Wow, everybody, It's Tuesday, March fourth, twenty twenty five.
Welcome to the NFL Fantasy Football Podcast. So we're open to the franchise tag. It's me your Man, MG. Marcus Grant, joined by Michael f. Florio and Lakwan Jones. Happy Tuesday, fellas. Yeah, why you got You gotta be looking. I know we're gonna get into this. You have to be feeling pretty good about about how your football weekend went.
It's quiet.
It's a quiet timeline now of the same annoying thing going on and on and on. So we are in good spirits today.
All right, that's good. That's good Florida. That much happening with the Bills. I would imagine, you're are you all Mets out here? You're sort of you're sort of you're Mets. You're Mets focused right now, I would think, right, yeah, all.
Right, now, Look, I love the Bills, but right now it's it's Mets and Knicks that have my attentions. So the Knicks plane, Look, I know everyone wants to poopoo them, but this is their best season in two decades. And the Mets have Juan Soto and he wants to be a met So. I know we were talking before about all the players the Dodgers have and it's gonna be very funny year for you guys. But I'm happy with just Jan Soto.
Look is worth a lot. So yeah, I'd be happy with one soda.
Three quarters of a billion.
The Knicks are forty and twenty. They're in the third spot in the East.
Yeah that's good man.
Yeah, no, it's legit.
I have a Nick fan friend who hates them. He's like, they're not going to win anything this year, and I'm like, dude, they're double the amount of wins in law, Like, enjoy it.
That's what dude, gez. Yeah, dude, rings culture has ruined all of us.
Man, it is the worst.
It is the worst. We got a lot to go through on this show today. A lot has happened since the last time we talked to all of you. We will talk some free agency because we were about a week away from the legal excuse me, open negotiating period for free agency, and do a quick wrap up of the combine which happened this past week in Indianapolis, which, by the way, I mean talk about this this negotiating period.
I know it's supposed to open officially next week. If you don't think some of that went on in Indianapolis last week, I would like to sell you some beachfront property in Scottsdale.
So no one would ever do that, Marcus, I know right, nobody.
Nobody would ever do that. Let's dive in with some news, because there has been a lots of news happening. In fact, there were things that I sort of left out just for fear of this thing getting way too long and out of control. The first one, at least the one most recent, is the Bengals have said they will apply the franchise tag to T Higgins for a second straight year and the two sides will try and work out
a longer term deal. I believe they have until mid July to actually come to an agreement on something, so they do have a little bit of time to try to work some things out. But in the meantime, Florida means the band is back together in Cincinnati, Joe Burrows there, Jamar Chase's T Higgins is coming back as well. Not to mention that this is one big free agent wide receiver piece off the board. So now that we know this, how early are you drafting T Higgins. Can he creep into the second round?
Well, first, how much help does Joe Burrow need of I just wanted to give it a hard time to but I probably am not taking T. Higgins in the second round. And I was a little shocked to see that in early rankings on Fantasy Pros he's wide receiver thirteen, Like he's going ahead of Lad mcconkee. I wouldn't do that. I understand how good he was when he played this year, but he is someone that you kind of gotta expect
to miss sometime. That's just kind of who he's been and prior to this year, he was always good to be like a solid wide receiver two, like somewhere in that like wide receiver eighteen to twenty four range. So that's where I'm more comfortable taking him. Like if he fell to the third round, like probably mid to late third round, I'd be in at that price. But I feel like this year, look, everything went right for the
Bengals offensively. I know they didn't make the playoffs, but like Burrow went off, Chase went off, Higgins was going off when he was out there. But we've seen numerous seasons prior to this where like this isn't they don't get the high end results. So I don't want to chase last year and pay up and be like this is a guarantee that they're gonna go off like this again, because it's in the range of outcomes. But so is
them doing what they've done in past years together. I think a lot of it comes down to their defense, Like what is their defense going to force them to have to try to throw the ball fifty times a game like they kind of were having to do this past the season, or is it gonna be a little bit better and they're able to run the ball more and stuff like that. So I like T Higgins. I thought he was a value this year, but next year it feels like you're going to be paying up for his ceiling.
I mean, LQ in the mock draft we did a couple of weeks ago, you got T Higgins fourth pick in the third round, one pick right after Ladd McConkey. Do you think that price stays there?
That probably should stay there. It's probably not. And I do like T Higgs in the third round rather than the second round, because again you have to have that expectation he's gonna miss games. It's been a while since he's had a full season, but he's not satisfied. He's not paid yet, So I don't think he's going to be you know, that happy, go lucky, one hundred million
dollars you know wide receiver out there. I think he's gonna put his head down, continue on grind and kind of just protect hisself in the sense of like this franchise tag it could hurt him the following season. Say he gets hurted this season, he's not going to cash in as big as he could have been, even though he missed some games this past year.
So hopefully they get a deal done.
There's a way that they can get Jamar Chase satisfied to be the biggest paid wide receiver. Then there's a way that they can mess with the cap and get T Higgins signed as well. But you will probably have to go let go your Lee Sacker and Henderson. So it's like, I really feel like, you know, Hendrickson, I should say, I feel as though like your defense is going to be bad with him or without him, So
move the guy on defense. Get T Higgins paid and locked up, so we can have this you know, shot back at the Super Bowl, and I think that, you know, the Bengals have the best opportunity with T. Higgins on their team, and fantasy managers had the best opportunity to get back to the Big Dance herself.
If T.
Higgins is locked in, happy and paid, the three of us are going to be playing defense for the Bengals next year.
I call linebacker. I don't want to be into trending.
I'll brush up on my back pedal and that sort of thing. To your point, though, Higgins has played just twelve games in each of the past two seasons. You know soye. Injuries have been an issue for him in the last couple of years. Has not hit a thousand yards since twenty twenty two. But the ten touchdowns go a long way toward making you fantasy relevant, sort of as he was last year.
But as you always say, Mark, his fickle beasts.
