Restore the Roar

episode about Stella. Our condolences. It's hard to lose a dog, sure is. So anyone out there listening with a dog, give it an extra pet for me. How about a pat can I have a pet or a pat can. I do both that pat treat walk. You know what you're signing up when you buy the puppy. But it doesn't make it hurt any less. When the time comes, I don't want to get too into wicks. I'm gonna get an emotional she had. She lived a long life, thirteen and a half years. Uh. It really is arthritis

that did her in. So get ahead of that game. So, I mean, we did, you know, multi vitamin stuff like that. But she balled hard too. I should have got a calm down a little bit you know, the brain is always thinking they're a puppy. But so it was tough, but I appreciate the sentiment, and a lot of people on Twitter too, very kind with the absolutely kind words.

So yeah, we're diving into the NFC North today. We've broken down many of the divisions, not quite all of them, and then the next three shows are dedicated to the draft. We please have the Draft. I'm so ready for this draft, Like it's been even more of an avalanche of just like rookie takes that everyone's this guy is calmed to this guy, and I'm so tired. That's every year, I know it is, but this year is just even more annoying than than years. I feel like, yeah, I'm ready

for the draft, are you? Um? It's there's lots to talk about. We're going next week we'll hit on some of our favorite players from this coming draft. A week after that, we'll be recording on the Friday right after the first round, so we'll talk about the first round rookies and where they landed, and and the week after that will do the rest of the draft for rounds

two through seven. I think people need to prepare themselves that last year we were spoiled from a fantasy football perspective, there were so many relevant fantasy players going in the first especially round one this year. Well, yeah, probably running back quarterbacks aren't there. There there's a chance that no quarterback goes for the first like eight picks of this draft. And you know, the quarterbacks don't look like their immediate

fantasy No, no tight end, no tight end. And but the receivers are going to be deep and um, well the running backs. There are good running backs in this draft. I think we have more good running backs in this draft. We just don't have, you know, like that high first rounder. You know, we don't have the se Kwan Barkley in his rookie year or even a Naga Harris. And from receiver stand no, no Jamar Chase definitely not a jam aren't chasing this draft. I don't think, probably not hopefully

might have been Williams if he did. We're coming off on a c L so, but we'll talk. We'll talk about workies next week. Let's look at the NFC North and and the idea here. Like the other shows, we're going to talk a little bit about we'll hit on each one of the notable fantasy players and a reminder for what they did and the one thing you really need to remember for each one of these guys. Let's start with the Chicago Bears, which to me is the

least interesting offense in this entire division, including the Lions. Yes, speaking of teams that are going to draft a wide receiver or to the Bears of people, and we'll talk about that position in a minute. A new head coach for the Bears to get that out of the wake, like no more Matt Naggy finally and he was a dead man walk in all the eight seventeen plus a bye week. Yeah, Matt. Ever flus is it fluce or flush?

Defensive coordinator for the Cults. So not too exciting from an offensive prospect to there, But they will have a new offensive coordinator to Luke gets saying he will run a Shanahan style offense with a heavy emphasis on play action. So let's be quarterback friendly. So I'm liking the prospects for Justin Fields going into his sophomore year. Only appeared in twelve games last year, but only started in ten,

still finished fifth in rushing yards among quarterbacks. Didn't get to see a lot of him by the way, they didn't even unlock the rushing They let him rush for you know, until like I don't know, Thanksgiving. He was the guy barely ever ran I think, and when he did, he was really just running for his life behind that awful offensive line, which we'll talk about two in a moment. But we didn't get to see a ton from him in the passing game, only top thirty pass attempts three times.

