All Sizzle, No Steak!

Welcome to Fantasy Football Weekly, a production of iHeartRadio.

Time now for Fantasy Football Weekly from iHeartRadio, your weekly source for the nation's best fantasy speculation and advice. Now along with the guys from U leagues dot com. Here's your host, Paul Judge.

Hey everybody, it's another edition of Fantasy Football Weekly. I am Paul Jarchie and your host my co host today Scott Fish and Thorneistro.

Yay, but yeah, we are back excited now.

We had both of you last week for the big Live jes Your Island event. Yes, we're back in the intimate settings of our studio here.

I like it.

Now.

We're down to the point where where we were out. This weekend is the last of the preseason games. Training camps are wrapping up. We've got so much stuff to get to. We're gonna go through every single team and talk about what we learned from their training camps and for in a few cases we don't have final answers yet, but there's always been things to draw on over the course of this training camp period. We'll talk through those things.

Of the week.

I think we need to call that segment like charges cookbook and have like a like a Julia Child's type. I like it.

I like a cooked book.

Yes, the cook book. Yes, someone of the training camp said, the cooked book. Yeah, take credit absolutely.

Well, all right, let's drill it down. Well, let me mention this before we get too far along. Hey, Guillotine leanings are great.

Yeah, to play.

It's totally free for private leagues. Now, public leagu's coming very very soon, and maybe even by the time you hear this. Top any way you're listening to this, so we're really we're getting super close on that part as well. Totally revamped app which looks great. The new website has been reskinned. It looks better to everything you love about guillotine leagues. If you've ever wanted to play, great, time to do it. Private leagues are free play with your friends.

You can.

You could play in a smaller league if you want. If you only have like six friends, bring them in.

Yeah, get a seventeen league. Highly recommend, highly recommend, super fun, super highly recommend. Only having six friends.

Up to six reality.

Yeah, right, when he makes a new friend, he's got to kick. That's a guillotine league. Like it.

Get man more or less to do that, right, I like it. I'd start auctioning off spots.

Yeah, to be a friend. Yeah to you, Well, how many friends would you lose in that process? Keep them?

Right?

Yeah, let's go through all of the Let's go through all the training camps. Sure, one by one here training camps winding down. Let's start with the Buffalo Bill Scott.

Yeah, so Ray Davis and Ty Johnson are essentially tied as James Cook's back up right now. But it's based on what's needed on the field. Davis Moore the backup, and a little bit all around. Ty Johnson will get some work because the clear pass catching option when they need when they need a pass catcher behind James Cook.

All right, let's go to the Miami Dolphins store.

I got. I got three.

Quick hitters here, starting with Tyreek Hill has a thumb issue. Does not sound like a big deal. John new Smith appears to be over Odell Beckham for what will be their third wide receiver, third pass catcher. But on that note, debonauchain I had to bring this up. He's been crushing at this preseason. In the last game. They used him a good bit in the past game and deployed out wide. He ran eleven routes in the one preseason game he's played in. Four of those were either in the slaughter

Yeah, he's expensive to get, but the upside is tantalized.

Absolutely. Yeah.

Let's go to the New York Jets. Mike Williams is starting to get practice reps with the team. He tore his acls September and his availability for week one still murky, but trending towards positivity here. And if you want the handcuff to Breese Hall, it looks like it's gonna be rookie Braylen Allen. They've been throwing to him a lot, despite the fact they didn't get a lot of receiving work in Wisconsin. No back everything, no right. So, but

Got Yeah. So there is still no decision on the starting quarterback between Drake May and Jacoby Brissette. We're kind of expecting I think I'm personally kind of expecting me to take it sooner than later. Brissett just hasn't looked that great this preseason and in no wide receiver room apparently kJ Osborne has held off Jelln Polk for that starter role. That that one of the starters there.

Thor is not a Polk guy with no tam He did make a really nice acrobatic catch on us on the sidelines in last week's preseason game, but we'll continue to watch that one. We're team Baker over here. Yes, Baltimore Ravens.

There has been big time buzz on Reshob Bateman and camp m HM like like always, I mean, this is another year of it. You do have to mention though, he's the third option in the offense, so how many targets will he generate if he can even get through this season?

But it is worth mentioning there.

The other thing I wanted to mention is speaking of buzz, rashinau Lee is getting in their camp, the rookie from Marshall. It's promising on two fronts. Number one that he is even out there because he's coming off a torn bicep as recently as the senior ball so I wasn't even sure he was going to be. In fact, I didn't think he would be. But he's out there and he's impressing. And this is a guy who last year. Marshall's offense,

Yeah, Rashina a Li, I mean if anything happens to Derrick Henry, Yeah, lottery tickets, yes, yes, yest year.

So I mean Mitchell's going to start the season, so yeah.

Keep me out right. His timetables like November, right, So let's give Ra the FFW Darthrow right there, last pick of your draft. I like it interesting, Cleveland Browns. It's trending towards Nick Chubb not being ready for the start of the season, and even if he makes progress now, I think it's unlikely he gets a lot of carries in those first games back, so you know, plan accordingly

That's certainly worth watching.

Deshaun Watson's been in and out of practice due to his surgically repaired shoulder, and his players looked highly inconsistent.

This is kind of the.

Last year this experiment. But Deshaun Watson, right, it's gotta be I don't know, it doesn't it's been bad and it doesn't feel like it's getting a lot better. Still early we'll see, hopefully we're wrong.

Pittsburgh Steelers Jalen Warren expected to miss multiple weeks with a hamstring injury, but he might be ready early in the season. Still, those things can linger, though you never know. Obvious beneficiary if it does linger, Harris, who has kept ahead of him anyway, And you know how Arthur Smith loves Cordero Patterson. Not a bad deep threat or a deep dart throw there as a guy who could take on the some goal line work Patterson did.

Scott. They just put him on the the NFL eye list for some non team related injury. But I don't know what. I don't know what it is.

Out to herbies or something.

All right, let's go to the Cincinnati Bengals.

It appears right now that Chase Brown it would be the RB one A in the committee to Zach Moss's one B if it's indicative of anything of the preseason snaps, and then some of the reports we've gotten out of there, something to keep an eye on. I'm sure we'll get back to that later this episode. The one other thing I want to say about the Bengals, the wide receiver three competition is heating up. Andre Yoshi Vas, that's my god, appears to be the front. I like andre Yoshi. VA's

Yep.

I think he opens as wide receiver three. Jermaine Burton, the rookie third rounder, is a little bit behind right now.

I think he's still.

Worth taking a shot on late because he could potentially overtake Yoshi Vas later in the season or if there's an injury. Of course, he's the next man up there. But it's looking like Yoshi Boss right now.

I love and Plus his name is yosh yos Yes, sir. Houston Texans a backup role behind Joe Mixon is a battle between Damian Pearson Cam Akers more in that situation. A little later in the show, Nico Collins leads the Texans with a ninety three percent route participation on plays with c J. Stroud this preseason. There's a lot of concern about the Houston receivers cannibalizing each other, but Collins looks like it may be the safest of the group. Let's go to the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Christian Kirk's still not pacicing with that calf industry in jurye but they are. But he's expected to be fine for the season. And Brian Thomas still doing Brian Thomas like things out there. Yeah, but can I just call it Brian Thomas like I don't know his own things now? I don't know every every week it's just take up on the highlight and I only do my rankings based on preseason pypes.

That'll work out great. Indianapolis Colts star.

Jilanie Woods had surgery for turf toe. The Colts tight ends right now, they're total stay away. I mean, this could be a three guy committee here to start the season today. Every year, Yeah, stay totally away from that thing. The other thing I wanted to say, Anthony Richardson had an up and down preseason game here on Thursday.

I don't care. I literally do not care.

He had a good first drive, made a couple of mistakes after that, but as far as his fana, you're still fully on board, fully on board with Anthony Richards in Tennessee. In a small sample size, Tony Pollard has looked better than Taj Spears, but neither separated himself from the other in training camp. It looks like a potentially confounding situation.

Will Levis's training camp has generally been described as inconsistent, but a lot more tools at his disposal now, including Calvin Ridley and a past friendly Brian Callahan offense here, should give will Levis a chance to redeem himself from frankly a pretty bad rookie year.

Outside of that first game, he'd have to be a lot better.

He'd have to be a lot better, that's right, and well, not going to get into the old history on that first game, but even wheah happened on this show, we were like, that was some flips.

Stuff, three really big passes.

Exactly, and that weren't even well thrown balls. Let's go to the Kansas City Chiefs.

