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 football advice, speculation, and whatever stupid stuff they decide to drop into the show. Now, here's your host, Paul Chargion.
Hey everybody, it's another edition of Fantasy Football Weekly. I am Paul Charchian. Guest today Brian Johnson, Hey, buddy.
What's going on? Charge? Brian Johnson aka Sam Darnold the.
Believer Sam A preview of coming attractions. Today, we're talking about last picks of your draft, whether it's Best Ball drafts, redrafts. What is the last pick of the draft and who should you take. We're going to give you suggestions at each of the four key positions we're not doing tight end to defense.
And these are guys too, who we think we'll start upwards in terms of adp as we draw nearer to quote unquote the real draft season right now. It's always the draft season these days, but it kind of your eye on these guys now.
Especially Sam Donald, as America starts to realize that he's going to be the starting, starting quarterback for a guy throwing to Justin Jefferson. His his ADP is going to go way, way up. I believe we'll find out. We'll talk more about it in a few minutes.
I can't tell if that's satirical or no, that's not at all genuine. All right, good, No, not at all.
This Sam Donald right now is one of my five to ten favorite sleepers across all positions because I believe he will start more most of the season, and he's got a really nice opportunity with the talent around him Jordan Addison, a pass catching running back, and Aaron Jones. While I'm stealing your your bullet points, so I won't do that.
Okay. I love hearing someone else brace Sam Donald for once. I feel like I'm a one, one man army on Twitter. That's not true. There is a nice The Sam Donald Hive is growing by the day. People are starting to believe. So well, okay all day with Sam Donald, stef charge.
That's fine. So let me just set up well, let's jump right into Sam Darnald. But let me just set this up as we talk through our favorite last picks of your draft. First, you got your guy has to be going in the fifteenth rounder. Later, that's an ADP of one hundred and seventy five or beyond. And I think critical to this discussion is at this stage, all
of these players have wards. I mean, we're gonna make a case for these guys, and you might be listening going, well, what about this and what about this and what about this? And sometimes we'll acknowledge that stuff, but we're talking about round fifteen guys. So you know, none of these players do not have question marks. They all do. To me, Brian,
I'm looking at one of two angles. Can this guy just be like a consistent, if not splashy performer who can help me in a bye week or a short term injury replacement situation, or does he have some special traits that could allow him to really emerge this year? Is this guy really you know, there is there something about this guy where he hasn't performed at this point, but then these traits are gonna kick in and the opportunity is gonna kick in and he could he could
emerge and have a great year. And I've got a couple of both category guys, but let's start with Let's start with Sam Darnold, your choice at quarterback for Round fifteenth. Or later is adp last I saw he was going off to board it like his quarterback, like thirty three deeper than there are teams in the NFL.
Yeah, you'd be thirty four to be exact. Now, let me preface this again. What I'm about to say is no knock on JJ McCarthy. Whatsoever weve JJ McCarthy. He's got a lot of potential, probably very bright future in the league. But we're talking solely the twenty twenty four season on this podcast, and right now JJ McCarthy is going is you be twenty five in underdog draft, which is.
That he may not start a game this year, So yeah.
And if he does, it's what they're gonna start. Nick Mullens, excuse me over JJ McCarthy earlier in the season if they have to. Sam Donald is hurt. So anyway, love Sam Donald in the last round. Right now. First, let's talk about the situation in Minnesota. You kind of touched on this very past friendly system. Kevin O'Connell runs the
Vikings ranked third and passing play percentage last year. As you said, they have the best wide receiver in football under a fresh new contract in Justin Jefferson alongside him, alongside him as Jordan Addison one of just six wide receivers to record double digit touchdowns last year, it should take a big step in his second season. Of course, t J. Hockinson gonna miss some time, maybe all season.
That stings a little bit, but an exciting arsenal for Sam Donald, who will be the quarterback oneen heading into camp and into the season. Ye, Kevin O'Connell's still sort of using some kind of you know, quarterback competition between JJ McCarthy, but that's all smoke screen. You can look at DraftKings sportsbook. Donald's now minus two seventy to take the first snap for the Vikings. So that's gonna happen, whether some Vikings fans like it or not. But they're
just gonna have to accept it. And really, those who have accepted it are a lot of them. I'm gonna say, they're just like, Oh, Donald's gonna start, and he's gonna suck, and then he's gonna, you know, give way to JJ McCarthy after they're bye in week six. I don't think it's gonna be the case.