But when he did throw the ball, he could throw the long ball. It seamed he was accurate. I think he has all the tools uh to be successful reality and fantasy quarterback and right now a quarterback seventeen and Redraft best ball formats. That's a screaming value for a guy that has running outside, running upside and um his weapons. I think they should have held onto Allen Robinson. He has gone, as we all know, on the Rams now, so Darnell Mooney. No way Robinson was even going to stay,

no chance, there's nothing the change and head coach. I mean, he was dinged up last year. It wasn't like that he was played a full season. And anyway, he's gone. Darnell Mooney as of right now. The wide receiver one for the Bears last season. He was one of sixteen wide receivers with more than eighty catches and one thousand yards put up some pretty impressive numbers. With Andy, Andy Dalton and UH rookie Justin Fields, Mooney has forced twenty

seven four UH. Mooney has twenty seven forced miss tackles on receptions since entering the league in twenty that's tied for seventh among wide receivers in that span. So he's a playmaker. And uh, right now he's going off the board at wide receiver thirty two, which is way too late in my opinion. I mean, even if they go after a big name wide wide receiver, which I think they will, he's still gonna be the top option at least this this season. So Darnell Mooney, I think we'll

see him climbing. Uh. His a DP will be climbing as we get deeper into the summer. But right now he's going way too late in my opinion. And and now for the rest of the wide receivers, as I said multiple times, they're even Draft one or two, possibly make a trade Terry mcclorin makes a lot of sense to me. I think they have the draft Washington can't afford to lose him. Well, Washington can't afford a lot of things. Ver we will, we will get into into

that whole story. But so Byron Pringle you couldn't, then I'm gonna let's stumb all that name you Quinn I always started off wrong. Equanimius st Brown, the other two wide receivers that we're just not gonna talk about on the pot. I like, I like Pringle in Kansas City, but I he's not going to carry an offense by any means. No. Yeah, he was much more interesting as a chief. So he's pretty much dead to us from a fantasy perspective. But Cole Commit should not be. Despite

his zero touchdowns last season. This is tight end Cole Committ, of course. Uh. Commit was one of nine touchdown nine tight ends with at least sixty catches and six hundred yards put up great numbers in those regards, and of course the corpse of Jimmy Graham was stealing opportunities. Uh. Fourteen catches, one one hundred and sixty seven yards, three touchdowns for Graham. Uh, he should not be getting those

numbers this year. He gone so Uh it's amazing Commit didn't score, given that the Chicago through the UH the ball to their tight ends over forty percent at the time in the red zone, his red zone target share was um going off the board is tight end fifteen right now. I think there's definitely top ten potential here. Don't know, I'm a fan. UM. I think he's there's gonna be positive touchdown regression, just like with dile pits. You know there is. I mean, he'll score more than zero.

You're right about that, But I know I have just I've been waiting to see flashes of something special from Cole commit and I just I haven't seen it yet, nothing that really validates the draft position. And he was taken into this point. Now, that is a position that's always slow to develop. And the year three year threes, you know that that's year three is commonly a breakout season for tight ends. But I think that's already baked into his fifteen a DP at tight end because he

hasn't performed anywhere near fifteen. He hasn't performed hear thirty to this point. So I think that's already baked into, baked into his average draft position. Brian feeling like a It's like this season's Dawson knocks something like that. I don't know. I think there's there's some sneaky cool commitment. We got to see what they do in the draft, of course, because they will be adding to that wide receiver group. Started the running backs, Yeah, David Montgomery closed

one very strong for rushing touchdowns. Over his last six games. He caught at least five passes in four of those six games, so I looked like a true bell cow there On the season as a whole, the only average three point eight yards per carry. But again, that old line was very bad. Um where is the Bears are willing to spend uh three? They have three pitch since at the top seventy one they might go offensive line, offensive line, offensive line there Uh they're saying that's a possibility.

