Fantasy Draft Primer with Evan Silva and Patrick Daugherty

27:48I mean, for a guy who's retired from fantasy football, You summed it up real nicely there, Greg Rosenthal, that this is where leagues are won and lost, no question. You know, it's a position where, you know, you're hoping that you are literally hoping that the player you draft gets, runs into 300 car crashes, is able to run into 300 car crashes over the course of, you know, 17 Sundays and makes it out alive, you know, because that's what these guys are doing. Saquon Barkley last year, including playoffs, had 482 touches. I'm a little worried. I'm the only person that's a little worried, I feel like.

28:30Also, Jameer Gibbs and Bijan Robinson, they were born like a month or two apart. They are both five years younger than Saquon Barkley. Okay? So, for me, there's just enough risk. And I have them all in the same tier. And I have them all as top six picks. but I have Saquon Barkley at the end of that tier, and I have Gibbs and Bijan atop it. Right now I have Gibbs number one. Now people will say, oh, but we can't find the workload projection for him because David Montgomery is coming back. I think that the Lions, they have one of the toughest schedules in the league. They lost both of their coordinators.

29:06I don't think they're going to be as dominant as they have been in previous years. I think they're still going to be a really good team, 10-7 or something like that, but not like a 13-14 win team. and they're going to be in more competitive games. And their new coordinator, John Morton, is going to streamline the offense and he's going to have to play his best players in more competitive situations. And I think that by the end of the year, we'll be talking about Jameer Gibbs as the best running back in football. I love that take from Evan. I also think that dovetails with Greg's Jared Goff take, where I'm definitely expecting a bit of the Lions fall off and they're going to have to really pump up Jerry Goff's attempts, probably at a level higher than they're really comfortable with.

29:49So I love that take on the Lions. And to me, running back this year writ large, it's definitely as back as it's been in a while, where it almost seems like the running back aging curve has been obliterated or there's at least balance restored or there's still an aging curve. But like in the 80s, 90s, 70s, the truly elite backs like last beyond the aging curve and are productive into their early 30s because it was getting kind of strange 10 or 15 years ago like 27 28 was like a hard ceiling at running back and it's almost like is the game changed so much and is it just too much of a young man's game now turns out no the hall of fame level talents can still produce into their early 30s and this year running back this feels so much better because you know last year it was perceived to be a bad running back draft class.

30:37Aside from Bucky Irving, that was very much borne out in fantasy football. This year is so much deeper. There's so many more like second to fourth round picks who are projecting for maybe immediate committee roles with the upside for more. So it's just a deeper player playing pool and that the older guys are producing longer. And we got a much needed talent infusion on the young end, I feel like this year running back. So it's a deeper player pool running back. That's true. And yet I don't want any of these second round running backs. I don't think like to me, it's a huge drop off from that big six.

31:11We just talked about to begin with, which is Saquon, Bijan, Gibbs, Henry, McCaffrey, who, you know, obviously there's a risk, but it's football. If you can get CJ, you know, if you can get McCaffrey at the end, you know, anywhere in your first round, I'm just going to take my chance and do it. Ashton Gentry too, is in that group for me. And then it's like, man, you're talking about, But I know Devon Achan, like, per snap. And there's just a lot of questions. At some point, I think I got to go with, like, I think being, like, a great football player that's extremely consistent matters a lot. And Josh Jacobs has had an up-and-down career.

31:48Achan, I don't know. Like, Bucky Irving's a good player. But I'm not putting him in that category. When you're comparing these guys and Jonathan Taylor and maybe Chase Brown's in that mix, too. And so these are the second-round guys. you're comparing these to some of the best players in all of football these wide receivers and even throwing Lamar and Josh Allen that to me I would just much rather have on my fantasy team going into the year than any of these guys so if you don't wind up with the you know one of the great running backs that you know in your first round because it just doesn't happen that way like I'm cool just waiting and and loading up at receiver and running back because because you're right there are there are then some pretty intriguing maybe third fourth fifth round guys i'll go to you first with this one pat like who who is a third fourth fifth round guy uh or or two that you like well i'll just say i do love bucky so much i know he's undersized but such a rare rookie combination but you're just paying for full value from like the nine incredible games he had so he has to just do that or else or else like there's like to me he's getting taken way before like a lad mcconkey for instance you can't like lad mcconkey is not gonna have a bad season he's just not he's just no he's not but it was such a rare rookie combination of efficiency and actual production the two games that mattered most he out touched rashad white 40 to 3 were kind of like what evan was saying what the lions might have to do with jameer gibbs the bucks just had to admit bucky Irving was better than Rashad White in week 18 in the wild card round and ride him.

