NFL Daily with Gregg Rosenthal - Risers and Fallers with Evan Silva, 7 Takeaways from Patriots-Eagles

Episode Date: August 16, 2024

Gregg Rosenthal reacts to Drake Maye's first extended time on the field as a Patriot and give you seven takeaways form the Patriots-Eagles Week 2 preseason game (0:30). Gregg then welcome in Evan Silv...a of Establish The Run to tell you who has risen and who has fallen in their eyes over the last few weeks (8:02). Note: time codes approximate. NFL Daily YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/nflpodcastsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Starting point is 00:00:00 This is an I-Heart podcast. Welcome to NFL Daily, where we're confirming all our priors during preseason week two. I'm Greg Rosenthal. Yeah, it was a Drake May Night in the NFL Patriots and Eagles, the only preseason game on tonight. I'm going to go over a few takeaways. from that game before I throw it to something I did earlier in the day with Evan Silva. That's most of the show.
Starting point is 00:00:37 All the offensive, defensive players that we feel differently about after the first few weeks of training camp and the preseason. It was a great conversation with one of my favorite people in the business, Evan Silva. But before that, yeah, it was Drake May Night on NFL Network. I swear Scott Zolak gets more airtime in August than like anyone on our network. and that was fun. And the Drake May performance was fun. So seven quick takeaways from the Patriots Eagles.
Starting point is 00:01:06 And I'll go through a quick because May was the big one. He flashed. There were moments. There were probably not enough sustained moments for him to truly push Jacoby Brissette like he could have because there was an opportunity there. Jacoby Brissette left the door open for this quarterback competition to become more of a competition. We'll get to Jacoby in a second.
Starting point is 00:01:30 But I don't think May was consistent enough. But there were moments. First drive, field goal drive. Had a nice in-breaker on a third in-10 where he gets to a secondary read. Brian Hoyer on the broadcast pointed out, this was a play. He feel like he got wrong, taking the shorter route during their joint practices. He gets it right in the game. A lot of heat.
Starting point is 00:01:53 Beautiful pass over the middle. Love it. Was changing plays a lot. He gets a touchdown. drive in his second drive, and that's after Brissette gets no points in three drives. And that touchdown drive features Drake May's athleticism on a Reed option touchdown. Big third down for this Patriots office and try to get involved. League, what's that?
Starting point is 00:02:20 You're mostly. Yeah. The party looks. It's got to get you feeling good. A little confidence. First NFL touchdown drive for Drake May. You can tell, like, they're just hoping for some sort of hope because it's been a rough preseason,
Starting point is 00:02:39 a rough training camp in terms of the practices for this offense. And yeah, Drake May is showing a little bit of shine. And honestly, his best two throws of the entire night were incomplete. They were both to Javon Baker. One where Javon Baker got squeezed to the sideline, couldn't make a catch, couldn't get back in bounds, but a nice go ball by May. And then a beautiful pass in the second half that would have been about
Starting point is 00:02:59 40 yards again on a third and long that Baker couldn't haul in. So there were the flashes, but there was also stagnation. There was a fumbled snap. There was may take it a while to get through his reeds. They didn't move the ball in the second half when he did get it. And you could see things were just happening slowly for him. So I don't think it was enough to put pressure on, but it was good to see, I think, for the Foxborough crowd, Drake may have some moments. And look, they're going to put him in more quickly if Jacoby Brissette keeps making mental errors, which he has a few times in practices, and certainly in this game. That's my second point.
Starting point is 00:03:39 Jacobi Brissette was bad in this game. Three of seven for 17 yards, an interception where he was late in the red zone. He maybe thought Austin Hooper, the tight end was going to go one way. He went another, but he missed on another sideline route. And he didn't feel comfortable because the tackles are just terrible. Chooks, Acora for, and Verdary and Lowe are there two tackles, and it's the worst tackle situation in the league, and it's looked bad in camp, and it's not getting any better. And so that was part of the reason Jacobi Brissette looked bad, although even when he was protected, he looked a little frantic. Not a lot of drives there for Brissette, but it's just, it's hard right now to find a lot of optimism with this offense.
Starting point is 00:04:20 But if Brissette doesn't take care of the ball, Drake May will get called earlier in the season. The other points from this game were more secondary players. Number three is that Tanner McKee is clearly the better quarterback backing up Jalen Hertz than Kenny Pickett. Like call the fight, I've seen enough. Tanner McKee probably had most of the best throws than night. Drake May had a couple. Tanner McKee had even more of these outbreaking routes early in the game late. He let a late comeback.
