The Lineup Show - Fantasy Football Draft Blueprint For EVERY Pick (1.01-1.12)
STACKED extracted the fantasy-relevant player signal from this podcast and kept the full transcript here for context.
39 min
Duration
Estimated from transcript
Jul 31, 2026
Published
Fri, July 31, 2026
0
Player insights
0
Players mentioned
Player analysis
Player insights
No player insights have been extracted for this episode yet.
Full transcript
Episode Transcript
0:00Morning Decisions How about a creamy mocha frappuccino drink?
0:02Or sweet vanilla? Smooth caramel maybe? Or white chocolate mocha?
0:05Whichever you choose, delicious coffee awaits. Find Starbucks frappuccino drinks wherever you buy your groceries.
0:09We can't always choose where we pick in fantasy football drafts, but we can choose who we pick.
0:14We're taking the guesswork out of it and breaking down the perfect start from every position 1-12.
0:19Let's go. Welcome into the Lineup Fantasy Football Show.
0:21I'm Mitch Anderson. I'm Justin Mello. Before we jump in though, Mello, if you haven't heard, we are officially part of the
0:28Smash Accept team here for the 2026 NFL season.
0:30And to celebrate for Dynasty and Redraft players, the first 50 lineup viewers who sign up for Smash Accept are going to
0:36get 50% off when they use code LINEUP50. You'll get exclusive draft tools, rankings, and analysis you can't get anywhere else from myself, Mello, Dynasty Dad, and Snoog.
0:44We're going to help you make sharper picks and win your league this season.
0:48So once those 50 redemptions are gone, the discount is gone.
0:51So click the link in the description or the card above and use code LINEUP50 and support the show.
0:56But Mello, let's now break down the coveted number one overall pick and the perfect draft strategy behind it.
1:01The 101. It honestly hasn't been a great pick in recent years.
1:04Yeah, it hasn't had a great track record. But people still want it, as do I.
1:09Okay, so let's go through my best scenario here with the first overall pick.
1:131.1. I'm taking Jameer Gibbs, and I think there are a few reasonable options you could take there.
1:18But for me, I want the guy who's an elite running back and every down running back on one of the best offenses in the entire league.
1:25So that is the direction I would personally go.
1:28And then we get to that 2-3 turn. If Brock Bowers is there, I'm taking him because I wholeheartedly believe in a nuclear year out of Brock Bowers.
1:35He's going to be the focal point of this Clint Kubiak passing attack.
1:39I think he's going to have a generational kind of tight end season.
1:43Yeah, I do too. And tight end can get pretty gross pretty quick.
1:46So if I can get Brock Bowers and get that positional advantage, I'm all over it.
1:50And then with my other pick at that turn, I'd love to land AJ Brown if he's available.
1:55In this scenario, I already have my elite running back.
1:58I have an elite tight end. And now I can get an elite wide receiver who I think legitimately has wide receiver
2:04one overall upside playing with Drake May here. So I'd be super pumped to land him in the third.
2:10Then we wait a bit for the end of the fourth round where I would love to land Terry McLaurin.
2:15I'm buying the dip on scary Terry everywhere. He's back healthy as is Jaden Daniels.
2:19Not to mention his target share could just be astronomical in 2026.
2:22He could be top five in the league and target share.
2:25So that gets us our second receiver. Let's grab a second running back as well at the start of the fifth round here.
2:32Let's take David Montgomery. Love it. And if you somehow land him here first, immediately start celebrating because you are off to a super hot start.
2:39And the second thing is I need you to change your team name to Sonic and Knuckles because we're reuniting Gibbs with Montgomery here.
2:46And my Lord, do I love that running back combination as did Lions fans for many, many years.
2:51And then finally, Mitch, with my sixth round pick and the sixth here, let's grab Tony Pollard.
2:55And now that we've done that, I actually want you to change your team name away from Sonic and Knuckles and make
3:01it some sort of old man pun like unction function or whatever you prefer, because we're grabbing all my favorite vets here.
3:07All my favorite seasoned old guys. I know this pick is probably a little bit grosser than some of the other ones
3:13on paper, but Pollard is a sneaky true workhorse.
3:16He was last season. I think he will be again.
3:19And now all of a sudden the Titans are an ascending offense.
3:22So if you can get him as the last workhorse back on the board before there's a little bit of a drop off, he's your RB three.
3:29I really love that start. Yeah, this is a great example of the anchor running back strategy we talked about with Joe Pizopia and last episode.
3:37And so this we want this episode to be able to be a little bit of a cheat sheet for you.
3:42If you're just getting ready for your drafts, if you know what pick you're going to be in in general, if you
3:48just want to prep going into mocks, how you want to approach each of these different draft positions.
3:53And to me, the anchor running back strategy is the absolute number one for the first overall pick.
3:58Let's jump into the second overall pick. If you were unfortunately unable to get Jameer Gibbs, that's all right.
4:04You can take B. John Robinson with the second overall pick.
4:07And that's perfectly fine because we're splitting hairs here with these top two guys.
4:10Gibbs is getting the huge bump because David Montgomery is out of town.
4:14You're getting that same bump for B. John B.
4:17is now Tyler Algier is in Arizona. And so B.
4:19John Robinson, the most rostered player on fantasy championships last year can be yours with the second overall pick.