I'm sure they'll take at least one wide receiver. And the defense is old too. They need to address a variety of spots on defense too, So David Montgomery, he's going in best Paul right now. RB twenty one seems a little late. Khalil Herbert is somewhat of a concern. He looked good when given the opportunity. He's going at RB forty seven, And that's kind of a I don't want. I don't want both of those guys. They're too close. I wouldn't handcuff them. Yeah no, yeah, back, he's kind

of just been slipping. You know. I'm I've been a bit of a degenerate this year. I've been drafted since January and he's gone from like RB fifteen into the early twenties as people are certainly like the rookies a little more. But uh yeah, I'm buying Montgomery at that price, especially how he closed um only looked great and if they improved that offensive line justin fields and year two, I think there's a some sneaky upside in this offense. You're more opten mistic about fields as a passer than

I am. I do agree with that he can throw a nice deep ball. It's the rest of his game that I'm not crazy about. As a passer. I saw slow decision making. I saw a lot of inaccuracy. I'm nervous about his overall passing skills. But you said that about other guys to you write Lamar Jackson in the past. Yeah, well, and you know, Lamar has also been an inconsistent passer. But if You're running is good enough, then it doesn't

even necessarily matter that much. Taking the rookie, rookie and sophomore quarterbacks, just from a fantasy perspective, who would you want out of all those guys? I mean, so Trevor Lawrence, Zack Wilson, Justin Fields, Back Jones, Zack Jones, or any of the rookies this year. I think it's Fields for me. For the rushing. It might be, it might be Davis Mills might end a promoch, how dare I who knows it's possible. We're big Davis Mills guys. You know who I'm I'm a big fan of is Dan Campbell and

the Lions. Lions of I think I think if you asked me right now to just pick the team that I think we most improved for win total, I think it's Alliance and they're on hard knocks. Can't wait for that.

You know, here's the thing about Campbell and Alliance. They played hard virtually every game, even with so many things wrong last year, all of the injuries, the long, long, long time it took to get that first win, it was, you know, and then they got the tie, and you know, then eventually they got the win, and it was a brutal season, but they played hard all the time, and they won games down the stretch, playing with off the

street cornerbacks and wide receivers. And if that's you know, if they're gonna play that hard with a team that's got all the draft picks that the Lions have got coming in and they get a healthy offense, I'm interested in the Lions, you know, you know, perhaps getting into the seven eight win territory range, which is to me very possible. I'm with you, all right, let's talk about this offense, beginning with Jared Goff when you're removed by the way, So last year was bad year for him, clearly.

The year before that he was quarterback fourteen. Now, granted he's on the Rams and Cooper Cup to throw too and Robert Hoods, but really everything went wrong. He was hurt last year. All his receivers were hurt. He had to learn a new system. And you probably don't remember this, but it all started to click for Jared Goff after Thanksgiving, despite all the receivers that were down at the end of the year. In his final five games, he threw

eleven touchdowns against two picks. Jared Goff. That's two touchdowns a game, multiple touchdowns and four of those five games, final five games of the year for Jared Goff, I was impressed. Like a top twelve quarterback. Then in the third, last third of the season, he probably was a top twelve last third of the season. Not many weapons at his disposal, No, um, his weapons begin with I'm on i'm on ross st Brown. Everybody else got hurt, and then st. Brown became the focal point of the passing

game and he delivered the goods. He was a beast. His per game averages for I'm on ros St Brown over the final six starts and again those were those were Those are Jared Goff games, not Tim Boil games. Uh. Eleven targets, eleven targets per game, eight and a half receptions, nine three yards and just under a full touchdown per game. That was Jamaar Chase's season that I'm on Brown had

in the final six games of last year. Yeah, I mean it was Cooper Cup, Deebo Samuel and I'm on ros St Brown carrying people of the fantasy change in order right and most in the same level you could, you know, and people were picking up I'm on Ross st Brown in late October early November because he had done nothing, didn't score. He didn't score it all until

I think about week thirteen was his first touchdown. Now, the catch for all of this is, well, they didn't else to throw too, so that's what the e on the eleven targets per game. But let's not take away from the fact that st Brown made good on the eleven targets a game. He was catching eight and a half per game, so it's if he needed to carry the load, he could. Detractors will say, great, but here comes t J. Hockenson backup injury. Here comes d J. Chark who they brought in, and you know how much

does Aman Rob st Brown's target load go down? And DeAndre Swift Sure, although he played he on and off throughout last year too, but yes, and he'll siphon off some receptions as well. All Right, so let's talk about the other receivers. D J. Chark just alluded to only played three games last year. He broke his ankle in the third game, but he's scored in two out of those three games, and hopefully that broken ankle did not

take any of his deep speed away. Because that's what's always made DJ Chart special with his ability to get some separation downfield get the long ball. But what worries me here is that Deared Goff isn't exactly slinking deep lasers down the field, and that's where Chark's best big plays come from. So I think that feels like a bit of a mismatch, and I think DJ Chart is just going to be a spot starter this year. Yeah.