Starting point is 00:04:46 It was 14 to 13 and they weren't easy throws. And Kenny Pickett just looks totally lost. They gave up a decent draft pick to move up to get Kenny Pickett. You know, they move back in the draft to get Kenny Pickett. 19 dropbacks, 49 yards. He averaged under one yard in terms of air yards per completion in this game. Just kind of a disaster for Kenny Pickett. That backs up what everyone has been seen at practice.
Starting point is 00:05:14 It backed up the last preseason game. I think this has to be Tanner McKee's job. Beyond that for the Eagles, I thought it was nice. Bryce Huff had a good night. He's their big ticket pass rusher. He was reportedly at a pretty quiet camp. It was interesting. He was the only starter of the defensive linemen that were out there that shows they're looking for a little more from him.
Starting point is 00:05:33 And he had a great night in the couple series that he played. The Eagles lost one of their key rotational guards, probably their top backup, Tyler Steen. That's going to mean that Mackay Bechtin is getting that starting job. Interesting Reclamation Project Bexton, former top 10 pick. Now a starting guard for the Eagles. He was a tackle for the Jets. For the Patriots, Alleyes were also on their pass rush after they got rid of Matthew Juden.
Starting point is 00:05:58 I realized, you know, when we talked about that trade, I didn't talk about who's still there for the Patriots. They have enough edge rushers. Kian White is a player. Josh Uche comes in on third downs. He can get you off the spot. Dichik Wise has been around there for a while. Anthony Jennings was pretty active in this game.
Starting point is 00:06:16 And even Raquan McMillan, who's a linebacker, played some edge. The Patriots don't have problems on defense. They need Christian Barmore to get on the field, and that might not happen because of these blood clots, but I think they could afford to give up Matthew Judon. I think that trade ultimately made sense for both sides, especially because that's an area of strength. There's just not many areas of strength on the offense. They have a lot of receivers, but none of them have really stepped up, and they didn't play the rookies.
Starting point is 00:06:41 Jalen Polk and then Javon Baker with the starters very often. Polk took a while to come in. He did make a couple of plays, so that was good to see. All right, those are my seven points. from Patriots, Eagles, probably too many. One last item of news that we didn't hit with Evan later in the show is that Justin Simmons is officially in Atlanta Falcons. So they have gone big on signing veteran defensive players,
Starting point is 00:07:06 Justin Simmons, who was last with the Broncos, and then, of course, trading for Matthew Judon. Supposedly they're not going to give Judon any more money. They gave Simmons a lot of money, 7.5 million, which is a lot this late in free agency. He is a quality safety, and suddenly that defense, which I had so many questions about. I have fewer questions now.
Starting point is 00:07:24 I think it's still thin at a few positions. Cornerback, certainly linebacker. They're still thin at edge, even with Judan. But they look a lot better than they did a couple days ago. And if you want to tell me they're the favorites in the NFC South, I get it now because that defensive talent added to Rahim Morris's coaching. The Falcons are going for it this year. They realize Kirk Cousins in this window.
Starting point is 00:07:46 They've got to try to win now. You give that much money to Kirk Cousins, even though you have Pennix. They're like it's a win now season and they are acting like, I like those moves for the Falcons. I also like this conversation coming up with Silva. And yeah, this is week six of NFL Daily. Appreciate you guys listening. Let's listen to my conversation with Evan Silva.
Starting point is 00:08:06 Back on NFL Daily. So excited to be welcoming my next guest. One of the goats in the fantasy industry. He built Rotor World brick by brick. That's right. He was there. But now he's truly built, established the run brick by brick. And he's making those bricks.
Starting point is 00:08:26 It's Evan Silva. He's a business owner. Greg, thanks so much for having me on. I was telling you on text, it's to the point with NFL Daily where I don't miss a show ever. I mean, you've really put together. I mean, you're a builder. That's what you are at your core.
