Hot Takes & Draft Mistakes + UDK Day!
The wait is over! On today’s fantasy football podcast, the Ballers discuss hot takes that they agree on and celebrate the release of the Ultimate Draft Kit! Plus, fantasy football questions answered, and find out what draft mistakes were made in the Best Ball Breakdown! Manage your redraft, keeper, and dynasty fantasy football teams with the #1 fantasy football podcast. — Fantasy Football Podcast for June 1st, 2023.
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Best Ball Breakdown presented by Underdog Fantasy. Visit https://underdogfantasy.com/
The Ultimate Draft Kit is Live 02:25
- The 2023 Ultimate Draft Kit was released on June 1st.
- It is available on the website ultimatedraftkit.com.
- Pre-orders have already been fulfilled.
- The Fantasy Footballers team will continue working on the UDK from now until kickoff.
“This is not done. We’re working on it every day from here till kickoff.” 03:19
What’s Included in the Ultimate Draft Kit? 04:38
- The UDK provides tier-based rankings.
- Detailed season-long stat projections are available.
- Over 100 player profile videos are included.
- Custom cheat sheets and a cheat sheet creator are available, allowing you to import your scoring settings.
- The Sleeper, Breakout, Bust, and Value designations are included.
- Custom player marking is available, allowing you to mark favorites and remove drafted players.
- Risk and upside meters are new to this year’s UDK.
The Fantasy Footballers’ Hype News 04:18
- The Fantasy Footballers provide updates on important news stories in the football world.
“Talk about a little bit of hype news going on.” 04:18
Fantasy football tools 05:27
- Fantasy football tools can help you identify high-upside players and find diamonds in the rough during drafts.
- The Ultimate Draft Kit offers risk ratings and upside ratings for players, which can help you make informed decisions during the draft.
- Consistency charts and season-long rankings can help you understand which players are likely to perform well and which players may struggle.
“So we put a lot of effort into being correct so that you can have the best kind of foundation for your season.” 05:45
Fear of missing out (FOMO) 05:54
- FOMO is a common feeling during fantasy football drafts.
- Knowing that another draft participant has a tool like the Ultimate Draft Kit while you don’t can be terrifying.
- The team encourages sharing feedback on social media and interacting with them on Twitter at theFFballers.
“Being at the draft with someone else as UDK and you don’t…it’s scary.” 06:14
Easter eggs and incentives 06:28
- The team likes to hide Easter eggs within their products and content for fans to discover and enjoy.
- Fans who discover these Easter eggs may receive incentives, such as a backup from Al Borland.
- Fans can follow the team on social media to stay updated and find out what Easter eggs to look for.
“We may talk some Easter eggs in there at some point in time…if you find it, maybe you’ll get a little something.” 06:45
- The team is grateful for the support from fans who have pre-ordered the Ultimate Draft Kit in the past.
- They want to grow with their fans and equip them with the tools to make their own decisions during fantasy football drafts.
Group Hot Takes 09:32
- Jonathan Taylor‘s target share is a crucial factor.
- The decrease of target shares impact the performance of players.
- Nick Chubb‘s success as a running back is not reflected in his fantasy football performance.
- The impact of rookie quarterbacks and mobile quarterbacks on fantasy football performance.
- There is always variability in the performance of top-rated players.
- Antonio Gibson, a relatively unheralded player, has a higher projected score than Brian Robinson Jr.
“Jonathan Taylor‘s target share goes down, if the total overall targets goes down while that share is going down, I mean, it changes things.” (572)
“And yet he has never been an elite fantasy football running back because he’s just not used that way.” 10:02
“…running backs suffer from mobile quarterbacks.” 10:38
“Every year there are five or six of the top, you know, 10 to 12 picks that do not perform.” 11:08
Antonio Gibson‘s Potential 14:18
- Antonio Gibson is being hyped up as a pass-catching running back during the offseason.
- He is considered the most athletic and effective back on the team.
- Gibson has been a top 12 running back in two of the last three years and is still young.
- He has been misused throughout his career, but his cost has moved to a place where it is worth investing in him.
