Fantasy Price Check - Round 2 RBs
STACKED extracted the fantasy-relevant player signal from this podcast and kept the full transcript here for context.
22 min
Duration
Estimated from transcript
Aug 1, 2026
Published
Sat, August 1, 2026
6
Player insights
6
Players mentioned
Topics
Chase BrownEmmett JohnsonKeaton MitchellKenneth Walker IIIKimani VidalOmarion Hampton
Player analysis
Player insights
Chase Brown
PositiveProjection8:36
Pete is extremely high on Chase Brown, projecting him for 17.3 points per game and valuing him as a first-round talent despite his second-round ADP. Brown's efficiency improved significantly once Joe Flacco took over at quarterback last season, averaging 21.46 fantasy points per game from weeks 8-17. Pete emphasizes that the Bengals' scheme and improved offensive line make Brown a 'smash' pick.
Insight pageEmmett Johnson
NegativeValue18:17
Jeremiah and Wyatt acknowledge Emmett Johnson as a talented player, but note that he is priced significantly lower than the primary targets discussed and does not offer the same 'runway' for volume as Kenneth Walker.
Insight pageKeaton Mitchell
NegativeUsage2:15
Pete highlights concerns that Keaton Mitchell could eat into O'Marion Hampton's workload, specifically by catching passes and lowering Hampton's ceiling. Jeremiah compares Mitchell's projected role to that of a pass-catching specialist, similar to Harvey in the Broncos backfield.
Insight pageKenneth Walker III
PositiveBreakout14:21
Wyatt views Kenneth Walker as a supremely talented back with RB1 overall upside in the Chiefs' offense. Walker has been top 12 in DVOA every season of his career and showed improved receiving ability with 46 receptions in 2024. With Eric Bieniemy as offensive coordinator, Wyatt projects significant target volume for Walker, noting that Mahomes may rely on him more as a safety valve given the lack of other receiving weapons.
Insight pageKimani Vidal
NegativeRole2:15
Pete notes that Kamani Vidal is a capable back who showed a three-down skill set last year, potentially creating a 'touch squeeze' for O'Marion Hampton. Jeremiah contends that Vidal will likely be relegated to a secondary role similar to Ray Davis, limiting his fantasy impact despite his talent.
Insight pageOmarion Hampton
PositiveValue2:02
Jeremiah identifies O'Marion Hampton as a strong early second-round target (14 overall) who averaged 17.5 touches per game over his final four games last season. Despite concerns regarding Kamani Vidal and Keaton Mitchell, Hampton finished as the RB13 in both half and PPR formats last year and demonstrated elite efficiency with an 84.8 rushing grade, ranking eighth among 55 qualified running backs. Jeremiah believes the 'murkiness' regarding his workload is overstated and that Hampton has the potential to fill a high-touch role similar to Raheem Mostert's previous production.
Insight pageFull transcript
Episode Transcript
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0:52Terms and more at AppleCard.com. There's a lot of great running backs in the second round of fantasy drafts this year.
0:59But who do we draft? Let's talk about it.
1:02Welcome into the Fantasy Price Check, everybody. I am your host, Wyatt.
1:06I'm here with Jeremiah and Pete. And we're talking about second round running backs, specifically using NFFC ADP.
1:11There's, like I said, some really great running backs there.
1:14It's getting hard to pick through them. Which one do you need to draft?
1:19Jeremiah, you're going to start us off. Who are you drafting?
1:22And I'm going to go with O'Marion Hampton. He goes 14 overall, early round two, part of that clump.
1:28And for him, over his last final four games, upon returning to action after injury last year, 17.5 touches per game.
1:35I know there's some fear and reticence with Kamani Vidal and Keaton Mitchell to take some snapshot away.
1:40I think ceiling-wise, of the three running backs that we talk about, he's got a little bit more of that murkiness where
1:47there could be a dent in the can a little bit for full bell cow usage.
1:52But last year, in both formats, he was the RB13 in fantasy points per game, both in half and PPR formats.
1:59I believe he was really ramping up as the season started.
