8 Fantasy Football FADES & Must Draft Targets with Nelson Sousa
STACKED extracted the fantasy-relevant player signal from this video and kept the full transcript here for context.
50 min
Duration
Estimated from transcript
Jul 10, 2026
Published
Fri, July 10, 2026
59
Player insights
32
Players mentioned
Topics
A.J. BrownRashee RiceChristian McCaffreyJonathon BrooksDe'Von AchaneJalen CokerLamar JacksonDrake MayePatrick MahomesAmon-Ra St. BrownAntonio WilliamsBrian Thomas Jr.Brock PurdyCaleb Williams
Player analysis
Player insights
A.J. Brown
PositiveRole0:22
AJ Brown fills a critical need in the Patriots offense as an alpha go-to receiver, a role that was missing last year with Stefon Diggs and other receivers not being true alpha options.
Insight pagePositiveBreakout0:22
AJ Brown is highly ranked and positioned for a breakout season with the Patriots, with potential for 12,300+ yards and double-digit touchdowns, potentially finishing as a top-3 or even WR1 if chemistry with Drake May develops.
Insight pagePositiveUsage0:23
AJ Brown is projected to receive around 150-160 targets in the Patriots offense, positioning him in the conversation with top receivers like Chase and Puka.
Insight pagePositiveMatchup0:24
The Patriots scheme is perfect for AJ Brown, as New England led the NFL in plays per game that went for 20+ yards, providing explosive play opportunities.
Insight pagePositiveProjection0:24
Historical precedent suggests AJ Brown could lead the league in touchdowns, as Josh McDaniels' offenses have produced WR touchdown leaders: Randy Moss with 20+ TDs and DeVante Adams with 14 TDs.
Insight pagePositiveRole0:24
Josh McDaniels compared AJ Brown to Rob Gronkowski, signaling his importance in the red zone and overall offensive scheme.
Insight pagePositiveProjection0:24
Brown could average five to six more points per game than Stefan Diggs did last year (12.5 PPG), with potential to reach the 160 target range in the Patriots offense.
Insight pagePositiveMatchup0:24
New England led the NFL in plays per game that went for 20+ yards, providing explosive play opportunities for Brown in the red zone.
Insight pagePositiveRole0:24
Josh McDaniels compared Brown to Rob Gronkowski, signaling his importance in the offense. McDaniels has a history of elevating star receivers—Randy Moss led the NFL in TDs (20+) and DeVante Adams led in TDs (14) under his schemes.
Insight pagePositiveValue0:25
Nelson Sousa is willing to take AJ Brown sixth or seventh overall, right after Amanra, over CeeDee Lamb and Justin Jefferson due to better offensive situation and quarterback play.
Insight pageAmon-Ra St. Brown
PositiveSleeper0:47
Amon-Ra St. Brown was identified as exceptional rookie value when available as a 13th rounder/day three pick, delivering league-winning value down the stretch his rookie year.
Insight pageAntonio Williams
PositiveSleeper0:48
Antonio Williams is a rookie with a great landing spot in Washington who has reasonable price in redraft and could play himself into a big role behind McLaren during training camp.
Insight pageBrian Thomas Jr.
PositiveBreakout0:45
Brian Thomas is an explosive wide receiver with gamebreaker potential that the Jaguars offense needs, and he's being drafted much later than last year (50s-60s range) making him a bounce-back candidate from his rookie season.
Insight pageBrock Purdy
PositiveValue0:17
Brock Purdy is part of a group of quarterbacks Nelson really loves in the mid-round range.
Insight pageCaleb Williams
PositiveValue0:17
Caleb Williams is part of a group of quarterbacks Nelson really loves in the mid-round range.
Insight pageCeeDee Lamb
NegativeUsage0:26
George Pickens outscored Lamb last year, and while Lamb will likely lead Dallas in points per game at WR, his ceiling is limited compared to AJ Brown.
Insight pageChris Godwin
PositiveRole0:31
Chris Godwin is fine as a fallback option if you get stuck at wide receiver, but his best ball is behind him with Eggbuka positioned as the primary target in Tampa Bay.
Insight pageChristian McCaffrey
NegativeBust0:00
Nelson Sousa is fading Christian McCaffrey at cost in 2026 drafts, betting on regression due to inefficient rushing performance and expected decreased passing volume with Mike Evans and Ricky Perol added to the offense.
Insight pageNegativeUsage0:00
McCaffrey's value was primarily in receptions last year, and with Mike Evans and Ricky Perol healthy, San Francisco wants to reduce his workload, meaning decreased passing volume is expected.
Insight pagePositiveProjection0:03
McCaffrey's explosiveness metrics were lower than in previous seasons, with a lower percentage of plays resulting in explosive gains despite high volume of opportunities.
Insight pageNegativeProjection0:04
McCaffrey is on the fades list as part of a concerning trend where RB1 overall has been 27 or older for three of the last four years, with McCaffrey achieving RB1 overall at age 29 last year.
Insight pageChuba Hubbard
NegativeBust0:36
Despite a strong 2024 fantasy season with high win rates, Chuba Hubbard lacks the pass-catching ability and explosiveness of Jonathan Brooks, ranking 46th among running backs in explosive plays (10+ yard rushes and 20+ yard catches combined).
Insight pageDak Prescott
PositiveValue0:17
Dak Prescott is part of a group of quarterbacks Nelson really loves in the mid-round range.
Insight pageDe'Von Achane
NegativeBust0:05
Nelson Sousa is fading Devon Achane at cost in 2026 drafts, despite Achane averaging 20+ points per game last year with 1,300+ rushing yards.
Insight pageNegativeRole0:06
Achane's value is heavily dependent on checkdown volume from his QB, and Malik Willis has a concerning tendency to tuck and run rather than check down to running backs when plays break down.
Insight pageNegativeMatchup0:07
Miami is projected to win only 4.5 games (lowest in the NFL), creating an unfavorable offensive environment for Achane despite the potential for playing from behind.
Insight pageDrake Maye
PositiveProjection0:16
Nelson is really high on Drake May this year and is expecting big things out of that offense, planning to target him more than other quarterbacks.
Insight pagePositiveProjection0:24
Drake May had a solid first year in the McDaniels offense and is expected to have better chemistry with AJ Brown this season, though he lacks buzz and enthusiasm in draft discussions.
Insight pageJalen Coker
PositiveBreakout0:27
Nelson Sousa ranks Jalen Coker as a middle-of-the-second-round guy and compares him to last year's JSN, expecting him to be this year's breakout second-year receiver.
Insight pagePositiveRole0:28
With Mike Evans gone and injuries to Coker and Baker Mayfield resolved, Coker should see increased opportunity in the Buccaneers offense this season.
Insight pagePositiveProjection0:28
Coker started last year as WR4-5 in fantasy, averaging 20 PPG through the first five weeks before injuries derailed his season, showing elite early-season production potential.
Insight pageJared Goff
PositiveValue0:17
Jared Goff gets no love but is solid every year; Nelson likes him in the mid-round quarterback range.