Starting point is 00:08:43 You're a builder. You've built so many awesome things. And you're building this. And again, I don't. miss an NFL daily podcast ever. Um, it's an excellent show already. And you guys just, you just started it. I appreciate you. You're, you're going to make me feel uncomfortable. And I don't want to spend too much time with, you know, what the Brits would call Faf here at the top of the show. Because if I know something about Evan Silva, he likes when guests get to the
Starting point is 00:09:09 point. He likes the information getting out there. That's why people love him. Um, but yeah, I'm actually considering bringing you on as a consulting producer, Silva, because you had so many good items of feedback of who's a good guest, who's not, you know, stuff like that. I'll keep that to yourself. I know I just shut Evan Silva up, which is hard to do. This is a paid job, right? This would be a paid job? That would be, yes.
Starting point is 00:09:35 Yes, we're looking into it. But yeah, I'm really excited to have Evan on this show. It is fantasy football season, but Silva's just a great football mind in general. And what we're going to do today, most of them is going to have fantasy football implications. Absolutely. Some may not, but it doesn't. matter. It all is good info. It's going to be players, especially, but if you want to throw teams in there, that we feel differently about good and bad since the beginning of training
Starting point is 00:10:01 camp. So people that we've changed their minds or we've adjusted what we felt about since the beginning of training camp. I'm going to start off just because we're taping this Thursday and there was one big item of news on Thursday and I did want to hit it. So I'm more down on the Bill's defense right now. And then I was going into Thursday because Matt Milano tore his biceps. And so that's just an item. I did want to get into the show. You talked about building Silva. I mean, that's what we ultimately came up with in Roto World. We love trying to analyze this news. And it's funny, Joe Bessaglia, who's one of the best beatwriters in the business for the athletic, wrote a piece recently of the most irreplaceable bills on the entire roster. And he said
Starting point is 00:10:43 Milano would have been number two if Milano actually looked quite as spry and quick in camp as he usually did. And he wasn't seeing that yet. And he was still in the top five. But man, this is a guy that's going to be really hard to replace. And someone I think of Chris Wesleying when I think Matt Milano, because he was such a Wes favorite. Wes was so good at spotting guys. He really loved rangy linebackers. And he said this guy changes their defense more than anyone way back when when Milano was a rookie and then a second year player. And so I love thinking about the West guys and I'm really disappointed because otherwise I was feeling good about this defense, but this to me is a downer.
Starting point is 00:11:21 It really hurts. It really hurts the bills. You know, I write a matchups column every week, which tries to get to the nitty gritty of how personnel losses, additions, et cetera, can affect the actual game and the production of offensive skill position players from a fantasy standpoint. and Matt Milano affects it for tight ends in particular because the bills would often use Matt Milano in man coverage against tight ends.
Starting point is 00:11:49 All of a sudden, you know, the bills are a team to attack with opposing tight ends and that's going to hurt up the scene. Yeah, Dorian Williams from Tulane. Bosley having a decent camp, he was probably LB4 or 5 last year. He's probably the starter there. Otherwise, there's been some positives out of camp.
Starting point is 00:12:06 Kairi Elam had a pretty good camp. It sounds like, to me, they're pretty deep at cornerback. Von Miller, at least, isn't looking terrible. So I'm looking forward to that. And I did want to point out, Milano could be back this season. He might return in December with a torn biceps. You have a chance. And maybe that gives him time to keep rehabbing the leg and get faster there.
Starting point is 00:12:26 So that's a positive. And let's go to Selva. Let's go to the big man. I like that he called me a brilliant football mind at the top because I'm going to really break your heart here. and one of the biggest risers, obviously, has been Sam Darnold in the year of our Lord. Sam Darnold. Sam Darnold, SZN is on, J.G. McCarthy out for this season. Look at your face. Well, I'm just going, just for the listeners, you were on the around the NFL podcast a couple years ago now.
Starting point is 00:12:57 And you had Darnold going into a Panthers year, I think, as your biggest sleeper, the year where he was the week one starter. you're number one sleeper and i got so um i was so against that opinion that it actually caused an issue between me and you like you seemed pretty upset about it cut to like weeks later darnell has like a halfway decent game and you're like sending me angry texts i'm with my daughter at like a school festival on like the you know the wheel what do they call that i'm i think i specifically told you that it's time to retire yes i'm on the first i'm on the first i'm on the first i'm on the Ferris wheel with my daughter and you're sending me text that it's time to retire. And I'm like, what the hell is up with this guy?