2:02He was about a month in. Recall, he had week three, week four, versus Podcast Pete's Denver Broncos.
2:08He had a RB4 overall performance, 24.9 points. Week five followed it up against the Giants, 27.5.
2:13And then it just dipped from there. Unfortunately, he had to wait from week five to 14.
2:18It was very frustrating. But he is an all-ball type of player.
2:22And he really just, his rushing grade, 84.8. He was eighth best a month, 55 qualified NFL running backs.
2:28So we didn't get a large sample size. And we see this with prospects, college players.
2:33You don't have cumulative stats yet because they're coming from the college game.
2:37So you don't have much compared to the NFL.
2:40Well, I see a Marion Hampton living up to the hype.
2:43I love Mike McDaniel. And he's absolutely a click that you want early in round two.
2:48Pete, are you in or out on Marion Hampton and his price in here round two?
2:53Yeah, I like Marion Hampton. I am a little bit behind the field on him.
2:58I haven't projected for 16.2 points per game. It's a little expensive for me for a team right now that we obviously
3:05don't know how Mike McDaniels is going to call plays, right?
3:08I mean, slow pace of play. It's been talked about at nauseam, you know, over on Twitter.
3:14If you are over there and active, right? I'm sure Wyatt, Jeremiah, you guys have seen a lot of people talk about the pace of play.
3:22And, you know, then there's the other side of it where it's, hey, Mike McDaniels has never really had this kind of
3:29talent outside of when they had Tyreek at full throttle, when they had Jalen Waddell at full throttle, and before Tua was
3:35really kind of a shell of himself. This was a very talented offense a few years ago.
3:41So, I mean, it could also just be part of the fact that this offense was not very talented over the last
3:48few years, and they had to make some adjustments.
3:50So you can kind of go both ways on it.
3:54But with Kamani Vidal plus Keaton Mitchell, there is some smoke there of, you know, are either of them going to eat into the workload?
4:01And honestly, people are talking about Keaton Mitchell being a guy that's going to, you know, catch some passes and kind of lower that ceiling for Hampton.
4:10But Kamani Vidal was also a very, very capable back last year too, who also showed a three-down skill set.
4:16So both of these guys are capable of stealing touches through the air.
4:20I do think Hampton is going to be the main guy on the ground.
4:24And if this offense and this offensive line bounces back and these guys that were injured actually come back to form, Hampton
4:31could be an absolute slam dunk this year, but there are still some question marks.
4:36I like the players. Love the offense. I am a little bit worried about just a tiny bit of a touch squeeze.
4:43And if I'm nitpicking between these running backs, you know, Mitchell, is Vidal going to play third downs because he's a better pass blocker?
4:50How much do they pass? Because McDaniels never had a QB like Herbert.
4:54Jeremiah, do you have anything to, you know, bring down those worries?
4:58Yeah. For receptions last year in nine games, 32 passes he caught on Marion Hampton, 192 yards and a touchdown.
5:04So that three-down skill set utility is still there.
5:07And the prospect profile, he's a three-down back. And I think where the bearishness comes in is because of those other weapons.
5:14Whereas for the two running backs that you gentlemen are going to discuss, there's a lot more room for runway for both running backs.
5:22So I think flying the ointment, it's a valid point, but you're going to want to come away in all formats, especially
5:28in this lumped up price with plenty of a Marion Hampton, because I would just contend if that's going to scare people off, it's going to bring opportunity.
5:37And recall what Mike McDaniel, I think people are thinking of the A-chan role so much and bullishness and forgetting about the Raheem Mostert role.
5:45He had near 19, almost 20 touchdowns in a season.
5:48If we get that jackpot opportunity for a Marion Hampton, it may not matter the change of pace role that somebody like Keaton Mitchell has.
5:56And I contend that it'll be Vidal who is relegated to almost like a Ray Davis role where he doesn't play near
6:03enough to get any kind of push in motion.
6:06But he's going to be a back that you'll want because archetype one for one, it will be Vidal for Hampton.
6:12And then it's a lot like that Broncos backfield to tie it all up where Coleman can play either role, but he's going to be buried behind Dobbins.
