Fantasy Football Daily - 2022 Hansen's Hints: Preseason Podcast No. 2 with Greg Cosell

Episode Date: August 16, 2022

John Hansen (@Fantasy_Guru) invites Greg Cosell (@gregcosell) on the latest Hansen's Hints for some NFL Insider info across the league as the second week of preseason kicks off. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/fantasy-points-podcast/support Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's time to the Fantasy Points podcast brought to you by FantasyPoint.com. Top level fantasy football and NFL betting analysis from every perspective and angle, from numbers to the film room, with a single goal to help you score more fantasy points. Here we go. Welcome to another edition of Hansen's Hints here at FantasyPoint.com and the Fantasy Points podcast feed. I am John Hansen. I am not, though, the man giving out the hints. I'm going to hopefully cue up and set up our guy Greg CoSell to offer up some insight. And Greg did watch some tape from week one of the preseason, not that that we have any major, major takeaways.

It's more about, okay, let's react and adjust to what we saw and get Greg's thoughts on a variety of topics, Greg. How are you? It's Tuesday, August 16th. We're through one week of the preseason. I am a little surprised you watch as much. film as you did in the first week of the preseason, but how are you? Well, I wanted to make sure that I defined every player's entire career based on the six preseason plays.

That is your go-to joke in August. I mean, that's important, don't you think? Well, look, I look at the entire off-season in a way. Look, I look at a lot of things, but overall vibes. Like, what am I getting here with the vibes? And it's not an uneducated vibe. It's a pretty educated vibe. I'm considering myriad things.

And that's part of it, the preseason, obviously. So certainly have some takeaways and some thoughts coming out of week one of the preseason. That's what you're here for. I'm the fantasy guy queuing up the non-fantasy guy because it all does begin and end on the actual football field. So let's get going. And we tend to just basically bounce around, go conference by conference, division by division. I guess we'll start this time over in the NFC. and in the NFC East, and I know you watched a little jail in Hertz.

I just talked this morning with our guy friend Duffy from Philadelphia Eagles.com. You know, again, as far as you can be impressed by a preseason performance in like one series, Hertz did look pretty good. Yeah, the whole offense looked sharp. The touchdown he threw was a staple concept that they run. It's really flood to the boundary. I doubt they called it with the expectation of a particular coverage. It's just something they run all the time that clearly Jalen Hertz is very comfortable with.

They did that a lot last year. And they did get a coverage, which was cover three. That is very conducive to that play being effective. And it was a pitch and catch touchdown. He made an excellent throw, of course, to Watkins when he rolled out to the right, when he had no other throw and he left the pocket. So we saw what Hertz is. And, you know, as I mentioned to you before, I'm feeling pretty positive about the Eagles.

I think they have a really good roster. And I think Hertz will improve. He clearly improved through the second half of last season. And I would expect that to be the case. I think we mentioned this last time. But now I asked Fran this question this morning, but, you know, he has shown incremental progress. If this continues, might we get to a point where we view Hertz as? like a Dak Prescott type of player?

That's possible. I think that was one comparison I made when I watched his college tape in his last year at Oklahoma and suggested that what kind of quarterback would he be in the league? How would team see him? That was really my question. How would teams see him when he came out of Oklahoma? Would they see him as a quarterback that you had to build an offense specifically for him in the way that the Ravens have done with Lamar Jackson?

or could he eventually develop into a Dack Prescott quarterback? And those were in my notes from last year in the guide, in the draft guide, or two years ago, excuse me, I guess it was. And we'll see. I mean, I think that's still a we'll see. But he's probably trending more in the direction of a Prescott, I would think, just based on what I've seen on film and what I've heard speaking to the Eagles. We should mention, by the way, I failed to do that at the top here.

Greg CoSells' draft guide. Well, it's our draft guide with Greg CoSells player profiles. That is available at FantasyPoint.com. You can add it on to your subscription and busy time of the year. Use that promo code, Hanson 10, and save 10% off your FantasyPoint.com subscription. I can almost guarantee you'll love the site and the service. A lot to offer, including the Fantasy Points data group here. One last thought on DAC versus Hertz.

DAC, it seems to me, improved in terms of his ability to process information, see the field, you know, AKA read defenses. Is that true? Because, you know, when he came out, we kind of called him to see it and throw it guy. And it does seem like he's improved in that regard. I would agree. I think incrementally he's gotten better and better each and every year. And I think he's a quality quarterback. That's the goal with Hertz is that he becomes that kind of quarterback that can beat you from the pocket.

Because at some point in this league, as we know, John, your quarterback has to be able to drop back and throw it. You know, one of the things that a lot of teams do to try to help in that regard is they go to empty sets. And it wouldn't just something to keep in mind as the season, the regular season gets underway. Let's see how much empty the Eagles line up in this year. Let's move on to the Giants, and it looks like all of a sudden they have another issue at receiver. Kenny Ghaladay has been very sluggish in camp. Cadarius, Tony, cannot get on the field. Sterling Shepard, still on the shelf.

The former Jaguar Colin Johnson showed off in the opener, but all eyes on Juan Dale Robinson. I know we asked this probably last time out, but assuming, and I think it's a fair assumption, the Giants need a lot from the rookie Robinson. How equipped is he to handle a pretty large role in this offense? I know he can line up anywhere. Yeah, you know, and I'm just being honest with you. I don't know how to answer that at this point. I mean, I think he's a certain kind of player,

and that kind of player fits in today's NFL with his ability to line up anywhere and be a movement motion receiver. But he's not a big play home run threat. So he needs other receivers. Now, if they don't have other receivers, you're thinking fantasy, does he get a large target share? Yes, because you have to throw it to someone. But I don't really know what their offense is going to look like yet with the past game

because of the receiver situation. Yeah, I mean, if they're looking for, for example, Robinson to be something of an Isaiah McKenzie guy for dayball, that's a gadgety guy. And I think they need him to be more than that. Well, it's a package guy. Yeah, Gadgety may not be the right word. He's a package guy.

And they would need him to be more than that, yes. That's a good way. Well, maybe I'm going to use that now. I'm going to stop saying Gaddi here. I want to start saying package. I mean, it's kind of the same thing, but it kind of isn't. Well, yeah, I don't think coaches think of it that way. I think they think, hey, we have a package for this player.

