Frankly Fantasy Football
The Fantasy Football Podcast. Frankie & Johnny bring you the info you need to win your fantasy football leagues with their in-depth news and hard hitting player analysis. The guys hope to put a smile on your face as well.
Frankly Fantasy Football
Rookie Review: Wide Receivers - Draft These Rookie WRs
Rookie wide receivers can make or break your fantasy season, and this year's class offers extraordinary talent in advantageous situations. We're diving deep into the prospects who could become this season's league-winners.
The 2024 receiver class features several first-round talents who landed in perfect situations. Tetairoa"TMAC" McMillan brings his imposing 6'4" frame to a Panthers team desperate for a true WR1, while Travis Hunter – the two-way phenom drafted second overall – offers the Jaguars a silky-smooth route-runner with exceptional after-catch ability. Both rookies have clear paths to immediate fantasy relevance.
We explore why Matthew Golden's 4.29 speed could revolutionize Green Bay's offense, and why Ohio State's Emeka Egbuka might be this year's Amon-Ra St. Brown – a technical route-running wizard who could dominate the second half of the fantasy season. For deep league players, we identify sleepers like Kyle Williams (Patriots) and Jack Bech (Raiders) who could emerge as waiver wire gems.
What separates our analysis is how we connect the dots between talent profiles, draft capital, and opportunity. We examine not just the physical tools of each prospect, but the specific offensive systems they're entering and the realistic target share they might command. The result? A comprehensive roadmap to identifying which rookie receivers deserve your draft capital and which ones to monitor on waivers.
Looking for your next fantasy edge? Subscribe now for more in-depth analysis, including our upcoming quarterback and tight end rookie breakdowns, plus mock draft strategies that will put you ahead of your league mates on draft day.
Thanks for Listening! Subscribe to our YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBPAVRUduAUqHORYenFfo9w
All right, guys, we're talking rookie receivers, giving you the top rookie receivers for this year for your redraft leagues.
Speaker 2:Don't forget like, share, subscribe. Let's roll, all right, all right, all right. Welcome to the show. This is the Frankly Fantasy Football Podcast. We are your hosts, frankie and Johnny. Welcome in, frank, my brother, we've got rookie wide receivers. We're talking today. Are you excited or?
Speaker 1:what so excited man? These guys are incredible. I cannot wait to get into these rookie receivers baby we got some flyers out there.
Speaker 2:Let's see if we can find this year's ahman ross saint brown from his rookie season. Huh, that's the whole goal today.
Speaker 2:That's right. That's right. Guys, if you like what we're throwing down here, please subscribe, like, share. Make sure everybody can get access to this content. We're going to be putting out a lot for you guys. We just did rookie running backs. Go back and take a look at that episode, fantastic episode, like we talked about. Six of those running backs are in the top 30 in fantasy drafts. We're going to talk receivers today and we're also bringing you quarterbacks and tight ends, as well as new faces and new places. The free agency gets crazy, but today let's get into the rookie wide receivers. Frank, you ready, let's do it baby. All right, let's go. Number one. We're going to talk a little bit about Tedaroa McMillan, t-mac. T-mac, t-mac, that's right, that's what he likes to be called From Arizona, drafted round. One pick eight Big time draft capital here. Man out of the Carolina Panthers ADP right now is 70. He's the wide receiver 34. All right, this guy profiles. He's a big body receiver. I love this. 6'4" 220, runs a 4'5" 40. Frankie, talk to me about TMAC.
Speaker 1:TMAC guys is an absolute stud. So, fun fact for those of you who don't know, during the NFL draft the Rams wanted him so bad they were trying to trade up for the Panthers. Panthers couldn't make it happen, they actually didn't want it. They decided they're going to go TMAC and that is exactly what happened to get Bryce Young, that true number one receiver. So what did TMAC do last year? Let me tell you 84 receptions, 1,300 plus yards and eight receiving touchdowns. And here's what's even crazier man. And for those of you who might not know, the last two seasons in college he had 2,721 receiving yards and paired that with 18 touchdowns and 174 receptions. Dude has been fantastic and was first team All-American, first team All-Big 12, and led to layer on another coat of paint. He set the school record with 3,423 career receiving yards. What does that mean? Dude is a bonafide superstar.
Speaker 1:Now going to the Carolina Panthers. What does that mean? We saw the dumpster fire that the Carolina Panthers were. They went for Xavier Leggett to be determined on how he pans out. They went with Jonathan Mingo a few years back Absolute bust, right, Not even doing anything at this point in time Went to the Dallas Cowboys and I mean we're not even talking about them.
Speaker 1:Dallas just traded for George Pickens, right? So what I'm getting at is the Panthers desperately are in need of a true receiver, one, and with the synergy that Bryce Young and T-Mac already have. Oh, what synergy are you asking about? Oh, I'm glad you asked Bryce Young and T-Mac already have. Oh, what synergy are you asking about? Oh, I'm glad you asked. They were actually working out in the off season together, prior to the draft, Prior to the draft, these guys are already working out.
Speaker 1:So for me, man, seeing how well Bryce Young ended last season, and then you pair that with a guy he's already working out with, and then you pair that with the stature and the size of what Ted McMillan is, and I'll just be honest with you, man, For me personally, personally, I think he's the best receiver in the draft, Even over that of a few other names we'll name. I think that this dude, his one-handed catch ability, his jump ball 50-50, is just out of this world, the best in the draft, and it's not even close. And his long, deep routes and his route running capability, from that perspective, holy shit For somebody who runs a 4.5340, I didn't see it that way. So for me man, this is a monumental draft pick for the Carolina Panthers.
Speaker 2:Yeah, we talk about Tet the Tet offensive. Any of you history buffs out there a little Vietnam war trivia, tet Offensive, you know, Frankie, just real quick, going on a tangent here. I don't know if you've seen Shane Gillis' stand-up special on Netflix, but he talks about all right, if you're in your 30s, 40s and you're a history buff, that's like early-onset Republican, you're going down the road man. Rebuff, that's like early onset republican you're, you're going down the road man. Made me think of that when I said ted offensive here. But but yeah, I mean ted t-mac dude, this guy is a stud man. I mean it's a really good landing spot.
Speaker 2:I know you think carolina panthers and that just has a shit taste in your mouth, like you know, just because it was, it was really really rough. They pulled it together, though I mean they really did start to see some synergy last year. Bryce Young really came around. Man, they just needed talent around him. I mean you look at the Carolina Panthers depth chart at receiver right now, xavier Leguette, you've got Adam Thielen, old man, he's a core White Knight, baby the White Knight. But you saw what he did last year and bald he did Fucking bald out Right. So we know Bryce Young can get him the ball and this guy, tet, can catch everything. So I think he's just going.
Speaker 2:There's no one on this depth chart with Xavier Legat, with Adam Thielen and Jalen Coker. I'm not afraid of any of those guys. This offense will run through Tet McMillan. I'm super excited about it, man. So I'm really excited about drafting him. I think he's a guy that you're going to be able to flex early. I really, really do think that. Um, who are you going to compare tet mcmillan to?
Speaker 1:john, this is easy and this is. This is this might be the easiest one out of all of the receivers for me this year and it's drake london. It is almost like a carbon copy of Drake London, except, dare I say, better. I actually think TMAC is going to be better than Drake London. So what did Drake London do his rookie year? It wasn't that far long ago to where he was drafted Nine points per game on average in half PPR, which equates to about 141 total points for fantasy football Guys.
