NFC West Breakdown + Sprinkle That! - Fantasy Football Podcast for 7/27

And he only rushed for 144 yards. But like we have the opening schedule certainly helps. But like I think we have some excitement for what Jared Goff could do. And I mean, it's a similar situation where it's a it's a high T team. The passing attempts are lower. Where's golf going? He's going after that. Give me golf and give me Dak because I want those three. I'll go get you some 80. Yeah, golf is in the 10th. Goff is 10.05. He's the QB 14. Okay. Brock Purdy is 9.05 as the QB 12. And where's that? Deck is 7th round as the quarterback 9. Considering their draft prices, how would you order those? I think I might think that the best value is Brock. I think I go Brock, Dak, Gough. I like all three. I'll go Dak Purdy, Goff. I'll go deck purdy golf. But it's like, like, because Dak,

If last year happens anywhere close to that, it's, DAC was a winning quarterback. He changed your roster. But just highlighting of like both Purdy and Goff are in double-digit rounds of like you're in a who cares territory. And Purdy could be like a legitimate plug and play quarterback. The Los Angeles Rams were 10 and 7. They lost in the wild card round last year. They came in with just a six and a half win total. Outperform that because, of course, great head coach puts things together. This year they're at eight and a half as a projected win total. We saw the breakout of Kyron Williams last season. Remember we spent part of the offseason talking about Cam Acres and the opportunity there.

When Kyran returned from IR in week 12, the Rams were number one in points per game, number two in yards per game, number two in Red Zone touchdown rate. And it wasn't just Kyran. It was also the incredible, unrepeatable rookie season of Pooka Nakua. When you talk about a later draft pick doing what he did, you know, it's more vintage Rams, number one in pace of play, number seventh in points per game. It was awesome. What if I told you? that they are healthier coming into start the season and their defense lost maybe a top five all-time defensive player. For fantasy purposes, how does that make you feel? And they just lost a corner to an ACL for the year. Oh, the Rams? I know the Vikings did too. No, the Rams did. So, yeah, I mean, when you talk about, there were 20th and yards per game given up on the defensive side last year. And like you said, no Aaron Donald.

They drafted Blake Corum, a lot of conversation about Kyron, the involvement of Blake Corum. I mean, Kyron's workload was not really a sustainable number. It was a McCaffrey-esque. Yeah, I mean, it was just out of this world, and it's something where there's room for Kyron to have help and still be an elite back, but he has to remain an efficient back. Yeah, Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports, who does great work, just reported yesterday that he believes Kyron Williams is the clear number one running back for the Rams heading into the season, that Blake Quorum has been brought in to be a breather back. And he's been there at camp. So if you're there and you're seeing this and you know what Kyron did last year, obviously health is an issue. He hasn't been able to stay healthy. He wasn't last year. He missed the start of his career.

But I am firmly. And they've talked about giving him breaks. Yeah, yeah, yeah. He's not going to be, you know, 90% of snaps. No one should be. But I am firmly in a strong belief that Kyran is going to be a workhorseback who will be on the field the vast majority of time catching the ball. Let me run near the end zone. Let me ask you a question because I know how much you love Kyron. And it's a lot. But Kyran is not the kind of player. where he's going in drafts where you get to wait around. You don't, like, if you're staring down, if you have the fourth pick in the draft, okay? Or the fifth pick in the draft. You don't get to, like, wait to the second round to get Kyrie. Oh, I think you can in a lot of leagues. I mean, it'll be different. If you're at 105, he's not making it back to the middle of the second. There's, I mean. Have you seen it? Well, like on an underdog, I get him.

Almost every time that I'm in the third round, I'm getting him at the beginning of the third. Really? To say that there's zero chance he drops to the middle of the second is not. If you're at 105, it's going to be very unlikely. That's all I'm saying. And a 12 team league, if you're drafting at 105, you're talking about late second round. I've never seen it. An underdog does not count for me. You're saying you want. I'm just saying like, are you willing to take a shot at a player like that? Not not over Bejon and Brise. and obviously Christian McCaffrey. So if I'm at the 104 up that high, I wouldn't take him over C.D. Lamb, Jamar Chase, the elite of the elite. That's what I was trying to get at. If I'm near the back of the first, I'm willing to do that. But really, like right now, even on Sleeper, his average draft position is 204. So that's average, which means he'll be going to the middle of the second on a regular basis. It'll be risky, though, if Kyran is your target to gamble that he's going to make it back. Sure.

