Marvin Harrison Jr. is gonna be a top 24 guy.

Yeah.

I, I, I think there is really a part of it where we even should be looking at quarterback upgrade.

I, I, I kn- I know it's a simple idea, but I know Jacoby Brissett is a veteran and he, he's been around the league for a very long time, and he, we, we even give him credit for being able to get the ball to, to primary playmakers and, and make the offense work.

But we, I, I, I feel pretty confident in saying C.J. Stroud is an elevation from either Kyler Murray or Jacoby Brissett.

And you do have to look at the total number of targets that, that go in other places.

So in Arizona there was Michael Wilson, there was also Trey McBride, and, a- and then you have Marvin Harrison Jr.

Um, let's talk about a few What do you think about more dark, dark horses or long shots or guys that aren't close to the top in f- in, uh, their production right now?

Who's your number two.

Number two for me was Tyler Shuck.

And for, for me, that one was still 90%.

So I was still pretty confident.

The, the reason I think this could fail is if we see like injuries start to derail the situation.

If we see a changing coaching staff, which all of the, it's really interesting because, after the loss to the Falcons this week, I just wasn't in tune enough with how deep that rivalry was between the Saints and the Falcons.

And hearing more people talk about it, the fact that Kellen Morris now went 0-3 against the Falcons, this could be a real situation where...

Go ahead.

So Tim, where would you like to start here as we finish our recording session with a flourish and on the positive side?

I want to start by giving us a pat on the back.

I want to start in my happy place where I could talk about us for a minute.

And you and I had a conversation not long ago about our admiration for Brock Purdy.

We said he was young, attached to a very good play caller, even though you could say the offensive infrastructure around him was rickety.

would probably be a good, good term.

Um, it was still very good and you could make it work.

It was perfect for five seconds.

So that is a rough one to start 2026 here for O'Marion Hampton.

I knew one of us were going to mention the chargers.

So I, I purposefully left them off my, my list of ones that I picked because you could honestly close your eyes and, and throw a ball.

And even if you're really bad at throwing a ball, you would still manage to hit something that is going wrong.

Yeah.

The, the interior of the offensive line is a wreck.

Justin Herbert doesn't look comfortable.

I've traded them three times in the past seven or 10 days and happy with all those deals because all of a sudden, I don't think the talent is greater than the tolerance at this point.

Your first, uh, first of the worst fantasy offenses.

Yeah, that it was one that I thought about.

I thought it'd be a little too easy to mention them.

Um, but I'm, I am going to go with just a little bit of, uh, A little bit of projection on what we're going to see in the near future.

And then also based off of what we have, the one in partial game we've already seen.

And that's the New York Giants.

You and I, unfortunately, had so much skepticism coming into the year.

Worst offenses for the rest of the season.

Uh, another offense, best, one of the ones that you want to invest in and you're bullish on for this season.

Yeah.

Ne- next one I'll go to is, and, and just to be, just out of transparency, Pa- uh, the Kansas City Chiefs was one of the ones I, I initially did just look into and was, was really excited about.

Um- I, I, I think the return of Joe Burrow has to be just one we pay attention to and what that looks like as, as he's healthy now.

He has plenty of, uh, he has all of his weapons, uh, there.

He's had 73 drop- drop backs so far, and he's right around 70% completions, three touchdowns, one interception.

It's all great, but it looks good.

Uh, do you have a last one or was it the Kansas City Chiefs?

The stink is going to be on this team and not a lot of people talking about it right now.

I think I'm going to lean into the New England Patriots as far as my possible suck-a-tude offense of the season.

I think that that's probably not where a lot of people will lean going into this year with potential development on the offensive line.

The addition of Romeo Dobbs, the addition of A.J. Brown, maybe Drake May... taking another step forward, if that's even possible.

But my real concerns lie in, I think the offensive line was exposed even more than it had been throughout the regular season during the playoffs.

