NFC West Breakdown + Cam Akers Injury, Football is Coming! - Fantasy Football Podcast for 7/22

They, look, we've made the kind of tongue-in-cheek comments about the training staff or the field they play on. Like that is all based in the tough luck that they've had and like kind of rolling your eyes going, when can they get everybody healthy? Because when they're healthy, they're great. Yeah, they need an exorcist. They are the first team in history to lose their starting quarterback and the top six offensive producers at the same time. That is like you don't have a team. We've deleted your team. Yeah. And you get replacement players now.

That is wild. Most players cycled through an active roster since 1966. So you have every right statistically to throw out everything that happened in 2020. Yes. Current win total for them is going to blow your mind for Vegas. Really? No, because I bet it's 10? Yeah, it's doubled digits. 10.5. Yep. Now, the reason it blows my mind is that that is the division lead.

That's tied for... Someone else was 10.5. Didn't you say the Rams are 10 and a half? I said they're tied for the division lead. So, you know, Arizona is at the basement. Then you have 2, 10 and 1, I believe 10, right? With the... That's what you said for Seattle. 10.5, 10 and 8.5. So there isn't a team currently projected below 500. When's the last time we shook up these divisions? You know, come on. Let's spice it up. Yeah, let's make some trades. Usually be able to include division swamps in trades.

Could we do that? Yes, please. But coming into the year, there are a lot of question marks on this team for fantasy purposes, because you kind of throw out what happened last year. You know and trust Kyle Shanahan. They ran the ball more in neutral game scripts than anybody in football. That's part of the identity, right? And you can do it with various weapons and have success. Whether it was the fourth or fifth running back up, they still had success in the running game.

You don't have Tevin Coleman and Jerich McKinnon who were parts of that last year. You did add Wayne Galman. You did draft Trey Sermon. You have Raheem Moser coming back. You have Jeff Wilson who's injured and will eventually come back. How do you possibly see through the muck and make the right investment in what you know is a great running team? I think you see through the muck by taking the clear leader. High above the mucky muck. High above the mucky muck.

Yeah, I mean, you take the clear leader here. Who is Rahim Moster? He's at a value in the sixth round. I mean, if you're telling me, we just, you know, waxed eloquent on the value of Chase Edmonds in the sixth. If I had to choose between Rahim Moster and Chase Edmonds, I'm definitely going Moster, a guy who has dominated in spurts on the field. I don't feel enthusiasm towards Rahim Moster, which was reflected in his ADB. Well, if you want to go back to the other argument,

You were clowning on the guy in the ninth round, James Connor, because he's hurt all the time. But you want Rahim Mosterts. Well, look, the reality is all NFL players. You're shooting for the stars, Mike. All NFL players can get injured. And when I was talking about James Connor's injuries, more in the advantage for probability of a larger workload for Chase Edmonds.

Here, last three years, who's played more games? James Connor or Rahim Moster. Oh, that's not, I don't think that's fair, though, because his ascension, Moster's ascension was far after James Connor. No, his ascension was in 2018. I'm going to guess James Connor. Yes, because I see your trap. Yeah, right now, Mostert is behind Chase. I mean, it's end of the sixth round. We talked to Kyle Eusecheck on the show.

High hopes and expectations for Rahim Moster. I'll tell you this, Kyle. If you got high hopes for Mostert and you're talking about Garapalos, the quarterback, and then we get Ropa doped and it's Tray Sermin and Tray Lance. We got beef. Let me just say the first four games that Rahim Moster played last year projected over 17 weeks is 1, 287 rushing yards, 51 targets with 46 receptions.

So, you know, about eight, nine total touchdowns on a really good team. So you do need to make an investment on a team that could run the football 500 times. And I think Trey Sermon is an appropriate investment too. Yep. And people are starting to get that. He's up into the eighth round now. So he has their future. Like Moster is not going to be there after this year. Is that a fair? I see Moster in Dynasty as a one year rental. I think that you will have a solid year and then you will never.

get another game started on a fantasy roster. I think there's a chance that most for it is not there this year. I think there's a chance. Trade. That's silly. I don't know. I would be blown away. There have been rumors. I think there have been some rumors. You know who could use them? Yeah. The problems are you in division. Yeah. I know. You can't do that. But, no, there have been some rumors. He is by far the most explosive.

the most experienced. So if you put those two things together, he's your best bet, but you need to stay healthy. Again, it permeates into the wide receiver core as well. Debo, Ayuk, and then George Kittle all dealt with injuries last year. Ayuk is going around and a half ahead of Debo, Samuel. Is that the guy you'd take? Yes, it is for me too.

I think they're both appropriately Christ. I mentioned it in previous shows, but I am being swayed that direction now. Into I yuk? Yes. You know, I've been a very strong Debo apologist, and I still view him independently of Iyuk as a potential value in the late 7th. But if you're asking me to choose between the two at their current gap, I will choose Brandon Ayyuk because I think that I just think that the clock could be running out for Debo to.

Like you're not going to game plan around a guy that keeps getting hurt. And if it happens again, he may never get that shot. If you rewind the clock a decade, year three breakouts for wide receivers was a real thing. And that's not the case. It's year two. You want to target in your middle rounds, year two wide receivers. And Brandon Ayuk was great. He already broke out. I mean, yeah, you can argue he already broke out.