Here's what we're going to ask him to do. And we're going to get to those packages in different ways with different personnel in different formations and then hopefully those those plays become effective yeah we're not going to hang our hat on it but it's it's part of what we do moving on here i know you watch the quarterbacks for the commanders it seemed like overall wince was wince he kind of you know some imperfections but uh look like he had some success as well and then howl the rookie comes in and shows well anything uh that you saw there yeah i don't think they gave wince very much at all. I thought he executed what he was asked to do with precision, and he threw the ball

well. He was precise with his ball placement. They did give him a vertical route. They took a shot to McLaren on Sluggo when McClellan was the Boundary X and once just slightly underthrew it, not badly, but just slightly, and it was incomplete. Howell was actually relatively impressive, I thought. And there was one play in particular that I thought was representative of the kind of thing you'd like to see. McGowan, a receiver, caught a 27-yarder on third and nine in the fourth quarter, and he was actually the backside ex-receiver running a dig, but it was a trip's read to the front side, to the three-receiver side, and they ran a flood concept. And Howell did not like what he saw to the front side, to the trip-side. And he came back to

McGowan on the backside within the timing and structure of the play. So it ended up being basically a full field read, and he came back to the dig, and that was pretty impressive. I thought he showed some poise and patience in the pocket. We know he can give you some second reaction playmaking ability, which he did. It was a strong first game for Howell. Now, I've spoken to some people there. Do not expect Sam Howell to be the starting quarterback. I know people are probably excited after that first game. In fact, the way they see things now, barring anything unforeseen, he'll be the number three. Yeah, but I think if they're out of contention in December, it might be how old time at that time? Well, that's different.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, sure. No, I hear you. No, uh, Jahan Dotson in the game as well. Uh, he was not out there. How about the-heed? He played. He played. He did play.

That's right. He didn't show up much in terms of the box score, right? Um, how about the developments in this backfield? This is pretty incredible because I had such a bad vibe two weeks ago before they played a damn game. And then Gibson fumbles and Robinson scores. short yardage touchdown. We know Gibson had those deficiencies running inside, inside zone and all that. And Robinson, boy, I mean, this seems why they drafted him. So I could clearly see Robinson getting those short yardage carries. Well, I think I mentioned to you probably a month ago that just be aware

that Robinson could end up being the feature back. Oh, yeah. And I stand by that. I think he's a better runner than Gibson. And I think he's, I think he's overall just a better player. So how It would not surprise me at all if Robinson ends up being the guy. And don't forget, Robinson played four, he was at Alabama, either four or five years. So he's been really well coached. Just keep that in mind, John. You know, like I said, I mentioned that to you probably a good month or so ago.

Yeah, look, and he played behind a ton of guys, but they're all good. Like, I'm pretty sure he played behind Jacobs and Damien Harris for a spell. And obviously, Naji Harris. And Naji, of course. Yeah, no question. And finally got the opportunity and look pretty darn good. Good receiver, too, by the way. I watched him catching balls at the senior bowl and the practices.

So he can be a three-down player for them, but they'll use the – And a good pass protector. Because he's big, too, you know. I mean, that's an attribute, you know. Yeah, it's terrible. It is absolutely brutal for Antonio Gibson. I don't really have anything on the Cowboys. So we'll move on to the NFC North.

and I know you did watch Justin Fields in the opener. I mean, taking everything with a grain of salt. At the very least, I like how they're clearly going to use his mobility. They're going to work that into their offense much more than last year. Yeah, they probably will. I think Fields still has some work to do. Yeah, and I think it showed up on tape. You know, that's what you can see in preseason,

particularly with guys who played in the league already, young players. what they need to work on. You know, I think Field still needs to get rid of the ball quicker. Yeah. You know, he got sacked on third and sixth to end the bear's first possession by Chris Jones. And, of course, when you saw it on TV, you know, people are like, oh, my God, you know, Justin Fields, I feel badly for him. Well, that ball should have been out to Mooney on the quick out off the stack release. Yeah. You know, the sack should never have happened. And then he makes an excellent throw to Mooney for 26 yards on the schemed wheel route. But I still think he shows attention. tendency to break down and leave the pocket too early.

Yeah. And then he can still make great throws. But I think he still has work to do. He's still playing a little fast mentally. And that's new system. It would not surprise me to see this take time. See, this is not a surprise to me, John. And I know, you know, and he's going to be the quarterback.

It's not like he's going to be benched if he has a bad first quarter, week one. You know, so this is just going to be a work in progress with a brand new staff. Not a great receiving corps. No. My comp in the fantasy world is jail and Hertz last year. Like, you can still be highly flawed. And if you run a lot, you can move the needle big time for fantasy. Without question.

Any thoughts on, can Fields basically do what Hertz did last year? That's not too much of an ass. He'll run as often. He's a better thrower than Hertz. I mean, so he can just make better throws. I mean, he made that great throw to Sharp that people might remember this past week. Yeah.

He's 19 yards on third and nine. He's a better three. He's a more talented guy than Jalen Hertz. So, you know, Fields, he will have moments. And look, from a fantasy perspective, the running element is a big factor, John, as you well know. So that he will do. Did you pick up on Khalil Herbert at all in that game?

No, I did not. Yeah. But I still think he's going to be a factor because the foundation of that offense is the zone run game. And I think he's a better zone runner than Montgomery. So I'm very curious to see the division of labor between those two backs. And because of that, I'm kind of out on Montgomery. Now, some of the staff do disagree, and we do try to come up with a little bit of a consensus.

But I'm more with you in that Khalil Herbert, I believe, deserves meaningful touches. I don't know what that means, seven or eight, nine carries. But, you know, you take away a little bit of that volume for Montgomery. And that is a little scary. you know, Vellis Jones quickly is making a little bit of a move here in Chicago. And I know they have Taji and all that. I know we probably talked about him a little bit. But I kind of feel like Vellis Jones is very, like, I kind of feel like if Vellis Jones doesn't deliver,

they might be in trouble, honestly. Yeah, and I think he's going to get snapped. So you have to throw the ball to someone. So unless he literally just doesn't know his assignments, he's going to play snaps. He's off to a good start from all accounts. Yeah, so. Byron Pringle's been hurt.

Yeah, I mean, Pringle will play when he is healthy, assuming he's healthy for week one. I don't know what his injury is. But I like Byron Pringle, but, you know, Jones is going to get snaps. Detroit Lions really don't have much to say here. I think we can probably move on. Amon Ra was very busy and Jared Goff talking him up this week, which I kind of saw that last year. I did want to bring up, did you ever watch that Jamar Jefferson kid? I mean, I think we talked about him before.

I definitely like him. I know he was off to a really good start, the kid out of Oregon State. I feel like he's got some volume potential and some juice. Well, he showed both in college because I watched him coming out of Oregon State. The question is, how many snaps does he get? Because I think they obviously like Swift to be the feature back, whatever that means. I don't believe Swift is a 250, 270-pound carry a year. year guy. They still have Jamal Williams. So I'm not sure what Jefferson's role is. I think that remains to be

seen. He did have, I think, a near fumble or an almost fumble. He might be a bubble guy, but he did intrigue me, at least over Jamal Williams and maybe even a Craig Reynolds moving on to Minnesota. Boy, how about, you probably didn't see it, but man, Tyne Chandler, I know you liked him and I think I'm probably talking about to him on the radio more than almost anyone else in this business. Ty Chandler, not really a guy people are talking about out of North Carolina, but he has got a lot of talent, Greg, and he really showed in the opening at a return and like five carriers for 50. That kid has a chance maybe to be a primary back in a couple of years. Well, I don't know. Yeah, I mean, I think you're going to see someone like Madison who I believe is going to be

a free agent after this season. Yeah. And he's not going to be there because I'm sure he believes, as he should, that he can be a featureback somewhere. So I don't know if he'll be seen that way by teams in the league, but I'm sure he sees himself that way as he should. But I really like Ty Chandler, and he wasn't talked about very much, as you know, coming out.

