Flag Players & Offenses We Might Be Wrong About
STACKED extracted the fantasy-relevant player signal from this podcast and kept the full transcript here for context.
1 hr 4 min
Duration
Estimated from transcript
Aug 20, 2026
Published
Thu, August 20, 2026
47
Player insights
42
Players mentioned
Topics
Stefon DiggsLadd McConkeyLuther BurdenTerry McLaurinAlvin KamaraBlake CorumBreece HallBrenton StrangeBrian RobinsonBrock PurdyCaleb WilliamsCedric TillmanCyrus AllenDe'Von Achane
Player analysis
Player insights
Alvin Kamara
NegativeInjury7:08
Alvin Kamara sprained his MCL during a joint practice and will miss at least a month, meaning he will not be ready for Week 1.
Insight pageBlake Corum
NegativeUsage30:51
Christopher Harris dismisses the idea that Blake Corum should cause panic for Kyron Williams owners, noting that most rushers have understudies and that Williams remains the primary back.
Insight pageBreece Hall
NegativeInjury8:28
Breece Hall's minor groin injury ballooned into a two-to-three-week absence, creating a risk of recurrence. Christopher Harris downgraded him from RB13 (late 2nd round) to RB16 (mid-to-late 3rd round).
Insight pageBrenton Strange
PositiveSleeper23:49
Brenton Strange is a 'flag player' for Christopher Harris. Harris sees untapped potential and compares his ball skills and leaping ability to a 'souped-down' Trey McBride, recommending him as a late-round tight end target.
Insight pageBrian Robinson
NegativeUsage31:54
Christopher Harris compares the situation of Brian Robinson to Kyron Williams, noting that both have understudies who will eat into production, but that shouldn't deter drafters.
Insight pageBrock Purdy
NegativeValue19:55
Brock Purdy is a viable late-round quarterback option for Christopher Harris if Matthew Stafford is off the board.
Insight pageCaleb Williams
NegativeProjection54:05
The source argues that Caleb Williams must show improvement in his mechanics and consistency to justify the high fantasy ranking of Bears pass catchers, noting his reliance on heroics last season.
Insight pageCedric Tillman
NegativeInjury29:46
Matt Harmon previously held curiosity regarding Tillman's potential, but notes that the receiver simply cannot stay healthy, tempering expectations for the Browns' offense.
Insight pageCyrus Allen
PositiveSleeper60:13
The source is a big fan of Cyrus Allen, viewing him as a prospect with a skill set the Chiefs desperately need.
Insight pageDe'Von Achane
PositiveUsage34:28
Despite a difficult situation in Miami, Achane averaged 18.1 half-PPR points per game last year, ranking fifth among running backs. Even with a regression in efficiency, he remains a high-value target at his current ADP.
Insight pageDevin Neal
NegativeDepth Chart7:17
Devin Neal returned from a prolonged absence during joint practices, making him a candidate to back up Travis Etienne, though it is unclear if he will be the primary backup.
Insight pageDrake London
NegativeProjection39:15
While Matt Harmon adores London as a player, he is concerned about the Falcons' quarterback situation and play-calling, leading him to potentially fade London in the mid-second round.
Insight pageJayden Higgins
PositiveInjury4:10
Jaden Higgins tore his ACL during a Texans joint practice and is out for the season, removing him from draft boards as a high-upside mid-round target.
Insight pageJaylen Waddle
NegativeProjection38:52
Matt Harmon notes that Jalen Waddle's performance has fallen off, citing poor quarterback play and injuries as significant factors impacting his outlook.
Insight pageJeremiyah Love
NegativeBust10:44
Christopher Harris lowered Jeremiah Love in his rankings (52 overall standard, 54 PPR) due to a high ankle sprain. Harris advises against drafting him in the early third round.
Insight pageJerry Jeudy
NegativeBust29:49
Matt Harmon identifies as a long-time Jerry Jeudy skeptic, suggesting that even with improved quarterback play, he does not see significant fantasy value in the Browns' wideouts.
Insight pageJoe Burrow
PositiveValue19:01
Christopher Harris has taken Joe Burrow in some drafts before Matthew Stafford if he is the highest-rated player on his board.
Insight pageJordan Addison
NegativeRole44:46
The source views Jordan Addison as a competent number two receiver but lacks the belief that he is a special talent, contributing to the source's decision not to prioritize Vikings players.
Insight pageJustin Herbert
NegativeProjection48:31
While the source appreciates Justin Herbert's film, they acknowledge that non-film analysts are skeptical of his status as a winner, adding to the uncertainty surrounding the Chargers' offense.
Insight pageJustin Jefferson
NegativeValue43:46
The source is hesitant to draft Justin Jefferson in the first round, ranking him as a mid-second round pick due to concerns about the Vikings' quarterback situation and the overall offense.
Insight pageKeaton Mitchell
PositiveSleeper20:07
Keaton Mitchell is a 'flag player' for Christopher Harris. Despite being a small player in a timeshare, Harris loves his speed and potential in a high-powered offense, recommending him as a late-round target.
Insight pageKendre Miller
NegativeDepth Chart7:17
Kendra Miller returned from a prolonged absence during joint practices, making him a candidate to back up Travis Etienne, though it is unclear if he will be the primary backup.
Insight pageKenneth Walker III
PositiveUsage59:32
The source is aggressive on Kenneth Walker, believing he was brought in to solve the Chiefs' lack of an explosive run game.
Insight pageKyle Pitts
NegativeValue40:07
Chris Harris expresses skepticism regarding Kyle Pitts, noting that he does not have the tight end ranked anywhere near his current ADP expectations.
Insight pageKyren Williams
PositiveValue27:07
Kyron Williams is a 'flag player' for Christopher Harris. Harris believes in his performance and views his current ADP (mid-to-late 3rd round) as a value, though he notes the need to balance him with other targets.
Insight pageLadd McConkey
PositiveBreakout10:41
Ladd McConkey performed awesomely in a joint practice, which Christopher Harris views as a very good sign.
Insight pageNegativeValue49:05
The source likes Ladd McConkey but expresses concerns about his ceiling, comparing him to Tyler Lockett, and notes his history of injuries and inconsistent contested catch performance.
Insight pageLuther Burden
NegativeInjury8:47
Christopher Harris notes that Luther Burden's groin injury creates a risk of recurrence, similar to the concerns surrounding Breece Hall.
Insight pageNegativeValue56:26
The source likes Luther Burden as a player but notes that his ADP remains high despite his injury, making him a risky target in some formats.
Insight pageMatthew Stafford
PositiveValue15:33
Matthew Stafford is a 'flag player' and QB5 for Christopher Harris. Despite regression concerns, Harris argues Stafford's efficiency and team context make him a value at his QB15 ADP.
Insight pageNico Collins
NegativeUsage5:29
Nico Collins may be more glued to the outside receiver role for the Texans following the injury to Jaden Higgins.
Insight pageOmarion Hampton
NegativeValue48:49
The source is not targeting Omarion Hampton, ranking him outside the top 30 overall and noting he did not look impressive as a rookie before his injury.
Insight pageQuentin Johnston
NegativeInjury10:25
Quentin Johnston left a joint practice with a leg injury, but the Chargers indicated it is minor; Christopher Harris is not lowering him, though he was not ranked high to begin with.
Insight pageRashee Rice
NegativeProjection59:50
The source is lower on Rashee Rice than others, noting that if Kenneth Walker hits, Rice will likely lose some of his PPR-based production.
Insight pageRome Odunze
PositiveBreakout55:11
The source is a big fan of Rome Odunze but acknowledges he needs to improve his game, while noting that he could have had a much bigger year if not for poor quarterback play.
Insight pageSam Darnold
NegativeProjection44:08
The source believes Sam Darnold's 2024 season was a bumpy ride and that the Vikings were not an elite offense under him, leading to skepticism about the team's overall fantasy outlook.
Insight pageSam LaPorta
PositiveValue25:02
Christopher Harris ranks Sam LaPorta ahead of Brenton Strange and will draft him if he is the top-rated player on his board.
Insight pageStefon Diggs
PositiveValue22:18
Despite a disappointing WR24 finish last year, Diggs remains a viable 10th-round target. If the Commanders' offense and Jayden Daniels exceed expectations, Diggs has the potential to reach 1,100 yards and seven touchdowns, making him a solid bench stash.
