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The NFL Report: Ravens Offensive Preview and Fantasy Wide Receivers to Draft

STACKED extracted the fantasy-relevant player signal from this podcast and kept the full transcript here for context.

28 min
Duration
Estimated from transcript
Aug 27, 2026
Published
Thu, August 27, 2026
11
Player insights
11
Players mentioned
Topics
Brandon SmithCam WardJa'Marr ChaseJoe MiltonLamar JacksonMakai LemonMichael Penix Jr.Michael WilsonTrevor LawrenceTucker KraftTy Simpson
Player analysis

Player insights

11

Brandon Smith

NegativeInjury26:00

The Texans believe Brandon Smith suffered a foot injury that resulted in him being carted off the field.

Insight page

Cam Ward

NegativeProjection16:51

Cam Ward has shown concerning decision-making and struggles with his progressions in the Brian Dayball offense. His performance in the preseason suggests he is not yet comfortable, and he remains a work in progress.

Insight page

Ja'Marr Chase

NegativeInjury25:41

Jamar Chase is not practicing due to a banged-up left knee, but the situation appears minor as he was not wearing protective gear and indicated he could have returned to practice if allowed.

Insight page

Joe Milton

PositiveBreakout13:03

Joe Milton has impressed with his arm strength and mobility, including a 53-yard touchdown pass and a rushing touchdown in preseason action. He is currently competing for the backup quarterback job.

Insight page

Lamar Jackson

PositiveProjection9:16

Lamar Jackson is expected to bounce back in the new offense under Declan Doyle. Before his hamstring injury in Week 4 last year, Jackson was highly efficient with 9 touchdowns and 0 interceptions. The new scheme is expected to keep the ball in his hands on first down, potentially making this the most explosive version of Jackson yet.

Insight page

Makai Lemon

NegativeInjury15:13

Wide receiver Makai Lemon has been dealing with a hamstring injury but returned to practice. He is expected to be a reliable, tough receiver for Jalen Hurts, though he needs to catch up on missed training camp time to secure a role for the regular season.

Insight page

Michael Penix Jr.

NegativeInjury4:48

Michael Penix is progressing from an ACL injury and has been cleared for 11-on-11 practice. He will not play in the preseason finale to prioritize his recovery, but he feels confident he will be ready for Week 1.

Insight page

Michael Wilson

PositiveValue21:36

JJ Zachariason argues that Michael Wilson is significantly undervalued at his current ADP of WR40-45. Despite the addition of Marvin Harrison Jr., Wilson is a technician and a strong, well-rounded receiver who will command targets, making him a value pick in the 11th round.

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Trevor Lawrence

PositiveProjection6:26

Trevor Lawrence is entering his second year with offensive coordinator Leon Calm. The Jaguars' offense showed high efficiency at the end of the 2025 season, averaging nearly 34 points per game, and Lawrence emphasizes the importance of the offensive line's physicality and the team's playmakers.

Insight page

Tucker Kraft

PositiveInjury3:50

Tucker Kraft is returning from an ACL injury suffered last season; he was highly productive with 32 catches, 489 yards, and 6 touchdowns in just eight games. General manager Brian Gutekunst expressed faith in Kraft and a desire to secure a contract extension, noting that expectations for him this year are sky-high.

Insight page

Ty Simpson

NegativeRole14:07

Despite being a 13th overall pick, Ty Simpson is struggling to secure the backup quarterback role for the Rams. He has been playing with third and fourth-stringers, and the team has not yet declared him the backup, suggesting a lack of confidence from the coaching staff.

