🥁 Justin Herbert, Blake Corum Carnell Tate: Who’s Making NOISE!?

He was arguably the most pro-ready receiver in this year's rookie class. And right now, everything that he has done at Training Camp has bared that out, has validated that assertion. I'm Liz Loza, this is Facts vs. Feelings, and today's Facts is that percussion can lead to persuasion. Hello, Daniel Dobb, fresh off of many, many mocks, and back in your tiny box, it did not mean to do all of that rhyming, but I think it sounded pretty lyrical. You're good at what you're good at, Liz, and you shouldn't be ashamed of that, okay? If you ever want to write children's books, that's another career that you could potentially have. But today, on the show, Liz, I want to talk to you about an article that you're going to be writing and the big part of our show today, Drumbeat Players. I look forward to this article every single year on ESPN.com. What is a Drumbeat Player, though, before we dive into these names? Well, this is the time of year where Training Camps are in full swing, and different players are starting to make noise. A considerable syncopation, if you will, is building some people call it buzz, other people call it momentum, but there are some players that are starting to separate themselves in a unique way, and maybe their ADP is rising as a result, or maybe people just haven't started to listen yet, and so these are the players that I like to identify in my Drumbeat's article so that we can yes live in the present, but also have an eye towards the future. All right, Liz, then let's start with the quarterback position. Talk about our signal caller, and Justin Herbert has perennially been a guy that we have wanted more from and fantasy over the last couple of years. He has not been inside the top 10 at the quarterback position. It's not finished there since 2021, and so we've been waiting for a couple of years to have him get back to that early season success, early career success that we saw when he was a little bit younger in the league. Now we're excited with Mike McDaniel coming over as the OC. It definitely feels like between him Herbert and all the pieces of this offense. You have a pretty nice drumbeat. Tell me how you feel about Justin Herbert. Well, to be fair, Herbert's drumbeat has turned more into a Travis Barker upside down solo. By the way, I just watched the doc about him. Excellent. It would definitely wreck the amended, but to that point, the excitement is absolutely building in large part. You're right to the addition of Mike McDaniel, who had a ton of offers to take jobs elsewhere, but specifically signed with the chargers because he wanted to unlock everything that Herbert has within his skill set from, yes, his cannon of an arm that we all recognize, but also to his mobility, which we did see more of last season, even if we saw that. Because of a lack of protection. So I think there's a really great opportunity and all reports from camp suggests that these two have clicked and that Herbert has been able to adapt to McDaniel scheme with astonishing ease. Hey, that'll make it a lot easier to figure out an offensive line that would protect him as well. Did not have Rashon Slater or Joe Alt for a bunch of games last year. Very excited to have them both back. Joe Alt obviously fully healthy Rashon Slater. I know dealing with some things right now, but they also address the interior of that offensive line. It really feels like with the way that this offensive line is set up, albeit with the Rashon Slater injury, it should be a much better offensive line to set up not only Justin Herbert, but the entire offense. Maybe some easy dump offs. Like we used to see McDaniel call when he was down in Miami to that nice pass catcher in Omari in Hampton. So I'm loving where this is at as well. He's got a ton of great weapons within this offense to be able to utilize. I love the ability to utilize. I love the surrounding town. I love as you mentioned the depth that was added to the offensive line. Yes, unfortunately, we do have to monitor Rashon Slater's current injury status, though it is worth mentioning that last season, Slater didn't see the field at all throughout the regular season. Joe Alt was actually quite key. He was officially lost in week nine, and the numbers, the disparity between Herbert's numbers with Joe Alt on the field versus without are really staggering. I just want to review them for everyone before Alt went down. Herbert led the position in passing yards and he posted over 20 fantasy points per game. That was from weeks one through eight. After Alt was gone for the remainder of the year, Herbert was the QB 18 in passing yards and he managed an underwhelming 15.8 fantasy points per game. So even if Slater is out this season, we know with Alt on the field, fully healthy as