Insight pageJavonte Williams
PositiveProjection0:34
Javante Williams is cited as a comparable example to Jonathan Brooks—both talented players who suffered ACL injuries and subsequent injuries before eventually finding success in new situations.
Insight pageJayden Daniels
PositiveValue0:17
Jaden Daniels is part of a group of quarterbacks Nelson really loves in the mid-round range.
Insight pageJaylen Waddle
PositiveValue0:27
You can start your draft with a running back and get AJ Brown in round two in most formats, potentially pairing a top-five RB scorer with a top-three WR scorer.
Insight pageJonathon Brooks
PositiveBreakout0:34
Nelson Sousa identifies Jonathan Brooks as one of his must-draft targets, expecting his talent to rise to the top in Carolina's offense despite potential early committee work, similar to how Javante Williams eventually took over in Dallas.
Insight pagePositiveBreakout0:34
Brooks has elite draft profile and talent, with immaculate vibes in Carolina from coaches, beat reporters, and former player Jonathan Stewart (who endorsed buying his jersey), signaling a potential return to form after two years of injuries.
Insight pagePositiveValue0:36
Jonathan Brooks was the first running back selected in the 2024 draft class and offers unbelievable value on platforms like Underdog, Sleeper, and ESPN, though the discount is already gone on NFC and FFPC where he's going 20+ picks ahead of Chuba Hubbard.
Insight pagePositiveRole0:37
Dave Canales is a running back whisperer who has consistently gotten strong production from his RB1, and Brooks is expected to be that guy in Carolina's offense.
Insight pageJosh Jacobs
PositiveProjection0:42
Sousa references Josh Jacobs' 2023 season with the Raiders as inspiration for the hero RB strategy, noting that Jacobs was heavily soured on by the fantasy community and went for free in drafts despite later producing strong results.
Insight pageJustin Herbert
PositiveValue0:17
Justin Herbert is available late in reddraft leagues (round 10-11) and is QB5 overall in NFC formats, representing good value.
Insight pageKenneth Walker III
PositiveRole0:20
Kenneth Walker is expected to be the focal point of the Chiefs offense in a bellcow running back role, with the team investing significant money to shift the offense and protect Mahomes.
Insight pageLamar Jackson
NegativeBust0:12
Nelson Sousa is fading Lamar Jackson due to concerns about reduced rushing volume under new offensive coordinator Declan Doyle. He believes Lamar's fantasy value comes from his legs (800+ rushing yards), and if he runs less and becomes primarily a pocket passer, he won't be worth his current ADP despite being QB2-QB4 depending on league scoring.
Insight pageNegativeProjection0:15
If Lamar Jackson's rushing production falls from his recent 915 yards (2024) to the 500-600 range, it would significantly diminish his fantasy value, making him a poor bet despite his outlier 41 touchdown pass season.
Insight pageNegativeProjection0:15
If Lamar Jackson's rushing production falls from 915 yards in 2024 to the 500-600 range, it's a really tough outlook; his 41 touchdown pass season doesn't feel like a good bet to repeat.
Insight pageMiles Sanders
NegativeBust0:35
Miles Sanders is characterized as 'just a jag' who was eventually displaced by Jonathan Brooks's superior talent in Carolina's backfield.
Insight pageParker Washington
NegativeValue0:45
Parker Washington is being overdrafted this year despite having chemistry with Lawrence; he lacks the explosiveness and gamebreaker ability of Brian Thomas.
Insight pagePatrick Mahomes
PositiveProjection0:19
Mahomes is coming off an ACL injury and expected to run less, which may lead to more man coverage from opposing defenses and a shift toward more running plays and fewer passing plays for the Chiefs.
Insight pageNegativeProjection0:19
With Patrick Mahomes coming off an ACL injury and running less, the Chiefs may run the ball more and throw less, which could impact passing game volume.
Insight pagePuka Nacua
PositiveSleeper0:48
Puka Nacua was a late-round rookie draft pick who delivered significant value, similar to Amon-Ra St. Brown's rookie season success.
Insight pageRashee Rice
NegativeBust0:18
Nelson is fading Rashee Rice because he has spurts of success but hasn't been consistently great; he struggles against man coverage while defenses may play more man coverage against the Chiefs with Mahomes coming off an ACL injury and running less.
Insight pageNegativeBust0:20
Rice is a fade due to high ADP (end of second round) and a changing Chiefs offense that will be more Kenneth Walker-centric with less passing volume, especially with Mahomes coming off ACL injury and expected to run less.
Insight pageNegativeRole0:20
The Chiefs offense will shift to a Kenneth Walker-centric approach rather than repeating last year's Rashee Rice PPR-heavy usage, as the team paid Walker to be a bellcow back and protect Mahomes.
Insight pageNegativeValue0:20
Rashee Rice's ADP is pretty high (end of second round) but Nelson thinks there are other wide receivers in better spots; he's also coming off injury.
Insight pageNegativeBust0:21
Off-field issues with Rice are a negative factor, including rehab complications during a jail stint in the summer.
Insight pageTrevor Lawrence
PositiveValue0:17
Trevor Lawrence is part of a group of quarterbacks Nelson really loves in the mid-round range, available in round 11 in some reddraft leagues.
Insight pageZac Stacy
PositiveSleeper0:08
Zack Stacy was a waiverwire pickup who won leagues for people in his breakout year, but Nelson learned to avoid similar players the following year when they become expensive in drafts.
Insight pageZamir White
PositiveRole0:42
Sousa notes that during the Josh Jacobs year with the Raiders, Zamir White was heavily favored by the fantasy community as the preferred back, but Jacobs ultimately proved to be the better fantasy option.
Insight pageZay Flowers
PositiveProjection0:14
Zay Flowers should benefit from increased pass volume under new offensive coordinator Declan Doyle, though there are some concerns about the overall offense transitioning from Todd Monken's system.
Insight pageFull transcript
Episode Transcript
0:06Which players should fantasy managers be fading in 2026 fantasy football drafts?
0:11I'm Theo Griminger, Roto Wire Fantasy Football, joined today by Nelson Susa of FTN, who just dropped his fades list.
0:19He's going to reveal a couple of players from that fades list here. And we'll start off right from the top. Last
0:25year's RB1 overall, Christian McAffrey is the biggest name at right at the top of the list. Why are you fading Christian McCaffrey at cost in 2026
0:36fantasy football drafts?
0:38>> Uh, I'm betting on regression. I think that his workload that he had last year, um, usually those running backs always
0:47regress when they have that type of workload. And I didn't think that he was particularly very efficient when running the ball. Uh all his value was in
0:56receptions, which there's nothing wrong with it. We play in PPR leagues that, you know, it's to be expected. So, uh I
1:04just don't think that he's going to get the volume in the passing game if everyone stays healthy. You got Mike Evans added to the offense, Ricky Pierol
1:12if he's healthy, and and those guys. I think that San Fran also wants to take a little bit of the workload off of
1:18McAffrey. So yeah, I I just don't think he was very efficient running the ball and I'm gonna I'm gonna fade him this
1:25year unless he drops in drafts.