Speaker 1:I think T-Mac is going to be better than that. And when we're talking flex to get a rookie to where you can get him at ADP 70, receiver 34, because people are going to be terrified right to draft him because of the situation in Carolina and everything, don't be Take a shot, take a shot on this guy deep down the draft board Guys. I think he's going to be averaging right around that 10 points a game mark and be right around the 15 or 156 to 160 fantasy points in total. So for me, man, I love the situation. I think there's synergy there between him and Bryce Young already and, more importantly, we talk about it, man. Actually you've coined this. We've been saying this since season one, so five years ago. Right when talent meets opportunity is where gold lies, and right now Panthers need him to pan out, they need him to work and the talent is off the chart. So for me, man, throw the ball up to McMillan and watch this dude do his work.
Speaker 2:All right. Moving on to number two here, this one's really interesting, frankie. It's extremely interesting. This is a guy that it's difficult to figure out what to do with this guy and hopefully you can give us some advice here, frank. All right, we're talking about Travis Hunter. All right, he was the number two pick overall from Colorado to Jacksonville. Jacksonville traded up to Cleveland to get Travis Hunter. They wanted this guy very badly and they gave a king's ransom to get it. Yeah, right now his ADP is 74, uh, wide receiver 35, currently off the board. All right, he profiles six foot, 188 pounds, 4, 4, 40, dare I dare I say generational type talent guy here, frank, I know we hate using those terms, but it fits.
Speaker 1:It just does talk to us about travis hunter, john, I think you're right and I'm nervous to say that, not because I'm nervous to say you're right, but it fits, it just does. Talk to us about Travis Hunter, john. I think you're right and I'm nervous to say that, not because I'm nervous to say you're right, but I'm nervous to actually coin somebody as generational because it's used too often and those people don't pan out. Generational is Justin Jefferson, right. Generational, in my opinion, is Saquon Barkley. There's very few people that can be coined that, but he could be. And here's why John is, because when you look at his body of work let's just look at it from a receiver perspective, to start, 96 receptions last year, 1,258 receiving yards and 15 touchdowns Fabulous, incredible, right. But here's what's interesting is his athleticism playing two ways. So when we start thinking about okay, how does this work in fantasy? So if you were stack ranking ted, mcmillan or t-mac, I gotta stop saying ted, because his mom like freaked out, right, remember that. Or didn't freak out, but got all sassy. She's that, uh, hawaiian, like whoa, like right, hey, I'm from an italian family, I get it right. Italian. Hawai'm from an Italian family, I get it right. Italian. Hawaiian family is cool, I'm all about it. But right, when you look at what his body of work was and then you look at Travis Hunter's Travis Hunter, I mean he's right there. It's really 1A, 1b in my opinion. But if your fantasy league also has the ability to give points from a defensive back perspective, these two are then flipped right, because then you're double dipping. I mean, if that's even I don't know if I've ever seen such a thing before John outside of maybe taste some hill to where it's like, oh, he's tight end, oh shit, you can put him at quarterback oh, you can do this, right. That's probably the closest thing to what Travis Hunter is. Quarterback oh, you can do this, right, that's probably the closest thing to what Travis Hunter is. And here's why Jaguars came out and said we are absolutely going to be using him on both sides of the ball. And what we've seen this off season has been nothing short of that. I mean, it has been a hundred percent the truth. And so let's talk about what he did. He was dominant on both sides. He was an all-American, not even close Heisman winner, best receiver in college football award, first team big 12 receiver and cornerback.
Speaker 1:And also instead of here's what's so freaking cool and just about the mindset of Travis Hunter. Dude doesn't party, all he cares about is football. That's literally all he cares about, to the point of where, when he was actually on the field, man, if you, if people check me on this, like, literally go back and look at his jersey instead of wearing C for captain, dude wore D for dog, and some people might be like yo, that's ridiculous, that's horny as shit. For me, knowing the mentality, like knowing, like what it takes to be a division one athlete Obviously I didn't play in a power five, but I played division one. Still, that's fucking badass. That is so cool and I'm all. I'm here for it.
Speaker 1:So then again, you're going, he's going to the Jags, and so for me, this is where it becomes even more interesting, because Trevor Lawrence, he's going to be back and he was looking pretty damn solid last year and then he got hurt and it was like falling apart, right. But then there's Brian Thomas Jr. They let go of Gabe Davis, right. There's no more Christian Kirk. So literally, you're walking into a scenario to where it is Brian Thomas Jr On one side, travis Hunter on the other and Brendan strange from a tight end perspective, cause rememberan ingram is no longer there.
Speaker 1:For me, man, if this ends up working, if they can figure it out from a receiver perspective, not overuse him from a defensive standpoint. I don't know, man, this guy, the way he moves is really fluid and the way he gets out of his breaks is Really crisp. So it's a different style of play than that of of TMAC or right of McMillan right, for that went to the Panthers. This dude is like listening to a symphony and it's just beautiful because there's a crescendo point versus I'm throwing the ball 50, 50, jump up and get it and let me mosh your ass, which is what McMillan does.
Speaker 2:So I'm really excited to see what Travis Hunter does for the Jags yeah, I mean you're right, the flow is is the right word in fluid. He's just got that. It is a beautiful route that he runs, yeah, and once he gets the ball in his hands, just he'll stop for a second, do a spin, move or take a step and see what's going on. He's just excellent after the catch as well. But yeah, I mean the guy's an absolute stud and it's in college, fun fact, I mean it, the offense ended up running through him but it was kind of by accident. He wasn't. He wasn't in the receiver meetings. He played DB, so he wasn't in the receiver meetings, you know. I mean they were just kind of he'd look to the sideline and they would tell him which route to run. That's how much raw talent this guy has and how good of a football mind he has. Now that's going to shift a little bit because all the reports are saying he's going to be receiver first with Jacksonville and they may not even work him in that much this year at DB. I mean, defensive back is hard. That's a very difficult position and you see guys fluctuate. Look at Sauce Gardner. Last year Sauce didn't have the sauce. I mean they took away and called him by his real name, which I don't even know what it is. It's a lot of the fans in New York, but I mean, we've seen that from Ramsey from time to time. They just have up and down seasons, so they're going to focus him much more as receiver.
Speaker 2:Now the question comes with fantasy football players. As soon as we got and fell in love with Brian Thomas Jr, then what happens? They draft an absolute stud at receiver. Now how is this going to affect I mean, let's just do a little back and forth how is this going to affect having Brian Thomas Jr on there bringing in a guy like Travis Hunter? How does it affect both of these guys? Because now you've got two stud young receivers. They both can't be top 10, can they?