Starting point is 00:13:42 And now you're starting with Darnold again. I love it. I love this stubbornness. I meant from fantasy football analysis, not like football analysis. Anyways, Sam Darnold enters this situation where he has Justin Jefferson. Jordan Addison is probably going to be available for the vast majority of the season. TZ Hawkinson eventually will be back. The Vikings played their vast majority of their games.
Starting point is 00:14:06 indoors. Kevin O'Connell has proven to be in, I think, an elite offensive mind. You look at guys like Josh Dobbs, getting him off the street, essentially, coming and having big games. Nick Mullins in this same offense at a four-touchdown game, over 400 passing yards. The quarterback here is set up for success, whether it be J.J. McCarthy or Sam Darnold. Sam Darnold will break your heart. I actually compare him as a player to James Winston. He will have big time flash plays and he will break your heart. I think he's going to be really productive, though, this season. I'm looking at this primarily from a fantasy standpoint. And I think that Sam Darnel has a chance to be like a top 12 scorer assuming that he can keep the job, which I think that he will, because he set up for
Starting point is 00:14:53 success, like I explained. I'll surprise you and say, I have no issue with that, because I'm sure you're getting him as like a QB2 late. Fantasy-wise, he's the only guy there. There's no competition. They're never going to Nick Mullins. They're never going to Jaron Hall. Even if he makes mistakes that cost them games and you can't trust him over the long run, this is by far his best situation. I think the year with Kyle Shanahan helps him. I don't hate it. I'm actually, I think he's going to be closer, maybe not statistically, to Teddy Bridgewater with Sean Payton, but just in my head he'll be better i think darnold statistically than teddy bridgewater was with john peyton but i think it's a similar type of situation where it's a guy that i'm not a you know maybe not above league
Starting point is 00:15:37 average as a starter but in the right situation with the right coach going to get it done uh i'm going to stay negative because i know you told me you're going all positive almost and so i'm going to go with a team that i feel more down on than when i started camp and this does have fantasy implications It's the Dolphins offense. It's their offensive line in general. Henry Hodgson, handsome Hank, tip me off to this Dolphins podcast, three yards per carry. They're great.
Starting point is 00:16:03 They really have eyes on every single snap at every practice. They're not just homers, but they really know this team. And they're so worried about this offensive line. And they're very positive about everything else. But they just seen it day after day after day. It's just a mess. Like, is Teran Armstead and Isaiah Win ever going to play consistent? recently, who knows? Armstead's supposed to be their best player, like you're hoping for eight games.
Starting point is 00:16:27 Aaron Brewer, their center who's a little undersized, they give money to, he's out. You put Liam Eichenberg back at center. The guards, who knows, like the depth, who knows? You're hearing these joint practices with Washington doesn't sound like it's going well. And yeah, I do think that's just going to lower the ceiling of the team in general. So that's Tua and it's, it's Tyreek Hill. And just as a little side point with this, I don't get Devon A. Chan going as high as he does in fantasy drafts. There's just too many other good players. So seeing how explosive Jalen Wright looked,
Starting point is 00:16:56 knowing how good Rahim Moster is. That was one where I'm not into it. Like you are every day, Evan, when I opened the ADP in August and saw A-chan that high, I'm like, there's no freaking way. I don't get it. I love them as a player, but there's just too many other good players there.
Starting point is 00:17:10 That's interesting because my high ranking of Devon A-chan is, has something to do with Chris Wesleying. I love that we're talking with. He reminds me somewhat of Chris Johnson, who do you remember? I mean, Chris Wesleyan would write love letters. First of all, to Percy Harvin, but also to Chris Johnson back in the day. I mean, he was the leader in the clubhouse of the Chris Johnson hype train. Do you remember that?
Starting point is 00:17:40 I do. And yeah, for new listeners, and we've had a lot of new listeners for NFL Day, I love that. And so I shouldn't just assume, you know, my history with Silva. but he was the key guy at Road to World with me way back in the day. And Chris Wesleyan, our great friend, came along right after him. And it was really the three of us getting it done. And I would go as far as to say, I'm not saying Chris Johnson made Chris Wesleyan, because Westling made Chris Wesleyan.
Starting point is 00:18:05 But in terms of a fantasy take, he was so far out on the ledge that this guy is going to be like the number one guy. And he was ahead of everyone in the industry that that was a take everyone literally remember. So I'm with you. And I think it's a good comp, A. Chan and Chris Johnson. The Titans had Lendiel White. Yeah, that's fair.
