Fantasy Football 2018 - Rookie Steals + Big Questions

I do believe Ryan Matthew scored a touchdown that week, so we're okay. I was going to say, I guess there has been the occasional irrational decision. But that's not a gut feeling. Kobe Fleener. That's you put on your Technicolor dream coach. Yeah. Yeah. All right. Get out of here. Jack Wheeler 77 from Instagram. Who has a better year? Joe Mixen or Dalvin Cook. By the way, you can follow us on Instagram at Fantasy Footballers. This is a great question. I like both guys this year. I'm definitely taking Dalvin Cook.

I believe Dalvin Cook is, you know, he was on pace to have an unbelievable year. Everything they've done to the offense, I like. If he's healthy, I just don't see how he is not a top 10 back. And Joe Mixen could be, but I see plenty of ways, a la, you know, looking at last year, that he won't. I will say this for Dalvin Cook. Because I'm generally speaking with you. I want him on my fantasy team.

The only unknown for Daven Cook, we have not seen his usage with a healthy Latavius Murray. They brought, Murray was going to be the starter, but then he just, he never got healthy for training camp and Dalvin Cook came in and impressed. I'm not, I'm just, go look at what happened. That's not what happened. When they signed him, he had already had the ankle problem. Right. Before knowing his recovery, they traded up and drafted Dalvin Cook. Yeah, I'm not saying it's.

What I am saying is they both will be used. And I think that people are undervaluing Latavius Murray and thinking they're just completely riding him off. And they're saying Dalvin Cook is a three-down workhorse who's going to get 260 carries and 80 targets. Two things. One, I did my stats on both these guys and I have Dalvin Cook about 15 fancy points ahead of Joe Mixing. Number two, I hope your entire argument that you made right there.

You're willing to make that same argument for Kareem Hunt and Spencer Ware. Because everything you said right there, I could have substituted those two names in there. You've never seen them play together. Spencer Ware had the opportunity. Both teams traded up for Dalvin Cook, traded up for Kareem Hunt. Right. And we've never seen them coexist together. So I think that's the same reason I have hesitancy about Kareem Hunt. Not that he isn't great, but because I haven't seen those things.

I'm going to put my chips on the side of the teams and the opportunities that I know for sure. That is all true, except the one variant here is that between at least Cream Hunt's situation and Dalvin Cooks is that Jerich McKinnon is also gone. And they didn't replace them. So that's in the favor of. Of Darwin? Yep. All right. This next question comes in.

From Music K Josh on Instagram, best advice for your first dynasty draft. You got any good advice for the first one? Your first one, do not overvalue youth. Let the rest of the people go crazy for their rookies and unproven players. Winning now is just as satisfying as winning later. Even better. And that build your team every single year to compete. Wild things happen.

When you make it into the tournament, you get a big week here or there from a player and all of a sudden you're a champion. While everyone is looking at the draft, next year's rookie draft saying, yeah, in two years, I'm going to have a juggernaut. And then they just never, ever do. So look for the value in veterans who are just dropping to the middle rounds because people are thinking they're old and yucky. Yeah. Yeah, and it's a fair point. These next two questions maybe are my favorite.

First from Instagram, Ryan Bamborey. Andy's hit single Josh Rosen is tearing up the country charts. Is he available for co-writes? Oh, are you available? Yes. I'm available. Also, what charts? The country charts? You've never heard of them? Is that a dot com? How do I check them? I guarantee you if, as long as you can sort by fantasy football songs, I guarantee I'm number one. Yeah. Twitter at... One out of one.

Still number one. Dominating the charts. Tom in distress off of Twitter. At Tom in distress. So sorry, Tom. Here's a question. Why does Jason hate Ronald Jones's tape? And is Jason sure he is watching the right Ronald Jones? When I say that I hate Ronald Jones's tape, when I watch these players, I am watching them for the transition to the NFL. That's my only purpose. So when he gets in space, he's electric. He's great. The tape is great.

But he's not a pass catching back. That means it's going to be a little bit more difficult to get him into open space. He's going to be running up through the middle of the line. And he doesn't have the body. What is he? Like 205? Yeah. And so that was my concern was where he projects to be used in the NFL is where I didn't like the film. But I will readily admit, you get that guy in open space. He is electric. And he went to the best case landing spot for him that I could.

Possibly opportunity. You know what's funny is I see parallels with the Ronald Jones landing in Tampa and the Jerrick McKinnon landing in San Francisco. Yeah. Where I think there were outcomes for Derek McKinnon's offseason and Ronald Jones draft that could have been real bad. Yeah. For either player. And I think they both ended up in situations where you're like, wow, I can see fantasy production from both of those players, maybe top, you know, top 24 production. So, um.

All right, let's close it off with this question here from Mark Downey, 2026 on Twitter. This will be a good one for... He was born in the year, 2006. Impressive. Yeah. Well, he's a preemptive strike there on that handle. You got to start grabbing those. Then when the real Mark Downey from 2026 is born, 20 years later, he comes... Holds them hostage? He comes looking, and guess what? This Mark Downey, assuming he's still alive,

Makes some sweet cheddar. He's going to get a sweet $75. Yeah. Well, it'll probably be like what? Spacebucks. Yeah. That's right. That's not going. Crystaloid. Bitcoin. Is Derek Henry a hold or sell in Dynasty leagues half point PPR? That is a great question. And I'd love to hear Mike's answer. For me, he is a hold right now because the value of Dionne Lewis has, I think, really brought him down. I,

still like Derek Henry and I like Dionne Lewis moving forward. But unfortunately, that hope that you held on to for two years while Derek Henry was buried behind DeMarco Murray will not, you will not get to see what you've been waiting two years for. Yeah, I would agree. He's a definite hold. We said when DeMarco got cut, he was a trade candidate because trade him for the value. People are trading him like he was a

locked and guaranteed top 10 back. It's too late now. And Dionne Lewis has injury history. I mean, I think Derek- So that makes him a hold for both of you. Yes. It's interesting. Because you brought it up already, but I was going to amuse on the fact that, you know, when you talk about trade regret like Mike, you were talking about that trade from last off season, sometimes you find regret in not moving a guy when they have perceived value. Because you enter the season and Derek Henry could prove everybody.

