Running backs: breaking tackles, breaking hearts.

it going great? Thank you. It's it's kind of weird because we haven't really this feels like the first real off season show, super Bowls over. You know. We up to this point, we've really been doing just sort of shortened versions of the regular season show breaking down all the playoff games. This Fantasy Football Weekly is truly an off season mode. I asked Twitter what should we talk about? And I got I got a lot of good feedback.

A lot of people want to talk a lot of people in dynasty leagues and empire leagues, and they are really interested in the off season values of players that are moving around um and trying to find unearthed some some nuggets of players that will have better value next year that you can already identify this year. I want to start at the running back position for the purpose

of this podcast. Sounds good, and let's begin by looking at players we think are going to potentially change scenery, either because they're free agents or because think their team's just gotta kind of like David Johnson. So let's uh, well, we can even start with David Johnson if you want to. David Johnson's got a fourteen million dollar contract and he looked brutal last year, demoted most of the season at really running back two levels, sometimes running back three level,

and Arizona is going to move on from him. Media reports say he'll be cut. I'm sure that's true. There's no straighting. Can't trade David Johnson. Can't trade a running right now and had a fifteen million dollar year contract, especially unless you're Miami and you decide you just don't like Kenyan Drake in the middle of the season, then you can trade him. Oh yeah, that's another free agent, right, he could be back in Miami. Maybe they just get the pick. They bring back Kenyan Drake and they got

the pick for him, which would be brilliant. Let's talk about let's talk about Arizona for just a little bit. Longer here for David Johnson. So we mentioned David Johnson, he's gonna be gone, Kenyan Drake free agent. I think they're gonna try to resign Kevin Drakee, me too. And as far as David Johnson, I threw a poll on Twitter, do you think he finds a starting job or is he a third down back somewhere? Of the votes, UH say he will find a starting job, which shot. I

don't believe that that's true. He's going to have to go, and he might do it. He'll have to go through a major change in body shape. I mean, he clearly let himself go too big. He's too big. That's not his playing weight. What's what's his idea? Pounds? Is it Kansas City? I think you use him? Is it back with Bruce arians Well, you gotta tell me which version of him I'm getting. If I am getting the lean,

nimble version from his I don't think here. I don't think you're getting that that that early career David Johnson back he's in. This is gonna surprise people. He's twenty eight years old. That's what was his last good year was what that's going A long way back. I don't think I do not believe that David Johnson, based on what we know right now in February, I don't believe

he's gonna be a meaningful fantasy contributor on a regular basis. Ever, again, he will find himself in a position this year where he's gonna battle to be a third down pass catching style back. That might be it from nobody's gonna bring him in and give him the starting job. You know, it might be a weirdly good fit for him with the loss of McKinnon and Breda. Well, maybe San Francisco

could be big pass catching back. Yeah, maybe, maybe, you know, then he would also the fantasy value be super limited because they rotate their backs to such a great degree, you never know what you're going to get. I'm more interested in Kenyan Drake. Let's spend a minute. I think if he stays in Arizona, where does Kenyan Drake, who finished, by the way, he finished his running back fifteen despite playing a third of his season in Miami. You want

better than that? Yes, he's given me better than after he got there. From that point to the end of the season. RB four holy cow running back for Kenyan Drake. So let's just hypothesize Kenyan Drake stays in Arizona. Where do you believe you will have him ranked next year? Probably top twelve, top twelve, at so at roughly twelve. Yeah, probably at the back end of the top twelve. Yeah, it's hard not to unless they bring in more help. I mean, you know, Uh, I'm struggling on the back

of their Chase Chase Edmonds, Edmonds. Chase Edmonds get healthy, he will be back. But Chase Edmonds, he had that one blow up game with the three touchdowns, but other than that, he was relegated to the bench all year. Really, I don't think and I don't think he's a special player. I think you're about right. I think Kenny Drake to me, is going to be in that twelve range. I'm listening to that. Okay, let's let's move along to some other players.

Derrick Henry the most notable of the free agent running backs. You're a free agent could go anywhere. What, by the way, finished his running back three in PPR running back three? Uh, non PPR running back one. I assume talk to me about where Derrick Henry where? How do you feel about Derrick Henry with Tennessee we think we know what we can get. But more specifically, if he goes somewhere else, Yeah, if he goes somewhere else, you've got two things working.

