Fantasy Football - Top 10 RB Rankings + Trash Talkers - Podcast for 8/12

I mean... Man, he feels like he gets no respect. Even in my heart. I think we got there. I think we got there. He's there for me mentally. He's elite tier. We are number five, number five, number four. He's got to let it wash over you. I mean, he's being drafted as the RB5 off the board. I think we got there, Jay. I think it came with last year's performance. Leading the league in rushing. I guess where I'm at is I never, ever, ever take James Cook because...

he's going where the last of the elite wide receivers are. So if I'm deciding between like all these running backs that are at the next turn in the second round, these Walker, H. and Hampton, like I love all those guys and I don't really love the wide receivers there. Yeah, that's fair. So I just can't take James Cook there because I'm always taking JSN or Amin Ra or CD and then coming around and grabbing these other running backs. But James Cook's awesome. Yeah, that makes sense. I mean, Jefferson or James Cook? James Cook. Okay.

Yeah, TD regression has not existed for James Cook. His opportunities ballooned from 245 to 349 last year. There's rumors that they're going to pass more. I could see them getting Cook more involved in the passing game. He's got room to go up there. If they run more, it's James Cook. If they pass more, he'll have more receptions. He's so good. Yes. And he's on the bills. He's on one of the best offenses. He is on the bills. I mean, it's just like, you know, we're talking about A. Chan and the Dolphins.

You're going to have so many touchdown opportunities. Yeah. It's just tough because I've never drafted. Yeah, I mean, his quarterback will score 12 times on the ground and he'll still be fine. That's the wild thing. Yeah, those odds that I was giving earlier in the top five, both James Cook and Josh Allen were in the top five. And there's 32 teams. And he's on the bills. The bills. All right. We'll take a break. We'll come back with our top four. You're picky about your fantasy draft.

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He's being drafted at four. He's really good. Oh, Jason's stank facing. Yeah, I'm, I don't know, man. I'm getting a little bit sour on the Colts. Like, I, it's so weird because I like the opportunity that Josh Town says. I've talked about him a lot as one of the latest wide receivers that I really like. I love Tyler Warren. Dog. I just don't know if the vibes are great right now for the Colts. Their schedule is.

very, very difficult. They open Baltimore, Kansas City, Houston, Pittsburgh in Week 5. It's like, it's going to be tough sledding. You know, so I don't know. I find myself not excited for Jonathan Taylor, but if you remember, and I've talked about this, like last year before Daniel Jones went down, he was the runaway running back one. He was, he was. Which he's done before, by the way, in 2021. He was points ahead of Christian McCaffrey until Daniel Jones went down. And he's

A freak of nature good. You can point out he's coming off a tremendous workload. So back when he was the running back one in 2021, he had 383 opportunities, followed it up with two injury-plagued seasons. He got back up to that number last year. 378 opportunities. That can be tough on a running back to stay healthy, something you can pay attention to. And that is, you know, he's missed games one, two, three, four years of his career. Maybe that's in the back of your mind.

I think Daniel Jones playing at an MVP level, them winning eight out of nine games certainly helped last year. He's been a great running back when his team has been good. He's slowed down a little bit when obviously he hasn't had the quarterback player, the offense. But, I mean, no complaints. Scored 20 fantasy points per game last year. On the season, that's including the second half of, you know, Grandpa Rivers throwing him the ball. Also, the vacated targets.

On this team, you know, just like we talked about with A-chan losing Waddle, the targets often go to the running back. And he can catch it. He can catch it. Where's, I mean, is this similar to James Cook where? He's pretty close. I have James Cook ahead of Jonathan Taylor now. Yeah. I'm just saying draft, like in the draft. Are you able to grab, you know, one of those JSN-O-N-ROM. He's at 106. Oh, yeah, you're in the same category. He's at 106 versus 109 for Cook. Yeah, I think.

I think I'd rather have. Oh, no, Jason. I think I'd rather have, not CD, but if I could grab JASN or Ammon Ra. Puka. Oh, definitely. I mean, Puka and Jemar Chase ahead. But those four wide receivers, I think I would take over, over Jonathan Taylor. I mean, we, I feel like we are made a mistake not talking about Puga could get a suspension too. Yeah. That's been, you know, he who Mike shall not name was reporting, yeah, was reporting that.

Both Puka and Jacobs, there are still discussions going on in the NFL as to potential suspensions. Number three. Christian McCaffrey comes in at number three. We all have him at number three. He's being drafted as number three. But it'll probably be number one, right? There's really not much of a discussion to have here. It's if McCaffrey stays healthy, he's a.

probably the number one running back or at the... He's top three guys. At what you say, at the floor of a healthy Christian McCaffrey, he's the running back three and a, but a difference maker at finishing at running back three. It just means two other guys happen to have like crazy seasons. He's coming off a season with 440 opportunities. If you remember, the last time this has happened, I think DeMarco Murray in 2014 had 449. That's a lot.

