The Athletic Fantasy Football Podcast

It's not often that a trade happens, and the player who's on the move is the least interesting player involved in the deal. So hey, Sony Michel is an outlier! What does the Michel trade mean for Darrell Henderson and Damien Harris? What does Travis Etienne's injury mean for James Robinson and the Jags receivers? Is it time to back off D'Andre Swift? Beller, Jake and Funston get into all that on th...

Nando, Chris and Brandon discuss the strategies they employ while building out the bottom half of their rosters including how to execute Zero RB, waiting on a quarterback, and balancing ‘boring’ veterans with upside selections. Plus, the impact of Sony Michel in the Rams’ backfield, Damien Harris’ rising stock in New England, and the overlooked Zach Wilson.  Follow Nando on Twitter: @nandodifino F...

The second week of the preseason is in the books, and it was just as eventful as the first from a fantasy football perspective. Beller, Jake and Funston dive into the fantasy takeaways on this episode of The Athletic Fantasy Football Podcast. The fantasy community has clearly been too low on Corey Davis all summer, but what about Zach Wilson? Is it time to get worried about Michael Carter and/or J...

Our guy Jake Ciely's baby, the fantasy football FLEX Leagues, recently conducted all of its drafts. Jake, Beller and Funston participated in three different drafts, giving us a great snapshot of how the fantasy football landscape is shaping up with three weekends left in draft season. On this episode of The Athletic Fantasy Football Podcast, we look at the decisions our trio made in their respecti...

Nando, Brandon and Chris discuss whether you should consider veering away from Christian McCaffrey and Dalvin Cook with the first two picks on draft day, where they’re willing to draft Saquon Barkley, their thoughts on Jonathan Taylor, Austin Ekeler’s case to be a first-round pick, the Antonio Gibson ‘CMC Dream’, executing a zero-RB build, the early slide of DeAndre Hopkins, A.J. Brown’s move up t...

The first week of the NFL preseason is in the books, and while no one wants to overreact to anything we saw this past weekend, there are still things we can properly react to. How worried should we be about Myles Gaskin? How excited should we be about Justin Fields and Trey Lance? Is there cause for concern with Michael Carter? Beller, Jake and Funston answer all those questions, and a whole lot m...

The training camp news spigot is turned all the way up this week. Dak Prescott is going for another MRI on his throwing shoulder. Carson Wentz might be ready for Week 1. Curtis Samuel is on the PUP list, and things don't look great. Rashod Bateman will miss multiple weeks, a huge blow for a rookie in the summer. Beller, Jake and Funston get into the fantasy takeaways for all that news on this epis...

Nando, Brandon and Chris discuss their approach to the tight end position this season — including their willingness to build around Travis Kelce in Round 1, shared love for Darren Waller, a possible rebound from George Kittle, expectations for Kyle Pitts in Year 1, undervalued players at the position, late darts, Vaccaro’s favorite option among the Top-12 tight ends, and how to adjust your roster...

By now, you've likely heard the spooky tales of the RB Dead Zone, a Bermuda Triangle type area that hangs over the third through sixth rounds of 12-team drafts. Some say that fantasy drafters wander into the Dead Zone dazed, unsure of themselves and their surroundings. Others say that drafters go into the Dead Zone confidently, sure that the backs they select anywhere between pick 25 and 72 overal...

We wrap up this week on The Athletic Fantasy Football Podcast with an episode jam-packed with legitimate training camp news. How strong should we be fading the Colts' skill position players, most notably Jonathan Taylor, in the wake of Carson Wentz's foot surgery? With Tarik Cohen likely to miss regular season games, is it time to push David Montgomery up the rankings. What does DeVonta Smith's kn...

Say hello to The Athletic Fantasy Football Podcast's new Wednesday crew: Nando Di Fino, Brandon Marianne Lee and Chris Vaccaro. The trio will be coming to you every Wednesday through the end of the regular season, bringing The Athletic's fantasy football written word to the airwaves. On their debut episode, the gang discusses this summer's Saquon scaries, Sam Darnold getting out from under Adam Ga...

It's another offbeat draft Monday here on The Athletic Fantasy Football Podcast. This week, Beller, Jake and Funston build fantasy teams made up of two QBs, two RBs, three WRs, one TE and two flex players. The catch? Anyone who has been a QB1, RB1, WR1 or TE1 in either of the last two seasons is not in the eligible player pool. In other words, the guys are trying to help you target and prioritize...

