The Also-Ran Runner

you doing. I am doing well. Good to talk to you and exciting to get back to the draft. Last week we covered the first rounders. Because of the drought, we tape on Fridays, and so the first round is over. This is our chance to catch up with everybody else, which is a lot of guys that we think are that have a chance to be meaningful contributors here at least in the short term, and so our opportunity to talk about everybody else and man the second round in particular,

just loaded with fantasy factors. Is the second round of this draft, the most loaded fantasy round of maybe any draft ever, like better than better than many first rounds that we've seen in the past few years. The second round is bonkers. I'd go one step farther. I would take the second round of this draft over from just a fantasy standpoint, over the entirety of last year's draft. Yeah, it's it's that good. It is. It's so many great

guys to talk about. Um, we're gonna begin at the running back position, and and again for a little a little bit of background on this discussion today, less oriented and dynasty, more on redraft. We're gonna do full dynasty editions of Fantasy Football weekly in the coming weeks, and excited for that as well as we start really catering to those people that are UM and some already having

their dynasty drafts. Let's start at the running back position, and I let you choose the order you wanted to go with for the guys who were going to talk about. And the first guy you had up to bat Matt was DeAndre Swift. Well, I basically went in order of how they were drafted in the second round. So it's not like, not like DeAndre Swift is my favorite out of all these guys, but uh he was the next one up. He goes with the third pick in the second round, and uh he goes to Detroit. UH carry On.

Johnson's contract still has two more years on it, but he can't seem to stay on the field at all, and Swift probably takes over as the lead back in at very worst, what should be a sixty forty split DeAndre Swift when when we previewed the rookies, we had him as probably the most complete running back in this draft as far as what he can do all over the field. So I really like DeAndre Swift to be one of those difference makers right away in the fantasy world.

I believe that it will be more like seventy five DeAndre Swift because he's so good. It is arguably the most elusive, shifty, difficult to tackle back in this draft, and it's he's just shattering ankles of all these defensive players. And I just don't think Carrie On Johnson is anywhere near as good as DeAndre Swift is. So I think he's I think there's a real chance that he turns into a three down back that gets a vast majority

of work. Even though lines aren't known for three down backs, they also have an invested a great picker had a guy nearly as good as DeAndre Swift there in a long time, and I think you can just house that job, and that's It's somebody I'm very intrigued by. Let's move over to Let's move over to Jonathan Taylor going to Indianapolis where he gets to run behind one of the league's great offensive lines. Yeah, and I think that Marlon Mack is just an ordinary running back who's had an

incredibly good line in front of him. But I think Mac is kind of a perfect compliment to Taylor. Because Taylor provides the thunder, he provides the lightning. Mac provides a light drizzle and the ability to catch balls out of the backfield, which is kind of Taylor's one thing that he can't do. Uh super well. So um, I think Taylor's in line to be, you know, on the bell cow status here, and Mac figures in as a passing down back and a third down back from now on.

Uh kind of kills one of our favorite players, Nike minds. Uh but uh yeah, one of your favorite players. I would just because we like to play the nine times drop because it rhymes. We do love that. We do love that part. So Taylor, of course, a very complete back who stunned people with this combine run of four three nine. We knew he was fast. We didn't think he was like track star fast, but it turns out

he is. And you still get a physical, thick, well built back who's got better footwork and lateral movement dame, but his side should have And I mentioned the great offensive line for Indianapolis. Pro Football Focus ranked Indie's offensive line is the second best run blocking line in the NFL. You're gonna give Jonathan. You're gonna give Jonathan Taylor like five free yards on half his runs. I mean, that's oh,

it's It could be a fantastic opportunity for him. And I think Taylor feels to me like he's gonna end up fitting in. I think he's gonna end up fitting into round two of fantasy drafts. That sounds about right to you. Yeah, that's kind of where I got him. Um In my latest Dynasty trade value chart, I have him as the twelfth overall player right now. Um So