Insight pagePositiveValue32:19
Stefon Diggs is a 'flag player' for Christopher Harris. While not expecting an 1,800-yard season, Harris views him as a valuable late-round (10th round) bench spot who can provide value in the slot for the Commanders.
Insight pagePositiveValue51:16
The source is targeting Stefon Diggs as a 10th-round flag player, noting that his reception perception charting remains strong despite the ACL injury.
Insight pageTank Dell
NegativeUsage5:32
Tank Dell is participating in training camp, but the Texans are managing his workload and ramping him up slowly following his injury; Christopher Harris would need to see him perform in meaningful games before ranking him highly.
Insight pageTerry McLaurin
PositiveValue36:32
Christopher Harris considers Terry McLaurin a higher draft pick than Stefon Diggs for good reason.
Insight pageNegativeValue52:12
The source has removed Terry McLaurin as a 'flag plant' player due to the Laramie Tunsil injury, which creates concerns about the Commanders' offensive line stability.
Insight pageTravis Etienne
PositiveRole8:18
Travis Etienne has no clear handcuff to worry about, and Christopher Harris views him as a locked-in RB2.
Insight pageTrevor Lawrence
NegativeValue19:55
Trevor Lawrence is a viable late-round quarterback option for Christopher Harris if Matthew Stafford is off the board.
Insight pageTyler Warren
NegativeInjury10:01
Tyler Warren suffered a groin injury in a joint practice; Christopher Harris will lower him in the rankings if the injury is multi-week.
Insight pageXavier Hutchinson
PositiveDepth Chart5:22
Following Jaden Higgins' season-ending injury, Xavier Hutchinson likely moves up the Texans' receiver pecking order as an outside option.
Insight pageFull transcript
Episode Transcript
0:00It's the Harris Fantasy Football Podcast with your host Christopher Harris.
0:04Everybody welcome in my name is Chris this is a show that comes in powder or cloud form.
0:09Hello there. Thank you so much for listening today.
0:12Anything going on today? Anything at all? Oh right.
0:15It's Flag Day. My one contribution to this very stupid business.
0:19I'm the guy who planted flags. Now everybody plants flags.
0:22Where's my Hall of Fame plaque? Hey, it's the flag guy.
0:25That's the flag guy. But indeed, the first half of the flag list is coming up on the show in just a little bit.
0:33I was however asked via email by three separate people to once again mention next week's tour of meetups.
0:39Wait, can you remind me what cities you're in?
0:42Why aren't you saying the names of the bars where we're going to be meeting up?
0:47How am I supposed to know where to go?
0:50Will you be signing books there? The answer is that there is a beauty of a tour graphic.
0:56It has all the information you need. It's linked to in the show notes because it's at HarrisFootball.com and I've posted on socials.
1:03It's everywhere. Dates and times and locations. 7pm start each night.
1:07Tacoma Sunday. Portland Monday. Vegas Tuesday. Phoenix Wednesday. Nothing to write down.
1:11Don't crash your car. I'm going to read from Pound Foolish for 20 minutes.
1:15I'll have some books with me for you to buy and I'm happy to sign them for you.
1:21And then it's just chatting and hanging out. Really no idea how many people will show up in any of the places.
1:28But at this point, I don't, I mean, I want as many people to come as possible.
1:33But anybody who does show up, so thrilled. If it's a big or a small crowd, I promise I'll shake everybody's hand
1:40who wants to have their hands shaken and we'll have a lovely fun time.
1:45So if you need details, just check out the tour graphic.
1:48And I do in fact have a new book coming out in a week and a half.
1:54Pound Foolish. You can find all the details at HarrisFootball.com.
1:57If this is the first show you're listening to all season, we've done a lot.
2:02I have bribed people a lot to pre-order Pound Foolish.
2:05We have another drawing coming up at the end of the show.
2:09Today it's for a signed copy of another book of mine.
2:13I have another Zoom scheduled with a winner tomorrow.
2:15We've given away hats and t-shirts, a signed copy of the fascist email.
2:20I owe someone a cameo style video shout out, which I will record tomorrow.
2:24A winner has mock drafted with me and cousin Josh.
2:27All you have to do to get in on the fun, pre-order the book.
2:32This is the many time you've heard me say it.
2:35You keep forgetting. Do it right now. Send me a screenshot.
2:39You'll be entered. All the details in the show notes or at HarrisFootball.com.
2:43Let's get into the news of the day. We don't have to comb very far through the joint practice notes to find
2:50things that are going to impact us. We've spent time talking about Jaden Higgins and unfortunately in the Texans joint practice a
2:57couple days ago, Higgins tore an ACL, is obviously out for the season.
3:01So he's off our draft boards as a high upside mid-round guy.
3:05Guess who my number two post-hype sleeper was last week?
3:08Jaden Higgins. I truly hope I'm not doing it again like I did last year, putting people on lists and then getting them hurt.
3:16This is obviously a massive bummer and there probably isn't anybody I can tell you definitely benefits as a result.
3:22Xavier Hutchinson probably moves up the pecking order as an outside receiver, but it probably will also mean Nico Collins just more
3:29glued to the outside than he might otherwise be.
3:32Tank Dell is doing stuff in training camp, which in and of itself is lovely and great after his injury, but he
3:39is being managed and the team has said they're ramping him up slowly.
3:43It was such a gruesome injury that I probably would have to see him perform in games that matter before I were to rank him.
3:51The only one I actually boosted in my ranks was Jalen Knoll, not because he plays the same position as a receiver
3:58as Jaden Higgins, but because I think he's good.
4:01I think he's really fast. I think he's pretty dangerous in the open field.
4:06Big play threats out of the slot can work.
4:09Now last year when Christian Kirk got healthy toward the end of the year, even though Knoll had made some plays, pretty
4:16much benched Knoll for Kirk, but Kirk isn't there anymore.
4:19Knoll has a year under his belt. We are certainly talking double digit rounds, but I think now Noel now is a dart throw at a low price.
4:28Alvin Kamara got hurt in the Saints joint practice with the Cowboys.
4:32Bitchin' Kamara! Bitchin' Kamara! Not so bitchin'. He sprayed an MCL is out at least a month.
4:37He's certainly not ready for week one. At the same time, in the same joint practice, both Kendra Miller and Devin Neal
4:44returned from prolonged absences and partook of that practice.
4:47They are now the candidates to back up Travis Etienne early in the season, but they missed enough time that it's just
4:54hard to know which one of them would be the number two guy.
4:58And probably it wouldn't be one guy, which I think Travis Steve clearly has no handcuff that you need to worry about.
5:05And like RB2, Travis Steve feels pretty locked in.
5:08Brees Hall suffered a minor groin injury that then ballooned into a two to three week absence.
5:14And as is the case with most of these injury guys in August who are suffering from more than just tightness or
5:21whatever, there now exists in the range of outcomes that the Brees Hall groin injury recurs when the season starts.
5:27Just like the Luther Burden groin injury now has to be on the table.
5:32Not that I'm predicting it, but that you know this.
5:35If they're hurt, they can get re-hurt. So it heightens risk for me and I have to lower him a little bit.
5:42Hall is certainly not out of draftable range, just a slight downgrade.
5:46He started the summer RB13 as a late second round in my book.
5:50I lowered him to RB16, more of a mid to late third now.
5:54And the way this goes, I just don't know that we're going to get much more news out of the Jets about
6:01Brees Hall for the rest of this month. Tyler Warren, the Colts tight end.
6:06He suffered a groin injury himself in yesterday's Colts joint practice and left those proceedings.
6:11As of this morning, I don't have any word on the severity.
6:14You might know by the time you're hearing this.
6:17But if, again, if it's in the multi-week vein, I will probably be lowering Warren a little bit in the ranks as well.
6:25And if it's not, I won't. Quentin Johnston had a leg injury in Chargers joint practice yesterday and left the practice.
6:32The Chargers immediately told people that it's nothing and we're not lowering him.
6:36We're also not having him very high in the ranks anyway, but we'll keep an eye on.
6:41Apparently, Lad McConkie was awesome in that joint practice.
6:44So very good sign there. Jeremiah Love, we already talked about.
6:48That was a preseason injury exhibition game, as we say.
6:51He got lower in the ranks. I was probably never going to have him as high as ADP.
6:57And he got lower because of this injury. He's 52 overall standard for me, 54 PPR.
7:02Last I've seen, he's been like still 25 or 26 at the top of the third round in ADP.
