Fantasy Football Today - RB Tiers! We Love the Mid-Round RBs! (07/18 Fantasy Football Podcast)

Episode Date: July 18, 2023

Fantasy Football Today is available for free on the Audacy app as well as Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher and wherever else you listen to podcasts.  The running back landscape loo...ks a little different this season with some question marks at the top and what looks like great value in Rounds 4-6. We'll go through the news and notes at the top of the show and then get into Jamey's RB tiers (4:35). Tier 1 (11:30) has only Christian McCaffrey and Austin Ekeler while Tier 2 (14:10) has three more RBs who will likely be first round picks. How safe are these guys? Does Elijah Mitchell hurt McCaffrey? Could Saquon Barkley sit out games? ... Tier 3 (17:40) is loaded with talent and Tier 4 (24:10) is where it gets pretty interesting. Guys like Joe Mixon, Najee Harris and Jahmyr Gibbs are tough to evaluate ... Tiers 5 (32:45) and 6 (41:50) seem like really good spots to draft a RB this season. J.K. Dobbins, Dameon Pierce, Alexander Mattison, Ken Walker, D'Andre Swift and more could provide incredible value. And we finish with Tiers 7 (48:40) and 8 (50:25) with guys like Khalil Herbert, Isiah Pacheco and Zach Charbonnet ... Email us at fantasyfootball@cbsi.com SUBSCRIBE to FFT Dynasty on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/fantasy-football-today-dynasty/id1696679179 SUBSCRIBE to FFT Dynasty on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2aHlmMJw1m8FareKybdNfG?si=8487e2f9611b4438&nd=1 Follow our FFT team on Twitter: @FFToday, @AdamAizer, @JameyEisenberg, @daverichard, @heathcummingssr, @ctowerscbs Follow the brand new FFT TikTok account: https://www.tiktok.com/@fftoday Watch FFT on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/fantasyfootballtoday Get 20% off Fantasy Football Today merch: https://store.cbssports.com/collections/fantasy-football-today%20?utm_source=podcast-apple-com&utm_medium=web&utm_campaign=buy-our-merch&utm_content=fantasy-football-collection Join our Facebook group https://www.facebook.com/groups/FantasyFootballToday/ Sign up for the FFT newsletter https://www.cbssports.com/newsletter You can listen to Fantasy Football Today on your smart speakers! Simply say "Alexa, play the latest episode of the Fantasy Football Today podcast" or "Hey Google, play the latest episode of the Fantasy Football Today podcast." To hear more from the CBS Sports Podcast Network, visit https://www.cbssports.com/podcasts/ To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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Starting point is 00:01:28 Register now at causeandeffect.ucc.on.ca. This is Fantasy Football Today from CBS Sports. What a play! Can you believe this? No, I can't. It's time to dominate your fantasy league. CBS Sports. What a play! Can you believe this? No, I can't. It's time to dominate your fantasy league. Off to the races, and he stays on his feet.
Starting point is 00:01:52 He's just going to go the distance. Now, here's some combination of Adam, Dave, Jamie, and Heath. Take a look at running back tiers right now on Fantasy Football Today. Welcome to the show, everybody. Adam Azer, Jamie Eisenberg, and good morning to Chris Towers. What's up, Chris? How's it going? How's, uh, how you feeling?
Starting point is 00:02:12 That's a little early for you. We're starting our shows earlier now, going forward, hopefully most of the days anyway. And Chris is joining us today. I usually do the baseball podcast. We record at 1230 in the morning, I and uh we i skipped last night so i'm good i'm well rested i don't know how you convince scott white to do that but uh that's scott white's idea oh really scott works nights now oh okay all right has been for like four years all right jamie's up at that hour anyway so uh we welcome you to the show obviously we have big
Starting point is 00:02:43 running back news three of the players who are in the first two tier or three tiers of Jamie's tiers, you know, did not reach long-term deals yesterday. One of them is Tony Pollard. He's going to play on the one-year franchise tag, $10.1 million deal. Saquon Barkley and Josh Jacobs, a little bit murkier. So I think we can just weave that into today's show. Other news items real quick. Evan Lazar of Patriots.com says the Patriots offense will likely feature a lot of two tight end sets.
Starting point is 00:03:12 And according to The Athletic, Sky Moore appears to be the top slot receiver right now for the Kansas City Chiefs. Jamie, good morning to you. Do either of those last two news items move the needle at all for you? The Patriots one is interesting just because I think when you look at their personnel, you know, they had a lot of injuries to their receiving core last year and now working in Juju. And so, you know, Juju is not necessarily the best suited to play on the outside as he would be to play in the slot, which kind of ties into the Chiefs situation as well.
Starting point is 00:03:41 So I think if they're playing more two tight end sets, that's not necessarily going to benefit Juju to maximize his potential. For Sky Moore, yes, I have moved Sky Moore ahead of Kadarius Toney as my favorite Chiefs receiver. So I would rather draft more than I would Toney. Ooh la la, that is spicy hot. Okay, expand on that.
Starting point is 00:04:02 Well, I just think based on how these guys are going to operate, and this sort of speaks to that, and plus the track record of Kadarius Toney, if he hits, he's going to be better. There's no question about it, because I think his upside is amazing. But, I mean, we're now two years into his upside, and he's had a hard time staying on the field. So, they're
Starting point is 00:04:17 not far apart for me, but I think Skymore will have more receptions, I think he'll be more productive, and I think he'll stay healthier. So I'm going to take my chances with him, as opposed to Kadarius Tony right now. Chris, people still say ooh-la-la, right? Sure. There's that one song by The Faces. I like that one.
Starting point is 00:04:35 I love that song. I can't say that it's a phrase I've heard in the wild very often, but you're kind of an old guy, so it makes sense that you would say it yeah yeah what do you think like yeah old guys say it okay what do you think of that take chris uh sky more ahead of canarius tony i've had them ranked back to back pretty much the entire process i think it's 41 and 42 in my wide receiver rankings. I don't see a strong argument for having one way higher than the other either way.
Starting point is 00:05:10 And so I'm certainly much more likely to draft Sky more just because an NFC ADP is 50 spots behind Kadarius Tony overall. So I think it's clear which one makes more sense to draft. They're fairly similar in terms of what I expect from them. I think it's clear which one makes more sense to draft. They're fairly similar in terms of what I expect from them. Tony has a little bit more draft capital, but also a lot more has gone wrong for him in the NFL. So I think there's no reason to have them significantly apart one way or the other, I think. Okay.
Starting point is 00:05:43 All right. That's a topic to explore. I just want to see. Kadarius Toney, as a rookie, had 420 yards in 10 games. Sky Moore, as a rookie, had 250 yards in 16 games. That is a really underwhelming rookie season.
Starting point is 00:05:59 Oh, yeah. See how much that matters to people. So as we look at running back tiers, Jamie, your top tier, I'm going to ask you more, your first round running backs, how risky do they feel this year? Is it riskier? Do you feel like a riskier this year than it has been in previous years? Does it at least feel that way, the first round of running backs?