It's possible.
I believe that.
Would be the earliest to me that would be the earliest scenario where JJ McCarthy makes a start.
Now we all know it's easy to say Sam Donald sucks, he sucked in his career, But to me, that's a lazy, ignorant take. You just have to go back and look at the history of this poor kid's career, who, by the way, he entered the league as the startest young the youngest starting quarterback in NFL history at the time. Yeah, still might hold that record.
I thought a great I think he might. And let me mention this about that he made a big mistake coming out when he did. He came out after his sophomore year, after two years of starting at USC and they were good years. They weren't even great years, they were just good years. And that was on darnold he came out. I think, you know, granted, he he got selected with the third overall pick in the draft, so you know, he made a ton of money and he read the tea leaves correctly that there would be a
lot of interest in him. But he wasn't ready yet, Brian, and he came out too soon. And I think part of your case is that his last couple of years sitting out as a backup effectively has probably given him time to mature into the role.
Oh yeah, he's been through hell and back and it started. Yes, he came out to early and he didn't have any control about getting drafted by the Jets, but unfortunately he did. In his tenure there, he was primarily coached by Adam Gase, one of the worst head coaches in NFL history, at least this century, no longer in the league.
That can. Can I expand on that for a second. I did a lot. I did a big thing on Sam Donald on the radio about a week ago, and so I'm all prepped up on this. Here. Let me tell you about the coaches he's worked with, head coaches and offensive coordinators in the games that he in the times he's had to start, so not counting San Francisco last year when we only played a meeting this week eighteen game, Todd Bowles, his head coaches, Todd Bowles, Adam Gase,
Matt Ruhle, Steve Wilkes. His offensive coordinators Brian name these guys, where are they now? Jeremy Bates, Dowell Loggins, Joe Brady, Jeff Nixon, Ben McAdoo. As a group, those offensive coordinators and head coaches. One of them is in the league today. All the rest of them are out out of the league. That's right, Todd Bowles. He's the only one that has a job in the NFL today, isn't He doesn't That say a lot?
It does. And he was Donald's Bulls was Donald's which is a rookie year, a defensive guy. You and he got fired after Donald's rookie season. So he did the one you know, one head coach that at any legitimacy to his name anyway, head coach's coaching situation the nightmare his receiving options throughout his career. These are the top receivers he's dealt with, Robbie Anderson, now Robbie chosen, Jameson Crowder, Chris Herndon, Quincy Unna.
Yeah, DJ Mooreman DJ Moore in Carolina. He's a legit receiver.
But that's number one.
But that's it. But that's it. I mean, you know, the rest of the receivers he's had to throw to have been Sam for Sam Donald have been bad.
And lastly, I'll say the pass blocking, how his offensive lines graded starting his rookie year. But with the Jets, then with the Panthers, this is my pro football focus U pass blocking. Again, they're ranked twenty second, twenty eighth, thirty first, twenty eighth his first four years in the league. So again I think he's got and he's got some mobility too. He's an athlete a little bit. People don't
know that. No, he has some wheels. Could have played college basketball if you dig deep enough into his past. So he's that much of an athlete. So anyway, Sam Donald a freebie in the last round. If he doesn't work out for him, you cut him, you drop him, pick up someone else. But I think he's an ideal backup candidate and fantasy football, especially if you pay up, you know, payout for quarterback with one of the premium guys like Josh Allen, Jalen Hurts, someone along those lines.
Love Sam Donald in the last round has a ton of potential in this offense. I'll shut up. I like hibout him for at least today.
But here's I'm gonna make my case against Donald and again because I've I've done all this research on him and I'm and I'm still saying draft him in round round whatever, seventeen, that he's going in so I'm not even I would absolutely take him there. But here's your case against Donald Way. Too many picks, even for a young quarterback with bad blocking and lous and receivers good not great, but just like good quarterbacks throw about half a pickup per game, Sam has basically double that. He's
fifty six picks in fifty six starts. Too many interceptions have plagued him in college, plagued him in the pros. That's something that's got to get better, and that could shorten his timeline as a starter. You know, you throw a bunch of picks in the NFL, and you know the least gets real short not nearly enough touchdown production. And this is very siline for fantasy. Again, good not elite quarterbacks, just good quarterbacks average about to a game.
