Early Breakouts & Sleepers + The Panderbear: LIVE in Detroit - Fantasy Football Podcast for 6/21

My sleeper is a guy that I think a lot of people haven't heard about. They might not know this name at all. It's Jared Goff. No, that's a joke. That's a joke. That's a joke. That's a joke. I would never. I would pay him so much money.

To lock in Jared Gough is my guy. My sleeper, and I wanted to bring this name up, because specific to our show, we have not talked about him, hardly at all. Through the pre-draft process, because I'm talking about rookie wide receiver David Bell. David Bell. Was that the bell? I'm just trying it on. I mean, we haven't got to hit that in a long time. That's good on this sound system. Is it surprising you, Mike? I may have peed a little bit.

David Bell. Do it again after. No. David Bell is a rookie wide receiver drafted to the Browns. He was drafted in the third round, taken 99th overall. We haven't really talked much about him because pre-NFL draft, he didn't do great at the combine. He wasn't a guy, I think he was 4-6-5, and people were really disappointed. And so the dynasty community is like...

David Bell is dead to me. Yeah, we turn on them pretty quick. Yeah, we are a fickle bunch. But David Bell's good. David Bell is actually a good, wide receiver. I really like his college film, and his production is off the charts. As a true freshman, he had over a thousand yards. His next year in Purdue was a shortened college season because of COVID.

But he dominated. He had a 53% touchdown share. I mean, he had the majority of that team's touchdowns. And then, of course, his final year in Purdue, 1,286 yards, six touchdowns. He is a very good wide receiver. But not only is he a good wide receiver, but he was drafted to a perfect opportunity. You have the Browns here who've made...

you know, a change at quarterback, and you could say whatever you want about the situation. Number two. Yeah, there you. But, you know, Deshaun Watson's going to throw more touchdowns per game. And David Bell is now has a great chance to be.

the wide receiver, too. There's a lot of doubt about Amari Cooper and what he has left, too. Well, and even if Amari Cooper, I don't have doubt about Amari Cooper. There's not any doubt about whether Amari Cooper has any... There is to a lot of people, but I actually think that...

David Bell comes in and is the number two right away and is actually very good his rookie year. Now, this is a guy that you might not draft, but I want the name known. I want the folkland to know. Like, David Bell, let's say Watson is suspended six games. Maybe you're not going to draft him, but you need to be aware that he has a really good opportunity. His comp to me...

It was always Anquam Bolden. He has very similar skill set. A great route runner, very good hands. He was trending today on Twitter because he hasn't dropped a single pass through all of minicamp, training camp, everything, and their beatwriters are freaking out about it. He had to come out and say that's not true. There was one that he didn't catch in the first day of OTAs.

But he is very, very good. He has a great opportunity to be powerfully productive in both his career as, you know, I mean, who is he competing with for targets? You've got the Donovan. The people like people's Jones. So you'll say it. I would love for my wide receiver sleeper candidate.

to have to compete against Donovan People's Jones as the main source. They have the 47% of their targets, which is the fourth most that's vacated. Jarvis Landry's gone. Rashad Higgins is gone. Austin Hooper is gone. They are going to pass the ball a lot more with Watson. They drafted David Bell in the third round. He's the talk of the town. And so I just...

I wanted to bring the name up because I think a lot of people literally don't know who David Bell is. And he is the type of wide receiver that I prefer. He's 6-1-212 pounds. He can be an in-zone guy that, you know, as his career progresses, is a double-digit guy. No, Andy Isabella. Exactly. No, Rondale Moore. All right, David Bell. Are you in on that?

For this season, redraft leagues? I think he is very good. He could absolutely surprise people. But I just, I think, slash hope that Jacoby Brissette's their quarterback the whole year. I'm not going to leave it back. You're not going to get into that? I'm not going to get into that. You want to see certain things happen? Look, people deserve certain things. I will say this, and, you know, offseason is all about coach speak and hype and.

making the most out of the smallest conversation with somebody on staff. But when you listen to head coach Kevin Stefansky, talk about David Bell, talk about targeting him as their primary receiver that they wanted to acquire in the draft. You know, it's an opportunity that's there. And we would have been pining over wide receivers with opportunity with Deshaun Watson and Houston. So it makes a lot of sense. Early breakout age, like Jason said, that's a marker we want to see. An early declare, that's what we want to see.

a high dominator from a good school, that's what we want to see. So, like, he, and day two draft capital. Like, he checks so many boxes. He checks every single box other than athleticism. I will... Right, let's just move on. Which you, I mean, it's kind of like, I mean, you check a lot of boxes. Well, that's, it's, yeah, well, I check athleticism, okay? You did leap off stage. You see that jump? You see that jump over there? Come on.

So for my sleeper, I find myself in a very curious position. I cannot believe what you're doing. Part of what this show is, is look, we like, you know, we do the research, we dig into the numbers, we try to present it in a consumable way, we try to be entertaining, and mix that all together. Because fantasy is about having fun. Fantasy is about not just, you know, you want to win, and winning makes it fun, certainly. But you want to enjoy the ride as well.

