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NFC North Fantasy Preview: Gibbs RB1? Caleb Breakout? Packers WR Chaos! Fade Vikes JJ's?
20 Plays7 days ago
The Bush League Huddle crew is back with a full breakdown of the NFC North for your 2025 fantasy football draft prep! In this episode, we dive deep into every team in the division—Lions, Bears, Packers, and Vikings—to uncover league-winning players, risky fades, and draft sleepers you need to know.
In this episode:
- 🚨 Jameer Gibbs: Is he this year's fantasy RB1 over Bijan, CMC & Barkley?
- 😬 Can Jared Goff still be trusted without Ben Johnson and a retooled O-line?
- 👀 Are we buying or fading Amon-Ra St. Brown with Detroit’s new offense?
- 📉 Caleb Williams sophomore slump or breakout QB in 2025?
- 🔥 DJ Moore = next Amon-Ra under Ben Johnson’s scheme?
- 🧊 Green Bay WRs: Total avoid or is Matthew Golden a hidden gem?
- ❌ Why JJ McCarthy might be this year’s biggest fantasy QB trap
- 🛠️ Can TJ Hockenson or Sam LaPorta offer elite tight end value?
- 💪 Can Josh Jacobs repeat 2024 season?
- ⚠️ Jordan Addison and WR2 volatility in high-target offenses
Whether you’re drafting in a 2QB league, dynasty format, or just want to smash redraft, this divisional preview is packed with rankings, analysis, and bold predictions.
👇 Subscribe & follow for weekly fantasy breakdowns:
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Transcript
Introduction & Episode Focus
00:00:05
Nacc
welcome back ladies and gentlemen to another edition of the bush league huddle fantasy football podcast or it's uh also known these days as where's fab week number three with uh our co-host fab who is still gallivanting somewhere in italy i believe he's now in napoli um
00:00:27
rogeremeka
At some point, you lose your co-host duties, man, after five weeks or or so. So, fab.
00:00:32
Nacc
Yeah, this is, hopefully he's, he's scheduled to be back next week, folks. So we'll keep you, we'll keep you in touch with that.
00:00:38
rogeremeka
TBD.
00:00:39
Nacc
It's TBD, TBD for now. But the show must go on as the saying goes. We've been previewing our divisional ah fantasy football preview. So we previously have done the AFC East, the AFC North, and last week we did the NFC East.
00:00:58
Nacc
So this week we will be going with the NFC North. So pretty loaded fantasy implications on this one. ah But before we start, guys, just like always, please follow us on all the social medias, Instagram, TikTok, ah Twitter, or X. And listen to us wherever you get your podcasts, Spotify, Amazon, also on YouTube. So we're all over the place. Be sure to check us out.
00:01:24
Nacc
So we'll dive right in, as I mentioned, with the NFC North.
Detroit Lions' Season Preview
00:01:28
Nacc
ah we'll start off with the Detroit Lions.
00:01:29
rogeremeka
Let's go
00:01:32
Nacc
So a few things changed with Detroit. So last year they actually finished 15-2. They had the number one seed, but as everyone knows, they could have gone from number one all the way down to number five in that last game. That's how crazy the NFC North was last year.
00:01:49
Nacc
They were number one in scoring offense. So they... They definitely put up a lot of points and had a lot of 30-plus scoring games, so that means lots and lots of fantasy points.
00:02:03
rogeremeka
run up They ran up the score a lot.
00:02:05
Nacc
They did. They did, and they weren't they weren't shy about it, and they didn't care.
00:02:08
rogeremeka
Yeah.
00:02:10
Nacc
a
00:02:10
rogeremeka
Nope.
00:02:11
Nacc
They made a statement last year, and definitely statement was was seen for sure. um So one of the big changes, obviously, is their OC, Ben Johnson, goes to the Chicago Bears, who we'll be talking about shortly.
00:02:26
Nacc
and John Morton is now the new OC. And another big highlight from last year, ah rookie Jameer Gibbs, almost 2,000 scrimmage yards and 20 total TDs.
00:02:39
Nacc
So huge, huge, huge numbers from the rookie. um Some northerly changes to to take a look at real quick. There was Frank Ragnall, offensive line, believe it was the center, if I'm not mistaken, right, who retired.
00:02:54
Nacc
So um we'll see what happens there. Kevin Zietler left in free agency, correct?
00:03:02
rogeremeka
Yeah.
00:03:02
Nacc
Yeah. And Pene Sewell, a huge name, starts on the PUP list for camp. So that's the physically unable to perform. So right off the bat, the offensive line has taken a little hit and it's going to be ah quite different from what it was last year.
00:03:20
Nacc
They did draft, moved up to pick number 70, traded up to draft one of my favorites, wide receiver Isaac Tesla. He loves saying that name.
00:03:31
Nacc
I hope I pick him in in fantasy this year. Mr. Isaac Tesla could be a sleeper.
00:03:35
rogeremeka
Just change your fantasy name to him.
00:03:37
Nacc
Yeah, I definitely probably will. um Could be a sleeper, someone someone to look out for. And obviously also Dominic Lovett and tight end Kenny Yeboah. Yeboah?
00:03:48
rogeremeka
Good boy.
00:03:49
Nacc
Yeboah. Sounds like your boy.
00:03:52
Nacc
So like always, we'll go through all the position groups and give you some um some some analysis here. And, um you know, either beware or buy high on the following. So we'll start at QB.
00:04:05
Nacc
ah Jared Goff currently, current ADP is 15. um But I think something to beware about going into this year, as we mentioned, new OC and now the O-line is kind of and of remake O-line.
00:04:22
Nacc
So I want to but to hear your thoughts, Raj. I believe you also had Jared Goff last year as well, right? So I just wanted to hear your thoughts on Jared Goff this year.
00:04:31
rogeremeka
I had Jared Goff the year before. i think Nick had Jared Goff in ah in Bush League last year. I had him the year before when we faced each other in the finals.
00:04:37
Nacc
Mm-hmm.
00:04:39
rogeremeka
I look back at Goff's 2021. That was the the year just before he had Ben Johnson as OC. He finished QB 24. twenty four in fantasy that was basically i believe his first year first or second year in detroit and then once ben johnson got there in 2020 2022 uh that's where he jumped uh into the top 10 he was qb9 he had a that was starting to see the ascension of the lines right of course That comes with Amon Ross St. Brown.
00:05:10
rogeremeka
ah That comes with Jameer Gibbs being ah drafted. That comes with them adding David Montgomery in terms of Goff's ascension as, let's be real, a top 10 quarterback.
00:05:21
rogeremeka
I think there's some cause for concern, as you said, not just with the offensive line, but how are they going to perform? Are they going to be as aggressive as they were without ah with Ben Johnson now without him. And what ah what I've been reading about with the Lions is that theyre they're probably trying to go back maybe more towards their roots in terms of bit more smash-mouth football.
Lions' Offensive Strategy & Player Roles
00:05:42
rogeremeka
If you saw the playoff game against Washington, They should have ran Gibbs 30, 35, 40 times. He was gashing the commanders and they kept throwing, throwing, throwing. So I think they're going to take a step back in terms of how much they want to gun and throw the ball this year.
00:06:00
rogeremeka
And I think they're going to rely even more so on Gibbs. But I think QB 15 is very fair for guy like Goff who, you know, he doesn't have the rushing upside. And again, you would just have to factor in that.
00:06:13
rogeremeka
the Ben law Johnson loss, it's going to, I think it's going to have an impact. I just don't see how you, you don't, you know, you don't bring them down a few non notches just because of that. And, and then I think it's a first time OC, uh, Johnny, Johnny Morton, John Morton did, he wasn't OC before, but it's, you know, it's a new regime.
00:06:30
rogeremeka
He was with the team three, four years ago, but that was when again, golf was just starting his ascension. So I, I, I definitely would be aware with golf this year.
00:06:40
Nacc
Yeah, it's going to be interesting to see what they do OC. Is he going to kind of keep, you know, some of the same stuff that Ben Johnson is? I would imagine, would imagine he, he might want to keep some of the stuff in there that worked really well.
00:06:54
Nacc
And that little, you know, golf kind of liked and, um, was, was,
00:06:58
rogeremeka
like crossing Like the crossing routes, the stuff to Gibbs, like how they use Amon Ross St. Brown in the short game.
00:07:05
Nacc
Yeah, yeah. So we'll get into that in the in the running back portion of it.
00:07:09
rogeremeka
Yeah.
00:07:10
Nacc
But I mean, i have to imagine that he's going to kind of try to keep some similarities. But also, as a first-time OC, you kind of want to... you know, carve up your own little niche and and and kind of make it your own and, and you know you know, get kind of that, um you know, obviously when we talk about OCs and defensive coordinators, you don't want to be an OC and a defensive coordinator your whole life. You're striving for that head coach. So maybe he that he's going to want to, you know, do something to kind of move the needles and and show um some stuff as well, right?