1:28>> Now, when you we talk about uh fading unless they drop, I think that's sort of the operative term because a lot of
1:33fantasy managers will will hear this and they'll say I'm cross them off the list, but it's it's don't hate the player.
1:40It's hate the ADP. That's sort of what the fade the fading is in general. So, like, you know, when we look at, you
1:46know, Nelson plays a ton of NFC. I competed against Nelson last night in a $350 draft. I'll do a a bunch of NFC
1:54drafts and and Nelson and I actually split one big NFC team together every summer live in New York. We split an N
2:01the a New York Super entry. So, a $2,500 entry. Um, we're due for it, Nelson.
2:06We're due for for a championship in that league. We owe all you guys. Shout out Chris Ficaro, Billy Wazowski, all you
2:11guys. We're coming at you this summer.
2:13Uh, but when you talk about fading, it's not like a cross him off the list and will not consider him or is it a
2:20consider him at a certain point in the draft?
2:24>> Uh, so I have quite a few names on the list. I I think there's probably like 20 guys uh on the list, a little bit less.
2:32And they're not like your typical like, oh, after the 10th round type of guys.
2:37They're early round guys. So yeah, I mean there there's going to be guys where if they drop uh to a certain
2:44price, uh it's just based on the price uh that I don't like on a certain guy and I like the players around him a
2:52little bit better and the positions. Uh so yeah, I I'll definitely consider a guy if he drops enough in a draft.
3:00>> So if we see Christian McCaffrey drop to like the 112 uh in in an NFC high stakes league, then you're you're in at that
3:08price. Okay, I get it. So, I mean, it's really an interesting one because, you know, you talk about the the explosiveness and he just it wasn't
3:17there like we like we're used to seeing in terms of like we had explosive plays for him, but when you look at like the
3:23sheer volume of of opportunities, like the percentage of plays that led it to like an explosive gain were lower than in like previous seasons for Christian
3:32McCaffrey. I mean, I think the way that he could burn you is if the target volume is is very similar. Um, but I get
3:40it. I I completely get it. And then Nelson, like, do you think that there's an overall feeling where maybe drafters are a little bit too comfortable
3:48drafting old guys because the last two years, uh, especially at the running back position, they've all held up.
3:55>> Well, last year they didn't hold up.
3:58Like, other than Derk Henry, uh, some of the older guys didn't hold up. So like two years ago that definitely was the
4:04case was like you had like Aaron Jones, Alvin Kamar, um even I guess like a Joe Mixon could have been considered a little bit older.
4:15They had really good years, but like last year all those guys kind of just fell apart, right? So historically
4:24I'm I'm not into drafting older guys, you I in in in football terms like you know a guy he's like 30 years old you
4:34know usually they're going to be on the wrong side uh of of production so I'm going to usually leave those guys alone
4:42and and I think that historically that's that's been the case.
4:47>> Yeah. We I mean I I feel like the the fading because of age and and and wear and tear. It used to be kind of a thing.
4:54Nowadays I think people are a little more open-minded to it. It feels like we're going to have a season where it
4:59sort of all falls apart. It's been three years in a four years in a row where we've had an RB1 overall that was 27 or
5:06older. Last year, McAffrey did it at 29.
5:08So, you know, you think back in the day, Nelson, a lot of these running backs that were hitting at like the RB1
5:14overall. You go back to like the the Jonathan Taylor year two, that sort of thing where or Saquon Barkley right out
5:20the gate where these guys were young and immediately producing. one player you also have on the fades list and this one
5:27we talked on on the phone a little bit yesterday and this one pains me because this is sort of like a my guy for the
5:32last few years ever since he was coming out of Texas A&M but you're not the only very smart person that I know that's
5:39fading Devon Achan at cost right now and it's an more difficult decision because Achan averaged 20 plus points per game last year 1300 plus rushing yards and
5:51we've had backto-back years where he had 78 catches and 67 catches and now you're able to get him inside a round two. So
5:57usually like for me I'm like maybe this is a value but you're seeing Devon Han as a fade right now.
6:05>> Yeah, unfortunately I I'm a big fan of Han and his talent, but the way I look at this offense, I think Miami is going
6:12to be a bottom five offense. Uh so I don't think the talent is is there around them. uh they're going to be
6:19playing from behind which you would think like is great for a Chan's talent because he he's a PPR machine. The problem is the quarterback. So he goes
6:29from Tua who, you know, is checked down Charlie and then you got Malik Willis who it's a small sample size, but it's
6:40it's big enough for me that when I look at Malik Willis and I watch him play and things kind of break down a little bit,
6:47he tucks the ball and runs. So that's my biggest concern is that he goes from Tua to Mo to to Willis and Willis is not a
6:56guy that's going to be checking it down to the running back and that's where Han's biggest value is. Yeah, it's it's
7:04an interesting one and I think it's also like when we look at round two, you know, we're going to talk about a player
7:10that you've been drafting inside of round two when we talk about your targets, but when I look at Han, you know, the comment I had to you is I I
7:16kind of get it because round two, it feels like like a league winner could come out of round two and it feels like
7:22it could end up being like four guys come out of round two that are like exceptional win rate types, guys you
7:28really like should have taken and have exposure to. and I don't necessarily have to worry about be like worrying about the the offensive environment with
7:38a lot of these other clicks in round two. Whereas with Achan, new quarterback, uh offensive coordinator that we have like big-time questions
7:47about and Bobby Slowick. Um and just generally Vegas is telling us Miami is going to win four and a half games right
7:53now, lowest in the NFL. So really really uh an interesting one there. Um, so we got Christian McCaffrey, we've got Devon
8:01Achan, and just a little bit about the fade list. The fades list, this is like appointment reading if you play NFC or
8:09you play FFPC. Nelson puts this article out like every summer right around this time, like an early July uh release. And
8:17it's always like appointment reading.
8:19Like people love reading about your targets. They love reading about some of your other like releases. Like you'll talk about like your breakout running
8:24back and you're going to drop a couple of those in a few minutes. But really, it's the fades they want to hear about.
8:29Nelson, how long you been doing it, and how can people get this uh this information?
8:34>> I I was a player first, right, and foremost. So, I wasn't in the content industry when I first started it. And it
8:41was Zack Stacy that got me. Uh the old Rams running back. Okay. So, he he was like a nobody. And he came off the
8:51waiverwire and won people their leagues that year. And the following year, I bought into it and I was drafting him pretty high and things didn't work out.
9:03So from that point on, I said to myself, I need to be a little bit more picky on the players that I'm selecting and who
9:11I'm avoiding. And uh I just started creating, you know, a fade list. And it was there's a couple of things. one, I
9:20have a hard fast rule that any running back that is uh picked up on the waiverwire the year prior and is going
9:28like in the first four rounds, five rounds of drafts, I just don't draft them. Yep.
9:33>> And the the reasoning behind it is usually the guys, the hype guys, the early round, first, second round rookies, uh they get drafted in every
9:44draft and people usually hold them.
