Post-Hype Sleepers For 2026
STACKED extracted the fantasy-relevant player signal from this podcast and kept the full transcript here for context.
1 hr 1 min
Duration
Estimated from transcript
Aug 13, 2026
Published
Thu, August 13, 2026
27
Player insights
23
Players mentioned
Topics
Josh JacobsKeaton MitchellMarShawn LloydMatthew GoldenAaron JonesCaleb DouglasCam WardChris BellDaniel JonesDe'Von AchaneGeno SmithIsaiah LikelyJalen CokerJayden Higgins
Player analysis
Player insights
Aaron Jones
NegativeBust25:14
At 32 years old, Aaron Jones faces durability concerns, having missed at least five games last season. There is ambiguity regarding his role versus Jordan Mason, and his age makes him a risky asset compared to the younger, more efficient Mason in the current Vikings offense.
Insight pageCaleb Douglas
PositiveBreakout8:37
Douglas has received rave reviews in Dolphins camp and joint practices, leading Harris to move him into his top 80 wide receivers and top 150 overall players.
Insight pageCam Ward
NegativeProjection6:03
Ward struggled during joint practices with the 49ers, appearing to be 'a little bit of a mess' entering his second season.
Insight pageChris Bell
NegativeInjury9:17
Bell is not participating in camp due to ongoing knee rehab, leading Harris to remove him from his redraft rankings.
Insight pageDaniel Jones
PositiveProjection4:38
Harris has moved Jones up to QB19 in his rankings, expressing confidence that he will be ready for Week 1, despite the quarterback not being as high as he would have been without his 2025 Achilles injury.
Insight pageDe'Von Achane
PositiveUsage8:13
Despite being bottled up for most drills, Achane looked 'awesome' while breaking loose for a touchdown reception during joint practices.
Insight pageGeno Smith
NegativeProjection6:16
Smith struggled during joint practices against the Buccaneers, continuing a trend of poor performance that Harris noted from his time with the Raiders last year.
Insight pageIsaiah Likely
PositiveSleeper51:29
Jamie Eisenberg and Paywall Andy view Isaiah Likely as a top-tier late-round value with top-five tight end upside. They note his efficiency when targeted and his rapport with quarterback Jackson Dart, suggesting he is a must-draft player outside the top 12 at his position.
Insight pageJalen Coker
PositiveSleeper34:17
Jalen Coker is a strong late-round target who showed significant production at the end of last season, matching target shares with Ted McMillan while being more efficient. He is expected to challenge for the WR2 role and potentially the team target lead. While he lacks elite speed, his sure hands and route-running make him a viable starter in three-receiver leagues with top-30 upside.
Insight pageJayden Higgins
PositiveBreakout46:43
Jamie Eisenberg ranks Higgins in the 46 range and considers him a top breakout candidate. He praises Higgins' contested catch ability, sideline work, and speed, though he acknowledges that Higgins needs favorable circumstances—such as a Nico Collins injury or limited target competition from Tank Dell—to reach his full potential.
Insight pageJordan Addison
PositiveSleeper30:11
Jordan Addison is a post-hype candidate who remains an extremely talented receiver. Despite concerns about Kyler Murray's ability to support multiple pass-catchers, Addison's talent and contract-year status make him a valuable late-round stash. He is a 'trailing indicator' but possesses the ball skills and speed to outperform his current 9th-10th round ADP.
Insight pageJordan Mason
PositiveValue25:03
Jordan Mason is a top post-hype sleeper target, particularly for 'Hero RB' builds. He fits the Vikings' new zone-heavy run scheme well and has shown efficiency with a career 5.0 YPC. While limited as a receiver, he is a strong candidate to lead the team in carries and provides significant upside if Aaron Jones misses time, as evidenced by his 13+ PPR points per game during Jones' absences last year.
Insight pageJosh Jacobs
NegativeInjury38:28
Josh Jacobs is dealing with a groin injury and potential off-field legal issues that could lead to a suspension. These factors make him a risky asset, and the team may look to reduce his workload to keep him fresh, creating a clear path for Marshawn Lloyd to earn touches.
Insight pageNegativeUsage43:04
Paywall Andy notes that potential suspension news for Jacobs could shift his ADP into the late thirties. He speculates a suspension of two to four games is possible, which would elevate the value of backups like Marshawn Lloyd.
Insight pageKeaton Mitchell
PositiveSleeper21:14
Keaton Mitchell is a high-upside lottery ticket in the Chargers offense. While he likely won't take over a full-time job, he offers explosive potential. If he can secure 3-5 carries and 2-3 catches per game, he could provide significant value. If Hampton misses time, the backfield would likely be a split with Kamani Vidal, but Mitchell is a worthwhile late-round stash given his speed and the team's offensive potential.
Insight pagePositiveSleeper21:20
Eisenberg lists Mitchell as a post-hype sleeper, noting his late-season flashes in 2025 and his potential as a lottery-ticket running back.
Insight pageMark Andrews
NegativeRole54:31
Jamie Eisenberg expresses confusion over the Ravens' decision to retain Mark Andrews over Isaiah Likely, noting that Andrews is in his early 30s and does not appear to be the same player he once was.
Insight pageMarShawn Lloyd
PositiveSleeper37:55
Marshawn Lloyd is a high-priority late-round stash due to Josh Jacobs' injury history and potential legal issues. While his talent is still being evaluated, he has received positive reports from training camp. If Jacobs misses time, Lloyd is positioned to take on significant work, making him a league-winning type of bench asset in 12+ team formats.
Insight pagePositiveSleeper43:48
Paywall Andy views Lloyd as a potential league winner in the 10th-12th round range. He compares Lloyd's potential role to Emmanuel Wilson's usage in the Packers' offense last year, suggesting he could emerge as a workhorse back if Josh Jacobs misses time.
Insight pageMatthew Golden
PositiveSleeper18:13
Eisenberg identifies Golden as a post-hype sleeper, noting that with 135 vacated targets in Green Bay, Golden has the upside to be a big-play threat and potentially mirror Jaden Reed's usage.
Insight pagePositiveSleeper44:08
Paywall Andy targets Matthew Golden in the double-digit rounds as a player who could provide significant value if he hits, though he notes some skepticism regarding his tape compared to Jaden Higgins.
Insight pageNico Collins
NegativeInjury49:07
Jamie Eisenberg notes that Nico Collins has a history of struggling to stay healthy, which creates a potential opportunity for Jaden Higgins to see increased production in the Texans' offense.
Insight pageRay Davis
PositiveSleeper44:01
Paywall Andy identifies Ray Davis as a target in the 10th-12th round range, categorizing him as a player with significant upside if he hits.
Insight pageRhamondre Stevenson
PositiveDepth Chart4:02
Patriots beat reporters are adamant that Stevenson is the clear lead back, establishing him as 'first among equals' in the Patriots' backfield.
Insight pageTank Dell
NegativeUsage49:14
Paywall Andy and Jamie Eisenberg discuss the 'Tank Dell factor,' noting that Dell is highly favored by CJ Stroud and likely to command targets, which could limit the ceiling for other Texans receivers like Jaden Higgins.
Insight pageTerry McLaurin
PositiveUsage8:26
McLaurin appeared 'locked in' during joint practices with the Dolphins, a positive development for his outlook.
Insight pageTyler Warren
PositiveBreakout5:10
Patriots beat reporters have consistently highlighted Warren as an 'unstoppable force' during training camp practices.
Insight pageFull transcript
Episode Transcript
0:00It's the Harris Fantasy Football Podcast with your host, Christopher Harris.
0:04Welcome! Hey everybody, welcome in. My name is Chris and this show is a little bit sweet, a little bit sour.
0:10Thank you so much for listening today. We are squarely in the middle of August and we're starting to get ready for drafts.