4:25Feels like a great value. And Melo, I'm going to take a page out of your book.
4:29We're so high on AJ Brown. I would be targeting him in the second round at this spot.
4:34We'd like to differentiate how we're approaching these different draft positions.
4:37But at the end of the day, value is value.
4:40And it's not going to matter what position you're drafting from.
4:43These guys are going to be kind of lurking in those ranges wherever you're picking.
4:47And AJ Brown just kind of slots himself right here towards the end of the second round.
4:52I think tremendous upside for the wide receiver 11 last year pairing up with Drake May.
4:56Then we've got Devonta Smith, who the former teammate of AJ Brown profiles to me as 2026's Jackson Smith and Jigba.
5:02Commanded a 35% target share in games without AJB in the last two seasons.
5:06Now given the opportunity to line up out wide more where he ranked third in yards for outrun behind only Puka and
5:12you guessed it, Jackson Smith and Jigba. But Mello, no team is set without an incredible quarterback.
5:17So let's grab Lamar Jackson here in the fourth round.
5:19You're hoping he falls maybe two spots to this position if you're looking at consensus ADP right now.
5:24But it is a perfect draft start, right? So the two time MVP is once again facing debates of is Lamar even really that good?
5:31Well, he was the QB one in 2024. And no, I don't mean the QB one in fantasy football.
5:36I mean the QB one in fantasy football of all time just two years ago feels like a steal with an ADP of 46 right now.
5:44And then Mello, I'm going to take another one from you.
5:47Let's grab David Montgomery here as ADPs around 53.
5:49I don't need to belabor the point, but Houston's got a nine and a half win total this year.
5:54They've already said that they think David Montgomery has the skill set to be a bell cow for them.
6:00I'm absolutely buying the dip on these reports that he's gonna be splitting work with Woody Marks in training camp.
6:05Not a chance. Yeah, the line doesn't concern himself with Woody Marks.
6:08And then finally, Mello, no perfect draft start would be complete without my darling Parker Washington.
6:13Led the Jaguars in targets last year, PFF's 11th highest grade receiver in the NFL in 2025.
6:17We want pieces of this Liam Cohen offense that has unlocked Trevor Lawrence.
6:21And to me, this is a wide receiver one you're getting in the sixth round of your draft.
6:26Not to mention reports already coming out that he is the first guy in the building every day, which that gives me
6:32Cooper Cup, Matthew Stafford breakfast club vibes, but like in one man.
6:35I was actually just gonna end this call if you didn't have Parker Washington in your perfect start.
6:40So I'm glad you did. And I love that start too.
6:43I would be absolutely giddy if that were my start picking from the 1.2.
6:47Super well-rounded getting the quarterback in the mark, getting a few incredible receivers.
6:51Bijan and Montgomery, two running backs I love. So beautiful start there.
6:54Let me see if I can one up you here.
6:57Picking from three. Mitch, we're still pretty early in the summer here, all things considered.
7:01But I think I might have 1.3 as my favorite pick right now.
7:05Here we go. We'll see. We'll see. But here's the start I'm envisioning from 1.3.
7:09You miss out on those top two running backs.
7:11No problem. Let's grab Jamar Chase, who honestly has a as a case to be the first overall pick himself.
7:17There's no reason to complain when he falls to you at three.
7:20He is the safest floor, the highest ceiling of any receiver.
7:23Just one of the very best picks you can make.
7:26Then let's move into the second. Let's get our RB1 and Derek Henry, a guy we've talked up so much on this show.
7:32A guy who I feel super confident is going to be a top 12 running back in 2026 at least.
7:38He was super efficient with bell cow treatment last year, even though the Ravens were a little bit disappointing.
7:43I think the Ravens are better and that efficiency and bell cow usage continues into 2026.
7:47Yep. And then let's get crazy Mitch. Josh Allen here in the third.
7:51He has an ADP of about 26 right now.
7:53You can get him in the early third. And congratulations if you do.
7:57You just drafted the quarterback one overall. You got him.
8:00You know, you got him. And you also have a great chance at the wide receiver one overall and Jamar Chase and
8:06even a chance at the running back one overall and Derek Henry.
8:09That's why I love this start so much. Now let's keep building on it.
8:13We go into the fourth round. Let's get a wide receiver two in Jalen Waddle, who I'm starting to heat up on quite a bit.
8:20I know it's been a rough couple of years, but now he is the number one receiver on the past happy Broncos.
8:26That sounds pretty awesome to me. And if nothing else, I think it's just fun to have the top two receivers from
8:32that 2021 draft class, which historically good receiver class.
8:34And you could have the two top drafted ones here with this start.
8:38And then let's get our second running back in the fifth round.
8:41A guy I know you like Mitch. Let's take Quinn shot.
8:44Junkids here in the fifth round kind of feels like Derek Henry light who you already have.
8:49Obviously a worse situation in Cleveland, but Judkins is still super talented.
8:52He's going to get phenomenal usage. I think he is a wonderful running back to you here.
8:57The Cleveland coaching staff and the Cleveland organization talking him up so much.
9:01And then maybe a pick you won't like as much Mitch, but in the sixth year, let's take Brian Thomas Jr., the opposite Jaguars receiver.
9:07And the reason I like that pick here in this scenario is you drafted a great team to this point relatively safe team.
