Becoming a Best Ball Bro: Time to Get Caught Up?
STACKED extracted the fantasy-relevant player signal from this podcast and kept the full transcript here for context.
59 min
Duration
Estimated from transcript
Jul 15, 2026
Published
Wed, July 15, 2026
46
Player insights
36
Players mentioned
Topics
Amon-Ra St. BrownCeeDee LambBrian Thomas Jr.Bucky IrvingJaylen WarrenJonathan TaylorSaquon BarkleyA.J. BrownAlvin KamaraBlake CorumBrashard SmithBrian RobinsonChris RodriguezChristian McCaffrey
Player analysis
Player insights
A.J. Brown
PositiveValue0:24
Example of ADP volatility throughout the summer, shifting from third round to second round, making him a better value when available in third round.
Insight pageAlvin Kamara
PositiveValue0:39
Shooting up draft boards with a good role in his offense, making him attractive in PPR formats.
Insight pageAmon-Ra St. Brown
PositiveBreakout0:21
Highlighted as a difference maker in his rookie year who decided contest winners in best ball competitions.
Insight pagePositiveValue0:42
Analyst is taking Amon-Ra St. Brown over Jonathan Taylor all day based on his floor/ceiling combo and strong projections, as he just recently passed Taylor in ADP.
Insight pagePositiveValue0:51
Analyst paired Amon-Ra St. Brown with Puka Nacua last year and this pairing accelerated the entire team into the DK Millionaire Maker finals, demonstrating the power of unique WR pairings.
Insight pagePositiveProjection0:54
Analyst views Amon-Ra St. Brown as one of the top two wide receivers on the season and a rare, unique pairing with CeeDee Lamb that is not commonly seen in DK Millionaire Maker contests.
Insight pageBlake Corum
PositiveValue0:31
Now going in the top 100 picks, representing a shift in market pricing for running backs with standalone value.
Insight pageBrashard Smith
NegativeBust0:29
Analyst took him as a late-round rookie running back last year but it did not work out.
Insight pageBrian Robinson
PositiveSleeper0:30
Potential late-round running back option replacing Tyler Algier in Atlanta, offering standalone value without contingency.
Insight pageBrian Thomas Jr.
NegativeBust0:40
Analyst faded him heavily in the first two rounds last year in favor of Derek Henry and Jonathan Taylor, suggesting skepticism about his profile.
Insight pageNegativeBust0:40
Analyst faded Brian Thomas Jr. heavily in the first two rounds of drafts last year in favor of more established running backs, citing concerns about taking on unnecessary risk early.
Insight pageBucky Irving
NegativeBust0:40
Analyst faded him heavily in the first two rounds last year in favor of Derek Henry and Jonathan Taylor, suggesting skepticism about his profile.
Insight pageNegativeBust0:40
Analyst faded Bucky Irving heavily in the first two rounds of drafts last year, preferring established running backs like Derek Henry and Jonathan Taylor with stronger profiles.
Insight pageCeeDee Lamb
PositiveValue0:23
Analyst wants exposure to CeeDee Lamb and notes he can fall to later picks (like 11th pick) without needing to reach, allowing natural draft opportunities.
Insight pagePositiveValue0:52
Analyst got CeeDee Lamb to fall back in the middle rounds (picks 6-9) in a recent Millionaire Maker draft, creating a unique pairing with Amon-Ra St. Brown similar to the winning combo from last year.
Insight pagePositiveProjection0:54
Analyst views CeeDee Lamb as one of the top two wide receivers on the season and a rare, unique pairing with Amon-Ra St. Brown that is not commonly seen in DK Millionaire Maker contests.
Insight pageChris Rodriguez
PositiveValue0:47
Analyst views Chris Rodriguez as an early-down grinder type that is better in Best Ball environments than season-long formats due to uncertain timing of production.
Insight pageChristian McCaffrey
PositiveProjection0:25
Ranked ahead of CeeDee Lamb in analyst's rankings, used as example of tier-setting in draft strategy.
Insight pageDak Prescott
PositiveValue0:56
Analyst noted that someone took Dak Prescott one pick before them in the seventh round with no other Cowboys on the team, which opened up the opportunity to take Jaylen Warren instead.
Insight pageDaniel Jones
PositiveRole0:41
Daniel Jones' consistency and ability to replicate last year's performance is critical to Jonathan Taylor's success; when Jones went down mid-season, Taylor's production became disastrous.
Insight pageDavante Adams
PositiveValue0:56
Analyst had Devante Adams on a recent Best Ball team and noted frustration when someone took Dak Prescott early without other Cowboys, disrupting the unique pairing strategy.
Insight pageJarquez Hunter
NegativeBust0:29
Analyst took him as a late-round rookie running back last year but it did not work out.
Insight pageJaylen Warren
PositiveRole0:31
Mentioned as a running back with contingent value behind Saquon Barkley, representing the type of backup RB with massive upside if injury occurs.
Insight pagePositiveValue0:57
Analyst took Jaylen Warren as a usable running back in the seventh round after someone reached for Dak Prescott early, viewing Warren as potentially this year's Kenneth Gainwell.
Insight pageJonathan Taylor
PositiveProjection0:31
Mentioned as an aging veteran running back with high mileage going in early rounds, creating contingent value for backup running backs.
Insight pageNegativeBust0:41
Analyst is fading Jonathan Taylor this year due to concerns about Daniel Jones' consistency and ability to replicate last year's performance; if Jones can't perform, it cascades negatively to Taylor's production.
Insight pageJonathon Brooks
PositiveBreakout0:32
Analyst is 'really in' on Jonathan Brooks in the middle rounds, citing bullish coach speak and belief he can take over as top RB without injury, though uncertainty exists around his ACL recovery status.
Insight pageJordan Love
PositiveProjection0:22
Used as an example of a reasonable quarterback to build around in home leagues, suggesting comfort with him as a primary QB option.
Insight pageJordan Mason
PositiveValue0:47
Analyst prefers Jordan Mason in Best Ball environments over season-long formats because his production will come but timing is uncertain, making him valuable in a format where you can't add/drop players.
Insight pageJustin Jefferson
PositiveProjection0:25
Ranked ahead of CeeDee Lamb in analyst's rankings, used as example of tier-setting in draft strategy.
Insight pageKyle Monangai
PositiveValue0:31
Now going in the top 100 picks, representing a shift in market pricing for running backs with standalone value.
Insight pageLuther Burden
PositiveValue0:26
Analyst sometimes reaches to take him over Teddero McMillan, indicating the tier separation between them is not clear-cut.
Insight pageMalik Nabers
PositiveValue0:25
Analyst is not taking him early but expects his ADP to move backwards later in the summer, allowing him to acquire him at better value.
Insight pageMarShawn Lloyd
PositiveSleeper0:35
Mentioned as a late-round running back with potential standalone role that hasn't been fully realized yet.
Insight pageMatthew Stafford
PositiveValue0:56
Analyst noted frustration when someone took Matthew Stafford way above ADP in a recent draft with Puka Nacua and Devante Adams on the team, disrupting the unique pairing strategy.
Insight pageNico Collins
PositiveValue0:51
Analyst mentioned Nico Collins as an example of a forced unique pairing where ADPs don't line up, suggesting he could be a strategic pairing in Best Ball drafts.
Insight pagePuka Nacua
PositiveValue0:51
Puka Nacua fell back to the analyst in the middle rounds last year (possibly during a Matt Stafford injury concern), creating a powerful unique pairing with Amon-Ra St. Brown that accelerated the team to DK Millionaire Maker finals.
Insight pageRashaad Penny
PositiveBreakout0:21
Cited as a difference maker at skill position who decided contest winners in past best ball seasons.
