Luck Retirement Fallout + Bold Predictions

And if you go to get quip.com slash footballers right now, you can get your first refill pack for free. That's your first refill pack free at G-E-T-Q-U-I-P.com slash footballers. And now back to the show. But without further ado, our main segment. Ridiculously Bold Predictions. Now, when we say bold predictions, thank you. Thank you. I'm a little sad that Brooks didn't, like, fly across the stage.

Oh, we got to rig them up for the next live show. Like a Peter Pan at a theater show, just have them crash. This court's out of order. Now, bold predictions, that means they're guaranteed to come true, right? Oh, yeah. That's what makes them so bold. That's why they will be reflected perfectly in our rankings. We'll get there, sir.

All right, who wants to go first with a ridiculously bold prediction for 2019? I think the beginning of the end should start at the beginning. We'll get there round two, but I'll kick it off. Oh, okay. I'll kick it off. There we go. Juju Smith Schuster. A star has been born, and he's going supernova. Well, just in a cool way, not in like a literal way.

Not the scientific way. Not in the scientific way, because that would be like the end. But here's the thing. Juju Smith-Schuster finishes this season as the number one wide receiver in fantasy football. See, here's the thing. I was asked, weeks ago, I was asking people like, can I even do that? Is that even legal? I don't even feel like it's spicy. Like, he has such good odds of finishing.

at the number one wide receiver position. Here's how... Not so much Vegas odds. I feel like when he was... Based on the yardage numbers that I saw. He was like doing an Alex Rodriguez with the mirror. Like, is this a spicy take, Jason? No. No. And then he gave himself a smooch. Yeah, you're darn right. High five and a little kiss on the mirror. Every morning, that's my routine. Here's the thing. First of all...

There's a couple of reasons why I believe this. He has a quarterback that can do it. He has the targets, the touchdowns. Those three reasons are why he's going to be able to do it. Look at Big Ben. Big Ben over the last six seasons, five seasons, has averaged 4,800 yards and 32 touchdowns. That's his 16-game pace over the last half decade. Now, Antonio Brown is gone and crazy. He's gone. But remember his fantasy finishes. Four?

two, three, these are his ranks on the season, one, one, that means first, six. Like, he is, obviously, everyone talks about Antonio Brown as the goat of this last decade. He is great. And I'm not trying to take anything away from Brown, but I am saying that Ben Rothlisberger factually can support

a talented wide receiver to become the number one. We know that without, like, that's not up for debate. He's done it twice and every year a top six option. So he's already got the quarterback in tow that can focus on him. Then you look at touchdowns, and this is really what it comes down to for me. If you want to finish at number one in wide receiver, you have to have.

Double-digit touchdowns. In fact, you're talking about 12.6 touchdowns per season over the last five years. Tyreek Hill, 2018, 12 touchdowns. Hopkins, 13 touchdowns. Jordy, 14 touchdowns. Antonio Brown twice, 10 and 13, and Demarius, Thomas, 14 touchdowns. I miss you, Demarius? Yeah, I know, right? You have to score a bunch of touchdowns. So who can get that high? Who out there, obviously Hopkins could do it?

Devante Adams can do it. Yeah. Tyreek Hill can do it. Beckham. Evans. Beckham might. Evans can get up there with touchdowns. But Julio, probably not. Michael Thomas, probably not. Antonio Brown with Derek Carr, probably not. Obviously, Juju could because of Big Ben. Juju had seven touchdowns last year and was tackled within the two-yard line five times. I mean...

That's already 12, and now you have 15 vacated touchdowns from Antonio Brown. But I get it. You're like, well, he can't go. Oh, yeah! Is that the Vance dance? The vacated touchdowns made me think of Vance. I love it. I love it. He'll get his two. I'm not saying he gets 15 more touchdowns to Juju. Why not? It's the bold predictions. He gets 22 total touchdowns. You heard it here first. No, I know for a fact. I've been around you.

far too often. I've heard this percolating in you for months where you just believe that juju could end up number one, which is not something that I believe. He's super delicious. He's super talented. Super delicious. He is super talented. You know, and the thing is, is you go, well, he can't go up from last year. He had 166 targets. Where is it going to go? Well, Antonio Brown over the last five years averaged 181 target pace. I see you wrote in here. So yes, he can.

Thank you, Andy. I just wanted to make you say it. Now you fell into the trap. You said yes he can. Don't forget to say yes he can. That's right. So yes, Juju Smith-Schuster, 2019 wide receiver number one in fantasy. Okay, Mike, you're up. Oh, all right. Austin Echler finishes 2019 as a top 12 running back.

Yes, yes, someone drafted Austin Echler, and we're on the same team. We all know the situation for Austin Echler. Melvin Gordon, he's a little bit disgruntled. And here's the, we don't know for sure how long can Melvin Gordon hold out contractually. It might be eight games, it might be 10 games. Let's say that he holds out 10 games.

The Los Angeles Chargers at that point, maybe they're in the playoff hunt, maybe they aren't. But maybe a player comes back, and even though he can help the team, the team says, screw you, you aren't coming back as the starting running back. You are now behind our starting running back. That's official legalese. That's what they would put in the document. I'm just taking the stroll down narrative street, man. Yes.

The storefronts are lovely. You should join me every once in a while. Austin Echler is a good player. Great pass catcher. Second in yards after the catch last year. Third in yards per reception. Fifth in yards per target. Can the team, like that's the worry. Oh, if Melvin Gordon's gone, the Los Angeles Chargers, they're not good. Okay, games with Gordon, they average 27 points a game. How many points did they average in the four games that Gordon missed?

