The Fantasy MVP Episode! - Fantasy Football Podcast for 9/4

You can't look at his ADP and think I'm getting him later in every league now that real drafts are happening. He is going much higher. When we did our mock draft yesterday, he went in the middle of the fourth round. His ADP is like almost sixth round. Our mock draft was crazy running back heavy. Yeah, and I think that's going to have it because when I look at the...

When I look at the ADP and I see where Price is, it's just delightful. I mean, he's behind Travo. He's behind, you know, guys that just, you know, Judkins and Bucky and David Montgomery. And I think he's going ahead of a lot of them. Well, I certainly was the one that took him yesterday that high. So you guys know how I feel about him. I think in a lot of leagues, he'll still sneak further if you're drafting on a platform with the ADP printed. He's going to sneak through.

If you're in a Sharper League where people are looking for a starter, running backs go soon, you want to guarantee, I mean, you want to take Ramandre or you want to take Giudarian Price? Remandre is a tough one because I think that Ramandre is going to have just disgusting but really great production. Those other guys, though, it's like Judkins, Bucky. I don't mind taking the bet. David Montgomery. Yeah, oh, Montgomery, for sure. Come on now. And you're saying price over to those guys, yes. Yes, yes, yes. Absolutely.

All right, one more of our friends before we get into our own. The three of us are fantasy MVP's. Friend of the show, Mina Kimes, we were lucky enough to jump on her show, and she was kind enough to reciprocate that with her fantasy MVP. Mina Kimes from ESPN.

All right, the MVP show March is on as we welcome in an award-winning journalist and NFL analyst and the host of the Mina Kimes show, appropriately. It is Mina Kimes joining us today. And Mina, we are excited to have you with us. And fantasy managers out there are trying to find the diamond in the rough, trying to find the player that's going to take them over the top.

Who better to ask than the one that only mean of Kimes? Who do you have as your fantasy football MVP for 2026? Yeah, so the way I interpreted this, and I just want to make sure I understand, is kind of obviously it's not Bejohn Robinson or Jamir Gibbs. That is correct. Okay. You got it. Yeah. I was thinking back to my first year, ESPN has this thing called the War Room League where it's like all the ESPN talent are in it. And my very first year.

that I got the invitation, which was quite an honor. I won because I had Amman Ross St. Brown. And it was, I believe, the 22 season where in the second half, he just went crazy. The rookie year when he became the playoff king. Right, before he was Amman Ross, St. Brown. And I think I got him in like the third round or something. I really liked him. But so, and I also, but I don't want to be like two hipstering pick like a crazy sleeper. So I'm trying to thread the needle here of like a guy. Okay, good. I understand it. That I think.

is going to be on a lot of winning teams, a guy that I desperately want on my own teams, hopefully no one in ESPN War Room Leagues listening to this, I want every piece of Amerian Hampton this year. Yes, you and Jason both. That is one of my three my guys this year, so we are in sync. Tell me your reasons why. Oh, man. First of all, the fantasy name, Hampton Inn. I want it for a few weeks. Hampton in! You get it when he scores. Hampton in!

Aside from that lovely free breakfast hotel chain, there's a lot I like about him. So first of all, I think he's really good. Just purely from a film watching tapehead went last year, horrible circumstances, hit by in line of scrimmage constantly. But when he was healthy, he was not only like kind of shockingly productive, I think it was really good in a way that's going to really translate in the Mike McDaniel offense. So we know from Miami, Mike McDaniel can basically...

gin up a run game out of nothing, right? The dolphins were extremely good at, despite the fact that nobody respected the passing game at the end. That run game is all about running outside the tackles. McDaniel uses all kinds of big bodies, some of which he brought with him, I call Alec Ingold, his emotional support fullback, to Los Angeles. But we know that he wants to get his backs outside the tackles in space, uses a lot of creative shenanigans to create those opportunities.

He wasn't, you know, he was obviously injured, but it was in a terrible circumstance. When he ran outside the tackles, I just pulled this up, 5.5 yards per carry. He actually tied DeAndre Swift first in the NFL, league-wide, EPA per carry outside the tackle. So I just feel it's like a dream match between the running back and the play caller. And like, even if he's not Devon A-chan, I still think he's going to be amazing. Yeah, I mean.

Big fan of Hampton over here and Jason. We all have him pretty high in our ranks. And the other thing standing out right now is like, how healthy is Keaton Mitchell going into the season where you're going to see the past catching downs and things like that? Right. Yeah, you won't get any argument for me on that. I mean, it was basically the exact same argument, the matchup of the offensive coordinator and then the offensive line getting better. I'm all in on the Chargers, but that always feels like a, well, fool me again this year. Yeah, the Chargers are the ultimate.

Oh, what was your excuse this year? Why, like, they just keep, there's no excuses this year. It's going to work. I mean, they've, well.

They already lost it. They already lost alignment for the end. Yeah, we say that. Everyone were like, this is it. Justin Herbert, no more Mr. If. And then they lose the center. And then, like, the guard is some guy you've never heard of. And Trey Pipkins is suddenly back in the conversation. Yeah, I think Daniel's really good at covering up for that, though. And the other thing, you mentioned Keaton Mitchell. I have him in Dynasty. God rest my soul. Which was amazing. I felt really smart, like brilliant, honestly, his rookie season.

I know people are a little bit freaked out about that, but I'm sure you guys have talked about this in death. Mike McDaniel is kind of a liar, right? Like I know. Yes, he is. Okay, okay. So we are on the same page here. He got to run the hell out of Hampton. Like Devon 18 had 238 carries last year, right? Like, so I just don't think. Also, Hampton himself is a very underrated pass catcher. I feel like that's another thing where he could produce a lot. But yeah, I'm not too scared. I'm not planning on starting Keaton Mitchell in my Dynasty League. Right. I think that is influencing my Hampton love.