Starting point is 00:06:21 No, I think they're always risky. I mean, anytime you look at these guys at this position, there's going to be some, you know, major injury concern because that's just the nature of the position that they play. And it's kind of what the real life conversation has sort of turned to. But I mean, McCaffrey's what? Two previous years, part of last year, he's dealt with injuries. We still drafted in the first round. Jonathan Taylor's coming off an injury-plagued season when he was the projected number one overall pick. Barkley is
Starting point is 00:06:49 two years removed from an ACL tear, three years removed from an ACL tear now. These guys are risks, but I think when they hit, hopefully that's the case, then they're superstars. No, I don't think the injury, I don't think the risk has changed.
Starting point is 00:07:06 It's just, you know, I think there's more understanding of what that risk is and why people are a little bit more averse to it, why they're leaning toward wide receivers, Travis Kelsey, and the quarterbacks. Chris, Jamie and I have kind of talked
Starting point is 00:07:18 off air about, Jamie, you can correct me if I'm putting incorrect words in your mouth, kind of digging the mid-round running backs this year. You know, you got like Damian Pierce and J.K. Dobbins and Alexander Madison and James Conner and maybe, I mean, take your pick, Cam Akers later, maybe people like Pacheco, whatever. But is this the best RB dead zone in the history of the world?
Starting point is 00:07:43 Oh, Chris, you got muted. What happened? This is just classic Chris Towers stuff. If you listen to muted what happened this is this is just classic chris tower stuff if you listen to fbt this is i'm gonna do that at least three times a show no uh i think the the rb dead zone is traditionally defined as like four through eight rounds i guess and in that range yeah i mean you have probably kenneth walker jk dobbins deandre stuff like those guys might all go in that range, and there's plenty of upside there because we're waiting for the changing of the guard at the running back position. I think those two topics are related, right? We've got the high-end running backs this year are all pretty much guys on their second contract,
Starting point is 00:08:21 and I think this conversation is related to the one that the NFL as a whole is having, where it's not just that running backs are relatively easy to replace within NFL offenses, but also that most running backs' best seasons come on their rookie contracts. And by the time they get to the free agency market, they get their four years if they're not first round picks, and then the franchise tag, and then they're finally eligible for that big contract. Most of them, their best years are already passed. That's the concern for the Giants with Saquon Barkley. That's the concern with the Raiders for Josh Jacobs. That should be the concern for fantasy, is that
Starting point is 00:09:00 we have all these elite running backs who are 27, 28, 29. Christian McCaffrey, Austin Eckler. Saquon's a little younger, but Derek Henry's in that age. Nick Chubb's not far from being there. So I do think there is some reason to be concerned that I could see a scenario where this ends up kind of being like 2015, which I'm dating myself. I'd forgotten
Starting point is 00:09:25 this season was as far back as that but the davante freeman this season davante freeman was the number one running back he averaged 21.4 and i think the number two running back averaged like 16 points per game in pbr now that's not what i'm projecting that's not how i expect it to go but given the age given the holdout factor for j Jacobs and Saquon Barkley, I do think that there's a chance that this ends up being a pretty disappointing year overall for the position, at least at the top end. It just seems like it's easier to come up with questions about these guys. It's easy to convince yourself to get away from them.
Starting point is 00:10:02 Even McCaffrey, you look at the splits with Mitchell, they're very stark when he and Mitchell were both healthy. Eckler, you got the targets, maybe a target problem with Mike Williams and Keenan Allen, both healthy, the numbers, again, really much fewer. And then you get Quinton Johnson, too. He's still got that trade request. I mean, nothing ended up coming from it,
Starting point is 00:10:23 and we don't expect it to, but that's hanging out there. Eckler? Yeah. His general malaise. Well, I mean, I think when they gave him the modest extension, which was basically just, you know, here, pat on the back, we'll make you somewhat happy, that probably
Starting point is 00:10:40 stopped that, but he certainly joined. Didn't he just come out and sort of say and say, I can't believe there's number two wide receivers? He's joined the chorus of running backs and saying they're expressing frustration. I think it would be kind of fun. We would hate it, but I think it would be kind of fun if they all walked out
Starting point is 00:10:56 Sunday of week one and said, good luck. Just like an RB wildcat strike. They can pick it like the actors. Let's see some of their signs. What's that They can pick it like the actors. Let's see some of their signs. Okay, so we'll get into the... What's that? The writers, not the actors.
Starting point is 00:11:10 No, the actors too. Well, the actors are out there with them, but it's the writers' strike. No, it's an actors' strike too, isn't it? Yeah. It was writers first, actors just joined in. Okay. Right, Chris?
Starting point is 00:11:20 Yes. Thank you. Ooh la la. All right, we'll get to the tiers in just a minute. Let me promote a few things. The Podcast League, you want to be in the Podcast League? Look, we'll get to the tiers in just a minute. Let me promote a few things. The Podcast League, you want to be in the Podcast League? Look, we'll do our normal contest for the Podcast League where you'll submit some fun things
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Starting point is 00:13:09 All right, Jamie, tier one for you is two players, Christian McCaffrey and Austin Eckler. Tier one. I think those are the first two players that are going to be drafted at the position. We could see Bijan Robinson maybe from an ADP standpoint leapfrog one of them, probably Eckler, but I would still keep those two guys at the top, especially when we're talking PPR. You know what they're capable of. You know what they have done.
Starting point is 00:13:29 As you guys have alluded to, from an age standpoint, they're still right in the spot that you should be comfortable with them for at least one more season. McCaffrey more so than Eckler. Adam, despite the fact of what you brought up time and again in terms of the splits and carries for Mitchell and McCaffrey. It's not like McCaffrey was still lacking in production when Mitchell was on the field. He was still very productive, just not to the same heights that he was when Mitchell was out. They're in great situations, great offenses,
Starting point is 00:13:55 very productive, very involved in the passing game. You've got to feel good about them. They are arguably, in half PPR and non-PPR, the first two overall picks once you get past Justin Jefferson and Jamar Chase in PPR, they're right behind them as well. Yeah, look, I don't really believe that this is going to happen again. I'm just going to throw out the numbers.
Starting point is 00:14:12 In six games that McCaffrey played with Elijah Mitchell, he averaged 11.2 carries, 4.3 catches, and 16.7 PPR fantasy points per game. In the five regular season games he played without Mitchell, he averaged 18.2 carries, 4.8 catches, and 25.8 points per game. So 16.7 with Mitchell, 25.8 points per game without him.
Starting point is 00:14:37 That's the difference between RB7 and RB1. So if you get RB7 with the first running back, you're going to be disappointed. But I don't think, I mean, I'm not saying that's going to carry over, but I would say that's I mean, I'm not saying that's going to carry over, but I would say that's a huge difference.
