:35Barring an injury to like a Monroe St. Brown or Gibbs or something like that, barring an injury, like there's going to
3:42be up weeks, there's going to be big spike weeks for Jameson Williams, and then there's going to be games like we've had the last two weeks.
3:50Remember, he started slow last year as well. This is the Jameson Williams experience.
3:55The problem is, is that they have Jameer Gibbs.
3:57They have him on Ross St. Brown. You know, and then they've got, you know, Laporta and Isaac Tesla.
4:03And like, there's just a lot of mouths to feed, and that there's going to be weeks where the ball just doesn't find Jameson Williams.
4:11So if you ended up going in on Jameson Williams, I think you just have to stick with him, and it is
4:18what it is, or you have to bail completely, because you'll never be able to guess when he ends up showing up.
4:25But I think to me, my favorite part of last night was the fact that Jared Goff has a monster game.
4:31Amon Ross St. Brown, monster game. And the reason I like those two players specifically is because I have them in my
4:3812-team Dynasty League, which is comprised of me and all my former ESPN friends.
4:43It's a Dynasty League, you know, and Field Yates and Mike Clay, Daniel Dopp, they're all in it.
4:48Producer Damien's in it. All Biz himself, Scott Clark, is in it.
4:52And star Fania Bell is in it, where I am playing her this week.
4:56And I am now up, I am now up over 40 points.
5:00ESPN projects me to win. I have a 72% chance of beating you, Stefania, and crushing you like a grape.
5:06You're off to a bad start. What say you?
5:09I'm off to a bad start. I haven't started anybody yet.
5:12Whatever, you're down big. You could have played better defense.
5:15I'm just saying. This is not looking good. It is.
5:19You do have a very strong team. You've got a nice young nucleus.
5:23You've got Gentie. You've got Caleb Williams. You've got Abuka.
5:26You've got Ted O. McMillan. Like, you have Scadaboo.
5:28Like, you have Kyle Pitts. Like, you have Pickens.
5:31Oh, yeah. Kyle Pitts. How'd that work out for me last week?
5:35It didn't work out great for you last week.
5:38But I'm worried that... I will say. I did beat Mike Clay.
5:41And the projections were similar to yours about his chances of beating me.
5:46So don't get too confident just yet. We saw what Caleb Williams did last week.
5:50I know, I know. Vikings defense this week. I'm not excited.
5:54Your team could spank mine. And, you know, it's how we roll.
5:57It's early in the season. And by the way, when the game started out yesterday, there were no points on the board
6:04for a long time for the Lions. And I thought, maybe I'm going to be okay in this.
6:10Yeah. A Starfania is born, says regular Rudy. Everyone, the chat, the regulars, all excited.
6:14Anytime Stefania Bell graces us with her presence, of course.
6:18We all follow you on X at Stefania L.
6:20Bell. We all know. Where, let's see, the Blumpler says, I propose a Freaky Friday agenda where Maddie tries to give us
6:27in-depth injury advice and Stefania drinks Pinot and rambles incoherently.
6:30The second part of that will work. Stefania is always down for a glass of wine.
6:35Make no mistake. Stefania is always down for a glass.
6:38I just, I could not do Stefania's job. She could do mine.
6:42She can drink and ramble incoherently. I just can't do hers.
6:45So we'll stick with the injury. We'll put a pause on that, Blumpler, if that is, in fact, your real name.
6:52We'll put a pause on that and get Stefania's actual expertise and start with proud fantasy life investor Joe Burrow.
6:58This back injury suddenly popped up, Stefania. What's the concern level for Joe Kuhl?
7:03Listen, I loved his answer when he was being asked about I laughed and I think he said, I think he might've
7:09said that it was ridiculous, but he essentially said, if he's not having surgery, he's playing.
7:14And this is a guy who knows about surgery.
7:17Let's not forget, you know, early in his career, first major injury he has is a blowout, complete blowout of his knee, ACL, MCL.
7:25In subsequent training camps, we have had Joe Burrow scares year after year.
7:29Remember the calf injury that wasn't a big deal until it was.
7:32Then he hurt his wrist, ultimately had surgery on that.
7:35He had an appendectomy in a different training camp.
7:38And then last year, who could forget, off to a great start and then had a rupture of the plantar plate, a turf toe injury that required surgery.
7:47And the most impressive thing about Joe Burrow, perhaps, is how he's come back from every single thing that he's had.
7:53I mean, he comes back and plays and you don't really notice a difference in how he plays.
7:59That concerns some people because protecting himself is important.
8:02And it does look like this back issue he's dealing with was a result of contact in that first game.
8:08He said he didn't remember where it happened, but you saw him take a couple big hits where he looked a little uncomfortable getting up.
8:16Didn't look good in that video of the practice, the first practice of the week where he wasn't doing much at all.
8:23I mean, he was moving around, not really throwing.
8:25Then yesterday, a lot better in practice doing, you know, a lot of what looked like routine throwing.
8:31So I expect Joe Burrow to be out there.
8:34And once he's playing, I don't expect this to be a limiting factor.
8:38I think this is bumps and bruises from the first week.
8:41You know, everybody's holding their breath because every year, the caveat is always, Joe Burrow would be great.
8:47Sure. If he could just stay home. Well, Neck Brace Nation says, not afraid of the injury.
8:52He just traded for him. Let's go. So I have a QB 10 this week.
8:57So yes, we're starting. I'm a lower end QB one.
9:00But to your point, you're not concerned. We're not concerned.
9:03Let's go, Joe. All right. Let's talk about a bunch of hamstring injuries to find these hammies keep coming up.
9:09So we've got two big name wide receivers that have hamstring injuries.
9:13Nico Collins and Zay Flowers. Collins did not practice on Thursday.
9:16He was hurt in practice Wednesday. That just sort of popped up.
9:20And Flowers has yet to practice this week. Of course, he left the game early last week.
9:25What are the prospects? How are you feeling both this week and long term for Nico Collins and Zay Flowers, Stefania?