And obviously that is when you are playing a lot more elite defenses and and top top tier really contenders and i i feel like during the playoffs is usually when you see a lot more elite pass rush units and stuff like that um i don't think the same level of performance we should expect from drake may uh in 2026 that we saw in 2025 uh and i'm not just hand-wringing about the defensive uh the defensive matchups that they had in 2025, although that should be part of the argument.

I'm just saying overall, he was peak efficiency.

So what's going to be your first bold one here at

tight end? Might as well just put it all out there with the first one, right? And I don't think it's going to be any surprise to people who have...

who have listened to us talk for a while that I'm a big Colston Loveland fan.

And I'm going all the way with it.

I think he ends the season as tight end one.

It is not going to be Brock Bowers, Trey McBride, and then Colston Loveland.

It is going to be Colston Loveland at the top of that list.

So again, the way we're pitching this is almost Trey McBride could finish a tight end four or five with the, with the way we're kind of mentioning it.

Orlay, if you will

... to kick off, if you will.

[laughs] Um, I'm, I'm going to say that two teams that have quarterbacks that were number one overall picks are looking to move on from those quarterbacks by the end of 2026, and those two teams are the Titans with Cam Ward and, uh, Bryce Young with the, with the Panthers.

Uh, what I have seen from Cam Ward this pre...

And I'm not saying Cam Ward couldn't be a reclamation produ- project down the road.

What I've seen from the Titans this preseason has been abysmal.

I, I, I don't kn- Brian Table [laughs] is not constructing an offense that I would have any type of faith in.

That just shows the fragility of Shuck in this case.

So Tim, where would you like to begin our discussion about tight end, to give them their due before the season?

I'm gonna cheat for my first one.

I, I thought it was appropriate that, uh, I get the cheater out of the way first, and it's Tucker Kraft.

And I, I think the, the praise that I've had for...

In my mind, I, I really didn't put together that Tucker Kraft had, um, I don't wanna say not big, a big season last year, but, like, his impact the weeks he was playing felt huge.

If you do go back, I mean, he played nine weeks.

Out of those nine weeks, uh, I think seven were, were 10-plus point games in, in PPR.

Different packages and-

Yep.

George Kittle, i- it's, i- it's, we're, we're just seeing when, when he's able to return, what that looks like.

Christian McCaffrey, God bless Christian McCaffrey [laughs] because he, he's probably in line for another 300 plus touches this season.

But the idea of Deebo Samuel coming back at th- at this point, we're reunited with Kyle Shanahan, back in familiar settings.

Uh, first days out at camp he's already, uh, he's already getting...

Uh, obviously he's one of the only players left [laughs] that's still healthy enough on the field.

But I think it's just really important.

So I just think that there's a lot on the line on how he comes out of the gate, is he healthy? And then honestly, like, how is Ja- uh, Jameis Winston when he gets in there? I'm saying it like it's a sure thing, but I mean, Jaxson Dart, is he gonna be dragged up? He's already going very highly, highly or, uh, more highly than, uh, than Patrick Mahomes in dynasty, and I just wonder how, uh, he's gonna maybe affect a spike in terms of Jaxson Dart early in the season if he has his prototypical weapon here.

What are you gonna be watching mostly, uh, in the month of August here with the Eagles?

Yeah, my...

I'm, I'm watching if this is, if this is it for Jalen Hurts.

I, I, I, I, I know that's, uh, [laughs] I know that's a very hyperbolic statement.

I am well aware of, of kind of how grandiose that may come across, but I'm at a point right now where, uh, A.J. Brown's off the roster.

They have a rookie offensive coordinator in Sean Mannion, who's supposed to, uh, supposed to be really turning this offense on the head.

They got rid of their longtime offensive line coach.

It's kinda like Burrow, right? Yeah

So, uh, what kinda stands out for you here in the big, uh, big watch and the big storyline?

Uh, so I, I do think it's interesting, uh, the, and I'll actually contain it to the first, first six games of the season.

Do we see Patrick Mahomes coming back, and what does this offense look like? Because we, we are s- we are hearing reports that it looks like he should, he should be ready to go, but they, they made a significant investment in Justin Fields thinking that maybe he's not ready.