Starting point is 00:18:23 At the time was like a big factor, at least on paper. And the dolphins have Rahim Moster. And I think that, you know, Rahim Moster is to Lendale White as Chris Johnson is to Devon A. Chan. Okay. A West base take there. And you know what? That's going with how I usually do fantasy, which just worry about the talent first in the situation. second i'm just worried about the situation like i said with the offensive line and also yeah i think
Starting point is 00:18:52 this jalen wright kid looks really really a problem he's really talented all right give me give me another you like javanti williams so i entered i went into training camp well i really like audrick estimate watched him a ton at notre dame he's a big back who can bang long runs i love both running backs for the broncos i've been told by the listeners sometimes i just mention these players and assume they know who they are, both running backs for the Broncos. All right, my bad. Audrick Estime, fifth round pick of the Broncos, really liked him as a college player, didn't like what I saw from Giovante Williams last season,
Starting point is 00:19:26 averaged 3.2 yards per carry, but was coming off of a multi-knee ligament tear. Shows up the training camp. He is in tip-top condition, like Sean Payton's like he changed his body. Audric Estime has the knee scope in the offseason. and then in his first preseason game loses a fumble that is returned for a touchdown and Sean Payton talks about it after the game. Audrake Estime is like buried in the doghouse at this point.
Starting point is 00:19:55 Somaget Pirine could be cut. Joliel McLaughlin weighs 180 pounds. I think Javante Williams is going to get like 300 touches this season. Sean Payton historically has always had very efficient running games. Jemante Williams can catch the football. He's a guy who I recently moved up in my. rankings I want to draft them this year love that and love guys that have shown at least at one point that they can be difference makers and for whatever reason in this case it was injury they
Starting point is 00:20:23 didn't and that's what you can learn in the preseason you can get eyes on you can hear the repeat reporters get eyes on it and then you can get eyes on him you're right he looked absolutely different i think if they like the other guys that there'd be like a non-zero chance that he'd be a candidate to get traded to like the cowboys uh stand out but that wouldn't be a bad thing for him either so either way, it would be a good thing. You know, maybe they'll showcase him. He's someone to watch this weekend. I think that might have been a possibility at one point.
Starting point is 00:20:49 I think it's not anymore, especially after the estimate fumble. That's fair. I'll go positive. Let's go Buck's offense, because I like being surprised. I think this is more just more I've thought about it, but it's also been reading the reports out there. Graham Barton, their new center looks really good. And I think the offensive line is one of the most more trustworthy groups in
Starting point is 00:21:13 the league, which you couldn't have said a couple years ago. I'm kind of buying Chris Godwin as a true slot guy and them having two interesting options with Trey Palmer and McMillan on the outside. And then I liked what I saw to Bucky Irving. So I'm just sort of buying as a football fan, the Bucks offense is better and just deeper than people realize. Yeah, I feel like the general consensus is that the Bucks are probably going to regress. after they exceeded expectations last season. But, I mean, I think they're offensive line. Mike Evans belongs in the Hall of Fame.
Starting point is 00:21:51 Chris Godwin belongs in the slot. You know, they lost Dave Canales. I think that most people think that they're going to regress. So I think that that is a little bit of a controversial or contrarian take that the Bucks could actually take another step forward. Yeah, I think I'm just like trying to figure out a reason not to pick the Falcons and Saints because I'm just not feeling them. But I think there are really good reasons.
Starting point is 00:22:15 Fantasy-wise, maybe they'll all eat into each other a little bit. But Irving looked good. He was kind of part of a nice mid-round rookie showing in the first preseason week. All right, the Bucks, one team feeling differently about liking them more after a couple weeks of training camp. We're going to take a quick break and then we'll come back with some teams, some players that like more, like a little less after what we've seen so far in August. What's up everybody? Daniel Jeremiah here.