0:18I know I will begin having drafts that matter insofar as any of the stuff matters, which, you know, meaning is where you make it.
0:26But anyway, I have drafts that matter starting next week.
0:29It's getting exciting. We've been working our way through many lists of names and having fun conversations about players.
0:35On Wednesday's Yacht Club show with Paywall Andy, we had a fun conversation about players Andy loves.
0:41Today, Post-Hype Sleepers. And then finally, as of next week, I will be diving into ADP as it at that point currently stands.
0:48Because there will start being better data because drafts will start happening.
0:52Next week we'll have flag players as well. So you are here at a very, very good time.
0:58I'm so happy to have you. And I should mention another reason to be glad you're here.
1:03We have a big Pound Foolish bribery giveaway coming up on Friday's podcast.
1:07We have one today as well. I'm giving away another Zoom with me.
1:12Stay tuned for that. But if you keep meaning to pre-order a copy of my new novel, Pound Foolish, but you just keep forgetting.
1:19Or maybe you just keep forgetting to send me a screen capture.
1:23Buddy, do it now. Because on Friday, we're giving away a mock draft with me and Cousin Josh on the Harris Football YouTube channel.
1:31This is Cousin Josh's donation to the Pound Foolish cause.
1:34He's going to mock with us, which I do not believe he's ever done.
1:39And one lucky possum will get to join and be on that show.
1:43So pre-order, Pound Foolish. There's a link in the show notes.
1:46Take a screen capture. Send it to heyharris at harrisfootball.com.
1:50And you will be entered. I got to admit, entries are slow.
1:53I'm not mad about it. I'm asking you to buy two things at once because there's also an almanac for sale.
2:00And then there's also a Yacht Club subscription. And then there are sponsors.
2:04And I know that's a lot. And I'm sorry about that.
2:08And not everybody can afford all these indulgences in the world as it currently exists.
2:13That's why I will mention once again, if your budget is too tight for a book right now to get Pound Foolish, let me know.
2:21Heyharris at harrisfootball.com. We have several generous listeners who are sponsoring folks who can't afford the book.
2:26And you will be entered in the bribery if you do this.
2:30So don't be embarrassed. It is possums helping possums.
2:33Get in on the fun. Maybe win some prizes.
2:36Okay. Something I talked with Andy about on Wednesday was joint practices in the NFL.
2:41We had a conversation about the fact that these joint practices that come before exhibition games are maybe among the best intel
2:48we can get that's not injury-related out of training camp.
2:51But I also did say I wanted to wait until Thursday when the full audience was back in the saddle before I
2:58talked about specific observations about the actual joint practices that have happened so far.
3:03So now here we all are. And of course, these observations are not my observations.
3:08This is me combing through beat reports and seeing if any themes stood out.
3:12These joint practices are controlled. They're still scrimmage-like. Quarterbacks are not getting sacked.
3:16A lot of the time, the rule is that there's no tackling to the ground, but they're still hitting.
3:22And also just seeing who gets to run with the starters and whether a defense can't contain a player and whether an
3:29opposition's beat reporters really notice a player popping. I find all that interesting.
3:34And I made a couple adjustments to the ranks based on some of the things that happened on Tuesday and Wednesday.
3:40So most of them were on Tuesday. The Colts Patriots.
3:44I mentioned this yesterday. I think this is the biggest change.
3:47And it's really, it's been the effect of observations throughout August.
3:51I've decided to be worried about Travion Henderson. It just seems pretty clear that he's not trusted in pass protection still.
3:57I'm just not sure how many third downs he'll play to start the season.
4:02The Patriots beat reporters are basically adamant that Ramondre Stevenson is first among equals here.
4:07And, you know, we had a big conversation with cousin Josh about Henderson last Friday.
4:12You can go back and listen to that acid reflux show.
4:15Not going to relitigate that whole conversation here, but in, you know, talking to Josh, I was trying to stick up for Henderson in that.
4:23Sure, a big play threat is annoying for his inconsistency.
4:26But in today's fantasy world where just all the workloads across all the positions are pretty split up, at least getting, you
4:34know, winning weeks out of a guy like Henderson when he pops is good.
4:38That is still true. Because I'm sold that Daniel Jones is going to be ready.
4:43He's also been put, been put passive voice. I put him higher in the ranks.
4:48I was threatening to do this with Daniel Jones last week.
4:51He's not as high in the quarterback ranks as he might have been had he continued the unexpected production in 2025 with no torn Achilles.
4:59But as opposed to where I had him, which was, you know, after Malik Willis, not knowing whether he could be ready week one.
5:07Now I have Jones up to QB 19. And I guess I'll also mention the Patriots reporters couldn't stop talking about Tyler
5:14Warren as being a pretty unstoppable force. With 49ers Titans, I didn't change any ranks as a result of the reporting.
5:21Those two, the Jones and Henderson are going to be the two main ones that I talk about here as far as changes go.
5:29But still hearing about how, you know, how'd this go?
5:32Can be another brick in the wall. It focuses our attention to keep hearing other things about some of these players.
5:39The takeaway for me, for the Niners, continued to be Dijon Stribling.
5:42There's no CMC in that practice. There was no Mike Evans in that practice.
5:47But Stribling reportedly just kept looking like a pro.
5:50And if you're watching the mock drafts that we are doing on the YouTube channel, there's another one coming out today, Thursday.
5:57I've been taking Stribling late in those drafts. So as a total dart throw, I don't mind it.
6:03On the Titans side, it sounded like Cam Ward was a little bit of a mess, which is not what you want to hear entering year two.
6:11But it's not like we're paying a premium for any Titans at this point.
6:16So for the moment, I'm not lowering guys based on that.
6:20Speaking of messes, Geno Smith sounded like a mess in the Jets Buccaneers practice.
6:24This doesn't surprise me based on what Smith played like with the Raiders last year.
6:29But, you know, it's not great. On Tampa's side, for as much chatter as it feels like we've done about the other
6:36wide receivers who are or aren't shining for Tampa Bay, Chris Godwin, Emeka Abuka produced some wow factor for the Jets beat guys watching them.
6:44Now, this was the day before we heard that Abuka had hurt a toe in Wednesday's practice.
6:49But so far, they're calling that toe injury minor.
6:52Abuka, in drafts, is going to come at a premium that...
6:56We'll see. We'll see what ADP on him looks like.
6:59But the way folks are talking about him, I'm not sure I'll be investing too much in him.
7:05Godwin, to me, might be a sneaky way into that offense if it's going to rebound to those two years ago levels of production.
7:13Cowboys-Rams, I couldn't take too much away from skill position-wise.
7:16Those joint practices, those beat reports, you know, Dallas and the Rams, they have a lot of names who are going to go plenty high in fantasy drafts.
7:25They don't imagine we're letting any practice stuff take us off of those ranks.
7:29Then on Wednesday, there was Dolphins commanders. And the Washington beat reporters were pretty merciless when it came to their observations of the Dolphins.
7:37They said that Miami's offensive line got overrun all day in the drills, in the, you know, the situations, the simulated situations.
7:44They said Jaden Daniels dog-walked the Miami defense all over the place.
7:48So, you know, for those who are going to say they know situations beforehand and signal doom and gloom for Dolphins as
7:55a truly terrible environment, it sounds like it was a good day to have that opinion.
8:00And maybe that needs to be one team where we go, huh.
8:04I mean, I'd like to see it again. I'd like to know if there's any improvement throughout the month.
8:10But, yeah. I guess for all he was bottled up for most of the drills and stuff, Devon HN did apparently get
8:17loose on a third down reception and looked awesome taking one for a touchdown.
8:22For Washington, good to know this guy already looks up to speed.
8:26Stephon Diggs and Terry McLaurin apparently looked pretty locked in, which is good to hear from both of them.