7:08Doesn't that have to come down? Isn't somebody out there saying, um, when a guy suffers a high ankle sprain in mid-August,
7:15that tends not to be good for his rookie year?
7:18Isn't anybody out there saying that? Aren't people going to calm down on Jeremiah Love?
7:23I don't know. Like, please don't be tempted by him in the early third round.
7:28I would say we can easily bypass that one.
7:31We'll keep an eye on all of this. There are more joint practices on Thursday.
7:35And as needed, we will talk about what happens on Friday's show.
7:39Today's kickoff. Okay, on today's show. That's right. We are here.
7:43It is time. Part one of the flag players are coming your way.
7:47We will count down flag players 10 through 6 on today's show here in just a moment.
7:52And as if things couldn't get any more exciting, our guest will be Matt Harmon.
7:57And Matt and I are each going to count down five offenses or, like, offensive components that we simply might be wrong about.
8:05They underpin some part of our ranks. And we have to make stands, so we're believing them.
8:10But we understand that even though we're not predicting a change from our expectations, we don't know a lot of stuff beforehand.
8:17And our mind palaces just might have the situations wrong.
8:20I think you'll have a good time listening. I thank you again so much for being here today.
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9:33I'm going to Spain with Stafford. Gee, who do you think the first member of the flag list is this year?
9:40Why did I start the whole thing with that sound bumper?
9:43Huh? I can't figure it out. Robot Talia, what number we on in the flag list?
9:48Number 10. There you go. Number 10. The most predictable member of the flag list for 2026.
9:54So I'll just get him out of the way right away.
9:57Stat Patford will be the only quarterback on the list.
10:00And like many, many people will tell you, I am not particularly concerned with what quarterback I get if I wait.
10:07That is not an outrageous assertion, but I absolutely will take Stafford if I'm still quarterbackless in like the ninth round.
10:14And I will feel fine about it. He's QB5 on my list.
10:18I have heard all the arguments. He's going to regress.
10:21Don't you understand? The passing touchdown rate is impossible to repeat.
10:24He can't run. He doesn't have other outs. He can't help you with his legs.
10:29I'm not mocking. I can't see the future. I guess some people out there can see the future.
10:35I cannot. It's still predicting sports. If we could all predict sports, we'd all live in very big houses.
10:41But what I know is that, yes, Stafford is definitely going to regress.
10:45But if he'd thrown 10 fewer touchdown passes last year, still would have led the league in touchdown passes, still would have been QB7.
10:53And he's being drafted as the QB15. The mistake people make when they say, my large data set tells me that running
11:00quarterbacks give you a better chance at an explosive season, is that in my opinion, league MVPs returning to the Super Bowl
11:07favorites, and an offense that is one of the few that I trust from year to year to be pretty good, also
11:14give you a great chance at an explosive season.
11:17But there just haven't been enough of those guys.
11:20So your data isn't going to show it. To me, if he's healthy, this is the same argument we made when Aaron
11:27Rodgers was one of our undervalued players in 2020 and 2021.
11:31You know, too old, no way, doesn't run enough anymore.
11:34And he was back-to-back league MVP. Again, we're not going to get carried away.
11:38Let the quarterback market come to you. And frankly, I have taken Joe Burrow a few times before I would take Stafford.
11:45Just if he's highest on my board, I'll take him.
11:49But I've also waited, waited, waited, and then Stafford has gone before me and before I wanted to take him.
11:55And absolutely, that's fine too. Then I get Trevor Lawrence or Brock Purdy or whoever.
12:00But I will definitely get Stafford a lot in the later rounds.
12:04And he is on the flag list. Number nine.
12:07At number nine, he's been a super deep sleeper twice.
12:10He was on the post-hype sleeper list last week.
12:13He was on a players we love list back in January.
12:16He was on a level jumpers list before that.
12:19You might in fact be tired of hearing me talk about Keaton Mitchell, but you're hearing me talk about him again.
12:26Again, I do not know what the plan is because NFL teams typically don't tell us what the plans are, but I think Keaton Mitchell is a blast.
12:35I thought he was really good. And the latter part of last season in Baltimore, is he the wrong part of a platoon?
12:42Sure enough. Would he inherit the full job? If Omari and Hampton gets hurt again, probably not.
12:48Mitchell's really little. I love it. When people tell us these things like they are, you know, unveiling the Mona Lisa.
12:54Yes, a hundred percent. I understand he's a small player.
12:58Maybe he's not a full-time back, but the NFL is a timeshare league now.
13:02And if the chargers happen to turn out to be a wagon, I don't know if they are, but they have a chance.
13:09If they're the 2023 dolphins, would we want the little component of the 2023 dolphins?
13:14Even if he wasn't a full-time player, we're going to be happy with the speed guy on that team.
13:20Plus I'm really not all the way sold on Hampton.
13:24And most importantly, Mitchell is going in the what round?
13:27I mean, I don't know. The answer is, do caveats when we're talking about ADP.
13:32It is a mess. ADP is spread out, but Keaton Mitchell might not have an ADP on your platform.
13:38Yahoo has him as at 193, but CBS has him at 165.
13:42A little closer to being drafted, I guess. Other places that I see on football guys' ADP thing, supposedly in the 120s,
13:49it's very difficult to give you hard and fast round advice right now.
13:53I guess I'd advise looking up all these guys in the default ranks of the platform where you're going to be drafting
14:00and use that as a guideline, because usually the other people in your draft room look at the next few guys in the queue by default ranks.
14:08But truly, you know, if you're convinced that you want Keaton Mitchell, which, what does it matter?
14:14In the double digit rounds, just make sure you get them.
14:17Take them in the 12th. It's fine, right? 13th.
14:20I don't know what the right answer is. Make sure, if you like them, make sure you get them.
14:26And the round at that point doesn't really matter.
14:29Number eight. Number eight. Let's get the tight end out of the way.
14:33You may have seen this one coming as well.
14:36Brenton Strange. I mean, again, you tell me, is he the 13th round?
14:41Does he go undrafted? Some sites, he goes undrafted for sure.
14:44As with the quarterbacks, I don't feel an obligation to get this particular guy.
14:49I've taken Strange in some drafts, but there have been others where, I mean, again, as with the quarterback, if someone on
14:56my board is the top rated guy left on my board, Sam Laporta has been a couple of times.
15:02I will take him and I take him ahead of Brenton Strange, obviously.
15:06So then I don't take Brenton Strange in whatever.
15:09Laporta in the seventh, I think I've gotten them.
15:12Um, but like if we're in wait mode for tight ends, I'm willing to call a shot on Strange.
15:18Um, I kind of wish I could, there's another young tight end that I would throw a call a shot on who
15:25isn't getting drafted and who might come up next week on a different list.
15:29But I think Strange should get drafted very late.
15:32I think Strange has untapped potential. I think he has.
15:35I've made the almanac comparison. Listen, a little Trey McBride in him, like a souped down version of Trey McBride.
15:42He's not quite as fast. He's not quite the same level of athlete, but the same quality that I saw in McBride
15:49a couple of years ago, just really great ball skills and leaping ability.
15:53That's what I see with Strange. Maybe not quite the downfield burner, but still pretty fast.
15:58And there are a bunch of mouths to feed in Jacksonville, no question.
16:02And I would also argue, as I will hear in a little bit with Matt Harmon, that the Jags certainly are not too big to fail.
16:11Certainly, if we wake up and they're just not the wagon that we're kind of predicting they're going to be, I'm not going to be that shocked.
16:19But again, if I'm taking like one of those free tight ends, double digit rounds, I think for me, Strange is the one.
16:27Number seven. All right. Let's get the other expected Ram out of the way.
16:31You've certainly heard me talk enough about Kyron Williams, but here's the thing.
16:35We're definitely basing the flag list on players we think are good and we like on the field, but we're of course
16:42also trying to do this based on value. Who can we get at a price we like?
16:48And what is the price on Kyron Williams? If you look at football guys, the ADP that Dave Kluge was talking about
16:55on Tuesday's show, Williams averaged out from the many sites that they use to 31 overall.
17:00So 31, that's like mid third, like getting to late third.
17:04That's like, I'm like, what are we doing? That's a round off to me.
17:08But then you look at fantasy pros and they say with a smaller group of websites, they're averaging 27.
17:14And even within those, it varies pretty strongly. And when it's 27, well, that's now early third.
17:20And so I'm less ornery about that price. Even though I do have Williams, as I say, higher.