33:21They want Rashad White to still be involved. But I think Rashad White will be a luxury for when they're like dictating the pace of play. And if it's winning time, if the game's competitive, they're going to have to really lean on Bucky. I mean, the mid rounds, I mean, Omari and Hampton was a guy the fantasy community already loved before the Najee Harris situation became the weirdest situation in fantasy football. Wait, why is he going in the fourth round? That Like I said, I don't look at these numbers, and then I look at them right before a show like this, and it does hit me in a different way than you.

33:52To me, that was one of the most surprising things. If I had seen him at overall 18, RB11, I would have been like, oh, yeah, that makes sense. Everyone loves a totally complete beast of a rookie running back with a great quarterback. That would have checked out to me, and instead he's down in the 40s or something, so sign me up for a Marion Hampton. I don't care about Najee Harris. That's probably just an ADP artifact too, isn't it, Evan, where the post-Naji injury reality hasn't really caught up. Yeah, I mean, in the drafts that I do, Omarion Hampton does not get out of the third round. Okay. And that's where he belongs.

34:27I think you can make an argument that he belongs on the 2-3 turn. I have him as the RB12 overall. The thing that concerns me about Bucky Irving earlier, the thing that concerns me about Bucky Irving is Tristan Wirf's injury. I mean, he's maybe the best – he's one of the best players in the NFL, not just left tackles. And if you look back at the history of premier tackles in the league and like their on and off splits when they're at, like Lane Johnson's on and off splits when he's out and when he's in, huge difference for the Eagles in terms of production. Trent Williams in San Francisco. Remember how Jason Garrett's offenses in Dallas would completely fall apart whenever Tyron Smith would be out.

35:11Like they couldn't deal with it. They couldn't make any adjustments, you know. But, I mean, Tristan Wirfs is on those guys' level. And that's the big concern that I have with Bucky Irving. He's way better than Rashad White. You know, and I do think that Rashad White is going to cut into his stuff a little bit. But the Tristan Wirfs injury kind of scares me, really, for everyone in the Tampa offense. Yeah, I'm with you. And we've learned this over the years. It is unpredictable. It could be one where you don't want to overreact too much. Like if Dresden Wirfs is out there in week three, which seems like a totally reasonable scenario, then no harm, no foul when it really matters.

35:50Who are some of the guys, Evan, you're finding outside maybe the top 10 that you're drafting quite a bit this year? See, I love Chase Brown. And I, you know, he was a guy who was a workhorse at Illinois. and then he came into the league in his first year. He was like sort of pigeonholed as a guy that was like maybe like a niche back. But then we saw last year that he could be that extreme workhorse that he was at Illinois. And he averaged over the final eight games for the Bengals, he averaged 24 touches per game for over 116 total yards per game and almost a touchdown per game. And I'm really buying the Bengals offense that they're just going to score a ton of points.

36:38They just cut Zach Moss. So it's going to be Chase Brown and then Samajay Pirine, who's a player that he'll see the field a little bit, but they don't like try to get him the ball. And then Taj Brooks, I think there's a decent late sleeper for you, the six round pick Taj Brooks. but Chase Brown is a guy that I think actually belongs in the second round and certainly should not be getting out of the third round I'll buy that as a as a guy who's going to have a ton of receiving value like I might rather have him than a chance certainly for the price but just in general on that offense it just feel like a little safer just that he's going to last I'm with you some other some other guys that where they're at I was intrigued by like James Cook really isn't getting that pop off after all those touchdowns.

37:27I know it's a good backfield there, but to me, he's just a great football player. He's really good and on a great team. And I know the situation isn't perfect, but wherever he's going, I think I'm going to be fine with it. James Conner, like I buy what they're selling that he's just going to get almost all the workload there. And then I'm not giving up on my guy, Ramondre. You know, he's down there in the deep 30s. I'd rather have him than Travion Henderson. I don't, I don't get quite buying Travion Henderson as a rookie back who I think is going to have a somewhat limited role there. And he's getting taken as like the RB 25.

