Rice on the Mics
Welcome to "Rice on the Mics", where sports talk comes with no script, no filter, and just the right amount of chaos. Hosted by Ian Rice, this is the spot for real fans who love the game but aren’t afraid to call out the bad takes, blown calls, and overpaid benchwarmers. Whether it's a legendary performance, a brutal choke job, or your fantasy team crashing and burning, we’re here to break it down like it’s last call at the bar. No corporate PR spin, no forced debates—just unfiltered sports talk with passion, personality, and maybe a little trash talk along the way. If you’re looking for stats read off a teleprompter, you’re in the wrong place. But if you want bold opinions, real conversations, and the kind of debates that might get a drink thrown at you, pull up a mic and let’s go.
Rice on the Mics
RedZone Goes Corporate, Fantasy Goes Nuclear
The sports world is buzzing with major corporate deals and team collapses as ESPN acquires NFL Network while New York baseball teams spiral into late-season crises. Leadership styles sharply contrast as Mendoza holds players accountable while Boone treats every loss as "part of the grind."
• ESPN taking over NFL Network, Red Zone and league's fantasy platform in blockbuster deal giving NFL 10% equity stake
• Micah Parsons publicly requesting trade from Cowboys after no communication from Jerry Jones
• Yankees falling to third in division despite major bullpen acquisitions at trade deadline
• Mets losing eight of nine games and nearly getting no-hit by Guardians rookie Gavin Williams
• Carlos Mendoza showing accountability while Aaron Boone gives "day camp" manager vibes
• Shohei Ohtani recording 1,000th career hit with a home run while also striking out eight batters
• Red Sox signing 21-year-old Roman Anthony to eight-year extension worth potential $230 million
• Fantasy football quarterback strategy focusing on consistency over boom-or-bust performances
• Quarterback-tight end stacks offering better fantasy value than traditional QB-WR combinations
If you're interested in joining our listener fantasy football league, reach out on Instagram or drop a comment. I'll even sweeten the pot with a giveaway for the winner – maybe an autographed card or jersey of a player on the winning team!
I guess there's only one way to find out. Let's do it to it right. 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, 0. All engines running Liftoff. We have a liftoff, well, well, well. Another week and here we are. Everybody We've got corporate takeovers, contract tantrums and two New York baseball teams fighting to see who can hit rock bottom harder. Spoiler, they're both doing a damn good job of it.
Speaker 1:Welcome back Rice on a Mike's episode. 25, quarter century mark, and somehow it's not even week one yet. Today's show is a three-layer dip of sports madness. First we got NFL drama straight off the boardroom floor. Espn has taken over red zone. If they mess with Scott Hanson, we will riot. Then back to New York, where the Yankees are free-falling and the Mets are quietly even worse. But hey, at least Carlos Mendoza isn't afraid to let his players know exactly what's what, unlike Boone dancing around the subject. And to close it out, since we covered wide receivers and running backs last week, this week we're talking quarterbacks and tight ends for your 2025 fantasy football drafts who you can trust, who's lying to you and which late-round picks might just win you your league. Shout-out to Pete Alonzo for inching closer and closer to Darryl Strawberry's Mets home run record, even if the Mets did get swept nearly no hit and Soto pimped a ninth-inning solo shot, that meant absolutely nothing. No, I won't spend 10 minutes debating it. Yes, I am still going to bring it up. Dag Prescott, out here sticking up for Micah Judge is back in the lineup, but not in the field. The golden boy Otani doing superhero things in a loss and the Red Sox finally acting like a big market team, just as long as the guy hasn't gotten too expensive just yet. Oh, and one more thing before we dive in, I'm working on a listener fantasy league for this season. So if you've been following the pod, liking the content and you want to join the league, shoot me a DM. We'll draft, we'll talk trash and maybe, just maybe, someone will be able to T-thrown the king. But for now, let's get right into it. Tranquility Base here the Eagle has landed.