9:32So to talk about hamstring injuries, you really have to look at a few different things because it's very different from one player to the next.
9:40So all the factors you take into consideration are where did the injury happen within the muscle group?
9:46Was it, you know, high up, high hamstring injuries that are up near the tendon where it attaches high?
9:51Those are very slow to heal. And so are sometimes the ones that occur down near the knee.
9:57The other attachment point, if they happen more mid-substance in the muscle belly where you have good blood flow, those might be a little bit quicker to recover.
10:06So where do you think? You know what Stefania I realized?
10:09I think I have a muscle belly. That's what I have.
10:13It's not a dad bod. I just have a muscle belly.
10:16I like that phrase. I'm going to tell Beth.
10:19I'm going to be like, no, no. Start with belly.
10:22Yeah. My girls pat my stomach and they're like, you fat.
10:25And I'm just like, no, no, no. That's a muscle belly.
10:29A muscle belly. My daughters. Yeah. They're mean to me.
10:32All right. So where did these- So here's the thing.
10:35Where did it happen for Nico and Zay? Well, these are the elements of information that we don't know.
10:41But my point is you have to understand all the factors that go into hamstring injury and why it's so difficult to
10:48say, oh, this is automatically, you know, one week or this is five weeks.
10:52So we talked about the location within the muscle.
10:55You have three muscles in the hamstring. So it depends which one it occurred in.
10:59You have to look at their history. Do they have a history of prior injury?
11:04Because then you may have scar within that. So they don't maybe heal as well.
11:09But you also can look at how did they recover from that initial injury if they had one previously.
11:15There's a lot of things that go into how you evaluate what is coming.
11:19And also, what are they doing for treatment? Remember Zay Flowers, it was described as tightness.
11:24In his hamstring. But we know that during training camp, he was having issues with the same hamstring.
11:30One of the biggest concerns for any medical staff dealing with these NFL athletes is you can't have them come back and
11:36tell them, okay, just don't run all out. You're not, that's not going to happen with speed guys, deep threat guys.
11:43And you don't want to plant that in their mind because that just adds to the risk factors for recurrence.
11:49You want them to go out and be 100% and be explosive.
11:53But hamstring injuries have the highest recidivism rate of any soft tissue injury in the NFL.
11:58So the likelihood of a subsequent injury is very, very high when you're dealing with these.
12:03The number one risk factor for a hamstring injury is prior hamstring injury.
12:07So whenever there's something on the horizon like with Zay Flowers where this thing is chirping and we knew it was a
12:14problem in camp, especially early in the season, you wonder if they're going to be a little bit more cautious because what
12:20they don't want is for it to turn into a multi-week injury.
12:24Same thing with Nico Collins who dealt with a hamstring injury in 2024 and ended up missing five games with that one.
12:31Now this was a grade one. Again, one of the elements of a hamstring injury, how severe is it?
12:37Grade one is mild to moderate. Three is severe.
12:40And this was a grade one. So not bad, but Wednesday, that's pretty recent.
12:44And what you don't want is remember Mike Evans when he had the hamstring injury?
12:49It was just last year, I believe, right? So he pulls up in a game.
12:53You see him and he's uncomfortable. But he sits out the rest of that game and everything is all about he's going to come back the next week.
13:02He insists on coming back. Then he ends up with a subsequent hamstring injury that's much worse and costs him extended time.
13:09That's what teams are most afraid of. So you can't put a governor on with a hamstring when a guy's coming back from injury.
13:16You have to let them go all out. But can you put a lieutenant governor on it?
13:22Or is it a different governor? Is it a different kind of governor that you mean?
13:27Like, I just know, could you put like a state senator on it?
13:31Could you put like a state legislator on it?
13:33Could you put like a comptroller on it? You don't want to put a governor.
13:38I agree that's too much. But could you my understanding this Princeton?
13:42No. Are you just using big words that I understand?
13:45I'm just trying to use it. It's funny. You didn't say anything about recidivism and yet you stuck with I was going to make a joke about it.
13:54I was going to make a joke about it.
13:56But that means I'm going to have to pronounce it and I'm going to butcher that.
14:01So I kind of bailed. Hey, OK, so sounds like yeah, I mean, as Jonathan says, I was told there'd be no big words on the show.
14:10So not under my watch, Medici. You know, I invited the brainy one here, but you know, I'm in the gutter.
14:16So all right. So Nico Collins probably not going to play this week, but it's worth noting, Stefania, literally just got word in my ear from producer Damian.
14:25Zay Flowers is at practice today. Now, how much work will he do?
14:29Is he just sort of there? Maybe they're going to test it a little bit.
14:34I understand what you mean. Like you want to be cautious because it happened in the preseason and obviously last week.
14:40So we'll see. But just anyway, positive sign, positive development that Zay Flowers back at practice this week.
14:46And here's the thing. You if if I had if I have Zay Flowers on my fantasy team and he's active this
14:53weekend, I'm playing him, but then I'm holding my breath that he gets through the game without incident because these things they bubble beneath the surface.
15:01You know, remember that it was tightness last week.
15:03That's what they called it. Didn't really rise to the level of injury, but they're being cautious, but he was not coming back in once that appeared.
15:12So, you know, you cross your fingers and hope hope for the best.
15:16I think teams early on tend to err on the side of caution, but all the reasons I outlined as far as
15:23being all the nuance factors with a hamstring injury, that's why it's different for every player and you can't automatically say, oh, this is what's going to happen.
15:31All the more reason, by the way, to tune in to this channel, to the Matthew Berry YouTube channel Sunday morning at noon Eastern.
15:39Myself and Alex Cupps will answer all your questions and give you the injury updates to find you.
15:44It's always a process. You know, we were able to negotiate to get you onto one.
15:49We talked with your people, with your agents, your lawyers, your publicists, your many assistants.
15:54We were able to get you on for one appearance.
15:57Now we've got you every Friday. You'll be joining us every Friday throughout the season.