Sam has just sixty three touchdowns in fifty six starts. He's barely one touchdown per game. So that part's not numbers aren't great.
And is deep.
Passing particularly bad? Here is this? Here are his PFF ranks as a deep passer for Sam Darnold in his five years getting starts thirty fourth. Again, there's thirty two teams in the NFL, thirty fourth, thirty first, thirty sixth, twenty ninth, and twenty eighth. He has just fifteen career touchdowns of more than twenty yards and again, fifty six NFL starts, just fifteen touchdowns of more than twenty yards
struggles under pressure. Here's his completion percentage ranks under pressure, Thank you Pro Football Focus thirty fifth, twenty eight, thirty second, twenty fourth, and thirty first. He's played. I mean, what you can't what you can't, well, you can't get around. Donald's played some bad football. You just don't know if it's because of the surroundings, the position he's been in, or if it's because he's not a very good quarterback. And this is gonna be the first time to find out.
Yeah, he deserves some blame, for sure, but I do give him the benefit of the doubt for a lot of bad a lot of bad play around him, and a lot of bad tutelage coaching that he's had. But I again, he's been through hell and back, so I'm excited to see what he can do with the vikings. I'm gonna close with this angle or more angle? All right, Well, i'd won more on Sam darld Okay all right, real quick, Kevin O'Connell's cut by the New York Jets on hard
knocks in front of the whole world. Do you not think that Kevin O'Connell wants to take Sam Donald as a reclamation project, turn him into the all pro quarterback he was meant to be blue chip prospect and just shove it right back in the Jets face and say look at us. Now. I know it was a whole different regime at the time Rex Ryan was licking feet and all that, but still, Kevin O'Connell has so much spite in his heart.
He might be licking feet now. We don't know that. You probably could be a lot of right this minut he might be.
He's probably got diamond these days. This there's a bunch of foot liquors. But anyway, all right, I'm done with Donald. There was like the whole podcast we could probably no kidding, Holy cow, Sam Donald, baby, all right, my last pick of the drafted quarterback. And I considered Russell Wilson here going off the board as QB thirty I believe, or thirty one. And because you know, Russell Wilson, he finished
from weeks eight to from weeks eight to sixteen. Last year, Russell Wilson was QB eight eight in a bad situation which his team was trying to actively bench him.
So I liked him. But the problem is he goes to Pittsburgh and it's the Arthur Smith problem, right, and I don't the wide receiver group in Pittsburgh looks really unappealing. So I decided not to go to with Russell Wilson. Here, I'm going Bryce Young pick one ninety five in Best Ball Round seventeen. Brutal last year. But as we broke down when we did the Panthers full we did the offseason recap for the Panthers a couple of weeks ago.
Remember another first overall pick, Trevor Lawrence, looked unfathomably bad with a bad coaching staff in his rookie year. The team Nukes's coaching staff brings in receiving help, brings in better coaching, and then Trevor Lawrence rebounded really nicely. Maybe Bryce Young's got that in him. Look at all the
help Bryce Young is getting. The Panthers spent their entire offseason putting tools around Young to succeed, starting with new head coach Dave Canalis, who has that history of reviving the careers of underperforming quarterbacks Gino Smith, Baker Mayfield and both those guys, you know, they turned around so well that they got new sizeable contracts. You know, they came into their teams on like one year prove it deals and they walked away with sizeable new contracts.
Dave Cannils, you remind me of someone too, by the way.