You can argue though that Golf is the best quarterback that I mean, Trevor Lawrence was not good, but that was only three games last year even though, But yeah, yeah, that's a fair point. Um. The only I know the receivers are really worth worth mentioning Josh Reynolds. Let's go to t J. Hockenson, who I think is gonna be

a fascinating decision for fantasy owners. Painfully quiet year last year for Hockinson, although I'll mentioned he didn't bookend his shortened season with two with touchdowns in the two first games and touchdowns in the two last games, and they didn't score at l all in between those two games. He saw plenty of targets, but he just never got

in sync with Golf. You know, you look at these box scores and it's like ten targets, two catches thirty yards and he had to literal not literal, but he had two goose eggs that are recalled to which is zero point games, which unacceptable. The Lions picked up his fifth year option. He'll make full recovery from the thumb injury that sidelined him after Week thirteen last year. And this uh, he's he's heading headings. We know the talent

for t J. Hockenson former first rounders, extremely high. He can get separation, the big body, he can break tackles, he can do special things. It just should have materialized more last year. If I'm on Brown, Emma on Ross, Brown could have been you know, it was such a big focal and focal point of this offense. You know, t J. Hockenson should have done more with those opportunities, should have been more in sync. And it's not all

on Hockinson. The quarterback play was not good enough. But from just a sheer talent standpoint, t J. Hockenson should be a top five tight end, should be. But for me, I mean he's he's getting drafted tight end more like six seven full fade from me right now. People seem to only think of the good when it comes to t. J. Hockson for some reason. And there are a lot of detractors, and and I'd rather grabbed Alice Goddard in that ranger.

Wait on, my guy could commit several rounds later that there's a lot of a lot of balls to be shared in Detroit. So I think people are getting a little jumpy with Hockinson. For DeAndre Swift offensive coordinator Anthony Lynn, it's it's clear he is not going to let DeAndre Swift be a workhorse back period end a story, just like he did with Austin Ekeler. Austin Neckley was by far the best charger running back, Anthony Lynn never used him like a workhorse. Same deal with Swift, clearly the

best back in the backfield. Yet every box score it's a twelve carry game fourteen nine, twelve ten. That's just that's who Anthony Lynn is. He only lets Swift run the ball more than fourteen times once all last year. The other troubling thing is that Lynn pulled way back on Swift's receive evening role at the halfway point of the year and granted Swift was injured for much of November and December on and off. But listen to this. His receiving numbers in weeks one through seven for DeAndre Swift.

His average game receiving six catches fifty six yards. There's twelve fantasy points right there. That makes up for the five or six or seven carries, extra carries you want, right So that was fine. But then after that his average game three catches, ten yards, four fantasy points. No touchdowns after week seven either through the air for DeAndre Swift, And it's is it because Anthony Lynn saw something in

Swift's receiving that he didn't like. And again, there was nobody else to throw two in this offense down the stretch, and they still didn't go to Swift. So that's gonna be one of the things that I think is gonna make Swift very polarizing in fantasy drafts. Do you believe the receiving is gonna come back? Because of the receiving comes back, Swift is a top ten fantasy running backs

without those receiving numbers. He's a guy who average four four point one yards per carry and rarely put up the kind of rushing numbers requisite of an RB one or in some cases even RB two. Clearly you're gonna ding Swift from playing standard non PPR to full PPR. But I think you still you significantly ding him even in half point PPR to full PPR. I mean I'm talking like dropping him from like RB fifteen ish RB twenty, Like I'd rather have David Montgomery all day long over