00:07:44
rogeremeka
So the thing with John Morton actually is that he he has been, he was the passing passing game coordinator for the Broncos last year. he's yeah, actually he was the offense coordinator for the Jets in 2017, but 55 year old o see So like what, one of some of the things I've read or listened to in podcasts is that because Dan Campbell is like the CEO type coach, right? He's the guy like similar to Mike Tomlin.
00:08:10
rogeremeka
He needs to pair himself with an OC that isn't going to be looking for the next job all the time.
00:08:16
Nacc
Head coach.
00:08:17
rogeremeka
You know, he's not an offensive guru, so he's going to have to tether himself to, to an offensive coordinator that could always be there. So this guy, you know, depending on how he does, he could be the offense coordinator there for, for a while. but i don't think he'll ever be like a hot shot commodity um as as a head coach.
00:08:30
Nacc
and go
00:08:32
rogeremeka
So I think what one, and one maybe last thing I'll say on on on my front in terms of this is I just don't see them doing the weird stuff that they were doing Ben Johnson, like the, you know, the fake fumbles and the fake interceptions.
00:08:43
rogeremeka
I think, like, I think that's really cool in the theory, but like, it didn't get the Lions anywhere at the end of the day, right? Like they choked.
00:08:51
Nacc
true
00:08:52
rogeremeka
They choked in the first round. Washington was a buzzsaw team. They were fantastic. But again, they choked. And a lot of Detroit fans are not super mad that Ben Johnson left because, again, they felt that they should have ran more smash mouth football with the Detroit Lions. And i that's where I think it's going you're going to see a bit of a dip with Goff this year.
00:09:12
Nacc
Right. No, I look, I, I, I, you've said all the right things that I think I tend to agree, um, agree with you. So, um We'll move along to the um running backs.
00:09:22
rogeremeka
Yep.
00:09:24
Nacc
So obviously we have, we spoke about it earlier in Jameer Gibbs. He's currently going as running back two. So he averaged almost 19 points per game with Montgomery in the lineup and 32.6 without him, which is staggering.
00:09:43
Nacc
um You did mention new, ah new OC and new, you know, um, ways of of, like I said, doing stuff his own way. He's being split up more wide in camp.
00:09:54
Nacc
So um they are seeing that he is obviously great with the ball in hand. So trying to find, you know, different ways to get him the ball in his hands is is definitely great.
00:09:59
rogeremeka
Yep. ye
00:10:06
Nacc
And then you have devon David, excuse me, Montgomery, RB21, obviously has a heavy red zone role. And, you know, he probably has a, best ball flex value, i would say for, for, for Montgomery. But what do you what do you think? What do you, what are we looking at? Or what are you saying with, with the, with the backfield here?
00:10:26
rogeremeka
I love Jameer Gibbs. He's, I think you agree with me. He's RB1 in my opinion. i think he's in for a monster year. i think the production that he had with him about without Montgomery, the load that he carried at the end of the season is a huge, huge aspect in terms of why I see him as the number one running back and also his pass catching ability as well. And again, the fact that i think they're going to take a little bit less off of Jared Goff's plate. So,
00:10:57
rogeremeka
Regardless of Montgomery, I think he's there just to keep Gibbs fresh. I love Gibbs as ah as the RB1 or RB2 in fantasy this year. And I think David Montgomery still has standalone value. As you said, flex.
00:11:10
rogeremeka
you know he's been He's been utilized as an RB2 with a lot of other teams. I think he has really good standalone value as well. But I think this is a backfield to own in in any case.
00:11:22
Nacc
Yeah, no, I definitely agree. Definitely with the, obviously, Jameer Gibbs as the RB1 this season. I know if Fab were here, he would interject with that, excuse me.
00:11:35
Nacc
And I know he has high hopes on Bijan Robinson. But, no, definitely. And honestly, like you said... Montgomery has standalone value, right? So if you're getting him, even as your RB2, you're not even like too worried. Maybe you have that little bit of injury concern. I know been injured, you know, a few games here and there last couple of years. So maybe that's the concern for you.
00:11:58
Nacc
Definitely love him more as a flex, but I don't think I would, I don't think I would be crying too much if I did have them as my RB2, because like you said, I think they're going to be more gritty, more running the ball, take up, take more off golf and,
00:12:13
rogeremeka
Yeah, and I think just quickly, like I think most people are going to still probably pick Saquon Barkley as their RB1. i think quickly the case for me, Gibbs versus Bijan, is just there's there's just more proof of concept of Gibbs being ah real, real bona fide RB1.
00:12:31
rogeremeka
and i I trust the infrastructure that he has more than yeah infrastructure that Bijan Robinson has.
00:12:40
Nacc
Yep, I definitely agree. And it's harder for a running back to, especially you also Saquon Barkley dealt with injuries as well throughout his career. So a little bit harder for for an RB to repeat, but definitely not out of the realm of possibility.
00:12:55
rogeremeka
Yeah.
00:12:56
Nacc
um Now we'll look quickly at the wide
Lions' Wide Receivers & Expectations
00:12:58
Nacc
receivers. So you obviously have Amun Ross St. Brown, who is your locked and loaded WR1 over there. i WR6 in the rankings.
00:13:08
Nacc
You have Jameson Williams as well. WR30. And we also mentioned the rookie sleeper, Isaac Tesla. 215, like, six foot four two fifteen like I don't think it's going to be hard for him to surpass Tim Patrick pretty quickly on the depth chart.
00:13:27
Nacc
I know that, you know, the Lions kind of liked them last year towards the end.
00:13:30
rogeremeka
Yeah. Yes.
00:13:31
Nacc
He was hitting. He had a couple of, know he had a two touchdown game. I think that was on Thanksgiving, if I'm not mistaken. But um no, I think as the season progresses, he could definitely carve up a role.
00:13:38
rogeremeka
yes
00:13:42
Nacc
But what do you, what are you thinking about these wide receivers?
00:13:46
rogeremeka
I mean, Amon Ra is the the gold standard. A little bit of a dip ah year over year. 2023, he had 330 fantasy points. He went to 316. Again, very small dip ah just from a yards perspective, but he increased in touchdowns. So I'm...
00:14:04
rogeremeka
I'm not the biggest Amon Ra fan. I don't know. It's just stylistically the the death by a thousand cuts. It's just not as fun to watch as, you know, Malik Neighbors or Brian Thomas Jr. um You know, or even Apuka Nakua.
00:14:20
rogeremeka
But he is a bona fide WR1. He will continue to be a bona fide WR1. Penciling him as WR6, which is right now the consensus ranking. He's actually after Malik Nabr. And the Malik Nabr seems to be shooting up.
00:14:35
rogeremeka
I like him above like the Nico Collins, the Brian Thomas Jr. He's in that tier one stretch, right? And then... If you look at Jamison Williams, I think he had that kind of breakout last year. There's been a lot of training camp videos. There's been a lot of talk about him this year. Can he keep up the consistency?
00:14:51
rogeremeka
Can he be more than just a deep threat? I still very much like him again, and I have no problem with him at WR30. you know He's within the George Pickens, Calvin Ridley, Travis Hunter range.
00:15:06
rogeremeka
That's like a perfect number for him. He's going after or ranked after Chris Olave and even Ted McMillan, which I am not a fan of. i I much...
00:15:16
Nacc
Which one? Chris Olave or McMillan?
00:15:19
rogeremeka
I think both. I would i would much prefer ja J-Mo over McMillan or even Chris Olave, especially Olave with absolutely no QB there.
00:15:28
Nacc
Yeah, Olave is tough.
00:15:28
rogeremeka
And it's not looking good from a train train camp perspective.
00:15:30
Nacc
Yeah.
00:15:31
rogeremeka
And McMillan is still rookie.
00:15:33
Nacc
Yeah, he's been actually looking good in in camp. I know we take these camp hype-ups with a grain of salt at times. But that look, I tend to agree.
00:15:45
Nacc
ah but the only thing is, like you said, with the new OC, what's it going to look like? Are they going to run the ball more?
00:15:50
rogeremeka
Yeah.
00:15:51
Nacc
Does it bring down Amon Ra a little bit? Does he come a little bit more... You know, does he does he flirt with that end of top 10 numbers rather than, you know you know, five or six?
00:16:02
Nacc
That's what you've got to be careful with when when drafting him, I would say, is is just beware of the overdraft on Alwyn Roth, St. Brown, just knowing that there's a new OC and kind of new regime ah heading into Detroit.
00:16:15
rogeremeka
And it's such a good point because Ben Johnson's scheme the heck out of getting guys open.
00:16:21
Nacc
Yep.
00:16:22
rogeremeka
i will be curious to see. This will be the true test of how good Amon Ra is without Ben Johnson.