He was a later round pick. But he was a kid who started his career at Tennessee, played four years, then played the graduate year at North Carolina. I really liked his tape a lot. And I thought that, you know, he has that running, receiving, past protected competitiveness profile. And I said in my, it's in the draft guide that will get him on a roster and he will play in the NFL. So I don't know what his situation will be in Minnesota.

A healthy Dalvin Cook and a healthy Madison will play before him. But for your future leagues, whatever you call them, Chandler might be an interesting guy. Yeah, no doubt. Great kid, too, by the way. I actually cited some of your reports to him directly, and he was all about it. He was like, yeah, whoever wrote those is a brilliant person.

I'm like, well, that's great. There you go. There you go. No, yeah, good kid, though. Todd Chandler. Yeah, that would be a long-term guy for those in Dynasty League. Some teams out there, leagues keep like 30 players for the long-term. Don't have much else here for the Minnesota Vikings so we can move on.

over in the NFC South Drake, London did get hurt. Greg, that'll probably slow down the development of London here. I don't think you have to add anything else to that. But Mariotta does seem to be off to a pretty decent start. He's finally healthy. He's not coming off an injury. He knows Arthur Smith's offense. He will run a little bit, which helps.

And I keep pointing out, I know he's a completely imperfect, you know, quarterback throwing the ball and all that. but these sizable receivers overall it's probably a good spot for for mariotta do you even i mean do we even look at this guy as you know a factor throwing the football or or are you kind of like well we'll see what he does the first month or so well he's going to throw the football john i mean well i mean like actually having success sustained somewhat i mean for a lot i think in the context of that offense yeah he can have success probably not big numbers from a fantasy perspective, unless you can't, you know, the running element is a factor

clearly. You know, I did not watch Marioita this week. I did watch Desmond Ritter because I was very curious about him. Yeah. But Mario da, but Marioo will be the starting quarterback. And, you know, we know what I think Arthur Smith wants to do. There's a lot of formation variation. There's a lot of personnel packages. There'll be a lot of play action. He'll get Marioita out of the pocket by design. Mariotto will be a runner by design in in specific situations. Mariotta can also run as a scrambler and be effective. So, you know, assuming London's not injured badly, you're going to have London and Pitts who are both big receivers. So, you know, this will be, I don't think this will be, you know, a dynamic, unbelievable offense, but I mean, they do have some weapons.

Mario has always had some ball location accuracy issues. I mean, I feel, I feel like this is a really good spot with the run-heavy approach, the zone read, I'm sure will be prevalent. And again, with these big-ass receivers. Yep. Moving on here. The way to revive his career. He knows the offense, knows the terminology. He's not starting from scratch, and he has big receivers. I know you didn't see much in Carolina, and I don't have anything

rivet. Although you did see Matt Corral. Any thoughts on the rookie Matt Corral? Yeah, I mean, and he was playing really fast. He, it was, it was a classic first performance, you know, in many ways. I mean, you know, I mentioned Howell looked very good. I thought Ritter actually looked very good. Corral was playing fast. Everything was too fast. Yeah, anything else on Ritter?

I mean, I mostly saw the scramble as he looked very fast out there. You know, I thought there were throws in which his delivery was tighter and more compact than it was in his college tape. So they've been working with him on that. Not every throw, but you could tell that they've been working on it. So you go back to the way you've thrown for years and years and years at times. They really gave him some concepts that he was very, very comfortable with. So you saw the traits that he showed in college.

I thought he played well, and I thought it was a solid performance by Ritter. Well, if he's coached up really well and they tighten up those mechanics, it's probably waist down issues. And his accuracy is better in ball location. What type of, I mean, this is probably one of the 32, best quarterbacks on the planet in a year or two. That's very possible. And that gets back to we'll see how Marioita plays because, you know, again, we're not there every day. So I don't know how Ritter, who's supposed to be

a great kid, by the way, and very smart. So, you know, now you get into, you know, a lot of other issues, which we don't know. I'm sure they want Marioita to be the guy, certainly this year. And if Marioita has a great year, then, you know, we'll have to discuss that afterwards. Sure. But Ritter's not going to be the starter barring injury. Don't have anything on the New Orleans Saints as we move along here, the Fantasy Points podcast, Hanson's Hints with me, John Hanson, and Greg CoSell. Don't forget big time subscription period here. I can virtually guarantee that you'll be very pleased with your investment at FantasyPoints.com.

Use that promo code Hanson 22 for 10% off. You did see Kyle Trask for the 10%. Cabo Bay Buccaneers. And, you know, it's very weird with Brady. I've had a bad vibe for a while here, but anything on Trask? Well, I don't think he'd be the starter, even if Brady for whatever reason. Wayne Gabbard. He's not the quarterback, but I did watch Trask. And in many ways, he looked like he did in college, which doesn't surprise me. You know, I think you're dealing with a guy that has limited arm strength. You know, he's a timing and rhythm pocket quarterback with, as I said, at arm strength. He needs a clean pocket to be successful. He does not possess secondary

action movement ability. I think he would have issues working out of contested pockets laid in the down. He's not a guy that can sit on his back foot and make tough throws. So it has to happen within timing and structure. It has to be really defined. It was one throw that really showed that well. He hit Geiger late in the third quarter for 26 yards. That was what Trask is. The route concept versus the coverage to find the read and the throw it allowed truss to deliver with timing as soon as he hit his back foot that's who he is and i think that's who will always be his physical traits are not going to change i guess you didn't see uh rashad white had a couple of he caught a couple of uh balls you know but i didn't i i did not watch him run the ball yeah but quick recap on on

Rashad. A lot to like. He might not be like a stud in any one area, but do you see any reason for him, you know, maybe not being good enough to eventually be a full on three down back? Do you see any deficiencies there, whether it be he doesn't have the greatest wiggle, but I feel like he's got wiggle. He doesn't have maybe the greatest natural power, but I feel like he's got that. I feel like he's like a B plus and like everything, but maybe not an A in anything.

I would say that's fair, but I think he could be depending on the team. You know, now you're getting into a situation. Like, for instance, with the bucks, you know, assuming Brady's the quarterback, like if Fournett got hurt, let's say. Yeah. And White did pick up the game mentally,

which we don't know we're not there. But if he did, let's say, and that was not a problem, I could see him being a three down back. on that team. For sure. He's not a three down back, I think, on a team where everything starts with the run game. You know, I don't think that would be what he would be right now.

