Top 10 Fantasy Football MUST-DRAFT Players for 2026!
STACKED extracted the fantasy-relevant player signal from this podcast and kept the full transcript here for context.
32 min
Duration
Estimated from transcript
Aug 14, 2026
Published
Fri, August 14, 2026
12
Player insights
11
Players mentioned
Topics
Zachariah BranchA.J. BrownDarren WallerDenzel BostonJadarian PriceJames CookJerry JeudyKeaton MitchellMatthew GoldenOmarion HamptonZach Charbonnet
Player analysis
Player insights
A.J. Brown
PositiveProjection13:34
The source believes A.J. Brown will have the best season of his career with the Patriots, potentially finishing as the overall WR1. The reasoning is his pairing with Drake Maye, who the source claims was the best downfield thrower in the NFL last year, and Brown's high motivation to play for his childhood team.
Insight pageDarren Waller
NegativeDepth Chart4:58
Darren Waller signed with the Panthers, but the source views him as just another late-round tight end option and recommends avoiding early tight end picks unless in premium scoring systems.
Insight pageDenzel Boston
PositiveBreakout18:21
Denzel Boston is a high-upside breakout candidate who was named a starter before the preseason. He has impressed in training camp against a strong Browns defense, and the source views him as a steal in double-digit rounds.
Insight pageJadarian Price
PositiveValue20:27
Jadarian Price is a high-value target in round four or five. Despite potential committee concerns with Charbonnet, Price is seeing significant receiving work in training camp, which the source identifies as a major game-changer for his fantasy outlook.
Insight pageJames Cook
PositiveProjection5:54
The source ranks James Cook as high as number four overall, citing his role as the primary ball carrier, his league-leading rushing performance last year, and expected increased involvement in the passing game. The source believes his touchdown potential is even higher this year as Josh Allen's rushing volume potentially decreases.
Insight pageJerry Jeudy
NegativeBust18:26
The source expresses strong negative sentiment toward Jerry Jeudy, citing reports of him dropping balls and continuing to struggle in training camp.
Insight pageKeaton Mitchell
NegativeUsage27:20
The source dismisses concerns regarding Keaton Mitchell, noting his small stature (191 lbs) and injury history. He is expected to play a minor role, likely limited to 5-6 touches per game, and is not viewed as a threat to Hampton's goal-line work.
Insight pageMatthew Golden
PositiveSleeper16:52
Matthew Golden is highlighted as a high-upside sleeper. With Romeo Doubs and Dontayvion Wicks gone, and Christian Watson's persistent injury history, Golden has a clear path to targets in the Packers' offense.
Insight pageOmarion Hampton
PositiveProjection25:46
Omarion Hampton is a top-tier running back target with massive upside due to an improved offensive line and Mike McDaniel's scheme. The source projects him for significant volume, including roughly 60 receptions and potential for 20 touchdowns.
Insight pageZach Charbonnet
NegativeRole21:53
The source notes that Zach Charbonnet could return from his ACL injury around week 10 or 11, potentially acting as a thorn for Jadarian Price by stealing goal-line carries, though his return timeline remains uncertain.
Insight pageZachariah Branch
PositiveBreakout17:55
The source anticipates a breakout for Zachariah Branch, noting that while he is currently under the radar, he is expected to rise significantly in ADP by next year, similar to other players who see their value jump after initial hype.
Insight pagePositiveSleeper25:09
Zachariah Branch is a must-draft late-round sleeper who is emerging as the WR2 for the Falcons. The source compares his explosive talent to Zay Flowers and notes that he is significantly more talented than other receivers at his ADP.
Insight pageFull transcript
Episode Transcript
0:00We got a mega episode here for you. We're talking top 10 fantasy football must-have players.
0:04This is a list you want to write down.
0:07You want to etch it on your sketch it.
0:09Is that even a thing? Etch a sketch anymore, Walter Football?
0:12I don't even know. I just had to throw that in there.
0:15My daughter's two. She has one. So yeah, I can confirm that it is.
0:19Yeah. Yeah, but don't erase it. This is a list you want to keep.
0:22I should say ironclad. Like write it into stone, I think, if people still do that.
0:26So top 10 must-draft players, mega episode. Walter, the wild and wonderful, the great and powerful, the almighty football god that is the Walter football.
0:33What's happening, Walter, man? Are you ready to go?
0:35Yeah, I'm ready to go. That is a better intro than Daenerys Targaryen got on Game of Thrones.
0:40That's pretty great. I hope I can live up to it, but I think we can.
0:44I like our list a lot, the 10 players.
0:47What's really cool about this list, Joe, is that all but one of these players are in different rounds.
0:52So you can theoretically grab nine of these guys.
0:54That's more than half your team. So you should be able to have a great team based on these players.
0:59Yeah, man. Draft them. Put them on your roster.
1:02They must draft. Speaking of all the optimal players drafted each other, make sure you guys do grab 16 rounds.
1:07I've linked it below. Use code DEAL today. I'm giving another deal because you know what happens, Walter?
1:12I do these deals that say it's a limited time.
1:14Then I get 100 DMs saying, oh, can I get a code?