6:21And then Harvey's going to have his little pass catching role, kind of like Keaton Mitchell.
6:26Well, Marion Hampton, RB8, 14th overall on the NFFC.
6:29If you'd like to be drafting him, we're using that ADP because we are partnering with the NFFC.
6:34And we're going to hear about him real quick before we get to our next running back.
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8:29And Pete is up to let us know about which running back he's taken here.
8:34Yeah, Chase Brown. I have talked a lot about Chase Brown.
8:37I'm very high on Chase Brown. This year, in my early projections, I have Chase Brown 17.3 points per game.
8:43He is ranked inside the first round for me.
8:46You know, I have him as a 1-2 value right now.
8:49Now, of course, you have to understand your league, your board, and you definitely don't need to reach for Chase Brown in the first round.
8:57But that's where I have him valued. So I think second-round cost, there are a lot of people out there that are
9:04a little concerned about, you know, is the price a little too high?
9:08Because people are still shell-shocked from last season where weeks one through seven, just 10 fantasy points per game.
9:14But keeping in mind, right, this was an offense that was a shell of themselves.
9:19Joe Burrow went down. Their passing game was atrocious for a good couple of weeks there.
9:24And then weeks eight through 17, 21.46 fantasy points per game.
9:27Once Joe Flacco came under center, it opened up everything in this offense.
9:31And that's why Chase Brown becomes so appealing for me is because defenses cannot stack the box against a guy like this.
9:38And while people have concern about the size, is he really like a true running back, like that mold that we think about when we want to workhorse?
9:47And he might not look like it, but the scheme and the style and the types of defenses they're going to play
9:54is a perfect fit for Chase Brown. You know, running out of the shotgun a ton, which is actually more efficient if
10:01you are running out of the shotgun. It leads to less stuffs behind the line of scrimmage and also spreads the defense out.
10:08So not going to be a lot of tough boxes.
10:11And again, Joe Flacco, once he came under center, it's not a surprise that Chase Brown ended up exploding.
10:17And that's why he was a major, major buy in the middle of the season for me last year.
10:23And it paid off for a lot of fantasy managers.
10:26I see that happening again. Me and Wyatt, we talked probably about a month ago, Wyatt.
10:31And we said, you know, there are some offenses that really not much has changed.
10:36And when you look at last year to this year, what has really changed about this offense outside of their offensive line is slightly improving, right?
10:44Dalton Reisner came in last year. All right. He actually rebounded.
10:47He's had kind of an up and down career, right?
10:50They have the young kid at right tackle, Mims, who, you know, he's going into another year.
10:56He's a very athletic, you know, very kind of like a project coming out, but a very, very high ceiling.
11:02And so this offense line is getting better, right?
11:05And the last thing I'll say is Joe Flacco is back.
11:08Joe Flacco is back. So he is there in case Joe Burrow goes down.
11:12So the worry of if Burrow gets hurt, we have a contingency plan right away with Joe Flacco, who knows the offense.
11:19So I'm very excited for Chase Brown. I think he's a smash at his cost.
11:24And even in non-NFFC, in sleep or in ESPN ADP, he's like a two, three turn pick.
11:29So if he stays there in your home leagues, that's going to be a tremendous value.
11:34Chase Brown going right after Omari and Hampton in drafts.
11:37Jeremiah, the story on Chase Brown these last couple of years has basically been like awesome role, just elite role.
11:44But he might be just a good, not great running back.
11:47I mean, how are you feeling? Well, I got pushed back on that narrative because when we think about a great running back, we think of Derrick Henry.
11:56And then we think of archetype. Pete mentioned the type of archetype, Belcal running back.
12:01Well, Chase Brown, RB7 last year, Derrick Henry, RB8 respectively.
12:04So he can put up just the same type of numbers, just in a different form and fashion, which we love.
12:10Receiving game, seventh and target share at the running back position, 14.5%, fourth and routes run, eighth and route participation.
12:16The numbers are all there and set up. And if you look, it's kind of like what the Panthers have done with Chuba Hubbard and Jonathan Brooks.