38:05Pat, do you have some guys you're trying to stay away from? Well, real quick on Ramondre, I'll say what worries me. Any of those. What worries me is Josh McDaniels. I feel like as a, his guys type of guy, Ramondre is not his guy. Travion was his guy. Why isn't he this guy? Didn't he play great under Josh McDaniels? Am I crazy? That's right. Oh, my God. I forgot. Fifth tour of duty in New England. But he came in, and what's the first thing he tells them to do? Draft a second-round running back. Fair. That's fair. It's just he's so deep. He's a guy that, you know, was getting taken so high that, like, if he's your RB4, that sounds crazy to me.

38:43Very quickly, too. Alvin Kamara finishes the RB5 by average PPR points last year. He's like the RB18 or 19. he's like Mike Evans every year no one wants to draft him because he's old then every year his team doesn't have a better idea the Saints don't have a better idea than giving Alvin Kamara the ball you know way too many times way too many receptions DeAndre Swift is a guy who literally his entire career has been like one long fantasy disappointment you don't want him you're saying no I'm saying you you never do until now because truly what do they have beyond DeAndre Swift like Roshon Johnson I feel like is not going to be a huge concern for DeAndre he's a guy who's disappointed fantasy manager so many times or I feel like it can maybe finally happen this year for DeAndre Swift who do I not want I mean Joe Mixon has of course become rather radioactive I wouldn't have wanted Joe Mixon anyways I don't want Brees Hall that's another guy I don't want just for the price I know Brees I was like listen he's better than Braylon Allen there's no way it's gonna be a three-man backfield i will be a two-man backfield but the braylon drum beat drum beat refuses to cease and it is becoming concerning for brice hall who yeah his better in fantasy than real life let's put it that way and hasn't even been that great in fantasy of late so it's getting a little late early for brice hall and if we're moving into the later rounds there are three rookies that i think that stand out one of them is cam scadaboo yes giants now i'm concerned that the Giants are going to stink, that they might end up playing, starting three different quarterbacks over the course of the season.

40:17And Tyrone Tracy is good. I mean, he's not going to go away. But Cam Scadaboo is built to capitalize on high value touches. He can play in the passing game, and he's going to be the guy at the goal line over Tyrone Tracy. He's an awesome football player. I know he runs 4 '6 or whatever, but he is an awesome football player. I think anybody that has seen him play even a little bit knows that that dude is awesome at football. I think that a guy who might not be as good at football, but is in a great situation and has some Devon H. in him is Jaden Blue of Dallas, who's started to generate some positive buzz.

40:56You got Miles Sanders there. You got Javante Williams there. Pat mentioned the possibility that the Cowboys could lead the NFL in pass attempts. That's Jaden Blue's game. He had 42 catches last year, 176 touches, scored 14 touchdowns on 176 touches. Hyper-efficient, good in the passing game, runs 4-3-8 at 5-9-200. Really sexy situation for Jaden Blue. I love that. Yeah, one of the more surprising things I saw in the ADP that was Javante, was where Javante Williams was going, and that he was going ahead of Miles Sanders. For what it's worth, I wouldn't want either. But Miles Sanders is going to be the starter there, it sounds like, by all accounts, in that Javante doesn't look great.

41:40But I'm with you. Jaden Blue would be more exciting. Brashard Smith, for a really deep league or very end of the draft, would not surprise me at all if he is the Kansas City Chiefs' primary receiving back this year. Has a lot of juice. Like Pacheco showed as a seventh rounder, you could matter pretty quickly in that offense. So he's kind of fun to me. And then just looking at some of the team situations, like, yeah, I was surprised, too, that ETN is still going that high because your boy, I remember you loved Tank Bigsby a couple of years ago. You were right on Silva. It's still going to, I think, be the RB1 there.

42:16And I wouldn't worry about Bichel, too. I probably would avoid the whole thing. But if you're taking one, I would take Tank Bigsby. Two more super quick names, Greg. Midround, I love Jordan Mason, actually, who's always been super efficient. They basically anointed him as the goal linebacker. I think they're going to not pass nearly as much as they have or people are expecting. I've just not really liked the J.J. McCarthy smoke signals, although they could be. I mean, I love me some Jordan Mason last year. I actually did draft him along with CMC. Save my season. So Jordan Mason. And then I do like Woody Marks in the later rounds, even though he could just be like a committee, like pass catcher guy.