I think the last time Christian McCaffrey had that many, including the... Oh, no, he's actually never had that many in a season. I'm just saying his 2019 season, he had 428 in season. Man, and then he was, of course, missed the next year with injury. There's no one you feel more nervous about injury with still. And that's fair. But, I mean, anybody can get hurt other than you told me Bijon can't.

Last year, which was right. And I was right. I mean, I will say this. The injury stuff that we talk about with these players and you go, well, anyone can get injured. That's true. I don't really care about injury history that much for most guys. But what I do care about when it comes to the potential for injury is age. Sure. So like when I look at Saquan and Christian McCaffrey coming off of large workloads and they're 30, that's where it's like, it's just, you know, it's more.

It's more difficult to recover quickly should an injury happen. Is it more comforting to say three of the past four years? He has been number one or number two? That's very comforting. Yeah, that's a good way to put it. That's nice. Like those, the two Carolina years, I mean, that's just, that's fluky stuff. He's so good. He's so good. The offense.

They keep losing their wide receivers. Christian McCaffrey last year, 129 targets. There's not a world where he doesn't get 100 plus targets again, and it's just somehow remains unstoppable because he caught 102 of them for 924 yards. That's 9.1 yards per catch. These are high numbers for a running back. It's very effective. He's had seven receiving touchdowns.

in two of the past three years and the one when he'd had none is because that was one of the years he got hurt. It's time to ask yourself, what do you believe? Will he get hurt or will he not? Yeah, I mean, I think the only reason he's not going to number one is because you have two guys this year. Yes. That are significantly younger that have already proven it. And so you get to take the...

Odds, right? Yes. You get to take odds with you that these guys are going to be better, starting with number two. Bejan Robinson. Yeah, he's pretty good. Before, the last thought I had on McCaffrey, because I'm looking at this strategically for 2026, you're in that first round of the draft. Personally, I find that the top, those top four wide receivers that I love, I'm leaning towards them.

over James Cook and over Jonathan Taylor. And I can't decide when I'm there and I'm staring at JSN Amin Ra and Christian McCaffrey, which one is the right pick? Can you guys just tell me? It's probably CMC. Unfortunately, I cannot. I knew what it was last year, but I don't know this year. Yeah, I mean, a more valuable thing for your team is if you get Christian McCaffrey playing at a high level. That's the most valuable thing. Fair. Bejan.

Number two, it's gotten better every single year, got paid this offseason. Oh, wait, that's the same thing with number one. Jamir Gibbs, gotten better every single year, got paid this off season. Both are 24 years old. Both lost their backups that encroached on touchdowns for them. One's on a really good team. Yeah, I mean, that's the biggest difference is one is on a team projected to score, you know, top three in the NFL and one is, you know, a 500 at best team.

that is not projected to score as much. The path for Bejohn to outscore Jemir Gibbs is it's Tua. Tua is the quarterback for the vast majority of the season and then and we continue to see the highest checkdown to the running back rate that we continue to see that. I think it's, to me like that's kind of the only way. But think about what you just said with your words and your mouth. Yeah.

You just said that his best, the thing, the best for him is Tua. That's why he said, that's why I have moved Bejohn to two. I'm with you guys on Gibbs. It says something, though, to me, what you looked up earlier. Gibbs is the number one highest odds of double-digit touchdowns. Bejohn did not crack that list of the top six. That says something to me. That's a differentiator. I think Gibbs has the potential this season to have one of those years an LT style.

CMC style. I feel like he has the chance to score the most fantasy points ever at the running back position. I mean, you look at what Dan Campbell's philosophy was as an offense with a team with Montgomery, who could catch the football. When he took over as the play caller, Gibbs had the seventh most receptions of any player in the NFL. That's what you need. That's the LT. That's a CMC. You want this guy to be like, stand alone as if he was just a wide receiver with the receiver numbers, he's in the top five at the position. And so that is.

in the realm of possibilities because the offense, Detroit favored in 14 of 17, potential to score a ton of points. That's the differentiator. Both guys are going to be awesome. Both guys could easily finish number one. It's funny because they neither has. I mean, they haven't had that year. It's like when Chase had never finished at one, and we're like we always drafted him at the top because you know it's coming. You know, it's just the offensive system. It's the same reason you said you like Hampton more than Gentie.

This is a year where frequently I don't want the number one pick. Like you'll have kind of a tier of, oh, here's five or maybe even six guys. I want to start my draft with them. So I'd rather start where my second pick is going to be better. The way that ADP and the market looks like it's shaking out this year, I want the number one pick. I want Gibbs because on the way back that turn, I'm going to get two other.