Fantasy Football - NFL Draft Recap: NFC Winners & Losers - Podcast for 4/30

to the fantasy footballers podcast with your host, Andy Holloway, Jason Moore, and Mike Wright. Oh, welcome in. The fantasy footballers back with you. Mike Wright, Jason Moore, Andy Holloway. Thursday, April 30th. What, Mike? I just had a realization. That you're a fairweather fan. I know what his realization. I know what his realization. Yeah, baby. It's going to be me. Also, what, go to my camera. What are you talking about? Mike is wearing a different hat today that he normally wears. Well, this is where me and the champs, you know, last year's chance, probably this year's champs. You're a big O KC fan. Always have been guys. Well, no, I remember you were a big Warriors fan during those heyday years. No, no, I know. Big Chiefs fan.

Yeah, Yankees. You like the Astros a lot during their whole controversy. I know you were a big fan of what they did. And despise trash cans. Yeah, yeah. Welcome into the show. Second half of our draft recap. What are you going to do, man? Sometimes you got to jump on the train. NFC winners and losers on this show today. But first, we need some sort of, can we get the mic announcement horn of some sort? Oh, you need the big horn. Yeah. We do have our draft week giveaway winners to announce here on the show. So anybody that picked up the ultimate draft kit over the weekend or has purchased it since we started pre-orders in February, they were all entered to win. A Jamar Chase signed jersey, Bejohn Robinson, Jersey, and a listener league spot, which have been picked out. We also threw out some extra swag to some folks out there. Let's start here. The Jamar Chase jersey.

goes to who i just wanted to put you put the producer on the spot there we go there was a chance there's a um there it is adam johnson with the jamar chase signed jersey congratulations oh now see i have set us up for like multiples i put in slack i'll hit you the drum roll for the listener league's okay no we're committed now the bejean jersey goes to yeah i knew yeah it's not good it's not good william villa or via however you pronounce it and then uh hey guys have we have we messaged the listener league spot winner not yet oh do we so this is maybe they're just learning about it right now you if you haven't heard yet that you're in the league this might be you right now all right uh if your name is stephen good work steven pronounce the last name jabu it's jaboa

It's your boy, Stephen. Giveau. Gibbyu. I think Mike actually got it right. I think it's Jabot. Okay. I mean, that works. If that's your name or something close to it, we, we look out for an email from Al Borland. We also send some swag packs out to Cody. Cody P, James F, and Bryce L for some swag packs. Lots of giveaways this week. I had somebody email me this morning and they said, I didn't have time to pre-order it. Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, when I had a chance. Could I buy it today and still be entered? And I said, no, but. Nay. But because we had already picked the winners because we're honorable men and there's a window, right? Yeah. But I said if you get it, we do more giveaways and more fun stuff over the entire summer. Also, then you have it. Right. That is also one of the perks is having it once you get it. Ultimate draft kit.com for that. Let's move on to the news. News and notes from around the league.

So much for knowing before the draft, huh? The Steelers placed the rare right of first refusal tender on Aaron Rogers. I've never even heard of this tender. It means that he can accept a 10% raise off of last year's salary, which would pay him about 15 million this year from another team, right? And then they could match it? Yes, that is. What a cool thing that he has forced him to do. Yeah, weird. Aaron Rogers is going to be the quarterback. Aaron Rogers is not going to get to the- I don't. I'm, where, how are you at? Give me your odds. Okay, my odds are 95%. I'm like, 55, 45. No. I can't imagine Aaron Rogers. Will Howard. This is Aaron Rogers decision. Howard over Allard. So in my opinion, this is just does Aaron Rogers want to play football or not? And by the time football starts coming around, I think he's going to be like, yeah, I want to play football. So I talked to some of, I've got friends that are lifelong Steelers fans.

grown up flans they're flans like the gelatin yeah no i got it um they grew up you know yellow and and black like they don't want aaron rogers as their quarterback they they think it is a lost season they would like to see will howard or drew aller or anybody else if i was a steelers fan 100% i would not want aaron rogers anywhere near the team it's not best for your future. It will probably win the most games this season to have Aaron Rogers there. Not best for your future. Remember when Hakeem Olajuwon was on the Toronto Raptors, Jason? Nope. What? Yeah, he was. Yeah, Hakeem Olajuan played for the Raptors. This is the dream. The Canadian dream? The Canadian dream shake up there in the Great White North. It's a fact. But you know what?

