Frankly Fantasy Football
The Fantasy Football Podcast. Frankie & Johnny bring you the info you need to win your fantasy football leagues with their in-depth news and hard hitting player analysis. The guys hope to put a smile on your face as well.
Frankly Fantasy Football
Backfield Breakdown: All 32 Teams' RB Situations - News & Notes - Injury Update
The fantasy football clock is ticking with just nine days until kickoff, and if you're still trying to make sense of NFL backfields, you're not alone. This comprehensive breakdown examines every team's running back situation, from clear-cut starters to the muddiest committees.
We start with breaking news that's reshaping draft strategies – Terry McLaurin's extension with the Commanders, Brian Robinson Jr.'s trade to the 49ers, Jacobi Meyers requesting a trade from the Raiders, and injury updates on Joe Mixon, Tajae Spears, and Matthew Stafford that could dramatically affect early-season production.
The AFC North analysis reveals Baltimore's clear hierarchy behind Derrick Henry, Cincinnati's commitment to Chase Brown, Pittsburgh's developing committee between Jalen Warren and rookie Caleb Johnson, and Cleveland's chaotic situation with unsigned Quinshon Judkins. In the AFC South, we navigate Houston's backfield in Joe Mixon's absence, Jonathan Taylor's locked-in workhorse role in Indianapolis, and Jacksonville's three-headed monster.
Some of the most valuable insights come from identifying fantasy draft targets based on their roles and values. We highlight Justice Hill as an underrated PPR handcuff, Isaiah Pacheco as a criminally undervalued starter, and sleepers like Ollie Gordon and DJ Giddens who could emerge as season-saving waiver pickups.
Rookie running backs dominate much of our discussion – Ashton Jeanty's potential workhorse role in Las Vegas, RJ Harvey and Treyveon Henderson's paths to significant touches, and Omarion Hampton's competition with an injured Najee Harris. We also identify crucial handcuffs like Will Shipley and Brian Robinson Jr. who could become league-winners if injury strikes their backfield mates.
Whether you're looking for week one starters, middle-round upside picks, or last-round lottery tickets, this backfield breakdown provides the strategic insights you need to dominate your fantasy draft. Don't enter your draft without understanding these crucial running back situations – the championship you save might be your own.
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Hey guys, today we've got our backfield breakdown. We got nine days left till the start of the season. As of today, of this recording, we're going to give you an idea of what's going on with these backfields, guys. Some of them are kind of muddy, so put your boots on. We're going to go check it out, let's go All right, all right, all right. Welcome to the show.
Speaker 1:This is the Frankly Fantasy Football Podcast. We are your hosts, frankie and Johnny. Frankie, today we're going to talk a little bit about some backfields. Man, we got nine days to the start of the season, as we're recording this, august 26th. Super important to say that, guys, because every single hour there's breaking news. Right now, teams are trying to cut down to their 53-man rosters. A lot of movement, a lot of shakeups. Today, frankie, we're going to be talking about backfields Because, man, some of these backfields, some are pretty cut and dry. We're going to talk about that, but some of them, holy shit, nine days to the start of the season, I don't know who the starter is on some of these teams. It's a little bit crazy. So we're going to break things down here for you, man. All right, guys, thank you so much for joining us. Welcome to the show. We're so close, oh, we're so close. See it, it's right there, I can see it across the street. It's coming, baby, I could wait. Oh, that smells good.
Speaker 1:Oh, that smells like football it's coming, totally smells like football this is a.
Speaker 2:This is the one good use for my large nose, john, is I can smell things quite a far away that you know seem closer than what they appear.
Speaker 1:So, yes, you're, we're all your beautiful roman nose, your italian nose. Yeah, oh, I love that profile. I like that All right, yeah.
Speaker 1:All right, first, guys, we're going to get into some news, baby. All right, a bit of news here. Let's get the coin drops happening. We've got another big signing here, frank TMC, we can put your fears to rest here, tmc. Scary. Terry McLaurin signs a three-year extension, $96 million, with the Commanders. Quickly talk about it, Frankie. What does this do for us? What does it do for Jaden Daniels and what does it do for Terry McLaurin? Where are you drafting him now? What, jaden Daniels and what?
Speaker 2:does it do for Terry McLaurin, where you're drafting him now. What's changed? Huge, huge for Jaden Daniels, guys. This was a piece of the puzzle that Jaden Daniels needed in order to be super effective like he was last year. So phenomenal for the commanders, guys. In terms of where we're looking at him from a fantasy football perspective, he is already climbing up that ADP guys right now. From his expert consensus ranking, where he is ranked within his receiver, the receiver pool itself, guys, he's already jumped up five total spots. He's up at receiver 17 at this point in time and half PPR. So what does that mean? He's totally a low-end, low-tier receiver, one type of player, a guy that I'm certainly targeting. So hats off to Scary Terry. Phenomenal signing by the Commanders and good for him as well, getting paid.
Speaker 1:Yeah, he's right around that range after the Tyreek Hill kind of teardrop. He's in that. Marvin Harrison Jr. Garrett Wilson Devontae.
Speaker 2:Adams.
Speaker 1:DK Metcalf range. Then you start getting into some of the twos with Pickens and Devonta Smith Worthy and that kind of thing. Yeah, I mean, do you think he's right where he needs to be? It seems pretty much right there. Right, I think it's dead on. I think that's exactly where he's supposed to be. I do too. I do too, and I assume you're taking Mike Evans and Tyreek Hill still over Terry McLaurin.
Speaker 2:Yes, yes, but but I'm taking Terry McLaurin over Devonta Adams now especially with some of the things happening with Matt Stafford a little bit banged up still with the back stuff. Knowing that Scary Terry signed Now he's not the only one in town of commanders with Debo Samuel, I think that's even going to help him especially alleviate some of that double coverage and things like that. So absolutely so, guys, kind of a hot take, but definitely putting Scary Terry above that of Devontae Adams now.
Speaker 1:The only last thing I'll say here about Terry McLaurin is I do think he's right where he should be. I think he'll be one of the best wide receiver twos you can have on your fantasy team.
Speaker 1:I'm nervous about him being your one if you go heavy with running back early on, because there will be some touchdown regression. As you're bringing in Debo Samuel here, you're going to have some touchdown regression. He had 13 touchdowns last year, by far the most he's ever had in his career. He's usually right around that 5-6 mark, so he could dip down to 10 touchdowns. He could dip down to 8 touchdowns, but if he gets in that 5-6 range he's going to be super disappointing for you. So just watch that as you're drafting Terry McLaurin, be careful if he's your one on your team.
Speaker 1:All right, let's keep moving on here. We got a little bit of movement here. Frankie, some crazy shit's going on here. It's a good episode to be talking about this right now, but Brian Robinson Jr traded from the Commanders to the 49ers here and the statement from Shanahan was we've got Brian Robinson Jr here to be our running back too. Okay, this is great news. I mean what this does? This clearly gives you your handcuff for CMC. I mean, does this change? Does this make you want to take CMC more and know that you've got to come back right around maybe? What round eight, around 10, maybe is where you're going to see Brian Robinson Jr and grab him immediately, right?
Speaker 2:100%, Guys. I mean, if anything this makes like Johnny, you nailed it. I think that this makes me feel even more at ease with CMC because I think that he'll even split a little bit more time with B-Rob. Before it was going to be this CMC show with Corendo or Jordan James behind him, as you know, a way deep backup, but here I mean shit. They might work B-Rob in just to have some standalone value as well, to give CMC a little bit of a break, which I think only elongates cmc season season. So I I love this all the way across the board and, damn right, if you're drafting cmc you better be reaching and targeting that a b-rob yeah, I mean right now he's the running back 41, drafting at you know 120.
Speaker 1:So yeah, you're looking at, you know you're you're gonna grab him in the eighth or tenth round here. Uh, if you are the cmc owner, go up around early and know you're going to grab him in the eighth or 10th round here. If you are the CMC owner, go up around early and get them.
Speaker 1:You're going to have to have this guy because people will try to fuck you in your draft and take him. That will happen. All right, a little bit more here. Let's go to the Raiders. Got some action going on with the Browns and Raiders here a little bit.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I mean a lot of synergy and things going on here. Really weird. Jacoby Myers strange news came out, really out of left field. I didn't have this on my radar at all. Frank, nowhere man. Jacoby Myers, requesting a trade from the Raiders. The Raiders had come out and they said they have zero plans to trade him. I mean, they got him. I don't know what they're going to do here, but in an interesting move where they said oh yeah, you want to trade it? Okay, hang on a second. Excuse me, give me a Mari Cooper on the phone. Yes, oh, a pack of cigarettes and a six pack of beer. Sure, come play with us for a year. Yeah, they signed a Mari Cooper to a one-year deal. I mean, is that just kind of a fuck, you, jacoby?