Insight page
Full transcript

Episode Transcript

329
0:00This is an iHeart Podcast. Guaranteed Human. How do you turn 16 games, injury reports, team notes, betting lines, and matchup trends into one clear weekend preview?
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1:14The entire draft room groans because you just took the guy they wanted.
1:18There's no better feeling than crushing your fantasy football league.
1:21I'm JJ Zachary Eason, host of the award-winning Late Round Podcast.
1:24Before your draft, our players to target and players to avoid episodes tell you exactly who to circle and who to cross off.
1:31Listen to the Late Round Fantasy Football Podcast on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
1:37You're listening to the NFL Report Podcast. You think every quarterback competition's been settled?
1:42Think again. Michael Penick's healthy enough for 11-on-11s. What does it mean for Tua?
1:46We have the latest. Plus, it's week three of the preseason, and it's an opportunity for players to make their case.
1:53The details around a few guys who absolutely need to lock in.
1:56And we got a draft primer for you. Wide receivers you absolutely need to target.
2:01Our expert makes the case for some names you know and the ones you aren't even thinking about.
2:07It is a brand new edition of the NFL Report.
2:10I'm Mike Yam. There is so much news to get to.
2:13We got some key injuries, not to mention a dramatic change for the Pro Bowl.
2:18Trust me, it is probably good news for all NFL fans.
2:21Those details still to come. But our latest headlines and our top story, we got you covered right now.
2:27I know we've all been watching the Seattle Seahawks on Hard Knocks.
2:31We got some news around the Super Bowl champs.
2:33Fresh off of winning the sport's biggest game, they got a new owner.
2:37NFL owners voting unanimously to approve the $9.612 billion sale.
2:41The franchise from Paul Allen's estate to a group led by San Francisco 49ers limited partner, Vinod Kasla.
2:46How often do you get to buy a franchise that just won the Super Bowl?
2:51So we are incredibly lucky and humbled by this gift, I would say, from the Allen Trust.
2:56And of course, having been to Lumen Field and watching the 12s everywhere, I do want to thank them for their passion and fervor.
3:03And the community in Seattle is incredibly valuable. So we hope we'll engage a lot more with the community also.
3:10The task ahead is actually pretty simple. Keep the winning streak alive, get another Super Bowl.
3:15That's simple. Feels like that's a good way to look over taking over a franchise.
3:19Let's just run it back, right? Judy Patista putting this out on social media.
3:24Significant news. NFL and the NFLPA focused on discipline violations that affect player health.
3:28And these are those categories. Hip drop tackle, the horse tackle, launching hit on defensive players, and the blind side block.
3:34Any player who commits three of the five offenses during the season.
3:38A one game suspension. NFL executive football operations Troy Vinson saying this is a one year trial.
3:43Obviously health and safety of the players paramount from a league perspective.
3:47Meanwhile, Tucker Kraft returning from an ACL that he suffered last season.
3:51The dude, well he was rolling. 32 catches, 489 yards and six touchdowns in just eight games.
3:56He's entering the final year of his rookie deal and he's back practicing.
4:00Their general manager Brian Gutekunst was actually asked about Kraft getting a new contract.
4:04Tuck handles himself exactly how we want him. He always has.
4:08He's a competitor. It's important to him. So, you know, we've always had a lot of faith in that he's going to do those kind of things.
4:16We would love to have that done. Again, you know, these things are complicated at times.
4:21But we know Tuck's obviously going to be here.
4:24And that's very important to us whether we're able to accomplish that before the beginning of the season or not.
4:30We'll see. But it's very important to me. I think it's, I imagine it's important to the player.
4:36But these things take time and sometimes they work out, sometimes they don't.
4:40But we're excited what Tuck's going to do, you know, do for us this year.
4:44Expectations certainly sky high for him. Still no starter named in Atlanta by Kevin Stefanski.
4:49Here's where we sit. Michael Penix continues to progress off the ACL.
4:53He is not going to play in Friday's preseason finale against the Dolphins.
4:57Tua gets a start. Cooper Rush will come in second.
5:00And your rookie Jack Strand will come in third to close out that game.
5:04Here's Penix. I feel great. Like right now, I got cleared to do 11 on 11 for practice.
5:10And, you know, obviously, you know, but each and every day I'm getting better, getting more confident.
5:15And, you know, I'm not playing this week because, you know, obviously I only had three practices under my belt under doing 11 on 11 stuff.