Starting point is 00:22:44 And I'm Bucky Brooks. On Move the Sticks, we take you inside the game from scouting reports and player development to team building philosophies, coaching trends, and how front offices construct winning rosters. Every week, we study the tape, talk to decision makers, and share the insights you won't find anywhere else. It's the kind of conversation that connects the dots, from college football prospects to the NFL stars of tomorrow. We break down the draft, analyze matchups, and evaluate how teams put it all together,
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Starting point is 00:23:53 Oh, my. We think NFL coverage should be informative and entertaining. And twice a week, that is exactly what you're going to get. Listen to NFL Cover Zero with Matt Jones and Drew Franklin on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. Toyota, the official automotive partner of the NFL. Visit Toyota.com slash NFL now to learn more. All right, give me another. Khalil Shakir is a player that, you know, when I was looking at,
Starting point is 00:24:27 when I was assessing the bill's past catcher core, you know, no Stefan Diggs, no Gabe Davis. When I was assessing their past catcher core as a unit entering training camp, I was thinking, oh, it's just going to be a bunch of role players, Khalil Shakir. Curtis Samuel, Keon Coleman might emerge as the number one eventually, but probably not out of the gate. You know, Dalton Kincaid probably takes a step forward, but how much can he really, if he's
Starting point is 00:24:53 only playing 70% of the snaps and sharing a little bit with Dawson Knox? But, you know, I was actually listening to one of your shows, and you brought up the possibility that Khalil Shakir could be a 90 to 100 catch player. And then we saw the way that he was utilized in the first preseason game. Like, he is clearly the bill's number one receiver in terms of playing time snaps. I think he's really good. And he can win inside and out, primarily inside, I think. And he also has that established rapport with Josh Allen.
Starting point is 00:25:27 He's a guy who I moved up my ranking. See, I haven't his wide receiver 49 in fantasy right now. But before I was like really on the fence, like, I don't think he's going to make a difference. I actually think he can make a difference. Did I help influence that? Yes, yes. It's like the old days on AOL Instant Messenger, me and you going back and forth. I love it.
Starting point is 00:25:46 Yeah, I didn't pull that number out of nowhere either. I kind of looked at when Cole Beasley was at his peak there. He was in his 30s already, and he was catching 85, 82 balls there. So I just think he passes the eye test. To me, he's their best receiver. And the way they ran that offense, too, when they changed coordinators, it's going to go through the middle. I feel bad keep being negative,
Starting point is 00:26:10 but since you're going all positive, this will be just a quick one. Joe Mixen, he always shows up to the beginning of the season the last couple of years with this great burst, and you're like, oh, that's the Joe Mixen I want, and then as the season wears on, he just doesn't have the juice anymore.
Starting point is 00:26:26 It's usually because of injuries, and now he started this camp with injuries. I know he's back on the field this week, and that plus the Damien Pierce revival, the Renaissance season, that I could see coming. I had someone, it was Steve Weish, who was down at Texans camp, and he just talked about how the coaches were raving,
Starting point is 00:26:44 how Pierce just couldn't figure out the system last year. He just couldn't. It wasn't a gap runner, didn't have the instincts for it, just didn't get it. And they provided them a few different keys, and for whatever reason this offseason it clicked, where he now knows what two things to look for from his blockers, how to hug the blockers, and then just hit it.
Starting point is 00:27:04 And they're just like, oh, now he gets. gets it. He just didn't get it. He didn't fit. And now he does. And so I'd almost rather have Damien Pierce than Joe Mixen. But I definitely would rather have him for whatever price he's going for, which is the very end of draft. Yeah, I have Damien Pierce as one of the top handcuffs in all of fantasy. And it's interesting that you mentioned, could he actually overtake Joe? The Texans gave Joe Mixin a decent chunk of change after they got him. It would probably take injuries. You're right. Injuries and just like having to play through injury and really not looking good. But to me that's a very realistic.
Starting point is 00:27:37 But yeah, Bobby spoke. The Texan's offensive coordinator has been very outspoken about how impressed he's been with Damien Pearson. They didn't go get anybody else. They drafted Jawar Jordan in the sixth round. They added Cam Acres, but
Starting point is 00:27:53 they didn't go actively seek any other RBs. So they're definitely given Damian Pierce this chance and I think he's running away with it. My next guy is Rishi Rice. Okay. That is in part because Hollywood Brown is probably going to miss two to three games to begin the season.
Starting point is 00:28:12 We're talking about chiefs receivers here. But also because I heard independently that Andy Reid believes that Rishie Rice will either receive no suspension stemming from his off-season arrest or at most he would receive a two-game suspension. And people were, I mean, there was a lot of trepidation about drafting Rishi Rice in early fantasy drafts
Starting point is 00:28:36 because everyone thought, oh man, could he get a six or eight game suspension? No, it looks like it's going to be zero or two tops. And we saw what Rishie Rice was capable of as a rookie. And then you add in the injury to Marquis Brown. And I mean, he's a guy who could be a top 12 fantasy receiver this season. Yeah, it's crazy to think that the chiefs, you know, offense has a lot of room for growth, but they do.
