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

I did not enjoy the many bad ones, though. I like their offensive line getting healthy. I like the pieces they have there. Miles Sanders is their guy. 18 opportunities a game. A little bit of an opened up offense. If Jalen Hertz is running around and extending plays, and Miles Sanders can catch the football. So I am at 15. I'm the most generous here. Mike at 19, Jason at 20.

Ironically, I don't hate Miles Sanders, even though I'm the lowest. And Mike, you pretty much despise him with all of your being right now. I'm just thoroughly upset. Right. I didn't feel the burns the same way that you did. But I see the opportunity for Miles to be good. I think that the chance of him being that 325 opportunity workhorse back, they...

They proved to themselves last year that it can't. It's a bad idea. They wanted to do it. It just couldn't happen. Well, they got Jordan Howard back. Jordan Howard, exactly. Yeah, I mean, if this team is as bad as I think they'll be, there could be a lot of free points for Miles Sanders towards the end of these games. Point. Yeah. Point. David Montgomery gets the ultimate bag of disrespect from the three of us.

He finishes the RB4 and he's at 19. Sorry, Monty. I don't think that that's fair. It is not fair of him to do to us what he did last year in fantasy football, which was excellent at the end. Excellent when he was the only one in the backfield against terrible teams. I mean, the reality was he was great. He was phenomenal. And I want to be clear, before he tore his ACL, Tareke Cohen was awful. He's an awful running back. He's been awful for a while.

Yes. He burned very bright. But before he tore his ACL in those games that he was playing, here's David Montgomery's fantasy finished 37, 739 and 30. And he still finishes the RB4. Incredible. That sounds like RB1 numbers the rest of the way. And to point out that David Montgomery is actually he could be an okay player. Like coming out of college, he broke elusive metrics. You're like that.

Part of why we were so into David Montgomery, we were very excited. Matt Nagy took him with decent draft capital. Last year, David Montgomery forced 72 missed tackles. David Montgomery is... And for context, Miles Sanders was at 34. I mean, you can't... There have been many a backup running back injured. And the guy in front of him does not run off 7-1-7-1-9-6.

Agreed. To finish the season. I think he was the only back to finish in the top 10 that many weeks in a row in the entire year of anybody. So deserves probably, you know, there's a number of these guys. I think that's what we're learning on today's show. There's a handful of players where it's a, what do you believe test? David Montgomery, James Robinson, Joe Mixon, Josh Jacobs, who's not in this list, but he's going to be another guy. It's like, what do you really believe about their seasons?

You don't, this is the NFL, and at running back, you don't even get that many seasons for these guys. It's not like we can sit here and go, I need to see three bona fide seasons from a running back before I can believe in them. Otherwise, you're just going to be caught with your pants down in fantasy. And speaking of a running back choosing, do you believe him in him or not, at 20 to finish out this list is D'Andre Swift. I have him the highest at 16. Jason has him at 22. Andy at 19.

And DeAndre Swift is incredibly tough. The addition of Jamal Williams, I think it hurts him in terms of workload. DeAndre Swift, though, is, it is a bet on talent. And DeAndre Swift is an excellent running back. So I think we may be underrating the talent of what he'll be able to get done because even if the offense is bad. I mean, DeAndre Swift should still be the guy. He showed excellent pass catching chops.

Jason, why are you so out on DeAndre Swift? Similar reasons to what we saw last year with Miles Sanders. If the team is bad, it's hard to be good outside of special talent breaking a few plays. And DeAndre Swift will. He will have a couple of great plays. He's extremely talented. But the fact that you brought in another pass catcher, you took away the quarterback that I'm more confident in the past throwing to the running back.

That's where he needs to make his hay for fantasy. He needs to catch the ball a lot in this office. He very, very well could. I mean, because running back 18 while missing three games last year. There ain't nobody out there. I mean, Matthew Stafford is still there. Matthew Stafford is not still there. You know, you do lose Gallaudet. You lose Marvin Jones. So maybe a ton of targets are going to go his way.

You know, if DeAndre Swift was the top 12 running back next year, I'm not going to be shocked. I'm just not going to project that because he's on the Lions, and there's reasons with Jared Goff and Jamal Williams to believe he's going to get a smaller target share. I think it sums up my slight reservations on DeAndre Swift. I'd rather have David Montgomery. Oof. I would as well. I've got David Montgomery at 16.

which still feels a little low. I would rather, I think I'd still like David Montgomery more than Chris Carson, even though I said my Carson ranking sucks. I mean, if you have shown me that you can put up number one overall multiple times, top ten performances, Carson has not really lived in that realm very often. Carson hasn't, I mean, as someone who's had Chris Carson on my fantasy team many, many times, he doesn't really live in the top five world. I agree with you.

It was the RB 11 two years ago and the RB 15 three years ago. Right. Talking about Carson? Yes. Along the way he's usually, you know, running back 20 or 15 or 10, you know, just whatever's above Joe Mixen. That's probably true. You have backed me into a situation where if I somehow admit Chris Carson's good, that is like mixing has to be. That's right. It's a no win situation. It's fantasy algebra.