Starting point is 00:14:48 What are we talking here? Nine points. I will say Heath has pointed out a few times, uh, specifically on Twitter that there were also some weird situations there. Cause like one of those games was the game. They blew out Arizona 38 to 10. The other,
Starting point is 00:15:03 one of the other games, they blew out Arizona 38, 13. They had one of the other games they blew out Arizona 38 13. They had the blowout playoff win against Seattle in there. I think there was a game against. I always bring this up. Mitchell was not the garbage time running back. Jordan Mason was. But you're right, Chris.
Starting point is 00:15:19 I mean, I look at you look at like the whatever. Look, let's just say that Christian McCaffrey and Austin Eckler are tier one and leave it at that, right? I mean, I don't want to bog down the show in something that we don't... But I do think there's some risk with both of them. They're also both in their late 20s. They're both on that second contract.
Starting point is 00:15:37 So both Christian McCaffrey and Austin Eckler are at the age where if they fell off, that would be in line with what we historically expect from running backs. Sure. Okay, tier two for Jamie is three running backs, Bijan Robinson, Saquon Barkley, and Jonathan Taylor. And Saquon Barkley, you're keeping him here right now, Jamie?
Starting point is 00:16:00 For now. You know, again, I think you look at what he should be able to accomplish. If he's on the field come week one, you should feel pretty good about it. But yeah, I think the way that I did this mostly was what I expect the guys to be, where I expect the guys to be drafted. And I think these are first round running backs, you know, so you can make a case for Jacobs in this group as well. Tony Pollard also, but I think these are the guys that are going to go in the first round, the guys in Tier 1, the guys in Tier 2. We'll find out what ADP says, but
Starting point is 00:16:27 these five, I think, are the first-round running backs. But not just what you think ADP will be, right? I mean, this is how you would draft, too, right? You would take them in the first round. This is how I have it ranked as well, yes. These are the guys that are going to be drafted in the first round based on how I expect it to go. B. John, Barkley, and Taylor. Chris, any
Starting point is 00:16:43 issues there? I think Josh Jacobs should be in here, but the reports seem to indicate that there's a better chance of him actually holding out than Saquon Barkley, although I think there's a chance for both of them. It's tough with the holdouts just because none of them really have any leverage if they hold out. The changes to the CBA over the last couple of years have really limited what you can actually accomplish with a holdout. So it's how much do these guys want to take a stand
Starting point is 00:17:14 that may not actually lead to anything. But based on what he did last season and what I expect his role to be in the offense, especially Josh McDaniel's offense has, over the course of about 20 years been incredibly valuable for running backs. It's been like top 12, 15 times out of 20 years or something in terms of total running back points. So I do think if Josh Jacobs there, he's going to play a significant role and be close to as good as he was last year.
Starting point is 00:17:43 By the way, Chris is talking about holding out regular season games for Barkley and Jacobs. They will certainly hold out in training camp. They're not under contract, so they won't be fined for that, but they would be fine if they hold out regular season games.
Starting point is 00:17:57 All right, so we'll talk about Josh Jacobs. Is he in Tier 3? We'll find out after a quick break on Fantasy Football today. Take back your free time with PC Express online grocery delivery and pickup. Score in-store promos, PC optimum points, and more free time. And still get groceries. Shop now at pcexpress.ca. Metro links and cross links are reminding everyone to be careful as Eglinton crosstown LRT train testing is in progress.
Starting point is 00:18:27 Please be alert as trains can pass at any time on the tracks. Remember to follow all traffic signals, be careful along our tracks and only make left turns where it's safe to do so. Be alert, be aware and stay safe. We've gotten through two tiers so far. Tier one is McCaffrey and Eckler. Tier two is Bijan Robinson, Saquon Barkley, and Jonathan Taylor. And those are the five running backs most likely to be drafted in the first round.
Starting point is 00:18:56 Tier three for Jamie does have Josh Jacobs in it. Chris said that he would put Jacobs in tier two, assuming there's no holdout. But tier three for Jamie is Pollard, Jacobs, Chubb, and Henry. Pollard, Jacobs, Chubb, and Henry. So what separates Jamie, Pollard, Jacobs, Chubb, and Henry from Bijon, Barkley, and Taylor? Why are they lower?
Starting point is 00:19:15 Again, the way I was looking at it was where I expect these guys to be drafted, where I would draft them. So Pollard, for me, toes the line. Same with Josh Jacobs in terms of being first-round running backs. So they're early in round two. I think they're going to be very successful players if they continue to do,
Starting point is 00:19:30 A, what Pollard showed last year building off that and what we looked at when the games that Ezekiel Elliott was out, and then Jacobs, you know, hopefully still being that guy. I'm just concerned really for the most part, this Raiders offense as a whole, with the quarterback change going to Jimmy Garoppolo. Chubb and Henry, you know what the flaws are, you know, the lack of work in the passing game, but they're going to be two of the best running backs if they stay healthy.
Starting point is 00:19:49 I mentioned this yesterday with DeAndre Hopkins. I still have the same concerns about Henry at 29 years old and all the wear and tear on his body behind that offensive line. So I'm a little bit out on him. But again, I think if ADP holds from what NFC ADP is, if you're getting him at the back end of round two, it's hard to overlook that. But I think these are second-round running backs that you should feel very confident in. If you're getting him at the back end of round two, it's hard to overlook that. But I think these are second round running backs that you should feel very
Starting point is 00:20:07 confident in. If you go wide receiver in the first round, you get one of these guys in the second round, you should feel pretty good about that. Would you guys like to hear a fun fact about Tony Pollard? Yeah, sure. Last season,
Starting point is 00:20:17 13 running backs scored at least 10 touchdowns. Among those 13 running backs, Ezekiel Elliott had the shortest average touchdown length, and Tony Pollard had the longest average touchdown length. His average touchdown was 25 yards. Now, that's awesome, right? He's the clear lead back in a situation that created 20-plus running back touchdowns. The only thing is, are they going to bring in someone?
Starting point is 00:20:45 You know, is it Ezekiel Elliott comes back? Do to bring in someone? You know, is it a Zekiel Elliott comes back? Do they bring in another? Like that's the only thing with Tony Pollard is that one, I would just, I would feel a little better about him if he had been able to finish out last season as a high volume back for the first time and not get hurt. You know, that's just a, it's an unknown for me, but also just if they don't bring in another running back, either Malik Davis is going to have nine touchdowns unexpectedly
Starting point is 00:21:09 or Tony Pollard is just going to have an absolutely massive season. I have some concerns about how many points the Cowboys offense is going to score with the move from Kellen Moore to Mike McCarthy, but as things stand, if you're just projecting the Cowboys offense as they are currently constructed, it's hard for Tony Pollard not to be like a top five running back. I think one thing that you can look at from the rushing touchdown scenario is they'll probably throw the ball a little bit more in the red zone. At least that's what Mike McCarthy sort of
Starting point is 00:21:39 indicated. Um, obviously Tony Pollard got a chance to take a lot of those 12 short yardage touchdowns. Um, but it could also be, you know, who's Vaughn could be Ronald Jones. It could be one of those other guys that are, that are there. It could be a group. Um, you know, we'll, we'll find out, but I, I don't think they're done with their, their back to like, I think, you know, you, you could connect the dots that Zeke might come back just because at this point, if they haven't brought somebody else in either, they really love that group or they just have said, all right, Zeke, if you want to go look for something else, go look for something else.