Yeah, absolutely. Yeah, the lying Mike McDaniel. We've seen the, he'll get between zero and 30 carries or whatever comment he had last year for some of his players. You heard it here first. Yep. Fantasy football MVP for Mina Kimes is Amarion, Hampton, and Jason's a happy man. There you have it. Mina Kimes is going with. What a voice that the host had on that little clip. Yeah, that third voice. I barely even recognize it. Jason, do you have any notes?

No notes. Great job. I am in on Hampton, and I love the pairing with McDaniel. All right. It's time for our three. Jason, we are going to start with you. Who is your fantasy MVP? My fantasy MVP this year is A.J. Brown. I am, you know, I truly believe the difference between, you know, a my guy and a fantasy MVP to me.

and I think it might be different to all of us, is someone that is a true just absolutely winner, just could be met. I think in the range of outcomes, AJ Brown could be the number one wide receiver in fantasy football, but also where he's going, I find, I just, I love it because in the beginning of drafts, when you get, if you are near the end of the first round, that is where usually over the course of this offseason, you're drafting either Justin Jefferson or Drake London.

if you go wide receiver. But I really like the running backs that are available there. Personally, I've got AJ Brown ahead of those two wide receivers, and I can get him in the second round. So I feel like it's this really nice combination of where he's going is totally acceptable. And here's the case for why I think he's actually like a good player this year. The whole thing against Agent Brown is just, does he lose it? You know, if it's gone, it's gone, he's an older player.

You know, his numbers weren't quite as great last year. So maybe we saw the beginning of the end. And if so, then he's going to be a terrible pick. But I don't think that that's the case at all. We saw through camp he dominated. He dominated the total targets through training camp in targets and receptions. There were certain matchups when they were playing against the Seahawks in practices, those interteam practices where the...

The beat reporters were just saying he just dominated like they've never seen someone dominate, especially around the red zone. He was the wide receiver 10 last year, and he missed two games. And also, he was on a team that threw for 3,400 yards. Now he goes to a team that last year threw for 4,400 yards, add another 1,000 yards in there. You also...

get a much better passing quarterback. I love Jalen Hertz. I think he's a good quarterback. He is not the same passing quarterback that Drake May is. Drake May and Brown is an elite stack. May through 10 plus yards down the field at the fifth highest rate. And on those throws, he led the quarterbacks in completion rate, success rate, and pass rating. You lose Stefan Diggs. A.J. Brown comes in. He's going to get all the targets for a great quarterback.

And if you go, okay, well, he's old and he's switching teams, and so I'm out, there are a tier of wide receivers, a real special, like these guys aren't just a good wide receiver. These guys are one of the best in the league, which AJ Brown over the last, you know, seven years has been one of the best wide receivers in the league. You've got enough examples. Like Randy Moss when he went to the Patriots, obviously he's first Bell Hall of Famer. Yeah, that worked out.

But, I mean, he set the NFL touchdown record with 23 touchdowns, 1,500 yards. DeVante Adams, when he went to the Raiders at 29, 1,500 yards and 14 touchdowns. Brandon Marshall at age 31, 1,500 yards and 14 touchdowns. Terrell Owens at 30, 1,214 and only 14 games. Did you mention that Moss was 30 as well? I don't know if I gave his age. He was 30 when he went to New England. Exactly. A. G. Brown is 29.

You know, he's going to a perfect environment with a quarterback that fits him so well. This was like the argument for George Pickens of Dak Prescott last year. What Drake May does great, A.J. Brown does great. They need him. They've got vacated targets. He's going to be loud. It all lines up to me where it's either he's lost it and he's not good anymore and he's a terrible pick or if he's still A.J. Freaking Brown, he's going to go out there and.

have 1,400 yards and 14 touchdowns. That's very much in his range of outcome. So he's my fantasy MVP. I'm in on him. I am bullish on him not having lost it. I mean, I like AJ Brown. Yeah, I'm all in. I get it. I've been there. I know that there is, I think the offense altogether has some aggression coming potentially, efficiency-wise. But, you know, the biggest argument of that extra 1,000 yards passing offense, it's hard to.

I think it just does come down to, is he the same guy? Right, that's it. And you want me to go next, Mike? Sure. So we talked about James and Williams earlier, who I think is a discount in drafts, wide receiver 25 in the back of the fifth round. The way I view the fantasy MVP pick is somebody that you can always draft that is going to be a complete game changer for your team over the back half of the year.

This guy is the highest paid free agent receiver in the history of the National Football League when he signed. He is going in the eighth and ninth round. Both of them? Yeah, eight. Wow. I mean, yes. The answer is yes based on the league. Sleeper and ESPN. It is Alec Pierce of the Indianapolis Colts. I have been in the Alec Pierce camp. I don't really. I have a hard time understanding why.

people are not on board with Alec Pierce this is a team that like he went out last year his games with basically he had a concussion in the beginning of the year when he came back from the concussion this was like 1,250 yard pace despite the fact he lost Daniel Jones for part of the year then the team lets Michael Pittman depart then the team pays him $114 million this is not a nine right even though he's led the league in yards per reception you go look at his routes last year 55% of them

I mean, I watched so much Alec Pierce last year during the season. He was on my teams. He ran 55% digs, ins, crossings, go routes. I mean, he does more than people understand that he can do. And then you get rid of the intermediate guy and you say, well, Josh Downs is just going to step in and fix that. Keenan Allen's going to step in and fix that. No, their number one wide receiver is Alec Pierce. If you look at Detroit, Detroit has Ammonrae St. Brown, Jamir Gibbs in the passing game, and Sam Laporta.