16:02We're very excited about it. And hopefully, maybe at some point, we can get you on on Sunday mornings as well.
16:08But we're excited to have you. But definitely tune in noon on Sunday morning.
16:13Me and Alex Cupps are going to answer every single question and give you all the latest injury updates, including with Zay Flowers and Nico Collins.
16:21One other wide receiver that is a concern for this week and beyond, Ladd McConkie.
16:25it's been macaculous, the fact that he hasn't practiced Thursday or Wednesday.
16:29It's a real word, Stefania. They didn't teach you at Princeton, but I promise you.
16:34The new one. Yeah, go ahead. So this was a chest injury, right?
16:38Ribs. Okay, close. Ribs injury being qualified. You know, same thing.
16:41It was all in the body. It's all in the upper torso.
16:45Right. I was close. You have ribs. That I can vouch for.
16:49You may not have a muscle belly, but you do have ribs.
16:52So if somebody were to come and take a shot at you with a helmet into your ribs, it would probably be uncomfortable, don't you think?
17:00I would cry like a baby. Yes, you would.
17:03And Ladd McConkie is tougher than that. But if you saw, he took a huge hit last week.
17:09And this is where you're most vulnerable, right? You go up in the air.
17:13You're extending for a catch. You know, players wear shells and padding, but the minute you get extended, you're more vulnerable and you take a big hit.
17:22And that's when those ribs get exposed. I once had an NFL team doctor friend of mine say, you know, when you
17:28hear about bruised ribs, it's like, they're broken more than they're bruised.
17:32So we don't hear about rib fractures all the time, but there are very small cracks that can happen to the ribs
17:39on hits like that that might not appear as a frank fracture, but, you know, bruising, bleeding around that area can be
17:46super uncomfortable because it hurts every time you take a deep breath.
17:49It hurts when you twist. It hurts when you try and extend.
17:53So we know that McConkie's been working off to the side.
17:57They've just been keeping him out of practice, but he has been doing the rehab work out at the field.
18:03It's probably going to come down to a question of comfort and do you feel like you can be yourself on game day?
18:10They can add a little bit of extra protection, but ribs move underneath any padding that you have.
18:16You're just trying to prevent any additional injury from contact.
18:19So remains to be seen whether he'll be available this weekend or not.
18:23I'd love to see what he does today. Obviously, Chargers being California team, you get those practice reports a little bit later.
18:30But listen, McConkie showed us the talent. It was just a question of how well he can recover from this this time.
18:36I don't get the sense that this is a long-term injury.
18:40I mean, they're calling him day to day. So, you know, this week we'll see, but I'm not concerned at this point.
18:47Long-term, which is great. What about Brock Bowers? So, like, you know, kind of like it was a meniscus trim, you know,
18:53and I, you know, I get my meniscus trimmed at least a couple of times a month, but you didn't expect it
19:00to come out of the blue for Brock Bowers.
19:03He missed week one. Do we expect him back this week?
19:06What are the expectations? When will he return if he's not come back this week?
19:11What are your thoughts on the Raiders tight end?
19:14So I think the general consensus, and I think most fans feel this way, how much or how little you know about
19:21the injury or not is we just don't want him to come back before he's ready.
19:26What's unclear is where this meniscus injury came from.
19:29We knew he was struggling a little bit with that left knee during training camp.
19:33You know, the video has surfaced. He didn't look quite right trying to do single leg hops, et cetera.
19:39This is the same knee he suffered the PCL sprain and the bone bruise on last year.
19:44And if you recall, after he got injured last year, he tried to play, played, in fact, for an additional three games, but he wasn't himself.
19:52I mean, you could watch, you could see that he didn't have confidence in that leg, typical with a PCL sprain.
19:59Why? Because you have instability. Well, when you have instability in the knee, you get a lot of sheer forces across the knee.
20:06The knee joint is moving, sliding, if you will, in ways that are not only uncomfortable for the athlete, but potentially damaging to other structures inside the knee.
20:15So my question is, was this meniscus tear the result of that original PCL injury, kind of playing through it, some internal
20:22damage that at the point of training camp this year manifested itself such that he ultimately needed to have this surgery done
20:28because it was creating swelling and irritation that he knew he couldn't get through the season.
20:33If you go through all that, and this comes down to the question of how stable is his knee, you know, after
20:40a PCL sprain, which are usually treated non-operatively, that's very often the case, but it has to scar down.
20:46We see a lot of players who have these injuries in college come through the NFL combine, and they still are graded
20:53with some instability in their knee because of an old PCL injury that they had.
20:58So why does that matter? Because if there's any slip sliding within that knee, it has the potential to create other internal damage, like a meniscal injury potentially.
21:06So my question... I think the word you're looking for is trim, meniscal trim?
21:11No. That's what I was told. The trim itself, see, that's the thing, is everybody's like, well, it was a trim, it
21:18wasn't going to be a deal, it's just a quick removal of a little irritating flap, and then you're on with it.
21:24That's true. My wife calls, when my wife kicks me out, that's what she says, it's a quick removal of an irritating flap.
21:31So it's so interesting to use that phrasing, because that's...
21:35Beth and I are always on the same wavelength.
21:37Yeah, Beth, yeah, of course. I think that's what's important for fans to understand, though, is that this is, you know, the surgery itself wasn't significant.
21:45The question is, is he going to have, you know, is the knee going to be great and great moving forward, or
21:52is there some subtle instability there that sort of rears its head and becomes a problem off and on?
21:58I hope for his sake that this is behind him after this completely, but only time is really going to tell on that.
22:05Everything screams, make sure that he's in good shape, no swelling, really symmetrical, functional testing to the point that you feel completely
22:12good about putting him back out on the field.
22:15I know he's itching to play, we've heard that from the Raiders, but one week is not going to make a difference, you know, as much...
22:23One week of playing is not going to be as helpful as one week of resting when it comes to long-term health, if that's necessary.