I think he's right up there. And I want to ask you, charge, if you're in the rookie draft and you hold one one in a traditional dynasty rookie draft, would you take Jonathan Taylor? Or would you take Clyde Edwards Hilaire. I think I'm not gonna overthink it. I'm gonna take Jonathan Taylor because I get the every down back, I get the goal line back. I'm not sharing time with anybody, and I can't be assured of that with Clyde Edward Edwards Hilaire. As much as I love him,

I still feel like he's nobody. We're not talking about Jonathan Taylor in a sixty forty split here. I mean, I think think Taylor takes that that offense over I think so too. Now, Frank Wright, is it is part of that you know the dreaded Eagles offense historically right and where they did use a frustrating rotation back, so you know, maybe it will be more more of a rotation than we realize or that we want to believe.

But um, I think Damian Williams is a bigger threat to Clyde Edwards Hilaire than um than Jonathan Taylor is well. Frank Reich also was in the UH San Diego Charger system where they've been known for Bell House for years and years, so we could we could see it go both ways here. Now we could see it about go both ways. Um, very intrigued by Taylor obviously, and I think almost anybody would feel that way. All right, let's

go to our next running back up. Cam Acres was the next guy taken in the third round, and he ends up going to the Rams. We figured the RAMS would address this. I think it was earlier than I expected them too, But um, they end up going with the powerfully built cam Acres, presumably to take the role of Todd Gurley. Yeah, it seems like he would slide right into Todd Gurley's role. But last year the RAMS often featured both Gurley and Malcolm Brown, and they sprinkled

in Darryl Henderson as well. And gosh, all those Darryl Henderson truthers out there who were investing heavily in him when they got rid of Gurley, they gotta be freaking out right now, because this is not good for his numbers at all. I do think that the Rams learned something because of the overuse of Gurley, and I have a feeling that this is now going to be a

shared backfield. I still like Acres the best out of this bunch, but right off the bat, I would say he might be a fifty percent snap right kind of guy with Malcolm Brown and Darryl Henderson eating up the other half um together. So I'm a little nervous about the usage that he'll get there. But I do like the player and I do like the offense, so there's gonna be some uh, some bright spots ahead for cam Akers. Do you think cam Akers gets the goal line work

for the Rams. I do, because he's just it's he's he's just so physical and he's so powerful, and I don't think they've got that on roster right now. I believe cam Akers is gonna gonna get the goal line carries, do you Yeah? And Todd Gurley was that goal line back last year, so they obviously don't see that out of Henderson or Malcolm Brown because they gave it to

to Gurley. So I think Acres does have that the opportunity to be like a double digit touched down kind of guy, just with that Rams offense getting close to the stripe. Yeah, I agreed. That's what makes cam Akers awfully, awfully intriguing here. It's a Ram's offense, as we know, can be very explosive. Cam Akers could be sitting on twelve touchdowns and I wouldn't be at all surprised could

be higher. I mean, I'm not saying that's the absolute ceiling, but I think, you know, I wouldn't be surprised if he if he hit the twelve touchdown mark, and that makes him a significant Fantasy contributor. Sure, let's go to J K. Dobbins, the fourth running back taken in the draft. He ends up in Baltimore, and this was a at least the short term, this was a frustrating landing spot

for an awfully good player in j K. Dobbins. Well, I mean, if you consider that mark Ingram was it was kind of the lead back in New Orleans and then this dynamic playmaker named Alvin Kamara showed up and uh, you know, really cut into Ingram's production there. I think Ingram probably works best in a shared back field. It hurts Ingram, I think more than anybody. And I think Dobbins is a perfect replacement for Ingram eventually, because mark Ingram does turn thirty this year, but he does have

two years left on that contract, so I don't foresee Dobbins. Yeah, he was great last year, but I do look at this as probably an even split between these two, which is going to be frustrating for fantasy owners for sure. It is. It's gonna be very frustrating. And and and he's got to deal with his own quarterback housing a lot of runs and potentially uh potentially goal line run

