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Week 4 is already here — and that means “it’s still early” is starting to lose its expiration date.

On Episode 87 of Rice on the Radio, Ian breaks down everything that stood out from NFL Week 3, starting with a Jets offense that finally showed some real life in Detroit. Geno Smith delivered one of the best Jets quarterback performances Ian has seen in years, Garrett Wilson continues to look like an elite receiver, and rookie tight end Kenyon Sadiq had his breakout moment.

The Giants survived an ugly, weather-soaked win over Tennessee, Buffalo somehow overcame five turnovers against the Chargers, and the 3-0 Raiders continue to look very real after a statement win over New Orleans.

Also on the show:

• Why the Jets’ loss to Detroit felt completely different from Green Bay
• Giants–Titans and the growing NFC East opportunity
• Raiders–Saints as Ian’s Game of the Week
• Quick hits on Jacksonville, New England, Green Bay, Atlanta, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Baltimore and Dallas
• Five Week 4 games to watch
• Why Patriots–Bills could be a fascinating test for Drake Maye
• Chiefs–Raiders as a true measuring-stick game
• Rolling the Dice with Rice moves to 18-6 with one void
• Official Thursday Night Football picks: Steelers/Browns OVER 38.5 and Denzel Boston anytime touchdown

We waited all offseason for football to return, and somehow we’re already nearly a quarter of the way through the season.

At some point, early-season trends stop being noise and start becoming identity.

Follow @RiceOnTheRadio for more NFL talk, weekly picks and Rolling the Dice with Rice.

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Week 2 wasted no time reminding us how dangerous NFL overreactions can be.

Ian breaks down Josh Allen and the Bills looking like a powerhouse again, another frustrating Jets loss to Green Bay, growing concerns with Aaron Glenn and the Jets’ offensive approach, Atlanta hitting the panic button, the surprising 2-0 Raiders, and Patrick Mahomes reminding everyone that Kansas City is still Kansas City.

Then it’s a much bigger conversation around the Giants after Jaxson Dart’s season-changing knee injury. What does losing Dart mean for his development, the Giants’ quarterback evaluation, Jameis Winston, John Harbaugh and the direction of the entire 2026 season?

Plus, quick thoughts on Tyler Shough and the Saints, Cincinnati’s defense, Seattle’s violent start, and four Week 3 games worth watching — Jets-Lions, Titans-Giants, Texans-Colts and Raiders-Saints — with injuries already shaping several of those matchups.

And Rolling the Dice with Rice stays hot after an undefeated Week 2 card, with two Thursday Night Football plays for Falcons-Packers.

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Week 1 of the NFL season is officially in the books, and there’s finally real football to react to.

Ian breaks down the Jets’ road win over Tennessee, the Giants’ physical Sunday night victory over Dallas, Buffalo’s thriller against Houston, Baltimore’s dominant opener, Chicago’s offensive explosion, San Francisco’s statement win over the Rams, and the biggest takeaways from around the league.

Plus, a look at what Week 1 actually means for fantasy football, early reactions to Ashton Jeanty, James Cook and the Bears offense, a few waiver-wire names worth watching, and the first Rolling the Dice with Rice receipts of the season.

One week doesn’t tell us everything — but it finally gave us something real to work with.

In this episode:

• Jets start 1-0 and look… competent?
• Giants establish a John Harbaugh identity immediately
• Josh Allen, DJ Moore and Bills-Texans
• Derrick Henry and Baltimore pick up right where they left off
• Bears-Panthers turns into complete chaos
• 49ers make an early statement
• NFL Week 1 rapid-fire reactions
• Fantasy football Week 1 takeaways
• Rolling the Dice with Rice starts 4-2

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Opening week is here, which means it’s time to put the preseason opinions on tape.

On this episode of Rice on the Radio, Ian goes through his 2026 NFL futures card — not as a list of “locks,” but as a way to talk through what he actually believes about the league heading into Week 1.

Why are the Denver Broncos being undervalued? Can they take the AFC West from Kansas City? Why is Dallas capable of winning 10+ games if Dak Prescott stays healthy? And can the Jets finally reach the incredibly ambitious standard of… competent offense?

Plus:

• NFL win total overs and unders
• All 8 division winner predictions
• Jared Goff, Trevor Lawrence, Bo Nix and other passing props
• Justin Jefferson, Garrett Wilson, Brock Bowers and receiving props
• Kenneth Walker, Saquon Barkley and rushing markets
• Myles Garrett and David Bailey sack predictions
• Joe Burrow for MVP
• Ja’Marr Chase for Offensive Player of the Year
• Rookie and Comeback Player of the Year picks
• And a preseason Denver Broncos vs. Green Bay Packers Super Bowl matchup

Some of these will age beautifully.

Some of them are going to look completely ridiculous by December.

That’s why we put them on tape.

2026 NFL Futures: Win Totals, Player Props, Awards & Super Bowl Picks

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Fantasy Football 202 wraps up with the part that actually matters when you're on the clock: who do you believe in?

Ian plants his flags on Jaylen Waddle, Ashton Jeanty, DJ Moore and Caleb Williams, breaks down some of his favorite draft values, and explains why he's staying away from names like Jayden Daniels, Rashee Rice, Tetairoa McMillan and Jeremiyah Love at their current prices.

Plus: late-round lottery tickets to keep in your queue, why Bo Nix might be one of the best quarterback values in fantasy football, and the one first-round superstar Ian still can't make up his mind about.

No consensus rankings. No pretending every take is safe.

Just the players Ian wants, the players he doesn't, and the receipts to prove it later.

Fantasy Football 202 — Part 4.

