Welcome to NFL Daily, where we wear our NFL Network polos even.
On days we're not required to.
And by we, I mean Patrick Clayban, who's with me in the Chris Westling podcast studio.
Good to have you back, Good to be back.
It's when you when you wear a polo here, it's like a network. Nobody questions anything. I could wear whatever as long as I throw this polo on. Okay, but he has anything to say, so like, I love it.
Yeah, you got the shorts on. Yeah, and you looked at those polos. They just fit just right. And yeah, it is good to have Patrick back. Our first it c friend who's gonna be with us a lot in the studio all season long.
That it's back off the road.
And we got Steve Weisch and Colleen Wolf coming up next week regularly, and it's all happening and I'm excited. We got our friends from the Fantasy Football podcast coming near buds. Yeah, Marcus Grant and Mike Florio for a big time draft.
We're gonna have had the studio. It's just all fantasy in here.
So yeah, we're gonna see legend Gregor Rosenthal.
By the way, don't you forget it for.
People seven rounds.
We're going to take all the skill position players and just do a little mock draft so you get a little feeling of the top thirty maybe in NFL drafts, but also the top at the tight end in quarterback positions. That's going to come in just a little bit. But first let's do some news. Well, what else am I going to talk about other than Brandon Ayuk. This man is holding the NFL world hostage right now.
That's not his fault.
These things are complicated. As we're taping, Patrick some updates here. Pittsburgh since we last taped, is back in the mix. Apparently they were really never out of the mix, but they weren't meeting the potential trade terms that the forty nine ers were hoping for.
The Patriots are out of the mix.
They did that thing, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter, where they are no longer in the Brandan Ayuk sweepstakes because Brandon Ayuk, apparently, according to CSM Bay Area, made it pretty clear he did not want to go to the Patriots, So it was more like he chose to not do it, and I did have this theory and I threw it out there a couple of nights ago that maybe the forty nine ers are just putting these teams out there that they kind of know Brandon Ayuk doesn't want to
go to, really, which is the Browns and the Patriots. The teams he does want to go to, apparently were the Commanders who are out, and then the Steelers. And as we tape this, it's to me it seems increasingly likely that the Steelers story might happen, but we don't know yet.
Yeah, if it's down to Brandon Ayuk's choice, which it's, the team is going to want to negotiate a deal, right because if you're trading for Brandon Ayuk, you want him long term. And if his choice dictated not the Patriots and the Commanders are out, then who else is left?
Well, the Browns in theory are there and they have the one player and Amari Cooper that if they, you know, sent him to San Francisco, maybe the twenty twenty four nine Ers aren't that much worse. We'll see. I want to kind of hold my my takes now until we know what's official. So so nice, Well, we'll leave it there with Ayuk. I mean, I think it's a mistake no matter what by the forty nine ers, But how
big of a mistake we'll find out. Unfortunately, a lot of the news this time of year is injury news, and h CMC, Brandon Ayuk's teammate, was hurt is gonna miss a couple of weeks because of a calf strain. We'll hit on CMC a little bit in the fantasy draft, so don't need to stay there. But that's a little concerning for a player like Kim, who's had some issues over the year, to have a soft tissue injury this early, so that's concerning. Even more concerning is Josh Downs's injury
at Colts practice today. He is out four to six weeks with a high ankle sprain. According to NFL Network insider Ian Rapaport, was one of my absolute favorite breakout picks. Could still do it, but now he's got an obstacle to start the season.
And what makes it even worse, right, it comes on seven on seven's in training camp and Nick Cross goes down. They go to the ground like you obviously like all these injuries are bad, but that one's completely unnecessary, and you hear it like so much, Hey, coach what do you want on this? We want to get healthy into the season and to have an injury on seven on sevens in a situation where guys are taking guts to the ground, like, oh yeah, that's a tough one.
Shane Stike and their coach was not pleased with it. In his press conference in nick Cross. You could tell felt bad about it, but he said, you know, just trying to play football. And yet Josh Downs, to me, is their clear number two in Indianapolis.
Right now.
They're playing them outside, they're playing them inside, and they'll figure out how the Ady Mitchell and Alec Pierce snaps and tight end targets work out. But to me, it was a very clear one. I thought Josh Downs is gonna have a big year. High ankle springs are tough. You would almost hope not never on a fantasy football realm, but from a reality realm, maybe just wait till he's all the way back, even if it's week four, week five, because these are just one of those injuries you see
so many times guys come back too early. Another injury at the wide receiver position was Rondale More of the Atlanta Falcons. Penciled then I would say, to be their third wide receiver. Unfortunately, Hey, his injury had to involve an air cast, which is never a good sign, and immediately taken to a hospital.
Yeah, it's awful. The video of teammates reacting was enough to me. Didn't see any any particular injury video or pictures, but just the air cast being invoked. Let you know that this is going to be time and in a contract year for Rondale after he was he's finishing up that rookie contract that came out in the desert and you know, like people's throw out like satellite back or you know, like a guy that's.
Gonna be he was a running back to one point.
Yeah, yeah, but the gadget is getting yards and having production and he could do that, and I wanted to see what it was gonna look like in Atlanta.
Yeah, I thought it would be good for him to be in for lack of a better word, just like a more normal offense. And they're thin at wide receiver. Anyways, I thought he was the solid three, and then there's a pretty big drop off behind Drake London, Darnel Mooney and then More and so that it's devastating for More and It's also something that the Falcons front office and coaching staff will have to address just quickly, just a couple of items before we get to the fantasy draft.
Really looking forward to that. Connor Williams, the center who last year was with the Dolphins, ended up signing with the Seahawks. Much needed for that team. Justin Simmons is visiting the Saints. We'll follow up on that if that deal actually happens, but that would be a nice move for New Orleans Titans. Starting guard Sadeek Charles retired, you young man, And they've had a bad couple of weeks Titans, just in terms of surprising absences. DeAndre Hopkins obviously had
that injury. They lost Ardent Key to a suspension. Chaudobi o Wuzie has been out all of camp, so not great news for the Titans in general.