Speaker 2:You know you want to sit out up here. I mean, is that what they're doing? You think? I think so, and John, I saw it and read it as well. No plans to move him. Guys, watch the Patriots. That's all I'm saying is there's something brewing, there's something happening. Mcdaniels is back. Right, john, we were talking about that yesterday. All I'm saying is he'll probably maybe stay, but if he doesn't watch the Patriots, that's all I'm saying.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I mean, there's teams that will jump all over Jacoby Definitely Possession receiver PPR guy. He would help so many teams out Pittsburgh Buffalo.
Speaker 2:Buffalo.
Speaker 1:You know exactly what you're saying Falcons potentially Falcons. They don't have a two right now, yeah, so I mean, if they did want to him, he could go somewhere and he could produce a lot. Yeah, you know, I mean something to keep an eye on here, guys, absolutely. Uh, staying with the raiders here. Um, they also signed a trade going on here. Actually, kenny pickett traded from the browns to the raiders, so the browns weren't keeping all six quarterbacks on the roster, so that's good to know yeah, kenny pickett's got to be like what the fuck man really?
Speaker 1:uh. But kenny pickett traded to the raiders also with the browns. Deontay johnson released as well. So I think his watch has ended.
Speaker 2:Frankie, what do you think?
Speaker 1:yeah, I think so too, man, it's unfortunate. It's one of those uh uh, the water, the, the mentally ill water in pittsburgh just got to him. He can't, he can't, totally. Yeah, uh, little news out of new york the giants sticking with their three quarterbacks Jackson dark looked fantastic in that final preseason game. I feel good, really good, about those offensive weapons, man. When it comes to Malik neighbors, tyrone, tracy, cam Scadaboo, they've got three competent quarterbacks, man.
Speaker 2:I mean.
Speaker 1:I think it's the first time I've said that since. Eli Manning for the New York. Seriously, yeah, for real. So yeah, russ looks great. Jameis comes in, throws one guy past it it's a touchdown. And Jackson Dart looked fantastic. So, man, malik Nabors is definitely a round one target for me. I feel great about him.
Speaker 1:All right, moving on here, we've got all right. Here's some news. This is big here, guys, a couple of guys here getting put on IR or non-football injury lists here. Joe Mixon we knew something was coming here. We knew he was going to be missing a few games, potentially in the beginning of the season. He will miss at least the first four games. He's going on the reserve slash non-football injury list. We're going to get into this because, guys, there's too much to talk about in the news for this. We're going to talk about the Houston backfield and we'll give you updates here. Another one Tajay Spears. We knew he was going to miss a little bit with a high ankle sprain, placed on IR today. Actually, we'll miss at least the first four weeks as well. We'll dig into that a little more when we talk about the Titans' backfield.
Speaker 1:Matthew Stafford this is an ongoing saga here, man and the back. I'm trying to look for positive news. And what worries me with these guys? I listened to a press conference with Sean McVay. I'm listening to Matt Stafford, you know, being interviewed about it. Dude, the vibes aren't good. They're trying. They're trying to be positive about it. They're trying to. I don't like it, man. I just don't like it. They're managing his comfort level. He takes a shot and it's just uncomfortable. The discomfort is the problem. If it's something that could just heal, fine, you know, or a procedure you have to have or something, this is just discomfort. This may linger, guys, I'm sorry it's killing the value of Devante Adams and Puka Nakula for me. Yeah, I mean, puka's really kind of off my board in that first round. I'm going to go for another option or look at a running back at that point, you know.
Speaker 1:Okay, moving on here, chris Godwin this is news we need to hear. Guys. Chris Godwin, wide receiver for the Buccaneers, Not going to go on the pup list. He is going to miss some weeks, probably into October, but he could potentially play before week five. I think they're leaving the door open there. But, guys, emeka Ekbuka, knowing that Chris Godwin's going to miss some time for sure, get him on your teams, guys. His value is absurd. He really hasn't moved that much.
Speaker 1:49ers wide receiver Demarcus Robinson we talked about him in New Faces, new Places here suspended the first three games for substance abuse policy. So you know more. Bad luck for the 49ers offense. And wide receiver room man Jordan Love. This is good news, really really good news, guys. Jordan Love, quarterback for the Green Bay Packers, had a procedure on ligaments in his non-throwing thumb. He's back at practice, looking good, feeling good. He should be good to go for week one barring any setbacks. Now his wide receiver one, jaden Reed. This one's still a little uncertain here, guys. He's out of the walking boot but he's still not practicing with his foot injury Status is really unclear at this point on Jaden Reed, so we're going to have to pay attention.
Speaker 1:This is going to be one of those things. Before your draft, go on, look at your news, look whatever platforms or news that you trust and like to get. Look at the news. Go to our website or go to our Instagram and TikTok. We'll have some updates for you on Instagram of what things are looking like. You're just going to have to watch this closer to the time of the start of the season, guys, to see what's happening.
Speaker 1:Khalil Shakir some good news here. Khalil Shakir, wide receiver for the Buffalo Bills, potentially Josh Allen's one, recovering from a high ankle sprain in early August. No setbacks so far. He direction he could play week one, week two still don't have status on that. This is another team. Watch the 49ers receiver room as well. Prior to your draft. So you know what's happening here, guys.
Speaker 1:Uh, last bit of news here is a likely tight end for the baltimore ravens. Uh, had surgery to repair a fractured foot. He's gonna miss the first couple of games. Very, very likely no pun intended there. What that does for me, that pushes up mark andrews a bit. He was a guy, was kind of fading. Um, just, you know, based on you know he's getting old man. I mean there's going to be a drop off at some point. But early in the season I think you can grab mark andrews and maybe package together a trade for him. Week two, week three, when, like he by the time, likely comes back. All right, that is your news.
Speaker 1:Frankie, let's get into the backfield breakdown, all right? All right, what we're going to do here. We're going to hit every team quickly. Uh, we're going to brush right over teams. We don't have a lot of news on it. We're going to focus on some of these backfields that we know are a mess, a little bit muddy here, so we're going to put on our waders, get our boots on and jump into some of these backfields. Frankie, we're Browns fans, we're homers. Let's start with the AFC North, shall we? Let's do it All right, let's head over to Baltimore. So Baltimore, we got the backfield. We know what's going on there. We got a first round stud with Derek Henry backing him up. We've got Justice Hill, keaton Mitchell. Frankie, any news, anything you want to tell us about this Baltimore backfield?
Speaker 2:Guys, listen, if you're looking for a handcuff, especially if you're in a full PPR, it's Justice Hill. So don't be afraid to take Justice Hill Super late rounds as, just in case, especially if you do take Derrick Henry, could be a great handcuff. And then Keaton Mitchell guys, that's great class in case of emergency. So again, deeper league, 16-team league. Sure he might be worth a flyer In shallow leagues 8-10, maybe even 12, probably not going to be drafted. So you're going to have to use some waiver wire fab dollars, depending on what that looks like for your league.
Speaker 1:Heading over to Cincinnati. We've got Chase Brown as the locked and loaded stud in the backfield. Here, his backups, we've got Samajeay p, ryan and taj brooks, frankie. What's going on with the bangles backfield?
Speaker 2:guys slightly different than the baltimore ravens. It is chase brown. Yes, I know it is also derrick henry for the ravens, but the difference is chase brown is also a ppr machine. He's catching out the balls out of the backfield. He's going to be taking the workload from a running back perspective. So in, in my personal opinion, it is Chase Brown and then nothing else following that. So really don't waste your time on Saman JP Ryan or Taj Brooks at this point in time.
Speaker 1:And Chase Brown excellent, excellent pick. Frankie and I both love him. I think his value is great. He's a guy you can anchor your team on as a running back one. You go receiver in round one, you go chase brown in round two. He's going right around the end of round two, maybe early round three, depending, uh, but yeah, huge value, love him man. Uh, okay, let's head over to the steelers. All right, this is going to take a second guys, not so cut and dry here. All right, so with the pittsburgh steelers, they did draft caleb johnson, rookie. Rookie running back. Uh, kind of a bruiser, bigger guy looking at probably early downs for Caleb Johnson, love him. The starter right now is Jalen Warren. Okay, and this was his backfield. Frankie, what are we doing exactly? Do you have any idea? Are we starting with Jalen Warren? Is Caleb Johnson going to take a little time? What exactly does his backfield look like right now?
Speaker 2:Well, what I thought was interesting right out of the get-go was that Kenneth Gainwell was actually RB2 behind that of Jalen Warren and then after a few days, as of literally this morning, guys, it is Caleb Johnson is now listed as RB2 on the depth chart, and so what that tells me is they're trying to get this rookie in and get some work for him and from him. So, looking at where they stand, also, Caleb Johnson's ADP or his ECR right now he is listed at where is that? At John, he is listed 27. Thank you, 27. And Jalen Warren, guys, is listed right around that 30 spot. So he is 30 for ADP or ECR. So what that tells me is they're neck and neck.
Speaker 2:So if, thinking about the drafts, John, and where you know how your team is constructed, if it is a full PPR league, I'm absolutely cool with you going for Jalen Warren as maybe your RB3. Now if either of these guys are your RB2, it's going to be really tough. That's a tough spot to be in. Hopefully you went heavy at receiver, Maybe you got a top tier tight end or top tier quarterback, but it's going to be tough. You're going to have to wait to see how this kind of works itself out from the Steelers perspective.