Sam Donald, by chance, and we get just who are we going? Back to Sam Donald? Back to Donald. The Panthers traded for Deontay Johnson, so they've added a solid receiver. Adam thelem remains fine, if non explosive at this stage of his career. They're both solid hands, guys who are going to catch what's thrown to him them. The Panthers poured first, second round, and fourth round picks into this offense, including the marble mouthed Xavier Lagette, bringing vertical speed to
the table, something Thelan and john and don't have. He's the guy who is got the big, enormous upper body, the thick build and then runs a four to three nine forty. I mean that guy is bringing He is bringing a totally different skill set to that receiver group and maybe Xavier Laget's gonna be very good. And they improved the interior offensive line. They've got a new left guard, right guard, and center, and last year they were the twenty seventh best pass blocking unit, so they needed to
get better there too. And the Panthers ad drafts to all that stuff. And then lastly, for Bryce Young, Fantasy Pros has Carolina tied for the easiest strength of schedule in the entire league for quarterbacks? Bryce Young? Round seventeen, your backup quarterback. It was brutal last year. Doesn't have to be brutal this year.
What do you think, Brian, Yeah, I like it, actually not lying. I ran into Bryce Young yesterday. I walk around the Panthers stadium all the time, walk my dog and I saw him in a said what's up, Bryce? And he said, I can't sign for you? And I said, I didn't ask that. God, I'm glad you said that.
But what does it say that he feels like he's he's gotta cut that off. That's too bad.
Yeah, it is a little too bad. But I'll tell you what. In person, he look smaller than he doesn't. But I'm pulling for him, and you know Jonathan Mingo too, who knows, maybe he could. He's a second year wide receiver too. But like you said, it can only they bolstered the talent around him. It can only get better for Bryce Young definitely worth a last round flyer.
I like to pick all right, who is your last round of your draft? Running back? Brian.
I've I only recently discovered this guy a couple of weeks ago, and I'm I'm really excited about his prospects, and I'm I'm pretty much addicted to drafting him in Best Ball right now. And that's Rashene Alie, who was RB seventy one right now on Underdog Wow. Pick two fifteen is his ADP. And uh, if you don't know who Rashien Ali, he's a ali Is. He's a backup running back for the Baltimore Raven is now a rookie out of Marshall, selected in the fifth round in this
pass draft. Likely would have been selected sooner, but he tore his bicep at the Senior Bowl, so he didn't play in that game. He wasn't able to test at the Combine. His his stock certainly took a hit as a result, but he was he was participating in OTAs recently somewhat limited, but he will be full go when training camp starts in late July. And when he does or when, sorry, when it does, I think Rashin A Lee has a great shot of winning the backup running
back job behind Derrick Henry. He's really just competing with Justice Hill right now. Everyone probably remembers Keaton Mitchell from last year, but he's all but guaranteed to start going to.
Miss at least sometime.
Yeah, yeah, probably at least half the season. So I'm excited for the prospects for Rashin. Ali has three down potential, great initial speed and a second burst, so he's capable of a lot of explosive plays, as evidenced by his seventh play fifty plus yards last year that led all of the FBS. He has good power in the gaps again, three down potential. He can catch, he can pass protect. I know Baltimore is saying they expect a huge workload for Derrick Henry, but I'm not buying it. You know,
the Ravens, they have Super Bowl aspirations. They're not going to get there by running Derrick Henry into the ground throughout the regular season in the playoffs, and he is north of thirty years old, thirty one, thirty two years old. So right now I'm putting all my bets on Rashein
Ali and carve out some standalone value. But if something were to happen to Derick Henry, rashin A Lee could be your starting running back in one of the most electric offenses in the NFL, and your your casual fantasy football player has no idea who he is right now, so a name to keep your eye on. I'm very bullish on Rashein Ali right now at very low cost.
Yeah, he's got some some nice athleticism to him. He was in Bruce Feldman's Freaks list right which is always a good sign. Five foot eleven, two hundred pounds, so he's got the physicality where, you know, if if he needed to take over some of Derrick Henry's typical reps, maybe even at the goal line, Rashin Ali interesting.
I meant to bounce him off Thor really quick, see what he thought. But I'm just gonna pretend Thor likes him tall.