Scott Xavier Worthy. He spent last week hanging out behind opposing defensive coverages and catching balls. He's looked great recently. Clyde Edwards Hilaire has been dealing with some PTSD issues from a twenty eighteen self defense incident. It's kept him out of practice, kept him out of the last game. Denark Prince and Carson Steel are the backups to him and may make the roster now. Carson Steele had a

Job, which might come for him. As Tim Riggins from Play, I love it. So you're saying he's drunk right now?

Yeah, he might be.

Yeah, either that or he's breaking a tackle or both at the same time. Las Vegas Raiders. Let's talk about the Raiders backfield. Gardner Minshew is going to begin this season as this starter. I do not think the leash will be long, so we'll see how long he makes it. But he's going to begin the season as KB one and then at the running back position. Zamir White has

Mere Abdulla might get released because of that. Correct, Yeah, that's a possibility. Let's go to the Denver Broncos. Not surprisingly, Bonix's name is the starter. We'll talk a little more about him later in the show. Rookie runner Audric Estime has earned consistent praise and could emerge as the goal line back. You know he's big enough for that job for ye you you know that's a possibility here, Jalil McLaughlin, this is one of my favorite players.

I love this kid.

Continues to be a part time starter in the Broncos rotation of backs. He's been the second back into the game in the preseason game, is getting a lot of pass catching work in practice and games. I've talked about him several times during the offseason shows. I'm just I'm at.

I'm into be. Reporters keep saying he's gonna be a ton touch a guy game. Yes, but I like him too and ten touch hard efficient with it.

Yeah, with ten touches, it's hard to get to fantasy relevancy. But if five of them are catches.

I may be talking about Julia later.

Oh okay, then.

I've all stop mowing your low. I'm sorry about that. And if you're feeling daring. Samaj p Ryan I think is going to be the odd man out of this rotation. Agreed he could be cut and Dallas needs an upgrade at running back. Just you know, if you feel like you know there's some team where that you know, some hate to.

Break it to you, I'm actually signing with Dallas. You might be better.

We're gonna talk more about that too. We have lots of good stuff coming up in the show. Last team before we take a break, Los Angeles Chargers.

Yeah, one week after being on the roster, Bubble com Ony Videll lives. Yes, let's go. Yeah, really good game. He's he's mostly over his injury. Uh, injury woes back in line to make the roster. We're gonna talk about the Charges to talk about Yeah, we'll talk about the pass game Later's start there. That's a. Uh.

The people who guess right on that Chargers rushing attack are gonna get paid.

It's gonna fla it is.

That's a That's a great way to put it when you get it right there. Whether it's Gus Edwards, I don't think it's JK. Dobbins, Kimani Vidal. When you guess right, you are gonna get paid in that rushing attack for Los Angeles.

Oh, we love it.

When we come back, we're gonna go through the things we've learned of about the training camps in the NFC, including the aforementioned Dallas Cowboys, find out if any running back has emerged here, what do we have left in the tank. We'll talk more about that when we come back. Fantasy Football.

It's Fantasy Football Weekly.

Paul Church and Scott Fish throw an eistrom with you, getting you ready. It's this is like key draft time right here. We're in the heart of it right now. I got like five drafts going right this minute. Scott, you were juggling drafts all day today or I think you've probably got several going right listeners do to so much stuff to get to and one week from today, when we're doing next week's Fantasy Football Weekly, we're.

Gonna be breaking down the Thursday night game.

I love it.

We're that close to the start of the season.

So close you can almost smell the tailgate from here.

Hopefully barbecue, not just like the I don't know the emanations of.

A tailgate Kansas City. You got to get to that tailgate. That's they do the best, right, they do it right. Yeah, yeah, Yeah, everybody's got a better tailgate than that. Let's go to the Dallas Cowboys.

We're breaking down what we've learned in training camp from every team we've done. The AFC would turn our attention to the NFC and the East Dallas Cowboys. This is a thor Nystrom production.

We just talked about there.

The running backs a little bit with p Ryme potentially Rico Daldo has looked good in camp. Ezekiel Elliott, you know, he looks like what he is. It just you know he'll be the solid veteran fella, but does not preclude the acquisition of a potential running back. The other note I wanted to make here, Jalen Tolbert has been Dak Prescott's go to guy with Ceedee Lamb of course holding out with the contract stuff.

Yeah it's a deep dart throw, but maybe last pick you're drafting case. I think this Ceedee Lamb thing is gonna go upside down.

I don't.

I think Seed's gonna get gonna get paid. Yeah, newly acquired Johan Dotson Philadelphia Eagles, by the way, has a chance to earn the number three job in Philadelphia once he gets up to speed. His competition is Johnny Wilson in Britain, Kobe. That's not much competition, yes, correct, and they paid a hefty price. I mean, third round pick for Johan Dotson feels like a lot right now. I

Yeah, just an update on Malik Neighbors and Tyrone Tracy that both sprain their ankles last week but are doing fine back at practicing and likely to suit up this weekend.

Washington Commander Store, you mentioned that Johan Dodson trade. Of course, leaving Washington, does this set up a Brandon a trade.

That's a you're talking my language right there, baby.

It might.

Otherwise, Luke McCaffrey, it wheels up for him if they don't, especially if they don't get Brandon Aiyuk. I've been trying to tell you everyone out there, draft Luke McCaffrey. Draft Luke McCaffrey, All summer draft Luke McCaffrey. Other note here, Cliff Kingsbury praised Brian Robinson this week. Brian Robinson as solid camp. He's gonna be the early down guy and then Eckler will be the passing down back.

I've been joking I want Luke McCaffrey to go in that I trade over to over to San Francisco to be with his brother.

Double up on McCaffrey, double McCaffrey.

Yeah, McCaffrey's tremendous.

That would be tremendous, wouldn't it. Let's go to the I think we're on the Detroit Lions. Yeah, that's me. Hamstring injuries to Sam Laporte and Jamior Gibbs should not be a factor for Week one, but given the history of re injury. We all know hamstring's reinjury all the time and aggravate will We'll keep monitoring that situation. And Khalif Raymond is locked down the number three receiver spot and he's mark my words, he's going to be to take a chance on me.

Guy.

Yeah, Khalif Raymond's gonna pop up three, four, five times over the course of this season.

This feels unfair because you can literally make that happen, like, whether you want to, you can make that come true.

I can make that call. Green Bay Packers Scott.

Aj Dillon has a stinger he's been dealing with. Uh, they're gonna be careful with it. Marshall Lloyd is out with his hamstring injury, meaning Josh Jacobs might be in line for almost every touch early in the season, which he's completely used to after the last two years in Oakland.

So he remains he remains pretty safe. He's not he doesn't feel nearly a sexy this year. No, but yes, Josh Jacobs very safe. But Minnesota Vikings Store.

What I want to talk about here is I've seen Justin Jefferson falling in Round one following JJ McCarthy's injury. Like as as low as like eight. I think that's ridiculous. I would take Jefferson as early as number two. The fact that he's falling down in the first round because of that, I think it's ludicrous.

He's quarterback proof. He's already shown that in the NFL.

Yeah, Nick Bullins, Josh Dobbs exactly, I mean, you know you can. You know he can. He can post good numbers there. Correct, It's probably just fine. Let's mention Jalen Naylor has pretty much like the number three job. Yes, Minnesota, great camp, yep, had a great camp, really separated and every else.

A physically gifted kid who in college dealt with injuries a lot. That's the one that he just has to prove he can stay healthy. But this skill has been manifesting on the practice field.

We'll go to the Chicago Bears next. And while Caleb Williams was not perfect and there were some bad plays, man, he flashed some signs of possible greatness with his play and its wheels up on Caleb Williams. He's turned into my most drafted quarterback across my leagues, going off the board in roughly round nine of fantasy drafts. I'm in you know, if you don't, I am I going to take the first tier of rushing quarterbacks. If I don't, I

Scott Yeah. A guy I've been drafting laid a lot more recently is Bucky Irvine, mostly because I love taking backup running backs to have a line to belkow usage if there's you know, something happens, if there's an injury, you don't want to root for that. But he has totally claimed the backup role to Rashad White, and he's one of those guys who can catch, just do it all if whatever goes down.

Yeah, straight ahead runner. He would be we since for goal line carries. Anything happened to Rashad Webbs. It was shocking the effective at the goal line. But yeah, Bucky, you're an interesting guy. New Orleans Saints.

Taysom Hill being used all over the field as is his wont and Yahoo came out and said they added tight end eligibility back for him, so you have that going for him. Taysom Hill is draftable in formats that have that tight end designation. And of course I couldn't get through this without mentioning Rashid Shahed but he is dealing with his toe or foot or both or whatever

Draft Chris al Lave.