5:23But I've been feeling really good. And, you know, as long as I keep the track that I'm on, I definitely feel
5:30like I will be where I need to be mentally and physically, you know, to feel confident enough to go out there in week one.
5:38And, you know, as far as, you know, being healthy and all that, I feel good.
5:42I guess this competition's still open. Meanwhile, the Carolina Panthers joint practice with the Houston Texans today.
5:48Bryce Young, a forgettable day. Sacked four times through two picks against maybe the league's top defense.
5:53He is not going to play Friday in the preseason matchup.
5:56And maybe that's not the worst thing in the world.
5:59It's not, you know, I wouldn't say frustration. It's not it's not angry about the circumstance situation.
6:05It's us not, you know, performing a level we, you know, we want to.
6:09You know, I look in the mirror. We all look in the mirror.
6:13And again, a day like this, you got to grow from it.
6:17But again, we're excited for that process. I'm excited to be able to do that with this group.
6:22There's no no other 10 out there. I want to be out there with in our whole unit.
6:28Whoever's out there. There's no one I'd rather be out there with.
6:32So it sucks to have a day where, you know, you don't feel like you produce very well.
6:37But it's a great learning opportunity. That's what, you know, these training camp practices are for.
6:42Carolina fans remember in the clutch moments we've seen Bryce Young deliver.
6:46Jags, they finished the 2025 season with eight consecutive wins in that span.
6:50We got Clemson Trevor out there. Lawrence and that unit scoring almost 34 points per game that led the NFL in that timeframe.
6:57And there's a lot he likes heading into the season.
7:00The physicality that we've played with the last two weeks, moving people in the run game, protecting.
7:05And then obviously we have playmakers outside that can go and make plays and I can get it to them.
7:12But it's all starts up front. I think those guys have done a good job of owning that.
7:17And we got to continue to buy into that because that's that's really what it's about on both sides of the ball.
7:24But, you know, especially an offense up front, those guys just having that edge and they've done a great job of it.
7:31We just got to keep keep working. And I think we found out what we need to get better at also through
7:38training camp and some of the some of the details, the attention to detail, you know, whether it's formations, motions, different checks, just being ready for everything.
7:46Our whole operation just needs to continue to sharpen and refine.
7:49Year two for Trevor with Leon calm. That was a good marriage last year.
7:54We got some joint practices, Ravens and commanders, two of the league's best in Jane and Daniels coming off an injury plague season.
8:01We got a new error for Lamar Jackson. Jesse Minter now takes over.
8:05How's the offense looking? Well, we heard from the two time MVP.
8:08I feel like we we play better against competition, you know, because our guys they see us each they see us each
8:15and every day and they pretty much get familiar with our schemes and stuff like that.
8:20And it makes it it makes it harder for us to, you know, complete the ball, you know, make certain runs and stuff like that.
8:28But going against another opponent, they don't know what we can do.
8:32Where are you with that one's offense? Are you able to just read and react?
8:36Or you still got to think and still learning your way through?
8:40I'm gonna have to think regardless. You know, that's the quarterback position is all about thinking.
8:45So not just this offense, you know, just each and every play, even when the season come.
8:50But I feel like I'm great. I'm in a great place with the offense right now.
8:55When he's thinking, he's usually pretty effective. But my Lord, when he's reacting, Lamar Jackson is special Trevor Sikama.
9:01One of the hosts will be hanging out a little bit later.
9:05Every Wednesday, in fact, the NFL fantasy football show on the NFL channel, 730.
9:09So it's coming up in just a couple of minutes.
9:12We got the double dip. We'll ditch the jackets here for that show.
9:16But because we have the jackets on, we'll keep this formal.
9:20Lamar Jackson expectations. You're number one with Declan Doyle as his OC.
9:23Can this guy bounce back from a subpar season?
9:26Yeah, absolutely. Especially because when you look at the three games in which Lamar played before he had the hamstring injury in
9:33week four, he looked like the Lamar Jackson that we always expect for him to be right.
9:38He had nine touchdowns, zero interceptions, 240 passing yards per game.
9:42And then when you look at the adjusted yards per attempt, he was double digits in every single pass attempt in those three games.