22:31So we'll see on Bowers, but maybe one more week without the Raiders tied in.
22:35By the way, a couple of quick updates that just came in while you were talking, Nico Collins not practicing Friday morning,
22:42not expected to play Sunday after sustaining that grade one hamstring injury.
22:46That's from Aaron Wilson, who's been covering the team forever.
22:49And by the way, Joe Burrow, just as you predicted, Stefania, earlier in the show, Joe Burrow, full participant in practice on Friday.
22:56He's good to go for Sunday. We'll see. Again, Zay Flowers is practicing today or is at practice.
23:02We'll get the report later, but that's good news.
23:05Real quickly, I know we didn't talk about this, but I just want to ask you about Kyler Murray, who, you know,
23:11it doesn't look like he's expected to play this week.
23:15Carson Wentz is going to make a start for the Vikings, but I was just surprised about this, Stefania, because it felt
23:21like a very mild concussion for Kyler, just a very small one.
23:25And are you surprised, Stefania, that such a small, mild concussion for Kyler is keeping him out this week?
23:31It was like an itty-witty one. So you really have to explain before this gets clipped and then somebody says, oh, this is what Stefania thought, you know.
23:40As anyone that has watched Stefania Bell for years and years and years, Stefania has taught us many, many times that concussions
23:47are a nonlinear injury and there's no such thing as a mild concussion or a significant cussion.
23:52Concussions are concussions. They're nonlinear injuries and there's no timetable that's sort of set for any one person.
23:57Everyone reacts differently. Some people are going to be out multiple months.
24:01Some people are back in a couple of days.
24:04Again, it's nothing. I was just doing that to tweak Stefania.
24:07I got Dan Graziano waiting, so I need 30 seconds on Dijon Stribling.
24:11I know you're so tied into the 49ers. He's going to miss about 10 weeks, but big dynasty pickup for so many people.
24:18Here's Stefania. Give me 30 seconds real quickly on Stribling.
24:22I will. I think a lot of people were upset to see that he had surgery versus they were going to try and rehab it.
24:29When you have a significant injury to the medial side of the ankle, which is deltoid ligament, you need that thing to
24:36be stable to not lead to other compensatory problems down the line.
24:40If there was a question, if it was unstable enough to require surgery, and by the way, MRIs, x-rays, they're not going to necessarily show you everything.
24:48They have to stress test the ankle under load because that really shows them, oh, hey, this might be unstable.
24:55Well, that's the thing that probably led them to a surgical result here.
24:59When you have surgery, the outcome is so much more predictable.
25:02They've reconstructed it. You can move faster through the rehab because you know that you're not risking destabilizing the ankle by going through the rehab process.
25:10So I say surgery in this case, it's unfortunate he had to have it, but it gives you a better predictable outcome,
25:17both for this season and in terms of the long-term health of his ankles.
25:21If you're a dynasty manager, it's terrific. And if you're in redraft leagues, hey, he might be able to help you out
25:28during those late bye weeks or your fantasy playoffs.
25:31As always, Stefania Bell, you are a legend. You are the best.
25:35I hope your boondoggle this weekend is a fantastic one.
25:38We will all follow you on social media, at Stefania L Bell or on X and then at Stefania Bell on the gram.
25:45Starfania, always a pleasure. We will talk to you next week.
25:48Thank you so much, my friend. That's my pleasure.
25:51Happy, happy hour. Thank you very much and I hope you, I wish you bad luck in fantasy in our league.
25:58But good luck in all the other leagues. We're going to take a quick break and when we come back, our mutual
26:04friend Dan Graziano will be here to break down all the news we need.
26:09He's got intel on the running back committees who's going to get the ball and who's not.
26:14He'll be, we'll be back, stay with us. We'll be back in one quick second with Dan Graziano.
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27:17One more time, gusto.com slash berry. G'day, I'm Justin Wolfers, host of the Platypus Economics podcast.
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27:44All right, we are back at the happy hour.
27:47The bar's still open and the party continues. My dear friend, and one of the best to ever do it, Dan Graziano,
27:54we all follow him at Dan Graziano ESPN. He's, you know, he's all over the place.
27:59I know you're, are you in New England yet?
28:02I know that's your game this weekend, right? You've got the Patriots.
28:05Well, I live in Connecticut, so I'm kind of, you know, I'm on my way.
28:10I was in New York City this morning doing getup.
28:13I was still kind of on my way back, but I stopped at home for the night.
28:18My wife likes it that way. I appreciate that.
28:21Well, please say hello to your lovely wife for me.
28:24Will do. And I know, I know the, the first thing we sort of want to get to is who's going to be the Falcon starting quarterback.
28:33Dan, of course, not only a great NFL insider for ESPN, where I'm told you can play fantasy.
28:38I know they wanted me to promote ESPN fantasy, Dan, as part of your appearance here.
28:43So just so everyone knows, you can play fantasy football at ESPN.
28:47Baseball. I have eight leagues at ESPN this year, so love me some ESPN fantasy.
28:52Sure, sure. But Dan, while we were, while literally we were getting your Zoom hooked up, news comes out from your colleague,
28:59Ian Rappaport, that Cooper Rush is taking the first team reps and is expected to start.
29:03So was there no concern about what he looked like last week?
29:07Was there, was Jack Strand ever a consideration? Is Tua in the mix?
29:11Talk to me about this Falcons quarterback room, which is a disaster.
29:15Tua hasn't been able to practice this week. He's dealing with a back injury.
29:19Jack Strand is an undrafted rookie that obviously they don't feel is ready or else they'd be mixing him in.
29:26And then there's Michael Penix, who was kind of splitting reps with Cooper Rush for much of the week.
29:31But, you know, he's working his way back from a third ACL surgery.
29:35And I mean, that's one more than the number of ACLs you have.
29:39Like, that's a lot of ACL surgeries. So like, he's got to be mentally right.
29:44He said the other day, there's some physical hurdles.