I know you're banging the drum over and over again, and I wish he had a better quarterback.

I may have him in our homely charge. If you're looking to trade.

For Atlanta Falcons, haven't let anybody who's remotely possible to be a starter near a preseason field, So We've really gained very little intel on the plan for the starters here. The biggest story, though, Tyler Algier. Coaches just continue to sing his praises and insisting Algier is going to be a major part of the offense. We're going to talk more about the Tyler Algier Bijon Robinson dynamic.

A little later in the show.

All right, let's go to the Carolina Panthers.

Scott Deanta Johnson injured his foot or inkle this week, not really disclosed exactly what got hurt, but now he missed yesterday's practice with an illness, so he's got a lot of stuff going on, but he should be fine for the season. Dave Canalis has said he will be the centerpiece of their offense, which is that's my words.

Yea, that is very important and that's a pass first coach right there. Dante Johnson being underdrafted yep, agreed with San Francisco forty nine ers.

Gotta talk about the Brandon Ayu groomers and and what would be the fallout if he does get traded. Ricky Pearsall is still dealing with his shoulder injury. He's been hurt on and off all camp Piersall would probably yeah, all off season, Pearsall would probably need to slow ramp up if they do deal Iyuk, So maybe at the start of the season would wouldn't be as much, but certainly if they keep by, you got Pearsall off the fantasy radar early in the season.

All right to the Rams. Rookie Jordan Whittington has been a preseason standout. Highly productive preseason games suggest he could press DeMarcus Robinson in two to two at well for time now, Thor, I know you're not the biggest fan of Jordan Whittington, but the usage has been there in the preseason for whatever that's worth. Now, granted, Stetson Bennett's usage has also been high, Yeah, but at least catching what's thrown to him.

Yeah, and he's a manufactured touch guy and you get this off their coverage in preseason, but you know it's going to help them potentially win a roster spot here. But yeah, I don't see much for him in the season. Lot confine manufacturer touch.

Guy Pokinakuas knee injury should be cleared by week one, so no real concerns there, and Blake Korm has not played in the preseason which for the Rams means good things. Yes, I mean they like you and they do not need to see you so positive. I guess it's a positive that we really don't have a lot of new data points from him. All right, Two teams left, Seattle Seahawks, Scott.

Yeah, not much here except Howell. Sam Howell has looked decent.

But it is are you referring to?

Yeah, he's the clear backup there. He's looked decent. He's putting some tape out there for his next job. It's Tino's job, though, and Ryan Grub is supposedly tailoring the offense around Gino. He's really excited about Gino this year. So maybe it's steal late, maybe a second super flex option.

Maybe it's because I just don't want to be wrong about all my Sam Howell love at this time last year. Yeah, I just I don't think we've heard the last of Sam Howe. I think he got dealt a bad hand last year with a coaching staff that deserved to be fired. And I think there's a little something there for Sam Howell find out. All right, our last team, Arizona Cardinals.

Store Marvin Harrison Junior looks absolutely amazing.

In camp. He's gonna be. He's already made star. He will be from week one.

The other thing I wanted to mention here, Trey Benson looked much better in preseason Game two than he certainly did in preseason Game one.

He looked really good, but he.

Came in so far behind James Connor that I don't think it's gonna matter for this season.

Trey Benson. It's now he needs to win the RB two jump.

Yeah, well against Amari Dimarcado, correctly, and he should. He should, he should, he really should. You know that's I'm looking forward to that. I'm as you remember Thor when we were doing shows back in March and looking into the draft. I love Trey Benson. I think there's a lot to like with that kid. He's got straight ahead power, he's got some wiggle to him. There's I want him to.

I say it's by the end of the season. Speculate on Trey Benson. If he is free falling in your league. It's not gonna be at the start of this season. But James Connor watched out that kid's coming for you.

I like that attitude. I like that attitude.

When we come back, we're going to look through the key vacated targets and touches for teams that give some opportunity to players who maybe weren't great last year, but now things are shaping up in a way that they're going to get the ball in their hands a lot more. That's coming up next Fantasy Football Weekly. Welcome back Fantasy Football Weekly. Paul Chargie and Scott Fish and Thor Nystrom

Was there a statue of Thor? There was?

As a matter of fact, yes there was it. There was a statue of Thor. What it should not surprise you to learn the campus tour ends inside the basketball arena. What's the name it?

I forgot field house what sold me exactly?

Yeah, they they end you there and they've got championship banners and that is that's.

O kyu right there. I was sold right then? Yeah, don't where do you want my signature?

Done? Done?

We didn't choose, but that's okay, Oh no, that's right. It's stupid reason the transfer portals still open.

Charge.

We went to that, right We went there on the day in the summer when it was like ninety five degrees and my daughter just melted on the pavement and she's.

Like, I can't, I can't go.

It does get muggy there.

It does a little bit a little programming adjustment. We're gonna do vacated targets next segont This segment the toughest decision in every round. We're gonna go through the first ten rounds and guys, and it's okay if we've got the same players.

We haven't coordinated this at all.

We're looking at the average draft position the twelve players in each round, and I want you to tell me who's the player that is the toughest conundrum on whether or not you should take that player in each round. Yeah, Scott, We're going to begin with you.

Yeah, So when I did mine, I kind of went towards it in a lens of this is such a tough decision, I'm just gonna pivot. So these are the ones I freaking chicken I want to do, but I end up pivoting because I can't. I can't pull the trigger. And in the first round, end of the first round, when Marvin Harrison is sitting there, I want him really bad. I know that we've seen so many rookies come up and be Fantasy stars right away, Chase Lamb, Jefferson, a Monra.

All right, Marvin Harrison the toughest decision every round Round one, by the way, Yeah, Marvin Harrison, one right, who's your round one toughest decision?

Thor I would say it's a Monos Saint Brown, who I'm a little bit lower on and it's like this scenario Win McCaffrey, Jefferson, Bjeon, Jamar Chase, Ceedee, Lamb Breesaw and Tyreek Killer off the board. It's like a monast Brown, AJ Brown, you go, Pooka, you go Jonathan Taylor? Do you go out the aforementioned Marvin Harrison Junior. That's the situation where I get in the biggest dilemma.

I've got, Beeshn Robinson is my toughest dilemma in Round one. The Falcons offense is going to be way way better with Kirk Cousins and the new offensive cordinator, Zach Robinson. I'm really optimistic about and the Falcons have by like every metric you can imagine, the easiest schedule this year. There are like no stuf on this schedule, including their

I get it.

Let's go to round two, Scott, who's your toughest decision.

Yeah, it's it's Cooper Cup. If it's the Cooper Cup that we saw the last month of the season, he's absolutely worth a second round pick. Where he's getting so much of the red zone. Looks he's not as efficient, but he's gained so much volume. Five to seven, nine catches again, whatever, I absolutely love that. But he's clearly taken the back seat role the number two in that offense. Stafford's already dealing with injuries. Yeah, there's I just don't know that I can do it.

All right, Thor your toughest decision in round two.

So in round two, the guy that I want is a Lava. Have I brought him up?

Yeah?

Already you mentioned Yeah, this is not a tough decision for you.

If a Lave is off the board.

Though, my biggest element in round two is when do I pounce on Malak Neighbors like win is too soon. I think the league neighbors that he should be closer in drafts to Marvin Harrison, it's getting closer, but that I think it should be even closer than it is. That guy's gonna be a star right away.

I've got Miami running back to von A Chan as my toughest decision. Thor you articulated the upside already. They use it more in the passing game, of course, you get the guy who averaged seven yards per carry, You get the highlight speed. Also, there's where he moster are stealing all your close touchdowns, the history of injury that he's got, and the deepest rotation of backs. It's a it's a tough one. If you get it right with

Yeah, this one's Stephan Diggs for me. He could be hitting Brandon Cook's third team portion of his career where he gets a thousand yards and five touchdowns or less. Or he could be the number one in a very very potent offense demanding the ball consistently. I can see either option. I just I like Nico better, I like Tank a little bit better, but I can see any one of those various outcomes, so I just can't pull the trigger. All right, your toughest call in round three.

So round three to me, it's the brandon Au paradox, and it's like, a Am I taking him here? Or do I go to Derrick Henry or Isaiah Pacheco? Is like what I always find myself in and about half the time I'll do one, half the time I'll do the other.

There's no consistency.

But Ayuk is in there or not?

Yeah?

No, he's in there? Yeah all right, yeah, yeah, yeah.

I'll be honest. You were here earlier. I took him in the fourth round and I was in the same conundrum in the around later.

