In short
Fantasy football divisional breakdown of the NFC North, plus league news focused on legal/discipline issues affecting fantasy outlook.
Guests/hosts
Andy Holloway, Jason Moore, Mike Wright (hosts of Fantasy Footballers). No additional guests mentioned.
Key claims
- Browns may delay signing RB Quinchon Judkins; expect him to miss training camp and potentially games (speculated up to ~6) depending on league action; Browns want his domestic incident handled as the priority.
- Vikings’ 14-3 season with Sam Darnold was driven by Kevin O’Connell’s system; they project Sam Darnold-like success with rookie QB J.J. McCarthy.
- Lions’ offense should remain strong despite Ben Johnson’s departure, but touchdowns may regress due to tougher schedule and offensive-line concerns; Jared Goff remains a fantasy/MVP candidate.
- Vikings: Aaron Jones and Jordan Mason split; Mason is a late value with goal-line upside if Jones misses time.
- Packers: fantasy value hinges on injuries/role changes; Josh Jacobs is a key RB with end-zone usage.
Notable examples
- Browns: comparison to Mike Hall Jr. (commissioner’s exempt list, 5-game unpaid suspension).
- Vikings: Mason’s early-season dominance after Ty Chandler’s decline; Hawkinson value discussion (drafted around Round 5).
Written by AI. May contain mistakes. Listen to the episode to check what was said.
Chapters
Tap a time to open that second in VONFC North Breakdown Introduction
0:03 to 1:10
The hosts introduce the NFC North and discuss current NFL news.
“Sign up now for guaranteed picks every Monday along with profit boosts and daily discounts.”
NFC North Breakdown Introduction
1:36 to 3:35
The hosts introduce the NFC North and discuss current NFL news.
“Thursday, July 17th, Jason Moore, Mike Wright, Andy Holloway.”
Quinchon Judkins Situation
3:35 to 7:58
Analyzing the Quinchon Judkins situation and its implications for the Browns.
“draft kit is available right now at ultimate draft kit.com you can go check that out dominate your draft this upcoming August, whenever you're drafting.”
Jordan Addison's Court Hearing
7:58 to 10:31
Discussion about Jordan Addison's legal troubles and potential impact on his playing time.
“I mean, this is like, you've already been the cloud of Voldemort has been upon your franchise for so long.”
Terry McLaurin's Contract Dispute
10:31 to 14:00
The hosts discuss Terry McLaurin's ongoing contract negotiations and their significance.
Colston Loveland's Training Camp Status
14:00 to 14:58
Discussion on Colston Loveland's readiness for training camp and its implications.
“I don't I don't think we're going to ever get there.”
NFC North Divisional Breakdown Introduction
14:59 to 17:08
Introduction to the NFC North divisional breakdown and last season's performance.
“You don't take a guy in the top 12 picks.”
NFC North Team Performance Review
17:09 to 19:07
Review of each team's performance in the NFC North last season, including records and scoring differentials.
“There are changes, and obviously it was a special year, number one in points per game, number two in yards per game.”
Detroit Lions Expectations for Upcoming Season
19:08 to 21:21
Expectations for the Detroit Lions regarding their win total, schedule difficulties, and offensive performance.
“play in Baltimore, play in Cincinnati, play in Los Angeles against the Rams, and play in Kansas City.”
Impact of Ben Johnson's Departure
21:22 to 23:30
Analyzing the impact of the offensive coordinator's departure on the Lions' offense.
“of if the Detroit Lions are the 10th ranked offense of where the ADP of these guys are going.”
Show all 25 chapters
Jared Goff and Running Back Dynamics
23:31 to 26:14
Discussion on Jared Goff's performance and the roles of Jameer Gibbs and David Montgomery in the Lions' backfield.
“Goff has been one of three quarterbacks to finish inside the top 10 each of the last three years he's the only player in NFL history with a 72 % completion percentage and 4 ,500 passing yards in one season.”
Analysis of Running Back Value in Fantasy Football
26:15 to 28:00
Analysis of the value of running backs Jameer Gibbs and David Montgomery in fantasy football drafts.
“like 80 % or something of Derrick Henry's carries came when they were leading or tied.”
Analyzing the Detroit Lions Offense
28:00 to 30:12
Discussion on the performance and potential of Detroit Lions players, including Gibbs and Amon-Ra St. Brown.
Analyzing the Detroit Lions Offense
30:13 to 31:10
Discussion on the performance and potential of Detroit Lions players, including Gibbs and Amon-Ra St. Brown.
“We're going to take a break and come back with, well, a lot more question marks.”
Analyzing the Detroit Lions Offense
31:14 to 31:26
Discussion on the performance and potential of Detroit Lions players, including Gibbs and Amon-Ra St. Brown.
“Miller Brewing Company, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 96 calories and 3.2 carbs per 12 ounces.”
Analyzing the Detroit Lions Offense
31:29 to 32:25
Discussion on the performance and potential of Detroit Lions players, including Gibbs and Amon-Ra St. Brown.
“Life insurance is that one thing we all know we need, but we keep putting it off.”
Previewing the Minnesota Vikings Season
32:34 to 37:56
In-depth analysis of the Minnesota Vikings' upcoming season, focusing on McCarthy, the offense, and their division challenges.
“It's time to talk about the Minnesota Vikings who went 14-3 last year.”
Vikings Backfield Dynamics and Tight End Analysis
37:56 to 42:04
Exploring the running backs Aaron Jones and Jordan Mason, and evaluating the value of tight end T.J. Hawkinson.
“Like the Vikings changed nothing about their game plan.”
Assessing Jordan Mason and T.J. Hawkinson's Value
42:04 to 45:56
Explore the potential impact and value of Jordan Mason and T.J. Hawkinson in fantasy football.
“So keep an eye on him at the end of drafts.”
Analyzing the Green Bay Packers' Fantasy Outlook
45:56 to 48:26
Discuss the Green Bay Packers' performance and potential fantasy value for the upcoming season.
Josh Jacobs and the Packers' Offensive Strategy
48:26 to 55:40
Evaluate Josh Jacobs' role and the Packers' offensive strategy amidst fantasy implications.
“He got taken out of that game against Jacksonville, but from then on out, he was passing the ball 10 fewer times per game.”
Chicago Bears Season Outlook
57:27 to 1:01:03
A deep dive into the Chicago Bears' upcoming season and player prospects.
“After their week six win last year when you mentioned they were four and two, they lost 10 straight games.”
Caleb Williams Analysis
1:01:06 to 1:03:41
Discussion on Caleb Williams' potential and performance expectations.
“I've shared this story once earlier in the offseason.”
NFC North Predictions
1:03:49 to 1:10:01
Predictions for the NFC North standings and team performances.
“They've built some of that structure here in Chicago finally.”
NFC North Predictions and Chicago Bears Discussion
1:10:01 to 1:11:03
The hosts share their predictions for the NFC North, discussing team performances and playoff implications.
“I want – I mean, I think that would be – If Chicago's in the NFC South, where do they finish?”
Transcript
Automatic transcript. May contain errors.0:00Andy Holloway:This episode is sponsored by PrizePix. Football is back and PrizePix is giving users a new promo every day during Stacked September. Sign up now for guaranteed picks every Monday along with profit boosts and daily discounts. You just pick two to six players, then pick more or less based on their projected stats. Josh Allen is tearing things up. Is there a projection that he can't pass the more on? Well, tune in on Sundays and find out. Download the app today and use code FOOTBALLERS to get$150 instantly in lineups if you win your first$5 lineup. PrizePix, run your game.
0:38Jason Moore:Whether it's game day or the work day, you need a team you can count on. At Staples, easy means workplace solutions trusted by 75 % of Fortune 500 companies from facilities and break room to print, furniture, and more. Easy also means expert guidance and world-class reliability, like next-day delivery to over 98 % of the U.S. Now that's a winning combination. Don't choose hard. Choose Staples. Learn more at staples.com.
1:18Jason Moore:Welcome to the Fantasy Footballers Podcast with your hosts, Andy Holloway, Jason Moore, and Mike Wright.
1:35Mike Wright:Welcome in.