- The cost for Gibson is pretty much upside and he is worthy of discussion now.
- Jerome Ford in Cleveland is another name that is going well below and is a lottery ticket insurance piece.
“The truth is, is he can catch a ton of passes. He’s the most athletic and the most effective back that they have.” 14:30
“He’s been good and he should have more opportunity in the past.” 14:51
Jerome Ford and Gus Edwards 15:38
- Jerome Ford is a player who is going well below and is likely to get a shot as a backup running back.
- The jury is still out on whether Ford is good enough for the role.
- Gus Edwards, on the other hand, is an awesome player who averages five yards a carry.
- He has been my most common last pick in underdog basketball drafts.
- Edwards is considered a nasty boy.
“Jerome Ford in Cleveland… it’s like way down there and you’re like, oh, that guy’s going to get [a shot].” 15:43
“He averages like five yards a carry. No, no, no. He’s awesome… But here’s why I say he’s a nasty boy, because he is my most common last pick in underdog basketball drafts.” (1065, 1072) Running backs debate 18:12
- A discussion about running backs in fantasy football.
- Having carried the ball over 500 times in a career and averaging 5.2 yards is not nasty.
- The hosts agree on Antonio Gibson and Jonathan Taylor.
- They disagree on Jerome Ford.
“We got like, oh good, let’s talk about a player. And the whole nasty debate.” 18:32
Injury updates 18:42
- Rookie wide receiver Jordan Addison is not participating in voluntary workouts due to a minor injury.
- The hosts discuss lingering injuries later in training camp.
- There are conflicting reports about Bruce’s readiness for training camp and week one, but the expected timeline is confirmed in the UDK injury tools.
“Jordan Addison not participating due to minor injury at OTAs.” 19:16
DeAndre Hopkins to the Cowboys speculation 20:31
- The hosts discuss DeAndre Hopkins‘ current odds of going to the Dallas Cowboys.
- They think it would be exciting but may drop the passing attempts down to 400.
“Would you be excited about that? Heck yeah.” 20:35 Geno Smith and Anthony Richardson QB combo 22:50
- The hosts receive a question from Instagram asking how they would feel about having Geno Smith and Anthony Richardson as their quarterbacks on a scale of 1 to 10.
- They both give their answers at the same time, with Jason saying 8, Andy saying 7, and Mike saying 6.
- Jason explains that while he thinks Geno Smith will have a good season overall, he’s not confident he will be a league winner.
- Andy agrees with Jason’s assessment and adds that he doesn’t want a quarterback who only accumulates stats without helping win games.
- Mike is less optimistic about the combo, giving it a 6, and mentioning that there is a risk of not being able to play either quarterback early on in the season.
- The hosts discuss how Gino finished as the number five overall quarterback last season, but his performances were not consistent and he did not help win games.
- Jason mentions that if someone wants to draft Anthony Richardson, it might be a good idea to pair him with a more consistent quarterback like Gino.
- Andy points out that Gino’s first match of the season is against the Rams, which could be a tough game.
“I don’t want someone to go out there and be able to dominate a game here.” 24:10 Late round quarterback streaming candidates 26:42
- Late round quarterbacks who can start strong are ideal, and Gino Smith might be one such quarterback.
Cam Akers‘ draft prospects 26:56
- Cam Akers is worth drafting.
- He was one of the more surprising players when the stats were finally done.
- He ended the season strong on a bad team.
- The Rams could be better than expected.
- Cam Akers should be drafted if he is the starting running back on the team.
- The draft capital behind him is not there, so he has a good chance of being the starter.
- Follow the money and what the team did, rather than just what they said.
- Sean McVeigh came out and said he expects Cam Akers to build on what he did at the end of the year, which is a bit of an endorsement.
- The case for Cam Akers is solid.
Running backs in the Rams team 27:33
- Running backs normally take two years to recover from injuries.
- Zach Evans is a highly touted high school recruit and someone that a lot of people really liked.
- The Rams passed on him plenty of times.
- The whole league did as well when he was drafted in the sixth round.
- Unless the starter gets injured, the starting running back is the starter.