9:46Maybe they get dropped in in a few leagues here and there, but it's the no-name waiverwire guys that no one was
9:54drafting all summer long. No one's thinking about them and then they become relevant throughout the season and they have some success and then the following
10:05year they're super expensive in drafts.
10:07Those are the guys you want to avoid.
10:09And then injury guys coming off serious injuries. Um, I tend to shy away from those guys their first year back. Um,
10:17and then ADP guys, uh, guys that I think are mispriced. I just think that, you know, ADP for the most part is solid,
10:27but I do think there's exceptions where people, the general public just has it wrong and they're overdrafting certain players. Yeah, I think that your rules
10:35are great and and I'll still give you credit because we we've worked together, we've drafted together and we talk a lot
10:41about how like I like how it's an evolving like rules like you know even like maybe seven years ago you might
10:48have had a rule about wide receivers who were on new teams. Those were usually kind of fades and the market changes and
10:54you embrace them. Um, and I like though you you're you're not like steadfast.
10:59Like the one thing that's great about Nelson's list is it's not necessarily the same when you get to August 20th as
11:06it is on July 1 because you're able to take in information. You're able to like look at what the team reports are doing
11:13and the vibes are changing a little bit and once in a while a guy gets added to the fade list and sometimes guys come
11:18off the fades list. So I absolutely love it. Highly recommend Nelson's work over at FTN. Um, and the fades list, it
11:25continues to hit. I mean, it's not 100% accurate, but some of the landmines that you've had people avoid over the years
11:31have just been awesome. And we're going to try to help these RotoWire listeners uh today. Um, and if you want access to
11:37Nelson's information, check it out at FTN. If you want access to my information, make sure you're subscribed to Rotoire. Use the code Theo15. Get 15%
11:46off. I'll have NFC rankings. They're up now. My NFC rankings are up at the site.
11:51Um, and yeah, come come draft against Nelson and I. We're going to be in a couple of these NFC drafts. You can find
11:55Nelson pretty much every day in those streets. I'm in a couple of other formats, too. Nelson will also be drafting in in the FFPC, which I'm
12:02drafting in an awful lot right now. So, let's keep it going. We talked about two running backs. Let's give everybody a
12:08quarterback. And guy was a huge disappointment last year, and it's Lamar Jackson. Um, and drafters are sort of giving him a pass here. There's some
12:16optimism about the Declan Doyle offense coming over this uh this highly anticipated offensive coordinator. And I was actually I've been a little
12:26surprised to see Lamar Jackson is up to QB2 overall in FFPC underdog. NFC he's like, correct me if I'm wrong, he's like
12:35right around QB3, QB4 land, but he's a top four locked in quarterback. The difference between FFPC and FFC scoring wise, uh, it's the four-point passing
12:45touchdown versus the six-point passing touchdown essentially at the quarterback spot. So, Lamar might go a little higher there, but you're fading Lamar Jackson.
12:53Talk about your apprehension uh towards him this year.
12:58>> Yeah, I it's just price, you know, if he drops in drafts uh which you're going to have some of those outliers, I'll be
13:07interested in Lamar Jackson. But there's rumors that he's going to run less this year and and pass more, which you know,
13:16you would say like, you know, for a normal quarterback, you'd be like, "Oh, okay, that's no problem." Well, I don't think Lamar is like a huge talented
13:25passer, I think his fantasy value uh comes from his legs. So, when he's running the ball and he's getting you 800 yards on the ground, he's a
13:36difference maker. Um, if you're telling me he's just going to run less and he's just going to become a pocket passer,
13:42I'm not really interested at his price because I can push that quarterback position back a little further. And there's so many other guys that you can
13:52get later on and then where you took Lamar, you can end up with like a running back or a wide receiver um
13:59potentially in that spot. Yeah, I think it's an interesting one and and I'm he hasn't been like a guy who I'm fading,
14:06but I have very very very small exposure to him. I haven't taken him in a single reddraft league. And then in terms of
14:14like some of these big best baseball contests, I haven't really been clicking the button that often. I I think that it's an interesting one because the the
14:21pass volume I think will be good for for Z Flowers. I also worry a little bit about like the the offense as a whole.
14:28Um, I think Todd Mccin was really, really, really good. And I think Todd Mccin was a little bit underrated. Um, things fell off last year and of course
14:36like Monin was a little bit of a scapegoat, but you go from like the Monin experience where things were just perfect. Now you've got like the
14:43question marks with with Declan Doyle.
14:45Guys are saying the right things about Declan Doyle, but anytime you get these offensive coordinators first year on the job, there's always just like a little
14:51bit of apprehension. And if you're right about the rushing production, like the best years for Lamar Jackson, 1,200 rushing yards back in 2019, 1,000 in
15:022020, and then we go back to 2024 when he was QB1 overall, 915 rushing yards.
15:07So, if that falls off to the 500 to 600 range, I agree with you. It's a really tough one. He's had the outlier 41
15:16touchdown pass uh season, but it doesn't feel like that's a that's a good bet to make. So, I think it's interesting just a general quarterback
15:24philosophy and we're not really getting into any QB targets of yours, but is there a pocket round pocket um for you
15:33when you're attacking quarterback in your drafts or is it more of a when the edge on the clock is a quarterback,
15:40that's when I'm pouncing? Do you have like a general philosophy on quarterback?
15:45>> Yeah. So when if I feel like I'm high on a a couple of quarterbacks and they're in the right spot and I feel like
15:54running back and wide receiver, I'm just taking a guy just to, you know, put him in on my roster and feel better about
16:02the team. It's like, oh, I I've got my RB2, I feel better, or I've got my wide receiver three. um if the guy I if if
16:11the tier has like dropped dramatically, I'm going to look towards the quarterback position um a little bit more and get one of those like highlevel
16:21uh quarterbacks that they can win you weeks, you know, they can put up big games. So, especially NFC at FFPC, I
16:29think quarterback with the four points touchdown, I think you can really like push it back. Um, and it tends to be
16:36that the case where tight ends get pushed up, a position's got to move back and it and it's usually the quarterbacks. So, more NFC where I'll
16:45push a quarterback uh up a little bit, but for the most part, I think there's a pocket of quarterbacks like Drake May
16:54will go early in some drafts and then other drafts like he'll fall. I'm really high on Drake May this year, so I'm I'm
17:01expecting, you know, big things out of that offense. So, I'll tend to target May probably a little more than some other guys, but like that Trevor
17:11Lawrence, Caleb Williams, Jaden Daniels, uh you know, Dak, Brock Pury, like I really love like those group of guys. Uh
17:22even like a Jared Goff, he gets like no love, but like the dude's solid every year. I I like those kind of
17:30quarterbacks in that range. and like maybe even take like two of them.
17:34>> Yeah, I think it's super interesting.
17:35Drake May is my QB2 overall and I think that is one of the biggest differences in in in like the formats if you're
17:41playing high stakes. NFC versus FFPC.
