Top 10 WR Rankings + High Expectations, Captain Mike - Fantasy Football Podcast for 8/5

We need more than six touchdowns from C.D. Lamb. We need more than 79 receptions from C.D. Lamb. If he's going to be drafted here, which, look, we got him ranked up there because he should. Should needs to become has, has done. I mean, he needs to have done it. I mean, he's got all the talent in the world. And yet we're sitting here, you know, talking about, you know, 11006. That's not, that's not impressive in 17 games. So, um, I hope it happens. I do project him to have an uptick, and we need more explosive plays. We need double-digit touchdown C.D. Lamb, gentlemen. Coming in number eight, Mike Evans of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He is 29, but he just keeps getting it done over and over, 1,000 receiving yards in every single season he has ever played in the NFL. Last year he finished as the wide receiver 8 with only 1,000 yards, but...

14 touchdowns and the band is back together. They are re-rolling Sands Bruce Ariens. But Mike Evans, I know we had the little tweak of the hamstring that we talked about at the beginning. But where are we on Mike Evans? If I said, Jason, let me sit the over under here at 13 and a half touchdowns for Mike Evans. Right now, based on the information we have today, because that's where we are with drafts, are you taking the over or the under? If I was betting real money, I would take the under injuries are a real thing. If I'm statting out 11 and a half. Then I would take the over. If I'm standing out a healthy season for Brady and a healthy season for Mike Evans, I do think that his range of outcomes, I can't even imagine fewer than 10 touchdowns. He's great in that area and he's got a quarterback that knows how to get him the ball in that area.

Brady is going to throw near 40 touchdowns, and Mike Evans will be the predominant beneficiary. So he is a player I've really, really, really liked. Obviously, the news is broken poorly for him, the addition of Julio Godwin being healthy. Now it seems like the targets that were going to be kind of forced and manufactured to be higher won't necessarily be there. And we did see when they had a healthy cast of characters around Mike Evans. He was still good for fantasy, but his top end, you know, that top five finish because you're living in that 150 target zone, that wasn't there. And I don't necessarily expect him to be a top five. I don't think that range of outcomes is there for him. Okay. If Godwin is healthy and Julio is healthy. Now, those two are current question marks. No, I agree. I agree with you. I mean, I agree that that range of outcomes isn't there.

Like I haven't at 9 because he's going to finish at 9 because he always finishes at 9. I mean, he's 812, 10, 8. I mean, that's the last four years for Evans. We'll have 1,000 yards because, of course, he'll threaten 10 to 15 touchdowns. But he probably won't catch more than 75 passes. Do you think he has an outcome that's unseen at this point in his career, Mike? It's something where he can come out and, you know, enter a tier that he hasn't been in since 2016. Well, I misspoke a little bit about the band because the bass player, Rob Gruncowski, left for his own solo album. But the thing is, we have two years here with Mike Evans and the plant man, Thomas Brady, 13 touchdowns, 14 touchdowns. And now with Gronk not there. I mean, Jen, I agree with you guys that, you know, a lower top 10 finish. That's probably where Mike Evans will be. But.

If there's anyone in the NFL this year that you're like, this dude showed up and he pulled down 18 touchdowns, like that wouldn't just be a complete and total shock to me because of the situation here with if Chris Godwin really is off to a slower start. Julio Jones, maybe he turns into a touchdown guy here with Tom Brady, but over his. Hall of Fame career touchdowns have not been the game, and then all of the touchdowns that generally go to Gronk in the tight end position, the tight ends on the roster of camera break, Kyle Rudolph, and Kate Aughton are not, they're not, you know, the guys that are just going to demand end zone targets. So in the range of outcomes, I think a freak top five finish could be there. But for the most part, I'm expecting just a real solid, you know,

the 6 to 10 range for Mike Evans. Mike Williams of the Los Angeles Chargers is coming in at number nine. We have him, you know, a bit higher than consensus. He last year he finished at the wide receiver 10, got off to an incredible start and then really fizzled out in the middle of the season before turning it back on at the end. And then the Los Angeles Chargers turned in a giant bag of money to him saying you are the future of this team. How are we feeling about Mike Williams, Jason? I think we are feeling hot and bothered as a group. I would say you are correct. I mean, we're all in on Mike Williams. This is a player that you can get, you know, we have him as the wide receiver 9. He's currently being drafted ADP as the wide receiver 19. So this isn't a player you need to grab as the wide receiver 9. And that's what's great for the footland is.

This is a player that when you can get him near his actual average draft position, you're adding another great piece that just shouldn't be in that range of the draft. There are question marks around Mike Williams because he kind of disappeared when he was dealing with some injuries in the middle of the year. But when you have Justin Herbert throwing you the ball, you know, we just talked about with Mike Williams. If Brady's throwing 40 touchdowns, the primary beneficiary is... Mike Evans and here it's Mike Williams because Keenan Allen's not a touchdown guy. I know that the touchdowns of the passing game came in a huge way for Austin Echler, but you don't just presume that the running back is going to be a real goal line receiving threat. Mike Williams has the talent, the ability, the contract that says he should be the wide receiver one for this team.

