In the early part of the show, Gary mentioned an ESPN article predicting second-year NFL players who should have breakout seasons in 2019. The top candidate is WR DJ Moore of the Carolina Panthers, followed by (in order): WR Christian Kirk (Arizona Cardinals), RB Derrius Guice (Washington Redskins), WR Courtland Sutton (Denver Broncos), WR Dante Pettis (San Francisco 49ers), RB Kalen Ballage (Miami Dolphins), WR Michael Gallup (Dallas Cowboys); WR Marquez Valdes-Scantling (Green Bay Packers); QB Sam Darnold (New York Jets); WR James Washington (Pittsburgh Steelers); TE Chris Herndon (New York Jets, suspended first four games).
Gary then talked about second-year QB Patrick Mahomes. Many fantasy players, he said, are talking about Mahomes being a first-round fantasy pick. He was the No. 1 fantasy scorer in 2018.
Patrick Mahomes could be a first-round pick. No. 1 fantasy scorer. MattRyan was No. 2.
Jeff Erickson, co-founder of RotoWire and member of Fantasy Sports Writers Association Hall of Fame, was Gary’s special guest: Erickson said he expects Arizona RB David Johnson to do well with Kyler Murray, although he is concerned about the Cardinals’ offensive line. He disagreed with the idea of taking Mahomes in the first round; at best, he said, Mahomes would be an early third round selection. After that, he wouldn’t take another QB until at least the fifth round. Expects Antonio Brown will have plenty of volume with the Oakland Raiders, but might suffer from Derek Carr’s accuracy issues. He is a lot more bullish on new Jets RB LeVeon Bell, who he thinks is worth the eighth or ninth overall pick. Erickson also said that the optimal time for holding your fantasy draft is after the third preseason game. He thinks Odell Beckham Jr. will do well with Baker Mayfield. Said he’d rate rookie Kyler Murray “between 11th and 15th” at the QB position, with Arizona’s O-Line, he expects Murray will get hit quite a bit. He suggests that you avoid Todd Gurley unless you can get him in the third round or later. He is concerned about Gurley losing carries and targets due to his lingering knee issues.
Gary gave away a 16×20 Mitch Trubisky autographed photo, courtesy of Rivals Waikiki. He asked a trivia question: “Against which team did Trubisky throw 6 TD passes against last season?” The answer was the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Heath Cummings, fantasy writer for CBS Sports, will be Gary’s guest next Wednesday.
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