Yeah, yep, Like he's there's question, you know, but I'm buying a dip on I yeah, I mean this is he should not be going this fow. I think the probability he's playing for the forty nine ers and I'm buying the dip yep. My round three also, Stefan Diggs, and you already articulated all the reasons why Scott, So let's go to round number four.

Who's your toughest call? Yeah, so, man, there are actually so many in this round that are tough calls for me. I think the one that stands out the most is Amari Cooper. It's it's not as much about Amari Cooper as it is everybody else in that round. I really like and Amari Cooper although he should be a stud fourth round receiver getting the majority of the work in that offense, and it should be an okay offense if it wasn't for Deshaun Watson, who have zero trust in bed.

I'm kind of with you on that analysis on Cooper. He's great, by the way, and I love that dude plays to injury all the time, love that he is an iron man. Round four, your toughest decision thor.

Before we started recording, charging one of those five drafts concurrently that he doing right now. We had a discussion about one of his picks a little bit later than round four, but Visa v tight ends, and I think the tight end question for me it begins in round four. The question that I persistently have there is am I going to start that tight end run with Laporta or

Do you love anybody who's not any Any player gets older than about three years in, they're all dead to you.

They're done. I'm a Leonardo DiCaprio TP.

Yeah, it's gonna be yeah, absolutely absolutely all right, I'm going to in round five? Sorry, Round four. My toughest call Kansas City Wide receiver Rashi Rice. Tons of moving parts here, I mean. But first, he's a really good player. Yeah, and last year in his rookie season, he finished second in yards after the catch. That's pretty darn good when you know number one's Deebo Samuel and then Rashi Rice.

Four twenty two target red zone targets for a rookie.

YEA, how about that?

Really impressive?

Really impressive? But was it because they you know, you are other people on roster, the sky Moore.

And they're on the red zone a lot too, so.

They are in their red zone a lot. Let's go round five. What's your toughest call?

Yeah? For me, it is the start of several rounds of packers wide receivers. I can't make heads or tails of it. I think I just want one of the cheapest ones. I love me some Jane Reid, he could lead the lead the NFL in wide receiver rushing yards. He could, Yeah, absolutely, But Jordan Love spreads the ball round and their top four wide receivers, any one of them any week can be the top guy or the number four guy in that offense, and I just can't bite at that point on Jayden.

All right, let's go to thor your toughest call in round five?

When we're in round five, it becomes a three dimensional chess game. And my biggest question now he's in round five is if Anthony Richardson is there in my slot?

Do I take? Is it Anthony richard in time?

Or I do I want to wait a couple of rounds four Jayden Daniels, and it usually just depends on the other guys that are out there, but yeah, Anthony Richard is.

The guy that I'm thinking about. Round five.

Yeah, for me, I'm going back to the Kansas city wide receivers. Xavier Worthy is now up to round five, so you know, if I want him, I got to do this because last week and he posted those two big downfield plays. Skyrocketing is adp and Worthy is.

Going to have big plays.

Hopefully he'll unlock a downfield passing attack that Patrick Mahomes has been missing the past few years. But what happens in games where you don't connect on the big downfield play? To Xavier Worthy? Am I looking at two catches for twenty five yards? I'm nervous about that. Track stars turned receivers usually fail in the NFL.

I'm nervous.

Maybe it's because I'm in so many guillotine leagues that the downside scares me. But that's the upside in the downside for Xavier Worthy makes him I think a very tough call. Agreed, let's go to let's go to round six, Scott.

Yeah, so this one I could easily continue with Green Bay wide receivers with Christian Watson Sydney in this round. But I've kind of said my piece on that at least for now. We'll see if there's another one. Uh, But for me here it's Joe Mixon. He's Joe Mixon is going to be one of the last potential lead backs that we'll see. He's likely the goal line back, very high powered offense if there's anything left in the tank, and he is the guy in that offense and at

Like?

Is he cooked? Maybe we'll talk about that all right?

Four? Your round five toughest decision? Sorry six run round six?

Yeah, every round six of every draft, I have the exact same dilemma, which is just how quickly do I announce Roman dunes A?

Do I slow roll it?

Do I auto picka? That's your toughest that's my toughest one.

Got you you like rub your beard? Who should I take?

Here? So?

I love that you've had fun with this this exercise. That's fantastic. Round six Houston running back Joe Mixon, Thank you? Familiar?

Yeah, yeah, I believe I just mentioned him.

Yep, that's my guy and We're going to talk more about cam Akers Damian Pierce later in this show. Let me mention this because you didn't give some of these metrics. Let me give you some Joe mix and metrics. Last year he drooped down to PFFS running back thirty five and he went all the way down to running back fifty in elusiveness.

But he's the lead back in a Houston offense.

That offense could be a top three scoring offense this year. This is I think that is a brutal call to try to make in round six.

He also last year led the league in runs up the middle into the line that made you roll your eyes. Don't league in that hate that category?

Go around seven, Scott your toughest call round seven.

It's probably Naji Harris at this point here and Enticey as enticing as an Arthur Smith runner is Jalen Warren not beating out Nause says that Nase's still got something he can't. He caught balls at Alabama. He can catch balls, he doesn't really do it in the NFL. The only other competition would be Patterson, who we've talked about earlier. Naji Harris should get a decent amount of work in this offense. I just I worry. I worry that he

So your toughest call in round seven.

I love round seven. Round seven.

It's like, you know, people ask me, like, what's your favorite day of the draft. It's not Day one. It's either Day two or Day three. Round seven of fantasy drafts this summer.

Interesting.

It's the same sort of thing. I think there's an embarrassment of riches here. For me, it's the three dimensional chest thing of did I take Anthony Richard in two rounds ago?

Or do I need it to Jaden Daniels or Kyler Murray here?

If I have the quarterback though, Jackson Smith and Jigbaught, Lad McConkie, Aaron Jones, it's like all three of those guys I want on my roster. So that's where it because I think Jackson Bid the Jigbud is going to jump jump up this year. I think Lad McConkie goes in is immediately wide receiver one with the Chargers, and Aaron Jones is running behind the Vikings best offensive line in the last decade like and Sam Darnauld going to check down to him plenty in the past game.

So yeah, I love this.

This is a great round. Brian Thomas, Kean Coleman, just oh man.

I'm not picking any of those guys though as my toughest call, because maybe in Parks I like a lot of those guys. Yeah, Aaron Jones, the seventh round can have came on? Yeah, how about Detroit wide receiver Jamison Williams for a tricky call, right, His playing time is going to go way up this year. He's finally fully healthy. From that acl Josh Reynolds out of the picture. He gives you first round equity and a pension for big plays, But can he be more than a once in a

Yeah, I had several down here that I wasn't sure about which one I like. I think Curtis Samuel is one that he plays that coveted Bills slot role. Knows the offense. There is a absolute ton of vacated targets in a high powered offense. I just worry that Coleman's gonna take over more of a role than we think Shakir's there, Kincaid, I don't know that there's enough meat on the bone left for Samuel.

All right, So Curtis Samuel your toughest call, But it doesn't sound that tough. It sounds like you're just scared. Yeah, you're just nervous about him. Round eight your toughest call.

Or this is the roun where if I don't have a tight end yet, we are popping brock Bowers. But let's say that we do and we're looking around at other positions. The biggest guy that I go back and forth on is Courtland Sutton with Bonix. Starting at court Bonix is just a checkdown artist, like he never in college, shot back in the pocket, surveyed his options, and then

My round eight toughest called Jonathan Brooks the Carolina running.

Back, right, I mean, it's how long do you want to wait for that part? And when he comes back?

What if he comes back a little bit earlier than we think, you get the starting running back and what's going to be a much improved offense, or maybe it just takes him a long time to come back. Maybe the first year off the ACL just doesn't work for Jonathan Brooks. Yep, let's go to round nine.

Scott uh Man, I had an I had another Green Bay. I can keep keep picking on Green Bay receivers. I'm not gonna do that here. I'm gonna go with Pollard should get a decent workloun work workload for a ninth round guy. He is sounds like the lead, but I just like Spears so much better that I just can't. I just can't take him here.

It's he's he's a tough call here, thor your round nine toughest decision.

It was gonna be Jonathan Brooks, but it looks like I gave myself a disc time you really you went the round before, all right, ta J Spears.

I get aggressive for here.

But the one guy here that where it's it's the biggest dilemma for me, is Chase Brown for all the reasons that we talked about with Cincinnati's weird backfield.

Yeah, and I've got Zack Moss going in the same round and as a as a tough call for a lot of the same reasons. Now, if you if you hit that, if you hit that Cincinnati backfield, right jackpot baby, I think it's more likely to be Moss just for the consistency, the veteran stuff.