00:16:28
Nacc
Yeah, I definitely agree. Definitely, definitely agree. If we move into the um the tight ends, obviously you have um ah Sam Laporta.
00:16:40
Nacc
As a rookie, he kind of dominated. We thought he was going to be you know the the next best thing at the tight end position. And then last year kind of ah struggled, especially early on.
00:16:52
Nacc
I think when was he when did he score his first touchdown last year?
00:16:57
rogeremeka
Oh, it was a while. It was a while.
00:16:58
Nacc
It took, yeah, it took while.
00:16:59
rogeremeka
um
00:16:59
Nacc
He was, he was drafted. yeah He was, ah sorry, he was um dropped in a lot of fantasy leagues at a certain point because they just got fed up.
00:17:08
rogeremeka
Yes.
00:17:10
Nacc
And then towards the end of the year, he kind of came back and and kind of looked like the Sam Laporta of his rookie season. Because in his rookie season, yeah, yeah, yeah.
00:17:18
rogeremeka
He still finished our still finish tight end six.
00:17:21
Nacc
Because down the stretch, he had he had some really, really solid games. um But I mean, look, rookie year, 86 catches, almost 900 yards and 10 touchdowns. Like everyone thought this was this was going to be really, really the next tight end to take over until, you know, Brock Bowers entered the league last year.
00:17:41
Nacc
But what are you looking at in terms of Sam Laporte? Right now, rated tight end five.
00:17:46
rogeremeka
this is more aligned along the lines of his value. I think tight in five, I think he was way overrated last year. um and I think this makes a lot of sense where he's going, where, you know, he's, he's after the Brock Bowers.
00:18:00
rogeremeka
He's after Trey McBride. He's after George kill TJ Hawkinson as well. Um, I would take Sam Laporte. I'm not a big fan of taking tight ends that high, personally.
00:18:11
Nacc
Yeah.
00:18:11
rogeremeka
i would rather wait until you know the eighth or even ninth round where you could still get a really solid tight end. and But this makes a ton of sense for Sam Laporte. I think he'll have a boun bounce back here. I think, there again, with more of the... you know Maybe going a bit more smash mouth, a little less...
00:18:25
rogeremeka
ah high octane offense. i think it's an opportunity for Sam Laporta to to come back. And again, the fact that he, as you mentioned it, finished strong and still ended up being tight end six with 70 catches, seven TDs.
00:18:37
rogeremeka
and think it bodes well for for the start of his 2025 campaign.
00:18:42
Nacc
Yep, that was perfectly put, I think. um Look, these do they they look
Lions' Playoff Prospects & Packers' Draft
00:18:48
Nacc
good. There's just that little question mark to see what that OC looks like. I don't see a, um you know,
00:18:56
Nacc
15 and two like season this year. I think last year was magical. And I think, you know, the stars aligned quite a bit for them. Uh, I do see them missing the, missing the playoffs, but I, sorry, making the playoffs, should I say, but somewhere on the lines of maybe an 11 and six finished 10 and seven finished type deal.
00:19:14
rogeremeka
Yeah.
00:19:16
Nacc
So that'll do it with the, for the lions. We'll, um, We'll now go into the Green Bay Packers, where I made a couple of splash moves at the draft. They were 6th in rushing yards per game with their new toy, um ah Josh Jacobs, your boy.
00:19:35
Nacc
Also 14th in passing yards per game.
00:19:36
rogeremeka
Love Josh Jacobs.
00:19:38
Nacc
I know Jordan Love missed some time with with injuries. His stats were little bit down from the year before. And it just seems like the team was...
00:19:50
Nacc
was always someone injured. There was always someone who had to step up who didn't. It was very disappointing. And if it wasn't one wide receiver who was hurt, it was the next wide receiver.
00:19:59
rogeremeka
Yeah.
00:19:59
Nacc
And it was just kind of like a merry-go-round kind of season. So what did they do? Well, they did one thing they haven't done in forever or ever. Drafted a wide receiver, Matthew Golden, who I know you're really high on, in the first round. And then they followed that up with Savion Williams in round three as well.
00:20:20
Nacc
Also signed McCall Hardman ah later on in the year to to bolster up that wide receiver room. And as we know, ah Watson, Christian Watson tore his ACL, so he's going to be missing this season.
00:20:33
Nacc
Although I didn't really have much high hopes for him. But if we start with the QB position, we have Jordan Love entering year three, I believe, as a starter.
00:20:47
Nacc
So right now rated as QB17. um i think he is being pegged as a potential bust by some some analysts at the moment. But um kind of want to hear your thoughts on on Jordan Love for the upcoming 2025 season.
00:21:04
rogeremeka
the The quality, the the looseness of his play really showed, whereas that that looseness in play and ah carelessness, quote-unquote, was actually positive aspect for him in 2023, where I think he finished like in the top six in QBs.
00:21:20
rogeremeka
So he really needs to step up in terms of quality. and just He needs to reduce the turnover play. He needs to stay healthy. He needs to keep just be more consistent. So... The fall is really interesting where if he's going QB 17 and it's, it's interesting how a lot of the NFC North QBs are all kind of nestled in the, in the same bucket, but he's going in the kind of Trevor Lawrence, CJ Stroud, JJ McCarthy realm, which,
00:21:45
rogeremeka
If you have a chance to take him, it's you know the the reward is potentially high, but he could also just have another mediocre season like he just had. right So we're we're also going to kind of see who is the true Jordan Love in the upcoming season. We're going to talk about the weapons afterwards, but...
00:22:03
rogeremeka
there's still a lot of inconsistency with it, right? And you mentioned it, Christian Watson, torn ACL. They're going to start a rookie wide receiver. You know, there's Reed. There's also Dobbs and Wicks. Again, we'll talk about them, but lack of consistency on that front. So I also think there's an opportunity for them to rely more on the running game, which um he needs a little bit of help.
Jordan Love's Development & Packers' Offense
00:22:25
rogeremeka
I think love in terms of his game, he he's, he just can't be firing it like he was last year. Cause it just didn't come to fruition.
00:22:33
Nacc
I think that's what it is. i think I agree with you there. um i think towards the end, I'll just add a little bit, but that's what it, I think that's what it comes down to is that he's not a QB that can do it on his own.
00:22:45
Nacc
He's not a QB that I feel, you know, two-minute drill, playoff time. Like, I just feel he's lacking that kind of it factor, if we could if we could put it that way. he I feel like he's very good QB, will have a a fairly good career, but I think that's what's missing. It's just that kind of it factor and kind of like putting the game on his shoulders.
00:23:10
rogeremeka
it's being clutch because the talent is there, right?
00:23:12
Nacc
Clutch, perfect, exactly.
00:23:12
rogeremeka
Like you see you see him like, you know, not last year, but two years ago, he was bouncing back foot throws. Like it was, he looked like Brett Favre and Aaron Rogers. Like, but then last year, whether it was defenses that caught on to him, whereas was the injuries or was the pressure, he just was not good.
00:23:28
rogeremeka
Whether it was under pressure and he doesn't offer much rushing upside either. Right. So go for it.
00:23:34
Nacc
Well, look, I was going to say, it's it's the classic year two as a starter, and teams just have more tape.
00:23:38
rogeremeka
Yeah.
00:23:41
Nacc
Yes, he got hurt in Brazil, first game of the year. um So that obviously probably had something to do with with the rest of his season, should say. rest of his season should i say But Again, it's really that year two when that when defensive coordinators have more tape on you and can take a whole summer and study it and scheme you.
00:24:01
Nacc
So it's just, it's it's tough. So this is like, um I feel like it's a very important year because they did sign him to that massive contract. So I think it's going to be very important.
00:24:07
rogeremeka
Yes.
00:24:09
Nacc
um But if we if we turn our heads to now, you're as we mentioned, him needing more help um at the running back position, you've got, As I mentioned earlier, your boy, Josh Jacobs, currently RB9.
00:24:22
rogeremeka
What a season.
00:24:23
Nacc
What an amazing first season with with the Packers. i don't i think we I know we had him pegged to have a really good season, but this was something that I don't think anyone could have predicted um in terms of of his production.
00:24:38
Nacc
Over 300 touches last year and a heavy, heavy, heavy snap share. So, i mean, is he someone...
00:24:47
rogeremeka
And to think people thought he was... Sorry, but people thought he was washed after the first game. After the first few games.
00:24:51
Nacc
Yeah, because of that last injury world season with the Raiders, right?
00:24:55
rogeremeka
Yeah. Yeah.
00:24:57
Nacc
um Oh, yeah, and he obviously didn't have a first a good first game. Yes, you're right. um But, I mean, you're I believe you're still high on on Jacobs, and and this offense does run through him.
00:25:09
rogeremeka
I'm incredibly high on him and it's crazy he's only 27 years old. Like he feels like an older player maybe because of the way he, he know he's he's quick, he's not super fast, but he's pretty elusive.
00:25:13
Nacc
Yeah.