Speaker 1:No, in my opinion, no Top 10, I just don't see it right, like when you start thinking about Justin Jefferson, ceedee Lamb, jamar Chase, amin Ra, st Brown, so on and so forth, even when you get to the Puka Nakua's of the world shit, we could see Cooper Cupp, who's now on the Seattle Seahawks, make a massive comeback, and that already is six right. And so we're not even talking about some of these other guys that could end up having incredible years. Garrett Wilson, right, what a down year that he had in his down year was still a top 20 year. And so now he has Justin Fields and so on and so forth. The answer to me is no, I don't think they will both be top 10. I don't know if either John hot take I don't know if either will be, because I could see each taking apart away from the other but I do believe both could be top 20, which is a shit ton of value there, guys. And so when you're thinking about drafting both of these guys or one of these guys, you have to take into consideration expectation Brian Thomas Jr. He ended what John Fourth overall from a receiver perspective last year, third or fourth overall, and so can he repeat that it's unlikely, just because of what Travis Hunter brings to the table and what they're going to do in the backfield. Right, they drafted another guy for a running back that they're saying could be a more scat back. You still have Travis Etienne and a brand new offense that they're right with Liam Cohen that they're coming out here and saying that's going to be a Rashad White-esque kind of dude and so then that's going to start taking reception. So it's going to be interesting to see how this offense plays out.
Speaker 1:With that being said, all taken into consideration, I'm still drafting both of them. It's not like they're off my board, and that's what I want to be crystal clear. When we're talking about a top five performance, you have to be in the right situation and the right shit to happen, meeting that particular talent level, and so that's what we saw from Brian Thomas Jr. It was a perfect situation. He was the only guy he dominated from a touchdown share.
Speaker 1:Gabe Davis was dog shit and they cut him, and Christian Kirk was hurt, so it was a perfect situation. Evan Ingram was hurt, so they needed to be able to throw the ball to Brian Thomas With Travis Hunter. Now you have another guy that is just as good, if not better, and so it's going to be very interesting to see how this plays out. Man, I mean I'm definitely looking to draft both. If I end up getting both, I'm going to be fine with it, but I'm not going to be targeting both. If that makes sense, if one falls to me at a certain time, let's do it, but I'm not reaching for any of these dudes because we got to see how this plays out.
Speaker 2:I'm glad you brought up Liam Cohen, because I think people need to understand this. I mean, you want to talk about new faces and new places. He was the OC last year for Tampa Bay. Look what he was able to do with Baker Mayfield and look at that team. And you want to talk about having, you know, two top tier guys. You had Chris Godwin and you had Mike Evans Jr and Travis.
Speaker 2:Hunter it's Dayami Brown and Parker Washington. Not afraid of that, not afraid of that at all. This can very much be a Chris Godwin Mike Evans combo. This could be a Tee Higgins Jamar Chase combo. No one's afraid of those guys. No one's afraid of those guys at all. I mean, those, all four of those guys were all top 20 guys, you know. So I'm not worried about it, man. I think there's enough to go around in this offense to really give both of these guys potentially top 24 finishes. So I'm going after both of them. I'm not worried about the fact that they're both on the same team. The other thing this does this could be a massive breakout year for Trevor Lawrence Huge a massive breakout year it has to be.
Speaker 2:And when we talk about quarterbacks, we get into some mock drafts. We're going to start breaking down every single team and talking about every player. But I am loving Trevor Lawrence more and more. He's got so much versatility with his receivers. Now Travis Hunter can do anything with his receivers. Now Travis Hunter can do anything. I mean, the guy's a screen monster. You give him a little screen and he just takes it. Brian Thomas Jr downfield threat, catches a million touchdowns. It's so damn similar to Chris Godwin and to Mike Evans. It's ridiculous. So I'm not worried about it. I think Liam Cohen is going to be a name I'm going to be talking about a lot this offseason leading up to drafts because I just love his body. Of work has been fantastic and I think he's perfect for this Jacksonville Jaguars team. Okay, frankie, who do you comp Travis Hunter to? Is that possible? What'd you do here?
Speaker 1:You know this was, this was. This was one of the most difficult comps, john, I think, since we've been doing this, that I've ever had, because I mean you could look at his route running and you could see elements of JJ. I mean that's and when you talk about generational it's hard to say that right, like same thing, it was hard to say Julio Jones to that of Brian Thomas, but when you see it, you see it. But then you started looking at, okay, the route running is kind of JJ, but then his catching wasn't as similar to JJ, there wasn't as many 50-50s, there were some John.
Speaker 1:I landed on a guy that is fluid, that is similar size and similar stature, was a previous Heisman Trophy winner as well, coming from the SEC, devonta Smith. And I know people are like man. I don't know if you're giving Travis Hunter enough credit, and I know people are like man. I don't know if you're giving Travis Hunter enough credit, maybe, but people need to realize how good Devonta Smith was, coming out in the SEC Heisman Trophy winner and then going to Philadelphia and it just so happens that Philly ended up having AJ Brown. But guess what, devonta Smith's been a top 24 receiver and so is AJ Brown, we can see a very similar comp in terms of structure of an offensive layout, as what we've seen with Philly right. And so for Devonta Smith man, okay, what'd he do his rookie year? Well, he ended up averaging, in half PPR, 10 points per game. I'll take that all day for a flex at this particular point in time. And then, you have right, that equates to about 155 total points for the year.
Speaker 1:So where do we see Travis Hunter if he is solely a receiver? Right, let's just say you're not. It's impossible to predict. You know people who have a defensive scheme for their fantasy football team and then he's getting double dipping and all that shit. I'm just talking purely receiver. I see it almost identical. I see it being around that 10, 11 points per game, 150 to 170 points for the total season. I find it to be almost exactly on par.
Speaker 1:So, yeah, devonta Smith might not be the sexy name that people are like. Oh yeah, that Travis Hunter, you're not giving him enough credit. He was too overall, okay, fair. But we also need to pay attention to the situation that he's in and then really understand. Okay, what does this look like in reality? Because I'm telling you guys the other thing to really keep in mind. When these cornerbacks in the NFL are coming down and laying the wood and they're running press coverage, it's a hell of a lot different than when you're playing Arizona, arizona state, you know, washington state, things like that in the Pac-12. It just is. There's nothing you can say about it. So I'm level setting expectation with the upside that he could blow this out. He could seriously end up almost 14 points a game, something along those lines. If Trevor Lawrence is firing on cylinders, liam Cohen's got this offense rolling. I'm going to go with 10 points as the floor, which is something I very rarely do, but I just think Travis Hunter's a special talent.
Speaker 2:Well, the Jacksonville Jaguars think so too. They took him two overall. They gave up a King's ransom to get him. That's about as much draft capital as you can possibly have. They also signed him to the highest paid contract non-quarterback contract for a rookie of all time about Travis Hunter and worried about him playing defensive back as well. They paid him as a receiver and that's about a $10 million difference. So you look at their actions, not what he did in college. They're paying this guy to be an elite receiver and that's how he's going to end up performing. So take them and enjoy it. All right, let's move on here to our number three guy. We've got Matthew Golden from Texas. He was drafted in round one. Another first round guy here, picked 23 by the green bay hackers. God, they need a stud receiver here. Man adp a 105. He's the running, I'm sorry. Wide receiver 47 coming off the board profiles 511, 191 pounds of 429, 40 sub 42940, sub 4,340. That's sexy man. Talk to me about the golden boy, matthew Golden.