Cam Akers‘ performance at the end of last year 27:43
- Cam Akers was averaging sixteen point eight fantasy points per game at the end of last season.
- He was on pace for two hundred ninety-four carries, fourteen hundred and fifty yards, and seventeen touchdowns.
- He was an absolute maniac, with four point nine per carry on large volume.
- He looked great.
Comparing Cam Akers to other running backs 30:41
- Cam Akers is equivalent to James Connor and David Montgomery.
- He is ahead of A.J. Dylan and Damian Pierce.
- A debate could be had over whether to take James Connor or Cam Akers for past catch lean corner.
“The case for Cam Akers is solid.” 28:42 Clyde Edwards-Helaire, Charbonnet, and the Kansas City Chiefs‘ RB situation 31:21
- Clyde Edwards-Helaire‘s absence from the roster or not being active gives Charbonnet more touchdown upside.
- Charbonnet is larger than Walker, but Clyde Edwards-Helaire may also be swapped in at the goal line.
- Pacheco’s installation as the true main running back is still unknown, but Clyde Edwards-Helaire‘s future significance to the fantasy football world will likely be as a complete distraction.
- There are concerns that Clyde Edwards-Helaire‘s name will keep getting brought up and might hurt the running back room in Kansas City.
“Clyde’s future significance to the fantasy football world will be as a complete distraction.” 32:07
Tua Tagovailoa vs. Aaron Rodgers 32:45
- At his current ADP, Tua Tagovailoa is preferred over Aaron Rodgers.
- Tua has a higher ceiling than Rodgers and is ranked ahead of him by some experts.
- The higher ceiling outcome is to Tua, not the first-ballot Hall of Famer.
- The upside for Tua is a bit higher than Rodgers.
Devon Achane and the Miami Dolphins‘ backfield 34:03
- Devon Achane is an explosive, undersized rookie running back drafted by the Miami Dolphins.
- He joins a backfield that currently has Raheem Mostert and Jeff Wilson Jr. along with the “gas man.”
- There are conflicting views on how the backfield situation will play out.
- It’s possible that Achane will only be a more significant real-life NFL contributor than a fantasy contributor.
- Mike McDaniel will likely devise five to ten touches for a chain in the running game, mostly in the passing game and screen game.
- The targets going to running backs are getting spread out all over the place, not consolidated to one player.
- Even if the depth chart remains unchanged, a Chain is unlikely to be anywhere close to the leader of the backfield.
“I don’t see how a chain is anywhere close to the leader of the backfield.” 36:40 Underrated Running Back: Achmed 36:49
- Ahmed is not the leader in carries from the running back room.
- Ahmed was not a highly touted draft pick because of his weight.
- However, he fits the scheme of the Miami Dolphins perfectly.
- Ahmed’s explosiveness and the potential use of him by the coaching staff will give him some fantasy success.
- Jason thinks Ahmed is going to get enough work in the passing game and running game.
- Ahmed is a better pick for big play 60 yard touchdown runs.
- If one player emerges as the consistent go-to guy weekend and week out, it would be Ahmed.
“I’m actually higher on, I’m certainly higher on Ahmed than you two are… if one player emerges, I would put my money on Ahmed.” 38:07
Best Ball Breakdown 39:58
- The Best Ball Breakdown is presented by Underdog Fantasy.
- The crew was supposed to spin up a draft but they did not follow through.
- Jason is grumpy because he does not like his team.
- Sometimes you do not like your team because you make a mistake.
- Jason’s mistake was timing out on a pick and accidentally drafting TJ Hockenson.
“Sometimes you don’t like your team. But sometimes you don’t like your team because you make a whoopsie doodle, and that’s what happened in this league.” 40:41 Draft Strategy and Roster Construction 41:29
- Taking a high-profile tight end like Andrews or Kelsey early can reduce the number of tight ends needed to be taken in later rounds.
- Rocking a combination of Andrews or Kelsey can allow for a build of two tight ends in a best ball team.
- Taking a less prominent tight end like Hawkins can put pressure on the player to take three tight ends instead of two.