Yeah, it's a rough in all season with a lot of excitement, especially considering the nuke news and now we're worried about up front.
It got a second year quarterback. It's tough.
I think he's in he's like twenty six, twenty seven years old, and yeah, coach Brian Callian said he was really surprised by it, but this happens in training camp. Player he came in. He just said football is not for him anymore. The Lions and Giants are fined two hundred thousand dollars each. It's a lot of money for all their fights the other day of practice. The NFL is trying to discourage fighting even though coaches encourage fighting.
I thought that was interesting. That's a new wrinkle.
And then I just want to say rest in peace to Dwayne Thomas, who holds an interesting place in football and Dallas Cowboys' history because he was an electric young running back when he came on to that team, but he also held out for more money and sort of had a holdout at a time when that was was crazy in the NFL, just looking for anything. And also, I know think of him because he was a subject of a really good book by doctor Z Paul Zimmerman.
It was called Dwayne Thomas and the End of the Cowboys Era, I believe, and it provided an interesting look at a unique player, and it had a story in it that always stuck with me that the voters voted him Super Bowl MVP. And then because at the time
Super Bowl MVP was sponsored by a magazine. It was called Sport Magazine, and the editor of Sport Magazine was worried that when Dwayne Thomas accepted the award later in the offseason at the banquet and the free car that came with it, that's a big deal for these players who were making like twenty thousand dollars a year, that he was going to fly off the handle or something. So he just made an executive decision and in the moment handed the award to Roger Staubach who went eleven
for nineteen for like one hundred and seventeen yards. And to Stobek's credit, he has went out of his way publicly to say that should have been Dwayne Thomas's award over and over. So rest in peace. Dwayne Thomas an interesting guy. Do like to think about the history of the game.
Yeah, And it's unfortunate because there's a media environment that would probably be more a lot more understanding and accepting of Dwayne, who was an outspoken athlete, especially black athlete in the early seventies called Gilbrd a liar said Tom Lander was a plastic man, and ultimately that level of honesty and access, you know, he had some trouble. He got racially profiled. They found some weed in the car. Right,
It's a familiar story. But the way that the perception of him went out by a media that was not very friendly, I do wish that, you know, a lot of these guys had a different opportunity in a media environment that would accept them a little bit.
Yeah.
So he had that rookie just outstanding season, and then in the offseason, like I mentioned, he wanted to renegotiate and that just didn't happen at the time, and called Tom Landry the plastic man. Oh, it takes a gots to call Tom Landry the plastic ban in nineteen seventy one. But if you dig underneath the hut a little bit, there was a lot of similar criticism about Tom Landry back in the day. As great a coach obviously as he was. To rest in peace, Dwayne Thomas and this
one little thing how housekeeping here? Patrick, Okay, before we get to the fantasy draft, I want Randy Eric's back from paternity leave to throw up on the board, our our graphic here, our team deep dive board, because I've heard from the fans they're mad, Hawaii.
You spend so much time on the LA team.
Oh, you're always talking about the Eagles, and so we've created a board. We're gonna go deep on all thirty two teams at some point. It's going to take a while. We can't do this all in a week. And you'll see on the YouTube show we've highlighted I don't know what color that is because I'm colorblind.
It's great, it's a high I thought it was yellow.
See, and that's where frankly, you guys are being insensitive. And yeah, we've highlighted the teams that we've already taken care of what we've done five so far, so twenty seven to go looking forward to that, but we'll do it throughout the course of the season so everyone feels like they get, you know, the right cum.
All are better than because I would have left I would have left the team off just gas lit somebody I know.
I was like, should we highlight the Bengals. We did kind of do it with Nick Wesseling, but that was more personal talk early on. No, Bengals will get their time, all right, We're gonna have our time with Marcus Grant and Mike f Florio, fantasy experts around here along with Clayband Don't Sleep by claybon As a fantasy.
Expert of Proximity to Greatness, including right.
Now mock Draft coming after this.
Oh yeah, we're back on the NFL Daily and I'm excited. The studio, the Chris Westling podcast studio is as full.
As it's been in weeks.
We've now got the Fantasy crew has joined Patrick Claybah and I'm Marcus Grant and Mike f Florio.
Welcome to NFL Daily.
Thanks for having us.
Yeah, I'm glad to be.
I love this music.
It's it's like an off Brand's sixties James Bond spy thriller.
Like yeah, it could also be a game show, it could be a fantasy draft.
It's a Jim Coalis is the character.
I love it.
I love how much you guys have taken fantasy at the NFL to another level. Like Florio's hair here, I'm oh man just trying to separate himself even more from the other.
Mike Florio, I actually forgot.
I called you, Mike Florio, saying you were coming up on the show, and people were like, you gotta say, Mike f Florio.
I mean, I don't care, but the other.
It's confusing if he didn't know anything about fantasy what you have to say? So, yeah, of course you can check out the Fantasy podcast asked that we do. And Fantasy Live is gonna be coming up sooner than later, and Patrick's involved in that.
Monday, August twelfth is when we start back up.
Yeah, great programming, and yeah, this is gonna be fun. So I thought what we'd do is a mock draft. I've done very little fantasy prep so far, so this game, I made a little shakeboard that Patrick is cheating off, and you know, in the interest of time, we're gonna do something a little different here. We're gonna pick an entire starting group of skill position players, so quarterback, two running backs, three wide receivers, and a tight end and that's it.
And there's just four of us. So we'll go around seven times.
We're gonna put one minute on the clock each time, and you know, we'll talk about the picks and try to give some analysis and something extra. Marcus, don't just sit there and oh no, be silent. I will participate.
I'm excited about it. I will participate, all right.