1:45Mike Wright:Thursday, July 17th, Jason Moore, Mike Wright, Andy Holloway. The Fantasy Footballers Podcast back with you. excited to be here diving back into divisional breakdown episodes and some news to talk about
2:03Jason Moore:discuss with you fine gentlemen i'm glad we talk fantasy football i really am for a living well sure yeah but i guess i just feel like like prior to hitting the record button it was like we were the fantasy lawyers trying to figure you know there's so many things going on unfortunately every year we certainly aren't lawyer lawyers and yeah we're the fantasy lawyers yes yes uh
2:28Mike Wright:not legal advice but uh every once in a while we have to put on the um amateur lean on all my years of watching you know television lawyer tv you know perry mason yeah and uh wow come on that's all right andy andy wasn't watching perry mason i certainly was not
2:46Andy Holloway:every incarnation of Barry Matson possible.
2:49Mike Wright:I like the ancient reference. So, yeah, we were discussing the Quinshawn Judkin situation again, which we'll get into briefly in the news and figure out where we're at with that information. But today is mostly about the NFC North, which is a really exciting division to talk about.
3:08Jason Moore:Also has legal troubles of its own.
3:10Andy Holloway:Yeah, you are right.
3:12Jason Moore:Yeah.
3:13Mike Wright:We'll get there.
3:14Andy Holloway:We'll get there. okay yeah it took me a second but you're right yeah welcome to what an incredible this is an uplifting show guys i'm so excited let's just talk about legal problems we are forced to it's
3:28Mike Wright:not what i want to talk about but uh we have nfc north breakdown nfl news to talk about the ultimate draft kit is available right now at ultimate draft kit.com you can go check that out dominate your draft this upcoming August, whenever you're drafting. Some of you are doing dynasty drafts and that sort of thing. We've got dynasty information in there as well. Everything there at ultimatedraftkit.com. We'll jump right in because I want to talk laws.
4:00Jason Moore:News and notes from around the league.
4:05Mike Wright:so there have been a couple of reports around quench on judkin's situation one of them from mike florio talking about the fact he could be placed on paid leave after he signs his rookie
4:15Andy Holloway:contract which that that that's what i would expect to happen of a uh the commissioner's
4:21Mike Wright:exempt list would be the first step which um but he's not signed he's not signed which most of the second round picks are not that was kind of the story we talked about on the last episode like Jaden Higgins got signed fully guaranteed. Most of them are not signed. I think at that point, two of them had been signed.
4:37Jason Moore:Two total. Two total. Do you know who the second one that got signed is? The Cleveland Browns' first second-round pick.
4:43Mike Wright:Oh, really? Yeah. Well, so the one thing that I think is worth bringing up is that we were literally here last year with the Browns. Mike Hall Jr. was suspended five games. He was their second-round pick. He went to Ohio State. For domestic violence. He didn't go to Ohio State for domestic violence. Yes, I'm majoring in...
5:04Andy Holloway:Oh my gosh, Jason.
5:07Jason Moore:In DV. Don't say Jason.
5:10Andy Holloway:You were the one that made it sound awful.
5:12Mike Wright:No, he was. He pled no contest to a reduced charge. He ended up pleading down to disorderly conduct from a domestic violence altercation last summer. So the Browns literally went through this. He ended up on their commissioner's exempt list. He ended up missing five games unpaid and then came back in week six.
5:35Andy Holloway:But the difference is Judkins is not signed. Judkins is not an NFL employee right now.
5:41Jason Moore:Which means he can't be put on the commission-exempt list, but he also can't practice and participate. I think regardless, either he doesn't sign, because there's all sorts of contractual issues now that the Browns are going to have to figure out, like, okay, we've got problems with this player. Yeah. So then he misses camp because he's not signed, doesn't have a contract or they sign him, figure it out. And then he misses camp because he's put on the exempt list. Correct. At this point, it seems and this is speculative, you know, but it's it's an educated guess that you're going to have Quinchon Judkins missing training camp.
6:17Jason Moore:All of all of the lead up to probably about week six or seven.
6:22Mike Wright:And the other report was from Mary Kay Cabot out of Cleveland saying the Browns are in no rush to sign him or get him into camp on time because of what you said, the inevitability of him getting him into camp on time. They don't control that. They control the contract.
6:35Andy Holloway:And the player coming in, probably facing a six-game suspension right away, I am protecting the team. Everyone's not signing right now because they want a fully guaranteed contract for the second-round picks. That's what they're trying to do. I'm not giving Judkins a full guaranteed contract.
6:52Mike Wright:You also don't know how everything's going to play out, so why not wait? I mean, the team has, quote, stressed to Judkins and his agent that Judkins must make his domestic incident the high priority over football. So they're going to let it play out. It's not like they can get him into camp quicker because the league will have to act. And so Judkins, I mean, if this is not played down or more information comes out, this is not just going to be a suspension. and this is going to be a catastrophic impact to his first contract and potential to play.
7:24Jason Moore:For sure. And I think when we talked about the fantasy implications, how many games you miss, we really talked about Jerome Ford and his ability to come forward. We didn't bring up enough about Dylan Sampson. They spent a fourth rounder on another running back, another rookie. He's not as productive. He's not as big as Judkins. That's why the excitement was there for Quinch on Judkins. but given the situation where it's pure strong Jerome Ford and now Dylan Sampson to start the year to start training camp and all that Dylan Sampson becomes far more interesting I would I mean is there a chance the Browns to skip the year it seems like they're trying can they opt
8:01Andy Holloway:out and we and you know we've we've updated our stats for the ultimate draft kit I feel like Dylan Sampson if he would be more of a takeaway pure strong's role if like they I don't know he
8:14Mike Wright:can catch the football i mean jerome ford if we're projecting jerome ford receptions and it's sampson instead of ford right ford being a two down back on one of the worst teams in football
8:22Andy Holloway:does not excite me well no ford catches passes no i'm saying he can but sampson's can do that oh
8:27Mike Wright:sure yes that's how the roles break out where all of a sudden ford is the first and second down back on a team that scores four touchdown this year i mean browns fans hate me right now because uh we talked about how bad that opening schedule was and all that stuff and look i i feel for you Browns fans. Yeah, this stinks. I mean, this is like, you've already been the cloud of Voldemort has been upon your franchise for so long.
8:51Andy Holloway:And it was like, hey, we're getting out of it. The Voldemort cloud is clearing up. Right. But it doesn't feel like it. But another storm is coming through. So
9:03Mike Wright:that's the update there. And then the NFC North legal situation is just the update that Jordan Addison is due in court. pre-trial hearing before a jury trial on his DUI. And some people think that there'll be a plea deal formalized at the hearing. It does make sense. If he was convicted, he would face a baseline three-game suspension. So Jordan Addison would miss at least three games per the NFL's policy, according to Adam Schefter.
9:31Jason Moore:Yeah, I mean, obviously, you're not going to move Justin Jefferson up any higher based on that. But if you're looking at a strong start to the season for TJ Hawkinson, that's where the bump goes.
9:42Mike Wright:And we're talking about that team today. So we'll go through and we'll evaluate what that means to JJ McCarthy to start the season. A couple other pieces of news. This one, look, if the lawyers, they handle the contracts too. So let's just include that in our new legal segment. But Terry McLaurin, still disappointed with contract talks. His most recent quote is, uh-oh. he said without any progressive discussions it's hard to see me stepping on the field camp is supposed to open next tuesday i he says he's pretty frustrated not gonna lie
Read the full transcript
10:14Andy Holloway:what has transpired has been pretty disappointing um it i'm i am fully on terry mclaurent's side of this one this guy has been he's paid his dues yes yes he has been the face of your team through uh many years of grade a baloney so and he deserves to he's underpaid right now jason
10:34Jason Moore:you're making a weird i am i'm not completely on his side depending on what they're squabbling about if it's years of guaranteed money then i'm on the team side i'm not giving terry mclaurin three guaranteed years of of extension pay him a lot right now he deserves to make money you've got a rookie quarterback under contract give him a monster two-year deal i mean guaranteed money
10:55Andy Holloway:guaranteed money is everything but like Terry McLaurin in the wide receiver department position for what he puts on the field he is severely underpaid think about this if you want to know
11:07Jason Moore:his value to the team if you take Terry McLaurin off that roster what do you think about that
11:15Mike Wright:quarterback now what do you think about the team's chances I think they're I think we would change their playoff chances go down we would change Jaden Daniels in the UDK immediately if he didn't have if we were like oh it's he's reliant on a uh debo samuel resurgence season i mean that's
11:30Jason Moore:not where you want to be yeah i mean that it's it's a fun uh exercise where you go okay what would the you know the vegas line for wins would it change yeah if terry mclaurin you know towards acl today it might whereas yeah you know someone like judkins going down at running back is like
11:45Andy Holloway:whatever but but anyways the the uh it's hard to see me stepping on the field it i do i players missing a good amount of training camp freaks me out man well who is gonna step on the field though garrett wilson yeah yeah well that one kind of came through late of last show uh kind of live reacted but garrett wilson yeah you got a four-year extension he is absolutely paid by the jets uh we didn't really react gardener as well yeah sauce gardener we didn't do a ton of reaction i tweeted out like my dynasty team i'm pumped about this i like my player having an extension like this the the amount of money and of course people are responding with well now he's on the jets for ever and you're like i i totally get that but like the way i'm looking at the jet situation this year is either it works with justin fields and you have you get like a maybe a dj more or a dj more light year and then we're all happy or he's terrible and now next year the jets are taking a really high profile quarterback yeah but that that's also that might be one of the
12:55Mike Wright:reasons our people are uncomfortable yeah because you we all see that playing out i'll the odds are the devil you know the devil you don't know no it's fine i mean it's good that he got paid yeah he's he's there alpha for the for the foreseeable future it's just that we can see you know fields probably doesn't work as a playoff contending jets quarterback and that's what it would take and then you're on to rookie town and rookie town is that's a scary place to be sometimes so um like if i told you you get one year of justin fields and you get one year of caleb caleb williams rookie season you're kind of like crap you know you'd love to have garrett wilson have more but i look i'm with you in in in concept here very productive last year with erin rogers things changed when adams got there always been a target monster it's just um i do not believe that Garrett Wilson it's going to be very easy for him without a prolific passer to enter Jefferson range or Chase.