Speaker 2:Same thing with Caleb Johnson. Love him as an RB3. Don't like either of these guys as your RB2, but I am actually targeting both. I don't necessarily want both on my team, but I do like the opportunity to snag one or the other, depending on right, if it's full PPR, half PPR, whatever it may be. So it is going to be Jalen Warren to start guys, but I do think Caleb Johnson maybe towards the middle of the year is going to be that first second down back and then Jalen Warren's going to get that third down and a lot of that PPR work. So I think we're going to see a pretty cool tandem here.
Speaker 1:I do too. I think it is going to be a split backfield because it's a rookie and because Jalen Warren has been solid and has an established role on that team. I think you're right. If it's a PPR, I'm drafting Jalen Warren. If I've got both of those guys or I want one of those guys like a Caleb Johnson I would hesitate to grab him, thinking you're going to start him as your RB2 in week one. I would hesitate on that one. I think you can do that with Jalen Warren because of his pass-catching ability. But Caleb Johnson, I'd be a little nervous about that. I think he's kind of a guy you're going to draft and you're very optimistically confident that you're going to be able to play him maybe week two, week three, week four, with full confidence.
Speaker 2:And to that point, john, one other thing, and I'm actually looking it up as we're talking, but I read something from a couple of these analysts on NFL Network that I don't believe Jalen Warren has had in one game, over 15 rushing attempts. So, guys, what that tells me is that's going to be Caleb Johnson getting some aspect of that ball. So just know, it's not going to be the Jalen Warren show. It's going to be exactly what you said a split backfield no-transcript.
Speaker 1:Frankie, what in the hell is happening and what can we do as far as fantasy drafts, with these three running backs on this team?
Speaker 2:It's miserable, Guys. This is miserable from the NFL standpoint and from the fantasy football standpoint. The biggest thing that hasn't happened is we have not we, being the Browns, have not signed Quinshawn Judkins. And the issue is there is reports. I'm not saying that this is likely. I'm saying this is more than likely, very unlikely to happen.
Speaker 1:It's more than likely very unlikely to happen. Yeah, that was pretty bad. We're clearing that up Very clear, Very clear.
Speaker 2:Perfect Guys, Quinshawn Judkins. There is a possibility to where, if he does not sign this year, he could technically go back and play in college. If that happens, then he could actually end up then going into the 2026 NFL draft and therefore foregoing the Browns and going to a completely different team. That would be absolutely worst-case scenario for everyone involved. For those who have already, drafted.
Speaker 1:I've never heard any of that shit ever happening. What are you saying to me right now? Isn't that nuts? It's the most 2025 thing I've ever heard and it's the most Browns shit I've ever heard in my life Again not likely.
Speaker 2:I think that what's going to happen is they are going to figure it out. He is a top tier talent. They are waiting for the NFL to say hey, how much is this going to impact from a suspension perspective? Is it going to be two games? Is it zero games? Is it six games? What does that look like? Because they're trying to figure out the guarantee. So that's the NFL standpoint, the fantasy standpoint, and where you should be targeting Guys. I'm going to be real and I love the Browns Across the board. The Browns backfield is off my board, across across the entire landscape. It is. They are off my board.
Speaker 2:Now, if you want to take a flyer at this point in time, the smartest thing to do would be get Jerome Ford. That's just what it is, but you can get him absolutely dirt cheap. I mean, we're talking. He is way down the draft board, john, and so for me, man, I mean I'm not even really worried about you know, like reaching or taking anything from that or a player from the Browns. From that standpoint.
Speaker 2:Now, quinshawn is interesting though, because what happens if he does sign? We find out a couple of days before. It might take him a week or two to ramp up. It's probably going to take two or three weeks to ramp up and then he'll be playing in the NFL. At that point in time then if you can take a flyer on Quinn Sean, I mean, his value could skyrocket. So in a perfect scenario, how I would draft the Browns backfield guys is I'm not actually going to draft Jerome Ford, I'm going to wait. And if Quinn Sean drops very heavily to, let's say, around that right now he's listed, guys, at a 42 running back. 42 is his real time kind of ADP ECR. If he ends up dropping lower than that, let's say below Tank Bigsby, right, who's listed at 40, or actually Austin Eckler, who's listed at 41, 42. If he drops around there, guys take him. There's no reason why you shouldn't. It's only upside. You can drop him if something happens, anything along those lines.
Speaker 2:Dylan Sampson is probably then the second guy I'm willing to take. Again, I'm not willing to take Jerome Ford. We've seen from him. I would be willing to take Dylan Sampson, but it's got to be after Quinshawn Judkins. This has got to be something to where he's your RB5. It is an absolute flyer pick. You're not putting a lot of investment in here because, I mean, right now he's listed as running back three. Technically, sure, he's listed at running back two, tied with Quinchon. That's just because Quinchon hasn't signed. So again, just recapping, I would be willing to take Q and I would be willing to take Dylan Samson, as long as it is a very, very late round pick.
Speaker 1:Yeah, they're both right around the same area. I mean, look at all, they're all you know. Right there is 42. Is Quinn Sean Judkins right now running back 42, samson's 46. You know you're in that range with Austin Echler, nick Chubb Uh, you know, you got, you got some guys that are.
Speaker 1:Jaden blue, bejel Tootin, uh, tajay Spears, trey Benson you know it's in that route range there. I'm willing to take a shot on a Dylan Sampson. I just see the upside there and the pass catching ability as well. Jerome Ford's kind of one of those guys. I don't want him unless I'm building like a zero RB strategy and I need a starting running back with a floor. You know that's the only way I'm taking. Jerome Ford has zero upside his ceiling. His ceiling said you know it's six feet high, it's right there, right at his head, you know. So there's not much there other than having a guy you know you can play and start. Dylan Sampson, I think, is the upside guy.
Speaker 1:I will stay away from Quint Sean altogether unless I hear some positive news prior to my draft. If they're not, you know this could go on for weeks before they even signed this guy. So if that's the case I'm staying away. But if they are looking like they're going to sign him and we get some news from the NFL and what they're going to do with him, if anything, then I'll consider him as of. Right now I'm not. Most of my leagues are very shallow benches five bench spots. I can't waste a bench spot with Quinshawn Judkins. He's not even signed, so you probably can't even put him in your IR slot or anything else either Right, good point.
Speaker 1:So you know this could really logjam your. You know, I love the talent, I love the prospect of having him on my team if he's playing. We just don't know if he's going to man. Yeah, all right, that was the Browns. Let's head over to the AFC South. Let's go right down here, Traveling on down Traveling.
Speaker 1:Now let's go down to Texas. Frankie, we're going to talk about the Texans here. This is another fucked up backfield that we need to talk about here. We did get a little bit of light on it, though. At least. Joe Mixon is the starter. He's their stud. He's going to be out at least for the first four weeks. He is placed on the non-football injury list, so he's going to be out at least four weeks. And we know how this goes. Guys with running backs, if there's four weeks, it could be five to six. You know how that goes. So, frankie, we've got Nick Chubb there, who's new to the team. We've got Damian Pierce, who's getting healthy, as a backup as well. You've got Daria Gumbawale, and then you've got rookie Woody Marks. What are we doing with this backfield?
Speaker 2:man. So this is super interesting, guys. This is this backfield is completely up for the taking. This is why the Texans also brought on Nick Chubb, just in case of something like this happens. But the issue is, a lot of reports coming out, nick Chubb's lateral movement is not where it was, and so that's a problem, right? I mean, if you're now telling me a lot of the beauty of what Nick Chubb like, what made him Nick Chubb was his patience and then his ability to make a cut and go to top speed, and if that's being taken away, then he just becomes a power back, which is completely different dynamic. So for me, man, what I'm actually going to do, looking at this Texas strategy, I am still targeting Joe Mixon, and I know that's crazy. Am still targeting Joe Mixon, and I know that's crazy, but the way you need to be targeting him is right now, his, his active ADP or his, uh, real time ADP is 36.
Speaker 1:So he's dropped.
Speaker 2:Yeah, he's dropped. I mean, guys, we're talking significantly from from 28,. Uh, 28 overall running back. And so, guys, if you can then take Joe Mixon uh, like we the JK Dobbins, zach Charbonnet, that kind of tier that's fantastic, as long as you have two or three, maybe running backs that are already your starters. So if you can then sit on Joe Mixon and know that, hey, I'm waiting until week six and then that's going to be my guy, phenomenal, Love the strategy.
Speaker 2:Let's say Joe Mixon's off your board, then what do you do, guys? I'm targeting Nick Chubb. I know what I just said, but listen, if he's still going to be your RB4 or RB5, there's absolutely value there. We could still see Nick Chubb be the goal lineback. We could see him get some of the early down work, which is more than likely going to happen, and then probably Damian Pierce or Woody Marks comes in for more of the pass catching stuff. For me, those other guys are actually not on my board. Woody Marks, damian Pierce, daria Gumbawale, those guys I'm not even targeting. You know you could call me crazy, fine, that's all good and dandy, but for me it's Nick Chubb and I am still willing to go for Joe Mixon, should I have the opportunity around that, zach Charbonnet?