So we randomized this before we started taping and it's gonna sound like the fixes in, but I got the.
First people can understand, well.
You know what I want to do. Uh, and we're gonna go. We're gonna go clockwise. So Randy behind the glass, let's let's start here, and I'm gonna go like way off the board anyways of what anyone you guys would take, I'm taking Justin Jefferson.
Oh.
This is one of those things where if you're not watching or paying attention to Fantasy all off season and then you look at the list and like, Justin Jefferson's the sixth wide receiver. I don't get it. Explain it to me, like, I don't care. I think he's the best player in the NFL. I'd rather have a receiver right now than a running back. I'm taking Jefferson.
Yeah, I mean he was on pace in the games he played without Kirk Cousins for two thousand yards last year. Yea, So maybe he is just quarterback proof. But the reason he's fallen where he is is because all those other wide receivers are coming back to the exact same situation and he has a quarterback down grade.
The quarterback downgrade, is is it enough? Right?
Because they give Jefferson.
Jefferson the money, I know that they're gonna flood him with targets. They're absolutely gonna flow them with the targets. The Addison situation probably has an impact in that as well.
I was I'm not worried.
Well don't.
I don't think it's a ridiculous pick. It's just that everybody has sort of been scared off because of Sam Darnold.
That's it.
They'll create passing yards, all right, So that means the minute is up and we're we're going clockwise here.
I'm ope Florio your next. Okay, I'll go with who I would have win at first. Overall, Look, I know a lot of people are expecting me to say see him, see here, but I'm gonna go with CD Lamb because just like you, I want the wide receivers early. We have to start the most of them. So I will take CD there. Okay.
The thing with CD Lamb being so high to me is like, I don't know, I just hate the guy coming off his career year. So just I just pushed back against that almost immediately.
Regression Kim that Greg calling for.
The not regression, but just like going into last year, he wasn't the first overall. So I still like CD and Tyreek just like a little bit better. Maybe AJ Brown.
I get that.
But you know, with all the great things CD did last year, like what's really changed in the Cowboys offense? I mean they still have to lean on it. Now you have Brandon Cooks who's a year older. They don't know who really the number two wide receiver is there, you know. I mean it was such a great offseason they went and brought Zeke back.
He's he's not at training camp. That's different. The running game might be terrible.
One thing that impacted CD's rapt position last year was people bought into this myth that Mike McCarthy was gonna come in and they were the rock baby.
Run the ball at all.
That's a good point, man, A minute goes fast. Really gotta be ready.
Well, I mean, look, you fell all the way to me to three, So I'm gonna I'm gonna take Christian I mean why not. Like, let's look, I get it, he's he's nicked up, he's gonna miss some time. But it's still a guy who's gonna occupy a large portion of one of the best offenses in the NFL.
I'm gonna takem.
I only needed to see that injury where he has a cap strain and he's out for a couple of weeks of practice, and I'm a little spooked, like a soft tissue injury, Like maybe it'll be nothing, it'll be totally fine.
But when there's great other running back.
Options, I actually would not have him for I have him third now among my running backs.
I think the people people who aren't going to draft CMC because of this probably weren't gonna draft anyone anyway. Like I'm more concerned about Trent Williams issues related to CMC than I am. Like it's a calf Christian isn't gonna forget how to play football these next couple of weeks.
Why would Kyle have him do anything?
Which, by the way, it is wild that, you know, nobody's been talking about Trent Williams with all the other things happening.
Right, the most important thing, my son Walker got CMC somehow ninth in a kid's draft, which just proves like it's lying stupid. It was last year. Means are young and dumb.
Those kids are on the podcast, they're in the news. That's why that's why he's falling. Okay, I will take the guy who's on pace to have a billion yards last year and Tyreek Hill Okay, I don't know, Well, hang the fruit.
Yeah he I think he would have a good argument for being first overall. It would be I would be totally fine with that. Maybe you get a little worried. There's not quite as many sixty yard plays in this offense, but.
People, I mean there are and they're like, oh, ceedee, Lamb was the wide receiver one last year. So no, no, no, no, Tyreek Hill was running away with nil. He suffered that ankle injury.
Still wild to think he left Patrick Mahomes and somehow his stats got better.
Right, and he's the number one player in the NFL according to the play players we'll probably voted in Like mid November when I was honking about Tyreek Hill winning MVP, So I think.
You should have if he didn't get hurt.
Yeah, I think right, if they're looking at it from distance from his peers, right, I think I think it was a pretty good case.
Yeah, Like now that Aaron Donald's not anymore, you.
Could also make the case for CMC then too. I don't know where he finished.
But number one right, Oh, in the play best player. I don't know people hating on CMC. Are you are aware? Patrick, it's a snake draft here. You get to get back to back. Oh, you have to be ready, I see you. Kind of easy enough. We're trying to be fair because they're going to put it up on graphics after the show, who had the best team. We can have the listeners and viewers vote on who is best. Maybe we'll even keep track and if if I don't do well, you'll.
Never hear about it again. I'll bring it back up.
Well, snake back to me.
It gives me an opportunity to I haven't been in, but I'm in Bijon.
Let's do it.
Ooh yeah, no, it's it's hard to not be in on Beijon.
I mean what I mean, the biggest thing for all of us is that like Arthur Smith's not there to Galaxy brain this thing, right, yeah, Like I had.
Him one on it was I picked on the clock. I was expecting to have one overall, but it was either him or or Jefferson.
I mean, like there's no there's no chance at suddenly, like Michel Pruitz gonna get goal line carries.
You know this is not gonna happen this year.
No, they didn't like Tyler Algier though.
They were saying in like a little team scrimmage at night that he was getting half the first team reps and he can sit there, uh.
Maybe enough to split hairs between him and another running back who hasn't gone yet. But there's a clear cut top three running backs.
