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20 Biggest Fantasy Winners & Losers: NFL Preseason (2026)

STACKED extracted the fantasy-relevant player signal from this video and kept the full transcript here for context.

55 min
Duration
Estimated from transcript
Aug 19, 2026
Published
Wed, August 19, 2026
44
Player insights
44
Players mentioned
Topics
Adonai MitchellBo NixBraelon AllenBrashard SmithBreece HallChris GodwinChris OlaveChristian WatsonChuba HubbardCourtland SuttonD.J. MooreDenzel BostonEmeka EgbukaGeorge Holani
Player analysis

Player insights

44

Adonai Mitchell

PositiveBreakout30:04

Adonai Mitchell has secured the clear WR2 role for the Jets, moving ahead of Omar Cooper Jr. Entering his third year, he is a strong late-round target and waiver wire candidate who could outperform expectations in an offense that may be better than projected.

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Bo Nix

PositiveValue41:34

Todd Monkin considers Bo Nix a 'steal' at his current ADP of QB14-16. Monkin highlights Nix's mobility, his production as a runner in back-to-back seasons, and his strong supporting cast (Waddle, Sutton, Bryant, Franklin) as reasons he could finish as a top-10 scorer.

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Braelon Allen

PositiveSleeper26:55

Braelon Allen should be elevated as a priority handcuff following Breece Hall's injury. He is the preferred backup over Isaiah Davis and demonstrated his potential with a 31-yard rushing touchdown in the preseason.

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Brashard Smith

NegativeUsage44:00

Todd Monkin notes that Rashard Smith may see some work with the first-team offense in Kansas City due to his ability as a pass catcher, though he remains behind Emtt Johnson in the backup running back hierarchy.

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Breece Hall

NegativeInjury26:21

Breece Hall is expected to miss two to three weeks due to a groin injury. While he remains a high-end asset and a target, his ranking has been adjusted downward slightly by two spots (from 21 overall) due to the injury news.

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Chris Godwin

PositiveValue14:39

Chris Godwin is now ranked ahead of Emeka Egbuka in target priority due to the uncertainty surrounding Egbuka's toe injury. Godwin is identified as the primary beneficiary if Egbuka misses time, potentially leading to a high target volume.

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Chris Olave

PositiveValue6:42

Todd Monkin is bullish on Chris Olave, noting that Jordan Tyson's injury elevates Olave's draft stock. Monkin expects Olave to be a 2/3 turn pick in PPR and start-3 WR formats, citing his rare combination of target share, air yard share, and first-read rate, plus his 18.8 PPG average in Tyler Shuck starts last year.

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Christian Watson

NegativeRole23:45

Christian Watson serves as a historical precedent for Green Bay's willingness to extend players who have missed time due to injury. He is expected to start in two-wide receiver sets alongside Matthew Golden.

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Chuba Hubbard

NegativeInjury35:16

Chuba Hubbard is currently dealing with a hamstring injury, though he is expected to return.

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Courtland Sutton

PositiveUsage41:00

Todd Monkin admits he has been a 'Courtland Sutton hater' but changed his stance after seeing a strong preseason performance where Sutton recorded three catches for 60 yards. Monkin is now open-minded about drafting him.

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D.J. Moore

PositiveProjection4:45

Todd Monkin and Theo Griminger have moved DJ Moore up their rankings, projecting WR1-esque usage in the Buffalo offense. Moore reunites with former offensive coordinator Joe Brady and benefits from the gravity of Josh Allen and James Cook, which helps generate significant space. Buffalo's lack of a 1,000-yard receiver since Stefon Diggs highlights the team's massive need for his skill set.

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Denzel Boston

PositiveSleeper3:26

Denzel Boston is a late-round target (15th-16th rounds) confirmed as a starter in Cleveland's three-wide receiver sets alongside Jerry Jeudy and KC Conpsion. While Theo Griminger is high on his long-term potential as an outside threat, he views Conpsion as the more likely candidate for a massive fantasy season.

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Emeka Egbuka

NegativeInjury13:07

Todd Monkin has downgraded Emeka Egbuka due to a persistent and poorly communicated toe injury. He is no longer a second-round consideration and should be targeted in the late third or early fourth round; Monkin would only pull the trigger at the 3.10.

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George Holani

NegativeUsage44:24

Todd Monkin acknowledges the buzz surrounding George Helani but suggests his role may be limited to pass blocking and occasional receiving. While Monkin is not against drafting him in the final round, he warns against overvaluing him over Jadarian Price.

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George Pickens

PositiveValue14:42

Todd Monkin now ranks George Pickens ahead of Emeka Egbuka in his target hierarchy, citing the need for realism regarding Egbuka's injury status.

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Isaiah Davis

NegativeDepth Chart27:16

Isaiah Davis is the backup running back behind Breece Hall, but he is ranked behind Braelon Allen in terms of handcuff priority.

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J.K. Dobbins

NegativeInjury40:19

Todd Monkin likes JK Dobbins as a player but expresses significant concern regarding his durability, stating that he 'never stays healthy.' This injury risk is the primary reason Monkin suggests rostering backup options like Jonah Coleman in Denver.

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Jalen McMillan

PositiveRole14:59

Jalen McMillan returned to practice, which is a positive sign for his availability. He offers theoretical contingent upside in the Tampa Bay offense should Emeka Egbuka miss time due to his lingering toe injury.

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Jalen Nailor

PositiveUsage32:06

Jalen Nailor and Trey Tucker are the top two wide receivers for the Raiders, with both expected to see significant snap shares. Nailor has received specific positive buzz from beat reporters regarding his talent and role, with a chance to be the number two target on the team.

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Jayden Reed

NegativeRole23:59

Jaden Reed is not expected to be used in two-wide receiver sets under Matt LaFleur, a trend consistent with his career usage. While he possesses high efficiency metrics and contingent upside, his path to raw snaps remains more limited compared to teammates like Matthew Golden.

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Jaylen Waddle

PositiveRole41:04

Todd Monkin remains very high on Jaylen Waddle, projecting him to have a 'massive role' as the WR1 in the Denver offense. Monkin notes that Waddle has returned to practice and is participating in pads, which is a positive signal for his availability.

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Jeremiyah Love

NegativeInjury17:35

Jeremiah Love looked dynamic with 14 touches, but a high ankle sprain creates uncertainty. Todd Monkin advises against drafting him at the 2-3 turn due to the injury risk, preferring healthy bellcow backs in that range, but considers him an auto-pick if he falls to the fourth round.

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Jonah Coleman

PositiveBreakout38:10

Jonah Coleman is a high-upside fourth-round rookie running back with a 'Doug Martin-like' build capable of sustaining volume. Benefiting from Denver's top-ranked offensive line, he is a prime candidate to follow the trend of successful fourth-round rookie backs. Todd Monkin notes that JK Dobbins' injury history and potential coaching frustration with RJ Harvey could open a path for Coleman to secure a large role later in the season.

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Jonathon Brooks

PositiveProjection35:16

Jonathan Brooks is fully healthy and expected to lead the Panthers' backfield, seeing 80% of snaps with the starters. Despite a rising ADP, he is considered worth the price due to his pass-catching ability and Dave Canales' offensive plans.

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Jordan Love

PositiveProjection25:24

Jordan Love is noted for his ability to push the ball downfield and connect on deep passes, which facilitates the fantasy upside for Green Bay's wide receivers, particularly Matthew Golden.

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Jordyn Tyson

NegativeInjury5:47

Todd Monkin has dropped Jordan Tyson significantly in his rankings, moving him outside the top 100 due to a hamstring injury that could sideline him until early October. The team is unlikely to rush his return given his status as a top-10 draft pick.

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Josh Downs

NegativeUsage10:24

The signing of Keenan Allen is a major blow to Josh Downs' fantasy value, as he is trending toward being relegated to two-wide receiver sets.