42:52Just the mixing signs are not great. Nick Chubb, they're already coming out like, listen, he's not the same, but he's real tough. and like you know that's not great the tone with Nick Chubb and pretty bullish for Woody Marks Woody Marks had 261 catches in his college career wow interesting okay so yeah Texans running back and I don't know what's going on there because yeah I've heard the same things of Chubb not looking great I think Mixon it's extremely concerning that he might never like to me he's on a do not draft list like period just because he might not be the same guy or be able to stay healthy.

43:28I don't know what they're going to do. They might be someone that looks around at the trade deadline or even after. Or you have the final cut trade deadline. Right. You know the feeling. You make a pick in your fantasy draft and the entire room groans because they wanted that player. Or you grab a small school rookie off waivers and you start him right before he goes off in prime time. There's no better feeling than crushing your fantasy football league. I'm JJ Zachary Eason, host of the Late Round Fantasy Football Podcast. Before your draft, our players to target and players to avoid episodes tell you exactly who to circle and who to cross off.

44:05We've got data-driven analysis, historical trends, and the strategies that separate winners from the rest. And your dominance doesn't stop with the draft. All season long, we have our 15 transactions, 10 trends, sleepers, and the mailbag, data-driven, quick-hitting episodes to help bring home that league trophy. Listen to the Late Round Fantasy Football Podcast on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Let's look at the wide receiver. So, yeah, I gave away my strategy earlier. I feel like if you took three receivers in your first four rounds still, I don't know.

44:46I feel better about that. I feel good about that. Like the top 10 receivers, They're just so, they're so money in general, however you want to shake them up. Like right now, Chase is going first overall in some leagues and that's fine. I don't see a particularly crazy difference between him and Lamb and Jefferson and Puka, really. So however, whatever order, I'm not going to have like a super hot take. But when you're getting to like a Nico Collins and Brian Thomas Jr. and AJ Brown are towards the bottom of the top 10 it's like man I I am going to be happy coming away with AJ Brown specifically like I think he is going to have an outstanding season and this is a relative by low for him and I'm just going to feel better taking these guys pretty much through the first three or four rounds than I am taking those rounds two three four running backs but that's me have you have you kind of changed on that viewpoint Silva and like where where are you looking towards the top of the draft.

45:46Yeah. I mean, at one overall and at two overall, I tend to lean running back. I still would take those three running backs over any receiver actually. Yeah. But I, you know, a lot of people take Jamar Chase one overall, as you mentioned, and I understand it. I think that CeeDee Lamb could outscore Jamar Chase. You know, the last time that Dak Prescott was healthy in 2023, CeeDee Lamb was the number one overall receiver in fantasy. And again, going back to that expectation that the Cowboys are going to throw the crap out of the ball, that would be good for CeeDee Lamb. I'm with you on Brian Thomas.

46:22He's my highest drafted first round player in the back end of the first round. I think that by the end of the year, we could be talking about him as the best receiver in football. Last year, he was number six in yards per route run. The best advance metric, if you just want one advance metric for wide receivers, is yards per route run. As a rookie at age 22, Brian Thomas was sixth in the NFL in yards per route run, catching passes for half the season from Mac Jones in a Doug Peterson offense, where Doug Peterson is out of the league because the league kind of passed him by. And now he's got Liam Cohen, who under Liam Cohen last year, Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, both at advanced ages, had their best yards per route run season of their entire careers.

47:11So I think that Liam Cohen is a really, really big deal for him. I think that Trevor Lawrence could have the best season of his career. I expect him to have the best year of his career, and he's going to carry Brian Thomas along with him. Actually, Brian Thomas might be carrying Trevor Lawrence along with him. Wow. I mean, if Doug Peterson is a fan of the show, Silva, and he's watching this and he just hears like a classic withering Silva takedown that the league has passed him by. Like, how do you think that's going to make him feel? Doug was a crazy case where that he was super ahead of the curve on like two things.

47:45And then the rest of the league really caught up really fast. And Doug was like, I don't have a third idea. Actually, it's a, it's a great, like you're making a joke on some level, but it's an outstanding football point over who becomes legendary, especially as coaches and who doesn't like a lot of coaches have one or two moves. And then Brandon Staley is like, no, well, this is the defense I coach and everyone's like, yeah, but everyone's adapted to that. Like, what's your next move? You have to keep changing. And like McVay, his old boss is a great example of that. Like he is always evolving, always adapting.