he has been throughout training camp that Herbert has a really solid floor. I have him ranked as my QB nine. You do as well. So I think there is potential for him to return to becoming a top 10 at least signal caller for fantasy purposes in 2026. I co-sign on everything that you just said. All I need you to do is just sneak over to the stadium and just sage the offensive line room. Let's just keep him healthy as long as possible for Justin Herbert and all of our fantasy squats. Okay. But I want to stay in L.A. You don't mind and talk about another player Blake Korum. This drum beat I feel like has been coming on not since the beginning of the offseason, but almost since the end of last year. Sean McVeigh started to unveil this two running back package a little bit more with Kyron Williams and Blake Korum at the end of last season and it doesn't feel like that's going away. What are you hearing as far as your drum beat around Blake Korum right now? Well, I've got to give Korum his props because he showed up big Lee in year two. He got his carries. He tripled his rushing numbers. He was ultra efficient managing 5.1 yards per touch. He was ultra explosive running ripping off 10 runs of 15 or more yards and I think Sean McVeigh started to take note because you really saw Korum emerge around mid season. He just ahead in fact of the Rams week 8 by he was started getting more opportunities. He recorded double digit carries in six of the teams last 10 regular season games and all six of his rushing scores came between weeks 9 and 18 interestingly. Kyron Williams, who we thought was the RB1, the undisputed RB1 in this backfield. He managed just two contests of more than 15 carries during that same span weeks 9 through 18. So I think that Korum could absolutely push for a 50/50 split in this backfield and Sean McVeigh seems to be singing his praises. Yeah, there is nothing but positive vibes coming out of training camp right now. You already had mentioned how explosive he was last year. He looks even more explosive right now in training camp. Looks even leaner than he did last season. And Sean McVeigh said, "He's a stud and he's going to be a big factor in what we're going to do this year." It kind of sounds to me, like the ADP gap between Blake Korum and his Kyron Williams backfield mate is just too big right now with how loud this Blake Korum drum beat is. Girl, it is 9 to 10 rounds. Korum is going that much later than Williams, which I think is wild. Give me the volume and give me the volume of the drum beat too. I love that. And last thing, if anything were to happen to Kyron Williams, obviously for you at Blake Korum, you'd have a literal RB1 of the Rams on your hand, who is a great insurance back as well. Alright, what about wide receivers in Tennessee? Our producer David Presley's favorite team is the Tennessee Titans. He's been waiting years for them to be relevant again in the NFL. Liz, they finally got a wide receiver, a premium wide receiver to pair with their quarterback in Cam Ward, Karnel Tate. How you feel about the drum beat surrounding him and what we've seen in camp so far? You know, producer Presley may have been waiting a long time for this offense to be exciting, but the Titans receiving core has been waiting for an alpha since AJ Brown pieced out of 2021 and Karnel Tate has the skill set to fill that role. I mean, he has excellent chemistry with Cam Ward. Cam Ward needs to work on his accuracy, but the rapport is there. And Tate is regularly making highlight real worthy grabs. In fact, there were so impressive in practice and padded practice that ESPN's own Pat McAfee likened Tate's potential trajectory to that of Terry McLaurin. So Tate is doing what he needs to do. He is likely going to move all over the formation, but eventually man the perimeter working as a compliment to the slot machine that is Wondale Robinson. And I think again, even if Ward is struggling a little bit with accuracy and anticipation, Tate will draw so many opportunities projected to draw upwards of 120 targets. In fact, that he can pull him into production while also ROIing on low end wide receiver to value for fantasy managers. I like the way you look at this list. You mentioned Wondale Robinson obviously coming back to be able to work with Brian Dable again, but it should very much be carnal Tate as the alpha in this offense because no offense to Ella Giamanner or Chimray DK. There isn't really anyone else to be able to challenge him here in Tennessee. And on top of that list, it feels like the strength of schedule. Did you tell me earlier the strength of schedule for this Titans wide receiving core is pretty easy? Yes, in fact, they have the second easiest strength of schedule at the position. So excellent final point there on you, Daniel. Yeah, love that. So hopefully you