Speaker 1:tier. Now, if you do take Joe Mixon, are you drafting Nick Chubb as well?
Speaker 2:Yes, yes, I am, and a lot of time. The reason being because I feel like then I have the complete backfield lockdown, which is super powerful, guys, because then you could use that as trade bait, because you're telling me that you can get Joe Mixon maybe as your RB4, you come back and get Nick Chubb as your RB5, something like that. Now you have that backfield locked. So let's just say, week seven, week eight comes up, there's injuries that occur, god forbid, to one of your studs right Now you can package together that backfield as a whole and then upgrade to a true rb2, because I think that there's still still going to be a ton of value, presumptively that joe mixon comes back into a somewhat of a fold of what he was last year. So, yes, I'm not afraid to get both of those guys, but if you do that, you damn right, better have an rb1, rb2, rb3 already situated if you completely pass on all of the other running backs on this team.
Speaker 1:you want to take a flyer on Woody Marks? I still like that idea. He will be the pass catcher If they're down in games. He could be in, you know, often you know really, on passing downs. So I like taking a flyer on him. He could be your last pick and you can drop him.
Speaker 1:Two, yeah two. Two games in and he's not getting the third downs. You can drop his ass for somebody else, but I think it's worth a flyer for sure. All right, let's head over to indianapolis with the colts. This is an easy one here. We got the big stud, jt, going in the second round. I love jonathan taylor this year, guys. I think he's one of the safest uh and and just the volume and everything that he can do, I think he's a great stud for your team. What are we looking at as far as a handcuff with Jonathan Taylor here on the Colts, frankie?
Speaker 2:So, guys, right now the immediate backup listed is Tyler Goodson, and then following Goodson is DJ Giddens. Now, for those of you who don't know, dj Giddens, that sounds like a new name. It is. It's a rookie, right, and he came from Kansas State. Guys, insane talent. If you haven't seen DJ Giddens play, please pull up some tape. It will shock you. His pass-catching ability is phenomenal. The way he moves, I mean, in open space, is incredible. So I think that what we could see happen is we could see Tyler Goodson and DJ Giddens switch. If that's the case, guys, especially in deep leagues 14, 16 team leagues it might be worth what Johnny's talking about. Woody Marks is kind of that last round flyer. If you have Jonathan Taylor, maybe it's worth keeping in the back of that mind. Dj Giddens could be somebody of interest. But again, it's JT and everybody else falls in line following that All right, let's head down to Jacksonville here.
Speaker 1:This one's definitely interesting. Matt, totally Can't have an episode without talking about Liam Cohen, so let's do it right now. Here it is All right. We've got Travis Etienne and Tank Bigsby in this backfield, very different than what we're talking about with the Colts, where you've got your stud three down back. This is a backfield with role players, so we're looking at the different roles they're playing Travis Etienne, tank Bigsby. Then they have rookie Basil Tootin. Frankie, talk to me a little bit about this Jacksonville backfield.
Speaker 2:This is super interesting, guys. The first preseason game it was Travis Etienne kind of lining up getting ready, and then it was Tank Bigsby as the starting running back. So what we're saying is this is going to be a split, without a question of a doubt. Travis etn is going to be more of that rashad white. We're going to have tank bigsby probably being a little bit more of that bucky irving light kind of feel. But the wild card is basil tootin, because he also resembles a little bit of bucky too. It's just like bucky, you know what I I mean?
Speaker 1:I mean it's crazy. That's what I'm worried about with Tank Bigsby, because I loved him in the preseason. I thought he looked great.
Speaker 1:And I'm sitting here going oh man, he's going to be the Bucky Irving in Liam Cohen's offense. I think people are sleeping on Tank Bigsby. And then I saw Basil To his Bucky Irving. He's like I don't fucking care who's here, I want this guy. He does what I need. So now my tune's changing a little bit, man. I think Travis Etienne has that role set of what he does. I agree, Bigsby. So what does that do? As far as drafting, I think Travis Etienne, especially in a full PPR, I think he's a nice running back four running back depth for you that you can plug in in the right weeks.
Speaker 2:But what do we do with these other two guys? Guys, I honestly think it's still. I would be willing to take either or, and if they're both sitting there, I'm actually going to wait until the following round. I know that's crazy, because I don't want to have to make that decision. I want that decision made for me right, because it's Travis Etienne for sure.
Speaker 2:That's the guy I'm stack ranking over the other three. I just think that in a PPR, half PPR, you're getting the value for him, especially at an RB4 slot. But then if it comes down to and I'm looking at Tank Bigsby, I'm looking at Basil Tootin, I mean John Braylon Allen's going to be in that tier. You got Bilbo right with Bill Krosky-Merritt. I'm going to take those guys over Tank Bigsby and Basil Tootin, because I want a different piece of that puzzle.
Speaker 2:And then the round coming back, that's when I hope that Tank Bigsby or Toon is taken, because then I'll take the opposite. So what I'm getting at is you can probably get some of the the Tank Bigsby and Toon a little bit deeper down, knowing that Austin Eckler is moving up the board, knowing that JCM's moving up the board Braylon Allen's certainly moving up the board. If you want to look at Najee Harris, even he's moving up the board now that you want to look at Najee Harris, even he's moving up the board now that he's getting healthy. So there's other players around them to where I'm going to stack. Rank them just a smidge higher, all right, and I got you.
Speaker 1:Grab one of them, I guess.
Speaker 1:Yeah, one of those guys could be excellent this year. So grab one of them, don't don't care who it is, I guess. Right, all right, wrapping up the AFC South here with the tennessee titans. We did get some news out of this backfield today. Frankie, tony pollard is the locked and loaded one. Tajay spears news today out for at least the first four weeks. Uh, fire up tony pollard man. I mean, we've been talking about it. I can't stop drafting him based on his value, um, in mock drafts. So you know anything else you need to say about tony Pollard in this backfield.
Speaker 2:Guys, tony Pollard is listed his lifetime ADP or ZCR right now in terms of where he stands in running backs is 22. He is moving up the board. So if you can get him for a good value, john, I am completely on the Tony Pollard train. I agree it's Tony Pollard and then everybody else. Yeah, and you're looking still at fifth round for Tony Pollard. I agree, it's Tony Pollard and then everybody else.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and you're looking still at fifth round for Tony Pollard. You know which I still think is value. This is a guy you can roll out in week one and feel totally fine with him, absolutely yeah. All right, let's go to the AFC East here, frankie. Let's go to the big bills. We've got Ray Davis. Also have Ty Johnson and Frank Gore Jr on this backfield, frankie. What are we doing here, guys? It's James.
Speaker 2:Cook, it's James Cook. And then I think that if you're in a super deep league, ray Davis could be interesting, but again, with the news that they pay James Cook on a four-year contract, they're going to run absolute nuts off that dude. So it's going to be James Cook for me.
Speaker 1:So do you see Ray Davis as his handcuff Is?
Speaker 2:James.
Speaker 1:Cook a guy you need a handcuff for. Let's ask that.
Speaker 2:That's a good question for me I don't believe so. He hasn't shown any reason or that he would need it. And also where he's being drafted right now. Guys, you can get James Cook, depending on the particular league, in the fourth round, third round, third round, something along those lines. So yeah, it's premier stock, but let's just say he's your RB2. And then, knowing that, you can come down and look at maybe an Alvin Kamara in round four, and if you want to go running back, running back there and kind of solidify that a little bit more, then no, I don't think you need a James Cook handcuff. Now, if your hero are being off of James Cook, then absolutely you need to go for Ray Davis, guys, for sure.
Speaker 1:Good call. Yep, it's a high-scoring offense, guys. I mean, yeah, you don't think you need the handcuff, but you want the starting running back for the Buffalo Bills. I don't give a shit who it is. So if James Cook goes down, Ray Davis is just the darling of the week on the waiver wires for sure. Yeah, All right, let's go to the Dolphins. This one, we need a few minutes on here. Frankie Devon Achan listed as the one. They moved Mostert out of town. So Devon Achan in the backfield alone. He's been banged up, man. He's had a few issues here. He is getting healthier, but they've been real quiet about everything. They've kept him out of practice just as precautionary. They're saying I'm concerned, I love HN. I even said we had a clip go viral on TikTok of me saying this is the year Devon HN breaks. Fucking fantasy. That can still happen, Absolutely. But I'm a little nervous. I'm a little nervous with him. Man, what are you doing here?
Speaker 2:And who's his backup If he doesn't go? Who's going to be the guy in this backfield Guys? So I'll answer the backup question first. Jalen Wright's banged up. It's going to be Ollie Gordon Jr. This is a guy that is a rookie that they brought in from Oklahoma State. Yes, he is slow, he is not a speed demon like what we're used to from the Dolphins. But what's fascinating is if you look at not last year, oli Gordon, but the year before, had he come out, he would have been a top two round pick in the NFL draft, but he decided to stay. This dude is very, very good running back, especially goal line. So for me, technically, jalen Wright is still listed as the backup. I could absolutely see Oli Gordon taking that backup role. And guys, right now, o Ollie Gordon is listed at 54 lifetime in his ADP and he was 60. So he is starting to move up the boards quite a bit.