13:53Mike Wright:Oh, I don't I don't think he can do that, which that part of it's a bummer because I think maybe from a skill standpoint he's close.
13:58Andy Holloway:Yeah, I can agree with that. I don't I don't think we're going to ever get there. That would be that would take a quite a shifting of quarterbacks, which that that stuff does happen every once in a while as well.
14:10Mike Wright:Colston Loveland said he is 100 % entering training camp. Oh, man. I love that. But declined to say whether or not he'd be on the field when camp began. I do not love that.
14:19Jason Moore:I don't play unless I'm 110%. You know what I mean? Like 100 %? You want me to play football?
14:26Andy Holloway:Have you ever tried to go from 100 % to 110 %? It's very difficult.
14:29Jason Moore:Yeah, so we'll see when training camp starts.
14:32Mike Wright:I wonder if that's a deference to more the team making a decision on his pace of returning. That's how it feels to me. But, look, Colston Loveland hasn't gotten a lot of discussion this offseason. Because he's been hurt. Exactly. But it's one of those things that maybe, you know, that could prove a mistake to not really bring him up enough with the draft capital and the quarterback going into year two and an offensive coordinator we like. I mean, Colston Loveland was drafted with a purpose. You don't take a guy in the top 12 picks. Correct. Was he 11? He was number 10. 10 so i mean you know it would be a foolish thing to ignore that draft capital um and just because we don't get to see him out there right now he could prove extremely important to this offense and was drafted to be you know their laporta of sorts so i think that's all the news any more legal information coming in al i don't know if you are are you on the fax machine getting anything through from the clerk or the nothing's come through yet but i'll keep you posted goodness if we never have to talk about legal stuff again it'll be too soon let's jump right in it's the NFC North let's get divisional well this is a very fun one the NFC North was outrageous last year a reminder for those that have you know just tuned into the show again this year we're in the middle of the divisional breakdowns we just did the entire AFC four episodes uh or I guess we had the mock draft episode in the previous four was the AFC breakdowns but we were kind of looking at all the offseason changes head coaches players rookies coming in an overview of the team how we think they can function we'll end up making a prediction on how we think this division will go which I'm looking forward to that because I think yeah there's a number of ways it could go yeah there are a number of different options.
16:28Mike Wright:This was a division where last year, Detroit 15 and two Minnesota, 14 and three green Bay, 11 and six. You know, this was the highest and me,
16:37Andy Holloway:the bears. Yeah,
16:38Mike Wright:this was the highest five and 12,
16:41Jason Moore:four and oh, right? Did they, I think they started four and oh, was that what happened? I don't know about that. We got it. It sounds like you're saying crazy. I don't think it's a reality. I live in four out of the first two. They were, they were four and two.
16:57Andy Holloway:oh yeah yeah yeah okay um right one two three four and two all right going into the bye week that was what that was what we did it they had a 662 winning percentage as the division that's
17:09Mike Wright:the highest in the history of the league they also had the highest scoring differential as
17:12Andy Holloway:the division in the history they were that good the point differentials are wild so i mean yeah
17:18Mike Wright:the the line everyone's over 100 points plus 222 minnesota plus 100 green bay plus 122 they they were great and and you'll notice like i'll give you a spoiler okay we talk about four teams today all four teams have a an extremely hard schedule because they play each other that's what i mean that's part of the factor right i cracked the code right they're all like a top 10 hardest yeah hardest schedule because they got to play like the lions got to play green bay and minnesota and chicago so that's a that's a really big part of it and i i'm really curious your guys's thoughts as we go through these teams because they're they're very exciting when you watch them they're very exciting for fantasy in terms of fantasy football options high win total projections it's it's it's awesome so we'll start with the lions i mean what a year 15 and 2 they have beat their vegas total and wins three straight eight years and it was just a magical season for them their their projected win total last year was 10 and a half you know what it is this year it's 10 and a half wow so i mean after winning 15 you
18:29Jason Moore:would expect it to be obviously i don't know if you heard about their schedule yeah a difficult schedule but 10 and a half feels almost insulting after a 15 win i would have expected like if this
18:40Mike Wright:situation had happened with the chiefs it would be 11 and a half so i would have expected it to be a
18:45Andy Holloway:You don't have – there's big questions about Ben Johnson.
18:49Mike Wright:There are changes, and obviously it was a special year, number one in points per game, number two in yards per game. They were seven and two in one score games, right? So if that evens up a little bit. But, you know, it's a tougher schedule, third hardest in the league. They have to go play in Philadelphia this year, play in Washington, play in Baltimore, play in Cincinnati, play in Los Angeles against the Rams, and play in Kansas City. So when you talk about a team that went 15-2, all of those games I just read, which was seven of them, all those seem like they'll be really challenging games on the road.
19:24Mike Wright:So their schedule's tough.
19:25Jason Moore:Yeah, in the first three weeks on the road in Green Bay, then two weeks later on the road in Baltimore, it's going to be tough sledding. But that's how Guns Mahoney wants it.
19:34Mike Wright:Well, wasn't it last year that they started against Kansas City and got the win? Wasn't that the debut game last year? So it's a question for fantasy managers now of Ben Johnson's departure, the very, very high expectations for this team, and what the production is going to look like for Jared Goff and the offense.
19:54Jason Moore:That was two years ago. Two years ago. I remember that game. But, yes, last year was not the Kansas City game. What game was it? Last year they started, I think, the Rams. Yes.
20:04Mike Wright:Thank you. So what are our expectations for the offense in light of the transition of offensive coordinator? For me, I think they have so much established structure, right? So much trellis for the vine. So much consistency in personnel that I don't personally overemphasize the departure of Ben Johnson. if this was a one-year wonder team if this was a change in the personnel a lot of the players
20:35Jason Moore:yeah that's what i mean okay yeah yeah i i didn't know if you're mocking no no i'm like i was going to repeat myself or not completely agreeing with you that most of the players are the same
20:44Mike Wright:and so and we've seen this dave canalis was the number one you know higher in the offseason two years ago leaves tampa bay goes to carolina everybody has this discussion about the tampa bay offense and baker mayfield and it was better than it was the year before so i don't want to just i don't just want to concede that this team is going to be much worse on offense i think they will be very close d whether that ends up number one or number three or number five that's going
21:12Jason Moore:to be very so i i do think that they're going to move down to be like 10 which is not a bad offense
21:19Andy Holloway:they're going to be a good offense there's but there are very large fantasy implications though of if the Detroit Lions are the 10th ranked offense of where the ADP of these guys are going.
21:29Jason Moore:When you think of their offensive line, it's not just the Ben Johnson situation. That does exist. He doesn't play offensive line. What he did is he was like sprinkles on top. Because you remember the play that Ben Johnson came up with where he was watching film of the player that stumbled. And so they actually came up with the touchdown pass. Yeah, I totally forgot that. They fell to the ground. What a play. I mean, that kind of stuff is gone because that was truly Ben Johnson's doing. But it's the offensive line that scares me a little bit more. So you combine both of those things together with how prolific they've been.