He could prove out to not be a hold, not be a keep for dynasty. It could also prove to be better. So you kind of evaluate that now. You said it's too late. I'm not sure if everybody's perception of that situation is that it's too late to trade Derek Henry for value. I guess a hold is the right play on that one. It's tough, though. If someone out there still sees Derek Henry as a locked and loaded, you know, top 10 running back, then sure, trade them for that value. That goes for all players. Yeah, that goes for all players. It's funny. You say, you know, you regret not trading someone for perceived value.

But Joe Williams last year. I could have had way more value for Joe Williams trading him in the offseason than waiting for him to flame out. If you can ever trade a guy for his potential value, do it. Because worst case scenario, I mean, barring other side injury, is you're getting him, okay, he does blow up, but you got that value. That's why I never understand why people have no trade players on their roster.

I think that's such a hindrance for you in fantasy football. I never trade that guy. Because I feel like if somebody wants a player on your team, you should dictate turns back to them. And then if they don't want to give up that cost, but just saying, no, they're not available. I don't understand why you would ever do that. Yeah, I mean, if you've got a levy on Bell, you know, it's going to cost so much. I already know you're not going to pay it. But you're right. I mean, say, look, this is, I want your team. Well, I mean, there was.

The great loser, Brian Ketren. One of our listener league guys, he sent me a couple trade offers. And I'm curious, maybe we'll inadvertently help him, which would be a shame. Alvin Kamara, right? Somebody's coming after Alvin Kamara in a dynasty league. Okay. And it was Melvin Gordon and next year's first round pig for Alvin Kamara. What would you do? Oh, give me Melvin Gordon in next year's first. And my answer to that was I would only do that if I thought the pick was going to be somewhere in the top three. Yeah, I...

side more with Andy. I've got Melvin Gordon ahead of Alvin Camara this year. So pick up an extra first. This year. Well, yeah. So that makes sense. But, you know, you just made your blanket statement. You know, Lev Bell, I would never trade him. But I think our difference of opinion right there illustrates the fact that that's why trades can get done. Because if we were in that league and I said, I'm never going to trade Alvin Kamara. And then you came and you're like, oh, I'll give you Alvin Kamara for Melvin Gordon. I'd be like, sure.

No, just straight up. Well, I wouldn't, I wouldn't do that in a dynasty because of age, but that's what we were just talking about. And a one and a first, absolutely. Melvin Gordon is 25 years old. The thing about Melvin Gordon, though, for his age. Calvin Kamara is 22 years old. Is he is, oh wait, now I'm, is he on the fourth year or is he on the option right now?

I think he's Gordon? Yeah, maybe he's just on the fourth year. Okay. So, you know, no, I'd shake it back. I would trade for Gordon and the first. I was thinking he was on his option and just seeing what has happened to these veteran running backs when they're trying to get that second contract. It's bad news. He's, uh, next year he plays at the base salary of 5.6. And then he is in unrestricted in 2020. Yeah. Um,

man to me that that whole dynasty first round pick though that rookie pick where that lands matter so much i mean you think about this year grabbing a guy at the nine or ten in that draft versus the the first three four picks but the thing is is you can then utilize your first with that first let's say you have a good yeah you know and you could trade your

the number eight and the number 11 to move up to the number five and grab the actual. I guess it just depends on, yeah, your perception of Kamara. And mid-season, your power to go and get a player and say, hey, I'll give you this. And a shiny first round pick, Mr. Rebuild. You see Adam Rank has Alvin Kamara number one overall this year? Really? I don't think that that's an outlandish prediction. This is the one thing that gets messed up since we're just musing at this point. This gets messed up in the community, right? In the fantasy community is...

There's a number of players that can finish in that spot. And I don't think there's anything wrong with taking your shot on a guy like that. Like if somebody wanted to go out there and make Saquan Barclay to the number one fantasy running back this year as a prediction, it doesn't bother me. Barkley actually bothers me less than Camara just because of sheer volume. Yeah, but I, what was he last year and his volume could go? I'm just saying, what if he is what he is? And his volume goes up.

Like it's not that far of a gap for a player like that to do it. It's just interesting to me that we're like, oh, no, you can't do that. You can't possibly take that guy. You can do whatever you want. But that one, I feel like the argument for, in my opinion, his volume argument, even if you're saying, okay, I'm projecting up, it's still, you will still need an unbelievable efficiency and a whole bunch of rushing touchdowns. That team's going to be so good, though.

Yes, they will. But the stat that I always go back to is the one-to-one pass rushing touchdown ratio. Mike Triplett, the beat reporter for the New Orleans Saints, who's a great follow on Twitter, even he has come out and said, I don't expect that to happen again. Yeah. Yeah, and I don't have him, number one. Right. I'm just saying that if somebody wants to take a shot at a player.

I don't blame you. You do you. If I have the second pick in that draft, look, I'll be so happy. Yes. That's true. That's true. And sometimes it works out. Sometimes it doesn't. So thank you for tuning in. Mock draft. Do not miss it. Coming Thursday, check out the website to fancy footballers.com and check out draft.com slash ballers to play some best ball. Goodbye. Thank you for listening to another episode of the Fantasy Footballers podcast.

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