Okay, I don't think there's a secret. I think there's a clear cut top four. So we'll disagree there. But yeah, Bijon didn't do anything his rookie year that got me off my spot of like, this is going to be the best fantasy running back for the next five years in aggregate, even if he's not one every single year.
He the man, and he's got his own mustard out now too.
I feel like we can really Jon's Jon Yep, Yeah, yeah, yeah, I love that sitting right there, all right, right there.
Right there, all right.
So I know we got a couple of we got what three wide receivers off the board.
I took a running back.
I'm gonna go wide receiver here, and for me, the next best available wide out is going to be Jamar Chase look, Joe Burrow's back and healthy again. Those two seem to have some sort of mind meld since their days at LS. You they they're they're even so connected. They both shaved their heads at the same time. That's how, that's how in lockstep they are. I think a healthy Jamar Chase, a healthy Joe Burrow just sort of go destructo on the AFC North this year.
I'm selective about what Camp hype I'm willing to believe in, But for some reason, like Joe Burrow just looking all the way back at Camp, I'm believing in that because Jamar Chase quietly had his best year by far as a rookie, and it does feel like he's kind of due right now to have that career year type of year, and that there's a pig drop off between him and t Higgins. I was the guy who was LIKEE Higgins is almost like one a B but he's.
Really no, he's not. He's gonna have a video game season eventually where he goes for like seventeen hundred yards or whatever that's coming. But uh, I'm picking the other running back there. I said, it's a clear cut top three. Gimme Breese Hall who had one goal one carry last year and it still was the RB two in fantasy football.
That's one where I was surprised when I saw the the average apposition that he's getting so high you get to me, it seems like like a slight projection.
I don't know. He was the RB two last year despite a slow start and the no touchdowns and Aaron Rodgers the bad quarterback situation.
Literally coming back from that ACL repair. And so now he's had a full he's had a full off season, full season. I don't see why. As much as I like, I would love to be, you know, cautious on all things Jets.
But offensive line should be better.
Yeah, he's the one Jet that I feel good about. The rest not so much.
I guess Wilson, I guess he could be freaked out injury wild anyone, but for some reason, because it's happened, more freaked out injury wise about him. And he's very big play reliant, maybe not quite as many like five that is a.
Big play reliant because he makes a big place. The injury thing is what I separate Beijon and Bresee.
This is why they kicked me out of the fantasy community. I think I wrote it without that they're sixth at running back.
I want to know who's in your clear cut top four.
Yeah, I guess we're about to hear we're about.
Maybe I'll take him back to back here, let's go, Well, Saquon would be one place to start, right, Why would he not be? I think people are overthinking it. He passed the eye test last year that he is still very much Saquon running behind in one of the better offensive lines in the league, even though they lost a couple of pieces there in Philadelphia, Like they are gonna have touchdown opportunities.
I think he's gonna catch.
The ball more.
They've been doing that at camp. I don't doubt the talent. Like just such a better situation, I think he's as safe.
As it gets.
I think I think it's sort of ends up being a wash, right, because he's in a much better offense. You mentioned a much better offensive line. The difference is the Eagles won't have to lean on him the way the Giants like he was Giants offense. So it's like we've got to feed him touches like here, you know, they can give him the ball, they can get it to a j Brown, Devanta Smith. I mean they can spread it around a little bit more. So I think that's the difference.
And I feel like we're gonna learn a little bit more about Saquon and the Eagles as well. Because he's not gonna come off the field. There's not gonna be as much rotation at the running back position. So we could see whereas Saquon in the passing game in New York was like, ah, God, what are we gonna do? Literally like this is the only thing we can do with our pass He's good Saquon involved now, I think it's more incorporated.
And everyone's afraid of the toush push stealing touchdowns. DeAndre Swift and Saquon had the same number of goal on carries last year. Even if he's losing some to Jalen Hurts being on a better offense.
You gotta believe in the tout and the situation is great all right. Now, you're not gonna find out who's in my tier because I only have one wide receiver left in my first tier of receivers too, so I'm gonna take him instead. I'm gonna stack some Eagles Saquon and AJ Brown put him on the same team get all.
The Eagles touchdowns.
I just feel like maybe I'm too basic these days when it comes to fantasy that like if they're that good and they're in the middle of their prime, I try not to think about it too deeply that I just can't imagine AJ Brown not having an incredible and dominant season. Whether he's as good or as chased and Tyreek like we'll see. But to me, he's in that tier of wide receivers. Tell me I'm wrong.
He is the most disrespected elite wide receiver because he doesn't go Like in early drafts, it's the top five guys and then like you'll see Bejon and Breeze and then the other start to go, and like I'm always like AJ Brown belongs in that group, Like he's not far behind any of them. And yet he's got a great quarterback. He's got a new OC that could get the most out of him, I believe. So yeah, I'm excited for that.
Make your own less people like this is where I like it. Just take the guys you want. It's not like reality's gonna be a lot, you know, less predictable.
I mean, I won't say disrespected, but I think he's the elite receiver that also has another elite receiver alongside of him, Right, So I think that's the fear.
And also how they finished is going to influence people. If the season ended in week eight, it's like, oh my god, Brown.
Oh wait, you don't like that. The quarterback doesn't respect the head coach. I mean, seems like a mile this year. Who's next? I'm now confusing?
Right, all right, go, so you you left this one on the board there, I'm gonna take the Aria stark of and give me a manro s. We can go out there and and look, you talk about the great year he had last year, then you watch receiver and you're like every body part of his was hanging on by a thread by like week four. So imagine what this guy could be with a healthy foot and a healthy oblique in what we know is going to be one of the best offenses in.
Football, constantly loaded up with targets, always open. The injury concerns, right, he did miss that time, but it's like, that's that's everybody. And that's one thing I've been trying to get out of my vocabulary for the entire If he stays healthy, you can apply that to every person on the planet.
I'm done.
I'm justuse.
