Host Ian Hartitz is joined by Sharp Football Analysis fantasy expert Rich Hribar aka Lord Reebs for 10 questions related to the 2021 quarterback landscape. Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen have been the past three overall QB1s in fantasy land, and the guys see the same player chalking up another crown in 2021. There are more signal-callers with overall QB1 upside out there, and Rich believes Kyler Murray could be on the verge of a huge season if Kliff Kingsbury sharpens up just a bit. Conversation continues with breakdowns on the rising second-year quarterbacks as well as some of the less mobile veteran gunslingers around the QB1 borderline. Additional topics include: favorite rookie quarterback in re-draft, why Kirk Cousins is this year's premiere bridge option at the position, Carson Wentz vs. Sam Darnold (spoiler: no), Ryan Tannehill's standing and much more.

PFF Fantasy Football Podcast with Jeff Ratcliffe

10 questions with Rich Hribar, QB edition

Host Ian Hartitz breaks down Trey Lance's fantasy football value ahead of 2021. Lance checks every box we look for from a stud fantasy quarterback, especially rushing. The 49ers seem to agree, they traded three first-round picks to acquire his services after all, but the million dollar question is exactly when Jimmy Garoppolo will hit the bench. Ian believes this will be sooner rather than later due to history, the difference between how each quarterback plays and the 49ers' schedule. The podcast concludes with Ian's specific ranking for Lance. 00:00 - 01:35 Intro  01:35 - 05:05 Trey Lance’s upside 05:05 - 09:05 Jimmy G over the past three seasons 09:05 - 10:10 Second half schedule stretch for the 49ers 10:10 - 14:30 QB draft strategy 14:30 - 16:43 Outro

Fantasy Files: Draft Trey Lance for his borderline erotic second half schedule

Host Ian Hartitz is joined by PFF analyst Andrew Erickson to preview the NFC West from both a fantasy and real life perspective. The guys go through every team and ask: 1.) What's the defining question facing the squad, 2.) Who is each team's most-underutilized player, 3.) Who is your favorite fantasy value pick, 4.) What wild card scenario could you see feasibly occuring, and 5.) What is your over/under pick for each team. The conversation highlights a number of fantasy studs including Trey Lance, Chase Edmonds, George Kittle, Russell Wilson, Tyler Lockett, Darrell Henderson and much more. The guys conclude the podcast with their favorite divisional pick when keeping the betting odds in mind.

NFC West preview

Host Ian Hartitz breaks down the return of Aaron Rodgers and what we should expect from him as a fantasy asset in 2021. Ian starts off by noting just how great Rodgers was in 2020. This of course steers into talk about a potential regression, because it's simply hard to be this damn good two years in a row. Ian goes through the Packers' general lack of offseason moves and potential for a slight step back across the offensive line before concluding the podcast with Rodgers' specific fantasy ranking.

Fantasy Files: Aaron Rodgers is BACK, now what?

Host Ian Hartitz breaks down the fantasy football upside of Tyler Boyd and the rest of the Bengals' wide receivers ahead of 2021. With all due respect to Tee Higgins and Ja'Marr Chase: Boyd is the screaming value in the offense at the moment. This is due to his history as a stellar fantasy WR2 and demonstrated excellence as a WR1 with Joe Burrow under center in 2021. The presence of Chase shouldn't be seen as a negative on Boyd considering the potential for Burrow to simply play better without A.J. Green's corpse in the fold. Ultimately, Ian doesn't see anything wrong with ranking Chase and Higgins ahead of Boyd; the issue is their absurd discrepency in average draft positions.