That's fine. If Carson is better than mixing, that's fine. It doesn't hurt me. All right. What are we going to do? I don't know. What are we doing? You want to do some mailbag? Sure. Let's do it. Mailbag. What are you laughing at over there, Al? I guess I just got a kick out of your confusion over there. Maybe I was on the hunt for a button, you know? Button, button. Who's got the button? You might have noticed that, but you didn't want to call me out? Yep. And you didn't want to hit the button?

He could have hit it for me. He just laughed at me instead. That's okay. All right. Mailbag. Manglebag. Part two. All right. Question from. No more questions. Question from Ben in New Zealand. Oh, but sure. Hey, we're turning our redraft league into a keeper league this year. Any advice on how this changes draft strategy? Yes.

Do you take more rookies and second year players hoping that they break out? Here is the truth. There is a, you are going to want to change to the younger, the youth. Now you're keeper and these things will matter. Don't do that thing. That's the advice is don't. To be clear, you're saying you're going to want to become youth oriented and don't do that thing. That's right. You want to be like, but this guy's younger. Don't do that thing.

The only place where it That thing you don't do. That was a sequel. The only place that I would say that it does come into effect is depending on your keeper rules, if it is a value of where they were drafted, then the later round guys, when I'm at, you know, rounds 13, 14, 15. I'm going to take the high swing for the fence, probably more rookies than I usually would. Rookie wide receivers, which I don't.

usually love drafting. I'd be more willing there for the shot at the Odell Beckhamer, Justin Jefferson, year to keep at a super cheap price. All right. Instagram question from Justin McCullough. James Robinson are the 105 rookie pick. Oh, what a good question. You know, I don't think that I have the guts to say James Robinson here. Okay, you're going to take the 105? I think I am. And that's just playing the...

playing the draft capital odds. I mean, it's really, really tough. Okay, but let's say that this can be revisited post-NFL draft. And it sits the same as it is. And the backfield sits the same. If they don't draft a running back on day two or even, you know, in the fourth round, if they get a sixth-seventh round or whatever, I think I would take him over the 105. Well, let me ask you a different question. If Travis E.T.N. or Najee Harris are out there. Are you thinking James Robinson or those two?

Those two. Okay. Well, Najee for sure. Yeah, Najee, I would take for sure. It's interesting. I mean, that's that, that's the, it's like, I mean, nothing from those guys. We've seen nothing from them. Who do you want James Robinson or Clyde Edward Dallel? Oh, man, Clyde. I'll take the offense. I mean, this, this is the, the hard part. You just can't bank everything on one season.

And if you're going to take both the running backs, you tell me you're not taking Devontas Smith, Jamar Chase, and you could. Tarras Marshall, James Weddell. 105 can be Kyle Pitts if you want to take your shot on a quote generational tight end. I mean, yeah, I mean, at least taking the 105. The 105 at least opens your options to multiple positions. Man, see, all these names coming out. And I love all the players you've named. But when I compare them to another super young player here,

who's already proven. It's really hard for me to not go, no, I'll take that guy. So I will take James Robinson for sure if it's post-N-Feld draft and he's the right. I guess that's the variable. I guess if he's locked in and you believe in. Right, right the second I would take the 105 because there's a chance James Robinson just loses his job in two weeks. That would be rude. All right. Brian, in New York City. New York City.

When you're in your rookie drafts, do you approach your picks with a best player available approach or do you draft by positional need? Nice follow-up question. If you're in a rookie superflex dynasty, that's what he's in, a superflex dynasty, but if you're in a rookie draft, is it best player available or is it need? I have been scorched several times by drafting for need. Okay. So I have officially shifted, and that's just...

personal bias of like bad things have happened to me now maybe i just got the wrong player but when i have drafted for need in the first round of a rookie draft it has burnt me so i'm just taking who i think is the best player available i always try to do best player available i don't i you know and sometimes it gets you into a hole right like my running backs are now weak um on my team because i didn't go after i took joe burrow instead of taking a questionable late

Antonio Gibson. No, I'm just kidding. He did draft him over Antonio Gibson. Did he? Yeah, Antonio Gibson was in the second round. Because I took him in the second and everyone's like, what are you doing? And then I flexed on it. But if you look at every other running back. Didn't you draft Royce Freeman too? Yeah, that was a couple years ago. That's what that's what I'm saying. I drafted for need. Well, Gibson was best player available. Yeah. Royce Freeman was definitely need. Okay. Yeah. So I, I really try to go best player available regardless of.

Positional. If possible, you want to look far into the future. And if you can know the future, take the guy that's going to have a better future. Great advice, man. Right? Yeah. Yeah, do that. Yeah, Brooks agrees. Right? Yeah, it's a good strategy. All right. That'll do it for the fantasy footballers podcast today. Thank you for tuning in supporting the show. And we'll be back with, well, cookcast and another episode next week. Goodbye. Thank you for listening to another episode of the Fantasy Footballers podcast.

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