The Fantasy MVP Show + Team DEF Strategy

Barclay as descended from the fantasy heavens. But Freeman, a guy that posted sick numbers last season in advance analytics according to pro football focus last year for the Oregon Ducks among all FBS running max number 11 elusive rating. He averaged 3.39 yards of contact per attempt as well. He's six feet even, 235 pounds, built like a Sherman tank.

It looks like he is set to be the early downback behind a much improved Denver Broncos offense. And look, this offensive line last season, let's give credit where credit is due. It was number nine and run blocking efficiency according to football outsiders. What ailed it was pass blocking. And I think that's been rectified as well with Case Keenham there, a bunch of field stretchers, including the standout rookie Cortland Sutton. I think Royce Freeman's got to have a lot of holes to run through. Mark it down.

1,313 total yards. Whoa. 31 total catches and eight combined touchdowns. He's got to be a borderline RB1. I was waiting for the 31 touchdowns. Whoa. Now, uh, poor Brad. When we're putting all of it, when we're putting this show together, it takes a few weeks to, uh, to make sure that everyone gets their things on time. And Brad got his in immediately when I asked for it. And he was not expecting.

the fantasy hitman bump when I declared that Royce Freeman wasn't my guy because he has since skyrocketed in the past two weeks. Brad said fifth or sixth round pick in that. No, he said, well, because that's where he was. On August 4th, Royce Freeman was available at the back of the fifth. As of today, he is going at the back of the third. So.

When this was recorded, he was a screaming value, which was also part of why I loved, I still love Royce Freeman, but that value was so incredible. The value is not nearly as great, but I'm with Brad. He will be the second best. Will you spend the 10th pick of the third round? I will. Royce Freeman. Yes. He is right now sandwiched between Alex Collins and Derek Henry. Order those three guys. I would still take Collins.

over him but it would go Collins Freeman Henry. So you agree with ADP exactly. And I agree that he will be the second best rookie running back. Do you think that situation in Denver is one of those ones where everybody knows what's happening in the backfield except for Devante Booker? Like do you think everybody is like winking at each other as they go by and no, get in there. Hey, hey starter. Go earn that job, big man. First string Booker.

That's what we call him. That's not very nice. No, it's not. Sorry, Mr. Booker. Since early, early offseason, I know myself and I believe all of us have said that Royce Freeman will be the starter. Come week one, Devante Booker is not good enough. And the coaching staff saying, oh, Devonte is our starter and they're going to share the load. What is the chance? Because we have to be realistic here when we look at, okay, we're going to draft a player at the back of the third. Is there a chance here that...

It's just true. And he splits the whole load all year. There's a chance, in my opinion, that the first three or four games, you have similar fantasy production from both players. That's what I believe. Sure. I believe that there's a chance through the first few weeks of the season that you end up with in PPR leagues, the same production. Yeah, I can agree with that. Whole year, no. No way. It'll be Royce Freeman, which is why I'm willing to spend up on the pick. All right. Well, that's my guy.

I love him. That Brad is on board. Let's go to Matt Harmon, who formerly of NFL.com now with Yahoo. Best friend of the show. You can find his reception content inside the ultimate draft kit. That means he's most assuredly going to pick a whiteout, doesn't it? I love his pick.

Hey, everyone. It's Matt Harmon, Yahoo Sports Fantasy Analyst, a contributor to the ultimate draft kit right here with the fantasy football. It's using my reception methodology. And really overall, not just a friend of the show, but the best friend of the show. And I'm here today to give you my fantasy football MVP for the 2018 season. And I'm going to go a little bit off the map with this one, not just a player, but a coach. Matt LaFleur is my fantasy football MVP for this season. And I'm going to tell you why.

You're seeing a team that last year ranked 28th in pace of play. That's a football outsider stat. They were slow, boring, a malaise offense overall. You're seeing them now being taken over on the offensive coaching side by a guy who comes from the Sean McVeigh coaching tree, the real Kyle Shanahan coaching tree. And last year, the Rams ranked number one in pace of play. They were the fastest team in the NFL. And the 49ers, again, Kyle Shanahan, they were a top five team in pace of play. So you're seeing a...

young, progressive uptempo coach take over what was a stale team that's just riddled with talent. Because of LaFleur, I have Marcus Marriota, my tier three of quarterbacks up there with guy like Drew Breeze. I have Delaney Walker as a top five tight end, a guy I'm hammering in the mid rounds. You know, Corey Davis could break out. And Taywan Taylor, man, Taywan Taylor might be the most underrated receiver in fantasy drafts right now.

a 76% contested catch conversion rate reception from college. He's gone picking everywhere, and it's all thanks to LaFleur. All right, so Matt LaFleur, head coach of the Tennessee Titans, the pick. And this fits in with yesterday's show. My breakout candidates were both Corey Davis and Tewan Taylor. Matt LaFleur is going to change things there. It's a matter of Mariotta being able to evolve and execute the game plan put in place by Matt LaFleFleur.