48:21You got to have multiple ideas. And speaking of which, you mentioned yards per route run, Silva. I mean, Pukunakua last year ranks among the greatest receivers of all time. For his first two seasons, he is like maybe the greatest receiver of all time, yards per route run. So I'm not that worried about Devontae getting there, impacting him. So he's another option pretty much in the middle of the first round. Who are you taking, Pat, in general? anywhere. Go anywhere you want in the first 30, 40 picks that are on a lot of pat teams. My in general take on wide receiver, by the way, is that you're absolutely right about the top 10, or I would say even 12 wide receivers, where a really deep wide receiver one crop.

49:05Then beyond that, though, I feel like this is a year, I've never had a year where I didn't like where every ADP looks bad to me, basically. Really? Yeah, I'm like, oh, T. Higgins. We're doing T. Higgins wide receiver 13 again, huh? Okay, that I agree with. That I agree with. All right, let's go through him. We're doing that yet again, huh? Like, wow, Marvin Harrison. We're doing that yet again, huh? I'm good with that. Where he is at the 40 spot, I'm good with that. That's good. Marvin Harrison's innovation was to get slower and bigger after his disappointing rookie year. He wasn't that that bad, and it's all about value.

49:39Now he's going like three rounds later, two rounds later. I'm good with that one. All right, give me more than you know. many like jsn who i actually like i didn't like and then i started to like yeah he's the wide receiver 17 which i i really like jason every sign though out of seahawks camp is like we're never passing the ball again like yeah but he's the best one he's the best guy on the team by far so i'm okay with they let him play like a true inside out game i'd be excited about jsn again but like terry mclaurin's the wide receiver 18 or she rice the wide receiver 19 uh mike evans Undead Zombie, Wide Receiver 20.

50:11I don't mind that one. Xavier Worthy, who I like. It's a lot of projection to be the Wide Receiver 21. Ted Aroa, McMillan, Sight Unseen, Wide Receiver 22 with your guy. Don't like that one. Don't like that one. I like Worthy. Any Wide Receiver ADP someone mentions to me, I'm like, oh, I don't like him there. Interesting. I'm not loving the feel, the overall feel. I hate the word vibe, but the vibe of the receiver this year. I feel better about most of those guys. I think Worthy has a sneaky high ceiling. I guess I'm looking at Fantasy Pro says him, you know, wide receiver 25 for what it's worth in the 50s somewhere.

50:45I mean, he doesn't have a lot. To me, he doesn't have a lot of heat considering he, you know, was their best receiver by far down the stretch and like is racking up. I count those catches in the Super Bowl. He had 75 yards before that fourth quarter in the Super Bowl too. He was the man there. Like Garrett Wilson's going fairly late. Devontae Adams is going fairly late. And I think I'm buying Devontae Adams. And then outside the top 10, and I'm curious what you think about these two guys, Silva. Like, to me, Ladd McConkie and Tyreek Hill have wide receiver one or two upside. Like, I don't think that's that crazy.

51:20And that's where I'm talking about. Like, man, receiver seems pretty deep. If they're going as like 11 and 12, like, both of those guys, to me, could have monster seasons. Back to yards per route, Ron. Lad McConkie as a rookie finished fourth in the NFL in yards per route run. And over a 17-game span, including playoffs, he had 91 catches for 1 ,346 yards and eight touchdowns. And I think that the arrow is still pointing up on him. Tyreek Hill scares me, and he's one of the biggest conundrums of the fantasy football season. And if you read Matt Harmon's recent reception perception breakdown of Tyreek Hill, I mean, it will put the fear of God in you.

52:10I mean, Matt Harmon is like, this is clearly a player in decline. He's got issues with Tua. I mean, Tua even, like, addressed that again recently at the start of training camp, that, like, we have to repair our relationship. I mean, Tyreek Hill is 31 years old. You know, everything still looks pretty good on paper. I mean, this is a super condensed offense. They're going to throw the ball. And Tyreek Hill, he ran like a super fast 100-yard dash or 100-meter dash or whatever recently. He still has straight-line speed. I say, you know, he definitely still has straight-line speed. I mean, Darryl Green was – guys that are fast keep their speed.