DeAndre Swift and half point PPR. I think a lot of people would share that sentiment. That's not how what's going right now? Believe it a lot yeah people, or I wanted to ask you real quickly when we're talking about GoF some people mocking, uh leek willis most to the Lions at number two, do you think they take it? I don't think it's happening. I don't even really I think they're gonna ride or die with golf, at least

for this year. I think I think the Lions are, and I think a lot of teams are doing this. This is just my personal and I'll probably be wrong about this. Is probably the biggest contrarian take of of this draft is I don't think any quarterback is gonna go before eighteen. I think most of these teams No. Two things. One, no quarterback deserves to go higher than eighteen.

And next year's draft class, baby, I mean, it's just so many good quarterbacks coming that a lot of teams that don't figure that figure to be drafting in the top ten next year as well. And the Lions might be thinking this way, um, we'll just they'll they'll wait for next season. They'll get by with Jared Goff and I think they waited. I think they end up waiting one season on quarterback. If they do take a quarterback, I think it's gonna be at the end of the

first or beginning of the second. They got those two picks in the first thirty for thirty four of the draft, like Sam Howell Carson strong type, No, I think somebody. I think you're gonna see better quarterbacks than that available at the end of the first round, beginning of the second,

because don't think anybody's going before a team. So I think, you know, I think you're gonna have I think there's gonna be there's going to be better quarterbacks available, including potentially Lee Willis could be there at the end of the first round. It's possible that is quite the contralt I just can't see yuck. I can see the Lions passing, but I can't see the Panthers not taking quarterback. Yeah I can, I can. I just don't think it's quarterback

requisite of that or even close. We'll see, yeah, I mean they need a quarterback, you know, by need. Absolutely both teams could do that. Nobody'd be surprised. I am probably wrong. We next show too much again. By the way, a reminder of this offensive line for the Lions. Last thing I want to say about the Lions. There's a great offensive line. Well, okay, they don't play great. They play good. They're an above average offensive line. They at first rounders and Decker rag now Sewell, this is a

good offensive line. They didn't always play like it last year, but still a good line that I think Ken set up better things to happen with this offense in the second year with Dan Campbell. Let's take a break. When we come back. The Green Bay Packers no wide receivers right now, but the draft is going to yield some. We'll talk about Aaron Rodgers and there's less to say about this Packers offense. I think you're right. We'll be back in a moment. Welcome back Fantasy Football Weekly, Paul

Charging Brian Johnson with you. Green Bay Packers offense is in no small amount of disarray, with massive question marks pre draft at wide receiver and tight end. Running backs are set, quarterback is set. Let's talk through this and I begin. I assume we're going to begin with Aaron Rodgers, will skate him out of the way, but stock his stock clearly falling after the Davante Adams trade U uh in best fall right now. He's going around quarterback Elevin.

So you're seeing Matt Stafford, Tom Brady, those kind of guys going well before Aaron Rodgers right now. And that's because I mean, we're not gonna dive into Aaron Rodgers. He's still an elite quarterback. He's great, but yeah, clearly a downgrade without Davante Adams, and they're not going to replace him, certainly, not with uh newly acquired Sammy Watkins, um who really doesn't have an a DP right now.

That will that will likely change. I will say this, I'm gonna throw Watkins in my Week one DFS lineup right now. That is usually how it goes for him. I've been forgetting a good game and been forget he exists after that, UM, nothing more than a late round best ball flyer. He could prove me wrong, but I don't know. He's a good blocking wide receiver. That's about it. So many teams have needed Sammy Watkins to step up and he never does it. Yeah, so that's it for