Are they gonna put the entire offense around him like Tennessee did be And you would think maybe they would, kind of like Levy on Bell from last year, if you pay someone that much money, you think you're you're going to get a ton of touches. But also he had over four total touches counting the playoffs over three seventies that we've known in fantasy forever. That's the magic number. You go over three seventy in the season in your

next year, yeah, yeah, it's either injury or bad. So I I think I think Derrick Henry if it wasn't, if he stays in Tennessee, I like him better than going somewhere else because I think they will. I think they'll continue to keep like, keep everything running through him. I don't think that he has any competition there, and that offensive line is pretty dang good. It is very good. I agree that the best scenario for Derrick Henry owners

is for him to stay in Tennessee. Let me throw this name and there are a bunch of teams that have running back need. I've identified one to three, four or five, six, seven, eight, ten, ten teams that I think are buyers backs. Here's an interesting one for you, Pittsburgh Steelers. See that's the one I didn't have right there. You go, Pittsburgh Steelers as a potential as a potential landing spot for Derrick Henry gets pretty interesting to me.

That's a team that traditionally likes to have a workhorse back. Ben Roethlisberger comes back, takes tons of heat off that pass off the rushing game, and um, and it's still a good offensive line. You know, when James Conner and those brief moments of health, James Conner was an effective back. How Benny still had a hundred yard game. Yeah, So that's the spot where and if you know what running backs are gonna be cheap, it's gonna be a buyer's market.

It's maybe that maybe that could come through other landing spots for Derrick Henry. I'm a lot less interested in if he goes to Miami Jets or the Bears, or the Bucks or the red Skins. I just don't know if those teams can block for him. I had most of those on my list as well, and I agree with you. The Steelers are the Steelers and Bucks are really the prime Land need spots for any running back,

but Derrick Henry. He's in the past catcher that they love all their running backs, though, do you think they mold their offense towards a two running back system? Then if if Henry is there, Orry is just not that guy we all know is. You know where Henry is devastating is in his seven carry of the game. I will say the amount of screens he's taken to the house Laton games they sho I agree, all right, let's move on. Melvin Gordon is gonna be afraid. We knew

this was coming for months and months. I don't believe he will be back, not the Chargers, Austin Ekeler will get a bunch of work, and Justin Jackson Yep, that's that's the sneaky angle for Dynasty and Empire players. On my mind, I don't believe. I don't believe Eckler or they want I don't think they want Heckler to be a oh. I think that want to be exactly what

he has been. And Jackson's gonna get the rest. Yeah, he's hurt get back, and he's been good in his in his limited times and and weirdly with with both of them out, I believe Justin Jackson didn't really do much. So it feels like that they feel like he's a not a workhorse as well. So I don't think he has a threat to overtake El or either fresh legs Justin Jackson. Yeah, I think that's to me, that's a

fascinating angle. Do you think Melvin does Melvin Gordon going to any of these other kinds of teams interest too much. The Miami's are the Yeats, the Redskins. He interests me in the amount that he's going to get starter money from a place, which makes him a starter for one of the ten to eleven apparently teams they need a running back. Uh. The draft class is really good too. I don't think it is. I don't hurt. Yeah, that hurts.

He's not going to get the money he wants, but he's gonna get He's gonna be a top whatever depth chart he goes to think. He he he ended the season RB fifteen or so from the time he played, you know, because he missed the first four weeks with the time he played on I believe he was RB fifteen. That's probably where he's going to be next year. Wherever he lands, I'm gonna have him outside of my top twelve. All right,

that sounds about right. Let's talk about Levy on Bell as somebody that, um, by the way, you know, a disappointing season for sure, somebody that went the end of the first round in many drafts. Uh. At the end of last season, right after weeks seventeen, Jets general manager Joe Douglas said that the team would listen to offers for Bell. There won't be any offers for Bell because he's making fifteen million dollars a year. You know, he'd had the hold out and he found one team dumb

enough to give him the big contract. Um, and that was that was the Jets. They end up firing their general manager, Adam Gates takes control for a while. Now they've got Joe Douglas. There's I don't think beating offers for Bell. The question is if are they going to cut him out? Right? And by the way, this fits in right with what Adam Gates said. What was it yesterday of the day before within the last week anyway,

maybe three or four days ago. Uh that they asked about Levan Bell and he's like, I don't know, he's under contract for three more years. Asked Joe about it. Wow, wiping his hands of that whole situation. If nobody else, they have nobody else there, Montgomery and Bell, all Powell, those guys don't count. So you know, I think the Jets are a huge candidate. I don't think they go free agency on running back again. They just got bit on that that team's gonna go running back in the