And, you know, it'll depend on league format, obviously. But I guess I was curious how high you have Kyran ranked then. And whether you're willing to make... I haven't meant RB4. Back of the first is... So behind Beijon and Breeze. Yes. The back of the first is very acceptable to me for Kyron. If people, like, if you are an RB person and you're just like, I'm not, I don't want CD Lamb. And like, I like to start with the running back. and you're at the 105, 106, and the other running backs have gone. It doesn't bother me to start that way. Yeah, if you remember last year, Kyron Williams and half PPR scoring was at like 19.9 fantasy points. He was right there with Christian McCaffrey at that 20 level point. Running back three on a points per game basis was Rahim Moster at running back at 17 points a game. This was a gap. This was every week helping you win.

your matchup. And that's what this offense can do. And we've seen it for a number of years with, you know, pretty much any plug-and-play player. Like when Darnel Anderson. I have the numbers. You've got it. Yeah. Daryl Henderson was on the Rams for four weeks last year. Off the street. Off the street to the Rams, not even of the full-time guy. But this is what the Rams offense can do for you. Three of those four weeks, he was a top 24 running back, including a top 20 in two of them. 2022, the end of the season was when Camakers went insane? Yes. Todd Gurley, obviously. Rams running back is an incredible guy to have if they have talent that really fits the scheme like Kyran, even better. Do you have any concern about quorum yourself, Mike? I don't. Pukua. I just spoke with somebody who, you know, knew the show right off the street, asking questions about

I don't know if Puka can do that. I don't know if he can do that again. I want to take him. I don't know. Cooper Cup is there. Matthew Stafford, he just got a little extra sugar on the contract. Look, I don't know if Puka can do that again. Those numbers are, they're not the kind of season that even the best receivers have every year, if that makes sense. You don't go, even Cooper Cup and, you know, you don't go. 100 for 1,500 every year of your career generally. But, you know, he was a wide receiver four last year as a rookie. I think people don't, I think people feel nervous about pulling the trigger because you are a first round ADP right now, right? Yes. And at the wide receiver seven, and I understand. Like I can't imagine taking him over Kyron. That's where that discussion becomes really interesting to me because, you know, Puka.

If you had them last year, maybe you're the one that's tempted to take him there because you enjoyed the ride. Yeah, at the turn, I was just on a show talking about, they were like, okay, if you're at the 112, like, what are you looking at? And it's like, it's probably both Rams players. I think this happened to me in our, one of our mock drafts, and I couldn't do it. I didn't want to overinvest in one team with my first and second pick. And maybe that's wrong, but that just feels like a game of probability putting way too much of my equity into one team. And then when that happens, for me, it always ends up being Kyron. I will take Kyron over Puka every single time. What was your reaction to the wind total being eight and a half? I was surprised it was that low. It's kind of how I reacted too, which speaks, I think, to the defense. Yeah, but Bet MGM.

betting. They are the number one heaviest bet on the over across the- The Rams are, yeah. Because we can see. 89% of the bets come in on the over of eight and a half. Yeah, and we know the offense has got injury dependency issues with, you know, you mentioned Kyron and then Cooper Cups been hurt. And Matthew Stafford, if he goes out, welcome to Jimmy G. all over again. So there will be, like that's always a fear with Stafford, but you got to go in. thinking you're going to get the best and not miss out an opportunity. Cooper Cup, you know, one of the things that you'll find in the UDK is the red zone effectiveness of Cooper Cup where more targets, receptions and touchdowns in the red zone than Puka Nakua last year. And that's a, that's an area where Matthew Stafford and Cooper Cup have a mind melt. Now, is that when they were when they were both on the field? Not total.

I'll pull it up while you talk about your perspective. I believe it's total across the season. I do believe that is true. That would be a pretty cool, shocking stat. When you talk about Puka, and right now Puka is going ahead of Karen Williams in ADP. And I agree. I feel like I would rather have Karen Williams than Puka. But within wide receivers, to me, Puka's going in the exact right spot. Because right now he's going behind A.J. Brown and Ammon Rawn. Jamar Chase, Tyreek, Justice Jefferson. Like, okay, so he's not, there's nobody that's like behind him to me that's like you have to take him. Here's a guy's behind Puka. Garrett Wilson could have a better season. He has never had as good a season as his rookie year has his own question marks. Marvin Harrison Jr. We're going to talk about him in a minute. Awesome. But a rookie, a lot of question marks there. You have to, yeah, you're like, he might be Puka. Right. Yes, exactly. It could be a boat. This is like, you know, you're hoping he has what.