Oh I heard that? Oh yeah, Thor loves Thor loves him absolutely for sure. Oh good, Yeah, we'll just assume I'm on Broncos running back Julia McLoughlin currently go after board ADP one's seventy five running back fifty three in round fifteen. He plays for the Denver Broncos. You may
remember him from last year. At this stage of the draft, I'm looking for guys who can show some kind of differentiator, Brian, something special that can put them on the field frequently, even if even if it's not like super consistent, but enough where they're like demand. The skill set is there, they just have to get playing time. And McLaughlin can be a thrilling runner. He's dynamic, he's elusive, he's fast. Let me give you some stats from last year rookie year.
McLaughlin finished third among all running backs in PFF's elusiveness ratings, and he would have graded out as the number one player the year prior just based on his grade, which was I think one hundred by their rating system. His breakaway run percentage was twenty eight percent, fifteenth best in the entire league, and Jalil McLoughlin finished as Pro Football
Focuses thirteenth ranked running back thirteenth. We're getting him off the board at running back fifty three and by the way, he can catch eighty six percent catch rate last year, zero drops last year.
McLoughlin's the closest.
Thing Sean Payton has to Alan Kamara if he wants to put if you honest to get Alvin Kamara back, McLoughlin's his guy, and I'll tell you who it's not. Let's talk about Javonte Williams for a minute. Man, did he looked mundane last year coming off the knee injury. Maybe he's never maybe gets better second year off the injury and that happens sometimes, or maybe this is just who he is now. I mean some guys never come back from it. I mean look at Gus Edwards for example,
never really the same guy. JK. Dobbins, never really the same guy. You know Williams last year I mentioned McLoughlin finished Pro Football Focuses running Back thirteen. Brian, you want to guess for Javonte Williams finished RB forty one, fifty six, fifty six. They only did like four more guys qualified to get a grade. That's that's how bad Williams was last year. And let me give you more date on Williams.
Then, I'll let you jump in the steam. He might not even make the team. Yeah, I've heard.
I've seen some of that speculation on Twitter. I mean, I can't rule it out.
Get this.
Per next Gen stats, Williams finished dead last in rushing yards over expectation at a full yard under expectation. He was second to last in percentage of runs to go over expectation. It's bad. Samaj p Ryan's still there, but he's not really a factor at all, averaging three carries and three targets per game. The Broncos did draft Audric Estimate in the fifth round, and he was productive for Notre Dame. He was a bigger, bodied, bully guy with
some vision ability to cut, but very different runner. FM McLoughlin, who brings you some really special traits that I don't think anybody else has got in this backfield. I love him at round fifteen ADP one seventy five, Jalia McLoughlin.
I'm with you a great value and a pounce. Pounce on him while you can, because that ADP is should to rise as you get closer to August two. I think, no doubt.
Let's go to the wide receiver position. Who's your last round of your of your draft wide receiver.
I'm going with Detroit's Khalif Raymond. Right now, his ADP on a dog is two hundred and twelve. That's good for wide receiver ninety three. I think he's very, very undervalued in one of the one of the offenses that projects to be one of the most pass friendly in the league this season. Everyone fixated on Aman Ross, ain't Brown and Sam Laporta in the passing game for Detroit, and rightfully understandably, yes, understandably so there should be enough
balls to go around for the Lions. Yes, Jamison Williams people are predicting a breakout year in what will now be his third season, but what if that doesn't come to fruition? And even if it does, Kaliff Raymond still poised to be a starter in three wide receiver sets with Josh Reynolds now in Denver. But Jameson Williams turns out to be a one trick pony, which he kind
of has looked like so far in his career. We could see an extended snapcount for Khaliff Raymond, who last year averaged two point zero seven yards per route run, which is a very strong number that put him top twenty four among wide receivers, and it was a better clip than the likes of Jamar Chase, Davante, Adams, DK Metcalf, George Pickens, and Michael Pittman. In terms of yards per route run. Raymond also averaged more than six yards after
the catch per reception. That's something only seven other wide receivers were able to do among wide receivers who saw at least forty targets. So Raymond super efficient. And again and what should be a high flying offense, it's playing like fifteen of their seventeen games in a dome this year, something like that, which you gotta love. And Jared Goff has nothing but good things to say about Khaliff Raymond says, it's been invaluable to have him. He can trust him anytime.
A little don't you think, Well, it's a little.