52:48Deshaun Jackson was still fast for forever. Darryl Green was winning the fastest man contest at the Pro Bowl, which, by the way, can we bring that back, please? at like age 43 years old. Guys that are fast stay fast. Like I know that Tyreek Hill can still run fast in a straight line. It's all the other stuff. He was not winning against coverage. He was not winning his routes nearly as often last year as he has historically. He admitted and has said it many times this offseason that he wasn't trying his hardest last year, that he came in out of shape, it was all this stuff and usually I really don't buy into too many offseason narratives but this is a guy who's had four or five first team all pros that's going to be in the hall of fame one day that I'm he look he's always played at a high level but he knows his chance for one last big contract is this year it's a contract year uh for him it's very likely his last one in Miami he wants to get back to Kansas City I just think there's going to be yards there with Tua I just To me, I am buying the narrative that it's just you're going to get the best out of Tyreek Hill.

54:02And last year was a little bit more of like an effort and conditioning thing. And that makes sense. If you're if you're watching on YouTube, we thank you, by the way. And we hope you subscribe and leave some comments. Do that on iTunes as well. It really helps us out. But if you are watching on YouTube, you'll notice that Roto Pat just ducked out. Like the heat was too much for him, frankly. like me getting back in the fantasy arena was making him feel a little less than uh i think also with his old boss silva um because in theory i was his boss but pretty quickly by the time pat was there i was i was doing pft and i thought that i hired him yeah maybe you did i'm probably i was still i was still there uh i was still at nbc i was like in an overseer role but you're absolutely right.

54:50Silva was the one who hired him, got it done. And what a job. But no, I, Pat's, Pat's internet apparently went out. So we're going to, we're going to finish this thing off. We're right at the end. Anyways, I'm going to give you a list of guys I think are too high, Silva, and you let me know. And then tell me some guys you think are too high. T Higgins. I agree with, I agree with Pat on that one. Rasheed Rice, just, I just would rather get worthy and not deal with the suspension. T-Mac, Tetaro, McMillan, there's a lot of ifs there. Cooper Cup, not buying it, feels like a wasted pick. Chris Godwin this year kind of feels like a wasted pick, just don't want to deal with it.

55:31Stefan Diggs, Jack Besh, those are a couple other guys that feel like wasted picks for me. And then some of the later guys, like Devontae, I'm buying a little bit of a Devontae rebound. I'm interested in Travis Hunter at the price that he's going at. And then maybe the guy I would draft the most at this very moment in the entire NFL Silva is Rashid Shahid. Cause, cause to, cause to me, I think he has like pretty clear top 20, top 25 fantasy receiver upside, maybe even floor if he's healthy and a bigger role coming to him. And so I'm taking Rashid Shahid who's going like wide receiver 50 or something totally insane.

56:10I just dogged T. Higgins so hard. I mean, Rotopat even said, T. Higgins, ADP wide receiver 13, what are we doing? You said we're doing this again. That's exactly where I have T. Higgins ranked, at wide receiver 13. Well, as you may have noticed, I did that, and then I just disappeared. When T. Higgins and Jamar Chase were on the field together last year, T. Higgins had more targets than Jamar Chase. Well, Evan, the problem is, when you hit the phrase, they're on the field together, which they just never are because he's always hurt. No matter what. And now he got paid. I feel like he's a classic.

56:47There's a 213 pass attempt sample of them being on the field together. And T. Higgins had 107 targets and Jamar Chase had 106. A guy that I love this year and I'm getting a lot of pushback from the nerds that we employ at Establish the Run. They hate this guy because they They can't fit anything into their spreadsheets. And if they can't fit it into their spreadsheets, then they can't do it. They don't know ball, frankly. They just don't know ball. They don't know ball. You know who's good at ball is Ricky Pearsall. Ricky Pearsall. And also the floodgates are kind of open for him. The C's are parting for Ricky Pearsall.

57:25We've got Jawan Jennings dealing with injuries and a contract dispute. Debo Samuel is gone. And Brandon Ayuk, I mean, I don't know when he's coming back. and Ricky Pearsall was a first round pick in the draft. I think they drafted him to eventually replace Debo Samuel, which that's a really fun fantasy role. If he can even be 80 % of what Debo Samuel was, Ricky Pearsall is going to crush. And again, if you read Matt Harmon's reception perception on Ricky Pearsall over the last month of the season, this guy got shot last year. He literally got shot and missed everything. thing. He finally gets it together, gets it together, gets healthy.

58:07And he crushed against man coverage down the stretch. So if you can give me 80 % of Debo Samuel and a guy who wins against man coverage with all this opportunity in a Kyle Shanahan offense with Brock Purdy coming off, maybe the most underrated quarterback season in the NFL. I think Ricky Pearsall can be an absolute smash as like a seventh round pick. You convinced me. I'm in. All right. Pat, are you, are you, are you doing okay? Yeah. By the way, Pierce all is going like in the wide receiver, 40, 45 territory behind Juwan Jennings who I already has a calf injury again, has the contract situation is going behind some of the guys that I said, I have zero interest in like cup and, and digs.