situations away from him. To the funny thing about j K. Dobbins Man, when we broke down the rookie running back six weeks ago, when we were prepping for the draft and we were doing these shows, his comparable that we talked about was mark Ingram. And now look he ends up in Baltimore running with mark Ingram. So I mean, clearly they liked the skill traits that Ingram brings and

they're just doing some succession planning already. And I wonder if they're not gonna grind up mark Ingram and force a bunch of carries through him now at the end of his at the end of his his deal is is coming up through just the last couple of years here, and just grind him up and then just keep JK. Dobbins more fresh. I could see that happening if Baltimore

wasn't so close to being a title contender. I think the talent will win out and they're gonna probably play it pretty balanced and try to, you know, win the Super Bowl this year could be although mark Ingram's plenty talented. I mean, the issue here is not that that he's not good. No, absolutely, Dobbins is plenty of talented too, though, So I don't know if they can go you know what, We're gonna just ride mark Ingram forever this year and

and see how it goes. But uh, because Dobbins is just too talented, and they invested a pretty high draft pick in him. Zack Moss went to Buffalo next, and this is a this this is a tricky spot for him because we all loved what we saw from Devin's Singletary at the end of this year. Now Moss brings a very different game to the table. Uh. He's two hundred twenty three pounds, you know, Singletary well, not a

lightweight scat back. He's also more built to be elusive, wherea Zack Moss is your North South more of a power runner. Yeah. They're definitely a complementary backs to each other. And I think everybody really liked what we saw out of the out of Singletary and the tail end of last year, But the knock on him was always that he's much smaller than you want in a bell cow back, and people don't think that he can shoulder the bell

cow touches. Hence, they had a whole bunch of running backs there in that depth chart last year in Singletary eventually one out because he's talented, but Zack Moss has talent of his own, and uh, it just seems like it's a miserable fantasy fit for both of these guys. It makes me not really want to invest at what Singletary was on his high end last year because I don't think he can hit the high end with Moss there.

And Moss, if he walked into say Tampa Bay where there was a little bit more of an open hole for uh some some game time, I think I would have liked him better. So it looks like a split backfield here, and uh, we're gonna have to see how

they situationally use these guys. And also, and I think this will be frustrating for fantasy owners, Zack Moss is Utah's all time rushing touchdown leader at the goal line, I think I think they're gonna give Zack Moss the ball a lot, and that's gonna really hurt Devin Singletary, who now has to score at distance and score on passes. And we've seen running backs that that that don't get those goal line carries, they don't get those easy touchdowns

from inside the five. Those guys can have like four touchdown seasons that really really end up torpedoing you. And it adds a lot of variable to Devin's Singletary season. That I that worry me. Yeah, that one's bad all around. Next, and this was the first, I think real head scratcher of the draft, Derrington Evans going to Tennessee in the third round. Now, Pro Football Focus had him graded out as an undrafted free agent, and here was the summary

that Pro Football Focus had on Darrington Evans. Undersized and unable to break tackles is a bad combo when projecting to the NFL. Two hundred pound backs with good but not great shiftiness or a dime a dozen in this league. That's the new Tennessee back up behind Derrick Henry. I think he has zero value while Derrick Henry is healthy, and even after if something were to happen to Derrick Henry,

I don't trust Derrington Evans to be a significant contributor. Well, maybe the Titans just have some inside information because they're obviously from Tennessee, uh, Darrnton Evans from nearby Appalachian state, and maybe they just needed somebody who could run at the approximate altitude of five feet, which is where Nashville is located. So I don't quite understand this one. They spent a third round pick on him, and it just doesn't quite make sense. But just a reminder, Derrick Henry

is on the franchise tag right now. So if you're in a deeper dynasty league, Darrnton Evans is the backup running back. He is RB two in Tennessee right now. Dion Lewis left that team. So if something does happen to Derrick Henry, Darrenson Evans is the next guy up. And if something catastrophic happens to Derrick Henry, he might have the opportunity to try to run away with this job if he can. Doesn't sound like he will be able to run away with this job. But there we go.