I was really I'm looking at this ADP with Claypon and he's going eighth overall.
I really was hoping he falls one wide receiver three less despite the misstime. Eight eight isn't high enough. No, he I have him, This is gonna I have him ahead of Justin Jefferson.
M Yeah, not that crazy, all right, Marcus.
See, now we're a spot where I'm not I'm not in love with anybody at this particular ADP. But I think what I am going to do here, I'm gonna go Jonathan Taylor because I feel like we haven't talked a lot about him, you know, as a fantasy community, Like when we talk about the cold, we've we've been focusing on Anthony Richardson in the rushing upside and can he be another Cam Newton type and on and on
and on. But like, let's not forget who Jonathan Taylor was when he was fully healthy, and to have those two guys in the backfield I think is potentially amazing for this offense. I think he gets a ton of opportunity. I think he scores a bunch of touchdowns. I just feel like he's sort of flying under the radar, if that's possible.
Whenever I do drafts on a podcast, I have immediate regrets. In my first immediate that didn't take Taylor, that I took AJ Brown over Taylor, that.
Was the other running back in my group four.
Because when when you have a guy that used to be going first or second overall in fantasy and everything is geared up because he's healthier now the offensive line for a monster season, and Chris Ballard is like the one guy I'll talk about is Jonathan Taylor is going to have a monster season.
I buy it, And yeah, that's a good pick.
AJ Brown was a good pick as well. Okay, we're mad.
Yeah, let's get another line.
I'll take Jamir Gibbs.
Oh, it's honestly, because people are you could say, the big play criticism, like all these other things. He's having to share time. The time that we saw Jamir Gibbs in his rookie year, I'll take. I'll take that year again, Like I'm comfortable with getting that year again here at this point in the draft, and I'm not.
I'm not even gonna worry about it.
Yeah, they're in the team so much better too. I think he is getting better just as a player. They are a team where it just feels like they can't be better than they were last year. The yards, though, will shake out maybe in a I don't know if a mon Ro can get quite as much as he got a year ago.
I think Jamar Jimier Gibbs can get more now.
Yeah, I just I still worry.
I mean, I like Jimier Gibbs.
I just worry that David Montgomery still exists and he's gonna get a lot of work there in Detroit.
Good and give my guy a break, and he's awesome.
Like Jamiir Gibbs is closer, I think to the rest of these running back who already went Whereas if I just wanted an actual NFL running back for one game, he might be the best running back in the league. Like, I think there's a chance that he's that talented. Uh, we're that talented. There isn't a podcast out there that's giving any better fantasy advice than this right now, well except for Mike. Sorry, but we are going to take a quick break and we'll come back for the grand
finale of this draft. Raft rounds four through seven. We flew through that pretty quick.
We stayed this nimble.
Back on NFL Daily.
Gonna be the second half of the most influential, consequential fantasy draft of the season. If I do well, We're coming back to this and now, if you're watching on YouTube, we're gonna fly up our team so far. You know Eric and Randy behind the glass. You can look at the teams that we have so far. I have an all NFC team justin Jefferson, AJ Brown and Saquon Barkley,
so you can follow along. We'll look at the complete teams at the end of the show, but they're going to roll through them now if you're just catching up. But we are back and it's a snake in the draft here, Patrick, You're up.
Okay.
So I was able to satisfy my running back position. I do want to remind people that, you know, if you're listening to this draft and want to have your actual draft strategy, all the drafts aren't going to be.
This compact and concise.
And ultimately, I like tell and I think talent is gonna overcome a whole lot, and I it's a risk because I need him to overcome a whole lot, but I'll take Davante Adams.
Okay, Okay, that's totally reasonable.
Use Again, volume is king, and if Davante is getting volume, he's getting Buckets's he going to be upset about some balls being thrown to places they shouldn't be? Yes, But another reason he's upset is gonna be it's because he cares not one of the almost get Jimmy up out of there, so somebody had less guy to complain about. Look, I mean, everybody's worried about the quarterback situation, but I'm
with you. He's still one of the most talented receivers in this league, and he's by far going to be the target monster in this offense, and that's mostly what we want.
I had him seventh, that wide receiver, and that was after going to Raiders practice this week and seeing an O'Connell triple pump on every throw, an interception, like every pass. It was not pretty. And yet it's DeVante. He'll get yard, all right.
So I am up, and like Patrick, I have satisfied my running back requirement here, so I'm gonna go back to the wide receiver spot. This is a couple of different options here, but I am going to go with Garrett Wilson at this spot. This is a dude who was, you know, just outside the top twenty five, had over one thousand yards ninety five catches last year with awful quarterback play, and so the expectation being that Aaron Rodgers is healthy. I don't even need Aaron Rodgers to be
like great vintage Aaron Rodgers. I just need him to be even if he's eighty percent of the peak Aaron Rodgers, that's light years better than anything he had last year. And so if he was able to get a thousand yards with that quarterback crew, I'm excited about what.
He can give you with a decent quarterback.
I think he has the perfect recipe for fantasy value because he has the great quarterback, but he doesn't have a great competition kind of thin there, Like is Mike Williams ever gonna really be healthy? I guess he just came off the pup list.
But I like Malachi Corley more than him personally. That's a section I'm up right, Yes, Should I go with the safe pick or no splashlash man, give me Marvin Harrison Woo all right, dang who I have as a top ten wide receiver in MI.
Wow, that's a little I didn't even have him in my top twenty.
Maybe in hindsight, it makes so much sense because myself and Michael Liffalorio firm Kyler Camp yokes, yes, and so to see him with a top tier wide receiver like this, I understand that.
We've seen it already translate when he had d Hop de Hup was routinely like putting up top five, top ten numbers. And I think Marvin Harrison, like, I'm not gonna say rookie year, Marvin Harrison could be d Hop, but he could be de Hop right like the field, he could thrive in the red zone, Like don't I don't see.