Or do you think he'll be go line?

And I think he'll be goal line.

Yeah.

Chase Brown was not a touchdown big touchdown score in Illinois.

Didn't break a ton of tackles either.

Yeah, And so that's I lean Zach Moss here. Tough call though, when we don't know what's.

Going on with Chase Brown. Great job, guys.

When we come back to Fantasy Football Weekly, we're going to go through the vacated targets and touches from around the league. What are the big opportunities that have now teams find themselves in. Players find themselves in that maybe they weren't in in the past. Our Number two Fantasy Football Weekly coming up next, our number two Fantasy Football Weekly.

It's drafting season.

Baby, you're not excited for fantasy football right now?

What is wrong with you? Maybe you just don't like fantasy football? But then why would you listen to the show. Why would you listen right now? I don't know. I have no idea.

I mean maybe I did get a compli in Minnesota State Fair today from one who came eupisode. I don't play fantasy vootball, but I love listen to you guys because you make me smarter about football, to which I say, that's somebody who did not draft Tank Bigsby on my advice last year.

Exactly.

That's the voice of thorn eis from Scott Fish. Let's go through the vacated targets around the NFL. Scott, No, I believe this is Thor. We start with you.

Yep, sure, vacated targets.

So we're looking at and we say that we're talking about a team where the players so many players have left that they're in the offseason. There's a big vacuum created for targets for new players that weren't getting fed last year but might get fed this year. Thor talk to me about the teams with the most vacated targets.

The number one team in the NFL for most percentage of targets vacated also number one in receiving yards vacated, as the Los Angeles Chargers. You have to replace Keenan Allen one hundred and fifty targets. You have to replace Austin Eckler's running back targets. You have to replace Gerald Everett's tight end targets, et cetera.

Yeah, and Mike Williams doesn't even count in this because he tours ac on September, but that's also a missing starter from this time last year.

Indeed, and I think the biggest benefactor here Lad McConkie, who I love. And also I had to say this, I'm not actually recording in the studio today with these guys. I'm recording from Quinton Johnston Island. I'm the only one who never left. I've been sipping my ties all off season. I'm not leaving QJ Island. He's wide receiver seventy seven if you're in a super deep league.

Maybe take a flyer there.

Quintin Johnson's best game ever, by the way, was when TCU upset Michigan in the College Football Playoff a year and a half ago. Yeah, the year before Michigan won the national title.

Yeah.

Of course Jim Harbaugh was watching on horrified in that game as TCU upset them. Is because Quentin Johnson went ballistic in that game. Still keeping hope for him.

All right, So who's the second So that's team number one?

Oh?

What number two?

I'm sorry. One other thing I wanted to mention. We brought up Camani Vidal earlier in this episode. Here's the three running backs that are around there outside of him. You have Gus Edwards only thirty career receptions, JK Dobbins only twenty seven, Jared Patterson only ten. Kamani Vedah was the best pass blocking back in this past draft class. I also think he has more received. He had twenty plus catches last four years. He's going to get involved,

Right right, Well, yeah, with John Dotson out.

They move ahead of the Buffalo Bills.

We'll talk about in a second, but fifty nine point five percent of their targets are vacated for the Commanders twelve hundred and forty receiving yards out the door. Besides the Dotson trip. Before the Dotson trade, of course Lost Curtis, Samuel Logan, Thomas biggest benefactors here. It's the rookie class, Luke McCaffrey the third round pick, and then of course Ben Sennett the second round tight end. I think you might see some more twelve personnel offense out there for Washington.

I love the dart throw on Senate.

And if the Commanders do not trade for Brandon ayuk Uh, it's it's it's Luke McCaffrey time.

And we're trying to we're just trying to speak into existence the Brandon ayuk to Washington.

There's no there's no actual substances at all.

We decided we just all think it would be really interesting to give Jayden Daniels, a talent like Ayuk for should be, which would be great. I think I think the guy you didn't mention, I think Austin Eckler. It's gonna have a really nice oh yeah, really nice PPR year. All right, So then that that leaves the Bills as the third team in vacated targetstore.

Yeah, so they're just behind now Washington. After that deal. Of course, Stefan Diggs and Gave Davis departed, and then you signed Curtis Samuel, Marcus Valdez, Scanting, Matt Collins. I those guys in Samuel has some interest to me. We talked about him earlier in the episode. I think the biggest benefactors here are Dalton Kincaid, who I think has the huge breakout year, and then Khalil shak.

Yeah, my guy, you're boy charged.

Yes, so yeah, I think it's wheels up on Kincaid. But Shakir, recall he finished last season very very strong, and now you have all these vacated targets and you have receiving playing time to soak up. I also think James Cook is going to see an increased targets as well, which if you go down the stream on this one upshot of that or one side affected. This could be that Ray Davis gets on the field a little bit more because Cook is getting more touches through the receiving game.

Yeah, I think Cook is. I think Cook is going to get more catches, gonna get more carries, more goal line opportunities. There's some real opportunity for Cook to really break out of the you know that RB sort of two three flex thing he's been in lately.

For sure, they're gonna need some upside here. Yeah, all right, do you have any more vacated target teams?

I do.

Cincinnati comes in fourth with forty three point eight percent of their targets vacated. Of course, Joe Mixon going to the Texans, Tyler Boyd out the door.

Biggest benefactors here.

It is that Jermaine Burton against Andrey Yoshivas thing that we talked about before. We like Yoshi Vas a little bit more for this coming season. And then of course, you know, you look at the tight end situation as well. I think there's gonna be more targets going there. Eric All is the deep, deep sleeper that I want. Of course, they have Gaseiki as well, but Eric All is a stud pass catcher and I think he's gonna get on the field for passing downs.

I took him in the last second, last round on the fish Bowl.

Love it.

I like that pick. That's that's some deep stuff with eric All. But by the end of the year, who knows. I mean, traditionally tight ends starts slowly. I think he is probably somebody who would not be somebody I'm going to be starting in October. But maybe for sure, man, we'll see.

Yeah, and coming off injury, but yeah, he's already back at camp and we're ready to go.

All right.

Do you have a fifth team on vacated target?

I do number five Jacksonville Jaguars forty one point three percent of their targets vacated. Of course, lost the most targeted wide receiver in Kelvin Ridley, also cut Zay Jones. Biggest benefactors here. I think it's going to be Brian Thomas Junior, who the first round. Kid is a stud down field. It speaks for itself. He's an absolute assassin down the field. Can they teach him the other routes

It's not gonna be Gabe Davis. There's never been a volume guy. I don't think it's it's gonna be Thomas. Yeah, yeah, of the I would not be surprised if Thomas is sitting on one hundred targets.

Could right, there's the opportunities there, I mean, yeah, yeah.

And I love Christian Kirk and Kirk's still my preferred choice of the two, just for this year. But Thomas has got.

Like the body for touchdown and Babe and for sure, and that all comes down can he get to that target volume as a rookie. It's gonna come down to Kenny winning the intermediate range. We know that kid can win downfield if he shows that he can create separation in the intermediate range, that's where he jumps up in targets.

Let's go to vacated touches, sure, Scott, Now this is different than vacated targets, And.

You did mention a few few running backs in there. Vacated basically vacant to touch his vacated opportunities carries plus targets. Uh, you know what, what opportunities can a running back have in an offense that lost a lot. We'll start with the Cowboys here, who lost Pollard, who had over three hundred plus carries plus targets last year. The obvious benefactors right now are Ezekiel, Elliott, rico'dono and whoever they pick up sometime in the season, who we don't know who

Of goal line US said Elliott had in Dallas. I mean, I just think they're hardwired to think exactly that Zeke is a goal line runner still.

Yeah, and you give him twenty one of those and he scores eleven of them, They're going to keep going to him. That make a wish thing he jumps in or the yeah, the po the pot. They might need to have that be like a kiddie pool so he can actually jump in it. Now at his age.

Salvation Army.

Yeah, Salvation Army. That's what it is, all right. So that number one is Dallas, Yes, yeah, A lot of these lost like three hundred plus. You know, Carrie's plus targets Pollard there obviously, the Giants lost three hundred plus with Barkley. That's Singletary and maybe Tracy with some you know in between the twenties, a little bit of receiving work, some gadgety work. But Singletary has a real opportunity to

Yeah, that's it's Singletary's got to be the guy, right, But his pet agree at the goal line is not strong.

No, so I don't I remember correctly. It was forty percent or something, maybe even less than.

It's like a thirty five percent conversion rate something in that ballpark, which is not not terrific. Then in Singletary's not a power back exactly.

Yeah.