00:25:19
rogeremeka
I would only be maybe concerned about, you know, he's ah he's ah he's a two-time 300 carry guy. he has a lot of tread in his tires. ah He has gotten injured in the past ah in his career.
00:25:31
rogeremeka
That's the only worry I may have. And how much do they want to spread sprinkle in Marshawn Lloyd, who they drafted at USC a few years ago? And, even though you know, we'll talk about the wide receiver, but even Savion Williams, actually, he's he's a hybrid wide receiver running back.
00:25:46
rogeremeka
ah He caught 63 passes last year and he caught he actually ran for 51 rushes the year before at TCU. So, you know, I'll be interested to see how they sprinkle him in to to spell Josh Jacobs a little bit. But for me, he's...
00:26:01
rogeremeka
You know, top 10 running back, no questions asked. i i will take him 100 times out of 100 over Jonathan Taylor, over Kyron Williams, over Brees Hall.
00:26:11
rogeremeka
Those are the guys he's going after. And I'd probably even be likely to take him over a Chase Brown. Bucky Irving, your boy, that's where maybe the buck stops, no pun intended there. But I love ja Josh Jacobs, and I i think he's going he's bound for another really, really good season.
00:26:28
Nacc
Yeah, I think that's a no-brainer for me too. um i think you snaked them from me last year. You picked them right before I was going to pick. And I think what ended up happening is i ended up picking Anthony Richardson to stack my QBs.
00:26:45
Nacc
And we know how that ah song and dance ended. I ended up dropping Anthony Richardson and you ended up picking him up.
00:26:51
rogeremeka
Oh, and I picked him up.
00:26:52
Nacc
So it came full circle moment.
00:26:53
rogeremeka
He got me to the finals.
00:26:54
Nacc
Yeah, he did. Aimed.
00:26:55
rogeremeka
I don't get to the finals without Anthony Richardson as crazy as that sound.
00:26:58
Nacc
Yeah, came came full circle moment on that one.
00:26:58
rogeremeka
And I know it sounds crazy, but...
00:27:00
Nacc
But yeah, locked and loaded. i would say Josh Jacobs definitely outperforms is on running back nine current position. And then we move on to a very crowded wide receiver room, but it's not something that everyone's kind of licking their chops about. We did mention that Christian Watson obviously is going to be out for the year.
00:27:22
Nacc
They have Jaden Reed, who... in my eyes, had a disappointing season after starting pretty strong last season. You also have ah Romeo Dobbs, wide receiver 62, Dontavious Wicks, 79. Remember he was the the the season winner, or what did you say?
00:27:44
rogeremeka
Let's not talk about it.
00:27:45
Nacc
What did we say that?
00:27:46
rogeremeka
League winner.
00:27:46
Nacc
League winner, excuse me.
00:27:47
rogeremeka
Let's not talk about Dontavian Wick's
00:27:48
Nacc
League winner Dontavious Wicks, and everyone laughed at me for for throwing shade on that. um Then they they they all they obviously drafted Matthew Golden, who's currently going as wide receiver 52, and Savion Williams, wide receiver 119.
00:28:04
Nacc
So right now, off like i still I'm still hearing murmurs of of Dobbs potentially being traded to Pittsburgh, actually, to join rejoin Aaron Rodgers. It seems there's like there's a big cluster in here, right? like Between Jaden Reed, 44, Golden, we of this wide receiver room?
00:28:23
Nacc
like talk to me raj what do we what do we make of this wide receiver room
00:28:27
rogeremeka
Oh, avoid, avoid, avoid. If there's someone to own, I'd take a shot on Matthew Golden because he's a three level wide receiver. He can win inside. He can short, intermediate, and deep.
00:28:38
rogeremeka
Really good player out of Texas. you think he finished with about 60 receptions, 960 and about almost 10 touchdowns at Texas. so um And you said it, the Packers almost rarely ever draft wide receivers.
00:28:53
rogeremeka
And we weren't sure in the first round, yeah.
00:28:53
Nacc
In the first round, yeah.
00:28:56
rogeremeka
And we weren't sure if they were going to do this during the draft period. And the fact that they did it, it tells you everything you need to know about their wide receiver room. I think Jaden Reed is still good. I think he's still a reliable player.
00:29:08
rogeremeka
wide receiver stats, you know, he could catch about 50 to 70 balls. He's going to rush about 25 to 40 times. If he goes back to his 20, 23 season where he was, and he almost finished in the top 30.
00:29:22
rogeremeka
You can have a potentially really good WR2, but it's hard to rely on him. It's hard to rely on anyone on this team. I would take a flyer on Matthew Golan. as the the if you know If you're going to own one person, I would own him just for the simple fact that he's a first rounder and they already had a pretty, quote unquote, stacked wide receiver room.
00:29:42
rogeremeka
Not stacked by stats, but just stacked by guys who do the same thing.
00:29:48
Nacc
Yeah, pretty much, right? Like we just kind of, we always, I think we always came back to that and always, that's how we always alluded to all of this is they're all kind of the same thing and it's just not working, right?
00:30:01
Nacc
Like I remember, you know, they drafted Dobbs to be that, you know, X receiver.
00:30:01
rogeremeka
No.
00:30:06
Nacc
It's just not looking looking that way. And like I said, last year was a lot of lot of injuries with the wide receivers. But yeah, for sure. if i'm If I'm looking at it, I'm looking at it the same way you are.
00:30:16
Nacc
Like there's no way I would go read at 44 i'd rather wait for matthew golden at 52 because even in that range when you're going into like that 44 and 52 right receiver like you've already got your in our league we we we have we start three so you've already got your top three guys most likely when you're about to draft these guys so if you're looking to draft someone in your in your flex i'd rather take a shot at matthew golden and and i'm sure they'll probably unleash him as the uh the x guy you know so
00:30:47
rogeremeka
And if you think of where Rita's going, you know, we talked about Debo Samuel last week in the NFC East show. I like Debo Samuel at 43 a lot with Jaden Daniels.
00:30:58
rogeremeka
ah Josh Downs, who I love. i like Josh Downs at 42 over Jaden Reed. Again, around that area. Even Cooper Cup is going ranked number 46. So um it'll it'll be it'll be interesting. They they need to just set figure out who are their top two or three wide receivers and set it and figure it out versus trying to mix and match the entire way, which they did last year.
00:31:22
rogeremeka
It didn't work.
00:31:23
Nacc
No, definitely did not work. And then we get to the tight end um on the roster, which is obviously locked and loaded as Tucker Craft.
Packers' Tight End Challenges
00:31:34
Nacc
Tight end number 10.
00:31:37
Nacc
Anything? is it is he kind of placed where he should be? or like I feel like there's some options even after him that I would probably wait for in terms of you know fantasy.
00:31:49
rogeremeka
So I think when they drafted both of them, I think everyone thought Musgrave was going to be the guy.
00:31:55
Nacc
Yeah.
00:31:55
rogeremeka
And then Musgrave actually had a good year. And then i think it was last year, everyone was looking at Musgrave over Kraft. Kraft ended up having, ah kind of solidifying himself. I'm not drafting ah Green Bay tight end.
00:32:08
rogeremeka
Similar to what we talked about the wide receivers, The tight end aspect is just... The Packers never really focused on the tight end as the main the main threat. They've always sprinkled in a ton of different tight ends. If you look at their entire history, Bubba Franks, Jermichael Finley, Jimmy Graham, Tunyon, every other year, it's like a different tight end that becomes the guy.
00:32:35
rogeremeka
And... I don't want to take that risk this year that maybe they go back to Tucker craft or even they find someone else that they like. So I think they're two good players, two talented players, but I don't, I don't want anything to do with their tight ends.
00:32:48
Nacc
yeah i don't know for me like i said i just it seems a bit a bit steep at um at tight end number 10 i think there's some some better players you could probably get a little bit later on and you I think you made a great point on there's always a different tight end a year in, year out, or you know a few years. There's ah there's always ah always a turn. So, ah yeah, definitely for me as well, a position to avoid. So, um yeah, i'm I'm excited to see what what that wide receiver depth chart looks like coming out of coming out of camp.
00:33:23
Nacc
But we'll see. That'll do it for the Green Bay Packers. we will move ahead to the Chicago Bears, who finished last year at 5-12 after drafting Caleb Williams first overall.
Bears' Offseason & Caleb Williams' Development
00:33:38
Nacc
They ranked last in the NFL in total yards per game at 283. That's that's tough And allowed league-high 68 sacks, which no bueno when you've got a ah rookie trying to learn out there.
00:33:58
Nacc
um So we did say they'd made some some big additions, which one of them was Ben Johnson snagging him away from the Lions. Pretty cool that they they were able to get him in the division.
00:34:08
Nacc
He is now the new head coach. They also added few offensive linemen in Joe Tooney, Jonah Jackson, and Drew Dahlman. So obviously they knew they had to shore up the sacks and keep Caleb Williams upright. So I think they did that.