29:47He's still trying to clear that this is a different kind of surgery the third time because they can't take the graft
29:54from the patellar tendon, which they usually do in an ACL surgery.
29:58So they had to take it from somewhere else.
30:00And so a little bit longer rehab. Falcons play next week on Thursday.
30:04And I'm a little bit curious whether they were doing stuff this week to get Michael Penix potentially ready for that.
30:11But it doesn't sound like he'll be able to go Sunday and they really don't want to put him back there until
30:18he's fully comfortable, given the nature of the injury.
30:20So I would say at the point where Michael Penix feels it's good, it's good enough for him to go.
30:27That'll be the guy they put in there. And you have to be nervous about Drake London and Kyle Pitts after what
30:34we saw last week with Cooper Rush on or centered.
30:37You know, just very quickly, do you expect any improvement there?
30:40Yeah, I think with a week of working with the starters and taking the first team reps and designing a game plan
30:47around him as your starter as opposed to Tua, that's got to be different.
30:51So yes, I would expect to see a higher level of competency than what we saw.
30:56I know I was sitting there staring at a big old zero from Kyle Pitts in one league and I didn't like that very much.
31:04But yeah, I think what you want to see if you have any of these Falcons players in fantasy is you want
31:11to see Penix in there because that probably gives you your best chance of consistent week-to-week productivity.
31:16So, yeah, I mean, like, I'm probably starting Drake London.
31:19Probably. Just because, you know, but like, I haven't, you see it on the screen, I'm at wide receiver 18.
31:25So I'm as a lower end wide receiver too.
31:28Not where you drafted him, right? Than the top seven or eight guy he normally would be if Penix were starting.
31:35And I have Kyle Pitts at tight in 15.
31:37I'm looking elsewhere. To me, I'm starting, you're obviously starting Bijon, and I'm nervously starting London.
31:42I would keep it open on Drake London, but I would look elsewhere if I had Kyle Pitts this week.
31:49Let's move to San Francisco. I want to talk about some of the, real quickly though, news just came in.
31:55We've been talking about Zay Flowers, and I don't know if you have anything to offer here, but your colleague, Jamison Hensley,
32:02just tweeted out, while Zay Flowers returned, and Ronnie Stanley, their left tackle.
32:06That's no small thing. Yeah. Returned to practice Friday.
32:09Both did very little during media viewing portion of practice.
32:12Flowers stood and spoke to teammates and coaches. He did not do any running during media viewing.
32:17So, and then the rest is about their left tackle.
32:20So, seems like probably, maybe he's going to be a decoy.
32:23Maybe they're trying to mess with the Saints that he might play.
32:27Now you've got to plan for him. We'll see how much he's able to practice today.
32:32We've seen in the past Zay Flowers miss some practices, come back at the end of the week, and still play.
32:39He's generally been, you know, a guy that's answered the bell more often than not.
32:43So, we'll see what he's able to do at practice.
32:46I personally, based on everything we've heard all week, would be surprised to see Zay Flowers out there.
32:52But, yeah, we'll see if he's able to take part in any drills today at practice.
32:57And that'll help tell the rest of the story.
33:00One of the games last week that, you know, raised so many eyebrows, of course, the second game, the Australia game, was the Niners and Rams.
33:08And the thing that raised fantasy manager's eyebrows was how much Kalen Black was used.
33:12So, there's sort of two sides of this, right?
33:15Like, ah, CMC, he cramped up a little bit of the game.
33:19Flight, CMC was banged up a little bit in the preseason.
33:22It'll be fine. He's going to be back to being, you know, full-on Chris McCaffrey.
33:27But the other side of it is like, 31 years old, coming off a massive workload, banged up in the preseason.
33:34And, oh, by the way, Kalen Black looked really good.
33:37Yeah. So, here's my question. Do you think the Niners continue to manage CMC's workload?
33:41How do you break down this backfield? They always say they want to, and then they never do.
33:47So, you're hearing the right things from the 49ers, but can Kyle Shanahan stick with that?
33:52It's always been, especially in games that are close, you know, it's always been very difficult for Kyle to take Christian McCaffrey off the field.
34:00You mentioned they were not that close for most of the game last week.
34:04So, Kalen Black is a player that they're very happy with and very impressed with.
34:09So, that's part of this, too. A lot of times, the guys they've had behind Christian McCaffrey, they didn't feel as good
34:15about throwing them in there to spell him. So, you could see more of it going forward.
34:21This is going to be a fascinating week for the 49ers because they were in Australia for the full week.
34:27They have to re-acclimate coming back this way, whereas, you know, the Rams might have looked the way they did in that
34:34game, but at least they don't have to re-acclimate.
34:37They never acclimated in the first place to Australia.
34:39So, the 49ers, you know, I'm interested to see what the workload split is this week because the Australia trip is still
34:46a factor in terms of how they feel and how they've been able to work this week.
34:51So, would not surprise me to see them do it in a similar way in week two, but going forward, I got
34:58to believe as long as McCaffrey's healthy, that's the guy Kyle's going to want on the field.
35:04And I think for, I don't want to say it doesn't matter for our purposes because, of course, it does.
35:10But as long as Chris McCaffrey is active, you're starting him.
35:13Yes. Like, there's not a decision there, you know, other than like, hey, do you want to try to trade him?
35:20You're trying to like sell high if you think so.
35:23But, you know, you see my ranks there. He's running back three.
35:27Yeah. You know, I have Black as running back 36.
35:30I think regardless of how, even if they split some of the carries, McCaffrey's still going to be such a big part of the passing attack.
35:38Yes. That he's going to continue to be, as long as he's healthy, you know, one of the top two fantasy running backs.
35:45Five or whatever, right? Like you got, you're not starting in week two.
35:49Yeah. Yes. That's, that's exactly right. By the way, quick update that just, just popped up on the phone.
35:55Chica Conquo out for the Commanders this week against the Cowboys.
35:58Chica Conquo not going to play. Not great. I want to talk about, speaking of running backs here, Jeremiah Love, week one, you know, got the touchdown.