Touchdowns are fickle beasts. They are. I'll all say this, He's never had fewer than five in a season, so in that respect, he seems to be fairly consistent. But yeah, ten, Yeah, that's asking a lot to do him back to back seasons.
Not a second round pick like that, That's that's wow. That's kind of expensive, like you're going to be missing out on some good guys.
Going ahead of Terry McLaurin.
I'd rather Terry personally.
So speaking of wide receivers and speaking of Terry McLaurin, I'm gonna do this out of order from what it is on the sheet. The Yeah forty nine Ers have traded Deebo Samuel to the Washington Commanders for a fifth round pick. Now full disclosure. I was visiting some friends in Arizona, went to a couple of Cactus League went to our Cactus League baseball game, but we were at the bar having some adult beverages when the news broke and I was surrounded by several forty nine er fans.
Not a total surprise. I mean, the chatter had been happening for a couple of days that Washington was heavily involved and very very interested. I think for a lot of forty nine er fans, the general response has been, you know, hey, look, Deebo gave us some very good years. We appreciate your contributions to the franchise, and we wish
you well in DC. I think it's you know, I think I think a lot of forty nine er fans sort of understood that, you know, the the clock is sort of run out on debo with the with the franchise. I don't think anybody's upset. They appreciate everything he did, you know, and very curious to see what he does
in Washington. Speaking of the commanders, Tho lakwan. When you look at this offense now Jayden Daniels obviously a stud in his rookie year, we know what Terry McLaurin can be by I think we've all said on this show too that he needed a little bit of help, He needed somebody to kind of take the pressure off him. On the other side, what does this mean now having Tyshon Samuel in Washington, Well.
It means a couple of things. One, do you get help for Terry mclauren, Like this is great news for Terry. I mean you have a decoy and you have a wide receiver two that can draw enough attention for Terry to go out there and still be Terry mclauren that
we known and love. More so, looking at Deebo himself as a fantasy asset, I could see him as like a low En wide receiver too, maybe a wide receiver three, he will need the best off season type of workout video for me to be for him to be motivated, and conditioning is back on par because he was looking kind of thick at that at that Super Bowl with that Eagles jersey on. So I don't know if we
get that explosiveness out of debo again. No, I really feel like you said that, you know the time is out, man. That's why I think the forty nine ers were okay to move on even though his yards after to catch per reception, we're up there, you know, eight point three yards. It's fine, but it's more so like we want Deebo who was exploding for those twelve extra yards, exploding out of that backfill as a running back. We haven't seen
that in a very long time. So I don't know if that happens in Cliff Kingsbury system as well, because we have yet to see him coexist two wide receivers other than a decoy Andy Isabella being a guy that takes the attention off of the main guy. So until Cliff Kingsbury gets a little bit more creative with two wide receivers, that's when you know I'll buy into the debo hype train.
All right, man, look, I get a Debo is not where he was. Let's not. Let's not put him with Andy Isabella. Let's not. Hey he might be, let's live might look at him.
You look familiar, Man, I know.
I know he's not the same dude he was two three years ago. He I would still take him over Andy Isabella any day of the week.
Kingsbury saw him up close and personal twice a year too.
Yeah, that's true. That is true. So right now I'm looking at fantasy pros. Deebo is the wide receiver thirty seven at this point, I'm trying to see where he went in our mock draft a couple of weeks ago. But I mean, Floria. You know I've said this plenty of times. Deebo is that guy who in San Francisco. Aside from the one huge year, he had always better in real football than he was in fantasy football because
he was so volatile. Does it feel like the rest of the fantasy world has sort of caught up to that?
Yeah? I think everyone, because we had that one crazy season, like you said, and like half his production came as a running back then, and I gave him so much credit that year because it like really felt like he was just sacrificing his body on a weekly basis to the entire team on offense ran through Deebo Samuel, but we really haven't had that since and a lot to la Quant's point, like I'm excited for this move, but not really for Deebo, but more for what it means
for the pieces that I was already excited about. Like say what you will about Debo, I do think he's an upgrade over Noah Brown and Diami Brown, like like you now have someone that defenses at least need to respect. Plus he's a better yat guy than even Terry McLaurin, like any weapon Jaden had last year, So that's another
new weapon. Where one thing I noticed with Jaden two is like people were saying like, at times he held the ball a little bit too like look, I think he played flawlessly as a rookie, but people were like, yeah,
he missed some guys in the flat or whatever. I think this year, when you have someone like Debo and you know, hey, I could just dump this off right here and he's gonna take this eight yards, ten yards, get me a first or close to it, like that's gonna slowly but surely add up for his passing yards.
But even more so, like you have to worry about Jaden running, you have to worry about the backfield combo right now Brian Robinson and Austin Eckler, and now you have to worry about Debo getting involved as a runner
or short catch and run. Teams are gonna have to load up near the line of scrimmage more, which is going to create a lot more opportunities for Terry McLaurin to win downfield, I think, which is why when this trade happened, I was like I could see people maybe dinging Terry, not much, just a little bit being like, oh there's more target comp or whatever. But I think this is a good thing, and I'm still firmly all in on that.
Jade and Terry stack Jayden Daniels already kind of the consensus QB three there's no chance. Yeah, he's not getting up to two right, Like three is no, no, no, Dia Lamar Jackson, is what I'm asking you.
Or Josh or Josh Allen or yeah no not Josh Josh to me like wait, wait wait, you would take him over to Lamar?
You kind of pause it on Lamar, Let's look like you no, no, no, no, no no, don't get this all messed up.
I'm just thinking, like if I wouldn't be as upset if the pick right before me was Lamar, Like all right, Jaden, you know cool, or if it was Jayden right before me, I'll take Lamar like it wouldn't be like such a fuss, you know. Like That's how I'm trying to explain it.