17:25Plus, I am going to have some other players who are going to make this list tomorrow who are infringing on a similar neighborhood in the draft.
17:34And one rule that I have for this whole flag endeavor is that I'm trying to give you a chance to take
17:41multiple guys if you so choose, if you believe what I'm selling here.
17:45So even though I am convinced about Kyron Williams continuing to perform as he's performed the last three years, I think he
17:52has to come with a little bit of a contingency.
17:56I would like to get him in the third round.
17:59That's where I would prefer to pick him. I think that's where there's real value.
18:04But I'm also going to have a pretty clear third round receiver for you tomorrow.
18:08And it may therefore just be that you have to choose between those two guys, the running back and the wide out.
18:16Or it could be that Kyron could be your second round pick.
18:19But I think I would probably mainly do that and feel like I was getting value if I was picking kind of,
18:26you know, second half of the second round and therefore kind of earlier in the first.
18:32Anyway, that is a whole lot of like contingent pick talk.
18:35The one point again that I've made over and over these past few weeks since I was finding out that Kyron Williams
18:42were there were people out there putting him like 43rd overall.
18:46And that certainly is factored into the what I think is a bad overall rank for him.
18:51This idea that Blake Corum exists and should absolutely make you freak out.
18:55I just don't see it. I've talked about it a whole bunch on the show already.
19:00Can we get a sea change in the way the Rams use their running backs?
19:05Can Corum turn into an absolutely equal partner? And then I have egg on my face.
19:10Absolutely. I don't know beforehand. But why should that scare you?
19:14And then Brian Robinson doesn't scare the Bajan people.
19:17I just like they are both going to have understudies who get work.
19:21But people have just decided something about Corum. Dave said it on Tuesday.
19:25Maybe they're just bored of him. They don't think he's great and they're bored and they're looking for something else.
19:32Almost all rushers have an understudy and they eat into the production some.
19:36Kyron is good. Number six. And the last name for today.
19:39Am I really doing this? Play the man's song.
19:42I like the way you work it. Not a trash bag at all.
19:46At least we know he's not a trash bag at all because the song wouldn't lie to you.
19:52This is the fourth time in his career that Stefan Diggs has been a flag player on the show.
19:58Is it a little bit of a bit? Okay, it's a little bit of a bit.
20:03But hear me out. Clearly, Stefan Diggs, if you've been listening to the show for a long time, he might be one of the reasons you kept listening.
20:12Because we turned you on to Stefan Diggs before he really turned into a thing.
20:17He's one of the great successes in this podcast history.
20:20We saw his rise coming with the Bills. We said he was an amazing player.
20:25Remember, there was a time with the Bills where Stefan Diggs was a first-round pick in fantasy.
20:31Consensus, no-brainer. Everybody had him there. Now, the last time Diggs was a flag player was two years ago in Houston.
20:37And then he tore an ACL. And yeah, I mean, you know, that happens.
20:42Clearly, this is a different plant of a flag than he's ever had on the show, though.
20:47We probably don't assume that we're getting an absolute league winner here.
20:51I will cop to it 100%. Stefan Diggs is not due for an 1,800-yard season.
20:56Those days are gone, obviously. This is an emeritus role.
20:59With Diggs and Stafford, we are skewing old so far.
21:02But Diggs goes where? Again, I don't know because it depends on where you draft.
21:07I'll call it the 10th round. So, obviously, it's a bench spot to get Stefan Diggs.
21:12He's going to move around. He's going to do a lot of stuff from the slot.
21:18But he plays on the outside a little bit.
21:20He's not going to play the X anymore. His massive games where he's fully blowing up.
21:26I mean, he could have one. He could have two.
21:29He's not going to have a lot. But the commanders really needed him bad.
21:33And they got him. And they paid real money to get him.
21:37And he's already, apparently, doing what he definitely did in New England last year.
21:42He's a vocal leader. And important to a receiver room.
21:45And still has those great hands. Can't run like he used to.
21:49Isn't going to be some major end zone force.
21:52Terry McLaurin, clearly a higher pick for a good reason.
21:55But so much of the middle rounds and even late rounds are like, would the player be good enough to overcome his imperfections?
22:02And the imperfections are why he's going so late.
22:05To be terrific. If the surroundings turned out to be suddenly really great.
22:09And if the commander's surroundings turned out to be really great.
22:13I think McLaurin would benefit most from that. But I think Diggs would be second most.
22:18He was fantasy's wide receiver 24 last year. That's kind of hard to believe.
22:22It's also disgusting. Because if I told you a guy had a thousand yards and four touchdowns.
22:28Would you say, oh yeah, that's the 24. I think we would have said that's the 40.
22:33But that's just where we are in today's game in the NFL.
22:37I love how people are like, well, you're stupid if you can't see the gap between wide receiver 20 and wide receiver 48.
22:44Okay. And then you're like, yeah, the difference is 1.8 fantasy points per week or whatever.
22:50I made that up. But you know, it's something like that.
22:53Can Stephon Diggs do another thousand yard season and turn into like a usable bi-week player?
22:58And then if we get it right and it turns out the commanders are really good, Jaden Daniels really good again.
23:05I mean, I have doubts, but it's in the realm of possibility.
23:09If that happens, can Diggs do 1100 yards and kind of accidentally get seven touchdowns?
23:14I think he can. And therefore, I think in the 10th round, I would probably be willing to stash him and take that chance.
23:21Again, a lot of people are like, sorry, only super high upside guys need apply.
23:26And in that neighborhood, I don't want the guy that I feel like is capped at 1100 yards.
23:32And I understand it. It probably depends on your roster build.
23:35But put it this way. If I told you you could get the wide receiver 24 again and take him in the
23:4310th round, I think you would do it. And that's the flag guys for today.
23:47We will, of course, have the other five names for you tomorrow.
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24:5415% off. zbiotics.com slash Harris. Code Harris. Today's guest.
24:57Wide receivers, they got to be approved by you to ride with me.
25:01Oh, don't you know now is the perfect time to tell us which team you're alive.
25:06I've been about to do it now. For tomorrow's today.
25:09Oh, today's tomorrow. I want to know. And bringing him to your ear holes is me because it's the boy, young boy that we need to hear.
25:18It is Matt Harmon from Yahoo Fantasy and receptionperception.com.
25:21If you haven't checked out receptionperception.com, please do because you will learn so much about wide receivers.
25:26He's posting new profiles there every Monday. And of course, the Yahoo Fantasy Forecast podcast, something else cast is happening every single day as well.
25:34Hello, Matthew. How are you? I mean, what is a podcast anymore, Chris?
25:38You know, every podcast now. I always say this is why I like coming on your show because I'm sitting here right now.
25:46I mean, literally, my hair is not done right now.
25:49I've still got my, you know, not camera, not on camera glasses.
25:53I'm totally in the dark. None of my lights are on.
25:56It's great. But for every other podcast, it's a video show that maybe streams to the Fast Channel, the Rogue, this, that, and the other.
26:04So what is a podcast really anymore? It's a show.
26:08Yeah, it's fair. It is fair. And this show is just a podcast.
26:12That's why I like being here, baby. Yeah. This time of year, I am certainly having to look more presentable.
26:18I mean, I have a standing desk and I'm just standing as I'm talking to you.
26:23You pod standing? I'm pod standing. I'm man pod standing.
26:27I'm very jealous of that. I'm very jealous of you.
26:30I've been pitching, you know, can I stand while I do the show?
26:34I've been pitching this for years, but it requires a lot of reworking because everything's on the show.
26:40Requires working the cameras. But now when I say this, when people say, oh, so you want to be like Pat McAfee,
26:47you want to stand when you're doing the show?
26:50I'm like, no, no, no, no. I want to be like Chris Harris, actually.
26:54I don't always do it this way, but I did it this morning this way.
26:59And if I turned the camera on, you would have a fantastic view of my lower half.
27:04Oh, well. Let's keep it family friendly. It is because I'm wearing clothes.
27:09I got Vuori on. Hey, man. I'm wearing clothes.
27:11But yeah, throughout August, of course, I have to sit.
27:15Like I did JJ's show yesterday. That's coming out Friday.
27:18I did Peter Overzet's show yesterday on camera. So certainly feel your pain.
27:22So this topic you've never done with me before, but it's a fun one.
27:27And it's another one where like there's no wrong answers.
27:30People can't tell you you don't feel this way.