22:05Jason Moore:I think they'll be a good offense, but I expect them to take a step back in total touchdowns.
22:08Mike Wright:So just to give you perspective, because I didn't know the answer to this. I was just looking it up. They scored 33.2 points per game last year. That was number one. in 2023 they were at 27.1 points per game which was number five yeah so they do have multi-year consistency that's a six point per game difference i mean it's it's gonna move around but i would
22:33Andy Holloway:expect them to be in that range or they and they with how hot they ran last year like over the last decade what they put up of three point averaging 3.8 or more total touchdowns per game they were one of seven teams to do that uh the some of the teams that we have actual next year data on those teams regressed by at least 10 total touchdowns in that time period i think you
22:57Mike Wright:can even make the argument that it happens because their defense is better than it was as well because they suffered tremendous injuries defensively their 20th and yards allowed 30th and passing yards allowed you put their offense in a position where they needed 33 points a game to to win a lot of ball games so the second half of the year i remember the beginning of the year
23:16Jason Moore:year it was like don't play guys against the lions and then when they lost their entire defense yeah
23:21Andy Holloway:and i mean especially it was great losing hutchinson is oh that's massive incalculable
23:26Mike Wright:yeah so um you can't even calculate it no so they uh that that's the lay of the land i mean there aren't major personnel changes or you know overhaul on offense jason mentioned their offensive line
23:38Jason Moore:situation to give you an example we always think of them as like one of if not the best like the Eagles are the best offensive line then it's the Lions they were ranked fourth last year their start of 2025 ranking within PFF is 13th so like that that has been the strength of that team has been their offensive line and we know Jared Goff when pressure gets to him has not always been as good so that is the personnel change I'm worried about.
24:04Mike Wright:Goff has been one of three quarterbacks to finish inside the top 10 each of the last three years he's the only player in NFL history with a 72 % completion percentage and 4 ,500 passing yards in one season. And I do think that Jared Goff stands as one of the handful of potential MVPs. Anytime you're a heavy favorite, you're still in that category. But the discussion around fantasy revolves more around your first-round pick, Jameer Gibbs, who's going to go in the top five in most drafts. His running mate, David Montgomery, in the backfield. who, you know, does he maintain his role? And more so, does he maintain success in that role?
24:43Mike Wright:Right. I don't think so. I don't think either of those is going to prove true. I don't think he's going to be the exact same breakdown because you're entering the real peak of Jameer Gibbs' career. And Montgomery is, I just don't think it's going to be a smooth sailing on the offensive line. So I think you will see a slightly bigger lean towards Gibbs, but that's not a certainty. Well, you're going to need that.
25:08Jason Moore:You're going to absolutely – I believe if you're taking Gibbs as like the number three running back off the board, the fifth pick, like you're going to need him to get more of the lion's share work over David Montgomery. Oh, yeah, double. Double meaning.
25:22Andy Holloway:He's a strange player because he feels fragile and risky, but he also then has the – You're talking about Gibbs? I'm talking about David Montgomery. Okay. And then, but he has, if Gibbs misses time, David Montgomery is incredible. And which, you cannot say that for every single backup in football, that if they get the lead spot, that it's going to be awesome. Yeah, they'll be improved. But David Montgomery would be awesome if everything belonged to him. And yet he still feels like not a pick I want to make in the fifth round.
25:56Jason Moore:When Montgomery went down, to illustrate it in the reverse, when Montgomery went down the last four weeks of the season, and Gibbs averaged 29.3 fantasy points per game. That was, I mean, that's outrageously high. It is half PPR.
26:09Mike Wright:It was a perfect scenario because you had limited season left, so you could just give Gibbs a ton of work. The problem that I have with Montgomery and looking at him, like we can't have all these discussions about the offensive line changing and him getting a year older and not acknowledge the fact that this is a 15-2 team and 70 % of his carries came when Detroit was leading or tied, which that number came up when we talked about Derrick Henry. like 80 % or something of Derrick Henry's carries came when they were leading or tied. You saw that schedule. When push comes to shove, if these games are close, it's tough to have Montgomery on the field in a comeback.
26:45Mike Wright:It's just, it's difficult. Yeah. The versatility that Gibbs, I mean, one of the, we didn't mention it in the news, but one of the recent stories is Gibbs is lining up on the outside more. Yeah. But he ever has. And those are fun. And so it is Gibbs time in this offense, but Montgomery, when you draft him in the fifth round, you're going to make the decision to take Montgomery, who is technically a two on this offense, over other potential starters, right? Where does DeAndre Swift go right now? Is that fourth round?
27:15Andy Holloway:I think, no, I think Swift is later than Montgomery.
27:18Mike Wright:So that's what I'm saying is you're going to have to, yeah, okay, he's eight running backs later. So who's going next to Montgomery and how would you make those decisions? Because there's got to be starters Carter's in that vicinity and Montgomery's not.
27:33Jason Moore:Yeah, you are correct. So there's Isaiah Pacheco, Aaron Jones, R.J. Harvey are the next three running backs. James Conner is one spot ahead of him. But that's how I feel about Gibbs too. And I realize Gibbs is so electric that he's a league-winning type. But you're taking Gibbs over Derrick Henry in a lot of situations. You're taking him over Christian McCaffrey, over Ashton Gentry.
27:56Mike Wright:and I feel like it's easy for people to think that like I I want to like go hey come on obviously but when you really think about what it looked like last year this was a 15 and 2 team that scored 33.7 points per game Gibbs didn't finish inside the top 10 at the position on any week until week seven he only did it four times when Montgomery was healthy four times well I was
28:17Jason Moore:going to bring that up so he was 29.3 fantasy points per game when Montgomery went down but when Montgomery was there it was 16.9 fantasy points per game to Montgomery's 15.2 fantasy points per game so it's like they weren't that different when Monty was healthy it's just
28:33Mike Wright:managing the reality in Detroit now Gibbs could Gibbs finish number one overall at the position yeah yeah absolutely every time he touches the football I start to tingle but I don't think he
28:44Jason Moore:could I don't think he could finish number one without a Montgomery injury I do I do think that
28:50Mike Wright:that could happen but your odds are not very high yeah i think with the efficiency it's possible but um you'd have to have a philosophical change in what you're doing around the goal line a little bit and that you know it's possible with a ben johnson change that that happens but amanrast brown continues to be a machine in this offense i feel like there's not a ton to talk about with him no it doesn't seem that way he's just belongs in the first round in the late part of the first
29:17Andy Holloway:round he's he's really safe can okay i guess here's a question can he finish as the wide
29:23Mike Wright:receiver one no no no jamison williams though in the sixth round i love that value if you didn't know i like that value and as long as he stays that far away from the front of the draft i will continue to like that value sam laporta finished a lot stronger than he started last year don't
29:42Andy Holloway:want him to be ignored no i'm i'm slowly moving more and more in on the idea of drafting with it
29:49Mike Wright:was a really really strong finish and so again if you can't run the way you want to run you got to utilize some of that passing game that's also the case for golf having more success potentially or at least putting up the big yardage numbers success wise who knows if he throws more picks or things like that but green bay on the road tough one to start then at home against chicago then in baltimore and then at home against cleveland so that'll be fun to see what this team can do to start the year. We're going to take a break and come back with, well, a lot more question marks.
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32:33Mike Wright:All right, boys. It's time to talk about the Minnesota Vikings who went 14-3 last year. They were not supposed to be good. Yeah, and that line, that narrative, that thought process around Minnesota is so perfectly applicable to how we view this year and projecting them. This idea of what is supposed to happen when you have a young quarterback or an unproven quarterback or a quarterback we perceived as bad.
32:59Andy Holloway:Yeah, he was proven. Sam Darnold was a proven quarterback.
33:03Mike Wright:And yet, 14-3 was Sam Darnold. I mean, this was like the idea of Sam Darnold having this kind of success was it was almost out of the question. It was wild. They had the largest discrepancy in their Vegas line to what they did of any team in the last 10 years. So that was their season. They were projected to win six and a half games. They won 14 games. They went nine and one and one score games.
33:32Andy Holloway:This year is disrespectful.
33:34Mike Wright:And this year it's at eight and a half. And I get it. I really do. It's a brutal division. They have the fifth hardest strength of schedule. And they've got a, essentially, for all intents and purposes, a rookie quarterback. A rookie quarterback that is not played yet.