Topics include:
• 2026 fantasy football draft targets
• Fantasy football values and sleepers
• Players to fade at ADP
• Late-round draft sleepers
• Jaylen Waddle, Ashton Jeanty, DJ Moore & Caleb Williams
• Jayden Daniels, Rashee Rice, Tetairoa McMillan & Jeremiyah Love
• Christian McCaffrey's first-round value

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Everybody has a fantasy football draft plan until the draft actually starts.

Then your guy gets taken one pick before you. A positional run wipes out a tier. Keeper inflation makes normal ADP useless. An auction room loses its mind. And suddenly the draft you prepared for looks nothing like the one happening in front of you.

In Part 3 of Fantasy Football 202, Ian gets into the advanced draft-room concepts that help you adjust when that happens.

This episode covers Value Based Drafting, Jeff Ratcliffe’s Boomerang RB strategy, keeper value and keeper inflation, auction budgets and nomination tactics, Stars-and-Scrubs versus balanced roster construction, stacking and correlated scoring, and how to exploit the tendencies of the people in your actual league.

Because consensus rankings are built for an average draft room.

Your draft room is not average.

The goal isn’t to perfectly predict what happens. It’s to prepare well enough that when the draft gets weird, you can make the next good decision.

Preparation doesn’t give you a script.

Preparation gives you options.

Fantasy Football 2026 Draft Strategy: Keepers, Auction Drafts, Stacking & Value — Episode 82 of Rice on the Radio.

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Fantasy Football 202 continues with my complete 2026 positional tier rankings.

In Episode 81, I break down my RB, WR, QB and TE tiers, where I think the biggest draft drop-offs happen, and how those cliffs should influence the way you build your roster.

We get into:

• Bijan Robinson vs. Jahmyr Gibbs at the top of the RB board
• Christian McCaffrey’s upside vs. workload and injury risk
• Ashton Jeanty, Chase Brown, Breece Hall and the point where I want my RB1
• Ja’Marr Chase, Puka Nacua, JSN, Amon-Ra St. Brown, CeeDee Lamb and Justin Jefferson
• Why DJ Moore moved up my rankings during research
• Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson, Joe Burrow and my aggressive Drake Maye ranking
• Why quarterback depth makes waiting so appealing in 2026
• Brock Bowers vs. Trey McBride
• The next wave of tight ends, including Colston Loveland, Tucker Kraft and Tyler Warren
• Why kicker and defense still matter — without overthinking them

These are my rankings, not gospel.

The goal is to understand where the tiers break, know where you’re comfortable waiting, and recognize when the board is telling you it’s time to act.

Fantasy football is forecasting. You’re going to get some picks wrong.

The goal is to make better bets than the people drafting around you.

Episode 81 — 2026 Fantasy Football Rankings: RB, WR, QB & TE Tiers | Fantasy Football 202

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Fantasy football draft season is here, but this isn’t Fantasy Football 101. You already know how to draft a team. This is Fantasy Football 202 — how to actually think when you’re on the clock.

Ian breaks down his 2026 fantasy football draft philosophy into three parts: do your homework, read the room, and build your team. That means using mock drafts as preparation instead of prediction, treating ADP as a guide rather than a rule, understanding player tiers, reacting to positional runs, reading the rosters around you, and knowing when it’s worth reaching to get your guy.

Plus: keeper-league preparation, using Vegas futures as another data point, balancing early-round stability with late-round upside, roster depth and why almost every “do not draft” player eventually becomes interesting at the right price.

Fantasy football is forecasting. You’re going to get picks wrong. The goal is to do enough homework that when you’re on the clock, you know why you’re making the pick.

Do your homework. Read the room. Build your team. And don’t be afraid to die on your hill with your guys.

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Football is actually back.

Episode 79 of Rice on the Radio goes around the NFL as training camp turns into real football: Minnesota’s growing quarterback problem with Kyler Murray and J.J. McCarthy, Tua Tagovailoa and Michael Penix Jr. fighting very different battles in Atlanta, Aaron Donald’s possible return, the Commanders trying to protect Jayden Daniels, running backs getting paid again, and the 49ers pushing an aging championship window.

Then it’s back home to New York. Ian gets into Aaron Glenn’s second season, Geno Smith and the Jets’ new rookie weapons, John Harbaugh restoring the Giants’ identity, Jaxson Dart’s make-or-break Year 2, Malik Nabers, Isaiah Likely, Cam Skattebo, Tyrone Tracy and the Caleb Downs what-if.

And before we get out, there’s a little fantasy football appetizer: Parker Washington, Jonathon Brooks, Tucker Kraft, the rookie WR class, rising ADPs, Bhayshul Tuten, Blake Corum and why this might be the year to wait on quarterback.

54 minutes of football. The season is here.

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NFL training camp is underway, and the offseason storylines are finally starting to become real.

Ian Rice gets listeners caught up around the league, including Aaron Donald’s possible return alongside Myles Garrett, the San Francisco 49ers going back into win-now mode, Brandon Aiyuk’s uncertain future, George Kittle’s Achilles recovery, Vita Vea’s trade request and the injuries already changing teams’ plans before the season begins.

Then the episode turns to New York.

Why is there still reason to believe in Aaron Glenn? Can Geno Smith and Frank Reich bring competence and stability to the Jets offense? How much can an improved offensive line unlock Garrett Wilson and Breece Hall?

For the Giants, Ian breaks down the standard John Harbaugh should establish immediately, what a successful second season looks like for Jaxson Dart, why patience is essential with Malik Nabers and how trade speculation raises the pressure on Kayvon Thibodeaux.

The Jets and Giants are at different stages, but the question is the same:

Do either of these teams finally know what they’re doing?

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