27:33But I think you know me well enough over the many years we've been doing this together that one of my guiding
27:40principles is that we build these mind palaces. And we decide we know exactly which offenses are good and which offenses are bad.
27:47And I don't know. I can't have any of those guys.
27:51And I want all of those guys. And then every year, it turns out half of our suppositions were wrong.
27:57And the Colts offense, pretty good. The Chiefs offense, kind of stinky.
28:01The Patriots offense, what? You know, we get surprised every year.
28:04So obviously, we have to make assumptions. They're built into our ranks.
28:08But this is a chance for the two of us to acknowledge where, you know what?
28:13If we just got it wrong, then some of my ranks are not going to look so good.
28:19And it's an opportunity to maybe pre-grieve some bad decisions.
28:22So I'm going to lead us. Go ahead. Yeah, I love this topic, by the way.
28:28I'm so glad. This is a great topic. I just did a show yesterday for the Yahoo Fantasy forecast with Nate Tice
28:35where we looked at where offenses are being projected and where people are drafting players and where those are most at odds.
28:42And, you know, kind of like, do we buy this or we sell this?
28:46So this is very fresh on my mind. I tried not to overlap for any of the stuff I said yesterday.
28:53So I just want to say it's a great topic.
28:56I'm very happy to be here for this one.
28:59All right. Well, it's post-normal where you're only mildly happy.
29:02But I'm excited. You're very happy. Exactly. So we're going to count it down.
29:07It's a pointless countdown. But it's very, very important.
29:10The order matters so much but doesn't matter at all.
29:13What is your number five offense or offensive situation that some of your ranks may be wrong about?
29:19Yeah. And this is why I love this segment because I like to be a little bit of a dreamer, especially when
29:26it comes to, you know, how can this work out for receivers that I really, really like?
29:31So my number five is what if one of the Browns quarterbacks is even just passable?
29:36You know, then we're going to get some pretty significant value out of these pass catchers because unlike last year where, you
29:43know, I was kind of curious about Cedric Tillman.
29:46I've always been a big, big Jerry Judy skeptic.
29:49You know, even if like Shador Sanders or Dylan Gabriel or, you know, even Joe Flacco were good last year.
29:55I was like, I don't really care all that much about these wide outs, even though, again, I was pretty curious about Cedric Tillman.
30:03He just can't stay healthy. This year, I'm like, man, if Shador Sanders is just passable.
30:08I think Casey Concepcion is a superstar potentially in this league.
30:12I think Denzel Boston is a really excellent player.
30:15They've both been getting pop over the course of the offseason.
30:18So not to mention Harold Fannin was great despite the quarterback situation last year.
30:23So this is just one where we're not drafting any players in fantasy aggressively from this team.
30:2853rd overall is the ADP on Quinchon Judkins, the highest drafted player.
30:32That is very low. It's one of the lowest for like a first player drafted on any team.
30:38Understandably, this is the Browns. But if we are wrong about one of these quarterbacks, and, you know, I haven't mentioned the
30:45guy that they're probably going to start in week one for a reason.
30:49It's the one I'm feeling the least confident about having any sort of optimism for.
30:54But if we're wrong about that, I do think for once there's actually serious value waiting on this Browns offense.
31:00This is the kind of conversation I love having for this show because it just becomes this like vortex of certainty.
31:07You hear so many people, if you're paying attention to the NFL, not just fantasy, just the NFL.
31:13Everybody's just like, well, everybody knows that's a win on your schedule if you have the Browns.
31:18Yeah. And then you go, then you wake up and the Patriots in the Super Bowl, you know, like we just don't know beforehand.
31:26And you're right. It would take somebody just being okay, you know, not even just not sucking.
31:31I'll do my number one right now because it just dovetails with it.
31:36My number one was what if the Dolphins are competent?
31:39What if there's just... That was my number one.
31:42I said, what if the Browns or what if the Dolphins offense isn't the worst in NFL history?
31:47So talk about it. Good. So we had the same number one.
31:51Like talk about it. I'd much rather hear you than me.
31:55Well, I mean, yeah, I just simply put, again, I just did this exercise yesterday, weighing ADP versus offensive expectations.
32:01And the Dolphins are last in terms of ADP value by a long shot because they don't even have a third player being drafted consistently in Yahoo leagues.
32:10It's Devon Achan's 16th overall, Greg Dulcich second, 131st overall, and nothing at the wide receiver position, nothing anywhere else.
32:17Obviously, I'm excluding quarterback here from this ADP value thing.
32:20But of course, people are drafting Willis on the back of, well, he's going to run and that's all we really need here.
32:27But what if there's more to that? I mean, Malik Willis was impressive in a short spurt last season, obviously small sample size.
32:35He looks like a materially different player from early in his career, even to his first season in Green Bay.
32:41And then that final season, like again, I think he showed well.
32:45It's just a really, really small sample size. And, you know, Miami's offensive line, at least the left side, is filled with interesting players.
32:53Patrick Paul is on the rise. They drafted a guard in the first round, Caden Proctor, who was moving people in the preseason.
33:00I know it's preseason. Aaron Brewer is an all-pro center.
33:03And obviously, A-chan is great. And I can at least tell myself a story about some of these pass catchers.
33:10So, again, it's just like, what if they're not the worst offense in NFL history?
33:14Like, there's going to be some value because these guys are all basically free.
33:19Yeah, and A-chan's not. And A-chan's the one that's sticking in my craw the most.
33:24Like, I've got them ranked higher than 16. And I don't love it.
33:28And I'm kind of looking for a reason. Like, if I think they have a joint practice, it might be today.
33:35If, like, the beat reporters are like, yeah, they're just so terrible.
33:38This is unworkable. Maybe I'll chicken out a little bit on A-chan.
33:42But he's, you know, I've been so wrong on him on the other direction.
33:47He's my number, like, I could take him at the turn.
33:50Sure. And it's not, like, I just think, how much worse is this offense really going to be than the offense last
33:57year that had no Tyreek Hill after, like, week three or whatever that was?
34:02Tua was horrible and unbelievably limited. And everything else kind of just broke down.
34:06A-chan was still terrific. And, you know, Jalen Waddle wasn't terrific.
34:10But, like, I don't know that I, if I'm in Vegas right now, as opposed to next Tuesday, I'm probably betting the
34:17over on everything Dolphins because it just gets exaggerated, if that makes sense.
34:21No, I totally hear you. I mean, my new colleague at Yahoo, Hayden Winks, has made this point several times.
34:28I mean, Devon A-chan last year in a, as you mentioned, a bad offense, a bad situation, the whole deal, he averaged 18.1 half PPR points per game.
34:37That was fifth best at the running back position.
34:39I mean, how many points per game does he have to lose to even still beat his current ADP?
34:46Like, okay, what if he averages, he loses four.
34:48All right, that's like running back 10, running back eight.
34:52Again, like, we're talking about four of four total points per game he has to lose.
34:57That is a lot. You are really betting that this offense is absolutely terrible.
35:01And my last point on this is I know Bobby Sloick has gotten into this, you know, the Twitter boogeyman, like he's
35:08a punching bag on fantasy Twitter, you know, sort of zone.
35:12And I get it. Sloick was definitely not perfect, especially the final year in Houston.
35:17But I also didn't think it was so abhorrent.
35:20And he was on this staff last year. You know, I mean, obviously Mike McDaniels taken a lot with him, but he was on the staff last year.
35:29He at least knows how to use a player like A-chan.
35:32So we both have the same number one, which is funny.
35:36I'll do my number five. I'll just go in order here.
35:39And I'll go, I'll head it from the other direction.
35:42I hinted at this earlier when I talked about Brenton Strange.
35:46What if the Jags are actually the Jags of the first eight weeks last year?
35:51You know, like they were 26th in points. Are you laughing because you had this on your?
35:56No, no, no, no. I'm just, I'm laughing because I would be pretty upset if this happened.
36:02I know. So would I. I'm liking Jags, of course.
36:05But the first eight weeks last year, they're 26th in points.
36:08A little unlucky. They were 15th in yards. If I wanted to make this case, could I say, hmm, is it a
36:15coincidence that they really went on their run and turned around their season at Arizona, at Tennessee, home Colts when Daniel Jones ruptured his Achilles, Jets home.
36:24Now, granted, at Denver, great win. That's the one we all hang our hat on.
36:29At Colts with no Daniel Jones, Titans home and then losing in the playoffs.
36:33Like, again, this is not me making the case.