33:52Jason Moore:Yeah, in order to project the Vikings with accuracy, you have to first be correct on whether McCarthy is it or not. Or, you know, how fast he can step into being an NFL franchise quarterback right now, year one.
34:10Mike Wright:Or?
34:11Jason Moore:or you have a different discussion.
34:15Mike Wright:That discussion is that maybe being it doesn't even matter to Kevin O 'Connell. Maybe just playing quarterback matters to Kevin O 'Connell. Because when you look at, Sam Darnold was the quarterback eight with Kevin O 'Connell. When Nick Mullins was the quarterback, he was a top 12 quarterback in three or four starts. When Josh Dobbs was his quarterback, he was a top 12 quarterback in two of his five games. When Kirk Cousins was the quarterback, he was a quarterback four and quarterback seven. maybe Kevin O 'Connell is just that good.
34:44Jason Moore:And in addition to Kevin O 'Connell setting whoever the quarterback is up for success, I believe J.J. McCarthy is it. I think he is really, really good. I think he's better than Sam Darnold.
34:57Mike Wright:I did laugh at the throwing the ball a few times to T.J. Hawkinson against no defense with no pads on clip that was surfacing.
35:05Andy Holloway:Oh, I didn't get to see it. It must have been fire. Let me explain it to you.
35:08Mike Wright:Hold on. he is gonna be hard for you to believe jj mccarthy right they draft him to play quarterback quarterback yeah get this he throws the football okay i'm listening his receiver oh down the field he caught it hawkinson caught it hawkinson caught no drops no no i didn't see any drops there were like three or four three or four times in a row where he three or four times in a row He threw it to the guy that looks like a Viking. That's edited. It might be CGI. It might be CGI. No, I love the offseason. It's great. But look, this is my dynasty quarterback, boys. J.J. McCarthy.
35:49Andy Holloway:I don't know if I like that. All three of us are so in on J.J. McCarthy. Because I am very in. I think he is going to be a great starting quarterback. Check that video out, man. You're really going to believe it. And Kevin O 'Connell, he just gives us – is Nick Mullins good? No. If you need me to feel it, the answer is no.
36:15Mike Wright:No, he's not. And that's why I said maybe being it. Yeah, how about you just be okay. Okay for Kevin O 'Connell is good for this offense and good enough for this offense. This is a defense that's going to be very good. A head coach that's going to put him into the position of being in those close games. And look, McCarthy's going to have to go out and do it and execute the offense. I would say if you give him somebody like Justin Jefferson, it's going to help that process out. And they've got a running game that I think you can trust in Aaron Jones and Jordan Mason. They have Jordan Addison that will be returning and is an explosive playmaker.
36:51Mike Wright:Hawkinson healthy, right, going into this season. So there's a lot to like.
36:57Jason Moore:Their defense is very good. I think this is a very well-built team. And, you know, for fantasy purposes, it's TBD on whether you really want the fantasy games of McCarthy. You know, very similar to Darnold. He finished as the quarterback eight, but it wasn't always, you know, easy, you know, week in, week out starts that you wanted. And McCarthy, we're not sure how much he's going to run. He had a season in college where I think he had four on a rushing yard. So he's got some legs that he can use, but I doubt that that's what they want to do. so it's kind of tbd but i i don't worry about him when it comes to the pass catchers i don't look at hawkinson and addison and obviously not justin jefferson and say um i i've got to i've got to
37:39Mike Wright:demote these guys lower them in my ranking they were 14 and 3 with the ninth with a you know they're ninth in points per game so it wasn't like they were like darnell was winning ball games but it wasn't like they were a top five offense or something like that so they can win execution
37:54Andy Holloway:wise well and while mccarthy may he may not be like give us enough of the mobility that we want for fantasy football through three seasons kevin o 'connell's team ranks and pass rate over expectation sixth sixth and third and in that list uh please go back to the quarterback list they still the game plan didn't change they didn't say you know like let's manage darnold Yeah, like in the Green Bay Packers last year, they lost Love, and it's Willis in there, and they're like, we're not throwing the ball ever. Like the Vikings changed nothing about their game plan.
38:31Mike Wright:And if you want to talk about the offensive line, like Jason did with Detroit, they were the 18th-ranked offensive line to end the 2024 season. They're going into the 2025 season ranked seventh. They added an offensive lineman in the first round in Donovan Jackson. They added guards. they added a
38:49Jason Moore:they got the Indy the Indy guards
38:51Mike Wright:yeah Ryan Kelly also center in Indianapolis it's it's looking like all the structure is there for McCarthy to succeed he's got to go out and do it and obviously winning 14 games is a that's a tall task but eight and a half is where they have them right now and it's a tough division like I said every team in this division has a brutal strength of schedule in part because they play one another so let's talk about Two other pieces of the Vikings real quick, the backfield and how you think the split will go with Aaron Jones and Jordan Mason and the upside there, and then let's talk about TJ Hawkinson being drafted in the fifth round.
39:29Mike Wright:What kind of value or upside does he represent? Let's start with the running backs, though, because, Mike, you've been vocal about Jordan Mason and his potential. I think Aaron Jones in the late sixth is still a good pick. Are both those guys on the table then?
39:42Andy Holloway:We mentioned it briefly in the mock draft episode from Tuesday. Aaron Jones, he is a difficult evaluation for me because generally speaking, he's the running back 23 on a high-powered offense. Yes, that's an archetype that I would want, but he's 30 1⁄2 years old. He's coming off of a year where he had the most opportunities in his entire career, and that includes 255 carries and 51 receptions. He got used a lot. So you're like, okay, I should be really interested in Aaron Jones. And then they worked out his money a little bit more. But they were also then very aggressive in going after Jordan Mason right in the free agency period.
40:31Andy Holloway:They trade for him from the San Francisco 49ers. They immediately give him money. and Mason was one of the most successful runners last year.
40:44Mike Wright:I was going to say, let's just give people a quick reminder of what happened when CMC went out last year. Jordan Mason was the RB3 in week one on 28 attempts at 5.2 a carry. He was the RB7 in week two, another 100-yard game. And then in week four, another 100-yard game. I mean, those four games, 4.9 a carry and averaged, like he would have put up 1 ,900 rushing yards that year.
41:10Jason Moore:And remember how the season started for the Vikings with Ty Chandler. They wanted, they're like, Ty Chandler's going to get involved. They wanted a split backfield. They gave him 11 opportunities, 10 opportunities, 16 opportunities. Then their bye week comes, and then he's playing 4%, 0%, 4%. Why are you saying they wanted a committee with Jones? They wanted that, but Ty Chandler didn't have it. And so now Jordan Mason has it. Right.
41:37Andy Holloway:It was Akers, right? Yeah. Yeah. So then right in week seven, they bring Akers back to the team. They trade for him. And yeah, and Ty Chandler is gone. So where it's difficult for Jordan Mason is you want the high value touch of the reception. He's not going to do very much of that. Aaron Jones will have that role. but they the coaching staff has talked about jordan mason in like they brought up the the short area the short yardage and goal line so if jordan mason while he's not going to be electric for super electric i should say for fantasy because if he's not getting those receptions but if you're drafting a guy in the 13th round who's going to get the goal line opportunities for the minnesota vikings there is excitement there and and would be a prolific back
42:23Mike Wright:if an injury to Aaron Jones happens. So that's worth considering for sure. Mason's basically free. He's a 13th-round pick, RB 46. So keep an eye on him at the end of drafts. I know we just took him. I think Jason might have got him at the end of the last mock.
42:39Andy Holloway:Yeah, I think he's a great pick. I don't think it would be wild if they try and Detroit lines this. Like Jordan Mason is the hammer, and then Aaron Jones is the pass catcher and more of the lightning guy.
42:54Mike Wright:Hawkinson, are we feeling good with the fifth-round price? Or is that about as high as?
43:00Jason Moore:I don't personally feel good with the fifth-round price. He is not a true difference-maker at the position. If you're in a league. That's a – okay.
43:09Mike Wright:If you're in a league. This was a tight end four, tight end two, tight end four three seasons before. So I feel like that's a profound statement to say he's not a difference-maker.
43:17Jason Moore:My point is the tight end four, if he finishes as the tight end four, I don't think he's a difference maker. The way that when you're spending the draft capital on a Brock Bowers, Trey McBride, even George Kittle, I have TJ Hawkinson as my tight end four. He is currently ranked there. But whether I'm giving up a fifth round running back or wide receiver to draft a guy like Hawkinson, if I'm in a league I don't care that much about and I don't want to scour the waivers and I just want to lock in a tight end, I'll probably take Hawkins because I'll be like, that's easy. I know I can just leave him there every week.