17:44Like I have a couple of reddraft leagues where I was able to get like Justin Herbert in like round 10, round 11, um
17:53get a Trevor Lawrence in in the in the 11th round, getting a Drake May in like round seven over an in FFPC. And then in
18:00NFC, you know, May might go two rounds earlier, Justin Herbert's like the QB5 overall in NFC recently. So those are just sort of some of the differences.
18:09And again, I'll be covering a lot of the high stakes stuff over at Rotoire. Use that code theo5. And if you want access
18:15to Nelson's uh Nelson's stuff, make sure you check him out over at FTN. Let's continue the fade list. We gave a
18:22quarterback, talked about two running backs. Let's talk about a wide receiver.
18:25And it's one where I've sort of been fading him in a sense because I have him pushed down in the rankings versus ADP.
18:32And I was kind of happy that you I was happy that you had this guy on the fades list this year. I like being sort of in
18:38lock step with you on this one. and it's a player that the two of us have drafted together on previous teams in years
18:45past. But talk about Rashi Rice in Kansas City uh and why you're fading him this year.
18:53So when you look at like his body of work over the last like few years, he's had like spurts where he's been successful
19:02for fantasy, but like I don't know like he's also not if if you look at the glass half empty, like he hasn't been
19:11all that great and we keep going back to like that one stretch where he had like to end the season and we keep hoping for
19:19that and and and it hasn't come. And the other thing that I worry about with him is that when facing man coverage, he has
19:29a difficult time separating. And but he crushes like zone coverage. And I got to think that like defenses are going to
19:37catch on to that a little bit and maybe play the the Chiefs a little bit more uh man coverage, especially with Mahomes
19:45coming off the ACL and running less. I think that's another thing like in football terms, if I'm a defensive coordinator and I have a quarterback
19:55that's a threat to run, I'm going to play more zone defense and and less man.
20:00But with Momes coming off the ACL, they run less. I could see a little more man coverage. He's Rice is coming off
20:08injury.
20:09You know, I'm just not feeling it. And then like his ADP is pretty high. Like he's going like end of the second round
20:15in most drafts. I I just think there's other wide receivers there that are in better spots. And one more thing, with
20:24Mahomes coming off the injury, I actually think they're going to run the ball more and throw less.
20:28>> Yeah. No, I'm with you on that one. And I think it's just sort of like the Rashi Rice sort of PP PPR scam offense is
20:35going to look a lot different this year uh because of the presence of Kenneth Walker. I think it's really going to be
20:40a lot more like a Kenneth Walker centric offense. And then you talked about the opportunity cost like Rashi Rice goes side by side with like Nico Collins and
20:50then he goes ahead of Dvont Smith and Chris Ave. I have Smith and a Lave both ahead of Rashi Rice in my rankings. So
20:59it's like you don't need to be a hero with Rashi Rice this year and sort of chase last year's usage in the previous
21:05years. Kansas City had a bad year last year. I think for them to just step out and try being the exact same offense and
21:12Walker in some sort of a Pacheco like role doesn't make sense at all. They paid Walker all this money because they
21:19want to use a Bellcow running back and get this offense changed and really protect Mahomes. The best way to do it
21:25is with Walker. Also, the off- the- field stuff with Rashi Rice, I don't love it either. Um it's obviously not a
21:31positive for him uh to have to rehab when when when he's in jail for a little bit this summer. like all that stuff is
21:37is not not great. And again, tons of good wide receiver clicks right around him. Not all of Nelson's content, though, is doom and gloom. Nelson also
21:46has targets. He actually has guys he likes in fantasy football, too. Not just guys not to draft. He's going to share a
21:53couple of them right now. Really appreciate that generosity. And these lists are much longer. Again, highly recommend that work over there. Let's
22:00talk about my guy who's now our guy who maybe we'll be clicking the button on in the New York Super. Let's talk about AJ
22:08Brown. Uh I've talked about AJ Brown with Jacob Gibbs the other day. I'm have him very highly ranked in in my
22:14rankings. There's so much to like about this situation. And I will say like Nelson, your fandom is the New England Patriots, too. So you're not only not
22:23only investing in AJ Brown, but you're actively rooting for AJ Brown.
22:28that helps a little bit that I'm that I'm a Patriots fan. But I I also think looking back at last year with the Josh
22:35McDaniels offense, it was the first year for Drake May uh getting comfortable with the offense. Um I thought he did really well, but there was a lot of
22:46things that uh they kept it a little bit basic cuz they didn't McDaniels didn't want uh May's head spinning too much.
22:55And one thing that they were missing out of that offense was like a alpha go-to receiver. Uh Stefon Diggs was solid, but
23:03like you know, and Booty was solid and and and everything, but like those guys are not alpha receivers at this stage of
23:10their career. And with them bringing over AJ Brown, I actually have been a huge fan of AJ Brown for for many years.
23:19And I thought that like he was just a square peg in a round hole in the Eagles offense. And I think now with the
23:26Patriots, like in the range of outcomes, I like he could go for like 12,300 yards and like double digit touchdowns. Like he could
23:36lead the league in touchdowns this year.
23:40Big receiving numbers, 150 targets. you're I mean you're talking about a guy that's probably in the conversation with like Chase and
23:49Puka like right after those guys. He could be like wide receiver three um on paper. And I don't think it's like too
23:58much hype to say like he could finish as wide receiver one if him and May click and the chemistry is there. Yeah, I
24:05think that you you nailed it and I think the chemistry will be there and I think there's not enough like discussion like
24:10Drake May I had this I've had this conversation with a couple of analysts where Drake May there's like no enthusiasm or buzz for him like he sort
24:19of just goes in drafts but you're not seeing people say you know Drake May league winner Drake May was unbelievable last year and I also think the scheme is
24:26perfect for AJ Brown where New England led the NFL in plays per game that went for 20 plus yards so the explosive plays
24:34are there for Brown. I think he's going to eat in terms of the red zone targets.
24:38We had Josh McDaniels compare him to Rob Gronkowski, which I think is like a signal. And then we with Josh McDaniels
24:45historically, we've seen it twice where he's overseen an offense or been a head coach where they made a big splashy wide
24:52receiver pickup. We go way back in the day. He was OC for the Randy Moss year where Randy Moss led the NFL in
24:58touchdown catches. He had 20 plus that year. and then he was the head coach when Devonte Adams ended up playing for
25:03the Raiders and Devonte led the uh NFL in in touchdown grabs that year with 14.
25:08So, I think you're on to something. And I think AJ Brown getting to like the 160 target range that's in the in the range
25:16of outcomes. Drake May heavily using him. Drake May hasn't had an alpha wide receiver really ever. I think the the best like the closest thing to an alpha
25:25was Josh DS when he was at UNC. uh in terms of like a guy who was dominant for his level. And then like last year we
25:32had Stefan Diggs average 12 and a half points per game, get a thousand receiving yards. Brown could average five, six more points per game than what
25:40Diggs did last year. So completely with you. Love AJ Brown. I think he's an awesome pick anywhere you could get him.