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Josh Jacobs

NegativeInjury21:29

Josh Jacobs is dealing with a groin injury and lingering concerns regarding a potential NFL suspension. While he has returned to practice, his heavy career workload and current health status make him a risk, boosting the value of his backup, Marshon Lloyd.

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Juwan Johnson

PositiveRole7:17

Todd Monkin is bumping up Juwan Johnson's fantasy outlook, noting he will have a strong role after recording nine top-12 tight end finishes and over 100 targets last season.

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Keaton Mitchell

PositiveRole35:48

Katon Mitchell is trending up in ADP and usage, having rested with the starters while Kamani Vidal played with the backups. He is expected to have a significant role in the Mike McDaniel offense, including usage on wheel routes and in the screen game, making him a strong 'zero-RB' or 'hero-RB' target who could reach ninth-round draft territory.

Insight page

Keenan Allen

PositiveDepth Chart10:21

Keenan Allen's signing with the Indianapolis Colts is a significant development that negatively impacts the target outlook for other receivers on the roster, specifically Josh Downs, who is now trending toward being relegated to two-wide receiver sets.

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Kimani Vidal

NegativeDepth Chart35:58

Kamani Vidal is currently behind Katon Mitchell on the depth chart, having played with the backups during the preseason. While he remains a well-rounded back and a high-end handcuff who would see a significant role if Omarian Hampton were to miss time, he is currently lower in the team's usage hierarchy.

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Malik Nabers

PositiveValue14:41

Todd Monkin ranks Malik Nabers ahead of Emeka Egbuka in his target hierarchy, noting that the vibes surrounding Nabers are currently very positive.

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Matthew Golden

PositiveBreakout24:21

Matthew Golden should be bumped up in rankings as he is operating as an every-down receiver in two-wide receiver sets. After a disappointing rookie year, he has a clear path to a year-two breakout, leveraging his speed in an offense where Jordan Love is capable of pushing the ball downfield.

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Mike Washington Jr.

PositiveValue33:14

Mike Washington is a high-upside handcuff who should be drafted in deeper formats; he is expected to fill a Zack Charbonnet-esque role in the Clint Kubak offense, receiving roughly 30% of the first-team snaps.

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Omarion Hampton

NegativeProjection36:09

Omarian Hampton is ranked 18th overall, placing him solidly in the second round of drafts. Despite some criticism regarding his ranking, he remains the primary back in the offense and sat out alongside Katon Mitchell during the preseason, suggesting a secure role.

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RJ Harvey

NegativeValue40:23

RJ Harvey is considered a reasonable value at his current draft cost, though he faces competition in a crowded Denver backfield. Todd Monkin warns that there are scenarios where the coaching staff could become annoyed with him, potentially opening the door for other backs in the rotation.

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Stefon Diggs

NegativeProjection8:58

Stefon Diggs is noted as the last Buffalo receiver to record a 1,000-yard season, underscoring the team's historical need for a high-volume target like DJ Moore.

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Tony Pollard

NegativeUsage16:43

Tony Pollard's value is trending down after being outsnapped by Tyjae Spears. Todd Monkin views Pollard as a structural, short-term play for early-season points rather than a high-upside asset.

Insight page

Tre Tucker

PositiveUsage32:06

Trey Tucker is established as one of the top two wide receivers for the Raiders and is expected to be a full-time snap-share player. He is expected to maintain a high snap share in the Raiders offense under Clint Kubak; he was one of the highest snap-rate wide receivers in the league last year and remains a solidified part of the rotation.

Insight page

Trey McBride

PositiveProjection19:20

Despite concerns about the quarterback situation, Todd Monkin remains bullish on Trey McBride, ranking him alongside Coulson Lovelin. Monkin considers McBride a locked-in third-round target in PPR leagues and has drafted him in the second round in tight end premium formats.

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Tucker Kraft

NegativeUsage24:29

Green Bay is actively managing the snaps and workload for Tucker Kraft, which may result in increased target opportunities for the team's wide receivers.

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Tyjae Spears

PositiveUsage15:55

Tyjae Spears is a sneaky target who outsnapped Tony Pollard 12-9 in starter snaps. Todd Monkin views him as a potential long-term asset who could secure a 1A/1B role in the future.

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Zay Flowers

NegativeRole2:19

KC Conpsion is compared to Zay Flowers in terms of his potential role under Todd Monkin, with Theo Griminger suggesting Conpsion may ultimately have a better career than Flowers.