I'm very bullish on this off talent and opportunity. I mean, that's all, that's all we're really asking for. You're talking about arguably the most talented receiver in this class, and you talk about Gert Wilson not having a lot of target competition.
I mean, I think he's sneaky, does Jones, Michael Wilson, Trey McBride. I'll ride with those guys and the running backs. I actually think, oh see, more than the Jets.
This is how I know this is how I know that Greg's been out of the fantasy community for a while, because because there's a Greg Dorch hive that has.
George too and Trey McBride like, he's very, very popular the human doorge.
Dave that though you have to, we are required to take a tight end. So I I think he will be drafted.
You're up, I am up. Yeah, you got back to backs. I again.
I'm really regretting the aj Brown pick now because there's like a drop off at running back.
Taylor would have been a better idea. I'm going Puka.
This injury, it's a bursa sack injury, Sean McVay said, which typically is just a one week injury, so that they're being very careful with him. And I know Cooper Cup looks better at training camp, like I was there for a day. You can't based too much on one day. But Puka is gonna be the number one option in this offense. He's younger, he's faster, he's more dynamic. I feel like he is right there with all the wide receivers that we've said so far.
Really after the top three or four, that was gonna be my boring pick Okay, so I went.
Splash dang.
Calling me boring. He's just Pooka. Everyone loves Pooper.
How do you know?
I love the fact and this is has nothing to do with the footballer fantasy, but I just love the fact that Pooka has lived his best life this offseason.
Yes, and lost weight doing it. Like he look his body looks different.
Right, I mean like I'm all here for like, get after it. Man, you had a great rookie season. You live in Los Angeles, like, do your.
Thing, dude. I love it. So is this my pet?
No?
No, I know corrects, it's the It's just we're gonna snake. Thanks Walker, Love you, buddy.
Uh.
I'm going to take the guy you took a quarterback last year.
Walker.
Actually, I'm going to take the first quarterback off of the board. I do think there's a difference between the top couple quarterbacks from the rest.
I'm taking Josh Allen.
I'm not I'm not really buying the mahomes Is back to QB one fantasy idea. I think this is Josh Allen MVP season. I don't care about the weapons around him. He's still at the point in his career where He's gonna have rushing value, especially towards the end of the season. And uh, I feel good about that because I think the other positions they're they're more even with the players that are remaining. I want either Josh Allen or one other quarterback.
But I'll take Josh.
Yeah. I mean, you don't have to tell me I'm the biggest Josh Allen stand there is. But I'm trying to think from a fantasy standpoint here, Like, but.
This isn't a normal draft because we have to fill in all these positions are getting.
They've both finished their running back room, right, So I think I should take a running back here. This draft does create some a little bit of strategy.
Yeah, maybe maybe we should. Uh we should prosilyze more four team leagues.
You know what I will. I will double down on my Kyler Murray love, and I will take Trey McBride as it is. You're gonna take Kyler Murray instant payoff, all right?
All right? I like Trey McBride. He's my tight end one.
I mean, he made he made zach Ertz expendable in Arizona last year.
So between the two of you, Marcus is Floria the one throwing out hotter takes just to get like a little attention. He's like, I got I got McBride, who needs Kelsey.
But here's the thing. McBride was the tight end one with Kyler Murray last year in targets and in fantasy points.
Not a hot tap. I don't think it's a hot take.
Fact, we actually did a tight end ranking spot on around the NFL, and I think we had him as like the number three tight end in the entire Nify reality.
He's that good. He really is that good.
I mean literally he started he got hot last year and zach Ertz is like, yeah, I'm.
I'm a head off.
I'm an even more competition.
So even if he's as good or better, there's just better receivers there then there were a year ago because of Marvin Harrison Junior and even Jay Jones, like a healthy Say Jones, I'm nuts.
But there's more receivers in Kansas City, greg from the Jones. But I love it.
I just seen Say Jones is like a quality rotation receiver when he's out there and he's like a third or fourth. That's a Patrick's mocking me.
No love it.
I do love this Natalie looking down. We run in fantasy. Before you were even alive.
We no longer talk about Za Jones standing up. So that's nice still talking.
Let you wouldn't want to draft Ja Jones in fantasy. I just mean like he's part of a good rotation. Supposedly he's been good at camp.
All right, so I'm looking I still have one more wide receiver spot. I feel good about the tight ends that are left out there, so I'm not gonna do that. But I'm worried that wide receiver's hollowing out. So I'm gonna take Drake London here because I'm very much a Drake London. Stand It's not just me being a USC homer. I mean, I think he's talented and he finally has the quarterback upgrade we've been asking for, right, No more
Desmond Ritters, no more Marcus Mariota's. I mean the fact that we were sort of like, hey man, Taylor, Heineke, maybe that can make like that's that's kind of where we were at some point.
So now it's Kirk Cousins. I'm ready to go with Drake London. I love that I think he's set up.
Unfortunately, we actually talked about it earlier in the show andrey to Rondell Moore, which doesn't sound great.
But that's a thin group even for that.
And I just think this guy, our friend, Matt Harmon, he's been talking up that like he's profiled like a one receiver last couple of years, just hasn't had the opportunity.
Am I on the clock?
Yeah, yeah, it's my clock about to run out. I think we're sometimes we're playing out there. Oh okay, but if you want to go.
I just got excited because I am going to stay the case here and I believe it and I will do so with my pick.
I will take Cooper Cup right here. Oh right right.
I realize I'm I'm leaping a lot of wide receivers, a lot of guys that we think great things about, Nico Collins being one of them. I just feel that Pooka allows Cooper Cup to be Cooper Cup, and he'll be in the slot. He can pile up targets, pile up catches, pile up rack. If we have an injury concern again, I don't care. I have injury concerns about everybody. It's the national football It's the worst thing about it. Yes, I will take Cooper Cup here and feel great about it.