Fantasy Files: Do me a favor and draft Tyler Boyd

Host Ian Hartitz breaks down the Jacksonville Jaguars' backfield and whether or not we should buy Travis Etienne in fantasy land ahead of 2021. Make no mistake about it: Etienne is fast fast. Still, Urban Meyer's comments on the situation have been nothing short of puzzling, routinely referring to Etienne as "slash" due to the potential for him to play an awful lot of wide receiver. This is a skill Etienne possesses; just realize we don't have much evidence of him working in the slot or out wide from the Clemson days. Ian concludes the podcast with Etienne's specific rank and thoughts on James Robinson and Carlos Hyde. Taking a look at this confusing Jags backfield (0:17) Etienne will have a role in the passing game (4:51) Where the Jaguars RBs rank (6:16)

Fantasy Files: Should we buy Travis Etienne as the next great first-round rookie RB?

Host Ian Hartitz breaks down which tight ends should be called wide receivers based on their usage. This is an issue that started with Jimmy Graham's franchise tag back in 2014, and Greg Olsen has also brought up the issues with how tight ends are paid. Regardless: all signs point towards Anthony Firkser being a key member of the Titans' receiving room in 2021. The projections are a bit more bleak for guys like Evan Engram, Mike Gesicki, Jared Cook and more. Which TEs focus on outside route running the most? (2:46) Who are some other TEs that play outside often? (5:55)

Fantasy Files: Which tight ends are basically wide receivers?

Host Ian Hartitz breaks down Derrick Henry's fantasy football value ahead of the 2021 season. You don't need Ian to tell you just how good Henry has been since entering the league, but he does so anyway. The one problem people seem to have with Henry is the idea that he'll regress after seeing so much volume, but Ian isn't buying this on account of the small sample sizes attached and reality that Henry doesn't have the most tread on his tires among fantasy's top-10 backs. Ian concludes the podcast with Henry's ranking and a note on Darrynton Evans' handcuff potential. Putting Derrick Henry into historical context (0:27) How Derrick Henry stacks up with his peers (2:20) Is regression inevitable for King Henry? (4:12) Does Henry's lack of pass game work matter (8:03) Potential handcuffs on the Titans? (10:48)

Fantasy Files: Derrick Henry is a top-5 real life and fantasy running back

Host Ian Hartitz welcomes on Los Angeles Chargers WR Mike Williams for 10 questions mostly related to the upcoming season. The Chargers again look loaded on paper ahead of the year, and Mike says the team's excitement level is at an all-time high. The conversation continues with thoughts on Justin Herbert's rookie season as well as how the rising second-year quarterback is more vocal in 2021. No surprise: Mike considers 50/50 balls to be 80/20 situations when they involved him and Herbert. Additional topics on the podcast include: Moss vs. Rice, if more targets are on the way in 2021, what Mike has learned from playing with Keenan Allen, if Clemson is WRU and more. What does Mike Williams expect from the Chargers in 2021? (1:46) Mike Williams on Justin Herbert (3:54) How Mike Williams plays the game (7:23) Who inspired Mike Williams (8:42) How good is teammate Keenan Allen (11:40) Is Clemson WRU? (14:17)

10 questions with Mike Williams

Host Ian Hartitz breaks down Las Vegas Raiders QB Derek Carr's fantasy value ahead of the 2021 season. Ian is among those who have slandered Carr over the years; just realize in recent history he's been nothing other than a great real life quarterback. This is reflected by his 2020 film and analytics alike. The problem: Carr has been more sensitive to pressure than most, and the 2021 version of this offensive line seems poised to take a step back. Throw in a good, albeit not great, group of wide receivers, and you have an offense that might take a step back from their finish as the league's 10th-ranked scoring unit. Ian closes out the podcast with his final feelings on Carr's potential to take a Ryan Tannehill-esque eighth-year leap in 2021. Was last year a sign of things to come for Derek Carr (1:36) Is the Raiders' offense good enough to sustain QB1 play from Carr? (7:16) The table is not set for Carr to be overly productive in fantasy (10:04) Should you take a chance on Carr in late rounds? (12:06)