25:47How high are you willing to push him up right now, Nelson? Are you uh considering him like one two turn or is
25:52it kind of take him when he falls to you as a high volume guy?
25:57I I can take him right after a manra in in drafts. So the way I have it, I have like uh big five. I think it's, you
26:05know, Bjan Gibbs, Chase, Puka, and then I I think Amanra is just so freaking solid and and consistent that he's like
26:14my number five. But right after that, I can take AJ Brown over CD and Jefferson.
26:19Um, you could you could argue that like he's in a better spot and that overall he like he's in the better offense,
26:28better quarterback play, uh, you know, all that. So, I'm willing to take him, you know, sixth, seventh overall, uh, this year.
26:37>> Yeah. I mean, that's that's telling Nelson's on him big time. And I I like the like the the CD Lamb one. We had
26:43this conversation yesterday. I mean, target competition, it's not even close where George Pickkins outscores Lamb last year, and I get it. Lamb was coming
26:50off of an injury, played banged up. Um, Lamb, you know, will most likely lead Dallas in points per game at the wide
26:56receiver position really for their overall offense. But when you talk about ceiling outcome, I'm with you. Maybe Lamb might be safer because he's a
27:05little bit younger and we kind of know what that that looks like. But in terms of if I'm chasing [clears throat]
27:10upside, AJ Brown's an awesome one. And I think you're also able to start your draft with a running back, get AJ Brown
27:16in round two in most formats, and you could potentially have a top five running back scorer and a top three wide
27:23receiver score. It's awesome stuff. You talked about an older wide receiver you're on. Let's talk about a year two guy. Um, I've talked about achuka on
27:32literally like every single show on multiple YouTube channels this off season. He's definitely like one of my guys this year, but you might be even
27:40higher on Igbuka than I am. Uh, NFC, of course, it's start three wide receiver PPR format. So, wide receivers go a
27:47little bit earlier, but we starting to see Ebuka going off the board at like occasional 13, 14, 15 overall. I think
27:56you might have influenced that a little bit, Nelson.
28:00>> Yeah. So, I I've been doing my live streams uh over there at NFC and and drafting live and I've had some picks
28:09where like I've been like either in the four or three hole and I get to a point in the draft where it gets down to me in
28:18the second round and I just think I like is the no-brainer. So, like in my rankings I've got a Mecca right after
28:27London Jefferson. uh he's my next guy and you know I'm willing to push it. I think like he's middle of the second
28:36round guy and again I I don't like to do too many of these comparisons but like I think he's
28:44this year's JSN. So, if you look at if you look back at like last year, DK left the team. Um, even I I'll admit that I'm
28:54guilty of this where I had a lot of apprehension on drafting JSN because I was like, "All right, new offense. Uh,
29:01they like running the ball. DK's gone.
29:04Uh, JSN, you know, not playing full snaps. Uh, you know, how good can he really be?" and people were willing to
29:12take him like late second early third round is kind of like where his ADP was going last year and he paid off big
29:21time. So when I'm looking at it they have a lot of similarities. Uh, so I I think like with Mike Evans gone, IA I
29:30think between the injuries to him and the injuries to Baker, uh, he hit a he hit a rookie wall and he started off on
29:38fire and what what was he like he was like wide receiver four, wide receiver five in fantasy.
29:45>> Yeah, >> something like that at to start the year. He was a monster. And then and then injuries added up and he he
29:52fizzled.
29:53>> 20 points per game. 20 points per game through the first five weeks of the year. Um, so like I also also I've made
29:59this this like if we were if we were like a not necessarily NFC or FFPC where I think like a lot of the especially the
30:07early drafters you get like some high stakes volume guys like yourself that are willing to sort of push this upside off up the board. But if we look at like
30:15overall ADP like on maybe a site like underdog, if I had simply had his big five, six weeks of the year at the end
30:24of the season instead of the beginning of the season, his ADP be around earlier with like the masses.
30:32>> So >> he'd be going one one two turn if that happened.
30:35>> Especially when you consider the pedigree where Amechuka is the all-time leading receiver at Ohio State. Uh he's a bit a mega target earner like kind of
30:43wherever he's gone and his teammate competition at Ohio State was utterly ridiculous surrounded by pros. He played there for a while. People will point
30:52that out but I think that's less important uh than in years past especially with NIL and all that kind of stuff. Guys stay in school a little
30:58longer. But I'm with you. I think like a Mecha Eggbuka if we're drafting an all upside team. Eggbuka could be a
31:06firstround pick in 2027 NFC leagues.
31:10It's also Baker Mayfield contract year where Baker Mayfield knows how like the bread is buttered. He knows how to use a
31:16wide receiver one. We saw it with Godwin. We've seen it in stretches with Mike Evans. And I think we're going to
31:22see it this year with Eggbuka where target competition there's an older Chris Godwin who I think's fine. Like if you get stuck at wide receiver, I think
31:29he's fine. Um, you know, I don't think either one of us would be fading Chris Godwin, but his best ball is sort of
31:35behind him. And then you got guys like Jaylen McMillan, Ted Hurst, Tez Johnson, Kate Dutton, none of these guys are like
31:42threats to achuka. So I think 150 targets and having a huge season that's right in the wheelhouse. If you think that like this year's version of this
31:53year's version of JSN is like too over the top. We could go a little lower. He could be this year's version of like a
32:00better Chris Ave who scores a ton. Um or even like a you know we could go with Rashi Rice type usage if we get like
32:06that PPR heavy PPR scam. So like we can look at back in time and find so many guys that were like this that really
32:13broke out in year two. So I'm going to be all over Eggbuka. Really stoked to see that Nelson's on him there and I
32:19think he's priced right. I think that we're going to see him living in the round two for NFC. And I think the way
32:24you leverage this is if you're in like a sleeper league or if you want to find value on underdog, even FFPC, Eggbuka is
32:31way cheaper there and he could still give you the same sort of win rates despite the format changes. So that's awesome stuff. Nelson, you talked about
32:38two wide receivers. You you do the the the fades, you do the targets, you you and then there's one other sort of
32:46really appointment piece. You do some cool stuff with like your bold predictions and stuff. That's always a fun one. But you always have this one
32:53piece where it's a very important read that maybe people don't associate with you as much as the Fades list, but you
33:00do like a break uh not necessarily a breakout running back. I I would describe it as the best running back value, like the running back league
33:08winner type article. And usually you list two or three targets, uh sometimes more. And hit rate wise last year Nelson was telling you to take Travis ETN and
33:18Javvante Williams at cost. Both of those guys were major fades for some and true avoids for others and both of them were
33:26coming off of like down years. Those were not like the kind of picks where people would jump up and start clapping
33:33and say, "Oh, I'm glad to see Nelson's on this exciting guy." But you were able to spot value with those two guys. It's
33:37not like a Bua this year. Um, and then so then we go back to 2023 where Rashad White had his top five scoring season.
33:45He was like your flag plant running back. I believe you were getting sixth round exposure to him in NFC. He was a
33:52seventh round pick in some leagues.