27 points. Similar number. The offense was fine. Games without Gordon, including when Gordon went down with the injury. Echler averaged 7.75 targets a game, almost eight targets a game, 11 carries. You're talking 19 opportunities a game for Austin Echler. He scored a rushing touchdown in two of those four games where Melvin Gordon was gone. Austin Echler is the starting running back for this team.

Sure, it could shake out that Justin Jackson eats in and now it's a 50-50 timeshare. You're not banking on Echler's scoring anyway, right? I am. Well, I mean, that's not the key to, the pass-catching volume, the touches for Echlor are far more important. You're not looking at them like Ligarup Blunt has to fall into the end zone to get value. Right. We just did our top 10 tips and tricks. And I highlighted top 10 running backs, they always have 50 or more receptions. And there's usually two wild cards who sneak in.

Austin Echler fits that bill. If Melvin Gordon is gone for the majority of the season, he will easily, easily see more than 50 receptions. And it's not like this team with Philip Rivers hasn't seen a small running back, a small stature guy, have success. Remember Danny Woodhead? The heartstone. He just, he had the original. The original heartstone. At the end of the year, just kept popping up as the running back won. And each year you go, well, why is Danny Woodhead here?

Austin Echler could be the new Danny Woodhead. There are always a couple every year. James White, Tariq Cohen. Last year, Echler with Gordon, seven games inside the top 24. It's interesting. And the weird thing is, is if Keenan Allen, I mean, right now we think he's fine. Right. People are drafting him like he's fine. But if that injury cropped up, you already lost Tyrell. Mike Williams isn't necessarily a volume type of receiver. No more Antonio Gates.

It's interesting. Then Echler's seeing 10 targets. Bold, probably wrong, but very interesting. Probably. We're here to be bold, but it is spicy and I love it. All right, I'll give you mine. The Atlanta Falcons will have a player finished inside the top 12 at every single fantasy football position. In 2017, there were two teams that did it. Last year, two teams did it. It was Kansas City. It was Pittsburgh, right? Correct.

Shout out to Big Ben again. Oh, yeah. I've heard this prediction before. Yeah, because you made it on this show last year, but you picked the wrong team. You did more of like an O for four. Yes. But the Falcons, I don't think anybody debates the merits of Matt Ryan being in the top 12. Kid! I'm just saying, I do. I do not stand for your Matt Ryan.

12 of 16 weeks last year, Matt Ryan was in the top 12 finished on that week alone. I'm told that's good. Yeah, that's pretty decent because he finished the year at the top of the position. So I don't want to get into it. We don't have got time for it. We'll deal with it in counseling. Julio Jones, you want to debate that one too? No, no, no. He's going to be in. So then you're really talking about Devanta Freeman, who's being drafted at RB15 right now, climbing into the top 12.

You have to bank on health with Devanta Freeman, which is not, you don't really want to have to do that. But the last two times he had full 16 game seasons, he was well within that range. He was at 13, RB 13, when he played a shortened 2017 season, 14 games still finished at RB 13. The competition behind Devante Freeman is...

It's almost as bad as it is behind Duke Johnson. It's as bad as Ito Smith. And I know you're not going to argue it. No, no. We are with these three, we're in lockstep. Now the player... Here's where it gets... Yeah. Now you have to talk about Austin Hooper. No. Which is not fun to talk about. No. When Austin Hoover wakes up in the morning, he goes into his bathroom and there's a picture of Jason Whitten in the corner of the mirror. And that's a great aspiration, right? Today, Witten. Today's the day. It's crazy. Austin Hooper has been...

Really, really Jason Whitney, as in fine, as in does enough throughout the season on a consistent basis to just kind of find himself in that top range. He actually has the best reception percentage of any tight-in in football since the start of 2016. No. 77% of the ball is thrown his way. He catches them. Last year, he had six weeks where he finished inside the top seven at the tight-in position. So it's never been sexy to play Austin Hooper.

and it never will be, just like Jason Witten. But I think he could climb his way in, so that's why I think the Falcons could have four of them in the top 12. I think that's good. All right, now let's talk about a great prediction gone wrong. This would be my prediction last year, the beginning of the end for the New England Patriots. Bye. I apologize. I apologize.

The beginning of the end for the Super Bowl champion New England Patriots last year. So they did. They are the Super Bowl champions. So here's the thing as to why I say it was great. It was a great call.

Okay. Here comes to the victory lap. I remember when you, Jason Moore said that. Yes. So here's the thing. The reason this whole thing started, every year I predict my fantasy team that I think is overdrafted and is going to bust for fantasy. In 2016, it was the Carolina Panthers. Cam and Calvin Benjamin were going way too high. They both failed on the season. In 2017, Terrell Pryor, the Washington Redskins. You had Terrell Pryor, Jordan Reed, Jameson, Crowder, Rob Kelly, all going sixth round in ahead. And they pretty much.

all busted that year. Last year was the Patriots, and because it was the Patriots, I took the narrative street that is the beginning of the end. Whoops! But, for fantasy, Gronk was in the second, Hogan was in the fourth, Josh Gordon was in the fourth, Brady was in the fifth, and Rex Burkhead was in the sixth. They busted. They were not good. So for fantasy, the bold prediction of you don't want to draft these players was right. And so my team this year, you will not like...