We're not going to remember Aaron Rogers, the Steelers. No. We're going to remember the Packer, and he had an amazing years, and we'll be a Hall of Famer. But can we, can we, he's doing, it's weird to be. We're done with this. We've already done the Brett VARV thing. Yeah. It's just funny. The amount of time. Can't wait for Jordan Love to do this. Oh, yeah. I guess that's inevitable. NFL networks, Ian Rappapaport reporting, as I like to say, that Broncos quarterback. Bo Nix underwent a successful and anticipated follow-up, clean-up procedure on his ankle. Well, he had the injury that forced us into not getting to watch him in the title game, right? I'm just laughing at the anticipated part. They're like, it was successful. It was anticipated. Oh, yeah, you got to do that. We didn't accidentally have surgery. Like, we knew we were going to do it. He didn't slip on a banana peel and fall on a gurney. The scalpel's in my ankle. One of the most anticipated surgeries in history, this one.

Free agent wide receiver, Joanne Jennings, visited the Minnesota Vikings on Wednesday, still a free agent. Jennings has spent at least three off seasons begging to be worth more. And deserving to be worth more? I think at one point, yes, but I don't feel that way. Like, Jennings is a solid receiver, sure. I think he has a lot to offer a team. You want him to bring it to Minnesota? As the wide receiver three, he would be very helpful. Lions exercise, Jamir Gibbs 50-year option for 2027. Shocking. That one makes sense. And also, Quentin Johnston. Man. Huge. What a roller coaster that's been. Look at us. Look at us. Whoever thought we would be here together. We are in the middle of doing our team-by-team, player-by-player stat analysis, projecting every single player that goes into the UDK. So we are looking closely at these teams. I saw Jason. He tweeted a disparaging remark about the dolphins after looking at them.

in the UDK. Well, it was because I had to stat their wide receivers. Right. No, that's not a pleasant experience. But I look at the Chargers and I see this team desperately needing Quentin Johnston. It's like you look at what they have. They desperately need him. They desperately need him. So fifth year option makes sense to me. Jonathan Brooks. Yes. Jonathan Brooks said he's been fully cleared to participate in Carolina's offseason program and feels close to 100%. tore his ACL out of Texas, retoured in 2024. Really sad story. I mean, this was the highest drafted running back of that class, right? Yes, he was. Have you... Ahead of Trey Benson. Yeah, I mean... Andy, have you been tweaking any Carolina projections yet? Not with Jonathan Brooks. I mean, I have gotten into Carolina, yes. Okay. I just wondered if how you were handling Chuba versus Johnny Brooks because it... Like, I haven't got to them yet, but it's like...

in just, you know, the vibes and thinking through the situation. Chuba feels like he will go back to what he was two years ago, which was a massive steal. Because I just like the making the bet on Brooks feels so difficult right now. It's really tough when you come back from an ACL and then have an immediate, you know, ACL rupture again. And now he's coming back and you'd hope that this quote is like, I'm 100%. And he's still like, I'm close to 100%, which is not great. I've done the Panthers. I had Chuba down for 230 carries to Brooks's 72. Oh, okay. He had Chuba at 230. I'm at 205 right now. But I also spread the ball to A.J. Dillon's on that roster now. Trevor E.T.N., rookie last year, had 20 opportunities. He could get more this year. And Jonathan Brooks, it's really hard to expect much from him, but it would be nice to see him on the field, I think. Yeah, I mean, this is one of the, like,

think about this we're doing rookie drafts all over the place right now uh around the office we're doing real rookie drafts and you get all over the place you get to these places in the corner in the bathroom over the world in the the middle of the second where it just the floor drops out and you're just guessing the second i was being i was being late first yes at about 112 where i was picking but what pick Would you say, you know what, I would rather take a shot on Jonathan Brooks if I could basically draft him here, this version, trade what pick right now in your rookie picks to go acquire Jonathan Brooks? I don't think he would go ahead of Adam Randall or Mike Washington. He would for me. Okay. I'd be willing to- In the second? Like, I'll do a second rounder for Jonathan. So you would go make that trade? It's super, it's real volatile of.