58:52And I would take, I would maybe take Pierce salt like in terms of his ceiling or even over a guy like Roma Dunze. That's a good shout out. Because I think what Pearsall already showed, and he's done it at practice too from everything that I've heard, is like he is an NFL player. It is a question whether he's going to be like a solid 2-3 or 2, or can he be like a wide receiver 1? But that'll be great value for him. And the opportunity is just absolutely insane. You couldn't take the heat, Pat, of our conversation. And you had to duck out. So I leave you with the final word. any wide receiver hot takes before we get out of there, whether it's like a middle, later round guys that you love that you don't love before you leave in shame.

59:35It's a mid-round guy. I can't say I either love or hate him, but he's kind of the wide receiver version of DeAndre Swift where he's become an annual disappointment to fantasy managers. Calvin Ridley, I just don't think people are prepared for how much more the Titans are going to pass than they did last year. And it might be erratic and scattershot, like how much higher quality the passing is going to be, even if there are a lot of turnovers mixed in from Cam Ward. It just seems like Calvin Ridley could be like a this-time-it-counts guy this year. He's burned us so many different times, but he's the lead receiver for an offense that could be so much better.

1:00:14And I really like the two Bills guys. guys Khalil Shakir who was like a top 36 guy last year I mean maybe he won't get a whole lot better but I feel like he could still get better they're talking about him getting better they need him desperately and also Keon Coleman was kind of getting hot before he got hurt last year he'd stacked together two or three decent games then he got injured he came back and didn't do anything down the stretch but he's someone they need really really bad he basically does not have an ADP I mean he's got a very late round ADP. He is being drafted, but he's like a wide receiver 55.

1:00:50He's actually going right around your guy, Rashid Shahid, who I do also really like this year, but I feel like looking to the bills is a good place. Maybe looking at the Titans and Calvin Ridley. No one's going to want to draft Titans. No one ever wants to draft Calvin Ridley. Cause all he's ever done is lose them fantasy leagues. But those are two good places. Do we like Trey Harris for the chargers or are they going to retreat? I mean, we'll see how camp goes, but like a guy coming from an offense that like doesn't necessarily translate or not. Everything is so unpredictable with these rookies.

1:01:23Like Dante Thornton kind of clearly seems better than Jack Besh in Las Vegas. And I haven't heard a lot about Trey Harris. It hasn't been like overly positive there. So I think you got to see how August just the ceiling doesn't seem happy. I mean that high to me. Shakir, I'm totally with you on Shakir. That's a good shout out. I do like a little, I do like the Jordan Addison, Jalen Waddell values for where they are as like two of the better. Enormous values, both of them. They're just like better football players, for instance, than Calvin Ridley. The opportunity is obviously better than for Calvin Ridley.

1:01:58Cal's not good. Cal's not good. It doesn't matter though. He's not bad though. At a wide receiver of 31, he's solid enough. But I like Addison and Waddell to get more yards. We did it. We'll talk tight end some other time. This was just the intro to fantasy for the season. We're not going to totally say goodbye to fantasy because we got about a month left of drafts. It is Silva season. It's Rotopat season. Everyone check out Silva at Establish the Run. Him and my old co-worker as well, Adam Levitan, the Wizard of Oz over there at Establish the Run. He's the man. And, of course, Rotopat still holding it down at Roto World.

1:02:38Love you guys. Appreciate you guys both. Both coming on with me. That's it for this great week of shows on NFL Daily. We will be back on Sunday evening. We're posting these shows with Nick Shook, where we do notes all around the AFC. So we're going to hit all 32 teams over the two shows, Sunday night and Monday night. But yeah, as you heard on the top of the show, we had an actual freaking football game. It's back.

1:03:10The entire draft room groans because you just took the guy they wanted. There's no better feeling than crushing your fantasy football league. I'm JJ Zachary, host of the award-winning late round podcast. Before your draft, our players to target and players to avoid episodes tell you exactly who to circle and who to cross off. Listen to the late round fantasy football podcast on the I heart radio app, Apple podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

1:03:40This is an iHeart Podcast. Guaranteed human.