00:34:24
Nacc
And then they got Williams a few more toys to to play with in Colston Loveland at tight end, 10th overall, and also Luther Burden III out of Iowa, right? believe
00:34:38
rogeremeka
Missouri.
00:34:38
Nacc
Missouri, excuse me. um So we'll start off with um with Mr. I-Paint-My-Nails Caleb Williams, currently currently going as QB 12th.
00:34:51
Nacc
twelve um Zero rushing TDs in 2024, but had 10 plus per year at USC. So that was kind of ah a little change.
00:35:05
Nacc
I know that he's, I know, again, grain of salt with with training camps, but apparently has not been looking too well in Ben Johnson's offense.
00:35:16
Nacc
And he's letting him hear it as well. So um what do you think about Kayla Williams this year, Raj? Is it kind of one of those, i don't know if I'm going to go as far as make or break, but if you're the number one overall pick, like year two, you've got a you got to figure it out.
00:35:36
rogeremeka
It's somewhat make or break because Ben Johnson didn't draft him.
00:35:39
Nacc
Right.
00:35:40
rogeremeka
Right? So he's not tied to him 100%.
00:35:40
Nacc
Good point. Good point.
00:35:42
rogeremeka
hundred percent I feel the Caleb story last year was like a tale of four quarters. There was the Carolina-Jacksonville game where he had 24 and 29 fantasy points.
00:35:57
rogeremeka
And then he was awful the next three games. And then against Green Bay, Minnesota, Detroit, 16, 27, 26 points. Awful for five five out of the last six games.
00:36:10
rogeremeka
He brought it back together against Detroit ah in a close game, which I think they almost won. So there was definitely signs. I think the expectation was so high for him.
00:36:21
rogeremeka
But people had to remember that he was still a rookie QB. And if you look at everything he dealt with, the Shane Waldron, the Thomas Brown, Matt Eberflus, the Hail Mary, DJ Moore having bad body language, DeAndre Swift not being a very good running back, he made out pretty well.
00:36:41
rogeremeka
68 sacks, right? And they shore up the offensive line. They bring in Ben Johnson. He's going to need to learn how to play quicker. He's going to have to be way more accurate, especially on the deep ball, which was his strength.
00:36:56
rogeremeka
he And he just has to avoid sacks. If he does those three things, which are are pretty pretty important, but if he does so those three things, the QB 12 is very much in reach.
00:37:08
rogeremeka
He has the talent around him to do it. I am willing to take a gamble on him. When I'm doing my mock drafts, I'm willing to take a gamble on him because because of the talent, because I really like him. And we saw what Jared Goff was able to do in a Ben Johnson type offense.
00:37:22
Nacc
I like the Jared Goff comparison there. um If memory serves me right, though, a lot of those sacks were his fault and not just on the O-line, right? Like, failure to throw it away and, you know, trying trying to play schoolyard ball and always trying to make a play.
00:37:42
Nacc
um I think he's going to have to learn in the NFL. That's just not always possible. um You're going to have to throw the ball away. That's obvious. That's a better play than taking a sack, fumbling the ball, trying to do too much.
00:37:55
Nacc
um You know, you you always have to go and think there's a next play. There's a next play. There's a next play. There's, there's, you know, there's 60 minutes of football to be played. So I think definitely his rookie year was definite learning curve.
00:38:08
Nacc
But I definitely agree that he deserves a shot. 12 seems high. 12 seems still a little bit.
00:38:16
rogeremeka
It does.
00:38:16
Nacc
it steam It seems a bit high for for Williams.
00:38:19
rogeremeka
it does.
00:38:20
Nacc
I'd be probably willing to go, you know, 15, 16. But I think 12 seems a bit too risky for me before I see it type deal, right? like And like I said, you hear the struggles in camp. He's not getting it.
00:38:35
Nacc
You know, he's not getting the offense. Maybe he's going to need a couple years under Ben Johnson to you know figure it out and look better. But realistically, he should definitely look better than he did in his rookie season, especially with that ah offensive line shirt up.
00:38:48
Nacc
So I'm willing to go as far as maybe 15, 16 in terms of ranking because I think he is probably you know and a top half kind of QB in the league.
00:38:59
rogeremeka
Well, that's where Goff would be. That's where Drake May would be. And you know you mentioned the 10 touchdowns ah that he had prior at USC.
00:39:04
Nacc
Right.
00:39:10
rogeremeka
He was running quite a bit more towards the end the year. He still finished with 81 attempts for almost 500 yards. but he He looked good, and he looked like he looked good when he was able to run the ball.
00:39:20
Nacc
Right.
00:39:20
rogeremeka
And he had a scapeability. So the the last thing I'll say about the... The sacks, I think it was, there was like there was a stat about it, and it's probably about 50% of the sacks were his fault, 50% were the offensive line's fault.
00:39:33
rogeremeka
But they didn't do him any favors in terms of helping him play quick. Like you saw with Jaden Daniels, Cliff Kingsbury, he called plays which were, you know, hike the ball, know where your primary read is, immediately throw it immediately.
00:39:46
rogeremeka
you have to You have to build your offense rookie QB so that you give them easy reads immediately. And they didn't do that. It was too many five, seven-step drops. Heave it up to DJ Moore. Heave it up to Roma Dunzey.
00:39:59
rogeremeka
you're you're perpetuating what the guy likes to do, but what he shouldn't be doing in the NFL. So...
00:40:05
Nacc
Yeah, that's definitely a good point. ah We'll move here to the running back. So we obviously have DeAndre Swift, second year with the Bears, ah going as RB21.
Bears' Offensive Players & Potential
00:40:20
Nacc
ah Career high in carries last year, actually, 253. But I think that was kind of to be expected as they don't really have much behind them. There's still kind of Roshon Johnson who's kind of lurking there.
00:40:29
rogeremeka
yeah
00:40:31
Nacc
There was big praise for him. But I think, like, He's your backup. He's your second or third string. I don't think there's anything more on the bone there. But an interesting tidbit to take a look, ah to keep an eye on is Swift is now reunited with Ben Johnson, who was his OC back in Detroit.
00:40:51
Nacc
And we know that DeAndre Swift had great years in Detroit. um What are you seeing here? Are they going to use him...
00:41:03
Nacc
let's say, quote unquote, properly and play to his strengths? Or how do you see this going with with Ben Johnson now there?
00:41:13
rogeremeka
This is tough. Swift, in theory, looks like he could be a fantastic player, but he's so frustrating because he is trying to bounce everything to the outside. He doesn't take the holes that are given to him.
00:41:26
rogeremeka
And then they don't necessarily have the Damon Montgomery that the... I mean, they had David Montgomery, but then they let him go to the Lions. I don't think Roshan Johnson is that.
00:41:36
rogeremeka
um It's tough. He's a talented player, but... the And, you know, even when when he played with Ben Johnson, which I think it was just one year... 99 carries 542 yards yards so that was really good catches so in a ppr he's really solid
00:41:58
rogeremeka
There's no competition there. So I think if you look into him, he'll he'll fall ass backwards to being an RB2 for you.
00:42:00
Nacc
0. Yep.
00:42:06
rogeremeka
The issue with Swift is I just feel there's always an opportunity for him getting benched. And that happened in Detroit. That definitely happened last year with Chicago. ah kind of happened with Philly, although Philly didn't really have any other options.
00:42:21
Nacc
yep
00:42:21
rogeremeka
If he run doesn't run the way that the coaching staff wants him to run, which is you know take the holes and not just bounce everything outside, he could just be benched. And that would be my risk. That would be the the risky aspect about Swift with the Bears.
00:42:35
rogeremeka
Don't like it.
00:42:37
Nacc
Yeah, currently on that cusp of RB2 territory right now of where he's being drafted, RB21 seems the bit high for me as well.
00:42:46
rogeremeka
like ah
00:42:46
Nacc
I really don't like it. Probably closer to the wide, you know, running back 30 for me, i would i would have to say.
00:42:49
rogeremeka
Don't like it.
00:42:56
Nacc
Yeah, look, i don't I don't know. I think his prime days are behind him. And as you mentioned, they don't really have much else. So they're just going to trot him out there. And the fact that, like you said, he doesn't hit the hole. He always tries to go out wide.
00:43:09
Nacc
um Defensive coordinators know that. So, yeah, not definitely not a player that I'm ah targeting from from Chicago. But when we move along to the wide receivers, then it gets a little bit more interesting.
00:43:24
Nacc
You've got DJ Moore going as wide receiver 19. Romo Dunze in his sophomore season going as wide receiver 36. And Luther Burden, as we mentioned, drafted this year going as wide receiver 55.
00:43:38
Nacc
fifty ah What do we see here? I know that there's been a lot of bashing on the DJ Moore. So I want to hear your thoughts here.