Starting point is 00:22:07 Here's the deal that's on the table for you. It's probably peanuts. And you know, he's, he's, you know, mulling that, that decision. But, um, I do think that, you know, you look at it and the one thing about it is, you know, you touched on this briefly, Chris, in terms of the injury, if it was more soft tissue, I'd be much more concerned. You know, the fact that he broke his leg to me, that's more fluky than it is. He couldn't handle the workload. You know, I soft tissue, I'd be much more concerned. The fact that he broke his leg, to me, that's more fluky than it is. He couldn't handle the workload. I don't think his body broke down.
Starting point is 00:22:30 He got tackled awkwardly. Yeah, he did kind of, Powell did kind of falter down the stretch. He was not nearly as efficient, and I don't know if that's a workload thing or not, but Chris, you talk about the Patriots or the Josh McDaniels offense being so good for running backs. I mean, the Cowboys have got to be up there in terms of running back fantasy points.
Starting point is 00:22:47 In Kellen Moore's years, absolutely. 18th, 6th, and 3rd in the last three years in terms of total PPR points for their running backs. That's all running backs on the roster. The concern there is Green Bay's offense under Mike McCarthy, they ranked 20th in his time as the head coach in RB PPR points. Now that's different offenses. Aaron Rodgers played at a very, very slow pace and continued to after Mike McCarthy, but that's a bit of a concern.
Starting point is 00:23:19 I did a Twitter thread earlier in the offseason comparing Josh Jacobs and Tony Pollard, and Josh McDaniels offense has just been so much better than the Mike McCarthy offenses in terms of running back production over the course of really we're talking almost 20 years for both of them so it's a
Starting point is 00:23:37 pretty stark edge interesting so one more thing here just looking at this group. So if we're saying, why is Tier 3 of Pollard, Jacobs, Chubb, and Henry behind Tier 2 of Bijan, Barkley, and Taylor? Okay, Pollard, it's maybe workload concerns. We've never seen it from him before. They might bring in another running back.
Starting point is 00:23:59 Jacobs has a holdout right now, and Jamie's concerned about the overall offense. Derrick Henry, we know what the issues are with Derrick Henry. Terrible offensive line, perhaps, and he's going to be 30 years old in January, so he's pretty old for a guy that we would expect to be a great running back. But why Nick Chubb? Why isn't Nick Chubb in Tier 2, Jamie?
Starting point is 00:24:19 I love Nick Chubb. I think, look, you can make the case that all these guys are Tier 2, just make it a bigger group. You know, I was just trying to separate it so we weren't having all these guys lumped together. These are all within, if I was doing projections, they'd all be within half a point of each other. That's how close they are and should
Starting point is 00:24:34 be considered because, again, if you tell me Nick Chubb gets more involvement, he's going to compete to be the best running back in fantasy. He has that potential if his role in the passing game is better. If Henry stays healthy, I'm going to look foolish for having him ranked too low again you know followed with the expected leap jacobs with what he does in in this offense if it is still successful that offensive line proved to be much better than anybody expected last year so i mean
Starting point is 00:24:56 we're just nitpicking here so yes nick chubbs you know he's he's been one of my favorite targets in round two you know i love going receiver nick chubb it you know and then a hero rb built just because i think it's it's easy to do and he's going to you know hopefully have that one final big season because again he is approaching that age where you get a little bit worried about it but if there is no kareem hunter nobody else of significance brought in as jerome ford is the top backup you got to be thrilled about having nick chubb on your fantasy team. Let's go to tier four then for Jamie. It's Ramondre Stevenson, Joe Mixon, Jameer Gibbs, Travis Etienne, Aaron Jones, and Najee Harris. Ramondre Stevenson, Joe Mixon, Jameer Gibbs, Travis Etienne, Aaron Jones, and Najee Harris. Jamie, go ahead, break down this tier. So this is where I think we start to get more
Starting point is 00:25:43 question marks. The first three tiers, I think it's pretty obvious, you know, so Stevenson, you know, there's the concern of what do they do behind him and how much do they take him off the field for whatever they're going to do? Because last year he was great. The games where Damien Harris was out, he was a star and now Harris has gone. He's in Buffalo. So is it going to be what you sort of, they've hinted at, or at least the, the, the speculation out of the New England media, is Ty Montgomery or Pierre Strong, somebody having a role in the passing game. We'll find out. You know, I think Stevenson's going to get more opportunities to maybe get some goal line chances because that went to Damian Harris
Starting point is 00:26:13 when those guys were there. For Mixon, you know the concerns. We talked about this yesterday. You know, end-of-season numbers are productive. Sometimes it's a little fluky how it happens, the four-touchdown game against Carolina. But top seven, you know, in points per game, that's hard to overlook. Gibbs and Etienne, I think, have the opportunity to sort of set themselves up
Starting point is 00:26:30 to be in that next group, as Chris alluded to. We have the changing of the guard. These are two guys that could be the future of the position, with Stevenson also. But Gibbs is more of a leap of faith that I think he's going to do more than what DeAndre Swift did, who was top 10 in targets, top 12 in receptions. And it's more PPR thing than non PPR because David Montgomery is still there. Uh, Jones, I think is still going to be very involved in the passing game and Harris, you know, as more of a volume thing. So, you know, these are the guys I think, which to me,
Starting point is 00:26:55 this feels almost like a mini dead zone, you know, because you can see the flaws, you know, with, with how this, this goes. And these are going to be most likely the round three to four running backs here. Uh, You can see the pitfalls. You know, Packers offense falls off. You know, there's some talk about Jalen Warren getting more work in Pittsburgh. Again, Gibbs with Montgomery, Stevenson with what happens there. So you can see the downside. But for me, I'm looking more at the upside, especially with Stevenson, with Gibbs,
Starting point is 00:27:18 and still with Aaron Jones in the passing game. I would say it's less that I don't like this group and more that this is where the position really opens up. And I think you could include Brees Hall in this group. I think you can include Miles Sanders in this group. I think you can include Alexander Madison in this group. So it's less that I don't like Travis Etienne or Aaron Jones at their prices and more that just I don't know if there's as much
Starting point is 00:27:48 differentiating this group from the next group. I think in terms of upside, you can make that case because Stevenson, if he gets 80 targets, like he was on pace for last season, did he get to 80 targets? He was like fifth. Yeah, I think so. He had 69 catches, right? Yeah so like if he does that again he's
Starting point is 00:28:07 probably gonna wipe out his adp and and obviously aaron jones has been one of the best values for a while i i would put mixin kind of in a a half tier above the rest of this group just because now that the contract situation is settled i just i I think he's going to be a top 12 running back almost by default. Like Jamie said, the road there might be a little bumpy and it might be frustrating. There might be some inconsistencies. I think the principal problem decided Joe Mixon was just this like incredible player, this difference making player who was going to outperform what was then a pretty bad Bengals offense. And then he ended up kind of just being a guy, right? Like he, he played as well as the offense did when the offense was better, he got better. And so I think for me, it's just coming down to like Chase Evans was a three down running back in college. And so I think for me, it's just coming down to like Chase Evans was a three down running back in college. And so there's some potential there, but I think Joe Mixon is clearly going to
Starting point is 00:29:11 get 240 carries and 70 targets. And I just think at the end of the day, he's going to be a top 12 running back by default. And there's a chance that he has a boom season and scores 15 touchdowns and is a top five running back. Yeah, we talked about it a lot yesterday. I mean, hopefully that he can boost that yards per carry like Josh Jacobs did, get better offensive line play, and then if he does get all that work, then you're talking about seriously a guy who could challenge his RB1. He feels like this year's Josh Jacobs to me. That's the way I look at it.