Maybe they need a plan B. May- you, you don't spend that type of, you don't spend the draft capital or the, uh, a team that is It does have cap, a cap situation where they're paying a h- a very expensive quarterback, even if you're pushing the money off.

You do have resources there and you don't just sit back and say, "We're comfortable with that," with the type of injury he's dealt with because obviously you're looking, even though you hope 2026 is a Super Bowl year, you don't wanna ruin any type of future projections you have for that Super Bowl.

So I think my storyline is just what does Patrick Mahomes look like if, if anything early on in the season? Does that, uh, uh, as far as spinning it for Dynasty fantasy football, does that create a buy window? Because I can easy- If he is out there and we start to see maybe Patrick Mahomes struggles, it takes him a little bit of time to get his, his feet underneath him, uh, w- does that create a buying opportunity, especially if people start to say, "Oh, he's a little bit older, he's dealing, he's now dealing with a significant injury.

Who knows if he's ever gonna get back?" I can just see those type of articles and storylines and headliners, clickbait, people starting to really run away with and, uh, just an opportunity for everyone else to kind of buy low.

Um, but what do you think the big, uh, battle and watch point is this off-season?

But whether it's how important is this? Can you neutralize it if it's a weakness? And what are some things that are unavoidable when you talk about the toolbox of skills that you need to manage successfully a dynasty roster? Uh, where would you like to start, Tim?

Yeah, I, I, I do think a lot of, uh, just to preface kind of where I'm at, a lot of these are evergreen in, in kind of where, uh, where we like to go with it.

Uh, some are more rebuilding, some are more, uh, more competitive.

And, um, actually, the very first, uh, first thing I wanna put out there is, as far as the skill set goes, make sure you're aware of where you're at.

Um, [chuckles] and, a-and don't try to tell yourself a bunch of false narratives as, as you start the season, especially if it's a league you, you've, you've been in for a few years and you're, and you're sitting back and you're able to take a good look at the entire league and your roster specifically and say, "This is where I'm at." Just have a, have a...

Sit down and have a very honest conversation with yourself and say, "This is where my team's at.

These are, these are essential checkpoints that I need to do, whether I'm competitive, not competitive, uh, and where I wanna be, um, moving throughout the season." And give yourself some realistic target goals, because if you start the season lying to yourself, if you just have the pretty roster with a whole bunch of rookies and you're not really...

So I think all of that is, I just wanted to have one data one in here, that I, I think that is the closest thing to an essential dynasty owner skill, is recognizing what is stable or what is more sustainable than other traits with, uh, with, uh, players in general.

What do you think is their big storyline or camp battle?

battle?I, I think their, their big storyline for, uh, the Patriots' big storyline going into this year is, I, I, h- honestly, I was looking at this team, I'm like, "There's four or five that I could reasonably go with," uh, just because they're such an interesting team with A.J. Brown coming on board, investment also in Romeo Doubs.

Just, uh, the backfield you could also say is really interesting with Rhamaje Stevenson and, uh, Trayvion Henderson.

But I, I'm really into the what i- what is Drake Mayes year three look like? Because e- everyone wants to, so there's the 2025 was a down overall schedule for the Patriots, and now they're definitely jumping up and, and what that could look like going into 2026.

There is where does Drake Maye go from here? Obviously, there is, there is an improvement of weapons, but he was pretty efficient and, and e- I mean, it's an MVP type of season that he had.

What does that look like moving forward i- and can, is that really sustainable for him? Because you're also not catching the, catching the NFL by surprise this time around, either.

You, [laughs] people have some extra tape on you.

... nuance to that statement?

So battle, camp battle or the storyline you're monitoring in camp.

Yeah, I, uh, the storyline I'm monitoring is, uh, Rashod Bateman, and, and they just gave him the, a b- a significant con- contract extension last year, and it was a bunch of where, where are you? [laughs] Where are you? He, he, he was on the, the milk carton for not showing up, and I would love to see that really step forward in 2026.