8:32And for the Dolphins, so, he's a rookie. His first action against a different team.
8:37But the beat reporters seem unanimous that if any receiver is sticking out, it might be Caleb Douglas for the Dolphins.
8:44Six foot four and fast. Got very mixed reviews coming to the NFL draft.
8:48Someone whose speed wasn't all that effective. He didn't play as fast as he ran at the combine.
8:54His hands were bad in college and had drops and stuff.
8:57All that very well might wind up being true.
9:00But he has gotten raves in Dolphins camp. And then he got raves from this thing here, too.
9:06In the first Almanac edition, I had him wide receiver in 91.
9:10And now he's in the top 80. He's above the top 80.
9:14I wrote a Chris Bell profile for the Almanac.
9:17But Chris Bell, a different rookie, coming everybody new off of knee reconstruction.
9:21He's not been doing anything in camp because of his knee rehab continuing.
9:25And they're playing safe with him. So, it just feels like, yeah, we're not drafting Chris Bell at all.
9:31So, he's out of the ranks for redraft. And Douglas is in.
9:35I've got Douglas right around the top 150 overall players.
9:38So, very borderline about whether you're taking him in a standard-sized league.
9:42You know, if you're taking kickers and defenses, it's close.
9:45I can see it being something that we chance.
9:48It might not quite get into the later rounds, Caleb Douglas, just yet.
9:52For the moment, though, he's the Dolphins receiver I have highest.
9:56That is a ranks change. And it gives us license to wonder whether that quote-unquote drumbeat continues on him.
10:02And maybe we can even get him a little higher into the very late rounds for our drafts here coming up in the next few weeks.
10:11The joint practices will continue today. That's Jags Saints.
10:13And then next Tuesday, another round begins. Again, the goal isn't to get carried away.
10:18But there are, to me, little insights that can inform what we listen for going forward.
10:23And certainly compared to exhibition games, which I think are absolutely useless.
10:27And in some cases lead people down very silly paths because they just want to get excited about something they watched.
10:34I think the NFL teams take these joint practices quite a bit more seriously.
10:39So, we will too. Today's kickoff. Okay, on today's show, it's time for some post-hype.
10:43That's post-hype sleepers, of course. These are players. We certainly can't guarantee that we'll hit on these players.
10:49That's why they're sleepers. But they are names who've had some hype in previous years.
10:54Maybe that hype didn't exactly work out. And now there's a chance for a score.
10:59After all, to help me with this list, as he does each year, Jamie Eisenberg from CBS Fantasy will join and will
11:06each give you five post-hype sleepers for 2026. I think it'll be really fun.
11:10I thank you again so much for listening today.
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12:13Today's guest. What would you do if I named Michael Thomas my number one post-hype sleeper on the pod?
12:19Would you drive up the coast and want to punch me?
12:23Oh no, instead you'd support my bogus pick. Yeah.
12:26Oh, I have a little help from my friend.
12:29His name is Jamie Eisenberg. Have a little help from my friend.
12:33He talked for like eight minutes about how I was right.
12:36I have a little help from my friend. I'm not picking Michael Thomas.
12:40You can't make me pick Michael Thomas, but he will help me out with a little help from my friend.
12:47It is Jamie Eisenberg of CBS Fantasy. You can hear him and see him every weekday on Fantasy Football Today, on which
12:54I appeared yesterday to rush in the, what were we calling them?
12:58Breakout receivers of 2026. And one of them is going to show up on my list, by golly.
13:04So there's going to be some really great overlap.
13:06How are you today, Jamie? I'm doing great. You know, I think it was cool to have you on.
13:13It's cool to have, you know, conversations with you in back-to-back days because that's always good to talk to you and get
13:20your insights on the sport and the game that we play.
13:23And I loved your facial expressions when I gave my breakouts, the obvious ones that they were.
13:29You know, so that was fun. Devontae Smith. It was really, that's always going to be known as the segment in which
13:36Adam decided that he had to grow a beard, right?
13:39We hope. We hope. So I'm sure there's some crossover between our audiences because you have a smart audience.
13:45I think we have a smart audience. And, you know, they like to get a lot of different perspectives from great analysts.
13:52The phrase that we always use is azerstats when Adam likes to, you know, so he'll take out, like, if a player
13:59didn't play a full game, you know, he won't use that.
14:03So, like, the best example is always, like, he takes out Josh Allen's week 18 one snap, you know, and it's when he goes his per-game number.
14:11So he azerstats it. And he tried to azerstat a bet about when he would have to grow a beard or what
14:19the situation would be with Zay Flowers versus Devontae Smith.
14:22So it should be fun to see that play out.
14:25Yeah. He, like, he comes out real strong saying, whatever the bet, this is to Heath Cummings, whatever the bet, whatever the
14:32bet, I'm taking the Zay Flowers side. You can have Devontae.
14:36Oh, no, it was the other way around. I'll take Devontae Smith.
14:40You get Zay Flowers. And Heath's like, all right, I'll make a big donation if it's Devontae Smith and if it's Zay
14:47Flowers, you have to grow a beard. And so suddenly Adam...
14:50But it's not just to grow a beard. It's to grow a beard when the Giants get eliminated through the draft.
14:57So if the Giants are out of playoff contention, let's say week 12, that's a pretty long time.
15:03And suddenly there did get a lot of Acer stats attached to this bet.
15:07Do we think that it actually happened? Is it something I can track on the show?
15:12I'm going to guess that... Well, first off, Adam was trying to add a lot of stipulations.
15:18So quarterback injuries, player injuries, you know, so like if Andrew Thomas gets hurt, you know, I'm thinking of some Giants.
15:25So like if Lane Johnson gets hurt, for example, you know, does that count for Adam's side of the bet?
15:31My guess is they'll probably settle on end of season through the drafts or maybe end of season through Super Bowl.
15:38Because Adam... I think I made the joke on the air.
15:41Like Adam will shave at 7 a.m. and by noon I'll have to shave again.
15:46You know, so he may look like ZZ Top by the time we get to the draft.
15:52That's where all my beard growing went to. It was osmos to Adam.
15:56My beard is very bad. I'm not a good facial hair guy.
16:00Well, you've been doing this post-type sleeper thing. This is the sixth straight year you've joined the show to come up with some post-type sleepers.
16:08And I, as promised, do not have Michael Thomas on my list.
16:12As you were perusing like last year's list, it felt like...
16:15I mean, Trevor Lawrence was a great call. Kyle Pitts like looks like a great call, but we all know that was kind of phony.
16:23But I felt like you did pretty good last year.
16:26Yeah. You know, whiffing on Keon Coleman, which was unfortunate.
16:30It looked great in week one. So if we were just judging week one, it was fantastic.
16:35But, you know, Jordan Love, I think he's... I hope he's just not going to be one of these guys that never
16:42gets the volume that he needs to be a better fantasy option.
16:46Because he throws a good football and he, you know, plays in a good offense.
16:51But they just don't let him do the things that we need him to do to be better as a fantasy quarterback.
16:58But you had some great guys also. I mean, Justin Herbert at points looked great when there was some healthy offensive linemen.
17:05And Michael Pittman got off to a great start when Daniel Jones was healthy.
17:10So good job by you. Yeah, it's a hard list because we're trying to pick guys...
17:15I mean, it's a... I felt it this time.
17:18And I'm trying to cheat less and less as the years go along.
17:22As you revel in how much of a fraud I am from year to year.
17:27You know, it's like... Yeah. On the one hand, you're looking for people who you think the market is low on or, you know, that not...
17:35You know, it's kind of over its hype. But there also has to have been hype previously.
17:41And so, like, the guy that I talked about, you know who I'm talking about.
