The Jacobs bomb lands in the middle of draft season
The Fantasy Footballers open episode 1962 with the same problem every league faces in late August: the news is moving faster than the draft. Hosts Andy Holloway, Jason Moore, and Mike Wright sit down on Monday, August 31, with September kickoff close enough to smell and a weekend full of drafts behind them. The show starts with the usual FantasyChamps plug, a “freaking behemoth of a Fantasy Championship belt,” and a reminder that the trophy, belt, and ring are waiting for the league winner. Then the real work begins: sorting the noise before the next wave of drafts hits.
Aaron Donald, Zach Ertz, and the good news that still hurts
The first news block is a reminder that fantasy football is not only about bad news. Aaron Donald decided to say, “I’m back,” and the hosts treat it like the rare positive shock that can still wreck a lineup. “That just that doesn’t happen,” one of them says, because a defensive star announcing a return is not the usual offensive-side injury update. The conversation also touches the Eagles and Zach Ertz, with the hosts asking whether a reunion is on the table. “That is Possible. That is nasty,” they say, because a veteran tight end returning to a proven offense can change the value of a late-round pick overnight.
Preseason takeaways: Pitts, Bell, and the rookies who earned a look
The show then moves to the final week of preseason, and the hosts separate hype from signal. Kyle Pitts is the first name. “Kyle Pitts in this offense for Atlanta, I think, is going to be incredible,” one host says, after a 37-yard sideline run that looked less like a tight end experiment and more like a reminder of his old speed. “That’s a tight end. That’s not Austin Eckler trying to run down the sideline,” the show adds, framing Pitts as a player who can still create when the play breaks open.
Chris Bell gets the same kind of attention in Miami. The hosts call him a first-round talent and argue that the Dolphins offense may not be as bad as the early chatter suggested. “I still think they’re going to surprise a little bit on office,” one host says, using “office” as the familiar shorthand for offense. The point is not that Bell is a lock. The point is that a rookie receiver who can move the ball in preseason deserves a place in the conversation, especially in redraft leagues where a late-round flier can become a weekly starter.
The rookie running back segment is where the show gets practical. Emmett is highlighted in Kansas City after DeMarcado was waived, and the hosts compare his style to Isaiah Pacheco at his best: violent, aggressive, and useful as a true backup. Detroit’s backup situation gets a quick look, with the hosts joking about “Sailor Jerry” and “Mike Washington” before landing on Jacob Sailors as a player who might actually get on the field. Baltimore’s Adam Randall is another name to track, but the short-term IR move means he will not miss the first four weeks, which changes the timing of his value. The Colts’ Seth McGowan is mentioned as the insurance back for Johnny Taylor over DJ Giddens, a small detail that can matter when a backup is the only reason a running back is worth a roster spot.
The Jacobs fallout: exempt list, Caleb Johnson, and the Packers’ new reality
The main event is Josh Jacobs. The NFL placed the Packers running back on the commissioner’s exempt list, and the news landed moments after the Packers traded for running back Caleb Johnson. The hosts react quickly, updating rankings for Marshawn Lloyd, the Packers offense, and Jacobs himself. The trade makes sense as a depth move behind an injury-prone Marshawn Lloyd and Chris Brooks, but the exempt list changes the whole picture. Jacobs is no longer a normal injury risk. He is a question mark with a timeline, a contract, and a league that may be trying to protect him from a decision he would not make on his own.
The show does not treat the move as a simple injury report. It is a league-level intervention. The hosts discuss what the exempt list means for fantasy owners, what it says about the Packers’ offense, and why the timing matters so much when drafts are still happening. “I took Jacobs in the chopped league, so him and I are already on the block. You’re both shot,” one host says, and the line captures the mood: some owners are already dealing with the fallout, while others are still deciding whether to take the risk.
Draft timing: why 91 percent of the room is glad they waited
The Jacobs news feeds directly into the show’s advice on draft timing. One host posted a reminder to draft as late as you want, and the response was a mix of agreement and pushback. “91% of people who did their draft are happy that they didn’t get that land mine,” the show says, and the math is the point. If most owners who drafted early are relieved they missed the Jacobs bomb, the emotional argument for drafting early is weak. The hosts are not saying every league should wait. They are saying casual players should not punish themselves by locking in a roster before the news settles.
The show also pushes back on the idea that early drafting is fun because it lets you mock people who get hurt. “That’s dumb. That’s really objectively stupid like,” one host says, and the line is blunt enough to land. The better fantasy experience is to wait, absorb the news, and then build a roster that can survive the first week. For hardcore leagues that like the chaos, the hosts concede the point. For everyone else, the advice is simple: do not let the thrill of the draft turn into a trap.
Mailbag: Lloyd, Pollard, Bigsby, and the questions that change your board
The mailbag section turns the Jacobs fallout into a set of practical calls. The hosts discuss whether to draft Marshawn Lloyd or Tony Pollard, how the Packers offense fits Lloyd better than Jacobs, and what Jordan Love means without Jacobs in the backfield. The question is not just about one player. It is about a whole offense that may be built around a different running back style, and the hosts use the mailbag to show how one injury can reshape a draft board.
Other mailbag topics widen the scope. Tank Bigsby is called a player who should be drafted everywhere, and the hosts use him as an example of a running back whose value is easy to miss when the board is full of flashier names. The show also touches on Keenan Allen’s DWI arrest, a story that matters less for the stats and more for the roster decision: when a veteran is dealing with a real-life issue, the owner has to decide whether the risk is worth the reward. The mailbag is where the podcast turns news into advice, and it is the part of the episode that gives the Jacobs discussion its practical edge.
The community behind the show
Between the news and the mailbag, the hosts take a moment to talk about the live show in Phoenix. More than 800 people showed up, and the hosts met fans from Canada, New York, Boston, Tennessee, and Nashville. One listener, JD, came from Texas as a double amputee who listened to the show throughout his recovery. The story is not a side note. It is the reason the podcast feels like a community rather than a content channel. The hosts also mention the Mega League, with 14,878 entries as of the show, and the open draft spots for members. The number is a reminder that the season is not just about the hosts’ opinions. It is about thousands of owners making the same calls at the same time.
What to watch for next
The episode ends where the season is heading: into a week of drafts, injuries, and decisions that will define the fantasy year. The hosts leave the listener with a clear set of takeaways. Jacobs is the story, but the exempt list makes him a different kind of story. Pitts and Bell are the preseason signals that can change a late-round pick. Lloyd, Pollard, Bigsby, and the backup running backs are the mailbag questions that turn news into a roster move. The Fantasy Footballers do not just report the news. They use it to build a plan.
Watch the full episode to hear the hosts break down the Jacobs fallout, the preseason takeaways, and the mailbag calls that can change your draft before the next kickoff.