first two rounds. The Jets will, I believe, maybe top three rounds and try to get help in the draft at the running back position. And Levy on Bell's I think he's I think I cut him. There're gonna there'll be someplace else. I don't know that will be effective someplace else. Yeah, yeah, I don't. I don't have much faith in Levan Bell at this point. He he doesn't look as good as he used to be. I think he needed that Pittsburgh offense in that line, and clearly

the Jets couldn't get any going with him. All right, let's go to Todd Gurley seventeen million dollars he'll cost the Rams this year. They're not paying that and they're completely cash strapped because of what they do million or something twenty five and a half a million of dead money if they cut him, so they can't cut him, so he's actually got some leverage here. Um, A trade would be all but impossible because nobody wants to pick

up that salary and by the way, do it. He's due with seven and a half million dollar roster bonus in March. Most teams wouldn't pay him seven and a half million dollars for the year for Todd Gurley. One way or another, you get the feeling something's got to change with Todd Gurley, restructuring something. Yeah, I can also see them just going with it for one year. Like I, I don't know that they want they I don't think

they'd want to restructure with him. Do you think he'd want to restructure because A restructures NAT But the next year if you hear these structures maybe, UM. Right now it's um. I feel like they're stuck for a year, is the way I feel. And it might be I think they want to trade him, but they won't be able to could be when we come back, I want

to talk about Darryl Henderson Malcolm Brown. Are those potential guys for a bigger season if Todd Gurley isn't a Ram or perhaps there's a change of some kind, We'll talk about that in a moment. Welcome back Fantasy Football Weekly, Paul Charchi and Scott Fish with you. We were just talking about Todd Gurley and the prospects of him potentially leaving the Rams. Although tough to trade and tough to cut, so maybe not um. They might just have to live with the crappy deal they gave him. Uh And if

for some reason he's gone one way or another. What do you think about Darrel Henderson? What do you think about Malcolm Brown? I think if they are if that's the duo, I think that Malcolm Brown is the beat between it's and he's guy uh and the goal line guy, and Darryl Henderson is the pass catching Kamara to Ingram the like first season Camar. Darrell Henderson has been explosive at times, but he's also seemed like he can't, you know,

carry a load. So or did they just not ask him too because they had so many options and they wanted to keep the young kid fresh. Yeah, that's that's what happens when you have a Todd Gurley and and Darryl Henderson and Malcolm Brown who can pound at the goal line, and so yeah, I want We've seen both

of them need Gurly to be gone. They both need Gurly to be if they're going to be If you're a Dinosat or Empire League owner right now, are you training for Darryl Henderson banking on this being a low moment? They need dear of his of his career right now. Henderson was a second round draft pick last year. Is this the low point? It's just your your your by low moment, right, It's gotta be. It's gotta be. Like I don't I don't think. I think he's going to

be better in his next year. He's gonna he's gonna flash more. And if he doesn't, it's probably never gonna happen for Darrell Henderson. Yeah, second year, we see it. There are a lot of cases. We talked about this from time to time on our on the show with running back Scott, it's a two year window. If you don't show it within two years, almost always, not every time,

but almost always you ain't got it. It usually shows up in year one or year two for running backs, and sometimes even guys will look dreadful in year one will come back in year two and look like a different guy. Uh. DeVonta Freeman is an example that who was just brutal his first year and then in year two look great, ended up powering fantasy Fantasy championships. Um. And so it's a two year window. You don't have to risk a lot for Darrell Henderson. There's something here. Yeah,

and Todd Gurley might not be good anymore. It's really a guy that was like top ten round pick with all the hype last year and all the Todd Gurley news, and yeah, this is your low point. This is that I think this is the time to buy Darryl Henderson. I think that even if Gurley is there, even if Brown is there second year, Darryl Henderson might just be the most talented back they have. Everybody just assumes because Todd Gurley is there, he's automatically the most talented back.

But what if Todd Gurley at the age and the where that he's at now just isn't as good as Darryl Henderson's as as possible. It feels like at the end of the season though, Todd Gurley did look a little bit more like his old self, maybe just because load management very possible. All right, let's let's touch on a couple more unrestricted free agents or guys that we think that we're going to move at the running back position specifically, and we'll break down other positions in future

shows as well. I mentioned DeVonta Freeman. He's got a nine and a half million dollar salary this year, and there's no chance Falcons are paying that based on the production he gave them last year at three point six yards per carrying just the two rushing touchdowns often dinged up. They don't have a lot of good answers on on roster. Brian Hills, no good Edo Smith. So one trick pony

Cadrea Allison. Ah. They that's a team, that's they They need help a running back and I just I don't think DeVonta Freeman is the answer, and I think he's gonna get cut yep, I can what's the dead do you know the ted cap? When he don't know the dead cap in front of me? Uh yeah, it's this is I think you put this out there we're gonna talk about something. It's just like gross, I don't even want to talk about DeVonta Freeman, but he is going to leave a giant gap that becomes the landing spot

for one of those other running backs. I don't think there's another team that would want him as much as the Falcons like, and I don't think the Falcons even want him like I think we're near in the end.