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Full transcript

Episode Transcript

465
0:00breaking down NFL preseason winners and losers and dropping the fantasy football news you need to know, including some recent injuries. Theo Griminger, lead
0:12fantasy analyst right here at Rotoire.
0:14We're breaking down a ton of players right here, and I had to adjust a number of these guys over in my rankings over
0:21at Rotoire trying to do daily updates here. We're in the streets drafting, trying to make money, and we've got to react to this news. We don't want to
0:29overreact. This is the preeason, but we do need to know what's going on and keep that edge that maybe our league mates
0:37are unaware of. So, let's try to go through it. Let's try to break it all down. If you want access to my rankings
0:42over at rotoire.com, use the code theo35 and get 35% off of any subscription. Some really cool stuff over on the site. But, let's get it
0:52going. No time to waste. The season starts right around the corner and all of us have our league drafts coming up
0:58or they already happened. We're going to keep it going here. Right off the top, let's talk about KC Conpsion.
1:05Casey Conpsion is electric. This is an elite talent. We have question marks about the quarterback position in Cleveland, but we don't have question
1:14marks about Casey Conpsion. There is a ton of buzz with this player. It started off at the NFL draft. Slow drip drip
1:22drip drip drip. I had this player going in the first round of the NFL draft in all of my mock drafts leading up to the
1:28NFL draft. After the combine, it sort of became apparent and then Cleveland drafts him inside of round one. And we have an obvious comparison.
1:39He could fill a Z Flowers like role with Todd Monkin, but no hyperbole, he might end up having a better career than Z
1:47Flowers. I think that Casey Conpsion is an amazing talent and I think it's a player that could overcome some weak quarterback play and we saw it in the
1:56preseason where Casey had three catches for 27 yards and he scored on a rushing touchdown. Played with the starters and
2:06this is a a big a big thing for us where Casey Conpsion and Denzel Boston are both going to be starters in in
2:15Cleveland. They played alongside Jerry Judy in like three wide receiver sets, but we had further clarification from Todd Monkin talking about how they got
2:23Casey Conpsion a punt return opportunity because they said they wanted to see him with the ball in his hands. And Todd
2:30Monkin has basically said he wants to get Casey Conpsion the ball as much as possible. I moved Casey Conpsion up into
2:38my top 90 in my PPR rankings. I've been consistently drafting him inside of round 10. I think that price is going up
2:46and we talk about rookie wide receivers being an edge in previous seasons. I think we could see it with Casey Conpsion. You're getting a discount
2:54because it's a bad offense. The whole bad offense discount, but this is a player that I think is going to have
3:02touches manufactured for him. He's incredibly dangerous with the ball in his hands. Big time big time separation.
3:11All of the clips from camp, if you just look at sort of the separation that Casey Conpsion has, dynamic player, an
3:18awesome talent, and one that you want to target in your drafts, if you can get him in round 10, round 11, fantastic. If
3:25you got to pay a ninth round price tag, that's fine. And you can sort of build your team knowing that you're targeting
3:32him where could we have a ramp up period? Could we have some quarterback turnover in Cleveland? I think so. But it feels like the kind of player where
3:39we could look back on the season a year from now and say, "Oh, Casey Conpsion, he was the wide receiver 12 from weeks
3:5011 through 16 or something some like we're going to get a period of time where Casey Conpion scores in a major
3:56way. I'm convinced of that." Denzel Boston also a target for us. I've been taking him consistently in the 15th and 16th rounds. He's moving up a little
4:05bit, but if one of them is going to have a big fantasy season, my bet is on Casey Conpsion rather than Denzel Boston,
4:11who's sort of going to be an outside threat. I think down the line, Boston is going to be fantastic and still a player
4:17that I'm very high on. But Casey Conpsion, he's got that it factor. It looks different on an NFL field. Uh it's
4:25it's hard to explain. I talked about this with a couple analysts, but he just looks different. He moves differently.
4:31This is a potentially high-end wide receiver for us in fantasy. This year, there's going to be some choppiness. The offense, of course, we have some
4:39question marks about, but it's still a player that we want to make a priority target in our drafts. Keeping it going,
4:45I had to move DJ Moore up my ranks. You can go check it out over at Rotowire, but I had to move him up. This is the
4:51kind of player that I would usually fade. DJ Moore had some struggles last year, but he has a new sense of life in
4:59Buffalo and looks really good. He had three catches for 61 yards on four targets. One of them he was sort of
5:06uncovered, but it just showed the amount of space that this offense can generate, the threat of Josh Allen, the threat of
5:13James Cook, and now DJ Moore. The Buffalo Bills gave up a second round pick to get DJ Moore. He reunites with
5:21Joe Brady who was his offensive coordinator in Carolina when he was sort of on the comeup. And Buffalo has a massive need for a player like him, a
5:30player that is going to get a pretty solid target share. I think with the end of the day, we're going to see wide
5:36receiver 1esque usage for DJ Moore. And we've got the bump playing alongside Josh Allen. Buffalo hasn't had a thousandy receiver since Stefon Diggs.
5:47They're gonna give DJ Moore every chance to win that role. Jordan Tyson, a player that we were very high on, I had to drop
5:55considerably in my rankings outside of really the top 100, I think, is where we have to put him. There's a number of
6:02other wide receivers who are very appealing. Now, Jordan Tyson, if you have an IR spot, really a solid player to draft. If you don't have an IR spot,
6:11just remember, you're going to have to get through a couple of waiverwire weeks uh without him. there's a potential we don't see him until week nine, week
6:20eight. Sometimes these sort of injuries with hamstrings, there can be reagravation. The team might not want to rush him out there. So, when we hear 2
6:27months and we're in August, we say, "Oh, you know, that's fine. We we'll see him at the beginning of October." But things
6:32happen. Really, really talented player.
6:36Uh they're not going to risk his long-term health after spending a top 10 draft pick on him just to rush him out
6:42on the field. What this does is this sort of elevates Chris Ave. I took Chris Ave at the 302 in an FFPC main event on
6:51Friday evening and that's when we had a lack of clarity on Tyson. I think Ave is going to be sort of living at that 23
6:59turn all throughout the rest of August, especially in PPR formats, especially in start three wide receiver formats. Has a rare combination of target share, airy
7:09yard share, and first read rate. And we know last year he averaged 18.8 points per game in Tyler Shuck starts. We also
7:17want to bump up Jawan Johnson. He's going to have a strong role. Jawan Johnson last year had nine top 12 tight
7:25end finishes. Had over a 100 targets, which is a really good number for a tight end. And then we also have more
7:30theoretical touches for Travis CTN with some Alvin Camaro mixed in. I think the running backs they'll lean on a little bit. But New Orleans as a whole, I'm
7:39going to remain bullish on them offensively. Year two, Tyler Shuck, year two, Kell Moore. Offensive line should be very good. You've got Bryce Lance,
7:48Devon Vele. Both those guys will sort of mix in. You've got Oscar Delp in in sort of two tight end sets. You've also got
7:55Noah Fant out there. So, you've got a bunch of speed and athleticism at the tight end position with a very creative
8:01play caller in Kell Moore, but very disappointing for Jordan Tyson, a rookie wide receiver who is getting a lot of buzz right now. Jacobe Lane looks to be
8:11a rookie draft pick steel. I have some shares of Jacobe Lane where I I mean I and I and I'll put it on the record like
8:18I was not touting Jacobe Lane like I was more on Elijah Serat throughout the rookie draft process. We have to celebrate our victories, but we also
8:27have to sort of own our L's. Not saying Elijah Serat is going to be a big huge loss, but when it came down to which
8:33Baltimore Ravens rookie wide receiver I wanted to get access to, it was probably Elijah Serat. But there were some drafts where Jacobe Lane just kept falling and
8:43falling and I drafted him a couple times. So, I have some Jacobe Lane shares where it's sort of like the Homelander meme and I'm looking around
8:50saying like, "All right, all right, I got it right." But it was really more of a player who had a potential uh
8:56opportunity for playing time and good draft capital. So therefore, I'm going to take him rather than this is my guy type take. But Jacobe Lane has awesome
9:05athleticism. Uh was solid player at USC.
9:09Obviously had less buzz last year with Mai Lemon, but he's been an incredibly fast starter here in Baltimore. Taking advantage of this opportunity. this