I think for fantasy purposes, his upside is tremendous. When you are out of the very, very, very top end wide receivers, the 100 plus reception guys, what you're looking for is who can go out and win me a week? That's Mike Evans. That's the type of player I want once the huge 160 plus target guys are out of the way. And, you know, not a lot of people out there in that range around wide receiver 19. have the ability or a pathway towards dominance like Mike Williams has. Yeah, you do need some volatility on your roster because you need that nitro, that turbo, like Jason was saying, that can turn into someone who just wins you the week. It was interesting to see his usage, like when he was an absolute superstar over those first five weeks, nine plus targets in four of those five games, then that really settled down. So it was, it was disappointing to see that the usage.

change there for Mike Williams, but I'm still in. I want targets from Justin Herbert, and I want those touchdowns as well. Number 10, I can't believe he snuck into our top 10. We built this. Oh, we got a new graphic there. Hold on. What was that? Hold on. Wait a minute. What is, let's see. Oh, look at that. It's, it's me and Michael Pittman be your best friends. Oh, my guy. Oh, no. Fire player, Michael Pittman. Oh, this is a problem. Uh, ladies and gentlemen. Are you resigning? Uh, no, oh, no, I'm not, I, I ain't going nowhere. Uh, but there's a certain person who makes our graphics. I hope you enjoyed making graphics for us, Brian, because you're not making another one. Oh, yes. Yes. I can't believe what just happened. By the way, do you realize, also I'm unfollowing you on Twitter. You should probably go check that. Oh, and I know that that's real.

Yeah, Jason, take over. I got to go do something. I was just going to say, we've got triple mics in a row. Do you realize that? Mike Evans, Mike Williams, Mike Pittman? That's because in the population of the world, Mike is 90% of the male population. You can say of us because you are one of the mics. Yeah, I mean, we just had the fire and ice live show in Los Angeles. I laid out my... belief in why Michael Pittman should be drafted as a top end guy, why he's going to be a fire pick this year. I think that the Colts offense is going to be great with, you know, a former MVP at quarterback who can get the ball to him. Michael Pittman is a dominant wide receiver. He breaks a lot of...

metrics that you want to break to project to have a great next season. The target competition there is, you know, Paris Campbell who, you know, we're in the annual Paris Campbell hype. Alec Pierce looks good as an incoming rookie draft pick. But I mean, this is Pittman's team. This is a good offense. This is a young, huge, gigantic player. You know, we talk about like, fiery. And he's fiery. So there's, there's really not. much in my viewpoint. When I'm checking my boxes, when I'm watching film, there's really nothing I don't like from Michael Pittman. The little crossing route and run away from guys thing you saw rookie year Michael Pittman, that's not who he is anymore. He's a dominant wide receiver one. He had 129 targets last year. I think that number goes up significantly. And if he becomes one of those 160 target guys, I love him. I've got him as a top 10 wide receiver this year.

I am at 13 and I look I'm I have no problem saying I'm rising and content with Michael Pittman the only thing I'll remind people is that he's yet to perform as a wide receiver one and so part of the bet on Michael Pittman is a bet on Matt Ryan and that's not been the best bet in recent years and so I worked that into the way I think about it like the best definition for Pittman's fantasies production so far has been good not great and we know that statistically he only had one game last year where he was a 20 plus point uh what we define is great in our consistency metrics uh i'd love to see him get to great and to get to great he's going to need matt ryan to give him more than you know he had 26 percent target share last year um he's going to need more touchdowns and um i don't know how much i want to bet on mount ryan

to make for him to make that leap but i mean 13 would be an improvement on last year jason has him at 10 mic at 11 so i think we're all saying the same thing with the end result on the year i just hope we get more than one great performance from because he's physically capable of it he just needs opportunity from a more consistent source and hopefully matt ryan at this age could be that yeah matt ryan can be ryan tannahill in this situation and where you've got an a j brown type body in Michael Pittman and the defense is going to have to stop Jonathan Taylor. So I think this is why this is why Mike also loves my guy Michael Pittman. Mike's so upset. I mean, I mean, this is just yesterday. I mean, this is a hijacking. This is a live hijacking of a man's best friend. I am not pleased. I mean, the mayor of the city has been dragged.

and tarred and feathered outside the city by Jason. The election is over now. I am the mayor. You can, you can ask for permission back into the city, Mike, and I might grant it. I can't even, Mike didn't even notice it was Jason the first time you hit that button, I don't think because it was too outside the realm of possibility. Yep. I did not like what I saw. And I love Michael Pittman. The thing I'll throw out here is, number one, Matt Ryan is. way better than Carson Wentz. You can look at the accuracy numbers on basically any, you can dig down and do any different type of throw of like clean pocket, under pressure, tight man covers like Matt Ryan is better than Carson Wentz. And if you're a better quarterback, I think that I think that the coaching staff of Indianapolis will trust him more. And this is not a knock on Jonathan Taylor at all. The dude is the Hulk.

But 18 rushing touchdowns. That is a lot of rushing touchdowns. And if just a small handful of those turn into passing touchdowns and you bump up Michael Pittman just slightly, I think that he easily can slip into that top 12 position. I love him. I will be breaking back into the city. You better get the National Guard on high alerts. It's like breaking back into your own house, Mike. Like someone locked you out of your own house. I got a squatter. You got to jump the fence and try to get in. I mean, this has been changed, brother. I don't even know how Mike's going to deal with this. I already dealt with it. Who are you most worried about busting of the top 10 that we've mentioned so far? C.D. Lamb. That's that's fair.

He's my biggest worry. And I want to give you the numbers here to what I was saying. Here's Dax wide receiver one target through his career. 120 targets, 130 targets, 119 targets, 95 targets, 135, 98. He has never hyper-targeted any wide receiver one. And so we're hoping that changes this year. But that's a big change for a guy who, Andy, you said he hasn't broken out yet. He needs to. So he scares me. And we'll just wait until they signed Cole Beasley back in Dallas. That was the leading target receiver back of the day with the 98. Do you agree with that? Is he the risk? Yes. I mean, there are a handful of them. Mike Williams is risky to bust. I mean, obviously we have Michael Pittman a few spots ahead of ADP. There's some, and Devante has some risk. I'm not, even though I have them ranked where I have them ranked, there's risk with the transition. And that is going to do it for our top 10 wide receivers. Ladies and gentlemen.

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