Speaker 1:Let's start with what might be the most quietly massive NFL story of the summer. And no, it's not a holdout, it's a buyout. Espn is officially acquiring NFL Network, Red Zone and the league's fantasy platform in a blockbuster deal that gives the NFL a 10% equity stake in ESPN itself. So what does that mean? Well, essentially, the league just bought a chunk of its own hype machine, which is something I've kind of always had a little bit of a problem with with ESPN bet. How can you guys own a betting platform but also have the media machine to influence people how to bet? But that's a story for a different day. Right now let's break it down. So ESPN gets full linear and digital control of NFL Network, aka NFL Films, and all the replay rights. They get exclusive rights distribute red zone, which there might be talks of them doing a college style red zone. They get the official NFL fantasy football platform, which, if you've updated your phone recently, you can see that the logo has changed and it's smothered with ads.
Speaker 1:They get three more NFL games per year, which I don't know where they're going to come from. I mean, are they going to steal some Thursday night games from Amazon or are they getting playoff games? Is is this like a foreshadow of a 20-week season coming? I don't know where those three games are coming from, but here's what we get. Well, we get a $30 a month streaming bill if you don't already have access to ESPN or something on some form of cable, because they plan on rolling out their own streaming services and that's besides ESPN Plus, by the way we get an ominous feeling of global domination in our chest and the existential question is Scott Hansen safe?
Speaker 1:Because I'm going to say this with as much calm and control as I can muster If they get rid of Scott Hansen, we riot, we flip the desk, we burn the red couches, riot, we flip the desk, we burn the red couches. I don't care if the games are in 8k, with ai play by play, tracking how much a player sweat in the first quarter. I want my seven hours of commercial free football and I need it narrated by the voice of god in a gray suit. If I have to learn a new red zone host cadence or listen to a cut from Stephen A in week one, I'm out. I'm out Well, not really, but I'll complain a lot and you guys will be forced to listen to it.
Speaker 1:So, speaking of complaints, let's talk about Micah Parsons, who's turned his Cowboys hold in into a full-on Moses parting the Red Sea divide in Dallas. Parsons hasn't practiced, he hasn't budged, he hasn't even heard from Jerry Jones. And when your boss won't call your agent but will go on record reminding everybody that you've missed time with some injuries, I'm going to say things are not trending well for this contract. And then Parson laid it all out there, posted a thousand-word statement, screenshotting from his Notes app like a regular human being, calling the Jones family out directly, made his trade request public and essentially said you want to talk, call my agent. Until then, I'm watching practice in sweats.
Speaker 1:And now to add more gasoline on the fire, when Dak Prescott got asked about it, mr Company man himself, just a two-word blunt message Fuck man. That's the quote. That's it. No team spin. No, we're focused on camp. We're all trying to get better. Just a quarterback who's been through his own contract, tug of war with Jerry Jones and watching his franchise mess it up again and, honestly, saying exactly what every Cowboy fan is thinking I don't know where this goes. I don't know if Jerry blinks. I mean I don't know where this goes. I don't know of Jerry Blanks. I mean he usually does two days before the season, but this one feels different. What I do know is that if you alienate your best pass rusher and your franchise quarterback in the same offseason, that is a recipe for disaster. You better hope CeeDee Lamb has an arm because he might have to get called in.
Speaker 1:But all right, we'll go from one nfc east team to bring it at home to the locals, and we're going to start with the giants, where malik neighbors just continues to look like the best player on the field. Every day he's out there. Yes, he's been load managed with a little bit of a toe issue, and, yes, he took a shoulder shot earlier in camp, but none of it has slowed him down at all. He has been torching the corners, he's been going against and he's building some chemistry with Russell Wilson, which is good for the team, good for morale. Most importantly, though, he's doing this all with zero drama, no bullshit in the interviews, no, nothing, which was not his case last year. He wanted the ball and complained about it religiously last year. Well, russell Wilson is going to make sure to get it to him. Wilson even called him one of the best in the world to do it, so that's a good sign, I guess. Right, look, I'll be honest in camp time one of the best in the world to do it usually sounds like fluff, especially coming from Mr Unlimited himself, but watch the tape on neighbors. I mean, this kid is just different. The burst, the size, the ball tracking, body control, it's all there. He's got it all. If he stays healthy, he's going to be a big problem, problem for defenses, problem for fantasy owners who pass on him, and maybe even a problem for Garrett Wilson, who is fighting for the best wide receiver in New York. Speaking of the Jets, well, not a ton of updates this week. Justin Fields still working through the toe issue, but he's been back at practice and he led that two-minute drill TD drive on Tuesday, so things are looking all right. His passing hasn't been great, but I feel like Justin Fields is more of a game-time quarterback than a practice-time quarterback.