All right, but so wait, so Josh, is your QB wanted? That's what I'm taking away from this, Yes, in the joy of four wheels face right now, because because I want like when we did a rankings, you had Lamar one, right.
Yeah, but those are interchangeable to me, man, like whatever you want it to look like on paper, like you completely agree you're Lamar one.
I'm not gonna be like, oh my god, you're crazy, like you know, like it is what it is. I'll take whichever one goes last.
Yes, exactly, like which everyone's still there, that's the one. That's the one I'll take. I'd be happy with it, I mean, on the flip side, though, obviously no more debo In San Francisco, the Niners reportedly are open to trading Brandon Ayuk as well. I don't know the the very excellent Victoria Zeller. You can find her on Blue Sky. There's a lot of great football stuff. I thought her tweet about it was the best of the like, you know, like, all right, man, either do this or don't like but
stop making it our problem. You know, like we went all through a whole offseason of like Brandon Ayuka might get traded in him with facetiming with Jade and Daniels and all this kind of stuff, like if you're just either do this or don't, but just stop stop involving us.
I did love the NFL being like Jayden went to a forty nine Ers game or camp last summer. It was like, well he wasn't there for Debo like he was there for Brandon Ayuk.
But okay, let's let's just game this out right. We know Deebo's gone. Let's just say they finally move on from Brandon Ayuk. I mean, Florida, what does this mean? I mean, look, they're all in on trying to re sign Brock Purty to a deal. We saw Ricky Pierce all at times, we saw Juwan Jennings have some really big games. I mean, what does this mean for the Niners. I mean it feels like everybody takes a step backwards. Though right I'm.
Worried about Deebo taking a step I'm sorry, party taking a step back if both Deebo and I yuker gunn because last year with those guys out, like Purdy wasn't the same guy that he will, at least fantasy wise that he was two years ago. And he had a lot of games with less than two passing touchdowns, which he was like super consistent with the year prior. So I do think it has a big effect on Brock Purdy. But I'll say this like Juwan Jennings will get hyped up.
But Ricky Piersoll is one that I'm really excited for, and I don't think I'm the only one on this show, but he is, like I think all three of us agreed at the draft. Last year was like year one is just kind of for him to get acclimated. Year two is when Kyle Shanahan is gonna have a lot of fun with this guy. He can play in the slot, he could play out wide, he could win after the catch, he could win downfield. There's really nothing Pearsall can't do
on a football field. He's also the only one it was like point two of his snaps, but he was the only other wide receiver other than Deebo Samuel to take any stap out of the backfield last year. So maybe that's something he can have in his game. And let's not forget he was like shot.
Shot last year.
Yes, like he's you gotta imagine like he's gonna be much better in year two. So I think Juwan Jennings might be the one that gets hyped a little bit more, but Piersall is really the one I'm excited about.
Yeah, I mean you were saying like he you know, it took a rookie year to get acclimated. I was like, I was hoping you were gonna mention the part where he also got shot. Yeah, because that's there's definitely so that's you come back from just a little bit of something. Yeah, I'm curious to say I'm with you on Piersall. I think he's gonna be the guy that everybody wants in this offense, at least wide receiver wise. You know, I'm curious to see what what Jawan Jennings price is going to be.
They're definitely drafting a wide receiver. So that's why I think they're open to restart because I think it's going to be gold whatever wide receiver land in this draft, being that it's deep, you know, quote and unquote. But I feel as though anybody that gets into Kyle Shanahan's offense, they're going to be able to produce. So if they're open for Eyeuk to get out of the way so they can open up some cat for Brock, I would be on forward.
Do it.
Do it because you got some good pieces there.
I'm sure you would be.
I'm still not lying.
I'm that serious as of as of this moment. Jwan Jennings, by the way, still wide receiver forty nine. I'm right now right, I'm curious to see, like give it a week or two and sort of see how things play out. Ricky Piersall's wide receiver fifty three, both of those are going to go up.
Yeah, if they trade AU, can you please send them to the Patriots, Like that's that's my one request.
Yeah, that's what I thought about you when I saw the T Higgins franchise tag. Things I know that you were sort of hoping that maybe he goes to New England as well. Up by the way, I just see some some breaking news no way coming through. I've this per Adam schefter. I don't know if I can say that out loud. Just did the New York Jets are releasing Davante Adams? Oh?
I mean that was obvious.
Yeah, I know that was sort of the talk that if they couldn't figure out a trade for him, that they were going to release him. It appears they could not find a trade partner.
So I love when NFL teams say this, like listen, if we can't trade the guy that if we trade him for you, you're gonna have to pay him forty million. We're just gonna release them and you could sign up or whatever you want. Like what is jeez? Oh okay, negotiating one O one right?
Right? So there you, Devontae Adams is gonna be a free agent. So another wide receiver name to throw out there. We'll talk wide receivers in free agency next week.
Tom Pellisaro has it too, so we can say that.
There's Tom peli Saro reporting that DeVante Adams be released.
Safe man, I know you might get a Starbucks or something like that. Starbucks.
Bro, I'm a coffee being guy. So it's fine. We're all good.
Oh, okay, you're safe.
The other, the other big figure for this past weekend and the Rams in Matthew Stafford, have agreed on a new contract. Look, I don't know that anybody really truly believe that Matthew Stafford was leaving, right, Like, Oh, have you been on Twitter? No? Actually I know, I honestly actually have not good.
Man, good Man, because I was screaming in silence of just like what are you guys talking about? Like you guys are serious, Like you guys are reporting this at this this is a real thing. Like no, they would never listen, need would never.
It's one of my favorite things in sports where the fans of the team are like, oh, the worst thing is gonna happen, and every other fan of another team is like, he's gonna end up there. Just make it happen already. See, I'm not a delusional Rams fan. I'm so realistic.
Like I came on the same podcast telling you the never draft Tiler me in fantasy get rid of camp Makers. I'm telling you the truth that Okay, Cooper Cup is at his end. We need to move on because this draft they have some wide receivers that can plug and play and get us back to the big dance.
