December Developments You Missed

of run its course, it's not yet landed on the moon. Yeah, as of now, it's uh, what a fascinating development. Unbelievable it's been. It's been a lot of fun watching this from the I've been on the sidelines. I didn't get in on it. I kind of wish I had now, but just for the ride. Well, if I zone out,

I'm checking the doge coins. That is a deal. Um. So this is it's kind of a weird show in that the big Super Bowl breakdowns coming neck next week, and so I didn't want to take I didn't want to do like half a Super Bowl breakdown this week when we don't have all the answers we're gonna have next week, So we're not breaking down the Pro Bowl, right, They're not playing the Pro Bowl, and I'm playing the

Pro Bowl playing. They awarded guys into the Pro Bowl, but then they don't have to show up for anything. Probably for the best. It only took a global pandemic to to get it right and game. Who misses the

Pro Bowl? Nobody, that's who. Um. So, what I decided to do differently this week from a content perspective is I was thinking about, all right, what what could what don't people necessarily know right now while it's still in season, And I think we'll, uh, we'll get to some of the coaching changes and some of that stuff a little bit later. And I had the idea to look for some of the developments that you may have missed in December. A lot of fantasy guys are tuned in elsewhere in December. Now.

It could be that you're just for the holidays. It could be you're knocked out of the playoffs, could be there in the playoffs and you're only really paying attention to your very good team. So I challenged you and I each Brian to come up with three positive developments, and I think we'll have a negative development show later. Um three positive developments that went under appreciated, undernoticed in December.

That's the premise, or maybe even you even now aware of it in December and you've already forgotten about it will be one going into draft season when that starts in a couple of months. Already part of the challenge was trying to find things that people actually missed, you know, like j K. Dobbins emerging in December was too obvious, I felt, because too many people knew about it. It's just too I thought it was two front and center.

So I think some of the hopefully for at least some of these six, our listeners will be like, oh, hey, that's I you know I didn't. I guess I did not realize that. It's my hope for at least some of these now purposely, I don't know your three that you're going to contribute, and you don't know my three, and so we'll both will be a little bit surprised as we go. I will yield the floor to you first, give me the first of three positive developments that listeners

may have missed in December. People might have got a sense of his ability and he got on everyone's radar. But uh, Logan Thomas wasn't just a flash in the pan. In the month of December, he emerged as a, if not a top five tight end, a top three tight end for fantasy football proposes going into and um, if you're not award of the history of Logan Thomas real quick, I do know that he is a quarterback turn tight end.

Quarterback turn tight end. Drafted by the Cardinals in the fourth round of NFL Draft, he was like the fifth quarterback taken. That was the infamous Blake Bortles, Johnny Manziel, Teddy Bridgewater not as an infamous, and Derrick Carwin after the three guys. So yeah, I think about how motivated he plays every week knowing Johnny Manziel and Blake Bortles were drafted over him. But yeah, Thomas, quarterback for the Cardinals,

did not pan out as a quarterback. Actually spent some time with Miami and the Giants as a backup quarterback. It was until he went to Buffalo in twenties seventeen did he started playing tight end. One season, two seasons in Buffalo, one in Detroit. He had thirty six catches in those three years as a tight end seventy two. This season doubled his career input output in one year. Unreal. Unreal, and by the way, looks like a tight end. Mean he built, he has built out his body. He looks

very much like a tight end at this stage. Ye six six, like too thirty. He's a mountain of a man and he can move. And starting in week thirteen, I'm gonna go Week thirteen through the wild Card game because those are all December games. Week thirteen was played in early December. So week thirteen to eighteen, Thomas tallied fifty eight targets and if you extrapolate that target share across a sixteen game season, he would equate to a hundred and fIF five targets. Dang, that would be third

among receivers. So I was giving Chelsea and Waller would be the only two. Yeah, it was digs and uh, I believe Hopkins are going to wide receivers that would have outargeted Logan Thomas at that rate. So he finished incredibly strong, even going before December into November. He scored double digit PPR points in ten of his last twelve games.