Speaker 1:Honestly, the biggest storyline from the rumor mills and really the only reason I've been bringing up Micah and the Cowboys so much is the trade rumors of the Cowboys wanting Brees Hall. Look, they wanted to draft him in 2022, but they took the lineman instead in the first round, which was the right move. They were trying to protect Dak and the Jets almost tripped over themselves running up to the podium in the second round to grab him. Look, I love the kid, he's electric, but because of circumstances out of his control, he seems to be on the chopping block. I talked about it last week who would be the next rookie to get paid? And although there seems to be this running back resurgence that has happened in the league lately, the bottom line is this it's a new GM, it's a new coach. They didn't draft him and they have other talented running backs in the room that they really seem to like and, being as he was drafted in the second round, he's not eligible for that 50-year option.
Speaker 1:So I'm just going to throw this out there how about a trade package for Micah, with him being the star in it? I mean, it wouldn't be the worst idea in the world. Stay with me, listen. He's somebody the Cowboys already wanted. He's on a contract year, so he's going to go out there. He's going to stay healthy because that's always what happens and he's going to play his ass off for a contract.
Speaker 1:And if it really is a semi-rebuilding year for the Jets, this could be a great move to bolster the defense and give their defensive minded head coach a huge weapon to utilize. They would have the cap space to be able to pay him, which cap space in the NFL is a joke anyway, but they would be able to pay him what he wants. And look, I'm not saying that it wouldn't be a hard pill to swallow to get rid of Brees. But if I told you I mean, look, you got to give to get right. And if I told you you could trade Curtis Martin for Joe Klecko, do you think you'd be able to pull the trigger While also knowing that you have a guy like Bilal Powell waiting in the wings? This is no shade on Curtis Martin. Curtis Martin is the only Jet Jersey that I own. Him and Corbett are the only two worth owning in my 33-year-old career here.
Speaker 1:It's something to think about. Look, the Cowboys desperately need a running back. They need to get Dak back to the form that he was in with Zeke and the Jets. I mean having Quinton Williams and Micah Parsons on the same D-line. Jesus, I mean that honestly, that might be enough to turn the team from a maybe to a hell. Yeah, it would hurt to see Brees go, but, man, it would be so good to see a defense rip somebody's head off once, anyway. So to sum it up, red zone might be run by Mickey Mouse next year. Dallas is playing chicken with its best defender and probably going to lose. The Giants have a stud wide receiver and a half-decent quarterback, but a terrible schedule, and the Jets are quietly building a culture, to get this franchise back to being respectable Fantasy managers. Stay tuned. That's coming up later, but right now baseball, baseball, needs a moment because New York is down bad.
Speaker 1:Okay, now I'm going to say something that might shock a few of you. I'm not a Yankees fan, not even a little bit, but I am about to rant like one. So if you're driving, maybe pull over. If you're on the treadmill, maybe take it down a notch, because this is going to be for the pinstripe faithful. What the hell is going on in the Bronx?
Speaker 1:The Yankees are in full free fall right now. They don't know which way is up inning they're in, how many outs they're already in inning, how to go halfway on an infield fly. Honestly, they don't even know who's in charge anymore. The leadership is gone and the vibes? The vibes are worse than a guy at a party that won't leave you alone. They've dropped to third in their division, third, and now now they're only up a half a game for the final wild card spot in the American League.
Speaker 1:There's a real, genuine chance, if this trend continues, that this team misses the playoffs entirely. Do you know how insane that is? After the first half that they had, after the way that Judge and Freed started the season, and Goldie and Belly and don't give me the injury excuse either. Everyone's got injuries. Hell. The Mets have used 44 different pitchers this year. This is a team that made major bullpen acquisitions at the deadline Bednar Doval, jake Byrd and somehow it seems that they've managed to get worse. They got swept by the Marlins for the first time in franchise history and then follow that up. They go into a huge series against the Rangers who are chasing right behind them in the wild card standings. They blow game one in part because Freed continues to struggle with blisters. Back issues can't locate, whatever it is. You can't lose a max Freed start. Then game two they get completely shut out. That's great. And game three, you barely squeak by winning 3-2.
