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Fantasy Focus Football

Best Value Picks in Early Fantasy Football Mock Drafts | ESPN Fantasy

Fantasy Focus Football

ESPN Radio

Sports

4.4 โ€ข 13.4K Ratings

๐Ÿ—“๏ธ 14 May 2026

โฑ๏ธ 17 minutes

๐Ÿงพ๏ธ Download transcript

Summary

Liz Loza dives into early fantasy football mock draft trends and separates the hype from the reality heading into the 2026 fantasy football season. She breaks down whether Jeremiyah Love is overhyped and why Jadarian Price stands out as mid-round value. She also discusses the upside for Brian Thomas Jr, who the alpha WR is for the San Francisco 49ers, and reveals who sheโ€™d take at 1.01 today. Plus, Liz examines whether Justin Herbert is a sleeper and where the Detroit Lions offense stands post-Ben Johnson. 0:00 - ๐Ÿ‘‹ Welcome 0:30 - ๐Ÿ“ˆ Jeremiyah Loveโ€™s ADP hype vs reality 3:18 - ๐Ÿ’Ž Why Jadarian Price stands out in the mid-rounds 5:57 - ๐Ÿค” Does Brian Thomas Jr. have upside? 9:11 - ๐Ÿ”ฅ Who is the Ninersโ€™ alpha WR? 11:06 - ๐Ÿ‘‘ Who would you draft at 1.01 today? 11:50 - ๐Ÿ˜ด Is Justin Herbert a sleeper pick? 13:24 - ๐Ÿฆ Where the Lions offense stands post-Ben Johnson Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0

All right, trigger warning.

0:01.0

I'm going to open an old wound here and talk about a player that was arguably the biggest bust at the wide receiver position in 2025.

0:08.6

It is, hey, I'm Liz Loza.

0:11.2

This is facts versus feelings.

0:13.0

And today's fact is that awareness creates opportunity.

0:20.2

Hello, Liz Loza, producer Q out of the bullpen and back into the producers box.

0:25.3

And I'm very excited to be with you today because you've been doing a ton of mock drafting as a part of the mock draft project, which as I understand it, is a series of 10 mock drafts with the same 10 ESPN analysts.

0:38.4

Using what you've learned, let's discuss a player that we've got a lot of questions about

0:42.3

in fantasy therapy.

0:44.0

Happy too, I have found this project very illuminating, and I wanted to discuss Jeremiah

0:49.4

Love because fantasy heads have been hyped about this player since before, well before, he was drafted by the Cardinals in April.

0:57.7

And for good reason.

0:58.5

I mean, just to review, his 40 scrimmage touchdowns over the last two collegiate seasons were seven more than any other player in the FBS.

1:06.9

He also ran the second fastest 40 among all running backs at the Combine just this past year.

1:15.5

And this part is very cute. This part is very cute. See? You're in my head. This part is very key.

1:22.7

And that is his ability as a receiver. He has elite hands for context. Love was targeted on 20% of

1:31.6

his routes at Notre Dame, which by the way, ranks in the 85th percentile among running back

1:37.4

since 2018. So we know this kid has a dynamic, versatile skill set and can work as an every

1:43.1

down player, which was also why fantasy fans were so

1:47.9

disappointed to see him land in Arizona, a theoretically crowded backfield, one that he wouldn't

1:55.6

have as much of an opportunity. And yet, despite all that consternation about his landing spot, Love's ADP is climbing.

2:04.2

He is currently, and noting that this is the middle of May, the seventh running back being selected

...

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