So now going into year two, I think he's a great target for where he doesn't cost you a lot. You're not giving up an absolute all-star option in the sixth round to take a shot at a guy who could really, you know, level up and become the leader of this offense because right now there isn't one. When your tight end is the, you know, the passing game leader in George Kittle, there is an opportunity for you to truly become an elite wide receiver fantasy option.

And I think that exists with Ayuk. Yeah, and I feel like we're talking about the wide receiver court and the pass catchers kind of in a vacuum, right? There are some things to be, I think, concerned about. For Ayuk? For any of them, consistency-wise, which is like Ayuk made the most of opportunities target share-wise, right? George Kittle wasn't on the field. Debo Samuel wasn't on the field. But you are going to have potential quarterback controversy and transition this year. That is something that other players don't have. This is a team that...

You know, you play in a division with a bunch of very good teams that you're going to face, right? Six games in division. And then you have a potential transition. You either have Jimmy G. Or you have a transition to Trey Lance. And you still have George Kittle who demands more than I think IYUK will demand in the office. So I'm just trying to bring up the things that will, that could disturb the IUC breakout year two. I was going to say that the devil's advocate to Brandon Ayuk is,

Sure, he had five weeks as a top 12 guy. He was on his run, Brandon Ayuk was winning people fantasy weeks off of the waiver wire. But Debo was gone. George Kiddle was gone. When Debo came back, 13 targets, nine targets in the two games that he was healthy coming back. So the second he returned to that offense, he compiled 22 targets in two games. Debo did. So I'm just saying like when he came back, they gave a lot of offense to him. Yeah, yeah. That's.

Iyuk did it while he was the number one guy. But that's also it's tough because you're like, well, if all the targets go somewhere else. But I think the checkmark is Brandon Ayuk proving his draft capital, proving to his head coach, you want me to be the guy? I can be the guy for this offense and carry. All right. Like I said, they start this season, Detroit, Philadelphia, both games on the road.

10.5 is what Vegas has them at. This is maybe the hardest one to answer this question we've had so far. NFC. West. Also for George Kittle at the back of the second round, we're all in on that? 100%. Yeah, 2-3 turn is great. Yeah. Yeah, just do it. Just do it. Who wins the division? Make your prediction. The Rams. I believe the Rams win the division. I think it's the Rams, but I think the 49ers are. Sneaky? It's real sneaky. Toughest player to project in the entire division.

Most difficult. I'm going to say Matthew Stafford. I don't know what the identity of that team is going to be. And, I mean, the stones for a franchise to say have had the success that the Rams have had. They were just in the Super Bowl. They were 10 and 6. You say, franchise quarterback hit the bricks. It's the case Keen of Minnesota situation.

Like they had just gone 13 and 3 with Case Keenham or whatever it was, won a playoff game. And then they said, look, we're going to bring in Kirk Cousins because we can't get over the hump without somebody different. Yeah. For me, it's, it's Trace Serman because of the, you know, the fact that he's a rookie coming in and then you're going to have Jeff Wilson come back. I'm, I'm. That's tough.

Yeah, I'm not sure what to do with Trace Sermon for redraft. Sneakiest player for 2021 from the division. 2-2 at well. No. It's not. But he does, just checking, he does come in at 1-22 on the dot. Oh, weight-wise? Weight-wise? Weight-wise. Which, in fact, always. No matter what his weight, he's always won 2-2-2. It's his teammate for me. I absolutely love Van Jefferson. It's like a stable coin. Van Jefferson is.

by far my favorite sneaky. That's your sneaky one? I love Van Jefferson. Yeah, I just don't see it. So I don't love you. No, I get it. I get it. But Josh Reynolds was involved, is gone. I'll go Debo as my sneakiest. I'll go Tyler Lockett as the wide receiver 24. You know what? That's a pretty good one. It's a pretty good one indeed, Mike. I really respect you and not Jason. Thank you. Me too. Next shows on Saturday.

Oh, man. Check out the Ultimate DraftKit at Ultimed.com. I know. These divisions, they're so long. But football is coming. Brooks is ready, as ready as he can be. Talk to you on Saturday. Goodbye. Thank you for listening to another episode of the Fantasy Footballers podcast. Join our fantasy football community on join thefoot.com. And follow us on Twitter at the FF ballers.

With the Discovered cashback card, it's payback time when you earn cashback on everyday purchases. Activate and earn 5% cashback at different categories each quarter on up to $1,500 in purchases. That's 5% cashback at different places each quarter, like grocery stores, on gas, and at restaurants. It pays to Discover. Terms apply. See Discover.com slash 5 for details.

Now you can watch ESPN College Game Day and select live college football games on Disney Plus. All day every Saturday at no extra cost for Disney Plus subscribers. Now there's something for every kind of thing. Select live college football games are now on Disney Plus. A limited sampling of content from ESPN is now available to all Disney Plus subscribers. Upgrade to a plan that includes ESPN to access the full ESPN on Disney Plus experience. Terms apply.