And it's the quarterback situation that's the big question mark, right, we can't we don't know what the quarterback will be next year, but it can't get much worse than it was. That is that's a fair statement. Uh, yeah, there's there's Although Alex Smith. I think part of the reason he thrived in December is that Alex Smith just targeted him a don and that's the worst case scenario. He gets Alex Smith back. I mean, it's not gonna be doing

Haskins around or anything anything like that. Who hopefully they maybe they make a move for DeShawn Watson's not out of the cards for thember Matt Stactually, actually I think Watson. I think if I think Washington should be one of the three spots that Deshaun Watson should consider meets along with the Dolphins and the Well I mean, the Colts would be good form, but they're not going to trade him in the division, uh, Dolphins and the Patriots. Dolphins, Patriots, Washington,

great defense in Washington, Thomas, Lauren and Dickson anchoring that offense. Yeah, all they need is a quarterback and right now it's very early to look at a DP, but a DP is out there, and Logan Thomas is going around tight end nine already he's in like the Evan Ingraham Hunter Henry Tear. You know people are gonna take Kelsey of over Thomas of Cosy. Yes, but after those two I'm not saying you want to reach for Thomas where George Kittle, He'll be. After Kittle, you can make a stronger case

for Thomas. Any Yeah, people probably still gonna take more Andrews. There probably t J. Hockenson to us the sexier names. But wherever logan, Thomas's ADP is that wherever you're drafting from February to August, reach around for him, because he could. He's basically Darren Waller two point oh a converted Waller was a wide receiver. Thomason. He's finally mastered his craft as Waller has, and we have very similar skill sets.

And uh yeah, the skies the limit for Thomas, and he's very undervalued right now, and that that ADP will climb as we get closer to We're giving the three positive developments you may have missed in December. I'm giving three. Brian's giving three. You got a total of six. Uh that is number one mine, a player you've already mentioned a December performance by Derek Car between Car and the one game with Mariota. Get this, the Raiders were QB four in December QB four the Raiders now again. One

game of that was Marcus Mariotta. We ran for eighty eight yards and he ran rushing touchdown. But that's all Mariota really did. Most of the rest of this is on Car. Multiple touchdowns in every game, including he had he had three rushing touchdowns in December. But even that, which is not normal for Car, but the passing was really notable. Get this. Aside from the game he missed um and he got knocked out early in the first quarter that game. He threw for over three hundred sixteen

yards in all of his December games. All four of his December games, he scored four touchdowns, three touchdowns, two touchdowns and two touchdowns. Darren Waller obviously made a big part of that, and Waller went Biserk. But Nelson Aglar had a very good December um and then he would find like one receiver each game would have a good game. Um, you know one other guy you know spot here. Henry Ruggs had the big game against the Jets that they

want on the last play and stuff like that. But um, you know he would the fact that car was able to get this level of production out of his tight end and some help from Nelson Agilar, and that's it was to be very impressive. And I think people may have missed how much better he got. So I looked at cars p F grade. First half of the season. His average PF grade was sixty four, not that great.

Second half of the season, Derek Carrs p F grade jumped thirteen points to a seventy seven, which is awfully good and actually put him inside the top ten among quarterbacks in the second half of the season by PF grade. So I roll this together and I'm like, man, I gotta believe you can get Derek Carr for nothing next year. Now, there there are some question marks as we look ahead the next year for him. Agilar was on a one year proven deal and he's a free agent. I suspect

they will want to bring him back much more. He could prove himself more than he did this year. It was he was beyond what anyone expect, way more than what anybody expected. Now did you hear about Aglars It was only reported on Thursday or Friday that Agilar cocked off after like the Week six team game about how this team doesn't want to win and they're not trying hard enough, And he's right, that's the thing. If you watch the Raiders in December, especially, their defense was just

checked out. So I don't know if they'll respect Aglar more for standing up in front of the team and saying that, or if they're gonna be pissed at all, because in a way, you're also calling out the coaching staff when you do that effort is on the coaching staff, and so I don't know if this means Agilar is gone or not. Tyrolle Williams, by the way, I'm still on board. Get this. I forgot about I know. Why

Why wouldn't you have? He hasn't eleven million dollar salary next year, so he's gonna get Can they go after any of these big name free agents? I guess not like the Allen Robinson's or the world, but potentially they could from a salary cap standpoint. They're actually in decent shape, although they're offensive. Linds Uber expensive, like the third most expensive offensive line next year for the Raiders. So Derek Carr, you may have missed a very good December from Derek Carr.

Will see how his receiving options look next year. Bo. You know, Darren Waller is not going anywhere. I got a receiver that would look good, oh in the black and silver, tell me more, and he's my next topic discuss. Marvin Jones himself had a hell of a December last it was like receiver five in December. Uh, he's really had of almost a hell of the last five seasons.

