The Bird’s Nest: It’s Time We Talk

Time for a bit of a confessional. 

Before we get into some winners and losers from the NFL Draft, and discuss all the fantasy implications that go with it, I have to put it out there: I’m treading water. 

The NFL Draft absolutely wiped me out, and mentally I haven’t been right for a little bit. It has everything to do with the pressure I put on myself to deliver the best coverage of the sport I love for all of you. Now that the draft is over, I must rest up. This will be the last column I write for a while. My brain needs to turn off for a bit, and I have to mentally recharge before we get into the full swing of the fantasy football season. 

I love writing for Talking Points Sports, and I love bringing you beautiful people the content you crave. Given my own personal struggles as of late, I have to scale back and take some time away. This isn’t me going away for good, but quite the opposite. When I return in June, it is time to rock and roll. I want to mentally be back at it by then, and I promise you all I will be. 

During my time away, I will be spending some time on my own accord doing rankings and projections to help us get a clearer picture of fantasy for the new season. Fantasy draft season is one of my favorite times of year, and it requires everything from me to get every one of you ready to dominate your leagues. Right now, I simply do not have it. For that, I am endlessly sorry, and I promise to come back better than before. I promise you that. 

– Bird

Winner: Kenny Pickett, QB, Steelers

The Steelers were able to land their future franchise quarterback in Pickett, the former Pitt Panther, in round 1 on Thursday. Pickett will have the opportunity right away to come in and compete for the starting job against Mitchell Trubisky, and I do expect the young signal caller to give Trubisky a real run for his money in this competition if not win it outright.

Pickett was the most pro-ready option in this draft, and it cost the Steelers nothing to land him. Pickett also walks into the best situation for him, with the weapons around him poised to help him adjust immediately. If Pickett can win the starting job Diontae Johnson will be someone I want everywhere, especially in PPR leagues. Chase Claypool could have real nice bounceback potential as well, and Pat Friermuth could have significant upside. On tape Pickett thrived on throws targeting the middle of the field, where Friermuth resides. 

I was a fan of Najee Harris and his fantasy prospects for 2022 long before the NFL Draft. Now, I am even more confident in Harris’ ability to be a real star this year. In my early ranks, Harris comes in as my RB5 in half-PPR leagues. The Steelers just feel like a really safe spot for fantasy managers to go and invest in, and should yield safe production. 

Loser: Michael Carter, RB, Jets 

Just when we thought that Carter could potentially become the main running back for the Jets in 2022, the Jets slammed the breaks on that one. Breece Hall, my number one running back heading into the draft, went to the Jets in round 2 and managed to take another running back situation and throw it into disarray. 

This will more than likely be a committee situation to start, as the Jets simply cannot help themselves and make our lives miserable when trying to break down who will be the lead guy. At the end of the day, if I was a betting man, I think Hall will become the guy for the Jets on early-down and goal-line situations. This leaves Carter on the outside looking in. I have Carter outside my top-40 at the running back position, and will have zero shares of him this season. 

Hall should be viewed in the same way as fantasy managers have viewed Cam Akers, J.K. Dobbins, and Javonte Williams, in recent seasons. All three were highly-touted rookies that needed time to win their respective jobs before getting chances to lead their teams’ backfields. That is exactly what I expect from Hall, and even Kenneth Walker III in Seattle, for year one of their careers. 

Winner: Chris Olave, WR, Saints 

I cannot state enough times how much I absolutely love this landing spot for Olave. The Saints needed to get Jameis Winston some help outside of Michael Thomas and even Alvin Kamara as pass catchers for their offense. While they traded up to do it, Olave will be given every chance to produce right away for the Saints. 

Look at Winston’s history as a passer, and you will see why I love Olave so much. Winston gave birth to two fantastic receivers during his time in Tampa, two guys named Mike Evans and Chris Godwin. Granted, both benefited from Winston throwing 40-45 times a game. For his flaws though Winston has been able to produce some real gems for fantasy over the course of his career, and Olave may be another one.

Factor in now that the Saints did not draft a quarterback during this draft, giving Winston ample job security for this season. Andy Dalton is also there but he isn’t much of a threat, and Taysom Hill will be moved back to tight end this season. I want as much of Olave as I possibly can get my hands on, and he won’t be too expensive either with the likes of Treylon Burks, Jameson Williams, and Christian Watson getting most of the love when discussing the rookie receivers. 

Loser: Aaron Rodgers, QB, Packers

Do the Packers hate Aaron Rodgers, or do the Packers really, like actually,  hate Aaron Rodgers? What the team plans on doing at receiver is still a mystery to me, as once again they do not draft Rodgers a receiver in round 1 of the draft. They did however trade up in round 2 to land Christian Watson, one of my favorite receivers in this year’s class, but is it enough?

The Packers wide receiver depth chart after the draft looks like this: Allen Lazard, Christian Watson, Sammy Watkins, Randall Cobb, Romeo Doubs, Amari Rodgers, Juwan Winfree, Malik Taylor, Samori Toure, Rico Gafford, and Chris Blair. How on earth do the Packers expect Aaron Rodgers to work with that group and be as successful as we know he can be? It would take a real stroke of magic to get that group to work, in all honesty. 

Does Aaron Jones get exactly 1.8 million targets in the passing game to make up for the lack of receiving talent? I genuinely have no idea what Green Bay’s play is, but it is not looking promising. Rodgers is my QB11 at the moment, and might only be that because his name is Aaron Rodgers. 

Winner: Rashod Bateman

It is Rashod Bateman time in Baltimore. Lamar Jackson will continue to lean on Mark Andrews in the passing game for the Ravens, but with Marquise “Hollywood” Brown off to Arizona, Bateman now has the inside track to be the WR1 in Baltimore for the 2022 season. Rejoice. 

After the Brown trade, the Ravens did not even draft another receiver to replace him. This signals that the Ravens are okay with what they have at the position, further cementing Bateman’s place as the top guy on the depth chart. Bateman comes in as my WR26 in half PPR, with significant upside. 

Loser: Ryan Tannehill

The Titans not only traded away his best receiver in A.J. Brown to the Philadelphia Eagles, but they also traded up to draft his potential successor in Malik Willis. Ouch. I wasn’t a huge fan of the Titans coming into 2022 anyway, but now I am totally out. Treylon Burks, who was drafted to replace Brown, has a chance to be a real target hog for this offense, but is too risky for me to invest in. I also do not love Robert Woods as much, which is sad because he has always been a favorite of mine. 

There is a real chance that Willis could usurp Tannehill as the starter at some point during the season. The team will assess where Willis is at, given he is still very raw, and may give him an opportunity at some point. This leaves Tannehill as a lame duck option, as a man on borrowed time.