I, I remember when he was drafted.

Everyone had these grandiose ideas of him and Lamar Jackson and, and possibly a wide receiver one type of, type of, uh, position for him.

That, that, that ship has sailed.

It's out the window, but can he prove to be a consistent factor at all? Can he prove to bring, uh, to the table a little bit of size and down-field ability that Zay Flowers can't bring? So just him in the development or are they starting to look somewhere else? Because they did bring in a couple of bodies with, uh, Jakobi Lane, Elijah Surratt, so there's a couple of other bodies that are just on the roster now that could take reps away from Rashod Bateman.

So it's just how that works out in that, uh, second wide receiver position against Zay Flowers.

But Tim, uh, what do you think is gonna be the biggest storyline or positional battle for the upcoming weeks?

He's lived a lifetime

...

it has a [laughs] it has a, uh, 12 point, almost 1,300-yard season in his back pocket already.

Uh, and that was as a, as a 22-year-old.

I- I'm still there.

I'm still investing.

I'm still acquiring where possible.

Um, and just in general, it's gonna be a critical and interesting season for Jonathan Brooks to stay healthy, but also one to eventually become that Carolina starter.

So what do you think about the Boston pick doubling up here, an outside guy, Concepcion more of an inside guy slash let's get him in motion, uh, let, you know, uh, almost a Zay Flowers type if we're thinking of, like, how does that play in the NFL? How does that look success, success-wise? Um, and it's gotta be a damning statement on the wide receivers they have that they picked two in the top 40.

I do think this offense was just lacking size overall at the pass catching position, and really being able to operate in different areas of the field and kind of different dimensions of the passing offense.

Uh, especially when you look at the, kind of the aggregate of Jerry Jeudy, Casey Concepcion, and Harold Fannin, there, there's not really a big, uh, big box out type of player of the group, and then David Njoku's no longer on the roster.

So you, uh, in my opinion, I was already looking at it like, "I, I hope there's size coming.

I, I hope there's [laughs] some type of beef that, that we can add at some point of this draft." And to double up, uh, I'm, I again wasn't the big- biggest Denzel Boston fan, but when you do put him into the situation that he's in with, with this group of wide receivers and pass catchers overall, I think it's perfect because you're, you're going to ask him to win in areas that he's already comfortable winning above the rim and being a big wide receiver, and not really asking him to do things that he's probably not comfortable with because there are other players in Concepcion, Fannin, and, and other, and maybe even Jeudy unless he's not with the team, uh, fast-forwarding a couple of monthsSo that, that's just a really interesting parallel that I think he is a really quality puzzle piece that just fits into the offense and what they needed.

Uh, this seems like, "I'm gonna take a ball of clay and see how this turns out."

This is one of the most interesting picks of the draft [laughs] in, just in my opinion, because he is l- he is a ball of clay.

Uh, in terms of just being a professional quarterback, he has a long way to go.

There might be three or four of those games, but, when they trust Coleman that three guys are seeing at least 20 plus percent of of the snaps and that's problematic but I also say we don't really trust Dobbins I don't know if they trust Harvey to be the guy and I think they're gonna be happy with the high floor stuff out of Coleman so once we get an injury once we get things moving and shaken by mid-season I think we will get more clarity but at the beginning it's gonna be frustrating and I think everyone agrees Denver a pretty exciting offense when they add Jalen Waddell and Justin Jolly and now Jonah Coleman I think to an offense that was already humming with a lot of options.

I'll just add Julian McLaughlin is no slouch either.

He he's definitely had a few quiet moments.

So you could argue that they go for, for deep, pretty, pretty easily there.

And it's, it is just a really intriguing backfield for, for me, the next one I'll go to the Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver specifically.

And I'm, I'm just at a point now.

I, I, I think we all know Brock Bowers is there.

But you kind of feel like there could be a top 45, top 50 option for a stretch of the season and all of a sudden have tangible flip values.