Starting point is 00:29:42 Unfortunately, Josh Jacobs was almost a fifth-round pick last year, so you're not going to get that kind of value, um, with Joe Mixon, but you could still maybe get them in round three. You know, it's interesting guys, you know, you try, you always got to compare running backs to wide receivers or other players that are, that are being drafted at the same time. So this, this tier is a lot of round three picks Stevenson, Mixon, Jameer Gibbs, E Gibbs, ETN, Aaron Jones, Najee Harris. Some of them will be in round four. I could not believe this. Using ADP, a guy in round three in ADP could obviously go in round two.
Starting point is 00:30:15 Obviously, ADP is what it is. It's an average. But using Fantasy Football Calculator, over the last five years, in PPR average draft position, there have only been four running backs who were drafted in round three of a 12-team league and finished as a top 12 running back. It just has not been fruitful. It just hasn't been one that's produced incredible running backs.
Starting point is 00:30:42 Is that because you brought this up, that we are seeing running backs getting pushed down more? No. So typically we see those guys go in the first two rounds that are top 12 guys? Not really. I mean, look, you might be past 12 running backs at some point in the third round in ADP, but still you'd expect more of them to finish as top 12 guys. And four
Starting point is 00:31:00 of them? So out of the 60 running backs over the last five years who have finished top 12, two-thirds of them were drafted in the 60 running backs over the last five years who have finished top 12, two-thirds of them were drafted in the first two rounds, 40 of them. And then there's no other spot where you can say, oh, this is where you get your top 12 running backs. That's comparable to how that's been the case for running back historically. The dead zone has historically also included the third round. Yeah.
Starting point is 00:31:22 You know, maybe that's changing because running backs are getting pushed down, but generally speaking, I think it's more the top 12 guys. That RB1 tier, those guys get pushed up because we're sure that they're good. We're sure that their situations are good, and we don't really have questions about the playing time. What you see
Starting point is 00:31:39 in starting in this tier, really, and the previous tier had some age and injury concerns, but this tier is where we have, does Travis ETN have any passing game upside? Does, you know, Aaron Jones,
Starting point is 00:31:51 he's got a split backfield. This is offense going to be any good. Najee Harris, is he any good at all? Right. At anything. So that's where you start to see like the, the second or fourth tier,
Starting point is 00:32:05 I guess, at running back gets pushed up because potential and upside. And you can start to make the case. But once you start to have to make multiple cases for guys, that's usually when you should probably look at the other options and say, well, maybe this is a better time to get my second wide receiver. Should I take Jalen Waddell instead? A guy that I think we have fewer question marks about.
Starting point is 00:32:28 Right. But once you get to the Aaron Jones, Najee Harris, Waddell's long gone. Now you're talking about DK Metcalf and Christian Watson and DeAndre Hopkins. So I could see people
Starting point is 00:32:39 easily going Mark Andrews there if he's there or easily going quarterback. That's just the easiest thing to do is take Joe Burrow maybe or Round 3 is going to be I think the sticking point for a lot of people. Am I comfortable here?
Starting point is 00:32:52 Do I pivot to quarterback? Do I stick with I don't know always because the receivers have typically been pretty good in round 3. Last year I looked at that and I was shocked at how bad they were. They feel good in round three, usually. Well, you're saying bad how they finished.
Starting point is 00:33:08 I'm talking about going in. Yes, I know, but we've been wrong. This year, they don't feel that good, do they, in round three? This year, the round three receivers, you mentioned a few of them. Metcalf, Watson, you know, Debo, those are the ones I think that, for me, I would not take those guys in. I'm a Christian Watson guy, but I wouldn't take them in round three. For me, the ones that I struggle with are Keenan Allen, Calvin Ridley,
Starting point is 00:33:28 and it's past Chris Olave. So it's ones we'll get past Chris Olave. I'm fine with Olave in round three. But it's Ridley because I like him, but I think round three is too pricey. Keenan Allen, just because of his age, feels a little too pricey. It's almost like at this point, and I'm not an early quarterback guy, but it's like, okay, I'd rather just take the security factor knowing that okay i'm getting one of the top three guys that are still there or just pivoting toward to running back but the problem with that
Starting point is 00:33:52 for me is i don't want to take usually two running backs my first three picks and that's what ends up happening okay let's go to tier five here reminder stevenson mixon gibbs etn aaron jones naji harris Jensen, Mixon, Gibbs, ETN, Aaron Jones, Najee Harris were tier four. Tier five, I mean, ooh la la, this is the theme of the show. Dobbins, Damian Pierce, Alexander Madison, Miles Sanders, Brees Hall, and James Conner, who goes really late. I mean, maybe round seven. But J.K. Dobbins, Damian Pierce, Alexander Madison, Miles Sanders, Brees Hall, James Conner. Your thoughts on that group, Jamie?
Starting point is 00:34:27 Now, obviously, Brees Hall is the one that's going to stand out because most people are going to have him probably two tiers higher, and I get it. If he's healthy, he'll move up at least one tier for me. But I just look at the history of running backs first year off of an ACL tear, which is why I'm probably not going to draft a lot of Brees Hall and not a lot of Devontae Williams,
Starting point is 00:34:43 although Williams makes it easier based on where he goes. But I just think you look at the track record right now and let's factor this in as well. Ramondre Stevenson might get Dalvin Cook. Brees Hall might get Dalvin Cook. Those are two rumored spots for him along with the Dolphins where we could see him sort of wreck a backfield here. So just keep that in mind depending on when you're watching this. But for me, I think if you get Hall at the right price and don't necessarily have to pay a premium for him, knowing that there's going to be some But for me, I think if you get Hall at the right price and don't necessarily have to pay a premium for him, knowing that there's going to be some potential pitfalls, I think this is the spot for him.
Starting point is 00:35:09 But I think we've talked about this. These are workhorse backs that are going to get a lot of work. You can maybe make the case that Devin Cilentari in Houston, and we'll see what happens with the backups in Baltimore, most likely Gus Edwards. And a lot is going to be made of what happens in training camp with the Vikings backfield behind Alexander Madison, whether it's Ty Chandler or Nawagnu or even McBride, you know, to see there.