9:49The entire rest of the season, he only had four games where that was the case.
9:54So you knew that the injury was just the thing that totally plagued him throughout the year.
9:59If he is fully healthy, I'm really excited for what Lamar Jackson could be this year.
10:04Because look, you know, in that soundbite, he talked about, hey, I'm going to have to think regardless.
10:10And I think that goes into Declan Doyle's offense because this team was really aggressive when it came to passing the ball on first down last year.
10:18They wanted to be explosive. They wanted to set the tone.
10:22They wanted to set up those third and fourth and shorts because, well, one thing was they were one of the most
10:28efficient teams in the NFL converting those third and fourth and short situations.
10:32But to me, I love to hear that because that means that on first down, they're going to give the ball to Lamar Jackson.
10:40It's going to be in his hands. And a lot of times I think you can say, hey, you got King Henry behind.
10:47You just hand it off. But I think that, yes, that's a good strategy.
10:51Is it always the best one? I don't know.
10:54I kind of feel as though having the ball in Lamar's hands, that's where you really want it.
11:00So to me, we could see not only the regular version of Lamar Jackson, which is pretty dang spectacular, but we could
11:06see maybe one of the most explosive versions of Lamar Jackson in this Declan Doyle offense.
11:11Look, the Ravens have won a whole lot of football games last couple of years because of what happens in the trenches as well.
11:19Tyler Linderbaum, their starting center, no longer rocking this uniform.
11:22They wanted him. They weren't able to keep him.
11:25He's now in Vegas with Fernando Mendoza and Kirk Cousins.
11:28Danny Pinter comes in. We had the news on the NFL report yesterday on the IR.
11:33What does this do to the offensive line and maybe some of those run options that we could see with Derrick Henry and even Lamar?
11:40Yeah, it is going to be really important to make sure that they nail down that center position, because one of the
11:47things that I like the most about Declan Doyle coming over is that when you look at the Ravens over the last
11:54three years, so when Todd Munkin has been their offensive coordinator, they were progressively more and more since 2023, 2024, and then 2025 running more outside zone concepts.
12:03They were almost at 35, 36 percent of their rushing attempts were those outside zone concepts.
12:08Back in 2023, it was less than 20 percent.
12:10It was around 15 percent. But when you look at that being the area where they felt like they had a lot
12:17of success last year, that's where Declan Doyle kind of comes into play here.
12:22The Bears ran the third most rushing concepts in outside zone last year.
12:26So the familiarity in the run game, I think, is huge for the confidence of Lamar Jackson, for the confidence of this
12:32overall offense, and just to make sure they can really hit the ground running from the beginning of the season.
12:39So I like that there is that continuity and that built-in chemistry there with that outside zone run game.
12:44All right, Lamar Jackson, Zay Flowers, Derrick Henry, some fantasy names to keep your eye on.
12:49You and I got us every one cover. We got a primer, by the way, on this show coming up in just
12:56a bit, so don't go anywhere, Trevor. We got some fantasy conversations still to come.
13:01Cowboys looking to cash in with the interception. Pressure stepping up.
13:04No client time. Holmes throws. Got a man. Davis inside the five.
13:08Came into the end zone. Speaking of big plays on the money, Joe Milton downfield for a touchdown strike.
13:14A 53-yard touchdown pass. Here's Milton. First and goal from the run.
13:18Quarterback keeper. QB draws. Straight up the middle. And virtually untouched into the end zone.
13:22I remember watching Joe Milton at the combine. My God, some of the long throws that that guy has got.
13:28Three touchdowns in week two against Arizona. Maybe put some in pole position for that backup job.
13:34Sam Howell, though, certainly still in the mix. And I'm thinking about what we can see in week three of the preseason.
13:40Just in case you're a Dallas fan, they got the Saints.
13:44And no one better to talk to you about what's going to happen in week number three, the host of NFL Daily.
13:51By the way, if you're not following this podcast, bad job by you.
13:55This is my car transportation background. Thank you. So I hear your voice.
13:59Now I get to see you in person. Set this up for me.
14:03Week three of the preseason. I feel like you and I have had this conversation.
14:07Ty Simpson's a guy that you continue to focus in on.
14:11Because I don't know what the Rams are doing with him, frankly.
14:14Having him out there with the third and the fourth stringers in the second half last week.