43:49Mike Wright:You got him in the seventh in our mock.
43:51Jason Moore:I love that. If he falls in your draft, grab him. It's just opportunity cost.
43:57Andy Holloway:You took him in the mock right before Sam Laporta, so you're a Hawkinson over Laporta.
44:01Jason Moore:I've got Hawkinson four, Laporta five in my ranking.
44:04Andy Holloway:I would go Laporta. Andy, what would you do with those two guys?
44:08Mike Wright:I should double-check where I have him ranked.
44:10Andy Holloway:I have Hawkinson one spot ahead, and I'm going to evaluate my stats. I have Hawkinson ahead.
44:16Mike Wright:Yeah, maybe that too.
44:17Andy Holloway:One of the two. That could be the thing. I go on the stats and I say, oh, no, my heart got it right. Okay.
44:22Mike Wright:I have Hawkinson projected for 115 targets in the outfits. He was at 127 and 129. He's going to be so helpful for, I think, J.J. McCarthy, and I think he's going to be so helpful for fantasy, especially when Addison's not on the field. So capitalizing early season, I don't really want to spend the fifth. And if Laporta's on the board or Njoku's on the board, I probably just wait for the last of that group. so they start this season against Chicago, Atlanta, Cincinnati, and Pittsburgh so the Bears in week one for I mean that's fun it's in Chicago Monday night football JJ McCarthy's first start as a pro is going to be on the road in Chicago on Monday night football
45:07Jason Moore:honestly Chicago, Atlanta, Cincinnati is a pretty strong start to the season ironically those would be the three games currently projected for Jordan Addison to miss
45:15Mike Wright:It's funny because I definitely imagine that they'll be underdogs in week one. No way that they're going to be favored going into Chicago. Seems fair. But not by a lot, probably. All right.
45:27Andy Holloway:Right now, it's one and a half.
45:29Mike Wright:Okay. Wait, they're favored?
45:31Andy Holloway:Chicago is favored.
45:32Mike Wright:Okay. Yeah, that makes sense. All right. You guys ready to turn the page here?
45:37Jason Moore:Yes, sir.
45:38Mike Wright:I'm really excited to talk about this team. The Green Bay Packers. The Green Bay Packers were 11-6 last year. the Green Bay Packers as a reality as an NFL franchise versus your fantasy story there's a pretty big separation between those two and I think that that's what makes them very interesting they have just been such a good team under Matt LaFleur they've outpaced their Vegas win total in five of six years under McClure but the story for fantasy was like disappointment in Jordan Love struggling to find any consistency from any sort of wide receiver the surprise of Tucker Kraft in the middle of the year the dependency on Josh Jacobs he ended up being a value it was just a little bit weird the predictiveness of the team was not there for fantasy players but the success of the team was still there and they had the higher win or the higher point differential than Minnesota did but Minnesota had that amazing one score game record and Green Bay was five and five in one score games they have the 10th hardest schedule which i think is the best of the division so i'm really excited to talk about them i i think they're going to be right in the mix all year long eighth in points per game seventh in yards per game had a good defense in terms of those metrics but how in the
47:01Jason Moore:world do we find the fantasy value yeah you i'll tell you how you find it luck i mean i mean genuinely like there will be fantasy value here hey just get lucky i mean that's good luck that feels like what it's gonna have to be because let's say there's no injuries here all right matthew golden and jaden reed and romeo dobbs and don'tavian wicks they're all healthy they're all playing tucker craft is healthy he's playing they're gonna spread the ball around to great success on the nfl field and to much chagrin for fantasy football so how you find the success is getting the healthy ones while not everyone stays healthy that's what it feels like for me and that is assuming that jacobs does not continue to score a touchdown every single week on the ground well i
47:42Mike Wright:think i think so let's start with the easy answers which is josh jacobs great pick great player
47:49Andy Holloway:should be very productive are we agreed i am there yes okay so we we are in agreement but i let's see where is he going like the running back josh jacobs nine is he's the running back nine
48:02Mike Wright:back of the second like so i'm fine with that man that that's that's the bigger question for me of
48:08Andy Holloway:uh i need to pull up some names there so he was going on he finished last year as the rb5
48:14Mike Wright:gets drafted this year as the rb9 he was he led the nfl and you know with 14 rushing touchdowns inside the 10 we know they turned him and we know he gets it done there 58 of his yards were after contact like he just he just was really really good last year yes and and they figured out how
48:32Jason Moore:to use him near the goal line to incredible success so so we'll see if the offensive line
48:37Mike Wright:can hold up but that that seems like one of the easier answers well it it i don't think it's
48:42Andy Holloway:completely easy from the the perspective mike's ruined my whole flow hey i wanted i wanted an easy win but i think that this is the no easy wins on this show no easy wins i want to hear it i just this is the important thing to talk about of the passing versus the the rushing where last year you're like yeah it whoa josh jacobs at the end of the year was it was a touchdown every single week and so back in 2023 76 of their touchdowns were passing touchdowns and then that completely swung the other direction like 76 is too high but like matt lafleur with jordan love this has been a successful passing offense uh and then looking at what happened with jordan love jordan love week one hurts his ankle uh at the at the very end of that brazil game misses a few weeks comes back still good he goes like he's right back to the qb2 a qb16 not as great but qb4 qb11 then he hurts his groin and like you can't you can't really box score check for this because he kept playing.
49:47Andy Holloway:He got taken out of that game against Jacksonville, but from then on out, he was passing the ball 10 fewer times per game. So they were still saying, we want Jordan Love out there. He's our better option to win. But they completely shifted to a more run-heavy approach, and my concern for Josh Jacobs at that back of the second is that the pendulum swings back to what LaFleur and Jordan Love have historically been doing.
50:12Mike Wright:Let's try to find a compromise here, Mike. but here's the compromise. I love Jordan Love. I think that you're right. I think everything you said is right. I think they would have loved to have used his skills and abilities more last year, but he's limited by injury, and you saw the pendulum swing. But I think when you get inside the 20, Josh Jacobs is an above-average weapon and wins in that area. Okay, we can be in agreement on that one. So that means that we can swing the pendulum back a little bit in total volume, and that pass percentage, they were 30th in pass percentage. That's insane. for that kind of an offense.
50:48Mike Wright:But we don't really have to take a lot of value away from Josh Jacobs because I think the dude's going to get into the end zone. I think you can have more balance. I think you can find a middle ground, but I think Jacobs doesn't necessarily need, you know, they don't need to run at the third highest clip in the league for Jacobs to be valuable.
51:04Andy Holloway:Where he's going is just, it's so interesting for how you're building the team. Because like back in the second, my rankings with Josh Jacobs, because I'm a couple spots lower than where he's going in ADP, but not a huge difference where I'm upset about where he's going. But how are you building your team? Because after him, do you want Josh Jacobs or do you want to get Lamar on your team? Or do you want to wait for Kyron or Chase Brown, who are later in the third round, and take a wide receiver in the second? That's where he is an interesting discussion.
51:39Mike Wright:The truth of the matter is if you're taking Josh Jacobs, you you're probably chase jefferson aman rah i mean you're you're one of the top tier wideouts if you took them in the first and you swing all the way back around to the back of the second right you're probably jacobs at least you can get a running back one in that boat but if it swings a little bit can jordan love be an elite fantasy quarterback maybe we maybe we don't talk about trying to figure out which wide receiver is going to get it done every week Maybe we talk more about do they just have enough guys with talent to make Jordan Love more viable.
52:17Jason Moore:We know Jordan Love can be valuable. He was the quarterback five, two years ago. I think the odds are stacked against him to truly be really valuable with a good running game and a good defense. If they do well this year, like they did last year, like they're projected to do this coming year, I don't think they're going to throw the ball as much. Two years ago, Jordan Love threw the ball 579 times. This last year, because it wasn't his touchdown. I know Josh Jacobs, we felt like, was vulturing all the touchdowns, but Jordan Love's touchdown rate went up last year. He went up last year even though he finished as quarterback 17.
52:56Jason Moore:Do you know what his attempt pace was before the groin injury? I know what his attempt pace was on the entire season.
53:02Mike Wright:His touchdown pace was 51 at that point.
53:04Andy Holloway:And his attempts would have been over 600 on the season. So you're saying because of the groin injury, this is a groin narrative. Yeah. You can't find this one on groinindex.com, I don't think. We've got to update that.