Speaker 2:And for me, man, I'm still on board with Devon A Chan and I agree with you People who came at us and was like you're nuts for never having him on your board over the last two years. Why is that nuts? I mean, really, I get it. Yeah, he's been performing at a high level. But I mean you have to spend top tier capital on a guy who really wasn't somebody that was coming out and lighting the world on fire from college. And so for me, I agree, I just avoided him. John, I was with you, he was somebody off my board. I thought he was too premium. This year, even with him banged up, mike mcdaniels came out and said, hey, he's our guy, right, and he's gonna be fine, right, he's on pace to play. Week one is that is what everything is coming out being said. I'm still willing to take devon h and in the second round, no question about it. But in terms of that, backup guys or you want a handcuff, I'm gonna go ollie gordon over j.
Speaker 1:Wright. I love it. That is the right call, man. I absolutely love that. Yeah, all right, let's head over to New England with the Patriots. We've got Ramondre Stevenson as the starter right now, rookie Trevion Henderson really moving up the draft boards here man and Antonio Gibson in that backfield. What are we doing with this Patriots backfield?
Speaker 2:Guys, I'm avoiding Ramondre. I Gibson in that backfield. What are we doing with this Patriots backfield Guys? I'm avoiding Ramondre. I'm avoiding Ramondre. He's going to be supplanted eventually and Trevion's going to take that number one slot. It's Trevion and guys, I think that you can get Trevion for really good value as well. Right now. I mean, we're talking he's going, probably John correct me if I'm wrong he's going fifth, sixth round, right, so his ADP will actually know it's moved up quite a bit. So he's actually looking at end of his fourth round, yeah, end of four early five. And so, guys, I mean looking at, travion is your RB2. It's a little sketch, I'm not gonna lie to you rookie running back with Ramondre solicited as RB1, um, but if he's your RB3 or you take him as your RB2 and then you immediately come back and you're able to get a James Connor, somebody like that, just to backfill that spot a little bit, then I'm good with it. But right now, the only running back in the Patriots offense that I'm drafting is Trevion Henderson.
Speaker 1:Yeah. Yeah, I'm with you on that. If you're doing a zero RB and you have to have a starting running back come week one, you could draft Ramondre, don't love it, you're not going to like it, it's not sexy, there's no ceiling on that. But if you're drafting, I do agree, because you do have to look at that.
Speaker 1:I get scared and sketched out with Trevion as my number two knowing that I got to bring him out in week one and that scares me, even though I think he could be a league winner for people. I really do. He's got that explosive ability of ability, pass-catching ability. But if you get Trevion Henderson, say, fourth round, you could come right back around and maybe snag a Tony Pollard, maybe snag an Isaiah Pacheco or an Aaron Jones, just to give you that early-in-the-season safety so that you can bring out your home run hitter come week. Three, four, five, you know. Yeah, all right, let's keep moving here. Last team in the AFC East, let's get to the Jets. J-e-t-s. We've got Brees Hall, braylon Allen, isaiah Davis. Definitely some things going on with this backfield. Is this going to be a true 50-50,?
Speaker 2:Frank, I could see it being a 50-50, man. It might be. I really do, guys. Brees Hall, where he's being drafted third round closer to fourth, I really like it. I think that there's a lot of value there. But what I like even a little bit more is Braylon Allen, who is listed at the 37th live time ADP 37th running back right now off the board. That is insane, insane value for a split backfield.
Speaker 2:And here's what's interesting, guys. Technically Braylon Allen is listed as the handcuffed to Brees. Let's just assume it's 50-50 split. Let's also assume that you take Brees Hall in the third or fourth round right, and somebody else snags Braylon Allen. I'm telling you again, as a late flyer, as your last pick, throw a line to Isaiah Davis. Cover your ass a little bit, because if they start looking at this as a three-headed monster, braylon Allen is not a receiver out of the backfield kind of player Isaiah Davis can be. That We've seen Brees Hall is that? Brees Hall is a true three down back. But what's interesting is if something happens to Brees, braylon Allen skyrockets and then here comes Isaiah Davis as the third down pass catching back. Don't be afraid to take a guy comes Isaiah Davis as the third down pass, catching back.
Speaker 1:Don't be afraid to take a guy like Isaiah Davis. And when we say if something happens to Brees, it is not out of the realm of possibilities that they move him this year Totally agree.
Speaker 1:If Isaiah Davis and Braylon Allen can handle the load, which I think they can, I think they can. I think they can too. So Brees Hall could be one of those mid-season before the deadline massive trades that just blows it up. He could go to a team that maybe has a little thinner backfield that's trying to make a playoff run. That could be interesting as hell. I mean again, he could be a second half of the year league winner for you depending, if that happens. So keep that in mind, that that is in the realm of possibility for Brees Hall. I'm still taking him, though I still think the value is great. And I love the value of Braylon Allen too, because if that did happen, oh my God, you're in keeper leagues.
Speaker 1:Braylon Allen could be one of those guys you end up keeping because he'll come back next year as a starter, likely, and then you get him in what? Eighth round, ninth round, something like that. So gold, absolutely love it. Man. Football is back, baby, and Underdog is the best place to make picks and win money all season long. Playing on Underdog is super easy. Just pick whatever your favorite players will go higher or lower on stats like touchdowns, receiving yards, interceptions and more.
Speaker 2:All right, johnny, this week on Underdog, I'm looking at a couple specific games, the first being Tampa Bay versus that of the Atlanta Falcons, and I'll tell you what. The player that we're going to choose for higher or lower for our pick-em is Bajon Robinson, and right now you can get his rushing and receiving combined at 101.5 yards. And I'm telling you what, johnny boy, we are smashing that higher and we're going to pair that with Jonathan Taylor. Jonathan Taylor's higher or lower in his rushing yards is 79.5. And I love where that's at, and especially knowing that the Indianapolis Colts are playing that of the Miami Dolphins. So you put in $10 there and, guys, you're netting out $30 on this particular opportunity.
Speaker 1:Download the app today and sign up with promo code frankly, to score $50 in bonus funds when you play your first $5. That's promo code, frankly. Millions of fans have already won billions making picks on underdog. Will you be next Underdog Make picks, win money Must be 18 plus 19 plus in Alabama and Nebraska, 19 plus in Colorado for some games, 21 plus in Arizona, massachusetts and Virginia, and present in a state where Underdog Fantasy operates. Terms apply See assetsunderdogfantasycom. Slash web. Slash play and get terms. Slash dfshtml for details. Offer not valid in Maryland, michigan, ohio and Pennsylvania. Concerned with your play? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit wwwncpgamblingorg. In. All right, let's head over to the AFC West. We got a couple of backfields we really need to talk about here, man, a couple of high-flying rookies as well. Let's go to the Denver Broncos. All right, we're in mile high. We got JK Dobbins brought over to the backfield to be the starter and they draft rookie RJ Harvey, who we both really, really like. Still have Jaleel McLaughlin still in the backfield here. Frankie, what are we doing with this backfield?
Speaker 2:So, if you notice, I did not list Aldrich Esteby, who they have recently cut, who was a pick last year that showed promise and just right kind of fizzled out behind Jaleel McLaughlin. So now, guys, it's listen. I made there was a reel out there that I said, target JK Dobbins, like target JK Dobbins, you, there's no risk. And I got pushback on that and I still don't understand why, guys, you're crazy If you are not drafting JK for the value of where he's at. If he's your RB4, rb5, that's amazing. He's going to be a starting running back, at least for the first few weeks, until RJ Harvey. We got to see what RJ Harvey looks like in a live game scenario, right. And so from RJ Harvey's perspective, man, I love him. I mean, you nailed it In a PPR leagues, I think that this dude is going to be awesome.
Speaker 2:But here's the deal You're going to have to draft him a little bit more at a premium than what you would for JK Dobbins. So it totally is going to depend on your roster construction. If you're going zero RB strat and you're loading up on receivers, tight ends et cetera, I don't know if there's a better option than JK Dobbins to be that RB2 for you in a zero RB strat. I'm not saying RB1, I'm saying RB2. And then RJ Harvey. Vice versa, if you have a stud running back and you went RB1 in round one, if you have a stud running back and you went RB1 in round one, you went receiver round two, you're looking round three or four around for where RJ Harvey is pretty much going to be going.
Speaker 2:John, I mean, right now he's listed at 51 overall ADP 21 in terms of running back off the board. That's fourth round, fifth round. If you can get him as your RB3, guys, that's gold. So again, he's a little bit more of a premium. He is listed as the true second on the team. But what we're going to find, knowing a Sean Payton offense, dare I say an Alvin Kamara, mark Ingram kind of thing, and that's what we could end up seeing at the Saints yeah, where the Saints were, but for the Broncos.