He can't be with Derek Henry. Maybe. I mean, he is 215 pounds. Yeah, he's a big dude. I stood next to him and talk with him. I'm 6'2. He's 6'2. You know, built well.

Great kid. As I keep mentioning, amazing kid. Moving on here. You saw Trey Lance in San Francisco. your thoughts yeah not a lot there i mean i still think they're working on him to be a little quicker with his delivery he sort of has a tendency like to to drop down and then and then you know gear back up on certain throws so he's just a hair late at times um but he made the great deep throw to danny gray who by the way i watched his tape coming out of college he can run now it'd be interesting to

see if a guy like that is used you know in specific ways obviously he's not beating out iuk or samuel and they did get some quality play last year from Joanne Jennings. So I'm not suggesting he's going to get 60 snaps a game. Helps their depth, though. Yeah, and I think he's another package guy, you know, assuming that everything continues to go the way it's going, because Lance has a big arm. You know, Garopolo does not have that kind of vertical arm. Lance does.

So you could see some packages, some play calls in which Gray, you know, could play 12 snaps a game and who knows. Oh, I absolutely think that's why they drafted him, basically, to... Because they didn't realize... I mean, IEuk can be explosive, but he's not explosive in that way. You know, he's not a truly vertically explosive. And by the way, I didn't study Danny Gray the way you did, but I did watch him coming out. I did watch him practice live for two days. And I used the word scrappy, actually.

I don't think he's like just a deep threat guy. No, he's got a track background, and you wouldn't call him highly refined as a route runner, but he's more than just a track man playing receiver. Right. You know, he makes plays, you know, like on the sideline, basically. You know what I mean? Like, I don't think he's just a go-r-rower. He dropped a lot of balls in college, and I think that needs to be cleaned up.

But, yeah, I think what you want to do with him is you want to get him off the line cleanly, because he can run. And you saw that on the vertical touchdown, the 76-yarder. I don't know who he ran by, I forget, but he can run. Yeah, he actually caught a ball, like, right in front of me at practice from Malik Willis. And it was a rocket. And I think that's where I came up. You know, this guy's scrappy, you know, like he dove for it and got it and all that.

Yeah, nice player. Elijah Mitchell, going to be put on the shelf for the entirety of the preseason, apparently. I do worry about his availability or lack thereof, but we can invite. Well, that's why they drafted Davis Price. Yep, yep. And don't look now, but Chase Sermon is still around. Yeah, well, it'll be between Sermon and Davis Price. You know, Sermon obviously was in the doghouse last year for whatever reason. It'll be between those two guys.

They're both big backs. They both can do, based on talent, what the Niners want done in their run game. So we'll see because Sermon has a lot of talent. Davis Price is a more dynamic explosive runner than Sermon. And I really like Davis Price tape coming out of LSU, so we'll see. I think that remains to be seen, John. I don't know how you have that mapped out, but I don't think we know at this point. It's going to be one or the other.

You know, I personally think Davis Price is more gifted. Is it fair to say Davis Price is kind of in between Sermon and Mitchell? Because Mitchell's got a little more juice than Sermin too. Yeah, Davis Price has some juice and he's bigger than Mitchell. You know, Mitch, that's the thing with Mitchell. Mitchell's a good runner, but he's not very big. No. And he might be one of those guys that gets banged up a lot. Yeah, I think so. And he's already hurt a little bit dealing with a hamstring injury.

He did bulk up a little bit too this year in an effort to handle more of a workload, which also usually kind of scares me, honestly. Let's stay in this division and go to the Rams. Boy, Cam Acres has been a really tough call for me. I think I'm out, though, because I feel like he needs volume and they keep talking up at Daryl Henderson. Let's revisit. What's that? He's hurt again.

Well, they're both little dinged up. Yeah, yeah. Yeah, which isn't great. But go back to Cam Acres. Like, when you think of Camacres coming out of Florida State and you think about Camacres in the playoff stretch, like, was that the guy that you saw in college? You know, like, where were you last year late with Cam Acres, what you saw on tape? Well, don't forget, he came off a major, major injury.

which was surprising that he even played. So I think it's hard to make a judgment about his ability based on last year. I like his tape coming out of college. If he can get back to that guy, then I think he has a very good skill set within the context of that offense. Sure, sure. It was a little weird how they just kind of flipped the switch and like literally gave him everything.

You know, that was odd. Pretty remarkable that even came back. I mean, that says a lot about the kid. Yeah. Well, I'm still personally a little concerned about Stafford, although my guy Adam Schaefter told me a couple of days ago that Stafford was thrown a ball amazingly in practice somewhat recently. I'm still a little skeptical on the whole ram offense personally,

and even Alan Robinson, too, although I know he's going to get Target Seattle. Wow, you're so devoted. You actually watched Gino Smith and Drew Locke from this weekend. I watch both guys, yeah. Well, is, in your opinion, you know, considering Gino, knows the veteran who knows the offense and played last year and he's been ahead of Locke, is Gino Smith trending toward being your week one starter from what you've seen? Again, it's one game.

I would say that Locke looked better to me than Gino in this game. Okay. I don't know what that means in any way, shape, or form. Yeah, yeah. Okay. It's worth noting. But I thought he looked better. I mean, I still think that, you know, Smith has really good second reaction movement

ability. I mean, but I think he still struggles working through progressions cleanly and delivering the ball to secondary options. And two things happen with him when that occurs. He either gets stuck in the pocket and then he breaks down late and leaves the pocket. So, but he's an easy thrower. He's got a good arm. He can make really good throws. He had an outstanding seam throw in that this week to Johnson late in the first half. And then he missed Parkinson for a touchdown. Now, we scored a touchdown running on the next play, but that's irrelevant. You know, I thought Locke, I thought Locke played pretty well in this game.

You know, he can be a little scattershot with his tendency to be wild high, and that's a concern when throwing in the middle of the field. So you're dealing with two guys, John, that have shown, you know, Smith's been in this league a long time now. It's hard to believe. guys who have shown moments, but have also had issues. And that's, I guess, why they're in a battle for the number one quarterback job. I don't know how that's going to play out, to be honest with you. Did you happen to see the 39-yarder to my guy, Bow Melton, out of Rutgers?

Yeah, that was just the ball thrown in the flat, and Melton made a guy miss. And then there was no one there. Yeah. What do you think of that kid? You know, I grew up with his dad. So obviously it's Oh, you did. Oh, yeah. Yeah. His dad played. for Rutgers and he was a running back and he was a grade behind me but I was very young for my grade so I had many battles on the playground with and any field growing up with Bow Mountain's dad great family hoping he makes the team at the very least but he did lead them in receiving so we got that going for us so yeah I wasn't sure exactly what he was when I watched his tape you know to me he didn't play as fast as his 40 time which was outstanding and so

was his 10-yard split time. I mean, his measurables were really, really good. I didn't think his tape in college, I'm talking about at Rutgers, reflected those numbers. I didn't think he was twitchy or shifty or sudden, even though his measurables would suggest that. So I don't know. I don't know if he makes the team.