He's incredibly underrated. So over the last five years, here are the games players with the most games with the receiving touchdown, starting with the most of Andante Adams, of course at the top of the lists. All right, and this list is very at least, so it's just I'm just gonna go down. I'm not gonna read the totals for each, but are all over twenty five, which is

a lot for the last five years. Davante Adams, Mike Evans, Tyree Killed, DeAndre Hopkins, Travis Kelsey, Adam Feeling, Antonio Brown, Marii Cooper, Michael Thomas, Stephen Diggs, Marvin Jones. One of these six things is not like the other. One of these things just doesn't belong and Uh, of course Kenny Golladay went down in week eight. Yeah, that was a lot and well for the second time went down in week eight. I mean, Jones played as wide receiver one

and probably what twelve of their games? I mean, did Golladay played four? Have four games in the season, So I don't we were really focusing on December. But I'm gonna go from Week nine when Golliday was first out through Week seventeen, when Jones was operating as the wide receiver one. UH finished number seven among wide receivers and PPR formats UH eighteen PPR points per game during that span.

It was a little volatile though. During that span, finishes a top five wide receiver four times, outside of the top thirty six five times. Yeah, that's not great. Well, it's Stafford miss him games in there too, And I'm guessing, you know, I don't know in front of me, but I'm guessing Stafford. Stafford's missed games ultimately had to hurt Marvin Jones without a doubt, and UH, and Stafford was also banged up too, but they still they still made

a lot happen. UH during that same span Week nine, two weeks seventeen, Jones caught twenty five passes of ten plus eight yards that was tied for the second uh most. During that span, he had five nineteen yards, third most yards five touchdowns, tied for the second most. He was absolutely on fire. And he's going into an unrestricted free agency. So maybe he he does turn thirty one in March, probably his last contract of his career. But uh, maybe

he tags along go somewhere with Stafford. That would be ideal. Probably unlikely though, because a lot of the teams that need wide receiver don't need a quarterback, like Arizona, Baltimore, Miami, the Giants, but teams were he and Stafford potentially could go New England, Washington, maybe Chicago, probably not Chicago, but there are jobs at wide receiver one jobs out there. If you did go to Chicago the Giants, he could

be wide receiver one. New England, he could be wide receiver one, and you could be wide receiver one in New England. Right, But uh, long story, short landing spot determines a lot of Jones value, but again very early a DP. But he's a guy that always wants him. Nobody ever wants him Wide receiver sixt right now in early Bestball, you know, the rookies are going before him with no landing spots. Jalen Waddle is a guy that's

going ahead of him. Uh Dez Bryant even as a higher a dplus people just going off the bigger name. People just don't want anything to do with Marvin Jones, it seems like. But that's really funny. He's a guy you don't have to draft as a top three or four wide receiver on your team, but he could, you know, leave your depth chart, you know, vault your depth charts and operate as a wide receiver one wide receiver two

proving it. You mentioned Best Ball and for a guy with his level of volatility, that might be a great format for Marvin Jones, definitely even more of a target Investball Leaks. When we come back, we'll give you the remaining three positive developments you may have missed in December. Stay tuned, Welcome back Fantasy Football Weekly. Paul Charchi and Brian Johnson with you, covering the developments you may have

missed in December. This is the positivity episode. I think we will do a negativity episode shortly after the super Bowl, maybe the week after something like that. We'll see, we got to balance out the universe a little bit. Well yeah, well probably not. The number four positive development you may have missed in December, David Johnson's successful return from a variety of injuries suffered over the course of the season.

And we've all been skeptics for years. You know who hasn't been burned on David Johnson over the past four years, and even this year was mostly a burning by David Johnson. But he actually looked pretty good in December. He played in four December games. He scored four times in the four games. He topped one hundred total yards in three of the four games. He posted a crazy eleven catch, one six receiving yard game in December, and David Johnson's yards per carry was six point four in December six

point four. His elusiveness rating via PFF went from thirty four to which moved him from running back forty six in elusiveness prior to December to running back nine in elusiveness in December. Again Pro Football Focus. The only runner with a similar December jump and elusiveness was cam Acres. Everybody's talking about good. Cam Acres got nobody talking about David Johnson. He was December's ninth best runner in yards after contact three point seven yards after contact for David Johnson.