Now I've got him in a couple of my guillotine leagues just because of the volume. Right, I just feel like he's going to touch the ball fifteen plus time pretty much every game. I wish he was more of a contributor through the air, but he just isn't.

Yep, another team with three hundred plus opportunities vacated the Chargers, who thor had kind of gone over. But I think one of the interesting points not brought yet is nineteen inside the five carries. Where does that go Gus Edwards? We think that's Gus Edwards.

Yes, I do think it's Gus Edwards says.

He being under drags.

Gus Edwards had the most carries in you know, the most touchdowns from inside the five last year. Twelve touchdowns just from inside the five. Dude's a converter on those. So I think it'll be Gus Edwards there.

Yeah.

Yeah, then some of these are very clear what happens with them. The Eagles lost fifteen carries inside the five, they lost two hundred and eighty plus touches. That's basically Barkley this year.

Yeah, he'll pick those up.

That's basically Barkley. You got the Titans with sixteen inside the five carries and three hundred plus. Henry touched that. Yes, is it Spears or is it Pollard? Who's going to take the goal line?

I can't even you know, even though we don't know for su I can't get myself to draft Tony Pollard anymore.

I can't either. Spears is better? Yeah, exactly, yes, And I know I know the word word out is Pollard. But yeah, I think we all are team Spears on this on this side.

Now, we've got our dart throw sound right here, right, so there's a dart would a spear sound similar but like more basy?

Like, yes, we need a sounder, Robbie.

Can you just take that sound? And like, yeah, right, can we take that little?

We make that deeper, Robbie, Yeah, I need you to get onto a spear sounder that's different from the dart throw sounder. We'll see how that goes. Hopefully we can get that done.

Yeah, And I could just wrap up quickly with four the four last ones, the Raiders lost all of Josh Jacob's stuff, and Thor already talked about uh Dylan Lobby coming on for the pass catching role and Samir White. We talked about the Bengals a ton. They lost twenty one carries inside the five. You think it's gonna be Moss two that didn't lose a lot of opportunities, but they lost a lot of inside the five opportunities. The Ravens lost twenty four, that's mostly that's Derek Henry and

Yeah, that's that's gonna be a fascinating one to watch for sure. Lat freaking Latavius Murray with twelve carries from inside the five last year downs shocking that they had done that, And you know that was that's sort of a slap in the face to James Cook, like we don't trust you here. We're gonna go with Latavius Murray. Maybe they still don't trust James Cook and they.

Go to Rake.

Could be it's gonna be a Shafts draft that whole Bill's offense. It's gonna be it's gonna be a Week one revelations when we see how that thing unfurls. Can't wait for that when we come back, we will go through hang on, Oh it's is it time for three tough questions?

No, I think it's cook. Are well done? Older players?

Do the guys have anything left? Or are they completely cooked? Find out when we return Fantasy Football Weekly. Welcome back Fantasy Football Weekly. Paul Charchi and Scott Fish and Thor Nystrom with you, getting you ready for draft time.

I need the other sounder. I need Robbie.

I need a sizzling sounder. I need I need some some steak on the grill.

We can work on that charge. So this is a segment. Now. We started this last week and I want.

To expand on it.

Are we gonna do it in season?

No?

Or not?

I don't think well, but we might be referring to guys as cooked often in the season. And then I'm gonna want some that's more. That's eating pro that's not eating steaks.

That doesn't work.

That doesn't work. I think we're gonna I think we're gonna need some sizzle in our in our soundbar the debate here. I'm giving you older players. I want you to tell me are they cooked? There?

We go? Well done? My man?

Wow button bar that wow.

All right, there's our sizzle.

Are these guys completely cooked or are they merely medium well cooked or medium?

Well?

We begin with Ezekiel Elliott twenty nine years old, twenty four hundred career carries and receptions.

Scott, Yeah, I'm going cooked on this one. Scored twice on his five carries from inside the five last year, his one point five yards after contact was one of the worst rates in the NFL, and of his career, his explosive run rate has basically dropped to almost nothing. I think he had eight total explosive plays last year. I'd love to rewatch the replays on the blocking on those that got him that far down field, the third worst rate for backs over one hundred and fifty carries.

All right, cooked one cooked on Ezekiel Elliott four.

This guy is Delvin cooked.

He's done, he is done. You might get some of those shortyards carries and the goal line carries like we're talking about, but yeah, this guy has an average over four yards per carry since twenty twenty one, three and last four seasons has been four flatter under last year three.

And a half, He's done as a difference maker.

Dallas, he has cooked. Dallas might not have an NFL caliber starting runner. When we're talking about samizing Ryan perhaps showing up and being your best runner, that's a bad sign. You guys have already hit on a bunch of the metrics. But I'll note that Zeke fell all the way down to running back forty seven in PFF grade, his yards after contact dropped to running back fifty this year. All right, Next up, I'm cooked versus medium well.

Russell Wilson.

He's thirty five years old, twelve years in the league, five thousand, six hundred career passes and almost one thousand rushing attempts. Russell Wilson cooked or medium well? For this time we begin with you.

Russell Wilson is cooked.

And Mike Tannebaum stop putting those rumors out about trying to get him to Minnesota.

I know, yeah, please know.

Russell Wilson might be a backup quarterback this year justin Justin Field is nipping at his heels.

Russell Wilson is cooked, all.

Right, Scott Russell Wilson cooked or medium Well.

I've been anti Russell Wilson for several years now, so I feel like there's a little bit of bias in here. But he's cooked. He's cooked. Last year, sixty one percent of his passes where five yards are less downfield. He doesn't even have the arm he used to have. League average is about fifty percent. Only fourteen percent deep ball that's over twenty yards. Takes a ton of sacks now third most. Last year, his first year with the Broncos

I'm going medium well on Russell Wilson.

Wow.

Last year kind of good, despite a completely diseased situation in Denver in which his team ultimately benched him for the final two games of the year after blackmailing their own quarterback.

Yeah, yeah, it's come on this. I mean it was a horrible.

But yet despite all that second half of the season weeks eight through sixteen before they benched him, he finished his quarterback seventeen or higher, which is not terrible thirty two NFL teams. He threw touchdowns in every game. He scored multiple touchdowns in every game but one second half of last season. He was not a bad quarterback. And here come the Steelers. They're used to Kenny Pickett, one

Let's go to.

Alvin Kamara, Cooked or medium Well, twenty nine years old, thirteen hundred career carries, five hundred receptions, Cooked or medium Well, Scott.

I feel like I'm just cooking up all these players right now. I'm putting cooked on here. He was bottom ten and almost too many categories to count last year. Most rushing categories explicit plays ten plus fifteen plus yards per tach, yards per carry, Like everything rushing wise, it's gone from him. But pass catching it's still there, but it's all volume. Even his yards after the catch was bottom ten among running backs. So he's just catching the

So you're on cooked with Alvin Kamara, all right? Thor for you Alvin Kamara cooked or merely medium. Well, this is.

A medium well here for Alvin Kamar, all right, last year was weird of chorus. Was limited to the thirteen games because of the late start to this season. But he did have a bunch of catches last year seventy five that maybe the efficiency wasn't quite as good as in recent years.

But again got the late start to the season.

And by the way, the situation there, Dennis Allen hates Kendray Miller.

Yeah, he absolutely does, calling him out publicly.

Yeah, it's like he's his enemy or something. The situation is great for Kamara, and I think he'll have a better season.

This is where I am. He should be fantasy viable, but I don't think as a player he's that much good anyway. By the way of his catches, like thirty five of them came in two games.

That's okay.

It's funny.

Scott and I have almost the exact same talking points here on Alvin Kamara, but I will I flipped to the medium.

Well, I'm just so negative today, even the tough decision every round, I'm just I'm going to be super negative today. You scratched your job this morning. And your I did out. I'm still pissed about my car.

You're so right about Camara as a rusher, just in that respect, he was so explosive and so many big plays earlier in his career. That's all dried up. But the receptions just keep him viable. Here seventy five receptions last year, second most across all the league for runners, and that was despite missing four games. But you have played the full season, he would have led the all running backs and receptions.

By the way, it was twenty five and two games, not thirty five. Thirty five would be unreal.

That would be two very strong games.

All right.

Let's go to cooked or medium well for Austin Eckler twenty nine years old, just shy of one thousand carries and four hundred and forty career receptions to Austin Eckler thor cooked or just medium well.

Austin Eckler's cooked. Austin Eckler's cook. Now, is he gonna get the receiving down work initially in this season? Yes, I do, but I don't know about after that. I don't know how well he's going to quit himself. There certainly is a full time back that's over. Brian Robinson gonna be doing the early downstuff. But yeah, I think Austin Eckler's cooked.