36:07So I think fantasy managers are happy. And, but I think Tyler Algier played more than people thought through the first three quarters.
36:14Jeremiah Love, 12 touches, Tyler Algier, 10. Then they got a big and Algier sort of salted it away in the fourth quarter.
36:21Love is another guy banged up in the preseason.
36:24He's a rookie. Surprising win. So my question to you is we will see a bigger role against Seattle this week for
36:31Jeremiah Love or was, was Arizona like that worked out pretty well.
36:34We just kicked the Chargers ass. Like we're more of the same.
36:38My understanding is Arizona plans to expand Jeremiah Love's role.
36:41They picked him third in the draft. Now they do like Tyler Algier.
36:45They signed him before they knew what they were going to do in the draft.
36:50And there is a role for him as we saw the last few years in Atlanta, even with a dominant, you know, lead running back.
36:58Jeremiah Love in week one, this is a rookie playing his first game who missed almost all of the preseason with an ankle sprain.
37:05So they were easing him in and I believe they'll continue easing him in.
37:09So I think as the weeks go along, what did he say yesterday?
37:13All gas, no breaks. I think it's like this week is probably like more gas and less break.
37:19But I don't know that we're like at full on Jeremiah Love what they have planned for him, especially when you factor
37:26in the opponent this week, which is the Super Bowl champion defense of the Seahawks and how great they looked in week one against the Patriots.
37:34So I do believe you'll see more of him.
37:37I would say by, you know, by sometime in October, you're probably looking going, OK, well, this is the guy there now.
37:43But they have the opportunity because of Tyler Algier to help ease to sort of ease his transition.
37:49Jeremiah Love's transition to the league and they're taking advantage of that.
37:53Yeah. So it's a little bit because of Algier and a little bit because of the mat, probably more because of the
38:00matchup and a little bit of Algier. How much you expect them to even score.
38:04Right. Exactly. So that's why I have Jeremiah Love at running back 23.
38:08I've been low in RB2, high end, high end flex and Algier clocks in at running back 39.
38:14By the way, all all gas, no brakes is a phrase I use with Beth all the time.
38:20Like we'll be in bed and I'll just pull the covers her head and she'll look at me and I'll be like,
38:26listen, honey, I'm all gas, no brakes. It is what it is.
38:30Just deal with it. My poor wife. There's like antacids you can take, I think, for that.
38:35No, it's more fun doing it my way. Got you.
38:38You know, listen. I'm just looking out for Beth.
38:41I know, but we've been together 20 years. She's got five kids.
38:45Where is she going? Please. Pot committed. Yeah. Yeah, pretty much.
38:48Yeah, she's pot committed. My poor wife. All right.
38:51Hey, so Jordan Mason, fractures of thumb, placed on IR.
38:54So I want you to break down this Vikings backfield for me.
38:58Is this going to be all the Aaron Jones show?
39:01We've got Demond Claiborne, the rookie running back in the mix.
39:05DJ Dallas is back. Break down this Vikings backfield because they don't want Aaron Jones to have a full workload, I would think.
39:12But on the other hand, he's by far their best running back.
39:15Right. But he is in his 30s now. And that's it.
39:19You know, you don't want to overdo it. You don't want to lose him too.
39:23So I would say you're going to see my understanding is you'll see an expansion of Aaron Jones role.
39:29I don't believe all the Jordan Mason touches go to Aaron Jones, but he'll get the lion's share.
39:35He'll get most of them. Demond Claiborne is a rookie, late round rookie that they liked a lot in camp.
39:41Very speedy, but it doesn't feel like they're all the way there with him in terms of trust.
39:47You know, you had a rookie running back coming in and you want to see sometimes, you know, improve in pass protection or some other areas.
39:55So DJ Dallas, I believe, would be the next guy up after Aaron Jones when Aaron Jones needs a break.
40:01And again, assuming the game doesn't sort of get out of hand, we have no idea.
40:06I don't know who could possibly predict the way the Ben Johnson, Brian Flores matchup of the week is going to go.
40:13But to the extent that the Vikings can do what they want to do, I think it'll be Aaron Jones and then
40:20the next guy in will be DJ Dallas. And I don't know for a fact that you'll see the rookie, but if
40:26you do, I believe it would be sparingly. Yeah, which is why I have Claiborne outside my top 55.
40:32Claiborne, I should say. Aaron Jones, though, clocks in at running back 20 for me.
40:37So I do think he's a starter this week as a low-end RB too.
40:41Hey, as we talked about, you're heading to New England.
40:44That's your game this week that you'll be covering for ESPN as you do a great job here.
40:50So let's talk about the Patriots backfields for a little bit.
40:53And Travon Henderson, like we expect him back this week.
40:57Ramondre is still going to be the starter, but like when Ramondre, last year, when Ramondre Stevenson was active, Travon Henderson averaged
41:0311 touches a game, nine and a half fantasy points per game.
41:07Not great. One of the things I talked about in the preseason at the time was like 25% of Travon Henderson's yards came on four plays last year.
41:16Yeah. I mean, so. But that's, I mean, if you get one of those plays, buddy, yeah, you might, your RB too
41:23or your flex might have just won you your week.
41:26So I'm just, talk to me about the Patriots backfield, how Henderson impacts it, especially given the fact that they're coming off
41:33a game where they got their ass kicked by the Seahawks and they've lost AJ Brown for at least the next four weeks.
41:40So talk to me a little bit about the Patriots offense overall and specifically this running back room.
41:45Patriots are definitely happy to be playing someone other than the Seahawks for a change that the last two games they've played haven't gone well.
41:53This game against Pittsburgh didn't go well last year.
41:56This was a game in Foxborough early in the season where the Patriots out gained the Steelers almost two to one.
42:02in yardage but lost because they had five turnovers, two of which were Ramondre, Stevenson, fumbles.
42:07This was a low point. This was, is Ramondre going to get benched?