So a very good December. And so what I think this means for the year ahead for David Johnson Brian is the team's got so many needs in Houston and maybe quarterback. I just think they're not gonna They're not gonna put any draft capital, any equity for a team that doesn't have have you know, they're missing to draft picks. Um.

I just don't think they're gonna change running backs. I think it's going to be David Johnson rolling in next year with no real competition, meaningful competition for that job. You could probably put prime Barry Sanders in that backfield, and it's not really gonna help the bottom line of that team right now outside of all the other needs that they have. Like you said, so yeah, I'm with

you that they better ride or die with DJ. I think they're going to I know, Bill O'Brien's long gone, but they gotta still nice, you know, to just fight the trade. You're right, even though Brian is gone. So David Johnson played well. Let's go to our number five positive development you may have missed in December. I'm gonna stick with the running back position. And uh, it's not like he really went off in December, but he at least made an appearance and when he did, it looked good.

And that's a J. Dillon And it's a J Dillon time, like right this very moment if you're doing drafts because uh, he's going in the seventh round right now, which is absolutely that's because we do it's because free agency hasn't happened yet, and then people are still, I assume, holding out hope that somehow you won't Aaron Jones is going to remain on the Packers. I think there's a ten percent chance. I think there's a fifty percent chance that

Jamal Williams stays on the Packers. But a J. Dillon, no matter what's got a bigger role coming definitely there. They sunk draft capital into a j last year, and Aaron Jones and Jamal Williams, like they said, both unrestricted free agents, assuming they both leave. That's sixty one total red zone carries between the two for Jones, three for Williams. For reference, that's all of the red zone carries. Who

else would ever happen, but just but the opportunity. Josh Jacobs led the NFL with sixty four, so basically plug in A J. Dillon who had a handful of himself, and he's your league leader in NFL red zone carries theoretically if they both leave, if they both leave, but again, if Jones is gone, Jones has and Williams stays, you would think he kind of operates as the change of pace back like he has for Aaron Jones, even though he's kind of we don't know, but a J. Dillon

Williams can catch for sure, and that's why I think he would walk more into the Aaron Jones lead role because they throw at Aaron Jones. A Ton Dylan's past catching ability is I think much more unknown. He has three targets, all right. One was in the playoffs in a divisional or the conference championship and it was a nice catch. I mean, so he has the ability, he just hasn't had the opportunity. So we'll see what happens there.

But again, he hasn't had a ton of opportunities really, just one good game that was that Week sixteen game against Tennessee. One carries four yards two touchdowns. That was that snowy game when um, it was just built for a mutter, a straight ahead runner like a J. Dillon, and they let him. The fact that they built a game plan around him and let him go execute that was probably a good sign that he had earned the

trust and faith of that coaching See. And that's not the last snowy game will be playing in Green Bay, right, So he's the guy they can they can trust. And uh again, just thirty four carry. He had twenty one carries that game. Just thirty four carries across his other ten games, including the playoffs. So not a lot of tape on him. But it's just all about the eye test. Really. He looked good when he got the ball, and odds are the opportunities gonna be there for him to at

least compete for that starting job in Green Bay. Average five point three yards per carry? Uh pretty him, Give him a full Just give him fifty carries and he's gonna exceed that seventh round a DP right now. But uh, I wonder if he's gonna. I wonder if it will be a lot more Jamal Williams early in the season and as the season wears on, it'll start skewing towards Dylan cold Weather games. He'll be further along in his development. He might be a guy next year that takes a

little more patience. But I think he's a fantasy factor, I really do, and he he could climb into the first round of drafts by the end of the summer if both guys leave they don't put anybody meaningful into that backfield. I don't think he'd be a first rounder, but I think that it would certainly be a lot wait for early second self. He would need to maybe if they play preseason games next year, he need one

of those. But uh, but in that scenario, so let's let's just say that it does play out that way, where both Jamal Williams and Aaron Jones leave and they don't add another meaningful runner. They'll have some other warm bodies, but let's sume it's nobody good. It's a uh, they're like an Abdullah type um, and we think he's gonna get We think he's gonna get a workhorse role for

a j. Dillon. I still think he's probably going to going like the third round because he's never proven anything, and the first two rounds are almost are usually filled with players who have proven their worth. Yeah, not saying I would take him in the first two rounds, but the hype could get up there. But yeah, I think the third fourth round will be a very uh safe estimation for where all lands right now RB thirty six. Again, it's very early, but guys like Devin Singletarry what or

going before him? When that Ronald Jones that people just look at the carry totals basically, and Dylan doesn't have any, but he will. Our sixth and final positive development you may have missed in December is Austin Ekeler's return. He he played three full games at the beginning of the year, then he missed nine weeks and returned in week twelve.

He was running back twelve in December. Not bad, uh, I think, and a probably a success story considering the magnitude uh the hamstring injury he had, which was severe and there was some frustrating you probably get into some there was some frustrating us usage right right, and and he averaged only ten and a half carries per game is what you're getting at. And for a guy that we know is a lot better than ten and a half carries per game. I was a little bit surprised

that it was. It stayed that light. It started that light, and it stayed that light, and it never really got a lot better. He averaged a healthy for and a half yards per carry. Um highly involved in the passing game, which is usual for him. He averaged six targets, catching five of those six Um, although only thirty five yards per game, which isn't special. Um. He also of a note in December, was playing behind this injury racked Charges

offensive line, which is always injury racked. Man that team, How they don't along with the vikings, you know, how how these teams don't ever fix their bad and injury played defensive lines is beyond me. Anyway, Um, let it all out. It was a good, not great performance and return from Austin Ekeler. Um. We really don't know what

kind of role he'll have next year. It's a new offense with Brandon Staley, who was the former Rams defensive coordinate who's now head coach, and his new offensive coordinator is Joe Lombardi, who has been who was the Saints quarterback coach. Among It's got a long long history unclear what although the Saints used a time share of backs to some degree, right, Alvin Alvin Camar is a It's like a sixty is split between camara um and la Tabius Murray. So the presumption is here that Eckler doesn't

immediately like go to touches a game guy. But I think he I think he was. I think the uptick will be closer to what we see how the Saints had used Alvin Camaro, which was probably in the eighteen touch of game range. Yeah, I'm with you, and you know we saw going late first, early second, late summer last year. I think he'll he'll probably fall late second, early third, mid third. I think guys like cam Akers, Antonio Gibson, maybe even James Robinson all vault above when

it comes to a DP. But uh, I think I like ceiling a little higher than guys like that. Yeah, I like it. Okay, I'm sick. I think Eckler people aren't gonna everybody replays last year. That's the top. The primary wave that people do their drafting in August is what do I remember from last year? People are just gonna remember the last season for Eckler because he didn't splash upon his return, you know, had he scored four

touchdowns in December, scored once. Had he scored four touchdowns in December, had he powered teams and into the playoffs and into fantasy victories, they would have been they'd remember him a lot more charitably. I think people are gonna be down on Eckler and I think he's gonna slide. I think it's gonna be like a third round guy, and that's gonna be a mistake. It's I he's got so much talent and some opportunity, and obviously he's got a quarterback who looks like he's going to be fantastic,

without a doubt. I will remember Austin Ekela on Draft Day. Yeah, we'll be talking about him a lot, probably in the preseason, as we talked, as we spent so much time in our preseason talking about undervalued guys, sleepers, I think Austin Ekela will be a common name in that area. Next week we will be breaking down the Super Bowl Fantasy

style DFS style. I might work in a couple of props already, like the Travis Kelsey under seven and a half UH catches, because like you're going to have to block. I don't know what the Gronk props are about them, all about him, all about Dawson Knox. Some guy on Twitter tweeted us, I'm like, I don't know what they are, but just put everything over on Dawson Knox, including touchdown, first touchdown. He said he did it all, but not

the first touchdown. I was like, Oh, that's because that's the one that would have paid a handsomely that would have been if he hit that Dawson Knox. I bet it was in the twenty five to one range first touchdowns. It's a money matchup for tight ends against the Chiefs for whatever reason, So Gronk, but why not break? That's the problem. He'll be in play, is well? All right? I guess we'll find out more about it. He'll both be in play, all right. Thanks for listening Fantasy Football Weekly.

We'll be back next week for the Super Bowl preview. As mentioned. If you love the show, and we hope you do, I hope you will subscribe, rate, and review Fantasy Football Weekly and we'll talk to you in a week. Bye bye. Fantasy Football Weekly is a production of I Heart Radio. For more podcasts from my Heart Radio, visit the i Heart Radio app Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.