Early RB Rankings: 11-20 + Mike’s Shattered Dreams - Fantasy Football Podcast for 4/15

rushing share, passing, pass receiving work on a team that can make the jump and become better. That's what I saw in Delvin Cook when he succeeded. It's what I saw in Todd Gurley when he succeeded. It's not to say that I'm calling that for Mixin, but I want the potential of that happening for a player. Do you like Joe Burrow? I do like Joe Burrow. Draft capital this year. I just think that there's an opportunity. All funny games aside. Thank you for roasting me. You're welcome. That's kind of what we do here.

All funny games aside, I would say that Joe Mixen projects to have the ability to have a real breakout year. Projects to have the ability to have. I mean, he's just, he's maddening. He is maddening that we can't. If you give Joe Mixen in 16 games this year, he's going to be great. Which one thing you did miss on the last episode is the reality that no running backs play 16 games. Well, that's true.

But Joe Mixon, his last three games before injury last year, he was the number one, number 23, number eight on that team. Yeah, and Giovanni Bernard, with him gone, I mean, that's not like Gio was out there doing a whole bunch, but I mean, that's a, that is a positive checkmark in Joe Mixon, especially in the passing game. Maybe you see a.

one or two more targets per game. That's a big deal for Joe Mixing over the course of the season. Last year's pace. I mean, just last year's sixth game, his pace was 1100 yards and eight touchdowns. Yeah. With 56 receptions. I will be honest. Oh, yeah, that'd be nice. You know, I've got him at 17. Andy's got him at 10. If I had to, I had to break the tie one direction, I like him being more towards the top 12 guy than where I've got him. All right. Clyde Edwards O'Leary at 15. I...

I really don't have any idea how to think about Clyde Edwards-Aler. I really, really don't. I do feel like this year is going to tell you the rest of the story. This year is going to define the dynasty value of Clyde-Dres-A-Layer forever. Because if last year ends up being this perceptual disappointment, not taking over, 181 carries is certainly not taking over. In, I mean, 12 games. Correct. Certainly not the level of workhorse.

of a 300 carry, 250 carry guy. No. But I'm just saying if this year doesn't work out the way that people hope for Clyde-Rus-Aler, I think that ship has sailed for his time in Kansas City. I don't think you get a year three breakout for Clyde-Rus-Aler.

No, I agree with you. And I think what we saw last year is going to be pretty much what we see this next year. However, because it ended so poorly with a bad game in Tampa, then an injury, then it was back for two injured and out. It really left us just completely destroyed by Clyde Edwards-Alair on the season. He's going to be a top 15 back because he will get enough work in a great offense. And if the touchdowns happen to come, very similar to the Robbie Anderson, you know, he only had...

four touchdowns on the course of the season rushing. I expect that number to go up. What happens if they do sign another passing down oriented back? Because there were rumors about James White. They made an offer to James White. White ended up resigning with New England. But what if they do that in the draft? Are you concerned about Clyde's workload with how they use three backs? It will take away the ability, I think, for him to be an upper echelon top.

you know, eight type of back if they were to go and spend capital on a pass catcher. How high can Clyde finish this year, Mike? How high? Yes. Top five. So you still believe that? I firmly believe that because of the offense and bad, bad touchdown totals that were kind of outlier-esque compared to opportunity. Yeah, we mentioned J.K. Dobbins with the rushing touchdown of every 11 carries. Clyde was a touchdown every 45 carries. Like that's silly. That's silly, especially like when they gave Clyde the ball,

in the rushing game, he wasn't bad. He was, in fact, very good and very efficient. Before the injury at the end of the year knocked him out, he was on a pace of 292 opportunities. He was getting the ball a ton. You just had some really unfortunate touchdown luck mixed in with two catastrophically bad games. And I think that...

kind of tainted and painted this picture of Clyde that he's... And the injury. Yeah. So he was, things, I think, just bounced the wrong way. Personally, I've, I still believe in Clyde Edwards-Aler, the player, and I believe in him as a fantasy player, too. Okay. 16. James Robinson of Jacksonville. Foof.

It's only sitting at 16 because Jason's got him down at 21. I've got him at 14. Mike at 17. He still feels impossible to rank. He is the hardest. I said it right before the show. Everybody I've ranked, right now we're not statting players out yet until after the draft. We're just ordering the guys to our belief. Man, I just kept putting another person ahead of him, another person ahead of him, and I hate it. The NFL did that too. I told you guys before the show, I am very bullish on James Robinson. And the more I look into this, the more I think he is my.

Like if you said, hey, pick somebody that's consensus outside of the top 15 that can be a top five running back. I think it's James Robinson. And when you look at what he did last year, 240 carries 1,000 yards, 7 touchdowns, 60 targets, 49 receptions. Everyone's going to point to the workload, you know, getting everything in this offense.

You're saying the number seven overall running back who missed two games. Right, right, who missed? And then we're all like, maybe he's in the top 20. I don't know. He was the top. I don't know. I need to see a little bit more. He was an RB7 on a team. Listen to this.

Jacksonville was 30th in points per game, 29th in yards per game, 32nd in total rush attempts. Did you hear that? 32nd in rush attempts. 31st in time of possession, 28th in points per drive, 31st in score margin. That's as bad as you can get in football. He finished RB7. Carlos Heidi is on the back end of his career. Say what you will about him still being an effective runner. He's on the backside of his career, multiple teams over the last few years.

When Urban Meyer arrived in Jacksonville, he said he's going to build the running back room around James Robinson. He is a coach that's going to run a shotgun offense. Who's the best runner in all of football in a shotgun offense is James Robinson? He averaged like 6.3 per carry in the shotgun last year. I just think that we're going to look at it and we're going to say it didn't make sense last year, so it can't make sense in the future. And that is where it's like, look, I'm not, I have them early rankings at 14. That's.