36:36But you can probably, if we look back and the Jags go eight and nine this year and have a mediocre offense,
36:43we'll go, oops, I guess it was about the second half schedule last year.
36:48Yeah, definitely. And I don't want to, like, just completely disregard this because it's definitely worth saying.
36:53I just feel like a lot of the variables that led to them being such a poor first half team have been corrected.
37:01Specifically, the fact that they have Jacoby Myers in there and, like, settled down the receiver room.
37:06The fact that they got Parker Washington in the right role.
37:10You know, I think even getting Brian Thomas Jr.
37:13And what was ultimately, you know, is not a fantasy friendly and maybe a little bit of a limited role.
37:19It's not going to recapture what he was as a rookie.
37:22But it will at least not be the mess that he was in the first half of the season.
37:29I feel pretty okay about that. But, you know, there's no question.
37:32I've had this team's not on my list. I'm not sure if yours is.
37:37But, you know, I had this kind of realization doing the exercise yesterday about the Saints where it's like, well, they definitely
37:44were really good in the second half. Like, Tyler Shuck taking it over.
37:48And that's obviously the change variable. But, yeah, they also thumped the Jets.
37:52They thumped the Titans. They thumped the Panther. You know, stuff like that.
37:56So, it's definitely worth bringing up. Yeah, again, I have a lot of Jags.
38:01A lot of high. You know, I'm like, I'm not.
38:04I'm Brenton Strange flag player. Like, I am definitely pro Jags here.
38:08But I do have that concern. What was your number four?
38:12My number four is what if, and this is a team that Nate and I did discuss yesterday.
38:17But I want to talk about it with you because I'm just curious where you are with this.
38:23What if one of the Falcons quarterbacks, as I mentioned, like one of the Browns are passable.
38:29What if one of the Falcons quarterbacks is not passable?
38:32Because guess what, folks? I don't feel pretty good about them being passable at this point.
38:37I mean, Tua, disastrous preseason. And as you mentioned, it'd be one thing if we could say, oh, it's just preseason.
38:44This new team, whatever. He was such a mess last year.
38:47Going back and charting Jalen Waddell for reception perception, that was one of my big takeaways.
38:52It was just like, my God. It just has really fallen off.
38:56And it's very unfortunate for Tua because I think it's been a lot of injuries and everything.
39:02And he's dealing with a back injury at different points.
39:05This training camp, it's just really fallen off for Tua.
39:08And that's unfortunate. And Michael Penix is a guy that has at least flashed the ability to get Drake London the football.
39:15But that's about the best that you can say is that he can access Drake London on some of these big, outbreaking
39:22throws that certainly a guy like Tua is not going to.
39:26Kirk Cousins even is not. Because this is one of those teams, Chris, where I think we all agree that the quarterback situation is not passable.
39:34And yet we're just kind of bypassing that when we do fantasy rankings.
39:38Like, yeah, let's take B. John Robinson second overall.
39:41Let's take Drake London in the top 20. Let's take Kyle Pitts as a tight end one.
39:47That is what the ADP is saying. And I keep looking at my rankings and that's what I'm saying.
39:53And I don't feel very good about that. So I'm wondering, do I need to adjust?
39:58Do I need to make changes? So where are you at with the Falcons quarterback situation?
40:03Yeah, the same the same supposition about the first two guys, not Pitts.
40:07I don't have Pitts anywhere near anything. But yes, you know, you're you're gonna you're gonna take Drake London in the second
40:14round and you're going to be whistling the whole time past those headstones going, oh, I'm sure this is fine.
40:21This is great. In fact, in fact, it's wonderful.
40:23In fact, Drake London is guaranteed. And I've said it a bunch on the show.
40:28But for second round receivers like Nico Collins or Drake London, who we think are great, we think are like elite all world type players.
40:36You know, I keep using this analogy, but like take one of those guys and put them on the 1970 Cincinnati Bengals.
40:43It'd be like taking us out one single Skittle back to the pilgrims and watching their faces explode.
40:49You know, like these guys are insane athletes and they are very definitely almost no matter who their quarterback is going to have three for 17 weeks.
40:58They just are. That's the league now. You know, there's just so much rotations and there are some games where they just don't get unlocked.
41:06And yeah, I do not trust those Falcons quarterbacks to definitively unlock anyone week by week.
41:11No, it's just tough. I mean, again, because I love Drake London, the player, and I think his role is this is
41:18the other thing that bothers me, too. I'm just like with Kevin Spansky, Tommy Reese, like coming over from Cleveland.
41:24I'm just not really sure if I was to sit down and rank play callers and, you know, like in the trust
41:31tree, who's in my circle of trusted. I'm not sure those guys would make the top 10.
41:37I'm not sure they'd make the top 12 at this point with just some of the other folks who have emerged.
41:44That makes me nervous when Drake London got unlocked in the previous offense.
41:48Say what you want about Zach Robinson with a lot of really friendly receiver usage.
41:53So, yeah, I am starting to maybe break some ties against Drake London in that kind of mid-second round range, which I
42:00don't love because I absolutely adore the player. Let's thank Fantasy Cares for being incredible.
42:05Throughout August, I like to remind you about FantasyCares.org because they've got so much going on right now.
42:10If you'd like to add a charitable element to your league, maybe donate just one of your entry shares to charity.
42:17The place to do it is Fantasy Cares. They make it incredibly easy and every little bit helps.
42:23Plus, you can make a small donation to Fantasy Cares.
42:26Rest assured, the money is going where it can do a lot of good.
42:31And then play some of their fun season-long contests.
42:33How about the weekly pick-em contest? How about their survivor pool?
42:37How about their one-and-done contest where you can use each fantasy player just one time all year?
42:42Make a $5 donation or more, but that's the minimum.
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42:50And you're supporting great charities, including Toys for Tots.
42:53And our pal Scott Fish makes it all run.
42:56He's great. You can find out everything you need to know right now at FantasyCares.org.
43:00We are back with Matt, and we are talking about offenses we might be wrong about.
43:06I'll do my number four, and I'll say the Vikings.
43:09What if just having a pro-level quarterback who's not great, but at least we know he's a pro-level quarterback.
43:15What if that gives the entire Vikings offense the flashy thingy from Men in Black, and they just forget that last year happened, and they're all happy.
43:23And they're like, hey, man, we can win with Sam Darnold.
43:27We can win with anybody. You kidding me? Bring Case Keenum back.
43:31We're all bored here. Certainly not how I'm ranking things.
43:34How about you? Yeah, I don't know what to do with this one either because this is one where I'm a little
43:41hesitant, and this sounds so crazy because Justin Jefferson, again, is an amazing player.
43:46I'm a little hesitant to just wave away all the Kyler Murray flags and say, yeah, just take Justin Jefferson in the first round again because he's awesome.
43:55And Kyler Murray is at least a top 20 quarterback in the NFL, which even in his years with Drew Petsing, an
44:02offense that did not fit him, he was still, by a variety of metrics, a top 20 quarterback in the NFL.
44:08But still, I do think Sam Darnold's 2024 season has aged really well, and I think people forget just also kind of what a bumpy ride that was.
44:17They weren't this elite offense with Sam Darnold. And I know this is like a topic of debate, I guess, for some
44:24folks, but I would take Sam Darnold over Kyler Murray, certainly right now.
44:29So especially as a distributor for fantasy wide receivers.
44:32So yeah, this one, it makes me nervous enough to not have Jefferson in my top 12 players, mostly because I just
44:39think there's some really good running backs there. And then the second part of that is, yeah, I'm not proactively targeting really
44:46anyone else from this offense because I kind of think Jordan Addison is a good number two receiver, but not a special number two receiver.
44:54There's a lot of depth beyond them. And they have one of the more mercurial, to be nice about it, backfields in the NFL.
45:01So I really haven't made the Vikings a priority target for this very reason, honestly.
45:06And yet I can see a world where Kevin O'Connell is just that good.
45:11And there's just some level of quarterback that JJ McCarthy represents that he can't drag into competency, but he can do it with everybody else.
45:19I'm not ranking him that way. I absolutely agree with you.
45:22I do not have Jefferson as a first round pick.
45:25He's mid second for me. Um, and I don't have any other Vikings in any other starting positions in fantasy.
45:32And I do think that Kevin O'Connell is that good that if we look back and it's week seven and the Vikings
45:39are, you know, five and two and offense is humming and Kyler Murray is getting all these puff pieces.