1:17Can I get it? Okay. Last one. All right.
1:20I'm going to give you guys a code. Use code DEAL.
1:23It's going to save you guys 20%. Enter 16 rounds.
1:25And draft with me every single night. 9 p.m., guys.
1:28Best ball draft. There's a link below for Underdog.
1:30Create an account using Lion. You can also DM me on that one and just say, hey, man, I want to draft you tonight.
1:36I'll send you a private link. And we go at 9 o'clock or first come, first serve.
1:41That's why you guys turn on notifications. Make sure you guys do use the code Lion on Underdog.
1:46And there's a link below. Walter, I'm excited to get going, guys.
1:49Head on over to walterfootball.com. Bookmark the page. I'm pumped up, dude.
1:52I don't even know what to say. We've got preseason.
1:54We're actually recording this the day the preseason's on, but you guys get it in the morning.
1:59Preseason games today. I'm pumped up, man. Yeah, I can't wait.
2:02Generally, a lot of the game's going to suck.
2:04We're going to see some starters tonight, so that's going to be exciting.
2:08I made 20 DFS lineups for the preseason games, so you can tell I'm a degenerate here.
2:12But we've been waiting for football for a while.
2:14We had one game in the Hall of Fame.
2:17We're going to have like five or six tonight and 16 throughout the whole weekend, so it's going to be awesome.
2:22Yeah, man, I'm super pumped up. I'm ready to go.
2:25All right, let's go. Let's rock with this. We're kind of skipping latest news.
2:29There isn't anything. Oh, I do want to talk really quickly, though, about Amika Agabuka.
2:32A lot of people were worried. He came off, hobbled off, and was watching from the sideline in his socks.
2:38Apparently, it was a toe thing. So, Walter, not a concern with Amika.
2:41Yeah, it sounded like a minor injury. Not a really concern from what I hear.
2:45You know, it could have been a lot worse.
2:47Like when it was announced, I put the meme with the Ron Swanson picking up his computer, throwing him in the trash
2:53because I have so much Amika Igbuk. I was like, oh, man, this is going to be bad.
2:58But, no, it sounds like a minor injury. The other one piece of news I saw was Darren Waller signed with the Panthers.
3:04It's just like another late-round tight end you can draft.
3:07Like there's so many of them. So, I'm avoiding all tight ends early.
3:10Unless you're like in a premium tight end scoring system, you should just really wait on these guys.
3:15Yeah, everyone was yelling, Ted Hurst season, Ted Hurst.
3:17I'm like, no, Amika's the guy. I'm not concerned.
3:19Hence the Bucs hat. Hence the movement. I moved to Florida specifically for Amika.
3:23That's the dedication here. You want fantasy dedication? Amika, Bucs, I'm coming to a game to see you live.
3:28How about that? Oh, that's awesome. Yeah. You were deciding on which team.
3:31Did you settle in Tampa then? I think I'm going to go Tampa.
3:35They're about three hours away from me. If not, I have to go north to Jacksonville.
3:39I don't like Jacksonville Jaguars too much. And then Miami sucks, so I had to go Tampa Bay.
3:44That's the middle ground. Okay, yeah. They're probably – well, Jaguars are pretty good.
3:47But Tampa has a lot of potential, like a lot of fantasy potential for sure.
3:51Oh, yeah. Let's go here. Let's go with the first one here.
3:54This is your guy, James Cook. Why is he a must-draft player?
3:58I am as high as number four overall. Like Puka Nakua, you could have argued number four before.
4:02But he got – there's news that he might be suspended for what he did this offseason.
4:07You know, the cannibalism, I guess, is a concern for the league.
4:10So they kind of have to put him down for a few games.
4:13But James Cook is everything you want in a running back.
4:16Like he's getting all the carries. He led the league in rushing last year.
4:20And he's going to catch more passes, it sounds like.
4:22Like from the reports saying that he's going to be more involved in the passing game.
4:27He gets all the touchdowns too. It's not like a situation where like Ray Davis gets the goal line carries.
4:32Like he's the one getting the carries at the goal line.
4:35Yeah, Josh Allen gets some rushing touchdowns too. But, you know, as rushing quarterbacks get older and older, they're going to carry the ball fewer and fewer times.
4:42And so we might see Cook score even more touchdowns this year.
4:45I think despite winning the rushing title last year, I think the potential is even higher for him.
4:50So, yeah, I think James Cook belongs like way earlier than he's going.
4:53I think he's like number 10 overall, number 9 overall.
4:56Like I would take him number 4 overall. Yeah, I talked about how he is like, I would say, I don't know
5:02what the word is, underrated compared to like Gibbs and Robinson and how he's not getting the love.
5:06But some people tend to forget that this guy was the rushing leader last year.
5:10And they forget how good the offense is. And they forget how he's got no competition.
5:15So when you're looking at, in theory, like when you look at the Cuddy system, consistency, upside, durability, depth and use, he's got it all.
5:21He's in a great offense, no committee, you know, he could do it all.
5:25So, I mean, it doesn't get much better for a must draft from James Cook.
5:29And you can get him, you know, late first round.
5:31And, you know, that's what I like about him, all right?