12:25That was a much cheaper degree. But at a higher level, the Bengals last year brought in Henderson, Trevion Henderson, Quinshawn Jenkins.
12:32Maybe it was just like an Ohio thing. But they had him for visits and there was that caution.
12:38Hey, somebody's going to come in and eat into Chase Brown's role.
12:41It didn't happen this year. So we got another year of confirmation on that end.
12:46I think it speaks a lot to the faith and the good coach speak that you'll read up on Taj Brooks.
12:53And then Samaj Pirine, who may come in on some third downs.
12:56It really hasn't eaten into the fact that Chase Brown hit RB7 overall.
13:01And I think his ceiling is actually higher than RB7 overall.
13:04So I think this is a very sharp pick and play by Pete.
13:08Now, Pete, do you think that the Bengals defense will continue to be so bad that they are forced to be in
13:15these shootouts like they have been the last couple of years?
13:18That is the one thing I did tweet about it.
13:21They've made a lot of improvements on the defense.
13:24So that is some slight concern that they won't be in these shootouts.
13:28But I also just look at it and I say it's it's they're going to be better.
13:34They're not going to be a top defense. The other thing I would say is the strength of schedule.
13:40They do have a tough schedule, so it could be good.
13:43They may be in some competitive games wide. It could be bad and it could mean that the ceiling is capped a little bit.
13:50But it's a good point to bring up about the defense.
13:54But I still feel pretty strong. And that's why I said you're not going to have to pay first round price for a guy like Chase Brown.
14:02Yeah, I like Chase Brown a lot because of that role being so just darn elite.
14:07But picking between these, it's tough, you know, and I have to say a big reason why I have not gotten as
14:14much Chase Brown as I thought I would going offseason is because of my player and how high I am on him.
14:21And that's Kenneth Walker. He's going to RB 11 18th overall on NFFC.
14:25First off, I just think an absolutely supremely talented player.
14:28I've been talking about this all offseason. He's been top 12 in Duke Raid every season of his career.
14:34He's been top five in each of the last three.
14:37There was concern about what he would do as a receiver in the NFL.
14:42And for a couple of years, you know, there was a little bit concern.
14:46And then he went out in 2024 and was fourth among all running backs in target share.
14:51It showed that he can do that. I think he's going to be doing more of that with the Chiefs.
14:58Eric Biennemi back as offensive coordinator for the Chiefs in five of six seasons as offensive coordinator.
15:03His running backs have been top 16 in total targets.
15:06We're looking at on those numbers were over 100 in all of those seasons, nearing 120 in some of them.
15:12If Kenneth Walker gets half of that, like we are loving it and we're looking at top five running back upside.
15:19I've been saying since the moment he signed with the Chiefs, I think he has the RB1 overall upside in this offense.
15:26I think the Chiefs are going to rely on him early in the offseason, especially as Patrick Mahomes returns from this torn ACL.
15:33And they're already talking about in camp like Patrick Mahomes is really pumped to be able to turn around and hand off to Kenneth Walker.
15:41This is a team that needed to find explosives somehow.
15:44They were having trouble finding it in the passing game.
15:47They have not had it at all in the run game.
15:50And now they truly have it in both facets with Kenneth Walker.
15:54I'm really excited for what he can do in this offense.
15:58Pete, I'm going to toss over to you first.
16:00I know that early in the offseason, you were pushing me back a little bit on that, but you might be coming around a little bit.
16:08I did. I did come around a little bit.
16:11I have Walker at 17.2, Brown at 17.3. So, I mean, it's like right there, right?
16:16And there's going to be times I'm going to have exposure to Walker, times I'm going to have exposure to Brown.
16:23So, I'll definitely mix and match. I love both of these players.
16:27The more and more, you know, we dive in.
16:29I love the fact that Patrick Mahomes is now ready week one, it sounds like.
16:34I mean, I doubt that that's not going to be the case.
16:38And from a receiving standpoint, right, I mean, this team does still lack weapons to catch the football, right?
16:44So, Kenneth Walker can still be an outlet for him.