of Ken Jonathan Brooks ever come back. This is just because of the draft capital and talent. And age, he's still very young. I mean, he's, I think he's younger than some of these running backs. You'll be drafting as a rookie this year. And how old are his knees? 72. I don't think we have any other news. So let's just jump right in. We got the entire NFC to get through today. It's time. Hey, rookie. Welcome to the NFL. Turns out the Cardinals playing the... NFC. And we're starting with the NFC West, which means our 3 and 14 Cardinals are the first team we'll get to talk about. Huzzah. We shared a lot of information on our opinions of the Jeremiah Love pick on the last episode. I know it was the AFC, but so many big storylines were out of the NFC and we are the Cardinals fan. So we kind of launched the show. If you want more details, I don't think we'll rehash the contract situation and all that. Just suffice to say,

The Cardinals are so freaking stupid and it is we weren't talking about it. You just rehashed it. I just recapped it. Oh, a bunch different. Just they're stupid. A recap is more brief than a rehash. The details are on the last episode. Cap goes on the top. The Cardinals drafted. The player projected to be the number one rookie pick. And them drafting him didn't change that. Correct. Chairman my love is still the number one pick. I think in the majority of rook. I would not mind if somebody wanted to take Carnal Tate. It's not happening where I'm watching drafts. But I don't think that that is, historically, you look back at rookie drafts and how stupid we are half the time. I don't think that that is, if you're a team that's completely flush at running back, I don't think Tate is a bad pick. Right. And like, I don't know what just nasty bad karma, Tyler Alger has. Poor, let's say a prayer for him.

Gets drafted by the Falcons. Oh. Tyler. Day three pick breaks their record, their rookie record for rushing. Over a thousand yards. And they were like, yeah, but we got a chance to get Bijan. Oh, what is the lights doing? It's like, we're a real store. Oh, and you're like, oh, what that sucks, man? I get it, though. It's Bijan. Don't worry, this will never happen to you again. One day I'll be a real boy. Gets paid to be a starter. We get reports that Alger is like, yo. Uh, what the heck, man? I was brought here to be the starter, and then the carnes was like, no, because we can get Jeremiah love. So I, Al Jare's the biggest loser. It sucks. I feel bad for that guy, because I think he really deserved his chance. And for, for fantasy, Al Jir will, he'll do some of the stuff that you did it to bejean and like the stealing touchdowns. The Arizona Cardinals. Because he's good. The Arizona Cardinals could have had no question that whether or not they.

would be able to draft Jeremiah Love at 3. There's no, the Jets aren't doing that with Breece Hall, who they've got on the franchise, and Mendoza's won. So it's like, this is not like, oh, you couldn't see this coming before you signed Tyler Alger? That is a very valid point. Come on, me. You guys are so stupid. That's because they didn't really have this plan. Well, someone should have started earlier. They didn't get what they wanted because nobody bent because nobody else wants to draft a running back at 3. All right. But from a fantasy perspective, Al Jir and Connor, both massive losers. Jeremiah Love will be the Belkow. You don't draft a running back at three and not let him do that. Alger could steal some touchdowns like you said, but I think Love will have 200 plus opportunities. Agreed. I would say rookie year, Jeremiah Love is going to be a disappointment. I believe fantasy-wise, where he's drafted, he'll be a slight disappointment. It is not a bad...

landing spot destination going forward. They don't have as bad an offensive line as like the Raiders with Genie. Are you thinking a Genti level disappointment? Yeah, very similar. I mean, Genti was the running back 12 last year, but still was definitely a disappointment. He was not a good thing. I think so. I mean, right now I expect Jeremy I love to end up in my rankings at like running back 15. Okay. Like a running back two. I know we don't like the team and we don't think they'll win. But the truth about Arizona is that their offense was very good.

Which a couple of Berset. Like statistically, you look at it, they were very good. They were ninth. They were ninth. In total. In total. In totality, yes, their actual EPA and everything like that was really, really bad. If you look at that offense, they have every piece you could want to dominate. They have Harrison and Wilson, Wilson, who went crazy less. Right. They have the best tight end in the league in McBride. They have. Now, a number three overall pick, the highest paid running back in the league. They have a lot of weapons on that team. It's just wild to me that it's like they just need to figure out the play call, the passer. They also did not in any way shape or form this off season address their defense at all. Which is great for fantasy. It's great for fantasy. They didn't do it in the free agent market. They really didn't even do it in the draft. I mean, they went Jeremiah Love, then a guard, then Carson Beck.