9:19crazy video going around of him doing like this one-hand catch after one-hand catch after one-hand catch. It looks like AI generated and then you've got
9:27all this buzz. The noted beat reporter Jameson Helmsley said it's the best rookie wide receiver he's ever seen in camp. Uh Jacobe Lang caught a touchdown
9:35the other day. Now, is he going to end up being a better in baseball type pick?
9:39Maybe. There's a bunch of guys out there. It's Rashad Baitman. There's Serat Tez Walker. You've got Mark Andrews, of course, and then you've got
9:47rookie tight end Matthew Hibner. So, there's a bunch of guys out there. We know Ze Flower is going to get 30%
9:52target share. We know big dog Derrick Henry the King is going to get a ton of touches. We know Lamar Jackson will have
9:59his own manufactured rushing attempts.
10:01But I think this is going to be a player in Jacobe Lane that could put up some big spike weeks. And I think in Dynasty,
10:07if you can buy super cheap, there is a lot of buzz right there. And this feels like a player who could be a real
10:13keeper. Certainly Rashad Baitman still in the mix. He's had some buzz as well, but I think we know what Rashad Baitman
10:18is at this point. Uh Jacobe Lane, really interesting. Keenan Allen signs with the Indianapolis Colts. And this one has to
10:28be a big loss for Josh DS. And I get it, they could theoretically play together and but Josh DS is sort of trending
10:35towards being on in two wide receiver sets. If you want to take your game to another level, consider a subscription to rotoire.com. You're going to get
10:44access to all of my rankings, the same rankings that I'm going to use in my highstakes drafts, as well as all the
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10:57dynasty rankings and more using the code Theo35.
11:01That's Theo35, which is going to get you 35% off of a Rotoire subscription. Let's crush our leagues together this season.
11:11Next player to talk about, Dejon Stribbling. He continues to impress in a major way. He had seven catches for 63 yards on eight targets. We hear Kyle
11:22Shanahan talking him up. We hear Brock Perie talking about the trust that he has in him. I mean, Stribbling's been just a really fast riser here. You've
11:31had some beat reporters coming out with like big hyperbolic statements saying Stribbling could end up being the best wide receiver on this team by
11:37mid-season, including Mike Evans. Now, if Mike Evans stays healthy, there's going to be a lot of veterans difference for him. But
11:46dribbling, I mean, talk about just this this fast track where the the drum beats have just been fantastic.
11:54We hear about dribbling pretty much every day making plays and this is a player that I think that the 49ers trust. His usage could look a lot like
12:04Brandon Iayuk's. Uh, and when you talk about just how opportunistic this role could be, you've already had Ricky Pieraw go
12:15down for a season ending injury. Then you have this Mike Evans missing a couple days here. You got George KD lack of clarity
12:26when he comes back. It's just the like the hype train for Dejon Stribbling could not be higher. and he dominated.
12:33Also, like we had the joint practice with the Tennessee Titans. Apparently, Stribbling was ripping it up against the Tennessee Titans. So, we talk about some
12:41of these upside wide receiver targets.
12:43Put scribbling in like the the same sort of category with guys like Matthew Golden, certainly guys like Casey Conpsion. We want to push dribbling up a
12:53little bit. Baseball, he is a no-brainer, but I think in reddraft, dribbling is going to be a really solid target for you. Make sure you go and get
13:00some. We have a lack of clarity with my guy Amecha Ibuka. We have cryptic comments from Todd BS talking about daytoday week to week. Like we we don't
13:11know what's going on with this toe injury. Like they hope to have him back for the beginning of the season. It's
13:16nothing that we want to hear. And we have to remember that that Bulls was also so like very cryptic and pessimistic with how he talked about
13:25Bucky Irving. And then all of a sudden we looked up and Bucky Irving was sort of back at OTAAS. Now Bucky Bucky Irving
13:30is playing. So keep that in mind. But toe injury is super annoying. I had I had a Mecca Igbuka about as high as
13:37anybody in fantasy in my PPR rankings at Rotoire. I had to drop him down a little bit. Make sure you go check out the
13:44rankings, see where I dropped him down to. I still drafted him last week in an NFC draft, but the days of having to
13:51push him up into near second round uh conversation is over. He's going to be there sort of in the the late third
13:58round. And I think there's some some potential downside where he could drop to maybe the beginning of the fourth round in a lot of formats if we sort of
14:05continue to have a lack of clarity here.
14:07Again, toe injuries, super annoying, tough to play through. A Mecha Eggpuka is still a guy that we want to trust, but we have to be willing to lower guys
14:18down with injuries, especially ones that are troublesome. So, right now, still have the green light to draft him, but we don't need to push him up and reach
14:27for him. That's sort of how I'm handling it. If I'm sitting there at like the 310 and he's on the board, I'm I'm pulling
14:34the trigger for sure. But at the 301, the 302, the I'm not going to take him there. There's guys like we talked about
14:42Chris, certainly Malik Neighbors, the vibes are getting good there. Uh George Pickkins, those guys I I now have ahead in my target. So, it's not overreacting,
14:53it's just being realistic. And I think one thing we need to look at with Tampa Bay, Jaylen McMillan returned to practice. That is a positive sign.
15:01McMillan uh obviously a really fun spike week type guy. He would have some contingent upside if if Ibuka ever were to miss weeks. Now I don't I don't know
15:11if Ibuka is going to miss anything, but let's keep that in mind. McMillan has some theoretical contingent upside here in this offense. Great offensive line.
15:19We know Baker Mayfield's out there slinging. The big winner if he were to miss time would be Chris Godwin. Chris Godwin boring pick. Certainly an older
15:28guy, but he could end up being peppered with targets if if there's any sort of slow out the gate uh ramp up for Amecha
15:34Ibuka if we end up having this toe injury lingering. So right now we're keeping him inside of round three for sure in my rankings, but I did move him
15:44down a couple of spots begrudgingly, but I have to do the right thing here with these rankings. And again, updating these rankings sort of on a daily basis
15:51now, sometimes multiple times a day cuz we have to react to these injuries.
15:55Sneaky running back target, Tai Spears.
15:58We talk about how the game flow could be for Tennessee this year. They might not win a whole lot of games here. Tai
16:04Spears has been a player that's been helpful to fantasy managers for certain weak periods. We remember the end of the 2024 season where he was scoring at a
16:13very, very high rate. this off seasonason. I talked about him as a really low bo candidate in Dynasty and I I stand by that one. Spears is going to
16:21be a free agent next off seasonason. We could see a runout where he's like a Kenneth Gainwell, Rashad White type who
16:27enters the the enters like the open market and someone signs him for like a a change of paceback role, maybe a 1A 1B
16:36type role. Spears is going to have a market as long as he stays healthy this year. But what's notable is he outnapped
16:43Tony Pard 12 to9 in starter snaps. So Tennessee had a virtual split, but Tai Spears outnapped Tony Pard. I think that
16:53we have to knock Tony Pard down a little bit. Consider Tony Pard is sort of a structural pick more so than anything
17:00else. And if you really want access to this team, taking Spears really, really late might be the better way to go about
17:06it. Now, if your team needs a Tony Pard, understand there's going to be certain teams where maybe you're in a hero RB
17:12build, maybe you're in a zero RB build, and you want to get points in the first month of the season. Pard's fine for
17:19that, but understand what you're chasing. Tony Pard's upside is completely capped. If this sort of work is there for Tai Spears, you've also got
17:28sort of the threat of Nick Singleton behind both of these guys. We want to keep an eye on it. Jeremiah Love was
17:35terrific. He looked every bit the part for Arizona, but for whatever reason they get him 14 touches.
17:42I don't understand this for the life of me where you draft a guy at three overall, you put that much draft capital
17:49into it and then you have to see him touch the ball 14 times in a preseason game. Now there's some high ankle sprain
17:57worries where it doesn't feel like anything like too catastrophic at all for Jeremiah Love. again still within the third round for me in my rankings
18:07over at Rotoire, but I wanted to put him inside the top 24. I don't think you can take him inside of round two. Now, I
18:15think if you want to if you want to push it and you want to take him at the two three turn as a based on talent, maybe
18:22you combine him with a Bejian Robinson or a Jir Gibbs in sort of a potentially electric second half of the year bet. I