We're gonna take a break when we come back where I want to touch on the next pick, which was also a head scratcher, that went to a t without obvious need and another player that was graded out to be an undrafted free agent really weird. We'll talk about a J. Dillon when you come back. Welcome back to Fantasy Football Weekly. Paul Charchion and Matt Harrison with you were breaking down the key players that went after the first round, so second round and beyond. Next up A J. Dillon.

It was the second pick for the Packers and another head scratcher, a position of really no need for for the Packers, and with better running backs on the board, I think they went with the player that Pro Football Focus had ranked in the in the seventh round or as an undrafted free agent, and A J. Dillon who's got a battle through at least two people on the

depth chart ahead of him to get any kind of time. Church, we could probably do a whole episode on why Green Bay drafted like they did this year, because it made

no sense at all. Um, unless the Packers are already planning on moving on from Aaron Jones when his contract is up after this season, that's the only way I can think that this makes any sense whatsoever, because he's certainly third on the depth chart behind Aaron Jones and Jamal Williams, who, behind Davante Adams, was probably the best pass catcher on the field for the Packers last year. So I don't know how A J. Dillon finds the field unless an injury happens. So he's basically shelved until

something like that does happen. Yeah, and you know what, I didn't love him. I didn't love him as a runner anyway. Um he's he's a big body north south runner, and he does have some prospects for goal line use. But they got guys who can score touchdowns already, So I think to me, A J. Dillon is only draftable in Dynasty and Empire formats. We are already planning for

coming years. Let's move. Let's move to our next. The next player drafted who drops into really the perfect spot, and that's Keyshawn Vaughn, who goes to Tampa Bay and will take a well presumably end up taking over the running game, as they've got to be ready to turn the page on on Ronald Jones and Peyton Barber's already gone. Well. I mean, wouldn't we all have felt a lot better if Tampa Bay, which was really has been the best

landing spot for a running back. For about three years now, we've all been just salivating for the Buccaneers to take a top flight running back there because it's just been wide open. But then they take Keyshaw Vaughn and he provides a lot of interest there. I think we all would have preferred one of the top five backs landing in that offense. And maybe the death of Ronald Jones has been greatly exaggerated because he played all right at

the tail end of last year. It still feels like a split back field to me, um especially if let's let's see how Keyshawn Vaughan can block for Tom Brady, because if he's not blocking for his forty three year old quarterback and he's getting run out of town, I imagine Ronald Jones is going to be in the backfield

on any high leverage situation. I think you've hit the nail on the head with Keishaw Vaughn, and we have I've seen I'm seeing fantasy experts on Twitter talk about Keyshawn Vaughan as an elite level fantasy producer this year. We saw Bruce arians run a split backfield all year and Peyton Barber was giving him very little, and neither was Jones for that matter, and he kept he kept

running a split backfield. And you're absolutely right. If Keyshawn Vaughan mrs a block early in the season and Tom Brady takes a big hit, that might be at that might be over right there. And I there's a lot more downside I think too Keyshawn Vaughn than people are not necessarily recognizing. I think they just really want a part of the the Tampa the now thrilling Tampa Bay offense. I I you know, I think for what you're gonna

have to pay for Keyshawn Vaughn. And it's too early to know where he's going in fantasy drafts yet, but I think you're gonna see him go like fourth round. You can get Ronald Jones in the twelfth round, and I think that's gonna end up being a better value. And I don't even like Ronald Jones particularly. We've had a split backfield in Tampa Bay since Warwick Dunne was there, so I changing anytime soon. Anthony McFarland was the next player taken for Pittsburgh. UM McFarland another guy that Profo

Ball Focus had as an undrafted free agent. He's a small guy, but he's a tough, hard nosed runner, but middling measurables um not a Lucifer, shifty, mostly untested through the air. I honestly I didn't love the pick, but clearly, when when you look at what happened to that running game with James Conner hurt for most on and off for most of all the last year, the team felt like they needed to have had a little better backup plan. Yeah, James Conner is only twenty four years old as of taping.