5:34My guy, again, we got to talk about him.
5:37It's a must draft episode. And there's a lot of people just tuning in.
5:40So if you guys are just tuning in, subscribe.
5:43Turn on the bell. We go live every night at 9.
5:46You got to turn on the bell to this channel and hit subscribe and hype it.
5:50There's a hype feature. Really helps. Just interact with the video.
5:53Touch our faces. Interact. That's what I say. Poke us in the nose.
5:56Just interact with the video. But Amika Agabuka, love this guy.
5:59And what blows my mind is when I look at the rankings, there's just so many players ranked ahead of this guy
6:05that just have no business doing that. Like being there, like George Pickens.
6:08Like I don't even, I don't get it. Like, and again, I talked about last video and I put a short up
6:14about like how George Pickens and C-Lam, if they both finish top 10 amongst wide receivers, I'm quitting fantasy.
6:19And somebody would be like, yeah, I'm excited that you're quitting.
6:22It's going to happen. I don't see that happening.
6:24So Emika is just that guy that jumps out at me.
6:27Wide receiver, what, 20 something? And he's gone up four or five rankings.
6:30He was way lower in April. So now he's gone up.
6:33People are catching on. But it's just a clear cut path.
6:36And then people are scared of drafting. I'm like, dude, like, why would you be scared?
6:40Like, you know, and people are not scared of drafting guys that George Pickens coming off pinnacle year.
6:45It doesn't make sense to me, man. With C-Lam there.
6:48No competition here. Yeah, it doesn't make sense at all.
6:50I think that he's this year's Jackson Smith and Jigba.
6:53Like a second year receiver who has a ton of potential.
6:56Like Baker Mayfield throws a lot. He's Mayfield has one of the highest pass attempts numbers over the past three years.
7:01So I guess who's going to catch a bunch of those targets?
7:04Like Mike Evans is gone. You don't have to worry about him anymore.
7:08Chris Godwin's close to aging out of the NFL.
7:10Jim McMillan's injured. Yeah, there's Ted Hurst. Maybe he has a little bit of potential as a number two.
7:15But a Buka, egg Buka, sorry. He is the number one on this team by far.
7:19And I think he's going to have a huge year.
7:22And you know what? This toe injury might scare off some people.
7:25And you might be able to get him a little bit later.
7:28You might get him late third. In a draft I did yesterday, I got him at 310.
7:33I was like, yeah. I got A.J. Brown at 203.
7:35And I got a Buka at 310. I'm going to get four good running backs and two ace receivers.
7:40This team that I drafted felt unstoppable. Yeah, it's ludicrous.
7:43Like I'm looking at it here like Rashi Rice is ahead of him.
7:46And I talked about a video yesterday. And we talked about it on our bus video.
7:50Rashi Rice is ahead of Emika. Devontae Smith, who I think is the two.
7:54I know you like him more than me. I don't.
7:57Garrett Wilson, Tett McMillan, Tee Higgins is coming off ahead of Emika.
8:00I cannot wait. I'm going to screenshot these rankings.
8:02I'm going to rub it in the face of the Kinsheeps as soon as the season starts.
8:07Because this is unbelievable. Like it's such amazing value.
8:09Like Emika screaming draft me on him. Love him.
8:11All right. Your next guy here is A.J. Brown.
8:14I definitely see the appeal. I just don't like the offense.
8:17I don't trust New England. And I think he's coming off way too high at eight.
8:21Why is he a must draft? I think A.J.
8:23Brown is going to have the best season of his career.
8:26He is. First of all, he's a very talented receiver.
8:29We don't have to dispute that. But think about the quarterbacks he's had in his career.
8:33He started with Ryan Tannehill, who's just average at best.
8:36He had Marcus Mariota for a little bit, who's not a good backup.
8:39Then he had Jalen Hurst. Jalen Hurst is a great runner, but he's not a good downfield thrower.
8:44And then for a couple of games in between, he's had Gardner Minshew when he was back up with the Eagles.
8:49And then he had Tanner McKee, who, you know, he has some potential, but he's not a great passer like Drake May.
8:55Drake May last year was the best downfield thrower in the NFL statistically.
8:58And he had Stephon Diggs and Keyshawn Butte as his top two downfield targets.
9:02Mack Hollins is even involved in the Super Bowl.
9:04Like now he's going to have this ultra talent at receiver and A.J.
9:08Brown. And A.J. Brown has got a chip on his shoulder for what happened last year with the Eagles.
9:13Like he was not happy there. He wanted out.
9:15And he's been a Patriots fan all his life.
9:17He grew up around that area rooting for the team.
9:20And so he's going to be super motivated to play at his best.
9:23And he's still, he's not 30 yet. He's still like relatively young.
9:27I think he and Drake May, I think this is going to be maybe like a poor man's version of what we
9:32saw in 2007 when Randy Moss, for the two years before he got to New England, he did not do all that
9:38well because he was paired with like Kerry Collins and Andrew Walter, like these bums with the Raiders.
9:43And then he gets to New England and he has like one of the best all time years for receivers.
9:48I think A.J. Brown has a good chance to be the receiver one this year.
