2021 Rookie Review Show + Dynasty Outlooks, Let's Get Spicy - Fantasy Football Podcast for 2/17

the variable of Tray Lance taking over, which means functionally the offense. You know, Shanahan, he's not an idiot. He's going to build an offense that accentuates the strengths of the quarterback he has. That could be advantageous for Elijah Mitchell like it was for Alfred Morris when Robert Griffin was running the football. But it could go the other direction. They could bring somebody else in. You could see, you could see Elijah show up in training camp and maybe not.

and maybe give the Dante Pettus effort and all of a sudden, Trey Sermans the guy. There's just some variables when you have a player that was a sixth round draft pick as your leading rusher, mixed with the injuries where it's like, okay, what would they have wanted to do with this offense if Rahim Moster was healthy? Yeah, and, you know, I kind of go back to a thought process, a strategy over the last several years that has...

generically worked out for me, which is certain backfields. No brand names. Right. Yes. Thank you. But the Patriots backfield, there's a lot of value there. The Niners backfield, there's a lot of value there. But I don't trust either. And it's really worked out pretty well over the years because they don't always care who it is. And, you know, it's different guys at different times.

You know, here it seemed different because it was just injury that took him out. It wasn't like game planning for someone else, but I don't know. This sounds like a lot of cold water on a situation where a player played very well. I have a hard time trust. Like going into next year, will I trust that Elijah Mitchell is the dude for 17 games? I probably won't. What about week one? Absolutely. Okay. I think if you think he's the guy on week one, then you make the bet on him. Sure, and then trade. Yeah.

Or do you ship them off after this year in Dynasty? I call it the Philip Lindsay effect. Right. Go get some value. I think he's the guy. Like, I mean, this is the point where we're in the point of, point of dynasty where you are making uninformed or not, I should say, you don't have all the information. You don't have the draft information. You just can follow some, some tea leaves, follow some breadcrumbs. And that's how you get huge wins, though.

Also in your dynasty league is when you take the gamble of that Elijah Mitchell, I think he's going to be the guy. I don't think they're going to draft the replacement for him. And you go get him while his value is low right now because those other things exist, you have a huge win. If you're really, really good at football, we have seen evidence that that is enough to get you back out on the field. I mean, we spent an off season doubting James Robinson and then they tried to work Carlos Hayden and eventually talent just won the day.

Right? I mean, talent got him back out. So if Elijah is great, then the draft capital, the ambiguity, all those things aren't going to be barriers for him. It's just a risk. It's a tremendous risk heading into the year. And yeah, you got hurt three times, but then they were like, yeah, we're willing to hurt you a fourth. Like go out there and take 30 more carries. And lucky for him, it's not just, it's not just Eliza Mitchell. It's every single running back.

running back for the 49ers just gets hurt. Yeah. Them in Baltimore have practice field issues. Okay running back. So those were the three applause-worthy running backs. Let's get to the okay running backs. Michael Carter, fourth round pick, finished at RB 29. 7% great games, 36% good, missed some time with injury as well.

Join Sequin, Heinz, Cohen, and McCaffrey is the only rookie running backs over the last 14 years to have multiple eight plus reception games. He followed kind of the rookie model of playing time increase, trust increase over the course of the year. They had a lot of running backs in the mix in New York. I don't know that I view Michael Carter very positively. I certainly think he can be, but.

When you look at his season, he had his most impressive stretch right in the middle of the year, week seven through 10. And week seven through 10 is when Mike White was the quarterback for this team. That was when he was dumping the ball off, left, right and center. And all of a sudden, you know, those stats have, you know, had a lot of reception games. Well, yeah, those all came with not Zach Wilson. He had one good game with Zach Wilson the second half of the year. So it's just one of those where I...

I pumped the brakes a little bit. Now, Tevin Coleman is... He'll be gone. Yeah, exactly. I do think that the arrow's pointing up from this season for Michael Carter. It's only going to be better and he showed enough flashes of what he could do. But I don't want to just look at the game log as all the same when so much of the value came without Zach Wilson. Yeah, and I'm not that optimistic either. I mean, for a player of that size, I don't think he's ever going to hit the carry totals that's going to make him...

You know, he's going to have a ceiling that is going to make him a very difficult pick. And maybe that'll make me underestimate him. Maybe that'll make him a receiving back that deserves more attention than he gets. But I don't think there's a future where Michael Carter is Austin Eccler. I agree with that. But I think that Michael Carter can be a top 20 guy. What about the round man to touchdown? Ramandre Stevenson. Fourth round pick had some huge games.

Great running offense. The round mound of touchdown. You like it? I love it. It's homage to Sir Charles. Yeah. His name is Ramoundre almost. Heck yeah, man. The round mound of touchdown. Yeah. Done. First nickname of 2022. It's a long one. Since 2013, here are the rookie running backs with multiple games of 100 plus yards and two rushing touchdowns. Gurley, Zeke, Jacobs, Jeremy Hill. Yeah. Jonathan Taylor and.

Ramandre Stevens. He was super impressive. Very well-rounded running back. I think I test. Oh, well, yeah, there you go. The eye test, I wasn't expecting this from him. I'll be honest, coming in. I think Damien Harris is a better between the tackles runner than Ramandre is. But when he was on the field, they did have something else in the offense that Damien Harris couldn't bring. And, um,

You know, Damien Harris is in the last year of his contract. So there is a, there's a path for Ramandre. Like I like him a lot more than Carter. Yeah, me too. And there's a path for him being the guy if he earns the trust of this coaching staff. Yeah, I think Ramandre Stevenson is very, very talented. The fact that he can actually catch the ball while being a goal line back. I mean, that's kind of what you're hoping for for fantasy. Those are the two most valuable.

situations for fantasy football is, are you going to catch the ball and do you get touchdown opportunities? I think he has the rare skill set to really, truly be both of those. Now, next year, it's still Damien Harris. He's under contract. He was the more explosive back between the two. I think he was the better runner on the ground, and I don't expect anything to change. Tons of touchdowns. But long term, you know, this is.