Speaker 1:Guys, I mean, this dude is an absolute burner. He is exactly what you think of from Xavier Worthy, texas. Isaiah Bond, texas. Matthew Golden, that particular type of player. This is him. Matthew Golden, that particular type of player. This is him, except except he is better at yards after the catch, and that is something to say, knowing how well Xavier Worthy played. Matthew Golden is the real deal, guys, when looking at what he did last year 58 receptions, 987 receiving yards and nine receiving touchdowns right, what does his profile look like? Nine receiving touchdowns right. What does his profile look like? Absolutely explosive 4-2-9-40. That's very, very hard to replicate, right. And on top of it, as I mentioned, yards after catch, monster Golden makes the big play in the big game. When you think of when they played Ohio State, when you think about when they played Arizona State, when you think about when they played these monster freaking games when the game was on the line, they're throwing it to Golden. He is making the big play at the end of the day, something that the Packers desperately need.
Speaker 1:John, we've talked about this. We talked about this at the end of last year. We were hoping DK Metcalf would go there. Maybe DeFonte Adams would make his way back. Right, they need a true receiver one. Because the reality is, jaden Reed's really good, but I don't know if he's a receiver one. He's really hard to judge. And then you have Christian Watson, who's really good, but he's not a receiver one. He's probably receiver two, three at best. And then you have Romeo Dubs, you have Dontavian Wicks. They have all of these good players, but nobody that's a true one. And when you see how well Matthew Golden's footwork is, when you see him on these deep, medium and small routes something that a lot of receivers just can't do, they can't run a full route tree that's something that Matthew Golden can do. And so, again, when you go back to the Packers in the landing spot, there's going to be a shit ton of mouths to feed.
Speaker 1:But probably by the end of camp, one or two of these guys might end up getting traded, right. Romeo Dubs might not be on the team, dontavian Wicks might not be on the team. They might need to get a few other players or draft capital, like the Browns. The Browns could legitimately end up needing one of these receivers, right. The San Francisco 49ers could end up using another receiver. The Rams, so on and so forth, could use another type of receiver to pair with Puka and Devontae Adams, so on and so forth.
Speaker 1:So for me, man, it's going to be really interesting to see how the Packers because right now you have a stable of five, six, very, very good receivers and you just drafted, by the way, the first. I think it's like something like the first receiver in the first round, since before Aaron Rodgers was a Packer. So think about that. That's crazy, man Right. And so I'm really excited to see what happens. I'm definitely on the train with Matthew Golden, I think with Jordan Love and pairing him with Jaden Reed. You cannot double him because Jaden Reed will help and will be there, including the tight ends and things of that nature. So this is going to be a lot of fun to see Matthew Golden in this offense.
Speaker 2:It's a great landing spot. I absolutely love it. And you're right, green Bay's been trying to get that X receiver for quite some time. I mean, they just haven't really had anybody like that really since Devante left, to be perfectly honest. Uh, but I don't. I I'm not a hundred percent convinced that Matthew Golden is that X receiver. I think he's going to be a very good receiver. I just don't think he's going to be that guy necessarily. I'm not convinced of that. It is very muddy in Green Bay. There are a lot of receivers there. Nothing that scares the shit out of me by any means.
Speaker 2:Christian Watson we may not see him this year, by the way. He's hurt. He may not be back at all. So that does open things up a bit. But you're right, with Jaden Reed, romeo Dubs and they've got Dontavian Wicks, they also have Mecole Hardman. And Mecole Hardman who just came on, yeah, yeah, he's going to be running cardio MBS, baby. Yeah, exactly, he's going to be trying to take the safety away from Matthew Golden.
Speaker 2:But I am very excited about the opportunity because I think Jordan Love's a really good quarterback. I love that they got him some more help in a first round draft draft capital, so we know he's going to see the field. He'll be on there and a guy with that kind of speed, I mean it could be just absolutely beautiful, crazy. I'm excited about him. I don't know that he's the answer they're looking for. I don't know, he's not that contested catch guy, that typical big-body X receiver that you're normally seeing, but I do think he's going to be very good and I think we saw what Jaden Reed did basically by himself last year as a slot receiver, you know, and Jaden Reed will stay in the slot most likely as well. But yeah, I love him. Man, who is your comp for him? Who are you going to compare Matthew Golden to John this?
Speaker 1:one was. This one was interesting because the his route tree and things like that. I mean, the person that came to mind was Jackson Smith and Jigba when he was coming out of Ohio State. It was like this dude's a stud. And you saw the same thing with Matthew Golden. And then when you started looking at JSN's rookie year, he averaged seven points a game and half PPR, which equated to about 118, 120 points in total. I actually see Matthew Golden being right around there maybe slightly better right, because you think when JSN came in it was DK Metcalf, tyler Lockett, right, and then you're walking into Jaden Reed you know you have Romeo Dubs, christian Watson if he plays at all this year Dontavian Wicks, mecole Hardman very similar aspect, but I actually see him performing a little bit better. So I got him right around. And same thing with Sleeper right around about nine points per game and half PPR, which equates to about 140 total points for the year. But JSN definitely screamed his player comp.
Speaker 2:And the difference between the two. I love the comp. I think they're very, very similar dudes. You're absolutely right. The difference there. Jsn was buried. Jsn was buried on that depth chart because you had Tyler Lockett and you had DK Metcalf and they both had really good years the year before. So it was tough to get on the field and tough to get a lot of production, much like we saw with Roma Dunze last year. Matthew Golden doesn't have that situation. He can step in on day one being a target leader on this team. He can. That is absolutely possible. So different scenario but a better situation for Matthew Golden. Love it. Great comp though.
Speaker 2:All right, let's move on to the next guy here, number four. We've got another OHIO guy here, buddy Emeka Egbuka. Drafted from the Ohio State University, drafted in round one, hick 19 by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers ADP at 128. He's the wide receiver 53 right now, emeka. He profiles at 6'1" 202 with a 4'4" 540. Frankie, let's try not to make this episode two hours. I know you could talk about him for two hours alone. You could Talk to me about Emeka Igbuka.
Speaker 1:O-H, i-o, that's right, john Guys. Emeka Igbuka, like I mean, is so much to say but I'll condense it. Let's start with what he did last year 81 receptions, over 1,000 yards, 10 touchdowns and, yes, I was talking about TMAC being the best receiver in my eyes. However caveat, little asterisk If Emeka Buka gets a shot to be on the field, actually from an NFL standpoint he could be the best receiver in this class. All said and done, it might take a few years but overall, looking back, he could be the guy. Listen, here's why take a few years, but overall, looking back, he could be the guy. Listen, here's why. He's incredible talent with very good size, but he is a master technician in his route running. I talked about Travis Hunter, john, as a very good route runner. Fluid. Emeka Buka reminds me, from a route running perspective, of Devante Adams. That's how crisp this dude is, does a top tier job tracking the ball, can make contested catches as needed. And here's the big thing. He said Ohio State, dare I say receiver you, receiver, you, yes, you dare Said Ohio State's all-time career reception record with 205. Think about the receivers that have come out of this room, think about the level of talent over the years. Emeka Ibuka is that guy.
Speaker 1:So why is he fourth? Actually, he was lower on this list or should I say higher? We had him originally at six or seven, just based on where he landed at the Bucs and as the offseason started, progressing shit, john. He's blowing up and, dare I say, is arguably 1B to Mike Evans, 1a in terms of Baker Mayfield's number one target right now. And so again, the Buck situation is tough.
