The Athletic Fantasy Football Podcast

Michael Beller, Jake Ciely and Brandon Funston have just four more opportunities to get into your ears before Week 1 arrives. What better way to use those opportunities than by breaking down all eight divisions from a fantasy perspective? They kick that off on this episode of The Athletic Fantasy Football Podcast, taking deep dives into the AFC East and NFC West. Does Cam Newton still got it? How much fun is Arizona's offense? Is Le'Veon Bell a sneaky bargain? Who's the better fantasy receiver in Seattle? The guys answer all those questions, and a whole lot more.

Rundown
2:02 Is the AFC East the Worst Division in Football?
5:08 The Devin Singletary/Zack Moss Pairing
9:07 What Does a Step Forward for Josh Allen Look Like?
12:04 Can Cam Newton Still Be a QB1?
15:42 Buying Damien Harris?
19:01 Ryan Fitzpatrick and Tua Tagovailoa
21:21 Jordan Howard and Matt Breida
24:30 The Tricky Case of Le'Veon Bell
28:29 Any Belief in Breshad Perriman or Denzel Mims?
29:59 AFC East Lightning Round!
33:51 Hello, NFC West
35:12 Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk
40:03 Raheem Mostert and Shanahanigans
44:05 Will the Seahawks Let Russ Cook?
49:38 Tyler Lockett vs. D.K. Metcalf
52:21 The Door is Open for Cam Akers
56:36 Is Jared Goff Quietly Undervalued?
60:02 Is Kenyan Drake a Top-15 Pick?
63:45 Any Concern with DeAndre Hopkins Joining a New Team?
65:36 No Margin for Error with Kyler Murray
69:18 NFC West Lightning Round

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Nando Di Fino and Eric Moody choose their own adventure in the early rounds of a draft filled with several unusual twists and turns. Enjoy!

Follow Nando on Twitter: @nandodifino
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An ever-deepening wide receiver pool is a fact of life in the fantasy football world. With winning options at every price point, there is no shortage of ways to successfully attack the position. Michael Beller, Jake Ciely and Brandon Funston take a wide-ranging look at wide receiver on this episode of The Athletic Fantasy Football Podcast.

Rundown
2:08 Wide Receiver is Deeeeeeeep
6:57 Any Scenario Where You'd Go WR-WR to Start a Draft?
10:59 How Does WR Depth Influence Overall Team-Building Strategy?
14:34 Quick RB Aside: When Did D'Andre Swift's Stock Start Exploding?
18:08 I Like This Receiver, But...
24:21 Stacking Tampa Bay or Atlanta Receivers
32:00 Properly Valued Receivers We're Targeting Aggressively
36:33 An Extended Conversation on Tyler Lockett
41:38 Draft Him, Not Him
42:26 Tyreek Hill/Marquise Brown
43:32 Amari Cooper/Many Receivers (Jake, Obviously)
45:51 Robert Woods/Tyler Boyd
48:07 John Brown/Mike Williams, with an Extended Conversation on Mike Williams
50:59 Breaking News on Miles Sanders

Follow Beller on Twitter: @MBeller
Follow Jake on Twitter: @allinkid
Follow Brandon on Twitter: @BrandonFunston

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Nando and Emory discuss the Chiefs’ backfield — Can Clyde Edwards-Helaire be a bust? — the Jets’ wide receivers, Austin Ekeler’s expected usage, and more.

Rundown
6:03 Fitting Into Anthony Lynn’s System
8:49 Elijah McGuire: Deep Sleeper in KC?
12:00 Can Clyde Edwards-Helaire Be a Bust?
17:08 What Are You Looking For Without Preseason Games?
21:48 Tajae Sharpe’s Opportunity in Minnesota
26:06 Sorting Out the Jets’ Wide Receivers
39:39 Can Bryce Love Be a Viable NFL Starting Running Back?
44:17 Will Austin Ekeler Continue to Get Goal-Line Carries?
48:34 Julio Jones vs. Chris Godwin as a Keeper

Follow Nando on Twitter: @nandodifino
Follow Emory on Twitter: @FBallGamePlan

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Beller, Jake and Brandon wrap up their run through overvalued and undervalued players at every position with a look at tight ends on this episode of The Athletic Fantasy Football Podcast. Jake still hates Jared Cook. Brandon makes the argument against Tyler Higbee. Is Beller an idiot when it comes to Austin Hooper? Should fantasy owners just pass on the back end of the projected TE1 class in general? The guys get into all those questions, offer up some of their favorite values, and get into the weeds with deep targets.

Rundown
3:42 The Greatest Fantasy Football Rivalry: Jake vs. Jared Cook
7:15 The Tyler Higbee Discussion
12:13 Why Beller is Avoiding Evan Engram
15:02 Expectations for Rob Gronkowski's Return
21:08 Jake and Beller Differ on Austin Hooper
25:44 Brandon Makes the Case for Jonnu Smith and Stumbles into a Sidebet with Jake
30:40 Jake's Triple H Tight End Trio: Hooper, Hurst and Hockenson
34:54 Mike Gesicki on the Rise
37:33 Recency Bias and Chris Herndon
40:49 The Best-Case Scenario for Will Dissly
44:20 Ian Thomas Takes Over in Carolina
46:53 Can Jace Sternberger Make Tight End Matter in Green Bay?