18:29think that's there. I don't want to knock him too much because again the passcatching work looks awesome for him.
18:35He had three catches for 14 yards and again 11 rushes for 58 yards. Looks dynamic. Looks awesome. But now we have
18:43to worry a little bit about this high ankle sprain where again we don't want to knock him too much. But those picks
18:49inside of round two are extremely important for us to nail. And when you talk about a Jeremiah Love versus a couple of those healthy running backs
18:57with Bellcow profiles on better offenses, we have to be a little realistic. Now, if Jeremiah Love falls to the fourth round in your draft
19:05because people are worried about this, that's almost an auto pick for me. But in round three, I am considering him, but he's not one that I need to take at
19:13the 2-3 turn right now. I think some of those wide receivers are just a little more appealing. One other uh interesting
19:20note is we've heard sort of the doom and gloom narrative in Arizona where Carson Beck takes over. It's going to destroy
19:27Trey McBride. It's going to destroy all the wide receivers. It's going to destroy the entire offense. But Carson Beck looked pretty good in the
19:33preseason. Like Carson Carson Beck looked looked very good. Uh he had 15 uh completions for uh on 19 attempts, 188
19:43yards, and a touchdown. And he looked very confident. push the ball down field. I mean, I think Carson Beck sort of the doom and gloom narrative. Now,
19:51this is again preseason. I don't want to overreact to this. This is not me telling you, oh, go make these all these
19:56trades for Carson Beck and Dynasty and you don't have to draft him in every baseball draft. But the idea that you
20:02are going to avoid Cardinals because of Carson Beck, I think that that narrative got a little weaker. And the idea that
20:09Trey McBride is sort of like we've reached sort of an inflection point where you're seeing Trey McBride fall and fall and fall in a lot of rankings
20:16including Dynasty where people a lot of people want to flip the script with Coulson Lovelin. And I love Coulson Lovelin. But I have these guys virtually
20:23side by side in my rankings. And that's me being super bullish on Lovelin. But Trey McBride is still a locked in third
20:30round target for you in regular PPR leagues. Some leagues he's going to fall even further than that. And in tight end
20:36premium formats, I've drafted him twice in two FFPC main event second rounds.
20:41Taken him in the second round twice. So, I have conviction on Trey McBride in tight end premium formats. And I think
20:47seeing Carson Beck uh in a preseason game against actual NFL players. And again, when when you see guys in the preseason, you have to add context when
20:55guys are going against backups and whatnot, but there's still NFL players out there. And Carson Beck did look the part. So, we don't want to overreact,
21:03but the idea of the doom and gloom narrative, I think it's a little weak. I think that Beck can keeps keep this
21:08offense sort of upright and I think he can support players like Trey McBride, Jeremiah Love. Let me know in the comments uh if you think that's wrong,
21:17but I liked what I saw from Carson Beck.
21:19Continuing the reactions here, Marshon Lloyd is a handcuff in Green Bay, but he's also really a handcuff plus. Uh Josh Jacobs missed the game, but Marshon
21:30Lloyd ran with the starters and the upside he has is massive here. Josh Jacobs returned to practice this week.
21:38So, uh Josh Jacobs dealing with a groin injury, missed some time back at practice, but sort of the injury box has
21:44already been opened up with Josh Jacobs, a player that has taken a lot of volume over the last few years and really taken
21:52a lot of volume throughout his NFL career. Marshon Lloyd would be the next man in would be a really strong value. I
21:58think he's got a little bit of handcuff plus potential where Green Bay is going to mix him in. So, if you're drafting
22:03Marshon Lloyd in baseball, you're going to get some usable weeks even with Josh Jacobs. If it's a reddraft, probably more of a contingent bet, but if you're
22:10in like dire straits in a deeper format, throw him in there, especially some deeper dynasty formats. Uh, very athletic player. And when we look also
22:19at Josh Jacobs, there's been uh some talk Adam Shfter and whatnot have talked about the potential Josh Jacobs could be suspended. So that's still lingering. It
22:29feels safer like the like uh the the later we get into August with no suspension and no news with Jacobs, it
22:37feels like we get safer and safer, but the NFL is funny. The NFL can just drop it on you at any moment. So, Marshon
22:44Lloyd, consider him a priority handcuff in your drafts. I talked to one of my buddies who was in a a draft last night
22:51in a home league. Marshon Lloyd went in the 14th round for him. So, a lot of leagues I'm drafting in, I'm seeing
22:56Marshon Lloyd like a locked in automatic 10th round, 11th round, even ninth round pick where people are really chasing that big-time contingent upside. But in
23:06some formats, if you're drafted on like Yahoo, Sleeper, ESPN, maybe some home leagues, maybe people don't necessarily follow my work or or or maybe they just
23:15don't know about Marshon Lloyd, you might be able to get them in round 14.
23:18So, I think if just kind of understand the ADP situation, understand the leagues you're in. If you're in a league where guys are are really locked in and
23:26it's you consider your competition sharp, consider taking Marshon Lloyd in like round 11. Um, and if you're in a higher stakes league, probably round 10.
23:35But in some leagues, you might be able to get him a little bit later. And I think it's a it's an edge pick. I also
23:39think it's worth kicking the the the tires on a Marshon Lloyd in Dynasty trade offer if he's able to sort of
23:45overcome his injured past, sort of like we saw with Christian Watson last year where he came back and looked good and
23:51then gets this big contract. Green Bay has shown that they're willing to extend players who have missed time with injury. They did it with Jaden Reed.
24:00They [snorts] did it with Christian Watson. potentially could do it with Marshon Lloyd if he has a strong year this year. And Jacob's getting older, a
24:06lot of volume. There could be a pathway for Marshon to take on a bigger role in 2027. Remember, this was a third round
24:12pick in the 2024 draft and was a Senior Bowl standout. Marshon Lloyd. Talking about Green Bay, Matthew Golden, another player we need to sort of bump up a
24:22little bit. He looks like an every down wide receiver. Played in two wide receiver sets. Um, gonna be opposite Christian Watson. We also know that
24:30they're managing the snaps and workload for Tucker Craft. So, potentially a bigger opportunity for the wide receivers in Green Bay. Now, Jaden
24:39Reed's really good. Um, but we have to sort of be realistic. Jaden Reed's a player that we haven't seen used in two
24:46wide receiver sets at any point in his career under Lafleur. And I think that's going to be the case again this year.
24:52Now, could they be in 11 a lot? I think they could, but and Jaden Reed certainly has contingent upside, especially if
24:59Craft misses time, potentially even if Jacobs misses time, we'd see some of those manufactured rush attempts for Reed. Reed's a really really talented
25:07player. His fantasy points per snap. Uh like all of the the the efficiency metrics would support Jaden Reed, but in terms of raw snaps and opportunities,
25:17Matthew Golden really needs to get bumped up playing in two wide receiver sets. This was a first round pick for Green Bay last year. Disappointing
25:25rookie year, but Matthew Golden has a pathway to a big-time year 2 breakout season. Tons of speed. We know that Jordan Love can push it downfield and
25:34connect on deep passes. And I think there's going to be some opportunities for Matthew Golden to be showcased and they get the ball in his hands in
25:41creative ways. That sort of speed adds a different element and dynamic to this offense. Green Bay wide receivers all have contingent upside when you look at
25:51guys like Savon Williams would probably be the next man in as the wide receiver four. So Golden Reed and Watson if one
25:59of the three goes down and misses any time the other two become a little more valuable. But Golden has a clearer
26:05pathway than Jaden Reed does right now.
26:08And it's kind of disappointing for I think a lot of people including myself with Jaden Reed bags uh to hear, but if
26:14you have been drafting Matthew Golden, I think you might have gotten a potential steel, especially in early drafts when he was going very very late. Bree Hall,
26:22latest news, out two to three weeks with a groin injury. Connor [snorts] Hughes, who's really one of the best Jets beat
26:29reporters there there is. Jets are a very well- covered team, but Connor Hughes sort of a trusted voice there. He came out with this news said two to
26:36three weeks with a groin injury. The team was fearful it could be a month plus or they used the term months like
26:43multiple which was a scary thing to hear but 2 to 3 weeks we can live with this one. Bruce Hall played 10 of 11 snaps
26:50with the starters. Looks set to be in a bellcow role any week he's out there with the Jets. We need to bump up