Speaker 1:Right, you have Mike Evans, you have Chris Godwin who, yes, will be back. Let's just say four weeks, five weeks. He'll be running full speed, probably about that point in time. So then you got Chris Godwin, you got Jalen McMillan, you got that of Cade Otten, you also have Rashad White, you have Bucky Irving. You have a plethora of people that need the rock in their hands. So that's why he's at four and honestly, we had him a little bit less. But listen, guys, if he gets the opportunity and he actually starts building this relationship with Baker, do not be surprised if this dude significantly outperforms his ADP being that just a reminder of 128 and receiver 53, we could certainly see Emeka break that top 40 receiver mark. And you're sitting there smiling because of where you were able to get him.
Speaker 2:I agree. I mean, yes, he is a little buried. I mean it is very much a JSN situation, you know, getting drafted from Ohio State. You know we saw that before as well, but it's an aging Mike Evans. Mike Evans, you know they're going to be using him in the red zones. Mike evans, you know they're going to be used past.
Speaker 2:I can imagine huff time over the past few years of staying on the field and this is going to play right into uh igbuka's you know advantage. I think he will uh get on the field. Um, he's not going to get as much as we'd like to see him this year. But then look at the situation with JSN. Now he's alone there. Basically he is going to be the number one in Seattle and it took two years to get there. I think it's the same situation for Igbuka, but if we're looking this year, he's absolutely a guy that I'd want to target because I think Baker's going to love him and I think he's going to be able to get on the field enough. And we know that Mike Evans and Godwin will miss some time. There will be weeks that you will be able to start him with confidence and he can win the week for you. So I love it, man, absolutely. Who do you compare Emeka Ibuka to Absolutely? Who do you compare?
Speaker 1:Emeka Ibuka to John this is going to make you so happy. This is going to make you so happy. His player comp is no one other than the sun, god himself.
Speaker 1:Oh yes, aminrah St Brown. So, guys, aminrah and Emeka Ibuka just scream similarity. They just scream same type of player, the route running, the tenacity, the leadership, the just being just the hands, like, meaning like you throw the ball his way. He's catching the ball Like it's just. That is who Amin Ra is. That's who that is 100% of Emeka Buka is.
Speaker 1:And so what did Amin Ra do his rookie year? Well, remember, he is a staple for this podcast, because we remember what we talked about. John, that was your guy that you freaking man kept saying draft him, because it's not going to be first half of the year, it's going to be second half, to where we're going to see him thrive. And that's what happened. Amin Ra, his rookie year, had 12 points per game and half PPR roughly about 184 fantasy points in total.
Speaker 1:Where do we see and where does Sleeper actually have Emeka Buka listed on a point per game basis? Seven points per game, roughly about 108 points in total. Guys, that's because of the situation he's in. Let's just say, mike Evans gets a little banged up. Let's say, chris Godwin gets a little bit banged up. God forbid, I don't want to see it because I really like both those guys a lot, but my Lord, then that just unlocks a Mecca Bucca and that's where we'll see a back half of the year spike. So for me, guys, this is somebody that, if you draft, you stash, this is somebody that you sit on and you wait because something's going to pop towards the end of the year. And I just think that this is so much upside to Emeka Abuka, especially in this offense with Baker. Now we're going to have to see what it looks like without Liam Cohen, but I really am excited to see what Baker can do with Emeka Abuka.
Speaker 2:Well, what happened last year with this Tampa Bay team? Who was one of the biggest waiver wire claims that actually paid out? It was Jalen McMillan Huge. He came out and scored multiple touchdown games. He got people into the playoffs for them, a waiver wire pickup. So if you've seen a guy on this team like Jalen McMillan be able to do that, I'm telling you I think, of all of the rookies that we've got here, I think Emeka Igbuka if this is now the cards have to fall in the right place, but I think he does have the best shot of being this year's Amin Rasim Brown.
Speaker 2:I'll say it Clip this Frankie Send it everywhere.
Speaker 1:Guys, put your comments in.
Speaker 2:Put your comments in. Put your comments in who is going to be this year's Amin Ra St Brown and do you think it's going to be a MechEgg Buka? Let me know. Let me know if I'm crazy. All right, let's move on here. Next guy number five we've got Jaden Higgins out of Iowa State. He was drafted in round two, pick two to the Houston Texans. Adp of 131, wide receiver 55 off the board. This is a big guy. Frank. Houston texans got a 6-4, 2-14, 4-4-7-40. Frank. Before you start, I just have to say they got another nico collins. This guy is identical profile to nico collins. Man, it's crazy. Talk to me about him. What do you think, john?
Speaker 1:you nailed it. That was actually going to be. I don't want flash forward, but that was going to be my player comp and I was just like I can't do that with them being on the same team. But you're exactly right. I mean, this dude is a freak guys when you look at what he did last year, 2024, at Iowa state. He had 87 receptions, 1183 yards receiving and nine touchdowns. So what does that mean? Third team, all-american, second team, all big 12.
Speaker 1:He's incredible ball skills, very solid route running and, my lord, outside of t-mac, I think he's the second best 50 50 ball guy and it's not close. He's heading to houston where they desperately, desperately, man, need number two, a true number two, outside of Nico right, because Tank Dell's hurt. Sure they ended up bringing on Christian Kirk. Sure they ended up drafting Fun fact, actually Higgins' teammate at Iowa State Noel. So for me, man, this is a really, really good situation for Jaden Higgins, which is why he is number five receiver on our board for the rookies.
Speaker 1:And so, again, when you look at Stefan Diggs being out and you look at the situation with CJ Stroud, we saw Stroud take a step back last year. I think that he's going to take a big step forward this year Now that you have more pieces around him. Right, nico Collins was banged up last year. Tank Dell went out, get a guy into and Stefan digs right At one point. I think two out of the three were always hurt, which is crazy to even say so I think now that Nico Collins is healthy you get a young cat like this dude firing all cylinders. I love this dude, especially at ADP 131, receiver 55. Yeah this.
Speaker 2:This is a guy you have to take a chance on. You have to. He will be on the field, man. I mean he's built like Nico Collins. He's going to be opposite of Nico Collins. Christian Kirk will play in the slot, but behind them it's Justin Watson and another rookie. I mean they really this is not a crowded wide receiver room at all. So he's going to get a lot of opportunity, man, and that's fantastic.
Speaker 2:I'd love to see CJ Stroud take a step forward after kind of a slump sophomore year, but that's absolutely possible here. They're going to focus on the run. They brought in Nick Chubb, they've got Joe Mixon, so they're obviously going to be running the ball. They want to establish that. But that just opens things up. People are going to be doubling Nico Collins and you're going to have a rookie by himself who's a big body 50-50 contested catch guy, wide open in the end zone up for the grab. So I love it, man. I mean I think this is a guy I'm going to be drafting, taking flyers on, seeing how things go. But yeah, give me another big body for CJ Stroud to throw to. Let's go, frankie. I compared him to his own teammate.
Speaker 1:But who are you going to compare him to John? This one was tough because this one's a stretch and I'll be the first person to say very few times do I have a comp. That's a stretch, but I think that he can grow into this cat. And it's Devontae Adams. And when you see the route running that Devontae Adams is able to do, when you see the size and the strength of Devontae Adams, I mean, dude, it's hard not to compare him to Jaden Higgins. I mean, when you have a guy that's 6'4", 214, that runs a 4'4", that was an absolute stud for Iowa State.