17:45I'm going to save him for the end. On Fantasy Football Today, today, like, has he been hyped?
17:51I mean, he's kind of a hyped rookie. He's a second-year guy.
17:55Like, I think I'm straining the... It's a hard category.
17:58What I'm saying is it's a hard category. But let's...
18:02Enough meta conversation. Let's just dig right in. It's a pointless countdown.
18:05The order does not matter. But the order matters so much.
18:09Who's your number five post-hype sleeper for 2026? I'll start with Matthew Golden.
18:13Okay. You know, a guy that clearly had a lot of hype last year.
18:18And did next nothing. Didn't score his first touchdown until the playoff game.
18:22In week 19, technically. So, did not score a touchdown in the regular season.
18:26But we see what's happening to this Packers offense this year.
18:30Is there's going to be concentrated targets. Which is something I think we've been waiting for.
18:35For the last couple of seasons. Certainly since Devontae Adams left.
18:39So, you have three guys. I think Jayden Reed also kind of qualifies for this category as well.
18:44The thing with Golden is... I'm hoping that he's not just going to be the sacrificial X.
18:50And just, you know, runs a bunch of deep routes and go routes.
18:54And, you know, we get a few splash plays here or there.
18:58But there's 135 targets available. Vacated by the two receivers who left.
19:02And Romeo Dobbs and Dontavian Wicks. We're hoping. We're counting on.
19:05We're expecting Tucker Craft to be back. But what if he's not at 100%?
19:10What if he's a little bit limited early in the season?
19:13So, then it's not three guys on the tight end.
19:17It's just the three guys. Meaning Christian Watson, Reed, and Golden.
19:20And so, I think just given where his average draft position lies.
19:24And what the upside could be. He's an easy kind of swing for the fence type of guy.
19:30Similar to the guy that you're going to mention.
19:33That you talk about later. They're getting drafted in a similar range after pick 100.
19:38But I think Matthew Golden could certainly have a season.
19:41What we thought he was going to have last year in his rookie campaign.
19:45It's a good candidate for this list. I'm glad you agree that it's a good candidate for this list.
19:51Because to the extent to. I mean, Golden at least was a first round NFL draft choice.
19:57Mine was not. But, you know, they're probably not quite as buzzed about in their second years as their first.
20:03In Golden's case, I think that's very clearly yes.
20:06There's less cheating in his case. Plus, he just does have in his range of outcomes that some light switch goes on.
20:13And suddenly, he's both a big play player and can get on the Jaden Reed program too.
20:19Just a bunch of handoffs, bunch of screens, bunch of like...
20:22In my mind, Matt LaFleur would love for multiple guys to be able to do that in his offense.
20:28He loves horizontal. Heaven knows he loves. Probably to his detriment, he loves horizontal.
20:33So, you know, we get that combination of downfield.
20:36And then also maybe just kind of the easy button stuff.
20:39The one yard passes and you go run. You at least see ceiling there.
20:44Yeah. I mean, you know, that's what we're shooting for when we get to the, you know, double digit rounds.
20:50Close to double digit rounds. You know, you're... I always like to fill out my bench, you know, with one or two floor guys.
20:58But for the most part, ceiling guys. You know, guys that if they hit, they hit big.
21:04And, you know, it makes your lineup decisions tougher.
21:06It gives you trade options. But obviously, if you need to start those guys, you're not going to be scared about it.
21:14So, I think Golden's one of those high upside lottery ticket type wide receivers.
21:18So, my number five, I have a lottery ticket running back who probably never takes over a full job.
21:24But... And has gotten plenty of talk this summer.
21:27I don't need a lot of preface. I put Keaton Mitchell on here.
21:31It has felt like he's been hyped pre-knee injury a few times.
21:35Really, pre-Derek Henry even. Pre-Derek Henry in Baltimore. You know, he hung around Baltimore for a while.
21:41And toward the end of last year, showed a little something.
21:44I consider him to be in the neighborhood of post-hype.
21:47He's now getting new hype. You're still not... You're spending another double-digit round guy.
21:52Most of the players I'm going to nominate are...
21:55You know, that's what a sleeper to us really means.
21:58It's not someone you draft to be a starter.
22:01Like, we've had a lot of American Hampton talk.
22:04Both on Tuesday on the main show and also yesterday on the Yacht Club.
22:08I mean, Brandon Funston was on Tuesday. Andy Barron's on yesterday.
22:12What is it with these ex-Yahoo guys not liking Amari and Hampton?
22:16I'm also an ex-Yahoo guy. And I don't really like Amari.
22:19I mean, I don't like Amari where he goes anyway.
22:22I don't think the film justified it. I don't...
22:25I'm not going to make an argument for Keaton Mitchell based on what the coach says, the offensive coordinator says, based on
22:32the fact that whatever they're going to... Like, most teams use a blend of running backs.
22:38Amari and Hampton probably gets the most touches with everybody's healthy.
22:41But I think maybe Hampton's speed has been overvalued.
22:44People like the underwear Olympics number and watching them on film, I don't find them as fast.
22:50Keaton Mitchell's fast. So, I'll just take a little chance that if that offense is really a wagon, that maybe Mitchell gets
22:57me in the Austin Eckler business and I would like to be in that business.
23:01It's a great call, you know, and just looking at what he could be given the cost of what he is right now.
23:09So, you hope we don't get a lot of, hey, look what Keaton Mitchell does because people like us, you know, certainly
23:16the ones that are just all over Twitter X, whatever you want to call it, that just continue to post and post
23:23and post and, you know, show things like, you know, a catch from Trey Lance, which matters but doesn't really matter.
23:30But I think the thing when you look at offenses and wanting pieces of offenses, I want pieces of the Chargers offense
23:37because I think with McDaniel there and more importantly with a healthy offensive line because if you go back last year, didn't
23:44have Rashawn Slater the entire season, Joe Alt for six games.
23:48In the six games that Joe Alt played, they scored a touchdown more per game, 25.3 points, 18.3 points in the games that Alt wasn't there.
23:56That matters tremendously. And so now you have McDaniel and his creativity and the fact that he wanted Keaton Mitchell, you know,
24:03so I don't think we get a Raheem Mostert, Devon Achan split when Achan was a rookie.
24:08But I think if you can get Keaton Mitchell three to five carries and maybe two to three catches per game, you're going to get some explosives.
24:17And then we see what happens because we saw it last year if Hampton misses any time, I don't think it's just all Kamani Vidal.
24:25I think it's a split between the two with a little bit more going to Mitchell.
24:30So again, lottery ticket type guy. I think the only thing that, you know, the Keaton Mitchell investor should keep in mind
24:37is that if Hampton does miss time, it's not Mitchell stepping into that role.
24:42I think it's still a split with Vidal probably still getting the majority of the carries.
24:47Fair. And also, as you say, he has been getting some helium.
24:51And if he gets to the point where it's now you're now it's an eighth round pick, you know, I'm not I'm probably not doing that.
24:59I need I need it to be a little bit later.
25:03Who's number four on your list? So I'm going to go with somebody that could get close to the range you just said.
25:10I don't think he's quite there yet. But I like the opportunity.
25:14And that's Jordan Mason. And looking at the Minnesota backfield, I don't know how many people still see Aaron Jones ahead of
25:21Jordan Mason or Jordan Mason ahead of Aaron Jones because there is some ambiguity to it about who's going to be the guy.
25:29But if you follow what's happening in Minnesota and you see some of the changes that they're making in the run game,
25:36going to more zone approach, which I think favors Mason because that's what he was successful in in San Francisco.
25:42I think he has the chance to be at least the running downs guy early.
25:47We'll see what happens as the season goes on.
25:50But he's 27. Aaron Jones is 32. Mason averages five yards per carry for his career.
25:55He's not going to help you in the passing game.