Did you hear mcveigh's quotes on Cup where he was like, I'm never gonna say ever, he will never see that.
That is the man of the cultureman and McVeigh we trust, like, I'm so serious at this, but this whole Stafford thing just blown out in proportion. It's like, I want to get paid what I deserve. Okay, we get that, we don't have money. Can you wait until we move things around?
Yes?
And no, but I'm gonna go see the marks and he gives me. But there was nowhere he was going to go nowhere.
There's really there really was nowhere legitimately that he could have gone where he was in the Swiss successful or he could have been as successful as he would be with the Angry You know, I do think you know, ninety percent of the population football population was like, he's going to be in LA next year and so here it is. That's done. So look understanding what Matthew Stafford brings to the football field and to the actual team
versus what he brings in fantasy. I'll let Lakwan, you know, cool off a little bit before I ask him anything. So Florio, is Matthew Stafford still a top fifteen fantasy quarterback?
I think he'll finish top fifteen. I'm not sure he gets drafted as top fifteen because you know, as fantasy players or suckers for upsides, so like he could easily finish over like my boy Drake may Or. I know, like Lakwan, you love bon Nicks, and we all like Caleb, like these young guys. Even Anthony Richardson right now is
ranked ahead of him on Fantasy Pros. But that's chasing upside to me where I think, if you want Matthew Stafford, you should pair him with one of those other upside quarterbacks. Because Stafford, as great as he is, he doesn't bring that that hot, super high ceiling on a weekly basis. What he is more of is a very steady floor. So you know what you're gonna get out of him,
you don't really have to worry. So you can kind of set that with someone like a may or a Williams, or if you want to do the Richardson thing again, pick your favorite upside quarterback. Then you kind of cover your bases because you have someone that if they hit, they'll become your weekly starter and like maybe have the upside to be top ten if not higher, and if all else fails, you have a very safe and reliable
Matthew Stafford that is gonna put up. Look, you don't want to start on the first month of the season. Lakwan could kind of speak about this little starts they've been having, but after that, you're gonna have a rock solid quarterback.
Yeah, no, I mean I think that's I think that's that's pretty fair there. So Lakwan does this cement Puka is the one dot one for you?
We are back, baby, Yes it does.
It's in stone.
I'm starting to see others fall along, you know, understanding like he could be a triple Crown winner this year. Man, I just agree.
Wait wait, others have him won.
Others are starting to creep on the fantasy streets of saying that they got him at one, which is fine, and I feel as though now there's more reality that this triple crown is on.
The table for as long as he stays healthy.
We're looking at Pooka that could beat Man coverage. He could be zone coverage. He is hard to bring down the Yack monster. You have an elite IQ and a quarterback, a Hall of Famer, one of the best number one picks in the last fifteen years. You're looking at Matthew Stafford and Puku nakub being set up on a platter of like, oh, this is going to be fantasy gold.
So I'm going to be stomping for the rest of this draft season, rest of the summer that Pookah's one oh one, Like it's just what it is, what it is.
I would like to see them get a little bit of help for Pooka. I mean because at least you know, when when Cooper Cup had his triple crown season, you know there were options, there were other options out there for Stafford to throw the football to. I mean, look it just I did you see somebody to take some attention off, right? I mean, they have Robert I know it wasn't the best Robert Woods season the year he
did that because he was hurt. But they also brought in Odell you know, midway through that season.
Which looked good.
I just wish we had the whole collective of Odell.
Cup Odell was actually starting to come to life. Unfortunately he got hurt in the Super Bowl, which was frustrated. He was going to be the MVP of that game the way that game was going. The way the game was going, he absolutely would have been so like I tell all, I would just like to see somebody else come in there, just to take some pressure off. Like I'm not sure that DeMarcus Robinson, as much as your son seems to think he and I are the same person, I just don't think he's going to be that guy
next year. So that's something cleared that up. All Right, very good, very good, last little bit of news here we can. We don't have to spend a lot of time on this, but Raheem Morris says he wants to see quote, the best version of Kyle Pitts in twenty twenty five.
I laugh when I saw this.
Yay, ornay, Are y'all back in on Kyle Pitts? No, not at all, Like we just lost over for a second, like he just did he just rape? Did he just rage quit the podcast like all of a sudden, like his camera went off and he just went away, Like I don't know what happened.
He did this.
Oh my god, this is the great. I hope he was a technical I hope it was not a technical glitch. And he really just rage quit the podcast just because of the but you're you were you were saying, you're not You're not.
Going back in on no no, no man. I saw this and I kind of laughed because I'm like, wow, this seems like the same report that we saw.
Oh he's back.
Did you? Did you rage quit the podcast? After that?
I think my wires sensed the rage in me. I'm gonna disconnect because I'm like, welcome to the club, Rahie Morris. We've all wanted for four years now.
Yes, Oh my gosh, So.
Are you are you officially? I mean I know last year you you let go of the rope? Are you? Are you still out or is it like an ADP thing, like where are you right now?
On this? So I expected to be out, Like I went on Fantasy Live last year and was like, look I every at the end of each season, I've been like, I'm not quitting Kyle Pitts. But this year was very different. But he's He's ranking of Fantasy Pros and now was tight ended. Sixteen sixteen I've been telling you, I'm kind of at the point where if I don't get one of the top tight ends, I'm just gonna punt he is a perfect position, grab him in another upside tight
end or whatever, and hope one hits. Like I'm gonna get sucked back in at this cost, I know.
I mean, my thf was like, yeah, no, I can't do this for Heemorris, I can't do it, and like I just looked at like the ADP. I'm like, I.
Feel like there's gonna top ten.
I'm out, Yeah, height in sixteen.
Let's go behind Hunter Henry right now.