Insight pageRhamondre Stevenson
PositiveValue0:37
Historically ranked ahead of Travon Walker but the market gap has narrowed this year, with both being middle-round picks.
Insight pageSaquon Barkley
PositiveProjection0:31
Mentioned as an aging veteran running back with high mileage going in early rounds, creating contingent value for backup running backs.
Insight pageNegativeBust0:41
Analyst is fading Saquon Barkley this year, concerned that his explosiveness from two years ago did not show up last year and that he will lose goal-line touchdowns to Derek Henry, significantly hurting his ceiling.
Insight pageTee Higgins
PositiveProjection0:36
Mentioned as part of the wide receiver landscape where there is 'flatness' at the position due to run-heavy NFL meta and target share going to tight ends.
Insight pageTravon Walker
PositiveValue0:37
Now going in similar range to Ramonndre Stevenson as middle-round picks, representing market shift in running back pricing.
Insight pageTua Tagovailoa
PositiveProjection0:46
Mentioned as a potential third quarterback option in best ball builds, though the analyst is not panicked about having only two quarterbacks.
Insight pageWoody Marks
PositiveSleeper0:29
Late-round running back from last year that developed value later in the season, representing the type of player that made zero RB viable.
Insight pageZach Charbonnet
PositiveInjury0:50
Analyst noted that Zach Charbonnet could realistically be a zero due to health concerns, which influenced the decision to prioritize running back depth in a draft.
Insight pageFull transcript
Episode Transcript
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0:47Hey everyone, I'm on vacation this week, but I still wanted to bring you something for becoming a best ball bro.
0:53We've done this each year with the show, but Rich, as in my co-host, Rich Ryan, he's put together a nice little
0:59compilation of some of the most interesting insights from our shows thus far this season.
1:04We've had some great guests and I know that some of you are just now getting into things.
1:09You're just now focusing on fantasy football for this 2026 season.
1:13So this is a way to get caught up with best ball.
1:16I'll be back next week with our typical show.
1:19I'll talk to you then. I'm JJ and over the last couple of years, I've been doing everything I can to be a best ball bro.
1:27And last season, things finally fell into place. I got 40th in the DraftKings Millie contest, taking home $20,000.
1:32Maybe I became a best ball bro, but I'm still looking to learn more about this game.
1:37And I still want others to come on this ride with me.
1:41So even if you consider me a best ball bro, this could be your year.
1:45This could be the year that you officially become a best ball bro.
1:49This episode is sponsored by DraftKings. We've partnered up with DraftKings again this year for best ball, and we've got a can't
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2:21The crown is yours. Pat Karain, what's one of the biggest difference that you're seeing year over year?
2:26Or, I mean, you could be looking at this landscape and thinking that it's the same, but what are you seeing overall?
2:33And if there is a change year over year?
2:36Well, one thing is, you know, this year we have a different rookie class than last year, and there's some strengths and
2:42weaknesses, mostly weaknesses compared to last year's rookie class.
2:45And I think that changes things up in some pretty big ways for this year's landscape in best ball.
2:50Rookies, you know, have been a pretty big part, especially rookie receivers, have been like a pretty big edge in best ball leagues over the years.
2:58And so, you know, I think you're seeing a couple things.
3:01One, the rookie running backs. There's a couple first rounders that go reasonably high.
3:06And I think both guys are interesting picks. I like Jeremiah Love more at ADP, but then you get past those guys and it really dries up.
3:14And we're talking, you know, a lot of day three type of guys that here in June are hard to know for
3:20sure if we're going to get anything from this year.
3:23And not having interesting rookie upside swings in, you know, let's say outside the top six rounds definitely shakes things up a bit.
3:30And then at wide receiver, I think some of the stink of the rookie class from a dynasty perspective has translated over to the best ball market.
3:38And actually, I think there's some values at rookie wide receiver this year where they're a little bit cheaper than we've had over the past couple years there.
3:47So those guys to me are actually targets. A number of them are a pretty clear targets at cheaper prices than we've
3:53had recently where rookie wide receivers have kind of had some inflation compared to where they used to go like four or
4:00five years ago with this rookie class. Yeah, I think that's because I'll kind of skip ahead to another question that I
4:06wanted to ask you, but I think it's pretty pertinent and kind of ties into it.
4:11When I'm drafting right now, I'm looking at the late rounds and I feel awful about almost every player that is available
4:18in the late rounds of these drafts. My question to you is, do you think that this is a normal feeling that
4:24I feel every year and I've forgotten and this is not any different than what we typically see?
4:30Or do you think that it is a weaker late round, you know, round 18, round 19, round 20 type group than we've historically seen?
4:37And again, we have to give this context that we're doing this in June where I think probably in July and August
4:44we'll have at least some better idea of some situations and stuff like that.
4:48And, you know, players and the roles that they're going to play.
4:51And maybe we feel better about some more later round darts.
4:55Maybe you don't even feel this way at all.
4:57But do you think the rookie class is playing a huge role in that feeling that I'm feeling?
5:03A hundred percent. The rookie class is factoring in there.
5:06I mean, last year at the end of the summer, like final weeks of drafts, Kyle Manunga started popping as, you know, a pretty strong pick.
5:13And he remained available in like the 18th, 19th, 20th round on DraftKings.
5:17You know, he was a seventh round pick. So it took a while for us to view him as a reasonable click.
5:24But, I mean, it's hard for me to even see like who that would be because like Catron Allen would probably be a comparable type of player.
5:32Well, Catron Allen's already getting drafted. Right. You know, he's not available in those rounds now.
5:37So there's just not as many guys. Now, we were taking Jarquez Hunter.
5:41We were taking DJ Giddens. Like there were a bunch of landmines too.
5:44But it was the rookie class, the depth of the running back class did make it easier to kind of dream on these picks.
5:52And then also to ultimately find a couple of these guys who mattered, even if it took a while to kind of
5:58realize that that Manunga was was the best of the bunch in those final rounds.
6:03But, yeah, I mean, I think there's also some NFL personnel shift stuff going on here a little bit where we are
6:09seeing like more two tight end sets, more teams talking about how the Jaguars talking about playing more 12.
6:15It's like, come on, man. I know. You've got more receivers.
6:18What are you doing to us? Yeah. Like Nate Borkatures?
6:21I got to worry about that. Yeah. So it's you get down and you're like, what receivers can I just buy routes on?
6:28I think those guys, the depth of that kind of group of players is also probably a little thinner now than it was a couple years ago.
6:36And I think part of it is like, yeah, it isn't that fun always to, you know, in the 19th round like that.
6:43That is not a high hit rate kind of group.
6:46Sure. And we probably have memory wiped some of the disgusting picks we were making over the past three, four years.
6:52But yeah, I mean, I'm taking more tight ends in those final rounds.
6:56Yeah. And I think that's one way to kind of, especially, I am considering on my streams just having like a rolling
7:03banner that says it's June because like there's, there's like, so like it used to be that like Scott Fishbowl kind of
7:09kicked things off and of the redraft. Like this was dynasty season.
7:13This was hard, but we were sending trades. We're not, we're not really drafted.
7:17We can relax a minute in June. Yeah. Yeah.
7:20Yeah. And so that has changed. Like we're, we're talking like definitively about the structures of teams in 2026 for, you know,
7:26the entire off season in the early part of June.
7:29And I think things will change. We're all so much more dialed in than we were like in 2019, this time of
7:36year that it doesn't, it's like hard to remember that how much things can change and probably will change.
7:41So the, the late rounds will look different as we get more information.
7:45But for now taking some of these tight ends, you know, it does feel like a way where you're not just like completely punting.