We've reached the end of the beat writer roundtable series on The Athletic Fantasy Football Podcast, and we wrap things up with what just might be the best division in football: the NFC West. Any chance Russ gets to cook all season in Seattle? What does Matthew Stafford bring to the table for Sean McVay that Jared Goff didn't? How will the Raheem Mostert/Trey Sermon pairing shake out in San Franci...

Beller and Jake welcome training camp—and all the craziness that comes with it—with open arms. The guys discuss Aaron Rodgers' return, Dak Prescott's shoulder injury, and the sudden change in Michael Thomas' outlook on this episode of The Athletic Fantasy Football Podcast. From there, the guys get into their favorite sleepers at every position. They also launch two new segments that will be staple...

We've reached the AFC South edition of the beat writer roundtable on The Athletic Fantasy Football Podcast. This division underwent plenty of meaningful fantasy football change, with Trevor Lawrence, Julio Jones and Carson Wentz finding their way to one of the four teams during the offseason. How do the Titans balance Julio and A.J. Brown? Is Jonathan Taylor set to become a true workhorse? What do...

The beat writer roundtable series on The Athletic Fantasy Football Podcast moves on to the AFC North, which sent three teams to the playoffs last season. It also sends a number of stars to the fantasy football world, chief among them Lamar Jackson and Nick Chubb. Is J.K. Dobbins about to make the leap? Can Odell Beckham rebound in 2021? Is Najee Harris the next great workhorse back in Pittsburgh?...

Our beat writer roundtable series moves to the NFC North, where Aaron Rodgers will still be playing his football in the 2021 season. So too will Justin Fields and Jared Goff, while the Vikings return with some of the most continuity in the league, especially at the positions we care about in the fantasy football world. Can a second receiver finally emerge alongside Davante Adams in Green Bay? Is t...

After running through the NFC last week, Beller and Jake turn their attention to AFC training camps on this episode of The Athletic Fantasy Football Podcast. Forget about the coachspeak and proclamations of "Best Shape of His Life." We're looking for the developments that could change the way we think about players in a substantive way before we all sit down to draft over the next six weeks. Follo...

Next up on our beat writer roundtable series is the AFC West. The Chiefs have won this division five years in a row and enter this season as massive favorites. Top to bottom, however, there's a lot to like from a fantasy perspective. Can Clyde Edwards-Helaire have the season this year so many expected last year? Is Austin Ekeler the new Alvin Kamara? Assuming Aaron Rodgers remains in Green Bay, wh...

Next up on our beat writer roundtable series is the AFC East. The Bills now lord over the division once dominated by a Bill, but there's reason to believe the Dolphins, Patriots and Jets all could be better this season. And hey, there's quite a bit of fantasy goodness to be found on at least three of these teams. Who—if anyone—wins out in the Bills backfield? Can Tua take full advantage of all the...

A handful of teams are already in training camp, and every camp will be underway within the next week. We're going to hear a lot of talk coming out of camp, and most of it won't matter in the fantasy world. But some of it will. Beller, Jake and Brandon help you anticipate the latter on this episode of The Athletic Fantasy Football Podcast. The guys will split their look at all 32 camps across two...

Next up in the beat writer roundtable series on The Athletic Fantasy Football Podcast is the NFC South. The division features the defending champion Buccaneers, and a powerhouse in transition down in New Orleans—not to mention the consensus first overall pick in fantasy drafts. And also the Falcons. But we love Calvin Ridley! Can the Bucs feed all their receivers adequately again this year? Will J...

The beat writer roundtable returns to The Athletic Fantasy Football Podcast. With training camps set to open later this week, we'll check in with all of our beat writers to get the on-the-ground knowledge about their teams as the sprint to the start of the season begins. First up: the NFC East. How will the Cowboys divvy up all those targets from Dak Prescott? Is Antonio Gibson ready to take the n...

Last year, Stefon Diggs (WR3), Brandin Cooks (WR15), Diontae Johnson (WR21) and CeeDee Lamb were all drafted as WR3s (WR24). But so were T.Y, Hilton (WR43), Marquise Brown (WR34), DeVante Parker (WR41) and A.J. Green (WR68). In 2019, Allen Robinson (WR10), Jarvis Landry (WR13) and D.J. Moore (WR16) were WR3s by ADP. But so were Alshon Jeffery (WR59), Robby Anderson (WR39), Christian Kirk (WR40) an...

Beller, Jake and Funston keep the ADP fun rolling on this episode of The Athletic Fantasy Football Podcast. The guys dig a little deeper this time around, wrapping up the top 100 and stretching into what will be the nether regions of most fantasy football drafts. Is Juju being disrespected? Is Laviska Shenault sneakily the receiver in Jacksonville to target? Is Irv Smith Jr. a no-brainer at his pr...