14:20They won't declare a backup quarterback. But he's going to be playing this week.
14:24I don't expect Stetson Bennett to be there. When he's been on the field, it feels like they've had training wheels on.
14:31It's a lot of rollouts. It's a lot of short passes.
14:34It's not a lot of letting him dictate. And to me, that shows, despite those great numbers, maybe not the highest level of confidence.
14:42And yet I look at him and I think this is the guy that Sean McVay decided, I'm going to stake the next part of my career to.
14:50The numbers are great. He can't compete to beat out Stetson Bennett to be the backup quarterback of this team.
14:57I mean, what are we doing here? Come on, let's go deliver Ty Simpson this week.
15:01To your point, 13th overall pick. I almost feel like we shouldn't even be having this conversation.
15:07This has got to be his job at some point.
15:10The numbers, though, have been pretty strong for him.
15:13Makai Lemon, the wide receiver, hamstring injury. This is becoming a constant theme.
15:17I want to see what this guy's capable of.
15:19He came back to practice this week. We'll see if he makes his preseason debut.
15:24But either way, it is a great sign that he has been back out on the field.
15:29Now, look, they don't have the depth they used to have on their offense without A.J.
15:34Brown. Their second round pick, Eli Stowers, not making an impact at all.
15:38So Makai Lemon is supposed to be the reliable, tough, over-the-middle receiver that Jalen Hurts can use in this new offense, where
15:45he's now part of the Shanahan-McVay tree, too. And those are the types of areas of the field that Makai Lemon wins in.
15:52But you want to see it. He basically didn't practice for all this month.
15:57I don't think it's too late. It's not going to be one of those stories where you hear after this season, oh, he never caught up.
16:05There is time for him to catch up. But it's important for him to get out there, real NFL action, because it's
16:11just going to be two weeks away where they want him to have a role against the commanders.
16:17Because Dontavian Wicks, like, that's a two, that's a three.
16:20We'll see. No, no, I think it's sort of interesting, too, because they get Cincinnati, not the only other wide receiver that
16:27we're going to be tracking, some news, and Jamar Chase still to come here on the NFL report.
16:32And yet we're talking about some players that we've got one quarterback, we've got a wide receiver.
16:38I actually thought it was fascinating because I've been keeping eyes.
16:41The roster for Tennessee is actually better than most people will give them credit for.
16:46And yet off of week number one of the preseason, I had some concerns about Cam Ward.
16:51Week one. How about week two as well, going up against the Seahawks backups.
16:55You hate to see it. And yet the Titans are giving us a chance to watch him in the preseason, and we're
17:02seeing why they want to see more of him.
17:05I think him playing in week three alone tells us that they believe he needs more work.
17:10And the number one thing I see out of Cam Ward that's concerning is the decision-making process, how long it's taking for
17:17him to get to his second, to his third read.
17:20And when things were at its worst his rookie season, that was also an issue for him.
17:25He does not look like a quarterback yet that's comfortable in this Brian Dayball offense.
17:30I worry that he's a little shell-shocked. Fifty-five times he was sacked last season.
17:34But Dayball's got a little pixie dust that he can kind of sprinkle on a guy like Cam Ward.
17:40By the way, if, once again, you're not following NFL Daily, bad job by you.
17:45We've got another PSA for you. NFL.com slash Felice.
17:48Got an opportunity to take a closer look at some of the major storylines, 10 storylines, heading into week number three of the NFL preseason.
17:55You want to make sure you track that. I'm going to get ready to go listen to you after.
18:01Okay, let's do it. Meanwhile, we do have more to come here on the NFL Report.
18:06In fact, your fantasy draft, we know it is imminent.
18:09You need some direction. We got you. Trevor is back.
18:12He's got some wide receivers. You may be considering in a few that you're going to want to have ready in your queue.
18:19Back here on the NFL Report, this dude was an absolute game wrecker in college.
18:24If you watched him in Miami, you know exactly what I'm talking about.
18:28Adam Schefter putting this out on social media a little while ago.
18:32Their first-round pick, Ruben Bain, suffering an A.C. sprain, but said it's nothing serious.
18:36He is expected to be ready to rock and roll against Cincinnati in week number one.
18:41Some cool stuff. The visuals. Sign me up for this.
18:44The Arizona players participating in the iconic Green Bay Packers bike ride tradition before joint practice.