00:43:51
Nacc
don't know about this wide receiver 19, but I have a feeling you're not going to like it.
00:43:56
rogeremeka
Guy, you know, if anyone who listens to this show knows I'm i'm fan number one of the DJ Moore fan club. I love me some DJ Moore. But the body language last year was so bad.
00:44:08
rogeremeka
i don't know if he was buddies with Justin Fields. I don't know if he was annoyed with the offense. I don't know if he was annoyed with Caleb Williams. But... They did not play in sync last year. he somehow still found a way to post over 240 fantasy points last year, but despite a down year, despite how you know up and down Caleb was. So just look at Amon Ross St. Brown.
00:44:34
rogeremeka
That's all I'll say. look at Look at how they used Amon Ross St. Brown. Look at that skill set.
00:44:41
Nacc
Wow, good comparison.
00:44:42
rogeremeka
That's all I'll say. i if if If Caleb hits and Ben Johnson uses Moore like they use Amon Ross St. Brown, this could be a career year.
00:44:52
Nacc
Wow, did did not look at it that way. That's actually very interesting. Very, very interesting. And um what about the supporting cast, Romo Dunze? Do you think you have a big jump in year two? Does Luther Burden kind of carve out a piece?
00:45:08
rogeremeka
But it's crazy because even Rome... like a lanky deep threat who runs four four You know, he's not as fast as J-Mo, but you could also kind of see the path forward and, you know, does he become a 60-catch, 900-yard guy, you know, throwing catching deep bombs from Caleb?
00:45:32
rogeremeka
Again, all this is in theory.
00:45:34
Nacc
Yeah, it's got to click, right?
00:45:35
rogeremeka
Right?
00:45:35
Nacc
Like it's all got to go.
00:45:36
rogeremeka
It's all in theory.
00:45:36
Nacc
It's all got to.
00:45:36
rogeremeka
It's got to click, but you could see the patterns in terms of factoring Ben Johnson offense, what he did in Detroit.
00:45:37
Nacc
and
00:45:44
rogeremeka
Same player type in DJ Moore and Amon Ross St. Brown. Tough guys who could catch the ball, run after it a little bit. Same size. Same thing with Roma Dunze, who again was picked in the... was a first rounder last year. Ninth overall.
00:45:56
rogeremeka
in 2024, right? So he has pedigree. He had a fantastic college career. They believe in him enough that they were able to to let go of Keenan Allen. And then even the Luther Burden aspect of it, I think he's a little bit of insurance depending on, you know, what happens with DJ Moore. if If for some reason there's a fallout there and, you know, the chemistry is bad within...
00:46:18
rogeremeka
ah him and Caleb, which I don't think will be the case. But Burden is also more of a yard after catch guy. I don't think he's going to be a factor. I wouldn't make him a factor in fantasy right away just because he's a rookie. And you know they also have Loveland, which which we'll talk about in the tight ends. But I could see a path forward where DJ Moore has a career year and Roman Dunze has a kind of similar type of you know high octane, high volatile numbers like Jamison Williams had.
00:46:44
Nacc
I like that. I like that a lot. That was a very good insight. i think I think I'm now higher on DJ more than I was a few minutes ago. Yeah,
00:46:55
rogeremeka
Because people are going be down on him for sure. people are gonna
00:46:57
Nacc
yeah yeah. But, I mean, wide receiver 19, that's still pretty pretty decent for someone who's down.
00:46:58
rogeremeka
People are just down on him.
00:47:02
Nacc
That's still wide receiver 2 territory, right?
00:47:05
rogeremeka
But na that's that's pretty much where he's been the last. like
00:47:07
Nacc
Yeah. Yeah.
00:47:07
rogeremeka
That's where he was last year. You always get him on like the WR2 turn, you know the the round four. is like He always goes around where the where Mike Evans goes. where
00:47:16
Nacc
I was high on him last year and I drafted him high in a lot of leagues.
00:47:18
rogeremeka
Yeah.
00:47:20
Nacc
I believe in Bush League I had him as well.
00:47:21
rogeremeka
As did I.
00:47:24
Nacc
I'm not sure if I traded him, but I know I had him and definitely disappointed last year.
00:47:28
rogeremeka
well Well, look, quickly, like I like him. Look, you want to talk about trading camp videos? like There's a ton of crap going around Marvin Harrison Jr. i i like him way more than Marvin Harrison Jr. It's also because I don't trust Kyler.
00:47:43
rogeremeka
DK Metcalf, I won't touch it because I don't want to get into a Pittsburgh Steelers discussion with you right now. ah But even Cortland Sutton, Rishi Rice, Perpetual WR2, Devontae Smith. like I think DJ Moore could still have a really good year.
00:47:56
Nacc
Agreed. Now quickly we'll touch on the um tight end. So they did draft Colston Loveland with the 10th overall pick. some Some people surprised some people as at a Penn State. I'm drawing a blank.
00:48:14
Nacc
Who's the other?
00:48:14
rogeremeka
Michigan. He went to Michigan.
00:48:17
Nacc
No, no, no. Who's the tight end that that was supposed to go before him from Penn State?
00:48:20
rogeremeka
Oh, Tyler Warren.
00:48:20
Nacc
Tyler Warren. So they turned heads and Tyler Warren didn't come off the board. um But then you've got, you know you've okay, they drafted him. You still have Cole Komet, who's still on the roster, who's kind of, you know, I know you're not too high on Cole Komet.
00:48:38
Nacc
You were at at one point, but not not so much anymore.
00:48:40
rogeremeka
Yes, I was.
00:48:43
Nacc
But then, like you we just mentioned, there's a lot of miles to feed in this offense. What are we what are we looking at in terms of tight end? Loveland is going right now tight end seven
00:48:55
rogeremeka
lot of mouths to feed. It's a similar situation as the Packers.
00:49:03
rogeremeka
The only solace I will say I'll take into that is i believe under Ben Johnson, Detroit was a top 10 team in terms of one running back and two tight end sets.
00:49:15
rogeremeka
So I think both players will be on the field quite a bit, but it's,
00:49:22
rogeremeka
I don't know if Colson Loveland is of the Brock Bowers mold where he's going to take the league by storm as of year one. I think he's a good player. i think he's a solid player, but he just, there just wasn't enough opportunities for him to catch the ball at Michigan because Michigan just doesn't throw the ball enough.
00:49:39
Nacc
They run, yeah.
00:49:40
rogeremeka
He, I think his he's in his his season high in catches was like probably 30 or 40, 40 catches. Right. So, um,
00:49:49
rogeremeka
I think there are good value picks at tight end if you're someone like me who doesn't want to pick a tight end high and you're you're willing to just kind of stream tight ends and and take a flyer on either Loveland or Komet.
00:50:01
rogeremeka
But i still think both will be involved quite heavily.
00:50:04
Nacc
Yeah, that's what I was going to say is is this is your your classic streaming tight end type deal. Like, there's no way Colston Loveland becomes a set it and forget it type of tight end. Obviously, neither does Cole Komet. And, you know, if we're comparing him, like you said, to Brock Bowers, Brock Bowers was that offense. So, you know, maybe he does better in an offense where they wouldn't have all these weapons around him but I think like yeah too many mouths to feed so I think tight end 17 is is is pretty pretty perfectly put I think that'll do it for the Chicago Bears and last but not least we have the Minnesota Vikings who have made a QB change they were eighth in passing yards per game last year with Sam Darnold and 19 in rushing yards per game
00:50:43
rogeremeka
Yeah, I think so too.
Vikings' New Quarterback & Running Backs
00:51:02
Nacc
So as I mentioned, J.J. McCarthy will take over this year. They did acquire a Jordan Mason via trade, which I know all three of us, Fab included, liked this trade, especially with the the Aaron Jones that's there.
00:51:22
Nacc
um Drafted Tay Felton at wide receiver and Donovan Jackson as a guard. So we'll dive in quickly to the position groups.
00:51:34
Nacc
As we mentioned, it's JJ McCarthy's turn. um Rookie year was cut short from ACL injury in camp or in a preseason game.
00:51:45
Nacc
So he missed all of the year. Only had 713 total pass attempts post high school This is a telling stat. we know what this You know when we don't get reps what it looks like or what it translates to in the NFL.
00:52:03
Nacc
And I'm really curious to hear your thoughts on fellow Michigan boy, J.J. McCarthy.
00:52:12
rogeremeka
Two-year starter. you know like it's Look, we we talk about Trey Lance, talk about Anthony Richardson. they They started even less than that. But two-year starter is J.J. McCarthy.
00:52:24
rogeremeka
did not Was not tasked to have to throw the ball very much in his career. and If you look at the you know his his two years there, the the national title game, I'm looking at his game log now. He had...
00:52:37
rogeremeka
two games where he threw 30 or more passes in college in his in his championship national championship winning season.