Speaker 1:Half the people watching couldn't name two other people on Iowa State's team right, on Ohio State or Iowa State's team right. And so, dude, like he was kind of, he was kind of behind the shadow of everyone else and it's just like man, this is a guy that's being slept on, in my opinion. And so for me, man, when we look at Devontae Adams, what he did, his rookie year, five points, five points per game, half PPR, 83 total, right, that was the years of Randall Cobb and Jordy Nelson and like those quintessential, like old school, you know, years with Aaron Rodgers, when they were winning, won a Super Bowl, and things of that nature. So for me, man, looking at what Jaden Higgins has the opportunity to do I think it's around that eight point per game mark I could see him being around 125, 130, 140 points in total for the fantasy season, especially when you pair him with Nico Collins.
Speaker 1:Guys, there is nobody else really there, and so when talent meets, opportunity is when people shine. And again, man, this is an opportunity for CJ Stroud to right the ship. You have two badass backs in, joe Mixon and Nick Chubb that are going to. I mean, you can't, you can't do anything Like, you can't double Nico, you can't stack the box right, you can't do these things now with the personnel that they have. So for me, man, jaden Higgins is somebody that you need to absolutely be keeping an eye on during your drafts.
Speaker 2:All right, moving on. We've got our number six wide receiver rookie here. Trey Harris, out of Ole Miss, drafted in second round, picked 23 in round two to the LA Chargers. Oh man, talk about another team who needs an X receiver very badly. Adp at 136, he's the wide receiver 58. It's a big body guy 6'2" 205, runs a 4'5" 40. Frankie, talk to me about Trey Harris.
Speaker 1:Guys, trey Harris is a very solid receiver when you look at what he did from Ole Miss he's used to playing in big time schools SEC 60 receptions, over a thousand yards receiving and seven touchdowns. Who is Trey Harris though? Good size, decent speed, but he has the ability to really take those slants and mesh routes to the next level. And here's the thing, john, you mentioned it he has X receiver written all over him. This is where the Chargers really fell short.
Speaker 1:Quentin Johnson was an absolute bust his rookie year, but last we kind of saw some redeeming qualities in this Jim Harbaugh offense. But the show, the bell at the ball, was certainly McConkie right, and so now McConkie is going to be in the slot you have maybe Quentin Johnston maybe you got to remember Josh Palmer is no longer there, so it's going to be McConkie and Trey Harris and maybe some Quentin Johnston, and so I think that the situation that he landed in is what makes him so enticing the level of ADP at 136 and receiver 58, you can get him for dirt cheap guys. So these are the types of guys when you're looking at your drafts like I want to take a flyer on an offense that's good, with a quarterback who's excellent and with opportunity. This is that of Trey Harris man.
Speaker 2:This is another team that you know. We talked about Amari and Hampton. This is another team that their priorities and what their actions showed. They want this offense to rock. They vested in a running back and a receiver. Round one running back, round two receiver this is who they have. So I mean this is going to really help Justin Herbert out man. You look at this depth chart. Ladd McConkie he's still going to be the one as far as targets go, but he is going to play out of the slot. Now we've got Quentin Johnson. They brought back Mike Williams, frank.
Speaker 1:That's interesting.
Speaker 2:One-year deal. He's a shell of his former self. I'm not really concerned about it. But I think that they'll start off with Mike Williams and Quinton Johnson kind of rotating, and they'll rotate in Trey Harris. So it may take a little while for him, unless he just absolutely dominates in camp and in preseason, which is absolutely a possibility. But behind him it's Jalen Raker. I mean there's nobody else really there. Yeah, so I'd love the opportunity. Again. They've been trying to get. You know they were looking for that X replacement with. You know, when Mike Williams left and got Quentin Johnston, we'll see he's going to have to beat Quentin Johnston out. I don't think that's that difficult, although he did come back. You're right, he did show signs of life last year. But that's going to be. The big question mark for me is that is he going to get enough time on the field and enough targets? You know down the field as well. But yeah, I like him a lot. Who do you compare him to?
Speaker 1:So, john, this comp, I'm not talking right away, I'm talking what he, who he could develop into, and I and I say that because typically with the comps outside of the last one as well, with Devante Adams and Jaden Higgins, right, I think that's somebody who he can develop into. But this is another one. Typically I usually do, okay, what are they going to look like right out of the gate. But I think Trey Harris can grow into a Michael Thomas-esque kind of player. If you look at Michael Thomas and his development, right, he had a good rookie year, got much better and then had sensational three-year run. That was just incredible, right, I think at one time John correct me if I'm wrong he set the NFL record for most receptions in a year at one point in time. And so for me that could be somebody like that of Trey Harris. Now again, what did Michael Thomas do his rookie year? Well, he had 13 points and a half PPR per game, 209 points overall. I don't see that from being Trey Harris, I just going to shoot you straight. But where I do see Trey Harris is roughly around that seven, eight point a game mark, roughly about 115 to 125 points for the total year, and it's somebody that you're going to need to sit on John to your point. I don't see him coming out right away and being an absolute badass. That's just not what this is. But I definitely see if you're holding onto him.
Speaker 1:Week eight, week nine, week 10, people start getting banged up. Maybe Quentin Johnson starts falling off. Mike, mike Williams might not even be a thing. Justin Herbert's going to need some outlet here. Like I could see this really building up. Right when you take a player in the second round, in the middle of the second round, you expect him to make immediate impact. So in that, in the next year, right? So when they get drafted. So for me, man, I like Trey Harris. I'm going to be honest, he's not one of my favorites, but I definitely think there's upside to him.
Speaker 2:He's in a good offense and a good situation, so it's going to just be up to him to take the take the job you know. All right, moving on here, Number seven, rookie receiver We've got Jack Beck out of TCU, Drafted in round two, pick 26 to the Las Vegas Raiders. Adp of 161, wide receiver 64. Guy profiles at 6'1", 214 pounds, runs a 4'5" 40. Frankie, talk to me about Jack Beck.
Speaker 1:Man, jack Beck. What a hell of a story, guys and like. So I'm going to tell you the stats, stats, and then I'm going to dive in for a sec. Last year 62 receptions, 1034 receiving yards and nine touchdowns. Excellent Dude catched everything that came his way. Excellent hands, very, very strong receiver. He makes big plays like that's. What's so interesting with me about Beck is that when we talk about 50-50 balls, he's absolutely bringing those down. So we're McMillan number one. We were talking about a few others being number two, or specifically should I say Jaden Higgins being number two, and then you look at Jack Beck being probably that number two, b or three for that 50-50 ball. He's excellent.
Speaker 1:Now, here's why I like Jack Beck more than probably most, and it's the intangible things regarding his situation, and here's what I mean. So for those of you who don't know, this kid is more heart and passion than probably anybody in this particular draft class. The reason being is because this past year his brother and him played together in college, played together in high school, things like that. Well, his brother actually passed away due to the terrorist attack that happened in New Orleans on New Year's Day. He was the kid who died and he was. I mean just it was disgusting man, man. And so when you then saw, like what happened to Jack after that, I mean you can fault or you can come back and you can wear that shit on your chest. And now you're doing it for both of you guys and that's what Jack did, man. And so he find he found a way. And so for me, man, when you're looking at a guy, when you're bringing him on board, just from an NFL perspective, I mean just character is top notch situation. I mean it's just crazy what happened with his family and now he has something to fight for. That's a dude that's really interesting from a fantasy football perspective and just in general. So let's look at the situation he's in.