Scott Austin Eckler cooked or me or merely medium.

Well, yeah, I'm still going medium well on this. He like maybe a few factor in the injuries I feel like he was dealing with injuries last year. The pult stuff down. But even after the catch last year ten point three yards after the catch, the complete in verse of Kamara, he was still very efficient with his touches, not so much in the red zone, like one point six yards per carrying the red zone. But that's not what he's gonna be for Washington. He's going to be

Austin Eckler is medium well. Light usage early in his career helps so that at age twenty nine, he doesn't have all the mileage that some others have had, and he's not going to be a workhorse, but he's going to catch a ton of passes, sprinkle in some high value rushes.

Man man Brian Robinson.

Zero threat to catch passes and by the way, terrible the goal line. Austin Eckler might end up stealing some goal line work here. Young quarterbacks love to dump off the ball. Jayden Daniels could use Eckler copiously as a safety valve. I feel really good about Austin Eckler's being a PPR helper this year. We will say medium.

Well, okay, all right, let's do a couple more guys.

Mike Evans thirty one years old, seven hundred and sixty receptions for almost twelve thousand yards in his career. Mike Evans, is he cooked or is he medium?

Well? Why is he on this list? I don't even see why he's on this list. He's I guess medium well. He's coming off a year where he led the league in touchdowns, even with his QBU who is admittedly out of shape with the new baby now back in shape. But he was top ten in first three targets red zone targets in an offense with no real threats in the wide receiver room, especially on the outside. His yards per reception and ad out we're also both top ten.

All right, Mike Evans cooked or medium well, or they're.

Gonna have to wheel him off an NFL fio for me to be like, he's cooked.

That guy is ageless, he is timeless.

I was in I was in the crib when he made Johnny Mantel Johnny Football, a first round pick back at Texas A and M. And every single year after a thousand yard thousand yard, thousand yard not cooked.

I'm excited, excited to hear where you go, hush.

Oh, he's medium. Well, okay, okay, he's not cooked.

Mike Evans not cooked now, and the Bucks believe in him.

They just give me a new two year deal worth fifty two million dollars and they know better than we do what Mike Evans has left in the tank coming up that great year with Baker Mayfield scoring more Fantasy points for Mike Evans last year since twenty eighteen. So still certainly appears to be completely viable here.

I do.

I worry about the loss of Dave Canalis, who just works magic. But nevertheless, Mike Evans one more good year left and our final contestant, can we call him?

Contestants?

Sure and cooked their medium well. Keenan Allen thirty two years old, nine hundred recepts for ten thousand, five hundred yards. Keenan Allen cooked or medium wealthor.

I'm going to say cooked against what he used to be and what people still perceive him to be. Now, I don't think he will be the number two option in that Chicago passing attack. I think he'll be third behind my boy Rob Dons.

All right, Scott Keenan Allen cooked or medium well?

Yeah, I know that the reports are coming out that he weighs two thirty. Now, I don't know that that's true. He does look bigger. New team will have. Like when wide receivers change teams this late in their career, it's never a good thing, almost never a good thing. He has other players drying coverage. Though he might be the wood bee for Caleb Williams, we don't know super wide range of outcomes. I'm gonna go with well done. He still had a top ten catch rade depended on when

All right, Keenan Allen. I am also going medium, well, medium, well such. You know, I debated calling it well done versus cook, but you know what well done steak throw.

In the garbage.

Come on, what are we doing yes or no, camer You can't do that. Keenan Allen's on a Hall of fame trajectory if you can get a couple more good years in.

Not quite there yet.

I'm a bit nervous that Alan's going to be surpassed by Roma Duonesay in time.

But he feels like such a perfect safety valve.

Will Keenan Allen be in exactly the right spot on every route?

Hell?

Yeah? Will he catch everything you throw to him? Yes? Last year a.

Career high in receptions at one hundred and eight. He's also at a career high in gains of twenty or more yards. The game is still there.

Keenan Allen will be in Canton one day to give Roma dundas.

Man when we come back.

Our final segment, Three Tough Questions are our final Sleepers of the Week final segment of Fantasy Football Weekly. If you haven't tried a Guillotine league yet, we highly encourage you to do so. You know how this format works. You've heard me talk about it for years. Leagues of up to eighteen team owners, no head to head play. Every week, the low scoring team gets chopped. Their players go to the waiver wire, where the rest of us end up in a position where we are feasting on

You get an auction every single week. We all acknowledge that preseason drafts, it's better to do the auction than the regular draft. Guillotine leagues, you have an auction every single week when another team hits that buck.

Yeah, it's the blind bidding. I mean, just and ask yourself this. So you got a thousand dollars to spend on the waiver wire all season long? Week one comes in some we run thousands of leagues. In some of those thousands of leagues, Christian McCaffrey's getting cut. Even if he has a good game. The rest of the players on that roster might have a bad game. Here comes

I've been way too aggressive initially in my past guillotine leagues, and I'm not doing well. So I've been reading a lot of the articles at Fantasy Life about the strategy for guillotine leagues. When do you disperse all that money that you're giving for the free agents.

I'm I'm not sure I've spent a penny before week six. Wow, I think I got discipline. I really hold off. It takes discipline. I feel like just the pure percentage of chance of getting cut week one, week two, week three is so low, it's very low. I can hold off.

You have to to do that, and it's God bless you if you can. If you can hold all thousand for six weeks, you have to draft. Well, that's the whole thing which I do.

This is all.

Here.

Sometimes injuries is hid not your fault, right, You gotta pivot. Sometimes you know there's no point in getting chopped with a thousand dollars thousand dollars, so you have to evaluate yourself, figure out your risks, and really try to know your roster. But one of the beauties of the guillotine league is if you don't draft. Well, you can reverse it by

You can go get Christian McCaffrey.

If you're running back, you're starting running back, goes down with injury or you just guessed wrong or whatever. Yep, all right, let's move on. It's time to play a game. We call three tough questions.

Tough question number one.

Nobody's panicking yet.

Okay, but what's the exact date when you start dropping your rankings for the holdout wide receivers Brandon Ayuk, Jamar Chase, ce D Lamb. We begin with Scott Fish.

So I had originally put Tuesday, September third.

Okay, that's what I'm looking for in exact day.

Yeah, but I noticed today, even when I had my little draft button on Brandon Ayuk, I'm sitting there thinking about it, hesitating right now. Yeah, but I in my head that was more about the other options there than you know, DK metcalf versus Brandon Ayuk than it was Brandon Ayuk. I think it's September third. We like we saw lev Bell set out, but before that it was like Emmitt Smith, you know, we've seen rookies do it. We've and I and you know, stuff like that, but

Okay, September third, Yeah, put a date on it, that's what I'm looking for, Like.

Yeah, the Tuesday before, because we've seen we've seen these before get closed like three four five days before the season, so three days before.

Sure deadlines spur action.

I wrote that exact line in here. I just didn't say it. It's like you read it off my screen.

Maybe I did through the series of mirrors that I've co cocted in our studio here. Yes, Thor, nobody's panicking yet. But what is the exact date when you start dropping your rankings for the holdout wide receivers?

The date is Sunday, September first, at noon, and then you're.

Order the minute.

We have a draft going on that day, yes we do.

We're down the middle in your draft.

It's the week leading up to week one, right, Like, we just don't know right now, so you can't overreact. But these guys can come off the couch and play. So as long if it's before September three, we're still in August.

I don't care.

Once we start getting into September, that's yeah, now we we're going to move them down.

Uh So you took September one, Thore, Yes, Scott, you took September third. The correct answer is Labor day September Zach.

I thought about that. I thought about that.

Three days before the first NFL game, six days before these guys play games at that point. You know, if they do sign on September second, they'll play.

In week one.

But how much is unclear? You know, what's the conditioning, Like, are these guys ready to you know, run.

Full speed for four quarters?

Probably not, and that's going to hurt them in the week one, maybe into week two. So for guante leagues where I'd really like to not have my season end in week one, yeah, you know, these guys start getting a lot more dangerous, even potentially earlier than that. But for standard leagues, the correct answer Labor day, September second.

Okay, tough question number two.

Will there be a clear winner of the Bengals running back job? And if so, who will it be? This is a tough question, and we start with Thorneistro.

I don't know who the winner will be, but I know that we're all the losers. Are the losers this is about I am totally avoiding. I don't think I have one chair of either of these guys. I also don't think there will be a clear winner. I think Brown enters this season as the one a guy, just based on the preseason snaps and camp reports.

But I think this is going to be closer to a fifty to fifty proposition.