9:14You feel really good about the floors of the guys you have.
9:17Let's inject a little bit of upside here. Let's inject a little bit of crazy variation that could benefit you.
9:23We saw Brian Thomas Jr. finishes the wide receiver for as a rookie.
9:26Now, all of a sudden he's on this exciting ascending Jaguars offense.
9:30That was so good. So good last year. We could see him be incredible here in 2026.
9:34You might have me convinced this actually might be one of the more balanced constructions.
9:38I've got one coming up in two or three picks.
9:41I actually think is really good as well, but you said it exactly right at the Josh Allen pick Jamar Chase, Derek Henry and Josh Allen.
9:48Like you could genuinely be getting the wide receiver one overall, the QB one overall and a high end running back one, Derek Henry.
9:55And then I'll get into some stats about him later.
9:58But Jalen Waddell, I'm rising on him. You know, I love Quinchon Judkins.
10:01And I'll admit like I'm a Parker Washington guy.
10:04But if you're considering trying to get high upside out of your wide receiver two in this lineup, like Brian Thomas Jr.
10:10presents a lot of upside as a guy who was the wide receiver for two years ago his rookie season.
10:15And if we see a bounce back, like this is an absolute smash team.
10:19So I love this at the one Oh three.
10:22Let's jump to the one Oh four though. Jamar's off the board.
10:25So who are we taking? It's really between two guys and Mello.
10:28We're in agreement. I think we're taking Puka Nakua.
10:31He's going to get the edge over the next guy just because I think the situation hasn't changed at all.
10:36I'm fading the off field stuff and Pukun is locked in and not much to worry about with last year's wide receiver one on the field, at least.
10:44And then at number two, let's go in the second round with Jeremiah Love, which I know.
10:49I know we're all terrified because of Ashton Janty last year.
10:52But Mello, you've brought this up. Even with all the fear of him going to Arizona, he's currently now the 13th running
10:58back off the board, which feels like an overcorrection.
11:00Since 2015, there have been seven running backs drafted in the top 10 and none have finished worse than the RB 11.
11:06We are drafting Jeremiah Love below his floor. But if you're feeling like that's a little risky, let's move to the third
11:12round and take a very safe RB two in Kyron Williams.
11:15He has finished as the RB nine RB seven and RB seven in his last three seasons in the third round on
11:21a Rams team that could be even better. And regression suggests they might even get more goal line opportunities.
11:27This one's a smash hit. And then Mello, I'm going to copy your homework again.
11:31Let's take Jalen Waddle. And the stats I wanted to bring up was that when we had Derek Brown on the show,
11:37he mentioned that Jalen Waddle goes into this Broncos team that was fourth in passing rate last season.
11:42And Waddle himself was much better than people realize.
11:44He ranks top 12 in yards per outrun targets per outrun first downs per outrun separation score and route win rate in
11:50the entire NFL, which was absolutely bananas. Moving on to round five.
11:54This is only my second pick I'm talking about, but this is the perfect spot to target one with extremely high upside,
12:00if not the highest upside of the rookie receivers in this class.
12:03Jordan Tyson could dominate in a high passing volume.
12:05Kellen Moore offense. If, if, if he stays healthy and in fancy, we're going for the highest range of outcomes.
12:11And to me, Jordan Tyson presents you with that.
12:13I love the upside of this squad you've assembled here.
12:16And even the floor, I feel good about like Puka Nakua.
12:19As long as he stays healthy, he's going to finish top five.
12:23Kyron has been so consistent. Even Jeremiah Love, I think his floor is pretty high because of the draft capital.
12:28And then you look at the upside of a guy like Trevion Henderson and the upside of a rookie like Jordan Tyson.
12:34You're really balancing your floor with your ceiling here, which I absolutely love.
12:38I think he's a big fan of the shoulder injuries with Puka.
12:41Not his, obviously just anybody he parties with, but besides that, I think he's a smash play here at four.
12:47Well, Mitch, let's move on to the fifth pick here.
12:49You won't let me have my little chompasaurus Puka Nakua.
12:52So I'll take Jackson Smith and Jigba as my, my first round pick here.
12:56And there's nothing wrong with, with landing him at five.
12:59He was a wide receiver two last year. Sure.
13:01You missed out on the first couple of running backs and receivers, but who cares?
13:05He was the offensive player of the year last year.
13:08He led the league in target share. I think there's a very good chance he could do it again.
13:13I'd like to correct you. He was actually the defensive player of the year, according to the NFL.
13:18Good point. The defensive player of the year, Jackson Smith and Jigba.
13:22And Mitch, I know you wanted Jeremiah Love in the second.
13:25I'm not letting them get to you in my perfect draft.
13:28He goes here at the fifth pick, or I guess the seventh pick of the second round.
13:32You mentioned he's the 13th running back off the board.
13:35All seven of the last seven running backs to be drafted top 10 in the NFL draft have finished.
13:40Top 12 fantasy running backs as rookies. I think Jeremiah Love is going to be a lot better than some people are fearing.
13:47Yeah. Now we go to the third round. A guy I absolutely love, Rasheed Rice.
13:51Cover your ears, Mitch. I know you're not quite as in, but Rasheed Rice on a per game basis has been so elite throughout his career.