9:52And so I am drafting him aggressively. I'm trying to pair him with Drake May just to get that huge upside.
9:58I think this guy's ceiling is through the roof.
10:00Yeah. And he's a guy that screams, give me the ball.
10:03And that's what you like about him. You like that competitive edge that A.J.
10:06Brown has. So there is some upside there for sure.
10:09But definitely better than some of the other options going at that ADP.
10:12All right. My next guy is a big time sleeper, which I don't understand why.
10:16And I'm going to keep talking about him. It's just he sits there in the later round, mid to late.
10:22And I'm looking for another wide receiver to stack as part of my wide receiver core.
10:26And I'm all over Matthew Golden. He was a first round pick by a team last year.
10:30Came alive in the postseason game last year. Second to targets to Romeo Dobbs.
10:34I'm going to keep talking about it. Romeo Dobbs was a top target getter in that playoff game last year.
10:39And Romeo Dobbs is no longer there. Watson can't crack 625 yards to save his life.
10:43Can't finish a season to save his life. I cannot wait till he gets hurt again.
10:48I can laugh at the Packers for drafting him.
10:50Matthew Golden. I mean, they obviously believe in him enough so that they got rid of Wicks and Romeo Dobbs.
10:55And they didn't draft anybody else that's going to be of significant relevance to take away that target.
11:00Like he's going to like he's going to be on the field a lot.
11:04Like I don't see there's a clear path. There's a golden path.
11:07No pun intended here for Matthew Golden. I'm all over him.
11:10What is he like wide receiver like 55 or something crazy like that?
11:13Where is he? Like he's down there, man. Like, yeah, 55.
11:16I mean, Romeo Dobbs in New England who isn't going to touch the ball like we just talked about AJ Brown.
11:21There's so many guys ahead of this guy like Jalen Coker, like Jaden Higgins in Houston.
11:26Matthew Golden, man, like amongst that ADP, like he pops out and jumps out at me.
11:30I'm all over him, man. Like how excited about you?
11:32Are Matthew Golden. He was a great prospect too coming out of the draft last year, right?
11:37First round. Yeah, he had a great playoff run and that's what kind of vaulted him into round one.
11:42I think it was like on the borderline, like round one, round two.
11:45But then he had some insane playoff games and then he just rose to round one.
11:49And yeah, he didn't he didn't have the ideal season that you would expect.
11:53But as you said, Romeo Dobbs is there to soak up so many targets and Dontavian Wicks is there too.
11:58They're both gone. And so they're down to Watson, Reed and now Golden.
12:02And we know Watson's injury history. You just said it like it's it'll be shocking if he plays all seven.
12:07Yeah, even like 12 games, it'll be surprising. And so, you know, Jane Reed, I like to it as ADP.
12:12I think that he's a solid, solid value. But Golden has the potential to be a receiver one, given his talent.
12:18And so especially when Watson gets hurt, like it could be the Golden show.
12:21Like he he was awesome in the playoff game.
12:24He also had a great game week five. I think people forget about against the Bengals last year.
12:28So you saw his potential. There are just too many mouths to feed there.
12:32Now two of those mouths are gone. And so he has a lot of upside this year.
12:37Yeah, and Watson gets hurt. Look out. I mean, he's going to be like a top guy people are going to want to get.
12:43All right. Your next guy here is a must draft.
12:45And I talked about him in yesterday's show. I said, yes, he's a must draft, but he comes with a high risk.
12:51Right. Cam, crazy Cam Scadabo. You know, that's what they should have.
12:54His first name or middle name is crazy. I love the passion here.
12:58Why is he a must draft? Round four ADP.
13:00Kind of expensive for a guy who could break his leg, you know, running out of the locker room.
13:05Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Seriously. When he's doing that backflip, I like almost saw like my life flash in front of me.
13:11Just I was like, oh, my God, like he's going to get injured.
13:14I have so much Cam Scadabo. He's the second highest running back I've drafted in best ball.
13:18Cam Scadabo does everything you want in running back.
13:21He gets the bulk of the carries. He's you know, he can handle a big workload.
13:25We know that he can catch the ball pretty well.
13:28And Jackson Dart is going to dump it off to him.
13:31They're great friends. Like they're going to do that.
13:33He gets goal line work and he's a great blocker.
13:35So he's going to be on the field all three downs.
13:38And there are running backs ahead of him. Like he's going around for like they're running backs ahead of him who are just partial time players.
13:45You know, like, for example, like Kyron Williams is going to share the work with Blake Corum and he's going around earlier than Scadabo.
13:51I'd rather have Scadabo. Like I think Scadabo should go around too.
13:55Now, there is the concern with injury, but we don't have a big sample size of that.
13:59We have a small sample size. Yeah, he runs recklessly, but that's bad for the long term.
14:04Like I think for this this year, I'm definitely drafting him around for it's such great value.
14:08And he like I said, he does everything. I mean, if you and I are talking about I would assume the coaching
14:14is talking about I assume everybody is talking about Cam's aware he's got to run a little more conservatively and preserve his
14:20body like run strong, but be a little aware and start to I think the backflip was a good, you know, practical
14:25life application where I'm sure the coaching or someone said to him, dude, you're in the NFL.