Look, I feel like Kyle Pitts is like that one show that started off with a bang, like it's just so good and you're hooked, and then the second season it was like disappointing, but you're like, eh, whatever, and season three buys you back in, like this is you, this is where you're at. Season three, it buys you back in because you're chasing at I got the perfect show for you. You're chasing season one hype and you're like, oh, I'm so bought back in and then it gets weirder and oh, I know what.
You're gonna say, I know what you're gonna say.
This is a Jersey Shore reference that we're making. We doing another Jersey Shore thing right now? Is that what's happening Jersey Shure?
But another show could be compared to it, like this show you on Netflix because I just oh, okay, I'm like, I like you, but they're advertising for season five.
I am not buying in.
This is Kyle Pitts. I am not buying into season five to U show like it's happened.
I think all Netflix shows are like Kyle Pitts because they go so hard season one that season two they're like, uh what and like it never lives up to the hype man.
Well, yes, you could put Jersey Shore into that scenario.
We just called Kyle Pits a Netflix show. All right, all right, I feel like maybe we'll argue about Kyle. I will say argue, but we may discuss Kyle Pits again at some point this offseason as well. There you go, long opening segment. That's why, And I took stories out of here because knew this was going to go a little bit. We'll take a break, we will dive into some free agency stuff. We'll talk some quarterbacks, and tight ends. I also have a little bit of a combine wrap
up at the end of the show. Stick around for more the NFL Fantasy Football Pod. We are a little bit more than a week away from the official start of the new league year that hits on March twelfth, so a little bit of a free agency preview. Last week on the show. We talked about some teams individually, teams that had money to spend, teams that didn't, Teams
we would like to see be aggressive. But I felt like now we should just kind of go position by position with qbs and tight ends together, because you know, not either one of them is super super deep. So let's start at quarterbacks though, because that's maybe the most intriguing one. Best team fits four is sort of my question here, And let's just start with Sam Darnald because the Vikings say they are not really interested in franchise tagging him, but they do seem interested in maybe bringing
him back. So Lakwan, I'll start with you best fit. Is it staying in Minnesota? Is it maybe going somewhere else for Sam Donald?
I think everybody wants him back in Minnesota, but honestly, I wouldn't mind seeing him with the Raiders, and I feel like, you know, the Raiders could be a nice fit for him, being that he won't have to do much and I think more so he credits a lot of his you know, QB play being improved with Kyle Shanahan, you know, and Rock Purdy and stuff, and then obviously getting with Kevin O'Connell, he was able to elevate that.
I think he goes to the Raiders with Pete Carroll, where you're gonna most likely be in a run first offense. You won't have to be that superhero you know quarterback that he was last season and kind of fell on his face at the end. But I just feel so the Raiders, you have a semi mobile guy because Darnald can get out of that pocket and move as well.
So I think if they miss on, you know, any other quarterback that's in free agency, I think Sam Darnald could make a place there and you know, be good for the Raiders.
You're you agree, disagree, Florida, you had another option.
Perhaps I think the best one for him would be the Vikings, but that's starting to feel unrealistic. So full circle. J E ts jets Wow, because I have a different quarterback. I want to see it in Vegas. So if that happens, since Sam Donald's got to go somewhere else and the Jets just feel.
Like the spot, man, I think it's the Jets. I mean, if you look if he's still interested in being a starter, I think it's the Jets. Or I can see him going to the Giants and sort of maybe pairing up with myleague neighbors and seeing what they can do there. I just don't think he's going to start in Minnesota. It sounds like the Vikings are. I'm not gonna say all in on JJ McCarthy, but they really do want
to see what they have with McCarthy. And I think even if Donald comes back, I think there will be a competition, but I think it's gonna be one that sort of weighted toward JJ McCarthy getting the starting job. So I mean, I was gonna say the Giants. I think that's an interesting landing spot for him a little bit. You know, I know, Flie, how you feel about Brian Babole. Maybe he can figure out how to get something out of Donald or so or sort of. I guess continue
building upon what we saw last year with Sam Donald. So, I mean, I think that's interesting. Jets would be be funny just just for the pure comedy aspect of it. For sure. I'm assuming the guy you're talking about going to Las Vegas, Michael f Florio, is Justin Fields, correct.
Yeah, he just feels to me and I have tweets going back to this time last year where I'm like, Justin Field just feels born to be a raider, Like I just always have had that feeling. I don't know why he would look really good in the black and silver, but I think with Pete Carroll and everything they want, like Lakwan was saying, a run first system like Justin Fields helps you with that because he is a run first system, like he himself could give you a thousand
rushing yards. We've already seen that at the NFL level, and we've seen that he can help the running back in the rushing attack as well. And we've also seen that he can get like he could get the ball to a tight end, which is what your number one priority is as a passer in Vegas. So I've always been of the mindset that fantasy football is just way more fun when Justin Fields is a starter and someone that you could play and so I really hope he
ends up being a starter again. And to me, I just feel like Vegas is his best shot.
So I will throw this little wrinkle at you, Lakwan then, because stories kind of floating out there suggests that the Steelers want Justin Fields to be their starter next year. But you know, Russell Wilson is still at least a presence. I mean, he's also going to be a free agent this offseason. I'm one or the other a better fit for the Steelers or is there an option Cee in there? Maybe for Pittsburgh.
There could be an option Cee and that option see could be neither one of these guys, because I think they saw what they got with both of them and it wasn't exactly taking them over that hump. I mean, you have a great defense, but you still have Russell Wilson and Justin Fields that are just giving you kind of mid tier quarterback play. I think they need to hit it out of the park, you know, in this draft, or try to make some moves in free agency to get a guy that can get in there and get
things going, and maybe Aaron Rodgers. And I really feel as tho that that's their best bet to try to get over that home. I'm being honest. I mean, if you want the circus, bring the Circus to the circus, George Pickens, Aaron Rodgers, sign me up. I need it all like, I'll do all that. But I think Russell Wilson, if we're going to touch on his best fit, I
think the Vikings could be interesting. I think the Vikings because he'll come in cheap, he'll be motivated, and that moonball to Justin Jefferson sounds like butter to me, like every Sunday. So I think they will be, you know, at least somewhat interested into a cheaper option than Sam Donald. With a franchise tag that's forty million, then it's like whoa, yeah, that's kind of pricey for them to be going after
Sam Donald for and not get a contract done. So I think Russell Wilson in Minnesota looks good too.