18:49The only thing that would be better if they were on minibikes.
18:53That's just me talking. This more of a joint practice, it's an extension of a sibling rivalry with Matt LaFleur and his
19:00brother Mike, who is now the coach of the Cardinals.
19:03Teams go out there and compete and push each other to get better, and that's exactly what I told our team.
19:09I said, you know, the way I view it today is we're all one, and obviously the ties are pretty strong.
19:16So if I'm not rooting for the Green Bay Packers, I'm rooting for the Arizona Cardinals.
19:21Did you guys fight a lot growing up? No.
19:24Not really. He was more of a pest. So there's a seven and a half years age difference.
19:29So picture me at 18. He's 10 and a half, 11.
19:32So there was not a lot of fighting going on.
19:36Get away from me might have been the theme in the LaFleur house between the brothers.
19:41Your fantasy wide receivers by ADP Jamar Chase. Not a surprise.
19:44Sitting towards the top there. Some real conversations about Puka and JSN.
19:48I'll sprinkle in a little Amin Ross St. Brown, who could be an absolute monster.
19:52Almost surprised. Rasheed Rice has been falling in some of the drafts that I've been a part of, but sitting right now
19:59in that eighth position for a little bit more of a fantasy outlook.
20:03Trevor Sikama is back with us. And Trevor, I know in your household, you got the younger sister.
20:09You are the protector always. No fighting inside that Sikama household.
20:12But let's focus in on some of these wide receivers, man.
20:15Who's getting drafted too low? Okay. Let's start with Jalen Waddell, who I think, obviously, he's in Denver because they paid a pretty penny to go get him.
20:24But I don't want to give away everything because we're diving really deep into this topic, specifically on the NFL Pro Show,
20:31which could come out on September 4th. But I think that this guy is the prize of Sean Payton's offense.
20:37I really do believe that. It was a couple years ago when Sean Payton first said the word, the joker position, right?
20:44And everybody kind of freaked out about it. Ooh, it's this hybrid tight end, wide receiver, running back.
20:50Somebody who Sean Payton can do everything with. I don't think he's had that type of player.
20:55And I think how much they have spread the ball out in Denver over the last couple of years has showcased that.
21:02Nobody on the offense has received a target share above 24%.
21:05But with Jalen Waddell, I think we get back to the Michael Thomas, Alvin Kamara, Saints, Sean Payton years, where both of
21:12those guys were at or above 30% of a target share.
21:15I think we're going to see Jalen Waddell on the outside, in the slot, in the backfield.
21:20I think no target and no concept is safe from Jalen Waddell being the main focus in that offense.
21:26Can you imagine just what that duo is going to look like with Bo Nix also coming off of an injury?
21:33A real potent piece to that offense. What about Michael Wilson?
21:36Because I feel like off air, you and I talk about this kid from Stanford all the time, impressed by what we
21:43saw in an Arizona uniform as well. You know, look, I think everybody knows Michael Wilson now, right?
21:49Wide receiver 10 in fantasy football last year. Seasons and even won some leagues.
21:53So how in the world is he wide receiver 40 right now on an average draft position?
21:58What are we doing here? Look, I get it.
22:01It's a different look Cardinals team. They've got Jeremiah Love who's going to get the ball now.
22:06Marvin Harrison Jr. You're hoping that he's bouncing back and is a little bit more consistent.
22:11But the way and the reason why Michael Wilson got targets last year isn't just because, oh, he was opportunistic on what the season was.
22:19This dude's a worker. This dude's a technician. This dude is strong as can be at the catch point.
22:25He is a well-rounded receiver who is going to get his targets.
22:29I understand it's most likely not going to be near that wide receiver 10 type of output, but I sure as heck
22:35think it's going to be a lot higher than the wide receiver 40, wide receiver 45 draft position that he's currently in.
22:42This is a legit wide receiver with legit talent.
22:45And I think he's going to prove that again this year.
22:48Yeah, that average, and you can see it on the screen, 11th round is a little bit of a head scratcher for Wilson.
22:55Even if we expect some changes at that quarterback spot, we know Brissette is out there.
23:00Carson Betts obviously look good in the Hall of Fame game.
23:04So the jury's still out, but I think both of us on the same page with him.
23:09What about Stephon Diggs? I mean, I feel like if you're a fantasy owner, my God, he's been just an absolute machine over the last couple of years.
23:18Yeah, look, is Washington getting the Minnesota Vikings version of Stephon Diggs?