can get some extra value out of carnal Tate. Alright, don't go anywhere before we do our next segment. Please do us a quick favor. Head over and like and subscribe to this video. It means so much to Liz and I and helps us out immensely and being able to find others to be able to watch facts versus feelings along with you. And please. send us your voice mails. We need so many more questions. We love being able to get them. We have a ton, but we want to keep stockpiling them. That phone number is 323-391-4855. Liz Losa class is in session. I am being told that is the bell. And we are going into our running back 101 class. Are you ready to go to school right now, Liz? Because we're diving in. I mean, I went to college, so I've been a student plenty. I think it is time for me to put on my glasses and beat the teacher though. Okay. Yes, and pay. Listen, let's dive in right now. Running back syllabus, running back 101. I got three questions for you can hopefully set the record straight for everybody else here in the class. When I'm looking at the running back spot, let's talk about the player that you say, I am okay if I walk away with this person as my RB1 in drafts. What's the latest, the last person that you want to walk away with as your RB1 and talk us about your running back tiers? Okay. Well, first, let me just throw out a stat that can help contextualize the position because we talk about how this position dries up very quickly. And obviously, we all know that volume is king. Last year, 10 running backs cleared 300 total touches. Unsurprisingly, there are currently 10 running backs coming off the board in the first two rounds. So I just want people to keep that in mind as we talk about these players. I would say I have 13 running backs that I feel comfortable with as my RB1. I become increasingly less comfortable as we go down the list. I'll start with them in order. B. John Robinson, Jamir Gibbs, then James Cook, Jonathan Taylor, Devon H and Cmc, Ashton Gentie, Omarion Hampton, I really like that top. That's kind of where I want to stop. But if I am in a larger league, or it doesn't fall to me that way, I think I would feel comfortable with sake one, Barkley, Derek Henry, Jeremiah, love, Chase Brown, and Kenneth Walker, the third being my final player in that RB1 threshold, those guys all in my third tier at the position. If you do get one of those tier three running backs as your RB1, while you may not be leaving the draft feeling super strong about your running back position, ideally, you are really strong somewhere else because you attacked the first two picks somewhere else. So even though it might not feel great Liz, part of that is just saying I'll have a strong draft elsewhere, which I fully understand. So yeah, 13 running backs as your RB1, that's fine. I'm not going to take you to task on that, even though there's only 10 running backs that can be an RB1. And this is a college class. And you're the teacher though. So that's fine. All right. Let's talk about some sleepers. Fast fail, baby. Move ahead. Talk about some late round sleeper pickups. Are there any running backs that you feel like because we look at the beginning of the draft more often than not running back sleepers are tougher to find? Do you have anyone that you like later on in drafts to keep targeting? Well, I think we've over the entire off season mentioned a couple of guys. And I don't want to be redundant. I always want to provide our listeners and our viewers with fresh information and a new take. So yes, I will quickly recap. Jonathan Brooks, obviously Kenneth Gainwell, duh. Blake Korum, obviously we talked about him earlier. But I think we need to discuss Tyler L. Gear because Jeremiah love is now dealing with a high ankle sprain. That is concerning, particularly for a rookie. And we know that rookies often hit a plateau during their first years because they're, you know, preseason, their off season isn't really that off L. Gear, we know it is a poaching monster. He is a perfectly capable running back. Um, he cleared a thousand rushing yards as a rookie back in 2022. And then he spent the next three seasons poaching Bigeon at the goal line. So I think that L. Gear is someone that is going to surprise and is available very late. I agree with you. Absolutely worth being a sleeper later on in your draft. That's a really great set of names there. Liz, I want to ask you one more question then. Okay. Running backs that you are not drafting in fantasy football. Is it anyone that you just feel like you are out on this year either at cost or because of a situation that they are dealing with? Well, I very loudly stated that Christian McCaffrey and Jonathan Taylor are two players that I want to fade at their current ADPs in the first round. Right. So there is value to anything