We talked about it earlier in the episode, the ways in which Moss will vaulter out Brown's value and vice versa.

Scott.

Will there be a clear winner of the Bengals running back job and if so, who will it be? Thor says, no, there won't be.

What do you say, will there be a clear winner? Clear as mud like? There's no. There's not going to be a clear winner, at least I don't think so. We did see Zach Moss have kind of a bellcow role for a few weeks there last year in Indy, but Chase Chase Brown's going to be hard to keep off the field. He looks more dynamic. Thori even thinks he'll be the one. A Mike Clay, who's always been awesome with projections, has them at a near even split. I can see them wanting to keep both of them healthy.

For the Bengals and Zach Taylor. He has always had a primary runner who has dominated the carries, yes, always. I think he's going to go back to what he wants to do. He wants to have a main back and he'll sprinkle in some of the secondary back like he did Chase Brown last year. So if Zach Taylor's going to go back to what he knows and what he wants to do, which of the two will it beaks.

He had.

He had an he had a one hundred and seven yard total game. He had one hundred and fifty yard game, he had a seventy yard game, he had a one hundred and ninety five yard game. In his starts, Zack Moss can be and longtime listeners know, I've been on the Zack Moss thing from the day he got drafted by Buffalo and it killed me that they never used him. So you will not be surprised to know that. I think even though Chase Brown is a very different back and he's a more dynamic runner than Moss, but you

Okay, we'll find out.

Tough question number three, bow.

Knicks has been named the Broncos starter. How many times will nis be a take a chance on me quarterback in future episodes of Fantasy Football Weekly? Of course, to take a chance on Me segment For those of you that might be new, maybe you don't know this Fantasy Football Weekly, We've got take a chance on Me every week where we highlight a player that you would not normally start, but you could this week for whatever reason.

You, okay, So most sites Lee list Denvers having one of the tougher pass schedules. My eyeball eyeball count just based on pass defenses from last year, and obviously things change, and even in season, things are going to change. With respect to that, I count like about five good matchups, three bad, and nine middle of the road defenses nine times. Nine times you say yeah, yeah, no threat to be

All right, Thornystrom.

Yeah, the Vegas sportsbooks set the line at zero point five for how many times I would bring up Bonex and take a chance. I mean bet the mortgage that he is going under that number, bet the house.

Overall, I think they would be two and a half.

Would be would be the line that with the other gentleman on the panel. But yeah, you will not hear that name from me that.

So how many times, Scott, you're the other apparently you're the other gentleman on the panel.

Maybe, so how many times? How many times do you think we will do it?

I'll say two?

Two times? Okay, I guess you can't. It won't be you.

It'll be zero from Thor It's zero for me as well, but not just me. Hold on, that's not the group. So let me do here's my here's my issues. By the way, congratulations of back Nicks on beating out Jared Stideman Zach Wilson. Super impressive, very impressive competition there. You know, loved his college well, okay, he was productive at Oregon. I didn't like his style of play and I don't think it translates to the NFL. I don't like first read,

It did in college.

Now I need to see what happens when NFL defenses take away bon Nicks's first read, which they will do. I need to see Nicks completing downfield strikes because those are we want down We want downfield passing. That's fantasy points. Bonis didn't give us that. It's very early for this preseason, but watching bon Nicks in the preseason, I'm seeing the same can i Son college. I don't like what I've seen. There's thirty two NFL quarterbacks. Bonix might be the worst

Yep, When do you ever go first and take a chance on me?

Well, I don't on air, but I do off air when we're choosing taste.

Ye see. That was my theory behind the three is thor never and then each of us maybe one each. But maybe that's even wrong.

In the last segment of every preseason show, we reveal our sleepers of the week, Thor Let's start with you. Who you got.

Let's stay with the Denver Bronco as I already tipped this one off. Julia mclofflin, that's my guy.

I love now.

Javonte Williams having a good preseason and is the presumed early down back. But Fish mentioned earlier on the amount of touches that they were forwarding that they're going to get Julia mclafflin anyway, and of course they are. He is going to be the receiving down back. Charge you mentioned earlier that samaj p Ryan is on the roster bubble that's being reported. Odrick estimate is not a receiving back.

I like that kid. I just hope he gets the ball in his hands enough times to be Fantasy viable flex. Just all I need is Jealia McLaughlin flex guy, and I'm happy.

That's it.

All right, Scott, let's go to you. You're sleeper of this week.

Yeah, I'm going with Michael Wilson the Arizona Cardinals.

I like this one.

Yeah.

I think that with the amount of coverage that is going to be drawn to Marvin Harrison and Trey McBride, he's going to be open fourteen plus yard eight out last year top fifteen yards per target. So when he got a target, he was getting chunks nine point seven yards, so like one target, he's getting ten yards. They throw the ball five hundred and fifty to six hundred times. It's an offense that is going to be behind, a team that's going to be behind all the time. I've

With Marvin Harrison, they're moving to the top of the packing order. Now Michael Wilson can become what he is destined to be. He's a big receiver who, by the way, at the Senior Ball his year where he was there, he was the only player regardless of position, to be in top five both in max deceleration and max acceleration. That guy gets open by stopping on a diamond, screaming back for a guy who's in a bigger frame he's a possession receiver in the NFL, and now he has found his destiny.

I love that. Take Fish.

This is something I did not at all think i'd be talking about right now.

We have. We've already said Sleepers, we do it at the end of the show. Everyone, well, no, nothing, this guy.

We've talked a lot about Joe Mixon and how we don't trust Joe Mixon and we think he's cooked.

So if he's let's say he's.

Bad, and they need to get go down the depth chart and they need to start finding other runners.

Oh, British Brooks, British bris We're not going quite that far. We're not going quite that far. Okay.

Now, I've been team Damien Pierce in the past, but I've also seen enough troubling things. And it really appears the backup right now, based on preseason play and who's been getting time and when Cam freaking acres off, the double Achilles, I mean single Achilles is a career ruiner for ninety eight percent of running backs, Cam Akers has looked shockingly spry.

I can't. That's how it works. The one Achilles bad, but the other Achilles brings it right right back in and.

Brings the equilibrium to the Achilles. Look, this is really about Joe Mixon in this great offense. Maybe Joe Mixon can be bad and still be productive just getting what the offense gives him, which will be considerable. But if at some point they want something somebody more dynamic, they're gonna have to go another way. And I don't know if I can stick my neck out for Damian Pierce anymore. And maybe I don't have to, because it really looks

Do you want me to read the tight end? ADP? And you guys can shout out where do you think it is?

I like that angle?

Do that all right? Sam Laporta, Travis Kelce, Trey McBride, Mark Andrews, Dalton Kincaid, Kyle Pitts, George Kittle. We're still going here deep here, Ingram, Jake Ferguson Stop.

Okay, that's for me. I've just hit my comfort zone right there.

And here's where we get to Thor's Rock Bauer.

Now I'll make first I want to mention this about Jake Ferguson. Despite last year being effectively his rookie year, it was his sophomore year, but the first year he got real time on the field. Jake Ferguson was the second most targeted player in the NFL inside the five yard line. In these high leverage passes that Dallas needed to make inside the five yard line when they needed touchdowns, they threw to Jake Ferguson ten times during the season.

That is a ton.

That kid was playing right as a true freshman in the Big ten. And you know he's not the freak athlete of Kyle Pets or one of those guys, but reliable he can do. You know, he's a multi multifaceted tight end. Not a surprise that Wheels went up on him. Yeah, so that's that is my guy. You've already talked to Brock Bauers a little bit, so, but after that, you know, if we go farther down the list were yeah, yep, so hit some of the next guys up that that worry us.

Uh, it's me and Djoku Goddard.

Uh.

Firemouth Schultz then we're to Hawkinson and then we're way down there. We are, like it really jobs.

Hockinson will payoff dividends eventually, obviously, when you're gonna have to, you know, that might be October. I you know, I'm no reason to rush him either, No, no reason, honest. I mean, we're just gonna be honest about the prospects for the Vikings this season. It's it looks like there's no reason to rush him back this year. Correct, you know, we'll see it. Yeah, I know NFL teams don't think like that, but just playing it out probably goes that way.

This time.

Next week, we're breaking down the Thursday night game. Let's go. I know it's already so close.

Can't wait. It's it's fantasy drafting season. We'll be back next week. Please continue some describing, downcasting Radio and reviewing Fantasy Football Weekly. We're excited for all your drafts this weekend, and we'll be here for you for next weekend as well. Talk to you then, everybody, Bye bye, Fantasy Football Weekly is a production of iHeartRadio. For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.