53:18Mike Wright:Yeah, there's not articles over there just injuries to the groin.
53:21Andy Holloway:However, there is a very clear line drawn in the box score when the attempts plummeted. Those week eight, was that against Jacksonville? Yes.
53:30Mike Wright:Look, I'll weigh in. I think Jordan Love can be a top five quarterback. Okay. Nice. I love Tucker Craft. I love Jaden Reed. And I think they made a priority. Love or hate Matthew Golden. He will help Jordan Love. He will help Jordan Love. Yes, of course. Let's not try to make Matthew Golden something he's not. But Christian Watson will play for this team. Dontavian Wick still plays. Romeo Dobbs plays for this team.
53:56Andy Holloway:The nice thing for the wide receivers, he's like, how are you going to approach them? risk is baked into every single green bay packer wide receiver no one wants into the draft price yeah like adp wise jayden reed who is the he on on field is their best wide receiver he doesn't always be on the field but on field he is and he's the wide receiver 44 this is these
54:21Mike Wright:are also baked into jordan love thing is baked into love's price last year he was he was going too high we were all nervous he's a quarterback 12 off the board i mean if you want to take a shot I don't mind it. Now, I also understand liking other players like Drake May or if you want to roll the Jared Goff or Bo Nix or Brock Purdy. There are so many quarterbacks going behind Jordan Love
54:41Jason Moore:that I prefer over Jordan Love. And obviously this is – I mean, we'll find out what happens. Maybe it was the groin. But also they had a new player in Josh Jacobs that just they figured out how to use him more and more and more. And, you know, he did well. So I don't know. But here's what I do know. I know that Jordan Love does not run the ball. He is not going to be a mobile rushing quarterback. And I know that if you draft those guys in fantasy and you want a season where he's going to finish top five, which he's done before, you're going to need to throw for, you know, near 4 ,500 yards and near 35 touchdowns.
55:17Jason Moore:You know what I just realized? It's just got to go perfect.
55:19Mike Wright:I just realized that I am not excited to have to predict the order of this division in a little while. Yeah. That's what I just realized. I've got mine written down. because I've been ruminating. You're smart because I can argue so many directions. All right, we've got to take another break.
55:37Andy Holloway:I know one team that you won't put at one.
55:39Mike Wright:Oh, yeah, we've got to take a break. We're going to talk about them next. We're going to talk about them in a minute.
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56:51Andy Holloway:Look, no one wants to be just another guy, not in fantasy and definitely not in your career. The good news? There's ways to stand out from the competition. Southern New Hampshire University has over 200 degree programs you can do online. You'll learn from instructors with actual experience in the field, not just drawing on whiteboards. And you'll gain practical career-ready skills along the way. Ready for your breakout season? Visit snhu.edu slash footballers. just trying to rile up the bears oh it's not hard to do the bears are the final team we get we don't
57:33Mike Wright:hate the bears everybody they know not at all we were yes i do okay the packers fan hates the bears al borland will allow it wait do you even are they good enough to hate i mean the rivalry still exists okay just making sure uh they were five and twelve last year they had a win total of eight and a half they did not deliver on that by the way no one will want to hear this but over the last 10 years they have surpassed their vegas win total before the season one time so 10 years worth of and we're not talking about big win totals here boys we're talking six and a half seven and a half five and a half seven and a half nine eight seven and a half five and a half seven and a half and eight and a half.
58:17Oh, gross.
58:19Mike Wright:So I guess. Bet the under. I guess that's rough, man. After their week six win last year when you mentioned they were four and two, they lost 10 straight games. They have the seventh hardest schedule this year, according to Warren Sharp. Their win total is projected at eight and a half. So nowhere to go but up. points per game 28 yards per game 32nd Caleb Williams rookie season not a fantasy gold mine nope Ben Johnson's your new head coach Matt Eber flew Eber flew the coop got him I guess he was forced out
59:02Andy Holloway:he flew the coop like one of those the mama birds that's like you're not going to make it yeah yeah
59:09Mike Wright:so this is a Ben Johnson story can he get Caleb Williams playing the way he needs to play.
59:15Andy Holloway:Offensive line has massively changed. They've reworked it all. That's the best part. The best part of the offseason was they've done so many things right.
59:24Mike Wright:From 24th to 4th in PFF rankings. It's beautiful. Joe Tooney, welcome to town. They invest in Colston Loveland, Luther Burden, and they have a lot of potential in the wide receiver room. Roma Dunze.
59:39Jason Moore:It's so hype. I know. I want them to be good so bad. If Caleb Williams comes out this year and is who they drafted him to be, that is so good for the NFL. That's so much fun for fantasy. Yeah, there are so many players on this team that it could be just fantasy gold.
1:00:00Mike Wright:So let's do this experiment. All right? I think I have a good game to play with Chicago. Their win total is 8.5. I'm going to give them 10 wins. If they win 10 games, okay? Okay. If they win 10 games, I'm going to read their players and their draft position, and you tell me if you'll be happy. If they win 10 games, absolutely. DeAndre Swift, late seventh-round pick. If they win 10 games, is that a steal? Yes. Okay. They win 10 games. DJ Moore, wide receiver 20 off the board at 406. Is that a good pick?
1:00:30Jason Moore:Yes.
1:00:31Mike Wright:Yeah. Okay. Roman Dunes, a seventh-round pick. Middle of the seventh, wide receiver 36. Is that a good pick? Yeah. Maybe. okay colson loveland 11th round tight in 16 off the board is that a good pick if they win 10 games probably yes and then last one caleb williams late ninth qb 14 off the board they win 10 games
1:00:50Jason Moore:does he outperform that yeah i think so yeah now do they win 10 games do me a favor and read that thing you said about their win total if they win 14 games guys no i don't think they win 10 games Okay. I came into this offseason. I've shared this story once earlier in the offseason. By the way, winning 10 is just one and a half over their Vegas line,
1:01:12Mike Wright:just for the record. Al back there going, this is silly. They got no chance. We know how you feel about the Bears. What's your win total for the Bears? Seven.
1:01:22Andy Holloway:Okay. Generous. What's your win total for the Lions? Seven.
1:01:30Jason Moore:Twelve. Okay. Sorry. We can't talk to Owl about this division. You know, when I finished my first run through of the UDK statting, I was very bullish on Caleb Williams, very bullish on DJ Moore, the upgraded offensive line and Loveland. Loveland was super high. And I went back and I watched every single throw of Caleb Williams last year. Oh, I would recommend not doing that.
1:01:55Andy Holloway:Yeah.
1:01:56Jason Moore:Some of them. Some of them were nice. Oh, he definitely had the flashes of brilliance, It's the flashes where you go, wow, that arm, that angle, that, you know, every piece of heart.
1:02:09Mike Wright:Well, a good summary of what Caleb Williams was capable of doing last year was three or four plays in a row to come down the field, to go for a game-winning field goal, and then make a mistake before you get quite close enough.
1:02:20Jason Moore:That's kind of how it felt. Yeah, but when he threw from a clean pocket to a normal wide receiver just breaking on a slant and was inaccurate so much. I was just like, obviously he could fix that, right? There are quarterbacks that have done that.
1:02:38Mike Wright:Gun shy in a pocket where you're getting sacked all the time. Absolutely.
1:02:40Jason Moore:And that is the hope. That is my rooting interest. I'm still, in the mock draft we just did, I took DJ Moore because the path is so clear for it to be really good for the Bears. I am personally, if I have to make a bet, I've got to put a chip on, is Caleb Williams really good? I'm doing the same thing with J.J. McCarthy. I don't think so. I think Caleb Williams goes more the route of Trevor Lawrence, where he is capable. He'll get another big money contract, but I don't think he's going to develop into, you know, when you had Trevor Lawrence drafted, he was supposed to be the next greatest since Andrew Luck.
1:03:18Jason Moore:Andrew Luck was supposed to be the next greatest since Peyton Manning. Andrew Luck was. He was that dude. Yeah, he was great. Trevor Lawrence wasn't. Well, Caleb Williams is one of those generational, he's supposed to be that good. I don't think he's going to be.