Not seven. So I'm not sitting there drinking cool it. I just think he might be the widest range of outcomes of all these guys, which is lending itself to what Jason said. He's very hard to rank. Yeah. And before I get into the possible negatives, the one thing that I want to add to, you know, the analysis of James Robinson is if you didn't get the opportunity, because Jags, to watch James Robinson last year.

Every time he touched, he was so good. Film-wise, you're just watching this guy who just bounces off of guys, never goes down to that first tackle. It's like defenders can't see him behind the line. Just outstanding on tape. So this is really like, I am so full of disrespect right now, and I mean none. I mean none of it, Mr. Robinson. I owe you an apology because it's disrespectful. You've done everything.

It's tough because when you are an undrafted, free age, I mean, Philip Lindsey, right? A couple years ago, finished in 15 games. He was a running back one in fantasy. But they were not really invested in him. He looked great on film. And then they're like, me, the next year, you know, he gets a little bit less work. He's the running back 19. And then they're like, hey, Melvin Gordon, why don't you come? Philip, you're off the team. Yeah. Well, it's always going to be a lot harder with the.

the lower draft capital, lower investment type of players, even if it's an Aryan Foster when he was breaking out, even if it's a, you know, there's a number of these guys that were Rahim Moser, right? It's like, oh, man, are you, are you in on him? Are we really going to believe? And that's going to be a challenge, and that might make him a value, but it's going to be a hard mental hurdle. Darrell Bevel's there now, too, by the way. And he just, he has to make it through the draft. That's where, yes, yes. My ranking of 17 for James Robinson, I'm in a holding pattern.

I am just circling around the airport waiting to see if they spend a day one or not day one, a day two pick on a running back. Because you can say, we're building around James Robinson. Until. And then all of a sudden, Travis E.T.N. is there and you weren't expecting it. And you were in love with him. Oh, my gosh. You can say Kishon Vaughn is going to break out this year. And then Giovanni Bernard becomes available. I mean, when you have a chance to sign an older Giovanni Bernard, Mike, you got to take it.

You guys just put the fear of God in me. I mean, no team has more draft capital than Jacksonville. Exactly. They could just, they might run out of people to draft. I mean, they might literally get to the point where they're like, What do I do? Also take ETN. I mean, they have more draft capital than anybody. And this player is, this next player on our list is on a team with the least draft capital of anybody. And that is Chris Carson at 17. And he's got a big bag of money.

Yeah, my ranking sucks. Yeah. Yep. Wait, let us check. Yeah, my ranking of Chris Carson sucks here. You guys both have him at 15. I've pulled him down to 17 on our consensus with my 22. But this is a perfect thing I think for us to highlight on the show because I believe it's going to happen. This is what people are going to do to Chris Carson. You're going to forget how great.

Chris Carson was last year because it was only 12 games. The stat line is not what you had hoped for this past year. He will be overlooked at the running back position. People will be taking, you know, like. Oh, I see. You got to put him in order, right? I mean, Jason just said this about James Robinson. He kept putting other guys ahead of him. That's what happened with me and Chris Carson. He just kept picking other players that. And ironically, talking about James Robinson, Carlos Hyde.

switching teams matters. I mean, Rashad Penny should be healthy, so it's not going to be, you know, an entire, now it's only Chris Carson. But Carlos had was successful last year as a runner in that offense and did vulture some opportunity away with him out of the way. I think that's just good news for Chris Carson, who finally got, you know, he got paid. So that's, I mean, that's money he's never had because he was a late round guy.

Yeah, I mean, it's one of the reasons he got the doubts early on, just the same way James Robinson might. Exactly. 16 opportunities of game last year and 12 games down from 22 the year before. I know you guys are Rashad Penny truthers, but. You put that evil on, Jason. Yeah, I was going to say that's, that's, that's, I don't take it. That's mine. It's mine to own. Yeah. All right. Why shouldn't I?

They did grab former Raiders offensive guard, Gabe Jackson this offseason, could improve that offensive line as well. We have other stats and storylines in our show doc for Chris Carson. It just says, why does Andy show such blatant disrespect for this man? He was on his way, man. Running back, this is how the season started. 7, 13, 26, 4, 11 injury. Like, Chris Carson was on his way. Well, the Seahawks. First five game page. Just dominating.

It was a lot of touchdowns and pass catching. You know what his pace was in receptions? I do not. You don't want to have your mind going on? Look, Pete Carroll has said that Chris Carson has some of the best hands on the team. He was, so first five games played. His attempts pace, 195. Ooh, wow. That's because of all the cooking. His touchdowns, 9.6 on the ground. So that number's nice. Better, better. His reception pace was 67.

I'll take that. Yes. On 73 targets. So best hands might add up on that number. The Seahawks obviously are wanting to get back to the running game. And so, you know, you talked about he was down to 16 opportunities a game from 22 opportunities the year prior. They probably meet in the middle there this coming season. It might get 20, 20 opportunities a game. Yeah, it could. Over the last six, when he did return from injury, he was averaging 16 per game, but up at 40 receptions. So, yes, possible.

great value. 18, Miles Sanders, 19, David Montgomery, 20, DeAndre Swift. Miles Sanders, Mike, if you could make a sound to represent your feelings on Miles Sanders, what sound is it? That's crumagony old man. I've heard that before. Yeah, that's a bitter beer face if I've ever seen it. You're looking at Miles Sanders in your lawn from your porch. And he needs to get off. Yeah, I mean, he made two good plays last year. And they were both against me. And I enjoyed both of them.