Speaker 1:It's the exact situation when it comes to draft strategy that I have for Trevion Henderson In fact.
Speaker 1:Trevion Henderson is ranked 20, rj Harvey's, 21. And on each side of those guys right now, brees Hall's at 19, we just talked about him and Tony Pollard's at 22. So that's a really interesting range for running backs right there and it's all going to be about your roster construction Totally. If you can hold for a few weeks at least. Rj Harvey, trevion Henderson, that's the route I'm going. If you need a guy week one to come out and start, then it's a Tony Pollard Brees Hall. Obviously he's locked and loaded for me. I don't. I don't even consider those guys If Brees is still on the board. Loaded for me, I don't. I don't even consider those guys If Brees is still on the board. Totally no question. Yeah, Okay, let's keep going here we're going to go to.
Speaker 1:Kansas city. Get some barbecue. We got a check. Oh, he's healthy, he's back. He is the one. Make no mistake here, guys. Then we've got Kareem hunt Uh, they brought in Elijah Mitchell. And we've got Bouchard Smith Frankie, what are the big high hard ones here? For the Kansas City Chiefs back.
Speaker 2:I thought what was interesting is Elijah Mitchell being third. I actually thought Elijah Mitchell might be second over Kareem Hunt. That's just not the case, which is interesting. So, for me, what this tells me, guys, is Brashard Smith, as well as listed at RB4 on that team, it's Isaiah Pacheco. Guys, we talked about it, man, don't be afraid, do not be afraid to draft him about it. Man, don't be afraid, do not be afraid to draft him, draft him. I mean, john Isaiah Pacheco is going past. Here's who he's behind, guys David Montgomery, deandre Swift, trevion Henderson, rj Harvey. Guys, isaiah Pacheco could, and very well should, have been a second round pick. It's just because of recency bias to where he was hurt last year and came back and kind of didn't look super great in the postseason. It is what it is, but for me, man, I'm all over Isaiah Pacheco this year.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I'm with you guys. Stop sleeping on Isaiah Pacheco. He's such a safe option for you. He looks good. He's back. He is the one. Yeah, they're going to throw in Kareem Hunt. They're going to throw in Elijah Mitchell, but they don't trust Elijah Mitchell and know him that well. Kareem Hunt, we know what he does. It's going to be Isaiah Pacheco, so don't overthink this and try to get too cute here, guys. All right, frankie, let's go to the Raiders. This is going to be a fun one man. We got Ashton Gentry rookie sensation First round back we can. I can't wait to actually see this guy playing again.
Speaker 1:You know it's just one of those guys where we got a little taste of him in the pre-season. Just it's such a tiny little we just like just licked the tip of it and that was it. Wow, I didn't mean for that to get gay all of a sudden. Yeah, I don't know where that came from then you see how excited I am for football right now.
Speaker 1:That's all just so, anyway, after licking the tip, I want to take a full bite. Man, I want the whole damn ice cream cone right in my mouth right now. With Ashton Jente, let's go. Who is? Do we have a handcuff for Ashton Jente?
Speaker 2:We do. And it's Raheem Moster. That's why they brought on Raheem Moster, guys. And then there's Samir White following. Samir White had every opportunity last year and shit to bed. What last year? And shit the bed. What that showed is he's just not a true NFL. Starting running back and that's okay. There's still a place for them on a roster, but from a fantasy perspective, guys. It's Ashton Gentry. The dude is a stud. He is built like a brick shit house. I mean a shit brick house, should I say. And I mean the dude is an absolute freak. So draft him with confidence, let it ride. I don't even personally, if you're drafting genti, I'm not even drafting his handcuff.
Speaker 1:That's how confident oh all right, I like that confidence. All right, let's go to the chargers. We do need to talk about this backfield. There's news here uh, los angeles chargers. We've got another rookie sensation, the next running back drafted after ashton, genti, omari and hampton. Uh listed as a starter, and I think the reason why is because Najee Harris, brought in from Pittsburgh to Los Angeles here, has been dealing with an eye injury I think it wasn't at a fireworks accident on the 4th of July. Still dealing with that. I mean, you know, we're almost two months later at this point. What's happening here? Frankie, as of right now, it's looking like Najee could play. He's practicing, he's walked throughs, he's doing that. I don't know, though, what are we looking at? And also, is there other guys? Are there other guys in this backfield that you're interested in?
Speaker 2:So right now, for me personally it's going to be it's going to be Omari and Hampton and then Najee Harris. It's just what it is. Let's assume Najee then doesn't come back full speed yet. So then there's Kamani Vidal and Hassan Haskins. We've seen Hassan Haskins from Tennessee. We've seen he's a comparable. He's an okay running back. There's certainly some sort of value there from an NFL standpoint. But Kamani Vidal is kind of interesting.
Speaker 2:But for me it's going to be Omariion Hampton and Najee Harris, and I'm willing to draft both of those guys because I think there's going to be quite a bit of a split once Najee gets in the fold. I mean, guys, this is a Greg Roman type of offense. We've seen what Greg Roman does. He leverages and utilizes multiple different backs in his schemes. And so for me I think that there's going to be a ton of value where you can draft Najee Harris. Guys. I mean, najee right now is going deep on the chart, but he's right behind Bilbo Korski, merritt, right, and so JCM for the commanders, and then it's Najee Harris, then Tajay Spears, then Basil Tootin. I mean, holy shit, you could wait and get Najee Girard before and he could end up being a 50-50 split, or maybe it's even, at worst, a 35-65 split, I'm all about it, but also, as I'm saying, that Hampton is at a premium. And so, john, I want to ask you are you willing to draft Hampton at that particular spot, knowing that?
Speaker 1:I mean he's going to be your third fourth round pick. Yeah, I am, I am. Omarion Hampton's moved up my board for sure. I feel so much better. I was worried about Najee with him, I really am. But the fact that I thought Omarion might take a few weeks to really dig into his, his share, you know of rushes, we're not going to have that issue now. Najee's banked up.
Speaker 1:I think once they see Amarian Hampton on the field, I think it's going to be harder for Najee to work his way back in. I think it's going to be the opposite. I think Najee, it's going to take longer and Amarian's the safest one to draft. I'm all over him, man. I mean this is a Greg Roman offense, it's a Harbaugh offense. They want to run the goddamn ball and we've seen how they use that, even with two healthy running backs in that backfield. I know it's going to be a committee, it's going to be a split. I think the volume is going to be enough that Amarion Hampton is going to be great, even if it's a full 50-50 split. I really do. He's too explosive, he's too good. Yeah, all right, let's move on here. Let's go to the NFC North. Let's talk a minute about the Bears Frankie? Any changes in this backfield? We got DeAndre Swift as a starter, roshan Johnson, a little banged up here and then Kyle Menongai in the backfield. What are we doing here? Pretty simple, deandre Swift.
Speaker 1:It's DeAndre Swift, and are you feeling about him? I'm really kind of fading DeAndre Swift when I see him on my draft boards.
Speaker 2:When I'm drafting I kind of skip over him, see it's interesting because I'm yes, I have been doing that, but also now the closer we're getting to draft time. He's kind of a sneaky guy that I've been tossing around a little bit. He's a guy that I'm not necessarily not targeting, but he's a guy that I kind of I don't know. I just I kind of vibe with it a little bit. If he's my RB3, but I know what that means, then that means I'm going to be light on receiver. So I'm not quite sure if he's my RB3, I like if he's my RB2. I don't know how I feel about it.
Speaker 1:Yeah. Yeah, I don't really either. I mean, I'd love to see him increase his pass volume, his catching volume, which could be, in a Ben Johnson offense it totally could.
Speaker 1:He had 42 catches last year. If that can get up closer to 60, I think then there's value there in a PPR. But yeah, I think he's just kind of one of those guys. He's not really a goal line guy. He's not quite as explosive as he used to be when he was with Detroit. Yeah, he's still kind of a guy, just kind of fade. At that point I look at other options and I'm still nervous about that Chicago offense. I just don't know what's going to happen there.
Speaker 1:All right, let's keep going here. Frankie, let's go to the Lions. All right, we got Sonic and Knuckles man. Yeah, Sonic and Knuckles, Easy peasy, Easy pe. You know, both of these guys are worth drafting. They're great values of where they're being drafted. Jameer Gibbs he may break fantasy football this year. Okay, Jameer Gibbs has, you know, such a good chance of being the 101 next year in your fantasy drafts. Just keep that in mind here. Guys. Are you fading David Montgomery a little bit. Do you think it's going to be pretty much the same of what we've seen, or just a little bit more of a teeter-totter move with jameer gibbs up a little more maybe?
Speaker 2:and I do. I think I think jameer gibbs is going to slightly have a little bit more to him than he did last year, but I still think david montgomery is a great option for your rb3 all right, let's go over to the green bay packers here.
Speaker 1:Let's get some cheese hats on. We got josh jacobs just tried and true second round stud for you on your team. Love him. Marshawn Lloyd was his backup. He's banged up, frankie. What do we have as far as a handcuff option for Josh Jacobs? You?