Speaker 1:Boone, for some reason, is afraid to hurt the guy's feelings and continues to just trot out. Devin Williams, in high-level situations, like Bendar, is itching to get into the game and then in game three, when he finally gets in, it's a 45-pitch five-out save for him. What are we doing? It's embarrassing and honestly, it's. It's really. It's not even the results, it's the body language, it's the post-game quotes, it's Aaron Boone giving off the energy of a man reading off someone else's vows like the same old coach be game after game after game, it it's unbearable.
Speaker 1:There's no accountability. We can speculate and say, oh you know, we don't know what's going on in the clubhouse behind closed doors. But honestly, you don't need to speculate. You can tell by the play in the field. It seems like guys are just doing whatever they want and everyone else is scared to call the guys out on the things that they're doing wrong. There's no fire, there's no adjustments, there's no pulse, just a slow fade into October.
Speaker 1:Irrelevance a team that makes the playoffs every year and we're over 500 every year haven't had a losing record in 20 years. And oh, we went to the world series last year. So they rest on their laurels and believe, oh, we're the yankees, of course we'll be there, of course we'll be in the alcs. I got news for you guys the al might be weak, but you guys aren't the bully in this league anymore. Houston has always had your number for one and you've got a big series coming up with them. Detroit is now a legitimate ball club with a couple aces and a couple really good players. Cleveland would love to get back at you after you sent them home last year and then in your own division, toronto and Boston would love nothing more than to beat you down for all the years that you've put it on them. This is the problem with being the big bad wolf for all these years. Eventually, when you take your foot off the gas, the chickens come home to roost this team.
Speaker 1:The Yankees need a serious wake-up call or a jolt or something from somewhere, and honestly, I have no idea where it's going to come from. Spencer Jones yeah, that's a good idea. Let's put more pressure on a rookie that worked out well for Dominguez and Volpe, right. And, and you know what, let's swing across town, because the Mets aren't exempt from this rage either. The Mets, god bless them. The Mets managed, god, they managed to get nearly no hit in the same week that they blew multiple leads and got swept by Cleveland. That's now eight losses in nine games. Thank God the Yankees are as bad as they are, because if it was, if it was business as usual for the Yankees, the media around the Mets would be disastrous. All that momentum they had after the deadline, that seven game win streak, yeah, that's gone.
Speaker 1:And the Mets, who, in my opinion, actually won the trade deadline, added Cedric Mullins, a real bat and a real center fielder, beefed up their bullpen with Tyler Rogers, gregory Soto and Ryan Helsley Guess what? They're now behind the Phillies and the NL East by two and a half games and they're spiraling again. They came this close to getting no hit by the guardians rookie gavin williams rookie took a no-no into the ninth before soto broke it up with a solo home run. That was almost the ninth no hitter in mets history against them and by a franchise who hasn't had a no-hitter since 1981 against a rookie. For God's sakes, historic franchise folks. Real banners being put up there. Let me tell you the big Fab Four Cohen's own. They almost got no hit.
Speaker 1:And honestly, don't get me started on Soto pimping that home run. Look, part of me is glad that he did it because he kind of embodied the like a little bit of like fuck you fire of you're not going to do this to my ball club, but like at the same time Mr Juan Solo, not Juan Soto, because all of his home runs are solo shots. Mr Juan Solo, that's not the time to pimp it right there. How about we have a first and second down two runs and you crank a shot. Then you can pimp it. Throw the bat into the goddamn stands if you want.
Speaker 1:Oh God, I'm here to yell about him, but I'm also here to offer some optimism. The hitting will come okay. Soto and Lindor and Pete are all animals in the postseason. The pitching is starting to get healthy. Minaya and Sanga and Peterson are all solid options and you really only need three guys in the postseason and the bullpen is now elite. But for the love of God, boys, please can we knock a single with men on first and second? God? And I just want to go back to the leadership aspect of it.
Speaker 1:From before, I will give credit to mendoza. At least mendoza isn't afraid to say what needs to be said in the post game and he shows the fans that he actually gives a rip. He will constantly say we need to get better, we are better, we need to play better, we need to play like we are better. He'll call out the pitching. He's not afraid to keep guys accountable, and maybe it's because he has some younger guys on the roster, but also I think the players that he has on the roster are no wimps and I think they like to be coached hard. He isn't afraid to not be your friend and understands that he's trying to win baseball games and will say what needs to be said to get the best out of you. Even if it's not working, at least he's acting like a manager of a team that has expectations, because Aaron Boone is out here talking like he's running a day camp.