Puka has already done. So it, for my taste, I mean, Devante Adams, Drake Lund, Chris Olavay, Brandon Ayuk, that's the ADP list. I'm like, yeah, if I want a wide receiver, that's exactly where I'm taking him. 19 targets for Cooper Cup, 16 for Puka in the red zone, 12 receptions for Cooper Cup, nine for Puka, four touchdowns for Cooper Cup, three for Puka. So it was a total, it was a total number. Wow. Even though he missed time. So. I think that highlights all the times we've brought up, well, Cooper Cup might just, you know, you talk about a discount. Yeah, if you, if you want. Fourth round Cooper Cup. If you're going to invest in two Rams, you could go Kyra. Instead of putting your first and second in the Rams, you could go second and fourth, grab a different first round pick and, you know, be pretty.

okay there with any hidden value elsewhere beyond the big name. DeMarcus Robinson. I really believe DeMarcus Robinson. If you're in a deep league, a double flex league, if you're playing best ball, I think he's one of the best picks out there. Last year, that other wide, we'll call it the other wide receiver because sometimes Cooper Cup wasn't there, even when Cooper Cup was back. Tutu Atwell started the year pretty hot. I mean, this is a Sean McVeigh offense. They scheme these guys open and there's great quarterback here. But That role got taken over by DeMarcus Robinson down the stretch. He was catching touchdowns like crazy, five straight double-digit fantasy points from weeks 13 through 17. He was, I mean, it's not like he was winning people championships, but this is a relevant player on an offense that I want pieces of who is pretty much on, I believe he's undrafted in your average week. Oh, yeah. Yeah, my couple notes for the Rams are if I have Kyron Williams, Blake Corum is a...

priority for my team because I want, no matter what, I want Rams starting running back. I don't ensure very frequently in the draft, but Blake Quorum is, I'm doing it this year. And then just look, this is, I have to do it. So it's just in fleeting and passing and close your ears, guys. But the tight end ram position, or the Rams tight end position needs to be discussed of Tyler Higby. He destroyed his knee in the wild card round. It seemed like Davis Allen was going to be in line to be that guy of like replacement value Tyler Higby. I was so excited. And then Colby Parkinson came in who has done nothing. Ever. But he has cashed gigantic checks that the Rams gave him. So if you want to follow the money, Parkinson is the bet. It's a it's a tough one. And hopefully you don't have to make that wager on either of these guys. But it's you need to at least be aware of their names.

Totally disagree. I do not need to be aware. Okay. I don't want to be aware. That's fine. Don't even make me think about it. End of week one, week two, when you're talking about who do I pick up at the tight end position, I think we'll be talking about one of those two guys. If they didn't sign Colby Parkinson, I would 100% be just talking about how you have to pay attention to Davis Allen. He had like one opportunity and he took advantage of it. He was a rookie last year. I was excited in Dynasty Leagues. He's the only name that I'll be concerned with. Kobe Parkinson, I'm guessing, plays ahead of him.

and makes Davis Allen irrelevant. Colby Parkinson, we've seen enough to know he's not going to be catching. Yeah, this is year five. Yeah, he's not going to be a relevant weekly fantasy starter. So be aware of the name Davis Allen in case he comes out week one and does get seven targets, then pick him up. Kobe Parkinson is doing nothing, but he'll probably ruin Davis Allen. Start of the season tough in Detroit, in Arizona, against San Francisco, your one home game, and then back on the road against Chicago. underdogs and three of four to start the year. So you said you're surprised about the eight and a half win total. That start of the year maybe hurts them. I'm surprised that they are underdogs. I know they're on the road in Chicago, but I, you know, an unknown rookie at quarterback. I would have expected the Rams to be favored. Well, what's Chicago's win total? It's higher. It's as high if not higher than the Rams. So them get in the home game, I would expect the bears to get the credit. Money believes in Caleb Williams.

And the Bears defense too. Yeah, the Bears defense is where my head was at. But let's take a break. Come back and talk about a team not coached for the first time in a long time by Pete Carroll. The Seahawks were nine and eight last year and they bid farewell to Pete Carroll. They were projected for eight and a half. They hit nine. This year is down to seven and a half. Well, they hit six. You know, I don't know. This is not a team that I believe in the way that I think you guys do. It's the only team in the division with a brand new head coach and offensive coordinator situation going on. The pie tin is empty. Yeah, I mean, you know, Pete Carroll had a. Peach Cobbler had a Mike Tomlin-esque impact on the team where it seemed like the team.