33:53Really living in that like bottom of the dead zone range. So you've had a ton of hits over the last couple years at
33:59running back. Two guys that you've circled. Let's start out with the one that's going to get the people going.
34:05Jonathan Brooks. Are we back? Are we going to get the season from Jonathan Brooks? We were waiting for some of us
34:11in the dynasty streets. Nelson, it's like it's depressing to even talk about because we were so high on him coming into the NFL. It's been two years of
34:19zeros, lot of injuries, but the vibes are like immaculate right now in Carolina. The coaches, the Beat reporters, former player Jonathan
34:27Stewart came out and said you should buy Jonathan Brooks's jersey. Uh, all sorts of good signal right now. Where are you
34:32at on Brooks?
34:34Yeah. So, Brooks is definitely one of my guys. Uh, that's going to be one of my targets. And, you know, the draft
34:40profiles there, the talent's there.
34:42Unfortunately, he's battled injuries the last couple of years. Very similar to Javvante Williams, right? You know, Javvante had his rookie breakout year uh
34:51with Denver and then he suffered ACL injury and and the last couple of years he was banged up. Then he goes to
34:59Dallas. Now, you know, Jonathan Brooks is still on Carolina, but the thing is, just like with Javvante Williams, Miles
35:06Sanders was just this jag, you know, and he wasn't he the sooner or later the talent is going to rise to the top. And
35:18I just think that Chuba Hubard um you know, people are probably going to get upset for the Chuba, you know, Hubard,
35:25uh fans out there, but like he's a jag to me. like he he showed last year that Rico Dao, who's another kind of like,
35:34you know, veteran guy that, you know, is pretty talented, but he's just a he's just a guy, right? And he took the job
35:43from him. So, with Brooks, it listen, it might start off like the first couple of weeks might start off a little slow.
35:52They're in a little bit of a committee, but once again, I think Brooks is going to show the coaching staff that the
35:58talent rises. And this coaching staff has shown that they're not afraid to go with the hot hand and go with the guy
36:05that's just the better player at the time. And that's what I'm expecting out of Brooks.
36:12>> Yeah. Uh Chuba Hubard, I think people get a little bit emotional over him because fantasy-wise, he gave you that season in 2024 where the win rates were
36:22unbelievable for Chuba. We can all say that he's like a really higheffort guy that did a lot with his touches that
36:28year, but in terms of like the pass catching ability, in terms of the explosiveness when healthy, it's really not even close. Jonathan Brooks was the
36:38first running back selected in the 2024 draft class. Um, and was a player that scored pretty similarly to Bejon Robinson at Texas, took over for Bejon
36:47and was like right there. Um, whereas Chuba Hubard, you know, obviously a very successful college player, but I just don't see it. I think that the big
36:55change in the guard here. And if you look at like the explosiveness metrics, I I think Chub Hubard was like 46th
37:03among all running backs in like explosive plays for guys who qualified.
37:07Um that's really low and that's rushing attempts over 20 over 10 yards and that's also combined with catches over 20 yards. So he really offered you no
37:17explosiveness whatsoever last year. Um so I'm with you. I think Jonathan Brook's a really really fun one. And I think that's one big takeaway is if
37:25you're drafting on underdog or or Sleeper, ESPN, Yahoo, you're going to be able to get Brooks at this unbelievable value. NFC and FFPC, he's already going
37:3620 plus picks ahead of Chuba Hubard. So like the discount's gone, but the upside's there. And I've talked about previous episodes, Dave Canales is
37:44really a a running back whisperer. We saw it last year with Rico Dattle. We saw it with Chuba Hubard. Uh there's
37:50been so much there with with Canales getting a lot out of his RB1. I think it's going to be Brooks. Looks like, you
37:55know, a couple years back you were on Rashad White and now you're back on Rashad White, another player that I've been on this summer. Um how excited are
38:03you for him in this passcatching role in Washington where his teammate competition at the running back position is Jakori Kroski Merritt and Kron Allen,
38:14the sixth round pick out of Penn State.
38:16It sort of feels a little bit like the vibes are Javvante Williams 2025, Kenneth Gainwell 2025. Like a lot a lot
38:25to like there with Rashad White and the Beat reporters are all over his role being a strong weekly predictable one.
38:33>> Yeah. So Rashad White is, listen, he's less glamorous than Jonathan Brooks.
38:38Brooks is the more exciting guy, but with White again, he's done it before.
38:44So he he's been a a top fantasy running back uh before and you know people are going to look at like not very efficient
38:52running the ball you know you know terrible this and that um but for me like I look at fantasy sometimes I like
39:01fast explosive guys too but what matters is role and and volume in fantasy and with him going to Washington I think
39:10Jakori Krosky Merritt uh he's got some speed but he's a sixth round pick or whatever, you know, wherever Washington drafted him last year. Like he he's
39:21still not this like tremendous talent.
39:24Okay. And then you bring in Kron Allen who I like, you know, a little bit of a bowling ball, whatever, but like Rashad
39:32White is the guy that is going to catch passes. And the last time there was a guy that was like kind of like that PPR
39:39scatback um was catching passes from Jaden Daniels was Austin Eckler. And he was pretty damn good in in that offense.
39:47So I look at it the same way as that Rashad White is probably not going to get the volume in the run game to be
39:56like, you know, this like top five fantasy running back probably. But where he goes in drafts and you're drafting
40:06him as like if you punt RB2 and you you're taking him, there's a good chance like he's a low-end RB1. Like he could
40:14finish top 12 in in fantasy points. Like that's not out of the equation. So that's that's why I think like he's he's
40:23set in his role. Those other guys are not going to be the ones catching passes. And it's an offense that's void
40:29out of outside of Scary Terry. like, you know, they've got a couple other guys that maybe we like like Chigga Conquo
40:36and stuff like that, but like there's not anyone else there to really catch passes. So, I think the volume's going to be there in targets. I'm with you.
40:45And Rashad White, you know, it's a player where I think the the fantasy community sort of viewed him as a guy
40:51who maybe was fortunate to get have that top, you know, five, six scoring season.
40:56Uh Bucky Irving ended up overtaking him and people it felt like the story had been written for Rashad White. But Nelson, if you just look at what the
41:04guy's been able to do, really good pass blocker, gets opportunities from every single coaching staff he's been on as a pass catcher. He's had three seasons
41:13where he's had 50 catches or more. And he's had two nine touchdown seasons. So, if you talk about a guy who might get 55
41:2260 catches out of the back field and can fall in the end zone eight times and is just getting the the most volume rushing
41:30wise, I'm with you. Rashad White feels like a guy who can give you midlevel RB2 value and you're able to get him as like
41:37a low-end RB3. Uh, the price has come up a little bit, but it's not really at a point where it's ever going to get too
41:45high. I don't necessarily think we're going to see ever having to take him in like round six. I think in a lot of
41:51these high stakes leagues, you'll probably start seeing more and more Rashad White round seven, but even there, like you said, you can go anchor
41:58RB, you can go with robust RB and make Rashad White your RB3 and have a flex for the entire year. There's like a lot
42:06of different ways you can utilize Rashad White. I've liked to take him a lot when I've gone hero RB. I've been really
42:12prioritizing him because I think he'll be be a reliable source of like touches and catches out of the back field. So,
42:18completely with you on that one. Uh let's >> that's my ideal build, Theo is hero running back. So, uh this article that I
42:28I created a few years ago, it it derived from uh the Josh Jacobs year when he was with the Raiders. And if you if you
42:37think back and remember Josh McDaniels was the head coach back then I believe and >> Jacobs was coming off whatever year.
