Latest news with #FarazSiddiqi
Yahoo
17 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Can Bryce Young be a functional fantasy QB?
Yahoo Fantasy's Matt Harmon and Faraz Siddiqi of Upper Hand Fantasy explain why pieces are in place for the Panthers quarterback to take a big leap in his third season. Hear the full conversation on the 'Yahoo Fantasy Forecast' podcast - and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen. View more Video Transcript This is one where I think we're kind of missing the boat, because this is another room that looks pretty deep with options. Tedro MacMillan, uh, Jacob Gibbs pointed this out. He has been on the field for 100% of Bryce Young's dropbacks, to target on 50% of Bryce Young's throws, uh, which I think makes sense. Like, you should be trying to get your number one rookie wide receiver totally in sync with Bryce Young. I think McMillan is gonna be ready to rock from day one. Feelin is still playing well. We'll see what Ligette gives him. I'm a big Jalen Coker fan. Uh, they're really excited about, uh, Jataian Sanders, who we probably need to just go ahead and put him at the starting tight end spot for this depth chart here. They go too deep in the backfield between Cuba Hubbard and Rico Dowdle, two guys I think you can play. And I think this is a more than functional offensive line. Better than the run game, the pass game for Oz, but still a more than functional offensive line. So typically, like when I like an offense overall, but I don't quite know how some of the pieces are gonna come together, which is how I feel about wide receiver 2 to, I don't know, 4 or 5 here if you wanna include Hunter Renfro in the mix. Typically I just think, all right, well, I, I, I just want the quarterback of that offense, so it, it brings me back to Bryce Young as a guy that I think could take a real leap in year 3 of his NFL career. I'm with you. You know, uh, he's been one of those guys. Drake May has been a huge part of my draft plan where I would just forego quarterback and take Drake May in the double digit rounds. But if I cannot get May, let's say I get sniped. I think Bryce Young is actually one of the quarterbacks I end up going with because of the fact that he does have some legs, right? He has a little bit of rushing ability to go along with that. Season last 6 weeks he was one of the best fantasy quarterbacks, you know, among all fantasy quarterbacks. So he's, you know, averaging more than 20 fantasy points per game. So that, that is there. And then you look at what Dave Canalla has done with other quarterbacks, right? Like a little bit of a quarterback whisperer, right? So if he could kind of come in for this year. With Bryce Young and take him to the next level, obviously this past preseason game. You know, it wasn't the best example of that, but you know, it's a preseason game, so you can't say too much or throw the baby out with the bathwater. It's one of those situations where you got the receiving core isn't that bad. You added a true number one talent, and you mentioned, you know, the slot role like with Adam Thielen. I feel like if Adam Thielen, you know, he's an old man at this point in football years, but he has, you know, Hunter Renfrow who can just slide in. To that role. So you know, I don't know if there's that much of a drop off there, you know, if, if they were to lose him for whatever reason. And I think, you know, there is a point where this offense could take the next step, especially Bryce Young's development with Dave Canales coaching him up. Close
Yahoo
17 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
12 BREAKOUT candidates you need to target in your fantasy drafts
We kick off 'Boom or bust week' on the pod with Upper Hand Fantasy's Faraz SIddiqi joining Matt Harmon to identify 12 breakout candidates in 2025 you need to target in your fantasy drafts. The two alternate their picks and stand on the table for guys they think will have career years this season.
Yahoo
17 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Why is Rashod Bateman being drafted so late?
Yahoo Fantasy's Matt Harmon and Faraz Siddiqi of Upper Hand Fantasy discuss the Ravens receiver's low ADP despite being in a top-10 offense. Hear the full conversation on the 'Yahoo Fantasy Forecast' podcast - and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen. View more Video Transcript The Ravens are projected to be a top 10 offense at a basic level, no, no, no, no, this is like, a top 2 offense by every every source, and yet their #2 wide receiver goes deep deep in the hundreds in fantasy football drafts, and he is a good player. Like, okay, maybe you don't buy what I'm selling with reception rate, success rates, and the fact that he's been awesome. I don't know why you're listening to the show if that's true. But thank you for listening to the show anyways. But seriously, uh, but again, the guy is a really good route runner, separates at all three levels. But last year, he proved it statistically, when he got his opportunities, he was awesome. Sixty-four wide receivers had 40+ catches last year, Faraz. Rashod Bateman had the highest percentage of those catches go for a first down or a touchdown. Super explosive, over 40% explosive play rate. Um, and he saw 7.7% of his snaps from the slot, easily the lowest among that 40-plus reception club at the wide receiver position last year. I think the slot rate goes up this year because I think they will play more 11 personnel with DeAndre Hopkins in the mix. And Hopkins, I think, actually fits more as a boundary player than he played a lot of X receiver. I don't think that's the best use of him, but when he's just on the field for third downs and stuff, he'll line up at X and allow Bateman to move around a little bit more. And again, this is just taking a good player attached to a good quarterback that nobody else wants to draft. So, listen, Bateman had what, like between 700 and 800 yards last year. I think he is one of my, uh, if I'm looking at non-rookie wide receivers that go in the hundreds, I think he's one of my favorite bets to get to over 900 this year. There's just more room for Rashod Bateman to grow, uh, and yeah, I will be tweeting out, hell yeah, Rashod Bateman every single time he catches a football this year. Close
Yahoo
17 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Why Rome Odunze could be 'huge' in fantasy in 2025
Yahoo Fantasy's Matt Harmon and Faraz Siddiqi of Upper Hand Fantasy decide if Chicago's No. 1 receiver can turn things around for fantasy managers this season. Hear the full conversation on the 'Yahoo Fantasy Forecast' podcast - and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen. View more Video Transcript I just look at the situation from last year and I look at the stats. Right? I'm looking at Shane Waltrin's offense when he was in Seattle when JSN was drafted, and then I look at his offense when Doonesday was drafted. Right? And there's so many parallels, dude. It's crazy. A 1.37 yards per route run for Ouna, his rookie year, 1.39 for JSN, right? And we all know what JSN did this year in year two, right, when he moved to a different offense. 19% first retarget share for Udun, 19% for JSN, his rookie year. 17% target share for Udoze his rookie year, 16% for JSN. And you know, you look at Ben Johnson coming in now, you know, going from Shane Walton to Ben Johnson, huge 180, right? Johnson's already talking up O Doonay. Like, I don't know if you heard his soliloquy on Odoona a couple of weeks ago talking about his route running, his ability to play extra receiver and all that. And it pal. I'm saying it, I'm saying it to myself before I go to sleep every day. You know, so like, I, I, and, and from all accounts, like he is the go to wide receiver right now in training camp. And, you know, you look at Keenan Allen, you know, he was, Keenan Allen low key commanded a 27% target share last year. That was 4th, 14th among all wide receivers, um, and the connection just wasn't there, uh, you know, between Caleb Williams and Romo Doomsday, number one and number two. Like I just don't think. You know, he was put in the right situations because of the offense environment. 59 wide receivers ran 400 plus routes last year. Romo Duonson's 61.2% catchable target rate ranked dead last, 59th among those 59 wide receivers. But because the reports say that he has, they're building a strong connection, like if that number just even normalizes, right? It could be huge. So I'm somebody who's back in on Rumbo Doomsday. I think that he is like, if I had to like, tell, tell you like, OK, who, who do I think is like the best pure wide receiver who has the best like. Alpha potential, I think it's Rome, and I think, uh, uh, an OC like Ben Johnson is going to be able to get that out of him. There's a little bit of trust that I'm putting in here to Ben Johnson, but I do think he can right this ship, and I think Oday can definitely turn around and have a huge year too. Close