The best case scenario for DeVonta Freeman is a Carlos Hide type situation where he starting running back goes down shortly before the start of the season, like Lamar Miller did, and he can just go walk over to some other team, be a veteran guy who won't screw everything up, and that's I think that's your Your best case scenario for Devant Freeman is something like that, And that's not probable.

He's signed through to that's just a bad contract and you just it's just it's sad for running backs in in inasmuch as they're multimillionaires, many of them who are starters. Um. But this is the reality of the position is it's you've got no leverage, your your position wears down quickly. Teams move on, you don't get paid as much. And there's the reality of it dead money six million. If

they cut him, I think they're gonna come. It's a lot, but it's less than the nine point five they're payment salary. And and also the sellery cap goes up every year that's kind of absorbed into that. If they do, do you think Leonard four Nette has any chance of moving He's got an almost nine million dollar sour No. I I think I actually think they really like him there. Yeah,

I do too. I think they want to get him involved in everything there and once it didn't really turn into wins for that team though, and they used him copiously. You know how many targets he had. He was crazy and he never got hurt. You know, remember at this time last year, the whole narrative on Leonard for Nett was you can ever talk how many plays is he gonna make it through? Handed up? And he ended up being just fine. But it turned it into nothing, turned

into nothing. I've got one more team I want to shoot any Houston Texans. So they've Lamar Miller is as unrestricted free agent. He's dead, carlos Hi. It's an unrestricted free agent Duke Johnson still under contract for a couple more years, and he's right now, you're only meaningful returning veteran to a good offense. What do you think about Duke Johnson? Is it an automatic that they're going to bring somebody in supplant him, just like they did with Carlos.

Treated a third round pick for him and they barely used him all year, even when down to Carlos. Yeah, I think running back one for the Houston Texans next year is TBD and running back to is TBD. And Duke Johnson gets ten snaps he's running. You don't think he's running back to Duke Johnson. They did pay a third rounder for him, but they didn't use him, so I was like, well, I didn't use him at all. They just didn't use him as much as we would have used him. I don't think he's going to be

fantasy relevant enough for us. I would. I would rank him best case scenario in the forties probably right now. That's probably about right. Even even though they don't have anybody else right now, you know they'll drum somebody up one way or another. UM I would sell Duke Johnson in your dynasty league, right now on the premise that Lamar Miller are gone. Maybe maybe, uh, George Howard's leaving. I forgot about this. When Jordan Howard's leaving, Miles Sanders

is looking like he's gonna You watch Miles Sanders. He's gonna be ranked because I don't think they're gonna bring back Jordan Howard. Um, Miles Sanders is gonna be ranked top six next year. It's ironic you said six, because from week eight on he was RB six, mainly due to a ton of receiving. But he's got it and

that's that's yes. Absolutely, Even when Boston Scott at the end of the year was stealing all those receptions, Miles Sanders was still good and and at Radio Row, Miles Sanders is talking about how you should draft him in fantasy because he's going to get the ball a ton next year. He's going to be that workhorse that he can catch the ball, talked about that stuff. I'm buying it on him. I am too. It's Miles Sanders season. I think it is a Miles Sanders kind of season. Um,

there's been a lot of fun. Scott nice job breaking down unrestrictive free agents and speculation and where they might go and value and yeah, I don't I wanted to really walk out of here with like, man, there's gonna be all. We're gonna unearth all these guys. There are gonna be tons of value for for dynasty and Empire and bestball players who make moves. Now, Darrel Henderson might be at Justin Jackson, Just Justin Jackson, that's the guy. That is the guy is way off people's radar right now.

But that's uh, that's guys gonna be very very interesting next year. All right, thanks Scott, great job for listeners. Appreciate you to tuning in. We'll be back next week. Got another I don't know for sure next week if we're gonna just break down another position like this, or we're gonna do different stuff throughout the off season. We're

still learning as we go. Here. We're gonna talk about how Hunter Henry is definitely going to the Patriots, it's already set in stone, right don deal um and Tom Brady is gonna go to the Chargers, and that's that'll be. Maybe it'll be like that. I don't know, um, but we'll we'll talk to you in a week. Everybody, Bye bye, Fantasy Football Weekly is a production of I heart Radio.

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