eventually, right? Um, I don't want to harp on those because again, we've spent significant amounts of this program previously discussing the house and why is that? But I think Bucky Irving is a player that I am surpassing every time. Like I see his name and I just go down the list. I don't even consider it anymore. And I just want to remind everybody of his incredible volatility and why I think he'll continue to fall not only has he been doing dealing with this lingering shoulder injury, but he also has a running style that invites extra injury and the coaching staff knows that. So that's why they've added other pieces like the aforementioned Kenneth Gainwell to keep him healthy, to keep him from taking so many touches and actually, you know, have him staying on the field. We also have Sean Tucker who's going to be involved in the short yardage and goal line situations. So to me, Irving doesn't have a play style that I think keeps him on the field. Already has an injury and isn't going to see incredible volume. I like the offense, but I don't like the situation. So I'm very out on him. And how the tables have turned with where we were at on Bucky Irving just two years ago in fantasy football. A fellow key was going to be a darling for us for years to come, but I'm with you on that with you on that. Unfortunately, it's one of the runny backs that I also have not drafted a lot of, but Bucky Irving should still be probably a low-end RB2 based on our rankings, just given the fact that he's going to be the lead back of the running backs, but it sort of feels weird not to be in and a guy that we liked so much just a couple of years ago. Hey, this was great though. Liz, I would like to say your class exceeds expectations, if I might. Oh, wait, no, you don't do grades. You went to Brown. Sorry. This is a safe place. It's a place where we can feel free sharing our feelings. All right, Doc. Let's listen to those voicemails. Yeah, first one, Liz. Buckle up. It's from a Florida man. Hey, guys, big fan of the show. This is Zach from Jacksonville. How do you guys see the jacks back? They'll shake it out. We got Chris Rodriguez now, Boot and Tutan, and let's point Allen. I'm thinking Tutan is the first and second down back. Rodriguez is the third with Allen sprinkled in there. We'll be interested to see who gets most of the receiving a goal at work. I'm curious to hear what y'all think. I think a lot of people are nervous about this backfield because there's an opportunity for whoever becomes the team's RB1 with 296 touches now vacated per Travis A chance to parcher. It's a little bit tricky because we love the teams do this kind of with Chris Rodriguez and Basel Tutan listed as co-starters on the depth chart. I'm not so worried about it though, Daniel. Like I, I am backing Basel Tutan. I think that he is the more dynamic player. He's better in space. He has the better hands. He managed seven touchdowns on 93 total touches when working behind Travis H&N last season. Now, our colleague Field Gates does make a good point about how Liam Cohen was Chris Rodriguez's college coach. And so maybe there's a familiarity or an affection there. But I think at the end of the day, you have to follow the talent talent is always the tiebreaker. My front Andy Barons taught me that. So I am in on Tutan. What about you? I am also in on Tutan Liz because to me, it feels like he just is going to command this backfield with the skill set and talent that he has, just like you said. And this is not meant to slander Chris Rodriguez. I just don't think he has the same skill set that Basel Tutan has. He's more of an every down kind of a guy. So I know they paid him real money. I don't even have Chris Rodriguez ranked. Everyone else here at ESPN fantasy, Field Gates doesn't have him ranked. And I think everyone else is outside the top 45 right now for the running back position. So Basel Tutan is where we are at, doesn't mean that a role couldn't emerge for Chris Rodriguez. But I would more assume that Basel Tutan was going to be where I would go with that one. Yeah. I have Tutan ranked as my RB 22. I expect him to average about 15 touches per game. Yeah. I like that. All right. This next question from our voicemail line Liz comes from Gabe from Chicago, Indiana. Hey, this is Gabe from Chicago. Go Bears. I was wondering if you guys think that Ashen Gentie will have that sort of second year leave that beach on hat. I think they're in similar situation. And yeah, go Bears. Thank you guys. I mean, yes, go Bears. I love this optimism, especially to someone who's really high on Gentie last year. I do think he has that sort of talent to make a Robinson Esk leave. Gentie was the RB 15 in fantasy points per game. It was the RB 11 overall at the position last year. RB seven and carries and receptions. RB five in breakaway