Sammy Watkins the UM. We'll talk about two other receivers. Of course, we'll talk Allen Zard, who right as of right now is the wide receiver one for the Packers. Can you guess? I want to get so many touchdowns he caught last year, I think it's going to be more than people think. Seven eight, which that's pretty good, pretty good. Uh, but it's not pretty good. He's Uh he owns the third highest drop percentage among wide receivers

over the last three years. Uh. So, as you said, green Day, certainly, Well, we feel like we've been saying this for years. They're gonna be drafting wide receivers, but they better this year. They better be and not another quarterback the run out of town if they walk out of this draft without a meaningful selection at the wide receiver position and clinging to being meaningful. Randall Cobb he had his moments last year. Scored twice in two games,

but that accounted for eight of his touchdowns. He basically had three good games. So no, Randall Cobb pretty much dead to us from a fantasy perspective. Someone who's looking to be resurrected from a fantasy perspective is tight end Robert Touny In. Uh. The eleven touchdowns sure feels like a long time ago. Uh for Tony In. A lot of people are buying back into the hype, and it's

basically because of the depleted receiver corps. Um. I'm more on the skeptical side with with Tonyon though coming off the major a c L injury, Josiah Deguara was decent. Uh. Once Tony went down. Deguarra was a third round draft pick two, so they have sunk some draft capital into him Tony and went undrafted in seventeen by the way, just saying, but uh, right around tight end seventeen. So you're not risking too much right now with Tony there

there is the upside there. Um, Aaron Rodgers doesn't have a lot of people to throw too, and you assume Rodgers is gonna throw for at least thirty thirty five touchdowns and it's pretty much the top target, especially in the red zone right now. So I'm still kind of glass half empty on Tony and but we shall see there. But he should be ready for the start of the regular season, they're saying coming off the blown A C.

L um. And lastly, we gotta talk running backs of was Aaron Jones and A J. Dillon as a team? Green Bays running backs rushed for just ten touchdowns last year. That was the bottom bottom third of the league. Jones only had four of them. Uh. The Packers were tied for the league leading running back receiving touchdowns with eight. Jones had six of those. Gonna say it had to

be almost salt Jones. So he's kind of almost like Kareem Hunt right now, it feels like but running back thirteen Uh is current a DP not getting drafted like that. And yes, you'd assume all the receiving work went to Jones, but A J. Dillon thirty four catches yards, two receiving touchdowns, Like wh he steals some receiving work. As you can just imagine, he had more rushing yards and rushing touchdowns than Aaron Jones. So Aaron Jones RB thirteen right now,

a J. Dillon RB. This is a situation and you certainly are not going to be drafting Aaron Jones and like cancuffing him to A J. Dillon because that's two of your top six picks right there. So if I gotta pick one, I'm gonna go with A J. Dillon at the at the discount because I think you're paying. I think it's a discount on Jones, who last year went off the board at one running back five. Last year you said he's going off the board at thirteen.

This year. Offensive line was in disarray with injury all last year. Everybody comes back healthy, right box trs back Jenkins is back. This offensive line is gonna be good. They don't have adequate receivers and the young kids that they are going to draft are gonna take time to get better. This is gonna be a run first offense for a lot of early next season. And I'm getting I'm gonna get a last year's first rounder and Aaron

Jones in the third or fourth round. Third round running back thirteen will be roughly the third round I'm interested in buying at that price. He's really good. Also, he's really good. I think he. Uh. I don't want to jump to Calvin Ridley, who knows suspended for gambling. But Aaron. You know, after that happened with Ridley, like all these clips came out where people like we're basically insinuating that he was shaving points because he like ran backwards a

little bit. Yeah, I remember that. Do you remember that Aaron Jones playing the playoffs the long pass? I don't know, late in the game, third or fourth quarter, he reeled off like a seventy yard reception. He could have been gone if he just went more to that, he like kind of stopped and cut to the inside. Yeah. When just when I saw that Ridley stuff, I was like, Aaron, if anyone's gonna be pointing fingers, that's someone who was

potentially cheating. Was Aaron Jones just because of that play, Just because of that play, they cost him the game or a chance to win that game. Legally, we are not making any accusations of cheating for Aaron Jones. Let's be clear about that. I'm sure, I'm sure as a lawyer will be contacted. Probably, Yes, Let's go to the Minnesota Vikings former Rams offensive coordinator, Kevin O'Connell takes over. He's got experience with Kirk since from their time together