And so this is still going to be a team that is going, if you want to win a game, you're going to have to score 30. They have a play caller that people believe in and trust in. You saw the difference in the offensive play of Jacksonville last year. Jacksonville was a bottom dwelling team. Yeah, this isn't, I don't think this is a bad landing spot for Jeremiah Love. My issue and the reason why I say in redraft year one, it'll be disappointing. I do think that the James Connor and Tyler Algier. combo will be involved. They will get goal line. They will get receptions. That would be great for Connor. For Connor, he should be traded. Yeah, for the team. And Andy, just to point it out even further, 2024, the Arizona Cardinals had 42 total touchdowns. Last year, they only had 40. Like, this was a team that was getting destroyed. So they...

couldn't run so they were no they couldn't run at all they were four string running so they i mean they were very successful in giving us fantasy points and getting yards and things like that but as an like a truly effective offense i don't think they they were and there's a good chance at the end of the season we're going to see rookie carson back third rounder running this offense which will not be good for so multiple things here i i hated that pick as like as someone who you're like yeah i've said i don't want to be a fan of the cardinals i'm not really it's just like

Try to pull me back in. I think this is just a, this is a waste of a pick because the highest odds are next year you're very high up in the draft. You won't know does Carson Beck have it? Because by the time you put him in, it will just be like towards the end of the year and you're playing against other teams where people are giving up. So I hated the pick. I also hate that you like, if you're in a super flex rookie draft, you have to think about it. Because you're like, hey, what if we're all, what if I'm wrong? What if the NFL is wrong?

not taking Carson Beck higher. And he's good. There's a hive of people who believe he is. Because the situation is solid. He's now three or four in Superflex quarterback rankings because you're going to have Simpson, you're going to have Mendoza. Should he be two? Probably not. We'll get to the Rams, but I don't think so. I would not take him over. Because Ty Simpson is an injury away or years away. I think two years at minimum. And it's like Carson Beck should at least try to play this year. I don't think he's getting snaps this year. Unless something changed with the depth chart. I think Arizona will play Jacoby and they'll play Monshoe before they play back. Well, their draft, to sum up the entirety of their draft in their offseason, the Cardinals are the highest odds for Vegas to get the number one pick next year. So they're not expected to do good things. It's amazing when, like, you took your shot at Miami, who, by the way, they weren't a good team.

You took your shot at them on Twitter, and everybody attacks you like you, like you think the Cardinals will be better than them. We are not appealing to, there is zero pride left on that front. I think you were just sharing your opinion, especially through the fantasy lens. Yeah, it was genuinely just for fantasy. I mean. Of Miami. And so, look, Miami's the second highest odds for number one pick. So there are a bunch of bad teams. We'll talk about them. San Francisco, 12 and 5. They go, well, they didn't have a first. So they spent their second round pick on, not Denzel Boston, who was sitting there, right? They could have. But Dazon Stribling. And they would have taken him with their first round pick. They said that, but they traded back into the second. Well, we'll take him. We'll take him earlier than you could even believe. Which they still did. They still took him. They traded back. And then they drafted him higher than anyone would have believed. Dejaun Stribling is.

a really fascinating guy for Dynasty Leagues. I'm watching him go in the third round of rookie drafts. He went, he went third round of ours. Yeah, I mean, that the 302. That's in, that's unacceptable. A second round running back. I get that the, you know, we, wide receiver. We don't, yeah, yeah, yeah, thank you. We dunked on the 49ers. They have a history of failing with their day two skill position picks. That's just an objective fact. over the last several years. However, this is a player that they basically were ready to take in the first round. They did take him very high, super high draft capital, an offense that's good. And because the draft community and the big board community was not really up on scribbling, like maybe we should have been. Because we weren't earlier, we aren't now. And that's a mistake. No, I stand by that position. You stand by that.

that he is not good enough to be when the 49ers have reached for players they don't work out on the field and so they reach for a player that nobody has a consensus belief in and they take them early and we're supposed to believe in them i'm not going to go to that place i don't see the depth chart showing me that let me tell you a story i mean they have pierce jalen polk Sure. Second round pick by the New England Patriots who lasted about five seconds. Yeah, I just don't believe. This is a team that wants to win a Super Bowl. I don't see this rookie in the second round that should have gone in the fourth round contributing more than a handful of catches on the year. They have Pearsall, Evans, Kirk. I have a different opinion than you on that one. It's just simply the one of the greatest signals for success.