Speaker 1:Every loss is tough, every player is close, every blown lead is just part of the grind. Someone goes 0 for 4 and they had a lot of good swings. My brother in Christ, you're third in the division. Your bullpen is a haunted house and the fans are turning on you. Read the room, say something real, get mad and don't just slam the desk in an interview. Hold somebody, hold somebody accountable, pretend like you care, because right now Mendoza, by a landslide, is first in the city manager power rankings, and that's saying something, considering how both teams are circling the drain right now. Jesus, all right, all, all right, all right, all right. I got it out of me.
Speaker 1:Let's end this segment on a much more positive note. Kind of Shohei Otani, who I cannot stand, but am willing to give credit where credit is due. He just keeps doing things that make no sense. He had his 1,000th career hit this week, and of course it was a moonshot home run his 39th of the year, by the way, oh, by the way. And on top of it he also struck out eight batters over four innings and hit 100 miles per hour on the gun six times. This guy, this guy's a unicorn, he's a cheat code, he's a glitch in the baseball matrix, and I can appreciate how good he is, but I also cannot stand how good he is. I feel like I'm watching Tom Brady all over again. By the way, the Dodgers lost that game, which that's a whole different issue. But Otani's season just continues to defy logic, and I've run out of adjective at this point. So let's just call him what he is he's the most valuable player in the world again. Is he's the most valuable player in the world again?
Speaker 1:Lastly, a quiet little move that actually speaks volumes. The red socks just gave rookie outfielder roman anthony an eight year, 130 million dollar extension, with some escalations up to 230, but he's only 21. He's barely into his season debut and Boston saw enough to lock him down. They're taking a page right out of Atlanta's playbook and giving a young stud money early, but in my opinion this doesn't actually make them look as good as they think it does. You throw money at a guy who's riding the bus in AAA and making peanuts, of course he's going to sign the deal. He would have signed it in blood if you asked him to. Why didn't you do this with Devers? Why didn't you do this with Bogarts or Mookie? Don't be fooled. This is a ball club taking advantage of a young player. Look, I'm not turning my nose up to $130 million, but if he turns out to be as good as he projects to be in the next couple years, which it looks like he's going to his contract is going to be pennies on pennies on the dollar and then he's going to be sitting around, looking around and asking himself why didn't I get $400 million? They can sell it to the fans, however they want of building new young talent with Duran and Roman Anthony and yada, yada, yada, but I don't know. From my point of view, it just seems like they're taking advantage of another young kid. So, to sum up, the Yankees are unraveling like a bargain bin sweater, the Mets are grasping for air and their manager is trying to keep the ship upright. Otani continues to just be ridiculous and the Red Sox lock up a young stud hoping that he can be the face of a franchise. Baseball season ain't dead yet, but here in New York, patience is running thin.
Speaker 1:We got fantasy football coming up next Quarterbacks and tight ends, some value picks, maybe even a little league for the listeners. Stick around, check it out. So last week we talked about the flashy stuff the touchdowns, the breakaways, the 60-yard sprints, the one-handed grabs. You guys know what I'm talking about the wides, the breakaways, the 60-yard sprints, the one-handed grabs. You guys know what I'm talking about the wide receivers and the running backs, the sex appeal, if you will, of fantasy football. But this week, this week, we're getting under the hood. We're talking about the quarterbacks and tight ends, the guys that can make or break your fantasy team, the generals on the field and their safety valves underneath, because every good fantasy team needs a foundation and that means building your roster around players you can actually trust week to week, not just the ones with the pretty highlight tapes.
Speaker 1:So let's start with who you can trust under center. Do you want steady production or do you want the boomer bust? Lamar Jackson was the gold standard last year. He had the highest average, the highest floor, most consistent elite quarterback in fantasy. You drafted him high and he paid off. And Jalen Hurts wasn't far behind either. Even his down weeks, his rushing upside kept you afloat. Plus the tush push will give you that six-point rushing touchdown.