I would say this. You mentioned bringing Aaron Rodgers to Pittsburgh, Bring the Circus. If there's one franchise that is not about the circus, it is probably the Pittsburgh Steelers. They just historically or not about that life.
I could see Mike Tomlin being like I could could I could control this circus though, you know what meanwhere it's like it never works out for those people.
Yeah, maybe, I just it just feels like, you know, I don't know, I don't know if Mike Tom Mike Tom is already on the hot seat, like he is perpetually on the hot seat.
Which makes no sense. I mean, he's the only reason your team is good.
I just, you know, I just say to Steeler fans, just sort of be careful what you wish for, you know. And I get it. I know the perception is that they only care about not having a losing record and this and that. I just I just think if you're a Steelers fans, just be careful what you wish for, because there's no guarantee you find someone who is Tomlin's equal or better.
I could see if they were in like a Jeff Fisher situation where it's just made mid mid, mid mid, nothing else, fire defense, mide mid mid. You're not in that boat. Like you have a coach that can motivate his players and listen to him when he speaks and
go out there and execute on the field. That's very hard to come by for as many years he has done this with as many ages and young groups that come through there, like he's able to contain the Tasmanian devil and George Pickens, you put anybody else in that head coach seat, George Pickens is fighting on the sideline, He's fighting it in the stadium, in the stands, like I guarantee it.
He took Kenny Pickett, Mason Rudolph led team to the playoffs, Like yeah, right, that alone coach of the Year. My idea with Russ was the Colts.
That what I was gonna say Indianapolis.
Why though, just because I was thinking that they want someone to cover the basis for Anthony Richardson. Yeah, and he is a vet who who could teach Richardson.
Yeah.
I wouldn't love it because he could potentially steal the gig, But I think for real life purposes they could see value there that would.
Definitely hurt Anthony Richardson to the though. You bring in somebody like Russell Wilson, like I think he's coming in day one and probably steal the job.
He definitely could, which I would not want. I wouldn't loved his for fantasy at all, but I was just thinking, like real life purposes and for some reason, the Colts was a team. I just was like, I think it makes sense.
Yeah, no, I do. I think I think Russ for the for Indie makes it. If they really are serious about having this quarterback competition, if they really are serious about trying to push Anthony Richardson, I think Russ is the guy. I think in terms of fantasy, I mean, Russ's value is probably done, and I don't I don't really know how much he would elevate guy. I mean I don't know. Maybe we get more out of Michael Pittman this year if that were to happen.
We need that desperate Josh downs.
Yeah, I mean so maybe that maybe that helps a little bit. I think Russ himself, though, is probably is probably a rap.
Rush to Alec Pierce. Sounds good too, down.
Deep that moon Ball would play. I would not mind that.
To Alec Pierce. Maybe not the worst thing. We'll send it, all right, So we already had Lakwan Sydney, Aaron Rodgers to Pittsburgh. Is there somewhere you would like to ship Aaron Rodgers Florid retirement home. I really do think Pittsburgh makes the most sense if he's gonna keep playing, and I do think he wants to keep playing, But I don't know. I think though that end of the season stretch he had it was it's so Aaron Rodgers, because you could just be like, well, I was coming back
from an achilles. That takes time, even though he told us he was gonna have the quickest recovery in medical history.
But yeah, like, I think he's gonna look at those end of season games and be like, Davonte, come join me in Pittsburgh or somewhere. But he'll find a place to play. But Pittsburgh seems like one that makes a lot of sense.
Yeah, I just I don't know anywhere. I guess Pittsburgh. I just there are a lot of places that I could see him going where they're just like, yeah, I'll roll out the red carpet, like you're gonna be our starter. He canna be a QB one Like I just at this point he's forty one one.
Send him to Cleveland.
I mean sure, I don't know that that helps the situation there. I mean, they already have a whole lot of issues going on there, and like adding him to the mix just doesn't seem great for pure comedy purposes. The Giants would be interesting. You just stay right there in Jersey, stay right there, wouldn't have to move.
Tell me the Beatles backup?
That was a laser beam. Wow. Yeah, I just I don't see any easy answers with Aaron Rodgers unless he is somehow willing to sort of humble himself and allow himself to you know, compete you know who you're talking about, right to at least mentor I look, I'm just saying the mentor somebody compete, whatever it is. That's the only way I really see a good fit for him, and I just don't know that it happens.
So just go to Minnesota, man, Just just follow the path.
Just follow the farv path.
Yeah, if he signs in Minnesota, then Vikings fans should start printing Jordan love jerseys today.
Oh one other name I threw on here just for laughs, Daniel Jones. Is there a spot? Oh are you serious?
I would take him on the bills in at heartbeat.
You know what he could be tu Josh Allen.
It makes total sense for him because, like we saw Mitch Trubisky go and back up Allen for a year and then get paid because people would be like, maybe he learned through os Moses how to play like Josh Allen, but he would say what you will about Daniel Jones, I do think as a backup, he is one of the better backups.
Yes, no, i'd agree with that. I agree with that. I do think you because you said Mitch Trubisky and that was the name that popped into my head because he spent a year on the bench. He threw eight whole past and afterwards, like all these teams are like I could fix them, like I like what happened, like nothing happened, and somehow he was one of the most coveted free agents out there when when he hit the market.