as much as other teams. Sure, from only other teams. Yes. Is draft capital. And that is pretty much if you were to, if you were to do all your rookie drafts with nothing but draft capital, you just take whoever was taken highest. You're going to do all right. It's kind of like auto drafting in a with your ADP and your fantasy football league. Oh, that sucks. That's why you believed in golden all last year. It's why I took him and that's not going to work sometimes. But. A lot of things don't work. I mean, you're just trying to make the, the bets that are 60% odds. And usually higher draft picks, perform more, get longer. I say, I'm with you, Jason. If I'm in the third round of my rookie draft, I'll take stribling there. But I'm more on Andy's side. Like, there's guys drafted after him that I prefer to take the shot on. And Caleb Black, third round running back from the San Francisco 49ers were here yet again.

for, I don't know how many years in a row, and prepared to be fooled by it. I had the 212. I have Christian McCaffrey in our Dynasty League. I took Kalen Black. I took him over stribling because, like, I'm going to take a chance that I have the 49ers insurance running back. I know that will not be correct. No, it'll be Jordan James this year, most likely. Or maybe it's Garendo again. I mean, they go through four a year. So, yeah, I picked him up. He's 24 and a half years old. prepared for it to be wrong. Kalin Black is so bizarre. He was not invited to the combine. Not invited to the combine. And yet, what do we got? 10? Oh, 10 teams. He did a top 30 visit for. I want that agent. Yeah, I mean, doing good work. So I. The San Francisco 49ers have drafted over the last five years, Trace Sermon in the third round. Elijah Mitchell in the six. That one worked. Tierian Davis Price in the third.

Isaac Garindo in the fourth. And now Jordan James was the fifth round pick last year. Now Kalin Black in the third. Elijah Mitchell worked, but he wasn't above 80, like expectation at all. He was a six-round steal. No, I mean, when you look at reaches, both of these offensive players this year were massive reaches over where they were expected to go in the draft. They could have gone probably rounds later. Kyle, who was the Who was one of the OGs? It was where we got all the reports. Kyle Shanahan is pounding the table. For somebody that they wanted to draft. He has to draft this running back. And then they got drafted and we never heard from him again. I mean, Tiri and Davis Price was one of them for sure. Yeah. There's been a lot. I don't believe anything. They'll be a good team. But the one thing about San Francisco is that they...

while they draft players in the wrong spots and miss on them, they also have no, it's ironic because you're saying, look, the statistics say your draft capital associates with success, which it does broadly, not nuanced necessarily, but broadly. It's 100% fact. Joe Williams. But they don't give a crap about where the player's been drafted. They can draft Trace Sermon in the third. And if Elijah Mitchell has two better practices, that's their loyalty all of us. That is legitimately true with the San Francisco 49ers. That is a point that can't be argued against. I mean, look at Brock Purdy. He was Mr. Irrelevant, the last pick in the draft. They're like, you're the better player. You're up. And so if these guys are better, they'll play. That's where it's ironic because I have that same opinion, but more on the Kalin Black side. Because I just don't think Kalin Black's a good running back at all.

He was productive. I don't, was he the best running back on his team? No, he wasn't the more productive of the two, but he was and he's athletic. Joe Williams, man. I remember Joe Williams. Fourth round of Shanney's first draft. All right, we're taking a break. We're talking Rams. This is the division of confusion in the dress. So like I said, the Cardinals were done a favor by San Francisco, in my opinion, spending picks that. it was if you like these guys just take them later yeah and then the rams blew everybody's mind including i think their head coach who you know you can read it however you want i watched press conferences from previous years i watched this one either he was constipated or he didn't like the pick ty simpson goes 13 overall to a team that was a eyelash from the super bowl

shocking to me when, like, Mackay Lemon's there to be taken. When you talk about, they might trade or get rid of Devante Adams this offseason. I couldn't believe. Like we all, we all picked Mackay Lemon to the Rams. None of us picked Ty Simpson at 13 to the Rams. He hadn't even spoken to Sean McVeigh before. So that is actually not true. There was a report of a secret meeting. So here's what happened. Top. The way that this has gone down. That's what I would say too. Has been a roller coaster. What happened was the first press conference, you had Sean McVeigh just looking like his dog died, very unhappy, short answered, not like you've ever seen him before. The next day he comes out to the press conference, jokes around, brings it up right off the bat about why he was upset, what was happening. And he basically said the truth is that was out of respect for Matthew Stafford. He did not want to go out there.