Speaker 1:And also surprising name on the list shout out to Baker Mayfield. Yes, really, baker Mayfield Quietly posted a high QB1 rate and showed up when it counted the most Consistency people that's what matters in fantasy football, not the big name, the guys who score a consistent amount of points every week. So guys like Josh Allen I know his name is up there, but technically he's a boomer bust quarterback. You either won your week by 30 or probably lost, because he threw three picks and only ran for 11 yards and then took a couple knees because they were up so big. Jared Goff also erratic, despite having great numbers and finishing at QB7, he gave you 28 one week and nine the next. And trust me, I know this this firsthand. I'm in a 16 man auction league and I drafted him first as my starting QB and then, towards the end of the draft, snagged Jaden Daniels for five dollars and every goddamn week it was a struggle on who I would play.
Speaker 1:Anthony Richardson is another name on that list and honestly not worth the headache. He's Jalen, hurts light but he really can't pass and he's always hurt. The running appeal is nice and scoring touchdowns, rushing touchdowns, is nice, but he can't ever stay on the field. Not to mention guys like Burrow Purdy and Bryce Young. They're kind of sneaky landmines. They're pocket passers with a little bit of variance problems. Look, even though Jamar Chase won the Triple Crown in receiving last year, burroughs still had a couple lackluster games. And Purdy no, cmc is pedestrian. I mean he'll be back this year. We'll see how he is. But now we just lost Debo Samuel and Bryce Young, even though it looked like he might have kind of figured it out later in the season. And the Panthers have great red zone percentage. He's a waiver wire pickup at best.
Speaker 1:I actually have a lot of stock in their new number one, tetratoa McMillan. I love him this year, but as a day-in, day-out fantasy quarterback you can definitely do better than Bryce. So the question is, do you want fireworks or do you want steady wins? Because here are some late-round quarterbacks you actually should be targeting while everybody else is panicking and you can steal some studs. Not everybody's going to walk away with Lamar Mahomes who, by the way, mahomes, I think is going to have a great year, fantasy-wise, this year they got embarrassed in the Super Bowl and the past couple of years they came out slow, beating teams by a couple points here and there, just stacking wins when they could. I have a good feeling that this year they're going to come out guns blazing. But if you wait on quarterback, like I often do here is who I'm probably going to be targeting in those later rounds, is who I'm probably going to be targeting in those later rounds.
Speaker 1:Jj McCarthy, rookie or not, doesn't scare me and I know rookies scare people. But Look, he's got good weapons around him. He's got some sneaky mobility and no pressure, great line smart scheme. He's got a great pass-catching, tight end in Hawkinson and either the number one or number two wide receiver in the league between him and Chase, depending on how you want to rank him, the league between him and Chase, depending on how you want to rank him. And he sat because of injury all last year and learned a whole year on the bench, which is something that not a lot of high-drafted rookies get to do nowadays and I think that's an invaluable experience.
Speaker 1:Next on the list Dak Prescott. I know, I know, I know still disrespected, but when he's healthy he's still efficient and, honestly, he's got a top five ceiling for quarterbacks with the addition of Pickens, regardless of the head case that he is CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens on the same team on the same offense, with Dak throwing them the ball. They can't double cover both. This offense is going to be some fireworks and Dak is going to flourish. I really do believe that Justin Herbert get the injury discount. He's going late. You got Jim Harbaugh, you got a new OC and you got breakout star Ladd McConkie trying to make a big name for himself. So if you're ignoring QB, his current ADP average draft position for those that don't know what ADP means is about the 9th to 11th round right now, and Big Bird has averaged about 4,000 yards passing over the last three years. If I can get a guy like that in the 9th or 11th or 10th or 12th round, yeah, sign me up. Or 11th or 10th or 12th round, yeah, sign me up.
Speaker 1:Drake May I'm conflicted with Drake May. I loved Drake May in college and he has a huge ceiling and a lot of people. He's actually really, really good. He he didn't a lot of people don't know this. He actually had offers good to go to a couple sec schools and the only reason that he went to unc is because both of his parents went there and he wanted to continue their legacy. Otherwise, if drake may was playing in you know, flor, florida or TCU or something with that talent, he could have been putting up numbers. So new coach in Vrabel doesn't turn the ball over much and he can kind of run when he needs to.