I don't know. He was a later round pick. Yeah. I'm not sure. That's fair. My gut is that, and I don't know the kid that well, obviously, but I've seen bits and pieces of them and all that. And I talk with his dad quite a bit, actually.

I feel like he needs more growth, you know, basically. So hopefully you can make the team and grow into himself a little bit more and all that good stuff there. It is a decent team here to make the roster at the very least. They're not loaded in Seattle. Let's move on to Arizona. And there is now talk officially of Rondell Moore. basically manning the slot.

And how critical is that? Because, you know, we've seen a guy like Andy Isabella. It seems like he has just been blocked from, I guess, getting a chance because he probably needs to be inside. You know, it's been Kirk and before that, Larry. But it does seem like it's here now for Ron Dale. But, you know, can Ron Dale more man that position, essentially, is a different player than Christian Kirk?

Well, I think you have to find that. out because other other if he's if he's if he's not then he's another one of those package guys yeah you need him to be more than that john so i guess that's a work in progress for them we don't know the answer to that it's easy to sit here and say now oh well now that he's doing that he's going to get you know a hundred targets we don't know that you know we don't know how it's going to work out but i think at some point that's what he has to be in this league let's go to the aFC here the fantasy points podcast hansson's hints with me john hansson and gray Greg CoSell, subscribe to FantasyPoint.com for 2020.

We were way ahead of the markets on so many great picks last year, like, for example, Debo Samuel, a little darnel Mooney as well. Hanson 22, save 10% off your subscription to FantasyPoint.com. And while you're at it, add on and add in to your order, the draft prospect guide with Greg Cocell's profiles. It's a great reference point. Buffalo over in the AFC East. You studied a little Khalil Shakir, the rookie receiver for the bills out of Boise State.

Yeah, I liked you. I liked him coming out a lot. I'm trying to figure out how that's going to shake out because, look, they've got their two top guys. It's going to be Diggs and Davis, obviously. They have Jameson Crowder, but they've also got McKenzie, who they want to be more than a package guy. They think he can be. So I think Shakir is going to make the team, but I don't know if he's going to get any meaningful snaps. although I think he's one of those guys, and this is just my opinion based on his college tape,

and again, it was just one preseason game, so I don't want to put too much on that. But I think he's one of those guys that's almost going to demand that, hey, you put me out there because I can do something. I think it's going to be one of those guys. Yeah, yeah. I mean, you know, a nice little reload job there by the bills to get another rookie in there, young guy. And, you know, you work in the veteran crowd or in some ways replacing Manny Sanders. is boy watching James Cook. And we've been saying this forever.

I know everyone kind of says the same thing, but I think maybe we're a little bit on it a little bit more than others. My God, does he look like Dalvin? It is incredible. I'm watching him in this first NFL game getting like goal line carries. And I'm like, I was just inclined to give him a few more carries. I think I have him for 95. But, you know, do you have a number in mind when you,

If you know Singletary's there, maybe the offense is going to change a little bit. And we know Cook's a very good receiver. And I know he's going to line up probably outside in the slot at times and all that good stuff. But running the football, is there a number in mind to where if you were running things? You know what? I want to get this guy, I don't know, seven carries a game or all that. You know, is there any thoughts on how you work in a James Cook in year one in the running game? Yeah, I would say you're not.

number is probably fair. He's not going to get, you know, 50 and 18 carries a game. Singletary might not even get that unless it's, you know, specific games. And I think Singletary has proven, particularly with what he did down the stretch when they increased his role, that he's their number one back. And I don't think that's going to change. So Cook will be used, and I think he'll be used more as a receiver. I think he will get carries at times, just so they're not predictable when he's in the game. But he's not going to get 180 carries, John. Oh, yeah. Yeah, no question. I mean, because I have him at 95 right now. Which might be fair.

That might be fair. Yeah, I think that's maybe. I was inclined just watching them, though. I'm like, you know what? I want to give him five more carries because he's Dalvin Cook. He just doesn't have the functional strength, basically, right? Well, he bulked up for the combine because I think he got close to 200, but he's not that guy. You know, I mean, you don't want him at 210 because I think that's not what he really is.

So, you know, he's not a feature back in a strict sense. Yeah, yeah, no doubt. Moving on over in New England, it continues with Ramandre. You know, we covered this in the last podcast. I kind of draw a little bit of a Levon bell comp in terms of the transformation of the body and the light feet. And perhaps a lot of catches here. I mean, I personally, Greg, now, Ty Montgomery is the annoying one. like we actually haven't even projected him yet because who knows what the Patriots but I guess

he's probably going to be in this mix here but um remandre taking over the James white role I'm being somewhat cautious I'm giving him like 30 catches so um well do you I mean I would say do you know for sure that that's going to happen well he's he's he's absolutely take over the James white roll he's absolutely been trending that way in practice for weeks and I've checked this out with Mike Reese of ESPN and Joe Dolan talk with a Patriot Insider. It absolutely seems to be the case unless they have a huge role in plan for Thai Montgomery, Greg, I would think. Right. Well, he could be that guy because, you know, we saw through the years Brandon Bolden at times would be that guy.

Montgomery is probably better than Bolden in that role because he was a receiver. So I don't know where to go with that at this point. And you're not going to know that through the preseason because you're not going to, Belichick's not going to give any of that away. Well, to me, believe it or not, the biggest thing is, does he make the team? If he does, then he's a threat, big time, I think. Right, right. And you're right about that.

We don't know the answer to that. Your boy, Tyquan Thornton doing well here for the Patriots in his first camp. Now, how much did he line up inside? Because I would love to see him inside here, honestly. He didn't do that in college. Okay. all? I don't want to say none because that that's a definitive. I don't want to say that. Okay. And I thought he was just a little bit, a little inside. He was predominantly an outside receiver, you know,

in college, you know, and I think that's what he ultimately is. Does that mean he would never line up inside? I would never want to say that because, you know, teams move players around an awful lot now, as you know. But I don't, so I can't speak to that. But he lined up almost to exclusively outside. Let's use that term for Baller last year. So he'll likely went outside for New England. You would think he'll be at Z with Parker at the X, right? That's what you would think. And I personally envision him getting on the field. And I would think Kendrick Bourne might be your inside guy. I know, but Jacoby Myers is there, but I don't know about Myers this year. I feel like Born was really good. He could play inside. Maybe Myers gets, Maybe Kendrick Bourne and Myers split up the slot snaps, but it sure seems like we're... Well, I mean, if you watched the tape from last year, it was evident that Mac Jones liked throwing the ball to Myers.