13:58If he makes it to you at 29, I want you to just tell your league mates, your Venmo.
14:03They can pay you immediately pairing him with Jeremiah Love and JSN.
14:06I mean, the two receivers you drafted to this point, both could easily finish top five, which I love.
14:12And then Mitch, I will steal a page out of your book this time taking Lamar Jackson, who we talk about how
14:18deep quarterback is and how we're okay waiting. But at the same time, Lamar is the only quarterback who I think could
14:24reasonably dethrone Josh Allen as the quarterback one. And you can get him a full two rounds later than you could just a year ago.
14:31So that really is such an absurd discount. So I like him here in the mid to late fourth.
14:36Then let's grab our second running back in the fifth, DeAndre Swift, which if you don't have your RB two by the
14:42fifth round, I think DeAndre Swift is a great guy to take because he's never finished outside of RB two territory in his entire career.
14:49Always a top 24 back, super safe pick. And then let's get crazy, Mitch.
14:53I'm taking Tucker craft here with my six round pick, finishing my perfect draft from this spot through six rounds.
14:58Now I normally do not advise people to take both a quarterback and a tight end in the first six rounds because
15:04then you're probably struggling at running backs and receivers.
15:07But with this start, I feel really good about the guys you've already taken if this is your start.
15:12And I just love the starting lineup of Lamar, Tucker craft, and then those running backs and receivers.
15:17So I'd feel super pumped about this start. Yeah, this is an incredibly balanced roster.
15:21I think you take a guy in rounds two and three that people have been getting soured on that they've been falling on this off season.
15:28And I think that in both cases, you're going to love to hear this from me.
15:33We've probably overcorrected on both for she rice and Jeremiah love.
15:36I would say we've overcorrected on Lamar Jackson dating back to the middle of last year.
15:40I think he's an incredible value. I think we underrate DeAndre Swift.
15:43I think we underrate Tucker craft and then JSN was the obvious pick at five.
15:48So to me, this is a fantastic roster. You've got a great start.
15:51I know what you mean when you're saying like don't take two onesie positions in the first six rounds because of your wide receivers and running backs.
15:59But at the same time, this is what gives you the flexibility now to just fire off lotto tickets at both of those spots.
16:05Yeah, that's the one thing I do like is if you go with this start a good tight end or a good
16:11quarterback, you don't necessarily have to take another one the rest of your draft.
16:15Melo, neither one of us looked at our starts before we got into this, but we had very similar ideas going into
16:21the middle of the draft because here at the 106, we're going to start with Christian McCaffrey and we've said it before,
16:27but we're cowards here at the lineup. We are.
16:30If you think Christian McCaffrey plays 17 games, he should be your RB1 overall over Gibbs over B.
16:35John. If you don't think he plays 17 games, if you don't think he's healthy enough to do it, maybe he isn't even an RB1.
16:42So this spot is basically just hedging your bets because making this pick is like a roller coaster that goes 10,000 feet
16:48in the air because the sky's the limit, but it could also fall entirely off the tracks and kill you.
16:53But at number two, I'm going to go with a guy that I feel so unbelievably confident is going to hit this year.
16:59You mentioned him earlier. That is Brock Bowers in the second round.
17:03Anytime you can make a lineup construction with the quote football robot from heaven as his new coach Clint Kubiak described him.
17:09I'm taking that opportunity. When you draft CMC, you draft for full on upside.
17:13And that's what I'm doing here. I want to have the RB1 overall.
17:16I want to have the tight end one overall.
17:19And then we're going to hit the guy that I think has the potential to be the wide receiver one overall in
17:25the third round in Devonta Smith, who I mentioned earlier.
17:28He's a guy who's a Heisman winner, Boletnikoff winner.
17:30I already mentioned all the stats earlier. If you want to hear about that, you can go back to, I believe, the second pick.
17:37Devonta Smith is such a clear, clear high upside play.
17:39One of my favorite targets in the third round.
17:42And then we're going to hit another familiar name here in Lamar Jackson in the fourth round, who has more upside at
17:48the QB position than the guy who finished as the QB one of all time, just two years ago.
17:53Move on to round five. Another familiar name. We're going to get safe here because I think we've been getting pretty high upside, low floor.
18:00Let's take DeAndre Swift. Like you said, he's a little boring, but who could be more reliable than a guy who has
18:06never finished lower than the RB 21 or better in all of his six seasons in the NFL.
18:11And then Mello, this one's going to be spicy for all of our lineup viewers.
18:15I'm going to take Jadarian Price here. Who are you?
18:18And I know what you're thinking. Mitch, you have been so against Jadarian Price at cost this year.
18:23And yes, that's true. But I think two things in this lineup.
18:26One, we're drafting for upside, like I said, and we've got to make sure we're taking guys that could literally hit a
18:32home run and Jadarian Price could, he could end up assuming the RB one bell cow role in the Seahawks offensive.
18:38Charbonnet doesn't get back up to speed. The other thing that's true is I think there's a pretty large running back cliff after him.
18:45And for me, when you're taking all of these onesie positions in the first six rounds, running back is the position you
18:51really need to make sure you solidify. And so here I'm grabbing my third running back and then I can feel comfortable
18:57getting a little flexible and taking wide receivers. First of all, screw you for making Bowers a mid second.