Bit he's pep, you know, he's pumping him up a little little bit. But uh, rightfully, So they're gonna be They're gonna be leaning on Kalif Raymond more than they have in the past with Josh Reynolds gone. And if something were to happen to Sun God or Jameson Williams or Laporta. Even Cliff Raymond could be a seven eight, nine target per game.
Guy if those guys go down. Yeah, and even when they don't, Kalif Raymond could be a spot starter in some situation.
Yeah, he's he could be you know, that safe four to five catch per game guy that gives you that double digit PPR floor, which is all you need for a guy you're drafting with the two hundred and twelve to overall picks. So, Kleiff Raymond, I'm clicking on a lot in the last round.
I like it. I'm going to Arizona wide receiver Michael Wilson currently ADP won seventy seven round fifteen wide receiver seventy eight off the board. Hollywood Brown gone in Kansas City. So Wilson walks into the starter's role opposite Marvin Harrison. He's got the advantage of having a year and Drew Petsing's offense. He knows the offense and the terminology everything else. And remember Wilson is you know, it wasn't like he was a total schlub. You know, he's a third round
draft pick last year. So they have some legit draft equity in him now. Michael Wilson struggled with terrible quarterbacking in the beginning of the year. Then he had a shoulder injury right in the middle of his rookie year and that sapped like six seven weeks right out of
the middle of his season. But then at the end of the year he finally gets healthy and Kyler Murray is then the quarterback and in the final two games of the year, Wilson scores a touchdown and then posts ninety five yards in the final game of the year, So we started to see a little end of season kick for Michael Wilson. Just one drop all of last year,
which is promising. Wilson can be a downhill threat. He finished with the eighteenth deepest a dot among all wide receivers and had a healthy fifteen yards per reception, which is very good. Yeah is he He's got to compete for targets with Trey McBride, who's turned into a target hog. Marvin Harrison is going to be very good. Greg Dortch
is there too, but that doesn't matter a lot. Michael Wilson Round fifteen with competent quarterback and an offense that got a lot better as we've As we've mentioned many times this offseason, Cardinals offense came to life in December, averaging twenty five points per game at the end of the year when nobody was paying any attention to Cardinals football. So there's a little something there for Michael Wilson as a sure starter in an offense that might be better than people think.
Oh yeah, no doubt. And he's certainly not going to be seeing any double teams for the top corners in any game. Yeah, I'm excited about the Cardinals offense as a whole. Kyler Murray dark horse QB one candidate, just to go off off track a little bit, if he stays healthy with Harrison now and McBride and Wilson and his obvious rushing potential.
To be one like as a starting quarterback in fantasy football or the top scoring quarterback in fantasy.
Offense score stop top scoring quarterback has that potential, has the profile playing for a team that's not great on defense either, probably a lot of positive game scripts he was. Murray was one hundred and fifty to one on FanDuel to win Offensive Player of the Year, and I've put quite a bit of PiZZ of money on that, considering on other sites, he was like fifty sixty to one.
He's got the I don't know why I'm talking about Kyler Murray right now, but I love all the Cardinals, and Michael Wilson one of them.
Yeah, I do. I like betting on improving offenses, and this is one of them. And I don't mean betting, I don't mean betting cash. I just mean fantasy wise. I like I like buying low. I did it, you did it on a bunch of Houston players last year. This is this is an offensive that looks like it's
going to be a lot better for sure. Let's take a break, and when we come back, let's get in our final, our final sleeper guys, beginning beginning with one that well, I don't even I don't actually, I don't even know who your sleeper tight end is.
Do I you know? You know I bring the goods on sleeper tight ends. Jeish, I got a good one, come good.
And I've got a long time favorite that I think is set to finally do great things. We'll find out who the Aaron Moments. Welcome back Fantasy Football Weekly. Thanks for joining us if you haven't joined our discord. You should really do that. Check the show notes and jump into our discord channel. Also of note, Chop podcast is gonna come back soon. You excited, Brian? Oh yeah, let's talk Guillotine. It's been a long off season. I'm excited to get back and the Guillotine frame of mind, it's
gonna be a fantastic season. We've got a bunch of new stuff coming. Oh can't wait. Chop Podcast check that out as well. All right, last pick of your draft, and you need a tight end. Maybe it's probably not your first tight end off the board, but you need a backup for whoever you took in the whoever your first tight end was. Who are you looking at here?