Fantasy Files: Derek Carr is a better real life quarterback than you think

Host Ian Hartitz breaks down how often offenses with multiple high-end skill-position players also enable high-end fantasy quarterbacks. The general answer: often, which leads to questions surrounding whether we're too low on Cousins, Ryan Fitzpatrick and Matt Ryan. There are more reasonable concerns for the latter two signal-callers than the former, who truly is in a loaded offense and possesses a borderline erotic start to the season. Ian explains just how cozy Cousins' opening stretch is before explaining why he's the ideal late-round quarterback to snag while investors of Trey Lance or Justin Fields wait for the rookie to win the job. Offenses with top weapons but no QB1 (2:06) What does having elite WRs mean for QB fantasy production? (4:25) What do these findings mean for Kirk Cousins? (5:38)

Fantasy Files: Why you should draft Kirk Cousins after landing Trey Lance or Justin Fields

Host Ian Hartitz breaks down Baker Mayfield's fantasy football stock ahead of next season. It's been an up-and-down career for Mayfield since being selected with the No. 1 overall pick of the 2018 draft; just realize he's shown off borderline erotic arm talent and high-end fantasy upside along the way. Don't let the absence of Odell Beckham make you think this Browns offense won't be in its best state yet with anyone's idea of a true WR1 back in action. Despite Mayfield's struggles over the years, he's still performed admirably in PFF's more stable metrics: the best could very well be yet to come, particularly considering the continuity this offense possesses all around the offense. Ian closes out the podcast with a look at Mayfield's projected volume and fantasy rank. What can we learn about the 2021 Browns from last season’s team? (3:21) Positive signs for Baker’s play (6:40) All indications point to a big year for Baker (9:50) Baker’s ranking among QBs (12:18)

Fantasy Files: Don't discount Baker Mayfield going super saiyan in 2021

Host Ian Hartitz gets himself together enough to break down the fantasy implications of Los Angeles Rams RB Cam Akers tearing his Achilles. The obvious beneficiary of this news: Darrell Henderson, although Ian isn't as convinced as others about his potential to immediately take over the full three-down role. This is mostly because we haven't seen Henderson afforded this opportunity during his two-year career. Still, the likelihood of Henderson working as at least the lead, if not undisputed, back in this offense is too much to rank him as anything other than a mid-tier RB2. The rest of the Rams' running backs are truly nobodies, meaning it's not a matter of if, but when, a veteran back is signed. Ian goes through some potential options and prays for Henderon's value that it's more of an early-down veteran as opposed to a scat back. What to expect from Darrell Henderson (1:23) Do any other Rams RBs have value (7:42) What FA RBs could the Rams add? (9:29)

Emergency Pod: Ugh, Cam Akers is out for the season

Host Ian Hartitz goes through a volume study in order to identify some of fantasy football's best values at running back. First Ian points out how historically basically any running back averaging 15 touches per game has been good to great for fantasy business. The only exceptions have been early-down plodders without a pass-game role, so Ian engineers a special expected projected fantasy opportunity formula that accounts for the difference in expected fantasy points on targets compared to rush attempts. Ian then takes these ranks and cross compares them with each running back's average draft position to determine who is overvalued and undervalued relative to their projected volume. More early-down running backs pop as players that will need to be awfully efficient in order to meet expectations, but Ian ultimately comes away with 10 running backs that sure look a lot like values where they're presently being priced. These players include: D'Andre Swift, Joe Mixon, Tevin Coleman and more. Which 1st round backs might have a problem with their touches? (5:30) RBs ranked too high based on probable touches (8:55) 10 RBs what will have the ball enough (12:24)

Fantasy Files: Running backs projected for more volume than their ADP indicates

Fantasy football at an elite level. Host Jeff Ratcliffe breaks down all of the latest NFL news and gives you the analysis and unique insights you need to dominate your season-long fantasy football leagues and DFS contests. With cutting-edge stats and information from Pro Football Focus, get ready to take your game to another level. If you want to be the BEST, this fantasy football podcast is a must.

hubhopper

PFF Fantasy Football Podcast with Jeff Ratcliffe

hubhopper