So I don't know how, you know, you see that. Well, born too, though. Born too, though. I agree. Yeah. You know, so we're going to see how that all plays out. Right. You know, you could argue that they have four receivers, if you count Thornton, that they're going to have to, you know, work in somehow. Well, it seems like Aguilar might be on the bubble here, and he can run a little bit. possible. They do seem to be looking more for speed. So, and I guess high impact maybe,

you know, Myers is kind of a boring slot receiver. Boren was kind of, as you told us, you know, he lined up inside maybe a third of the time, but he was kind of like their design shot play guy. Yeah, he caught some deep balls, but yeah, I don't know how that's going to play out. I mean, all of a sudden, they've got receivers. I'm not saying they're top of the line, you know, big time, top five receivers in the league, but all of a sudden they have. have guys who've played in the league and had success. Obviously, not counting Thornton, the rookie. But, you know, those other guys, when Parker's healthy, he's shown he's pretty good.

You know, Bourne has had success. Myers was a factor for them a year ago, you know, so they've got guys who played in the league and had success. In Miami, Rahim Moster, revealing, you know, recently that he's, you know, been cleared from this knee problem. I personally still like Sony Michelle in the backfield. I don't think you even need to address that.

There's actually not a ton going on. We talked a lot about the offense in the previous podcast. Not for nothing. I'm not sure like how much is going to be left, how much meat of the bone is going to be left for Gisiki, by the way, in this offense. I know it's, I guess it's, you know, can be tight and friendly. But any thoughts on Gisickey?

I feel like it's going to be all about Waddle and Hill. and well it's going to be tight-in friendly because it's going to be the 49ers offense to a large degree. Yeah, I know. Yeah, he just is so frustrating in the fantasy world because you flash one week and then you kind of disappear. Well, it's not that he's frustrating. It's that their past game was so inconsistent.

Yeah. He's pretty talented. I know, I know. Well, I've never backed him yet, and I don't regret it yet. So this is a big year. I'm not feeling it right now. I think they'll throw to, Waddle and Hill a lot, maybe even Wilson, plus the backs.

And they seem to, well, I know it's a new coaching staff, but they always seem to work in other guys. You know, they do have that Hunter Long, Greg, out of Boston College. You know, I thought he was going to be a decent college. Well, he'll probably be the inline, tight end and the run game. Right, right, right. Well, Jets obviously got the bad news with Zach Wilson. And I got a bad vibe already between Bechtin and, of course, this injury. I guess he avoided a serious injury, but that is a big-time bus kill.

So not much to get to on the Jets. So we can move on to Baltimore. Isaiah likely making some plays. Looks like Charlie Kohler is going to be a little slow if the mark is currently hurt. But if you're the Ravens and you want to go back to that inside outpassing game and you're looking for an athletic tight end, it may be a big slot at times, take a shot here and there. It sure seems like Isaiah Lively.

likely is a great choice. And I feel like he will be a fact. They're probably going to catch 20 balls, but he might make some big plays. Yeah. And because of what they do with the run game, particularly on first down, you know, keeping in mind that Mark Andrews last year had the second most first down targets of any receiver in the NFL. And that's that schemed stuff. Most of it came against zone and it was highly schemed. That's what they are in the past game on early downs when it's normal down and distance. So could likely be a factor there. Absolutely. Cincinnati Bengals, not much going on here in terms of news and notes.

And otherwise, we've covered it ad nauseum here in the off season. We can move on to Cleveland and Jerome Ford, the rookie moving the needle already. And ironically, not ironically, you compare Jerome Ford in the prospect guide to Kareem Hunt. I thought he looked a little, you know, not not. I mean, he's not a burner. I mean, he's a volume guy, right? I mean, at the end of the day. No?

I don't know that for sure. I mean, you know, I liked him coming out of Cincinnati. You know, again, backs get drafted lower. I mean, I guess he was a fourth or fifth round pick. But he can run a little bit. I mean, I wouldn't say that, you know. You're not a plot. He did run a four, four, four, four, six, 40, which is pretty good, I guess.

Yeah. So, no, he can run. I wouldn't say, you know, he's by no means slow. I mean, yeah. Oh, I know that. He did look slow on a couple of runs, but just a couple of runs. I mean, I liked for it. You know, I think he can be a number one back depending on the offense, but he's not

necessarily a number one back in that offense. Because even in my, again, in the draft guide, in my transition evaluation, I didn't think he could be a true volume runner who would get 250 to 280 carries in. this season. But I think he does have three down traits. And I think he's a professional back right now. So the question is, you know, what is his role this year? Assuming Kareem Hunt is still there, he's probably not going to get a lot of playing time. Right. Now, I'm talking long term because Hunt is likely gone. So maybe Ford, maybe he's a guy that is a really good running back too. And if you need them for six weeks because your starter gets hurt, you can roll with them.

I would agree with that. Yeah, yeah, no doubt. That might be like almost worst case scenario for Jerome Ford. Well, Pittsburgh Steelers, and I know you watched Kenny Pickett, I actually haven't seen it yet. I'm going to, because I was away. I was actually in Canton, Ohio last weekend. But my big thing is you can, I feel like I can tell very, very, very quickly if a kid is going to make it at the quarterback position.

I did say that about Mac Jones last year. What did you see out of Kenny Pickett? Because I've actually been saying, I think Kenny Pickett is probably going to be this year's Mac Jones. I think he'll eventually be the starter, whether that happens week one. I mean, I think Pickett just has the look and feel of a quarterback. He's strong in the pocket. He's decisive. He's consistently precise with his ball placement.

He's got mobility. Now, I'd say he breaks down too early at times. He did that in college. and that he'll hopefully hopefully he works through that but i think there's a mental and physical toughness to his game that shows up on film and i thought that watching him at pit even in previous years when he wasn't the Kenny picket that he was as a senior at pit last year there's a toughness to him um i i i to me he will be the starting quarterback at some point you know and then who knows it could be week one we don't know the answer to that you know you know i mean i watched

Trubisky as well. He didn't play very much. You know, I think, I don't think Trubisky is any different now than he was when he played in Chicago. And I think they, look, they drafted Pickett in the first round, John. So they know, you know, this is not, what I'm saying is not a surprise. If they thought Trubisky was the guy, would they have drafted Kenny Pickett at number 20? No. No, they would. So, so I think Pickett will be the starter sooner than later. Is it fair to say that, people are nitpicking Kenny Pickett a little bit. I mean, if you understand what he is,

I mean, he doesn't have a power arm. He's not a gazelle out there. I just feel like people are trying to be a little too cute with the guy. I'm like, there's a lot to like with Kenny Pickett. I would agree with you. And I got a lot of that from coaches when I was at the combine that they didn't see him as, you know, a higher level starter.

And, you know, I kept asking why, why, why? And, hey, coaches, no more than I do. I'm not saying I'm smarter than they are. But I was not comfortable with a lot of the answers. I watched a lot of Kenny Pickett tape. And believe me, I've been wrong just like everybody's wrong on guys. You know, that's just the way this works. You know, and of course, when you're wrong, you get told about it on, you know, every day on social media.