Speaker 1:So you look at the Raiders. Going to the Raiders, very good opportunity here. They have Jacoby Myers, you have Trey Tucker, who's taking the absolute top off the defense, and there's really a need for that number three. You know what I mean? Trey Tucker's got the slot locked up, jacoby's excellent. And you really need another outside threat and it's going to be between Jack Beck or Dante Thornton Jr. So keep that name there.
Speaker 1:Dante Thornton Jr is a guy who's also a rookie, who played for Tennessee, not as well known as Jack Beck is, but he is a 6'6", 4'3" 40 guy and so it depends on what happens with Jack Beck throughout training camp. He either rise to the surface and he is very valuable from a fantasy perspective, or he's going to be in this battle and guys he drops off the board. So this is an interesting dude we can see him like really rise or fall. So you have to be paying attention as to how training camp unfolds and what this often starts to look like. But I'm a big fan Shout out to you man, shout out to the Raiders for drafting a hell of a high character cat and I'm super excited to see him on the field.
Speaker 2:I love that. I love the character aspect. You know, we just see the X's and O's and we see the fantasy draft value and it's hard to see these people as humans.
Speaker 2:So I appreciate you doing that. And we see the fantasy draft value and it's hard to see these people as humans, so I appreciate you doing that. Yeah, I like this guy a lot. Again, it's going to come down to is he going to get enough targets? That's the thing, because this is one of those rare teams where the number one receiver is Brock Bowers, your tight end. So you have to take that into consideration. We're not just talking about being the number two receiver. He's the third target now Maybe fourth? Yeah, maybe Exactly Because you got Trey Tucker and the other rookie there, so he's going to have to work his way into it, but it sounds like from his character and motivation, that there's a guy who can do that.
Speaker 2:But his opportunity is great though. Yeah, temper the expectations on stats for sure, just because we said they've got Ashton Gentry too, so you're going to be running the ball a lot as well. They're going to be running a lot more than they threw before. So, yeah, I like the guy. Keep an eye on him. He could be again a second half star as he establishes himself as that number two target. I think he can jump Jacoby Myers Absolutely Be that 50-50 catch guy in the end zone. I think that could be a serious realm of possibility for him towards the end of the year. But I love it. Who are you comparing Jack Beck to Frankie?
Speaker 1:John, for me it's Cedric Tillman, right from the Browns guys.
Speaker 1:So a little setty over here, right, and it's just because of that three-game stint last year for Cedric Tillman what we saw was very similar to what Jack Beck did over at TCU. So when we look at what Cedric Tillman did his rookie year, he averaged about three points a game, 34 points in total. And where do I see Jack Beck? If he's able to play in somewhat of a capacity, he could be around roughly six points a game, seven points a game, 113 points, 120 points in total, somewhere around that. Because to your point, john, I mean Geno Smith, I mean sure we've seen him throw over 4,000 yards, sure, but the reality is this is going to run through Ashton Gentry, then it's going to go through Brock Bowers, then it's probably going to be Jacoby Myers and then you got Trey Tucker who's absolutely going to blow the top off everything. So it's it's just it's going to be tough to get the level points to where he's super fantasy relevant. But again, he could be a guy that ends up working his way through the depth chart.
Speaker 2:That could be interesting all right, all right, let's move on to our number eight rookie wide receiver here. It's Kyle Williams from Washington State. He was drafted in round three, pick five by the New England Patriots. This is the rookie they want to give Drake May and see if he can make some hay. Adp is 156, wide receiver 63 off the board. He profiles 5'11", 190 pounds and he runs a 4'4" 40. Frankie, tell us about Kyle Williams.
Speaker 1:I think this is one of the most slept-on guys man in all of fantasy. I really do. I kind of don't understand it when you look at him from Washington State. Some of the things that he did 70 receptions, almost 1,200 yards, 14 touchdowns I mean that's incredible. Here's the other thing to know Last year, john, when we talked about Jaden Daniels and I'm not comparing him to Jaden Daniels, what I'm comparing him to is the length of time of play, meaning he's not a guy that's coming out real young, he's a guy that's very tenured.
Speaker 1:He was a fifth-year senior last year for Washington State.
Speaker 1:He did an excellent job separating himself when he was facing man coverage and he absolutely has the big playability.
Speaker 1:I mean, that is really what you're looking for when you take a receiver in the third round and here's the issue or you can see the benefit, whatever way you kind of look at it, but he's going to the Patriots.
Speaker 1:For me, man, when you're looking at the Patriots right, you have now Stefan Diggs that came on board. You have DeMario Douglas right, we're talking about Travion Henderson in the prior episode to where he's going to be getting more receptions, presumptively right, things of that line and it just right I don't know how many miles there's going to be to feed there, but I think Kyle Williams, man and again he's eight on out of the top nine, and there's a reason for that. It's because of the situation that he's in and there's a really good receiver class here, but I wouldn't be surprised if he slipped into the top six dare I say, top five depending on how he performs in camp this year. So, man, I think he's a great third option walking in for this team. I think it gives Drake May just another weapon, but I'm really excited to see how he adopts this offense right and where he actually ends up being for this Patriots team.
Speaker 2:I'm a little more optimistic about his opportunity to be perfectly honest man. I mean, we've seen how many times has the New England Patriots failed with these high draft pick receivers. You know you got Jalen Polk, I'm not afraid of him. Kendrick Bourne, tyquan Thornton Right, yeah, I mean, just all of these guys have failed. They're not it.
Speaker 2:Pop Douglas to Mario Douglas is a slot guy. They've also got Mac Hollins sleeping in there a little bit. But Stefan Diggs is really the biggest competition here. And are you really that concerned about coming off of a major injury Major coming off of a major injury, stefan Diggs, at his age? So I think he's in a much better situation than we think I really really do. With the emergence of Drake May, we've been able to see him play well. I mean, this will help Drake May take a step up as well. I think by adding this guy and if he can be what they think he's going to be and what I think he can be, that's going to make Drake May a guy that you can play in your super flex. We'll save that for another time, but I think that that's going to be true. I like this guy. I think it's worth taking a flyer on him because he can earn his way into being the top targeted guy on the team.
Speaker 1:He really, really can't and john to your point, man, I mean we're assuming stefan diggs is healthy. On top of that, like I mean he could come out, sure, come out, sure, he looks good. But I mean there's a. There's a fairly medium to high degree of of re-injury that could happen based on his injury that happened. And on top of it, I mean isn't he dating Cardi B or something like that? And who the fuck knows what they're doing with the pink substances on boats and all the partying and stuff? I mean shit, stephon Diggs could be, you know, just out of one game and just Mike Vrabel's not putting up with it. So who knows what's?
Speaker 2:going to happen there? Yeah, that's another thing to think about. You know Vrabel and Stephon Diggs. I don't know how well that's going to mix A little bit of sandpaper baby. Yeah, I don't know how well that's going to make, so I do like his opportunity. It looks like he's buried. I don't think he is. I think he can have an opportunity to take a lot of uh of targets in that offense. Who do you compare Kyle Williams to?