14:30You just can't be doing stuff like that. So I'm pretty sure he's aware and cognizant of his crazy craziness and hopefully he can suppress that.
14:37Just apply that on the field where it matters for us fantasy owners.
14:40So I definitely see some excitement there for Scadabo.
14:42Crazy Cam Scadabo. And I think you're going to be crazy if you draft him and he gets hurt.
14:47So hopefully he does that. Yeah, it is. Look, it's round four.
14:50So it's not like you take him around once a little less risk.
14:54But you know what? Like he's come off that ankle injury and any concern should be gone because like, yeah, the backflip is like, don't do that.
15:01But he did do it and just showed that he's fine.
15:04So I don't have any concern about last year's injury.
15:06My next guy, I got it. I got to draft this guy, Zachariah Branch.
15:10I mean, when I look at this guy, I'm just like in later rounds, I'm just like the people, the talent around him at that ADP just sucks.
15:17And he is wide receiver 82. This reminds me of when Tank Dell and Nico Collins went off and they were like wide receiver 70 years ago.
15:24He's the wide receiver two in Atlanta. Like there's no other way.
15:28Who else they got there? They got Zucchini there and like whatever his name is.
15:32So like when you look at the other guys coming off at this guy's ADP at wide receiver 82, I mean, you got Isaac Tesla.
15:38I won't touch the ball. Darnell Mooney in the drives, Rashad Bateman, Troy Franklin, Jalen Noel in Houston.
15:43Like these guys, they'll just never touch the ball.
15:45And you're staring at a wide receiver two that late in the game.
15:49Like, I'm just like, I have to have Zachariah Branch.
15:51I ended up drafting him back in April before the news was breaking out that he's emerging as a two and looking good on the field.
15:58His head coach just said recently, I think it was something along the line.
16:02He, I don't, I don't want to misquote it, but he's the guy.
16:05Like he's really good. Like he gets it done.
16:07Basically he's praising him. I don't know. I got to look back at that quote, but yeah, they love him.
16:13He's a wide receiver too. And I don't know, man, this is crazy.
16:16You're drafting T Higgins around three, but people are scared to draft Zachariah Branch around 15.
16:20Like, like just take them. Like he's a must draft.
16:23Just put them on your roster. What's the worst that can happen?
16:26He doesn't catch anything. Dude, Zachariah Branch. Remember the name.
16:29Joe, how could you possibly forget? Jahan Dotson is on the Falcons.
16:32Oh, wow. Dotson. Yeah. I'm scared of that guy.
16:34These guys, these guys outside of London are such bums, you know, and this defense is not going to be good.
16:40So I got to throw a lot. I love Zachariah Branch.
16:43I'm also like very high on him. If you didn't mention him as a, as a guy in the show, I would have, I would have as well.
16:50He's one of my highest drafted guys. He is, he reminds me of Zay Flowers, like, like super explosive player.
16:55He can go the distance anytime touches the ball.
16:57I really don't get his ADP. Like he's a, he's not like a seventh round pick or six round pick.
17:03He's a third round pick. And really, I think he would have gone second round pick if he didn't have an off the field issue before the draft.
17:10And if he was going second round, I think people will be higher on him.
17:14But like third round, people are like, eh, I don't know about this guy, but he is, he is just dynamite like
17:20on the field and they're going to try to get the ball to him as much as possible.
17:24He's way more talented than anyone they have at the position except for Drake London.
17:28He's going to be a good compliment for London.
17:31Uh, I I'm, I'm getting him. I'm trying to get him every time.
17:34You know, it's funny. I already see it. Like I'm going to look into my crystal ball and what's going to end up happening.
17:40And this is a true story. I think what's going to happen.
17:44He's going to run a slant or something. He's going to catch the ball.
17:47He's going to deke out two or three, you know, defenders and take it to the house week one, two or three.
17:53And he's going to be a waiver wire wonder.
17:55And the kids sheeps will be like, Oh, Zachariah branch.
17:58I love you. Where's Connor? Connor. Connor. Not here today, but that's, what's going to happen.
18:02Connor and all those guys are going to jump on them.
18:05And then next year he'll be around three pick.
18:07It's like, it happens every time. It's like, they just jump.
18:10Why not see the vision now and talk about it now?
18:13That's why you guys got to get 16 rounds because you're able to see this stuff and pick up on players that
18:19are going to break out like this. Amazing. Yeah.
18:21So speaking of players that are going to break out and seeing it ahead of time, Denzel Boston, apparently making waves going
18:27to be the one I just heard today or yesterday that Jerry Judy continues to suck.
18:31I heard he's dropping balls. What a crappy player.
18:34And then conception is like Denzel's a guy. That's what I'm hearing right now.
18:37So huge opportunity with an offense that are going to get Judkins going.
18:41So there's going to be a threat at the running game.
18:44And then you've got, you know, improved O-line. I heard Watson's going to be starting.
18:47I'm not overly excited, but he's got, someone's got to catch the ball.
18:51Denzel Boston. For those reasons, is there any other reason other than what I said, why you put them on this list?