“When you take a tight end early and you take a big name, you’re trying to reduce the amount of tight ends you need to take.” 41:36
“If you rock an Andrews like I did in this draft or Kelsey, you could have a build in a best ball team of two tight ends.” 41:36
“If you take Hawkins, then you still feel the pressure to have three tight ends. I feel like I’ve got to take three tight ends.” 41:56
- Having a queue of a couple of players in case of timing out is a good best ball tip.
- The speaker has Saquon Barkley, Najee Harris, David Montgomery, and Damian Pierce at running back.
- Amin Ross St. Brown, Mike Williams, Marquis Brown, and TJ Hawkins are on the speaker’s team.
- The speaker usually wants more than three wide receivers when they are eight picks in.
- The speaker is done with running backs and will grab one later on.
- The speaker will need to take three tight ends and then the rest wide receivers.
“Here’s your best ball tip. Number one check don’t time out. Yeah. Number two have a have a queue of a couple players should something come up in life.” 42:21
Comparing Draft Strategies 44:32
- The speaker had to pick Andrews at pick 32.
- The speaker would have preferred to have Hawkins over Andrews.
- The speaker usually does not take a quarterback, but if they do, they take Lamar Jackson and Mark Andrews for the stack.
“I had to pick Andrews at pick 32.” 44:24
“I would have been happier using pick 56 on another wide out. A wide out I don’t know like Tyler Lockett that I would have drafted instead of TJ Hawkins.” 44:57
“If I take a quarterback, it’s for the stack. I go Lamar Jackson and Mark Andrews and then let the chips.” 44:49
Mike’s Draft Strategy 45:12
- Mike drafted from the edge at the 12 spot.
- Mike opened the draft with Stefon Diggs, Garrett Wilson, and Justin Herbert for the stack.
- Mike then took Tyler Lockett and had to take a running back due to thinning options.
“I was at the 12 spot. I opened up the draft with with Stefan Diggs and Garrett Wilson.” 45:12
“By the time the draft rolls around back to me again. Yeah it was keen. I was looking at you know Kenan Allen is there Mike Williams is there and Herbert was still there which it’s way ahead of ADP but it was because I’m on the edge.” 45:24
“So I opened the draft with three wide receivers and a quarterback then Jason made his error and oh wait. And so I had to take Tyler Lockett there.” 45:55 Draft strategy and best ball tips 46:08
- The speaker discusses his draft strategy which involves prioritizing running backs early on in the draft.
- He mentions selecting James Conner and Dameon Pierce as his RB1 and RB2 respectively.
- The speaker also talks about his choice to draft Rashod Bateman instead of reaching for a running back he didn’t believe in.
- He offers a best ball tip to not feel pressured to draft a certain position and instead focus on selecting players with high upside.
“Here’s kind of my best ball tip. This build is very hungry for running backs but the next chunk of ADP running backs are guys that I just don’t care for.” 47:14
ADP of running backs 47:22
- The speaker discusses the ADP of running backs and how some players at the top of the ADP don’t have as much upside as other players further down the list.
- He mentions players he likes such as Gibson, Rashaad Penny, and Javante, but says he doesn’t want a part of Javonte Williams, Alvin Kamara, AJ Dillon, or Brian Robinson.
- He notes that after this group of running backs he doesn’t like, there are four or five players he really likes with good ADP.
“I think that their ADP is great and playing the game they should some should make it back to me” 48:08
Drafting based on team needs 48:14
- The speaker talks about his decision to draft Rashad Bateman instead of reaching for a running back he didn’t believe in.
- He explains that he felt it was best for his team to select a player with high upside, rather than a running back who might not be ready to play.
“That was what I thought was best for my team at that point.” 48:23
Best Ball Breakdown and Underdog Fantasy 48:35
- The speaker promotes Underdog Fantasy and their offer to match first deposits up to $100 with the code “Ballers”.
- The segment ends with a goodbye message from the speaker and a reminder to check out the Ultimate Draft Kit.
“That was best ball breakdown presented by underdog fantasy. Get your first deposit matched up to one hundred dollars using the code Ballers. That is going to do it for today’s episode of the show.” 48:38