Follow Beller on Twitter: @MBeller
Follow Jake on Twitter: @allinkid
Follow Brandon on Twitter: @BrandonFunston

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Nando and Eric discuss the ‘Zero WR’ or ‘Robust RB’ strategy, Stefon Diggs’ value in Buffalo, the possibility of an A.J. Green bounce back, and more.

Rundown
4:30 Dissecting ‘Zero WR’ (Robust RB) As a Strategy
13:22 Dede Westbrook: Post-Hype Sleeper?
16:02 The Case for Stefon Diggs
19:55 Buying Growth From Josh Allen?
26:45 Is This a ‘Prove It’ Year for OBJ?
31:47 Optimal RB Roster Foundations for ‘Zero WR’
38:27 Value WR Target: A.J. Green
42:29 A Five Running Back Base?
46:40 Curtis Samuel & Mohamed Sanu

Follow Nando on Twitter: @nandodifino
Follow Eric on Twitter: @EricNMoody

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The wide receiver position is as deep as ever, but some of the same issues that plague drafters year after year still pervade the position. Namely, the fantasy community is too high on some guys, and too low on others. Michael Beller, Jake Ciely and Brandon Funston dive into both groups, and don't necessarily agree on every single receiver, on this episode of The Athletic Fantasy Football Podcast.

Rundown
1:51 Overvalued and Undervalued Receivers
3:17 Amari Cooper Kicks off Our Discussion on Overvalued WRs
7:21 Is Cooper Kupp Going Too Early?
13:45 Jake and Brandon Think Beller is Crazy, re: Courtland Sutton
18:07 Josh Allen's Effect on Stefon Diggs
20:50 Deebo Samuel's Foot Injury Complicates His Draft Status
22:27 Why is Will Fuller Being Drafted Ahead of Brandin Cooks?
29:53 Is Juju Smith-Schuster the Most Clearly Undervalued WR?
33:48 Where's the Love for D.J. Chark?
37:00 Henry Ruggs and the (Seemingly) Obvious Value in No. 1 WRs
43:22 Robert Woods and Positive TD Regression
44:39 The Perennially Undervalued Jarvis Landry
45:50 Buying Miami's Offense
47:47 Trusting Aaron Rodgers and, By Extension, Allen Lazard

Follow Beller on Twitter: @MBeller
Follow Jake on Twitter: @allinkid
Follow Brandon on Twitter: @BrandonFunston

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Nando and Emory discuss the possibility of Mecole Hardman becoming more than a deep threat in the Chiefs’ offense, big changes taking place in Miami, the impact of the pandemic on the 2021 draft class, and more.

Rundown
6:42 Mecole Hardman: More Than a Deep Threat?
11:09 Chase Edmonds: A Nando Guy & An Emory Guy
20:15 Jordan Howard and Analysts & Fanalysts
24:47 Is Pass-Catching a Learned Skill for Running Backs?
31:49 How Much Will Tua Play in Year 1?
37:03 Intrigued by Jason Garrett with Giants’ Offense?
40:41 Will There Be Harmony in Saints’ Locker Room?
46:52 Impact of Pandemic on 2020 & 2021 Draft Classes
56:55 Nyheim Hines’ Role in the Colts’ Backfield

Follow Nando on Twitter: @nandodifino
Follow Emory on Twitter: @FBallGamePlan

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We're approaching the beginning of the heart of draft season, and we've covered snake draft and auction strategy on The Athletic Fantasy Football Podcast. On this episode, we add SuperFlex league strategy to our plate. Michael Beller and Jake Ciely get into the intricacies of SuperFlex drafts, namely how your approach at the quarterback position must change. The guys also discuss Washington's backfield after the release of Derrius Guice.

FLEX Leagues SuperFlex One Draft Board

FLEX Leagues SuperFlex Deux Draft Board

Rundown
1:07 Revisiting Washington's Backfield Without Derrius Guice
3:18 Some Love for Bryce
4:29 Putting a Draft-Day Price Tag on Adrian Peterson, Antonio Gibson and Love
12:00 The top of the Quarterback Position in SuperFlex Leagues
16:10 When to Dive in on the Position's Third Tier (Josh Allen, Matt Ryan, etc.)
20:06 The Viability of Starting Your SuperFlex Draft with Two QBs
26:36 The Danger of Waiting on QBs
30:19 Targeting Two Top-16 Quarterbacks
34:54 Picking Quarterbacks on the Turn
40:15 The Necessity of a QB3 in SuperFlex Leagues

Follow Beller on Twitter: @MBeller
Follow Jake on Twitter: @allinkid

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Nando Di Fino and Eric Moody begin to build a better sleeper in fantasy football in their first episode of 2020. They discuss David Montgomery, Terry McLaurin, Henry Ruggs, their level of concern about rookies this year, and more!

Rundown
2:53 Get to Know Eric Moody
6:24 Buying In For a David Montgomery Breakout?
12:36 Is Terry McLaurin Underrated?
14:50 Explaining True Catch Rate & Cushion
22:00 The Case for Henry Ruggs in Year 1
28:01 College Dominator Scores
32:57 Concerns About Rookies in 2020?

40:38 Using Stats to Fit Narrative
46:10 Do You Believe in the Matt Nagy Offense?

Follow Nando on Twitter: @nandodifino
Follow Eric on Twitter: @EricNMoody

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