Starting point is 00:29:00 Like, they can be more explosive. He was someone that I think improved his versatility throughout the course of the season. So he's going to be more than just a one-trick pony. As we've gotten closer to the season, I'm just assuming, yeah, this thing might not happen, Silva, in that maybe it even happens next year. Like, that happens sometimes with the NFL, and so you don't have to worry about that in fantasy drafts. I'll go with a guy I feel higher on than when I entered training camp.
Starting point is 00:29:27 And this is specifically fantasy, because I already thought really highly of Chris Olavi, just as a player. But being down there at training camp, talking to some people around the team, hearing from Olavi himself, I don't think he's satisfied with where he is in the NFL pecking order. I think he knows where he's viewed. And I think he believes that he should be a elite tier wide receiver.
Starting point is 00:29:53 And that's great. A lot of receivers say that. But he has a more chill attitude. If you ever hear him talk and just how he operates, and the team and people around him there have noticed this year. All right, he's come out with the idea of being a little more physical, a little bit more of a dog, a little more of vocal, and a little bit more of like, hey, I'm the one here, I'm the alpha.
Starting point is 00:30:13 And you can say, oh, the Saints offense isn't going to be great. It might not be, but I like Clint Kubiak better than I like their old offensive coordinator. And more than anything, he is the one. Rashid Shahid is probably a three masquerading as a two, a really good player. And then there's a cliff beyond that. So the opportunity is. there for Olave to get 1,600 yards and to be like the wide receiver three in fantasy.
Starting point is 00:30:38 I'm not saying he'd get there, but I think there's a path to that. So he's someone I would want in any fantasy draft. Yeah, I have him 13th overall, and I've received some criticism for ranking him that high in an offense that might have some dysfunction. But there are big concerns on the offensive line. Trevor Penning, I mean, you could block better than Trevor Penn and Greg. I mean, this guy is worth this out there. Now, you could maybe, you know, for people that don't know, I didn't meet Evan Silva for many years.
Starting point is 00:31:08 And this is a large man. And when I finally met him in Chicago, I realized, man, I would not have been as hard on him about his. The first time I met you was in New York, man. Oh, I always think it was in Chicago. Oh, yeah, you came in for the summit. That's right. I think of another time when I saw you at a bar in Chicago. But, yeah, the first time I met you and I realized you're a towering figure.
Starting point is 00:31:29 And I'm what one woman called me called Petit. And I was like, you don't call a man Petit. But I am. I'm rather petite. And you're a big, you're a big dude. You could play tackle. You probably did back. So we saw, we had Matt Harmon on our podcast, you know, of reception,
Starting point is 00:31:47 fame, probably the best wide receiver analyst in media. And one thing he noted is that under Pete Carmichael, the Saints old offensive coordinator, not a lot of layup high percentage, easy routes for Chris Olave. True. Clint Kubiak comes from that Kubiak, Shanahan school, a lot of layup stuff, a lot of run-after catch opportunities. So we think that Chris Olave, not only are his targets going to be up there because of all the reasons that you mentioned, there's nobody else good to throw to,
Starting point is 00:32:18 but he's going to get more high percentage stuff. And I think he could absolutely explode. I think he could lead the NFL in receiving yards. Yep. I think he's got a chance, and that's why 13 to me is even too low, but I get it. You got to play the consents. You got to play the averages. It's also why I think Alvin Camara, as long as he stays healthy, I think they'll at least take the layups with the screen game for him
Starting point is 00:32:37 and that he'll just be at least better than he was. All right, give me another one. Yeah, Alvin Camara is a guy who's 29 years old. He's lost efficiency lately, and people have been scared to draft him, but he's going to get the ball so much. Like, it's going to offset. I think he can catch 90 passes this season. My last guy is Colby Parkinson. who the Rams gave quietly a three-year $23 million deal.
Starting point is 00:33:04 They did not play him in their first preseason game. He's like locked in. The way that the Rams play is they play three receivers in one tight end, like all the time. So their one tight end winds up playing like 85, 90% of the snaps. Kobe Parkinson is going to be out there a ton. He's six foot seven. I don't know if you remember seeing him a little bit with the Seahawks. Also, he can block.