42:11Is Trevion Henderson going to take over? They stuck with Ramondre and it paid off for them.
42:17It's a player that they trust, that Mike Vrabel believes in, that they still trust more in those pass protection situations, et cetera.
42:24Fortunately, unfortunately for them, fortunately for us trying to forecast it, the AJ Brown injury probably helps us figure out the blueprint
42:31because we saw last year, if you imagine now Romeo Dobbs is in the Stefan Diggs role and Kyle Williams is in
42:37their ideal situation in the Kayshawn Booty role, then you kind of know what they want to do with their running backs
42:44because you kind of know how the offense is going to go.
42:48So I would say if you liked the role Travion Henderson had last year, I would set my expectations there for a
42:55game like this, which is to say what? Ramondre the starter, but Travion is a player that can hit the big play,
43:02can create explosives in the run game and the passing game.
43:05And if he were to get on a roll, they could stick with him throughout the course of the game, maybe more
43:12so than Ramondre if he's the hotter hand. They're probably both playable, but, you know, does that, Ramondre not going to be
43:19the workhorse type that he was without Travion and Travion is not going to take over the role.
43:24He's, you know, double backfields that we're seeing more and more and more of, which is what makes it so important to
43:31start a guy like a Christian McCaffrey, assuming he gets his old workload.
43:35Ramondre Stevenson's my running back 21 for the week.
43:38I do think he's a starter again. I have one spot behind Jones.
43:42I think he's a low end RB2, high end flex, but I do think he's starting a...
43:47Between fumbles, Ramondre was gaining a lot of yards in that game.
43:51That's right. They can, they know, they've seen the Pittsburgh defense and they've handled it a little bit.
43:57But I have Henderson outside my top 40. I'm at running back 41.
44:01I want to, I want to see him back.
44:03I want to see what the role is. I don't love the matchup with the Steelers.
44:08I know Ramondre did produce well, but I, you know, I think the Steelers defense is, you know, still one of the stronger ones in the NFL.
44:17Real quickly before we move on to the next subject is, as regular Rudy says, also curious about the New England receivers.
44:24So again, you know, tell me if I'm crazy on this.
44:27What I've been saying is, is that I don't think, like if I had to pick a Patriots wide receiver, it'd be Romeo Dobbs.
44:35But I don't think you suddenly see Romeo Dobbs get the expected target share that we thought AJ Brown would get.
44:41I think it's going to be more what we saw last year, which is like Drake May and Josh McDaniels calling the plays.
44:48We'll throw, we'll spread it around. You'll, you'll see some Dobbs.
44:52You'll see some Pop Douglas. You'll see some Kyle Williams and Mac Hollins, Hunter Henry in the mix, of course.
44:58Like Eli Raritan caught a touchdown last week. Feels like it's more, am I crazy on that?
45:03Oh, you, your eyes raised at Eli Raritan. What's going on there?
45:07Eli Raritan's a, a, a, a player with playmaking ability.
45:10They believe that he's, I mean, that wasn't like a one-off or a fluke.
45:14He can, he can do some things for them in the passing game.
45:18I don't know that he's what they want yet in terms of an inline blocker.
45:23So he's probably more of a, you know, a guy you put on the field in your multiple tight end sets who's really a receiver.
45:31But in those situations, as we saw in the first game, he can get something done.
45:36So I, I believe he hangs around. Uh, as a, I don't know that you can possibly play him.
45:42I don't know what kind of league you'd have to be in to start him, but he's somebody, I don't, I don't
45:48believe he's caught his last touchdown of the 2026 season.
45:52Um, you'll probably see Mac Hollins be the starter opposite, you know, Pop Douglas or, uh, Romeo Dobbs, Pop Douglas in his usual role.
45:59And then Kyle Williams is the speedy second year guy that they haven't really been able to get involved.
46:05But, you know, remember when they got AJ Brown, they traded away Kayshawn Booty, which they're now sort of wishing they hadn't.
46:12Uh, but he was the guy that could get downfield and help take the top off last year.
46:17So if Kyle Williams can do any of that, you, he has a chance to make a player or two down the field.
46:24Dobbs, I believe will function as their sort of nominal number one, as long as he can catch it.
46:30Uh, and Mac Hollins is a guy that can go up and get contested catches.
46:35Maybe you like him for a red zone shot or two.
46:38Uh, and then Pop Douglas, if they're, if they're really rolling probably as the volume guy.
46:43Yeah. And you know what? I'm just curious, like how concerned as you've been talking with people in new England, all of
46:50your sources, Dan, you're, you're, uh, you're so plugged in.
46:53My question to you is what, um, uh, what are the concerns about Drake May?
46:58Bad week one. And now he's just lost his starting wide receiver, much tougher schedule for the Patriots.
47:04Do you expect a change in approach here? Could they go more run heavy, try to take some pressure off Drake May?
47:10Like just, you know, Drake May was drafted as a top three fantasy quarterback pretty much in, in most leagues.
47:17And so I'm just curious how, as you talk to your sources around new England, what the thoughts are around Drake May.
47:23Yeah. Drafted as a top three, uh, real life quarterback as well.
47:27Uh, but he, look, he's, he's still a young player and he had such a great year last year with second and MVP.
47:34Uh, so you, you forget sometimes that young players are still, are still developmental players to some extent, even the great ones.
47:41And they would like to see Drake May, you know, throw it away every now and then live to see another day.
47:48I mean, look, the last pass he threw against Seattle, uh, in the opener was, you know, what was exactly what they don't want to see, right?
47:56Poor decision at a terrible time, like throw it out of the back of the end zone, throw it out of bounds
48:03and we can at least get a field goal.
48:06So those kinds of decisions and, um, you know, obviously protect the ball.
48:10The offensive line should be better this year than it was in last year's you know, some of those guys perform pretty
48:17well against Seattle again, tough test, but Drake May had two turnovers in this game against Pittsburgh last year.
48:23It has not been difficult for the Patriots coaching staff to get their point across when they can point to not only
48:30the last game, but the last Steeler game, uh, as examples of things they want guys to cut.