Starting point is 00:35:31 But these guys should have an opportunity to get a lot of work, and that's what we're looking for. You know, and again, you're getting these guys that have huge upside if they hit. You know how I feel about Dobbins. I think he's going to have a monster season year two off in ACL with what this offense looks like. Pierce was great, you know, in his rookie campaign in a worse situation. The situation got better because I think the quarterback going to have a monster season year two off in ACL with what this offense looks like. Pierce was great in his rookie campaign in a worse situation. The situation got better because I think the quarterback play will be better.
Starting point is 00:35:50 Madison Sanders, Hall, and Connor, they all should hopefully dominate their workload in their backfields. Again, starting around four is when these guys will come off the board. It usually feels bad, but I don't think this year is going to feel as bad as it has in the past, and hopefully these guys are productive. Chris, how do you compare Tier 5 to Tier 4? I know it's, look, if you're watching, it's easier to follow along. If you're listening, I'm going to try to repeat the names as much as possible
Starting point is 00:36:13 without annoying the hell out of you. But Tier 5 is Dobbins, Pierce, Madison, Miles Sanders, Brees Hall, James Conner. We just talked about Tier 4, which was Stevenson, Mixon, Gibbs, ETN, Aaron Jones, Najee Harris. Is there a theme here that separates four from five? No, I think it's very similar cases. I think the guys in the previous tier, mostly it's just that they had better seasons last year. And so we feel a little more confident coming in. Aaron Jones obviously has much more of a track record than the rest of these guys, But it's kind of similar versions of a lot of different guys.
Starting point is 00:36:46 It's guys that we're hoping take a next step, guys that we're hoping, you know, in Sanders case gets a bigger role in the passing game. I personally have Hall and Sanders in the previous tier. Hall is a little more speculative. And Sanders is a really tough one because there was this like, oh, Doug Peterson loves to use running backs in a committee or Doug Peterson doesn't want to give one guy three down work. But if you look at Miles Sanders'
Starting point is 00:37:14 rookie season, once he became the guy, he was the guy. He was getting three down work. He was getting trust in the passing game. They were using him down the field in the passing game. I loved the way they were using Miles Sanders his rookie season.
Starting point is 00:37:26 I thought he was going to be the next elite running back for fantasy. And then his second season, it wasn't a Doug Peterson thing. It was a Miles Sanders thing. Go back and watch Miles Sanders, his targets. He lost his role in the passing game because he was horrible as a pass catcher. Just bad drops, bad concentration, dropped a couple of sure touchdowns. There was a week seven, I think, game his second season against the Ravens that has always stood out in my mind.
Starting point is 00:37:52 It was just like so many missed opportunities for him. And that was the point where they just stopped using him as a pass catcher that held over with the new coaching staff. But new Panthers coaching staff is talking about using miles sanders as a pass catcher as a three down back and i think you know how effectively they ran the ball last season especially down the stretch if that's a situation where they're going to give him an opportunity as a third down back miles sanders could be you know he has top 12 upside i think pretty easily in this offense the the question mark for me is Damian Pierce
Starting point is 00:38:26 because he already got that work. Through week 14 when he left with the injury, he had 77.5% of the Texans' RB touches. That was the fourth highest among all running backs behind only Josh Jacobs, Derrick Henry, and Saquon Barkley, which is awesome. Except Josh Jacobs, Derrick
Starting point is 00:38:43 Henry, and Saquon Barkley were fourth, fifth, and sixth in fantasy points per game. Damian Pierce was 21st. The offense around him should be much better, but it's also, if Devin Singletary, you know, seems like a much more robust target or touch competition than Rex Burkhead was last season. So, you know, if he's not guaranteed that touch share and it's a different coaching staff than the one that brought him in
Starting point is 00:39:10 it's a little concerning for damian pierce i think you know damian pierce feels like uh like if everything goes right he's like rb 13 and if everything goes wrong he's zach stacy or you know pick your late round running back who popped as a rookie and then lost their job. Right. Yeah, it's fine. I mean, I think there's a lot of reasons to be optimistic about tiers four and five.
Starting point is 00:39:35 It's one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, twelve running backs that I think overall we feel good about as mid-round picks. Jamie, do you think these can be your RB1 and 2? Because you might be able to take these running backs in rounds 4 and 6 or something like that and end up with Etienne and James Conner or Miles Sanders or something like that. Would you be okay with that kind of team?
Starting point is 00:40:01 I think you should feel great about that, especially if you end up coming out of your first two picks, if you're picking at the back end of the first round, which is probably what you'll end up happening, you know, so you go a Stefan Diggs, C.D. Lamb start or, you know, C.D. Lamb, Devante Adams, you know, whatever receiver you want to put there in first and second rounds. And these are your next two picks. Sure. Why would you not be comfortable with that? You know, and in some cases you can see these guys in round five, which is even better, you know, so you know, if you go three receivers or two receivers in a tight end or two receivers in a quarterback you know whatever your your build is and and these
Starting point is 00:40:31 are your first two guys there's clearly question marks as as we've we've alluded to but there's there's still plenty of upside and even even a couple of guys in the tier after this you can still feel comfortable with as your number two running back you know i think that's more the case for those guys but yeah these guys are your number one probably not so much james connor but i think the other ones you should feel pretty excited about that and we're always looking for the next blank so if we're looking for the next josh jacobs chris you've already said joe mixon could be the next josh jacobs but i think you know you're looking for a guy who's going to get a ton of work and score touchdowns, basically.
Starting point is 00:41:06 Madison, Miles Sanders, James Conner, those guys could be every down backs. The thing is, people may not realize this, Josh Jacobs was not an every down back. Do you know how many targets? Josh Jacobs last year had 64 targets. Do you know how many he had on third down? Not many.
Starting point is 00:41:26 One. He had one target on third down. He had one target on fourth down. He wasn't even their third down guy. So he got almost all of it on first and second down. Mondry Stevenson was kind of similar, actually. You need a quarterback who's going to throw the ball to his running backs a lot, which is not always the easiest thing to predict.
Starting point is 00:41:45 But I just want to bring that up. You don't have to be the ball to his running backs a lot, which is not always the easiest thing to predict. But I just want to bring that up. You don't have to be the third down back to get a lot of catches. Now, tier six, it feels different to me than tiers four and five. And I'll see if Jamie feels the same way right after this break on Fantasy Football today. With Smartwater's pure, crisp taste, there's nothing to overthink. So while you may be spiraling over double-texting your crush, whether your skincare routine is working because you look the same or is doing nothing because you look the same in whatever the heck red light therapy is,
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Starting point is 00:42:58 Must be legal drinking age. All right, we have a few more tiers to knock out here. So four and five we like. We like tiers four and five. Tier six, do we still like it? Are we still excited about this? And tier six for Jamie is Rashad White, Ken Walker, Cam Akers, David Montgomery,
Starting point is 00:43:17 DeAndre Swift, Javante Williams, and Alvin Kamara. Rashad White, Ken Walker, Cam Akers, David Montgomery, DeAndre Swift, Javante Williams, and Alvin Kamara. Rashad White, Ken Walker, Cam Akers, David Montgomery, DeAndre Swift, Javante Williams, and Alvin Kamara. How do you feel about that tier in general? For me, I'm probably one of the lower people on Ken Walker, so he's probably going to be viewed as more of a tier five guy at worst.