I am not sold that Cooper Cup is still not the ramswad receiver one because last year, I mean was a last year. He had the hamstring injury in preseason. He comes back, he played well, He then had a high ankle sprain that he missed that time in the next two games were weird. But in the games where Cup, Pooka, and Stafford played, they were separated by two targets.
Okay, but what about the yards and touchdowns on those? Like he wasn't the same guy, So that freaks me out. I don't think it's a crazy year.
Part of that. Where's the top two water receiver?
I'd rather have a lave Who's so now I can just throw the names out there because I'm I'm stacked at right receiver DK.
I'd rather have him than Cup. But then I'd probably take Cup.
Okay, all right, you have one more pick, though, Patrick, I have one more pick. You do, and, much of the chagrin of some people sitting at this desk, I will take Kyle.
Pitts second tight end off the start.
I'm in.
Wow, I haven't been in yet. I'm in now I'm in twenty twenty four cowpits.
All right, all right, I mean I I I'm not back inks, I never left. I've been in the whole time, laur and I have been here the whole time. But we're ready to welcome more folks for the band wagon over.
Kelsey, I am Laporta, sure did Andrews, and I'm doing it again.
Would you ride?
Uh?
Yes, oh, I would have tight end won Kyle Pitts love it.
The value of the particular pick does play like I'm not taking either of those guys, like.
Right, we only need to take four tight ends?
Yes, right, right, but yeah, just considering where where I am. I feel great about it, all right, feel good about all right? Uh okay, So that's so. Now it's back to me here. I'm gonna take a tight end. Uh So, I'm.
Gonna interesting the tight ends going before the quarterbacks class.
Yeah, I mean, here's the when you draft, you learned me, you draft with with actual analysts. It's like a game of chicken to see who the first quarterback.
Generally this drafted. It's definitely yeah.
Anyway, I'm taking Sam Laporta mostly because he's the third tight end off the board.
Now.
I mean we talked about Sam Laporter is the first tight end I would have waited in, like gotten a McBride, a Pits, maybe a Mark Andrews. But like we're talking about him as a third tight end in this draft, Like, yeah, I'll take him. He was like he was the number one tight end in Fantasy last year as a rookie. I don't you know, again, the situation and hasn't really changed much in Detroit. Maybe they can't get better, but I don't think they have a major fall off either.
No, and he runs the route that Jared Goff loves to throw the most and is maybe the best in the NFL at throwing. It's crazy. I mean, maybe the greatest tight end rookie season of all time.
Tight Ends did improve a lot. It was the best Fantasy rookie season ever by a tight end.
Mak Good, though, got over it.
He just didn't have He had more guards than the Porter, he just didn't have the touchdowns. I'm up right, yep. Uh. There's a guy who planted my flag on this year, and it's surprising because he's on my team's biggest rival. But Isaiah Pacheco, I think Isaiah Pacheco is about to be a top five fantasy running back, maybe even better this year. Wow, it's a lot of angry running, a lot of He learned how to catch down the stretch last year and that, and now there's no Jarrick McKinnon.
There's I mean, his backups are Clyde Everwards, a lair in a rookie that most of the world didn't know existed before training camp.
Right, got in big picture because I'm the only one that has a running back pick left, and I have no idea who I'm going to take. All these guys seem so similar to me. Again, why I made a mistake not taking Taylor earlier, James Cook, Derrick, Henry Travis, etnn. I would throw Kamara maybe even in that group, Kyrin Williams. I love ramondre still as like a potential difference ken Walker, Like, those are a lot of guys to be who you could make cases for almost any of them over each other.
So maybe it's a year that you wait that round.
Now.
I don't know, Yeah, I mean, I think that's a spot at least for me where I tend to wait. I'll go wide receiver, maybe a tight end and then there's some middle round guys.
I like you.
I like James Cook a little bit later. I like David Montgomery a little bit later, Jalen Warren I like a little bit later. So like, that's kind of a tier of running backs and I'm like, eh, I'd rather not.
But if you do like one of those names, and you get laid into your draft and you don't have a positional need, I think it's just fine, Yeah, to go ahead and grab that guy, because that guy will have incredible value in week five, six, seven, Like that. That may win you your.
League if you believe it can never have too many running backs.
Right, who's up you? Oh? Back to you for two?
Get you.
I gotta one of your guys.
I gotta choose a tight end, and I'm gonna take Dalton Kincaid for a couple of reasons. One to stack Josh Allen with him. That's fun on this team. And two to just like annoy any Chiefs fans out there that yes, Travis Kels is going undrafted.
It just doesn't seem like it's gonna be fun to this year.
I'm a little worried. I'm a little worried.
Could we be worried he's gonna be a tight end too, like whatever, Like yeah, if he had better touchdown.
Look, last year finishes as a Titan one once again.
I mean he's he's gonna be fine, right, Like He's maybe not as great as he once was, but he's still better than your ninety percent of the tight ends out there.
There's like six games every season where it seems like he gets old, And I think that's why we all took guys that are us nding, Like I could see Kincaid going for eleven hundred yards and being there at number one receiver.
You can if you look at the Chiefs last four seasons and add up their playoff games, like eventually if they have another, there's an extra season.
They don't care about regular season, especially like September October. He looked like Chilvis Kelsey in the playoffs. Again.
Though, Okay, I'm just gonna stick with my board stick and pick like Joe Shane likes to do. Somehow decided that where anything happened, I don't know, I'm gonna go James Cook. We got three we got three bills on this team. That's Derrick Henry is another option. But I'm assuming we're going PPR here, and yeah, I think I think between the receiving man, I'm already rethinking et And is so solid, and yet he doesn't get me going. Can I change my pick? Sure, I've changed. I've changed
in midstream. That's too many bills. I'm going Travis Etn. There's like no argument against Travis Etn going this high.