7:53Yeah. And taking a zero and you're like, maybe like with Eli Stowers, I probably am buying routes, particularly in the, at the end of the season.
8:01And his ADP is around 200 on draft Kings.
8:03Right. So it's like you get late and I'll take that fourth tight end.
8:07Who's probably going to be running routes at the end of the season.
8:11I'll take a stab on one of the Rams tight, you know, committee, tight end guys.
8:16They're going to play a bunch of tight ends.
8:19We know that. So, you know, Michael Mayer probably plays some, you can get into this.
8:24Charlie Kolar started to consider a little bit like, is it, you know, purely as kind of a 20th round guy.
8:30He's, he's a name on my mind. I'm not hammering him, but Mike is sick.
8:34He I've taken a lot of, um, cause I think he, you know, he's on a good offense.
8:40He'll run routes. It's going to be part time.
8:42He'll spike for a couple of weeks, but it's the same type of profile that you would have had probably a little
8:49bit more cheaply with, with, with, uh, some of these wide receivers that are harder to find.
8:54Once he gets the final rounds. And then I am taking though, as I alluded to earlier, some of these rookie wide
9:01receivers, I still think those guys are underpriced and you can get, even in the final rounds, you can get a Chris Brazel.
9:07You can get the Jacoby lane, uh, Elijah Surratt, you know, one or both those guys.
9:12If you want, you can get Zach right branch.
9:15You know, there's a bunch of those rookie wide receivers that are still, I mean, Jeremy Bernard is still, you know, he's more expensive than that.
9:23He's in the one eighties, but he's pretty cheap for a second round pick.
9:27Right. You know, so there's, once you get, you know, not the final rounds, but late in the draft, those rookie wide receivers definitely popped too.
9:35Well, with the tight ends, this is, this is kind of, I feel like made me not go as hard at elite
9:41tight end right now is the fact that because the, the latter parts of the draft are, I should say more.
9:47So McBride than Bowers to be fair, but like, because the latter parts of the draft are set up the way they're,
9:54they're set up where I feel relatively decent about like Terrence Ferguson having a role this year.
9:59Like, like doing, doing something at some point. Yeah.
10:02Right. And like being a tight end three or four, even four.
10:05Right. Cause I'll, if I'm, if I'm waiting a decent or like Pat Fryermuth or someone like that, we're like, yeah.
10:12Like we're doing on Washington. Sure. Sure. Like, like there, and it's because of, like you said, the way the NFL has evolved, the way it's changed.
10:20And you're, you're able to at least capture that position in that way.
10:24But then you're staring at like Brock Bowers who could clearly go nuclear this year.
10:28You know, you're staring at Trey McBride coming off the season that he had even Colson Loveland.
10:33You can make a very easy pro argument for.
10:36So what's been your approach at tight end? Has it been like, like, okay, I'm in round two, I'm going to just
10:42draft Bowers and then obviously adjust, you know, as I go.
10:46Or is it like, Hey, I know that the way the landscape looks right now is that there's a lot of ambiguity
10:52in those late rounds where I'm probably going to just get tight end.
10:56So maybe I'm going to lean running back wide receiver instead in round two and not go after one of these guys.
11:03And then maybe get some, some, some exposure to those guys later on in the year.
11:07Has that been a thought process or has it just been like, no, I think Bowers is going to smash.
11:13I'm going to draft Brock Bowers. Yeah. I think this, this question kind of goes to like with best ball, you're there's
11:20sort of the, are you evaluating like what has worked in the past versus trying to be forward looking and what will
11:27work given a brand new set of ADPs that apply to this specific player pool that we're only going to get one shot at this off season.
11:35And this is where we, we have a tool leg up called the sidekick that has, it's a SIM driven player recommendation tool.
11:41And we're able to evaluate things like what is available now versus what is available later by simming out the NFL season.
11:48And then also the contest that you're in. And what we're seeing honestly is that like Bowers, the fact that these tight
11:55ends are available later does not mean that you need to avoid Bowers.
11:58And in fact, when you have Bowers, you do not need to limit yourself to two tight ends.
12:04Yeah. Like if you get to the final rounds and it's like, there aren't any good players left, but there are some
12:10tight ends who could hit your lineup. You should probably take those tight ends.
12:15Yeah. You know, and it might be the case that you have extra roster spots as well.
12:20If you went with a build, that's like four or five total running backs where you got some running backs early.
12:26I don't think you necessarily need 11 wide receivers, even on full PPR in 20 rounds on draft games.
12:32Like you can have nine wide receivers. You can have, you know, three, maybe even four tight ends, depending on where your
12:38tight end to came with a Brock Bowers or Trey McBride or a Colson Lovelland or Tyler Warren or whatever.
12:44Like you can, you can still build in some depth at that position if the opportunity cost at the other positions is, is pretty low.
12:52And if you have, I think particularly if you have running back covered with kind of a hyper fragile build where you've
12:58got at least a couple early kind of hammers.
13:01Liam Murphy, what's one of the biggest differences that you see year over year?
13:05Do you think that it's the same that we're seeing year over year?
13:09Are there, are there major differences or do you think it's mostly what we saw last year?
13:14No, it's major differences. And I think that's a fun puzzle piece, right?
13:18Like for the past couple of years, I would say the market has mostly remained the same.
13:23And it's not really clear to me exactly why we're seeing these wide market changes, but the market is very different.
13:29Specifically at running back and quarterback, I would say running back since BBM two.
13:33So that's 2021 since 2021, 2020. We have not seen running backs this expensive in drafts.
13:38And with quarterback, like used to be able to get like CJ Stroud or the other rookie guys who went literally second in the draft.
13:46They would be like 18th round draft pick. Right, right.
13:49Or you think of Matt Stafford last year and he was whatever, like a 15th round pick, especially after the back stuff.
13:55Or Daniel Jones was like a 17th round pick.
13:58Even the stinkers of the quarterbacks, like Geno, Rogers, Mendoza.
14:01I'm looking at a high stakes draft I did yesterday on DraftKings.
14:04They're gone by the 14th round. So the true stinkers are like job security guys.
14:09The Atlanta quarterbacks, the Browns quarterbacks. Like it's way different there.
14:12And then of course at running back, we got about five running backs, maybe six consistently going in the first round.
14:18We have not seen that forever. And even like the dead zone guys of yesteryear, that's probably like the fifth round to
14:25the 10th round where like some of these guys are going to be big hits.
14:30And I like some of them. So I'm talking anyone from like Swift Scadabo down to Dobbins White or whatever, whatever range you want to say there.
14:38Some of them are going to be big hits.
14:40Some of them are going to be silent killers, maybe Chuba, like some of these guys I'm softer on.
14:46But that's what I'm seeing. What about you? Yeah, no, I agree.
14:50I think the big thing that kind of a continuation, like a trend, you know, like like it was happening a little
14:56bit last year and now it's just continued as the quarterback thing that you mentioned where I guess my question back to
15:03you about the quarterback stuff is that you now are seeing those lower end QB twos, mid range QB twos being pushed up.
15:10Right there. They're they're being drafted earlier. Is that making you want to get the elite quarterbacks more?
15:15Because obviously, if you can't get the value as late, that would mean getting the value early is a little bit easier
15:21to to swallow, you know, just given the cost of that.
15:25And then on top of that, I talked to Pat Corain last week who was very much fading Josh Allen, given the cost.
15:32And so this plays into that, right, where if some of these quarterbacks are going a little bit earlier and you're not
15:38able to get a guy in round 18 that you were reliably were able to get two or three years ago.
15:44Does that make you lean into the Josh Allen thing more?