Starting point is 00:43:43 But I'm just concerned about the potential split with Zach Charbonnet. But I think when you look at the players in this tier, and if you're looking at it on this YouTube feed, Montgomery's probably a little bit, he's ranked lower for me. But these are a lot of question marks, a ton of question marks. And again, Alvin Kamara, if he avoids a suspension, will probably be bumped up a tier as well. But you have the split in Detroit.
Starting point is 00:44:14 You have the offense concerns in Tampa Bay. We don't know what to make of what Philadelphia is going to do. But Swift, to me, is the better bet than Rashad Penny. Akers, is last year the way you finished a fluke or is it more you know we'll see what happens just with this offense as a whole so and giovante not being 100 healthy so there there are a lot of flaws for me with the guys in this group but again still some some upside you know swift if he you know i i think for swift knowing that there's a you know probably not fair to say contract coming to him at what's happening with the NFL guys, at the NFL level,
Starting point is 00:44:51 but there's a contract situation with the Lions moving on from him. Rashad White's a guy that can certainly prove himself, and he was great every time Leonard Fournette was out last year, or for the majority of that time. So there's still plenty of upside here, but I just look at more flaws than, more cons than pros, and it's the reason why these guys are in this tier for me. I think it's interesting that you have Ken Walker in this tier.
Starting point is 00:45:14 You want to talk a little bit more about him? He was awesome last year, but I've said this time and time again, that there's obviously a reason, aside from just getting the best player on the board, that the Seahawks decided to go get a running back as early as they did in the second round when they could have addressed a couple of other needs, potentially. And so either they really love Zach Charbonnet, which means he's going to get on the field, or they're a little bit concerned about Ken Walker, which means Zach Charbonnet is going to get on the field. And so I think Walker is going to be the lead back.
Starting point is 00:45:38 I would still treat him as the lead back, but I'm not taking him until round five at the earliest. And because of that, he's closer to this group than he is the group in front of him. So it's going to be a great offense. You know, hopefully there's enough for both of them to eat because you look at what they accomplished last year and what they added to it, you know, bringing in Charbonnet and Smith and Jigba only makes them better.
Starting point is 00:45:57 And so Gino Smith should be better. So they should be more productive, but I think we're going to see, you know, not a 50, 50 split, but more of a split than we saw with Walker and the other guys who were there last season.
Starting point is 00:46:06 And I think that's going to hurt him a little bit, which is why. Chris, do you see in this group Rashad White, Ken Walker, Cam Akers, David Montgomery, DeAndre Swift, Javante Williams, Alvin Kamara? Do you see any potential league winners? Shiggity check. All right. Okay, cool. Mic check for me, please, Zach.
Starting point is 00:46:25 I got to mute Jamie because we are getting the producer. Yeah. I think Javante Williams has probably league winning potential if we get, you know, to the first week of training camp and he's fully cleared
Starting point is 00:46:37 and there are no questions about what his workload is going to be. Or even if we get, you know, towards week one and he's fully cleared, you know, more so than J.K. Dobbins was last year when we just kind of assumed he was going to be or even if we get you know towards week one and he's fully cleared you know more so than jk dobbins was last year when we just kind of assumed he was going to be ready but the camp reports never quite matched up with that i think if that's the case with giovante williams obviously
Starting point is 00:46:56 we saw he was used heavily as a as a pass catcher last season that's a role in the sean payton offense that has had a lot of value that That's the Sean Payton offense in, in new Orleans was consistently one of the best at, at churning out fantasy points for running back. So I think there's definitely an opportunity for Javante Williams there. If he's ready and healthy, it's just coming back from that injury. You expect he's going to need some time to get healthy,
Starting point is 00:47:21 you know, back to a hundred percent, but also just time to get back to himself. You know, there's a difference between he's healthy enough to play and he's healthy enough to be productive. And I think that's the concern there with Javante Williams. The guy that I do think I'm going to draft a lot from this tier is David Montgomery, who I think Jamal Williams had like 46 touches
Starting point is 00:47:41 in the green zone last year, Some just absolutely bonkers number. It was either the highest or the second highest in the NFL. And so, you know, Jameer Gibbs is going to play a role, obviously. I think he's going to have a more well-rounded role than DeAndre Swift because he's probably a better, you know, in-line runner than DeAndre Swift was. He's certainly hopefully going to hold up better than DeAndre Swift did. But if the roles are at all similar to what last year was
Starting point is 00:48:07 with Montgomery taking on Williams, being the primary guy near the goal line, being the primary first and second down back, but David Montgomery's been a pretty good pass catcher in his career. So if he takes on even 40 targets and gets similar workload to Jamal Williams, obviously they're not going to score 18 touchdowns again, but if he gets 12 touchdowns and Jameer Gibbs gets five as a running back and
Starting point is 00:48:31 Montgomery gets 40 targets, I think he could be a low end RB one in this offense. I like this tier. I mean, I, I don't love everyone in it and I don't know how I feel yet about Rashad white. That's the guy that I just can't wrap my head around,
Starting point is 00:48:44 but there are enough players in this tier. I guy that I just can't wrap my head around. But there are enough players in this tier. I just think DeAndre Swift, for example, such a talented player on such a good offense. I just think there's so much potential for great things, maybe not on a consistent basis. But I would love to, and Ken Walker, if he is, I don't think he's going to fall this far personally,
Starting point is 00:49:10 but if he does, I'm all in in this group. i think this is a great time to get your third running back uh yeah yeah i think even if you you know go light at rb this is a fine second running back group it's just you're not getting a sure thing from anyone in this group like camara i i think he's gonna get suspended it'll probably my guess would be it'll be like four games i don't think it's going to be a six-game suspension, but I'd be surprised if it was one game or two games. That's an issue there. The way they used him down the stretch last season, they just stopped throwing the ball to him, which didn't make any sense.
Starting point is 00:49:38 Their offense wasn't any good. It wasn't like they had a plethora of options, but they just didn't involve Alvin Kamara. And so I just, I worry that he might just be a near total afterthought at points this season. So that's my concern there. But yeah,
Starting point is 00:49:54 I think this is a fine tier. All right. Tier seven is Isaiah Pacheco, Dalvin Cook, Khalil Herbert, and obviously Dalvin Cook, you know, things can change.
Starting point is 00:50:03 Isaiah Pacheco, Dalvin Cook, Khalil Herbert, Samaj P. Ryan, James Cook, Khalil Herbert, and obviously Dalvin Cook, you know, things can change. Isaiah Pacheco, Dalvin Cook, Khalil Herbert, Samaj P. Ryan, James Cook, Antonio Gibson, and A.J. Dillon. Isaiah Pacheco, Dalvin Cook, Khalil Herbert, Samaj P. Ryan, James Cook, Antonio Gibson, and A.J. Dillon. And Jamie, welcome back. Thank you. Yeah.