But yeah, I don't think. I don't think Daniel Jones in Buffalo as a backup would be the worst idea, you know. I mean, obviously, if you're a Bills fan, you don't want anything to happen to Josh Allen. But if something were to happen, you know, I think Jones can come in as a nice substitute. Uh. You know, he still has that mobility, obviously, doesn't maybe have quite the arm strength that that Allen does, but you know,
I don't. I don't think you have to make wholesale changes to your offense either.
Minnesota makes a lot of sense to.
Bring in La come to the Rams. I mean, mcveig has always wanted a mobile quarterback. I feel like, you know, he's always had that backup that had some type of legs and we saw him run a was a QB option or run option for Stafford in the playoffs.
They do.
Don't ever do that again with Stafford, ever do that again. Just wait until we get a back up.
But you guys have a great backup, uh in Jimmy G.
You will have Jimmy Garoppolo And you don't like it.
You know, what is he still doing in the building?
Get him out of here?
Man?
Man, he was once the all MG had to hang his hopes and dreams on.
Bro. Sorry, I'm I'm just I'm just I'm just remembering him over overthrowing Emmanuel Sanders in that Super Bowl.
The fact that you guys made it with Jimmy G. I don't think that team gets enough credit.
Throwing a pass with his eyes closed in like the biggest game of the year. That's great.
He seems like a guy that fights with his eyes closed. If he's going to.
Just a button masher when he plays video games.
Man, button masher, button mashing. All right, listen to some tight ends. I just I put some names here, and you guys can tell me which of these guys, if any, is the most intriguing to you, and you might want to see them go Tyler Conklin, Juwan Johnson, Gerald Everett, zach Ertz might get sicky. There's a long list of tight ends. These were the ones that I thought were the most relevant. I mean, Florida. Any of these names jump out to you.
No, this was a long outside of zach Ertz, who actually had a very good career. But it's just getting old now. This is a long list of tight ends that I have been suckered into in the past, like this guy's gonna get an opportunity now watch out, and and it never came to fruition. The one I guess I could get a little excited for is Juwan Johnson because if he could get freed of you know, the Saints tight end rotation and having to play with like
Derek Carr and those quarterbacks that were backing him up. Maybe, but yeah, I don't. I'm not gonna be pounding the table or drafting any of these guys like they're more like maybe waiver wire.
Guys or something like that. Yeah, I'm with I think I have drafted or rostered every single one of these guys.
At some point, you're just missing Smith for me, I mean that I.
Saw everyone he is on the list of free agents, but I just I had to long ago retire the letter swerve hashtag. I just you know, at some point you just realize it's not gonna happen, so you just have to sort of move on from it. This sucks. Yeah, the the tide end position, the free agent tied in position, is a bunch of guys who I think are sort of vying for backup status wherever they go to your point floor and maybe Earth's has still had something left.
I'm starting to believe that this might be Ben Sinnett's year to take a step forward. Maybe in Washington passed the torch. That's the torch, so somebody's been Senate in Washington. The rest of these guys sort of fighting for space.
If you thought IRV Smith was out of the NFL, you you're pretty much right, because he had zero targets last year. That geez. He played five games apparently one start, zero targets.
Yeah, I mean, I really, it just never it never really happened for him. You know, he was always stuck behind somebody or he couldn't stay healthy. It just I really thought it was going to happen, and it just it never happened. So it's unfortunate. Unfortunate for sure for Smith. The combine happened this past weekend in Indianapolis, and there were things that happened. There were some guys who stock went up, there's some guys who stock went down. We will take a quick look at it. When do we
come back here in the NFL Fantasy Football Podcast. So the scouting combine is over for another year. I guess we will see Indianapolis at least combine wise, come next to February. Chad Reuter, who does a lot of great work for NFL dot Com, he wrote a stock up stock down piece. He wrote several of them, but specifically I'm looking at the one that involves quarterbacks, running backs, and wide receivers. Those are the guys who pretty much took part on the third day of workouts at the combine,
a couple of names of note. Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers, Texas wide receiver Matthew Golden, and Ohio State running back Quinn Shawn Jenkins all saw their stock go up. Per Chad Reuter stock down, it was Ohio State's quarterback Will Howard and Iowa running back Caleb Johnson. I don't think any of these names we mentioned last week when we
talked about guys we were interested in. By Lakwan, anybody that you saw or at least read about this weekend that has you changing your mind, either somebody you're more in on or maybe you're more out on, or at least you want to take another look at a couple of players.
Stock up, stock down, stock down was definitely Caleb Johnson. For me, like before the Combine a little couple of weeks ago, I kind of tweeted, I was like, man, he's gonna need like a very good offensive line and a good scheme for him to actually be Fantasy relevant and produced, because he did nothing at the combine that made him stand out. And I think that's kind of one of the issues. He's like a straight line runner.
It's gonna need like a Kyle Shanahan outside zone type of scheme for him to actually produce to be fantasy relevant. But the odds of that happening now, it's like he's going to fall into that day two, Day three type of ordeal. Like he's not even in my top five
running backs anymore after this combine performs. It maybe overreacting, but it just tells a little bit more of the story of what I saw, you know, before the combine happened, Like he has no wiggle to his game, Like he's not like one of those like elusive running backs that we saw mostly out of this draft class, guys that we didn't even really like touch on our speaker about or know about that just shot up the ranks with their forty time and their you know, agility and able
to make their vertical jumps a lot higher closer to forty inches. It's like Talo Johnson did nothing that was like exciting to me.
What if I told you the Niners were going to draft him And I don't know this for fact, don't but I'm in.
I'm in.
But Elijah Mitchell and Jordan Mason are both free agents. I would be shocked if both of those guys come back. You know, I know Isaac Garrindo is still there, but you know one we always want forty nine or running backs. The recent history of forty nine or running backs suggests that if you are upright and breathing, you're gonna get some snaps at some point, just because they tend to go through a lot of guys.
So your conditioning coach must hate them.
I mean, you got to make me earn his paycheck.
I'm just sort of gaming this out right now, and it's certainly not impossible to think that the Niners could spend you know, maybe an early Day three pick, depending on how this draft goes on.