15:48Yeah, I saw that question on the sheet and I think it should be brought up now.
15:53So I'm happy you did that. You know, like the consensus thought process is you have to get three quarterbacks.
15:59You need three quarterbacks in every draft and you need it by X round or whatever.
16:04And I think that is so misguided and just reacting to last year and relax in lacks all context where, again, the
16:10reason why three quarterback hit is because you could literally get Matt Stafford, Daniel Jones.
16:15Like these were the cheap bets you could get.
16:17OK, these these are the guys you could get the end of drafts.
16:21Jackson Dart guys who were legit top five quarterback options in fantasy for weeks at a time.
16:26And now the late round options are Geno Smith, Aaron Rodgers to Mendoza Brissett.
16:30Like ask yourself, are these guys going to hit in the way that Stafford did?
16:35Are they going to hit in the way that Daniel Jones did?
16:38And like to me, the answer is obviously no.
16:41Maybe you could say like if anyone is, it's going to be Mendoza because he was a high draft pick.
16:47So sure. Like that's a that's a mystery box that I'm willing to do.
16:51So I don't feel compelled to do three quarterback in every draft.
16:55Like I'm comfortable to get to buy the like Baker Mayfield line depending.
16:59So I'll go as thin as like Goff and Baker or, you know, Kyler Murray and Bo Nix.
17:04So what some combo of this is not saying I won't take a third quarterback, but I'm not so stringent where it's like I need my third quarterback.
17:13I need my third quarterback. And then, yeah, of course, like I think it's very short sighted to view Josh Allen and be like he's a fade.
17:21Like I think it's pretty easily level one thinking where you look at Josh Allen.
17:25He goes in the third. And I will admit there's no real rhyme or reason why he should have such a gap on Lamar, Joe Burrow.
17:33Maybe some of these Drake Mays, Jaden Daniels, Dak, Caleb William guys who go in the fifth through sixth.
17:38Yeah, but what you should be thinking through is like what's the the cost of the stack.
17:44So if we look at Josh Allen and like let's just pick Drake May.
17:48OK, so AJ Brown and Drake May. You got to burn a second round pick to get AJ Brown where Josh Allen
17:54and DJ Moore or Josh Allen, Dalton Kincaid, whatever.
17:57Like you're not spent. You're getting a second round player instead of AJ Brown.
18:01So I don't really think it's that expensive of a price to spend on Josh Allen.
18:06And it honestly just doesn't even really matter what like where it's like.
18:10Look, if you want to full fade a player, that's a variance question.
18:14That's a risk tolerance question. To me, I think it's obviously no.
18:17I'm out at Josh Allen at a second round cost like that to me is just a little ridiculous.
18:23But I was doing a five five five yesterday.
18:26He felt to me to the back of the third.
18:29Sometimes he goes to the fourth. I think it's a no brainer to mix him in there, especially because you should be
18:35asking yourself like, can this be a guy you need to win the contest?
18:39Yeah. And the answer is so obviously yes, where he gets the Dolphins.
18:43Like can Josh Allen drop 40 against the Dolphins?
18:46Yes. Is that pretty realistic? Yes. Right. So to me, I'm not fading him.
18:50And then to your point, when I get Josh Allen, yeah, I can just take Josh Allen, Malik Willis, Josh Allen, Tyler Shuck, Josh Allen, CJ Stroud.
18:58And I don't need to fool around in this like round seven to 11 range where a lot of people are going three quarterback.
19:05What do you think your portfolio will end up as when you look at two versus three quarterback builds?
19:11Like how just just so people listening would like have an idea of where your head's at with sort of the, you know, the proportion of the two.
19:19I generally lean to QB. It's worse for advance rate.
19:22But it's like I don't care about advance rate as much as other people.
19:27Like I'm okay rolling up in December and people making fun of me and being like he only advanced 23 teams.
19:33Like that's not I'm not playing for looking good.
19:36Yeah. Week 15. I'm playing what I think is optimal to win the contest.
19:40And so, yeah, I will do three quarterback when it makes sense.
19:43Like say I have a Cardinal Tate and I already have Dart and Love and Cam Ward's there.
19:49Yeah, I'll mix it. I'll take him. But I'm not going to pass him if I think there's a literal difference maker at the position.
19:56Like I'm looking to go three quarterback more when it's like I have Malik Willis, Tyler Shuck.
20:01Yes, I really want a third on that because it's all like kind of mystery boxy.
20:06I personally like the Malik Willis bet, but it is uncertain.
20:09So I lean more to QB, but and I don't know exactly.
20:13Like I don't I'm also not such a nerd with it where I'm like I have 18 percent three.
20:18Like I'm just drafting each draft and that's what why best ball is great.
20:23It's like you draft you done. Let's find out who wins at the end of the year.
20:28Like I'm not using a caddy. I'm not going through like I know roughly who I'm taking in home now.
20:34When you refer to the playoff weeks, right? And you refer to the two quarterback build versus three quarterback.
20:39Is that something that you are saying I have outs at wide receiver running back in a stack that other people might
20:46not because they spent that on a quarter that that pick on a quarterback instead of boosting up or bolstering that or
20:53just another running back and wide receiver that could potentially hit.
20:56Or is it a larger roster construction thing also where you know that in, you know, if the meta right now is
21:02three quarterback and you know that a lot of these teams are three quarterback, you just have an inherent edge because there's
21:09there's just a different roster construction that you're using once you get to the playoffs.
21:13Yeah, I mean, I guess it does boil down to my core philosophy is hitting a difference maker at a skill position
21:20is more important than having a third quarterback. Yeah, and so yeah, look, does it suck when one of your quarterback gets
21:27hurt or both get hurt and you got a dead team?
21:30Sure, but you think of the guys who make you win this contest having another shot at getting Rashad Penny that year, Amon Ross St.
21:37Brown his rookie year? These are the things to me that decide who wins the contest and who doesn't.
21:43And we do see quarterbacks separate at times, of course.
21:46And so yeah, technically, you'll have another shot of that if you tack on Tua.
21:50But again, like I'm not panicked with it. Like as long as I have two guys, I feel reasonable.
21:56And it comes back to me from like your home league.
21:59Like pretend you have a home league, you have a good team, and your only quarterback is Jordan Love.
22:05You're not feeling like your team is like dead each week, right?
22:09Like, yeah, okay, you're not feeling great. But you got Jordan Love, you got a second guy.
22:14Reasonable, right? But yeah, I do want to have more shots at landing the difference maker, which to me comes at running back at White Al.
22:21For adults with Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis symptoms, every choice matters.
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23:25Neil Orfield. The thing that I always struggle with is then getting proper exposure based on what I think is the optimal
23:32strategy to take in some of these drafts. For instance, if you think going running back, running back is the way to
23:38go, especially if you're in the back half of the first round or something like that, which we'll get to in a second.
23:45If you think going running back, running back like that is optimal, then sure, you'll get some different iterations for the running backs that you're taking.
23:53But maybe you never get CeeDee Lamb, even though you probably want some exposure to CeeDee Lamb.
23:58Is that something that you're constantly thinking about in general?
24:01Is it something that you're thinking about right now in June?
24:04Or is it something that you worry about a little bit later in the season if you're doing something like the Millie
24:11where you know that you can kind of even out exposure as the summer goes on?
24:15Yeah. It's definitely something that I'm thinking about constantly, but it's not something that I'm acting on as much right now as it will be later on.
24:24Like you said, because you and I, we're going to be drafting all summer.
24:28We have time to even out our exposures if we want to.
24:31But generally, I think it's just draft to draft, just making the best pick for that draft.