Brian?
I like, uh, this guy Definitely you want to start the season as a backup, but he could have starter potential as the season wears on, hopefully not too long into the season. And that's the rams Colby Parkinson formerly of the Seahawks. We'll talk about that a little more in the second his former team, but right now, Colby.
Barby Parkinson, you say, wowkay off the board as tight end thirty two, pick two fourteen overall. Wow.
Most people when they think of Rams and tight ends in recent history.
They think of Tyle Tyler Higbee.
Right, yes, but Higbee tore his ACL and MCL in the playoffs last year, so he most certainly will be starting the season on the pup list, probably won't even play another snap for the Rams. Sadly, I think his time might be up. I don't think he sees the field this year. So enter Colby Parkinson. Free agent Colby Parkinson, who la signed to a two year deal with fifteen
million and guarantees. That's that's starter money right there for Colby Parkinson, who is six seven, two hundred and fifty two pounds and ran a four eight.
Forty Wow col right, I did not realize.
That he is an athlete. And Parkinson was stuck in a three tight end platoon with the Seahawks previously with Noah Fant and Will Dislay, so no tight end could stand out in Seattle's old regime. That should change this year. I do like Noah fan do'll throw that out there real quick. But sticking with Parkinson, he appears to be the guy for the Rams, who have utilized their tight end heavily under Sean McVay and last year Parkinson proved
to be a receiving threat went on the field. He took more than or at least half of his snaps in the slot or out wide. So you know, we love Puka Nakua. Cooper Cup supposedly healthy again, but Cup is up there in age, could get hurt. So there's not a lot of receiving depth behind Nikouah. There's DeMarcus Robinson, but not a lot of size, especially with two two at well as what they're fourth wide receiver. So Colby Parkinson a guy I'm targeting as my tight end two
in later rounds, So keep your eye on Colby. He could surprise a lot of people.
That is some deep, deep stuff right there. But you want the Rams starting tight end in the what'd you say, round twenty twenty five, something like that last pick of your draft, the Rams starting tight.
End, and you get your two revenge games baked in per years.
Yeah, there you go, and yet we know how you love that.
Well little bonus.
Longtime listeners already should know where I'm headed with my tight end with the last pick of your draft, Indianapolis's Jilannie Woods, my guy ADP selection two hundred and fourteen tight end twenty eight, Round eighteen for Jilanni Woods. You've probably heard me talk about him before. Tragically, you know, I was talking about him at this time last year, but then amstring injury sidelined him for the entire season. So here's a refresher. An elite size speed freak athlete.
He is six foot seven, two hundred and fifty five pounds, came out of Virginia two years ago. Do you know what his RASS ranking was, Brian, you happen to recall for Jelanni Woods athletic score?
Yes, probably off the charts.
That would be a perfect ten out of ten in the history of the RASS looking at one thou ten tight ends, he's number one with the highest relative athletic score of all time in the thirty five year history of RASS testing. So he's fast, he can get open downfield. Jolnni Woods. Then after the catch is a complete mismatch because he's got these cornerbacks that are trying to tackle a six foot seven, two hundred fifty five pound guy where they're giving up a foot in fifty pounds. It's
a big, big mismatch. He's also excellent blocker that could keep him on the field. He was a goal line target in college, scored eight times his senior year alone, and Jelanni Woods only needs to beat out the middling talents of Moli Cox Kylon Granson for playing time. They're not athletically, they're not even in the same ballpark. I want to try Johnny Woods, see if this is the big third year tight end breakout coming. We know that
happens a lot, the third year tight end breakout. He missed the season, so it's kind of like a second but yeah, maybe this is it all comes together for Johnny Wood and in round eighteen. Yeah, that's my guy, Johnny Woods.
Yeah, definitely worth a flyer in the last round. Deserts to be going a round or two sooner based on his potential. Yeah, Moli Cox, Kylon Grantson, they've had their they've had their chance when when Woods has been hurt. So hopefully Wood stays healthy and the Colts just let them play.
Let that kid play. Absolutely.