18:57I mean, I thought Denzel Boston would be a first round pick in the draft.
19:01And then he slipped around too. And I'm like, okay, someone's going to get a great steal here.
19:05And the Browns took a different receiver. You said Concepcion.
19:08I like him too. But Denzel Boston, he, the Browns ended up taking him anyway.
19:12And so it's like, okay, you could have just flipped Boston and Concepcion.
19:15It would have made more sense. But no, Boston is just having an amazing training camp.
19:19And just given where I saw him as a first round talent, I was like, I'm not surprised at all.
19:25I know someone who went to Browns training camp to watch him.
19:28And he came, he came away saying, he's like, well, I just had a religious experience watching this guy.
19:33Like, he just, he looks so good. And he's already named the starter.
19:36Like, like how, how, um, how often do you see second round or third round or second day receivers named starter before
19:42week one, before week one of the preseason, he was named starter.
19:45It's not like he had a great preseason. It's like, okay, let's put him in.
19:49Like he just said that good, that dominant in training camp.
19:52Uh, he is. And, and just remember who he's going against.
19:55He's going against the Browns defense, Browns defense, really good.
19:57And yet he's still making plays in training camp against those guys.
20:01Like his, his ceiling's through the roof. Uh, and he's, yeah, he's going double digit rounds.
20:05Uh, I don't get it. I'm trying to get him every time.
20:08Yeah. That's one of my regrets. Like I don't have them.
20:11I, that's one of those guys I didn't get because like you think the conception would have been the guy and I didn't like the Browns.
20:18So I didn't get a lot of Ben, uh, uh, Denzel stock, unfortunately, but that might be one of my regrets, but
20:23I do like what I'm hearing at a camp there.
20:26It could be as big sleeper. All right. Uh, next one is my guy.
20:30I'm going to keep talking about, um, just because I'm getting a RB one, you know, in round four you're not, again,
20:35you're not high on him as much as I am.
20:38I don't think, but he was a first round pick.
20:41And I don't, I rarely see in fantasy, a first round pick, you know, in, in reality come off so late, you
20:46know, we saw years ago with Clyde Edwards, a layer first round pick, you know, see Jeremiah love first round pick coming out from two early, right?
20:53These guys always come off early Robinson. All these guys came off early, but I get price at a discount on an
20:59offense where I know they have crappy running backs.
21:02They could be get some Halani once in a while.
21:04Charbonnet could come back and be a thorn, but I don't, I really don't see Charbonnet being like a hundred percent throughout the season.
21:11So yes, the committee thing is the only kind of concern here, but I'm all over Jadarian price, man.
21:15I love him. I love him. I think it's a steal.
21:18Yeah. Since the last time we talked about him, I've warmed up to him a little bit.
21:23So I've been drafting him like here and there and not, not, not like aggressively, but I think like once there's like
21:29a group of running backs, I like Eric around the round five range.
21:32You have like, you have Bashaal Tootin, you quit on Judkins, Dave Montgomery.
21:35Like once all those guys are gone, like Jadarian price is usually still there and I'll take prices.
21:40He's like my fourth running back or something. So I do like him a little bit.
21:44I'm not like crazy about him, but I like him enough to draft him like somewhat consistently.
21:49Like the, the, the, the one thing that bothers me is you said Charbonnet might return.
21:53Uh, and that's a might, like he may not come back, but if he does, like he's proven that he'll take goal
21:59line carries away from running backs, like he did that away from Kenneth Walker who won Superbowl MVP and, and Jadarian prices,
22:04he's not small, but he's not a big back either.
22:07So I think like Charbonnet will still have that role, but like maybe he doesn't come back.
22:12I mean, that, that's when ACL happened in January.
22:14Like that, it's not like it happened in September, October.
22:17Like it's, it's, he still has a longer tougher recovery time to go.
22:20And I, I do think like the most likely scenarios is back like week 10 or week 11.
22:25And that kind of sucks like heading into the fantasy playoffs, but he's like, Jadarian price could get you to the fantasy
22:30playoffs and, and he still could have good games.
22:33Just, you know, not, not too many touchdowns, but the one thing, the one thing that really warmed up to me, and
22:39as I said, I'm, I'm hiring him now. And I saw that he's getting a lot of receiving work and training camp.
22:44And this is a guy who only caught four passes last year at Notre Dame.
22:48If he, if he's catching passes now, then that's, that's the game changer.
22:52Yeah. And I think he was doing some sort of soreness.
22:55It was mild. Then he came back immediately back to first team reps, like first team.
22:59So dude, this is the guy I'm telling you, such a good value, like as part of a robust RB core, which
23:04I lay out in 16 rounds or your next guy.
23:07I don't have on my radar as well. Jacoby Lane, a wide receiver, 100.
23:11Can you give us an update on who he is?
23:13What does he do? Who is your daddy? And what does he do?
23:17Jacoby lanes, a third round rookie out of USC.
23:19So another, another one of these day two receivers that you can get late.
23:23Jacoby lanes, he's a big receiver. He's going to catch touchdowns.
23:26And, you know, we have a lot of sources here.