24:36I think it's generally the correct approach because ADP is going to shift throughout the year and you're going to have different
24:43opportunities throughout the year because ADP shifts like we saw with, we've seen AJ Brown shift from a third round pick to a second round pick.
24:51And so it's better to get him in the third round.
24:54And you see that throughout the summer, all these different players are going to shift in their ADP.
24:59Now, the opposite example would be like, I'm not really taking Malik Neighbors right now, but I'm not worried about it because
25:06I think Malik Neighbors is going to move backwards later in the summer.
25:10We're going to be able to get him later.
25:13So I think generally, it's something that's always on my mind.
25:16What are my exposures looking at? Am I comfortable with these exposures?
25:19But I also know that ADP is going to shift over time.
25:23And also just like draft to draft, you can see even right now, if I do 10 drafts today, I can keep
25:30my rankings the exact same, but I'm going to have different opportunities draft to draft.
25:34So, you know, I might always be taking those running backs in the later rounds, but there's going to come a draft
25:41where like you say, CD Lamb, if you want to get CD Lamb, there's going to come a draft where CD Lamb
25:47is just going to fall to you at the 11 pick or something.
25:51So you can keep him ranked behind Justin Jefferson and Amon Ross St.
25:55Brown and Christian McCaffrey or whoever it is that you're taking over him.
25:59And you're going to have opportunities to draft him without reaching to take him ahead of players that you like better.
26:05So I don't worry about it that much right now.
26:08But yeah, once we get to August, if I'm like, you know, I don't really see a big separation between CD Lamb and Amon Ross St.
26:16Brown, then I might start just reach a little bit and take CD Lamb over Amon Ross St.
26:21Brown. But yeah, for now, I'm not really, you know, going out of my way to even out my exposures that much.
26:28Now, I say this, I think that that is the correct approach is to not do it that much.
26:33I do it some. I can't help it because there are players that I'm like, you know, I really don't feel that
26:40differently about like, I had this conversation with Corain last week, Teddero McMillan and Luther Burden.
26:45Like if I use his product, I'm always going to get Teddero McMillan ahead of Luther Burden.
26:50To me, it's not that clear that I like TMAC that much better than Luther Burden because I think there's pros and cons to both.
26:57So I might sometimes reach and take, you know, a burden over Teddero McMillan.
27:01Profiles like that where it's like, it's not that clear to me that this is a different tier of player.
27:07So I do sometimes reach a little bit, but I think that the correct approach is the, you know, let it work itself out over time.
27:15Yeah. Makes a lot of sense to me. So also this year we were, we're definitely seeing more people.
27:21I will say, I think that part of like the running back heavy discussion, which is why I love that you answered
27:27that first question with quarterback and not running back.
27:30Cause I think it's sort of like the default to talk about the running back, not to say that it's right or
27:37wrong, but I do think that it might be a little bit overblown.
27:41Like the idea that people are like going so crazy for running backs right now and such and like that, like it's
27:47so totally different than what we saw last year.
27:50I would argue that last year we still saw a decent amount of running backs going early in, in these drafts, especially
27:56because the year before that running back was actually pretty strong.
28:00And so we are seeing some, like, I think that part of it is the narrative of like some zero RB bros
28:06who are now touting, you know, going early around running back is making the entire industry be like, Oh man, like everyone's
28:13going early around running back now, which is probably true to a degree, but there's still some good wide receiver picks in there.
28:20But the meta has certainly shifted. Let's just say that let's say that people are more okay in drafting multiple running backs with their first couple of picks.
28:28So my question though, and this is one that I asked Liam last week as well, is this a year then to
28:35zig when everyone's zagging and go zero RB as people are more comfortable with a robust RB approach?
28:40I think that the correct approach is always to just take what the draft room gives you.
28:45So no, I don't think that it's necessarily the right year.
28:48Like, I don't think that you should be forcing zero RB this year because we don't have the same type of late
28:55round running backs that we used to have. So part of the reason that, you know, I was really in on zero RB.
29:02I mean, even last year when it didn't really work out for me was because I thought at least last year that
29:08there were tons of late round running backs that had really strong profiles.
29:12It was, you know, a really strong rookie running back draft class where you could get these rookie running backs late who
29:19should have a ton of upside, have some continued value.
29:22Now for me, I took all the wrong ones.
29:24I was taking Rashard Smith, Jarquez Hunter, et cetera, et cetera.
29:28But I know you started talking about Kyle Monunga late later on in the season after not really loving him early on.
29:34Woody Marks, like there were these running backs that you could get later on.
29:38So it made more sense to do more zero RB when there were stronger running backs later.
29:44Now you have a lot of the running backs that were, that are like young running backs that we see have a lot of upside.
29:51You can't really get them in the later rounds anymore.
29:54Like even last year, you could get like a Tyler Algier.
29:57So I, I love the running backs, particularly in basketball that have some standalone value.
30:02Like they don't need anything to happen and they're going to have some double digit scoring weeks, but then also have like awesome contingent upside.
30:09So last year it was like Tyler Algier or something happened to be John Robinson was going to be awesome.
30:15You just don't really have a ton of those guys later on.
30:19Um, so if you, and you need to score some running back points early on.
30:23So you really can't wait too long, I think to start drafting running backs.
30:27Now I still do some zero RB ish builds where I won't take a running back until like the seventh round, but
30:34it's tougher because we don't have, you know, a ton of these and you do have some like you could, I mean,
30:41Brian Robinson might be an example this year, replacing Tyler Algier in Atlanta.
30:44Who knows? Like you, you can, you can probably find some of those later on in drafts.
30:50We're going to have, who will have those, you know, 10 point weeks here and there throughout the season, even without an
30:56injury, but they're more difficult to find because people have gotten sharper about how to find the right running back profile.
31:02So like the running backs who have that, you know, uh, standalone value, Blake Corum is now going in the top 100
31:09bucks, Kyle Mononga going to the top 100 bucks.
31:12The, the type of running back that you used to maybe be able to get at like pick 140, 150, you can't get them there anymore.
31:19So it is to me more difficult to go zero RB this year than it has been in years past.
31:25But then the, you know, the, the tricky part there is it does feel like, you know, we, we have a lot
31:32of kind of aging running backs with a lot of miles on their legs at this point who are going in the early rounds.
31:39So it does feel like we're probably going to find some later round running backs who don't have a ton of standalone
31:46value, but probably do have massive contingent value behind Saquon, Barkley, Derek Henry, Jonathan Taylor, whatever.
31:50And name any of these running backs who are veterans who have a ton of miles on them.
31:56Um, but to me, it's like, you can, you can still go after some of those backup running backs without going zero
32:02RB because it's like, I just think that the tough part is you do need to get points early in the season to, to advance your team.
32:10You need to get some points from running back early on.
32:14And it's tougher to find those running backs who are going to score early points later in drafts this year.
32:20So I'm doing, I'm, I am doing some zero RB, but I'm not taking it to the extreme that I've done in
32:26past years where it's like, I'm not taking a running back till the 10th or 11th round.
32:31Like to me, zero RB now is like sixth or seventh round when I started taking running backs.
32:37Yeah. Yeah. Agreed. Are there any middle or late round backs that you've really gravitated towards over on DK?
32:42Yeah. I mean, a lot of the ones, um, that I mentioned, you know, I've, I've taken a fair amount of, uh, Blake Corum, Kyle Monongai.
32:50Um, the one that I'm really in, in the middle rounds that I've gravitated toward is Jonathan Brooks.
32:55I just, I can't, can't get enough Jonathan Brooks.
32:58Um, just, uh, I think I've just memory wiped the past two years and just like, you know, he was so exciting
33:05a couple of years ago coming in. And, uh, I don't know, like I'm not a doctor.