He turns twenty five on Cinco de Mayo. His body might be about thirty five years old with all the stuff that he's gone through in his life, with with all the injuries and and he's he's battled through cancer and and all that stuff. So, uh, last year when Connor went down, converted tight end Jalen Samuel's filled in admirably, especially in the passing game, but the run game was kind of thrown in the ditch when when James Conner

went down. So McFarland provides that running option and he could be a replacement, uh sooner than people think, if, especially if Connor can't stay healthy. And uh, they just want to use Jalen Samuels as kind of a gadget running back tight end player. The next player taken was another one that provoball focus had as an undrafted free agent, and that's DJ Dallas from Seattle who went to who ends up going to Seattle. Um d J Dallas was

a player that profoball focus did not like much. They mentioned good balance and a powerful lower body who welcomes contact, but he's average speed, slow to get up to full speed, low agility, slow news cuts, he was not productive in college. There's um, I don't think DJ Dallas really is a factor that fantasy owners need to sweat as they're thinking

about the starting rotation here in Seattle. Well, Seattle always drafts weird guys, like they find their own guys and and they just they draft weird and it seems to kind of work out for them for the most part. Uh. Dallas went in the fourth, fourth round. And the reason that you have to kind of pay attention to this guy is that depth chart. While there's two guys in

front of him, both of those guys got injured. Both Chris Carson and Rashad Penny both had big injuries right before the playoffs began, and Penny had an a c L which prompted the return of Beast mode in the playoffs last year. So d J Dallas just figures in as a as a possible depth guy, especially if Carson

or Penny deal with any injuries again this year. So uh, he's He's a guy to pay attention to and probably not a guy who ends up on fantasy rosters at the beginning of the season, but by middle or tail end of the season he could be one of those guys who abe has a role in the NFL not It would be weird but not crazy. Yeah. I don't

see the skill set for DJ Dallas. I think if I think he will need some things to to work his way, like Chris Carson getting hurt for shot Penny doesn't bounce back from the a c L as well as they like something like that. To me, is is the scenario where DJ Dallas plays a role. Two more running backs to talk about. Joshua Kelly was somebody I thought would go much earlier than he ultimately went, and he ends up going to the Chargers. I he there's a kid out of U c L A who I like.

He's a short, shifting north south runner with good footwork. Um, he's tricky to bring down, he's big enough for goal line use. He's athletic, he's nimble, he's fast enough. Um, And there was a lot that I there's a lot that I did like about him. Um, and he was successful behind a bad offensive line. Now he goes to the Chargers and Melvin Gordon's not there anymore. What do

you think of Joshua Kelly for the Chargers? Well, I know, Charch you you were kind of a fan of Justin Jackson has kind us chick up this offseason, and Joshua Kelly is like Justin Jackson in so many ways. Um. Kelly only had eleven receptions last season, so he's probably not cutting into Austin Ekeler's feature backslash receiving role. So I think it's Kelly and Jackson who are maybe splitting carries, or maybe one of them wins out to be the low end of the timeshare split, maybe for either of

those guys if they win it from the other. So I don't really like Kelly's chances of making a dent this year. Do we think Austin Ekeler gets two thirds of the overall carries, leaving one third to be split then perhaps evenly between Justin Jackson and Joshua Kelly. I don't know if carries, but touches. I think touches for sure, because I think he factors so much in the passing game. Yeah, to me, this has not materially hurt Austin Ekeler. Yeah,