Speaker 1:Drake May has a good breakout potential this year. Cj Stroud look, he had his sophomore slump last year but he might make the lead this year. Nico Collins is a beast and if Tank Dell and a couple other guys can stay healthy, if they can run the ball a little bit, man he can sling it, and Nico Collins is always good for a deep ball. And now the name that nobody wants to hear, but they know that I'm right Geno Smith. Look, say what you want, say what you want, but he's steady. He's been in the league a while so he understands the game. He has the best tight end in the league in Brock Bowers and they just drafted a true blue workhorse in Ashton Janty. Teams are going to have to stack the box against him, which is going to open up passing lanes and Pete Carroll is looking for one last crack of the egg. I know the Raiders division is super tough, but they might actually be a dark horse team to make some noise.
Speaker 1:So when the big guys come off the board and the rest of your league is panicking to get a qb, any one of those late round guys could be a great grab and a starter and you can stack dominant running backs and receivers while the rest of your league mates panic and snag shitty quarterbacks. Remember, it's not about the name, it's about the system, it's about the weapons around them, it's about the floor and the consistency. Now, speaking of consistency, let's talk about the most disrespected position in all of fantasy tight ends. You know the deal you either take trey mcbride with your first or second pick or you're scrambling by week four because you're streaming Cole Clement and hoping to get a red zone target. But I'm here to tell you that there are some tight ends that actually play in a friendly system, that actually support fantasy value.
Speaker 1:It's time we start drafting based on scheme, not on name, and the one we're going to start with here is David Njoku. Okay, every single year Njoku falls and falls, and he's that name that gets thrown around as a third-tier tight end, or it's the guy that gets picked up and dropped by every single team during the year just to fill their buy spot. But for the last four years he's averaged about seven to eight hundred yards and he's got about eight touchdowns to ten touchdowns a year. That's a lot of red zone own targets. Stefanski, their new OC, knows how to use a tight end and their options at quarterback right now are either Joe Flacco or probably Shador Sanders. So you're either going to get a statue that can't move and is looking for a dump off or a rookie who is probably going to struggle a little bit with his reads and Njoku is going to just sit in the flat and be open for targets. Same division, same position.
Speaker 1:Mark Andrews is still the guy, despite dropping that game-winning pass last year, but Isaiah likely fractured his foot and he's going to be questionable for week one, not to mention ramp up time and getting used to the offense again. Lamar loves to take off and run, but Lamar also loves his tight ends and he loves to act like he's gonna run and then dump it off to his tight ends. Andrews is a solid, solid tight end. Everybody thinks bad of him because of that drop pass, but he's a monster. He's currently the seventh ranked tight end and he's going in the eighth round. Do you know how many great players you can get before him while all your league mates scramble to grab a tight end? And you can grab Mark Andrews in the seventh. That's beautiful. Sign me up for that all day.
Speaker 1:Lastly, new England. This is a long shot and it could be ugly overall, but Rabel and McDaniels reuniting, being under Belichick during the years of Gronk and Hernandez. Hunter Henry, he could have a chance to quietly put up some numbers. But he's definitely last on this list for a reason, so don't bank your season on him. But could be a pretty solid pickup if nobody drafts him Now. Those are the good guys to get after Now.
Speaker 1:The teams to avoid with tight end. This is very important. Denver, I know. I know when you hear Sean Payton you think offensive guru and I know when you hear my next statement you're going to laugh at me. Sean Payton actually hates tight ends. Okay, all right. Well, look, he doesn't hate them. But historically he uses them as a decoy to draw the safety over the middle, to get the wide receiver one open and I can hear you now I can hear you. You're saying ian, you're, you're an idiot, you don't know what you're talking about. What about all those years with, uh, with Jimmy Graham? And yes, jimmy Graham was an absolute freak of an athlete in an era of football when teams didn't know how to cover the tight end and the offense was as simple as tight end release, two-step drop, get it in his hands and watch him go. But remember when they didn't want to pay him because he was trying to list himself as a receiver and then he had to settle for tight end money. Remember, a couple years later, when Sean Payton traded him to Seattle for two linemen and then he went on to fizzle out in Seattle? Remember, even during those years when Jimmy was a beast, that guys like Marcus Colson and Kenny Stills were putting up monster numbers too.