runs. RB four innovative tackles. And he did all of that behind an absolutely disastrous Raiders offensive line. And in perhaps the limpest offense in the league second to maybe the Browns last season. So we have this year some new opportunities, right? They fortified the offensive line. The Raiders paid Tyler Lindembalm, a boatload of money. Hopefully left tackle Colton Miller can stay healthy. That should help Gentie. And I think best of all, the Raiders now have Clint Kubiak, who just won a Super Bowl via installing the third highest rush rate. So opportunity is certain there. Certainly there I wouldn't say. RB2, but I do have genty inside my top eight at the position. Liz, just thank you for saying that last part, because I felt bad for not being adoptimist here, because I also love Ashton genty, but I feel like RB2 is a little too optimistic. That like Bajon Robinson, second year lead, maybe a little bit too optimistic given what this offense is, but I co-sign on everything else that you say this should, this kid should only get better with the team that should be better here in 2026 as well. All right. Last question that we have from voice mail. This one comes from Cobbler Matthew. Well, hello, Liz, and maybe Daniel. I just saw a show with both of you up in Connecticut. It was this is Matthew from Two Makersville, Pennsylvania. Yes, it's a real place. I have a question whether to see Spider-Man or Odyssey tonight. Well, that is a question, but not one that you'll probably want to answer. Here is my real question. Two Keepers. Who do I keep? Dem Trevor Lawrence, JT, K9 Walker, Justin Jefferson, Devonta Smith, Tray McBride, or Luther Burton. I can only keep two. Thanks, guys. I hope I see the answer someday. Matthew, thank you so much for calling in. Also, I would see Spider-Man because it's about a brand new day, and the Odyssey is about 10 years that never get new and don't change at all. Probably not a popular take. Anyway, what kind of league are you in my dude? How do you have this? Well, how am I? There are six teams in this league. How do you have this many potential keepers at the position? Daniel, where do you want to start? Because like, let's start Trevor Lawrence. I don't think he needs to keep back because you can get Trevor Lawrence in the 10th round. That's a good value, right? Out. Correct. Yeah. Out. So at the running back spot, running back, you could potentially keep our John and the Taylor or Ken Walker the third. I'm assuming because of the fact that he didn't say there is costs, anything to keep them. Correct. I would just take the highest rated running back. So no offense to Ken Walker the third, but he's probably out because I think JT, I have ranked way higher than Ken Walker. Would you agree with that? Yes, I agree. Okay. So then the wide receivers. Wide receivers. Yeah. Justin Jefferson, Devonta Smith, no offense to Luther Burton. I think those are out. Yeah. It's Justin Jefferson, Devonta Smith, Tremick bride and John and the Taylor. Those are the four that we're trying to pair down to two people here. Liz, a tight end, two wide receivers and a running back. Do you feel strongly about McBride because of the positional value? Maybe that you're getting at the tight end spot? I think you want to lock in the most expensive players who also offer the highest floor. And that is Jonathan Taylor and Tremick bride. Now we do expect Justin Jefferson to improve on last year's numbers, but there's still question marks. And Devonta Smith, we have talked about the fact that he's probably not an alpha. And while volume should be there, there isn't a guarantee that he's going to all of a sudden do what AJ Brown did last year. Very different players. So McBride, lock up that tight end spot and don't have to worry about giving up a second round pick because he hasn't stipulated that in the voicemail and then also get yourself an RB1 done and done. Yeah, I think you are right on that because wide receivers so deep, you can absolutely find those guys in the draft that you're doing. Lock up that tight end and that running back spot. Liz, that was good advice by you. Great job. And do too. Today we learned that Justin Herbert is doing all the small things. That shoemakersville, Pennsylvania is a real place and that percussion can lead to persuasion. This is the song of the fantasy off season. So keep your ear to the ground because some of these players are just starting to sing. To look at my whole list of drumbeat players, check out the article currently live on the.com and remember, you can still call us with your questions via voicemail. We love hearing from you. The number to call is 3-2-3-3-9-1-4855. Until next time, may your facts be solid, your feelings be right and your bus be someone else's problem. No, that was it. Keep it and then just bleep.