16:47And the truth is Patrick Mahomes I don't think is going to want to run nearly as much.
16:52So, rather than run to extend plays, I think there's a good chance he dumps it off rather than putting the ball
16:59in harm's way because there aren't going to be a ton of options downfield, right?
17:04I mean, Xavier Worthy did, you know, have some issues connecting.
17:07So, I have Walker projected for 62.8 targets this year.
17:11I think that would be really good. And the last thing I'd say is he played wide receiver in high school.
17:17So, I mean, he does have in his profile two catches of football.
17:21He just really wasn't utilized nearly as much as we would have wanted, which has always been the bugaboo with him plus the injury history.
17:29So, if he's healthy, I don't see why he can't smash and kind of, you know, no Kareem Hunt stealing touchdowns at the goal line.
17:37Jeremiah, how are you feeling? Hey, this is if you had Nick Chubb who could catch passes, would you take him?
17:43Absolutely. And that is what Kenneth Walker is. And we have seen he has given into the powers of the hairline.
17:50He's not holding on for dear life like B.
17:53John Robinson is. He's fully accepted it. One season removed from 46 receptions.
17:57So, when Pete talks about a low 60s total on projected targets, that really does track.
18:02And if you take a look at Patrick Mahomes, he's usually good for three to 350 rushing yards.
18:07If that shaves down to even 200 or shaves in half, there's more opportunity to share there.
18:13And to Pete's point about dumping off. And then I love Emmett Johnson.
18:17We love a Mary DiMarcato to a degree. But I, well, for where he's priced.
18:21For where he's priced. A degree in there. Yeah, it's all relative.
18:25Yeah, not like up here. But we enjoy their talents, their skill sets, what they can offer.
18:31But I think they're so further on the map to call back to how I led off with O'Marrion Hampton.
18:37Where it's the runway is clearly there for Kenneth Walker.
18:40So, when you take the backfield competition, I think Hampton has the highest haul to get through.
18:45And then the Chiefs for Kenneth Walker. Really, the only opponent to Kenneth Walker is, hey, we say, your only opponent is yourself, right?
18:53It's the injuries. Can he stay on the football field?
18:56If Kenneth Walker is on the football field, he's good as gold.
19:00But then you have a conundrum if he's off the field.
19:03You're just going to have to go through Wednesday reports where it's, hey, oblique soreness.
19:08Something with the hip or the ankle. Anything that pops up throughout the week and you're seeing, did not practice, did not practice.
19:15And then Friday, you get hit with the limited practice and you're just like, all right, we're still back.
19:21You have to go through that roller coaster. That's the one price of admission that you have to pay the cost on Kenneth Walker.
19:28It's that midweek to late week sweat where he pops up on the injury report.
19:33But I think the Chiefs are going to do a tremendous job of taking care of him.
19:38And I love stylistically a lot of what Pete said about the change in the tenor, how it can funnel through Kenneth Walker.
19:45Yeah, I'll finish up on Kenneth Walker by just saying, you know, Andy Reid running backs used to be a cheat code
19:52for us in fantasy for a very long time, going back all the way to when he was with the Eagles.
19:59Many Eagles running backs were some of our favorites in fantasy football.
20:03I think people tend to forget that a little bit.
20:06But Jeremiah, I do appreciate you bringing up the really risk to Kenneth Walker because I do think it is a real thing.
20:13There are players where we have to worry about a little bit more.
20:17And Kenneth Walker kind of is. And like people were complaining last year when the Seahawks were splitting so much time between
20:24him and Zach Charbonnet and Kenneth Walker stayed healthy the entire season.
20:28And it's like maybe a team looks at that formula and says like, he's really good, but we do need to limit
20:34the opportunity just a little bit to make sure he's healthy throughout the season.
20:39And that is going to be a concern for everybody going through.
20:43I just think the potential is so great that I'm going to ignore those concerns.
20:47Everybody out there, appreciate you joining us. Make sure you've liked and subscribed if you haven't yet, if you're listening on your
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20:58Let us know your favorite round two running back.
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