Speaker 1:Do not fall for the trap. Do not be fooled, fooled. Denver signed evan ingram. Let someone else else draft him. Let someone else draft him. Evan ingram couldn't figure it out with the giants, couldn't figure it out with jacksville, maybe a little bit. Now he's going to be in this denver offense with a tight end. That uh coach that knows how to use tight end. No, no, no, no. Cortland Sutton is the guy over there. Let someone else draft him and then you can write me, send me a DM and saying thank you. Thank you for helping me in my league. I really appreciate it.
Speaker 1:And the other trap is Chicago. Ben Johnson's scheme is wide receiver heavy and I know we all watched Sam Laporta rip up the league two years ago. But then teams figured out that he's no slouch and Ben Johnson did the same thing that Sean Payton did and focused on Amun Ra and, surprise, he had a career year last year. So now he goes to an offense where his starting tight end is Cole Komet who, if he used Laporta to block Komet's going to be blocking 85% of snaps just to give Caleb as much time as possible. So avoid it entirely. He may end up with the occasional touchdown here and there, but when he's on the waiver wire and you need a pickup act like you, don't even see his name. I trust me. Okay, and now I'm going to give you a little bonus tip too.
Speaker 1:Everyone always wants to chase the quarterback wide receiver stack because you know you get the touchdown. They threw the touchdown, they receive. No, the real stack to win your league is the quarterback tight end stack. If you can stack a stable late round quarterback with like a mid-tier tight end from the same team. There is so much value there and nobody sees it. The guys you should be thinking of are like cj shroud and dalton schultz, or like uh rogers and pat fryer muth, or maybe, if you pay a little extra for jayden jayden daniels and then you pick up zach ertz look, it's not sexy, but I promise you, while everybody else is chasing that quarterback wide receiver stack, that late round tight end quarterback stack is what's going to win you your league.
Speaker 1:And last but not least, before we wrap this up, I'm working on putting together a little uh listener fantasy football league. I had a couple people tap in on the wednesday mic check, but we're still looking to fill some slots. So if you're interested in joining, hit me up on Instagram or drop a comment here. We'll make it fun. We'll. We'll build some rivalries, some bragging rights. Anyone who joins, if you feel comfortable with it, we can do a quick little interview on the pod. And you know what? I'll even sweeten the pot. I'll do a giveaway for the winner, maybe an autographed card or a jersey of a player on the winning team. I think that sounds fair.
Speaker 1:And don't forget, the full fantasy football episode is dropping in the next couple weeks. Full fantasy football episode is dropping in the next couple weeks. Full draft strategy, full rankings, all the sleepers to help you dominate your league mates. You're not going to want to miss it. And by listening now you're already ahead of the curve. So there you have it Quarterbacks who you can trust, tight ends you shouldn't draft, and a listener league brewing for the real ones who stay through the fantasy talk. Keep those draft boards sharp, because winning your league starts right here. And just like that. Another week is in the books. Episode 25 man time flies when you're having fun. And just like that. Another week is in the books. Episode 25, man Time flies when you're having fun.
Speaker 1:We covered everything from contract chaos in Dallas, dak saying fuck man, like it's a group chat breakup, maybe even a potential Jets-Dallas trade on the horizon. Hit the Mets and Yankees dumpster fire. Like I was personally offended because I actually am and look, I'm not a Yankees fan, but somehow I still find myself yelling at Aaron Boone like he owes me money. Meanwhile the Mets are doing their usual August disappearing act. But hey, at least Carlos Mendoza looks like he actually might have a backbone, threw some flowers at Shohei and congratulated Roman Anthony on getting his bag, and Gavin Williams nearly got himself in the Mets history books for all the wrong reasons. Of course, we went deep on some fantasy Tall quarterback consistency, tight ends that actually might matter, a couple late round QBs that will either win you your league or ruin your Sunday.
Speaker 1:And we're also cooking up a listener league. So if you're down to play, you know where to find me. You enjoy the episodes. Make sure you're following on the Instagram, at rice on the radio, jump in the DMs, leave a comment and honestly rate the show on whatever platform you're listening on. Quick little five stars don't hurt nobody, but it really helps me. New episodes drop every week and I appreciate every single one of you who tunes in, shares the pod or just lets it roll in the background while you're pretending to work. That's love, love. So until next time, as always, spread good energy and tell someone you love them. I'm Ian Rice. This has been Rice on the Mics.