25:58Only 28 career catches. But I think as we see with this offense now, we know the quarterback is.
26:04Hopefully it's just a better offensive environment. Score more touchdowns.
26:08If he's going to be the guy that leads them in carries, he's somebody that I keep gravitating toward more and more.
26:15So I hope he doesn't get pushed up that high.
26:18I don't think he's there yet. I think he's still around pick 100, at least based on the CBS ADP, CBS Sports ADP.
26:25But Jordan Mason is somebody that when I go hero RB, when I go two running backs early and then looking for
26:32a third guy late, he's almost done all of the drafts that I've done so far.
26:38And he's somebody that I will continue to draft.
26:41Again, better probably in non and half PPR than full PPR because of the receptions.
26:45But if Jones misses times, he missed at least five games last year.
26:50I think maybe six. Mason averaged over 13 PPR points per game in the games that Jones was out.
26:56So there's just an easy opportunity here for Jordan Mason to be.
27:00I don't think this year's Devontae Williams, but he's in that kind of mold of somebody that you're going to almost forget about on draft day.
27:08And I think it help you in a big way.
27:11My number one post-hype sleeper for 2026 is Jordan Mason.
27:14No, no. When you said it, I was like, well, I feel good.
27:19I feel like, okay, well done. Well, well executed by me.
27:22I didn't, I didn't put my butt in a sling.
27:25For many of the same reasons you said, Andy and myself had a conversation about Mason as a player that Andy loves,
27:32just likes watching, just a fun, a fun, like pretty good mover for how big he is.
27:38It's easy to watch Mason and forget he's 230 pounds until he trucks somebody.
27:42But like he is fairly nimble. Like I wouldn't say like bouncing things outside.
27:47He's not really going to get around the edge, but in that Josh Jacobs way, that's how Andy, Andy put it like pretty.
27:54Okay. Vision usually can make somebody miss if it's not a square on hit and then, you know, brings the thunder has
28:01potential to be a goal line guy has the benefit of maybe if Aaron Jones gets hurt, you know, is it DeMond
28:08and Claiborne then becomes a factor and I would like Mason in that pairing.
28:13And so, yeah, I mean, and it struck me that as you were talking about him, it kind of doubled down in my mind.
28:21Like Jordan Mason, those first few weeks of that last year in San Francisco before he got hurt, when McCaffrey got hurt, that was a lot of hype.
28:30And then even last year coming to Minnesota, oh, you know, Aaron Jones can't stay healthy, kind of a lot of hype.
28:37And now it feels like, okay, no matter what you want to say about Mason, he is post-hype.
28:43Agreed. Yeah. I think if I'm taking your number one at four, we're going to be in trouble because we're going to
28:50have to find a lot of great guys on this list.
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29:59That's FitBod.me slash Harris. Okay, we're back with Jamie and we are not duplicating any more names, I'm sure, in our post-type sleepers for 2026.
30:07Let's do my four. I have a second Viking on here.
30:11Jordan Addison. Definitely post-type. And I guess like maybe a ninth or a tenth round guy, something like that.
30:17And so maybe that qualifies as a sleeper. In no way, you know, obviously he's going there for a reason.
30:23I'm not banging the drum that Jordan Addison should be going where he went last year when we thought J.J.
30:30McCarthy might be good. And certainly not when the quarterback play was a lot better in previous years.
30:35All I'll say is that, you know, Kevin O'Connell is a good offensive coordinator and he is by hook or by crook
30:42not going to suffer the same fate as last year.
30:46And so if there's a world where you can make Kyler Murray functional and easier than it was ever for him in
30:53Arizona, I don't, I'm not predicting it, but I think it's on the, you know, there's a percent chance.
30:59There's a, there's a 41.2% chance that Kyler Murray plays his best season this year.
31:04Maybe that's too high. 31.7. There's some percent chance.
31:07And if the rising tide, you know, if the tide just doesn't need rise, it just needs to not be among the worst tides in the league.
31:15There could be room for someone else. And Addison, an extremely talented player.
31:20Jawan Jennings is there now. Hawkinson's still there. I recognize that Addison is a trailing indicator.
31:25No question. But I give that indication a chance to happen.
31:28And so I'll, I'll take Addison maybe in the 10th, maybe the ninth or the 10th and, and stash him and just
31:35see, because I think that much of him. It's a great call.
31:39It's funny. Cause so we spoke for our show.
31:42So we had a half PPR draft that we're actually, um, doing on CBS sports HQ, uh, to display it.
31:49And I took both Jordan Mason and Jordan Addison, I think back to back, like make round nine, something like that.
31:55And I was like, Oh, two Vikings. No, I wasn't thinking cause it was, um, different part of the turn.
32:02I picked three. Uh, and I was like, you know, I, I, I love this first running back on my bench, first
32:09receiver on my bench, three receiver league. So it's my fourth receiver.
32:13Um, I think if you look at, I like to reference this a lot because of how bad just JJ McCarthy was.
32:20You look at the Carson Wentz games last year, because I think we all look at what Kevin O'Connell did the season
32:27that Kirk cousins blew out his Achilles and he was just getting quality quarterback play almost from every guy that stepped in there and different degrees.
32:35You know, Josh Dobbs is not the same as cousins.
32:38Nick Mullins, obviously not the same as either one.
32:41And then he has the Sam Darnold year and it was like, okay, great.
32:46Like he can just make magic out of anybody.
32:49And so I agree with you. I think Kyler Murray has a better season.
32:53He's never played with this type of talent before, you know, the only real concern I have for Jeff, for Addison ceiling
33:00and even Jefferson ceiling, like we've never seen Kyler support two guys to a high degree.
33:06Like he had a big season with Deandre Hopkins.
33:08He had some good moments with, uh, Trey McBride.
33:11You know, he just hasn't had like that. Okay.
33:14These two guys have both done well. And that's where I think the system matters here.
33:19I do love the fact that Addison is in a contract here because he seems like the type of guy that can
33:26go out and have a bigger season, uh, maybe then the norm, you know, hopefully stays, uh, out of trouble off the
33:34field, but yeah, just where his cost is and what his upside is.
33:38It's, it's a great call. And someday I think a lot of fantasy managers should be targeting.
33:43Yeah. And, and we'll, you know, I, I hyped him last year.
33:47I was part of the hype, you know, and I, I had him, I thought he was going too low last year.
33:54Little did I know the JJ McCarthy landmine was lurking.
33:57I just don't want it to get lost. How talented the actual kid is like, he's really, really good.
34:04And that, that Darnold year was, there just, there are plays on that film that you can't fake.
34:09He he's really fast and he's got pretty good ball skills too.
34:13So I'll, I will take that chance. Who's number three on your list?
34:17Uh, another guy that continues to get hyped almost yearly.
34:21Uh, hopefully this is the year he stays healthy and puts it all together as Jalen Coker.
34:26Um, you know, the, the Darren Waller signing, uh, we'll see how that impacts this passing game.
34:32Um, but I think when you look at the situation, when you were on our show, you know, you were talking about,
34:39or maybe agreeing with, uh, Heath Cummings about the Ted Earl McMillan call.
34:43Um, part of the reason I'm a little bit concerned about McMillan is what we saw from Coker when he came back last year.
34:51So missed the beginning part of the season, had that little ramp up period that we almost always see when a guy
34:58doesn't participate in training camp and then misses the year.
35:01Uh, but the last five games, including the playoffs, same amount of targets per game as McMillan, significantly more production for Coker.
35:08So I don't know if that's a Bryce Young thing.
35:11I don't know if that was by design. I don't know if that's just Coker being a good player that gets overlooked a little bit.
35:19I don't love the Brazel injury. We talked about this a little bit on our show that I thought that was going
35:26to move some guys around and give Coker and McMillan a few more opportunities to, you know, do some different things, but it is what it is.