Starting point is 00:33:28 So they're going to trust him to be out there at time. But if you remember watching him when he was like sort of like a rotating tight end with Seattle, he would stand out first of all because he's got like long, blonde hair. But also he's a striking man. I saw him at camp a couple of weeks ago. Those tight ends in general, I would say tight ends and defensive ends are the most striking in person. But a lean big tight end, they are striking. They're striking humans.
Starting point is 00:33:51 You're like, how is that the same speed? species as myself. So in fantasy football, when you get to tight end like nine through 25, it's all determined by touchdowns. It just all comes down to touchdowns. Nobody's catching 90 passes in that range, you know. I don't think Kobe Parkinson is going to catch any more than 55 passes, but I think you could score like seven to nine touchdowns and wind up as a top, you know, sneaky top 10, top 12 fantasy tight end. I like it. It's out on the ledge. I think they could play more two tight ends this year just because of how the league's going but he's going to be one of those two tight ends and still have opportunities davis allen is a guy i'm keeping an eye on just
Starting point is 00:34:30 that's more real football than fantasy but he passes the eye test as a guy who could catch some passes there i like that one and i like whenever i get a little too you know off topic silva you just bring me right back you know you're you're all business you on task Greg that's why i love i love this man Evan Silva. I'm going to throw out just a handful of ones and you can, you can respond. We'll go speed round. You mentioned Rams, Blake Corum. I just don't see the gap between him and Kyron Williams. I just don't, I don't think it's going to be that big of a gap. People I think are sleeping on that fantasy-wise. Yeah, I mean, that's a big conundrum. You know, where to rank Kyron Williams. I mean, you could theoretically, if you weren't worried about Blake Corum,
Starting point is 00:35:13 you could rent Kyron Williams as a borderline first round pick. Sure, but you should absolutely be worried. I wouldn't be, I think in their perfect world, they would be close to a split. It's just about quorum being good enough because they just want to keep Kyron healthy and those two guys are so similar. So just fantasy-wise, I'm high on quorum a little down on on Kyron this year. And then the last ones I'm higher on, and this is just more I'm buying what Ryan Grubb is selling, is DK kind of finally having that season. We've, fantasy-wise, I've always wanted. And then Ken Walker, too, just because I think the running. blocking is going to be a little more cohesive.
Starting point is 00:35:49 So I'm buying what grub is selling. I like that they signed Connor Williams. I think that could be a really underrated signing because their interior offensive line was going to be problematic. And Connor Williams was one of the best centers in the league before he got hurt last season. You don't need a comment on this one. Panthers defense. I was never high on it.
Starting point is 00:36:06 But they lost Dean Jackson here on Thursday for six weeks. You're like, oh, what does that really matter? That was their starting cornerback by a mile. And Xavier Woods, starting safety, also out multiple weeks. They were, you know, I know in fantasy, you're always looking for those great matchups.
Starting point is 00:36:22 Jadavian Clowny is already heard again. Like, on paper they were rough and they look even worse. Now, the charges are another team with just too many injuries. The Bosa injury, I think, is slipping under the radar that they're not even sure that he's going to be ready for week one.
Starting point is 00:36:35 Herbert will see the quarterback situation is a disaster. It makes me worried about the lad McConkey of it all and whether he can stay healthy. Their center is hurt. And so I just, I feel just, way more down on the chargers than I did in general, especially on offense. I'm always high.
Starting point is 00:36:51 On my friend, Evan Silva, thank you for doing this, Evan. We go way back. Love you, man. Glad to hear about your journey to trying to get healthier. And then also, just that you and Adam Levitton are just getting it done. You started your own company five years ago, I believe, with Establish the Run, and it's only gotten better and better. And yeah, this is money-making season for Silva.
Starting point is 00:37:16 I'll let you go and go make those stacks. Love you too, brother. And thanks so much for having me on. All right. Appreciate you, Evan. And yeah, that's it for this week. What a fun week on NFL Daily. I'm really excited about next week.
Starting point is 00:37:27 We have great shows lined up throughout the course of the week. A couple of surprises, but we will hit your feed Monday morning. Me and Nick Shook recapping all of the second week of the preseason. Until then, we'll see you next time. This is an IHeart podcast.

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