Yeah, we brought the beef for tight ends. Parkinson's six ' seven too. Yeah, how about that.
That's amazing. I didn't think there was another six to seven tight end in.
The league being either. I remember he didn't play much obviously Woods last year, but when he was on the field. Remember watching one Colts game, it might have been the Vikings game when the Vikings came back like thirty three nothing but Woods this like dwarfed all the offensive linemen in the huddle. You're like, who yeah, yeah.
The tight end. That's their tight end streaking down the seam. Yeah, he's uh, he's gonna get this at his size six foot seven, two hundred fifty five pounds. He was a quarterback in high school and the beginning of college quarterback six seven, two point fifty five. That's that's unreal. Toilanni Woods, my love affair continues. It's not. It's not abating now, I can tell you that much. Not in around eighteen, that's not.
Can I throw out a quick bonus tight end?
Yeah yeah please do.
Empire players and another guy I just kind of heard about, and this is uh, you know, this is a future play, probably not coming into play this year, but keep your eye on Jared Wiley, who is uh looks to be the backup tight end now for the Chiefs. Rookie Jared Wiley out of Texas Christian University getting rave reviews and basically getting comped to Travis Kelcey, a young Travis Kelcey, and he's obviously learning behind Travis Kelcey right now. And
Travis Kelcey's expiration date so year or two. So Jared Wiley, if you're looking for a tight end to stash in Dynasty or Empire leagues, that's the name you want to keep in mind.
Other guys I considered Damian Pierce can't. But I can't bring up his name anymore, right, So I can't. I couldn't officially go to bat for Damian Pierce, and he had a bad season. But all YES to do is give I Joe Mixon. Dude, is Joe Mixon is so cooked, so cooked, he's got nothing left. What do you think of Ray Davis? Yeah, Buffalo's back presumed backup running back behind James Couk.
Yeah. I remember when we did the team previews, I had the Bills and James Cook. I believe that the Bills had twenty rushing touchdowns and James Cook had two of them, right, right, So it's Josh Allen is the guy that they need someone other than Josh Allen to be the guy at the goal line. And that's not James Cook. And uh yeah, Ray Davis, why not Why I liked him? Just beat James Cook outright.
Well, I don't know that he's as good as James Cook, but he's not that far off. You know what he's got. He can do a little of everything, which you have to do with the bills. You have to be able as a running back. You have to be able to catch, you got to be able to pass, protect, you gotta do a little of everything, and he's got those trades. Thor thinks that Ray Davis is good at a lot of things, not special at any and he doesn't think he's got huge upside. But again, last pick of the
draft kind of territory I like. I like the Buffalo running back Ray Davis.
Yeah. Buffalo went very run heavy in the second half of the season last year, and that looks to be the case this Yeah.
I mean, given the receivers, right, Kean Coleman and Curtis Samuel and Khalil Shakir. I mean they've got to go run heavy, don't they. And you know they're not gonna run James Cook into the ground because they never do their running backs that way.
Yeah, absolutely, Davis.
Yeah, there you go all right, thanks for thanks for listening. Everybody appreciate getting to the end of the show. We'll we'll be back next week, and I can't I think I know what we've got coming next week. To have it in front of me, darn it, I don't have I don't have the topic in front of me, but I think it's already all planned out.
It'll be riveting.
Yeah, God, it's gonna be It's gonna be so good. Oh, you know what it is. Matt Harrison wants to talk about now that do the opposite is just normal drafting, right, this is it's become so widely accepted. Matt wants to talk about, at what point do you undo the opposite? At what point are running backs such particularly such big values that you have to move on them. So we're gonna we're gonna h that next week, and that'll be fun.
And I'll give me a chance to uh, give me a chance to chat with him a little bit about that and and defend might do the opposite, which I'll usually do. But there's a point of which I you know, there's a point in which I'll take running backs to if a guy falls far enough Christian McCaffrey's looking at me in the second half of the first round him and you're thinking real hard about that.
Yeah, I don't think that's gonna be happen.
That's not gonna happen. An it's not gonna happen in any of them. But should he be the first pick in a guillotine draft, you might want to listen to the Chat podcast for that and more. Thanks everybody, talk to you next week. 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.