33:10I don't know how to read the medical reports.
33:13And I think like, depending on who you read, you're going to get a different vantage point on like Jonathan Brooks outlook this year.
33:20Like, did he have, did he actually tear his ACL twice or was it a repair the second time and he's good to go now?
33:27I don't know that stuff, but I know that there are some people, some, you know, Twitter doctors, uh, who believe Jonathan
33:34Brooks should be good to go at this point should be healthy.
33:37And then we just get such bullish coach speak on Jonathan Brooks.
33:41Um, that kind of leads me to believe that like, you don't really need an injury ahead of him to, to tube
33:47Hubbard for Jonathan Brooks to take over as the top running back on a team that really wants to run the ball.
33:54Um, so, so to me, Jonathan Brooks is, is kind of that mid range running back that I've really gravitated toward now
34:01he is, he's getting a little bit more difficult as he gets closer to the Blake Corum and common on that.
34:07Cause to me, like that's kind of the, the tier that he belongs in.
34:11Now, I, I do think that he has a probably better odds than either of those two to take on like the,
34:18the one, a role without an injury. But I think that they have probably a stronger hold on the, or, you know,
34:24we're, we're sure of their floor, like as the one B for a guy like common on guy, like corn.
34:30So to me, that's kind of the right range for Jonathan Brooks, uh, until we hear something more bullish.
34:36Um, and, and he's moving kind of in that direction, but he has not quite gotten there yet.
34:41So I've been drafting just a ton of Jonathan Brooks.
34:44Nez takes what's been the most common build for you this year over on draftings.
34:49Yeah, right now it's been, uh, and this kind of hurts me cause I am like a contrarian by nature, but I
34:55am doing a lot of hyper fragile, the four to five running back builds right now, it just makes so much sense
35:02in the current meta to, to do that. And especially on draft Kings, a PPR website where you can really just backfill
35:08those wide receiver spots with volume and just, you know, get lucky, catch one of these guys on, on a, on a game where they catch a touchdown.
35:17Uh, it just makes so much more sense than taking bets on those late round running backs that really need contingency value
35:23to, to pay off for the most part. I mean, maybe some of these guys have their own standalone role that we haven't really seen yet.
35:31You know, there's some rookies, there's Marshawn Lloyd back there, but really, really feel more comfortable drafting the, the, the wide receivers
35:38late and tight ends late as opposed to the running backs.
35:41But I, I would love for it to be a zero RB year because everybody's convinced that it's not, it's just pretty
35:47hard to do so right now, but I'm still trying.
35:50I'm still trying. That's how I feel too. Like I'm still throwing out some zero RB teams because I don't want to
35:57miss it if, cause like realistically, I've been doing a lot of research for the, for my draft guide.
36:03The last two years at running back have been sort of the most predictive years that we've seen at the position over the last, like, like 15 years.
36:11Like it's been very, very strong whether that's due to injury, but I also think like the NFL meta is playing into
36:18that a little bit with just it being more run.
36:21It has also been the most run heavy years over that timeframe as well, which kind of like not be as much
36:27target share going to running max because it's feeding into tight ends, but they at least are seeing more work on the ground to kind of combat that.
36:35Whereas wide receiver, they're just not. And so you get sort of like a flatness at wide receiver.
36:41And so, yeah, I mean, I'm, I'm in the same boat where like, it just, you feel so uncomfortable this year more than ever going zero RB.
36:49And I think maybe the market's a little bit sharper too.
36:52Have you, have you noticed that? Like, do you think that the running back market is slightly sharper with like the player
36:59takes that we're seeing out there and just like, you know, like a backfield where you have like a Ramondre and Travion,
37:05like two guys that are middle round picks. It feels like a Ramondre historically might've been ahead of where Travion's going, but it's just not happening this year.
37:14Yeah, no, I think you absolutely have to admit that the, that the field is getting sharper.
37:19You know, as, as best while it goes on, you are clearly seeing adaptations to, to the draft boards right now.
37:25And that the running backs are a prime example of it.
37:28But I think guys are very appropriately priced in terms of roles that they have or have had in recent memory, plus
37:35factoring in how many high value touches a guy has in an offense and baking in that uncertainty of the situation, like
37:41very appropriately, in my opinion, like that late second round just loaded with running backs that all have like different forms of
37:48upside in terms of touchdown equity versus, versus their role, especially as a pass catcher on, on draft Kings as well.
37:54I think the field's gotten pretty sharp at identifying who the strong running backs are and how to, how to value them appropriately, like across, across the board.
38:03And it feels like, like, do you have a, I mean, I'm sure you have like some like favorites in like the,
38:09you know, round nine to 11 to 12, whatever the case may be, you know, like, we'll just dub them like later ish type picks.
38:17Um, but at the same time, does it not feel like once those like year two guys are off the board, especially
38:23in like round five, you know, like the Tootins, the Travions, if you want to throw them in there though, I've, I've
38:30personally been drafting more Romandre than Travion, but like those types of players, it feels like there's just a, a big like
38:36drop in, in projected production after those guys. Do you feel that too?
38:40A hundred percent. Like you are, you are buying points for sure.
38:44Like you're able to buy points at, at, at those picks is, you know, I did not like I came up with
38:50that term myself, but that's how I, that's how I think of it.
38:54Right. When I'm drafting running backs in that range, I know I'm going to get some points from those running backs.
39:01Once you get past and like Alvin Kamara is like shooting up draft boards right now, which like I would agree with,
39:07it does sound like he's going to have a good role in that offense, which would be great for a PPR.
39:13As soon as you get past him, like in round like 14 on at that point, you're just like buying hope and
39:20the hope that like these guys have something that happens to their, to their running mate that allows them to ascend to RB one status.
39:27And there are some decent bets there. Some that are certainly better than others that can, I think have that I have
39:34the confidence in them, assuming that strong RB one role, if that situation takes place.
39:38But at that point though, like, yeah, these guys are not guaranteed to score points.
39:43And for me that, that, that means something, right?
39:46You, I think there is definitely something to that where, you know, the probabilities are not in your favor for those guys
39:52to hit, but we are well aware of the upside.
39:55If that does take place. Yeah. Yeah. A hundred percent.
39:58If we're looking at the early rounds, do you have any guys that you've been generally fading this year or are you sort of like spreading out exposure?
40:07Like, I guess you could also talk about how you've approached that historically.
40:10Cause I think a lot of people are always curious about like, you know, do you want that 4% blanket for everybody,
40:17you know, in the first couple of rounds, because it's, it's a more comfortable way to sort of approach things.
40:23Yeah, no, I've always taken a pretty strong stance and in the first two rounds of drafts last year, just to kind
40:30of toot my own horn, pat my back here.
40:32I faded Brian Thomas jr. Pretty heavily. I faded Bucky Irving pretty heavily in favor of guys like Derek Henry and Jonathan Taylor.
40:39Just thinking like, wow, these guys have like really, really strong profiles as running backs.
40:44And I can, I can build out teams that I think give me better expected value.
40:48Then if I, you know, took some of these other, some of these other risks this year, I I'm, I'm doing the same thing.
40:55I'm taking some, some, some fades here. The two fades that, that are the strongest for me.
41:01And I think this might come off as spicy is a Jonathan Taylor and a, and Saquon Barkley this year.
41:07These guys to me, I think have some, some concerns, different concerns for each Saquon.
41:11For me, the concern is, is that explosiveness still there that we saw two years ago that really just did not show itself last year.
41:18Can we fully put that on the, on the old OC?
41:22I'm not entirely convinced on top of the fact that he's going to lose a lot of these goal line touchdowns.