45:45I'll be like, whoops, I guess it just turns out you just needed someone who could not be JJ McCarthy.
45:51And yeah, I get it. I do have that worry.
45:55Uh, how about your number three? Okay. What if we're ignoring some of the warning signs that the chargers might be a
46:02little bit of a, maybe a little bit of a messy offense in fantasy.
46:06I still think there'll be a really good NFL offense.
46:09And yet Ray Sean Slater hasn't practiced in a couple of weeks with, uh, the knee issue that he's coming back from last year, the patella tendon.
46:18They just lost their center. Tyler Biotis to it's not a torn ACL, but he's got some damage to his ACL.
46:25Okay. Uh, it still sounds like he's not going to be playing for quite some time, but don't worry.
46:31They drafted a rookie center in the second round that they were just kind of planning to be a backup.
46:37Anyways, not starting at left guard. They don't really have a ton of clarity at that left guard spot either.
46:44We all know, like just look back to last year, that offensive line ruined the season last year for the Los Angeles chargers.
46:51I don't think that's going to happen this year because I think Mike McDaniel scheme is just better for like masking offensive line issues than Greg Romans is.
47:00But you know, nevertheless, still a warning sign there.
47:03Not to mention he squinted like the receiver room, the tight end room and the running back room.
47:09They're kind of loaded with a lot of, you know, certainly in the tight end room and the running back room.
47:15Maybe not depending on your opinion on Maureen Hampton, like not great players, but a lot of guys in both rooms.
47:22I mean, I don't think you can even consider a Rondé Gadsden in almost any fantasy format right now from the tight
47:29end standpoint because of the way that room has gotten murky.
47:33And even at wide receiver, you know, I love Ladd McConkie.
47:36I'm a huge Ladd McConkie guy, but they've also kind of quietly got a lot of players that are interesting there.
47:43And yet also Quentin Johnson's been banged up. Trey Harris has been banged up in training.
47:48Like, are we ignoring some of the warning signs that the universe might be trying to tell us about the Chargers offense right now?
47:56Yeah, that would be a bad one for me too.
47:59And I absolutely, I think that's such a well-made point that I haven't really crystallized in my own head, which is you
48:06can't point to something in each part of the offense that I don't go, Oh, hey, all right, cool.
48:12They seem to have something going there. And yet in no case do I feel like, oh, that guy's unblemished.
48:19That guy's an unquestioned. Like, you know, I might've said that about Ladd McConkie after his rookie year, but I'm sure not saying it after last year.
48:27He didn't overcome Jack last year in a bad situation.
48:31Herbert, you know, there's obviously the film people like you and me get off on Justin Herbert.
48:36We like him. He's great. But there are so many non-film people who are like, it's your seven kids.
48:42Are we doing this again? Like this guy's a loser.
48:45You know, there's, there's that out there. Omar and Hampton.
48:49I didn't think look good as a rookie before he got hurt.
48:52Like, yeah. If it turns out that it's not a wagon and it's a bunch of like pretty good disparate pieces, my ranks are going to look crummy.
49:01Where do you have, like, where do you have Hampton and McConkie?
49:05Cause those are the guys that like are being drafted aggressively.
49:09Yeah. Well, Hampton, I'm not Hampton Hampton is like outside my top 30 overall.
49:13So clearly not taking him at the beginning of the second round.
49:17Um, and McConkie is, I, I'm comfortable with McConkie in the fourth.
49:21And I think I've gotten him a couple of times there.
49:24Yeah. That's where he goes. Generally. I have him at 46 overall.
49:28So I'm kind of the same range. You know, my only worry about lad is just like, I know he's good.
49:35I know he's good. I know he's very good actually, but I think that just the questions with him are, um, what's the exact ceiling, you know?
49:44Cause my, my pre-draft comparison for him was Tyler Lockett and like Tyler Lockett was a great player, but he wasn't like an elite receiver, you know?
49:52And I certainly wasn't a guy that could handle 130, 140 plus targets consistently without breaking down.
49:58And again, I love lad McConkie, but I don't love the fact that he's had to scrape himself off the turf so
50:05many times throughout the course of his NFL career so far and kind of didn't run hot on contested catches last year.
50:12That was really his one, I think flaw you could kind of appointed him.
50:16So yeah, there's definitely not zero warning signs that the chargers, you know, could have some, that it could be overhyped once again.
50:24Like, by the way, when have we ever seen that before?
50:27They looked so good for a month last year.
50:30Boy, oh boy. I was doing victory laps on that sucker before Joel got hurt.
50:35My number three, what if the commanders losing Laramie Tunsil just ruins everything kind of is the daisy chain that the bad
50:42guard now has to play left tackle and somebody, some schmo now has to play.
50:47And, you know, Jaden Daniels did not, I think what gets lost about Jaden Daniels is that it wasn't one injury.
50:54It was like the body parts falling off constantly through the entire year and then his elbow getting bent backwards wasn't nice.
51:01So like I, you know, I don't have Jaden Daniels probably as high as his highest boosters, but I like Jaden Daniels and I really like Terry McLaurin.
51:10And I just made Stavon Diggs like a 10th round flag player, somebody I'd be taking for my bench.
51:16And boy, that's going to look bad if this left tackle injury is the daisy chain that starts ruining things.
51:22Yeah, this is one that I have not tanked these players or anything or, you know, said they're not, you know, they're guys you can't draft anymore.
51:31But I was really willing to be ahead of ADP on Terry McLaurin.
51:35And then after Diggs got signed and then Laramie Tunsil got hurt, even if it was just Diggs on the roster, I
51:42was like, okay, there's definitely enough for these, both these two guys to eat.
51:47Even if Stefan Diggs is going to take more of the layup targets from this offense than Terry McLaurin, who, you know,
51:54is like top five in air yards per target over the last three seasons is a really good vertical receiver.
52:00I think he's going to use better in this offense than the previous offense.
52:05Like those are, those are things like, okay, it's going to be fine for Terry, but then losing Laramie Tunsil, it's tough
52:12to, it's tough to be ahead of ADP right now on Terry McLaurin.
52:16I don't want to fully fade him necessarily because I do, I do think the offense is going to be well-designed and
52:23better than the Cliff Kingsbury situation, the whole deal.
52:26But yeah, there's, there's definitely variables going against him to the point that I've, I just have like removed him kind of
52:33as like a true flag plant player, if that makes sense.
52:36Yeah. McLaurin didn't get a flag from me, but Diggs did just because 10th round.
52:41Exactly. I'm, I'm willing to take him there. And again, I think he was still really good last year.
52:47It is remarkable, Chris, the, just how similar the Diggs 2024 reception perception charting is to the 2025 charting is because there's
52:54an ACL tear in between the two samples. He just isn't, yeah, just a really, really good player.
53:00He's good. If you were choosing Ladd or Terry McLaurin, is that a hard choice for you right now?
53:06No, that's an easy choice. And I would take Ladd and it would probably, it would have been a harder choice pre Tunsil injury.
53:14It's a hard choice for me still. So yeah, but this is why the Tunsil injury comes up for me.
53:20All right. You have one more on your list.
53:23What's your number two? I do. And this is probably the scariest one that I don't even want to say because of how.
53:31Just use semaphore with your eyelids. Just blink it.
53:34Especially because I really don't know. Well, we can't see.
53:37This is the audio medium. You know, if you were like everyone else and we were doing the, doing the on camera
53:44stuff, but then you'd see how bad my hair looks right now.
53:48So, you know, it's a trade-off. What would be really bad for me worse than how my hair looks right now, because how.
53:55You know, deep. My bags are packed for this team.
53:58What if Caleb Williams doesn't get any better? Because, and I'm curious to hear what you think about this, because I think
54:05if you are being aggressive on the Bears offense, and I am being very aggressive on the Bears offense with basically my
54:12ranking for each of their top three players, and quite frankly, like I've talked myself into DeAndre Swift being a really undervalued running back as well.
54:21You've got to, you've got to admit that Caleb has to get better from last year.
54:26Like you are being completely intellectually dishonest, even if you like Caleb Williams.
54:30And I, and I do like Caleb Williams, but you are being completely intellectually dishonest.
54:35In my opinion, if you don't admit that he has to improve to some degree, like you can sit there and say
54:42like, yeah, he's capable of things that no other quarterback is capable of.
54:46And I get it, and that's obviously true, but if that's like the period at the end of your evaluation of Caleb Williams, that's crazy.