23:28That's why Charlie Campbell has the most accurate mock drafts in the world, like every single year.
23:33And so we asked one of the sources who's like more in tune to fantasy is like, okay, I always ask this.
23:39I'm like, what receiver could be this year's Puka Nakua?
23:41Like a mid round receiver, like round three, four, five, six, who could be a Puka Nakua guy who comes out of nowhere and just dominates.
23:48And he said, Jacoby lane. And this, this was before training camp and in training camp, Jacoby lane has been lighting it up just like Denzel Boston has.
23:55In fact, there was a, there's been a long time Ravens reporter.
23:58I saw him and you can't trust everything reporters say, but I thought this quote was interesting.
24:03He said, Jacoby lane is the best rookie he's ever seen in any training camp that he's, that he's, this guy's been
24:09writing the NFL for 20, 30 years. Like, like that's, that's insane.
24:12And it's not like, okay, that's the only data point I have.
24:15Like, I also have my source saying lane is going to be insane this year.
24:19And now we have this guy saying lane is great.
24:21And there's talk that lane, I think is the receiver too already, like across from, uh, say flowers and really they don't have much there.
24:28They, they bateman like who's socks. Like he's kind of like a gadget guy.
24:32They, they, they drafted Elijah Surratt as well in the fourth round.
24:35He's, he's going to be in the slot. So he's not like, uh, he's not the number two, uh, on the outside.
24:41Uh, I think Jacoby lane is, uh, is criminally underrated.
24:43And like I, I, for, for months I was getting him around 19 and best ball, like 18, 19.
24:48Like now he's creeped. I think people have kind of alerted by like, he's going like round 14 or 15 now.
24:54And so I'm, I'm still drafting him in there, but he was such a steal around 19.
24:58Yeah, man. He kind of got me sold on him.
25:01I'm reading now some news as you were talking.
25:03Um, it says a Lamar Jackson is like, he's like a top target for Lamar in training.
25:08So that's, that's very interesting. That's why you got to listen to this channel.
25:11No one's telling you about Jacoby lane. Even I, that was slipped under my radar.
25:15I got to add them to 16 rounds immediately.
25:18Like yesterday as part of my sleepers and update my cheat sheet, Jacoby lane.
25:21I'm really, uh, you put them on my radar.
25:24I saw him before, but I just never trust the Ravens in the passing game.
25:28It's Lamar Jackson. You kind of, you know, signal him out as a runner more than a passing guy.
25:32And then, you know, I just don't want to get excited about the passing game in Baltimore.
25:37That's kind of why I faded them, but it could be something there, man.
25:41Especially if Zay flowers goes down, you know, interesting.
25:43Yeah. All right. My next guy is my top pick is drum roll.
25:46Omarion Hampton. I'm not going to say anything else other than I love them.
25:50Love the offense. You talk about that offensive line improved from last year.
25:53How bad was their offensive line this year compared to this year?
25:57Their, their office line last year was the disaster.
25:59They had, uh, both their tackles were out. So Slater, the left tackle got hurt before the start of the season.
26:04And then Joe alt, who's their great right tackle.
26:07He moved the left tackle. He got hurt week four against the giants.
26:10So both tackles are out and they lost their back, their top backup tackle too.
26:14Uh, and then in the interior, they signed Makai Becton who had a really good season with the Eagles.
26:19He was so fat and out of shape. He had to rotate drives.
26:23Like he could not stay on the field. Now they, they, they, they added, uh, you know, they, they get their tackles back.
26:29They added a couple of interior linemen. Like this offensive line is going to be so much better.
26:33Uh, so that's going to clear out some, a lot more holes for Hampton who really didn't have much running room last year.
26:39And on top of that, they get Mike McDaniel, who's going to give them a lot of like passes.
26:44Uh, so a Hampton, I think could get 60 or so receptions this year.
26:48He's going to get a lot of rushing yards.
26:50He's going to, he's going to get the goal line work.
26:53Uh, you know, he is, uh, like, he's kind of like a better version of camp scatow.
26:58He's going to do everything for the chargers. And remember, remember the running backs for Mike McDaniel, uh, a few years ago,
27:03Raheem Mostert scored 16 touchdowns or 18 touchdowns. Uh, like you think Hampton is a little bit better than Raheem Mostert.
27:09Like he is, uh, he's a first round pick.
27:11Uh, he is, he is great. Uh, I love Hampton, uh, outside of cook.
27:15He is my favorite running back after the top two.
27:18And, uh, where did Keaton Mitchell, wasn't he on Baltimore?
27:20Last year. Like everyone keeps talking about Keaton Mitchell.
27:23Like he's a threat. Like I, I'm not concerned.
27:25I'm looking at, he was on Baltimore. Let's talk about Keaton Mitchell real quickly.
27:29Undrafted running back. His stats last year, 345, 41 yards and one touchdown stats in 2024 for Keaton Mitchell, 30 yards rushing zero touchdowns.
27:35The year before 396 yards rushing two touchdowns. He's had three touchdowns in the past three years and he averaged 2.0 yards
27:41per carry in 2024, 5.8 last year. Not bad, but that's it.