19:02So there's no chance of my dream scenario that he gets to the two, three turn, but also dropped right is the perfect draft.
19:09Uh, Jadarian Price though. I agree because I'm a little bit skeptical about the ADP too, but you bring up a really good point with where he's going.
19:16Even though I'm skeptical, it feels like there's such a drop off after him.
19:20Yeah, that he could be a guy I start drafting a little bit more of and I wouldn't mind taking some shots on, but this team crazy upside.
19:28You could break your league's records with this team.
19:30If everything hits the right way. It feels like you're playing the 17 and O game on sleeper with this.
19:36Yeah. You're like trying to get the perfect score.
19:38I never can never get seven to know on that damn game.
19:42This episode is brought to you by Google Chrome.
19:44You think, you know, a browser, but Gemini and Chrome that's new.
19:48They can help you with practically anything on the web, like restoring a vintage motorcycle from a 50 page restoration block, or
19:54finally break down that long article you've had open for weeks.
19:57Gemini and Chrome is here for it. Ready to make anything online make sense?
20:01There's no place like Chrome. Check responses set up required compatibility and availability varies 18 plus.
20:05At the Home Depot, get up to 15% off all installed carpet projects for a limited time.
20:10Featuring brands like LifeProof, LifeProof with PetProof technology, Home Decorators Collection, and Traffic Master.
20:13Take your pick of carpet built for real life and designed for real comfort.
20:17Plus, with installation starting as low as 49 cents per square foot and a free measure to get you started, we'll handle the hard parts for you.
20:25Offer valid July 16th, 2026 through August 2nd, 2026.
20:27Exclusions apply for licenses. See homedepot.com slash license numbers.
20:30Maybe this next team will do it in my fantasy league though.
20:33Picking from the 1.7. Honestly, not my favorite pick, but we can make this work and we can start.
20:38Let's do it. By taking who will be the wide receiver three overall.
20:42And I'm in Ross St. Brown at pick seven.
20:44You just know you got a good player. You know you got someone who's going to hit.
20:49He was the wide receiver three each of the last three years.
20:52And then let's take another receiver here in the second round, Drake London, who I know there are some quarterback questions.
20:58We've talked about it on this show. If Tua is ultimately named the starter, maybe I'm not as enthusiastic about taking Drake
21:04London in the early to mid second. Right. But especially if Penix is, Drake London is a league winner kind of guy.
21:10A comically incredible wide receiver two to have on your fantasy team behind Amon Ross St.
21:15Brown. But now we need a running back. And let me grab Brees Hall here in the third, who after going double
21:21receiver, I feel fine snatching Brees Hall as my RB one in the third round.
21:25As long as I do get two elite receivers like we did here in this scenario, we've seen the RB two overall finish before.
21:31And I think something that's not getting talked about a ton is a lot of his past success has been predicated on receiving game work.
21:38He hasn't had quarterbacks that have been giving him the ball through the air.
21:42Geno Smith is going to do that. Geno Smith is going to support that passing game work.
21:47That's a great point. What do you want about Geno?
21:50So hopefully that helps Brees Hall. And then let's really get exciting here with the receivers miss because in the fourth, I want Lad McConkie here.
21:57I know you love Lad McConkie. You very controversially built a case for him to be the wide receiver one in 2026.
22:03It's not that crazy to say it's in his range of outcomes.
22:06He's the number one receiver on this incredible Chargers offense with an incredible quarterback and an incredible play caller.
22:11I think he'll be better than he was his rookie year and his rookie year got everyone super hot and bothered that
22:17he was going to be the next great receiver in the league.
22:21I think it comes together here. He's your wide receiver three.
22:24And then let's get more upside at that running back to position with Bachel Tootin in the fifth round.
22:29I've been high on him. I think I'm starting to get higher.
22:32Just the drum in Jacksonville is so hard for Bachel Tootin that he is going to be the guy he is going
22:38to be a huge part of this offense. And if you're not getting your running back to the fifth round, why not
22:44swing for the fences and get the guy who could finish as running back one on a really, really good team with Liam Cohen.
22:51So I'm very excited for Bachel Tootin. And then in the sixth, we haven't addressed a onesie position yet.
22:56So let's get a quarterback in Jalen Hurts. I again, I'm really okay with waiting on quarterback in this draft, but if
23:02Jalen Hurts is there in the sixth round, I think he's kind of the last quarterback before a tear break, in my opinion.
23:09So I think he's a really nice addition to an already loaded roster you've built to this point.
23:14You know, it's funny because I think we, I just mentioned this episode we did with Joe Pizzapia, but like, I've kind
23:20of felt like I don't want to be attacking these middle quarterbacks, but I've found in mocks and I've just found in
23:26general consensus and talking with people that feels like Jalen Hurts is going to be there in a spot that I really like to grab him.
23:33And so I'm finding myself like he's the exception to the rule.
23:36I will grab him in the middle rounds, but looking at this team, I did build the quote bold case for Ladd
23:42McConkie to be the wide receiver one overall. I think a lot of people didn't read the word bold.
23:48Um, this is a very interesting build. It's, it's somewhat robust wide receiver.
23:51I guess in fact it is robust wide receiver, starting with Amun Ra, Drake London, then you skip it with Hall, but
23:57you get back to Ladd McConkie and man, like two or three years ago, you could not have built.