26:56Brillan Allen a little bit as a priority handcuff now that the the injury has injury- like sort of box has been opened
27:04when it comes to Bruce Hall. Uh and Brilland Allen did have a 31-y rushing touchdown uh for the Jets in the
27:10preseason. So I think you elevate Brilen Allen a little bit. He's the preferred handcuff for me over Isaiah Davis. I think people always want a little
27:18clarification on that. Allen would be the next man in Brilan Allen sort of another year three guy. same draft as Marshon Lloyd. Talk about Jonathan
27:27Brooks, Blake Cororm, the 2024 guys all have uh kind of interesting pathways this year. But Bree Hall, I'm not going to knock too much. I dropped my
27:36rankings. If you're watching this on Rotoire YouTube or you're listening on the podcast, I dropped my rankings, my top 26. So, I had Bree Hall well ahead
27:44of consensus. I had Bree Hall at 21 overall. I'm going to have to bump him a little bit, but not too much. I'm going
27:50to drop him like two spots. he will remain a target for me. Um I am very much into Bree Hall but again two to
27:58three weeks something we can live with but it's not perfect and now we sort of open things up where could there be
28:04reagravation. Still want to get access to Bree Hall but I'm not going to reach to get him. Fantasy football season is
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30:04Speaking of the Jets, Adai Mitchell, the clear number two wide receiver in New York. There was the offseason was sort of a lot of chatter about Omar Cooper
30:13Jr. versus Adinai Mitchell. Well, that ship is sailed. It's Adinai Mitchell.
30:17He's the clear number two for the Jets.
30:20Garrett Wilson's going to be a 30% target share guy, but Mitchell could be much better than expected in terms of role and production. He's way ahead of
30:28Cooper. And now we hear Omar Cooper is com competing with Isaiah Williams for for snaps. So for me, Adani Mitchell, he's a really interesting one. I've been
30:38drafting a ton of Adai Mitchell. We talked about like the Denzel Boston range where Boston [snorts] was going in like that 15th 16th round. He's moved up
30:45to like the 13th round. I'm still drafting Adai Mitchell in that really fun range where it's like 15th round.
30:52Um, you're getting access to Adani Mitchell for super cheap, but I think he has a clear pathway to being the number
30:57two target on New York. Uh, we understand like there's there's some limitations with this offense, but I think this offense is going to be better
31:04than some people are projecting it to. A lot of positive buzz about the offensive line play in Jets camp. We know they
31:11extended Joe Tipman. Uh, we know that Arman Membu looks like he could be an absolute star. And I think Gino Smith is
31:18going to stabilize them just enough that we could see fantasy wins from Bree Hall, Garrett Wilson, and Adani Mitchell all in the same season. I don't think
31:26we're talking about some like dead last in scoring type situation for the Jets.
31:30Adai Mitchell is a name you want to target. For some of you, he can be the final target in your drafts, but Adai
31:37Mitchell feels like a player to me that we're going to get to week one and he's going to be on a ton of waiverwire
31:43articles and you're going to say, "Hey, not in my league, bro. Adan I Mitchell was drafted in my league. Um but in a
31:48lot of leagues he's going to fall through the cracks because people are not chasing wide receiver two on the Jets, but I think it's a mistake.
31:54Mitchell was a second round pick. Uh now he's entering his third year as a pro and we saw him flashing over the second
32:00half of last season. Keep an eye on Adam and I Mitchell. Las Vegas Raiders. A number of players to talk about here.
32:07Jaylen Naylor and Trey Tucker look to be the top two wide receivers. Jack Bes as the wide receiver three. Naylor and
32:14Tucker both played uh like a ton of snaps. I mean, you're talking about these guys could be full-on, full snapshare guys. There's been more buzz
32:22with Jaylen Naylor recently at camp. A lot of the beat reporters talking up uh his talent and his role on this offense.
32:29I think there's a chance he's the number two target on this team. Ashen Gent is going to get a ton of work in the
32:33passing game. We've heard a lot of of talk about uh Ashen Genty increasing his catch totals from last year, which is a
32:41really positive thing to hear. and Jaylen Naylor, a player that they signed as a free agent, they gave a good amount
32:47of money to, he looks like he has a solidified role. Trey Tucker also has a solidified role. Tucker last year, we
32:53know he was a spike week guy, and Trey Tucker was one of the highest snap rate wide receivers in football last year.
32:59So, one of the big benefits you get from Trey Tucker is Trey Tucker really never left the field last year. Now, does that
33:05stay the same this year with Clint Kubak? Not 100%. But I think both of these guys are gonna have very high snap
33:11shares in terms of Naylor and Tucker.
33:14Also need to point out Mike Washington needs to move up into like the direct handcuff category. We've been talking about him for a while. Like certain
33:21people listen to my shows like Mike Washington really high on him at the Senior Bowl. Disappointed when he fell in the NFL draft, but clear upside cuff.
33:30I know I drafted him in a FFPC dynasty startup with Scott Barrett this off seasonason. We took him super late. And
33:36the idea being that he could end up being a player that could sort of gain a lot of dynasty value if Ashen Genty ever
33:43missed time. I think Washington would be like a a potentially Zack Charbanetesque role in this Clint Kubak offense. He's huge. He's fast. It doesn't take a whole
33:54lot of thought to this one and it feels like a player that Kubak likes. In terms of like the split with the first team,
34:01you were looking at about a 70% for Genty and about 30% for Washington.
34:05We've talked about how Kubak favors a split backfield. I think that's about how the split's going to be. But Washington's going to get mixed in a
34:13little bit. Fun baseball pick, but if you draft Ashton Genty and you really like your team and you're in a deeper
34:20format, you should handcuff him with Mike Washington. A lot of us get into should you handcuff or not. And there's certain analysts out there that say
34:28don't ever handcuff. It lowers the upside of your team. I'm not one of those. And I know that there's a lot of
34:33really, really successful, high stakes managers who completely agree with me on this one. Just a general rule, handcuff if you love your team. If your team
34:43looks really good and you don't need to chase it in the last couple rounds, handcuff chase it, handcuffing somebody else's running back uh has a lot of upside. But
34:52when I am in a have a build that I love taking Ashen Genty if you're taking him at the one-two turn early second late
34:58first then taking Mike Washington in like round 14 that makes sense. You have a more of a than a 10 round gap between
35:05the two. I think that's a proper way to play it. And if you don't have Ashen Genty and you just want that upside of a
35:10Clint Kubak running back Mike Washington next man in really really fun one.
35:16Jonathan Brooks Carolina Panthers. We've got Chuba Hubard dealing with a hamstring injury. he should be back. But Jonathan Brooks, 80% of the snaps with
35:24the starters, right about an 80% snap rate in in starter snaps didn't really do anything. But the the key for Jonathan Brooks is he is fully healthy.
35:35He's ready to rock. We know he can catch the football. We know Dave Canales has plans for him. He's moved up
35:40considerably in ADP, but I think he's worth it. I think Jonathan Brooks is going to lead this backfield. I think he
35:46can catch a lot of passes this year.
35:48Speaking of backs that are moving up in ADP, a really strong sign for the Katon Mitchell bag holders. Katon Mitchell rested with the starters in LA while
35:59Kamani Vidal played. So despite being a big Jim Harbaugh favorite and a player that Mike McDaniel talked up, Kamani Vidal played with the backups and Katon
36:09Mitchell sat along with Omar and Hampton. So Katon Mitchell I think has a really strong role in this offense.
36:15Omarian Hampton. Some people were really critical of the way where I ranked Omari and Hampton in my latest update. Theo, you're low on Omar and Hampton. I have
36:22Omarian Hampton at 18 overall. So, I'm not like crazy low on Omar and Hampton.
36:27I'm not pushing him up to the one two turn, but I have him solidly in round two. Drafted him in an FFPC 350 recently
36:34with Jacob Gibbs on a team we split. But I think Katon Mitchell, even with a healthy Hampton, is going to be a really
36:40fun player. He can catch passes out of the backfield. They're using him in creative ways. They're using him on like wheel routes, down the field looks, and
36:50we know he could really excel in the screen game. Mike McDaniel offenses do a great job of getting very fast, dynamic
36:57players, the ball in their hands out in space, and I think we'll see it with Katon Mitchell. I think Mitchell might
37:03move into like ninth round draft territory as we get to the end of August here. another one of these zero and hero