42:48Everyone was soured on him. Uh people didn't like how he was being used in the preeason like like like he's some scrub.
42:57Uh Zamir White was kind of like uh everyone like everyone loved Zamir White. Uh Amir Abdullah was there. uh in that back field and people are like whoa
43:07you know that you know this ain't good or whatever and ever and Jacobs was going for free in drafts. So, ever since
43:15then, I was like, you know what, I've like my type of ideal build is the hero running back where I take a running back
43:23in the first or second round and then just, you know, go heavy wide receiver.
43:28Usually try to get an edge either at tight end or quarterback and I punt back the RB2. It's like, okay, if I'm going
43:35to be doing that and that's my ideal build, well, I I better figure out the running backs that go in this like
43:42seventh, eighth, ninth round range that I really like that could hit and be useful. Um, because that's how I'm going to be building these teams. So that's
43:53that's where I came up with it and and why like I target these guys and I do so much uh homework and research on it is
44:01for that reason is because I do think like a a guy like Rashad White where he goes is the ideal RB2 when you push it
44:10back. No, I'm with you. And I think Hero RB, that's something I'm going to cover on this show, different draft strategies, but I think we're really
44:17like we're really ripe for Hero RB to be a huge win rate this year, especially with a lot of fantasy analysts telling
44:24you you have to go running back running back to start out your drafts. I think there's going to be an edge to players
44:28who are willing to go kind of against the grain. Maybe even Nelson, you know, I might mix in a couple of zero RBs, not
44:34necessarily weight like we used to, but attacking running back like in round four uh to start it out and get a lot of
44:40firepower at the top. Uh it'll be interesting to see the way things shake out. One other we're going to talk about, we always have a rookie question
44:47for you, but before we do that, I want to go real rapid fire. A question that's giving fantasy managers sort of a lot of
44:53like headaches right now.
44:55>> Uh yeah, >> Parker Washington or Brian Thomas Jr.
44:58pick a Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver. Um, go Jacobe Myers if you want. Nobody's doing that. But BTJ or Parker Washington, do you have a lean
45:07here? Is the answer both? Uh, I think it's giving This has really been one of like the interesting discourses of like
45:14the last month and a half.
45:17>> Yeah. So, I I was a Parker Washington guy last year and I picked him up on on a lot of teams and and he really helped
45:25my teams, but where he's going in drafts this year, like I I rather have Brian Thomas. And listen, it I I know for a
45:35fact that like him and and Lawrence, besides battling some injuries, him and Lawrence were not on the same page at all. um they really struggled to build
45:43that chemistry last year and Parker Washington has that chemistry with Lawrence. So, you know, I I see that
45:51part, but Brian Thomas is an explosive wide receiver that I think that this offense really needs cuz Parker Washington and Jacobe Meyers are not
46:03that. Um you they're solid. I'm giving them respect on that, but like they're not at Brian Thomas's level in terms of
46:11explosiveness and being able to be like a total gamebreaker in the offense. So, I I'm going to go Brian Thomas. I I
46:19think Washington actually is being a little overdrafted right now.
46:23>> I'm I'm BTJ as well. Um, and I and I'm very open to drafting Parker Washington as well. But if it's if I'm in a single
46:31league or if I'm only doing three leagues or something like that and I want access to this passing game, betting on BTJ as a as a bounceback
46:39candidate from last year where BTJ was going at like the one two turn, now you're able to get him down in like NFC
46:47in like the 50s, FFPC even later. Um, I'm very open-minded to drafting him and getting exposure. for Parker Washington I think is fine, but I think if one of
46:56those two has a huge massive season, I think it's going to be BTJ. So, we'll end the show with this one. Nelson.
47:03Nelson sometimes bust my chops a little bit on this one cuz I'm a huge Dynasty guy. I play a ton of Dynasty. Nelson,
47:09you're too busy with all the reddraft every single day to have too many Dynasty teams, but you do have a lot of
47:14buddies um who are high stakes Dynasty players. Um and you are completely locked in when it comes to rookies. We did a show years and years and years ago
47:24where I asked you who the best rookie value was in ADP. What rookie should every manager be drafting for their teams? And you were really high on Aman
47:35Raw St. Brown as a rookie. You were mixing him in. This was when Aman Raw in like NFC was like a 13th rounder, was a
47:43day three pick who had uh had some enthusiasm but ended up being a player who was like close to league winning
47:51value down the stretch his rookie year.
47:54Unbelievable production for like five, six weeks like reverse Acha Eggbuka. So I always love to come back and finish shows and ask you which rookie are you
48:04trying to walk away with with a lot of exposure throughout your drafts? So, give me a rookie or two that you were on
48:11heavily right now that you feel is a great value for drafters.
48:16>> Yeah, one guy that I I really liked in college and in the film that I I watched from him, uh, and I think he landed in a
48:23great landing spot is Antonio Williams.
48:26Um, so he's he's in Washington. Uh, I his price is very reasonable in reddraft right now. um would not surprise me if
48:37like we get into training camp and as things evolve like he could play himself into like a big role behind uh McLaren.
48:45So he he's he's my main guy that I I think has a chance to listen these Amra St. Browns and and like Puka Nua like
48:56it's very hard to like you know find these guys. It's not every year that, you know, these guys emerge, but Antonio
49:04Williams would be like the guy this year for me.
49:07>> Yeah, we had Puketua on the the NFC super team that year. We drafted him at cutting into as a rookie. We're able to
49:15get him late and sort of we were able to beat the posi where people were spending 100% of their fab. So, that was a nice
49:20one. That's another big hit for you. But I'm on Ross St. Brown one definitely was awesome. Um, Nelson, this was this was
49:27so much fun today covering all these players. Uh, make sure you check out everything Nelson's dropping over at FTN. Nelson probably be back on this
49:35show at some point as well. Uh, and then if you want access to my NFC content, you can find my NFC rankings right over
49:42at Rotoire. Use the code Theo15. Stick with us here. Uh, if you're listening to this on the podcast, make sure you hit
49:48that subscribe button. Uh, give us a review. It helps us out a lot. Doesn't cost you anything. And if you're watching this on YouTube, make sure you
49:55hit that subscribe button as well. We added 1500 YouTube subs last week and we're going to keep this thing going with awesome guests like Nelson all
50:02summer long. Stick with us here at Rotoire. We're going to help you crush your leagues this season.