00:52:40
Nacc
Yeah, that's crazy. Two-year career.
00:52:44
rogeremeka
So I have no interest in having JG McCarthy in 2QB QB1 or QB2.
00:52:44
Nacc
Wow.
00:52:52
rogeremeka
The
00:52:52
Nacc
Why is he going QB 20?
00:52:55
rogeremeka
offensive supporting cast.
00:52:55
Nacc
Sorry to cut you off, but.
00:52:57
rogeremeka
the No, no, it's okay. The offensive supporting cast, what was able to be done with, like, Justin Jefferson can sustain Kirk Cousins, who, you Kirk Cousins a very good QB, but he has flaws.
00:53:16
rogeremeka
and And we saw what they were able to do with Sam Darnold last year.
00:53:20
Nacc
and Mullins when he came in, Josh Dobbs.
00:53:21
rogeremeka
And Nick Dobbs, the... Was it the Pastronaut, they called him?
00:53:27
Nacc
The Pastronaut, yeah.
00:53:28
rogeremeka
The Pastronaut. Kevin O'Connell is an absolute genius. So I can give the rankers a benefit of that the doubt. I could give the people who are drafting him that high the benefit of the doubt.
00:53:40
rogeremeka
I do not want JJ McCarthy as anything more personally than a QB3, but even more so a QB4 personally. I would rather have, actually, I'm not going to say it.
00:53:53
rogeremeka
I'm going to say what rather have because and we have a lot of Bush League huddle guys who who draft this, who listen to this pod, but I do not want JJ McCarthy. I will just say that.
00:54:06
Nacc
Yeah, no, no. Look, for me, i i agree. i don't know where the hype comes from. as I mentioned, 713 total pass attempts post high school.
00:54:19
Nacc
And you brought up some two names that um I would have said the exact same thing in Trey Lance and Anthony Richardson. How has that gone for them? Trey Lance is on team number three and Richardson has not figured it out two years in, um, going into year three and might lose his starting job to Daniel Jones. So I think that tells you enough right there. Um, JJ McCarthy, he's got to show me, want to take a chance on him. Go ahead. If he becomes rookie of the year, fantastic. A joke will be on me, but, um, there's pretty,
00:54:56
Nacc
Higher chance that it does not happen. And he he definitely finishes lower. in In terms of. QB outlook.
00:55:03
rogeremeka
That's QB20 is nuts. Like he's, he's to a Matthew Stafford, Bryce Young, Penix, Geno Smith are going after him.
00:55:05
Nacc
That's high man. That's.
00:55:11
Nacc
That's.
00:55:11
rogeremeka
That is, that is people giving KOC a ton of credit.
00:55:12
Nacc
Blasphemy.
00:55:16
Nacc
Yeah. Well look you said. Supporting cast obviously has lots to do with it. But I mean man. This is a guy who's still technically a rookie. Like he didn't play a snap last year.
00:55:24
rogeremeka
Yeah.
00:55:25
Nacc
so yeah I don't know for me. Um, Hey, if O'Connell turns him into a superstar in year one, like I said, fantastic. And, um, I'm all for, for, for seeing it happen, but, um, definitely won't be on my fantasy team.
00:55:44
Nacc
So we, um, let's dive into the running backs here. Aaron Jones had a pretty good year. um last season i know he um a little banged up but that's to be expected with aaron jones currently going as running back 23 and then they added jordan mason who um showed he's going rb 40 definitely showed what he can do in the absence of um cmc and in the backup role Three games over 100 yards, 5.1 yards per carry in the five starts, obviously before he went down for for injury.
00:56:21
Nacc
So Raj, I ask you, are you willing to go and pick Aaron Jones high at running back 23? Or would you rather wait and take his is his backup, Jordan Mason, at running back 40?
00:56:37
rogeremeka
Aaron Jones hasn't had more than nine touchdowns in the season since 2020. So after 2020, he's had touchdown seasons, rushing touchdown seasons of four, two, two, and five.
00:56:51
Nacc
Interesting.
00:56:51
rogeremeka
So wouldn't be surprised if they're picking Jordan Mason to potentially be kind of a red zone goal line back, which I hate those types of...
00:56:58
Nacc
and just
00:57:01
rogeremeka
but i hate I don't mind backs that are in a timeshare, but i will I do not want to side with the back that gets pulled out in the 20, in the 10, or near the goal line.
00:57:13
rogeremeka
And there's always the injury risk of Aaron Jones. And Fab loves this guy to death. Like, he is such an Aaron Jones mark. And i love his talent, too. He's really fun to watch.
00:57:25
rogeremeka
But I have a lot of reservations of taking him, unless he's a flex for me. I don't want him if he's an RB. Definitely not an if you're going like a zero running back strategy, which I i could see you doing, NAC.
00:57:39
rogeremeka
But like RB2, RB3, I'd rather have like a Tony Pollard or Caleb Johnson, maybe even RJ Harvey.
00:57:51
Nacc
So is this a a backfield to avoid in your eyes?
00:57:57
rogeremeka
That's the thing. I don't want to say it's a backfield to avoid because I think as a whole, i think they're going to do really well. That's a good offensive line. ah the The left tackle who was injured last year, saw, I think he's, he tore his ACL. He should, he she should be back because it happened relatively early.
00:58:12
rogeremeka
um and again, it's a very good offensive line, very good offense. And I think because of McCarthy, I see them actually relying more on the run, maybe not wanting to put as much stress on McCarthy,
00:58:22
Nacc
Which be smart. but should be smart
00:58:26
rogeremeka
So I think as ah as a conglomerate, as like ah as a grouping, I think it's a really good backfield stats-wise. i just i feel like I'll struggle on a weekly basis. like Who will be the guy?
00:58:38
rogeremeka
And I think Aaron Jones is going to be the guy to get you into opponent territory or into the red zone. And i think they're going to want to use Jordan and Mason. what did they what did they Do you remember what they gave up for him?
00:58:51
Nacc
No, I'm not sure. um It couldn't have been that high of a pick. if I um and and think it was like a fifth or a sixth round pick.
00:59:01
rogeremeka
Yeah, you're right.
00:59:02
Nacc
Could it be?
00:59:02
rogeremeka
Yeah. Pick swap and future six.
00:59:04
Nacc
Yeah, it wasn't anything high, obviously, with Mason injured and was a backup. He wasn't going to be was goingnna get the the the biggest return. But um I like the way you put it. and And, yeah, I do agree with the fact that Jones might get spelled um definitely when they're closer to the goal line. So it's going to be tough to gauge this running back situation. So something definitely to monitor.
00:59:31
Nacc
And then we go into the wide receivers, which need no introduction.
Vikings' Wide Receivers & Tight End Concerns
00:59:36
Nacc
Obviously, you have Justin Jefferson going as a wide receiver two. And then Jordan Addison, wide receiver 37.
00:59:44
Nacc
There is a possible suspension coming for Jordan Addison. I know he pleaded guilty to a lesser charge, but likely three to four game suspension coming up. And um as we mentioned, Ty Felton as a rookie, drafted a rookie. So,
01:00:01
Nacc
ah I know we had our reservations with J.J. McCarthy, but does you know do Justin Jefferson and Addison still eat, or does it um and um take a few pegs back this season?
01:00:14
rogeremeka
JJ, Justin Jefferson, JJ is bulletproof, but what concerns me more is the hamstring strain from last week.
01:00:20
Nacc
Yeah.
01:00:21
rogeremeka
And they're they're holding him out or they're kind of taking it easy with him. Hamstring strains always scare the hell out of me. if you think of Christian McCaffrey last year. So i will be really interested to see, you know, which maybe not necessarily in our, because i'm I'm very much in play in Bush League for Justin Jefferson at the fourth overall pick.
01:00:44
rogeremeka
I'd be interested to see in some of ah some other leagues, you know, more traditional ones where it's not 2QB, where wide receivers running backs go in the first few picks. If people are that weary of Justin Jefferson and and passing him up to go with, ah you know, with CeeDee Lamb or but even Puka Nakua.
01:01:01
rogeremeka
if he's healthy though like locked and loaded wr2 wr3 at most right he's he's chases the unquestioned number one but justin jefferson is for sure at least wr3 so just just the the injuries concerning i think addison addison is always um
01:01:22
Nacc
Had a good season.
01:01:23
rogeremeka
he has a good He had a good season. um i want to look at his game log, but I feel like his game log is always really good games and then some duds afterwards. i like Didn't he have the like a massive three-touchdown game against the Packers?
01:01:38
Nacc
I think he, yeah, I think he definitely had one of those last year.
01:01:41
rogeremeka
Yeah, like so I think he's a really talented player, but you know if I look at his game log now... Eight catches, 162 yards against the Bears. um Eight catches, 133 yards against the Falcons.
01:01:57
rogeremeka
And then he had, there's a lot of games sprinkled in there. Three catches, three catches, three catches, two catches, two catches, three catches. So the ride is not great with Addison.