He should go in this draft. You should because he hasn't. He has very little competition in that backfield too. I mean, they keep trying to make Tank bigsby a thing, but I don't think you know, we can't make fetch happen.
I don't think it's gonna work.
Press Taylor did say like the Tank had a horrible start, like as bad as a start as he could possibly be, putting the ball on the ground, not having production. But they they they're still he's still there's still gonna be part of the offense. But he also said he would never put a ceiling on Travessey. Team is gonna.
Get I mean, he's among the only leaders in touches since he entered the league.
And yeah, I feel good.
My team's done.
Yeah, I'm about to get that graphic ready, Eric, We're gonna look at all these teams once we're done.
This is our final round, Florio, who you taking?
I need a quarterback and I'm very tempted to take Kyler to just have the all Cardinals stack. But I'm gonna take a guy that I truly think only Josh Allen and maybe Jalen Hurts rivaling upside. I will take Anthony Richardson there, Okay, oh all right, spicy.
David Richardson for the last round. Yeah, I guess only four quarterbacks.
I'm very interested to see who doesn't get drafted at quarterback. He's he's the upside play. He's also maybe be the best ball play too.
Like I if he is if he stays healthy, I truly think it's it's Allen and Hurts are the only ones that match his upside because he can give you the double digit rushing touchdowns but also run for a thousand yards, which hurts an All I mean Lamar, but Lamar doesn't get the rushing touchdown, okay.
In an in an offense that held Gardner Minshew above the water for a significant amount of time and eventually.
And got better pass catchers now too.
The coach just the Stike in effect seems real when you look at what's happened with the Chargers and then the Eagles and then the Colts the last we believe seven years. Yep, all right, so I need a quarterback here. I'm gonna say, I'm gonna I'm gonna make Patrick angry. Yeah, I'm taking that's gonna be so happy.
I thought about it, like, there's nobody else that I really super like in a four team draft like that, I really super love. Like if I want to be really spicy, I could have been like, oh, Straud and not spicy, like ID with you really spicy?
I've been like Jayden Daniels. Oh, I would have been spicy.
I'd have been crazy spicy, like you want to fourteen Alas, go spicy? Huh spicy, Let's go jadon Dane, whoa mostly mostly only only basically just Lamar is a better pick.
It is, but this most objectively, he's a better hectvely.
This is mostly to make a point though, because if we're talking rookie rookie quarterbacks right in a one year situation, I'm taking Jade and Daniels over Caleb Williams. If we're talking dynasty. Kay Club is the guy. So this is so consider this like a protest pick, a point baker flag planting pick.
So like, if you guys are what about.
In a four team draft where the listeners vote on who has the best team though, and I probably would have stayed with Lamar Jackson. Yeah, I mean I think you guys are crazy. I mean he Hurts and Josh Allen are you know or one and two.
And goat right now is not going to get drafted our current.
Go Well, we don't know that the very last pick of the draft, he has a quarterback available.
Yeah, if Marcus had this is stuck with his pick, then I would be drafted by Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs.
I will not be I'll be drafting Lamar to Beatrice Jackson. It bothers me. Jalen Hurts wasn't picked in this draft, but I get it.
Yeah, four quarterback, I's gonna lookt my like, what are you doing with Jayden?
Well, just like that is a truck on the goal line. Like people are overly worried that the tuch push isn't going to exist. Doesn't matter, He's still going to be one of the best goal line, your running backs in the.
League or quarterbacks.
Yeah, and the offense is going to be better, especially than it was towards the finish of the season. And I'm just I'm ultimately banking this Lamar pick that there will be an overall offensive improvement with Derek and not just that Derek's taking rushing touches, because again, like Lamar wasn't running the ball in the end zone a whole lot anyway, So I'm completely with it.
Yeah.
Well, and yeah, the least surprising development of the day. Patrick ended up with what we love about Patrick, He's consistent.
Let's look at our final teams.
Eric Roberts, who's back from paternity leave, is working hard on these graphics. We're looking at Team Rosenthal and and again yes, go go on our YouTube page subscribe, like you can see my team Josh Allen, saquon etn Jefferson, Brown, Pukinakua and Kincaid.
I like that. It's a frisky team. My rule of thumb is always like target good offenses. And you did exactly that.
Well, I mean, oh, okay, actual teams. Yeah, yeah, I hope you're trying to fantasy football. Florio has got Richardson, Breist Hall, Pacheco, Ceedee, lamb Amon Ra Harrison and McBride. A lot of a lot of projection from the spicy taking.
That's what I say. What's projection there? Besides besides just the.
Last two guys, the cardinal, that's it. Let's look at all right.
Marcus thangs with an asterisk because I'm just taking a point here.
But the rest of it, I love the rest of it. I love that's a strong team.
McCaffrey, Taylor, Chase Roston, Drake, London Laporta. But you know, to be real, this is a four team draft. Your team better be strong you're starting, or else you're doing something wrong. Finally, Patrick clay On, the host of Fantasy Live, Lamar Jon, Jamir Gibbs, Tyreek Hill, Cooper Cup Devontine.
Got a real he's got he's got some youth a running back, but he veteran presence in the wide receis.
These guys have run some routes they've seen.
I love my team, but if I could choose another team, this would be the team.
So sorry to these men over here.
That's all right now.
I clearly like explosive running backs and guys who you know are taking taking supplements you.
Know in a real life game. If these teams were to play, Patrick Seams wins.
That does feel like it. Thank you guys for joining. You can check out the NFL Fantasy Football Podcast. You must be back a couple of times a week. At this point, we.
Are twice a week, and then NFL Fantasy Live starts Monday, August twelfth.
Check your local listings for times.
Look at that.
We still have television shows NFL Network where you check your local listing. Patrick Canave be back by the way with game debut later this I'm excited. I know it's gonna be any so Patrick, Marcus Glorio, I'm Greg Rosenthal.
We'll see you next time.