24:02I would even say last year, you could not have built this roster just because of the fact that people were grabbing wide receivers so early.
24:10So this is a great, great construction. If you want to zig when others are zagging, but let's jump into the number eight.
24:16We're going to jump from a robust wide receiver strategy to more of a hero wide receiver strategy, but it's got a familiar face in there.
24:23Let's start with Justin Jefferson. We're taking him as early as the one Oh eight.
24:27Both of us are extremely high. Mello. You've made me see the light.
24:31It might feel like a reach to you in the moment, but give me him over Jonathan Taylor or CD lamb any
24:37day of the week in his career, not playing with JJ McCarthy.
24:40He's finished as the wide receiver nine, five, two, five, and four in points per game.
24:45That's including his rookie season. Move on to round two.
24:47You've taken a wide receiver. Let's now shore up that running back room.
24:51Grab yourself. Ken Walker last year's highest graded rusher in the NFL per PFF.
24:55Now give him Andy Reed and the chiefs who are also rumored to be giving him more in the passing game.
25:01There's some risk here, but to me, he has genuine high end RB one upside in the third.
25:06We're going to go back to Kyron Williams, RB nine, RB seven and RB seven.
25:10And the last three years, easy pick in the third round.
25:13And one of my favorite guys to target when I start at wide receiver, but here's our wide receiver to lad McConkey.
25:19Let me give the spark notes on the bold case.
25:22He was the wide receiver 12 as a rookie and circumstances, not talent caused a disappointing sophomore year.
25:26But now you bring in Mike McDaniel. You bring back a healthy Joe all Rashawn Slater to all pro tackles to protect Justin Herbert.
25:33So he doesn't take a career high in sacks.
25:36So he doesn't have a career high scramble rate and you remove Keenan Allen, who was cannibalizing lad McConkey's production.
25:41And you vacate 122 targets, leaving lad McConkey's upside.
25:44Absolutely insane for 2026. Last two picks. Let's go.
25:46Deandre Swift. We already mentioned him, but PFFs eighth highest grade rusher last year, fourth and rushing success rate, third in EPA
25:52per rush, tenth in yards per carry. And then finally, I'm back to Jalen hurts.
25:56You lose a JB, but you add Makai lemon.
25:59And in a disastrous year orchestrated by Kevin Petula fishes the QB eight.
26:02Now you remove Petula. You add in Sean Mannion, which to me is a true coughing baby versus atomic bomb kind of trade.
26:09And so it's wheels up for hurts. I think you're getting a discount because your league mates are just grossed out by
26:15picking Jalen hurts, which I think is ridiculous. Pretty aligned here.
26:18Again, a lot of guys I like, as you know, I'd be pretty stoked with this start.
26:22And yes, it's kind of hero receiver. But if you can still land lad McConkey as your wide receiver, too, it feels
26:28like you're not super dependent on that hero receiver.
26:31You're taking in round. Exactly. I'd be thrilled with that start.
26:34And let me go back to what I did last time again, because I want to robust wide receiver again here.
26:40And I'm going to start with the same guy you just took, Justin Jefferson, who I'm just giddy if he's there at ninth overall for me.
26:47So we're going to take him. I'm just pushing all my chips to the center of the table that this bounce back is happening.
26:54Not that it could or it should, that it will.
26:56I think he's going to be back to elite numbers now that he has some competent quarterback play.
27:01So super excited about Justin Jefferson at the end of the first.
27:05And then a guy I'm super excited about in the early second, Saquon Barkley.
27:08Hundred percent. They're starting to call this team the all bounce back team between Justin Jefferson and Saquon Barkley by the dip, baby.
27:15That's my mantra by the dip. I think both of these guys in particular are going to be much closer to their 2024 versions than their 2025 versions.
27:22And I teased it. But now let's really get back to wide receiver here.
27:26And I'm going to start with Zay Flowers in the third round, too.
27:30I think the biggest criticism is just that his ceiling is somewhat limited low volume passing attack there in Baltimore.
27:35But I'm still thrilled to have him as my wide receiver to taking him in the late third round.
27:41I will almost guarantee he's going to outperform his ADP, even if it isn't by much.
27:45I feel really good about him as a wide receiver, too.
27:48And now let's get somebody with a higher ceiling than even him.
27:51A Mecca of Buka in our fourth round. So excited about a Buka.
27:55If we can get him in the early fourth, that's crazy.
27:58And to start your draft with three receivers as Justin Jefferson, Zay Flowers and a Mecca of Buka.
28:03That is sick and twisted. You should be locked up for that start.
28:07It is that unfair. And I just love pairing these guys because they sort of complement each other in terms of their
28:13floor and their ceilings, which I really like. And then let's go crazy, Mitch, with another wide receiver, Mike Evans, another guy I know you like.
28:20Now, I will say, depending on your league settings and your roster sizes, if you're not able to start more than three receivers, I would not do this.
28:28But if you're in a two flex league, a three receiver league, one flex, that kind of thing.
28:32Yeah, I love Mike Evans in this spot who we talked about it so much.
28:37He's Brock Purdy's number one receiver. He's Kyle Shanahan's number one receiver.
28:40And he's still good. And he was good last year when healthy.
28:43So to get him as your wide receiver four is glorious to say the least.