1:03:28Mike Wright:68 sacks last year. 41 throwaways, which was number one in the league. 44th out of 47 in catchable target rate for Caleb Williams. It really will. Their season will go with Caleb this year with the fact that they've built some of that structure I talked about around McCarthy. They've built some of that structure here in Chicago finally. they're not just leaning on Caleb's I think it started as Caleb come save the franchise and we're not going to do anything right around you now it's Caleb we realize we're going to ruin you
1:04:02Jason Moore:it's Ben Johnson come and save Caleb
1:04:03Mike Wright:yeah it's save Caleb and the only really big debate look I think we all think DJ Moore's a good player so if things are going well for them he'll be good Roma Doonsay I think we still believe in Roma Doonsay to be a good player no more Keenan Allen targets available DeAndre Swift is the bigger question where like he looks like he could be a value in the seventh round but i don't know if any of us necessarily believe he's the greatest running back in football so if you look at potential sleeper value on this team you have to look at someone like roshan johnson yeah back behind deandre swift where it's like hey i can see a world where deandre swift i call him i think he's a dumb runner i think he's a dumb runner i think he has benefited from the philadelphia offensive line but i don't think he's a great i don't think he has a great feel for the defense on a play-to-play basis and now he could benefit from this offensive line but at the same time if ben johnson comes in and sets up this is how you run the offense is how you do a run play and this guy is not running where he's supposed to run i don't think he's going to hesitate to putting other players in there so to me it's there is a risk factor with swift in that i think roshan is okay i think he's a pretty good player there
1:05:09Andy Holloway:the question for swift will be how many receptions does he get because like the last time we had swift with Ben Johnson. The rushing attempts were down, but the fantasy points were still good because for all of his inefficiencies, Swift is still a top-tier athlete. And the running back room is tough because you have Roshan who... Roshan is still a projection of... You have to say, well, I think Roshan's good. We should know at this point if Roshan Johnson's a good player, but we don't. And then they took Kyle Manongai in the seventh round. And look, there are people on draft order that are excited for him.
1:05:48Andy Holloway:But he was a seventh-round pick. I know back-to-back 1 ,200 rushing yards at Rutgers. Look, the production profile is there. Seventh-round Rutgers running back? Yeah.
1:06:00Mike Wright:This is reminding me of Kamani Vidal Sassoon.
1:06:04Andy Holloway:Well, or Pacheco. But that's what the –
1:06:07Mike Wright:Oh, the outlier is not the – yeah, that's not the real one.
1:06:11Andy Holloway:Yeah, generally speaking, betting against a seventh rounder for Roshan.
1:06:15Mike Wright:Who was the Tampa Bay guy that everyone got all hyped in draft Twitter?
1:06:20Andy Holloway:At which point? Sean Tucker? No, no, no, no, no. Keyshawn Vaughn? Keyshawn Vaughn, baby. But he was a second round pick, wasn't he? Third. Keyshawn Vaughn? Yeah, Vaughn was. No. Let me get that.
1:06:31Mike Wright:Oh, he was? He was a third round pick? Yeah.
1:06:34Andy Holloway:So there was draft cap. He was. Oh. Yeah.
1:06:36Mike Wright:Oh, gosh. Well, he played like a seventh round pick.
1:06:39Andy Holloway:um well that he did so so look but point being is oh my gosh i gotta figure out this division is i think at the end of a draft it's worth taking one of those one of the other running backs for chicago just does ben johnson try his best to duplicate detroit or does he have something completely brand new over overall i will say for the chicago bears is there's they're not everyone's going to land not everyone will hit for this team and there are so many exciting names but the reality is with you guys not all of them can hit guys this is not fair i don't even know it's this division is not fair not because it because it will be an insult to somebody to put them in the
1:07:24Jason Moore:bottom two spots that's the problem with absolutely you're gonna insult somebody and it could go to it could go to anybody here real real quick to get back to to caleb williams what i was seeing from a clean pocket um he was 33rd in clean pocket completion percentage out of like 600 though right no out of 36 out of 36 so crap that's that's what i was seeing that makes me that's why i'll house them with negative four wins this year yeah uh in all of those negative four go to the packers somehow they're they're added to that total oh my gosh all right i've
1:07:58Mike Wright:got my division i mean this is this is brutal this is brutal it is i do not oh my gosh i don't like it you want me to go first yeah i i have it written down but man i don't want to say it out
1:08:10Jason Moore:loud i know i know this one is i i hope we have three completely different answers here go ahead i'm going vikings winning the division okay followed by the lions and the packers and the bears all right i don't have that i don't either i got green bay winning the division so do i
1:08:28Mike Wright:I'm going to take Green Bay. Wow, none of us have the Lions winning. I'm going to take Detroit in second place. That's where I'm going. I'm going to take...
1:08:37Jason Moore:Are you putting the Bears? I'm going to take Minnesota third and Chicago fourth.
1:08:40Mike Wright:I want to give hope to Chicago fans. I do think you have hope. But that hope... What is it when hope takes a while? It floats. Hope prolonged. Hopium. Is it a hope prolonged? Whatever makes the love stronger in future success, that's the kind of hope you have. Pessimistic hope. Ah. Ah. Ah. Alright, yeah. But also... So Mike and I have the same... We do. Hope deferred makes the heart sick. No, that's not the one. That works. That might have been what I was
1:09:10Andy Holloway:thinking of, but that's not going to help the Bears fans. It was so wild last year that you had three playoff teams from this division. It could happen again. It certainly... I'm putting the Vikings in third, but I think the Vikings are a 10-plus win team.
1:09:27Mike Wright:I think they are. They're the one team that I'm like, because of their one-score game record and the quarterback change, it's like, okay, maybe something goes sideways. And, look, injuries happen, and all of a sudden divisions don't finish the way you think they will. Any of these guys lose a quarterback, you're in big trouble. But, man, I'm sorry to whoever I offended in that order. I'm not. But at least Mike and I can be insulted together. So you went Minnesota, Jason? I did. So none of us gave Detroit the division. look at us trying to be this is all your fault because you wanted us to not be chalky chalk
1:10:01Andy Holloway:boys no i didn't i think the lions like i have green bay winning the division so they're in i
1:10:06Mike Wright:think the lines are in the playoffs also al is now he's in love with me and you i mean al has got to be thrilled back there i am shocked and very happy i love i i honestly i love green bay
1:10:17Jason Moore:i love detroit and i love minnesota agreed and they can't they can't all can they all tie and And if I could have a magic wand and make one team out there great this year, I would choose the Bears. I want – I mean, I think that would be –
1:10:32Mike Wright:If Chicago's in the NFC South, where do they finish? That'll be a question. Yeah. Saints, they're better than the Saints. They're better than the Saints. Right. Better than the Panthers. Better than the Panthers. And then you've got Atlanta, Tampa Bay, and that's a debate. But at least –
1:10:48Andy Holloway:I'll put the Bears at least in second.
1:10:49Mike Wright:I know. Sorry. Sorry, Chicago. Yeah. Also, take that AFC South. Tampa, Chicago, Atlanta. NFC South, yeah. AFC South just got bodied. All right. That'll do it. Back with another episode Saturday. Don't miss it. Goodbye.
1:11:13Jason Moore:Thank you for listening to another episode of the Fantasy Footballers Podcast. Join our fantasy football community on jointhefoot.com. and follow us on Twitter at The FF Ballers.
1:11:32Andy Holloway:What in the night? It's just you and me, boy. Two soldiers bonded for life. Made it! Made it! 58 miles. No one's coming for us. When anyone else would quit, they'll do the impossible. I got you. And get home. Heart of the Beast is an uplifting triumph.
1:11:55Jason Moore:You're the greatest dog ever. Brad Pitt. I'll get you home. Heart of the Beast. Now playing a PG-13. May be inappropriate for children under 13. My day kicks off with a refreshing Celsius energy drink.
1:12:06Mike Wright:Then straight to the gym. Pre-K pickup. Back home to meal prep. Time for my fire station shift. One more Celsius. Gotta keep the lights on. When the three alarm hits, I'm ready. Celsius. Live. Fit. Go. Grab a cold, refreshing Celsius at your local retailer or locate now at Celsius.com.
From the publisher
Fantasy Football show for July 17, 2025. Lions, Vikings, Packers, Bears! Exciting division for fantasy football with lots of upside players. Which offenses will change the most? Full NFC North breakdown for the 2025 fantasy football season! Manage your redraft, keeper, and dynasty fantasy football teams with the #1 fantasy football podcast.
2025 ULTIMATE DRAFT KIT is available now at UltimateDraftKit.com
(00:00) Introduction
(02:45) NFL News
(14:25) NFC North Breakdown
(16:55) Detroit Lions
(29:10) Minnesota Vikings
(42:16) Green Bay Packers
(52:28) Chicago Bears
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