35:35I think Coker is going to be the number two receiver.
35:39I think he's going to challenge McMillan for the target lead.
35:42I don't think that happens because I think McMillan is a better player, but I also don't think there should be the
35:49big disparity in average draft position from where McMillan goes to where Coker goes.
35:54So he's almost one of the guys I continue to draft with a late round pick and I think can work into a starter in three receiver leagues.
36:03I don't know if he has top 20 upside, but top 30 upside, I think is on the table.
36:09How can I argue against that? That's not, I mean, the top, I even would argue top 20 upside is on the table for like 60 guys.
36:18You know, there's just, it's so close. They're all so they're all in that same neighborhood of like, well, he might do
36:251100 yards and if he gets seven touchdowns, he's wide receiver 19.
36:29And if he gets six touchdowns, he's wide receiver 27.
36:32And it was a, what a horrible call by you because of that one touchdown.
36:37Yeah. People know I love Coker. The ball skills are just absolutely great.
36:41He's so sure-handed. It was a revelation to see him at the end of last year, as you say, like, because I
36:48mean, Ted, Ted McMillan probably is a big slot.
36:51That's probably the best thing that he does. He can line up everywhere and everything.
36:56But, but like Coker, his rookie year was the slot and it was nice last year to see some formations where Coker
37:03could be wide and McMillan could, could steer some attention, could run some kind of, you know, over route across the field
37:10and, and Coker gets a zone little five yard dig and it's great.
37:14You know, like that's, that's what we need because Coker's not a burner.
37:18He's not going to make a ton of big plays down the field.
37:22But yeah, as a player, I really, really do like him a lot.
37:26And I, I just think we know what Bryce Young is to some degree, but I, I, most of these teams are
37:34going to throw a bunch and, you know, almost all of them can have a quarterback that does 3,500 yards.
37:40And if he does 3,500 yards, that's there's, there's yards out there.
37:44So pick good players. Coker's a good player. I like it.
37:47Has he been hyped? That's a good question. But then I'm not going to ask that question because my number three, whatever
37:55hype Jalen Coker has gotten, this guy's gotten less and he shouldn't be on this list either.
38:00But here we go. It's Marshawn Lloyd. Ah, he got hype as a rookie before he ever played.
38:06I guess he's never played. But I'll, I'll say like if Marshawn Lloyd is still in the realm of the undrafted, I
38:13don't, I don't know him from a hole in the ground.
38:16I don't really know if he can play. Reporters seem to think he's looked pretty good staying healthy so far in Packers camp.
38:24Meanwhile, Josh Jacobs, first of all, we can put aside the personal stuff.
38:28Has a groin injury. He's going to miss a week of camp.
38:32And then, you know, when Adam Schefter comes out and says, like, he's pretty, he's, he doesn't like to throw around suspension
38:39talk unless he really thinks it's coming. I don't think it was like idle speculation that there are going to be some rulings coming down about these players.
38:48And, you know, he specifically mentioned among the players we really care about Jacobs and Puka Nakua.
38:53Jacobs's offense is clearly, allegedly much worse. So there could be a suspension that comes as soon as before we draft or
39:01it could come at any point before the season.
39:03And if that happens, Lloyd needs to really needs to be owned.
39:07So yeah, again, I can't tell you whether he's good.
39:11This is, this is kind of a, this is purely a, uh, I'm not sure at this point with the reports we've
39:18gotten out of Lloyd from training camp that he should be going like basically undrafted.
39:22Um, I couldn't agree more. And you got me back for the Jordan Mason call.
39:27Cause I was actually being the next name I say, um, he did get hype.
39:32You know, this is one of these, you know, guys when he came out of college, um, when you looked at like,
39:39okay, this is a round two rookie only draft pick and somebody that could have a lot of buzz by the time
39:46we get to camp and then the injuries and then the injuries and then the injuries.
39:51And so, you know, um, you want to root for guys like this.
39:56You want to see, you know, a player that the team stuck with for probably obvious reasons, because I think they have
40:03confidence in them and, you know, now it may come to fruition.
40:07And, and listen, everything you said about Jacobs is, is, is clearly accurate, but I think there's also a chance that we
40:14may get as he's getting older and certainly for a team, I think that has Superbowl aspirations, you know, they may want
40:21to take a little bit of work off of Jacob's plate, especially after him getting hurt last year.
40:27And the other side of that is, you know, Emmanuel Wilson, who I don't think is as talented as Marshawn Lloyd gave
40:34you some good fantasy games, you know? So a guy that they gave a lot of work to as just the, the number two guy there.
40:42And so if Lloyd gets those opportunities, maybe he just does more with it, but I think he can get some, you
40:49know, work in tandem with Jacobs and, you know, can maybe help you during the bye weeks or if you're stuck because
40:56of injuries, especially if in a larger fantasy league, 14 teams or more.
41:00So, but in 12 team leagues, yeah, there, there's, there's just like a lot of guys.
41:06You mentioned one in Keaton Mitchell already. I think Marshawn Lloyd qualifies like Ray Davis is somebody for me that I take
41:13a lot of just because if there's an injury to James Cook, anytime you could find, you know, I don't know if
41:20there's obvious clear cut handcuffs anymore because, you know, again, like I said, if, if Hampton misses time, it's probably two guys sharing.
41:27But like, if you could see somebody that's talented in a good offense that might have, you know, not a questionable situation
41:34in front of them, obviously Jacobs qualifies because of legal stuff, but you want to take these guys with, with late run picks.
41:42Similar. Like what I said about Matthew golden, like if they get the chance for, to do what they're capable of doing,
41:49or in the case of some of these running backs, just the opportunity to play, like they're going to reward you in such a big way.
41:57So absolutely. You should be drafting Marshawn Lloyd and probably a little bit more aggressively than we were a month ago.
42:04Um, you know, like round 10, 11, 12, that starts to hit.
42:08You just look at your bench who can help you win a league.
42:12This is the type of guy that can do it.
42:15So let me ask you, I'll say like I had Marshawn Lloyd.
42:19Really low. Um, and, and kind of before the Jacobs, uh, legal stuff came up and moved him like 50 in the
42:26neighbor of like 50 among running backs, which I don't think ADP has caught up to yet, but might as we go along.
42:34So if we assume like, it's great to say, cool, he, you know, his ADP is 200.
42:39So I can wait till the 14th round to take him, but that might not be the case in drafts as people talk more and more about Jacobs.
42:48So are, where are you on, on Lloyd among running backs and what round would you be comfortable starting to think about
42:55him so that you don't, you know, you don't lose him in the 14th round to somebody else?
43:01Yes. Uh, right around 50, um, is the ballpark.
43:04I think obviously if there's, uh, any suspension news before the season starts, he's going to jump into the probably late thirties,
43:11I would guess, you know, so the, the high end flex range, if not higher, depending on the, the, the time of
43:18suspension, you know, I'm thinking it's probably two to four games at most, uh, unless there's, you know, he's not convicted of
43:25anything, Jacobs, you know, so it could just be charging.
43:28I don't know all the specifics, so I apologize.
43:31I'm saying the wrong thing, but, um, I think for me again, like once I get comfortable with what my starting lineup
43:38is, I'd like to have, so like just to reference the draft that I, that I said, like to me, once I
43:45got Mason and Addison, the rest of my bench was like, who can be league winners?
43:51And so Lloyd qualifies. So again, I think I took Mason around eight, Addison around nine, like 10, 11, 12 is like
43:58where I'm starting to look for guys like Lloyd.
44:01I'm looking for guys like Ray Davis. I'm looking for guys like Matthew golden and the guy that you're going to reference,
44:08you know, the type of players that can just, if they hit, they hit big versus, um, I'm trying to think of
44:15like a, a, a guy that's got a good floor, but may not have a big ceiling, but yeah.