28:47And then, Mitch, I am going to steal another pick from you here.
28:51Jadarian Price, we talked about it, but especially with this draft where you really want heavy receiver and sacrifice running back.
28:57I think getting a guy with upside like Jadarian Price who could be the bell cow on the defending Super Bowl champions
29:03makes sense before there's a really big running back cliff after this.
29:06Yeah, this is absolutely this is absolutely robust wide receiver.
29:09Like you're going for wide receivers in the first five rounds.
29:12I think this is an absolutely perfect spot to hit Jadarian Price who would have thought look at us two separate perfect draft starts, including Jadarian Price.
29:19But who would have thought I'm so high on Saquon.
29:22I love what you mentioned about Zay Flowers being a pretty safe floor, low ceiling guy.
29:26You pair him with an Abuka and then you pair him with Mike Evans, who when healthy is honestly both to me
29:33really safe floor, really high ceiling is one of my favorite picks in fantasy this year.
29:37You got me convinced on the one oh nine.
29:39I think that's a really high upside team, but let's jump into an honestly pretty similar draft construction here that we didn't realize we did.
29:46But it seems like we'd be picking pretty similarly from the one ten and the one oh nine.
29:51We're going to start this one off with James Cook, though.
29:54I teeter on the spot a little between Jenty and cook.
29:57And to me, it's literally like Ashton Jenty could be anything.
30:00He could even be James Cook. And so why not just take James Cook, who led the NFL in rushing yards last year.
30:07He led the NFL in touchdowns in 2024. And now it's rumored that he could potentially be adding some receiving work in 2026.
30:13Like if he actually combines these things, James Cook is going to be an absolute smash play finishes as a running back one every year.
30:20He's just so solid. And then let's go to a guy who's got incredible upside and was just the running back one
30:26two years ago in Saquon Barkley again. And I'm going to save everyone some time.
30:30It's Saquon Barkley here. We think he has a bounce back.
30:33He's a little bit more efficient, not coming off of 400 carries.
30:36Then you grab yourself Zay Flowers because you started with two running backs.
30:40Better take a safe floor kind of receiver as your wide receiver one.
30:44Add a Mecca, Buka on top of that because you need a little upside along with Zay Flowers.
30:49And then here's where we switch it up. We're not going Mike Evans.
30:52Let's talk Carnell Tate, who I think is one of the most mispriced players in fantasy football this season.
30:57And truly top four draft capital attached to a young ascending first overall pick that introduces an offensive coordinator in Brian Dayball,
31:03who spams his number one receiver every time. This is such an easy shot for me for a guy who's going around the 60th pick.
31:10And then let's get spicy. I don't want to burden anyone with the next pick.
31:14So we're going to go with Roma Dunze. I am firmly a Rome guy.
31:18They've gotten closer in my rankings. But when you look at the separation of where they're going, it is a 15 pick difference.
31:25You look at what Luther Burden's production was last year and he only really broke out when Roma Dunze wasn't on the field.
31:31And now the guy who was the wide receiver three through four weeks before sustaining a stress fracture in his foot is back.
31:37I'm going to take the cheaper piece of this Ben Johnson offense for two guys that I'm ranking relatively close together.
31:43Mitch, I think the thing I'm learning most from this whole exercise is we're spending too much time together because we are.
31:49We are. We didn't plan this. Clearly, we have very similar drafts though.
31:53But I think in our league, we're in together a redraft league.
31:56We cannot pick back to back. We'll have to no collude in some way to ensure that that does not happen because we'll be sniping each other's guys.
32:04And I think we're going to see that even more here with my dream draft from the 11 pick.
32:09But first, I am going to zag a little bit where you zigged because I want Ashton Gentry here at 11.
32:15Okay. I want the mystery box. I want the boat.
32:18I want the guy who I think is going to break out here in year two.
32:22I just think it's one of the most obvious breakouts in the history of breakouts.
32:26He's an incredible player. He now gets a huge upgrade at play caller, a huge upgrade at offensive line.
32:31So I'm super bullish on Ashton Gentry. And then let's just go back to the Saquon Barkley.
32:36Well, again, here in the early second, we like him a lot here in the early second.
32:41Yeah, I think this is one of our guys for sure.
32:44He's really becoming one of my guys. You pair him with Gentry.
32:47That is so lethal on so many levels. You are going to win the running back battle so consistently week in and week out.
32:54So in round three here, we really need to address other positions.
32:57But what if we didn't niche? What if we said screw your conventional wisdom, conventional draft strategy?
33:02Throw everything out the window. Let's go robust running back here.
33:05We did too much robust receiver. Let's take Javante Williams here in the third, who now is your third running back who
33:11legitimately could have a top 12 finish. And even if Javante doesn't, the thing I like more is his floor.
33:16He's going to run the ball a ton in the Cowboys offense.
33:20That's a good offense, an explosive offense. To have that as your trio of running backs is crazy to say the least.
33:26But now we actually need to load up on receivers.
33:28In the fourth, let's take a guy that I think is getting a little disrespected.
33:33Tedaroa McMillan. I feel fine with him as my wide receiver one.
33:36If I have to wait to the fourth round to secure three incredible running backs.
33:40I think Tedaroa McMillan would be going earlier if the second year receivers last year actually hit on their ADP.