54:54Especially when we're talking about the other players being productive in this offense.
54:58You can go down the line and say, well, this receiver's got to get better at this.
55:04And you know, I'm a big Roma Doonesday fan, but I can tell you where he definitely needs to get better too.
55:11But also objectively, the quarterback has to improve to some level.
55:14I think he can. In fact, I think he will.
55:17But if he doesn't, if he's just the same guy from last year, you're going to feel pretty bad about having three
55:25Bears pass catchers ranked, you know, pretty highly in fantasy this year.
55:28And I think their third guy is the most undervalued one, even if he's going the latest.
55:34Yes, and yes. Like the Almanac evaluation I did for Caleb Williams was like, I know he likes to say ice cold.
55:41You know, he likes to do the freezing motion.
55:44I mean, it was, I'd say bad evaluation. He covered up a lot of mess with a lot of heroics.
55:50And it's great that you can do heroics. Fantastic.
55:53But yes. The fact that you needed the heroics was often your own fault.
55:58And he just, his mechanics are a mess. He's, he, I got to imagine coaching that guy's got to be frustrating as
56:05hell because how many times have people told him where to put his feet?
56:09You know, he just won't do it. Just randomly.
56:12Roma Doonesday could have had a much bigger year before he got hurt.
56:16Totally. Yeah. If they're just on target throws. It's just, yeah.
56:20It's frustrating. It's interesting. I wonder if the Luther burden injury maybe saves people from themselves on that, on him.
56:26You know, maybe it comes down a little bit.
56:29Because it hasn't come down, by the way, at least in Yahoo drafts.
56:33This is something I've been saying is my entire timelines.
56:36Like, gosh, I can't wait to buy the dip.
56:39Can't wait to buy. He's had the exact same ADP for the last two weeks, you know, before injury, during injury.
56:46And by the way, Yahoo's at least one of them.
56:49And I get it. There's a lot of different platforms.
56:52Yahoo's actually the ADP that is most like palpable on Luther Burns, like 58th overall.
56:57There are other places where he's going much higher than that.
57:01So, yeah. It's definitely concerning because I really like all three of these top Bears pass catchers.
57:06You know, I'm obviously a big Adunze fan, but I like Luther Burden as a player.
57:11And it's pretty obvious to anybody with a pair of eyeballs what Colson Loveland brings to the table.
57:17And again, I could generally, I think, I think that Caleb Williams can improve on some of the flaws and some of the mistakes.
57:25Sure. We're betting on it. We're ranking. Yeah. And I'm frankly, I'm betting on it bigger than probably most people, because I
57:32really think the answer to all these Bears pass catchers is just yes.
57:36Like, I think this is going to be one of the top three offenses in the NFL this year.
57:42But in order to do that, yeah, you can't just live off the explosive plays and like the best moments.
57:49I think just frankly, this is more of a philosophical thing.
57:52I think we've like truly lost the plot with quarterback evaluation where all that matters is like the best moments.
57:59The quiet moments is really how you succeed as a quarterback and the consistency and being able to stack that stuff.
58:05And there's just no question. Williams was not that guy last year.
58:09I think he can be in the future. Like the good does outweigh the bad to me personally, but it's got to
58:16be more than just the good outweighs the bad for Caleb for all these guys to hit in fantasy this year.
58:23I think we've lost the plot and fantasy for quarterbacks because all we care about is if they run.
58:29See also Matthew Stafford. My last one. My last one is a Chiefs worry that what if Patrick Mahomes is instantly Patrick Mahomes?
58:36Because that is definitely not how I'm ranking that Chiefs offense.
58:40I've seen what they look like the last year and a half pre Mahomes ACL, and it hasn't been a particularly good offense.
58:47It has really good moments. He still, of course, is a transcendent player and had transcendent moments even last year, rescuing them
58:54more times than they deserve to be rescued. They were not good last year.
58:59And I'm kind of assuming it's a fine offense, a medium offense.
59:03I'm not giving boost the way people are to Ken Walker.
59:06I'm not giving boost to Rushy Rice at all.
59:09But what if Mahomes is just another guy? And he is.
59:13He's another guy. He's one of the best quarterbacks in league history.
59:17So what if he just instantly turns the Chiefs back to the Tyreek days?
59:21It's not how I ranked it, but I could be wrong.
59:25Yeah, I think that's fair. I am pretty aggressive on Kenneth Walker just because I think he was brought in here for
59:32such a purpose and does help them solve some of their – they've been the least explosive run game by a country
59:39mile the last two seasons, and he really will obviously help them with that.
59:43I think it's – you can't – see, to me, I can't really square – and this is – I'm lower just
59:50on Rushy Rice as a player than some folks, but I don't think you can square those two guys together because if
59:57Kenneth Walker is going to hit, like, Rushy Rice is going to lose some of the PPR scam nature of his production.
60:04So to me, it's like, okay, well then who else benefits?
60:08Is it Xavier Worthy? He's – I mean, I'm skeptical of that as a player.
60:13I love Cyrus Allen. That's my guy, man. So he's definitely somebody that I was really excited about as a prospect, and
60:20I think they desperately need his skill set. So, you know what, Chris?
60:24If this happens, that means that Cyrus Allen – us Cyrus Allen truthers are going to the moon.
60:30So let's – I'm ready for it. You're ready.
60:33Let's go. All right. Well, this was fun. I put all of these in today's show notes.
60:38Of course, our number ones were both about the dolphins being not world historically bad potentially and therefore, you know, actually providing some value.
60:46And all 10 of our suggestions are in today's show notes.
60:49Thank you for doing this, my friend. I hope you had fun, and you can find Matt all over social media, obviously.
60:56Listen to the Yahoo Fantasy Forecast. That is a show, not a podcast.
61:01And then go to receptionperception.com. Receptionperception.com. New profiles will be dropping for receivers every Monday, and it's really worth your time.
61:07Thank you for doing it. Thank you, Chris. And, yeah, I appreciate you having me.
61:12And, yeah, I'm going to go the rest of the day try to exercise the demons of this Caleb Williams curse that
61:19I put on myself, so I appreciate that at least.
61:22And thank you so much for listening. No curses.
61:25No curses involved. Let me thank the three sponsors that made today's show possible.
61:30We had Hungry Root and Zbiotics and Fantasy Cares.
61:33And if you heard me talk about those sponsors and you were interested and you can see your way through to use
61:40the codes and URLs, that really is how the podcast keeps being a podcast in which I am still standing.
61:46I did this whole show standing. Back feels okay.
61:49Just kind of trying to protect it in advance of the big book tour.
61:53You can find today's sponsors in today's show notes.
61:56You can find all the current sponsors listed at harrisfootball.com.
62:00Also in the show notes, details linking off to the tour information if you'd like to come next week.
62:06I'm running out of times where I can tell you, so I'm telling you multiple times in a show.
62:12And let's do a drawing. I have bribed probably at this point several hundred people.
62:17It's a fairly small percentage of the audience, but it's a hearty group who have pre-ordered Pound Foolish to see if we can manipulate the bestseller list.
62:25If you've been on the fence, maybe today's gift, today's bribery will...
62:29A signed book from me. You can buy one book and you'll get two as a result because you'll win this one.
62:36Actually, you're not going to win this one because this one's already given away, but we'll do more giveaways.
62:42The winner, Graham Ashby. Congratulations, you've been bribed. Thank you for pre-ordering and I will get in touch and we'll get you
62:49a signed copy of a different book that I wrote and hopefully you will enjoy it.
62:54If you already have all the books, then we'll figure something else out.
62:59Remember, you can find all the information about Pound Foolish and the tour at harrisfootball.com.
63:03That will do it for this Thursday episode coming up on Friday.
63:07It's the rest of the flag player list, five through one, and then cousin Josh will join and it is time for
63:14his frag player list, an annual list in which he doesn't like the players he lists.
63:19Shocker that Josh would go negative, but wait till you hear what his frag list was last year.
63:25He absolutely nailed it. So you'll want to listen to that one as well.
63:30Until then, thanks again so much for listening. Your hat is awesome.
63:34You're awesome for wearing it. I will talk to you tomorrow.
63:37The Harris Football Podcast's opening theme is Under the Gun by Apex Manor.
63:41The closing theme is Say Yes by The Wellspring.
63:44Subscribe to the podcast on iTunes and never miss an episode.
63:48Say yes. Say yes.
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