27:44He had even had for receiving back. He had nine receptions last year.
27:47This is Keaton Mitchell. The guy that undrafted 24 years old, 5, 8, 191.
27:51This is what people are afraid of. They're like, don't draft Hampton because Keaton Mitchell.
27:55That's what the concheeps are telling you. He's got three touchdowns the past three years.
27:59I'm not concerned about Keaton Mitchell. I don't like, I don't like, I don't even, doesn't even faze me.
28:04It's like a fly. I just want to flick it off.
28:07Like flick it off Omari and shoulder. That's it.
28:09I don't, I'm not concerned. Yeah. Mitch, Mitchell's fast.
28:11That's the one thing he has going for him.
28:14He's really fast, but like, yeah, he's, he's small and he, he has a torn ACL in his past too.
28:19So you can't really run. And like, yeah, he's going to, he's going to get like five touches, six touches a game
28:25or something, you know, like Hampton's going to need a break.
28:27So Mitchell will come in and then, and then Mitchell's even better than Kamani Vidal, the other guy like Vidal stinks.
28:33So yeah. Yeah. I know Mike McDaniel said he's going to use all three running.
28:37I said, well, yeah. Okay. He's going to give Mitchell five, six touches a game.
28:41That's fine. Vidal might get one or two and yeah, he's using all three.
28:45Sticking to his word. Right. I don't get why people are concerned about this.
28:48Yeah. You use your backups. Like that's what coaches do.
28:51You got to use them. You got Omari needs a break once in a while and that's fine.
28:56But near the goal line, I can't imagine Keaton Mitchell coming in at the goal line, stealing it from Hampton.
29:01Do you? Like, I just don't see that. Yeah.
29:03191 pound running backs. Not going to steal touchdowns for him.
29:06The Hampton's going to get so many touchdowns and that, that offense can be sick this year.
29:10Not only is the offense line better, they have a great quarterback.
29:14They have really good receivers. Brandon Thompson, by the way, we could, we could have mentioned him on this list.
29:19He's so fast and he's, he's looking good in training camp as well.
29:22So they have better receivers now than they did last year.
29:25Like a washed key, uh, Keenan Allen's gone. Um, and yeah, Mike McDaniel to improve the offense.
29:30I love this offense this year. Like Hampton could flirt with 20 touchdowns this year.
29:33So that definitely, yeah. Yeah. And that's where I get the big question.
29:37I get this question all the time. Omari and Hampton and Gentile.
29:40I'll tell you who it is and why I'm going to lean on Martin Hampton because Gentile has a goal line vulture
29:46and Mike Washington potentially stealing that volume. And they talked about using a dual headed monster there prior to them drafting Mike Washington.
29:52I remember this was trending news and I got pissed, but with Hampton, you don't got to worry about that.
29:57Cause again, Keaton Mitchell is not going to come in and steal goal line work from no one's going to come in and steal goal.
30:04I work from Mario Hampton, but Mike Washington clearly has potential to do that from Gentile.
30:08Don't you agree? Yeah. A little bit of potential.
30:10I do. I do like Gen C and when you do, but Hampton's clearly better than Gen C.
30:15Like I said, like for me, it's, it's Gibbs, Bijon, Bijan, uh, and then a cook and then Hampton.
30:20That's how I would order my top four running backs.
30:22Very nice. So there's your must draft guys. Go to Walter football.com bookmark the page, everything football there.
30:27Grab 16 rounds guys. Do not drive without 16 rounds.
30:30And we've got daily content coming your way. I'm going to look to get Walter on here twice a week.
30:35Walter, uh, until the season starts as well. And then we'll figure out what we'll do in season, but we'd like to
30:41get you on a couple of times a week.
30:43Very amazing insight. Thank you. Yeah. Thanks for having me on Joe.
30:46Uh, always a blast to do the show with you.
30:49Uh, it's, it's really great. Uh, and I'll try to come on the live stream too.
30:53The problem is like my son, uh, he goes to sleep past nine o'clock and usually I'm the one falling asleep with
30:59it, like reading the books to him. It's just like, I'm so wiped and he's somehow has energy and he always like, Patty, wake up.
31:05I'm like, no, you go to sleep. So, uh, if, if he falls asleep early enough, one of these days I'll come on the live stream.
31:12It'll be fun. It's funny when you become parents, like nine o'clock is late for us.
31:16I remember back in the day, we'd get ready.
31:19We start pre-drinking, having a few drinks before the nightclub at around 1130.
31:22Now it's like nine o'clock, you know, you want to go to bed.
31:26It's crazy how it changes. It's, it's insane. And I do my work at night.
31:30Uh, but I need, I needed like a nap, like a half hour nap before, like right when I, and then I'm
31:35energized, you know, uh, the energized, uh, Walter as he said, but he is now it's, uh, I have two kids and I'm just wiped by nine o'clock.
31:43You're totally right about that. I hear you, man.
31:45I'm there. All right, guys, subscribe, thumbs up, turn on the bell and I'll see you at nine o'clock every night, uh,
31:51live and every morning here for the morning show.
31:53All right. Talk soon, guys. Turn on the bell.
31:55Talk soon.
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