01:02:09
rogeremeka
He will win you wheat weeks and there'll be weeks where you're expecting more out of him from a WR 2-3-ish position. three- ish position
01:02:17
Nacc
See, and this is where when we did our AFC North um show is when I had, you know, reservations about Tee Higgins and why he's being drafted so high and why the wide receiver one, especially when you have like a top three guy in the league, he eats more than anyone, right? And you are going to force feed him the ball.
01:02:39
Nacc
So I think it it does play into this situation too.
01:02:39
rogeremeka
Thank you.
01:02:42
Nacc
I'm not trying to say that Addison is on Higgins' level. But I'm just trying to say that, like, if Chase, they're going to want to get him the ball all kinds, who's going to suffer in that situation? It's going to be Tee Higgins, right?
01:02:56
Nacc
and In the same situation here, if you have a Justin Jefferson on your team, who's going to suffer and have most likely those games of two, three, three, two, four catch games?
01:03:07
Nacc
That's going to be the second wide receiver on the squad. So I think I agree with you. I like him as a player, but You know, fantasy football-wise, when you, you know, are putting him in there as a wide receiver three and you're expecting some, you know, some numbers and you're just not getting them week in and week out, it's just, it's tough, right?
01:03:26
rogeremeka
Well, Nak, if you look at, I think you said, what, WR37? Jacobi Myers is the WR1 for the Raiders, and he's going at wide receiver 38.
01:03:35
Nacc
Give me Myers over Addison every day of the week.
01:03:36
rogeremeka
Khalil
01:03:41
rogeremeka
Shakir is the WR1 for the Bills. I know that they're talking so much about Josh Palmer. ah camp like for for the bills but like I don't buy it Shakir is the guy Juwan Jennings is the guy right now with I sorry he's going WR40
01:03:47
Nacc
yeah but
01:03:53
Nacc
Where's he going? or Yeah, I see. like That's crazy. And with a loop and pro he's probably going 37 with the looming suspension.
01:04:04
Nacc
So he would he would probably be going even higher, technically.
01:04:08
rogeremeka
I think like Addison, like he feels like a bit of a namish brand too. like he he had a lot of He won the um the Blitnikoff, like the top wide receiver award in college.
01:04:12
Nacc
Yeah.
01:04:18
rogeremeka
And he was drafted in the first round. So he kind of has a little bit of a name brand to him where you know people kind of just assume that he could be a WR2. And again, he's a we're not talking about the player here, but I love your point about how the top dog wide receivers just consume so much.
01:04:35
rogeremeka
um It'll actually be, it'll be interesting what happens and we'll get to it in the NFC West show when we do it, but like what will happen with Devante Adams and Pukunukua to your point? How are they going to mix and match that WR1, WR1A pairing?
01:04:48
Nacc
Yeah.
01:04:50
rogeremeka
You know, it's similar to you to what you're saying, but um Addison, I think it's ah it's still a bit rich for me.
01:04:50
Nacc
Yeah, it's a great question.
01:04:57
Nacc
Yep, definitely agree. And if we finish it off with the tight end position, i know Hawkinson missed most of 2024. or Still going as tight end number four this year.
01:05:11
Nacc
How are we feeling about this? Are we liking Hawkinson? Again, especially with J.J. McCarthy and, you know, with that bonafide ah superstar wide receiver on the team.
01:05:25
rogeremeka
Yeah, I think this makes sense. If you look at his 2023 season, 95 catches, 960 yards, five TDs, that would, I'm looking up now, but that would probably place him around tight end.
01:05:40
rogeremeka
That's tight end four numbers. right So they're they're basically just extrapolating his 20-33 season, assuming he's healthy now.
01:05:46
Nacc
Right.
01:05:46
rogeremeka
I think that makes a lot of sense for for him. And Hawkinson has been a really consistent player ah since he's been in the league, whether it's with the Lions, even though with the Lions.
01:05:58
rogeremeka
He's typically at the 60, at least 60 to 70 catch mark. And and know when he's at his peak, he'd get to 80, 90. So I think that makes a lot of sense. Tight end four is is perfect for him.
01:06:09
Nacc
Yeah, and I'm sure he's, you know, tight ends are, are you know, QB's best friend, especially when they're when they're rookies. They try to find those easy passes and easy completions as well to, you know, to move the sticks.
01:06:16
rogeremeka
Yeah.
01:06:21
Nacc
So I think he's rated pretty pretty good. I don't know. For me, i i was just never a Hawkinson kind of guy. um i know there's a lot of injuries with him.
01:06:31
Nacc
There's a lot of up and down with him. But like you said, definitely is that consistent player. I'm i'm eager to see what he looks like this year. um You know, obviously didn't get to play all that much last season. I think he got back what was like the final game or two of the year and then went into the playoffs.
01:06:49
Nacc
If I'm.
01:06:49
rogeremeka
He still played he still but played nine games. He started nine games last year.
01:06:53
Nacc
Oh, wow. Okay.
01:06:54
rogeremeka
Yeah.
01:06:54
Nacc
Okay. I think he did pretty well, though, last year. did okay coming coming off the coming off the injury. But I'm just, I think I'm in, maybe the reason why I'm saying is I'm kind of in the same boat with you. I'm not a big draft tight end high kind of guy. um You know, like I never drafted a Travis Kelsey in the second round or, you know, last year I got Kittle, but I think I got him in the fifth or sixth round. So it was a bit, it was a bit later and it was one of those things where it's like, he's still there.
01:07:23
Nacc
Like I'll grab him.
01:07:25
rogeremeka
Exactly. and
01:07:25
Nacc
But But yeah, like the top three rounds, like you won't see me draft a QB. I mean, ah um a tight end unless like third round comes and Brock Bowers is maybe sitting there.
01:07:37
Nacc
Like there's maybe like the tight end one at the position. But I feel like everyone else after that, it's like, well, like it's for me, um I was never a ah tight end high kind of guy.
01:07:46
rogeremeka
People...
01:07:49
rogeremeka
People will take Trey McBride in the top three rounds this year. Trey McBride finished tight end five. He had 111 receptions and 1,100 yards.
01:07:59
Nacc
Yeah, one touchdown. I think one touchdown.
01:08:01
rogeremeka
Two touchdowns.
01:08:01
Nacc
Or two touchdowns. Yeah, he got that.
01:08:03
rogeremeka
Tight ends are just not the primary benefactor of touchdowns in the offense.
01:08:03
Nacc
Yeah.
01:08:08
rogeremeka
That will go to wide receivers almost all the time.
01:08:11
Nacc
yeah
01:08:12
rogeremeka
Right? So...
01:08:15
rogeremeka
Even if you take up Brock Bowers, like he's finishing with last year 112 receptions, 1,200 yards, only five TDs. you know That's like 150 yards, one hundred and you know maybe 160, 770 yards in PPR. But it's, ah yeah, you got to, or no, 262 yards in PPR. So it it is quite a bit, right? But yeah, i'm I'm with you. I'm not a big fan of taking tight ends that early.
01:08:42
Nacc
Well, guys, that will wrap up the and NFC North. Thank you so much once again for
Conclusion & Next Episode Preview
01:08:48
Nacc
listening. As always, please, please like, subscribe, and follow us on all the social media platforms, YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, and listen to us anywhere you get your podcasts, Spotify, Amazon, really anywhere.
01:09:06
Nacc
And we will be back next week, hopefully, with um with our co-host Fab back in the fold. We miss you, Fab. So hopefully have him back next week.
01:09:14
rogeremeka
Maybe.
01:09:16
Nacc
And we will be doing, which division are we doing next week? What do we want to do next week?
01:09:22
rogeremeka
I have no clue.
01:09:22
Nacc
week Let's go back. let's go Let's jump to the AFC.
01:09:24
rogeremeka
Actually, here it says AFC South.
01:09:26
Nacc
Let's go AFC next week. Let's do AFC South.
01:09:28
rogeremeka
AFC South next week.
01:09:29
Nacc
Here we go. that should be That should definitely be an interesting one. um Well, that'll do it for us this week. ah Once again, thanks again for listening. And Raj, cue the music.
01:09:43
Nacc
Oh, by the way, we have football tomorrow. Hall of Fame game.
01:09:47
rogeremeka
but We do.
01:09:48
Nacc
Hall of Fame game tomorrow.
01:09:48
rogeremeka
Hall of Fame game. Trey Lance starting.
01:09:50
Nacc
Trey Lance. We mentioned him on the pod today. Trey Lance starting. But I'm curious to see like Hampton and Trey Harris. We'll see how that goes. But...
01:10:00
rogeremeka
Quentin Johnson dropping passes again. Take
01:10:05
Nacc
Goodbye, everyone. and
01:10:07
rogeremeka
care, everyone.
01:10:07
Nacc
Goodbye.