Speaker 1:Yeah, this is. This is pretty interesting. I'm comparing him to Rashad Bateman. So a lot of people might not look at that and be like, ooh, that's, that's terrible or that isn't sexy at all. Like, hey, the reality is is that is who he looked like.
Speaker 1:Rashad Bateman was a first-round receiver coming out of Minnesota. Guys Like, whether or not you want to believe it, that is the reality. And with Rashad Bateman we have seen the progression, guys. He just got paid. He just got paid this year. It takes some of these guys a few years to really get the offensive system down, to really get that NFL speed down, to really get the film and things of that nature. It might take three years. But for me, man, I really think it's a good comp. When you look at what Rashad Bateman did his rookie year, it was roughly five points a game, about 82 to 85 total points for fantasy football for the year. Guys, I see Kyle Williams, assuming he's receiver three, walking in pretty damn similar roughly about five points, maybe 85, 90 points for the year, unless something happens. But I think that you know, john, he does remind me quite a bit of Rashad Bateman.
Speaker 2:All right, let's get to the number nine. Last wide receiver on our rookie review. Let's get to the number nine. Last wide receiver on our rookie review Luther Burden, from Mizzou. He was drafted in round two, picked seven in round two so early to the Chicago Bears. Adp of 130, wide receiver 54. This guy profiles at six feet 206 pounds, 4'4", 140. Frankie, talk about a little crowded offense here. We've got Luther Burden. Talk to us about it, man, luther Burden is a Luther problem.
Speaker 1:He is a burden to a lot of people, let me tell you I mean John, from what we're coming out. I mean, if you guys are paying attention to all what's happening in training camp, ben Johnson isn't too happy with his new toy and that of Luther Burden, and it's because, right, this is why he dropped in training camp. Ben Johnson isn't too happy with his new toy and that of Luther Burden, and it's because, right, this is why he dropped in the draft. This is exactly why, guys, he was a first round talent. He was excellent in 2023, especially for Missouri, and he actually had a big dip last year to have six touchdowns, almost 700 yards and 60 plus receptions. Guys, the problem is he's a bit of a freaking head case. Sure, his athleticism is there. Sure, it's incredible. He has incredible ball skills and all of that stuff. The reality is, man, if you are a head case and you do not perform or see the field during the training camp right now, sure, he's a little banged up, and things of that nature. Ben Johnson isn't going to put up with that shit. Look at what he did with Jameson Williams, right, and things like that in Detroit. And so, again, luther Burden, first team, all sec, explosive as they come, you know. But what's interesting is 75% of his catches, john. 75% of his catches were targeted inside of 10 yards. Okay, that's something to keep of note, something that will need to change in the NFL, um, and he'll need to correct off the field issues.
Speaker 1:Then you think and think about the situation. He's in right, you have DJ Moore, you have Roma Dunzey, you have Tyler Scott, you have now a Luther Burden, you have Colston Loveland, you have Cole Komet, you have DeAndre Swift. There are a shit ton of mouths to feed and they've invested a lot of time, effort and energy and draft picks right between Roma dudes like Colston Loveland and now Luther Burden, and they paid DJ Moore. And so for me, man, he's not starting off on a good foot right, he's kind of a problem child. That's why he dropped in the draft, like I mentioned earlier. So for me, this is why he's at nine, john, based on talent alone. He should be top four Based on talent alone. But the situation sucks and I think honestly, man and I could be wrong. I could be putting my foot in my mouth. He's off my board. I'm not taking a shot on Luther Burton this year yeah, it's tough.
Speaker 2:I, I just don't. I don't know how you can. I mean, I think he's going to be a guy that if he does get playing time he'll be a waiver wire guy. But my god, there's just so many mouths to feed on this offense. And Ben Johnson? What did Ben Johnson do? He went out. He got his Sam Laporta sure did. And he went out. He got his Sam Laporta, sure did. And then he went out and he got his JMO. This is his JMO, this is JMO. It was a rocky start for JMO too. Man, it was. It really was. Yeah, so it's interesting. And actually JMO and um, uh, jmo and Luther Burden actually went to the same high school.
Speaker 1:Oh really school.
Speaker 2:Oh really, I didn't know that. Oh, that's cool. Oh yeah, because jamo called up ben johnson he's like you got yourself a dog man, you know like he's a great, great player. But yeah it, you're right, it's going to be difficult when it comes to fantasy and this year in redrafts it's not a guy, it's not a guy I'm really looking at.
Speaker 2:It's gonna take him a little while. Um, it's worse than the roma duncey situation last year, because now they added Colston Loveland, who's a receiving tight end. So, yeah, I agree. Who are you comparing him to?
Speaker 1:John, this one's fun. For those of you who remember, it's the Percy Harvin days with a little smidge of Debo. That's who I'm confident to man he just does. He reminds me of him. He's super fast, super great on his feet, does a good job from a route running perspective and my God is he electric when he gets the ball in his hands. But he's a bit of a nutcase. And so for me, man, looking at what Percy Harvin did his rookie year, he was averaging 10 points a game, 158 points roughly and half PPR for the year.
Speaker 1:Again, luther Burden, sleeper, has him at about eight points a game, john, which equates to about 120-ish points in total. I'm actually going to go with about six. It's five to six points a game, right, just because of the talent around him. There's a lot of mouths to feed. They're expecting a lot out of Roma Dunze, right, because they spent a top 10 pick on him last year and they spent a top 10 pick on Colston Loveland this year. There's a lot of things that they're expecting from some of these guys. So for me, I want to level set expectation and I think he's going to be probably around that six point mark a game, all right.
Speaker 2:All right, that is the wide receiver rookie review. Thank you so much for joining us guys. Please, if you love what we're throwing out here, please subscribe like. Share these episodes, share them with your teammates and your fantasy leagues. I know you're trying to hold all the information to yourself and keep a little gem to yourself. Share it, guys. Get it out there. Hit the notification bell. It'll tell you when we have new episodes coming up. Speaking of which, frankie, what do we have coming up?
Speaker 1:Oh yeah, boy, we got some quarterback and tight end rookie review coming at you guys and then we're going to start prepping you, getting ready for new faces and new places. And, oh my gosh, did you hear that? It was almost a bell rang. It's almost mock draft season, boys. So that means we got mock drafts coming your way. So get ready to tell you different strategies. Are we doing super flex? What do you do in a 14-man league? What do you do if you're pick three in a 12-man league with three receivers? Guys, we're going to be there for you guys every step of the way, showing you different strategies and breaking it down.
Speaker 1:John, before I flip it over to you, I would be remiss. Last year I was so pissed off when I didn't get a chance to shout out Tyrone Tracy as an honorable mention. This year I have to label one more receiver Number 10 here for the Denver Broncos, pat Bryant. Remember the name? Sean Payton is clamoring over him. To be honest with you, I don't know much about him, so I need to do my due diligence. But keep that name there. Do some digging. We could see this guy drop into, maybe, that top eight realm for receivers this year.
Speaker 2:Guys, send us comments. Let us know what type of mock drafts do you want us to do? 12 team, 10 team? You want super flex? Let us know what it is. You want us to try some crazy strategies? We'll do hero RB and zero RB. We'll do some other strategies. Send in the comments, guys. Let us know what you'd like to see. I promise you we'll get it done. May the fantasy gods smile upon you. Bye, we'll see you next time.