I don't think it does anything for Austin Ekeler. All right, Joshua Kelly to the Chargers. One last running back. You know Benjamin a fascinating player. Uh, He's got prototypical running back size and by the way, he ends up going to the Arizona Cardinals where he's the He's the presumed back up to Kenyan Drake, although Chase Edmonds had you know, has flashed a little bit. Um. One of the best tackle breakers in this draft is you know Benjamin, and

he can be special that way. You're always looking for something that really defines a player, that makes him possible to succeed at the next level, and for you know Benjamin, it's his tackle breaking, super elusive, good cutback abilities. Um gets a lot of forward momentum going and he's strong and determined. I think there was there was some I can catch a little bit too, by the way, I think there's some things to like from you know, Benjamin

in Arizona. But Kenyan Drake remains the starter. Well, Kenyan Drake is the starter. But are we a hundred percent sure that Kenyan Drake is good? Because pretty much all of his fantas the value happened in three games last year Week nine fifteen for one ten and a score, Week fifteen two for one thirty seven and four touchdowns, and Week sixteen for one sixty six and two. That was all of his production. He was getting thirty yards, forty yards, a sixty yard or thrown in here and

there and not scoring touchdowns. So are we sure that Kenyan Drake is good? And are we sure that Chase Edmonds is good? And I know Brian really liked you know on the earlier pod and he fell to the seventh round to the hometown Cardinals. It's a good offense. Uh. The card Cardinals were second in rushing d v o A last year. He's a stash play in both dynasty and redraft leagues because I think he has a sneaky chance of emerging from all, this is maybe the top

runner in Arizona. UM. Maybe, yeah, you know, I thought Kenyan Drake looked pretty good to my eye. He passed the eye test. Um. They proved their offensive line a little bit. Round three, they took Josh Jones, who some people thought. I did thought he'd go at the end of the first round potentially, and many people did. He was mocked regularly to the end of the first round. He slid all the way to pick seventy two. Offensive

line gets a little bit better. I think that helps Kenyan Drake's overall efficiency, which was, as you correctly noted, was up and down. And you're right, you know, I think the thing you're really hammering on with these you know, three great games, as if you look at the total if you look at his total numbers at the end of the year, they look really good. But he did have these down games where he just couldn't get anything going. And I but I want to say that was more

of a product of a bad offensive line. And I still think Kenyan Drake walks in as the starter here in the seventh rounder. Um In you know, Benjamin is not likely to take that away from Kenyan Drake and Uh, and if memory serves, I think they re signed Kenyan. Did they signed Kenyan Drake to a new better deal or my my misremembering. I think they re upped him a little bit, But I don't think he's on a huge deal at all. Yeah, you might be right about that.

I should have looked it up before the show. That would have been super professional of us. But you know, we're at the end. We're at the end. We're at the end of the podcast. Nobody's listening anyway, so you know, it's probably pretty safe to just go with what we you know, we think it is. Uh, you Nan Drake's on the transition tag Church there we go transition tag, So he's he's one one year deal for eight point

four million. Yes, reported in mid April that they would like to sign him to a long term contract, but they have not done so to this point. Now that the draft is over, perhaps they will. We'll find out. Um, there are we should mention, although I think people know no David Johnson Arizona either, which clears the way for for a little extra time for potentially you know, Benjamin

as well. Mum, we're half hour into the podcast. What I think we'll do is handle wide receivers, quarterbacks, tight ends in the next podcast or the one two weeks from now so, or perhaps an upcoming one. But I think we'll do it maybe next week. How does that sound, Matt? Sure, I'm good with that. Alright. Good. We spent so much time on running backs, and you know, I was originally thinking maybe we'd be a little quicker, but man, you

and I just love to hear our own voices. I know, I like to talk a lot, and especially about running backs like Eno, Benjamin, Like you know, Benjamin, I hear you. We're breaking down Eno Benjamin, who knows you know, one of those seventh round running backs. But the opportunity is there. Uh, Matt, great job today, Thanks a lot for helping out. Thank you charge. Okay, everybody else will be back in one week. Thanks for listening. Fantasy Football Weekly is a production of

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