Top 10 RB Rankings + Duke’s Out, Chubb’s Up

Here's Dalvin Cook's finishes. Still great. Still had only one game where he wasn't a top 24 running back. He was 18, 14, 9, 3, 24. Those, those were the weeks that, I mean. Wait, read those again? 1814, 9, 3, 24. Right. I mean, those are still really good. Those are great numbers, but those type of numbers aren't getting you anywhere close to number six on the season. If you did that every week, I think you would beat up. I disagree.

Really? Never finishing below 24? That's all green. To put you in the top six, it would, I don't think it would happen. It would certainly put you in the Frank Gore category of fantasy finishes on the end of a year. Yeah, I mean, which. But we got him ranked at nine. So good. I think it's going to be a very prolific year for Dalvin Cook. He's one of my favorites heading into the season. He's a, he would have been a my guy candidate. So why isn't Derek Henry in our top 10?

I mean, remember those back-to-back number one weeks? Yes, I do remember. We're all talking about. I do recall. Well, sometimes when you read consistency charts out, Jay, you say, like, running back one week. And so that's why I thought maybe you meant, like, not the RB1, but like an RB1, and RB1, which he had a nice finish to the season. I should have done that. That would have sounded better. RB2, RB2, RB1, RB2. Great job, Dalvin. All right, James Connor, Mike.

Has James Connor as one of his official, My Guys. We've talked a lot about him. Mike, you've made the case multiple times. If you want the full extended, because I can't imagine, we need to do it again. If you want the full James Connor take, it's on Monday's show. Yeah. And so what I'll bring up then is there have been some reports of camp hype around Jalen Samuels being used in the passing game, both at running back and wide receiver.

former tight end. How could it go wrong for, that's a question for you, because you've been very bullish on him. You haven't been at six. Sure. How can it go wrong for James Connor in 2019? That Big Ben sucks because Antonio Brown is gone. I would throw another one in there that he loses the past catching work that has made Lev Bell and James Connor.

so valuable for fantasy. That's my fear. He could, but he was a better pass catch than Jalen Samuels last year. Look, he's talented at it. I mean, I think if they give him that role, Tomlin always has been a one-back guy. I believe they will give him that role. Third in yards after the catch, at the running back position. Yeah, he'll succeed at it. The question is just because of what the reports have been, because of what happened when Connor came back.

from his injury after Jalen Samuels had kind of broken out in his stead. And then they did involve him in the past game more. And you saw Connor, who was, you know, Connor didn't disappear, but he didn't have those huge target numbers the way that he had early in the season, the way that Love Bell always had. Yeah, I mean, that's my worry. He was the RB 15 from weeks 9 through 17. That's more of the category that I believe his true output will, will fit in. You talk about range of outcomes with Love Bell. I've.

believe that there is a wide range of outcomes for James Connor as well, because they were a prolific scoring team. He was 23rd in points in that span. So you saw a little bit less, and there was some injury games and things like that. But you definitely didn't see what you saw in the first eight weeks over the last half of the season. I mean, in the first eight weeks, week one, he had 31 fantasy points, week five, 33, week eight, 35. I mean...

Those were monstrous weeks that really defined his season. He's a great, he has a great opportunity. I'm less confident in the Steelers as a whole. That's why I have him down a little bit more. I want to talk about the Steelers as a whole because I'm realizing I'm starting to think that we need to find some bet between you and I and that I don't know where Mike stands. How do you view the Steelers as a team? Do you think they're going to be a good team this year? They're going to regress without Antonio Brown. They won't.

There might be a slight regression, but I believe that they are still one of the better offenses. Like win count. I'm just curious because I know, Andy, you've talked a lot about you believe they're going to take a step back. Well, I think they took a step back last year. They didn't make the playoffs. So I still, they had nine wins. Is that correct? They had, they were. And a tie. They had a tie in there. They're third in the division. That's what I believe.

I don't believe that they beat the Ravens or the Browns in the division. Is that, I mean, do you want to do a bet about whether they finish above those two? Yes, let's do it. Top two in the division. Yeah? Oh. Oh. I have more to lose on this one because I got two spots that they can finish and lose. Do you think they're going to win the division? I think they're going to be top two in the division. That's what I've been saying for years. Waterbed.

That's fine. But as you were talking, I realized like... So who do you like them more? I like them. More than. I mean... I think they beat... Honestly, I think that they have a good shot of winning the division. I think that they will... All teams do right now. Not all teams. The dolphins fans are really excited out there. You don't like the Browns or Ravens to beat them. I don't like the Browns or Ravens to beat them. That's true. Mike? Where do they finish? Well, they finish...

in the top two of the division. Cool. Who wins the division, Mike? I'll take the Steelers. Okay. Well, I mean, if you believe they're going to surge without AB with James Connor, then it makes sense to have them rank where you do. No doubt about it. I think a lot of what it comes down to is what are the Steelers. Like, if the Steelers win the division and are great and are a 10 plus win team, James Connor had a great year.

If he can put up Derek Henry numbers the way that Dalvin Cook did. Back to back number one. And here, my breakdown of the end of the season for James Connor, it was a little bit strange, but there's explanations for it. The game against Carolina was a blowout and he played 40% of the snaps. He sucked against Jacksonville. A lot of people did. A lot of people sucked against Jacksonville. Then over, then nearly 100 yards against Denver. Then he got hurt.

So it's, to me, I'm not going to look at his, oh, he was running back 16 over that time because there's a lot of wonky things that happened in those four weeks. Oh, man. Mike, when I said the back-to-back ones on the Dalvin Cook, your eyes were like, I'm wrong about something that you were looking at. You were like, oh, man, yeah.

Just want to call myself out again. Thank you very much. All right. That is it for today's episode. Part two of the running backs on tomorrow's show. Don't forget. Check out our studio sponsor, Pristine Auction, a Todd Gurley signed jersey. Yesterday went for $68. Oh, man. Beckett. The knee is factoring into his price. Beckett witnessed autograph. There are hundreds that go daily at pristine auction.com. Use the registration code. Ballers. When you check out.

And look, we'll talk to you again tomorrow after these preseason games. We'll have some reaction in the morning. Get ready for Kyla Murray, everybody. Let's go, boys. Goodbye. Thank you for listening to another episode of the Fantasy Footballers podcast. Join our fantasy football community on join the foot.com. And follow us on Twitter at the FFBallers. All right, Foot Clan. Let me ask you a question. Do the Cowboys have all the pieces in place to make a run in the NFC? Can the Jets challenge the...

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