And I'll be wrong on guys down the road, too. That's just the way it goes. But I can tell you one thing. You can't question my process. You know, I'll be wrong on guys. but I think Kenny Pickett has traits to be a quality NFL starter. Does he have traits to be the best quarterback in football? I don't know.

Maybe not. I went Matt Hasselback for a comp. Yeah, you know, but I think he can be a quality NFL starter. I think the arm strength is something to look at here. I mean, he's not throwing it on a rope, you know, often. I know he has a good downfield ball location, but do you have a comp in the league now in terms of arm strength? I mean, how about Mack Jones and Pickett?

Arm strength? How about Joe Burrow? Oh, wow. You think Pickett is right there where Burrow? Burrow does not have a gun by any. Oh, I know. I know. That's a pretty good one then.

I mean, we're thinking of Burrow because he's become a great player quickly, but he's not a great player because he's a power thrower. That's true. Do you think maybe I personally thought maybe his arm strength got a little bit better in the NFL, or am I imagining that? It got a little bit better between his first year and his second year. But you wouldn't say he's got a hose. Oh, God, no, no, no.

But if you're going Burrow as a comp for the arm strength and the ability to drive the ball. Yeah, but I think people are thinking Burrow, just like your initial reaction, because Burrow, you know, you're thinking of Burrow the entire quarterback. And right now a lot of people think Burroughs, even after two years, a top five quarterback in the league. I'm just talking about arm strength. I'm not saying that Kenny Pickett in two months is going to be a top five quarterback in the lead. I'm just talking about arm strain as a separate, isolated trait. I've never viewed Burrow as having a power arm, but I've also never worried about it as a deficiency.

No. You know what I mean? To me, I don't think Pickett's arm is a deficiency either. Okay. That's good. That's good. Let's move on to Houston and Damien Pierce again. We've been on this over and over again doing lots.

streams and broadcast, you know, best back on the roster, most likely, in terms of talent, showed well, and nobody knows how many carries he can handle, I guess. I think he'll be the starter because he's an attitude back. And I think that they'll want that in their offense. He's an attitude runner. A lot of energy and juice. Sense of pace and tempo and attitude. And I think they'll want that. Yeah, he brings it. You know, he really does. Do you have a comp on him? I mean, I, I, I mean, I, I, kind of thought very, very poor man's Frank Gore watching them in practice. I could see that.

I could see that, yes. Okay. I mean, yeah, I think that stylistically, you could argue they're similar. They are similar, yeah. And also the attitude is always a part of that. Don't think we have anything else to cover here based on, you know, what just transpired over the last week or so. So we can move on to the indie cults.

And we are getting more and more word from, hell, Frank, Greg that Nahim Hines is going to be a big time factor. I don't think people with, you know, Jonathan Taylor should worry, but maybe Jonathan Taylor, Greg, doesn't get quite as many carries. I'm sure that Frank, and you look at the receiving core, and we'll see if Paris Campbell can handle it and hold up together. But it does look like Nahim Hines, and they don't have a ton of tight end. Like, they kind of need Nahim Hines here as a weapon.

Yeah, and they could run a lot of what we call. a pony package where you play two halfbacks. Yep. Because of just what you said about the receiving situation. I like Alec Pierce a lot, but he's a rookie. Campbell is an unknown because of injury. The tight end situation, you know, they don't have that one tight end. So it would not surprise me to see them line up in the pony package with two backs.

And by the way, we didn't discuss this. We race through Dallas, but it would not surprise me to see them be in the pony package a lot too, as they're trying to work through the wide receiver. because Pollard's an excellent receiver, and you could see Pollard and Elliot playing meaningful snaps together. But I think Indy could, you could see that with Taylor and Heinz. Good point. By the way, we also missed out on Malik Willis.

Actually, no, we're going to get to that in a moment here. Let's do that right now. You watch Malik Willis, so your thoughts on the rookie out of Liberty. Yeah, not surprised at all. He has a long way to go. You know, people are going to look at the seven-yard touchdown run and the sidearm throw. And, you know, we know he can do those kinds of things,

but he struggled quite a bit in that game. His helmet was not calm. He didn't know what he was looking at. You know, I think, and I wasn't surprised by any of this. And I doubt they were, you know, I doubt they were either, you know. Yeah, yeah, yeah. He flashed, though, a couple of times just because of the very high end, I believe, physical tools were a little on display a couple times at least.

Well, it was the seven-yard touchdown run and the sidearm throw. I mean, that gets people excited. But he had too much head movement. He was clearly uncertain where the ball should go within timing and structure. He needs to be much quicker with his eyes and his elimination and isolation. He was not decisive. It was a first game. A first game for a guy who came out of a college offense that was by NFL standards,

extremely elementary. Yeah, but it continues to remind me of Jalen Hertz, because we know the physical talent is there. Can he process the information? As you say, read the defenses, eliminate and isolate and all that. We shall see. It may never happen for him,

but if it does, then we're good, I think. If he improves, then we're going to have a pretty good player. Obviously, he's not going to be the starter this year, so barring, you know, anything unforeseen.

So that's not even a question. Oh, I'm talking two to three years. I'm talking for those, you know, because, you know, Tanna Hill is not long for the roster. So if I would think of Malik Willis, by the way, shows incremental or even incremental improvement. He might be the guy next year. But we'll get there next year.

Trevor Lawrence in Jacksonville entering year number two. Maybe we almost call it year number 1.5 and not tax him too much for last year. But how do he look? I thought he was very up and down in some ways similar to last year. I'm very curious to see his development. You know, he's an interesting guy. I mean, he still needs to get quicker with his elimination and isolation. It's not yet where it needs to be.

There are snaps where he just doesn't see it within the timing and structure, the play design. I thought he missed Jones on a deep over touchdown in the first quarter and then through an incompletion. You know, his footwork was very unsettled. He was not in position to turn it loose when he needed to. The strength of his game, really, is designed. movement. I mean, that's what he's really good at, both to the right and to the left. That's really the strength of his game at this point. Greg, is it fair to say? And I know it's very early, but maybe in a half a season,

if he's still maybe struggling, is it fair to say that, okay, he's a guy that, to your point, the RPO game's got to be a big part of his game. It will be. So you don't, you don't, do you necessarily, and I know it again, it's very early, it's a tough question, but you know, you don't necessarily think that he could be a guy who, like, routinely and majorly wins from the pocket? I mean, he's going to be a pocket player, you know, that's, he's not a runaround guy in the sense that you think of a Russell Wilson or a Mahomes, you know, he's capable.

He's a very good athlete for a man that size. So the deception part of it all? Is that? Yeah, but he's not going to, if he becomes a great player in the league, it's not because you're going to sit around and go, have. man, he's a great second reaction. He's going to have to be a pocket quarterback. And I think he has a ways to go in that regard.