41:28That, that is so massive that like him compared to Derek Henry, Derek Henry's getting that rock.
41:33Saquon's not man. And that, that to me really, really hurts the ceiling there.
41:37And, and the JT bear case for me is just, are we 100% certain that Daniel Jones can not only come back
41:44at full health, but do what he did last year.
41:47Right. I, I, I've been a Daniel Jones defender.
41:50I thought that he had some, some pretty good seasons in New York, but the truth of the matter is that he's pretty inconsistent.
41:57And if he can't read, if he can't do what he did last year, it's a cascading effect on that offense.
42:03And it starts with Jonathan Taylor's ability to be who he was last year, even though he has obviously such amazing skill
42:10and can break long runs, even no matter who's at quarterback.
42:13But Daniel, it's hard to deny that Daniel Jones was a big reason why he was so successful last year.
42:19Yeah. I mean, I agree. I mean, you can even look at the splits right after, after Jones went down and it was just disastrous.
42:26I mean, everyone who had Jonathan Taylor, they were like, Oh, I got the league winner.
42:31And then it just, it just went to the crapper because the offense just, just was horrible.
42:36Right. And that's, I, I definitely more so for me with the, the Taylor take the, the Saquon take, I've still been
42:43taking Saquon, not, I'm not overexposed, but like still drafting him.
42:46But the, the, the, the difference too, is that like, there's a difference in costs.
42:50Like even though it's four or five picks is significant because with Jonathan Taylor, I think Aminra only just started to, to
42:57officially go ahead of him in ADP. And to me, like St.
43:01Brown, I'm taking him over, over Jonathan Taylor all day, based on, based on what his floor ceiling combo looks like.
43:07And I mean, he just also just projects really well.
43:10Uh, Aminra St. Brown does, but the JT stuff, it's hard for me to really see a significant amount of significant gap
43:16in projection from him to the bottom of that round two tier with, with some of those runs, like a Derrick Henry, let's say, right?
43:24Like, is there, is there truly, truly yet JT will probably catch a few more passes and, and, and be more of
43:30a plus in the, in the passing game. And yes, you know, there's, there's less competition for him on that team.
43:37But like, realistically, we know Derrick Henry's in the better environment, like locked in better environment.
43:41You know, like you said, you had to, you have to, you have to play into this Daniel Jones thing a little
43:48bit to really buy into Jonathan Taylor. And so to me, it's like that tier almost starts to begin with Jonathan Taylor.
43:55And you just don't want to be drafting at the top of that tier in the end.
44:00A hundred percent. That that's really where I'm at is like, he is sneaky in that tier.
44:05And because there's a gap between him and the next RB and that range, it feels like he's not, and it feels
44:11like you're supposed to take Jonathan Taylor. But in reality, the projections are not that different.
44:16And I think that's where stands can really come into play.
44:19It's risky. But at the end of the day, like if you're, if you're playing DFS and you have a guy that
44:26is more expensive, but projects the same as a guy that is cheaper in cost, you're probably going to take the guy that's cheaper in cost.
44:34So you can really make some outside bets, outsized bets in basketball using those, those principles.
44:38And that, that's what I like to do. I like to take some risks and flush things through like that.
44:44For adults with Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis symptoms, every choice matters.
44:48Tremphaya offers self-injection or intravenous infusion from the start.
44:51Tremphaya is administered as injections under the skin or infusions through a vein every four weeks, followed by injections under the skin every four or eight weeks.
44:59If your doctor decides that you can self-inject Tremphaya, proper training is required.
45:03Tremphaya is a prescription medicine used to treat adults with moderately to severely active Crohn's disease and adults with moderately to severely active ulcerative colitis.
45:10Serious allergic reactions, increased risk of infections or lower ability to fight them and liver problems may occur.
45:15Before treatment, get checked for infections and tuberculosis. Tell your doctor if you have an infection, flu-like symptoms or need a vaccine.
45:22Explore what's possible. Ask your doctor about Tremphaya today.
45:25Call 1-800-526-7736 to learn more or visit TremphayaRadio.com. Lowe's knows Sundays are for football.
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45:48Best Ball Guy, what do you think for people who are maybe getting into, you know, dipping their toes into Best Ball a little bit?
45:55What do you think folks get wrong when thinking about season long and then going into Best Ball?
46:01And what are some of the pitfalls there? Yeah, so I was imagining someone coming over from, you know, a redraft landscape
46:07into Best Ball for the first time. And one of the things that I think that people need to realize about Best
46:14Ball is you're playing a you're playing a massive tournament here.
46:17That is really the big difference here is you have these tens of thousands to hundreds of thousand person contests.
46:23And essentially, you cannot add and drop players, right?
46:26That's the major difference with Best Ball. So you need to plan your teams to have not only the firepower for the
46:32late season, which can come sometimes from those, you know, handcuffed running backs, rookie wide receivers, stuff like that.
46:38But you also need to be careful about the fact that you can't add and drop players.
46:43You need to also try to not take zeros on your roster.
46:47So it's really this game of building teams that don't have zeros, but also yet have upside baked into some of these
46:53profiles that can break out late and give you that like late season hammer.
46:57You really want to look down at a team in Best Ball that advances through the regular season into week 15 that
47:04has like, you know, these really fun rookies that are recently breaking out or you do have the, you know, the Bucky
47:10Irving of 2024 who has taken over the backfield that you got in the 15th round and is starting now on your roster, that kind of thing.
47:18Yeah. You know, I was thinking about this. I was actually doing a live stream last week and we always hear the phrase better in Best Ball, right?
47:27Where like these players are better in a Best Ball environment than they are in a season long environment.
47:32And I think that when people, and to your point, I think that the way that people think about that is almost
47:39backwards because they often think, oh, I need like, of course you need spiked, spike ceilings and weekly ceilings and such.
47:45But I also think that like, they're not thinking about it.
47:49Like, like for instance, Chris Rodriguez, right? Or Jordan Mason types.
47:52Like those, those types of like early down grinders where they're, they're ceiling from a receiving perspective.
47:57Isn't that, that crazy. I don't really mind like a Jordan Mason is whatever.
48:01I mean, it's late enough that I'm not going to really like care if someone like has like a really hardcore stance on these guys.
48:09But realistically, like a Jordan Mason type, I'm probably going to like more in a Best Ball environment than I am in
48:15a season long environment because, because there's going to just be some production from those players, but we might not know when that production is going to come.
48:24And so I think that there's also like, to your point of not taking zeros, like those players that we typically are
48:30like, Oh, I don't really care about that guy.
48:33Cause like, even in my draft guide every year, I'm just like, get the guys that have ceiling only worry about ceiling.
48:39And that's what you should be doing. But you actually do have to think about the floor for these players and not
48:46just draft, you know, Nick Singleton over and over again, because there's a chance that Singleton's a zero this year.
48:52Like that's a very distinct possibility. Not to say that he can't be something.
48:56I still have drafted him, but you have to check yourself a little bit and make sure that you're not overweight on
49:03some of those players that the way that you kind of see things too.
49:07Yeah. I, you know, and I'm, I'm fine. If you want to be overweight on Nick Singleton, like call your shot on
49:13these late round guys, of course, but absolutely. I think every single year, the, the staple of having good advance rates are the middle round running back hits.
49:22Like they could be Jordan Mason or Chris Rodriguez this year.
49:25I mean, we saw it with like, um, ETN.
49:28I don't know if we want to say HN junior, but, uh, you know, ETN Javante Williams last year, these guys were the same exact bets, right?
49:36Kind of grinder backs on kind of ambiguous backfields away.
49:39I guess those, yeah, they are ambiguous. Yeah. I would say tootin's an ambiguous, uh, you know, player right now.