37:10hero RB build targets where you want to get access to Katon Mitchell if you need some running back production and the
37:16contingent upside for him if [snorts] Omari and Hampton were to miss time I know last year Kamani Vadal was fantastic in that handcuff role and I'm
37:24not talking you off of Vidal I think Vidal would have a really big role if uh Hampton were ever to miss time but
37:31Mitchell gives you the benefit of giving you points even with a healthy Hampton and if Hampton were to go Mitchell, I
37:37think, would outscore Vidal pretty easily. And even though Vidal is a well-rounded back, I think Mitchell, the appeal of him in this offense would be
37:46too much. I think he's going to have a very strong year sort of where he's going drafted. So, you can get Mitchell
37:50in a lot of leagues in the 10th, 11th round, but I think he's heading to the ninth round when we get to the big money
37:56drafts in like the NFC, uh, prime times, the supers, when we get to the end of August, get to the FFPC main events over
38:04in Vegas. I think we're going to see some Katon Mitchell sightings inside of the first 10 rounds. Just feels the way
38:10we are headed. Speaking of running backs, Jonah Coleman looked really tough. Four rushes for 24 yards and they target him and a play that got called
38:17back on a penalty. Jonah Coleman, a a really high upside fourthround uh running back, was very productive in college, was a very good prospect, has
38:27sort of a Doug Martin like build, thick back who can take a a lot of volume and sustain it against NFL defenders, and he
38:36also is an opportunistic patch pass catcher out of the back field. So, he gives you a well-rounded skill set. We also saw Shawn Peyton come out and say
38:45that he saw all he needed to see from Jonah Coleman. didn't need to give him the workload, which is just so
38:51ridiculous when you go back, not to rant, but when you go back and look at what Arizona did with Jeremiah Love and
38:56then you look at like a really good franchise like Denver. Denver doesn't need to see their fourth round rookie running back, but Arizona needs to see
39:04their number three overall pick. Just the disconnect and the way they use these guys, it's just it's ridiculous.
39:10And it's sort of like my my Jeremiah Love Dynasty bags. I'm sort of talking it through. Uh, I have a good amount of
39:17exposure and I'm excited to have Jeremiah Love, but I don't like that sort of mismanagement. Jonah Coleman on the flip side, they they really seem to
39:24like him. Um, you have the best offensive line in football in Denver.
39:28Our offensive line rankings guru Dan Fornick, who put his offensive line rankings article up for free at rotoire.com. You can go check that out.
39:37One of the best articles I read all summer. He has Denver number one. And it's not like Dan's on some island. A
39:44couple of other very notable offensive line rankings expert have experts have Denver as the number one ranked offensive line. Jonah Coleman could end
39:52up being the next fourth round running back to hit in a major way. It's a trend. The trend is our friend in
39:58fantasy football. Things that happen tend to repeat themselves. 2024 Bucky Irving fourthround pick ends up hitting in a major way. Last year Cam Scataboo
40:09fourth round pick ends up hitting in a major way. goes down with an injury, but was awesome. If you had him rostered,
40:15you felt like you had a league winner for a couple of weeks. Fourth round pick this year, Jonah Coleman. He's the one
40:19to bet on. You have a crowded backfield in Denver until it's not. JK Dobbins, a player I like. RJ Harvey, I don't mind
40:27him at his current cost, but there are scenarios where Dobbins goes down with an injury. There's scenarios where the coaching staff gets annoyed at RJ
40:34Harvey. Jonah Coleman gets a foot in the door. The workload can increase. I love Dobbins, but Dobbins never stays healthy. And when we think about what
40:42Denver did this off seasonason, they were connected with Kenneth Walker, connected with David Montgomery, and ultimately they just bring back JK
40:50Dobbins and they draft Jonah Coleman.
40:51So, I think there's a chance he has a large role at some point in the year.
40:55Not going to be some guy that's going to come out of the gate and get a ton of touches, but that's exactly the kind of
41:00player you want on your bench. Speaking of Denver, Courtland Sutton looked good.
41:04Three catches for 60 yards. I've been sort of a Courtland Sutton hater, doubter, and fader. I've been talking up Jaylen Waddle and I still like Jaylen
41:12Wadd a ton, but Sutton looked good. The other notable thing, Pat Bryant, uh Pat Bryant ended up starting with Jaylen Waddle missing, which is which is uh
41:22sort of backing up the buzz we've seen with Pat Bryant. Courtland Sutton open-minded to drafting him, but I do think that Jaylen Wadd is going to have
41:30a massive role as the wide receiver one here. Jaylen Wadd returned to practice.
41:34He's in pads at the time I'm recording this, so really good signal there. Then you've got Bo Knicks. And Boon Knicks, I
41:40talked about this one on a recent podcast. It feels like Bo Knicks is a steel right now. And I'm not some like
41:45Bo Knicks backer. I'm not like a Bo Knicks bull. I'm not somebody who's just constantly been pounding the table and saying draft Bo Knicks. But Boon Knicks
41:53finishes as the quarterback eight his rookie year. The quarterback 11 last year, and that's in points per game.
41:59Right now, he's the quarterback 14. and this Denver offense. He's got Jaylen Wadd, Courtland Sutton, Pat Bryant, who they used a third round pick on, and
42:08then Troy Franklin who had six touchdown catches, 700 plus receiving yards last year. He's the wide receiver four now.
42:16Then you got a three deep backfield with JK Dobbins, Jonah Coleman, and and RJ Harvey. Not in that order, of course,
42:23but you've got all these weapons with Bo Knicks. And Bo Knicks also, we know he's mobile and has produced as a runner in
42:29back-to-back NFL seasons. and he's being drafted like quarterback 14, 15, 16 in some drafts. He's an easy easy click.
42:38Boon Knicks, I think, could pay off in a major way. Uh I think he's a top 10 scorer this year. I'm going to have to
42:42move him up in my rankings.
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43:42Speaking of handcuff running backs that are rookies, EMTT Johnson looked really good. He was a massive producer at Nebraska. And I think we found our
43:50answer to who is the backup running back in Kansas City. It's EMTT Johnson. We've had also Andy Reid praising him at
43:58multiple points of the offseason.
44:00Rashard Smith might work in a little bit with the first team because he's a really good pass catcher. And Amari De
44:05Marcado also there, but EMTT Johnson, if Kenneth Walker goes down, would be a huge waiverwire ad in every single format. If you're in a deeper format,
44:14just draft EMTT Johnson. Speaking of rookie running backs, Jarian Price, nothing to talk about in terms of Price, what he did, but all this buzz about
44:24George Helani and people sort of talking about how we're fading Jarian Price.
44:28George Helani is going to be the guy.
44:29Well, all these starters rested for Seattle and George Helani got 12 carries. So, it's like, what are we doing here? George Helani, the team
44:39might like him. He might be a a player that mixes in for his pass blocking, maybe a little bit of receiving, but
44:45Jadarian Price is a guy in Seattle. I think you can be comfortable about Jadarian Price based on how the team is
44:51not sort of protecting George Hani in the preseason versus other guys that they're counting on throughout the regular season. So, like, I get it. If
45:00you want to draft George Helani in round 18, I'm not going to talk you off of it.
45:03But if you draft George Helani in round 18 because you think that I'm dumb for taking Jadarian Price at like the 67
45:09turn, I think that's the wrong argument.
45:11Jirenian Price could end up delivering simply on touchdowns. Can you see a scenario where Jirenian Price has 950 rushing yards, but he has 10 rushing
45:19touchdowns? I can see that scenario. Uh we know that the offense in Seattle last year produced Kenneth Walker and Zack Sharpet combined for 19 rushing
45:28touchdowns. Price has a big pathway this year. definitely on some Jadarian price.
45:33I took him in an NFC at the 612 in a $350 entry contest. I think he's going to move up, but I'd be willing to spend
45:41a little bit more draft capital on him.
45:43And I think this is a really good sign for us. Talking about rookies, there's a bunch of these a bunch of these rookie
45:51wide receivers we could talk about. But I mean, we could do a whole rookie, wide receiver, sleeper show talking about all
45:56these guys, but I mean, certainly Cyrus Allen, I should have mentioned, he's already got a lot of buzz. Uh, but one
46:03player to keep in mind is Malachi Fields, who is going to have a really big role with the New York Giants. And
46:10there's a capped upside for him for sure because um Malik Neighbors is going to get pretty much all he can handle. But
46:17Malachi Fields big strong outside wide receiver had a touchdown catch in the preseason here and he was praised by both Harbaugh and Jackson Dart. And
46:29Jackson Dart sort of talked about how he always feels like Malachi Fields is open and alluded to sort of the catch radius