And so there are things that happen in fantasy that sway the emotions and a bad start to a season is one of the biggest ones. It just leaves the burns. You build up in your head what your team. I mean, everybody's team looks so good on paper. It can really hurt, Andy. Can it? Yes. So I'm a Debo guy, right? Yeah. But my sleeper is Brandon Ayuk at the San Francisco 49. Yeah.

And I mean, just before I even get into an argument for it at all. Yes. How do you feel? I feel betrayed. I feel hurt. And, I mean, not by you, but by Brandon. I just, he was someone that I believed in, and he did not have the breakout that we want to see. But you're 100% right. We are skewed because of...

How it started last year. He was drafted as the wide receiver 22 last year, fifth round pick, went straight into Kyle Shanahan's doghouse. Trent Sherfield was out there running on the field, and people were pulling their hair out going, what is happening? Like, all the thoughts of, is this going to be another Dante Bettis? Is this going to be another player that, and Kyle Shanahan's history of drafting players with high draft capital? And then, goodbye, Trace Sermon. Hello, Elijah Mitchell. So.

The first half of the season, do you know what he was on pace for target-wise? It was beautiful. It was... Oh! We got one in. We got one in. We got one in. We got one in. 55 total targets in the first half of the season. One fantasy finish inside the top 36. It was as useless as you could be, and you kept hoping that you had something. But from week nine on his pace...

was much more respectable. 73 for 1100 in 7 had three top 15 finishes. And that was all with Debo and Kittle on the field in the second half. So there is that category of fantasy football player that is post-hyped sleeper. And a lot of people wanted to be in on the step up for Brandon Ayyuk. But I believe he has emerged from the doghouse. Everything out of OTAs in Camp Look in San Francisco, step one, stay healthy. I mean, for some reason they have a harder time.

than other ball clubs doing that. But I think Brandon Ayut, he's being drafted as the wide receiver 39. Even in last year's terrible year, he finished at 36. So I do think there is a real opportunity for Brandon Ayuk to be much more consistent to outperform the draft capital. Yes, we've talked about it. The same reason Debo is getting drafted lower than he finished last year. Question marks with Trey Lance. Is he a good football player? Nobody really knows the answer. I don't even know if the 49ers know the answer.

Do you think they know? All I'm hearing from you is that you're now supporting Trey Lance. If you want the number two wide receiver, the number three option in the passing game as a sleeper, you're supporting Trey Lance. And I'm here for it. I definitely support the Trey Lance that played one full game with Brandon Iyuk where he went four for 94. Yeah, fantastic. On six targets. So again, you do have a little bit of that what if, you know, Debo gets hurt. Kittle, he's always hurt.

So you do have an opportunity for the target influx if one of those things happens. But scored a touchdown in 41% of his career games. He is a good player. Just had to emerge from Kyle Shanahan's doghouse. So I think as a sleeper, which look, they wouldn't be sleepers if they were guaranteed to hit. I mean, that's not how it works. So I think Ayuk is very interesting. Got it. Trey Lance. I want to talk about my breakout wide receiver. Sorry, Detroit. I got to go back to the Green Bay Packers because...

There, look, yeah, calm yourself, calm yourself. There's a guy I want to talk about from the Green Bay Packers. Some have called him a king. Some have called him a king. Some have called him a king. But he is not the lizard king. He is, in fact, the Lazard king, the true number one wide receiver for the Green Bay Packers. Alan Lazard, who is being left for dead in drafts. Probably by me.

But not just you, but by the entire community, a guy who could legit be the number one wide receiver for Aaron Rogers. An underdog in basketball tournaments right now, wide receiver 45 in the 8th, going even later in redraft leagues. But let's set the stage. Alan Lazard, because when you throw out names, you don't even realize, like, how big or how small are some of these wide receivers. Alan Lazard is 6'5.

And almost 230 pounds. Like the dude is giant. The guy, sure, the guy is gigantic. Over the final five games of last year, he scored five times and he finished in the top 24, four of the five weeks, a 16% target share. And that is with elite Devante Adams there, still managing to pull in 16% of the targets. Aaron Rogers and Lazard have chemistry.

The sixth highest quarterback rating when targeting a wide receiver goes to Alan Lazard. The fifth most fantasy points per target goes to Alan Lazard. Now take this for what it is over the off season, but Aaron Rogers talking about Lazard saying he's been our dirty work guy for most of his career, but now he's getting an opportunity to be a number one wide receiver because they don't have a choice.

Yes, they moved up in the second round to draft Christian Watson. Fantastic. You moved up in the second to get a guy who has no production from a very small school. That works out really well. Andy Isabella, as we mentioned earlier. It does not. That's not true. Andy Isabella had a lot of production. Okay, okay. Sorry, small school guys in the second round, it just doesn't historically work out. 40% of the Green Bay targets.

are gone just when you talk about Devante Adams and MVS. And absolutely, the running backs are going to get a bump. I'm in on that analysis. But last year, Aaron Jones was at 11% and AJ Dillon was at 6%. There's only so much that that water will raise when 40% of the targets from last year are gone. Alan Lazard has played in five games without Devante Adams, and in those games, he's averaged over 60 receiving yards a game.