23:21No, but the important part is, is that they're getting a wide receiver who's entering his 13th year into the NFL.
23:28When the Brandon Iyuk situation very clearly went south and soured to where I think everybody just penciled in Brandon Iyuk as
23:35a member of the 49ers, a member of the commanders for the longest time.
23:39Now you don't have that player in the wide receiver room does not look like what it needs to be for this offense.
23:46But when you put Stephon Diggs in there, he's a veteran.
23:50He already understands a lot of things like with the terminology and easier chemistry and knowing how to run every single route,
23:56knowing how to be that good player who can sit in a soft spot in zone, knowing how to get early separation against press man coverage.
24:04I think it's the veteran presence of Stephon Diggs that actually would mean more than say a younger wide receiver that they probably could have traded for.
24:13It's that expertise and that experience that I think is going to make Stephon Diggs much more of a mainstay in this
24:20offense and a player in this passing offense than I think a lot of people are giving him credit for.
24:26We are just scratching the surface on this fantasy conversation.
24:29I'm looking at the clock. We're just a couple of minutes away.
24:33You get to go grab a sip of water.
24:35We'll both get the jackets. I got to get into a new studio.
24:39We got the NFL fantasy football show coming up every single Wednesday at 730 Eastern time.
24:44NFL season's almost here and you can get 20% off an NFL Plus annual plan with NFL Plus stream live local and
24:51primetime games on mobile with NFL Plus premium. Get NFL Red Zone, catch game replays and access to NFL Pro.
24:57Limited time offered in September 21st. You can sign up today at plus.nfl.com.
25:01Terms and conditions apply. Time for some quick hits.
25:04Promise they'll be quick. How about this? Congratulations, their CEO, Jeffrey Laurio, the Philadelphia Eagles is going to get inducted into the Eagles Hall of Fame.
25:12Bought the team back in 1994 for $185 million, just in case you're wondering.
25:17The estimated value, $8.3 billion, maybe more after what we saw the Seahawks go for.
25:21Just saying. Meanwhile, Adam Schefter saying the NFL has eliminated the Pro Bowl games.
25:25Wow. The focus now will shift to celebrating and honor being a Pro Bowl selection.
25:30So just for clarification purposes, you know, there's always the guys that kind of step in.
25:35No, no, no. Don't need to worry about that.
25:38If you're a Pro Bowler, you are a Pro Bowler.
25:41That's probably a good thing for NFL fans. Jamar Chase not practicing today after he banged up his left knee, was not
25:48supporting a protective gear around that knee. For what it's worth, Chase yesterday said he could have gone back to practice, but he wasn't allowed to.
25:56So just kind of signals maybe not as serious as we think.
26:00Schefter also putting this out, the Texans believe that Brandon Smith has suffered a foot injury.
26:04That led to him being carted off. Keep in mind, Smith signing a two-year, $25 million contract as an unrestricted free agent earlier this season.
26:12Obviously spent some time with the Colts and has been a guy that's been out there a whole lot.
26:18Tops debuting patches to the NFL. The NFL patch will be on the jerseys for all NFL rookies.
26:24Just in case you weren't sure if they were a first-year player, now we got some signage that says, yeah, they are one of those guys.
26:32Time for one more thing, and this is awesome.
26:34From a Titans perspective, they're celebrating and honoring Chris Johnson, who just revealed recently this summer that he's suffering from ALS.
26:41So 2,000 tickets for $28 apiece. The Titans home opener against the Jets, $5 per ticket going towards the Vanderbilt ALS Research
26:48Center in honor of Chris Johnson, which is just truly awesome that that is the case.
26:53Appreciate you checking out the NFL report. Keep in mind, we're Monday through Friday except for this week.
26:58No show the next two days. We will see you back here on Monday at 7 Eastern time for a fresh edition of the NFL report.
27:06For all the news, all the injuries, and everything you need to know if you're an NFL fan, we got you covered right here.
27:14Listen to the NFL report podcast on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
27:19The entire draft room groans because you just took the guy they wanted.
27:23There's no better feeling than crushing your fantasy football league.
27:26I'm JJ Zacharyson, host of the award-winning Late Round Podcast.
27:30Before your draft, our players to target and players to avoid episodes tell you exactly who to circle and who to cross off.
27:37Listen to the Late Round Fantasy Football Podcast on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
27:43This is an iHeart Podcast. Guaranteed human.

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