46:35that Malachi Fields has. Malachi Fields is massive. This is a big big big dude.
46:40I was down in the Senior Bowl in Mobile with Brett Whitefield and Derek Brown and a bunch of guys sort of scouting out
46:46some of these players. And when you first see Malachi Fields in person, he looks like a tight end. And that's like
46:53not hyperbole. Like he's bigger than some of these tight ends. Um, but Malachi Fields, when you talk about his pathway to relevancy this year, a lot of
47:02it's due to he's an outstanding blocker.
47:06It's hard to have him sort of off the field if you're New York because he gives you something as a receiver and
47:13then he also is an elite blocking wide receiver. So what they're trying to do with Cam Scataboo and and Tyrone Tracy
47:20Jackson Darden and they've been sort of connected to Naji Harris recently. The run game it looks to be a priority in
47:27New York. We know they draft Francis Maui Noah. They sign Pat Ricard. You've got Greg Roman in there. Uh certainly you've got Harbaugh who's multiple years
47:38in Baltimore with guys like Henry and guys like Lamar Jackson. But when you talk about Malai Fields and you look at
47:44Malai Fields played alongside Jeremiah Love and Jadarian Price last year, both those guys were incredibly effective on like yards per carry and explosive runs.
47:53Malai Fields is a dynamic blocker. Um and when you say I don't care about blocking, like Theo, what are you talking about? I don't get points per
48:01block for a wide receiver, but these wide receivers who can really block are on the field more. So, it's sort of like
48:07a tight end corollary. When a tight end is a capable blocker, he doesn't leave the field. When a tight end sort of
48:14struggles as a blocker, there's sort of arguments that he ends up being a part-time player. Like guys like we worry a little about bit like Eli Sters
48:22sort of struggling to get on the field despite a guy that we sort of were very optimistic about when he was drafted.
48:27When you look at Malachi Fields, he could be on the field all the time. the snap rate could be huge. So, the
48:32touchdown totals for him could be pretty good and considering he's sort of seems to be ahead of Darius Sllayton right now. Pretty good sign to draft a little
48:40bit of Malachi Fields late. Interesting interesting player. I'm not going to buy too much into the Isaiah Likely stuff. I know a lot of you probably want me to
48:48talk about Isaiah likely and sort of the usage he had that was kind of weird. We want to take a look and see sort of how
48:55the rest of the preseason plays out. But again, it's not the best thing to see with multiple other tight ends out on
49:00the field sort of with the first team.
49:02But Isaiah likely sort of leaving him as is, but you can take guys like Daltton Concincaid ahead of him, Dallas ahead of
49:10him. We don't want to completely bury Isaiah likely, but not the greatest start uh when you consider sort of the the usage. And then Malik Neighbors,
49:20tons of positivity right now. still looks like he's tracking for week one, but this is one that we need to keep an
49:26eye on. I put Malik Neighbors up at 21 overall in my rankings. So, I've moved him up considerably. I've seen some
49:32people putting him higher than that. I think where I have him is about right.
49:36And it sort of bakes in the the current downside risk where maybe he misses week one, but it sounds like he's going to
49:44play very early on in the season.
49:46Reagravation absolutely can happen. If you want to play your draft more safely, you could take a sort of a less injury
49:54history type player at that turn, but there's really hard to find guys with that much upside. I started an FFPC main
50:01event the other day with Mike Schop where we took Bejian Robinson at two, Malik Neighbors, and then Chris Ave. I really love that start. I think it's
50:09explosive, dynamic start. We'll see how see how it shakes out. Drafted [snorts] Luther Burton on that one, too. So, we're kind of embracing some of these
50:16guys who could get a little bit injured.
50:17Miami Dolphins, Devon Hen looked like Devon Han. Devon Han looked awesome. Uh Malik Willis looks fine. And then we have a complete
50:26clarity on the wide receivers with Caleb Douglas and Malik Washington. That's your two wide receivers. You've had some recent uh optimism with Chris Bell
50:35returning. Chris Bell, beast. Absolute beast. grown ass man catch after grown ass man catch last year for Louisville was like squint and see some AJ Brown to
50:45his game if they can get Chris Bell back at a certain point really helps Miami but Caleb Douglas looks awesome. Uh
50:52Caleb Douglas Senior Bowl invite day three guy but there's been nothing but positive drum beats with him and he's going to be an every every down player.
51:00I had to move Caleb Douglas way up in my rankings at Rotoire. I mean not like crazy. We're not going nuts with this
51:06one, but Caleb Douglas is a viable late draft target if you're trying to look for an everyown player who could be an
51:12opportunistic wide receiver. One, Malik Washington probably the best bet to lead Miami in targets. But Caleb Douglas had a big catch, 30 plus yard catch uh and
51:21and just looks the part. He's got size, speed, athleticism, and a huge opportunity. I'm fading the Greg Doulich hype. I know there's a lot of Greg
51:29Doulsich sort of enthusiasm in July, but I think the wide receivers and Devon Achan certainly I mean I should say Devon Achan massive massive massive
51:38massive tier down to the wide receivers.
51:41That's sort of the way this offense is going to play out. But they're going to run the ball a ton in Miami, but if
51:45you're in a start three wide receiver with a flex format uh and you're looking for an every down player, Caleb Douglas,
51:52Malik Washington are free in some drafts and they might never leave the field.
51:56We're going to bump DeAndre Swift up slightly because Kyle Manangai hyperextended his knee. We don't know when Kyle Manangi will be back.
52:04Obviously, uh DeAndre Swift was very effective last year for Ben Johnson. And DeAndre Swift has been sort of on a on a
52:10few run here where he's been producing, beating his ADP. Sometimes it's been small wins. Last year was a pretty big win, but with no Manongi, uh, Roshan
52:20Johnson is way less of a threat than Manongi would be to sort of cut in on on touches and snaps from Swift. So, I
52:26think Swift is very comfortable in the dead zone if you want early season usage that's strong on a very good offense.
52:33DeAndre Swift is right there for you.
52:35And I think DeAndre Swift, if Luther Burton ends up missing some time, would also see a bump in pass catching. things
52:40in Chicago could become way more consolidated in terms of touches and scheme. Roma Dunce, Coloulston Lovelin, Luther Burton, DeAndre Swift right now
52:51could be a really fun uh group to bet on. Certainly Caleb Williams, we know that offensive line in Chicago borderline elite right now. We have them
52:59very highly ranked at Rotoire. And the final player to talk about, this is a dynasty takeaway. this player. I mean, we hope to not see him on the field this
53:08year because the Rams are have hopes of being a Super Bowl winner this year and Matthew Stafford still obviously is the
53:14QB there, but if you're a Dynasty manager who took Tai Simpson in the beginning of the second round or the late first round of your Superflex
53:20Dynasty rookie draft and you said, "This is the Jordan Love trajectory. This is sort of the next man in when Matthew
53:27Stafford retires. I'm going to get this Rams quarterback in a Shawn McVey offense." you're feeling pretty good about things because Tai Simpson again
53:36again I people are going to get in the comments it's just preseason these are backups but Ty Simpson looked good 21 to
53:4325 touchdown passes 190 yards Dynasty manager holding Tai Simpson got to feel pretty good note Drew Aller also looked pretty good uh I was never a Drew Aller
53:54Aller guy but Drew Aller looked pretty good so a lot of these rookie quarterbacks sort of don't look bad interesting stuff here there's so many
54:02more players I could have talked about.
54:03We love that we're finally getting news.
54:06We love that we're finally getting actual NFL film. People who hate on preseason, I mean, what else are you going to watch right now? There's no
54:12college football yet. The NFL season is right around the corner. And the more information we get, the better we're going to be at playing fantasy. Go check
54:20out my rankings over at rotoire.com. I also dropped an article where you can read my top 26 players. There's a link
54:27for the top 200 in there where I go a little bit more in-depth on some of the players I'm really bullish on. Go check
54:32those out at roadedwire.com. Use the code theo35 and get 35% off. If you're listening to this on the podcast, do me a favor, hit
54:42that fivestar button, do a review.
54:44Doesn't cost you anything. Helps us out a lot. And if you are listening on the podcast, come over to YouTube, subscribe
54:50to the channel, check out some of the stuff we're doing, doing live drafts, all sorts of fun stuff all throughout August. Stick with us here at Rotoire.

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