This was his rookie year. So you're talking two years from now, I think he could be the dude. And I think it would be really, really valuable for fantasy. And in the meantime, while you wait for that to happen, he's not irrelevant. No, he'll get drives. Yeah. So he was one of the first end of the season dynasty targets on my radar. Yeah, I like it. I really, he showed a lot of flashes. And we just talked about Mack Jones. The offense should get.

better and improve and move forward and Mac Jones get better. I mean, that's not a guarantee always. Was it Michael Turner and, uh, Tevin Coleman and Atlanta together? Oh, no. They were never together. Michael Turner was with Ledain who was with Tomlinson. Who was Kevin Coleman with? It was freeman. I'm sorry. So that is my only worry about this situation for Mondrick in redraft leagues is that.

He's too good. You're always waiting. He's too good to not be a handcuff, like a pure end-of-season backup. But he's not good enough to be a regular starter or somebody that you can count on when Damien Harris is healthy. They've got him cheap. So, I mean, Harris got hurt multiple times, and that made Remandre impactful. In the disappointing running back category for rookies, ETN due to injury, first round pick.

I want to talk about him in a minute, but Chase Serman was the biggest disappointment. Third round draft picked by the 49ers. Whoops. I took him in the first round of our dynasty startup. At the back of the first round. Thankfully, I took Elijah Mitchell in the third. I mean, if I just did those in the opposite order. You mean in the rookie draft? Yeah, sorry, in the rookie draft. I would have felt great about it. You have between zero and two future running backs right now. That is right. Thank you.

So he was the biggest disappointment. I would say, you know, Chuba Hubbard in the fourth round got tons of playing time and showed you that you should probably trade him to whoever has Christian McCaffrey like now. Yes. And then Kenneth Gainwell didn't really make an impact. He was the strangest, I think.

I liked him coming out. His production profile was awesome. You want to talk about a guy who showed flashes too? He really did. He looked good on the field. He had a couple of really good games. Including a rushing touchdown in week one. Like it looked like it was going to be Miles Sanders and Kenny Gainwell. Like Boston Scott was not part of his game plan. Jordan Howard. And then just and then what it got to the point where, oh, well.

Kenny Gainwell is the obvious person to step up here because Miles Sanders is missing time. That's what it was no. We're, in fact, going to bench him. It was, let me put it this way. Let me put it this way. He only had five games this whole season where he got 35% of the snaps. Okay. Five for five RB ones. Every single time that he was over 35% snap. 35% this is not a, this is not a huge barrier. Who are you talking about?

You mean a top 24? Yes, I'm sorry, top 24. Top 24. Top 12 will be way more impressive. That would be incredible. But he was top 12, three of those five. I mean, he was still great. But my point is like when he was given the opportunity, he looked great. Yes. So going forward, I. You're optimistic? I am optimistic. Gainwell and Michael Carter. Oh, Gainwell, for me personally. I believe more in what the Eagles.

offense can do going forward than I do in the Jets. Let me make life hard on you. Travis E.T.N. was a first round draft pick. He'll be returning. He got more time to recover than a lot of players get for an injury of that nature. Are you more confident dynasty-wise in the yet-to-be-seen yet first-round draft pick, Travis E.T.N. You're going Cam Acres, aren't you? No, but let's mix him in there. All right. Or Cam Acres or Elijah Mitchell. I was going Elijah Mitchell.

Because we're talking about these rookies. Oh, that's funny. But, I mean, you look at a player that was proven and established, but E.TN, the path is there. I mean, you have James Robinson with an Achilles injury. You have a new head coach, one that we all like. Oh, I forgot about Robinson's Achilles. Yeah, and you have Doug Peterson now. E.T. N. I feel like E.T.N is a player that you could go, he may be the guy to go shop Elijah Mitchell for. Yeah. Yeah, I, I, I.

I think I would put E.T. But you do have to wince when you do it. Yeah, I mean, all three of these guys have giant question marks. The right answer could very easily be Cam Acres here, where if another year removed from the injury or the recovery time and the better offense for sure, it's between those two guys. I would put Mitchell third for me. Let's jump into rookie wide receivers. The impressive rookie wide receivers. Jamar Chase. Jalen Waddle.

And Amon Rae St. Brown. Jamar Chase, I mean, what needs to be said? He just literally. He's good. He proved anybody and everybody wrong that would ever have said this team should have spent something else on this pick. I mean, you can say what you want about how bad the offensive line is for Cincinnati. It doesn't matter. So what? Who cares? Jamar Chase makes every single play a potentially home run play for Joe Burrow. Every time they snap the ball, there is a.

legitimate chance at a touchdown because of Jamar Jay's how good was he in the Super Bowl too I mean those catches the one even the swing pass that ended up being a rush for him he just like palm the ball and ran down the field where was this guy in the preseason when he couldn't catch a football I don't know that's a funny thing to think about so finished at wide receiver 5 we talked about him extensively on the truth show so if you want a bigger Jamar chase breakdown that's where you look the on the rookie review show me's great

Jalen Waddle finished at wide receiver 16. I think he impressed a lot of people this year. Again, you have a head coaching change in Miami. But this past year, 141 targets, 104 catches, over 1,000 yards, six touchdowns. Trade for Waddle. I mean, if you, McDaniel, everything out of his mouth is Waddle. He is going to build an offense that runs through Jalen Waddle. And so long as his body can.