But I think we all agree that just the pace of play, the opportunity for more offensive plays overall is going to produce better fantasy value in Tennessee. 100% because Marcus Mariotta is, in my opinion, is a better quarterback than Jared Goff. And here's what Sean McVeigh, I mean, Harmon broke down a lot of numbers. I want to break down just something very simple. 2016, the Los Angeles Rams were 29th in offensive points.

In 2016, I'm sorry, in 2015. In 2016, the Rams were 32nd, as we call first. The Fisher era. Thirty-second best. The 32nd best offense in the league. Also knows the worst. Sean McVeigh comes in. Literally, literally, from worst to first. That's what the offensive system did. Now, can Matt LaFleur?

Replicate that? Replicate or come anywhere near to that success. I believe that he can because offensive scheme is so important. Coaching is far more important than fantasy players like to give it credit or believe it. And LaFleur's coaching tree is not...

just McVeigh. Sure. McVeigh, Shanahan. Two years ago, I was living... Shanahan. Shanahan. Yeah, Shanahan, Shanahan Squared. I was livid two years ago that they did not promote Matt LaFleur from the quarterback's coach in Atlanta when he had that, you know, Matt Ryan MVP season to the offensive coordinator and then went and got...

Steve Sarkesian. And then he was obviously pissed, too. He's like, okay, I'm going to take the same job over for the Rams. And he got his opportunity. We haven't seen him call plays yet. That's the only worry. But it can't be worse than last year. That's why I've been banging the Marioator's job. It was exotic last year, though. It was exotic. So smashy. So smash. Mouths were smashed.

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Hard knocks episode last night. Yeah. Was he not the best? He, uh, Matt Flore OC, just. Yeah, sorry. Did I say head coach? You said to coach. We're all good. Uh, he was entertaining that this was the offensive line coach for the Cleveland Browns, drives a Maserati. Yeah, the Maserati, he's stretching is really what set it off. Oh, he's so funny.

Jason, you will, when you see this episode, this guy is a caricature. Yes. He is, uh, or as our friend says, a caricature. And he, he basically, like, there's this clip going around Twitter right now where his belly moves with the snap count. When he goes sit up, he's a big boy. If you think I have not seen that gift going around. Yeah. Bob Wiley's a big boy. Um.

He drives a Maserati? You bet he does. Yes. How? I slowly? I don't know. When Brad Evans talked about Royce Freeman being a Sherman tank, it just made me think of when Bob Wiley was showing video of rhinoceroses and gorillas to his offensive line players in Cleveland to show them what a low center of gravity and foundation was like. Just be a rhinoceros. It was basically just be a rhinoceros. That's bad coaching. I mean, can we just call?

I'm not joking. That's terrible coaching. Well, it's, it wasn't. I haven't seen it. I don't have the context. His whole point. But if you're like, hey, you could be better if you have the center of a gravity of a rhino. Have you seen Carlos Hyde in that second preseason game? You look pretty good after that rhino pep talk. That must have been what did it. All right. Let's, uh, let's move on here with another fantasy MVP pick. MVP pick. What's up, fellas? It's your pal, JJ Zacharisen. And my fantasy football MVP this year is none other than Rex Burkhead.

I know he's banged up right now, but assuming he's good to go as we kick off the season, you're looking at someone who has legitimate RB1 upside in fantasy football. I think a lot of people are assuming that Sony Michelle is going to take on more of that Dionne Lewis role in the Patriots offense, or at the very least, he's going to see early down work. Well, after the Patriots decided that Mike Gillisley wasn't the answer last year, we saw five games where both Dionne Lewis and Rex Burkhead were suited up together. In those five games, Rex Burkhead averaged more snaps per contest.

And while he did see fewer attempts, he had more targets. And most importantly, he saw goal line work. In fact, during that stretch of five games, only two players in the entire NFL had more goal line attempts than Rex Burkhead did. And as a result of that, Burkhead averaged over four PPR points per game more than Dionne Lewis did. Like I said, both Burkhead and Michelle are banged up. But Burkhead's injury is apparently just a minor one. And I think that he's the New England running back that you want to target this year.

Rex Burkett. I'm going to be honest with you. I have the hardest time with when I'm, when push comes a shove in a draft and it's Rex Burkhead or Sony Michelle or Chris Carson and Rashad Penny, I have a really hard time making my decision. Just make the right choice, man? What's the right choice? Rex Burkhead. How right of a choice is that? Very, very much. So to the point of Rex Burkhead was going to be.