49:45So yeah, it's like, these guys can be massive advance rate pieces.
49:48So absolutely. But in the same, in the same, right, you can still mix in a really fun upside pick like Nick
49:55Singleton at the end of your drafts. Yeah. So I always try to like balance the, all right, how, how risky was
50:01I in some of these profiles earlier on in terms of getting guys that might be zeros.
50:07And then, you know, late, like there was a draft.
50:10I drafted Zach Charbonnet, which I haven't gotten a lot of Charbonnet, but it was a, you know, he fell whatever.
50:16And then I was contemplating, I was in chat and actually emo was watching.
50:20Uh, so shout out toxic tower, but, uh, emo was, was watching the stream and it was the 20th round and I'm
50:27sitting there and I'm like, should I go running back or wide receiver?
50:30And emo was like, you should go running. And he made a great point.
50:35He's like, you like, cause I, I let the chat kind of vote which direction I go in.
50:40And he's like, you gotta get running back because we can't assume that Charbonnet, you know, is, is healthy.
50:46You know, he could be a zero realistically. And so I ended up going running back in that case, just to get
50:52a little bit more beef, you know, at the position after potentially taking some of those zeros.
50:57All right. With that being, with, with all that being said, what's one of the more overlooked thoughts or, or strategies you
51:04think, uh, that more people should be aware of with best ball?
51:07Yeah. So this one, I wanted to relate it to my DK Millie maker finals team last year.
51:13Um, and I'm just going to say it's unique pairings.
51:16I think last year in this, this, sometimes the unique pairings come in two ways.
51:20Sometimes it's a forced unique pairing where I go.
51:23Gentie at the term, but I pull up Nico Collins or something like something where the ADPs don't line up whatsoever.
51:29Or if you're in a spot and this actually happened to me in a draft last night, but last year I was
51:36able to go Amin raw and then Puka fell back to me.
51:39I don't remember if this was during the, the Matt Stafford back problem kind of thing, but the Amin raw Puka combo
51:46last year accelerated that entire team into the finals.
51:49So I think having that unique pairing can be a big lever to pull once you get to the finals.
51:55So in, this is kind of a, there's two ways to think about this, right?
51:59You can either force the unique pairing or if you're in the middle rounds, like if you get pick six through nine,
52:06kind of, you can almost go off of the top of ADP.
52:09And last night I was doing a Millie maker and I got Amin raw at nine and or 10, and then lamb
52:16fell all the way back to me. And that, that in my head, I was like, that is the exact, almost the
52:22exact same feeling is how it felt when Puka fell back to me with Amin raw on that team that got me there.
52:29So I would say that, or one other thing would be winning the flex.
52:33And I think this one might be more actionable, but I think, I think people take quarterback and tight end too early, to be honest with you.
52:41And I think grabbing the strongest possible wide receiver running backs oftentimes make the strongest teams winning the flex.
52:47Those, those, um, those two positions up at the top of the board, those guys have the best chance of breaking out.
52:54Whereas you can find later round quarterbacks later around tight ends that can be the big hits for the season.
53:00So when you, when you talk about unique combos and specifically with the Millie, is that something that you're doing immediately now?
53:06Or are you waiting maybe until like August to make sure that ADP settled a little bit?
53:11I'm, I'm waiting till August. Great question. Yeah, definitely waiting till August.
53:15Um, we know news can move stuff around. I would say maybe, you know, if you're, if you're running, if you're doing
53:21all 150, you know, you get, get that itch during the summer.
53:25Um, you know, mix it up a little bit cause you don't think Nico Collins is going to move anywhere or whatever.
53:32But as we know, uh, guys get in legal trouble, they get injured.
53:35You know, there's not really too many reasons why guys rise all that much, but they can definitely fall.
53:41So I do like to wait till August, I think doing the majority of my expensive drafts.
53:46I like to do them in August in general.
53:49Yeah. Yeah. Do you find another thing that I, and this is completely like, it's kind of related, but if you get
53:55that, like Amin Ross CD lamb start. Okay. And you're like, you're like, Oh, this is sick.
54:01Like this, this could go really, really well. And like, let's say round three falls into place too.
54:06Do you find yourself? And this is a completely subjective opinionated thing.
54:09Like, I don't think there's a real answer. Maybe you feel like there is a real answer, but.
54:15Do you feel like when you get a start like that, you then force the issue and just get your favorite plays
54:21from then on out because you really want that lineup to like, like you're like, all right, I already, I already hit
54:28the jackpot early on with these first three rounds.
54:31I'm just going to get the dudes that I think are going to hit.
54:35Cause obviously we have our favorites, right? I'm just going to get the dudes that I think are going to hit.
54:41Therefore, this could just be the lineup that, that I'm going to sort of like, hold on to and say, this could
54:48be the one that, that brings it home this year.
54:51Definitely. Definitely. I mean, I think more through a, like a structure standpoint.
54:55So I'm like, okay, I have almond raw CD lamb.
54:58I have the wide receiver one and two on the season.
55:01Like think about it like that. So then, then I started building my draft backwards in my head.
55:06Um, it's like this team obviously is going to need running back points.
55:10Let's it's like, let's just make sure this team advances because you don't screw this up because people don't have almond raw lamb in the finals.
55:18They like that. That combo is so rare and unique.
55:21Like I said, it's such a big lever that I'm pulling that, you know, maybe it is different on draft Kings.
55:27Maybe that is common. Sorry. If it's not, I've only done 15 DK millie makers.
55:32No, no. Look, it's not, it's not a very super, super common thing.
55:35I mean, like lamb will fall at times just because people on, on DK will be pretty wild.
55:41Uh, you know, it's okay. Once you turn, but it's not, I would not call it a common start.
55:47Yeah. Yeah. Well, I would just say once you get it, just make sure you can advance it from there.
55:52So back to, let's make sure we get running back points.
55:56I think in the third, I went with maybe ETN or something, just trying to get some, some starting running back points like that.
56:03Yeah. Like ETN, Scadabo in the fourth, whatever. But yeah, that's all I'm thinking through.
56:07I don't, I'm also thinking like it would be super ideal to get Dak or golf on this team.
56:13Maybe even both like just fully commit to those two offenses.
56:16Um, but that's really all I'm thinking is, uh, let's, let's get this team to the two week 15 where no one
56:23has this combo and I'm going to have it.
56:26Yeah. Yeah. Let's not screw it up. And I think like, it's, it's also just like, let's make sure we don't get screwed at quarterback.
56:33Right. And like, just like reach a little bit just to make sure that when that quarterback run inevitably happens that we
56:40don't, we don't screw ourselves over, which is my gosh, just a side rant.
56:44I had Puka and Devante last night and someone took naked Stafford way above ADP.
56:48And it's the most tilting thing on the planet.
56:51It is. It absolutely is. And to speak to your point, someone took Dak one pick before me with no, with no
56:58cowboy just on that team in the seventh round.
57:00I was like, yeah. Although the great Adam Levitan has noted that as tilting as those instances are, it's great that we're
57:07drafting with people that do that because that means that, that rooms aren't as sharp.
57:11Right. So it's, yeah. But when you think of it, that it stings, it sucks.
57:16It does. But then, you know, you, you fall back on that idea and you're like, all right, I'll, I'll take it over the long run.
57:24Yeah. And to my earlier point, it's also like it opened up this ability to be like, all right, it's still the seventh round.
57:31Like, let me take another usable running back here.
57:33I get Jalen Warren, who might be this year's Kenneth Gainwell on this team instead.
57:38So let's go that route. This is Tab Ramos from Inside American Soccer.
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