talent-wise shouldn't get as much out as he did. And they're projected for seven and a half. They're only favored in five of 17 weeks. So you're making a bet on new head coach and offensive coordinator and Gino Smith. And I'm not saying that that can't work. But the division is really hard. And when you're not favored very often, when you do have, you know, Mike, you've gone to bad for Gino Smith not having as bad of a year last year. And that's true. There are some metrics that back that up. But it also shows, you know, this is, I think it can go either way. And we get new head coaches every year. And they don't all work out. And I just, I just question the way this is going to go for Seattle and whether we see continuity and expectation. So go ahead. Point of clarity, because I completely understand what you're saying when you say that you don't necessarily expect it to go as well as.

we do or I do, because I've talked about how excited I am for the Seattle Seahawks. Yeah. That is 100% fantasy football. I actually think this team is not going to be as good. Pete Carroll was a great head coach for NFL football, not great necessarily always for fantasy football. This was kind of like the Harbaugh, like they're going to run. They're going to play defense above what they usually do. Now, their defense stunk last year, right? They were, you know, their defensive ranks. 31st in rushing yards per game, 30th and total yards being game, given up. 28th and points per game given. Which turned into then they were dead last in time of possession. Right. And I don't think that that gets better defensively from a personnel standpoint. Offensively, I do think that they have just a ton of talent. You know, obviously they're all names we know, right? D.K. Metcalf is a stud. Tyler Lockett is a veteran with great speed. Now you've got second year, JSN in the mix. You've got two great running backs. Did you see Seattle's social media?

Post a JSN. Oh yes. Camp highlight. Oh, the left-handed grab. It was incredible. And it was last off-season. Yeah, it was a year old video. Whoops, seduzzles. It was a last off-season video. Sorry, go on. I didn't mean to. It was just too outrageous. Well, how does it happen? They're going to have any for this year? Yeah, they don't have footage. Remember this? Except it wasn't a remember this. It was just like, check this out. Yeah, but I mean, I remember it. Yeah, because it was last year. So Ryan Grabb coming over to the offensive coordinator, if the defense stinks and they've got to play catch up, the way that they can talk all they want about running the ball, and they have spoken a lot about wanting to run the ball. I don't think that that is going to be what plays out. This was the University of Washington team that had Roma Doonese, had Jalen McMillan, had Jalen Polk, and they used those three wide receivers in great ways.

They comp very well here. And in fact, Ryan Grub has talked about them as comps. He's, he's comped, you know, D.K. Mancalf to that O'Don's a role. He's comped JSN to that Jalen Polk role. So this isn't like me making this up. This is probably what's going to happen. Now, whether that system works from college to NFL is TBD. But it does excite me for the opportunity for more offensive output and less victories, if that makes sense, for fantasy football. I'm more skeptical because of this offensive line and trusting Gino Smith to perform with an offensive line that, you know, Ryan Grubb at Washington was like second in the entire nation in Sacks giving up. You know, what happens when, you know, I could see Seattle kind of re-rolling what happened last year where you're a little bit disappointed at all of the skill position players, even if they're more pass heavy. I don't know if that's going to be what transpires. I like D.K. Metcalf's value. I have a hard time with the J.S. and Lockett thing right now.

I think Kenneth Walker's role as CPs or picking between the two of them. I think just knowing how to make that bet. Yeah, just the belief that you're making a bet on a new offense and Gino Smith. And so I guess I let me put it this way. If the season starts in five weeks in, Tyler Lockett is really good. Not surprised. If the season starts in five weeks in, Jason is really good. I'm not surprised. So because of that, I don't. You feel like you're out or you're sprinkling? I'm out on those two. You're not going to sprinkle them in on a couple rosters? Where's the JSN ADP right now? JSN is wide receiver 47 in the middle of the ninth. I'd sprinkle that. Okay. I'd sprinkle that. But I'm just saying like from a predictability standpoint. I'd sprinkle that. Yeah, I'd sprinkle that. I'd sprinkle that. I'd sprinkle that. You wouldn't sprinkle that? No, I'd sprinkle that. Would you sprinkle? Where's Lockett, not drafted?

He's in the 11th round, like wide receiver 50. Can I ask you a question? Would you sprinkle that? Yeah, I will. I don't think I'm going to sprinkle that. You won't sprinkle that. I will. I'm watching the calories on the sprinkles on that one. He's had one bad year. But it was last year. And maybe that was the oldest he's ever been. Maybe it was the end. Until now. Maybe that was the beginning of the end for Lockett. But if it's not. I mean, they paid him and he finished way ahead of JSN. Fair. Now let me ask you again. Would you sprinkle that?