in Washington. Highly personable, very smart. I had the opportunity to interview him once. Incredibly handsome too. I know that that's all handsome and the women are very excited people in positions to to know. Tell me that he blew away all the other coaching candidates that they interviewed with his understanding of offensive principles and even of the Vikings players, which he had gotten clearly up to speed on, and O'Connell's belief that he can immediately take the Vikings offense

to the next level. There was no there. O'Connell did not equivocate whatsoever about rebuilding or anything else. He wanted to take this existing offense and make it great. Any concerned that he technically wasn't calling the plays in l A, you know, not necessarily did. He did call plays in Washington, and it is a skill that you have that takes some time to get to get better at. So but

he does have some experience there. I wish you were a play caller, but that does I mean he can't do it, and you know, we'll find out, and you know he's learning from one of the really masterful play callers of all times, so in Sean McVeigh. So I think O'Connor will be okay. There we'll find out. Let's talk Kirk Cousins. He's the top ten quarterback nobody ever wants to draft. He's the quarterback you settle for, and

then he just puts up top ten numbers. He finished his quarterback nine last year, quarterback ten the year before that, throwing thirty five and thirty three touchdowns. That two year spike of productivity for Cousins coincides with Justin Jefferson. Yeah, we'll talk about in just a minute. Minnesota has made very few changes on offense, but they did plug one hole at right guard for Jesse Davis. Every places, Holy udo. The Vikings past protection has been ranked in the bottom

six by Pro Football Focus every year. Kirk Cousins has been here hoping the Vikings as a Viking fan, hoping the Vikings end up shoring up their past protection in the draft. Um and least sie I'll mention with Mike Zimmers run heavy approach now gone, you know, Cousins should see quite a few more attempts. You know, I could see ten percent more attempts, more attempts, and that could

unlock you know, QB six Upside and Kirk Cousins. Potentially things go right and you're gonna get to all these guys. But I mean, he's never had a healthy Jefferson feeling kJ oswe who was healthy, but he was a rookie last year. Smith and Dalvin Cook's always been like, get all those guys on the field for pretty dangerous offense. But everybody's when everybody's healthy. You know who has never

missed a game in two years. Justin Jefferson wide receiver five last year, played the full season, finished second in receiving yards, and even with Adam Field absorbing all his touchdowns we'll talk more about that in a minute, Jefferson found his way to ten touchdowns of his own in the first two years. Justin Jefferson has three thousand receiving yards in his rookie and off more years. There is no downside with Jefferson. He is a you know's going

off the board in the second round right now. I think you just make that pick with the confidence to know you've got your wide receiver one for the rest of the year and you can plug him in and play him. Yeah, it's it's it's no apparent downside whatsoever from Justin Jefferson. It's cup and then he People are assigning between Jamar Chase and jeff Justin Jefferson basically, and I would take Jefferson and I have in personally. Jefferson

gives you the game by game consistency. Chase gives you the blow up game prospects might depend on if you're in Best Baller, if you're in a standard league. Let's talk Feeling. He played twelve healthy games last year. You know what he his wide receiver rank was through those first twelve weeks, Top ten, keep going, top eight, keep going six four ide receiver for a while. When Adam Feel went down, he was I knew you wouldn't and nobody does. Uh. He he got ten touchdowns those twelve games.

He um get this. Over the last two years, from inside the ten yard line, Adam Theeland has been targeted twenty one times. He's caught nineteen of the twenty one passes for sixteen touchdowns. This is just inside the ten yard line. Feeling is the league's most efficient goal line receiver. The only one who's comparable and I'm going to guess he's slightly inferior in this regard is Davante Adams. Adams has more volume and Parpecauseland missed this, you know, the

final third of the season last year. Um, but not the efficiency. I mean Theeland catches everything that's thrown to him inside the ten yard line. Unbelievably productive for the other receiver for the Vikings to talk about is Irv Smith tight end flashed at the end of the twenty twenty season. Brian and he rolled into last year with a lot of hope and a lot of optimism, but then he missed the whole year with meniscus knee injury,