44:21Tajay Spears. Yeah. No, you know, Dylan Sampson, those types of guys, like they'll be good in PPR because the catch may
44:28be 40 passes, but they won't get a lot of touches if the starter is healthy.
44:33Um, and even again, if the starter gets hurt, I don't think those guys are just automatic starters.
44:39You know, there's going to be a committee still in those situations.
44:43Like I could see Marshawn Lloyd being the guy for the Packers because they've already given us that blueprint last year with Emmanuel Wilson.
44:50And even just to, you know, take it a step further.
44:54Um, when I started, you know, once like transactions open in a few of my dynasty leagues, I was going and getting
45:01Christopher Brooks once this Jacobs news happened, because like at the time he was the number two guy or, you know, still
45:08could be, but you know, like just that was the Emmanuel Wilson replacement.
45:12So you just want to gravitate toward good offenses and, you know, coaches that will use, you know, hopefully somewhat of a workhorse back.
45:20And I think that would be the case with Lloyd now.
45:24If Jacobs doesn't miss time. Let's thank fantasy cares.
45:27such a great organization. Fantasy cares exists to do good in the world, to donate money from you, the fantasy player to
45:34worthy organizations where it can help people. It's that simple.
45:37Fantasy cares just makes it really fun. You can go to fantasy cares.org right now.
45:42You can play in the season long fantasy cares.
45:45Pick them the fantasy cares survivor pool, the fantasy cares one and done fantasy league and several other games that are of course really fun.
45:53And your entry fee for all these goes to fantasy cares.
45:56You can still do an auction version of a fishbowl.
45:59And if you'd like your league to donate some of your winnings, even a small portion, fantasy cares makes it really easy.
46:06And of course, it's an amazing cause. Scott fish is our good friend.
46:11You hear him on the podcast throughout the season and his organization supports so many great charities, including toys for tots around the holidays.
46:18Find out more at fantasy cares.org. We are back with Jamie and we've got two more names to get to because we have had overlap.
46:26We did not overlap our final name though. Why don't I go with my name first at number two?
46:33You're not surprised by this because I nominated him as a potential breakout player on the CBS show.
46:38It is Jaden Higgins, the second year receiver for the Texans.
46:42I was kind of, this is one of the, I would say 10 guys if I were, if you made me say,
46:49all right, over the course of writing the Almanac and slogging through all that film and especially paying attention to the much
46:56younger players because, you know, I'd never seen Higgins play until he did last year.
47:01If I gave you 10 names that rose the most in my estimation, not necessarily my ranks, but in my estimation of
47:08their talent, Higgins would have been on that list.
47:11Thought he looked pretty great. I was only able to get him up to, where do I have him now?
47:17In the 40 range? 46? Yeah, 46. And like, I kind of wanted to put him higher, but it's a hard situation to love.
47:25So the reason you have to be drafting Jaden Higgins is for the whatever percent chance that everything slides perfectly into place
47:32and Tank Dell doesn't become a big threat and Jalen Knoll's finger is bad or just kind of keeps a back seat and Xavier Hutchinson doesn't do it.
47:41You know, there has to be a bunch of stuff to happen and or a Nico Collins injury for Higgins to really pop.
47:49But again, we don't need to take them very high.
47:52You know, probably there's some overlap with Nico Collins.
47:55It's a size speed kind of thing and you don't get a lot of like what they would call like looseness of hips.
48:02He's not making a lot of ankle breaking cuts.
48:05But I think really good sideline work, really good contested catch, really good hands and pretty good speed in a six foot four.
48:12Just kind of like a good just seems like very coordinated runs a good stutter go.
48:18I think I mentioned that on your show. There's there's one week 11 against the Titans.
48:23It is just an oh my God sideline catch on an out at just one of the best catches of the year.
48:30And I don't know. You know me. I always fall back on you can't fake really good tape, especially if it repeats.
48:37So I recognize how much need needs to go right.
48:40And they're probably a likelier chance that he doesn't really pop in a usable fantasy way.
48:45But there is a significant chance he does. Yeah, he's he's one of these guys like I hope he's just not a
48:52victim of his circumstances because of who's on the opposite side of the field and really the quarterback is.
48:59Because again, CJ Stroud has struggled the last couple of years to support multiple talents.
49:03The plus is that Nico Collins has a hard time staying healthy.
49:07So, you know, those games that he does miss if he does, you're getting hopefully quality production from Higgins in that role.
49:14I brought this up on on our show. You know, the Tank Dell factor, you know, just somebody who's gonna, I think,
49:21maybe take targets away from everybody just by nature if he's healthy, because as you alluded to, you know, they all seem
49:28to love Tank Dell CJ Stroud in particular. So does that sort of limit his ceiling?
49:34But, you know, this is the type of guy like talent versus opportunity.
49:38And how much do you buy into the talent?
49:41You obviously are buying into the talent. I hope fantasy managers buy into the talent.
49:46You may get frustrated at times by the lack of production, you know, because of his environment.
49:51But again, like if the Texans who I think there's been a couple of reports the last day or so, I think Bleacher Report was one of them.
50:00Like the most talented rosters in the NFL. I think they had the Texans number one, which, you know, speaks volumes, I
50:07think, to where their defense is at as well, clearly.
50:10But, like when you look at this receiving core, like they have an alpha and they have a guy that could be a 1A eventually.
50:18And if he's not going to get there this year, it's going to get there soon in Higgins.
50:24So, yeah, when you get, again, similar to like Matthew Gold, and I have those guys almost back to back because I
50:31think it's a similar type of talking point of if they hit, they're going to hit in a way that's going to help your fantasy team.
50:40And if they don't, okay, you can move on, but you might not want to move on because it may take a
50:47few weeks until you start to see the production that you were expecting when you drafted him.
50:52So, yeah, I think putting him in this category makes a ton of sense.
50:57Yeah, I have a little more skepticism about what Golden actually laid on tape.
51:01So, I have Higgins a little higher, but absolutely would categorize them both in the kind of player in the double-digit rounds we should be taking shots on.
51:10And, frankly, it's a lot more believable that Jordan Love can sustain multiple receivers than it is CJ Stroud.
51:16So, that's a good point. Yeah, fair point. Yeah, so, like, I see kind of where both of those picks are coming
51:23from, which leads us, since my number one was, in fact, Jordan Mason, your number one.
51:29I'm going to go Isaiah Likely. You know, you want to talk about a lot of hype in the last couple years.
51:36Yeah, that's a great candidate. And failing to live up to it, you know, now the path is there.
51:42So, I'll stick with the two shows that we've done together and just take the obvious one, you know, the low-hanging fruit.
51:49But Likely has just as much opportunity to pop off as we've ever seen for him and maybe as much as any
51:56tight end, you know, going to a new situation and getting an opportunity here.
52:01So, you know, we'll see what happens with Malik Nabors.
52:04And when he's back to 100%, clearly everything so far is looking fantastic in his recovery to be ready for week one.
52:11But by all accounts, Isaiah Likely has been a go-to guy for Jackson Dart.
52:15And the things that I like about him is when he's gotten targets, it hasn't been much, but nine games in his
52:22career with at least six targets, eight of those games, he's going to have PPR points or more.
52:28So, when he's gotten chances, he's been productive. You saw last year, again, it was a much different receiving core and obviously a different offense.
52:36But Jackson Dart leaning on Theo Johnson, I think that's going to, you know, sort of carry over a little bit to
52:43where he likes to lean on his tight ends.
52:46And, you know, you always like to see trends like that where a quarterback will sort of go to a certain spot or a certain position.
52:55And so, clearly following Harbaugh, I think was by design.
52:58You know, I'm sure Harbaugh, you know, part of the reason why he didn't break out previously, but also Mark Andrews and everything that went on there.
53:07But I think if Lightley stays healthy, he's somebody that if you miss on the obvious top tier guys, Bowers, McBride, Loveland,
53:14Warren, et cetera, he's in that next tier for me.
53:17And, you know, I think he's got, I don't know, top five upside, but I can see it happening if the touchdowns come.
53:24So, love taking a chance on Isaiah Lightley this year.
53:28And at least based on our ADP, I don't know a few different sites, but he's outside the top 12 tight ends, which is a little surprising.
53:36So, I think Isaiah Lightley is going to surprise a lot of people.
53:40And one of the best values you can find on draft day, at least right now.
53:46So, first of all, name the tight end who doesn't have top five upside.
53:50It's the worst position in the world. Second of all, but I agree, Lightley absolutely has it.
53:56Second of all, a lot of Massachusetts flavor to the Jamie Eisenberg list this year.
54:00You got Jalen Coker from Holy Cross. You got Isaiah Lightley from, I think, Charlestown, Mass., I believe.
54:06Grew up there. Maybe Cambridge. Yeah, grew up in Cambridge.
54:09Born in Cambridge, grew up in Malden, anyway. For the Almanac, you want to know the kind of investigative reporting I did?
54:17I needed to find out if he talked like a mass hole.
54:20Okay. If he had an accent, he doesn't. Ah, disappointing.
54:24But I'll still take him. Let me ask you this question.
54:27This has always been the fly in my ointment with Lightley.
54:31It's really nothing to do with him. I can't understand the Ravens' decision.
54:35I don't get why you keep Mark Andrews and let Lightley sign somewhere else for basically the money that you could have saved by not paying Mark Andrews.
54:44It was almost like an exact dollar one for one.
54:47And, like, it would be easy to say, well, they knew something about him, so they let him walk.
54:53Except for the coach who knew him best is the one who signed him.
54:58So I don't really find that logic particularly compelling.
55:01Like, I have a hard time understanding why Isaiah Lightley isn't the starting tight end for the Baltimore Ravens.
55:07Yeah, you wonder if there was some things in the locker room.
55:11You know, Lamar Jackson maybe has a better relationship with Andrews.
55:14It certainly is. It was surprising to me. Yeah, I totally agree.
55:18You know, when we got the Andrews extension, I was like, are they going to try and pay both?
55:24Because you can see a situation without the NFL trending, you know, multiple tight end sets and all these things.
55:31Like, you know, okay, we signed both. We make the conscious decision that Lightley is going to be the future.
55:37And we, you know, changed the offense. And then clearly, you know, the coaching staff changed.
55:42But it really was shocking because Andrews, you know, I think he's in his early 30s now, does not look like the same player.
55:50And likely, again, when he got chances, he looked like a guy that could be a playmaker.
55:55And, you know, for a team that you would like to see at some point start to trend a little younger when
56:02you have a 32-year-old running back and a 30-year-old tight end, they did not, I think, make the personnel move that most of us would have done.
56:11But probably that's one of those things, like, maybe he's a bad locker room guy.
56:16Maybe the quarterback doesn't have a good relationship with him.
56:19You know, you never know what could have unfolded there.
56:22Yeah. I'm going to guess Isaiah likely would like an answer to that question, too.
56:27Unless he was just like, listen, guys, I appreciate it.
56:31But, you know, it's time for me to move on and I'm not signing no matter what.
56:36Yeah, I guess that's right. Maybe that's, maybe it's possible.
56:39Like, wait at tight end. The big, I mean, when Isaiah likely is basically free, he's a wonderful idea.
56:45He's a wonderful solution. And if he doesn't work out, if something's wrong, if it just, you know, Matt Nagy can't figure
56:52it out or it's too much 12 personnel and Theo Johnson's getting catches and you're frustrated, cool, it didn't cost you anything.
57:00Move on, you'll find someone else. He's exactly the kind of late-round tight end I'm always going to take rather than wasting
57:07a fourth-round pick on a tight end. I'm just not going to do it.
57:11The difference between their stats, if I get anything, if I get 70% of Brock Bowers in the 12th round, 14th round,
57:18whatever, the price difference is absolutely not worth spending up.
57:21And so likely does have that little extra piece of like, oh, it's been so tempting for so long and the hype was so high.
57:29And so that's like even more attractive, which is why fantastic candidate for this list.
57:34We've done it, my friend. We made it through with two names in common.
57:39We've never done that. Six years, we've never done it.
57:42We've overlapped one. We've never overlapped two. It just shows you how in sync we are.
57:47If you'd like to follow Jamie on Twitter, he is there.
57:51You can just look up his name. You can see him and listen to him every single day on Fantasy Football Today,
57:58CBS Fantasy, a show I was just on. So you know it's got to be really respectable for me to be on it.
58:05I don't think that's true. What a pleasure, my friend.
58:08I hope we get to bring you in for some Mondays and talk about some games that we watched over the course of the season.
58:17I'm springing that on you now. But, you know, what?
58:20I should probably say that. I'm like my colleagues.
58:23I would never say no to you. That was awkward earlier today.
58:27Fantastic time talking to you. Wonderful list. I really appreciate you.
58:30Thank you so much. Thank you, Chris. I appreciate it.
58:33And thank you very much for listening to the show.
58:36I hope you enjoyed it. Let's also thank three sponsors that made the whole thing possible.
58:42Z-Biotics, Fitbod, and Fantasy Cares. If you were interested in what I had to say about those sponsors, you can find their information in today's show notes.
58:50All the current sponsors are listed at harrisfootball.com. And if you're able to support a sponsor, it does help the show.
58:57If you're not currently able to support a sponsor, please just keep listening.
59:01It's so lovely to have you here. I appreciate you so much.
59:05The last order of business to do here on this Thursday podcast is to inform you of the winner of another Zoom session with me.
59:13And all I can say is the fix was not in.
59:17The fix was not in. It's just karma, I think.
59:20The winner of the latest Zoom session is Nate Grover.
59:23And the reason I say karma is because Nate is one of our donors.
59:28And the number just came up. I don't know what to say.
59:32I'm not going to say it didn't come up.
59:34The random number generator picked Nate. And so Nate gets a Zoom with me.
59:39And considering your generosity, Nate, it is well deserved.
59:42And I'm looking forward to talking with you about whatever you'd like to talk about.
59:47I'll be emailing you if you haven't seen the email from me.
59:51We'll be in touch real soon and we'll pick a date doing a Zoom tomorrow.
59:55We'll do this one over the weekend if you like.
59:59So for everybody else, if you have entered, plenty, plenty more chances to win.
60:03And if you haven't yet, all you have to do is pre-order the book and send me a screenshot.
60:09And if your budget is currently too tight for a book, totally understand.
60:13Let me know that too because we do have amazing donors like Nate.
60:18So that will do it for this Thursday episode.
60:21Coming up on Friday, Cousin Josh will be joining.
60:23Josh and I are going to crack open the first three rounds of ADP.
60:28And we're going to do what we do each year, which is assign a risk factor to each of the top 36 draftees currently going in fantasy drafts.
60:37One through 10, least risky to most risky. One being least, 10 being most.
60:41We'll talk about that because it can help your build, as they say, when you're going through.
60:47And then also, of course, the real news will be who's going to draft with me and Josh on the YouTube channel.
60:54That will also be determined on Friday as well.
60:57Until then, thanks again so much for listening. Your hat is awesome.
61:01You're awesome for wearing it. I will talk to you tomorrow.
61:04The Harris Football Podcast's opening theme is Under the Gun by Apex Manor.
61:09The closing theme is Say Yes by The Wellspring.
61:11Subscribe to the podcast on iTunes and never miss an episode.
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