Speaker 2:know it is going to be tough at this point in time to say is it going to be Marshawn Lloyd, is it going to be Emmanuel Wilson, just because Marshawn Lloyd is a little bit banged up, but as this point in time it's looking like it's going to be Emmanuel Wilson. But let me say this, guys Josh Jacobs is absolutely somebody who everyone should be targeting. He was running back five last year in half PPR. Yes, he had a down year prior to that and are yes, he had a down year prior to that. And then the year before that he was running back three. So in the last two out of three years he's top five running back and there is not a soul behind him. Let's just be real with ourselves. He is one of the pure, true and tried workhorse backs. So for me, target Josh Jacobs. Don't overthink this.
Speaker 1:All right, last team in the NFC North here let's go to the Minnesota Vikings. We've got Aaron Jones as the starter and, dare I say, handcuff. Or is it more of a kind of split backfield with Jordan Mason? What do you think here, buddy?
Speaker 2:years last year, but they do bring on Jordan Mason, right? Ty Chandler looked okay, but now he's even fourth on the depth chart behind Jordan Mason. It's Xavier Scott, which is really fascinating. So here's what I'll tell you Do I feel really good about drafting Aaron Jones? No, I don't. Do I feel better drafting Jordan Mason, knowing the value I can get? Yes, yes, I do. So that's what you need to be thinking about Now. If you go zero RB strategy, you might need to take Aaron Jones as your RB1. If that happens, don't freak out. Draft Jordan Mason two rounds later. It's okay, give yourself grace. But you need to make sure you go Aaron Jones running back and then Jordan Mason, because, god forbid, if something happens to Aaron Jones, you're completely covered and, dare I say, maybe even in a better situation than what it is, than with those two being a tandem. So, yeah, I don't really like Aaron Jones with Jordan Mason breathing down his back, but again, depending on roster construction, you may need to draft him.
Speaker 1:Probably, looking at like a 70-30 split is what I would guess 65-35, even somewhere around that range. All right, let's head over to the NFC South New division. Here let's go to Atlanta, frankie, this one's easy, we've got our boy. We both love this guy. I want a piece of Bajon Robinson. So bad man. You want to talk about a guy who's likely to be the one-on-one next year. I think it's Bajon. I really do. Man Bajon or Jameer Gibbs one of those two. I just think they're going to be insanely good this year as chuba with a huge resurgence man, I, I do love chuba. This is the first year where I really feel good about drafting chuba. Hubbard yeah, same, yeah. And now they also brought over some backup here. Some help. They've got rico dowdle. They ended up signing, uh, they ended up. Um, they've got trevor etn, travis's brother. Yeah, what are you doing with this backfield? Is it all chuba? And maybe you know I mean you're not drafting rico dowell as a handcuff. This, no that's.
Speaker 2:It's gonna be waiver wire it's chuba and you're good.
Speaker 1:All right, let's move on. Everything sounds good there. New orleans this one's scary as well. New orleans saints. We've got alvin kamara. Tried and true, this guy seems to be top 10 every goddamn year, no matter what, um. And then we've got Kendra Miller. Now that's interesting, frankie. Is Kendra Miller a guy that's interesting to you in any way? We haven't seen him. He's been hurt, but man, he was high draft capital. I mean, he was a guy that was really touted highly when he came into the NFL, but we haven't really seen any of them guys until I see it, I'm not willing to draft him.
Speaker 2:I'm not willing to waste my bench spots, especially in a five bench type of league. Yeah, not worth it. Now, if you have seven bench spots, yeah, I think it could be something of interest for you, but in those it's Kamara. Until I see otherwise, that's the guy I'm rolling with.
Speaker 1:It's Kamara.
Speaker 1:He's the running back 16. He's going, you know, right in that third round area for third, fourth round. He's right around the area of chuba, of kenneth walker, of james connor amari and hampton, right where he needs to be man. I have no issues with kamara as well, love it. Um, okay, let's move on to the buccaneers here. All right, any changes here? Frank, we got bucky irving, rashad white, sean tucker. We can look at kind of roughly the same type of situation. I mean, they don't have liam cohen anymore, so is it? Do we see any different trends happening here?
Speaker 2:Guys, the only trends that I can see that slightly shipped is Bucky gets a little bit more of the load. That could be the case, but I think it's Bucky and Rashad White. Don't get super cute with Sean Tucker. If something happens to Bucky then, yes, he's going to be a waiver wire darling, but other than that, it's Bucky and Rashad White and enjoy All right.
Speaker 1:All right, let's go over to the NFC East. Here We've got two more divisions to go. This one's really fucked up, frankie. We got let's go dance on the star right now and find out what the hell is going on Dallas Cowboys backfield. All right, it's all brand new. All of these guys are new to this team. Yeah, we got Javante Williams. They Williams, they brought over. He's listed as a starter. Then we've got rookie Jaden Blue, who's kind of the speed guy, third down back pass catcher out of the backfield. He's banged up. He's hurt right now. Guys, and it's going to be a couple weeks. He's not looking at potentially playing in the first week or so. And then we've got Miles Sanders. We've got Phil Muffa. I mean, what are we doing with this backfield, frankie? Is this kind of a stay-the-fuck-away situation?
Speaker 2:This is a stay-the-fuck-away situation, yeah, and also good opportunity to snag Javante Williams. And if you see him popping early and I say that because right now he's listed going around the 11th, 10th round Guys, if you can get his starting running back in the 11th or 10th round for the first four weeks, trade his ass. Trade his ass and get a good piece, build from that and keep flipping right. It's kind of like you buy a shitty car, you fix it up, you flip it, you get the money, you put more money in it, you get another car, you keep leveling up. That's what this could be. Javante could be that start and you got to trade him at the right time. So for me, I am willing to take Javante. I'm also willing to take Jaden Blue, knowing how far he's dropped. But other than that, guys, it's going to be one kind of those two and it's going to be deeper in your drafts.
Speaker 1:Jaden Blue's a guy, he's a flyer. If you can grab him, I do recommend it, if you can sit on him for a little while, because Javante Williams isn't going to run with this backfield man, he's not going to own this thing with an iron fist. But now here's another thing I will say. If we did that strategy like Frankie and I were talking about, if you're nervous about RJ Harvey or Trevion Henderson being your running back two on your team, you can come back and get a Javante Williams because he'll give you at least week one, week two, week three. He'll give you some value being the starting running back on this team, especially with Jaden Blue probably not going to be out there in week one or two. So that's the scenario I would look at Javante Williams. Otherwise absolutely not. No, no, no desire whatsoever. All right, Frankie, let's go to the New York football giants. Here. We've got Tyrone Tracy listed as the starter, Still have Devin Singletary there, and they brought in rookie Cam Scadaboo. How are you feeling about the Giants, Rayton?
Speaker 2:half of the season, but everything I'm feeling and seeing, it's Tyrone Tracy still, and he's did we forget about this guy, frankie?
Speaker 1:I mean, you know, nobody's talked about him. We haven't talked about him either. Shame on us. But guys, we're. We're nine days before the season starts. He's the starter of the team. There's no. Tyrone Tracy is the guy and the only guy breathing down his neck. He already beat last year with Devin Singletary I'm not worried about Singletary taking the job, you know. And then we've got a rookie that we're dealing with here with Cam Scadaboo. Love him, but I think he's going to be much more of a role player and much more of a third down guy or, you know, a gadget play guy, that type of thing. Change of pace. I think he's going to get some play. Yeah, but dude, tyrone Tracy can play, get him in the seventh round Come on.
Speaker 1:And he's good. He's good at receiving the ball too. It's not like he's going to disappear on third downs either. So yeah, I, I, I think he's a really safe pick man. I really do. All right, let's move on here to Philly. Philly, pretty easy baby. Who is who's Saquon's handcuff here? Frankie?
Speaker 2:It's Will Shipley guys, and just so you know he is worth a last round pick. Just because if something happens to Saquon, will Shipley is going to skyrocket and I don't want to say anything's going to happen to him. But he's got the Madden curse right. There's the Madden cover. There's all sorts of weird shit. I don't know, but I love Saquon. I'm drafting him, but I'm willing to. Also, if I'm drafting him, I'm also going to make sure I take Will.
Speaker 1:Shipley. Yeah Well, he's only had you know 5 million carries over the past five years, you know just a few.
Speaker 1:No big deal, man. Yeah, all right, let's look at the commanders here. This one's definitely interesting too. We've had some changes as of this week with this. They moved out Brian Robinson Jr, we've got Austin Echler listed as the starter, and then we've got two other guys here Frankie Jacory Krosky-Merritt, bilbo, like you like to call him, and then Chris Rodriguez. What does this backfield, what is it going to give us here? What are we looking at?
Speaker 2:Guys, I'm all over Austin Echler, like I am all over Austin Echler. Right now you can get him as running back 43, overall 125 ADP in 10 team league. That puts him in the middle of the 12th round and a 12 team league, right, he's going to be a little bit higher than that. So 11th round maybe. So I love that. I think there's so much value.