33:45I think people got cold feet because of it.
33:48But I think he is the next real life elite receiver in the NFL.
33:52And obviously that is going to translate to fantasy as well.
33:55And then I'm going to play copycat twice in a row here, Mitch.
33:58Let's take Carnell Tate in the fifth. You talked about it, how he probably is being a little bit underpriced right now.
34:05And he has incredible upside like Tedaroa McMillan. And when you don't take a receiver until the fourth or fifth round, I
34:11like grabbing some guys that still could give you a wide receiver one territory wide receiver two territory finish.
34:16That is something Carnell Tate can absolutely do as a rookie.
34:19And people are just scared because he's unproven and he doesn't have a track record yet in the NFL.
34:24And then I'll steal another page for Roma Dunze here.
34:27You mentioned that he's going over a full round later than Luther Burden.
34:30And he is just as good of a chance in my mind of being the number one receiver in this Caleb Williams Ben Johnson offense.
34:37You mentioned how good he was at the start of last season.
34:41And that's what excites me about this draft is you can go running back, running back, running back at the top and
34:47still end up with a really exciting, awesome trio of receivers in T-Mac, Tate and a Dunze.
34:51Yeah, I think we have a very similar philosophy on a Dunze, which is just the fact that like we rank them
34:57so close together, but their ADP is so far apart.
35:00It just feels like a no brainer. I love this start.
35:03Something that you didn't mention here is when you load up on running back, like it's such a scarce position.
35:09And when the chip starts settling by week five or six and we know who the true running backs are, like you're
35:15going to be getting a whole lot of trade offers.
35:18If Jente Barkley and Williams are all in that RB one range, or even if Williams is what, like the RB 14.
35:24You're still going to be getting a hell of a lot of trade offers.
35:27And I think this team sets up so well, high upside guys, Ted, a Roman, Macmillan, Carnell Tate, Roma Dunze.
35:33Uh, we've talked about this being the deepest quarterback year in recent memory.
35:37And so why not wait on quarterback? And if you miss those elite tight ends, why not wait at tight end too?
35:43I love this start at the one 11 and honestly, these late picks are picks.
35:47I really, really like, so let's wrap it up with the one 12 here.
35:51This is going to be all but one guy that we've already talked about.
35:54We're going to start here with Ashton Jente and James Cook at the turn.
35:58It doesn't matter who you take first, obviously, but if you want to establish a culture in your locker room, I'd pick
36:04Cook first just to give Jente a chip on his shoulder.
36:07Um, we've already discussed both these guys, but I think it's a combination of a guy who's proved it and a guy who's got untapped potential.
36:15And so I love that combo. If either guy is gone supplement with Saquon, you could end up with kind of your
36:21build at the one 11, but rounds three and four is where we're going to take some big shots that could pay off huge.
36:27First one is a Mecca Buka. If you want to hear my breakdown, you can hit that timestamp to go back to the one 10.
36:34Then the other guy is Ted Aroma McMillan. If you want to hear that breakdown, you can listen to Melo talk about
36:40him at the one 11, but another Ted Aroma McMillan stat of the 13 rookie wide receivers with at least 35 targets last year.
36:47He led in receptions, yards, touchdowns, and PFFs receiving grade while finishing second in yards per out run.
36:52We already saw the mini breakout last year. So let's just see the real one here in year two.
36:57And then we're going to wrap things up at the five, six turn with a quarterback.
37:01We have not yet talked about in Jaden Daniels.
37:04I am burning the tape on an injury riddled year.
37:07I'm reminding myself that this is the guy that led the NFL in rush EPA among quarterbacks, which led him to finishing
37:13second in rushing yards behind Lamar Jackson with 891 as a rookie and then added in the air, 3,500 passing yards and 25 touchdowns.
37:19I think he is such, such, such a great bounce back candidate here.
37:23And then let's keep this young and fun team hot with you guessed it, Carnell Tate at the end.
37:28I think Melo, this solidifies that Carnell Tate is truly one of our favorite values in all fantasy football this season.
37:34Yes. And I've given this PSA before, but I'll give it again.
37:37If you draft him, do not trade him. Even if there is a slow start, obviously don't cut him.
37:42That would be grounds for removal from fantasy football forever.
37:45But rookie receivers have slow starts, hang on to him.
37:48And you're right. He is a value. I think people are scared because of the unproven track record, but he's an incredible
37:54talent, high draft capital going to be the number one receiver on his team.
37:58Yeah, I love it. And that is the perfect start for the first six rounds from every single spot in your fantasy football draft.
38:04If you have guys that you are loving at a certain spot, let us know down below what one of your favorite mocks have looked like.
38:12Also, let us know if there are any players you want to hear us break down more in the next few episodes.
38:18But Mello, we have an unbelievable stretch of guests coming up.
38:21I am so excited for these next few episodes.
38:23As we mentioned at the beginning of the episode, if you have never checked out Smash Accept's website, please make sure to check it out down below.
38:31Get our exclusive rankings, tools, analysis, stuff you can't find anywhere else.
38:34But Mello, before we get out of here, do we miss anything?
38:37Nothing for me. All right. We will catch you guys next episode.
38:41I Trevi a new episode. I Trevi a new episode.
38:43I'll see you guys next episode.igh