Starting point is 00:50:21 How would you define tier seven? Again, you know, guys that have some question marks but certainly plenty of upside and you know i i really struggle with you could take out of the equation here because we just don't know but i struggle with the pacheco herbert and james cook group because you know all of them should be the lead running backs on their respective teams but to what degree are they going to be the lead running backs? So Pacheco is coming off a couple of injuries, and is he going to be involved in the passing game, especially with Jared McKinnon there?
Starting point is 00:50:52 And I think a big wild card is still Clyde Edwards-Hilaire. Herbert has plenty of competition with Deontay Foreman and Roshon Johnson. By all accounts, he should be the lead running back. And James Cook, same thing in Buffalo with Damian Harris now there, but how much work will he get just as a first and second down type of guy? So P. Ryan is more of a gamble that Javante Williams doesn't stay healthy for the entire season. And Gibson, I think, in PPR is the better of the two running backs in Washington,
Starting point is 00:51:18 although it should be close. With Brian Robinson, Dillon is more of, I think they'll run the ball a little bit more in Green Bay, so it'll favor his scenario. But I think in terms of just Pacheco, James Cook, Khalil Herbert, those guys I'll probably move around 100 times before we get to August, end of August. And then Tier 8 is Brian Robinson, Damian Harris, Rashad Penny, and Zach Charbonnet.
Starting point is 00:51:44 I'm curious why you have Brian Robinson in there with Damian Harris, Rashad Penny, and Zach Charbonnet. I'm curious why you have Brian Robinson in there with Damian Harris, Rashad Penny, and Zach Charbonnet. I guess my thought would be Robinson more of a known role, I guess, than Harris, Penny, and Charbonnet. Talk about tier eight. I was kind of struggling to either put Dillon in this range or Robinson in the tier above because they feel very similar.
Starting point is 00:52:13 Guys that are going to get most of their production carrying the ball, hopefully finding the end zone, not a lot of work in the passing game. So yeah, you can bump Robinson up a tier or move Dillon down a tier. But the first two guys, at least, in terms of Robinson and Harris, they feel very similar. They're not going to get a lot of work in the passing tier. But these, the first two guys, at least in terms of Robinson and Harris, they feel very similar. You know, they're not going to get a lot of work in the past game. They're going to be touchdown dependent. You're going to get a lot of empty box scores, you know,
Starting point is 00:52:30 when they have a 15 for 85 yard day, but no catches, you know, and so, or one catch for five yards, you know, so they'll do well when they run the ball because I think that'll be the case, but I just don't think that they have the ability to win you weeks. If they don't score touchdowns because of their lack of work or lack of involvement in the passing game. So they're, they're very similar to me in that regard.
Starting point is 00:52:51 Harrison Robinson is both like, they're either going to get you like seven points or 13 points. And it's like, there there's very little room for anything more or less than that. Cause it's just like, they're probably going to get 60 ish yards per game maybe one catch for eight yards and so it's just if they score a touchdown they'll be okay starters if not there'll be nothing that's that's kind of the way i look at them uh penny
Starting point is 00:53:18 penny and charbonnet i think are the the way more fun here, just because obviously Penny's had no track record of staying healthy since getting to the NFL. But man, when he's on the field, he's a really, really electric player. He's been really good basically every time he's had the opportunity. We know how good Philadelphia is at running the ball. And last year's injury,
Starting point is 00:53:41 among the myriad Rashad Penny injuries, feels the flukiest, right? You talked about Tony Pollard bringing his leg. That was what myriad Rashad Penny injuries feels the flukiest, right? You know, you talked about Tony Pollard breaking his leg. That was what happened with Rashad Penny. I think it was a fractured ankle, right? And it was just a got tackled wrong. It's not a, you know, doesn't stem from his hamstring injuries or his knee injuries, obviously. So I do think there's a chance that Rashad Penny stays healthy and has a Miles Sanders season because I think he
Starting point is 00:54:05 might just be a better running back than DeAndre Swift in terms of running the ball. So I do think there's some low-end, high-end RB2 upside for Rashad Penny for sure. Yeah, I mean, if you're swinging for the fences here, obviously you're going to need an injury. You're going to need injuries to have one of these guys be a true league winner for you. But God, does Charbonnet really jump off the page in that? And I'm looking at ADP from last year, and these three running
Starting point is 00:54:33 backs went back to back to back. Tony Pollard, Devin Singletary, and Ramondre Stevenson. And, you know... One of those things is not like the other. Well, yeah, Robinson and Harris feel like Singletary to me. And Penny and Sharbon, I feel like they could be Pollard. And I forgot who the third guy was.
Starting point is 00:54:52 Robinson? Robin. Oh, oh, oh, oh, Stevenson. Stevenson, yeah. But, well, the thing is, I mean, Stevenson got the injury that he needed to Damian Harris. Pollard got the injury that he needed to Zeke. And even when those guys came back,
Starting point is 00:55:03 you know, they had performed so well, Stevenson and Power, that they were still players you could start in fantasy. Singletary, to be fair, never really got the injury to Cook, but I don't think it would have mattered, really. Cook barely mattered for most of the season.
Starting point is 00:55:16 Right, exactly. I think that's a Buffalo situation. Why would I take Bryan Robinson, I guess, is my point. Even if Antonio Gibson gets hurt, it's not like they're turning Bryan Robinson into a three-down back. I just can't take him over
Starting point is 00:55:27 Zach Charbonnet because he might... If everybody stays healthy, maybe Robinson outscores Charbonnet. The upside is just not even... I think it comes down to what you need. It's a floor versus ceiling conversation. What could you possibly need at that point in the draft? Like seven points a game? It's hard for me to get
Starting point is 00:55:43 excited about Robinson, I guess. I certainly understand that. But I think, you know, depending on your build and what you're looking at, you know, he still could have, you know, like Chris said, you know, seven or 13. You know, we could have hopefully more 13s than sevens. And then you're still talking about a guy that, you know, is not, you don't want to say Jamal Williams, you know,
Starting point is 00:56:04 finding the end zone like that. But if he's 10 touchdowns, you know, is not, you don't want to say Jamal Williams, you know, finding the end zone like that. But if he's 10 touchdowns, you know, and then he's getting those, you know, consistent 80-yard games, the floor is eight, but the upside is maybe 15. Sure. Yeah. Right. He could have a better year than I'm giving him credit for, for sure. All right. That is it for the running back tiers. Guess what's coming up tomorrow?
Starting point is 00:56:23 It's wide receiver tiers. Very excited for that with Jamie and Dan Schneier. Chris, thank you for joining us today. Jamie, you too, man. Thanks, buddy. You're welcome. All right, everybody. Have a wonderful day.
Starting point is 00:56:39 I voted, by the way. I voted. Yay. Best male host. Thank you for best male podcast host. Good podcast. Okay. We'll talk to y'all tomorrow

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