Speaker 2:In same thing with JCM, jacory, krosky, merritt, bilbo, over there. He's only a few below that of Austin Eckler, right, I mean we're talking he's listed at 122 versus that of, again, austin Eckler. Technically he's above him, which is kind of crazy, austin Eckler being 125. So what I mean by that is JCM is being drafted before that of Austin Eckler. And so, guys I want. What I'm saying is I want a piece, I want a piece of the backfield, whether it is JCM, whether it is Austin Eckler. I mean Chris Rodriguez, again, is the third guy here. He's kind of off my board at this point in time, but between those two other guys, 100% one of them will be on my roster, absolutely.
Speaker 1:Chris Rodriguez is really going to be the goal line guy. So this backfield may be really annoying. You might have three guys with each defined roles that may just destroy each other's fantasy value. Or you have Ja'Cory Krosky-Merritt end up taking a job which can be done. It's Austin Eckler he's. You know this is the end of his career for sure, he's getting older. Yeah, but good options. I mean I'd like to grab a piece too. I mean this is going to be a high-scoring offense, high-flying offense. And I mean this is going to be a high scoring offense, high flying offense. And you know, somebody in this backfield is going to have some value for you.
Speaker 1:Yeah, all right, let's get over to the last division here at NFC West. Frankie, we've got the Arizona Cardinals James Conner Great, just been a workhorse back for you. Yeah, I mean played all season last year so you can get rid of that injury prone tag that everybody seems to have on James Conner. But we've also got Trey Benson Really interesting man. We've got everybody's kind of forgetting about these year two running backs. What are we looking like with this backfield? How good do you feel about Conner? And does Trey Benson? Is he a handcuff or does he have any value?
Speaker 2:Guys, I love James Conner. This year I just think again, he is as stable as what we have seen over the last few years. And I get it right A couple years ago he was a little bit banged up, but I'm telling you, over the last two years, guys, he's been gold, especially last year. Now, for me, man, I'm looking at Benson truly as a handcuff. I know they're saying that he's going to come in and take a little bit of the play, which certainly could happen, but absolutely think of more Trey Benson as the handcuff and Connor being the starter. And if that's the case, trey Benson is certainly somebody that you can end up drafting late in the rounds, because if James Connor does go down, they've been waiting for this guy. They took him with high draft capital last year as a rookie and they've been wanting to see how he performs. Right, he was a stud at Florida State and so for me, man, I'm really excited to see when that time comes, but at this point in time it ain't right now. It's James Conner's show.
Speaker 1:All right, let's go to Los Angeles with the Rams, because this is almost an identical situation here. Man, yeah, you got Kyron Williams who's there, locked and loaded and won. He's a guy you're going to draft in the second round. Get all over him. Maybe the third he's dropping a little bit to the turn there, but same thing second year guy Blake Corum as his backup. Is this same situation where, if you have Kyron, you probably want to take Blake Corum as a handcuff?
Speaker 2:You could. You certainly could. And the thing is is, with the issues with Matt Stafford guys, again Matt Stafford's one hit away from being done. Then you plug in Jimmy Garoppolo. This offense changes. So for me it's Kyron Williams, guys. You draft him with full confidence. They just paid the dude, he's ready to explode. But yeah, if you want a little bit of security, you can certainly look at Blake Corham as his handcuff.
Speaker 1:Okay, all right, let's go to the 49ers here. We got to talk a little bit about CMC. I'm sorry, I love him. I know everybody on TikTok and Instagram go nuts when we talk about CMC. Guys draft him on the turn in the first round. I don't give a shit. Take him, he's going to be awesome as long as he's healthy. But we do have an actual handcuff for CMC now, who is fantastic. Brian Robinson Jr. What are you doing with him, Frankie?
Speaker 2:I love B-Rob and guys. Here's why If I'm drafting CMC, I'm absolutely drafting Brian Robinson Jr. It is something that is like peanut butter and chocolate baby you get you like one, you're going to have the other and you're going to want a little bit of both, because Brian Robinson Jr is going to have some standalone value. He's going to spell CMC a little bit here and there, but in case of something crazy that happens with cmc, you have a surefire badass that will be stepping into that rb1 role and so again, he could be huge for you. Don't miss out if you're spending first round or second round capital on on cmc when we just, like we said earlier today, take the, the draft brian robinson, a round or two, it's okay to reach. At that point You're solidifying your true RB one.
Speaker 1:Yeah, don't fuck around, because when you fuck around you're going to find out.
Speaker 2:And if you're stuck with CMC baby?
Speaker 1:that's right, all right. Last team here Frankie, we almost got this Woo marathon episode today, baby, but we got to talk about this stuff. This is super important. All right, we got the Seattle backfield, which actually is very interesting to me. Frankie, I know that a lot of people are kind of wanting to know what to do here. You've got Kenneth Walker III and you've got Zach Charbonnet. Charbonnet's looked great, amazing. He has Kenneth Walker's been. You know, they've been resting him. He's not hurt hurt, but he's been banged up and they've been resting him, giving him some time. We know, you know, kenneth Walker explosive. He's a guy that can take the ball 50 yards to the house on any given play. The guy does struggle to stay on the field, we know this. So when he does play, he's awesome. Frankie, what are we doing with this backfield?
Speaker 2:I'm leaning towards Charbonnet 100%. Guys, I will go as far as to say this Kenneth Walker's off my board.
Speaker 2:And why do you ask that? Well, because when you look at where he's being drafted, he's right now listed at RB15. Well, rb16 is Alvin Kamara. Okay, I'm taking Alvin Kamara, then there's Chuba Hubbard at 17. I'm taking Alvin Kamara, then there's Chuba Hubbard at 17. I'm taking Chuba Hubbard right, and then you look at James Conner, who's 18. I'm taking James Conner, then Brees Hall, who's right before him, I mean, and then there's James Cook and Amari in Hampton Guys.
Speaker 2:I like all of those more than I like Kenneth Walker, because of how well Zach Charbonnet has been playing, and I can see Zach Charbonnet creeping in a little bit. And, dare I say, if Kenneth Walther Walker gets heard, it reminds me of Alexander Madison when Dalvin Cook was the running back. Alexander Madison stepped in and was averaging 20 points a game in fantasy football, right, he was crazy. And so that's what I could see was Zach Charbonnet, guys, right now is listed at his lifetime. Adp is 32, running back 32. That's fantastic. And so that means he's being drafted in a 10-team league, in round 10 and in a 12-team league, round 9 or back of 8. Guys, that is awesome. Be willing to take I'm with you, I'm willing to take that value for Charbonnet over leveraging Kenneth Walker as my RB1. It makes me way too freaked out to have him as my RB1.
Speaker 1:Hey, if you're an adrenaline junkie and you want to take Kenneth Walker in the third, fourth round on that turn, do it. You know I may, depending on how I'm crafting a team. He is a home run hitter, there's no question about it. Yeah, I think Charbonnet is the safer pick. It's a better value. It's a guy you can get eighth round or so that you might be able to start. Even if Kenneth Walker's healthy, you might be able to start Charbonnet. So that's really interesting man.
Speaker 1:Anything else on this backfield? No, not for Seattle. It was a long one, but it was a good one. This is all information we have to have again, nine days out from our season starting, which means we're drafting now. A lot of you guys already have your teams and you're listening to us talk and you're going God damn it, I drafted that guy and they're saying not to. Why didn't I listen to this podcast earlier? But, guys, thank you so much for joining us. That is the backfield breakdown. Please don't forget like subscribe, subscribe, hit the notification bell. Guys. We've got news coming out. We've got a couple of episodes coming out. Still, we've got mock drafts coming. So that notification bell is going to tell you when these episodes are hitting. Guys. Before your drafts, get online, get on the podcast, send us messages, comments, anything you need. We can help you coming into your draft, guys. This is what we do, frankie. Not much coming up here. What's happening, though? What do we have coming we?
Speaker 2:got one more big episode outside of some of the mock drafts, guys, before we hit our in-season flow, which is going to be fantastic, but we have our champions episode. This is one that everybody loves because it's so much fun. It's like Johnny and I have a blast with this. We end up picking our stud guys that we're riding throughout the rest of the year and again bleeding into your draft weekend the biggest draft weekend of the year and bleeding into next week ask us questions. We're here for you, guys. We're commenting as much as we possibly can, guys, the comments have been through the roof. We appreciate you. We cannot keep up. It's been so awesome. I mean, every time we turn on TikTok or YouTube or Instagram, we are flooded with 40, 50, 60 comments on every couple days. Guys, this is fantastic. Keep them coming. We're here for you. Let's build the best fucking teams we can this year to get you to win your fantasy football Super Bowl. Oh, I'm so excited fucking teams we can this year to get you to win your fantasy football.
Speaker 1:Superbowl. Oh, I'm so excited. Frank, you know how to get me fired up. Baby, I don't want to run through a brick wall. Let's go. May the fantasy gods smile upon you. Bye, we'll see you next time.