I will not sprinkle that, sir. Okay, all right. Sir, I will not. Mike, I can't talk him into a sprinkle. I'm a sprinkle. We're all sprinkling some Metcalf through the, for us. Yeah, I'm more fire hosing Metcalf. I think Metcalf is one of those guys. Yeah, you have been, haven't you? I just think it's not even that I believe he's going to have some top five season and you've got to draft him everywhere. It's just where he is being drafted. He's. It's at his floor. It's at his floor. Yeah. Wide receiver 22. Wide receiver 22. He's the clear cut one. He's outside of his rookie season. He has never finished as low as the wide receiver 22. So I just, I don't, you know, he's at the floor. If he ends up with the touchdowns that he basically should have had last year based on his utilization around the red zone, then he is in the top 12. So I just love him at the value. I don't feel like I gave a.

a ton of actionable advice because of my general lack of confidence in Zeno Smith and the offensive line, which is now ranked 31st, by the way. Yeah. And the least amount of money spent on it in the entire national football league. So what happened to, you know, I don't, I don't pretend to be a complete offensive line guru. But they had two, it was like two years ago, they had the rookies where it was like the tackles were awesome and the future of this offensive line was going to be great. And then all of a sudden, their offensive line sucked last year. And the reason it's cheap is because of that, you know, they were able to have those, those great bookends as rookies. But they just suck or get injured. Yeah, they're dealt with injuries. Charles Cross, right? But I'm hoping that that can rebound. Like if, you know, the potential just, just two years ago, it was seen that the future of this offensive line is going to be really good. So, you know, the PFF expectation is really, really bad, 31st, but.

Here's the thing is Pete Carroll, what was the identity with Pete Carroll? What was it generally? Generally the identity. Defense and run the ball. So is Gino Smith the kind of quarterback that can run that kind of offense? I think yes. I think he proved it. Is he the kind of quarterback that you can put the team on his shoulders with a bad defense and a questionable offensive line? That's where it's like Ryan Grub can want to do everything he wants to do. Can Gino execute that to the degree that it's a top? half offense. I don't believe that. And that is the debate. Yeah, I mean, whether he's got the clutch gene to pull out victories in the end, I don't think we've seen that enough, whether he's got the ability to put up high counting stats. I think he does. I mean, we saw it two years ago. The last question with Seattle is just, is there a fatigue there for Kenneth Walker right now, change of offense. There definitely is. There was so much excitement a couple of years ago.

There was excitement after his rookie season. It looked like this was a top five dynasty rookie running back, or running back, period. And then they spend the second rounder on Charbs. The next year for Walker is, it's okay-ish. It's not great. But it really wasn't terrible. So as long as the expectations are appropriate for Walker, I think that he is. I think he's still a fine pick. He is being drafted in the fifth round, RB-16, Jason. What do we just talk about with James Connor? Where's the ADP for James Connor? James Connor, I thought, was 19 or something. Yeah, in our rankings, he's content to 17. He's a round later. Like, do you want Walker in the top of the fifth or Connor in the top of the sixth? Who? I, I, I, gosh, I think I want.

Walker more there. And that might be really, really surprising. Yeah, that surprises me. But if you, if you look, so Kenneth Walker got injured in week 11 last year. When he came back, I don't know how much he was dealing with that. And obviously the split with the rookie, he wasn't that great after that injury. But when he was out there to start the year, the first 10 weeks, he was the running back six. He was dominant. And we were, it was Travis E.T.N. And it was These two guys we should have known. They were so great earlier. We should have known that these guys coming in weren't going to take the mantle. Now, there's more wildcards this year, whole new regime, whole new, you know, it's like that what happened last year, you can't just project it forward. But what happened last year from training camp and on was that Walker was the dude. Charbonnet was the backup. And so Walker's talent has been seen. I do think he'll be the clear cut one. He's a younger explosive athlete than.

James Connor is. So I like both guys, but I'm not, I think Walker right now has fallen to a place where I'm actually excited because there's a, I see how it could work for him. And a lot of the guys around that range is just kind of a mid pick that doesn't have upside. Do we mention Noah Fant's name? It's fine. I should. I'm fine. If we mentioned Davis Allen. Yeah. Holy Parkinson, you darn right. We're mentioning Noah Fant. The final team will talk about. on the final episode. Oh, that was it? We did. Of our divisional breakdown out. Yeah, that's it. That was the, he said, mentioned it. Yeah, I mentioned his name. His name is Noah Fiat. Go on. The final team that we get to talk about is the Arizona Cardinals, who was, they were 4 and 13 last year, which earned them the right to select Marvin Harrison in this year's draft. And it's almost comical to just remember where they were in the first half of the year.