48:35So, so Drake May, it's protect the ball and you know, know when you're beaten, right?
48:40Get rid of that ball as opposed to taking a sack or throwing an interception at an inopportune time.
48:46That's, it sounds simple, but those are, you know, two things that are still showing up for whatever it's worth.
48:52I ranked Drake May as QB 12 this week.
48:55So just, you know, very low end QB one nervous about the loss of AJ Brown nervous about the matchup with the
49:02Steelers obviously did not look great in week number one.
49:05So he's my QB 12 for the week. They did call some design runs for him, which I think is positive and
49:12I don't think he'll be better being back at home than on the road, uh, in Seattle, which is always a tough place to play.
49:20Um, and just take a circle back on the receivers.
49:23I have Romeo Dobbs at 37. He's my only Patriots wide receiver inside my top 55.
49:28I have, you know, uh, pop Douglas and Matt Collins.
49:31Until we see it. I don't think they're start.
49:33Yeah. So we'll yeah. Right. So we'll see. Romeo Dobbs is a wide receiver for this week.
49:39All of my rankings, by the way, Dan, are free at fantasylife.com.
49:42I'll check them out. As I said, my lineups, my various lineups for the weekend.
49:47Please do. I'm a company man. Um, uh, by the way, I just got a, uh, an alert.
49:53Ashton Doolin has been ruled out for the Colts.
49:56So everyone adjust your lineups there. Where was he in your wide receiver rankings for this week?
50:01Uh, below, below Mack Hollins. Um, I don't believe I ranked Mr.
50:05Doolin this particular week. Well, good. Very prescient of you.
50:08Yeah. Hey, I know you're tied in with the Chiefs.
50:11I know this one. I, I, I've got one more question for you.
50:15I have one more question for you. And then I got a bonus question about the Chiefs, but, um, just to stay in the backfields, one last thing.
50:23We expect Alvin Kamara back this week. Travis, I think people were surprised at how little Travis H.
50:29A-Chan was used, um, you know, that, that Kendrick Miller got a lot of work.
50:34A-Chan's day was bailed out because they were throwing, they were down big.
50:38They were throwing. He was used as a passing down back.
50:41But now you got Kamara back who's obviously in theory the passing down back.
50:46How do you see the Saints backfield breaking out?
50:48It, it, the usage was weird to me considering how much money they gave him in the off season.
50:54You're shaking your head. You were surprised as well.
50:57I'm staying away from this situation completely. Cause I'm, I was going into the season.
51:02It did seem like, especially given that they signed him, especially given that Kamara was hurt, that Travis Etienne was the gonna be the guy.
51:09And I mean, he was probably drafted as such, but clearly in week one, they didn't want to use him that way.
51:16Uh, I don't believe Kendrick Miller is just going to vanish because Alvin Kamara is back.
51:21My understanding is they plan to rotate all three of them.
51:25I can't even possibly like hazard a guess as to how that's going to work for fantasy purposes.
51:30For me, I mean, you probably end up starting HM because you drafted him as one of your top two running backs.
51:37But if you didn't, if you have a better option, I that's, this might be another situation to just sort of bench
51:44them all and wait to see how it shakes itself out because I'm not sure the Saints themselves know what it's going to look like week to week.
51:53It could depend on opponent. It could depend on, you know, any number of game conditions, any number of things, but they want to use all three guys.
52:01Yeah. They're heavy underdogs against the Ravens as well.
52:04I have A-Tan at, at 25. A-Chan, A-Tan. A-Chan, A-Tan.
52:07I don't know. And the crazy part, Dan, and I brought this up on the show all the time.
52:13His brother Trevor is still Trevor A-Tan with a Panther.
52:16You'd think they'd get the story straight on that.
52:19Yeah. Maybe you have to, maybe you have to change teams once, like, like Travis did.
52:24And then once, if Trevor, you know, ends up with another team, then maybe he'll change it as well.
52:30I would just, if Travis and Trevor at Thanksgiving could just kind of like, with a pair, you know, just, if everyone
52:37could just sort of get on the same page and let us know.
52:41That's a good mission for them for this Thanksgiving is to really sort that out and get back to us.
52:47We have a minute and a half left. So just quickly, give me 30 seconds.
52:52Any concerns on the Chiefs after week one? Like, it was all Ken Walker.
52:56Like, I know you and I talked in the preseason about Rasheed Rice and he did not look great to me.
53:02No. And, you know, he was behind all camp, obviously rehabbing his knee in jail.
53:07That's not what you really want to be doing.
53:10But run heavy game plan, likely from my understanding due to the fact that they were starting an undrafted rookie at left tackle.
53:17If Josh Simmons is back at any point at left tackle, I believe you'll see this, this passing game expand.
53:23They have plans for Rice. They have plans for Xavier Worthy.
53:27Definitely want to get them involved. But first of all, Kenneth Walker was the safe way to go.
53:32Second of all, it was working. If Josh Simmons isn't back this week, you probably see something similar.
53:38Dan Graziano ESPN. At Dan Graziano ESPN, we will watch you all this weekend on ESPN.
53:43Your coverage from New England with you covering the Steelers and the Patriots games.
53:47You do such a great job. While you're out there Sunday morning in Foxborough, I'll be on my own YouTube channel, on the Matthew Berry YouTube channel.
53:56Yes. Noon to one o'clock. Me and Alex Cupps answering every single question.
54:00It's Fantasy Football Happy Hour last call this Sunday at noon Eastern.
54:03Dan, good luck in your two fantasy football leagues.
54:06Appreciate you're going to be here every Friday moving forward.
54:09Yeah. So we're four fantasy leagues. Yeah, I got too many.
54:13That's at least three too many. All right. Well, it's closing time, which means you don't have to go home, but you can't stay here for Dan.
54:21I'm Matthew. Thank you, Stefania. Peace out. Peace out.
54:24Peace out. Peace out.
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