Caleb Johnson like, if you want to go to sleep or put your child to sleep, just throw on his highlights, man, and not saying he's got to be a good running back. There's nothing exciting about it. There's no juke move, like a stiff farm here and there. And Iowa was a line was one of the best. So it's like he was a spoiled running back. He goes in that spot running back category that I have, Like there's nothing there that I saw that was like, oh my god, I
need him on my team. Like he goes into forty nine ers okay, top five.
Which is sort of it's sort of wild just because Iowa discovered offense this past year. I mean, they had been offensively challenged for a couple of years, but this past year they sort of rediscovered, you know, forward progress with the football. So that sort of says something that Caleb Caleb Johnson was sort of your cure for insomnia Floria. Before the show, we were talking about Isaiah Bond. You said you had thoughts. I'm curious your thoughts.
I feel bad for him, man, cause like he what do you run like a four to four right like for four three nine? Like it was fast, Like he's he's a fast dude. But he went out and said I'm gonna break the record, And now all we're talking about is how how he didn't and how like how silly that looks and stuff, and it's like, dude, just
under promise, over deliver. That's what If he came out and said I'm worried about running a four to six and then he runs this exact score, We're like, dude, he's blazing, He's shooting up draft boards all this stuff. But I thought it was interesting, so I ended up I heard an interview with the Iowa state receiver Jalen Noel, who was the one I was going to say, I think really opened eyes a bit this weekend. He tested well.
I went and I watched his some of his tape after the combine, and I really like what I saw reminds me a little bit of Keyon Coleman, not into how they played, but in the sense of like maybe not the best separator, but really good hands, really good ball skill, and really good after the catch capabilities. But he was talking about how he tested because they all trained for this these tests. Yea, how he was during his training was testing better than he did at the
combine And he was like, yeah, it was definitely. The turf was a little slick, like numerous dudes had to try on different cleats. Like he was like, I'm not making any excuses, but he kind of without saying it was like I expect to test better at my pro day. So he's one that I opened my eyes. But it also for someone like Bond makes me be like, let's see what he runs at his pro day and then judge, because that maybe there is something to this. Turf was
just a little slick. I know, they put in new pellets or something like that, and the people were saying it was just a little slipperier than normal.
Hmm. Interesting, Yeah, I mean it would have been. It would have been interesting had Bond sort of lived up to it, because then we would have had Texas receivers go back to back with the top times in the forty you know, with it having been Xavier Worthy last year. Obviously that was not the case.
Bond wasn't even the fastest Texas receiver.
No.
Matthew Golden, who was already uh you know, a very popular name, and I think, you know, he just really sort of solidified that. Yeah, he's you.
Think he's a top three receiver because I'm it's sort of.
Looked that way. I think so in this draft, yeah, yes, in this draft, not not overall, not for me the way. Who are your top three then?
So obviously t Mac, Jayden Higgins, Mecca and then Matthew Golden at four.
Okay, where are you least?
Luther Burden just here he is probably five or six. And I say that because we've seen too many NFL teams of his type. His strengths fail him, you know, fail they failed that type of wide receiver. So it's like landing spots, Like before I start going on campaigns and fade this guy fate, I need to see landing spots, Like that's how I'm gonna play it this year.
Yeah, I mean that's kind of where I am most years. I admit, like I was very much last year. Like I don't care where Marvin Harrison Junior goes, it's gonna be great.
I don't think there's like t MAC. I think is all is like the consensus one, but at best I think he was fourth if he was in last season's class.
Yeah, that's right. Fair, I heard that's right, fair.
Like he gets the one just based on just It's like this class isn't strengths of like wide receiver ones per se, Like I think this class is a bunch of wide receiver twos staring up, posturing to be a wide receiver one with some development or situational volume.
Yeah, we were spoiled bat year for the last last several years. I mean, we we're at a point where wide receivers were not hesitant, you know, the guys at the top of the class to spend high fantasy draft picks on these guys.
Yeah, Brian Thomas Junior, perfect example, sheesh right.
I mean these these guys are coming in more ready, more polished, more ready to go for the NFL right away.
I mean, look at it wasn't that long ago when we talked about the third year breakout for wide receivers, and now you know, we're all we're that mean with the guy to stick poking, like do something like their first year, Like that's us now wide with rookie wide receivers, and if they don't pop in the first year, we're like, well, there's what's wrong, Like, so maybe we need to slow our role, yeah a little bit.
I mean Marvin Harrison Junior just gave us eight hundred and eight touchdowns.
We were like, yeah, right, what's wrong with you? You know, like quiet eight touchdowns though it really was. It was a real quiet eight.
I think he had most of them against the Rams, Yeah, I love to say, yeah.
I think he had a couple against the forty nine ers too, So all the division touchdowns does Yeah, I'm not i'ma I'm gonna I'm gonna sit this one out in terms of trying to laugh because uh, yeah, I think I think he had a. He had a big game against San Francis. Maybe not he had one uh in week eighteen. Whatever. Uh, Anyway, there it is. That's our our combine wrap up. We will obviously keep tabs on this and maybe get a little bit more as
we get closer to the draft. We'll try to get some of the usual suspects if we can get Emory Hunt back in as we normally do, and uh see who else we might be able to get in, Maybe get our pew Bucky Brooks in here to talk some guys. Okay, we'll see, we'll see how this works out. But uh, in the time, we'll talk about some wide receivers and running backs for free agency on Thursday as we head into next week. Actually, I guess we could probably even break it up play. Uh let's see. Well, no, we'll
do it. We'll do it on Thursday. I'm sorry, I'm producing the show out loud as I as we wrap things up, we'll figure it out. Don't worry about us you meantime. That'll do it for this edition of the NFL Fantasy Football Podcast, The Happy, Safe and Healthy, do good, and live well. Enjoy your days. Everybody. We will talk to you again on Thursday,