Yeah. He's not a great thrower, John. Keep that in mind. I know he was viewed as generational and all that. And those are just terms people throw out because they don't study him. But he's not a great thrower. I mean, who's a better thrower him or Davis Mills? Oh.

I, based on tape study, I would argue Davis Mills is just, If you're just talking about pure thrower of the football, I would say Davis Mills. Wow. That's an interesting comparison, wasn't it? Yeah. Wow. Considering the dude was the number one pick of the draft. Well, we'll move on.

And in Tennessee, we did talk Malik Willis a little bit, trailing Berks, still a little up and down. I don't really have much else. Sassan Haskins, probably going to be, well, he might be the three. I don't know if you watch this kid out of Ohio State. Nicholas Petit Ferrer. Yeah, I did. Because he's probably kicking ass, Greg, and he might win that right tackle job.

He's going to win the right tackle job because Dylan Rayden's not going to be the right tackle. So Petit Ferrer is going to win the right tackle job, as we speak today, in my view. Very gifted kid had major technique issues at Ohio State. watched him pretty closely in the first preseason game because I was curious to see if the coaching staff, you know, I look for the technique stuff with O'Alignment, you know, guys who've had trouble in college, then they get coached in the NFL. And obviously he's going to be up against better pass rushers if he wins the job when the regular season starts and maybe the technique will fall apart on given plays, which it likely will, John. But I think he's going to win the right tackle job. over in the AFC West here in the FantasyPoint.com podcast feed. This is Hanson's Hints with Greg Kosell in Denver. I don't have a ton here that jumped off the page to me. I'm not going to ask Denver.

So I don't have anything other than we already know. Other than we're, at least I am, sick of Melvin Gordon. In Kansas City. Boy, we did see a little sky more, not a ton. He'll probably be a little slow off the mark. Juju looking pretty good. MVS involved. I still don't trust me, Cole Hardman, but Greg, I will tell you here as we record this on Tuesday, August 16th.

I might be wrong. I might regret overselling Skymore, but I am so damn convinced that Skymore is going to be a damn good player in the NFL. I'm thinking Debo Samuel like at this point here. Greg, any thoughts? He does run like a running back. Yeah, he's not as big. No. Yeah, I mean, I think he'll be a good player.

You know, I know he's the darling right now, and I guess we'll see what happens. I mean, obviously they've got a almost a brand new receiving core, so we'll see how it all plays out. And I think that Andy Reid and staff do a great job in terms of movement of receivers, in terms of formation and variation, and, you know, getting guys open through scheme. So I would expect him to be a factor. But, you know, again, and maybe he's. he'll be great, John. Look, we hope so. You know, I like to see guys be great. But based on social media, you think this guy is going to catch 140 balls for 1,800 yards. I may be, I might be part of that

problem, because me and Kaplan have been pumping him up hardcore. And maybe you guys will be right. You know, I'm not saying that won't happen. But, you know, that's the way he's being talked about now. I mean, if Juju gets heard or is limited, now you're down to. to MVS, who's never been a high volume guy. It looks like he's going to be a factor. But, you know, and then me, Cole, I can't count on him. I, yeah, I'm just calling the way I see it. I'm all in on Skymore this year.

And again, draft him in the eighth or ninth round. Maybe he, you know, falls further than that. You're not starting him on week one. I mean, this is not a week one guy. This is like an Amman Ross St. Brown guy for next year. And here's a better comp. And I took him in my number one league last year. he didn't do crap for about five weeks, six weeks, Elijah Moore.

And then he went on a run where he was really impactful. So I could see Skymore doing something very similar. Smith Schuster has been a volume guy in the league. So I'm curious to see, assuming he's healthy, if he becomes a volume guy here. Yeah, no question. I know he's very young. It seems like he's 40, but he's only 25. That's insane.

I know. That's the thing. He's a young receiver. Although he might be an old 25, considering this report. reported chronic knee problem. Got to ask about Isaiah Pacheco here, the kid out of a Rutgers, taken over, well, not taking over, but playing a lot here in the preseason. What are your thoughts on Pacheco potentially bidding into this backfield and carving out a

role? It's pretty rare for a rookie running back. I mean, we did see it with Kareem Hunt with Andy Reid, but guys like Pacheco, they do, in my opinion, tend to take some time to get up to speed in Andy Reid's offense. Yeah, and he's one guy I did not. see coming out of college. So I really don't know. I don't have any, you know, I don't know what kind of player he is. So, you know, obviously they drafted Edwards O'Lear a couple years ago when he played quite a bit as a rookie and was somewhat of a factor. So I don't know how all that's going to play

out. Not an accomplished receiver ran the fastest time at the at the combine. But again, the guy was the seventh round pick. So, you know, I am not giving up on Edwards Alair, by the way, because, you know, Ronald Jones, the big free agent acquisition, has not been doing well. Like, who's catching a ball in the backfield, Greg? And in the current roster, Edward Delaire, I know. Edward Delaire has always been, you know, a great receiver. It just hasn't kind of quite worked out where he's that, you know, that way in the league. But he's a very good receiver.

Maybe in year three, you know, year one was during a pandemic, by the way. And year two had some disruptions. maybe in year three. Look, I mean, I work with Brian Westbrook for a year. He told me it took him a couple of years to pick up this offense. Well, that's kind of the way it works. Yeah, exactly. So people are bailing on Edwards-A-Layer.

I get it because it's been a buzzkill, but his price has always come down big time also as well. Raiders, not a ton going on here. Zemir White getting some play. looks like Amir Abdullah. You know, Amir Abdullah, I've apologized about being wrong on Amir Abdullah about 10 times on the radio.

But it was like 10 years ago, by the way. I mean, the kid is hanging in there. He might get that past catching role here, Greg. And I think that would be exciting. So you think Abdul could end up being the James White of the Raiders? Yes. That's possible. He's a very good receiver.

Yeah. And he's got a little more juice than James White. Oh, yeah. Yeah. And Brandon Bolden, of the first. course. He's there too. I have no idea where Kenyon Drake fits into this, by the way, but we can move on because there's not much else going on here, Greg,

and then finally the Chargers. Again, I don't see much to get into here as well. Not a ton going on there for the Chargers. I know Echler is looking to get somebody else involved to get some carries there. I'm still waiting for Isaiah Spiller to be named the guy, but it might be Joshua Kelly to open the season. Greg, that is it. We are just over one minute and didn't expect to take this long, but we're do our due diligence and we'll reconvene in about another week or so. Obviously, we'll have a ton of

other podcasts through the feed here, but this coming week should be a little bit more revealing than last week. So we'll reconvene in about a week to do exactly what we just did. So good stuff from Greg. We thank Greg as always. And again, add on to your fantasy points.com subscription, the prospect guide featuring Greg Cocell's player profiles. Use that promo code. Hansen 22. So for Greg Cocell, I'm John Hanson. We'll catch you next time here at the Fantasy Points podcast.

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