and um, now he enters his fourth year. But he's still only twenty three years old, and going into his fourth season, they're gonna be rookies hitting the field that are twenty three years old. And there's the expectation now with Tyler Conklin gone, that er Smith will take over as the team's full time starter. There's no competition for

the job. This is er Smith's job right now. Some talk here in Minnesota the Kyle Rudolph could come back at some point um, but it would probably be as a backup and maybe a goal line role, but that would probably be it the Vikings um with the Vikings really only having Jefferson and Theland to throw to kg Osborne a little bit. You know, er Smith could get a significant number targets. He could be sitting on a sixty seventy targets season. Back to Theland, you would be

you would be six year stomach. I guess to put it that way, knowing where he's getting drafted right now, major major discount twenty five, it might be a little high. Other than that, mid to late twenties, even early thirties. Like I mentioned, Darnielle Mooney was our wide receiver thirty two. I think I'm seeing Mooney going before Theeld. Well, that's ridiculous. I know, jeez, I've been pouncing Dalvin Cook. You know exactly what you're gonna get from Dalvin Cook. At this point.

He is a lock RB one, incredibly dependable except for the games he misses completely, but regardless of his status going into the game, if he's hobbled, if he's questionable, he just produces and when he suits up or when he's suited up. I mean they just they run him, saw him. Do you think that changes? Now? It's possible that you know that Kevin O'Connell will not maybe use

him the same way or not as much. I think O'Connell's twist on the offense probably means a slight decrease in total carries for Cook, but considering how banged up, because you know, maybe he's healthier and more efficient on a few fewer carries, that's possible. I don't believe Alexander Madison's role really changes. You know, he's a guy that he's just a handcuff. You you never start him otherwise, and I don't. Madison just doesn't pop off the tape

the way that Dalvin Cook does. Cook it when healthy, is a very special runner. Madison really is not. So you know what you're getting in Dalvin Cook currently going into first round in most fantasy drafts roughly RB seven. Talk a little gambling. This might be the most wide open division in the NFL when it comes to who is the favorite, you know, like who could win it? Yeah? His favorite? But I don't get right. I mean, you know, defense got in part gutted and loss of several key

players in defense, several on offense. It's just Aaron Rodgers and the and the perception that the rest of the division is weak. Um, but that's replaying a lot of last year, where I think the Vikings looked worse than they probably really are and probably get better. I already told you I think the Lions could double their win total, so you know then I don't I don't care for the Bears, but yeah, there's uh, this could be a little bit more wide open, a little tighter race than

people think. Thanks for listening Fasty Football Weekly. We appreciate you getting to the end of it as always. UM, thank you for all of the chocolate chip cookies from a few weeks ago, everybody that was That was a lot of fun for the faithful that got to the end. We'll turn our attention to rookies beginning next week. We'll talk about some of our favorite players. Two weeks until the draft, right and two weeks two weeks from now, we'll be talking about the first round in the books.

It's a big stretch for me. I do the Thursday night live draft party US Bank Stadium for the Vikings. Then I have the Friday morning radio show and then we come in here and we talk talk about talk about the draft as well. I'll be worse and parched, but remind me, it's it's just round one on Thursday, right, and then two and three Friday. Yeah. Remember the olden days when the time started probably noon, but yeah, and then it was just run. Yeah, that's kind of is that.

I do too, because it was the weekend. Man, I just hit the couch and never moved for the whole weekend. It's great. That was great. They I'd like to go back to that. I understand why they parcel it out. It's more attention, It draws it all longer and everything. But they want to be in primetime. That's a huge part of it as well. It's a in fact, it's a massive part of it as being on primetime Thursday night Friday night rather than weekend TV programming, which frankly

they just can't charge as much for. That's all. It's all, but it all comes back to the money. Thanks everybody, We'll talk to you next week. Fantasy Football Weekly is a production of I Heart Radio. For more podcasts for my Heart Radio, visit the i heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows,